Men of Culture. [P]

"And be there I will.". It was weird. This whole conversation. In this short time, Ryūka might have learned more from Nobunaga about the truth of being a ninja than the academy actually taught him. The Academy liked painting a picture of the ninja world which just wasn't true, as every single graduate found out shortly after. Nobu, in contrast, seemed to be speaking words that he believed in. 

The mention of the Mizukage didn't mean much to Ryūka, as he had no idea about the kind of person he was. What interested him more was the man's sentence about the home he had lost. 

Men who lost their homes seemed to find Ryūka.

He wanted to address it first, but decided to hold back, to let Nobunaga finish his words first. Ryūka smiled hearing the man's answer to his throwaway line. "Forgive me, sometimes I speak without thinking. It was a throwaway thought. If you want my true answer to a situation like that, the enemy of Kumogakure would be the enemy of my blade. Be it a friend, you, the Raikage himself if need be. It's just a title. It's not whom I serve. Kumogakure, is whom I serve. The Raikage is just one of her guards. And guards, any of them, are vulnerable to corruption. If the Kage becomes a danger to the village, they will be my enemy regardless of their status.". Ryūka was surprised himself by how off-the-rails that speech got. It started as a throwaway line, and when Nobunaga questioned further he just spitted out words that could easily land him in prison. There was still a chance it would do exactly that, depending on Nobunaga's reaction to it.

With those words gone, if he was still conscious at this point, Ryūka addressed the part of Nobunaga's speech Ryūka's mind got stuck in. "A place in ruins, long forgotten? Do tell me more, Nobunaga. As long as you're comfortable with sharing, of course.".

Speaking without thinking, that was made apparent considering the random nature of his comment. It was also something that could get someone killed if they said the wrong thing to the wrong person. Perhaps something the young Genin would have to learn to resist. However the Hiyu would remain silent on such matter's for what was said next truly intrigued him. Ryujin went on to explain how an enemy of the village was the enemy of his blade, no matter who that enemy was. Whether it be Nobunaga or the very Kage of the village. "The Kage you say?" 

Was the Kage not the main representative of the village instead of just being one of its guards? Was the Kage not the leader because their image and ideals were what molded and shaped the village? When Youka was its leader, the village resembled his ideals. It was filled with crime, rot and filth. It was cease pool if ever there was one. However now that the leadership had fallen to Maku and Kyson, the filth was disappearing, the village itself was becoming saver despite their vast expansion. The village shaped and shifted, molding itself to the ideals of its leader. "And whom is it that decides if the Kage is an enemy of the village? You? Me? How would one know? The Kage is not just a guard to the village, rather the Kage is its architect. The state of the village is dependent solely on the Kage leading it. The village's morals, goals, ambitions, culture, all of it come from the leadership and direction of the Kage. So us, steeped in and living in that culture, how would we determine when the Kage became our enemy?" Nobunaga was intrigued by this comment. He never knew someone who separated the Kage from the village as if they were two separate entities. Nobunaga being someone who dedicated his life to protecting the leadership of his village wondered if there were ever a time where this kid would find himself on opposite ends of the battlefield with Kyson and thus Nobunaga as well. Would his prior comment still hold water?

It seemed Ryujin was interested in knowing more about Nobunaga's home, it being in ruins appeared to interest the young Genin. The Hiyu wondered if Ryujin knew of Kumo's conquest of its neighboring land and of Suna. He probably did. It was no small feat what the village had achieved and it was undoubtedly taught in the academy. If Ryujin knew of Suna's destruction, Nobunaga wondered how he would take it, knowing he was conversing with a former Suna-nin who had now joined the very same village that destroyed his home. No matter, the Hiyu would find out and tell the truth for he had no reason to lie to this man. "Sunagakure no Sato. That was the name of my home. Once one of the major shinobi villages, hidden in the vast deserts of the Wind Country." Reading Ryujin's face to see if he had any knowledge of Kumo's victory over Suna and to see if he had any reactions, the Anbu would continue without pause. "Despite being a shinobi village it was a peaceful village and despite its unbearable heat, it was a welcoming village. Perhaps that's what made it a target for one day its Kage was murdered and the village destroyed. A hand full of people came here to Kumo however the vast majority of its citizens took refuge in Konoha or went their own way. Now, Suna is lost to history, only remembered by those few who still remain."

Ryūka couldn't help but feel like he was wasting a Jounin's precious time with pointless textbook philosophy. Still, it was in his nature. He couldn't stop talking when he was being given so much to answer. "I'll decide. You'll decide. Everyone will decide. There's no point in acting like we don't have opinions. We always will. And we will all know when a Kage isn't fit to be the Kage, even if we might not all agree. Of course to act on that opinion is a whole separate matter. And I disagree with you. I don't think the village's morals, goals, ambitions and culture come from the Kage. I think it's the opposite.". Ryūka was surprised by Nobunaga's way of thinking. Even if Ryūka had reactively answered Nobunaga without giving it much though; Nobunaga's words stuck with him. They did raise a good question. Were the Kage and the village the same? Ryūka had never looked at it that way. Perhaps he needed to.

"Sunagakure..." Ryūka repeated, "I think... I heard about that place before.". A few images flashed in Ryūka's mind. "I'd rather not take more of your time, Nobunaga. It was nice meeting you. My shift is over, so I think I'll take my leave. Until next time.". Ryūka then took all of his possessions and headed home.

[EXIT. WC: 1818. Claiming;

1000 words towards upgrading Deflect from C to B (1000/1000)
818 words towards Reinforced Katana (600+818=1418/3000)]

Approved, also, you can claim 5 stats from the jutsu training if you wish.

i'll take that ty

Approved of 5 stats as well

An uprising. That is what young Ryujin was talking about. He believed that when the time came, if he or Nobunaga, or any other shinobi opposed the Kage they could essentially take measures into their own hands. An uprising that could quite easily lead to civil war. It was an interesting take on things and of course always a possibility but one the Hiyu fundamentally disagreed with. Of course everyone was allowed their own opinions, he would never refute that. But Ryujin's seemed ill shaped, young and ambitious and without a proper understanding of the workings of the shinobi world. If one needed proof that the village was merely and aftermath of its Kage's will one had to look no further than this very village, Kumo. Under its former leadership, to call Kumo a dump would be insulting to actual dumpsters. The village was a cesspool, an infectious, consuming place that left nothing but rot in its wake and housed the filth of the criminal underworld.  Scum made their home in Kumo and none with morals sought out the village to make a life of their own. Now, today the difference between Kumo back then and Kumo under it's current leadership was quite honestly night and day.  The village was being cleansed of its rot, the criminals being driven out and order being restored. There was even some sense of honor among its shinobi but that still yet to be proven.

Nobunaga would simply grunt in response to Ryuka's opposition to his view on the Kage and their causal affect on the village. The Hiyu was sure his mind would change once exposed to other villages and once he was no longer a Genin. However for now, he would afford Ryujin a none protested opinion. 

Sunagakure no Sato, a place he may have heard of but could not remember. Was that all there was left of his home? A throw away name no one payed any attention to, forgotten by time and lost in memory? Suna had been reduced to ashes physically and became just a passing name young student did not pay attention to when learning of Kumo's surrounding conquered land. An uncontrollable sense of anger arose followed suit by guilt as his old emotions came bubbling back to the surface. Both emotions were directed towards himself. The anger he felt for serving under the very same village that destroyed his home and the guilt he beat himself up with for not having been there in Suna's greatest hour of need. He had failed the village when it needed him most and now he spat on its memory by serving the enemy. How much longer could he go on doing this? 

The sudden tsunami of emotions cause a deep rumbling from within him to awake. A stirring of massive chakra began to flourish within him. A deep, dense, dark chakra would spring to life as the Rokubi made itself known, feeding off of Nobunaga's negative emotions. Snapping back to his senses, conveniently timed Ryujin called an end to their conversation.  "Aye," he agreed. "I best be on my way as well." Nodding his head towards the young Genin, the Hiyu would say his farewells. "Until next time young Ryujin." Turning away, the cloaked figure would exit the village gates and head into the surrounding mountain range, to release his anger and let loose the range slumbering within him.

Exit

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