The Land of Iron's capital
Inside the 'Council house,' a meeting was going on between the high-ranking members of the Land of Iron. It was a large room with two entrances on either side guarded by skilled samurai, The portraits of the previous leaders of the Land of Iron were hung on the walls, alongside the duration of their reign written below. In the center was a rectangular table, with three seats on either side and two opposite to each other along the table's width. On one side of the table was seated Hiroshi, the newly chosen leader of the Land of Iron. Hiroshi was a lean man, with a tall height and thin arms, approximately 35 years of age with black hair, green eyes, a mild beard, and a mustache, he wore a standard Daimyo's attire and a golden ring on his left hand's little finger. The chair opposite to him was empty. On his left sat Kizashi, his advisor. A middle-aged man with a thin body and a shaved face, his hair was turning grey and he seemed more concerned over that. Alongside Kizashi sat Isamu and Itsuki, both middle-aged men with fat bodies and a commanding look. Isamu and Itsuki were both prominent businessmen and capitalists who had essentially 'bought' their positions in the council. On Hiroshi's right sat Hiroto, Jiro, and Arata. Hiroto was an old man with a weak body and an intellectual look, he was the minister of home affairs. Jiro and Arata both were samurai and held high positions in the Land of Iron's military.
The meeting had not started yet, it seemed the members present were waiting for someone to come in and occupy the empty seat opposite Hiroshi. And that expected person soon came as Akira, the head of the personal bodyguard of the Lord of the Land of Iron(i.e. Hiroshi) and a trusted and powerful individual. Akira had an imposing figure, a black beard but no mustache, black eyes, and a bald head. He was in his thirties and a pretty fit man. Akira came inside the meeting room and first and foremost, bowed respectfully to all those present. Then, he individually greeted the Lord of the Land of Iron Hiroshi and quietly took his seat.
"So, what has been the reason behind this meeting being called, Lord Hiroshi?" Hiroto started.
"I will let Akira start." Hiroshi softly replied, Akira joined his hands and addressed all present after a brief pause.
"I have important news to give to all the high-ranking and powerful individuals present here," Akira started, "The Land of Iron, as you know, has remained neutral throughout the conflicts in the shinobi continent, only taking up weapons for defense. Earlier this week, however, I have been informed of concerning news. As you all know, the fifth great ninja war has started, and the shinobi villages are at each others' throats again. Our border forces have reported that... ninjas from the shinobi villages are crossing our territories unauthorized. Yesterday, I received another report from the border authorities, Our soldiers apparently got into an encounter with Kumo shinobi trespassing our borders, the encounter was a violent one with fortunately no casualties on either side." Akira paused for a while so that the rest present could digest the news and follow with him, then he spoke once again in his heavy voice,
"Since then, there have been several sightings and reports of unknown shinobi have been pouring in, to what village they belong is unknown as our soldiers keep their distance to avoid any conflict. This is the news as of now." Akira finished. There was silence for some moments in the council room as thoughts raced inside the minds of all present. Then Kizashi, Hiroshi's advisor, spoke first,
"This is clearly, a breach of our Land's sovereignty. Some shinobi villages, it seems, are using our neutral standing to their advantage, using it to enter undetected into other nations. We should tighten our border security and order the patrolling soldiers to repel any unknown or external forces that might be detected." All those present nodded in agreement, Jiro stood up and addressed the rest:
"Lord Hiroshi shan't disregard Lord Kizashi's counsel, the latter is old but wise. As for my part, I say that we should immediately send an envoy and confront Kumogakure about the encounter Lord Akira talked of." Jiro sat again after he was done saying, all the people present murmured and conversed with each other until Isamu spoke up,
"I would advise that we approach the situation carefully and with caution. We are risking being dragged into this conflict as well, and I don't think our fragile economy (as of now) can carry the strain of a potentially long-drawn conflict. Trade and commerce with other Lands might also be disrupted." Isamu said the last sentence with genuine worry in his voice. Itsuki openly displayed his agreement with Isamu. Isamu and Itsuki didn't really care whether the Land of Iron went to war or not, whether it won or lost, or whether it even disintegrated; their only concern was their own business and capital, they had only cared about joining the council to safeguard their own personal interests.
Hiroshi, who had remained mostly quiet till now, addressed the group:
"After listening to the advice and counsel of all the gentlemen present in this room, I have decided that the Land of Iron shall tighten its border security measures; orders shall be given to the samurai patrolling the borders to repel any unknown or external force inside our sovereign territory, either by force or not. Moreover, an envoy shall be sent to Kumogakure and its allies asking for justification and to peacefully resolve this; this is my final decision." The others listened to their leader intently and once again discoursed over his actions. Later, it was also decided that Arata and Itsuki shall be sent as envoys to the hidden villages to represent the interests of the Land of Iron.
The meeting officially ends and everyone present takes his leave. Hiroshi goes back to the quite extravagant royal palace at the center of the capital of the Land of Iron. The banners of the Land of Iron flew over the walls of the palace and also its rooftop. The Palace was itself made of stone, with wooden pillars as support and many windows at the front. The palace wasn't very large but had two floors. The ground floor was used for affairs of state, (the council room was also situated there) and the above floor served as the residence of the Lord of the Land of Iron and his family (if he had one).
Hiroshi ascends the extravagant stairs of the palace onto the second floor, The servants' quarters are at the left wing of the palace while the central wing is for dining and enjoyment, and the right wing is the private space of the Lord. Hiroshi walks silently to the right wing towards his bedroom, as he approaches it the door is flung open by a well-dressed servant, who immediately closes it and leaves once his lord has entered his bedroom. The room consists of a large bed in the center, several bookshelves filled with books and manuscripts on the right, and decorative items (consisting of potted flowers and paintings) to the right. near the large bed was a fairly large glass window which provided a good look of the bustling capital of the Land of Iron.
Hiroshi quietly changed his robes and sat on his bed, glancing over the city from the window. He reminiscences the old times, when he was a young, adventurous, and ambitious lad. Hiroshi remembers the previous lord Mifune, who was the greatest Samurai in the Land of Iron, no, the world ever witnessed. Dynastic rule wasn't followed in the Land of Iron, instead, the next ruler would be chosen by the nobles and courtiers by judging of various skills (and how the nobles and courtiers will profit from the candidate). Hiroshi was a powerful individual by then, to whom many hundred Samurai had sworn loyalty, giving him enormous power. It was through this power that he became the ruler. The nobles wanted an easy-to-control puppet, but they got the exact opposite. Hiroshi filled his glass with some sake and thought over his future plans, and as he got more intoxicated his thoughts became more wild. Those councilors talk too much, especially those two businessmen, perhaps he should get those overambitious guys out of their positions. How uncommon is it that a ruler is overthrown by his own nobles and courtiers?
Hiroshi sat down on his bed, going over the events of the day in his head, when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Hiroshi answered, looking at the door. A servant entered, formally bowing before speaking,
"Lord Akira requests that you meet him in the palace's study room." Hiroshi thought for a second, and then replied softly,
"Tell lord Akira that, I will be with him in a moment." Hearing this, the servant bowed once more and left the room hurriedly.
When the servant had closed the bedroom door, Hiroshi was once again lost in thought. He walked up to the large window near his bed, the window overlooked almost the entire capital, of the Land of Iron, the citadel at least. There were strong, stone walls around the capital, with two entrances on the north and south respectively. The citadel was large, a quarter of the entire city. In this citadel were the garrison, armory, and splendid houses and buildings, as most high-ranking and rich samurai and civilians lived in the citadel. Apart from the citadel, the rest of the city was a bustling settlement. There was an orchard at the northwest end of the city and a public garden in the center. Hiroshi closes his eyes and remembers the old city, which was not as well-planned as now and is somewhat smaller. During the brief civil war, a large part of the city was caught on fire and destroyed by arson. It is not known whether it was a plot by either side of the civil war or a pure incident, but it was destructive for sure. Much of the city was ablaze, the heat was so intense that winter that no house in the city needed to light a fire, well if there was a proper house. Hiroshi then opens his eyes and remembers about lord Akira. He makes his way to the palace's study.
The study room could've been a library in itself, there were bookshelves on all sides filled with manuscripts and writings on various subjects. There was also a segment dedicated to maps and cartography. There was a light, wooden ladder placed in a corner of the large chamber, used to access the higher parts of the shelves. In the middle was a large, square wooden table with candles placed on elaborate, bronze candleholders. Hiroshi entered the room, looking around, he saw Akira sitting in a corner on a chair, reading. Upon seeing Hiroshi he closes the book and stands up, bowing slightly. Hiroshi smiles slightly and asks,
"So, what was the reason you called me, lord Akira?" Akira replies with a nod makes his way to the maps segment and pulls out a large one. He spreads out the map on the table, the map is revealed to be one of the shinobi continents. Hiroshi raises his brow with curiosity. Akira starts speaking,
"I wanted to discuss this matter, which we discoursed upon in the council room, privately. There are also some things I didn't talk of in the council, as I only trust you, my lord, to know this information. No offense but, I really doubt the 'loyal servants' of yours in the council."
Hiroshi didn't reply but signaled Akira to continue. Akira takes out a stick and starts addressing different factions as displayed on the map. He points towards a certain town in the Land of Lightning. Akira spoke,
"A merchant convoy of ours has been detained by the authorities there, and their belongings confiscated. I have sent a diplomat and a small contingent of units to sort the situation out, but it seems that war is inevitable with these people." Hiroshi patiently listened but said nothing. Akira continued.
"We can't maintain our neutral stance in this situation for long, we must pick a side so that when those bastards from Kumo attack we won't be isolated. As much as I like it, peace can't be maintained and we must mobilize for war. So tell me, my lord, what is your decision in all this?"
Hiroshi closed his eyes and leaned his face on his hand, as if lost in thought, and then softly spoke.
"Yes, we must mobilize for war. Order the men to attack any intruders on sight and drive them off, or eliminate them. Also, I would like you to go to Konoha and their allies for diplomatic purposes, it seems we will be forced to side with them."
Akira nodded in agreement and quietly left after bowing. Hiroshi stayed in the library for a while, eyeing the world map laid out on the table. Slowly, it started turning dark outside as evening came. The candles also died out, leaving Hiroshi in complete darkness save for faint light coming from the windows. After a while, Hiroshi too left for his quarters and immediately went to bed without having dinner.
The samurai of the Land of Iron too, were now dragged into this conflict.