A Secret Summit

Lady Superior Mora Mikiri entered into the empty conference room with her hands clasped behind her back. The conference room was located in a luxury hotel a bit aways from both the village and the tournament. She had selected this hotel because the owners were devout Ninshuu worshipers which made it "neutral ground" so to speak not that her and her counterpart where at war. It was however the first time the leaders of the two religions would be meeting and given the nature of her faith it was more than likely any encounters prior to today would have been hostile. Lady Superior Mora was wearing relatively casual clothing a simple red and black tunic with her Church Kaminobōshi on her head. Aside from the religious head piece she looked relatively ordinary and that was good because she did not wish to draw too much attention to herself. Two senior Sacristans flanked her on her way into the room but  remained at the door. This meeting would be between the Arch-Priest and herself. The room would look somewhat like this albeit with two chairs positioned directly in front of another in close proximity. The head of the Orthodox Church of Jashin would take a seat and wait patiently for him to arrive as they had a very important matter to discuss.

“Hey Granny. Good to see that the seasons are treating you well.” said a warm voice as a red haired man walked into the room. Despite the rather irreverent way he had addressed the lady superior his tone was one of affection.

This was the Arch-Priest Saiga, the leader of the Church of Hakkin. It was rare for him to leave the monestary up in the mountains that was their headquarters but when he you knew it was for some serious business.    

He wasn’t even half Mora’s age but the two had a long history together.  Mostly one of clashing ideologies but occasional they where willing to put aside their differences and work together if the cause was right.  He wouldn’t call them friends but he considered her a worthy rival and someone worthy of his respect and at times even admiration.  

It was funny how despite knowing of one another for so long was their first time meeting in the flesh. All prior correspondence having been through letters or intermedaries never in person. It was humbling to him that desipte rumors to the contray to see first hand how pretty Mora still was despite her advanced age. The years truely had been kind on her.

He wondered idly what she had summoned him her to talk about, knowing it wouldn’t be something as pleasant as simply chatting about the weather.  If only things could be that simple then they wouldn’t butt heads against each other so often.  He’d heard that one of the three vestals, the  priestess next into authority in the church as him to him was getting along swimmingly with one of Mora’s most promising disciples.

Well maybe they could stand to learn something from those youngsters. If they could get along maybe their was still hope for the rest of the two churches to cooperate long term instead of merely tolerating the existence of each other most of the time.  

With his fancy red robes and fake horns Saiga looked every bit the wise sage he was hoped to live up to be.  The only weapon he had on him, a Tachi that swung from the back of his belt was anything but ceremonial. He was every bit the warrior as he was a priest and while he’d been willing to leave his guards at the door he’d insisted on keeping his sword with him.  Being armed was a symbol, a way for followers of the divine dragon to show they where ready to defend their land and it’s people at any time.

The red war paint on his face similar to what Ryuko often wore crinkled as he flashed Mora a smile before plopping himself down at in the chair opposite of her. “So what’s on the agenda today My lady?  Is their another group of bandits in need of our enlightenment?” he asked recalling the last time they had joined forces to wipe out one particularly nasty group of thugs and Ne'er-do-wells that had been trafficking in drugs and worse children.

Saiga had helped to round them up and Mora…. well she did what she did best to them.  Saiga shuddered a bit at their fate preferring not to think on it too deeply.  In the end they had simply got what was coming to them even if it had been a bit more… messy then he would have preferred.

Saiga Seto entered the room not long after she did. The Arch-Priest was looking magnificent in his priestly robes and he projected an aura of confidence that came with being a religious icon to multitudes of people. She smiled and nodded as he complimented her good health. "Oh stop it Saiga, leave your flattery and flowers to the correspondence" she said with a blush and a smile. He was a very charming young man and quite competent with that sword of his. It was a shame he was an apostate otherwise he would have made a fantastic addition to their Church and a suitable lover for the young women of her faith. Alas it was not meant to be as he clearly devoted to his Church in a way that nothing would sway him not violence nor promises of women and power. This only caused Mora to respect him even more and regard him as a worthy ally and adversary. The two had butted heads before but had increasingly turned to cooperation once the Jashinist religion had been legalized. They had brought down a trafficking ring recently and he had graciously agreed to turn the men over to the Church so that their vile and pathetic lives might have some meaning through torture and sacrifice in the name of Jashin. When Saiga sat down she folded her hands in her lap and responded to his question.

"Similar to our previous problem but a bit more sophisticated and complex. The general theme is the same though...The impious and wicked sully our nation and this world with their evil. It is our duty to correct it and while we may represent different faiths, I think we have shown that together we can achieve a greater impact than we could if we acted alone. I think its time to take the next step in our cooperation. I think regular in-person meetings between us and our higher level intermediaries are now appropriate given Kumogakure's evolving position on my Church's legality."

The Lady Superior sat back in her chair with her hands still folded in her lap.

"I have called this meeting to discuss two things. The first an issue at home and the second abroad. You are aware of the tournament being hosted by Kumogakure yes?" It was a rhetorical question but an important starting point for the rest of the conversation. She also wanted to get his thoughts on the tournament. Two very prominent members of their Church were friends and teammates. They'd be participating in the competition and undoubtedly there'd be friendly rivalry and banter between the two. Lady Superior Mora did not think such a fact would generate friction between their two Churches which recognized martial combat as a sacred and honorable affair. However, if Saiga had any special thoughts on the subject though it would be good to get them on the table before she addressed their common problem.

At being told to leave his sweet words at the door Saiga flashed a sheepish grin. He’d been a bit of womanizer in his youth and though he was respectable now old habits died hard. Before the Church of Hakkin had taken him and he had been nothing but an orphaned street rat. Stealing food for venders and picking pockets whenever he could just to make it though another day.

At the tender age of eight he’d tried to lift the coin purse from a priest only to be caught red handed but instead of being beaten like he’d been expecting the Priest had taken him into the local church, cleaned him up and given him the first warm meal he’d had in months. The kindness he had been shown that day had set him back on the right path and he had worked hard in the service ever since quickly rising up thought the ranks until the mantel of leadership had fallen upon him.

It was a heavy burder to bear. One that sometimes he wished he didn’t have. If he was just one of the rank and file members nobody would think much of him sipping back some booze and schmoozing some pretty ladies but now he had an image to maintain. Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if someone like Mora had been the one to catch him instead.

He’d probably be lucky if they stopped at removing the offending hand to teach him a lesson. Despite that he couldn’t bring himself to fully hate or condemn the other church. While they had their dark-side not all of their members where that bad. Their star pupil Shimiko, the one who had managed to get the religion legalized was a shining example of kindness and virtue having taken in a pair of urchin twins off the streets and raising them as if they where her own children.

While the two religions had their difference at times’s the Church of Hakkin found the presence of this particular brand of Jashinisum useful. Since they weren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty they could accomplish things that the Hakkinists couldn’t and while they couldn’t prevent crime entirely their mere existence put fear into the hearts of all but the most hardened criminals and helped keep the streets of the city’s where they operating in cleaner.

“Even more sophisticate and complex you say? Now would be a real problem.” replied Saiga his voice full of concern. The group they had brought in was just a bunch of low level hoodlums, if they had a crime syndicate on their hands the sooner they where rooted and and destroyed the better.

“Ay of course, how could I not be when it’s the practically all they can talk about in town?” Asked Saiga with a rueful grin. Personally he had been really looking forward to seeing what his most promising vestal could do. The tournament would be like a right of passage for her, helping her to grow to new and exciting heights no matter the outcome.

“Is their something about the competition that concerns you? According to the brackets our neither of our girls are against each other in the first match so they should both have a chance to shine brightly.” he said. It was a pity he couldn’t participate but he wouldn’t want to upstage either of them after all.

“It’s refreshing to see such honest fighting for once. No skulduggery, just pure open combat for the sake of sport. If only people could get together and do that more often their would be much less need for war.” he lamented. In the church of Hakkin if a dispute couldn’t be settled with words then it would be done with fists.

As could be expected from disciples of a god of war they often believed that might could made right but also that it had to be tempered and used with wisdom and discretion. Members that resorted to violence means too often to solve their problems would be at risk of excommunication for being too disruptive. Making the tourament an event that repeated once ever few years would be a pretty good balance in his opinion.

"There is" she replied when he asked about the competition. Saiga spoke highly of the tournament and she largely shared his sentiments. Bloodsport was a holy and sacred affair. Even if it did not end in sacrifice, close bonds could be forged and quarrels resolved when people took up arms against one another in a structured and orderly format. The Orthodoxy was founded on the concept of organized violence so she approved of it being applied to statecraft. "Ryuko and Shimiko fighting do not worry me. I'm sure our girls will do us both proud and should they face each other in combat it will be an honorable and spectacular affair. It will only bring them closer." she agreed. While she would prefer to see Shimiko win, she did not expect the girl to embarrass her friend nor did she expect her to go easy on her. It would be a nice test of her abilities after Shimiko had lamented about her weakness in the face of Ryuko's prior brute strength. But no, the purpose of this meeting was not to discuss their disciples. It was about another activity that was being conducted parallel to the tournament that threatened to despoil its character.

Mora sighed and went on: "I agree that this tournament is a wonderful thing but I am angered by the vice that is being superimposed on top of it. Jashinism is a permissive religion and we are fairly tolerant of different lifestyles however one thing we do not allow is gambling on the outcome of bloodsport. Leave the curse and dishonor of pit fighting to the Isles of Mist where they belong. I consider it unacceptable, impious, and unholy to wager funds on a solemn fight between two opponents. It has come to my attention that a woman by the name of Ayano Aishi is acting as a bookmaker for bets on various fights"

Lady Superior Mora leaned forward and spoke in a low and angry tone. "She is making money off of our girls' fights and using it to enrich her own pockets. The Orthodoxy has been content to allow some prize fighting to continue in the dens and alleys of Kumo. However where these groups use orphan children or force others to participate we have stepped in with the blessing of local authorities. The ringleaders tend to go missing shortly thereafter....". She didn't elaborate. She didn't have to. Saiga knew how the Orthodoxy worked. "This arrangement has been purely out of convenience and our need to tolerate certain sins for the sake of peace. However I am loathe to extend the Church's mercy to someone who'd sully such an important international event and surely not by using the labor of my darling disciple Shimiko. I will not have it....I said I will not have it-oh!" It was quite obvious that Mora was very angry at this development and she wanted to do something about it.  She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath to compose herself. The Church Kaminobōshi rising and falling with the action.

She'd wait to here Saiga's thoughts on the matter before continuing:

"I propose that we join forces to put an end to this blasphemy. We each send an emissary from our respective Churches to meet with this Ayano. We gently advise her to cease betting operations. She may collect on those rounds that have already finished and may issue payment as the matches have been completed but going further we will not permit her to collect bets for the upcoming matches. If she complies then it will be a victory for both of our Churches and a demonstration of our influence and ability to cooperate. If she refuses then we will need to make life very difficult for this lech of a businesswoman."


It is here they would need to walk a fine line. Nariko had legalized Jashinism only recently and it was with the understanding that the Church would curb its violent tendencies. Indeed she had received a holy revelation from Lord Jashin telling her that the Church must thrive and grow. In order for it to do that it would need to temper its devotion for the sake of its future. Committing acts of violence on businesses would reflect poorly on Nariko's decision, it would make her look bad and jeopardize Shimiko's position in the village. They had to play this smart.

"If she does not bend to our will then we will have to destroy one of her businesses. I have it on good authority she owns quite a few. We will need to do it in such a way that it cannot be traced directly back to us but we need to make it clear to her that she cannot ignore our demands so easily"

Lady Superior Mora hoped that Saiga would be onboard with this plan. It was bold and risky with more considerations than a mere trafficking raid. They stood to gain a lot of respect and fear from others in the village but they also stood to make enemies of Kumo and a very powerful corporation.

Saiga simply grinned as his counterpart said that she wasn’t worried about their star pupils squaring off. It was nice to see they where in agreement about something already. Of all the possible matches that had to be the one he was most looking forward too, a symbolic way of showing the world how their sects might squabble but in the end they could get along peacefully and coexist.

What she had to say next had his blood boiling. It was one thing for people to wager on street fights as those where between thugs and barely worth his attention as long as they weren’t forcing people especially young and vunrable children into it. He was more then happy to let Mora and her people take care of the ones that crossed that line.

But to gamble on such a big event, on the sacred meeting of fists between true warriors, why the very idea was extremely blasphemous. The very idea made him grip the arm of his chair so hard that it threatened to crack.

“I will not stand for such sacrilege. There is no place in the land of lightning for such ignoble transactions. What do you suggest we do about it?” he asked half expecting that Mora would want to drown this Ayano Aishi in a river of her own blood and having to talk her down. While it was pretty sinful it wasn’t so wicked to need a punishment as extreme as death.

“I have to admit, your solution is more reasonable then I expected.” he said with a relieved sigh. “I’m sure a stern warning from our finest enforces will suffice. If not well, I’m sure we can find a way to make her understand our message. Why she might find that her shipments mysteriously going missing having been redirected to a rival, or perhaps most of her employs will go on strike at once….” he suggested with a wicked grin.

There where plenty of ways to make her business hurt without lifting a finger in violence. His church had plenty of followers all over the country and even aboard. With but a word he could get most of them to withdraw their support of this businesswoman. Of course he had no idea that one of his own Vestal owned shares in one of this woman’s companies but what they did to make money privately was their own business as long as they kept it ethical.

“If even that doesn’t work she’ll have brought on the destruction of her store herself. It would be a harsh lesson to her but a fair one. I’m sure we could hire a good mercenary to do the job should it come to that.” he said nodding in agreement. If they brought in an outsider some missing ninja from another country or something nobody would suspect that they had a thing to do with it.

“If I might make one amendment we should encourage her to donate the money she has earned already to a good charity. Perhaps an orphanage, or a hospital. Thought the money itself is tainted it could still do good if used correctly and it be a way for her to atone for her transgression.” he suggested while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Saiga shared her anger. Good. She had expected the man to look down upon such sacrilege. She was familiar with his faith (how could the Lady Superior run her Church if she was ignorant of the other faiths that existed within the country?) and she knew that they frowned upon such impiety. Saiga was correct that Mora's instinct was to sacrifice Ayano to Jashin and splay her corpse in accordance with the Twenty Chastisements* laid out in the Orthodoxy. However, this was not possible. Ayano Aishi was a powerful woman and was quite wealthy to boot. If the Church killed her and the murder was discovered then everything they had worked so hard to achieve would be for naught. The Church would be driven underground and pursued with even greater vigor. But leaning on Ayano for being a greedy bitch and doing it with the help of the Hakkin Church was something they could pull off.

Saiga agreed with her plan of action and praised her for her restraint. She'd normally be offended that he'd think of her as being the same as those bloodthirsty cultists who ran around in the forest without regard to their God's true mission. What separated the Orthodoxy from the base and savage Jashinists of old was their commitment to order and organization. The founder of their sect was Jashin himself who had come down to Earth in the form of a man. He had taught them to exist in the shadows and to work as an organized unit so that his message could reach every corner of the Earth. While other sects around the world popped up and were crushed brutally, her Church had existed for centuries until finally it was allowed to operate in the open. It was due to the strategic planning and foresight of the Superiors that preceded her. She was the inheritor of their sacrifices and she would ensure their mission continued all the way until the return of their Lord in the year 1000 A.S.

Mora nodded in agreement with Saiga's suggestions. "All very good ideas. We will be in regular contact so as to hammer out what our response should be if she refuses"

Saiga then had the brilliant idea of demanding that the money garnered from the bets be put towards an orphanage or a school. It would help garner favor and respect if they took from the rich to give to the poor. Mora nodded her assent as she realized that Saiga was an even stronger ally than she had previously realized.


"Yes...I rather like that amendment. It would be perverse for her to keep her ill-gotten gains. It is best we advise her to donate that money to those who truly need it. The plague has claimed a fair bit of people each year, it would be prudent to build another hospital for greater research and care for those afflicted. Or an orphanage to those children who had lost their parents. I will coordinate with you and we will send our enforces to communicate our demands."


Mora turned her attention to another subject of grave importance.

"There is one more thing Saiga....have you heard of what has happened in the Land of Demons? The Great Desecration?"


*Chastisements 1: Verses 1-3 - If any man sully my gift of murder let him be put to death and receive his chastisement. There are twenty in number, one for each of the foul crimes committed against my holy institution of death. Let his fetid corpse be splayed for all to see and to furnish a repast for the crows.

Saiga had to admit that the woman he was meeting with had an excellent pokerface. If he’d offended her by being relieved that she hadn’t wanted to jump straight to murder then she was doing an excellent job of hiding her displeasure from him.

His eyes sparkeld at her saying they would be in regular contact at least for the moment. Some of the older priests had called him a fool for entertaining these interactions with her, telling him to stamp out this sect just like they had others in the past. They had said things how they might not be as bad as the others now but given time to grow they could end up potentially worse in the long run so he might as well nip them in the bud.

As far as the Arch priest was concerned the other clergyman where being short sighted fools. Yes he was playing with fire and their was a risk of being burned if he wasn’t careful but you had to take risks sometimes to get ahead. As the saying went keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. If he played his cards right they wouldn’t need to keep fighting with them anymore turning a former rival into a powerful ally.

With the first matter settled Mora bought up the second she’d wished to discuss. One that Saiga had half been expecting her to bring up and half dreading. While it pained him to admit it his organization mainly focused on the mainland paying little attention to the many islands that made up the rest of the Continent except for the ones that fell under the the land of lightning’s territory.

“Yes I suppose you could say that I have heard that something has occurred. But what has reached me so far are but little more then whispers on the wind and wild speculation. I have little in the way of substantiated fact.” he said steepling his fingers as his went over the things that he was aware of in his head. If even half of it was true then things where dire indeed. He’d been thinking of dispatching missionary workers to the land of demons to find out the truth for himself but perhaps Mora was about to save him the trouble.

“If you would care to enlighten me on the subject I would be most grateful.” He said humbly. No matter how hard his people tried to keep the peace fighting and war was bound to break out eventually, it was just human nature. But even in war their where some lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

If the stories about butchery, rape and pillage and slavery where true then the man responsible the person known as the walking death would have to be brought to justice at once and tried for his crimes for the entire world to see.

Saiga had only heard rumors which was the main extent to what everyone else was hearing regarding the attack on Demons. Chances were if they were all hearing the same rumors there was certainly some truth to them. The crone adjusted her hat and spoke with a heavy heart.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to confirm whatever you may have heard. Not long ago Kirigakure made a play for the Land of Demons. Such is the natural course of the ninja world where the strongest villages attempt to dominate the weakest. Konohagakure has placed the entire Land of Earth under its control yet what was been done in the Land of Demons is an affront to God himself. Kirigakure had put a man and woman in charge of this operation. My sources inform me that the pair of them conquered the Land of Demons and violated every standard of known decency. They murdered, raped, and pillaged the entire nation. The man in particular has been implicated in numerous crimes against humanity. There are rumors that he has personally enslaved many and shipped them to Kiri to live a life of perpetual servitude. We Jashinists honor the sacred art of murder. We relish it and we sacrifice to our God. We do so to those that Jashin have deemed worthy of death and we do so not for our own vain glory or self-aggrandization. The Church views human trafficking and slavery to be abominable sins worthy of torture and death. This man has sowed so much chaos and horror that people are calling him 'The Walking Death'"

Mora looked into Saiga's eyes and explained her plan.

"I'm sure you will agree with me that these drastic crimes require an equally drastic response. I have spoken with my Sacristans and they are demanding that he be captured and dragged to Kumo to be sacrificed to Jashin. I do not think this is the best course of action...."

If Saiga was surprised about her earlier show of restraint he'd be outright flabbergasted by this revelation.

"No. I do not think that is the best course at all. You see Saiga, as Lady Superior of my Church I am tasked with not only protecting it...but growing it. Expanding it. Bringing its message to every corner of the globe and in order to do that I must seize every opportunity that presents itself no matter the circumstances. If we capture TWD and kill him or merely assassinate him in the shadows, he will be a mere memory. An ugly footnote in history and those who brought him to justice will be just as quickly forgotten. Kirigakure will deny responsibility. No lessons will be learned. History will march on and soon repeat itself. If we do nothing he will continue down his path of destruction until he achieves what I believe his true purpose is: To be remembered as one of the greatest conquerors in history. We cannot let that happen. I aim to bring TWD to justice and do it in a way that ensures the whole world is watching."

Mora continued:

"A trial. Open to the public and presided over by myself, with an number of your clergy and my clergy sitting in judgment. The trial will be conducted in my Church and there will be 9 justices, six from my Church and three from yours. We will demand Kirigakure hand him over to stand trial for crimes against humanity. We should demand they release any slaves captured by him, relinquish the Land of Demons, and pay recompense for the suffering he has caused. Most of these planks are negotiable and we can work with Nariko to get the best deal possible. If our Churches broker an agreement we will be seen as heroes of the public. Champions of peace and harmony. If Kirigakure refuses I am prepared to have Shimiko propose options for sanctioning Kirigakure. Blockades, funding radical extremists within their borders, and revoking their right to travel through our territories for example. If Kirigakure refuses to hand over The Walking Death we will capture him and put him on trial for the whole world to see. He will be given counsel and a chance to defend himself, we will call witnesses from the Land of Demons, establish a prosecutor, and turn it into the greatest event in shinobi history. For the first time ever, a shinobi will be held accountable for the things he does to the innocent."

Mora cracked a wry grin:

"This is what the people want. This is what the victims want. The Walking Dead, a man who believed he'd be feared and respected across the world put in chains and made to answer to an old woman. The embarrassment. The humiliation. He will be remembered as a failure and a common thug. We will be heralded for generations and our Churches will swell with converts when they see what happens when faith is put into action. When we bring The Walking Death that low he will beg for death. He will wish he died in fierce combat and failing that he will demand his own execution. We will deny him even this. Once convicted he will be sent to the Blood Prison to rot for the remainder of his days."

"Naturally, the Orthodox Church of Jashin will be taking point on this but your assistance is appreciated. You must understand our Church has a negative perception to overcome that yours does not. We need to seize this chance to improve our image and in order for this to happen we must be front and center on this issue. I'm sure you understand Saiga."

Mora leaned back in her chair eager to hear her counterpart's response.