Next In Line (Open, Chuunin+)

Rain poured into the streets of Kirigakure. Waves crashed at its shore, and the faint cry of the leviathan carried through clouds with each flash of lightning. Mitako was penning a few letters aimed at the higher ranking shinobi of the Mist. For a month, had their Mizukage been gone, with their leader's ultimate fate unknown. Had he died some legendary death against a hated foe or had he finally succumbed to the weight of his guilt?

The man's goal was not to take the position for himself. Mitako wrote these letters with the intent that a leader, even if only temporary, take charge. The text contained a simple summons, which read as such:

Our Mizukage has been gone for a month, with no word or clue about his whereabouts. Please meet at the conference room in his chambers to discuss how we should govern ourselves until his return. - Mitako.

The male would send these letters to each person in the village ranked Chuunin or higher via crow. Once the last of the black birds was on its way, he would proceed to the conference room and claim a chair for himself at one end of the only table in the room.

He was dressed in a simple black robe, that was uncharacteristically worn in a formal manner. What could be seen of his forearms was wrapped in a bandage that came to an end at his wrists. His legs were adorned in simple black pants, his feet with matching black boots, and a katana was attached to his hip. His raven hair was pulled back into a short, tight ponytail, but his eyes lacked their usual golden hue, instead being a dark chocolate color. A sign that the bijuu he housed was no longer influencing his body or soul, not that it was public information anyway.

Two figures were practicing different techniques on a covered porch overlooking the rain, the harsh pitter-pattering of the droplets could be heard over their quiet mumblings. Snow white hair met with raven black fur as they took a break from their training to sip some water and stare out at the cascade of drops in front of them. It was a rather serene moment for Hikari and Kuro, a rare thing for either of them to experience nowadays with their new life being anything but peaceful.

I wonder what Xyxer is doing on this cloudy day, if he’s even still alive… Came the thoughts of the older woman as she began to get lost in her thoughts while watching the rain. It was all she thought about it seemed; Xyxer or her brother, Salzem, anyways. The two never strayed too far from her mind at any given moment, even while she slept. There was no solace from the constant barrage of questions and weight of the burdens she was now carrying because of them, and days like this brought back the worst memories. The rain and dark skies looked just like those on that wretched day when she fucked up her only job in life and became an utter failure. Salzem would’ve been alive had she not mess-

Ca-kaw!

A loud screech echoed over the noise of the water hitting the ground and brought them out of their thoughts as a midnight colored bird swooped down and landed on the small woman’s shoulder, a letter attached to its foot. Her heart pumped quicker at the thought of the Mizukage finally be back from his solo voyage to who knows where. It had been a month since her teacher’s disappearance and this could be the news she had been waiting for.

Yet the moment she unraveled the note her whole body slumped, disappointment oozing out of her. It wasn’t a letter from Xyxer but from someone named Mitako, an unfamiliar name but with intentions that she knew meant they were from Kiri. If they had taken it upon themselves to send this note to any Chuunin or higher, they must’ve been pretty important. Perhaps even part of the ANBU, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that getting to the Mizukage’s conference room needed to be her top priority now and that their training would have to wait until after the discussion.

“Looks like we’re needed at the Mizukage’s office, Kuro.” She folded the note back up and stuffed it in her ninja pouch as the crow flew off back to the delivery area to await its next assignment or back to the person who summoned it. Then the duo ran from their home to the Mizukage’s Chambers, making quick work of the distance by running at full speed and wearing a waterproof jacket to protect their outfit and fur from getting drenched in the rain that pelted them. Once just inside of the building she took a moment to smooth down any loose hairs and make sure her attire was in tip top shape for the meeting she was about to enter held all of the higher ranking shinobi present. She had to make sure she looked respectable and tidy amongst her fellow village members, especially since hardly any of them would probably knew her.

After a few seconds, for that was all she needed to do a once over of her clothes and remove the jacket she had put on for the rain, she greeted the receptionist before following her up the familiar stairs to where the kage did all of his work, although this time she was being led to the conference room instead of his office. Her purple ombre dress flowed with each step she took and her high heeled ninja boots clacked softly against the stairs. Her Kirigakure headband rested on top of her head to keep her hair out of her face and her amol selseila gauntlets were fastened around her wrists with the Hyuuga crest visible to all. There was nothing on her person that showed any sort of connection to Konoha, and the only suspicious thing about her would be her clan, although even that could be played off easily by the fact that the Hyuuga heiress herself was from Kiri.

The door to the conference was open so as her guide went back downstairs the petite Jounin entered the room followed by her rather large canine companion, his crimson eyes searching the perimeter and taking everything in. Only one seat was currently occupied by a man in all black clothing from his torso down to his feet, with the only exception being the white bandages wrapped around his forearms to his wrists, and even his hair was darker than the night sky as it was pulled into a short ponytail. Her own contrastingly bright hair was pulled into a similar ponytail, although hers was most likely higher and definitely longer than his.

“Hello, I’m Hikari Hyuuga.” She would greet the man as she walked in, giving him a courteous bow as she did so before walking to the other end of the table and taking a seat with Kuro sitting to the right side of her on the ground. It was then, when they were completely opposite of each other, that she noticed his dark hazelnut colored eyes that yet again opposed her own lilac tinted orbs.

She wasn’t quite sure if she should give her rank to him now or if he already knew it, so she decided to remain silent on that aspect until she was probed for more questions. There was no sense in saying too much when she’d most likely have to say it quite a few more times throughout this ordeal, plus giving her name was being polite and commonplace, yet rank was not something one typically said when first meeting a new face. Thus she decided she wouldn’t talk more about herself unless someone else inquired about her and would instead seek to learn more about this mysterious person. If the man didn’t say anything before she sat down, she would look at him and say, “I take it you must be the man who summoned us here today, Mitako?”

(WC: 1,052)

In the month that Mizukage had been gone Yasha took it upon herself to leave the main island to go home and visit her family. It had been just like the old days, of course, everyone was older now but there were always three generations running around in this village. From the outside looking in Yasha was able to identify which children came from which of her peers before their parents even had the chance to introduce them. It was cute because she was also able to see a bit of herself in a few of them. Although this would normally be the behavior of an elder, Yasha was well aware of her age and did not fear her mortality. Speaking of elders her now housebound grandfather who’d taken to having the neighbor kids run his errands in exchange for candy or whatever change he had, had quite a lot to say about the disappearance of the Kage. He gave her quite the earful about how it was irresponsible and unbecoming of a leader, of course, he’d never met the man so he didn’t know the full story but that didn’t stop him from ranting. Though he’d calmed down since Yasha and her siblings had been kids he was still revered in the town for his knowledge and province to keep history alive.

Yasha had walked up on him trading contraband when she cleared her throat to announce her presence. The old man jumped, freezing in place before even turning to see who it was. “Don’t worry I’m not here to bust you.” She told him while taking a seat. Hearing her voice the old man relaxed and turned to face her, though he was grinning ear to ear. Apparently he had actually been luring in a crow that couldn’t find her, as she was indoor but her sisters were not, and upon success had read the message it had been sent to deliver. Yasha couldn’t help but smile back at him while shaking her head as he extended his arm to pass her the paper. It seemed as though a meeting of the higher ups had been called by a Mitako. She couldn’t put a face to the name but he obviously had pull to manage getting a message out here to her. “That wouldn’t happen to be code for anything would it?” The old man asked, he was hinting at either one of two things but Yasha wasn’t ready for either. She simply chuckled and gave him a hug before gathering her things to leave.

She ran into the rest of her family on the way out, explaining the situation to them. They honestly probably didn't expect her to stay this long even in this circumstance but they respected her work so they didn't complain. Her travel from island to island had been relatively quick and painless, being a citizen as well as a member of this nation's military getting back into Kiri wasn't as bad as it could've been. A quick flash of the headband and note and there was nothing stopping her, although she did pass by her apartment to drop off her bag. Despite the detour upon entering the Kage’s conference room, there were only two other people present. A white haired girl who also had weird eyes and a male directly across from her. Yasha had walked in just as the female was confirming if the male had been the one that issued the citation. Not interrupting she’d take a seat in the middle of the two, putting him on her right, that gave her full sight of the room.

WC: 606

It was a typical day in Kirigakure. Rain pouring from the cloudy skies, cool wind rushing through the city, the occasional thunderclap sounding throughout the skies. The Kaguya had been frequenting the bars as he always has upon his return from the trip to Suna. That's all it was. A trip. Whatever the point of it was, one thing was certain. The Mizukage was gone. He sent his forces back home whilst he remained back. To do what? Kotsuzui would never know unless Xyxer returned, but how long would that be? Would he even ever return? It was naught but an hour ago that Kotsuzui had received a letter highlighting what was likely on everyone's mind. Xyxer Gyojin had been gone for about a months time and had no returned yet. Nor was there any word from him which was extremely uncharacteristic of him. It only made sense to assume the worse.

Draped in his all white attire topped off with a white cloak with the hood drawn, the Kaguya stood bare-footed beneath the looming statue of the Mizukage. He looked up at it as the rain splattered across his face, the note sent by Mitako in his hand. He stood there in disbelief that Xyxer had simply abandoned them. Why? After all he had done. All he wished to accomplish. Kotsuzui had chosen to devote himself to the Leviathan and his quest. Just like that, as quick as a lighting bolt, it was all gone. The village now seemed hollow. He crumpled up the paper in anger. Why not just leave the village now and return to his real home in Konoha? There was no one stopping him now. All he had to do was turn around and leave.

For some reason, perhaps and unknown force beyond his control, Kotsuzui decided to make his way to the Kage's building. It was a short walk to the location. Although he had never actually been inside the building it was not too hard for him to find his way to the conference room where this meeting was to be held. Removing his hood to reveal his lavish pink mohawk, the Kaguya entered the room to find out he had been late. He paid no mind to the fact as it was something he had been doing since his academy days. If there were a problem with that then they could voice it. He made his way past Hikari and her pet. That was new. Greeting the only familiar face in the room, Kotsuzui took a seat opposite to the second unknown kunoichi. He gave both Yasha and Mitako a glance, having arrived after Hikari posed her question. He refrained from speaking, instead reaching into his pouches and retrieving a pocket bottle of sake. While he waited for things to get started the Kaguya would sip from his alcoholic beverage.

As it turned out, his wait was not the one he expected before the his polar opposite arrived into the room. From memory he couldn't recall having met her, but that was somewhat irrelevant. If she was here, she was among the higher ranks of the village. The woman offered her name and a polite bow, to which he replied with a nod in kind. She sat at the other end of the table from his seat with her pet and asked if he was the one who sent the summons. Without hesitation Mitako would say nothing more than necessary. "Yes."

At roughly the same time another girl joined the situation and took one of the seats between them. The stranger did nothing to identify herself, but once more that was rather irrelevant. If she was allowed in then she was of a higher rank. Provided no one entered or made for discussion, the male would be content to sit in silence for a bit until everyone who could make an appearance arrived.

Flamboyant appearances weren't necessarily his thing, but to each their own. Shortly after the previous stranger came, a man with all white clothes and a pink mohawk entered the room and took a seat. Their host would give them each a few more minutes before deciding that enough time had elapsed to progress with the topic at hand. "As far as I know, Xyxer and his body guards have yet to return or send any communications back to the village since a month's time." This was already made clear through the letter, but was worth stating. "We currently lack a leader. I asked for your presence here today to discuss who should take charge until we receive more news of our Mizukage or those who have yet to return from Sunagakure." Obviously the pecking order would indicate the highest ranked person would take charge, but no one had taken the step up to the plate quite yet.

Her inquiry was met almost immediately, the man sitting across from her not hesitating or waiting for the others to answer. Instead, he said a single word and went back to the silence that encompassed them, if only for a mere couple of seconds as another person joined the party. This time it was a woman she did not recognize with the same ravenous hair as the man but with a peculiar set of eyes she had never seen on anyone before. They were fully black where they should’ve been white, with the only sign of color coming from her white irises. The mysterious woman’s eyes were not the only interesting part about her, the clothes she wore were also quite...unique. Although the Hyuuga couldn’t say anything about the revealing top since she herself wore something similar long ago, plus it wasn’t her place to judge what others wore to begin with. She had far more important matters to attend to than waste her time on the outfits of strangers.

The woman with the black sclera sat down wordlessly between the two of them and waited patiently as she did for Mitako to start the conversation, but alas it was not yet time for the real business to go down for a fourth person stepped into the room soon after the tall woman. The moment her pupil-less eyes landed on the newcomer the corner of her lips turned upward ever so slightly.

He’s alive, and doing well it seems. Were the thoughts that crossed her mind at seeing her only friend in this forsaken world. He had been there for her when she had nowhere else to go and knew better than anyone about what she was going through, although she didn’t quite know everything he had been going through. They hadn’t talked much since coming to the island and even though they were both outsiders, she had chosen to be whereas he was forced to become a captive to Xyxer. The silvery haired man had given her the option to join or stay behind, but as far as she knew the Kaguya hadn’t been as lucky with a deal, although that brings to question why he was still in Kiri since Xyxer was nowhere to be seen. He could’ve made his way back home and no one would have doubted where he went, not unless the Mizukage was coming back for the people he all but seemed to have abandoned.

Especially if Kotsuzui was there for that meant Xyxer had not even taken one of his chosen subordinates on this mission, something that struck her as highly uncharacteristic of the man. Sure she didn’t know him well, but she thought she had gotten at least a small grasp of his character by now to know that everything he’s done has been very strange for him. Leaving his army to travel home while he went alone, not returning for a month, and not even sending any kind of contact to his trusted shinobi… Yet whatever he had planned or was planning, she could never in a million years imagine what it could be. No amount of mimicking him could help her solve that puzzle.

While Kots sipped on what appeared to be a bottle of alcohol on her left, the man directly in front of her remained quiet for what seemed like ages. When she felt he was never going to talk she almost opened her mouth to ask what the hell this meeting was for, but fortunately for her, she didn’t have to do such a brash thing to get the ball rolling. Mitako finally engaged with them and addressed the elephant in the room, reminding them of why they had been summoned here in the first place. That was the obvious part of the situation, they all knew the Mizukage had been mia for far too long, although what the man said next surprised her.

Does no one seem to know that the Suna delegation has already been back for some time now? She had thought the news traveled quickly about their return yet from the looks of it she was incredibly mistaken. How could a higher ranking shinobi not know?

“I can shed some light on part of the information you are lacking.” Her voice was confident and monotone as she spoke up after he ended his statements, crossing her right leg over her left under the table. “I was part of the Suna delegation, as was he.” She would gesture with a tilt of her head towards Kotsuzui, since she recalled seeming him aboard The Silence during the short journey to and from Suna. “Lord Mizukage did not return home with us, instead, he sent his army back home and traveled somewhere else. However, I do not know where he went or if he took anyone else with him.” Hikari would then cross her arms over her chest, waiting to see if Kots had anything to add or if someone had any more questions, although for the latter she wasn’t quite sure she would have the answers. She had just told them everything she knew and if she said anything else it would just be speculation at best.

(WC: 1,933)

Other than the male’s reply to the white haired girl’s question the room remained quiet during her entrance and while it would remain that way for sometime after it wouldn’t be due to a lack of people, or so she thought. Shortly after her arrival a barefoot male clad in an all white ensemble with a pink mohawk entered the room, he seemed to be familiar with the white haired girl. The newcomer glanced at her and the male that called them all there before pulling out a flask and taking a swing, now he had the right idea. The corner of one side of her mouth would curl up in a subtle smile while she wouldn’t directly ask for a swig during the continued wait if he offered she wouldn’t decline. Mitako would commence the meeting by speaking a quick reiteration of the note they’d all received. It would be interesting to see who would officially step up now that the position was being offered, however, before the male could go on the other female would interject. She let him as well as Yasha know the she and the other male present had been apart of the forces that were sent to Suna. Unfortunately she didn’t know where Xyxer had disappeared to either so it would be up the pinkette to fill that in if he knew or keep quiet so Mitako could speak again. As Yasha didn’t have anything to add just yet.

A few more silent moments passed by before anyone had decided to break the silence. It was quite awkward for the Kaguya and he wondered if it were the same for everyone else. It has been a while since he had seen or spoken to Hikari. To meet her under these current circumstances, in a room with two strangers was a little odd for the Konoha native. He would have preferred doing so under a better situation where he could properly catch up with his only friend in this cold, wet land. Luckily for him he had his alcohol to occupy and relax him. His eyes awkwardly scanned the room as if looking for more people he hadn't noticed once Mitako broke the silence and decided to speak up. "Is this really all there is?" Kotsuzui asked himself in disbelief. Or were the others simply later than the Kaguya? Kotsuzui was praying it was the latter. 

Mitako started the gathering with what was mostly known and written in his letter. The Mizukage was gone for far too long and someone needed to take care of village affairs in his absence. Or place, depending on how things proceeded in the future. Hikari was the first to respond taking the liberty to inform the other two on what she knew about the Suna delegation, reminding Kotsuzui of how useless that whole attack was. Then Hikari informed them on what everyone who returned knew. That was that they knew nothing of Xyxer's whereabouts. It had Kotsuzui thinking, where were Xyxer's two bodyguards when he had organized the Kage Summit? The slender black haired male and the female who sat inside a massive robot. Where were those two? Had they gone off with the Mizukage as well?

Wherever they had gone, it left Kiri in a deep hole all too reminiscent of where Konoha was before Kiri took over. During the conversing of Mitako and Hikari, Kotsuzui couldn't help but notice the female across from him giving him the slightest of grins. Was she hitting on him or did she simply find his sake a humorous gesture? Either way there was one thing for certain, she was quite. If there was anything that could help loosen someone up, it was alcohol. He placed the bottle onto the table and slid it over to her before leaning back into his chair. "It's as Hikari says" Kotsuzui added, confirming it. "The fact he has not made preparations for this though, leaves me to believe he was not planning to stay away for an extended period of time. But it has been too long. We can't leave the village unattended like this."

His own words brought Kotsuzui to the realization that there was only one significant chakra signature within the room. Hikari Hyuuga's. Although chakra potency was not the sole identifier in determining a strong shinobi, it helped. As for the other two in the room, theirs was almost non-existent. Were they were the only two other high level shinobi remaining in the village? "I have no intention of taking charge" Kotsuzui said straight up, making sure his intentions were known. It didn't suit him. "I'll help with keeping order in the village and making sure our forces stay in line. But I won't be filling in for Xyxer."

His eyes would move to meet hers as she spoke. He thought that there remained some shinobi who had yet to return from Suna, but he would not argue with her statement since it wouldn't help them in establishing a leader. Once she was done she tipped the conversation towards the pink haired individual. Mitako's attention would follow Hikari's lead to the stranger who confirmed her statements. He'd go on to assert that there was an oddity in the fact that Xyxer left no preparations for his disappearance, while also stating that he had no intention of taking charge.

In agreement with the man, he found it an opportune time to state his own feelings on the matter. "I don't believe I'm capable of what the role requires." It was less of a belief, and something he knew as truth. Xyxer was strong, and even at his own peek he was incapable of overpowering their leader in any way. To a lesser extent he didn't want to admit his own inadequacies regarding one's self control.

Once more his attention was turned, but this time not due to any cues. "You've yet to say anything, what are your thoughts?", he said as he turned to face the silent woman to his left.

Her mohawk friend fortunately didn’t seem bothered by her kind of throwing him right into the conversation, even adding on his own thoughts regarding the mysterious disappearance of Xyxer. A subtle nod was all she did in agreeance of his words, believing that they could no longer wait for the ashen haired man to come back or contact them at all. For all they knew he could’ve been abandoning his position and had been wondering when they would pick up on that, although even that idea seemed a bit preposterous given who she was referencing. A man of honor such as he wouldn’t do a thing like that, which raises the question of his death instead. She didn’t dare voice such a thing though, not when those loyal to him could attack her for uttering an idea like that.

His next few sentences did cause her eyes to widen ever so slightly. Hikari didn’t think she would relinquish the opportunity for more power so easily, although part of her wondered if he had done so in order to find an easy way out. If he was not attached to the kage anymore then he was free to go back to his real home in Konoha, not this fake home he had been forced to live in. He would be free from Kiri. Or so she thought was his plan until he mentioned helping keep the village in order and the forces in check. If he wanted to leave as badly as I thought he would, why would he offer to do such a thing? To continue the act or because he meant it?

The man behind the meeting piped up next and also declined the role of kage, stating he just wasn’t capable enough for the role. She felt it was a little strange that they gave up the title so easily since she herself would accept the role. Being a kage seemed like it would give her more power or at the very least the ability to learn more than she could currently, especially about Xyxer and how to become like him.

After Mitako mentioned not wanting to be kage he turned his attention to the only one in the room who had not spoken yet was the black sclera woman, who had taken a swig of Kotsuzui’s offered alcohol. The headache this meeting was most likely going to turn into almost made the snowy-haired kunoichi want a sip of liquid courage as well, but she refrained herself from making any sort of movement that might imply as such. It would offer a good opportunity for after the meeting to go out for drinks, a pleasant way to catch up in his style of doing things for once. Mitako asked the still unnamed woman for her thoughts on the matter since she had been so quiet up until then, and even Hikari was curious as to what she would say, if anything at all.

(WC: 2,430)