Starring:
Kaede, Hikan
Date: Friday 25, 2011
Summary:
Kaede decides to introduce himself as a important messenger, so he can have an face to face chat with the Mizukage himself. Needless to say, things go very bad.
"Death To The King"
Mizukage's Office
The Mizukage is in his office as he usually is. The post invasion
paperwork is just now starting to end. What came now was the post-War
operations. How would the Mizukage handle his shinobi? Well, he's already worked
out several missions for his high profilers. Maikeru was gone, along with Yuuka
and Osamu. Sakura was off in the Land of Fire, and Kei was out in the science
field. Yes … plans were coming together.
Leaning over his table to look over a scroll, Hikan traces his index
finger along some various characters inscribed on it. "…hm." Leaning back, he
takes his sleek glasses off to rub his eyes. Tired, he looks. But it matters
not. Casting his attention up to the ceiling, his mouth furrows just a bit,
before he looks back at his notes.
It was getting on in the evening. People were starting to wind down for
the day, heading home to their families. Yet the Mizukage works on. Sorting out
various issues and the like.
There are knocks on the door splitting the silence with it's deep sound. The man
who enters into the spacious room looks at the Mizukage and says,
"Mizukage-sama. A messanger is here. He didn't say where he is from, but says
that he was sent by the Bird of Hermes and that you might know who this is. He
claims to have important information. Information that could save Kirigakure
from destruction." The last part was said with a scoff, as if Kirigakure could
never be destroyed. He waits a moment and then remembers he forgot something.
"Should I let him in, Mizukage-sama?"
Outside the door, there was a short glimpse of a cloaked man shadowed by a few
other Shinobi, most likely following him around to make sure he doesn't cause
trouble. His cloak is tattered from wear and tear, shredded at the ends, making
his shadow look dangerous. But it's probably from long travels.
The knock causes Hikan's attention to go back to the now. Leaning
forward on his chair, he peers at the door carefully. Save Kirigakure from
destruction? Well, why not? The Mizukage needed something to do to save him from
the mess of paperwork that still cluttered his desk.
"Fine, fine. Send him in." He says in an almost distracted manner.
Putting his glasses back on, he looks down at the scroll which he was looking at
before. The door will swing open for Kaede, but the Wanderer will find that he
will not have the Mizukage's attention. He's still looking down at the
information on his desk.
"Alright, informant from the Bird of Hermes. What information is so
important that you need to tell me? Is it actually worthwhile? And how much will
it cost me?" Seems to be pretty standard sounding questions. "I'll be frank — I
have little patience right now. It's been a long day. If I had a shinobi for
every 'smart' man that has information to 'save' Kirigakure that has come up to
me in the past weeks? Well … I'd have a force strong enough to take over the
world."
Now he looks up, taking in the form of Kaede carefully.
The cloaked man doesn't look dangerous. His form seems a bit puny, compared to
some of the more muscular shinobi. The hood covers most of his face— but a scar
visible over his left cheek deems otherwise. It's a burn mark. Made by a fire.
… Or acid.
The informant bows to the Mizukage before sitting down in the small chair- and
he remains quiet as the Mizukage speaks. His hands are out in the open, and it
doesn't look like he is carrying any weapons.
"The Bird of Hermes?" The messenger asks. "Well, he doesn't exist. I once heard
of that title. A wise men once told me. Said that the bird of hermes had wings
so huge— it had no stability in flight. Ironic, no?" The informant leans back.
"You are quite a bird of hermes, Mizukage-sama. I understand you are the second
one." The messenger chuckles.
"Correct. I am the first Second Kage. The first of the new generation,
if you will. Hikan. The Second Mizukage." With his elbows placed on the table,
the Mizukage laces his fingers together just in front of his face. Over the top
of his hands, he just sort of stares. "If you please, remove your hood. I prefer
to look at the face of those whom I am speaking to. Some common courtesy could
get you far in travels." Not that Kaede had started very well. Comparing him to
a bird that can't even fly very well. >_>;
If Kaede ever met Mitsuo, he may notice that this Mizukage is quite a
bit different to the First. Such were the rumours, too. Many people of the
Village had noticed such. Hikan hardly had the sheer physical presence that the
Kaguya, Mitsuo had. However, what Hikan was a subtle way to just /freak/ his
foes out with his intelligence. It's the fact that he /didn't/ become overly
aggressive that worried most. Almost as if he didn't need to. A different
presence entirely, to be sure.
"Now speak."
The messenger reaches for the hood, and pulls it back… but only enough to
reveal his eyes, with some other features visible. The cloaked figure had dark
hair and equally dark eyes, and there were crystalline bells attached to two
locks of hair, falling down the side of his face. A band was tied around his
forehead, keeping his hair back, but there was no symbol of a village there. And
those dark eyes direct their piercing gaze at the Mizukage. It seemed that this
figure had no fear of the Kage, nor that he was troubled by where he was.
"I'm a very traditional man, Mizukage-sama. Seeing my face is not necessary for
what I am about to say. In fact, in your memories, you should place a face of
something dark and sinister over mine." The figure pauses for a moment and then
states, a heaviness to his words, as if they were a oath. "I have come to warn
you."
The figure smiles then and leans back, pulling the hood back over his eyes.
"Kirigakure faces destruction should you be responsible for another war— or
another innocent civillian's death outside this village." The figure says, but
seems to be keeping details to himself so far. A bit guarded. "I fail to see why
you went to war in the first place."
Hikan watches carefully, staring at Kaede carefully. For a long moment,
he says nothing. Just … peering. Thinking. The temperature in the office
suddenly drops a good few degrees, so suddenly that it may become uncomfortable
for some people. Yet Kaede is likely comfortable in his nice cloak! "Making
threats to the Mizukage, in his office, is hardly the smartest move. I do not
care how brave you believe you are." And yet he does not move. He shows no
intention of attacking quite yet.
"To make such a threat with no understanding about the situation is
either an insult to your own intelligence or to your master's. Innocent…" He
closes his eyes a little, before opening them slowly. The temperature drops a
little more.
"You claim it is us who are 'responsible'. Yet can you prove this to be
true? Do you really have the knowledge that we acted simply on a whim? How would
you to know what happened that stirred the pot in the first place?" He shrugs.
"Politics is a dangerous game to play. I do not doubt the word of a Wanderer.
You may have possessed some information that led you to believe we struck
without intention. But this is of course, untrue."
"Regardless, that matters little. What's done is done. Simply know that
the idea of invading the Land of Fire was not my own. I rejected the idea, but
was out-voted by not only the Water Damiyo, but his Swordsman. I was only swayed
by a 'perfect' plan." A small smirk. "…and we can see how that turned out."
"Mizukage-sama." Kaede says, stretching upright. He felt the change of
temperature. A frown creased his brows- but there was little else. He was
experienced enough that he knew that an attack could happen. It was within his
plans. A fight with the Mizukage would be very… inconvenient. But he didn't
fear it. He didn't fear anything anymore. He felt as cold inside as the room
itself. Colder. Stiller. It was in some ways visible in the way he looked at the
Kage- in his recklessness. He seemed… like a void.
"I do not care for reasons why." His hand lands on the table. "Those who kill
should be prepare to be killed. People died. And it is your fault." His hand
raises up, a finger extended, and a moment afterwards, a tiny red thing— like
ice— appears, hovering over his finger. "And this shall be that which shall
collect the price of the crimes comitted, and wash away the sins." He then
flicks his finger and the red thing lands on the table. It's small, barely
visible. "Advanced form of the already advanced Ice manipulation. I am the sole
possessor of that ability." It was a lie. But a lie Kaede told so calmly, it's
intention was no doubt to confuse or scare the Kage.
"You say that you were outvoted. What kind of Kage are you? One who has no power
over your village and forces? Let's say you are telling the truth, and this was
indeed how you got coerced into the plan. What are you gonna do? Will you change
anything at all?" The cloaked figure stands up, leaning over the table. "If so,
then tell me, and I will help you grasp that change, no matter in how many
bodies or boring days it is burried under."
Hikan just watches, his face unchanging as the red orb of … something
comes to life above Kaede's form. At the end of his finger. What the? "I can
agree to you on that, Wanderer." He says simply. "…that those who kill should
be prepared to meet their own fate. To die. It is is taught at our Academy, in
fact. Drilled into our youngsters from infancy. So they can be ready to accept
this and embrace it."
What he says next causes Hikan to sigh a little. "…what you do
continues to prove your own foolishness. You have little idea how a Village is
run, do you? You have little idea at all. Gone are the days when people operate
at the whim of another. We are more…" He pauses. "Controlled, perhaps. There
is a system to all things." At the question, he seems to pause. Still looking at
that red orb of … something. Now on his desk.
His eyes then go to Kaede, looking at the stranger from above his
glasses. "No. I would not change anything." He says boldly. "The complete and
utter destruction of the Leaf is something I desire more than anything else. I
will kill not only the shinobi. But the civilians. And the children. Everyone
who represents Konoha in any way shall perish in the end." Leaning back, he
smiles a little wider. "I knew this 'perfect' plan would not work. But it would
it would allow me time to properly learn how to destroy Konoha."
His fingers steeple together. "And make no mistake, I have learnt how to
destroy the Leaf. How to raze it to the ground. Perhaps the best thing about my
plan, is that I do not have to deploy my forces at all." He sure has confidence.
"I do not know the source of this technique you just used. But is
certainly not any sort of ice technique." Now, Hikan stands up. His somewhat
average six foot form, looking at Kaede. "But I believe it must be some offshoot
of your crystal manipulation." Taking his glasses off slowly, he places them on
the desk before himself and Kaede. The Mizukage closes his eyes.
"The Okumo clan will pry those secrets from you. From your corpse, if
need be. Crystal manipulation indeed…" Then, his eyes open. He summons a huge
amount of chakra in one hit, with nary a movement. "I am grateful that you
attacked the Akmichi, Tosai. And that Pickler, Goh. But your times of running
around, dreaming of some sort of 'peace' has now come to an end." A pause.
"Especially with the Uchiha renegade not with you." A pause. "You have journeyed
to your death. If you escape me, which you might indeed do, you are in the heart
of Kirigakure. Surrounded by my elite guard." His eyes open.
Kaede smiles at Hikan as he says he will not change anything. It was a smile so
honest and bright, that it could dim the very light of the sun. Kaede was
without a doubt /ecstatic/ about the idea that he will get to…
"I will destroy Kirigakure then. Gladly." He says. "I have always dreamt of the
first time that I take a life— that it be in the hundreds or thousands. That
countless people lay dead or dying, moaning for their mother." Kaede places his
hands together, and in one short moment Kaede exhudes a force equal to Hikan. "I
will kill you, second Mizukage-sama, with a smile on my face, as I do it."
Kaede's eyes narrow then and he throws back the hood- revealing his looks.
"It is regrettable that I had to fight the Akamichi and the Pickler. But if you
think that I need the Uchiha on my side… you are sadly mistaken." He says all
this with a unnerving calm. He doesn't seem bothered at all with the fact that
he is in a dire situation. Either he is really stupid or he thinks he can fight
a Kage head on. Which is just silly.
"I liked this building. It shall be a monument for what awaits Kirigakure should
you fail to heed my warning." Tough talking even still. In a few minutes, he
might not be so tough.
With Kaede boldly standing up to the plate, Hikan narrows his eyes just
a little. This worm was no doubt one that was good at wriggling. He had forced a
confrontation with Tosai and Goh, both of which had proved to be quite a hinder
to the Invasion. Hikan can attest to this personally. He's filled out lots of
paperwork regarding those two!
Regardless, he wastes little time. Performing seals in the blink of an
eye, Kaede may just feel the air around him suddenly growing cold … VERY cold.
Bone-chillingly cold, even. From all around his body. And then? Out of seemingly
no-where, ice will erupt from the ground and encase the Wanderers feet! If
successful, it will then rise up and encase the Wanderer completely. Freezing
him right in place.
A good start, if Hikan can pull it off. The Mizukage needs to end this
threat to Kirigakure as soon as possible. That means even using his ice mirrors
… maybe.
Away we go.
As Hikan's hands begin working seals, Kaede's eyes narrow down on Hikan and he
calmly waits for Hikan's attack to show. So calm, that is may appear to be
inhuman.
As the ice sprouts from beneath Kaede- Kaede's hand just seems to wave, and the
ice crystallizes before it touches his feet. And then the crystallized ice is
swept aside, slamming into the far wall.
It was Kaede's turn, and his own hands begin creating multiple seals and before
he was done— a similar move to that one just used by the Kage.
The ground crystallizes in a moment's notice, and then multiple spikes rise from
the ground, trying to lock Hikan in place. And if they succeed, they'd barely
give him even breathing room.
"Such a inferior technique." Is all that Kaede says.
With a shield of sorts protecting Kaede from the immediate freezingness,
Hikan only stares with a silent expression. He says nothing, instead forming his
own set of seals in defense. Out of seeingly no-where but the air around
everyone, a shield comes up to protect the Mizukage from harm. A shield of solid
ice, causing him to be protected from the spikes and such.
"…" Hikan says nothing for the moment, but Kaede may just realize
something in the office is starting to change. All around the walls and ceiling
area, huge chunks of ice are coming to life. They look almost like platforms.
But as the shield from Hikan disperses into vapor, the Mizukage seems to 'enter'
one of these mirrors.
And thus, he looks at Kaede from within. Staring. Waiting, perhaps? Not
doing much at all. All in all, twenty-one mirrors surround Kaede. None on the
ground, but there is nothing underneath this floor but solid earth on anyrate.
"Inferior technique indeed." Is all he comments on.
Kaede seems impressed for a moment when he sees Hikan protect himself with
another similar technique to one of Kaede's own.
"I have about 35 seconds or less to finish things up here." Kaede says,
uncannily calm. "My calm comes from a technique I use— the more I use it, the
harder it is to lose that calm, even when I am not using it any longer." Kaede
explains to Hikan, if he was wondering how he can be so calm. "After a while I
guess, I will lose my emotions. Or my spirit will shrivel away and die. I don't
care."
Kaede places his hands together as he looks at the mirrors and Hikan in them. "I
shall show it to you. Cherish or curse the memory."
And then hundreds of thousands tiny crystal cherry blossoms appear around Kaede,
flowing out, and towards the wall, taking as much distance as they can. They
seem to have many applicable uses- and immediatly, they start swarming towards
Hikan.
Slowly, they seem to fuse together into a mist— before finally, they almost
cover several of the mirrors- and then materialize into spikes of crystal. Just
as Kaede's words echo out
"Wraith Wall Cloud Formation."
The mirror version of Hikan just seems to watch KAede carefully, his
eyes locked upon the Wanderer carefully. When suddenly, heaps and heaps of
crystal blossoms come out of no-where! Right for Hikan and the other mirrors!
Out of one of the mirrors, roars to life a dragon of complete ice. It
moves to try and block the crystal attacks that come at him, although to no
avail. The petals strike it hard — so much so that they pierce straight through
it AND into his body. Catching him in place, it seems. Hikan can only watch, the
crystals forming onto his skin.
No doubt, he was learning about these crystal type attacks.
"Impressive." Is all he can remark for now.
Kaede turns quickly, ducking low, to avoid a potentially disasterous attack from
a Dragon, but it turns out it was used defensively— which wasn't a smart idea.
As shards of crystal and ice pass over Kaede's eyes, his hands move in a
blurring speed as he creates more handseals. And a very long chain of them.
"Now reep what you have sown, King Nothing." Kaede says as he extends his arms
sideways.
All over the administration buildings, roses would appear. Made of crystals.
Kaede turns his palms up and the roses all start blooming— and then, they twist
up into spears and extend with blinding speed— just as spears from the ceilings
and mid air appear- driving spikes through the roof and the floor- and probably
a couple of bodies as well. But the sole target of hundreds of these spikes is
Hikan's trapped form.
"Crystal Release." Kaede utters. "Blooming Fields of the Impaler."
And suddenly, the Administration Building is completely destroyed. The
thing falls to pieces, rubble falling from everywhere. Even as spikes manage to
catch Hikan, who is not outside of his mirrors, the mirrors themselves stay
quite in tact. Of course though, this is going to draw some attention. The
Mizukage is punctured quite severely, blood oozing from his many wounds. Surely,
this wasn't the best he had to offer? Was the Mizukage surely so bad at combat?
Well — it's true. He likely wasn't as good with things as Mitsuo was.
Regardless, as he sort of stands there, many crystal in him, something else will
happen.
Just outside the crystal dome which houses both Kaede and Hikan, many
figures in black robes appear. With skull faces. They are members of Hikan's
Death's Hand. Kirigakure's version of the ANBU. Even if the Wanderer gets out of
this, he's going to have the best Jounin that Kirigakure has to offer engaging
him. What did he really plan to do?
They all stand there, awaiting orders.
"Very impressive, Wanderer." Hikan says again, still able to speak
through his wounds. "Now we know the scope of your abilities. It is time to
ensnare them."
Kaede really seems trapped now. There are Death Hands out there waiting for an
order. Probably to kill Kaede. Or capture him. Kaede didn't like either option,
so he turns to Hikan.
"You don't know anything, Mizukage-sama. Did you know that I can command reality
at my will? This time, I am not lying. It is not genjutsu either." All this time
Kaede's eyes wander from corner to corner, trying to find a way out.
"Now you know what will happen to your village should you be responsible for the
death of another innocent. I do not care how many shinobi you kill. Leave the
children out of this, or I'll finish what I started, with the village and your
sorry life." Kaede almost growled out the last part, "Be well prepared if you
are gonna chase me, Mizukage-sama. Farewell"— then the swarming crystal cherry
blossoms began to vibrate, creating a piercing, undeniable sound. So loud it
might make a grown man fall to his knees and cover his ears. A shinobi might be
less affected- but it's a good distraction device. Especially considering that
the crystal petals that got Hikan in this predicament in the first place
threateningly swarm around everything in sight.
There's a loud crash of glass, and Kaede isn't in the room anymore. Someone that
might have followed with their eyes to where he went would find him flying off
the cliff towards the sea, after he leaped through the window, and before he
hits the water, a crystallized dragon appeared, and he managed to grab one of
the horns, as it sped away- towards safety hopefully, and probably not without
pursuit.
When Kaede makes his leave, the mirrors appear to open a little, giving
an opening to the sea in which Kaede is racing across. On his fancy dragon. He
definitely got a good lead out, that's for sure. The Mizukage had only one more
thing to test. Holding up a hand as he works himself free of the 'cage' of
flowers, the Mizukage signals for his Death's Hand to not give chase. For
whatever reason, Hikan is keen on letting this play out. Not that they knew
exactly where Kaede had raced off to, with that little trick. Hikan didn't know
exactly either, but he can only assume the ocean.
In that moment, the mirrors shoot out across the ocean in chase! Not
longer forming a dome, but a sort of wall as Hikan shoots after Kaede — darting
between one mirror and the other. As he does, he performs seals.
The water right underneath Kaede, as he surfs his dragon, will suddenly
erupt. An ICEBERG of all things rises up. And just as it reaches peak, EXPLODES
violently in a huge mess of shards. Even if Kaede escaped the rising iceberg,
some of these shards are likely to catch Kaede. And pierce him. Hopefully,
anyway. If not, then so be it. It's a big attack to be sure.
As the iceberg appears, Kaede can feel in a way, that something bad was gonna
happen. And he didn't want to risk trying to dodge the huge thing when it
explodes. Instead, Kaede brings up the biggest and baddest barrier he can manage
and places it in front of the Dragon.
The Ice shards tear through the crystal barrier and into Kaede- sending a ice
shard sticking right out of his gutt. He was feeling his consciousness slipping
away. But with the jutsu of stillness active— he had enough self control to
hold on as long as possible.
All that matter however was that the Crystal Dragon be intact. And it was. Shot
full of holes and nearly cleaved in half- the long snake-like dragon was still
flying.
Kaede doubled over and kneeled on the Dragon's head.
His last words before he felt himself becoming incoherent was:
"I will crown you with the most painful and bloody crown you can imagine, King
Nothing. Just you… wait…"
And then he coughed out blood and lied down.
Hikan can only watch as, Kaede getting further away. He smirks a little,
before gripping one of his wounds.
