For those who suffer (P)

Spoiler:

It had been a few weeks since the dreadful night in the woods where one Hikari Usagi had demolished a section of the Nikkousato hospital, and where a group of Genin had made a desperate attempt to bring him back. The night did not go as planned, as the untimely interruption of two members of the Odotai had interfered with the rescue mission, not only allowing Hikari to escape but had also ended up with all four of the present Genin getting injured, physically, mentally and emotionally. The night had been a long dreadful night, but the weeks that followed were even worse. Some of them had spent time in the hospital, recovering from their wounds. Others filled their time with missions and training to ignore the pain. And some, some took more destructive routes, trying to fill the hole that had been created.

Maruka had managed to keep the two Genin, Sojiro and Genkumaru, alive long enough to return them to the village, While Kenji of the Moon village and returned with Kannagi and informed the village of what had taken place. Several plans had been put into place since then, while the four who lost their friend tried to salvage what was left. Enough time had gone by for each of them to cope in their own way, and now they were all being summoned once again to the Nikkoukage's office. Alana had sent messengers out to the three Sun Genin asking them to meet her here, and even sent a bird to the Moon village asking for Kenji to return here under her orders.

Alana, Maruka and the entire Blaze squadron had been working on the information they had, piecing everything together and trying to figure out what was actually going on behind the scenes. To the four, they had lost a friend, but there were bigger schemes at play here, things unfolding that not even the Kage herself was aware of yet. Alana sat at her massive stone desk, dressed in the ceremonial white and orange kage robes. The office was a large round room filled with desk, chairs and piles of paper work. She had set four stone chairs out in the center of the room, for each of the genin to sit in when they finally arrived. On her desk sat four sets of files, one for each of the shinobi. She waited patiently for the group to arrive.

Kannagi could not have handled the weeks that past better. She bore an unusually friendly and patient demeanor and because of their critical injuries as a group, she could not deny living with her friends in Genkumaru's large home any longer. She still liked her tea house studio apartment for the quiet, but the first two times she had woken up after the stormy night was in a hospital bed and the third was in a bed in a gently decorated room within Genkumaru's estate. Kannagi didn't have too much scarring, though small white marks like squashed spiders indicated where branches had speared through her stomach and arm and a knot of scarred flesh lay upon the side of her neck. She had heard a nurse once ask in the hospital if it had been a wolf or coyote that had taken a fleshy bite out of Kannagi's neck and that was when she realized just how badly it must have looked. Kannagi wasn't a vain person but recently she had taken to wrapping her neck in thin bandages, scarves, or jeweled collars just to avoid the stares, the false explanations she gave, and above all, the way she felt when she saw them herself.

In Genkumaru's mansion, she hadn't gotten many answers as to what happened that night. She had learned that powerful missing shinobi had attacked and they had nearly all lost their lives in the onslaught. She learned Hikari had gone missing, despite her best efforts to help Kenji reclaim his friend. Her broken arm had healed the slowest after it was set because Kannagi elected to not allow any other than Sojiro to heal or examine her injuries once she was fully conscious and aware of what was going on. The broken arm was no badge of honor, but a mark of her own failure to stop or save Hikari, and her own personal reminder that she had not been able to fight the missing nin and prevent the serious damage that had been done to Sojiro and Genkumaru. Genkumaru barely stopped and it was all Kannagi could do to keep up with him. She had tried to go on a mission with him but he was too focused, too aggressive. She thought he might have been going insane with his wildness.

Instead, the kunoichi had taken a few missions on her own, even one where she had crossed paths with Hikari. She hadn't talked about what happened to her friends, knowing it would only stir up painful and angry resolutions when they should have been focused on healing. She had reported the incident to the Kage's people but received no answers or explanations from higher ups. She had never felt more like an Irezumi woman than now, and for a short time she even considered returning home, begging for forgiveness, and following her role as she had relinquished four years ago. Though by staying at Genkumaru's place, she found she could play the role just fine without leaving. She cared for the home, cleaning and organizing to keep her hands busy. She cared for her friends, ensuring they had healthy meals daily and friendly upbeat conversations around them. Kannagi ignored her own needs entirely, which was by no means healthy, and instead spent all her energy into making sure Genkumaru and Sojiro had what they needed.

Kannagi dressed differently for this meeting. As summoned by the leader of the village, the blue haired woman knew it was to be her duty to arrive clean and respectable. She appeared precisely on time in a pink and gold yukata, perfect for the Sun's heat. It came up high enough to cover her neck scars without the need for bandages or scarves, and her arm was wrapped in bandages underneath the wide sleeves of the garment. Her broken arm had finally been tended to beyond the regular medical means and her pain was gone, but out of habit and insecurity, she still wore the bandages because she wasn't sure if her arm was really set in place and really safe to use. Her blue eyes glimmered brightly and she wore a fake smile just as sparkling when she walked into the room. Her fakeness had given her comfort even as she tried to be a comfort for the others.

"Thanks for the invitation, Lady Kage," She said gracefully, with a half bow before taking a seat next to Genkumaru. She looked over at him with a content glance but her mind let out an inner sigh. He looked as stoic and distant as he had since that night, with the exceptions of the burning in his eyes before taking off for another mission.

The days had begun to blend into one another for the one eyed man, ever since he left and returned home all he really could do to keep himself distracted was work on his old home. He didn't want to do missions but he couldn't bare to be trapped in his thoughts so he worked mindlessly for hours on end, sleeping only when his body refused or eating when he begun to struggle with what should've been easy tasks. Yet they only served to remind him that he was weak. Wasn't good enough. Everyone walked away from that night with some form of injury and he was perfectly fine. Not even a single enemy inflicted wound could be found on the man's body. And it tore him up. Shin, the man he had looked down at the most lost an arm. Genkumaru, the man he didn't even think of barely made it out. Kannagi, the woman who gave so much was nearly crushed to death by a tree.

And all Kenji could say was he had bad dreams. That he felt bad. That every time he closed his eyes, he was back there and listening to the pained screams of the woman who only wanted him to get Hikari. That every time he was alone, he could hear Hikari tell him not to change despite all the flaws he had. So when word finally come for the one eyed man to return to the sun village once more at the word of the Nikkoukage, Kenji was almost happy, he was expecting to be singled out, a single moon shinobi went to assist in capturing a fellow moon shinobi and that single moon shinobi was the only one to return without any signs of injury. Maybe any punishment the Nikkoukage would order could finally help with his guilt, make things a bit easier on him.

Despite any potential punishment or interrogations waiting for the one eyed man, he really only had one fear in all of this and that was finally seeing everyone again. He couldn't bear to look at them, to see what they had become nor did he care to. He made sure Kannagi was safe and fine and then he simply left because that was the only thing that mattered at the time. He still wasn't sure if he was ready to see them again, especially now that he had waited so long. It was a vicious cycle, he doesn't want to see them now because he didn't see them before but he didn't want to see them before because he couldn't handle seeing them then. Suppose the Nikkoukage summoning him would break that cycle at the very least.

When Kenji finally made it to the door of the kage's office, he paused and simply stared at the wooden door keeping him and everyone else separated. The secretary being so kind to tell him that they were just waiting on him now. His heart was beating quickly and his chest felt heavy as he wondered just what they would think of him. Taking a deep breath, Kenji opened the door and almost immediately he felt he was a little... Under dressed. While everyone was dressed in formal wear, Kenji had only worn his usual gear while in the sun but to his credit he at least put on his jacket over his flak jacket instead of keeping it off as he usually did.

"Lady Kage." Kenji simply greeted as he took the only seat left besides Kannagi, his eye remained focused on the Nikkoukage herself and he made no attempt to look at the others. He couldn't risk looking at them and seeing for himself if they were disappointed, enraged, pained or just plain sad nor did he want to see how they'd react to his poor appearance either. He simply wanted to get this report out of the way and go back home so he could focus on finishing up his house, he wasn't ready to get back to playing normal again. Not yet.

The tall woman would quietly sit at the stone desk as each individual slowly made their way into the room, one at a time. Each one would arrive escorted by a member of the Administrations guard detail, the room filling up with the four Genin rather quickly. Each came in with a solemn expression on their faces, attire to match the situation. The letter had not divulged much about this meeting, and simply stated that Alana wanted to meet with each of them. Her sun baked face would sit stern beneath the white and orange hood, her piercing eyes never leaving the four as they settled in to their chairs. After a very long awkward silence the Nikkoukage would clear her throat and address the room.

"I am not going to play coy with the four of you. You obviously know why i have summoned you here. I could yell and scream about how foolish you were, how you are lucky to be alive and how your actions not only put your lives in danger, but the safety of the village at risk. " She would pause for a second, glancing at each one as they sat there.
"However i do believe you have been through a lot as the loss of your friend still obviously hangs heavy on your hearts and minds. I am sorry to report that Hikari has officially been listed in the Bingo Book has a criminal. The Moon has placed a bounty on his head for his return. While im sure you will blame yourselves for this, i beg you to understand that this was his choice, and at the end of the day nothing you would have said or done ultimately would have changed his mind. "

She was very aware that her words would have seemed harsh and unforgiving, it was not that she lacked compassion for what they had been through, but instead she understood the situation, having gone through it herself. "This job is filled with heart break, sadness and betrayal. We can not change the past, only learn from it, grow, become better than we were the day before." She would finally move, adjusting the files on the desk so that she could see the names written on top of each one. "There have been plenty of conversations about what to do next, some of them include punishment for your actions. What you four did not only violated your duties as Shinobi, but put the village alliance in danger. Regardless of why we do something, or how we feel about it, we are still Shinobi, and our duty as one comes above anything else. I need to know that you four understand that. "

She would look at the group like a disappointed mother. She felt pain for them, compassion for their struggles, but she had a village to maintain, and needed to ensure that those seated before her understood what it truly meant to be shinobi.

Foolish, the kage had said. Foolish. Putting self and the village at risk with their actions. Kannagi replayed the woman's words even as Sojiro spoke to defend the group. Kannagi agreed with him but it didn't stop the recording in her mind. Foolish. Her hands clenched up tight and her breathing got harder. She hadn't expressed emotions in these weeks since the night of the big storm. She had not cried, she had not wailed, and she had not obliterated enemies in the name of her pent up rage.  Being a shinobi meant holding certain duties above one's self. To hear the kage say Hikari's name was as if she could hear lightning and thunder in the sky once more. Foolish. Risky. Violation of duty. Her blue eyes were dark with rage and confusion, and she looked over at Kenji, then at Genkumaru and Sojiro in turn. Wisdom would tell her to stay quiet in this situation, but her rebellious nature, her loyalty to the ideology of the village and the principles of her clan refused to allow her to be calm. The dam that had been inside of her heart for those weeks started to crack open before them all.

Normally, the kunoichi might have reacted calmly or not at all, using easy words to disarm the Lady before her while keeping the leader's dignity in tact in front of her comrades and their village-given escorts. Punishment was hardly necessary she thought as she looked over to see the place where Sojiro's arm had once been. Her words would be the same she had used against Genkumaru long ago, with her expression on the very brink of the same insanity that he had seen in the Bloodstained Mire. She got to her feet with a straight and determined posture and with a commanding and intense tone of voice."I am not a shinobi for fun. Shinobi are sent on missions to help their village, risking my life is part of the job. If I died there, it would have been an honorable death. I would not leave a partner behind! I would not flee like a roach in the sunlight. I am not afraid to fight and die to protect the village." She shook her head hard and pointed out towards the door behind her.

"You label Hikari as a rogue shinobi for his actions," She almost choked on the name and a snarl and a tremble in her lips tensed the rest of her sentence, "I understand this. As genin, we sought to prevent him becoming a rogue shinobi. We did the same thing your Blaze did and with nearly more efficiency considering we lack the training and experience. We knew our lives would be at risk but allowing a shinobi to turn rogue and present a danger to the village was unacceptable. Having personal feelings for the rogue is no crime against the village. The battle was fought bravely on behalf of the village." She reached up to her neckline and jerked it open, revealing her neck and her collarbone.

The ugly wrenching of flesh there would give emphasis as her hands trembled. "I would go back there and do this again for the sake of the village. For the sake of my honor as a kunoichi. If you seek to punish me, or my fellow ninja, then perhaps it is you who deserve punishment. Or do you even care about this village from up here in your ivory tower?" Kannagi's blue eyes blazed. She thought about the stormy night, all the pain in her body, the near death of her companions. She thought about the missing shinobi who had shown up with intentions to take Hikari and kill them. They could have run away, they could have fled. Instead they stayed beside the Blaze and offered whatever help they could give to ensure the village would be safe. Kannagi thought of the missing children and the bloody rooms and the fact that no answers had yet to come down from this kage's office about what had happened to them.

Kannagi released her yukata's formal collar but the stiff material folded to the side as if stubbornly refusing to hide the scar she had shown in her outburst. She took an angry step forward, just one. It was supposed to be a respectable meeting; she had thought not that they would be punished or shamed, but that they might be rewarded with answers pertaining to those missing children, to those missing shinobi called the Odotai, or to Hikari who had been taken away that night and not seen ever since. Genkumaru was being polite, the role model of what Kannagi should have been in this situation. Her words were likely blasphemous but she didn't care. The expression on the kage's face only made her seethe more, considering slapping the look right off her face.

For a few seconds, there was silence filling the room before the Nikkoukage begun to speak, informing them about the errors they were all so aware of by now seeing as everyone had some form of reminder of that night about the failure. Despite that, the Nikkoukage attempted to explain that Hikari was now classified a criminal and that there was nothing that could've been done to prevent this, which was simply wrong. Had Sojiro changed his mind and went after Hikari, he could've done more. Had Kannagi chose to save herself, she could've done more. Had Kenji simply chose to actually do something for once, he wouldn't have been such a burden. The only one who had no blame in this was Genkumaru. He did everything by the books, realized a threat was coming and realizing his strength was in, well, his strength, he stayed behind to ensure Kannagi and Kenji could do their jobs.

But it seems it was finally time for the real reason why they were brought here, what exactly was going to be done to the four person team that had failed in their mission to prevent Hikari from leaving. This finally got his attention in full form as he his steel eye finally moved to match the Nikkoukage and for a bit Kenji thought about what to say, yet before he could even move to speak, Genkumaru decided to speak up first and Kenji had to stop himself from laughing. "Bright future" for himself? What exactly did he have waiting for him? More betrayals and loneliness? And like before, Kenji couldn't even speak without someone else jumping in to try and take the blame, this time Sojiro donig so.

However, to his surprise the man seemed believing that this wasn't a failure somehow. Kenji could only move his head to look at the now one armed man curious on how he could possible spin the fact he was missing an arm, two of his teammates were nearly killed and the whole reason why they even went out in the first place was gone without a trace into anything but a complete failure. Showing no emotion, Kenji simply watched as Sojiro explained the benefits, some group called the Odotai was now out recruiting had somehow outweighed the cost to the one armed man and yet again Kenji had to stop himself from laughing. There was no way this information could benefit them, anybody could've found out by simply spotting Hikari hanging out with the known members of that group.

Finally, it seemed he was going to have his moment to speak when something rather unexpected happened, Kannagi stood up and seemed rather upset about what was going on, causing the emotionless man to actually raise an eyebrow as he watched her begin to chew out the Nikkoukage of all people. His eye only moved away as she revealed the wound she had gotten to prevent Kenji from just completely giving up. Which looking at himself now, probably already happened. Finally as she finished insulting and chewing the Nikkoukage, Kenji would simply let out a whistle.

"Didn't think you could get mad." Kenji simply spoke in a tired tone as he turned his attention to the Nikkoukage. "Forgive her lady Kage, she's not usually like this but then again two of her friends don't usually almost die in one night either." Kenji informed the Nikkoukage as he sat back against his chair and chose to drop the formalities now that the trio before him had all but thrown them out the window. "Forgive the other two as well, they're uh... Not the brightest bulbs in the room if you know what I mean." Kenji further added as he gestured toward Sojiro and Genkumaru, a soft and weak grin forming on his face as he did so.

"Surely you read the report, Genkumaru and Sojiro stayed behind, Kannagi and I went ahead and then Kannagi got hurt defending me... Although did you know she only saved me because I messed up?" Kenji briefly reminded her of the report although asking if she was aware he was the one who dropped the ball on this. "I mean really, without me giving into my emotions, Kannagi and I could've beat Hikari. Or at least be able to help against that one woman." Kenji further explained how he had messed up such a simple job, it was two on one and Kenji had some idea of what to expect against Hikari, yet he couldn't even put up a fight.

"Can't really blame Sojiro or Genkumaru for staying behind to try and fight whatever or whoever was trying to stop us, it was the right call at the time. Can't blame Kannagi for ensuring the safety of her teammate either. All you can really do is blame the guy who decided to just cry instead of doing his job and fighting." Kenji gave a summary of why it wouldn't be fair to place the blame on anyone but him really, they all came back with injuries after all and he got away just perfectly fine.

Alana could barely repress the grin from wanting to stretch its way across her cold stern face. It should not have been as amusing as it was, and in fact to the four Genin sitting there in the office none of this was the least bit humorous. The kage watched as all four had their own thing to say, some taking blame, others showing anger at the situation. She could not blame the lot, they had plenty of things to think about, floods of emotions running rampant. She knew the feeling, having experienced it herself, and they were allowed to feel this way, at least for the time being. Realty would soon set in however, as the time to grow up was quickly approaching.

Alana would stand up softly as Kenji would finish what he had to say, an angry Kannagi glaring at her from across the room. She would take off her kage hat, dropping it onto the table, and would replace the stern look with a soft motherly smile. "You all have every right to be upset. You lost a friend that night, nearly lost your lives, and in the eyes of many elders, you failed at being Shinobi." She would move across the room, coming from behind her desk and bringing with her the four folders that were on the stone table. "I however do not see failure. In order to be a failure there must have been something to fail at, and i dont remember ever issuing you a mission? Now of course none of you were able to rescue Hikari, but that is hardly any of your faults. "

She would stop at Kannagi, her bright orange eyes meeting the soft blue gaze of the woman. It was rare that the Irezumi lashed out like this, the events of the night having an obvious effect on her. "You are not the only one to have suffered, not the only one to have lost my child. I did not obtain my position here in this...Ivory tower because my life was rainbow and sunshine. No i to have lost many a comrade, watched many a friend and love one fall in battle. My own sister rots in a prison cell right now because she could not uphold her duty as a member of the Great Nikkousato."

She would slowly hand the folder to Kannagi, her name being stamped on the front. "It is not your fault Hikari decided to leave, and it is not your fault that you could not save him. We often blame ourselves for the failures of others. We can never change the past, only learn from it. You chased down your friend in the hopes of changing his mind, but only he can replace the pieces of his fractured mind. We did not label him a criminal, his own people did that, however we must honor our alliance with them. I hope one day you will come to understand this, that through pain and loss, we find out who we really are inside."

As Kannagi would fan open the folder she would see a familiar face looking up at her, her own Ninja dossier tucked there in the pages of the folder. At first glance everything would read as normal, until the woman's soft blues eyes would land on the box marked Title: Where the word Genin once sat, now instead read Chuunin. "Watching someone you care about leave is a heart breaking thing, you did the right thing by chasing him down, knowing that it could not only cost you your status here in the village, but also your life. I hope you can find a way to heal your wounds, physical and otherwise, and help us lead a better generation of young shinobi."

She would smile and pat the woman on the shoulder, hoping she had calmed down enough to understand the gravity of the situation. "As for everything else, do not assume we have turned a blind eye simply because no progress has been made. Contrary to popular belief, we don't just sit up here drinking tea and napping all day. Now if you will excuse me, i need to talk to the boys, you will find a new duty station set up for you in the lobby below." She would attempt to walk the woman to the door, holding it open for her so she may exit.

Kannagi took the folder in her hands slowly, taking a deep breath. She read over the words and the title. Chuunin. "A promotion? But I..." Her anger turned to sudden shock and shame. She had failed to bring Hikari back, to help kill the missing shinobi. She had released three weeks of emotions out all at once, triggered just by someone speaking his name for the first time in almost a month. "I apologize. It seems I have some inner turmoil to handle," Kannagi said closing the folder and adjusting the top of her yukata to hide the shameful scar upon her neck. Sojiro looked at her with disappointment and she could sense resentment within the man, given all the hours she had been spending with him. Kannagi gave him a quick and solemn expression, offering a silent apology to him for her outburst.

As the kage led her from her seat, she patted one shoulder of Genkumaru's and one of Kenji's, a motion to try and express that she would still be with them even if she was out of the room. The kage had made dire accusations, extreme insinuations, avoided giving any answers in Kannagi's presence, and had been harsh on the state of that night with Hikari. At the same time, she delivered mixed messages of compassion and understanding, the promotion evident that the woman had plenty to unveil in this meeting that the kunoichi would not be privy to. She followed the kage knowingly towards the door, but turned back before leaving. "My outburst was inappropriate and unwise. It is clear the Lady likes her mind games. I hope that you all will keep better patience than I." The blue haired woman bowed to her friends and then to the kage. She respected the woman of course, but Kannagi was not one to be dishonest about the kage out of her position of authority either. The mixed messages weren't being well received. The woman faced away from her comrades and strode out the room then without looking behind as the door closed tightly behind her.

Kenji couldn't really care much about the Nikkoukage's troubles and woes on her way to the top, everything had to come with a price after all but what caught him off guard the most was the promotion Kannagi had gotten for failure. He could only raise his eyebrow as he eyed the Nikkoukage, wondering just what exactly was going on considering she started this whole meeting with talk of punishment and he somehow doubted being recognized as someone both strong and capable of leading others was a punishment. Either way as Kannagi apologized and begun to leave, Kenji would simply look up at the blue beauty and give an soft smile to her. "You sure as hell earned it, congrats." Kenji would give a quick congratulations to the girl as she begun to leave, only giving a nod to her final words before getting back to action.

Immediately, Genkumaru would decide to follow Kannagi's lead and Kenji had to stop himself from face palming, the only one acting somewhat sane now was both himself and Sojiro, and the one armed man was basically reaching for the stars to see this as anything but a failure. "Come on big guy, just because her getting mad got her a promotion doesn't mean the same thing will work for you." Kenji would comment with a weak grin on his face before he let out a yawn as Sojiro begun to talk, suggesting the fight with that "Sonin" person was a secret of some sort. "Like I said Lady Kage, not the brightest bulbs in the room." Kenji reminded her with a simple shrug as he remain seated and not really caring about what was happening. Instead, he was just going to wait for the kage to continue the whole point of the meeting or dismiss him as the duo seemed to want.

She knew it was a confusing time for the group, that their meeting with her was just as puzzling. After all, what they had done was considered wrong in many peoples eyes, but these were people who had not been in the field for years, and knew nothing of what it meant to be a friend or to love a comrade. Alana knew though, she had been through it herself. They had every right to be confused, most of them expecting to be punished, or worse. Their feelings were justified, but she did not want them to be discouraged, to think it was all for nothing. As Kannagi breached the door the woman offered one final sentiment to the newly appointed Chuunin. "I know you do not fully understand the situation at the moment, but please place trust in us, we are working night and day towards the betterment of our home. You were not punished because i believe you did the right thing, even if others would say otherwise. You are a strong, determined woman and our village is lucky to have you. Continue your hard work and know, we are doing our best on our end as well."

As the door to the office closed lady Nikkoukage would wheel around to address the remaining three. Gripping the folders tightly she would turn to Kenji, the only Moon shinobi present. "Normally this would be done in your own village by your own kage, but i asked for special permission for this meeting. Kenji, i know your choices were not made for the betterment of the Sun, and you acting solely on the premise of saving Hikari. However you sacrificed your own life to save one of ours, and put your own reputation on the line for people who did not share a village with you. Because of this i can be nothing but grateful for your luckily timed presence and your unwaivering friendship. "

As she spoke she would have circled around the man, placing his own file in his hands as she finished speaking. Much like Kannagi, if the man were to flip through his own file, he would also see the location marked Title had been changed. His to now read Chuunin. "Me and lady Gekkoukage have agreed that your work in the field has been admirable, despite the hardships you have had to face. She is the one who has decided to promote you, but i ultimately wanted to be the one to thank you. If it were not for you, Nikkousato may be a few shinobi down this day." She would offer a kind smile and pat the man on the back. "You are always welcome here in the Sun village my friend. However i have two hard headed boys to address, so if you would not mind. " She would motion for the door before darting her gaze towards Genkumaru and sojiro.

Lady Alana would close the door to the office behind Kenji then turn to face the remaining two men in the room. Both of their folders remained clenched in her hand as she circled the room and made her way back to the desk, taking a seat in her massive stone chair, her orange eyes glaring at the two. "I am going to be frank with the two of you, there were plenty of people who wanted your heads for what happened. It was non stop bitching about how to punish the four of you, but obviously that is not what is happening. I stood up for the group and did what i could to sway their views." She would get comfortable in her chair, relaxing for the first time since the meeting started. The motherly persona fell as her normal facial features came back from behind their mask.

"Unfortunately the elders of the village still hold onto an old school and archaic way of seeing things. While i have done a lot to bring the village into the modern age, some people just refuse to let go of the old ways. Do not get me wrong, what the four of you did was risky and could have gone way worse than it did. However i understand why you did it, and find value in your choices. " She would then toss the folders across the desk not even bothering to open them. "Maruka filled me in on what happened that night, i can only imagine the scars, physical and mental, that experience has left you with. But you two are men of action, you are Sun Shinobi for a reason. That is why instead of punishing you i have decided to promote you both to Jounin, effective as of now."

She would lean back fully now, getting as relaxed as she could, while still holding a stern and serious expression. "I understand not every choice the village has made can be rationlized, but i want to assure you two we are doing everything we can. No matter what is going on, what eveils lurk on our borders, or within, we must always remain calm. I have an entire village, full of families, children, your everyday civilian trying to live their lives and i must do what i can to keep them not only safe, but happy. I am proud to have strong able shinobi like you on my side."

With that her sentence would be cut off by a knock on the door. Letting out a simple call Alana would signal for whoever it was to enter. The door would creek open as Maruka would enter the office, a few bandages across the top of his head. He wore a sheepish smile as his gaze met that of Genkumaru and sojiro. Closing the door behind him Maruka would step to the side and remain silent. "We have looked into this so called Odotai, a group of missing ninja who are apparently working together. While we are now aware of their existence, we have no idea their purpose or motives. You two are in the fold now, you are going to be asked to do dangerous things, things you might not agree with or even understand. I hope you are up for the task."