Making Allies

[Will be posting as an NPC Council regarding Konoha's interests...]

Yami Hanzo, the council head of the village, sat where he did. There seemed to be a constant stream of paperwork coming from all over. It was long, grueling work that couldn't be anything less than mindless. It was perfect for a retired Shinobi. The door would open from the far end of the room on the opposite end of the rug that acted as a walk way of sorts. Opening the door was a young male in his early twenties wearing the usual flak jacket and standard armament. He would approach the executive desk where the man sat. "Ah, welcome. I have a task for you. I need you to grab two Shinobi for me. Satomi Uchiha, and a female who goes by the name of Akeno Tatsuda." The messenger boy's face showed slight amusement in their names. Although unfamiliar with them directly, he knew they were both at least Jounin rank. Satomi, a well-known loyal figure to Konoha while Akeno was apart of the refugee movement from Iwagakure.

Nonetheless, the messenger Shinobi would nob before departing the carry off his task. Yami would prepare for their arrival, opening a drawer from his desk retrieving a small scroll. I know you should have no trouble with this task on your own. But out of principle I must be cautious of your actions... The older man would snap out of his slight daze as he gently pushed the drawer closed with his back hand. Setting the scroll on the desk's surface before him he would clasp his hands together and rest his arms of the desk. He knew he could expect at least a five minute response time. Yami had a little time to kill and enjoy this short, deserved moment of silence.

The day started like any other day as far as Akeno was aware of. She woke up early in the morning as dawn creeped over the horizon and paints Akeno’s small room in a golden glow. It was very much like a hotel of sorts, only Akeno was content with the small room so long as it provided a comfy bed, dresser, and the other necessities. Dressed in her gown, Akeno reluctantly got up from her bed and went about cooking her some breakfast. Though in all honesty the breakfast was a bowl of ramen with chopped carrots and pieces of steamed cooked chicken.

Akeno got herself dressed in her mesh shirt with a white sleeveless shirt and then covers it with a flak jacket. As for the pants it was a pair of leggings that hugs her form nicely. On her feet is a pair of sandals revealing little skin on her toes for it was covered with fishnet of mesh that covers her feet and up to her thigh. Wrapped around her waist is a utility belt which snugs with a click of a buckle. Attached to this belt is a red silk sash with a black tribal design that resembles a bird with flaming wings and a long, elegant three tails that wraps around the silk.

Her hair was a bit of a mess, but Akeno fixed that with a thorough brush. Once she was ready to face the public, Akeno departs from her room and makes way to the refugee department. Where she would have attempted to find something to help with that is within her power. However on her way to this section Akeno was intercepted by a shinobi with the Konoha headband around his neck. Of course Akeno wore her headband as well that represents the Konoha leaf, but she still carried the Iwa headband under her sash. “Akeno Tatsuda, the council has an urgent task that they believe you can handle. Head to the Government Building immediately.”

Akeno thought it was a bit odd for this urgent task the messenger spoke of must be pretty important to ask a refugee… No, it must be important to demand a refugee’s assistance Jounin or not. Still Akeno gave the boy a sweet smile as she responded. “I shall be there. What was your name again?” The boy gave a smirk as there was amusement dancing in the boy’s eyes. “If you succeed this task I may tell you.” Akeno would mentally brush it off as she shrugged her shoulders. “That remains to be seen.”

And so Akeno departs from the messenger boy to the Administrative District where the Government Building looms over her. Akeno has been here before when she offered her assistance to the village. Stopping by the receptionist who looked rather bored or just tired judging from the dark circles under the man’s eyes. “The council wishes to see me?” Her voice made the receptionist perked up as he looks from his papers to the newcomer. Where he greets the lady with a tired smile. “Ah, it is good to see you again Akeno. Yes Yami Hanzo, head of Konoha’s Council, wishes to seek an audience with you. Head to the second floor and…”

The man stops himself as Akeno knew where the council’s office was located and his exhausted mind realized she was just following protocol. “You already know where it is.” Akeno, still presenting that enchanting smile on her lips, nods in agreement. “I didn’t want to interrupt. You looked like you were having a moment there.” He snickers as he shakes his head and looks down at his papers. “More like a moment of work. You are certainly a trip i tell ye that much.” The young mistress giggles before bidding farewell and takes herself up the stairs of the second floor. Where she’ll make her way over to the council’s office at the door and following another protocol Akeno knocks on the door before waiting to be acknowledged.

Satomi didn't sleep much these days. He had more than enough demons haunting him in the daytime. It certainly became daunting to deal with even in his sleep. So most times he would leave the comfort of his bed to step outside and watch the sunrise from his roof. He happened to be on top of the roof that morning anyways, already dressed for the day in his usual ninja attire. A sleeveless white shirt and pants with a Flak Jacket on. His mask to keep his face obscured as he liked it. Even though he still stood out with his particular skin color.

Which was how the boy probably know where he lived. Coming up to his doorstep was boy carrying a scroll. Not many came to his doorstep, or knew where he lived. Except, "The Council."

Sato took another look down before squatting down slightly and propelling himself into a front flip over the roof banister. He twirled and landed down right next to the boy as he was about to knock on his door. Almost silently the boy didn't notice he was there, "How can I help you," Sato said.

Startled but not unperturbed, almost as if he expected it. "Satomi Uchiha the council has an urgent task that they believe you can handle. Head to the Government Building immediately.”

"They have need of me? Well its about time." Satomi said back to the boy as he took the scroll from him. He thanked the boy before immediately departing for the Government Building. Maybe it was time for them to acknowledge his skills to be worthy of ANBU. He arrived in a minute or two as he lived close by and he was pretty fast. Walking past personel he only greeted a few with a nod before making his way to the Councils consult room.

There he saw another figure waiting as well. It looked like a Jounin possibly from the refugee program because she didn't seem immediately familiar. From Iwakgakure. Sato eyes narrowed, its not like he didn't trust them but he was always careful. He walked towards her and asked, "You were summoned as well? Might be a real important mission then."

Yami distracted himself with a bit of paperwork as the others prepared to head off. It was no more than a few additional minutes than expect for him to hear a gentle knock on the door. "Yes, come in, come in." The man said inviting those waiting outside to enter his office. When they would enter he would greet both of them with a pleasant smile. Grabbing the scroll that was waiting on his desk he would break the wax seal which kept the contents of the A-rank scroll hidden. Unraveling the scroll he would lay it horizontally on the desk with the text facing the two Jounin that entered. He would begin briefing them on the task. "How familiar are you two with Kirigakure?" He said this in a rhetorical sense, not expecting either of them to know about the village hidden in the mist, or about the Land of Water in general. "As a result of recent scouting efforts, we have successfully charted the Land of Water including Kirigakure no Sato. This was phase one of our plan. Phase two will be up to both of you to achieve."

Opening a different scroll he would retrieve two more scrolls in similar size of the one presented at the table. These scrolls, however, were kept sealed for the time being. "As you may know, we are the leading nation in lumber production. With a plentiful supply of trees we have developed an excess stock of timber, which at this point no longer benefits us. Both of you are assigned to work as diplomats with the authority figure of Kirigakure, and try to organize an alliance or treaty. If we can get Kirigakure on our side that would be immensely useful. If you are unable to come to terms with an alliance the next option would be to work out a peace treaty and establish a trade route. Getting the Mist on our side is our primary goal, whether it be an alliance or trade deal. You both will have to appeal to their leader in order to get him to agree."

Grabbing the two other scroll in a single hand he would place both of them on top of the revealed scroll, each of them having a letter "B" on the face. "If you are unable to secure any alliance, treaty, or trade deal, Kirigakure will serve as a lost cause. In that case, you will begin your secondary task. This is completely optional on either of your parts. If Kirigakure does not want to accept our partnership, we can only assume to be cautious with them. Gather as much information as you can about the Shinobi that reside in that village and record them on these scrolls. Blood line heritage, skills, elements, remarkable talents, names, and descriptions. However, I will reiterate: you will only carry out this task if you are refused an audience or treaty. If we can secure a partnership with Kirigakure I do not want to raise suspicious with them."

Grabbing a small packet of papers from the side of his desk he scanned the reports of the village's production. After a moment of silence, he would chime up again. "We have two shipments of timber we can ship out to Kirigakure without loss of profits. If they have metals, livestock, or crops they can bargain with, that would be beneficial. I am sure you are both capable of making a secure deal." He said with a smile. As the smile faded, he would resume work with a final statement. "This task does not require urgency, however I expect both of you to begin the mission within the next three days. Your salary income will be deposited tomorrow, so I suggest gearing yourselves up for the job. You both can get acquainted during your travels. Now, if you don't have any questions, you both will be dismissed." With his final statement he would allow the Shinobi to pick up their scrolls needed for the mission and leave the building. As they would, Yami would resume his mindless work.

A-rank Mission Scroll:

B-rank Mission Scroll:

It seemed that she didn’t have to wait long at all since a couple of seconds later she hears a male voice to come in. At the same time Akeno hears steps approaching her from the left flank. The woman hazard a glance with a turn of her head to get a good look at the individual. A man, skin darker in shade that Akeno mistaken to be tan, approached her and even asked if she was summoned as well. Akeno gives a smile as her dark, wavy locks sways around her back. “So it would seem.”

On that note Akeno proceeds to open the door and they’re immediately greeted with the sounds of scroll crinkling and quills writing swift and accurate before the ink dries. The smell of a bookstore reached her nose, but to her it wasn’t a bad smell for it reminded Akeno of home. Back in Iwagakure where she had a library in the Tatsuda residence. Various people busy with their work as few drew their attention to the two who walked in the room. At the center of the room across from where Akeno was standing is a middle-aged man, or at least she assumed for if this man was an elder then he has some good genes running through his veins.

This man is Yami Hanzo, head of the Konoha Council. Akeno technically has met him before when she along with several other Iwa shinobi were summoned here shortly after they arrived. It was then Akeno was given the rank of Jounin, though it was more based on the fact she uses a particular release and possess a gift for it as well. Yami first asked them what they knew of Kirigakure, and Akeno perhaps was the first one to answer that question. “The Hozuki Fleet used to be the largest fleet on the seas. However due to the war against Inazuma their numbers dwindled to half. As for territories they practically control majority of the islands to the east, but i haven’t heard them traveling to the Land of Demon or Land of Ice.” In short simple history lesson comes from her lips. Never came into direct contact with Kirigakure, but it doesn’t mean she hasn’t been keeping tabs on their past activities.

Akeno listened to the details of their mission. It is a negotiation for an alliance between Konoha and Kirigakure. At least, that is the hopeful goal. Alternatively Akeno and Satomi could work on establishing trade routes between the nations. In Akeno’s perspective that seems to have a higher chance for success. However, should the negotiations fail there was a second mission. One that requires careful deception as they gather information on people of importance. That mission was only to be used like a last resort to prevent suspicion.

When it came to the point of asking questions, Akeno had an important one. She would have taken the scrolls in her hands, and thankfully she was given three days to leave. “If i am going to get shipments of resources from Kiri’s leadership. Which of the three resources would be in high demand in Konoha? Otherwise i was thinking of getting shipments of food to make sure both Konoha and the refugees are fed for the month without much of an issue with poverty.” After all getting metals and even products can only do so much when there is a lack of food for everybody. Additionally Akeno was voicing her concern about the village’s well being.

Kirigakure? After meeting Akeno the other Jounin they preceded into the office where they were greeted by Yami Hanzo. The Head of the Council was the one presenting them the mission today. Sitting through the briefing that was the first question he was asked about. It seems there mission was to build a relation through an alliance with Kirigakure. He was honored that they trusted a mission like this to them in the first place. It was needed in this world with more enemies you can count.

Discussing an alliance was the first part however should that fail they were to gather data. Espionage. Satomi was now invested. This is a huge opportunity and information about the Mist village was worth gold. Their Water abilities and Seven Swordsman were of many topics worth discussion in the world.

Yami finished his briefing and Satomi only nodded. Akeno however had a valid question to propose. And he also waited for an answer before they departed.

After briefing the two on the mission details it was time for questions. As expect, the seasoned Satomi did not have much to add to the conversation, but a nod of confirmation. Akeno had questions, though the question stated more or less displayed the girl's lack of experience with the resource field. The elderly Yami let off an old, hearty laugh in response to Akeno's concern for securing food for the refugees. "It seems this is your first time dealing with resources. No worries, I will break everything down for you. There are five primary resources the Daimyo of all the five great nations pursue: Crops, Fish, Livestock, Lumber, and Metal. These are the five resources we care about. You see, these resources are not used for our personal benefit. They are traded, and exported throughout the land and across the continent. The Daimyo still own the land after all, and put their Shinobi village in charge hiring harvesters and protecting those resources. It is apart of the Council and Hokage's responsibility to best approach this. So you see, the resources gathered are not for personal use, but instead to be traded by the Daimyo. The village receives commission for each successful harvest."

Grabbing the stapled packet he flipped through a few pages onto the third page where it showed the current harvest for the month of May. He set the packet on the desk facing Akeno to allow her to gander at the details before continuing on.

Land of Fire (Konohagakure)
Crops: Level 1
Fish: Level 3
Livestock: Level 2
Metals: Level 1
Wood: Level 5

"As you see, the Land of Fire excels in Lumber production, which is to no surprise given our location. Each 'level' represents a full load. One load is equivalent to one-hundred thousand ryo in revenue for the village. However, we can only manage to move and sell a total of three loads of any resource to the Land of Fire's dwellings and our exports. Above three levels and we will have a surplus of unneeded resources, which means no money for any of us. In our case, we exceed our Lumber production by two levels. This is why I stated it is important we try to achieve a successful bargain in the Land of Water's Metal, Crops, or Livestock. And this is also why I stated you stay within only trading two shipments for Lumber. We can trade two shipments in Lumber and not suffer any financial losses. Once we exceed that number, we begin losing revenue from Lumber."

Assuming Akeno got her look at the packet the old man would take it back and return it to the drawer, the harvest report and budget being vital information for the village. "By securing a solid trade deal you will help the Land of Fire and Konoha generate more revenue since we will be able to export the more needed resources instead of Lumber, and this can ensure a better quality of life for you, your family, clan, and comrades. This mission is listed as A-rank not due to the difficulty, but the important it will have on our future, thus I sought to pick Konoha's two most professional Jounin for the task. I hope you now understand the situation better." The old man said concluding his short lecture about the more financial portions of the village operations. If everything proved well the two Jounin will depart after they had no more questions, and the old man would continue to tend to his neglected paperwork left over by the Hokage's absence.

Akeno was silent as she listened to Yami lecturing her about the resources and how vast it affects the village and the land. The business side is technically not foreign to her, but Akeno was never told that it affects more than just the village. So basically what Akeno is that while the resources does not directly affect the refugees and the residents inside of the village. It does however, indirectly affect them as they prosper. Least to say Akeno was absorbing any bit of information Yami was willing to tell.

“I see… i understand now. We’ll be departing shortly.” Akeno had the details of what to discuss now. Konoha is rich from the lumber it produces, but now they’re at a point where they’re accumulating too much lumber than they can process. Thus the valuable resources will just sit and be wasted in the space. So to provide more of a benefit for the land Akeno and Satomi gets to be diplomats. Akeni believes she can definitely secure one shipment from Kirigakure, and maybe two if she pushes the investigation. Only time will tell, and Akeno needs some time to restock. Maybe creating a small trinket and add some seals onto it.

As the woman is exiting the room Akeno turns her head towards Satomi. “If you can give me until tomorrow afternoon to prepare i’ll meet you at the gates. I have to restock and see about crafting a little something or two. A good diplomat brings a gift to enhance the discussion into our favor.” Akeno reasons with Satomi as she is walking past the door now. If nothing else Akeno will conjure a shadow clone with a list of tools and a couple of containers in the clone’s mind. They walk in sync down the stairs until they were outside and both Akeno and her clone split away.

[Exit]

Yami went into great detail the reserves and what was needed for this diplomatic mission. One of the big things to note was the Leafs vast lumber resources thanks in part to the demograph of the village. So this would be one of the main footnotes when they began their negotiations with the Mist village. With the rest of the mission details given to them, they were ready to take their leave.

“If you can give me until tomorrow afternoon to prepare i’ll meet you at the gates. I have to restock and see about crafting a little something or two. A good diplomat brings a gift to enhance the discussion into our favor," Akeno said to Satomi.

"No problem. I have too have a few things to collect. I'll meet you at the gates tomorrow," Satomi replied back to Akeno. The two would make their leave with Akeno making a clone to do her bidding.

[Exit]

An unintroduced, lone figure in a white haori mad his way down the hallway, slipped past the two -or three- departing shinobi and into the room where Hanzo conducted his business before the door was allowed to fully close.

"Busy, I see." The Hokage commented after a glance at the mountainous pile of papers no doubt caused by his absence. Kazuya casually strolled up to the desk with his hands clasped neatly behind his back. He didn't bother looking about the room -he'd grasped a visual upon his entrance and had no interest in extra details beyond those that posed a risk of some sort.

As the two departed the Head Councilman resumed his paperwork as expected. The footsteps gradually got quieter, before suddenly making their way back to the office doors. Yami was not expecting any other visitors making the presence a bit more alarming. Of course this would change as the doors opened again, the man appearing before the Councilman Head was none other than Kazuya Uchiha. His face lit up in astonishment and an old man's voice, his wrinkles showing as a cheerful grin appeared on his face. "Lord Kazuya, it has been a while." He said, standing up from the seat and bowing to the rightful Hokage. Yami, who was completely unsure whether his appearance was permanate or not would step aside from the executive desk and chair. "Are you returning to your post?"

Kazuya entered the room, nodding with the elder's bow and approaching the desk. "It's good to see you keeping in good health, Yami." The Hokage started, running his eyes over the paperwork spread about the desk. "I hear you've done well in my stead; as soon as you're ready, I'll take the reigns again." The words hardly left his mouth when a dream from long ago returned to the forefront of his mind: retirement. He'd have liked for another to take his place, but none has stepped up, none that thought themselves ready. It was his fault, either for going beyond reality or for failing to raise the shinobi of his village.

The Uchiha leader shifted his weight about in an excited anticipation as Hanzo offered the nuances of Konoha's current endeavors in a brief verbal format. The older man gathered several documents into a neat stack as he spoke and, at the tail end of his summary, offered the stack to Kazuya. "You'll find the specifics here, Lord Hokage." The councilman finished. The Hokage's mind had already begun to race as the details were introduced; he could hardly wait to orchestrate the final touches himself and so spoke a quick thanks to Hanzo and went on about his business. He'd drop the papers off at his office along the way, scanning through them with great haste to gather the information he needed before heading into the village. There was much to be done and he'd been gone for far too long.

[Exit]