| abstract | - The Black Crown, an organization of criminals with certain beliefs. Some said they are merely a religious group who form no harm at all, those were persuaded quickly of the danger at hand after the catastrophic event that occurred during the Kage summit. The black crown are a religious group that worships the Shinju. They are known for their hate towards shinobi and their desire to annihilate them. They use religion and beliefs as justification for their disastrous actions and bloody massacres against the shinobi. They say they are people of religion, yet their actions are ... unholy to say the least. They were frowned upon, yet not really feared until the day of the summit. The Kage and some of the Daimyō were summoned to attend a summit of Kage held in Otogakure and managed by the Otokage, Kyatsu Musei. The summit took an unpredictable turn as the waiters who served the Kage and the Daimyō turned out to be Black Crown associates who managed to take out the Daimyō and cause great trouble to the Kage and their bodyguards. People started recognizing the Black Crown as a true threat after the summit. There were countermeasures taken against them by each village. Konohagakure was one of these villages, led by the current Hokage, Fūrin. The village was struggling to find a solution to the problem at hand. Konohagakure as a whole was disturbed. Many efforts were made by strategists as Sayotsu in order to find solutions to the issue of the black crown, they were trying to weed out the black crown associates in the village, which was seemingly a hard task to execute considering their expertise in disguise. Expertise that was enough to fool everyone in the summit to think that they are merely waiters and servants. It was an overloaded time for the Hokage. She was expected to find solutions to the problems at hand especially since Konoha was starting to run low on crops and food resources. She was assisted by Sayotsu, despite the differences between them. The village was engaged in hard work in order to find clarifications for unanswered questions. The Hokage is pacing around in her office as she has an uneasy look on her face. She stops and looks out her window to see the honorable village of Konohagakure. She inhales and then sighs before looking at Sayotsu's reflection on the window "What do you think about weeding out the black crown associates? It's not going to be an easy task to perform. They are very good at disguising. Even I was fooled by them. How do I know that you aren't an impostor working with them taking the shape of Sayotsu in order to get close to me?" she says as she turns her head to look at Sayotsu who was sitting on her desk "I think you know very well I'm no impostor, girly. Though I don't blame you, after what happened in the summit, I would be paranoid too if I was in your position. Though healthy paranoia doesn't harm anyone. The possibility of an impostor disguising as one of your guards or shinobi close to you is present. You should be careful. We don't wanna lose you as Hokage." he says with a smirk as he talks with a mocking tone. "Watch it, you don't want to anger me at this time, I'm already livid and I don't mind finishing you off where you stand." she says to Sayotsu as she talks in a threatening manner. Sayotsu looks over at her as he widens his smirk slightly "I'll take my chances." he says. Silence consumed Fūrin didn't utter a word. In a mere instant, a giant claw made of compressed wind was launched with great velocity from thin air towards Sayotsu. It seemingly grabbed him for an instant and slammed him onto the desk, which was split in half. Dust obscured the vision. "You shouldn't lose your temper so easily, Hokage-sama" Sayotsu says as the dust clears to reveal that he wasn't crushed by the Hokage's attack. Instead, he was standing upside down on the roof of the room with a Kunai beside his foot, nailed to the roof. "Hiraishin no Jutsu, I'm sure you know my speed cannot be challenged. What a mess you have made, I'll leave you to think at peace for now. Just remember, our resources are running low, we need an alliance and it better happen sooner rather than later." he says as he flips from the roof and lands on his feet. He slowly walks out of the room waving to the Hokage without even facing her. He exits the room without speaking another word. "That bastard" she says. "I really attempted to kill him." she thought to herself as she sat on her office chair looking at he broken desk. A chūnin entered the room after hearing the ruckus "Hokage-sama! are you alri-" he pauses after seeing the desk. "What happened!?" he says with a loud tone. "I'm not in the mood for talking now, and I certainly don't want to hear noises as shouting. Now bring me someone to cleanup this mess before your fate ends like that desk." she says in a low tone, yet it was clear that she was irritated. The chūnin charged out of the room "Understood!" he says as he ran with fright written on his facial expression. Fūrin sighs as she needs to solve the lack of resources in the village. Little does she know, an alliance is on its way. "Ah dear, have I come in unannounced? I apologize for the inconvenience." A silver-haired man named Yoshihira stood at the vast gates of Konohagakure. The man appeared far less than imposing. In fact, he stood as almost...beautiful, in a very ironic sense. His slim figure and formal attire caused suspicion to rise among the Chūnin that guarded the front gates, who confronted him quite boldly. "Tell us, sir, of your identity!" Yoshihira chuckled in response to the young man's query, and responded quite simply with his justification, "I am the Village Head of the Takumi Village within the Land of Rivers. I understand I have come unannounced, but I request an audience with your Hokage, Fūrin-san. Furthermore, from what I can sense from the ambiance in your village...you appear to be in dire need of resources." The chūnin, knowing that what he said was...undoubtedly true, let him in. One of them, with a quick step went to inform the Hokage of Yoshihira's presence, while he continued with his previous point. "Ah, he forgot to record that I was here on a trading partnership. Alas, my previous statement might have implied that nonetheless. I shall wait here for further details, then?" Yoshihira asked the chūnin, who responded with an affirmative as the Village Head simply leaned against the wall with his arms folded, patiently waiting for his entrance. "Fūrin-sama! there's someone who claims to be the leader of Takumi Village on the entrance. He wishes to speak with you about some sort of potential alliance. It seems to sort the resources issue we were having. Should I let him in?" the chūnin asks. Fūrin is hesitant as she is unsure of the man's true identity. Especially when he came without any announcement. "I think he's no impostor" says Sayotsu who appeared to be crouching on the ledge of the window in the office, he was directly behind Fūrin as he appeared from no where, which made the Chūnin jump back "Sayotsu-san! you scared me there." he says. Fūrin didn't even turn to Sayotsu who was right behind her. "How many times did I tell you not to sneak up on me like that?" she says quietly. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Now back to the subject at hand. If he was a black crown member, he would at least announce his arrival in order to trick us into believing that he's the true leader of the village. Not to mention, we need resources. I suggest we let him in." says Sayotsu with a sense of confidence in his words. "You do realize that if he did turn out to be an impostor, you will be fully responsible for any damage done by him." says Fūrin. "I understand, I will remain her for the sake of insurance on your safety. Though I don't like it, but it is my job to protect you. Believe me, I would like to see you get squashed by a tree like the next black crown member, but it's my duty to make sure you're safe." he says with arrogance. Fūrin simply replies "Fuck you" as she then signals for the Chūnin to let the man in. He then travelled with great speed flickering through the buildings to reach the gate. He stood in front of the man firmly, and says "By orders of Fūrin-sama herself, you're allowed to come in! Follow me." he then starts leading the man to the Hokage office. "Heh, what an honor." Yoshihira grinned in response to the chūnin's announcement, walking forward steadily behind him. He breathed in the surrounding air with quite some enjoyment, and observed the state of the village as he walked higher and higher through the stairs. He found it intriguing to note the citizens' faces of disapproval as they went about their daily lives. Even in such a renown village like this, public opinion still mattered the most about everything. Finally, after finishing walking up the stairs, the chūnin had opened the door for the Hokage Residence's hallway for him. "Do not worry, I shall be able to manage myself from here." Yoshihira noted to the young man, as he continued walking until reaching the doors of the Hokage's office. He entered the establishment with his untouchable confidence, and questioned the woman before him, "I assume you are the Death Breeze of Konohagakure and the woman I need to talk to?" Fūrin is sitting on her office chair as she looks at the man before her checking him out as she was still suspicious of him. Next to her is Sayotsu who is leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket, smoking a cigarette. "Indeed, I'm Shikaze, but you can just call me by my name, Fūrin. I welcome you in Konohagakure, I hope you enjoy your visit. Please, have a seat and get comfortable." she says as she was ready for a surprise attack. Sayotsu starts using his sensory ability to detect any attempt of launching an attack as they wait for the man's response. The paranoia was clear Yoshihira, it could be felt in the air. "This tension...it's fascinating." Yoshihira thought to himself oddly, before calming himself down. "Now now, Fūrin-san and...Sayotsu-san, I believe you are. I understand your necessity for being paranoid, however..." Yoshihira was slowly cloaked in an aura of malevolent black dust temporarily. "If you don't let your guard down, it might not be very beneficial for the both of you." Yoshihira threatened nonchalantly. "If you cannot tell, Fūrin-san, I have no subordinates with me on my side. I am here only armed with myself against an entire village. I have no need to cause chaos." Yoshihira calmed his malevolence down, before taking a seat as he was asked to. "Shall we begin talking business?" "Would have been easy to let my guard down if my enemies aren't suicidal bombers. First shinobi rule, is to never let your guard down no matter what. You should know that. Anyway, let us begin the negotiations." Fūrin says as she waits for Yoshihira to begin. Sayotsu smirked "I gotta admit, I like his attitude." he thinks as he takes a deep breath and lets out the smoke from the cigarette. "Couldn't you at least learn how to feign it better?" Yoshihira made a snide remark, before appearing in a cheerful light. "Well my first question to you, as the Hokage is, do you know the history between our village and your own? That is a primary concern for us to remove prior to further negotiations don't you think?" Yoshihira questioned the Hokage, at the same time evaluating her worthiness as the Hokage of a village with quite a...rich history for conflict. "I do remember hearing about your village. I recall a man named Seimei who had unholy plans by using the Shukaku's chakra. Forgive me, I don't recall the entire situation, but I do remember that Seimei was taken care of and formed no danger afterwards." she says as she leans back on her chair. "Now the question is..." Yoshihira began to say, "Was what you just did an act of letting your guard down? Or was it feigned? You can barely tell the difference, can't you?" Yoshihira proceeded to rub his chin slightly, before folding his arms. "You have satisfactory knowledge of the events that occurred, and this isn't a history lesson so we should move on." Yoshihira looked towards Sayotsu briefly, who noted to be rather casual about the whole situation, before looking towards Fūrin once again. "So, Fūrin-san, I have to come to offer you aid through exporting of tools and agricultural necessities for your village from my own. That is the gist of the matter." Yoshihira stated, rather blatantly, and awaited for Fūrin's response. Fūrin is about to talk as she takes a deep breath that's interrupted by Sayotsu who says "Well if we're being blunt about the whole matter, then lets forget the build-up to the subject and let me ask you this as well. What do you want in return for you help. I'm sure that you didn't come to Konohagakure all that way from your village just to supply us with resources. Not to mention, there were conflict between our villages before. How do we know this is no trap or trick in order to avenge your fallen comrade? From the way you started this conversation, it seemed that you wanted to know how aware we were of the history between our villages, which is worrying to a degree especially since we don't have a very bright past." Sayotsu says calmly as he blows out a buff of smoke from his cigarette. He then throws it out of the window. "I could feel the aura that formed around you earlier, which indicates that you don't mind resolving to physical actions or even attacking us directly. More importantly, we need to know why we should trust you." he says as he keeps the casual attitude sticking both of his hand in his pockets. Fūrin didn't utter a word after Sayotsu finished since he said everything that needed to be said. She remains silent awaiting the answers for Sayotsu's questions. "Oh my, battering me with questions and accusations are we? I apologize for my slow pace, I just didn't want to overwhelm you all at once, is all." Yoshihira commented, laughing off the serious vibe within the room. "Ah, also. That aura was simply me losing control for a small amount of time. I don't mean to resort to any sort of physical action whatsoever; I simply would have no advantage beyond a temporary surprise." Yoshihira looked at Sayotsu carefully, instantly recognizing Sayotsu as the more intelligent of the two people he was sitting in front of. "All I require from you is the ability for me to have a few Shinobi among your ranks to come in and assist the growth of Takumi Village's militant force. As you know, not all Blacksmiths are like myself, in that they have also been trained as Shinobi. Therefore, our military power is rather weak in comparison to most Shinobi-based villages. In order to protect ourselves from the recent threat of the Black Crown, who could just as easily target our smaller village, a stronger and more concentrated military force is essential." Yoshihira, pausing briefly, let out a small breath. "And that's that. I don't have very many requirements from you, do I?" "Although what you say isn't out of reason, but we need to know the quantity of resources the shipment has. Konohagakure is a big village and you say your village is small, would you have enough agricultural resources to help a huge village like Konoha while maintaining a reasonable amount of resources and food for the people of your village? Not only that, we need to know how many soldiers you require from us. Raising your military strength is essential, yet you would need many experienced fighters in order to block a threat like the black crown, am I wrong?" Sayotsu says with confidence. He seemed like a reasonable guy, his tone was far from interrogative, it was as if he was having a normal conversation. He looked eyes with Yoshihira, takes a deep breath and says "You still didn't answer me ... How can we trust you? the shipment can be poisoned for all I know, it could mean the end of many Konoha shinobi and citizens, something I'm not willing to risk even if the possibility was one percent. I'm not prepared to lose even a one normal citizen of Konohagakure in this negotiation. I'm sure you understand." he maintains eye contact with Yoshihira. His tone is relaxed, yet his look fumes with distrust. His body language showed no signs of hostility however, and he seemed to be dictating the conversation rather than the Hokage herself. "Our village may be small, but our agricultural and tool exports are much higher than what is expected. We will also have plenty of resources from our side due to imports from other countries and villages as well, so there is no need to worry about quantity. Furthermore, the soldiers won't have to be many. I did mention a "concentrated" military force, didn't I? It is only the younger Shinobi that need worrying about. We have many inexperienced Shinobi that we want to train in order to truly be able to assist themselves and others in a life-threatening situation." Yoshihira paused, and chuckled internally at Sayotsu's paranoia. "It's simple. You can trust me because, at this point, I have made no further demands of you and I have not shown any true hostility towards you. For example..." Yoshihira pulled out a piece of an apple from his pouch and offered it to Sayotsu. "This is one of the many products that will be given to your village. Try it and see what happens?" Sayotsu could never trust anyone even his comrades. He only trusted a few in his life. Now there is this man who might have a grudge against Konoha offering him what can be his last apple. Would he take it? "I'm goddamn brave guy, but I'm no fool. I'll test the apple, but I learned in my life that it's never necessary to take risks when you have the option of playing it safe." he says with a smirk as he forms the shadow clone hand seal taking his hands out of his pockets slowly. A duplication of him appeared with a puff of smoke. He took a few steps towards Yoshihira and slowly grabbed the apple. He stares at the apple and then direct his vision back at Yoshihira who seems to be enjoying the show. Fūrin watching closely yet not uttering a word. The clone bit the apple. Silence consumed the room as they waited. The clones looks at the real Sayotsu and simply says "Clean" as he puts the apple on the desk. Sayotsu nods to the clone as it vanishes in a puff of smoke. Sayotsu witnessed the clone's experience by sharing the spiritual energy, a property of the Shadow Clone Technique. "I do have to say, that's one tasty apple." he smirks as he remains very casual. His coldness is abnormal. He didn't move an inch and showed no signs of hostility or anxiety. "Hokage, I suggest we accept this offer. Of course, we will check on the shipments after it arrives. As for now, I don't see any problem with it. Although the fact that we have dirty history with the Takumi village worries me." he says bluntly in front of Yoshihira. He then returns his vision to Fūrin "As for now, there is no need to reject the man's offer. I will ensure the safety of the shipments myself. However, the decision is yours in the end." he says as he brushes his brown soft hair with his hand moving it to the side revealing his eye patch that was covered by his hair. Fūrin rolls her eyes over to Sayotsu, then looks back at Yoshihira. "If Sayotsu could have the nerve to trust this guy, someone like him who doesn't trust even his comrades, then I'll give it a shot." she thought as she smiled at Yoshihira and said "Looks like we have a deal." "Is that so? Well, are our negotiations over, then?" Yoshihira asked the two individuals standing in front of him, delighted that they accepted his offer as quickly as they did. "That was...faster than I expected. I don't know what's going to happen." "The negotiation isn't over yet, Konoha merely accepted your offer. We're yet to discuss the details and the amount of resources we need on the shipments. To make it short and sweet, we need every bit of resources that you can offer. As for the shinobi, rest assured, we can supply a very good amount of experienced shinobi." says Fūrin. "I hope you understand that the term 'negotiation' means that you remain calm about the whole situation? Assertions don't take place in politics, Fūrin-san." Yoshihira made a snide remark, "In regards to the quantity of resources we can offer you...what do you believe is enough to sufficiently provide for your village, in a numerical value? I can't make any judgement on that considering I have no information on your statistics." Yoshihira furthered the discussion by adding, "A 'good' amount, you say? I'll be the one giving the numbers here. At minimum...we would require 50 experienced Shinobi from your village to be present in ours. Any additions would be much appreciated, however." Yoshihira concluded his own arguments, giving way for Fūrin to speak.
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