The First Rumblings [Flashback]

The Ghost of Konoha sat in a chair, dressed in his ANBU uniform. Satomi had already gotten himself acclimated to the new old job. He had done everything in his previous lifetime. From Genin to Hokage, he had served in every position of power to this village. There was a certain pride he had in serving the village, home to his clan and much more. Though he  began to feel differently about his destiny. He had died a disgraceful death. However the Fates had other plans for him. There had never been a time when a ninja had come back to life. He had been given a second chance. At what? Remained the question in his head.

Though he kept himself busy with work he was at least familiar with. He had taken the great nation of Earth when he was the Commander before. Though he needed to get stronger, if he were to die, it at least needed to be a death worthwhile..

With the Hokage out of the village, Akihiro was forced to report to the next in command. It wasn't exactly good news he brought, but it mattered little. News were news and they had to be delivered before more severe consequences could come out of the actions he took. He didn't regret any of it, but he'd been accused of keeping others in the dark before. This time however, would be different.

Akihiro would walk into the office where Satomi was located, sitting behind his desk. It was odd to see this man sitting behind a desk and doing paper work...somehow it felt like it really didn't suit him. "Yo. I have something for you." He'd start by saying, as he approached the desk. Akihiro would then produce the White Chakra Sabre blade from the seal within his cloak, and place it upon the desk. "I believe this belongs to you. I've been keeping it safe, but I really don't have any use for it. You should have it back." He'd smile at his former sensei.

But then his expression would change and turn into a darker one. "There is also something else you should know. Damien Darhk is dead. I killed him." He'd make a pause, to let that sink in. "I went to Kumogakure no Sato with a tactical strike team with the intent of either evaluating Kumogakure no Sato technology or kidnapping Damien and prevent him from providing Kumogakure with any more equipment. But what I saw there....left me with little choice.

We razed a small town at the Northeastern end of the Land of Lightning called Moonspire." He would activate his Sharingan and show Satomi part of his memory, mostly the devices and things related to technology he saw. He'd kept his cool back then, but the truth was that looking back those machines looked very dangerous. A massive airship that could shoot down laser beams at the ground? Satomi would be able to see things from Akihiro's perspective from the moment the airship appeared in the sky to the moment the trio left. Of course this didn't mean he'd be able to identify the rest of the task force because they wore masks, but that mattered little.

"We took precautions, but I cannot guarantee they'll have been enough. We were already at war with Kumogakure no Sato due to the incidents that took place in the Land of Earth... taking down this sort of armament before they could use it against us seemed like the logical choice to make. Alas, we should expect retribution, and be ready for war."

As he was finishing up the last of the ANBU's latest mission files. There he was greeted by a guest. In came Akihiro. Satomi was pleasantly surprised to see him. He felt very different nowadays but some familiar faces seemed to bring things back into focus. "To what do I owe the pleasure." Satomi said with a smile. Though he greeted him with a present first, his White Light Chakra Sabre. He had lost it during his defeat in the Senju Forest. "I would be honored to wield this blade yet again. I thank you for keeping it safe." He stood up and grabbed the sabre, putting it on his sash. But he noticed the expression on the mans face, his smile faded into seriousness. He meant business with this visit.

He began to explain the situation, it was a deep one indeed. Apparently he had taken an preemptive strike against something they had never seen the likes of. Peering into the image sent by his Sharingan, it was apparent that he had made the right decision. This was seemed to tip the scale of what was possible in the age of ninja. Soaking it all in, Satomi began to ponder their current situation. He would have to report this to Nyg. There would no doubt be retaliation for such an attack.
"Akihiro I trust your judgement. You happen to be one of the brightest ninja in our generation. Though this does pose a problem for us. Its a problem we can deal with. Coordinated efforts with our allies should hopefully prove useful. I will pass this along to the Hokage. You are free to help as you please. And I am also not to far away. I will help prepare Konoha."

So maybe this was his purpose, maybe he wasn't supposed to die then. But he was to live for now. He wished he didn't question it so much.

Akihiro smiled. He was deeply glad to have Satomi's support in his decision.The Sparrow was a genius and usually he was fully confident in every decision he made, but having the support of his sensei gave him another sort of confidence. It was hard at times to explain to others why he did the things he did, like explaining the chess strategy of a game by describing the next ten steps ahead. But the confidence Satomi deposited in Akihiro gave him courage to believe he had done the right thing and to try to actually convince and persuade others of this as well.

"I'm glad to have you on our side, mine and the village's." He bluntly admitted. "Truth to be told, what I saw there scared me a little. It's not simply about the war with Kumogakure no Sato over the Land of Earth and whatever other problems we might have.

There will always be war. It's the nature of the Hidden Villages, and the nature of humans. War itself doesn't worry me...what worried me was something else. What I saw there, Satomi-sensei...was a threat to our Way of Life. A threat to the Way of the Ninja and the Shinobi Path." Akihiro paused. It was hard for him to admit he was worried or even scared about something, but there were a few select people he didn't mind trusting his doubts to, and Satomi was one of them.

"Our Ninjutsu, our power... it is trained, carved in sweat blood and tears. " His gaze would focus on Satomi's. "We understand our power because we work hard to achieve it. We respect it. For all the wars we've fought over the years, there was always a degree of respect for the ninja on the other side and their own effort to achieve power and prevail. And when we kill, we kill with our own chakra and bodies. There's a connection between assassin and assassinated. One tied by blood.

But these things? They're not ninjas. They're machines. Easily operated by civilians... If someone can operate a war machine without shinobi training... I don't want to think of the escalation of conflicts that might happen."

"I've come back during u unfortunate times. Having seen these constructs from your vision. It was only a matter of time before they would be used against us. You've done well Akihiro. Since I've been gone. Great injustices have chanced itself upon Konohagakure.

I will make sure your name is never sullied in any history book. For when this is all over, they will see you were right. In the meantime. We have war on two fronts. The Society and this new development. I think you handling Suna would help. We don't want the Society to choose this time to shake the house.

I'll advise Nyg on the Kumo situation. They were neutral in my time. But Nariko is no longer the head. I've heard disturbing reports out of Kumo. We have much on our plate. "

They sure were indeed running against time. It would all eventually lead to battle.

Akihiro shook his head. "I have no doubt what I did was an act of horror. But it was a necessity as well.

One of the options would be to pink the attack on Mockingbird and deflect the blame to us, but I have a feeling that the Mizukage won't keep her role in this a secret for much longer and at that point Konoha would be caught lying if they pinned it on Mockingbird." This was true, Hana would eventually claim responsibility in the most not-subtle of ways, and Konoha needed to be ready to support their allies in their time of need. It was unfortunate that it had come to this, but they didn't have a choice.

"I thank you for the confidence you have in me, Satomi-sensei." Akihiro smirked. It had been a while since the two of them shared a moment like this. He could still remember their very first spar, when Akihiro had tried his best to bring down a what he'd thought was Satomi and ended up being a clone while the real ninja had stood watch hidden in a nearby tree. He could only wonder whether Satomi would be able to pull that trick again. After being the second ninja to achieve Mangekyou Sharingan in a generation losing only to the legendary Uchiha Kazuya, one could only dream of what other sort of achievements he would move on to.

That being said, Akihiro had grown quite a lot himself. But he couldn't be sure of how strong he was until he faced off against other strong people. "Before the war begins, I would like to ask one more favour from you." Akihiro made a pause. He didn't want Satomi to think he was challenging his authority as an elder of the clan or anything, so his choice of words were important. "I'd like to measure my own abilities against yours, once again. I need to see how far I've come, and how far I can go without relying on the power of Matatabi. Will you please allow me this?"

Blaming the attack on the Mockingbird? Satomi had already assumed that by association, Konoha would be implicated in some manner. Though it was an attack primarily brought out by the group itself so that in part was true. "Perhaps we can say it was the Mockingbird. Though I doubt it would sway the uneasy tension I feel in the world. I sense no matter what, we should prepare for war." Akihiro thanked him for his trust. And in the same vein also asked for a spar before the war. Feeling he needed to test his abilities without the Matatabi. To measure his abilities against his. From what Satomi could learn in the events that happened after his death. Akihiro was a hero of Konoha, completing impossible feats.

"Of course. In the coming days we will have more pressing battles so it is good to prepare. From the reports, it seems you have become incredibly strong Aki. Perhaps you may humble me with your current strength." He had an idea, but there needed to be more research before he brought it to Aki's attention.

"I'm not so sure about that." Akihiro shrugged. Truth to be told his true strength was a mystery even to himself. Unlike others Akihiro had never actually participated in the world tournament. He had never tested his strength against the toughest of opponents and while he didn't regret participating because it meant he hadn't revealed any of his weapons and tricks, Akihiro's last major battle had had an awkward ending and he figured that might have been due to lack of experience.

On paper he was incredibly strong but having the tools and putting them to good use were tw entirely different aspects. He surely had more tools than most shinobi but how good was he at actually using the resources he'd gathered over the years? That was a difficult question to answer. But if there was someone who could safely help him get those answers, that someone was the man standing before him. After all, wasn't educating and guiding their students the job of a sensei? "So far I've been actively avoiding showing all my cards because I know it is dangerous to do so...but if I can't play with a full deck then there's no way to tell how strong I am, is it? You're the one man who can safely help me with this task. You've taught me before, I'd ask that you do it again," Akihiro smiled.

Then he'd stand up and head towards the door. "I must go, there will surely be preparations to make for this war. I hope so see you again soon, sensei."

[Exit]

It had been a while since he had tested his fighting prowess. Since his stalemate with the pervious Hokage after him, Masuyo. She was formidable at the time, but his battle with Shin was set his experience backwards. He was far too strong for a regular Shinobi.

Now he had gotten much stronger since then but he was still rusty. Who knows what type of superpowers were out there now. "Aye you have a point. I have many tasks to prepare with this new. Till next time my friend." He would bow his head slightly too Aki before he the man walked out. Satomi indeed needed to strategically make a plan with the rest of the ANBU.

[Exit]