Facing The Burning Bush

Suguru jostled through the street, a wild look in his eyes, wide and staring blankly through those around him, brandishing his headband as if it gave him right to way over everyone else in the street.

He was still clad in his detective costume, yet the blue suit jacket was nowhere to be seen, his red bowtie was undone and the white shirt, the buttons mismatched with their holes and the stains were now overshadowed by splashes of blood.

Breathless, he finally found himself in front of the looming oval brick building. Before this, he had only approached its shadow, to claim or submit missions, and even that had been quite a while since he had done so last.

Only as he stepped into the building, he realized what a monumental day this was.

He, Suguru, a lowly shinobi, would be meeting face to face with the great Hokage, the leader of the greatest village in the greatest nation ever. The man who hamstrung Iwagakure and made them kneel before his shadow.

And not only that, but he was bringing him information of great importance. So big it could change everything for Suguru. Maybe even shake the hand of the Hokage and be given a medal.

The genin rested against the wall, the thought of such an action burdening him even further than the fact he had run from the gate to the building in a full, uninterrupted sprint.

Following the signs, he found himself in front of THE door.

Behind it, was the Hokage.

Suguru wiped the dirty sweat on his brow, smudging the dirt further than it already was. before he considered what kind of knock would be appropriate.

[1]

Tengoku was behind on work as usual. With his sister unavailable he had found work to be studious and troublesome again. Of course his sister had raced through it like it was a simple thing. However Tengoku was barely considered above average intelligence. His wisdom only came from experience and a will to do better. Still there were two stacks about two feet high on either side of his desk. A to do pile and a completed pile. Which meant he was about halfway done with the days paperwork. Of course he was usually this busy. A whole village to run and an armed force under his command. What's more is he had been increasing the size of their treasury in preparation for war. He was nearing thirty million which would be a significant amount to purchase or repair whatever he needed for the people to survive. It wouldn't do for Konoha to face an economic downfall during war and lose their forces to poverty or hunger. Strong,,,well fed and happy is how he liked his soldiers. Of course Konoha was in a current economic golden age for the moment. But war would change that...and war was coming. He knew that much.

Still he was in his usual garb. Black leathers with fur inlined inside of them. Keeping him comfortable and warm in a particularly cold winter. Snow clung to the tops of the trees and frost to the ground. Their food storages were plentiful for the winter which made them a target. Still his yellow robes did not cover his arms nor did they go below his knees. His arms and shins were bare except for a set of gold feather shaped rings on his ankles, his wrists and his upper arms. Of course it was also more obvious with his arms exposed that he was a taijutsu practitioner focused in arhat but he also had dabbled in others. Still amber eyes would rise. Framed by wild white hair as wolf like ears would stand at attention and twitch. His eyes shifting to the door. He knew someone was out there despite the door being closed. His senses told him as much....Their breath was heavy and bordering on panic...as if they had just ran all the way here despite everything. Still if it was that urgent Tengoku wouldn't wait for them to gather themselves. Since no knock had come yet he would set down his pen and remind himself that all three of his swords were on a stand right behind him before calling out.

"Come in."

A strong knock to show he was a strong shinobi?

A light knock to show respect to the Hokage?

The middle path? But would that not show indecisiveness?

A chilling revelation came to Suguru's mind. The Hokage was of course a master of all types of Jutsu. And that meant he processed the famed ability of a sensor. Meaning right now, the Hokage knew he was behind the door, and he was showing such indecisiveness. He even knew that he knew that he knew.

He even knew that he knew that he knew that he knew.

Before Suguru's mind could be overwhelmed further in this looping thought, a voice emanated from behind the door, the message simple.

Fresh sweat doused his being at the near sound of it. His hands, one full with the cloth of his headband, the other with a brown bag filled with the documents, shook.

When the Hokage spoke, he never requested, only demanded. So the genin knew he had no more time to spare to prepare himself.

Suguru pushed the door open, mustering all his strength to not show his weakness. He was of coursed failing miserably, but what could one do in front of such a great shinobi but be humble?

Even though he lit a candle to the man's portrait every night, the sheer strength and coolness of the Hokage still took him by surprise. The bulging biceps that broke down Iwagakure and brought them to the ground rippled with strength.

Suguru fell down to his knees and slammed his head against the ground, as he knew he was not worthy to gaze upon the face of the Hokage.

[2]

Of course Tengoku would blink in surprise at this appearance of a dirty and panicked looking young man. He hadn't expected that as even the most hurried messengers were more formal This one seemed on the verge of panic and having seen a bit of trouble. The blood on his shirt filled Tengokus nostrils as Hazel eyes would take in the grand entrance. He wasn't a threat at the moment. That much appeared evident. Still something was on his mind. Eyes would shift to the brown envelope the young man had. This appeared to be of the utmost importance and there were likely those who wished their own hands on it. Or to stop it from reaching Tengoku. Blood always smelled like trouble. So it was a bit of a surprise to him when the rather average looking young man before him would choose to slam his forehead to the ground. A resounding thunk against the hard wood. This show was getting out of hand quickly and it was clear that this was not the time for it. There were fires to be put out somewhere and such displays were only delays at this point. Still Tengoku would take a deep breath to calm himself. Speaking slowly and clearly. A cold calm in his tone.

"That will be enough of a display. By your appearance and emotional state, both being disheveled at this moment, I take it you have something of utmost urgency for me. When the world is on fire son, we don't dawdle to put out the sparks."

Tengoku would quietly nod to the folder before those animal like eyes shifted back to meet Suguru's. He was being calm and patient...but those eyes seemed to be running low on patience. He wouldn't wait long for a response. The guards outside were watching this display with caution. The entire department was in mourning for their retired Kage who had passed to that beast....No one was about to miss a step and lose another Kage. They were on high alert and waiting for this to be some sort of trap. No one was ready to lower their guard but the Hokage to this bloodstained detective. Stil Tengoku would lift his hand with the palm up as he waited for the file. Curiosity and concern growing hand in hand the longer this was prolonged. What else could possibly go wrong lately?

The floor creaked under the great effort of the empty yet very hard head of the genin as it did its utmost to push further, as Suguru struggled to bow even lower as if trying to see what kind of dust the floor had between its gaps.

The silence was broken by the voice of the Hokage. Each word echoed in the mind of Suguru, etching themselves in what little space he had, and overwriting what the even less he knew. Even the most mundane words, like 'the', 'a' and 'of' carried the divine power of the speaker.

The words of wisdom burned into the genin's heart, creating a code he would live till the end of his days, despite having no idea what a Nindō is.

Yet the word 'son'.

Was the Hokage his father?

Did he have such blood running in his veins?

Was he destined for greatness? Was that the reason why he had a voice in his head?

The genin was ready to cry, but there was not a single drop of water in his body after having sweated it in the run to arrive.

"Excuse the deer blood, oh great Hokage-sama. It was...an accident." He was able to whisper, as he found himself crushed by the aura of the Hokage, his head never moving an inch upwards as it crushed itself against the floor.

"These papers...I dare say that they might be of importance that befits you see them." He finished, trying to use every fancy word he knew as not to be crushed by the might foot of the Hokage.

Suguru's arm extended shakily, presenting his leader with a brown paper bag that suspiciously smelled like honeyed beef buns, and inside, a thick stack of papers.

On them, designs of the choke-centers, nodes and security points that made up the Heavenly Emporium, with small notes denoting weaknesses and points that were vulnerable to attack and the manner one could take advantage of them written in a bold cursive.

[3]

Tengoku would sigh. His patience wearing thin with this one as he rose from his seat. Moving around the desk quietly. The combined scents on this one were odd and overwhelming at times. He had to stop breathing in through his nose between the blood and food smells. They did not mix well with the odor this one had from running so long. His eyes glanced to the guard in the hall who shrugged at him as if he didn't see the reasoning behind it either. Still he would collect the brown paper bag from the young man and cautiously glance inside.

Within was not food but instead a stack of papers. Slightly stained in the grease priorly within the bag but still clearly legible. At first Tengoku wasn't certain what he was looking at but after a few pages he would frown. This was some critical information to the security of the heavenly emporium. Some people might be able to map out some of it but the documents were far more detailed. This was the kind of documentation one might expect to see prior to a war against a village. Plans for an attack...since there was one currently underway and many from the villages including Konoha were already involved...and the loss of Nyguyen weighing heavily on Tengoku....this was a little late but not useless to them....it may direct them where to take their offense in retaliation.

Tengoku would speak quietly as his amber eyes lifted from the papers. He wasn't familiar with this man but the information was vital. Had it arrived before his predecessor may still be enjoying his retirement. "Go make copies of this and have couriers take them to the other Kage directly. Inform them we were given this information to late to prevent the attack but encourage them to use the information as they see fit." He finished as his guard came and collected the documents before going out of the room to immediately do as he was told. Tengoku had an idea of who was behind this due to Nozomi's warning. He would not be caught unprepared should they come to Konoha. But he would also do what he could for the other nations too. Still the matter of the young man in front of him held his attention as they were alone once more.

"What is your name and how did you come across these documents? And stand up before you put an indent in my floor."

"Yes, oh great Hokage-sama!"

Suguru rose so quickly he nearly slipped on his own two sweaty feet but somehow managed to retain his balance.

His head remained firmly pointed downwards, as to not even look at the feet of the great Hokage. He was not worthy.

"My name...Yes. My name is Suguru, greatest Hokage-sama. Of the leaf. No surname. Genin rank shinobi." Suguru tried to talk as normally as he could, yet tears of sweat and excitement rolled down his cheeks and found his tongue tied as he spoke even the most simple of words whilst trying to do the basic task of identifying himself.

The Hokage of course knew who he was, despite being a lowly no name shinobi. Yet the Hokage was kind and down to earth, despite his great power and of course this was a simple test of Suguru.

Why he was being tested on his name? That was not for Suguru to know, just to do.

Taking a deep breath, he prepeared to quite possibly enter the most important moment of his life.

"I was enjoying the festivities with my good friend, the great shinobi Drakon Pendragon at the Heavenly Emporium, when I was informed of a murder. Of course, as a shinobi of the greatest village in the history of villages, I had to go and show them why we are so great by solving the murder-"

Suguru stopped and took another deep breath, before resuming.

"...which I not only did, but also discovered a conspiracy by the water company to take over the Heavenly Emporium, which I am sure your eminence knew of already. While I was doing so, a man by the name of-"

Suguru stopped, and tried to recall the name.

Dr. Cumin? Dr.Cumman? Dr. Crayon?

Suguru had no idea what his name was.

"Dr. C, who, probably seeing my headband, realized that he should hand over any information he has to the highest authority, which of course is Konohagakure. As soon as I realized the importance of the documents, I ran from the Emporium to your majesty as fast as my feet could carry me to do my duty."

[4]

The formality of this meeting was growing aggravating. He wouldn't be willing to tolerate it politely for long...Tengoku knew if he just kept pushing it down he would eventually lose his temper. This man had just delivered some possibly important information to Tengoku and his allies. If kumo and kiri could truly be considered that. At least they were on better terms with him than Iwagakure. A conquered nation would never likely see eye to eye with their captors. To Iwa konoha was a bully who held their nation ransome through brute force. It would take a miracle to turn that opinion around. Still this young man had gone through a great deal for this. A doctor C sounded shady though. Just an initial and no name meant he was trying to hide something. Which made this information....well it would need to be investigated with caution and suspicion. His fingers tapped the desk as he waited for those copies to be sent out and the originals to be examined. This world would use a piece of paper to get into his office if they wanted. It was a troublesome world to say the least. Still he would speak once more as his amber eyes continued to examine Suguru himself.

"It was good of you to make such haste here. Whatever comes of these documents will reflect in your file pending any promotion reviews. You have the villages thanks as well. Now than Suguru. I suggest you go home and wash up. Eat and rest from your journey. Unless there was anything else you wanted to share?"

The question hung on the air. Inviting secrets to be told. Like a parent to their child asking such a question...did he already know something? Was he just giving Suguru a moment to come clean? Tengokus face told nothing however. Just a patient frown with those eyes that seemed to see everything. Every detail around him. They seemed to shine with life and energy as if they saw straight to Sugurus soul. His fingers stopped tapping on the desk abruptly and invited a powerful silence into the office. As if the whole room was waiting. Waiting for Suguru to break the silence. All attention was fully on him and most felt like the walls around them shrank. They felt clastraphobic under the stare of the paladin of Konoha. It wasn't a jutsu of course...just a play on senses.

"The Village has you to thank."

"Promotion review."

The pure joy that surged through Suguru managed to summon tears from his dry body.

"Is this how an orga-thing feels?" He thought to himself, as the tears turned from fear to happiness, if only for a moment, having been not only congratulated, a very rare thing indeed that had only happened a few times before in his life, but from the highest authority there was, The Hokage.

He needed to double up. He had to go even further.

This surge of approval powered Suguru's few brain cells into superdrive.

The clone of his clone, in the Emporium, as it was buying the sexaphone.

Two bombshells. Tits that could crush the hand that gropes them. Impossible to forget.

A man was in the middle of them, with his hands around their shapely waists.

Him.

"Oh, Professor Cuomo, how funny you are." Before laughter had erupted from the trio, as jealousy had overtaken him.

Checkmate.

"Great Hokage-sama, Thanks to the use of my clone, I was able to determine that one of his names is Cuomo. Possibly a Professor of some kind." The genin added. "I initially refrained from saying this information due to the doubt of it's validity, but I feel like only you have the authority to decide that." His voice was strong and confident, without a single weaver, the first time in the conversation.

And they always said that staring at boobs would never help in making him a good shinobi.

Suck it, Academy Instructor Togakawa.

As tears and sweat dripped down Suguru's face, the genin, despite his eyes never even getting a single glance at the shoe of the Hokage, still felt the burning pressure the gaze of the Hokage put on him.

He wanted to answer promptly, as it was proper. Yet at the same time, what other chance would he have to talk to the Hokage? This was a once in a life time opportunity. He could ask him anything.

The biggest question that weighed on his mind was about his paternity. Was he truly the Hokage's son? Why did he abandon him when he was just a child? Was this all a test.

Yet his brain blast had taken all of his mental energy to materialize, and he could not find the will in himself to word any question.

"Anything you wish to ask of me, I will answer. If you have nothing else to ask of me, I will leave you back to your work, Great Hokage-sama."

[5]

Tengoku would consider his words for a moment before he shook his head no. This young man left him feeling uncomfortable. If it wasn't for the plausibly important information he had tried so hard to get here he would have been told to leave straight out. For now there was respect enough for a simple "Dismissed." before Tengoku would return his attention to his paperwork. Jotting down the name of the individual responsible for this information to be added to the document copies sent to Kiri and Kumogakure. They were not allies but they were not enemies either. Iwagakure however would get none of this through Konohas means. They wanted Konoha out of their business entirely and were borderline hostile. It was a high likelihood that even a messenger from Konoha would be slain out of spite and tumble them into a whole new ordeal. He wouldn't risk lives with tension at their borders as it was. Nor did he think they would trust anything he sent. If that were their downfall....well so be it. He had other work to consider within the village. Other issues rising to his plate. He would deal with each as best he could of course.

Exit thread
5 x 10 = 50 exp

'No.'

A simple word, yet it carried immense power as it left the Hokage's mouth.

Dismissed, Suguru bowed low once more, his head touching wood, before turning and leaving the office, his eyes never leaving the floor.

He barely made it out of the Administrative Building in time before he vomited what meager breakfast he had allowed himself to have on the way to Konohagakure, consisting of berries he managed to pick up as he jumped from tree to tree.

He slid down an alley wall, and just stared at the sky. He felt as if he had aged years in that office. He held his headband tight against his chest, tears still flowing down his cheeks.

He didn't get a medal, which was kind of disappointing, but he got something of greater importance.

Suguru, of Konoha, might not be just orphan with no powers. He might be a descended of the great Hokage, destined to be protector of the village, and god amongst men.

But before he could manifest his fate, he had to prove himself.

The Hokage will surely test him, and when he finds him worthy, then the doors of life will open. Everything will be possible for him. And his name will go down in the books of history. And he will get a girlfriend and finally be happy. And that was the biggest medal of them all.

But first, he needed to get some sleep.

His body spent and his legs having no longer having the energy to move any further, Suguru let his eyes rest, and entered peaceful rest where he lay, dreaming of a wonderful future in the Hokage's shadow.

[6]
[EXIT]