Hiderou ran through the ANBU HQ doors as quickly as he could, he knew he had to hurry, the Mizukage was not a patient women and he still had many other messages to deliver but the head of the academy would be, by far, the easiest. Most of the ANBU were out on the field so the rooms were all empty expect for the chief and he should still be in his private study as he usually was around this time.
'Ever since the last Mizukage was removed he's been under suspicion by other leaders. If it wasn't for the current Mizukage, he would have been removed from his position some time ago.'
Hiderou thoughts quieted as he neared the door to his office. Following etiquette, he loudly knocked on the door-
KNOCK! KNOCK!
-and awaited a reply from within.
"Enter."
Upon hearing voice, he opened the door to a rather simple room with a bland décor: a single light fixture, a few shelves lined with books against one wall and on the other, something a little extreme: A scythe. Hand crafted and sharpened with great precision, which hung on the wall. A man sat at a desk in the center of the small room, not even looking up from his logbooks and reports, "What is it?"
Hiderou quickly stood at attention
"Sir, Lady Mizukage has summoned you."
The man paused for a moment before looking up. "What for?"
"She didn't specify, sir."
"Very well."
Hiderou bowed and quickly left…
XxX
Zikito casually looked at the door as the young shinobi left, his footsteps fast fading down the hall, off to deliver the others messages to others the Mizukage needed or perhaps to return to his post. Zikito closed up the report he was reading and stood up, reaching across his desk to grab his ANBU mask, because he never went anywhere without it…
XxX
Mao sat at her desk going over several reports, she needed to quickly go over them because of something that had plagued the elders concerning the previous Mizukage, and his involvement with the recent happenings of 'Unity'. The elders were reluctant with asking the head of ANBU to attend the meeting, him being the student of the last Mizukage, some of the other leaders thought he should be removed from his position. However, well aware, she knew this.
If he was somehow involved, keeping him in sight was the best way to be sure. 'Fools! As if he could be involved in any such way with that man.'
Knock! Knock!
Mao's thoughts hardly faltered for a moment as someone knocked on her door.
"Enter."
At her words, her aide had returned with all the entire council of the Hidden Mist, including her advisers. Each made their way into the Mizukage's room, but one was not among them, one of the elders noticed. "Humph, I see he isn't here. Good, we may commence this meeting with haste."
The others were quick to follow suit, Mao wanted to quiet them down but chose to wait.
"Zikito…" she spoke, in a loud tone.
From behind her, a man wearing an ANBU mask stepped out of her shadow.
"Yes Mao?" the masked man answered.
Everyone took notice as he appeared from nowhere. Being the Chief of the ANBU, he had to be good at sneaking around and there was a reason why he was known as the 'Death-Scythe' of the Hidden Mist, he was silent and quick…like death itself. Mao took careful note everyone's surprise as he walked to the wall nearest the door and leaned against it. "So shall we begin?"
-15 minutes later-
The meeting went as such, beginning with a greeting of all present, and recapping on old business that included gripes about some unnecessary changes to income and other things, before arriving at the crux of the meeting.
"Now then, about the previous Mizukage, his actions prior to his escape from incarceration, have been brought almost to full-light by the ANBU. All other nations have placed him on their watch lists, having pledged to bring him to justice."
Mao's reports from her envoys to every village, was a pleasing enough way to start, but she knew that the other heads and elders weren't going to leave it at that. "Hmm, and what of the remnants of his operations here?" one asked.
Her aide, Hiderou, answered in her stead. "All of his associates have been removed from their positions, and all trace of his plans and preparations have been eradicated."
"I see, then why hasn't the same been done to him!?" Another elder said, pointing at Zikito, still frozen in the same stance as before. More started to agree with this outburst and Mao knew this would continue. But, before she could quite them another did it for her, Ryo Tengi, a high-class advisor to the Mizukage. Stood up and shouted in a resolute tone
"Enough! That's enough now from all of you, the previous Mizukage knew everyone in this room so if wish to cast accusations on him with no evidence, do so on yourself first." All fell silent at his words.
Then Zikito spoke up.
"He was as important to me as a sensei is to his student, he left an impression, but that was it. He was my mentor to the Hidden Mist but his loyalties have been made clear as he abandoned the Hidden Mist and he deserves his fate." Zikito stepped away from the wall and looked at each of them before he spoke. "Had I the chance, I would find and deliver the punishment he deserves. Traitors only deserve one fate: Death!"
XxX
After everyone had left the Kage's office, all except Zikito, Mao, and her aide. Mao sat back behind her desk and asked her aide to excuse himself so the two could have a private talk. As the door closed, Zikito dug into his pocket, pulled out a kunai and flung it behind him, and deflected another kunai thrown at him at the same. Mao looked at Zikito, more specifically, the small eyes slits; the mask looked as though it was Zikito's actual face, it seemed two-dimensional as the he turned somewhat casually and spoke at last.
"I didn't think you would still do that, Mao". It was a simple test the two did whenever they saw each other, they weren't competitive, but they were told from a young age by their father, that 'if they are to be the protectors of others, you must be able to protect yourself.' So to see if that held true, they would fling kunai at the exposed back of the other and see if they would be able to respond quickly.
'You should know our routine Zikito, it won't change no matter how much we change.' Mao only brought her arm back down to her desk before she spoke. "Of course, some old habits die hard, right big brother? Like your mask for instance."
Removing it, Zikito placed the mask on his hip and folded his arms across his chest.
"My mask is a symbol for me, a mark of our family, something of our father's lineage I can carry."
Mao fell silent at her brother's words, though their father had died only a year ago, his teachings of family pride and honor still radiated from his eldest son and her elder brother.
Their father was a samurai of a proud line, like all other samurai, expect for his weapon, a scythe with various markings by the previous generations to possess it, and his armor was of a design to resemble the Shikigami (or Gods of Death). After the last Great Ninja War, he settled down with a ninja from the Hidden Mist, determined to leave war behind him. His wife, their mother, was supportive of this, their love eventually gave way to Zikito, Mao, and their four younger siblings. Being the eldest male, their father passed down his scythe and armor to Zikito, after he had graduated from the academy at the age of after, he made Jonin at 14, followed by being accepted into ANBU at 18, and eventually being promoted to the Chief of the Hidden Mist ANBU at 22; his eldest had proven to be worthy of taking on the family heirlooms.
Zikito had moved from the middle of her office to the window, his gaze was calm and unmoving. Though her older brother was a mystery to others she could see through his 'monotone' appearance easily.
"What's bothering you?" she asked.
Sighing, he replied. "It's been seven months…since the incident…they still consider me a threat." Zikito had been the student to the Fifth Mizukage years ago, and it was at his instruction that Zikito was appointed to Chief of ANBU at a young age. After that he was given assignments by the Fifth stating as 'important to the safety and further stability of the Hidden Mist village.' Which he carried out with no hesitation.
It turns out the Fifth, who was in fact a member, attempted to recruit Zikito into the ranks of Unity. Her brother immediately organized a squad of ANBU, all whom he trusted, and went to confront the Mizukage. Though he escaped, he left behind some critical Intel. Disclosing several Unity agents in various positions of influence throughout the Hidden Mist, to assist him in overthrowing the Hidden Mist leadership. Eventually all of the agents were hunted down and either captured or eliminated. Though he had helped avert a major coup, some even say he single-handedly stopped a event which have crippled the Elemental Nations at whole.
But even so most of the others didn't trust Zikito nonetheless. Mao had heard of Unity before but only as a mysterious group. Supposedly, it followed the ideals of a pre-war faction called ROOT. In which absolute control was to be used to govern the world, uniting all the nations of the world, under one banner, thus the Hidden Unity group came to be. After the removal of the Fifth Mizukage, a vacuum was crated demanding an immediate successor, after a quick summit, Mao Hoshigaki was selected to become the next Mizukage. Some believed that her brother would be selected, but he declined the offer, saying he wasn't fit for a desk job. She even considered asking him if he wanted the position and afterwards felt bad for being given the honor, but he said that she was better for the job. Afterwards, Unity gained infamy for plotting the assassination of the Kazekage, a failed coup in the Hi no Kuni, and other terroristic plots. Rumors were that Unity had spies in every ninja village and nation, and now even the Kages were not out of suspicion, they were the most despised organization since the Akatsuki.
Zikito was now only a few inches from Mao's face before she snapped back to reality.
"What?" she asked. pulling back, he folded his arms.
"You're spacing out again."
He sat on her desk, gesturing to the file in the middle. A single folder lay in the middle of her desk with no others around it. It was a curious quirk his sister did; if something was of grave importance, it takes center stage. "What's so important?" Though she had been smiling the whole time she'd been alone with her brother, it fell away as she stood up, and handing the file to him. "Your spy in Unity has uncovered some frightening information."
Zikito looked through it as Mao looked out the window. "How do they expect to do this?" he asked his sister in a disbelieving.
"No idea, but if they succeed there's nothing we can do to stop them." Mao sat back down in her chair, taking a second to mull over the influx of reports on her desk, before looking back at her brother. "What do you think about those other rumors we've heard about, like-"
"How an Uchiha can be alive after the last of them were killed over 40 years ago? It's just that, a rumor." Zikito stated, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "They are all dead, gone, ghosts…and ghosts do not exist, the Uchiha existed only in the past…but not anymore."