Forging a Bond with a Smith

Sugimoto. The name was clear in the mind of Max, as he spoke out openly in support. He was willing to face the consequences of treason in support of his beliefs. Kumogakure needed people like that, people with clear direction, heart, and drive to do what is right for the land no matter the risk. There was honestly much to be done in a short period of time, and the Little Conqueror fully intended to use the time wisely with people in support of his cause. 


A simple letter would be delivered to the orphanage, a shinobi wearing armor and armed with various weaponry would stand outside the building and wait for the young man to wake. Mother Abigail offered to relieve the messenger so that he could return to his other duties, but the man refused. "I am under strict orders. Only Sugimoto himself may receive this ordinance. My apologies, ma'am." 

She didn't seem particularly thrilled about it, but such may simply be because an armed soldier may scare the kids. It would take some time, but hopefully those children can grow to see the Raikage's soldiers as a force of good in this world and know that they need not be feared by his subjects. 

Max himself was already at the cemetery this morning, waiting for those summoned to meet him to discuss various topics. While it wasn't as normal as meeting in the Raikage's Chambers, Max was getting work done on the door to avoid it squeaking when opened, and he still felt more at home here than anywhere else in the village.  

Note:

Max would accept the offer of help from the older boy as they would lift the door and set it down properly on the hinge. Max was dressed in his normal attire of baggy clothing and his blue cloak, not wearing the yellow hat signifying his status as Raikage. Such felt too formal, and this wasn’t as much a formal meeting as it was a greeting of an old acquaintance. Not to mention that it is not very subtle and bring a lot of attention to the boy. He didn’t want this meeting to be interrupted by others, as it would only take away from him getting to know his shinobi one on one.
 
“Good morning to you as well, Sugimoto. I can see that you have grown a great deal since I last saw you, your chakra presence has grown a great deal stronger. I could feel you coming before you got here, as could anyone else capable of sensing chakra. Something to keep in mind for the future.” The boy would say with a light smile. Now that the shack door was fixed he would go in and pull out two stools, one for Sugimoto and one for himself. “I called you here because of the things you said yesterday, and the weight that such a thing carries. You said that you support my ruling, and I truly do appreciate your faith in me.” Max would offer Sugi a handshake, the left hand being the only one he has to do so. It was sickly and pale, but still held together well.
 
Regardless of whether or not the boy wanted to shake Max’s hand, he would suggest they sit down to discuss matters. “You told nobody of this meeting, correct?” Max would ask. It wasn’t that this meeting had to actually be a secret, but Max was testing the waters to see if the shinobi was able to follow the orders given, even if they seemed without meaning.
 
“I wish to ask your help, though what I will be asking isn’t for the squeamish. There are things left here from my predecessors that need be removed, and I am informed that you are a craftsman of some talent, though unrefined. We need to build many canals, each below the water level in order to remove the death and plague filled swamp around Kumogakure. And that doesn’t begin to touch on those poor souls left to suffer on the spikes, nor the rot monsters that roam our lands.” Max would shake his head, the thoughts of all the horrors he had to clean up after bringing a bad taste to his mouth. “Would you lend me your support again in completing these tasks?”
 
And then Max would bring up the question that he wasn’t sure how to address. Something he didn’t like to talk about, yet knew that it needed to be. “So, what do you know about the man taking our outposts?” Max would listen to what Sugi replied with before adding anything else to the conversation.

It would seem as though the young man was humble, speaking about how growing stronger was simply his duty. Such was understandable, for Sugimoto was likely a bit more formal than he needed to be since Max was now in the position of leadership. 

Max would note that the boy knew how to suppress his chakra presence, and would nod. "Yes, a very wise person once told me that one should grow accustomed to always walking around hiding your chakra. Not only is it good practice in chakra control, but it prevents you from being tracked and detected as easily by others." Max would look around, understanding that they were within the village, "Of course that was from a time that seems forever ago, when the village was a bit more dangerous to be in. Still, the lesson holds up." Max was of course referring to his older brother Senshi, of whom he held in the highest of regards.

So, it would seem as if the boy didn't read over the details of the message he was sent and told someone of the meeting. "So long as they can be trusted, it should be no matter. Still, I recommend you read everything more clearly in the future. I would hate to see a promising shinobi such as yourself fail to bring in a proper income from not succeeding in mission requirements." Max wouldn't be angry at Sugimoto, merely momentarily disappointed in his impatience. 

"Violence with a purpose, indeed" Max would add right after Sugi hinted that he was willing to help with taking down the horrors around their village. "So, you have some idea's regarding the defense measures? I welcome all ideas my people may have." Max would raise his hand, and in the blink of an eye Crawford would appear. "Crawford, please secure the area. I'll be here discussing private matters with Sugimoto. Should you find anyone trying to approach, kindly ask them to turn back." Then his eyes would shift from a soft and warm kindness to a hardened gaze, "And should anyone be caught trying to evade your searching or refusing your instruction, bring them to me." Crawford would nod and start to turn around.

"Alive, Crawford," the boy would add, to which the man would simply reply with a grin, "Of course."


"Once he is done with his rounds we can continue this discussion. So, it seems you have advanced a great deal. How do you feel you are growing? How do you see yourself compared to your peers?" The young Raikage would want honesty, but he was seeing if Sugimoto felt himself ready to try and advance. Max had plans to strengthen his forces, but it would require one to be willing to participate.

The New Raikage asked him to evaluate himself while comparing his owns skills to that of the other shinobis. Sugimoto took some time to mul over the ideas before responding, he wanted to make sure he was honest with his answers yet not deprecating to his fellow shinobi. Once his thoughts were put together he would answer the new Raikage's question. “I think there are some major weaknesses I have. The biggest one is my real lack of life or death fighting experience. Most of the life or death situations I have come across since becoming a Kumo shinobi have been with no skilled raiders and bandits. Nothing I would consider truly life threatening, but with this upcoming attack I feel like I may be the new small fish in this ocean like world. That is where I think my skills are lacking.” He was hoping the Raikage would not view him as less than for this admission but it was too late now o he thought he would continue.  
“Plus do to the lack of this fighting experience I have yet to devise my own kind of fighting style. I know some basic fighting techniques but nothing special. I am starting to practice the sword but I have yet developed much skill yet.”

Sugimoto would continue, this time talking about the things he does have a skill set of. “As for things I can do, I can be a support for the battle. As a fuinjutsu user I have a lot of jutsu’s that can strengthen our forces. I can use Chakra Barrier to strengthen their defenses so they can survive hardier blows. Plus I can add Chakra Storage on our shinobi to help them keep fighting longer. But the main thing I can do is use my Telepathy Seal to build a communication network. We could use this to coordinate our efforts without revealing our plans. So If I had to sum up my skill set right now, I would say I am a support specialist. I also can use my Five Seal Barrier to set of defensive locations. I also have an ability that if the enemy tries to get through my barriers a copy of them will fight them. These are my main skills I can offer.” Sugimoto would give Max a chance to digest all the information before getting to the next question.

“Now for where I believe I stand amongst my peers, I think that in regards to combat I may be lower than most. I believe that I could defeat Okami and Jiro but Hato would be tough. Your duel with Kyson showed me that I was incapable of even perceiving skill of that level. So I still need a lot of training but I hope I can learn enough to be of value.” Sugimoto would bow to his new Raikage and wait to see his reaction.   
     
Wc 484
TWC 2,226

Sugimoto seemed to think that his greatest weakness was lack of any real life and death experience. This wasn't something that Max would desire to grant the young man, but he might be able to help him get far more combat ready and prepared for the upcoming battle. In fact, his main concerns were that he wasn't experienced enough. He likely felt as though he had no real use on a battlefield. 

"Sugimoto, I have faith that you will do fine. I intend to have a trial of sorts, between all of the Genin looking to both gain experience and seeking advancement. If you were interested, it may help you develop those skills you fear that you lack. And even if not, not everyone is meant to be in the thick of combat. Your defensive and supporting capabilities will be useful beyond measure." Max would pat Sugimoto on the shoulder, thanking him for the respect but also adding, "You do not need to be so formal. This is not really a formal meeting." The boy would suddenly be struck with recalling why he brought Sugi here. 


"I do appreciate your support of my claims, even when some others doubted me. Here," Max would say as he went inside and brought out what looked like a sack or something. "Inside is a token of my appreciation. Hopefully they will help you in your training."

Max's guard Crawford would return, interrupting them and tossing a older man to the ground and bowing quickly giving a light bow. "This man was spying on you and jotting things down on a sheet of paper." The guard would then hand a folded sheet of paper to the Raikage. Opening it up and reading would reveal that it made very little sense as most of the words scribbled were gibberish or symbols. He would hand the note to Sugimoto. Crawford would stand, hand at his sword ready to do whatever it is his lord commands. "Who are you?" Max would ask the person caught spying, "And what business do you have here?"

"Watchin' birds. Little one. It was blue." The old man would reply, his words sporadic and strange. He would smile, some of his teeth missing. "Why are YOU here?" He would ask. Crawford would immediately pipe up, "You will speak when asked to, spy."


"Does this man or that note make any sense to you? Nobody has bothered me or the cemetery all day, but then you come to this meeting and Crawford finds someone suspicious." The boys concern was clear, but his tone was not that of accusation.

Due to Sugi leaving, ending thread


---Exit---
WC: 1669

Claims: TBD