Clouded Judgement (Zato and Shinrai #Diplomacy)

Zato wandered towards Shinrai's office with an appropriate amount of trepidation given the situation he found himself in. He was deep in the teeth of the enemy territory, and now he was meeting with their leader preparing to ask them to surrender, and he was the one entering this discussion unarmed. Zato had heard tales of Shinrai's power and how he liked to fight, and even if Zato still had his swords he would've been a pretty sizable underdog if the two had come to blows, but that was the outcome he arrived hoping to avoid. He waited at a table as his fingers absently tapped at sheathes that were no longer present. His eyes darted around the room to search for danger, but things seemed.. calm. Too calm.

The sudden sound of footsteps coming down the hall was all the announcement Zato needed to know the man he arrived to negotiate with was now here, possibly queer, and probably in a relatively bad mood given the nature of the impending discussions. As he arrived, Zato would stand and give him a bow of respect before returning to his seat, a gesture of respect even if common ground might be hard to come by. "I've heard a lot about you Shinrai, gotta say you're even more impressive in the flesh."

Shinrai knew he was coming. He could feel electric tingles in the air, tickling his nerves. His golden eyes narrowed, his eyebrows furrowed. So he came.

He was in a mood, of course. ButN nt for the reason, perhaps, that Zato would expect. Where Zato was a more reasonable height, Shinrai loomed over him, especially while Zato was seated. He wore a partial suit of armor tinged with gold, over a traditional kimono that was more common in the Land of Iron than the Land of Lightning. But his massive golden sword, Tatsukoroshi, was sheathed on his back, just itching to be used.

"You have a lot of nerve, coming before me right now." He rumbled, his voice like thunder, as he looked into Zato's eyes directly. It was a challenge - his fierce gaze dared Zato to look away and see what would happen. His aura loomed around him, creating a crushing atmosphere of killing intent. Such was the sheer presence of this man.

He held that gaze for a long moment, as if carefully evaluating Zato. Then the facade slipped. He sat down in his chair with an exasperated sigh. "What is that conniving dog Arashi doing, sending someone like you here, anyway? Where is he? Where is Cee?"

His gaze hardened once again. "Unless he intends for you to be crushed into paste in his place. Is that so? Speak."

The mans temper and toxic masculinity seemed to radiate from his being but Zato wasn't going to falter, not when he was sent on the behalf of Arashi. "All I've had for most of my life was enough nerve to push forward and piss people off. Not sure why now would be any different."

Zato smiled a bit, letting the man give his macho-man intimidation schpeal but in truth, Zato had a bit too much time to prepare for it. He'd accepted death before he accepted his headband, and this mission always had the potential to go tits up. He knew his position, he was unarmed and outmatched in every sense of the word but he was never going to get out of this by shivering like a cornered dog. "Call my sensei-, my lord Arashikage a dog again and one of us is getting buried here."

Zato's eyes would stay locked on Shinrai's, how grave this particular matter was to him would be abundantly clear even if he was woefully underprepared for a situation such as this. "My name is Zato, the first and last of my name with no title worth carrying forward. Cee and Arashi expected that they'd be more poorly received, and as an envoy to potentially settle this dispute they'd be a bit obvious, even to contingents within the main Storm forces who might prefer to just.. mow this entire loyalist force down."

Zato handed a scroll across the table then continued. "This fighting has been bad for both sides, and only serves to weaken the Storm on the international stage. Lord Arashikage wishes to pardon any and all loyalists who would leave this pointless war behind and rejoin their village. Setra would be readmitted into the swordsmen, you would be welcomed in with a fairly sought after gift to join your arsenal.. the legendary sword, Kubikiribōchō."

Zato would smile a bit, letting his mind wander to the blades appearance before opting to continue. "Obviously there are plenty more details to iron out, and if you were wondering yes, the outcome if you turn this down would be the Storm addressing you with the fullest extent of their military might. Suzume has a force at the ready at any time if Arashi gives the order, but.. he sent me here first."

Shinrai crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. His display of bravado here was, well, satisfactory, he supposed. Still, he was not remarkably convinced by this young man's pitch. "If you expect me to be swayed by a sword you have another thing coming. My forces didn't shed their blood and sacrifice their comrades so that I could be awarded with some legendary trinket." He said with a frown, looking down at Zato. "They would be demanding my head. And they would be well within their rights to come get it."

His face was grim as he continued. "No, we are driven by loyalty for the late Emperor. It is ironclad. It is immovable, like the mountains upon which Kumogakure rests." He leaned back forward on his desk. "I am open to negotiation. But if we are to negotiate, then it will be bilateral. I will accept your terms if you agree to these conditions."

"First - regarding your proposal. Setra will be readmitted into the swordsmen. Additionally, I will hold onto the Kubikiribōchō until I identify a suitable successor. It would be... tacky, I think, if I wielded both that and the Tatsukoroshi.

"Second - there will be reparations paid to the villages under our protection that have been impacted by the conflict. They are there, and I will not see them made into second-class citizens due to economic ramifications.

"Third - there will be reparations paid to the families of loyalists whose family members perished at the Arashikage and his forces' hands.

"Fourth - the Arashikage will commit to allowing equal representation of his group and those of us shinobi who allied under the Loyalist banner. There will be mechanisms in place to prevent discrimination in mission assignments, promotion, and treatment due to one's allegiance here.

"Fifth - " He began, pausing for a moment to find the right words. "The Arashikage will commit to and make legally binding a successor, who isn't myself, but is among my number."

He paused, giving Zato some time to think. "Let's begin with those demands. Tell me your opinion."

Zato took a moment to ponder the implications of what he was being asked for. Some of the demands were fair, but others were just.. flatly not able to be offered. "I understand your position, and I'd suggest to you that no matter how good these terms end up being some of these forces will refuse to join you and will summarily walk themselves to the execution block. My goal isn't appeasing your army, or even you personally. It's keeping as many of you from the grave as I can whilst still being able to reasonably represent the interests of the village I call home."

Zato's fingers loosely tapped against the desk as he pondered the requests that had been made. "I'm happy to concede on 1, 2, and 3. I'm willing to concede on 4 given proper conditions, but 5 is not on the table. As you're aware, the emperor was ruthless and genocidal in his approach to those whom wielded kekkai genkai in this village. Many of those clans have returned and bolstered our military might, due to the lack of persecution they now face. Loyalist integration is fine, and I'm willing to concede protections to ensure that your people are not outwardly discriminated against, but that needs to go both ways. No longer can they continue to support figures who would see so many of my comrades in chains or dead, it's not an option I will ever see them faced with again, even at the cost of my own life."

Zato continued. "As for the succession of the Lord Arashikage.. That is a decision for him to make at a time he sees fit, and I think it would be political suicide to make his successor one who opposed him so plainly in this conflict, as well as supported the genocide of many of his most loyal constituents. Let me be clear, I respect you as a man, but your position in this conflict is not one that will see support beyond your lifespan. The loyalist position will die with your men, I'm not offering you it's preservation into eternity, just a softer landing for it and survival for men who's crimes were loyalty at best, and prejudice at worst. I don't think either of these need to result in their death, but better Shinobi than either of us have died for far less."

Zato clicked his tongue and sighed before leaning forward. "But.. that doesn't mean they have to, and it doesn't mean you have to."

Shinrai raised an eyebrow, listening to Zato's rebuttal. There were fallacies within it of course -- if Zato's primary goal were to prevent any casualties of Shinrai's men, then the easiest way to do that would be to simply stop fighting. The village that he calls home is the very regime that was overthrown -- but he had forgotten that. But the rebels were not interested in that, and it was plainly clear.

"The fourth demand," Shinrai began, "is firm. I intend to maintain as much opportunity for those not possessing Kekkei Genkai as possible." He broached, delving into an explanation of his reasoning. "Consider the Leaf village - overrun with Kekkei Genkai. Aside from the First Hokage, all have had one in some form or another. Kaishi Senju is the brightest, most burning example of the oligarchy that occurs when Kekkei Genkai families are allowed to leverage their power to overrepresent themselves in the village. Therefore, I demand equal representation of those with and those without, with mechanisms to prevent discrimination." He looked at Zato critically. "It shouldn't be difficult to decide on that one."

He moved on.

"The fifth demand is made for the same reason." He once again brought up an example outward. "Consider the Sand. There has been no Kazekage that didn't possess some Kekkei Genkai or Kekkei Tota. Their bloodline clans are elevated beyond belief, and even now after their destruction, do you expect the common people to be delivered fairness in their time of need?" He chuckled. "The only way to prevent this overreach is, once again, to establish fairness. In so doing, the dictator must abandon some of his privileges. So it only stands to reason that, if not specifically of my number, the next Arashikage must not have a Kekkei Genkai."

He looked at Zato, awaiting his response.

Oh how philosophical differences loved to rear their ugly heads. "I'm not sure we could disagree more. As stands we've had three leaders of our respective village, and of those two only one held a kekkai genkai. The ninja world functions based on meritocracy, the man or woman who is more effective at killing others will always advance further than those who cannot. Weakening this for the sake of the feelings of others only serves to weaken our standing in the world at large, take myself for instance.."

Zato retrieved his tags from his pocket, his name was nicely labeled and a lack name was discernably not present. "I come to you today as an envoy for the Lord Arashikage before many would consider me a man. I come from nothing, a family of peasants to paupers with no lineage or merit to our names and I worked my ass off to get to where I am today. I defeated whoever they put in front of me, men and women with or without Kekkai Genkai's all tried and all failed to stop me. In the Chunin Exam I won my entire bracket was marked with Kekkai Genkai users, two Yuki and an Uchiha namely. Their last names and prodigy status didn't seem to help them, as they were all summarily defeated on my path to winning the entire thing."

Zato retrieved his tags and placed them back where they belonged for continuing. "You do not get to call the fairness team to evaluate your capabilities against superior foes. There is no mechanism to help deal with your lack of ability when you're staring down the barrel of an armed combatant born into the world with more talent than you could ever dream to possess. It is my estimation that a man demanding these concessions from the world would be better served throwing their head band down and retiring outright. Men like you, me, Setra, even the Lord Arashikage himself didn't need the world to be easier to carve our niche within it. Because we were worthy of it."

Zato composed himself, staring daggers across the table at the man. "I will not concede the villages military might to some charade of fairness. What we're doing is no different than what you did, it's just more practical. You followed an emperor who sought to install his son, their only credentials were their last names, something they were born with. They had money and fortune and the good luck to be born in an era that valued those things, but times are changing. The value power brings to villages in times of war far exceeds the value of a name, and so we'd seek to run the village with that in mind."

Zato clicked his tongue, his eyes briefly working their way towards the ceiling. "My final offer. Ranks commensursate with your soldiers abilities and reputations, and mechanisms to ensure those are maintained. They will not be discriminated against based on their lack of a KG, nor the beliefs they supported until today. When deciding future kages, there will be equal representation in that decision between those with Kekkai Genkai, and those without. A decision will be made based on merit, as per the belief of all involved parties. The representation will be equal. Your word will mean as much as Suzume's, my word will mean as much as yours, and so on. I will even promise you a spot in making that particular decision to see that the decision is fair, but this is the best I can do."

Zato extended his hand across the table, hoping that this would do. It needed to, or he was going to be in some particularly deep shit.

Shinrai snorted. As a youth, he had once been called impetuous, and he had questioned the veracity of that statement. But gray hairs had come onto his scalp, and with them, perhaps, came understanding. The impetuousness of his youth was slowly giving way to understanding. Now Shinrai wasn't an curmudgeon by any stretch of the imagination, but even he had the ability to grow wiser with age.

His leadership of the Loyalists had taught him many things. Much of the disagreement with Arashi's leadership was due to fear. And all the while, the looming threat grew larger and larger. Shinrai's purpose was to assuage that fear. And he'd done well enough keeping up the front, but it was plainly obvious that now they were outmatched. Morale among his troops was steadily falling. They were injured, sick, and tired. And frankly, it would be easier perhaps, to call it done.

Moriyama's reign had been an error in the expected notion that the powerless submit to the empowered. But that was against fate. It seemed that the world was steadily correcting itself, and reasserting its norms. It wouldn't be now, and it wouldn't be tomorrow, but the ordinary among them would soon again have reason to cower under the shadow of Kekkei Genkai.

But his options were growing thin. And in lieu of any proper rebuttal, he offered instead chastisement. If Zato could become a representative of those like him, who are born without power, then perhaps the long victory was his anyway.

"Zato." He began. "There is more to any village than meritocracy. And there will be more to this one, too, than meritocracy. And you will see that, in time. Your talents are undeniable, yes. But the fact remains that you are one person in a world of thousands and thousands. You are an exception, not the rule."

He shrugged. "But in the end, you're right. There is no room to argue philosophy when you stand before me ready to crush my men. But in doing so, you prove my point. Tell your Arashikage that I am prepared to meet these terms, exactly as we've discussed."

He paused. "And to you, Zato. Keep your eyes open, and see just how special your place in the world is and will continue to be."

It seemed that Shinrai had entered the bargaining stage of consideration and had maybe even taken an interest in Zato for some reason or another. Why all these buff and strong older men with long hard objects were taking an interest in a young man such as Zato was anyone's guess, but the fanfictions written about these particular situations would no doubt be legendary. Shinrai did a good job of inflating Zato's ego, building him up just to remind him how truly exceptional he was, and then the real gold was spilled. The terms had been accepted, and all that was left was for Zato to relay the news. "I thank you for your kindness and understanding Shinrai, and I'm sure these people do as well."

Zato would stand up and bow. "I will be sure to keep my eyes and mind open, and if I might be so bold.. I'd like you to help me on that front. Your reputation precedes you, and I'm a bit young to be turning down influence from Shinobi with reputations such as your own."

Zato would stay bowed, waiting to be acknowledged and answered in full before he'd begin to make his way for the door. He wasn't going to be rude at this point, not after this meeting had been such a rousing success for him.

Once Zato left, Shinrai frowned, looking up at the ceiling. He'd fought so many times, killed so many. He'd earned his reputation as a terror on the battlefield, not only to those abroad but also those at home now, but it was only now that he found his heart truly racing. He took a deep breath, slowly exhaling. It was a tough thing to do, surrender. Maybe he wasn't cut out for leadership, after all.

His emperor had ordered him to defend his legacy at all costs. And here he was, years later, defying him now. He definitely wasn't cut out for this.

Shinrai stood up from his desk. Now that Zato had gone on his way, it was time for Shinrai to begin the more daunting part of this task -- informing his men that they'd just surrendered. He slipped his sword back on his back, as he always did even though it was no longer needed, and went on his way.

-- thread exit --