A Rather Important Status Update

The Hokage’s office hadn’t changed in terms of its size and location in the village. As with the rest of the village, there was heightened security outside of the building, which Tokiatsu expected based on what he had seen throughout the rest of the village. Almost to preclude his meeting with the Hokage, the once clear summer sky had started to cover over with dark grey clouds, originating from the south. A storm was brewing from what it would seem. The rain didn’t normally bother the Watchman, since his cloak was designed to keep water out, but it was a small relief to gain access to shelter for what was to be a fairly intense bit of weather.

The interior of the building was just as Tokiatsu remembered it. It was one of the last places he was before the start of his mission as a wanderer. He didn’t have time for nostalgia though; he needed to speak with the Hokage, give them a full rundown on his activities over the last 2 years, and find out what’s been going on in his home.

He could hear the thunder off in the distance as he climbed the stairs that led up to the Hokage’s offices. “A rather ominous sign...” Tokiatsu would say to Bossk. The snake would simply hiss in response. The Watchman smirked. He knew his summon ally was not a fan of lightning’s eternal companion. “If you would like, my friend, you can return to Ryuchi caves so as not to subject yourself to the storm.” Bossk had paused a moment before answering. “It is appreciated, Tokiatsu, but I will remain here for the time being.” Tokiatsu would nod in response. He was glad that his friend would stick around. It would potentially give him extra help in remembering everything, since there was definitely a couple spots where all of the details of their time outside of the village had escaped him.

Finally they reached the doors to the Hokage’s offices. The reception area was guarded by a few other Konoha shinobi. Tokiatsu was asked to wait outside while one of the guards took his missive inside and showed it to the Hokage, presumably to determine if now was a good time for him to be debriefed. Tokiatsu would wait patiently for the guard to come back, either to allow him entry, or to have him come back at a later time.

WC: 404

It was that time of day. The time of day where Kinzoku took a break from his temporary duties and took some time for himself to meditate. Meditating was a tradition for the Nazar clan. It helped them keep their minds as sharp and strong as their bodies. Most importantly it helped them obtain the state of Enlightenment. Not only did Kinzoku have to meditate, he wanted to. It helped clear his mind and make sure he was prepared and ready for whatever came his way. His usual meditating spot was on a small dock just beside a river stream that ran through the village. It was also a peaceful area where few people passed and an easy spot for him to meditate. But with the task of replacing the Hokage while she was gone, he could not always afford to leave the building. So he meditated in the office. The Jounin was currently seated behind the desk in between the chair and the windows looking out to the village, facing the windows. Legs crossed, hands resting on his knees the Nazar was in a deep state of meditations.

Knock knock...

Just like that the Jounin's eyes slowly opened to the sound of Miko creaking open the door ever so slightly. Miko was use to not seeing Kinzoku at the desk around this time, knowing he was simply hidden behind it. She informed the Jounin that there was a Konoha shinobi outside the building waiting to have attendance with the Hokage. Could it be Ita Uchiha again? Slowly rising to his feet, Kinzoku slicked back his brown hair as he turned to Miko only to see she was holding a missive. This was not the Uchiha. The missive was for a man under the code name The Watchman. The name rang a bell. To be certain, Kinzoku had Miko bring the letter to the desk for him to observe. He remembered seeing reports from a Watchman. Though these reports had come in while Risako and previous Hokage's were in office, Kinzoku had not received any while he was temporarily filling the spot. Before sending someone to have the Watchman enter, he began digging through some files. He had not been the only Konoha Shinobi out there so there were multiple files to go through. He soon came up with the file on the Watchman which contained all the letters of information he had sent throughout the years. "Have a guard bring him in for me please" he spoke. Miko nodded and returned to her office directly ahead of the Hokage's closing the door behind her.

"A storm's coming" Kinzoku thought to himself as he sniffed the air, smelling the scent of rain slipping passed the open windows. Before taking a seat he would close the windows behind him. This would undoubtedly be a lengthy conversation. Kinzoku did not want to be interrupted by having the close the windows mid way through. Upon the man's arrival Miko would inform him to head right in. Inside he would find the Suna native seated behind the desk and a single file resting on the desk along side the Jounin hat. He wouldn't see the Jounin's prized possession. His crossbow Peacemaker resting against the side of his chair. The crossbow wasn't there because the Jounin had need of it. He simply always had it with him.

"Welcome home Tokiatsu Hidemori" Kinzoku would say with a warm smile. "Please, have a seat" he said as he motioned to one of the two chairs placed in front of the desk. "I trust it wasn't too difficult entering the village?" the Jounin asked knowing that it could have been more difficult than needed. With the increase in the village security he knew that the questioning could have been more strict than usual. Kinzoku himself also had some difficulty entering the village back when he had gone to Kumo. During the time Tokiatsu entered the room and took a seat or not, Kinzoku used it to observe the Konoha Chuunin. After all, Tokiatsu would undoubtedly be doing the same. He dressed simple enough. Brown robe with a tunic and brown pants just below. He seemed to be wearing more under, perhaps body armor. Around his neck was a snake, either a pet of his or a summon. Whichever it was it did not bother the Jounin. If Tokiatsu had this snake with him throughout his journey then he wasn't going to make him have the snake leave.

Unfortunately, aside from the reports Kinzoku had read he did not know much about the man. Just to be cautious, he would not reveal that he wasn't the actual Hokage for the time being. He wanted to get a better read on Hidemori. A lot could happen in two years and it was best to lean on the side of caution. So he'd start slow. "You've been gone from home a long time. Before we begin with your debriefing, is there anything you'd like? Tea, water, food?" It may help for setting a better mood before he gave his debriefing. If he replied yes to anything or gave his own requests, Kinzoku would have Miko get someone to fetch it. If not, Kinzoku would sit back while remaining up right and listen to how Tokiatsu would begin.

Shinoskay, too, had recently returned... though from not nearly as long a journey.

He had followed the stange man in, they looked vaguely familiar yet the boy could not thumb where or why, regardless the boy decided he had arrived after the man and so he would make his best effort to remain unobtrusive, utilizing his silencing boots as well as about 30 feet of distance, as the two passed way to the kage's office. When the man stopped, the boy would stopped, until finally the watchman entered the kage's office and so then the boy would move in and inform miko that he had returned as well. This did not actually require any kage attention, it was just important to check in and let someone know to record his return.

It took a minute or two for the guard to return from delivering his missive inside. He was brought inside the first set of doors, which was the reception room for the Hokage’s chambers. Right behind Tokiatsu, a boy had followed him in.  The room had a few seats placed around the walls, which the boy had gone and sat in one of, and a desk where the Hokage’s receptionist would normally be sitting. She was not at her desk currently, she had poked her head through the door at the far end of the room. Not even a minute later, she had returned to her desk and turned to look at Tokiatsu. “You can go in now.” The Watchman would nod before making his way towards the door to the Hokage’s office. “Thank you.” He would say simply before opening the door, stepping inside, and closing the door behind him.

The Hokage’s office hadn’t really changed in layout since he had last been here. The only differences were more in the aesthetics; what the previous Hokage had before in the office was markedly different than what was currently in the room, including the man behind the desk. They appeared to be around Tokiatsu’s age, which would make sense for someone who’s calling the shots around here. He couldn’t tell how tall the man was, but he appeared to be in prime physical condition. He had brown eyes and dark hair which reached to his jaw. His facial hair was well-maintained and was the same colour as the rest of his hair. He was wearing a black, long-sleeve jacket over top of some form of shirt. The man’s hands were sitting on top of the desk; one of them appeared to be either made of metal, or had a metal glove on. Tokiatsu assumed it was a prosthetic simply because why wear a metal glove on only one hand. In the end, it didn’t really matter. He had not come here for a fight, so what the man was wearing, or what his limbs were made of made no difference to the Hidemori Chuunin.

The man would look up at Tokiatsu and smile warmly before saying “Welcome home Tokiatsu Hidemori. Please, have a seat.” And motioning to one of the empty chairs in front of him. Tokiatsu would pull back the hood on his robes before removing it completely. He would deposit it carefully on the right-most seat, where Bossk would make his way down Tkiatsu’s arm to rest on top of the garment while the Watchman would move to sit down in the remaining chair. “Thank you.” He would say in response.

“I trust it wasn’t too difficult entering the village?” the man had asked once Tokiatsu had sat down. Tokiatsu would smile as if sharing a secret joke. “Indeed. I wasn’t expecting to be challenged, figuring that my Hitai-Ate would have been sufficient proof to show that I am of this village, but the missive that I had with me ordering my return to the village allowed me easier entry than some I would imagine, given the larger security contingent.” He was obviously curious about what had been going on, but that would potentially have to wait until later. Luckily for him, the opportunity to ask availed itself sooner than he had expected. The man sitting in front of him was keen to get right down to business, which Tokiatsu respected. “You’ve been gone from home a long time. Before we begin with your debreifing, is there anything you’d like? Tea, water, food?” Tokiatsu shook his head. “No refreshments thank you. There is one thing I would like however. I would like to know what has happened lately that would require the increase to security in the village that I had noticed upon my arrival.” Bossk would remain silent, but perk up slightly in interest at what the man’s response would be.

WC: 654
TWC: 1058

"I trust it wasn't too difficult entering the village?" Entering anywhere was as easy as one, two, and three. Followed by a spectacularly golden flash, of course. After the flash had cast its light to every being and corner in the room, as disorienting as it was or wasn't, Risako's physique stood triumphantly on the corner of her desk closest to her deputy.

"Hopefully I'm not interrupting anything, Hokage?" Her gaze drifted to Kinzoku, waiting for a confirmation to her question.

[Entering from the summit thread.]

Kinzoku studied the man as he moved to remove his cloak entirely, the snake slithering down to make the attire his sofa. Kinzoku couldn't quite put his finger on it but there was something about the snake that made him feel uneasy. Depsite the unknown, he did his best to conceal it and remain relaxed. As much as this man was a stranger to Kinzoku, Kinzoku was also a stranger to him. Showing the slightest sign of being uncomfortable could shift the entire encounter the wrong way. Before the Chuunin could even answer the Nazar's first question, a golden light flashed in the office between Kinzoku and Tokiatsu directly above the desk. Could this have been an attack from The Wanderer? No, I couldn't be. He seemed to much at ease and had just taken a seat. There's no way he chose now to attack.

Regardless, almost instinctively Kinzoku's left arm shot down beside his chair as his hands wrapped around the familiar grip of Peacemaker. During this time his eyes had also taken a golden color very much similar to the flash of light. After all, he had never seen the Flying Thunder God in action before. With his heightened senses it took Kinzoku mere moments to figure out what was going on as he spotted the petite figure inside the flash. It was none other than Risako, the Hokage standing on the corner of her desk. "She's back" Kinzoku thought. The Summit must have gone well for her to make such an appearance so nonchalantly. Or she simply act as such all the time. For a second Kinzoku looked at her almost dumbfounded. Did she just call him Hokage? Had she done it on purpose to test him? "Think... think..." he said to himself once more, running scenarios through his head.

He closed his eyes as he smiled once more, releasing the grip on Peacemaker and bringing his arms back to the desk. When next his eyes opened, the golden glow was no longer there. One may thing that the gold tint to his eyes had only come due to Risako's golden flash. Who knew. "Nonsense" Kinzoku began, replying to Risako. "You're always welcome" he added before turning back to the Chuunin. "I apologize for... my assistant's sudden appearance. She tends to come and go and she pleases." Risky move calling the Hokage your assistant. But Kinzoku felt like it was the best move right now. He needed to trust Tokiatsu before he revealed everything. This could also be the moment Kinzoku proves to Risako that she chose the right person to replace her while gone to the Summit. With only a few words however, Risako could foil the whole thing.

Before he continued Kinzoku made sure Tokiatsu was back at ease. Living out in the wild for two years was certainly enough to sharpen ones senses. He would likely also react to Risako's sudden appearance. Once or if he were still seated and calm, Kinzoku would move on. With his "assistant" more than likely still standing on the desk.

"Now... where were we" he'd say more so than asking. It seemed like a good way to calm things down and get them moving again. As a result, Kinzoku would move on to ask the same questions he had intended to do before the Hokage entered. Assuming Tokiatsu's replies remained the same, Kinzoku would respond.

"Yes. I appreciate your cooperation with the guards" he started. Patience was a virtue and Kinzoku was glad to see the quality in the man. Likely one of the reasons he had been tasked with the duty of going wanderer. This inevitably led to Tokiatsu asking why there was an increase in their security. It was a topic he knew was going to come up. He was just hoping it only came up a little later on. This would call for some improvisation.  

"Unfortunately we've run into a few incidents. We've had a number of our shinobi sneaking into the building forcing us to tighten our security. Along with that, there have been a few run-ins with missing nin. So we increased our boarder patrol. Made sure they checked everyone out before entering the village." Although he hadn't told him the entire truth, he also was not lying. All these incidents had in fact happened. He needed to make sure The Wanderer was in fact who he presented himself as. That could be achieved through the debriefing and if it match up with his letters. "I'd like to move on to the topic of your mission. A full account of the two years you've been out. To the best of your capabilities, of course." Kinzoku said as he leaned back against the chair. Was he getting too comfortable on the chair that belong to the Shinobi currently standing on the desk? No time for that now. More important things to think about. He expected some details to be missing from Tokitasu's account. It was only normal for two years was a long time. The letters that were received were sure to help, assuming they matched with his story. 

---------------------------------

The second newcomer would be stopped right at the entrance of the Hokage's building just as The Wanderer had been stopped, denying him entry as was protocol. Like everyone else who came to the building, the two guards assumed he was here to have an attendance with the Hokage. Just as everyone else who came was told, Shinoskay was told to wait out here while one of the two guards went back in to check with the Hokage. A few minutes later, the second guard returned to the first guard and Shinoskay. He informed the child Genin that the Hokage was busy at the moment and he was either to wait outside here with the two of them or come back at a later time and try again. Either way he would not be permitted into the building. There had already been too many incidents of Genin sneaking around and trying to steal information. As a result this was the way things were going to work now. If the Genin tried his luck at some other entrance, he'd be met with the same response. If he tried sneaking in, he'd be caught by one of the many guards inside the building and met with swift punishment. Surely he knew this, right?

Shinoskay wasnt surprised by getting stopped at the door, he had no intentions of sneaking around. As the guard stopped him he would make a small bow before speaking "Senpei, it is only my wish to insure the kage's office knows I have returned. If I do not wish to intrude burden any of their time, if the administration building is informed of my return then I can happily go rest before returning to my normal duties." He spoke in as formal a manner as he could muster before waiting for the response.

If he received or saw that the office was informed then he would simply leave and go about his way

~potential exit~

Before Tokiatsu could open his mouth to respond to the man's question, there was a bright flash of light. Not so bright as to blind the Watchman, but enough to know something was happening, his finely tuned Hidemori precognition informing him that not only was there someone else in the room, but the man behind the desk was reaching for something beside him. The newcomer was closer to the other man than they were to him. 'An attack?' He thought to himself. 'Or a trap?' There was no time to plan, much as he hated flying by the seat of his pants. Immediately, Tokiatsu would activate his final stage Baioregan and would reach his hands towards the two halves of Watchman's Rebuke at his waist. Bossk would hiss and his hood would flare outwards.
 
The light disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. Standing on the desk was what appeared to be a woman. She was wearing the traditional white robes and hat that the Hokage would normally wear. Tokiatsu would know, he'd seen the former Hokage, Ashi Inuzuka wearing them on occasion. This gave Tokiatsu pause for a moment. 'What is going on?' he thought to himself. 'Why is this woman dressed like the Hokage if this man...' The woman would be the first of the four to break the silence since her unexpected arrival. "Hopefully I'm not interrupting anything, Hokage?" That one sentence, with her being dressed the way she was, caused one of Tokiatsu's eyebrows to raise in disbelief. 'Was she playing a practical joke?' He thought to himself. Even more bizarre, the man behind the desk briefly appeared to be at a loss for words before regaining his composure.
 
"Nonsense" he would say, looking at the newcomer. "You're always welcome" At which point, he would turn back to look at Tokiatsu. "I apologize for... my assistant's sudden appearance. She tends to come and go and she pleases." Tokiatsu's eyebrow would remain raised at that comment, yet he would deactivate his Baioregan, and Bossk would collapse his hood. "I...see..." Tokiatsu would say in response, a hint of dubiousness in the short acknowledgement. He kept the formality to a minimum until he could actually figure out what in the hell was going on right now in this office. 'It would seem that things had definitely changed while we were gone.' He thought to himself as the conversation returned to their original line of thought with a "Now... where were we" from the man behind the desk.
 
In response to his comment about the entrance of the village, the man was grateful. "Yes. I appreciate your cooperation with the guards." Tokiatsu would nod in response. The man's answer to the Watchman's second question, "Unfortunately we've run into a few incidents. We've had a number of our shinobi sneaking into the building forcing us to tighten our security. Along with that, there have been a few run-ins with missing nin. So we increased our border patrol. Made sure they checked everyone out before entering the village.", did not sit well with the Konoha Chuunin. 'A few missing nin and some break-ins would cause such a drastic increase in security?' There was no reason to lie to Tokiatsu , so the Watchman could only take the words at face value, but he would take them with a grain of salt, as from a logical standpoint it was a rather drastic change for what would normally be a minor problem to most villages.
 
'Perhaps there will be time to look into that later.' Tokiatsu thought to himself as the primary reason for him being in the office was brought up. "I'd like to move on to the topic of your mission. A full account of the two years you've been out. To the best of your capabilities, of course." The Watchman would nod in agreement. "Bossk and I will cover the debriefing together as we progress through the entirety of the last two years. Before we proceed though, if it is alright with you, I will be creating a barrier that prevents any and all sound from passing beyond two meters of myself. To prevent unwanted listeners on the conversation."


Should he receive no argument, Tokiatsu would activate the Sound Dampener in his armour, creating an invisible sphere unless they can see chakra constructs, that expands 2 meters at 40 speed in all directions from where Tokiatsu is seated. It will not prevent anyone in the room from entering or leaving the radius should they desire.

WC: 759
TWC: 1817

912 Base AP

-5 AP for lvl 3 Baioregan
+5 AP for Hidemori Physiology
-30 AP for activating Watchman's Shroud's Sound Dampeners

882 AP remaining

"As I thought, m'lord." Well, she hoped she was still welcome. Glancing to the one she was less familiar with, Risako gave a bow before she decided to head out. In one motion she stripped out of the Hokage garb, leaving her dressed in a grey long sleeve shirt with black pants. As she exited the building, she caught site of Shino and called out to the lad, "Heya kiddo!"

[ye exit or some shit]

Kinzoku was somewhat relieved to see Risako had not foiled his plan and allowed him to play at Hokage for a little while longer. The m'lord part however caught him well of guard. That was the last thing he expected the Hokage to say. She also decided not to say for Tokiatsu's telling of his mission, instead choosing to leave along with simply leaving the Hokage robes on the floor on her way out. Although Kinzoku was acting as the Hokage at the moment, Risako was still in fact the Hokage. Why would she simply leave her own robes on the floor? Kinzoku did not brood over it too much. He had no idea what went down at the Summit or how it went. Maybe she just wanted time to herself and time to relax. Whatever her reasons may be, they did not need to be justified. So Kinzoku's attention fell back onto The Wanderer.

Kinzoku could tell that Tokiatsu was suspect of what was going on. Either Kinzoku wasn't doing or good job of avoiding the actual truth for the time being or Tokiatsu could simply read people very well. Or both. But he seemed to let it slip for the time being as it wasn't the main purpose for his visit. He posed a question that Kinzoku detected a bit of skepticism behind. "Yes" he simply said to reassure Tokiatsu that was it. "The frequency at which they have been happening had increased for reasons I cannot explain. It was a necessary measure that needed to be taken." He hoped that would put the matter to rest for now. After all he wasn't lying. 

He agreed to move on to the matter of his two year mission, stating his snake companion would help with the telling of it. He however had a request before he went on. Worrisome of prying ears, he requested permission to put up some form of barrier that prevented sound waves from escaping it. He wanted to make sure his words remained in the office. That was the reason for the guards posted outside. To prevent people, some more than others, from entering and eavesdropping on conversations. There were guards and ANBU likely positioned all around the office as well. Perhaps he did not want them to hear either? Kinzoku did find it a slightly strange request considering no one was in the building other than the guards. Perhaps it was just a precautionary measure.

"As you wish" he answered as he leaned back in the chair getting more comfortable with his arms gently placed on the arm rests. He made sure to observe the man closely as he would move to cast said barrier. "Whenever y'all are ready" Kinzoku spoke after making sure all was well and good.