…To aid in the negotiations between our two countries, I have begun the training of two diplomats to live in England as permanent ambassadors if you will accept them. Their training should be complete in a year or so. In the mean time, I'd appreciate it if you would find a way for them to quickly learn magic in the western style and your wizarding culture. As we both know, books can only teach so much.

Sincerely, Sandaime Hokage

The Minister for Magic unconsciously fiddled with the cuffs of his stiff, white shirt as he considered the letter.

Communication with the Great Shinobi Countries had begun all of a few months ago and already the communications were a tangle of mistranslated apologies for mistranslations. He'd never admit it, but the Japanese wizards seemed to be learning English much more quickly then the English were Japanese.

For the umpteenth time that week he wished there was such a thing as a true translation spell. Translation spells only worked when the user was fully bilingual and only sped up the translation process. Fortunately, one of the minister's minor secretaries happened to have a small working knowledge of Japanese. That was all they had to go off of.

As a result, he knew next to nothing about the place they where talking to.

He wasn't even sure if Sandaime Hokage was a name, a title, or a combination of both!

He was also not yet entirely certain of whether the Five Countries were five separately governed countries or five provinces under the rule of a central government and this "Hokage" character they'd mostly been communicating with.

As of now he was leaning hopefully toward the five provinces idea in hopes that he would have only one central government to deal with if he were to bring these countries under his control.

Of course, he would take control of the Five Great Shinobi Countries and turn them into a puppet protectorate under England. There were even precedence's in the form of a group of South American Wizards living under a tribal government. That was probably a ways into the future, though. Even so he was so proud of the thought of having his name in all the history books right up next to Theol the Conqueror's that he paused to savor the thought for a time.

Certainly, thought the minister, this could all be sorted out by a couple of good diplomats. (Why two? he wondered.)

For now, there was the matter of the Hokage's request. He could provide for the two the best place for education so why not do so?

The Minister for Magic whipped out a piece of parchment and quill and began to write a letter to Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When he'd finished the letter, he tied it to the leg of a truly massive great grey owl and sent it on its way.

He was fairly certain that the headmaster would not like that. Having a couple of foreigners in his school for a while along with the irritating senior undersecretary Doloris might keep him busy which was a very good thing. Fudge liked to think of him as a sort of arch-rival these days. Dumbledore was the biggest threat to Fudge's power, after all, with all that rumor spreading and plotting. In their struggle for the wizarding world's hearts and minds, he would be triumphant! But only if he cold keep Dumbledore in to deep a mud pit of government interference to continue spreading lies.

As for the "Sandaime Hokage", he thought it would only be considerate that the send an ambassador in return to what-was-the-place-called.

He dug up some papers. "Ko-no-ha-gack-oore". He sounded the odd word out to himself.

He knew he'd better learn to say it properly anyway so that he could sound intelligent and in control when he talked about the place. If he slipped on even something as small as the pronunciation of a word a hundred reporters and a thousand opponents would immediately be at his throat.

He hadn't become minister for this…

A/N: I'm not sure if anyone will be interested in this so you'll have to review if you want me to update. If I don't get at least a few reviews, I probably won't continue.

Thanks for reading.

Beta'd by my wonderful sister Bloody-Battle-Bunnies