Awaited Arrival

[Willoria]

The journey between Suna and Konoha may not have been an overly long one, but given Souta's mind it certainly felt longer than it was. When he got to the gates he was dusty, with a single bag slung over his shoulder. He had all of his usual gear and weapons about him. And of course, trotting along by his feet, was Hana, the little fennec fox that often kept him company. He had his papers checked at the gate, Hana accepted a few pets, and he made his way into the village. He knew Kiyori had sent word ahead about what he wanted to do, so he wasn't surprised to arrive and find arrangements had already been made for a place to live while he was here.

He was given directions and was however surprised to find where he would be staying. It was a small apartment above a local business apparently. Some place called "The Kettle's Leaves". It was an odd name to Souta, but he made his way there and found it to be a two story building. Seemed it was an off day, as the business was already closed, but he had a key to a door beside the business and unlocked it to find a staircase to the upstairs apartment. He and Hana made their way up to find it was a small two bedroom place. It was very open concept but quite pretty. "This'll do." he murmured as he set his bag down on a couch and sighed, glancing out a large window to get a look at the street below. He took a look around and found his bedroom had about half a dozen boxes in it, his things from Suna that had already been sent ahead and simply nodded to himself before heading to the door.

"Come, Hana. Let's go see the Hokage."

He left his bag behind but led the fennec fox out of the apartment and locked up behind him, making a mental note to meet his new landlord later. But first he made his way to where he remembered the Hokage's office to be to meet up with the man he considered to be a friend. He knew announcing his arrival was probably an unnecessary formality but as a high ranking shinobi of another village, even one from an allied village, he felt it was a necessary one.

Besides, it would be nice to see a familiar and friendly face after all that travel.

[Izanagi]

It was hard for Takeo to believe that he had been Hokage for a decade now, the milestone passed just a few weeks prior. He hadn't bothered celebrating such a goal or making any sort of festival in his honor. He didn't feel deserving of such an honor in the aftermath of the great war. Many Konoha shinobi had lost their lives in the last year of fighting against Kirigakure forces, including his own father. That was a hard reality to accept, that he was responsible for Konoha's vulnerability, the only point in fact during the war that the vast majority of their forces had been deployed at once. Between holding a siege in Earth country and pressing an expansion to the south their forces had been spread to thin to handle the perfectly timed assault by Kirigakure.

Nonetheless their forces had rallied together, supported by Kumogakure to drive the Kiri shinobi back, though not enough to reclaim Tea country or the entire eastern portion of Fire Country. The man would be lying if he said he didn't feel a desire for revenge burning in his gut but he knew that he had to swallow his pride and accept peace before many more lives were lost. Ultimately Fire country had gained a massive ammount of land and resources, their supply lines were more efficient than ever and they could easily provide a high quality of life for every Fire country citizen. They had even taken control of Slavers Ravine, able to finally put an end to slave raids from Earth country. Whatever the negative opinion he might have garnered he knew it had been worth it.

Of course he was not the only experienced warrior the war had taken a toll on. He had heard of the hardships Souta had endured, losing his daughter, one of Sunagakure's cursed Jinchuuriki during the war. That was a horrible weight to carry. Takeo had never had to mourn the deaths of any of his children though surely there were many more than the ones he knew of. Nonetheless he wasn't sure any ammount of training and mental conditioning could prepare him for something like that. In fact even losing his student to a Genma had sent him into a frenzy of rage followed by obsessive training and dedication to his duty, the result of which in fact elevated him to the level of being chosen as Hokage.

But Souta was already at a Bannin level of strength and skill, how would he handle the loss if all his strength still hadn't been enough? Whatever his path Takeo wished to support him through it. The men were similar in age, Takeo's 40th birthday coming up within the next week and yet Souta appeared at least fifteen years older, surely as a result of the harsh desert conditions weathering and aging residents of wind country quite rapidly after a certain point. Despite being now officially middle aged, Takeo still felt and looked as young and strong as the day he became Hokage. Sure his back got sore sometimes from sitting at a desk too long, his eyes had a few growing wrinkles, and every now and then he discovered a few grey hairs in his beard but he kept up with his rigorous training and had fought alongside his men during the war.

Dressed in brown pants, a navy blue shirt, brown haori and his white Hokage cloak with the words 17th Hokage written in red down the back, Takeo left his office shortly after recieving word that Souta had checked in. He carried his daggers and kunai holster with him as a familiar comfort. No matter how much paperwork and meetings he had to sit through the man would always be a warrior at heart. As a former Anbu commander he was always wary and prepared for a fight, though he was just as deadly if not more so with his bare hands than with weapons.

As he neared the restaurant Souta would be staying at he noticed the man already walking down the street towards him. Still covered in dust and smelling of sand and sweat. Takeo smirked, the signature boyish charm he still maintained even against his aging face. His deep cobalt blue eyes were as always piercing and attentive. "I thought you would at least shower first and settle in a little, that eager to see an old friend?" He teased. Despite the heavy burdens he knew lingered on each of them, Takeo's default was always lighthearted playfulness. He was a man with no shortage of darkness tucked away within but he coped by keeping very distinct lines of seperation between the various aspects of his life.

[Willoria]

Souta looked up at the familiar voice and couldn't help a chuckle as he saw the Hokage coming towards him. "Guess I just wasn't ready to unpack any boxes just yet." he admitted. He opened his mouth to speak again but just as he did he was immediately distracted as a certain overly active ball of fur flew past him and towards Takeo. Hana, the little fennec fox, careened towards him with little barks and squeaks before circling around his ankles. She barked and yipped, sniffing at him as if looking for treats of some kind.

Souta laughed at Hana's excitement, shaking his head at the little fox. "Guess I'm not the only one who was glad for a change in scenery." he commented, shaking his head. "It's good to be among friends still, and get somewhere different to clear my head."

[Izanagi]

The muscular Hokage shrugged his powerful shoulders, “Fair enough, nobody likes packing or unpacking. Between our world-class onsen’s and the barbeque houses though you’ll never want to leave. They’ll take the years right off you but maybe make you a little soft around the middle if you’re not careful” he chuckled lightly. For someone such as himself and evidently Souta consuming massive amounts of protein was part of their daily nutrition in order to keep their bulk up. He couldn’t imagine the protein supply in Suna was anywhere near the quality or quantity that they could provide in Konoha.

As the man spoke the small fennec fox darted over to him, he didn’t react as it moved around his ankles, finishing what he was saying before crouching down slowly and extending his hand. Takeo often smelled of a combination of woody scents and meat. He ate every few hours, sushi and beef mostly but now and then he would force back some chicken or dive into a good veggie and rice bowl or the occasional ramen. Dipping his hand into his pocket he withdrew a packet of beef jerky, still in his pocket, he also carried a mix of various nuts for snacking on. Offering the fox a few shreds of meat he scratched behind its ear with his other hand. The man loved animals, forest creatures specifically and Fire country had a large population of foxes, though of different species. Takeo looked up at the well-built Bannin of the sand, “There’s no better place than here when it comes to beauty and friendship” he claimed proudly, though truthfully, he had seen more breathtaking sights to be sure throughout his travels around the world but still, there was nowhere that quite compared to Konoha’s sense of community and their Will of Fire. To him, that made the village truly beautiful, every aspect able to be enjoyed so much more thoroughly. Their people always came together even after tragedy and hardship, no matter how much the village suffered it persevered this spirit.

[Willoria]

Souta couldn't help a laugh as Takeo told him about a few of the places to visit around Konoha. "You're right, I may never leave." he admitted. "Especially if any of those onsens are coed." he added, his mind continuing the thought in silence. 'Or even if they aren't...' It had been a long time since the man had indulged his baser natures. His responsibilities to Sakaki had kept him occupied and they simply hadn't been important for some time. He had instead spent time making up for lost time with his daughter, and suddenly he realized his base instincts appealed to him even more than before. He realized he wanted to wallow in them instead, perhaps even lose himself. It was a temptation he'd have to be cautious with.

Of course he was quickly distracted from those thoughts as Hana did as she usually did with her cute antics and took off for Takeo. Watching her with the Hokage was entertaining as the man clearly loved animals and Hana had obviously picked up on it. The fact that he came prepared made it all the more obvious. "I may speak to Inuzuka Masami while I'm here... travel abroad a bit as well. It's hardly the life for Hana, I think Masami might not mind her company while I travel and I doubt you'd mind an extra furball running around your village even if I'm not here with her." he remarked, chuckling to himself a bit as he finally came to a stop a foot or two away from Takeo and crossed his arms in front of him. "I promise the most danger she poses is to expensive tea sets."

He grinned though at the idea of the time he'd spend in Konoha first. "Well I'm looking forward to spending time here first. I wasn't here that long before and I'm really looking forward to spending some months here and really getting to know the place and its people." He reached out and clapped a hand on Takeo's shoulder briefly and giving it a light squeeze before releasing. "My Kazekage insists it's the perfect place to clear one's head."

[Izanagi]

The Hokage smiled warmly, “You’re welcome as long as you’d like. I consider Konoha Kiyori’s home as much as Suna. I’m happy to extend that treatment to you as well” he insisted genuinely. Strengthening allied ties had always been one of Takeo’s primary goals as Hokage, when he was a young shinobi it was unheard of to travel to other shinobi villages much less live among each other. Truly, the bonds between Konoha and Suna had never been so strong, and that had come about largely through simply forming meaningful friendships. The muscular warrior chuckled, grinning wolfishly as his brilliant blue eyes shone with life. “Oh, we definitely have those. I’ll admit I’ve gotten myself in trouble more than once because of it. They do give me a discount on the private rooms now though, their way of trying to keep me from making too much of a scene I suppose” he recalled, naturally one was supposed to refrain from intimacy in an Onsen though they were more lenient in private rooms meant for actually staying the night while still having a personal Onsen attached.

Takeo nodded in consideration as Souta spoke of Masami, “Of course. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you. You two seemed to get along well the last time I saw you together” he recalled, remembering the way they teased one another. “Animals are always welcome. I grew up in a household full of dogs, but I love all kinds of forest creatures. Where are you thinking of traveling?” he wondered genuinely. Takeo had been around to a fair number of countries throughout his career, most of the time he had been on an assignment of some sort but that didn’t mean he hadn’t still found time to enjoy himself while he was there. When Souta reached out to squeeze his shoulder, Takeo naturally responded in kind, squeezing a little more firmly and giving him a solid slap to feel his muscles. “Solid as ever, you’re going to have to go a round with me before the day is done, see who is stronger. Been a while since I’ve had a good wrestle. My wife is pretty tough of course, but she’s more of a brawler than anything” he considered. There weren’t many people that were as physically powerful or capable in hand-to-hand combat as he was, and there was something quite satisfying about going back to his roots and having a good grappling match. There were certainly worse things he could be doing than rolling around with a man like Souta.

[Willoria]

Souta couldn't help an outright laugh as Takeo mentioned getting himself into trouble in the onsens. It seemed the Hokage and the Kazekage had something in common after all, and of course it was even funnier to Souta as he'd wound up inadvertently apart of the Kazekage's arrangement before. "Seems you and the Kazekage have quite a bit in common." he managed to say, shaking his head. "I bet she makes just as much trouble in the onsens as well." he added, clearing his throat as he suddenly remembered some fun he'd had in particular with the woman in question. Though he quickly found himself coughing again with a light blush as Takeo brought up Masami. The young woman had caught his attention in the past and he'd embarrassingly not even been able to say goodbye when he'd left Konoha the last time. He had a feeling she'd have something to say about that when he saw her.

He was glad when the subject moved on rather quickly. "Not sure where else I'll go yet. I plan to spend a few weeks, maybe months, here first." he admitted. "Just need to clear my head, figure out how to think straight again after..." He didn't finish the sentence, just shook his head. The last thing he wanted to bring up after a happy remeeting of a friend was the death of his daughter, much less a daughter that had bled out in his arms during the war.

Takeo's mention of a 'good wrestle' and his wife managed to get another laugh out of the Bannin. "Now that sounds like fun... but I don't think I can give you the ending your wife does." he said, still laughing.