Starring:
Daisuke, Tobiramako, Hiei, Nariko
Date: February 27, 2014
Summary:
A small Kumo delegate of Nariko and Hiei come to Konoha to welcome the new Hokage into power.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"A New Leaf - Strengthening Bonds"
Hokage's Lookout - Konohagakure
Having just arrived on Storm-shadow, prancing next to her cousin, was the young Yotsuki heroine known as Nariko. She was tired from the trip to Konoha and was ready to eat, but first, the pleasantries. She looked to Hiei next to her and smiled. "We'll get lunch after this, I promise." As they come up to the hall of the Hokage, she slips off her horse, feeding it a sugar cube and telling it to stay put, even if a talking dog walks up to him. She walked into the building and gave a knock to the office, waiting patiently. It was going to be an interesting trip no doubt.
Hiei dismounts his warhorse Snake Eyes after getting into the village proper, and even though his stomach is already making noises, he nods to Nariko. "I'll hold you to that." He murmurs, "I wonder if that ramen stand is still run by the same person the last time I was here?" With a slight shrug, he follows along behind his cousin as they make their way towards the hall of the Hokage. This wasn't the first time Hiei had ever been here. He had met here with Hashi a long time ago at the start of the True Fire Movement fiasco. He pats Snake Eyes on the nose. "Be good and look after Storm-shadow." Then he follows Nariko inside and waits patiently before as she knocks on the door.
Within his office, surrounded by stacks of paperwork, Daisuke sat at his desk grumbling something about 'sedentary' and 'fat', which gets a narrowed-eye look from Tobiramako, who sits at her desk near the bookshelves doing her work peacefully. "You know, we could always just say we goofed up our choice if you can't handle a little paperwork." she says in a joking tone of voice, to which Daisuke mutters and starts back on his work.
After a little while a knock came on the door. There was no sweeter sound to Daisuke at this point as such a knock meant paperwork can wait. He calls for whomever it was to come in, setting aside his work and politely waiting, a smile on his face as he much preferred to socialize and debate over paperwork.
Nariko looks to Hiei and shrugs. "Possible, but you'll have to wait." She sticks her tongue out at him before hearing the sound to come in. She opens the door and walks in, seeing the familiar face of Daisuke behind the desk. Upon walking further in she would bow politely to him. "Congratulations on your new position Hokage-san." She smiles and looks to Hiei, not eyeing him per say, but making sure he behaves.
Hiei steps inside behind Nariko and also gives Daisuke a deep bow. "Kumogakure sends it's congratulations, Lord Hokage." He raises a brow when Nariko eyes him, as if he needed her to remind him to be on his best behavior. He idly pushes a lock of white hair out of his face as he looks over at Tobiramako and inclines his head to her as well before falling silent. Nariko had specifically instructed him to let her do all the talking, and he was happy to do so.
"If it isn't my old Kumo drinking buddy." Daisuke says with a grin as he sees Nariko and Hiei enter the room, welcoming them and offering them seats in front of his desk. "Thank you, both. I hope your trip was a comfortable one." he adds before he retakes his seat, letting them settle in. Tobiramako gives Daisuke a look as if to say don't be dumb, knowing diplomacy wasn't his greatest skill. Daisuke motions to his aunt and introduces her to the Kumo nin. "Senju Tobiramako, my aunt, sister to Hashiramako and Clan head of the Senju clan. Never a day goes by that she isn't keeping our village running like a smooth oiled machine."
"It has been some time since you two have been here, I'm sure people in the village will be happy to see you. Satomi is around, and Atsuro and Taizen, amongst others. I hope you two will stay a bit and enjoy what Konoha has to offer." Daisuke says in a friendly tone of voice, always wanting to make Konoha feel as welcoming as possible for allies and fellow shinobi. "So, what brings you here today? What can I do for you?" he asks as he folds his hands, looking between Nariko and Hiei expectantly.
Nariko looks back to Daisuke and chuckles. "Well, first we have brought a bottle of the real Kumo Sake. Not that stuff they had the last time I was here." She pats herself down and grumbles. "I think I left it back with Storm-shadow. I'll have to bring it in later." She would turn to Tobiramako and bow politely. "Pleasure to meet you." She reaches a hand to her chin and rubs. "I look forward to seeing Atsuro and Taizen." She chuckles, Taizen was her favorite talking dog. "Well, we came to celebrate the raise of a Hokage. And we have also concluded our investigation into Kaito's death."
Hiei also greets Tobiramako with another bow before turning to Daisuke. "I would like to visit the Nara village to convey my condolences on their loss. Nara Kaito was a good man. I had the distinct pleasure of working with him several times." He glances over at Nariko. "I'd like to see Atsuro and Taizen as well." He reminds her. "You left the bottle in Storm-shadow's saddle bag. If you like I can retrieve it for you while you speak to the Hokage?"
Daisuke nods his head towards Nariko as she tells him of their gift, seeming pleased. "No rush." he says to Nariko as she seems to have forgotten it. As Nariko brings up Kaito, Daisuke's demeanor changes ever so slightly, only recently attending the funeral of his student and fellow Jinchuuriki. He nods his head to Hiei, "I would appreciate that, as would the Nara, I am sure." he says to Hiei. He turns to Nariko and puts on a smile, "I would like to hear the report. We have recently been visited by the…. hm, I guess she would be some kind of aggressive saviour, who briefed us on her tale of events." he says as he sits straighter in his chair in preparation for the report. Truth be told, Jinchuuriki actions against one another did not sit well in Daisuke's mind at all, and it had left a stain on his relationship with Mushi, though he had yet to speak to her.
Nariko looks to Hiei and nods. "Yes, it was a long ride. It would be much appreciated if you got it for me." She looks back to Daisuke and nods. "Our condolences in his death. We have concluded that the mednin involved tried to save him, but the end result was his death." A solemn look appears on her face when she tells Daisuke this. "I am very sorry to have to share this news."
Hiei's jaw clenches when Nariko gives her report. It's obvious that he doesn't share her opinon on what happened, but it wasn't his place to dispute her. When she asks him to retrieve the sake, he does just that. Besides, he needed a little air to mostly keep his temper in check. Mushi, or whatever her name was, was the source of a lot of strife for him lately. What he didn't understand was that if she was able to 'save' Misaki and Matatabi, then why couldn't she have done the same for Kaito without killing him. Hiei thought it was a bunch of ionic, but he had to keep that to himself. Several minutes later, he walks back in with the package and hands it over to Nariko before re-taking his seat.
Daisuke nods his head, catching Hiei's body language and being able to relate, though he leaves it alone. "I want to take this opportunity, since we are on this topic, to strengthen the importance of our allied mission between Kumogakure and Konohagakure. The cause of this incident was a mutation on the parasite that we have, unfortunately, been making slow process on containing and eliminating. It took over and controlled Kaito, according to reports, and he wasn't the only casualty." Daisuke says with a sigh before continuing.
"We are always willing to share any information needed with you guys on cases like these, as I will share with you right now that Taiki, our chief Mednin on the case, is in the process of working with this Mednin in question to locate the facility that created this parasite and destroy it. We believe that we will be met with heavy resistance, and we could really use your help to rid the world of this before anyone else innocent dies. I know you guys might not have the authority to approve such things, but would you at least bring the request to your Raikage?"
Nariko nods. "I understand. We have all tried to help bring control over this parasite." She looks to Hiei as he brings in the sake bottle. "Thank you Hiei." SHe offers it over to Daisuke. "I will send him word. I am sure that we are willing to help bring an end to this problem." She let out a sigh. "hopefully this problem can come to an end soon. The casualties of this problem affects many."
Hiei looks over at Nariko and then at Daisuke. "I'm sure the Raikage shares in your concern over this matter. I volunteer to be on the team that assaults the facility." He frowns. "I'm tired of losing friends and comrades to this disease and to these people. I want this nightmare to end just as much as anyone else."
Daisuke nods to both, turning to Hiei. "I will make sure you and Inuzuka Taiki come together with anyone else you want to bring before we go. We believe we have the location and are ready to move on the facility to end this, we just want to make sure we have the power to do this without needlessly losing shinobi, and I can't think of anything better than a Kumo and Konoha team finishing this once and for all." Daisuke says as he leans to accept the bottle, thanking them again as he examines it before setting it on his desk. "I'm not sure how the First held Leaf/Cloud relations, but I firmly believe that our alliance keeps us the strongest of the Five nation alliances and my full support is behind it." he explains, firming up his beliefs to the duo. "If you guys or your Raikage have any concerns you are more than welcome to address them to me at any time…during the day preferably."
Nariko nods to Daisuke and looks to Hiei. "We will try to help in anyway that we can." She smiles. "I do hope that our relations with Konoha can continue to stay strong." She nods when he says we may address concerns. "I do have one concern. Will there be any more fires in the Zen Garden?" She really liked that place and didn't want to spend a relaxing day cleaning it up again.
Hiei listens to Nariko's question and shakes his head slowly. He nods to Daisuke. "Agreed. I would imagine our medical experts would like a crack at this, too. Especially Yamayuki Amani and Katayama Hiroyasu. Between the two villages, I am confident we have more than enough power to bring these people to justice, Lord Hokage. I'll send word back to Kumogakure to see who wants in on this. If we can end this threat soon, then all the better."
"Unfortunately the attack during the Chuunin Exams was due to a lapse in security where a candidate for the exams decided he would rather try to assassinate a delegate from another country and one of our Genin decided his Fire techniques would help our Jounin contain the situation." Daisuke says, mentally face palming. "But it has been restored to its former beauty by the groundskeeper and his family, and I often frequent it." he says with a smile, reassuring Nariko. To Hiei he nods his head, "The more skilled shinobi the better odds we have of coming out of this with minor scrapes and bruises. Our intelligence on the leader is limited, but I imagine to be able to create something like this, they are no joke."
Nariko smiles and nods, grateful to hear the garden is back to it's beautiful state. "That is wonderful to hear. I will have to go there again soon then." She looks to Hiei and nods. She looks to Daisuke and nods. "We will send word and try to help contain the problem with you as soon as we can." She smiles and then her stomach grumbles and she puts her hands on her stomach trying to contain the dull roar. "Shh." She whispers to herself.
Hiei offers Daisuke a genuine smile. "I was part of the team that found the orb, Hokage-san. I know that they have a tendency to set traps, so we'll need to be on the lookout for those. But honestly? The more difficult, the more excited I get." He smirks at Nariko and her talking stomach. When hers grumbles, it makes his grumbles and he places his hand on his abdomen as his cheeks turn a light shade of crimson. "It was a long journey to get here. Perhaps we should let you get back to work and find a restaurant."
Daisuke chuckles as both of the Kumo ninja's stomachs grumble in unison. "Speaking of food, feel free to visit any of our numerous restaurants and establishments in town, on me." he says with a smile before he clears his throat, "Before you go, though, I do have one concern, of more of a personal concern than a Hokage-ly one." he mentions to them both. "A few months ago, a young Kumo ninja by the name of Misaki, came to me looking for help and guidance in life. She was in a horrible situation that her temper had her in, and I could only offer a few words to her before I set her on her way. Now I know the situation, being what she is, and I know that because of what she is, she is very delicate and may not have grown up learning the same things normal people would learn, like don't be an idiot and threaten your own village when you are mad at a boy." he says before pausing to word his question. "I was wondering if she had been getting some assistance with her… well I guess her life. It's not a great time for ninja like her, believe me."
Nariko nods and smiles. "Sounds like a plan!" Then the topic of Misaki comes up. "Well, umm. She was imprisoned for a little bit claiming the parasite took her over and that it disappeared suddenly. SO we had to look into it and when we uncovered that she was telling the truth we let her free. Of course, the village isn't very happy with her for threatening their lives, but only time will tell what will happen." She looks to Hiei when she hears his stomach and eyes him. "Tell your stomach to shut it." Is what her eyes tell him.
Hiei leans forwards in his chair after giving Nariko an innocent look. Like his stomach was going to listen to him. "I'm sorry. Misaki should have never gotten out of the village to begin with. Kamen Rai Da dropped the ball on that, and it's been handled." He pauses. The parties responsible are probably not working anymore. "But at least she found someone that tried to give her some good advice. My relationship with her is complicated. I will continue to try to be her friend, but I don't know if I have it in me to be more than that. It has nothing to do with her bijuu…it's an issue of trust. She told no one what was happening with her. When we tried to show concern and urge her to get checked out, she shut us all out. This is the result of that, and it's something that she'll have to live with. Every choice has a consequence. And life isn't always fair. But Misaki's fate is in her own hands now. What she chooses to do with it is completely up to her."
Daisuke nods his head, looking between the two before he settles on Hiei, figuring it was important for him to hear something. "If I could offer you guys some inside advice, perhaps to relay to your Raikage as well…" he says before pausing, "Just from experience." he adds, making sure it wasn't taken the wrong way. "Being what she is, you can lose a lot, and your heart grows hollow. But if you have something you don't want to lose, it becomes a light to follow. Her beast isn't the only source of strength, it is what is inside her heart that is her true strength, it shines like a sun, and powers her to any length, that is where her true power will come from. Without realizing this, she is going to lead a dark life, and in the end it may come to conflict." he says, looking at Hiei mostly the whole time as if he knew a little more about the situation. After a moment his smile returns and he claps his hands together. "I won't keep you from the food. I recommend either the Ramen Shop or the BBQ Meat buffet in the Inuzuka Village. Talking dogs galore and the meat is melt in your mouth." He says, leaving out the fact that there are actually dog chefs as well.
Nariko looks to Daisuke and nods. "Again, congratulations on the new position Hokage-san." She bows to him and looks to Hiei. "Lets go get some of that food." She smiles and turns towards the door, refraining from running out of them to some food. Once outside she runs to stormshadow and hugs him, ready to go eat.
Hiei rises from his seat. "Thank you for the advice, Lord Hokage." He nods at Nariko. "I want to go try the place in the Inuzuka village." He then turns to walk out of the door. No sooner than he does, he is running down the hallway towards the exit. Foooood!
Daisuke nods his head and stands, showing them to the door. "Feel free to eat to your heart's content, and thanks again for the gift. I hope you guys spend a few days here and visit, I'm sure Atsuro will be happy to see you." he says as he wishes them well and closes the door behind them, turning to Tobi "We have a budget for food for foreign representatives, right?" he says nervously.
