Joining the Main Branch [Open]

[Kousaki Satoru]

Satoru stood in front of the Torre Celeste gazing in slight awe, eyeing it from top to bottom. He'd of course seen it a lot of times before, the impressive tower was one of the village's most visible buildings, but this was going to be his first time walking through its ornate doors. Up until a day earlier, he had been a mere student, but now he was a true shinobi for the first time. Thinking about it like that, he felt a strong throb of emotion in his chest as he didn't know exactly what would be expected of him and he felt a little unsure of himself. He gathered himself up and with a good deep breath, he started walking to the entrance. Like all Cloud shinobi fresh out of the Academy, Satoru had to choose one of the three big branches: the Main Branch, the ANBU or the Medical Branch. He had had a clear choice already for some time. He knew too little about the ANBU and had no interest in the medical field so he was content with joining the primary division of the village's shinobi force. Of course, even if it wasn't the ANBU he was interested in, he knew beforehand that he had to study a bit in order to be prepared when joining the Main Branch, and he did. He made sure to consolidate what he'd learned about the organization of the Main Branch before going to announce his choice which was why he was at the Torre Celeste now. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to declare his option of the Main Branch, or if he was supposed to declare it at all. Perhaps if he didn't specify ANBU or Med-nin, he was already a main brancher? Was he was going to receive a letter with more information about his place? In any case, he knew that, at the very least, the center of administration that was the tower in front of him would be where he'd receive his missions from now on and where he hoped he'd find out his answers quickly and without much trouble.

The boy walked into the main reception hall and immediately noticed the buzz of people there, most them shinobi, of course. With a few steps inside, he tried to make his presence as little noticeable as possible as he inspected the room and looked around for someone who might be able to help him. "I hope I won't be making a fool of myself around here..."

 

[Takaki Saeko]

[Creeping Chaos]​

“Konnichiwa, nii-chan!” greeted a girl at the main desk of the Legation, where an unwitting new genin named Kousaki Satoru had shown up wondering why no one had given him any work assignments, much less some sort of orientation or a mentor (weren’t all genin supposed to get some sort of wise, gray-haired, one-eyed jounin to watch over them?) or even a badly copied form letter welcoming him to the Branch and telling him that from now on, the Raikage would be taking ten percent of all of his future earnings. The simple answer was to blame the last guy who was Sennin, and not Masao. Okay, so that wasn’t a good answer either. Fortunately, Satoru had the gumption to go out and seek his new employer personally, unlike others who might have simply continued a limbo-like existence on the rolls with nothing to do to occupy their time but obsess over where their favorite stapler went.

The girl who greeted him was a trifling thing who stood probably a full head shorter than Satoru, and whose head was crowned by a mane of cascading, silvery hair that was otherwise perfectly groomed save for a tuft of it which stood almost straight up, coming to a curl at the end, and seemed to move about on its own. She wore a name-badge that said: “Imouto!”

“Are you here for your brushing?! Ai-ya! To think that Masao-nii-chan would brush such a young man! He has no mercy!” she pronounced rather melodramatically. “Well, it can’t be helped! Just think about it like you’re in the ANBU! Scars are a sign that you’re brave! TAKE IT LIKE A MAN!” she bellowed proudly. “Oh, you’re still here, desu! Okay, let’s go see the Sennin, nii-chan!” she said, taking his hand and leading him to a nearby office door.

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

It didn't take long for him to find the main reception desk of the Legation where Satoru was greeted, to his surprise, by a small girl with long silver hair. "Konnichiwa...," the much shier boy replied and observed the badge that the girl was wearing. It made him frown slightly, wondering about the girl's legitimacy of standing at that desk, but before he could ask a question, the girl started off before him and the boy could only listen bewildered to the girl's chatter, her words posing a number of questions in his mind. "Brushing? Does she mean briefing? ...Masao-nii-chan?" After a few moments, the girl was leading him by the hand apparently towards the Sennin, which made Satoru start explaining in a hurried manner: "Um, I was just wondering who I'm supposed to talk to about my assignments, you see, I'm a newly promoted Genin and--," but they were already at the door to the supposed office. He didn't like when things were happening so fast and suddenly someone was taking him to meet an important person like that and he was obviously worried he wouldn't find his words fast enough.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

Before Satoru could complete his thought (not that a creature like Nyaruko-imouto would pay them any heed, anyway), the doors to the Main Branch Sennin's office opened with the foreboding grind of wood against metal. Nyaruko could not help but suppress a shudder and attempt to swallow even though her throat had dried with anxiety.

[Creeping Chaos]​

"Remember, onii-chan, take it like a man, okay?!" she said, nudging him into the room before slipping away and closing the doors.

The inside of the small chamber was bathed with golden light from a chandelier above, and in the middle of the room sat a plush, leather-upholstered chair with a foot-lever for adjusting the height of the occupant. A full-length mirror adorned one wall and nearby were all manner of what appeared to be hairstyling supplies, including a fair number of brushes that were hung from a pegboard nearby. Scissors, both stright-edge as well as scalloped, sat on a cloth, and a bunch of combs rested in a bottle of blue fluid topped with a metal cap.

"Sit in the chair, take your glasses and any other hats, earphones, headbands, or hairties off," said deep voice from behind Satoru. If he looked around, he would face an older man, looking to be in his late forties or early fifties, clad in a white smock over a leather coat and peering down with a flinty glare. "The strength of this village is the Main Branch. If we develop corruption and rot, then the tree of life itself is compromised, and we all fall to the mercies of chaos and the rule of the mob. It is in the name of Raikage Hayata Shin that I sentence you to a brushing. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

A short "Huh?" was everything that slipped out of the boy's mouth before the little girl that brought him there left, leaving him alone in the strange room. The bizarre place kept his attention for a few seconds until she nudged him closer to the leather chair that was in the middle. "Remember, onii-chan, take it like a man, okay?!" she said and left abruptly. "Wait, no, you--", he started, realizing what had happened - he was left alone in what seemed to be a big misunderstanding - but was cut off by a deep voice from behind him.

He turned around, alarmed, and saw a middle-aged looking man gazing down at him firmly and intimidatingly. The man had told the Genin to sit in the only chair in the room. Satoru's mouth opened a little as if to start saying something but hesitated. "The strength of this village is the Main Branch. If we develop corruption and rot, then the tree of life itself is compromised, and we all fall to the mercies of chaos and the rule of the mob. It is in the name of Raikage Hayata Shin that I sentence you to a brushing. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

With each word the man spoke, Satoru seemed more intimidated, even a bit frightened at the word 'sentence'. He couldn't formulate a coherent thought but when the smock wearing man asked him the final question, he felt more at ease about saying something himself. "W-what am I being sentenced for?" he asked and then continued after a brief moment. "Is this the Main Branch Sennin!?" "Excuse me, but I think this is a mistake. I'm here to find out about my duties as a Main Branch Genin...," he said and looked to see the man's reaction. He was still feeling up against the wall but hopefully he'd be given a chance. Speaking of chances, these were a few good moments for Satoru to think better about what was happening. "She really meant brushing!? What the heck?"

 

[Takaki Saeko]

"W-what am I being sentenced for?" asked the boy, his mouth hanging open in a caricature of a fish gasping for air. Masao shook his head.

"Accountability means knowing how you have erred and being willing to undergo remediation for those errors. Denial is a coward's way of confronting his own deficits!" snapped the Sennin at the boy, who seemed to be half-considering making a run for it versus curling into a fetal position. The Brush slid into Masao's hand and he drew his arm back to make the first of many swipes (followed by a cutting and styling, obviously).

"Excuse me, but I think this is a mistake. I'm here to find out about my duties as a Main Branch Genin..." said the boy finally. There was something in his voice, or perhaps maybe in his facial expression, however, that gave the Sennin pause. The Brush went down to his side.

"Aren't you Kousaka Kyousuke, Genin-Telegrapher of the Military Intelligence Service? You stand accused of committing incest with your own sister. Do you deny that these events took place?"

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

Satoru held his breath before the Sennin stopped and lowered his brush. "Aren't you Kousaka Kyousuke, Genin-Telegrapher of the Military Intelligence Service? You stand accused of committing incest with your own sister. Do you deny that these events took place?" "What!?" he exclaimed internally as his eyes widened in bewilderment at the accusations, but at the same time he felt relieved inside that this was all a misunderstanding. Now he had to clearly explain himself.

"N-no-- I mean yes, I deny them, but I'm not Kousaka Kyousuke, I'm Kousaki Satoru! I only just became a Genin, Takaki-sama. You were there at my exam, with the other Sennin..." The boy still spoke a bit cautiously and nervously, this was still the first time he was talking with a Sennin and he had the tough job of convincing him that he was innocent. He hoped the man wouldn't have trouble remembering the Genin exam.

Satoru had prepared himself for his visit to the Legation. He knew he might have some searching around, explaining and presenting himself to do, but he never expected this situation.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

He peered intently at Satoru, as if to judge the veracity of the boy’s words. It wasn’t uncommon for shinobi facing a brushing to outright lie about their identities, for fear and terror made men and women do completely irrational things. Still, the genin’s words about Masao being at his last exam brought to mind Juunin’s deadly exam in the forest, and now that this boy mentioned it, there was someone similar-looking to Satoru that had appeared during the trials.

“Hmm. I remember that exercise. He had you all clearing a minefield. A ‘Bouncing Betty’ nearly took off one of your heads, I recall,” said the Sennin, lowering the brush he held above Satoru’s scalp. “So...I see that you do not require disciplining, at least for now. Now, I recall you asking about your duties as a Main Branch Genin. Did you really come within a centimeter of a brushing just so you could ask what to do at work? Didn’t they assign a cell leader to you or a division branch head to report to?” He sighed in aggravation as he took off the stylist’s smock he had donned for the punishment. “Or, perhaps because you’re here, it means that no one did. Another reason I will have Fujinami’s guts on a platter if I ever see him again. Before the Raikage takes him out to Lobster dinner. Well, come with me to my real office, and we’ll discuss your future,” he said, opening the door and shooing Satoru into a large, divided cubicle-space nearby.

Masao directed the new genin to sit on a nearby mass-produced office chair that apparently offered “lumbar support” but really just caused backaches. He pulled out a chair from a nearby desk cluttered with papers and office supplies, and faced the genin. Satoru noticed that in fact, there were multiple desks jammed together in a rough rectangle, surrounded by copiers and telegram lines and even a water cooler, as if he were in some sort of stereotypical high-school faculty office.

“This is the administrative center of the Branch, and this desk over here is mine. Next to me sits the Spymaster, across from me is the Captain of the Deathwatch, and next to them sit the Headmaster of the Academy, the Chief Ambassador, the Master of Couriers, and when she can be arsed to, the Hand. So, what have you thought about doing with your short and dangerous life?”

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

The Genin waited cautiously as the man looked at him intently. Fortunately for him, it wasn’t long before the Sennin seemed to remember him and lowered his brush. Satoru slowly sighed in relief as he loosened and straightened up. “So...I see that you do not require disciplining, at least for now. Now, I recall you asking about your duties as a Main Branch Genin. Did you really come within a centimeter of a brushing just so you could ask what to do at work? Didn’t they assign a cell leader to you or a division branch head to report to?” Satoru stood listening and looked away. He didn’t reply. He didn’t know if he was supposed to be assigned someone or not and he would have hated it if that was the case and he wasn’t aware of it. “Or, perhaps because you’re here, it means that no one did,” continued the Sennin. The boy looked up at him and the man directed him to his real office, where they would discuss his future.

Satoru walked where the man instructed him to. This time he had a few moments to look around the room and observe the environment in which the Main Branch Sennin as well as the division leaders did their work. He found it quite different from what he expected it to be and wondered how much of his time in the future he would get to spend in an office. After sitting in the chair offered to him, he listened to Masao who presented to him the office spaces of some of the more important division individuals from each division. “So, what have you thought about doing with your short and dangerous life?” then asked the Sennin. Satoru took a moment to prepare his words and then replied, talking slowly as if calculating his words. “Well, I’ve studied about the organization of the Main Branch, sir, and I was thinking about joining the Intelligence Service division, for a start…” The boy spoke like someone who’d indeed done his homework and was thoughtful about his future, but who was inexperienced and perhaps a bit unsure. He was eager to find out where he’d put the hard-learned things he was thought at the Academy to good use and was looking forward to becoming familiar with his shinobi life.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

"The Intelligencers, hmm? You're be working under the Spymaster, then. Most graduating genin tend to go to the service because it offers the widest array of things to do. You will be doing the vast majority of contract work for our various clients. Most of it is low-risk and does not involve combat, although ideally as a graduate from the academy you should excel at the art of war. Your tasks may involve simple delivery or escort of sensitive materials or large amounts of wealth at first, and later on, you will be eavesdropping on the comings and goings of the Council of Nobles, or participating in the latest round of corporate espionage between the various corporations and guilds out of Kelmura. You might also involve yourself in international politics as a diplomat under Tanaka Hikari-dono, and travel to the other rival nations. Really, your career there is what you make of it," said Masao, shrugging.

"We also have need of manpower in the Deathwatch as well as the Academy. Right now, Headmistress Shima is looking for a capable Assistant Headmaster to help shape the academy curriculum, for example. And I could always use more competent assassins and couriers, too. So, is there anything in particular that interests you with these choices?"

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

"Most graduating genin tend to go to the service because it offers the widest array of things to do." "Yeah, that's what I was thinking..." "Most of it is low-risk and does not involve combat, although ideally as a graduate from the academy you should excel at the art of war." Satoru looked away a bit and frowned slightly. Low-risk jobs wasn't what he prepared for at the Academy. He'd already set his goals higher than that. "You might also involve yourself in international politics as a diplomat under Tanaka Hikari-dono, and travel to the other rival nations. Really, your career there is what you make of it," finished the Sennin. Satoru looked intrigued when he heard about travelling to other nations and he felt better at hearing about his career being what he made of it. The thought lightened him up and made him feel much more control over his own future. The Sennin then added that the village also needed people in the Deathwatch and Academy divisions, as well as a couple other spots.

"I want to get to travel to other nations at one point. And I'd like to get to use my combat abilities too, on a regular basis if possible. I.. can't really see myself working at the Academy. Maybe as a scout in the future..." Satoru figured he'd be able to travel the country on his own as much as he'd like as a scout and that he wouldn't have much trouble with the job, but that put it in the more risk-free category he wanted to avoid for now. "I want a spot where I'll be able to improve my abilities as much as possible. I'll take anything that can offer me that, even the Deathwatch, if you think that would fit me best, Takaki-sama. Though I.. figured that would keep me tied to the gates rather than let me go beyond them much. That's why I thought the Intelligence would be best for me, at least for now." He paused a few seconds and then asked: "What do you think would be best for me, Takaki-sama?"


[Apologies for the late post, moved to my father's place the last couple of days]

 

[Takaki Saeko]

"If you have the itch to travel, as well as potentially fight, then I would say that the Intelligence Service is probably the right one for you. Be mindful of your own limits, however, because outside the gates of our village is a very different world. There are powerful shinobi out there, and not just missing-nin, who would disembowel a new genin like yourself simply for being in their presence. They are twisted individuals who kill for no other reason than pleasure, and want nothing more than to die in battle against someone sicker than them," he said, shaking his head. "...I once faced a man who begged me to kill him as slowly and painfully as possible after I'd defeated him, for that was his greatest pleasure in life to inflict as well as feel pain. When I declined, he cursed and spat at me until my blade transected his brainstem...

"That sordid business aside, you hopefully won't ever encounter one of these depraved freaks. But be careful even when dealing with non-shinobi. Individually, even elite soldiers of the Imperial Army may not be able to best you easily, but in a group, even a bunch of armed peasants can prove deadly against even the Raikage. One thing students and genin forget is that just because we use our chakra, it does not mean we are invulnerable. If a blade enters your midsection and lacerates your aorta, or if a bolt should penetrate your skull, you are just as dead as any other human would be, chakra or not. More shinobi than I care to recall have been killed by lucky hits and potshots from inexperienced goons handling a bolter for the first time in their lives. So always respect the danger that another human represents."

He lit a cigarette and took a drag from it as he put his feet up on the desk.

"Right now, the Spymaster is on an escort mission to Kirigakure. I ill trust the water people, but they're the closest thing to 'allies' that we have right now among the hidden villages. However, his subordinates are still present in the village and I hear they will have work for you soon. In the meantime, enjoy your leisure, or what you have left. If there are no other questions, you are dismissed."

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

He frowned and his eyes widened a bit at hearing about such twisted types of people. This was a thought he'd avoided earlier, of missing-nin who live by their own jurisdictions outside the gates of any village. He'd simply said to himself that he would and cautious enough to avoid any danger of such type, but now he felt he needed to make sure he was strong enough before visiting the outside. He continued to listen carefully to the Sennin's advice and would make certain to remember every word he spoke. Satoru was aware that any enemy could present a definite threat, but as he had never faced a real enemy soldier before, he took a mental note to remember this when focused in battle.

"Right now, the Spymaster is on an escort mission to Kirigakure. I ill trust the water people, but they're the closest thing to 'allies' that we have right now among the hidden villages. However, his subordinates are still present in the village and I hear they will have work for you soon. In the meantime, enjoy your leisure, or what you have left. If there are no other questions, you are dismissed."

"Understood," the boy replied as he rose up. "I will use this time to prepare. Thank you for you time, Takaki-sama." He gave a short bow and then turned around. He glanced around the room a bit as he walked towards the exit, although he was sure he would be familiar with the place in short time.


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