Meetings at First (Noboru Kaito)

“Right this way; the Raikage is expecting you.”

When he had been summoned earlier that day, caught off guard in his regular clothes he always wore, black sleeveless t-shirt, black pants, bandages from knuckle to wrist and from mid calf to toes with the typical sandals of the ninja, headband on his head and eyepatch over his Byakugan,  Noboru wasn’t sure what to expect. For starters, the ninja who summoned Kaito had done so on behalf of “the new Lord Raikage, Kiseragi Onomori”. Not a name Kaito recalled, as far as he could think, but it was no matter. He half expected the new Raikage to meet him behind these doors to be Gidyne in another one of his costume changes. Would he look at a new face each time he walked through these doors?

With his curled hand facing him, he let his knuckles rap against the door, before opening it and peeking inside, slowly walking in. The person who had been facing the windows at the time slowly turned back, crimson eyes peering from behind the desk. Fuck. If this person had a Sharingan and just looked him in the eye, he could play all sorts of tricks on Kaito now. He would have to pay special attention to what happened; it wouldn’t do to activate his own Sharingan or activate the Byakugan and risk the veins on the side of his eye to bulge out, denouncing him as a Byakugan holder. Kaito liked to have his secrets, after all. Anything to catch an enemy with their pants down.

This new Kage, however, already knew his name, and even before he swung around he asked Kaito how important his home was to him. He was pretty sure he meant the Kumogakure; the rinky dinky place he had on the belly of the city could barely be called home, the only thing homely about it was the comfort of the familiar that Kaito could recognize from having been poor in that shit stain for so long.

The Raikage flung a folder onto the desk as he turned around, a massive sword covered in bandages then slung over his shoulders to place the sword on the desk, as he picked the Raikage hat. Perhaps this was not Gidyne at all, or if he was, this was another one of his tricks. He thought they were beyond that, considering their last conversation. The new Kage explained that the conversation would evolve depending on the response of Kaito.

“Lord Raikage.” Kaito would take a curt bow, just enough to show respect but not enough to lose sight of the man in the chair. “My home is the most important thing to me. I have no deep personal relationships or children, nor do I own land of my own. Yet if I did, I would like them to be in the Kumogakure, and I would like my descendants and bloodline to live in these lands as well. Whatever they may be, they are my lands, and the lands of my ancestors. I have bled for the Kumogakure, and made others bleed for it too. I live for it, and one day will die for it as well.”

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WC: 534

Following a light hearted chuckle, the new Raikage spoke of past Kages. Out of four he had known (a considerable number), only three knew the village as their home. He figured the fourth might’ve been the Ninth Raikage, the one the world knew as Gidyne Rygisae, the one who Kaito now knew as Kutari Uchiha. Perhaps he was the last living person to know him by that name inside the Kumogakure. Perhaps Kiseragi would know as well; after all, why else would he have taken this position if not with the authorization of Kutari, the man who claimed he would only take his youngest form if there was a need for it?

When Kiseragi offered him the position as Deputy Kage, Kaito kept his composure, not wishing to give away anything that could betray the surprise or excitement he felt at the prospect of taking such high office. However, Kaito himself had walked into that question: what he had considered to be a test of loyalty (one he did not lie in, either way) had turned out to be a job interview. Following the logic of previous kages having been loyal countrymen of the Kumogakure, he felt he liked where this proposition might go. “I accept it, Lord Raikage.”

When the Raikage made to leave the door and informed Kaito they would be going to Suna, Kaito got ready to follow behind the storm lord.