Private A Sprout That Has Climbed To The Clouds [Requesting Raikage for Rank Up & More]

[Ryuu Nozomi]

The morning air was cold as Nozomi stood at the base of the Torre Empirea, craning her neck just enough to take in the full height of the central spire before forcing herself to stillness again. Five towers rose together like the fingers of a single hand, art deco lines catching the light in deliberate angles. Polished stone and inlaid metal reflected the sky in pale bands of gold and steel-blue. Power lived here, not the explosive kind that she understood instinctively, but the sort whose decisions change the fate of the nation as a whole. She adjusted her posture without thinking, spine straightening, and shoulders settling into something unassuming. This was not a place for intimidation or bravado.

The Legation’s main entrance was already active as administrators moved with efficiency. Civilians passed through controlled checkpoints, and shinobi in uniform paused to confer before being ushered toward elevators guarded by silent ANBU. Nozomi approached alone with empty hands that licked nervously at her palms. Her chakra was pulled tight and shallow beneath her skin to make sure she set off no alarms. Even the curse seemed to play nice and its usual restless hum dampened into a low, resentful murmur.

Inside, the air changed immediately. The lobby was cavernous with beautifully tiled floors in geometric patterns, walls accented with brass filigree, and stylized lightning motifs worked into the architecture itself. Everything here spoke of modernity layered atop tradition, like a new power built with an appreciation for the history that brought it about. Her sandals sounded far too loud against the floor, and she hated that she could notice her own steps. Still, she made no effort to have chakra dampen the sound.

A reception desk waited ahead, manned by two clerks whose expressions suggested they had already processed a hundred requests before breakfast. Nozomi stopped at the designated marker, bowed once and spoke when acknowledged.

“My name is Ryuu Nozomi,” she said evenly. “I am here to formally request an audience with the Raikage.”

The words felt heavier than they should have. One clerk glanced down at a ledger to quickly assess. There was no overt hostility that came from the receptionists, but no warmth either.

“Purpose?” the clerk asked.

“I wish to submit a civic report and a recommendation regarding rank advancement,” she replied. “On behalf of a kunoichi under my supervision during a village reconstruction effort.”

That earned her a pause. The clerk’s gaze sharpened as if he was suspicious, she had said something which caused alert and pens stilled. Though as a few names were checked and a runner was dispatched without explanation, she exhaled. Nozomi waited, hands folded loosely in front of her as she maintained a carefully neutral look upon her face. This was the part she disliked the most... Waiting while others decided whether she was worth hearing out, or not.

She was eventually directed toward a secondary office that was relatively small and quiet. The room was paneled in dark wood and brass trim and a secretary sat behind a polished wooden desk in a corner near the entrance. The woman would explain procedure and Nozomi listened carefully, committing each rule to memory.

She was to remain seated, she was not to approach the inner doors for any reason, and she was not allowed to speak unless addressed directly. Then she was reassured that the Raikage would absolutely see her when time permitted. She nodded to each instruction as if they were already familiar to her.

The secretary gestured to a chair near the wall across from the inner doors. So, she sat carefully, with her back straight and hands resting on her thighs as if she had practiced her posture for this very moment. Still, Nozomi could not help but feel a pit in her stomach, and she had to remind herself that it was not fear, it was anticipation.

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Inside the inner sanctum of the Raikage’s office, the silence was a stark contrast to the buzzing efficiency of the lobby below. Here, the air was cool and smelled faintly of sandalwood and old paper. Kitsune sat behind her massive desk, a sprawling surface of dark, polished wood that seemed to float in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the village hidden in the clouds.

She was currently signing off on a budget allocation for the western border patrol, tedious work that required a sharp eye, but very little soul. When the intercom on her desk chirped, she welcomed the interruption.

"Raikage-sama," her secretary’s voice came through, tinny but clear. "Ryuu Nozomi is here for her appointment."

Kitsune capped her fountain pen with a decisive click, setting it down parallel to the document. A Ryuu. The name always carried a specific weight in Kumogakure, often associated with volatile power or complex internal politics. Both were true for Rei, and her clansmate Tama. For one to come through the front door, requesting an audience for something as bureaucratic as a rank advancement recommendation, was... refreshing.

"Send her in," Kitsune commanded, her voice projecting authority even through the small speaker.

She stood up as the heavy double doors unlatched with a magnetic thud and swung open. Kitsune smoothed the front of her charcoal three-piece suit, the tailoring impeccable, emphasizing the sharp lines of her shoulders and the confident set of her posture. She watched Nozomi enter, her golden eyes dissecting the kunoichi’s gait, her posture, and the way she held her chakra close to the skin.

Kitsune didn't sit back down immediately. She preferred to greet most shinobi standing; it allowed her to gauge them eye-to-eye.

"Ryuu Nozomi," Kitsune said, her tone level and professional, though not without a hint of welcoming warmth. She gestured to the single, comfortable chair positioned in front of her desk. "Please, take a seat. My secretary tells me you’ve come regarding a personnel matter and a civic report."

Kitsune rounded the desk, leaning her hip against the edge of it rather than retreating behind the barrier, crossing her arms over her chest. It was a power move, relaxed but dominant, asserting that this was her space. "It is rare that I get hand-delivered recommendations for field promotions. Usually, they are buried in paperwork. You have my attention. Tell me about this subordinate of yours."

 

[Ryuu Nozomi]

Nozomi crossed the threshold only after the doors had opened completely. She made sure to wait that final half-second so she did not appear too eager. The sound they made closing behind her sent a brief spike of nerves through her chest that she had to consciously quiet. This was not a battlefield, she had to remind herself. There were no traps, angles, or enemies in this place. She told herself of that over and over as she walked forward, each step measured with hands clasped loosely in front of her rather than at her sides where instinct wanted them to be ready for anything.

She bowed first. Deep, respectful, and held just long enough to be unmistakable without becoming theatrical. When she straightened, she took the offered seat only after Kitsune’s gesture, settling into it carefully. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears, she hated that feeling. After all, this woman was the Raikage.

Nozomi kept her chakra pulled tight, disciplined, as she lifted her gaze to meet those golden eyes which were already assessing her. She swallowed and forced herself to breathe out slowly.

“Yes, Raikage-sama. Thank you for seeing me.”

She paused, if only to remind herself again to speak plainly and honestly. That this was not a war of intellect.

“I’m here to formally recommend a subordinate for advancement,” Nozomi continued, reaching into the slim portfolio she carried and setting it neatly on the desk’s edge before opening it. She did not push it forward yet.

“Her name is Shuusui Ruri.”

Saying the name grounded her back into reality as if it gave purpose to her once again. Nozomi spoke of the hot springs and of her own failure of restraint. Of uncontrolled power and of beauty destroyed because she had not yet learned how to temper force with care. She did not excuse it or attempt to soften it. She stated it as fact, as a burden and responsibility she must bare.

“I intended to repair what I broke,” she said quietly. “Alone, if necessary. Ruri was under no obligation to assist me.”

Her hands tightened slightly in her lap as she continued, “Yet, she chose to anyway.”

Nozomi described the girl as resilient to survive amid the devastation and steam. How she did not retreat and was never frightened. She spoke of Ruri’s willingness to work. Not for recognition or reward, but because the task needed to be completed. She detailed the cleanup, the labor, the days spent hauling debris and stone by hand. She spoke of the quarry and of marble torn from the mountain not through brute destruction but through precision, skill, and understanding.

“Ruri used her Byakugan to read the stone,” Nozomi said, lifting her eyes to Kitsune again.

“Not just surface fractures either. She identified fault lines with the same clarity described in advanced Hyuuga records. Texts I have read spoke of seasoned adults being this capable, not students.”

She slid the portfolio forward now, opening it so the neatly completed forms were visible. She had included diagrams, plans, permissions, logs of events, civilian statements, and photographs.

“She cut slabs the size of houses,” Nozomi continued, the quiet awe she felt slipping into her tone despite her attempts otherwise.

“She did it cleanly and repeatedly. She learned to shape rather than shatter. She adapted techniques in the moment and carried loads that otherwise would have required teams of civilians. She did not even stop when exhaustion was biting at me, and motivated me to continue.”

Nozomi paused to breath and steady herself before continuing on.

“I have already received my own Genin appointment,” she said, the words still feeling strange to say aloud. “But... I was not yet even a Genin when I trained her, and that is precisely why I am here in person.”

She bowed her head slightly.

“I recommend Shuusui Ruri for promotion to at least the rank of Genin. And… respectfully, Raikage-sama, I believe she meets the practical criteria for becoming a Chuunin.”

She did not flinch from the boldness of that statement.

"Her judgement, adaptability, endurance, and self-sufficiency under such conditions exceed what I believe is the requirement for such a title."

She hesitated, then added, softer but no less firm, “I also request that her clan be acknowledged. The Shuusui name should stand beside the rebuilt springs. Not as decoration, but as record that one of theirs rebuilt what was destroyed.”

Nozomi bowed again, deeper this time. Then, carefully, she straightened and made her final request.

“There is… one more matter as well.” Her fingers curled, then stilled.

“I wish to continue my academic studies. Specifically, in Ancient Kumogakuran history and language. I believe there may be connections in our past to my clan’s condition that have not been fully examined.”

She met Kitsune’s gaze, open and unguarded.

“I understand access to such material requires your approval. I would not ask if I did not believe it mattered.”

She fell silent then, hands returning to rest calmly in her lap. Whatever came next was no longer hers to control, and for once, she allowed herself to accept that fact.