Chapter 13: Personal Conflict
"Cryo Blast Stream!"
As Reizo tipped up the small timer he let his mind wander, directing his thoughts back to those clones and their motives. They'd reached the chutes of the Hidden Cloud some two hours after noon the next day and he'd quickly reminded his three students that this was their last chance to reach the ten second marker before the challenge was over. As he expected, Shoryu had meekly looked away and gave some poor excuse not to participate. Kazuya on the other hand had stepped forwards and was now pouring all his determination into one consecutive stream of bladed ice.
The Jonin wondered how the tenth Raikage would react to the news of a hostile attack by Hidden Stone clones. He never knew quite what to make of the shrivelled old man that served as the head of the village: often his words inspired awe and implied great wisdom, yet other times his actions and decisions were not those of a reasonable man - he was impulsive, demanding and a complete authoritarian, often overriding the wise council of his subordinates. Through whispers from the older Jonin, Reizo got the impression that the Raikage had lost it in the last few decades, and that he was merely a shell of his former self.
He supposed it was understandable. Being over a hundred, Kira Asakura had been the tenth Raikage for more than fifty years now. As a child Reizo had heard the still-going rumour that he was about to retire soon or at least choose a successor, and so ever since he'd acquired the Daimyo Raikyogan that small boy's dream was to become the eleventh Raikage. Twenty years later and Kira was still no closer to appointing the next. The adolescent Reizo would occasionally hear the rumour start up again and his heart would be filled with joy, but now that he'd reached his twenties he'd grown to pay no attention every time he heard it.
Still, the demeanour of the Raikage frightened him; how would he react to the news of these clones? Would he see Reizo's side of the argument and suspect foul play or suddenly amount an assault upon the Land of Earth and all who opposed him? The last great ninja war had been two hundred years ago – no one alive, not even Kira himself had lived to see the fourth war, where the sixth Hokage and the Uchiha had gone head to head to decide the fate of the entire world.
More than anything, Reizo prayed it wouldn't come to that.
"Sensei? Reizo-sensei!"
"Huh?" The Jonin turned around at the sound of Ayako's cry to see that the timer had long since poured its entirety into the lower chamber. He looked up right as Kazuya's relentless column of ice slipped from his grasp, after which Shoryu and Ayako clapped to gain a simple nod from the modest samurai.
"Sorry about that, I got distracted. Well done Kazuya!" said Reizo. "I'll see that you get my fee. Although since the contents of this mission went beyond a C-Rank I'll also try and give you all a little bonus."
The three thanked him graciously, and as if to confirm his theory Reizo spied Shoryu smiling pleasantly at the site of frozen ground once Kazuya had turned his back. Together Squad Thirteen entered one of the stationary gondolas and allowed the mechanical device to pull them back up to the village at alarmingly fast speeds, watching as the countryside vanished in favour of a bleak look at the mountain's dull interior. Within just a few minutes they'd reached the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
No matter how many times he'd taken leave to distant lands Reizo always looked fondly upon the grand sight of his home whenever he returned. Everything from the dense, heavy air to the wooden gangways connecting spires to the sight of the great academy looming to the east and the Cloud headquarters to the west brought a smile to his face. He suspected the same could be said of Ayako and Shoryu; this was their home after all, and since this single week remained the longest they'd been away the first view was most welcoming.
He noticed Ayako beaming at the thought of seeing her family again, whilst Shoryu's face on the other hand dropped after realising he'd have to explain the vast stretch of bruises covering his body and the state of his ravaged fingers to his mother. Reizo's own family meanwhile did not seem so appealing.
A ninja suddenly approached them, bearing the crest of two bolts of lightning cut by a sword stitched to his jacket. Even without the Zawa clan insignia, both Reizo and Shoryu could tell right away that this man was a part of their family. Hair as black as night was spiked backwards past his ears and over his shoulders, forming a contrast against his pasty skin and pale white coat. His eyes were green like Reizo's; his features were sharp and his expression stern.
The ninja cast Shoryu a sideways look of disgust as the boy glared back, guarded and uneasy in the presence of the man.
"Cousin Reizo Yukizawa," he began, finally getting down to business. "You have been summoned to a family meeting."
Reizo dismissed the Zawa instantly with a flick of his hand. "It can wait. I have something to report that must go straight to the Raikage."
"This won't take long," insisted the man. "Your father is there. Surely you wouldn't want to keep him waiting?"
"My father?" Suddenly Reizo looked interested. He hadn't been intimidated as the Zawa seemed to expect, only vaguely amused and seemingly curious as to what his father might have to say. "Oh go on then; I suppose I can spare five minutes for the old buzzard."
Before Reizo was quickly led away by the man he gave a goodbye to his squad and told them he'd catch up with them later, adding that they could go home and he'd transfer the full report of the mission along with their fee. Shoryu suddenly felt bad; he knew immediately that this 'family meeting' concerned him. Reizo had mentioned once or twice that he'd not yet faced any disciplinary action for his actions all those months ago, when he'd defied a member of his own family and defended the disinherited, outcast Shoryu instead. The only reason he'd gone without punishment so far was that Zakari Takazawa, the ninja he'd fought for Shoryu's sake, had been in no condition to tell the tale.
Reizo was led in an uncomfortable quiet across the gangways of the village, with only the breeze around him and the distant noise from the nearby market to occasionally break the silence. This ninja that led him through the village had clearly been informed of Reizo's misadventures and disapproved, resulting in an awkward lack of conversation that made the five minute journey feel like a lifetime.
For once Reizo couldn't help but wish he was Shoryu; the quick witted and sharp tongued boy would no doubt have a cynical quip up his sleeve reserved exactly for this situation. He knew exactly how to grind Kazuya's gears, and since this strange ninja maintained the samurai's same initial aura of self-righteousness he'd be able to piss off this guy just as effectively. Before he could think up any retort though, the ninja had led him right up to the northernmost peak of the village and led him inside.
This was the grand estate of the Zawa family, the great manor in which Reizo had spent his youth. Three separate floors with countless rooms had been carved into the spire's interior and at least five balconies sprouted out from odd bedrooms for a view of the whole village. The furniture still smelled new, the numerous chandeliers gave more than enough light and the floor was spotless; not a crumb was spared for fear of any potential rodents. The main family lived here - the wealthy, highest ranking branch: the Yukizawa.
Aside from that, the estate was often used as a meeting place and a family headquarters of sorts for the Zawa. Shoryu had never even seen this place, let alone been allowed inside - just the thought of it sickened Reizo as the ninja with no personality showed him wordlessly into the dining hall in which he'd eaten his meals as a child. Two oak tables that could each sit a dozen men stretched across both sides of the decorated room. Matching chairs cushioned by deep green felt cast shadows under the dim light of the bracketed torches and the full view of every antique painting was shielded by a man or a woman.
The room was packed to the brim; every chair was filled with a Jonin and another troop of standing Chunin surrounded them. Each one bore the same judgemental scowl as the ninja who'd retrieved him, for all of them were Zawa, the family he'd supposedly betrayed. He counted over thirty in total; the only members of the clan missing were the youngsters and Shoryu's mother. Reizo spotted the two other wielders of the Daimyo Raikyogan, along with his father, who looked the most disgruntled and uncomfortable of all.
Saito Yukizawa, Reizo's father by blood, was the head of the family. Since Reizo had received the honour of manifesting the Daimyo Raikyogan, appointing that same position to him in later life had seemed the obvious choice until now.
"Reizo," said Saito, cutting off his son before he had a chance to mock them. "Zata's son Zakari awoke from his coma earlier this week."
Reizo smiled. "Did he now? How is he doing?"
"He was hit with so much electricity that his nervous system was ruined. He is frail and weak – he may never be able to walk properly again. He will certainly never be able to reclaim his rank as a ninja."
"Shame," remarked Reizo.
"Indeed. One so young and yet so-"
"-No no, I believe you misunderstand me father," Reizo interjected, savouring the look of shock on the others. "Shame he didn't succumb to his injuries. That man deserves to die after what he did."
"So it's true!" Saito leapt to his feet suddenly and slammed a fist down on the oak table as every Zawa in the room screamed angry remarks Reizo's way. Here he'd always been welcomed as a member of the family, yet now he felt more out of place than ever before in seeing thirty black haired ninja threatening him. Reizo couldn't help but smile to himself; these people who'd once respected him had suddenly changed in just a single sentence.
"I thought there must've been some mistake when Zakari told us that you were the one responsible for this. What madness possessed you to blast him with the Raikyogan?" demanded Saito.
Reizo suddenly looked confused. "I think Zakari's side of the story might be a little altered. I fought him, yes, but the fool did most of that damage to himself – idiot tried activating the Raikyogan in the rain. I was trying to prove a point, not kill him."
A voice in the doorway then called out. "None of that matters!" it coughed, prompting Reizo to turn back to the great oak opening to the sound of the wheezing, spluttering voice. At first he'd suspected a man of twice his own age, yet this was far from the case. He looked different than before, but this man was definitely Zakari Takazawa, hunched over on a pair of crutches as he staggered with extreme effort into the room. It was a sorry sight indeed; the ex-ninja's bones looked as thin and brittle as frozen sticks. His hands shook uncontrollably and he had a queer twitch in his neck whenever he stepped. His black hair had only just started to grow back in the few patches of his scalp that weren't completely charred as a result of his own stupidity.
Six of the Chunin Zawa rushed over to the half-dead Zakari; they reassured him with kind words and helped him over to a seat as they told him that he really should be resting. Reizo knew he should've felt sorry for him, but in spite of this he still couldn't help but feel nothing but hate towards Zakari. What he'd done to Shoryu was unforgiveable in his eyes. Unfortunately the rest of his family didn't share this view of the world.
"What matters is that I wouldn't be in this position now if it weren't for you!" said Zakari, his voice sounding like the vocal chords of an eighty year old smoker being dragged across gravel.
"It's an improvement," spat Reizo.
At this the soulless ninja clenched his fists and tried jumping up to his feet until his family members held him back and eased him down into the seat again.
Reizo grinned. "Careful Zakari, you might break something."
"Enough of this!" Saito Yukizawa roared as his pale skin turned red and the ancient oak table sustained another crack under the impact of his fist. "Reizo! Is it true what he told us about that boy? That you defended that blight on our noble clan instead of one of your own kin?"
"It's true! He chose that boy over me!"
With Zakari's throaty insistence filling the room Reizo allowed himself a great laugh much to the confusion of his family. "Oh please," he managed eventually. "Don't compare yourself to Shoryu Aizawa." Turning to his father, Reizo added, "and in all honesty if I remember the family tree right, I'm actually closer to Shoryu than I am to Zakari."
Several of the Jonin along with Saito Yukizawa himself turned up their noses and winced at the very mention of Shoryu, as if to say the name itself was taboo or some kind of vile swear word. It reminded the clan of its failure to sire a child with their Kekkei Genkai, a trait that had been passed down from child to child without fail for generations, being broken only by Shoryu. As such, they shifted the blame to him despite knowing that his lack of the dojutsu was no fault of his own; it was no one's fault, it was just easier to blame someone.
"The boy is a disgrace," muttered Saito. "Ever since the time of the Kanzen Raikyogan centuries ago, every child has been able to manifest a strain of the dojutsu. You are one of those fortunate enough among us to inherit the Daimyo rather than the basic strain, and yet you defend this failure?"
Reizo shook his head, cursing the stubborn blindness of his family. "You're forgetting yourselves. In this world it isn't our abilities or natural talents that make ninja who we are, it's our actions – our choices. Zakari here chose to disregard all the effort and hard work Shoryu put into his training because he wanted to fail him in his exam, for no other reason than his history with the clan. Shoryu on the other hand chose to keep trying and pushing forwards in spite of all you've done to him. The kid's got potential, and I saw Zakari pass far less capable ninja into the ranks of the Genin that day."
"If he had so much potential he'd be able to activate the Raikyogan," Saito insisted.
"That isn't his fault and you know it."
Saito didn't listen; he completely sightless when it came to reason. "What makes matters worse is that I hear you've taken him under your wing."
"I have, if only to keep the likes of you away from him." Reizo cast a sideways glare to the other two Jonin who'd each taken on a three-man cell at a similar time. No matter what the odds were, he never would've forgiven himself if he'd rescued Shoryu from the clutches of Zakari and straight into the hands of another squad leader by the name of Zawa.
"Reizo, I'll get right to the point," said Saito. "We can't allow you to continue this. Throw the kid out of your squad and sent him back to the academy, then in time we may be able to forgive your little transgression. The boy is nothing more than a stain on the honour of this family. . . 'Shoryu Aizawa' – and he even has the gall to use our name after we cut him off." Again Saito looked positively sickened by just Shoryu's name.
"Oh cut him some slack," Reizo groaned, palming his head. "I doubt he even knows what his father's surname was; what kind of name do you expect him to take if not his mother's?"
"Regardless, we can't allow you to keep pursuing this foolishness."
The curt, stubborn tone of his father's voice assured Reizo that he meant business. But so did he; he wouldn't just abandon Shoryu. "And what if I refuse?" he dared to ask.
"Then we'll treat you the same as we treat him. You'll be disinherited and no longer considered a member of our great clan. We can't allow you to act as a symbol of our power whilst you play sensei to that cretin."
Reizo sighed. He had a feeling it would come to this, Zakari had told him so on the night of their battle. Without a sound his arms dropped to his side, fumbling around in the small green pouch attached to his belt until he finally pulled out a single kunai knife. In that very instant the sound of charging thunder spread across the room as thirty pairs of eyes filled with the surge of lightning turned his way. Every ninja in the room save for Reizo and Zakari had activated the Raikyogan.
"You dare draw a weapon in here?" he heard his father say. He'd never be able to take them all on, especially with the two in the corner staring at him through the Daimyo strain, but challenging them was never his intention. Still without a sound Reizo brought up the dagger to his chest, and just when it seemed he was about to take his own life the Jonin carved a neat series of slits around the right side of his jacket. Before long a patch of white cloth fell into Reizo's spare hand, and he slapped it down on the heavy oak table without a second thought, staring intently at his own father, daring him to object.
"Then I'm sorry to disappoint you," he said, watching Saito's expression as the man cast a horrified look at the clan insignia he'd just cut out of his jacket. "But I quit. Shoryu's like a son to me – I won't abandon him, especially now that you've all shown your true colours. You'll regret this someday; I'll make Shoryu stronger than all of you, regardless of whatever power he does or doesn't have. And when that day comes you'll all beg to have him back."
A few ninja stifled chuckles at Reizo's audacious claim before they realised he was deadly serious. He turned before any could question his words and headed for the door, proud now that he'd gotten everything off his chest and proven himself a good man when push came to shove. He had no regrets, and his speech wasn't just for show; Shoryu did have the potential. He would become strong no matter what it took – that's the kind of person he was.
"Then prove it!" called Saito as his son reached the door. "It's Chunin exams in a month, and they're being hosted over here if you remember. Almost every Zawa to ever graduate from the Cloud academy has made Chunin with the first exam after their induction. If the brat really can surpass us then he'll do the same thing, or was all that just talk?"
Reizo stopped for a moment to consider the daring challenge his father had laid out for him. He'd said 'one day', not next month. Anyone with a brain could surmise that Zawa had ascended quickly through the ranks purely because of the Raikyogan; even the basic strain was equivalent to a B-Rank technique – a Jonin level ninjutsu. Telling Saito of this unfairness wouldn't matter though, he'd interpret it as cowardice, and furthermore Reizo's pride was beginning to get the best of him again. After much deliberation he finally answered, filling himself with all the confidence he placed in Shoryu.
"Fine," he said, never turning from the doorway. "Next month I'll take Squad Thirteen to the Chunin exams. There you'll see what Shoryu's really made of. He'll pass, you'll see."
With that, Reizo left his old family to their thoughts and set off across the hall to emerge back out in the open air of the village. In the excitement of his debate he'd almost forgotten about the report on the egg mission and the meeting with the Raikage he had to arrange. He got the distinct impression that his little family feud wouldn't be the first argument he would have today, and so with a heavy heart he set off towards the ninja headquarters.
At the very centre of the village, the Cloud's headquarters rose up like an enormous bubble, a series of piled spherical domes supported by four great pillars thrust deep into opposing mountainsides. To Reizo it reminded him of a giant, decorated lampshade with its cool shade of blue ringed in circles of royal gold at every level. In just ten minutes he'd walked there and pushed through the swarm of Genin, Chunin and Jonin up to the very top floor after ascending five flights of metallic spiral staircases.
On the highest level he'd find the office of the Raikage, the study he spent most of his time in. The tenth had no patience for others anymore; he rarely handed out missions personally and left all the paperwork to his subordinates whenever he could. In fact he often spent days upon days in his office without returning to his home. Many joked that this was because it took him so long to summon up the strength to get back down the stairs, but aside from rumours there wasn't much substantial evidence to even hazard a guess at what he did up there for so long.
Steeling himself beforehand, Reizo knocked at the door and waited for a reply. When none came after a whole minute he knocked again.
"Come in!" croaked an elderly voice.
The Raikage's office was the same as ever, Reizo noted. The walls were a light shade of golden and blue to match the building's exterior, lit up by almost a dozen scented candles that wafted their overpowering aroma right into Reizo's nostrils the moment he entered. The chaotic mix of different smells served to make him nauseous and lightheaded, as smoke of many different origins fused and wafted into his nose: flower petals, fruits, vegetables, incense and Kira's pipe weed were among the many.
On each of the five walls hung a portrait scaled photograph of two different Raikage, trimmed in silver and shot by the finest cameras of the village going all the way from the first Raikage to the tenth, Kira Asakura himself. Reizo couldn't help but notice that the first two Kage were in black and white only, but as soon as the third came around colour was introduced, marking clearly one of the first works of the shading ninjutsu from Ayako's ancient family.
A long, white beard hung from the Raikage's chin flowing all the way down to his chest. The few hairs that remained on his head were also white, and their divergence from his dark skin gave him the impression of an onion that had been left in the sun for far too long. His face was shrunken into a sea of wrinkles as though someone had sucked all the air from his cheeks, marked by the occasional blemish and finalised by a crooked smile showing several missing teeth. With his shrunken, hunched form he couldn't have been more than five feet tall, even on the rare occasion that he had to straighten himself out.
He made no effort to get up as the Jonin entered. Doing so would cause unnecessary strain on his bad hip and almost certainly make him short of breath. Reizo couldn't help but feel sorry for the man most of the time, though his sympathy never grew too large once he stopped to consider. This was supposed to be the village's most powerful warrior; why on earth did he keep this position instead of appointing a successor? Surely he knew that most Jonin could take him in a straight-up fight, didn't he?
"Ah, Reizo!" he managed. "Good to see you old friend, you just keep getting taller don't you?"
The moment Shoryu had returned home he'd found no real greeting or a 'good to see you!' from his beloved mother. She'd taken one look at the mess he'd made of himself and gone ballistic. He tried telling her that it was all a part of his training and that he didn't have to fear getting immensely bruised anymore now that Kazuya had softened up, but she heard none of it. He'd been whisked straight into the bathroom on the upper level and ordered to take a bath using one of the many salts that functioned as both a relaxant and a kind of healing ointment.
In his eagerness to quiz her about matters that troubled him Shoryu had originally rejected the idea, but since he'd get nothing from her until she was sure he was alright he decided to comply. He'd come to thank her for it later; as he enjoyed the long hot soak he felt the effect of the funny looking crystals almost immediately. His muscles felt lighter and a warm, tingling sensation raced up his fingers, preventing him from leaving the tub's embrace without a large amount of willpower. By the time he finally got out the bruises had faded somewhat; they were still noticeable, yet they didn't pain him half as much, and his wounded fingers received a similar treatment.
Quickly Shoryu dried up and changed into a fresh set of clothes. The jacket was unnecessary with the indoor humidity, but he needed it to make his point, so he grabbed it and headed for the stairs. He was greeted into the living room by the scent of noodles and a surprise hug of affection by his mother, who seemed to be feeling guilty after realising that she'd never even welcomed Shoryu back home before ordering him upstairs.
"So how was your trip?" she asked, returning to the stove.
Shoryu winced; he couldn't really tell her anything. Reizo had instructed him specifically to tell no one about the dragon, and the clone incident seemed to be a matter of world peace. Those were the two only interesting things that had happened, without them the mission had been relatively uneventful save for one thing.
"It was great, aside from getting my ass kicked," he joked. "I went to the festival at Kateri on the way back."
Yuuko continued to stir the simmering pan of noodles before cracking an egg and prying it gently into a bowl. "Oh yeah? I went to it years ago with your father. It's great - bit too crowded for my liking though."
"Yeah, anyway while we're on that subject." Shoryu grimaced and hardened his heart; talking about his father always seemed to upset the poor woman. "At the festival, I saw this symbol." He suddenly gestured to the marking on Shoichi's jacket, causing Yuuko to turn and inspect it.
"Your father's clan insignia? You saw it?" she asked.
Shoryu nodded. "Yes, as a tattoo on this girl. She looked like me too. I'm not sure, but I think we might be related. She's from the Land of Wind, do you know who she might be?"
Sadly Yuuko shook her head. As she'd stated before, she knew little of her late husband's family. Putting a name or a face to this girl was therefore impossible. "Sorry Shoryu, but I don't. If I remember rightly, your father had one brother and one sister, but he didn't get along well with either of them. He had a cousin he was fond of, but I never saw much of him either. The girl you saw could be the daughter of any one of them, or it could just be a coincidence."
Shoryu was afraid of this, yet for all his disappointment he'd expected it. This mystery wouldn't be solved overnight; he had a feeling he might never learn the truth about Kamiko Honami. An idea then hit Shoryu: it was a longshot and it proved nothing whatever the answer, but at least it might be a clue.
"My father was a Jonin wasn't he?"
Yuuko nodded.
"Well, this might sound weird, but how did he fight? I mean you served with him for all those years so you must know better than anyone. He wouldn't happen to have been a Taijutsu expert would he?"
Shoryu's mother laughed as she began to reminisce about old times. "No, he was a summoner, and the best I've ever seen at that."
"A summoner?" Shoryu asked. He had no idea someone could even specialise in summoning jutsu.
"He just had this real natural affinity for working with animals," Yuuko explained. "He must've had more than two dozen contracts – I never even saw some of the creatures he knew. The way he commanded them in battle was beyond anything I've ever seen, and he had enough chakra to call upon five different species at one time."
Another idea then came Shoryu. It was a wild, impossible theory, but his curiosity got the better of him. On the contract for the dragon there had been one name of the five that was recent, perhaps a decade or two old. The name had been so unintelligible with its awful handwriting that he'd been unable to make out even a single character at the time. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence: his father was no doubt alive at the time that blood seal was forged, and he was allegedly the best summoner the Village Hidden in the Clouds had to offer.
Then again, Shoryu had no way to ask his mother about whether or not Shoichi could summon dragons without arousing her suspicion, yet there was another way. On top of the incomprehensible handwriting there was another thing about the most recent blood seal that stood out to Shoryu: it had been the only one forged with a left handed print.
"Was he right handed or left handed?" Shoryu asked, realising only after he'd spoken how ridiculous a question it was.
"Right handed," Yuuko replied, looking curious. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh uh, no reason," said Shoryu. He knew it was too good to be true.
"What did you say?" Kira boomed, projecting his cracked, fragile voice as loud as he could. Reizo recoiled in fear at the man's sudden display of rage; he'd always known the Raikage was quick to anger, but he'd never seen him anywhere close to this bad. "Attacked? By the Village Hidden in the Stones? This is unforgiveable! Dispatch a team immediately to return the favour, and if they decide to retaliate again I promise you we will have war!"
"No!" insisted the Jonin. Kira was about as stubborn as his father, and yet for the sake of peace Reizo was obliged this time to talk sense into him. He hadn't even gotten around to explaining all about the dragon and the egg, Kira didn't care about any of it, the only thing that concerned him was the foreign attack. Reizo continued, "Think about it sir! None of it makes sense! These clones were almost human – they couldn't die unless a fatal would was administered. Clearly they came from either a highly skilled organisation or just one ninja with powers beyond our comprehension; they weren't just some average strike team!"
"Just what are you getting at?" snapped the Raikage, his white whiskers twitching in annoyance.
"I'm saying that it's possible these men weren't from the Village Hidden in the Stones. It's equally plausible that someone simply outfitted them with those headbands to make it appear as if they were natives to the Land of Earth. We've had great relations with them for years now, so why would they just attack us out of the blue? If they really wanted something from us they could've at least tried to negotiate first. It's hard to say for sure, but personally, I think the Stone Village was set up by someone. I don't know what the reason was but it looks that way to me."
With deceptive speed Kira suddenly leapt to his feet and with a single whack sent a smoking lamp of incense spinning across the room. He was utterly livid; even Reizo's astute council hadn't calmed him down. "So you suggest I do nothing?" he barked. "What you say might make sense, but how would this clone squad know your exact location? Ever since the fourth Shinobi World War, the allied treaty has stated that all Kage have access to the mission files of other countries; clearly someone abused this agreement and used our files to track you down! Who else if not the Tsuchikage?"
Reizo paused to consider as he realised that Kira was right: only Kage had access to the dossiers from the missions of other countries should they ever wish to aid them or if the mission was a conflict of jurisdiction. With the supposed Stone ninja attacking, the Tsuchikage was the obvious choice, but if Reizo's theory was correct and he'd been framed then the only other candidates were the Kazekage, the Hokage and the Mizukage. The only question was who stood to profit the most?
"At the very least we can't risk war," Reizo advised. "We should set up a meeting with the Tsuchikage and see if we can sort all this without bloodshed."
Kira scoffed, "And what good would that do? He'll deny everything of course."
"Then take a sensory ninja with you to see whether or not he's lying. If he denies it and tells the truth we should order a summit conference to see who the real culprit is."
Finally the Raikage calmed, releasing a great exhale and shrinking back into his armchair, deflating like a balloon after the fatigue of his argument hit him. After a few moments he fished out his pipe and lit it before getting up and pacing the borders of the room. He'd take a drag of the pipe every so often and blow out a great ring of smoke. Reizo feared his eventual response as he leaned back against a blue portion of the wall and stroked his beard with his free hand, deep in thought.
The Raikage turned to the window, looking out over a broad view of the Village as he continued. "You're wise for your age Reizo – what you say may be true. . . I'll set up a meeting with the Tsuchikage. If it appeared he's innocent then a summit conference might be hard to arrange, but I'll have one if I have to beat it out of the other Kage."
Reizo figured that in his old age the Raikage was by far the weakest of the five shadows, but he wouldn't dare say it aloud.
"I might even be away for our Chunin exams," lamented Kira, "but I suppose it's a sacrifice I'll have to make. In the meantime though, I must write a message for the Tsuchikage. I think that telling others of this clone attack might not be the best idea – it'll cause rumours and chaos among the ranks."
Reizo was stunned; that was probably the wisest and most rational decision he'd ever seen Kira make.
"Since you and your team already know about this, I'll entrust it to you. This will be a top secret C-Rank mission: just take my letter to the border of the Land of Lightning and instruct a squad of ninja there to deliver it safely to the Tsuchikage. It shouldn't be more than a two day journey for your team to get there."
"As you wish, Raikage sir," said Reizo.
Patiently the Jonin waited for a whole half an hour as Kira Asakura turned to his furnished bronze desk and began to write a letter. He knew that wording such messages was a delicate matter, as the Raikage would have to ensure he didn't sound accusing or threatening. Even so, he took his sweet time on it. Reizo could've sworn he fell asleep at his desk twice until he finally rolled up the scroll and stamped it shut with his own signature wax stamp, a white oval stuck with the mark of the village that told its carriers that it was of the utmost importance.
With his mood finally simmering back down to make him that same pitiable old man, Kira handed Reizo the letter, with that being his cue to politely bow and leave with all haste. Feeling slightly dizzy Reizo made his way down the stairs as fast as was socially acceptable, walking out of headquarters and into the fresh mountain air once again. A single inhale of the cold, moist wind felt incredible after he'd spent so long in that festering, suffocating, smoke-shrouded hole the Raikage called his office.
To set off now when they'd only just returned home would be punishing, Reizo knew. However urgent the Raikage's letter was it could wait another day whilst Squad Thirteen recovered their strength. He knew Kazuya wouldn't mind, but Shoryu and Ayako had just seen their families after a week apart. He decided they'd depart first thing tomorrow and then set off towards his own home on the other side of town, enjoying the breeze that frayed his ponytail as he crossed the broad bridges that connected the mountaintops.
He'd walked maybe a quarter of a mile before something caught his eye though. As he passed by a bustling restaurant his path came to crossroads as three different walkways veered off to the north, south and east. Normally he'd carry on east towards his house, yet he noticed a familiar squad making their way across the northern bridge. He'd studied with about four of the dozen ninja as a child and knew them all as reputably powerful. One of them he'd spoken to more recently.
Ruki Jenbo led the group, the same girl he'd grown knowing, and the same ninja who'd covered his back and supported his actions a few months ago when the whole incident between Shoryu and Zakari had come to its climax. He recognised her immediately even with the black mask covering half of her face. She was a medical ninja trained to the highest standards; incredibly powerful and hardly unattractive, a rare combination. It seemed strange seeing her lead a team that was clearly equipped for an A-Rank mission, but courtesy demanded that he go and say hello.
"Ruki! Ruki, hey!" he called over.
Reizo caught the eye of the young woman as their paths crossed and she immediately pulled down the face mask to start their conversation.
"Hey Reizo!" she said, beaming. "Been a while huh? I haven't seen you since we stuck up for that kid at those graduation exams; I hear you're training him now."
Reizo laughed. "Yeah, I got myself a young new squad. As much as I'd love to stick with you guys on those suicidal missions these kids just have too much potential to ignore. So where're you headed then?"
"Just got a new mission," Ruki explained, jerking her thumb back to a man carrying something concealed in a cloak of black cloth. "It's one of the Seven Swords of the Mist. It's been lost for decades now; we've been assigned to protect it whilst we deliver it back to the Land of Water."
"So many of you?" asked Reizo, scanning the group for a quick headcount.
"Well yeah, I mean it's the stuff of legends. I reckon there's a good bunch of people who'd just love to get their hands on one of these."
At her last sentence a terrible thought suddenly struck Reizo. Those clones, whatever they were, had come after the dragon egg, another artefact that had the potential for incredible power in the right hands. What if that wasn't the only thing they were after? The dragon egg paled in comparison to the value of one of the legendary Seven Swords. With a horrible feeling welling up inside his gut, Reizo leant in closer and lowered his voice to a murmur.
"Just be careful out there," he warned her.
"Why? What's up? It shouldn't be too hard a mission," she reasoned.
"Something happened on my last mission. I can't give you the specifics but it was pretty dangerous. After that I haven't been able to shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen. It's probably nothing, but just watch your back out there."
.
Author's Notes: Heya guys! So that's the Raikage, I can't believe it's actually taken this long to introduce him, he's kind of an ass isn't he? I wanted him to be almost like King Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones with his personality: relatively nice guy, but he's got a temper problem and he's a shit ruler. As for his appearance he's kinda like Ghandi xD I might draw a picture of him sometime since it's no major spoiler for me to say he's gonna come into it a bit more.
So Shoryu and co are going to the Chunin exams right after they go on another big trek. If you guys remember, the Cloud's version of the Forest of Death is the Island Turtle, so that should be interesting to write about. This next mission will only be about two chapters long as opposed to the egg one, so there isn't a huge wait before the Chunin exams.
Also I've got a nice surprise in store for you in the next chapter that I think you guys might like, so stay tuned!