We need a Chief [Private/Requesting Kage/Medical]

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Shin was exhausted. He was left to run the day to day operations as the only Medical Chief, and his sensei, went to partake in the Tea Country tournament. In the year or two that the Yamanaka had studied under Medical Chief Byakko Kyuji he had learned a lot about the branch and has even begun to instruct other potential candidates the way of the Medical Ninja in order to help boost the numbers of the small branch within Sunagakure. Having taught numerous classes and having three potential Mednin-in-Training it was only natural that Kyuji would allow Shin two look after the Omni Prime Medical Complex during her leave. He had essentially mastered all of the medical ninjutsu, he could produce the medications being administered faster than many of the distribution centers within the Land of Wind, and he was currently in the process of his own research which would allow the Omni Prime to receive the man power in which it so drastically needed. During this time of war it was insane to think that the Medical Branch was not only underfunded like many hospitals but understaffed as well. There have been less and less students joining the Medical Branch in the years pass, but now there seemed to be an influx of shinobi interested in learning the medical arts. Sure there were nurses and doctors in the Omni Prime but they weren't Medical Shinobi and did not possess the skills needed to do most of the more extensive surgeries and procedures.

Regardless there was one task that Shin was not yet qualified for, and that was the paperwork. Making his way to the Kazekage Tower, he and two clones he hand summoned were carrying a stack of files and folders that all needed signed to be properly processed. This was a tedious task left for the Medical Chief, but until she returned Shin took it upon himself to find someone who could help. Who better than the Kage himself! Shin knew that the Kage had say and power in all three of the branches so it was the only solution he could think of at the time, and besides it's not like Shin was a Medical Chief to take on this responsibility. Making his way through the tower he finally arrived at the door to the Kage's office, a place Shin didn't travel to much. Shifting the weight of the papers the Mednin Prodigy would raise a single hand and knock on the door. "Lord Kazekage? I, uhm.."<i></i> His voice softened for a second as he let out a sigh of relief once his hand returned under the stack to support the weight equally between his hands. "Well, I guess not me, but the, uhm."<i></i> His breathing was heavy and he began to slightly pant. Not focusing on Taijutsu has caused the boy to not be so physically strong or have the endurance of a horse as his might was in his mind. Letting out another deep sigh he would try and get out the message. "I am some papers and form that are in need of finalization but there isn't anyone at the Omni Prime with the authority at the moment with such authorization, so uhm... Could you possibly help me with these?"<i></i> His voice stressed as the weight of the papers were getting to him. If the Kage was in his office and opened the door he would see a stack of papers from the boy's hands extended all the way down up to chin being held firmly in place.

 

[Mikaboshi]

The door to the Kazekage's office did indeed slowly swing open but the personage that stood at the threshold to said office was certainly not the Kazekage even though they shared a similar color of hair even if the shade of this individual's hair was a deep red as opposed to the flame-colored orange-red that Katsuo possessed in recent months. Shorter than Katsuo but still reasonably tall, this man was dressed in a black coat that was and a pair of formal black pants over a linen shirt that was a similar color to his hair but even still a slightly darker shade of red. Perhaps most peculiar about the man was the bone-white and crimson visor that he wore upon his face which drew attention away from the slight brown horns that poked through his blood-red mane atop his head. Upon his face, the man who'd answered the door wore an expression which could best be described as a combination of complete boredom and utter irritation even though he said nothing immediately. Despite having not said anything, the red-haired man seemed to give off a decidedly menacing vibe like that of a Yakuza enforcer-- and certainly looked the part as well.

For anyone who wasn't capable of extrasensory sight, that would likely be the extent of their impression of this man but for someone like Shin who possessed skills enough to perceive and interact with the supernatural extensions of human spirits known as Shadows. In particular, this man's Shadow manifested around him like twisting black smoke that clung to his form almost like a cloak and as Reiko peered down at him from behind his inhuman-looking visor Shin would become aware of something else that looked at him as well for the Shadow that lurked around Reiko's form wasn't quite that simple. It was more than simply manifested instinct in the way that a tradition Shadow was. It was very much alive and regarded Shin as clearly as would any other thinking and rationalizing creature. It did not move to attack or engage Shin in any way but the fact that the visored man was apparently not one but two beings that both silently looked upon him might prove unsettling for the young man given the casual apathy displayed on the man's face towards the way that Shin struggled with his stack of papers.

"It's alright Reiko, bring him in." Came the voice of the Kazekage from inside the office, apparently directed at the quiet man that had answered the door.

With the command from the Kazekage, the man at the door-- apparently named Reiko --gently pushed the door to Katsuo's office open for Shin and then extended his hands forward as if to say "okay, hand the papers to me" even though he didn't speak or make any other motion. Given that Reiko didn't seem particularly muscular beneath the surface of his admittedly well-cut suit coat, it might have seemed unwise that he would be willing to take such a large pile of papers from Shin but there he was just the same. It was impossible to say if he were doing it just because he'd been implicitly given an instruction to bring Shin into the office or if he were being truly considerate but the result was the same either way given that he was willing to relieve Shin of the burden that he was apparently struggling with.

At the back of the office, which had undergone significant renovation since Sousuke had surrendered it to Katsuo, sat the 10th Kazekage behind a large desk that was scattered with papers. He had on a single black tank-top and a pair of grey sweat pants on as he sat cross-legged on what appeared to be a large cushioned stool that had no backing to it, his right arm propped against his knee and clutching a long pipe which had a slight wisp of red-black smoke rising from it. To Katsuo's left was a young woman with long white hair and a formal style of dress herself. A white jacket with some kind of fur lined over her shoulder adorned her upper body while she wore a similar style of formal long pants to Reiko though hers were spotlessly snow white in color. She looked over her shoulder at Shin with a grimace as though he were interrupting something but the expression on Katsuo's face was not one of particular irritation or frustration. In fact, he almost looked pleased for the interruption.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

As Shin's eyes would see the man who opened the door he could sense the Shadow manifestation that twisted around him. This gave the boy an eerie feeling and concern that something was going to happen to him. No sooner did he feel this negative aura the soul known as Kohana would appear in Shin's sight standing between the Yamanaka and Reiko. Her sword was drawn and her invisible blade was pointed directly at the man's heart. This was something that was in common place as Kohana devoted herself to protect Shin in any way possible. Though Shin saw her no one else could unless they had the vision of the Grandeur Phantom like the Mednin did. The intensity of Kohana's invisible gaze was broken as the voice of the Kazekage chimed in. As soon as Shin's eyes were directed to the Kage the twin soul seemed to completely vanished from the young Phantom Lord's view.

An instant blush came to the young boy's cheeks as this was his first time seeing the new Kazekage. Shin and his clones all instantly looked away awkwardly for a brief moment as they tried to calm themselves by taking a deep breath. Shin would adjust the tall stack of papers in such a way that if Reiko wanted to grab some to ease the load he would gladly allow him but if not he would continue to hold one of the three stacks brought to the Kage's office. "S-sorry for the interruption, but there's a few things that the Omni Prime is in need of assistance with. As I am sure you are aware Kyuji-sama left the village to partake in the Grand Tournament, but it seems that there are tasks that require the approval of someone of a higher rank than a Med-Nin."<i></i> Shin let out a sigh as he would hopefully place the stack of papers down if the Kage told him where to place them. "There has been a recent influx of trainees within our branch but the Omni Prime Medical Facility still only has the single Medical Chief and I am unaware of any Medical Captains who are actively serving our village." Shin knew that the higher ranked Med-Nins would gain the title of Medical Captain to give them authority to orchestrate the trainees and lower ranked Med-Nins so that the Chief could focus on the tasks that only they and the Kage could complete. Captains were assigned to help with the instruction and education of the trainees to help maximize the strength of the branch while providing relief to the Chief and Kages so they would not have to worry about the day to day tasks of the facility.

"These are the forms that need signed by a Captain, Chief, and/or Kage. These will approve the financial budget for the year providing us the means to increase the spending for educational tools."<i></i> He gestured to the papers he was currently holding. "These are forms sent over from the Academy to help us decide which candidates to approve to take into the Mednin-in-Training program."<i></i> As he spoke the first clone would step forward. "And these are for the current staff members. It would approve the promotions within the ranks as well as give the research grants that were proposed by varying members of the branch."<i></i> The second clone would take a step forward. A deep sigh came from his lips. "I know you are busy with running the village, but we are currently without the proper authorities to do this ourselves and are in need of assistance until another Captain or Chief is decided to cover while Kyuji-Sama is away."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

If Reiko had a reaction to the sudden appearance of Kohana, it was so subtle as to be imperceptible. He either couldn't see Kohana at all or was so unphased by her appearance that his reaction was null. The translucent sheet of smoke and ash that writhed around Reiko's body shuttered as he stepped backwards and allowed Shin entry into the room causing a laugh from Katsuo to echo up from the back of the office where he sat at his desk.

"Come on in and don't mind Reiko. He likes to stand at the door to say boo." He said, lightly waving his smoking pipe dismissively towards his bodyguard that stood sentry at the door.

Katsuo had kept the same office room as Sousuke had used but had furnished it out considerably more warmly than the previous Kazekage had. Where Sousuke had preferred the clean and clinical, Katsuo preferred the exotic and interesting. His desk was at the back of the room with a large pane window behind it that looked out over the city. Katsuo had been very particular about keeping this space as his office for that reason most of all-- he enjoyed the ability to look out at the city whenever he needed to be reminded of why he was doing what he was doing. Unlike Sousuke who lived for the bureaucracy and administration of rulership, Katsuo found the yoke of the Kazekage position stifling at the best of times and it seemed very much like this was not one of those times. In the center of the room was a large coffee table which was surrounded by cushy leather chairs but at the current time every surface in the office was covered in some form of documentation that needed his attention to some degree. In front of both Katsuo and his executive adjutant that he had not introduced yet were a number of piles of paper splayed across his desk along with a large pitcher of water and some glasses with various heights of refreshment present in them.

Holding his arms out, Reiko silently accepted each of the large piles of paper in turn from Shin's clones. Despite his thin frame, Reiko was apparently quite strong for his size as he managed to keep balance of the increasingly large stack of forms without any trouble as each one was deposited into his waiting hands. Looking up to Katsuo, Reiko received a wave of his hand intended to indicate that Reiko could place the amalgamated stack down anywhere near his desk and that they would get through it eventually.

"Lord Tenth, I don't think this is a good time for interruptions." Interjected the white-haired girl who looked down at a notepad and tapped it once, then twice and then thrice with her pen as she went down a few numbered items on whatever piece of paper she had clipped to it.

"You're always telling me to schedule more meetings aren't you Shizune?" Katsuo remarked, taking a pull from his pipe and allowing the smoke to billow out of his nostrils like a smugly charming dragon as he smiled at her from behind the curtain of smoke.

"Yes but... actually schedule them. Not... ugh." Sensing the futility in the disagreement and containing a smile of her own from Katsuo's infectious smirk, Shizune turned away from him with a roll of her eyes and instead busied herself with organizing the documentation that Reiko had taken from Shin and his clones. Seeing that he'd clearly won that particular debate, Katsuo turned his face back to Shin and tossed him a playful wink before continuing.

"So what can I do for you today?" Katuso asked before listening intently to the reason that Shin had come to visit him that day, occasionally taking a small pull from his pipe throughout and blowing the smoke out through his lips in the opposite direction from his adjutant who seemed to also be listening even though her hands and eyes stayed busy on the documents brought to the office, knowing that Katsuo would want to push this to the front of his priority list now that someone had personally spent time to come and talk to him about it. Nodding throughout Shin's statements, Katsuo looked over to Shizune. "Lack of medical staff?"

Without responding at first, Shizune hummed lightly as she went back to her own notes and pulled up a few pages before stopping and tapping her pen once more.

"It's in the itinerary for this evening after your dinner with Naganisa." Shizune responded coolly, giving Katsuo a quick glimpse into his busy schedule. "There are a number of medical candidates for you to review for potential promotions to Chief. The hospital is well enough staffed with civilian level staff but the shinobi-level branch has struggled since the Ninth Kazekage abolished the system of our branches being directly headed by sennin-ranked shinobi."

"Not really fair to blame it on Sousuke though. Could be entirely unrelated to that." Mused the Kazekage out-loud, eliciting an approving nod from Shizune in the process who apparently agreed with that assessment. "Oh, I didn't even ask. What's your name kid?"