[Graded]Welcome Back Overseer!

[TyDie]

Word had come about a week ahead of today, a messenger that brought with him great news for Kuro. Today was the day that his rival and leader would return after a year long absence, and he was first in line to greet her when she returned. Not just out of respect for her as the Overseer of the Seven, but also out of respect for their friendship that developed over the years. The jealousy and anger that he had been left with at the realization of her Bannin rank was a thing of the past, at this point he was just happy to have his ally return.

The boat slowly pulled into the pier, docking and tying up to the pier before the wooden plank was extended out. The crew would depart first, further fastening the boat to the pier, and soon after Chiane would appear and walk down the steps. Admittedly, he couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at her newfound attire and appearance. "Huh... interesting garb. A local thing from the Land of Pebbles?" He commented on the woman's attire first, but then shortly after gave a bow of respect.

"Regardless, it's good to have you back Chiane. The council will want to speak with you no doubt, but first I'm sure you've been missing your melon bread." He smirked under his mask before reaching behind him and tossing her a wrapped up loaf of her favorite bread. "Walk with me, Talk with me. How went your excursion? I wasn't informed on the details of your trip, just that it was sabbatical."

[FluffyGinja]

Chiane was calm in her walk when she departed from the ship... only to hear a familiar voice and see a familiarly garbed friend of hers. It took her a moment to answer his question as he had nearly immediately thrown a small treat at her. She grasped it in her hand and moved it around a bit... before simply just clutching it for now as she didn't have an appetite right away. "Kuro... For some reason, I figured I'd see you last." Her voice had changed considerably from what it used to be. Ear piercing and high pitched to... calm, deeper and more relaxed.

"This was made here, actually. I had it sent to me while I was away. It was for my travel home. We received a new Council while I was gone? A fascinating development." While she stepped down next to Kuro, she began to walk with him without so much as a gesture. "The excursion was lengthy but necessary. I learned a lot... The people there are different from shinobi. From Kirigakure. It is nice to be home, where I know that the whole village may wish to stab me in the back at any moment... or admire me." She said that with a bit of a chuckle in her throat before she quietly placed the melon bread in one of her pouches to free her hand up.

Kuro would notice a far more drastic change right away though. Where her titular sword might sit normally was replaced with a far more simple looking one. "The Swordsmen... Are there any new recruits? Anyone with potential... or better, are proven warriors?" At least that was similar from her old self. Care for the Swordsman seemed to have always been on her mind.

[TyDie]

To say that Kuro was shocked by the drastic shift in his ally's demeanor was an understatement. In fact, he was visibly taken aback by her proper behavior. What had happened to the energy Chiane was so well known for? How could a year away cause such large shifts in her personality? He wondered just how deep these changes went... He finally recovered from his sudden stupor and responded to what she had said. "I could make up some shit about how it's my duty as interim Overseer to come and see you right away, but i'll show a bit of softness and be honest for a moment. I missed you bitch."

He chuckled to himself as he made the obvious joke, though he was sincere in his desire to hang out with her again. Chiane mentioned the council's recent slaughter and replacement, and he couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah, pretty interesting turn of events. Council tried to get a Bannin to kill Kai. Bannin failed, Kai connected the dots, council was dealt with. Can't say I miss Hiroto, pompous purist piece of shit. But the rest... I don't know. I don't think they deserved it. Especially Old Man Hirohito."

All he could say in response to her being home was a simple, honest statement. "Welcome to the fickle lifestyle that is Kirigakure... Wouldn't have it any other way." As crazy and brutal as the village of mist was, Kuro loved his home. It kept him sharp, on his toes... made him feel truly alive. The topic of the swordsman came up... at least that hadn't changed about her. "One swordsman, an odd man to be sure; Karagata, Rokurou. But don't call him that, apparently he prefers the name given by his family... Runar. Hell if I know what that means, but the man's a walking fortress. Body hard as a rock, faster than you can blink, strong enough to level a mountain. If you can get past his uncouth attitude he's a helluva sword arm. I also recruited my own dagger; Karagata, Shinjiro. The boy is a natural, and an assassin. Who better to teach him?"

He didn't bother revealing much more about Shinjiro. After all, he was the host of Vorashu, the Body Genma. No doubt Chiane remembered that little detail, he was one of the most famous shinobi in all of Kirigakure.

[FluffyGinja]

That was what she wanted to hear. He had changed after all and it was nice to hear that. A smile creeped across her face and she patted his back once with more of a hearty slap. "Well, that is more like it. That is what I wanted to see. Seems like we have both changed." She stated with a bit of a laugh. It was deeper, not as reminiscent of her old wild side but Kuro knew her better than most... he'd be able to tell it was still around. Just hidden away for now. "So, you managed to snatch up a Karagata and the Body host? Ya know... I can't even be upset about that. I'm honestly impressed. I wanna see them both in action, for certain. If what you say about this walking fortress is true, this is going to be a good time for the Swordsmen..."

She cleared her throat a little as she was walking beside him still. "Speaking of Hirohitos... I need to go find Hideki. While I was out there, I was thinking of a few more designs for this arm he made me. I have to make it more versatile. Something to not just replace an arm... but be a better arm." She went to reach into one of her pouches, producing a few pieces of folded up parchment that she had likely procured from the villagers where she was at. "I recorded my thoughts, which was... new to me. I had never done it before but I think I got the message across well enough." She said as she gestured to them with a bit of a movement of her hand before placing them away.

"Now, before we get much further... I remember you being basically forced into the Swordsmen... Now that I'm back, will you be departing... or do you actually plan on staying because you have a dagger now?" She asked him with a glance in his direction. She had recalled what he was better fit for and she knew that it wasn't entirely his style... but maybe he had changed his mind.

[TyDie]

Good, that fire of hers still burned inside her just like before. But now it wasn't quite as wild. No longer was she a raging inferno that threatened to burn everything, she was a tempered, controlled flame. The slap would normally have put him on edge, but she was right; he had changed. He had calmed down a bit, he wasn't always looking for a threat like before. After all, the man was practically unkillable. He wouldn't overestimate himself too much, but he had been run through multiple times since receiving the Kessenchu. Wounds that would have proved fatal to most were regenerated in minutes. He had reason to not be so paranoid.

"Yes, yes we have. Growing up seems to have made me more immature and expressive, while it made you more mature and controlled. Funny how that works... Anyways, the swordsman. Yes, Shinjiro is incredibly promising, I definitely look forward to molding him into a future swordsman. Few can keep up with me in the field, but he's a force to be reckoned with. And Runar... believe me, I looked for every possible reason to not recruit him. I don't like him, I think he's a barbaric meathead. But dammit, the bastard's unlike anyone I've ever seen. The fact that I couldn't reasonably deny his power proves just how good he is. Believe me, you'll enjoy having a go at him i'm sure. It's like punching steel, but worse... At least steel breaks."

Kuro took a quick glance at the paper, and the mention of alterations to her prosthetic arm had him curious. His eyebrow quirked, courtesy of Hideki, a trait she would no doubt notice. "Interesting... may I?" He'd request the paper, but continue speaking on the last bit she had brought up... his future in the swordsman. "Believe me, I've thought long on the topic. You're right, initially I despised Hiroto for what he did, robbing me of my chance to join the Head Hunters. And you're right, my talents would be much better suited to them. But yeah, I wouldn't have taken up a Dagger unless I intended on staying. Even the swordsman can use an assassin after all. Overseer Ryoga is rolling in his grave you know, hearing a swordsman say that." He chuckled to himself as he spoke of the former overseer... He had done much research on the man since he received the Kessenchu.

[FluffyGinja]

She reached back into her pouch and pulled the parchment out before handing it to him. It was a light brown, sort of scratchy parchment. It almost seemed hand crafted and she shrugged. "Have at it. They aren't perfect notes but it is mostly ideas." She stated as she glanced at him again. A stifled laugh came to her. "You are more like him than you'd ever care to admit..." She let him know clearly that she had seen it before she crossed her arms under her chest while she was thought on what he was saying. "If I am to be honest... I never knew Ryoga so I can't say for certain but I actually think he'd be happier than you think." Her arms shrugged.

"From what I've read on him, he didn't see the type to disapprove of someone because of how they operated with their weapon. After all, while he was a sword user as well, he used blood... In my mind, this resonates with me different from what I felt before. So long as you utilize a bladed weapon, you are a swordsman. On this topic, the host boy... He is truly promising? I have a thought for a test suddenly..." She said as he was tapping one of her metal fingers on her metal thumb, the soft clanking likely heard by him but she didn't even seem to notice. "This is going to be a very interesting week back. A busy one... Tell your dagger that I seek to test him in a manner that fits him... and in one that doesn't. After all, if he is half as good as you seem to imply, it should be a nice challenge." She looked over at Kuro to see what he thought of her notes, which were simply random musings, crude but effective enough drawings of her own arm for reference and thoughts placed down on potentially how such a device could work, how it would improve herself and how it would potentially function in conjunction with the other few ideas she had written down.

[TyDie]

Kuro gladly accepted the notes and perused them for a moment, scan reading them to get the jist of Chiane's thoughts. He had expected them to be random and hard to follow, but in reality they were rather well organized. At least, in comparison to how she used to be they were. Of course, she compared him to Hideki, and Kuro simply smirked and shook his head before handing the notes back to her. "There was a time where i'd take offense to that, but truth be told the analytical disposition I gained as a result of working so closely with Hideki serves me well in my field of expertise. Or to put it simply, being smart has it's advantages when you're an assassin."

Kuro suddenly wondered if Chiane knew that he bore host to the same swarm of symbiotic bloodworms that the former Overseer was famous for... He would choose to not speak of them in public, for fear that someone might hear and spill the beans to his clan. Chiane no doubt remembered how the Aisu felt about him and his alterations, so she would hopefully understand why he wasn't bringing it up right then and there. "He had respect for power of all kinds to be certain, but he also had his own sense of honor. In his own words, he was a swordsman first and foremost, and he wasn't the type to backstab or misdirect. I've no doubt he'd chide me for my methods at the least."

Chiane wanted to test his Dagger, the body genma host... interesting. "The boy is a master of Taijutsu given his age, having already perfected some of the most difficult Iaido techniques. He can even hold his own against me in a straight up fight, no small feat as i'm sure you're aware. But he has little to no understanding of Ninjutsu, he's hardly capable of using the basics. Of course, being host to Vorashu gives him some leniency there, as the genma's abilities can be used to replace much of what ninjutsu is capable of. Still, i'll make Shinjiro aware of your orders. I'll also make sure to leave his file on your desk at HQ. I'm interested to see what kind of tests you come up with for him."

He had already come up with multiple tests for his young Dagger, all of which were passed with flying colors. But maybe he was being too easy on the young boy? Perhaps Chiane would come up with something even harder than what Kuro had come up with. Finally, he had to address the elephant in the room and ask about her new blade. "So... what happened to Jouki?"

[FluffyGinja]

That was a conversation piece that she had honestly not expected. She peered down to her left side. She knew it wasn't there... but for some reason she had thought it remained there regardless. "Times are changing... What defines a swordsman does as well." She stated, a comment to what he had said earlier. "The boy having no ninjutsu is fine as well. He can learn it easier than he realizes or he can stay with his current path. Just tell him that there will be a test. He doesn't need to know when or what it is... but that there will be one." She stated as she came up from glancing at her side.

"And the location of that sword? It is somewhere stuck in a boulder in the Land of Pebbles. Where it belongs for the time being." It was odd that she was glancing over such a topic more than she normally would. That sword used to have been her trademark. She finally noticed the notes in front of her face and took them up, placing them back in her pouch. A smile came to her face though as she thought of something off the top of her head. "Part of me wonders... how Hideki would take it knowing that I'm a Bannin now... or how even Shiv might. Mostly Hideki... I want it to annoy him just a small bit." She stated with a bit of a throaty laugh as she patted the sword on her side, as if for her own comfort and care.

[TyDie]

Huh... he never took Chiane for the symbolic type, leaving her weapon behind in a rock like that as if it were like leaving a part of her life behind. Although truth be told, it kind of was. After all, that was her trademark; her own unique weapon with her own unique style. He remembered how hard it was to deal with her and her unorthodox methods in the chuunin exam, and how he had only narrowly achieved victory with his plethora of misdirects and stealth. He couldn't help but wonder how good she was now, and if she could defeat him in a fight now? Who knows what training she had undergone, or what she had replaced her "round rip sabre" style with?

"Indeed. My gauntlets can hardly be considered a "sword", and yet here I am. As for Shinjiro and ninjutsu, I truthfully don't think he needs much of it, if any at all. The boy's skills with his genma are a fine replacement. But i'll be happy to teach him how to better combat it at the least." The two moved through the streets of Kiri, closing in on the Administration building with a rather brisk pace. It wouldn't be too much longer till they got there, maybe another 10 minutes. Chiane's comment about becoming a bannin, and what the other active bannin would think, got a bit of a laugh out of Kuro. "Knowing Hideki, he'd either not care in the slightest, or he'd assert his power over you in some way. Likely some kind of ninjutsu or poison to show you 'how far beneath him you are'. Been there, done that... not fun."

The Aisu had been poked and prodded with all manner of that man's syringes and poison coated scalpels, he had a grand understanding of the man's poisons and how they functioned. Were it not for the Kessenchu, he probably would have died as a result not too long ago. His mind went back to her sword as he saw her pat the one on her hip... "Clearly your old style of fighting won't work without Jouki... What have you replaced all that training with?"

[FluffyGinja]

"I learned what was available there, Toryu. It was... interesting. The land is ravaged by wars that occurred there between Iwagakure and Sunagakure. There is very little population inside the one remaining city or even outside of it. I had initially learned what I could from scrolls here, but there was only so much I could understand. Traveling there taught me a lot. Living there taught me even more. I learned that... flashiness doesn't get the job done. It gets you noticed but not work done. Toryu is effective. It doesn't have time to be flashy." She commented as she was looking over at Kuro. "Much like your methods, they are not flashy... but they are effective."

With a pause in her speaking, she seemed to think about a few things before speaking up once more. "I had a lot of time to think while I was there. I honed my skill, yes, but that wasn't my entire time spent there. I don't mean to sound worldly because in truth, the world is not my concern and I care little for it. However, the people outside these walls... They might not live the same danger we face but they live without the presence of chakra. Without the amenities of chakra. I was practically a god to them... or rather, in their case, a demon since chakra has ravaged their landscape. It was a paradigm shift I had not expected and it was something I took note of. It got me some places... Chakra has a way of striking fear into common peasants. In a way, it was exhilarating but in another, I almost wished they could feel the strength that comes with it." It was odd to hear her talking about this but it was something she had wanted to say to anyone that might get it.

"Like I said though, I care not for these views, those people and worldly views. My view is here. Among Kirigakure elite, among the Swordsmen and among fellow shinobi... even if I know full well I can never trust them fully, they are more worthy of my trust than those outside these walls." She stated with a smirk as he looked over at Kuro. "Speaking of training, this reminds me... You need a proper sword style. Toryu is what you'd likely want. Same most likely goes for your dagger. On the flip side, I could use some training in how to be just a little quieter. Get the job done more efficiently."

[TyDie]

Man, Chiane still knew how to talk up a storm, that much hadn't changed. But according to her and her new style of combat, she had learned to put efficiency over appearances. "Good... There's a time and place for appearances. A dance, a bar, a party of some kind. Hell, put some make up on and strut down the street if you wish. But missions... that's not the time. On a mission you have one objective; complete the objective and get out safely. Nothing else matters." He smirked at her under his mask as the two shinobi took a left turn, and before them lay the Administration building.

"Hasn't changed much, has it?" Kuro commented, not really looking for an answer exactly... Just an idle thought. "The common folk are just that; Common. They're beneath us, and the cope with their simplistic lifestyle with these odd philosophies. I try not to have many dealings with them truth be told, all I feel is pity for them and their mundane lives. They'll never know the excitement of being a shinobi, the power of chakra... Doomed to such a boring existence. It'd bring a tear to my eye, if I cared enough to cry." Right outside the front doors of the building now, Kuro stopped and turned to face Chiane, tilting his head a moment as he thought on her offer to teach him if he taught her.

"I admit... my assassin training is meant for just that, assassinations. I'm limited in an open conflict, forced to rely on misdirection tactics to gain the upper hand again. A style meant for open combat, while not my preferred method, would be beneficial. Not to mention, i'll take any opportunity to teach someone how to move unseen. We could use more of that in this village." He tilted his head towards the door, motioning for Chiane to lead the way through the building. "You know the way. Lead on, Ms. Overseer."

[FluffyGinja]

There was a deep breath that came to Chiane as she was staring at the door that led into the administration building. She had practically memorized it. She had walked it countless times. When she opened the doors, there was a feeling of familiarity that washed over her. Reminders of times passed that made her delighted to be alive today. Her feet moved quietly through the building as she knew exactly where she was going, taking turns as they came up. "You will be one of the few to hear this... but I've never been more excited and at the same time, nervous, in my entire life." She said in passing towards Kuro.

With each step, she drew closer to the door to her office. That was something nice to think about... It was her office now. When she finally arrived, she noticed the secretary in front of her door but said nothing to them. It was not important. Without saying a word further, she pressed her hand on the doors. Her breath halted for a mere moment and her feet stopped for just about that time before she forced the doors open and walked inside. There it was... her desk. Her life. Her... paperwork. This what was she wanted all along. To be the Overseer of the Swordsman. To be here, behind that desk... and without so much as a word still, she made her way over and around the desk and sat herself down in the chair.

For a few moments, emotions flooded her. There was a sense that she had finally accomplished her goal... but she had no idea where to go from here. This was all she ever desired. To be at this desk, to obtain the rank she has... and to be respected. There is one thing Kuro would notice, a small bit of watering in her eyes which she not so stealthily wiped away before breathing in deeply once more. "Damn... does it feel good to be here..." She let out with a small sigh of relief.

[TyDie]

Walking into the headquarters of the Seven was a thing Kuro had gotten very used to the past year or so. But truth be told, he was already happy knowing that Chiane would be taking the reins again. Her reaction to it all; the excitement, the nervousness, and even the tears... He hadn't seen such a reaction from her in ages. He smirked under his mask, then decided to remove the mask and headband all together. They were in private now, and she hadn't seen his real face since she left. "Heh... glad it feels good to you. It was hell for me."

He leaned against the desk, putting his back to the woman as he spoke. "I'm not a leader, Chiane. Not this kind of leader anyway. I can lead a strike team, I can lead a hunt, but I have no aspirations to be Kage or Overseer or anything of that nature. I'm an assassin. That's what I do." He pushed himself off of the desk, and turned to face Chiane again, placing both of his hands flat against the desk while his eyes scanned the mass of paperwork. One page in particular stood out, and he slid it over in front of him to take a better look. Yep, that was the one he was looking for.

He took a pen off of the desk and signed his name on one of the three lines before sliding the pen and paper over to Chiane. "Sign that. It's an official change of duty form, stating that I am handing over the title of Overseer back to you. You'll also need to get a council member or the Mizukage to sign it, after you've been debriefed officially. Once that's all done, it'll all be official. You know, I may have been the first to promote... but you're definitely better suited to this kind of role." It wasn't necessarily him trying to rub it in, though of course it no doubt would. He was genuinely saying that this sort of thing just wasn't his forte, and he had faith that Chiane would do a much better job than he did.

[FluffyGinja]

"Hah... I'm not going to be just an Overseer. I need to be able to be a shinobi as well. This is just more on top... and I can handle it. As I was told, I'm a geyser yet to burst. I have plenty of potential and thus, I've more than enough time to let it possible to burst forth." She stated as she was signing the paper. "Ya know... you did change more. You used to never take that blasted thing off..." She said in response to him finally being de-masked. "You cared a lot about your appearance back then." She laughed as if she was reminiscing in a way.

She quietly slid the paper over to him and looked around her desk, her office... and the view. A village, sitting there with so many possible recruits. So many aspiring shinobi... and so many people to crush beneath her feet while she climbs the ladder towards what she wants. "Well, there ya go... You are now just a swordsman. One of these days... I will give you a proper title, something that you can go by among us all. However... for now... Time to get acclimated." She stated as she went to relax in the chair somewhat as she started to shuffle through the paperwork some. Before she really started though, she reached into her pocket for the melon bread that she had been given and quietly placed it on the table... before smirking at Kuro. "I'll eat it later... Part of my appetite is gone right now."

[TyDie]

Kuro grinned at the woman as she mentioned his removal of the head gear he always wore, nodding in kind before turning towards the door. She had a lot to take care of, a lot of people to talk to, and he had more to do before the day was done as well. But the greeting was done and the passing of power was complete, so his task was complete. "Heh, a title... Never really been one for them truth be told. But it's part of the flare of the swordsmen I guess. I might be efficient at heart, but at some point I guess I need to be the 'celebrity' i'm supposed to be huh?"

He smirked again before putting his mask and forehead protector back on, covering his eye and face before walking to the door. "Eat it at your leisure... But come by my place sometime. Haruna's cooking will blow you away, and I've got some more of that bread stowed away. Turns out I like it too." As he opened the door and prepared to walk out, he turned back once more to give a final farewell.

"We'll catch up more later... Welcome back, Overseer." And out the door he went, leaving the woman to her own devices.