Meeting on Mount Hyobusha: The Kage Summit

Age : 37 Posts : 1136

Meeting on Mount Hyobusha: The Kage Summit

Tiger's Nest Monastery

The wind calmed as the first trio of Shinobi approached the last rise to Tiger’s Nest Monastery famously nestled in the spire like eastern side of Mount Hyobusha. For centuries this monastery had been the home of a famed order of monks, the Silent Watchers of Heavenly Twilight, who have gazed up at the passage of the heavens and practiced the unique brand of Kung Fu. Now however its was home of a new event as rare in its own way as any meteor shower, a Kage Summit, a gathering of the most powerful and feared Shinobi in the world to decide its fate in this most unstable of times. The last time one was called was over two decades ago, then by the Hokage. Perhaps no better example of how much has changed that what was once the greatest village in the Shinobi world no longer had lost the right to attend. Only 3 Kages remained where there was once five and for this reason alone this meeting couldn’t be more crucial.

On the wide neatly terraced moon garden, laid out to provide not only stunning view of the fertile breath of tea and the coast beyond but in perfect alignment for the main solar events, that would host the meeting 5 large high back chairs surrounded an ornate table of polished white marble imported at great expenses from snow for just the occasion. Three of these chairs stood equidistant apart, close enough to allow for easy communication but with enough distance so neither could reach other, a necessary precaution with warriors who are trained to kill with the flick of a wrist. In fact this was just one of many precautions to ensure the event passed without incident from the closely watch entrance to the wealth of seals specially applied with the event in mind. Nothing could be allowed to go amiss with so much potential to cause considerable diplomatic damage and anger foes against which Tea had little hope of resisting.

The two remaining chairs where already occupied, one by their host Lord Tsukiyama, Daimyou of the Tea Country, a slight man in his early forties wearing a formal gold and crimson kimono and an expression of polite welcome. He appeared at ease though his concerns were as myriad as the risks this event posed. The 14th Daimyou of Tea was as a shrewd a man as one could to find and where he but Nin trained one could only wander how far he might have gone. He had been sailing the increasingly choppy political waters since his ascension to the throne 12 years ago and it must be said doing with a grace that belied his small frame. Clever and resourceful he had been eager to off his and teas services as a mediator, where the other Daimyou had shied away. He was not a man to fear having a potentially fatal conference in own back yard for an opportunity to curry favour with the few and increasingly active major powers and planned to use these talks to better understand those men and women who would shape the world as they knew it.

To his right sat the ancient Abbot of the order whom though as silent as all his brethren was a pillar of wisdom and had a calming air he hoped would rub onto the visiting Kage’s and ensure a peaceable affair. It was one of the key reasons he had chosen this location, for remote though it is he hoped the panoramic views and serene atmosphere would quieten any potential conflict in the minds of his guests.

Speaking of guests the Daimyou expected the first soon and with luck the others would follow suit. The watchers had already informed him of the approach of the retinue from Suna, its ever intriguing Kage making his way up the mountainside with two of his infamous suited TSOKR guards. While it made sense that they would be the first given Suna’s worryingly close war games in River the Daimyou found somewhat disappointed. Intriguing though he was he had hoped it would be the Mizukage or the Raikage rather then Suna’s unhinged ruler for he had little contact with either of the former and remembered with a certain discomfort his last meeting with the latter. It had been following Suna’s formal occupation of Suna. In spite of his own worries of the precedent set by such a bare faced conquest of ones neighbour he had been wise enough to realise more could come of supporting such a man then from ranting against his disregard for tradition and he was among the first to declare his support for the move. In thanks Tea had been offered a number of valuable trading contracts and an audience with its tyrant. It had been an uncomfortable ordeal, a lunch over which the Kage the credit politely interrogated guests and subjected them to a bombardment of odd questions which in hindsight he realised were design to elicit an emotional response or outburst from which he could quickly deduce their nature, character and their potential threat. It occurred to him that behind the instability was a ruthlessly intelligent individual capable of exploiting his own eccentricities to his advantage. He suspected the Kage had learned more about him over that hour then he dared admit yet only this and his love for dango was all he had deduced in return. He did not relish the idea of being subjected to his friendly inquisition again. He had tried to learn as much as he could about the man in the years since but to little avail. Everything seemed contradictory and only seemed to confirm his initial suspicion that the Kage was as unpredictable and he was unstable.

Had the Raikage or Mizukage been the first to arrive he could used the opportunity to learn more about them and their plans for their continent, to learn what made them tick and how best to position tea in the coming storm. It had been easier to learn information about Raikage, for despite the distance, Kumo was proud of its Kage and its citizen’s keen to espouse her achievements. He couldn’t help wander if she was as beautiful as they claimed or as talented but few could counter claim she had turned Kumo around from the isolationist state it was once to the powerful force it was today. He suspected there was much more to her then a pretty face and hoped to learn as much as he could about the famed Kumo Kunochi. As for the young Raikage he was in his own way the most alarming of the lot. He knew less about him then any other, not surprising given the secrecy that perpetually shrouds mist’s rulers, but he had sensed the ambition, an ambition he feared that was not sated by Mists acquisition of sea, that burned within him when he had approached him to host the event. Scattered reports of Mist spies and scouting groups all suggested that Tea might well be next if he was not careful. Yet despite this the opportunity to learn more about him was not to be missed and any information garnered in this way could be vital in the days to come. Fate it seemed had other ideas and lumped him with the one Kage he wasn’t sure he was ever going to pin down and perhaps the only one insane enough to do something regrettable should the whim take him.

It was therefore with certain trepidation he found himself rising to great the man as he and his party approached the final few meters.

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Meeting on Mount Hyobusha: The Kage Summit Tea-splash

Mount Hyobusha

The trip had gone better then he expected with no unintended disruptions and they had gotten here in plenty of time, time enough to brief the Jounin on what to expect and issue them some equipment as well as give Mr Bigglesworth a bath so he coat would be glossy for the big day. The latter did however take longer then he expected since Mr Biggleworth’s was not keen on water and possessed some rather alarming chakra scalpel claws he was not afraid to use. One of the perks of the being Kage however was the joy of delegating the messy tasks to ones subordinates and what was usually a rather troublesome fair for him turned into an afternoons amusement as two rather overworked Jounin struggled to convince the less then happy summon that shampoo was important. Two badly scratched Jounin later and Mr Bigglesworth was looking positively radiant for his big day and one the group left for the final stretch to the monastery. Howl himself had decided to change his coat to a blinding white with blue trim to go with his formal hat of office for the event while the Jounin were instruct to suit up and look suitably awe inspiring or in Kakougen’s case at the very least like very a well dressed gorilla. It was quickly evident that the hideous priest didn’t think much of having to where a shirt and jacket but Howl gently urged him to preserve with it by suggesting that if he even thought of taking it off he would personally seal it to him for the rest of his very short highly unpleasant life. If in the extreme case that everything went to pot and everyone died Howl was determined Suna would die looking pretty or in Kakougen’s case, not so quietly so ugly. He even considered giving the hefty Jounin a wig but decided in hindsight it probably wouldn’t make much difference sadly

Dressed and ready the party had ascend the mountain. Howl made no effort to disguise his presence or their passage allowing plenty of time for the watchers and monks to see him and satisfy to themselves he had not hidden an army on his person though the unhinged Kage did chuckle to himself as he consider how he might do so, more for dramatic effect then any real purpose. The climb was easy though apart from stunning views rather mundane. To spice things he up and ensure Mr Bigglesworth could not potentially muddy his snow white fur he made the Senju carry him up with the clear warning that should he accidently left go and Mr Bigglesworth were to fall off the edge of the cliff face he was expected to leap off after him. Of course he failed to add that Mr Bigglesworth could actually fly, a fact he never mentioned, and was as cruel as has was bored and thus started innumerable attempts by the aforementioned kitty to jump out of the Jounin’s grasp and off the cliff hoping the Jounin would fall after him. In the end the Senju managed to avoid having to flap for his life but the frantic activities of the two provided more then enough amusement till they reached the crest of the path and monastery beyond.

Despite being centuries old and pretty much seeing everything worth seeing several times already, even buying the t-shirts and the tacky plastic replicas Howl did take a moment to take in the scene and had to admit found himself impressed by the stunning vista that would serve as the meeting point. Not easy to impress on the best of days the Kage smiled fondly as if to and old friend and even talked to himself briefly about coming back here to do some painting before he returned to reality and led his group to where the figures sat or rather where a figure sat since the Daimyou was already rising to greet him.

“My fondest welcome to you Ichushiro Dono on this most auspicious of occasions. Let me be the first to welcome you to Tiger’s Nest Monastery. You honour us with your presence”

“Really? I do? I kint of got de feeling you veren’t happy last ve met? Vell thank you very much Tsukiyama Dono. I am honouret you feel honouret by ze honour of my presence here”

“Indeed Ichushiro Dono. Please be seated. Your must be in need refreshment after such a climb. I shall some as brought at once”

Howl was impressed how swiftly the Kazekage, overlooking the oddness of his response, a sure sign that someone had been doing their homework. He also pondered at how quickly he had moved to offer refreshments and decided to test him further

“Tea ist most beautiful diss time of year und the veather is so vonderfully sunny but ze sun ist a terrible mistress. I vander do you suffer from forest firess overmuch? I love a goot forest fire. Ze iridescent beauty ist a vonder to beholt”

He saw the Daimyou consider the question for a moment then reply cordially:

“Occasionally, during the summer months, the smoke can be rather ghastly but they have their own beauty to them”

His answer, so cordial and relaxed, continued to pique his interest. He often asked odd loaded questions to engender certain response to quickly ascertain the attitudes of others. People were so easy to manipulate by mere conversation he wandered why he bother with genjutsu at all sometimes. It seemed however the Daimyou had not forgotten there last encounter and was holding his cards close to his chest. He was about to force him too fold when he found himself delightfully outflanked. It turns out the Daimyou had not forgotten another thing for in this moment the food, or rather the giant trays of dango, cakes and spiced wine homed into view. An addiction more powerful then a need to question a man he already had a good idea about kicked in and he looked on hungrily as it inched ever closer. With the near blinding speed he whipped a tray of dango off the cart as it came close and proceed to have his way with it, luxuriating in every bite glad that his poison detection seal had not gone off and forced him to exterminate his generous host before the meeting had even begun. As he did so he waved to the Jounin making it clear they could help themselves if they liked.

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Meeting on Mount Hyobusha: The Kage Summit Formal%20garden%20Small

Meeting Area. Table has replaced fountain for the Summit

The Damiyou was pleased with how things had gone so far and it took all his composure not to smile at this small victory other this most manipulative of individuals. Such an action might cause the Kage to break his from his devouring of dango and begin the mental onslaught a new. He had a terrible feeling that the genjutsu master was not above forcing information out of people if he so desired and didn’t want to give him an excuse to try. Now he merely sat politely and waited and hoped beyond all hope another Kage would arrive before the mad tyrant finished.

Age : 28 Posts : 2538

Isamu tentatively stroked the ball of fur curled up in his arms, strapped against his chest in his iron grip. He refused to let Mr. Bigglesworth - he resented even having to think such an odd name for a feline pet - squirm around and break free, for he knew that this particular cat could be devious at the best of times. Though, Isamu wouldn't really use the word 'cat' to categorise this creature, more like 'feline satan'. Isamu had strict orders from Kazekage-sama that if the cat broke free and jumped off the cliff, Isamu were to jump after him. Of course, he knew that this cat could look after itself, but Isamu was free to humour him secretly. And all of this, after giving the giant fur ball a bath! Isamu's brow furrowed, and he wished to spit venomously at the ground, but he knew Kazekage-sama wouldn't like such an act of disrespect. As if to make their presence heard, the scratches on Isamu's arms panged with a sharp stinging pain, which he easily ignored. He was no stranger to pain, he could take much more than the average man, average shinobi in fact. Isamu was proud of this, as he knew interrogation was pointless on him. A waste of time, energy, money, and generally better spent resources. Oh, the amount of times he had been placed in a blank room with nothing but a table and a person sat across it, asking him and endless string of questions, becoming more frustrated by the minute. Isamu often pleased himself with their behaviour, but again, he was humouring them. His loyalty was probably one of the main reasons he was chosen out of Suna's Jounin to protect and represent the Kazekage at this prestigious meeting.

The memory uncreased his brow, and a smile almost flickered on to his face. Almost. Isamu hadn't smiled in over twenty years. He had no reason to. It was a display of emotion, happiness. It wasn't that he wasn't happy; he could be when he wanted to. But he saw it pointless to show other people he was happy, to show them what he was feeling. It was bad practice, especially for more important events like this one. The Kage Summit. Isamu's focus doubled. He knew the other two Kage, and their escorts, would be watching his every move, to deduce things that weren't there. He had thought about leading them on a false trail, but this could be troublesome, so instead he decided to give nothing away. Like an airtight padlock. His tense state not leasing up as the meeting point came into view, Isamu was still on the alert for any threat, though he very much doubted there would be one this close to the meeting place. His eyes didn't dart around, searching. He relied on his peripheral vision for that. Though not as effective, it would give less away. He had weighed out the pro's and the con's; and decided the solution was the better of the two. The Kazekage seemed utterly at ease, gently exchanging greetings with the almost too-warm Tea Damiyou. The Kazekage sat down at the table, and Isamu copied him. He could only assume the other escort had as well, not bothering to look, although he was sure he had seen his body mass shift in his peripheral vision, one of the con's being thrown to the front of his mind.

There was a cart near the table, and Kazekage-sama whipped off a tray of dango - his favourite food - munching it happily. Isamu knew he relied on his anti-poison seal to keep himself safe from food poisoning, the more lethal kind. Wanting to be polite more than anything, Isamu gently took a mug of steaming hot tea, sipping it slowly. It was hot, and it burned his tongue, but he didn't wince. After a few sips, Isamu could taste past the burning to truly appreciate the cascade of flavour dancing around on his taste buds. He glanced up to give a warm smile to their host, but then thought against it, keeping his eyes on his drink. The mug was warm in his hand, his skin becoming desensitized to the heat. Besides, he'd had much worse. He had shifted Mr. Bigglesworth in his hands, clamping him to his chest with one arm, the other used to hold the cup. The cat was asleep, purring softly in his arms. When the beast wasn't concious, it was hard to believe what a terror he could be. Easily suppressing a laugh, Isamu waited patiently for the other Kage and their escorts to arrive...

Age : 30 Posts : 1256

Someone that is be attending one of the most important events in the world should no doubt be excited or at least honored. Kakougan was none of the above, in fact, he felt embarrassed and almost enraged. After getting off the boat that he took from Kiri to Tea, Kakougan traveled to the rendezvous as fast as he could in order to make it on time. Normally he wouldn't of been in such a hurry to go to a social gathering, but this social gathering happened to involve the most important people in the world. However, that wasn't the only reason Kakougan made sure he was there on time. There was also Lord Kazekage to worry about. In Kakougan's opinion, the Kazekage was an odd man. Not surprisingly, a lot of people shared this opinion about Suna's Tyrant leader. It wasn't a problem or how he ran Suna, it was just him as a person. Kakougan had been thinking about a way to explain how odd the Kazekage is and he recently had found a good way to put it; "He's as crazy as I am ugly". No matter how crazy the man was, Kakougan was still bound by honor to obey him. Kakougan would gladly lay down his life for the Kazekage. At the moment, he would rather do that than have to suffer the indignity of...

" Wearing a shirt?!" Kakougan exclaimed after being given a TSOKR bundle. For a few moments, Kakougan did what some would call 'pouting'. However, Kakougan's form of pouting involved punching and stomping anything he could reach. After assaulting some defenseless trees and rocks, Kakougan returned to reality and held the suit in front of him. "Why would anyone wear such a monstrosity... its woven of pure evil... no... Even worse... its cotton..." Kakougan said to himself as he glared at the demon clothe in front of him. Thats when he realized that no matter how much he whined and pouted, he'd have to wear it sometime in the next 10 minutes. Very slowly, Kakougan slipped into the suit as if he were expecting something to explode as he inched into it. Much to his surprise, the suit was somewhat loose so it felt like a cloak more than a shirt, which was preferred. After taking a few seconds to cringe at the thought of wearing the particular article of clothing, Kakougan was ready to go; he wans't happy, but he was ready.

When the others started to move out, Kakougan caught up and fell into step with the Kazekage and his other escort. The entire time Kakougan had been so busy worrying about the suit that he hadn't even looked at the others. There wasn't anything really different about the Kazekage except for his clothes, which wasn't really anything special to Kakougan. The other jounin on the other hand, caught Kakougan's interest. ' Why would Lord Kazekage bring this punk? He looks like a wannabe bad ass or something. Besides, I've never seen much of his face around the village.' Kakougan said in his mind as the small crew walked towards the mountain. When they got to the mountain the other escort jounin was told to carry the Kazekage's cat, Mr.Bigglesworth, up the mountain. Kakougan could never tell why the Kazekage was so fond of that particular cat; he was hardly seen without him. ' Maybe its like me and Laikeze... except Mr.Bigglesworth can't even talk.' He thought while continuing to walk. Thats when Kakougan remembered that Laikeze was missing. Before he could call for him, Laikeze flew in and landed on his shoulder. " Where have you been?" Kakougan asked him. " Just thought I'd clean myself up before this meeting. Gotta look my best!" Laikeze replied arrogantly.

Climbing up the mountain was the more enjoyable part of the entire journey. Kakougan enjoyed climbing and refused to use the conventional ninja style of climbing in favor of using his bare hands. About half way up the mountain Laikeze made a rather delayed observation. " S-say... is that a cat in that boys arms...?" Laikeze said, stuttering each word. " Why yes, thats the Kazekage's cat, Mr.Bigglesworth. Do you think hes hungry? Looks mighty hungry to me." Kakougan replied, teasing is feathered companion. " I think I'll meet you at the top..." Laikeze whispered before flapping his wings and soaring up the mountain. Kakougan couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape his mouth after Laikeze's departure.

Eventually the group reached the top of the mountain where the Kage Summit was to take place. " Bleh, too pretty. This place needs to be knocked down a few notches." was the only comment Kakougan made about the meeting point. Not surprisingly, Kakougan wasn't a person that marveled at everything labeled 'pretty'. As they entered the building they were greeted by one of the people in attendance from Tea Country. ' None of the other villages are here yet.' Kakougan noted. After looking around the area and gawking at its beauty, Kakougan turned his head and saw a glimpse of the Kazekage devouring a tray of dango and waving to him to help himself. With a large sigh, Kakougan stomped over to the tray like a mammoth and examined it. The tray was full of sweets and drinks, but nothing he wanted like meat or milk. Sighing again, Kakougan just stood tall with his arms crossed waiting for the others to arrive.

Posts : 2032

The radiant kunoichi was impressed with what Lord Tsukiyama, Daimyou of the Tea Country had laid out for her and her two escorts. After arriving in the Tea Country the night before the festivities the entourage from Kumo was situated at the most decadant and luxurious residence the country had to offer. Not far from the location of summit, the residence displayed everything for which the Raikage desired and expected. Travelling to the summit on foot, the only way a kumo-nin knows how, meant that the group was tired and weary from the long distance. The place would come at much relief as they could finally settle down for the night, take a soothing dip in the bath, have a beautiful meal, and relax and restore some much needed energy before the big event. Riku walked into the plush mohair and was pleased with its beauty and decadence. As the beautiful kunoichi was ushered to her room by two young ladies who seemed both excited but afraid of the women, she turned and smiled to them thanking them for their kindness. The two ladies quickly sprinted off down the long turning stair to ready the dinner which would be in an hours time. Riku walked into her room and was impressed with the ornate furniture and mood lighting. The room was filled with a mixture of soft textures and lavender and gold trimmings, a very beautiful setting for a very beautiful lady. Riku stripped down out of her clothes laying them on the bed. She then grabbed a robe from the closet and proceeded downstairs to where the hot baths were.

Miku and Tensei had their own seperate rooms right next to the Raikages both equalling the standard of hers. Riku arrived to the hot baths and scanned the near empty room. Her fellow kumonites were not here, even though she recommened they soak in the hot baths. With a sigh she walked to a private room in which the bath assistants slowly ushered her to. Perhaps her escorts would be coming down later but they wouldn't want to cut it too fine before the dinner. As the Raikage lay down on the long wooden bed, two young women entered the room and closed the door firmly. One shifted over to a large wooden bucket filled with hot coals, and softly poured some water over them causing a reaction of hot steam to gush up and fill the room with its warm and relaxing nature. Covered in towel in all the right places, Riku lay with her head placed in a small but comfortable hole. The two ladies made some handseals and within an instant their hands started to glow with a green chakra. The women started to rub the Raikages body with their hands firmly pressing shifting their weight over her. "Ahhh...there is nothing like a chakra massage to get all of the tension out of your body." The fine kunoichi said as she slowly drifted off into another planet. With this kind of relaxation it was hard not to fall asleep, but in these unknown and testing times she knew it would be foolish to let her guard down for even an instant.

Riku then went back up to her room to get dressed for the formal dinner which was to be laid out for the Tea's most esteemed guests. As she opened the door her clothes from the travel ahd been washed and dried and lay firmly pressed and folded on the end of her bed. Also, a strickingly beautiful kimono was laid out next to her pile of clothing. The kimono was very striking indeed and Riku was almost too scared to touch it. The dress had a intricate floral print coloured with lanvender and a light blue. It as finished with a golden trim looking very similar to her room. She was impressed with the hospitality of Tea and reminded herself that she should definitly come back some time. When she arrived down at the dinner her two escorts were already seated at the table which catered for four guests. Miku and Tensei were sitting next to each other on one side where as the residence owner Tioshi Yamiguru sat on the opposite side with an empty chair which was obviously meant for Riku. When she entered the room the assistants, Tioshi and her escorts all rose and blushing slightly Riku told them to take a seat once again. "Sorry if I am late Tioshi, in such a elegant and beautiful residence it is hard not to lose track of time." Riku said as an assistant pulled out the chair for her to sit in. "Ohh no no no Raikage-Denka, you are just on time, quickly take a seat we are just about to eat." The old man said with a hospitible smile on his face.

Thoughout the night Riku talked with the man from all manners of topics ranging from politics and military structure to flowers and the Lightning Countries most unique weather. Tioshi was a very knowledgable man and Riku found him somewhat interesting. As the night ran on the man became more relaxed in his presence around and even let in a couple of witty remarks now and then for which Riku cuckled too. But it was beginning to get late and Riku wanted her and her escorts to have a good nights sleep for the procession the next day, when she detailed this to Tioshi he was very apologetic for keeping them up so late and religiously expressed how it was an honour to house such a beautiful and powerful lady such as Riku. "Flattery will get you everywhere my dear Tioshi. Thank you for allowing us to staying in your lavish residence it truly is beautiful, but we must be off. I wish to get a good nights rest before tomorrow." Riku said as she kissed the man's cheek softly. The old man blushed a bright red and escorted the three kumo-nin out of the dining area. Riku could tell that he was incredibly chuffed to have them stay at his residence, but she was also very grateful.

After the beautiful nights sleep Riku went through her rigirous morning ritual to get ready for the summit. She had to look her best as her femininity was one of her major drawcards and talents at such an event like this. She was feeling good and refreshed. He quickly wrapped her official kage robe around her waist, and pulled over the long silky white over-robe with a golden trim around the edges. She grabbed her hat and walked downstairs to the enterance to wait for her two escorts. She arrived to see that they were both already there and waiting for her which annoyed her as she thought that she was making good time this morning. They were looking very radient themselves dressed in their best shinobi inspired outfits for the occasion. "Gahh...you are looking beautiful Miku! I wont be suprised with the men at the summit will be drooling over you at the table. And I don't remember you scrubbing up this well Ten! is there a lucky lady that I should know about?" Riku winked and giggled as she waved goodbye to Tioshi who came to see them off. It was a beautiful day and she was in a good mood ready for the days proceedings.

The trio walked up the steep hillside to reach the awe inspiring Tigers Nest Monastery which was pirched high up on a the hill allowing for panoramic views of the beautiful country-side that the Tea Country possessed. Riku was somewhat pre-occupied though in figuring out whether there were actual tigers up here, and also whether tigers made nests or not. Her train of thought was de-railed as they made it to the enterance where the guards and workers of the monastery ran over to show us to the summit location. They were running around like headless chickens trying to please and guide us, giving Riku the impression that the Diamyou had set out some pretty high standards for which they were to keep to. The group was lead out into a beautiful garden for which a large white marble table was situated in the middle. The chairs were evenly seperated around the table and where equally as impressive. Riku walked up behind the table and took her formal hat off as to reveal her face. Within an instant a young assistant swiftly handled the hand from hers and quickly stepped five paces back behind the main procession. Her hair was exceptionally silky and coloured today as she shampoo'd thoroughly to make a good impression. The sun gleamed down off the side of the building shone bright apon her olive complexion.

Riku looked to see the Lord Tsukiyama and the Kazekage where already here and seated at the table having a someone stagnant and awkward conversation. The instant Riku moved the Lord Tsukiyama stood up abruptly and greeted the fair woman.

“My fondest welcome to you Riku-Dono on this most gracious of occasions. Let me be the first to welcome you to Tiger’s Nest Monastery. You are much more beautiful in person than what people had told me, and that is truly a feat to behold.”

"Ahh..your welcome warms my heart Lord Tsukiyama you truly are too kind. I am honoured to be here and might I thank you for allowing us to stay at such a decadent residence last night we were very tired from our travels and I must say it was much more than I expected."

The man walked around the table and walked up to Riku gently shifting the weight of his body to nearly a kneel. He gentle touched and lifted Riku's hand to his mouth kissing the back of her hand then releasing it again.

"Anything for one of your beauty Raikage-dono. I am pleased that you enjoyed your stay, only the finest of residence were acquired for your visit. Now, quickly come and take a seat I have ordered you and your two escorts a cup of our finest tea."

Riku somewhat creeped out by the mans forthcoming followed his lead and sat down on the seat to the right of the Kazekage. This must be Ichushiro, Howl the Tyrant of Suna she thought to herself. She had heard many many stories of the man, both good and bad, but all very unusual. She was interested to get to know the man and make a judgement for herself. After scanning him briefly she came to the conclusion that he was infact quite a striking man. He was finely dressed to be expected but seemed to show a somewhat 'boyish' quality in which Riku was fascinated with. Though to her confusion the man seemed to be fully ingulfed with the dango's in front of him as if possessed. But, as the Kazekage looked up their eyes locked on each other as if to initiate a conversation or a greeting. As the Kazekage looked in no position to instigate the greeting, Riku went first and softly shifted her attention to the man "So, you must be Ichushiro, Howl the Kazekage. I have heard a lot about you."

Posts : 1084

After travelling for what felt like centuries, the Raikage and her escorts arrived at the Tea Country. Even with her usual somewhat hyper-active, cheerful, and childish behavior, Miku was willingly able to admit she was quite tired. Her body instantly relaxed when stepping into the gorgeous well-decorated residence. It was something she would see in her dreams were she ruled as a princess or queen. Similar to the Raikage, two young ladies then began to escort the young kunoichi to her room. The kunoichi opened the door to the bedroom, eyes enlarged at the sight to behold. Yes, the lighting was very pretty and delicate and yes, the furniture was very sleek and glowing with radiance, but at that moment the only thing Miku yearned for was the bed. "My goodness... That is quite the most loveliest bed I have ever seen. Would you look at those blankets and covers! So elegantly tucked in and all! I swear, I don't see a single wrinkle." she stated with tired enthusiasm. The two young ladies that had escorted her smiled sheepishly and gave her a bow of the head. "Please enjoy your stay." they stated in unison.

Miku blinked and wiped her head at them with a small jolt of energy. It was something she had seen in a movie before. The escorts or tour guides or whatever they had been always seemed to speak in unison and later it turned out they were brain-washed which they then later attempted to kill the guest under the orders of some sick master-mind man that was hosting the event. The corner of one of Miku's lips twitched as she gave the escorts an odd crooked grin. That was only something that happened in the movies, anyways, right? Yes, because that's why it was in a horror action movie, because it was dramatic and wouldn't happen. The young kunoichi nodded to herself, agreeing they were not brainwashed nor attempt to harm any of the guests.

As the two ladies went to leave, Miku called them back. "Yes, ma'am?" the both spoke in unison, again. "Kuku, I'm rather sleepy and I believe it would be rather rude of me to arrive at dinner in an unprepared state. Will one of you please wake me up just about twenty minutes before dinner, please?" the young kunoichi requested of them. The two ladies smiled at her and nodded, before dashing off to do whatever tasks. Miku stripped down to her underwear and crawled into the large inviting bed, rolling around in the warm covers for a few minutes, childishly cuddling with pillows and then soon drifting off to sleep. She dreamed of rather peculiar things, such as staring at a clock only for it to miraculous combust, sitting at a tea party only to have spilled tea all over her and fall backwards, rolling away from the tea party and down a hill, and two evil looking twins dancing around her as she attempted to follow Tensei and her Raikage. Miku then woke up abruptly from a series of taps on her shoulder. "W-what? Hmm?" she questioned, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. "Ma'am, it is twenty minutes before dinner. I am waking you up just as you said." a voice said in a calm and collected manner. The once-sleeping kunoichi's vision re-focused, realizing the figure was one of the escorting-ladies. She nodded at her.

"O-oh, yes." Miku cleared her throat only to be handed a glass of water by the lady. She smiled and took the glass of water, taking a good hearty gulp. Miku handed it back and the lady set it down next to her on the nightstand. "Ahem, thank you very much." the refreshed young kunoichi said, slipping out from under the covers, still in her underwear. The lady blushed and giggled at Miku before sheepishly looking away. It took a minute to compute, but when a shiver coursed through her body, the young kunoichi looked down at herself, realizing that she was in fact, in her underwear. "Oh ho ho ho! S-sorry, 'bout that!" she replied with a small giggle and blush of embarrassment, refreshed as ever, hugging herself to keep her warm. Her teeth slightly chattered and she was really beginning to miss the snug blankets and covers of the bed. "Not a problem. Their is a warm shower available to you. I'm sure you could take a quick on before dinner, ma'am." the lady suggested, hoping to become of assistance. Miku nodded and smiled. "Y-yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do! T-thank you very much!" she stated, teeth still chattering. The lady pointed to a wardrobe before beginning to speak again. "Their is a robe in there, as well as your now clean clothing you arrived in. However, we will be providing a kimono for you that you will be wearing at the dinner. It should be in here as soon as your done with your shower, ma'am."

Miku was already in the robe to keep herself warm as the lady continued to speak, though awaited patiently as she finished up. Her eyebrows rose and her emerald eyes twinkled. She had only worn one kimono in her whole life and it had been her mothers. She was becoming excited, a pleased grin quite obviously stretch across her face. "Wonderful! Thank you so much!" and with that she dashed off the the shower, not wasting a moment's time. The water was very hot against the otherwise cold skin of the kunoichi. That quickly changed with just a few seconds more passed. She washed her hair, noting how lovely the smell of the shampoo was, which she believed was raspberry scented. Miku also quickly washed her body, also believing the body soap was raspberry scented, before jumping out of the shower, ready to get dressed. The young kunoichi stroked the material of the kimono. It was very nice, indeed. It was white colored with small details of orange colored dragonflies, the trim being gold. She slid it on, making sure if fit just snug, and combed her vibrant hair, sweeping it to one side, and pinning her long bangs back with a hair barrette.

She descended to the dinning room, noticing that Tensei was already there. A chair was left empty beside him as well as one beside the owner of the residence. She paused in front of the table, really only taking a brief second to decide, before situating herself beside Tensei. Miku gave him a friendly smile and even blushed a little. She parted her lips to speak, looking forward to speaking to him, only to be cut off when realizing the Raikage was now present. She closed her lips and stood up, greeting their beautiful Raikage and sat back down when told. Through out dinner, Miku never spoke much to neither the Raikage nor Tioshi, but would quietly say a few things here and there to Tensei, usually the topic being about the food, the residence, or her career. She almost made a comment of how the assistants had spoken in unison just like in a horror action movie she had saw, though held off in fear she would begin to laugh far to loud and she certainly didn't want to draw unwanted attention from the Raikge and Tioshi's intense conversing. Before they all knew it, it was time for the Kumo-Trio to go to sleep...

After a few odd dreams, but a good night's sleep, Miku awoke with the familiar series of taps on her shoulder. It was the lady from before, awaking her just as Miku had instructed before she had done to bed for the night. The young kunoichi rose out of bed at a surprisingly eager and quick pace in her underwear, shivering and taking her clean clothes out of the wardrobe. Her long blue sleeve-less chinese-styled blouse fitted snuggly around her torso, black pants similar to leggings also fitting rather snuggly around her legs, with black low-heeled boots ending just under her knees. She decided to leave her half-jacket , jounin vest, and cloak behind. After brushing her vibrant hair and pinning her long bangs to the side with a hair barrette, she gave herself a quick glance in the mirror. All that was left to be done was fastening her hip pouch filled with minor things and she was descending out of her room.

Miku found that Tensei was already there, waiting for both her and his sister. She noted how particularly good-looking he appeared, as well as prepared looking. Had it been from a night's well rest? Or perhaps he always looked like that and she only realized it now? She tilted her head to the side in curiosity, blushing just a tad bit. It took a minute to realize that she was simply tilting her head to the side, staring at him, but when she did, she gave curt bow of the head likewise to that the assistance around the house usually did and gave him a smile. "Good morning, Tensei-san."

She went to part her mouth again to speak, but just like last night at dinner, she was caught off by the arrival of the Raikage. The young kunoichi looked up at her in awe. She was quite the beautiful person and Miku could honestly say she was surprised by what she had said to them first thing in the morning. "Kukukuku! Why, thank you, Raikage-sama. You're looking very elegant and graceful, today. Like a princess or queen! Kukukuku!" Miku replied, waving her hand and giggling. "And I do agree, Tensei is looking rather dashing, yes? Kuku!" she continued before leaving the residence with the Raikage and Tensei.

When they arrived at the destination, it was just another sight to behold. It was a very pretty setting, the table was. Something one could see in a story book. Miku stood by Tensei's side and watched as their Raikage was greeted by Lord Tsukiyama. The Lord was certainly taking his time, laying the moves on her Kage and it was almost uncomfortable to watch. In fact, Miku looked away and observed the others with the chance, first noticing the Kazekage. He was very stunning looking and appeared to be munching down on the dango set out for them. Her eyebrows rose slightly in amusement before then noticing... A cat. It looked groomed to perfection, similar to the Kazekage. Miku found it rather humorous at the idea of the cat being the Kazekage's pet, though held off on laughing or even grinning. It was being held in the arm of what she assumed was another jounin who was also drinking something. Near a cart she saw a very large... Figure. She thought of him as a figure and not a person due to the fact that he looked rather alien like compared to all of them, like he belonged in some fantasy action cartoon. Though these were her thoughts, she said nothing and merely give all three of the Suna shinobi a small sheepish smile while moving some of her long vibrant locks of hair to the side and off her shoulder. What was going to happen next?

Age : 31 Posts : 2547

They had arrived in Tea country. Finally, he would be able to try some real tea. He liked the tea from Kumo, but this was Tea Country. Each step was becoming increasingly harder, but the sheer beauty of the place kept him going. It wasn't like Kumo. The weather was suny, which seemed to give Tensei some relief. For now, he was just going to stop thinking about what was going to happen at the upcoming Summit. It would either be a declaration of peace, or a declaration of war, and if it was the latter, dark times were headed their way. Two women lead Riku and Miku to their rooms in another direction, while one tall man stood waiting to show Tensei to his. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with his own thoughts, "One question, man. Is there any sake?" Tensei asked with an innocent grin as they reached the door to the room. There was a short pause, "Um... I can get you some, if you think that's wise." the escort replied, clearly showing he was concerned. "Wouldn't you rather have te-" the escort started, but was interrupted. "I have plenty of time before the Summit starts. I mean, shouldn't I be able to relax before such tense proceedings?" Tensei asked, desperately trying to convince the man. "Well... I guess that makes sense... I'll be right back." the escort said, and started to leave, but then backtracked, realizing that he hadn't opened the door so Tensei could get into his room. "My apologies, sir. I'll be right back with the sake." the man said after opening it. Tensei simply nodded, walked in, and began looking around. He was tired, and a little nervous, so he wanted to just take his mind off things.

The room was nice, but because Tensei had grown up in a noble family, he was used to seeing similar things. He walked over to the bed, and rather than getting in it, he fell on it. It was tough keeping up with his older sister travelling. Tensei knew that was the only way he was going to become just as strong as her, he needed to do the same things as her. Challenge himself in every way that she has, and hopefully one day, surpass that. It wasn't long before the escort was back, and with door two quick knocks he entered the room. Tensei sat up, and the man walked over to him, handing him the bottle. Tensei quickly took it, and downed about 3 shots worth straight from the bottle. "What's your name, buddy?" Tensei asked and motioned to hand him the bottle. "Hateshi. And no thank you, sir. I cannot drink on the job," Hateshi said, hoping Tensei wouldn't further try to pressure him. "The name's Tensei, and Hateshi..." Tensei started, and paused for a moment. He then reached into his bag, pulling out an ounce bag of some of Kumo's finest herb, and a pipe. "Sometimes you just have to let go, and let life take you for a ride." He said, chuckled for a moment, and began smoking his pipe. Hateshi just stood there for a moment, gulped, and then grabbed the bottle and took a swig. The truth was there actually wasn't much time left before the Summit, Tensei was bluffing when he said it and luckily Hateshi didn't seem to know any better.

Hateshi was risking his job, and he wasn't even sure why. He felt the urge to do what Tensei did. An act of rebelion, perhaps. Tensei passed the pipe to Hateshi, and Hateshi passed the bottle to Tensei. This repeated for awhile, until neither seemed to be in any condition to walk, or properly form a sentence, things weren't looking good. "Hey... Hateshi?" Tensei murmured. "Hmm?" Hateshi replied with little energy, he didn't quite have the tolerance that Tensei did. "Do you believe... that a person is born to do something?" Tensei asked, with a sudden unexplainable surge of energy. He was good at pretending he wasn't under the influence, because he did it all the time. "You mean like, fate..?" Hateshi asked in reply. "Yeah... when an innocent person is killed by a village ninja by mistake, and trust me, it happens, was that for a reason?" Tensei said, not even knowing if what he had just said made sense. "What are you saying?" Hateshi asked, "I'm saying that I'm in the business of killing for money, and it's the only thing I know how to do!" Tensei yelled, and there was a pause of awkward silence for a moment. "You're wasted, man." Hateshi said, and then began to laugh hysterically. Tensei made no response, no, the only thing that Hateshi could hear from him was the sound of loud snores. Tensei had fallen asleep. This wasn't good, because Hateshi had overdone it too, and now he had to make sure that Tensei woke up in time for the Summit meeting. If Tensei wasn't there on time, they might send someone to the room, and Hateshi would lose his job. Things weren't looking good as Hateshi's eyes began to fade, as he was barely able to stay awake.

They had an hour, so Hateshi figured he could get a little sleep in, and set a mental alarm so that he could wake Tensei up for the summit. Also, hopefully by then they would have both sobered up a little bit, so there would be so suspicion. Tensei had an odd dream, that he was running around in a beautiful garden with Miku, and then they sat and watched the sunset together, sitting on a small bridge. It was enchanting. Soon time came for Hateshi to wake Tensei up, and he wasn't going to mess around. He poured a glass of cold water on Tensei's face, instantly waking him up. "What the hell, man..." Tensei moaned, but he knew what was going on, so he quickly got up, got his clean clothes which he had already packed ready, and got into the shower. He hadn't really the time he needed to sober himself up, but at least he'd clean himself up. He got out and got dressed, then began gathering everything he was going to need. He wanted to be prepared for anything. Tensei couldn't remember what time the summit was exactly, and he couldn't afford to be late, so he headed out. He ran as fast as he could, not admiring the scenery as much as he would have liked, but he worried that if he stopped, he might throw up.

It seemed that Tensei was the first one to arrive. That was a good thing. He felt that it made a good impression. Not much time passed however, when Miku arrived. He had been developing quite the crush, as he had just had pretty wonderful dreams about her. Though, he wasn't going to show that he was interested, because he knew that it would be inappropriate. His heart began to beat faster as she greeted him, and a grin lit up his face. He wondered what she might think of him if she found out that he showed up to the meeting intoxicated. He was going to try his best to keep himself in check, and get through this meeting. All that was really required of him during the meetings, is to stand there. The Kages will be doing all the talking. Tensei wasn't sure if his opinion would be appreciated, so he wouldn't give it. Then Riku arrived, and it seemed like everything was going smoothly so far. Tensei blushed after Miku's compliment, "And you look beautiful, Miku-chan." Tensei said respectively, and chuckled a bit. It might have been the fact that he was smashed, but all of the worries that he had earlier were suddenly gone, and all he could feel was excitement. "Kumo's number one!" Tensei yelled rather loudly, winking and holding his index finger up. They made their way to the table, and Tensei decided to just keep his mouth quiet. He sat next to Miku and his sister, glancing at the feast that laid on the table. It actually disgusted him, because he knew that even if he only ate a little, he would be sure to throw up on some of the most powerful ninja in the world, and that wouldn't be very good. He just sat in observance.

Age : 31 Posts : 8965

Meeting on Mount Hyobusha: The Kage Summit.

Patience, some would say Arashii didn’t know the meaning of the word. From the moment he and his two escorts had raced out of the Mist’s gates, he had been steps ahead of them the whole time. What did they expect from the young and eager Mizukage? He had warned them about the seriousness of their job, even if it meant moving so fast that the blisters on their feet had blisters. It didn’t take the trio long to approach the luxury cruise liner that served the Mizukage’s bidding directly. Today it was being used to transport the three to Tea County, it wasn’t a long trip, but it would be a few hours none the less. The big metal frame was resistant to a majority of attacks to ensure if somebody attempted to ambush the Lord of Kirigakure, he’d have a strong defence to go with the offensive damage he could do surrounded by such a large quantity of water. The ship departed as soon as the three had boarded. It was filled with a few dozen shinobi who had been ordered to be there even earlier than the Mizukage and his escorts, for extra protection on their water-travel. They were located all through the ships rooms and even on the deck. The Mizukage spent the majority of his night in his giant room that was as big as a house, his escorts also were being catered comfortably. The boat glided through the water, piercing through strong waves and tides as if they were little ripples at the shore line, little discomfort was causing in the rooms that lied below the surface of the boat. Mizukage stood by his giant window as he could see what dwelled below the surface of the water, passing varieties of fish and creatures that lurked in the deep. But recognition was not granted to all the fascinating species that passed his window, his mind was other places, already planning out what he could for the days that were before him, as they were very important.

His train of thought was disturbed by a sudden knock on the door, who had the stones to interrupt the Mizukage when he requested nobody entered his room? It was a silly question to ask himself as he was already pretty positive on the answer. He confirmed his suspicions as he saw the voluptuous figure of Ahora passed through his doorway, keeping the door on its hinges as she bumped it closed with her bottom as she sent a playful wink Arashii’s way. “Naka, why are you sitting in here by yourself when you bought the luxurious cruiser, packed with almost every kind of leisure activity a man can do? Get out of your room you emo!” Ahora lectured him playfully as she moved towards him, attempting to grab him by the hand and wrist and pull him out the room. Arashii pulled away, without trying to hurt her. ”I don’t wish to partake in such activities, I’m concerned about how these events will pan out. I’m not the nicest Kage to walk the globe, I’m sure the others will see through my mask if I just put on a happy face.” The Mizukage replied in a concerning voice “Then don’t put on a happy face, be dominant and powerful, just be strategic in doing so.” Ahora responded immediately. Arashii ran his index finger across the brim of his Mizukage hat, that sat in his lap. For some reason, he just felt reassured by her words. Eventually she talked him out the room as the two joined the Hyuuga in the leisure room, each partaking in a separate activity. Arashii decided to have a few games of darts, as he still saw it as training with his senbon. Arashii hit a bullseye every time.

It took no time for the three to arrive on the docks of Tea, departing the boat as it would wait there for them to return, however long that would be. It was still early in the afternoon, but Arashii wished to arrive at their destination before the sun was to set and the dark would creep out, it was never easier traveling in the dark, not to mention the cliff they were to travel up. His Kage robe flapped behind him as he began running through the forest that sat left to the town that lurked below the mountain. Attention wasn’t something they wanted to receive that this current time, they just wanted to get to Yutaka Fort and rest up for the even busier day they were in for tomorrow.

They soon reached the rocky bottom of Mount Hyobusha, a steep mountain that was hard to climb. Arashii knew of a secret path that was at the back of the mountain, he knew of this from when his father took him here as a young teenager, this path slowly made its way to the fort and wasn’t as steep, this is how precious cargo and living expenses were brought to the fort. Unfortunately, Arashii didn’t have the patience to continue around the mountain. ”Up we go.” Arashii spoke to his comrades as he began channelling chakra into the soles of his feet, stepping up onto the sharp cliff face, before instantly picking up a lightning pace as he disappeared up the side of the cliff, charging quickly towards the large cliff plain that the Fort was located on. Arashii got there a good five seconds before his escorts due to the head start he had granted himself. He stood there for a moment admiring the Fort and the nature that lurked around it as he began walking towards it, hearing the thuds of his comrades behind him as the three approached the drawbridge. ’How ancient, nothing has changed.’ Arashii thought to himself as the guards at the tower used their binoculars to see who was approaching. Seeing the Mizukage uniform was one security measure that was taken, but how could the guard be sure. Arashii knew that the drawbridge wouldn’t be opened without substantial proof, so with a flick of the wrist, Arashii flicked out the uniquely crafted kunai he said was compulsory to bring, the kunai flew through the air in instant, very high and fast up into the tower, narrowly missing the guard who stood at the towers view. The kunai halted suddenly as it met the wooden frame inside the tower, the guard grabbed the kunai, dislodging it from the wood as his hand shook in intimidation, if that throw was a centimetre of, he’d be dead. He opened the drawbridge and leapt down off his tower, down to the ground, where he and another dozen guards unlocked all the doors that were behind the drawbridge. The guard held the kunai in his hand as he and two other of the guards walked outside the gates. Arashii knew the drill, the only way to get through the seals that lied on the other side of the drawbridge was to be escorted through by a guard who had the key seal on the palm of their hand. Each one of the Kirigakure shinobi were accompanied through by one of the guards, as physical contact was made, Arashii’s escort placed his hand gently on Arashii’s right arm as they walked through, before reuniting the Mizukage with the compulsory kunai he had hurled only minutes ago. They were inside the fort now, the three were taken too their rooms. It wasn’t as luxurious as the ones on the Mizukage’s cruise ship, but they did their job nicely. The hospitality was more than acceptable, Arashii was lucky enough to try many varieties of herbal teas some that were only known to this land. Nobody visited Arashii’s room that night; he rested up for the day that was just around the corner.

Arashii was woken by a very gentle knock at the door, he was a light sleeper after all. Ahora made her way inside his room, exchanging warm smiles as Arashii sat up out of bed. “Naka, it’s time to get up, the meeting will be starting soon.” She said nicely as she opened the blinds only slightly, letting a dim yet warming light ray cross Arashii’s bare chest. ”Okay..” he replied softly as he got out of bed. He began getting dressed once more, placing everything back on neatly. Turning to Ahora, Arashii asked. ”How do I look?” Ahora approached him, fixing his robe to make it look more appealing before replying – “Like a dag.” She followed this up by placing the hat on his head playfully and smacking it down on his eyes. Arashii bared a small smile as he readjusted the hat. ”Okay it’s time.” Arashii and Ahora approached the door, as the Mizukage latched the handle with his left hand, the kunai sitting firmly in his right, he opened the door to see Demo standing outside his room, about five metres down the hallway, already prepared for the meeting. He approached the Hyuuga and gave him his only order for the meeting. ”Keep your eyes active, I want you to stay standing, behind me, keep scanning each of the men who are there.” Arashii said as he firmly grasped the man’s shoulder as a sign of gratitude. ”Ahora, you are to sit with me.” Arashii stated as he walked down the hallway, his escorts following behind him in perfect motion with each other. They approached the monastery, passing through all the security measures that were taken as they entered the garden. It seemed everybody was already there, Arashii looked down from the top of the stairs, the table just in eyesight.

Arashii slowly descended the marble staircase as Lord Tsukiyama was the first to see him approach, he stood from his seat and approached the bottom of the staircase, meeting Arashii there as the two shook hands before engaging in a hug. ”Mizukage-sama..” The Daimyou said before following it up with a friendly greeting. ”I’m very thankful of you granting us with your presence, and you choosing the Land of Tea to be host of such a historical event.” he said as he stepped back from the young Kage. ”Lord Tsukiyama, your flattery isn’t required, you know I have the utmost of respect for you, I shun my efforts on visiting you even sooner, in a much more relaxing environment, where business isn’t first priority. Arashii replied as he approached the table. Before he sat down into his seat, he brought the kunai up in his right hand before piercing it into the giant marble table these important men and women sat around. ”My fellow Kages, if you could kindly present your kunai as I have done so, we can begin our important meeting.” Arashii said before turning to the Raikage who sat before him, across the table. He basked in her beauty for a moment before Ahora accompanied him in the seat next to the Mizukage. Busted, Arashii sent a smile the Raikage’s way before turning momentarily to Ahora for reassurance once more, she was fine. Everything was in order, Arashii suspected that Demo had taken the position that Arashii had requested as the young Mizukage looked under his hat over to the Kazekage, the unknown Kazekage that Arashii had known nothing about to this point, he’d hopefully soon find out as he tried to make eye-contact with the man, he couldn’t get past the brim of the man’s hat. Surely everything would be revealed soon.

Jutsu Used:

Quote :: Name: Kinobori no Waza - Act of Tree Climbing
Rank: E
Type: N/A
Element: N/A
Description: Kinobori no Waza, the art of tree climbing serves a dual purpose. Taking part in Kinobori Shugyou (Tree Climbing Training) helps a ninja learn how to focus their chakra. It also teaches the ninja how to run up trees and walk on vertical walls. The training helps the ninja learn how to focus just the right amount of chakra to a particular part of their body. The amount needed to climb is small but it must be precise. The feet are regarded as the hardest location to master chakra focusing. So by gaining the art of this skill, the ninja will have any jutsu available (theoretically) because they will be able to focus their chakra as needed

Age : 37 Posts : 1136

As the trio of Kumo approached to take their place at this most auspicious of occasions a paranoid individual might have gazed at them suspiciously suspecting treachery at every turn while an open person might welcome the opportunity to meet them up and establish a good relationship based on strong ties. At least that what normal individuals might do, but the Kazekage was far from normal. Being buried alive does strange and disturbing things to the human mind and the result was anything but predictable. He might have waved with enthusiasm of an excited toddler or gazed upon the arrivals with sort of savage intensity better suited to genocidal maniac or perhaps a bit of both while commenting to himself loudly about how they looked. Unconstrained by morals or conventions he could had considered it decide to try to gen all of them, create an opening and ambush them if his mind deducted some core benefit. However in the end he did nothing, or to be more precise was doing something much more important then greeting Nin he may not see again. With no immediate threats his addiction had taken hold of this usually most observant of Nin and lost in a world of sugary treats he barely noted their arrival. Had someone the foresight or ability to read his convoluted and highly worrying mind they would find that far from considering matters of state and seriousness of the gathering only thing currently mattered:

I am a Yummy Dango
Round and Great
I am Tasty
Clean the Plate

Few knew that the Godiame Kazekage whom regularly ignored the requests of his people, the entreaties of nations and demands of kings had taken the advertising song of the Mr Fluff Dango Corporation to heart or that he regularly sang the song while skipping on his own through the lofty halls of peoples palace. However like all good things, dango must come to an end and after attacking the rations of four people with the same gusto as a school of ravenous piranhas the plate was entirely devoid of those heavenly sugary entities. It was as he finished shoving last into his mouth with an innate of the style that helped to obscure the worst elements of his addiction he finally found himself looking into lustrous pink orbs which shined like pale silk and were all the more bewitching for it. A moment’s careful inspection found they were attached to an angel who made him wonder if he had been killed though the possibility seemed remote given he could feel Mr Bigglesworth contentedly snoozing and that the dango had magically replenished itself. If this was heaven he wasn’t sure he wanted to stay. Of course such a delightfully curvaceous form could potentially belong to Succubus though her question was too subtle to belong to brain addled denizen of hell which left but one alternative which made irritated. The Kazekage was on the whole not a man to care what others thought of him, it was simply enough that others listened and obeyed but for others to consider him as a fool was not something he tolerated. For his spies in Kumo had reported that the Raikage was a moderately handsome woman, even pretty in the right light. Yet unless his eyes deceived him, which he doubted, she would be startling pretty even in pitch darkness and as result his spies must either by blind, stupid, traitors or foolish enough to think they could away with taking Suna’s money and doing no work. In any case the suffering would be as terrible as it would be drawn out as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

In meantime he had a question to answer, one he could not help but notice that was loaded with hidden meaning, since he was famed for many things, much of which was considered unacceptable in a polite society. Was she attempting to compliment his fame or confirm hers suspicions to his infamy he pondered? He picked up a nearby napkin and used it to give him time to apply his considerable mental prowess to matter and moments later with a warm smile replied in a manner so congenial it was more at home in pub then a meeting of state:

Let me see, Kazekage hat, check. White coat, check. Talking to oneself check. Yes I believe your right I must indeed be the Lord Ichushiro or at least someone who likes someone pretending to be Lord Ichushiro.

All the time he made a great show of looking himself over as if to check he was whom he claimed to be:

As for hearing a lot about me, I do to do. I can’t say I approve of myself very much, if it’s to be believed I must been a very naughty Kage at times. Of course I have also heard I claim everything you hear about me to be true but then I am aware I can be a terrible fibber sometimes so who can truly be sure. That said if a new rumour were to be spread that I had a secret rendezvous with such a divine lady as oneself I suspect I may be certain as to the rumours authenticity.

Given our hosts greeting I assume you my dear must be the hottest thing to come out Kumo all year. It’s an honour to finally meet you, though I had not imagined you would be so ravishing. It almost makes me wish we were at war just so I could meet you on a more personal level. I see you have brought some associates with you too to join the merry throng, how very thoughtful.

The Kage took a moment to survey the arrivals and started draw his conclusions to their nature, roles and links to the Raikage. They were both attractive in their own way and he found himself wondering what the pink haired Jounin, who hair appeared to glisten in the light used as a conditioner. His vanity about his own appearance was considerable and was not unknown for him to instigate raids on people’s house just to find out what product they were using. There seemed to be a close bond between the group and wondered if perhaps there was something that linked them, lovers perhaps or maybe relatives. His sharp smell also picked up the faint but undeniable trace of alcohol which suggested a certain someone may have been enjoying themselves a little too much.

He proceeded to engage in small talk till the Kiri Nin arrived a few minutes later. This time dango-less and not preoccupied the Kage had amble time to prepare himself for what was to come and recognised the young man who led the group. His sources had not been clear on the identity of the new Mizukage but the signs were there and his suspicions had borne fruit it seemed. Arashii had grown since last time, become stronger both physically and he suspected mentally too. For Arashii to have not only survived his ordeal but have overcome his internal conflicts and self doubt to succeed his father was testament to that fact. It occurred to him that if he had not identified the Mizukage as Arashii till now then by extension there was little chance Arashii was aware of his position in Suna. Uncertain how the past might impact on the meeting and realising that maintaining an aura of uncertainty might be more helpful he decided for now at least to cloud the issue and used the excuse of the sweltering sun to lower his hat more evidently shrouding his face in veil of darkness.

The party from Kiri were different to those of Kumo, less relaxed, more alert and he hazarded were expecting trouble. Their positioning suggested a level of planning and perhaps Paranoia which confirmed much of what little he did now about Kiri’s highly ambitious ruler. There strides were as purposeful as the positioning made all the more obvious by the absence of such actions among the Kumo Nin. It could not be more evident that Kiri had come here with a purpose in mind, Kumo merely because tradition and good sense suggested it would be prudent. Now it was case of unravelling just what Arashii had planned.

Even as he held hid his face and thoughts from sight Howl noted how direct Arashii was in his conduct. From his concise no nonsense introduction to his brutal stabbing of a till then pristine and rather immaculate white table. It was clear Arashii was a man of action, direct and too the point. It was a sharp contrast to Suna’s methods which were neither as direct or clear cut much like Howl himself. Thought out this scene he had kept one eye on the Raikage hoping her reactions to Arashii’s might reveal more about this unknown quantity and where Kumo might position itself in the coming days. He suspected they would take it slow but he couldn’t be certain and uncertainty on such matters needed to be resolved.

As the Mizukage ended his introduction it became clear he was expected to respond in kind and so he calmly placed his right arm to his waist and reaching into the Ever Pouch hanging off his belt he selected the golden kunai he had receive and plucked it out careful to do so slowly as not to raise unnecessary alarm. As he did so he applied a small seal to the top nothing harmful but enough for the purpose of what he intend and with a small flick of his wrist sent the kunai into a spin where upon it flew through the air a few feet landing like a spinning top. It spun around for a short time in ever decreasing circles till it got within a few inches of the Mizukage’s. Activating the seal the kunai proceeded to lodge itself as if of its own accord with the seal itself expiring moments later then tiny amount of chakra within it expended. With that he turned towards the final Kage:

I believe its your turn to abuse the poor table my dear

P.S. I have decided to not use a german accent on the Kage for a bit to see if its better or worse for it. Feedback would be appreciated. Todd please feel free to add response to my points if you want. It’s assumed that we spoke for a short amount of time prior to Adam’s arrival

Spoiler:

Posts : 2032

[Note: Sorry for the shortness of the post and it not being proof read. I have limited time/access to the internet due to the earthquake]

Things were starting to heat up and as more and more of the summit started to unfold Riku got the feeling that contentious issues may arise. But, she was in a good mood something that had not struck her in days. This was most likely because of the constant paperwork she is usually buried under back at the village having to endlessly approve this, make concent for that, things that to Riku get very boring and tiresome. The collaboration of the scenery, event, guests and the general atmosphere that the summit had truly seemed to put the beautiful lady in a good mood. But she knew that this was first and foremost a formal occasion that required her to keep her wits about her. She had been the position of Raikage more a while now and was more than past learning the tricks of the trade. Being to numerous meetings and conferences over the years she learn't to dodge and interpret certain information from questions that were put her and vice versa, questions that she put forth to others. The way a person reacts physically to a question in somecases is more important than the actually words that come out of their mouth. Riku knowing the physical body better than most likes to study someone's physical reaction to a comment or gesture to further understand their motives behind their mask.

So when talking with the Kazekage Riku did such a thing, it was what she had been trained to do, and well, what she expected herself to do. The man was an interesting one that was for sure. She did not have much personal information of the man from informants hired through Kumogakure, but she did have knowledge of his some-what unsual methods and exploits. She wished to know the man better on a personal level and with this she would need to choose her words carefully. All of the people sitting around the table were experienced ninja, people trained to decieve and condure the invisible, and Riku suspected that the Kazekage was better than most at this. Though when around him she could not help but feel comfortable and natural, feeling as though she could just say something unusual and eccentric, though she thought to bite her lip. With a clean sweep of her blonde hair she tucked it behind her ear as the Kazekage Howl began to speak and reply to what she said. Even though Howl was clearly different from anyone she had ever met all men were the same in some respects when it comes to women. Like all men, one of the the first things that comes to their mind is the external look of a women and how best to complement that. So, Riku was not surprised when the Kazekage commented on how beautiful she was, she got that everywhere she went and it was something that she was now accustomed to.

As the Kazekage was about to finish talking Riku let out cute giggle and covered her mouth slightly with one of her soft tanned hands. Her nails were neatly and professionally painted with a shiny black polish something she had done when she was staying in the Tea Country the night before the summit at Tioshi's residence. She thought that someone might try and interpret the colour of her normal nail polish so she decided to go with a neutral and quite overbearing colour like black, to make a statement. She means business. "Oh that is very kind of you, I must say you look quite handsome I wasn't expecting this you have taken me aback. Though we both know that it is what is in the inside that counts." she winked at the man. Everyone loves flattery it is something that appeals to the inner-most instictive part of a human. When someone goes out of their way to look presentable for a specific occasion they like to be recognised and Riku was enjoyed playing this to it's maximum. Suddenly a young man holding a large circular silver platter appeared on the left shoulder of Riku. She turned her neck slightly holding out her hands to recieve the steaming hot cup of tea that was at offer. As she plucked it off the tray she gestured her 'thanks' and the man left.

As the Raikage sipped away at her tea she her and the Kazekage began to talk in much more the trivial, face-value topics as a warmer to the summits proceedings. But soon enough their conversation was disturbed by the arrival of the last important figure to arrive that the summit, the Mizukage. He was the one that called this meeting and thus made an appropriate enterance, the one last to arrive so all eye's would be fixed on his arrival. Like Lord Tsukiyama had done twice previously he soon fell-over himself in greetings and grand gestures towards the young Mizukage to make him feel welcome. Riku wondered if he realised how fake and irritating he was coming across to the three power members, and if he even knew how intense and obvious his ass kissing was, but she wouldn't say anything outloud. It was not the time or place to bring up such controvercial topics of conversation, althought she desperately wanted to. Making men feel uneasy was something she found quite simple and entertaining. A man's flaws being pointed out by a women doesn't seem to go down well and Riku would enjoy seeing the desperate man squirm.

But she soon shifted her attention to the man Arashii who she had not seen in a long while. He was a lot younger last time and had now grown up considerably. He was physically much larger and stronger seeming to have a toned and athletic body, something that Riku admidly liked. She was an incredibly physically person herself and she noticed he he would be quite strong and have a good base speed also. But, like the first time she met the Mizukage, even when he was younger, there was still an aire of arrogance and self-worth that surrounded the man. Something that Riku did not like. Arashii had gone off the radar in the past years, and his rise to Mizukage was unexpected to Riku. Not due to the fact that he wouldn't get there because she fine well knew that his ambition and talent would most likely see that man holding the position, but it was more the time it took him to achieve the position and this was something that Riku took note of. It seemed as though everyone was here and the meeting was about to kick off. The three kages were now facing each other at the table, and undoubtly scoping and pressing for information through eye contact.

Arashii soon ended his introduction and proceeded to ask the Raikage and Kazekage to bring forth their kunai which was specifically made and enscribed for this event. Riku went to grab her kunai which she placed safely in the midst of the top of her kage robe. Safely tucked between the women breasts. As the Kazekage pulled his out of his storage pouch and onto the table he spoke as if to initiate Riku into doing the same. She looked at the man with a warm smile and proceeded to softly pull the kunai out of the secretive pocket at the top of her robe and placed it on the table in front of her. It seemed as though everything was now in order and the business end of the summit would now begin. As the three kages looked at each other the atmosphere was beginning to intensivify and their was an aire of accomplishment in the surroundings. The questions of why this meeting was held would be answered and the coming of a new age decided.

Age : 31 Posts : 8965

His hands sat in his lap until the tray of tea approached his spot on the table, as one of the citizens of the Fort poured a cup for Mizukage and his sitting escort, Ahora. Demo wasn’t granted such a luxury yet as he wasn’t at the located close enough to the table, and that was the area being catered for by the friendly gentlemen who were pouring the tea for the infamous shinobi that sat around the circular marble fragment. The steam rose from the ceramic cups that hosted the hot beverage as the aroma escaped from the cup with the rising hot air, rushing toward Arashii’s nostrils as smelling sense tingled at the smell that couldn’t even be described with words. He put the index finger of his right hand through the cup, but before the young Kage lifted the cup he used his left hand to remove his Mizukage hat out of respect to the other Kages and shinobi who sat around him. He placed it on his left, in between him and Ahora. His attention was fully on the Kazekage for the moment as brought his Kazekage hat down his face even more. Arashii couldn’t help but be intrigued, he went to sip his tea as the Kazekage retaliated to Arashii’s request, flinging his kunai across the table, toward the young Mizukage. Somebody in Arashii’s position may have hesitated to the sudden movement, or perhaps they’d have taken evasive attack as their escorts jumped to defend their leader immediately, causing a hostile situation very early in this important meeting. Arashii was too wary of the movement though, he knew it was coming before it happened. Sure the Kazekage was a great shinobi, but Arashii’s eyes were fully occupied on the mysterious man, so the movement was easily predicted. Instead of acting in a defensive or aggressive manor, Arashii knew the kunai wasn’t going to harm in in anyway, it was a mere intimidation technique, and for now; Arashii would play nice, so he continued to move the tea cup toward his lips before taking a more than comforting sip of the tea, consuming quite a portion of it in one gulp.

The kunai lodged itself into the table once it happily spun for a little while, Arashii wasn’t impressed or shocked by this action either, by doing this the Kazekage already revealed something very important to Arashii. The Kazekage was a sealer, like Ahora. Because of his relationship with his escort, Ahora; he was all too familiar with sealing, and knew how to assess whether something was sealed or not. As Arashii lowered the tea cup from his mouth, he spoke. ”Kazekage-sama, I must admit to you, these kunai weren’t cheap, in fact there are only four of them in the world; for you to place a seal on such a priceless object is a real shame. I guess we are just lucky that Konohagakure isn’t joining us, so I still have a spar.” Arashii teased his equal to see if he’d actually receive a response. The Raikage soon followed the boy’s display of egos, by gently placing her kunai on the table too. As delicate as this was, Arashii knew she wasn’t as delicate as assessed. He had met her on previous occasions. Arashii was indeed younger than the Raikage, but he was held in such a high stature at such a young age, that the two had met before. Although the last time the two had met, Arashii wasn’t alone; as that was when his twin-brother and the trophy son, Akira. The brothers were a part of arguably the best Chuunin squadron Kirigakure has ever seen, and at this time Riku would have been recently promoted to Jounin. The two villages, Kirigakure and Kumogakure, were assisting each other on an A-ranked mission in Rain Country. Arashii managed to sneak a display at the Raikage’s Taijutsu abilities, she however; got to see his Kenjutsu abilities. Arashii’s clan abilities however, were still kept very secretive. But the fact that Riku became the Raikage and Arashii, Mizukage with information on each other and even once former comrades, no matter how brief, had to count for something.

In recent years, Arashii hadn’t been in much contact with Kumogakure or Sunagakure, he mainly was in contact with Iwagakure, who had recently fallen victim to the shinobi world who devours anybody who cannot keep up with it. Arashii had known to become a sour man over the years, which probably explained why Riku hadn’t welcomed him comfortably. He didn’t expect anybody to understand however, after seeing his controlled brother kill all the people who were close to them before being forced to kill Akira himself, to engaging his father in battle after murdering their entire clan, including Arashii’s mother and finally killing his own father, the former Mizukage. Arashii had to become like this if he was too be stable enough to retain his position in Kirigakure. He had to make sure his secrets weren’t revealed, although sometimes he believed if they were, people would be more understanding and he could actually be accepted. It wasn’t something Arashii was going to risk, and in the end it was his relentless attitude that allowed him to seize power in Kirigakure.

The stage was set now, Arashii brought himself back from his thoughts and decided to finally bring his meeting to a beginning. ”My fellow shinobi, Kumo and Suna… Over the last year, the shinobi world has suffered much pain in the loss of millions of lives. No I’m not speaking about our occasional mission where a shinobi never returns, or an ambush by some Rogues, the loss of Iwagakure effected the four remaining nations, as one of the biggest lands of his world was completely wiped out, now Konohagakure, which was once arguely the strongest nation, who only shrivelled in time to get overran by those who hold the most power in this world. That is us, those who hail from Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Kirigakure. We are the three great nations, we are the ones remaining in this world and we are more powerful than those fallen nations were or have ever been. If that wasn’t true, than it would be them occupying these seats instead of us, and because of this I think it’s time to gather the three nations and pay our respects the only way I can think of. Chuunin Exams.” with his rant coming to a close, Arashii awaited the responses of his fellow Kages as he took another sip of his still steaming cup of tea.

Age : 37 Posts : 1136

A light breeze swept across the gathering carrying the faint smell of lilac and Jasmin from the monastery’s herb garden and the rather more potent but equally pleasing scent the Raikage seemed to favouring today. Howl didn’t linger to consider it though, simple quantifying the information, deeming it not to carry an underlying threat and moving on. That and he was also busy making paper airplanes beneath his robes which he later planned to raise down the mountain. Contrary to popular belief his mind, unlike his sanity, was as sharp and active as ever and few things slipped by this paranoid genius including the obvious jest by the Mizukage which he now considered as he added an aero dynamic slit on his latest creation. A more proud man, or rather a more stupid one, for even a proud one might have thought better of it, might have taken insult or blustered at the kunai comment, seeking hidden insult were there wasn’t one. The Mizukage’s emotional turmoil might make reading him difficult at the best of times but it didn’t take a master of the manipulative arts to know in this regard the comment had been light and intended to create a more relaxed air. The suitable response would be to simply smile, flow with it and think nothing more of it but Howl was not bound by good practises. While largely unpredictable the Kazekage was anything but young and over centuries had in a few minor ways become a creature of habit never letting a rebuke, even a harmless one, pass unanswered, especially with a belly full of dango:

Valuable? And here I was assuming it was made of boring, predictable, common as muck, dull as dishwater, inert gold. I am guessing it is not a bomb either, now that would have been super sneaky and fun too but since I haven’t exploded already I suspect not. In any case my dear Mizukage my apologies for overlooking such a rarity. I must admit I am regretting using mine to open tins of cat food now. Once again my apologies if you find any scuffs or traces of Kat Co Fishy Surprise on it.

Throughout the statement he sensed the Mizukage’s eyes on him and wandered what he would make of it, unusual in its own way since the Kazekage was not one to usually place much merit in the views and opinions of others. Perceiving people to be largely stupid and best ignored on the whole he rarely gives much thoughts to the observations of others. You could call it an arrogant disposition but his not borne of a feeling of innate superiority but rather a fervent belief that people just don’t know what’s good for them. He at least had the benefit of centuries of foolish decisions to reach where he was today, which was insane, paranoid and considering whether or not he should talk to himself about the problem with youth today but all together slightly wiser then he once was. Fortunately for the collective sanity of all those about his train of thought was broken by the Mizukage clearing his throat to speak

The energy of youth and ambition hummed in the young Kage like a swarm of irritated bees thinly hidden behind an emotionless mask. Though a skilled front he knew better. He remembered there last encounter, when a foolish youth and his even more foolish sibling and friends came to Suna to spy and subvert. A second son of unloving father whose brother had everything he wanted. He had seen the change within in him as he forced him into a situation he was ill prepared for. Luck or maybe fate guided his hand and spared his life but the incident had left Howl more aware of his inner conflicts then perhaps any other save his closest confidents, if indeed such a man had any. He had doubtless used it as focus to development, to fuel his own need to find a place in the world and come to terms with a misguided father, losing the woman he loved and killing a brother he both admired and resented in equal measure

As the Mizukage began to speak Howl became quiet and thoughtful, straining to catch every word, be it spoken or whispered. He carefully out his paper creations to one side as he accessed what the young Kage had to say, what it meant and tried to unpick his views on the matter and how this might chart Kiri’s course. However the Mizukage wasn’t the only target of this intense tyrant for though he actively listened to the Mizukage, he his eyes were focused with almost inhuman intent on the beautiful form of the Raikage. Those who could have seen is shadow shrouded face might have mistaken him for a pervert, lusting over her flesh when he merely sought to understand her. It is a common belief that you learn more by looking directly at a speaker but a skilled orator can easily masque their own feelings. It is in truth far harder to hide ones emotions on hearing something for the first time and thus observing the Raikage would likely be all the more useful. Of course this was the theory, but much like encountering dango gone bad something’s never taste right however hard you want them to. Needless to say the Jounin were instructed to observe one each and would compile their own reports respectively. Once he acquired them and marked them in his current preferred medium, crayon, giving them a happy face if they were really good and a stormy cloud if he wouldn’t wipe his arse with said report he would be in a better position reflect. Till then all he had to go was his eyes, ears, common sense and the able if sometimes confusing assistance of Mr Bigglesworth and his myriad of split personalities

So Arashii wanted a CE, doubtless not merely to have one but to host it. Yet for what end did he seek it? Surely not because Kiri needed the money that would go hand in hand with the victor as the flow of missions swapped in there favour? While overdue a CE was not strictly necessary so why now? The loss of Iwa and fall of Konoha were largely irrelevant, an excuse for a CE perhaps but not in themselves a reason. There fall had left a host of opportunities, not concerns and surely Nin were better used to exploit them then to commemorate a bunch of extortionists and fools no man cared about and were glad to be rid of. That left only one good reason and he suspected the true one, the Mizukage sort to determine the strength of Suna and Kumo respectively. With no recent CE, the upheaval, the loss of Konoha and Iwa had left everyone, everyone was on edge and uncertain of what to expect and he was keen as any to learn more about his rivals and their villages. Though he would never admit it his spy network had been badly damaged and he increasingly worried on how little he knew the Mizukage must be the same. This would tally nicely with rumours he heard concerning Arashii’s boundless ambition and desire to greatly expand Kiri’s territory. He probably wanted to access the other villages, not just there strength but their intentions and the CE offered a handsome opportunity to both. None of this surprised him of course, he had anticipated such a move from the first and was one of the key reasons he had initiated the war-games prior to his arrival. He wanted to keep Arashi guessing, encourage him to more proactive in attempt to learn his own intentions and unwittingly reveal his plans. Though Arashii attempt to exploit any CE, it would serve both Suna’s interests handsomely as well and would be great cover to for his spy networks to finally infiltrate Kiri, a place that had been beyond his sight for too long.

As for Kumo, there motives were still a mystery but he suspected the Raikage was not as soft hearted as her features suggested. Too little was known about Kumo’s army and if they were to be factored in they must be analysed, the weakness exposed and ruthlessly exploited. Howl had spent far too long restoring Suna’s former glory to allow anyone, man or woman, to disrupt his plans now. A CE would do such, dangerous of course since it would reveal as much to others but increasingly needed. To remain dark as to your rivals strength was too dangerous in this day in age. It had been Konoha’s undoing after all. For 3 years he had carefully planned its economic ruin ever since the day they allowed the horrific lie to be published about him. He wondered how much the others knew of Suna’s help pushing Konoha to the edge and beyond. Needless to say even now the Raikage, Mizukage or even both of them could be planning a similar fate for Suna, to impoverish it or worse destroy everything it had come to represent. It was so tiresome how people did that and no matter how many times he subjected people to inhuman and degrading torture, usually involving a spoon and rubber gloves they still came back for more. Like the rebels who defy him, he needed to uncover their plans, disrupt them and ultimately silence any who would bring harm to his precious village, dango supplies or would mock his beautiful locks. But first he, like the Mizukage, needed information and that meant he needed a CE

Howl thought how best to respond to the Mizukage and for a few moments considered merely stating his tacit approval for the idea but decided that he ought to reach out. It didn’t take a genius madman with a chronic fear of pocket lint to realise that half the point of this meeting, which could have as easily been done by dignitaries instead of Kages, was to make it clear with whom they were dealing with and through him establish Suna’s role and rites to be involved in deciding the worlds fate. While he had no intention of revealing his secrets it was important that they knew what kind of man he was and knew the cost of opposing him. They were big boys and girls after all and there was no point denying the truth especially when to do otherwise might lead to unexpected avoidable incidents for which the mad tyrant would feel compelled to redress with his own unique brand of extreme intolerance. An insane smirk gripped him in this regard and deciding to treat the day as if he talking among friends rather then stern faced rivals he spoke up:

The loss of Iwagakure was a sad day for all of us. Some of us lost friends, relatives and even respected rivals that day. I just lost a lot of money, money I should state I was intending to use to buy a mint first edition copy of Icha Icha Paradise Gold, which I might never be able to afford. Only selfish, greedy, extortionist Iwa would have the ingratitude and callous disregard for the well being of the bets of others to be destroyed a year too early. And here I was planning to invade and burn the place ground for 3 decades of degradation and economic poverty suffered during the war with Iwa and the vast impoverishing war tithes my village was forced to pay in their wake. Did you know that we couldn’t afford a hospital until 8 years ago and suffered from a famine 15 years back as result. I recall hearing how the Tsukikage laughed as 1/5th of Suna’s population died to keep him in silk and gold. Was it too much to ask that I not derive some small measure of reprieve on Suna’s behalf but forcing feeding the pig explosive tags and seeing how far I can make him explode. Trust that egotistical git and his bunch of moronic Nin to get themselves killed by accident one year too early leaving Suna unable to come to terms with her abuse and me without my treasured book. Frankly death was too good for them. Lucky Gits

A sort of bemused, shocked horror was spreading among the more gentle members of the gathering as Howl’s completely lack of morals spilled out in the relaxed manner of one talking over drinking a Saki. It was hard for the Daimyo and Abbot among others to understand how easily any man could talk about burning down a city or seemed to care about acquiring a book then the deaths of an entire nation. His calm almost jovial attitude wasn’t callous despite his lack of moral concern lacking any gloating or notable joy. It was almost matter of fact as if talking about the latest gossip in a bar rather then discussing the fate of untold inoccents only serving to confirm the rumours of what the Kazekage considered acceptable. Many of the monks and bystanders were looking at the Kazekage agog with shock but the Kazekage appeared not to notice or if did not to care. Likewise the Suna Jounin seemed largely unmoved almost expecting their leader not to conform with what was considered good manners and to confuse and beguile others with shock and awe.

As for Konoha its fall was an eventuality, a by product of the corruption and selfishness that emanated from its very heart. Lets be frank with ourselves, though we all can respect Konoha’s Nin and strength of will can any of us honestly say there was a single member of its Council who you wouldn’t shower at least three times after meeting. Well perhaps a few I always like the Nara and Akmichi had great taste but on the whole it was harder to find a more self centred bunch of egotistical men alive. They rode their village into the ground and we are expected to have sympathy? It stands in stark contrast to the ancient practise of the tree village were collective conciousness was natured and proven through tests of strength and courage. Of course most of these were deadly and it was such practises that eventually led to the village’s population crisis and eventual collapse but nevertheless the idea was there. Konoha preached a will of fire but practised a policy of self interest and hypocrisy I find tend to get the come-uppance. It was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened. Suna might admittedly have helped it with it descent but what is a man to do when Konoha is so eager to acquire your territory it floods it with anti-government propaganda. One such document even described me as unkempt despot, who burn villages for his amusement and slaughtered whole clans. Outrageous if you ask me, when a man works hard on his appearance its only to be expected that he would react badly to being called unkempt. Really the indignity of it all was most disagreeable

Continuing from the first his tone remained casual and definitive, talking about things as though they were normal and not worthy of emphasis. The experience was turning increasing surreal as if what was under discussion couldn’t be happening yet in spite of all common sense was. Fortunately however and end to this momentary insanity came in site as he finished:

I agree that a CE is overdue and that perhaps something can be arranged but do not expect Suna to render honour to either Iwa or Konoha. Suna is not beholden to feel sympathy for extortionists and fools and neither am I, both of us having numerous better ways to amuse ourselves

Age : 28 Posts : 2538

Isamu sat silently as Kazekage-sama and Lord Tsukiyama conversed. As always, the Kazekage looked at ease. On the other hand, Lord Tsukiyama looked rather uneasy speaking to such an eccentric man, but he was clearly trying to hide it. His tactic was ineffective, and gave his face a rather ‘screwed up’ look. It was to Isamu’s surprise when Lord Tsukiyama’s face smoothened out, and a smile flickered on to his aged features. He left the conversation with Kazekage-sama respectfully, standing up, his chair scraping out behind him, holding his arms out and his palms upwards as he walked over to the arrival of the Raikage. “My fondest welcome to you Riku-Dono on this most gracious of occasions. Let me be the first to welcome you to Tiger’s Nest Monastery. You are much more beautiful in person than what people had told me, and that is truly a feat to behold.”

Personally, Isamu thought Lord Tsukiyama wasn’t comfortable with his royal position, and was sucking up to those higher than him in a desperate attempt to gain more power. The Raikage did look radiant as she hovered down the steps towards the large table in the centre of the marble hall. Her escorts was on either side of her, walking in unison but not quite radiating that aura of relaxation that the Raikage seemed to behold. ”She’s probably more comfortable because she’s got more power, and she’s had longer to work.”

"Ahh.. Your welcome warms my heart Lord Tsukiyama you truly are too kind. I am honoured to be here and might I thank you for allowing us to stay at such a decadent residence last night we were very tired from our travels and I must say it was much more than I expected." the Raikage replied as she stepped away from the steps, walking forwards to greet the host of this prestigious event. He kneeled before her, taking her hand delicately in both of his, then kissing it gently in a sign of respect. It was almost impossible for Isamu to suppress the ‘tut’ that was growling in his throat. ”I’m all for respect, my life revolves around it. But some people just take it to far.” Isamu thought rottenly to himself.

"Anything for one of your beauty Raikage-dono. I am pleased that you enjoyed your stay, only the finest of residence were acquired for your visit. Now, quickly come and take a seat I have ordered you and your two escorts a cup of our finest tea." Lord Tsukiyama said, solidifying Isamu’s negative views of him. Isamu was really beginning to like the man, but he knew his opinion of him did not matter in the slightest. He was to respect the host of this Summit either way. Besides, small talk was to be expected, when all these large figures were present in one room. Lord Tsukiyama led the Raikage to the table, returning to his seat as she took hers to the right of the Kazekage. Isamu watched as the Raikage looked sideways at the Kazekage, obviously reviewing him, then Howl-sama’s head snapped up, and their vision locked. It was almost awkward, well, it would have been if Isamu didn’t know Howl so well, and almost expected this kind of reaction. But it was hard to predict him, when he was such an eccentric man. Feeling the awkwardness, the Raikage started the conversation softly. "So, you must be Ichushiro, Howl the Kazekage. I have heard a lot about you." Isamu noted the use of a filler at the start of her sentence, and deduced that despite her calm aura, she was slightly nervous, like the rest of the shinobi sat around the table. Her escorts were hovering faithfully in the background, but not at the forefront of the fray.

As his thoughts turned their way, Isamu risked a look at the Raikage’s escorts. Isamu had a common knack of deducing things about people if he could only analyse them long enough. The first escort was a young female with bubble-gum pink hair. ”Stubborn, opinionated, making a statement.” she gave Isamu and the other Suna escort a cheeky grin, which he did not return, whilst fiddling with a lock of her hair around her shoulder. She was obviously attracted to the other Kumo escort, and likewise. It was almost possible to ‘feel’ the electricity between the two of them. They kept shifting glances at each other, looking away, embarrassed, if caught by the other. Isamu suppressed a sigh. He almost wanted to go over there, place their hand in each others, and tell them life was too short. But young love was a sight to behold, and he knew he mustn’t try and warp its progress. Isamu’s gaze snapped over to the male Kumo escort. He was the only male figure belonging to Kumogakure at the table, so Isamu assumed he was either homosexual or feminine. He seemed neither, on first impressions. His skin had a greeny-greyish tinge and his crown was sticking up along with a cowlick. His hair was slightly out of place and if Isamu looked closely, he could see the purple bruises under his eyes, though they were faint. ”Drunk and stoned; that’s not good.”

Again, rather suddenly, Lord Tsukiyama stood up from the table, initiating that same warm gesture. Not needing to look up to know who was now present in the room, Isamu felt the presence of the Mizukage and his escorts. Not being able to resist the urge to analyse the Kirigakure shinobi, and knowing he should anyway as part of his escorting job, Isamu looked up in time to see the Mizukage leave the final step and place his feet on the ground, shaking hands with Lord Tsukiyama before pulling him in for an almost brotherly hug. ”Mizukage-sama...” Isamu heard the Tea Daimyou proclaim as the two broke apart. ”I’m very thankful of you granting us with your presence, and you choosing the Land of Tea to be host of such a historical event.” he spoke again, as he took a step back. ”Lord Tsukiyama, your flattery isn’t required, you know I have the utmost of respect for you, I shun my efforts on visiting you even sooner, in a much more relaxing environment, where business isn’t first priority.” the youngest Kage replied, as he headed towards the table without guidance from the Daimyou. He had clearly been here before. Before he sat down he pulled out a kunai and placed it in the table. It wasn’t exactly a normal kunai, but Isamu knew it’s purpose so didn’t care to investigate. ”My fellow Kages, if you could kindly present your kunai as I have done so, we can begin our important meeting.” Isamu saw the smile that the Mizukage shot at the Raikage, obviously taken in by her beauty.

After this, the Kazekage lobbed his special kunai in to the air with a performance, it spinning around due to the ability of the seal Howl had placed on it. Isamu admired his work, knowing the spectacular performance wouldn’t have even touched his leader’s chakra reserve, and there was no need to worry about it if a battle was to ensue. Thinking about it, Isamu tensed up as the Mizukage shot a cheeky remark at the Kazekage. There was almost a gasp in the air as he finished, Isamu waiting for his leader’s reply. He knew it would be good, and couldn’t wait to see for Howl to floor the Mizukage verbally for attacking him like that. The respect he had gained for the Mizukage for his get-to-the-point attitude immediately drained, but he did not allow this to show. ” Valuable? And here I was assuming it was made of boring, predictable, common as muck, dull as dishwater, inert gold. I am guessing it is not a bomb either, now that would have been super sneaky and fun too but since I haven’t exploded already I suspect not. In any case my dear Mizukage my apologies for overlooking such a rarity. I must admit I am regretting using mine to open tins of cat food now. Once again my apologies if you find any scuffs or traces of Kat Co Fishy Surprise on it.” The Kazekage replied tartly, more than living up to Isamu’s expectations. Each word penetrated the Mizukage’s skull, and Isamu knew if he hadn’t been brought up from a militant background and been painfully aware of his surroundings, a burst of laughter would have escaped his lips. He shot a glance at the Kumo escort with bubble-gum pink hair, surprised to see she had managed to compose herself throughout this. She seemed rather immature. There was however, a hint of a smile pulling up at the corner of her mouth.

As the conversation turned to more grave matters, Isamu only gave it a portion of his attention. Only taking notice of what the subject of conversation was, utterly disregarding the speech altogether, relying on the other escort to keep up with that. Though with his brawn and no brains look, he doubted that would be possible. Isamu was, however, 100% confident Howl would be able to recall every word said tonight with ease. Isamu scanned the area, never letting his guard down and tensed to strike. He almost got bored as Howl gave his speech about Suna’s power and past, and how the Kage’s discussed Chuunin Exams. He knew they would happen, and was quite looking forward to them, in all honesty.

Age : 30 Posts : 1256

Although the Wind Country group had arrived first, it wasn’t long until they were accompanied by the group from Lightning Country. Before they had arrived, Kakougan was silently sharpening his claws behind his back. If something were to happened he wanted to be sure to fight using all of his assets, including his claws. Kakougan’s role in the summit was somewhat boring to him. He was just standing there doing little to nothing. At least the other jounin had the privilege of carrying Mr. Bigglesworth. ‘ Maybe I’m just supposed to stand here and be intimidating…?’ He thought. Without justifying this thought Kakougan concluded that it must be the answer. After deciding this, Kakougan changed his stance from well mannered to a brutish stance with his arms still crossed. As soon as he had changed to his new stance, the Raikage and her band came in.

As soon as Kakougan laid eyes on the Raikage and her escorts he disliked them. They all looked too clean, too pampered, too formal. They gave off an egotistical aura that Kakougan could feel from all the way across the room. The Raikage was perhaps the most ‘dolled up’ of them all. What she was wearing was simple enough, decorated robes that seemed to be layered. What was around her waist bother Kakougan. Tied around the Raikage’s waist was her Kage robe, a robe that signified a Kage’s rank a political power. A sign of power had been turned into a fashion accessory. Kakougan’s blood boiled and he clenched his fist, but he stopped himself from speaking out and instead just let a large frown creep across his face. To add insult to injury, the Raikage was also wearing make up and nail polish. ‘ How artificial. That sickens me that people could ‘love’ people who go to such lengths to not look like themselves.’ Kakougan thought as his frown grew even larger. Deciding that insulting the Raikage in his mind wouldn’t solve anything and would just make him angrier, Kakougan started to examine the escorts. The first escort was another kunochi, but Kakougan liked her appearance more than the Raikage’s. It was more unique when compared to the dull and disgraceful attire the Raikage wore. ‘ Well at least some people in Kumo have a fashion sense.’ Kakougan thought. The female escort started to examine the Suna escorts as she came in. First she looked at Kakougan’s partner and that at him. Kakougan could sense there was some surprise in her eyes when se saw him, yet she gave him a small smile. In return, Kakougan smiled back, bearing his large canine teeth that made it look like he was growling at her. Finally, there was that last escort. Of all of the Kumo ninja, included the fashion challenged Raikage, Kakougan hated him the most. It wasn’t anything he was wearing, it was what he said when he came in. While he entered, the Kumo ninja yelled, “ Kumo’s number one!”. Not only was Kakougan dumbstruck by how stupid it was to say such a thing at a meeting with the other great ninja villages, he was also angry at what exactly he said. ‘ Kumo is number one huh? What retards. Making such an assumption before even seeing Suna or Kiri is just moronic. Obviously Kumo’s average IQ much be less than the average decaying fish carcass if they could possibly be so stupid. I just want to walk over there and punch them right now!’ Kakougan rambled on in his mind as his smile at Miku turned to a frown at the other escort. As Kakougan was glaring at the Kumo group, he heard the Raikage talk.

"So, you must be Ichushiro, Howl the Kazekage. I have heard a lot about you."

She said to Lord Kazekage. Upon hearing this, Kakougan’s head darted in the direction of the Raikage and he began to let out a low growl. Thought Kakougan was no stranger to kindness, he didn’t like how it fit into the Raikage’s character. She looked rather materialistic and consumed by her corporal beauty, which were both sins waiting to happen. As he growled, Kakougan leaned down towards the Kazekage and started to whisper, “ Don’t trust her. She wants something, its too obvious she does.”, he whispered. The more he thought of the Raikage trying to be friendly towards the Kazekage the angrier he became. When he couldn’t take anymore of it, Kakougan decided that getting some meat would calm him down. When a waiter came by, Kakougan tapped him and asked for a couple of raw steaks to be brought to him. The waiter cringed, but agreed and went off to fetch the order. While he was waiting Kakougan just stared at the Raikage like a wolf would stare at a sheep that it is about to pounce on. Kakougan felt a light tap on his shoulder and he turned to see a plate with his steaks on them. He thanked the waiter and then turned back to the conversation between the Kages. One by one, Kakougan ate each of the raw steaks and let the blood from them splatter onto his face and drip across his claws. After eating Kakougan yawned and kept listening in on the Kages conversing.

Eventually, the Kiri group arrived. With them came a feeling of seriousness, an almost threatening feeling. Kakougan preferred this over the arrogant Kumo ninja and smiled at the group as they entered. Unlike the Kumo ninja, the Kiri ninja seemed to ignore everyone else and just went straight to their spot. ‘ What the hell? Do they think they’re better than us? The world is just full of jack asses…’ Kakougan thought as he continued to watch the Kiri ninja. Their Kage was much younger than the other two. Kakougan wasn’t exactly sure how old Lord Kazekage was, but he was guessing he was a lot older than himself. The Raikage seemed much younger than even Kakougan himself, ‘Of course, how am I supposed to tell when she looks like a porcelain doll?’ he laughed to himself. Kakougan was guessing that the Mizukage was in his mid twenties or maybe even younger. The Mizukage was a tall fellow, even taller than Kakougan. He might of even been admirable in Kakougan’s eyes if it weren’t for his scrawny appearance. ’ Looks like a toothpick… I need one of those about now.’ Kakougan thought, remember about the meat he had ate. The other escorts weren’t anything special to Kakouga, but he did know one of them. When he visited Kiri before coming to Tea for the summit, he had met the jounin and told him about the Divine One. Upon seeing him Kakougan couldn’t help but wave, it had only been a few days since they last met. Before Kakougan could even put his hand down, the Mizukage stabbed a golden kunai into the table. ‘ Looks like the stick figure means business, this may be interesting.’. The Raikage followed suit with a lighter drop of the kunai and then came the Kazekage’s turn to show the kunai. There seemed to be an air of hostility while the three Kage’s were in the same room that led Kakougan to think that they had met before. It was almost as if they had some sort of bond between them or shared the same past. The rest of the time was filled up with the Kazekage speaking out about the leaf and earth village. Although Kakougan had to cringe at the mention of Iwa, he didn’t speak out and kept his same aggressive stance through out the speaking.

{OOC: Pardon the rushed ending, I've been pretty busy recently and my activity/RP time has declined.}

Posts : 1084

Only a mere seconds passed after arriving before Miku started to allow herself to become more relaxed, as if it were a big family reunion and she had known everyone for years. She sat near Tensei and her Raikage with proper posture, but still very much relaxed. Not a word seeped from her lips, nor a giggle or a cackle. She remained quiet and observant. It wasn't necessarily what she wanted to do, but it was all around the best decision. After all, she was sure she wouldn't be praised for laughing like a mad woman and squeezing in her input every chance she could get, dominating the conversation with her wide range of enthusiastic vocals and spastic gestures. Miku quietly blew on her hot tea while taking in it's delicious scent. She licked her lips eagerly and rested the edge of the cup to her lips before finally taking a good drink of it. It was truly one of the best cups of tea she had ever had. It made her emerald eyes twinkle with joy. She sat her cup back down in front of her gently as she watched her Raikage and Kazekage exchange introductions.

The Raikage was brief, but the Kazekage took his time. Miku was of course loyal to her Raikage, but she had to admit, she very much favored the Kazekage's introduction. He was an interesting one, indeed. Miku thought of how much fun it would be just to spend a single day with the man and just listen to him babble on and on about whatever nonsense he so decided to speak of. It seemed like it would be an easy thing for him to do. The young kunoichi could feel her lips twitch, daring to grin and blow her composure. The familiar tug in her stomach surfaced right before she usually exploded into fits of cackling and giggling. With quick thinking, whether it was actually the intelligent thing to do or not, she brought the cup of tea to her lips carefully and took a big gulp without blowing on it. She quickly swallowed, having burnt her tongue slightly and no longer felt the need to laugh. Her composure remained. This may be harder than she had thought. With a mental sigh, she proceeded to be quiet and stared at her cup of tea, occasionally glancing at the other members of the table.

It wasn't before long that the final kage entered the room. He didn't really chit chat or even gave an introduction, but cut straight down to business, stabbing the table with his kunai. Miku's lips pursed slightly at what she believed was a rather off-putting gesture. She also caught him lingering after the Raikage's looks. It was a less off-putting gesture than stabbing the table in her own opinion. A second kunai was then sent flying, landing near the first, spinning like a top. It made her think of a circus with all these strange people and odd things they did. Miku watched her Raikage then take out her's, but listened to what the Mizukage had to say. He was teasing the other man of the table; Kazekage. She then waited maybe just a bit too eagerly for how the Kazekage would respond. Just as she had yearned for, the Kazekage did not let the teasing slip and he wittily retorted.

Poor Miku, forced to keep her composure. She felt her lips twitch again and her stomach tug. Her emerald eyes darted towards the Kazekage's escorts. 'How are you not cracking up!?' she questioned loudly in her head while looking at the man holding the cat and the brutish fellow. Miku forced herself to take a drink of the still hot cup of tea and then waved over a nearby waiter. In probably the quietest voice she had ever spoken with in her life, she requested some sort of sweet, preferably green apple or cherry flavor. The waiter had seemed somewhat surprised by the choice of food, but walked off to retrieve her requested items. What was then brought back in a timely manner was an actual sliced green apple with caramel drizzled lightly on them. It wasn't exactly what she had meant, but it was greatly satisfying, none-the-less. They were the ripest looking apple and the richest caramel she had tasted. Thankfully, she ate them off of toothpicks, avoiding any sort of sticky situation. She continued to eat them happily while listening to the events set in front of her. This was serious business.

Chuunin Exams. That appeared to be the chosen topic of said serious business. The Mizukage had been the one to bring it up, having gone on about the fall of Iwagakure no Sato as well as Konohagakure no Sato. Miku recalled her mother originally being from Konoha, as well as the origin of her paper-wielding clan. It neither upset her nor brought on sour feelings. Just amusement, really. She would have thought she would be bored, but Miku was all too eager to listen to all the strange powerful people she was surrounded by. Who knows what she would miss out on if she didn't pay attention? She needed to remember these things, anyways. The young kunoichi continued to listen and shift her emerald eyes from kage to escort to kage, viewing how they all reacted. The spotlight then moved from the Mizukage and onto the Kazekage, again. Miku could feel her eyebrows rise. If it wouldn't have been for the apple she was currently chewing, she was sure her mouth would have parted in shock. The man certainly didn't hold back. He chose very bitter words when speaking of Iwagakure, but in a smooth type of voice, as if they were all gossiping at the dinner table about the neighbor's. She took a glance at the Suna Escort's. They remained unmoved. Miku could only assume that the reason being was because they were just simply used to it.

'Icha Icha Paradise Gold? Must have been one hell of a book. I wasn't aware that was a book in the series! Then again, I always did like Icha Icha Tactics more...Wait, did I? Which one had I stolen from my father when I was a teenager?' she thought to herself, attempting to remember which book she had read out of the series. Miku quickly gave up as she refocused herself on the Kazekage's rantings. There was a lot she apparently hadn't known. She hadn't been Jounin that long, after all. His rantings then moved onto Konoha, which he also chose very bitter words when describing, with the exception of the Nara and Akimichi clan. 'Unkempt despot, who burns villages for his amusement and slaughtered whole clans? Seems like he's more offended from being called unkempt. He is quite pretty, though.' she went on in her head, once again feeling her lips twitch and the tug in her stomach. She quickly popped another caramel covered sliced apple into her mouth, focusing on chewing rather than laughing. It was nice to hear that he at least agreed a Chuunin Exam was in order. 'That was some sort of progression, right?' she continued to talk to herself in her head, swallowing her apple slice. Miku felt her head move in the slightest in a nodding notion as if to answer her own question. The young kunoichi then wondered what was going through the Mizukage's mind and her Raikage's mind.

Posts : 2032

What an interesting affair. With all parties present and the Mizukage starting off the proceedings with slight taunting Riku found herself warming even more to this occasion. It was definately a welcome distraction from her usual days in the village which mostly comprised of paper work and organising, this was something she had not experienced in the full yet, and even though her experienced outweighted that of the Mizukage's she felt as though he had control. This was upsetting. Things were beginning to feel like a two horse race, the opposing parties slogging it out with tight-lipped insults, and whimsical remarks. Kumo was beginning to be left on the sideline as these supposedly 'powehouse' nations battled it out in a minda-game warfare. But this was only the beginning, things were going to heat-up even more and the tension within the room would built like a sandcastle furiously worked on. Riku was going to be an opposing force. As this sandcastle would try and build higher into the sky, she would be the harmonic wave that would crash into its side, timed to perfection, and not a fraction late. No matter how high they tried to build this sandcastle nature would always win at the end of the day. Riku wasn't sure what how she would play this role, or when she should, but like any good leader the decision would more or less come at the right moment. Her gut-feeling was something she was proud of.

Riku looked around to look at the men and women who were situated and chosen to be the escorts for the other nations Kiri and Suna. There was not much tactical value in this as her own escorts were to look at the other escorts and analyse them with a fine-tooth comb. But she did this out of curiousity. The Kiri-nin were what she expected. As predictable as the sun-setting these ninja had an aura of arrogance around them. She had dealt with many ninja from the Water Country in her time, and it wasn't a secret that most of them had made a bad impression on her. The whole country had a culture of self-worth and animal instict to be the best. Something that on one hand drives a successful and ambitious nature to thrive, but it also allows for egotistical behaviour to cloud self-judgement, and the judgement of others. It was just a practice that the beautiful kunoichi was not about. Kumo had experienced it's share number of hard times and was lead by some men who would be noted as questionable by many. Being under a totalitarian style leadership for so long many don't understand how well its people understood hardship. But Riku knew. Though they were tough and ruthless, Kumogakure's past leaders always had a common trait. The country was always their first priority, and Riku just didn't see that when she looked into the young Mizukage's eyes, and the eyes of his escorts.

However the men from Suna were somewhat of an intriguing mystery to the woman. There Kazekage was by no means a simple soul. To her about this mans exploits is one thing, but to meet him in person is something else. He was very eccentric and over-the-top. Riku sipped her tea slowly as her attention shifted to the men who came from the giant sand-pit country. She wanted to get to know the Kazekage more and just having a simple conversation with the man could amuse even the most dull-whitted of people. He had the type of personality where people either like him, or they hate him and Riku had not made her mind up yet. Yes, he did seem like a bit of a drama queen who enjoyed hearing the sound of his own voice, but in true fact, that could all just be a cover for his true personality. The man was mysterious, and Riku liked that. She had always fallen for the "bad guy" loving the excitement and danger that surrounded such people. But he was definately different, and she decided to not make her mind up just yet. She wanted to have a true conversation with the man.

But, just like the Kazekage himself he had picked interesting characters to accompany him. She turned to see a giant troll-like man who seemed somewhat uncomfortable. Her eyes darted to the cat, and then back to the man wondering if he was just another animal of the Kazekage's. But true enough, he apparently was a human-being, a very strange and ungle one indeed. She was not one to discriminate by looks, she was just taken aback by the man. She wasn't sure if his physical disorder was clan based or not, but she thought that either way he had must have been pretty naughty in a past life for nature to do that to him. When her eyes darted to the other man his quickly jolted away from looking at the kunoichi. It seemed as though he was analysing her and her escorts, most likely to the order of his Kazekage. Riku chuckled in her head when the man awkwardly jolted, he seemed a little out of his depth. There was analysing a target, and then over analysing and she wondered what other traits the man had. Mostly all of the ninja in this room have a unique and special talent making them superior to other ninja in their village, whether it is sourced from a bloodline ability or not. Riku had made note of this, and any chance that a slight inkling of their power was released she would record and make note of it.

The Raikage shifted her hand to her mouth to cough gently. Yes, she had something small in her throat but really it was a way to refocus on the task in hand. She looked up as the Mizukage started to talk. Oh how it annoyed her that he was talked in such a self-righeous manner, as if he was above everyone else at this meeting. It made her blood-boil and it was the exact thing that she detested in men. They always thought they were superior. Hunters and gathers who were chosen by nature to to take charge, they were the chosen gender. It was situations like these that bring out the super-ego in men, when they get in a position of control and perceived power their chest puffs out and their voice drops deeper. They are all the same. The Mizukage had stopped his wonderful and inspiring speech and within a moment the Kazekage began to speak. His words were brutal and upfront something that he found surprising. The man didn't want to or feel the need to hold anything back. Like herself and the Mizukage he had his own experiences with Konoha and Iwa and she wasn't in a place to comment as she didn't know the background. But she sat and listened to the man soaking up the information like a sponge. Everything that he said was full for knowledge and history, something that she need to understand about him and his country.

When he finished it was as if the eye's of the table and its surroundings had subconciously turned to her. She sucked in some air and shifted her body weight forward on her chair. Clap...clap...clap...clap the kunoichi had put her hands together. She started to clap. A slow, sarcastic, belittling clap. Her eyes were fixed on the young Mizukage. "Such spurring and heart-felt words from you Mizukage, you nearly had me in tears. Yes, Iwas was a great loss to the world as we know it and I am surprised you had even noticed. To my knowledge I didn't see much of a clean-up effort from the Kirigakure, or Sunagakure. Obviously the Kazekage had his own agenda with the Tsuchikage what is your story there Mizukage? Kumo was left to clean up the mess of Iwakagure as no other nation seemed to be willing. We let countless migrants across our boarders into our country and we heard the disturbing stories of what they had been through. Our ties where not exactly close but it seems as though our countries is the only one with a moral backbone." She said with venom in her voice.

"I cannot speak for Konoha as our relations with that village were and are still very strained, something that I hoped to mend. So I ask you this Arashii-Dono, why do you wish to hold a Chuunin Exam when there are clearly some more pressing issues that need to be addressed. Just because the atrocities of the Iwa massacre are not still torn throughout the media does not mean there isn't heartache and pain still lingering. I hope this isn't a case of 'outta sight, outta mind' my dear Mizukage. I will be the one to say it and put it out there for everyone to hear. Kirigakure is looking to expand its territories is it not? take advantage of the current wordly situation. Now, I wonder what a Chuunin Exam could mean in a time like this? I do hate to play political chess, and on matters like this I am not one to beat around the bush. So, Mizukage, please do enlighten me on what you really want to achieve from these "exams" as I find your smokescreen on the matter somewhat insulting."

The kunoichi lent back in her chair grabbing her cup of tea on the way back. She was ready to listen to what the man had to say, and hopefully what the Kazekage had to say also. As she crossed her right leg over her left she looked up at the two powerful figures sitting along with her. She didn't know what do expect, or what would come out of their mouths. But hoped that it would be truthful.

Age : 31 Posts : 8965

The young Mizukage sat in his seat in a completely respectful manor as the Kazekage bit back to Arashii’s attempt to merely hear the man’s voice. He expected the Kazekage to see right through this; however he babbled on as if his words were getting to Arashii. The three of them weren’t Kages for anything, Arashii kept his eyes vocused on the Kazekage as he spoke but it wasn’t hard to feel the tension of the room, it wasn’t intimidation, although surely these figures of importance knew of Arashii’s already notorious reign as Mizukage, it was something else. It was almost as if they could sense arrogance flowing from Arashii and his two escorts. This actually pleased the Mizukage, as he had made the assumption that shinobi of this stature wouldn’t judge a situation merely by how it appeared, after all looks can be deceiving, very deceiving.

Arashii pondered for a moment more before replying to the Kazekage’s cheap response. ”The value of these aren’t as great as you think my dear Kazekage, if they were so important to me why would I use them as the identifier. I must say, it’s nice to hear your voice though, it’s one I shall not forget anytime soon.” Arashii went through his talk about Iwagakure and Konohagakure before the Kazekage had his input, firstly talking about the Land of Earth, his response was what the Mizukage predicted, he knew there was bad-blood between the two nations, something that could have easily been taken advantage of by an outsider’s party. Unfortunately for Arashii, he couldn’t stand up and agree with the Kazekage about the Tsuchikage, as much as he wanted too. The Tsuchikage and Arashii’s father, former Mizukage were strongly allied, it wasn’t until Arashii took control of Kirigakure, that those ties were broken; as the Tsuchikage was just as bad as Arashii’s father and that wasn’t who Arashii wished to be allied with.

Arashii crossed his arms comfortably as he let the Kazekage move onto the next topic of discussion, which was Konohagakure. His rant was longer than Arashii’s but the Mizukage listened respectfully none the less. He spoke about sympathy being shown, was this man really capable of holding a position of Kazekage, these assumptions were off the scale, Arashii never stated sympathy was to be shown, the mere respect for a fallen nation was a shinobi’s way, Arashii had killed many before, even innocent bystanders if it was called for, but he always showed respect. Because of this, he was always unsure why people took him as the arrogant kind. Sure, he was very confident in his ability, but his intelligence to assess a situation and come up with the best outcome was good, he knew over-confidence was not a good trait to have, yet people always assumed that’s how he was, because he was the leader of a nation of brutes. Why did they think Arashii was Mizukage? He was a standout from all the other knuckleheads that occupied his lands, the disposal shinobi who’s only purpose was to fight and die. Arashii wasn’t the only exception however, Ahora was just like this; though it wasn’t hard to see the confidence shine off her flawless skin.

Now that the Kazekage had given his input, Arashii turned to the Raikage assuming she would also wish to give her opinion. She started with a slow sarcastic clap as everybody remained silent. The degrading sound of her palms meeting one another was the only thing to be heard. She contradicted Arashii on the clean-up of Iwagakure and how Kirigakure, nor Sunagakure had assisted. Of course, Sunagakure wasn’t ever going to assist with cleaning up Iwagakure, as they were still bitter about how they were treated by Earth Country and its residents. Kirigakure was a different story, as they cut ties with Iwagakure, the land of Earth slowly attempted to run the Mist Village into the ground. This was kept very quiet, hence why the Raikage would be disputing the amount of assistance put in by Kirigakure also. Squadrons of Kirigakure shinobi were ambushed, slaughtered and hung from the trees, left to decompose on the hidden roads in Earth Country, yet it was required for Kirigakure to go clean-up the mess Iwagakure made for themselves? Arashii wouldn’t order such a motion. The Raikage’s words were almost an attempt to attack the Mizukage, or it was perceived that way by Arashii, who continued to listen respectfully until the temptress finished her stern response, questioning Arashii’s true motives for these Chuunin Exams.

Arashii and Riku grasped their tea cups simultaneously, though Riku had done so while she had lent back; suggesting she had said all she wanted to at this current time. Arashii however was leaning forward in his chair to grab the warm cup with his full palm, not the handle like Riku had. Arashii consumed an average portion of his herbal tea before he decided to respond to his peers.

”What I find insulting Riku, is your complete and utter arrogance to assume I have alternative motives. I thought with our past experiences you would have acknowledged that I’m not the egotistical and over-confident young Mizukage everybody assumes I am. As for your clean-up of Iwagakure, I don’t believe the Kazekage or myself requested such an action to take place. Iwagakure were the powerhouse nation for almost two decades, holding more control over this world than Konohagakure ever has. I’m sure most of you are that my late father Kaido Nakamura had strong ties with Iwagakure and the Tsuchikage. I never had the same emotional attachment to the old gent who held his reign over Earth Country for what some consider a life-time, in fact; it was I who broke the alliance we held with Iwagakure because of what kind of a nation they set out to become.” Arashii took a sip of his tea, he could feel the words penetrate the mind of everybody in the world. Why was that? It was because Kirigakure had now built a reputation similar to that of Iwagakure’s.

"Now I know what your all thinking, so before you call me a hypocrite; yes, Kirigakure has built up a reputation like this too. However, not one of you; Raikage, Kazekage or even the Hokage when he still held a leadership position, have confronted me on a personal level to see if this is true. I can also make the assumption that none of you have gathered much Intel about my nation’s motives, or you wouldn’t be throwing such allegations my way, Raikage-sama. After what Iwagakure put all our nations through, I wouldn’t understand why anybody would wish to actually clean-up after them. I merely suggest paying our respects to those who got brought down because of the reign of the Tsuchikage, not all of the people were guilty, not all of them deserved death." Arashii spoke truthful, he was passionate about what he was speaking about; yet not one ounce of emotion was displayed with his words.

”You ask for my motives, so I will tell you them once and only once. I wish to celebrate the ending of a reign and I wish to pay our respects for those of our shinobi that have passed fighting for our freedom. If my ultimate goal was to seize all the land, you would believe I would have already moved in on the lands of Earth and Fire; as soon as they had fallen. You would think I wouldn’t be attending this meeting, but merely lure you both here to attack your nations back home. You think I’d actually be a man of action like you all suggest. No, I’m a strategic, if I wished to do this I’d do it the correct way; however, seizing your nations is not what I want to accomplish, I will admit that if it was; it would have happened as soon as I was elected Mizukage.” Arashii heard how cliché his words were , but he had answered the question truthfully, which is exactly what his peers would have wanted. Arashii ended the response on a position note, hoping that with it, his fellow Kage’s may act more warming toward the Mizukage instead of throwing in their little snide remarks. ”Not to mention, I little competition doesn’t hurt too much. I’m sure we are all eager to see where our youngsters rank against one another.” he placed his tea-cup back on the table as he leaned back into his chair. Looking back at the Raikage once more sending a warm smile her way despite the spiteful tones she had thrown his way moments ago, he didn’t wish to provoke her, or the Kazekage. ”As you stated my dear, this meeting is about important issues of the shinobi world. I’ve shared my points, because of course; it was I who scheduled this Summit, so you would expect my concerns would be shared first. Raikage-sama, since you talk of other pressing matters. Why don’t you enlighten the Kazekage and myself on whatever currently concerns you, and if I could request that you do so maturely, I promise I will not response the same way as you did to me.” Arashii’s words did not display any threatening nature, in fact; this time he adapted emotion into his voice, he wasn’t sure what kind of emotion it was, but it was a humble one at that. He hoped that everything would run smoothly from here on in, going in the opposite direction of what this meeting began at, which was a rusty take-off.

Age : 37 Posts : 1136

His Jounin were somewhat predictable in their approaches but then most Nin are if you know their mannerism and tells. Kakougan of course had still yet to learn the point of table manners but he recalled it was one up from eating animal while it still breathed, not much of one arguably but it was a step and steps were important in building ones character. With any luck he will domesticate the Jounin yet, maybe buying him some more shirts and get him a spork might do it or forcing him to watch commercials for a few hours till he ran out on a spending spree just to avoid them. Aaron was of course ever watchful, the eagle eyed defender looking for danger at every turn. Useful to be fair but somewhat too efficient, he had been trying to throw him off guard all week but to no avail. It was important Nin knew their breaking point and he wasn’t sure Aaron had ever reached it in spite of the suicidal missions he went on and more recently his looking after Mr Bigglesworth. Clearly the fluffy little darling was being too nice and would need to ramp up his efforts accordingly, if Aaron thought he was having trouble the gen and monstrous size might add some spice to the relationship. Still they seemed to be doing a good job observing, a fact he planned confirm with a spot quiz suspended above the shark tank approach to testing to be done later. On reflection both could probably do with a bit of shark tank dunking anyway to release the tension in their muscles so it is probably just as well

As far as the talk was going things were developing with a certain chaotic charm that so readily endeared itself to this most controversial of individuals. It appeared that the groups very own seductive beauty was taking an unhealthy interest in her young opposite from Kiri. How delightful howl thought as he absentmindedly proceeded to stroke the air above his lap, more out of habit then thought, his unstable mind forgetting momentarily that Mr Bigglesworth was resting elsewhere. Many would draw back with distaste at such an open and direct question in such a formal setting but the mad tyrant of Suna was not of the many nor would he wish to be counted among them. They may call him insane but better insane then a fool and there were so very many of those. To him any and all means of emotional or physical manipulation to elicit a response was entirely acceptable however unceremoniously they were levelled. A master of manipulation and psychology himself he had first hand knowledge of the wide range of techniques a skilled orator needed to possess to entice a useful response, one that reveal something or could be later used against its speaker. He himself preferred to confound his foes, confuse them as to his intentions and create an atmosphere where they were never certain whether they had said the right thing at all. In such emotive states it possible to get a reckoning of your target to more thoroughly exploit the human frailties at a later date. He was all about exploitation and used it so often he did almost unconsciously from his rivals and foes, to his subordinates, every time tying small unnoticeable strands to them till that day he decided to take up puppetry and have them all dance to his beat. To him it was not simply a case that the weak were exploited by the strong but it was paramount to success, he believes only by social engineering and forcing others to set aside the dividing human nature can society truly progress. Unfortunately while he praised her actions her motives were not as guarded as he would have hoped, for a skilled manipulator was also a secret one, who manipulated others without their truly knowing or who sought an answer to question they never asked. Her upfront demands for satisfaction was all to transparent in this regard. Still she was clever, used her looks well and was young. With time he suspected she would be able to get answers without even asking questions.

However to Howl it seemed she had met her match or least a foe of comparable skill in the world of articulation. What a tricksy young Mizukage thought Howl. He almost believed his heart felt words in remembrance of brave Shinobi to be truthful, but belief and reality are strange bed fellows and so he pondered what it could mean as keenly as any intricate seal. He had suspected Arashi possessed more maturity then he let on but his subtle moral flexibility, careful rectitude and most all good manners were somewhat surprising. His sources had suggested the Kage of Mizugakure had all the eloquence and fun loving personality of a grumpy snapping turtle with beak ache. The Youth he knew had changed, more so perhaps then even he realised from those simple days of love interests and troublesome siblings. Faced with a difficult question he did a good job of not only deflecting it but returning home to roost with his sumptuous foe in this battle of wit. What a treat this day was turning into and here he had been expecting another rampant borethon that had summed up his last and thankfully only encounter with his predecessor. Arashi might have the good sense to think outside his box but his father, talented Nin though he was had been so lost in his own arrogance that Howl had trouble working out from which of his hole he was speaking. Not of course that it was worth listening to and secretly thanked that he had Mr Bigglesworth to keep him company and play empathic eye spy throughout. That he not had to wake him up to merely pass the time was a testament enough that conversation was engaging his flippant, furtive and impatient mind.

He wandered briefly if Arashi would be standing here today if he hadn’t compelled his brother to slay the girl and try to kill him but didn’t linger over long in the past. Not out of guilt of course, since he felt no sympathy for those incapable of breaking a mere illusion but because centuries old though he might be he was a doer and lived in the here and now. The future could be weaved by one skilled enough to read its pattern, bend it to their will it and give it a good thrashing when it got out of line but the past was the past whatever face you gave it. Now he foresaw his own future, one that involved him, a giant pile of dango and complete privacy but that titillation would have to wait, there were after all kages to placate and shinobi a plenty to bemuse, entertain and irritate.

The Mizukage had put his opposite from Kumo in quite a pickle and usually he would not want to spoil this moment of argumentative intimacy between the two young ones as he thought of them but he had a feeling that a moment of reflection might facilitate and all together more interesting or at any rate, more amusing response. He could of course speaking, breaking the silence with his lyrical voice but for once his own tongue was bereft of anything but the cat food advertisement songs and those weren’t precisely appropriate in this context which left doing nothing. Unfortunately he wasn’t very good at doing bugger all, a century of doing pretty much that had cause a hyperactive streak a mile wide and even when he was relaxing he was always working on something or another. Generally he left being lazy to those far more talented gate guards and other shinobi to whom the task was more wholly suited and worked away like an insane Duracell bunny with crack addiction. It was at this juncture that he realised that a distraction might serve to defuse the tension that was building while serving his own need for amusement all in one and knew instinctively what to do. His host had served truly excellent tea, not surprising given the countries speciality in this area but the ancient tyrant of suna was anything if not picky. He reached that age in his life where he could enjoy what he wanted and everyone else could go rot when it came to small treats and his leaf choice was a vintage smoked tea, stored for 10 years after picking from the Bird Country. All he had do now was make it. Even as he thought about the last he couldn’t help but smirk at what everyone would think and reaching into his right sleeve he activated the mass storage located there and with a small harmless puff of smoke sitting in his largely empty part of the table was a kettle, a teapot, some sugar bowls, a jug of milk and a cup and saucer all made of fine china with matching cat paw designs on a lilac background and said two short words: Tea Please

Howl hid his smile well as many others drew back in alarm or starred forward in incredulity as the tea set scurried about his end of the table, occasionally bumbing one another in effort to his make his tea without any movement on his part. It taken some time to get all the seal arrays working in a manner that both efficiently made tea and did so with a character that was better described as human. The first was actually rather easy, the latter a question of trail and error. Howl even took a moment to smile paternally as the two sugar pots armed with teaspoons fenced for the honour of serving sugar or how the jug milk appeared to be eying up the kettle and making rapturous applause at its musical steaming notes. All the while the cup hid been the teapot as if it were naked without tea. He wondered what others might think of it all, likely amusing, wasteful and possibly a little alarming or even a bit of all 3. The first for obvious reasons, the second because such unique animation by seals alone was so heinously complicated as to require a considerable time investment by a high skilled practitioner which could have reasonably been spent on something far more useful and lastly because to be so wasteful, be it foolish or an act of insanity also suggested that its user was not only capable but unafraid to do things others would not. Whatever the thoughts it bought a reprieve and just as importantly as the cup and saucer carefully danced towards him careful not to spill their precious load it also brought tea. Allowing the cup and saucer to jump into his hand, Howl smiled nicely and sat back making it clear that he at least would leave them to it for the moment.

Age : 37 Posts : 1136

Given the extreme slow pace of this thread, all participants are allowed to post in new threads as if the thread has come to a conclusion. This may involve travel threads, missions etc. The thread is still active but participation by anyone other then the kages is not mandatory and it will no longer count against your active post limit ~ US Admin