The area was muggy with fear of what may come within the next several minutes once everything had been laid out. Takeo could see that Teuchi and Ayame both were remaining very silent in the back, knowing what might occur should the Jounin Commander make a choice that no one but the Hokage himself could override. They were likely uncertain what he would do, and Takeo shared that uncertainty until he had gotten enough information to act upon. So from a junior shinobi to a senior did Takeo listen hard at what he was spilling before him, knowing that his future was on the line. What he just ‘happened’ to be doing walking beside a few soldiers Takeo didn’t know, and this had slowly spiraled into what Takeo recognized as a third-person measure of morality. Based on a short observation of these three, Ryozan had somehow determined that they were ‘good’ people who were somehow exempt from the standard of the enforcers that the Empress armed across the world. It was then that Ryozan had gotten to what it was really about; he had claimed to know just one of those soldiers, and had ‘seen’ him doing his duties before. Ryozan had then measured ‘peacekeeping’ to ‘keeping people in line’, which weren’t very far from one another these days. There was a lack of personal freedoms to pursue with this Empire’s hold, and even small non-harmful actions were met with surprisingly harsh results. As the boy went on, Takeo came to recognize someone’s attempt at staying nearby, prompting his eyes to look over his shoulder as if looking directly past the wall itself. Whomever it was that was hiding on the other side could’ve been one of three things; a spy, or someone simply nosy. Because of the lack of action, Takeo’s thumb drifted towards the hilt of his blade as if preparing it for a fast draw, and resumed giving attention to Ryozan. Throughout the explanation Takeo’s stern expression hadn’t shifted, meaning he had taken every single detail with the utmost seriousness. The boy had brought a variety of emotions in his heart; laughter, disappointment, and confusion. He paid no mind to the volume he placed in his voice because even a fool could be proud of something incredibly foolish, but it didn’t exempt him from being a fool in the very end. A number of places to begin were there, and before Ryozan finished Takeo had decided how this conversation was to end. The verdict was to be given up until the stranger in hiding had unveiled himself intentionally, coming around and happening to say his full name. From there this oddly dressed man had given Takeo quite the story and interjected himself in the matter of a superior and a junior in this village’s hierarchy. It wasn’t something Takeo exactly appreciated, but his eyes followed this stranger until he had come between the two and took a seat. The attire he wore was not even close to Suna’s standard of military attire, and the blade he carried wasn’t common among Suna’s forces. Based on this observation he determined that this ‘Ran’ was a mercenary of some kind, and a mercenary keen on hiding his face for whatever reason. Takeo never put his trust in a mercenary and he had warned other villages to be careful about who they bothered to hire. It appeared that Suna was in a worse spot than he initially suspected, for in spite of their holdings the Empire had ultimately used them as a strong example of how any fortress could eventually crumble. This man’s background and motive aside, to call ‘Ryozan’ valiant was stretching things for him. A man without any name or status within the Leaf had asked him to ‘pardon’ Ryozan for standing by a decision when he should’ve been prepared to do that to begin with. [b]“Bravery doesn’t excuse him, and if you don’t have enough respect for either of us to look us in the eye, I’ll ask that you remain out of matters that concern this village… especially considering you decided to eavesdrop on our discussion to begin with.”[/b] Takeo looked up to Teuchi and held a hand, shaking his head. This didn’t imply that this ‘Ran’ shouldn’t be served, but that he should wait until the matter was settled and he could move on. Whoever this person was, whether he spoke carefully or not, still acted poorly in the face of something he’d want a say on. Maybe in Suna they had handled foolishness differently, but Ran’s praise meant very little. Mercenary types weren’t much for understanding ‘loyalty’, and if Ryozan were to take the opinion of one seriously, it may mean he’s naïve or desperate to feel that his actions were entirely justified. Likely both. Returning his attention to the boy in question, Takeo tapped the hilt of his blade idly with his middle and forefinger several times. Going over the story in his head, there was no hiding his surly expression. He wasn’t happy with what Ryozan told him, nor what he was about to tell him. [b]“A man looking forward to his wife’s cooking can be applied to any individual anywhere at any time, the faction doesn’t matter. However,”[/b] Takeo stepped forward, looking down at Ryozan. This was no effort to intimidate the boy more than he might’ve already been, but to make this very much personal for the both of them, [b]“That man took up arms in the name of the Empire, and in doing so was no longer ‘innocent’ in the eyes of the Empress’ enemies. You saved three men who can now live for another day, only to have the opportunity to rob another man of his chance to see their wife and children in the future. What you consider kindness is what I consider delaying what is quite clearly inevitable, and no matter how you want to word it in your head you went against the efforts of shinobi who wish to free the Land of Fire from the Empire’s grasp. You enabled your comrades of this village to fail in the assignment given to them in order to protect the people they loved.”[/b] Takeo might’ve started pacing at this point, but that was typically an alert for people he encountered that it was very likely they were about to get killed or dismembered in a very brutal fashion. [b]“Nearly ‘struck’ by shuriken? If they wanted to hit you, they likely would have if they suspected you to be in league with them, but you were a part of our village and for that they spared injuring you. You being there was by chance, because as you put it you just ‘happened’ to be beside those three. Did it never occur to you that they had more than enough opportunity to attack you just the same as the man injured, but they focused on the soldiers of the Empire alone?”[/b] Ryozan could argue that ‘it all happened so fast’, however that excuse wasn’t very likely. He ‘analyzed the scenario multiple times’ and didn’t figure that perhaps the action was made by rebels? He was too old to be so simple-minded about these engagements; the Land of Fire and the territories within it were rebel supporters and in spite of Konoha’s loss they still had the tactical prowess and experience to make patrols like that ‘disappear’. No one had anything to gain from attacking the soldiers but the rebels in question, Konoha didn’t use mercenaries themselves. [b]“Two sides disagreeing with the other to the point of violence is war, Ryozan, and whether you see it or not your village as a whole is in this war. Sixth months ago they were at our doorstep and this village fought to maintain its own freedom. Even after they shed our blood and long since made wives into widows and children fatherless and motherless, you still cling to the idea that you can remain out of this?”[/b] The Empire decided a long time ago that no place in the world was to be ‘free’, and her hand would be somewhere within every reach. Takeo was growing rather impatient with how this boy could honestly ignore everything that has happened to both sides, and still claim that there’s no place for him. Konoha had chosen a long time ago, and he went against that decision, effectively making him out to be a traitor to what the village as a whole was fighting to maintain; personal freedoms. Right now it wasn’t about preaching how important that was, it was about Ryozan understanding just how naive that line of thinking was now. He was shaking his head now without even realizing it; this boy took too long to discover how bad things were. [b]“Did you turn a blind eye all this time, boy? This is war, not even at its peak, and you want to pretend that remaining idle is going to make things better for everyone? That if you keep your head down and don’t help seek to end this, you’re absolved of any guilt or blood on your hands?”[/b] Takeo never understood the neutral stance of shinobi; you were a ninja and fought for the sake of your village and your country, and for Ryozan to suddenly decide that he doesn’t know what’s ‘best’ for the village when it had long since made its choice didn’t add up for him. There were shinobi his age and a little older who already understood what the village itself was fighting for, leaving no excuse for him at this point. Seventeen years old and so lost on what he was to do …well, no longer. [b]“I don’t need to claim you aren’t loyal to Konoha to see that whatever loyalty you might’ve had has wavered. You’re not allowed to remain ignorant of the way the world has worked for so many years Ryozan, and I’m afraid I can’t comfortably allow you to represent the village as you are.”[/b] The 5th Mizukage had worked closely with the 4th Hokage to bring forth an era of peace that the world hadn’t seen before, and for a time conflict was minimal. Peace was stabilizing the regions, mistrust was beginning to vanish, hatred buried within the ground. The Empire sought to achieve peace through cruel force, and when force met the five great nations force was the immediate response. Whatever balance could be maintained by real human decisions and a common understanding was undermined and undervalued; The Empress changed the world for the worse in order to make it better, and Konoha had long since deemed her an enemy to what the leaders of the world had worked for. [b]“Ryozan Tanzo, you are hereby suspended from active duty and are no longer allowed to represent the Hidden Leaf’s best interests until further notice.”[/b] Forced retirement was a rare punishment only often given to people who were too physically or mentally incapable of being able to fulfill the duty they had worked towards, often to those who had the spirit of protecting the Leaf but were far too burdened by things they couldn’t often help. Ryozan as of now had no rank whatsoever, which meant no authority to even give Genin orders and given his current rank only one other person in the village could override that if not Takeo himself: The 4th Hokage. The commander nodded to Teuchi, who then moved towards the counter to service Ran, and he himself turned to step outside of the establishment. [b]“I’m giving you until tonight to come to a decision about your place in the Hidden Leaf as a whole; you can choose to support the village’s stance in this war, or you can effectively be let go from us entirely and pursue your neutrality elsewhere. Should you become problematic …you understand the consequences of your actions well enough. Farewell.”[/b] With that matter settled Takeo had taken his leave from Ichiraku’s for now, moving towards the Uchiha compound. With any luck he’d be able to see his grandchild before this all got started. There were clans to organize and special units to properly mobilize, and he’d see to it all. Ryozan had something to think about, as he was no longer permitted to participate in tonight’s operation. This wasn’t out of punishment for his decision, but in his best interests. The Hidden Leaf didn’t need someone who wouldn’t fight for it. - Kenji kept silence, looking from Kaede Hyuga to his very own child. Kaede had approached him much earlier to express her concerns for Natsumi and how she felt, and the Hokage had kept it in mind. That child was a handful sometimes but she shared her mother’s enthusiasm, as well as the Leaf’s desire to always help one another. Bearing the burden of the nine-tailed fox wasn’t an easy task, but Natsumi’s initiative and sweet nature had won over the village in no time, not allowing their fear and paranoia of her to take root. When she had left the pair exchanged silent glances until Natsumi had returned again, this time with her signature weaponry in hand. Bringing a sudden arm around Kaede, the Hyuga nearly yelped in sudden surprise until their cheeks were meshed together. Kenji could sympathize, her mother did that kind of gesture a lot. [b]“I had time to think about it …your grandpa said the same thing Kaede told me; you weren’t going to be my little girl forever, and you have a right to protect this village.”[/b] The leader of this village and a proud father came forward to his daughter, bringing both arms around her. Losing her before had been a tragedy for her mother and himself, but the best way to keep her safe now was to let her stay closely with her comrades. Kaede was a good friend and she’d keep Natsumi out of trouble. He saw good things from these two in the future. [b]“Kaede was originally meant to remain within the village and be safe, but he determined that things may not go as smoothly as intended, she’ll be going with an escort of four. I guess I’ll be able to reassign a couple of them elsewhere knowing you’ll be backing her. You’re in.”[/b] A father’s fear for his daughter’s safety was a powerful thing, but she couldn’t fly with closed wings. The moniker Takeo gave to her when she displayed her prowess, ‘Phoenix’, would be capable of being shown again for the first time in half a year. Kaede smiled in spite of how closely locked her cheek was with Natsumi and turned around to hug her, glad that the Hokage was able to see through his concerns for his daughter and look at the bigger picture for her. There was trust among this family of Uchiha and the mistakes of the past had a chance to be forgotten; her best friend could be one of many shinobi capable of proving themselves tonight. Regretfully it would indeed come down to bloodshed, but when you became a ninja you had to be prepared for things being this way.