Teatime's Aftermath [Letter]

The pale hawk of Kirigakure glares suspiciously at the Suna-nin in the aviary as a scroll is taken from it. The raptor senses that it has been caught in some unpleasant tangle of human affairs.

The flowery, looping handwriting of Chizu Hyuuga greets any who open the letter.

To the office of the Kazekage,

Your attack on the former Mizukage has been repaid in kind, a blow for a blow. With this score settled, we invite Sunagakure one last opportunity to step back from the precipice we have found ourselves teetering upon. Souji Hyuuga will be returned without a hair on his head harmed in exchange for a pact of non-aggression between our villages.

Chizu Hyuuga
Deputy Mizukage

Sitting within Mizuki's office, Guren and the Second Kazekage would be discussing the affairs between Sunagakure and Kirigakure. Thus far, they had been deliberating on potential ways of addressing the main issue at hand...bringing Souji back to Sunagakure. Yet none of the ideas the two had come up with thus far had yielded any fruitful conversation. Sitting within the leather chair across from the grand desk which Mizuki sat behind, Guren would interlock his fingers, fold his hands across each other, and rest his chin upon them. He'd remain in this position while he contemplated all of the actions that had led Sunagakure to this point. To him, it was a shame. He would have personally preferred a policy of isolationism for the village hidden in the sand. Yet that may be a bit more naïve than the world would have allowed. He'd sigh, as the repercussions of the village were finally starting to weigh on him personally. He was not close to Souji, but the wellbeing of a fellow villager and shinobi was always something that concerned him. His brow furrowed, as him and the Kazekage sat in silence both ruminating on the situation at hand.

Yet Guren's thought process would be broken, interrupted by the faint sound of beating wings approaching the kazekage's office. Guren's head would perk up, and his right eyebrow would raise as his eyes locked with the approaching haw, bearing a rolled up scroll secured to its leg. Guren would raise from his seat and approach the window, unfastening then opening it. A light breeze would wisp in and Guren would extend his left arm outside, allowing the hawk to calmly land and perch itself upon the Chinoike's forearm. Guren raised his right hand to the bird's head, and offer it some amiable head scratches. Following this, he'd retract his arm back inside the confines of the room and lower his right hand to detach the scroll from the hawk's leg. Once retrieved, he'd lower his arm towards the sill of the window to direct the hawk to step down from Guren's arm and latch itself onto the sill. With the scroll in hand, he'd turn in place and calmly walk over to the Kazekage, briefly glancing at the scroll. Mizuki should be the first to analyze its contents, although Guren was the first to visually discern the scroll was branded with a Kirigakure insignia. 

Guren would extend the scroll outward to Mizuki and wait for her to accept it. "Kirigakure," is all Guren would muster out in a lowered yet calm tone. Upon Mizuki grasping the scroll from Guren, he himself would lean himself backwards and prop himself against the interior of the window behind Mizuki's desk. He'd read the contents of the scroll over her shoulder as she would, yet would wait for her to reflect on the letter before offering his own thoughts.

When she would, Guren would proceed back towards his chair and retrieve a pen and a blank sheet of paper from the surface of Mizuki's desk. "I think that ceasing the tensions is sensible approach. If the words of Kiri's Deputy Kage are true, then we can also get Souji back without the need of any violence."

While Guren spoke, his hand was drafting a response:

To the office of the Mizukage,

Sunagakure appreciates the offering of peace, and agrees to a non-aggression pact. Our villages should no longer warrant ill will or malevolence towards each other. Sunagakure will refrain from conducting any actions that represent hostility towards Kirigakure, so long as Kirigakure vows to do the same. Please ensure that Souji's wellbeing, health, and condition are intact and characteristic of the events prior to the summit. 

Where shall the handover of Souji take place?

Guren Chinoike,
Deputy Kazekage

His handwriting was simple, and the message was concise. Upon drafting it, he would hand the letter to Mizuki. "Do you agree to what is written here? Do you wish to sign it yourself?"

WC = 665

(OOC permission from Mizuki to proceed)

Nodding in affirmation, Guren would undertake this task solo. With just his signature at the bottom of the letter, he would roll it, stamp it with Sunagakure's official seal, and carry it over to the window. Once more scratching the head of the hawk, he'd lower his hands down to it's leg and gently yet surely secure the rolled up letter to the bird. He'd place his arm against the breast of the bird, offering it to step up and perch itself on his forearm, then extend his arm out the window. With a light jolt of his arm, Guren would motion for the hawk to take off. And so it would. It would fly off back to Kirigakure to the deputy mizukage, bearing Guren's hand written response in its possession. All that was left for the deputy kazekage to do was wait.

WC = 143. TWC = 808

A letter swiftly returns to Guren - an apology from Chizu, vaguely stating that she must wait and deliberate before more correspondence and arrangements can take place. It's a few days later that another letter arrives from Murata, and from there the exchange of letters is quick and cordial, resulting in an invitation for the Deputy Kazekage to come to Kirigakure to secure Souji and stay in the village for a while at his leisure, under the protection and security of the Mist. Murata watches that final letter go with a worried furrow of her brow, concerned that things are going too smoothly given what has occurred.

Reading the letter, Guren would nod. He'd hand the letter to the Kazekage for her to read. Should she have any disagreements with the terms of the deal, he would discuss with her. But if she didn't, then it was time to act. He would focus on preparing himself and tying up any loose ends he had to before departing from the village. Though he was confident in how this exchange would be executed, he couldn't help but be uneasy. He knew how the interactions between Sunagakure and Kirigakure had been historically, so there was a chance it could continue that way. But above all else, Guren wanted to keep Sunagakure safe. And he wanted to keep Souji safe. So he would proceed with caution.

WC = 125. TWC = 937

max stat discount claims
All words towards Ketsuryugan Stage 3 (1148/4500); rest trained here