A council of Shinobi had assembled. The Jounin Council and the ANBU captain were present before Maikumaru. The head of The Foundry was also present. Everyone was in the room. The Assistant went around the table, pouring everyone a glass of tea. Everyone was silent. Everyone had a stern look on their face. The room had an undeniable atmosphere to it. The best word to describe it was anxious. Everyone in the room was anxious. They all distracted themselves with their tea. They weren’t drinking it calmly. They all had worried expressions on their faces. There were long posses between sips of tea for everyone. They were all worried. Scared. They were all second guessing themselves.

Everyone Except for Maikumaru.

He grabbed his cup of tea as soon as it was poured for him, and gulped it all down at once. Rather than anxious, he was eager. And now he was waiting for everyone to finish their tea. And they were taking too long. “Screw the tea. Let’s get this started. I have a lot of things to do and I don’t got all day.” Everyone looked at each other, a bit put off by Maikumaru's sudden outburst. They all put their teas down. "Good. Do we have the Juggernauts organized?"

"Yes Lord Tsuchikage. They are ready at your convenience"

"Perfect. How about the recruits. Have they settled in?"

"Yes they have. They know that they have a mission but they don't know what. They are even starting to get restless."

"Excellent. So that takes care of our main long term objectives. Did the ANBU devise a plan of infiltration and pre invasion scouting?"

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. I have already sent them out. They should be back within a few days."

"Perfect. You've taken the initiative, Onozo. That's what I like to see. You three are dismissed. You've played your parts well. Get ready to prepare everything.”

The council room only held Maikumaru and the Jounin Council. He looked at each of them, studying their faces like books. He placed his right elbow on the table, and rested his face in its hand. His other hand rested lazily on the table. “So. Tell me. Why do you all specifically hesitate. No one was screwing around with their tea more than you all. You aren’t getting cold feet, are you?”

The woman looked at Maikumaru with a worried face. “We chose you to become Tsuchikage when Hastur was for sure be our downfall. This plan you have. This dream of an empire you have. You’re being too bold, Maikumaru. You were never the type to hesitate, it's why we chose you to be Tsuchikage at such a desperate time, but…”

A crack had been formed on a table. It formed where his lazily placed hand had become a fist. “We are going to do this. No more hesitation. This is my chance. I am going to take it. Now, what is the state of the jackasses that are trying to become Daimyo?”

The man with the long beard and sunken eyes spoke. “Nothing has really changed. Imai has the most power, but some of some of the nobles have rallied against him, forming political alliances. They are trying to defame him.”

“Hm. Useless bureaucrats. A lot of them have stopped sending me gifts and proposals. They’ve given up on using me as a wild card. No one has noticed what we are doing. Well...except for one.” Shocked faces turned towards Maikumaru. Nervous faces. “What? What do you mean?”

“Someone came to my office. She looked like a noble woman. She had a terrible attitude. She said that noticed I was building up our forces at a critical time.”

“Wha?! Where is she now?”

“Dead.”

“How?”

“I killed then and there. Had a subordinate dispose the body.” The woman slammed her hand on the ground. “You fool! You reckless fool! We could've gotten information from her! She could be part of a bigger group! I can’t believe that...you would...um…”

Her words trailed off as Maikumaru placed both of his hands on the table. He started to stand up, in a very slow, deliberate, and methodical. The glare he gave her, the elder woman, pierced through her. He clenched his fists, and raised his chin, and looked down on her. “If there is an enemy gunning for us, I will wipe them out with my bare HANDS!” He raised his hands, palms facing up, fingers bent as if he was holding power itself. He presented them to the council. “I welcome any and all enemies. Now. Sit. Down.” The woman, enthralled by his forcefulness did as she was told, with a begrudging face. “You should learn to respect your elders.”

“My elders should learn how to not be cowards.” The door soon opened. He turned to it, ready to fly in a rage at whoever opened it. “You are interrupting an important meaning explain yourse-”

When he looked to see who it was, there was apparently no one there. His vision lowered, to see that a fox with a message on its back had entered. “How the hell did a fox get in here? He reached for the message. When he removed it from its back, it disappeared. “Huh. A summoning.”
“I request an audience with the Tsuchikage. The meeting location is on top of the cliff side of the mountain that's about a kilometer west of the village.

“What does it say?”

“Someone wants to meet me about a kilometer west of the village. Konohagakure ANBU.” He crumpled up the message and threw it without looking. “Gonna go see what it’s about.”

“You are going? But what if it’s a trap? It could be one of the nobles or even Imai-”

“Any and all enemies.” He quickly left the room. He was even hoping this was a trap. He rolled his shoulders and smirked. “I could use a good fight.”

After trekking through the badlands, he ran to its location. The cliff side of a mountain. It shouldn't be hard to find by any stretch of the imagination. Maikumaru used to live in the mountains, hunting bandits for sport. Could be a trap from one of their groups for revenge. He was eager to see what he had faced. Eventually he had finally reached the cliff. His destination. Before him was a young girl sitting on the cliff. There were no immediate attacks on his way here. “My first assumption when I got the message was that this was a trap. But that seems to not be the case. Who are you, and why did you send me this message?”

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“No, for now, Iwagakure and Konohagakure have good relations. Or, more accurately are indifferent to one another, if I’m being honest. The reason I'm on edge is that things are changing here in Earth Country. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, our Daimyo died not too long ago. He was old. You see, before he was Daimyo, the reign of dynasty and blood ties in The Land of Earth had ended. However, no one was ever prepared for what would happen if he were to meet his end. Imai, his son, is trying to put to reinstate the dynasty rule. And he’s the most powerful of them all. Other nobles are trying to make their own grab for the position. Alliances have been made and broken in such a short time. They come for me to be their allies, endorse them. Tch. Like hell that will happen. When I was in The Land of Lightning, my allies their were filthy pigs who cared for nothing but themselves. These nobles are no different. That’s why I rejected them. With the endorsement of the Nation’s Tsuchikage, your position would be pretty much sealed. But I have plans of my own, ones that if discovered, the nobles my call for my head. Oh and I also half expected to be ambushed by bandits. I used to live in the mountains and hunt them for fun.”

Maikumaru walked towards the edge of the cliff. He himself sat down next to it, stretching his arms. Admittedly he was slightly disappointed that this Konoha ANBU didn’t turn out to be an ambush, he decided to use this opportunity to at least relax. He had been in need of a break. “So you want to know what Iwagakure and Earth Country is like, huh? Learn a bit about it and my position. Well now it works just like any other village. We fight, go to war, kill, and die for some jackass who has the luxury to sit by and watch in safety.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “They play us like chess pieces. This world. Only those who deserves it should inherit it.” He clenched his fists, and grit his teeth. I have my own vision of Earth Country. A home for the strong, a society built on strength and power. We are a predominantly masculine and hardy society.. We are the type to not want to hesitate when it comes to making decisions. When Hastur was in power, you can imagine how many people wanting to go to all out war. Daimyo was hesitant. He wanted to maintain the peace. If it hadn’t been for his poisoning we would be in a bad position.”

The Tsuchikage stood up, and sighed. “Sorry if it sounds like I’m rambling. I have been working a lot. You can probably tell, I’m not too happy with the way things are right now for my country, and for my village. To be honest. Personally I want to conquer nations. Remind the world, and remind ourselves who we are. That is what I have in mind for Iwagakure. And for the Hedden Stone. The most grand empire the shinobi world has ever seen.” Maikumaru looked blissfully up into the sky. That was his dream. A society run by warriors for warriors. “You know Ayakashi? When I was younger I thought she was a psychopath, but these past few years have given me a new perspective. I admire her strong will, and her no nonsense rule. It was one of the things that inspired me to create Jigoku. A prison. I’m particularly proud of that place.” He put his fist on his hips and held his chin up high. “Jigoku is a place where all hope dies. Lots inmates try to commit suicide there.” Maikumaru himself spread the rumors about Jigoku. It was very effective for getting the name out. Sometimes he would let inmates go to show the world what happens when put in there. “Jigoku breaks its inmates, their minds, bodies, and souls. Sorry if I talk longer than expected. It's been a very long time since I had a decent conversation.”

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Maikumaru looked at the ANBU girl, eyes widened in surprise. He wasn’t expecting an outburst like this. He studied her mask, hearing her yell at him. Placed his hands on the ledge, and slowly got up from his seat. He looked down on Fuyuko with a very very displeased expression. He had worked hard on the creation and the mythology of Jigoku. To have it be verbally squandered in such a way angered him greatly. Maikumaru had wanted to create an aura of fear around the very subject of Jigoku. He wanted people to be afraid of Law and Order, be afraid of the police force. It was a success that he was very proud of, his first major success as Tsuchikage. He wasn’t going to sit by and let some outsider judge his creations and his rule. “The point of Jigoku is NOT for rehabilitation. Its to punish those who have broken the law, and it is to set an example to those who even think once about breaking the law. Who am I to decide fate? I AM THE GODDAMN TSUCHIKAGE! I AM the Judge, I AM the Jury, and you can bet your ass I AM the executioner.” While Maikumaru was countering the rant that was thrown at him with one of his own, he noticed that she had started to steal the shape of an animal. But it was easily overshadowed by her forceful bickering at him. He himself was offended by her words. His fingers curled into a hardened fist. A hearty and jolly chuckle would escape from his belly. However the smile that the laugh manufactured disappeared, taking the form of a mask of sternness and authority, hiding his own anger.

"I have to say. You have some balls believing you can come into MY country and start insulting me. Insulting my views. I have to give it to ya, you got guts, and I'll be the first person to respect that. But I also I have to say, if I was the Hokage, I'd be really concerned for the future of my village if the damned ANBU is as soft as you are."

Maikumaru would walk closer to her, narrowing his eyes into a sharp glare. “I can crush anyone I want, to GET what I want. I don’t care if some priss of an ANBU has a problem with it. But if you threaten to stop me again...I will kill you. I will kill you and send your weak, pathetic body back to the shitty, weak, pathetic village that you came from. You got that, you little bitch?” Maikumaru’s face would lean close to her mask. His teeth would grit, and his eyes would be bloodshot with anger. Almost all sense of composure and diplomacy left his mind, leaving less than there already was.

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The Tsuchikage was impressed. When her body was charging with Raiton Chakra, he knew he was in for a fight. She might not be much of a wimp after all. However, Maikumaru wasn’t able to see the hit coming. She hit him fast. However, to him she didn’t hard. She was very fast, far faster than Maikumaru was. But as the attacks of her basic strikes weren’t what caused him the pain he was in. It was her shocking body. It felt like he was being stabbed with a taser with her hits. He felt his skin burn from the power of her Raiton Chakra. But then she would knee him right in his testicles. The jolt of lightning through his testicles were painful, but there was more of a feeling that was very uncomfortable. While he held cupped his poor painful, and weirdly feeling balls, he was kicked in the chest. This kick, however, was different. There was more power behind it, causing him to fall to the ground, a few meters away. He looked at her to realize the busy tail and pointy ears. She had turned into a human shaped Fox. It looked like a kekkei genkai of some sort but he wasn’t sure. He was reminded of the jolt between his legs. The pain cleared him of his anger. He could now think a bit more tactically. She was far stronger than he had thought she would be. However, he refused to lose like this. She was charged with Raiton. That much he knew. Maikumaru had Raiton himself, however he was unsure to what comparable extent the ANBU did. He primarily used Doton Ninjutsu. So that would be more out of the question.

However, she made the mistake of challenging Maikumaru not only in his home country, but also in his preferred fighting range.He stood up and went into a brawling stance. He stood squared, feet spread evenly, his fists were lowered to his midsection. Ever since he was young, his style was based around beating the living shit out of people with his Taijutsu until there was nothing left, using the power of his Kekkei Genkai to give him strength. However, with experience, he has learned how inefficient that was. He used the power of both Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu in order to draw power from the ANBU’s body. An aura of chakra was casted around them. He was taught how to use Medical Ninjutsu by the now current Raikage, Daremo. However, he didn’t like the way he did it too much. Using it as a primary source to inflict damage. Maikumaru never liked the subtle approach. That wasn’t him. However, he used it to improve upon his own style of fighting, by disabling his opponents by any means that he can, while simultaneously using Taijutsu to empower himself, allowing him to freely use his brawling for of Taijutsu to get the job done.

After performing his Brawling Stance, it would activate a jutsu. An aura of chakra appeared around him as he engaged The Fox ANBU in close quarters combat. However, the chakra around him would start to drain her power, if she continued to engage Maikumaru. Not only would his her power be drained from her once within his range, but his own power would increase farther than if any normal shinobi did this, increasing his speed, durability, and his power. Assuming he would have the upper hand by now, Maikumaru would throw a hard right hook to her. If the increase in his capabilities and the decrease in her own were to be successful, then the force of the impact would be more decisive and powerful. After the punch he would lunge his head forward, straight at the face of her mask. If the attack connected, and the mask was normal, it was likely to break. He would take the initiative that his would give him. He would wrap his large around her. He would squeeze her as hard as possible to prevent countermeasure. He would lift her up and start running as quickly as possible. After he picked up enough speed, he would jump into the air, and slammed to the ground, directly on top of the ANBU. After performing his slam, if successful, he would roll from off of her and stand up. Maikumaru would cloak himself in invisible chakra. Once she got up, he would charge into her shoulder first, using the cloak of chakra to block any counter attack while he rushed.

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