The time has come the walrus said

To say things had happened was quite the understatement. Over the past few weeks she'd met quite a number of the up and coming konoha shinobi, watched a member of her clan attempt treason, and had a heart felt convorsation with a member of Anbu black ops of all people. All of this leading up to the moment she was currently at. Kira stood before the tall wooden door to the Hokage's office, drawing deep calm breaths as she built up the courage to once more gently knock on what could be the entrance way to a new life. She'd knock twice, waiting a few moments before her eyes honed in on quite the strange detail. It would seem.... there was a large hole in the wall? This would inevitably not bode well for the young Hyuuga girl.

"Um. Hello? Lord Hokage Sama?" Her voice would be inquisitive but calm, her reslove doing its best to control the waiver of worry that still seemed barelly present. "Can I just...." If not answered she'd climb through the opening, taking care not to touch the walls for fear of causing further damage. "Um. Lord Hokage Sama. My name is Kiranomo Hyuuga, Leader of the organization Koukan and head of the Nara clan. I was hoping for a moment of your time if I may. " Her appearance would look fairly regal, even despite the black plate like armor that she feared to take off. Her long black hair was pulled back behind her ears, a circlet of wild dandelion afixed atop her head picked within the faewilds, the small bits of latent nature energy from the world resonating through her crown chakra. She'd traded out her cloak for one borrowed from the twin princesses, Wild flowers seeming to be sewn into the hood itself in an array of red green and violet across her back, though the trademarked symbol of the Nara clan was sewn in bold silver across the back. Around her neck hung a pendant of the hyuuga clan, one of the few bits of heritage from her time within the village hidden in the leaf she'd been able to cling to. the cloak itself was a soft royal blue that looked to be almost silk like as it shimered in the light of the Hokage's office. Two black fishnet arm warmers set loosely to her chainmail covered arms, a small point in each frayed and split where her poisoned senbon had once set. She would show no signs of weaponry on her person, having taken the extra step to remove her ninja tools not held in scrolls from the brown hempen bag that set at her left hip. She'd offer the man a soft smile the moment he was in sight, assuming he wasn't. She prayed that things would go well.

Old habits definitely die hard, Kurisu's wall breaking, desk smashing, and alcohol drinking habits all being evidence of that fact. He was just sitting there in his chair, sipping on his Jack Daniels while looking at the hole in the wall next to his door. The ANBU had expressed their concerns over it, but he was a unique Kage. Something about the strange silence in his head seemed to make the hole in the wall mock him, reminding of his failure with Kumogakure no Sato. 'Don't worry idiot you can make Konoha turn out the same.' that old familiar voice of his inner retard was the first voice to return to his mind. In some ways it gave him some comfort to have that silence be broken even if it only meant that he was getting close to hearing from Nike again some day.

Soon someone was actually using the hole as an entrance to his office, it reminded him of how his Kumo nin had learned to do the same thing. Being called 'Lord Hokage Sama' threw him off, he had been so used to the term Raikage but really he'd always been informal as a Kage and liked just being referred to by his name. "Just call me Kurisu that's a lot easier." he said taking a large drink from his bottle while pulling out another bottle and offering it to the girl, "Here have some drinks, its really good." he never liked having to deal with talks without drinking some, plus it helped make people more honest which was always helpful.

He somewhat recognized what Kiranomo was talking about, he was pretty there was a report related to the girl that Navi wrote about. 'Damn I miss Navi.' he couldn't help but still feel some hurt over all the deaths that had happened during his absence. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Ah. Thank you." Was this.... She looked at the bottle she'd graciously taken, realizing almost immediately this was going to be a far different meeting then what she was used to within the HOkage chambers of Konoha. Twisting the top she opened the container to sniff it, trying to hide the cringe. Surprisingly she'd not really been one to drink, though it did make some sense. There were two types of ninja who made their home within country borders. The first sought to forget, drinking deeply of whatever spirits would numb the pain that'd brought them there. The second however only worked to survive. From the bag at her side she removed a couple items, both gifts for the Hokage, placing them gently on the man's desk.

"Um. Lord Navi always preferred I come equipped to visit him. Orange soda and cheetos. I suppose you are of course a bit different but I'm sure your particular tastes will mesh well with this gift. She produced another bottle, one she'd been saving for herself of dark colored herbal tea, a little treat for later. Popping the top she took a few long swigs before pouring the liquor Kurisu had offered her into it, slowly shifting the contents of the bottle end over end to mix it and taking another short swig. It was strong and heavy, almost taking her breath away, but not unpleasant. "Appologies Kurisu. As I said, My name is Kiranomo Hyuuga. I was once a member of your village. I wont bore you with the particulars however I do have two fairly important things I'd like to discuss. First as my position requires I must make you aware of something if your Wolf Anbu has not yet. A member of my clan was needed on some very important buisiness. Unfortunately it was quite pressing so I offered to go speak to you in his stead. I'm not sure how long he will be gone but I would never allow one of mine to desert the village. As such I came to inform you that he made his way past the borders a few days ago. I'll have him report back or do so myself when he returns.

Secondly there was a small issue a few months back. A ninja from kumokagure showed up at the gates, which I was watching over to ensure the safety of the village. We got into an altercation after explaining that the village hidden in clouds had been destroyed by what I assume to be his teacher. he was quite delirious with fear and whatever else the demon priest had done to him before his escape and swore he would be returning to kumoKagure to meet with the man again. I thought my act a mercy killing to protect the leaf and moved to end his suffering and ensure that if the one who destroyed Kumo was in fact my teacher, he would not get this boys body to experiment on and gain strength. He is quite the strange sort, skilled in medical arts and from what I've seen of the man's hideout there was no doubt this child would have rushed out in the middle of the night solely to end up in pieces on the demon priest's table. " She'd pause, taking another long sip of the powerful liquid, feeling a warmth flow through her chest. The more she sipped the better it would seem to taste.

"Um. My point in explaining this is I was removed from the village by an anbu without chance to explain the situation. Since then I've taken to sneaking about the area to ensure it's protection from Missing ninja who'd found their way in under the rule of the Hokage before you. With the village becoming stable again I wanted to speak to you to request entrance and sanctuary within Konoha. I'll gladly take up missions to assist in the thriving of the village and continue my work in protection. Along with that I'd sent a letter to the late Navi speaking of, and I cannot say this any way but plainly... The reformation of Akatsuki"

As Kiranomo placed some orange soda and cheetos on the desk Kurisu laughed some, wondering why Navi would request to have people bring him that. Mixed in with the humor was sadness and hints of anger, he was still confused as to why things had gone the way they did but he'd come to accept that it was just how life had become. Even though he wanted to smash his desk in half, he also wanted to save the gifts as a reminder of Navi. 

He carefully listened to what Kiranomo had to say, at least to his best ability considering he had started to drink more in order to block out the thoughts attacking his mind. The first thing she had spoken of reminded him that he needed to speak with his ANBU and be on the same page as them, the good news was that this girl seemed to have a handle on the situation. It was the talk of Kumogakure no Sato that really kept his interest, he was still wasn't fully informed about what exactly happened to his home village. At the end the mention of the Akatsuki returning slightly confused him, the name sounded very familiar but he just couldn't quite remember where he'd heard it. 

Taking it all in he tried to pick his words carefully. "Well, I'm glad you told me about your clan member, I haven't had enough time yet to really speak all of my ANBU about all issues. Just keep me informed on that, and as far as the issue that got you removed from the village, don't worry about it. You can rejoin the village, that's the least I can do since you are still showing loyalty even after being kicked out." he wasn't entirely sure if she was lying to him, but it sounded genuine and besides having her in the village would give him a chance to confirm it. 

"The Akatsuki, that name, I know I've heard it before but I can't remember. Could you give me some more details?" he could feel the alcohol starting to effect him, it had been quite a while since he'd given into the urge to drink, maybe that was why he couldn't remember. He wanted to know how much she might know about what's been going on in Kumogakure, but that could wait for now.

Things were going well. She was thankful for her ability when needed to speak eloquently and OH GOD. NO NO NO NO. WHY DOES HE HAVE BUT FACE. The way he began the statement she'd heard too many times before. This was classic but face, the point when someone begins with something positive to ease the let down of having to tell their subordinant no. Shit. what should she do. How could sh...oh. The worry in her eyes drifted away thanks to a combination of his words and the quick short sips she'd been nervously taking the moment her thought process began to get eratic. Had he just. The warmth was swirling in her head, making it dificult to think, but she needed to push on.

"I think you Kur. Um. Thank you. Sorry. I thank you Kurisu. Unfortunately I cannot be obliged to regain my status as a village ninja until I've cleansed the last bits of coruption the demon priest has imprinted, however what I would ask of you is this. Until I can feel comfortable wearing the banner of the leaf again would you do me the kindness of having me labeled as a Wandering ninja under the employment of konohakagure. " Nail if. Shit. nailed it. This alcohol stuff really made her concentration much more dificult then it needed. She set the bottle down for a few minutes, drawing from the bag at her side a small square of strange yellow break and taking a couple bites. Elven Limbas could ease pretty much anything, she was sure.

"Akatsuki.... Is something only spoken of in the history books. Long ago there was a group of missing ninja who banded together with the ideals of world domination. I fear my teacher has gathered ninja from around the world to carry out this plan himself... Mostly because at the now rubled remains of yuki the bodies of the dead villagers were arranged to spell the word 'akatsuki'. " She sputtered on the exact words she'd been given by Amber upon asking what this meant. She remembered them clear enough... though she was still not sure how the Demon of Chance had gained such information.

It was hard for him not to laugh at how the alcohol was affecting her words, he remembered a time when that was a problem he'd experience at times though he'd grown used to the effects and minimized the drawbacks at least until he drank beyond his new limits. He did have to think for a second about making her a wandering ninja for Konohagakure, such freedom would allow someone to become dangerous to the village but at the same time also very valuable to the village.

"Alright, I understand what you're saying so I'll let you become employed as a Wandering Ninja for us so long as you remember to report back in either in person or with a letter every so often. I'm fairly lenient, so I don't think there will be any issues." he felt confident in that decision considering it was reasonable given the circumstances. 

The Akatsuki, still didn't ring any major bells for him; however, he understood the concern with missing ninja teaming together especially if they are all highly skilled and demented. "Well spelling out their name in dead bodies is creative to say the least. Any idea where they'd go?" still he wanted to find out anything he could of Kumo, but he continued to gain as much intelligence on the new threat as possible.

"Thank you. Of course I will keep in contact as will my subordinants. " This was going far better then she could have imagined. She'd been welcomed back in, but more importantly finally had the worries of her experience as a missing ninja eased. With the major buisiness finished now all that was left was to catch him up on what she knew.

"Well. three of them are.... dealt with." From the bag at her side she'd draw out three headbands that would look far too familiar. Across the center of the metal the symbol of Konoha shone brightly, with a line cut into the center to denote the horrific truth. "Three children from your village accompanied the demon priest to yuki. I was unable to deal with them at the time but met up with the trio as they attempted to leave the borders of the snow country. They fell to a single one of my powerful jutsus. As for the rest I'd heard a bit about them continuing to take down Kumo, Im certain that Taki lies in ruin and..." She'd pause here. It pained her to consider, especially considering the actions so fresh in her mind.

"I fear Iwa to be gone or on its way out with um. With the death of Lord E..echo." It was sobering to feel the pain of sorrow, even if it amplified the tearing feeling in her heart. A single tear appeared in the corner of her eyes as she continued, emphasis that she'd known the man of who's death she spoke. "If they still stand I doubt they will for long."

He knew Konohagakure had problems but to think that they'd let three ninja get away and join up with a reborn historic missing ninja group was somewhat unexpected, it did confirm that he was right to take up leadership and help Konohagakure not stray off the right path. Of course it brought up a serious question for him to answer at some point, but could he truly lead the village without being more like he was as Raikage? Trying to make things work without killing seemed impossible, it would be much easier to just hunt people down and slaughter them. 'Now I'm starting to think like Nike, fuck.'

It only got worse as he was informed that the Akatsuki were the ones to take Kumogakure no Sato, the ones who must have killed his daughter Misaki and adopted son Yaju, the ones who killed Echo and enraged Viper to the point of killing Navi. He nearly shook with rage at the realization, Kiranomo's visible sadness over Echo's death only fueling his anger and pain. "Echo was an amazing brother to me, my drinking and building flipping buddy. Always called him Magic Man cause he could fly. Drink to the great fallen warrior, his death shall not be forgotten nor shall it be in vain..." He finished off the bottle he was drinking from and grabbed another one drinking half of it. 


'I think its time you let me back in, they all need to die.' Nike dark familiar voice whispered to him inside his mind. The deaths of so many family members and friends while losing his village, he couldn't fight it off any longer. Old memories came back, remembering the old days when he was still Raikage and seeing his daughter grow up to become a great fighter. He'd even given her his hat and made her Raikage after him. Memories of his fun times with Echo, drinking and just having fun. "We'll murder every single one of them, slowly, and make sure they suffer just make them understand what they've done. Just need a plan." 

She could feel the energy coming from Kurisu, the unbridled hatred that had lived so long in her own body. It was nice to think they had something in common, even if it was this. He spoke kindly of the man who'd protected and taught her, and as he finished she nodded. "To the man who took in a broken girl and allowed her not to stray from her ideals or beliefs." She finished the bottle as he had, Sputtering at the last sip. She hadn't mixed it well, which only left about a half inch of strait liquor to slide down her throat.

"It has been my mission to gain power to kill this man. If we can gather the strength of the remaining ninja villages there is no opposition that could hope to stand against us... but unfortunately Navi was the only one to answer my call, Asside from the raikage threatening my life if I entered their borders. maybe with your assitance we could rally the shinobi world, rebuild the alliance of old and combat this threat."

It took a while to see very clearly through all the raw emotions, but he knew help would most likely be needed in order for this to work out good. An alliance of many villages seemed like it'd be overkill; however, he already knew Koroshi planned to strike at Kumo and now that Kurisu was ready to commit to such a plan it made sense for them to work together on it. "I know Suna will help, we'll have to see who else would be willing, though I think just Suna and Konoha working together would be enough to handle it. You have any suggestions."