What am I even doing?

[CDF]

His memory banks were firing, trying to find a scenario where he had felt this way, but it wasnt until he scoured memories as a toddler that he found them. This unique blend of discomfort, despair, uselessness, confusion, insecurity and strangely anger. He hadn't felt this powerful combination of ineptitude since he was learning how to walk.

The once familiar and comforting corridors of official Suna bureaucracy now seemed illogically intimidating and panic inducing. With every turn he took, he felt a little bit of his sanity slip. The lightning began to flicker at a rate his logical self told him was way too fast to be normal. Every time he passed a new person, a sensation of being watched and monitored grew within him and his logical voice had to again remind him this was just a feeling.

Lowering his eyes to avoid the sensation that came with every passing visual interaction, Hito barreled into the room his mental map told him was his destination. Being that he was paying attention to a mental model of the building and not the doorway itself, he had to mutter an "ow" as his shoulder slammed hard into the doorway he was trying to escape into.

Now embarrassed but silently grateful for the powerful emotion that temporarily hid all the other more confusing ones, Hito looked up to judge if he had entered the right room.

It had been suggested to him that he find a young bright diplomat to catch him up to speed and maybe get him started on his next first steps, of which he hadn't the foggiest. Hito was a man that had been drowning for over 20 years and upon reaching land was unsure what to do with this newfound reality.

Looking up at whoever was in the room, he'd speak with a surprisingly insecure and hesitant voice. "I'm uh.. Ouji, Hito. I'm looking for Hizashi, Ikinari?" This is how humans interacted and introduced themselves, right? He was pretty sure that yes.

[Ace Trainer]

Returning to the norm of deskwork had been somewhat easy for Ikinari. As a diplomat, his excursions into combat had primarily been response based – that’s what had made him such an asset after all. His skills were particularly well designed for responding to ambushes, doing protective details and the like. When the incursion by the nefarious Earth Country had started, however, Ikinari had been shifted into a squad and had conducted counter-operations, which had been a huge uptick in combat which eventually culminated in a full out battle against a former Tsuchikage among others. He’d gotten pretty seriously injured during the course, and ended up spending some time in recovery and then shifting back to a desk role for matters of diplomacy. At the end of the day, Ikinari was a talented diplomat as well and his knowledge of the village, culture and history was a desirable asset in many ways beyond his combat ability.

Right now, he was on archival duty, reviewing all sorts of documents and records for correctness before they got deposited in the archives to disappear into the deep annuls of history. Boring work, but important for Suna and one a select group of people were informed enough to do. As he ticked through the documents, marking off things on his little sheet as he confirmed bits of information, a heavy slam would come from someone walking into his door way quite clumisily. ”Careful now.”, he said with a laugh, not even looking up from the documents in front of him to see who it was. The person would approach and ask for the jounin by name, ”You’ve found him”, he said, still not looking up. For a moment he’d continue to work, an awkward silence hanging between them that Ikinari was oblivious of until he flourished his pen, signing off the document to annotate him as the archivist for it. Finally looking up, he’d lock eyes with the disheveled man before him.

Cocking his head to the side, the Hizashi would push some tufts of his brown-red hair out of his face before quickly pushing to his feet with a wide smile, ”Ah! Kazekage-sama. Or I suppose Kazekage-Emeritus.”, he said joyfully. Retired Kazekage’s were a rare thing. Or, better yet, were not a thing at all. When you’re chosen by the Sun to be her embodiment, you don’t ‘stop’ being her embodiment, or at least you weren’t supposed to. Ouji, Hito was the exception, and the consequence of his exceptionalism had been one scholars and priests had been grappling with in the past 20 years. The echoes of this still resonated within the upper chambers of Sunagakure, and occasionally as whispers on the street. Religious governments rarely did well when core tenants of their belief system were publicly undermined.

”A pleasure to have you here. Yes, yes. Please sit Kazekage-Emeritus. I am told you have questions and are in need of guidance given your return. How can I be of assistance to you?”, he asked.

[CDF]

A unique set of alarm bells rang in Hito's subconscience. The reasoning as to why was slowly bubbling its way to the surface of his understanding, and along the way it had several effects. The muscles in his body seemed to want to tense to make himself taller and more rigid while his facial muscles seemed to become more tense and careful. His anxiety-related sensations spiked while his sensation of irritation simultaneously grew while becoming more cautious, like when one's angry at a superior. It was disorienting and confusing until understanding breached the surface:

This man was smart. His tone of voice, his knowing look and his casual yet careful word choice. Hito's brain had told him that this was an intelligent man and his body's reaction was to try and mask as much as possible from what were surely knowing eyes. The kind of eyes that could pick up changes in facial muscles and discern deep emotional messages from them. The kind of person that can read your mind based on what words you use now compared to moments ago.

But he met intelligent people all the time? Why does this one make him nervous? The answer was immediate and obvious: Because he'd never been this broken and vulnerable before. It was bad enough he barely had full control over his sentience, but now he was a walking contradiction of a man in the land arguably least capable of withstanding contradictions.

Unable to leave this thought process on his own, a more human part of him forced an awkward cough. He'd never understood why people did that, but as he coughed he felt the anxiety hormones relax enough for him to regain momentum and control.

"The pleasure is mine, Hizashi-san. ...Emeritus... it doesn't really flow but it's the closest somebody's come to giving me an apt new label." Smiling genuinely now, acknowledging and appreciating the Hizashi's directness, Hito sat down in front of the diplomat's desk. Long ago he would have put much thought into how to position his body and when to sit so as to follow the proper rules of etiquette, giving respect while demanding it, always considering his position in society. Today? He sat down like any old... weird citizen.

Attempting to look the diplomat in the eyes but finding it surprisingly difficult, Hito focused on the bridge of his nose and spoke with an almost frail voice. "Truth is, I haven't been in this physical realm for over 20 years by my math. I know so little that my questions by necessity have become surprisingly few." Sighing, he caught the twinge of whining in his voice and dialed it back, remembering that his tone and actions would likely be accurately analyzed on the spot. "I've received a basic and alarming rundown of all that's happened, or not happened," he practically grumbled at the end, not caring to hide his dissatisfaction nor to expand further at the moment, "and while I'm still piecing it all together, it seems to me I can't waste another moment without understanding our current relationship with our neighbors. Is it safe to assume you're fully caught up in our diplomatic affairs and can tell me more about our standings? Especially with Fire, Lightening, and the acquisition of what seems to me like several vassal states?"

He felt a bit of awkwardness immediately. He spoke too much with no clear call to action and left a rather amorphous blob of a request in the air without actually requesting it. His past self would have clarified the important bits, chopped off the unnecessary and left Ikinari with something extremely easy to reply to and act on. His current self was too busy trying to stop parts of his mind from counting the visible right angles in the room while another part tried to imagine what the current contour map of his newly expanded nation looked like all while another voice told him "too late to fix what you said now, just wait out the awkwardness. This is just a physical feeling."

[Ace Trainer]

It took a few moments of watching the former Kazekage for Ikinari’s expression to fall from the polite endearment into a look of eagerness masking concern. His disposition fell slightly, absorbing the disheveled appearance of the former prophet before him. This was not a great look, the sort of lost confusion Hito was feeling was apparent to Ikinari, who would slowly try to cover up the look developing on his face. What a shame to see someone who was supposed to be an embodiment of their God in such a decrepit state. The 20 years he had been missing had not been kind to him, leading Ikinari to begin to wonder what exactly the once-Kazekage had been through. Was it as simple as being lost to time, or was it more than that?

When Hito explained what he was looking for, Ikinari’s demeanor shifted even more. The pleasant eyes and upbeat demeanor gave way for a moment as his shoulders lowered and his lips tightened together. ”Ah.”, is all he would say. Gesturing to the seats off to the side of the desk he was behind, ”If it pleases you.”, he said to Hito, notably not telling him to sit but making clear it was an offer. The jounin would not wait for the Kazekage to follow, however, and would drop into the chair he’d just risen from. The smile on his face would slowly return, this time slightly more solemn, hope glistening in Ikinari’s eyes. ”I’m sorry to hear your return has already been marred to have to make such requests. We are very fortunate you have you back, Kazekage-Emeritus. “, it was certain Hito had been met with platitudes like this endlessly since his return. Ikinari’s demeanor and tone however indicated his genuine intent with these words. No wonder he was a diplomat.

”You ask a big question, however!”, his upbeat tone quickly returned with this, indicating Ikinari’s pleasure in discussing these sorts of things. ”Yes, that would be a safe assumption to make. Among my diplomatic duties is to be one of the primary diplomatic archivists. I’m expected to attend to diplomatic meetings and act as a consultant for diplomats with more….bargaining authority than myself, and a liaison for our partner nations. If it is a ‘current’ event in the past 100 years, I am expected to know of it. , he gave a confident grin, one that expressed true knowledge as opposed to arrogance. ”I’m happy to share. Am I to presume you know nothing and start from scratch? Not to say you do, but in case there are any gaps? Or would you like to ask specific questions. Our relationships with the Grand 5 and the many minor countries that surround us exist in many differing states…”, his voice trailed off, reaching into his desk seeming to search for something as he awaited the response from his visitor.

[CDF]

the thoughtsShow

You saw that on his face right? The recognition-surprise-recognition-disappointment-mask disappointment sequence that just flashed in the muscles on his face? I know we all saw that. Why are we acting li- yes yes we all saw it, but so what? What's he expected to feel or demonstrate. we're not reacting because we already know what our situation is and what peoples reactions ought to be, per the logic of well.. logic. Stop pulling from the main narrative to distract with redundant thoughts like this. Why bother telling any of us to stop thinking thought patterns we obviously can't control in the first place? Valid question but maybe SHUT UP

Everything that's happened since he sat down was inspiring great confidence in the former-kazekage. Information was coming to him quickly and concisely and he was being asked the proper questions. The face on the man before him was controlled but not deceptively so and he was more transparent than most of the officials he'd had to deal with so far. Hito suspected this was one of his preferred types of human personalities: a pragmatist. Personality types that best embodied reasoning and logic, so easy to talk to and deal with.

It with this bubble of positivity that left him completely unphased by the growing thing in the corner of his eye. It was uncomfortable and weird and he immediately knew it was something he had to dispatch part of himself to handling. It wasn't real, or this nice direct man would be reacting to it already.

handleHallucinationShow

It wasn't something in the room, which he knew because it was in the same spot in his vision no matter where he looked. He could barely even describe what it was, for it wasn't just the visual. And the visual itself was.. what? is that blackness with a border of yellow or is just that whole corner a yello- what's this feeling of dread that comes anytime i think about it? Is this sand?

It doesn't matter. We can file this under list of things to analyze for deeper meanings one day, but today we know its just a mental apparation and we just need it to go away to maintain our conversation and objectives. And that's that. There, see, it's gone.

Almost visibly feeling a shiver down his spine as the disturbance is overcome, Hito took a visibly relieved sigh and relaxed further in his chair. "I can tell, Hizashi-san, that I've been sent to the right place for more reasons than one. I can tell you're a man th-" A sudden bright flash in his vision distracted him momentarily and his whole body flinched as if there was a projectile coming, but as quickly as it came, it was gone. In the silent milisecond, he thought only, "I'm talking to a man right? Yea, wait did i stop tal- oops. "excuse me, that you're a man that's practical and deals well with taking in and dishing out data." Giving just the slightest moment of transition, he shifted in his seat and for the briefest moment felt no anxiety at all. His posture, his voice, his spirit all seemed like who he once was. Kazekage.

"So before we get into it further, let me provide some context and parameters.

First: My body has been essentially frozen in time for the last 20 years while my consciousness flitted between nothing and 'astrally' " he used a little too much emphasis while using air quotes, diminishing the regal air of it all, "drifting between a collection of dimensions, my own memories and products of my own imagination. I know nothing since about 6 months after I 'ascended'. " he used the air quotes again, but this time regretted it halfway through and pulled his hands back down. "I'm still working out the ....complexities of returning to the mortal realm, so I'm certainly not the kage I once was. That said..."

Hito shifted once more in his seat, feeling a need to get even more comfortable as he continued. He was losing interest and ability in regulating tone and emotion in his voice and he could tell that it was slowly becoming apathetic-sounding, but felt this was not somebody he had to worry about that with.
"You may call me whatever you like, just know its for your own benefit. As far as I'm concerned, you may call me Hito. Kazekage-emeritus would be fine, it's just too long and exhausting. I do not have any sensitivities, so please always feel free to lean to cold, descriptive language and never fear for my emotions or reactions. I love my nation and my people, but am not blind to its realities and as such also do not require any patriotic fluffing of information either. This is not to say i expect you of doing these things, but only to relieve you of the necessity to maneuver around them skillfully as it's obvious to me you could." Smiling almost proudly at the young diplomat, Hito remembered the familiar sensation of being the father of a nation. He didn't get to feel it long, but it was a strong and powerful thing that was really epitomized in little moments like this. Finding brilliant, wonderful people amongst his peers and knowing that he was doing something for their benefit.

Taking a slightly dramatic gulp of air, Hito conveyed his understanding that he just laid a whole lot out Ikinari and was going to be cool about all this. "Aaalright. Now with ALL that said, I'd like to hear it all. I want to know everything that brought us to this point, I want to know how safe or unsafe my people are." The swelling of emotions was almost immediate, he could feel warning flags all over his mind telling him that too many emotions and chemicals were swirling at the same time, but he couldn't stop it now. "I want to know why the village looks almost the same as when I left. I want to know what the HELL" his voice cracked slightly now, anger seeping through it. "Happened to Kiyori. I want to know all about how our sovereignty had to be defended by our ally only for them to lose their leader for it. I need to know it all so I can help fix it." He practically huffed at the end, once again unsure how to finish his speech and reeling from the fact that he just expressed so much raw emotion that he hadn't let himself feel even before his two-decade-long state.

[Ace Trainer]

Ikinari watched the former champion of his village before him, his eyes discerning as ever. It was clear that Hito was going through something, what however was not clear. And, if Ikinari was being honest, not of his concern. When you become a diplomat, one of the things you learn very quickly is how to not concern yourself with problems you can’t address. The evaluation of people’s mental states was not one of his responsibilities, nor was determining whether someone was fit to be given information. His job was to give the appropriate information to the appropriate people, if someone could have the information, it wasn’t up to him to decide if they should. So as Hito seemed to sift back-and-forth from reality and elsewhere, Ikinari simply observed, a gentle smile remaining on his face.


”Yes. Twenty years.”, he echoed Hito. He knew that already, but Hito’s explanation of ‘where’ he was those 20 years left a lot to be desired. Returning to the mortal realm? Hm. It was all interesting. Not interesting enough to elicit further inquiry from Ikinari, but interesting nonetheless. While he liked ninjutsu and was quite talented in it, he knew that Hito’s reign as Kazekage had included a fair amount of tampering with Jikukan, something that did not appeal to the diplomat. ”M. That is all good to know. However, Her Light is not as forgiving as Her Prophet may be.”, he said with a slight laugh, ”Of course I kid, but you, Kazekage-Emeritus, are a beacon of Her Light and have harnessed and been blessed by it. The respect I confer you is the respect She deserves. And of consequence, as do you.”, perhaps a simple ‘understood’ would have sufficed as Ikinari was going to ignore the suggestion of less formality from Hito either way, but he would give the Kazekage-Emeritus the respect of acknowledging why his request/offering would fall to deaf ears.

Ikinari finally stopped shuffling through his desk, eventually pulling out a scroll that he would unravel on the desk atop the various documents and folders. Pulling four weights from within the scroll, he’d slide them to each corner, holding the furled papers flat on the desk. ”To hear it all. Well.”, he let out a soft sigh. ”Some of those questions I can answer. Some of them I cannot. Perhaps we should start with your successor, Kazekage Kiyori-Sama, as that is the simplest of answers to provide to you. And perhaps one of the more important for the rest of your questions…”, he folded his hands together on the map, electing - it appeared - to ignore it for this one.

”She returned to the Light.”, he said rather matter-of-factly. ”Kazekage Kiyori-Sama was selected shortly after your disappearance. By all accounts of the village, you were not dead but were not longer….in her Light, which presented a number of complications. Kazekage Kiyori-Sama, however, was an excellent beacon behalf of the Sun. She radiated Light on the village. Which is to say, you left the village in quite capable hands.”, Ikinari’s decision in words, which was to say the Hito had chosen something likely would not be missed. The title of Kazekage after all was not chosen by all accounts, it was granted when you were selected by The Sun. ”And, after the Great War, Kazekage Kiyori-Sama had accomplished much. As I’m sure you remember, however, the Henrin clan…not dissimilar from your own Ouji clan in fact, are deep reserves of information and knowledge and have the ability to turn themselves to stone to store that information for time immemorial.”, he paused, looking down at the map for a moment.

”Kazekage Kiyori-sama was no longer needed by The Sun. Or so it goes, I suppose. The knowledge and memories she retained served The Light more value being stored indefinitely, than it did being utilized by her prophet. Perhaps, had Kazekage Kiyori-sama not achieved this state and proceeded on, she would have died in the invasion and it would have all been lost.”, he held a finger up, as if to say ‘so that’s a win’, the positive tone in his voice indicating that he felt this way. ”She continues to serve the village and her clan as a Daruma, the knowledge she has will contribute enormous amounts to the success of the village in perpetuity. The Hizashi believe that to be chosen as Kazekage by Her Light is to be in the final stage before Nirvana. Kazekage Kiyori-sama had completed her journey.”, he smiled gently at Hito, this time pausing. It seemed he was waiting to see if this was sufficient or if the Kazekage would have more questions about this from him.

[CDF]

His earlier assumptions were now regarded as truths as Ikanari's calm and professional demeanor remained, completely unphased by the untraditional approach and spew of information. If Hito were ever allowed to have official status again, he'd ensure this man received a promotion or more. He'd be able to handle head-of-state relations, though he'd likely not want to unless he was certain his skills were the most needed there. That's somehow amusing.

His explanation for the continued formality was extremely welcome. He not only explained why he'd continue with the exhausting, a faux-pass to have said hito now realized, honorific but also informed Hito of a clear boundary. No matter how far he himself had fallen from his faith, his people had not. No amount of past divinity would keep him in their graces if he suddenly disregarded that. Mental note made for much much further consideration on that. Most likely, Ikinari could tell Hito was no longer a believer. Surely he could smell it on him, in fact, Hito was pretty sure he could smell it on himself. It smelled almost like... like that time mom took us to check out that new temple a little further away because she had a disa- focus.
He can't tell anything, you're slipping.

Literally shaking his head to shake the thought out of the main narrative and bring his attention back to the information download, it timed unfortunately well with the news of Kiyori's passing. A grim sense of relief passed over him and he felt safe enough to let it do so naturally through his body, passing like a literal wave as the hormones and neurons spiked alongside a change in expressions that just pulsed past. He always knew she'd make a great leader, but what a barbaric and needless way to die. He surely could have found a solution, like relying on the Yamanaka in the land of fire perhaps. That would have been a battle on so many levels, but he could have figured it out. Gah. He had to resist the urge to show distaste as a very real taste of bitter rot flooded his mouth, reflecting his feelings for both his and all outdated clan traditions. Did he always feel this way?

"I'm proud of her and am not at all surprised to hear any of this, except for her untimely end. Maintain your current structure, but I very much want to address at some point why you're so certain she would have died in the invasion. Likewise, please continue talking to me as if I don't know these things like clan traditions. I should and do know them, but I also know so many other things that aren't true that it's very helpful to hear outloud what relevant information definitely is true." For a moment a reasonable wave of conscience told him to be careful. Reasonable and pragmatic or not, this was an agent of the government and one of the more religion ones, a faction Hito had no doubt would soon enough be his enemy. He could not be too transparent and vulnerable about his state, but he also had no interest in games and acting. "Please, continue."

As Ikari spoke, Hito's eyes would occasionally flit to all corners of the room. It wasn't out of curiosity, just habit and unconscious reaction to the occasional overflows of anxiety he'd get from prolonged eye contact. In these vision movements, he was also taking in everything around them. By the time Ikari started speaking again, Hito would have a clear vision in his mind of every detail in the room that he could see from his visible position. Including every line of legible text within range and the map on the table below them, as if he had been staring intently at all of them. The process of mapping that all out in his brain was very useful in its mental taxation and possibly why he hadn't had a major hallucination event in a bit.

jutsuShow

Fleeting Compiler
C-rank Discipline
A technique hito couldn't stop himself from doing if he tried. Whenever near anything for long enough, Hito's able to read and see everything that's within his peripheral vision. He just needs enough time to have moved his vision across the thing, even if for a moment, multiple times. If he's able to get different angles, it speeds things up, but if he were sitting completely still and only occasionally moving his gaze, it would take him 2-3 posts to see enough for his mind to be able to put the images together, orient it properly and then visualize the result and truly see it. This technique is not magic, the clearest part of this mental image will only be as clear as what Hito's vision would have been able to see in those moments his gaze was directly on the target (however many microseconds that may have been). With his memory, this means Hito can't be allowed to even sit in a room with any sensitive information visible anywhere.

[Ace Trainer]

Proud

What an interesting word to use here.

Ikinari was devout within two belief systems. From his viewpoint, Ouji, Hito and Henrin, Kiyori were one in the same. Two points on a single line. The light chose a prophet, and the Kazekage was simply different iterations of a single being moving through time until it reached a perfected state. Truly in the case of Hito and Kiyori, this made ample sense. The knowledge Hito had been collecting, and would continue to collect beyond this day, were invaluable to the knowledge of Kiyori’s inner Light, which had likely been central to her being able to reach the decision she had. The notion that HIto was proud of her would mean just as much he was proud of himself. Ikinari wondered briefly if Hito saw it the same way.

”The path she chooses for us begins and ends exactly when it should, Kazekage-Sama.”, he gave another sincere smile to Hito.

He shook his head though, as a minor correction, ”I am not certain. I am a jounin, but I am hardly a tactical mastermind. But I am simply making the observation that her choice may have benefited us all in the end in ways many will never realize. Kazekage Kiyori-sama faced a great deal of scrutiny for a decision she made, that The Sun made for her. Mind you the entire village does not share the faith. Many shared your doubts…or should I say frustration.”, he said referring back to Hito’s earlier lapse in control when first mentioning it.

”Regardless. Expanding from there. Hmm. I suppose what makes sense would be your question about Konohagakure no Sato. Mmm.”, he lifted his hands now gesturing towards the map before placing two fingers on Fire Country, then dragging it over towards where Suna was on the map. ”Well. If its any consolation, Konohagakure has effectively admonished the decisions of the former Hokage and written it off as an act of reckless abandon not endorsed by their council or leadership.”, Ikinari thought that would be the best to lead with. ”I think this will make more sense when we cover the rest of the map. But, for the time being. This region here in the North East, what was formerly the Land of Forests and the Holy City of Towers, was highly contested during the Great War. At the end of the war, much of the land ended in the possession of Wind Country. As Earth Country, following the war, has continued its expansionist regime, it sets its sights on this land once more. During the Great War, Kazekage Kiyori-same was intent on maintaining it, I expect due to the insulation it provided from Earth Country during other battles. Once the war was over, she relinquished that responsibility to the Wind Country Daimyo, as is her right, and his responsibility. I’m sure you more-than-remember the close nature of the relationship between Kazekage and Daimyo.”

He paused for a moment, looking down at the map and running a finger along the border of the region they were discussing. If Hito hadn’t noticed it yet, it would be this point that Hito would see the land had been drawn over to match the color of the rest of Earth Country, indicating Ikinari had made changes to the map recently. ”When Earth Country attempted to retake the land, Kazekage Kiyori-sama had recently turned to a Daruma. Kazekage Sueatsu-sama elected not to participate. Sunagakure no Sato’s official stance was that it was a matter for Wind Country. And that land disputes outside of our district would not be our concern unless the Daimyo specifically requested a full response. He did not.”, Ikinari said this rather matter-of-factly. ”In the spirit of the event, diplomatic teams were dispatched to collaborate with Wind Country’s samurai squadrons. The hope was that a diplomatic solution that would allow for the land to be split could be reached. It was not.”

Ikinari paused once more, this time rubbing his chin thoughtfully, ”Given Konohagakure’s response, and Kumogakure’s refusal to speak on the matter, I can only assume that the choice of the late Hokage and the Raikage to participate was meant to be a show of the alliance. That the countries would not tolerate further expansion by Earth Country. Their response was in opposition of Earth Country, not in support of Sunagakure no Sato.”, the emphasis here highlighted the wider scope of what had happened. ”And. Well. We see how that went. The Raikage was able to escape, with several captives in hand. But he could not defend fully against the assault and elected to leave when he had the opportunity to do so safely. To my earlier point, I suspect that had Kazekage Kiyori-sama remained in the position, her desire to build bridges would have resulted in her participation. How that would have impacted the outcome…I can’t be sure.”

Ikinari had given a lot of information here, so once more he would pause for Hito to respond.

[CDF]

For the first time in a while, he was finding himself struggling to conceptually understand something. He could tell by Ikanari's response, devoid as it may be of any negative reaction, that he had said the wrong thing. But he almost always knew how he was wrong and this was almost amusingly perplexing. He could feel every part of his conscience wanting to investigate the issue, he was even visualizing a room full of hungry dogs figuring out the box in the center of the room has beef within it.

His hand began to tap prime numbers on his leg as he pulled as much of his focus as he could into staying grounded. The sensation helped to tie it all together as he made the remaining focus he couldn't muster into its own little sentience packet to deal with later. Let it replay this scene and search their memory banks for their relationship with Yuumagure and religion in general.

But he needed understanding now to continue this conversation properly. Fake it till you make it baby.

Still tapping numbers on his leg, he shifted his weight slightly while nodding his head solemnly at Ikinari's view of Kiyori's fate. He went to provide a pivot using his emotional attachment to Kiyori as an excuse, but a wave of intuitive information was coming from the packet he just created. He couldn't understand it truly, but somehow he knew to trust it. The tapping stopped, and he responded.

"Of course. The Sun's rays are incomprehensibly bright and ever-traveling, neither I nor Kiyori could ever hope to know or understand what is to come nor how it all ties together." He let out a genuine sigh full of grief, "but sadly no knowledge of purpose nor future reunion can take the pain of knowing you continue on a plane where one you loved does not." Using the throat-clearing method of discomfort reduction from earlier, Hito nodded Ikinari onward in his explanation. He was still curious about his original assumption that Ikinari's words had reflected how powerful the enemy was assumed to be, but he knew they'd get there soon.

His facial expressions didn't improve as Ikinari continued. Three world leaders embroiled in their mess and all of them come out the worse for it. He agreed with the diplomat's evaluation but could practically feel the muscle cringing frustration that came with convincing a group of scared civilians to make the right choice for the future. It couldn't have been easy for either kages to make their initial move to support them.

Again another once foreign to him appeared, he began to chew the inside of his lip and even wonder why he was doing so. Instead of investigating that further, he replied to this batch of information so Ikinari knew he was still here. "Regardless of motive, we owe them a great debt. I owe them a great debt... Please continue. At some point I'll want to circle back to what we know about the relationship between Iwagakure and its Daimyo. " For the moment, his mind was calm and he appreciate it as he continued to look attentively at Ikinari.

[Ace Trainer]

Ikinari was a diplomat, so he was rather skilled at reading the room and the people around him. Ouji, Hito was well-known in political spaces for his non-conformist approach to the title of Kazekage, so Ikinari was unsurprised as the conversation unfolded with his way of dealing with the information. Ikinari was a devout man, but he could discern when people were uncomfortable with what was being said, or if they didn’t fully agree. Far be it from him, however, it comment or make judgement of it - especially towards the Kazekage-emeritus. It was clear Hito was not enjoying the information he was receiving, regardless of how it was delivered, but again these were things Ikinari was quite used to, and he had a duty to perform. So, as the Kazekage requested he continued, Ikinari would give a nod and turn his attention down the map before them.

”Much has changed.”, was what he would said, running his hands across the map smoothing it out.

”In the prelude to the Great War, several minor countries began to expand their reach. The Holy City of Towers, as I mentioned, expanded to conquer the Land of Forests. Tea Country moved against a No Man’s Land region, officially take claim to it. Fire Country moved against Lava Island, The Lightning Empire moved against the north-eastern continent, and the Wind Country Daimyo took to Silver Country to our west, turning it to a vassal state of Wind Country.”, as he spoke, Ikinari would move his hand across the map, touching on each country his mention and gesturing to the direction and country they had intended to conquer. ”The fragile peace that had been maintained for several decades at this point had left many feeling it was time and as each domino fell, a bigger would follow.”, this seemed ominous, as he ran his finger around Earth Country.

”The Earth Country Daimyo, in an act that many consider to be his first misstep, moved against Pebble Country. He more-or-less forced the Tsuchikage’s hand. Given Pebble Countries long history as a poor attempt for a demilitarized-tone and their general Shinobi-negative disposition, Kazekage-Kiyori-Sama saw it as an opportunity to forge an alliance and bring one us into the good graces of the most important buffer states in the region. So she supported them and we were successful in retaining Pebble Countries sovereignty.”, he gave a soft sigh, And thus began the Great War.”

”Iwagakure no Sato’s decision to follow Earth Country in the attack, and Sunagakure’s decision to intervene was, in my opinion, the ink that was used to co-sign every attack that happened there-after. That single battle, relatively minor in the grand scheme if I must say, informed every major world power that if you have any intention of cementing your power, now was the time to do it. It seemed like every country, every leader, acted at once.”, Ikinari’s voice was solemn. For the casual observer, it would be assumed that Ikinari simply found the notion of war to be a sorrowful notion but in truth it had nothing to do with that. The Great War represented, for the first time in recorded history of man, a consolidation of power. Countries, rather than splitting into new government and regions, were being swallowed up and their sovereignty demolished. As a Hizashi, as a Child of the Light, and as a Diplomat, Ikinari valued the ability to live your own truth above all else. All men were equal, and the Great War had resulted in an enormous shift of power and the creation of inequity on a scale never before seen in the history of mankind.

”If you would like, I can provide a full detail of every major change in border, but there were six key parts that I believe are the most important to be aware of.”, he said plainly.

”First, of the Grand 5, Kazekage-Kiyori-sama saw this war as an opportunity to extend her vision of peace. This meant that she supported the expansion of Wind Country by absorbing neighboring states as vassals. Her intent, by all accounts, was for them to retain their governments, culture, and individuality, simply as a secondary state within Wind Country. However, these seizures very often turned violent or at least occurred under the threat of violence. Since Kazekage-Kiyori-sama’s choice to ascend, Kazekage-Sueatsu-sama has spent an enormous amount of time in collaboration with the Daimyo managing these states. Second, Fire Country’s intent was very clearly to form clear continental delineation of where the current allies - Kumogakure, Konohagakure and Sunagakure - by seizing countries from coast to coast through whatever means necessary. While this has never been stated officially, it is incredibly obvious the intent was to separate Earth Country and Water Country from being able to connect, I can only assume to interrupt Earth Country’s ability to deal in slaves.”

He ran his finger along the countries Fire had conquered, the only space they did not being spaces Suna had moved on. ”Next. Water Country and Kirigakure were likely the only of the Grand 5 to not appear to have any intent of forming a stronger regional presence. They moved on Tea Country, but it seemed entirely retaliatory rather than intended to command land. Similarly, their support of the Earth Country on the Holy City of Towers in fact resulted in the Eternal Mother - the daimyo equivalent of the Holy City of Towers - joining Kirigakure. Through the course of the war, Kirigakure obtained not only a culturally and industrially rich family in the Holy City of Towers, but also the Shuyro clans, one of the few major powers with a kekkei genkai to remain out of the grasps of a Grand Five up to that point.” he paused once more.

”Fourth. Was the fall of Iron Country and the Rise of Pebble. Iron Country, as I’m sure you remember, acted as a neutral force intended to mediate relations between the Grand 5 and Minor Countries. When their Taishou joined Earth Country for the attack, a single Kirigakure Missing Ninja - Mistaki, Shio - moved against and conquered Iron Country. He stands now as their Taishou at a mere 17 years old, and has formed a Shinobi village he called Kemurigakure no Sato. In part of his rise, his provided some of his strongest samurai’s and trained Pebble Country to become a titan in its own right. The Pebble Country Samurai Army likely stands on par with a Shinobi village now. Which leads to fifth. The rise of the Heart Empire. Tea Country was conquered by a lone samurai, a folklore hero hailed by the people as their chosen Grand Shogun - Iiyashi, Fuhen. He formed an alliance of several minor countries, strengthening their borders and single handed lay converting some of their laymen into mighty warriors. While he has now passed, the Heart Country remains.”

He slowly pointed to the various regions indicating they were Heart Country before finally landing on one south of Fire Country, ”And finally. At the closure of the Great War, the Grand Five were hosted by Pebble Country, resulting in a peace being attained and the creation of Steam Country and Amegakure. A region where Shinobi activity is greatly derided, but also illegal on an international level.”, he looked up at Hito now.

”It is the sole region on this continent that anyone not belonging to a Shinobi country can consider safe….at least for now.”, how grave

[CDF]

Ikinari had barely started his continuation of summaries and already Hito was growing exhausted. It wasn't the presentation of the information or even the information itself: it was how many thoughtlines each word seemed to generate in Hito's mind. Almost every sentence required Hito to sift through old relevant memories, decipher which ones were real, choose which of the non-real ones had any relevant and useful reflection. Alongside that, almost every sentence was also creating excitable thoughtlines of how things should and could be, alongside with relevant opinions and thoughts on the current and future state of things.

If this continued, Ikinari would be sitting across from a silent vegetable by the time the debrief was over. Quickly, Hito attempted to prevent this in this new manhandling method of controlling his intellect. He put himself to work, dividing his processing into past, present and future. He created a worfklow between the three departments and had it so the future processing was minimized, instead "pinning" topics for later that would take too much processing now.

This made him a better listener, but it was now suddenly harder for him to make eye contact or monitor/control his bodily reactions. Instead, he chose to stare at the wall behind Ikinari most of the time and resigned himself to the fact that he was going to look twitchy for a while.

Almost everything Ikinari said was irritating and not surprising. It was very much the state of the world he remembered to be poised for such reactionary chaos. Knowing this didn't make hearing about it any less irritating though. He shook head slowly as the international conflicts were described at neck-breaking speeds, both because that's how quickly it all unfurled and because Ikinari was exceptional at summarizing information. Another way Hito would have great use for him in the future, should he want it.

Filing the thought away for his future processor, Hito continued listening intently. His cold robotic face had a touch of grief and amusement again as Kiyori's vision was explained. He wasn't surprised his pupil had independently reached such a similar philosophy as him, but it was heartwarming nonetheless. It was also important to see how his philosophy played out under a truly theistic individual.

While he spent most of Ikinari's debriefing shaking his head with an increasing sense of sorrow and dread, he would also occasionally nod at a times in agreement. Ikinari's geopolitical understanding of motive and priority was spot-on and reflected much of Hito's thoughts on how the world works. Still, his gaze was almost always on the wall behind him where Hito could practically visualize the map Ikinari referenced.

The manic finger tapping stopped and his face actually reacted now. The second half was genuinely surprising. Hito had long forseen that at some point there would be the amount of chaos and power consolidation. He had hoped to be here when it happened to put structure in place so that his people would be safe and his neighbors stabilized. He had not, however, realized how much of these changes would have occured due to a handful of individuals, nor did he expect Earth Nation to become such an oppressive aggressor. He certainly hadn't expected a new world power that could rival the great five so quickly.

He wasn't surprised at how much of this activity was coming from samurai, as the world has been long-poised to lean into anti-shinobi forces.

but it was certainly all clearer now. The clarity brought him no joy. Letting out a loud, large, pent-up sigh, Hito finally returned to making eye contact with the diplomat. At this point Ikinari would notice that Hitos eyes were actually red and swollen, for he was holding back tears and one was actually rolling down his right eye as he spoke.

"Thank you for that concise summary. I hVW a feeling you've saved me countless meetings of redundant information." Smiling through his intense sadness, Hito vocalized the very explanation he was mentally giving himself as to why he was feeling enough pain to shed a tear. "It breaks my heart to think of how many people must have died and how many more still will. Worst still," His ominous tone and grim face finally turned to the map Ikinari had been motioning on. "So many cultures and histories have been subjugated all around us, entire nation identities swallowed up by soulless lands already packed to the brim with neglected people." Anger slowly rose in his voice again, also thinking about his own nation. He was already so irritated when he was young by how much the world governments ignored their citizens, and now they were out here gobbling up even more citizens to neglect. For what?

Clicking his teeth at the thought, he continued. "I'm seeing a lot that needs to be addressed and I'll absolutely want every iota of data you can muster for me. I have much to catch-up on in regards to intra-wind relations, and I hope to receive the blessing of Kazekage Sueatsu-sama's time soon as well. But for now, my priorities are understanding our nation and village's security and the overall state of the village. There's a staggering amount of issues and potential quality of life improvements I want to bring to fruition, but all of that depends on our nation being secured and me having a firm grasp of reality."

Suddenly, multiple thoughts clicked together with the swirling of chemical signals within his body, resulting in Hito abruptly standing and looking down at Ikinari. "Can we continue this over some food? It occurs to me now that I haven't eaten any of our cuisine in twenty years, and all this unfortunate news would go down far better with spices." Mentally, Hito calculated there wasn't much chance that this man was about to reject the former Kazekage's proposition to eat, so he didn't wait more than a couple of second for an answer and started making his way to the door.

His mind was still too preoccupied and segmented for him to care much for pleasantries, elegance or diplomacy. At somepoint in this interaction, he had marked Ikinari as a person he could trust to handle his current eccentric personality. Until a datapoint made him change that decision, Hito was going with the flow.

[Ace Trainer]

The expressions that Hito moved through in front of Ikinari were noted. The void look moving through frustration, sadness, woe, anger, all of them plain as day as the Kazekage-emeritus attempted to reconcile the information he had. It would not go unnoticed, but it also would not elicit a reaction from the young diplomat - it wasn’t his job to help Hito process this information. It wasn’t his job to make suggestions or recommendations or make information more palatable. The Sun would shine Her Light on a path that she wanted her former prophet to walk, and Ikinari knew that as good as any. However, Hito’s comments shared a sentiment that Ikinari had, the subjugation of man was wrong and a sorrowful event indeed.

Hito continued, stating he would need the blessing of the current Kazekage, that he had priorities he needed to sort. Improvements he wanted to bring to the village, all things that Ikinari found interesting places for Hito to put his focus. What exactly did he have planned now that he was back? If more changes were to come, he wondered how this would look to the people of Sunagakure - the notion of two Kazekage, two prophets, had be complex. The sequence of Hito, Sueatsu and Kiyori had called many aspects of Yuumagure into question that had settled after Kiyori’s choice to become a Daruma. Now with Hito back….well…time would tell.

”Food. Yes, that is certainly possible Kazekage-Emeritus-Sama”, he snapped out of his train of thought, pulling himself out his feet and sliding the weights that were holding the map to the center, causing the scroll to furl into its default state. He would circle around the desk and towards the door, pulling it open and gesturing for Hito to exit before him.

”Happy you show you around and what options may exist within the tower, or we can go out into the village if you’d prefer.”

As they began to walk, Indra would hold his hand behind his back, his pace just a mere portion of a second behind Hito, allowing him to guide the former Kazekage while still maintain a secondary appearance. Diplomatic talents. ”So, to your final question regarding our current relationship with our neighbors…that one is difficult to answer even with all of the context I’ve provided. I suppose the most succinct answer, unsurprisingly, would be strained.”, he made a grim sort of look, ”There are levels to it, though. As I said, my suspicion is that the participation of our allies leadership was not a show of alliance with us. The land that Earth Country was conquering is hardly of any economic value, and while I would certainly make the argument that the people that remain there are likely better cared for under Her Light, the region is war torn from the Great War and desolate. The Tsuchikage’s decision to reclaim it, and our allies decision to stand against him were all symbolic. For the Tsuchikage I suspect this was an attestation that if he wants land…he will take it. For the Hokage and Raikage, their presence was intended to rebuke that statement.”

He continued to walk in the slowly delayed lockstep with Hito, guiding them through the hallways. ”For Wind Country and Fire Country, the Daimyos have reached an effective agreement that Fire Country, and consequently Konohagakure no Sato, will support Wind Country in matters geopolitical, but if it comes to a battle of arms, they will not have any interest. The new Hokage, Awai Fanho, has an interest in maintaining Konohagakure and Fire Countries sovereignty, and war with Iwagakure no Sato will likely lead to war with Kirigakure if Konohagakure involves itself.”, he paused his speaking for a moment, seemingly thinking on it, ”I expect that if Konohagakure is to provide support in any future conflicts, it will be by way of their covert operations squadrons via the ANBU.”, it was clear here he was musing and theorizing about things at this point and not stating anything concrete.

”As far as the Lightning Empire, well. The Raikage, Nakajima, Hayate, is a bit hard to predict or say. Our relationship with them is primarily economic…the creation of the railway throughout the eastern portion of the continent to Wind Country represents significant strides in our relationship with them as a direct role of Kazekage-Kiyori-sama’s vision. However, given his presence in the previous attack, I feel confident that the Lightning Empire is quite similarly licking its wound and bolstering its defenses. Despite Kazekage-Kiyori-sama’s work in strengthening the the relationships, the Lightning Empire is hardly reliant on our relationship in any capacity, so they have very little incentive to further stand with Wind Country.”, he turned his gaze to Hito now, giving him an opportunity to digest perhaps the most grim news Ikinari had given him thus far.

[CDF]

Hito's smile was genuine and almost relieved as he pondered the relatively simple and rewarding decision of where to eat. He'd respond while making moves towards the door, timing his movements perfectly to reach the door just as Ikinari opened it.

"Let's eat at the tower, I've spent many days and nights here. It'll be .... pleasant to go back." Feeling a temporary confidence and strength in his stride, he moved forwards, understanding Ikinadri's position. His movements were excellent. Hito didn't detect much of a fighter within Ikinari's body structure, but his movements were precise and measured. Hito almost imagined him serving tea to a king.

Digesting the information as they wound through hallways, their walking arrangement reminded him again of the strangeness of his position within his home, as if his existence weren't strange enough. His head flicked in the slightest angles as they walked, moving the absolute bare minimum to get a full field of vision capture of everything. His mental mosaic painted a comforting map somewhere within his mind, modeling his path with moving dots representing the pair.

"I agree with your analysis, this was just the beginning. We were given a surprisingly transparent warning for such a violent message."

As they walked and the more Ikinari spoke, Hito suddenly began to grow confidence and familiarity. Things started to feel like home for a moment, and he felt like ... him. His pace had been a little irregular and it normalized and his direction was more determined, heading to the exit instead of the mess hall as originally intended. Finding some point in Ikinari's explanation to interrupt, Hito would almost mutter so as to not interrupt.

"Actually, I know where I'd like us to eat." He'd push on in the direction of the exist instead of the mess halls while he listened intently and clearly agreed with the diplomat's nuanced assesment. He understood the thinking of world leaders, for this is indeed how Hito was thinking. Appreciating the alleviating occupation of walking while listening at the same time, he resisted the vague urge to dig into memories of past times and instead allowed the sensation of being in control wash over him.

"There's no doubt, our century has found itself the stereotypical tyrant." His tone took a bored, disinterested tone as if discussing a disappointing family member. "An interesting kindness to make such an obvious action with such dire implications. They all but told us they'll be attacking whenever they feel like it." To some, it may seem like a stretch, but Hito's nebulous glance at that matter was already turning to probabilities of when an invasion was coming, no longer finding value in deciding "if".

"It's so obvious that two world leaders disobeyed their own ruling councils to come make their own message, and they paid dearly for it." His voice was appropriately grave and he truly felt a painful degree of debt. Stopping before the doors just as Ikinari finished speaking, Hito felt a pang of satisfaction that he had indeed timed the paces perfectly, adjusting as they spoke and he measured the flow of his speech pattern.

He faced Ikinari and looked him with a serious but soft face. "It occurs to me that it may not be wise to roam the streets as Kazekage-Emeritus. There is much work that must be done, and perhaps my unknown reappearance may be of strategic value." With some channeling and a poof, he was someone else and walking out the door without much change in pace from before.

His new look would allow for Ikinari to maintain his style of accompanying him, allowing him to respect his own religion and not have to treat Hito in some undignified way to pretend he wasn't who he was.

Instead, the respect and reverence would be that of a Diplomat to a noble from Sunanada. He had a face compiled of random Sunanadan faces he had seen throughout his youth within the appropriate noble caste. A light tan with shockingly blue eyes and surprisingly well-maintained skin. At about Ikinari's height but clearly smaller in frame and strength, Hito seemed almost like a distinguished tourist learning about the village.

"It seems to me, Ikinari-san, that we're not taking this situation as the declaration of war I believe it to be. When I half-hazardly wandered into the village, I came across the host Ashura." Channeling as he spoke, a shimmer of chakra pulsed and then disappeared around them, traveling with them. It saturated the very molecules in the air as they passed through them, and within that space Hito could control the vibration of those molecules at anytime, preventing any passerby hearing what they shouldnt. " It's surprising how his training and security seem to be lacking. Do you know if the same is true of the other host? Or if the council is taking this as impending war? Also do you like fried rays?"

He smiled an almost childish and excited smile as they arrived at a familiar stand at the corner outside the gate of the tower. He had seen them on the way in, but hadn't registered the chemicals from within him yearning for food. That was an oversight.

The merchant was selling tendrils of fried pastry dough with an assortments of fillings. The little sunrays of fried delight were a childhood favorite and he picked out 2 vegetarian options and added nothing to them. He would scarf them down not that elegantly as Ikinari spoke. It wasnt that he was making a show of the experience, but it would be... a little obvious Hito was enjoying the snack. It was the first real food he'd had in over 20 years and it was fried goodness with starch and protein and good memories. His eyes stayed closed for a half moment too long and his chewing was slower than usual as he allowed the sensations to dance through his mind and receptors.

When they were open, his eyes were focused on the diplomat as they would continue speaking, but his neurons were having a parade. For a split second he felt a sense of bliss that he hoped he could imagine telling Ikinari about one day as a funny story.

[Ace Trainer]

The diplomatic guiding Ikinari had been doing for Hito slowly faded away as Hito took control of their direction, seemingly guiding them somewhere he had a sudden desire for. No skin of Ikinari’s nose, he’d follow as he was expected. His stride adjusting slightly and falling back just a little. However, Hito made a comment that received a hesitant shake of Ikinari’s head, seemingly disagreeing. ”I’m not sure tyrant is the word I would use…”, he pushed back. ”I have no sympathies for the Tsuchikage, but Akari, Tatsuo is working with the hand he’s been dealt, and he’s playing it quite well. The instigation of the Great War was at the behest of the Daimyo, not of the Tsuchikage. And much of what occurred during the war did not go in the Tsuchikage’s favor. The Grand 5 expanded, Konohagakure pushed the Land of Fire into Earth Country’s territory. Sunagakure and Wind Country swallowed up neighboring states under the guidance of the former Kazekage. We have blessed much of the land with Her Light but what our leadership did was subjugation in so many words.”, it seemed Ikinari had held some of his thoughts back on this, recognizing his station but also not wanting any sort of misunderstanding.

”What the Tsuchikage is doing now is retaliation to what we and our allies have done. To call him a tyrant is to call your successor and our allies much worse.”

This was a heavy statement. Especially coming from a diplomat who had shown himself thus far to be quite well versed in understanding the thinking and motivations of others. It wasn’t an admonishment of what Suna and the Kazekage had done, but it was a refutation that the Tsuchikage was wrong for not being in agreement with it. These types of political nuance were not always easy to convey.

Hito would transform himself and they’d continue out the door, eliciting very little response from Ikinari who was continuing to ponder the conversation. The next question left Ikinari pausing for a moment, not immediately responding and instead allowing it to cycle through his brain. ”I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. One might argue that the Tsuchikage was only reclaiming land he viewed rightfully as his own. And any sort of show of force or preparation may instigate further action. I can’t begin to postulate on the stance of the Sun.”, he said, implying that he wasn’t going to question was Sueatsu was doing currently. ”As for the hosts, I can’t say that is a space I am well informed or educated on. If I’m being honest I was not aware that an ‘Ashura’ was a host.”, he wondered if this was his nephew Hizashi, Ashura. He didn’t think he’d ever met the child, but he was familiar with most branches of his family tree. ”If he was unguarded I can only assume he is the host of the Heaven Genma, though. As I understand it, it is typically the Soul Genma host who has more…active surveillance.”, he chose his words carefully here. He wouldn’t answer the last question, but would instead reach for a fried ray and begin eating it slowly. Yes, the Soul Genma was viewed as much greater a threat than Heaven, and was typically monitored more heavily. The power was one part, but the corruptive influence of the Soul Genma often lead to short lived hosts, so they required more support and oversight. If Hito had just happened upon one, he was confident it would be Heaven and not Soul. Interesting.

[CDF]

Hito's face froze along with the full realization of his uncharacteristic stupidity. The most concerning part wasn't that he was wrong, but the certainty with which he was. A reminder had to be sent to his esophagus to push food further down as he recomposed himself into acting human.

He considered Iknari's words with deep consideration and his embarrassment showed for only a moment as his engines roared. He needed diagnostics checks and lots of them. Had he said something like this in front of the wrong audience, he could have started an international incident. He wasn't nearly as ready as he thought.

To make matters worse, beyond his simple lack of logic and context: he had become a security risk. Ironically enough, while wanting to criticize Suna's defensive situation to somebody that he didn't even bother check clearance level on.

"I appreciate your candor, Ikinari-san. It seems I'm not operating as in-control as I thought." The pleasant taste of the rays were a memory now, almost a sour one because of how shortly it lingered. He wiped the mess from his mouth and considered ordering a sweet one in case things improved.

His instinct was to run from the blunder and recompose himself alone somewhere, which indeed was needed. That didn't require full cowardly retreat, however, and he hoped the many background systems he was running to check himself were sufficient to last the remainder of this conversation. He signaled for two more of the sweet filled ones and continued talking to Ikinari.

"I'm not sure it's unfair to call us tyrants as well. You are more than correct in checking my moral high-ground, however, as I had become a bit lost in it. I would be especially less inclined to think of us in tyrannical and gluttonous terms if I were at least returning to a village that was booming with the kind of prosperity that needs to be shared." His voice carried a bit of disgust and disappointment, and a large part of him was battling the urge to explain further how fractured his mind and personality currently was. Oh right... the security issue.

Allowing shame to creep onto his face while reaching for the snacks and talking without looking at him, Hito continued. "It would seem I'm so far out of my own control currently that I committed a security breach in the process of blaming security for being lax. How fitting." Choosing for that to be his apology and way of recognizing the error, Hito bit into the new snack. His face lit up again and his energy seemed to swing.

"So I have much to reflect on, both internal and external. As well as much data to consume, which I'll need to get some official clearance for first, I'm sure." He sounded almost hopeful at the end as he took another thoughtful but blissful bite. Speaking again as randomly as he had been recently, he continued while resisting the once-again flaring up desire to escape this conversation and fix his mind.

"Regardless of how much of my understanding I need to polish, it seems clear to me there is much work to do. I may not be able to explain it yet, but," Hito almost seemed to smell at the air as he tilted his head and for the briefest of moments considered it all. Trillions of signals and thoughts coalesced into a very certain but unknown feeling of danger and fear. " I'm certain we're in danger and I need to figure out all of the questions around that as fast as possible. I'm confident" Despite his tone now, he picked up one of the rays and looked rather silly, wagging it and gesturing with as he spoke. "that I will be coming to you again for assistance. I may not be my full self, but i will do what it takes to protect our people." Smiling widly at the vendor who couldnt understand a word he was saying, Hito cheerfully bit into the ray and his face transmitted the fullest extent of his authentic enjoyment of it.

As the feeling passed, a sudden realization came over him and he turned to Ikinari, interrupting him even if he had been speaking. "I'm so sorry, Ikinari-san, but I've just realized I have no money..."

[Ace Trainer]

It was a careful ear that took in what Hito was saying, nodding thoughtfully as the former Kazekage attempted to walk back what he had said and try to find some way of better expressing his thoughts on the matter. Despite a clear attempt to remaining composed, it was obvious that Hito was slightly taken aback or shaken up by Ikinari’s correction. For a moment Ikinari wondered on whether he should comment further or try to provide Hito some face-saving, but he quickly ascertained that it was too late, and anything he did to try and excuse the lapse would only worsen Hito’s apparent grief or guilt over it. The notion of him being a security breach was particularly interesting, perhaps a good moment of self-awareness for him as he tried to figure out where he fit in this giant machine now that he wasn’t operating it.

”I believe we all have much work to do, Kazekage-Emeritus-Sama, this is a big world that seems to be getting smaller. Keeping it organized is not an easy feat. We are fortunate to have Her Light to guide us in this endeavor.”

He gave a polite nod, smiling gently at Hito when he mentioned that he may be reaching out to Ikinari again soon, ”I exist to serve at the behest of Her Light. You, more than most, are free to call on me at your leisure.”. Ikinari would reach into his pockets, pulling a small pouch out and fetching some coin out of it, tossing it to the vendor with a wink, ”I would not expect otherwise, Kazekage-Emeritus-Sama.”, Ikinari would turn to the Kazekage, looking up at the sky for a moment and then down at one of Her rays before him. ”I am afraid I have other matters to attend to. Please let me know if there is anything further I can assist with, we are all quite fortunate to be provided the Light you project.”, he would give a polite, deep bow and a soft smile, then begin to walk away. It seemed it was time for the jounin to excuse himself.

[CDF]

"Ikinari-san, before you go.."

The shame of being broke and not considering the aspect of money was immediately gone as Hito accepted the charity and the promise of future assistance. But before Ikinari could turn, his mind was already ablaze with the near future. Reaching out a hand, Hito would attempt to place it on the young diplomat's shoulder.

It was impulsive, something deep within him told him to do this. Bookmark for later, was that his true self? Peripheral visions of potentially likely futures flashed in the background of his mind and a swelling sense of importance was rising within his conscience. This moment in and of itself wasn't the significant one, but it was linked to something huge, he could intuitively but not yet cognitively understand it.

His tone was more official and serious than it had been this entire time. His presence was much more like that of when he was kazekage, and it beamed through even his current transformed appearance, which may have been a bit odd to their occasional onlooker.

"I can not explain, for I do not know. But I'm certain further and even greater calamity is going to soon befall our world and especially our nation." His grip tightened slightly though not aggressively, his tone becoming even more serious. "We are not at peace and our people are in danger. There is much work I must set out to do to make a lot happen in a very short time." The sense of urgency and simultaneous confusion and uncertainty was clear as Hito's grip lessened and his sight drifted out towards the city, away from the building. He sighed, turned back to Ikinari and continued speaking.

"Please do not tell anyone of our meeting, as much as possible without compromising yourself. But also please keep me aware of any developments you think may be of interest to me. You'll receive a way to contact me soon. Thank you for your service." Releasing his grip and slackening his arm while simultaneously doing a slight bow of gratitude, Hito's body and face was back to his borderline goofy self. Smiling, he grabbed the remaining ray, stuffed it in his mouth and walked off into the city.

It was time to isolate and chip away at his mind until he got something that was far more functional and self-aware than this.