A Gala of Shadows [Private][Kage Only]

[Seijin]

Making his way upstairs to the private seating area above the rest of the party, Umashi was sure to grab the usual Kage fear . . . aka his hat . . . on his way up stairs. Generally speaking he trusted that the actual Kage of the various shinobi states would actually be invited but he left himself open to the idea that some might simply not want to be bothered by such an old soul as he. With the Raikage following close behind him, Umashi cleared the security detail with a nod of his head as they moved just out of earshot of the large circular table that the Kage would sit around. Of particularly interesting note, if a Kage had entered the party with a weapon or weapons, it was returned to them the moment that they crossed past the security detail. To Umashi, it seemed pointless to take a sword or bow if shinobi could simply shoot fireballs from their mouths.

No matter their battle prowess, no matter how large or even obscure their shinobi state was, all would be treated as equals at the round table. Though the upper balcony area could have held an equally impressive party size of its own, Umashi appreciated getting away from the hustle and bustle below as he moved towards the far end of the table. Sitting his Kage hat down on the table, he beckoned the early and on time guest to also take seats. Though those below could certainly tell that a meeting was going on up above, a person would have had to have been in just the right corner of the room below to see the faces above. The lights on the floor were set to a dimmer setting than on the floor below but not one that would impede upon a clear vision of the "Who's Who" of Kage.

With the best seal experts paid to create a protective sound barrier on the floor, nothing would leak and equally, nothing short of a just meant to kill would break past the barrier. An assurance of such the protective measure could easily be seen by the Kage and somewhat necessary guard detail by means of a slight silver-grey hue that seemed like a very lightly tinted glass. Introducing himself, Umashi flashed a smile as he began to brief meeting. "Greetings, my name is Kaisenami Umashi and I'm the Nidaime Hokage of the Yamaguchi Era. It's a pleasure to meet you all!" Leaving the air open for the next Kage to introduce themselves, he'd sit back and take the moment in for what it was, a miracle of diplomacy. Hopefully, while he was meeting and greeting with the Kage, Takeshi could do the same with the other Sennin and Daimyo below. In a sense, Takeshi's job was much harder than Umashi's.

OOC: Kage of the Round Table, I call upon thee!
Topic continued from : https://ninpocho.com/viewtopic.php?f=816&t=56772&p=300969#p300969

OOC#2: Called the current era of Hokage the Yamaguchi Era due to Yamaguchi Kami being the first of this period of Hokage as well as his family's strong influence on the culture of this era of Konoha.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu followed Umashi up the stairs to a balcony overlooking the room below, sure to have grabbed his drink to take along for the trip. He wasn't entirely certain what this meeting would entail, whether it would simply be a meet and greet or if anything more involved was on the agenda. Ayumu had no weapons to be returned as he had not turned any over. Of course, that didn't mean he was unarmed by any means. It just meant he wasn't visibly armed. He truly expected nothing less from any of the other shinobi present that night, so one might consider the collecting of weapons at the door to be just for show, and thus he was not concerned with whether anybody present was armed now that they were on the second floor. At some point, Umashi had retrieved his kage hat. Ayumu had not bothered to bring his own, though he might still be potentially identified by the keen observing noticing the signet ring on his finger bearing the Raikage mark.

Umashi took his seat and Ayumu took the next adjacent seat at the round table. Umashi was, of course, the only kage he had thus far met in this room. Aside from the Hoshikage, he was the only other kage Ayumu had ever met. It was fortunate then that it seemed introductions had begun. Umashi named himself and his title, greeting those at the table warmly. Ayumu took a sip of his drink and then decided that he might as well go next and keep the momentum going.

"Kogami Ayumu. They call me the..."<i></i> he paused for a moment before he could complete his thought. "...tenth Raikage of the current age," Ayumu introduced himself. What this basically meant was that there had been so many Raikage in Kumogaure's history that at some point they decided to just start the count over and he was the tenth since that point. Konoha had clearly come to a similar decision with their own kage numbering system if Umashi was considered the Nidaime Hokage. "I've never been great at formality and I've had a couple drinks, so I'm sorry in advance if I offend anybody," he added, raising his current glass to those at the table. Were other the other kage stiff and formal as one might expect a kage to be? Umashi was pretty laid back, so hopefully he and Ayumu were par for the course in that regard. At least nobody from his own village was here to judge his conduct at the moment.

 

[Aburabuta Yutaka]

NPC: Otokage "Grand Master" Kageoni

A short confrontation seemed to break out on the floor beneath his imperious gaze and as Kageoni's eyes drifted to the source of the raised voice, his lips tightened in displeasure as he noted that it was Ishii Shiro because of course it was. The primary reason that the Grand Master had instructed the Wind Daimyo to stay as far away from the events in Tea Country as possible was because he had already proven himself incapable of resisting the urge to provoke Sunagakure. He'd done the same thing when his antics had prohibited them from properly assessing the strength of the other villages during the last Intervillage Chuunin Exam as well. His scheme to frame the Sunagakurians-- and indeed all shinobi --as dangerous to the common people had completely disrupted the proceedings and completely ruined the event as a result. Now it seemed as though he was poised to do the same thing here. With his eyes narrowing dangerously, Kageoni decided he'd made the right decision in sending Kitai down to remove Shiro from the equation given that the Kazekage turned from where he'd been standing and was now advancing on the Wind Daimyo.

Whether or not this... Sunahoshi Katsuo as he was called actually attacked Shiro, Kageoni had no intention of interceding. The lives of those present in the room were insignificant to the Otokage except for perhaps Kurohane Kitai but the Otokage knew she was more than capable of looking after herself if a brawl broke out. If Sand decided to escalate things and start a battle perhaps even the Kazekage could do both of them a favor and kill Ishii Shiro. Kageoni could then lay the responsibility for the removal of that particularly loathsome thorn in his paw at Sand's feet and remain relatively blameless in the course of things. It would ultimately disrupt the purpose of the intervillage tournament as the event would almost certainly need to be re-evaluated after the assassination of a foreign dignitary within the city limits but Kageoni could easily write that off as an internal Wind Country dispute and still remain blameless in the eyes of the rest of the world. Wind Country was the ultimately goal in the end and if Sunagakure managed to ruin their reputation with the other shinobi nations in the process of removing Ishii Shiro... well.

All the better for Otogakure, really.

Kageoni could not hear the words that the Kazekage growled to the Wind Daimyo but as he raised his glass to his lips and let a small amount of the dark wine he was drinking pass his lips it became clear that it seemed Katsuo would be above Shiro's taunting. It didn't seem like Katsuo shared his ancestor's fiery temper which was unexpected but not entirely unwelcome. Shiro would remain a problem but one that would be dealt with sooner rather than later in the end. Turning as he heard noise upon the stairs to his VIP platform, Kageoni smiled broadly as the Hokage and the Raikage arrived. It seemed that the daimyo would be making the Kazekage the last to arrive at this gala of shadows (roll credits). Kaisenami Umashi introduced himself and set his hat down upon the large table that featured at the center of the platform as the Raikage, introducing himself as Kogami Ayumu, drifted close to the table but elected not to take a seat.

"I greet you warmly, gentlemen. I am Kageoni, the first and only Otokage." The smile that graced Kageoni's almost femininely beautiful features was one of warmth and authenticity. There was a sense of sincere satisfaction at having gathered the shinobi from the supposedly "Great Shinobi" nations together in Tea Country and having had no... serious international incidents having broken out yet. It was proving immensely educational about them. There was a quiet clink of glass against table as Kageoni approached the opposite side of the table from the other two and set his dwindling refreshment down upon it. "I hope you have been enjoying yourselves at my tournament."

Stepping into the light, Umashi and Ayumu would be the first shinobi from the modern world to have ever met the Otokage in person... that could remember it, anyway. Average in height and slight in build, it might have been easy to mistake him for an utterly mundane wealthy man if not for the presence that he carried with him and the sound of his voice which contained within it an almost... entrancing quality to it. Kageoni's body and immediate vicinity was rife with chakra activity and for those sensitive to it they would be able to feel it moving and crawling about him as though he were covered in a quivering living cloak of invisible insects. There didn't seem to be any active jutsu being maintained about his person... but really it would be impossible to tell for sure given the way his spiritual presence writhed and shifted.

 

[Seijin]

Not quite surprised to not see many other Kage, Umashi nodded and smiled as he welcomed the company that he was privileged to be with. As they introduced themselves, Umashi was surprised to find that Kumogakure had such a long line of succession, which was completely the opposite of what he found concerning Otogakure. Giving a low whistle, Umashi leaned forward in his seat. "The first and only? Either you age incredibly well or Otogakure isn't all that old. Either way, you've gotta tell me what's in the water because it's working wonders for you!" Inserting a bit of humor into the mix, Umashi was sure to keep the smile on his face just in case his question came off as rude. What with all the tension in the whole of the city due to the tournament, he didn't need to be the person who ignited the powder keg of war because he insulted a foreign dignitary.

Leaning back a bit in his chair, he glanced down at his hands momentarily. Continuing on, he tried his best to diffuse any offense that his words could have caused. "Of course if you want to keep the secret receipe to yourself, I don't mind. After all, we share a national border and coastal waters and we've much bigger fish to fry other than skin care products. That and you've already extended such wonderful hospitality during the tournament so I couldn't possibly ask for more." Smirking, he hoped that all was still well downstairs as much as it was upstairs. While this wasn't exactly the main reason why he'd dragged the Kage upstairs, it certainly couldn't hurt to try to see how such a young looking Kage managed to get to where he was. Of course Umashi looked young for his age but he still had a bit of grey creeping in. This Otokage however . . . certainly was something a bit more than a handsome face.

OOC: Sorry for the beyond late post. @_@

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

It seemed that aside from Umashi and Ayumu, only one other kage had chosen to attend the meeting. He had been waiting for them, it seemed, in a less well lit corner of the room. Ayumu squinted to try to make out the man's features as the voice emanated from the shadows. The voice belonged to the Otokage, a new acquaintance for Ayumu. In fact, this was Ayumu's first time meeting any shinobi of Sound, so he supposed he should count himself lucky that the first he'd meet would be the man, the mystery himself as he stepped into the light. Ayumu gave him a once over. He was not physically imposing in the traditional sense, but any shinobi knew better than to judge a man by his appearance that way. He spoke and carried himself confidently which said more than his appearance. Aside from that, Ayumu couldn't help but notice he had specifically claimed the tournament as his own. The invitation had been sent on behalf of a countess of Tea with no mention of Sound Village. Not much was known of Sound Village aside from that they made their home somewhere within Tea. Ayumu took another sip of his drink quietly as Umashi spoke next.

He made the interesting observation that Kageoni had mentioned he was the first and only Otokage. While he injected the observation with humor, he was likely curious to know more about the Otokage and by extension Otogakure in that regard. Ayumu was all ears as well, but as Umashi quickly pointed out Kageoni was under no obligation to explain anything of that nature if he didn't want to. Whether he did or didn't would reveal something regardless- how much did he want to keep from Konoha and Kumogakure? "I am curious as well... the first you say? Though I am called the tenth, there have been far, far more Raikage than that. Our villages have had next to no interactions given we don't share a border like Fire and Tea. As a Lightning native, I've never met a Sound shinobi before now," Ayumu chimed in. It couldn't hurt to add his sentiment of curiosity to Umashi's though the Otokage didn't seem like the type to cave to peer pressure.

"That said, if this tournament was organized by Sound then my first impression has been a positive one thus far. It has been run impeccably from what I've seen,"<i></i> Ayumu added. Meanwhile, it sounded as though there was a bit of commotion from below. The upside to having come alone was that Ayumu didn't need to worry about whether one of his shinobi was involved if anything were to happen. He only really needed to look out for himself. It didn't sound like any fighting had broken out per say, so he wasn't too concerned just yet.

 

[Aburabuta Yutaka]

NPC: Otokage "Grand Master" Kageoni

"The secret is push-ups, sit-ups and plenty of juice." Replied the Otokage with a sense of genuine amusement on his face and in his words at the immediate interest in his youthful appearance. Umashi made light of it of course but in the root of his humor was the observation that either Otogakure was a very young organization or that he physically did not look his age.

Either of those conclusions would have been a fair guess and one of them was certainly correct but Kageoni had no intention of confirming or denying either of them. He responded with his own good-natured joke. For his part, the Raikage who had introduced himself as Kogami Ayumu was much more direct in his interest. Where Umashi had used humor to imply his interest in the connection between the age of Otogakure and it's Otokage Ayumu came out and voiced his interest directly by way of pointing out that there had been many more Raikages before he'd taken the position. He was called the Tenth but there had apparently been more than that.

"We are an organization that has preferred in the past to keep to itself beneath the view of the larger shinobi nations, this is true." Replied Kageoni to Ayumu's observation that he'd never heard about or met a Sound shinobi before now as he retrieved his glass of wine from the table and brought it up. "It is only in recent years that my organization has seen fit to stand on the world stage with your own. I am gladdened to hear that your subordinates are enjoying the proceedings without incident."

Well. "Without incident" was probably too strong a way to say things, really. The city Kurosawa law men were constantly busy picking up the pieces left behind by foreign shinobi in scuffles and disagreements. There had been a handful of skirmishes between individuals that had been reported that had not escaped the notice of the Otokage or his subordinates but they were under strict orders not to engage in hostility with foreign shinobi even if it meant letting them run roughshod over Kurosawa City a small bit. If anything each time one of them made a mess or displaced a business or broke the law in a more direct fashion such as stealing it reinforced the case that Otogakure should take control of the entirety of Tea Country to protect it from foreign agents and weakened the position of those that had argued against it in the past. Some might have argued that those foreign actors were only there at the invite of Otogakure but Kurosawa City had pointedly refused protection from Otogakure in the past and this had been the result so far.

That part of the plan was coming along quite nicely.

"It really has been quite exciting so far." Kageoni remarked from behind his wine glass before once more taking a small sip from it.

 

[Seijin]

Chuckling at the Otokage's clear joke . . . but not joke, Umashi was quite impressed. Clearly Otogakure was experiencing something new and exciting and they all should have been glad to have been a part of it. Getting down to business though, Umashi changed the subject to the point of why he'd asked for all the Kage to attend the private meeting. "I'm glad to hear that Otogakure is doing such exciting things. The reason that I called you all here though is actually in line with just that, the world stage. I got my start in this world as a man of trade with a boat." Though he spoke the truth on that matter, the fact of the matter was that he was severely playing down the fact that he was a pirate in a most illegal way. It was his hope that he hadn't actually come across the Otokage at any point during those rough years . . . before he was made to bend the knee to Yamaguchi Kami and the might of Konoha.

Getting mentally back to the conversation, he continued. "Right now the world is getting smaller and smaller and yet the only clear thing that keeps our people from trading at large over land is the fact that many of our rail systems do not connect. Trading internationally is hard unless you've a highly protected caravan that can manage mountains, lakes, hills and valleys, never minding the desert surrounding Sunagakure. Konohagakure and Kumogakure have spoken on the matter and we recently just finished an interconnected railway system but it only really is between us two and that's only really the upper North-East of the continent. Though I'm not trying to get you to sign anything today, what I'm really hoping is that we can start to expand our individual economies to the point of having a truly global economy! Let's face it, Hidden Villages aren't so hidden anymore and the future is coming whether we like it or not." An exciting sales pitch, if Umashi could get the Otokage on the hook then they might be able to link together the whole of the Eastern seaboard and after then, the push towards the West would be a lot easier.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

So there was something of substance to be discussed at the meeting. Ayumu leaned back in his chair as Umashi began speaking about the rail system. The conversation was reminiscent of one of the first that he and Umashi had when they first met. The very conversation that had led to the rail system being linked up and the opening up of trade opportunities between the two countries. The same that solidified an alliance of sorts between the two villages. Now, it seemed, Umashi sought to keep the train moving (excuse the pun) by extending the rail system into Tea next. The country certainly had its share of trade opportunities with so much coastline to utilize, but there was some untapped potential inland still most likely. Lightning Country itself had a similar situation in that it was connected to the rest of the world by a relatively small stretch of land compared to the size of the country itself with vast coastlines. The government of Lightning had decided, with a bit of encouragement from Cloud, that it would still be beneficial to open up trade further by land with the use of trains.

"I wouldn't mind another option in terms of mode of transport for my next visit to Tea, admittedly. The ride's a bit... smoother than a boat in my experience," Ayumu commented. He didn't have terribly much to add to the conversation at present. Lightning Country was already connected to the rail system... for Tea to be added was an agreement that would need to be made between it and its neighboring country, Fire which was precisely what Umashi was hoping to do here it seemed. Ayumu wondered how much influence the Otokage might have in getting something like that done in Tea Country. Would he be interested even? Was there a reason for him to refuse? Perhaps he wouldn't consider it worth the expense. Ayumu waited to hear his response on bated breath. Actually, he took another sip of his drink. Trade conversations weren't the most thrilling, but he did recognize the importance.