Things had to be in their place. He could not move forward until they were.
Sousuke wandered the halls of his home, the halls of the fully rebuilt Kazekage Tower, and the halls of the Toraono Dojo; taking measurements. That was it. He was constantly asked by shinobi, the public, and Wei’s hand-picked sycophants as to exactly what he was up to, and the response was a simple, metallic;
“Structural stability testing.” How Sousuke was managing that with the mere measurements of a retracting tape measurer was beyond anyone except, perhaps, the man who had handed the old steward a certain set of blueprints not but two weeks past. The days following the illicit meeting of minds among the active Sennin and the Old Council had seen the Robokage moving about his home with more energy than anyone had seen in a number of years.
This, of course, drew suspicion. Not just simply from Wei, but everyone. He was an older man moving about Sunagakure measuring things. It wasn’t exactly a secret among the populace that worried for the man’s mental state after having lead Suna through some of her darker times, while continuing to keep council with every Kazekage until Raizo’s later half of reign. Some even pondered that this might be “that moment,” in which the man had finally snapped and not even he really knew what he was doing; after all, how did one measure structural support with tape again? Only he knew.
Not to say that the people didn’t have their freedom to worry. Sousuke was easily one of the oldest living things in Sunagakure if you didn’t count Ryuu Tama, Toraono Kuro, or even Akkuma; depending on which legends you believed in. Rarely did shinobi live to see their 50’s, and they were all well into the 80’s with their age, and most basic soldiers who lived the life of a Sunan Soldier got a bit nutty around their forties. It was a hard life. Yet, the ever vigilant Sousuke had long ago trapped his mind within a steel case that would never suffer the effects of aging like those around him. If anything, it was his old beliefs that were the things running aground with the new world.
An Iron Throne that wasn’t exclusive to three bloodlines. Ancients, Hybrids, and Humanity settling their age old war in order to fight against a bigger threat. Akkuma as a Sennin of Sunagakure, actually working with Sunagkaure. These were just the three big things that leaped to mind first, but the list went on. The time had come for the Old Ways to step aside in favor of the next generation and the hope they carried with their youthful ideas; ironically though, that did mean Suna would have to take a step back.
Chikamatsu Wei was a symbol of progression while regressing at the same time. He was advancing backwards, in a manor of speaking, by changing Sunagakure from the independent shinobi village into a mercenary cartel for the Oil Barons. A handful of shinobi took it in stride. Some actually enjoyed the extra work and lavish pay, even if the entire military front was all about destroying natives to the land; but the rest detested the creature their home had become. They were quiet, unfortunately, because in the last few weeks since the meeting those who had once freely spoken out against the current military orders were suddenly jailed for dissent. Sousuke hated when Akkuma was right, but the Devil had been right on the money; he should have destroyed the bar on their exit.
How much exactly the opponent knew was still ever an overwhelming shadow over them all, but in the end it didn’t matter much. Wei could know the entire plan through, and through; he could not persecute nobility without solid proof. That one thin line drawn in the sand was all that kept Sousuke from continuing to measure, he assumed, as more often than not he had caught Wei’s Chosen close by monitoring everything he was doing.
At the end of the third week, the tape snapped back into its little square box as Sousuke stood with arms crossed now staring at the last thing measured: the entire base plate of Sunagakure that was the Underground’s ceiling. He was calculating impossible math in his head alone without need of scratch paper; arithmetic that would have driven a layman insane. His face scrunched up.
“That...that is bloody impeccable. How long has Akkuma been studying Suna?” he asked no one.
——————————————
The meeting location was exactly where you expected it to be. Open. In the lush gardens of the Arboretum. Sousuke walked absently around with hands clasped behind his back marveling the structure the 12th’s clan erected. It was a wonderful addition to the Omni-Prime he had personally helped construct, and made for gathering important herbs for medical research…well, a walk in the garden! The beautiful rare flowers were planted in large rectangular fields. Greenhouses that lined the left side kept humid conditions for plants that would normally not be able to grow in the desert. A single dark shack with ultravoilet lights on within kept specific poisonous weeds at their most potent. It was a marvel to behold, and not for the first time did the ex-Steward feel a clutch in his heart.
Despite what his clan had pulled in the wake of their disappearance, Chikimatsu Shin had every chance to become one of the greatest faces of change in the role of Kazekage. The information he had received on some of their proposed plans caused more than one quirked eyebrow for Sousuke, but in general, the man had a sound plan for the village’s future; he only hoped his nephew could fill in those big shoes. Michino had the 10th and 11th’s rule looming over him - which was nothing to say of all the good the ex-Steward had done for the country despite never once claiming the title of Kazekage. Outright refusing, even.
“Amazing, is it not?” came a gruff, but steady voice from behind the mechanical hero. Had the man a beating heart instead of gears, he imagined the old assassin would have just spooked him. Still quiet as ever.
“Without question. You brought what I asked for?” Sousuke responded before turning his head to look back over his shoulder at Uzu. The assassin, with a cocky grin, lifted a copper tea pot. The man had also lost an absolutely frightening amount of weight since his return. Was ANBU that hard on the man now?
“I’ve been training,” Toushin said without a single question being asked, catching to the features Sousuke’s flesh mask must have been making.
The two set up at a metal table that was located near the flowers. Usually lovers, dating teens, and old married couples came here for a romantic get away. The conditions within were generally more comfortable than the oppressive heat outside. While Sousuke and Uzu had no romantic connection to speak of, being that neither of the two men swung even close to being attracted to the same gender, they did have a very extensive repertoire.
“How are the marigolds doing?” Sousuke asked as the opposite prepared the tea.
“Growing strong. One blooms faster than the other, but the other has far more room for expansion."
“Amazing. You always had a certain green thumb when it came to flowers, and I just knew you would do well with the 12th’s last gift to you.” Uzu’s eyes shot up with a threatening look. Sousuke had spoken slightly out of turn in his comment which made their coded dance stumble just ever so slightly. Age was something both men had “beaten”, but it still showed - especially with the mechanical hero who wanted none of this secrecy anymore.
“I do have something special for you though, a rare gift I managed to procure from a contact in Soon,” Uzu stated changing the subject as he poured the herbal brew into two cups and handed one to Sousuke. Taking the tiny plate and teacup, the robotic human would note that the weight of the plate was off by just a few grams. He placed it in front of him, lifted the cup to drink the tea, and noticed beneath the cup was a hollowed spot for a ring. It gave off a certain energy that was so overwhelmingly familiar to the ex-Steward he almost spit out the rare blend.
“Great Scott,” he replied, “So it’s true,” breaking the little coded dance again but in a far less obvious way. The haunted look on his face spoke volumes and his grip tightened in a rare moment of anger. He set the cup back down, closed his eyes, and breathed before replying, “I never thought we could get minted herbs so easily these days. Truly a wonder what the Chikamatsu has done for Sunagakure.”
“Indeed,” was Uzu’s only reply.
The odd couple finished their tea and their conversation without coded talk. They spoke of family, finances, and how ANBU life was treating the new Captain again that he was back in the fold; answered only by a sweeping hand over his physical form as anything else was classified. Sousuke took the answer in stride.
——————————————
“I-…what? Your joking. Uncle, this is a very bad joke,” Michino stated, flabbergasted.
“If only I was my boy…I’d have happily avoided this, but, you’re the only man we could decide on..."
“I…okay wait, hold on….I need a minute.”
Michino was standing, staring now out of a window from his lavish home within the Toraono Dojo. Chiyoko was out, currying the favor of other Toraono women as she had taken to lately; within the last few months, it even seemed like fun for her. Michino was in his evening wear with plans, about to turn in for the night, something he only committed to once every three days Dressed in a simple sarong around his waist and nothing else, he stared into the distant dunes painted by the sunset. His wild and shaggy hair moved as a cool breeze glided through the window before his hand curled into a balled fist. It pounded against the terracotta wall in some frustration; though no damage was left.
“You would ask me to commit betrayal to everything I stand for Sousuke. You want me, to take over the role of Kazekage by ousting the sitting Steward? There is no precedent for this, how will this not appear to be just the Toraono vying to take control of Sunagakure? It’s already well known that our clan is incredibly opposed to the war with the Nomads. To a point that our warriors are defying orders and being sent back home in disgrace or even…” a burst of flame erupted from that clenched fist above his head resting against the wall, “…execute for treason.” There was no fear in his voice with concerns to himself, but for his clan. If he, the most current powerful member of the Toraono, rised against Wei there was no telling what could happen to the rest.
“I am well aware of the plight the Toraono face in these sudden changes, and I have no doubt that there will be those who will say you pulled a coup on the Chikamatsu…but there, is, some precedent in this. The 9th Kazekage reign, shortly before you were born, ended in much the same manor. There is old history from thirty plus years ago that many have forgotten, and recently was struck from public record. I, was there Michino. I know how it started, and how it eneded…and this is following the exact same path.
“You’re the only one we can lean on, son. You’ve done so much for the village already just by keeping a vigilant eye on the gates, even so much as to nearly sacrifice yourself for our safety. That spoke volumes to those present at the meeting we held. The Old Council has your back. The Sennin have your back. The only thing stopping you from taking the throne is the man selling Suna out from under us.”
Michino’s purple eyes stared out into the horizon as he watched the sun’s last red ray dip into darkness. He wondered what his brother was doing right now. Never once in his life did the warrior ever question his mad sibling’s lifestyle, or ever wanted for it…but in this moment of overwhelming responsibility he wished strongly for the freedom Ryuu Tama flaunted. There came a choice now he needed to make. If he refused now all of the plans the Rebellion he was secretly part of would fall apart. He was fully prepared to back someone else, into Kazekage...just never once imagined it would be him the Old Council would decide upon.
“I’ll accept,” he muttered finally, closing his eyes and turning back to Sousuke, “but know that I have no plans to continue being a kage for any longer than I need to. There will be a strong change in the way we select our leaders after me, to ensure another Wei never gets a chance to rise here ever again.”
“I expected no less,” Sousuke replied with a big smile.
——————————————————————————————
[Please Look Forward to the next chapter of the Chaos Age!]
Sousuke wandered the halls of his home, the halls of the fully rebuilt Kazekage Tower, and the halls of the Toraono Dojo; taking measurements. That was it. He was constantly asked by shinobi, the public, and Wei’s hand-picked sycophants as to exactly what he was up to, and the response was a simple, metallic;
“Structural stability testing.” How Sousuke was managing that with the mere measurements of a retracting tape measurer was beyond anyone except, perhaps, the man who had handed the old steward a certain set of blueprints not but two weeks past. The days following the illicit meeting of minds among the active Sennin and the Old Council had seen the Robokage moving about his home with more energy than anyone had seen in a number of years.
This, of course, drew suspicion. Not just simply from Wei, but everyone. He was an older man moving about Sunagakure measuring things. It wasn’t exactly a secret among the populace that worried for the man’s mental state after having lead Suna through some of her darker times, while continuing to keep council with every Kazekage until Raizo’s later half of reign. Some even pondered that this might be “that moment,” in which the man had finally snapped and not even he really knew what he was doing; after all, how did one measure structural support with tape again? Only he knew.
Not to say that the people didn’t have their freedom to worry. Sousuke was easily one of the oldest living things in Sunagakure if you didn’t count Ryuu Tama, Toraono Kuro, or even Akkuma; depending on which legends you believed in. Rarely did shinobi live to see their 50’s, and they were all well into the 80’s with their age, and most basic soldiers who lived the life of a Sunan Soldier got a bit nutty around their forties. It was a hard life. Yet, the ever vigilant Sousuke had long ago trapped his mind within a steel case that would never suffer the effects of aging like those around him. If anything, it was his old beliefs that were the things running aground with the new world.
An Iron Throne that wasn’t exclusive to three bloodlines. Ancients, Hybrids, and Humanity settling their age old war in order to fight against a bigger threat. Akkuma as a Sennin of Sunagakure, actually working with Sunagkaure. These were just the three big things that leaped to mind first, but the list went on. The time had come for the Old Ways to step aside in favor of the next generation and the hope they carried with their youthful ideas; ironically though, that did mean Suna would have to take a step back.
Chikamatsu Wei was a symbol of progression while regressing at the same time. He was advancing backwards, in a manor of speaking, by changing Sunagakure from the independent shinobi village into a mercenary cartel for the Oil Barons. A handful of shinobi took it in stride. Some actually enjoyed the extra work and lavish pay, even if the entire military front was all about destroying natives to the land; but the rest detested the creature their home had become. They were quiet, unfortunately, because in the last few weeks since the meeting those who had once freely spoken out against the current military orders were suddenly jailed for dissent. Sousuke hated when Akkuma was right, but the Devil had been right on the money; he should have destroyed the bar on their exit.
How much exactly the opponent knew was still ever an overwhelming shadow over them all, but in the end it didn’t matter much. Wei could know the entire plan through, and through; he could not persecute nobility without solid proof. That one thin line drawn in the sand was all that kept Sousuke from continuing to measure, he assumed, as more often than not he had caught Wei’s Chosen close by monitoring everything he was doing.
At the end of the third week, the tape snapped back into its little square box as Sousuke stood with arms crossed now staring at the last thing measured: the entire base plate of Sunagakure that was the Underground’s ceiling. He was calculating impossible math in his head alone without need of scratch paper; arithmetic that would have driven a layman insane. His face scrunched up.
“That...that is bloody impeccable. How long has Akkuma been studying Suna?” he asked no one.
——————————————
The meeting location was exactly where you expected it to be. Open. In the lush gardens of the Arboretum. Sousuke walked absently around with hands clasped behind his back marveling the structure the 12th’s clan erected. It was a wonderful addition to the Omni-Prime he had personally helped construct, and made for gathering important herbs for medical research…well, a walk in the garden! The beautiful rare flowers were planted in large rectangular fields. Greenhouses that lined the left side kept humid conditions for plants that would normally not be able to grow in the desert. A single dark shack with ultravoilet lights on within kept specific poisonous weeds at their most potent. It was a marvel to behold, and not for the first time did the ex-Steward feel a clutch in his heart.
Despite what his clan had pulled in the wake of their disappearance, Chikimatsu Shin had every chance to become one of the greatest faces of change in the role of Kazekage. The information he had received on some of their proposed plans caused more than one quirked eyebrow for Sousuke, but in general, the man had a sound plan for the village’s future; he only hoped his nephew could fill in those big shoes. Michino had the 10th and 11th’s rule looming over him - which was nothing to say of all the good the ex-Steward had done for the country despite never once claiming the title of Kazekage. Outright refusing, even.
“Amazing, is it not?” came a gruff, but steady voice from behind the mechanical hero. Had the man a beating heart instead of gears, he imagined the old assassin would have just spooked him. Still quiet as ever.
“Without question. You brought what I asked for?” Sousuke responded before turning his head to look back over his shoulder at Uzu. The assassin, with a cocky grin, lifted a copper tea pot. The man had also lost an absolutely frightening amount of weight since his return. Was ANBU that hard on the man now?
“I’ve been training,” Toushin said without a single question being asked, catching to the features Sousuke’s flesh mask must have been making.
The two set up at a metal table that was located near the flowers. Usually lovers, dating teens, and old married couples came here for a romantic get away. The conditions within were generally more comfortable than the oppressive heat outside. While Sousuke and Uzu had no romantic connection to speak of, being that neither of the two men swung even close to being attracted to the same gender, they did have a very extensive repertoire.
“How are the marigolds doing?” Sousuke asked as the opposite prepared the tea.
“Growing strong. One blooms faster than the other, but the other has far more room for expansion."
“Amazing. You always had a certain green thumb when it came to flowers, and I just knew you would do well with the 12th’s last gift to you.” Uzu’s eyes shot up with a threatening look. Sousuke had spoken slightly out of turn in his comment which made their coded dance stumble just ever so slightly. Age was something both men had “beaten”, but it still showed - especially with the mechanical hero who wanted none of this secrecy anymore.
“I do have something special for you though, a rare gift I managed to procure from a contact in Soon,” Uzu stated changing the subject as he poured the herbal brew into two cups and handed one to Sousuke. Taking the tiny plate and teacup, the robotic human would note that the weight of the plate was off by just a few grams. He placed it in front of him, lifted the cup to drink the tea, and noticed beneath the cup was a hollowed spot for a ring. It gave off a certain energy that was so overwhelmingly familiar to the ex-Steward he almost spit out the rare blend.
“Great Scott,” he replied, “So it’s true,” breaking the little coded dance again but in a far less obvious way. The haunted look on his face spoke volumes and his grip tightened in a rare moment of anger. He set the cup back down, closed his eyes, and breathed before replying, “I never thought we could get minted herbs so easily these days. Truly a wonder what the Chikamatsu has done for Sunagakure.”
“Indeed,” was Uzu’s only reply.
The odd couple finished their tea and their conversation without coded talk. They spoke of family, finances, and how ANBU life was treating the new Captain again that he was back in the fold; answered only by a sweeping hand over his physical form as anything else was classified. Sousuke took the answer in stride.
——————————————
“I-…what? Your joking. Uncle, this is a very bad joke,” Michino stated, flabbergasted.
“If only I was my boy…I’d have happily avoided this, but, you’re the only man we could decide on..."
“I…okay wait, hold on….I need a minute.”
Michino was standing, staring now out of a window from his lavish home within the Toraono Dojo. Chiyoko was out, currying the favor of other Toraono women as she had taken to lately; within the last few months, it even seemed like fun for her. Michino was in his evening wear with plans, about to turn in for the night, something he only committed to once every three days Dressed in a simple sarong around his waist and nothing else, he stared into the distant dunes painted by the sunset. His wild and shaggy hair moved as a cool breeze glided through the window before his hand curled into a balled fist. It pounded against the terracotta wall in some frustration; though no damage was left.
“You would ask me to commit betrayal to everything I stand for Sousuke. You want me, to take over the role of Kazekage by ousting the sitting Steward? There is no precedent for this, how will this not appear to be just the Toraono vying to take control of Sunagakure? It’s already well known that our clan is incredibly opposed to the war with the Nomads. To a point that our warriors are defying orders and being sent back home in disgrace or even…” a burst of flame erupted from that clenched fist above his head resting against the wall, “…execute for treason.” There was no fear in his voice with concerns to himself, but for his clan. If he, the most current powerful member of the Toraono, rised against Wei there was no telling what could happen to the rest.
“I am well aware of the plight the Toraono face in these sudden changes, and I have no doubt that there will be those who will say you pulled a coup on the Chikamatsu…but there, is, some precedent in this. The 9th Kazekage reign, shortly before you were born, ended in much the same manor. There is old history from thirty plus years ago that many have forgotten, and recently was struck from public record. I, was there Michino. I know how it started, and how it eneded…and this is following the exact same path.
“You’re the only one we can lean on, son. You’ve done so much for the village already just by keeping a vigilant eye on the gates, even so much as to nearly sacrifice yourself for our safety. That spoke volumes to those present at the meeting we held. The Old Council has your back. The Sennin have your back. The only thing stopping you from taking the throne is the man selling Suna out from under us.”
Michino’s purple eyes stared out into the horizon as he watched the sun’s last red ray dip into darkness. He wondered what his brother was doing right now. Never once in his life did the warrior ever question his mad sibling’s lifestyle, or ever wanted for it…but in this moment of overwhelming responsibility he wished strongly for the freedom Ryuu Tama flaunted. There came a choice now he needed to make. If he refused now all of the plans the Rebellion he was secretly part of would fall apart. He was fully prepared to back someone else, into Kazekage...just never once imagined it would be him the Old Council would decide upon.
“I’ll accept,” he muttered finally, closing his eyes and turning back to Sousuke, “but know that I have no plans to continue being a kage for any longer than I need to. There will be a strong change in the way we select our leaders after me, to ensure another Wei never gets a chance to rise here ever again.”
“I expected no less,” Sousuke replied with a big smile.
——————————————————————————————
[Please Look Forward to the next chapter of the Chaos Age!]