Private [pvt] A course of action?

[Sazuki Nao]

Nao sat in his office, going over the papers he had made in the hope to pursue Asuka on sending two shinobi ánd a retired shinobi to the fields in the search of answers. Nao had already spoken with Izumi, the adopted son of Takeshi and Yuki. Izumi said that as long as there was no real harm, he would be able to assist in such a matter. "Kid doesn't have it easy for him..." Nao said and drank the last bits of his tea before looking at a file on his desk. "I should hide that somewhere at home too..." He muttered further. Talking to himself always soothed instead of sitting idle in an office looking like a plank.

A few minutes before time Nao would walk down the steps to make sure he would be the first to arrive. A file in his hand and hoping Asuka was around.

After a few minutes, someone walked in. "Ah- Izumi if I am not mistaken." Nao would glance over the male who stepped in. A soft smile was given and a nod. "That is correct Nao-san." He answered. Izumi's eyes were glazed over and you could easily see that he was blind, but he wasn't exactly reacting like a blind person would. "It will be an interesting event." Izumi spoke soft and would wait for the others to arrive.

[ooc:]
Summoning Goto Daiji, Toshi
Entered with NPC Izumi

 

[Toshi]

It was his first time stepping into Nao's office. He thought he'd visit the Byoin before the Sennin's office, but he found himself in the Hokage's Tower once more. It was interesting to say the least. It wasn't bring your child to work day, instead, he was visiting on official duty. He could now feel the weight of his new title, and the new responsibilities were nothing less than he expected. With his new rank, Toshi decided to change up his style a bit. He wore a white collar button down shirt. Green pants, that seemed to almost match his eyes, and a pair of brown low top shoes. He kept a blue backpack over one shoulder, holding it in place as he slowly walked into Nao's office.

He wasn't surprised to see another already there. He was rather curious as to who this guy was. "Here and ready for anything." He spoke to Nao, his countenance as bright as could be. The boy smiled, looking over to the other guy. "The name's Toshi!" The boy said, extending his hand for a shake. It was then that he noticed the guy's eyes, they were different. Putting two and two together, he assumed they were some type of dojutsu. He wore ANBU like attire. There was no doubt this guy would aid Daiji and he on the mission. Shadowing a real ANBU would be quite the experience.

[ Topic Entered ]

 

[Gotō Daiji]

Not good. His first big assignment in a while and he was already late! I guess his reputation as a slacker sensei was well-earned. "Serves me right for slumming it last night..." Mentally he was kicking himself as he raced towards the Hokage Mansion. Of course there was that other thing this morning... but he couldn't blame his tardiness on that. Nope, definitely the partying. At this point there was no way he'd be on time... but maybe he could at least make an entrance? Poof! A cloud of smoke erupted in the center of the reception area, signaling the use of some jutsu (Shadow Dance).

In its place when it cleared? Was a slightly nervous-looking young man in typical Konoha ninja attire, squatting with a goofy look on his face.

"Eheh... yo."​

It didn't take long before the receptionist's bewildered stare prompted a sweatdrop to form on his head. "Sorry I'm late, a citizen's dog got loose and I was helping find-" he stopped short, that same bewildered stare having turned into an impatient glare. He had been seen this receptionist before and it was obvious they knew of his tendencies. A fist came up to cover his mouth as he cleared his throat. "Anyway... reporting for duty." he mumbled, his usual calm demeanor obviously a little thrown off by his having held everyone up. The chūnin stood from his crouched position, pushing his sunglasses up on the bridge of his nose and nodding towards Nao. "Sennin-sama." he greeted the man formally before turning his attention towards his new young teammate, a smirk taking hold on his face. "Toshi-shōnen, all ready to go I see." Complete with a backpack and all. His own bag was placed at his feet and contained more than a few surprises. Never know what you might need on a mission.

Finally his dark eyes fell upon the third notable figure in the room, a man with hair almost pale as the Sennin's. Instantly his sharp gaze noted the stranger's clouded irises, a sure sign of failing eyesight. His choice of clothing also told a story, being those of the ANBU. Interesting. Blind shinobi were not unheard of, but he had never actually met one himself. "Gotō Daiji, Chūnin." was the greeting he offered, his voice returning to its normal lackadaisical tone. The dark-skinned young man was interested to see how this meeting would proceed. It had already been some time since the last incident... if they didn't set out soon they would lose all hope of finding the perpetrator. But like he had pointed out at the scene, running after a killer of this caliber without a plan would only result in more tragedy.

They needed to strategize. And his own tactician's mind had been racing for the past two weeks. Toshi he now knew a bit about, but he was curious to see what the others brought to the table in terms of skill. And whether or not they would have a fourth. Three-man teams were fairly irregular especially for this type of assignment. And they were going to need all the help they could get with this one.

[Topic Entered]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Now that everyone was around, Nao was glad to start things at least a little bit. "Glad to see everyone was able to make it, we are just waiting on one more person before we get this show on the road. but first things first, let Izumi introduce himself to you guys.

Izumi would nod before he would stand up straight again. "My name is Izumi Uchiha Fukuro. Even though I am no blood Uchiha, I am born and raised by Uchiha Takeshi and Haku Yuki. I am 19 years old as of we speak ánd jounin in rank. After losing my implemented Byakkugan I turned blind, which was quite troublesome on its own. Nowadays I am a Hashigaki and met a spirit that resides in me. That being said; when there is no sounds left around, I am very much blind. Sorry to hinder you with this news, but I do hope we get along."

Nao would nod during the introductions. "Izumi is skilled in the sound arts of Ninjutsu, but can also heal basic healing. Which is why I asked him to go with you all. Since you do need some sort of medic. I also gave him a quick up-to-date on how to handle bruises, medical applications, and the likes." Nao would further comment on what he learned from Izumi extra before he would make a motion. "Please tell a little about yourself to get at least acquainted a little while we wait for the last member."

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

The village was in an uproar.

That was an understatement to say the least, Soku thought to herself as the double doors to the Kage Tower swung open to admit her and having memorized the route to Sennin Nao's office a hundred times by now, it would be far beyond Soku to have forgotten it now as she was getting used to being back in action.

There were a few pointed fingers, whispers and glances her way, the Sennin who had come close to the brink of death and lived, Soku smiling as the receptionist, a young but kind lady hurrying forward, a relieved smile on her face touching Soku's arm.

"Lady Soku, we thought you were.." The girl's bottom lip quivered as Soku reached out to pat her smiling gently.

"I'm quite alright, Matsuki, now, I trust there is a meeting of sorts in Sennin Nao's office that I seem to be missing out on if you start to cry all over me." She teased gently and the receiponist's eyes widen for a minute before nodding stepping back.

Soku didn't know who else had been called but if anything, she still owed it to Nao for quite practically saving her life and that was not a debt she'd let go unanswered. The Hidden Leaf was going to demand answers from their Sunagakure neighbors still the question still rested in her mind what incentive a foreign nation had for attacking them if anything at all.

She knocked gently on the door before pushing it open to walk in scanning the faces around her, the ANBU she knew well having served as a former captain, she'd made it her duty to memorize faces of Leaf's own assassins and spies well as a chill ran down her spin recgonizing Toshi's ANBU attire and what that uniform meant.

She cleared her throat smiling at all who were present.

"I heard this was where the party was at."

Soku said, they were certainly going to be crashing a party or doing something similar to it. "Sennin Nao, I daresay from the people present here that I have a good sense of what is on your mind and if I'm correct, I'd like to assume command of this group."

After all, she still had a personal vendetta to settle with this Kaen figure.

Well, if it was him. There was a still lingering doubt in her head about why a Sunan would go out of their way to do such horrendous things but then again, she had never bothered to understand the Sand ninja exceptionally well. She'd go into it with a diplomatic approach but Soku didn't know if they'd be walking out of the village the same way.

"And before you ask, I feel perfectly fine and ready to pummel someone into next week."

She didn't like the feeling of her heart out there somewere for whatever purpose. It was bothering her and Soku was going to do something about it.

With her sword, if need be.
[Topic Entered]

 

[Toshi]

Toshi's eyes glazed the area the became cloudy as smoke appeared in the room. He recognized the jutsu, though he wondered who would arrive in such fashion. If he had to guess, he'd place his bet on Daiji, considering the Chūnin was a bit late. As the smoke cleared the boy's face brightened up. 'Daiji.' The boy giggled at the Taijutsu Expert's half ended excuse, wondering if he just overslept. He gave a wave and a nod as the Chūnin spotted him in the office. He was raring to go, but he knew this meeting was important.

Now that Daiji made it in, Nao commented that there was actually a fourth to join the team. The boy wondered who it could be. He didn't know all of the village's Nin, but it was always great to meet new people. Izumi would be instructed to introduce himself first. The AiT knew that this would get the team better acquainted. Finding out that he was a Jounin and that he was blind. Toshi took note that sounds aided Izumi with understanding his surroundings. Proceeding to tell the rest of the team to introduce themselves, Toshi figured he was next, buy before he began, another entered in on the squad. "Soku-San!" The emerald eyed boy said half cheerfully, half surprised. It was great to see her once more. He knew her 'I mean business' look as he once met her at the gates with Asuka. It was the same look and attitude she carried now as she spoke with Nao.

Having Soku lead the team made Toshi a bit more comfortable. Instead of introducing himself, he stayed quiet for now. More important matters were being discussed at the moment. He'd deliver his details when things cooled down.

(( Woohoo, and it only gets better! ))
[ MFT | WC: +250 ]

 

[Gotō Daiji]

Upon hearing Izumi speak the chūnin pursed his lips.

"Uchiha?" he thought to himself as his shaded gaze looked the ANBU over once more. He had heard equally wondrous and terrible things about the clan, as much as anyone from the Hidden Leaf had. Admittedly though he did not have much experience in dealing with them personally. Couldn't help but wonder if they reality lived up to the legend. His interest was piqued even further as the hunter-nin spoke about himself going so far as to reveal that at one point he had been in possession of an implanted Byakugan eye. "My family would love him..." Daiji mused in his head assuming whatever Hyūga he pried it out of would surely be dead as they weren't ones to part willingly with their famed Dōjutsu. And if there was anything a Gotō liked more than a kill well executed it was a dead Hyūga. Or so the saying goes.

Blood feuds aside, this person was turning out to be full of all sorts of surprises. Daiji couldn't help but wonder what else he might have up his sleeve. Before he could ponder too much further another arrival caught the group's attention and at the same time lifted an ever-so-slight weight off of his own chest. He wiped the tiniest bit of sweat from his brow as Soku arrived on the scene. "Glad I'm not the only one who's late." It wasn't something he was overly concerned with as approval from bosses wasn't something that he actively sought out... but a release of whatever pressure there was there was still appreciated all the same. Upon hearing the woman's name from Toshi's mouth, the chūnin put two and two together and nodded politely in her direction. 'Politely' meaning 'with one iota of formality more than usual' in this case. Usual being zero. "Sennin-sama." he repeated the greeting he gave to her Medical Branch counterpart in her direction. He did not know either of them personally, but their reputations preceeded them. The title alone was worthy of some kind of respect. Whoever or whatever else they may be, they were still Sennin.

It didn't take long before the Main Branch Sennin assumed command of their squad. "Good." he thought, mentally ticking a box on a checklist. If they had any hope of being successful they were going to need the best of the best. Having a Sennin along for the ride couldn't hurt. Nao asked for the group to share a little about themselves which was always a good first step when forming a squad. "I specialize in Taijutsu and-" he paused briefly, considering his choice of words. "Disabling." A nice way to put it. "My clan's known for this." he finished. "Among other things..." His inner voice quipped to himself but the young man's tone still seemed relatively relaxed as he revealed this information. The Gotō were known. Along with their prowess in close-quarters, their colorful past might not be such a surprise to any history scholars present. But that was a story for a different time and one he didn't quite feel like delving into in a room full of his superiors-- some of whom he had just met for the first time.

His gaze was as watchful as ever behind his laid-back demeanor, and Soku's choice of words did not escape him. Chaos had followed both attacks on Konoha's gates, and there were still so many unknown variables. Misinformation was widespread and had been catching like wildfire. So far he had very little to go on. "Do you have a personal stake in this mission?" Daiji asked of Soku, placing his hands in his pockets. A more career-minded shinobi may have been worried they were speaking out of turn before the village brass, but his mind was on the mission. "Rumors spread quick and there's still a lot I'm unclear on... what exactly happened during these attacks?" Shaded eyes glanced over to Toshi, a vision of the boy's face upon witnessing the scene of the second slaughter flashing before his eyes briefly before he continued. "Aside from the massacres at the gates. Names, objectives, jutsu the enemy used... any intel we can all pool together would be a big help." he paused there. Of course his mind was going a million miles a minute but now it was time to listen and absorb. Something told him that the woman standing before them had a lot of these answers.

[mft]

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

The white and red robes of Lord Forth fluttered as he entered into the mansion, he had his instructions to meet at the reception walking up the stairs to the Hokage reception he looked around and paused, he wondered if he was early after all being alone apart from the receptionist it seemed that he turned up earlier than expected to this part, as he grabbed a seat nodding to the reception, sometimes the ranks came with the privileges like not being questioned to what you were doing sitting in the reception and not going straight in like he normally did. Time passed, and then more time, five minutes turned into ten turned into half an hour before the receptionist spoke.

"Lord Forth, are you waiting to see the Hokage?"

"No I was supposed to meet the Medical Sennin, Nao said here within two weeks, and put a team together, do you know anything about this at all?"

"I think they got confused, lots of people were heading towards his office if that helps"

Takeshi couldn't help it, the awkward eye contact was made, as he realized either he had made a mistake, or everyone else had made a mistake, but right now, he had spent thirty minutes of time-wasting away in the office just doing the square root of nothing. Standing up he sighed to himself before proceeding to walk into the well-known director of the Medical Sennin office, as he turned the corner he looked at the door it was open and he could quite clearly hear the conversation that was being had by the group inside, not very secretive considering what was being discussed. Blinking it took him a little bit to realize they were all standing in the tiny reception that locked onto the Medical Sennin office. He paused actually wondering for a few moments.

Walking past the group of people that crowded into the reception, he reached his hand out, opened the door that lead into the medical Sennin office, and walks straight to the couch opposite. heaving his body down in a laying position to take up all of the couch he glanced back to the open door as he looked at the group that had gathered up in the reception area. Glancing towards the group he studied them for a few moments before deciding to speak addressing the elephant in the room.

"You mean a personal stake, bar the fact that the dead pile just grew triple overnight? The village was compromised by someone unknown and Shinobi died? Or that the gates were just one of the locations that were hit. No this is a stake for Leaf, every Shinobi has a stake in this wouldn't you say? I am sorry we have never been introduced?"

He paused before turning his attention back to Nao quickly his eyes fixed on her, though he did not say anything he knew exactly who his son was, but this right now seemed more important than anything else he had going on.

"So why are you all in the Medical Sennin reception? The office is bigger, and secondly, I would shut the door before this discussion goes to much further."

[TOPIC ENTERED]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Things got a lot more lively as everyone was coming in, yet one thing he never took in account that Soku was joining them. "Soku..." He said as polite as possible without showing the little questioning look on his face. That was when Takeshi started to appear and he was somewhat glad. He was bad with bigger groups to say the least; he still didn't overcome the awkwardness to talk in front of bigger parties.

As he would get everyone into his office; he would sit on his chair behind the desk so that everyone else ha place to sit at the couches. " It seems that the last man won't be joining us... so the team will be smaller." he would say out loud and nod a few times.

"Soku, before we continue this; i do have to ask you. What good does it bring, to leave a village which is in recovery; without the main branch sennin. Secondly; Do you have more information or evidence than that we currently know about?" He asked these questions as he was very serious. He wouldn't like to miss a sennin again and to have multiple branches. On this he also looked towards Takeshi as his role was the Hokage Advisor and he himself was just a sennin co-worker.

Izumi looked towards his father to where he thought was his eyes, could easily be his forehead of nose or mouth. Those fine details were still difficult to see. "But if Takeshi agrees.. then maybe we could make a team without Izumi; as he is a retired shinobi after all." He would then look towards Izumi who would nod. " I do not mind either way; what is best for the leaf village. I would also like to get on the bottom of this." Izumi may have been anbu... but only the sennin's 'and hokage knew his identity after all. The ANBU were not messing with secrets and no one knew each co workers out of line of work.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

The woman allowed a friendly smile to grace her features as her eyes landed on Toshi grinning at him. It was a relieving sight and really a blessing that the Sennin was even standing in this office but her time had not come yet and Sunagakure No Sato still had answers they needed to provide one way or the other as Soku was assualted with a barrage of questions mostly by the Chuunin who was also present in the room.

Before she could choose to answer anything, yet another figure swept into the room, Uchiha Takeshi and blunt and forward to the point as ever, Soku nodded stepping over to the door pushing it closed to that any prying ears would indeed be disappointed by the fact they wouldn't be able to pick up what such a high-profile meeting was consisting of but people could certainly assume.

"I actually think it's a smart move on Sennin Nao's part to meet in the Medical Sennin's office, it draws less attention as compared to the Hokage's office and helps us keep things away from unwanted attention."

She turned to Daiji meeting his eyes wanting to answer his question, the imagery of that assualt still fresh in her head, the attacker had hoisted her up like a ragdoll leaving her pinned to the wall of this very tower impaled by her own sword, these were memories that did not die easily and Soku was sure that would be a weight that she would carry for the rest of her life if need be. They didn't need sentimentals however, they needed the full story. "I am one of the surviviors of the attack, the only one, I daresay at this point and it had not been for the Medical Sennin, I might not be standing before you today but Takeshi-sama has a point, we all have a equal obligation to this, to the families that gave their sons and daughters to the Hidden Leaf."

The words hung there for a moment, the Sennin hoping they would realize the true nature of what this misson entailed, it would not be an easy one, a fact that Nao picked up as Soku moved next to address the concerns nodding her head in response. In response as she pulled out a file folder laying it on the desk before them jabbing a thumb at the shinobi's picture as Soku continued to talk.

"Minamato Daisuke was with me when we intercepted the attacker, his status is MIA. Most of the twenty-four shinobi who died that night were beyond unrecgonizable so it is very likely he is among them or perhaps he was taken, a fact to take note of and as for evidence, we have collected samples of bloods from the scene and it does not yield any results from our shinobi database increasing the likelihood that the shinobi was indeed a foreign attacker although whether the mysterious ninja was indeed who they claimed to be is still up for debate."

Soku knew Nao was right, it would not do well to leave a village without it's Sennin in a time of dire need, she knew deep down that a part of her wanted to stay here but the woman also knew that something had to be done no matter how tough. If they didn't do anything, their foes might seize this quietness as weakness and return, Konohagakure had a pride and dignity that needed to be maintained, people needed to know that the Land of Fire was not one you trifled with, play with the flames and expect to be burned.

She gestured to Takeshi giving a respectful nod in his direction as the Sennin spoke. "Point taken but rest assured, I do not intend to leave the village to it's own whims. In my absence, I was hoping Takeshi-sama would for a temporary amount of time oversee all matters of the main branch until I return from Sunagakure and beyond what I have told you already, we have nothing more to go on, we have a phial of the attacker's blood, his own statements claiming to be a Kaen of the Sunagakure ANBU Corps and our own observations."

It wasn't a lot, the kunoichi had to admit but it was something and they all had to start somewhere as she looked around the room at every one of them.

"Even if we don't find what we're looking for, I think it's very important we clear this matter up in the sake of maintaining our relations with Sunagakure, I think we all will rest easy if we can determine whether our neighbors were behind this or not which brings up another question altogether." It was more of a question for a Hokage but given the predicaments, they dind't have the time to go looking for a person who wasn't here despite the state of the village so she addressed it to the next best qualified person in the room, the Hokage Advisor.

"In the event it is determined Sunagakure was behind the attack, how should we act? I do not want any bloodshed but if all fingers point in that direction, I will recommend the Hidden Leaf terminate all relationships and agreements with the Land of Wind and place travel restrictions on going there. This will hurt them in more ways than one but I would like to rest easy knowing I have that prior approval to take such a course of action if it is absolutely needed."

~ MFT: 910

 

[Toshi]

As Daiji asked what happened at the gates, the scene that he saw was still fresh on his mind. The bodies that he saw, and had to clean up. He couldn't believe that such a feat took place at the gates of the village. He still wondered what type of villain would do such a thing. Letting the thought escape his mind, he watched as some other guy appeared and laid on the sofa. He looked rather official, though the emerald eyed boy had never met him before. 'A medical assistant perhaps?' The boy dismissed the assumption as he suggested that someone close the door. Soku did so, before giving her take.

'She survived an attack? Does that mean that she actually fought the villain?' He knew this one was tough, taking on Soku and being able to escape afterwards. Moreso, Soku made it sound as though this wasn't your typical run of the mill villain that they were dealing with. He didn't know who could take on a Sennin and actually win. It didn't put any fear in the boy, but he knew not to take this mission lightly. Mentioning that the guy on the couch's name was Takeshi, Toshi thought back to Izumi's introduction. 'That's right, he's Izumi's dad.' She went on to mention another shinobi's name, either missing or dead now. 'That's two shinobi this intruder took on.' He looked around to see the other's expressions, keeping a rather bland look on his own face. Instead of making him want to back down, the news only made him want to take care of this situation before matters got worse. At this point, the intruder could have been out there planning to attack yet again.

He couldn't believe his ears when Soku mentioned it was an ANBU from another village. They usually worked off of orders, and not on a whim, but then again, no one was certain. It sounded as though the only solid evidence here was the vial of blood they had in their possession. She then addressed the guy on the couch once more, asking him of their approach on the foreign village. It was then that Toshi knew that Takeshi was not a medical shinobi at all. With Soku showing so much respect, and her asking him of the matters of another village, Toshi figured that he was some sort of diplomat. The field in which the boy took interest in.

"If I may," Toshi stepped forward. If one looked to his emerald color eyes, they could almost see the flames that burned within. Though his demeanor was chilled, skin cold to the touch, though he could feel the intensity of the burn within his heart. The boy paused for a moment, looking to Takeshi, studying his eyes before going on. "If anything, I believe this is an opportunity to build and refresh our relations with Sunagakure. I'm sure their Kage would be just as confused about the matter, considering there was only one villain behind this, and not a force of shinobi." To Toshi, he figured Suna would probably be just as insulted as Konoha behind this attack. "This Kaen of the ANBU character does sound like a good lead, but without anything solid, it'd be his word against ours."

Toshi paused once more, still wondering the motives behind such an attack. "The villain didn't steal anything, didn't destroy any structures, the Hokage is still alive. We lost a lot of shinobi, but there didn't seem to be a real aim behind the attacks. It seems they want a cat and mouse chase, considering they left the village and a horrific message at our gates."

"I know that Konoha suffered a massive lost from the attacks, but I don't think we should go over there with hostile intent, instead, let's make this situation our foundation of aiding one another. Rebuilding and upholding our treaty perhaps." From there he figured they'd get where he was coming from, but he was curious to everyone else's response.

He moved over to Nao's desk and turned around to get a clear view of everyone the room. Folding his arms behind his back, he gave a determined expression, showing his interest in the conversation.

 

[Gotō Daiji]

Shaded eyes darted to the side as a newcomer entered the room, adorned in the robes of the Hokage and full of... smarm? Or maybe it was just passion. Passion for patriotism he supposed. He thought it was apparent that he was just trying to secure the facts behind the attack but his words were taken another way. As they made their way to Nao's office he replied, "I was actually asking--" but his voice was interrupted as they entered and Soku responded, telling him just about everything he wanted to know. "About that." Silence followed after and didn't break until he raised a fist to his mouth to cough. Boy was this awkward. First impressions were not always his strong suit...

"Gotō Daiji." he would introduce himself casually to the man before turning his attention back to the others. He did not ask the man's name in return as he was observant enough to put two and two together. Not just anyone would be allowed to parade around in those clothes. And his name was mentioned soon after anyway. Tact was something that he used in measure but his nonchalant outward demeanor was there for a reason. It threw others off. Sure it caused some people not to like him or misconstrue his words and intentions but to him that was a positive thing. The value of underestimation could not be understated and that was just how he liked it.

As for the matter at hand the Main Branch Sennin's words echoed in his head as he did his best to listen and absorb all of the information. Twenty-four dead. One ninja missing-in-action. Worse than he-- or any of the general public for that matter-- thought. Not only did the intruder carve a swath through their forces the number of which even his own family would be impressed by, but they managed to take down a Sennin in a two-versus-one engagement. Whoever this person was they were good. No... that was an understatement. It was clearer to him than ever before that they could not go off half-cocked. If they went after this person they had to go heavy. If not there was no telling what may happen. For now the chūnin would simply nod as the woman spoke, agreeing with her assessment for the most part. "Not a Sennin for nothing." he thought to himself, rather impressed with her tale of survival. His covered eyes looked over the kunoichi leader before slowly trailing down to her- "Focus, Daiji." He shook the thought from his head as an excerpt about power dynamics reiterated itself inside his brain. There were more important things at present.

An eyebrow was raised as Toshi began to speak, voicing his opinion on the matter. The older shinobi's usual smirk appeared once again. He couldn't help but like the kid. "It's possible." he would chime in regarding the boy's theory that Sunagakure may be in a similar state of confusion. "But Hidden Villages aren't above sending lone assassins to do wetwork like this... especially ones so capable." A pause as his eyes drifted upwards. His mind was going a million miles a minute again. "We won't know for sure without more intel but I agree, something doesn't add up here." With that he would adjust the glasses on his face and return his hand to his pocket. There were just too many factors to account for they could sit here theorizing all night but without more info it was all just speculation at this point. And too much of that could be a very bad thing. Jumps in logic could be made or they could pigeonhole themselves into believing things that weren't fully true. Worst case they might even blind themselves to new evidence. No... there was only one choice.

They had to go find out for themselves.

For now he would stand and observe. Unfortunately for the moment he didn't have much to add, lest he throw some more conjecture into the mix and just add to the confusion. On relations with Sunagakure he was also admittedly lacking in knowledge. International affairs and geopolitics was something he left to the higher-ups. But he was sure to get a firsthand lesson during their travels. Something else gnawed at him. "I can't shake it... this feeling that we're missing something obvious." A sinking feeling in his stomach that would not go away had plagued him since he first laid eyes on the carnage at the gates. It was like they were trying to put together a puzzle without the corners. From the very beginning his instincts had been screaming at him... but about what? He simply had no way of knowing.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi sat there as he watched everyone speaking, he decided to stay quiet for now as he listened to those speaking, it seemed everyone had an opinion, and everyone wanted to get intel on the situation. As he sat silently he just wanted to listen to the situation, after all this group was debating at the moment, just using the information that they had been given. His plan was just to listen to those speaking, as each of them had their own view, own opinion it was interesting to see what they considered important, or what information they wanted to gather.

"So I am just gonna say it straight, I want what the plan is between all of you, I am not going to mess around in this situation, between all of you here a plan should be easy to come out if its strong enough I will sign it off now. Approval from the Hokage office and get it into action, that said if your plan falls short of my expectation, this mission is canceled and we all leave here and go back to our business without speaking about this again, that is the end of it, simple as that"

He let the words linger in the air, letting them spread out to the group that was here. He was not here to be part of the mission, he was just here to either approve it or deny it, simple as that, quick responses is what Leaf needed in this situation, that is what the point was and he was going to make sure that he got that across to everyone in this room.

[MFT: 270]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Nao had been listening to them all... But it felt like they were starting to miss to see the point which was taken. Izumi also had seen enough and knew that this wasn't going the way everything had hoped. "As far as I knew; this was supposed to be a recon mission to get the story. However, since that Sennin Soku is so keen on joinin, I will withdraw myself from joining. Assuming she knows basic medical jutsu also." With that he would make a bow and eye his father. "Good afternoon Lord forth." Was he annoyed? Yes. He didn't even visit him when he came home. But that could easily be a teenager moment also as Izumi left he would close down the door again.

Nao would look to each party involved and mainly to Soku as she took the lead in this. "As Izumi just said; Soku is leading this. So I guess you need to get a plan together with her." Nao commented and would remain seated in his chair.
However, it was also troubling him that there were evidence things that he wasn't fully aware about. It felt double to let the sennin go on such a mission when she was already holding such a grudge. They had to make sure no battle would come forth. Or hope anything else happened in the meanwhile.

[topic left with NPC izumi]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Soku knew that perhaps a few would not be exactly pleased with the approach she was taking but it was a necessary one. Some might opt for a more..pleasant approach and while Soku had no intentions of doing anything that might burn the bridges between the two villages, it also didn't mean that Sunagakure would be allowed to walk all over them as they pleased if it was determined that it the village that was behind the attack.

She gave an appreciative nod in Izumi's direction. "Rest assured, I have not made it this far without the necessary tools and I have been to Sunagakure before, it was quite the..experience to say the least but we're not walking in blind."

Toshi brought forth something, a means of extending an olive branch, a smart move on their path because if this mysterious attacker's intention was really to sour relations than Toshi's approach would be undoing that and on the other hand if the Hidden Sand was behind it, they would naturally resist such a measure so really, it was a win-win situation but like with all scenarios,, anything could go wrong.

They needed more and the only way they would get it is from engaging their neighbors in converstation although how they would react was anyone's best guess, Takeshi blunt as always wanted a plan of action and Soku sort of appreciated that bluntness clearing her throat as she spoke.

"Simple, a delegation will be sent to Sunagakure No Sato informing them of the situation in Konohagakure and what has occurred here, request a meeting with the Kazekage and if possible, the shinobi Kaen and present to them the evidence we have in an attempt to clarify the situation and if it is found out the attacker has no connection to Sunagakure or the village was not resposnible, we leave on good terms and if the attacker is found to have a connection, the delegation leaves after having assurance Sunagakure will seek out the traitor within it's ranks keeping the Hidden Leaf informed during the investigation process and have them answer for the crimes commited here and invite a delegation from Konohagakure to observe the trial or punishment representative of all the families that have lost their children to the horrendous things done here today."

She paused for a moment before clarifying. "Usually, it is frowned upon to have personal judgments in missions as it can cloud judgement but rest assured, I am sure Daiji-san and Toshi here will be there to help me avoid that, we are simply going to talk and hash things out, not start a war.

That would have to do, Soku thought turning to Toshi next. He had a bright mind, she thought and this would be a good test for him given it was him who had even suggested the idea of trying to talk with the village on a even level. "Takeshi-sama, Sennin Nao, this boy shows initative as indicated by his contributions to this thus far, I will propose Toshi act as my second negotiatior along with me, your fellow team members and me will advise and correct you when needed and I'm sure with Daiji-san on board, you will bring back great results."

 

[Toshi]

Toshi nodded upon hearing Daiji's opinion on the matter. It was true, and with the evidence they had, it was possible that they didn't have enough information to pinpoint the outcome of this mission. 'What did Nao call it? The Temporal Strider? It would really pay off to have those abilities during this mission.' Toshi shrugged the thought off, he'd work with what he had. Hopefully they wouldn't fail, and actually come back with a few answers. Coming back with a captured culprit, or turning them in to Suna would be a bonus. As long as the attacker didn't visit the village again, talk about the fiasco would die down... eventually.

Takeshi was ready for the verdict from the group. Whatever it was, they'd have to come up with their answer at this point. Izumi left, saying the team was adequate enough without him. All that was left was for Soku, who Toshi viewed as this mission's leader, to deliver the game plan to Takeshi. She did just that. Being named a second negotiator gave the ANBU trainee confidence in becoming one of the Diplomats, but that was a story for a future date. He'd do his best to get a step closer to the goal during this mission.

The boy remained silent. It would now be up to Takeshi to deliver on their proposal. Would it be a yes or no? Approved or denied? Go get em tiger, or stay at home kids? Toshi waited, but he wasn't sweating bullets or anything, just being patient as he potentially knew that the weight of the village would be on this team's shoulders.

 

[Gotō Daiji]

The Gotō remained silent as the rest of the group carried on conversation.

Takeshi spoke up, saying that it was up to the team who would be taking on this mission to come up with a solid plan and he had the final say on approval. "Good." Something Daiji rather appreciated. He was wary of bosses in general and having to deal with micromanagement on top of all the stressors that would no doubt come with investigating an international terrorist attack would have been hell. He still had much to learn about this Lord Fourth of theirs but at least he had enough faith in them to handle the mission as they see fit. Nao chimed in reiterating the man's point and it seemed as if they would be good to go as soon as they got their plan together. Soku laid it out which along with Toshi's input seemed viable as far as intervillage relations went. "As good a plan as any, Soku-sama." he would comment, an uncharacteristic quietness hanging heavy over him. A faint nagging feeling was tickling the rear portion of his brain but he knew all to well what that was. Instinct. Growing up among his clan diplomacy was not something that was taught. Sure there were family politics that had to be maneuvered like anyone else's but their preferred method of conflict resolution was short, simple, and best of all final. There was no room for anything else. To them this would all be considered idle chatter and completely inconsequential. There was only one thing to do when someone hurt you...

Kill.

At least that's what his training was telling him. Thankfully for everyone involved he had learned how to ignore that impulse when it would be better to do so a while ago. Daiji continued to listen as the Main Branch Sennin followed up her plan by saying that both he and Toshi would be there to make sure her personal feelings about the attack didn't get in the way. "I've had worse assignments." he mused to himself, glancing once again at Soku. No, he would not mind keeping a close eye on her at all. Toshi was selected as a second negotiator and that suited him just fine. This way he could provide support to the rest of the team, watch over them, and gather intel through different avenues. He had a way of moving through let's call them 'less-than-savory' parts of society with a certain ease. Maybe in ways the others couldn't. A hand would come to rest on Toshi's shoulder as the older shinobi gave a wink over the top of his sunglasses. "You'll do fine." He had full faith in the youth. Plus it would be good experience for him in dealing with these sorts of matters. The likes of which unfortunately may happen again in the future. Shinobi led dangerous lives. And this world they occupied was not an overly kind one.

For now he would keep his stream of consciousness to himself. In his head he was replaying the scene at the gates, re-analyzing the bits of data, repeating the words he had just heard but that feeling from before had yet to go away. "Sand ANBU attacks the Hidden Leaf... piles up bodies, nearly kills a Sennin... announces his name and then leaves?" he removed his hand from Toshi's shoulder to push his shades up. "It's all wrong." Something told him that he'd be stuck with that feeling for a while yet. Unless Sunagakure was allowing complete idiots into the ranks of its ANBU it couldn't be right. Daiji had much more respect for them than that. It was like he always told his students. Never underestimate anyone. That usual smirk of his had faded and instead his face looked much like it had at the scene of the gate massacre. Like stone. His shades helped to mask it a bit but it was apparent... the carefree demeanor with which he normally carried himself was starting to slip.

[mft]

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi continued to have his very relaxed position as he listened to the explanation of the mission, it seemed that everyone had a different view on this, and still, in his mind, he had to give it that something did not add up at all, Sand was not open in aggression, even since the time he had been Hokage even he knew that much. Peace was preferred and kept and right now that wasn't what everyone was saying or seeing, though he was sure the investigation would bring out the truth, as he leaned his head back for a few moments.

"Mission Approved, bring the paperwork I will file it, Toshi will be second, and for this, you must investigate, aggression is the last course of action, I hope I make myself clear on that front, Sand has been our friends lets not blow that out of the water before it has even settled by reckless actions and attacks instead talk with them that is how most things got solved back in my day, I don't think it has really changed that much"

Standing up to his full height he headed over to the group to see if anyone had anything else to say to him, after all, it was always worth just keeping himself focused on the here and now, better to have them ask questions when he could respond to them rather than ask questions when it was too late. Making eye contact with each of them.

"Any last questions?"

 

[Gotō Daiji]

A plan had been set.

Now it was time to prepare. A long trip lay ahead with dangers unknown. He would meet with Toshi and Soku when they were ready to depart and unbeknownst to them do some groundwork on his own. His family had access to a wealth of information that he could access. There would be a cost of course... as with all things involving his clan, but that burden was his alone to shoulder. It had been years since he'd taken on a contract. If he wanted help he would have no choice in the matter. Doubtless his father and sister would be pleased.

Without another word the young man nodded to all present, bid farewell, and exited the office. As he walked the fingers on his right hand began to twitch. He hated this feeling. The anticipation before the strike. He had been running from his method of nurture for a long time now. The head of his clan would have him believe that it was simply his nature but that wasn't true. It couldn't be. Circumstance it seemed would have him facing it soon enough one way or another. He just hoped he would not become consumed...

[OOC: Just lmk if/when y'all want to continue the plotline! Pretty sure we all got busy at the same time so no worries lol]
[Topic Left Due To Inactivity]