Letter in Hand [ Raizo ]

[Uziuke]

Dismissing the nerve working thoughts he had on not being a native Suman, Uzi nodded. As Raizo described what he looked for in aSennin, Uzi took note. "All traits that I happen to possess and will continue to prove." Uzi gave a sigh of relief, it seemed these Sennin Games would be something he would train for. Maybe even but in a session with Raizo.

As Yukina spoke up, Uzi remembered that they still had the Konoha business to settle. 'That completely slipped my mind.' Uzi looked back to Raizo. "Well, I guess Konoha does deserve our response back so that they won't be left in the dark." Thinking back to the conversation that was had, he figured it would be something simple, yet bold, that got their message across. He figured that one The Leaf Village knew that they were on board, that they would know what to expect.

He knew both sides at this point, were searching for answers. Being cautious of the other village and their actions would be the best route to go. He expected tensions to be high, but nothing ill to occur while the two villages got to the bottom of this situation. Hopefully it would only being them closer, as a war between villages would only hinder not only his plans of reviving Kirigakure, but also stop him from seeing a dream of his come to pass, a united shinobi nations.

 

[Raizo]

He would sigh as he knew he needed to go ahead and make a response. Sliding the scroll Uzi and Kaen had delivered, and sliding into his chair at his desk, he would begin to frantically scribble onto his own sheet of paper.

"Uzi, I understand when I originally asked you what you would do, you seemed keen on keep up a relationship with Konoha."

He would continue to scribble his own thoughts with one hand while his free hand would slide the scroll back towards Uziuke.

"But please read this response from their leader once more and tell me that these are the words of someone who is looking to maintain any form of relationship with us."

He had been distracted a bit, thanks to Uzi and Kaen and his Sennin Games idea, but his initial response to reading the message had not changed in the slightest. He valued the input of the two shinobi who delivered him the message, but he could not ignore the tone set by the responding Hokage.

"I am unsure if the Hokage is merely a jackass that holds an inflated sense of self-worth, is a warmonger who was just itching for the time to push their own weight around, or if they are just simply someone who shouldn't be trusted to write their own notes... either way, this was an emotional response. An emotional response from the leader of a military village. If that is how the Leaf is being operated then they are a danger to not only us, not only to the rest of the world, but to themselves."

He would then, ironically, slide his scribbled paper over to Yukina who would begin to read, decipher and edit his words into a proper message. He didn't trust his own response wouldn't be equally emotional as the hubris displayed by the leader of Leaf, so he allowed another set of eyes to see the message and dictate it for him.

"I have no reason to seek war with Leaf or anyone, nor do I care to do such things...but I can't, not as a leader myself, take this response and view it as nothing more than someone who believes they are perched above us. I won't seek hostility, but I am also not about to leave this Hokage unhumbled. Maybe they are young, maybe they were kicked in the head as a child, maybe they just really hate us... either way, their shit will not be tolerated. I will work with them to help them either understand our lack of involvement with this or discover the traitor in our midst, but after that, I will no longer look to hold any relationship with Leaf until the Hokage agrees to sit down and meet with me one-on-one."

He had no reason to budge on any of this. Asuka was the one who set the tone, she would have to be the one to make amends. He, however, did figure she would. It was clear she was looking for Suna to be the villain, so he couldn't believe someone with that instant bravado would ever back down even if undeniably proven wrong in their assumption.

"And make no mistake, this letter reads like we are already the guilty party. If they viewed us as a friend or partner, would they be so quick to immediately assume the worst? And if that is their stance on matters... then it only verifies the danger this Asuka poses sitting at the head of that village."

Maybe, while in a political mood, I should reach out to Kumogakure no Sato to seek what thoughts, if any, they have on these folks hiding amongst the leaves...

Yukina would continue to transcribe the thoughts of Raizo.

 

[Uziuke]

As Raizo sat down at his desk and began scribbling, Uzi wondered the contents of the letter he would write back to Konoha. But as he told him to look the letter over again, Uzi knew that the letter made him feel a bit hesitant to continue to uphold a steady relationship. Uzi looked the letter over again, knowing that this could very well be the start of bad relations with the village. He hoped the matter wouldn't escalate into something tragic. He gave his letter to Yukina, who seemed to give it a magic touch. Uzi knew Raizo would probably be angry, and Yukina may have had to blurb out a few sentences. Getting on a village's bad side was never a scenario he wished for. Seeing first hand what a Kage had to go through gave him a glimpse at the matters that a Sennin had to deal with.

"A proper meeting hmm? Maybe each of the villages should be notified of such a meeting. Each Kage present giving the current relations of the shinobi nations." Such a meeting would dictate in what direction the nations would be headed. It sounded like a time of peace before a crucial storm, but knowing who you could count on and who you couldn't would give you a sense of direction in these tough times. A compass to one's ship one could call it.

"Hopefully they don't have the same attitude when approaching our gates. It'd be tough to comply with them if they are looking for a reason not to trust us." Uzi hadn't seen the insides of Leaf, but he heard it was the land his Clan was from. The will of fire burnt brightly there, would be ashame if they went to war with the village. Uzi wouldn't be afraid, but the cost of 2 shinobi nations going to war seemed steep. Regardless, he knew honor would play a giant factor in deciding the dates of each village.

 

[Raizo]

"Well then that settles it, Uzi!" he said with a big grin as he started to frantically scribble down more on a new piece of paper.

Yukina, looking less than thrilled, would turn her attention to the white-haired man, "I am going to need to ask you to refrain from giving this mad man any more ideas..."

Her words would be delivered in a deadpan tone but hopefully, Uziuke would know she was joking... but maybe there was a little sincerity there as well?

Once he finished, he would slide the new paper over to Yukina. She would sigh and then pull out another formal sheet of paper before beginning her penmanship once more. Looking rather proud of himself, he would turn his attention back to Uziuke.

"Well the reality is this--the rest of the people of Leaf may not hold the same hardline stance as their leader, but this Asuka person is their leader. She is rooted in that village more than any image or thought of peace with us ever will be. While she surely is taking a stricter approach to show us, or her people, her strength as a leader, it would be naive to think that her soldiers aren't prepared to carry out her will. That is the true threat this Asuka and her ideology create; her will is her people's will. That is my assumption, maybe I am wrong to assume such, but I want you to be on your guard whenever this delegation shows up."

He would sigh, "They will either show up holding the same hostility as their leader or they will show up ready to be a good guest, either way, they are still here to prove we are the culprits. Their actions are going to be calculated and our response, what we say or do or choose not to say or do, will be scrutinized. We should be on guard enough not to give them something to easily validate their views on us."

"Done" Yukina would say as he placed a letter into two different notes and prepared the wax sealing. She would pause and look up at Uziuke.

"Uziuke-san, would you like to read either before I seal? One is the Kazekage's response to Leaf plus an added-on invite specifically for the Kazekage. The second letter is an invite to the Raikage."

She would continue to remain paused in her actions to seal the letters to wait until the ANBU could answer. While it might have been odd to ask him if he wanted to read it, she had a good understanding of Raizo and how he viewed those close to him. He wouldn't object and probably was a few seconds away from offering the opportunity himself, but his timing would have been awful and he would have asked after she had already sealed the letters. So she did what she always tried to do; predict his movements first.

MFT - 482

 

[Uziuke]

Uziuke nodded as Raizo began to write out the rest of the letter. He chuckled upon hearing Yukina's take on the Kage continuing on with the letter. "I'm sure he has the right intentions." Dealing with Raizo, Uzi learned the Kage was a lot like himself in a few ways. Not one to be pushed around, but had the right people around to keep him on track and with the right mindset. This spoke volumes to Uzi, and he remained silent as he thought of what that meant exactly, and how such things influenced his life. He certainly wouldn't be where he was today if Akkuma hadn't stayed along with him while they were out there lost. He remembered at one point he strayed away from the Dark Sage, finding the meaning of what being a lone shinobi meant, before they reunited once more. His mindset was a bit different, but he learned to stand up for himself, and carry out only the tasks that meant something to his heart, and not just his mind. As he gave the paper to Yukina, who sighed, Uzi gave a half hearted chuckle before giving his attention back to Raizo.

Listening to the power that a Kage holds gave Uzi a second take on their position. Not only were they leaders, but they had an entire force ready to carry out their will, whether it was good natured or evil. It took Uzi aback for a second, but his solid demeanor didn't change as he continued to grasp Raizo's words. There was a chance that he was wrong, and maybe some of the Leaf shinobi had a softer side. Not everyone was ready to go out on a limb for their leader, but if the Kage was actually a Kage, there would still be some form of soldiers ready to carry out the plans of their leader, even if there were a few that had their own ideas. 'Hmm, food for thought.' "Aye." A shorten formed of aye aye captain, but they were ninja, not pirates... or were they? He would expect the Leaf shinobi to show up with formal intentions, maybe not trying to cause trouble. If he was wrong, and things became heated, he'd show them the boot before they could lift a finger.

"I'll try to hold up good relations with them if they show up with a good aura. If not, I'd rather not we resort to violence and tell them to leave immediatly. If they refuse, we'll have to resort to other methods of removal." Uzi placed his ANBU Mask back atop his head, knowing his duties in guarding the village. "When Kaen gives them their tour, if they find nothing, I'll also offer my service as to help them if they need further assistance." Uzi looked Raizo in the eyes, "There is a chance they'll stumble upon Akkuma, and if that's the case, I could always come back and notify you of what's going on. However, if our services aren't wanted or needed, after they leave the village, we'd be done with the interaction with Konoha, and we could either continue the investigation ourselves, or let it be a cold case." Uzi summed up everything from the meeting, almost sure that they covered every base. Final say so from Raizo would fit the rest of the pieces to this puzzle.

"Mmm, no. I'll just have to discern what letter to send where, other than that, I'm sure everything came out just fine." Uzi trusted what the two came up with and was ready to carry out the plans. If both parties agreed to have a sit down with Raizo, he'd sure want to be there to capture what was said, but that'd be for another date.

"Anything else I should be wary of?" Uzi asked.

 

[Raizo]

He would listen to Uzi with a smile, but for a brief moment that smile would fade. For one split second that smile would disappear. That moment, that split second, that tiny fraction of time, would be at the utterance of Akkuma stumbling upon him. The smile would return just as quickly as it left, it would almost be hard to even pick up on the change. An ANBU of high caliber might be one of the few to notice. Someone who lived a life on the run around the likes of an older brother Akkuma might also be more attuned to such a slight non-verbal cue.

"Either way, our two goals is to let them know we didn't do this and that we would happily help them find the culprit... but should the culprit be an actual member of this village, we will handle the matter."

Uzi would then ask if there was anything else he should be wary of, and his face would grow serious for a moment. More serious than it had been almost the entirety of this very serious conversation involving Leaf.

"Well, I suppose if everything fails we must be prepared for me to kill Asuka and take Leaf under my control..."

There would be a pregnant pause, one in which a lifetime seemed to pass when in reality it was a couple of seconds.

"Just kidding! I'm no conqueror... I mean I will kill this Asuka person if she keeps puffing her chest, but I would never think, nor would I ever want, to take hold of some foreign land. Leaf is for the Leafies. That said, anyone who thinks that can just bully their way into dictating what happens in this country... well they will meet a fate similar to those within this country who have tried to manipulate and torment this village."

His laugh would boom with the words, as it seemed that he was joking about, at least a portion of, his comments prior to saying 'just kidding'. That said, he wasn't fully sure how Uzi would interpret it, but a part of him also didn't think too much further on it. While he felt confident as a leader, there was still the reality of Raizo's own situation that many seemed to ignore, because they didn't need to address it; he was young. Still in his 20s, he was caught in a world of defining moments and maturation, while also having had experiences and influences that had shaped him to this point, but there was still more growth for him. He talk in opposition of the Hokage and her apparent personality, but he was very hard-pressed to actually judge, as he himself was no better or worse and was also prone to letting his emotions, emotions that had not been tempered through hardship outside of physical pain.

These upcoming moments could be ones that changed him forever... for better or worse.

"He makes a good point, make sure to mark one for each leader, Yu!"

Yukina would scowl as she flipped the envelopes over and marked one as "To The Honorable Raikage" and the other as "To The Hokage". While Raizo might not have read either, she assumed this is close to how he would have done it. She would have then flipped over the envelopes once more and pressed the melting wax sticks upon both, then pressed the Kazekage's symbol into the wax to give it a form to harden into, and once they were fully hardened she would pass both to the ANBU.

"Just as a reminder, we trust you with this, Uziuke-san, because our fearless leader doesn't understand birds."

"Thanks, Yukina, you can see yourself to something, anything else. Uzi! I will join you on a walk to send these post office birds on their way!"

"This is his way of saying that he still can't understand how you all trust birds to send important messages."

"YU, GO DO SOMETHING ELSE SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

OOC: @Uziuke I will post the notes' contents in the thread that we send them off... this part being lazy/part still needing to fully write them lol! We can continue to the gates whenever you are ready!
MFT - 665

 

[Uziuke]

Uziuke nodded, though the quick change of emotion caught him off guard. Tensions were still high between Raizo and Akkuma, and feeling deep down within Uzi told him that he would have to repair their relationship somehow. He knew with Akkuma, things could get out of hand, but now didn't seem the time to dwell on such matters, instead, Uzi sort of created a mental note that he would find a solution to their broken relationship. As Raizo continued, mentioning that he'd kill the Hokage, Uzi gave one of those comedic nervous expressions, a giant sweat drop forming behind his head, but somehow magnificently, stayed in the same place. The sweat drop mysteriously vanished upon Raizo mentioned that he was just kidding, and the white haired ANBU gave a relieving sigh. As he continued, Uzi nodded, knowing that starting trouble, no matter what village it was, could lead to a war of villages. This sit down between the three nations was probably just what they needed to get things situated. If all three could come to common ground, it would be, yet, another sigh of relief. Uzi also contemplated on mentioning his suggestion for Kirigakure. Running it across Raizo was great, but when word came back on whether the other two Kage would attend this meeting or not, he'd mention it to Raizo once more, wondering if it would be an appropriate time to see how the other Kage's felt about a recon mission to Kiri.

As Uzi was handed the letter, he nodded to Yukina and took a slight bow. "Understood, they will be delivered promptly, mark my words." Now with the letters in his position he understood that he had an important issue to take care of. Raizo mentioning that he would accompany Uzi on the delivery gave the ANBU an idea. He'd have time to mention the Airship project to Raizo, and be able to invite him to an onsite visit. Chuckling at Raizo and Yukina's little squabble, Uzi placed his ANBU Mask back atop of his head, keeping his face exposed.

"Raizo, how do you feel about Airships?" Uzi would ask as they departed to the village gates.

[ Topic Left | It would take me a day or two, but I can place the link to the next topic here when I create it. Or you could create it and I could find it. ]

 

[Raizo]

"Airships?! Ships that sailed in the air!?!? IS THAT POSSIBLE!?"

To be quite honest, Raizo, for some reason, had an affinity for ships and the art of sailing in general. The Ryuzaki clan resided on the side of the country closest to the ocean's coast, so maybe it stemmed from the fact that sailing and the vastness of the actual ocean weren't as foreign to him as it might have been to others who only ever knew of the interior portion of Wind Country. Either way, he would smirk at the question.

"Could you build something like that???"

His face would then turn serious once more.

"Also, Uzi... my dear friend...."

Suddenly his muscles would tighten and grow taunt, and the veins upon his neck would begin to protrude.

"Race you to the gate!"

And with that, at his strongest propulsive push, tearing apart the floor of his office, he would take off towards the gate with his letters in hand.

--Topic left and continued here: https://ninpocho.com/threads/for-the-birds-uziuke-messenger-bird-npcs.66030/#post-366160--