Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free]

[Akechi]

”We’ll see this goes. Hopefully... not too bad. Last time the damn thing almost got blown up.” Akechi said to himself as he stared up at the magnificent tower. This tower just happened to be the place where calamity reached its tipping point. Everyone, including those that had no conceivable reason for being there, piled into the tower in order to have Johnson measuring contest. Honestly, it was the epitome of sophomoric politicians. This was how they all acted, and it was a hilarious sight to see. So funny that even Akechi had to get involved in this whole thing.

And here he was doing it again…

”I’m here to see the Tsuchikage,” Akechi would speak, using his polite voice even though it didn’t seem to make a difference. Receptionists were generally bored with the normal routine that they had go through daily. Polite or not, she’d give some variation of “what for?” as a response. ”We have an official ‘greeting’ from Kumogakure that he may want to hear about,” the man would respond, keeping the letter in his pocket for now. Naturally, she’d relay the message, and the Tsuchikage would ask for Akechi to make his way into the office. We haven’t gotten that far yet though. Hopefully, this Ryu character wouldn’t make the Uchiha wait too long. Those garbed in black Uchihan robes generally had issues with patience.

[Topic Started]

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

(Sorry for the delay T_T)

The receptionist smiled politely, asking the man to wait just a moment before picking up a rerecier and dialing the extension. The man hadn't introduced himself, but she took a moment on the line to give a description of Akechi. In all it took no more than a minute before the woman set the reciecer down, smiled politely and told the man to head up to the office.

In said office, Ryu sat behind the desk, flipping through past mission statements, checking for signitures, and separating out the unsigned into a pile to be checked for payment. His violet-blue eyes wouldn't come up from the papers until the door was opened, he was half way through this accursed stack, thankfully with few unsigned, if he could keep going with every spare second he would be able to move to the next project.

(Crap post, but I'm still on working on recovering from this past week, better posts are on the horizon)

 

[Akechi]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

Honestly, it was quite surprising to see an Uchiha being let into the Tsuchikage’s office so quickly. The man trying to enter being the Uchiha who happened to be married to the biggest thorn in this village’s proverbial ass made things more surprising as well. It was kind of reassuring to see that the man was being treated with at least a modicum of respect. Then again these cordial niceties barely meant anything anymore. The Uchiha knew all too well that people fought the real wars in the shadows, behind closed doors, and behind “gestures of good will.” That was the curse that the Uchiha clan faced, and it was the uphill battle that he faced as one of the only real Uchiha left. After all, this world had taken his family, his clan, his clan’s techniques, and even the fabled eyes that were once only possessed by the Uchiha of legend. He hated it, but that didn’t mean he would stoop down to the level of those that despised them. Not in the way most would think anyways…

The Uchiha stepped into the office, closing the door behind him, and letting his eyes fall upon the man with the mountain of paperwork on his desk. ”Ah, Ryu-sama. I didn’t realize we kept you this busy,” Akechi laughed, making a small joke as he bowed his head slightly before sitting. There were plenty of things to talk about, but there was one thing that took precedence. After all, he couldn’t ask for favors without expecting someone to want something in return. That was the way this life worked… wasn’t it?

”I have a message… from Kumogakure that is addressed to you,” Akechi commented, casually removing the letter from his pocket, and placing it on the desk in front of Ryu.

Spoiler

To Whom This May Concern,

I will first introduce myself as Akira Saito, I am a Sennin of Cloud and friend of our former Raikage Hayata Shin. It was my belief that Shin had been in contact with someone named Kamaru in Stone to do with the retrieval of a fallen Cloud shinobi in your village who went by the name of Yukiko Ayumi. I will not pretend to know the circumstances surrounding her death but would appreciate that the body be returned to us in good faith.

A team of shinobi will visit your doors over the coming weeks requesting this return. I trust you will treat our shinobi the way you would like your shinobi treated by Cloud should this have been the other way around.

With the team will be a pair of diplomats who I hope might repair the damage done to the bonds between our villages.

Kind regards,

Akira Saito

He wouldn’t even allow him to open it all the way before summarizing the contents of the letter. ”A Sennin from Kumgakure, a man named Akira Saito, seems to be ‘requesting’ the body of a woman named Yukiko Ayumi. One of our former Sennin, Kamaru, was supposedly in contact with Hayata Shin, the former Raikage… about this matter,” Akechi commented, stroking his chin before continuing with the summary. ”Within the month, he will send shinobi and diplomats to retrieve the body. Our response will dictate our relationship with them going forward… basically. ” That’s all there was to it really. It seemed like this Saito was aware that Ayumi’s life had been taken by an Iwain shinobi… at least that’s what he seemed to be accusing Iwa of. They wanted to bury the hatchet by taking custody of one of their native shinobi. Understandable but…

”Sounds like the times haven’t been great toward them either. So tell me… Ryu-sama, how should we proceed?” A valid question, considering.

[OOC: Sorry for the delay. School has been crazy.]

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

Ryu set aside his stack of papers for time being as the door shut behind the man, who he was and the woman he married carried little in the way of meaning to Ryu at the moment.To be honest, the health amd welfare of the village were his greatest concerns, since the man before him was a part of that, Ryu, as a leader, could set aside personal feelings he might have. "No rest for the wicked or Kages. Now let's hope I don't misfile something." The corners of his lips turned up slightly, showing his amusement at the jest the Uchiha offered. He folded his right hand over the monstrous looking left as the Uchiha approached, extending it to take the letter while Akechi summarised the contents. Ryu took note of the names and frowned, reading over the letter before folding it before him. This presented difficulties, he did not know the name of this woman, nor was he aware of the events that would have brought about her death in this Village, let alone how Kamaru was intending to solve the matter. "Hmn. I see. Uchiha, you are a member of our Medical Branch, I ask that you check through the death records and Morgue for this woman. If he Home wishes to take her, I see no reason for us to refuse. As for the matter of diplomacy, I suppose I shall have to reign in my terse demenor." He really was no good at frivolous talk or fancy speech, prefering to get right to the matters at hand. It made him a difficult man to talk to, but he was used to a life of keeping his mind to himself. "Thank you, Uchiha Akechi, for bringing this to my attention. I will have to get things in motion to accept and welcome our guests, even if it is for such a dreary reason." His eyes turned to the letter and darkened. They were sending not only diplomats, but their own shinobi as well. It was a gesture that could be taken many ways. "That is all I require, for the moment. I appreciate your assistance in this matter and expect you will do fine work." It was his best attempt at giving his encouragement, he was still learning how to be verbal about it now that he had a daughter. He brought his eyes up to meet the Uchiha's, his face set in the usual stoic mask. "Unless there was anything else?" This world was a tangled web of ambitions, secrets, and desires; some noble, others were darker than a starless night, but it always varied from person to person. Ryu endeavored to be a bright example and lead their village to greatness, how he would do so had yet to be shown, even his personal feelings hadn't been shared with someone. He simply put his all into it, every one of the people in the village were his subordinates, and he was the one to protect them. Maybe others felt different, but with this retinue coming from Kumo, he would make sure to protect his people, no matter what other conditions the Kumo nin tried to place.

[MFT]
(All good)

 

[Akechi]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

Akechi curled his lips in amusement as the Kage made notice of the old adage about wicked folk. He had heard that one before, and it was normally in response to Haruka’s political gambits. It was weird talking to a man that seemed to benefit from the fallout, despite not being well known before his eventual moment in limelight. Maybe what bothered the Uchiha was that he didn’t have any prior knowledge of this “Ryu” before he became the star that shined brightest. It was disconcerting to lose out in the arms race for information. Nothing personal… just a trial of ego in the eyes of Akechi. ”If there is a body to be found then I will find it. Hopefully, it hasn’t decayed too much,” the Uchiha would respond, his reddened eyes glancing down at the letter before raising back toward Ryu’s level. It couldn’t have been that simple though, could it?

”Diplomacy seems to be secondary to me. Their manner of speaking… their reasoning for visiting this village at this particular time… the lack of response from their leader…” The man would speak, a slight pause noticeable between each line as he afforded time for Ryu to draw his own conclusions among the facts that were available. A Sennin penned this letter, and “diplomats” enshrouded by shinobi were the ones to carry out this “mission.” Seemed a bit too convenient… ”If Hayata Shin was in contact with Kamaru –of all people– then why haven’t we heard of it? Why didn’t they come to retrieve the body then? Sounds off… to me.” Questions that didn’t need to be answered, just brought up to encourage clear thinking.

”There was actually. Two things,” Akechi responded, placing a folder containing an application for large clan complex in the upper lands. ”It’s all filled out already. I just need the stamp of approval so that I can break ground so to speak,” the man continued, making his attentions to create this new Uchiha clan from scratch. After all, he claimed to be the man that would revitalize his clan, and this was the first step toward doing it. It really was that simple…

”The second is the structure of your regime. If we are to seem ‘fit’ for these diplomats then we still need to fulfill two other Sennin positions. I just wanted to inquire about how far along you are in this process.”

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

He waited patiently while the Medic Uchiha spoke, Ryu had already come to suspect the motives behind the visit, he simply wouldn't voice them at this moment while he formulated a solution the the issue at hand. Not only of the visiting diplomats but of the empty seats of leadership, one of which Kamaru had previously filled. What bothered him was that this move by Kumo was not merely a political one, perhaps, but a militant one as well. Their sennin voiced his suspicion well by sending a detail of shinobi, Ryu would have done the same for an unknown country to protect his people, but Kumo had been contacted about the matter. Curiouser and curiouser.

He retained his silence, mulling everything over until he was passed the documents for land ontop of the cliff. He read through the document while the Uchiha stated his next inquiry. Naturally, it was in regards to the state of the seats of power. I appreciate your concern for the Village, but there are people I am currently evaluating for the position. Of you have a suggestion, then please, speak of them." As it stood, there were a couple highly capable people in the village, however, due to the inability to locate them he was trying to come up with alternate measures. The sennin position, through history had been for those deemed 'weaker' than the Kage, Ryu was looking to find equals. There was no room for any form of 'weakness' in the leadership. He looked over the land request form once more, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. "Do you have a large family, Uchiha Akechi? Forgive me, but I wish to hear your dream, your desire for your future. Not just as a member of the village, but as a man." He leaned back, pulking pulling out the seal of his office and picked up the steel cased pen in his right hand before easing into a relaxed position once more. They didn't know each other well, they were strangers with only a village in common, Ryu felt he was difficult to talj to even before becoming Tsuchikage, now more than ever after. He was trying tlostabilize a village that was in a state of quiet turmoil from how many people tried to grab at the power and their methods. Some might see his 'election' as a great fortune, he saw it as being handed a pile of rubble and being told to build a house. This was a job, a station of work which included being mindful of his subordinates; he'd be damned if he would fail them. The Uchiha was asking for a place to build a home, somewhere for his family would grow and potentially prosper, this was a subject that Ryu could solve and understand much better than secret politics. He hoped his question, and the change of topic suddenly didn't offend the man, but hearing the dreams and goals of Uchiha Akechi, the man, would give insight to Uchiha Akechi, the Medic. As not only the Tsuchikage, but as a person, he wanted to know his people, their dreams, hopes, and ideals. It might be cheesy sentiment, but in a Village where family was important, this job gave him the sense that all of the Village should be his family, because when push came to shove, he would fight and defend them all the harder with that in mind.

 

[Akechi]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

He watched the Tsuchikage for non-verbal cues, especially considering that the man seemed to keep things to himself. The Uchiha could understand the sentiment. He was more of a cerebral schemer himself. All of his planning tended to come from verbal sparring inside of his own head, clever planning in its infancy before maturing to a blueprint of a future goal. That was how the man’s mind worked. Perhaps this was the reasoning behind his political aptitude, despite being quite new at the whole thing. It was fascinating to see another maintain their silence as Ryu did though. The question was if he were scheming, or if he simply didn’t trust Akechi? Honestly, Akechi wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t trust him. He was an Uchiha, after all. And his goal...

Sometimes that may have even conflicted with the village’s well being… the way it currently was, anyways. It was funny to see the question of his ‘dreams’ being questioned. Well… Ryu didn’t “question” his motives, but he did “inquire” about them. Those were the same thing sometimes, I guess. ”You know of the Uchiha. You know I do not,” Akechi responded flatly, the tone of his voice sounding more disappointed than anything. This world simply wasn’t like the last. The Uchiha had been wiped out, and those that lived were scattered about and disenfranchised. Hell… the “Akechi” clan was nothing more than a different brand of Uchiha, fighting for survival by denying their roots. It was pathetic… Shinn was pathetic…

However, that was his reasoning for everything… to return honor to both names. ”My dream is to foster a new home for my people to grow, evolve, and prosper. I don’t know what tales this village has spun about my family, but I wish to return the Uchiha to their proper roots. I wish to see them become the ‘shepherds’ of the land once again,” Akechi commented, a serious look painted across his face as the reddened eyes of the Sharingan stared into those of the Tsuchikage. Ryu may not have understood exactly what Akechi was saying but it didn’t matter. Most people didn’t understand his plight… except Haruka. She was the only one that truly understood, which is why he’d never leave her side. ”This space, now that I have the resources to purchase and build upon it, is the first step toward that progress. It is a baby step but it is a step nonetheless.” Kind of… repopulation of the Uchihan family was probably more important, but that was why he became a scientist. That was a completely different conversation.

”That brings me to what you asked earlier. I can solve one of your issues. The Sennin of the Main Branch. Allow me to fulfill that position.” Akechi was always rather forward, when he wasn’t attempting to deceive. It wasn’t a demand so much as it was a suggestion.

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

Watching and listening patiently, Ryu rolled the pen in the stone digits while he thought about all of that was said before making a decision; the man had the intentions of making a home for "his people", Ryu had asked about family and sometimes blood wasn't all that made someone family. He thought of his daughter, he considered her family and yet she was unrelated by any sort of blood-tie; his cousin Ren was distantly related and much, much younger than both Kumori and Ryu. He supposed that not everyone thought of the word 'family' in that sense. Did he have no wife? Did he have no children? Did the Uchiha see only blood as the important reason and the only tie to his meaning of 'family'. "I see." Ryu chewed on the inside of his bottom lip. "You wish to build a future, it is commendable. I asked about your direct family, not only of other members of your Blood clan. Wife, children, parents, aunts, uncles; Those who would live with you in the compound instead of Iwa herself." Ryu read back over the request forms, pensively. He wondered: where would his ideal 'lead' his people, not only Ryu but the Uchiha as well; they both seemed to be men that would do what they thought was right, the internal debate was not because of trust or the lack of, but due to the struggle of seeing more people become separated by the conflict of "Blood" or "Not". The people here were already separated, despite all of the talk that family was important, this was part of the chaos. So many people leaving or simply no longer taking an active role. The man let out a tired sigh through his nose and signed the release forms for the land. "I wish to see all of you whom I'm supposed to lead excel. I want to see what the future holds. I sign this in the trust that when you are built up, stable, and finding those you will call Family, you will remember that as a member of Iwagakure:" He pressed the seal of the Tsuchikage to the paper as a final touch and slid it back to the Uchiha, looking the man in the eyes. "We are all part of a family that goes beyond blood." It was his own personal view, not even due to having been picked as Tsuchikage, but even while not working with others due to his condition in years previous, he still found that those in the Branches would all (in general) fight and die for their Home and Country. That was a common bond that Ryu felt made them a family.

He set the pen and stamp away and leaned back in his chair. "However, for your self-recommendation, I have to mention that you are a member of the Medical Branch. While I appreciate your concern and willingness to step into the position, we have few enough people to spread around. I've already looked through files and rosters of those in our ranks and have candidates, it is simply a matter of getting the time to interview them. As well, you will be busy enough in the days to come fulfilling your dreams as well as current duties as a Medic that I would not put more of a workload onto you. It would not be productive." He spoke with sure finality, he didn't wish to argue on this matter nor would he; the Main branch was something that needed to be pulled together but he also did not wish to draw from the Branches and reduce their numbers. The appearance of being weak would come from shuffling someone into place merely to fill the position instead of showing that even without a current 'sennin' everything still functioned. Ryu would be doing some digging into Kamaru's affairs and searching out any left over information, possibly setting another member to do footwork around the village to even dredge up Kamaru himself for questioning. "In any case, if you are concerned about the appearance of the village then we simply have to be all the more impressive with what we have." Doing more with less could show more strength than doing less with more; he still had meetings and papers to shuffle around but he'd be damned if he was going to let this place crumble or needlessly shuffle people around. "Once again, thank you for bringing this matter to my attention, Uchiha Akechi. I hope to see the good results you turn up for your part in this." He leaned forward again, draping his stone-fleshed left hand over his right, waiting to see if the Uchiha had anything more to say or if they would be off about their duties to clear up this situation.

[MFT]

 

[Akechi]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

The Uchiha would shift back in his seat a bit, hiding his laughter behind a wry smile. ”You asked what desire I had for the future. I opted to give you a glimpse of my goals... outside of what is most definitely in my file,” Akechi answered sharply, making sure that Ryu could understand the rationalization. After all, his direct family was already quite well known. What wasn’t known, was known to the Kage as the files kept behind these office doors tended to be impeccable and almost offensive to the privacy conscious. Akechi remembered that much from Haruka’s short term as “interim-Tsuchikage.” Perhaps, knowing too much would eventually be his downfall. I guess playing the fool seemed to be a bit more amenable to people in the positions of power. He’d remember that for the future.

”Haruka’s home is my home. I will remember your generosity as a fellow Iwain citizen,” Akechi responded, slightly bowing his head as he placed the signed document back into his black jacket. That was one order of business that was finally over. Now he could go on and make the clan complex that he always wanted. That was a part of his future, after all. This Ryu seemed to think that “blood” clan was extraordinarily different from one’s direct family. It wasn’t. Not to the Uchiha… not to this Uchiha. His clan meant everything to him, and he’d sacrifice almost anything in order to reestablish their position in the world. In fact… there was only one thing that was more important than his clan…

The woman he loved and his direct kin...

There was a subtle difference in ideologies between Ryu and Akechi, but the Uchiha didn’t even bother to explain this to the man. The Tsuchikage had already shown his cards, and dealing another hand just didn’t really seem to make sense. Not at this time anyways…

The Uchiha listened to the Tsuchikage talk about Akechi’s ”place” in his regime. Put simply, the man seemed to relegate the Uchiha to the role of a “medic,” which was a far cry from what he actually was. Even at a young age, the man was groomed to be a Medical Sennin before his venture outside of Sunagakure’s walls. To claim that his “dreams” and duties as “medic” were “enough” responsibility to him at the moment was quite ridiculous. ”Do you?” Akechi laughed, unable to hide behind his rather sardonic smirk any longer. ”Seems you’ve already made up your mind without even a question toward my qualifications, experience or connections. Such a leader indeed…” Akechi spoke, his retort mirroring one of disappointment and amusement, somehow wrapped up with a bow of sarcasm. This was what he despised but promised to adhere to as long as Haruka did. ”Ah well. That is your decision.” He finished, calmly standing from seat, turning his back on the Tsuchikage as the man wished him well with his “results.”

”If there is a body to be found, I will find it.” It was the same sentiment echoed at the beginning of their conversation. Honestly, there was nothing else for the man to discuss. They were both busy, and now Ryu had added yet another bullet point in a list of goals.

[Topic Left unless stopped]

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Re: Because A Sennin's Duty is Never Over [Semi-Private/Free

Ryu listened and watched patiently as the Uchiha left, letting out a tired sigh once the door was shut, standing to approach the cabinet with his personell files. He had been going through them systematically, true, but staring at pages and pieces of paper didn't mean one knew the person in the file. Ryu had noted the cynical nature, the subtle inflections in how the Uchiha spome that could be taken as disrespectful if one were so inclines to hang on the words, he might hace nothing personal against the man but there was something personal between the man and the world at large. That was at least Ryu's opinion. He simply shook his head.

Some people were not content, some people always wanted to take things further. The man was not 'merely' a Medic, Ryu looked through the file, in fact the man was in the correct placement. If Hissori stepped down, the Uchiha was one of the most qualified individuals to lead the Medical Branch.

Ryu gave a tired sigh again, placing the file back into the cabinet. There was much more work to do and the files seemed to be the least of it all.

[Topic Left]