The Boys are Back in Town

A gentle breeze affected the silver locks of a young teenage boy standing in front of the Konohagakure village gates. Bright blue eyes peered into the distance as Goto stared at what stood before him. "How long has it been?" the Senju asked himself, his hand running through his hair as he thought back to the time when the Leaf delegation left the Land of Fire and made its way to the Land of Wind where they would temporarily reside after the events of the Kage Summit. Although a nice change of pace, there was never a place like home. 

Wondering if and what changed in Konohagakure the silver haired Senju would wait until someone came out to greet him.

(wC: 120)

As it happened, at the moment, there was another young Senju at the gates. And his appearance was about as far from his supposed relative's as one could expect to get. Ashitaka was not technically on "gate duty", since he lacked the experience to perform it independently. But he was in the process of learning how it worked and serving as a gofer for the chuunin who actually were assigned to the task. The platinum blond adolescent had shown up about ten minutes after the bigger teenager had been told to "hold the fort" while his seniors went on break. Well, at least nothing suspicious seemed to be happening while he was handling things. Most people had their papers and fees ready to go and sending them on their way into or out of the city was a really brisk matter. The odd exception seemed to be the guy his age who was just... standing around for some reason.

"Excuse me." Ashitaka called out, really putting his best effort into being polite but firm. It was a real crapshoot which of the two he landed more heavily on. "This is a restricted area, not a hangout spot. If you have business inside the village, please come check in. If you don't, please leave."








[WC 213]

Work had continued to be done in and on the village as many people could be seen dashing to and from carrying materials and other provisions to many areas of Konoha. At the gates a few guards would still be doing their duties while other would be guiding workers in their instructions. It was during this time that the current Hokage, Ishimaru Shinkou, would be speaking with a few of the builders near the gate explaining to them how the gate should be situated and their input on it. The conversation would have lasted a few moments before he felt a chakra he had not felt in many moons. The signature of an old friend. Excusing himself from the conversation the salt and peppered haired male would move toward the provisional gate and smile as he straightened the hat,” Well Isn’t this a blast from the past. Gojo!! It feels good to see an old friend. Surely you remember me mm? You and spectre both had a goal of being Hokage but it seems I beat you both to it. Welcome home my friend,” he’d give a warm smile as he lifted his head to reveal his features. Last Gojo had seen of Ishimaru he looked like a squirt, lanky and without much muscle mass. Now he stood a foot taller with a head of long black and white hair as if puberty had hit him like a train. He’d of course acknowledge the other ninja who had been there as well.

It appeared he didn't have to wait all that long before someone came out to greet him. The silver haired Senju wondered what the chances were of anyone expecting his arrival but perhaps the most obvious explanation could be either a change of guard or simply a coincidence. Nevertheless, Goto was pleased to know the village was indeed still alive and running. His bright, blue eyes made note of the first person who addressed him, a boy he'd never seen before but considering the way he spoke it was clear the young shinobi belonged to Konohagakure. "Hm? Ah yes, just a second". The Senju reached for his platinum headband before putting it around his forehead both as a means of identification as well as helping him with keeping up his silver locks.

Before even being able to reply to the stranger in front of him Goto suddenly picked up on a familiar presence nearby. Reaching out was a voice he recognized, yet the appearance of the person showing up was one the silver haired failed to bring home. Having trouble figuring out the identity of the second individual showing up it was only after the mention of Specter that he started to realize just who the black and white haired could have been all this time. "Ishi? Is that really you? Impossible". If it wasn't for the times they spent training and going on missions together Goto wouldn't have been able to recognize his friend considering the transformation the latter had gone through.

Still having a hard time believing everything going on so far the Senju would slowly find the words to say. "How has Specter been, they didn't send him back to the Academy yet? And what's this about becoming Hokage? Scratch that, just what happened while I was gone?". With a smile on his face Goto started realizing a lot took place during his absence, something Ishimaru could hopefully fill him in on.

(WC: 325, TWC: 445)

The strange idler responded to Ashitaka's request by reaching into his robe and pulling out a shinobi headband. And what a piece of work that was. In the odd moments when he could sort of look at it, he managed to make out that there was in fact a classic Konoha leaf symbol etched into the center of its plate. However, that was made a lesser concern by the painfully shiny adamantine lustre of the accessory. Whatever metal it was made of, it was shinier than polished titanium, and in the bright sunlight of the day just looking in the newcomer's general direction was an assault on the eyes. It would definitely serve as a commendable defense against any Dojutsu user, but Sage it was understandable why he'd made a habit of not wearing the damned thing.

"Thank you, that's- thank you..." he uncharacteristically stuttered and muttered as the situation was gently nudged along from bad to worse as the newly-appointed Hokage himself appeared on the scene and strongly indicated prior knowledge of the newcomer, this... Gojo. Naturally, Ashitaka felt like an idiot for not knowing somebody so relevant on sight, but having not graduated until the city was virtually empty of noteworthy ninja, he wasn't really up to date on the village's "who's who". That was a matter he resolved to rectify as soon as possible.

"Ah! Hokage-sama!" Ashitaka called out with a brisk bow. "I meant no offense to your compatriot. I will note his name and arrival time immediately."

Having been trained with the mindset of "don't apologize, fix your mistake and if forgiveness is forthcoming, it will be granted to you", he immediately suited action to word. After flipping through some records, he found the name "Gojo Senju".

"Oh hey, we're related, I guess..." he noted under his breath as he marked down Gojo's "business in Konoha" as "Returning Home." Beyond that, he left the matter of catching up to his two seniors and mostly tried to evade further attention from either of them.





[WC 314. Total 525]

That childlike smile that often found its way onto the face of Ishimaru found new light as he pushed the hat back onto his back and nodded," The one and only... A lot has happened since we had last seen each other besides me getting a growth spurt and a new hairstyle. It feels like its been years since we've been in one another's presence," he was honest to himself. He had not been in the presence of a friend in quite a long time...He couldn't count his Yuumei counterpart because they were one in the same and he had always been around but...wait did that sound condescending by chance? He could hear the voice beginning to stir but he was quick to batter it back down to the back...he did not need to get yelled at again. His eyes would turn slightly to Ashitaka as he waved to him," No need to call me by title. Ishimaru is fine. We are all family and friend here, and truthfully the "Hokage-Sama" thing only applies to official business," he didn't feel a need to reprimand the other Senju since in essence he was doing his job as a shinobi of the Leaf. After hearing the question of Goto he would return his gaze to him and tap his chin as if in thought," I have not heard hide from hair of Spectre honestly...I thought he had simply gone to Suna with the rest of you all for training since he could not wait to become Hokage. It would have been nice if all three of us could meet up like old times, but maybe now is not the right time. As for what has been going on.... Well i went to Suna like everyone else and got into an accident fighting in the arena," he would rolback his sleeve to show his metallic prosthetic arm and rolling it back down," After that I traveled to Hoshi to participate in the Chuunin Exams but fate had other plans. I finally met others of my clan and after having a long conversation I was shown something. Our home wasn't safe and if the future played out like the vision I saw we were going to lose it again so I came back with hopes of changing that fate and our home and....now we are here," holding both of his arms out he would motion to the reconstruction of areas within the village.

" I am trying to get our home back into the way it once was so that when this fight is done our people can return to a sense of normalcy. I could still use some help getting things back together if you want to talk more about it later. You did just get back and you probably want some Ichiraku and sleep hmm?," he didn't want to bother with other specifics at the moment and would see what his friend would say before doing anything else.

495 WC

As the conversation went on Goto sensed a slight nervousness coming from the young gate guard. With the current state of the village and the sudden appearance of the Hokage the silver haired could hardly blame Ashitaka for being on edge. They had all been there, every Leaf Genin alike spent at least a couple of times patrolling the gates as part of their training. Even something that appears trivial at first would have plenty of use. Dealing with strangers, learning protocol, paying attention to every little detail. Guard duty wasn't just simply standing at a gate waiting for your shift to be over. 

Goto continued to listen to Ishi's story, his friend explaining everything that happened ever since they parted ways and informing him there had been no sign or news of Specter. "You're right my friend. How nice it would have been if the three of us would be standing here together". The newly appointed Hokage then shared details about his endeavors in Sunagakure and Hoshigakure, the place where he was able to meet with members of his clan who helped Ishi realize something. "I hope it was all worth losing your arm over" Goto would teasingly say.

The silver haired Senju then picked up on what many before Ishi had declared, the hope of restoring their village to what it once was. "There have been many before you who tried the same, as many have failed. Do you believe we can be the change that is needed?". It wasn't so much that Goto didn't believe in his friend but recent history wasn't exactly on their side. Where many had failed it was now time for them to succeed. "I always have time for my friends and village. Besides, I didn't encounter any troubles during my travels and was able to get home safely. So tell me, what do you need?". Assuming they would continue their conversation inside the village Goto followed behind his friend but making sure to reply to his fellow clan member as well. "Indeed we are. Our clan has delivered many worthy of Kage, let's try and make both our clan and village proud". With a smile Goto then simply waited before entering through the gates.

(WC: 372, TWC: 817)

"I was honestly hoping to hear him running about the village screaming and training honestly but I haven't heard anything from him. I do hope he is well and will seek us out once he is ready. Having the gang all back together would mean a lot to me and the village as well," when he brought up his arm however, Ishi would look down to the metallic fingers and chuckle slightly," It helped me realize that the world isn't as soft and nice as I once thought it was...It can be very cruel and unforgiving if you fall short," it was a valuable lesson that the young Shinkou had learned at a very high cost. Seeing that people were starting to get ramped up for working, Ishi would motion for Gojo to follow him to the Hokage office," We'll speak more when we get to the office alright?," of course during the time they would be walking he would be more than happy to converse with his friend.

Standing there as he listened attentively to his friend Goto realized it felt good to be home after such a long time being away from the village. The young Senju wasn't completely sure but he could sense a certain feeling coming from Ishi, however he was unable to put his finger on it. Perhaps the newly appointed Hokage came to the realization they had quite the work ahead of them, or maybe the Shinkou simply couldn't wait to make the changes he had in mind. All the silver haired knew was that he would do his best to aid his friend in whatever way possible.

Goto would follow behind as Ishi suggested continuing their conversation somewhere else, more specifically the Hokage Office. "Of course, lead the way Lord Hokage" the Senju would smirk and say in a teasing manner. On their way to the Kage Chambers he made sure to tell his friend all about the things he saw and experienced while in Sunagakure. However trivial it might seem, perhaps it would help the Konohagakure shinobi with their new beginning. A new Leaf.

(Possible exit and entry into Konohagakure with Ishimaru unless interrupted)

(TWC: 1000)
Claims:
- 1000 towards Pact of the Three
- 20 AP

Approved.

@Ishimaru Shinkou
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