Drinks and Talks (Ichigo)

A long time overdue.

The Mad Medic. The savage of the ER. King Badass with the amazing six pack. The Immortal Darkness. Many names littered his profile, some self-acclaimed and some well earned on the battlefield, but for the most part he accepted merely Mukuro. He sat within the depths of the Kumogakure's Hospital as he got back into the swing of things since his departure to the same place his old pal and Raikage came from. His feet were placed firmly on his desk as enka rap blared from a nearby jukebox drowning out most of the world around the office. The large 20 meter room was more circular than anything but was equipped with just about everything a young bachelor needed. A red couch, a large desk that sat in the middle of the room made out of mahogany, several bookshelves filled with scolls and books ranging from Medical practices and a few spoils of war that he had found within the older areas of Kumo. And it would not be a doctors lair if it did not have a gurney and table for operations and bodies. With his feet on the desk he mumbled some of the words of the current song that was on as he went over his report that he was going to give to Ichigo today. Most of it was boring and only talked about what he had experienced and the persona he had to take on, even though those memories were very well... real. None the less he would move one of his feet and lightly kick the desk causing him to spin around and as soon as the back of the chair was in front of the desk he would expertly stand up with file in hand and head on over to the Raikage's chambers.

The hospital wasn't that far from the office itself but he liked to take his time to as it was a stroll he could actually enjoy. He had remained wearing just his pants with his jacket tied around his waist, his signature hat that had been turned around with the brim facing south and some nice, stylish shoes. He didn't care for the formalities for clothing but he couldn't just walk around with nothing on as well. Moments passed and he finally stood in front of the building and opened the door slowly as he walked in and smiled to the receptionist," Going up to see the boss man, no need to let him know im coming," he didn't even wait for a response as he was already on the way. His steps were light but far from loud as he pushed the door of the Raikage open and loudly announced himself," AND HERE WE ARE FOLKS THE HANDSOME DEVIL OF THE LAND OF LIGHTNING, THE MAD DOCTOR HIMSE- oh are you busy buddy?," there was a mischievous smile on his face as he closed the door and moved to sit in one of the empty chairs of the office.

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Home sweet home. The Raikage Chambers never looked so good, his desk and chair just the way he left them. "Glad to see nothing changed around here" the armor-clad man voiced in relief as he removed his helmet and put it down. Taking off the mask, revealing his face in the process, Ichigo would turn around and stare out of the window behind him. "Beautiful". One word, that's all he needed to describe Kumogakure. The Drunken Storm had washed away the Blood, conquering Volcano and assimilating it into Lightning. "There have been less successful trips" he thought out loud, emphasizing how big of a victory it was.

Still staring outside and looking over the village, Ichigo could sense and mainly hear a familiar presence as they approached the chambers. "Maybe from afar, but a devil indeed" the Raikage referred to Mukuro describing himself as handsome. He would then turn around and face his friend, inviting him to pour himself a drink. "You know where I keep my liquor, help yourself to it" the Drunken Storm spoke, finally taking his seat at the desk. All of a sudden he felt more relaxed, almost as if a weight just fell off his shoulders. It truly was good to be home again.

A lot of things happened while he was out of the village and a lot needed to be discussed, but all in due time. For now Ichigo would simply focus on further expanding Kumogakure's influence while enjoying good company. "What's that, don't tell me Mukuro Ketsua actually wrote a report?" the Raikage joked as he looked at the piece of paper the Jounin brought with him. All jokes aside, it was to be expected that he'd be receiving at least a couple of updates regarding the current state of the village. "Alright, let's hear it, what do you have for me?". Even if nothing changed during his trip, the Raikage still needed to know what was going on in Kumogakure.

(WC: 329)

"Oh someone is having a good morning when they are offering their stash of booze on a visit. Alrighty then if I can help myself lets find the best tasting Sake you got in here," rummaging through the cabinet he would of course keep things as they were as he ran a finger over the bottles inspecting them gingerly. Those that were unopened he would hold a moment or two over, looking at date of bottle and the accumulation of dust upon the gourd and cork. Even the most novice of drinkers would know what that had meant so he skipped over them. Finding one he had found particularly pleasing to both liver and taste he would pull from the self a plum favored sake. Moving over to the couch he would sit at the chair opposite to the desk and pour the two a drink. Starting with Ichigo's cup he would chuckle for a moment as he looked up at him," Oh you are all jokes today. While you may or may not have a point there, I find it easier to deny any sort of mishaps when you have it in writing. You have to be more comfortable after taking off that helmet," a small joke, but it was easier to ease the tension of the room if you had a quick draw or two. After he had poured himself a cup he would sit the gourd to the left so that it was out of the way and slowly sat the paper onto the desk. Taking the first drink he would sigh and let out a content shudder as he sat the cup down and began his report," Alrighty. Lets start from that stretch mission me and the devil herself were sent on. We ended up in the Lands of Volcano, the same place you had came from of course. It was...lackluster to say the least. Not much there and judging by things, you had seen it first hand. Either way onto the part you were actually waiting for. Upon our return we had seen that the village itself was still in good hands. Most of the genin are training hard, and so far there haven't been any reports of incursions by missing ninja either in the village or on the borders. Along those lines, it would seem as things within the land of Lightning have become rather quiet as of late," pouring himself another drink he would set it to the side for a moment and bring both hands together for a moment.

He had thought about something but chose to omit it from his mind for the moment," All of this silence though is... boring don't you think? Sure it means our village can continue to grow under your rather large shoulders, but what does that spell for the other villages? Konoha is an ally and judging from things they own Suna... That gives us two allies, but there is of course the Village in the Stars and the Village of the Mist that lay unattended. What are our plans now though?," he'd pick up the cup and leave on the cusp of his lips for a moment before taking another drink and looking to his friend to get his insight.

546 WC
TWC: 1040

Casually leaning back, making himself comfortable in his chair, Ichigo would take a sip of the sake Mukuro poured him. "Much better than the one I had in Sunagakure" the Raikage visibly enjoyed the brilliant taste of liquor. In a certain state of relaxation, his head slightly up, the Drunken Storm stared at the ceiling as he simultaneously listened to the Mad Medic's report. Attentively as ever, paying close attention to the man's words, he was relieved to hear nothing changed ever since Kumogakure's conquest of Volcano. "Things could have gone different, but their Kage decided to insult my honor and that of our village". He came in peace, but left with the spillage of blood. 

Staring at his own reflection in the cup of sake, Ichigo acknowledged Mukuro's question regarding their plans moving forward. "I'm thinking about sending a couple of our forces to Volcano, I didn't just take it over only to abandon it after. That's where I differ from the late Chikage" he couldn't help but throw some shade despite the woman no longer being around to defend. Not that she did a good job in the first place. "We rule the land, and now the sea as well" the Raikage referred to the Kumogakure Military Sea Force, a fine addition and one that would help them expand their territory even further.  

As Kumogakure's influence continued to grow, so did their relationship with the other villages. "Considering the state of Sunagakure it wouldn't surprise me if the Hokage decided to keep a close eye on them, his patience runs out faster than mine after all". Mukuro then mentioned both Hoshigakure and Kirigakure, two villages that mostly kept to themselves for as far he could remember. "During the last Summit the Mizukage and I seemed to get along, but I don't know if and how the leadership has changed". Even though they were on rather good terms, Ichigo never found out how the skirmish between the Mist and Sand ended back then. 

Taking another sip of his sake, the Raikage then continued to speak. "If memory serves me well, the Land of Heaven was not allowed to take part in that Summit, apparently finding themselves involved in the tensions between the two other villages". He was no politician, quite the opposite, but one way or another Ichigo found himself taking part in it regardless. Son of a blacksmith and now father to many Kumogakure citizens. "I'm far from a conqueror, but we all know this peace won't last forever. We should continue to build our strength, my shoulders alone won't keep us safe". If the past taught him one thing, it was to never take things easy or anything for granted. 

(WC: 453, TWC: 782)

“And we all know how you are about that honor of yours. Swift and unyielding like the great Raijin right?” there was a bemused smirk that played upon his face as he took another slow, but steady sip of his sake. He knew many things about Ichigo and one of the things he did admire about the male was his sense of Honor. Mukuro had honor but if he had to simplify it…well his was very loose and flowing like the willow tree. While the male in front of him stood unwavering in his convictions and actions. It was admirable and he could see why the people chose him to lead them. Sitting the cup down he would ponder over everything that the male would say inquisitively thinking about a few things that could help better their new territory. Send a gaggle of genin over to rebuild the defunct village and turn it for the better? Nah too inexperienced and plus that could take too long in the selection of bodies. Maybe they could send a few Jounin over to get some of the things rolling then send someone else…that would lessen the force in the main village. An audible hum could be heard coming from him as he swirled the liquid inside of the cup gently for a moment, adding to the suspense of his thoughts.

Standing up he would peruse the office with no real thought behind it until he came across a map of the world. Meandering back over to the desk he would scooch the liquor and cups out of the way,” One sec gotta just…yeah move that over here,” and after creating a safe working space would sprawl the map out and begin to trace his finger. Kumo was here and through the expanse of the sea come over to Ketsu here. If he remembered correctly from his extended time, there that would mean it would be easier for a smaller force to go. An idea suddenly popped in his mind for a moment that caused him to smile,” So I see your point yeah? We shouldn’t give up a primo opportunity to rectify the mistakes of the past owners of the land yeah? So how about instead of just sending a bunch of our forces which would put us down a few bodies…we just create them? See I’ve been reading into an experimentation process called Living Clones, right? Basically, you take a mass of chakra and give it form. Essentially creating a life. I don’t know however how strong that new life would be, but I gather if a few willing people were to create one we can send a small squad to Ketsu and then train them from there. Overtime we can continually add on the more we grow so that we are not thinning our ranks. Following me so far,” he would wait for Ichigo to take in the rather long-winded explanation but once he got the gist of it he would remove the map and begin to pour them another cup.

Leaning back into his seat he would take in a long drink before nodding,” I do agree peace never lasts. There is always someone out there plotting to do harm, whether its intentional or not. We are fortunate to have an ally in Konoha, but for the others we do not we may need to keep an eye or two on them. Have you thought about reinstituting the Heavenly Transfer Gates back into production? If records serve one of your predecessors used them to travel to one of their long gone allies back in the day?” he would mostly be inquiring to see if Ichigo by chance had heard of the device. If not, then Mukuro would go in-depth about the device as best he could.


636 WC

His eyes tracked Mukuro's movements as the Mad Medic suddenly stood up to collect a map of the world. "Careful now, wouldn't want to have to pick you up". All jokes aside, Ichigo continued to watch as his comrade placed the large piece of paper on the desk. What followed then was a rather extensive explanation, perhaps even a suggestion on how to best use the territory they had gained after the conquest of Ketsuekigakure. In order to efficiently use their forces, the Raikage knew they might have to think outside of the box, a solution his friend was able to come up with. 

Comfortably leaning back in his chair, Ichigo listened attentively, paying close attention to Mukuro's words. "Living Clone you say? If memory serves me right I believe the Eleventh came up with one such technique using our own advanced element" the Drunken Storm recalled the Heavenly Brotherhood which was created through Quake Release. Perhaps it would be the solution to their problem, creating life and forces in the process. "I take it you have some willing people in mind?" the Kage inquired further before taking a sip of his freshly poured drink. Enjoying the cup of sake the two of them then moved on to the next topic at hand. 

Discussing peace and relationships with other villages, the Raikage listened as Mukuro mentioned the Heavenly Transfer Gate. "I believe it was destroyed years ago, but I do not know how or why". He never looked too much into it, but perhaps the Mad Medic could share his knowledge on the matter. 

(WC: 264, TWC: 1046)

"You always see the bigger picture don't ya buddy? Well yeah basically I had an inkling of what we could do considering this might be a long term investment. Let's send say... 2 or 3 of these living clones one of mine included and have them train and fix the area as a means of growing their strength. Send one Chuunin or Jounin that we can trust and not let power go to their head to oversee and deter any...hindrances that might occur and then we go from there," listening to the next question about the Heavenly Transfer Gate, he mused to himself for a moment before smiling almost into a grin as he sat back down and thought carefully. The technology to his knowledge had been destroyed during the time Kumo had been in an alliance with Amegakure, but since then no one had bothered to bring it back. True the schematics of the device had still remained but none of the people who made it remained. Not the last two Raikage that had overseen it nor anyone from their cabinet. Which made it a difficult process to pursue but this was a different village compared to back then. Pouring himself a drink he would take a deep drink and then nod," You are 100% correct that it was destroyed years ago presumably during the time of Misaki Ametsuchi and her stundents reign of the village. However what the tyrant after them failed do to was destroy the actual blueprints that detailed how to build it. I'd bet my top dollar those same scrolls would be in our archives if you were to go looking for them," he'd finish of course to give Ichigo a bit to think about. All in all it was a good idea with favorable results. Snapping his fingers since something had came to mind he would add," Though I would add a failsafe in place for the device now. Maybe it taking the chakra signature of yourself and whoever is on the other side to be registered in such a way it could not be duplicated or copied."

354 WC
TWC: 2030

The Mad Medic offered to send one of his own Living Clones to Volcano Country as a way of growing the place after its assimilation into Kumogakure. "I take it you trust them enough to send at least one of them there?". Even if they were created from the image of the original, Ichigo assumed they would still have their own personality. Nevertheless, he knew Mukuro would make sure they were up to the task. The Raikage would lean back in his hair and take things into consideration. With how he didn't want to split up their forces too much while at the same time allow former Ketsuekigakure to grow, Mukuro's idea might be the best option they could go with.

Determined to make Volcano into a force on its own, otherwise there would have been no point in taking over, Ichigo decided it was best to send a small force of promising shinobi to keep the place running. "Very well, we can send a handful of people to what once used to be Ketsuekigakure using our Military Sea force". That way, the Raikage could always travel there himself in case the need would arise. However, even if he didn't, it would still be a great opportunity for those in Volcano to develop themselves and become a proud shinobi of Kumogakure.

The two of them then moved on to the topic of the Heavenly Transfer Gate and how they could potentially bring it back to use it to their advantage. Taking another sip, Ichigo listened as Mukuro briefly mentioned the destruction of the device while at the same time suggesting it would be wise to dive into the archives and look for the blueprints in case they wanted to rebuild it once more. "I'm sure our predecessors had good reason to destroy it, but nothing says we can't do better". In case they succeeded in improving it, Kumogakure would gain something worthy in the process.

(WC: 325, TWC: 1371)

What was this? In his earnest desire to share the information with his friend, he had seemed to have dozed off before he could complete his sentence. That was quite unlike Ketsua then again he was a troll by nature so maybe this was by design. Taking his hat off he would run his fingers through the smoothness of his hair as he leaned back into the chair and murmured to himself like a senile old man," Now where was I?.... Oh yes right right! I would certainly trust one of my own creations to be adept at handling the task, as for the new wave of Genin? Well I have to concede that to your very capable hands. I overall think it would be an amazing idea once we get the roster and the needs of that literal and figurative wasteland down. Maybe I could take a disciple under my belt to teach the basics of Medical Ninjutsu. After all every village needs a medic. Just one not as handsome as me...or talented...or awesome, you get the point here," he would chuckle in jest, but his point had remained the same. It would appear that the two were on the same page and that was good to hear. Maybe this is what the village needed to expand further and break the monotony that they were eventually going to experience. In the meantime however, he would set his cup back down once more and nestle his hat firmly back onto his head as another matter popped up in his brain," I am sure someone from that era of our history is still around. Lord Yamaguchi, the little Lord...or maybe his friend and successor. The one you have as your Storm Captain. He was a student of Yaju Hayate was he not?," the annals of history could tell stories if you listened, and with this having to do with at least three of Ichigo's predecessors maybe they could learn something as to the mistakes of the past to make them not so....repeatable?


344 WC
TWC: 2,374

It appeared Mukuro had a lot of trust in his creation, and who was he to doubt his trusted friend? "Very well, make sure to inform them of their task before they embark on the journey". Perhaps sending a Genin wasn't the best course of action, but Ichigo never said they would be going alone. A small group of motivated shinobi, possessing a healthy amount of ambition and willing to prove themselves to their Kage and village. And so the Raikage had something to look forward to, a delegation of promising Kumogakure warriors to create a force in Volcano Country.

On the topic of a new generation of upcoming shinobi, Mukuro suggested taking on a disciple, one he could show the ways of Medical Ninjutsu and share his expertise with. "I'm sure we can find someone interested to learn under a man such as yourself". Jokes aside, the village could always use an extra pair of hands to help out in the hospital. The two of them would then touch on the subject of the Heavenly Transfer Gate once more, the Mad Medic bringing up a couple of names who were possibly able to help out with restoring it to its former glory.

Doing so, two were mentioned, ones he recognized all too well. "I'm afraid the Little Lord is unable to communicate with the rest of us" the Drunken Storm referred to the vegetative state Maximilian was currently in, still to this day. The Yamaguchi had meant a great deal to both the village and Ichigo, taking on the role of the latter's teacher back when he finally felt ready to return as a Kumogakure shinobi. "Perhaps Onomori would be the better choice, even though he doesn't say much there is a lot one could learn from him". So it had been decided, both the excursion to Volcano Country as well as the return of the Heavenly Transfer Gate.

(WC: 320, TWC: 1691)