Setting the Stage

[Raizo]

He was in an empty room. Out of a mixture of respect and pride, he refused to utilize the old office that Sunahoshi Katsuo had used. It had felt like he had been here for some time, and while the former Kazekage had been missing for nearly a year, he did not feel comfortable completely overtaking the man's space. There was still a chance he was alive and would either be returned or found. While that was it's own little thing to process, he needed to focus on the here and now. He was the Kazekage, and while Sousuke still had kept him locked up and rarely notified him of things that might be of importance, he was not one to merely sit idly. He had already forced one hand, it was now time to prepare to force a couple of more.

"Yukina. Please return to the estates. I think I have been here long enough that we can finally make it known the situation. I want you to pass along this specific message."

He would slide a note to her, one that she would take a moment to read. Her expression would go from muted to very stunned as her eyes would widen. He would merely raise his hand and smile before she could exclaim whatever it was she might have been thinking.

"It will be okay... this is my way, and it is what I think is for the best. Please hurry there and hurry back. I will need you as soon as you can make it... you are the only person that gets me here."

Her stunned expression would turn to a smile as she would nod. She would not truly express her full emotions on this either, as she felt a certain way towards Raizo last comment. She, however, had a task and it was her responsibility to attend to the wishes of her lord. She would immediately take out of the tower to head towards the Ryuzaki Compound.

He still had one more hand to force.

"Excuse me, can someone with knowledge of the village's communication system please come to the Interim Kazekage's office?"

He would smirk and wait...

[OOC: NPC Yukina has left the thread]

WC - 357 words

 

[Raizo]

A female would immediately barge into the room along with a various assortment of men. The men would start to simply bring in the equipment while the female would start to work on connecting and starting up the various pieces of electronics.

"Ummm... hello...?"

He would merely look on as the female would continue to work away feverishly, and her assistants would continue to bring in equipment. It was almost astonishing. Were all of these machines truly necessary? Based on how the female was working, it would all lead him to believe that they were very much necessary.

Is she ignoring me?

"Hey! Hello! My name is..."

Before he could continue the female would suddenly appear before him, her thick glasses staring up at him. She would quickly take hold of him and raise his arms.

Is this... is this about to get... intimate?!

The female would then pull down pull out a measuring tape and start to take certain measurements of his body as she would then quickly scurry back to the various pieces of communication equipment.

"HEY! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"Could you please keep quiet? I am trying to finish prepping this."

All the women of this village hate me... what sort of hell is this place...

"Oh... OH!"

The woman's head would poke up from behind the equipment as she turned her attention to him. It would be hard to discern her actual expression, her glasses made reading her eyes impossible and just seemed to serve to distract you away from the rest of her face, but while he might not have been able to notice it, she was clearly looking embarrassed.

"OH MY GOODNESS! THE KAZEKAGE!!!!!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO TELL YOU TO SHUT YOUR STUPID FACE!!!!"

"Well... I mean, you didn't say those words."

"IT IS JUST THAT YOU WERE ANNOYING THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!!!"

"Well... I don't know if that was entirely necessary..."

The woman would then once more approach him, bowing rapidly, as she would begin to fire off a rapid fire string of words that he would assume were an apology but were hard to fully decipher.

"It's okay... it's okay... IT'S OKAY!!!"

The female would stop and instantly transition into work mode once more as she was now already in the process of placing a microphone onto his body before he even realized what she was doing.

She must be the strongest ninja in this village... what speed... what tactics...

"Okay so you are essentially ready to go, Kazekage... sir? Kazekage... sama? Kaz--"

"Stop. Continue with the explanation."

"So you will just need to speak once I give you the thumbs up. Once you see that, you will not only start being recorded but your communication will be broadcasted throughout this village."

"Just the village?"

"Yes, it was advised that maybe we start small scale first."

He would grumble to himself as he would slowly start to make his way over to the equipment.

"I know this out of my wheelhouse, but before we start, would you mind explaining all this stuff to me?"

"WOULD I!?"

And so... he would get an earful of more information than he could have ever imagined.

 

[Raizo]

"Ok... you are good!" Musen would say with a smile upon her face and her thumb raised up into the air.

He would clear his throat as he would look down at the microphone before him. His mind would start to reflect back on all the insane things he had either done or had been placed into, situations that literally risked his life. Each moment seemed to come with its own mixture of emotions, and whether it was youth in the past or just arrogance, he always seemed to end up enduring with a smile. Could have died, sure? But something in his blood just told him those moments would not be his end. With all that, with all those memories and experiences, he still sat there staring down at the microphone. It wasn't a weapon, it could not physically hurt him and he wouldn't even need to face his true audience... and yet, he was frozen.

Shit... what do you tell these people. What can I possibly say to explain myself in any form or justification... I should have just let Sousuke handle this. That is what made the most sense... but then he went off and kept losing himself in the grander picture... I mean that was my assessment of him anyways, so why does that shock me!? No, it couldn't be him. If it was him, no matter how this ultimately goes, they would never start the process of trusting me. I would just be a piece of Sousuke's legacy. I am my own man. This is what I wanted... right? Well, I guess... not really... but that doesn't matter. What matters is in that moment, when talking to Sousuke, I didn't just think this was the best decision, I felt it. I spoke on reflexes, I didn't overthink it... so why am I now. Clear your mind. Just think of what Yu would say... ha, she would just give me a pissed and miserable look. I hope she has a safe travel back home.

He would tap the microphone as he would clear his throat.

"Ehmmm.... This is an important message on behalf of the Village of Suna. Roughly a year ago, a series of quakes followed in the wake of the emergence of an evil figure and his army of monstrosities. That night, Dominus appeared on the surface, the entire country shook, and a Swarm was cast upon us all. In that same night, this village lost two prized members: the Sennin, Okayama Roku and the 10th Kazekage, Sunahoshi Katsuo."

He would pause at this time, not just to clear his throat but to clear and focus his mind on the next words.

"All of this had previously been covered by the Steward, Takahashi Sousuke. I am not here to rehash that, but to insert information that could not be adequately reflected at that time: neither of their bodies have been found, so while one can assume that means they have perished... I choose to believe they are still out there. Either fighting, fighting like you all of this village have been or as the members of the greater Wind Country have been... or they are waiting out there for us to find them and bring them home. That is what is great about this country, about this village; it is a land of fighters. There is not and there has never been quit within these borders. No matter the hardships, from the days of the First Men, our people have proven to be resilient, to be tenacious, to be clever... to be so many different and amazing things, but the one thing we have never been is quitters. A harsh storm, rampaging monsters, secret organizations, the waves seem to continue to crash upon our shores and we continue to fight."

There would be another pause, he would begin to tap the desk as his eyes started to glare down, his focus seemed to be searching for something. Maybe the right words to say?

"It is on this spirit that I would like to formally announce a matter that has started to be talked about more openly. It has taken me some time to make this announcement, as I truly wanted to not only find the right words but to allow Sunahoshi Katsuo to be returned, but I can no longer delay this. My name is Ryuzaki Raizo, I am the future head of the Ryuzaki clan. For those of you familiar with the history of Wind Country, you know that name. For those of you unaware, the Ryuzaki bloodline, much like the Sunahoshi bloodline, traces back directly to one of the First Men. Unlike the Sunahoshi, we are descendants of Legatus, who was described as one of the right-hand men of Primus. I didn't come here to hold a history lecture, but this information is important for what I need to say. The Sunahoshi were chosen and "Blessed" by Mother Suna. This blessing made them the sole heirs of Sunagakure no Sato, and with a partnership with the Takahashi Clan, they would establish and nurture this village to what it has become. With the disappearance of Sunahoshi Katsuo, there would no longer be an heir of the Blessed Blood to sit upon the highest seat of this village."

Once more a pause, this time because he simply needed a break from talking.

"This is not a time for the village to be left without leadership. The efforts of The Steward, Takahashi Sousuke, while could have served to fill this void, his true maximum benefit to this village is what he can provide while focused solely on the task at hand, the looming Swarm threat. So, at the support of the Steward, I offered myself to fill the void of the Sunahoshi. I am vowed to take the title of Kazekage and do two things; bring an end to this threat, this Dominus, that not only challenges this village's existence but the very existence of the whole country. Secondly, I would find and return Sunahoshi Katsuo and allow him to rightfully return to his role within this village's leadership."

There would be some static that he would pick up from Musen's direction as her expression seemed to change as she started to frantically motion to him.

"I may not have been born in this village, but I was always taught the importance of this village and this land. I did not come here hoping to insert myself into the village as I did, my original intention was to come here and see if my Clan would be able to return to this village after nearly a century of being removed from it. Yet, I saw a need and I saw a purpose. My family, the Ryuzaki, have trained each member of the clan since birth to be warriors. Not shinobi, like what this village relies on, but warriors, those called upon when in time of war. I wish to merge the teachings of the Ryuzaki, discipline and the art of war, with the nuances of this village and its shinobi system, tactical minded and devasting in small groupings. If we are to see a future where this village or the entirety of Wind Country, from the nomads roaming the desert, to the merchants of Soon's, to those who sit in luxury in Sora, it will not only take a combination of all of our collective skills and abilities, it will take a new form of thinking. As you may have noticed, this village is one of the primary sanctuaries left within this country. Our population continues to climb as refugees continue to pour in. We can't sustain ourselves alone at this rate, and yet I am aware of the recent past in which this very village has drawn the ire from the governmental bodies of this country. Doubt and suspicion, along with the need for this village to remain secretive, have allowed a seed of distrust to not only plant but take root and flourish. Yet, to survive this new nightmare, we need to be able to bridge this lingering divide."

Another pause, this time he would have a genuine idea of where he was going now.

"I am here to usher you all towards that, towards a new day. I can and will serve as that bridge. My family, my upbringing, were all outside of this village. My life has been spent more so with those of Sora and Soons, and for a period with those of the Wilds, and I will use this to help mend wartime alliances to bring forth peace to the sands of this land. The true challenge for me, is you all, the Village of Suna. But as I described earlier, as a member of this beautiful country, and a new member of this village, I too will not merely shy away from the challenge or look to give up. I will be relentless in my pursuit to show you all, whether you are a shinobi or a civilian, a member of the military police or a cook, that everything I do... I do for you. I promise you all, that by the time I have finished here, this village will no longer fear the Swarm or Dominus... or any other monster hiding in the shadows. Oh no, they will all fear you. You are the beacon of hope, Suna. You are the village built by the man who freed humanity within this country, Suna. You will be the same people who will see this land through another Chaotic Era and bring about a return to peace, Suna. You will do all this, Suna, and I will do everything, until my last breath, to see to that."

His fist would clench as a smile would be etched across his face.

"I am Ryuzaki Raizo, and I am your 11th Kazekage."

With that he would click the microphone off as Musen, who had been panicking the whole time, would finally burst forth with the words she was holding in.

"KAZEKAGE! SOUSUKE-SAMA HAS SAID THE SWARM ARE INCOMING!!!"

"Well, shit... tell me where I need to go. Oh, wait..."

Musen would look on puzzled as she wasn't sure what the Kazekage might have on his mind.

"When you weren't looking after you explained the machine to me, I flipped the switch that allowed me to broadcast to all of Wind Country. I should've told you sooner, but I appreciate the help!" his words would be said with a big grin upon his face as he would wave and immediately exit the room while Musen would begin to go into another fit of panic.

And with that, he would await his update and then would head to the wall. It seemed they were going to be in for a long night...

 

[Kazu]

It was the day of the Long Night, though no one knew it yet. Kazu, roaming the streets of Sunagakure, certainly did not.

There was, however, a general buzz of…something. A feeling in the air. A stirring of energy. A current of change that swept through the village — coursing through shinobi and civilian, alike — causing everyone to feel uneasy. It was similar to the sense of being in a rudderless boat, with no oars, and with no sense of where, exactly, the waters beneath you were leading. Leaderless, and with a looming threat very nearly on their doorstep, the village was growing anxious.

Kazu was not one to stand out with flashy clothes; a simple white tank top, and loose fitting black pants, were his go-to outfit. It was his bright red eyes, short charcoal black hair, and thick dark markings around the bottom of his eyes that really made him stand out — flashy clothes would have just been unnecessary. He did, however, wear a pensive scowl that seemed to make people even twice his age move out of the way as he stalked the streets looking for something to take his mind off this uneasy feeling. 'Anything, really, would do. I could almost wish for the attack to just start already!' Regret filled the boy instantly afterwards; he hoped there was no attack, at all, but this seemingly endless waiting was nowhere near enjoyable. Licking his lips, the red eyes darted left and right looking for something to happen. Something interesting for him to pounce on. Somethi-

Suddenly, a crackling electrical sound could be heard all throughout the village. Bullhorns, strategically placed to cover the entirety of Sunagakure, began to come to life. A voice, not a siren or other signal, began to speak. "Ehmmm.... This is an important message on behalf of the Village of Suna..."

Everywhere people turned their heads up from what they were doing to listen, Kazu included. 'Why does that voice sound...familiar?' But his thoughts quickly drifted away from trying to put a face to the name as the speaker continued. Kazu was not the only one captivated by what he was hearing — all around, the citizens of Suna had their eyes and ears locked on the nearest bullhorn they could locate, as if they could coax the man's next words out quicker by sheer thought alone. Gasps of shock, and a few cries of fear or sorrow, rang out when the speaker mentioned the official passing of Sennin Okayama Roku and the 10th Kazekage Sunahoshi Katsuo — there had been some chatter at the mention of a 'Dominus,' but most seemed confused as to who the identity of this strangely named fellow was. The speaker kept on speaking; the listeners kept on listening.

His words were inspiring, speaking the praises of the village, and Kazu saw all around him that the people were responding to it. Looks of pride, and shimmering eyes, told a story of a people that had been bent, and bruised, but had not been — and would not be — broken. Yet all the while, one thought kept coming back into Kazu's head: 'I swear, I know this voice! I...I'm sure of it!' But try as hard as he might, a face would not appear in his mind. Was he crazy? Kazu muttered something to a few people around him, asking if they knew who was speaking, but he either got an angry 'shush' or an unsure shrug for an answer. 'Whoever it is, they sure seemed to be capturing the hearts of the people.' Then, the voice said, "My name is Ryuzaki Raizo, I am the future head of the Ryuzaki clan."

Suddenly, nothing else that Kazu heard seemed to register. In one ear, and out the other. 'Ehhh....?' Kazu almost couldn't process what he was hearing. His body began to move on its own, pushing against a growing tide of people flocking into the area to get a better listen nearer a bullhorn, until he found his legs quickly whisking him off in the direction of the Kazekage Tower. His expression was blank. He barely saw the buildings, streets, or people around him as he went. He simply moved, trying not to think too much and failing miserably at that.

By the time he reached the Tower, the speech was almost over. The last thing to be heard, off in the distance, was: "I am Ryuzaki Raizo, and I am your 11th Kazekage." Kazu was situated on a nearby rooftop right across from the entrance to the Kazekage Tower, his face an impenetrable mask, his eyes locked on the front door to the Tower. Thoughts swirled in his head faster than he could perceive them. So many emotions, it was hard to pin one down. Suddenly, the door opened. A pink-haired man walked out. Before he knew it, Kazu was gripping a spear of bone in his hand — 'When did I do that?' — then, the next moment, he felt his arm raise up above and toss the weapon purposefully towards the man. Kazu saw the makeshift weapon soar through the air. He was intending for it to land in the sand, right in front of the man's walking path, but it could very well have been caught, blocked, or re-directed.

"COUSIN RAIZO, YOU BIG JERK!" Where Kazu's face was a plain mask before, fury and betrayal had bubbled up. The young boy with the distinctive fiery red eyes and thick black markings under his eyes looked rather angry. He didn't realize it, but a small stream of red-orange flames were beginning to trail out from the backs of his legs. Without warning, the boy leapt right off the rooftop he was standing on and landed in front of the man to block his path forward. Planting his feet, and pointing his index finger directly at the man, Kazu wore such an accusing glare that one might have thought the boy was about to attack his new Kazekage. "Why didn't you tell me you were here in the village! I ought to challenge you to a sparring match right here and now! And don't you think things will go like last time when Enishi had to step in and save me — I'm a lot stronger now!" Kazu seemed to be waiting for the man to say something, but at the same time gave him no room to respond. "WELL?! Out with it! What do you have to say for yourself?!?"

[06/24/20 Edit: I'm going to sneaky fade out of this topic, as it seems to not be doing anything. Don't exactly want to void the topic, but going to just quietly do a 'Topic Left.']