A Day to Remember [Observation]

The heat of the oven blasts Raleth as he opens it, the apron-wearing Sarutobi places a large tray of sweet-sprinkled dough inside. He closes it, and wipes the sweat off his brow with his forearm, the heat and the steam of the kitchen finally getting to him. He sighs, and takes a minute to recall how he found himself in the situation, again. 

Today was a curious day for the people of Sungakaure, as the aid to the Kazekage, Lilith, requested every food vendor, merchant and performer to gather in front of the Spire, for "something spectacular". Though Raleth himself was not one of the people requested by the Kage's aid, he lived next to people that filled such a description, the Harushuno's, a wife and husband who owned the tea shop known as the Uncle's Dragon. 

It had been right before sunrise, when the immense, ashen-haired chuunin was meditating on his porch, in his garden, when a sudden, violent knocking roused him from his peace. When he went to his front door to check who it was, he was surprised to see Mrs. Harushuno.

"Mr. Raleth," said the kind faced woman, "how wonderful to see you! You won't believe the news I have gotten! The Kazekage is hosting a festival this afternoon!"
"A festival?" thrummed the Sarutobi's basso voice, "what's the occasion?"
"Does it matter? We need to prepare!!"
"We?"
Mr.s Harushuno grabs the Sarutobi's hand, and begins dragging him to the Uncle's Dragon Tea Shop.
"yes yes, we! Do you have berries stuffed in your ears? We are making a special batch of pastries, and I want you to prepare a brew for the festival, something that will make the people lively!"
Having no other choice, Raleth agreed to help the Harushunos. What he didn't expect, was having to do all the work himself. Apparently, Mrs. Harushuno's husband, Mr. Harushuno, was still ill with a ghastly cough. With Raleth's urgings, Mrs. Harushuno left the kitchen of her tea shop to care for her other half. 

Wouldn't be right to deprive Mr. Harushuno of his wife thinks Raleth as he returns to his work in the kitchen. 

He goes to a massive pot of bubbling tea, he crushes herbs, flowers, and spice into the liquid, stiring the ingredients into a great big pot of Screaming Monkey. The sweet, spiced smell tickles his nose, the exhaustion of the kitchen leaves him as his spirits are lifted by the tea.

Perfect.

Raleth prepares a cart for the festival, bringing all the supplies he would need to properly serve the population of Sunagakure. The oven dings, the Sarutobi pulls out the massive tray of sweet pastries, and loads them onto the cart. He goes to the massive pot of brew, and gentle places it on the cart. He goes to the many trays of fresh cut fruit, and packs them all in a bag. 

Finished with the needed preparations, Raleth Sarutobi changes his outfit. He wears a white-trimmed jade green Sarutobi kimono, and has it open, revealing his dune-colored flak jacket, black pants and boots, and his shinobi headband wrapped around his neck. He pulls his ashen hair back into a regal knot, and grooms himself. The boiling pot of brew whistle, Raleth returns to the kitchen and removes the pot from the stove. He places it on the cart, and grabs the bag of fruit: hoisting the heavy load over his shoulder. He pushes the cart out of the tea shop, to market street, toward the spire. A thought crosses his mind as he hears snoring form upstairs.

I wonder if Katsuragi will help me today.

Raleth turns down the street, and walks to the tall building in the center of village, a mixture of thoughts and emotions comes to mind as he gets closer.

Haven't seen Zaine or Mizuki since the Kage Summit was announced, I hope they've been well.

The thought of the summit brings another question to Raleth's mind.

I wonder how it went.

A burning grudge aches his heart, Raleth hopes wrongs have been righted. He shakes such thoughts and feeling away, today was a day for celebration. In moments, he arrives in the place designated for the festival: in front of the Spire that towers over everything in Sunagakure. Many different faces can be seen, numerous stalls for food, fun, or performances are set up.

"My friend!" squeaks a high voice, "I have dried beef for you!"

Raleth turns, and smiles at the familiar, wild-eyed, scraggly faced Kabib, the dried beef vendor the Sarutobi met on his errands trip weeks ago. He brings his arm up, and bumps forearms with the beef seller as the two exchange pleasantries. Raleth looks to his beef stall, and looks to his tea cart with fruit and pastries, and suggests that the two of them place their stalls together.

"An excellent idea!"

Raleth and Kabib set up their stalls, and prepare for the coming festival.

Hours pass, all stalls are set up, merchants and vendors bark their wares at festival goers. Wind dancers and fire eaters perform between them, drawing eyes and ryo. Many games, from dice to cards, are played all around, joy and fun enter the hearts of all. Those that come to the stall of Raleth and Kabib will have the choice of beef, pastry, fruit, and tea.

The sound of brick work shifting draws all eyes to the spire, a balcony forms 30 meters above everyone. A startling sight greets the crowd, Kenshin Uzumaki walks up into the sunlight, wearing the headdress of the Kazekage. Raleth is surprised, in his time in the village he had never seen such formality from the Uzumaki, Sunagakure being a village where traditions were eschewed for acceptance and practicality. The tall and slender Uzumaki addresses Sungakure, his voice booms with aid from an unknown jutsu. He lifts of spirits of the crowd, and makes their hearts swell with pride, for themselves and the village they made into their home. The crowd roars with praise, Kenshin speaks over them, and says something to cause silence to fall over. He speaks of a leader sungakure needs and implies that he isn't the one to do such a thing anymore. He removes the Kazekage's headress, and a figure steps onto the balcony, a familiar, ashen-haired shinobi. The Wind's Shadow chooses his successor, Lord First, Kenshin Uzumaki, names Mizuki Ohta as the Second Kazekage. 

The news leaves the crowd speechless, all await the response from their new Kage. Raleth smiles as Mizuki walks up to the balcony.

Congratulations, Miss Ohta.


[[1097]]

The day had finally arrived for the village of Sunagakure to cement it's new leadership and usher in a new era for the entire Wind Country- the thought of such a momentous day being so close to the events that had transpired so recently at the Kage summit was both troubling and inspiring and Zaine had a grasp on the challenges posed by this new situation in full. Still, today was a day that he needed to put aside his concerns for the future and celebrate the leader that Sunagakure both needs and deserves, the woman that had helped him in more ways than one and that he had seen actively form and cultivate the village and success of those around her- yes, it was a day that he had hoped for and had every intention of being present to witness with his own reddened irises. 

The previous day he had made it clear to his to his three genin that they were to meet just before noon a few blocks from the spire so that they could get to the festival and have enough time to see the full coronation ceremony- he arrived 30 minutes before noon and much to his surprise his three students had beaten him there. "Well atleast I know I wont have to worry about punctuality when it comes to you three. Sorry I lagged behind a bit but were all set and ready to go now. But before we take off and get there, I have two rules for you. Souji, Seb, Asashi, one.. behave yourselves and dont get into any trouble and that means no destroying anything. This is an important day for the whole village and you three can tend to get.. well. You know." He sighed before continuing "Rule number two is that you three stay together. Ill be making my way around the festival and there's a good chance ill leave early so stick with each other and stay out of trouble. Thats it. Thats all ive got for you so we should be good to go!" And with that, he would make his way towards the festival with the three young shinobi, keeping a bit of distance as they trailed behind him to their destination. 

The four of them would arrive just in time to see none other than Lord first atop the spire and it seemed he had already begun to deliver a speech- he was wearing the hat that signified one as the Kazekage of the village and it became more and more clear that this speech would be the precursor to the crowning of Mizuki Ohta. The words of Lord First were touching and it was a fortunate opportunity that the three budding shinobi that had been entrusted to him were getting a chance to witness a true passing of power along with hearing about the man who had led the village for some time. Kenshin Uzumaki had paid his dues and his labors would forever be respected and eternalized- he was single handedly responsible for bringing the village back from its destruction and opening safe haven for individuals around the world to find a home in the prosperous village of Sunagakure. Zaine had been lucky enough to hear his story in full and with that he was able to take the words of Kenshin in stride, "Thank you for all you have done, Lord First" He would think to himself with a smile as the moment everyone had been waiting for fast approached. 

The end of his speech was upon them and out from the backing walked the new leader of Sunagakure, Mizuki Ohta. Upon finally seeing her as she stood above the people of the village, the rays of the sun shining down on everyone present, their light symbolizing the new light being placed upon the village and all the good that was to come. Cheering and applause bellowed through the streets, the celebrations being heard throughout the village. Zaine looked around as he applauded and took in the view of the villagers, his people, his family- this was the community he had longed for after being forced from his original home, this was all he could have hoped for and more. He would direct his attention to his three students and take in their reactions before focusing his gaze back on Mizuki- it would soon be time for her to give a speech to the people and officially take up the mantle and there wasnt a thing in the world that would distract him from witnessing this historic moment.

[WC=765]

Asahi made his way towards the designated meeting place. He was meeting his newly assigned team, led by Zaine Uchiha, and his fellow students of Souji and Sebastian. They had met just once before, just briefly when he was first assigned to the squad, but he hardly knew any of them and still felt a stranger to them all. The Genin had little idea what the festival was celebrating or why they were being called here on this day, but it had to be important with all this time and effort being poured into it. Indeed, even a few blocks away from the Spire the ends of the crowd was coming into view and he could tell it was going to be packed just beneath the tower. Before long he arrived at the rendezvous and was joined by Souji and Sebastian. Shortly after that Zaine arrived, last but certainly not least.

He gave a quick greeting to the other three members of his squad when they had all gathered. He wore his typical black jacket and pants with his Sunagakure headband tied tight over his forehead. Brown hair ran down over the fabric of the band. His green eyes seemed lost in thought as they stood and talked for a few moments. Asahi looked like there was much on his mind. A darkness from a lack of sleep was beginning to show itself under his eyes. A recent mission had him sent out beyond the village to deal with an intruder who tripped their sensors and it had ended in her death by his hands, despite doing all he could to prevent it. He was still working through the complex emotions of that aftermath.

"Hello," he said aloud to them all but to none of them in particular. The Genin made an effort to perk up and seem more aware, even making a show of yawning like he was still waking up. He nodded silently in agreement as Zaine laid out some ground rules. The Uchiha seemed pleasant enough and he thought he could do a lot worse for a sensei. Asahi wished he knew more about what his team could do, but he supposed that would come in time. "Quite a lot of people here, huh? Guess it's going to be a pretty big announcement, whatever it is."

Before long they moved on and started the short trek to the Spire. The festival was in full swing and the crowd was starting to become denser the further they walked. People were in good spirits and all along the way to the Spire were vendors peddling what foods or trinkets they could to the enthralled masses. They got to a good spot with a view of the balcony and almost immediately the Kazekage walked out and began a speech. As the man talked Asahi couldn't help but tense up. The Kazekage, Kenshin Uzumaki, was infamous. He had heard a great deal of things about him. Some were likely to be false, but if even a fraction of them rang true then this was somebody the budding shinobi needed to be wary of. To say that Asahi didn't agree with many of the things in the village would be an understatement, and from his narrow view in his position as a Genin he couldn't help but feel that the Kazekage was the source of much of that. He made a promise to someone who was now dead that he would fight for what he believed in, but the Kage was all the way up there and he was just a number in a crowd. An ant to a giant. Their respective positions couldn't be more indicative of the gap that existed between them. I'll get stronger, he told himself.

He relaxed visibly when the Kazekage announced that he would be stepping down. His successor soon replaced him on the balcony and he heard the name Mizuki being spoken by the crowd at her appearance. Of course he had heard the name and knew that she was one of the important leaders of Sunagakure, but beyond that he knew almost nothing of the woman who had now become the Second Kazekage. What sort of person is she? he wondered. Is she like the First? He had thoughts of the transplant market that was openly accepted, the Bloodworks that people fought and died in, and the sordid history of the village that he so desperately wished to change. What is next for Sunagakure?

"Mizuki?" he said to his companions. "I don't know much about her," he admitted. "What sort of leader will she be?" He hoped that one of his team knew more about their new leader than he did. Asahi refrained from clapping or cheering and merely looked at her inquisitively upon the balcony, dressed as she was in the garb and hat of the office of Kazekage.

---

811 Asahi WC
811 Asahi Total WC

Today was the day - a day of remarkable importance. Mizuki Ohta, also known as the mother of Souji, was being bestowed the village in a ceremonial fashion. The Hyuuga knew this day was going to come, but... but he didn't expect it to come so soon, that and he did not truly know how to take it. On one hand, he was completely illustrious of her accomplishments, thus honored to be her son. Yet on the other hand... he knew that this meant her time would be more focused on the well being of the Village and its people. No true time to spare for him... and even if she managed to make such a sacrifice, it would only be short lived. Her duties are absolute, Souji knew this.

Digression swiftly set in. The boy casually stride through the village streets - which were vacant for the first time he has notice since being there. His black hair swayed about his face and head as his undercut shaped his head well. The glimmer from the sun's light would reveal the purple tinge of his hair. Multiple piercings in his ears, one underneath his lip. Naturally perfect arched brows that complimented lilac eyes that nonchalantly gazed forward. He wore a black turtleneck top and black jacket with a series of straps and bucklets that gave it the resemblance of a straight jacket. Crimson pants with black shinobi boots. A white silk sash that draped over his left with the village symbol woven into it. His lowerback placed one of his weapon pouches.

He, along with the others of his squad were given specific meet-up orders by their sensei, Zaine. To arrive thirty minutes before the ceremony a block away from the spire. Souji knew his sensei a bit better than the others, and he could smell a lecture coming a mile away. With his hands in the depths of his pockets he would shake his head, before long he would take notice of someone. 'Hm? Asahi? He beat me here...' He would think to himself as he closed in. He only met the boy once prior to this day. His first thoughts on him were not well... Souji, in so many words, did not like him at all. But, that was nothing new for the boy, he doesn't take to anyone aside from Mizuki, Zaine and most recently, Sebastian. Two of which he threaten to permanently castrate once or twice. But, it took them all some time to earn Souji's trust and respect. Some more immediate than others, but the degrees of which this took place came in time.

Coming to a halt, one meter away from Asahi, the Hyuuga would gaze at him. His lilac eyes would sit heavily on the air of the boy...noticing that he looked a tad bit...debilitated. A subtle rise of his right brow would suggest that he took notice of this from before. It was as if something was weighing heavy, so much so that it was beating away at him from the inside out. The boy wouldn't dwell on the thought, he couldn't care less for him, or his personal woes. Turning his head to find that the rest of the crew finally arrived. "Zaine Sensei, you're late! And just what the hell have you been up to? This is the second time that you arrived after everyone else for something important..." His words were both stern and a bit chastising, something that Zaine is no doubt used to coming from this particular genin. "Even Ogre managed to beat you here and that's an achievement for him... By the way, good job Ogre, I'm proud of you." He would give a kind nod to his best friend before returning his flinty glare to his sensei. With a sigh, he would await to see what was to come from this thirty minute convene meant.

Their sensei would lay down two rules for them. The first being "Souji, Seb, Asashi, one.. behave yourselves and dont get into any trouble and that means no destroying anything. This is an important day for the whole village and you three can tend to get.. well. You know." Immediately Souji strayed his eyes to the lower left - feeling as if that rule was more so implemented for him and him alone. His recent destruction of a section of one of tge training grounds left him with a lifetime commitment to help tend to it and its animals. 'If he's going to tell me to control my temper, he could have just said that... but, a blanket statement seems fair, I suppose.' He would echo in his mental as he returned his attention for the second rule. The first rule was fine, he could managed that fine, but the second.... he glanced over to Asahi - whom was paying attention without fail. He was not particularly enamored by that rule. But he did not interrupt his senei.

The group began to set off for the ceremony. As they were arriving Souji took notice of the crowds of people. A few of the people there had banners made for the occasion. Others just looked on intently. Asahi's words would reach the ears of the Hyuuga. "You mean to tell me that you are unaware of what today is? Just where the hell have you been?" It would appear that Asahi's lack of knowledge for what was taking place really bothered the boy, so much so that he hasten his stride to walk a few paces ahead of the group. Soon enough, he would take note of someone standing atop of tge spire delivering a speech. Souji never seen this man before, but his hat informed him that he was the one that lead the village prior to his mother. As the man spoke, Souji couldn't help but feel an eerie sensation from that man. 'Wha-what the hell is that? Lately, I've been able to...to feel things around me. Not sure how, or why, but its only up to five meters. But, when I focus I can feel things further than that, but no more than ten meters. He's too far away, about thirteen meters, not even going to mention the height difference. Why can I feel this cold chilling sensation from him...its almost...suffocating.' He would think as he shuddered. He wanted to use his Byakugan, but...but something deep down inside of him assured him that that would have been a poor call...Souji usually did not obey, but this time...he did.

Glancing behind him, Souji would spot his sensei. He would move toward him and stand to his right. Keeping his eyes on the man on the spire. "Zaine sensei? That man up there... exactly who is he? Something about him, makes my skin crawl as if a thousand centipedes are running underneath. I keep feeling something from him, much more strange than from everyone around me." It was with that question that Souji subtly and unknowingly to himself revealed that he could sense chakra. Whether Zaine picks up on this, or not is a completely different thing.

His attention was then shifted as the man announced to the people the new Kazekage. The village thundered with such exciting that the very ground beneath his feet felt as if it was rumbling. The people applaud and screamed. Some cried in joy and it was all so surreal to the Hyuuga. His eyes would shift from person to person. Their joy and responsibility for the announcement of the new Kazekage was overwhelming to him. Upon a subtle glance, even Zaine was taken in by the moment. Though it did not escape Souji that the Uchiha was looking around as well which lead to him noticing Souji looking at him. His eyes teared away as he returned them to the woman that took him in. He did not clap, but that did not symbolize that he wss not proud of her. He held a bittersweet taste for this moment. One that he was not quite sure of how to deal with, or even if he should.

[WC: 1,362]

The cloaked shinobi passed through the village gates, now fully storing his credentials which he had previous produced to gain access. He was now a documented visitor, but he was still an outsider, therefor upon entry he would suppress his chakra and pull forth the hood of his charcoal-gray cloak so that it would mask his head and provide a barrier between him and the sun. The Uchiha’s light complexion was not used to the climate of the desert village so he was thankful that he was able to find some sort of relief within his cloak- even though it was a tad bit uncomfortable. With his right hand, he adjusted his hair so that it fell down his back comfortably instead of being entangle

d in his hood.
 
Now that he was on the other side of the gates and effectively within the village walls, the boy would take in his surroundings whilst not breaking stride. “The village is much livelier than I remembered…”, he thought to himself while looking upon the crowded area before him. The streets were filled with people all seeming to be moving in the same direction as a heard of merry sheep. Ita continued his pace as he merged with the crowd, heading in the same direction they traveled with hopes of finding a clue as to the whereabouts of the Kage Summit or Hokage. Looking up, the Jounin would observe a building that appeared to scrape the sky which seemed to be where everyone was heading. Positioned perfectly behind the top of the tower was the sun which was casting a convenient shadow upon the road in which he was traveling, causing himself and those around him to be shaded from the suns unforgiving heat. Ita walked nimbly through the crowd whilst doing his best to dodge the carts of merchants, as well as oblivious patrons and children alike. The last thing he wanted was to bump into someone and cause a scene.
 
As Ita neared the building, the atmosphere grew in grandeur and his ears were filled by the sounds of performers playing instruments and happy festival goers. His nose was penetrated by the delicious smells of food coming from stalls that appeared to be stationed in every direction. The smell caused his stomach to ache as it reminded him that he had not eaten in sometime. The Uchiha decided that he would take advantage of the occasion and secure something to eat before continuing with his investigation.
 
Ita was now the in the vicinity of the base of the tower where people were congregating as if they were waiting for something. Ita was still unsure of the meaning behind the festival. Was this in response to the Kage Summit?  The Uchiha’s eyes were shifting between food carts as he walked by in search of the perfect remedy to his hunger pains. It was not long before a cart manned by a particularly heroic looking man caught his attention. The operator was slightly taller than 6 feet, but his presence was suffocating those around him due to his impressive physical stature. In all honesty, Raleth looked like someone that should be out saving the day instead of selling meat at a stand, but Ita was too hungry to appreciate the irony.
 
Ita approached Raleth’s stall and looked up towards the man, “Hello Friend.” The Uchiha would say to him, hoping to gain his attention long enough to purchase some food from him. “Do you have anything to eat for sale?” The Uchiha would produce Ryo from one of the pouches that adorned his waist. If he obliged, then Ita would use the opportunity as a chance to gather some information as to what was going on. If the man rejected his request of failed to acknowledge him, then he would simply move on to another cart. “You don’t happen to know the reason behind this celebration?” Ita would inquire of the man while waiting.
 
Just a few moments after his inquiry, the sound of the tower’s brickwork would shift causing Ita's attention to be drawn towards the source. In the moments after, the crowd would begin to grow livelier as the sounds of their cheers echoed in response to the person that had now revealed themselves atop of a balcony that was positioned just 30M above the ground.
 
The person who was commanding the attentions of the crowd was wearing a simple black robe and a hat that was recognizable to any. Ita would soon learn that this was Kenshin Uzumaki, the infamous Kazakage of Sunagakure. Ita had never laid eyes upon him until now, but he had heard stories of him, some of which were enough to keep you awake at night. Kenshin started his speech by thanking those in attendance for heeding his summons and reminiscing on the fact that the village was no longer the abandoned shell that it was when he had first arrived. He thanked the citizens of his village for their part in reviving the village to its now prosperous state, but that was not the only reason he had called forth this celebration today. It was to introduce to the people their new leader and the Second Kazakage of Sunagakure. The figure came forth and he placed the hat upon their head, figuratively and legitimately passing on the role of Kazekage to his successor. As he did so, the crowds around the boy would erupt. 
 
Ita remained calm, his attention solely focused on the Sand’s new leader. He had only been within the village a few hours and things were already becoming interesting. Ita traveled to the village with the intentions of meeting 3 distinct individuals and he had now found his first- who the Uchiha hoped would help lead him to the others. The only thing on his mind was requesting audience with the new Kazekage, but for now he would do the same as those around him and eagerly await the new Kazekage to address their people.


WC: 1,004

Skill Used: Chakra Suppression

As she materialized on the main floor of the Spire she would pause in her approach, closing her eyes and rearranging her features into the mask she was settling herself to wear for the next few hours. Crowds… so many people, so many heart beats … the headache that was sure to come would keep her up the rest of the night, but that was her problem not her people’s. Maybe having Pakuun at her side would help buffer some of the noise - normally he was always around in her office but she had kept him away since the summit, not wishing to share her thoughts but this was a moment of need. Pricking her thumb on her fang would would fly through the handseals Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram and place her hand on the wall - where the small barn owl would emerge, flitting around her form and landing on her shoulder; a worried expression on his face. ‘W-why have you not needed me for so long? Did I upset you master? I know I can be-’ ‘Hush, please Pakuun, we will talk about that later. For now I need you with me to get through the next few hours. Do you hear that crowd? So do I. Just stay with me.’ 


Pakuun didn’t think anything further but the feeling of understanding and empathy was sensed - and with that she headed for the door - the deep blue cloak with gold trim, the Kage hat with the veil pulled aside, and the simple black bodysuit that covered her from the throat down - all that was exposed was her face and hands, the hat kept her long black hair behind her so her intense eyes were never obscured. Slipping out into the crowd was far easier than she expected, standing at a mere 5 foot 3 she wasn’t tall by anyone's standards - but the traditional hat stood out so brilliantly, plus having an owl in broad daylight in the desert didn’t hurt. 


Moving through the crowd felt like a shark moving through a school of fish, people moved out of her path and kept a minimum meter distance from her at all times - albeit some younger children would rush past her much closer, youth obscuring them from fully grasping the event past the vendors and decorations. Mizuki would meet with different groups of people; Merchants of every trade, Farmers, Business men, Medical personnel - civilians and shinobi alike. Some expressed further praise and congratulations, some got right down to the nitty gritty and proposed law changes and proposed funding allocations. The people of Sunagakure were of a variety like no other - or perhaps they were a variety of every kind - being a village that accepted everyone from everywhere it would make perfect sense to see a patchwork culture emerge.


Many faces were new or simply seen in passing, Pakuun was doing what he could to buffer the immediate area but there was only so much he could do - and in time the throb at her temple was rising in pain as the constant beating of hundreds of hearts slammed into her ears. Finally familiar faces would begin emerging here and there but only when the familiar chakra signatures cropped up did she feel a release of a tightening in her chest - somewhere in the crowd North? Steering herself toward the familiar signatures her eyes would dart around the faces, assessing quickly as she searched; Elderly man with wispy beard, red haired child, teenager with raven blue hair, pale man covered in a cloak- her search was abruptly halted as she refocused on the figure in the charcoal black cloak. While every other person she laid eyes on gave off a soft essence of chakra, regardless of how miniscule, this figure was like a black hole. ‘Pakuun..’ All she had to do was think the owls’ name and he was on the case, rising into the air and would maintain 3 meters above her, with Pakuun in the air Mizuki Ohta’s presence would feel like it ceased instantly. As he soared he relayed what information he could - ‘No Genjutsu is active in the area and his main specialty is Space/Time. Do I engage?’ ‘Hold.’ 

At this point she had skirted around to position herself at the mans’ back, the crowd aiding her now instead of parting at the site of her - alcohol having truly begun to work in their veins and lowering their formality. With two quick steps she grabbed his hood with her left hand and reached around to the front of the cloak with her right - pulling both simultaneously; the hood would be pulled off and the stranger would be spun to face her. “Who are you.” The kind mask she had worn for her people was gone, pure fierceness and aggression exuded from her eyes; the question lacked the inflection as her commanding tone overrode niceties. “Only someone who has something to hide chooses to suppress themselves in a crowd.” She glanced at his eyes and had to refrain from immediately looking away - Another Uchiha - but with Pakuun she didn’t fear genjutsu as she used to. Refusing to release the front of the man's cloak she stared him down, “What is your business here stranger.”


WC 881
Summoning Pakuun - 10 AP D rank Summon

With his eyes and ears, Ita would watch and listen as the newly appointed Kazekage took the stage. Ita could not help but reminisce over his home. The atmosphere evoked emotions and memories of similar moments when his village was at the heights of its glory and the villagers celebrating their prosperity. As of now, Konohagakure was a shell of its former self, ravaged by poverty due to the heavy taxes imposed by Kirigakure.
 
As she began her speech, Ita’s attention would be refocused, providing her his undivided attention. The woman began by humbly thanking them for their attendance and for accepting her as their new leader. She also made sure to state that her interests laid with the people- a wise tactic to win over the hearts of those around him- although by the looks of it, the crowd did not need much convincing. This was a good sign as Ita hoped that the Kazekage would be a reasonable individual and hopefully one sympathetic towards his cause. To Ita’s surprise, the woman spoke of Konoha’s current subjugation before pausing to allow what she had just said to steep into the minds of those who listened. Starting back up, she informed them of the recent Kage Summit that had gone less than expected. ‘Damnit... I’m too late.’ He thought to himself. The boy now not even blinking as he etched her image into his mind. As she finished her speech, Ita would finish his last thought, ‘Even if the summit is over, there is still hope.’ With that, she would disappear from where she came and Ita would look on for just a moment before turning his back to the spire and turning his attention to purchasing or eating his food depending on if the big fellow before him would fulfil his request.
 
It wasn’t long after the Kazekage’s speech that Ita would feel a tug of his hood and a strong hand pulling on the front of his cloak, causing him to spin around towards the source of these actions. Ita wasn’t surprised as to who it was, rather how short they were now that they were on the same level. The boy’s crimson eyes met the fierce gaze of the Kazekage, who just moments ago, was giving her first official speech to the masses. Despite the serious undertone of the situation, his eyes softened as they met hers. “Fate.” He would say, a singular word, that upon delivery, relieved the weight of the world from the shoulders of the Uchiha. “I apologize if my actions have led you to believe that I am up to no good, however I fear that your suspicions are half correct, but I assure you that I mean you, nor your village or villagers, any harm.” The boy would say, making sure not to move a muscle out of place and risk being executed on the spot by the Kazekage and her subordinates which were undoubtedly close by. “My name if Ita Uchiha and I am a Jounin of the Hidden Leaf Village. If you meant what you said up there, then you and I are allies- or at least I hope we can be.” He would say whilst immobilized. “I’ve come to your village for several reasons, one of which to seek counsel with the Kazekage. Perhaps there is some where quieter we can talk?” The crowd was growing more rambunctious by the second mostly due to the Kazekage’s encouragement to seize the day.

[Potential Exit]

WC: 582
TWC: 1,586

30AP [Max Stats] = 52 Bonus Total AP

577 WC Towards B Rank Damage Reduction Shield. 1173 Previously Trained. = 1750/1750
1K WC Towards A Rank DRS = 2750/2750
Discard remaining 9 WC

Her shoulders were held taut and her back straight as she stared him down, nothing about her expression or hold on him softened in any way - high alert seemed to be her new default since the Summit. The man's first word was odd, as a woman who believed in Fate it made her eyes narrow, but refraining from interrupting she listened to his words, no need to cause a scene here after all. He remained as still as possible and his heartbeat did not increase, plus everything he said was confirmed to be truthful by confirmation in her mind from Pakuun. Only when he mentioned he was from Konoha would she drop her hands from his clothing and take a single step backward, eyeing him from head to toe for several seconds as she contemplated his request; had she any doubts of his truthfulness she would require someone to accompany them but she was sure he was truthful. 


“Counsel granted. Come with me, and stick close; I move quickly.” With that she would turn, a small smirk visible before she was slipping through the crowd with the ease and grace of flowing water. In moments the two would enter the Spire and place their hands on the transport seal - taking them up to the top of the tower and the Kage Office.

WC 222

EXIT
TWC 1103
All words going toward Nature Corruption 1103/2000

approved