Envoy to the North

[Katsumi]

Standing before the large ornate wooden doors that led into the office of the Raikage, Katsumi admired the architecture and design with mild interest while he waited, before the secretary waved him in. With a quick glance at Kitsu, beside him, he knocked twice and waited a moment before pushing the heavy door open and slipping inside, removing his hand from hers as he did so; the office of a kage was no place for intimacy, after all.

Approaching the desk, he subconsciously examined the character sitting before it - never before had he seen this almost legendary kage of lightning, and he had to admit that he was pretty imposing, although from the talk of the townsfolk he was a sight kinder and more understanding in comparison to the Mizukage. The sleek white hair flowed from his high forehead elegantly down to his torso, and below matching eyebrows his piercing eyes seemed to penetrate into Katsumi's mind as he averted his gaze.

He bowed as he reached the desk and kept his head inclined for a moment, before introducing himself.

"Raikage-sama, I am Kuninobu Katsumi of Kirigakure no Sato. I come with news and a request on behalf of the Mizukage himself. We hope you will accept our audience and listen to the said proposal." He inwardly winced as he spoke the overly-formal introduction, and hoped deeply for a good reception. It was not unheard of for messengers to go MIA in foreign countries.

[Kotonashi Shu]

The Shichidaime Raikage, Kotonashi Shu was working on some paperwork when his doors opened. He was expecting a envoy from Mist saying something very important that he needed to hear. "Welcome Kuninobu from your long journey from The Village Hidden in the Mist." Shu said as he did a small bow from his chair, "But as you see," Shu said as he gestured to the stacks of paperwork on his desk and behind it, "I have much to do, so please tell me what is so urgent?" Shu asked.

Shu had a gut feeling that this was going to be bad. If Mist was sending a messenger to another country, it has to either be an alliance or something they can't handle by themselves, and Shu had a bad feeling it was the later.

[By the way, Shu's har only goes to his neck, not to his torso. Your thinking of Ansem, but I used Xemnas as my base for my character]

[Katsumi]

---

"You might want to prepare for bad news; I won't mix words." He began, pleased that the Raikage had chosen to listen to his request, but solemn now that it had come to repeat the news.

"A man has been sighted in the Land of Rice Fields. We believe him to be Orochimaru, the legendary Sannin of Konoha origin from over a hundred years ago. We don't know how, or why he is alive, nor his intentions or current strength, but the fact remains that it is him - or someone resembling him with similar power."

He stopped for a moment to allow the news to sink in, before continuing.

"The Mizukage requests the co-operation of the Country of Lightning in support against this matter. Here is a letter with more detailed information." Withdrawing a small satchel from an inner pocket of his jacket, he placed it atop a pile of paper on the desk infront of him.

"He believes that this is a time to think more than of one's own country, and to establish a strong barrier against this possible threat before it is too late. Mizu no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni have been allies in times past, and the Mizukage wishes to restore that alliance and stand strong.
Simply put, this is not a request for help, but one of co-operation, to ensure the safeties of both our lands."

[Kotonashi Shu]

[Sorry, I thought you meant it went to down to the back]

Shu's eyes widen with shock and horror, "Orochimaru!? Is this some kind of joke!?" Shu shouted as he shot up from his chair and stood behind his desk, hoping that this messenger was lying, but the serious expression of his face told otherwise. "Impossible..." Shu mumbled as he fell back into his chair. Shu didn't know what to believe, should he believe Katsumi? Although he looks serious, Shu cannot act on words alone.

"Do you have any proof?" Shu asked Katsumi. Without evidence, Shu cannot simply believe anything that this messenger said, even if Mist and Cloud was allies in the past, that was the past. Shu did not know the true intentions of Mist and he could not eliminate the possibily of a sneak attack.

[Katsumi]

"Are you suggesting that I, on behalf of the Mizukage and Mizu no Kuni, am lying to you? Do you really think that the appearance of Orochimaru is something to be joking about? A threat to divert attention?"

Katsumi left the question hanging as he stared at the Raikage, his anxiousness replaced by annoyance. He didn't intend to speak to sternly to the man, but having his words - the words of his country and kage - treated like a joke was more than insulting.

"Perhaps the Mizukage's trust was mistaken?" He spoke, and put a hand out to take back the letter from the Raikage's desk. He paused as his band brushed the envelope, waiting for a responce.


"Orochimaru is more than a small threat, more than can be solved by a few Oinin. This is a matter of international security. Disbelief and mistrust between nations will only aid him in his goals."

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself as best he could. This could be more troublesome than he had anticipated...

[Kotonashi Shu]

Shu glared at the Mist ninja in front of him, although he was a kind person to villagers, he was a completely different person when it came to ninjas. "Watch your tounge Kuninobu. I am not saying that see this as a joke, but I cannot act on simple words. I'm a Kage and I need to lead my people with upmost leadership, and just agreeing to someone that says is not the best form of Leadership." Shu said angerly looking at the Mist ninja in front of his desk with his arms crossed while on his chair.

"But. If you have any information that might be able to prove that slithering snake's existance, I'd be happy to help and remove that pathetic excuse for leader from the face of this land." Shu said in the justice way, if there was anything that Shu hated more, was a poor leader. He heard of Orochimaru, and he's heard of his methods including sacrificing his followers.

"For a start, can you explain how, when, if you've encountered Orochimaru? If you didn't meet him, tell me how does the Mizukage obtain such information?" Shu asked with most interest, he waited for Katsumi to repond and tell his story...if he had one.

[Katsumi]

"Proof, if you need it, is waiting in the forests of the Country of Rice Fields. But, yes, It was I who encountered him."

He paused, recalling the events in order to pick out the details.

"I encountered him after returning home from a mission abroad, while traveling through the forests. I was injured from a previous encounter and was unfit to fight. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for my friend -" He indicated a hand to Kitsu, who had until now been waiting by the door. Katsumi was somewhat surprised that all this talk of Orochimaru hadn't stirred her. "This was a little over a week ago, now."

Calmed now, and more interested in completing his mission than arguing with the Raikage, Katsumi patiently awaited a response. He had actually repeated more here today than he had to the Mizukage, as he had previously avoided the meeting of Kitsu in his report.

"I'll tell you everything I told the Mizukage, in the interests of the safety of the residents of your country. Although, what I know is not much at all. He seems to be fairly weak in terms of followers now, but he has atleast one man under his control - who is in fact the ninja I was engaged by during my mission."

He pulled out a copy of the bingo card that had been written for the Mizukage, and placed it onto the Raikage's desk.

"We can only assume he is acting from a base within the Country of Rice Fields, however no sign of him was apparent in or around Otogakure, the countries' hidden village."

[kitsu]

Kitsu stood anxiously at the door about to explode with words in Katsumi's defence, but knew it was not her place. She stood one arm behind her the other at her front with one finger tucked between her teeth and looking between the kage and Katsumi with her watery, puppy-dog eyed stare. Were they planning to hurt or even kill Orochi-kun?

After all her years of studying his legacy and beliving he was dead with the seeminly impossible dream to meet him, and then her dream coming true only to see him die? Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't they help him? Try to save him...if only... her gaze turned into a pout as she thought of what they would think if they knew how much she adored the dark general. So she couldn't tell them. It just wasn't fair! Keeping secrets to stop others from assuming unture lies. She was not a killer, not a bad person at heart, never in her life would she try to hurt another-though she had done so more times than she knew. Senshi-Kun...Orochi-kun....was there no saving them? Maybe she could find him, warn him, help him...but no, what about Katsu-kun? What about trust? No, no one except Katsu-kun trusted her anyway, her cursed, pupiless, emerald eyes had made that nearly permanent. I should do whats right. she thought, however she was much too naive to think helping Orochimaru was not right, for she thought helping was good, regardless of who was reciving it.

She almost wanted to cry, as she stared at Katsumi's back, and then looked long and hard at the obvious Orochimaru-hating kage. Her big teary eyes and innocent appearance becoming more and more apparent. With a sniffle she repressed her tears, and blinked a few times, erasing them, and continued to listen to Katsumi and the Kage talk of her idol's fate.

[Kotonashi Shu]

Shu looked at Katsumi as he revealed a bingo card and Shu pick it up only to have his eyes widened in shock, then close in anger as he gritted his teeth. "Senshi......Uzeki." Shu said as he opened his eyes only to be filled with anger. "The Psychotic Bastard of Cloud...." Shu continued as he got up from his chair and walked to a file cabinet and opened the top section and pulled out a file.

"Senshi is a Chunin of this village. He was found by a patrol unit about 19 years ago. When he was brought to this village, he was given his own home, since he refused a guardian for reasons unknown. Years past as nothing happened, until the incident where he put a genin 3 years his senior in intesive care. After that nothing until he, himself became a genin, where he once again brutally dismembered a person, or persons. His team was assigned to take out a bandit gang....and he killed them all. He even brutallized the bodies far enough for them not to be reconizible." Shu said with his hand on the bridge of his nose.

"He's current mission is to travel these land to eliminate any spies. I haven't heard from him recently and I am beginning to believe in your story.....But even if Senshi is serving Orochimaru, I will not be able to get anything from him. He not the type to tell anyone anything, and if we've try to interrogate him, he'll just decimate everything." Shu said as he release his nose. "I've always figured that Senshi would become a threat to this village...I just never thought this big of a threat." Shu continued as he got up from his chair "Well then, Kuninobu of Mist. I accept Mist's cooperation in hunting down the menace known as Orochimaru. I shall allow Mist ninjas to enter our country and will assist you in anyway possible." The Raikage declared. "And from this day foward, let it be known that Cloud and Mist are allies once again!"

[kitsu]

Despite Kitsu's origins from the Village of Sound, her headband tucked safley away in her pocket invisible to all, She was happy for the new alliance and clapped her hands, bouncing up and down happily, unable to keep silent anymore and bounding up to Katsumi,

"Wow, this is great! Does this mean we'll find Orochi--" she cut off, her loud, girly voice slowing at his name, she couldn't say her pet name for him (Orochi-kun) in front of the kage, "erm..Orochimaru?" She glanced wearily at the Kage, hoping he hadn't caught the near slip. This was really hard. Keeping such secrets was not Kitsu's forte. "Erm, um, thank you sir!" she said with a bright smile and bowed to the kage respectfully before coming up beaming and grabbing Katsumi's hand. Of course, she had no idea that this was unsuitable behavior, but even if she had she wouldn't know why and thus saw no problem in acting like her normal self, "C'mon Kastu--" she cut herself off again, was it okay to say his pet name in front of the kage? She had never met a Kage before and didn't know anything about how to act or what to do, she wasn't sure if Kage's even used pet names. Was it okay to say Katsu-kun? She ended up smiling again, "let's go now, I'm hungry!"

She didn't even consider the fact that she may have been embarrassing Katsumi before the Kage. After a half-second of thought she almost wanted to hug the Kage, maybe he'd smile, but she remained at Katsumi's side. Despite all this dark talk of hurting her idol, and keeping secrets she was as sunny as ever, and ready to leave this dark scary room with the serious looking old man behind the big important desk.

[Katsumi]

Despite the formal atmosphere, Kitsu's infectious enthuisiasm was hard to subdue as Katsumi politely bowed and, with a brief "Domo arigatō, Raikage-sama, Sayonara" before turning away and leaving the room grinning childishly, hand-in-hand with Kitsu.

"I'll send a courier to inform the Mizukage of the missions' results," he announced cheerfully, "That way we can have some free time before he throws another mission at me." He relished the idea of being able to explore another foreign country, especially one so picturesque as the Land of Lightning, but put his hobby aside instead for the thought of food, and led Kitsu away into the town in search of a source. 'Preferably ramen' he thought, as he imagined Kitsu's smile when the bowl was set before her...