Taking some initiative [Nobo]

Rei, the pink haired, plump lipped twenty something year old beauty of the Kumogakure’s Raikage Office sat at the desk, somewhat worried abot what was happening inside the office itself. When Ryuuzaki came in, she took his request and got off the desk, walked around it and knocked on the door. From inside, some noise could still be heard, of metal hitting wood, and a curse shouted out. She smiled nervously at Ryuu, as if apologizing. She knocked again, more vigorously and tactically in between some sets of noise. The noise appeared to abate, and the door knob rattled -- Rei jumped back in surprise -- and Kaito’s red head peered out the door. “Yeah?” Rei pouted. “Your phone line is down, Lord Raikage. Ryuuzaki has arrived.” Kaito’s head turned towards the visitor’s couch looking for the Shadow. “Oh, Ryuuzaki, come on in.” He stepped back and opened the door. After Ryuuzaki walked through, Kaito leaned away from the office to whisper something to Rei, who replied “Yes, it’s confirmed”. Kaito said “perfect, we’ll talk later then” and stepped back away to close the door.

Ryuuzaki might’ve been surprised by what he found. The long office, around ten meters long by a comfortable five meters width, ending in a curved glass wall as befit the office situated at the second to last top floors of the elliptical building, was currently being redecorated to fit Kaito’s ruling style.

What this essentially meant was that a bunch of boxes were now spread about, some open, some still sealed, shiny metal barbells and cast iron dumbbells and kettlebells set against wall racks. Some other gear was being set up, including a preaching rack, as well as adjustable positioning pressing benches. Pull-up racks awaited to be put against a wall, and a cable pulley currently being built, which might’ve been the source of the noise. One wall had already been fitted with mirrors that covered the length of the office, while the other side appeared to be under preparation to be painted. Foam matts decked the floor with the exception of a middle lane which led from the door to the desk at the end of the office, the last four meters of which were not matted, as the weight lifting materials did not reach there.

At the desk, Lord Kiseragi appeared to be plotting the murder of Kaito for all the noise. Ryuuzaki was a god sent. Kaito approached in fast steps through the middle walk. “Come Ryuu, come”, he said as he walked. At the end of the office was the mahogany desk that had been there since as long as Kaito could remember from Kutari’s reign, perhaps longer. To its left, one could see a bar being set , including a minifridge. To the right, a set of couches meant to entertain guests. “Please, have a seat”, insisted Kaito. Kaito himself half sat half leaning on the desk, which appeared to trigger Kiseragi a little further into a murderous plot. “So, Ryuu, what can I do for you? You want a drink?”

Leaning off the table, Kaito moved away towards the bar towards the left of the office, while Kiseragi kept writing in silence. Kaito got a couple cold glasses, and poured some sake onto them. He moved back to the desk and handed one of the glasses to Ryuu, the cold glass meant to disguise the lackluster nature of the sake, which was only meant to be ingested with workout shakes to make the workout more enjoyable.

He sipped at the glass while listening to Ryuuzaki, both him and Kiseragi silently listening to the youth as he spoke of his request, the silence weighing in on all three occupants whenever Ryuu stopped speaking. As he leaned against the table, the redhead crossed his arms over his chest carefully so as to not knock the glass down, while Kiseragi had interrupted the document signing to hear the chunin. When Ryuuzaki had said his piece, the silence seeped in for a few seconds. “I see.” Kaito turned to Kiseragi. “You ever had any dreams? Any life ambitions?” Kiseragi’s eyes were trained on Ryuuzaki as he answered, calm and cool. “I wanted to kill Youka, but other than that, not many. I am a simple man.” Kaito nodded. “Yeah. I wanted to open a restaurant, and look where that got me. So”, he said, taking a gulp of his sake. “Your dream is to become part of our elite force, so that you can protect your village and die for her, is that about the size of it? You want to die young to protect an old fuck like me?”

Kaito observed Ryuuzaki with his dark eye, the eternal kaleidoscope disabled at the moment with only the black iris and pupil trained on the lad, observing the minute nuances of his existence at this particular juncture in time. He drank the sake, and Kaito mimicked it, letting the liquid burn its familiar burn within him. When Ryuuzaki proceeded with responding to the redhead’s query, he paid close attention to what was being said. Not having the intention of dying was a good start, so long as one was ready for it. But perhaps the most interesting part was the way he spoke about the seat.

Throughout the land, hidden villages defended countries’ interests and cultivated the arts of ninja warfare. These villages were spearheaded by the Kage, who coordinated the needs of the country with the Daimyo, a political figure which took care of countrywide social and economical affairs, while the ninja villages utilized their superior power to hold military leverage over the surrounding countries. Because of this, the position of the Kage was considered of supreme importance: overshadowing that of the Daimyo within the village, and rivalling it outside. Kaito had learned very recently how his predecessors had sinned in this regard, and Ryuuzaki had been present for it. Kages such as Youka and Maku had elevated the position of the village by virtue of their power alone, and when they eventually abandoned the position, the power vacuum nearly destroyed the village twice. It was with that in mind that Noboru planned his stay at the helm of the Kumogakure to be spent not accruing power for himself and his sake, but rather to accrue power that others could lust for, reach and grab at, hold and possess. He would be surrounded not by subjects coaxed into servitude by fear and power, but by equals who chose to follow him of their own volition. That was not to say he wouldn’t rule with an iron fist, but he would never allow the weak and stupid to rise within his organization.

The most important thing he could do for the Kumogakure was to establish a tradition of seeking power for the sake of sharing it. That must be his legacy.

Ryuu ended his speech with a notion of not going quietly into the long night. “Give them nothing, but take from them everything. I can appreciate the sentiment.” It had been in this very office that Ryuu was first introduced to Kiseragi and Noboru, although Kiseragi had been wearing his Storm Op gear. Yet, when the two leaders exchanged a look, both knew what was about to happen. Unlike the time when Ryuuzaki displayed a certain degree of social ineptitude -- nothing too severe, just a roughness around the edges -- he had now spoken as eloquently as a professor might be expected to. There had been no doubt in his voice, no uncertainty, no fluctuation that hinted at him seeking the approval of his statements from the two men opposite to him. Moreover, he spoke of every possible person seated at the helm… except himself. It was like looking at a brunette version of himself. “Alright”, started Kiseragi. “I can pull a favor with the SUMMIT people and shoehorn you in.” It was apt that he would accept this offer, as Kaito had no idea what the procedure was. “Now, no one is to know that this took place in this capacity -- if anyone asks, Kaito asked you here to help him set up the gym. You will be on probation, and your official rank in the village paperwork will show as Chunnin. If you pass your probation period, your official rank in the village paperwork will show you as a Jonin. This won’t be reflected on your pay, which will be handled internally with the help of the Iron Bank to ensure you receive the Storm Operative salary without compromising your identity.”

“Lastly, we will need to confirm that SUMMIT will accept you. For this, we will set up a meeting for later this evening. The meeting will take place in the cemetery, at 1am. Visit the undertaker’s hut at the back, and ask for the prettiest flower in the mountain. They’ll know what it is about.”

Kaito had been listening, and when Kiseragi was over, he nodded. “Alright. You got your orders. Now make your alibi believable and help me set this up.”

The sight of one of his ninja going to their knees in an expression of vererance towards him was not a sight he was used to, or would ever be. Deep within the recesses of his mind it reminded him of the hot day in which the skies split asunder to reveal the Leviathan’s Mad Dog, Nobunaga Hiyu, and how he managed to not only cripple the at the time Raikage Maximillian Yamaguchi, but also make the remaining forces of the Kumogakure kneel. And yet, it was an universal sign of submission, to some, but respect and reverence to others. He himself had knelt twice to the Young Conqueror Kutari Uchiha and his alternative personality Gidyne Rygisae. How could one witness such awesome power and not kneel? Yet, he did not feel worthy of his compatriot's gesture, as it was based on title and hearsay alone, as far as he understood.

Noboru nodded at the promise of rising up to the challenge, and when Ryuuzaki got back up, holding up a finger, claiming he had something else for Kaito, the redhead nodded once again, finishing his drink and picking the empty glasses to put them away. The new Sport Op to be came back in with a suitcase, and within it, the armor Kaito had gifted him, along with some materials and a request to augment the capabilities of the armor, if Kaito could find someone suitable for the task. “Well Ryuuzaki, I just so happen to know the best blacksmith in town. Give me a couple of days, I will send it back to you once it’s ready.” With that to the side, Noboru set out to assist Ryuuzaki in finishing setting up the Gym.

Stark and unwelcoming, the cemetery was not a place many visited during the night, and those who did would usually have ill intent. The undertaker sat in his hut, a nice warm cup of tea before him. “Any minute now”, he said in a low husk as the clock hands encroached on the 1am mark. Beside him, closer to the door, Yoko stood silently, breaking the silence now. “Yeah, I can see him now. Let’s hope he knows how to follow instructions.” A few handseals, and her essence disappeared from the room, already aided by her full ANBU Gear to erase her chakra signature, the Dustless Bewilderment would now erase her being from the room. Luckily, Ryuuzaki had not enabled his Byakugan just as Yoko did, a good measure in this instance as it would’ve ruined the surprise.

When Ryuuzaki knocked at the door, the Undertaker would get up from his chair, dragging it on the wooden boards to signal his coming, before opening the door to greet Ryuuzaki with a confused look on his face, as if he did not expect the man to come. Upon being asked for the prettiest flower in the mountain, the Undertaker took a step back, and gestured with his hand to the chair where he had been sitting. He waited for Ryuuzaki to move towards it, before stepping out of the door himself, closing it, and locking it with his key. He would then walk off whistling, towards the Drunken Kage where he would be spending the night.

Yoko observed Ryuu from under the mask, taking note of whether he would sit and drink, or panic. If he did not motion to the door she would wait a minute or two before revealing herself, yet if he made towards the door she would dispel her Sensory technique to stand in front of it. She would be wearing full ANBU garb underneath a tan cloak, with a hood pulled over her head to hide her hair. The mask was a featureless porcelain mask with one vertical slash design from forehead to mouth, and one from eye to eye, black on white. “You know how to follow instructions. That is a good start, Ryuuzaki Nara.” Her voice would be masked and disrupted, and her monotone delivery prevented on from asserting an accent that would identify her. “Now, follow me.”

With Ryuuzaki hopefully in toe, the duo would make way towards the back of the cemetery through the hut’s backdoor, through some stone stairs and a dirt path over a hill that led to a less visited and occupied part of the cemetery. She didn’t speak, and if Ryuuzaki spoke, she might be inclined to not answer, depending on what was said. Her Byakugan was active the whole time the two interacted, from the moment he made it to the cemetery. They came upon an empty plot of land which seemed to be in the process of readying for a burial, if the tools around and the empty casket next to it were any indication. “Prepare a grave, two and a half meters tall by one meter wide, and two meters deep. You have a spade and a pickaxe to do it, don’t play smart and use Earth Release. Go.” She wouldn’t bother answering silly questions. On her hand, she would start carving a wooden plank with a hammer and chisel, carving a name out of it. While a normal person would take around eight full hours of work to break this much earth, it should be simple enough for a ninja, especially a strong taijutsu specialist such as Ryuuzaki. Once Ryuuzaki was done and piles of earth surrounded the open grave, she would gesture to the casket. “Place it inside”, she would command, while hammering the plant where she chiseled the name onto a long stake, a grave marker. While Ryuuzaki placed the grave, she would pick up a mallet, and pound the stake to the ground. Should Ryuuzaki still be inside the grave after he had placed the casket, he would look up to read his name carved onto the plank. Without emotion, she told him “get inside”.