Just called to say I miss you.

It almost felt like a lifetime ago since the sealer and the sealed had interacted. The last bit of communication he had received from the deputy Mizukage was the courteous enlightenment on his action to set a shinobi free. To give them the title of a 'Wanderer' when they were merely a Chuunin during times of turmoil. His heart would one day earn him a sinister embrace from a mistress none escaped; at least if the stories he had heard during his youth were true. Tales from his father about how those who put others before themselves are doomed to be taken advantage of, cursed to have their empathy tug at them until they were little more than slaves to well-crafted masks of liars. That was the time when Xyxer had first learnt the existence of empathy, and the emptiness he felt without it. The answer to a question he still asked.

Inside a room of the skyscraping Mizukage building was a new ensemble. The walls barren aside from the beige licks of paint that coated them like a layer of skin. A large table was the centrepiece that drew the eyes, as it was the only object within the entire room. The light from above illuminated the tokens and environment displayed on the table in a visceral realisation on the known map of the shinobi world. Every village, great and small, represented with its own area on the impressively sized table, as well as any known affiliation. Knowledge on outside forces outside of Kirigakure and Konohagakure was scarce, although the greatest troves of information came from the Summit. Hoshigakure had lost a great deal of Hogokage, a land of turmoil. Kumogakure no longer had the fearsome duo Xyxer had crusaded with in a prior life, alongside his own deputy. These villages had grown weaker, and to consolidate this opinion was the fact that neither Hogokage nor Raikage had been apparent at the Chuunin Exams.

Yet regardless of what he wished to do, he was no longer an unchained dog that had the luxury to bind after every creature. He found himself tethered by the morality of his village, the atmosphere of the world, and the strength of those he walked with. Blindly stomping into such a delicate situation was a fool’s errand, and one he did not wish to make so that the scrolls of history could mock him for an eternity and longer. Those very scrolls could not be wasted on such tripe when they should be celebrating his valor and glory. His victories over the lessers, as equals were only destined to join his side eventually.

It was now that the ambitious beast found himself awaiting company. While he did enjoy the guile of tactics and the severe impact they had on battle, it would be silly of him not consulting another likeminded individual. His trusted ANBU, Jester, had dispatched to find the raven locked man that had so effortlessly survived numerous encounters between highly dangerous and volatile men, and now found himself thriving with the most volatile of them all. The esteemed Fuinjutsu and Space-Time specialist. Naoki Gekou.

Some time has already passed since the international Chuunin Exams ended and Xyxer returned to the Hidden Mist. Naoki's team handed over the reins of the village to the lord Mizukage and the Uchiha man returned to his private undertakings. Naoki was not required to meet the returning lord during the transition, so this was looking to be their first face to face encounter in quite a while. Apparently Xyxer dispatched one of his personal ANBU to inform the former leader that he is being summoned. The operative would not have much trouble finding Naoki in the Grand Academy, where the Fuuinjutsu and Space-Time specialist was conducting his studies, not really taking any measures to hide. It has been years since Naoki returned to the Mist after his unfortunate accident with Space-Time Ninjutsu; he had grown back into the village and no longer feeling an outsider, he saw no reason to conceal himself that extensively. So his appearance mostly unchanged (except for the permanent change of color of his eyes, that is) and his chakra not suppressed, the deputy Mizukage was fairly easy to find.

When Jester found him and informed him, Naoki let the books rest. He had spent such a long time studying everything he could get his hands on (and he could get his hands on quite a lot in the academy) that even the most advanced of theories were boring to him now. Hopeful that a talk with the one he bent his knee to would bring some excitement into his life, Naoki thanked the operative and leaving his book behind started a swift walk to the exit of the academy, where he would pick up speed and start dashing and hopping through the village.

It would not take him long to appear in front of the building where the Mizukage held office. Dressed as he was found, with the Fabric imitating a long black coat over a suit, the former leader stepped from the misty street into the dry interior. Walking past the various offices and the government and military teams doing their work, he would quickly arrive at the door, behind which the demon waited. Knocking, he would announce his arrival. "Naoki here, as summoned." Should he hear words of invitation from within the room, the Uchiha man would enter. His hidden sharingan would first and foremost fix on and scan the man and then start to absorb the details of the room.

There came a gentle rapping, rapping from his chamber door. T'was some visitor. The one he'd requested as the voice suggested... or was it? For a moment, Xyxers gaze lifted up towards the door that briefly fought the hinges that confined it with each knock. Now was the optimal time for someone to infiltrate a village during the events that had transpired in the world... how was he to know that Naoki had not himself been impersonated? His hand twitched, the index finger protruding outwards with his thumb aimed to the sky. He leveled the aim of his finger towards where he suspected the head of the intruder would be behind the door, briefly exhaling air to imitate the jutsu he'd once used against another space-time practitioner. Lowering his hand he looked back towards the table, "Come in." The voice called out from within the room. Of course, Naoki wasn't being imitated. Surely he wouldn't be defeated easily, it was a foolish notion, one that was put to bed.

Once the raven-haired man entered the room, with the door closing behind him if he had manners, the meeting would begin. A solitary one almost, as it was between the two shinobi alone. To some extent, they had become partners throughout the years. A valued asset to the Mist, and the empire it was destined to become under Xyxer. With a single sweeping motion above the board Xyxer would start, "What do you see, Naoki?" He gave more credit to the man than to anticipate an unremarkable comment on the actual equipment. They needed to see things greater than they were presented. More dynamic. The state of flow was the most important thing in the world, yet few knew about it. Now that Xyxer could feel the movement of the world, the flow of its anarchy... he could guide it. Wield it as a weapon, just as he was destined.

Entering the room and closing the door behind him the former leader found Xyxer behind a table in the middle of the room. With a quick glance the Uchiha man took in the details of the room. The few that were there. It seems that the man before him had become somewhat of a minimalist. The table in the center of the room was the only piece of furniture in the leader's chamber. It was quite the change from the look he had when he first took office - transparent aquarium desk and all.

When Xyxer asked his question, gesturing at the board on the table, Naoki would step forward to approach the table and get a closer look. He could tell rather quickly the nature of the map, but even then he would continue talking until he was just out of arm's reach from the desk. The man wanted to take in the details and of this finely crafted piece. As well as to update his knowledge of the map. The Mizukage's question no doubt meant to inquire about more than just what kind of object it was, for it was most obvious. The map between the two of them depicted the known world - the Ninja World. So the answer that Xyxer was looking for must be about what Naoki thought of the world.

Standing still Naoki would let his vision slide across the depiction. It would halt on the symbol for the Hidden Leaf. He had visited it some time ago, after it was taken over by Kirigakure and the two villages organized joint Chuunin exams. It was nothing like what he imagined a village that was the seat of power in the world for the longest time would be. The former leader remembered what his mother told him about his origin, about the clan and then how it held the world hostage for close to a decade. His attention on the map followed his story and settled on the icon of the Hidden Mist. He recalled the village of islands and summer, that he grew up in. It was so different from what it had become. Next his eyes found the spot where Tengakure once stood. When he came there with Denkiteki, the village was a technological marvel. Less so culturally, although that might not have been an inherent problem. The hidden sharingan followed his path through the carnage in the village of rain and towards the Hidden Cloud, where his greatest moment of regret happened. It was a great victory followed by a great atrocity that Naoki's desire for vengeance and power allowed. Which in turn gave birth to the final dot on the map that held any interest to him, the village Hidden in the Stars. To his understanding Naoki's former allies were involved with the rise of that village as a major power. He knew Denkiteki spent a great deal of time there.

That is what he saw - the actions of a few making villages and entire nations to rise and fall. "The legacy of our predecessors, molded by actions of the daring. And sooner or later to be our legacy as well." he would say softly. It was somewhat different of a view than he would have expected to hear himself say. In the days since Kumogakure, he had grown to worship the sanctity of the glue that bound this whole world together - the effort and livelihood of the many, the small and the weak. But looking at the map and reliving his journey made him say a different answer. One that he had not yet deliberated on.

Naoki's response received a gentle nod from Xyxer, it showed that he was capable of seeing what the Mizukage desired to show. His own vision fixated on the various pieces of the board, soft whispers in his head reminded him of the terrain in lands he'd been, how firm and wet their soil is, areas with tactical advantage such as mountains that enabled a chokepoint. Kumogakure would have one of those, yet those that live in the mountains would know them better than a cutthroat from the sea no matter how proficient he became when commanding the lives of others.

Despite his musing on the other villages, there was one in particular that Xyxer kept returning to. The spawn of a traitor and his allies, a testament to Kirigakures failure when they had tried to show that young boy the ways of the Mist. A village of pilgrimage and soul searching. A beacon of corrupted hope in the village, leading its naive people into a misconceived sense of importance, and value. Denkitekis legacy had to be violently purged from this land, along with the citizens that followed the warped decree.

His cold eyes ran over the map once more to take in the pieces that had been set, to the best of the current knowledge of the world. "A world in turmoil. At the Kage Summit, I witnessed the Hogokage butcher his own bodyguard, and what for?" Once again, Xyxers gaze was drawn towards that wretched village of self-proclaimed prophets and holy men, the very thought of it burned his throat with bile, "All because I rose from my seat and declared the boy a Missing Ninja. He turned on his own." The execution was potent in the memory of the Mizukage, a prime reminder of how feared he was in this new world. The boy that had been raised in the humble home of the Gyojin, now the Leviathan that ruled over it.

Now his vision locked onto the segment of Kumogakure and its accompanying territories. A topic that he knew would be intimate for Naoki, after all, he had been one of the reasons that land was usurped from its predecessors, "The villages all have difficulty retaining their Kage, and Kumogakure is no exception. The Raikage was Komori at the Summit, now it is a boy called Max. He states a desire for peace." Xyxers lips curled upwards at the edges, the very idea of neutrality was foreign to the Mizukage, a concept that eluded him as if it was nothing more than a comedic suggestion, "The world is unstable at the moment, Naoki, yet look at how Kirigakure has prospered. Konohagakure too, under the rule of Kirigakure." Thoughts on the two Kage ran through his mind, as well as the Missing Ninja that had been notified by Hoshigakure, yet he was sure that Naoki already knew the details of that assignment.

The gaze of the conqueror rose from the world and its accompanying set-pieces, to land on the visage of his Deputy Kage. They had both served under different rulers with separate ideologies, and their union after the conflict in Tengakure was nothing short of entertaining nor unusual. Now, their ideologies seemed to fall in line to an acceptable extent to which Naoki was a man that he could trust... no craven could become a Master in Kirigakure, not under Xyxer at least. "I say, sooner rather than later. World order can be established, we need only guide the hand of Kirigakure. Which village would you propose, Naoki, that we liberate first?"

As his Kage spoke and kept glancing around the map, Naoki tried to follow his gaze. Xyxer recounted the incident at the Gokage Summit, to highlight the corruption in Hoshigakure, no doubt. There was no debate there, what Hogokage did was most dishonorable, but at the same time it was the village Naoki knew the least about. Next Xyxer mentioned that the villages were having trouble retaining their Kage and shifted to Kumogakure, which apparently recently changed leadership to a boy named Max. The boys declared desire for peace was an interesting contrast with the just mentioned leadership of Hoshigakure, but Naoki was not the kind of person to bet on a child's words. Regardless of the new leader's intentions, that village was corrupted, decayed and rotten. The deputy Mizukage knew it because he had been there, aiding the tyrant who did it in taking the village from its previous leaders. The sights he had seen back then still kept him up some nights. And the final report he got from Vigil just before the summit indicated that the situation did not change all that much. The devil Youka might have perished or left and the power might have changed hands, but the dead village still walk the streets and the village is still surrounded by fields of rot and screams of agony.

At the mention of Kirigakure prospering and the context of corrupted leadership, a worry briefly appeared in the Uchiha's mind. His experience of aiding a tyrant forced him to question his motives and Xyxer's readership. He could not deny that the village prospered, especially with the subtle improvement he managed to slide into the policies. And the former Tenkage also kept his word to him. He certainly wasn't gentle, but he wasn't needlessly cruel to his people either. No more than to the refugees from Tengakure; not that at this point there was much of a divide. If anything, the two peoples have merged completely and Xyxer made sure they grew strong both in military prowess and in spirit. And while Xyxer's foreign affairs were quite aggressive, he seemed to move forward with the purpose of taking rule from the incompetent to the betterment of the people they lorded over. He certainly did not exterminate entire peoples for his own amusement. Naoki stopped there - Xyxer has proved himself not the tyrant as Naoki feared and with their goals in alignment the deputy Mizukage could put this question to rest.

When finally prompted which village should face Kirigakure's might first, one of the two clear options seemed obviously in more dire need of liberation. But not being a person to act on first impulse Naoki took a moment to run it over in his mind. It was a reasonable assumption that whichever village they subjugate first, the other one would likely lay down their weapons than face the combined might of the rest of the world. This Max person, who desired peace, seemed more likely to do it than whatever leadership Hoshi currently had. But there was also another option that could possibly spare both village massive destruction; if the first village did not have to be subjugated by force, at least not entirely. This scenario seemed the most favorable to Naoki, so having made the decision he would look at his Kage and suggest. "I have no doubt that Kumogakure, where people are subjected to agonizing torture and the dead walk the streets should be saved first, but there is another village that truly needs liberating and that is Sunagakure. It has been under the Cloud's foot for a while now. It is also quite close to Konohagakure and a potential second front in this war. Finally, if we take it away and show them our might, this Max person might just surrender without bloodshed."

There was a delay in Naokis response to him. The cogs in his mind churned to formulate a plan befitting of the fuinjutsu master. His brilliance as a tactician had been proven multiple times over, the defenses he had raised still finding use under the subsequent leadership change. After all, they were both a part of the same faction that had once been a scourge on the known world, so there was an innate competence that had to be respected,  especially as they were allegedly the only living members of that group.

While initially it would certainly seem like Xyxer had brought Naoki here solely for his take on which village to claim first, there was a greater undertone to the whole situation. The former leader always had the interests of the people in his heart, something which Xyxer claimed, and perhaps even believed it himself. Where Naokis heart bled for the suffering of civilians, Xyxer could not truly feel anything. Over time, he became more competent when mimicking the emotions of others, even justifying his actions as others would. Naoki slowly assisted the psychopaths development of his masks, with each encounter they became more intricate and defined until the dog of Old Kirigakure was unrecognisable in its current form. Yet, nature never changes. The desire lurking deep within to let loose and unleash yourself upon the vulnerable world remained within The Conqueror. Those feelings were hidden for now, while the well-crafted masks clung to his true face.

To liberate the slave village of the main one was an interesting decision, yet Naokis following words explained his thought process. While Xyxer did not necessarily agree with it, the input was as valued to Xyxer as a well-balanced blade. If Sunagakure was to be claimed, Kumogakure would be opened to his true intentions, and perhaps the newly liberated village would seek alliance with Konohagakure to free itself from the yoke of Kirigakure… yet it would guarantee greater loyalty from Nobunaga. Striking the heart of Sunagakures suffering would enable the liberation of Sunagakure with one swing of the blade and much less life lost, in theory at least. Tentatively, Xyxer replied while his eyes wandered over the two villages that were being discussed, “We are uncertain on the conditions of Sunagakure, yet if it’s true what you say and Kumogakure is currently plagued with the dead and barbaric conditions, wouldnt it be our obligation to right the wrongs of our past?” Xyxer had not been at the conquering of Kumogakure, yet he spoke as if he had been, perhaps to alleviate some of the burden from the shoulders of Naoki, ”Max could truy desire peace, yet I deny his ability to maintain it. A village bathing in filth serves only to raise those that grow accustomed to it. Striking Kumogakure directly could save the lives of many, as Sunagakure would likely fall in line if they saw their oppressors… challenged.” Xyxer offered his thoughts, mulling over the possibility that had been suggested.

Hearing his Kage's response Naoki would nod. "Indeed. We do not know the situation in Sunagakure. It might be an easier fight or no fight at all and Max might yield after losing it. Or it might be an unexpectedly difficult fight and Max might not even surrender, forcing us to take both villages by force." The deputy kage would confirm that his suggestion was a gamble with what little they knew. "I presented it as an alternative approach, I still believe Kumogakure has to be saved before the distant village of Hoshi. Fighting the Cloud directly is likely to be a more difficult fight, but less likely that we will need to fight both them and the Sand." He would summarize before finishing it up. "I support whichever you choose as long as we end the suffering of Kumogakure's people swiftly."

Most of the options had been laid out on the table before the pair. Naoki strove to free Kumogakure from the oppression it had suffered for so long under the reign of Youka, a poison that infested the village even so long after reports of him went quiet. They'd explored a good deal of options, yet they pertained solely to invasions of full force against one area... This did not have to be the way. Xyxers decision had been made, and so he spoke, "We don't need to focus solely on one area. I have already dispatched ANBU formerly of Kumogakure to negotiate their diffusion into the empire. I wish for you to claim Hoshigakure in my stead. Myself and Kirigakure will move towards Sunagakure, as we have had reports of Missing Shinobi in that area" Nobunaga was formerly of Sunagakure, liberating his own village regardless of how his time in Kumogakure went would serve only to strengthen his loyalty to the Shogun. Naokis abilities were trusted well enough for him to be the sole invader of Hoshigakure, after all, he could just teleport away. "Summon Asami back before you leave. Once you've finished your mission, teleport to my location and debrief me." Xyxer nodded his head to the man, giving him permission to leave and fulfill the task.

[Exit]
2149 WC
20 AP
http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t40874-before-greatness-and-its-statue-nobunaga#328420
8000/8000 Mastered Cloak

http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t23875-puppet-art-ventriloquism
500/500
250/250
http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t34044-ou-tsuba-fish-spit?highlight=tsuba

It appears his Kage had made a decision. And it was to boldly claim all three villages at once. Apparently Xyxer had already sent someone of skill to deal with the Cloud, hopefully peacefully. But Naoki did not allow that fact distract him. He was entrusted with a very important task. Where Xyxer was going to take the full might of the Mist with him to claim Sunagakure, Naoki was tasked with bringing the distant village of Stars into the fold. He hoped there would be no fighting, but if there was to be resistance, the Uchiha man was more than willing to stretch his muscles after such a long time of studies and politics.

After all of the commands were given and received, Naoki confirmed having heeded them and then left the office to prepare.

1926 w.
[Exit]
+9 AP
Learning Chakra Absorption for 1k
and Self-releasing Blood Seal for 926 + spending 74 from banked WC