Starring:
Date: January 20, 2017
Summary:
You can't always have exactly the right person in the right place at the right time.
"What If? Kage for a Day - Because It Was Needed"
Desert near Sunagakure
The massive explosion blasts a wave of desert sand outward in all directions. Shemri was just barely far enough from the epicenter to avoid being buried. As it is, she is thrown backward and tumbles amongst the inhospitable grit. Her first thought is to make certain her children are unharmed, but they are too far away in the fracas to check upon; at any rate, it's unlikely they were closer to the detonation than she was. Her husband Fukanzen may have been, but she can do nothing about that now. Her cat Shiikaa at least is easy to regain contact with; he is close to her as per usual, and a familiar pulse of chakra assures him he is unharmed, however frazzled, before she even sees him loping back to rejoin her.
With those thoughts taken care of, Shemri starts taking stock of her situation. She is at the foot of a massive circular dune, which now separates the bulk of the opposing armies. What few enemies remain in the immediate area seem disinclined to put up a fight, as there are far fewer of them nearby than of the Sunagakure ninja. The question is, what's happening on the other side of the dune? That's potentially very useful information, and Shemri is both good as a scout and happens to be in an ideal position to go find out, so she takes that task upon herself. She strides up the slope with Shiikaa bounding at her heels. As she approaches the top, she spies something sticking out of the sand. It isn't until she arrives that she recognizes what it is: the corner of the Kazekage's ceremonial hat.
The Kazekage's sacrifice was not in vain. The enemy's massive bioweapon lies at the bottom of the divot, reduced from an inexorably advancing blob to a steaming green lake. But the battle is not over yet. Across the divide, Shemri sees the enemy commander appear at the top of the dune. It's a pretty fair distance, but Shemri's sharp eyes can pick up anger and a bit of shaken confidence in his body language.
The man composes himself as he is joined by his aides, then shouts out from his vantage point. "NINJA OF SUNAGAKURE! You are now LEADERLESS! Your greatest and wisest has fallen to our might!" Shemri looks back toward the Sunagakure forces. They're holding together in knots under their various jounin officers, but most of them are hanging back, unsure of how to proceed in the face of this development. "Surrender and you will be spared!" the enemy commander continues. "Resist and you will die! Either way, Sunagakure is NO MORE!"
Shemri hears an urgent meow and looks down. Shiikaa bats at the mostly-buried ceremonial hat while looking up at Shemri. Shemri bites her lip, seeing a heavy burden which may be difficult to put down once taken up. Certainly there are better candidates. Shemri is only a chuunin, and that level of responsibility suits her. She has no desire to watch over much more than her own family. But there is nobody else in the right place, and if something is not done swiftly, there may not be a village for her family to go home to.
Shemri crouches down and grasps the corner of the hat. She pulls it from the sand, shakes it, and slips it onto her head. "The Village Hidden in Sand is not so easily shaken!" Shemri shouts out, as much to those behind her as before. "We shall honor our fallen Kazekage with victory!" A valiant roar rises up from the Sunagakure side, and the ninja surge forward to join Shemri. Shiikaa springs up onto Shemri's shoulder, and with a *POOF*, Shemri gains fur, claws, and a tail. With a shrill warcry, the impromptu Kazekage leads the charge against the foe.
