Cool Kids [Requesting Entrance]

[Zethui Kobayashi]

Zenichi had spent a lot of time alone. Granted, it wasn't like he was the lone person on a deserted island but he didn't interact with anyone on a regular basis while in Moon Country. He had enjoyed the change of scenery from Moons shores to the mountains of Earth Country. He instantly missed the smell of the ocean though. Waking each day to the gentle sounds of waves rolling onto the beach seemed to connect with him on a core level. His body now seemed to be aligned with it. He was always decent at land navigation but recently, he noticed that he always knew where due East was. That was the direction of the water. It was like a magnet, drawing him towards it like a siren singing her enchanting melody. The heavy iron smell of Earth country reeked in his nostrils and he wondered if he would ever lose the desire to return to the water.

[Requesting Entrance.]

 

[Tao]

Yet another gate duty has fallen upon Satoshi like a comical envil that was design to humor those who like seeing Satoshi suffer, he absolutely hated the job and yearned to see some action and soon, the slight bit of action he have had in a long time was with that kid Gasu that ended up failing his exam, he wondered what had happened to the kid he left alone in those ruins and hopefully he took his advice and became a civilian instead of throwing himself in a deathtrap like he seemed to enjoy doing so much. Satoshi watched the gates and noticed some man walking up to them, probably seeking entrance into the village. He sighed heavily to illustrate exactly how bothersome it was for him to actually get up, take his clipboard and walk all the way to the person who approached the gates.

"Hi there. Our village is currently closed from entry due to the Tsuchikage's orders, I cannot grant you entrance at this time."

He spoke blankly, there was no shred of enthusiasm in his voice or joy whatsoever, instead it was this bothered and annoyed gesture coming from his lips. He felt more like a guard dog than anything else, repeating the same sentence over and over to anyone who stepped towards the gates. Satoshi tapped his clipboard with his finger and then swipped it down while checking through the special guest list of people he was supposed to watch out for, or more commonly known, enemies of the village, he didn't seem to have a Kumogakure symbol on him anywhere nor did his appearance match with any of the missing-nin that is described in his notes, he must be a traveler then.

 

[Zethui Kobayashi]

Zenichi slowly made his way towards the gates. He knew from experience that there was a protocol to follow at the gates. He had smashed through gates in the past and gotten away with it. But he almost got himself thrown in jail once trying to do that. He was still trying to repair relations with Kumo over that incident. He hoped that his message had arrived there unharmed. It was a tricky play that would pay off if it worked. This time, he knew that he had to play the straight arrow game. He had information for sale and wanted to see if anyone wanted to buy. Breaking into the village would only put them on the defense so he had to prove his worth with the information he had.

As he got closer to the gates, he saw a white haired kid standing guard. Life as a shinobi taught you that just because they looked young, didn't mean they were weak. Him standing out here alone made Zenichi realize how strong he could possible be. Zenichi was no weakling himself though and wondered if things were going to get out of control. Before he could introduce himself though, the young man told him that the village was closed.

Well, we both are in luck them. I am not here as a simple visitor but to have an audience with your Kage. I'm sure that if you tell him that someone is here to offer him vital intel on country of concern, he would gladly allow me to enter. And since he is the one who made the orders to seal the gates, he can also be the one to make an exception for me

A year without interaction has definitely affected his social skills but he had mastered the craft of a salesman perfectly. His presentation of the offer was perfectly executed and he smiled the entire time. He saw the white haired boy as another scamp who wanted to by his mother a nice jeweled kunia for cutting peppers with. Zenichi would close this deal and get inside the gates by charming this kid into opening the doors.

 

[Tao]

Satoshi looked up at the man and lowered his clipboard, it seemed like he had some business with the Tsuchikage himself, but what interested him more was the information he wanted to give to the Kage, it seemed important enough, and most likely it would end up in the ANBU records anyway, if the Kage would follow the protocol that is. He sighed again slightly and spoke

"Please wait here for a second"

He finished and pressed a finger to his ear to begin transmission while taking some steps back making sure that the man was always in his line of sight.

"Main office, do you copy?"

He spoke with a low voice. He waited a little bit until he got a reply and then continued

"There is a man at the gates who claims to have vital information that he needs to give to the Tsuchikage, requesting verifications on expectancy and a to transmit this message to the Kage office as well"

He waited a bit longer and then removed his finger from the ear, walking back to the man who waited at the gates

"Your request to see the Tsuchikage is processed. You are free to wait here until I receive a reply."

He spoke, his attitude was the same as before, this birocratic procedure was irritating to say the least but it was his job all together and he couldn't ignore the protocol just because it was annoying.

 

[Zethui Kobayashi]

The day seemed to drag on for more hours than normal. Every few minutes, he would find himself looking at his watch, expecting the small hand to have moved at least a smidgen. His heart was broken each time he realized that the big hand had barely moved. He watched several other people approach the gates only to be turned away too. It was almost comical to watch the people go through a laundry list of emotions. They usually walked up either tired of excited to finally be at the village gates. Watching their body language from afar was the first indicator. If they were moving briskly, they were more tourist than traveler. When they finally reached the gates, the same young man would approach them and give them the problematic news.

At first, they would try to plead who they were or why they were there. Each of them tried to act like they had the best reason to be excused. When that didn't work, they would get mad and start to get animated with their movements. This is usually when the truly tired forget the thousands of steps leading to the gates. That usually has to be dealt with by a reminder of the military behind the walls. Idle threats mean little to Ninja. Lastly was acceptance and sorrow as they leave the gates and journey down hill. It was almost comical when you saw it over and over again. Zenichi felt like a fool for feeling he was any different than any other person that arrived here today.

The only thing that never changed in each situation was the young man. His facial expressions never changed. His body language was like a fallen oak. He was bored of his job. The only thing more boring than watching the happenings at the gates is to be the one reciting the same thing, over and over again. Zenichi knew that if he wanted inside the gates, he was going to have to get original.

As a small group tried to gain access the gates and eventually turned away, Zenichi came up with a plan. When he felt he had one put together, he walked up to the gate guard before another traveler came

I'm sorry, I never caught your name.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

"My name is Senju Kazuki." a familiar voice would answer. If Zenichi's memory was fully functional he would remember who that voice belonged to. Yes, time had passed since he last heard it, but it still should be familiar. Moments later the owner of said voice would become visible to both Gate Guard and Zenichi. To someone that did not know Kazuki, the Overlord of the Senju Clan was practically an ordinary individual. Sure, he was incredibly pale, his hair had the color of silver and his black irised gaze was stern, but apart from that, he was just another shinobi in a world full of them. To those that were more familiar to the Dreadlord, they knew that was only half true. He was a guy that had long dabbled in dark, forbidden arts. A masterful conjurer of death that would stop at nothing to acquire more power and enact revenge upon the individual that had doomed his native Hidden Village. Looking at him, people would see a single individual, but the reality was vastly different. Reaper's body housed a thousand or more souls, alongside his own, and he used them for multiple purposes. The Silvery Haired guy was not above killing people to capture their souls, but whenever possible he would only spare any innocent lives in his quest for almightiness.

To Zenichi, the former Sennin of Konohagakure would look virtually identical, but he would be able to sense that something had changed. He was still as pale, still as calm, but the sense of death, chill, eeriness had only increased. But what would probably stand out, was the fact that Kazuki's shadow was wavering around as if it was following the wind's direction, if wind was capable to affect it all. Or if his shadow had a life of its own.

"Where have you been?" Kazuki calmly questioned. So far, he had ignored the gate guard, because his business was with Zenichi and Zenichi alone. The fact that there was another individual there meant nothing to the Overlord.

[Topic Entered]
[I assume that this Zenichi is the same Kazuki knew]

 

[Zethui Kobayashi]

Zenichi's plan was simple. He would enter in a battle of whits against the young boy. While his power is probably nothing to be tested, the boy would still be slightly uneducated. He figured that a riddle contest would work best and was going to proposition him into winning access through the gates. While it was a long shot, he had to try something or end up being like everyone else that came to the gates this day. But before the young boy could reply to his introduction, an oddly familiar voice came from behind. Zenichi had a split second of recognition of who's voice right before seeing Overlord Kazuki.

The years seem to have changed Kazuki. The man had never smiled in Zenichi's presence so it would be hard to say that he had gotten to be more ominous and dark. Yet, he seemed to have grown more dreadful, almost hateful in his time. Zenichi wondered if the same could be said for him. Losing her had torn apart a piece of his soul he never knew existed. He wished he had never walked into her restaurant, then he would never knew that part of him beat within his heart, or that it would be worse than any dagger to his heart when it was finally gone. He carried many scars but this one was the deepest by far.

Zenichi was careful of his words to Kazuki. He will always be the young kid who saw his mother die in a house fire, quickly rescued by Kazuki as an act of mercy. Zenichi wasn't a child anymore though and to be talked to like a child would only encourage him to show how much he's grown. That kind of arrogance could get him killed by the Sense Overlord.

I have been making my mark on the world. I was left behind in the rains. I found my true self in the crimson fallings. When I came to, I was a lone soul, left to my own devises. I ventured out to make a name for myself and have never looked back at the ruins of Konoha.

The truth was, the fall of Leaf was a unreal time for Zenichi. He had lost himself for a bit during that time, lost in a moment that spanned 1000 years. He has never been able to explain where he went and what happened because he couldn't be sure that any of it was real. The only thing he knew was that the red rain had brought about a knowledge he should have of a man name Zabucho.

As he waited for Kazuki to reply, he noticed the mans shadow. It was moving unnaturally. Zenichi wasn't sure what it meant but realized that he had to find out. He approached Kazuki to offer a hand shake of greeting. He had no hard feelings towards Kazuki and wondered if the man felt the same. So offering his hand served two purposes. The first was to gauge his attitude towards Zenichi. If he refused to shake hands or seemed uncaring in his return, Zenichi knew he would probably have to watch his back. The second was that even if Zenichi wasn't reciprocated a handshake, he had allowed his shadow to touch Kazuki's. As a master of the Shadow Element, Zenichi would be able to tell a few things about why Kazuki's shadow behaved so oddly.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

"Is that so..." Kazuki calmly commented after hearing Zenichi's response. He gazed his one time pupil with a more careful manner. It would seem that time had also impacted on the boy. Just like the Overlord, Zenichi seemed different. The degree of difference was not something he could gauge at this time. It would require time, extensive study and careful analysis, but that was something that the Overlord of the Senju Clan did not have at his disposal. His life's mission was about to start and as much as he would like to seat with the young man, there was simply no time for it. There was a Country to conquer and a Hidden Village to reclaim. And more importantly, there was a Daimyo that had to fall. If Zenichi had expected balloons, a parade, a big celebration for his return, he would be upset and heart broken as there would be none. Reaper was not that kind of man and despite what changes he could undergo, that would never be one of them.

The White Wolf was an ominous and dark individual. This characteristics were a byproduct of his natural demeanor and a result of his Joining. One cannot undergo the Senju's ritual and survive unscathed and the same person. Everyone changes and the former Sennin was no different. In his case, he became much more grim than he had been before. He wasn't a person to crack jokes or to be cheerful at all, he was a straight to the point guy that carried an aura of menace and eeriness around him. It could be said that death closely followed Kazuki and that would not be far from the truth. The Dread Lord had an unnatural ability to command the dead, some would consider it unholy, some would consider it a blasphemy, the White Wolf considered it useful. His body housed a host of souls that he had capture throughout the years and that number was only rising. The greater that number the greater that sense of death around him. There was no way to avoid it and Reaper would not even try it. He was content in being what he was. However, he was not immune to change, just like his Joining proved.

Recent events, especially those involving the Leaf incident, had greatly impacted Kazuki. Once a soldier at heart, fully believing in the strengths of a regime, the Overlord was no longer that idealistic. He was no longer ready to trust in those in a position above his station, he was ready to question them, ready to disbelief their words, ready to follow his own code of conduct rather than one imposed by a Kage. He was becoming obsessed with revenge and gaining power, if the later was possible to increase at all. He was no longer a master of manipulating metal and a monster hunter. The Silvery Haired man had gained a new talent and mastery over Shadows and he now used monsters instead of killing them. In some ways he was still the same old Kazuki that Zenichi briefly knew, but in others, he was more dangerous and deadly than ever.

But if there was one thing that would never change, that would be the Overlord's sense of loyalty to those that belong to his clan. While the Zenichi was not a full Senju, he had been offered a place among the White Wolf's kin and since he had not refused that spot, Kazuki practically treated him as family. And as such, he did not refuse Zenichi's attempt at a handshake. Not only that, but the Silvery Haired man went so far as to try to hug the young man. "You never turn your back on family and until the day comes, I will consider you as family Zenichi. My invitation is still open and will remain so until you shut that door on your own volition. Remember that." Reaper would state.

Assuming a hug had happened, the former Sennin would allow separation to occur only to add "You may have forsaken Konohagakure but I have not and I will retake it and you will help me in that effort. Unfortunately I don't have much time to spare and I will have to leave Tsuchigakure momentarily. You are hereby allowed to enter Stone. Find shelter among the Senju. Regroup, heal, learn what you can about this people and what is going on. Find the Main Branch Sennin if you need anything that the Senju cannot provide. I will return and we will talk."

[Tao gave me permission to skip him]
[Zenichi has been granted access to enter Stone.]
[MFT - 759]

 

[Zethui Kobayashi]

As the shadows touched, Zenichi realized that it wasn't a simple shadow but one controlled by Kazuki's chakra. It would seem that they both had learned to master such an exotic element. He would love to ask him more about this but he would soon lose his train of thought as Kazuki transformed a hearty handshake into a hug. This was the most emotion that Kazuki has ever shown. A murdered part of Zenichi's soul felt a single twinge of emotion at this act. Having no father to raise him, he never knew what one felt like, nor cared. For a brief second he wondered if he had missed something in his life

And just like that, Kazuki told him that he didn't have time to talk but would soon. Cat's in the cradle, man.

Thank you Overlord Kazuki. Once again you are too kind to me. If I can't find cheap lodging, I will take you up on such a grand offer. Until we meet again Kazuki-sama.

Zenichi hoped that Kazuki didn't take offense by his declining the offer. Most of the truth was that he didn't want to get too used to the comforts the Senju compound offered. If it was anything like Leaf, it was over the top with every luxury imaginable. Poverty made Zenichi hungry. Hunger made Zenichi driven to forge his own path and make his own fortune. Although slow, he was making headway on those aspects.

[Topic Left unless Stopped]
[Entering Village]

 

[Tao]

Satoshi has been surprisingly busy today, people came one after another seeking entrence into the village, unfortunatly for them they all met the same responce, and one after another tried and failed to force their entry by one method or another, much like the first person who attempted to enter and failed to do so just like the rest, but he unlike the others was more determined to stay because it seemed that he believed he would be granted entrence from the Tsuchikage himself. He almost felt sorry for the man, but it was his job to stand as a guarding dog to these gates and make sure that nobody enters as he have been instructed before. But then the man came for another round, to attempt and enter in some way, he was actually quite interested to see what he might do. He introduced himself to Satoshi and before Satoshi managed to reply, somebody stopped him, an invisible man with a quite alarming tone of voice, it wasnt loud or full of bass or anything, but it was surprising since he it came out of nowhere. Then he saw someone appear out of thin air, a jutsu he himself knew a bit too well, but to his surprise the user of said jutsu wasnt someone he was familier with from the branch it self. The man had a brief discussion with the visitor, it seemed like they met before and were quite familier with eachother to the extent of being called family, to the best of his knowledge what they were refearing to was a clan of sorts, that came purely from the wording of the pale man, Senju... Satoshi never heard of the name of that clan before, was it new or maybe not local...

Then the man granted the visitor access to the village and left, and while Satoshi hated being outranked it seemedl like the man held a higher level of authority than himself. Satoshi sighed and scratched the back of his head. It was too late now, the man already got access to the village and Satoshi couldnt stop that from happening, he knew however that the name Kazuki was his answer to any problem that might come from this little meeting.

[Topic Left]

 

[Senju Kazuki]

And so as quickly as he had approached the duo, he went away. After saying his mind there was no point to linger on and Kazuki had no desire to make small talk with the gate guard there. No desire at all. In fact, he had no idea of what the other guy's rank really was, so in a way, he could have just overstepped his authority by allowing Zenichi free entrance into Tsuchigakure. Not that it mattered much to the Overlord. His allegiance to Stone was thin at best. Sure, he was very grateful that they had given Leaf's refugees a place to call home, going so far as to add them to Stone's Shinobi Forces, but other than that, he did not want anything from Stone.

This could backfire on him someday, but until that moment, he cared not.

Silently, he gave the guard a nod and went inside the village once more.

[Topic Left]