Welcoming Old Friends [P, Tatsuya, Kasai]

Jason had heard that Tatsuya had finally returned to the village, with Kasai. Jason had summoned them to his office and was now sitting at his desk patiently awaiting their arrival. Jason pushed aside the papers in front of him and sat up in his chair with his hands folded upon his desk. They should be arriving soon.

Kasai would enter the Hokage chambers, likely with Tatsuya close, as had been requested. He had yet to hear whom the new Hokage was, or why he had been summoned. Could this be some discipline of him stopping Draconis' attempt on Kozai's life? He certainly hoped not; for the Kage's sake. There were things in life that needed to be understood - who you are fighting is one of them. 

As he walked in, Kasai's eyes flicked around, twin vortex's of fire in the place that his pupils would have been as he looked. The robes flowed behind him, reflecting the colors of the sun as he walked. With each step, the katana at his side, and the large scroll on his back bounced ever so slightly. His now black hair, burnt forever the color of darkness by the flames, tied firmly and cleanly in a knot atop his head; as a samurai's would be. The only thing that remained of what he once looked like was the mask that hung around his neck, though he no longer wore it, his burnt and scared face clear to the world, though many of the marks had healed and vanished, a few remained. 

As he walked in, Kasai stopped suddenly, and abruptly. The chakra signature before him, as well as the looks of the person were disturbingly familiar. 

His brows crossed, and his fire eyes pierced into the man he now stared at. It couldn't be, he had believed this one to have vanished a year ago. 


"Jason?" Kasai asked, his hands folded together under the long sleeves of his robes. That was the only word he spoke, confused and taken back by his old teammate, now sitting where the Hokage would.

Tatsuay hops from tree to tree in a bit of a rush to get to the Hokages office. He had acedentlly fallen asleep out in the woods that overlooked Konoha and because out his he needed to hurry. Thankfully he was fast and this would save him from being late but never the less Tatsuay did feel a little embarrassed. 

Walking into the office right after Kasai he did not notice the various sticks and leaves that were matted against his back and scattered with in his hair. Peering at Jason he takes a bow and nods to Kasai. It was still a little odd to see Jason sitting behind a desk but he was fit for the job. 

Tatsuay waits for Jason to speak.

Jason was a bit taken aback at what he was sure was Kasai's new appearance. Kasai's hair was now burnt black, fire swirled in his eyes and he wore robes the color of the sun. But the most noticeable feature was his scarred face. Jason had never before seen Kasai's face. It had always been covered by the mask that now hung around his neck. Nonetheless Jason smiled when he saw his friend walk in through the door, Tatsuya following behind him.

"Jason?" 

His name was the only word Kasai had spoken. It seemed Tatsuya had neglected to tell Kasai just who had become Hokage. He was finally getting used to his new position. Tatsuya would now as he entered, branches and leaves all over his body and in his hair. It looked as if Tatsuya had rushed through the trees to get there. Knowing Tatsuya he had probably fallen asleep somewhere in the woods. Jason suppressed a laugh at that. Some things never do change. Though some things do. That was made evidently clear by the situation in front of him. His two former teammates now his subordinates. Jason was just glad to have Kasai back where he belonged. Back in the Leaf. 

"A lot has changed since you've been away. It's been a year since I last saw you. I'm sorry I vanished like that. After I was chosen to be the new Hokage I was immediately put through intense training by Brennar. Tell me, what caused you to take such rash actions? What have you gone throug? I'm sure more than just your appearance has changed in the last year." Jason would turn to Tatsuya now, speaking only briefly before allowing Kasai to answer the questions he had posed to him. "Thank you for bringing our friend back."

Kasai paused for a long moment in silence before answering. In reality, it was only a time between a minute or two, however, for any onlookers, such would be a horrific eternity. Even a brief pause before answering the Hokage himself would be seen as either embarrassing, or disgraceful. Kasai; taking over a minute to reply, it minute to reply, onlookers might think he would never answer: something truly disgraceful, in front of the leader of the village. 

Kasai, however, did not see Jason that way. Not yet. To him, Jason was still an equal, a teammate, not a king. He did not delay his answer on purpose, however, though it may seem like it. No, Kasai was thinking in that time. With so much time passed since he had seen this face before him, there was much to think about. 

After the dead silence of the moment in which Kasai complied his thoughts, he chose to reply.

"I have watched this village rise, and I have watched this village fall," he began. "It has had its Golden Ages, and it has gone through poverty. But never has it sunk so low as it did when we were without a Kage."

He paused here, his eyes flicking around the room again. The dust was off the tables, the floors had been recently swept, and there was an indent on the cushion where the Hokage was to sit. Someone lived here now. That was a change, indeed. Paperwork was on the desk, but there was a pile of those that had been looked over and finished. Someone had been doing the job that so desperately needed attending to. 

"Not only did Brennar disappear, but the two of you did as well; the only two candidates for replacing him. That left me as the strongest Shinobi in all of Konohagakure, but without the rank or title to ensure that tasks were done, and the gates were closed. 

"It was well for a moment, but the calm before the storm is always tranquil," Kasai said, pausing once more, figuring out the wording in his head for what he was about to say. It was not Jason's fault for what had happened, but it was not his responsibility to set the village right. 

"Quickly, rumors had spread of a Genin who had been slaughtered in the street by a missing ninja who simply walked in, because no one watched the gate anymore. I had tried to investigate, but with the impossibility of advancing past the rank of chuunin, my requests were ultimately ignored. 


"Time passed, but it was only a few weeks before another attack, on yet another Genin. This time, I had been informed as it was occurring, but by the time I arrived, the missing ninja had already ended the young boy's life, and was fighting over the body with another missing ninja. When I demanded the body be handed over, the second ran away, and the killer remained, while yet a third arrived. They laughed at my demands, and then, by almost irony, attempted to recruit me to their forsaken group, which they call "Kokuan". When I refused, they dragged the body off, where it was likely chopped into pieces, and fed for dna. I could not attack, or I would have died myself, and resulting the death of two other ninja."

Kasai paused here, looking Jason dead in the eyes. "The village was dying. The attempts would have continued, and the village would have only gotten weaker had I not taken action. Tatsuya stopped my plan, convincing me to return, but I assure you, it would have had tremendous outcomes, at the cost of my life.


"Because I, unlike the missing ninja, would not have killed our own, but would have attacked. Relentlessly, and from all sides, I would have spread the fire, but never killing one of ours. I would have continued until they grew stronger, and stronger still. In the end, their goal would have been to take my life; and once this would be complete, I would know that the village was no longer weak, but strong enough to stand up against those who seek to take it. Had the two of you not stopped me, and shown me that there is hope yet, this would have been the path, and the village would be that of the strongest and bravest warriors in the world."

Kasai stopped here, continuing to stare into Jason's eyes for a moment longer, the eerie silence falling over the room once more. He wanted the Hokage to understand what he had said. He wanted him to know the toll an absence could take on the village, and the ultimate cost that Kasai was willing to put forwards.

After this moment, he would breath in, and break the eye contact, allowing the world to move once more, and then finish his speech.

"But if you stand here now, with rank and authority, and if what Tatsuya has told me is true, then perhaps there is hope yet, and my extreme methods are not needed. I do hope this is true, for the sake of all the lives within these walls; for the seat which you now hold is one wanted by many, and many would take it by any means necessary."

Kasai then bowed his head, disturbing the dark setting which had laid itself as Kasai spoke. "However, if there is hope yet in the Will of Fire, then I, Kasai Senshi, will provide that Fire, to the Hokage; the Will of the village. I only pray that it will make a difference."

Raising his head, he inclined his head again, letting the smallest smile come to the corner of his lips as he did so. 

"It is good to be back."

Tatsuya stays silent as there is nothing to be said. This was a matter between Kasai ad Jason and unless asked a question Tatsuya did not need to speak on the matter as he has already said his opinion. Now what would be interesting is to hear Jasons opinion on the matter if he choose to share it. Tatsuya wondered how he would react to Kasai's reasoning for leaving. 

Standing in the room Tatsuya takes notice of changes to the room, it seemed lighter and more used then before, not to mention it was cleaner. Which made Tatsuya wonder why there were some leaves here and there.
Nevertheless Tatsuya listens to Kasais words and waits patiently for the conversation to develop further.

Jason waited patiently for Kasai's response. It took over a minute to come but Jason had expected as much. To most the questions that Jason had put towards Kasai would seem simple and easily answered. To Jason, who knew Kasai well, they were full of emotion and substance. Questions that needed to be thought about before answering. Questions that Jason would gladly wait to hear the answers to.

"I Have watched this village rise, and I have watched this village fall."


Kasai would begin his long speech with those words. Jason listened intently as Kasai spoke. He noted for the first time Kasai's complete change in appearance. In the place were his eyes should have been rested two swirling infernos, as if he were the embodiment of fire itself. The mask that Jason had come to know as Kasai's true face hung now loosely tied around Kasai's neck. The golden robes he wore reminded Jason distinctly of the sun. There was a sword hanging from Kasai's belt and his burnt black hair was tied upon his head in the form of a top knot. What a strange way for a shinobi to dress. It seemed he had become more of a samurai than ninja. But one who resembled the Will of Fire incarnate. 

Jason's eyes met Kasai's own as the ninja spoke. He spoke of Jason and Tatsuya's sudden disappearance a year ago. He spoke of the village and what it had gone through. The overrunning of missng ninja, the death of two Genin. He spoke of how he had tried to take the body of one of the dead Genin and do with it what should've been done. He spoke of the missing ninja laughing at Kasai's request and at last he spoke of the group "Kokuan". Jason's face would grow serious, his eyes flashed with a fire of their own and his eyebrows furrowed. Kokuan. Jason had heard the name a lot recently. He did not yet have much information on them but judging from Kasai's speech he soon would. They were certainly not ones to be trifled with. The one good thing about Kozai was the warning he gave Jason about this group. That they sought to control the Hidden Leaf themselves. This would not come to pass, not as long as Jason still had life in his body.

Now Kasai would begin speaking on the his reasoning for taking such rash actions. He spoke of how the village was dying and Kasai began to form a plan to make it stronger. A plan in which would ultimately lead to Kasai's death. He was willing to become a martyr, to sacrifice his own life to ensure the lives and well being of the village. Kasai truly was one with the Will of Fire. At these words Jason's fox Nami, who had been in her usual spot atop a cabinet near the door, would jumo down to the floor and make her way slowly over to Kasai. It seemed Kasai's words had stirred not only Jason, but the indifferent and hard to enthuse fox that Jason shared a bond with. 

By the time Kasai finished saying "I only pray it will make a difference." Nami would be at Kasai's feet. She would be rubbing herself against Kasai in the way that cats did when they liked someone or wanted attention. Nami remembered him. Not only that, Kasai's words seemed to have stirred something inside of her. Jason could feel the waves of emotion coming from the fox. Pride. Passion. Loyalty. Concern. These were things Nami only ever showed toward Jason and no one else. Jason would let a small smile creep onto his lips at this, just as Kasai would finish speaking. At the very least, Jason could understand what motivated Kasai for taking the actions that he had and above all else he was glad to have his friend back. 

Jason let Kasai's final words hang in the air for a moment. It was his turn to gather his thoughts before he spoke. He noted Tatsuya still standing beside Kasai, quiet as ever. Leaves had fallen from his head and were now scattered on the floor of the office. Jason would take a deep breath before beginning to speak. It was hard to find the words he wanted to say but he must say them. "Kasai. My friend. I am sorry you had to go through what you did while Tatsuya and I were absent. The Will of Fire is strong in you. Stronger than anyone I have ever met. You would sacrifice your life and your reputation in order to make the village stronger. You have no idea how proud your words have made me today." Jason would smile at this, pausing briefly before speaking again. 

"You have told me your reasons for leaving and the motivation behind your plans. What I still need to know is what you have accomplished in your time away from the village. Where did you go, who did you speak to. And above all else what information did you give out about the village, if any at all." Jason's face would again grow serious at his last statement. His eyes flicked for a moment over to Tatsuya before returning to gaze back into the inferno that was Kasai. Jason would add one more thing, to both Tatsuya and Kasai, before letting Kasai speak again. "This group, 'Kokuan'. I have heard the name many times recently. The missing-nin, Kozai Yuki, his final words to me were to be wary of them. That they sought to control the village. The both of you, I need to know any and all information you have on this group. Who is their leader. What are the names and descriptions of it's members. What is their goal. And most importantly, what are their strengths and weaknesses."

Kasai paused, wondering how the next part of his events would be taken. There was no way to sugarcoat it; he had met and made a deal with the demon himself. He would say it like it was, because there was no other way.

"I went to Kumogakure, and spoke with the Raikage. Youka; the demon priest. He was cruel, and a deadly man, yes, but he was the most effective teacher that I have had. Despite the cruelties that he inflicted upon me, I thought it wise to let him know of Kokuan, as their soul goal is to kill him," Kasai said, moving his arms to fold them behind his back. 

"He had, of course, heard of them, and their intent to kill him. He also confirmed my suspicions that they would do so through recruiting in Konohagakure. As much as he may hate this village, I believe I have turned him against them more, and I believe that as long as two individuals have a common enemy, they will not fight each other.


"I did not give any any of the critical information of the village, but rather only informed the demon of an enemy that we should both be aware of. Within this time, I ascended into the fire," Kasai said, then paused.

"As of Kokuan; their leader is one by the name of Kiranomo, or Kira. However, from what I can tell, she either has a clone or twin, under the name of Selene," Kasai said, proceeding to describe in full detail how they look. (I can't write it, because I don't know it, but Kasai does, having seen her. It was just never described to me.)

"However, they have many more members, I believe. In fact, the same man whom killed both little James before my eyes, and the one whom was rumored to have killed another one of our Genin, is also a part of the Kokuan. He joined as I requested the body back. His name is Stein," Kasai said, continuing to describe the appearance of this man as well. "And if he makes another appearance again in the village, I would like very much to have him killed instantly."

The last sentence was said in a completely flat tone, without any emotion, and Kasai's face blank. It was one thing to kill a shinobi, but to do it before his comrades, and then laugh, only because you are being protected by a stronger ninja. It was certainly something to kill someone over.

"There is a chance for a second twin, from the way that Selene talked, but I am unsure of that," he continued. "Their motive, as I have said, is to kill Youka. However, if that means Kiranomo becoming Hokage, and dictator over this land, they would do it. They know that Konohagakure is the most populated village in the world, and they plan to use that to their advantage; recruiting from our ranks, and then throwing our lives against Youka. 


"I do not know where their defenses lay, or what their strongest moves are, but numbers intimidate them, and as they should. No one in their right mind would fight more than four capable shinobi at a time. I have seen that Selene may posess a weaponry specialty, and that this... Stein. Prefers to drain one's very stamina, and then kill them as they are unconcious; unlike any true warrior would," Kasai said, his hate for this ninja apparent. As it should be, however. To laugh at someone after killing a student in front of them is almost requesting a death wish. 

"They are power seekers, and by any means necessary. I would not be surprised if they shredded Jame's body for the Uchiha DNA within it. I do not know where their honor lays, but it appears they have none. This may be botha  strength and weakness of theirs."

Kasai gestured with his hand. "But this is the extent of my knowledge. Tatsuya may know information that I am unaware of."

[You guys are going to kill me with theses long ass post XD]

Hearing a que from Kasai, Tatsuya begins to speak. 

"I can confirm that Kiranomo if the leader of this group and I do know quite a bit about her including some of her skills."

"She is a part of the Nara clan which cause for my interest or attraction to her. After spending a few hours with her I can tell you that she is a very manipulative and degrees person. Begin probably on some equal strength to Youka, she surpasses him in the skills of drawing you into her tarp, as she almost did to me. She posses powers that allows her to show her subjects the emotional pain of her past as well a kiss that is able to steal unknown justus."

"Wile she posses many dangerous Jutsu her powers of persuasion is the greatest, for I almost fell into her trap."

Tatsuay was under her spell for some time and was glad that he escaped it but sadly many others had not.

"There is one other that I believe to be apart of their organization. His name is Kiru, when Kira came to visit Konoha she tagged along as he 'second in command. Fortunately he seemed much more friendly."


"It is unfortunate that they have chosen the path of domination and terror for I believe that their original intention was to protect. But it seems that they had fallen victims to the corruption of power."

Tatsuya finishes to see what Jason's possible plan for the group might be.

Jason would listen intently as Kasai began to speak. He wore the same solemn expression he had earlier. He listened as Kasai spoke about the things he had gone through and where he had been. He had gone to Kumo and met with the Demon Priest, Youka. The one who had kidnapped and tortured him. The one that had kidnapped and tortured Tatsuya. Kasai had told Youka about the group known as Kokuan and their plan to destroy him. 

Jason was slightly relieved to hear that Kasai had tried to turn Youka onto attacking Kokuan instead of attacking Konoha. Jason was somewhat in agreement with Kasai's opinion that two parties with a common enemy would not harm each other until the enemy was taken care of. Jason listened still as Kasai began to talk of Kokuan. He told Jason of their leader, Kiranomo and their plan to destroy the Demon Priest. As Kasai described Kiranomo Jason remembered meeting the girl once on a mission with Tatsuya and Risako back when he was still a Chuunin. She seemed strong at that time and Jason was sure she had only gotten stronger. She certainly was not someone to be trifled with. 

Kasai continued to tell Jason of Kiranomo's twin called Selene and what she looked like. He talked about the missing ninja that had killed the boy James and another Genin in the village. Stein was his name. One of the ones that laughed at Kasai as he asked for the boy's body. Kasai would tell Jason that if he were to see Stein in the village again he would kill him. Kasai's rage could clearly be felt in his words. Jason listened as Kasai continue to speak. He would tell Jason there was a chance for another twin or Kiranomo's. He would speak about their plans to make Konoha their recruiting ground, about how they planned to kill Youka through any means necessary. Kasai said this included becoming Hokage if it meant Kiranomo would be in charge of the village hidden in the leaves. 

Kasai lastly told Jason that Selene seemed to be proficient with weapons and Stein seemed to drain his target's stamina before killing them while they were unconscious. He could speak of no weaknesses but that was ok. It was something for Jason to go on. Kasai would then turn to Tatsuya, saying he may have more information on them. Jason nodded at Kasai before listening to Tatsuya as he began to speak. 

Tatsuya would tell Jason of Kiranomo's abilities, namely that she was a part of the Nara clan which meant she used the shadow paralysis techniques. He would tell Jason of Kiranomo's ability to show her targets the pain of her past and steal jutsu through a kiss. Tatsuya would continue to tell Jason of Kiranomo's uncanny ability to persuade people to join her. That he himself had almost joined this group because of her. Jason listened as Tatsuya told him about the second in command of the group, a boy named Kiru. 

Jason would let the new information hang in the air for a moment as he thought about how to handle this 'Kokuan'. It was well over a minute before Jason spoke. "Kasai, for leaving and speaking with the Demon I have to keep you as Chuunin rank. Perhaps I could do something else for you now that you're back. I want to speak with you alone when this conversation is finished. As for Kokuan. The first thing we need to do is locate the remaining members. We need to discover their names, faces and locations. I'm aware Kiranomo has been removed from the village but I haven't heard of or seen this Kiru yet. Perhaps they would be better off dead. But that would mean we no longer have a common enemy with Youka. I cannot make hasty decisions about this. Perhaps I'll speak with the council on this matter."