Arrival

Konohagakure, seemingly the most resilient of all the hidden villages, able to recover from almost complete annihilation. This legendary village was also the current destination of Shinji Uzumaki, former Tenkage. He had made his way through the deeply forested terrain of the fire nation from the land of iron. Overhead the sky was a dismal grey, a few heavy drops of rain fell lazily from the sky in a rather haphazard manner giving the sense of an impending storm. Coming to the end of the road the forest opened up to the grand gates of Konoha. Standing before them Shinji felt very small, which was a feeling he did not often feel. However, this feeling of inferiority did not dull his senses, rather they felt sharp as ever. As such the Uzumaki made full use of his chakra senses to survey his surroundings for any threats.

Anyone watching would merely see Shinji as a lone figure wearing a worn brown traveling cloak that stretched down to right above his ankles. On his feet were sandals; sans cloak Shinji would look very much like a man shrouded in blackness, he wore a black long sleeve shirt that had the iconic Uzumaki clan emblem emblazoned on the front and he wore long black combat pants, the bottoms of which were slightly splattered with mud. Around his neck, and readily visible, Shinji wore the headband of Tengakure, perfectly unblemished. To top off the whole appearance a ninja pouch was strapped around the young shinobi's right upper thigh. Not wanting to look threatening in the least the Uzumaki's hands hung loosely by his sides-in his right hand he held all his identification papers and the like needed for inter-village travel. Seeing as simply waltzing into a foreign village uninvited was generally frowned upon and was often met with a hail of kunai, Shinji stood ten meters from the gate and waited to be dealt with in whatever manner the shinobi watching the gate felt necessary.

The guards stationed survey the man, they look, if one were to try and assess them, to be around Chuunin level, not much of a threat if one were to attack head on, Konohagakure no Sato is enjoying a state of peace at the moment. Stepping forward the Chuunin sees the mans headband, the leaders of the world, especially the Tenkage due to their prior relationship with Konohagakure no Sato were made well known throughout the village. Both Chuunin recognize this man, one stays at the gate, contacting the communications team with his own thoughts, where as the other Chuunin approaches, somewhat cautiously. "Greetings Sir Tenkage, how may I help you?" If allowed, the Chuunin's right hand extends to take the papers if offered, to check them out. These actions show how peaceful Konoha has become, reinforcements were called for but how lax the Shinobi are shows their inexperience with much conflict due to it. Experienced guards stationed through times of war would think this rather odd for a Kage to appear in a village without a letter of admittance from the other, only international traveling papers.

It doesn't take long for word to reach the communications unit, and soon Viper Uchiha himself, who is taking care of some paperwork due to Navi's absence, although he hated it in the past, it has become somewhat of an odd hobby that he missed during his time away. Stamp, Stamp, pass, Stamp, stamp, pass, normal motions made by the man as he puts the papers in their designated spots. Hearing of the Tenkage at the gates causes his eyes to narrow, his demeanor becoming more business like opposed to his lax boredom whilst doing paperwork. With a flicker of movement Viper exits through his open office window, the man prior enjoying the moderate winds a storm brings, and the sound of rolling thunder in the distance.

Viper Uchiha himself is set to arrive a few minutes after the Chuunin confronts the Tenkage, or at this current time, the former Tenkage. The Chuunin if handed the papers looks through them to see all traveling rights approved, only to turn his back to the Tenkage and see his leader standing at the gates, his eyes going wide as he drops to his right knee before him. "Lord Hokage, it is an honor." Viper's garb is one that bests represents both clan and village, the headband of Konohagakure no Sato firmly around his head, and the black Uchiha clan uniform upon his body, short sleeves and shorts making up this uniform with an Uchiha symbol upon the back. Ninja pouches are upon the man, but are behind him, hanging over his rear. His eyes at the moment are coal black, he is curious on why the man he chose to be Tenkage would show up unannounced, he thought him to know politics better than that. Viper's own chakra sensory goes through the area, it is only him for the time being, curious.

"Good evening Tenkage, what brings you to Konohagakure no Sato?" The Hokage inquires, standing at the entry to the village. The Chuunin having returned the mans papers already backs up to the gate behind his leader, looking in awe at what looks to be two godly figures, their chakra levels making his hands shake a bit as he simply watches.

Naturally Shinji handed over his travel documents to the guard accordingly. The one thing that struck the Uzumaki as odd was that he was being addressed as Tenkage, perhaps Takeo and Xyxer were not the smartest-Shinji could only assume that they had not spread the news of Shinji and Den's supposed defection, odd. Keeping that in mind the former kage remained vigilant and simply waited as the guard reviewed the papers. As this happened Shinji's body tensed almost imperceptibly as he felt a powerful chakra signature approaching, was this all a ruse to buy time? Only time would tell, and tell it did. Upon being handed back his papers, which he folded back up into his ninja pouch, Shinji noted a figure that appeared at the gate, the source of the large chakra signature.

It became abundantly clear who this figure was by the reaction of the guard who addressed the man as Hokage. As the Hokage spoke Shinji almost visibly let out a sigh of relief, it would seem that he would not be attacked outright-he took that as a good sign. However, now came the hard part: explaining why he was here. The story would not be, by any means, hard to relay, but Shinji already knew he would probably come across as a fool who lost control of his village. Swallowing his pride the Uzumaki spoke up with the smooth steady cadence of a practiced leader, "Good evening to you as well Hokage, I must apologize coming here unannounced, but I was driven by necessity and gravity of recent events."  As if to highlight this statement there came a lull in the slight drizzle and light winds, the calm before the storm.

Pausing for a brief moment, as the weather itself seemed to hold its breath, the Uzumaki steeled himself for what he was about to say and then continued in the same tone as before, "I am sorry we could not meet on better circumstances, but I am here to inform you that Tengakure has been taken over by two possibly insane shinobi. They managed to take power when my successor and I went to investigate a supposed plot involving Kumogakure and Amegakure. I cannot return to Tengakure as the two shinobi have branded me as a deserter." At this point Shinji's business-like tone faltered a bit into that of an almost defeated man as he recounted why he could not take back the village,"I feared I would have to cut through swaths of my own village ninja, who have been deceived, if I wished to take back power. Thus, fleeing from my home, I have come here to report this as I fear for what the two who are in power plan to do." As the Uzumaki finished a the low rumble of thunder rolled through the sky preceded by a flash of brilliantly blue lightning. The brunt of the storm was still a long way off, but it was steadily approaching like a lumbering behemoth.

The whole story left a bad taste in Shinji's mouth. When he told it out loud he felt even more foolish, but what was said had to be said. The former kage was uncertain as to Takeo's mental state, but Xyxer, the former Kirigakure ninja, definitely had a few screws loose and god only knew what those two planned to do with a village under their control. Xyxer had been appointed as an anbu so that he could be watched over at all times, yes an odd choice, but it had served its purpose at the time and Shinji had actually come to call the man a friend. These thoughts of betrayal and humiliation filled Shinji's mind as he waited for the Hokage to respond. Honestly, Shinji was prepared for the Hokage to laugh at him and call him a fool, however none of this showed on his stern face.

The man hears his words, there is one thing however that is fully absent from the encounter between the two, hostility. Viper knows more about this man than he will ever know, in a way, Viper was this mans predecessor after the actions of Zachariah. Viper looks up towards the sky, a few droplets hitting his face and running down it. He ponders the mans words, it is indeed a problem that the village was taken over, but this mans course of action shows just how much more deserving of the Tenkage position than that of the traitors. Viper motions with his right hand. "Come with me, we have much to discuss Tenkage." Even after hearing what occurred, something that should stick out to the man is that Viper still refereed to him as the Tenkage, something that should confuse the man without further elaboration.

Should the man agree, Viper departs into the village. The inner workings of Konohagakure no Sato are simple to the eye, venders selling their wares, dumpling dealers on the corner offering samples under their overhang, the village is at peace, something the man has worked towards for a very long time. In a few minutes the two reach the administration building, the doors being open by two stationed Jounin as Viper leads the man into his chambers. Sitting behind the desk Viper offers him the chair across from him, that is if the Tenkage followed him this far. Viper places his elbows upon the table, his hands coming together to have his fingers lace over one another, his head leaning upon it with his mouth covered by his hands as he sighs out. "So, do you have any plans of reclaiming the village?" The man says, starting their business talk, and inquiring about his future goals. Based upon his answer, Viper gives his guidance if warranted. "Just as you mentioned a few moments ago, the people seem to be blinded, whatever guise the traitors have has fooled the people, any act of forced empowerment would only upset the stability of Tenkage no Sato and damage it from the inside, which will make it vulnerable to nearby nations and rogue shinobi." Depending upon if this response is warranted or not, Viper waits for replies in accordance to his words, curious on how this man plans to proceed, and how he can offer his aid to the one he put in power.

Giving the Hokage a curt nod, Shinji followed the man through the village with a steady even stride. Trying to look like too much of a tourist as the two walked the Uzumaki outwardly put on a guise of cool indifference to the village around him. However, on the inside he could not help, but feel a little excited walking through a village with such a history-it went without saying that Shinji took in all the sights around him. The village itself felt different than Tengakure, but Shinji could not quite place his finger on why. Perhaps it was the people or the general atmosphere, he couldn't really tell. Alas, he was not given much time to ponder these differences as in a matter of minutes the two had arrived at their destination.

Taking the seat across from the Hokage, Shinji folded his hands on his lap. The first question that came from the man across from him was expected and it was one that the former kage had given quite a bit of thought to, thus, taking a deep breath he spoke in a smooth diplomatic way, "Well, taking the village by outright force would be a fool's errand and would, in all likelihood, strengthen the traitor's claims against me, such that even if I best them I lose the support of the people. As a result I feel the best course of action is to somehow force the two usurpers to abdicate and recant their claims of desertion. Naturally, the two will have to be taken down out of the public eye, which is the hard part, no reason to make it a spectacle and them martyrs. However, I am uncertain how to go about doing this as of yet, because I have not had time to take stock of my resources and currently I have no clear way to get to the heart of Tengakure without going through the front gate. Plus I am sure the two traitors are waiting for an attempt to regain power and I do not much fancy fighting them two on one in a place they could summon reinforcements at any moment." With that the Uzumaki stopped speaking and waited to see what the Hokage had to say allowing his gaze to remain on the man in front of him.

Shinji knew the 'plan' he had presented was not the most clear cut of plans and had many blank spots, but he had not had the time to map out an exact one as of yet, merely an idea. What Shinji knew he needed to do was find Denkiteki, with his space-time powers it would be child's play to enter Tengakure, but alas Den had gone missing since battling the Bijuu and Shinji had not clue where he might be or if he was alive. Waiting for a response the Uzumaki started to take mental stock of what he might be facing in Tengakure when the time inevitably came.

Listening to the mans words, Viper's eyes close, it is clear he is pondering everything, and multiple different outcomes, not blocking the Tenkage out. The mans words come fluidly with the conclusion of the mans words, only the briefest of seconds separating the two from speaking, this showing the mans experience and aptitude for strategy. "There are multiple paths you could take, but it is up to you on which one would be more beneficial to the village." Viper's eyes open now as he looks towards the Tenkage, no hostilities are in the air, but instead it is a more business like tone of seriousness. "If these shinobi took over, unless for a reason you're not telling me, took over to gain greater power, then the village itself is not going to be run properly, and will be damaged by it, and the villagers put in danger. Due to this you cannot remain in exile if you truly care about the village and its people. It will be a risky game that you'll have to play to win the people from them, all you can really do is show what they say is false. Your actions need to represent the good intentions you have for Tengakure no Sato." The man takes a moment, letting everything sink in before he goes onto his solution options.

"You will most likely have to go back to the village, unarmed, and requesting entry. If run correctly, although doubtable, you would be met with a counsel considering your prior position, and the claims brought against you. It is there you would advocate your position, and not as a traitor. Claims would normally be brought up, and it would be up to you to dispute them. That is where it begins, you need to show the false accusations against yourself so that you can clear your name in the peoples eyes. Even if its not a quick solution, you need to be present for your people, although not the Tenkage they think they want, you will be ready to be the Tenkage they need should the need arise." This method will be really risky, as the corruption could be in the higher ranks by now, and no one would even know he came back to the village if the shinobi are how he anticipates. "Perhaps I could offer my aid even further on this, I support you as a Tenkage, I always have since Zachariah placed you in the position. Perhaps I should meet with the ones who now hold power over the village myself, then whilst I am there, you could request entry so you had at least some support on internal affairs, as I doubt my presence considering the Fire Nation's place in the villages union, would be left out of such a decision. I would make sure to advocate for you, which would keep you safe, as I doubt the traitors would wish to drag Tenkage no Sato into a global war against the Fire Nation." The Hokage remains in his position, awaiting a response from the man. His words, and the faith he has in the man are something to be noted, considering this would technically be their first meeting.

Shinji listened silently to Viper as he rattled off various strategies, who was this guy, some kind of mastermind? All jokes aside, Shinji did note that the man across from him was very adept at formulating plans from almost nothing. Once, Viper finished speaking, Shinji took a few brief seconds to ponder what the Hokage had said, then, having gathered his thoughts, the Uzumaki spoke in a slow and thoughtful way, "I do believe that you meeting the two would be beneficial, however, I do not much like the idea of you going in first. I assure you I have no doubts in your ability to defend yourself, but one of the new leaders, Xyxer, is a bit unstable. He is a former Kirigakure shinobi and his mental state is questionable, thus making him very unpredictable and hard to read. As such I propose we go at the same time such that there is no time in which either one of us has to be isolated with them....If possible I would very much like to avoid any uneeded bloodshed." Pausing for a moment Shinji elected to brief the man across from him on the state of Tengakure as well, "Also, if you do indeed chose to go with me there are a few things you must know about Tengakure, well mainly one, I was not a full fledged kage at the time these men took over. In fact, I was the lesser of a co-kageship. I stepped down from the job full time and put Denkiteki in charge, he is a man I can trust and I had become worn down by the constant politics and bickers of the elders. Unfortunately, I have been unable to contact Denkitkei, thus I can only fear the worse and act in, what I believe, is in the best interest of the people of Tengakure. I am sorry if this is not news to you, but I was unsure if Denkitkei sent letter to that effect to the Fire Nation-I merely wish for you to know the situation before committing." With that Shinji stopped. Honestly he was unsure if the Hokage needed to know any of that, or if he already knew it. Shinji simply did not want Takeo or Xyxer to somehow bend and contort the truth if it came down to it. Hopefully this possible revelation did not lose him the Hokage's support.

Hearing this Viper thinks on the new element, a soft humming made for a brief moment as he ponders this.  "Without this missing piece our plan won't be complete, before we move onwards we would need to find your successor.  We can plan further when we locate him, where was it that you seen him last?"  The man inquires, wondering where to begin his search.  Tengakure no Sato is becoming more complex by the minute, he does not fear for his own safety, his abilities he is more than confident in, even if the unthinkable were to happen he has back-up methods set up.  Several debates can be made on why he wouldn't be attacked, but the issue of the mans mental state still remains an obstacle in all the plans.  Not showing it, but this gets on Viper's nerves, unpredictable factors always annoyed him, if it had a method to the madness he could pick up on it quickly, but in this situation the words of his brother Echo come to his mind.  'Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money, sometimes they don't even have a goal. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn. You can't plan for insanity.'  Something that has been proven to Viper many times in the past, even by his brothers actions.  Perhaps he should consult with his brother a bit before being so quick to rush into this, they always worked well as a team.

Shinji hesitated, not physically but mentally, he, in all honesty, had no clue where one would be able to find Denkiteki. The very best he would do was explain the circumstances when he last saw Denkiteki, "I am not sure where he is now, but...." Shinji faltered for a moment, perhaps Viper would think him crazy for mentioning the bijuu. All the same the Uzumaki started back up with renewed confidence, "Last time I saw him was on the borders of Tengakure. We were traveling to Amegakure when we came across a body. Normally we would have paid it no mind, but this was the body of a jinchuriki and close friend of my successor. What happened next was rather spectacular...the bijuu within the body broke loose. Then, in a quick skirmish, we handily beat the beast into submission. Denkiteki, who was stricken by grief for his dead friend, then proceeded to disappear into his odd space time world along with the bijuu. And, well, that was the last I saw of him. He gave no indication of where he might be going and honestly I have no idea where he might be." With that Shinji fell silent and allowed himself the chance to visibly relax in his chair. In the back of his mind he felt that it was rather unlikely that he'd be able to find Denkiteki if he did not wish to be found. However, Shinji waited silently for the Hokage's response, which also reminded him that he had not formally introduced himself-so much for manners.

Viper leans back in his chair with gives a soft creak, his elbows now resting upon the arms of his chair, his fingers still over his lips as he ponders everything still. Letting the man finish Viper places his arms at his side, resting them on the chair. He sighs out before speaking. "Yeah, that's a normal thing with Jinchuriki, sometimes they're more dangerous dead than alive if their beast breaks out in the wrong area. Tell me, do you know how to access his world?" The mention of it draws his interest, he has not met many people who have mastered the art of space and time to such levels, he thought he seen everything in Takamagahara, but it looks like there is another floating around he has yet to explore. Viper awaits an answer, and if warranted, gives the following words. "How we proceed will be up to you, I do think we should look for Denkiteki before we head out, though locating him might take too long.." Viper ponders this, Asgard has the capability to locate him, if only he has a place to start looking. Maybe he could put some of his villagers on the task of locating him, they could use some exercise.