Today was the day. One of the rare days the sun was shining gloriously on the village of Kumogakure. And that wasn’t the only special thing about the day, it was also coronation day. The Council had chosen a new Raikage to replace the one that had vanished, leaving the village in disarray for a while until things could be sorted out properly. Some probably wouldn’t believe their eyes when they saw who it was, and others would nod as if they had expected it. The new Raikage herself wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t pinched her arm a few times when she got out of bed either.
Despite all the naysayers and detractors, it had finally happened. The goal Kitsune had set for herself decades ago had been achieved. She was Raikage. And not a moment too late, as there was a ton of work to be done to get Kumogakure back on the right track on the path to glory. There were enemies all around the country, vying to bring down the shinobi village and her allies. There was also the matter of the now defunct Leaf-Cloud alliance which Kitsune had tried to keep intact, but to no avail due to outside interference.
For the time being she’d donated a substantial amount of money to the council so they could get started on expanding Kumogakures civilian businesses and housing for the less fortunate in life. So once the home field was properly taken care of, she could put her attention towards re-establishing an alliance with Leaf. They might not even be surprised that she made Raikage, as she had written messages to them prior to today and signed them as Interim Raikage. Many probably wouldn’t have guessed she’d go from interim to proper, but here we are.
Kitsune had made her way to the Torre Celeste. The administrative nerve hub of the village. And also… where her new office was located. She headed straight inside and practically made a beeline towards the office, politely greeting the employees she met along the way as was fitting of someone who was their boss and now controlled three provinces of the country. Regardless of all that, she slipped inside the office, closing the door behind her and looking around. It looked exactly like she left it when doing paperwork after Ayumu had vanished, and so it had to be changed. She wanted to put her own personal touch on it.
First of all, she went over to a nearby closet that looked like it’d house the official Raikage Raiment, and wouldn’t you know it, it was empty. Kitsune made a ‘tch’ noise and went searching the office for the clothes she’d need for the actual coronation only to find them tossed unceremoniously into a different closet. She picked them up and put them on the same kind of stand you’d use for a kimono to keep it free of wrinkles before performing a series of handseals to wash, clean and dry the robes and hat.
Once everything was ready, things could begin. People had been told there’d be an important announcement from the balcony outside the Raikages office at noon, precisely. There were still time yet before noon, but people had already begun lining up, getting the good spots where they could see the balcony with ease. For now though, Kitsune would try on the robes now that they’d been cleaned and then the hat, finding that they were roomy enough to easily fit her, even around the chest. The hat would come in handy with the sun shining down outside, and that too fit her just fine.
Just under half of the eleven non-Shinobi council members were present today for the coronation. Unfortunately, the disappearance of the previous Raikage, along with the Sennin under his charge meant that there was a lot of work Council had to do over the last few months, to make sure that things would soon run smoothly, and that Kumogakure would be back on track.
Thus, despite their busy schedules, all eleven council members had taken time off to meet, so that discussions could be nailed as quickly and effectively as possible. Thus, it all leads to today - the coronation of the 11th Raikage of Kumogakure, where the majority of the council members had to return to their roles or had other reasons to not attend.
Amongst those that did attend was Moto Shihi, who still was not all that happy about how events had transpired but were professional enough to ensure his presence at the coronation given his role as head of the non-Shinobi police. After all, that was what being part of a leadership team meant - behind closed doors he and his fellows might disagree, but once an accord has been reached, as a council member his role was to either stand side by side with his fellows, or remove himself from office. Sowing dissent, especially publicly, was absolutely not honorable.
So anyways, the five were standing towards the front of the balcony, ready to address the people below. It was, after all, coming up to noon. Standing in the middle of the five was Suigetsu Suiko, who for all intents and purposes relating to the selection and coronation of the 11th Raikage, was the de facto leader of Council. To her left stood Momii Shinpei, and then a bit further on was Shihi. To Suiko's right stood Yosenku Mishokuni, who seemed to be standing just slightly too close to Toyama Miki.
The crowd down below was becoming larger and larger by the moment, and after a bit more time, Shinpei finally leaned over a little bit to whisper to Suiko that it was time.
Alright then.
Suigetsu Suiko
Council Member for Water and Sewerage
Suiko stepped to the fore, almost leaning on the balcony. "Citizens of Kumogakure!" She announced, in a large booming voice. Suiko followed that with a moment of silence, letting the rowdy crowd below to settle down. As the first wave of people who heard her speak quietened and started to pay attention, everyone else quickly followed suit. About half a minute later when chatter had died down enough, Suiko continued. "Thank you, everyone, for gathering on this auspicious day. My name is Suigetsu Suiko, Council Member for Water and Sewerage, and spokesperson for the entire Council today. We have a very important announcement to make." Again, a pause.
"As it has become apparent, we have unfortunately suffered the loss of the 10th Raikage of Kumogakure, Kogami Ayumu, along with all Sennins under his reign. Although we had to all go through a trying time, I must commend the Shinobi of Kumogakure for maintaining our security and safety, for ensuring that all of us could go to work in the morning, and still come home safe and sound. I must also thank all of our non-Shinobi citizens, who also made sure that they held our village to the same high standards always. Here in Kumogakure, Shinobi or otherwise, we are one people, with one goal, one purpose, one thought. I am proud that not one of us faltered, abandoning our post or our village, whatever threats may have been posed by outside influences. And we will keep on fighting for our future, always!" Despite the speech had seemingly lost focus for a bit, it was all within Suiko's plan. She wanted to instil confidence in the non-Shinobi citizens down below and had to bring up some of the dangers that were really, just hypothetical. So far no serious threat had come from any faction outside or inside of Kumogakure, and in fact, despite the disappearance of Kumogakure's leadership, the Shinobi of the village had been able to continue and maintain a good relationship with Konohagakure. Suiko's plan seemed to have work, for her speech was met with loud applause from the entire crowd, that went on and on until Suiko finally raised her hand to silence the audience.
"With that said, today we will witness an occassion that deserves celebration. It is with our absolute pleasure to be able to introduce our soon-to-be 11th Raikage of Kumogakure, Shinrya Kitsune, Baroness of Raimei no Seika, and Duchess of Liancourt-Tsushima!" As she made the announcement, Miki and Mishokuni moved to one side, while the remaining three council members moved to the other, allowing the way for Kitsune to come through.
Kitsune was already adorned in Raikage robes, but sans the hat and with a small brown fox sitting on her shoulder instead. With the five council members clapping, the crowd below followed suit, even if they are still unsure of what is going on, or who Kitsune was. Someone else - an assistant to Council - came up alongside Kitsune, holding a cushion that adorned the Raikage hat on top of it.
As she stepped out onto the balcony, she gave a light bow to the people of Kumogakure standing below ”I thank you all for coming on this day,” she began in a booming voice, slightly amplified by chakra focused in her vocal cords ”And it is my hope that we’ll get to know each other better over the coming time. Do keep in mind I’ll always listen to your troubles and do my best to try and solve your issues.”
Suiko took the Raikage hat off of the cushion and motioned the assistant to step back, before turning to address Kitsune. "Shinrya Kitsune-san, it has been a pleasure to be able to introduce you to the people of Kumogakure today. Now, I must ask for certainty's sake. Shinrya Kitsune-san, do you accept the title of Raikage, along with all benefits, responsibilities, and conditions that comes with the title?"
”I accept the title, the responsibilities, the conditions, the benefits, and whatever else may come with serving our city.” she said in a serious tone, with the little brown fox, a contract summon, sitting on her shoulder acting just as serious and nodding too.
With that, Suiko placed the Raikage hat on Kitsune, before turning towards the crowd in preparation for another booming announcement. "Citizens of Kumogakure, may I present to you Shinrya Kitsune, the 11th Raikage of Kumogakure!"
Thunderous applause roared through the crowd, and all the guards, council members, and everyone else not mentioned joined in. Once again, Suiko allowed the applause to go on for a bit, before holding a hand up to silence the crowd. She turned towards Kitsune, offering a genuine smile. "Shinrya Kitsune-san, congratulations. Do us proud. The floor is now yours."
With that Suiko and the other council members turned towards the crowd, bowed, and took their leave back into the tower. It was now all about Kitsune.
---
”My beloved citizens. I stand before you now, humbly as your leader. I have a few edicts I’d like to pass before we get the celebration going. she began, placing her hands on the bannister of the balcony, First off. I’d like to appoint Kashino Yuu as the new Sennin of the Main Branch, and Yamamoto Yamaru as Headmaster of the Academy, which also promotes him to Jounin. As for our ANBU branch, I will temporarily lead it until a suitable candidate can be found, same with the medical branch as the candidate I had found there turned it down.”
She paused, taking a short breath ”Secondly, I vow to do what I can to restore the alliance we had with Leaf.” she continued ”To that end, I’ll be sending them a message shortly, informing them of these latest developments. And… Thirdly, after doing an investigation I’m issuing a full pardon to Suzaku Keiji since his involvement in the assassination of the Raikage Hayata Shin was unfounded. Thus removing him from the bingo book, and making him welcome in the village once again.”
A smile graced her features as she extended her arms to her people ”For now however… Eat. Drink. Be merry. This is a joyous day for our glorious city. In the wise words of two young men I met: Be excellent to each other.” and as she finished her speech, lights came on below the balcony, highlighting a large selection of foods, drinks, and both chefs and waiters, ready to provide the citizens with nourishment in both solid and liquid forms. All paid for by Kitsune herself, rather than using the village coffers, of course.
Despite all the naysayers and detractors, it had finally happened. The goal Kitsune had set for herself decades ago had been achieved. She was Raikage. And not a moment too late, as there was a ton of work to be done to get Kumogakure back on the right track on the path to glory. There were enemies all around the country, vying to bring down the shinobi village and her allies. There was also the matter of the now defunct Leaf-Cloud alliance which Kitsune had tried to keep intact, but to no avail due to outside interference.
For the time being she’d donated a substantial amount of money to the council so they could get started on expanding Kumogakures civilian businesses and housing for the less fortunate in life. So once the home field was properly taken care of, she could put her attention towards re-establishing an alliance with Leaf. They might not even be surprised that she made Raikage, as she had written messages to them prior to today and signed them as Interim Raikage. Many probably wouldn’t have guessed she’d go from interim to proper, but here we are.
Kitsune had made her way to the Torre Celeste. The administrative nerve hub of the village. And also… where her new office was located. She headed straight inside and practically made a beeline towards the office, politely greeting the employees she met along the way as was fitting of someone who was their boss and now controlled three provinces of the country. Regardless of all that, she slipped inside the office, closing the door behind her and looking around. It looked exactly like she left it when doing paperwork after Ayumu had vanished, and so it had to be changed. She wanted to put her own personal touch on it.
First of all, she went over to a nearby closet that looked like it’d house the official Raikage Raiment, and wouldn’t you know it, it was empty. Kitsune made a ‘tch’ noise and went searching the office for the clothes she’d need for the actual coronation only to find them tossed unceremoniously into a different closet. She picked them up and put them on the same kind of stand you’d use for a kimono to keep it free of wrinkles before performing a series of handseals to wash, clean and dry the robes and hat.
Once everything was ready, things could begin. People had been told there’d be an important announcement from the balcony outside the Raikages office at noon, precisely. There were still time yet before noon, but people had already begun lining up, getting the good spots where they could see the balcony with ease. For now though, Kitsune would try on the robes now that they’d been cleaned and then the hat, finding that they were roomy enough to easily fit her, even around the chest. The hat would come in handy with the sun shining down outside, and that too fit her just fine.
Toyama Miki Planning and Zoning Director | 
Yosenku Mishokuni Head of Non-Shinobi Judiciary |
Suigetsu Suiko Council Member for Water and Sewerage | 
Momii Shinpei Head of Public Broadcasting and Communications | 
Moto Shihi Head of Non-Shinobi Police |
Just under half of the eleven non-Shinobi council members were present today for the coronation. Unfortunately, the disappearance of the previous Raikage, along with the Sennin under his charge meant that there was a lot of work Council had to do over the last few months, to make sure that things would soon run smoothly, and that Kumogakure would be back on track.
Thus, despite their busy schedules, all eleven council members had taken time off to meet, so that discussions could be nailed as quickly and effectively as possible. Thus, it all leads to today - the coronation of the 11th Raikage of Kumogakure, where the majority of the council members had to return to their roles or had other reasons to not attend.
Amongst those that did attend was Moto Shihi, who still was not all that happy about how events had transpired but were professional enough to ensure his presence at the coronation given his role as head of the non-Shinobi police. After all, that was what being part of a leadership team meant - behind closed doors he and his fellows might disagree, but once an accord has been reached, as a council member his role was to either stand side by side with his fellows, or remove himself from office. Sowing dissent, especially publicly, was absolutely not honorable.
So anyways, the five were standing towards the front of the balcony, ready to address the people below. It was, after all, coming up to noon. Standing in the middle of the five was Suigetsu Suiko, who for all intents and purposes relating to the selection and coronation of the 11th Raikage, was the de facto leader of Council. To her left stood Momii Shinpei, and then a bit further on was Shihi. To Suiko's right stood Yosenku Mishokuni, who seemed to be standing just slightly too close to Toyama Miki.
The crowd down below was becoming larger and larger by the moment, and after a bit more time, Shinpei finally leaned over a little bit to whisper to Suiko that it was time.
Alright then.
Suigetsu Suiko
Council Member for Water and Sewerage
Suiko stepped to the fore, almost leaning on the balcony. "Citizens of Kumogakure!" She announced, in a large booming voice. Suiko followed that with a moment of silence, letting the rowdy crowd below to settle down. As the first wave of people who heard her speak quietened and started to pay attention, everyone else quickly followed suit. About half a minute later when chatter had died down enough, Suiko continued. "Thank you, everyone, for gathering on this auspicious day. My name is Suigetsu Suiko, Council Member for Water and Sewerage, and spokesperson for the entire Council today. We have a very important announcement to make." Again, a pause.
"As it has become apparent, we have unfortunately suffered the loss of the 10th Raikage of Kumogakure, Kogami Ayumu, along with all Sennins under his reign. Although we had to all go through a trying time, I must commend the Shinobi of Kumogakure for maintaining our security and safety, for ensuring that all of us could go to work in the morning, and still come home safe and sound. I must also thank all of our non-Shinobi citizens, who also made sure that they held our village to the same high standards always. Here in Kumogakure, Shinobi or otherwise, we are one people, with one goal, one purpose, one thought. I am proud that not one of us faltered, abandoning our post or our village, whatever threats may have been posed by outside influences. And we will keep on fighting for our future, always!" Despite the speech had seemingly lost focus for a bit, it was all within Suiko's plan. She wanted to instil confidence in the non-Shinobi citizens down below and had to bring up some of the dangers that were really, just hypothetical. So far no serious threat had come from any faction outside or inside of Kumogakure, and in fact, despite the disappearance of Kumogakure's leadership, the Shinobi of the village had been able to continue and maintain a good relationship with Konohagakure. Suiko's plan seemed to have work, for her speech was met with loud applause from the entire crowd, that went on and on until Suiko finally raised her hand to silence the audience.
"With that said, today we will witness an occassion that deserves celebration. It is with our absolute pleasure to be able to introduce our soon-to-be 11th Raikage of Kumogakure, Shinrya Kitsune, Baroness of Raimei no Seika, and Duchess of Liancourt-Tsushima!" As she made the announcement, Miki and Mishokuni moved to one side, while the remaining three council members moved to the other, allowing the way for Kitsune to come through.
Kitsune was already adorned in Raikage robes, but sans the hat and with a small brown fox sitting on her shoulder instead. With the five council members clapping, the crowd below followed suit, even if they are still unsure of what is going on, or who Kitsune was. Someone else - an assistant to Council - came up alongside Kitsune, holding a cushion that adorned the Raikage hat on top of it.
As she stepped out onto the balcony, she gave a light bow to the people of Kumogakure standing below ”I thank you all for coming on this day,” she began in a booming voice, slightly amplified by chakra focused in her vocal cords ”And it is my hope that we’ll get to know each other better over the coming time. Do keep in mind I’ll always listen to your troubles and do my best to try and solve your issues.”
Suiko took the Raikage hat off of the cushion and motioned the assistant to step back, before turning to address Kitsune. "Shinrya Kitsune-san, it has been a pleasure to be able to introduce you to the people of Kumogakure today. Now, I must ask for certainty's sake. Shinrya Kitsune-san, do you accept the title of Raikage, along with all benefits, responsibilities, and conditions that comes with the title?"
”I accept the title, the responsibilities, the conditions, the benefits, and whatever else may come with serving our city.” she said in a serious tone, with the little brown fox, a contract summon, sitting on her shoulder acting just as serious and nodding too.
With that, Suiko placed the Raikage hat on Kitsune, before turning towards the crowd in preparation for another booming announcement. "Citizens of Kumogakure, may I present to you Shinrya Kitsune, the 11th Raikage of Kumogakure!"
Thunderous applause roared through the crowd, and all the guards, council members, and everyone else not mentioned joined in. Once again, Suiko allowed the applause to go on for a bit, before holding a hand up to silence the crowd. She turned towards Kitsune, offering a genuine smile. "Shinrya Kitsune-san, congratulations. Do us proud. The floor is now yours."
With that Suiko and the other council members turned towards the crowd, bowed, and took their leave back into the tower. It was now all about Kitsune.
---
”My beloved citizens. I stand before you now, humbly as your leader. I have a few edicts I’d like to pass before we get the celebration going. she began, placing her hands on the bannister of the balcony, First off. I’d like to appoint Kashino Yuu as the new Sennin of the Main Branch, and Yamamoto Yamaru as Headmaster of the Academy, which also promotes him to Jounin. As for our ANBU branch, I will temporarily lead it until a suitable candidate can be found, same with the medical branch as the candidate I had found there turned it down.”
She paused, taking a short breath ”Secondly, I vow to do what I can to restore the alliance we had with Leaf.” she continued ”To that end, I’ll be sending them a message shortly, informing them of these latest developments. And… Thirdly, after doing an investigation I’m issuing a full pardon to Suzaku Keiji since his involvement in the assassination of the Raikage Hayata Shin was unfounded. Thus removing him from the bingo book, and making him welcome in the village once again.”
A smile graced her features as she extended her arms to her people ”For now however… Eat. Drink. Be merry. This is a joyous day for our glorious city. In the wise words of two young men I met: Be excellent to each other.” and as she finished her speech, lights came on below the balcony, highlighting a large selection of foods, drinks, and both chefs and waiters, ready to provide the citizens with nourishment in both solid and liquid forms. All paid for by Kitsune herself, rather than using the village coffers, of course.
'Academy Headmaster, huh?' Maru thought to himself, disguised as a white fox as he overlooked Torre Celeste from a nearby building near the strip leading towards the place, the white nine tailed fox turned around with grace as it moved on all fours to the edge of a building where the beast hopped down. The white fox as it hopped down front legs and paws began to shift back into that of a human's arm, the hind legs shifting back as well when the fox landed crouched like a wild beast. Then Maru stood to his full height as his beast like features began to change starting from the feet then working itself up to his head. Once he shape shifted back into a human, Maru looked back at the group of youkai, ghosts, and spirits that was standing behind him waiting to hear what the new Raikage was planning since they feared that the new human wouldn't be too kind to demon kind. 
