Changing Leaves

The walk toward the Hokage's Tower was filled with silence. To many they couldn't recognize the hair or the aura around the boy, but those facial features they did...the remembered when that face was only full of smiles and laughter. Many spoke to him and he offered them that same smile he always would but even those that knew him knew that he was in a serious mood. Some of the citizens had begun to run toward his house where his sister had still been waiting...and waiting, but Ishi felt this in his heart and stopped in his tracks. Slowly he would make his way toward his home, his mind racking with different things but what would he tell her? It took him a minute but many had been waiting outside with the news," Move out of the way please...," he would say as he moved through the crowd and made his way into the house. The flooding of memories came over his mind as he smiled and then he had heard her voice. A soft whimper followed by tears as she wheeled over to him and hugged his torso tightly. The silence filled the room as he hugged her somberly and said nothing for she knew.

The two shared the embrace for maybe a minute or two longer before he broke the silence," I am back...And i plan on making our lives and this village better. I know what must be done Sis..Just wait a little longer alright? ," he broke from her embrace and patted her on the head gently, and took off into the streets of the village to his destination once more. He didn't wait for her response for he knew what it would be, but she supported him for all of the things he did in life. As he arrived at the tower he would walk in and with haste move up the stairs with his senses still aware of what is going on within the tower. Once he had arrived at the door he would open it whether or not someone was in there. At the current moment he did not see anyone and he checked the room from left to right. With the room being open with the desk at the center he would be able to see anyone if they had been in there. At this point in time he would step into the room and make his way over to the desk still keeping his eye out as he moved toward it and pushed the desk from behind the chair and looked at it," Its been too long for this village.. The atrocities that have happened to us..and no one has stepped up to make it better," he took in a deep breath as he remembered Seto's vision and wondered if this was the starting point of it. What would come of this he did not know but one thing was for certain. He was going to make a change.

1/5 Embracing Shadows
[Claiming Hokage after 48 hrs]

Spoiler:

Within the Hokage’s Chambers were two figures working diligently on a plan to deploy additional shinobi forces to their neighboring village of Sunagakure to receive military training for the battle that would ensue in the upcoming months. One was a male who was sitting with perfect posture in a solid oak chair with velvet upholstery behind the Hokage’s desk. His skin was ghostly white, and he was clad in formal white kage robes along with a hat that was inscribed with the Hokage’s insignia. Beside him was a woman who was leaning over the same desk, shuffling through papers while the Hokage would stare intently as she presented him folder after folder containing credentials of various shinobi of the village. As she did, he would offer nothing more than a head nod or a head shake signaling his approval or rejection. Said woman also had pale skin although hers was not as ghostly as Itwo’s. Her most defining feature was her long dark blue hair and violet eyes that were a common characteristic of the Hyuga clan. This woman’s name was Karruchi Hyuga and she was a R.O.O.T Anbu operative of the village and she was currently tasked with assisting Itwo with making the decision on who to send to Sunagakure next.
 
Their work would come to a halt as a sudden disturbance would draw the attention of the pair to the singular doorway of the room. A boy had entered without knocking which produced two very different reactions. Itwo was not surprised by the sudden barging in as he had come to find that most shinobi of this village preferred to enter his office without warning. Karruchi on the other hand found the action rather disrespectful and her face quickly morphed into a scowl.
 
“Can I help you?” Karruchi would snap at the intruder.

“Now, now Karruchi, he is a shinobi of our village and has every right to seek counsel with his Kage.” Itwo would say, hoping to calm down his companion. Upon studying the boy’s appearance Itwo found that he looked familiar- in fact he was one of the shinobi that Itwo had selected to be sent to Suna to undergo the Kazekage’s military training. “Tell us friend, what has brought you here today?” Itwo would inquire, intrigued as to what his response would be and delighted that fate had brought them together today.
 
(The Hokage’s office is circular and has a diameter of 30 meters with the Hokage’s desk located directly at the center of the room, 15 meters from the singular door that serves as the only entrance and exit to the room. There is a red carpet that covers most of the wooden floor and on the opposite side of the doorway is a large panel of windows that spans half of the room overlooking the village. The ceiling of the room is 10 meters high.)

WC: 480

Two people were indeed apparently been in the office which had not changed his plan or his movements. Walking into the office the door would be closed behind him so that no one could walk in behind him, his front would not have moved so that his eyes were still on the two in the office. The door would be closed quick enough to where if he needed his hand for anything it would be free, but the moment one tried to snap at him, Ishimaru ignored his words and presence as a whole as he addressed one which had some actual manners," My reason for being here is quite simple. I am not here to seek counsel with the Hokage...actually "counsel" would be a loose term. My intention is to request that he relinquish the title of Hokage," he would of course merit a moment for that to process...in fact something that bothered him greatly. To his knowledge since his departure from here to Suna, the one who had been at the helm of Konoha was Wan, yet someone opposite to him had been present in the chair," You aren't Wan...So why are you sitting in his place?," something that displaced his initial thoughts but instead he would set them aside to deal with the current situation. Returning to his original thought process he would continue," While the effort to rebuild our home is indeed a long and arduous process it is a process that is going far too slow to the point where others are looking down on our home...I can't let that happen any longer as a member of this village and as such my plan is simple. Remove that which is not working and in its place someone who will do better."

While he had been speaking and even before his eyes had not left either of the two in the room and he wasn't planning on letting anything get past his eyes. If they had made a move that resembled anything threatening or retailative he would respond in kind but for now he would try to resolve this peacefully.

AP: No changes
2 Stacks of Embracing Shadow

Itwo allowed the boy to finish speaking before responding, however, with each word the boy spoke, he could feel his companion becoming increasingly agitated.

“You fucking brat! Who do you think you are speaking to?” Kurruchi would shout at him, disgusted by the boy’s words of treason and blatant disrespect for Shinobi Rank.

By now, the veins on either side of Kurrichi’s eyes had become more defined and were now bulging, signaling that her Byakugan was activated, a reaction that was natural to the sudden rush of rage that radiated through her. Despite the Genin’s words, Itwo’s expression had not changed any from the elated expression he had first presented to his fellow shinobi the moment he entered the room.


“Karruchi, please.” Itwo would say in an attempt to calm the Anbu operative from insulting the young mind before them.


“But Lord Hokage he-.” Her words would be cut short once more.

“Stop.” Itwo would say in a flat unnatural voice, commanding compliance.
 
Karruchi, a seasoned veteran, knew when enough was enough and was now biting down on the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from disobeying Itwo’s order. Itwo mulled over the words that Ishimaru had spoken to them and after a moment of thinking, Itwo would finally speak.
 
“You are right. The Missing Ninja, Wan Senju, has been relinquished of his Title and has once more reclaimed the rank of Missing after suddenly disappearing. In his recent absence, Ita Uchiha, Jonin of this village, has filled the position as he was the most qualified.” To an intellectual, Itwo’s response would seem off, considering that he had spoken about Ita Uchiha as if he were not present in the room. “My name is Itwo and my creator is currently in Sunagakure finalizing a treaty between the newly appointed Kazekage and our village in order to achieve independence from the reigns of Kirigakure. We are currently in the process of dispatching additional troops before you arrived.”
 
Itwo was slightly disappointed, but he was still eager to change the heart of the troubled teen in front of him. It appeared their new visitor was potentially unaware of the situation they were currently in, or they would have already been in Sunagakure participating in the military training exercises that were currently underway.

“Ishimaru, is it?” Itwo would ask rhetorically, sure that his memory of the boys file was accurate, but more so to establish a connection between the two parties. “I am fully aware of the position that our village is in which is why my creator has done what is necessary to progress us towards our shared goal of raising Konoha from the ashes and reclaiming its previous position amongst the great nations.”
 
Itwo would pause to study the expression of Ishimaru in response to the clones attempt to enlighten their guest. “I can assure you that at a time like this, my creator is not concerned about the title of Hokage. We-“ This was the first time that Itwo would group the real Ita and himself together, although the word was all encompassing of any Konoha shinobi with the same objective of achieving freedom, “are more concerned about the unification of our remaining shinobi forces and constructing a plan to achieve the freedom you, I, and everyone else desires.” As Itwo finished his thoughts up to this point, a smirk would come across Karruchi’s face as she knew where this conversation was going. Despite the short life of the Living Clone next to her, he possessed amazing Diplomatic skills and she now knew why Ita had left him here in his absence.
 
“Tell me Ishimaru. Have you come here today to collaborate and aid our cause of freeing our village or is there something else?” The question was short, but straight to the point. Itwo had provided the Genin all the information he needed to understand that everything possible was being done to free their village and now Ishimaru’s own loyalty was being tested. Would he comply and collaborate with them to progress their objective? Or would he choose the same path that the previous villains before them have- to come to their village and murdered their way into an illegitimate role, only to fail.
 
"So, what's it going to be Kid? Are you with us or not?" 


Itwo and Karruchi waited in silence for his response, eyeing the boy carefully. Itwo prayed that the boy was rational enough to understand the message Itwo was trying to convey and rethink his intentions for being here today. Divided, their nation would never achieve the freedom they longed for, but united they could achieve anything. Karruchi on the other hand hoped for a chance to teach the out-of-line Genin some manners.

WC: 770
TWC: 1250

Spoiler:

The moment the chakra would have been flowing into her eyes to activate the Byakugan, Ishimaru's own Meigan would take form and he was waiting for any reason...any excuse to put the ANBU in their place," I don't think I was talking to you so sit like a good dog and let your master do the talking...You do not scare me nor do you intimidate me," he had no time for the barking of one house pet, his attention was set on the one in the chair and thus until this ordeal was done he would attempt to keep himself in check but one more outburst would cause him to...take more aggressive steps. Itwo or however he decided to call himself would begin to speak, no doubt trying to quell Ishimaru's concerns or reasons for being here though the man only made a brow raise from his words. While some of what the male had been saying were the very reasons Ishimaru was here to claim his stake for the title, he also didn't feel as if liberation was the only part of this. When the male had finish he begun to give it some thought before his crimson and blue hued eyes focused on the male," You speak the words that would inspire many to do so many things, but I cannot help but feel as if you are also missing my point. I have seen and heard something that could very well rupture our village into the depths...and many will perish from this war before it even begins. If this is a test to see what I will do then I will do anything for the sake of my home so that those like my sister can live peacefully...Even if it means getting my hands dirty," He would only pause for a moment as he began to cast a glance at the overly rude ANBU and then back to Itwo," If you or your creator do not require or want the title of Hokage then I can argue no less of that. On the same notion however you two would have been better advisors or elders then no?," He wasn't letting down his guard of the potential danger, but he would make his stance quite clear as well.

AP: -5 for Meigan
1844 AP
3 Stacks of Embracing Shadows

The Sun had almost finalized its decent from the skies above Konoha for the day, in exchange, trading places with the Moon.
 
A beautiful orange-gold hue would be cast from behind the Hokage’s rock, causing the portion of the village closest to the rock to be veiled in a shadow, while the portion of the village the rocks shadow did not reach, to be showered in the remainder of the setting Sun’s warm light. At a specific point just a few meters from the edge, space and time would become distorted and out of this distortion a man with crimson eyes and sickly pale skin would appear. The warping would cease and standing in its place would be Ita Uchiha, the current Hokage. He would raise his right hand to his mouth and a blotch of blood would be released into his palm. The occurrence had become regular and no longer concerned him as he wiped his hand clean.
 
Ita took a few steps closer to the edge of the rock, stopping just a meter short. Now still, he took a moment to take in the view. Although the village was far from the one, he remembered, it was still beautiful. It was still his home. He coughed blood into his hand once more. In his current condition, he was not fit to lead. A feeling of melancholy washed over the Uchiha as he stood, overlooking his dominated home, feeling helpless. He wasn’t able to save his friend, the image of Jace’s face flashed before him. He wasn’t able to save his villagers, the imagery Kirigakure invading Konoha and of Sal being turned on by his own peers flashed before him. He wasn’t able to save his Sensei, the imagery of Yensung being killed by a rogue ninja flashed before him. And now, standing before the village as the Hokage, he wasn’t even able to save himself.
 
Ita looked down over the edge of the rock, thinking about how a few steps forward would provide a quick solution to the feelings that raged within him, but his feet would not budge. The Uchiha would now take a deep breath and closed his eyes and in doing so, a link would be initiated between himself and Itwo.
 
“Itwo, are you there?”
 
 
“Karruchi please, we are all friends here. There is no need to get all worked up.” Itwo would say in response to the growing tension in the room. Just as Ishimaru would begin to speak, a familiar voice would begin to ring inside Itwo’s head- his creator.
 
Itwo would close his eyes, completing the telepathic link between Ita and himself.

-

Itwo: “Yes, I am here.”


Ita: “I need you to listen, this is very important.”


Itwo: “I’m listening.”


-

As the two spoke telepathically, Itwo’s eyes would move wildly from behind his eyelids while his body remained perfectly still. At this point Karruchi had disregarded Ishimaru’s words and instead, turned her attention to Itwo who was acting even stranger that usual.

-

Ita: “I will be leaving the village and stepping down as Hokage. At the current moment I am incapable of leading our village into war. I am sure you have completed the task that I assigned you. I entrust you to make the decision on a replacement.”

Itwo: “…”

Ita: “I do not expect you to join me. I know you have begun to make friends here and I will not make you choose between following me and your home.”

Itwo: “Where will you go?”

Ita: “That is not important. What is important is that you fulfil this final task.”

Itwo: “What should I say when asked about what happened to you?”

Ita paused for a moment.

Ita: “Tell them that I have defected and do not plan on returning. This is the last time you will hear from me Itwo.” He lied.

-
 
With that, Ita would open his eyes once more, disabling the telepathic link. A singular tear had formulated during the conversation and found its way halfway down his cheek. The Uchiha raised his right hand, wiped it away, and coughed again. More blood. Ita reached into the pocket of his robe. He pulled out Jace’s headband, the single remaining possession of his late friend, along with a singular kunai. Ita gazed at the headband for a moment before taking the kunai and carving a line directly across the center of the metal placard and through the leaf insignia. He then proceeded to raise the headband to his forehead and secured it to his head. Ita took one final look at the view and in a blur of distorted time and space, disappeared once again to his pocket dimension of Kamui.

-

Itwo’s eyes stopped moving wildely from behind their lids and returned to normal, and when they opened once more, his conscious would return to the present. Itwo blinked a few times, adjusting his eyesight to the room, eventually falling upon Ishimaru.

“What was that?” Karruchi asked, but Itwo ignored her.
 
Itwo began to shuffle the folders in front of him until Ishimaru’s folder reemerged. Itwo flipped it open, read through it once more, and proceeded to close the folder and place it back on the desk.
 
“That was my creator. He has informed me that he will be stepping down as Hokage…” He paused. “And he is defecting from the village.”
 
“It appears that an opportunity has presented itself, Ishimaru Shinkou. Our village is in need of a leader and based on your credentials, you are more than qualified to lead our forces into battle against our oppressors.” Itwo would now remove the formal Hokage hat from his head and hold it in his left hand. He would then proceed to stand up, with hat and hand, round the desk and near Ishimaru. As he got closer, he would extend the hat towards him. “Although I have grown very fond of this hat, I am far too weak to engage in any sort of battle and if it were up to Karruchi, she would enslave the entirety of the shinobi world. That leaves you.” Karruchi, who was staring in awe of the situation could not help to agree with what he had said.
 
“If what you have said is true, then this is your chance to prove it.”
 
Itwo would stand with the Hokage's hat in hand, extended towards Ishimaru, waiting for the boy in front of him to make his decision.

WC: 1081

The air around the room began to thicken with a tension that Ishimaru could not describe as the Hokage's creation had went silent which left himself and the barking ANBU looking a bit perplexed at the situation. He didn't know what exactly had been going on but he would wait. The first to ask what had happened was indeed the ANBU operative in the room but what came next puzzled the young Shinkou. Listening to the words slowly he would begin to move toward the desk, each step gaining him closer and closer until he could look at Itwo more clearly and the ANBU as well," I accept this call and the responsibilities. That however does not relieve you of yours even if your creator has gone "rouge". That only means you have to work harder in his place. What we are lacking is an advisory and elder board that can jumpstart us and I know a single person cannot do it alone. So while you may be stepping down as the leader of the village, you will be helping this village in a different role. You will be hereby assigned as one of the three advisors of this village...Alongside two others that will come at a later date. I will lay the groundwork for the prosperity of our village...but i will need help and some guidance to get us further than we have ever been," as he took the hat he would place it onto his head and smile gladly," Though I accept this role you don't really have an option to back out of it. That is not a threat by any means but you still play a pivotal point in its new development." With that he would wait for the response of Itwo and see what he would say.

[Claiming Title of Hokage.]

“I graciously accept this offer as this office is all I’ve known, but now that I am no longer the bearer of these robes, I am going to need a new hat.” Itwo would say, releasing the hat from his hand and symbolically transferring over the position of Hokage to Ishimaru. “That being said, I do not plan on sitting around any longer, I wish to get stronger so that I may be more use than being confined to this room.” For the first time, Itwo was beginning to feel like an individual as he was no longer living in the shadow of another. Although he looked the same as Ita, he had his own feelings, his own thoughts, and his own heart that beat within the confines of his chest and he did not intend on wasting this opportunity.

“So, lord Hokage,” the words rolled off of Itwo’s tongue in the most natural, unnatural way, “What will our next move be?” Itwo would inquire, excited to see where this new life would take him.

Wc: 72
Twc: 2506

[Claiming Ita MN Rank, Claiming Itwo Konoha Advisor Rank]