The fierce winds blew against his face as the seventeenth Hokage brushed passed the tree leaves with great speed. Surrounded by woodland from every which direction, Sousetsu came across a small opening of soft earth in the depths of bark. Finding himself in its center, he circled in pace while his hands gripped the hair that resided on the back of head before allowing a bellow to bounce off the sea of trees. A beast's roar, one that seemed to travel far into the distance as the families of birds evacuated the area in mere moments. Their sounds of distress carried on to their neighboring kin alike, repeating in a domino effect across the land. A few heavy pants escaped the Senju before his body ceased, coming to a sudden still as his calm demeanor overtook him once more.

Before long, red markings etched around his eyes in particular as the now perfect sage had revealed himself in the nativity of trees. Another roar of a cursed nature echoed before a fist found its way to the closest foundation of a giant, age-old tree, sending it crashing down with only a few moments to comprehend his own strength. With his teeth finding its grit and stern presence lingering in his aura, the Senju summoned a clone of himself. The shadow clone that suddenly appeared shared his anger before placing its hands together to undergo a transformation. The figure that stood before him now, was a reflection of the significant Orochi Enaka. Having just arrived from his journey to visit him in the undisclosed prison, his anger still needed to feed.

"I could have killed you... Yet you still live, mocking my every move and my existence to this very earth!" He roared once more. He gripped the snakes throat just as he had done so before, and as if history repeated himself, his smile proved to continue to mock him.

"Risu!" a mild strike to the embodiment of the man he grew to hate.

"Chisaki!" Another fist made its way to right side of his jaw as his left hand continued to hold him a few inches from the earths surface.

"The Leaf!" His free hand shared the weight of the scruff of his collar as he forced his head into the snakes nose with a rather formidable force.

"You will die by my blade..." his voice grew heavy with anger and determination before a blade pierced his heart, carrying out to the other side as he leaned in to witness the blood seep from behind as the clone grasped for a single wisp of air over his shoulder. In an instant, the clone vanished in an array of smoke. His jaw still tense with his teeth still at a grind. Soon the Snake will tremble at the Azure Beast, or so he thought during the days as they grew darker. The dark ANBU would leave their name in history, and Sousetsu's would accompany them. For who triumphed, only time could tell.

"Reveal yourself..." he spoke as his breath came to a smooth rate of flow. His head turning slightly to merely peak over his own shoulder towards the direction of the shinobi who lay watching.

Kyohei had been carefully monitoring the ledger of who had been going in and out of Konoha’s highest security detention facility. He was positive that Enaka was regularly being fed information from the outside. Of that there was virtually no doubt. He wasn’t the type of man that left anything up to chance. Even if he didn’t expect to find himself in prison anytime soon, there was little chance that he did not have at least a contingency plan in place for such an occasion. During his time with the black ANBU, Kyohei had learned a great many things about the organization and its leader, perhaps more than he wished to, but all of it would likely prove valuable in the upcoming days. One of those things he learned was just how calculated all of Enaka’s actions were. The man was the definition of a control freak. He had everything planned days in advance at least, from his meals to when he slept. Even the few instances where it did seem like things were not going according to Enaka’s predictions, it always seemed like the opposite outcome provided opportunities for him as well. Anyone who believes situations like that to be repeated coincidence was a fool.

One name caught his eye on his daily trip to the prison to check the ledger, Sousetsu Senju, the current Hokage. Kyohei had never personally met the man and only seen him in passing, but as the current kage he wasn’t exactly a nebulous figure. It would have been entirely possible that he was simply doing something like a security check of the detention center, but the notes next to his entry specified that he had requested a solitary meeting with Orochi Enaka. Curious. As the hokage, Sousetsu was without a doubt a target of Enaka’s manipulations. Kyohei knew of that firsthand. Enaka believed Sousetsu to be a fool; a big piece in a much larger plan to be manipulated into situations that would benefit his ambitions. Risu had framed her uncle and raided his operations, but that was well after Enaka had already slithered his way into the lives of many important figures in the village, including Senju Chisaki. Kyohei was not personally involved in the scientific aspect of the black ANBU’s dealings, but he knew from briefings that Chisaki had agreed to allow Enaka to ‘run tests’ on her. No doubt a desperate attempt to bring her inner demon in line. How desperate or naïve must she have been to turn to him?

More interestingly though, was that the entry to the ledger was fairly new and there were no records of the Hokage leaving the prison just yet. “This might present an opportunity,” the Uchiha thought to himself as he stepped away from the ledger and out of the detention center’s lobby. Patiently he would wait for the Hokage to finish whatever meeting he had with Enaka, away from the prison, but still within sight of the front gate. His wait would not be long as in just a few minutes he would see the man stomp out of the prison, visibly upset and shaken. “It looks like someone let Enaka get in his head,” he thought to himself, frowning at the prospect. He had hoped that a man who was supposed to be the strongest in the village would show a little more constraint or composure as once Enaka was in your head he was more than likely going to stay there. In fairness he didn’t know exactly what had been said down in that meeting and he knew exactly how twisted Enaka could be, but that wasn’t an excuse for a man of his name.

Given that Sousetsu was not in a good frame of mind to be thinking logically for the long term, Kyohei reconsidered using this opportunity to get in contact with the man, but continued on with the realization that there might not be another chance to do this. He might not be thinking clearly, but an emotional mind was a malleable one and the heat from his anger at Enaka might just need to be struck the right way to get the hokage on his side. With that in mind he would trail the Hokage, expecting to end up back at his office or something of the sort. It was that expectation that made Kyohei puzzled when the man he was following led him out of the village.

As they continued further they would make their way into the great forests of the Fire country that surrounded the city. The massive amount of foliage and the Hokage’s movements would necessitate the use of the Sharingan to properly track him down, but other than that the trip was pretty standard. Whatever Enaka had said must have irked Sousetsu something fierce if he immediately came all the way out into the woods with no ANBU or guards. Kyohei’s hunch would prove to be right as the sounds of booming roars gave away the man’s location even without his eyes. When he arrived to the clearing where the Hokage had stopped he would see a clone of the man in front of him change into the shape of Enaka in a puff of smoke. Kyohei raised an eyebrow before realizing exactly what was going to happen next. Once he did so however the Uchiha would cross his arms and lean back against the tree, deactivating the Sharingan and waiting for the show. There he would stay until the Senju was done blowing off steam and was finally aware enough to take note of the Kyohei’s presence.

Kyohei said nothing for a brief moment, simply smirking in the shadows. He should have known better. It wasn’t his intention to remain hidden indefinitely to begin with, but he should have taken into account the sensory gifts granted by sage mode when he decided to take the ‘wait and see’ approach in his dealings with the hokage. It was a shame the Senju decided to cut his little venting session so short. It was quite nice seeing the appearance of Enaka being beaten to a pulp. But oh well, business called. “By all means continue,” said slyly as he pushed himself up off the tree he was leaning against, "The show was just getting good. Don’t stop on my account.”

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1077~

It seemed that the Senju was not the only individual who wanted to embrace the downfall of the infamous snake as the young shinobi in the short distance edged him to continue. He admired the view, lingering the shadows that the tall trees could provide in the dense forest that surrounded them. A small breeze rolled by causing the leaves to bristle off one another in a stray pattern, filling the sound of silence for that brief moment with the rustling of the vegetation. His eyes closed and a small sigh escaped his mouth as he never intended for an audience. He was commonly seen as a cool-headed, calm and collective soul despite the harsh times that presented themselves. These days never seemed to subside however, causing even the most kind soul to question his own morals.

A pacifist no longer was he, something he now regretted as actions would soon speak louder than his works. The political standing was something he had hoped to conquer but alas, fear would dwell within the hearts of many under the position of Orochi Enaka. The Serpents toungue was venomous to the individuals mindset, ruling them with an insatiable thirst for power and experimentation to further his abilities. The truth had revealed himself and the darkness still lingered within his subordinates, he could not longer be reasoned with.

Inspecting the young man that overlooked him, it could be said that he may have been simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the feeling of a watchful eye had been something Sousetsu found difficult to shake. He did not appear threatening, rather curious. The only question that the Senju requested an answer for was;

"Why did you follow me?" The Hokage finally broke the silence with a firm and stoic voice. It was known that Sousetsu was a shinobi of speed and sensory, managing to keep up with him was something only those with intent did so. He assumed this was not an attempt to his life as he could have done so with his mind in a haze of anger not moments ago, instead he was praised for his actions. His eyes never lost their glare upon the man enveloped in metal, yet his thoughts would continue to search for further reasons. He was not accompanied by others, he would have sensed them. Was this individual here to seek the seventeenth with a personal errand in mind?  

The night was still early, only edging towards the suns setting and the moons reign over the sky with not but a few clouds to accompany its time over them. The dim crimson sunset would soon change into a starry night as few let their presence become known already. The sounds of wildlife changed their tone. There were no longer songs of the birds singing, but the streams of waters remained the same and the various wildlife shone their darker hue.

He could not let himself be seen venting as the title of Hokage was something more of a burden to Sousetsu, and even though his point may have come to a still, he needed to remain positive in the village's time of need. For their sake, this is why he was here. No witnesses to see someone of the power capable to defend the entire village grow unstable. After all, who was their to console the Hokage while he lent his ears and strengths to others? This rare occurrence had now been found and answers were the only words he would seek now.

Something seemed… off about the Hokage, Senju Sousetsu. Seeing him now, in the state he was in was a stark contrast from how he had always presented himself since taking the office. It wasn’t as if Kyohei had been particularly close with the Hokage in that time as to unravel the mysteries of his personality with any certainty. In fact, they had never even truly spoken in that time. Perhaps there was once a time in which shinobi would take directives directly from the vilage’s military leader, but the cities along with their populations and duties had become too large for a kage to handle each matter personally. That is what the staff in the administration office was for. Even still, the image that he attempted to present to the citizens as a whole was not the one he saw before him now.

It appeared as though Kyohei was getting a look at the real Sousetsu Senju: the man beneath the title he held. How amusing. The legendary heroes of the past and its universal association with individual power had made the title of kage so esteemed that some treated the kage as if they were something other than mere men; a distinction the Uchiha was sure that certain members of the villages’ hierarchies intended to perpetuate indefinitely. After all, the position of kage was not solely a political or military rank as it once was, but a cultural symbol. There had been foolish and inept kage over the centuries, but their foolishness in office had been largely swept aside and followed blindly because of their title. There was a reason that once a kage had been appointed they would all but abandon their given names, instead being referred to by all but the closest of people by the name of their office. The thoughtless masses need something to follow. It is easier to herd sheep with a shepherd than one of their own. But a sheep in a shepherd’s robe is still a sheep.

“I don’t think that either of us are interested in wasting time with pointless questions, Senju,” Kyohei replied bluntly. Now was not the time to be concerned with formalities or politicking. If that is what Sousetsu Senju was about then he wouldn’t be of use to him. Not that being an emotional wreck was much better, but at least emotions could be reigned in and harnessed to be used elsewhere. “You should know why I’m here. Think about it. It isn’t that hard.” Either way, the Uchiha figured Sousetsu would be perceptive enough to connect all the dots surrounding the circumstances of their meeting. He had just come from meeting with Orochi Enaka and was trailed to a section of the forest that not even his guard followed him to. That combined with the hint Kyohei had dropped previously when speaking should have been more than enough, assuming the man was blinded by his emotions or much less intelligent than the Uchiha imagined he’d be. Neither were particularly appealing options.

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513 | 1590~