Welcome To The Family

Wed Nov 03, 2021 8:25 am

He read over the note from his dear friend. Satoru Jugo had come by to receive the Sharingan refused by the strongest chunin in the world, and in turn, deposited the body of a Jugo who had tried to kill him in his sleep. Peculiar as these situations went, he supposed. He leaned back in his chair and circled it to view the Kumogakure through the windows of his office; it was a chilly day outside, and one could almost see the shafts of sunlight pierce through the cold pockets. It was a beautiful day.

He got off of his chair, donning his white cloak over the Darkened Skies armor he regularly wore, and placed the pyramidical hat of the Raikage over his untamed shoulder length hair, making sure the cloth went around his head freely without being locked under the hat. He walked the length of the at-home gym he had turned his office into, and walked out the doors, informing Rei he would be out for a few hours and to cancel appointments for the day. She inquired where he might be going, which gave him pause as he walked out the door; to see Ichigo, he replied. She feigned disinterest, starting on canceling appointments while giving him a look. What look, he was unable to register; he wasn’t as good at reading social cues as he was at reading the microscopic motion of a shoulder or hit which indicated a coming strike. He bid her farewell for the time being, and walked out, her reaction now clouding his mind momentarily as he made his way to the hospital.

Once at the hospital, he went to Ichigo’s go to assistance, Ishika. She already knew to dial the Drunk Doctor on sight of the Raikage, and when he made his way to her, she informed him Ichigo would be ready for him at his office with a smile. Noboru made his way down the hall, knocking on the door and walking in. “Ichigo, my friend, thank you for the message, I came down soon as I read it.” He extended his hand for a handshake, and brought Ichigo closer for a half hug. “It’s good to see you, my friend.”

---
WC: 371

Thu Nov 04, 2021 4:14 pm

Moves were made, power gained. The future of Kumogakure looked promising, the village's shinobi's coming up with new ways of growing stronger. Having sent the Raikage a message not that long ago Ichigo was expecting his red haired friend to arrive anytime soon. "Speak of the devil" the Drunk voiced upon hearing Ichika's voice through the intercom. "Send him my way dear", standing up from his chair he would walk up to the door assuming the Kage still remembered the way to the Deputy's office. "Likewise my friend, it's been far too long again" he would say as he embraced Kaito.

Guiding the legend of the Land of Lightning to one of the seats in front of the desk Ichigo then sat down in his own while commenting on Noboru's attire. "I still need to get used to the idea of you wearing that white cloak" he'd say with a smile, pouring both of them a glass of the finest liquor that could be found in Kumogakure. "I take it you were pleased with the news then?". Placing the drink in front of the Kage the doctor then continued speaking after taking a sip himself. "Satoru's surgery was a success, as well as gaining a couple of Jugo organs. Our hospital now also has two extra corpses to experiment on thanks to our friend". The Deputy explained everything in detail, not leaving out anything of importance.

Leaning back in his chair before standing up again the man pulled out an organ cooler, placing it in front of the desk. "That's one", walking over to the freezers he then retrieved two corpses to reveal the bodies of a female Uchiha rogue and the Jugo that appeared in Satoru's home. "I fixed them up quite nicely if I say so myself, what do you think?". Allowing Kaito to share his thoughts on the matter he gave the Raikage a moment to check on his findings.

(WC: 323)

Tue Nov 09, 2021 1:35 pm

It felt good to feel welcomed in an embrace such as this, one of Noboru’s oldest friends still in active duty in this village, and someone who he had come to trust with his life, as well as one of the few people whose advice he trusted with little reservations or paranoid streaks. In his presence, the red head almost forgot he was the Raikage, a figure of power and leader of the Lightning Country military, and felt like the lad the two had once been, sitting on a cloth, eating cookies and drinking sake.

Exchanging red orbs, no less.

As he was directed to the seat, he removed the pyramidical golden hat of the Raikage, and pulled the robe away from the shoulders where it rested peacefully. “Yeah, I feel the same. Sometimes I still look at my jacket, you remember the one, with the snake patches on the breast?” He made idle conversation while he pointed at his pectoral muscles, nostalgic for a past neither of them could get back to, as he swirled the cloak into the hat so as to keep the two items of power close to each other, before snapping his fingers and delivering them to his displaced storage.

As Ichigo poured them a golden liquid, Noboru nodded in response to his question. “Ye, I am. The lad shows promise. Did you know he spent six months away on Thunderpeaks learning how to read, and by accident discovered an entire new element and chakra manipulation techniques?” A puzzled expression came over the redhead for a moment, before he cleared it and took the glass. “Amazing”, he said as he looked at the liquid before sipping on it. The flavors inundated his senses as it coated his tongue and the scent rose through his nostrils.

Ichigo explained that, on top of surgery being a success, Satoru had given them two bodies for them to experiment with. Ichigo leaned back and went to the refrigeration units that sided his office. He pulled a dark haired Uchiha lass, and on the next freezer, a male Jugo with a deformed face. He gazed intensely at the two, noticing the Jugo had been patched up quite nicely. “Good line work”, he complimented, tracing his fingers over where wounds had been closed. “Alright, this will do.”

He turned to Ichigo. “My friend, I am hereby seizing these two bodies for my personal use.” Taking a moment, he took a deep breath. “It’s time I created a pair of clones for myself.” He looked at the bodies again. “There is a secret Quake Technique which allowed high tier individuals to clone themselves so the clones could take over administrative work while the elites kept their physical improvement practices without using traditional Shadow Clone techniques.” Noboru drew two corpse scrolls from his displacement, and sealed each corpse into one of them. “I plan to do the exact opposite; bring about two clones which will serve the village to the fullest, blindly obedient, fervorously loyal.”

He took a look at Ichigo. “I need your help on this. However, I have a bigger task for you. I had a meeting with the Third Mizukage of the Kirigakure this morning -- there’s a new one, I know”, he said, before Ichigo could interrupt him with the same shock he felt when he received the letter the first time, “but, she’s convening a summit between the villages of the Hidden Mist, Hidden Sand and Hidden Leaf. She asked me for someone who could mediate the meeting. I want you to go, Ichigo.” He gave a small pause, before continuing. “You’re my top advisor, and if you pull this off, the Kumogakure could have quite a big standing among all villages involved. We can’t afford to screw this up, and I can’t go myself. Not after spending so much time away. You’re the only one I can trust with this. Will you do it?”

If Ichigo accepted, he would nod in relief. “Good. Good. I’ll assign a Shadow Operative to trail you -- no discussion”, he would add before Ichigo could argue that he’d be fine, if Ichigo even felt like discussing it. “He’ll trail you, and if shit goes South, don’t try to fight it. The Shadow Op is there to take the heat for you. I’ll try to find someone who can blink you out of the fight.” His first thought was Anaphiel, but the bastard was handless at the moment. He’d have to trust another. “You depart in the morning. Go by sea; the Kumogakure will refund any travelling expenses.”

=====
WC: 764
TWC: 1135

Thu Nov 11, 2021 5:57 pm

He would listen attentively to the Raikage's words as the red haired man told the story about Satoru learning to read and while doing so discovered a new advanced element. "Impressive indeed. He'll make a great addition to our village". Taking another sip of his glass Ichigo would start reminiscing about the past, thinking back to the time when both the Drunk and Kaito shared a couple of beverages while talking about the future of Kumogakure and the part they would have to play in it. They had come a long way, helping and pushing each other to improve further, surpassing their limits.

Standing next to the corpses Ichigo became rather curious when Noboru mentioned how he planned on using both of those bodies. "Interesting, I hadn't considered using Quake like that". The Deputy paid attention as Kaito explained the idea behind the technique, using the village's advanced element to create clones, although similar to Shadow Clones, that were different in their own way. "I'll be looking into this, it sounds like a promising concept of which we don't know its limitations yet". Would they simply create identical copies of themselves or would the secret technique allow them to design new life the way they wanted to?

However, before they were able to discuss any further another, more urgent, topic surfaced. "The Third Mizukage?". He must have missed the news of the previous one stepping down, although he had to admit his focus was on Kumogakure and not the other villages, but it looked like that was about to change. Ichigo continued to listen, the Raikage explaining how Kirigakure's leader intended to organize a meeting between the Mist, Sand and Leaf and had requested for Kumogakure to mediate said summit. "You want me to go?". The Drunk, although slightly surprised, realized that he as well received a different status after becoming deputy.

Keeping in mind that this meeting could change the way Kumogakure would be viewed by the other villages Ichigo knew there was no reason to decline. Up til now the Cloud remained mysterious, trying not to get involved in the mess of others but perhaps everything was about to become different in a good way. "I'll make sure to be a worthy representation of our village". Things were going fast for the blacksmith's son, he truly started from the bottom only to be in the presence of different village leaders soon. "Who knows, maybe I'll be quite popular once they see me" the drunk would joke as he took another sip of his glass.

It appeared there wouldn't be much time to prepare as he was supposed to leave for Tea the next day. "I'll inform Ichika of my absence, I'm confident she'll keep the hospital running". Before Ichigo could ask Kaito had already updated him that he and the chosen Shadow Operative would be traveling by boat. "Well that'll be a first". Thinking about all the kind of preparations he should be making the first thing coming to mind was an extra form of protection. Although the man didn't expect to be running into any trouble one could never be too safe.

Opening one of the drawers Ichigo retrieved something he purchased not that long ago. "Hopefully I won't be needing this but would you do me the honors of augmenting my armor?". Assuming his red haired friend agreed he would hand him the Darkened Skies armor as well as the materials in order to improve its quality. "Mediating huh? So remaining neutral, stay on topic and all that jazz. Anything else you want me to do while I'm out there? I don't suppose I'll be taking any gifts with me". Another sip of his drink he would be awaiting Kaito's further instructions.

(WC: 626, TWC: 949)

- Meteoric Iron x2

Sat Nov 13, 2021 1:13 pm

Ichigo seemed to agree with Noboru’s assessment of Satoru Jugo, the orange headed menace he had met so long ago in the Land of Wind, which reassured the red head somewhat in that regard. He wasn’t always the best judge of character -- an inherent flaw within himself, which was why he relied so heavily on his advisors to ensure the best for the Kumogakure. He nodded in agreement with Ichigo, drinking with his friend.

Ichigo also shared his apprehension in the matter of utilizing Quake Release in the construction of clones. To be sure, Noboru wasn’t yet certain the technique would work, both because the last mentions were from before he was even born, but also due to the traditional destructive nature of the element. To no one’s surprise, the Deputy was surprised that there was a Third Mizukage, as it was recent news, and only he and Noboru knew at this point. Noboru nodded with certainty when inquired if he wanted Ichigo to go, and the deputy assured the Raikage that he would be a worthy representative. “Never doubted it, my friend” would be the reply from the redhead. He chuckled at his popularity comment.

As they hashed out the details of the travel, Ichigo brought out a suit of armor -- a set of Darkened Skies armor, no less, which brought some happiness to the blacksmith as well as swole his pride; after all, Ichigo himself was the son of a blacksmith, so to have his suit purchased by him was quite the compliment. Moreover, the head of the Institute asked Noboru if he could augment his armor, whether or not it would be needed. “Of course, I’ll take it with me and work on it during the night, hopefully it’ll be ready before the trip.” Picking up the armor in his hands, he snapped his fingers, and the set and augments disappeared into his storage displacement. In the morning, he would return this item to Ichigo, either by meeting him at the Gate or having it delivered.

Noboru heard Ichigo’s last considerations. He pondered for a moment, before replying. “Mediation only. Word to the wise; in the last Summit, tensions were allowed to escalate without mediation. Demands were made, threats implied, condescension and arrogance were so thick you could cut it up with a kunai. Make sure the world leaders stay on topic, and that order prevails. If you can’t make either see reason or come to a compromise, at least ensure they don’t jump at each other’s throats. That being said, you’re not there to take any one side. If shit hits the fan, your shadow will have very strict instructions about teleporting you far away from there. Hopefully to our gates, but at the very least onto the Lightning Country.”

He took a deep breath and sighed. “As far as other instructions… heh. It’s whatever. Our international operations are currently halted, so it’s not likely we have any foreign affairs to handle. Just be careful out there.” He put an hand on Ichigo’s shoulder. “I need you alive, Ichigo. Come back to me safe and sound.” He leaned in for a hug. “If I don’t see you tomorrow, have a safe trip, my friend.”

He walked away from the room, and in the morning, the augmented suit of armor would be delivered to Ichigo.

WC: 558
TWC: 1693
/exit
Paying 1500 at 25% Discount for two augmentations of Ichigo Sato's armor.
Claiming the body of a woman and the body of a Jugo from the Hospital
Discarding rest

Sat Nov 13, 2021 4:32 pm

The Drunk was relieved to hear his friend agreed to augment the set of armor, hoping the extra means of precaution wouldn't be needed. "I'm already looking forward to what you'll do with it". A smile appeared on the man's face, knowing that the Raikage was more than able to create a masterpiece. Ichigo would take Kaito's advice to heart, aware that egos might clash and get in the way of a fruitful discussion. "Hopefully I won't need to step in but I'll do what I must". In a perfect scenario the Deputy only had to guide and make sure people stay on topic, but it wouldn't be that out of the ordinary if things get heated.

Ichigo noticed time had come for both friends to say their temporary goodbyes, the blacksmith's son engaging in the embrace with his closest friend. "Don't worry, I'll always come home". When he prepared to set out for the Land of Tea the next morning the Drunk would find the augmented suit of armor, admiring the result.

(Exit)

(TWC: 1122)
Claims:
- 428 to finish 360 Degree Hand Shield (C-Rank, previously trained here)
- Darkened Skies Mk II
- 22 AP

Sat Nov 13, 2021 5:30 pm

Approved

Welcome To The Family

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