Nee-san had had quite the illustrious start to his career as Tsuchikage. In a relatively short period of time he had managed to cultivate the seeds of an alliance with Sunagakure. He had taken the Amandi Clan down a peg or two and he found a student to call his own. A student that would soon warm his bed judging by the lad's inclinations. Nee-san would have almost said that he was enjoying the position if it had not been for the fact that he could not find time to get to his laboratory. The Work had been put on indefinite hold and that fact agitated him greatly. Nevertheless he hoped that once he had cemented the alliance and groomed Marx for a leadership role then perhaps the boy could succeed him as representative of Iwagakure's interests when the time came. Until then, he would need to smooth things over with his council.
Nee-san entered the room wearing his Kage robes. He was a few minutes late as usual. It was his custom to arrive late so as to indicate that others were on his time and not the other way around. As soon as he took his seat, Yuri Yatagani the Daimyou's representative questioned him about where he had gone.
"Lord Tsuchikage, the Daimyou has received word that you left the village! What was the meaning of this?!"
Nee-san looked a the man coolly and replied.
"I met with the Kazekage"
The air was filled with gasps and several of the council heads looked at each other in surprise. They said nothing though not willing to contradict their Kage in front of the representative.
"You met with a foreign military without the Daimyou's leave?"
"Yes."
"The Daimyou should have been informed! Anything could have happe-"
Nee-san held up a hand.
"Nothing could have happened that I hadn't already anticipated, Yuri. The Kazekage of Sunagakure is strong but not strong enough to cause me undue worry. The meeting was productive. I believe that there is much was can accomplish together"
"Together?!" Yuri exclaimed. "They are the descendants of murderers and dogs! Our forefather's blood is on their hands! There will be no talk of collaboration with this malformed and dying Empire!"
"Your ignorance is astounding. It also irritates me. Lower your voice or lose it forever."
Yuri turned pale and the council looked away from him. Nee-san had learned that Daimyou representatives responded to threats of violence like cowed dogs. They were accustomed to shouting over their opposition and berating others into submission. That sort of behavior did not fly in a military village of Iwagakure no Sato.
"I met with the Kazekage to discuss mutually beneficial terms of trade and protection. Their interests may not always align with ours but where there is room for cooperation I shall pursue it. We have more in common with them than we do Konoha and by working closely with them, I can more accurately assess the threat they pose. I will continue to work with the Kazekage as long as I believe it is in the nation's interest. I met with him without the Daimyou's leave to be free of bureaucrats like yourself but rest assured I will seek his blessing for any future meetings now that a line of communication has been formally established"
Yuri said nothing, afraid that disagreement could cost him his life. He looked away from Nee-san and wrote something down. He nodded and apparently allowed the issue to die. Another council member spoke up, it was Reisan Tetsudashi, acting Jounin Commander. Nee-san could read the man's face and tell that he was bothered by Nee-san's decision to meet with Shin. Reisan took the Kazehana's mistreatment of his ancestors quite seriously and he viewed the nation with suspicion. Nevertheless he was one of the most disciplined men in Iwagakure's military and he would not for a second speak out of turn during a council meeting that hosted a Daimyou representative. He would be able to talk to his brother about it later in private until then he would always stand behind his brother's decisions. With practiced stoicism, he stood and gave a report.
"At 0800 hours, an entity of unknown origin was assessed to have passed through our lands. The entity is believed to be hostile and judging from analysis of the scene poses an S Rank threat to Iwagakure"
Nee-san leaned back in the chair and looked at the representative. It was normally customary for national security information to be communicated to the Daimyou directly as opposed to intermediaries but he guessed that Yuri's continued presence meant more.
"We have received word from the Hokage and he wishes to have a summit to discuss the entity. Apparently it has threatened other nations."
Reisan took out the letter, read it aloud verbatium and passed it to his Kage who read it thoughtfully.
Nee-san read the letter without emotion and slipped it into one of the inner pockets of his robe. The Land of Iron was a good choice. It was neutral but close to the Earth Country. The Tsuchikage leaned back and pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose as he considered the information. He had an inkling of the threat posed by this entity but he wondered why the Hokage would not try to subdue the beast himself unless he had reason to think it was something far outside his village's capability. The Hokage was no fool and if he was willing to seek the thoughts of his fellow Kage then perhaps it was in Iwa's interests for him to attend the meeting. If anything, it would allow him to gather more information on the other Kage whom aside from Shin he only knew by reputation.
"What should our response be Lord Tsuchikage?"
"Send word to the Hokage that I will be in attendance"
"Yes Lord Tsuchikage. I will begin making preparations immediately"
Reisan sat down and the meeting continued for another hour or so. Among the items discussed was how the Amandi Clan would be handled. The cowed representative mentioned the Daimyou's concerns about their mistreatment. They had a reputation as poisoners and he did not want to have cause to fear repreisal. Nee-san assured the man that the situation was more than under control and that the Amandi Clan leader's insolence would not go unanswered. He had refused their demands citing clan policy as if it were some sort of shield. In time he would come to learn why it was a fatal error to disrespect a Kage but the lesson would come on Nee-san's time. The meeting was thus adjourned and the Tsuchikage went off to prepare for his journey.
Exit
Nee-san entered the room wearing his Kage robes. He was a few minutes late as usual. It was his custom to arrive late so as to indicate that others were on his time and not the other way around. As soon as he took his seat, Yuri Yatagani the Daimyou's representative questioned him about where he had gone.
"Lord Tsuchikage, the Daimyou has received word that you left the village! What was the meaning of this?!"
Nee-san looked a the man coolly and replied.
"I met with the Kazekage"
The air was filled with gasps and several of the council heads looked at each other in surprise. They said nothing though not willing to contradict their Kage in front of the representative.
"You met with a foreign military without the Daimyou's leave?"
"Yes."
"The Daimyou should have been informed! Anything could have happe-"
Nee-san held up a hand.
"Nothing could have happened that I hadn't already anticipated, Yuri. The Kazekage of Sunagakure is strong but not strong enough to cause me undue worry. The meeting was productive. I believe that there is much was can accomplish together"
"Together?!" Yuri exclaimed. "They are the descendants of murderers and dogs! Our forefather's blood is on their hands! There will be no talk of collaboration with this malformed and dying Empire!"
"Your ignorance is astounding. It also irritates me. Lower your voice or lose it forever."
Yuri turned pale and the council looked away from him. Nee-san had learned that Daimyou representatives responded to threats of violence like cowed dogs. They were accustomed to shouting over their opposition and berating others into submission. That sort of behavior did not fly in a military village of Iwagakure no Sato.
"I met with the Kazekage to discuss mutually beneficial terms of trade and protection. Their interests may not always align with ours but where there is room for cooperation I shall pursue it. We have more in common with them than we do Konoha and by working closely with them, I can more accurately assess the threat they pose. I will continue to work with the Kazekage as long as I believe it is in the nation's interest. I met with him without the Daimyou's leave to be free of bureaucrats like yourself but rest assured I will seek his blessing for any future meetings now that a line of communication has been formally established"
Yuri said nothing, afraid that disagreement could cost him his life. He looked away from Nee-san and wrote something down. He nodded and apparently allowed the issue to die. Another council member spoke up, it was Reisan Tetsudashi, acting Jounin Commander. Nee-san could read the man's face and tell that he was bothered by Nee-san's decision to meet with Shin. Reisan took the Kazehana's mistreatment of his ancestors quite seriously and he viewed the nation with suspicion. Nevertheless he was one of the most disciplined men in Iwagakure's military and he would not for a second speak out of turn during a council meeting that hosted a Daimyou representative. He would be able to talk to his brother about it later in private until then he would always stand behind his brother's decisions. With practiced stoicism, he stood and gave a report.
"At 0800 hours, an entity of unknown origin was assessed to have passed through our lands. The entity is believed to be hostile and judging from analysis of the scene poses an S Rank threat to Iwagakure"
Nee-san leaned back in the chair and looked at the representative. It was normally customary for national security information to be communicated to the Daimyou directly as opposed to intermediaries but he guessed that Yuri's continued presence meant more.
"We have received word from the Hokage and he wishes to have a summit to discuss the entity. Apparently it has threatened other nations."
Reisan took out the letter, read it aloud verbatium and passed it to his Kage who read it thoughtfully.
- Spoiler:
Fellow Kage,
It has come to my attention that an unknown presence has been moving across our lands. Deaths have already resulted from this shadow in the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth, with casualty numbers unknown and more likely to follow. This presence is clearly hostile and has thwarted all attempts to gather more information on it, let alone stop it, and may pose a great risk to all of our great nations should it be allowed to continue. It is my wish that we come together, as Kage, to discuss this shadow in person and decide what must be done to deal with it in order to maintain a safe and peaceful environment for each of our villages. The location of this Five Kage Summit should take place in as neutral a location as we can manage while maintaining each other's security and distance from the projected path of the shadow. To this end, I propose the Three Wolves Mountains in the Land of Iron.
Respond swiftly,
Uchiha Kazuya, Hokage
Nee-san read the letter without emotion and slipped it into one of the inner pockets of his robe. The Land of Iron was a good choice. It was neutral but close to the Earth Country. The Tsuchikage leaned back and pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose as he considered the information. He had an inkling of the threat posed by this entity but he wondered why the Hokage would not try to subdue the beast himself unless he had reason to think it was something far outside his village's capability. The Hokage was no fool and if he was willing to seek the thoughts of his fellow Kage then perhaps it was in Iwa's interests for him to attend the meeting. If anything, it would allow him to gather more information on the other Kage whom aside from Shin he only knew by reputation.
"What should our response be Lord Tsuchikage?"
"Send word to the Hokage that I will be in attendance"
"Yes Lord Tsuchikage. I will begin making preparations immediately"
Reisan sat down and the meeting continued for another hour or so. Among the items discussed was how the Amandi Clan would be handled. The cowed representative mentioned the Daimyou's concerns about their mistreatment. They had a reputation as poisoners and he did not want to have cause to fear repreisal. Nee-san assured the man that the situation was more than under control and that the Amandi Clan leader's insolence would not go unanswered. He had refused their demands citing clan policy as if it were some sort of shield. In time he would come to learn why it was a fatal error to disrespect a Kage but the lesson would come on Nee-san's time. The meeting was thus adjourned and the Tsuchikage went off to prepare for his journey.
Exit
