Fanho walked this time suited in full Hokage garb. The haori and hat ensemble that he felt made him weigh at least two thousand pounds more. The suffocating feeling of formality caused the Hokage's face to sour as his nose scrunched back in displeasure. Rather than his usual tag along of Taiga, Fanho had brought another face he was all too familiar with since becoming a Jounin. He had drug Inoairi out of her usual doom and gloom interrogation chambers to tag along for her skill set was needed once more. The two trotted on the dirt road towards the Heart Empire's capital in new Tea Country.
"Why can't we just teleport there? My feet hurt already." Fanho was feeling particularly crabby, in no short order because of his formal dress, but also because Inoairi was a stickler for space/time traveling. She preferred walking instead, something about losing molecules or something in a foreign dimension because of space/time hackery. Inoairi sighed in annoyance as she closed her eyes taking a minute struggling with her internal respect for the Hokage's position fighting with her native snarkiness towards the young Hokage's usual antics.
"I'm not even going to go there for the eighty-third time. Just shut it." The snark won it out seemed.
The Hokage dejectedly sighed, at the least he saw the capital in the distance as he drug his feet along trudging behind Inoairi. He mumbled to himself as he walked,
"Now I know why they call you mental missy." Inoairi's head spun back around as she leaned forward just almost touching nose to nose with Fanho as her nostrils flared with her exasperated sigh. She took a second to may eye contact as Fanho gave a weak smile and awkwardly chuckled.
Inoairi rolled her eyes as she began to walk a little bit faster towards the capital. Fanho with one hand slipped off the hat as he wiped his brow with his free hand. A narrow friendly fire incident in the field avoided. He hoped to make it back home in one piece physically and mentally.
After all the pow wowing and ribbing, Fanho flubbed his lips as he reoriented himself for a more professional approach. Why come all this way to the Heart Empire? Why Inoairi instead of Taiga as his tag along? After the Crescent Leadership was killed and the Iwa fake out, it was time to shrink that threat window just a tad more, and perhaps foster some non-existent good will with the minor countries. His goal? To reveal the plot that captured the nations of thousands, a trojan horse in the form of protection against the grand five just to lead them in holding hands with the land hungry Iwagakure no Sato.
Inoairi saddled with the memories of Chikara and Enzaragi, it was revealed their ascension was not a natural one. Their leadership poisoned with a genjutsu to illicit trust among the people. It was time to tear down the sham of the leadership, but to do so Fanho needed to lean on the credibility of the empire once more to help tick the needle in the favor of freeing the world from these con men that called themselves liberators that justified their wars with money and decade old feuds that no one alive could recall.
He hoped he could build towards a better future by turning Crescent back into the original three minor countries that once stood.
Sometimes Dead Men Do Tell Tales
-
Director
- Hokage
- Posts: 3518
- Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:00 pm
- Location: Before or after the explosion?
- User flair: If you read this, you're gay.
Sometimes Dead Men Do Tell Tales
Last edited by Director on Wed Apr 03, 2024 9:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Character: Awai, Fanho | Rank: Hokage | Village: Konoha | Color Code: [b][color=#682860]
Character: Konshi, Yuichi | Rank: Jounin | Village: Kumogakure | Color Code: [b][color=#0051BA]
Character: Konshi, Yuichi | Rank: Jounin | Village: Kumogakure | Color Code: [b][color=#0051BA]
Sometimes Dead Men Do Tell Tales
The Heart Empire lit on fire. The moment the Hokage had broke past the border crossing on his way into Tea Country, the sensory array that covered the border would ping him and his companion, two very powerful and worrisome signals. The rumor mill would then tag them for further observation, giving the operators of the network access to their location via their chakra signals, as well as the ability to listen in on their conversation. Soldiers would not be scrambled, there would be no point. If a chakra source that strong meant to cause destruction, there was nothing the rank-and-file could do about it. Radio signals would be sent out to the strongest the Empire had to offer, namely Oban, Goro, and the Shogun of each of Heart's constituent countries.
And also to Sen, one of the weakest the Empire had to offer, physically.
It wouldn't take long for samurai patrolling the road to fuel the rumor mill, filling in the description of a man and a woman travelling together, the woman being one that reports didn't have a clear match for, but the man's identity became clear rather quickly, especially given his attire... And so the pair would be greeted by the man in his flowing yellow robes and... nobody else. No Goro, no Oban, no higher ups in the hierarchy, just him.
"Greetings, and a pleasure to see you again, Hokage-sama." He said with a bow directed towards Fanho, before turning to face the woman with him. "I'm afraid we've yet to be introduced. Matsumatsu, Sen, Aide to the Grand Shogun, at your service." He would wait a moment for any appropriate introductions to be made, before gesturing for the pair to follow him, leading them into a nearby Kyoho ran restaurant, whose sign on the door read 'closed' in preparation for their arrival. The restaurant would appear to be empty, save for a lone older woman who would show them to a comfortable corner booth, before bowing and leaving to prepare them tea.
"You'll forgive the private locale, I hope, but I take it the Hokage does not travel with but a single companion unannounced for no reason, yes?"
And also to Sen, one of the weakest the Empire had to offer, physically.
It wouldn't take long for samurai patrolling the road to fuel the rumor mill, filling in the description of a man and a woman travelling together, the woman being one that reports didn't have a clear match for, but the man's identity became clear rather quickly, especially given his attire... And so the pair would be greeted by the man in his flowing yellow robes and... nobody else. No Goro, no Oban, no higher ups in the hierarchy, just him.
"Greetings, and a pleasure to see you again, Hokage-sama." He said with a bow directed towards Fanho, before turning to face the woman with him. "I'm afraid we've yet to be introduced. Matsumatsu, Sen, Aide to the Grand Shogun, at your service." He would wait a moment for any appropriate introductions to be made, before gesturing for the pair to follow him, leading them into a nearby Kyoho ran restaurant, whose sign on the door read 'closed' in preparation for their arrival. The restaurant would appear to be empty, save for a lone older woman who would show them to a comfortable corner booth, before bowing and leaving to prepare them tea.
"You'll forgive the private locale, I hope, but I take it the Hokage does not travel with but a single companion unannounced for no reason, yes?"
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
 | Suzuko Just another girl |
-
Director
- Hokage
- Posts: 3518
- Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:00 pm
- Location: Before or after the explosion?
- User flair: If you read this, you're gay.
Sometimes Dead Men Do Tell Tales
As the inner machinations of Heart began to set ablaze with higher ups running around at the stir of the two S-ranks approach, Fanho waving at the samurai they passed as they politely walked down the roads of the Heart Empire. It wouldn't be uncommon for the two to be swarmed by military personnel or Heart's own S-rank entourage. However, it was a much different greeting. As the two came into range of the town a man in yellow robes appeared at the mouth of the town's gate. Someone clearly apart of the Shogunate political class. While Fanho was acquainted with Goro, Ginjiro, and Suzuko, he honestly wasn't all that familiar with the leadership of Heart other than the widely known fact of the current shogun Ikuto, Aono.
With a wave of his hand, Fanho watched as the man bowed and welcomed them. He had recalled seeing him from another time, his chakra while notably in the range of an untrained civilian was very reminiscent. This man was there when he asked Goro about Ken. As the mention of him being direct aide to the Grand Shogun rang in Fanho's ear, the Hokage returned the bow alongside Inoairi to show respect for the man, his status, and his country. After all they were guests, and the business they attended would be within the Heart Empire's interests.
"Ah, Sen, you were there at Dragon Country. Bah, you can just call me Fanho. Formalities are a bore and technically we're not strangers right?" The Hokage flashed a toothy grin as he gave Sen a friendly wink over the rims of his glasses, and a chummy elbow bump to Sen's shoulder.
The Hokage and Inoairi followed Sen into the restaurant, its silence was deafening other than the waitresses setup and shuffling around, it was clear Sen had set this locale up for such occasion. As they all sat Fanho sat on the inside of the booth as Inoairi took the outside. With his relaxed laid back persona Fanho relaxed into his seat as he looked up and down the restaurant eyeballing it to see what kind it was. He unfortunately didn't catch the name or type of service as they came in. As his mind drifted it was brought to attention as Fanho turned his head back towards Sen attempting to broach the topic of the day. A man straight to business it seemed, and so it was only fair to give him the attention he requested.
He leaned forward in his seat as he propped his elbows on the table and locked his hands together. "I hope you'll forgive the sudden drop in. Its certainly for good reasons, something I think is in the interest of Heart, and part of my new agenda for Konoha." Fanho took a deep sigh as he let Sen take in what was said before he continued. "You've heard of the new upstart Crescent and their missing-nin leaders?"
He'd pause and give Sen a moment to speak, and perhaps touch up on the subject of what he understood Crescent was. Fanho was interested to hear what Heart understood, to get an outside perspective of the country that wasn't tainted by their actions in the last Wind Country Invasion.
"I think its in your interest to know, considering I think we're both in the business of trying to preserve minor countries. Their leadership is built upon a genjutsu. Chikara and Enzaragi used genjutsu to lull the people of Dwarf and Miracle into their business. I want to release those countries back to their original leadership."
He'd let the words bang around in Sen's head, let him soak in what was said. It may be a hard sell at first or perhaps Heart had already decided that Crescent was a country to hold at arms length. No matter the choice, the proof he needed to show Heart their deeds sat next to him. Buried within the big brain of Inoairi also set Chikara's memories, everything from birth to his interrogation sat with her. Every word, plan, act, and take over could be replayed at her whim. That was when Sen asked for proof of such, or perhaps Heart had their own assumptions of their quick ascent to power.
With a wave of his hand, Fanho watched as the man bowed and welcomed them. He had recalled seeing him from another time, his chakra while notably in the range of an untrained civilian was very reminiscent. This man was there when he asked Goro about Ken. As the mention of him being direct aide to the Grand Shogun rang in Fanho's ear, the Hokage returned the bow alongside Inoairi to show respect for the man, his status, and his country. After all they were guests, and the business they attended would be within the Heart Empire's interests.
"Ah, Sen, you were there at Dragon Country. Bah, you can just call me Fanho. Formalities are a bore and technically we're not strangers right?" The Hokage flashed a toothy grin as he gave Sen a friendly wink over the rims of his glasses, and a chummy elbow bump to Sen's shoulder.
The Hokage and Inoairi followed Sen into the restaurant, its silence was deafening other than the waitresses setup and shuffling around, it was clear Sen had set this locale up for such occasion. As they all sat Fanho sat on the inside of the booth as Inoairi took the outside. With his relaxed laid back persona Fanho relaxed into his seat as he looked up and down the restaurant eyeballing it to see what kind it was. He unfortunately didn't catch the name or type of service as they came in. As his mind drifted it was brought to attention as Fanho turned his head back towards Sen attempting to broach the topic of the day. A man straight to business it seemed, and so it was only fair to give him the attention he requested.
He leaned forward in his seat as he propped his elbows on the table and locked his hands together. "I hope you'll forgive the sudden drop in. Its certainly for good reasons, something I think is in the interest of Heart, and part of my new agenda for Konoha." Fanho took a deep sigh as he let Sen take in what was said before he continued. "You've heard of the new upstart Crescent and their missing-nin leaders?"
He'd pause and give Sen a moment to speak, and perhaps touch up on the subject of what he understood Crescent was. Fanho was interested to hear what Heart understood, to get an outside perspective of the country that wasn't tainted by their actions in the last Wind Country Invasion.
"I think its in your interest to know, considering I think we're both in the business of trying to preserve minor countries. Their leadership is built upon a genjutsu. Chikara and Enzaragi used genjutsu to lull the people of Dwarf and Miracle into their business. I want to release those countries back to their original leadership."
He'd let the words bang around in Sen's head, let him soak in what was said. It may be a hard sell at first or perhaps Heart had already decided that Crescent was a country to hold at arms length. No matter the choice, the proof he needed to show Heart their deeds sat next to him. Buried within the big brain of Inoairi also set Chikara's memories, everything from birth to his interrogation sat with her. Every word, plan, act, and take over could be replayed at her whim. That was when Sen asked for proof of such, or perhaps Heart had their own assumptions of their quick ascent to power.
Last edited by Director on Sun Apr 07, 2024 4:06 am, edited 2 times in total.
Character: Awai, Fanho | Rank: Hokage | Village: Konoha | Color Code: [b][color=#682860]
Character: Konshi, Yuichi | Rank: Jounin | Village: Kumogakure | Color Code: [b][color=#0051BA]
Character: Konshi, Yuichi | Rank: Jounin | Village: Kumogakure | Color Code: [b][color=#0051BA]
Sometimes Dead Men Do Tell Tales
Sen kept the same neutral pleasantry on his face throughout, even if he was a little perturbed that the Hokage had not introduced his companion. Shortly after they were sat, the older woman would come back with Tea as Fanho was speaking, setting down saucers, cups, and the pot, before bowing and leaving, allowing Sen to pour the cups for his guests as he responded to Fanho's question. "Apologies, this isn't to imply you aren't welcome, Heart's open borders exist for a reason. Oh yes, quite the... world event, those Coalition fellows. They've yet to send any diplomatic entourages to us, but then I understand they've been quite busy, yes?"
He took a sip of tea after having poured a cup for the whole table. If either of his guests knew anything about tea, this would, unsurprisingly, be native green tea, unaged and fresh, not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but they declared war on Fire Country, and then almost immediately rescinded the declaration. What an odd group of fellows. So promising to see another group of minor countries come to flourish, a second beating Heart, perhaps? However..." He trailed off, taking another sip of tea and letting his words hang, unfinished, ever careful not to give too much away.
As Fanho spoke, Sen's sip went on far too long, having long stopped drinking from his cup and instead covering half of his face with it, eyes closed as he processed what the Hokage had said. As the far-too-long pause came to a close, his cup clattered gently onto his saucer as he set it down. "These are... serious allegations. I take it this wouldn't be a personal visit unless you had... both proof, and a point to make because of it?"
Sen did not make decisions on things like this by himself, and while he considered himself a mere servant, the people, and perhaps more importantly, the leadership of Heart took his words with the utmost seriousness. He had been 'Fuhen's favorite' according to Goro, and that held more weight than it probably should to a group of people that nearly worshipped the Grand Shogun as a god. Still, when they asked him to tend to these things, he had every responsibility to gather as much information as possible, to help the leadership make their decisions.
"While the leadership being missing ninja makes the situation a bit more complicated, by, ahem, almost all accounts..." He raised his voice a bit as he cleared his throat, remembering the mission report that Suzuko and Akihito had submitted after their time in Steam Country, escorting a noble from the Crescent Coalition. If what the Hokage was saying was true, it added more credence to the claims the noble was making, even if they weren't aware of the genjutsu situation. "The Crescent Coalition appears to have similar goals of togetherness amongst the minor countries that the Heart Empire does, even if their involvement in the last great war siding with the aggressors makes it harder to want to open up diplomatic ties with them."
Silently, he wished Goro were present. His 'strongarm' brand of diplomacy might be useful to have on the backburner for such a sensitive subject. Nonetheless he swirled his cup of tea, maintaining that pleasant smile all the while. "You must understand, while I know such things are possible, it's hard to trust anything. Fabrications and fakes are what ninja are known for, after all."
He took a sip of tea after having poured a cup for the whole table. If either of his guests knew anything about tea, this would, unsurprisingly, be native green tea, unaged and fresh, not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but they declared war on Fire Country, and then almost immediately rescinded the declaration. What an odd group of fellows. So promising to see another group of minor countries come to flourish, a second beating Heart, perhaps? However..." He trailed off, taking another sip of tea and letting his words hang, unfinished, ever careful not to give too much away.
As Fanho spoke, Sen's sip went on far too long, having long stopped drinking from his cup and instead covering half of his face with it, eyes closed as he processed what the Hokage had said. As the far-too-long pause came to a close, his cup clattered gently onto his saucer as he set it down. "These are... serious allegations. I take it this wouldn't be a personal visit unless you had... both proof, and a point to make because of it?"
Sen did not make decisions on things like this by himself, and while he considered himself a mere servant, the people, and perhaps more importantly, the leadership of Heart took his words with the utmost seriousness. He had been 'Fuhen's favorite' according to Goro, and that held more weight than it probably should to a group of people that nearly worshipped the Grand Shogun as a god. Still, when they asked him to tend to these things, he had every responsibility to gather as much information as possible, to help the leadership make their decisions.
"While the leadership being missing ninja makes the situation a bit more complicated, by, ahem, almost all accounts..." He raised his voice a bit as he cleared his throat, remembering the mission report that Suzuko and Akihito had submitted after their time in Steam Country, escorting a noble from the Crescent Coalition. If what the Hokage was saying was true, it added more credence to the claims the noble was making, even if they weren't aware of the genjutsu situation. "The Crescent Coalition appears to have similar goals of togetherness amongst the minor countries that the Heart Empire does, even if their involvement in the last great war siding with the aggressors makes it harder to want to open up diplomatic ties with them."
Silently, he wished Goro were present. His 'strongarm' brand of diplomacy might be useful to have on the backburner for such a sensitive subject. Nonetheless he swirled his cup of tea, maintaining that pleasant smile all the while. "You must understand, while I know such things are possible, it's hard to trust anything. Fabrications and fakes are what ninja are known for, after all."
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |