A Simple Solution

I heard a rumour Otosan...a rumour that there is a woman here who shares our ideals...

Kensai’s beautifully crafted Samurai armour always made him stand out in a crowd, the sigil of the Tanahashi clan of Samurai stamped into the chest and shoulders as he navigated the village of Sunagakure. His Kabuto was left at home as he wanted her to see his face...he wanted her to know who he was. Kensai had become somewhat famous, as a Samurai who hates Ninja living among the shinobi villages was an odd thing, and one who worked as hard as he did was impossible to miss. His katana and wakazashi were in his belt, and the Senju Wood bow was on his back as was the Samurai way...you never left without your weapons. He knew that at any point one of these shinobi could show their true colours and attack him, and he wouldn’t allow that to happen.

I’ll find her in the Heavenly Gardens...she appreciates beauty in nature, and I appreciate that.

The sun was beginning to set over the village and it made for a truly beautiful site, especially in the gardens where it would create the perfect shading for a scene that couldn’t be seen anywhere else in the world. It was easy to find the person who was likely the most famous person in the world...well infamous really. She was the leader of the Society, and the world knew it...but Kensai knew something that the shinobi didn’t...she wasn’t evil, she was reasonable. She represented truth in this world, and it was a truth that Kensai could believe in. He would move to take a seat near the woman (wherever she decided to be), sitting in silence for a second and simply taking in the scenery.

“I’ve heard a lot about you...We have something in common...”

Nozomi was, for once, not drawing, although she had her sketches with her. In the middle of her break, Nozomi had taken the time to medidate, something she did more now that she was a Sage. It was her way of improving her ability to use sage mode, although she hadn't had reason to pull it out yet. One day, she'd find an opponent who might push her to do so, but between her base abilities and the Bijuu she had mastery over, Sage mode was simply another trump card in her arsenal, and one she didn't want to rely on. However, it did increase her appreciation for the world, giving her a more worldly view.

Wearing a simplistic set of her combat gear, Nozomi had come here after a training session, and wasn't in her normal lounging gear. It was little more than an Anbu-esque flak jacket and a plain black jumpsuit, but Nozomi was simplistic in nature. Her hair was a shaggy mess, cut down to her shoulders and kept short. Her tanto was sheathed on her lower back, slotted into the belt for a quick side draw, and she had numerous pouches containing the rest of her disposable gear.

At first, she'd been intent on keeping her identity more or less a secret, but she'd been recognized a few times, and had stopped bothering with it after a while. It seemed like it was safe to let her guard drop slightly in Suna, although she was almost always partially guarded. Always paying attention to her surroundings, keeping her on her toes in case someone approached or tried to take her out.

It was with that in mind that Kensei's approach of her didn't go unnoticed. The girl turned her head to the samurai, someone she'd never met in person, but knew of. "I would imagine so." Nozomi, as a martial fighter who prided herself in keeping on peek physical condition and relying on Taijutsu primarily, had always admired samurai, although she didn't personally know any.

She assumed he had a reason for starting a conversation, and so let him take the reins back, rather than starting to monologue on her own. Nozomi wasn't the most social of people, and often was short on words anyhow. If he had something worth saying, he'd get to it in time, there was no point in her bothering asking what he wanted.

Isobu stirred inside her, actively paying attention to the conversation, bored by the lack of action Nozomi had been participating in lately. Peace was nice, but peace was also boring.

Kensai’s hand didn’t leave the hilt of his sword. He was sure that somebody like Nozomi was used to that kind of thing, which was fair. He had never been in the presence of someone with such powerful Ki, but there was something...unnatural about it. He could feel as it flared up and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He had a moment of such paralyzing fear that he nearly forgot why he was there as this massive Dragon of perverted Ki stood so close to him, and every instinct in his body told him that he should draw his blade right now and end it to ensure the world does not need to deal with this threat...

This too will pass...

He calmed himself down, trying to ignore his ability to sense the Ki inside of others for the time being. It was something that he had never considered in such a place, where danger lurked around every corner. The greatest danger, of course, was right in front of him, but he also knew that she realistically was the one person in the world who understood exactly what he wanted and why. He would stand and ease his grip, going against his every instinct while doing so, and stood beside the woman. His conviction was strong, and if The Devil would have to deal with a Demon it was something that would simply happen.

“My people were attacked, the Mist was to blame...I want vengeance. They are a blight on this world, and their system must not be able to continue to flourish. The Samurai are strong, and we are proud...and we do not forget or forgive easily...” He would frown, waiting to allow Nozomi the chance to speak. His fingers would slip into his sash and pull out the small tin of cigarettes that was the only remaining thing he had of his father after the Shinobi took him from Kensai. He pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips, lighting it and taking a deep drag to allow his head to swim as he tried to calm down to a reasonable level...

"The land of Iron." Nozomi nodded. She had made a broadcast shaming the villages for their actions, and Iron had been one of the actual named grievances. Sacking a nation and leaving them in shambles was terrible. "As a former Kiri-nin, I don't support their actions. Kirigakure has been monstrous to other nations. They will pay. Our interests align."

Nozomi watched as Kensai pulled out a cigarette and frowned. The smell was atrocious to her, as she hadn't been around many smokers, and her nose was incredibly sensitive. Besides that, she didn't like introducing things to her body that would weaken it, or even things to improve herself with power that wasn't her own. Drugs, enhancements, and the like, Nozomi wasn't a fan of. However, it wasn't her that was smoking, and she wasn't in charge of Kensei, so she said nothing about it.

"Interestingly enough, I was going to Iron soon enough to provide aid in rebuilding, and to offer them a chance at revenge. As the leader of the Society, I have a lot of resources under my command, but our forces are limited. I'm powerful enough to take on a nation on my own, but I'm a single person as well. More troops are always good, as well as providing justice for those downtrodden by the Major nations. Mutual benefit."

Isobu stirred even further. He was itching for more action, and this seemed to him to be perfect. "We will do well. Nobody will stop us this time around. I'm ready when you are." Nozomi's lips turned up into a small smile. "So then, a deal. I'm not a conqueror, I'm a liberator. However, I do have need of people in high positions. Iron is yours, and I shall help you and yours get revenge for the injustices done to your people. In exchange, I would like future cooperation between the Samurai and the Society."

The smile dropped from her face as she awaited his reply. Her eyes searched over Kensei, sizing him up, appraising his abilities. It was difficult to tell from a glance, as looks weren't everything, but from the way he held himself, the way his guard was constantly up, and his general physique, the man was clearly skilled at combat. Given his own renown, while not as famous as Nozomi, he wasn't an unknown completely. It was enough to know that his physique wasn't just appearances.

Her gaze dropped to the hilt of his sword, specifically the hand still on it. She couldn't blame him. Her reputation preceded her, but his guard being up was pointless really. There was really nothing he could do to kill her while she was aware of him being here. And he had to know that. Part of her wanted to test him, to see where his skills lay in comparison to hers, but she wasn't about to start a fight here in the gardens, especially for no reason.

Kensai would nod as Nozomi spoke. Straight to the point...he appreciated that. The Society was a group that Kensai tended to agree with for the most part. They didn’t always do things in ways that he agreed with, but he did agree with the ends...and in this case the End truly did justify the means. He would sense the demonic Ki once more, easing up at the offer of Mutual Benefit and especially the assistance in not only rebuilding the Iron Country, but to have him lead it. He would be able to build the armies of the Samurai up once more and when the time came to cut down the head of the beast that was the shinobi village system and their oppression, they would do their part.

“Your offer is most gracious. I accept. The Samurai tend to stay out of the affairs of the ninjas...but at the same time we will insure that the terrible ninja system is destroyed and the world stops normalizing child soldiers.” He would remove the hand from the sword, letting his guard down and holding it out towards the woman and whether or not she shook it, he would bow and nod. “It is good to hear that you too wish to assist the downtrodden. I appreciate your support in this matter. I am glad I came here today.” He had heard stories of the power of this woman, and almost wanted to see if those stories were true, but the shinobi wouldn’t allow it to happen here...they were paranoid after all. He would have to wonder for a while instead, sure that she was above his level by the stories he had heard...but curious none the less.

“What has brought you to the desert anyway? It is a cesspool of crime and corruption...a place that seems as though Justice would be well served too...”

Straight and to the point suited Nozomi very well. She didn't like to mince words on business matters. Kensei's demeanor changed very quickly, and Nozomi knew he'd agree to it before he even said anything. Her demeanor remained much the same, but an almost imperceptible smile appeared on her face as he mentioned that he wanted to put an end to child soldiers. Nozomi had been a victim of that system herself, trained her entire life to be a killing machine.

"I'm here because a subordinate of mine wanted to take the village as a personal project, and I needed some rest. I'm interested in seeing how this turns out for him, but so far he hasn't seemed particularly interested in cleaning things up."

Nozomi frowned. Honiko had dealings with criminals in the past as well, but she had a distaste for them too. The Society was deemed a criminal organization, but it was always a point of contention for her master, who didn't associate with them like that. "Criminals can be useful, for the moment at least. I don't really want to stay here too long though. Other than the Gardens the rest of the place is a little out of my preferred climate."

"I won't allow this place to abide by its lawless ways for long. If the Kazekage isn't interested in cleaning it up soon, I'll take the initiative myself. But for now there are more pressing matters than internal strife and conflict. I'm currently more worried about the greater Major nations imposing their will than acting as a police force for internal issues in a village that is not my own."

Nozomi's thoughts turned to Honiko, unsure what she'd do in this situation. Honiko had been more interested in artifact gathering to get to the ends, letting that justify her means the entire time, but ultimately it had been with the intent of bringing the world to the Sage's original vision. Reviving the Disciples, reviving the Sage himself, that was all well and good, but Nozomi also realized that goal may be a long way away, and the world might tear itself apart before they could even realize that goal. So she also had to prioritize setting things right where she could.

Honiko had entrusted her with the Society, so Nozomi couldn't betray that goal, but she probably had a different way of going about things than Honiko would. Maybe she'd think it was a useless waste of effort, but Nozomi would feel like she was a failure if she didn't try to fix things with her own effort and instead relied on the Sage of Six Paths and the Disciples to fix the world. She didn't care for Hizashi or his goals really, she cared about it for Honiko's sake, but Honiko only cared because Hizashi thought it was the only way.

Maybe it was hubris, or maybe it was that Nozomi had done the impossible before, and that she didn't fail, but Nozomi wasn't convinced that she couldn't fix this world with her own power. Or maybe she just hated Hizashi that much. So of course, she'd still continue with Honiko's own vision, but that wouldn't dissuade her from seeking her own solution.

The newly appointed Shogun of the Iron Country would listen to the rogue ninja as she spoke, nodding along as she spoke about her subordinate and the wish to see things cleared up. Kensai didn't agree with her about criminals, but it was impossible for two people to agree on everything. It was good to hear that she had decided that she would take matters into her own hands, though Kensai would decided that it may be a good idea to interject in that. He had an interesting proposal and one that he believed would benefit the village, and help Nozomi's goals.

"If you do not wish to run this place your self, but you don't believe your...subordinate...is doing the task properly, I may have an alternative. I have made the acquaintance of a Shinobi in my time in this village. I am not a trusting man, and with the shinobi especially, but I do believe that there is at least one man in this village who would serve the place well, and would justify putting into the seat of Kazekage. His name is Azuma, and he is a truly good person. He seems to be opposed to the system of using children as soldiers as well, and I believe that there is no better person in this village to lead it. His compassion, along with his love of this land and its people, and his strength of body and character, make him a fantastic choice...just don't tell him I said so."

Kensai would chuckle softly. He had come to like Azuma, and he thought that he might miss the man, but he believed if he was in charge of the village of Sand he would be a truly powerful ally in the coming times, and somebody who the Iron Nation would be able to rely on in order to carry out his goals. Between him and The Stag operating in Sunagakure, he would have zero doubt that he could begin to shape the continent into a better place for everyone. He would quickly become more serious, however, as he would stroke his chin and look towards the woman once more.

"I apologize to bring it to this, but in order to rebuild we will need funding. I will be making a few requests from personal acquaintances, and will be writing the lands of Water, Fire and Lightning to see if they would be willing to help in the rebuilding process, but I have no guarantee from any of those. I would like to request that you loan me two million ryo in order to begin getting the capitol city off the ground. I believe that with that we will be well on our way to rebuilding the Iron Village to where it should properly be, and to bringing it towards being a proper force that you would be able to rely on in the coming times."

He hoped that she would respond positively. He personally hated asking for money, and as someone who had had nothing for most of his life, it truly seemed like a tremendous amount of it, but he knew that it would be important to secure for the build ahead. "I will pay you back over time, worry not. It will be a loan in order to get things rolling..."

{Changed to FB due to travel}

"I'll take the recommendation under advisement." Her response was concise, but also cut to the chase that she didn't feel much like judging Suna at the moment, and it wasn't a priority of hers to handle. As she'd said before, this was Raijin's endeavor to see through, and she'd more or less leave it to him unless things went further and further south, or she was specifically asked for aid and a direct call for action was made.

The conversation shifted, and Nozomi nodded her affirmations. "No need to apologize for asking. You need something, in this case money, and I have it. That's just business." She considered her funds, and even after giving Okane the start up he wanted, she still had plenty left over. Investments would return to her, and if this was a loan, she wouldn't even sweat it. Should he not pay her back, she'd just take the payments herself.

"A loan is fully doable." The two of them would hammer out an agreement from there, so that they could get this done as smoothly as possible. Nozomi was a busy girl, and Kensei had a lot of ambition as well, and wanted to get things done, something that she could empathize with.

-FTB exit on discussion (details were hammered out OOC mostly anyhow)-