"Che! The Gypsy should'a known!" The blonde haired chunin cursed her lack to comprehend the situation better, the 11th corps waved her furious fire jutsu like it was nothing before moving of the the sage knows where. Soon the other where moving towards the current location the the Hokage and his attacker. Wasting no time the girl rushed off towards the meeting point. What she saw there would no doubt question her loyalty to the village she grew in. Once she arrived, the Hokage was dead and the hooded figure was none other than Ayame Choko.

"Koko de nani ga okkotte irun desuka?!" taking on her goggles she looked in complete shock as Ayame gave her speech about how the village is not what it once was. She couldn't care less about send a snappy shot back at the killer. Nothing made sense anymore, why would Ayame kill the Hokage, the village was alright the way it was....right?

While she was not with the main crowd, she had a bird's eye view of everyone. Yamoto, the person she would least expect to comply with this utter madness, bowed down..and so did Daiki. It wasn't her call to name them traitors, but one by one the civilians of the hidden leaf started bowing to Ayame. Momoi bit her lower lip, but not enough to draw blood as her mind conflicted with itself. Submit to the woman for a better village..or defend the will of fire?

"Chi-chan...Yabê." she whispered "Yabê...this is revolt and a new age...what should the gypsy do?!" a scream from in front made her look once more. Giichi was running at Ayame with a blue spinning orb in hand "Dumbass, do you want to be killed?!" Forming the hand seals need Momoi was about use her jutsu when a hand pressed on her shoulder.

"Don't do anything rash, Gypsy." turning around, Momoi turned to see Yang behind her. "Whatever the hell is going on, you aren't in the position to do anything for anyone." her purple eye stared back into amber's."I'm not a ninja, nor do i plan to be one. But....i don't like this revelution."

"Yang....The gypsy doesn't like it as well." she rose up once more and looked at her older friend. Soon the Honeybader was going to attack Ayame as well, but her commander from the looks of things had stopped her and took her place. Saying that they were under arrest. "Can i borrow your phone, there is someone that needs to know this now." Yang nodded and fished out her phone from her cleavage and handed to her. Thanking the lighter blonde. Momoi quickly punched in two number.

Chihiro Hyuuga and 'That guy'

>Village has gone to shit, Ayame has killed the late hokage Zeno and declared herself the new hokage. I...don't know what to do...what should i do?!@AgentFallenSoul

---

In a darkened room, a phone vibrated, waken the man up. grunting with dissatisfaction and stared at the message "........." tsking after reading the message, he placed the phone down and went to sleep once more.

'That village doesn't concern me, anymore.' His yellow eyes gleamed before shutting his lids once more. 'Figure it out on your own, Gypsy.'

The deathly howls of the Hokage sent a shiver down her spine. Yuna had never heard such pain curdling cries come from someone before. During her time a shinobi she had never witnessed such an event as this. Granted, she was still relatively new to having moved to Konohagakure, but if she had realized that something like this could happen here, she probably wouldn't have come with her parents. Her daughter comes before everyone else, including this village. What kind of environment is she raising her daughter in where people get assassinated by their own people, comrades, friends...

Keeping herself still and composed, she watched coldly as several of the others bowed to the assailant once she revealed herself to be Ayame Choko. Yamato, Daiki, Chen, though the latter seemed to have some kind of malicious psychosis that made her suddenly eerily suspicious of him, Yuna shook her head in parental disappointment, saddened by the unfortunate turn of events lead by none other than the Hokage's Assistant herself and that by bowing to her, they were condoning her act. She sidestepped out of the way awkwardly, as Tatsuya, the genin she had praised from before, began emptying out his stomach on the ground, almost getting her. She frowned softly at him, as if pitying the poor boy. He looked so pale and sickly. This was such a brutal display he shouldn't have had to see, well, seeing as it SHOULDN'T have happened at all. She stepped over to him as he was raised back up by the Hyuuga jonin.

In a motherly fashion, she placed her hands on both sides of his face, as if cradling his face in her delicate palms. Yuna closed her eyes. "Secret Medical Technique: Touch", she whispered, as a warming and soothing sensation rushed under his skin, through his veins and over his entire body. The sickly, queasy feeling he was feeling before, would cease, and be replaced with a calming and relaxed sensation throughout. Like the after effects of an extremely thorough and supernatural massage. Releasing her hands from his face, she briefly smiled pitifully at him.

But he wasn't the only one to react emotionally and physically as well. A blonde boy produced a rasengan in a burst of outrage, but was stopped by his female comrade. And even when the presence of another female jonin was made present, but suddenly stopped by Mr. Maru, this truly showed how flawed this entire situation was. It was so immoral, so wrong, so un-called for. What kind of world was she trying to perpetuate by doing this? One where everyone just kills if they don't agree? One where everyone just takes, just because they want it?

This didn't have to be this way. There's always another way this could have been resolved. How discouraging. And the boy with the dog shared her same sympathies. This wasn't the type of Hokage she wanted her daughter to be raised under. She stood there hands grasped together in front of her as she pushed some of her long ginger hair behind her ear. She simply looked down in sadness, as if attending a funeral, listening without watching as Mr. Maru approached Ayame and the trench-coat wearer to arrest them, hopefully peacefully.

Yuna wouldn't approve of what they did. Not what SHE did. The young medical-nin wouldn't condone it. She'd comply for the sake of her daughter, but she had lost all respect for this woman. For what she did, for what she stood for, for what she wanted to achieve. This act overtook anything the woman may have envisioned for the future.

Shaking her head in grave disappointment, she'd live smart and act mature and agree for the future of her daughter.

But there was one thing she wouldn't do.

I shall never bow to this woman.

---

Aoi slowly tilted her head in slight confusion when Katsu randomly showed up and did what he usually did. Unfazed by his entrance, his words were what made the clown somewhat unsure a to what they were going to do. In her head she had already made a plan with Akio but he some how talked as if they didn't actually have one. Good thing the Tendou had the eloquence to tell him off and resume what they were doing. The problem was that they wouldn't actually have time to execute any of it for the simple reason that the Hokage was almost instantly killed after the masked man had frightened the bunch. It was hard to keep up at this point for the harlequin kept her stare fixed on the black man's agonizing face, unsure what she should make of this. Was it a failure or was the mission impossible to begin with? Was this even a mission? Shouldn't the Hokage defend his people against such overwhelming foes and not the contrary? The simple minded Aoi's thoughts were akin to someone like Tsukiko, she could only sniff out the weakness in this situation. Much like a critique to a badly executed play.

The grand reveal of Ayame Choko barely shook the clown for some reason, unlike her lover or multiple other people. If anything it made her blood boil as to how this 'twist' was executed that disconnected her from the current reality. She almost felt like she was in some play or some movie, and the ideas behind all of this became a lot more fluid in her mind than what she usually receipted as information. There simply no gasp or need to make a speech, for once she wanted to listen to monologues from people with a political lobby they're supporting. Consequently, anyone who would have the audacity to oppose not only people who were massively strong but had the entire spotlight of this 'play' would get the glare from the usually upbeat clown.

Giichi was being handled by Akio and Chen was being loud but didn't actually oppose this so he was left with a free pass. Most of the others were either silent or complied... Except for one. Nobunaga, a colleague of her's she had gone on missions with. He was being both arrogant for contradicting such a powerful stunt but also stupid for essentially exposing himself to such dangerous people. There was also the old Maru detective who came up but he was nowhere near as close as Nobunaga. Pulling out a couple of her cards, she swiftly launched them on his thighs as he finished his overly patriotic speech about some Will she was convinced she didn't have. Because it was an assault from behind and from a comrade, he wouldn't expect it. Added to that was the fact that Aoi was infuriated by the fact that he was pulling his blade out on a comrade. She wasn't aiming to kill him, but he was only worthy of bowing to whatever at this point. Actually she may have just saved his life.

"Oi! Quiet. The grown ups are talking, doggie boy."

As he said that with a unnervingly solemn tone which would be rather disconcerting coming from such a person, she'd grab Akio's hand and tug on her arm as the clown slowly approached both Yamato and Daiki as they remained submissive to the change of paradigm the village was going to face. They seemed to all have their reasons for doing this, Aoi was both caught by the moment but also had her Amegakure blood boil from this dominating turn of events. She couldn't help but feel more at home with such a thing being done, even if she had lived an entire life with a large family. Maybe she simply saw Ayame as someone who actually catered to the needs of Shinobi, unlike Zeno who was going to send her and her lover away to some whatever place she didn't even know about until they signed her up. She wasn't a Konoha native, she didn't feel very attached to this place to begin with. She could just leave if things weren't great anyway, so no point in being their next target. Plus if Akio didn't manifest her thoughts against it, it was all good, right?

---

---

Realizing that his dear sister had decided to go for the full blown reveal, Fujitora didn't have much else to hide at this point. Most of the onlookers had probably guessed by now that he was the one behind the mask. With a click of a switch on the left edge of his mask, the head wear broke down and fell into multiple pieces on the wooden floor. Along with it would be his hat that would drift away in the breeze of wind that happened to pass by. He ruffled his somewhat sweaty hair as he had worn that silly fedora for a little too long, the fact that he didn't like to wear hats in general didn't make him feel any better about his look right now.

Much like his sister, he appeared somewhat calm and solemn. This wasn't the casual Fujitora but the overly professional one who wouldn't hesitate to make heart wrenching sacrifices for what he considered to be the greater good. While he stripped himself from his God awful coat and ruined gloves, he saw fairly well how everyone was reacting to this, including Tsukiko who was close to bursting a vein and attacking the Choko siblings for what she probably saw as a form of treason. This estimation wasn't exaggerated, but Ayame could handle herself. Another immediate threat that presented itself was the Uzumaki child who ironically used the signature technique of the Hokage who brought Konoha to this peaceful stalemate.

He wasn't really a bother either as he'd get handled by neither the 11th Corp or himself, but by one of his colleagues. Speaking of which, an overly satisfied grin formed on the commander's face as he saw the Minamoru brat bow down. This was followed by the Naito/Uchiha wannabe, another rare thing to see. Chen's voice was indeed consumed by the crowd, but whether he was on their side or not, Fujitora would have to deal this potential obstacle for future works. But for now, the only true obstacle was this Samurai kid, Nobunaga. Just as the Hokage let the Choko siblings, a duo of immigrants, have so much power in Konoha he also let this child in despite the risks it could entail. When reminded of this, Fujitora realized just how much this murder was justified. Luckily for him he'd be shut up by that clown kid, a true Ame native indeed with what he estimated to be a respect for real power. Along with her lover who knew better than to stand in a confronting manner to people vastly superior to her.

"You could have laid down on the over-the-top speeches a bit, Aya. I think they got the idea."

Though the content was humorous, the way it was said and his expression were not those of casual laughter as his normal self would be. He knew full well he had complete power over most of the village at this point, and he'd be very well capable of displaying that by being challenged by Kaito Maru. He stopped Tsukiko's violent burst of rage, making the job easier for the Choko of course, by using his status as a medium to put a halt in this little scene. Fujitora glanced over at the man waving his arbitrary values and laws. The former commander couldn't help but be humored by the lack of touch this man had with reality at this point. They killed the Hokage, they took the throne, they controlled the most powerful intelligence institution in the country. Although the last bit of his lawful speech did shed light to the reasons why detective Maru was so deluded in his words. Cracking his left index finger with the corresponding thumb, he turned to face the law enforcer and slowly approached him.

"Pardon me as I go over-the-top like my sister just did. Ahem. Revolution takes many forms, breaking the tradition of putting the Shimura up to do the scrubbing of Konoha's filth is one of them, of course. Shimura has been ... Relieved of his duties and I, Fujitora Choko, am currently the Head Master of the 11th Corp."

He'd claim as he reached Kaito at arm's reach. The former commander slowly presented his left, cut hand as if he was demanding something from the detective. Considering the Choko's current status, this sign was becoming more and more obvious to the man attempting to arrest Fujitora and his sister.

"As your superior, I'm asking for your badge. You are suspended for unjustified assault on Captain Umene during an official event. Please remove your ninjutsu as well. As peacefully as possible, of course."

There wasn't any snark in his tone, but the situation was indeed made to make the man feel humiliated an powerless. But what could he do? The 11th Corp would likely snipe him down if he tried anything violent and he was somewhat confronted to a clash of ideals that could very well lead to more bloodshed than it should.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shouken had made his way back too the roof before the big reveal and found himself watching from afar the new leader. Many bowed, however Shouken stood tall and realized the lack of loyalty of the Leaf. His gaze was fixed on Ayame then shifted to that of the crowd, where he found many of his friends and colleagues bowing to their new leader.

A kage is murdered and people just...

He couldn't even describe his emotions towards the situation, he only knew that it infuriated him. Biting back his anger, Shouken soon came to the conclusion that his role as a Hidden Leaf Shinobi had halted. He would not stay another second in this village and swore on it. After coming up with this, his stare had caught sight of his father, who was near the back of the crowd, bowing. His anger had found it's way back and Shouken clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He knew his father was only trying to survive, but this was too far.

I'll be back Leaf...Father...

He had had enough disappointment and began retreating to the Southern Village Exit. His plan was to return to the sand and hopefully find Kumo. He was the one that first taught Shouken to use his water abilities and was one of Danguu's best friends, despite him not being a ninja. Tales from Suna say he was one of the most powerful ninja of the time in his youth. Shouken would exploit this and become strong enough to get to the bottom of what happened.

Seeing Akio give him a look as the big reveal happened, he sighed "You damned if you did something, your doomed if you don't, if she killed the hokage, then I'm sure that she would have had no problem killing you either, that is all I am going to say about it, you can hate me if you want, but like I said, we cant afford to lose more people, more than we already have in fact" he was however shocked himself, it had struck him weird that Fuji and Ayama were missing, but for them to be the ones that caused all of this? No to Katsu it wasn't even a thought, it wasn't even close to what he expected to be the case. Quickly he approached Fujitora, he held his hands up in a way that meant he only wanted to talk "Have a moment to speak with me Fuji? I'm not gunna sit here and pretend your sister didn't just kill the hokage, but...with what you're talking about, this whole persona you've seemed to have stirred up, I cannot say that it does not exist, that Konoha is at a point in time, that peace has been a bigger picture. I can agree with your sister, Konoha is but a shell of what it was, but my I ask why this has become such a problem, that you decided to take it into your own hands in this way?"

He looked at Ayama and then back to him "I will forever respect what you do Fuji, because I know you and your sister are smart people, and we've been good friends for a time. But, looking around now, does making a show out of killing the Hokage, send the right message? That this will be for the better, for the change of Hidden Leaf? Does showing that by killing people who stand for another purpose show to the younger generation? I know, they aren't dumb and they will make their own choices, but showing that you can kill someone to change something drastically like this, shows to the younger children that killing is something without meaning. Strike me down where I stand if you disagree with me, but that is my question, I want to know what you think, because I know you do things that you see fit in your own way, point in case here..." he slowly grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and then lit it, before putting his hands in his pockets, ready for an attack if were to come.



Chihiro watched as Gin and N.C.4 started to attack the two men and then suddenly one of them being lunched up into the air. Hearing a drop into the water of the sewer, she looked and saw that N.C.4 was quickly approaching her, making her tense less. "Good to see you too Jun, figured you got tired of watching them attack me eh?" she made a light hearted joke before turning and trying to figure out what they could possibly do in the situation at hand. Hearing splashing, she turned and used her byakugan to see that the boy was again chasing him "Fuck Fuck Fuck, alright, so I hope you planned something to hold him up, but the white haired guy with the sword, he's coming and I know what im at a level that i can fight, but not purely a face to face battle-" looking around she looked from left to right "We need to get out of here, immediately, we're like sitting ducks down here, and I don't suppose you have any ideas either right now..."

Looking around the man got closer to them by the sounds of it, putting a hand through her hair, she sighed "alright I think I have a plan, but be ready to move alright?" she moved forward "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" she pushed out forwards towards the ceiling of the sewer, making it crack and then she used it again, until it cracked even more. She used it once more and quickly grabbed Jun's hand "Alright lets go!" she said before pulling them along and quickly moving out of the way as the sewer ceiling caved several meters in and keeping the two chasing her from catching up, for now. Jumping up, she let go of Jun's hand, putting her hand on her headset she quickly started talk to both of them, though jun was behind her, running away from the now sunk in road "Alright Jun, think you can find a way out of this mess? Car, anything to at least give us an edge, or we can wait it out and let those two get caught by the ninja here, but that's risky. Gin, im heading back towards you, get your ass into overdrive, I gave us a small window, maybe, but it's something" she lowered her hand and quickly started running faster towards the direction of Gin through alleyways, trying to avoid the ninja looking for them.

---

The robot ha successfully caught up with Chihiro as it seemed that the iBomb had done a relatively good job, though there wasn't enough screaming in pain for it to confirm anything. Turning its head just a bit, its X-Ray Visor had a hard time grasping what was going on due to the large amount of pipes the bot had went through to create distance between the impact point and itself. The thermal visor was blocked out because of the heat and flames created by the explosion itself. It still assumed they were up and kicking, especially when one could simply fly from what information it could gather. There was no time to waste, they had to go out of there while the enemy was slightly dazed by the recent events. N.C.4's arm would attach itself back as Chihiro would begin to talk.

She warned the leader of the team that one of them was coming over, most likely the Blastsword user considering his latest feats regarding what could be assumed was burning alcohol with was inevitably Gin's mist. While Hiro panicked somewhat toward the situation, the robot would leave her to do what it demanded beforehand: to make an exit. It would stop on its tracks as she went on, a figure made of multiple connected wires would be formed on its left hand while its right hand went out to reach for something in a ninja pouch on its back. It was a set of five explosive tags, and it would toss them in the air behind it before suddenly making the irregular web of wires expand into a large net. As it expanded, a few edges of the net would stab through the seal of the paper bomb and pin them to the wall as well. There was essentially a large net with very narrow holes, a slight movement of these wires would make the whole thing pop.

N.C.4 wasn't content with just that, however as he could just make himself a shortcut by prowling through the pipe walls. The simple answer to this would be having the the right hand immediately spawn wires after tossing the batch of explosives and enhancing them so it could cut through most of the concrete and steel, but spreading the cuts enough to leave the strikes almost invisible and the structure intact. Like cracking ice, it would keep its solidity but a certain amount of pressure would make the entire thing collapse. This would result if he were to either break through the walls from above or any other direction, or blow up the wires themselves (which would entail also explosions from various directions his Blastsword wouldn't entirely cover due to its one directional strikes). This was done in a matter of a few seconds as N.C.4 was more or less specialized in precise work that demanded flawless dexterity. The best option would be for Yopparai to take another route which would be the best for the team too as the sewage system wasn't huge in this village and interconnected pipes were not very common. By the time he'd reach their location, they could have easily gotten away.

With that done, it would quickly catch up to Chihiro, leaving single explosive tags to drown into the water as they went. The Hyuuga would have used her ability to break an opening for them, something that could easily get some attention. However it wouldn't be as bad as the massive amounts of explosions that happened recently. Hopping with her out of the smelly death hole, it quickly analyzed the surroundings with its visors to make sure they wouldn't get ambushed.

"Hiro. I require you to keep an eye on our stalker. If he crossed one of my fixed explosive tags, say 'tag' and I'll immediately detonate them. Also, never lose sight of both. We must always keep distance from them."

But as he finished briefing, the Hyuuga ran off as if she had completely forgotten the goal of this entire mission. She was going off to get Gin despite his pleas for them to go as he tried to redeem himself. However N.C.4 already saw him as a liability, someone not worth the effort on anymore, or at least in death he could actually bring us to this mission. This made the robot feel exceptionally uncomfortable, so it chased the girl through the alleyways until they were somewhere completely concealed by darkness, there it'd grab her shoulder and stop her on her tracks. It then forced itself in front of her, its look no longer emotionless but distress and evidently upset by her behavior.

"You are being irrational, Hiro. Mister Gin requested that we move forward to terminate the mission. You are compromising us by not leaving this instant. Mister Gin! Confirm that you can hold yourself and we must evacuate."

It asked the mist user through the headset, wanting Chihiro to acknowledge that their exposure to such senseless risk would leave everything they had done in vain. The robot couldn't comprehend what was going in that girl's mind, she knew very well Gin was the extra that could very well be used as excuse for Konoha if anything got too sour. It mostly left the robot perplexed as to how her mind actually worked, after all she willingly killed her childhood friend but would save some interchangeable nobody she even had a certain grudge against for rather ridiculous reasons. The 11th Corp agent wouldn't let go of her until some for of reaction would be made.

Gin had watched the quiet one drop Yopparai into the sewer as he himself began to descend to the ground. Quickly Gin brought up two more clones, one with his wire and one without and sent them around the alleyway so that they would be in the alleyway in front of Tsukiya, ready to move when given the order. His footsteps still silent as he moved down the alleyway he was currently in but stopped immediately when he heard over the radio, "Alright Jun, think you can find a way out of this mess? Car, anything to at least give us an edge, or we can wait it out and let those two get caught by the ninja here, but that's risky. Gin, I'm heading back towards you, get your ass into overdrive, I gave us a small window, maybe, but it's something"

His eyes turned to a glare as he then heard Jun ask for him to confirm his ability to hold himself. He could, but he didn't know for how long. His voice over the radio was low with a steel edge to it. Listen here, when you're given a fucking job, you do it, regardless of your fucking morals. You know what you are right now Chihiro? Your a fucking coward, you aren't a ninja Hiro, you are a fucking coward, don't worry about me and finish the damn mission. I told you to go, I gave you the window and your going to blow it? If you come back for me, then your dead to me." He said before cutting off communication with her. A tear or two fell down his eyes. Gin never meant any of what he said but she was right when she first told him that. He took a few deep breaths and suppressed his feelings before turning his attention to the newly grounded figure. Once again bringing up his mist to cover them both, he then moved out of the alleyway behind Tsukiya, his silent technique hiding his movements as the two other clones dashed towards him head on. The rigged clone would move to Tsukiya's left and with a slash that would be aimed for Tsukiya's shoulder while the other came from the right with a thrust to the neck. THis would hopefully allow Gin to come in from behind low and bring his blade up into a angled slash. Should it connect, it would slice up and across Tsukiya's back, at least, that is what he was hoping for.

---

The swordsman’s blade had boiled his blood. He had kept the Naito in him in check for a long time but the man’s blade had drawn blood, his blood. He felt chakra race to his eyes and struggled for several seconds to contain his rage. However, the more he held the dam closed, the more anger piled behind it. When it finally burst open, Daiki stood to his feet slowly, with the blade resting on his neck. He had no fear for this man or his ambitions, in fact, if anything, he felt some venom towards it suddenly.

As Nobu spoke, patriotically or not, Daiki summoned a shadow clone in a puff of smoke. The clone appeared without warning, appearing low and between them. With hands so quick that the tight space would allow little movement, the clone delivered a jogging back-hand while grabbing the swordman’s wrist and breaking it with a fluid but weighty pressure. The real Daiki remained still as the ongoings continued, his gold eyes calm.

The clone held tight to the man’s wrist, inducing a pain that could cripple the foe’s entire body. Daiki, however, was never one to underestimate those that threatened his life, so he mercilessly gripped the man by his throat and slammed him onto the ground. A mighty show of strength indeed, but it was the difference between them that led to this outcome. Mercy. His clone let go and kept watch out for anyone willing to interfere.

A near primal expression laid on his face as he snatched a kunai from his pouch, twisted in the same moment as the slam, and stabbed it into the chunin's other shoulder, slicing through the muscle and into the bone. For whatever reason, Daiki fought the urge to actually kill the man, but it was still there. He started to cut deeper into Nobu’s arm but was interrupted by another reveal. Tsukiko had arrived and was enraged at that.

---

---

Giichi fell on the stage in mid-air, his rasengan twisting and grinding into the dais. Wood splintered and cracked where he laid, leaving him in a husk of broken material. Paralyzed, he found it difficult to speak. A current drilled itself through his body, hands, and fingers. The Will inside of him still burned and he was wished to move his lips, to further put into words his emotions.

“Damn you! Damn you! You’ll watch this village and its ambitions be snuffed out? Cowards!”

---

---

Tsukiya took note of the mist that filed into the otherwise clear crater. His icy eyes shifted from his peripherals as he stood completely still. The enemy must had been close by, if not, then he would not have applied this vision impairing jutsu. He released his chakra just for this occasion. He suppose that this ninja was an opportunist … that would be his downfall.

He spread his hintless zone out ten meters and knew then that the ninja had sent clones to attack him from the front and was actually behind him. The ninja wouldn’t know that the zone was activated, no clue was given to those inside. Tsukiya remained still within the mist than strung together four handseals as they drew closer. As he did this, a circulation of wind surrounded him, sucking in the unsuspecting clones and ninja. Hards bricks from the explosion, sharp branches, and shards of rocks from his Gaea’s wrath technique danced within the tornado, battering the opponents that was trapped inside.

Within the eye of the earthly storm, Tsukiya stood with his head partially towards the ground, his arms folded as he listened to the carnage inside. He held no sympathy for a fool that thought second and attacked first.

---

As the chaos increased in front of her, Ayame only kept watch, not doing anything to stop anyone of the people coming for her. She noted that Yamato bowed before her, as expected of him, and soon after Daiki bowed too. That was expected as well.. the Naito's loyalty was something intricate and idealistic. Very different from the Minamoru, but it ultimately led to the same thing - submission. There was even a crazy psychotic guy who was simply clapping about the death of the hokage. Ayame made a mental note to have him researched - such a mentally damaged shinobi would only be a damaging factor to the forces.

Both Giichi Uzumaki and Nobunaga Inuzuka opposed her - openly, something that Ayame expected from Giichi. He was young, and he was an Uzumaki. And Ayame had just struck down everything that his ancestor, Naruto, stood for. Nobunaga on the other hand.. that was an unexpected turn of events. He spoke of the will of fire, but ofcourse, he twisted Ayame's words. SHe had never said the will of fire didn't burn anymore.. it's just been misinterpreted. He drew his blade across Daiki's back, no doubt a sign of revolt against the jonin's decision to bend the knee. Ayame didn't interfere but simply watched as the chaos unfolded. This wasn't how she had envisioned it to go. Why were they infighting? It didn't matter, really. The 11th would clean up anyone that tried to openly revolt against this coup. But still. It irked her..

When Tsukiko arrived she was quickly stopped by the Maru man, a policeman if Ayame remembered correctly, who utilised his ninjutsu to capture the fugitives. He talked, and talked. It was all nonsense. You can't arrest someone that just killed the hokage. That was madness. And then to think he'd arrest Shimura too. Ha.. Fujitora elaborated on that perfectly. It was clear to the Maru just how much of this revolution had already been put into place before this all even happened. The 11th corps had been under Fujitora's control for months already, and Shimura was just another captain to do Fujitora's bidding at this point. Fujitora also asked to release Tsukiko.. which was a fun thing to do. She'd no doubt still come charging in like an idiot - and so Ayame prepared mentally. Physically she didn't move, only looking from Fujitora who was at his side, to the front, overlooking the large crowd.

But everything died down the moment Ayame opened her mouth to speak again. There was a certain emotion in her eyes, a flicker of light perhaps, but that died out soon enough. “I wish to tell you something. I come from Amegakure, so I am an outsider here. I have no real claim to this hat, or any claim to the title of Hokage. Amegakure citizens are treated as second rank citizens in every country, and even in Amegakure, there are many ways that even in their own homecountry, we deal with that. I came to Konohagakure to escape that, because I heard of the will of fire. I was met with dissapointment.”

She looked at Fujitora, who had been at her side throughout the entire adventure, and reminisced about her father who was, likely, in Amegakure at this point. It'd been some time since she'd heard from him. She wondered in this still moment what had become of him after mother's death. “The Will of Fire.. it's not true. It's been misinterpreted and misrepresented over the years. The Will of Fire is not peace and eternal friendship. It's not open mindedness towards everyone that wishes to live here simply because Konohagakure has it good.”

“The Will of Fire is looking after your own, protecting your people, protecting your village from anyone that wishes to do it harm. It's not making bonds with other villages over the back of your own people, it's making deals with other villages to further your own goals. Starting now, Konohagakure will be shaped in the way I see it fit. And that means that Konohagakure will not be sending any more of our children to die in the name of some vain village far away, that means we will not give up any more rights and powers for the sake of maintaining peace.”

“It means we will get back our power. And we will start with that. Now.” Slowly, Ayame's hands closed together and started forming handseals, which would appear to many as if she was going to attack Tsukiko in a pre-emptive strike. But after the handseals she raised her arms and looked at the sky, which had slowly become covered with black clouds during the duration of her speech. True to her heritage, she performed a jutsu known very well in Amegakure. “Ukojizai no Jutsu!” As she raised her hands slowly it started raining, starting with slow spats of water, before turning into an all out rainstorm.

Slowly she looked down from the sky, upon the group again. The atmosphere had changed dramatically, and to make sure she remained somewhat dry, Ayame pulled her hood up again to cover herself. “I am from Amegakure. We have no Will of Fire, no Will of Rain. But we have one thing, and that is power.. no political influence, no army.. but every citizen of Amegakure is strong in and of their own. Remember that when you challenge my authority. I have no claim to the title of Hokage, but all of you know you will give it to me.” Looking upon Tsukiko once more, she shook her head. She wondered why she had even thought about making that woman jonin commander.. she was much too rash, and didn't see the benefit of this coup. Maybe she would come to terms - time would tell.

---

---

Yamato reacted rather quickly, grabbing Daiki's flak jacket as soon as he grabbed his, pulling on Daiki's vest as much as Daiki pulled on his. His teeth were clenched and showing, but he didn't say a word to Daiki. This was no longer a rivalry, now. Knowing that Daiki carried a kekkei genkai, that Daiki was as much cursed as any other person with a bloodline limit.. this had turned into a state of te two of them being enemies. And the fact that Yamato didn't speak out spoke books about that - he was truly angry. But Daiki seemed to see the light finally. He let Yamato go, and Yamato let Daiki go. Yamato got up again and looked down at Daiki as he kneeled. “Isn't conflict what your entire god forsaken clan is after, Uchiha. Your clan has been at the root of the worlds' problems since the creation of ninjutsu.. don't pretend you can escape that fate. You may pretend to be a Naito, but I know what you hide now that you've shown me. Starting today, we may be in the same village, but if you ever get in my way again, I'm ripping those eyes from your face..”

Rei had reacted slowly when Giichi charged off, not realizing at all what had happened until it was too late. She had simply been so astonished by what was happening. Yamato accepted Ayame as the new Hokage, which was as much a shock to anyone else as to her as for anyone else.. no doubt it was a plot by her father, she thought, and as such she would have to accept Ayame as well. She extended a hand to grab Giichi and hold him back, realizing he was plunging himself into death more or less, but she was too late. She was forced to watch as Giichi attempted to commit suicide by openly attacking Ayame, the new Hokage. But as luck would have it Akio was quick enough to stop him, leaving room for Rei to run up and kneel besides Giichi. “Giichi, please.. this is not the way. The other kages will surely not accept this.. you need to think of your father and mother, too.” she said as she put a hand on his side, before grabbing his arm and trying to lift him up. It seemed he was paralyzed, but laying this close to the very person that had just murdered the Hokage was probably not going to be good for Giichi. She looked up and saw that Yamato was now approaching her, seemingly done with Daiki.

“Rei, let's go. We need to go home.” he said, looking down at Giichi. He wanted to help the young boy, but fairly, he found it rather stupid to attack the very person that had just more or less taken the throne. Besides, Ayame was speaking the truth. Konoha had, throughout it's history, been the only to make attempts at friendship with the others. And that had ultimately always ended in concessions from their side.. it was time to take back what was theirs.

“Giichi. This is not your place anymore. The Uzumaki are a powerful clan, I will admit that, but the current hokage is a Choko, not an Uzumaki. You have no say, and neither does your family. Not directly, anyway. It's best you go home, and let the grownups handle this. Your father and mother will know what to do.” he said as he approached Rei and put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to let go of Giichi. Yamato had always been kind to Giichi but that seemed to have suddenly changed, or atleast, he was a bit more neutral now. “Conflict is brewing not only in the world, but within Konoha. I can just say that I hope you pick the right side in what is going to follow this, and that I end up on the same side. There are larger forces at work here.”

Yamato thought back to when they'd met Kusaru, and how Kusaru spoke to Fujitora and Ayame as if they'd met before. Somehow that made sense, now. “Good luck, Giichi. Don't die. That'd be a s-” Suddenly he halted his sentence and released Rei, noticing that Nobunaga dragged his sword across Daiki's back, and that Daiki after that fought back. It seemed Daiki had the Uchiha blood, but the Naito spirit. All Yamato could think of was how he'd stop this idiocy, but ultimately he decided that Daiki should make his own calls regarding who to piss off. It seemed he was rapidly making enemies, however. “Rei, go home. I'm gonna watch so I make sure that this doesn't get out of hand.. yet..”

Rei simply nodded and looked at Giichi with a face that said 'I'm sorry'. “I'll talk to you later, Giichi.” she said before getting up and running off, past the crowd towards their home. She was unsure what to feel at this point, but there was something bigger going on here and she could feel it.

Before he'd even realize it, soft fingertips had gently rested on the back of the Naito's neck. And for a brief moment, a pulsing sensation of immense aching pain would course through his hand, with the hope that the sudden sensation of pain would make him drop the kunai and end his brutal assault on the much weaker Nobunaga. Secret Medical Technique: Touch. This was one of the few times she had ever used the technique in this manner. What Nobu initiated was certainly uncalled for to prove his point, but what Daiki was doing to him was even worse. And it was unnecessary. This whole situation was to be honest. The pain in his hand holding the kunai would only last for a few seconds, but hopefully it would stop Daiki from ripping into the Inuzukas arm. She was too distracted by this to even realize how Fujitora was practically emasculating and making a fool of Mr. Maru.

Yuna walked from around behind and glared at the Naito with a motherly, but stern eye. Her gaze was icy and completely disapproving. He looked like a bully and her expression to him would be very clear of how she was feeling. Disappointed. "Enough". Even-though he was of a higher-ranking, under the circumstances, enough was indeed, enough. A hope that he would not turn on her played briefly through her mind, but it wasn't enough to deter her from stopping this man from digging his fangs into someone she still considered a child.

Stepping up to the Inuzuka, she carefully felt his broken wrist, and moved her comforting hands along his severely penetrated shoulder and his arm that had been jabbed and ripped into as well. And to top it all off, two cards were sticking out both of his thighs, though not very deep, but still. It was...bizarre, since she didn't see where they came from. She looked back at the Naito with a look that said, Did you really have to go this far?, first using her secret medical technique to numb some of the pain that had been incurred by the Naito's attacks. Very carefully, she pulled out the cards from his thighs as if pulling out splinters. Thankfully the wounds left behind were not very deep, but did bleed more than expected. After quickly healing them first, Yuna then placed her palms on his arm as an aquamarine light began healing the deep gash. As she healed him, she listened carefully to Ayame's words, her goals, aspirations, what she trying to achieve.

And then the rain came. Yuna closed her eyes, raised her head towards the darkened sky, and sighed deeply. She quickly became soaked and her long curly hair drenched over her girly frame. Looking back down as she continued to heal his harm, she watched out of the corner of her eye as Rei, who was trying to aid Giichi, was sent home by the older Minamoru. She looked at Yamato with a strange expression, before looking back down to Nobunaga's wounded arm. As she continued, she analyzed his shoulder wound. Her keen perception and extensive medical knowledge learned from her father made her especially helpful here. But even by herself, and with all his wounds, she couldn't heal them all in a timely fashion. Talking to no one in particular, she spoke gently. "It'll take too long to heal all his wounds here. His wrist is broken and his shoulder is severely wounded, down to the bone. He needs immediate and extensive medical attention. Can someone please help me take him to the hospital?"

Yuna didn't bother interjecting her own personal feelings on the situation, she just kept her gaze focused on his arm, not bothering to look up to anyone. Once his arm had been healed, she moved to his severely wounded shoulder and began working on it, though this wound was most certainly going to need extensive medical attention because it would take her way too long to try and heal it where they were. But even still, she'd get started. At least she was able to numb some of the pain, which helped.

Whatever she could do until someone was willing to lend a helping hand. All the unnecessary brutality that took place today was just....

Sad.

Chen clapped some more at the end of that dramatic speech and felt the rain hit his bare skin. He considered putting his hood up but decided he liked the rain. Chen mulled over Ayame's words and felt she was correct in many ways. He may even adopt this new Will of Fire, he never liked the old one. Maybe he should speak, all of this fighting was going to cause a civil war if it kept up. Then again, a civil war would mean a lot of fighting.

Chen began to walk towards the Inuzuka after he saw him slice the neck of Daichi but he backed down after Daichi began to manhandle him in return. It was getting quite violent actually. When Daichi began to actually gut the boy was when he decided to act. While he may be a psycho with no friends, he didn't tolerate misuse of power like that. "Stop. Your anger controls you and you look like a child throwing a tantrum. This is a fellow Konoha Nin and you're injury of him is uncalled for and stupid." Chen finished and looked at Yuna. He grinned and shook his head. "I don't believe I've seen medical jutsu used quite like that. If I had known it could hurt I would've tried to learn some." Chen tried to joke around but stopped as he realized this was not the time nor the place.

"I will assist." Chen stepped forward towards her. He stood in the rain and felt it on his bare skin as he thought about his words. He cared little for people and he was quite honest about his stance on weaklings. The boy's bark was bigger than his bite and he payed for it. However... "This was uncalled for. Breaking his wrist should've been enough, you could've crippled him just now. I don't care much for the boy, but I do care about our military power." Chen stepped in between Daiki and Yuna just in case. "What is the proper way to carry an injured teen? I didn't pay much attention to the courses which involved helping people." Chen tried to smile to lighten the mood but he just looked as psychotic as ever when he did. He really needed to practice the whole being nice thing.

---

Nobunaga only stared at Daiki as the Naito began his assault. He would not fight back. He would not even give him a slight bit of resistance. His point was already made and fighting right now would only end in his death. Even if he stopped Daiki, there would be so many others. Those that believed in Ayame. Nobunaga hand waved Oichi to calm down and sit before he was forcefully slammed into the mighty earth below their feet. As it all came to pass, all Nobu could do was stare at Daiki. His eyes never left the man's own gaze. A wince in pain as the kunai tore through his shoulder but never a break in eye contact. No matter what happened here, Nobunaga would raise up again. Another time and another place but for now Daiki would be one of the few he wanted to take out. Ayame, Yamato, Fuji, Daiki, all of them. All of the idiots that agreed with them deserved it too. Maybe it was anger. Maybe he had finally felt the beast in him that his mother always toted about.

The wound dealt to his arm was painful indeed and a young woman, a chunin like himself, arrived to help him in this situation. Nobunaga finally broke contact with Daiki and rested his face on the dirt, taking in the pain from his wound. It was hard to describe how painful it could be to feel a kunai all the way down to the bone but Nobunaga knew it well. The initial response in attempts to cripple a swordsman. Fortunately there was someone there to help him. She had succeeded in healing his hand but it would take time to heal his shoulder. Warm blood slid from his shoulder, splattering along the ground. He knew he would survive but just what could he do next.

"Thank you." Nobunaga muttered to Yuna as he closed his eyes and rested right there.

---

Despite the turn of events and Fujitora administering a new authority over him, Kaito didn't appear to be bothered in the least. His serious expression didn't change at all, his body language showing no signs of stress, worry, or even anger. He matched the gaze of the man before him silently for a moment before letting out a sigh. He patiently waited for Ayame to finish her speech as well, slowly lowering his hand that held the cuffs as time went on. When the woman brought the rain down, Kaito casually formed a black, crystal umbrella and held it over his head. With his free hand he reached inside his jacket and withdrew a particularly shiny badge. The Superintendent and former Head Detective reached over to Fujitora, holding the badge out.

"When order is neglected, even for a single, special case, all other cases are taken in a new light," Kaito began. "If order is not absolute and consistent, then there can be no order. No peace or security can be found." After Fujitora took the badge, Kaito turned away and walked over to the large black crystal that contained Tsukiko Umene. "Do not be surprised if you two share the same fate as Zeno Hakaresu." Now his free hand moved over to the crystal that surrounded the enraged wild woman.

---

---

The moment the crystal that had captured her was ground into fine dust, her hand shot out and latched onto Kaito's jacket collar. Tsukiko lifted him off the ground, holding him up with her single hand. Despite this violent reaction, Kaito managed to remain perfectly calm, even still holding his umbrella over his head perfectly vertically to remain dry. "Don't you ever try that shit again with me, Maru," Tsukiko threatened, lowering the man so as to bring them face-to-face now. "I'll put you in the ground before you can even apologize." After Tsukiko released him, Kaito took a moment to readjust his jacket to make it comfortable again. "I'm sure you will. I did you a favor, Umene. I never intended to apologize."

With that, the main jumped down from the platform with a splash against the puddles forming on the square below. Tsukiko angrily stared down at the back of his head as he walked away, but after a few seconds she returned her attention to Ayame and Fujitora. "And as for you two assholes!" Tsukiko pointed a finger at Ayame menacingly. While some of her rage had subsided with time, given that she wasn't immediately trying to kill either of them right now, it was clear that she was still mad. The rain didn't even bother her, she seemed to not even notice it despite how quickly she was getting drenched. "You two might be smarter than me, but don't think that gives you any kind of right to make a fool out of me."

"You should both feel fucking lucky that I didn't kill you. Considering how pathetic you made me look I have every right to end this stupid revolution here and now." Now she aimed her finger and furious gaze at Fujitora. "But I like you guys. So I'm willing to give you two a second chance." Her hand went down now, both now resting on her hips as she leaned forward to look more imposing. "The next time you feel like betraying me, fucking don't." With a huff, Tsukiko turned away from the Choko siblings, facing the crowd that had gathered in the square.

Only now did she seem to notice the rain coming down. Tsukiko brushed her wet hair back over her shoulders and looked down at her feet. The blood from Zeno's corpse was being washed off the platform, draining past her boots. The woman faced the corpse now, crouching down to get a better look at the late Hokage. While she would never admit it, she did have respect for the man. He was strong, after all, and he had also done a lot for her in the past. One of the reasons she wasn't put down as a child was because Zeno had shot the idea down after she was brought to Konoha. Though she would like to think her entire career came from her ability alone, Tsukiko knew that Zeno kept her out of a lot of trouble by turning a blind eye to her disposition and outbursts. Her violence could've ended her career several times already, but he kept her instated as a shinobi rather than lock her up.

There was a kind of sadness in her heart, but her expression didn't change. The wild woman still appeared angry as she reached out and closed Zeno's eyelids. "Will of Fire, eh?" Tsukiko mumbled to herself, proving that she had heard everything when she was in the crystal prison. "... stupid philosophy..." Standing upright again, she looked up into the sky, uncaring of the rain falling on her face. After sniffing a few times, Tsukiko looked back down at the crowd. There was obvious mixed feelings about Ayame and Fujitora's revolution, and Tsukiko had her own mixed feelings too. "I'm gonna take a week off," Tsukiko said aloud, still not looking at Fujitora or Ayame. "I need to kill some things."

---

---

The young detective rushed onto the square just in time to see his father jump down from the platform above, where the Hokage had given his speech. And where the Hokage lay now, deceased. Ayame, Fujitora, and Tsukiko stood over the body still. Considering the clothes of Ayame, it didn't take long for Shin to figure out what had gone down. An anger began to burn inside him, previously unheard of. Shin was never known to get mad. But something about this whole situation changed him. His hands clenched into fists and he bared his teeth in a sneer. How can they do something like this? How long have they been planning it? What do they have to- The teenager didn't even notice his father approaching until a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Shin," Kaito greeted, snapping Shin out of his rage. "Father, can you explain to me what is going on?" His father continued walking, prompting Shin to follow him. They remained silent until they were no longer in the square, and thus out of earshot from the majority of the shinobi present. "Ayame and Fujitora Choko staged a coup. They killed the Hokage and took his seat," Kaito began. "I could tell that much for myself...""Tsukiko Umene was not a factor. She was, however, a wild card that seems to have ultimately sided with them." Shin brought a hand up to his chin as he thought about it. It did make sense that Tsukiko would support something violent, especially if the outcome would allow her to continue being violent in the future. "But what else is going on? I know there's more to it than that."

Now his father turned his head to face him as they walked through the rain. "They had been planning this for a while. I had always advised the Hokage against admitting foreign shinobi, as I did when they first arrived years ago. As always, however, he ignored my warnings. I had paid a close eye on those two for the past few years. I was aware of their opinion of Zeno, but never figured they would try to kill him. Perhaps I had grown too comfortable with them as time went on. But this was a good dose of reality." Shin began to look concerned now. While his father had always been the pinnacle of calm and concise, he was starting to have a dark tone about him. "I no longer doubt my instincts. When my suspension is over, I will take steps to bring law and order back to Konohagakure. Immigrant shinobi will be thoroughly inspected and screened with strict provisions. If I can convince Ayame to declare a state of Martial Law, I can purge all dangers to our society within a few weeks."

Shin slowed down slightly now. This was the closest to anger he had ever seen coming from his father. On top of that it had become apparent that his plans were quite morally questionable. "Wait, I thought you didn't approve of the revolution? Why would you turn to them for support?" Shin inquired, now picking up the pace to match his father again. "My job has always been to maintain peace through order, Shin. Today caused an upset to that. Konoha will be tested in the coming months thanks to the instability caused by the coup. My differences with the Choko can easily be put aside to protect the city. While I do not agree with their actions, I cannot change them. I can, however, make the best of the situation and begin fixing the problems that will arise instead of ignoring them to focus on our leaders."

The young detective scowled, but he knew his father was right to a degree. It was a waste of time to be angry with the revolution. "I suppose you're right... but your idea from earlier... don't you think that's a bit harsh? Surely people will disagree with you and denounce your plan." Now Kaito stopped and looked at Shin. His son was about the same height as him, so they could see eye to eye. "The world's opinion of me does not affect what I do," he explained. "I serve to keep order, by any means necessary. This will keep our current leaders from being violently assassinated and throwing Konoha into a state of upheaval. Repeating what happened today will only compound our problems, and I will ground out that possibility. I may not like the Choko siblings, but if they were to fall now then Konoha would surely fall with them."

---

Rain fell from the sky and onto his face, first, it was slow. But it seemed, the heavier his heart got, the heavier the rain got. Giichi looked around himself, barely hearing Yamato’s words through his own anguish and mental yelling. His body wouldn’t move, his Will was being ignored. By the time Yamato had warned him of the changing times, Giichi had felt abandoned. Abandoned by his hero: Yamato and abandoned by the one he liked: Rei. For the longest time, he sat there in the bent and cracked crater, wood pricking him through his clothes until tears fell down his eyes.

The rain hid them well. But it did not simmer the hatred brewing in his heart. He clasped his mouth shut as his teeth fell down on each other, the pressure pitting his jaws against each other. When he felt like his teeth would fracture from the pressure, he heard two drop down near him. Suddenly, the rain that fell over him had ceased touching his back and he had been lifted off the splintered ground with little effort. Beyond the deafening rage and the pattering sound of the rain, he heard his mother and father.

“Take him home, Sachi.” His father’s voice was authority, iron-bound; there was no room for arguments.

A confirming mhm! was all he heard as he was hefted onto a slim, soft back. His body seemed to lay over his mother’s as he laid his head helplessly on her shoulder. Fragile at it was, it held sturdy against his weight.

Guilt soon infiltrated his heart as he was carried away. He was incapable of halting the revolt, defending his family’s legacy, and even allowed himself to be shamelessly put down in his efforts. He covered his face with the little bit of movement he had, digging his eyes into his mother’s shirt as they traveled.

“I messed up, Mom. I really messed up. Pl-Please forgive me,” he sobbed quietly.


“My child,” escaped his lips as Sachi and Giichi bounded from the dais. The rain fell over him, his leather jacket slid the rain off in droplets. He turned his luminous eyes onto Ayame and Fujitora, Tsukiko too. “His chakra is darker. Its tainted with disappointment, despair … hurt. I’ll say these words to you. As a warning. He will not easily forget this … be prepared for a storm in the future.”

He eyed the chaos in the crowd with disappointment, a visible disgust on his otherwise tense face. With a deep sigh, he turned his back on it and started to leave. However, he felt the urge to issue one more warning. For his own benefit and pleasure.

The dais cracked and splintered even further, ambers danced from his body and scarf until fire began to rise from his lax arms, clothing, and hair.

“Three months. Give my family three months without intervention. Let Giichi soak this in. That’s all I ask for.” Slowly, his flames died down and the steam that raised from the heat colliding against the rain ceased and he leaped away into the leaf’s busy streets and buildings.

---

---

The action was quick, if not wholly decisive. His clone gave the medic a powerful kick to the side before she could touch Daiki, his Sharingan swirling inside as he summoned Anemone. The chakra radiating in her hand was enough for him to believe danger was certain. He looked up to see Chen approaching and knew then that he’d cripple this boy just as badly as Nobu if he interfered. He had irked his nerves earlier and now … well now he was just intolerable. Daiki made an invisible line for the youth, one that if he crossed it, he would be attacked mercilessly.

For whatever reason, enraging thoughts just continued to pool from his mind, fueling his rage. Saburo’s words, Yamato’s declarative curse … His Uchiha heritage and by default legacy. But why had it dug into him so deep? And how long had he held this back, this predator of rage and wrath? It must had been too long, because he was having trouble establishing prey from innocent. Daiki grabbed his head with a single hand. A harmless breath left him as he attempted to reined himself in. Soon, haggard breaths escaped him. The rage was bucking back, ripping from his grasp.

“C’on calm down,” he growled between gritted teeth. He stumbled onto his feet, off Nobunaga, and backed up from the others.

The clone glared at the girl without remorse, standing between the pair and Daiki. “Interfere again and you die. Let him decide what he wants to do.” The clone’s crimson eyes staid on the pair, his blade pointed towards Chen.

Daiki finally spoke up after several long seconds. Turning his back on them all abruptly. “Get the fuck out of here,” he said frantically, softly. His face was contorted by his furrowed brows and quivering lips to anyone in front of him. Which was very few. Yamato, Ayame, Fujitora, and Tsukiko. Before they could leave, Daiki’s clone popped out of existence, along with his sword. His hands fell into his pockets out of necessity as he waited for the continuation. When he looked over to the side, he caught the shadow of man leaping off towards the village.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"So you want to learn my techniques? You think you have what it takes to master these arts? It is extremely rigorous training and might have a few...conditions...". The older man ran his right hand through his greasy black hair while keeping his left in his pocket. He was addressing Shouken who had already explained his story of the Hokage's assassination.

In return, Shouken gave a nod and gave the older man a determined gaze. Kumo revealed a sinister smile and spat out, "Alright then..My shift ends in about an hour. We will start then. Meet behind the shop here. You can reach it from the rooftops."

Shouken nodded once more and proceeded out the door to go waste an hour. Which in his mind was a blessing, seeing how he didn't get a smoke break the whole journey to the Sand. He'd have plenty of time to do his business then nap it off until ready to train.

~~

The ninja awoke to the sound his alarm he had set to ring a few minutes before Kumo's shift ended. He cracked his neck and stretched his muscles before descending into the abandoned back lot of Kumo's store. It was a little space, only about a 30 by 30 meter area.

Shouken dropped in gracefully, taking a knee and dropping one fist to the ground upon reaching it. His head raised as he looked around for Kumo. There was a few near the fencing and a light hanging on the back door that illuminated the whole field. Shouken stood to his feet and checked the time.

9:00 pm...Kumo's never la....

Shouken's train of thought ended as his new trainer made himself visible. Atop a rather large spider, Kumo was sitting criss cross with his hands in contact forming some sort of hand seal. Even though it was one Shouken had not recognised and was curious to find out what this was about.

"Shouken Washi! You will train under I and I alone. No one shall know of what goes on here....Is that understood?!" Kumo's voice was thunderous, causing birds to leave there nest in the fresh night.

Shouken nodded once more while Kumo continued..

"Now that we're clear on that, to complete the first step in your training you must first journey to the Land of Webs and confront Hakeisha. He will then decide whether you have what it takes to be a Sage of the Spiders." Kumo's tone evened out until he was back down a normal voice. His tone was not the problem however...The land of webs? What even is that place? I cant recall it in any of my readings...

Wasting no time, Kumo prepared his technique.

"Spider Gate Summoning!" His voice boomed once more as he leapt off the spider's back. While executing a front-flip, his spider drew a huge scroll and laid it out before Shouken. It's design was that of a web but had a tribal look too it as did most scrolls. While Kumo descended he charged up a purple chakra in his right hand and connected with the center of the web pattern, releasing a black void that was only a few feet infront of Shouken.

After the technique was through, Kumo stood opposed of Shouken with a blank expression.

"You remember that condition I was talking about?"

Shouken nodded.

"Well, here it is. If you fail to meet the Spider Lord's requirements, you will never see this realm again. You will be banished to the Eternal Prison. But fear not, Washi, for I believe you possess the power to do so."

A second passed and Shouken could feel a presence behind him. Before he could swing around fast enough a voice spoke up.

"Don't disappoint me..."

It was a clone of Kumo behind him and With an aggressive shove, he pushed Shouken into the abyss unknowing of where he was going or how he was supposed to convince this Spider Lord. But it needed to be done and that was enough reason for Shouken to succeed. As he fell, thoughts of Konoha and his father ran through his head as he recalled passed events with his friends and lessons from his father. He would not fail...

~~

The young ninja found himself within a completely dark cave. There was a great breeze which lead Shouken to believe he was in the right place. He only stood for a second trying to decide whether to speak or remain silent, but before he could think any further, a great beam of light shot up from the ground and stretched to the ceiling. It illuminated the entire cavern revealing it to be the den of the Spider Lord. Shouken first noticed the webbing design of the marble appearing floor, then shifted his stare to that of the Spider Lord himself, Hakeisha.

The massive spider stood in relevant height to that of Gamabunta or maybe even taller. His back six legs were huddled against his body while his front two sat on the armrest of his golden throne. His pitch black skin was covered by shiny silver armor that plate his legs, torso and back. Hakeisha also had two massive Roman style swords crossed on his back.

There was a long silence which consisted of Shouken only glaring at Hakeisha in awe. Hakeisha muttered out some complaints before addressing Shouken..

"Ahhhh....You are Shouken Washi, correct? Kumo informed me of your arrival." He rose from his sitting position to a standing one to tower over Shouken. The ninja stood his ground, questioning whether it was his bravery or fear... He had never seen a beast so intimidating before...

"I am Hakeisha and I will decide whether or not you will become a Spider Sage or not." Hakeisha turned, almost instantaneously, to face his throne. Shouken was unsure of what was going on and remained silent.

After a few seconds, Shouken noticed the Hakeisha forming chakra in the tips of his legs. It was identical to that of Kumo's purple chakra but was indeed insanely more powerful.

"Now Shouken, you will be trialed in a unique way, for no trial is ever the same...Some are extremely difficult physically while others can mentally destroy your brain. No matter the case, you must show me you have what it takes."

Worry ran over Shouken as he now had second thoughts about the decision he made. He was just an average ninja with an average mind and an average jutsu set. He was considering throwing in the towel but before he could put it to action, Hakeisha opened a portal infront of himself. It appeared exactly like Kumo's however much larger. Shouken knew there was no turning back and proceeded underneath the Spider Lord. As he was walking Hakeisha said one last thing.

"Your trial is to survive..."

Shouken looked up and thought to himself.

Well that tells me a lot...

He reached the portal and looked down into it, getting the same feeling he got when he first looked into Kumo's.

Oh boy...

Shouken fell into the portal to find himself seconds later back in the same cave as before, yet no draft. Few torches lit up the cave and Shouken came to the realization that this was not the same room. This one was enclosed...

Momoi and Yang continued watching the events that were unfolding before them. Once Ayame had used 'Rain Tiger at Will' Jutsu, the heavens opened at will and rain poured down on everything in the area. Momoi sighed as Chihiro didn't answer her text "Figures, mission must be have forced her to get serious then." chewing her inner cheek, she allowed the rain to soak her hair and clothes as she put on her goggles again, staring up to the now gray skies. "Adapt or perish...but is this the right way?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" Yang answered back to her. Momoi continued to stare up to the sky.

"She spoke of the will of Fire, Even that kid spoke of it. “The Will of Fire is looking after your own, protecting your people, protecting your village from anyone that wishes to do it harm, it's making deals with other villages to further your own goals." Momoi turned around and roof jumped back to the CBD area of the hidden leaf, there was no point of stay there. "Yang, Let's go." The blonde brawler followed the gypsy back to Takeshi's apartment. "Just what is the will of fire?"

It seemed the Ayame's jutsu had spread to the whole village, the rain danced on them as the posted haste and arrived back the now Rogue-nin's apartment.

---

The gypsy quickly plugged her phone to an power outlet to let it charge while she grabbed herself and Yang a towel to dry themselves. "Momoi-san, what did you mean when you said "What is the will of fire?"

"It's exactly as i said: what is it? Ayame and the blonde kid had different views about it." Momoi muffled though the towel covering her face. Her eye were much more focused "All this time, i just went with the flow when i became a Ninja, i really never carried a valid reason of becoming a Shinobi." finishing with the towel, she threw it on a nearby chair and flung her body onto the couch. "Yang....who would know about this will of fire?"

"Why are you asking me? I'm not a ninja girl." Yang passed of her question and sat next to her "Shouldn't you go to the library or something?" Momoi shook her head.

"I want someone who can give me the real answer, not something in a book." Looking outside again, the two just stared at the rain falling down "I guess or going to start, might as well make baby steps first." Standing up she headed towards Takeshi's bedroom and closed the door. Ignoring Yang's call. the gypsy started stripping of her wet clothes and chucked them to a corner before opening the closet. Fishing through numerous clothes. Momi smiled as she pulled out what she wanted. Ever since Takeshi had left, most of her stuff moved to his apartment, a convenience for both her and yang. Putting on her new attire she stepped out to the main room once more.



"Alright then, I'm ready." she smiled as she placed one of Takeshi's coats on and other various outdoor gear. Yang raised a brow before "That blonde Kid, he said he was an Uzumaki right? Naruto Uzumaki was a previous Hokage, his ideals would have passed down each generation's." making sure that she had everything she exited the apartment again "Don't worry, i'll be back before dinner: it's my turn to cook dinner tonight."

Yang shrugged before leaning back into the comfy couch as Momoi left the building and back into the pouring rain, her freshly charged phone lit her face as he tapped on it, revealing a map of the hidden leaf Momi frowned "Damn, it's on the other side of the village." shaking her head she started walking towards her destination, instead of roof jumping. She needed time to think about this. The questions she would need to ask.

Hopefully: The Uzumaki would be able to clear her thoughts and make her decision clear, once and for all. "It's time to visit them." wrapping the coat around her tighter. Momoi continued walking.

@Renny

We still could've done something you quivering waste of space. Akio cursed the Hyuuga in her head for being a spineless coward, but she held her tongue, not wanting to add to the chaos erupting around her. Emotions were running high in this small group of shinobi, leading Akio to believe that the siblings had probably exoected a more unified acceptance than they had recieved. Either way, this coup was going to posdible divide Konoha in two between those who support Ayame and those against her. Before the Tendou could think on this more, however, she shivered upon hearing Aoi's solemn condemnation of the Inuzuka's actions. In fact, the change in Aoi's demeanor in general was slightly unnerving to witness, as she'd never seen her act like this before.

As her lover brought her up to the front wuth Daiki and Yamato, Akio simply stood there,mthe rain coming down heavily to siak her as she stared at Aoi. Hugging herself, she turnedbher attention towards Ayame, hearing her speak of her itteration of the Will of Fire had done nothing to sway the Tendou in her favor. Words were cheap and easy to manipulate, but actions were harder to hide. More than anything else, Akio had a problem with how they handled this situation and how they killed the Hokage, as well as them trying to push the values of Amegakure into Konoha citizens, the major indicator being the jutsu being used at this very moment.

I don't like this, not one single bit . . . but it doesn't matter what I think. I'm not near strong enough to take her down, nor is anyone else in the village that would go against her. Not to mention she has the 11th corp and Fuji on her side, and that makes her untouchable at this very moment. But she won't always be. As the Tendou stared at the woman who'd be there new kage, she felt something stirrong inside her, the golden sheen of her eyyes seeming to shine ever so slightly as they focused on Tsukiko-nee, hearing her request.

"Could you use a partner, Tsukiko-nee, cause I think I'll need to get a few things out of my system as well." While not a lie, Akio really just wanted to get away from the village. Too much, too fast, and it hurt to see people turn on each other so fast. Daiki's treatment of the Inuzuka in particular, had caught her attention and disapproval. The Tendou girl turned to Aoi, the shine gone from her eyes as she looked a little worried by the rapid shift in her girlfriend's behavior. "Aoi, would you like to join? I can think of a few ways to put that goo of yours to good u-Ahh, What the fuck?" Akio question as the ground suddenly got really hot for some reason.



As even more chaos erupted around, Tatsuya only felt a fleeting sense of relief from Yuna's actions. But as the event seemed to be cooling off, Daiki suddenly brought thinks back up a bit by attacking his own comrades like a rabid hound. For those left, it was probably just something to look on and shake your head at, but to Tatsuya, it was just enough to push him over the edge. His head down and his sword gripped tightly in one of his hands, he stepoed forward in slow, methodical pace from the back of the group. As he did so, everyone would notice two things.

First, the ground would seem to roll underneath them, as if something was moving underneath them, and second, the ground would become very, very hot, to the point where if you stood near Tatsuya for too long it'd become painful. His emotional state was causing his Kekkei Genkai to flare up, and while he was trying to keep it under control, by the time he was in front of the stage, he had started to leave molten footprints in the ground. There he stood for a while, his body visibly shaking as he opened and closed hus mouth several times. Just when it seemed like he was just going to stand there, he brought his head up, glaring at the two siblings with a maddened rage.

"You know nothing of the Will of Fire," He shouted in a rahe as he lifted up his sword to point it at them, the rain creating a thin veil of steam around him as it made contact with the heated ground surroundung him."So don't you dare try and preach that it's been misinterpreted. To follow the Will of Fire is to not seek out and create conflict, but to always be ready to fight it when it appears, to fight with as much honor, dignity, and pride as you can in this hellhole of a world. Konoha isnthe blazing flame in this world of darkness, a beacon to those who care about such things. That is the ideal of the Will of Fire, and did to the Hokage is a spit in the face of this villages history."

Tatsuya had no idea why he was saying the things he was saying, all but challenging the people who had just murder the Hokagee and had killed him in such a brutal fashion, but he couldn't stop himself. It was like his rage had taken a mind of it's own, directing his actions and words without a care for the consequences. As he spoke out, lava would begin to bubble up around him, casting an intense glow on his features and causing even more steam.

"You say you killed the Hokage for the good of the village, but if that were truth, why would you end him in a way that was sure to cause such division amongst the people, why go out of your way to make him appear weak and humiliate him. You could've killed him at any time, and with more dignity than he was given, but you wanted the last image we have of him is him dying a dog's death. You say you'll lead us to power, but do you wish for us to undermine the very core of our pride as Konoha shinobi to do so? Is it worth it to become what those before strove to get rid of a prevent?"

As he came to the end of his rant, Tatsuya's lava radiate such intense amounts of heat in accordance with his anger that it would force most back and char the wood of the platform.

"You may be right in saying that we will accept you as our leader now, but no Konoha Shinobi with even an inkling of true pride will ever call you Hokage. You've done nothing to earn or deserve the title." And with those final words, Tatsuya took a deep breath and let it go, the Lava solidifying into rock around him. As suddenly as it had came, the anger that had pushed him this far had left him, Ketsui becoming heavy in his hand, so he let it swing down to his side. He knew that he should probably be scared right now, of dying, torture or what ever happens to those who so vehemently oppose their leaders, but he was just too tired and drained to care.

"So, Leader-San, what the hell happens now?"

---

And then, the rain finally fell in what seemed to be an average nice day in Konoha. With just one jutsu, the new Hokage had brought upon something that awoke so much in the clown's mind. It brought a form of nostalgia she couldn't even recall, something akin to a spiritual bond with this type of event. She paused to feel the soothing raindrops collide with her flesh before lifting her head up to drench her face with it. At first she fixated the shrouded skies before slowly closing her eyes to embrace the sensation it brought to her. When Akio manifested a form of worry by inviting Aoi in this excursion Tsukiko had planned to release some steam after the events. This only prompted Aoi to slightly open her eyes with an upset expression as she turned to face the Tendou. It wasn't a joking type of stare nor one that would seem friendly at all. She seemed irritated to have been asked to leave when she felt at peace here.

But something else caused a vein on her temple to pop out in frustration as Tatsuya to only got overly pissed off over what happened but used his power to make things really uncomfortable for those happy. She genuinely looked angry this time as she glared at the boy. Many would know that making her angry would require substantial effort, but this time around she wasn't her usual self. She was hypnotized by what Ame represented to her soul and as such released something in her that wouldn't correspond to her nature. Yapping upon yapping, he was worse than that arrogant Daiki who made himself a little too conspicuous in such a dire situation. With a blink of an eye, Aoi disappeared in the rain using an Amegakure stealth jutsu she had learned early on despite never practicing it. Just a second later, her first would smack the back of Tatsuya's head, the force not being enough to actually knock him out but the ability behind that hit was the true goal. The hit would occur just as he went full sass on the 'leader'.

"Little Genin shouldn't question what the Jonin say. Let the rain cool you down ... ~"

She stood on his back as she knelled down to acknowledge he was only paralyzed but somewhat conscious. She spoke those words, though not whispered, were not meant to be heard by the whole crowd. It was another warning, but once again she could have very well saved his life. It was questionable whether she did this out of worry for her colleagues or not, at this state she seemed genuinely focused in how much this 'show' was bringing her bliss in a personal level. Her outbursts on others was likely an overly violent reaction to such a discord to this otherwise relaxing moment of the soul. She let that sink into his head before standing up straight to apply as much pressure to his thorax as possible to make sure he wouldn't just take this painless smack for granted.

Aoi left the boy alone on the ground and sighed, slowly her typical conscience coming back as she remembered what she was doing and took a step back from the events. However this was still slow as she simply shook her head before staring at her lover once more. The harlequin's goofy and upbeat aura that usually always irradiated from her body was gone at this very moment, something that would inevitably leave Akio scared. Aoi didn't want to go out of the village, why would she? Her home was still her home and if anything, she felt even better now that the scenery had changed for the better.

"I'm going home. You can go with Tsukiko or come back. It's whatever."

She walked up to Akio, her trajectory would translate a desire to just walk past the girl. But she stopped right next to the taller female, a hand grabbing a hold of the young Tendou's forearm. She'd then tug on it to have the girl lean down so the clown could whisper something in her ear.

"If you come now, you can have me all to your horny self. All. You. Want.~"

With the very provocative and slightly out of character proposition, she'd simply kiss her lover's cheek to keep a slight hint of innocence in this exchange. She stayed put for a moment, letting what she just said sink into the girl's mind. The young performer surely wasn't too conscience of how out of place this offer was given the tragedy that just occurred and the shock Konoha will live because of all of this. One could say she was in a form of state of shock with many factors coming into play. Though unlike Daiki, she didn't seem bloodthirsty, but simply living the effects of 'Ame's Battle High' as some travelers would call it.

---

---

Fujitora clenched the badge tightly when it was given to him by the suspended officer. The strange particles he used to find Tsukiko's location and figure out her every concealed would then swiftly inspect the badge to make sure there wasn't some petty trick behind it like a seal. He simply gave the man a nod of acknowledgement when he finished his little speech with a subtle threat in the end. The ex commander didn't seem to fear any form of reprisal from anyone at this point, at least not from the considered threats. This was his talent after all, he wasn't the biggest brain in terms of planning and meticulous anticipation, but he was arguable the best in the village in terms of comprehending his workers and pinpointing the ways they ticked. Kaito Maru wasn't going to be an active threat, but his mind could always be a dangerous catalyst to future rebellious events. It wasn't like the man would be left with any form of privacy anymore, the 11th Corp now having him as a prime VIP to keep an eye on.

Tsukiko took her leave as well, and because he knew her all too well, he didn't even comment on her demonstration of her irritation and need to get away. She was a wild animal, and nobody knew this more than Fujitora. She was going to come back like the loyal dog she had become after so many years and would, as she said, go along with what happened. Even if she bit back, even if her trust would be broken several times, the now head of the 11th Corp was confident he could salvage her. Of course, he'd rather not get bit and avoid having the trouble of handling her bad side again and again. He couldn't say as much about some overzealous shinobi manifesting their discontent toward the village's new orientation. Namely a Samurai and a Lava bearing child. Both would be decommissioned by Jonin, though one in particular was more aggressive to any form of resistance to the event. Aoi Don Maquia living the Ame spirit for the first time in her life was something interesting to watch. She'd cool down eventually, but she was like a shark tasting blood for the first time, overwhelmed with a form of euphoria.

As for Fujitora himself, upon feeling the drops of rain for the first time, he felt a sense of absolute relief consume him. He felt like nothing could reach him at this point, that he was beyond being exposed to these leaf shinobi. It didn't help that they even tear each other apart because of all these confusing ideas implanted in their heads. The ex commander felt powerful, in control but it didn't seem to match what his sister was more than likely feeling. This Godly presence she seemed to have after summoning the rain as Pain once did when he ruled over Amegakure. She must have felt like a deity at that point.

"Katsu. My sister thoroughly responded to your plea. However ... If you do want answers, follow me to Aya's household. Man to man, I'll feed your curiosity. The rest of you, dismissed until you get further orders."

With those words both the 11th corp that would retreat immediately and the Shinobi left in the area would be called to return to their daily activities. Threats were now minimal and two tall 11th corp agents would now remain by Ayame's side for the time Fujitora would be gone. The man would jump up to the beat up building nearby and made his way toward Ayame's modest home, hoping that Katsu would follow if he truly wanted to get some answers. It would take long before they'd arrive at said place and the blond, tall man would open the door for his friend and greet him by letting him have a seat in the living room. Of course, the commander would boil up some tea that they would share during this discussion, after all it was cold out with all that rain. Speaking of which, he'd also toss a towel for the Hyuuga to purge himself from a potential cold.

---

A grin crept onto Ayame's face as she called down the rain. It was.. it was like Ayame herself was Pain. Somehow she felt euphoric in this moment, looking at the sky as the rain poured down, ignoring the chaos in front of her. She heard Fujitora speak, and was brought back to reality as she looked down and noticed the scuffle going on in front of her. She didn't interfere - if this was all that was going to happen that would do. The 11th would surely intervene if stuff went south enough. As she heard one in the crowd say that they'd have no choice but accept her, but that none would ever call her hokage.. she simply smiled, oblivious to the fact that Tatsuya was blaring words at her, about things she'd never said but were interpreted by them in a wrong manner. “No.. no, you shall not call me Hokage.” she said softly, as if to herself, before she turned around and walked off into the Hokages' office.. her office. The two guards would follow as two other guards landed on the platform and carefully closed the hokages' deceased body into a bodybag, before taking him away. It was clear that despite murdering him brutally, she wouldn't leave him out in the open like some rotting criminal. He deserved some respect, even if his ways were wrong in Ayame's eyes. She had never hated the man or even disliked him. But shinobi bussiness, is just that.

As she entered her new hokage, she ordered one of the 11th guards to stand outside, whilst the other was to stand inside. She walked over to the window, taking a look at the plaza where the people were still grouped up, before closing the blinds. The entire room was then enveloped in darkness, only a small shimmer of light escaping into the room through the blinds. Slowly she sat down, looking at the files spread on the desk. With a wide movement, she swung her arm over the table, clearing the table of everything that was there. She laid her elbows on the table and placed her head on her hands, looking at the door to think about her next move. ... clear the rebellious elements, obviously. But first she'd have to find out who wasn't agreeing with this coup. It was obvious who those people were - they had openly attacked her. Giichi Uzumaki. Tatsuya Kajiya-Terumi. Nobunaga Inuzuka. These were rebellious elements, but it was too early to get rid of them yet. They could be reformed, made to show the light.

Each and everyone of these elements had misinterpreted her words - typical, seeing as the former hokages had all misinterpreted the will of fire, too. It was only logical that some of them would be so indoctrinated that they'd never give up their visions to see the truth. Konoha, a mighty tree, amidst a forest.. burning down due to a lightning strike it's very own creators had brought upon it. And the squirrels were all too far down the tree, too happy with this 'peace' the tree brought them, they couldn't notice the burning tops. But Ayame would save them. She knew it. It was time for the way the heroes' of old did it, heroes like Pain and Konan of the Rain. The Angel. A nickname that held true in many ways, and a nickname currently also used for another figure. Ayame's mind grinded to a halt as she thought about it, her vision blurring itself as she thought of Konan, of Kusaru. It had to be. It couldn't be any other way..

---

---

Saburo had moved alongside the rest of the 11th, following commander Fujitora. However, when Ayame made the big reveal, he had chosen to stay behind on the roofs and keep overwatch. Anyone that would notice him, would also notice a new chokuto hanging from his back, horizontally across his lower back. It shimmered in the sunlight - as long as that light lasted before the rain took over. Saburo noticed many things, a spat between Nobunaga and Daiki, interference from a medical nin, Tsukiko going half stark-raving mad, Tatsuya almost erupting in anger before Aoi subdued him. It was all interesting, to see 'friends' fight eachother like bitter enemies. It even got a small genuine smile out of Saburo's face, to know that friendship was as fickle as a bloodline. One mess-up.. and you would get this. Never ending rivalry.

He looked side to side at his fellow 11th corps members, who seemed to be enjoying the show as well. Before Daiki got the chance to do something he'd regret, Saburo formed several handseals before poofing away, appearing in front of Daiki, and between Nobunaga, Yuna and Daiki. He stretched his arm out with an open palm, facing Daiki and nearly grabbing a hold of his head, if he would close his hand. His other hand was holding the gunbai that had 'defeated' Daiki and his allies earlier with too much ease. If it weren't for Saburo's indifference, he'd have mocked Daiki about it. But that wasn't what he was here to do. His eyes glowed crimson red, with tomoe showing clearly to the crowd, as he stared into Daiki's Sharingan. Saburo had appeared before any of the two jonin could subdue the fighting parties, stopping the fight instantaneously.

“You should rest now, Daiki Naito. Troubles are ahead for your clan, Uchiha.” he said calmly, staring Daiki down as he gripped slowly moved the gunbai back onto his back. With a slow movement, Saburo would untie the sparkling new chokuto from his waist, and catch it with his right hand whilst holding his left hand still in position in front of Daiki's face. As soon as he had readied the chokuto, still in it's sheath as he held it out. Slowly he straighted himself out, facing Daiki completely now. It was quite weird, given that they were pretty much in front of anyone, but Saburo had been wanting to do this for a while now. This wasn't for the 11th, this was for himself. Something that the 11th would simply have to accept.

“I can ease your struggles a bit, Uchiha Daiki. We can become brothers. If you'd like. I have never had a brother. I think it would be fun. Though.. there's a complication. You'd have to accept the Uchiha surname, and renounce your Naito heritage. It's not a big deal. A formality, really. You could still be friends with the Naito clan. I think. Perhaps your friend would be more keen to visit then, too?” he said, speaking of only a 'friend' where as he himself and Daiki would perfectly understand that Saburo was talking about his uncle. Saburo's face was completely serious, not even showing a trace of emotion, no anger, happiness or sadness. Just bussiness. Slowly he raised the chokuto in front of him, vertically, holding it out towards Daiki.

“In return, I am allowed to offer you this. I know it doesn't look like much but..” he slowly tilted the blade to be horizontal, using his other hand to then pull the blade out of it's sheath, showcasing it to Daiki. “.. it's the Sword of Kusanagi. Otherwise known as Sasuke Uchiha's sword. I would only offer it to my brother, as you would understand..” he said, softening his voice a bit as he turned more serious, becoming more of an Uchiha, rather than an 11th corps. It seemed that despite the indoctrination that Saburo had undergone, he still maintained some of that Uchiha pride that seemed so fierce in the early days in history, but had faded ever since. Perhaps it was a remnant of never knowing the modern history of the Uchiha's, only ever reading books about the old times. “.. what do you think?”



The rain still poured as the jutsu kept up it's work, allowing Ayame to, more or less, trail anyone that was walking outside in the rain. It had certainly made the streets a lot calmer. Though there were some figures moving around, Ayame sensed that. But it was figures that she recognised. First she noticed Reijo Minamoru, behind him Yamato Minamoru. Not that she recognised them from the rain, but they had left from the Minamoru estate and had since then headed for the Uzumaki estate. It seemed that Reijo was doing pretty much what was expected - he was going to poll the reactions and do what he did best. Whatever that was.. Yamato was just there for show.

Reijo approached the Uzumaki estate, knocking on the door twice before leaving again. It wasn't a visit or anything like that, it was a call to meeting. Also expected. Apparently a meeting had already been established. Reijo left again with Yamato in tow, going to every large clans' estate and knocking twice before leaving again. The entire circle around Konoha was completed in about half an hour, and then they headed for the large teahouse at the very center of Konoha. The streets were empty besides those who were headed to the meeting. Ayame simply folded her hands together as she felt the sensation of the rain, telling her the movement of every person, rat and bug in the village.

The families all came together, with the clan head and the heir there as well. It was going to be a very interesting meeting, but the rain jutsu in no way allowed her to listen in. “Uchiha.” “Hai, hokage-sama?!” The voices rang through the dark hokages' office. Ayame hadn't left for the entirety of the night, waiting as she felt the sensations of the rain transmitting to her every movement. She had felt everything - the slow dispersion of the group, until there was nobody left. The feeling of rats running through the cities.. frogs, sitting at the waters edge. She understood, finally, why Pain was revered as a god. Because.. in a way, he was god. In a way, Ayame felt like a god. But she knew better. Ultimately, Pain's downfall was exactly this. He thought to be untouchable, to be unbeatable. And so, when he got beaten, he was talked into submission by a kid. A kid, who turned out to be the greatest shinobi ever. A kid.. who turned out later to be the kindling to the fire that burnt the tree of Konoha.

Ayame knew she had to be more like Hanzo. Unliked, but one of the greatest Kage's in existence. Nobody ever liked him as a kid.. Ayame was the only one that could respect him for his logical thought processes. Ultimately, Danzo Shimura was his downfall. But Hanzo had meanwhile kickstarted Ayame's love for poisons. It's the reason she got into poisons, after all. “I told you twice. Don't call me hokage.” she said softly, at a living-room sound level. “But you are the de-facto hokage as of now, hokage-sama.” “Yes. But I don't want to be. I just want to make sure Konoha gets on the right course again. I am not a hokage. I am not from Konoha. Don't call me hokage. Just call me Ayame. Mrs. Choko if you must.” “Hai, mrs. Choko.”

Ayame's voice was obviously tired, but her eyes spoke of energy. She still had work to do and so, sleep would have to wait. Surely, Fujitora was up right now, organising the 11th to do whatever he had planned for them. As long as he got the plans they had made done, she'd not complain. The 11th was now his playground. Surely, he would construct it to be greater. Greater than the 11th ever was. Greater than ROOT ever was. “Uchiha, please visit the teahouse in the center of the village. All the clans will be there. Tell them you will be there just to ensure their safety. I want to receive a report or a verbal summary of what happened there. That.. will be all.” “Hai, mrs. Choko.”

The sound of a door opening and closing was all that was heard in the entirety of the hokages' office, as a 11th guard member stood guard outside the door in the hallway, but made not a sound as he stood in absolute silence. The same was true for the entrance, where two of them stood. Not to speak of the hidden 11th guards, that were simply hidden in plain sight most often. Saburo left the hokages building, heading for the larger teahouse in the center of the village, approaching slowly as he simply walked there. There was no real rush.

As soon as he'd arrive he'd open the doors and head for the large meeting hall, which was scheduled for Reijo Minamoru today. Once there he opened the large wooden doors and entered the room, bowing swiftly as he set a foot inside. “Saburo Uchiha reporting. I am with the 11th corps and I've been ordered to protect this meeting. I'm sure you all understand. Sadly, there can be no discussion about it. The new hokage has seen fit to guard this meeting with her personal guard.” he spoke as he was bowed over, before raising himself and taking place in the corner, standing there watching over the meeting. It was clear there would be no dismissing him - he'd stay here no matter what.

The room was filled with all clans that were interested in visiting and listening, as well as anyone who wasn't directly a representative, though only the larger, esteemed clans such as the Uchiha, Hyuga, Uzumaki, Inuzuka, Naito, Maru, Minamoru and the Hojo were given places at the large center table to the room, where as the rest were supposed to sit at the sides, watching over and keeping their mouths shut, only listening.

Reijo only gave Saburo a glance, not paying him much mind. An 11th representative was no bother at all, since Reijo's intentions were going to happen regardless of who knew about them. He sat at the head of the table, since he'd arranged the meeting and thus he was expected to come up with an order of doing things. Yamato was seated besides him, in a more ceremonial dress style. He wore a black, frog button styled button up shirt, with dark purple trims on the sleeves and his hems. It was quite a sight to see him like that, showcasing that he could actually be a somewhat handsome boy, regardless of the scars on his face. It was a difference especially since he wasn't wearing the armor he usually wore, which actually caused some to look in confusion as they saw him.

“Thank you all for coming. I'm sure you all know why we are here, and the matters we are to discuss are pressing. However, pressing matters does not mean I will forget traditions.” It was, obviously, quite representative of the Minamoru clan to hold true to tradition, even if there had been a coup staged just the day before. Very characteristical. Almost as soon as he finished his sentence, a group of about 15 men and women walked in holding trays of tea, that would be placed down in front of everyone seated at the table - both the head, and the heir or chosen representative of a clan. They were all expected to drink tea at the same time, as tradition more or less commanded, followed by several words to be spoken by the head of the meeting, in this case Reijo.

Once the formalities were out of the way, taking up approximately 15 minutes in total, Reijo started the discussion.
“Now, with that out of the way, I'd like to open the discussion about our new Hokage. I'd like to ask all clans to express their opinions on the actions of not only Ayame Choko, immigrant from Amegakure, poison expert, historicus, former Hokages' assistant, and currently seated Hokage, but also their opinions on Fujitora Choko, immigrant from Amegakure, former Jonin commander, currently commander of the 11th corps and.. ahem.. drug addict. I'd ask not only the clan head to speak, but also the representatives or the heirs, whichever is present. Thank you.”

He grabbed several papers together for himself, which held his own points. He'd ofcourse open the discussion. That was to be expected of the leader. He cleared his throat, before continueing. He spoke loudly and charismatically, a skill he'd picked up over the course of the years of leading economical powerhouses, and less legal groups. “As for my clan, the most esteemed Minamoru, I personally have chosen to accept Ayame Choko as our new Hokage. While her ways of taking power were certainly not.. acceptable.. I feel that she was right in mind when she said that the Hokage was leading us down the wrong path. Over the course of the years Konohagakure has grown weaker and, if any other village were to attack us, we'd be defenseless. I mean, if Kumogakure were to mount an attack right now.. they would have two jinchuuriki's at their disposal, while we have none. All that was the doing of the former hokages. It's time we set that straight, and consolidate ourselves as a world power once more. Not just any power, but like our new hokage has said herself, thé world power.”

He coughed once more as he closed his little speech, short but powerful, delivering the message that had to be delivered. These speeches were never meant to last long, only to convey the opinions of those involved, and their reasons for having the opinion. The word then passed to Yamato, who looked at the group for a few seconds, taking in the attention he received. It wasn't that he was shy, but he knew he'd have to choose his words carefully. “My father speaks from his experience as a politician and an economical leader. He knows a thing or two about shinobi life, I'd dare say. But he doesn't realize the full impact the change of a hokage can have on the shinobi forces.” Slowly Yamato raised out of his chair, standing up to try and be as charismatic as he could be. His arms were close to his body, relaxed but at the same time, sort of tensed up. “I do. Zeno Hakarasu was a good Hokage. He knew some things. Sadly, he was only a good hokage in the sense that he was strong. Politically, he knew nothing. He chased a dream that we all know is too far to catch. Peace.. is unobtainable. Conflict simmers between the villages and instead of mending it with blood, or talks, we mend it with conferences that never end up fixing a thing. Ayame knows this, and Ayame intends to fix this. I have faith in that. And if she doesn't..” Yamato glanced at Saburo before speaking his next words slowly, realizing that they could endanger him possibly, but speaking them regardless. “.. I seem to recall that coups tend to get overthrown by another coup relatively quickly.”

What a whirlwind last night had been. Yuna was indescribably dumbfounded by the events that took place. She'd done her best to erase the images that she had seen, but her nightmare last night had been profoundly worse thanks to it. When she had arrived back at the Bathhouse, she found it slightly difficult to put her daughter to sleep, her own mind roaring with uncertain thoughts of her future in Konohagakure. But her child was a glimmering image for her, which brought a gentle tugging to her heart. And on top of that, she was grateful that with the help of another ninja, she was able to get Nobunaga to the hospital for some much needed medical treatment. She'd remind herself to go visit him later. Just to check on him.

And that genin. His fiery outburst had certainly gotten her attention, but she knew, he and some of the others who voiced their feelings...they were only asking for trouble. She wouldn't dare. Not yet anyways. She'd keep relatively quiet, as she usually did. Oh, and the red-headed jonin who kicked her in the side before she could touch him. For some reason, she wasn't mad or upset at him for what he did to her. It hurt, like a bitch. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like she was at fault for trying to intervene. Then again, did he have to hit her so hard? She was conflicted about him.

As the heavy rain conjured by Ayame continued to fall from eerily darkened morning sky, Yuna looked out the window in a gloomy manner. She watched the pattering of the aggressive rain, and thought of it washing away the bloody remnants of the Hokage's lifeless body. When she had finally gotten home last night, her mother and father had already closed up the bathhouse early, as if they had already anticipated what was going to happen. It was a strange, but she didn't question it. Well, scratch that. The thought nagged her too much. She would ask. And just when she had come to that mental decision, a concerned voice from behind her shook "awake".

"You look like you've hit your expiration. Feeling alright?", Anna spoke, as she came forth and stood near the window beside her. Yuna looked at her with an uncertain and deeply vexed expression. She glanced over to her sleeping daughter before looking back out the window. "Why did you close the bathhouse early yesterday?"

"Hmmm?"

Yuna looked at her with a cold stare. "Why did you close early yesterday?".
Anna rubbed her daughters shoulder lightly as she too looked at the gloomy atmosphere outside the window. "We all have our ways of seeing things before they occur my love. You may come to see them too." Yuna didn't exactly appreciate her mother's blatant misdirection and cryptic manner of speaking.

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "See what?".

However, before her question could be answered, a high-pitched scream came from her now jolted daughter, who suddenly awoke in a fit of distraught. Yuna, rushed over to her daughter. She sat on the edge of the bed and lifted her daughter onto her lap, cradling her gently. "It's okay hunny. It's over. The nightmare is over". Her daughter, Noh, was weeping in her chest, clearly upset. "I...I...", she muttered emotionally. "I....s-s-ssaw someone die mommy...". For a second, Yuna looked frazzled, but ultimately said nothing, and simply used her remaining time to cradle her daughter and gently caress her hair. Anna looked on with an oddly peculiar expression.

"Eliza!", she called out, finally turning her peculiar gaze to the petite young maiden in a purple yukata who approached. Some of the staff actually lived in the Bathhouse and Inn. Usually Anna's favorites. "Tell my daughter Hanako its time for us to go please. And....tell my husband we are going as well. He's most likely in the boiler room". The maiden, smiled, bowed, and retreated to take care of the task.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Having finally left the Hojo Bathhouse and Inn, Yuna left her daughter in the watchful care of her mother's favorite maiden, Eliza. With her mother in the front, Yuna walked along the left side, while her older sister Hanako walked on the right. They glanced at each-other briefly, though didn't speak. They carried no umbrellas however. The rain simply patted on and rolled over the invisible dome that seemingly floated over their heads, leaving them completely dry. From an onlooker, it would appear as though the rain stopped just above their heads, hitting something solid, yet, not see-able by the normal eye. This was most certainly her sister's jutsu.

Once they arrived at the Teahouse, Anna walked in slowly, confidently, with Hanako trailing behind her and then Yuna. It was quite a sight to see. Three beautiful woman walking in, hair of bright ginger that radiated a peculiar solstice warmth throughout the entire teahouse. They certainly were capturing the attention of those there. Anna acknowledged everyone's presence pleasantly, as did Hanako, though Yuna remained relatively distant and quiet, her naturally cold expression made her seem very unapproachable, even somewhat intimidating. She wasn't quite radiating this same, warmth. As Anna took her seat at the table for the esteemed clans, her smile radiated with a womanly pride. To think, the Hojo's had only been in Konohagakure for 2 or 3 years and had already been considered amongst the elite. She internally pampered herself with those thoughts.

Hanako shot Yuna a cross look, almost of disgust, before sitting down at the table next to her mother. Yuna, reluctantly, sat on the opposite side of her. As the proceedings and customary formalities began, led by none other than Reijo Minamoru himself, they were soon over and it was time to get down to business. Yuna's eyes wandered around the room, though she listened quite exceptionally to what was being said. She recognized the scar-faced boy from before. She was honestly, quite surprised to see he was of the esteemed Minamoru. Yuna glanced at him briefly before her eyes fell on the boy who kicked her in the side. The one with the red hair. The Naito. Her countenance was one of great discomfort, as if she REALLY didn't want to be here. She glared at Daiki until she again looked away once her mother spoke.

Anna, in the layered fancy kimonos, stood up and smiled. "Quite frankly, I am honoured to be amongst the elite. And I apologize for the absence of my husband, Hidemoto. He isn't quite in tune with politics. But alas, I have certainly seen many of your faces at the Hojo Clan's bathhouse and I hope to see many more in the future. However, in regards to the matter that took place last night, the Hojo clan, because we are still relatively new to Konohagakure, shall remain neutral to the sudden acclimation of the throne by Ayame Choko, the previous Hokage's former assistant. She is a powerful force to be reckoned with and one the Hojo collectively does not want to tempt. We will do what we do best, bring much revenue and satisfaction to our patrons from around the world and in Konohgakure. So please, bless us in these wavering times."

Hanako smiled approvingly to her mother, but as her gaze fell upon Yuna, it was one of utter disdain.

Yuna on the other hand, hadn't noticed. Her gaze was entranced. Entraced by the pitter-patter of the rain outside the window...