A Meeting (Private, Foundation)

[Kairyuu]

His office was redecorated, nothing super fancy but enough that a keen eye who’d been in it before would pick up that the focus of the room was being drawn more and more towards the desk. An array of chairs, as ever, formed a half circle before his desk. He’d had some people in and ever so slightly angle the walls inward a bit, and the ceiling and floor slightly also. The effect was that one couldn’t tell by studying them directly, but just by being in the room your attention would be on the tunnel that seemed to form and lead right to his desk. The carpet was replaced with a finer material that was very soft, very comfortable on the feet, and cost the Isaki Clan a small fortune as Nobu reminded him every time he used their money on something stupid.

Indeed, while the room didn’t come off as ostentatious, it was obvious everything had been upgraded to the finest quality. Maki wasn’t trying to show off, merely wasting as much of the money of the clan as he could before someone tried to stop him and he could part their head from their shoulders. So far only Nobu had even bothered to tell him he was spending so much, but the man had that stupid smile on his face as he did so, one that led Maki to think he would need to do something about the man sooner, not later.

He pulls free a book on the shelf behind his desk, a full sized fridge door opening, obviously a replacement for the hidden mini-fridge he’d had before. Iced mugs are set on the desk and filled with a scotch so aged that when asked the seller had simply cackled. One for everyone, himself, three captains, and his future Hokage.

Things would need to be discussed.

(Calling Yuki, Yukio, Manzo, and Glorious Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of KoreaKonoha.)

 

[Shirai Sadao]

It was only a matter of time until a summons was called though what the finer points of discussion would be Yukio couldn't be quite sure safe to say he hadn't gotten to know Maki that much and this would be as good an opportunity as any to see what the new ANBU Sennin would do given the new position. Only time would tell and it was something they all had in great supply a knock at the door announcing his arrival before entering.

It was a strange thing to see Maki as he was now only used to standing by his side during Takeshi's summons or being watched over during operations and training something that had occurred on numerous occasions but this time was different this time he had arrived to, more than likely, discuss the path the branch would be taking and the parts to play at least that was the general idea of the matter though with most of his superiors it was a futile effort to guess their actions until they occurred.

Eye setting on the glasses of scotch present in the room the man was greeted with the same nod of respect so many others had grown accustomed too. "A pleasure to see you again so soon though I suppose i should have expected a meeting like this one to discuss something though what these subjects would be i can only guess for now."

[Topic entered]

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi was next to walk threw the rooms, it seemed that he still had more work to do inside the Branch before the time finished, though he was sure that this change would be a good one he allowed himself to slowly slink threw the corridors wondering if he would miss being here in the future, it was clear that he still had work that he wanted to do but now the guards had been changed and the Sennin had been selected he was here to lead the village and not just dwell on one branch if he could help it and he knew that fact better than anyone else.

He allowed himself to open the door and walk in, he looked around as he entered the room and there was only a few of them. He had arrived before the rest of them as he stepped inside of the room he allowed himself to glance over to Yukio and giving a small nod, before he allowed the beam to etch across his face at the sight of his friend, it seemed that Maki was adjusting nicely to the new role and he would not complain about that one at all. As he stepped inside of the room he found a chair and slowly sat down it was nearest the Sennin as he threw a leg up and rested it on his other one and looked towards the glasses.

“We going to be enjoying some of that fine liquid I take it, and its good to see you have adjusted nicely my friend. I must admit that I am pleased that you have stepped up so nicely, I knew that you were the right choice for this. If you need anything after this meeting please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

[Topic Entered]

 

[Haku Yuki]

Yuki opened the door to Maki’s office, he had been decorating, while the space hadn’t change greatly there was more chairs then before and tables. She walked through the door seeing that Takeshi and Yukio had already arrived, it seemed as if he had summoned all of them it seemed only fitting. He just been made Sennin, meeting with the current leader and the Sennin made for a smooth handover not that there would be any objections from any party presences. The female had been working with Maki now for just about a year, while she still had fully gotten to grasp with his strange tendencies and idiosyncrasies what she did know about the man was that she trusted him with her life and she for one would show him the same respect that she did Takeshi and she would lay down her life to protect him as she hope he would her or any of them that where in the room.

The Haku walked further into the room, her shoulders and arms where covered by her Captain’s robe but the hood remained down and her Anbu fatigues were not present, since receiving her rank the weight of the hood always seemed so heavy now however it seemed that she had gotten used to its weight. She nodded at Yukio before addressing Maki.
“I like what you have done to the place, after all it is always nice to have somewhere to sit, although I really hope that you have learned to look after furniture better then before,” She grinned as she bowed respectfully to her new leader before taking a seat next to Takeshi letting her hand brush against his as took her glass taking a mouthful of the icy cold liquid down.

[Topic Entered]

 

[Kato Hana]

Manzo was was waiting for this meeting. He was a little excited and a little scared. Every time a new Sennin takes over there is a change in the corp, he had seen a good changes as well as bad. He had faith that Maki would be a good Sennin but there was always a chance the good ideas he had would not work out.

As he walked in, with his new Captains robes on, he noticed the change in decor. It was quite the change from how Takeshi had set up the room. It seemed that the Sennin job paid very well. At least he hoped the village was not footing the bill for the opulence. Not that he would bring it up.

For now it was time to find out the direction the ANBU would be going.

 

[Kairyuu]

Yukio was first, which was a bit of a surprise. He was used to Takeshi being the first person to respond, but then again he’d only called on Yukio once and the man was prompt at that point also. Maki returns the respectful nod and motions to a seat and a glass, letting him know to help himself. Takeshi was given a hearty ”Welcome! Of course, no reason to pull it out otherwise.” While with Yuki he chuckles softly. ”These are rather new, I’d prefer to keep them, yes.” Manzo was given a nod similar to Yukio’s.

After all four had taken a seat, Maki moves to his own and takes it, grabbing his glass and taking a pull from it. ”Well, as Yukio said he entered, this was to be expected. Takeshi has seen fit to take a promotion. And leave me over the branch, so I’m going to do my best to prove his decision sound. Which brings up the first question, one I’ve actually heard from people coming into our branch. What, specifically, does our branch do?” He rises from the chair, his eyes at some point having gone from brown to gold, as he keeps going on, not really expecting an answer.

”I’ve been told many things about ANBU in my time, both from here and abroad. Assassins and tactics, retrieval and security. Our duties in Konoha seem overly vague and broad, to me. And many of them we would be jockeying for authority on over the main branch. So I’m proposing a change to how this branch operates. Instead of the defenses of Konoha, instead of protecting key figures, instead of doing the main branch’s job for them, we focus outside of the village.”

He expected there to be some dissent, and indeed if anyone offers some he would raise a hand to forestall them. ”Since I’ve rejoined this village, I’ve wondered what separates us, mission wise, from the main branch. One thing I have determined is that we have some very talented people in our ranks. Some are good at one thing, some at another. I’d like to dissolve our current squads in favor of forming new ones based on their talents.”

“First, we would have Intel. They would gather information on things outside of the village we need to worry about. Spies, if you will. These people will need to not only be intelligent and creative, but their morals need to be of a more malleable nature than most. I’d like Yukio to lead this squadron. Second, we have the assassins. Trained in killing, they remove the threats that the Intel squad finds. Joining this squad will not be easy, and it shouldn’t be. I was thinking of Yuki for this one.”

He turns, his gaze moving from each of them to Manzo. ”Finally, the Foreign Affairs squad. Diplomats, if you will, whose only job is to keep us from inciting a war upon our own heads from foreign powers. I was thinking Manzo. I know these seem like big changes, and they are. But I think we need to focus this branch more, and give our members, new and veteran alike, a concise mission statement to follow.”

Maki takes his seat once more, finishing the glass. ”What are your opinions?”

 

[Shirai Sadao]

Taking a brief pause as he listened to the Sennin's words it seemed the branch was going through a period of change, a change that would see the branch become a truly organised force with direction and purpose. Pausing for a brief moment to think on the information given Yukio finally came to speak. "I would be more than happy to take the position, going forward this would give each section of the branch purpose and direction. In terms of assigning members to each section of the branch it would be a matter of looking over the personality and achievements of each one though I would like to know everyone's thoughts regarding that matter."

Concerning the current members of the branch the Hyuuga had more than a few opinions on some, though he'd come to know most who called themselves ANBU there were a few that stood out more than most. "If we were to do such a thing, speaking my thoughts on the matter, there are a few that I would consider for intel such as Ziren his ability to manipulate blood has its fair share of uses in my eyes." Ziren was the first one who came to mind having seen the AiT only a short time ago to discuss his future within the branch.

"Before any of the others however the one that sticks out most out most to me is Maru, as of late I've had my fair share of problems with the lad though I haven't heard if he's made any progress since my last meeting. To put it bluntly I feel if we can place him somewhere to make keeping an eye on him easier then it gives us an easier time tracking any progress made in order to build trust." These were only a few of the opinions Yukio had regarding the possibilities however it was better to let everyone else have their say before rambling on too much about every trainee and ANBU.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to listen to the new Sennin talk, he knew full well that Maki had plans and he would not step on the toes of his friend. Nor would he speak about the matters here, if this was how Maki would run the ANBU branch, then this is how it would be run. He knew that much and was sure that he could trust the newly appointed Sennin inside of the village. Takeshi listened and smiled as he wondered about the replies he was getting, as he took a sip form the glass that was in his hand he had to admit that he did love liquor that was always available in his office.

Takeshi almost spat his drink across the office at the mention of Maru, sticking out and lets be honest the Uchiha knew full well that the kid was a problem and had been and here was Yukio trying to give him the desire to progress further, it seemed that Takeshi would speak about that and nothing else on the branch, he would not deny the facts and would not hide the truth from Maki as he swallowed and lowered the glass back into his lap in that split second.

“Well where to start with Maru, I guess I need to fill you in on that one before I let you take the rains for it. First, he tried to kill an Academy Student inside of a Tournament, this was not something that was accepted and saw him in a difficult situation, he lets his anger get ahead of him and things everything is dark in life this has seen him go further into the future and take more punishment for it. I gave him the puppet body he has now, sacrificing something to transfer his soul. He repaid me by ripping down a building in tea, setting it on fire and having a brawl with another member of the village. It seemed that he traumatized three students during a lesson, not showing any respect for peers and tutors.”

Takeshi allowed himself to take another drink in from the glass though when he brought it back down it seemed that he was not quite finished about all the crimes that Maru had been doing.

“Destruction of ANBU property also seems to be something that he is all game for, on top of that he is quite happy to loot and go out of the boat for graverobbing. If you really want to say the end of the list then you are probably looking at attempted murder, he needs to be tamed and I will expect to see results on that one from this branch. Maki my friend, he needs discipline and focus, he will either break something or be broken. I have tried now it’s your turn.”

Takeshi allowed himself to go back drinking ti seemed that he had finished with the Maru update on Maki, now it would be his decision to act on all the information that he had been given.

 

[Haku Yuki]

The female watched as the last of the three Captain’s joined the rest of them, she took the glass from the table and lean back in her chair as Manzo took his seat among the rest of them, she gave him a nod as he took his seat at the table before turning her attention to Maki. Yuki listened to him speak as the drained the remaining liquid from her glass feeling the alcohols satisfying burn as it slipped down her throat before placing her glass back on the table and returned to her original position on the seat.

Once Maki and the others had finished taking she added her own say.
“I agree with all the pervious mention appointments. Manzo is the best fit for the foreign affairs I am sure that with his time in Sand he has gathered some useful contracts.” She smiled at Manzo before turning her attention to her former student, “And we know that Yukio has some,” There was a pause “Inventive methods of gathering information, so I can see anyone else fit for the job” The topic of conversation changed from the changes that were going to be put in place to Maru it seemed that even though he had grown and changed greatly from his time as a AiT it appeared that he was yet to mature. He had been almost constant thorn in all their sides since the days that he had stepped foot in the academy.

Yuki rolled her eyes and reclined in her seat once more as she listened to the gentlemen debate, she wasn’t one for saying I told you say but on this occasion, she thought that she was within her rights to do so.
“I hate to say I told you so but I told you so, he was nothing but trouble as a student. Giving him rank has done nothing more then make him think that his actions are excusable. Let me have him, I am sure that I can find a use for him as a training dummy”

 

[Kato Hana]

Manzo listened to what was being not sure how to process it all. He did agree there needed to be some distinction between the them and the main branch. To many times it seemed they did the main branches job for them. The would certainly keep them busy and out of the village, which by default would stop them from doing others jobs.

The part of about Maru was disturbing though. The Puppy was a loose cannon that seemed to be uncontrollable. Something would have to be done about him. ”First of all thank you for the honor, I will gladly accept it and with it work with the other villages.“ Politeness out of the way. ”But from what I am hearing we have a serious problem here. It sounds like he is out of control. He is acting more like a rabid dog instead of a member of the ANBU. Destroying things for the sake of it, traumatizing students, which generally I am all for once they stop being students, and he simply doesn't have any respect for anyone or anything other than himself. Right now all I see him being good for the corps is as a punching bag but the question I have to ask is that what we need in the ANBU? We are talking about pushing the ANBU out into the world and we need asset to do that. Intelligence and Assassination are two fields that require delicacy “ He did not even bother bringing up Diplomacy because Maru attempting that would have been just laughable. He would likely try and start a war on his first mission.

”The short and brutal question comes down to this. Does having him in the ANBU hurt or help us?“ It was a hard question to ask but this room was full of people able to make the hard calls for the good of the village.

 

[Kairyuu]

Maki’s face remains set as they all speak. Maru. The pest at his wedding who, while he made it tolerable, did so in the most destructive fashion he could. He’d intended to have a chat with that one at some point about his antics there, but it seemed there would first be a chat about him here. Maki fills his glass and downs it, listening as Takeshi spoke.

”So….he tried to kill someone in a tournament. He destroyed a foreign nation’s property while they invited us to their festivities. He fought another leaf member there, also. He then tortured some kids. Okay. And you... promoted him?” It was, likely, the first time Maki had gotten mad at Takeshi, but he hid it well. One hand goes to his forehead to rub it as he breathes out. Another fill and drain of his drink to calm himself followed.

”I see we’re all on board for my ideas, at least. I’ll get those sorted out and send orders down. Definitely go ahead and begin selecting who you want in your squad. And be sure to make sure they’re amenable to it instead of just grabbing someone randomly. As for Maru…well. That is the question, Manzo. I’ll have a talk with him. He can either control himself, or he’ll become someone else’s problem. I have no room for loose cannons. He made a mess of my wedding, which I can't say I would have minded so much, except he began doing so by dumping cake on a young girl and acting like an insufferable ass. Yes...I think a long talk about his continued participation in this branch is in order.”

He moves to his chair and sits down, sighing softly. ”Anything else I need to be caught up one? Or does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Now is the best time to throw them out.”

 

[Shirai Sadao]

Listening to the opinions of each person in the room it seemed each had something to add onto Maki's proposition viewing the changes in a positive light though one thing they truly shared in common was the view on Maru, the boy was a trouble maker that much was certain though the opinions of what should be done varied from one extreme to the next. "Well seems we all share an opinion on the kid, no matter how much time passes he never changes however I feel this is a discussion that will require us to go into detail about his activities. A matter for another time perhaps when we deal with him in a direct matter and make him face what he has done maybe let the reality sink in and shatter this daydream he's been stuck in."

Turning his head back to Maki there was much to consider given the changes to the branch, both the new and old members would have to find a place in one of the three areas offered. "in regard to the three sections of the branch I would think on looking at the personalities and styles of each of our AiT's and ANBU before giving them an examination relating to the area they wish to enter, better to know they can actually do the job required of them rather than having them freeze up in the middle of the job."

This was the main thing on the forefront of his mind given the circumstances of each of the members though he spent a lot of time amongst the AiT's there were still many variables to considering hidden personality traits or unstable elements that could prove problematic given enough time to take root. It would be interesting to see if the others had anything to add or give opinion on the concept in his mind though it would take time and effort it could be a possible way to keep the branch stable through the period of change.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to listen to the others speak as he sighed to himself, looking back it seemed that there was a lot of work for Maki to do inside of the Branch. He half wished that he did not leave the Branch in this state, and he knew full well that Maki would sort the situation out though it seemed that there was lots of work that still needed to be done. Even he knew that there was a situation that needed addressing but he left the floor for Yukio to speak first and direct his attention there before he himself would be speaking.

“Well Maru, you can deal with him Maki, I Have no doubt that you are the best person for this job. That much I am sure about, you will be able to deal with this. Let me ask you though Maki the branch splits. How will you make sure that each of these branches have proven members inside of them? How will you test them? How will you judge them for which branch they split up to?”

Takeshi wanted to know how the questions would be done though he knew full well that everything had its own reason. But he wanted to see how those selected for the branch would be done, knowing full well that things would be decided by Maki he just didn’t like the idea of everyone just trying to grab at people. He allowed the glass to come to his lips as he finished the content of the glass before pouring himself a second glass looking at the three others, he wanted to see if they had anything first but was going to finish his little speech before he let the others have a go, Yukio spoke because he was given the option to go first rather than interrupt him.

“For others, it seems that we have had a massive influx of Anbu in Training, they are all claiming at the bit to prove themselves, but on the same time I am seeing lots of reports come to me about our Anbu in Training not being able to behave themselves, maybe a small bit of discipline might be good in a whole but that is just my opinion on that one, anyway damn fine drink as always Maki. Remind me to come to this office more often”

Takeshi allowed himself to look at Maki as he waited to see how everyone would be responding to the questions that he had given.

 

[Kato Hana]

Manzo did not want to speak ill of Takeshi’s decisions but knowing that Maru had a hand in students training and they were having problems with students now only brought more of the problem out.

He thought about what Takeshi said, wanting Maki to address the questions of the branches and skipping ahead to the issues of the AiT.

”The problems with the AiT is a pretty straightforward one from what it sounds like. If they are itching to prove themselves then they need to prove they can behave. With the direction that the ANBU will be going it sounds like many of us will be traveling a lot more, and it would not do to have them embarrassing the village. We always need new recruits but we need to make sure we are getting ones that are best suited. If they not ready to leave the academy maturity wise, well the perhaps they need to spend some more time there. “ He had already threatened to send his entire team back there and sometimes he wonders if it would be better if he had.

”As for who gets divided into what group, that goes along the same lines. Not everyone will have the personality to deal with each group. Take the aforementioned Maru. Putting him in the intel or diplomacy divisions I think would be a disaster. It needs to be a cross between what they can handle vs what we we need for who goes to what division. “

 

[Haku Yuki]

Yuki remained silent hearing her husband and the others debate on Maru, she knew that there was nothing else to say on the matter, from the moment that she first set her eyes on him she was more than aware that his cockiness and general lack of respect for anyone would lead to his downfall and that prophecy seemed to have come true, regardless it will be incredibly entertaining to watch. Shifting in her seat she place the glass down on the table before her and turned her attention to Takeshi who was discussing the recent influx of new blood into the branch from what she had seen of them so far the all seem promising. Manzo spoke again and the female listened as he expressed his concerns for his placement inside the intel branch.

“ I agree with Manzo, he would cause even more damage then he has already committed,” She pondered for a few minutes. “I’ll take him. I am sure that I can find a use for him, even if it is target practice,”

 

[Kairyuu]

Maki gives a mirthless chuckle as Takeshi mentions Maki dealing with Maru. He reaches up and rubs at his temple for a moment as the others speak. ”Manzo is correct. This branch is in need of a major overhaul of how we let our lower ranks behave. I’ll draw up some plans for making that one happen. And I’ll deal with outliers if they show up. Including Maru. Maru’s not going into the assassin squad. That requires the maturity and self control to not attack a target when the foreign relations squad says it’d be a bad idea to. Maru would just charge in and do it anyways.”

“I’ll deal with Maru. Right now, he doesn’t fit in any of the three new squads, and frankly unless he changes his behavior I hate to say he won’t be fitting in the new direction of this branch. I’ll inform him of this, and let him know he needs to shape up or get shipped out.” Maki pours another glass and drains it. ”I think we should call the meeting, for now. It seems we do agree on the direction I’d like to take. Now we need to work out specifics. Manzo, Yukio, Yuki; I’d like you three to mingle with the AiT a bit, and the existing ANBU, and determine who would best fit in your squads, or give recommendations on which squads they would fit in. If you can’t place someone, bring their name to me and I’ll work with them.”

It was apparent that the Maru situation was one Maki would not relish handling, but he’d handle it either way.


(Topic Left/Meeting Over. Get out of my office )

 

[Shirai Sadao]

As the meeting progressed it seemed each of those present had their own opinions on how to handle matters regarding both the branch as a whole and the individuals within its ranks, a good sign, by doing so it meant no single idea would get a unified answer on most occasions allowing each to give their own advice on whatever circumstances the branch might find itself in. "Seems we all have a different opinion considering the matter however the consensus is we need to move them based on skill sets and recommendation while considering how well some can work with others."

With that he turned his head to listen to Maki once more the Hyuuga nodding slowly at the Sennin's words. "Understood Maru is left in your hands to have his fate decided, as for the others I have spent some time with the AiT's so I have a few in mind however will be taking the time to confirm my opinions on each, our current ANBU however not so much given that I'll think on each of them as I meet them."

With that he give a polite bow of his head to all present. "With this I shall take my leave, seems we have much to do over the coming days to get everything in order." Leaving the office the Captain began collecting his thoughts processing everything said in the meeting and considering those in the branch who would be appropriate within the intel section.

[Topic Left]

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi finished the glass that he had in front of him as he drained it, enjoying the taste it seemed that Maki always had good taste in things and this liquid was one of them. He allowed a small sigh to escape his lips as he stood himself up in those few sew seconds. It seemed that everyone was making an exit as Takeshi allowed himself to turn around to face Maki in those brief moments he allowed a smile to creep across his lips.

“Maybe Maru will come to sort himself out, at the same time maybe he will not learn, if he does not learn then you are more than welcome to deal with him as you see fit. I have to admit that you are doing well Maki, keep the drive and devotion. It seems that you have the respect of your Captains already. Well done my friend, you have now found yourself the home that you tried to run from, how much times have changed since we first met at the bar.”

Takeshi turned around and walked out of the room as he nodded to the Captains, he headed straight towards the Hokage mansion knowing full well that he still had his own tasks to do today. He knew full well that everything that needed to be done and he still had to have a catch up on the Main Branch matters as well as the Medical branch, this would make things that so much more challenging.

[Topic Left]