Nozomi sat in front of a camera in a room of Sunagakure's administration building. She wore a simple white kimono and had several things set in front of her. Her headband from her days as a genin, the scratch etched into the metal plating from her declaration as a missing nin. A bundle of scrolls, the former property of Konohagakure, now under the control of the Society. That was all Nozomi had brought with her. Behind her was a whiteboard with a map of the nations, color coded. Otherwise, the room was barren, the table was clear, and no identifying marks could be distinguished in the room. No windows gave away her location, and nothing about her own appearance would either.
Nozomi, while having grown up in Kiri, and having been a pale girl to begin with, was just as pale in Suna as she was anywhere else. No tan graced the girl, no sun burn, nothing. The simple reason: Nozomi didn't spend time outside. She hated the sun, she hated the heat, and she hated the brightness. The girl spent most of her time cooling herself off with Water Heaven's Convergence manipulation, or keeping shade above her with the water.
But Nozomi had a message to send to the world, and so she found herself here, in front of a camera. A simple light flashed red as the person operating it, a Society member, turned the camera on and the Live Recording began. Nozomi was tapped into a direct feed for the news, much the same as Kyoji had been, and she began to speak.
"Hello to the world. As many of you may know, my name is Nozomi Himitsu. I've achieved fame and glory for my part in the Shinobi World Tournament, where I was proclaimed the champion. Following that, I am aware that my part in the Blood Prison contributed as well. I've heard rumors about things people are saying about me and the Society, and I would like to address them in an official capacity."
Nozomi took a breath and began. "Many of you know the Society as a group of terrorists. That's what the villages would have you believe. However, it's all propaganda. We are a collective of people who exist outside of any nation's influence, operating on our own without a village in control of us. That makes us scary to them. But let me tell you, your villages are all, each and every one of them, worse than the Society."
"Many of you won't believe me, but frankly, it doesn't matter what you think, the truth is the truth. I'm not here to convince anyone of anything, I'm simply here to speak my truth. Your fates and decisions are your own. I don't presume to own anyone else's lives."
Nozomi's face was devoid of emotion, as usual, and she spoke very matter of fact. She was an honest girl, who didn't really know how to lie, nor saw a reason to. When she said something, it was a genuine thought or belief, for better or for worse. This was no exception.
"I should start with the Society. What are our crimes? A village in Kumogakure was raided by our former leader, Honiko Yoshidara, who became my teacher. Yes, that much is true. I was there as part of a task force to investigate a, so called, threat to the great nations, from when I was a member of Kirigakure. However, let me tell you: Not a single shinobi life from the nations was lost that day. Honiko offered myself and Bayushi Sojima a place in the Society. Left to her own devices, life needed not be lost, she wasn't in it for malicious intent. I cannot deny that lives were lost, but there was a mission, and it was unavoidable. Villages do worse."
"After that, the Society was dark for 2 years. Not a single mention of us. We did nothing. And then came our next mission: The Blood Prison. Of course, before that, my master wanted to test our skills, so she allowed us to participate in the World Tournament in Kumogakure. With the blessing of all the Kage, we were allowed to participate, unaccosted, even given residence for the time. Obviously, we weren't too big of a threat, we were allowed to leave, I even took the Championship. Bayushi lost, but wasn't killed. Everything appeared to be fine and we were treated like any others."
Nozomi's face shifted from blank to serious, drawing in with a brief glimpse of anger, before that faded back. "And then came the Blood Prison. By now, everyone knows the story. We stormed the Prison, and destroyed it. That much is true, yes. However, once again, you've been deceived. The Prison was a lie." Nozomi motioned to someone in the room with her. She had been given a piece of a video, which was already plugged in. Her image shifted on the monitors, and was replaced by a video surveillance of some girl strung up by tubes and suspended in the air. Nozomi's voice continued over it.
"My target, the target of all of us who attacked the Prison, was to free this girl, Chiheisen Otsutsuki, a girl of 15. Her crime? Simply existing. When I broke her out, she was strung up with a feeding tube, robbed of her senses, and hanging in a suspended cell. Tortured endlessly. Testing on a girl, constant supervision, it's unethical and wrong. The Prison was funded by the Major nations, and her story isn't the only one of its kind. She was scared and alone, and we returned her to her mother. The Prison break was a simple mission."
The scene shifted back to Nozomi as the feed had been cut out and the live video commenced. "So yes, I destroyed the Blood Prison. I had a mission to complete, and they'd have rather killed Chiheisen than allow her to escape. The place was a nightmare. Prisoners held that didn't have crimes, just because they were dangerous. Political criminals, people sent there to disappear."
Nozomi's mouth formed a frown. "The Major nations are worse. We've all heard the stories. Brushed under the rug, but we've heard the stories. The wars, the battles, the conquests. Kirigakure and the attack on the Land of Demons was a travesty. But that wasn't the only one, just the worst. So many nations conquered by Kirigakure. So many conquered by Konohagakure, including the Major Nation Iwa. None of it was done without slaughter. Even the sacking of Iron by Kirigakure was broadcast as something that was acceptable."
Nozomi's frown twisted into one of contempt and disgust. "And the worst part about it? Everyone thinks its normal. Innocents get hurt and only the villages benefit, at the expense of everyone else. Their own shinobi, the minor nations, their civilians." A moment of silence and Nozomi's face shifted back into its blank state.
Nozomi, while having grown up in Kiri, and having been a pale girl to begin with, was just as pale in Suna as she was anywhere else. No tan graced the girl, no sun burn, nothing. The simple reason: Nozomi didn't spend time outside. She hated the sun, she hated the heat, and she hated the brightness. The girl spent most of her time cooling herself off with Water Heaven's Convergence manipulation, or keeping shade above her with the water.
But Nozomi had a message to send to the world, and so she found herself here, in front of a camera. A simple light flashed red as the person operating it, a Society member, turned the camera on and the Live Recording began. Nozomi was tapped into a direct feed for the news, much the same as Kyoji had been, and she began to speak.
"Hello to the world. As many of you may know, my name is Nozomi Himitsu. I've achieved fame and glory for my part in the Shinobi World Tournament, where I was proclaimed the champion. Following that, I am aware that my part in the Blood Prison contributed as well. I've heard rumors about things people are saying about me and the Society, and I would like to address them in an official capacity."
Nozomi took a breath and began. "Many of you know the Society as a group of terrorists. That's what the villages would have you believe. However, it's all propaganda. We are a collective of people who exist outside of any nation's influence, operating on our own without a village in control of us. That makes us scary to them. But let me tell you, your villages are all, each and every one of them, worse than the Society."
"Many of you won't believe me, but frankly, it doesn't matter what you think, the truth is the truth. I'm not here to convince anyone of anything, I'm simply here to speak my truth. Your fates and decisions are your own. I don't presume to own anyone else's lives."
Nozomi's face was devoid of emotion, as usual, and she spoke very matter of fact. She was an honest girl, who didn't really know how to lie, nor saw a reason to. When she said something, it was a genuine thought or belief, for better or for worse. This was no exception.
"I should start with the Society. What are our crimes? A village in Kumogakure was raided by our former leader, Honiko Yoshidara, who became my teacher. Yes, that much is true. I was there as part of a task force to investigate a, so called, threat to the great nations, from when I was a member of Kirigakure. However, let me tell you: Not a single shinobi life from the nations was lost that day. Honiko offered myself and Bayushi Sojima a place in the Society. Left to her own devices, life needed not be lost, she wasn't in it for malicious intent. I cannot deny that lives were lost, but there was a mission, and it was unavoidable. Villages do worse."
"After that, the Society was dark for 2 years. Not a single mention of us. We did nothing. And then came our next mission: The Blood Prison. Of course, before that, my master wanted to test our skills, so she allowed us to participate in the World Tournament in Kumogakure. With the blessing of all the Kage, we were allowed to participate, unaccosted, even given residence for the time. Obviously, we weren't too big of a threat, we were allowed to leave, I even took the Championship. Bayushi lost, but wasn't killed. Everything appeared to be fine and we were treated like any others."
Nozomi's face shifted from blank to serious, drawing in with a brief glimpse of anger, before that faded back. "And then came the Blood Prison. By now, everyone knows the story. We stormed the Prison, and destroyed it. That much is true, yes. However, once again, you've been deceived. The Prison was a lie." Nozomi motioned to someone in the room with her. She had been given a piece of a video, which was already plugged in. Her image shifted on the monitors, and was replaced by a video surveillance of some girl strung up by tubes and suspended in the air. Nozomi's voice continued over it.
"My target, the target of all of us who attacked the Prison, was to free this girl, Chiheisen Otsutsuki, a girl of 15. Her crime? Simply existing. When I broke her out, she was strung up with a feeding tube, robbed of her senses, and hanging in a suspended cell. Tortured endlessly. Testing on a girl, constant supervision, it's unethical and wrong. The Prison was funded by the Major nations, and her story isn't the only one of its kind. She was scared and alone, and we returned her to her mother. The Prison break was a simple mission."
The scene shifted back to Nozomi as the feed had been cut out and the live video commenced. "So yes, I destroyed the Blood Prison. I had a mission to complete, and they'd have rather killed Chiheisen than allow her to escape. The place was a nightmare. Prisoners held that didn't have crimes, just because they were dangerous. Political criminals, people sent there to disappear."
Nozomi's mouth formed a frown. "The Major nations are worse. We've all heard the stories. Brushed under the rug, but we've heard the stories. The wars, the battles, the conquests. Kirigakure and the attack on the Land of Demons was a travesty. But that wasn't the only one, just the worst. So many nations conquered by Kirigakure. So many conquered by Konohagakure, including the Major Nation Iwa. None of it was done without slaughter. Even the sacking of Iron by Kirigakure was broadcast as something that was acceptable."
Nozomi's frown twisted into one of contempt and disgust. "And the worst part about it? Everyone thinks its normal. Innocents get hurt and only the villages benefit, at the expense of everyone else. Their own shinobi, the minor nations, their civilians." A moment of silence and Nozomi's face shifted back into its blank state.
