Ah, to sit in his office and enjoy the boring mountain of paperwork. Such a joy, after so many years. Sad, but true; although he knew he would tire of it soon enough. Still, hetc could familiarize himself with his people this way, via records and such, to some degree, and it was needed after so long. Many he knew had retired, many died, others promoted aND decorated. He would come to know his people again in time, that was guaranteed. He was about to start working double time on that. A child had begun to stand out from the pack, pushing himself to do more and be more, at least by his actions. Kenta wanted to see for himself, therefore he'd sent a summons to the boy, a simple 'Meet me in my office at 10am.', signed by him and sealed with the Hokage's personalized seal.

His intentions where simple enough. Meet this child, encourage this behavior of excellence, and discern if he needed to nudge the child toward a specialist corps. Someone like Kashizudoto seemed, on paper at least, to be a solid candidate for the MP, and it would do good to get some fresh meat that way. He would see soon enough.

WC: 208

To be honest, Kashizudoto was pretty much fresh out of the Academy, still at the age of 12. He definitely didn't expect to be summoned by the newly-reinstated Hokage - or "Dog" Kage as some seemed to call him - at 10 AM for a private meeting. The guy had given a rather inspiring speech to the crowd earlier during his reappointment, perhaps he was now trying to connect to the people of Konoha on a personal level this time.

Kashizudoto liked being places at least fifteen minutes early, if not thirty. It just felt kind of nice to know that you're 100% not gonna be late to somewhere, especially when it was the Hokage's Office. Unfortunately, an old man needed some help crossing the street, so he had a bit of a delay there. Still, he arrived at 9:55 AM - five minutes early.

He was wearing his typical ninja outfit. A green jacket with a white undershirt on top. He sported a Konoha hitae-ate on his forehead to display village pride. On the bottom were his average shinobi pants, with a holster on the left containing a kunai and three shuriken. He was just waiting for when he could wear a flak jacket! Of course, he doubted that - even with his exceptional work - he'd be promoted at the age of 12.

He gave a firm three knocks on the door in succession, the type that really grabs people's attention and perhaps gives off a hint of impatience. He added, "Lord Hokage, this is Kashizudoto Sarutobi. I was told to meet you here?"

WC: 269

Ah, there we go. Comfortably early, he liked that. Not that he cared if someone was late, within reason, but it was nice to see someone that cared enough to try to be early. Most ninja where sticklers for exacting timeframes, they gave no leeway and took even less, which was somewhat annoying for the lackadaisical personality of the Inuzuka Kage. He just didn't normally care, at least in concern to himself; if it was important, then he'd get there at an acceptable pace; but otherwise? Nope. He did shit when he wanted to.

"Enter, child." Which the kid was, barely any older than his own kids; so he wasn't wrong in calling him as such. Shit, Kenta was barely outside of the realm of being a kid himself, even now; but he'd sort of earned himself his title of adult after everything he'd done and been through over the years. Yep. He gave the kid time to enter the office before waving vaguely at the set of chairs lined up with his desk; his way of offering a seat, if the male chose to take it. "So, Kashizudoto. You've been busting your way through the ninja game lately, then. Missions pushed through with almost no downtime; spars with other genin left and right. Facetime across the village. You're playing the game well, at least by my metric. You've shown a self-motivation that seems to be lacking in your peers nowadays. It is... refreshing, to see. With all that being said, I wanted to talk to you a bit, get a better gauge for you and who you are, outside of the paperwork. If you're willing to, I would like to ask you some questions. Depending on your answers... I may be recommending you for some specialist corps."

WC: 308

308 + 208 = 516

"Enter, child," said the Hokage. Alright, he couldn't really blame the guy for referring to him as a "child" since he was only twelve years old. However, Kashizudoto, like many his age, wasn't a fan of being called that.

He walked into the office. It was a pretty nice place, although there was some kind of bad smell lingering there, at least for Kashizudoto's nose. Perhaps it had to do with the Hokage's dogs. Lord Inuzuka showed Kashizudoto a seat to sit at, which he took. He generally wasn't a fan of sitting down for long periods, so hopefully this meeting wouldn't be too long.

"So, Kashizudoto. You've been busting your way through the ninja game lately," said the Hokage. While Kashizudoto really didn't expect the Hokage, one who's probably seen many comrades fall over the years, to refer to the life of a shinobi as "the ninja game", he supposed there was some truth in it.

"Missions pushed through with almost no downtime," said the Hokage, Spars with other genin left and right. Facetime across the village." That was true as well. He'd been busting his ass lately getting things done, but he enjoyed it since he always loved to see efficiency.

"You're playing the game well, at least by my metric. You've shown a self-motivation that seems to be lacking in your peers nowadays," he continued, "It is... refreshing, to see." It was very nice to see that the administration appreciated his work.

"With all that being said, I wanted to talk to you a bit, get a better gauge for you and who you are, outside of the paperwork," he went on, "If you're willing to, I would like to ask you some questions." An interview? Alright...

"Depending on your answers... I may be recommending you for some specialist corps." Hmmm... A specialist corps? He'd always had a dream of being in the Sword Saints one day like Sensei Rippa, but, of course, you needed to be at least a special jonin to be in that division. What other specialist corps were out there that could fit Kashizudoto?

"Sounds great!" said Kashizudoto, "What's the first question?" He couldn't hide his excitement in getting a personal getting to know you session with the Hokage himself, especially if he could get to be in a specialist corps as a result.

WC: 616

Oh good, he was excited. This would help a bit; the more emotions ran the easier it was to see through the masks that covered the true face of a person; it was the entire reason why Jounin and ANBU especially tended to be stoic and have amazing poker faces; at that level the smallest tell could spell disaster for them. Far less so within the Genin and Chunnin; it was safer to be expressive, and they hadn't usually been completely destroyed emotionally by the horrors of the world at those ages. Usually. Some, well; they weren't so lucky.

"To the point, I like it. First: I would like you to tell me about your motivations. Why do you push yourself so hard at such an age? Do you wish to be another of the prodigy that attains fame and glory in their youth? Or are you working to make yourself the best, so that your flame can shine brightly for years to come? A goal in the end? I want to hear what it is that makes you fight against a world that would gladly hold you back; to push against the inevitable entropy of the universe is difficult, and not many are able to do so for long."

A simple enough request, but one that could rarely be answered properly. Many just didn't know themselves; or else they considered their reasoning to private to discuss at that level. He respected both stances equally; he would only push as far as he was allowed; this wasn't an interview for ANBU or something equally insane where he needed to know literally everything possible about the person. No, this was more a friendly conversation of sorts at the moment.

WC: 300

300 + 516 = 816

"To the point, I like it. First: I would like you to tell me about your motivations. Why do you push yourself so hard at such an age? Do you wish to be another of the prodigy that attains fame and glory in their youth? Or are you working to make yourself the best, so that your flame can shine brightly for years to come? A goal in the end? I want to hear what it is that makes you fight against a world that would gladly hold you back; to push against the inevitable entropy of the universe is difficult, and not many are able to do so for long." Uh, what? Was this guy a poet or something? Let's see... A clear translation would be why Kashizudoto does what he does. Kashizudoto gave himself a few seconds to reflect on it a bit.

"Well, you see," said Kashizudoto, "I'd like to grow up to be an amazing leader one day. Not just any leader, someone who will not only command but whose work will change the world for the better so that we can continue progressing towards peace and love. The dream of a perfect world is called idealistic by many, but I believe that it's better to work towards an unattainable dream and fall a little short than to sit still doing nothing, you get what I mean?"

WC: 850

"Well, you see," said Kashizudoto, "I'd like to grow up to be an amazing leader one day. Not just any leader, someone who will not only command but whose work will change the world for the better so that we can continue progressing towards peace and love. The dream of a perfect world is called idealistic by many, but I believe that it's better to work towards an unattainable dream and fall a little short than to sit still doing nothing, you get what I mean?"

Ah, so a aim high and still fall higher than others type, then. A leadership goal? Not unobtainable, he was trying the right things, and his current path might get him there eventually. There was never much way to guarantee a leadership role, or that one would be good at it; but encouraging it where it seemed to be warranted was always worthwhile. He was young, but a spark was there, and it could be cultivated. Maybe in a few years he could be what he wanted. It would be interesting to see how he handled a squad of his own when he was ready for it. "Fair enough. You're willing to struggle and fight to be better than everyone else, and willing to accept that you can't always hit the original target. Better than most your age, I will grant you that. That sort of attitude will carry you to Jounin, easily."

Kenta leaned forward in his chair, reaching for a folder on his desk labeled with nothing more than an ID number, one that the other male would recognize, or should, anyway; as being his own ninja ID number. The blonde began flipping through it, refreshing himself on what they had on the boy; it would need to be updated soon given his extreme progress, but it was solid enough for the moment. "A great leader. What do you believe is a great leader? On that note, leader of what? The Village? The Sword Saints? The MP? Anbu? What leader do you want to be, and what kind?"

WC: 352

352 + 816 = 1168

"Fair enough. You're willing to struggle and fight to be better than everyone else, and willing to accept that you can't always hit the original target. Better than most your age, I will grant you that. That sort of attitude will carry you to Jounin, easily," said the Hokage. It was very nice to get such a reassurance about the direction he was going.

"A great leader. What do you believe is a great leader?" the Hokage asked while flipping through some records, "On that note, leader of what? The Village? The Sword Saints? The MP? Anbu? What leader do you want to be, and what kind?"

"Well, a great leader is one who is inspiring, effective, organized, rational, and goal-oriented," said Kashizudoto, "That said, leaving a comrade behind in pursuit of that goal would be off-limits for any good shinobi, and especially a leader, even if that comrade may seem to be a burden at the time."

"And leader of what, you say?" he continued, "I mean, Hokage would be like the ultimate goal, but that's very much something for later. Pertaining to the Sword Saints, which I believe is lead by Sensei Rippa currently, that's something that I've always wanted to be in. As for the Konoha Military Police Force, I don't think I would enjoy being in that, much less leading that. I just feel like I'd be bad at enforcing someone else's laws, especially considering how many I've broken as an Academy Stud- Anyway, I kind of like having my own ideas, so I wouldn't be good for law enforcement. And then the thought of being in the ANBU is actually kind of scary. They literally give up their personalities and free thought to serve as special ops force; they're a necessary evil in our ninja world, but I just wouldn't be suited to their job as a leader or a follower."

"So, I guess, in general, I'd like to eventually end up in a position where I can use my head to lead without any constraints."

WC: 1206

Oh, a textbook answer at last. That was... damn near quoted verbatim from the year one textbooks in the Academy; or at least the ones from his year. They would have been updated since then, but not likely enough to not have that, or some approximation of it, somewhere in it. Still, it wasn't a bad answer, just... generic. Cookie cutter almost. "If you'll allow, I want to lead you down a thought experiment. Before, however, I want to address your answer a bit more directly, so that my reasoning for this experiment will make a bit more sense. You say 'a great leader is one who is inspiring, effective, organized, rational, and goal-oriented'. This is true, to some degree; and the best leaders have these aspects in some amounts. Now, this is obvious my personal opinion, and I'm not vain enough to think that my ideals are all that matter in life; I've been wrong before and it's cost me dearly; I prefer to listen and respect the feelings and ideals of my people instead of imposing my own. This said, your answer is very... black and white. It is simplistic, in the extreme; and far more vague than you may realize. It is not childish; please don't misunderstand me in thinking that I am calling your answer thusly. I merely only wish to ask you to remember your answer, then consider this. In the chaos of the battlefield, or within the delicate political world where nothing is what it appears to be: how can one that holds strictly to the ideals of rationality and absolutist organization function without becoming a dictator?"

He was purposefully twisting the words the genin had given him; it was a sort of test, both to see if the boy would be brave enough to question him on that, as well as to defend his position. The ability to do just that was needed at the higher ranks; a leader was one that could follow as well as dish out orders; you had to respect the whims of the those above you as well as below. In Kenta's mind and policy, the people where held above himself, he saw himself less as a monarch or military general (in peacetime, anyway) than a guide for the country and it's people. He did what was needed to keep them safe and happy, while keeping them from falling into anarchy; but with a gentle, light touch. Better to let the people live freely, with systems that where simple and streamlined for efficiency, within reason, than to be a tight fisted figurehead that forced everyone into shape.

WC: 450

450 + 1168 = 1618

The Hokage's response did not offend Kashizudoto, but it sure got him a little riled up. The crux of the Hokage's argument: "How can one that holds strictly to the ideals of rationality and absolutist organization function without becoming a dictator?" In essence, he'd turned Kashizudoto's words against him, and now he had to come up with a good response off the cuff here.

"Well, I believe that a big part of being rational is about having an open mind to the ideas of those on your team, being able to compare all of them without bias to find the best solution to the problem at hand," argued Kashizudoto, "And a big part of being organized is setting up a system to facilitate this exchange of ideas. In our village, this is done with the jonin council if I am not mistaken. In a squad, this is done by having the teammates get to know each other so that they are comfortable bouncing off ideas. Really, there's nothing tyrannical at all if you do it right."

WC: 1387

""Well, I believe that a big part of being rational is about having an open mind to the ideas of those on your team, being able to compare all of them without bias to find the best solution to the problem at hand," argued Kashizudoto, "And a big part of being organized is setting up a system to facilitate this exchange of ideas. In our village, this is done with the jonin council if I am not mistaken. In a squad, this is done by having the teammates get to know each other so that they are comfortable bouncing off ideas. Really, there's nothing tyrannical at all if you do it right.""

Not bad, not bad at all. A decent enough answer; if rushed. However, that was expected, given the boy had been placed on the spot so suddenly. For being so young, it was a good answer, and it showed that he had at least a sliver of the wisdom he'd need to follow his dreams one day. Maybe not this day, but eventually. It did give him a better idea of what he was working with, anyway; and that had been the point. "You had said that you wouldn't be comfortable enforcing other's laws; or something to that effect. Would you be willing to elaborate on that?" He flashed a bit of a smirk toward the boy before continuing, "And don't worry about your academy record... I broke plenty of rules myself when I was your age; most of the best did. However, if you don't feel comfortable answering my request for more information in regard to your feelings of enforcement, we can move on to my next area of inquiry. Or you may answer both, whatever you're comfortable with. I may be your commanding officer; for the moment, but I'm not the type to be... forceful unless necessary. Anyway; How do you feel about politics in general? I am not asking for your stance on any issues or policies; merely, how comfortable are you with participating in political matters at any level? If you where to be assigned to protect or assassinate a political target, would you have qualms in any direction? Not that I am asking you to do so; but I may have a rather... interesting assignment for you; depending on your answers."

WC: 400

400 + 1618 = 2018

"You had said that you wouldn't be comfortable enforcing other's laws; or something to that effect," said the Hokage, "Would you be willing to elaborate on that?" Kashizudoto was glad, that would be easy enough for answer.

"And don't worry about your academy record..." he continued, "I broke plenty of rules myself when I was your age; most of the best did." This guy was... strangely reassuring. Definitely not what he expected from the highest in command of the village. This emotional connection that he was developing with the Hokage made him feel even more loyalty to Konoha than he ever did. What a great leader this man was for sure. Would Kashizudoto emulate him? Probably not. There were different styles of leadership out there, some more personal, some indifferent.

"However, if you don't feel comfortable answering my request for more information in regard to your feelings of enforcement, we can move on to my next area of inquiry," the Hokage continued, "Or you may answer both, whatever you're comfortable with. I may be your commanding officer; for the moment, but I'm not the type to be... forceful unless necessary. Anyway; How do you feel about politics in general? I am not asking for your stance on any issues or policies; merely, how comfortable are you with participating in political matters at any level? If you where to be assigned to protect or assassinate a political target, would you have qualms in any direction? Not that I am asking you to do so; but I may have a rather... interesting assignment for you; depending on your answers."

"Alright," said Kashizudoto, "I'll start with my feelings on enforcement. Simply put, I won't be enforcing anything that I don't believe in. If the administration has ordered an unjust statute, I will not comply. Even the upper echelons of society can be corrupted and misguided, and I won't just go along with it, you get what I mean? Of course, something fair and just like cracking down on murder is perfectly reasonable, but something like, say, our harsh laws criminalizing drug use in the village is something I wouldn't be interested in enforcing; draconian measures only make problems worse. Even if it hurts me, I won't be complying with any obnoxious policies."

"Speaking of obnoxious policies, I do take a lot of interest in village politics. You know, that kind of theoretical stuff really interests me, and I do think that these pressing real world issues are something that all shinobi should think about, not just the ones sitting behind the desk. Life's too short to ignore the events going on around us," said Kashizudoto, "It'd be a real joy to work in village administration when I'm a little older, as I'd like to really see this village liberalize, you get what I mean? I think it's nice to see that you're a pretty chill Hokage when it comes to these sorts of things, but I'd like to see more of that kind of nature in policies that focus on progress, peace, liberty, and equality."

"As for protecting someone who is being targeted," said Kashizudoto, "I would protect anyone regardless of affiliation unless they are directly harming an ally or myself. For assassinations, however, I'm a little more picky. To start off, I hate the concept of political assassinations, as they're a threat to free speech, and I won't engage in any such vile activity; I really hope the ANBU aren't being assigned to such tasks either, although I'm sure that they'll do anything they're told. However, if there is a true villain, like someone who is actively plotting to do something unjust, then I would be open to killing them for sure - although I'd try my best to seek out peaceful forum first before any violence. Hate only begets more hate in most situations. So I hope that I've cleared up any doubts on my positions on things and my moral compass."

WC: 2077

"Alright," said Kashizudoto, "I'll start with my feelings on enforcement. Simply put, I won't be enforcing anything that I don't believe in. If the administration has ordered an unjust statute, I will not comply. Even the upper echelons of society can be corrupted and misguided, and I won't just go along with it, you get what I mean? Of course, something fair and just like cracking down on murder is perfectly reasonable, but something like, say, our harsh laws criminalizing drug use in the village is something I wouldn't be interested in enforcing; draconian measures only make problems worse. Even if it hurts me, I won't be complying with any obnoxious policies."

"Speaking of obnoxious policies, I do take a lot of interest in village politics. You know, that kind of theoretical stuff really interests me, and I do think that these pressing real world issues are something that all shinobi should think about, not just the ones sitting behind the desk. Life's too short to ignore the events going on around us," said Kashizudoto, "It'd be a real joy to work in village administration when I'm a little older, as I'd like to really see this village liberalize, you get what I mean? I think it's nice to see that you're a pretty chill Hokage when it comes to these sorts of things, but I'd like to see more of that kind of nature in policies that focus on progress, peace, liberty, and equality."

"As for protecting someone who is being targeted," said Kashizudoto, "I would protect anyone regardless of affiliation unless they are directly harming an ally or myself. For assassinations, however, I'm a little more picky. To start off, I hate the concept of political assassinations, as they're a threat to free speech, and I won't engage in any such vile activity; I really hope the ANBU aren't being assigned to such tasks either, although I'm sure that they'll do anything they're told. However, if there is a true villain, like someone who is actively plotting to do something unjust, then I would be open to killing them for sure - although I'd try my best to seek out peaceful forum first before any violence. Hate only begets more hate in most situations. So I hope that I've cleared up any doubts on my positions on things and my moral compass."

Oh.

Oh.

Oh, he was instantly a fan of this kid with that answer. Just... yes. So much yes. That was so in line with Kenta's own ideals it was nearly painful; in that give me more kind of way. Kenta was very much of the 'consenting adults are free to do as they please' mindset, with the caveat of 'so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else' and 'is not a danger to the populace in general'. So, basically; he was extremely hands off toward the populace's home lives in general; he made sure the economy was booming [in a stable manner, mind you; a bubble was just as bad as a recession, in most ways, and worse in all the others], the people had plenty of food and medicine to go around, there was access to education in both academia and trades (no point in over-educating the populace if it meant that no one could work, or the quality went down. Better to balance the skilled scholars and professionals with plenty of the skilled tradesmen and workers, so that everyone was benefiting equally, and the economy was stably growing in a manner that didn't destroy the ecosystem of the country), and that there was the ability for people to enjoy life, at all levels of society. He wasn't so high and deluded to think he could create utopia; but he knew he could create a society of peace and tolerance and happiness, without becoming a tyrannical dictator or maniacal prophet for some made up religion staring him.

"See, I like you. We're going to get alone just swimmingly. So, I'm going to just skip the last bit, because at this point I am utterly convinced that you are perfect for this position, and a damn fine candidate for the new program I'm going to be implementing once we've gotten back." He reached into his desk an retrieved a mission dossier, one that wasn't available to anyone outside of the highest echelon of the jounin, or the ANBU that had to have access to something like this. "I'm offering you a position as bodyguard for an escort mission to Iwagakure. Kanetsu Satoshi and I are going to be traveling to the Land of Earth to work on a bit of politics; in the years I've been gone the relationship between Iwa and Konoha has done a complete 180°; and I find myself... needing to meet the leadership of the village in order to shed my preconceived notions of the village and it's people. Dengen, a previous Tsuchikage, has left a long standing... rather sour taste, in my mouth; you could say, and I wish to change this. Satoshi has done much in this matter, however I've been made aware of a change in their leadership recently, and I need to touch bases with this new Tsuchikage anyway. I figure I will kill two birds with one stone, and go myself to meet the people of Iwa, so that I may overcome my issues with their former leadership. A warrior I may be, but I am a warrior that desires peace; and I am willing to swallow my pride to obtain that."

WC: 968

968 + 2018 = 2986

"See, I like you," said the new Hokage, "We're going to get along just swimmingly." It was great to hear that the ideals of the Dog Kage matched up so finely with Kashizudoto's. This was gonna be great!

"So, I'm going to just skip the last bit, because at this point I am utterly convinced that you are perfect for this position," he continued, "And a damn fine candidate for the new program I'm going to be implementing once we've gotten back." What position? What program? This all interested Kashizudoto.

"I'm offering you a position as bodyguard for an escort mission to Iwagakure," the Hokage elaborated, "Kanetsu Satoshi and I are going to be traveling to the Land of Earth to work on a bit of politics." Really, a bodyguard? For the Hokage? Perhaps if the guy took a pile of ANBU, he'd scare the living hell our of the citizens of the Land of Earth, so he'd probably be best taking a genin for the job. Still, he was so excited to go on such a cool mission, with so much at stake.

"In the years I've been gone the relationship between Iwa and Konoha has done a complete 180°," he continued, "And I find myself... needing to meet the leadership of the village in order to shed my preconceived notions of the village and it's people."

"Dengen, a previous Tsuchikage, has left a long standing... rather sour taste, in my mouth; you could say," he continued, "And I wish to change this." Diplomacy was always a great thing.

"Satoshi has done much in this matter," said the Hokage, "Dowever I've been made aware of a change in their leadership recently, and I need to touch bases with this new Tsuchikage anyway." That was definitely a good idea on the Hokage's part. Leaders of different countries should meet frequently, that's what they do.

"I figure I will kill two birds with one stone, and go myself to meet the people of Iwa," he continued, "So that I may overcome my issues with their former leadership. A warrior I may be, but I am a warrior that desires peace; and I am willing to swallow my pride to obtain that." This was great. He had now confirmed that his ideals matched up with the Hokage's, which was definitely a plus.

"Woah, I didn't expect such an honor as a genin... to be a bodyguard for such an important mission," admitted Kashizudoto still amazed at this, "Of course I'd love to be part of this effort! It'd also be nice to see the Land of Earth, considering I haven't gone much outside the nation. When do we set out?"

WC: 2543

"Awesome. I'm glad you're enthused by this prospect. We won't be leaving for a dew days yet, I must finish some other business and catch up on paperwork before then. I will be interviewing a second person to be part of the guard in the morning; once that is done we should be good to go. However, I will be sending you ahead of the main group, for the moment. I need someone I can trust to be the forward guard, as well as to be the messenger announcing our arrival. Word was sent via secure channels that we will be heading out in the next few days, but I find that having a person there to alert the other party is more... respectful, as well as safer. You will join the main guard party when we reach the village, and be the guard on duty with us on the travel back; with your partner being the forward guard for that part of the journey."

The blond reached into his desk, using a claw to catch the trigger for one of the many secret compartments contained within the massive block of wood. He removed a sealed scroll case, one marked with both his personal seal and the official Hokage's seal; setting it down on the desk between them, well within the reach of the other male. Both where active Fuuinjutsu, that would only be opened using a technique known only to the Kage and other supremely high ranking military members. The key had been sent ahead with the initial message, so the Tsuchikage would be able to open it; however if it was intercepted before it arrived, it would be of zero use to a thief. "Take this, keep it on you at all times. I will send you a message when it is time for you to leave. We are going to stagger the departures by a few hours; safer for you that way. Not that anyone can see any sort of danger coming, but you know how it is."

WC: 345

345 + 2986 = 3331

OOC: Are we going to mention the chuunin promotion in this thread or is that something that will be assumed?

"Awesome. I'm glad you're enthused by this prospect. We won't be leaving for a dew days yet, I must finish some other business and catch up on paperwork before then. I will be interviewing a second person to be part of the guard in the morning; once that is done we should be good to go. However, I will be sending you ahead of the main group, for the moment. I need someone I can trust to be the forward guard, as well as to be the messenger announcing our arrival. Word was sent via secure channels that we will be heading out in the next few days, but I find that having a person there to alert the other party is more... respectful, as well as safer," said the Hokage, "You will join the main guard party when we reach the village, and be the guard on duty with us on the travel back; with your partner being the forward guard for that part of the journey." Alright, so Kashizudoto was to go in as the first messenger for the party. That sounded fun enough, although meeting with the Tsuchikage - whoever he was - face to face when delivering the letter was bound to be a little awkward, if not frightening, especially because he was a new addition and previous relations apparently weren't that great. The Hokage stamped his seal of approval on a scroll and handed it to Kashizudoto.

"Take this, keep it on you at all times. I will send you a message when it is time for you to leave. We are going to stagger the departures by a few hours; safer for you that way. Not that anyone can see any sort of danger coming, but you know how it is." Alright, that was perfect. Kashizudoto would probably get a few missions done before he embarked on this big one. Preferably, he'd also stock up on important items, maybe he'd even get that katana he'd always wanted - perhaps some wire for the Dragon Fire Jutsu among other uses.

"Thank you for this meeting and this assignment, Lord Hokage," said Kashizudoto, "Is there anything else left to discuss before I depart?"

WC: 2824

[I have no control on when the promotion will be finalized, but we can mention that I put you in for one anyway. xD]

Anything else... Yes, there... was something. He reached deep into the mountain of paperwork covering his In/Out boxes (Not that either of them really mattered, but he never turned away gifts from Michizuka, and the man had really tried to help him get organized. It wasn't his fault that it was an impossible task after all.) and dug around a bit. He was so experienced with this job that he could tell the difference between departments by the type of paper they used, so it made locating specific documents rather easy. He pulled a set of papers that had been clipped together with a binder clip out, flipping through the pile quickly to make sure he'd gotten it all.

"Yes, yes; I forgot to mention earlier. I've gone ahead and put in for a promotion for you. I know that it's normally the job of the sensei to do this, but as you're very new to your squad, I don't see Rippa being ready to do it, even though you've clearly earned it. Now, I [i]could[/u] shoehorn this through right now; however I'm going to let this go through the normal channels from this point forward. I personally believe you've earned it, however I don't see it as my place to make such a judgement. The current promotion committee is strict, but fair. I don't see you being denied, baring some major incidents I've missed as I parsed your files. There's a pretty strong call for Chunnin promotions at the moment, which will help you significantly." He passed the file over, so that the boy could browse through it if he wished. It was nothing special, just all the relevant paperwork as well as a quick note from himself to the promotion committee recommending that Kashizudoto be granted the promotion at the earliest chance. "Beyond that, we should be done here. You're welcome to glance over the paperwork; otherwise you're dismissed for now. I'll be contacting you when it's time to leave."

WC: 376

376 + 3331 = 3707

"Yes, yes; I forgot to mention earlier," said the Hokage as he went through a bunch of papers (it looked half organized to be honest), "I've gone ahead and put in for a promotion for you. I know that it's normally the job of the sensei to do this, but as you're very new to your squad, I don't see Rippa being ready to do it, even though you've clearly earned it. Now, I could shoehorn this through right now; however I'm going to let this go through the normal channels from this point forward. I personally believe you've earned it, however I don't see it as my place to make such a judgement. The current promotion committee is strict, but fair. I don't see you being denied, baring some major incidents I've missed as I parsed your files. There's a pretty strong call for Chunnin promotions at the moment, which will help you significantly." Wait, the Hokage put a recommendation for him to become a chuunin? SWEET! He was only twelve years old, to be recommended for a promotion right when he was less than a year out of the Academy was really exciting. He glanced over the paperwork, nothing really interesting other than a note from the Hokage to promote Kashizudoto at the earliest possible. Amazing.

"Thank you so much for all of this, Lord Hokage," said Kashizudoto, "I'll be off now to prepare for the upcoming assignment." With that, he used the well-known Body Flicker Technique to leave the scene. He would hopefully get a katana and some wire, do some missions, and maybe even learn another ninja technique, before he would depart for the Land of Earth, so that he could be at his best for such an important assignment. Besides, the Hokage and the other person coming as a bodyguard probably needed a lot of time to prepare as well; a diplomatic trip like this was no laughing matter and needed the utmost care in preparation. He hoped to make a friend out of whoever else came along. This was going to be great, he just knew it.

Kashizudoto Chakra:

WC: 3192

[Exit]

Bukijutsu: B -> A: 3000/3000
Leftover WC: 192

"Thank you so much for all of this, Lord Hokage," said Kashizudoto, "I'll be off now to prepare for the upcoming assignment."

Well, that was quick. he wasn't expecting the kid to race out like that, but it worked. There was plenty to be done once the boy was gone; and since he left happy and having fully agreed to the assignment, all was good. He only needed to get the other boy agreed to go with them, and he was settled. He'd need to send a message to Satoshi soon, to let him know that they where nearly ready. Far as Kenta knew, Satoshi had been sending hawks back and forth constantly to his clan setting up for him to stay, if they could negotiate the exchange without it turning sour. Things where falling into place, yes; and soon he would either be extremely ready to just demolish Iwagakure and be done with it, or he'd have himself a new Sannin to help him handle the running of the village without Naota and Amaya to take some of the slack and make up for his failings. He really needed to work on pushing those promotion papers through... he needed himself some Chunnin and Special Jounin.

Another day, though. For now, he had to get through all the paperwork and preparations for the trip. He'd have michi later in the afternoon, but he hated asking Michizuka to help with paperwork. Michi was supposed to be fetching him to go home, not come in and do half his paperwork faster than he could ever. Michi really was better at this shit than he was; but being a teacher at the academy meant that he couldn't just spend all day in the office doing the paperwork that gave Kenta a headache anymore; and without Amaya to do the same thing, it was taking twice as long to get shit done as it should have. Oh well, it'd be done with plenty of time to get to Iwa and get back before the shit really hit the fan.

-EXIT-

WC: 354

354 + 3707= 4061

2000/2000 A-Rank Jutsu Hiding in Camouflage Technique
2000/2000 A-Rank Jutsu Water Release Three-Headed Hydra

61 WC remaining.