A Palace, An Intruder, A Summons [Not RP - Event Plot]

[Sand Council]

The Palace of the Glorious Immortal was many things. It was a pillar of the strength of the Daimyo. It was a symbol of what Daimyo Ishii had not only accomplished but a physical representation of his ego, his pride. It was a signifier to others that to get to the leader of the country, they would have to go through a literal fortress. It was excessive. It was gaudy. It was beautiful. One thing, out of all of those things, it had always been was this: impregnable.

"Ishii, the storm is starting to pick up."

"Uh, oh~ does Mr. 1 have a bad feeling?"

The bandaged covered swordsman would withdraw his blade without hesitation as his eyes never once turned towards Nao, but he did not need to face the man for his thread to land. Nao would raise his hands up mockingly.

"Hey, hey, premonitions, if you have sort of ability I could make great use of it."

It would be this comment that would draw the bloodshot eyes of the swordsman towards the frame of the mad scientist.

"Enough."

The sword would be sheathed and Nao would turn his attention back to the Daimyo. Ishii sat upon his throne, another figure that seemed to be nothing more than a display of excess. Honestly, the only things within the palace that were merely overly shiny things to have to stroke egos would be the members of the Sovereign and the Daimyo himself. It had been a while since he last had to be pulled into an actual fight, but those oldest within his inner circle knew what he was capable of doing when angered. But when someone was always winning, what was there to be angry about? He merely was toying with his prey, for decades.

"Go ahead, Ichi."

The swordsman would nod to his old friend.

"There is something in the air, something has been moving around this country for some time, and now it feels like its finally lurking. It's..."

The swordsman would disappear and would reappear at the threshold entering into the throne room and a there would be a bright flash of light and the sound of metal cutting through the air. There would be no further sounds for a moment as Ichi would quickly turn his head with an expression that was a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"close..."

"Oh... my..."

Nao would say with his own measure of disbelief and amusement. Standing at the base of the throne would be a female figure wearing a mask. The daimyo would not hold the same look of disbelief. His expression would be that of annoyance as he peered down at the female figure.

"Who the hell are you?"



"Name's not important. Call me Ranger. I am here because it is time for you to have a meeting."

"Ranger...meeting..."

It would not still be fully clear to him, but it would seem that something was piecing together within the mind of Ishii upon these words and the summons.

"Our Grand Master will be expecting you... see the location here... later, boys!"

The female would toss a piece of paper to the ground and before Ichi could react once more, in an attempt to intercept the female, she would be gone from the throne room. Nao, who seemed to be taking the moment more playfully than the rest within the room, would stroll up, grab the paper, and read off the coordinates.

"This location, huh? This must be a joke, Lord Ishii~"

It would not be a joke, and the Daimyo would know that. It would be a summons. The location would hold some meeting, that much was clear to him. Gritting his teeth he would mutter to his two closest allies.

"Call in all of the Sovereign members. We will have this little meeting, and we will see what is so damn important that we have to play games like this..."

Nao would raise his hand as if a child in school. There would not be words from Ishii, but he could feel the glare beaming down upon him from the agitated Daimyo.

"Heh... well, that works. The note says to bring 'all of you champions', so it seems that we are needing the whole gang anyways. What an interesting time we are marching towards."

Ichi would sneer at Nao as he would snatch the note from his hand and begin to make his way to Ishii to deliver the item formally.

"Whatever this is, we tell those children to show up prepared. Something about this... doesn't feel right."

"No worries, Ichi. This person and I have a deal in place. He just likes to remind me who he is... so we will show him our strength. Reaffirm my deal with him. All will be fine."

The words of a man who lived in a palace and felt himself to be an immortal.

A Journeyman, an Oracle, and now a Ranger. There seemed to be Order within this looming Chaos.

 

[Sand Council]

A Traitor, A Meeting, A Feeling [Not RP - Event Plot]

Days had passed since an intruder, the first intruder had infiltrated the once thought to be impregnable walls of the Palace of the Glorious Immortal. The very idea that one person could do such a feat was unheard of when considering all the factors it would require. The Sovereign who lurk within the walls of the Palace were formidable of a presence that you could find. Their skills and ability made them not only walking death dealers but also gave them sharpened reflexes and skills. Most of them were keen enough to be aware when a strang presence entered the Palace. But not even counting these monsters, there were various other layers to the stronghold of the Daimyo. The walls were one thing a skilled practitioner of shinobi arts, or one that could at least manipulate chakra, could overcome. Getting past that, however, would lead you to a confusing layout and building format, designed to be intentionally misleading. Then there was the sheer number of guards, attendants, various enhanced enslaved individuals, and servants. Yet, none of them were aware of an intruder and none of them were missing or killed as a result of the breach. It was almost like the intruder just walked past everything, everything that made this Palace the stronghold that it was.

"We are being undermined..."

The bandaged covered swordsman said bitterly as his grasp tightened upon the hilt of his blade.

"Now, now, I normally would irritate you further, but right now I think you are a little too riled up. Just what are you trying to say, Ichi?"

Nao pressed his back up against the wall as he entered a relaxed lean. He would cross his arms and raise his left arm up to inspect his fingernails. Maybe it was time for him to do a touchup on his paint job?

"I have scoured every inch of this place, interviewed all who were present, checked with all of the dogs... there isn't any believable way they could have entered the throne room..."

The two of them present represented the two oldest members of the Sovereign. Two individuals that had known the Daimyo the longest, trusted for different reasons and each a very different person from the other. Ichi was someone found by the Daiymo during his ascension. He was rumored to be the first successful graduate of what would later become the Sovereign Academy. His loyalty to Ishii was boundless. Unshakeable. It was for this very reason that he could not accept the incident from a few days prior.

"You saw her speed, I mean you missed her twice, maybe she is just that superior?"

Nao would say it idly and matter of factly. It was as if he was trying to posit it as truth without being entirely certain himself. Or maybe uncertain wasn't the right way of describing it, maybe it was more disinterest. Nao did not seem to hold the female intruder in the same light as his Sovereign comrade.

"No. Her speed, it was a short burst tactic. There is no way she could have done it rapidly, it was a response to attack and not merely her natural speed."

Nao would smirk upon the analysis readout of Ichi. Nao's interest belied within the scientific, the understanding of things on a different level. He always picked on Ichi because of his lapdog tendencies but when the bandaged man was intent upon his prey, he would find himself in awe of the analytical ability the man possessed.

"Is that what you really think, Mr. Mummy?"

Ichi was too engrossed in his own thoughts to bite on the provocation. He knew it was the correct assumption. He could feel it, not just because he wanted to believe there was something more going on, but because he had encountered numerous battles. It was one of those things you start to gain an innate instinct to with experience.

"Yes, and if that was the case then she was brought to the throne room. Then that would mean..."

"It would mean a high ranking member of this collective was working against us..."

"Against the Daimyo."

"Of course... against our glorious leader. So then, his children? His new wife? Or are you implicating something much more sinister..."

It was true that outside of his illegitimate child, Shouki, that his other two children were conniving, It was a skill that had inherited from their father. Yet, both of them seemed to be settled that their father, and the power he wielded, was something they could not oppose, even if they wanted to. Yet, it was also known that their father was believed to be immortal, meaning their inheritance was always something of a pipedream. The best they could hope for would be an allowance. It was plausible that they would align with another party to try and bring an end to their father, but the note left seemed like it was something that the Daimyo would know, so that made the children working with such a party less of a believable story. His wife, however, would be a different story. Mako of the Merchant Lords clearly had her own agenda, but had never shown any sign to plotting against Ishii. Yet, there would be less reason to scratch her name off the list than his kids.

"Those two couldn't find their ass from a hole in the ground... She, however, is definitely a different story. Yet she seems to be loyal."

"Colorful... so then you are trying to say what I think you are, you believe it was a Sovereign member?"

His grip would tighten to the point it looked like he was trying to shatter the hilt of his blade.

"I don't know... not yet, it's just I have a feeling. A bad one. Are they all here?"

"All the ones not presumed dead or captured, yep! The last to arrive, would you care to guess?"

"Why would that be important?"

"Oh come now, if you are going to accuse us of being traitors, you should take more of a vested interest in how we operate. The last one here would be an easy guess."

Ichi would pause for a moment, his grip loosening as he would let out a sigh. Nao was an irritating existence for the poor swordsman.

"Honestly, all of the usual suspects are the ones no longer part of the group. Ni is honor-bound, he would have arrived as soon as the summons was sent out."

Nao would close his eyes and begin to nod to agree with the assessment. In fact, Ni was the first to arrive.

"Hachi's cover in Soons would place him close by, he would be relatively soon to arrive. Not necessarily first but definitely quicker than some."

"He was the third to arrive."

"Roku would have been here as soon as he received word, much like Ni..."

"But honor-bound differently; yes he was second here."

"So then Shi or San... both of them carry themselves the most... independently out of this remaining group."

"The most mysterious, right?"

"Heh, mysterious would be you, Mad Scientist."

Nao would scoff as he would mockingly wave off such a comment.

"Shi keeps her guard up constantly, has a bad attitude, while San just keeps to himself and seems to not care about anything outside of his line of vision. They are similar but different in their... annoyingly quirked demeanors. So I would say it would be either of them... I would go with Shi because of her general disposition to be summoned."

Nao would start to clap as he would laugh.

"Almost completely spot on, well done... this is why you are a worthy Number 1, Ichi! Unfortunately, slightly off. Shi was here first. San was the straggler. Do you care to guess why?"

"Is there any guessing with that monster?"

"Oh come now, beyond that appearance is still a person, you should know that more than most, Mummy."

Ichi's eyes would narrow in on Nao as his grip would once more tighten upon his hilt.

"Easy, easy, I'm just saying it would help you to notice the small things a bit more. San is heartbroken."

"Heart... broken... injured?"

"Love, you simple man. He longed for our Number 7, it was as clear as the light of day. Did you really not notice it?"

"No... connections like that are frivolous."

"My lil Ichi, these frivolous little connections are the sort of things to kill gods. Pay closer attention, especially if you think there is a traitor among us... now come, let's start up this meeting."

And with that, Ichi and Nao would push upon a large door that would open up to a long table. Sitting at the table was the collection of the remaining Sovereign members. While the discussion would be prepping to aid the Daimyo in his meeting with a mysterious figure, an ulterior motive that would be playing out would be an internal investigation. Was there a traitor within the Palace? Was there a traitor close to the Daimyo? Or worse yet, was there a traitor among the Sovereign?

Chaos was spreading like a virus, infecting even the fabric of the Sovereign...

 

[Sand Council]

Traitor, Traitors, Traitorous [Not RP - Event Plot]

The Sovereign was finally assembled, something that hadn't been done in quite a while. Their numbers were smaller than the last time they organized, but the feeling within the room had not changed. This was a cage full of alpha predators. There was tension but one that would have only caused an issue to those, not of their ranks. For them, this tension of collegial. It was also a sense of peacocking. Each of them knew that they were the strongest person in the room, and subsequently the strongest collection of people within the country.

"Thank you all for gathering on shut short notice."

"Oh, so you will be leading the meeting?"

"If not him, who?"

"Who gives a shit, let's just get this on with..."

Ichi would attempt to lead the meeting. It wasn't something unheard of, due to his age, his number and his association with the Daimyo it all seemed to add up. Yet, the Sovereign wasn't structured to be a hierarchy in that sense. In theory, there was not different between Number 1 and Number 10. How that played out in actuality was always a bit of a chaotic and fluid situation.

"We've been called because someone has summoned our Glorious Leader for a meeting."

"Yikes, someone is looking for a quick death?"

"Was it the cat guy again?"

"You mean we were gathered because someone wanted to meet with our Glorious Leader?!"

Sovereign interactions usually devolved into animosity, but this meeting seemed to be reaching that point a bit quicker than most.

"Ichi is concerned about the other party's power... how it might rival us."

This comment from Nao would cause the room to grow silent. This was a collection of people that had not been bested in an individual setting since graduating from the Academy. To think that there was someone that could possibly rival them, well it was a very serious claim. It was also a very foolish one, as the room would erupt in laughter and table slapping.

"Someone stronger than I? HA!"

Geez, if you wanted to tell us a joke you could have just used a messenger."

Ichi would unsheath his sword.

"SILENCE."

The room would once more go silent, this time there would be a mounting tension as it seemed that the room was forcibly muted and not given much choice in the matter.

"You children, always so damn rambunctious. This is a serious matter. It is not simply that there might be a new opposing force..."

"It's because he believes one of us to be a traitor."

The tension would snap as it seemed Nao had been the first to regain his voice. The rest would soon join in as the momentary silence would be ended. The feeling of chakra suffocating the atmosphere would now be felt, choking out all air and leaving only the sensation of power. These individuals were preparing to brawl. Except for two of them. The first was Nao, he never seemed eager to leap into a needless fight. The other was the only one who had yet to say a word, Roku.

"Do you honestly believe one of us would be traitor?"

It was a rather genuine sounding question from a person that appeared to be more machine than man. Ichi's tire eyes would turn to Number Six as he would return his blade to its sheath and sit back down.

"It's not that I believe it... there is something taking place that is getting out of hand. Something we can't account for... something that seems out of our grasp, something we are missing. And while I do not believe a member of our collection would be a traitor, our traitor has already fled and aligned himself with Suna, I believe there is something suspicious transpiring within our group."

It wasn't a damning accusation, and it also wasn't necessarily directed towards those within the room, although that might have been how Ichi intended it. Yet, another would notice this and would offer it up to the rest of the group.

"One of the missing members has turned on us?"

The tension would once more cut through the room as if the pressure had been suddenly dropped upon their shoulders.

"Am I wrong to make that suggestion? Kyuu and Juu, best I can recall, seem like the most likely to turn on us, right? Taro having a sense of misguided justice, like a naive kid, and Juu being a lone wolf. Kyuu refused to go by his assigned name and clung to that ridiculous Taro name."

"Well if those are indicators of potential betrayers, wouldn't Number Fi--"

There would be a new level of silence that would flood the room. For the first time in a long time, a sickly feeling chakra would begin to flood into the space and directly wrap itself around the throats of all those present. Nao's body would be outlined by a faint glow of accumulated chakra.

"--Nao, Nao is what I meant."

She would relent as the chakra would fade and Nao would nod to her.

"Why yes, if those are qualifications of a traitor, I would indeed fit the bill quite nicely. However, do you feel confident that others don't fit such a build as well?
"
All eyes would once be beaming on the mad scientist would now seem to stray away except for the gaze of two individuals; Ichi and Shi.

Part of the success of our programs hinged upon being able to separate the soldier from the individual, and while you are all successes, some of you are definitely imperfect. Taro's shortcomings are very apparent. Juu's attitude places a suspicious eye on her, but what about the rest of the people in this room? As mentioned, I fit the bill based on those characteristics. My role for the Daimyo is one in which I am needed to work independently, and because of where my value lies I am not in the field as frequently as the rest of you, so my actions seem secretive. Because I refuse to go by a number, not because of some superiority but because of my age... I am too old to be running around under an alias like you young pups.

"Seems like bullshit to me."

"Ah yes, my Number 3. Falling in love with another member of the Sovereign is not strictly forbidden, but should be clearly an understood issue. Now you wander off looking for solo justice and answers... for what might have happened to her."

Ni would perk up to this as his eyes would turn to San and turn into a glare.

"What do you mean love between members"

"Is it really worth it to trudge up something like that?"

"Oh, Number 4, and your longing for someone in the enemies home base that doesn't even know you are there... that seems like more suspect behavior than you need to go gambling under an alias."

Shi's shoulders would begin to shift and push apart as the sound of hundreds of cords rubbing against one another would start to fill the room.

"Shi, calm it down."

"This wouldn't even be questioned right now if Shouki was still around..."

"Number 8, Number 6, and Number 2 are all seemingly good little boys. But maybe their spotless record is suspect?"

"Just stirring shit, Nao?"

The bulking black mass would raise up from its seat as it's white demonic eyes would turn towards Nao. The ink from his body would begin to drip upon the table as he started to climb his way up.

"SIT DOWN."

And like that order would be restored.

"I have heard enough of this. It is clear that we all have various motives, some that were outside of the grasp of our expectations, that are driving us. It is now the time to cut this unnecessary shit out. We are to come together to assist our Glorious Lord with this new potential threat. I believe their is validity in our missing comrades being part of the uneasiness that I am feeling. We can all agree that it would not be hard to break Kyuu, his free spirit has always been a point of annoyance for me. For now, we will dismiss things as that. After this upcoming meeting, I will chat with each of you individually to determine true allegiance. Now here is what we will be "

And with that, the meeting of the Sovereign would be underway. A group that had prided itself on being cohesive, especially when compared to those of Suna, had always carried with them a glaring fault; individuality. Whether it was them getting caught in personal matters that eschewed their overall goals as Sovereign or it was their belief in being loners, working solo because they were all that was needed, these faults only grew as time went on with their interactions. A group full of winners get blinded by their view from on high, that they miss the ongoings of those below them. Those who had not known victory as readily. Motives were revealed, tensions were already high, and people moved on others without hesitation, but was there really a traitor among them? Were there multiple? Was this just part of a grander scheme that they had fallen victim to? Time would tell.

---

Ichi
Ni
San
Shi
Nao
Roku
Hachi