Diplomatic Relations

The sound of the beating rain against the window pain provided a steady pulse among the ruckus of squawking within the small room. Fallen feathers and the shell casing of nuts cluttered the floors as an assortment of members of the village's local avian species found refuge from the storm outside within these four walls. Its lone human occupant, the Amekage, stood hovering over the contents of a scroll outstretched across the width of the desk before him. Wisps of chakra emanated from his right index finger, thus a point was made to keep it behind him with his left doing the opposite and aiding him in reviewing the inner contents of the piece of parchment that had been previously marked by his right. While others flocked about the room enjoying the safety of the new environment six pigeons sat perched atop the vertical headboard of a chair meant for the man's guests, in a sense it still was being used for the same, but their attention was fixated on its seating space which was occupied by a wooden box. Its contents had become the topic of conversation between man and beast,  as those would come to learn never would there be a language barrier when he spoke.

"Alright fellas… Lets not put the last half an hour to waste, shall we?!" Nōet spoke with a gentle, yet, matter of fact tone to his voice as he rose from the scroll to about eye level with his avian friends. One among the bunch sat nestled between the others, presumably quivering with post traumatic stress from the chain reaction of thunder causing a slipup in which an explosive note had been detonated earlier. Physically, no one was injured thanks to Nōet taking the brute force of the blast to his front side that had received a dermal, but mentally, the same could not be said and as one that was in tune with not only nature but mankind's animal co-inhabitants Nōet knew the spectrum of emotion that they were capable of feeling. The bird was brought into his palm and allowed to be nestled within the entanglement of dreads upon his crown before continuing on without missing a beat.

"We've seen what can happen when outside forces disturb our inner focus, but know that your safety and the safety of all beasts is my priority…" He affirmed them. "Now, the smoke bombs are the round ones.. As he spoke Nōet indicated curvature with his hands before coming to a pause, his eyes scanning the birds for confirmation. "And the square ones are the explosive notes... Now try to be as gentle as with the nut cracking exercise, got it? Good! Let's begin.. Huh?" His instruction came to an end and to his surprise the bird shook off his inflictions and flew from his head and back in line with the others. The two exchanged a smirk and nothing else needed to be said, there was work to be done.

At Nōet's command, one after another the birds swooped down onto the desk carrying between their beaks either a smoke bomb or explosive note from out of the box. After placing the item into the center of the circular shaped sealing array they returned rest to repeat the process. The rest was to be carried out by him. With the incorporation of infused chakra three simple hand signs were all that were needed for this fūinjutsu: Ram, followed by Monkey, and ending on Ram once more. Then, by his own unique variation, his left hand was placed on the scroll activating the technique and bringing forth the enveloping smoke until the array was vacant once more. The chakra etched marks comprising the seal became animated, suddenly moving from their original positions to come together to form the image of the item sealed with the contents of the scroll. The process was done one at a time and as slow as it may have been, it further strengthened the bond between man and beast and as a bonus gave them something to do while they awaited the storm to pass.

The galloping of hoofs came to a skidding halt within the mud outside the Amekage's huts door, like a dog his ears perked up and at once by its whiny a horse was identified. It was Sierra, noticeable by the twang coming from the breath of her cream draft lungs. Her arrival meant that her rider, the Amekage's assistant, was shortly behind.

Knock...

Knock...

Horseback, huh. This certainly was an experience, something the young kage engaged in recently; his office kept him within the village nearly all the time and his advisers would prefer that he never left his office, meeting room, or personal lodging appointments. In any capacity, certainly riding about on horseback would prove far beyond the pale, though he knew how to ride. Horses, after all, were of high utility in an feudal island nation, even if the rulers of that nation never left their houses and, when they did, more oft requested liters or carriages to carry them about.

He arrived in modest appointment, a simple but well-made black leather jacket pulled over a pale blue shirt, brown pants, and plain but sturdy boots of leather. A single, slightly shortened katana hung along his left hip, dangling freely below him and bouncing lightly against his steed. His straw-blond hair stuck up in every which way, unkempt as a general rule, and his small, red eyes scanned coolly over the landscape as their hooves overtook the land. Soon, they came upon their destination,  abandoning their mounts to the care of the stable hands before striding through the collection of huts. The escorts, while they did not verbally signify it, seemed weary of the man, unsure whether he was or was not truly the kage of the neighboring village.

The trek through the encampment took only a short while, though Aramitama trusted that the lord of this respected nation would already know of his approach, regardless of whether he could vet the man; the Uchiha had not brought his hat or any notable identifications with him, though some small part of him indicated that flash of his eyes might be enough. But, of course, how much had word traveled of his ascent to ruler-ship? He, after all, knew almost nothing of the rulers of his would be friends or foes.

Before him went the assistant, likely to attempt some formal introduction or warn of the man's intrusion, but Arami trailed only a few moments behind. He... demonstrated his boldness rather quickly, never one to hide behind servants nor shy away from an introduction. Into what seemed his equal's private quarters he came, speaking up as he entered. "I believe I have been summoned, your lordship? Something regarding a small migration of animals and damage to farmland?" His voice was a light, medium timbre, smooth and calm but roiling just beneath the surface with a kind of exuberant zeal. "Thank you for such hospitality. We do live in rather... trouble times."

An unfamiliar voice trailed after the knocking at the door, and yet it had  been opened off the strength of a pair of fluttering wings. Although nonverbal, the command had been given and just the same the closest birds flew to the door lever and provided entrance to the respected guest from Amegakure's neighboring village. Looks of shock and awe overcame the escorts as the man spoke before they could announce his arrival, a bold move nonetheless to which Nōet shot a disheartening look past the man directing his attention at his staff members striking a certain fear into their hearts until his intentions of not needing their presence was felt. As they began creeping out with the door closing behind them the dread headed kage cleared his throat, gaining their attention and bringing them to halt, before speaking in their presence for the first time.

"Make sure to take the horses around back and tie them up in the sheltered stables. Keep Sierra separated from the others… She runs hot, so if you would like to save yourself from getting kicked by a mare in heat I would advise putting the blankets on the others… Assume your post when you are finished." Nōet's message was straightforward, and his voice with a deep tone coming across cold and stern as if the care of the animals was held in more regard than that of the life of his personal assistant. Let him tell it, this would be true and truth be told this prejudice was not absent from the public eye, many citizens with a growing concern that the walls soon to be erected around Amegakure's borders were not meant to keep people out, but instead to keep its citizen's in. Others are in great admiration of the transparency of the man's term, and most importantly the shift from the decade long regime of totalitarianism.

"Right away… Amekage-sama" Already dripping wet, the reluctance could be heard in the woman's voice at the thought of being back in the rain. With the door giving one last click as it closed behind her the two men were alone save for the avian species flocking around the room. The reason for their encounter coming to mind, but like any animal his sights transfixed on the foreigner within his habitat, and admittedly, this only made the situation more tense than it should have been, especially after thanks that had been give by the Kusakage. Rather than reply Nōet merely extended his arm directing it toward the chair, the birds roosting on top swooped down picking up the now empty box between their talons before carrying it off and providing the empty seat for their guest.

"My letter to your village was more of a... Precaution... As opposed to an invitation for your forces to be within Amegakure's borders..." Nōet spoke, whilst taking a seat. One hand stroking the inner contents of the scroll still outstretched before him upon his desk. "Nevertheless... It would appear our storm trackers were correct. So instead of sending over a bill for any damages, you, the Kusakage have ventured into foreign lands unaccompanied in as you say... Troubled times. For what reason?" He said sliding forward in his chair, his free hand resting an elbow on the table to prop up his head as he tried piecing the situation and more importantly the man together. Just at a glance the hint of crimson could boldly be seen against the black clothing, but it was the blonde roots that were such an oddity unlike what was common in myth that kept Nōet intrigued.

My oh my, what a rich voice this man had.

Arami could smell the fear looming in the air and he did not fail to note the quavering voices of the servants when the spoke to the man, their tongues lingering just on the edge of stammering. For his part, he paid the rather oppressive - or rather oppressed - atmosphere no apparent mind. He'd not enlivened his birthright yet, but the tiny mannerisms as they had approached the pavilion told him all that he needed or cared to: this man, the hitherto mysterious Amekage, wielded power. For better or for worse, in benevolence or malice, he was feared, and fear did not stem from nowhere. Perhaps harsh in nature, but Uchiha Aramitama had no room in his personal court for the timid, meek, or unworthy. He did not have need to handled his subordinates with a heavy hand, but not everyone had the same luxuries he did.

Before him, a beast. The man who extended his hand towered over him, giant hand commanded one of his birds to offer his begrudged guest a seat. The burning eyes of the stranger to this land drank in the action greedily. Arami's senses tingled in such close proximity, the veritable ocean of chakra from this other threatening to overwhelm his newly awakened vision. His instincts wanted to steal a peek, but activating a bloodline generally signaled battle and in this case could mean war. He had little interest in that at present. In the interim between proffered seat and speech, Arami accepted the chair.

His attention wandered around the tent as the other man sat and spoke, accurately picking up on the apparent absurdity of the lord of a village wandering about through the countryside. He smirked at what he could, should he choose, find intimidating. Maybe his height would prove a problem? He almost laughed aloud at the thought, though his relatively new office had taught him that this, too, tended to instigate violence. "Kage, as a rule, tend to take themselves rather too seriously. I run a small war machine disguised as a village; a professional army base with some ten percent of the population vending arms and food for that army. I suspect that Amegakure is much the same." His eyes roamed around once more, counting up the birds he could see.


"Certainly a general leaving his militia seems odd, but how odd is it, really? True, I brought no guards or attendants, as you noted, so as not to rouse suspicion or panic here or at home, but nothing dramatic has occurred. A rook has moved laterally, but it's not as if the king has suddenly appeared on your doorstep. Not yet, at least." He winked. "An absent kind is a greater threat to his general than is an opposing army, but that's neither here nor there. Plainly put, I am here because I am unimportant to my daimyo, because I am unafraid, and because I wish to be. I could have sent a bill, but reparations do not much concern me. Would they you?"

The first encounter by the two heads of state was well underway, unintentional guards were up and gauges were measured as the subject of the conversation had been sparked and things were beginning to heat up. Nōet continued to sit with head in hand, free hand still tracing invisible patterns within the interior of the contents of the scroll outstretched between the two men. With each word conjured forth by his tongue the Kusakage's essence was poured out unto the Amekage filling his vessel with a greater understanding of who exactly was within Amegakure no Sato's border, whether for better or for worse. "Hmph..." A rush of air escaped Nōet's nose as he audibly scoffed at the man's words, his looks of interest fading as his free hand's muscles tightened forming a fist and ceased to move growing just as rigid as the rest of him.

Tension in the air grew thick enough to be cut with a knife and the animal life were the first to pick up on these subtleties, and as a result beaks were pulled back and call and response type squawking commenced with the earlier mentored birds leading the masses. Whether the Kusakage had meant to or not, within the Amekage's eyes the man had rubbed him the wrong way and was overstepping his boundaries as a guest within foreign lands by belittling the seriousness of their shared position that overlooked the safety of thousands. Regardless if they shared the same title, in Nōet's mind the actions of both put into place for each village's prosperity were not equitable and could not be thought of in the same manner. The Kusakage's attention was momentarily diverted by the sound of the birds, or so it seemed, but nevertheless the Amekage's broad voice carried over the level of his subordinates. "At the lake's shore were you greeted by a military presence? Crossing it did you spot a barrier or a sign of defenses?" Nōet's questions rhetorical, meaning without expecting an answer, thus he continued. "Amegakure is no longer an instrument of war. Its military no longer a stain in the eye of the public. So, with all due respect, I ask that you forego thinking of this great industrial state in that manner any longer."

Nōet's final words saw him risen to his full upright position still considered monstrous in terms of height even from a seating position, it was here that the squawking from the birds came to an end as more of the language of his body became understood. No longer tasked with propping his head up, the hand reached with subtle movements into the opened desk drawer by his leg wherein some of the same peanuts as the shell of the ones broken all along the floor were found. If the other man felt threatened then finally Nōet would get a first hand encounter of the abilities of those eyes spoken of in legend. A hand full of the unshelled nuts were shoveled into his mouth at hopes of curbing his emotions, and with being a high source of protein and iron a healthy snack that would ensure the body received proper nutrients to restore his chakra levels from their earlier exhaustion. The Kusakage continued. Nōet's eyes cut at the winking gesture ushered his way, another fresh handful of nuts crushed into small pieces by his might before they could even be consumed alongside his already clenched fist banging the desk top.

"Whether you want reparations in the form of the all mighty coin or by means of actual instruments of death such as kunai and other metalwork, it is of no concern to me or the village. We produce quality work and what is loss can surely be made back in due time… What does concern me is the slipperiness of your human tongue and whether the slope it treads upon leads to problems for the Hidden Rain."

Aramitama had not arrived at his position through some tour de force nor grand tournament. While he did not doubt the capacity for his daimyo to follow the trends of some other villages and their masters' habits, he had instead come into his own through keen political maneuvering, which meant that he had achieved his personal success via the tried and true methods of reading people. And, while his skills in the area had carried him far, only someone truly devoid of personal interaction would find it difficult to ascertain that the honorable Amekage grew increasingly agitated the more his much, much shorter compatriot spoke.

Industry then. Interesting, though he had but a scant moment or two to contemplate the manner in which his assumptions had colored the interactions between the two parties for, as the hulk of a man spoke, he rose up to display his impressive stature, though most statures could impress the small Lord of Grass. Not a beat behind, Arami leaned ever-so-slightly back, hands still placed lazily upon the table between the men, back straightening up more into the spine of his seat. The small motion also came with it the shifting of said chair but two inches back, giving him room in the confined space to look up at his fellow ruler without having to crane his neck, while also keeping him well withing reaching distance of the great beast before him.

He caught that little hand motion and it worried him greatly. A throb of adrenaline coursed through his body at such a bold provocation, either a reckless act of aggression or a foolish misstep? A bait even, if the other was half as clever as he seemed. In the slit moments remaining to decide, a tiny prick of chakra met Aramitama's retina's warping his already red irises to the distinct and lazily rolling pattern of his birthright. Motion halted at once as he saw, quite clearly, that no supernatural aggression came his way, which left only physical violence or some other political faux pax. From his position, even while seated, mere exchanges of physical blows did not worry him and the slight tension he had amassed fell away.

His mind raced ahead of reality as he waited for what now felt an eternity to see what the Amekage would produce from the desk. Truth be told, his potential for fear had been seriously reduced by the fact that his personal existence no longer held the same existential weight as that of an average person. Disrespectful perhaps, but prudent and necessary for a village as small and militarily weak as Kusa. When finally, at the apex of his anticipation, he saw a collection of nuts ferried to the man's awaiting mouth, he laughed at himself before continuing on and waiting in kind for the words of better.

His smile persisted and he began to feel that he had captured the crux of their miscommunication. As his gut had told him, they were not enemies and harbored common cause. "We, I think, may have gotten on to the wrong start. If I understand your meaning correctly, then we are of common ilk; for you see, Kusagakure has undergone no such liberation of industry and yet labors under an aging warlord. As for your concerns of the tongue, wise of you to take such note, as most others do not see the value or danger in words. But as I hope I have made now apparent, I come here not for war on your house but instead for potential companionship. I intend to liberate Kusagakure from its benefactor's tyranny, but it seems that on your part, you are far ahead of us. And for such an undertaking, as with all other things in this world, the currency of the land is neither blades nor coin, but trust."

There it was again, the crimson hue that was the Kuskage's eyes, against his features and attire they were visibly striking, but what intrigued Nōet most was the rewriting of history that was taking place before his very eyes. The Uchiha, who had settlements in Hanagakure no Sato, had a wayward son who claimed dominance and control over a neighboring nation? If ever things were in a state of chaos alliances were something to be treasured, thus as the man spoke the words of the Village Hidden in the Grass's leader began soothing the bubbling anger boiling in Nōet from the man's previous gesture as the conversation came to a head. Then, just like that, as if a switch was flipped, the air in the room began to settle and become less dense. Such a feeling was first felt by the more in tuned animals that occupied the room, as a result the squawking died back down and they resumed continuing about their own business with one another and the nutrients on the floor.

A visible peace could be seen about the Amekage's body as the energy brought about by his emotions became unknotted, he lifted his fist from the desk while stretching out his fingers before intertwining and resting it with its counterpart upon the man's now crossed legs; right over left. This was marked by the ending of the Kusakage's speech, if not inferred through body language Nōet was even more intrigued. "Kusakage-sama, on behalf of the Village Hidden in Rain and the Land of Rain itself, I would like to formally introduce myself. I am Nōet, descendant of the Sages of the times of old, and leader of Amegakure. With your permission, I would like to draw up before you now an accord documenting and writing into the history books an alliance between Kusagakure and Amegakure no Sato."

If it were foretold by the all knowing to be so, then so it would be, and the accord would be signed by the leaders of both villages. Their continued conversation would bring about political necessities that more so served the interests of their Daimyo on the surface levels, such as talks of trade of each village's chief export, but eventually this would carry over to gaining a sense of getting to know one another as time and the storm passed. Once the skies were cleared, and if the Kuskage was not on an scheduled immediate departure, Nōet offered to escort him to a vacancy reserved for their political guests on the west end of the village. Included would be a tour of some of the sites of the village, such as the communication tower where Amegakure's personal channel settings were given in the event one was constructed in Kusagakure at any point. Things between the two would end that day at the apartment, Nōet's goodbyes would be said and instruction on how to use the spare headset radio that had been left if anything was needed by him or his staff that had previously aided the Kusakage.

The smile which broke the short man's face would - and in the case of his personal attendants had - dazzle any mere mortal and most political figures, but for various reasons he surmised that this counterpart, this Noet of the illustrious Hagoromo clan, would not fall to such petty charms. He enjoyed that, enjoyed the little chase, and what with some of the visions he had for the pair's budding relationship, that sort of general immunity to idle chit chat and visual beauty would doubtlessly prove invaluable. For the time being, he left active that right of blood, a small good luck charm perhaps with its powers coinciding so nicely with the rather sudden change of moods in the room.

When Noet came to the moment of truth, the formal extension of an alliance between the two nations, Aramitama felt a sudden wave of elation, partially because he had acquired what he set out to do and more because he could already taste the fruit of this union. He'd had a strong feeling upon their first meeting and, as was his nature, he acted upon that. He stood when Noet had finished, bowing deeply to the other man who, even seated, nearly reached to Arami's height.

"Noet-sama, thank you; Kusagakure graciously accepts your offer and my people and i look forward to a productive relationship." He bowed once again before continuing, "My name is Aramitama, of the Uchiha clan, though I trust that my heritage has been plainly obvious. May any who may foolishly seek to wrong either of us soon learn of the wrath of the other. We've... much to do."

As they left, he, having no where to be and merely one side of the shadow of the grasslands, accepted the stay in the fine facilities that the great beast of Amegakure offered him. He could not afford to dally for all of time, but they had a great deal to accomplish and something had told him that he ought to remain for at least a bit longer. The world shifted once again and Arami, personally, did not much like what he smelled.

Exit