Starring:
Maia, Mitsuo, Yuurei, Kurohana
Date: Unknown (log received July 6, 2010)
Summary:
Not given
"Land of Waves Conflict - Negotiations with the Mizukage"
Unknown location
Walking down one of the main roads in Kumogakure, the Mizukage turns his head to enjoy his handiwork. Burning buildings on either side, bloodstained streets, bodies everywhere, the heat of the flames on his skin and the scent of death filling his nostrils. If Mitsuo was 'Death's Lover', she would adore the gift he wrought for her this night. Soon, he'd arrive at the administration hall where Sakura and some of his Death Hand agents were busy bringing the Raikage to her knees. If he was fast enough, he could steal the killing blow from the Swordswoman and add Raiko's corpse to his collection.
The thought quickened his pace, forcing his entourage to keep up with him. Kurohana was among his bodyguards tonight, filling in for his usual genjutsu expert, who had to be assigned elsewhere. It had at first made him uneasy, but was his plan unfolded, the Mizukage gradually lost himself to the thrill of conquest. Of war. Of his vicious quest for greatness beyond anyone who came before and who would come after. Coming into a full-blown run without noticing it, Mitsuo came a grinding halt as he came face-to-face with an enemy team that was fighting back his warriors.
"Heh… You're that bratty hag from before…", Mitsuo spits with a wicked grin as his shinobi come to a stop around him. "You've been such a hassle to deal with… I think I'll leave your dying body in the streets for your friends to find", he says to Maia as her own comrades prepare for a fight.
The Mizukage's right shin breaks through his skin, dislodging the kneecap and send streams of blood down his leg. Pulling it free with a wet ripping sound, Mitsuo holds the sharpened bone up, slowly pointing to each Cloud ninja in turn. Marking them for death.
It had been troublesome getting her as per orders. She had gotten a lot of orders as of late and whatever conflict the kunoichi endured has left her a bit worse for wear, yet she's here as instructed. The hood is pulled up to hide her eyes, keeping most of her facial features masked so that she can feel as though she 'fits in' with her associates. The difference between she and them is quite apparent. Hardly even in their ranks, it seems.
When the Mizukage pauses to threaten someone, the kunoichi stops as well behind and a little to the side of him, her soft steps making not a sound as she takes up her pose and forms a quiet seal to focus her chakra should it be required.
He's quite capable enough himself so she often wonders why he has these bodyguards. A smart one-up move? Or just to be intimidating with so many willing slaves at his disposal…
Yeah well, Yuurei was here. Where else would he be? Nodachi drawn, he was following in close proximity to the Mizukage. He himself in turn had racked only one kill but was staying close to Mitsuo allowing him to go complete batshit to enjoy his conquest. The Death Hand was following simply with the slitted eyes peering at those that might attempt something. The nodachi lifting over his shoulders. "Well then, sir. I believe this is some kind of conquest for us, eh?" He chuckles. "Any sign of the remainder of their forces. I'm quite sure I'd enjoy to see her face."
Huff. Puff. Huff. Puff. The young kunoichi of Kumogakure was definitely tired. Blood dripped down from her brows, marring her unblemished skin. She looked tired. She looked weary, but still, there was a fire in her eyes. Even as her village, her home for the past couple of years was in ruins, she stared down the Mizukage and his cronies as her voice resonated with something… unusual.
Maia had tried her best defending Kumogakure, but she was still just a chuunin in the end. Stil, she had done something she promised she would never do, and that was take lives. She had lost a bit of her innocence this night and there would be hell to pay for it.
"I'm glad I've made an impression on the Mizukage." Maia replied, her voice firm and resolute as she glared towards the three. There would be no show of weakness. Not tonight anyway as she watched the three for a few moments.
"But let's end this. Both sides have lost more than you can know. The children here who have lost their parents will only want to seek revenge and trust me, they /will/ get their revenge. Then the children who will lose their families on your side will want revenge and this war will never cease to end. I am Yamayuki Maia, diplomatic envoy of Kumogakure. Right now, I will be the voice of the Raikage. We need to end this. How can we end this now so that no one on either side has to suffer anymore?" she said firmly and resolutely.
"Are you blind? They're right there around her", Mitsuo snorted to Yuurei. Immediately, he tensed up a little and glanced to the buildings surrounding them, "There could be more in hiding though… Keep a sharp look out". Waving a hand in Kurohana's direction, he adds, "Especially you. A genjutsu right now would suck".
Looking back to Maia, the Mizukage struggles to keep himself quiet while the diplomat makes her plea. Her answer is a torrent of hellish laughter as Mitsuo throws his head back and lets the street become filled with his voice. "Oh… That's rich!", he chuckles, looking Maia dead in the face, "But seriously? You really think I give a shit about some homeless brats? Hell, I killed my own parents - Why would I care about the consequences of snuffing out a few lives?". Pointing his sword at her again, Mitsuo adds darkly, "You only care about ending this war because we're got your village by the balls. If you didn't want to get into a situation like this, you shouldn't have tried to mess with us in the first place, brat! Or did you forget that you and your buddies attacked our outposts in the Land of Waves first?".
Chuckling mirthlessly, the Mizukage gives a snap of his wrist and sinks his sword into the ground a little. Crossing his arms, the man asks over his shoulder to Kurohana and Yuurei, "What do you two think? Personally, I'm interested in seeing where this little girl is going to go with this". Looking back to Maia, Mitsuo says, "Alright, let's play ball here. We'll stop fighting when you give us your village's honor-bound oath never to interfere with our affairs, until we call on you to do us one favor. After all, we'd be doing a favor right now by not killing you and every one of your sickly little orphans. And just so we get to keep face, you guys should publicly admit to having lost this war".
Well he asked and her soft, hissing voice answers with amusement. "I'm sure our late children might have appreciated that kind of mercy. Doesn't really seem our style, MIzukage-sama." She lifts her shoulder in a careless shrug. It's his village and his decisions to made. She just a wanderer eagerly along for the ride.
Kurohana listens without another word, waiting to hear the woman's words. Her response as it stands might very well be accepted as the voice of the village. It'll be interesting to see how much merit Mitsuo puts into her bones.
Yuurei takes a few steps forward and still keeps the nodachi rested over his shoulder as he listens to the Mizukage speak in response to Maia. "Well, sir. Should they concede to loss, I'm pretty we could simply just leave. Though." He cackles. "Though, as for the one making the requests." Mask locks on Maia. "Can you honestly believe the words of someone that tried to frame a member of the Death Hand?" Oh yes, Yuurei had heard the lies Maia sprouted. "Shoulders lift. Whichever."
"I'm sure you heard an ear piercing shriek when you first attacked our lands." Maia said with her brows furrowed as she continued to just look towards the Mizukage, her features completely expressionless. More blood trickled from her brow as she just shook her head and scrunched her nose just a bit, not seeming the least bit intimidated by the Kaguya's hellish and bellowing laughter. "There's a reason why I'm a diplomat. I had formed alliances with the Hidden Village of the Rain, Waterfall and Eddies. Already, their forces on their way here. even if you manage to defeat our nin, we'll take most if not all of you with us. Then what of your remaining survivors. They'll be tired and easy pickings for our allies and then what, there'd be no one left. A war that was fought in vain and for what? Two of the strongest countries military would have wiped each other out, thus leaving Iwagakure, Sungakure and Konohagakure with the spoils. Do we really want that? Ask yourself, Mizukage." she replied matter of factly.
"You know that we have numbers on our side. And as for attacking the Land of Waves, we just followed our Daimyo. This whole war was caused by the expansionist wishes of Hamada-sama. You and I know that we shinobi are just tools for the Daimyo, and we follow his wishes just as you follow the wishes of the Daimyo of your country." shrugging her shoulders a bit. "But if you want to get a little, you're going to have to give a little as well. Sunagakure and Konohagakure have formed neutrality treaties with both our side. We all know that we were all enemies before. Do you not find it unusual that they're watching on the sidelines watching us slowly wipe each other out? We are the two strongest countries in the world and instead by continuing this war, we, the strong get weaker, while they, the piddly and weak get stronger from our own folly." she continued.
"I am sure that Hamada-sama will be willing to give a portion of the Land of Waves back under the auspices of the Land of Water, but think about what we have done to each other. Now, I ask you… you know our strength just as we know yours. We have intel on Konoha while you have intel on Sunagakure. Thinka bout what we could do….TOGETHER."
"Heh! Well, she is a liar. Even with the Raikage being all honest and goody-goody - HA!", Mitsuo laughs, "And you're right too, lady, mercy ain't our style…".
Nevertheless, when Maia begins to talk, the vile man listens. There's a reason why a good diplomat is worth their weight in gold, and then some. By the end of it, even the Mizukage is nodding his head at what the Yamayuki chuunin is saying. Jomaro did mention something about encountering a Cloud ninja team on his mission to the Hidden Rain Village too… Maybe that was this woman's group? Shit, he thinks to himself…
"God damn…!", Mitsuo blurts out after a few seconds of silence, "You may be a shrieking witch, but you're good. Real good". What she was saying about the Sand and the Leaf was dead on the money, and she KNEW that he knew it. "Yeah. I'd roll over in my grave if either of those bunches of idiots came out on top. You want me to give you a little too? Fine, for as long as you and your village don't interfere with me, Kirigakure will not interfere for Kumogakure's goals. No one declares to anyone who won this war either, that way Suna and Konoha will have to guess", Mitsuo says. Things were looking up. "Can you guarantee that your two big bosses will go along with this little deal of yours? If they don't, then I've lost a chance to add more greatness to my name".
Kurohana sighs inwardly to herself at the result of the conversation. She doesn't entirely disagree with his choices, but at the same time, she's going purely on hearsay. None of this or anything has been confirmed for the kunoichi. She's just a talented pawn playing obedient right now. God forbid he ask her about it when they get back home…
His last comment draws a stir out of the quiet girl though and she takes a step inward to consult, her voice nothing above a whisper for the Mizukage's keen ears. Her cloaked back turns to the girl as she peers over the Mizukage's shoulder, metaphorically and literally 'watching his back.' Perhaps she's a sinner to doubt their king, "You really find her word that trustworthy? That she can speak for the actions of others?" Green eyes lift from beneath her protective hood to glance into his face, wondering if he'll answer her directly or simply answer with his actions.
"Oh, there will be greatness to your name. With no one knowing the outcome of the war, people can only speculate how the Mizukage and Kirigakure brought us down to our knees. You and yours will be feared." she said with a sage nod. There was no doubt about that. "And I guarantee that Hamada-sama and the Raikage will agree to these terms." In some respects, they have to. At this point, Maia's just thinking about saving the lives of her people, at least who was left. If they didn't get stopped now, there might not even be a Kumogakure worth saving, so if she gets punished for making a little deal with the devil, then so be it.
"You have to understand why I lied about you." she said, looking towards Yuurei. "Your Sevenswordswoman put me in a difficult situation. But I speak the truth when I am speaking as a diplomat for my people. But think about it, Mizukage. Perhaps there will be a time when instead of animosity towards each other, our two great countries will work together. The strength of your elite with our sheer numbers would be an overwhelming, if not unstoppable force in the shinobi world." Oh yes, she was playing on the Mizukage's greed and lust of power. Hopefully her gambit worked.
Power. Greatness. Mitsuo's lust for these things is easily his greatest weakness. Like Mister Burns and money, Mitsuo would trade it all away for a little more. The monster would never stop striving for more as long is it lives.
When Kurohana seeks to question his decision, the Mizukage whispers back to her, "Well, she's calling a spade a spade right now. I buy information and some things from Suna, but that doesn't mean I trust them. Their sneaky, and they make a go of things by learning the secrets of others. Secrets like the ones we keep. I don't like that, Kurohana, and I'd take a stab at them in a heartbeat if I thought I could get rid of them, thought I didn't have to rely on their expertise. Same goes for Konoha. Their kage will definitely try to take us out the moment we show weakness, just because she thinks herself some big hero. I highly doubt someone like her would leave us be, so it'd be best to go after them first, even it if means giving up on Kumo for now. As for this woman here, I think she's on the level - Right now at least. She might well be the woman that Jomaro met on his mission to the Hidden Rain, and while Raiko is a naive idiot, she wouldn't tolerate dishonesty in someone like a diplomat. At least on official business".
Looking back to Maia, Mitsuo's eyes narrow on her. "If you're lying to me, I'll go well out of my way to make sure everything you've ever loved or cared about is ruined before your eyes while you spend a month dying on a pike", he warns her with a snarl, "And let's get something straight here, I'm no one's tool. The Lord of Water, that idiot, doesn't tell me what to do. The only reason I didn't kill him four years ago is because I got Kirigakure in exchange for his life. He lives only as long as I have the patience to put up with his bullshit".
Turning his head to Yuurei now, Mitsuo orders, "Go get Sakura and tell her that I'm calling off the hit on the Raikage. Pull everyone back - We're going to the coast and waiting for Raiko and this Hamada chump to confirm the deal". Glancing back to Maia, the Mizukage confirms, "So, we don't mess with each other, alright? If I'm looking for some help to take out Suna or Konoha, I'll let you know. Maybe we can work something out. As for the Land of Waves… We'll work something out, but once this little matter is settled".
With that, Mitsuo turns around and begins walking away. Just in time for a large group of Cloud ninja to drop from thin air around Maia, fresh from a battle and wondering what was going on. In the next few days, Maia would have to repeat her story to a lot of eager ears.
Kurohana doesn't question him. The kunoichi simply turns her head to regard the girl, her eyes narrowing from beneath their hood. Always so on guard! It's to be expected when you serve one of the most hated villages in the world!
She offers a nod of obedience to the Mizukage and follows him, her eyes and mind open and alert for threat.
There's some days when she absolutely hates having hypersensitive hearing, like when babies cry or when her mother nags or when she's in a room next to people who are doing the nasty. This, however, is one of those times that she is thankful to the kami that she can hear what's being said as a wry and almost predatory grin curls onto her lip.She was the woman Jomaro met on the mission to Hidden Rain, cause the kami only knows how hard she tried to seduce his secrets out of him.
"I'm not lying you you, Mizukage. I am fully aware of my own limitations, and you've made it quite clear just how capable a shinobi you are. I look forward to the chance of working with you toward shared goals, and of course, I will ask Raiko-sama and Hamada-sama to confer and agree to the stipulated terms." she replied, her tone clear and crisp and one of confidence. While she knew she was no match as a shinobi, she had relied on her other skills, those which she was very grateful for. And who said doing PR for Girls' Generation wouldn't help her in being a Shinobi!
As he leaves, she bows low, keeping to a perfect ninety degrees, holding it for a few moments. Perhaps she's nholding a bit longer as she is in pain, but she winces as she eases on up. She looks at the mess that Kumogakure is in and lets out a relieved sigh. "It's over… for now. We have to focus on rebuilding though." she said with a sage nod. and the she would tell her story. Over and over and over again.
