Woohoo! Kashizudoto had run all the way to the Land of Earth with minimal interruption. This was to be his first mission as a chuunin, and a very important one at that. He was to deliver a message to the new Tsuchikage himself, informing him of the arrival of the Hokage, a man by the name of "Satoshi", and a genin escort. The relations between Iwagakure and Konohagakure had apparently deteriorated under the previous Tsuchikage, so Lord Kenta was hoping to change his previous conception of this village and its Kage through a visit to Iwagakure.

The thirteen year old was wearing a black swordsman's robe that he had received as a gift from Master Piandao after his apprenticeship there, rather than the flak jacket that an average chuunin would wear on a mission. On the left side of his hip was a bamboo sheath holding the Tentetsutou, a katana made out of a four billion year old meteorite that Kashizudoto had forged himself during his apprenticeship. Next to it was a coil of wire, totaling fifty meters, that Kashizudoto could use to set up traps, rappel up steep cliffs where the Supernatural Walking Practice would be inadvisable, and even use in jutsu such as the Dragon Fire Technique. Further below that, still on his left side, there was a holster containing three shuriken and one kunai knife, in case he needed to throw some basic projectiles. In any case, he was ready for a fight; although if the Tsuchikage ended up being some evil, crazy villain that would jump on him, then Kashizudoto would definitely not be able to hold his own.

He carried with him a letter - bound by the official seal of the Hokage himself - that was meant only for the Tsuchikage. When he approached the Administration Building of Iwagakure, he met a rather unfriendly sentry who immediately noticed his Konohagakure hitae-ate.

"Halt, foreigner!" cried the guard, "State your name and purpose. So this was the current state of relations between the two villages...

"My name is Kashizudoto of the Leaf," he said, "I come bearing a letter for the Tsuchikage. Please allow me to pass through." The guard looked at him and analyzed him for a moment.

"Hmph," the sentry sighed, "I'll have to follow you as you approach the office. So no funny business!" He had no issue with it. If he wanted, he could pommel the guard if he wanted to pull a fast one on him. But if there really was some kind of mass conspiracy to spring a trap on the Hokage and his escorts, well... that would be bad.

They walked, their sandals clapping against the wood. They finally chanced upon the door to the main office. Kashizudoto then proceeded to knock respectfully while still staying alert in order to watch for anything suspicious.

WC: 476

A dark and cloudy sky, painted grey with the very bleakness that cast a shadow across the land itself. It was merely late afternoon and yet it seemed like the sun was already beginning to set in the darkness, and yet, despite all of it, those same clouds would offer no rain. No wind either, no breeze, just stagnant cool air in the shallow trap that was the village hidden in the mountainside. Karumo sat at his desk furiously marking away at letters and reports from his agents across the world. It seemed that things in the rest of the world were beginning to move in a variety of ways, nations preparing and arming massive forces.

And beyond that, even, the Lady Mizukage sending letters directly to Karumo asking for his help in a war effort he knows nothing of or has any involvement in. Even if her terminology grew to the point where it wasn't an actual 'war' or anything like that, nothing of the sort would fool Karumo. Imperialism is as imperialism does, and even for a humanitarian cause, it only brings up more problems in the wake of whatever it intends to fix. But still, the decision was there for an ally calling on his aid, so where would he stand in all of it? To help out Kirigakure no Sato and stand by their alliance or to return to the old fence-sitting ways of the previous Tsuchikage, his ancestors and wait to see how things play out?

It was certainly a troubling notion, every letter that Karumo began to write ended up poor and he despised the very words that he wrote. His pen scribbling and scratching against the parchment underneath, another poor letter crumbled up and thrown towards a trash bin in the corner. He wasn't even sure of what he was going to do, so why bother trying to write a response yet? Was it merely to try and write out his thoughts towards the whole thing or simply, he just wanted to respond and rip off the whole ordeal like a bandage. It mattered not, Karumo set the pen down heavily, leaving off with nothing on the next page but the beginning stroke of the first word.

He stood up and walked towards the window to look over the village and pondered on his thoughts a bit more, only for a brief moment before being interrupted by a knock at his door. Karumo's head turned briefly to look towards it, Seems that they intend on waiting to enter then... he mused to himself briefly before calling out to the door, "Come in!" his voice projecting a bit so that those on the other side would be able to hear.

What Karumo would find on the other side of the door though, would be a leaf ninja being escorted by one of his own guards. The guard stepped forward and approached Karumo, whispering slightly to tell him who he is and why he was there. Karumo would nod to the guard and offer his thanks as a signal to take his leave as Karumo looked around and took in the boy's measure. Karumo himself was in the typical white robe of the Tsuchikage with the symbol for the 17th on his back, no hat though, his black hair messy as it always was and his purple eyes running over the scene in front of him. Karumo would speak up before the kid would be able to say anything, waiting a moment for him to step into the room if he chose to do so, "It's a bleak day, the rest of the world prepares and moves for war, and a leaf shinobi shows up here in our village."

"I hear you have a letter for me?" Karumo would offer and walk slowly towards his desk to take a seat in the chair behind it. Blank parchment still lay out in front of him as he awaited whatever the boy would say or do.


[675 words]

"Come in!" said a voice, responding to his knocks. More than likely it was the Tsuchikage, as this was his office. That was, of course, unless he had a secretary. The guard opened the door, indeed finding the Tsuchikage - a man dressed in his formal attire of a white robe, although he lacked a hat. Kashizudoto was quick to pick out the intricate details in this guy's outfit; he was well-known for his ace eye, after all. Something extremely peculiar that Kashizudoto noticed was the man's eyes: they were purple with lines crossing through, kind of strange. However, even the rude sentry approached the Tsuchikage with an unexpected elegance, whispering something in his ear before being dismissed; this Kage clearly had a degree of respect around here.

"It's a bleak day, the rest of the world prepares and moves for war, and a Leaf shinobi shows up here in our village," said the Tsuchikage. Yes, this invasion of Kumo: frankly a huge load of interventionist bullshit in the eyes of the twelve-year old, soon to be thirteen. His own sensei, a sannin by the name of Rippa Chi, was leading an army to camp in and defend Kiri from threats while it sent all of its own experienced troops to invade a clearly undermanned village. But to what avail? What purpose was there in senseless murder? Did diplomacy mean nothing when chakra could so easily be manipulated to kill and maim? During this war, the people of Konoha - even most shinobi - were kept woefully uninformed about what was going on, just that there was a war that they should probably support. Kashizudoto, who held civil freedoms very dear to his heart, was very disappointed in how the citizens were kept mostly in the dark about this. It was something he'd been meaning to speak with Kenta about, but with all the hectic stuff he'd been doing ever since their meeting, he'd never got the chance to get a clarification about the war.

"I hear you have a letter for me?" said the Kage. Yes, that was right. Very much correct. It was his mission, after all, to deliver this letter without fail. He couldn't get so lost in thought that he'd forget to deliver the message.

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage, I do have a letter from Lord Kenta himself," said Kashizudoto as he walked over and handed the sealed parchment to the man, "He and Satoshi, accompanied by an escort, are on their way here to see you in person." Now that he had successfully completed his task, he was free to dick around as Lord Kenta said earlier. Well, now that he'd handed over the letter, he was completely free until the rest of the team arrived. What did that mean? He could ask the Tsuchikage to clarify his doubts. To be frank, Kashizudoto didn't care about the guy being a stranger or "foreign". All that he really was concerned about was that the guy was in the know, and that Kashizudoto had a legitimate inquiry for him.

"So I know that you may see me as just a messenger, Lord Tsuchikage," said Kashizudoto, "But believe it or not, I'm a very curious person. Would it be possible that you could tell me why this war is happening? Not just what's advertised up front, I'm wondering what's really going on. Your village isn't involved in the war, at least not yet, so I would think that you would be able to offer an unbiased perspective on this. If you don't want to answer, it's fine, but y'know, it'd really make my day if you could enlighten me on this."

WC: 1106

Karumo made his way to the desk and sat lazily in his chair, leaning back as the boy began to speak. Not seemingly one for comfort or relaxation it would seem, or perhaps that was due to his nature of running this letter ahead of his Hokage. That sort of stress and anxiety would go a long way to say the least, especially on someone who couldn't be more than a genin in terms of his age? Otherwise he'd have to be awfully skilled in return.

The boy spoke formally and handed Karumo the sealed letter as he spoke briefly on what was to come. Karumo motioned for him to take a seat after he took the paper in his hand, glancing over the Hokage' seal momentarily after. Whether the boy would sit down or not, Karumo would break the seal and begin to dig into the contents of the letter and what was happening.

He had recognized the name Satoshi, having recently left the village for Konohagakure no Sato, it was interesting that he was traveling back with the Hokage in tow. Still, the boy spoke up again, Karumo would glance up and nod for him to continue as he skimmed through the letter before setting it face down and turning his attention towards him,

"So I know that you may see me as just a messenger, Lord Tsuchikage, but believe it or not, I'm a very curious person. Would it be possible that you could tell me why this war is happening? Not just what's advertised up front, I'm wondering what's really going on. Your village isn't involved in the war, at least not yet, so I would think that you would be able to offer an unbiased perspective on this. If you don't want to answer, it's fine, but y'know, it'd really make my day if you could enlighten me on this."

Karumo chuckled a little bit, truth be told he hadn't seen him as even a messenger either, though he wouldn't share that tidbit with him. Instead, he admired for a brief second as he leaned back in his chair and swiveled slightly in it. Admiring the curiosity and inquisition before him, he was certainly curious it seemed, reminding Karumo a little of himself. Before responding, Karumo reached into his desk drawer into a small wooden box and pulling out a cigar, holding it up briefly before asking, "Do you mind?" He would ask. Going as far to offer him one as well if he wanted to as well, before cutting the end and lighting it before puffing away.

"Why the war is happening huh...." He would exhale a cloud of smoke before holding the cigar calmly between his fingers. "I suppose it would be easier of me to ask what you do and don't know about everything so far. Keep in mind I don't even know your name yet. I wouldnt want to tread too far into territory that even your Hokage hasn't shared with you yet..." He offered waiting to see how the boy would respond and give his introduction before Karumo would start rambling on about the cost and complexity of international politics and war games.


[549 words, 1224 words total]

The Tsuchikage again gestured Kashizudoto to take a seat, this time he did do so. Next, he unsealed the Hokage's letter and dissected its contents. After he asked his question to the Tsuchikage, the man paused for a moment, reclining in his chair. He finally reached into a little wooden box.

"Do you mind?" he asked politely as he showed Kashizudoto his cigar. Oh no. Oh no no. Secondhand smoke was not his thing. Still, he was more curious about this war than he was bothered by smoking. He nodded. However, when the Tsuchikage offered Kashizudoto a cigar, he politely declined. If there was anything worse than secondhand smoke, it was firsthand smoke.

"Why the war is happening, huh? said the Tsuchikage, "I suppose it would be easier of me to ask what you do and don't know about everything so far. Keep in mind I don't even know your name yet. I wouldnt want to tread too far into territory that even your Hokage hasn't shared with you yet..." So this guy really was interested in answering Kashizudoto's inquiry, despite being just a foreign messenger. It'd also occured to Kashizudoto that he didn't even tell the Tsuchikage his name or rank.

"Alright, I guess I'll introduce myself first," he said, "I'm Kashizudoto Sarutobi, a chuunin of the Hidden Leaf. All I understand about this war is from the rumors and loose information that I've compiled. My understanding is that the Raikage, Sanosuke, struck a nerve with Kiri, something about imprisoning their shinobi. For that, the Mizukage is invading a clearly undermanned village. My own sensei, the sannin Dr. Rippa, is leading an army to defend Kiri while their own ninja are off to continue the brutal cycle of peace and war. All I see is a power play by Kiri, but I'm clearly not entirely informed on the issue yet." He would patiently wait for the Tsuchikage's answer.

WC: 1437

The boy decline his offer at a cigar, Karumo shrugged it off and cut his, beginning to light it with a wooden match and speaking through the puffs. The smell of the burning tobacco would begin to fill the air, the tinge of smell would fill in, leaving an oak-y scent to the air in the burning. Karumo would make an effort to blow the smoke up and away from his guest, a courtesy really, waiting and listening in to his speech.

"Alright, I guess I'll introduce myself first, I'm Kashizudoto Sarutobi, a chuunin of the Hidden Leaf. All I understand about this war is from the rumors and loose information that I've compiled. My understanding is that the Raikage, Sanosuke, struck a nerve with Kiri, something about imprisoning their shinobi. For that, the Mizukage is invading a clearly undermanned village. My own sensei, the sannin Dr. Rippa, is leading an army to defend Kiri while their own ninja are off to continue the brutal cycle of peace and war. All I see is a power play by Kiri, but I'm clearly not entirely informed on the issue yet."

Karumo made note of it, being a chuunin, he was certainly a bit young, definitely a prodigy for his age in that case. But then again, who would be better to deliver correspondence for the Hokage other than someone who excelled in their position. He also caught his last name, the Sarutobi clan, a memorable name for sure, but Karumo didn't interrupt instead trained his eyes on the by and nodded along to verify his attentiveness. It seems that what information he did know didn't stream from the Hokage exactly, but rather word of mouth and rumor, not much to form an opinion of really.

Karumo puffed away another bit of smoke and hummed to himself for a moment, tapping the cigar's ash into the ceramic tray to the side of his desk as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, a chuunin, huh? You hardly look the age..." he would offer in his opening with a short smile.

"I wasn't aware that Konoha sent troops to reinforce Kirgakure's borders, I had been told that they would be far more active. It's certainly an interesting realization, but you're right of what you do know. The Raikage, Sanosuke, certainly struck a nerve to say the least, and the Kirigakure forces are planning to move in on them at some point in response. It is certainly a power play... but it is far more complex than it seems and far greater of a headache."

Karumo would continue on, "You seem capable of understanding and thinking through the situation, so I'll tell you what I know, hopefully your Hokage forgives me for revealing so much to you..." he gave in a small but bashful laugh and scratched at the back of his neck, before quickly calming himself and bringing him back to center. "I'll start with the defection of a missing ninja from Kumogakure sought refuge in Kirigakure no Sato. The claims to seek refuge are unknown, but the lady Mizukage said she denied them asylum and struck them down. That seemed a bit extreme to me... but I don't know for a fact if they were a criminal or anything, but someone seeking asylum didn't seem worthy of death. Even if Iwagakure no Sato were to deny them their sanctum, to kill them on top of that is... well, I won't make any judgements for the morality of it..." he would pause briefly and take a puff of his cigar to continue gathering his thoughts, giving the boy a chance to respond or interject if he wanted.


[629 words, 1853 words total]

"Well, a chuunin, huh? You hardly look the age..." said the Tsuchikage. Yep, Kashizudoto got that a lot. It was extremely surprising to be invited to the Hokage's office one fine morning to enter a debate about leadership, be assigned to a high profile mission, and then get dropped the bomb that you're gonna be promoted to the rank of chuunin. In retrospect, however, it seemed that this rankup was inevitable. He had been churning through missions, going through rigorous training, and making a name for himself in the village with relative ease. Yup, looking back, it wasn't much of a surprise to him that he was selected to become a chuunin, racing past all the fellow genin who were simply fresh out of the Academy like he was.

"I wasn't aware that Konoha sent troops to reinforce Kirgakure's borders," said the Tsuchikage, "I had been told that they would be far more active." Goodness, Kashizudoto had just accidentally shared previously unknown information with the high leader of another village. While he wasn't particularly concerned about something like a garrison of an allied village leaking out, his mouth was indeed something to be careful of; he didn't want his inquisitive and open nature to bite him in the back.

"It's certainly an interesting realization, but you're right of what you do know," continued the Tsuchikage, "The Raikage, Sanosuke, certainly struck a nerve to say the least, and the Kirigakure forces are planning to move in on them at some point in response. It is certainly a power play... but it is far more complex than it seems and far greater of a headache." Wow, this guy also seemed to have a relatively free mind, considering that he was being just as direct with Kashizudoto in his discussion of international politics as he himself was, even if they were part of different villages.

"You seem capable of understanding and thinking through the situation, so I'll tell you what I know, hopefully your Hokage forgives me for revealing so much to you..." the Tsuchikage said, "I'll start with the defection of a missing ninja from Kumogakure sought refuge in Kirigakure no Sato. The claims to seek refuge are unknown, but the lady Mizukage said she denied them asylum and struck them down. That seemed a bit extreme to me... but I don't know for a fact if they were a criminal or anything, but someone seeking asylum didn't seem worthy of death. Even if Iwagakure no Sato were to deny them their sanctum, to kill them on top of that is... well, I won't make any judgements for the morality of it..." So this war was started by... one lone ninja? The Tsuchikage now took a puff of his cigar, perhaps to collect his thoughts; this was Kashizudoto's chance to give his input, however minimal it was.

"I do agree with you about the extremity of what they did to the defector, unless - of course - the missing-nin had unjustly murdered someone. Although it may have something to do with Kiri being probably the most notable for its loathing of traitors, considering their merciless hunter-nin and all," said Kashizudoto during the man's pause, "Though it is hard to imagine how the death of one man, especially a defector with no real allegiance, could lead up to a war between two villages. Can the upper echelons of their village administrations not weigh the worth of human life and the cost of war on the balance? Still, I guess I shouldn't be interrupting you when I haven't heard the full story yet. Please go on, Lord Tsuchikage."

WC: 2059

They boy did decide to comment in the short pause that he gave during his speech, "I do agree with you about the extremity of what they did to the defector, unless - of course - the missing-nin had unjustly murdered someone. Although it may have something to do with Kiri being probably the most notable for its loathing of traitors, considering their merciless hunter-nin and all, Though it is hard to imagine how the death of one man, especially a defector with no real allegiance, could lead up to a war between two villages. Can the upper echelons of their village administrations not weigh the worth of human life and the cost of war on the balance? Still, I guess I shouldn't be interrupting you when I haven't heard the full story yet. Please go on, Lord Tsuchikage."

Karumo smirked a bit about him thinking through the traitor bit, just as he had done before. He was a bit perceptive, but Karumo hadn't anything more to add as far as the morality of it all went. "Right, well, I don't know if they were a criminal beforehand, though if they were, it wouldn't make much sense for them to seek asylum in another great nation, would it? If so, then it would make some sense for the Mizukage to strike them down and all... but even more so, Kirigakure no Sato is known for it's policy of not keeping prisoners and hunting down missing ninja, so it would be foolish of one to seek asylum there too...." he added on to the bit to address his short list of concerns.

"But yes, it is troubling that all of this started over one person, and beyond that I don't know if they've truly considered the weight of a war against one life. But as far as I can tell, neither side has communicated with each other in any stage of this whole endeavor. I don't know if Kumogakure made a request for the body to be returned in condition and all. But what I know did happen next is that Kumogakure no Sato made an attempt to arrest every Kirigakure shinobi within their border." his voice would fall a bit sullen and his eyes would wander around Kashizudoto a bit as he was continuing on.

"But, a lack of communication entirely is what the Mizukage offered, we never tried to make contact with either, but were petitioned by Kirigakure no Sato. So a lot is still up in the air to say the least... and now Kirigakure wants to send a force into assumedly rescue their ninja, though it seems far more of a war games maneuver to me. Makes me very wary of wanting to send support... and the foundation of the whole event is shaky enough as it is..." Karumo puffed away at the cigar as he spoke, the oak-y taste left on his tongue and the smell heavily stinging in the air.


[505 words, 2358 words total]

"Right, well, I don't know if they were a criminal beforehand, though if they were, it wouldn't make much sense for them to seek asylum in another great nation, would it? If so, then it would make some sense for the Mizukage to strike them down and all... but even more so, Kirigakure no Sato is known for it's policy of not keeping prisoners and hunting down missing ninja, so it would be foolish of one to seek asylum there too...." said the Tsuchikage.

"But yes, it is troubling that all of this started over one person, and beyond that I don't know if they've truly considered the weight of a war against one life," admitted the Tsuchikage, "But as far as I can tell, neither side has communicated with each other in any stage of this whole endeavor. I don't know if Kumogakure made a request for the body to be returned in condition and all. But what I know did happen next is that Kumogakure no Sato made an attempt to arrest every Kirigakure shinobi within their border. Alright, so this is why Kumo went on a mass purge. Still, rather than invading a village with mostly innocents, why not covertly rescue the prisoners. Or, better yet, make an attempt to diplomatically solve the problem? The Kiri and Kumo village administrations were certainly stupid.

"But, a lack of communication entirely is what the Mizukage offered," continued the Tsuchikage, "We never tried to make contact with either, but were petitioned by Kirigakure no Sato. So a lot is still up in the air to say the least... and now Kirigakure wants to send a force into assumedly rescue their ninja, though it seems far more of a war games maneuver to me. Makes me very wary of wanting to send support... and the foundation of the whole event is shaky enough as it is..." So the Tsuchikage shared Kashizudoto's doubts about this war, it was clear. Now that he had heard the reasons behind the war, it was now Kashizudoto's turn to give his input and then respectfully leave like a normal messenger would, although Kashizudoto was far from the status quo when it came to being a shinobi.

"Thank you so much for taking your time to tell me the twisted tale of this war," said the chuunin after a moment of deep thought, "This has confirmed my doubts that this is very much a power play on the part of Kiri, although both sides are to blame. If either side truly cared for peace and global security, they would have at least attempted communication with the other. Furthermore, even if communication didn't work out, it seems strange that Kiri would invade an entire village just to free prisoners; they could have easily, with minimal loss of life and disruption, had a covert operation done by skilled special operations forces to rescue the hostages - we're ninjas after all, stealthy operations are what we are specialized for! This war, at least in my eyes, is simply for the purpose of either occupying Kumo or establishing a new Kiri-aligned puppet state in its place. I don't have any particular sympathies for either side here, although I pray for the innocents of both villages for what they are about to experience. I must express my gratitude to you again, Lord Tsuchikage, but I should probably allow you to get back to your work; after all, Iwa's involvement, or lack thereof, seems to be undecided as of now and how your village ends up positioning itself in this conflict is ultimately up to you. I wish you the best of luck in your decision; I can blab on all I want about my moral opposition to this war, but you have your entire village to worry about here. Is there anything that you need me to discuss about the visit of Lord Hokage and Satoshi before I depart? And also... if you don't mind me asking... Your eyes: they're purple. Is that a special dojutsu or something? They look really cool."

WC: 2753

"Thank you so much for taking your time to tell me the twisted tale of this war, This has confirmed my doubts that this is very much a power play on the part of Kiri, although both sides are to blame. If either side truly cared for peace and global security, they would have at least attempted communication with the other. Furthermore, even if communication didn't work out, it seems strange that Kiri would invade an entire village just to free prisoners; they could have easily, with minimal loss of life and disruption, had a covert operation done by skilled special operations forces to rescue the hostages - we're ninjas after all, stealthy operations are what we are specialized for! This war, at least in my eyes, is simply for the purpose of either occupying Kumo or establishing a new Kiri-aligned puppet state in its place. I don't have any particular sympathies for either side here, although I pray for the innocents of both villages for what they are about to experience. I must express my gratitude to you again, Lord Tsuchikage, but I should probably allow you to get back to your work; after all, Iwa's involvement, or lack thereof, seems to be undecided as of now and how your village ends up positioning itself in this conflict is ultimately up to you. I wish you the best of luck in your decision; I can blab on all I want about my moral opposition to this war, but you have your entire village to worry about here. Is there anything that you need me to discuss about the visit of Lord Hokage and Satoshi before I depart? And also... if you don't mind me asking... Your eyes: they're purple. Is that a special dojutsu or something? They look really cool."

Karumo carefully listened to the boys ramblings, it seemed that he had heard enough of the events of the war. Or, at the very least, had enough information that he could make his own points and decisions about everything happening. Telling him that he should allow him to return to his work and all, Karumo smirked a bit at the thought, it probably wasn't going to happen anyway. But before Karumo could give his permission to depart the boy would ask one more thing, about his eyes and their uniqueness. Karumo was certainly no stranger to the odd question every now and then about his eyes given how unique they truly were. Sitting back up straight in his chair, holding his smile as he began to speak up,

"No, no, it's fine. To tell you the truth, I don't have much work to do at this very moment, other than think over everything and try to decide the best for the village and all.

But about my eyes though, they are pretty a special dojutsu, but you wouldn't notice it until you tried to carry something or run away..." he offered with a sly chuckle. Part of him wanted to cast the two jutsu to restrict his speed and strength but a little to show him what he meant, no doubt that it would confuse him given that Karumo didn't need hand signs or any preparation. No indication but the slightest glance to show off, but he declined to do so for the time. Even if it was a small chance, to have a foreign entity get a bit of insight more into his eyes and their abilities could be dangerous. And Karumo knew there was a time and place for his brashness and showing off, and in the matters of keeping the cards in his hand, he wouldn't take any risks in the slightest.

"But I think that's it for me, you're free to go. If you need lodgings and things like that arranged for your Kage and his posse, see the secretary downstairs on your way out and they'll make sure to accommodate you and everyone else too..." he would tack on to the end. He'd no idea if they'd had arrangements made beforehand, but given how Karumo was just now hearing of the Hokage's arrival, he doubted that it had been prepared ahead of time without word finding it's way to his ears eventually.

For now, Karumo would sit silently and listen for the boy's response if he would give one and then waiting for his departure. There wasn't anymore that Karumo would or could add to anything, except for maybe his eyes, but he'd already decided that truth wasn't going to happen. His cigar had begun to extinguish, he picked it up and inhaled heavily to relight the burning plant from within and waited from there.


[804 words, 3162 words total]

"No, no, it's fine. To tell you the truth, I don't have much work to do at this very moment, other than think over everything and try to decide the best for the village and all, said the Tsuchikage. That sounded like a lot of work, deciding the course of an entire group of people. Still, he let the man continue on, hopefully he'd get to talking about those special purple eyes. Or would he?

"But about my eyes though, they are pretty a special dojutsu, but you wouldn't notice it until you tried to carry something or run away..." explained the Tsuchikage in the vaguest terms possible, "But I think that's it for me, you're free to go." So it seemed that the Tsuchikage didn't trust Kashizudoto enough to even tell him what that dojutsu could do; the Kage of Iwagakure was still hampered by village divisions, it seemed. What a shame. He hoped that the world was becoming more and more united and less nationalistic, but with this war and all, that seemed like it wouldn't happen. The borders, the borders! The village, the village! The clan, the clan! It was sad that people of all bloodlines and regions could not come together and find common ground. It was sad that someone would hide even the history behind their eyes just because someone lived on the other side of an imaginary line across the continent. Still, he wouldn't express this directly to the Tsuchikage, who would know what could erupt if he told him that! Anyway, it wasn't all that bleak. The fact that the Tsuchikage was nice enough to provide the details behind the war to a foreign shinobi was a milestone in and of itself; he shouldn't be pushing it just yet. Besides, the man gave him a hint, something about the dojutsu had to do with running or carrying something... Hmmm... What function could that be alluding to? It was indeed a perplexing puzzle, but Kashizudoto was a very perceptive individual who could pick up on riddles and stuff pretty easily. He'd figure this out by the time he departed, he just knew it.

"If you need lodgings and things like that arranged for your Kage and his posse, see the secretary downstairs on your way out and they'll make sure to accommodate you and everyone else too..." added the Tsuchikage. Lodgings. Yes, that. They did need a place to stay, after all. It was nice that he considered their sheltering arrangements when Kashizudoto had completely forgotten about those.

"Alright, thanks again, Lord Tsuchikage," the chuunin said before vitalizing his body with chakra to the point that he could move at an untraceable speed, instantly disappearing from the room with the famed Body Flicker Technique and reappearing downstairs right in front of the secretary's desk.

"AIE!!!" she screamed on the sight of seeing a foreign shinobi, armed and ready, appearing in front of her desk out of nowhere. But she calmed down after seeing that he was just a kid and wasn't making any threatening gestures like taking out his weapon.

"Sorry to frighten you like that, we just need some living arrangements for the Hokage, a jonin, a chuunin, and a genin," said Kashizudoto.

"Alright, I'll get one room for the Hokage, another for the jonin, and one more for the chuunin and genin to share," said the secretary. Did she really think that low of chuunin and genin that she wouldn't even give them their own rooms? Sheesh.

"Does Iwagakure not have even four rooms for guests, especially ones as special as these?" he said just loud enough so that the secretary could hear. Yes, this was him trying to shame her into getting another room for the genin. Would it really work? Only time would tell.

"No, no! It's not that! Trust me! One room for each ninja coming up!" the secretary said as she scribbled some things on her notepad. Well, that strategy worked. Very well, apparently.

"Alright, I'll be off. Thanks for the understanding," said Kashizudoto as he walked out the door. Well, that was easy.

Kashizudoto Chakra:

WC: 3458

[Exit]

Doton: B -> A: 1689/3000
Reaction Time: C-0 -> C-2: 1175/1175 + 225 ryo
Perception: C-0 -> C-1: 575/575 + 100 ryo
Leftover WC: 19

The boy heard Karumo out but didn't have any more questions or concerns to add of his own, at least that Karumo would hear of. He offered his simple thanks, "Alright, thanks again, Lord Tsuchikage," before he prepared himself and flickered away and out of view. Karumo smiled, thinking he was a bit of a show off when walking to the door would do just fine here.

Still, he was a peculiar boy, he wondered if he would see him again when the Hokage came to meet him, no doubt he might try to press more at the issue of his eyes. But Karumo saw a bit of himself in the boy, a small part of the curiosity and want to know more on top of being a young protege as well. Puffing away at his cigar as he remained seated at his desk, thinking shortly on how interesting the messenger boy was. But his thoughts would immediately fall instead towards the Hokage's impending arrival and the preparations that would need to be made in its stead.

He took a note pad and began to write down several items, a short list to prepare for the Hokage and his troupe's arrival in the village, whenever it may be. Food and drink for the ceremony of celebration, and perhaps to gather the council and squad captains to meet with them and discuss things of alliance and whatever business would bring them to the village. When he had finished he would travel from his office down to his secretaries desk with his wishes, or rather, his own requests to make the event a more joyous time than simply tending to business and leaving it at that. On a personal level, this would be the first time that Karumo would get to meet the Hokage after all, and on a professional note, it would be his first time to meet another Kage in his time as Tsuchikage, much less to host them in his village.

"Evening..." he would offer to catch her attention, "I have a list of things, preparations for tomorrow and the following days. As well as a request for word to be sent about the Hokage's arrival. We've a lot to do, I hope you won't mind staying a bit later tonight in preparation of it all." he offered with a smile and handed over two notes to her, lengthy and pedantic in instruction and request. One note for items and the other a list of persons to bring about to the administration building in anticipation of meetings and other events. It was certainly going to be a busy and adventure filled next few days, for Karumo at least, and those involved. For the administration itself, a hectic few days to say the least.


[470 words, 3632 words total]
[Exit Thread]

Training: