An Arrangement [P]

After the day or so of settling into their new place, she set out to find the office of the Kage of this village - she had heard him referred to as the Komekage and since this was a new village it took some asking around to get the general lay of the land. The repression of her Kyuketsuki lineage in had begun to take its toll on her mentality in the last days, she had confided in Arantima a bit during their time together - playing nice and being even tempered all the time was hard for her to do now a days but it was a must for them to become established - not to say the village of Tanbogakure was at all in danger of her but it was not exactly the easiest to reign in the psychosis of her dual personality. Soon she would need to blow off some steam, today was not that day however. 

She had been directed to the military district where a castle overlooked an expanse of sea - and it lived up to its name - a multi tiered stone structure built to the heavens, white and red decorated the structure and was topped with a beacon that was meant to ward off incoming ships from the rocky cliffs situated at the bottom. She still looked like herself, though she had been suppressing her chakra signature since the entrance into the village - not to hide from those within but from those who might be in search of her. 

The reception to the office was not much and as she waited for her audience with the Komekage she sat with her leg crossed over the other - eyes closed and head leaned back against the stone wall. She had patience to spare in this instance and she would wait for as long as she needed to, plus the conversation in her head was more than entertaining. It was her way of staving off the insanity that was at the edges of her mind more and more everyday - but it was manageable still. Idly she hoped she wasn’t being too forward by coming to their office but she needed to speak with them as soon as possible.

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Kazuko Taika hated her job on a good day.

File this, greet them, and practice that; each day began and ended in a maddeningly predictable loop. At times, they all blurred together, leaving only the dates in her monthly planner to moor her to any sense of forward progress. Indeed, from behind the reception desk of the Komekage's office, all the world seemed miles and miles away, an illusion made all the worse by an overactive imagination which frequently sent her on flights of fancy of what could, should, and might be.

Today, however, her heart beat a little faster, and her eyes shone a bit brighter. Something, or more appropriately someone, broke the monotony of the workday for the first time in weeks. Long black hair, wild mismatched eyes, and a subtle edge of danger hidden beneath a facade of calm—the Komekage's next appointment did not look at all like the aged bureaucrats he typically entertained. Though she tried her best not to stare, Kazuko's gaze rose and returned to the paperwork before her more times than was polite as the pair silently waited.

"Ma'am," she finally stood up and broke the silence after what felt like an hour but was probably closer to half that. "He should be free now."

Knocking once, she held open the door for the black-haired woman. And, though she would close the door behind her, a discerning eye would likely detect her shadow beneath the door as she tried to listen in through the thick, oaken frame. How could she pass up the excitement of a mystery visitor, after all?


In the highest room of Okada Castle, one could see all there was to see. To the north lay the ever-churning Gaikotsu Bay and to the south, one could trace the progress of Tanbogakure's growth by following the crisscrossing arterial roads leading out into the sloping landscape of Rice Country's heartland. Much had changed during Yasahiro's short tenure, but the view never failed to inspire pause for thought—despite all the village's progress, much remained to be done.

Standing at the southern-facing windows of his office, Yasahiro did not flinch at the sound of knuckles on wood, nor did the steady drumbeat of his heart falter when the door swung open. Rather, he remained by the window gazing down at the village below through narrowed eyes of amber as his mind drifted back to an island half a world away—the Land of Iron, home. Time, Asahi once counseled him over drinks, healed all wounds, but then why did their collective past feel like yesterday? Was the scarring simply part of the healing process?

Clad in a jet black hakama to match the wild shock of hair atop his head, the man likely appeared more a wraith keeping vigil over the village than a man, not that appearance mattered much today. His schedule, last he checked, held little save for a few meetings later in the day and those could always be pushed to later in the week if need be. Surely Kazuko wouldn't spring an unexpected guest on him at the last minute...

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WC: 523
TWC: 523

Kazuko stats and story sheet

To say she didn’t feel the woman’s gaze on her would be a lie, her heartbeat always peaked slightly whenever she thought she was sneaking a glance at her - it was honestly sweet - a taste of her old infamy as Kazekage in the here and now. Be if for a different reason she didn’t object to the attention, so she didn’t stop it from happening - so when her voice broke the outerworld silence her eyes opened promptly to give the woman the same attention she had been stealing away for her. In the moments she spoke it was as though Mizuki saw no one but her as she rose from her seat - unfurling herself in a smooth motion before approaching the receptionist desk. 

‘He should be free now’, it was a simple sentence and rather to the point but Mizuki was one to see through the bureaucracy as she was recently on the other side of the door. So instead of instantly approaching the doors that held her and her brothers’ fate behind them she would linger at the desk - left hand trailing idly along the wood as she slowly stepped toward the designated area - “If he is free now… I can’t help but wonder when you will be free?” She wouldn’t linger long enough to hear the response from the receptionist, her hand would slide across the smooth surface with no interference until the last seconds when her nails would grow a few inches to leave light claw marks as she turned and entered the room. Had the woman been paying attention she might have noticed the small show of her clan in the moment but she had been far more focused on getting an ‘ear’ into the room - the overly cautious woman had noticed the shadow linger as she entered into the room if the upticked heartbeat wasn’t confirmation enough - but she was more than up to the task of putting on a show so she chose to say nothing for the moment.

It seemed though that she wasn’t the only one up to putting on a show of sorts, the leader of the village had a flair of his own. As if the office itself wasn’t a theatrical show, a scenic view of the village was at the viewer's disposal - criss-crossing roads intermingled with farmland and the daily grind of life - all set as a backdrop to the frame of the man she was set to speak with. Entering the room tied her into his heartbeat as well, steady and calm like a coursing river - nothing could make it falter… but perhaps someone could. 

With the shadow ear at her heels she would bow her head slightly, still unfamiliar and uncomfortable with formalities especially on the other end - though her actions were in vain as the one she showed respect to was giving her less than that by facing away. Trying to calm the rising irritation in her body she would roll her shoulders back to maintain the calm and rational facade she wore, instead using her tone as her signal - polite but firm. “Komekage, thank you for seeing me so late in your day, I know how tiresome these meetings can be. This meeting however is one that I pushed for due to its importance.” She stopped short in her strides, pausing a meter or so away from the desk and clasping her hands behind her back with a grip so tight it could strangle. Staring at him from behind was giving her a perspective she did not wish to have from the last meeting she had with Guren Chinoike before she left. Had she looked as far away as he seemed now? He held a wild and worn appearance from the back - jet black formal hakama only offset the unkempt nature of his hair; which held straight contrast to her all too exposed and smooth appearance. 

She continued to stand, hands clasped behind her back as she struggled to contain her nature from showing itself especially in the confines of such a familiar setting. Keeping her tone even and calm she would continue, “My name is Mizuki Kyuketsuki. I am formly the Kazekage of Sunagakure, my blood brother and I have just obtained visitation visas at your gates. I had to keep some information from my forms due to their nature which is why I pressed so hard to have this meeting as soon as possible, forgive me.” As she spoke the words, ‘forgive me’, she couldn't help but close her eyes as though she was blocking out the idea of asking for forgiveness - her tone never betrayed her but her body did. “I seek this counsel for three things, one, the blessing and permission from you to obtain trading license in your home, my brother had a lucrative business back in Sunagakure that he is more than ready and able to transfer to your village. The second is the right, granted by you, to become citizens of your village… and the third is more… complicated.” 

She disliked pausing in her speech, even in small amounts it always came across as unsure, but had he been watching her as she spoke the words he would not see unsureness - instead he would see a woman who once held far more power than she did now, swallow her pride. “I ask that you allow me to use a jutsu known only to me to change my appearance and chakra presence to hinder anyone who seeks to find me. I come to you now as myself but I am not foolish enough to think that my leaving has not left those that remain … unperturbed, I seek permission to walk your village unknown to protect not only myself but everyone else who resides in your walls.” At this point, anyone else would release a breath to relieve tension, instead she stood unnaturally still - done away with all attempts at ‘human’, she no longer feigned breath or motion - instead choosing to stand like a carving in his office.

With the words out she would close those unearthly eyes that had been staring him down with sincere intensity and press her tongue against the fronts of her teeth - the nails on her hands would grow to their full length behind her back as the fate of her requests lay in the hands of man she had never met. In the moments of silence before his response her mind raced through thoughts - the one that repeated being - when was the last time she put her fate in the hands of another… and how badly that went for her. This wasn’t completely for her though, she had to maintain herself for Arantima, as head of the clan she had to give him the best shot she could.

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Time spent together, by its very nature, bred familiarity with even the strangest and smallest of details of others. Lord Naito made a habit of pacing when nervous, Kazuko played with a kunai at her desk when work got slow, and Asahi spoke with spirits in his free time despite the strange rumors it brewed or perhaps, his cousin suspected, because of the strange rumors it brewed. Such details, it seemed, came from nothing more than the prolonged closeness of the workplace that was Okada Castle, a peculiar social osmosis of shared circumstance.

Indeed, more often than not, Yasahiro needed neither chakra senses nor a meeting reminder to know which of the usual suspects had come to see him on any given day. All it took was hearing the rise and fall of footsteps on the wooden floors of the castle. Lord Naito moved with a slow, steady stride, Kazuko walked with a pointed sense of purpose, and Asahi oft meandered about making frequent stops before arriving. The latest footsteps entering his office, however, were different in a way he couldn't quite place; while they had a certain calm confidence, they were undeniably alien.

The foreign, feminine voice confirmed it—he had an unexpected visitor.

Clasping his hands behind his back, he turned to greet his new guest with a slim smile and amber eyes of one pulled from the depths of an unpleasant memory. Though at times he wanted to interject, Yasahiro remained silent and unmoving as he listened to the newcomer. He had imagined meeting another leader a thousand times before, but never quite like this. The Kazekage, or Mizuki as she went by,  seemed to have come with a purpose in mind, and he would allow her to say her piece uninterrupted until she concluded and silence took back the reigns.

One...

Two...

Three...

Three composed heartbeats slipped by before Yasahiro spoke. Each one seemed a century as his mind scrambled to find the right words to fill the silence. It wasn't quite panic, but it also wasn't every day that a foreign leader—former or otherwise—requested to stay in Tanbogakure, the political calculus of it all seemed a headache-and-a-half. Perhaps, he thought as the words came to him, it was the appropriate reaction to all of this.

"Lady Kazekage, please take a seat," he said, his tone hewing towards even professionalism as he motioned to the seat at her back. The title of kage was not something one discarded lightly nor one that those who once held it could ever quite shake as an honorific—though, at times, the Komekage could understand the sentiment of wanting to try. "And call me Yasahiro."

Regardless of Mizuki taking a seat across from him or not, Yasahiro returned to his desk with a few long strides and sank into the seat behind it.

"I'll be honest," he leaned forward with one elbow on the desk and his bearded chin supported by a half-closed fist. "There's a lot to unpack there. Though, I believe I recall reading over your visa application earlier this morning. Your brother is Arantima Kyuketsuki, right?"

He made a habit of reviewing the applications Matsune flagged for review.

"If memory serves, both of you merely mentioned 'business dealings' without specifying the nature of the business. If I'm to be expected to grant a business permit I will need a bit more context there," he paused, searching for some flicker of emotion or tell in his guest's unnatural stillness before continuing. "As for your third request, I doubt I could stop you if I tried, assuming the stories of Sunagakure shinobi and kunoichi have any truth to them. That said, I appreciate the gesture, and you have my permission to do as you see fit."

"Citizenship, however, is tricky," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Many things are not as they seem in this world, and I barely know you or your brother. Indeed, you said it yourself, that your leaving of Sunagakure may have left some less-than-pleased individuals behind. I would like to hear more about the circumstances of your departure..."

Silence took over once more as his amber gaze returned to its previous task of trying to find a crack in Mizuki's fair complexion. Through it all, the steady staccato of his heartbeat remained unbroken. He had not yet decided if Mizuki or her brother were a threat—the ex-Kazekage's next words would decide that much for him.

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WC: 745
TWC: 1268

Masks came in many forms, but none so versatile as the one thrust upon each person at birth. Contorted and bent on a daily basis by the emotions hidden behind it, this uniquely human mask had long since become a tool in every self-respecting shinobi and kunoichi's arsenal.  In the face of his unexpected guest's rapidly shifting expression and tone, Yasahiro's countenance remained stony with the only sign of interest found in the way his fiery eyes met each of Mizuki's pointed swings in emotion with a quiet intensity that only broke when the ex-Kazekage brought up the village whose walls they both sat within.

"Tanbogakure?" his voice softened as it always did when speaking of his found home. "It came to be like any good village does, through a shared vision and a need for the safety a community provides."

His mask broke to reveal a wry smile.

"I can't speak for your 'radar', but the larger world rarely takes any interest in the affairs of smaller countries. I think you'd be surprised just how many villages like this exist beyond the walls of the five great nations—call it shortsightedness on their part. However, if sanctuary is what you're looking for then you'll find no better place than here on the overlooked periphery of the world."

The great nations of the world held little interest to the Komekage at this point. They represented, after all, a broken system where shinobi and kunoichi killed and plundered all for something approximating glory and security at home at the cost of lives abroad. Far better, in Yasahiro's opinion, to remain aloof from such a world where life and limb held so little value.

"Nonetheless, I appreciate your candor. You and your brother are welcome to remain in Tanbogakure for as long as you see fit; I'll ensure that you are issued the proper business permits and an updated visa." He furrowed his brow as he continued. "That said, citizenship is something that will have to come in time. Get to know the village a bit better and see if it is to your liking."

Trust was not something built up in a day nor over the course of a single conversation. On the face of it, the former kage seemed trustworthy. However, faces often lied in the shinobi world. Indeed, as she got to know the village better so too would the village come to know her better and build the trust required of one hoping to join Tanbogakure.

"Beyond that is there anything else you'd like to discuss, Mizuki?"

Whatever formality remained from before melted away as he relaxed back into his chair.

EXIT CLAIMS: twc 2131
Using max stat discount 25%
1685 towards Desert Eye of Mental Fortitude 1875/1875 previous words from: Re: Underneath the Mask [Open]
445 towards Sage Art: Reduction 445/1875

Mizuki Ohta wrote:EXIT CLAIMS: twc 2131
Using max stat discount 25%
1685 towards Desert Eye of Mental Fortitude 1875/1875 previous words from: Re: Underneath the Mask [Open]
445 towards Sage Art: Reduction 445/1875

Approved!