The Fate of the Crow

A top of the highest point of the Leaf village’s great walls was a boy with medium length black hair and deep crimson-red eyes. He was only 18 years of age and his skin complexion pale. His facial expression neutral and calculating. The boy stood 5’8” tall and was also wearing a black cloak over his normal shinobi attire of black pants, shirt, and shoes. The boy kept his left arm hidden within his cloak sleeve, while a completely bandaged right hand was present for the world to see. Ita’s Konoha head band tied to his belt, just visible enough for one to notice underneath his cloak.

 

From this location, Ita could see the sun beginning to set behind the great Hokage’s rock as well as the rest of the village, casting a beautiful orange hue to the skyline. It was truly a sight to see, which is why Ita choose this location. Due to the height at which he stood, his presence would remain unknown. Ita would peer into the sky and pick out a singular black crow that had been flying in circles above where the boy was currently standing. The crow began its decent towards the boy, finally landing on the boys left shoulder in a perching position. Ita would reach into cloak with his bandaged right hand and retrieve a small piece of folded up paper. The paper contained a request from Ita to the Hokage to meet at this very location in private. Ita would place the folded paper in the bird’s mouth and within moments the crow would take flight towards the Hokage’s office.

 

The bird would land outside of the window of the Hokage’s office. If the man did not notice the bird, it would begin pecking at the window with the paper still in beak in order to get his attention. Once the message was delivered the bird would depart back to the skys and Ita would continue to wait upon the wall for their meeting to commence.

TWC 334
-1 Sharingan

Silence had taken the Hokage's office. Nothing could be heard. Not the scribbling of a pen, the rustling of paper, nor the shifting of a chair. Silence took the office like the cool grasp of the snow outside chilling all those who dare step in its presence. However if one listened closely they would hear a slow, yet rhythmic sound of breaths being taken in and exhaled. Methodically done as he controlled his breathing, Kinzoku was currently seated on the floor in between his desk and the office door. With his legs crossed, hands resting gently on top of his knees, and his eyes closed, the Nazar was currently in a deep state of mediation. Ever since he had come into office he had less and less time more meditation. So when he found the few and far moments to do so, he took them. It was a major part of his life style. Something he use to do daily. It kept him both mental and spiritually strong. Something he needed more than ever in these trying times.

Suddenly, deep in the middle of his meditation the Nazar was awoken by a soft yet irritable ticking noise. His right eye opened to the dimming daylight filling the room as he came into sight with the office door instantly recognizing the sound was coming from behind him. Kinzoku turned to look behind him but the desk was blocking his view of the window. Being forced to stand up, the crow finally came into view, pecking the window with what was obviously a message for the Nazar. Making his way over, he slowly propped open the window and retrieve the letter before the crow took flight and made its way back into the dusk sky. Kinzoku unraveled the note to reads it contents. It was none other than Ita Uchiha requesting his presence atop of the wall surrounding the village. The locations left Kinzoku feeling suspicious of the request. Was his office not good enough for a meeting? Not private enough? Was Ita that worried of prying ears listening in on the conversation?

Kinzoku dropped the paper down on his desk following up by grabbing his hat and casually placing it on top of his head. It was about time he headed out anyways. Why not pay the Uchiha a visit nonetheless. After putting on his winter attire, Kinzoku strapped on Peacemaker before heading out the office and subsequently the building. At a steady pace, the Nazar headed down the snow filled streets of Konoha with his hands deep in his pockets.

He eventually arrived to the base of the wall being able to send the chakra signature located at the top. Being the only one it was safe to assume that was Ita. Kinzoku's eyes scaled the wall from bottom to top, a sigh escaping his mouth as he took in the height of it. Not wanting to climb all the stairs or even scale the wall itself, the Nazar formed a half ram seal within his pockets before vanishing as a blur only to reappear landing gently atop the wall a few feet beside Ita. Once atop the wall Kinzoku turned to be facing in the same direction as Ita which happened to be overlooking the entire village. "Quite the view isn't it" Kinzoku said to the Uchiha as his eyes scanned the entirety of the village. This feeling never got old. He turned to give Ita a one glance over. He was not dressed out of the ordinary other than the fact he seemed ill-equipped for the cold weather. Or maybe it was simply the Suna in Kinzoku speaking. Otherwise, Kinzoku found it suspicious that Ita had one hand free of his sleeve yet the other hidden beneath it. Although suspicious it was no cause for concern. From the corner of his eye he could also see the red hue emanating from the Uchiha's eyes with his sharingan being activated. He offered little else for words, knowing Ita would make the choice to either delve right into it and get to whatever the matter at hand was or to start up with small talk.

To Ita’s content, the new Hokage did not keep the Uchiha waiting long. Just as he neared the base of the wall, Ita picked up on a singular, rather powerful chakra signature that was comparable to his own and the boy couldn’t help but assume it was the one who he had been waiting for. Just a moment later, the Nazar appeared next to the Uchiha, facing the same direction as him. His sudden appearance did not startle the young jounin at all. Ita waited to check him out, allowing for the Hokage to assess that the situation and deem that it was indeed safe and secure. “Quite the view isn’t it.” He said. Ita waited a moment before replying. He could feel the man examining him before returning to the view of the entire village before them. Once the man got an eye-full, the boy would turn his head ever so lightly to do the same. His soft, but intense gaze studying the man and taking in any information he could. The man was much taller than him, almost a foot. His hair extended to his jaw-line and he was dressed very thoroughly. A more valid representation of a Hokage compared to the previous if you were to ask him, but that did not mean he was qualified.

 

“Thank you for coming on such short notice and alone- that is the reason why I requested that we meet at this location. It allows me to see who is coming from a far without being noticed.” Ita would say, now returning his gaze to the entirety of the village. Something about Konoha in the winter made Ita felt at peace, even though there was evil at work elsewhere in the shinobi world.

 

“My name is Uchiha, Ita. I am a Jounin of the Hidden Leaf. I assume you knew that already though if you read my file, However I am sure there are many things that aren’t in my file on me that you would like to know.” The boy stated before continuing to speak, his crimson red eyes cutting through the blanket of white which surrounded them.

 

“If I may”, the boy said while letting out an exhale of cold breath, “You are not originally from this village, are you?”. Ita’s conclusion was an obvious one, he had never seen him before. His overdressing of layers was also a subtle give away. Regardless of Ita’s inquiry, he did not mean to offend the man by any means. Ita simply wanted to delve into meaningful conversation. If he had intended to make small talk, he would have simply requested to meet the Hokage in his chambers like a normal person. As the two stood over looking the village, it would begin to snow lightly. Each snow flake was like a shinobi from the village, unique in their own way. However, regardless of how each snowflake was different, more or less they were all the same in terms of capacity. Shinobi on the other hand, come in all different shapes and sizes, but have extreme differences when it comes to ability. For example, Ita had already achieved the rank of Jounin while an early teenager, meanwhile there were Genin and Chuunin way older than him. Age was not a common denominator when it came to assessing capacity and ability.

 

Ita waited for the man to answer, if he refused to answer for whatever reason, he would allow the Hokage to ask a few questions of his own before getting to the true objective of their meeting today.

TWC: 934

-1 sharingan

As Kinzoku looked out onto the village he couldn't help but feel something was missing to go with the moment. But he could not figure out what it was. The moment of silence Ita took to analyze the Nazar before speaking was spent by Kinzoku trying to figure out what this was eating at him. Until suddenly it hit him. There was no cigar. How foolish of him. The thought alone forced a small grin to take shape on the Nazar's face as both his hands slipped gently into his jacket pockets. Just as Ita decided to speak both Kinzoku's hand came out of his jacket. One retrieving a lighter, the other a cigar. He brought the cigar to his mouth and held it there while placing the lighter at the tip of the delicacy and flicked it a few times before a fire was produced. The Uchiha's words forced Kinzoku to stop for only a brief moment, holding both items in front of his face as he turned his gaze ever so slightly to Ita looking over the village. The word "alone" was the cause of his sudden pause.

The Nazar began wondering, what would Ita have done had Kinzoku not come alone? Had he forgotten who he was speaking to? That orders were not to come from a Jounin but the other way around? Kinzoku smiled yet again, deciding to let it slide as he turned his focus back to the lighting of his cigar. Before long the cigar was burning a deep orange as he snapped the lighter closed and stored it back into his pocket before blowing a few puffs of smoke, leaving the cigar hanging in his mouth. 

Ita was right. Kinzoku already knew who he was. An Uchiha Jounin who has spent his life as a shinobi for this village. He had even been to the Jounin exams hosted in Suna. The exams right before Kinzoku lost his home. It seems like no matter where Kinzoku went, no matter what he did, not matter who he spoke to, everything was a constant reminder of his past. He did not relish it nor did he shy from it. It was something he willingly lived with as a reminder of what needs to be done. Ita was also right that there were things not in his file that Kinzoku did not know about the Jounin. What that the meaning of this encounter, to inform Kinzoku on his lack of knowledge? Or was it to inform Ita on his lack of knowledge on the Hokage?

Maybe it was both. After all Ita has been a member of this village far longer than Kinzoku. He deserved to know who this foreigner placed at the head of the village truly was. Something Kinzoku was willing to indulge the Uchiha with. But he doubted that this was the true purpose to this meeting. Kinzoku retrieved the cigar from his mouth in between two steel fingers, blowing smoke out his mouth as he looked up towards the gentle snowfall just beginning. "What gave it away... my accent?" Kinzoku said with a slight grin in an attempt to lighten the mood. "That's right partner. I'm from Sunagakure" he began, his gaze returning to the village. "As you're well aware, Suna ain't a thing anymore. So I came here and joined y'er ranks as a Jounin of Konoha." The rest was history. However if Ita truly wished to know the rest and know how it was Kinzoku came to be Hokage then he'd be willing to indulge the Uchiha. If he asked nicely. 

"And you..." he said, interrupting himself to take another puff of his cigar. "You've been here since y'were just a toddler" as he turned to look at the young male, realizing it was not that long ago since he was a toddler. "You grew as a shinobi for this village, fought and bled for your home. Faced the forces of Kirigakure when Konoha called your name. But where were ya when we lost? When your brothers and sisters were forced to kill one of their own. Forced to kneel in the blood drenched earth?" As serious as Kinzoku's tone was in his questioning, there wasn't a bit of disappointment. Instead it was curiosity. Curious as to where he had gone and how he was still around. If Kinzoku had learned anything from witnessing the Mizukage's actions both on the battlefield and in their meeting, he did not take too kindly to slights. The thoughts of the meetings subconsciously had Kinzoku rolling his wrist where he had sliced his hand off and the scar that remained when his hand was put back.

Before the man would answer, he would reach into his pockets and retrieve what appeared to be a cigar. The Hokage then proceeded to light the cigar and their scents would soon be masked by the smell of burning tobacco. The smoke filled the air and penetrated the young boy’s nostrils, leaving an unfamiliar burning sensation. Ita had never been one to indulge in such activities, but the pungent smell of smoke did remind him of a shinobi bearing the last name ‘Sarutobi’ who passed a while back. Ita did not dwell on the memory of his fallen comrade for too long as such events were typical in the shinobi world which they belonged.

 

After a while the man finally spoke and the new Hokage did not fail to please. He did not only answer Ita’s question but did so in good humor. The man informed the Uchiha that he was in fact not a native of Konoha, but a refugee from the fall out of the Kumo invasion of Sunagakure which took place just shortly after the Jounin exams concluded. Ita was not dissatisfied with the answer he received and did not feel any sort of hatred towards him due to the fact he was a foreigner. Afterall, Suna and Konoha had been allies since before the turmoil and conquest of his village by the tyrant Xyxer.

 

The man would then proceed to ask a rather peculiar question that did not seem to surprise Ita too much. “Where were ya when we lost? When your brothers and sisters were forced to kill one of their own. Forced to kneel in the blood drenched earth?.” Taking a moment to listen and process the inquiry, Ita would begin to formulate his response.

 

“My absence was not out of fear, but since I had expended the majority of my chakra defeating one of Kirigakure’s top shinobi. After our battle, I was unable to return due to my current state at the time.” The boy continued, “Once I regained my strength, I returned to face the conqueror with his defeated shinobi in tote, and that is when I received this parting gift.” Ita would say, raising his right arm in front of them while simultaneously motioning his left hand to grip his right sleeve and reveal a nub which used to be his right hand. “In order to convince the Mizukage of my understanding of the circumstances in the wake of our defeat, I made the decision to remove my own hand in the Hokage's  chambers. At the time it appeared to be the most viable option, so I took it. Afterwards, he informed me that if I were to somehow be able regain the hand I sacrificed, he would hunt me down and kill me. The messed-up thing is, he left his comrade to bleed out on the floor… I guess a defeated shinobi of Kiri is not worth much too him or maybe he did not care to help a man who no longer desired the will to fight.” Now that Ita had filled in the Nazar on his current situation and he had filled Ita in on his, he hoped there was now a new understanding between the two. A new feeling of trust.

 

“In regard to my comrades killing one of our own, it was the most logical thing to do and I would have done the same with no hesitation.” The boy lied. Ita was unsure of how exactly he would act, but for now he needed to prove to the Hokage that his intentions laid with the village. “I would also expect the rest of you to do the same to me if I had found myself in a similar situation. The life of one shinobi is not bigger than the rest of the village. Without the village, we are nothing. That is why we wear this leaf insignia, is it not?” The boy posed a rather serious question to the man. Ita would allow the man to comment on the information he just provided him before continuing because he was sure he would have questions.

 

“I’ve also requested to meet you alone because I felt that this information should be on a need-to-know basis and I can’t risk other shinobi knowing that I have been handicapped, it may put me in a tough position.” The Uchiha said, his sharingan contrasting against the white back drop.

 

Now that the air had been cleared between the two, it was time to dive deeper into the purpose of their meeting. “So here we stand, both from separate origins, but finding our homes conquered by two different foreign nations. Do you ever think about returning? It is most likely that the majority of Kumo’s forces have retreated to their home on the other side of the continent, just as Kirigakure had done, leaving little to no true threats within your home village. I believe that this creates a perfect opportunity for us.” The boy exhaled before getting to the main course of the conversation. “If we can somehow pit the two conquering nations against each other, there is a chance that we may be able to strike a final blow to the victor shortly after while they are weak. This is the true meaning why I have asked to meet with you today. I want to see the rebirth of Sunagakure and the reestablishment of Konoha as a force not to be reckoned with. For too long have we been as the disposal of our conquerors and it is time for that to change.” Ita hoped the man would agree, because if he did not, Ita would begin the operation sooner or later without his approval but having the Hokage’s support would be ideal.

 

If Kinzoku Nazar found himself along the lines of agreeing with what the Uchiha had to say, then he would continue. If not, then the conversation would be coming to an end fairly quickly and he would not reveal the following information.

 

“I believe that the abilities I possess would be a perfect fit for gathering such intelligence needed, but I will be unable to do so without your support. I have reached an advanced state of my bloodline through no means of my own, but in doing so I have unlocked a new ability while allows me to travel back and forth from locations I have been before, freely without resistance and almost instantly. A skill rather useful for such endeavors.” It was true, Kamui did allow Ita to travel freely, but Ita decided to leave out the other aspects of the technique, for now.

 

“In order to fulfil this plan, we must first gather as much information on both villages as possible and from there we may begin to sew the seeds of hatred between our enemies. I am not asking you to be my friend, but as I see it, we are both shinobi with common enemies. I believe that this is our best chance of regaining our villages with the least number of casualties on our side. In order to do so, it is important that we act alone, for now. What do you say?”

 

Ita waited eagerly for his verdict.
-1 sharingan

Kinzoku continued to smoke his cigar as he watched the snowflakes gently tumble down atop the roofs of the village while Ita took the time to gather his thoughts before answering the Nazar's question. It was better that the Uchiha took his time rather than blurt out the first thing that came to his mind. This way he his thoughts who had least be gathered properly. Or so Kinzoku hoped so. As experienced as Ita may have been, he was still rather young. With what felt like only a brief moment, Kinzoku slowly drew the cigar from his mouth as Ita went on to reply. He started off by informing Kinzoku that it was not due to fear that he had not shown up. Kinzoku found it curious that Ita began his reply by trying to convince Kinzoku he had not been scared. It almost seemed like he was trying to convince himself rather than convince the Nazar. Kinzoku gave no hint to make Ita believe he thought the Uchiha was afraid. So to begin with such a statement left Kinzoku thinking but only for a moment as the explanation continued. 

He had in fact taken down one of Kiri's shinobi. That much Kinzoku remembered. At the end of it all there had been one of Xyxer's shinobi missing. The one that took to the skies and headed right for the village. That was likely who Ita spoke of. Whether he was telling the truth or not was hard for Kinzoku to know. So he would take his words as truth for the moment. The mention of "The Conqueror"  piqued Kinzoku's interest some more as he raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Ita. A gift. The sarcasm in his tone was quite obvious to pick up on. With or without the sarcastic tone, Kinzoku knew Ita did not speak of a true gift but rather a burden. His brief encounter with the Leviathan made it obvious. His gaze dropped down to Ita's raised arm as he pulled back his sleeve revealing the gift. Kinzoku's eyes squinted ever so slightly as he looked at the stub suspiciously. He looked back up to the Uchiha as he offered an explanation to it.

The kid opted to cut his own hand. It made Kinzoku wonder, had Ita given Xyxer the idea to cut the hand in order to show obedience and their allegiance? Also, why did Xyxer not allow him to get his hand back but allow Kinzoku to do so? He looked back out to the village as Ita continued on about how Xyxer would kill him if he attempted to replace the hand and how he did nothing to save his defeated shinobi. "That sounds about right" Kinzoku said. It only made sense. It was essentially the same thing he had made Konoha to do Salzem.

If there was anything Kinzoku knew it was that words were wind. So he found it hard to believe Ita would have joined in without hesitation. Maybe he was telling the truth. Even so Kinzoku found it hard to believe. It was no easy thing to do to take the life of a comrade. He knew. He offered the Uchiha a simply grunt of agreement as he took another puff from his cigar, a steady stream rising from the burning tip. "Everyone has their own reasons for donning this insignia" he replied. "But at the end of the day the hope is that everyone would put the village above their own ideals. Least they endanger everyone" he finished, brief but to the point as his words were quite clear. 


"Your secret is safe with me" he said, reassuring the Uchiha no one would find out about this handicap from him. This is where the conversation got interesting for Kinzoku as the entire purpose for this encounter was finally unraveling itself. If anything was revealed by the Uchiha's words it was that he was quite naive. Kinzoku did not judge ore blame him over. Although he may have excelled and moved up the ranks of shinobi quite quickly, his un-matured mind was showing itself at this moment. "No, I haven't thought about returning to Suna because Kumo has not vacated the village nor the country. The land is theirs. The territory conquered. Their shinobi remain in the village. They likely have outposts all over. Restoring Suna is the least of my worries and does little to advance Konoha's agenda. My responsibilities now lie in this village. Not Suna."

Kinzoku would let out a brief sigh, a cool mist escaping his lips. "I do not believe we need to do anything to get Kumo and Kiri pitted against one another. I believe it is inevitable. They're both nations that have their sights set on conquering. It's only a matter of time. We need just be patient and not rush anything" he added, looking over to Ita to ensure he understood the Kage's words. That they both wanted Konoha to re-emerge from the ashes to their former glory. "You speak of putting the village ahead anything else. This is where we see if you truly mean what you say. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Uchiha. We have an opportunity to grow under this power and learn from them. We're going to take it. By no means do I wish to stay the lapdog of Kirigakure. Remain patience and ever vigilant. Our time will come. We just... ain't ready." Kinzoku waited before going on to reassure Ita understood what he was saying. He cut his own hand to show loyalty and to show he knew what situation they were in. Why risk throwing all that away now. "That being said... I could use a man out in the field."

If Ita continued, Kinzoku would listen and take in the knowledge of his abilities. Judging from the way he spoke, Ita had either learned how to manipulate the fabric of space and time or he had fuinjutsu similar to that of Kinzoku. Either way, he had means of getting into and out of places. He had ways to gather intelligence. The advantages to this were as clear as day to Kinzoku. "Kirigakure is not the enemy" Kinzoku said bluntly, knowing his words would likely shock the young shinobi. "Not at this moment. It's best you learn that before you do something that puts your life at risk, or the village." He took another puff of his cigar, keeping his gaze upon the Uchiha has he did so. "Leave Kirigakure to me" he finally added, letting Ita know that he was not simply lying down to this situation. He just needed to handle things himself. He needed everyone else to get behind him. Behind the village.

"You'll get what you want, Uchiha" Kinzoku started yet again. "We know far too little about our enemies and those that pose a threat to our village. I have a task for you. Prove to me you are capable of what you say. Show me I can trust you." He dropped the endings of his cigar to the solid surface of the gate before stepping over it with his boot, placing both his hands on either side of his belt buckle. "Recently two shinobi entered our village. One claimed to be from Kumo, the other Suna. We have reason to believe the entire thing was a ruse. Before we could get anything from them, they up and slipped right from out grasps. Find them for me" he said before giving a brief description of the two culprits. One was blonde and dressed all in black. The second had a greyish complexion to his skin. "A good place to start would be Kumo outposts." Kinzoku watched the boy closely to see his reaction. Waiting to see his reply. After all Kinzoku wasn't offering the task. He was giving it. He saw no reason for Ita to refuse it. It's what he wanted.

Finally. The eager Uchiha thought to himself as he was presented with the opportunity he was longing for. To leave the village and explore what was beyond the great walls once more. He hadn’t truly gotten a chance to travel since he went to Sunagakure for the Jounin exams, but that was just before the Suna invasion. The invasion caused a ripple effect, and like dominos, other sovereign villages began to fall; Konoha being the second victim. It was only a matter of time before the next battle between nations occurred. Ita was also not all that convinced that Kiri or Kumo could continue to exist without any friction either. Ita had to hand it to him; although the Hokage was a foreigner, he was right.

“You’re right Hokage-sama. Kirigakure is not our enemy right now. As of now, we are a conquered nation. The remaining free nations will soon begin to join the battle now that we have fallen. I’ve seemed to get ahead of myself. I apologize.”

The boy would admit.

“I guess that’s why you’re the Hokage.”

The boy smiled reaching behind his head with his right hand and scratching the back of his head. As the conversation endured, Ita became aware that his opportunity to venture also came with some stipulations. His order was to track down two shinobi that had entered the village under suspected fake aliases.

“How did they get away?”

Ita asked. A valid question. If he was going to track them down, he would certainly need more information about them other than the villages they proclaimed they were from.

“It’s also strange that they were traveling together and proclaimed to be from different villages. Any ideas on what they might have wanted?”

Ita said whilst exhaling a breath of cold air, his eyes continuing to pierce through the gloomy back drop of a snow-covered forest. Ita patiently awaited an answer, hoping that the Hokage had more information to go off than just that. If not, Ita would give the man the answer he was looking for.

“Alright. I will find them for you, but I need to make a few preparations first.” He stated with confidence.

Finding and capturing two shinobi, alive, was going to be quiet the difficult task. Especially since he knew almost nothing about them and had only one hand. However, if Ita was to gain the trust of the Hokage, it was necessary that he complied with the request. This was the boys chance to get what he wanted and he wasn’t about to blow it.  

TWC: 2,571

-1 ap

Although it may not have shown directly on his facial expression, Kinzoku was pleased to hear that Ita agreed and understood Kirigakure was not their enemy at this moment. It meant he wasn't going to go out and do anything foolish. Or so he hoped. He found the young boy's words interesting. The remaining free nations will soon begin to join the battle. Of Kumo this was for sure. They had already conquered Suna. Kinzoku believed it only a matter of time before the two conquering nations of Kiri and Kumo came face to face with one another. Hoshi was a different story for Kinzoku knew very little of their business. Did Ita know something that Kinzoku did not know? Was that why he was certain both free nations would join the battle? Regardless Kinzoku decided not do delve into the matter any more than necessary. Instead he continued to listen to the Uchiha, apologizing for his statements. In any other scenario Kinzoku would have told him there was no need to apologize. It was simply due to his lack of knowledge on the situation. But he didn't because Ita's following words caught the Nazar by surprise. I guess that's why you're the Hokage.  

Was that really why Kinzoku was the Hokage? Truth be told, it was not. There were a number of reasons for Kinzoku becoming Hokage. Simply put, the main reason is because Risako has fallen terminally ill and cannot continue her tenure as Hokage. As a result someone else needed to take the mantle. Before this occurred, Kinzoku had been working closely with the Hokage which had garnered him a certain trust with her. Enough trust to temporarily take her place while she left got the Kage Summit. Even after that the role wasn't entirely his. It was given to him because the Mizukage chose him. Not because Kinzoku was the most suited for qualified for the role, but because Xyxer wanted him there. Because Kinzoku had proven to Xyxer that he would do what was necessary to insure Konoha towed the line. Ita's words alone caused the pain of cutting his hand off to resurface, the same pain Ita had likely gone through when he cut his own hand off as well. It made Kinzoku wonder, how did Ita deal with the pain of phantom limb. Kinzoku had gone through it himself when he was a teenager, much like Ita. He remembered how unbearable the pain was. He used meditation to help with the pain. What did Ita use?

He metaphorically shook the thoughts from his mind, turning over to the boy as he scratched the back of his head out of embarrassment or because he was shy. The action had Kinzoku seeing himself in Ita. Showing every sign that he was still just a teenage boy learning how the world works yet a proven, battle hardened shinobi at the same time. "I'm Hokage because someone was needed" he said, adding no more to the statement. Instead Ita posed his first question about the task that was given to him. How did they get away? Isn't that the question of the day.

"We don't know" Kinzoku replied without hesitation. "They were being escorted to my office by Yensung and simply vanished. We've speculated that they may have used some sort of space and time manipulation technique to teleport out of the village once they realized things were going to get messy. It's also possible they used some sort of fuinjutsu." The lack of knowledge on the situation bothered to Nazar to no end. But there was nothing that could be done of the situation other than have Ita do his best to investigate. He listened to Ita's next question, thinking it over for a few moments

"They proclaimed to be from Kumo and Suna, which is not that strange in actuality" Kinzoku spoke. "Kumo and Suna are now one. What's strange is one still branded themselves to be a shinobi of Suna. Kumo dismantled the shinobi forces. If you were with Kumo, you'd be a Kumo shinobi. If you proclaimed to be a Suna shinobi, then you belonged to those that managed to get away. In which case you would not be seen with a Kumo shinobi. It leads me to believe they're quite inexperienced shinobi who don't quite grasp the full weight of the situation. As to what they wanted..." he added before taking a pause and looking over the snow covered village. "... could be a number of things. Steal information on our village, the strength of our forces. See how well guarded we are. We were nearing the end of the Chuunin exams. Perhaps they wanted to get a feel for the other villages strengths as well. I'm more inclined to believe the former. They arrived weeks after the Kumo delegation and the Raikage had no idea of whom they were." It wasn't much, but it was all Kinzoku could offer the young Uchiha. 

Kinzoku gave the Jounin a nod of approval after his final statements, seeing nothing wrong in needing to make preparations. It was best to be prepared for missions such as these. Before parting, Kinzoku removed his hands from his belt and formed for hand seals. "Allow me" he informed Ita, letting him know this was nothing harmful. He took a single step closer to the Uchiha before placing two metallic fingers behind his right ear placing two seals. Both would unnoticed by the most experienced shinobi. Taking a step back, Kinzoku followed up by placing a small seal of his own behind his ear next to one he already had. "This will allow us to communicate telepathically" Kinzoku said within Ita's mind, demonstrating the use of the jutsu. "All it takes is to flow chakra into the seal and we can communicate no matter where we are." One of the seals he placed would allow them to communicate. The second one Kinzoku placed was a Flying Thunder God seal. "I've also marked you with another seal. If you're ever in need of help just contact me and help will be on its way."

Kinzoku took up the same position as before with his hands resting on either side of his belt buckle while keeping his gaze over the Uchiha. "I know you're going out there with very little information. Know that not finding them does not mean you failed your mission. Although I'm tasking you with finding those two, finding who they are, who they may be associated with, I'm also seeking information in general. Find what you can that will make our home a safer place."


"Inform me when you leave."

[potential exit]

-40 ap for Telepathy Seal (learned in this topic)
-50 ap for FTG seal

TWC: 3873
1875 into Telepathy Seal (25% discount)(1875/1875)
812 into Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder (4000/4000)
1186 into Steel Release: Guardian (25%)(1186/3337)

The new Hokage was right. Indeed, someone was needed and based off their brief encounter, Kinzoku seemed to be fit for the job. He was an older and more experienced shinobi who was also levelheaded. Qualities befitting of a leader. Ita sure wasn’t the man for the job, he knew that much and other than Kinzoku, he wasn’t sure if anyone else in the village were up to the task. For now, the new Hokage had won his respect and Ita would carry out his mission.

Kinzoku went onto providing Ita with as much information that he had available, or so he assumed. At last, it wasn’t much to go off of. At this point Ita was going to be wandering into enemy territory looking for two unknown ‘shinobi’ who claimed to be from separate villages but traveling together. Nevertheless, some information was better than no information and the mission did provide Ita the opportunity to travel.

Ita agreed to the Hokage’s orders and in return he gave the Uchiha a nod of approval confirming Ita’s request for additional time to prepare. Ita now understood what was expected of him and he had his marching orders. Prior to their meeting commencing the Hokage would take a step closer to the boy, forming 4 hand seals before placing two fingers behind the boy’s ear and placing two seals- one which would provide telepathic communication and the other which would provide back-up if needed. Ita felt more confident in his mission knowing that he could communicate with the Hokage while traveling and could request help if needed.

Kinzoku returned to his previous stance after placing the seals on Ita. With nothing left to discuss, Ita would say, “As you wish Lord Hokage” before disappearing from the wall in a blur of speed only to leave Kinzoku alone to bask in the view of the entirety of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

WC: 320
TWC: 2,891

[Claim Exit]

2,891 WC towards SWITCH V2

Switch V2 needs updated with the new S/T rules in place. Approving the WC towards it, but please note that it is not going to be usable in its current state after any "grace period".


Approved for claims and exits