A Crazy Story [P. Souji]

A Crazy Story:

Today had been a day Guren had anticipated for awhile. A day of meetings, and beginnings. A day of pain, and sober memories. One that would tell the tale of two shinobi, facing different paths in life and the actions they would take to overcome it. Guren had already received word from his messenger vulture sent from Suikai that the liberated Souji had returned to Sunagakure. Yet this hardly a glorious day. As good the news was about Souji's return, rumors and speculations stated that the man had come alone. To Guren's dismay, this would imply that Ibari was not with him. The Third sat at his desk, leaned back with his hands upon his arm rest, speculating on what became of his friend. Did he in fact desert Sunagakure? The fact that Souji was back meant that the former ANBU did indeed recover him from Kirigakure, but at what cost? His own life? Guren's mind ran amuck as the different scenarios flickered through his mind. The more he thought on it, the more tense he grew.

It was until Jasmine, the receptionist on the first floor of the Spire, telepathically communicated to Guren that his chain of thoughts was broken. 

"Lord Third, Souji has just entered the Spire. I've already sent him up to your office...He's alone.."

Guren did not vocalize a response other than a grunt of acknowledgement. "Hm," his thought conveyed to the woman, whom did not bother to press on any further. She had heard this sound before, all too reminiscent of a frustrated or a deep in thought Guren. Either way, she did not wish to push the envelope. 

The Third, still in his chair within the top floor of the Spire, raised one hand and placed it upon his chin. His beard had grown significantly longer, along with the hair on his head. His face showed slight signs of aging, and his eyes carried a level of maturity and seriousness that they had not before. Though things had been looking up for his own personal life and the status of Sunagakure, the reality of losing Ibari had finally been settling it. There was no more wondering if even one of his three lost friends would be returning. They were all gone. And all that was left to do was to hear how he met his fate from the words of Souji himself. Nevertheless, Guren felt a twinge of relief knowing that The Second's son had been safe and back in his home. And as Guren stretched his passive chakra sensory out to just outside of his office, he'd finally note the incoming signature. It was young, yet fierce. And it carried a degree of suffering with it; something Guren had known all too well. Perhaps his words to Zaine and Raleth had carried some weight to them. For this was not the signature of an immature, inexperienced genin. This felt much more pronounced and burdened. And as the footsteps finally approached the closed doors of his office, before Souji even got the opportunity to knock Guren would inadvertently channel the demeanor of one of his predecessors and call out "Enter!"

WC = 526

As the door to his office swung open, Guren would raise his head slightly to look upon the frame of the shinobi storming into his office. He was not the boy that he had once been, proven from his physical stature. It appeared as if his time in Kiri's captivity had forced his body to develop further. Guren had no comparison between what Souji had left the village as, versus what he stood before him as, since he had never met him. Nevertheless he could tell that this shinobi had gained some experience. Valuable, not only for himself but for Sunagakure as well.

The way a man walked told a lot about him and of his past. And clearly, Souji had a level of either frustration or pain about him. Guren could relate to this too, yet he still expected a level of mutual respect between Souji and himself. Nevertheless, Guren would not move from his seat nor would his posture shift. The single word greeting was simple, yet expected from the Hyuuga. And though Guren bore no animosity towards him, he exchanged no level of pleasantries. There was no tea, no warm welcome, as everything that the two needed to discuss could be categorized as grim.

"Souji, I am Guren Chinoike, Third Kazekage following Mizuki's departure. I had sent Ibari to recover you from Kirigakure shortly after I took office. I thought this would take little time considering the Mizukage willingly granted us access to retrieve you. While I am glad to see you here in one piece, I wonder what became of Ibari, and did his fate result in your delayed return?"

Guren was forward and to the point. There was no reason to beat around the bush, or ask Souji how he had been. The Third understood that Souji was likely a prisoner, and faced number hardships that Guren himself could not relate to. But there were more pressing issues to address.

WC = 325. TWC = 851

Hearing Souji's opening remarks about his lack of recognition of Guren made the Third a tad annoyed. That was the exact reason why he told Souji who he was, because truthfully neither of the men knew each other. But in any case, he'd go on to comment on who Souji expected to see rescue him. His mother. And as she had left behind the Sand Village, that was not something that was in the cards for Souji. The further comments from Souji regarding Ibari, and what ensued after the former ANBU had picked him up, where frustrating. Yet they were partially to be expected. Guren, having not heard from Ibari in quite a long time, had assumed the man to be dead. His sudden departure following Kenshin's suicide ultimately ended up in his own suicide. But why did he ally himself with former Kirigakure shinobi? From the sounds of it, this had been the same Mizukage that Kenshin himself had attempted to assassinate. So what was the angle?

Guren was confused, as none of the motive made sense. But perhaps it was rooted in whatever the conversation between Kenshin and Ibari had. In any case, Guren let out a sigh and raised his right hand so his elbow was propped up on the arm rest, and his fingers lied on his temple. He'd shift his weight slightly to his right, and continued to maintain his calm expression while exchanging stares with Souji. If Souji had been trying to monitor his body language, he'd likely fail to read Guren. His adjustment of himself was purely out of comfort, as he figured that this discussion would continue for more time than he originally thought.

Upon Souji concluding his debriefing, Guren took a minute to reflect on the matter and what it would mean. There was a moment of silence, partially to pay tribute to the fallen Ibari. Guren would break this silence with his own response. 

"Quite a situation. Did Ibari reveal the details of this conversation with Kenshin? Lord First originally hailed from Hoshigakure, but I don't understand why his final wishes may have compelled his right hand to ally with...our enemy, to strike a village who our own had neutrality with. I understand you were acting out of an order, but that was no order of Sunagakure. Ibari admitted to me he was leaving our village, shortly after Kenshin's suicide and Mizuki's departure....Those are two subjects we will discuss later, but first we need to undress this situation with Hoshigakure. Before Ibari left, he swore to bring you back to Sunagakure. Now I suppose those were his secondary motives, and his primary intentions were to carry out Kenshin's will independently of Sunagakure. Did Hoshigakure identify you or Ibari as Sunagakure shinobi? Or did they identify the Kirigakure shinobi?"

Guren would take a moment to think on how to approach this subject, seeing as it may be sensitive for the Hyuuga. The grip upon his forehead would tighten, simply out of frustration with how complicated the situation had continuously developed. It was like Guren inherited a series of problems from those that preceded him. And for a newly liberated Souji to immediately be commanded to attack a village...how infuriating. Guren mentally kicked himself, as he knew that he should have gone to Kirigakure himself to recover Mizuki's son. At least he wouldn't have been involved in this attack on Hoshigakure. And he scolded himself internally for allowing Ibari to leave. It had been a transitional period, where Guren was only just entering the seat of Kazekage, when Mizuki and Ibari left and Kenshin died. He felt out of control. But perhaps he should have been more active at the time, and at least tried to stop these events from happening. But he couldn't deal in hypotheticals. For now, he had to focus on the present and the future. And at least Souji had made it safely to Sunagakure.

WC = 657. TWC = 1508

As Souji undressed the situation at hand, seeming to debunk the concept that Ibari was sent by Kenshin, Guren pondered these remarks a bit more. No matter what way it was spun, the situation didn't really add up. He couldn't conceptualize Ibari's motives, nor justify his actions. it was a strange time to be kazekage, when some of the actions of shinobi and former shinobi were questionable at best. Though he had respect for the former Anbu, he just didn't get it. Nor would he try to. The only people capable of explaining this were dead. In any case at least it was good that Hoshigakure didn't seem to widely recognize Ibari, yet still knowing of Souji being in the attacking force would likely accessorize Sunagakure. It was a shame, yet Guren maintained his composure. Standing from his chair, he'd walk himself over to the corner of the room adjacent to where his tea and coffee makers had been. Propping his back against the wall, he'd fold his arms and think more on the situation. 

"Strange that he allowed you to leave, though I'm sure the Star Village and its people would be seeking some level of retribution. I see a couple of different ways to proceed, and for the moment I'll keep those to myself until I decide on the path forward. In the meantime, I'd like to discuss another topic at hand. Your mother. When Mizuki returned from the Tea Summit, she seemed even less of herself than what she had been. She closed off the village, and spoke to me behind closed doors. Her desire was to leave the village, along with some pupil of hers. Though I disagreed and argued on the subject, she stripped me of my title. I considered challenging her, right then and there for the seat of Kazekage and to physically prevent her from departing, but out of the friendship and respect I had for her I abstained from doing so. When she left, I claimed Kazekage, and began a focus on continuing my work as deputy kage and developing our shinobi. As well as rebuilding our structure from the way it formerly was. There had been gossip amongst the borders of Sunagakure, which has compelled me to considering sending scouts out to investigate there along with the countries that border us. However I have yet to issue the pursuit of the Second. Out of respect to your relationship with her, I wanted to brief you on her status and get your thoughts on the matter."

Guren's voice was calm, and analytical as he gazed as Souji while leaning against the wall. He was sure that the Hyuuga would be frustrated, but his reaction would be something of particular interest to the Third. As Guren alluded, he had been looking to repair the shinobi hierarchy in the Sand Village. And seeing as Souji had been the most trusted genin prior to his departure, and returned with a great deal of experience, Guren would be a fool to overlook his candidacy. However his composure and behavior were important. He did not want anyone on his team that was too hotheaded or impulsive. Sunagakure had enough of that, and it was time for Guren to put an end to it. Every movement that the Sand Village would take would need to be calculated from now on. But also, he was curious to see if Zaine and Raleth's commentary on Souji were true. They seemed to speak ill of his temper and level of self-control. Guren took it with a grain of salt though, and figured it would be best to decide for himself.

WC = 609. TWC = 2117

His eyes never left Souji's figure, and as the genin sat in silence momentarily collecting his thoughts, his body language almost made it seem as if he had some type of internal conflict. A single one of his eyebrows would raise in response, as he carefully studied Souji's signature. He seemed to maintain the same body and same chakra flow. Yet when he would speak out again, his dialogue differed tremendously from the one he had previously spoken to. At first observation, Guren mentally related this phenomenon to Kushimaru's demeanor, who seemed to speak with two voices at once. Yet this wasn't mutual, it seemed as if this second person had seemed to grab ahold of the "light". Guren quelled his thoughts momentarily, and listened to the words that Souji had spoken. Most of it was mere speculation, and sounded like a sort of monologue. But towards the end, he seemed to allude to the guess that him and Ayato could be brothers. Guren's eyes closed for a second, sighing internally, before flickering back open and refocusing on Souji. Things had gotten so complicated.

And as Souji digressed into a maniacal laughter, Guren watched idly by waiting for him to finish. What was with the characters of Sunagakure and having multiple personas and monikers? Mizuki Ohta, and Kyuketsuki. This new Kushimaru fellow. And now Souji? One could even argue that Kenshin followed a similar trend, with his different aliases. Guren just watched in concern as Souji continued on with his fit of laughter, refraining from showing any bit of judgement on the matter. Yet his consideration for promoting Souji was now met with a bit of reluctance. He wanted stable minds in positions of power. Not to say someone with multiple personalities wasn't stable, but the Third was simple unsure of how he felt at this point. But one thing was for sure: his face was stone cold. Nothing had been funny to him.

Then came the subject of the Second. It began with Souji commenting on all that was wrong with the woman. He suggested that Guren leave her in his past, which was something that the Third had been debating previously. But it was interesting to hear Souji's take on it. When he concluded, Guren would take a moment to respond while still posted up on the wall.

In response to Souji's question of Guren calling the woman his friend, he'd simply start with, "What I thought then, and what I think now are two different things. Her and I had a competitive rivalry and we could trust each other. Yet that was broken. My stance on her now is undecided at best. And as you've suggested, I've been inclined to leave her alone. My concern though, is if her or Arantima do anything to compromise Sunagakure's integrity. They could be information leaks, and could plot against the village. And that would be the only reason why I myself would pursue them. But I'd generally agree with your analysis. I guess I'll need to think more on my desired course of action. There are some within our walls who have admitted to wanting to find her out, though their intentions once they would...are not clear to me."

Guren's allusion was a comment towards Zaine and Raleth's resolve. Though they wanted to track the woman down, he was unsure of what exactly they would do if given that opportunity. Their original allegiance was sworn to Sunagakure when Mizuki was Kazekage, and each of them had some level of personal relationship with her. He didn't want to accuse them, but he could see how a conflict of interest could present itself. In any case, he was not really worried on the matter. Should someone seek the Second out without his approval, he'd stop them. Simple as that. 

"So what's next for you, Souji? Or whoever I am speaking to."

WC = 649. TWC = 2766