Office of the Tsuchikage, Face to face(Invite Only/Char Dev)

Zen'no walked back into the clearing where the battle he participated in had just taken place.  There was very little damage done to the surroundings and the only real damage was the cracks and dent in one of the pillars from a lightning attack.  They had done a great job of protecting the civilians and it was a great mission completed but at the same time Rivu was upset at Zen'no for possibly injuring the criminals.  Zen'no walked into the building once again and walked by the secretary without stopping.  She knew him well enough and he had just protected the building yet again so she wouldn't have a problem with him.  Zen'no stepped up each stair and took his time climbing floor by floor up to Rivu's office.  The building was tall so this took quite a while but he was in no rush since he didn't have anything else pressing to do that day.  He finally arrived in Rivu's office and found that the door was closed.  Since Zen'no didn't have any hands of his own he was unable to open the door without the help of some of his chakra techniques. Zen'no quickly materialized a chakra hand in front of him and used it to open the door.  He walked in and dissipated the hand and faced Rivu to speak.

"I'm back and the criminals have been dropped off in the hospital."

The Kage had put his cloak and headdress back on and was sitting behind his desk staring back at him.  His hair covered his eye once again and he looked like his well rested calm self once more.  Zen'no was sure Rivu wanted to talk about the mission that had just taken place but Zen'no also wanted to speak to him about the state of their country.  Zen'no looked at his Kage and his friend and spoke;

"What did you want to talk about Rivu?"

Jutsu Used:

Rivu looked up from his desk as his friend entered his room. He stood up, pushing the chair behind him out. He smiled, the left side of his face covered with his blonde hair. "Come on in, my friend." He said, raising his arm and gesturing towards the chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat, I'd like to talk to you." Taking his seat, he brushed the hair out of his face, an old habit. His right eye met his desk before rising to meet his Zen'no's.

The two had been together for some time now. Since they were Jonin, they had done many high ranking missions together. They had grown close, or as close as Zen'no seemed to let him; it could be hard to tell with his blank stares. Rivu blinked, looking at the seemingly emotionless ANBU in front of him. "This is about the shinobi we just encountered." Beneath the desk, Rivu began cracking his knuckles on his lap.

The two used to do incredible things on their missions, they were a force to be reckoned with. Now, however, they had more important things to consider. Rivu was Tsuchikage now, he had responsibilities to the village and the country. The time for rash behaviors was behind them. Those men were worth a lot more valuable to Iwagakure alive and conscious.

What were they after? Are there more of them? Why go straight to The Obelisks? How did they get past the security details? There were a lot of unanswered questions. As a member of ANBU, Rivu had hoped that this sort of thing would go without saying, but sometimes we need to let people be unharmed for the sake of getting information.

"I want to know why you thought it was a good idea to knock those two shinobi's brains in."

The young Kage gestured to the seat in front of him across from his large desk for Zen'no to sit in and Zen'no did just that. He created a chakra hand in order to pull the chair in front of him out so that he could sit in it. After sitting he looked his comrade in the eyes and dissipated his chakra hand as he put his arms up on the table crossing his forearms in a relaxed position. Rivu asked him why he injured the criminals and knocked them out just like Zen'no thought he would ask. Since he had known what he was going to talk about, Zen'no already had an answer.

"I didn't and don't have the ability to easily carry and restrain 3 ninja of their calibur into an interrogation room while they are all still conscious. The 3 were masters at their respective techniques and if we were going to move them to another location it would be extremely difficult to do so while they were still conscious and able to perform their jutsu. If you would have allowed me to weaken them using my swords they would have been conscious but unable to fight back or react as well and they could have been taken with relative ease. However because you did not wish for blood to be shed I needed to knock them out in order to transport them. Out of the jutsu that I am able to use and through the lack of physical capabilities I obviously possess the only situation in which I could knock them out and not kill them was with hitting them with my weakest technique. I can understand where this may not be the best scenario for you but in the end you must understand that I had thought through my actions and this was the one that made the most sense."

Zen'no stared into the Tsuchikage's eyes unflinching and unblinking although the hair in his eyes made it hard for Rivu to see this. He didn't want to seem rude to the Kage since he was of higher rank but having known him for so long and believing himself to be in the right, Zen'no was unable to be less blunt in his speech.

Jutsu Used:

Rivu dropped eye contact and glanced at his lap. He brought his arms onto the desk, resting his elbows on the surface and his head in his hands. His fingers combed through his hair as he brushed it to the left, covering his scar. "Let me get this straight." He said, laying his arms flat on the desk.

"You and me were there, in the heart of our village, with three A rank criminal missing-nin. Three powerful shinobi, granted; but look at us Zen'no!" He laughed, opening his arms wide. He sighed, clasping the back of his skull with both hands, elbows out. "You, my friend, are ANBU Black Ops, master of chakra manifestation and manipulation. He said, letting out another sigh.

Rivu's eyes glanced across the desk, peaking at the kage hat. He reached his right arm out and toyed with the brim, knocking it slightly back and forth. He shifted his gaze back to Zen'no and spoke. "And I am Tsuchikage Rivu Aiasan, the Leviathan of Iwagakure." He smiled.

"Do you see where I'm going with this? Let's look at the situation we had down there. We had one genjutsu specialist; she was pinned down quite well by my rock golem, not to mention her apparent psychotic episode she was having. What about the ninjutsu master," he said, with a slightly sarcastic tone. "Completely incapacitated, arms held in midair. He had no hand signs, no leverage to even come into contact with, nothing. Suspended at your mercy, and for what? A fair price of chakra, sure, but what kind of fight was that? It isn't even fair to call that a fight. His tone became slightly more stern. Even underneath his scar, his eyelids quivered in slight frustration.

"Oh, I almost forgot the master swordsman, who was in an identical situation to the last. Don't tell me that you had no choice but to 'pacify' him. All we had to do was slow it down, talk things out. I could've easily pulled up two more rock golems, maybe three rock clones to have inside of each of them. Perhaps these clones, my clones, could've held their limp bodies in their arms while the golem marched them to holding cells. Hell, maybe the two of us escort them for safety. Rivu leaned back into his chair, crossing his right foot over his left leg.

"We were in a very strong position there, Zen'no. He lifted his eyebrows and smirked, his tone lightening signifcantly. "A very strong position." He let air out of his nose and laughed slightly. "When we have an advantage like that, exploit it. If we have time to think things through, you'd be surprised at the things we can be capable of."

He got up straight in his seat, facing Zen'no directly. "And that, my friend, is where you come in." He said with a smile. "I'm a rash thinker," his thoughts flashed back to his cursed abilities. The surge of power, the euphoric god complex. He closed his eye and shook his head slightly. He laughed lightly and quickly reestablished eye contact. "Family trait," he laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "When we go ham on our enemies, I need you to be the strategic thinker that I wish I could be. Can you do that for me?" He said with a blink at the emotionless shinobi in front of him.

The conversation continued as Rivu also put his arms on the table to talk with Zen'no. He made some good points and talked about how they were not just two shinobi of Iwagakure but they were high ranking shinobi and possibly the most powerful shinobi in Iwagakure. The criminal ninja did not stand a chance either way and Zen'no knew that but what it came down to was he was not used to not being able to restrain them without shedding blood. It made sense of course that within the village walls they would try not to spill blood to prevent the villagers from worrying about what was happening. Zen'no had restrained the criminals with ease using his chakra manipulation and thinking back on it there were things he could have done differently in order to get more information out of them. It was definitely possible they would all be fine after their medical care and hopefully they would be able to answer some questions.

Rivu then opened up to Zen'no and told him that he needed him to be the brains. Needed him to think when he couldn't think and to plan out situations accordingly. Zen'no knew this was big for Rivu to be saying this out loud but couldn't help but feel it was inadequate. He wouldn't say this out loud and of course Rivu would never know but Zen'no was already thinking of bigger plans and Iwagakure was not so important to him at this point in time. It was Rivu's job to protect the village and technically Zen'no's as well but Zen'no wanted to change the world and he would need to start taking bigger steps in order to do so.

"You're right, I hadn't thought about some possibilities in which I could take down the criminals without hurting them. I can think of a few that would have fit the scenario now and I will do my best to keep a level head and be the brains. We are Iwagakure after all; Sturdy as a rock."

"I appreciate it, my friend." Rivu said, offering a smile to his stoic comrade. He stared at Zen'no for a moment, his face emotionless. It had always irked Rivu that he was this way, but it had it's benefits. Where other's found him cold, Rivu saw potential. Calculating and efficient, the perfect compliment to the Tsuchikage. He let out a soft sigh, exhaling through his nostrils.

Oh Zen'no, I'm going to need you. Something out there is stirring. I don't know what it is; but when the time comes, we are going to need you. I'm going to need you.

"There's a lot more at stake here than I think you realize." Rivu said, standing up. He nodded towards the door behind him. "Follow me Zen'no," He said, picking up his kage hat and turning to the door behind him. He grabbed the handle and moved the door aside, stepping onto the balcony that surrounded his office. The sky was a bright blue with very few clouds. The sun shone bright directly over the village. Grabbing the railing with his left hand, he used the other to brush the blonde hair out of his face. The wind picked up, blowing across his exposed scar. It tingled a bit and he let the air push his hair back into place. He put on his headgear, keeping the breeze from bothering him any longer.

"Look around," he said, raising both of his arms up, almost to embrace the view of Iwagakure before him. The massive stone gates stood to the south, the only entrance to the village surrounded completely by mountains. Below, people looked like ants, scurrying back and forth among the magnificent stone structures. "What do you see?" He asked, turning to Zen'no, locking his eye on the one he had been with through so much.

Rivu had stood up and walked over to the balcony, opening the doors wide and stepping out to look out to the huge village in which he ruled. Zen'no stood up from his chair and walked over to join him at the Kage's request and then the Kage asked him a peculiar question. He asked him what he saw when he looked out to the people below and Zen'no was about to give a quick answer but then pondered his answer for a second so that he would be able to give a truthful response.

The people below scurried around like insects and since they were so far below them they looked just the right size for the role. Zen'no knew they weren't worthless though and that they all had their purpose. He wasn't attached to this village and had no sentiment or feeling of belonging to these people. His parents were dead as well as the only woman he had ever loved and this village was the cause of both of their deaths. They had assigned the mission in which Kyla had been killed in and he could never forgive them for doing it. It was too risky a mission in the first place and they had not send enough qualified shinobi to do it. The village had also made a mistake regarding himself for as a child they had not watched him with his unstable powers and they could have been there when he killed his parents. He knew deep down that it wasn't the village's fault and that he was the only real one to blame. Even if he didn't mean it, he had killed his parents himself and he couldn't protect Kyla even though he was on the mission with her. Both things could have been stopped with more power that he still craved. He wished for justice and as he looked down on the people of Iwagakure he received his answer to Rivu's question.

"I see potential. I see many separate lives all trying to survive in this unjust world. They live in unawareness while we perform the dirty deeds to protect them from the shadows but I also see that they do not need to know. They are useless while thinking of using them for battle as we do not have a very strong militia at this point in time. They are strong when regarding their happiness however. They each have their own lives to live and are trying to live them out as best they can. They are normal humans which form our country and although they aren't strong, they are the foundation to why we fight and why we die. In order to carry out justice, there must be people who will reap from the rewards after we have achieved it."

Rivu was not at all surprised by Zen'no's response. Cold and calculated, focused on the battles and the strategy. This village meant more to Rivu than it did to this member of the Black Ops. The people were tools to him it seemed, means to and end. Which was fine, Rivu thought, as long as he acting with the future of the village in mind. An emotionless tactician and killer could serve the village just as well as any Tsuchikage it seemed.

Rivu laughed and spoke to his friend. "I figured as much, Zen'no," his arm reaching up and patting his comrade on the back. He let out a long sigh, still chuckling. "No," he leaned over the railing once again, resting his body weight onto the rail and his forearms. He crossed the fingers in his hands and held them tight, staring across the horizon. "This village means a whole lot more than that," he said, a smile stretching across his face.

Rivu truly cared for the people of the village; he would die for them, if it came to that. He also had other plans, however. With the assets of an entire village at their disposal, anything is possible. He saw it in two lights. On one side, he saw his home. The people, the streets, he loved them and they loved him. Then there was the other side, from Rivu's ambitious side; the side that made the village look like one of the greatest weapons at his disposal.

"This village is a remarkable place, my friend. I want to change the world, but I can't do it from the confines of these walls. I'm going to need help." He turned his head slightly, his right eye making contact with Zen'no's. "I trust you remember the kind of things we used to talk about, what we imagined our future would be like. What do you say we start making that a reality?"

He finally brought it up. A few years back when Zen'no had first met Rivu they had begun to talk about various things regarding the past and about the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki was a group of high level missing ninja who would go around the world in search of the 9 bijuu in order to harness their power and rule the world. There have been many reincarnations of the Akatsuki but they have all had an evil intent behind their actions. Zen'no wished to create an organization much like the Akatsuki but instead of for the sake of world domination and evil, for the sake of uniting the world under a single belief and justice. It was his belief that whoever had the most power in the world was the one who had the right to be called justice. Rules and regulations were only enforced if the ones who called them into place had the power to do so because if not then they wouldn’t be enforced and the rules would just be words and not law. Zen'no wished for the power to be undeniable justice and so that wars would not break out ever again across the world. Rivu was intrigued by his idea and although they had different ways on looking at life or on the villagers, they were both interested in the end result of uniting the world and peace.

"Yes, the collection of bijuu and the forming of a group of likeminded individuals. Over the last couple of years there have not been any sighting of any bijuu or jinchuriki and either the jinchuriki are being prudent or the bijuu have been sealed away and hidden." he looked over to Rivu to make sure he was on the same page with him.

"I have several contacts across Tsuchi no Kuni that will notify me of any changes regarding either of the two but that leaves us with the act of forming our group; "Heiwa". Heiwa's goal is to gain enough power to be the undeniable justice in order to cause peace and unity across the world. Our group should be named as such; "Heiwa" meaning peace. In order to attain enough power we require the massive amounts of chakra from the bijuu and by becoming jinchuriki we can achieve power that no other ninja will be able to defeat. While the Akatsuki was created solely from missing ninja in the past, our group shall be formed from anyone who shares our ideals not limited to anyone as long as we approve of their intentions. What say you to this Rivu?"

Rivu stared at his friend, his right eye opened wide. He shook his head and laughed. "You know, Zen'no, I don't think I've ever seen you so excited." He smiled and let out a sigh. He turned his head to the side and his eye gravitated towards the desk and the kage hat sitting atop it. This kind of discussion, while lucrative, did have Iwagakure as it's priority.

The wind picked up again as Rivu turned back around. his blonde hair blew out of his face, stingy his scar slightly. He was barely strong enough to defend the village back then, he needed to be stronger. He turned his head back to face his friend. "If we're going to do this, we need to start off making sure thinsg are clear." He cleared his throat and stood up straight, trying to sound as serious as possible.

"If this organization is going to be suckling inside of Iwagakure. It is going to answer to me." He tried to speak softly, even trying a smile to stifle how awkward that was to say to his friend. "Don't worry, it is a group, and a group of people we are going to trust and rely on. But at the end of the day, remember that this is my village."

And then he realized what Zen'no just said. Bijuu and Jinchuriki. "Wait, did you say 'become jinchuriki?'" He blinked. "C'mon Zen'no, I just asked you to be my brains here." He began to laugh even as he spoke; "I'm not even using my curse right now!" He sighed as the laughing stopped."Your quest for world peace and justice will be a step in our journey, but we've got a long way to go before we get there." He looked out across the village, eyeing the gates on the far side and let out another short chuckle. "Before we can even think about Bijuu and Jinchuriki, we need to find allies."

He stood away from the railing and approached the door. "Questions, comments, concerns?" He said, stepping back inside towards his desk.

Rivu seemed to like the idea Zen'no had put out and he was glad Rivu had not changed his mind since they had last talked. Now that it was out in the open that they were going to form "Heiwa" Rivu began to talk of the infrastructure. He had welcomed the base of Heiwa to be Iwagakure as long as he was the leader of the group and Zen'no didn't have much problem with this since he was already used to being a leader and Heiwa would just be an extension of Iwagakure within its walls. This however was an extension of responsibility and Zen'no couldn't afford for Rivu to put other things before Heiwa for once it had been formed it was to be the number one priority.

"I don't mind you acting as the leader of Heiwa while we are within Iwagakure if we do use this village as the base. You are already doing a great job of leading the people here to peace and happiness as well as taking care of threats such as criminals. However Heiwa will travel and spread across the world and I fear that you may not be able to focus on all of the happenings that will occur with our members outside of the village if you are also focused on the people of Iwagakure itself. I cannot ask you for more than this and so I put out the idea that while you lead Heiwa while we are inside the walls of Iwagakure, I shall lead Heiwa while its members are outside the walls."

Zen'no looked over to Rivu and met his one eye with his; full of determination and resolve.

"And for the matter of the bijuu… As I said earlier there haven't been any signs of them anywhere and so we cannot go after them quite yet. I agree that finding allies finds priority but if a bijuu were to show up on our radar I believe hunting it will be of the most importance. We will definitely not be the only ones hunting them down for they shall turn the tides of the world."

Rivu turned on his heel, facing the door to the balcony. His eye met Zen'no's again. He smirked and blew a short breath out of his nose. "I lead Heiwa, period. Even outside of these walls," he said, nodding beyond the balcony . He sighed slightly and walked forward. Turning his body alongside Zen'no's, he resumed his place next to his comrade. "You are my hand, and the hand can do whatever it wishes with it's fingers." He blinked; glancing downwards, he noticed Zen'no's hands, fingerless.

He laughed to himself and jodded Zen'no's side with his elbow. "So to speak, haha! I kid, but seriously," he said, clearing his throat. He shook his head and his tone lowered in a vain attempt to make a point. "But I am your arm." Rivu wanted things to start out very transparently. He didn't really know how he wanted things to go himself, though."The two of us; perhaps all of us, we'll see; will draw plans, create strategies, move mountains. And you will be the field commander, send them into positions, tell them their jobs, complete the mission."

"Or," he started, waving his hands in the air. "Rest assured, we will be very particular about who we bring with us. I want these people to be smart, loyal and powerful. Sure, you will lead outside of these walls, but so will others. We'll all have our strengths and weaknesses, Zen'no. We'll see where things go."

Rivu turned again and stepped towards the stone wall. He leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms. "If it's Bijuu you are so eager to get, let me know when you hear of anything, anything at all. I may be reckless, but I'm no fool." He said, smirking to his friend and lifting his eyebrow.

"First things first," he said, lifting himself from the wall. He took a step towards Zen'no. "I've got a mission for you, Heiwa related." His eye flashed. "Interested?"

He seemed very intent on leading Heiwa and said that he was to be the leader inside the walls of Iwagakure a well as outside. This was fine as long as he could handle doing them both and Zen'no was glad to know that Rivu had wholeheartedly accepted his idea. Like Rivu had said, if the members they added to their group were all as strong as they were then they didn't need leaders really as long as they all stuck to the same goal. Zen'no looked out to the horizon and then closed his eyes.

As long as my goal is realized… I don't care how it gets done.

He then opened his eyes and spoke quietly but firmly to Rivu.

"Alright, I'm glad you are stepping up to the plate. I believe you will be able to lead Heiwa to our goal and if you think you can handle the leadership position then I will back that belief up."

Rivu stood up and began to walk around as he talked and spoke of the bijuu again and how he was not a fool for wanting to go after them right away. While he wanted to become leader of Heiwa he didn't seem to keen on capturing the bijuu. Either that or he didn't believe they could do it. Either way Zen'no knew he wouldn’t have the resolve to be of much help when one appeared. He would need to take it down himself then and he would need to train more in order to do so. Rivu then walked over to Zen'no and spoke to him saying that he had a mission to give him that had to do with Heiwa. Zen'no stared into his Kage's eyes and wondered how long he had been waiting for Zen'no to talk to him about forming Heiwa since they had last talked. If he already had a mission for him to go on regarding it then he must have had these plans in the past. Zen'no would have time to think of such things later though and could go on the mission now.

"Let's hear it."

Zen'no was ready and willing to take the mission, an attribute that Rivu came to appreciate. In the past, just after the end of the Fifth Great Ninja War, a young refugee came through Iwagakure. Rivu had met the boy while playing what could only be called the world's worst game of shogi. The Tsuchikage took pity on him and took him on as a temporary trainee of sorts. He saw promise in the young man and it was time to perhaps cash in on that.

"Somewhere out in the world is a Hyuga, Ren Hyuga. I met him many years ago on these streets," he said, his eye gleaming towards the village below. "I want you to contact him, bring him here if possible." He turned his head to the side and set his gaze just inside of his office.

He stepped towards his desk. Opening the top drawer, he reached his hand its dark recesses and pulled something out. "This is a mission for the sake of Heiwa, let's call it a C rank mission, I expect you'll run into no trouble." He turned again, cupping his hand and eyeing the contents. He stepped out towards the balcony again, walking towards Zen'no. He reached his hand out, revealing the shogi piece in his hand, the king piece.

"Give this to him, tell him Rivu Aiasan wants to see him." He paused, allowing for Zen'no to take the piece. "Now, last I saw him, he had no home, so I do not truly know where he is. However, you might try Hi No Kuni; someone there might know where the Hyuga might be."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Hell, I might go as well, what do you think?" The war was long over, there were no big threats, perhaps he could leave the village for a little while.

As Zen'no thought; it was a retrieval mission to add a ninja to their group of Heiwa. The man's name was Ren Hyuga and it seemed like Rivu had met him sometime in their past. Zen'no wasn't sure why the Kage wanted Zen'no's opinion on if he should join him or not especially if Ren would come with him without a fight. Zen'no didn't know much about this Ren character but the Hyuga were a strong clan and if he was skilled then he would be a fine addition.

"Does this Ren share our beliefs? I'm sure he must be strong if you picked him out but we can't just force him to join us, he needs to want to. Also, I don't think it would be necessary for you to come with me. Bringing 2 high ranked people to another village is suspicious enough especially when one of them is the Kage of another village. And it is even more suspicious when we are taking one of their esteemed clan members with us."

Zen'no materialized a chakra hand and hovered it over to Rivu who was holding out a shogi piece for him to grab. His chakra hand grabbed it and then returned to Zen'no and put it in his pocket. The hand dematerialized and they continued their conversation.

"You said giving him this shogi piece would convince him to come with us? I'm assuming it is symbolic of something in the past but I don't need to know. If he doesn't come with us of his own accord or doesn't trust me I don't plan on kidnapping him. We can't start trouble with other nations this early and for this reason. How old is the man I am looking for? I should at least know who it is I will be approaching so that I don't approach every Hyuga in the village."

Rivu chuckled. "Share our beliefs? Haha, I think you'll like this one. He's got your obsession with justice and righteousness." He smiled at his comrade. "I don't think it'll take much to convince him. He's a rash one, but if I know him, he doesn't have much keeping him in Konoha." Ren had passed through Iwagakure many years ago.

He stayed for a long while. After a chance meeting, the two trained together, grew somewhat close. Knowing him, Ren would not be in Hi no Kuni, but someone who knows him might be; it was the best place to start. "As for going alone, you might be right. Sometimes I just get a little stir crazy. There are things happening out there and I can't see them." His gaze fell, once again, to the village below. He let out a slight sigh and smiled, still watching over the city. "Don't get me wrong, I love this village and being its Tsuchikage. I just miss the thrill of battles out there." His eye flashed.

Faint orange and red lines seared across his skin. They began to fade to black, creating dark pointed lines around his face. His face became slightly more euphoric, his tone become slightly more deep and horse. "I miss it a lot." He said, returning his happy stare to Zen'no. His smile slightly faded when he saw the stoic stare in front of him. He shook his head, the black lines receding. "My apologies," He said, smirking slightly. It was a fairly common occurrence, his cursed form was always enticing. It did have it's costs, though.

"I don't know how powerful he's gotten, he wasn't much when I first met him." He shrugged. "His birthright, however, is the Byakugan. That is an opportunity we cannot afford to ignore."

When Zen'no asked Rivu about if Ren shared their beliefs he answered with a laugh and a positive response. He had an obsession with justice and Rivu figured that he and Ren would get along fine since they had likeminded philosophies. This may not be the case however because although tey might both philosophize about justice, if they have different beliefs regarding it then they won't be allies but will be enemies instead. This mission could go extremely smoothly and Ren might join up with them or it could go horribly and Ren could end up killed.

Ren had the byakugan and so he had the potential to become a great ninja and this was one of the main reasons he was being recruited because just having likeminded beliefs was not enough to join Heiwa. If Ren didn't have the power now to help them he would have it soon and would surely become a strength of theirs in the future. Zen'no noticed that as Rivu agreed to stay in the village that his curse was acting in correspondence to his true emotions and that he truly wanted to go with him.

I'm sorry Rivu, but you have a village to run.

Zen'no looked over to Rivu and spoke to him as he began to walk towards the door.

"I am going to depart now. I will try to come back as fast as possible and hopefully alongside the Hyuga. It will take me some time for travel so I will hopefully be back in a few days but you never know what might end up happening."

The door was already cracked open and Zen'no was able to move it aside with his arm. He began to walk down the stairs and as he walked out of the building he gave the secretary a silent nod to let her know of his departure.

[exits]

Rivu nodded to his friend as he left the office. Good luck Zen'no, even though you won't need it. He blew air out of his nose and tilted his head back in amusement. He knew that his comrade would do just fine, he was ANBU, after all. His techniques were versatile and powerful. Not only that, but the likelihood of him actually getting into some physical entanglements would be minimal.

Following the chakra signature, Rivu sensed Zen'no as he descended the stairs. He sighed and leaned back, supporting his weight on his elbows on the rails.The wind picked up and blew his blonde hair out of his face. His scar was revealed, a dark and burned line across his closed left eye. He closed his other eye and, in the most relieving experience he's had all day, let out a long sigh. "Phew"

His face cringed and an all familiar orange glow stretched from beneath his collar. Four dark lines stretches up his neck; two coming from the front on either side, reaching to his jaw; the other two coming from the back of the neck, reaching along the hairline to the face. They came to points just before reaching the face, where they settled to black. His breathing became heavier. At his side, his fingers started to tremble, he began fiddling them to stop the unconscious movement.

He opened wide his good eye as his breathing slowed once more. The breeze slowed as well and his hair fell back into place, covering the scar. Taking slow deep breaths, Rivu focused his entire being to controlling himself. With his attention on his breathing and his curse, the wisps of chakra, sensations of the village below, faded from view into the deep recesses of his thoughts.

He raised his hand, grabbing uselessly at his forehead. Then, he stopped; he stood frozen for a moment, leaning against the railing. Lowering his hand to his side, his pale gray eye opened once more. Rivu stood up straight, turning around to face the village below. He smiled with a soft stare towards the people bustling around below, resting his chin on his arms on the rail. I could use with a little vacation. He gave out a slight chuckle.

The fiery lines on Rivu's face extended; coming together, they formed a dark cross across the bridge of his nose. "Ahh, now this is more like it." he said with a sharp sigh of excitement as the lines turned to black. With his eye still wide and fixated below, he began to laugh. Raising his head, he laughed for a long time, perhaps about a minute, and loudly too. As his laughs faded, he stood up straight.

"What the hell," he said with a smile. The dark cross over his nose flared once more. Fanning outwards, they covered his face with the orange glow. He closed his eyes as they changed, the eyelids burned up and faded to that ashy gray. He opened his right eye once again, revealing the it's black color with the distinct yellow iris. Within moments, his entire body faded to gray, ridged spines forming around the back of his neck and around his forearms. His entire body increased slightly in size and his fingernails extended like claws. "I could use with a brief reprieve!" He gritted his teeth and almost growled.

With a quick leap, Rivu jumped over the railing. As he crossed over, he grabbed the rail with his right hand. As he fell, his body quickly turned around it and forced his body straight to the earthy balcony it stood upon. As he approached, chakra emanated from all around his body, the Hiding Like a Mole technique. As his body sank into the stone, Rivu slowed his body down. He stopped just short of his stomach being covered. Pushing out with his arms in the stone behind him, he hung from the great tower and stared at the ground below.

He laughed slightly, reeling his body back towards the stone. With a strong kick, he hurtled towards the ground below. Moving downwards, face first, crests protruded from the sides of his face and his forehead. With his one eye open, he fell with amazing speed and a euphoric smile. "Ahahahahah-"

He laughed loudly, only to be cut off by his impact with the ground. Continuing his Hiding Like a Mole, his body slipped seamlessly through the topsoil; nearby villagers looked around in confusion at the strange noise's sudden appearance and disappearance. None of them could have guessed it was the Tsuchikage. Clawing through the earth, Rivu maintained a course straight for the walls of the village. Like a wave, sensations of chakra returned to his mind.

Gah, it feels good to be home! He thought, baring his teeth against the cold earth before him. He was headed nowhere in particular, but the direction was leading him straight for the Sandstone Plateau. He just needed to get away for awhile. The village was his home. He loved it and everyone inside of its walls; but he was a beast, a beast trapped in a cage. He didn't speak of it to anyone, but this wasn't the first time he had left the village for something like this. Sometimes you just have to let out some steam.

Thoughts of Heiwa, of Zen'no and Ren, his duties and the village slipped from his mind as he crawled through the soil, looking for something to sate his thirst.

[exit]