It's about DRIVE

Uchiha, Kaito was no that suprised that he had received a letter from Shokku, Raikur. The boy had been Kaito's newly appointed student on Team Sonata, and the two had gotten to know each other rather well over the short period of time together as a team. When the Shokku had sent the letter, requesting an audience with the First Otokage, he was quick to accept and wasted no time in writing up a letter telling Raikur to meet him the next morning at his office.

In short time the morning of the meeting approached, and Kaito made sure to straighten up his office to the best of his abilities. He also prepared some tea, and he had made three separate types as he was unsure what Raikur's preferred brew would be. He sat each of the three tea kettles down upon the mahogany coffee table, which separated two black leather couches and a matching black leather chair at the head of the table. As the Otokage finished setting up, there was an audible knock upon the door.

"Come in." He said, standing upright and stepping a few feet towards the door.

Sure enough, Raikur would be the one to enter. The Shokku boy gave Kaito a nod, thanked his sensei for seeing him on such short notice, and apologized for not really knowing what title he should call Kaito, to which Kaito chuckled a bit.

"You can call me whatever it is that you prefer, Raikur; Lord Otokage, Kaito-Sensei, or simply just Kaito. Always remember that we are all merely people at our cores. Honorifics are just the butter on top. And I don't mind seeing you on such short notice. My office is always open to you, my boy. But please, come in and make yourself comfy and have some tea if you wish." Kaito would follow Raikur's lead, letting the boy be the first to get some tea if he so chose and to take a seat in his prefered spot. Kaito would sit in the seat opposite Raikur, or if Raikur decided that he would rather stand, Kaito would do the same. Kaito would, however, help himself to some of the fresh green tea that he had made before continuing.

"So Raikur, what can I do for you this beautiful morning?"

Kaito couldn't agree more with Raikur regarding the fact that the world was full of evil individuals. His mind began flooding back to the memories of his adoptive parents being murdered in cold blood, but he quickly shafted those thoughts so that he could keep his focus on all of what Raikur was saying. When the Shokku brought up the construction of the prison, however, the Uchiha became intrigued. The prison was something that Kaito knew the village needed, for the reasoning that Raikur had pointed at only seconds before. For such a person as young as Raikur to want to join as a guard, however, the Otokage was unsure.

How would the boy react should he come face-to-face with a really volatile criminal? Of course he wouldn't be able to fly off the handle and kill the prisoner. Despite the fact those people would be detained for their acts, no matter how heinous they may be, they were still people who had to atone for their sins.

Kaito was about to shutdown the proposal, but Raikur continued speaking his second request, which was to personally help in expanding the village's influence beyond the Land of Sky. This was something that Kaito had long been pondering himself, and was still trying to figure out the best course of action to go about it. Perhaps the genin was onto something regarding building up small settlements in the surrounding lands, but this would take months, if not years, of planning to fully engage. Kaito would not allow himself, nor the village, to expand into non-consenting territory without a viable reason to do so.

What came next was a bit of a suprise.

In an act that mirrored the Uchiha's own during their first training mission, Raikur activated his own clan's dojutsu. His already purple eyes took on an even vibrant shade, with dark yet reflective spots distributing themselves throughout the eyes. Kaito could not tell what this dojutsu was, nor what it was called, but from what Raikur advised there was much power in them. Just like the Uchiha's own Mangekyō Sharingan, however, there was more power that laid beyond.

"I'll make sure to keep your clan's secret within me, Raikur, nor will I tell anyone in your clan, including Harune, that you showed much such a thing. However, you have given me quite a lot to think about."

Kaito took a sip of his tea and sighed, sitting back further into the couch and kicking his left leg atop his right one. On one hand, the Shokku boy was quite like himself regarding his desire to bring those who did wrong to justice. In some regard that may have made the both of them reckless, but on the other the boy shared the drive that Kaito always held to keep his home, whether that being Sunagakure in days of old or Otogakure here in the present. The fact too that the boy had such a power at his age, awakened through sheer force of will and training, said a lot about his desire to better his clan, and by extension, keep the village that much safer.

After a few minutes of pondering, Kaito nodded.

"I will consider your request to become a warden at the prison upon its completion, Raikur, but you must promise me that your dedication to the village will not waiver. You also must promise me that, should you become a warden, you will not overextend your power. Despite the fact that prisoners end up as such because they've broken the law, they are still people at their cores." Kaito paused for a moment to hear Raikur's response before continuing to address the boy's second request. "In regard to helping to expand the village's influence and power, I will have to deny your request, at least for now. Please don't take my current denial personally, however. I just cannot expand the manpower to reach beyond the village at this time, and as young and as unexperienced as you are at this time, I cannot ask you to throw away your life should things go south. That doesn't mean that I will not request your assistance with such things in the future though, okay? In the meantime, grow. Grow and strive to become the person that you desire to be, and if that person wants to become an official here in the village, there will always be room at the table."

Kaito was more than happy to hear that Raikur's dedication to the village, and any duties granted to him, would be done with the sole purpose of keeping it and its people safe. This was the very drive that Kaito himself wielded, and when he looked at Raikur he couldn't help but feel that he was looking at a younger version of himself. Despite this, he knew that the boy would certainly have to get stronger before taking on such strainuous tasks, but even still the Otokage couldn't help but feel that perhaps he had been a bit tough with his choice of words or perhaps his decision over all.

The Otokage would certainly have a lot to think about regarding the future of both the village and his student.

When the Shokku boy announced his leaving the office to go do some training, Kaito nodded.

"Please, don't let me interrupt your training, Raikur. It was a please speaking with you today." Kaito smiled sincerely and bowed to the boy. "I will get back to you as quickly as I can regarding a position within the Sound Five and also as a warden at the prison. For now though, have a great day, and have a good training session."

Once Raikur took his leave from the Otokage's office, Kaito moved himself over to his desk, plopping down into the wheeled leather chair stationed behind it. With a sigh he looked out of the large floor-to-ceiling window behind the desk, watching as the villagers went about their lives. All seemed peaceful, but Kaito could only wonder for how much longer. Raikur's dedication was something he took much admiration in, and the Uchiha only hoped that everyone else within the village's forces had the drive and determination that the Shokku boy did...