Suzume, stripped down and turned on the water. A rain of cool water flowed from the shower head. The tingles fell from the top of her shoulders and down her body. So cool, nearly ice cold against her warm skin, was the water that it made her tense up. Yet she smiled. It had been a while since she’d had the pleasure of a nice cold shower after a hot run. Her stay had been fine so far in Konoha. Definitely low key and yet to have attracted too much attention, although she was sure that her presence had been logged. However her purpose here was probably something of a mystery to Konoha. The thought made her giggle to herself, a thing of self-pleasure, as being free with her emotions while she was alone was quite liberating. She would have to enjoy her little moment in the shower while she could for this day wasn’t for feeling liberated. This day was about diplomacy.

Diplomacy was a fragile thing, even more so given the true state of the Hidden Sand. She wondered, as she got out of the shower and began to dry herself off with a towel, just how ‘hidden’ the state of Suna’s shinobi forces were to the Hidden Leaf. If she could discover only that during her stay here, then her visit would still be a manageable success. Although she was hoping for a stay of peace, only the heavens knew what was brewing within these ancient walls.

Having finished with her morning routine, she changed into some more diplomatic attire before setting out. The sharp looking skirt and suit looked well together, giving her renewed confidence in herself. What was it with looking good and confidence? Such a vain thing yet it made all the difference when it came to self-esteem. A flick of her hair at the mirror and she was off. Her arrival at the Hokage’s office would soon be there. Hopefully he took walk-ins.

As for the Hokage himself, Suzume had never met him. Last she had heard, there was to be a meeting with him a while back but he never showed up to Suna’s gates. Would bringing such a thing up be a wise decision? It was rude to have given a foreshadowing of an event that would never occur, unless something had happened which irrevocably changed the Hokage’s plans. Perhaps that was it and he had only forgotten about his prior arrangements due to the disturbance that must have occurred. Anyways, it mattered not what had become of the meeting, but what had become of the man, Mitsuhide the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village.

With great serenity she strode up to the receptionist desk. “Pardon me, but I’ve come here to see the Lord Hokage,” she stated simply. The receptionist looked up and just blinked at her words, eyes wide and transfixed upon her with a quivering mouth, not moving or saying anything. When nothing happened due to the receptionist’s shock, Suzume spoke again. “It’s alright, I’ll just show myself in.”

And so she went up to the Hokage’s office door and opened it herself. Taking strides up to the Hokage’s desk, she was quick to close the door behind her before looking to see the man she had been planning on seeing.

Rumours had spread that the kazekage had took shelter within the village hidden the leaves not many moons ago. The shinobi and kunoichi alike were both honored and curious about her arrival however as the ties between the sand village and leaf village grew with more uncertainty. From what the land of fire knew of, they still stood on good terms, neutral parties towards one another with no sign of any strife in the near future. This still led to the question that also spread with rumour, which was 'why?' The Kazekage knew where the Hokage resided, behind his desk filling out each piece of parchment with is signature to confirm or decline the proposition it desired, so he did not seek the rumour but let it find him.

The pen continued to scribble its cursive ways as the hand that held it signed yet another sheet concerning the revival of the Konaha Military Police Force. A newly appointed judicial organisations under the rule of the seventeenth Hokage himself, Sousetsu Senju. Rubbing his chin with his index finger and thumb as he read the following regulations within the vicinity involved, he decided it was fit for his approval also. His assistant sat by his side, proof-reading each piece of paper before handing it the Hokage and readying the tea that lingered by the table at times of need. His ears peaked as his attention seemed to be drawn elsewhere at this time. With a raised head from the stack of papers, a small hint of regret could be seen. He looked to his assistant for a brief moment, who in turn, noticed and gazed back at him.

"Is something the matter, Lord Hokage?" her voice determined her now worrisome nature towards his well-being.

"I may need some time alone with our guest..." he suggested her leave for the time being. A puzzled look etched on her face before she placed her own bundle of papers on the desk he sat behind. She stood and formally bowed to him, to which he replied with his own presence, standing tall before her and returning the kind act. As she was leaving the room he turned to his desk once more and retrieved a piece of parchment he commonly used to write letters with. The pen etched its ink across the page for what seemed like minutes as the attention to detail was something of importance. A small sigh escaped him before he folded the parchment and placed it within his coat pocket. His coat unlike the previous that the Hokage's wore, was tinted with blue decal that ran around the rims of the cloth as opposed to the traditional red.

Before long, the door had opened. Sousetsu stood tall and stoic with a strong tensed jaw and a determined look in his eyes. The presence he had sensed was the Kazekage herself. Another formal bow was exerted from the Senju towards his guest in high prestige.

"Lady Kazekage. I am honored by your presence." he remained in his respectful and honorable formality between those of similar authority. This Kazekage had reigned supreme in her land far beyond the time Sousetsu had in his own. "How may I be of assistance?" he returned to his stoic presence, concerned for her reasons of her arrival.

With one look at the Hokage standing before her she knew times had changed. This was not the Hokage she remembered being informed about, nor the one that had sent word of the meeting that had never happened. This was someone new. How many Hokages had changed during her reign? This would make the third one she had heard of, but the first to meet.

”Lord Hokage,” she kept herself concentrated. ”Just the man I was looking for. Forgive my interruption but I needed to see you rather earnestly.”

She spoke with eyes roaming about the office, taking in the wide desk and the round room. Several windows were behind him, and the room was quite vacant besides his desk. How did he keep the place so clean? She had been stuck with piles of reports and dossiers, rules and bylaws. There had always seemed to be something that needed her attention and here she was seeing the Hokage’s office cleaner than her bedroom, and that was saying something.

”I’ve been meaning to speak with you concerning our village’s relations,” she continued, her eyes returning back to his. What was this one’s name? Does he know my name? Should I have introduced myself? ”Before I delve any further, though, I want to hear from you just what your thoughts are of the Hidden Sand. That and there are a few matters of the past that must be brought to light. A lot has happened over the years and the Hidden Sand has forgotten none of them. I pray the same is for the Hidden Leaf, but as a few of your own shinobi seemed not to even know who I was, maybe I should take that as an omen to this meeting, but I felt it necessary to finally meet a Hokage, even if it is the third one to take the office during my time of service.”

Suzume knew she needed to be tough, sound strong, and she needed an answer for some past occurrences made by certain Leaf ninja that had happened quite a while ago but had gone unanswered. Yet that being the case, she still needed to make sure this meeting stayed in favor of peace. There was no way her village could handle a war at the moment, even with the might of the Wind Country’s army, they would be no match for the full strength of a shinobi village. The lives of thousands were in question if she acted too strongly and offended the Hokage. She was walking a thin red line.

Her voice determined a rather important matter was to arise but that much could have been said simply because of her presence. Her scarlet eyes glanced around the Hokage's office while Sousetsu began to scan her in return. He assumed she was not to far from his age, long flowing white hair with hints of silver and memories that seemed to dwell in her scars. She was easy on his eyes despite her straight faced demeanor and radiating with a strong aura of a dominant figure. Both remained collected however regardless of their first meeting, keeping up appearances as each of them were one of the five Kage.

”I’ve been meaning to speak with you concerning our village’s relations,” her eyes reverted back to his own, causing his attention to meet hers in reply. It was just as he thought. The long period of neutrality between the fire country and the wind country could have been said to be questionable and so a meeting was due in these times. The village hidden in the leaves were undergoing a civil threat. Shinobi and kunoichi alike were growing in number as mutiny was a great concern towards the Senju and a strife with another village would simply cause the Leaf to submerge into turmoil. A risk only Sousetsu could be at fault.

She continued to speak. She wished to know his views on the Hidden Sand and mentioned that history should be considered looking into. Solving any problems that may linger in their minds of fear of repetition. Her words were as strong as her aura, fitting to her title. Clear authority in her voice yet concerned for her own villages well-being. Sousetsu nodded briefly, agreeing to the topics she had in mind. He was unsure of what the previous Hokage had brought to her however, unsure if he could answer on their behalf. But this was his time now. His rule, his will passed onto the Leaf by what he deemed fit for what was best for the people of Konaha.

"I have no quarrel with the Sand and I have no intentions of ever changing that opinion. he spoke with sincerity and truth. He remained stoic with a firm standing, a strong jaw and a calm heart-rate.

"However, I wish that we could grow stronger in relations during these dark times. Being neutral is merely walking along a thin line waiting for the weight to simply snap. I propose a friendly alliance, aiding each other when the time comes that we may request assistance. his eyes looked deeply into hers with true intent. His attention dropped to the side as he pondered of the note. Was it wise? The risks were too high but it was a sure-fire way to ensure the end result.

"Lady, Kazekage. Our history was written under another Hokage's name and leadership. I'm afraid I am not fully aware of the deeds committed between our villages. But know this. I do intend aid in our resolve. his words never faltered with their authority, reassuring the Kazekage of only positive outputs. His gaze left hers once more to dwell on the side which the note resided. He would not look directly at the location however, as he thought deeply if the choice was correct.

The Hokage was a rather handsome man, his white hair, not unlike her own, was very becoming of him. Yet still she had no indication of who he was, and she had rather not ask for his name lest show the weakness of her village. Knowledge was power and she was lacking in the identity department. So instead she had to gether what information she could while talking with him. When he talked, he was stoic and firm. His eyes weren’t overly dilated nor any flinching of muscles. The things he spoke of were the truth. As comforting as his words were and the knowledge that they were matching with his body and facial language, Suzume had to decipher what way she could respond to such news.

She had a few options to her disposal, but could only choose one. “Lord Hokage, in the days that I’ve been a ninja, there have been four Hokages, including you, that I have known of. Three of which were in power while I was as well. You are the first I have had the pleasure of meeting in the flesh. Although I would wish to see this be a sign of a budding friendship between our villages, a certain incident in recent history has led my village suspicious of yours.”

This was it, she would get down to the one matter that could deter what the both of them were really hoping to achieve here. The next time she spoke, she made sure a hefty tone of fury was being expressed. “Not so long ago an entire clan had been wiped out, I am ashamed to admit. After months of investigation, the most we could pull was that an ANBU operative from the Leaf had been the instigating agent to the crime.”

The speech wasn’t over, she couldn’t finish things off without why the blame hadn’t been more well known about the Leaf’s involvement in the wiping out of a clan of the Hidden Sand. Thus, she lowered the amount of anger in her voice to best display the tone of the matter. “However, it had been discovered that the clan was also a major player in the human trafficking cause. While the Hidden Sand cannot condone such lethal force being enacted upon it by a foreign entity, I must say that the incident has only benefitted our village. That said, there are those of my village who wish justice be done for the killing of our own. Now I cannot say for certain the identity of the agent we believe may have done this deed. All I can ask is that you carry out an investigation to bring the culprit to a swift justifiable end.”

Suzume let the room settle for a bit, as well as let herself retreat to her emotionless, collected state. This was the one thing she had been told needed to be brought up with the Hokage before any further discussions could take place. Although the matter was kept as secretive as possible from the rest of her village, she would be sure to get full approval ratings of her peers if the Leaf accepted such a request. And while there was bad blood between the villages, not everyone would adhere to such an alliance as the Hokage was willing to make.

“Without this, Lord Hokage,” she stated as clearly as possible. “There can be no alliance between the Leaf and the Sand. Forgive my ultimatum, but such is the will of my people.”

Three Hokages during her reign as Kazekage and yet the Senju was the only one she had come to meet, under an inconvenient  circumstance however. The Hidden Sand Village had grew suspicious of the Hidden Leaf shinobi over recent events. Sousetsu diverted his eyes to the foot of her being, feeling somewhat guilty as his leadership could seem questionable to the woman before him. Despite it did not fall under him directly, he had still to accept the harsh reality of the battered bonds he must uphold. He gave his word to aid in the resolve and he was not one to fabricate stories. He would see to it that the past would be left behind as new beginnings would reveal themselves under his rule.

A sense of fury aided her tone as the Kazekage began to express another matter that grew of her concern. A clan had been erased from her village by the hand of a Leaf ANBU operative. With widened eyes, he looked into hers. He had given no such command, or did he have any notion that their history was that barbaric. He tensed his jaw once again before swallowing the information he had been given. Not many had known it seemed as Sousetsu had kept the rank of Jounin during the previous Hokage's reign of power, and yet he knew nothing of the sort. Not even a hint of a rumour had crossed his path. His eyes continued to wander in hopes of finding an answer deep within his memories, yet shadows were all that could be seen. He could find no reason why a clan was to be wiped out aside from the historic era of the Uchiha clan massacre. Were they a threat to either village?

As it turned out, the clan played a major role in the human trafficking organisation which actually served to benefit the Sand ninja. A small weight lifted from Sousetsu's shoulders as relief dispelled from him. It seemed the Leaf had just cause to do so, but the order had been executed without the knowledge of the Hidden Sand. That is where the distrust had arose. To use lethal action in foreign lands without authorization was so simple and careless that it cause a war between the villages. Had it not benefited their cause, surely her visit would have been on more hostile terms. She asked for the identity of the Leaf shinobi involved and have the matter resolved. His body tensed, stiff to the words she had chosen with authority. To execute his own for a mission he had no part in. He did not hear their side of the story. It was a mission after all, wasn't it? Following orders as a weapon were what shinobi were trained for, and judging by the severity of this mission they were quite an asset to the Leaf.

As quiet filled the room leaving the two to reflect on the matters that echoed throughout their minds.

There can be no alliance between the Leaf and the Sand. Forgive my ultimatum, but such is the will of my people.”

With such clarity, the kunoichi's mind was made. A justifiable reasoning for the matter to be resolved. An eye for an eye. However, Sousetsu could still feel a burden pressing down on him as before. At first, an entire clan. Now, one of his own. His eyes met hers once again as they once did before, piercing into her scarlet eyes that were enticing to the common man. He looked passed them, darting into her whole being as his stoic presence had shown itself once more. This was the look of someone who had given much thought into his next move, three steps ahead as his private affairs were welcoming another idea to mind. In an odd turn of events, he could twist another obstacle to his advantage.

"The ANBU operative should not be punished by my hand.... he begun, objectively defying her wish at first glance.

"I simply cannot offer a head that is not mine to offer. However, I understand your village's concern. It is a Kage's responsibility to appeal to the people they protect. Had this role been reversed, I may have requested the same. Let me propose an alternative... Sousetsu stated with a stern demeanor. He turned to retrieve his hat that lay dormant on the desks corner, and placing it upon his person. His footsteps bore a heavy echo on the wooden surface as he made his way towards the Kazekage. His demeanor unwavering, and with a hand creeping to his inner pocket he withdrew the note he had written previously to her arrival, proceeding to give her the offering.

Handing her the note he bowed formally, all while in the full attire of the Hokage. His hat covered his head from the suns rays that seeped through the window panes. The coats tails lingered loosely around him, waiting for any source of wind to caress with a soothing gust. The blue decal as opposed to the traditional red was something Sousetsu had requested, a simple of new leadership and new rules under him. In all his time as Hokage, he now knew the decisions he had to make. Some harder than others, and ultimate decision to decide where the Leaf will go from here. He had just hoped it would all play out as he had planned.

Right from the start, Suzume did not approve of what the Hokage was saying. Not a bit of it. He immediately disavowed such an act as being possible. She knew well that what had happened had occurred under a different Hokage’s rule, but that didn’t allow him to just brush it off.

He played the role of protector, which someone in such a position like his own should do, but she would have rather he played the nice diplomat and allow the one head of an agent fall for the greater alliance of both the villages. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? One head for a hundred kept?

But at the same time, every head is just as important as the next. Society was like that. We build ourselves up, not alone, but together. If one falls, we all fall. It is the distance that we fall that changes depending on the individual lost. As for the certain individual that she was asking for, judging by the capabilities shown by such a person, the fall might be very steep. Who else has an entire shinobi clan under their list of killed persons? Very, very few.

So when the Hokage switched over to proposing an alternative, she was mildly interested in what he could possibly have dreamed up as being redeemable against her ultimatum. Although there was quite a bit of frustration to fight against the interest on the alternative, but she stayed herself as he pulled out a note from his inside pocket. Very interesting indeed.

The Kazekage took the note from the Hokage’s hand. She looked at it closely before opening, and then when she did, she cast a quick, questioning glance across her brow back up at the Hokage. And then she read it.

Suzume couldn’t believe the written words, not even when she read it over a second time. There was no need to hide her questioning mindset, so she showed a true emotion for the first time to the Hokage. Her eyes were wider than usual, from amazement, and her mouth ever so slightly agape as if to speak but nothing came out. She flicked her right hand to the side, tilted her head following it, and her right brow raised up to finish off her question: “Are you serious?”

It was plain to see by the manner of communication through the note that words would not suffice anymore. No, it seemed the Hokage was having to put up his own mask as well. Such an interesting situation had just arisen. Something that would change the Kazekage’s plans and then some.

She would await some form of response from the Hokage be it gesture or words. After, and only then, would she speak. “Looks like this is an agreeable alternative, Lord Hokage. I pity your situation, but it will suit us well. However, if this is some ruse for a secret motive, know this:”

“Lies don’t work on me.”

As he bowed, he lingered for what felt like minutes as opposed to the seconds in reality. His eyes were shut tight, his mind running wild as his actions could no longer be returned. His decision had been made and one he could not go back on. His stood tall once more, keeping his collective self and determined character in check. He could not afford to appear weak in front of the fellow kage despite what circumstances may have arisen from the note. He watched carefully, analyzing and inspecting her every move. Widened eyes were to be expected, her mouth finding it difficult to remain closed, and shock to mask the entire appearance. A raised eyebrow and a tilted proposed an expected gesture to affirm his decision.

"I can only hope this will suffice..." he nodded to confirm and reassure that it was the right choice.

“Looks like this is an agreeable alternative, Lord Hokage. I pity your situation, but it will suit us well. However, if this is some ruse for a secret motive, know this:”

“Lies don’t work on me.”

Sousetsu's head shifted to the side. His tense jaw and regretful eyes revealed his true emotion that this was not what he had ever imagined when he received the title of Hokage. But now he knew. He knew the hardships of that very title and what it meant. The ninja to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders, to endure the most painful punishments as the life of shinobi. A small sigh escaped him with closed eyes as he attempted to find solace within himself. He nodded side to side before facing the crimson eyed beauty that graced their presence.

"I have no need for lies, Lady, Kazekage. For I have already lost... " his eyes drifted to the side once more. He could not help but feel failure that his predecessors had not. His shoulders square, enduring the weight as best they could. Had this alternative not have been enough for the balance of the peace the Leaf and the Sand, who was to say what else he could have offered? He failed however, simply because of allowing these courses of action take place under his nose with no hint of perception that he could have prevented them from escalating any further. This alternative would also damage him but measures were to extreme to begin with something small. His plans were not selfish, they were not of fear... But were held in the highest regards for all those shinobi and kunoichi alike, that wished to end the tyranny and chaos this land had summoned.

"The name, 'Senju, Sousetsu' will no doubt be written into books for times to come. My only regret... Is that it is not the reason I always dreamed of." he removed his hat, allowing it to linger by his side in the grasp of the tips of his fingers, ready to slip away at any time. His name was now at her disposal. She could shape it however she wished and determine how the stories went based solely upon his first request.

"I hope we can restore what we once had some time ago." his benevolent mind spoke once again. Although benevolence was the masquerade, the note depicted a rather dangerous mind in its stead. He dreamed of becoming Hokage at a young age to aid all who asked. A hand to reach all those slipping away, his ears to be lent to those with a distressed tongue. Is this what happens when such a man is forced into a corner?