Amplification. [Open]

[Apple]

It wasn’t exactly the best of weather, but it would do.

Whilst Kusagakure usually bathed in the afternoon sun, today it seemed as if that it was more hesitant to show itself to the small gathering that had appeared outside one of the balconies of the Atrium. A gathering for what, or- for whom? Hidden by the confined of what appeared to be one of the rooms within the building stood a figure, merely a black shadow at the moment, although as the crowd itself slowly began to formulate, movements could only roughly be seen happening- Although there was no indication of who it was, or what would be happening. Had it not been for the fact that the Kusakage herself had arranged a kind of meeting with the interested villagers of her ruling land then perhaps someone would have perhaps viewed it as a kind of protest in the making. Just when people had begun to wonder whether or not anything was going to happen, through ladylike steps heels had begun to make themselves apparent on the balcony with sharp, painful clicks symbolizing each step. It wasn’t long until the figure had made themselves apparent to the crowd two stories below, her image perhaps dampened slightly by the clouds and the shadow of the building, allowing merely a glimpse of a silhouette to pass to their eyes.

Her village gazed in awe.
And she blissfully craved every moment of it.

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[Kildred]

Usio made his way through the crowd, trying to get closer to the balcony where he thought he saw the Kusakage. He had never seen her before, and was eager for a glimpse of the person who ran the entire village. Pushing a few more people aside, he cursed under his breath. While he may be a genin, he was still a ninja of the village. Surely he should get some kind of reserved spot? He wouldn't be able to see much of anything. It wasn't that the crowd was large, per se, but they were taking up all the better spots. He didn't want to be stuck in the middle of a clearing if the sun decided to come out from behind the clouds. He sweated enough in his fields. He didn't want to do it just attending a gathering called by the Kusakage. Settling near a tree off to the left of the balcony, he decided he'd just move his way to the front when she made her appearance. Still, it was rather dark. Would he be able to see her at all?

[Krethean]

Ujiyasu wandered to the gathering of people with his back arched in a concave-like fashion and hands behind his head, whistling a tune as he did so. Word had gotten around that the Kusakage themselves was going to make an appearance. It’s the first time he had really seen the Kage, or rather… got the opportunity to see the Kage, and it got him in a more cheerful state.

After all, the Kage is meant to be the strongest in the village. As a boy who loved a good fight, getting the chance to see the strongest in the village was quite a big deal.

He had heard that the Kusakage had been indisposed for some time. With what, he didn’t know. He figured it’d be for the best though… keeping the security of this village was high priority, and not knowing what was going on with the Kage was probably for the best.

Ujiyasu joined the crowd and waited, though his restlessness was showing. He fidgeted a little, and was seriously considering making a little snow storm to startle everyone on the ground, when everyone noticed some movement on the balcony. A silhouette could be made out from up high, which had a few people pointing at it. Murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd as a few hushed whispers mentioned that the Kusakage was here. Ujiyasu even caught some people saying “Lady Kusakage”.

So the Kage is a woman. Least I know how to refer to her!

Ujiyasu looked around the crowd and saw Usio near the trees, as if he would rather be in the shade than in the sun. In some ways, Ujiyasu could understand that… the sun was fairly bright, and he knew that farming was taxing enough as it is. And boring too. He looked around for more people that he recognized before he looked back to the Kusakage’s rather dramatic entrance.

So, she had arrived, and the people are here. She has an audience, so now all that was left was to see what the big boss wanted.

[Muu Yanagi]

Why were so many people gathered together here? Muu didn’t very much like crowds and as more people had started gathering he had scrambled up to sit atop a cart selling a few snacks to incoming villagers. Resting crossed legged facing he balcony, Muu wondered what on earth could be so important, that all these people would want to stop chasing fuzzies and stand around under the clouds for.

As he waited some people near the cart were speaking excitedly and Muu perked up to eavesdrop on them. Maybe they knew where all the fuzzies were you never knew nowadays.
”Did you hear? The Kusa Lady is making an appearance here today! I hear she’s smoking hot and whats hotter then a babe with power? I can’t think of much man can you?”

Two younger guys engaged in a little male talk, but it did get Muu thinking. So they were going to see a lady here hmmm? Well Muu liked ladys, a lot of the times they had cats! What if instead of the lady her fuzzy was making an appearance?! Oh now the tired eyed boy was excited! He was looking forward to seeing the Kusa Ladys cat today!

"Click.... Click... Click.. "

The sound rang out from the balcony above and caught Muu's attention. The village was about to be graced with the Lady of the entire village, were they ready?

[Apple]

[/i], and perhaps to allow those who watched a better view of herself in turn, fulfilling both her own need for attention, and the need of Kusagakure’s citizens to know exactly who seemed to be the person behind the current title of Kusakage. As she slowly stepped in to whatever light was able to be seen on the balcony itself, long flowing trellises of blonde hair came to view, bathing in the small amount of light that poured through the grey clouds which hung lifelessly in the sky. Looking down, her form wasn’t highlighted especially by the light given the current dreary weather in Kusagakure, but that wouldn’t hinder her from making herself known to the village. Hopefully from this people would go on and speak of her to their own friends, spreading her popularity- Or this was the goal through doing this anyhow. Publicity stunt? Perhaps. But it was nice to get a look at those who chose to stay along in order to catch a glimpse of their new ruler. She knew nothing of Kusagakure’s life during the time that she’d been away, given her leave- What difference would this make to he rule? Surely nothing, but mysteries lay intact in the way that the village had sprung from the dead, and strangely enough, not even she had the answers- But as for now, she stood tall as an Amazonian warrior woman, proud to be standing onthe balcony itself, gazing at those who now observed her from below.[/ul]

A moments pause;

”I apologise for not having introduced myself at an earlier date.
I’ve been busy, as you can imagine.”

And now- I had spoken and made my presence known if it had not prior to this engagement. With my voice strongly emitting from my mouth and projecting across a good area from my elevated position, I’d watch below as the citizens of my village would then take my words. Being busy was a fair excuse given the fact that I had only as of late become part of the position that is known as Kusakage, even if it be through more shady means through the involvement of the orange-haired brothers. Even just thinking about them not made me uneasy, so I chose to place them both in the back of my mind for now, to be thought of some other time. As I moved over to the edge of the balcony itself, I’d lean my arms against the white, pristine half-wall as I looked beneath me, preparing to open my mouth so that I could speak some more to the awaiting crowd, their every move paused for each word that escaped my lips. It was such an.. addictive feeling, to be part of something much more and yet at the same time to find strangers bowing at your feet. Of course I had always predicted this for myself, it had been especially inevitable with the others on my side as well, but I didn’t anticipate for it to have happened so.. quickly. It had been so long, though.

”My name is Blanche.”

I'd pause, allowing my name to sink in. It was something that I usually did when speaking to people primarily because I'd like them to remember that name, as I knew one day, they'd be praying for it. Leaning back again as my arms then crossed fiercely, my blue eyes staring down, I'd continue.

"Today marks the beginning to a new age in our village history.

And I'd like you all to join me."

Of course, naturally I brought myself in to the small speech that I had made. Being the goddess that I was I found no qualm in addressing myself as as such- And if anything, with all of the plans I had in store for the village, I did want everyone to be part of them. Perhaps not all of them, but my main priority was to keep them happy, perhaps to prevent any possible mutinies. It was only early days for my reign as Kusakage, but I already had so much to do. Tilting my gaze around the appearance of the crowd below, studying each head carefully before going on to the next, I'd ask the following with confidence in my voice;

"..Enlightenment is ours."

[OOC: There is NO posting order.][/blockquote][/justify][/font][/size]

[Kildred]

Staying in the shade of the tree, Usio took in every word that his Kusakage said with a grain of salt. As far as he was concerned, this was likely one of those political speeches that people in power would make in order to ease the minds of the civilian population. His father had remarked on such occasions when he lived in other villages. As such, he took the time to analyze what she had said. She left little to actually decipher, but her last statement confused him. How was enlightenment theirs? He certainly didn't feel enlightened. Maybe she meant something else. Well, whatever. If anything, he'd just ask his father about it once he got home.

The other thing that caught his ear was her name. Blanche. He couldn't be certain, but he thought that was the name of the process of boiling something and halting the cooking process by dousing it in ice water. His mother was a cook, and she referred to this technique when she cooked sometimes. At least, he thought she did. It meant 'to whiten', or something like that. Why would that be...oh, maybe it was a codename? 'To whiten', as in clean. Maybe she was somebody who cleaned up after people? An oinin, perhaps? That was cool. He hoped to get a codename for himself, sometime. That was assuming he actually got good at anything, of course.

[Akihiko]

"The Fabled Kikkawa..."

Even with the rays of light pouring through the dark clouds above, he remained neglected to view; his silhouette vaguely painted at the pinnacle of a cloud skimming tower. Feet dangling from the rafters, his composure revealed his discontent with what he considered to be reprimand. Much to his dismay, he was required to attend the first public address of the Kusakage, as she stood on her balcony overlooking the people. She was doing a great job thus far, in fact, Mugen expected nothing less of a whimsical girl who deemed herself of the gods. He could see clear as day, the cynical intent in her eyes. Deceptive in her display, he had already begun to pick apart the reprise in her words. Patterns unveiled as she carefully twisted her words so to coil around each and every onlooker. She had them by the finger tips, as far as the eye could see, her audience stood silent. It was as if they had already become puppets to her allure.

He played with the idea some more, considering the impact of his actions should he choose to act so brazenly. Ivory digits pressed hard against the tiled surface directly above Blanche, and gradually, the 'White Snake' uncoiled into a bold stance. His frame hidden beneath the flowing drapes of endless ivory, the crowd could only guess at what, quite literally, was up his sleeve. What once appeared as nothing more than a bird along the rooftops, now stood blatantly as the outline of a man, gazing down upon all below. Each had become so invested in the speech itself, they likely didn't notice as he gracefully floated from the crown of her majesty's abode.

A light tap echoed forth as he sunk into the gravitational pull of his leap, crouching on the same balcony as the Kusakage herself. This act, could warrant death if she so wished. But rather, he stepped to the side calmly, amber pools intent on her reaction. Risky, albeit a sensible test to the character of our new leader. To what extent did she go to ensure that she remained at the top, was she a woman of patience, or the type to react on instinct. The crowd seemed to fall into a deep silence, and they all looked up to their new leader. All eyes were on her, including his; while aware of the consequences, he remained composed. Seemingly content with his entrance, which trifled hers tenfold.

"Am I interrupting?" he cooed, feigning confusion in his words.

[Krethean]

Ujiyasu’s eyes refocused as he snapped back out of his stupefied state. Apparently he didn’t have such a great attention span when it came to Kage speeches, especially since he failed to notice someone else who decided to get onto the balcony with the Kusakage. Jeeze, if I’m not careful, I’ll be like Usio!

Ujiyasu looked at the two people up above, but even he knew there really wasn’t anything he could do. If that man was from another village, not only would Ujiyasu be outclassed, especially since he got by the young boy unnoticed, but the Kage would likely deal with him. So for better or for worse, Ujiyasu simply wouldn’t make any difference in the outcome.

Scratching the right side of his scalp, the Kusa Genin looked around and decided to walk towards Usio, who had been near the tree since before the Kusakage’s speech. In truth, Ujiyasu never did well with simply spectating, and he preferred to talk with someone at least. It keeps him from becoming bored too easily.

“Any idea who that joker up there with the Kage is?”

[Apple]

As the chill of the morning wind slowly crept through the area, the sunlight was still prevented from displaying itself by the thick layer of cloud that hung lifelessly across the sky above. It hadn’t effected her up to now at all even with the currently probable outcome of rain. Just when her lips had begun to part to reveal another piece of information to those below her, something quite unexpected happened. As the softest of taps echoed on the flooring of the balcony it was nothing that would be ignored in her eyes. In a beautiful swoosh of blonde hair her head turned to the left to where he was positioned as she chose to see who the perpetrator was exactly. Perhaps having expected one of her ANBU to lace the floor of the balcony with word of some important news, she was of course, somewhat disheartened to see that someone had chanced and landed on her podium, but nonetheless with so much emphasis on herself at the moment, there was no room for any air of uncertainty- not that she was. Addressing now not the public down below, but the boy before her, she’d begin to speak.

"Am I interrupting?"



”...What are you trying to achieve exactly?”
Said in a tone more soft and inquisitive than one of irritation, his reason for having done such an action could easily be grouped in to a few possibilities.

Either he was so starved of attention that he had to resort to performing such a stunt to revitalize his own worth of self, he was going to try and do something incredibly unintelligent like try and attack her, or he had something to say. Regardless, the very tone he had used sparked the idea that he knew what he was doing. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t prepared for something like this, but to say the least she hadn’t expected it. Going with the latter of choices from the possibilities she had mused, her head still facing his own and eyes glacially edging in to his own, she’d address him again. ”An aggressor wouldn’t have made himself so visible. So why have you come here today, alike the dozens of others that you see here? Surely amplifying your own presence comes from a need to say something.” flicking her gaze momentarily back to the crowd below whilst also keeping watch on the stranger roughly eight meters to her left, what she had just said had not only applied to him, but the entire population below. What did they want from their new leader exactly? Such a calm demeanour had perhaps in the past been something unthinkable for the blonde. However, bathed in the presence of strangers they wouldn’t have known that. Not that she wasn’t annoyed about his sudden appearance, it was simply that she hadn’t the patience to pick fights. A revelation; A reform of her personality having been churned from the depths of her mind, it wasn’t going to stay that way for long.

But however lax she seemed about the situation at the moment, she demanded her answers from him.

”And for the rest of you who have come here today; What do you want?

Kusagakure belongs to the people.

I require your cooperation to combat any problems you might have."

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[Kildred]

Usio squinted as a new figure appeared next to his leader. This was certainly not on the itinerary. As he struggled to recognize who the person was, Ujiyasu sauntered up from wherever he had been standing. He questioned the man's identity, dashing his own hopes that he would get answers from the wild boy. Locking his eyes on the figure, he frowned a bit. "He's likely someone from this village, otherwise ANBU would be all over him right now. I don't know whether he knows the Kusakage personally or not, but all I can discern right now is..." He shifted his center of weight as he expressed his disdain over the situation. "...he is a fool. Regardless of whether you know them or not, you simply don't interrupt your leader in the middle of an occasion such as this. He will likely be punished somehow." He didn't actually know, of course. It was purely speculation on his behalf.

When the Kusakage then addressed the crowd once more, he was left confused. Did she mean what they wanted as a whole, or as individuals? His mind raced, eyes fighting to glaze over and go through several definitions in his head, but he shook his head and maintained clarity. This was a speech, a show of force. It didn't matter to him, but if she required interaction, than he would comply. Thinking for a split-second, he decided on one thing that he felt would be a shared sentiment between all villagers. I hope I don't regret this. Stepping out into the sun, he made himself clearly visible to the two on the balcony. Standing at ease, Usio looked up at his leader and shouted in a clear voice. "What I want is for Kusagakure to rise up stronger than before! To no longer fear the might of the other villages and their military prospects! To stand tall and make them recognize us, and to prevent the tragedies the befell us so many times before!" He stood rigid, mind racing over what he just said. He hoped he didn't do anything that would embarrass himself later.

[Krethean]

Well, guess this is an open forum now!

Seeing his friend call out to the Kusakage, declaring what he wanted, Ujiyasu also spoke up. His shout carried his words to his leader, but even though he meant what he said with sincerity, his rowdy nature could be made out from the way his voice sounded.

"I've grown up here since as long as I can remember. I know my parents moved here shortly before I was born, but I grew to love this land! This place is incredible, and my parents wanted to live here ever since they visited... and now that we have a proper Shinobi structure, I know we can keep this place safe. Anyone who tries to ruin what we've worked hard to create, I'll be more than happy bust some heads!"

A happy chuckle escaped from his mouth after he declared his intent to his leader. As long as the Kusakage had the interests of the land and its people at heart, he would gladly work as a Shinobi in her service. Kage tend to be mindful of the people they look after. Usually.

[Apple]

What had previously been a problem had now been turned on its head given the quick nature of the Kusakage herself as she attempted to appeal to the audience by focusing the attention on them. Perhaps it was nothing more than a move for good publicity, or perhaps she actually did want to know exactly what they wanted from the village, and from her. Regardless, it was a good way to strike something in the forum that she’d created, and it drew away somewhat from the man that was still on her balcony, the blonde awaiting her answers from him before she’d go much further with his own case. Calculating blue eyes keeping an eye on the figure to her side, she’d also focus on those below her who had decided to speak up after she’d requested their opinions. Her arms crossed in front of her, perhaps one would figure that she wasn’t too happy to hear such suggestions and comments but truly, she was listening, just.. she wasn’t the kind of person to show enthusiasm towards anything that didn’t directly give herself any large advantages. Promoting herself as Kusakage was important and it was also even more vital to keep her shinobi happy, so she saw it necessary to ask such questions to her people.

The first.

"What I want is for Kusagakure to rise up stronger than before! To no longer fear the might of the other villages and their military prospects!...”

Her eyes shot towards the owner of the voice- A sandy haired male who from what she could see, couldn’t have been older than a teenager. Examining for a moment or so, he couldn’t say that she’d seem him before, but then again she hadn’t seen the majority of those who were currently gathered today. After he’d finished speaking, she began to respond to him, her arms still crossed as she looked down, her icy blue eyes only dimly lit by the dull sun that the sky currently revealed- However, it was nothing that didn’t draw away from the fact that they were of such a light shade of blue that they looked daunting. ”I assure you; I will not let Kusagakue fall beneath the hands of others and I will do everything in my power to instigate our influence on the world stage. We won’t be left in the shadows again.” Of course, she doubted that he had been old enough to remember the horrors of the first shinobi war which had reaped so many lives from Kusagakure’s populace and destroyed any hope of rebuilding whatever ruins that had been left at that time. Even now such memories from that period of time were painfully regressed for the sake of her own happiness- and like many others, she didn’t want for time to repeat itself. Nothing could ever take her back there.

The second..

"I've grown up here since as long as I can remember. I know my parents moved here shortly before I was born, but I grew to love this land! This place is incredible, and my parents wanted to live here ever since they visited...

Next, a vividly dressed shinobi who seemed to roughly be the same age as the last. Perhaps it was her personal fanbase who were all teenage boys, or it was simply the younger generation of Kusagakure who had seemed to want to make their voices known, she couldn’t’ be too sure, but regardless of that she did seem to find it interesting to listen to what they had to say. The look on her face showed her assessing the things that they had to say, before formulating her own reply. Of course it seemed that all that there was to say were positive things in regards to the future of Kusagakure and the hope that people had for its development, which she agreed with, so there was a connection there to those who decided to speak up. Having waited several years to return, now that she was back it was a better time than ever to bring the village back up to its former glory, and with a base of dedicated shinobi, she was sure that the feat would only be easier. ”Hopefully there’ll be no need to bust heads but I’m sure we can all understand that the next few weeks, months and perhaps even years will be testing. It’s within my interest to bring forward Kusagakure to the same level as the major villages, but we won’t get there easily."

A pause.

"..But what I can promise you is the devotion that I hold towards the reaching it, to our village, and unto each one of you.”

And to finish- Slowly but surely, a gentle bow from her head as her figure lowered somewhat, holding the position for if but a moment, before rising once more and moving her gaze back to those who in return viewed her.

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[Kenji 忍]

The meeting hosted by the Kusakage had started to annoy Kenji. He had hidden himself among the crowd of Kusagakure's citizens and shinobi, blending with the mindless horde. It wasn't that the speech was boring. In fact, he quite enjoyed being a spectator of how one person's words could excite an entire populace, but were they really listening? She had promised they'd be renowned throughout the world with power that rivaled the five great nations, but she neglected what steps she would take to get them there, only stating she wished to do so without "busting heads". However, for them to achieve power, they would need to take. Take lives, land, secrets, and whatever else would give them an edge on the other villages, and what would they do with this power once they had it? Threaten the world into the demands of a single voice? She was beginning to sound more like a dictator with veiled words than a hero to Kenji.

However, she made it clear that she wanted the people's best interest at heart, but how could he trust her? Kenji didn't know her personally, and this was a political speech, so of course she would want them to think she was only interested in what they wanted, it would be strange otherwise. His hands would form a fist as he thought of all the possible outcomes of not questioning their leader. What if she were to abuse her power, the outcome being the loss of many lives? Or perhaps he was just being paranoid and should keep his mouth shut to avoid a conflict? He wanted a full understanding as to whom he would be following and now would be the perfect time for him to get his own answers.

Not letting his voice go silent any longer, Kenji would lower his hood, revealing his short brown hair and his Kusa headband that was tied tightly around his forehead. "And what if you were to have this power to yourself Kusakage?" He would say at the same volume of his fellow shinobi as she started to bow. "Power cannot be divided throughout the people. It is a selfish concept that corrupts even the best of us, leaving us crippled as a whole." Perhaps he was being harsh? No, this was the ugly side of power the crowd had to realize if they were to truly go through with this venture. "Our primary focus should be to thrive with innovation and intelligence. Then we can rise up as a utopia for peace and 'enlightenment' and coexist with the other nations instead of being triumphant against them, showing the hearts of our people!" His words would be to test his leader's true values. What was it she really wanted?

_____________________________________

OOC: Hope this is ok

[Krethean]

Ujiyasu lowered his head a little as he gently pressed his hand to his mouth and chin, his index finger covered his mouth, while his thumb pressed against the cheek, the digit pointed upward. It gave the impression that the Kusa-Genin was lost in thought. Both the Kusakage's and the new speaker's words mulled through his head, and the difference is meaning played on his mind.

Ujiyasu was all about freedom and ensuring that everyone could experience such freedom, but even he knows that in order to have freedom, there must be some limits. Knowing where this balance between restriction and liberty was the key to true freedom, and it was something he wished to provide Kusa no Kuni as much as possible.

To him, the nation matching the Five Great Nations in might and influence would grant more freedom, as well as deterring other nations from sacking the country with more wars. Everyone in Kusa was tired of having to bury friends and family because of other nations engaging each other in what amounted to the Kage's version of a pissing contest.

The hooded man's words then echoed as he thought about that. If Kusa were to match the Great Nations, it was likely that they too would get involved. As a world power, they would need to step in and safeguard their interests... but when he thought about it, all the nations are thinking of themselves and their lifestyle. The will of the Kage is what clashes more often than not.

If only there was a way we could become a strong nation, while avoiding the power struggle of the other nations... like that Land of Iron I always hear about.

There was really nothing Ujiyasu could add. After all, he said his piece, and currently the landscape of this debate had shifted to a question regarding the Kusakage's leadership capability. A discussion Ujiyasu normally steered clear of. Normally it's because politics bored the hell out of him. This time, it's because for one, politics still bores him, and two, in truth he wasn't in any position to do anything. He had only just come out of the Academy not long ago after all.

Despite this, Ujiyasu kept an eye on how this new exchange between the hooded person and the Kusakage.

[Kildred]

Usio crooned his head to the side, looking on at the person who addressed the Kusakage. He found his words hollow and unrealistic. Utopia for peace? Coexist? The entire reason the needed to emerge as a power was to defend themselves from attack. The previous wars showed what the other villages thought of other lands they believed were beneath them; mere battlegrounds. If they fought so ferociously with each other then, how would they ever try to coexist with a new village which could conceivably threaten their rule? Non one would even try, unless it was to ruin Kusagakure through subterfuge.

Rather than make his opinion known, he scoffed and took to looking at the Kusakage again. Surely she knew of how we needed to act. She mentioned not wanting to fight, which implied that she would if need be. Fighting was how the would grow, and fighting would be how they would survive.