Kumogakure no Sato was his next destination. The Chuunin Exams in Konohagakure weren’t yet finished, but with the removal of all participants from Kirigakure in the early rounds Chigetsu found himself losing interest. His meeting with that one child from Iwagakure seemed to go well, but he could only see if that was an investment worth his while in time. Genin were so squishy and fragile, almost like an egg. There was no way to tell if that egg would end up hatching or instead end up as a fox’s lunch. Once the exams finished in entirety he would have to look up who the finalists were. If they were anything like the last two finalists Chigetsu would have to pay close attention to them. The thought of those two honestly sent shivers down his spine, even now. With how things were looking the last time he remembered it was likely they would be from Konoha, but he could only hope that wasn’t the case. Truthfully though he doubted there would be any on the level of those two, which was another part of why he felt so confident leaving while the event was still going on. There were more important things in Kumo than watching the last few matches drag on and then whatever celebration that was going to happen after that.

He was able to travel by land, unlike the last time he had come to the Land of Lightning. The caravans took a much longer time than the boats had. The Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Frost had to be traveled through first before even reaching the Land of Lightning, and traveling through the Land of Hot Springs Chigetsu had to be careful not allow himself to be tempted by the plethora of tourist attractions that dotted the country. The appeal of resting deep within one of the nation’s famous hot springs was incredibly strong. He had to resist though, or else what was supposed to be a quick trip would end up being dragged out. He could come visit the hot springs on the way back as well. Or perhaps he wouldn’t. Spending time in a hot spring without anyone else to accompany you seemed like an awfully lonely thing to do. It had been a long time since he had gone on any long trips away from home like this by himself. He had attempted to get in contact with an old friend, Raphael, that he had met years ago during the last Chuunin Exams, but he had no luck. It was a shame, and something that made things a bit more difficult on him. He would be arriving into the city without a single friend, starting over completely from the beginning. It was exactly like his visit to the city during the last Chuunin Exams, only without the serious altitude sickness that made him vomit every few hours. The slower incline coming up from the land allowed him a longer time to get used to the mountains, and so his stomach didn’t seem to be in threat of erupting.

There was one lead that he had, although it was… Well. It wasn’t the most reliable. There had been times in the past that he had heard Verdandi speak about this mysterious man from Kumogakure… Somebody named ‘Daremo’, apparently. He knew very little about him, other than apparently how attractive he was. He had heard her go on and on about how good he looked without a shirt before… Chigetsu would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous. That Verdandi made contacts with him and apparently went on some sort of missions together made Chigetsu incredibly uncomfortable, but at least spoke a bit about his skills. He didn’t really have anything to go on other than his name and that he was apparently very pretty, but it was the best connection that he had.

Once arriving and making arrangements for a hotel, one that was much more luxurious than what he was used to in Kiri, he would set off on his search. Chigetsu was a shinobi after all, it shouldn’t be that hard for him to track someone down. Even with what little information he had on the man it shouldn’t be impossible. Of course his usual status of having Hunter-Nin contact when information Chigetsu was left naked and afraid in this foreign land. He was nearly blind in comparison to in Kirigakure, where he could have information pulled up and on his fingertips at a moment’s notice. As this trip to Kumogakure was one of his “extra-curricular” activities that he didn’t exactly tell his village of in advance there would be no assistance, even if they would by chance have any intel on Kumogakure. He wasn’t sure if there were any reliable cells present in Kumo in the first place, even if he did have the village’s resources at his disposal. And so Chigetsu would be left prowling the seedier streets of Kumogakure, attempting to gather information with what was the oldest trick in the book. He was just asking around. It wasn’t exactly the most subtle approach, to just walk around asking if anyone knew of a “Mister Daremo”, but it probably couldn’t hurt, right? He brought along what he could in terms of pocket change for the potential of bribes as well, but so far it seemed as though there weren’t any fish that were biting. He was too out of place. Chigetsu was very obviously a foreigner to anyone who looked, from the way he spoke to the bumbling manner in which he navigated the city. It was clear that he didn’t know where he was going just by looking at him. He stuck out like a sore thumb.

---

[984]

While some others would have stayed around for the conclusion of the Chuunin Exams, Daremo did not. He, along with his family, had left the exams early, even before quarterfinals had started, and headed back home. None of this year participants interested him. Unlike the previous years, this group of genin looked to be more green than anything else. They lacked the edge present with the former years of the exams. Though, that could have been due to the proctors coddling the children, preventing them from causing any serious harm to one another. The mere thought of babying genins was a foolish, and idealist one. There was no babying in the battlefield, one expected to put their life on the line, for dancing with death is the core of what been a shinobi is. Thus, by removing the aspect from a controlled setting, it defeated the purposes of the exams, at least in his eyes. Therefore, he returned home, at least to place he called such, to deal with other pressing matters.

Kumogakure no Sato, the place which he called home, for now. He had returned back, after not setting foot in the land for some time, to help a friend in dealing with the evil that had embedded itself into Lightning Country. The evil being in the form of the Raikage, Hastur. The self-proclaimed God amongst men. The one who, at least according to what he knew, excuse the actions of Mitsuo Sarutobi, the one responsible for the destruction of Suna, and offered the man a place within the Kumo military. Though, while some believed the criminal had got off scot-free, Daremo was not too sure about that. He believed that Hastur only wanted Mitsuo to be apart of Kumo. to keep an eye on the man. To keep constant surveillance on a dangerous individual, something the other nations seemingly could not do. Of course, if he had his way, the Sarutobi would have been publicly executed with the other Kages as witnesses, but alas.

However, it was not the circumstances surround the Sarutobi that had Daremo in agreeing to help with his friend’s idea of removing Hastur, but, due to a personal attack against his family. There had been rumors of the Jashin cult showing up more frequently since Hastur came into power. The violent, but usually quiet, the cult had seen a resurgence the moment Hastur became known to the world. People began to speculate the two were connected somehow, but, the exact connection was not known. Nevertheless, the cult had made a fatal mistake is kidnapping Daremo’s daughter, who he rescued, and considering the cult was tied to Hastur, the silver-haired male was aiming for them both. It also helped that the Herald of Hastur also gave him information on the Raikage, and why the man should be removed. Though, he did not know how much he could trust someone who used to work the same man who is tied to the Jashin Cult.

The aforementioned reasons were why Daremo returned back home with his family and integrated himself with the rebellion who wanted to see the Raikage overthrown. He joining the rebellion was not because he cared for their cause. While it was a noble one, his priorities would, and always will be, in the interest of himself and his family. He could have cared less about what Hastur did to the country, as long as the Raikage did not come after him or his family. He took a passive and observant outlook on things, preferring to wait to see how things unfolded before making his move. This was one of the few times, asides from his dealings with a former snake, he would be taking a semi-active approach to something.

Having left his family at home, not before telling them where he was going, Daremo wandered through the shady parts of Kumogakure no Sato with practical ease. Dressed in a black and grey kosode, symbolizing the duality of his personality. Tied around his waist was a black slash holding up a black hakama. A pair of black jika-tabi covered his feet. His silver-hair was pulled up into a man bun with a pair of twelve-inch senbons sticking out of it, and holding the hair in place. Moving through the seedier part of Kumo, Daremo found himself at peace within the district. The place reminding him of others he had visited, or lived in, at one point. And while he might not have integrated himself fully with inhabitants, he did made numerous connections with the local prostitutes, drug dealers, and illegal dealers who called the place home.

It was through this that Daremo received word of someone looking for him via one of the prostitutes who overheard the person asking for a ‘Mister Daremo’. An unknown male, at least that what she assumed, had been asking people about his whereabouts. Protecting one of their own, none of them gave up the information to the stranger, knowing not what they intended to do with it. Intrigued by this, Daremo told the prostitute to tell others, if she did not run into the male herself, that he would be at a local cafe waiting for them. With the message passed along, Daremo made his way towards the cafe. Ordering a green tea, he took a seat that allowed him to see who enter and exit the establishment.

While waiting for this unknown person to arrive, Daremo ponder on what exactly this individual wanted with him? Why would he be seeking him out? Could it be someone from his past? Did this individual know who he was, as in his real identity, and not who he portrays as? Was this someone associated with Hastur? He did not know, but, he was looking to find out.

---

976

As it turned out, just going around and asking random street thugs about the identity of a high ranking shinobi wasn’t exactly an award winning idea. Chigetsu had gone soft, and without the intel that was always provided to him he felt nearly useless. He wasn’t really an “sneak into here and collect surveillance” sort of shinobi, but more of a “break in and murder everything that moves”. His skills as tracking shinobi was more applicable in rural areas as well. The urban environment of Kumogakure no Sato was outside his scope of reference. The memories of the last time that he visited Kumogakure might have had something to do with this. He had shaken off the initial altitude sickness this time, but Chigetsu was still uncomfortable. It was all out of his element. Lightning wasn’t something that he enjoyed the idea of at all, being a member of the
Hōzuki Clan. Maybe that had something to do why his visits to the Lightning Country always left him feeling unwell.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a Mister Daremo, would you?” Chigetsu would peek into the ally, addressing the several individuals loitering about inside. One, who appeared to be laying in a pile of garbage, ignored him. Likely homeless and asleep. The others gave him a comparable amount of attention. It was all just blank stares and noncommittal shrugs. Like nobody was comfortable speaking to him. Was he that obviously a foreigner? Perhaps he should have invested in a disguise before coming here, or at least have picked up a Kumogakure headband.

“Come on, he’s supposed to be famous and all, or something like that. None of you really know him?” The frustration was apparent in his voice, but Chigetsu wasn’t exactly an intimidating figure. He was quickly deemed a source of annoyance by those who he had been speaking to, and would be hurled a variety of slurred insults before the alley dwellers returned to their own business. It would leave the male pouting.

“Famous shmamous. What kinda famous shinobi isn’t even known by the street bums?” He would be just complaining to himself now. It was probably good that these people weren’t paying attention any longer, or they might have taken issue with him referring to them all as street bums. Not that a confrontation with them would have been particularly difficult for him to come out of, but that would have just drawn in unwanted attention. He didn’t exactly want to get into a confrontation with Hastur or any of his lot, after all.Not only because it would cause an international incident, but also because the idea of facing down someone who could use lightning powerful enough to destroy a mountain was the peak of terror. That’s right, Chigetsu heard about that! It was insane, especially since it happened when he was just a kid at the last Chunin Exams. The mere thought made him shiver. No, Hastur wasn’t someone that he would mess around with. Not now, and not any time soon.

His internal and external whining would be interrupted after a few moments by a woman tapping on his back, and the experience nearly made him jump right out of his skin. He did jump a little bit, but it was only a pathetic and terrified flinching sort of jump rather than one right out of his skin. Getting snuck up on wasn’t something he enjoyed, especially in a place like this. Made him think of spiders. Scary electric spiders, probably. Do electric spiders exist? He would have to ask Haka about this later.

It was a woman that had tapped him, and the first thing that Chigetsu saw once he spun around was here incredibly annoyed face. Hearing him squeal in terror probably lowered her opinion of him considerably, and the embarrassment from having that moment of weakness witness by another began to spread through Chigetsu. Disregarding that though, Chigetsu quickly realized that he recognized this woman. He had seen her while skulting around the dirty parts of Kumogakure earlier. A pretty woman. Likely some sort of prostitute, but he didn’t judge.

“Sorry, I’m not looking for any company,” would be his initial response, and through the way that her face turned even more sour he knew this was a mistake. Maybe he was mistaken about her being a prostitute? Accusing her of being one without the prior knowledge was probably a rather bad idea. “Wait… You are a prostitute, right? I didn’t mean to assume.”

“You can find what you’re looking for at the Roaring Cloud Cafe.” That would be the only thing that she said before turning to leave, evidently disgusted with the pink-haired male that she was staring down at. The pure malice in her voice made Chigetsu shiver a bit. He would freeze until she was clearly out of earshot and sight.

“Scary… The women in the Land of Lightning are so scary…” He would turn away from where that confrontation took place, making sure to quickly evacuate the area. Another run in with that scary lady could easily be the end of him. Women in general were something that Chigetsu had a difficult time dealing with. Hopefully he wouldn’t run into any more scary women while he was here. Still, if she was right about what she said then it helped Chigetsu out a lot. The Roaring Cloud Cafe? He remembered the location vaguely. It wasn’t exactly a hugely popular place, although maybe his perception could have been warped by the tourist phenomenon. He wasn’t exactly sure what was popular with the locals. Either way, that would be Chigetsu’s next destination. This could all be a massive trap, but it wasn’t as though he had any better leads. Plus, what was the worst thing that could happen in a trap?

It took him a second to remember how terrified he was of Hastur and women from the Land of Lightning. The worst case scenario then was that this was a trap where he would be confronted by Hastur and a brigade of scary faced kunoichi. That would be terrible. He really hoped it didn’t happen.

Walking into the cafe, it was very clear that Chigetsu did not belong. The pink hair might have been part of it, but in general everything about him drew glances. He had the clear look of an outsider, and the Kirigakure headband he had strung around his neck probably didn’t help either. Everyone inside would stare at him, and the sheer animosity would cause him to freeze for a moment. A very awkward smile would flash over his face. He clearly had no idea what he was doing. This was all a very big mistake. The next time he did this, assuming he ever left his bedroom again after this embarrassment, he would have to plan in advance rather than just winging the entire thing. The problem of where to go from here would also be immediately apparent. He only knew Daremo’s name, and not what he looked like. This was another mistake on Chigetsu’s part. He had no idea if the man was actually here, or if this was just a fake out by that scary lady.

The one thing that Chigetsu did remember of how Verdandi described Daremo to him was how she would gush on and on about how handsome he was, and his rock solid abs. That cut out just about half of the people in this cafe. Not that it was particularly crowded in the first place. Using the process of elimination through cutting out anyone who didn’t a well muscled body, anybody who wasn’t handsome, and anybody who wasn’t male, Chigetsu would be left with one candidate for the potential Daremo.

“Would you happen to be Daremo?” He would cautiously sit down across from the man who sipping at a cup of green tea, staring inquisitively into his eyes. “I’ve spent a lot of time here looking for you. I’m glad that we can finally meet.”

---

[1370/2354]

Meeting a stranger was never something someone should do. There were simply too many things that could go wrong in the encounter, especially if the stranger had nefarious intentions. He had seen and been dispatched, on numerous situations where someone had met a stranger, and the meeting had gone pear-shaped quickly. The number of cases where people were abducted, assaulted, or any other thing someone could think of, was numerous and far too many that he cared to try and count. The thing is though unless in an opened area and with someone trustworthy, one should never agree to meet a stranger.

Yet, he did not heed the common advice out of his own curiosity in seeing what the individual wanted with him. It had been some time since someone had sought him out for whatever reason. Sure, the connections he had in the shady areas of Lightning Country sought him out, but, those people were individuals who he knew. This would be the first time since meeting with Lamya, did someone who he knew nothing of, was actively looking for him, and Daremo found himself intrigued by it. What could this individual want from him? Was it revenge? Did he kill one of their family members or a friend? Was it an assassination attempt? Did someone put a hit out on him for whatever reason? What reason was he being looked for?

Curiosity was a terrible thing for the silver-haired male. He fully understood the dangers of what he was doing, yet, the need to find out why was pushing him forward. If he did not allow the meeting to take place, he would forever wonder what it was about. The unknown of the situation would eat him alive until he figured out the why. A seeker of understanding. Someone who wanted to discover the truths of things. The aforementioned is what at his very core and makes up who he is as an individual.

“Are you waiting on someone?”, looking up from the empty cup of tea that was being refilled by the speaker, he nodded. “Yeah, waiting on a friend to show up. Just hope they did not get lost on the way here.”, he responded in kind, receiving a nod of understanding from the waitress who had just finished up filling up his cup, “Thank you.” Citrine eyes lingered on the woman’s backside a few seconds longer than necessary as his gently grasped the cup and brought it up to his lips for a drink. Tearing his eyes away, once the waitress had disappeared behind the counter, he looked around the establishment.

Roaring Cloud Cafe the cafe was not one of famous within Kumogakure no Sato, but just one of the many scattered about the village. A family-owned establishment, the waitress and cooks all have some connection to the owners either through blood or being related in some other manner. Not incredibly big, the place could fit twenty people comfortably. Asides from the drinks, the food was incredibly good, and was more like a home cooked meal than anything else. The only reason Daremo did not visit the place more was due to how out of the way it was.

Hearing the door open, Daremo focused on the pink haired kiri-nin who enter. The, presumably, male looked incredibly out of place within the cafe, as he noted some of the patrons gave the male odd looks before going back to their busy. Whoever the boy was, it was apparent that he was out of his element. It looked like the slight movement would send the boy scurrying away. It was almost comical in a way that this, apparent, ninja was acting in such a manner.

Citrine eyes would stare at the unknown boy, who had turned his attention to the silver-haired male. Daremo did not answer the boy’s question on his identity right away.  He simply took another sip of the green tea, and watched as the boy took a seat across from him, “I am.”, he answers was short and to the point. So this was the person looking for him, “Who might you be, and why have you been looking for someone unimportant like me?”, he asked. His gaze flicker back to the waitress who had come back to the table, “Do your friend want something to drink?”, and back at the unknown boy.

---

737[1713]

It was a busy day today for air mail. Sitting in the Rook, where birds of all kinds bearing messages flocked together, Mizuki sifted through the scrolls one by one. One bit of information after the other came in - another few Jashinists slain, results of an expedition, failure of mine machinations, the devastation of the Land of Marsh, movement of Konoha troops and more - until the jounin's own bird flew in with an attitude that left little to doubt. Zhinu was not happy at all to be used as a messenger, mostly so because it had not been Mizuki to attach the message. Landing on the small table within the Rook, digging her claws in whatever she could find, a couple of scrolls were ruined in the process of her speedy landing. Zhinu screeched with clear irritation and eyed the woman behind the desk as if it were her fault to begin with. Petting the grey hawk and detaching the scroll attached around its leg, the bird instantly went to turning her back to Mizuki and moved to preening its feathers. Curious as to the nature of the message, the scroll was rolled opened and the small print soon revealed its message.

"Raiu Mizuki,

You are summoned to seat within the Council in two days."

Simple news. Great news. Mizuki took a moment to collect her thoughts as to what this even meant. She was aware of the Council of Kumogakure but had never dealt with them. Being gone for years to travel the world had not earned her much within Kumogakure, yet the jounin seemed to be better known than she realised. People sought her out. They sought her advice, others asked her for kenjutsu lessons. With the Raiu Dojo being opened up again, a semblance of life was slowly returning to the building. Now the Council expected her appearance. The last one was, perhaps, not that unusual considering most home-tied jounin were seated there. It was more so that Mizuki didn't feel like it was her place to be there. Not only because of the long absence in general, but partially because of her reputation as Hastur's Herald and the fact she had stepped down from the thought of political games. Absent-mindedly, she scratched Zhinu's head and took a deep sigh. There was no point in rummaging within her mind for reasons. The best she could do was meet up and see what it was about. If need be, she could still walk away. And in the worst of cases, the yamabushi always had a home somewhere in the mountains.

Placing Zhinu upon her left, Mizuki left the Rook for what it was. She'd briefly blink against the sunlight and its illumination, and enjoy the warmth of sunlight upon her face and bared arms. She was supposed to be off for the day, but the diligent Raiu was the kind of person to have a hard time sitting around by herself with nothing to do. Still, unlike what was usually the case, she walked around in casual clothes. A one shoulder shirt which allowed a peek on the cyan 雀 (Suzume) kanji tattoo, a calf-length jeans and simple sneakers. 'How rebellious', her sister Eris would have said as it formed a stark contrast in comparison to what Mizuki commonly tended to wear. To Mizuki it was nothing unusual, just... a rare occasion.

Strolling through the streets she'd talk to the grey hawk on her arms, halting just once in a while in front of a clothing shop to look at the new collection of kimonos being shown until the hawk screeched in annoyance. Like it disliked the idea of window shopping. Thing were different when they stopped by a fish stall, upon which the grey hawk cried out to remind Mizuki it had not been treated to something nice today. Under a "You're such a spoiled bird.", the stall owner would thank her for her patronage and watch a proud avian gulp down its share of fresh fish. Thinking about what she'd go do next on her free day, her blue-green eyes caught the presence of a familiar face sitting on the other side of a window, forcing her to look up to see where she had ended. The 'Roaring Cloud Cafe'. She hadn't heard anything particularly good or bad about this place, wondering why Daremo was sitting all by himself in such a place. Her question was soon answered as a pink haired boy moved in to take a seat. Nodding in comprehension, she'd decide to gently tick on the window and raise her hand in greeting before she'd move on to leave the man to his meeting.

---

795

The relief of being correct would be immediately present on his face. He had finally found who he was looking for. Or did he? If this wasn’t in fact Daremo and merely some imposter posing as him Chigetsu would have no way of discerning that. That was one of the dangers of searching for someone that you’ve never so much as seen before. However, whether this was the true Daremo likely wouldn’t change very much of Chigetsu’s plans. This was all spontaneous, planned out only brief moments before action. Perhaps too casually, Chigetsu would lean back in his seat. He was determined to be comfortable, even if this country seemed to do its best to prevent that. It took a good deal of effort to get this far, after all. Of course, this only seemed to increase the level of awkwardness that coursed through his veins in the moment. After leaning back he immediately began to question if that was the appropriate course of action in this situation. He was meeting someone for the first time, so maybe he should attempt to make a good first impression? All this thought led to him shuffling around uncomfortably in his seat after he sat down. Chigetsu was lucky that it wasn’t particularly hot, or else he would have been sweating throughout this entire mess.  

“I’m so glad… I was worried I would never end up finding you.” Deep maroon eyes would peer back into the citrine orbs that addressed him, although Chigetsu lacked any of the seriousness that the moment might have called for. The question from the waitress interrupted his immediate train of thought though, and sent it spiraling into a different path. A simple glass of water was his obvious drink of choice, however… would that be a bit too simple? Maybe Chigetsu was overthinking it, but would it perhaps be more appropriate to order something else? He didn’t exactly want to give away that he was a member of the Hozuki Clan, although with his Kiri headband wrapped around his neck perhaps trying to hide information like that at this point was a waste of time. Subtly was never exactly his strong point.

“I’ll have some green tea too, if that’s okay. The same that he’s having.” Chigetsu never had particularly liked tea. It was uncomfortably warm and acidic. Tainted water. He never understood why people drank it instead of the pure stuff. Choosing to drink tea or water likely wasn’t something that this Daremo figure would choose to analyze all too much, but it caught Chigetsu’s chaotic mind up in the moment.

“I’m glad I was able to find you though. If I couldn’t I would have to move onto looking for this Mizuki person-” A near silent tick at the window’s glass beside their seat would cause Chigetsu to pause. The woman on the other side would raise their hand in greeting before taking off. Something about her face was immediately recognizable to him, but in a way that he couldn’t quite remember. It was a strange feeling, as if he had seen her somewhere once in a dream. He couldn’t help but be transfixed for a moment, staring blankly at where that woman had just been.

“Ah, but… I suppose I’ll have to look for Raiu Mizuki after this anyway. I would be impolite if I didn’t. Hopefully you’ll be able to help me find her after this is all over.” He would return his attention to Daremo after that momentary distraction. “I’ve come looking for you to make a very important proposition… Ah, but first! Introductions! It’d be rude of me to get down to business without even letting you know who I am. Especially as I already know your name.”

“My name is Chigetsu. Of the Hōzuki Clan.” There was a moment of pause before he revealed his clan name. Especially here, saying that name would likely be a liability. It revealed an incredible amount of weaknesses to those who were aware of what it meant. “I’m an unimportant Jōnin from Kirigakure no Sato… Uhm...” Reaching up, Chigetsu would begin to fiddle with his hair. The long braid of pink hair he kept dangling over his shoulder would be played with idly as he thought of what to say next. “My favorite color is blue. I like to sail in my free time, and I like to think of myself as an amatuer chef.” Even calling him an amatuer chef was a bit of an exaggeration. He truly had to talent in the kitchen, even though he was insistent on continuing to try. If it wasn’t for the simplicity of his automatic rice maker, Chigetsu likely would have died of starvation a long time ago.

“I think that’s good for a first introduction. Don’t you think? I guess if you have any other questions, you can feel free to ask, but… Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself first? I’m very curious. I’ve heard so much about you, but this is only the first time I’ve been able to meet you, Mister Daremo.”

---

[883/3237]

Daremo’s gaze never left the unknown individual across from him. He took in every movement of the Kiri-nin, watching as the, presumably, male went from trying to find a comfortable position in the seat to fiddling about. The fiddling might have annoyed some of the other patrons, as he noted in his peripheral vision how some were tossing glances at the Kiri-nin, he was not phased at all by the actions. Although he enjoyed coming to the cafe, their seats left a lot to be desired, and required some movement in order to find a comfortable spot. At least that is the reason why he shifted in his seat, but he knew there had to be more to why the Kiri-nin was doing it.

Nervousness. He could only guess the Kiri-nin, who had sought him out, was nervous in being within Lightning Country. The history between the two villages had never been the greatest, especially under the reign of Sanosuke Flynn, and how he dealt with the village hidden in the Mist, and their shinobi. Add on the village’s actions while under the reign of Hastur, a man who did not shy away of flaunting his power around others, and who had the Jashin cult under his command, and well, Daremo could understand why any foreigner would have been nervous in venturing into the Land of Lightning. Though a part of him wonder, did the kiri-nin not know of Hastur’s demise, yet?

He dismissed the thoughts for now as the Kiri-nin spoke. The statement only bringing up more questions for the silver-haired male, something which he voiced, “Why would you be worried in not finding me? I am no one important.”. Those who knew of his status would have snorted at the comment. They knowing full well that he was important to the village, far more than he was letting the Kiri-nin to believe. There was no need in telling the Kiri-nin that though, as their reason for being here had yet to be revealed. While there was hardly any need for secrecy, as it would be foolish to attack a Kumo-nin in their home turf, Daremo still did not want to risk anything with a Kiri-nin who had yet told him why he was sought out.

When the waitress came by to take the Kiri-nin’s order, Daremo did not pay much attention to what was ordered. His eyes were firmly on the male sitting across from him as he tried to figure them out. His visage did not change at the mention of Raiu Mizuki. That would now make two people which the Kiri-nin was looking for, and who he knew by name. What exactly did they want with him or Mizuki? As if summoned by name, the tap of the window caused him to look, spotting the woman in question there. “If you were looking for Mizuki. That is her at the window.”, the words coming out as he waved towards the woman, and beckoned her inside. He wonder was the Mizuki person the same one as his friend? He would soon found out.

Although he felt the Kiri-nin’s gaze on him, his eyes were locked onto another who had just entered the cafe. Zaylee, his precious daughter, and her faithful companion had walked into the cafe. Even from the distance, he could see the waitress was about to give her a hard time for the pet bird on her shoulder, until his offspring flashed her shinobi id. There was some relecutants in the waitress to allow the girl access, but, she did anyhow. Good, it meant he did not have to get involved, and used his title to let his child into the cafe. Seeing her walking towards him, he ponder on why she was here?

He doubted there was anything wrong at home. She was not in a panic or rush to get to his location. She was taking her time to move over to him. With the thought out of the way, he concluded it either had to do either Marici or his grandmother wanting him home, or the child was just bored. Either way, he would soon find out as she made it to where he was sitting across from the Kiri-nin. The waitress from before brought back the Kiri-nin’s order, and hurled to get a chair for Zaylee to sit in.

Citrine eyes reforced back onto the Kiri-nin. Daremo’s eyebrow raised at the mention of a very important proposition. What type of proposition was it? What all did it entail? The questions would not be answered immediately, for the Kiri-nin found it was now a good time to introduce themselves before getting to the heart of the matter. Hozuki, Chigetsu. He knew of the Hozuki clan in Kirigakure no Sato, the few notable clansmen had all been exceptional shinobis in their own right, and he wonder was this Chigetsu any different? He smirked when Chigetsu mentioned being an unimportant Jounin of Kirigakure no Sato, didn’t he say something similar moments ago?

Chigetsu’s introduction did not revealed much about himself during the introduction, asides from him being a decent cook and his favorite color.. When it was his turn to introduce himself, there was no hesitation in his voice, “As you know, I am Kobayashi Daremo, and unimportant Jounin of Kumogakure no Sato who helps runs the local Hospital. My favorite color is purple. I consider myself decent at preparing and performing tea ceremonies. On my free time, I enjoy spending time with my children.”, at the mention of children, his eyes looked at Zaylee, before returning back to Chigetsu. Having said his introduction, he would speak once more. but not before giving Zaylee a chance to introduce herself as well “So what brings you here?”

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A crowd had arranged itself now in this small cafe. Chigetsu blinked. He hadn’t expected this outcome. Not at all. Now not only was there Daremo here with him, but also this new individual that he was not familiar with. Without having noticed Zaylee walking up to them, Chigetsu was somewhat surprised by their sudden appearance. It was her stare, along with the piercing eyes of the bird which seemed to bore down into the very essence of his soul, that caught even further off guard. Off guard-er. This, together with the revelation that the woman who had tapped on the glass window paine was actually the very Mizuki Raiu that he was searching for, was a big surprise. That Daremo had gestured her in was something he greatly appreciated. He hadn’t expected to have the opportunity to converse with both of them at the same time, but that did make things relatively simpler. He could explain everything to the both of them at the same time this way, and there was no risk of not finding who he was looking for.

A chair was produced for Zaylee to sit in, and the tea that Chigetsu ordered came. He wouldn’t drink any. Chigetsu didn’t particularly like tea. Instead he would stare down into the liquid for a moment, blankly glancing at his own reflection in the green water. His gaze would return to the man and woman before him. The third, the woman who he assumed was Raiu Mizuki, would enter shortler after, and another chair would be pulled up. It was beginning to feel something like a party here, or some gathering where he was a stranger who knew nobody but everyone else was well acquainted. Situations like that were always rather awkward, and awkwardness was one of Chigetsu’s weaknesses, so he would hope that these introductions would break the ice. Following the introduction of Daremo would come Zaylee’s, and then Mizuki’s. Daremo and Mizuki were people he had been vaguely familiar with from hearing about them, but Zaylee was a completely new person for him to meet. It was pleasant meeting somebody new, but at the same time he half hoped this was the end to the stream of Kumo-nin that came wandering into this cafe. If the current rate of their entrance continued he would soon be surrounded completely by high ranking shinobi, and that would be rather scary.

He would smile at the pleasantries. It was nice to experience this sort of quaint-ness, something which he didn’t often get to participate in. His previously poor opinion of Kumo was beginning to change. A lot of it had to do with him buying altitude sickness pills this time, but also the homey atmosphere was beginning to become rather alluring.

“For the two that just walked in and might have missed it, I’m Chigetsu Hozuki. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Instinctually he would reach down and reach for the cup of tea that he had ordered, nearly bringing it up to his lips before he remembered that he had no intentions of drinking it. The cup would slowly be lowered. A small sigh would escape from his lips as he set it down, and the smile that had previously graced his face would twist into something a bit more uncomfortable. The volume of his voice dropped, and so did a bit of his friendly demeanor. There were others in this cafe, and he was going to end up saying a few things the would prefer didn’t end up being overheard.

“I’ll cut to the chase, I suppose. I don’t want to exhaust your hospitality. I came here searching for the both of you, Kobayashi, Daremo and Raiu, Mizuki. I’m aware of both of your names and your ability within Kumogakure through a former teammate, Yuki, Verdandi.”

“I’m aware that you both met her at some point during the…” He hesitated, unsure if the events that happened in Sunagakure truly deserved the title of ‘war’. “... during what happened in the Land of Wind. She told me a great deal of wonderful things about the both of you.”

“Unfortunately, Verdandi is now dead.”

“I’m not sure if either of you were aware, but she was a member of the royalty in the Land of Snow. The youngest daughter of the Daimyo and the ruling family. The Land of Snow isn’t much of a “Land” anymore, barely anything more than one city, but… Well. Now that Verdandi and her family are gone, I’ve taken it up as my responsibility to take care of what was left behind.”

“This is the proposition I wanted to make to the both of you. As both of you were familiar with her and highly skilled shinobi, from my understanding, I’d like to ask you for your assistance in… Well, making sure that all of her work wasn’t for nothing. Of course, I’m offering you this proposition in the terms of an official shinobi contract, which means I’d be willing to pay the both of you very well. I don’t expect you to take pity on me and help without asking for anything in return.”

“Now, let me preemptively try to answer a few of your questions. I’m sure you’re wondering why I came all the way to Kumogakure to ask you two, people I’ve never met, for help, when I could have easily gotten assistance from Kirigakure. Especially considering the… Uhm. The relationship officially between our two villages. It’s not the closest, especially with the Raikage...” He would hesitate, realizing that these two could have easily been supporters of Hastur. He decided to keep his mouth shut. “... Well, I won’t comment on the Raikage. The reason for this though, is something very unfortunate.”

He was about to do something that was very potentially a huge mistake. Telling this information to Kumo shinobi could easily lead to catastrophic consequences for his homeland, especially considering the sort of person that Hastur was. He would lean in a bit closer, speaking hushed to make sure nobody else caught a whiff of what he was saying.

“The Mizukage, Ayakashi, has went missing. I’m hoping we can keep this information between the four of us here. I’m not sure the exact details of the mission, other than that they’re unable to be found by anyone within the village. Without Ayakashi being around… Well. They were the foundation of the village. I fear what will happen in Kirigakure in the next coming months. I’m not sure who I can trust there. That might sound silly for me to say, considering that I’m asking essentially some strangers to assist me, but I don’t believe that Kirigakure is currently in a situation where it would be able to provide any of the resources I’ll need.”

“We’re living in interesting times right now. I heard the Hokage was recently assassinated as well. I suspect what happened to the Hokage and Mizukage are related. Of course, that’s just speculation, but…” He would wave a hand. “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to investigate into it at some point.”

“Another question I’m sure you have… I’m sure you’re wondering what sort of assistance I’m asking from you, since I haven’t explained yet. I wouldn’t come all this way to ask you two to help with construction and farming, or anything along those lines.. I admit this is a bit ambitious of me, and maybe a bit foolish, and I’m sorry for unloading this all onto you at once, but… I’d like to attempt to reestablish the shinobi village of Yukigakure. Growing a shinobi village in The Land of Snow would allow it to provide for itself in defense and earn a new source of income, and if possible I’d like to ask you two to assist in training natives from Heidel into competent shinobi....”

He would exhale. It was a lot.

“That’s all I have to say. That’s the proposition I had for you two. I hope it wasn’t too much to drop on you all at once. If you have any questions, or anything you wish to negotiate, please feel free to ask.”

He would stare down at his tea again, half contemplating going to take a sip of it. Again, he would end up deciding against it. Hopefully this would go smoothly, and they would both accept, and not instead just inform their Raikage that Kirigakure was ripe for the taking now that the Mizukage was gone. Even if they didn’t do that, the prospect of creating a shinobi village so close to their home country could perhaps be perceived as a threat. They had very little reason to trust him,  and so much could so easily go wrong… But if they did accept, it would be perfect for him. With them assisting him, all he would have to do was find a little Yuki brat to act as a new Daimyo, and then everything would be in the works.

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[1553/4790]

With the unprompted invitation received by Mizuki, Daremo nodded in the Raiu’s direction in acknowledgement, and silently confirming that everything was going well. It had been some time since he had last seen his comrade, and he was glad, she seem to be in relatively good health. It would have been misfortunate if the leader of the rebellion forces was anything but healthy. He needed not to lead another group of men and women, where he had other concerns on his plates. Alas, the thought of rebellion actions was put to the side as his daughter, and Mizuki introduced themselves.

Zaylee’s introduction brought a smile to his lips that was only hidden by the cup of tea that he took a sip of. He briefly noticing how Chigetsu hadn’t yet touched the drink he had order, before focusing elsewhere.  For just a Chuunin, his daughter was smart in not giving anyway too much information to a complete stranger. In the shinobi world, knowledge is power, and knowing thy enemy is one of the fundamental truths of being a competent shinobi. The lessons were something he, and Marici, had made sure to drill in their children’s head from the moments they started training, and he was glad the lessons stuck.

Although his eyes remained on the pink-haired male in front him, still not knowing what the man’s attention were, Daremo paid attention to Raven’s introduction. She given away a tad bit more information than the pair of Kobayashi, though, Daremo did not fault her for it. If there was one thing he had learned about the woman was she didn’t see the world how he and Marici, and byproduct, their children did. The darkness of the world had tainted their image of others who they meet on a daily basis. It made a simple, and harmless, meeting like this be one where Daremo was prepared to eliminate anyone in the cafe, who posed a threat, without a second thought. With introductions finally over, it was time to see what brought Chigetsu here in the first place.

The means in which he knew both of the Kumo shinobi was revealed, and was surprising to the silver haired male. Yuki, Verdandi, that was a name he hadn’t heard in awhile, and to be honest, somewhat forgot about. Now that the name was brought up, images of the ice user came back to him. A friend, at least he assumed so, of Mizuki, he remembered the mission he took with the blushing Yuki, and her polar bear. He remembered finding it humorous how she blushed around him moments after they got done on the battlefield. It would seem she had been told Chigetsu about their skills.  

Just as he was about to ask on her well-being, Chigetsu told them that she was dead. “I see.”, those were the only words that escaped his lips at the mentioned of the Yuki’s death. He was not close to the woman to feel any type of sorrow for her demise, “My condolences.” . Information was revealed about the Yuki, who, according the words of Chigetsu, was the youngest daughter of the Snow Daimyo, who ruled over the Land of Snow, the new was surprising. Who would have thought a daughter of a Daimyo was a shinobi? His opinion on Daimyos had always been less than stellar, thus, he did not expect that.

Not only was Verdandi dead, but, her entire family was too. He could only imagine the state of Snow at the current time without a ruling family maintaining it. He would not be surprised if chaos and discord was abound in the country due to their being no leadership. Humans tend to panic, or act differently, when there is no one to properly ‘punish’ them if necessary. Though, it seem like, Chigetsu had stepped in to fill in the roll as a ruling figure. He wonder how the Hozuki was fairing in the endeavor? He did not bother in asking though, instead, continue listening on to what Chigetsu had to say.

An indirect answer to his unspoken question came shortly afterwards, as Chigetsu offered him and Mizuki a shinobi contract. The contract entailing them helping the Hozuki in making sure all the work Verdandi and her family had did in the Land of Snow would not go to waste. The Hozuki was willing to pay for their services, if both of them agreed to the contract. He was also smart enough to know that neither of them would do the job for free. That tidbit was a plus in Daremo’s eyes, some people believed a shinobi should do their job without any form of payment or compensation of any kind.

Before he could give his opinion on the matter, Chigetsu revealed some shocking news that could shake up the Elemental Nations, and paint a target on Kirigakure no Sato’s back if found out by the other nations. Ayakashi, the Mizukage, had gone missing. The Hidden village by Mist was without the military leader. If other countries knew the Mizuki was missing, there would not be any hesitation in attacking the village. For Chigetsu to be sharing this type of information meant either he was truly desperate for their help, or idiotic. It was too early to tell which one the pink-haired male was, yet.

Desperate. The Hozuki was desperate in need for help from those who, in theory, should be able to trust, if only by the kind words spoken about them from the late Yuki. He did not believe in those in his own village, and understands with the Mizukage gone, resources needed to be diverted internally, not externally. He also brought up the recent assassination of the previous Hokage, and question if the two incidents were tied in together. If he was a betting man, he would tie in the disappearance of the Mizukage with the one who she was fighting in the Land of Wind, for anyone who can stand up to the Ayakashi could surely take them out, if given the right opportunity.

Details on what exactly they would be hired for was explained to the listening party. Chigetsu assuring them that it would not be some mundane tasks, but, rather an interesting one. He wanted them to help him re=establish Yukigakure, and train the natives in the shinobi arts. Both he even gave his reply, he shifted his attention to his daughter. It did not take him guessing to know what she wish to do in this situation. She had a heart of pure-gold, and was willing to help others in need. “You must know, what you are asking from us is quite a lot. You wish to hire the help of two Kumo-nins, despite our villages less than stellar relationship. This will take away two Jounins and a Chuunin from Kumo, some might accuse you of trying to pull something with this stunt.”, he spoke rather bluntly, “There is also the issue of our current Raikage being. . well the type of person who he is.”

If one read between the lines, they would see that Daremo did not have a favorable opinion on the Raikage, but, prefered not to say anything out loud, in case someone went to the Kage about it.  “I did not know Verdandi that well. I mainly remember her due to her blushing on the mission she took along side me and Raven. Nevertheless, she seemed like a good person, and never would I have thought she was royalty. Tell me, what did Verdandi mean to you? She had to be someone important, if you are going through these measures to protect her homelands.”, he asked. He did not care for the answer for his decision on the matter had already been made up, so, if Chigetsu did responde, he would speak there afterwards, “Although it might be foolish of me in helping another country re-establish their shinobi village, and train of the natives in the art. I will help with the endeavor, though, only if you agree to two things. If things were to change in Kumo, for the better, I wish to proposed a beneficial alliance between us. Furthermore, if in the near future, I would need your assistance in something, which would not cause harm to your investment or persons or love ones, you will come to my aid. If you can promise me that, than I will help you.”


He paused in speaking, allowing the words to sink in, and for Chigetsu to make a comment on what was proposed, and for the others to give their own input on the matter. Once everyone had spoken, he asked another question, “How do you plan on building this hidden village? Do you think there will be opposition against the idea of foreigners helping to build this village? How long do you think it take for it to be completed? As, do you truly understand that I am not the type of person who take it easy on those who I train? I prepare people for the cruelty of the world. I don’t baby nobody.” He spoke, citrine eyes staring at the man across from him.\

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☯ A rank - Kagura Shingan:

Something caught in his throat. Even as the words left his lips, he hadn’t expected Daremo and Mizuki to say anything about Verdandi’s death. Chigetsu had only heard about them in passing, unsure of her relationship with these two. For some reason he hadn’t expected them to say a thing on the matter, and focus more on the rest of what he was telling them. This was the one thing he would much rather gloss over. He wasn’t exactly prepared to confront those memories. Who knows if he ever would be, but they weren’t something he wanted to dwell on all too much at the moment.

“Yes.” It would take him a second to respond to Daremo’s question. “She was very important. Verdandi means a lot to me.” Present tense. That was all he would say on the matter.

“I’m flattered that you would go to the trouble to use a fancy technique like that just for little me.” He would be back to smiling, quick to move on from that last time. “I'm glad you believe me though, so I guess it was a good thing you decided to use it.” His demeanor had shifted radically. Away from the somber attitude of earlier, he was half amused and almost a bit giggly now that he moved on to continue the business discussion. Of course, he was more in shock that techniques such as ‘Kagura Shinan’ existed. There were those who could sense lies? Internally he was sweating and nervous, now more than he had been before, but that was something he kept suppressed. He was barely a novice in the art of being a sensor. It was a sore spot, one of many where he barely put any energy into developing. Sensory, Fuuinjutsu, Stealth, Genjutsu… Really, he was beginning to realize he was a useless sponge who could only beat up on others with brute force, and even at that he wasn’t exactly the best… Perhaps he should follow in Verdandi’s footsteps and ask Mizuki to tutor him? Although in the current circumstances that would probably be wildly inappropriate.    

“I understand that I’m asking an awful lot from you two… I apologize for this. It must be rather annoying to offer your hospitality to a stranger and then have them ask a difficult request of you. I didn’t mean to frustrate either of you with this request. I understand this would be a great burden on not only the both of you, but also your village as a whole. Especially with the current Raikage being the type of person he is… That is, a dead one.” Learning about the demise of Hastur changed literally everything. The fear that he had when first entering this village evaporated. Without Hastur, the chance that he had just said something awfully wrong by telling all of this information had just disappeared. It helped that they were on an even playing field. Even if there were those in Kumo who wanted to capitalize on Kirigakure’s lack of Mizukage, hopefully by the time Kumogakure organized and selected a new Raikage Kirigakure would have done the same and there would be a new Mizukage.

“If a new Raikage would be more sympathetic to what I’m saying now, I’d be more than happy to wait two more days for a reply. To be honest, I don’t expect this to be a particularly fast process.” He would smile a bit awkwardly. To assume that they were going to the Land of Snow immediately after this would be… Well. This was a process that would take months, and would likely result in often trips back and forth from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Snow. Two days would hardly be enough time to prepare. There was still a lot else he needed to do here before being completely ready. “I’ll do my best to prepare as not to keep you two waiting, though. And while I would love to agree to a beneficial alliance between our two villages in return for your help, I’m unfortunately not the Mizukage.” He would almost laugh at that one. The idea of someone like him ever becoming the Mizukage was an absurd joke. “I wasn’t exaggerating or being humble when I described myself as unimportant earlier. The only place I have clout is the Land of Snow. However, if I were to ever gain any power within Kirigakure, you would have my word that I would do as much as I could to make an alliance like that reality. In the case of the favor you’re asking for me, that would be much easier for me to accomplish, and I can safely agree to assist you in whatever you desire in return for this.”

“And… You’re right. There probably would be a bit of resistance to foreigners coming in. Especially from the Land of Lightning. If I were to be brutally honest, those from the Land of Snow would likely be rather afraid of you both, knowing where you originate from. However, I think that this would be an important part of building trust between communities. If there are those from Kumogakure who really, really want to help the people of the Land of Snow, I know that the people from Heidel will understand and we’ll be able to come to a resolution.”

“And I wouldn’t expect any less from you than to go hard on them. This is a cruel world, you’re right. We’re living in a very interesting and dangerous time. I have plenty of ideas on how to build up the village itself as well. In terms of material supplies and labor I already have a few connections lined up that I’m in the process of pursuing. I would ask you don’t worry about these details, and leave them all to me, assuming this all goes through.”  

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[1006/5796]

With Chigetsu confirming the relationship between him, and the late princess went beyond that of mere comradery, Daremo dropped the subject at hand. Apart of him found Chigetsu’s actions admirable in a way. Here he was in a foreign land, asking for help from the natives in building up a village within another country, not knowing if they would turn him down, all for someone who was important to him, even in death. It seemed he would go to great lengths for the Yuki member. Yes, he could respect what the man was attempting to do. For he might have done the same if the situation was reversed.

On the other in though, he found the man’s actions somewhat foolish, and a bit ill thought out. The relationship between Kumogakure no Sato and Kirigakure no Sato had not been the greatest in the longests of times. Both villages done had their issues with one another, something that should be  common knowledge to those who have been in either village for some time, and the uneasiness that comes with it had yet to diminished even to this day. For him to come to this village, without any noticeable form of bodyguards or protection, and spill out information that could be used against him, was incredibly foolish.

Although, he guessed it would not matter in the grand scheme of things with what Mizuki just informed the Kiri-nin in a sign of trust between the two parties. There was no need in telling the Kiri-nin about the death of Hastur. For, by keeping up the ploy that the self-proclaimed God was still alive, it gave Lightning country a chance to get some affairs in order before the world knows the truth. It also was a nice deterrent towards anyone who wish to start trouble with the village. The same could be said about the information Chigetsu revealed as well, but nevertheless, it could not be helped. Instead of sigh in annoyance with how willingly some people were to indulge information to another, Daremo took a sip of the tea, and stared on impassively.

Daremo did not even look in Mizuki’s direction when she hinted at him becoming the next Raikage, if the council agreed to it. Though there was a chance he would not get the position, he had been thinking about his plans for Lightning Country in general. There was much to be done internally within the country. Relationships had gone sour do to Hastur’s mismanagement of the village, and those relationships would need to be fit. There was also the issue of Jashin; a nuisance that needed to be solved before it got out of hand. Yes, much needed to be done internally, but that didn’t mean Lightning Country couldn’t help for another country in need.

“Hosting strangers, disagreeing or agree with one another is normal within a village. I do not see a reason for you to apologize. You have desires, drive, and dreams to see Land of Snow become something, yes? Then, what is there to apologize for?”he asked, setting down the tea cup in order to gaze at Chigetsu,  “Yes, while our village is not in the best of state currently, it doesn’t mean we can not hear out the request. “ Constant apologizing for something, especially when it might come off as half-hearted, was one at that. He honestly didn’t see a need for Chigetsu to apologize.

With CHigetsu agreeing to wait two days for the council to convene and figure out who will become the next Raikage, Daremo smiled. While he did not peg the man for someone who wish for things to be decided on at the moment of being asked, he could never know. Thus, he was glad the Kiri-nin was willing to wait for Kumogakure to get one issue to take care of and settled. Almost breaking out of character Daremo spoke, “If things turn out favorable for me, and the council deems me as the best choice for Raikage, then you have Kumogakure’s answer regarding your request.”, admitting that he was in the run in for the Raikage spot, “ Even if I am not elected, maybe me, and Raiu-san can convince the new Raikage to accept the proposal. It would be beneficial for both Lightning, Water, and Snow Country if we put aside our issues with one another, especially in these uncertain times.”



Although he kept some of his secrets in regards to his plans for Kumogakure a secret, he just revealed some. Asides from fitting up things internally, Daremo wish to erase the tension between the two villages, and by proximity, Snow Country, for the betterment of Kumogakure. With many of the water routes being apart of Mizu no Kuni’s territory, it was important for a friendship to be made. “If either of us gains the Kage spot in our respective village, let’s work with one another in improving our relationships.”, he asked.

As Chigetsu spoke on the possibility of there being resistance to foreigners, Daremo had to rejudge the Kiri-nin in front of him. He had pegged him as a naive individual at first, but it seemed he was not so much. He at least knows that there was a chance of resistance from the parties involved. Despite the resistances on either side, Chigetsu seems to still want to continue on with the plan of his, and once more, Daremo found himself admiring him for it. “The same can be said for the people of Lightning Country. I am sure we can get them to understand and see reason. The people here are tired from Hastur’s . . . deeds, so this would surely be a change of pace for them, and a good one.”

Daremo chuckled at the mention of going hard on the Snow natives, “My definition of brutal training might be different than what you or Raiu-san is used to. I am sure my daughter.”he looked at Zaylee, “Can give you horror stories of what I put her through during our training section.” If Zaylee wishes to indulge the listeners in the information, she was given the chance to. Only afterward did Daremo speak once more, “Asides from the people of Hendel, are there any other forces at work that would oppose us in our endeavors?”, he asked.

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