It was... not a great day for anyone. News of the Mizukage's death had spread through the lands; and it was hitting Kenta a tad harder then it normally would have. Kenta didn't give two flying fucks about the other Kages for the most part; his attitude towards foreign policies was mostly comprised of 'Don't mess with me, I won't attack you.' That didn't keep him from listening to the whispers in the dark, nor watching the trends in military action. Given how far most of the other villages had fallen, he wasn't worried about those areas much; but Kiri was the only real possible contestant to Konoha's power that existed at the moment.

But he wasn't concerned there. Kiri and Konoha had been on excellent terms since Kenta and the former Mizukage had met and talked.

That was the problem. Kenta was actually saddened by the loss of Hikou Misora; in his own ways. He'd enjoyed the others company, when the Kiri leader had visited. They'd even kept up a bit of a correspondence of sorts, trading personal news and messages when they sent treaty and trade agreement updates and change requests. It had been a wonderful relationship between the longest standing world powers; and had been the start of a friendship that might have finally ended the cyclical tides of war between the villages.

Where they friends? Not really. Kenta had no friends, merely family. Hikou had been a favored acquaintance, that was all.

Didn't mean it hurt any less.

The news out of Kiri had been more and more concerning; tales of power abuse, mistreatment of the populace; growing resentment that could have lead to war if it had continued. News that Kenta didn't want to hear; couldn't believe. Hikou... that wasn't the Hikou he'd met. But this job... the life of a Kage... It changed people. Not always for the better. Kiri had a bloody past; and not a single Mizukage had ever been known as a truly peaceful person. Maybe... maybe he'd fallen into the same trap his predecessors had. No one would ever know, now. They weren’t even sure who did it.

Or rather, Kiri wasn't telling anyone. Word from the underworld was... there was black flames still burning where they found the body. Strange flames, even for the color. Flames they couldn't put out.

Almost like an Uchiha's Amataratsu.

Kenta had to put that out of his mind though. He hadn't sent an Uchiha out of the village for weeks; and the murder had happened within the last 5 days. It wasn't impossible; there where probably a few rouge Uchiha still left from before Kenta assumed power. He'd yet to work up enough motivation to go after them, either. Too much other, more important, work to do. Rebuild his forces, keep the truces between the villages going, diaper duty, etc.

He'd given himself time to grieve, in a way. Aids had been told to get the hell out; meetings moved or canceled entirely. His office was dimmed; curtains drawn over the large window to give him a tad more privacy. The letter from Kiri and his information from the black market spooks sitting side by side on his desk. He seemed deflated to a degree, wild hair drooping a tad from the water dripping from the ceiling. Kenta had a moment of... stress release earlier; blasting the wooden beams and tiles with enough water to leave the floor flooded. It was mildly comforting; the water was cold and kept the room cooler then normal. It felt amazing, honestly; but he couldn't let himself enjoy it. There was too much to do, to much to work on now.

The damn Chuunin Exams. He'd been glad that Hikou had agreed to host them; it saved him from having to bust his ass prepping Konoha for them so soon after taking office. Now... fuuuuuuuuuuckaduckwithanunchuck. He had 5 days to get Konoha ready, and no where near enough people or time. This was going to be painfully harsh on everyone.

He'd have to open up the Forest of Death, likely. Or maybe just shove them off a mountain and see who survived.

“Gaaaaah!”

He shot another blast of water at the ceiling, this time punching a basketball sized hole through it and into the empty room above him. Too much on his mind; and no way to offload it; without destroying things anyway. The first group of exam participants and visitors would be arriving from Kiri by the end of the next day; if the letter was accurate. Kumo had participants; and he'd not even managed to meet their leaders; and the Raikage was in Konoha for months. Iwa... Suna...

Shit, Suna. That bitch Yui was sending her underli-... wait. No no.... wait.... Yui was gone. That was right... she'd been missing for weeks. Part of him was highly amused by this; served the pompous bitch right. She couldn't handle herself; she didn't deserve her title. Kenta had no sympathy for the female; she'd brought all her own problems upon herself.

Well, the Suna nins would receive a warmer welcome then they would have, at least. They deserved something; after how she'd run the place into the ground. He'd have to keep a close watch on Synn, make sure nothing happened when he encountered his former comrades. Kenta wasn't looking for trouble to start just because he was harboring a defector. Given he'd made sure the male was treated well and safe; he could likely deflect the worst of the possible problems.

Kumo and Iwa... Iwa wasn't competing this year... it was a miracle they even still existed, if rumor was to be believed. They had a new Kage; but no one knew anything about the person. Yay for lack of information. The Raikage was... MIA. Had been for a while; but word was there was a Special Jounin that was keeping this village somewhat running. Whatever the Raikage's reasons for vanishing; he'd at least made sure the village could run itself without him. One that was holding the fort; a Tsukino sage, if Intel was accurate; he had a bit of a weird reputation for near insanity and unpredictability; but nothing to suggest hostile behavior towards other villages. Maybe Kenta could score, and the Kumo-nin would live up to what his records claimed, and that would be an easy meeting.

“This is going to be a long month...”

Urge to paint? No. Urge to go out and train? No, though that was something she probably should be doing. She didn't even have the urge to be lazy. Something deep in her gut, something rooted there in her very blood that flowed through her body was causing a distraction of epic proportions. So, she'd left her bed, where she'd been sitting and biting her lip to the point it had momentarily bled, to go find Kenta. How'd she know he was having issues? No clue, maybe some deep instinct that said the Alpha of the clan needed help in some way? Perhaps, but she wasn't going to question it much further.

So, point being Kenta's location was exactly where she was headed. Between her nose, common sense, and where everyone was currently seeming to avoid, or had been sent away from, she figured his location easier then what she usually probably would have been able to. Using her newest joy of free running to her advantage she scaled up from one building to another, running along ledges and other such areas to reach her targeted goal: an unlocked window. She could have used the door, probably, if Kenta hadn't locked them, not that she was going to waste time checking to see if he had or not. But, what was the point in taking the easy route anyway? No fun in it, surely.

Once she'd reached the window she took a glance at it, eyebrow raising at the drawn curtains. She paused a moment, considering her options before acting. Depending on what Kenta was in there doing she wasn't about to judge barge in. A quick memory of that dragon he'd seemingly road around on had her thinking that barging in was probably not in her best interest. Though, she was also very sure he knew she was outside his window by now, either by smell or sound. So, considering her many options she simply plopped herself down outside the window, on the ledge, in a "No matter what you say, I'm not budging until you let me in" sort of way. With a quick, very light, drum of her fingers on the window she announced herself. She wasn't going to be sent away like everyone else so easily, she had it stuck in her head that he'd have to physically remove her if he wanted her gone, not because she was being disrespectful, or rude, but simply because she was willing to help in whatever way he needed for whatever problem had suddenly presented itself.

She even took to whistling a catchy little tune from one of the newer songs she'd heard and that had gotten stuck inside of her head as she sat on the ledge, one leg dangling off the edge in the breeze.

"..." Well, someone was brave. His cousin, no less. This was... not an annoyance, no; he rather liked Ashi, even if he didn't admit it all the time. She was his favorite cousin after all; the only one he had an active interest in at all. She had potential, and she could be trusted; two things he regarded highly in potential bodyguards. And possible replacements, if anything ever happened to him. Guardians for his children, as well. Ashi was all of the above; even if she didn't know it. Certain papers where shoved into drawers; others left out. The letter about Hikou had come in two parts; the official information, and an almost personal note from the Misora clan itself. The note was hidden, the rest laid bare. Sensitive exams paperwork covered; he had the match-ups for the first round set and ready; he couldn't risk that getting out early. Otherwise the room was a soggy mess of water and destroyed furniture. Kind of like home, when the kids where sick.

"Ashi... I don't know why you're here... but I've already told everyone not to bother me."

She snorted, couldn't help herself honestly. "Yes, but I'm not everyone." There was of course no disrespect in her voice, it was as if it were a simple statement such as what the weather was like or whatever. She sighed softly, almost thoughtfully before continuing, "For the past few hours I've had this feeling in my gut that has said something was wrong. I tried ignoring it, tried pretending it wasn't there, nothing's worked. I know you don't want to be bothered, but I'm here regardless and will remain such unless you allow me to help with whatever is wrong or toss me off the ledge I'm sitting on." Once again, no disrespect, just simple facts and suggestions.

She picked at the underside of one of her fingernails, not because she cared there was dirt under it, but more to act as a distraction. "Or I could just remain sitting out here for the next many, many, hours. Your choice, but I rather do hope you allow me to help." Was she pushing her limits? Probably, but at this point she didn't care. Something said Kenta needed help and out of everyone she'd ever met she had more reasons to be loyal and helpful to him then anyone else, he was of course the reason she had a home afterall.

No shit, she had to be the bravest Chuunin the village to come within a mile of him when he was like this. Calmly, at that. When he wanted to; he could make people piss themselves just from the emotions he projected; not just his packmates either, but everyone in the vicinity. "I don't need help. I just need... I don't know what I need. More time? Something like that. More time, some good news, and a night to sleep. That sounds good..."

He flicked a dripping wet pen at the window, hitting the window lock dead on and releasing it. As much as an invitation as he would give. She could take it or leave it, wouldn't much bother him. Although... a soothing, familiar voice... it was kind of nice. Someone that cared... he still had trouble with the concept; even after all his time with Michizuka. But Michi was gone, off on a mission for his clan and no one; not even Kenta; knew when he'd be back. It... it really, truly, sucked. He missed him, the kids missed him... Kenta was already off center; and now to find out Hikou was dead... and everything else happening at once...

He really needed someone like Ashi around. He was just too stubborn to admit it.

She took the lock being released for the invitation it was and slipped into the room, pausing long enough to close the window behind her. She took a moment to assess the scene before her, the water logged mess that it all seemed to be. An eyebrow rose at that but she didn't voice question. Though in that initial sweep was more than just to take in the mess Kenta had made out of his office, it was a sweep for any possible danger. Akai was asleep at home, Ashi having instructed the Ninken to rest after their all morning long run, therefore that extra set of senses wasn't there. With Kenta's current mood, the destruction of the office, and the mood Ashi had found herself to be in that could only be described as a "bodyguard" type mentality, she felt it was completely appropriate to ensure no one else was inside. 'Least, no one threatening that is. Kenta of course should've fallen under that category, and probably would have to almost anyone else especially given his current mood, but all she felt was a twinge of worry that came along with the recent friendship she'd begun to feel towards him - though she hadn't voiced it out loud of course, being the type to mostly keep her mouth shut, at least in most situations.

Comfortable with what she saw, smelled, and otherwise deduced from her surroundings she turned her gaze onto Kenta, another eyebrow raising at his words. "Well, more time I can't give, I'm not that skilled." She chuckled a bit. She leaned her right shoulder against a nearby wall, not caring much if it was wet or not at the moment. "But, I'm here for whatever, and will remain such. Even if it's someone to talk to, vent to, go do something for you, or to just have around to take up space." She smiled, it being a rare occurrence in itself, but it was friendly enough. "I can't be chased away easily."

"Hnnn..." The blonde was hunched over the desk, hands in his hair now that she was in the room. It almost looked like he was slowly pulling his hair out, but his hands weren't actually moving anymore. He was holding them at the line between gentle tug and actual tearing; which was about where his mood was: stuck between frustration and a breakdown. Not a good place for him. "Its days like today I wish I'd told them to fuck off when they handed me the hat. Too much... no one could even begin to be ready for all the this to happen at once. Ashi, the whole frigging world is falling apart and I'm all thats left. The other Kages, the other villages; we're all thats left, practically. Can you even begin to image how insane this is? Misora's dead; Kiri's falling apart with or without him; and half the Kages are either missing or so new we don't even have names on file for them." Now he was yanking on his hair, shoulders straining with the force of his control; the effort not to tear great hunks of hair loose.

He looked... old, and so very tired in that moment; they weight of the world on his shoulders. He'd always carried a heavy weight; the weight of his past and his morals, his dreams, his people; even before he was made leader. Now? He carried the weight of their entire world. If Konoha fell, if he fell... that was it. The world would fall apart and there was nothing to stop the devolution into savages. Or at least; that was how he felt. He saw Konoha as the last bastion of light in a dark world; and he wanted nothing more then to keep the light shining; return it to everyone. He just needed more time... and time was what he never had.

"I don't know... I don't know if I can do this. I don't know If I'm ready... if I'm strong enough. The exams... it's more then that now. Or am I going insane to think this way? I can't even tell if I am or not; sane that is. All I see is our allies disappearing and the darkest parts of the world taking over. Iwa and Suna... they're all but gone. Lost to piss-poor leadership and overrun by bandits and gangs. Half of Suna either fled, defected, or died. Kumo... nearly dead; but still functioning, somehow. The closest thing to an active leader is a half insane Tsukino, if reports can be trusted. Iwa... no one knows what the hell is happening in Iwa anymore. You can't even get to the village without half a dozen Jounin and a king's ransom for the gangs controlling to roads."

A heavy sigh, almost shuddering like he was trying not to cry, body slumping back into the chair and face raised toward the dripping ceiling. "And now Kiri. Now even mighty Kiri is falling apart. Kiri has never fallen this far; not even in the bad times. I know the histories; I know what they did to their own... this... This is... They've lost nearly their entire leadership structure. A couple of Chuunin, that's all they have. And we're barely any better. Naota and Amaya... they're the last of our Jounin level ninja that can even function properly. The rest couldn't pass a psyche test if they tried. We're barely doing any better then the rest of them. If not for our civilian population thriving... Ashi... what am I gunna do?"

Ashi kept herself quiet, allowing him to vent completely, no judgement, no nothing. She was merely acting as ears to listen. She did however step forward, moving behind him and placing her hands on his in a gentle attempt to still them before he ended up bald, an eyebrow raising. "Bald's not a good look this season..", she muttered.

She took a moment to think over his words, pondering how best to respond in a way that would make the most sense and offer the most help. "Kenta... you don't give yourself credit where credit is due. For one person you've done an awful lot, more than anyone else could've pulled off." She looked around the room before looking back to him. "I think you should wait to see how the exams go to make any decisions..." She voiced her next few words carefully, "I think there's a chance everything can be fixed. It might not work as it once did, or not nearly as well, but there's always hope even when it's in the most hopeless places. Try and use the exams as a stepping stone of sorts, go from there."

She took another pause to look around the room again. "You have people you can trust to help Kenta. I for one owe you more than you can ever imagine with how you helped me, which is why I refused to be pushed away when you ordered everyone else away. You're stuck with me no matter how dark things might seem to get. I'm not leaving your side, Kenta." It was said as both a vow as much as reassurance that no matter how crappy things might get she was going to tough it out with him no matter how much he tried to push her and everyone else away.

"Honestly maybe taking a step back and trying to look at it from a different angle might help. Maybe try taking things one at a time, even if it all needs done at the same time. My best advice I can give, however, is not to keep bottling it up, or trying to rip your hair out." She smiled a bit. "You could also pull the squad together and scare them all shitless by riding around on a giant dragon made of water again, too... that might make you feel better, I know I'd enjoy seeing it." She grinned a bit at the end, obviously trying to offer a small bit of light in Kenta's growing darkness.

Hands relaxed when hers touched his; the simple gesture enough for him to recover his failing control. A comforting touch... he had trouble remembering the last time anyone offered him that; without tearing him a new one at the same time. "I don't... I just want stability. I want... I want to not have to read reports out of other lands, reports about organized crime running the show, disappearances, murders... Not on these levels anyway." It was hard not to curl back into himself; the urge to crawl under the desk and just zone out was extremely strong. He wasn't good at this; he really wasn't. Dealing with things around other people.

"You... Naota.... I know I can trust you. Amaya... her too; more then I should really, as I barely know her. I don't... I barely know my genin. Do I even have Chuunin, beyond you? I'm not even sure I can any of my people anymore." That was the problem. He knew how close he was to falling into the same traps the other Kages had. He'd been so busy dealing with.... dealing with what? Pissant village elders on a power-trip and trying to find time off to train? He spent less time caring about his men then he did changing diapers on any given day; and his kids where damn near fully potty trained, and they had dozens of aunts and uncles to watch them when he was busy. he was... he'd failed, in some ways; and he hated himself for it. But he knew where his problems where. He knew his weaknesses. "I need.... I need someone to be a bridge between the people and me. I'm not a people person; you know this. I can't handle the social aspects of this job. Shutting it out is going to kill the village."

Ashi gave a nod, glad to see he was done trying to rip his hair out even if just for a moment. "Well, like I said, I'm not going anywhere. I'm more than willing to help, and I am more of a people person then you." She grinned a bit. "Amaya's been helping me on that aspect. I'm willing to help in any way that I can, you just need ask." She smiled a bit. "You can't fix everything yourself, much as you want to, or as much as people expect you to. Let me help in any way I can, besides, it'll make me feel more useful, and like I'm actually earning that room you gave me."

She fell silent at that point, giving him time to mull over her words, her offer, give him time to think. He was already overwhelmed, she wasn't about to add to that stack of problems. So, she stood still, and perfectly silent.

"I know, I know... Elders and political jacktards what me to have Naota be the face of the village. He's a Sannin now, so he's 'perfect'. It hurts not to laugh at them when they talk that way. Naota Uchiha... face of the village. He more likely to light you on fire then talk to you. They want some famous face from a major clan; someone 'good looking, strong, and well known.' Che, talk down to me while I wear the damn hat, why don't they. I'd... Hnnn... It be possible. I'd have to read you into a massive amount of things you're not able to access yet; because of your rank. It... not even sure it would work."

Kenta just wanted to sleep this off now; shut down for a long time and be done with it. "If nothing else... help me keep the tourists and convoys from the other villages in line. Meet and greets, if it comes to it. I don't even know. I don't even know how many are coming. Clusterfuck with a giant F, if you will."

Ashi moved herself back over to the nearby wall she'd been leaning on, placing her back against it so that she could still face Kenta. "Amaya's told me a bit about her brother. If I couldn't do accomplish it than she might be willing to help, she's got less of a temper than most people I've seen, decent people skills, too." She gave a slight shrug. "Never know unless you try."

Ashi then nodded a bit. "I can do that much easy enough. Akai would certainly enjoy it, being as much as a people person as any other animal I've ever seen." She couldn't help but grin a bit, the expression making her look a tad bit more feral than was normal. "I can certainly keep people in line, too."

"You and Amaya. With all the defections going on in the other villages... I know there's going to be a few appearing here. I need to keep the fights to a minimum until the end of the exams. Can you keep them in line? Man the check-in desk; break up the fights? You can take any of the dogs you want or need; Yuki is practically a lie detector, Aki and Akai are so large they're instant deterrents. If you want to use the Genin, do it. We have half a dozen competing, but there's more around somewhere."

He leaned forward onto the desk, shoving paperwork into the inch of water on the floor. He couldn't look at it anymore. His mind was elsewhere now; in planner mode. He was good at single task planning. Or... single area task planning. "Vacation time, after this hell is over. Good idea?"

Ashi nodded, her facial features taking on a very determined, and otherwise serious look to them; completely opposite from how it normally looked. She was dead serious about helping Kenta in any way that she could, and it showed. "Not a problem. I'm damn positive Amaya will help, too. I'm sure between the two of us, and the dogs, we can keep everyone in line, and make sure things don't get bloody." In her mind she went over the very short list of possibly anyone else she could get to come help if it was needed, it a short list, but it was better than nothing.

She couldn't help but smile a bit as she watched him shove the paperwork off the desk and into the water. She nodded in agreement to his question. "Definitely... maybe a nice beach somewhere, or off in the middle of the forest farthest from civilization as possible and everything living other than the wildlife." She grinned. "In fact, I think I like the second idea much better."

"Yeah, same here. Might go visit my uncle... spend some time training some Ookamizuka cousins. It's about time to go see them anyway..."

The blonde was suddenly standing, a blur of speed like he was when he didn't care about what he was doing. The chair was saved from hitting his cousin only by his ankle being hooked around the base and used to send it flying into a side wall; well away from her.

"I'm... I need air. Maybe train a jutsu. I dunno. I can't stay in here any longer, anyway. If anyone asks... I'm going to spend the night my kids, kay?" Smirking some, he was gone out the window so fast the water on the floor was pulled into a wave that crashed into the wall and sent it splattering across the room again.

-exit-

She gave a nod and watched him take off, blinking at the wave of water. She took one more look around the room with a sigh, calculating her first steps in helping Kenta out. Well, first thing was first, she needed to meet up with Amaya and have a nice long talk with her new friend.

She paused long enough to look down at herself before taking off out the window, 'Maybe I should change first into something dry, then find Amaya,' she thought before slipping out of the window and heading in the direction of home.

-Exit.-