Summit of the Shadows: Long Awaited Reunion

Inviting One and All
Word from Kyatsu Musei went out to all respective Kage, stamped with the seal of the Otokage himself to ensure a meeting could be convened. A message that would help rally the powers of the world once more, to discuss freely what they will without fear of information fraud or the dangers of outside parties. This message was sent to each and every respective village, including the likes of the allies that sat still in the north, the Samurai.

A young messanger of non-shinobi origin rushed with all haste from the Sound Village, baring the emblem of the United Shinobi Forces and the Sound Village to ensure that those would know of his or her position once they reached the village. Going through the neccesary background checks, and going through whatever was required in order to gain them audience with the Village Shadows and Daimyos respectively.

Word fell to each Head, Kage, and Daimyo, and it was now their decision to decide upon whether or not they would venture and reunite the other powers to discuss the present, past, and future.

An Oncoming Sandstorm
"Tame-saaaaaaan. Tame-saaaaaaan! Tame-saaaaaaan! you and Grumpy Gramps take our belongings to our room." His voice roared as he steered his carpet downwards with graceful movements. Turning swiftly until coming to a slowed halt. It hovered lightly above earth, even without his presence atop. Crimson hair blowing wildly behind him, yet fashioned in a androgynous manner. Lips and eyes covered in dark makeup alongside a black symbol branded upon his forehead. Fingernails longer than average fingers painted obsidian. His green eyes scanned his immediate area before a smirk appeared. "Tame-san, if you lose something of mine, I will chop off your dick. And unlike your arm, I won't make you a replacement." Akagi's tongue flew out as he mocked Tame. "While you two handle that, I want to explore this village a bit. No one here will realize who I am. They might consider me a rogue Sunagakure shinobi or perhaps the Kazekage's bodyguard if they are smart enough, an unlikely possibility." His voice adjusted slightly, boosting his inner arrogance. Akagi's cluttered mind shifted about. His siblings wanted to explore as well. Not yet....

Before his guards could reply, Akagi playfully disappeared in a gust of sand. A magnificent dance for his flickering person. ''There are few good things about not officially being a Kazekage. No one knows who I am, allowing me to sneak through the background checks.'' Akagi thought. ''I know sister, but I need to at least scope the area just in case. And who knows, I might be able to find something for her. I doubt this village is really as dangerous as before. A village of mercenaries attacking someone who does not belong is a rare occurrance. Especially with such an event taking place this week. I will be fine, no worries brother.'' Akagi immortal lips cracked into a devious smile as he speedily hopped through Otogakure. Eventually, Akagi stopped before a restaurant. A sixth sense felt hundreds of eyes peering in his direction. Okay maybe someone did notice..

"Oi, I'll take-" He grasped his stomach, a fully weaponized compartment. His shoulders slumped sulkily. "A seat and some Sake." Akagi sat not to far off from the door and held a full cup in his hand. ''God, sometimes I wish I could still taste and enjoy this stuff. Now it feels like pouring water down an empty bamboo shoot. Ugh! I rather be in Sunagakure still. Who knows when Samiya-sama will wake up. She might need me. Or something could happen. Damn this Summit. Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Sunagakure is perfectly okay, we do not need help!'' Akagi unconsciously broke his cup. Spilling Sake across his table.

"Hehe I'm sorry about that. So Sorry, I will pay for everything!"

It wasn't long before someone nudged up against Akagi, someone else taking the seat beside the puppet made man, an individual in the sandy clay cloak and hood, of which pulled it back and revealed the visage of stirling red hair, spiked back in a rebellious manner, goggles on her forehead. A flack jacket based on engineering and technician work, and a smile plastered on her creamy lips. Turning her gaze, with glassy emerald eyes, Hibiki Odorite smiled to her comrade. "A sake for me!" she raised her quirked lips as she chided her fellow.

"Seems we're some of the first to arrive, the other Kage and Daimyo's are as of yet, not present. So I think it's time we enjoy the oasis that is Otogakure... at least for a little bit." the manner in which she spoke was like letting honey tea flow out of a steaming pot, soothing and crisp. "And it's good to see you again, friend."

Akagi recognized her presence, one felt for decades. An old friend to both his father and uncle. She taught Samiya-sama everything she knows, and quite a few times gave Akagi a couple of tips. His red hair and hers were almost a similar shade. Except he kept his in a royal formation. "Of course we are the first to arrive, Hibiki-sama. Such Shinobi as ourselves are nothing less than punctual. Even during times of entertainment." He ordered another round as a waitress wiped off his table. "It's even better to see you to, Hibiki-sama. I hope this meeting goes as planned. However, I worry about our little birdies." He hinted at a suspicious aura surrounding both. A tense wall of eyes surrounding both Sunagakure Shinobi.

Hibiki Odorite smiled dumbly for a moment, an act for those around them, but genuine for her comrade. An ally and friend she had respected for years; of the very handful she had dared ever to respect and live. "I believe the birdies are not to worried about leaving their nest, if anything..." Hibiki grabbed the Sake that was put infront of her, taking it in a swipe and holding it to her lips, speaking once more before downing the alcohol. "I believe that the dear nest mother is taking concern with our lil' meet, so to speak." It was common place for villages to be placed on alert, but knowing that even the civilians were alerted made so much as making eye contact with any in Otogakure a signal for intruders.

No expense, free, and reliable information created by a web of those living here. Hibiki had seen it in play rarely, and usually it was from isolationists, but she knew the costs of this meeting. Gulping down her drink, she chugged it and while the cup was turned, slid it off the table to give the waitress something else to occupy herself. "Think it's time we finally we be there..."

Tame had walked into the building where Akagi and Hibiki were located. Though he hadn’t shown his true form and actually hid within Hiruko as he hadn’t trusted the people in the unknown village so he was aware of his surroundings. He walked up to Akagi, or more like crawling as Hiruko normally walked on all fours. “Akagi…” Tame said in a gruffy like voice as Hiruko hid his true voice. “Sorry I’m late but I had some… business per say.”

Akagi laughed at his superior's little analogy. A true one indeed. "A shame, I almost thought we would have a little fun this meeting." Akagi teased. His thirst for battle becoming a potent aura which died out instantly. He left enough money to buy another store on his table. "For that cup I broke, and because I like you guys." Without awaiting for an answer, The Red Centipede made his exit. Which Tame interrupted. "Eh Tame-san, using that thing again. A puppeteer has to have secrets I guess. But your voice-Nevermind. Come on, stop pleasuring yourself. We have to make the meeting soon." Akagi looked back to Hibiki and motioned her to come along. But he walked slowly. "Hibiki-sama," He finally let out. "Will you be within the room with us?"

Hibiki crossed her arms, raising her fingers to her goggles and shifting them slightly, speaking casually as she did so. "Nah, I got my own quarters." looking up to her brass glasses with pink lenses, "I'm going to be handling the political state of affairs, and I'll be watching unless something requires my attention." sighing softly after she had finally situated her headpiece. Rolling her shoulder, she looked around and then forward towards the Embassy, "Time we head on, got a world to change." taking her first steps, she glided across the stone work of Otogakure's roads towards the Summit.

And change the world I shall... a malicious grin sporting her features now that; smiling cheesily as she raced down the roads. It had been so long since she could be moving things into play. It was good their en route was nearly over.

The Lightning Leaders' Arrivals
Not long after Akagi's arrival in Otogakure, Mamoru, the Sixth Raikage and Kiyasui Iro, the current Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, made their way to the gates. Identifying themselves as Raikage and Daimyo, the guards allowed them passage into the village. It had changed quite a bit over the years, having become more stable than it used to. It was a refreshing sight for Kiyasui, who hadn't been outside the Land of Lightning in years.

"So where should we start? We've got plenty of time before the Summit begins, so we should probably kill some time until the Summit's beginning. I suppose we should split up, but don't try to do anything that Otogakure would frown upon. We're here for discussion, not tomfoolery." Kiyasui spoke out. She was fascinated to see a village she hadn't been to before and was rather anxious to explore the village, taking note of its forms of economic prosperity. Kiyasui wanted to look through the shops and whatnot, see what wares they have to offer. Despite this, she made herself a promise not to buy anything, regardless. Inspecting economic portions of villages is how she studies to improve her financial knowledge to improve the Land of Lightning's economy and it was her second priority behind the Summit meeting itself.

Kiyasui's first step was to look through the shops. She took note of a bakery, inspecting Otogakure's primary baked goods, taking note of the inventory and price and writing it all down as part of her financial equations. Giving a gentle wave to the baker, she decided to stop by the bar. From there, she saw plenty of figures within, with some particularly standing out more than the others. Paying them no mind to allow them to continue with their drinks, she continued numbering down everything, writing down each of the prices of inventory like a sort of checklist. Everything was being written down for her equation of Otogakure's financial stability, and she was enjoying it. Economical studies were Kiyasui's means of concentrating, allowing her to stay focused on things.

As she continued writing down her notes, she noticed everyone pretty much eying not just her down, but the two individuals at the bar as well. Upon finishing her notes, a waitress asked her if she wanted anything "Just a glass of water would be fine, thank you." After giving out her order, Kiyasui sat down at the bar waiting for her water. As the waitress came back with her glass, she thanked to waitress and took a sip of her water while going over her notes, checking for any inconsistencies she may have accidentally wrote down while also crunching the numbers in her heard to determine Otogakure's financial capabilities. After finishing her drink and going over her notes, she decided to approach the two people sitting next to the door. "Tough crowd, isn't it? Seems like everyone in Otogakure's on high alert. But I suppose they have their reasons." Kiyasui spoke to them, keeping a respectful tone of voice to avoid making too much of a scene around the people while she spoke to the two.

After finishing up her business, she went back to find Mamoru to notify him that it's time for them to head up to the Summit, having calculated Otogakure's economical capabilities. Placing the small notepad in a pocket on her uniform, she went to look for Mamoru.

Mamoru split off from his daimyo friend, touring the village, watching the civilians walk around, the children dance in the streets, watched by hundreds of shinobi who scanned the area, trying to find a single person out of place. Mamoru admired that about this village, tight security. Reminded him of Kumogakure, his home, the place which he had left to come to this place, to secure better conditions for them possibly. His main goal, simply, was getting out of this summit without any trouble on his hand, hoping that villages didn’t demand anything. Mamoru didn’t do tell well with demands, especially from other villages. Since the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kumogakure remain isolated from the shinobi world, and the best way to continue prospering was to have a few allies, those that are relatively close and neutral to do trade with, and only associating with them rather than the other great villages.

A shop appeared before him, or rather, he walked into the wall. “Don’t say a word”, he said, seemingly speaking to himself. No one he knew was around, and surely he wasn’t speaking to the people that were passing by. A mother with her child, simply scurried away, whispering “That’s why you don’t do drugs, sweetie”. Well, at least Mamoru hoped she tried to whisper. Something told him that she meant to say it so that he could hear. “Now, look what you did. She thinks you’re on drugs”, a voice internally spoke, booming, echoing within Mamoru’s subconscious. This was something normal for him. Gyuki, his tailed father, rather than his beast, always lectured him. I guess it was the parental bond they shared, the reason why he was so respectful, and blunt.

Some guy, really buff, like really freaking buff, stomped out of the door, bumping into the much smaller Mamoru. “HEY, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!”, he shrieked, his saliva projecting alongside his voice. “Maybe if you didn’t use so many steroids…”, Mamoru insulted, “then you would have saw me..”, he finished, staring at the guy. Without a second’s hesitation, the guy opened his mouth in retaliation, but Mamoru wasn’t one for chances. He shoved his fist into his throat, causing the guy to collapse, gasping for air. “That handles that..”

As Kiyasui began walking towards the Summit, she noticed Mamoru standing over a much larger man lying on the ground. "Mamoru, what did you do this time?" She asked as she walked up to him. Looking over the injured man, she noted that he'd be fine once he got his air back. Standing back up, she patted off her military leggings. "Come on, we better head to the Summit. They'll be expecting us at any time, now." As she looked towards the Summit, she waited for Mamoru to lead on.

The Steam of the Hot Water Clears
Two women strolled leisurely through the gates of Otogakure, ignoring all other individuals who looked at them oddly. One, much older than the other, wore a black dress and a fishnet armor chestplate alongside black leather gloves and purple running shoes. She had dark navy hair neatly tied into a bun and wore a pale-blue grey Kage hat slung on her belt as if it were a sword. She was the first Yukage, Maru Kumonosu. She spoke cheerily and wildly, directly contrasting with the woman standing next to her. The other one, still in her teens, had orange hair messily cut at her chin and shifty jet-black eyes. She wore silver body armor over a sleeveless navy jumpsuit, and had a totem-like mask tied to her shoulder by a leather strap. She was the Kage's chosen bodyguard, Akira Aishi. She spoke rarely and precisely, injecting her opinion quietly and choppily in gaps during the Kage's words. She glanced around nervously and saw several men and women staring at them as they passed.

"Lady Maru, it seems the citizens of the Oto recognize you." Akira said.

"So, it seems, Aki-kun." the Kage replied, stopping at a particular stand that was selling meat dumplings. "You know, since I appointed you to the ANBU, you've been much more reserved." the Kage said, placing a large sum of money in the hand of the vendor. "In fact..." the Kage said. Her entire demeanor changed, her red eyes going from a full of life glow like warm coals to the glazed over, reflective manner of freshly spilt-blood. "It seems to have started right around the time Hitama Hyūga died."

Akira squirmed, feeling the heat of her sensei's gaze. "It's not that. I feel that an ANBU Agent should be more cordial to their Kage than a student is to their teacher."

The Kage eyed her student suspiciously, her bloody glaze reflecting the sun in an almost mesmerizing way. She slid back, her eyes gaining their former livelihood. "Okay, if you insist!" she laughed, and wrapped an arm around her student. "You know, I heard Oto's fruit salads are particularly good this time of year..." the Kage began, but Akira wasn't truly listening. She was lost in thought, mulling over her sensei's words.

"Sensei...you truly do know me well. But I can't admit to anything. My irresponsibility can wait until later, sensei doesn't need one more thing to deal with at the summit." she thought, and felt one of her eyes water. She hated not wearing her mask - she was exposed, her every emotion painted on the canvas of her face. But now, she was here, she was in Oto, at the Kage Summit, tasked with defending her sensei. And that is what mattered.

Where the Moon Shines
A bow, and a quiver of arrows.

Is what the Moon King carried to the Hidden Sound. Flanked by two beautiful guards, with his land's Kage in the back in tow, they preceded to the Sound's Gates. Kinpa, the Tsukikage of the village that lay in Moon Country, analyzed their surroundings.

''So we aren't being tracked from what I can see. Or feel.'' He thought. Otogakure is probably a safe place after all.. "How do you take to this place, my Lord?" He asked, referring to Otogakure itself as they came upon it.

"It looks very interesting. And pleasing. I'll give the Sound that." The King said, as they approached the gates. "As one of the top trading nations, they're bound to be though. Along with us, and our proud village and country."

As they approached, Chinka and Itome took care of notifying the guards that the Tsukikage and Land of the Moon King had arrived. Told to move towards the Otogakure Ambassadorial Center, they didn't waste time making their way there.

The Waterfall's Appearance!
"Days must continue, just as the waterfall."

Was the quote stated by an infamous leader, or in their village what they called, the Takikage. On his left a masked man, his right Raido Namikaze, and infront, Yajuu. Shingi, the Takikage began to sniff around. "Seems okay to me..I wonder what kind of trouble might be caused here." See Shingi was unusual, infact, most would say he was like his sensei. Shingi hovered over the ground, sitting on a sand-cloud, which he used for movement.

"Lord Shingi, how exactly are you sure trouble won't come to be." Asked the man to his right. The two other men stopped, and looked at Raido. The masked one thought, "He's questioning the Takikage!?" The one behind him continued to walk, "I forgot. Raido and Shingi are very close to each other." The young boy's name, Yajū Henden, and the masked, Suigetsu Ketsueki.

"My men, don't slumber. We must excel past all things! And shoot for the top!" Shingi began to laugh at what he had said, and before he could notice he was at the gates of Otogakure

The Guardian Rises
"Alright, then. Looks like I'll be there in a jiffy." A man said to himself, with a satchel across his shoulder and a musky brown cloak around him. He appeared unshaven, unclean and an overall hobo-like character. Nobody would guess this man is one of the many protecting the world's peace - Haigara Sarutobi, the Worldly Guardian. Walking across the large plain of grass, he approached a rather large and technologically lavish settlement. "Probably the place, now let's see..." Haigara walked forward, but was suddenly shoved away by one of the bodyguards in front of the region.

"Oi, hobo! Beggars aren't allowed in the vicinity of the Kage Summit!" The bodyguard said, and Haigara sighed externally. "Hello, I am Haigara Sarutobi, and I have been invited to take part in this summit." Haigara said in a rather sardonic and fed up manner - he needed a bath. The man laughed at him, "The Worldly Guardian, a hobo like you? Prove it!" Haigara sighed, and within an instant his ashen sword was placed in front of the man's face, the heat searing off of it ready to cut his head and cauterize the wound within an instant. "This is the blade Kechibi, I trust this is sufficient proof?" Haigara asked with a strong intent. The men, unnerved by his status, allowed him in gracefully.

"Thank you." Haigara kindly responded, and walked into the large compound. He noticed a noticeable number of elite Shinobi placed at secure areas, and realized this was the real deal. Ensuring that he was as collected as possible, he asked one of them. "Hello there, I am here to attend the Kage Summit on behalf of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Might I be able to get directions to the nearest bathroom?" The other Shinobi snickered stealthily, but Haigara didn't exactly care much. "At the north-east, near to the gates, you will find them."

Going on his way, he found the said bathroom and went inside. Putting his satchel down, he took out his polished clothing from it. Stripping down out of what he was just wearing, he replaced it with the clothing required for him to look like an actual figure of credibility. He wore a simple kimono, cream in color. The kimono bore the kanji for twelve on its back, and several tattoo patterns appearing like black vines across the sleeves and the ends of the kimono near his feet. Over this, he wore a sleeveless haori with the same insignia for twelve. However, the color scheme for the said haori was an inversion of his kimono, leaving him with a somewhat contrasting appearance overall. After making himself look respectable and placing his blade at his waist, he stepped outside with his new attire, simple sandals and his satchel across his shoulder still.

"Well, I'm ready for the Kage Summit I suppose. I have little more to do than spend my time roaming before the summit begins. Let's see if I can find a bar!" Haigara, enthusiastic in his new endeavors, went off to find a bar - probably to get drunk in.

Dishonourable Droplets of the Rain
What a dispute that ringed through his ears. He was forced to sit idly down, for people were afraid of the harms he could conflict to himself and his surroundings. “We cannot let him go. He is unstable, and could breakdown at any moment.” It had been going on for several minutes, much to his boredom. “And yet, I’ve made the decision to take the cheap and easy-going travel to the Sound. It would be a weakness for us if I’d not show up,” their Lord, better known as the Information Broker, whose name is Izaya coolly answered to his medics. He sighed at the amusing attempt of one of the assistants to stop him. “You fool.” He merely spat, darkly, a complete change of tone… something fearful. “Rather than make foolish attempts to stop me from going, start informing Shinzui of Tanigakure and Aojiro. Tell them to meet me at the hidden Sound as soon as possible.” He reached out for his haori that Izaya would wear over his crimson with transcending midnight blue themed kimomo. It was something comfortable to wear but also to protect himself against the cold he might catch, especially in the condition he was at now.

A team of resistance blocked his current path, foolish people. “I can assure you that I’ll be fine.” The corners of his lips tiled up, forming a smug grin. “Or would you prefer me to throw a tantrum before I leave… now? I could do that if that pleases you more or less, my dear, dear doctors and the lovely assistants.” He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “Now, step aside.” They obeyed silently after hearing his voice… that sounded so cold and dark, while upholding such playful face. He was a fearful man at times, and they had known that all too well, with what happened before. Izaya and his medical team were luckily enough already in the departing facility. It withholds the equipment to travel quickly towards the places that had these devices installed, and only Ame could operate it for their own device towards others. Of course, those that had this in their arsenal could travel place to place, but not to that of the Rain – safety to the best. “You,” he commandingly voiced, “prepare the transfer for two men. Well, for one for now… I will head out first; Aojiro should be here at any moment.”

Everyone in that room could see that their Lord was not in an apparent good mood. It could have been caused by multiple reasons, whether it may be or not, he was not to be messed with… now. Having felt the eerie atmosphere, one of the most trusted watchers of the Rain came into sight. He was summoned by the darkness of his Lord, and of course being aware that he would be leaving for some time. “Hibiki Odorite and Shichirou Chiyo will be in charge until my return. If anything goes wrong during their lead… inform the Crows that are watching over my Crowd.” The masked shinobi nodded his head, disappearing within a second after… “Your transport is ready, my Lord.” And the darkness that was crawling towards the surfaced vanished in thin traces, “about time.”

And with that, Izaya only had to fulfil one last task to make the machine work correctly. He placed his hand against the platform that absorbed the lightning energy to empower itself. “Be sweet to each other, my loves.” He playfully aimed, before stepping into the transporter that would bring him to the Hidden Sound…

Let the fun begin, the Lord of the Rain thought as he stepped out to meet the eyes of one of the guards. “I assume I do not need any clarification for being here, right? Good. I will meet my ol’ pal then.”

"Izaya, I thought I told you to call me Murakami?" A man walked into the area where Izaya and the associated individuals were previously standing in. Tall, and standing with an air of authority about him, there was little giving off that this prideful man was who Izaya had just previously referred to as Aojiro. Having adorned himself in a black kimono, hakama and white haori - it was evident Murakami took his job seriously. "Activate the portal for myself, and warn Shinzui of Izaya's departure immediately." After stating that, the people around him succumbed to his commands instantly.

Activating the portal with luminescent lightning, Murakami walked through it calmly. His cybernetically enhanced physiology ensured nothing would occur if he did so, and thus he ended up successfully behind Izaya, who had walked in the establishment already. "Izaya, don't walk in like you own the place!" He shouted with some form of disrespect, before referring to the two guards. "Apologies for his rudeness, thank your for your diligent work. Another man will be here soon, by the name of Shinzui. Please do inform him that Amegakure's representatives have already passed through, thank you." Murakami gave a small bow, before stepping next to Izaya without any warning: "You're so difficult to deal with, you know?"

In the reconstructed village of Tanigakure (East Dragons), the head of Ame's Elemental Division, Shinzui, rode around town surveying each corner of the village. "Well, a fresh new start, I wonder what lies ahead !" Shinzui thought has he reached a river that separated the village into two sectors:The Minor North and the Major South.

"Shinzui, orders from the Daimyō, he is in need of bodyguards for a summit in Oto, he needs your assistance," A voice heard loud from the sky, as a shinobi fell right before the Uchiha, who picked the messenger up, "Next time be a little sneakier while handling confidential information ! Piece of crap !" Shinzui said has he threw the messenger to the river.

"Ninja's know to swim, please don't drown !" Shinzui said loudly has he walked to his office. "A Summit eh ? Interesting, hope it doesn't go has awesome has the ." Wearing a cloak to hide his features, and his Sharingan which was in its advanced state. With its powers, the newly appointed Bodyguard teleported himself to the SOund Villages Grand Gates just in time when Murakami introduced himself and told them about Shinzui. "Sigh ! I have appeared and thō shall call me has Kiba," he said revealing himself on top of a tree. Cloaked Shinzui or in this case Fang, jumped down and entered the gates right behind the Lightning Duo.

The Hardening of the Lava
"How long is it going to take?" Bhav Hyuga said lazily.

"Don't worry Yogankage-sama, we're near the outskirts of Otogakure now" Mina quickly replied. The two kept on walking and they eventually exited the large forest in which they had been walking for hours. Upon passing the last of the trees, the Otogakure gate suddenly came within sight. Another sight came within view but it wasn't as pleasant. "Took you long enough" Nik Ozuna yelled across the terrain. "Why are you here?" Mina annoyingly asked Nik. "Getsu-san appointed me as his other bodyguard during the conference" Nik replied as he stared at Bhav.

Bhav suddenly stiffened and became straight-faced. "Whats wrong?" Mina asked. "I didn't expect such large volumes of chakra to come from within Otogakure" Bhav replied as he surveyed the village. "There must be some powerful shinobi in attendence for this meeting". He had no idea.

Bhav smirked as he walked past the gates of Otogakure. His two bodyguards quickly followed in pursuit.

The Yogankage had officially arrived.

Some Kind of Pun with Stone
The road was hard and full of errors.

Every crack, every bump, every crevice built up Makushimi's annoyance. Normally he wasn't petty enough to mind such a trivial thing, but the presence of three Magoseong soldiers on either side of him had driven him to this point. This lovely company had cared to join him at the gates of Iwa, claiming to be his escort until he reached Otogakure. When he asked the obvious question of why the shinobi he had selected were incapable of doing so, one of the foreigners formally stated that Sumgiji Anhgo feared Black Crown's influence had spread to far among the ninja folk and he only wanted to assure Makushimi reached his destination as safely as possible.

He couldn't take that title seriously. "He Without Hiding", as if. The guy was probably the most incomprehensible person Makushimi had ever met, save for his assistant maybe. And so the village head and his six bodyguards had traveled the long way to Otogakure, most of it by cart but these last few kilometers by foot for some reason. The soldiers never spoke to Makushimi unless asked, spent their dinners separately and kept watch in sessions of two when he slept. It was a strangely lonely way of travelling for such a large group. But all Makushimi thought about was his destination, and the opportunities it could bring.

For a while now Makushimi had tried to find a way out of Magoseong's grip, as the hand that fed Iwagakure was also suffocating its future. But establishing contact without Magoseong's knowledge was virtually impossible, given the tight watch that was kept on Makushimi, both formally and from the shadows. Makushimi didn't even want to remember how long it took to form the trade route with Sunagakure, which due to complications still wasn't anything more but a dusty piece of paper. But a summit like this, where all the powers of the world where gathered in one place and the intention of war absent, that was where Makushimi would find what he was looking for. Praise the day that messenger was let into his office, spreading Musei-san's words. On top of that, it seemed neither Yeomra or one of his delegates had been sent to join him, giving Makushimi free reign over all the diplomacy he wanted.

He spoke to soon.

They turned left, into a small forest, where two figures awaited them. Makushimi didn't recognize them from a distance due to the beige cloaks they both wore, but as he neared enough to recognize the red and blue-crimson hair on them, his eyebrows narrowed and his optimistic outlook trembled. One of the two turned, a gesture so majestic it almost required a painting for the future generations. The red-haired man smiled, teeth both welcoming and threatening at the same time. The lord of Yulryeo was present.

"Yeomra-sama, Juiz-san." Makushimi greeted both, purposely choosing to address the lord's right hand in a more rudely fashion. While in reality she was a thousand times more powerful than Makushimi, officially he was still her superior and he would not giver her the pleasure of acknowledging the former. She seemed entertained nonetheless, a smirk resting on her lips as well. Yeomra greeted Makushimi and his escort enthusiastically. "My dearest Makushinim" - Makushimi still pulled up an eyebrow whenever the lord joined his name with the honorific of his country - "I'm delighted to see that you're unscathed. I thrust my men have done everything in their might to make your travel as comfortable as possible?" He didn't even wait for an answer. "Of course they have. Now, let's proceed, shall we?"

The six guards turned around and left the forest after a whisper of Juiz, without so much as a hitch in their motions. Makushimi did not understand the situation, especially not when the woman conjured two masks somewhere from under her cloak and handed one to Yeomra. The both of them tied these in front of their faces and pulled up their caps until they were indistinguishable from any other of Iwa's special forces. Well, considering that at the moment, there were no actual ANBU in Iwagakure, they looked like what would be its special forces.

"We'll be your bodyguards during the summit, Makushinim. Shall we leave?"

Makushimi wanted to protest or at least ask about the reason for this, but he knew better. He sighed and began to move. "What should I call you?"

He could almost feel the smiles growing behind their masks. Every time he spoke with them, it felt like playing a game of chess were every sentence was a turn closer to checkmate.

"Kōmyō and Ikinoko will suffice."

Hope and survival. Slick bastard.

The Star Shines Over the Horizon
A phasing noise and a ring of smoke appeared, signalling the arrival of the Hoshikage herself, Chieko. "Did I make you wait long, Kotone?" Chieko apologized. "Not at all, Hoshikage-sama." Kotone responded, bowing in her leader's presence. Turning to face the rather impressive location, Chieko made her way towards the specified area. "Let's see how this goes down." The Hoshikage said to herself.

The Leaves Carried By The Breeze
The sun rose in the village hidden in the leaves, Konohagakure. The light rays emitted from the sun struck the honorable Hokage monuments, showing off all of glorious Hokage faces. Those who ruled Konoha one day. They were all legends. Amongst them was a relatively young woman. She went by the name of Fūrin. She is the current Hokage and ruler of Konoha. She is known by her famous moniker, Death Breeze (Shikaze). Being able to lead the ANBU into glorious achievements, she was chosen to be Hokage after her splendid accomplishments. The said woman was sitting in her office as she didn't expect anything to occur that day. She was sitting in her office signing some papers. She was surprised by a sound of running feet in the hallway. She slowly rolled her eyes towards the door as she awaited the arriving of her assistant or whoever was running towards her office. The running man goes by the name of Haru, he was the secretary of the Hokage who took care of almost everything concerning her meetings and arrangements. He then opened the door violently as he said "Hokage-sama, I come here with important news.". "Wow Haru, did you have to cause this fuss while coming here? It's early in the morning." she said as she yawned stretching out her arms and closed her eyes. "I have news ... concerning a Kage summit!" he said. Fūrin opened one eye as she glanced at him. She then got back into her usual position on the chair where she rests her cheek on her hand. "I'm listening." she said. "This message was sent from Otogakure. There is a summit coming in the next few weeks, we need to be prepared for it, or would you even attend it?" he asked with curiosity. "Hmm, so the summit will be at Otogakure, give me this letter." she said as she took the letter from Haru and read its content. "I see, so there are troubles occurring in the shinobi world concerning all the villages, sure why not? We'll attend that summit." she said handing the letter to Haru.

"Now preparations must be made for the summit, Konoha hasn't been in its best state recently and we could use an alliance. We should also see the reason behind the problems that the new villain organizations made in the shinobi world. For this summit, I will need two bodyguards. Two who I can trust. Haru, bring me all the information concerning Konoha shinobi, bring everything, there is no time to file them and organize them." she said as she rested her back against the chair. "Yes, the files will be here immediately." he said. After ten minutes, a line of shinobi were waiting at the door and in the lead is Haru. The shinobi were carrying lots of files with the exception of Haru. Haru then opened the door to let the shinobi in as they dropped the huge amount of files on the desk and beside it on the ground "There you go, Fūrin-sama." he said with a smile on his face. Fūrin's expression was hilarious as she opened her mouth in amazement of how large the amount of files is. "Haru, I said bring me the files of the Konoha shinobi, not the files of the human population." she said sarcastically as she was sure that she didn't have to read through every single one of those files. "You told me to bring them without organization and there they are, starting from the honorable first Hokage, Hashirama to the weakest Genin we have. These files have everything concerning the shinobi, even their abilities. However, due to the rush we had in order to bring them here, we brought every single file we have, even those of missing shinobi. Now, have fun, Fūrin-sama." he said as he and the other shinobi left the office, leaving Fūrin with her with the huge amounts of files she had to go through.

Fūrin spent hours searching through the files and looking at the abilities of the shinobi. Fūrin kept searching until she came across an interesting. A missing shinobi called Ryūken Senju. He seemingly abandoned the village and caused some trouble. Fūrin was interested in his abilities and she asked her tracking squad to pursue him as she wanted to bring him back to Konoha. After a while, she got word about him as she heard the he was heading to the land of iron. Fūrin made her way there as she searched for him and managed to bring him back to the village. This delayed her from her objective of finding bodyguards and she couldn't take Ryūken before she knew she could fully trust him. "Hmmmm, now who can I bring to the summit." she said with a sigh. She thought about experienced shinobi in Konohagakure and one of those who came to mind was actually a Hyūga, he was the leader of the Konoha Military Police Force. His name was Kōshū Hyūga. She decided that he would be a perfect bodyguard to take to the summit. Alongside him was another Hyūga, her name was Ishika. Fūrin looked at her profile during her search and she was interested in her abilities. She decided that the two Hyūga would be her bodyguards as she decided to set off to Otogakure. Her and her bodyguards hit the road making their way to Otogakure with great speed. Fūrin made it there. However, she was the last one to arrive at the summit making a late entrance.

Day One: Introductions
The winds died down as all of the respective ensemble readied themselves into the gates of the Embassy, the large double sided gates sliding down, slipping into the earth, letting loose a gravely howl as they did so. Many of the Otogakure's elected elite Shinobi were positioned atop the towering walls that surrounded the embassy itself, revealing a towering five story building, styled in the fashion of the pagoda atop a four sided base, giant banners that bared the emblem of Otogakure laid down the front of the pillaring construct. A banner with each respective village symbol and colors added to the front of the building once they had entered it's walls. Flowering gardens skirted the sides, with a few winding marble paths that trekked up and around the building itself.

A path lay before the gates, leading into the Embassy Center itself, and on this path, stood Kyatsu Musei, the Shadow of the Sound Village. Having saved the village from ruin in the past, he had long since brought it to a standard that other territories were now relying on; a lynch pin. His posture firm, he stood with his hands by his side, sitar on his back, carved in the deep aqua hue. Extending his hands out to the union of respective Kage, he chimed, "Welcome to the Reunion of the Shadows!" his voice a warm tone, eyes falling to each respective leader that was now making their way, counting each and every one.

"Let this be a home to you, as it is to me, for the next week..." and snapping his fingers, a few celebratory fire works went into the air, announcing the safe arrival and the official beginnings of the Summit. Bright lights dripping over the skies, vibrant colors as the Sun fell down over the horizon. The brimming smile across his lips showed the glee he was feeling right now that things were falling into place.

'''Boom! Boom!''' the last of the firework display going off, not only would this signify the start of success for the meet, but also for the village. Kyatsu had promised some revelry in return for keeping their eyes out and for each safe visitation from the invited.

"Now, let's introduce ourselves..." brushing his fauxhawk back in a very gaudish manner, "I am Kyatsu Musei, call me Kyatsu." offering a thumbs up to those that had entered, acting aloof despite the serious nature of the entire meeting. "I will be your host today, and I'm glad you all chose the Sound Village as your respective embassy." giving a nod of excitement as he finished his introduction.

Hikaru looked around, from behind his glasses. Interesting, he thought. ''It is, all in all, a nice place. Maybe this will go without squabble.'' "Guess I'll go." He said, looking around at the various leaders that gathered. "Many of you probably know me already. As the Land of the Moon King, leader of that respective country, Hikaru Tsuki."

Chinka, Itome and Kinpa fell in behind him, as he continued to talk. "I'm here on summons to discuss with you all for the next seven days. I hope you find, that I'm here for the better of this world. I'm not your enemy. In fact, I'm your friend, here and now. At least, an ally you can all turn too."

"And as for the village leader that came with me, I turn your attention to the Kage, Kinpa."

Kinpa looked around at the Kage as well. Using his master sensory skills, he could definitely deduce that each person gathered before him was pretty powerful. Some of the world's best had gathered here. In order to decide its fate. "As Hikaru said, I am Kage of the village that resides in his country, Getsugakure. As Tsukikage I have to came here, in order to devise a plan that would fit the well-being of my village, and well, all of ours as well. Trust me, this Summit will be a turning point for us. Thank you Otokage, on behalf of the Moon, for having us here." Kinpa ended with a curt nod towards everyone, and a smile as well.

Kinpa's introduction is cut short as an ear-wrenching wail rips across the festive atmosphere. Although the night sky is cloudless, a cascade of water droplets interspersed with mist is cast down upon the revelers of the city. The high-pitched cry drops in tone until its screech falls into a moaning, bubbling roar. Looking out across the bay reveals the source of this horrifying noise, and a fearsome apparition. The water of the bay is revolving at high speeds and its once-calm surface is consumed by violent waves and churning foam. The intensity of this whirlpool's revolutions are mighty enough to bring rainfall down across the celebration.

As onlookers watch in awe, a dark form begins to emerge from the depths of this mysterious maelstrom. A shadow of immense proportions slowly rises. First a bow crests the funnel, covered in flowery filigree and carved in the semblance of a gaping dragon. Next, a deck and the fore of a massive ship, covered in glowing paper lanterns and decorative streamers. Finally, a sail bearing the emblem of Water Country slides into view, and with a final push, the massive vessel falls forward onto the bay's surface as it assumes a more natural, horizontal orientation.

The maelstrom behind it begins to peter out, and after about a minute, the bay re-assumes its peaceful state.

A silence grips the city, and it isn't clear whether this is because of their awe at the display, or because of the unexpected downpour that has caused many of them to become soaking wet.

As they watch, a bright light appears atop the deck of the ship, in the form of a water dragon. A ball of roiling energy is gripped in its jaws, and its eyes dart wildly from side to side. Its winding body moves and slithers hypnotically across the fore and aft of the ship, before racing up the mast and into the air above. Eerie music begins to sound from the deck, as performers wearing costumes of fish, squid, and other aquatic animals begin to move into view. Some play instruments, others juggle fire or dance rhythmically across the deck. The performance continues as the ship sales forward toward the shore. Mysteriously, the sales of the ship are moving, although there is no wind.

Once within view of the Kage, the dragon launches forward towards them, burning a path of ghostly blue fire in its wake, before crashing into the ground a short distance from them. In a flash, the dragon dissipates in a gout of harmless blue fire, revealing three figures.

To the left, stands one Uzumaki Kawakami. A deep cerulean blue kimono adorns his body, featuring a dragon and water motif. A golden obi is tied around his waste. His feral smirk and swagger reveal a proud self-assurance.

To the right, Karasuba Musubi stands at ease, her hand idly thumbing a curious blade-less hilt in her palm. Her velvet kimono is a deep purple with pink accents, like a summer dawn. She smiles suggestively, but her eyes only spell murder.

Standing behind the two is a man of great height. His kimono is as black as the night- as black as the depths of the sea. He pulls back a dragon-themed festival mask, and Fuyuki reveals himself. The only part of his face that is smiling are his eyes, as he speaks in a condescending tone.

"My my, Kyatsu. Time has not been kind to you. But, I suppose old age touches even the best of us."

Fuyuki motions to indicate the ship over his shoulder, and continues,

"I hope you don't mind, but I decided to bring my own accommodations. No doubt, the beds of Sound are soft, but I can only truly feel at home on water. My pleasure boat also has a host of amusements as well. I only choose the most beautiful and talented of courtesans to accompany me on my voyages."

The "pleasure boat" he refers to is clearly a warship that's been retrofitted for entertainment purposes. The massive vessel takes up most of the bay. More than just a display of wealth and power, Fuyuki's message is clear for the discerning; so long as there is water, even land-locked countries are within the reach of water country's navy.

Four individuals walked in, and their headbands, told exactly who they were. "This ought to be interesante! One of Fuyuki's men, match the same chakra signature as Nuckle head-." Shingi stated, making his way a bit more passive. ...

"Always one for flashy entrances aren't you, Fuyuki?" Kiyasui asked, leaving out a giggle that ended her sentence. She felt at ease being within the walls of the Summit, even as some of the most powerful people in the entire Shinobi world stood before her. "But anyways, it is a pleasure to meet you Kyatsu, and an even more respective pleasure to meet you as well, Otokage." She left off a smile, one that showed her calm nature that stood above her once dangerous skills as a master of war. "My name is Kiyasui Iro, and I am the Daimyo of Lightning. Some of you may have already heard of me, some of you haven't, but all in all, I wish that we all at least enjoy ourselves while we undergo these very difficult tasks in the coming days."

Though Kiyasui had seen years of war, being alongside Yoru Uchiha and Mamoru in the Kumo Civil War, she wished not for battle to happen, but the hopes that everyone could discuss matters without having to resort to violence. She had a strong voice of reason, one that gained her the respect of the Land of Lightning for quite some time, and she wished to show that same voice of reason as the day for discussions made their way to the respective leaders.

The show Fuyuki had given to him had been quite the spectacle, with a grin on his lips and a round of applause. One for a delightful bit of entertainment, Kyatsu felt he would get a long quite well for the more theatric of the group here at this remaining seven days.

Kyatsu shouted out to the large group, "Oh Fuyuki, you are still so full of show and bluster..." chiming happily with a wink, offering a handshake to the respective leader of Getsugakure and Kumo. A nod and a curt bow, and he offered them all inwards into the Embassy, "Follow me and let me show you the place that shall be your home! No questions asked..." eyes on his comrades, tone polite as ever, "Security is highest here, even more so then your ship, Fuyuki. So I highly recommend staying inside the Summit boundries at all times until the period has ended or you so choose to leave at your own discretion. However, if one leaves during any of the days, you were exempt from rejoining."

Standing alongside his partner of the lightning, the raikage, Mamoru, had graced those of the summit with his presence. His arms were crossed, his sunglasses sat glued upon his visage, unmovable by the forces of gravity itself, in utter silence. “I wonder what’s going to happen here”, he muttered, watching the other kage carefully. Obviously he was speaking with his daimyo friend who stood their beside him, for she was truly one of his only friends.

Bhav quietly surveyed the rest of the shadows that had arrived at the summit. He knew some of them from famous war stories and others from history class when he was a small child at the ninja academy. Bhav couldn't believe he was in the attendance of such powerful shinobi. "Do I really belong here? Bhav questioned himself.

"I do not know, Mamoru. I guess we'll find out once the procedures take place. Until now, let's just be on our best behavior. This is obviously a big opportunity for us." Kiyasui replied. She'd had Mamoru's back for years in everything he did, from the Civil War to his ascension to Raikage, and even now, she wonders just what will happen within the halls of that summit. It's the first Kage meeting in decades and it's going to no doubt be as important as the previous one and Kiyasui wishes to just get on with it without any bad intent between the Kage and Daimyo.

Below Shingi, a cloud appeared, at which he moved his seat aside to sit on. The ones to his left, Suigetsu and Ren. The only man to his right, Raido Namikaze. On his shoulders his son. "Nice to see the Raikage here. I payed the man over a million dollars for technical reasons."

Akagi had stood behind the gathering crowd in absolute silence. His presence easily unnoticed and covered by his grand entrance. As any shinobi should avoid. Also, because of Samiya's illness, this happened to be his first official meeting as a Kage. As well as a moment where other Kage's will finally understand why Sunagakure remained silent. His crimson hair had Samiya's official hat casting a shadow over his body. A symbol of his provisional status. But he manipulated his gown to fit his standards. Instead of white with red, it had been remade into a long black robe with crimson markings for Sunagakure. Alongside a manipulated six to signal his true position. Akagi's nails were also painted black. He stared carefully at each Kage, taking note of their appearance and entrance. "Sister," He spoke to a figure that stood next to him. A woman with crimson eyes shrouded by darkness. "You can tell a lot about a person from their appearance. Mizukage-sama seems to be one who enjoys physical pleasures of life. While Raikage-sama keeps a close circle. Getsugakure's leader values his friends surely. No, I cannot read him. Kyatsu, I believe his name is...he is to..open. An ever shifting cloud that refuses to remain in one form." Akagi locked his eyes to Kyatsu, creating a tranquil presence. One of mysteriousness. After all, Akagi no longer lived a human's life. Truly a vassal of emptiness.

"Where is Tame-san, brother?" A green haired woman spoke.

"I have not a clue. But he needs to hurry, or the summit will begin without him. And I doubt Kage's will appreciate late appearances, especially one by a bodyguard." Akagi spoke, his two siblings standing close by, sharing both his instinct. Logical seeing as they were all one person. A different shade brought to life for unknown reason. A truly sad existence. But his happiness said otherwise. He loved his sisters with absolute passion. And would die for each and everyone. "I have an idea of what will be spoken of, but I doubt I can tell of Kazekage-sama's sickness. Right now, Sunagakure has lived an era of prosperity unseen in such times. But losing Samiya-chan right after Gaara-sama would show our village's decreasing strength. All we can do is wait. Wait and hope for the best to turn out."

A gigantic dust cloud traveled through Otogakure at incredible speeds. Forcing guards out its way and sending massive trembles throughout earth. Why has no one stopped it? A common question pondered throughout Oto. Something any logical man or woman would wonder after witnessing such a phenomenon. But who had enough courage to resist him and his mother. Two legendary demons widely feared for their actions post Fourth Shinobi War. Legend spoke of their disappearance. Abandoning their home on a mysterious mission alongside a demon of shadows, only to reappear in Otogakure. Four incredibly massive and ferocious creatures. Fur kissed by moonlight. Their necks covered fully by a mane graceful like fluffy clouds. Crimson eyes showed a horrifying blood lust. Each leg drumming earth exhibited power of Demon's. Rapid vibrations, beating hearts, and increased panting. Tails of fluffiness mixed with strength and length. Noses locked onto various strange scents. Teeth snarling. Jaws that ripped flesh as if paper and snapped bones like twigs. All four hell hounds had a reputation for consuming their enemies. Once bringing immense controversy and fear to Konohagakure. Word of their appearance on any battlefield meant defeat. Words of power to quell future wars.

''Konohagakure spoke nothing of bringing the Inugami. Lord of the Inuzuka Clan. Nor has word reached of their return to Konoha. What is the meaning of this?''

A single thought plagued villagers possessing knowledge of worldly news. He, alongside his childhood rival disappeared long before. Simultaneously, rumor-speakers gossiped among themselves. Speaking of a new village. Once a settlement with mystical agricultural properties. A village hidden in night air and mysteries. Could it be so? Could this be the year that his village steps from darkness and into the Shinobi World's everlasting sunlight of warmth? Surely a meeting of Kage's and village leaders had an appropriate call for such. But why do it in such a manner?

The oncoming dust cloud stopped behind Kyatsu's crowd of village leaders and Kage's, causing a circle to appear. Guards also surrounded the cloud unaware of him. They held various sorts of weaponry up in preparedness. Some already performed hand seals and awaited an order. But a woman's voice roared through the commotion. In silence, silhouettes became actual figures. Four elephantine Hell Hounds extended a shadow over the meeting. It was far from their full form, but it allowed for quicker movement speeds. A journey turned into a short trip. And...it made for enjoyable hunts. A closer inspection showed blood covered jaws through deadly snarls that shook even the confidence of Otogakure's guard. Their fur forever twisting and flowing elegantly in Oto's wind. Atop one dog sat a woman with bestial physical properties. Red face paint that showed her royalty to beast-clans. Her body covered in a beautiful Kimono. And hair that matched her four wolf demons. It flowed beautifully passed her back and wrapped around her as a noble cape. A fanged necklace hugged her neck. Strings of gold complimenting her eyes and bracelets. Her appearance resembled that of a goddess among her beast. Tamed. Oto guards shook in fear.

"Do not worry," Her stern voice barked. "I am nothing more than a simple Daimyō. I am Inari Inuzuka, former princess to Konohagakure's Inuzuka Clan and mother of the man you truly desire to speak with." She looked to the largest of wolves. And smirked. Four puffs of smoke erupted around each. And from it, she stood next to three wolfish dogs. Her very own stood before her children. As a mother, her stature of course was more demanding, even for a dog. White fur, without a mane of course. But with red face paint which mimicked her own masters. Her golden eyes capable of piercing through souls. Fangs just as fearsome as before, and powerful muscles that broke earth.

"I am Princess Mononoke." She spoke with a gentle voice. To much of Otogakure's guards surprise. Something that sent shivers down their spines. "This is my son, Konmei." She motioned to a wolfish hound that stood besides her. Still large enough to tower a human on his hind legs and on all fours, but nowhere near their beast form. Senken bowed out of respect, but Konmei scoffed. Both resembled their mother besides her red face paint. Konmei's distaste of humans became arrogance as he yawned in boredom. Not daring to show a care in the world. As long as it did not involve his brothers life. But Mononoke growled. A powerful growl that rumbled through the air and water. One that sounded like a demon's hunger. Oto's guards jumped and Konmei whimpered before bowing.

"And I," The final voice spoke. No longer a demon hound. A mere man who came in an attire unlike Shinobi of his class. He chose to sport clothing that symbolized his nobility. A white Kimono with a red and white Sakura Tree crest at his collar and on his sleeves, matching perfectly with his moonlight bathed hair; hair that elegantly followed every breeze without resistance. One could see his connection to Inari. As a method of increasing his overall demanding demeanor, The man also wore a spiked pauldron that covered his left shoulder, which he attached to the upper section of his cuirass and "lotus petal" faulds. Adding to culture, he decorated his armor and long flowing sash. with a heavy oriental influence. His lower body kept by a sashinuki hakama ending at his ankles, producing a "ballooning" effect. His footwear consisting of black ankle-high boots. Mokomoko-sama, his demonic fur scarf cuddled closely, shivering closely. "Am the First Yakikage, Dan Inuzuka. Former Inuzuka Clan head myself. It is a pleasure to make your appearance. Daijōbu!" He bowed in front of his fellow visitors.

Besides him, a young girl sat upon his Dog. She wore a long flowing dress with white collars. Her eyes had a purple tint and her black hair flew just as low as her elder brother. "I am Chosho." She held a large book between her arms. A book with valuable information.

"And sorry about the rough entrance, you see...we kind of saw-" A growl escaped his lips. Trouble! When shinobi alike looked at the direction he growled, they saw its source. A orange cat stretching upon a rooftop. Inari and Chosho smacked Dan with unforgiving strength. "S-sorry! Sorry! Daijōbu!" He bowed once more.

Tame had walked towards Akagi after finding him. He slowly stepped as he was in his Hiruko (NJ). “I’m sorry Lord Akagi. I needed to finish up business once more.” Tame had actually secretly been working on a new puppet who would hopefully surpass Akagi’s own collection. Though the voice had sounded different from Tame’s normal one. Hiruko had granted him a different voice as he didn’t trust much people and didn’t want to reveal his identity. “Have I missed anything?”

"Not much" Bhav replied as he walked over. "Just a flashy entrance by Fuyuki and a couple other short introductions". "I'm Bhav Hyuga by the way, the leader and shadow of Kazangakure" Bhav told the three shinobi. "I presume that you are the infamous Akagi, the leader of Suna and a master puppeteer in his own right" Bhav quickly added as he bowed toward the powerful shinobi.

"One moment, please!" A voice bellowed from the entrance of the center, whom walked proudly among the various powerful figures of the world. She didn't have a very flashy entrance - but she was fashionably late, though that was besides the point. "Apologies for my tardiness, I got caught up in getting prepared for the day - or rather, my subordinates were." The woman who spoke was none other than Fūrin, Hokage of Konohagakure. While somewhat uncharacteristic of her to be late for these events, she looked behind her and noticed a young-looking man; he was panting.

"Haah...haah..." could be heard from the man's voice - uncharacteristically young-looking for a voice so deep. "Fūrin-sama, what was that? I was only trying to look nice..." The man patted his kimono off of the dust he accumulated and stood upright, trying to garner his then-lost respect. He was Kōshū Hyūga, dedicated member of the Hyūga Clan and leader of the Konoha Military Police Force. Truly, his entrance was fitting among the many that were here today.

"Ah...dear, I'm late again. I keep forgetting the time." Another man showed up late - quite abnormal for such a serious summit. "I am, as you might have heard, Haigara Sarutobi. If the name doesn't ring a bell, I am the current leader of the Twelve Guardian Ninja stationed across the world. Yes, lovely Daimyō; I am the one in charge of the many Shinobi who protect you." The man known as Haigara Sarutobi had confidently told everyone. He was a man with somewhat spiked brown hair, sharp features and an overall handsome look. He appeared relatively grunt-like, but if one noticed carefully, his eyes radiated nothing more than peace - fitting for one of his status.

"We're lost"

Makushimi grit his teeth in anger at the sight of the peeled orange paint that once spelled "Rei's Garden Tools". This was the third time they had met a dead end in their attempt to reach the Embassy and the fourth time he had taken his new ANBU's advice whenever they came to a crossroads. He knew, without a single doubt, that Juiz knew the exact way to the summit, but he assumed she was just entertaining herself by letting Yeomra make the decisions. If Makushimi had known the Prince had such a bad sense of direction beforehand, he definitely wouldn't have taken the advice of "I'm sire its this way" during the last hour. Not only that, but the people were giving them weird looks: the common man flanked by two elite shinobi, almost if he was under arrest.

They were late, too. The trio walked away from the forgone shop in silence, maintaining the facade of ANBU-and-master perfectly, but Makushimi could have sworn the light breeze carried a hint of Juiz chuckling behind her cat-shaped mask. He hoped she choked on her laughter. How hard could it possibly be to find a building huge enough to house the leaders of all great countries? This was fucking bullshit.

An Otokagure shinobi flickered in front of them, throwing Makushimi out of his grumbling by surprise. "Makushimi-osa, our Kage has been informed of your presence and has instructed me to take you to the Embassy. If you and your guards would follow, please?" Great, the little village head had to take the shinobi's hand so he could be lead to the big meeting with the big Kages. Makushimi was enjoying this field trip less and less with every second. Yeomra and Juiz didn't say a word, as ANBU were supposed to. The shinobi's casual performance probably meant Yeomra had suppressed his chakra level, too. What a great way to start off.

Just shortly behind Yeomra, a young girl made her way up to the Summit. She was dressed in a casual short dress with black gloves and black boots. Her hair, black as night grew and rested against her back. Her eyes showed confidence if not the vision of someone new to politics. Her name was Heiwa Ekazu, second Jikanokage of the village Jikanogakure. "Please forgive me for being late. I lost my maps in a rather nasty gust and had to rely on other sources to get here. I am Heiwa Ekazu, the second Jikanokage." The girl spoke up. At sixteen years old, she tied with Gaara, the fifth Kazekage, as the youngest to gain the position of Kage. But she showed great promise, having kept her village stable for the months she has been Jikanokage. She heard of the summit just like everyone else, by a simple messenger giving her a letter. Though she made it to the Summit, her father could not, as he had to partake in another meeting. Regardless, this was an important opportunity for the fledgling village to make a name for itself and it was an opportunity Heiwa could not afford to pass up.

Kyatsu soon clapped his hands together to gather the attention of his audience. The clap came off as a sharp and acute shrill sound to break the gathering of those before him. "AHEM!" his eyes darting from each and every one of those that had now entered the gathering. A sigh of contented glee, barely hiding the enjoyment he was feeling right now. "The Summit is now going to begin... I am so glad that each and every one of you have gathered here today at my request, to discuss the future! To discuss the present! To get our past rooted up, and start looking to something more inspiring; the future of the Shinobi World!" his voice was filled with enthusiasm.

"Each of you Shadows, Daimyos, and delegates of outside groups... are welcomed into the heart of my home, and into one of the safest 'houses' in this world. The Otogakure Ambassadorial Center. Feel free to have your bodyguards check the defenses... same goes to the Iron and the Guardian that have came here for this week long respite." black robes billowing with the wind that gently swayed at his feet, catching just the lower half.

Throwing his hand back to the great door of the Center, it opened, pulling apart from the four corners and revealing the beautiful hall, escorting them into their temporary resting and meeting place for this time. Silver and golden hues, lined with masterwork of stone and wood etched the great hall, with a large stair case spiraling up either side of the far corners of this room, with hall ways adjacent soon after they had entered. One to the right, one to the left, and one room down the center.

"Each of you here, will have a room designated and specially made for you. I have crafted each room for all of you, to make you as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Even for the likes of your bodyguards, I have given equal respects, they will be housed only a room apart from their respective leader who they will be protecting. In this establishment, we have five floors... and many rooms. A dining hall, a kitchen, servants quarters, dueling arena for the more mundane of practices such as wrestling and some such." his voice trailing on, trying to get as much as the description over as possible.

"All of you are welcome to wander about as you will, the meetings will be operated in three days from now. Until then, I kindly oblige all of you to meet one another, get to know one another, and to do as you wish while you are here. And upon my request, please realize that if you leave the walls of the Summit itself, you will no longer be apart of this gathering. I suggest you take this as seriously as I am. I promise you that your village, your lands will prosper after the end of this Summit if you see it out to the end. Those who don't; well what you don't reap you'll never sow." Kyatsu shuffled his feet across the floor, waiting for all the associated members of the Summit to take in his words and this building.

"For now, that is all I have to say, and with that, I officially announce the beginning of the Third Kage Summit!"

Day Two: Relax and Enjoy
Kumogakure, a land drenched in the shadows of the world, forgotten by the other lands for years following the Fourth Shinobi World War. The only land, village, willing to hold the Allied Shinobi Headquarters, what Kumogakure offered was simply in vain. A ball from the Shinju, a single attack, had plunged their world into months of natural disasters and no land had come to their rescue, not a single one. Now, thirty years following this Fourth Shinobi World War, the Land of Lightning held four different climates and with each climate, came a new group of people who used their environment, developed their ability to protect themselves. Tribes of survivors whom were powerful, strong. Although small in numbers, Kumogakure's military might was still among one of the best.

However, in recent years, a small organization, a religion of some sort had grown. People, more and more decided to follow this philosophy, of praising the Shinju, wishing for its return. Rarely however, did a Kumogakure survivor turn to this philosophy. They had experienced the might of the Shinju, and they hated it for what it was. Even Mamoru was originally loathed by the villagers, seemingly proving his worth during the Civil War. The land hated the Tailed Beast, with the exception of those native to the Lightning, and they hated Uchiha. The disaster can not be repeated, and anyone attempting to create the Shinju once more, are enemies to the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure, point blank. That was Mamoru's only interest in this summit; to bring up the issue of this extremist religious group.

Mamoru arose from his slumber, laid upon a bed that was actually not well decorated, or even of the finest quality. Just an average bed, something that he personally requested. The mattress was relatively hard and the blankets weren't the smoothest. For a normal shinobi, they'd leave scratches on them when they moved. But for man of his durable nature, they barely did anything. They were comfortable, just as his bed was back at Kumogakure. He was a simple man, never asking for much or requesting much. He was satisfied with the bare minimum, something he was forced to be as the Land of Lightning didn't have many resources when he was growing up.

Dressing himself, the Raikage grabbed his Bashosen, a weapon that he held dear to him, and gently laid it upon his back. The weapon stuck to him, seemingly like a magnet. The man had magnetized this fan using his chakra, allowing him to control it as such. A natural defense mechanism to prevent the fan from being taken by an enemy shinobi. In his arms, was a bag, a dufflebag of some sort along with a canvas. He walked over to the door, opened it, and then closed it, leaving the room to escape, leaving behind the images and murals of Gyuki to escape to a different scenery, hoping that he could capture it's own beauty.

The chambers given to the Mizukage by their generous host were magnificent indeed. For one such as Fuyuki, the extravagance, beauty and serenity of it all seemed oddly disconcerting. Still, he felt at ease inside, in no small part due to the zen pool in the middle of the room. Proximity to water always soothed him, it meant that he was safe, which was important given that there were several other powerful shinobi staying in Otogakure. Fuyuki expected there to be plenty of assassination attempts, there always was in gatherings like these, even if, by some miracle all the Kage somehow managed to get along, it would always be those who thought the summit a great opportunity to collect the great bounties on most of their heads.

Fuyuki was a man of Kirigakure after all, he had grown intimately familiar with betrayal and assassinations of all kinds, he had even orchestrated a number of them. When he entered the room, he glanced over at the bed. He would have no need of it, he had no desire to partake in the courtesans he had brought from Kirigakure today. Few of them caught his fancy anymore, he'd need to refresh the stock somehow. But for now, he needed to rest.

The Mizukage crossed the distance between himself and the zen pool, and without paying any heed to the stone seat at the center, he descended down into the waters. The moment his body breached the surface, his form would merge with the water in it's entirety. Once he had completely fused with the element, there was nothing left to indicate that he had ever entered it, as the pool remained as clear and untouched as it was before. Someone entering would likely be tricked into thinking that the room was empty.

The morning of the second day

The room was entirely untouched. It looked as if Kyatsu had expected a guest that never showed up. When sunlight streamed into the chamber from the windows, the light revealed that no one had slept in the bed, that nobody had sat in the chair and that nobody had meditated. For all the pains Kyatsu took to prepare the room it would appear that the extravagance was largely lost on Fuyuki. Then, there was a stirring in the pool, as the water quaked by some unknown force before it practically climbed out of the pool and onto the floor, where it ascended into a tall revolving pillar that gradually changed to take on the shape of a human.

Fuyuki then stepped out of the pillar, causing it to collapse onto the floor briefly before it moved to encircle his frame. The water surrounded him and soon it began to take the form of a loose-fitting blue kinagashi adorning his form. As expected, the testure would be smooth to the touch and as he moved the entire robe seemed to flow about him. It's true nature never truly disguised despite how it might appear. Naturally, disguising it as an ordinary piece of clothing would be counter intuitive. It was necessary to constantly amaze the other Kage, after all.

Books lined Kinpa's room, as he was a man of research.

The night before, Kinpa had entered his chambers, revealing the shelves upon shelves in his room, a personal library to the Tsukikage's interests. The books he was free to read and take as he pleased as well. As he settled in, he took a blank book (yes, there was a section of those as well), and begun to write in a jounral, which he would use to detail day to day events during this week. He also made another journal, for documenting all the important information discussed at the Summit, though he stored this away for the days to come.

But for now, as he rose up from his comfy, cotton bed, he took his daily journal, as he got ready for the day. He showered, dressed with his long flowing robes of white and silver. The official Tsukikage attire.

He looked out of a window, which over looked part of the Oto complex, in the center. He begun to detail the scenery, especially how beautiful the rising sun looked. He strapped his sword onto his side, and put on his sandals. Opening the door, he wrote one last thing into the daily journal before stepping out.

''So far, I think I can do this. This Summit, will be a success.''

Hikaru's chambers were filled with newspapers, filled with up to date events. Pushing his glasses back in, his deep brown eyes studied the words on the paper. Tell-tale signs of terrorists here and there, but nothing really substantial for the Tsuki. He already knew what terrorists he wanted to bring to this Summit. Minor somewhat, if left unattended, the Masters of the Night, could serve as troublesome in the long run for these villages here at the Summit. He knew almost nothing about them, but for what they had done to Chinka, he knew they'd have to be stopped, those crazed radicals. Though it seemed at the moment, those terrorists weren't very active in the current news. All he saw was some trouble in Iwagakure, and the rise of some potential demons. Though he kept this knowledge in the back of his head as he got ready for the day.

Getting his bow and arrows, he slung his quiver over his back, with his bow. His hair was freshly jelled, and his glasses shined. The Land of the Moon King was ready for the day, as he was ready to relax and enjoy. He set out from his chambers, determined to find Kinpa. They'd wander today, and let their bodyguards relax as well, before the week continued, and the actual discussions begun. But today, Hikaru and Kinpa would use to get to know who they'd been gathered with for the next week. If they wanted to be allies, it would be good to know them, to understand their friends.

"So they finally decided to make another summit, wow, it has been decades."

Fūrin thought as she sat in her room, gazing out the window with her ruby eyes. The wind blew inside her room as her silky hair danced with the breeze. She was ready for the said summit. However, she unwillingly started to remember her past and her goals. Growing up, she was neglected by her father for being a female. She used that displeasure of her father as fuel to be successful. Indeed, she became successful, but it wasn't enough to have the acceptance of her father, despite her outstanding achievements. At a young age, Fūrin decided that she would neglect her father's wishes and strive for her own goals and what she wants to become. She swore to prove to him that she is better than his expectations. And that she did. Fūrin went through a run of successful missions and achieved multiple significant accomplishments. Among these accomplishments is her promotion to ANBU at a relatively young age as well as her rise to Hokage. She was said to be the strongest Hokage that Konoha knew and a master of wind release. She was said to be the fastest and was recognized as the fastest Kage of all time. She was known as "Shikaze" meaning death breeze in honor of her vigorous style of fighting. She was known to have the ability to slice through absolutely anything. Some people claimed it was an exaggeration, other said it was true. Nonetheless, many rumors surrounded Shikaze and her brilliance.

She signified the gentle breeze to most people. How ironic? As she had the fifty-seventh Hexagram, the gentle penetrating wind, which symbolized her fighting style, lethal abilities and even personality. Regardless of all the rumors and exaggerations, Fūrin is surely the most powerful Hokage of Konoha. Her position as a Kage signified how well her plans were going. She was a few steps away from reaching her ultimate goal. That summit would provide her with the needed information for her next move. She gazed into Otogakure while spacing out in her sea of thoughts. "How beautiful is this place." she thought. Fūrin was given a room worthy of someone of her calibre. The decorations and accessories were perfect. A luxurious room fitting of someone of her position. The memory of her tragic past and the hardships she went through brought her mood down. She wanted to relax as she knew that the summit would be more stressing for her mental state. She also wanted to focus on what she was saying in the summit as Konoha's economical and political state depended on how well she played her cards in that summit. She took off her clothes and changed into a more relaxing attire. She then proceeded to go to sleep for a bit, laying on her bed, looking down as she couldn't shake the memory of her father away. She closed her eyes and went to sleep. After a while, she woke up and started preparing herself as she wore her usual attire and readied herself.

How amusing. The other Kage gathered here, having friendly chatter, something that Chieko found very satisfying. No hostility, no distaste, no bad blood. Just a simple gathering.

"This is peaceful, isn't it Kotone?" Chieko turned and smiled. Kotone bowed. "Of course, Hoshikage-sama." To add to her already jovial mood, Chieko's room had been top-notch, with resource spared in making it so.

"This Kyatsu seems to want this Summit to go down without a hitch." Chieko mused as she walked to the window. "I feel a new era is fast approaching. Wouldn't you say so, Kotone?"

"Of course, Hoshikage-sama." Kotone bowed once more.

Green—the symbol of life, nature, fertility and well-being, the land that embodies this color is one overpopulated with vegetation, one filled with people who want the best for one another, and one which economically stable, balanced. Spirals, the symbol for life, growth and change, stands for the land, fortifying the symbolism of the corrected nature. These two things, green and spirals, imbued into a single bandana. It was removed from the wooden table.

A leader of this land, picked up this bandana. With a small smile, he wrapped it around his head, masking his forehead and revealing the nature of the land he rules, no the land that he guides. “This land…” Yami muttered to himself, seemingly reciting a phrase “will prosper, grow, and become the hill on which the rest of the world can look upon; become the candle that will shine in the ugly dark”. The Nara chuckled. “What a foolish man that Uzumaki was”, he mentioned. “Light think it travels faster than anything, but it’s wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds that darkness has always gotten there first, and is waiting for it”.

Standing before him and carefully examining his monologue was his son, Shikage Nara, and his daughter, Kanko Nara. Kanko, the eldest of the two, was a mistress of the shadows, a masterful healer who was rising beyond the restrictions provided in their current age. With a decline of medical ninja, the modern age only seemed to have more fighters, assault and support type people rather than those with extreme medical capabilities. The medical ninja world had died with Tsunade, with the exception of a few. Shikage, a wonderful Nara child who was growing, a warrior of the finest caliber. These were the two faces that Yami cherished, the two people that he fought for. Suddenly, the vision of these two disappeared, the area around him had begun fading into darkness. But then, light his the darkness and illuminated him, his kids were visible, drenched in the blood of his clan and the blood of the people. A nightmare, a hellish vision; he shot upwards fully conscious, he was awake.

The Nara man looked to his side, revealing a shut window, with closed cloths that blocked any sunlight from striking the room. “Those who seek the darkness and only the darkness are ahead of the world. Those who seek light only destroy the darkness that lay in the path. Darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good. However, when one of the other is present, nationality is formed and peace is brought. When both are brought together, conflict occurs and blood is shed. Individually, both are peace, but together they are conflict. As the prophet of the dark, the controller of the realm, I will bring darkness upon the world and remove all light. I will guide the world to a new era and our clan will stand upon the world. That is my nindo”, Yami reflected.

Yami rose from his position from his back onto his bottom. He glanced out of the window, expecting to see the dark nature that he had grown accustomed too, but instead sunlight drenched the room. Yami didn't enjoy that as much, but he could tolerate it. Suddenly, someone knocked on his door, rather loudly as well. “I-I’m coming”, the Nara man replied, lifting his sheets off of his body. He put his bare feet on the wood underneath of him. Obviously, it was not anything like the soft carpet that he was used to. He responded rather quickly, jumping off of the floor. He animated his shadow almost immediately, turning his shadow into that of a deer that he could ride on its back; the common animal friend of the Nara.

“What the hell?”, Yami muttered to himself, glaring at the floor with a rather disgusted expression. “What type of wood is this? Bark!?” he complained, commanding his shadow-like deer to move towards the door. The room was big enough for it and it was a better alternative than walking. A little chakra for purposes other than fighting never hurt anyone. The deer slowly walked over to the door, in which Yami reached his hand for the knob, but quickly pulled it back. “I don’t trust ANYTHING in this room anymore”, the Nara stated.

From the back of the deer, a shadow-like tentacle was formed, wrapping around the doorknob. With a little force, the door came open, revealing the face of a rain shinobi. The man stood there, staring at Yami, rather the deer that Yami was sitting on. “I-Is everything okay?” he inquired, his soft spoken tone reflecting his rather intimidated disposition. The floor wasn’t that big of a deal, after all, it didn’t hurt and he did have his deer, along with his slippers. He could’ve just closed the door and gone back inside, giving a simple “yes”.

However, Yami was what everyone refers to as a self-certified asshole. He knew this, though he didn’t entirely care. He was an asshole, though the villagers of Yakigakure and the Land of Moonlight had grown accustomed to this, seeing it as more of a joke rather than a serious offense. In truth, he couldn’t help I, though his comments were simply to generally rub others the wrong way and make life much more difficult for these people. A smirk formed on Yami’s visage and he opened his mouth. “For starters, when you build a floor make sure to process the wood rather than glue trees together”, Yami stated, smirking at the shinobi.

“Oh, y-yes!” the Shinobi replied, seemingly gaining a newfound sense of confidence. He looked at Yami, towards him rather than the floor, and saluted. “I noticed that the Yakikage awoke a few minutes ago, and I was ordered to alert you when the Kage left his room, well not just you, but all body--", the shinobi continued, before being interrupted by Yami's hand. "Yeah, yeah. All that bodyguard stuff. Alright, I'll tend to things", the stated, shutting the door before the shinobi could respond.

“That deals with that!” Yami said to himself, opening his closet. Last night, he had placed all of the clothes he had brought with him (he basically took his entire closet and sealed it into his own shadow temporarily), into the closet. Yami grabbed his standard attire, consisting of a purple, v-neck shirt which reveals his broad chest and the upper portion of his abdomen which are tucked into white, silky pants in which are then tucked into his blue boots which are used to protect his "precious" feet. Completing this unique outfit is a long, blue, short sleeved haori with the Nara clan symbol on the back and a white lining on the inside which reads "The Shinobi of the Shadows", along with black, fingerless gloves and a green bandanna.

He walked into the bathroom, placed his desired outfit on the door, as a hook was there especially to hold his clothes and stepped into the shower. He turned on the water, allowing the hot droplets to soothe his skin, the steam filling the room; a sauna for the man. The water ran down his body as if he was a smooth stream, cleansing the bacteria from his skin. Coupled with this, the soap that he had brought on his own was one that was centered around completely penetrating the pores and truly cleansing the body, leaving nothing that could potentially harm his appearance.

Yami put his right hand on the wall of the shower, submerging his head under the waterfall of water. His thoughts wandered. He began to think about Yakigakure the Land of Moonlight, but more importantly his very own daughter circled throughout his mind. All of this was for her, to ensure that she was placed in a position than what he was, to give her the best life possible, to make her the Queen of the World. He loved his girl, which is why this meeting was essential. He needed to put Yakigakure in a place where they would be safe from assaults, at least until he executed his master plans.

Forty minutes had passed and the Nara turned the water off, stepped out of the shower and put on his clothes. Using different types of lotions, creams, he moisturized his flesh, ensuring that his skin was in tip-top condition. He combed and brushed his hair, ensuring that every strand was perfect, brushed his teeth until they released rays of white light on their own. He stared into the mirror after his routine, simply smiling at himself. “Well, damn. Someone is quite the sexy man, are they not?” he complimented, forcing himself away from the mirror and out of the bathroom. He grabbed his wallet, thick with money that he gained from alternate means and then he left the room. Walking a door over, as the bodyguards and respective Kage's were extremely close to one another, Yami knocked on it, awaiting his comrade Dan.

''Swarms of insects buzzed around one another in an eternal dance. A light consuming amorphous shadow capable of plunging the world into an everlasting darkness came together. Her copy maneuvered through his village. Thousands of minds simultaneously obeying one will, Mother's. Their mother whose purpose involved eliminating the world's King and replacing it with a Queen. Years spent on preparing. Days gathering and storing information. Eyes and ears imprinted upon many walls. Sensitive information stolen. Their mother possessed words that could spark wars, demand executions or create an everlasting wound. Her past has exhibited her power over secrecy. Her memory possesses key information regarding Kumogakure's civil war. This mistress of espionage and infiltration placed her pawn. Her first move. In a Land far from here, their mother and fellow pieces pressed forward, preparing to destroy all in their path. And before Konoha took it's turn in retaliation, their mother already placed her third piece into position. She prepared to capture an enemy piece. Not truly a physical object, sometimes an enemy piece is nothing more than an abstract idea; Hope, love, any object utilized in protecting one's King. This village is a powerful piece, but it is what is inside this village that their mother seeks.''

''So her second piece awaited for her turn. Disguised as a servant for Otogakure's embassy, her onyx hair hung lower than her back. Ghostly complexion and delicate eyes mesmerizing men of all ages. Her unique body suit covered by Otogakure's servant outfit. She introduced herself through a false identity. "My name is Yui." Only four words necessary really. Especially when her body caught a majority of their attention. Only a little longer till she made her entrance. And her script was ready.''

It can't be! Dan thought. His mind frantically flashed images before him. Darkness. So Dark. Dan's hands vanished before his face. Nothing, ultimate nothingness. But as his hands clenched into a fist, he realized a horrid revelation. Something squirmed in his hand. No, there is more than one. Upon closer inspection, Dan realized thousands of insects wriggled and writhed in his paw. He tried to shake it off, but as one disappeared, hundreds more hatched from attached eggs. Larvae slowly digging into his skin, consuming his flesh. Laying eggs through their limited life-span. He could not take it. Waves of insects emerged from his mouth. He tried to call for Konmei; No answer. Mokomoko-sama no longer slept on his shoulder and his trusted sword disappeared. Fearfully, Dan fell upon his knees as bugs consumed his body. A light freed his mind from darkness. A spotlight not too far off. At first he had trouble making our the image. But its smell. It's scent. his scent. It's one he can never forget. One that caused him a mixture of emotions that ranged between anger at himself and fear for his brother. Dan's eyes reddened and his signature demonic aura outlined his body. He felt his skin rip off as hair tore through. Muscles grew compact. Teeth snarling with saliva dripping rapidly. Claws that easily grabbed a grown man's head and twisted it off. His mind twisted. No longer did words make sense. Thoughts became nothing more than naked impulses. He pounced at the demon during his snack, who disappeared from his grasp. Instead, Dan only held his two brothers and sister. Both mysteriously sick, he roared. Ripping his fur off, transforming back to himself. His hair shivered and covered his siblings as he slept peacefully...

"Dan. Dan. Daaan?" A familiar voice called out to him...but to no avail. A massive black hand reached from below him and grabbed his body. An arm made of shadows. Yes, this was the darkness he became accustomed to all those years before. The darkness of a friend.

"Maybe he's dead."

"He can't be dead. Not my big brother." Her voice repeated. "Dan!"

The darkness started to split in two. Slowly light piercing through and illuminating his worries. And with it, his soul warmed. He felt it. His heart calm. His body stop shivering. He sat up. He realized he went without a shirt. And only sported a towel. We must have returned straight from the bathhouse last night. Dan thought as he rubbed his eyes. Before him, sat a little girl all dressed and ready in her usual getup. A sweet child indeed. Her gentle smile the first thing he saw. Last night... Dan attempted to remember what he experienced only moments ago, but those memories left this spirit completely. "Chosho, where is brother?" Dan asked. His eyes glazed as if he logged out of reality. Chosho looked to her left at Konmei loudly chewing. Worried for Dan. He stopped, gave Dan a single glance, and continued after a large smile crept upon Dan's face.. "Good morning Konmei and Chosho. How did you two sleep?"

"I would've slept better had Konmei not been chewing on his bone so loudly!" She pouted. Her mind escaped. Those eyes... She touched her chin. ''I've never seen my Lord like this. He looks almost afraid. But of what?'' Thoughts raced about. Perhaps one could claim Chosho's worries about her lord surpassed Dan and Konmei's combined. She forced him into a promise. A promise requiring him to tell Chosho his destination and goal. Especially on missions. Dan lacks a choice of course. Dan found Chosho as an orphaned child during a mission in Amegakure. Feeling sympathy, Dan offered her Yakigakure citizenship under his protection. She hesitated, accepting only after witnessing him risk his life to protect her from ill-minded bandits. Promising to dedicate her life to his. Following his steps as a guide and protector. After hearing an enemy address Dan by his honorary title of Lord Inuzuka, she adopted it upon herself. As with all matters, Dan's protest held little weight. ''Inuzuka-sama, I will go through whatever you are going through in your place. And I shall share this burden. Please, let me in.'' Her hand gently pressed against his bare chest as her eyes closed. Chosho listened to his beating heart. SHe traced his infamous scars. Choso enjoyed doing so. Not only for medical purposes but each scar told a different story. Their room existed in a state of silence. Dark due to his closed curtains. Meaning they crashed after their little soak. Chosho felt Dan's blade shiver in it's sheath. Her free hand gently stroking Mokomoko-sama. Both reacted horribly to Dan's disturbance. Mokomoko-sama, obvious one, trembled a great deal. But calmed during each touch. Tsyunoichi also rested after she blessed it.

"Shut up before I use you for my next snack." Konmei growled before returning to his bone. Konmei worried for Dan as well. He and his brother had gone through countless battles. Killed hundreds if not thousands of enemies. They realized their dream, and although Konmei almost had Dan killed alongside Senken, he vowed to protect Dan. Unable to heal Dan from his internal trauma, he too, promised to protect Dan when faced against external threats; Leaving Chosho focused on his inner self. Chosho stuck her tongue out while snuggling close to her lord. She gently looked up and touched his flushed face. Her eyes gentle only for Dan. Dan thought nothing of it and smiled at Chosho.

"My Lord, are you okay? Last night, in your sleep, you were screaming and fidgeting."

"D-don't worry!" Dan nervously defended, almost falling out of bed. "I think it was just a bad dream. Must have ate something bad. Daijōbu. Tell someone to retrieve that lazy shadow bastard while I get ready." Dan placed Chosho on his bed before he went to shower. Not long passed after Chosho completed her task. Soon knocks on his door caught their attention. Dan, now dressed in his usual ensemble, approached the door knob. But his hands trembled. Dammit...Not now. He thought. A deep breathed calmed them long enough for him to jerk his door open...

He stood not much shorter than Yami. Their presence were exact opposites but entwined. Yami represented the darkness of night while Dan symbolized his moon. Light surrounded by peace. Dan wanted nothing more than to close his village's borders to violence and war. The Land of Moonlight is a land of peace and love. It is where those without purpose or a home return too. Expanding involves politics, and Dan was not a politician. Dan is a warrior who fights before speaking. Perhaps the reason his people chose him before Yami. Dan stands before an enemy and his home. Yami stands behind his enemy. Although they accomplish similar goals, Dan won through his positive presence. Still, Dan hoped that Yami's heart would one day clear. He really did. And he would chase Yami onto the highest mountain before he let him go.

Dan opened his door, but a fist was sent flying at Yami's face. A fist capable of breaking through a wall. "Good morning!"

Hibiki was making her way around the room, sighing softly as she checked around her quarters on the uppermost floor. It was, paltry, nothing like the place she had at home, but it was indeed the closest one would find to determining her personality. A worthy and value effort - though her room was certainly lacking... potential. Brushing her hair, she got dressed and prepared to head downstairs to talk with the other Daimyo, the time to make some potential allies was now. Game pieces were in play.

And as she opened her door, she smiled brightly. "Long live the Wind."

Day Five: Second Meeting
Kyatsu Musei looked about the room, his arms crossed behind his back, as if he were about to give the speech of a lifetime. Chest puffed out, eyes forward, the course of a leader furrowed in his brow, he couldn't help but smile, seeing all the faces gathered here together. All the pieces, in one room at long last, housed in his very home. It was enough to make any man giddy, and for Kyatsu, the issues he wanted to tackle could be resolve here and now, big ones that he could no longer overlook.

Black cloak still in the directional airflow of the room, he scanned over the many faces, the many insignia's embelishing their crowns and forearms. Armies and kingdoms followed these people, they respected them, feared and idolized. It was a time to be serious, and a time to place everything on the table before them, it would be their only chance to voice what they desired in security. All villages had eyes and ears, hidden little rats in the corners, it was Kyatsu's priority to make it the focus of this group to bypass the theatrics of inter Shinobi play, and to give them something a bit bigger to bite down on for the time being. A mutual foe, a foe that threatened the very system he was helping rebuild, the caste of the Shinobi itself was on the chopping block.

At last, the Otokage gave off a small sigh, exhaling the thoughts from his mind and letting his focus drive him. "It has been my pleasure to have you seated with us, to have expressed our desires in the previous meeting, and to welcome you into my home to live in relative comfort. It was with great honor that I have housed you all here, and with greater honor to have had you accepted my urgent request." the expression of Kyatsu was humble and admiring, "You all are worthy allies and through our way of living, maybe one day, worth enemies. I'll get past my dubiousness though... I can no longer hold on to our theatrical dance of political intrigue, deception, and faces of many kinds that we sport when it comes to our time here." it was all blunt, Kyatsu was only speaking it.

"There is a threat looming..." waving his hand out from behind his sleeve, as if to curb the sea of thoughts that were forming, "A threat known as the Black Crown, sanctioned under the belief system known as the Kurozome. It is a belief that the is the divine ruler of this world, the creator and destroy - and it was robbed by the likes of the Shinobi, for utilizing the chakra and shaping it for war. This is all the 'normals' of the cult will speak of. But what is not outwardly spoken of by the group, is the radical sect that they truly are. Terrorists, violent and unebbing, they are chaotic, on the verge of strike! And I know you all may think I'm crazy for bringing up such a small group as if it were an issue." Kyatsu stomped his foot on the table as he rose, "But it is not a small group! Nor a small issue!" he grimaced his teeth, "These men and women are trained to blend in, they can be anyone. Civilians, Ninja, Samurai, Nobles, Peasants, anyone from the lowest to the highest. So long as they do not believe in the Shinobi way, they can readily be welcomed to the arms of the Black Crown, I well imagine."

"They are in your arms, nestled in your villages, tucked into your pockets, sleeping in your very bed. The Black Crown will be a plague that infects our system, and strikes your hearts when you least expect it, I await your rebuttle, Lord Shadows."

The words flowed through Shingi's mind, they processed, he smelted them, and removed them. What to do, were the very first things that came to mind. Should he befriend villages, or should he not. What would the people of Taki think? His, daughter figure clinched ahold of his arm, acknowledging to him, that should was by his side. He looked across at each Kage. He took a deep breath, he mad sure he watched what he was about to say, and the words began to flow out. "My village, hasn't personally been able to feel any pain caused by the Black Crown. So, I myself as well as Taki, can't label them as a treat." Shingi leaned back, and as he did, his sand created a back support, at which his back met with. "However, this is why the summit is being held?"

"I can confirm this, sadly." Heiwa spoke out, standing up from her chair. "Just a week prior, one of our own was found with ties to this organization. But before we could get any information out of her, she ended up killing herself with some sort of poison. Our medical staff were unable to identify the poison, but apparently it's some sort of neurotoxin. I've heard news of others transforming into trees as a massive Kamikaze attack, trying to wipe out as much as they could. We got lucky. After much investigation, this one was apparently a new member, not yet exposed to the technique that has caused untold tragedies in the other villages." Looking down at the table, she gave out a heavy sigh. "This Black Crown is a deadly alliance, and they're proving it every day by spilling innocent blood. It's not just an isolated issue, but a worldwide issue. Who knows where they might strike next, and what they will do. All we do know is we have to be ever vigilant. If we don't act, we could end up losing our friends, our family, everyone who helped raise us to the Kage and Daimyou we are today. My fellow Kage, though I may be young, I know plenty of the events you have had to suffer through. My father always told me tales of the untold damage the Shinju did during the last war. I'd rather not let this happen again. So we need to do everything we can to make sure our villages don't fall victim to another tragic attack."

"It isn't that simple, Lord Heiwa." Dan's closed eyes revealed deep thought. His little sister stood at full attention. The Yakikage had remained silent throughout most discussion. As a village of its size and power, Yakigakure lacked any true amount of influence. He built it more so a settlement anyway. "After the era of wishful thinking, futile praying and horrid mourning that followed our fourth great shinobi war, Shinobi and civilians alike created a seed of doubt within their hearts." Dan remembered his own childhood in Konohagakure, a time of reconstructing, that mixed pain and hope. "Their seeds nourished on following struggles of power leading to more petty battles. If power and strength could not save them, maybe only its source could? You see, Kurozome exist in everyone whose suffered a lost." He bit his lip while flashes of Senken's death flooded his mind. His heaviest burden. "From those who actually fought Madara Uchiha to their children. It is what creates Shinobi. This hope that one day Humans will no longer hurt one another. These people need something to channel their frustration. A conduit for their rage, their pain. And at the same time, it is a source of hope. A belief for one day, their god will return and correct their suffering." He chuckled. "A foolish yet immense belief. Due to witnessing its power, the Shinju became the perfect holder of hope. However, as Kages, we are already aware that the Shinju is nothing more than an abnormality. A creature only capable of causing more suffering. In order to stop this looming threat, we have to influence our everyday commoners. We have to become their points of anger and rage, as well as their source of hope. It is us, the village leaders that must take the Shinju place. If we tighten up against our villages, we will only push people further into that pit of hatred."

Chosho watched in amazement as her lord spoke. She always loved his lectures. Chosho wished to one day rule his legacy with his strength and power. It was a dream she planned on turning into reality. But for now, she had to protect her brother. Her eyes and ears worked in perfect conjunction. She scoured the room, examining every Kage...Until stopping at Konmei, who slept peacefully. She slammed her strong foot upon his tail. Awaking him. He whimpered telepathically "Wake up Lord Inukawa, we must remain diligent!" She ordered. "The life of Lord Inuzuka depends on it!"

"Who would be foolish enough to attack a building filled with Kage?" Konmei replied. Yawning in boredom. But he returned to full attention.

"For a minute there, I thought you were sympathizing with the enemy, Inuzuka." A man in a dark cloak spoke. Upon his hat, one could realize he was the Kazekage. But anyone with worldly knowledge knew Samiya had reigned Sunagakure for a long time. Why such a sudden change? "I don't care if they are the maids of my palace, we cannot lighten up! Any attack on my village is treason and will be treated as such. Black Crown rose through political nonsense. Gained power from superiors being too lenient. If anything, we should increase pressure upon civilians. Weed them out through fear. No matter how strong a belief, a stronger god destroys it. Together, we have to become that god. We have to show that the Shinju means nothing to our power and that we are the only ones who can bring in hope." Akagi spoke peacefully.

Kinpa sighed. "Fight force with force? That wouldn't solve anything. As the Yakikage said, tightening up pushes the citizens away from us. We should not do nothing, but making something of a "counter-offensive", will just keep the religion thriving and anew. Kurozome is a like a tree, from the smallest seed it can grow with the proper nourishment. Responding with force will just make things worse, giving the seed even more things for it to grow. I've seen it happen in my land with the various conflicts. I have more experience then most here it seems, though not with the organization itself, but not all. I can testify that countering aggression with aggression in hopping to destroy the other will not work. It creates more seeds of hate. We need compromise, and I'm willing to suggest how we can go about doing this."

"My Kage leader is right in a way," Hikaru added, speaking clearly. "We need to appeal to them, not terrorize them. If they don't agree with us, they'll never die. We need to bring them to our side, not pulverize them essentially. That may be more annoying then just straight weeding them out and destroying them, but it'll make sure this religion is gone forever. But first, in order to do anything, we need to know who we're dealing with, some knowledge of which we are surely lacking."

Chieko sat back in her chair, contemplating the words spoken before and laughing. "Compromise? Appeal to them? I've never heard more absurd suggestions come forth from anyone ever before." She spoke out derisive tone. "We are dealing with a terrorist organization. Even though I see them as nothing short of fanatics deluding themselves into thinking that some long gone beast will bring peace to the world, I do not undermine their threat as an alliance. However, I do not believe that we should reason with them, in any sense of the word." Her blood began to boil slightly in her monologue."Showing that we are willing to negotiate with these people is the exact same as saying that we are incapable of defending ourselves, leaving us to look like scared little children. Even if we were to try and compromise with Black Crown, what could have possibly given you the notion that they would take the time of day to even acknowledge your offer?"

Standing near the wall behind the Hoshikage, Kotone could sense the annoyance building within Chieko. This is often misconstrued as annoyance when it is really passion. The Black Crown had hurt the Hidden Star as well. Many ninja of Chieko lost their lives to this damned group and she was not going stand by and let this organization continue existing, much less negotiate with them.

"Hoshikage-sama, please sit down. You're getting much too excited." Kotone informed Chieko of her riled up state. Looking down at herself, Chieko could see that she had stood up with her hand slammed on the table. Quietly, she receded back into her chair begrudgingly.

"Hoshikage," Dan barked. "These are our people you speak of! Showing we are willing to negotiate displays a sense of understanding their pain. A pain we all share. We have to remind our citizens that we care about their safety. The Kage of our previous generation tossed men and women on the front line. Ignorant to their future seeds." Lord Inuzuka thought back to countless orphans. Hundreds of loved ones lost to Madara's burning flames. He vowed never to sacrifice his beloved village. Even if it meant his own life. That was the kind of Kage Dan grew to become. And it gave him his position before him. "Black Crown is not the issue. It is an ideology that must be destroyed through a counter thought. We have to communicate among our people. To turn our blades to them only incites more war and fear. Using our powers to punish those for a certain thought will spark rebellions. And soon, even our powers might disappear. Do not forget that Kage's are meant to protect our people, not destroy them." Dan looked to Kinpa. It seemed they agreed more so than ever, causing him to make a mental note for a private discussion. "We cannot speak personally among them. But through care and kindness to our people, their influence shall inevitably shrink."

"Kumogakure, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, hosted the Headquarters and various battles took place on our land. As a result, we were subject to the most exposure of the Shinju's power, and considering experienced the after effects. Years after the end of the war, we watched as our population increasingly dwindled due to the natural disasters plaguing our country. Out of anyone, we understand the Shinju's power more than any other nation. So, out of anyone here, I believe my opinion should hold more value than any others, especially considering I'm the host of a fragment of the beast itself..", the raikage, Mamoru, spoke. He looked at upon the rest of the shinobi, watching as he hopefully encapsulated all of their attention. Hopefully, everyone would listen.

"I believe, that the best option here is to eradicate this philosophy, kill all followers. From a perspective, we all can understand how dangerous philosophies are. Philosophies turn into theories, theories turn into laws, laws turns into habits, habits form character and character justify actions. Uchiha, the clan cursed by a specific philosophy, "The Curse of Hatred", caused the near end of the shinobi world. Only one single Uchiha, managed to do such a thing. From my own perspective, I understand that Kurozome has thousands of followers. We cannot allow this to grow. Containing is a means of avoidance. What we must do is proceed in extermination", the raikage preached.

"Did you forget what caused the Curse of Hatred to spiral out of control?! The last time someone exterminated a group in fear of a philosophy, our world nearly ended." Dan, as a former ANBU alongside his guardian had accessed secret files among their missions. Files that revealed dark stories within Konohagakure. "Exterminating a group or an ideal only breeds hatred. It shows mistreatment of our power and an overwhelming sense of weakness. Hashirama Senju understood this, as did Naruto Uzumaki. It was men who thought like you, Raikagesama. Men like Tobirama and Danzo who answered violence with prejudice and more violence that lead this world to what it is today. You cannot completely eradicate an ideal. Danzo thought he did, failing to realize he only planted further seeds. One seed particularly leading to his death." His hands tightened into a fist. "How can you even tell someone is apart of this organization? For every ten heads, four will be innocent. Fueling hatred within the loved ones of those innocently killed."

''"I'll say this point, and hope to leave a thought on your heads. Attempting to exterminate the problem, of "hatred" or "evil" will never succeed. You'll only waste your life, doing so. Naruto-sensei, pushed as far as he could, but look where we are. Still here talking about another problem, or threat to this world. When will we, as a world, realize, that as long as there are shinobi, true peace will fail to exist." Shingi placed his head down. ''"I'm only twenty-two. I know nothing, but what out predecessors left behind. Raikage-sama, you stated that we should "eradicate" them, and respectively their philosophies. But wouldn't that just bring forth more? Reproducing, cloning, mimicking, all these things will continue to occur, and the cycle will never end." Shingi placed his hand into his heads, he was deceptive, but while looking into the eyes of so many ranked shinobi, he had to leave deception at home, and bring only his beliefs as well as that of that people from Taki.

Hikaru sighed. "Lady Hoshikage, does one not appeal to their own people? I for one don't want to attack my own people. We are trying to stop a war, not bring it into full swing, put out the flame. Because wars have done so much for the world, am I right? No, we can't just act harshly to our own people. Next thing you know it'll be your shinobi next that turn on you. Or mine, or anyone's in this room. Aggression will not solve this, it'll just draw sides for another war, which some of you damn near threaten to start." He turned to the Kages in the room.

"It would be better to at least attempt negotiating. Have you not noticed, it would be very hard to defend ourselves against our own people? The reason we're here is partly because we can't do that very thing. If we oppose all our people, even shinobi in our ranks will rise up against us. Do you realize what this means? Force will mean war, something we cannot afford. Better to take another route, at least talk to them instead of opposing our own."

Kinpa noted Dan's eye contact and added, "I agree with what Dan was saying. Getsu has a more people centered village then most. We get along for the most part. We all share the same pain, but seek to resolve it differently. This is why we should try to get them to thinking our way, and not by force either. As Shingi said we are trying to stop this cycle, not fuel it. Let us not draw sides against our own people, especially since we don't even know which of them we are defending against. As my King said earlier, we need to know who we are dealing with. Simply terrorists, is not enough. We need notable leaders, who runs the whole thing. We are not just going around "defending" ourselves against what we don't know. Even if you wish to take action, who are you taking action against? This is what we need to figure out, whether if it is action, or trying to lower the ideal's influence before its too late through civilized agreement. Let us protect our people, do what Kage's were meant to do. And to do that, let us know who we are protecting them from, so we can do something about it. How we are going to distinguish the leaders of the Black Crown, and how we are going to go about confronting them, is what we need to do. What we need to stop doing, is responding to their aggression with aggression. We need to bring down the level of hate, not raise it. And we need to know who we are even hated by. We need to identify leaders. We are at a disadvantage there; they already know who we are. We need to turn this around quickly, before it is too late."

"See, what Danzo failed to do, was exterminating every single one of them. Here, we'll leave no pest. We'll purge the world of these creatures, and kill their families, children, everything. All of them will be erased from existence. Negotiating with a terrorist? That's not even an answer that a Kage shouldn't even think of, nevertheless say in the presence of other Kage. I'm glad that you two aren't apart of the Five Kage...that'd be catastrophic", Mamoru responded, directing his final sentence towards Kinpa and Dan. "Who are you two anyway? I want you two to look me in the eyes, and say that you have felt the wrath of the Shinju. I grew up on an island turtle, secluded from almost everyone except elite shinobi because of the Shinju. My father and mother both died because of the Shinju. My country's population was dwindled, almost destroyed because of the Shinju. And all of this, stuff that happened after the war. YEARS after the war. The beast chakra caused natural disasters years after the war, and as a result, the Land of Lightning has different climates, geographical features than we used to.", Mamoru preached.

"But with this, our nation has grown strong. Our survivors, those who did survive, did so by using their skills to help them. Even now, we still have natural disasters plaguing the land, but our group of shinobi have grown so accustomed to these natural disasters, that we have found a way to survive. Now, many of our shinobi live, even with these disasters in our country. Our population, hasn't been this high since before the Fourth Shinobi World War. During our time, we had groups with philosophy threaten our nation, splitting it in half, but do you want to know what brought us together? War, yes, war. When people around you die, and you realize that you can't do a thing about it. The feeling of utter hopelessness. We exterminated the other group, who believed their stupid beliefs could overcome raw strength. Only three of us, one of those being myself, managed to destroy their entire front-line army. Hundreds of shinobi, bandits, merchants...killed by three shinobi. They were hopeless, and they realized this as such. They gave up, joined our side, and now they live in harmony with us, under the fear that we will destroy them once again. My solution is that we begin purging, and watch as this hopeless mentality takes over, and the same thing will happen once more....unison".

Mamoru's insult struck a nerve. Flashes of Yakigakure's founding tormented his mind. Causing him to jump up and slam his fist upon the table. "You idiot! I might be the Yakikage, But I am the man who took the refugee's of Shimogakure, Yugakure, and your village. And together, we built the settlement that became their home. A safe haven so they can escape all the pain you five have caused upon their lives." His sharp claws pierced his desk. Teeth baring towards Mamoru. He locked eyes with the Raikage, accepting his challenge. "I have felt the Shinju's wrath, personally. I have watched children live their lives without fathers. Without food. Unable to find true happiness. I have bled for them. Cried for them. Me and my brothers," Dan's hand pointed towards Yami and Konmei. "We fought for your people. Gave them an alternative to war. And now they live happily in peace." Dan barked once more. "How can you say they are living in harmony under fear!?"

But he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder. Fusehime, invisible to all whispered sweet nothings into his ear. Calming her wild son. Leading him back into his seat. After rubbing his temples for a few seconds, he looked upon his attacker. "If this is what the Five Kage believe in, then I will have no part in it. My village was founded upon the aftermath of war. And like yourself, I have had to fight countless armies. I've eaten thousands of men for less than this discussion. All to protect the very people you turned your back on." "Heh," Kinpa mused. "Are you proud of yourself Raikage? All the war's you fought, aren't even close to the Fourth Shinobi War. I saw that war with my own eyes. You weren't even conceived yet. I understand what the Shinju can do. I was there, I can stand witness. Note who you call terrorist, is your own people, maybe even your own bodyguards. You Kage love to insult, but you have yet to propose a capable way for us to do this. Attack them? Who are we attacking, or purging? Everyone? Can you give me a correct answer? This is what we came here to do. Figure out who we are doing these things to. Whether it be compromise or war, you can't do it with yourself."

"Note, there isn't "Five Kage" anymore either. The Fourth War took away that title of prestige. It is now all of us, we are all the Kage you speak of. Like it or not, we are all apart of the Kage mantle. Say what you will, but I will not be phased. We Kage are united in this matter. Violence is always the answer it seems with you guys. But who are you fighting? If we seek to compromise, we can do it without attacking innocents. Your attack first, ask questions later mentality, or rather, attack first so they are no questions, will not work here. It will leave you with nothing, to rebuild again and restart a cycle as Shingi said. Only more hate will grow, especially when you don't know who the enemy is. If you talk to them first, you'd essentially have them right where you wanted them, because they would respond in faith that we have amended our ways. They would be right there, for us to do what we pleased. But if you enact force, they will just grow stronger. I was alive during your Kumogakure Civil War as well. There were sides already drawn there. It was clear who was on what side. This, is completely different. That, is why aggression will not work. We as Kage need another solution, and need to drop the "Main Kage" nonsense. Iwagakure doesn't even have a Kage. We are no longer five, we are many. Let us put our many minds to a single goal. First, bringing them out into the open, and then what we do about them. Dan's way would work. It would bring them out in the open for us, and not weaponize them against us."

''His chakra, that Raikage. I will have to talk to him later. The same chakra as Giyo,'' Kinpa thought. I will need his help, if he'll consider my offer.

Chieko had gone past any sense of reason. Pushing her chair backwards, she stood up walking slowly over to Kinpa with her heels clacking against the floor. She could feel eyes on her as she moved across the room, namely Kotone's. Her aide knew what she was going to do and thought about whether or she should stop her. Finally, she decided against it seeing as she would only be added to Chieko's anger.

"Why is it that you speak as though innocents haven't already been killed?" She questioned, now standing in front of the Tsukikage."Why is that you feel as though these are mere children that need to be guided into the right direction? Why is it that you downplay the destruction and death they have already left in their wake?" She raised her hand sharply. "You disregard their actions and focus only on helping them as if they're helpless and incompetent!" Swinging her arm down, her hand carried all of her anger and rage with it and was ready to strike Kinpa with all of her emotions. Kotone cringed as she knew what would happen next would be bad.

Isao Moto, Head Samurai of the Samurai who had been left behind by the Oda Genji, had been called to the summit to act as a guard, and to represent the Land of Iron as he saw fit. Up until now, he had been quiet, a much more shadowy being than the Kage in front of him. He didn't sit in the light, but in a small alcove off the main floor. Here he could observe the proceedings of the summit itself without being in the limelight. He sat in the traditional Seiza position, a formal style of sitting where one rested on their calves.

He had been listening into the Kage's conversation, and with annoyance noticed all of the arguing as he sat there enjoying a nice cup of tea. It was a strong brew, but strong is what he needed to listen to the squabbling going on among the various Kages. Two camps had appeared among the shadows above. One supported fighting the threat they all faced, a threat that had not yet touched the Iron, with the gauntlet of war, while the other wanted to respond to violence with peace. They wanted to confront the terrorists with a branch of olive. Both positions had their good points, and both raised serious concerns. So the Kage argued over the merit, more often than not personally attacking the others.

Then there was silence. All the squabbling stopped for a moment, and Isao's attention was drawn. It was replaced by a clicking sound as one of the Kages, the young female Hoshikage, gave into her feelings and lost control. She was currently walking towards the supporters of peace on the other side of the room. How ironic, the war camp is the one to get violent He smirked. However, his job was to keep the peace, and that was what he was going to do as he took another swig of his tea. Then he was gone, the tea still in mid air as it was slowly falling towards the floor.

The Hoshikage's hand was mere inches from the Tsuchikage's face as Isao appeared next to her with his front towards the young woman and back towards the older man, having moved as fast as his raw muscles would take him. Grabbing her at the wrist, he pulled her hand back, leaving her in the start of an arm lock. In this position, she would feel no pain, as he hadn't pulled hard enough to do so, though it was not a comfortable position by any means.

"Argue all you want my young Kage, but there is no tolerance for violence in this place full of shadows. If you don't want to follow this agreement, you can either be removed from the room or spanked like a child, your choice." He said in a way that would seem perfectly polite if one didn't concern themselves with the words actually spoken.

Kinpa sighed. ''That is the kind of action, that gets people killed. She's lucky I'm a nice guy, or else her navy would have been gone in a second.'' "For your information Hoshikage, I'm trying to spare more lives being lost." His deep blue eyes saddened. "I'd keep your hands to yourself, and act civilized like a leader. If you are one. I'd suggest you sit, and listen, because I don't think you have been. Black Crown's attacks cannot be forgotten. But do you want more of them? Because that is what you are bringing it too. Dan's way would bring them out in plain sight, it would be a done deal. No more devastation. But acting like you're doing now, will solve nothing woman."

Hikaru looked offended. "Thank you, Samurai, I appreciate your peace keeping. And I wouldn't suggest trying to hit people Chieko. It is not what we came here for. Did you even allow Kinpa to respond before trying to hit him? To us, that's essentially trying to show that are you are better than us, that you can just lay hands on another. My Kage expressed that we are equals, despite being older than you are; he didn't raise a hand against you, and he expects you to do the same. You have yet to here our idea in full at all, and this is hardly the time to get angered about anything. I'd suggest you sit down, before we take this as disrespect. We came to respect everyone here, no? Throwing hands, is not respect."

Maru spoke up as well. "Kage need to control their emotions. Even the radical Raikage stays seated. I have yet to speak in this issue, I am just observing for now." she pulled her face behind her fan. "We are here to talk, and decide something. As the samurai said, you can be thrown out, or listen to what we have to say without getting mad and trying to attack your fellow equal. Because that is what we are, equals."

Chieko couldn't described her seething passion to absolutely destroy Kinpa, but deep inside her heart that he made a good point. A Kage shouldn't act the way she has just now. Hearing the samurai's offer, her cheeks flushed slightly in angered embarrassment. Kotone reopened her eyes after having wondered why Kinpa's face hadn't been turned into a pancake yet. Seeing her leader in a hold made her move into action. That is, until Chieko prevented her from doing so.

"Stand down, Kotone." She commanded as her aide was ready to put her hands together into a seal. "I've calmed down for the most part." She closed her eyes and vanished and showed back up within her seat, somewhat brooding.

"This is something I knew was going to happen so I'll say it now...It's pitiful, how we, as Kage; leaders of our village, say we want peace, but can't come to equal terms of a plan against the Black Crown." Shingi took a small breath inhaling, that things that could come to happen, after his next quote. "Raikage-sama, I think you have a huge doslike towards the Uchiha, and from my understanding it seems as if you want to take down the entire call. But won't that simply, have the next "unknown" member bear the hatred against you, and seek revenge? That's not even close. Ill just tell you all how pitiful we are, no exception to anyone. You all want peace, and some say let's do it by taking them, the Crown, down. Others say, let's negotiate. When in reality, the can be no superior option. He was reproduce, one will always want true despair, and there also be the one that wishes to play the hero." Amaya grabbed onto him firmly.

"If anything I said offends any of you then, it's directed towards you. If it has really, mad you feel like you have been looked down upon, then by all means do share. You can all make a line, and I'll take you all on one by one."

"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding", a voice boomed from the table. A man, of incredible proportions stood up, among the Kage. His long blonde hair, silky, smooth like the skin of a newborn child, his blue eyes, his incredible muscular build...this man was known as Sannoto Senju, the child of Dan Kato and the late hokage Tsunade. Born in the middle of the Second SHinobi World War, and a combatant in the wars that followed, warfare was well implanted into his mind. "I have grown up knowing war and how it affects one. My father fell prey to war, my mother went into a depression and for the first few years of my life, I grew up under the impression that the third was my father. I watched friends die, comrades fall, lives destroyed and dreams deferred. From this, I understood that peace is not something that can be achieved by more violence. No, an eye for an eye only makes both sides blind eventually. From this, the only option I can, and will offer is to negotiate. To promote understanding and compromise between both sides", the Senju offered.

The Hokage Fūrin remained reticent from the start of the meeting. She was listening to the story of everyone in the equation. However, she decided that she would speak after Sannoto's statement. "I hate to intervene this quarrel, but I think it got intense to the point where the Kage would physically assault each other" she commented referring to Chieko's actions. "I think there might be a way to solve this without having to either give up, or just try to annihilate them completely. Konoha was a victim to the Black Crown as well, we suffered quite a bit from this organization. However, there must be a solution that could be satisfactory to every Kage and village. As was established in this meeting, we need information about this organization, but they are highly skilled in the art of disguise and seem to blend with the citizens very well. Nonetheless, there is a way to find out more information about this organization" Fūrin said as she tried to draw the attention of the Kages to her. "I think the way to do this is neither confronting them and trying to solve problems with violence, nor is trying to negotiate with them a solution. From the acts of this organization or rather, religious group, it seems that they despise shinobi, they won't be willing to negotiate" said Fūrin after thinking about the matter for a while. Fūrin didn't like confrontation, she preferred to let the breeze flow and not interrupt things believing that the way to solve things isn't by confrontation at all.

"I think we should do this in a more stealthy way rather than head on. Konohagakure is the home of the honorable Yamanaka clan, that possesses a very advantageous hiden technique. Their technique is essential for this to work. I can dispatch a squad of Yamanaka members in Konoha to find members of the clan, using their mind transfer technique. I'm sure we can develop a jutsu that enables them to read minds. After we dispatch and disguise them amongst the common civilians, they can read their minds to figure out which one is a member. After we figure out a member of them, these shinobi are trained in hand to hand combat, they would imprison him and we can completely extract information from their brain to find out more information about the organization. I think this way is better as the Black Crown wouldn't know our intentions and we can operate in secret" continued Fūrin as she waited for the response to her suggestion.

Kyatsu sat back in his seat, cusping his hands over his lap and placed his legs over the other, cross ways, observing and listening. Each and every point of view chimed as music to his ears, Ah yes... here we go... time to make this interesting. licking the corner of his cheek for a moment, and brushing his hair back. Trying not to come off as if he was enjoying the show, changing his features to resemble that of a perfectly designed portrayal of humility. "I have to say that I can't sit here and let my people get endangered by the likes of terrorists, no matter how deluded or mislead they may be..." lips falling short with a sigh, ending his statement for the moment. "They are people, not simple lambs. They can not be lead unless a dramatic change is made, and why would they when they have shown that they are changing our system?"

He felt his cheeks tense for the moment, "In the game of cause and effect - with so few actions, they are deciding our route for us. They are causing the Shinobi system to falter, to break down. And even if we extended our branch, if you held the power of , why would you back down?" eyes turning across each member here at the table. "With the ability to restrain tailed beasts in the hands of a mere citizen... now there's a thought." switching the legs he had crossed, all his thoughts running through his mind like a well oiled machine. He had to get the shadows here to join together, either together or apart, he had to take measures to see who was going to step up to the plate.

"Terrorists they may be, negotiated with? They may not. These people must be rooted out, not with force, but as the Shinobi always do. We act in the darkness, we act in silence. With such an infectious idea... sometimes we can't even trust our own shadows. But that's our way of living..." cupping his hands on the desk, Kyatsu bit his lower lip, "I put forth an action. Root them out like the seeds of wrath they are, we infiltrate, we locate where they train. This is a game of isolation, and sadly, this game will become one of attrition, the numbers are not on our side. Unless of course you're on that number..."

"We either root them up now, or we watch and then we sew our mistakes." the analogies this Summit was beautiful to say the least. Shifting his shoulders around, he looked to the opposing sides, one of peace, one of war. "It's your decision, my Kage. Olive branch or the sword - or we can sneak in there, and tear out the weeds before we lose all of our crops, so to speak."

Dan sighed at Chieko. Such violence only drove them farther apart. He had voiced his opinion and noticed that he gained support from Getsugakure. What we needed. He thought. Choosing to remain silent, he listened carefully. Slowly making eye contact with Chieko. Dan lived only four years longer than she has. So he understood her passion. But her anger would only undermine her heart. Tainting Chieko words among her peers. Dan listened closely and carefully. Beginning to wonder who among his village followed along. No. He interrupted himself. ''I cannot allow myself to start patronizing my village. My home. If they are, they have every right. I will change them. Show them a better alternative. They placed all their love and trust in us.'' Dan thought of his villages founding. A momentous occasion indeed. One of new hope and beautiful planning. During Kyatsu's speech, he analyzed him carefully. Their meeting room had been filled with all sorts of hormones and chemical secretion. And sadly, Dan picked on each. He knew who lied, who was nervous. Who had carnal urges. Every biological or psychological function received by his nose. And he took note. It helped during his own personal business.

"I have given my answer." Dan finally spoke. "And I stand strong by it. I will not raise the sword to my people's throats. I shall not offer terrorist an olive branch either." Yes, both sides could possibly lead others confused. So he continued on after a sip of water. "I am going to investigate in my village. Tighten up security. Assure that they are safe and free from such a dissolving philosophy. Any information gathered, I will share among Kage's who are not enjoying their personal little witch hunt. This way, I am not taking part in your people's suffering." Dan's nose twisted once more. "Oh, and Hashikagesama, I can understand why you are being so rash. Maybe we should hold a personal meeting when your week is up." He joked. His nose powerful enough to smell her period. As well as everyone else's biological secretions. However, for her, he picked up not only her hormones, but the immense amount of blood leaking. It twisted into one gigantic odor for Chieko. TO put into seeing terms, while everyone had a different color aura around their body, Chieko was surrounded by a gigantic red demon looming over them all. And Dan saw it clearly.

Shingi placed his hands under his chin and absorbed the Otokage's words. He listen to other opinions as well as conclusions drawing his own. He ruffled through his hair and passed his ponytail over his shoulder. "Takigakure will stay neutral, as our foe has yet to give us any problems. However, if there is anything we can do to help you, the other villages, don't hesitate to ask." Shingi then leaned back, he took a deep breath, as he began to do his move.

"I choose to side with Dan on this one. If we try a violent approach without knowing who's who, we'd only be doing them a favor by spilling innocent blood. And I'm not in the mood to be giving out favors to terrorists." Heiwa spoke out. Cupping her hands in front of her face, she let out a sigh. "All we'd be doing is playing into their hands by running in blind. Kyatsu has a good idea in trying to use deception to start luring the members out. If we can lure them in by falsifying attacks, we may just have a chance in finding out who's who. If we can get them to think some of their members are acting out of out their jurisdiction, they'd probably be quick to act against these members. If we can get them out in the open during this, we could capture them. But that's the Ten Million Ryuu question. How do we formulate a false attack that they'd be sure to react to?" Looking down at the desk, she began to wonder how such a plan would work. She didn't want to risk such a strategy if meaningless bloodshed would be involved.

A quiet, almost careful voice spoke for the first time.

"Kage-sama."

He was ignored. The Kage continued to bicker and shout, paying no attention to the attention the man was trying to grab. He wasn't small or particularly thin by any means, but his figure was botched up in the stone chair, making him appear like a child among men. "My Kage-sama."

Once again, it was as if he wasn't even there. The ANBU flanking him remained motionless, showing no reaction to their master's efforts, as if they themselves didn't even notice his presence.

"Kage-sama!"

The man jumped up from his chair and slammed his palm down on the stone table. It honestly hurt him more than accomplishing anything else, but at least it was enough for all heads to turn towards him. The man sank back into his seat, but made sure to straighten his back this time and speak confidently. "Forgive me for speaking so rudely. I know some of you might not value my presence here, since I'm not truly a Kage nor am I a shinobi, but my village and its country have been ravaged by Black Crown time and time again, and I feel like you are all overlooking its biggest strength."

"Black Crown is not a military organisation. I doubt most of its members would even make Chūnin within your shinobi system. Black Crown is nothing more than a symptom of a much bigger problem. The people are hopeless, my Kage, they have been suffering from famine and despair ever since the end of the war. Kurozome only exists because they needed some kind of ledge to hold on to, to prevent them from tumbling down into darkness. The people are sick and tired of war. I'm not talking about your shinobi, your families or all those others that have pledged themselves for the defense of their village. I'm talking about everyone else: the victims of the chauvinism, those who die crawling in the mud because of some conflict between people they don't even know. I, myself was a victim like that once. I know what it's like to feel wronged by the system, to be cast aside and never looked at simply because I could not mold chakra."

The room had fallen quiet under Makushimi's speech, and he suddenly became painfully aware of that. "You talk about 'rooting out' the problem acting as if Black Crown is a dead plant already. Black Crown grows everyday, not out of an urge for violence or the satisfaction of murder, but out of desperation. What do you think would happen if you would begin to start attacking the Black Crown? Where would you draw the line between these radicals and the other followers? Otokage-sama said those of Black Crown could appear as anyone, but Kurozome is everyone! And you want to 'purge the world of these creatures'? In my own city only one in five households does not rest under the tree every day. Would you order me to slay all of these, just to protect the other minority?"

Makushimi balled his fists and gathered his courage, standing up to talk to the faces of the most powerful shinobi in the world directly. "Violence will only inspire more and more of Kurozome to fight the shinobi system and eventually you will find your villages empty of innocents to protect! There is only one way to stop Black Crown and that is to convince the followers of Kurozome that the shinobi means no harm to them. We have to split apart Black Crown from the rest, convince the people that these radicals are disgracing the face of their God instead of fighting for it. Only then will find Black Crown that there is no one left to recruit, and they'll crumble down to a pile of barely-trained fanatics whose only might lies in killing themselves."

Kinpa had always respected the Iwagakure village head, and this time was different. He took what Heiwa, Dan, Makushimi, and Shingi said to heart, and then spoke. "So it seems you all have the wrong idea of "negotiating" can mean here. No, we don't intend on "giving them what they want." As the Iwa Village Head said, Kurozome is a ledge that Black Crown uses, and that most people use to stay afloat. To keep from falling. For those who don't know, negotiate can also mean, "find a way over or through (an obstacle or difficult path)." This is what I intend to do, give them a new ledge, a solution. Not giving them what they want. Their sins will not be forgotten, but the belief needs to disappear first. I plan to go around achieving what Iwa's Head said and maybe along the lines of what the Hidden Time maybe doing, for the good of the people. But in the meantime, I will do what I can to secure my village, before Black Crown can strike there. And as the Takikage said, I will be willing to help anyone in need as well, and I don't just mean when it comes to navies."

Hikaru seconded his leader. "I agree to," is what he simply said. "Kurozome can only be replaced with a new ledge, one that we have in mind to give its followers."

Maru stayed quiet, but nodded as well. ''That's what I will be doing in Yugakure as well, where the belief is much stronger. Though, I may devise a spying unit as well... I need to talk with them later about this.'' She looked on for the next person to speak.

The rebuttles had been said, every Kage had said their piece and each of them seemed to have a definitive answer. But they all needed time to actually think to themselves and allow room for self judgement. Kyatsu was no fool, what needed to be done was scattered amid the voiced opinions and thoughts of each person here. But now action had to take place. Inhaling deeply, he had heard enough and it was time to call for a brief dismissal.

"Dear Shadows, I am glad each of you have come to a relative answer. We seem to have made our headway, we all seem to have our decisions. Eradicate, peace, infiltrate, false information, or rerouting the ledge. All good decisions, all equal, all carrying costs and circumstances we may or may not be prepared for. I thank you all for joining us, but I request a two hour break for time to think on this and come to a final say on our actions once we return." Kyatsu stood from his chair, holding his hand to his chest and giving a curt nod to the group, a sign of respect to them, eyes shifting from each of them. Weighing in his trust of the men and women, and most of all, the Tsuchikage himself. A man with enough connections and circumstances around him to make him the focal point of this entire Summit - yet had not.

"For now, we break for two hours. You are all dismissed, return at your discretion." pushing his own chair back, he waited for the guards on the outside to open the large looming doors to the room, and for the security to be heightened. His black cloak shifting about him as he walked down the halls, having little interest in conversing with anyone till the meeting was back in session.

The room was null, and Shingi's eyes followed the mans cloak as it, exited the room. He looked at the other Kage, and from his seeing, some had been frustrated, some calm, and others, unruly. Another taking observation was Amaya. She surveyed everyone but couldn't draft a conclusion from calculations. "Shingi-kun. Lady Hoshikage displayed use of the Flying Thunder God Technique. Should I evaluate, and share my conclusion?" Amaya looked at Shingi awaiting a answer, and in her head, began to evaluate.

"No, it's fine. My head already hurts. Besides, I could use some ." He states, fantasizing about a very juicy watermelon, seedless, being chomped in his mouth then further sliding down his throat. It wasn't a joke, Shingi could really use a watermelon at this time.

Sub Roleplays
Summit of the Shadows: Soaking Away Their Troubles: Free to Join