The sun soon began to peek from the distance over the the Village hidden in the Leaves and Sousetsu could be seen in his usual outfit of armour emblazoned with the Senju symbol worn over a simple black jumpsuit, with a distinctive white fur collar. This armour was constructed from numerous blue metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along the wearers body, in particular: chest, waist, shoulders and upper arms. It was usually an aqua blue colour but today it was filled with dust and looked tattered from the onslaught that lasted through the night. Sousetsu had not slept since the attack on Konaha. He spent the entire night extinguishing fires and escorting the citizens to safety. He was weary with exhaustion. If only he had gotten there sooner. He placed his hand upon his blade which lay across his lower back. The blade was known as the 'High Frequency blade' and stood at three feet and three inches long with a black customized handle accompanied with silver linings the outer blade.

The Senju could be seen wandering outside the gates making his way to the Dense Forest. The Dense Forest was known as the forest that keeps Konoha hidden from enemies. Apparently, that did not live up to his expectations. The Naka river also ran through the forest and held many dangerous herbs and wildlife species calling this place home, and pose a threat for anyone who may wonder into it. Ash and dirt were scattered among the skin, his face and hands were noticeable but this did not affect him in the slightest. The people he had grown up with, his friends, had died trying to protect the village. Sousetsu's mind filled with bottled up rage, his body was now a husk. He did not know which way to feel as the emotions ran much like the Naka river.

He found a secluded area within the forest and laid his back against a nearby tree before sliding down to the ground. He seemed lifeless but was upset more than anything. His eyes moved frantically from side to side as he imagined the deaths of the many, the screams of the innocent and the smoke of the fires replaying the same mental images over and over again within his now fragile mind. With a hasty and frantic way of getting back up to his feet, he turned to face the rather large and thick tree before repeatably punching out the anger that he kept bottled up from before. As the next punch landed in succession, he sped up the process until his knuckles began to bleed and the bark could be seen found flying off in random directions. A dint could soon be found within the the side of the tree before Sousetsu let out a roar to finally calm himself. He soon fell back to the ground, this time lying flat and watched as the birds flew out of the trees and to the south. What was he to do?

Nagare entered a secluded forest full of large trees. Their branches and brush blotted out the sun, leaving the ground under in complete shade. It smelled of maple and oak, most likely the common trees of Konoha. He was tired and sore from the day before, when that Missing-Ninja had attacked. Konoha was now being rebuilt, yet another village destroyed by a rogue. He didn't have to report to his squad for his mission in the Land of Fire for a few more days, so he figured he may as well relax and help rebuild while he could. Kirigakure's destruction was now 6 years ago, so he figured that there was little to no relation between the two calamities. He'd heard of the man who'd destroyed Kiri so long ago, a man named Hao Uchiha, who burnt the place down with the dark flames of Amaterasu...this boy, this green haired boy who seemed to speak directly to the mind of those he addressed, was different. He wasn't a part of the Shichiouza, no, he was weaker than them. He couldn't have been much stronger than Nagare was. Nagare thought about it tirelessly as he walked through the dense brush.

The Sannin came upon a clearing in the woods, a secluded area next to a river. The sound of constant smashing caught his attention, and he turned to face a man wearing worn-down armor punching a tree repeatedly. The resounding smashes just sounded painful...he finally stopped, falling into the grass and staring up at the sky. Nagare recognized the man's face as it came into view; one of the Senju that was helping in the fight against the invader. He came over and sat on a tree stump next to the Senju and gave the guy a smile paired with a steady gaze from his crimson eyes. "Hello there. I remember you from yesterday, during the fight. I'm Sōseiji, Nagare." he said, maintaining the smile. He wasn't the best at smiling, he was only doing it to be polite, so it looked a bit forced...he eventually stopped smiling and adjusted his Kumogakure hitai-ate, which was wrapped around his right arm, leaving the Kumo emblem emblazoned to him. He wondered if he looked out of place here, in Hi no Kuni.

As Sousetsu watched the clouds move from his spot upon the ground am unfamiliar presence appeared. A rather tall and lanky man was seen making his way towards a tree stump to perch himself on as he began to speak to the Senju. "Hello there. I remember you from yesterday, during the fight. I'm Sōseiji, Nagare." the man explained. Sousetsu stood up slowly, still exhausted and with slight trembling. He turned to face Nagare and bowed formally despite his appearance of being dirty and worn out. "My apologies, I thought I was alone. My name is Senju, Sousetsu." He said with slight embarrassment of his earlier outburst. Blood continued to trickle down his hands from his knuckles as they were by his side. Upon further inspection as he tilted his body back up to stand tall once again, he noticed that this man was not a Leaf shinobi. He had found a Kumogakure head band upon his person and could only wonder what the reason was for him being here.

He did mention that he was there during the attack they were under but the Cloud ninja were allies to the Leaf so he was not quick to judge. "You were here during the attack yesterday?" Sousetsu asked vaguely, wanting to get more out of the man than a simple 'yes.' He performed a numerous amount of deep breaths to sooth himself. The individual before him had this odd persona about him. His smile, while welcome, seemed forced. He probably seen the whole thing turn to rubble just as he did. Sousetsu could have done more, he was strong enough but for starters he was not even present during the assault. He was training as it all happened leaving him in the dark. When he arrived he immediately took care of the citizens instead of searching for the man at fault and helping his comrades. At the time it did not seem that he had a choice but as he thought about he knew he did the right thing. But why was there a burden of guilt resting upon him. His close friend Hideo had died before him. A sight he will never forget. He could have finished off the culprit but he didn't. As a result, he got away.

The man gave Nagare a look back, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Obviously, he hadn't noticed Nagare before, but he saw him now, and spoke up in reply. "My apologies, I thought I was alone. My name is Senju, Sousetsu. You were here during the attack yesterday?" So it seemed that no one had really noticed Nagare during the fight. He had done his best to help, but he had arrived far too late to be of great assistance to the defending Konoha ninja. The village still stood, though, and the destruction wasn't enough to leave it bare, so Nagare wasn't too upset. He sat back on the tree stump, supporting his figure with his arms behind his back, pushing against the trunk as he crossed his legs and came into a reclined position. Maybe Sousetsu hadn't been directly in the combat itself...but Nagare had seen him yesterday, if his memory was correct, so it was odd that the man hadn't noticed.

Nagare cleared his throat and explained his being there. "Yes, I was at the battle yesterday, but it isn't why I'm here. I'm a Sannin of Kumogakure no Sato, and as a way to build the alliance between our villages, the Raikage has sent me on a mission from the Hokage to subdue a separate group of missing ninja that have been plotting against Konoha. As I arrived, I immediately noticed the plumes of smoke within the gates and I just ran to the biggest one I saw, and that's when I saw that missing-ninja, the one who single-handedly initiated that attack. I came rather late, so I didn't get to help much before the criminal escaped..." He would've enjoyed a chance to represent Kumogakure's strength, to use his power against the assailant and build a good image for his village within Konoha, but it was too late. Besides, he hadn't come to defeat the invader, he had come to defeat the next threat at the end of this week.

Finally, the brunt of his thoughts finished running their course, and he turned back to Sousetsu. "Have there been any other related issues like the one that occurred yesterday here?"

The Senju had watched as Nagare became more comfortable as he lay upon the tree stump, legs crossed and arms supporting him behind his back. He told Sousetsu that he was indeed at the battle the previous day but it was not why he had come here. "I'm a Sannin of Kumogakure no Sato, and as a way to build the alliance between our villages, the Raikage has sent me on a mission from the Hokage to subdue a separate group of missing ninja that have been plotting against Konoha..." Nagare stated. He was a Sannin? He was rather slim but it appeared that looks were not everything. He was a legendary ninja from the Village hidden in the Clouds. The cloud ninja were strong as far as Sousetsu had heard from word of mouth and reading about them in many books so it was a privilege that he was among the presence of one of their best. His eyes widened and became slightly more embarrassed by his earlier actions. He then went on about how he saw the smoke fumes and rushed to their aid. He found the culprit but was too late to do anything about it. "I thank you for your assistance, Nagare." Sousetsu added onto his speech, hoping that others had also said this to him and if not, he would do so for them.

He then asked Sousetsu if there was any other related issues like the attack yesterday but Sousetsu could not think of one that came to mind. He was usually busy training new jutsu and his squad as well as going on missions. He folded his arms and closed his eyes as he thought harder onto the topic, surely something would come to him. "The Hokage." Sousetsu stated bluntly. "The previous Hokage; Kimura, Takao. He is missing. Uchiha, Tatsumaru has taken his place for the time being." Sousetsu informed Nagare, hoping that he was of some help to him. He then thought about Nagare's previous statement. The attack was not why he was here. Of course it wasn't, how would he have known? So what was he doing here? The birds began to chirp as the small silence drifted by. They seemed to be calling out to one another in a harmonious tone. The leaves continued to rustle in the wind, brushing off one another. Sousetsu wanted to be of assistance to the Cloud ninja so he wanted to know more. "Why are you, exactly? If not for the attack and our relationship between the villages are doing well, then something is wrong. I can help." Sousetsu offered, hoping he could be of more assistance to the village. He arrived late also to the battle and kept believing that things would have been different if he arrived first. He had a great arsenal of techniques that would have surely kept the villain at bay.

Sousetsu's attitude changed a bit as Nagare mentioned he was a Sannin, and Nagare was about to speak up to tell him not to act differently, but the Senju fit in a word first. "I thank you for your assistance, Nagare." Nagare smiled at this. He did like being appreciated, but of course was going to help. He wasn't just going to let the village get attacked without trying to help. Sousetsu then explained what was happening with the village...apparently, Kimura, Takao, the Hokage that Nagare had heard of many times, was missing. A new one, named Uchiha, Tatsumaru, had taken his place for the time being, and since then, the village had become a target to missing ninja. Soon enough, Sousetsu focused his attention on Nagare again, and spoke calmly. "Why are you, exactly? If not for the attack and our relationship between the villages are doing well, then something is wrong. I can help."

Nagare gave the Senju a crooked look, he must have misunderstood what he just explained. "I told you why I'm here, it's a separate mission that I was tasked to do by the Raikage from the Hokage...Tatsumaru, it would seem. Later on this week, I'm going to be breaking into the headquarters of a notorious group of nuke-nin. They are plotting against Konoha as well, although they hold no established connection to the one that attacked yesterday." Sou said that he wanted to help, but Nagare already had a squad on this one...so he would have to decline. Or maybe he would need the help. The missing ninja were powerful, which was why he was being called upon in the first place, as Konoha's Sannin seemed to be unavailable. He sighed, and just looked back at Sousetsu with a tired expression.

With a rather odd look, Nagare went into a slightly more thorough response. "I told you why I'm here, it's a separate mission that I was tasked to do by the Raikage from the Hokage...Tatsumaru, it would seem..." Sousetsu pondered at this. The Raikage sending out one of their best shinobi to help out another Kage? Something was going on and Sousetsu did not like being left in the dark. Before he could think more on the subject, Nagare had continued the small talk. "Later on this week, I'm going to be breaking into the headquarters of a notorious group of Nuke-nin. They are plotting against Konoha as well, although they hold no established connection to the one that attacked yesterday." This man was going to knock on the enemies door and waltz right in. Apparently, they were enemies of Konaha also but held no binds with the culprit they had faced the previous day. How did the Village Hidden in the leaves grow to gain so many enemies? These were missing ninja so the chances are they were a rebellious type, no doubt some of them were former members of Konaha's shinobi force. What has been happening in the village for people to defect? Was it politics? Did they not share the same goals? Sousetsu's mind was beginning to flood with questions and little answers.

The Senju could see that Nagare was thinking about the matter at hand before giving a tired expressions towards him. This was a matter concerning Konaha and Sousetsu had a right to defend his village. He stepped closer to the Sannin and let out a small sigh. "Nagare...Take me with you. No-one has to know. I am one of the Leaf's higher-ups! You have to take me with you!" Sousetsu began to raise his voice. He was still worn out from the attack and extinguishing fires the entire night. He had not slept and all of this made him appear slightly weak, but he still had the energy to fight for what he wanted. "I wasn't here on time during the attack...At least let me take a fight to them. What can I do to convince you?" He spoke as he wondered. If he could convince the Sannin then his mind could rest easy knowing that he would not tolerate an attack on his home town without retaliation. These were not the same missing ninja but they would try to attack. At least with this group, Sousetsu would be able to strike first and prevent any more Leaf ninja from falling in battle.

"Nagare...Take me with you. No-one has to know. I am one of the Leaf's higher-ups! You have to take me with you!" If only it was as simple as that. Nagare wasn't even supposed to be telling anyone about the mission, technically, so bringing Sousetsu along for the ride would only end up getting him in trouble for it. He had a squad accompanying him assigned by the Hokage, and if Sousetsu came, they would obviously know that Nagare had been the one to "invite" him. Nagare gave Sousetsu a frown, not one of apology but rather the solid, expressionless frown that his mouth was naturally bent into. As determined as Sousetsu was to help protect Konoha, he would have to do so another way, as this was a task for Nagare and his squad alone. "I wasn't here on time during the attack...At least let me take a fight to them. What can I do to convince you?"

"It's not that I don't need your help. Trust me, we're fighting powerful ninja, we could use the extra help. But I can't be convinced. This is a secret task that was not supposed to come to the attention of any Konoha villagers, be they civilians or ninja. That is part of the reason why the Hokage called upon help from Kumogakure. I honestly shouldn't have even told you, but it's not in my nature to lie, at least not when I absolutely have to. Not only that, but I also already have been assigned a squad of Jounin to accompany me on the task, so we can handle ourselves. Don't worry so much about it." Nagare said. He was going to try and offer Sousetsu some reassuring words, but that was something that he not only didn't know how to do but also something that was out of his comfort zone. He leaned back on the tree stump he sat on, looking up to the sky.

"Besides, you already do your part in protecting this village, and if you don't think you do, take it to the next step. Join the ANBU, or become a Sannin yourself. Both options open opportunities to act as a guardian."

Sousetsu's face was beginning to drop as the words were escaping Nagare's lips. ""It's not that I don't need your help. Trust me, we're fighting powerful ninja, we could use the extra help. But I can't be convinced..." The rest seemed to fall on deaf ears as Sousetsu could not believe that he was powerless to convince him otherwise. As one of the Jounin of the village hidden in the leaves why was he left out? He became Jounin in just five years from being a Genin. He excelled in speed and his reflexes were unparalleled to those of his rank. He was becoming a master of water release techniques and had achieved much by accomplishing missions. In his mind, he was the ideal choice. He picked out a few words as he tried to concentrate more on Nagare. "...the Hokage called upon help from Kumogakure..." The Hokage asked for aid? He did not warn Sousetsu of this. Questions were being raised and no-one could answer him. All he could do was ponder at this and think of a way to get involved. He became suspicious of the squad that he mentioned earlier. It was uncommon to ask for aid without giving some of his help in return. Who did he send? Was it ANBU? He was treading on ice and did not want to break through by asking further.

He returned his full attention towards Nagare as he leaned back onto the tree stump and looked up at the sky once more. ""Besides, you already do your part in protecting this village, and if you don't think you do, take it to the next step. Join the ANBU, or become a Sannin yourself. Both options open opportunities to act as a guardian." Nagare had suggested. By this, Sousetsu was given the assumption that his hunch was right about the ANBU joining him. This was a secret project that could have only be led by a Sannin. He was correct that he was doing his part by protecting the village with his presence, but he could not shake off what had come next. Become a member of the ANBU or become a Sannin. Sousetsu had always wanted to join the ANBU but as time went on, he assumed they were sent for dirty work. A Sannin on the other hand..."How can I become a Sannin?" Sousetsu blurted out. "How? If that's what it takes then I will become a Sannin of the hidden leaf village." He asked the now relaxed Kumogakure shinobi. He knew he had to become a great ninja but there had to be a way of getting noticed.

"How can I become a Sannin? How? If that's what it takes, then I will become a Sannin of the hidden leaf village." This was a question that Nagare wasn't too sure of how to answer. When he had become Sannin, it was less of an efforted affair and more of something given to him after he had proven himself. However, he assumed that things were different here; maybe the title of Sannin was earned some other way in Konoha. He gave Sousetsu an answer that was vague, just to guarantee that nothing definitive was said and that he wouldn't steer the man in the wrong direction by mistake. "I'm not too sure myself, really, I was handed my position after doing a lot of work helping the village, and I was already considered one of the 'top three ninja' there. You should ask the Hokage...what was it?...Uchiha, Tatsumaru, how to become a Sannin."

Leaves rustled a bit in the surrounding trees, and Nagare yawned quietly. "Well, I should head back into the village. I'm tired, I did a lot of training yesterday and I just felt like going for a walk. It was nice to meet you, Sousetsu. You're free to come visit me if you end up in Kumogakure whenever you please." he said with a smile before turning and walking through the trees, headed toward his hotel.

(Exit Thread)

OOC: I'm returning to Kumo, now~