[Graded]Mission Planning

[Ace Trainer]

It had been several weeks since the Taishou had left Kemurigakure. It was officially "running", which was more a formality than anything. People had been living in the village since it had began construction, but it was now that people were actively moving from Sanrou into Kemurigakure as they got reassigned to the Special and Covert Operations unit. Now, there was more than simply who was required for construction, but instead normal civilians who were simply living here. Many were settling into their roles here, whether they were entirely new or modified from how they operated at Sanrou. It had gone as smoothly as Shio could hope, though this was no surprise given the socially and morally resilient nature of the people of Iron Country.

But he had new moves to make, and had informed Kesu that he was ready for the next steps of their grand plan which he had - somewhat childishly - began referring to his objectives as. They had already designated a small team for this, and he had no intent on utilizing talent from Kemurigakure originally. As everyone was settling in, he found it unnecessary to disturb them for what standard samurai squadrons should be able to handle.

But, while he had been here he'd met a young (albeit older than himself) samurai that he'd become somewhat fond of, if anything due to his interest in genjutsu. Having decided to set out on this mission now, he'd informed Kesu that he'd like Mitsuhide to come along. On it's face, the mission was tactical support for a civil war, but Shio had other intentions and other interests there, and having Mitsuhide to come along would be a great chance to demonstrate the power of genjutsu to th samurai, and prepare him. If a samurai was going to come under the Taishou's wing...well then, he'd have greatness in his future, right?

Having called for Mitsuhide, Shio worked on other things while he waited, reading through reports that littered his desk of happenings around Kemurigakure, desk work for the Taishou but important nonetheless.

[HotelBravo]

Since meeting with the Taisho in person, Mitsuhide’s position among the Samurai had changed. Not in that he had any more authority or rank than he ever had previously, but instead he had been reassigned to a different squad and was being forced to train to specialize in very shinobi like arts. He wasn’t so close minded that he refused the offer, but it was still something that he had not been incredibly familiar with before. Yet he was familiar to a degree. He had been a hunter in his previous life, and those skills lent themselves well to the work that he was preparing himself for. He had not seen the Taishou since his encounter of fate on the mountain side. Already the Land of Iron had changed a great deal with the new established village.

Then his new routine was suddenly broken with a scroll containing orders for him to report to the Taishou. He made sure he was in his armor, if you could even call the quality of what he wore armor being the iron ore had been so low grade and brittle - but it was something, and a poor Samurai needed to start somewhere. His katana was tucked into his obi, and he was prepared for whatever he was about to face. At least, as prepared as he could be. He knew that even among the samurai he wasn’t exactly the best, although he was possibly the most open minded to Ninja arts and that had begun to get him some soured relationships as of late.

Still, things were changing here and there would be no stopping it.

Mitsuhide made his way through the complex to the Taishou’s office. He slid the door open and gave a proper bow before entering and sliding the door behind him closed. “Taishou, I received your summons.” He approached and stood at parade rest. “Mitsuhide, reporting as ordered.”

[Ace Trainer]

As Mitsuhide entered, Shio's demeanor did not change in reponse. Despite his young age, Shio stood with authority and confidence, a serious air radiated from his center, making things seem more perilous than they truly were. It made him hard to read a times, a desirable trait for your political leader to have when faced against potential enemies, but less desireable when among allies. There was a scroll in his hand, that he would keep his eyes locked on for a moment, then allowing it to roll up, tucking it into a loop on his belt and looking up at Mitsuhide.

"In Kirigakure, there is the Head Hunter Division, a specialized hunting unit meant to address high sensitivity targets, reclaim lost or stolen secrets, and generally respond to situations that require more...nuance. They sent a single shinobi after me once...", his voice trailed for a moment, thinking back to his brief fight with Maido. "The head hunters wear masks, their operations are entirely covert. When they're on missions, at no point do they ever give any display of ranking. They have squad leaders after all, and information fidelity is high, often several squad members will be individually privy to information none of the other squad members are, especially the captain. If the captain was identified...enemy forces might target them in particular, compromising the integrity of the squad.", he looked Mitsuhide up and down for a moment, before collapsing into the chair he was standing in front of.

"So relax. Going forward I expect when it is just you and I, and when we're out in the field that you'll abandon any military discipline that has been instilled in you thus far. When we're around other samurai - except in the field - rank and file is important but otherwise...", he shrugged. "I realize the transition to Kemurigakure has been abrupt as has your training under Io, but these will be things that will become standard in special operations.", he let out a soft sigh, sinking further into the seat, clearly in a rather relaxed state.

"Tell me, Mitsuhide, how often have you ventured outside of Iron Country? Have you ever been to the South?", he asked, seemingly randomly.

[HotelBravo]

Mitsuhide’s expression shifted somewhat as the Shio spoke. The young Taisho had conquered Iron country because of his skill and ability - he fought in ways that the Samurai never had considered, and by their rules had appointed him as their leader. Now, Shio was remolding the Samurai. There may come a day when the Samurai that he had been trained by, the culture of the Samurai were subsumed by shinobi. He wasn’t against learning Shinobi arts, but he knew that there would be consequences to the culture of the land of Iron and he wasn’t sure how he felt about them. At least not yet.

For the time though he was still Mitsuhide, the loyal hound to the land of Iron. This place was still his home, and he would sacrifice much to keep it safe - including the samurai code. It was a realization that had him close his eyes hard as he took in the difficult words of Shio. Once he opened his eyes again he stepped out of his formal parade rest stance.

”I think I see where this is going.” Mitsuhide said to the boy ruler of Kemurigakure. ”Much like the rest of the Land of Iron, my life has been tied to this land. I’m reasonably confident at my wilderness survival skills though, even if we were to leave Iron and head to another country I’m certain I could get by. We have had merchants from other lands as well so I am somewhat familiar with the cultures of the other lands.”

He considered what kind of mask he would have liked to wear… a smile crossed his features. ”Also, if we are going to start wearing masks in the field then I want a wolf mask.” Wolf mask sounded just dashing after all? It was the ideal of everything he wanted to be.

[Ace Trainer]

One of Shio's primary concerns as the Taishou was the protection of Iron Country's culture. The thoughts Mitsuhide were having were likely thoughts people all around Iron Country were having, and while few would voice them to Shio, they were concerns he was attempting to be conscious of. Balancing protecting Iron from the shifting powers of the world, and respecting the nature of Iron Country that had kept it alive for as long as it had. Perhaps a time would come that Mitsuhide would be the one to voice his thoughts on this matter directly to the Taishou's ear.

I think I see where this is going surprised Shio though, and his brow perk at the notion, did he? Yes, few of the samurai had ventured beyond the borders except for the recent war. Shio had been surprised to learn that though the samurai were often afforded the opportunity to take vacations and breaks from training, few ventured out of Sanrou. Perhaps if you lived life in an ecosystem that provided everything you needed, being out to see the world was not a desire. Or maybe it had something to do with the military discipline they were all embedded with. "ah, thats good to hear.", he said back simply. Then Mitsuhide brought up the wolf mask, and the boy let out a childish giggle, "I don't know if Io will be choosing to have her Covert Ops squadrons wear masks. It was just an example. After all much of what you'll be doing in Coverts will require you to be embedded in normal samurai squadrons, so I don't know how she intends to go about that.", he rubbed his cheek thoughtfully.

"In the Land of Tides there is a clan with a quite potent Kekkei Genkai. The Land of Tides and it's neighbors are often caught in minor land skirmishes, and the clan there, the Kuruma, is quite isolationist and doesn't seem to enjoy being involved in such politics. I'd like to get them to move here to Kemurigakure.", he paused to let Mitsuhide consider that before adding a final note.

"Which likely means allowing their country to be overtaken.", his voice was cool and cold, seemingly unaffected by what insidious thing he had just suggested.

[HotelBravo]

Mitsuhide gave a nonchalant shrug at the prospect that masks might not be needed. It was something they would just have to wait and see, he supposed. Then the topic turned to the matter at hand. The thought of having a new shinobi clan move to the Land of Iron was appealing. The legendary Bloodline techniques that these clans honed and shared with none save they shared the clan’s own blood was a commodity that one could not buy with wealth. Clans tended to be old and set in the ways, but they would be a powerful asset and ally to the Land of Iron - and essential to the young Taisho’s plans. Yes, he would need the experience of people who were already familiar with Shinobi techniques and strategies if he was going to continue with his mission of transforming Iron into the forgotten land of samurai protected only by their obscurity.

”That's a heavy ask.” Mitsuhide concluded. ”Unfortunately what you are suggesting seems to be the precise kind of thing this clan hates. We’ll probably need to scout them and see what their needs are first. That kind of leverage would be hard to ignore if we were able to find it. The kind of leverage that would allow one to abandon fealty and country. I’m not sure you could find such a thing for a samurai family, but perhaps shinobi would be more mercenary minded. ” He glanced at Shio and searched the boys face.

If there was someone who would be more familiar with dealing with Ninja clans it was doubtless him. Mitsuhide was beginning to see an opportunity for himself to actually be useful on this mission though. He was nowhere near the level of swordsman that the Former Taisho had been, and by extension not on the level of the current one, but there was at least one thing he thought he would probably be decent at. That would be to persuade this clan to abandon their own home. It would be a hard sell, but this clan did not sound too different from the people in the small town that he had grown up in. It just might work.

”How much of our Itenary have you already planned?”

[Ace Trainer]

Shio smirked at Mitsuhide's suggestion, it was a good one with working with limited information. "And that is why this village is specialized in covert and special operations.", he retorted. Shio had no intent of bargaining with this clan. At his core, Shio would always be a Kirigakure shinobi, and Kirigakure shinobi dealt in secrets. Even if it was the Hirohito's speciality, it was the unspoken currency of Kirigakure as a whole. He would leverage this clan into Kemurigakure one way or another, and bargaining for it wasn't on the table.

"I have no intention of them ever knowing we're the reason their country has descended into chaos. Our mission will be to instigate a civil war in Tides that will encroach on the sovereignty of their clan. They will be pressured to choose a side, and we will offer a third option. We've sent scouts out already, there is no reason for us to think the Kuruma are bound to the land, they don't have any cultural or religious beliefs around where they live. It seems they've remained there purely because they've been given no reason to go. We're generating a reason."

He paused, sizing Mitsuhide up again, "If you're not comfortable with that, then you're not obligated to accompany us.", he offered. "As for our itinerary, we are scheduled in 3 days - about how long it will take when I leave this evening to get there - to meet with a disgraced noble family in the Land of Tides that has been seeking a path back to power. He is under the impression I am a mercenary with a small mercenary company that specializes in...overtaking minor military leaders.", he paused for a moment, realizing as he said it out loud that this wasn't far from the reality. Though...small might not be the right term for Iron. "He's hoping by granting me an audience, he'll be able to curry favor with me and perhaps buy our services. If I'm honest, I don't care one way or another what happens with Tides...so our mission will first to be to meet with the lord, then go from there", simple enough. Seemed Shio was intending on improvising a bit once they had a better lay of the land.

[HotelBravo]

When Shio began speaking, a slow realization began to creep onto the Samurai’s face. Then he slowly shifted to a grim determination. ”I see.” He folded his arms. It was a distasteful work. It was a type of work suited to shinobi and not to Samurai. That however was no longer an option for the land of Iron, not while it was being rebuilt from the ground up to become a land of ninja. This is what it meant to play on the same field of ninja. Just like Shio had conquered the Land of Iron, the ninja from other lands would have just as little mercy for the land of Iron. Mitsuhide gave a sigh and then wore an expression of grim determination.

”I don’t necessarily agree with this plan, but I’m not here to give those kind of suggestions. I will be traveling with you of course. I believe a strong Kemurigakure means a safe land of Iron. If the cost is a man’s dignity, that's a small price to pay.” A small price, but a heavy burden with a substantial Sticker shock for Mitsuhide. Yet this would not stop him from complying. ”I may not have the same objective but I think in a roundabout we want the same thing, albeit for different reasons. ”

”You did mention an ‘us’ will there be someone else accompanying? Its not too much of an issue if its all the same. Just let me know when you’re ready to move it and I’ll be there.”

[Ace Trainer]

It was clear from his manner Mitsuhide did not agree with what Shio was choosing to do with his country, the philosophical direction Shio was leading Iron was one that in certain ways was contrary to the core values of Iron Country. But those core values had been under attack long before Shio came into power in the country, and his intent was to preserve whatever aspects of Iron he could as the world evolved around it. If Kemurigakure could represent the less savory aspects of Iron, then Sanrou would remain in one solid piece. This was a choice Shio was comfortable making, and he hoped the people of Kemurigakure and Sanrou would come to understand.

"I can assure you nothing of dignity in regards to the ideals of Iron, but I can assure you the security of the country is my top prioritiy in every step I take. I have no intention of the country becoming a mirror of the Grand Five, but some of their methods exist for a reason...they work.", he offered to Mitsuhide, hoping it would bring him some relief.

"A small squadron will be accompanying us. Those some will be from Covert Ops, Io's guidance was to build a village of samurai that could still integrate into Sanrou's core military. They'll in effect be carrying out the mission we are claiming to be in Tide for, while you and I....and possibly another will be carrying out our true objective. Lii may be accompanying us, a shinobi with a....tenuous relationship with Sunagakure. Her skillset will lend towards instigating a civil war. Though I imagine you two will be in a fair amount of conflict...we'll see if personalities clash.", he gave a light laugh at the thought. Mitsuhide seemed a bit rigid at time, and Lii was anything but.

"If that suits you, Io has guidance for you to prepare if you'd like to go to her. She'll let you know where the squad we'll be traveling with is preparing and meeting me.", that would be all...unless Mitsuhide had more.

[HotelBravo]

”Regarding Lii, we’ll see how things work out, I can’t exactly get mad at someone for being on this mission that we were already planning. I’d be a hypocrite. Of course we’ll see how long that virtue lastsVery well then. I don’t really have any more questions. My only comment is that you can count on me..” Mitsuhide gave a curt nod before heading towards the door. ”I will see you soon.”

He exitted Shio’s room with a heavier mind than the one he had entered. This was never what he imagined it meant when he said that he would be willing to learn and practice Genjutsu and ninjutsu. The ideas of what made a shinobi different from a samurai were not the same that Mitsuhide had expected, and while he had been initially open to the idea he was beginning to see that this was a much different ask than what his imagination had made him assume. Still, the land of Iron was his home, and he valued the security of the country enough to sell his honor to Shio. Maybe he would regret his actions to the day he died, but at least the land of Iron would be safe.

He went to his own quarters and began to prepare what he figured he would need in regards to change of clothing. He looked at his armor that he wore into battle - albeit virtually useless against a shinobi due to the power of their techniques. He laid it aside. Instead he would choose more plain clothing and would wore his katana with a sling on his back. He packed a satching with food and clothing and tied it to the hilt.

It truly felt like he had left a part of himself in Shio’s office.

[exit]