Midori sat at her desk, her eyes scanning through a large set of files in front of her. Her attire was the red kimono which she had worn earlier in the day, her, or rather her predecessors, Kazekage robes sat in the corner of the room on an empty seat, folded neatly. Currently on her desk was a pile of paperwork and folders, with a set of plain and currently untouched parchment next to it for use when required. At the corner of the desk was a candle, lit to keep the room from succumbing to the dying light of the sun as it set over the horizon. At the current period of time, she was reading through a file of events and documents handed to her by ANBU black ops in the past week.

Perusing the documents, the puppeteer of a Kage couldn’t help but find herself sighing softly. The more she read, the more she found she had to do. The more work that piled up, the more actions she had to prepare to take. This specific one was in regards to a boy she had met at the border not long prior. The boy had been involved in a rather substantial incident. Four people dead, and three of them were from Tsuchi no Kuni. The first dead was dealt fatal wounds by one of the foreign gang members, their back split open, and their blood staining the sands of the slums. According to reports, the victim had no relation to the gang, the boy, or even the shinobi world, and was instead a simple chef. No known family relations to report to. The puppet Kage found herself pinching the bridge of her nose as the grim reality reached her. That people had met their demise once more within her village walls. No amount of paperwork could bring a life back from beyond the grave, and with that in mind, she moved on to the details of the other victims. The ones which had been the primary cause for her need for foreign relations to become improved.

From what little intel she could obtain due to the illegal and foreign nature of their purpose within Sunagakure no Sato, Midori could tell at least that the trio of men had come from Iwagakure no Sato, or at the very least, a smaller village within the borders of the land of stone. Due to the fact that they were from outside of her borders, further information was unavailable to her. Still, she had heard which gang it was that the trio hailed from – one that was named the Infinity gang, a group of bandits whom, at least to those within Suna, were just a large band of thugs. Little more was known, and given that they weren’t supposed to even be in the village, Midori expected that there was likely no way to easily gain knowledge on them. At least, not from her current sources.

Once more, she looked to the file in front of her, sighing softly and folding it up as she put the paperwork back to where it was before. Instead, taking a piece of parchment from the pile of blank pieces, Midori stretched out, laying it neatly in front of her as she reached her prosthetic puppet right arm to the quill, which currently presided in the vat of ink. A small, ornate pot, with the symbol of a dove made in it. With a movement that was almost rehearsed, from the times she had grown used to the act of typographical skill, the quill in Midori’s made up hand began to move to the words she wrote.

Dear the Lord or Lady Tsuchikage,

Forgive me for the vagueness of the introduction to this formal message, I am aware that it would be entirely expected of me to know the leaders of the villages that share the shinobi world we all live in. Unfortunately, those documents are out to date, and we have, as of late, been too busy to send diplomats to your village to learn the current status of your village. I hope you understand that there is no disrespect intended through the open opening to this message, so, before I approach the topics of which I am writing for, I figured I’d first preface with an apology.

With that formality to replace the lack there of out of the way, I would like to introduce myself. We have kept it under need to know information, but given the nature of what I wish to discuss with your persons, I see no need to avoid openness. I am the current Lady Kazekage. From what I have read, the relations between the land of earth, and the land of wind are neutral. If you would have it, I would like to invite you to Sunagakure no Sato, along with any escorts you wish to keep yourself company on the journey here. There are matters of formality of which I would like to discuss, such as trade and general conflict alliances between the village of the sand and the village of the stone, as well as more grim matters.

Within the past two weeks, we have had three bodies turn up, which research has proven to be from your village. A group known as the infinity gang. This trio was found dead after causing the death of a sand citizen, and as you can imagine, I would not want this to risk hostilities with your nation, or mine – I believe it would be a good idea and beneficial for the two of our countries to talk, and to reach even ground. We are, after all, only divided by the land of fang. Neighbouring villages and countries. Please travel at your earliest convenience. I have informed the village administration building that you are expected, and should you choose, if you accept my invitation, I can make personal recommendations for locations to visit for the purpose of unwinding. We have an oasis hot spring, and a curry shop which I have heard good reviews from.

I look forward to hearing your response, if you so opt to send a letter in reply, but if you opt to not, yet to arrive without warning, I will see you when you arrive. I wish you safe travels, and may the winds of the desert be calm when you arrive. With kind regards,

Ningyou, Midori
Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato, Sunagakure Administration

Content that her missive was created, Midori nodded to herself, before standing up as she allowed the ink to dry. Pacing over to the window, she stared outwards at the horizon as it grew ever darker. The candle now her primary source of light, her shadow stretched across the ground and over the windowsill, silhouetting her figure into something almost ominous. Yet staring into the shadows was not one of the things Midori felt was in her nature, and so she spun on her heel, turning to the parchment, the light illuminating the features of her face with a soft glow.

Deciding that the ink was dry enough, Midori acted without hesitation. Taking one of her scrolls, the shinobi was quick to seal away the message, before, with her true arm, clicking. Almost in an instant, a group of ANBU arrived within the room, leaping from the shadows and standing before her in clear sight, as was protocol for ANBU to do upon sudden arrival. With no words, Midori held out the scroll, which was taken by a single, lizard masked ANBU, who tilted his head as he awaited instructions. Moving back to her seat, Midori relaxed and reclined before replying, her voice much more stress free and casual as the task was pretty much done and out of her hands for the moment. “You are to give that scroll to the delivery shinobi as an urgent message. Please have it sent to the administration office of Iwagakure no Sato, and ensure the deliverer’s are safe on the journey. Remember, this is a high priority mission, and I need it done immediately. Dismissed.” She said with a flick of her hand, the ANBU black ops disappearing without another word. The message was sent.

1374
[EXIT]

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