A meeting with the Mizukage

Today was a special day. Izu had finally get a meeting possible with the lord of the town, Mizukage Akabayashi, as she wanted for once to tell the truth of her opinions to him, as well as ask for guidance, and help to succeed her goals, for the greater good of the village hidden in the mist. As she arrived at the Mizukage estate, she presented to the guards her authorisation to enter and to meet the lord Mizukage, and entered all the way up to his office door. As she knocked and entered, she bowed to the Lord of the hidden mist out of respect, but not very low signifying her opinions.

''My lord, thanks for receiving me. I have a lot to discuss.'' Said Izu in a serious voice, as she sat down.

It seemed he had little choice in the matter of whether or not this conversation was to be had. She knocked, entered without answer, bowed, said some words, and sat just as quickly as she entered. He had a desire to simply say he did not have time or simply teleport out of the office. His lack of manners matching her own, but that would scarcely teach her anything. "I will certainly tell Shiro to teach you manners." He would say now standing from his desk to stretch his legs as he walked away from the girl and toward the window to look outside for a moment to return his attention to her. He knew whatever she had to say was not an emergency otherwise she would have spit it out at the door not moved inside and taken a seat simply to dicuss something. "What is it you wish to discuss?"

As the Mizukage got up of his desk to go look toward the land from his office window, he tolkd Izu that she would need to learn some maner, wich immediately made her blush from the awkwardness as she didnt meant to disrespect the lord of the hidden mist.

''I'm sorry if my entry was rude, my lord. I'll try and learn good manners, where I come from these don't exist.'' answered Izu before bowing again to show her honnest appology.

As he turned back toward her to listen, Izu nodded and started to talk.

''I wanted to ask about my position in the village, and my dreams and objectives for the future, my goal essentially. I want to become a member of the hunter-nin, a swordsman of the hidden mist. I know I'm not there yet, I still need to do my proofs and have more experience, but I wanted to talk to you my lord Mizukage beforehand to get a clearer path of how to get there. Also regarding my current status in the village, I've been aware of a few things I need to discuss. I've recently heard that a missing-nin has been hired and joined the village, and that she outranks me. I've been doing my proofs by doing missions along Kaimera and Shiro-sensei, and progressing quite a lot, so I think giving a higher rank to a foreigner versus the hard working shinobi and kunoichi of your village is innapropriate.'' said Izu with a neutral tone.

 ''You and I both know lord Mizukage that I have no love for you. I still see you as an invader of our nation, but nonetheless, I respect you because I respect might over tradition anyday. But this is something I cant stay silent about. And if I want to attain my goals, I still need to work with you, as you are our leader, and my loyalty to the village is undying, wether I agree with who is Kage or not.'' added with a firmer voice the Hyuuga young woman, her tone respectfull but true to what she believes, bold and brutally honnest.

There was a lot there. Dreams and how to get there. While also seemingly asking for a rank up without directly saying it. 

"Your own statement makes why I would put more rank in a missing ninja than you, obvious. I can not myself trust you, because you do not trust me." He would pause to let that sink in. "I know where I stand with you, but giving some rank to someone I just met with no ill will already bestowed to me. That gives me someone who would fight for me out of loyalty, not fear. I understand you work hard for this village and deserve a rank up however I feel giving you power now would only serve to cause me a headache in the end. Access to powerful jutsu, influence. I do not believe you would use these tools for my benefit."


She spoke plainly now it was his turn. "This very meeting shows your level of distrust. You did not simply come to ask for a promotion. You came in to question my decisions. So you say respect, but do not give it." Hopefully, things were becoming more apparent he wanted real respect, not just the kind said in words. She did not respect him, she feared him. "Perhaps, your lack of respect and distrust is my doing. I admit, I have felt as if I was a target since I came here. Maybe, I need to be the one to put the first foot forward."


He would take out a pen and begin drafting his recommendation letter. At first he was irritated by this meeting, but perhaps she was right. Her words being the reason for his introspection which saw him as part of the problem. Initially, he did not like being questioned but he needed someone to tell him he was wrong. Once, finished he would hand the recommendation to chuunin over to Izu. "It is not about my benefit. It is about Kiri's." 

Th Mizukage was on the spot, telling the truth in the same manner as Izu did: without hesitation, without speaking words around the topicé He was direct and brutally honnest. It was true, Izu distrusted him and had trouble even respecting him, as she saw him more like a foreign ninja invader than the Mizukage, even if both were the truth. At first, he called her out on her behavior, saying she basically was asking for a rank, wich was in part true, as Izu tought she deserved it, but it still wasnt the first goal, more than to call out the behavior she tought was an issue, and to find a way to acchieve her goal in the long run. As she waited and listened to the words of the Mizukage Akabayashi, Izu felt the need to appologize, as indeed her behavior and distrust was a bad thing, signifying a breach in the strength and unity of the village she held so dearly, when in truth all she wanted was to see it more strong than ever. As the Kage of the hidden mist handed her a hand written recommandation for the post of Chuunin, Izu was happy and proud that she had this honor presented to her, but hided the emotion as she still felt the need to express her most sincere apologies for her distrust, and try to mend the situation.

''Sumimasen my Lord Mizukage... You are right, I distrust and have a hard time respecting you. When i look at you, I struggle to see anything else than an invador, a conqueror stripping our village of its free will, of its cultural difference with Hoshigakure, your village of origin. I can't forget the change i've seen when you took over, cant forget the eye you took from my brother. But I think I am too in the wrong, even if its hard to say. I want what is best for Kirigakure, I want the village to follows its ancestral roots, not to be a vassal of Hoshi, but an ally, able to keep its own culture and traditions. I want to be able to believe in you.'' Said Izu, getting her eyes watery as she was emotionnal, even if her face was of cold steel, innexpressive and stoic. As she took a quick pause, she continued. ''My trust is something I give to very few people. I've been too hurt in my life to trust blindly people again, but I will bestow that trust in you this once. I bestow it to you because i believe you can show me and everybody that your priority is us, Kirigakure, before your first village of allegiance. I will also always be honnest with you, even if it lacks finesse and manners, and as long as you will at least listen to me and act in the good of Kirigakure and its culture and traditions, I will always follow you trough hell and back, and my loyalty, trust and respect will always be there for you and the hidden mist.'' Added Izu, a single tear running down her cheek as she was emotionnal, slowly bowing down her head while taking the letter of recommandation with two hands, a sign of great respect when accepting a gift. As another sign of respect, she went down on one knee, and pledge herself to the lord once again, swearing an oath on her headband, and giving him one of her senbon. 

''As a gesture of faith and trust, I give you one of my weapons, a symbol of loyalty. Hold on to it. The day you cannot fulfill your part of the deal, you give it back to me, but the day I betray the village, please, kill me with it, as it will be the fate I deserve. I hope neither of those ever happen.'' Said the blonde hyuuga, giving the very unique and thin acupuncture senbon to the Mizukage.

[giving away 1 accupuncture senbon to Akabayashi]

[Claiming chuunin IC-rank]

He would take the weapon by the hilt. He was ready to don his sealed armor at a moments notice even with their recent talk of trust, he still wasn't quite at the they won't kill me at the nearest opportunity stage and close quarters were not his best match up.

"My actions were forced by your prior leadership. I arrived because your previous kage owed me a favor. I gave him knowledge to cure his blindness and found information on a subject he asked me to research. He payed me by attacking Hoshi. When we killed him, I knew Kiri had lost its greatest power and yet I was owed." He pondered what to say next wondering if she would even accept what he was saying or if she would call it a lie. Akabayashi knew the reason he attacked, because some Kiri genin cried about the torture of being punched once and thrown in a cell for a couple hours. Sure, Akabayashi had accidentally killed him giving him the curse mark, but it was at the bastards own request and he was returned to life moments later. He hoped the valuable mark would keep him quiet.

"Then I came here to demand my own reward for my previous aid to your village. The negotiation ended quickly when Shiro attacked my clone and Ban attacked the random guy. I had asked for a few jutsu and two of your ninja. The one I had killed Youai and one of his choice. I had destroyed the storm barrier becauase I did not want it interfering if I did end up fighting, but I never targeted any of your people until your leader's blade was drawn. So, often does perspective dictate who is right and wrong." Perhaps, the backstory of why, was a tangent but he would circle back around.

"Kiri is not a vassal to Hoshi. I simply rely on its leaders moral judgement over my own. Just as he relies on my lack of it. How often morality gets in the way of action. I placed Shiro as a master of the village to aid me in keeping Kiri's culture as unchanged as possible. I will fulfill my role as kage to the best of my ability and try to meet your expectations."

''My lord, thanks a lot for explanations. I dont justify the previous acts of Mizukages of the past. My only concern is the wellfare of Kirigakure, and the maintenance of its unique culture, and traditions, nmo matter how harsh they can be. Our hardened way of life is what produce such skilled and deadly shinobi, and unique mastery over water release and our unique usages of a vast arsenal too. I am gratefull for you saying the truth to me, really.'' Answered Izu, bowing out of respect, and taking a small pause before going again. 

''I agree with you. My perspective was wrong. I am happy you are of the same opinion as me too regarding morals, and the way they block true greatness. I sincerely thank you again for your vow to meet expecations and to keep the culture of kiri not only to me, but to the whole population of the hidden mist village. I'm also gratefull for the position of my bro- Of sensei Shiro. He is a skilled individual worthy of his title of Master.'' added Izu. But she had a slip of the tongue. Indeed, she almost said out loud that shiro was her brother, even if that wasnt supposed to be public knowledge, only their team supposedly knowing of this fact. But maybe the Mizukage was already aware, or maybe not. What was sure was that he would definitely notice this slip of the tongue, as he wasnt a stupid individual.

She thought it was a slip, but he kind of already knew there was a blood relation of some type. They were both Hyuga, but he did not expect siblings. So, he'd taken her brother's eye, no wonder she didn't like him. But at least he was alive in a high position. It was clicking together, things made more sense. He would not call Shiro skilled not quite yet anyway, he certainly had grown from their initial meet to be sure though. "He has certainly began to grow into the role properly." By that he meant starting from seeing the power required to keep a village safe and then fostering ones own strengrh to get there. "I have need of a deputy, but I have two former kage of this village worthy of the role. Could you ask your brother if he would fight Shikami for the title?

''absolutely my lord. I'll tell him with pleasure.'' said Izu, sighing and accepting the fact that he knew they were brother and sister. In the end, knowing it or not, he had their best interest in mind, so Izu knew it would only be beneficiary. With this concluded the meeting with the mizukage, and Izu turned toward him once again.

''Thank you for listening to me and giving me a better understanding my lord Akabayashi. I will continue to serve the hidden mist with every breath I take, and will make you proud.'' added the blonde hyuuga young woman, bowing in respect toward the lord of the village, waiting for the man to dismiss her before going back home, to tell her brother the message about the fight. 

In truth, she really wanted Shiro to win this fight and become deputy, as it would mean his ideas in the village would be more accepted, and he would have more weight in the inner politics and intrigue of the village to propose and lay down the foundations of such projects and initiatives, like reforming the 7 swordsman of the hidden mist, or hiring people as Hunter-Nin.

[EXIT]

TWC: 1592 

claims:

• 434wc going toward  Creation Rebirth: strength of a hundred from here, acquiring it.
  
• 1158WC remaining going toward Gentle Blade Shadowrush (1158/1388)