Legacies

Diana needed a break. From planning out how to bring Iwagakure into a new age as the Tsuchikage; to the planning of how she was going to properly subdue Nue; to the Warmachina and their offshoots, the Klironomia; to even the whole business regarding The Lands of Wind and Birds. It was a lot for just one woman, even with those supporting her. It had been one thing after another, and despite her constant use of both the shadow clone technique and the fission technique, she didn't have much time to rest.

And rest again she wouldn't until she felt like she could live up to the title of Tsuchikage. For the past week she had been talking with the people in Iwagakure, trying to get an idea as to what needs had been ignored, what could be improved, and what could reasonably be done about all of it. For a lot of this she had her warmachina act as intermediaries, but today she had personally come down to address one particular request she had been thinking about herself: that of the two missing Clan Districts for the Tatsuda and Kamizuru. Something that had always bothered her when she had arrived half a decade ago was how Masaru, despite his many improvements to Iwagakure, never built a district solely for his other bloodline, that of the Tatsuda. While there weren't many at the time that she knew about, they were still an important part of Iwagakure's history, and she sought to rectify that.

With a few receivers idly floating at her side, she'd stop to watch several children playing Ohajiki, noting how the crystal pebbles used weren't of Korikane crystal, with a many of them clearly showing wear and tear. A heirloom perhaps. She would watch for a minute before moving on, not wanting to distract them from their childish fun. She had to continue on anyways as she needed to see for herself how her subordinates were handling the planning stage of Iwagakure's newest clan districts.

Ever experienced a sense of familiarity with the environment, and yet things were clearly different? Tatsuya had excellent memory, but he could not recall seeing construction in some areas. The drunk would've remembered that even if he was plastered. That's the trouble with photographic memory. No matter how hard Tatsuya would rather forget, the memories were still crystal clear. However, not everyone was as accepting of the changes as Tatsuya despite his lack of care.

"I know you people moved my fence! It was clearly closing off twenty feet by twenty, and now I count ten!" An angry man shouted from the top of his lungs at another young man. Tatsuya happened to be passing by as he was heading to the nearest bar. That being said, the young man was clearly exhausted as he didn't even raise his voice.

"Look man, it's 8:30 in the morning. Can we just skip today's yelling contest?" he groaned in protest, but unfortunately the angry guy wasn't willing to back down. With a flushed face, he jabbed a finger at the young man.

"I don't give a damn what time it is! You will put my fence back to where it was or I will sue you for every Ryo that you're worth!" Unfortunately little did they know Tatsuya was making eye contact with the guy. Basically the situation was that the man had a lapse of a peculiar discussion between the angry man and the young man a few months prior. A discussion of the young man buying ten feet of the older man's land in exchange for ten thousand Ryo. There was an agreement, and there was the payment with a signed document. The whole mess made Tatsuya sigh.

"That's not gonna work since you've signed and received payment for selling part of your land. Try to sue and they'll toss the case right out." he commented which somewhat deflated the man's argument. All it did however was to give the stubborn guy a new target.

"You shut your mouth! Stay out of our business when it is of no concern of yours!" The man countered while still yelling. The man's voice echoed throughout the streets.

"It does become my problem when you're being aggressive and loud. Could easily voice a complaint to the authorities of how you're threatening neighbors with lawsuits and a noise complaint." Tatsuya countered the argument again as his tone was at least restrained in anger. Not loud, but the venom was still there. Either the man was dumb, dense, or perhaps too intoxicated from drinking whiskey at four in the morning.

"And I will sue you for harassing me!" By this point Tatsuya just about had enough of this guy. He was about to shut the man up when he picked up an energy reading in his mind that was outstanding in chakra. Both control and quantity that drew near by the second. Arguably about on the same level as Tatsuya's own, and wagered that a conflict between himself and the incoming reading would be too much risk and little reward to pursue. So the drunk sighed.

"There's no point listening to the ramblings of a drunk who has nothing better to do other than be swallowed by their own misery. Have fun with your demons." There were some colorful words shouted from the outraged man, but Tatsuya had already tuned him out. Instead he kept walking away towards the approaching energy reading. When Tatsuya turned around the corner to the street which Diana was on. There was a sign of recognition that flashed across Tatsuda's face as he knew of her before he went into a coma. She certainly has grown, and from what he's heard so far she's the new Tsuchikage. Not like there was anyone that could oppose her claim anyways given how things turned out in Sunagakure. Not a lot of people talked to Tatsuya, but reading minds and not being detected in doing so has allowed the Tatsuda to gather the gist of what happened as of late.

"Well if it isn't the new Tsuchikage." he commented as he did not bother to keep quiet of his comments. His hands were tucked in his pockets as he had his typical gear on aside from his Shinobi headband. Apparently somebody had misplaced his headband or took it at some point during his coma. He wasn't sour about it though, titles didn't mean anything if he couldn't back it up.

"I assume the coronation was smooth?" Of course this small talk was just an excuse for Tatsuya to talk with a Kage. If there's anyone who knew of the internal affairs and other problems related to the village it'll be her.

[Using Sensing Technique]

Grown was certainly a way to describe her despite physical age not looking any different from when she had arrived in Iwa those years ago, though given her new position it certainly fit. Unlike him she didn't immediately recognize him, almost mistaking Tatsuya for her student with that air of liquor around him that they both seemed to carry. Quickly enough though, she would remember who he was and gave a quick nod, not concerned over his casualness in addressing her. She didn't really want to be addressed in any official way unless it was necessary (something that 90% of her day was filled with normally since taking up the job), so it was a nice refresher.

"It was, thank you for asking." She didn't intend to sound a little curt, but the events of the coronation were still buried in a little corner of her mind, poking at her insecurities ever so slightly. She personally hoped no one had opposed because she had warned their respect, but it was just as likely people were worried she would do to them as Chen did to Suna; another reason why she preferred to stay casual.

Recalling Tatsuya's achievements was difficult, she knew he was a sensor jounin, and a decently strong one at that. Well, was being the operative word, as he had been demoted to genin due to falling into a coma, but given he was now awake she wasn't opposed to giving him part of his rank back at least so long as he picked up where he had left off and did his job.

Motioning for him to follow her, she'd continue on her way as she spoke once again. "So what brings you this way? I doubt it was just to ask about when I picked up where my predecessors left off or to help me with urban planning."

Frankly from what he's heard from other people through gossips and rumors. A lot had gone down during the time of his seemingly eternal coma. Between the changing of Tsuchikages to some mechanical monstrosity and then there was an issue with Chen. Something about an attack on Sunagakure, but people refrained from going into detail of such a thing. The locals would rather forget it ever happened, but the stain will always be around to remind them that their own shinobi committed murder.

As Diana simply replied to his question, there were subtle hints of basic emotions that remained to be buried underneath her mask. Mostly tired from the sounds of it, probably due to the lack of sleep caused by sudden increase in responsibilities that one person normally could not endure for long. Even so, after Diana signaled for Tatsuya to follow he obliged the suggestion by doing just that. Least to say she cut through the bullshit like a hot knife on butter. That brought a smile on his lips as he was grateful at least that she wasn't the type to beat around the bush.

"Oh you know, things like what's the situation within the village, and if there's anything in particular that you need done? Such as pressing matters that I can assist in?" Truthfully there was always something to do if they knew what to look for. However, if there was something urgent that needed to be done, then perhaps Tatsuya could begin his first step in coming back as a shinobi himself. Perhaps he could even step up into rebuilding what was lost. It wasn't something he particularly agreed with, but patience was a virtue and perhaps was something many would-be conquerors or world consuming individuals lacked.

Ah, good, he was just as straight to the point as her. Her face seemed to brighten a little a t this, some of her energy recovering, if ever so slightly. "The situation has been a little rough due to the amount of the population fell underneath the wave of coma symptoms, but it has become much better in these past few weeks compared to right when I had returned. Thankfully my Warmachina haven't been nearly as susceptible to the coma as a normal human, so they've been filling in positions as best they can, but they can only do so much. As for assisting in village reconstruction, the Ninja Academy has tons of open-ended missions you can take, but as for pressing matters..? I can think of a few."

Reaching the construction area, Tatsuya would be greeted by a strange sight. Among the humans doing in-the-field urban planning, several humanoid 'golems' made of steel, wood and crystal were gesturing and talking alongside them. The warmachina with a fancy little hat on would turn around, and before them was a recreation of the Earth Sage Yaburenai. While it clearly wasn't the Earth Sage, the warmachina looked like a statue of the legend had decided they were bored of staying in place and had decided to do their own thing.

"One moment Tatsuya. Terra, how are things looking here? Is there anything I need to address personally?"

"No ma'am. I've had a few murmurs and complaints, but when they heard the move would be partially subsidized and assisted through the Shinobi Engineering Corps, they warmed up to the idea."

"That is good to hear. Carry on, and report back to Irene after you're finished." And just like that the Sage lookalike would nod and go back to their work, pointing in a direction and moving on with their fellow shinobi & bio-machines. If Tatsuya looked hard enough, the Kanji for 'The Will of Stone' was etched into their back 'clothes'.

"My apologies, this actually relates to one of the two things that you could help with actually. For the more relevant one, in regards to the future Tatsuda Clan District, is there anything you think should be addressed that non-Tatsuda wouldn't think of?" She'd wait for his response, curious to hear his thoughts given she barely had time to consult with any.

The pair came upon what appeared to be a construction area. There were quite a few of these sites, Tatsuya noticed, but this one seemed to be more about construction than simply repairing existing areas. Diana was pretty open about informing Tatsuya of the situation. Apparently half of the population fell into a coma-like state in Iwagakure, Tatsuya included. Between the comatose plague and the necessary hands required for labor. Maintaining the village must have been difficult let alone rebuild what was lost. At the mention of Ninja Academy jobs, Tatsuya honestly hoped to not be thrown into that line of work. Sure, training students was essential to building up Iwagakure’s military might. Unfortunately that would take time and effort to do so. Not to mention that being stuck as a teacher would mean that he would have little sway or involvement on important matters.

Diana trailed off once they came upon the construction site and checked on the status. It wasn’t troublesome from the sounds of it, but the mention of complaints was something familiar to Tatsuya. Often the construction workers would complain no matter how easy of a job they have. However, Tatsuya was respectful to be silent during the exchange, and when Diana concluded the situation they would resume where they left off at.

At the mention of the Tatsuda Clan District, Tatsuya was a bit surprised that Diana would put interest into his clan. Sure, after Masaru brought the clan from its tarnished reputation thanks to Akeno’s efforts, but frankly their numbers to actually use their infamous bloodline were far and few per generation. However, the question did make Tatsuya think about it for a moment.

”Well, practicing our techniques can be pretty dangerous and outright damaging to the environment. Aside from the obvious lava and acidic mists. It tends to leave behind volcanic rock in the process and in short leaves a mark on the landscape. If we could secure a building, or perhaps a secluded area, we could research for a method either by sealing art or other Doton techniques in order to reverse these side effects. This way we Tatsuda doesn’t tear up the training grounds or leave permanent change in the landscape.” Tatsuya admitted as under normal circumstances. Anywhere between basic to intermediate techniques wouldn’t be as damaging albeit it still left a mess of obsidian. However, the more advanced techniques was something that Tatsuda rarely achieved nor did they practice it as much given how destructive it is.

Diana silently listened as Tatsuya, and he had a good idea. "I see. While I had accounted for a training ground to be made so the elders can safely teach the next generation, I had not considered a way to reverse the effects, only utilize them. I will make sure to add a place where research can be done to do just that." While she wouldn't say it aloud, she had also been trying to find ways for the clans to integrate even more into the village. The Korikane and Kotōshura had the Crystal Array and Blast Corps respectively while the Tetsudashi she was working on a way to integrate their steel into the market, but Lava was one she had yet to pin down outside of rubber and quicklime production. Maybe the research route would be good for them.

Moving on to the next area, Diana would continue to talk in her monotone voice. "Speaking of the next generation, I have had a theory that there are more Tatsuda members that have the potential to use Lava release then history suggests; the problem is that the conditions to effectively 'trigger' the understanding of how to mold Yōton are not fully understood. Take myself for example; I have the traits of a Tatsuda, especially the porcelain skin in a more literal sense then most, yet as far as I am aware I am unable to use it just because I cannot properly mold fire-aligned chakra. To an average sensor I would appear as someone not of the clan, yet if I were to later learn how to mold Lava, then I would almost certainly appear to a sensor as a Tatsuda."

She'd wave her hand, dismissing the idea. "But enough of the theoretical talk, I will not keep you in suspense in regards to the other task you could help me with." Her voice, while monotone had a hint of seriousness to it now. "Since taking up the mantle of Tsuchikage, I have been trying to get more information regarding those who participated in the Sunagakure massacre instigated by Chen. While I have getting correspondence from the village, something is going on with their sensors, as well as any Iwa sensors that I have sent there to investigate the issue. If you wish to take up the mission, I want you to go to Suna and find out and possibly fix what has been causing the sensors to not be able to properly use their abilities, retrieve the sensory data from the Center during the month of the massacre so we know who participated, as well as capture any remaining participants of said massacre in the village for questioning. If you do this, your Jounin rank will immediately be re-established. Do you have any questions?"

Despite Diana's question, she heard no answer. Looking back to check on the lava user, she'd see that he had fallen down, the symptoms quite obvious to her as the coma many had fallen into. Before she would have panicked, but having seen so much of it by now in addition to her role as Kage...well it only brought a sign out from her. Kneeling down, she'd check his pulse and do a quick sensory check over him to make sure he was alright.

"It seems you are not quite fit for this sort of mission. That is a shame, but these things seem to happen now." The tattoo marking her warmachina contract would glow, and one dressed like a nurse would appear. "Please take Mister Tatsuya to the hospital with the other coma patients. If he is to awaken please inform him that he is to try and maintain light bedrest within the Tatsuda Clan District until he is physically fit to take on D-rank missions. If he wished to receive his old ranks, he will need to prove he is healthy enough for me to reinstate them."

The Warmachina would salute her. "Understood Lady Diana." Kneeling down, the nurse would lift him up and begin carrying him to the hospital where he could be cared for. Diana on other hand would watch for a minute, then pinch her nose. Even now good people were still falling to this plague, and she only had so much info to work with when it came to it despite her medical expertise. The only real lead she had was that it might be chakraborne, which effectively would make it impossible to contain.

"Hopefully the other villages are doing better then we are."

Steeling herself once more, she'd continue her walk through Iwagakure to her next appointment. Even if she did want a break, clearly the world was telling her it wasn't time to take one yet, as a Kage's job was never truly done it seemed.

{3 weeks have passed; Exit}