[Festival] Meeting the Hokage for noodles.

[Kanade]

Chiaki walked through the crowd of people, passers by that were all dressed for the festival and apparently going to some sort of masquerade. A woman dressed in nothing but feathers walked past her, holding up a mask attacked to a stick, in the shape of a goose. She was dripping with golden jewelry and Chiaki recognized she was dressed something akin to the nursery rhyme about the boy that climbed up into the clouds and wrestled with a goose, before climbing back down to present his mother with a magical goose that could lay golden eggs.

Chiaki, herself, was rather underdressed for the tide of people moving past her, in the opposite direction. She had decided against meeting Takeo in the masquerade for two reasons. It was rather noisy, and she wanted to actually see the man’s face if anything was untoward about him. Not that she was wary of the Hogake with such tight security, but she knew his power, and knew that the samurai wouldn’t be able to get to her fast enough to stop him from crushing her core should he so choose.

Nothing, she reassured herself, was further from his mind, and she knew as she stepped with confidence in a purple dress with golden trim, that he was going to be waiting for her. She was, after all, fifteen minutes past their appointed time. Chiaki wandered past a window and saw a woman in a sea of other people, nervous, with wide eyes, much like a scared rabbit, on her way to see a man that was world renowned for his prowess in fighting. It was the shadows of the villages that cast about her and made her doubt herself, much like Tatsuo when he had come to meet her personally.

Straightening herself and raising her chin, she pulled her shoulders back, and the woman in the mirror, the… thing in the mirror that looked like a woman, looked all the more confident for it. The pearl morphos inundated the area around her, masking her silicone scent with pheromones and scents of their own. She had decided on a light rose and vanilla fragrance for her perfume, and had put on a bold choice of lipstick, a dark purple that matched her lighter red eyeshadow. She took her pinky and rubbed at the line of her lipstick once more before she nodded to herself.

The dressing up was more a mask than the people walking past her to the masquerade event, and the woman with red hair tightly bound to her head with butterflies holding it up walked slowly with confident steps toward the aforementioned and predetermined spot that Takeo had picked out. She followed the gentle guidance of one of the pearl morphos that was resting on the strap of the rather tight-fitting evening gown that she was wearing, a slit up her left side gave her maneuverability should she need it.

The woman, masked in composure, dressed in confidence, and radiating poise and delicacy approached the hokage, dipping her head slightly, she never took her eyes off of him, but gave Takeo a delicate, well-rehearsed professional smile.

[Izanagi]

In contrast to Chiaki, the leader of Konoha felt quite at ease. Takeo had been surprised to hear of a masquerade being held in Pebble country, it was not the type of event that he was used to attending and he had felt some relief when Chiaki had mentioned simply mingling around the area. Nonetheless, he had decided to dress for the occasion, it would be best to fit in after all. Wearing a navy-blue suit overtop a white shirt, of the more modern style of New Tea country he was a striking image. He had even trimmed up his beard to a length of ¾’s of an inch and styled his short chestnut brown hair. He didn’t quite have the boyish charm of his youth, a few wrinkles and silver-grey hairs giving him a more distinguished look. His face showed some signs of aging and a few scars marred his cheeks and right eyebrow, but his cobalt blue eyes remained bright, vigilant and ever-piercing as he calmly scanned the crowds. Despite being completely unarmed it was ever evident by his muscular stature and measured stance that he was a trained fighter. He hoped however, that he could help put Chiaki’s mind at ease and in fact he had insisted that his Anbu bodyguards took the night off. Despite not knowing Chiaki at all, aside from a very brief meeting, he was either confident or trusting that she was not going to pose a threat to him.

The evening air was rather brisk this far north and the man’s breathing left a slow, steady plume in the air with each exhalation. That was until he caught sight of Chiaki, dressed in purple and looking as stunning as any of the most beautiful women he had the pleasure of meeting throughout his career. Even now into his mid 40’s the sight of a full-figured red-headed woman was enough to completely captivate his attention. And Chiaki was particularly exceptional. The Hokage’s breath caught in his chest, and he found himself unable to take his eyes off her. With a wolfish grin he smiled at the woman as she approached. “I didn’t think you could get any more beautiful, you clean up well” he said, smiling confidently as he met her eyes and approached to swiftly close the distance. Reaching out to gently take her hand he would maintain eye contact as he kissed the top of her hand. “Don’t be nervous” he reassured, “I mean you no harm. I only want to talk and get to know you” he insisted. Despite his confidence and powerful presence, the man had a kind and gentle aura about him. His piercing eyes seemed both genuine and all-knowing, as if he were looking directly into the woman’s soul. Takeo was infamous for his ability to quickly assess others, and when he decided to trust someone he became a lifelong ally who would go to any lengths to support his friends and loved ones.

If she allowed he would continue to hold her hand, after all, the closer and more casual they seemed the less they might draw attention to the fact that the Hokage was walking about with a known S-ranked fugitive. His cobalt blue eyes seemed sad for a moment as he assessed her, watching her slightest mannerisms. "So, how did such a kind and genuine person go from working in hospitals to associating with the likes of Maido and Shinjiro of the hidden mist?" he said suddenly, jumping right into it. He could be subtle if he wanted to but there was no telling who else they might run into that could interupt their evening and he knew well that he would regret not asking such questions if he never got the chance. With the world on the brink of war again he might not get another chance to guide this talented young woman back onto a path of redemption. If there truly was an evil in Chiaki he couldn't sense it in the slightest and he was rarely wrong in his judge of character. But time would tell just how far she had been corrupted by those of Kiri and Iwa whose morals were corrupted and twisted in pursuit of power and dominance over others.

[Kanade]

Chiaki pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow in disbelief that she was getting praise from the Hokage. She proffered the hand that he kissed, and noticed that he didn’t let go. Settling for being led to her seat she was reassured that she shouldn’t be nervous, nor that she was going to come to any harm. Her butterflies rustled in her hair. She quieted them with a thought before sitting down and leveling her gaze at the Hokage. He was certainly stronger than she was, but physical strength could be overcome, or so Maido had said. That and there was, as far as she knew, absolutely no fighting in the festival so she was safe. Him missing his normal entourage was evidence of that.

She nodded to the fact that he meant her no harm, but it seemed like pleasantries that weren’t actually meant. She grounded herself in the fact that there were samurai patrols all around. Best not to make a scene, so she folded a hand over his, as much grabbing him as he was grabbing her. As soon as his eyes met hers, she instantly saw that he was trying to probe her through the window to her soul, the orange hardened into a deep amber. She was still suspicious of the Hokage, even though she had no right to be. She was, after all, a high ranking Missing Ninja. Though how she got to be a high-ranking one was beyond her.

As his gaze saddened, her amber wavered, then melted away with a twitch of her brow to show some concern, the mask broken by the fixer in her. Why did one of the most powerful men on the face of the planet have so much sadness behind his gaze. Was it regret for sending someone after her that she didn’t know about? Guilt? Weariness? Her eyes narrowed like a mother’s would looking into the eyes of a child.

Only half-way though his question did she bring herself back to the conversation, “mmm.” She intoned, pulling back, and averting her gaze again. She shifted her posture to a more closed one, crossing her legs and drawing her arms in close to her body, “It began a long time ago, well, I suppose not that long ago, but a long time for me.” She began, chewing her bottom lip and searching inward for a place to begin. She pulled away and looked at the people, starting the story slowly, but gaining pace as she let the words out.

“You probably know the rumors, the ones that say that I am a child of the blood-witch.” She scanned the crowd, not really seeing their faces but watching her memories with a sort of R.E.M. that came with sleep, “The story starts with the day I met Muramasa, Maido and the twins. They came into the edge of Lightning country and I happened to stumble across Maido like a child stumbles into a wolves’ den.” She nodded, that seemed fitting, “The wolf was Maido, and she was strong and beautiful and alluring. She talked to me, had Cros and me trapped in a mist made of blood. Cros was holding her off, but only barely, as she was encapsulated in a sort of stale-mate.” She paused blinking twice and looking down.

“I was offered the power to cure my mother, then, of her heart condition that she had taken from Theraveda, and was very quickly killing her, if I would come away with Maido but I don’t think that was the only reason that I went.” She clenched them into fists and looked everywhere but at the Hokage. She knew how the next part sounded, as she had told it to the psychiatrist in Kumogakure no Sato, before her turning into an elemental body, “I looked into Maido’s eyes and I saw mischief and pain in equal parts. The mischief was that of someone that was trying to run away from the pain that guided them into that mischief. When mischief is seated in power, then destruction is the only thing that is left in its wake. I thought that I could heal her pain, and therefore calm the storm that was Muramasa, Maido.” She paused again, it was quiet in the cacophony of voices surrounding them, going about the festivities.

“I trained with her and the twins, and I realized that behind the cruelty and the sadism, there was a loneliness, an emptiness that was attempting to be filled, like a void that threatened to consume all that was in the world just to try to fill it. The more they hurt, the more they consumed, and the more they consumed, the more they hurt.” She chuckled and ran a hand through her hair, displacing butterflies that re-settled there, pulling the loosened strands back into the immaculate up-do that she was sporting. Her eyes flicked up to meet his for a moment, seeing how he was taking this before continuing.

“Not long after, I stumbled into a row between the, then, mizukage and Fuhen. I ran as fast as I could, and stumbled through brushes and brackens to stumble upon another artifact. Two in one day, if you can believe it. Both crown AND greaves.” She laughed, and shook her head, “What stupid luck for a Chuunin to find two of the most powerful items in the world and begin the covetous want to make things like them. I suppose that was really the curse that I contracted that day. The curse to want to build, to make, to shape, to craft.” She channeled some chakra into her hand and a bundle, roughly the size of a small to medium dog appeared there. She placed it down between them, almost a sort of barrier so that she could continue her story. It was his breastplate, not hard to tell from the dimensions and the weight of it.

“Shinjiro saved me from Zao that day, most of what I remember was fire, lava, and monsters. It was terrifying.” She shuddered, wondering what she had lived through, again, as she relived it. She looked back to the street, taking a more calming tone, “I spent a tender moment with Shinjiro after that, talked about plans for the future with Maido, took all of her hopes and dreams onto my shoulders and when I got a missive from my mother, I counted Maido as much a friend as a mentor.” The 'tender moment' hadn't actually been tender, but she


She shrugged, “My ability to defend myself I give entirely over to those two.” Chiaki sounded like she was praising them, but that was what she really thought, “The bout I had with the Raikage was more a lesson that he was stronger than me, rather than a lesson on anything else. He had sensed something erratic in me and told me to bottle it up, as did Theraveda, but Maido and Shinjiro just understood that, and gave me an outlet for it. They helped me hone it into shaping the woman-.” She hesitated, flexed her hand and turned it over to look at the back of it, before she shook her head, “The ‘thing’ I am today.” Her voice was lowered for the last part.

“After I got the missive from my mother, saying that she was needing a transplant, and stat, I had Maido escort me into Lightning country, and then, thinking only that I was inviting a friend to meet my mother, I invited her to my temple, and then into Kumogakure no Sato itself.” She chuckled, “I was so enamoured by her that I didn’t even question the need for stealth and secrecy, that she was avoiding all of the large chakra signatures.” She shrugged, “But that was who I was.”

She shook her head, “The next part you know because of the bingo-book bounty. I assisted her in entering the hospital, where I tried to introduce my mother to her. My mother had been killed, I know that it was one of the nursing staff, even though the Raikage filled my head with nonsense that it was Maido that had killed her.” She grit her teeth, a seething rage filling them, the butterflies hummed, spreading the calming pheromones to keep her from getting up and pacing. It half-helped.

“He had planned it, I know. He knew she was in the city, how else did she make it so far, past so many sensors and defenses. He lured her into a trap and tried to kill not only her, but also my faith in anyone other than him. He used his smarmy words to try to make himself out to be the good guy, and the woman that he used to kill my mother is probably still working as a nurse in that hospital.” She sighed, and shook her head.

“I lost privileges after that, of all kinds, and was in the jail where my chakra was being sapped from my body every day. It was torture to have my mind bled along with my chakra to the point where the doctors questioned a complacent husk. When I got out, I vowed to live long enough to make things better, and so I did away with my body, and placed it into this.” She smiled and winked at him in a mock-playful manner, there was vitriol for the Raikage in her eyes though, not an evil one, but one of deep betrayal and hurt, “Likeness to the living, but as unlike to a human as you can get.”

She looked up and sighed, “Wasn’t all Maido’s fault though. Kirari is my girlfriend, lover, mmm, want her to be my fiancee.” She was just spilling now, why the hell not? She had already said enough, “She is also an elemental body. Maido was made of blood, Kirari is made of water, I am made of Silicone, and the world turns and another person loses their humanity to walk the earth, not a spirit, not a human, but something half-alive, yearning for life again.” She clenched both fists and snapped her head back to peer into his eyes.

“Skip forward half a year and Kirari decides to make a break for it, to get away from Kumogakure, I attempted to chase after her, but didn’t get too far. Didn’t break house arrest.” She grinned and chuckled, “And then the most weird thing of all happened, after Maido was dead and I was a caged bird within the walls of Kumogakure, I went to a festival outside of it just to get away from my prison with Hanako, my little sister and protoge and who should I find waiting for me? Shinjiro.”

She nodded to Takeo, not looking at him, but at the people again, “Yeah, I know, Shinjiro. And he whisked me away, telling me stories of how I would change the world, and that Maido had placed her faith in me. And you know what? It was like all the puzzle pieces fit together. I was no more a Kumo Kunoichi anymore than I was a Kyoukan anymore. I had sloughed off that skin. I had to take Hanako with me. As much for my sake as for hers looking back on it.” She chewed her lip again and sighed, “and that’s about the long and short of it.” She waited, expectantly, for the Hokage to process her dumping the story in his lap, like the breastplate, without ceremony or tact. Just the facts as she saw them.

She waited for him to judge her, as all the others had done. For their meeting to be over as abruptly as it started.

[Izanagi]

Takeo’s compassionate eyes could see her fear, she reminded him of a rabbit, always thinking as if she were to become someone’s prey. But as much as he was a hunter and could be described as wolfish, he knew this was not the kind of chase that he enjoyed. There was no pleasure to be gained from the fear of others, at least not for him. He would move to sit against a beautiful marble bench and would release the woman’s hand as he did so, moving against the edge of the bench to give the woman some space before turning toward her and crossing one leg over the other. A calloused hand moved to his beard, resting his chin on his thumb as he listened intently to the woman’s story.

There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes at the mention of the Blood Witch. He had crossed paths with Muramasa Maido before. She had a reputation for causing problems at international festivals, puppeteering others with her blood ninjutsu. She had even attacked several shinobi from his village alongside Karagata Shinjiro and had managed to escape any kind of reprimand. Such a crowd were dangerous people that believed the rules of the shinobi world didn’t apply to them.

His eyes narrowed, not in distrust, but rather pity as she described how she met Maido. Chiaki’s eyes seemed distant as she recalled her journey. It made reading her somewhat more difficult but he refrained from using sensory ninjutsu or genjutsu to ensure she was telling the truth. He didn’t want to risk escalating the situation and prompting samurai to interfere. He seemed to wince slightly, feeling the pain of Chiaki’s first poor decision as she spoke of the allure of Maido. “Shortcuts to power always come at a cost. Doing things the right way, with integrity should matter more than the result” he interjected. He knew what happened when good-natured people let their emotions overtake them and cloud their judgments. Takeo’s student Yoru was much the same, and his impulsiveness had led him to become a rogue shinobi for a time. It was a falling out that could have been avoided had Yoru simply taken the time to talk things out. But ultimately it was Takeo who was to blame for taking shortcuts to power and breaking the trust of his friend.

Takeo’s gaze was cast downward when Chiaki spoke of her desire to change Maido for the greater good of humanity. It was a naïve and utterly foolish notion. Such an ancient being could not be changed, the Blood Witch was no more human than the Genma now after centuries of mayhem and wanton slaughter. She had killed tens of thousands, erased entire populations on a whim. Several cultures feared and revered her as a demon of destruction. Such a being could not exist peacefully in any capacity. But this alone spoke volumes of Chiaki’s nature. But he didn’t want to feel like he was chastising again, not while there was clearly so much she felt she needed to say. So instead, he bit his tongue and simply listened.

The rugged warrior sighed, like a disappointed father, raising his eyebrow slightly as Chiaki described what most would find immediately obvious about Maido’s nature. Honestly, what had she really expected. He tilted his head slightly however as she described being present during the death of the Mizukage, as well as witnessing two legendary items that had both previously belonged to his student; Aizawa Yoru. They had each mysteriously vanished from him at some point, or so he had said. “Interesting” he stated simply, stroking his beard slightly in contemplation.

When the chest plate was produced the Hokage would carefully begin to inspect the craftsmanship, nodding and smiling approvingly as he traced the contours with a thumb. This would do nicely. One never knew when an extra layer of defense could mean the difference between life and death. As much as he felt like he would inevitably die on the battlefield he had always hoped to live a long life and see his Grandchildren grow up and then die in bed feeling the comforts of his wife. “Your work is better than that of the Legendary Evils and Emperor’s cursed Armory. Your work is pure and brimming with love. After all you’ve been through, you aren’t them and I hope you never will be. The world doesn’t need more senseless violence. It needs to be healed” he asserted as he smiled softly with his admiration toward a remarkable woman. For as naïve as she was, she was strong. Few others would be able to endure such evil and yet retain a pure heart. She had been hurt certainly, her trust in others shattered and fear dominated her life. But she was not broken nor lost. Not truly.

Takeo’s interest was piqued at the mention of Zao. Another former friend that went through a dark time before redeeming himself. It was a regret that he hadn’t strengthened his bond with the man after his rehabilitation as a Suna shinobi. But after losing his dear friends; Kiyori, Masami, and Souta all within the same year it had been too painful to try to reach out to others. Even his friendship with Yoru had never fully been repaired even after capturing his student and rehabilitating him after several years of imprisonment. The damage had been done and Takeo found himself with only his wife Aina left to confide in. But he recalled vividly the scene when he had arrived where Masami and Souta had been ambushed. Blood, crow feathers, and lava. He wondered for a moment, for the first time if perhaps it wasn’t an Enkouten that was involved, but rather someone who could summon spirits who could produce such things. Perhaps he would have to consult or even question Zao to determine if he could offer some perspective on such a theory. “Zao is a Bannin of Sunagakure. If he attacked you, he must have viewed you already as a rogue shinobi” he considered, the two villages were trading partners and loosely allied but effectively neutral with only Konoha acting as a bridge between them. Nonetheless he couldn’t imagine Zao would attack unless he confirmed Chiaki was an ally of Shinjiro and Maido and not simply someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps Suna had more information on Chiaki’s criminal activities than Konoha did.

It was difficult to feel sympathy toward someone who was attacked due to travelling with mass murderers. Such individuals were highly wanted and anyone of S-ranked calibre would be rewarded greatly for ridding the world of such threats to humanity. For anyone else it was ordered by all Konoha, Kumo and Suna shinobi to flee on site and call for reinforcements. Already it seemed Chiaki had abandoned any duties, protocol and loyalty to Kumogakure by freely travelling with such individuals and even assisting them. Such acts were likely already crimes of treason. It was obvious however that both Maido and Shinjiro were experts at manipulating others and had wrapped Chiaki around their fingers to the point where she didn’t even realize it.

Takeo sighed again as she spoke of the strength the Kirigakure shinobi had granted her. “Do you truly believe they have your best interests at heart? Or are they just using you for their own means? True strength is not being able to fight but having the confidence to stand up for yourself and knowing when to walk away. What is it that YOU want to do with your talents?” he wondered. Surely, she hadn’t grown up with dreams of trying and failing to change monsters while they continued to slaughter and destroy on a daily basis. A woman like Chiaki could contribute so much more to the world than that.

However, Chiaki’s naivety took a turn for the worst as she spoke of smuggling a Kiri shinobi into Kumogakure. How foolish was she? To not even understand the relationship between shinobi nations and her own villages laws and customs. That went far beyond naivety, it was pure ignorance. And that was not so easily forgivable. That kind of negligence was dangerous. Takeo sighed again, and he had thought Gene and Taiga were a handful. In comparison to the Raikage’s troubles Takeo had it quite easy it seemed. Bringing full palm to forehead, the Kage of 15 years felt himself age a few more years right then. “You can’t just bring war criminals into your hidden village to meet your parents” he groaned. This was the sort of thing he expected even a child to understand. “But still, I’m sorry for your loss. My father was killed by Kiri shinobi when they attacked Konoha. That’s what Kiri shinobi do, they kill and they destroy everything they touch. It’s all they know” he insisted. His expression was pained but sympathetic. He didn’t hate Kirigakure shinobi, if anything he pitied them. But he wasn’t naïve enough to ever trust such a person. Their humanity was intentionally trained out of them until they were nothing but weapons.

Only when Chiaki spoke her conspiracies about the Raikage did Takeo feel a flash of anger. “I know Hayate. He is my friend, and a good man. Maido and Shinjiro are manipulating you. They are the ones trying to isolate you. Listen to yourself, you believe the word of monsters over those of people that are advancing the world and saving lives. When your friends slaughtered children and burned farms to the ground, Hayate transported refugees and offered medical aid to survivors and helped drive Kiri back” he pleaded. There were countless more examples of how the Raikage had elevated humanity and increased the quality of life of citizens across Lightning country and several other countries. But Takeo suspected the woman would not listen to him, no matter how much truth he spoke. Pure as her heart may be her mind was poisoned and deluded.

Takeo’s gaze seemed heavy as Chiaki spoke about Kumogakure’s prisons. He hadn’t known the details of their prison system but it wasn’t particularly surprising. Every shinobi nation had their dark secrets and Konoha went to great lengths to ensure their security and prosperity as well. Many would call the use of Yamanaka to rehabilitate and alter memories immoral, but it was often necessary. And as a former Anbu commander Takeo knew all too well the kind of practices that were spoken of and enacted in underground complexes, far away from prying eyes and the moral high ground. Another flash of anger as she admitted to casting aside her humanity. Such a state of being was a forbidden art for a reason. He would let her finish the rest of her ramblings before speaking again, “Was it worth it? There’s always a cost” he reminded her solemnly. He doubted she had even thought to consider what that might be before leaping into her decision to abandon her mortality.

[Kanade]

She waited for him to react to each part of her story. Chiaki had no idea why he was so dead set on finding Hayate the savior that she couldn’t see him to be, but that was only evident in the small twitch of one eyebrow. Best to stay calm in this situation. After all, this was the Hokage that she was talking to, they had the most intimate of relations with one another. She wouldn’t be surprised if Hayate showed up right here and now and invited himself into their conversation and their meal.

“I want to…” She hesitated and sighed, running a desperate and shaking hand through her hair. When had she started shaking? “I want to save the world, I thought that I needed power to do that and now that I am in, I am beyond saving myself. I can’t untangle myself from them, but perhaps, perhaps I can keep them from hurting others.” She shook her head, the hand slid down the side of her face, she felt a frown tug at the sides of her mouth involuntarily.

“I don’t know about Maido, but Shinjiro can be sweet. He-” She hesitated, “He hurts so much inside. He has some deep wounds that I won’t ever truly be able to heal, but when he heard of Fuhen’s attack on Kirigakure he didn’t rush back to face him because it was his duty, he truly cared about the people of Kirigakure.” She sighed and looked anywhere but Takeo’s eyes, why did he have such a piercing gaze damnit?

“I wasn’t sold on helping him become a better person before I saw his desperation, his gentle side when he asked me to look after his child, and said that he would sacrifice himself to stop Fuhen from bringing Water Country to ruin. He didn’t seem worried about boundaries, borders, or his “territory” like some people. He doesn’t actually seem all that obsessed with things.” She twisted her fingers in her lap, finding it was a safe place to keep her gaze, she watched them squirm as she rolled her shoulders, feeling the strain of the conversation in her upper back.

“I think he can be saved.” She said simply, “I have to believe that. And if he can’t be, then I am doomed.” her lower lip trembled, and she sniffled, wiping a hand across her upper lip. A false tear, since it came from a silicate tear gland, rolled down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away with her palm. “Sorry, I just… It’s so frustrating. Things spiraled out of control so quickly. I don’t know where my life is going now at all anymore. I want to do good, but Maido said the path to sin is paved with good intentions, and I seem to leave pain and chaos in my wake as much as either of them.”