[center][B][U]Disapproving Banter[/U][/B][/center]

"No one would dare break the armistice of the summit," Chokeichi replied in response to the Takahachi Clan Head. His voice bellowed out, resounding throughout the large table at which everyone set. Everyone knew of Chokeichi Senju, Head of the Senju Clan and the face of all Shinobi from the Land of Fire. Word of his exploits had not only circulated throughout the Land of Fire, but through the whole Shinobi world. He was a master of the Mokuton and an even more advanced variation called the Taketon. More notably, he was chosen by Monkey King: Enma as partner, which was a note to the strength of the man alone. The rumors of his abilities blended truth and fiction, as it was told he could summon a bamboo forest half a continent in size and move through it like a phantom. Some called him the Great Bamboo Sage. Others considered him and his entire family ruthless death. After the murder of nearly three dozen Senju during the Senju Civil Dispute, two things were made known. No one, not even other Senju, will stand in the way of the true Senju ideology; and, Chokeichi, alongside his five brothers, were strong enough to fight five-to-one and win. It was essentially only the Senju Clan that had the authority to call a Clan Summit under an armistice and have this many people show up. 

The real question, however, is what would bring all these shinobi together. The original armistice called for an alliance of the Senju, Tatasuko, Senbo and Kamenoko Clan. The Senju-Senbo Alliance had slowly started taking over the entire village, due to their power and financial influence. The other two clans had some of the strongest shinobi alive, above even the standards of Clan Heads. With just a banner of those four clans, it was enough to pressure the other clans into action. The rule here was simple. If a single shinobi is to act with violence while within the parameter, the Senju and Senbo will act to immediately eliminate the threat. The Senbo Clan, truly, wasn't even needed; even the Uchiha were reluctant to face off against the Senju unless absolutely necessary. The Senbo were there, mostly, for the extra patrol. Aside from the Senju-Senbo Alliance, most clans bickered over their borders within the Land of Fire. It was only under direct threat of war did these conventions normally occur, and even then only the involved parties were generally called. This was, for all intents and purposes, a first.

"If someone had the guile to challenge a statement of the Senju," Chokeichi proclaimed, "they would have, and subsequently wouldn't be at this table." Chokeichi likely had the most pride in his clan of anyone in the room. That was the mentality of the Senju. All of them. Chokeichi then grunted and popped his neck, one of the only few standing in the room. He didn't stand tall, but his chiseled body was nonetheless intimidating. He had a single red staff in his hand and a scroll on his back. Aside from that, he had no weapons pouches. No equipment. Just a staff, a scroll and himself. He needed nothing else. "Where the Hell is Zume... he signed the charter to show up and have his symbol on our banner," Chokeichi griped, "he should have the respect to appear on time."

Chokeichi was then answered by Kota Kamenoko, the representative of the Kamenoko Clan and the Land of the Moon. "Knowin' Zume, the bastard is out relievin' his urges before he shows up." The off-color remark was beyond different from what one expected, especially in response to none other than Chokeichi. Kota, however, was an exception. Many considered him the single strongest Shinobi alive due to inheriting the Yama no Kara. Unlike Chokeichi, whose abilities were jaded and rumor, Kota was everything but. The Kamenoko Clan never hid their use of Kaikra; alone, it made them a threat to normal shinobi. The fact Kota had a nearly unlimited supply of it and the ability to replicate even master-level jutsu was no help. Kota, despite his strength, was also incredibly safe. He was the representative for his whole people and his line spent hundreds of years defending the Land of the Moon, but never attacking. Fact was, Kota got to say whatever he wanted, but did very little about it.
 
The remark caused a scoff from Kubota Senbo, the representative of the Senbo Clan. He sat beside Chokeichi and was one of if not the only nonshinobi present. The Meishu no Shocho, or Leader of the Leaders, from the Senbo Clan was the Head elected by three other Heads. The Senbo Clan, despite their influence, was still only alloted one represenative, and by default it was Kubota. Best be it that way as well. Kubota was every bit as dangerous in discussion as Chokeichi was in battle, and the two oddly got along splendidly. The Smith of Politics, they called him, and his condescending, snide attitude showed it. He added, "his Clan might not be in its shape if those that led it worried about situations like these, not those in their chambers." The response merited a laugh from Kota, and the laughter of Kota was enough to allow a devious smirk from Chokeichi. They, however, were the only ones in this triangle, as the rest of the Clans seemed unwilling to join in when Chokeichi spoke up.

Her eyes gazing across the room from where she stood beside, but behind, the leader of Tsubasa--Hato Uchiha-- the spear wielding head of the Antare clan listened. She didn't like any of them, of this she was already certain. Luckily her clan was something of a neutral party, for they tended to stay in their mountain abodes, far away from the other lands. The Antare clan, known as renowned masters of fuuinjutsu, hailed from the Land of Lightning, having long fortified several mountains in a chain of them in an effort to stave off outsiders. Sōruko, while a member of Tsubasa and one of Hato's advisors, if you could call her that, was also the infamous spearwoman, Hisomeru Sōbi-sha(Veilwielder). Her spear, which appeared to gain weight and sharpness with each battle, was almost more well known then even she was.

Had she not been sighted fighting alongside Hato to stymie numerous small conflicts and remove innocents from them, her skills would've been seldom known. She, overall, found the banter between the Senju, Senbo, and Kamenoko annoying and rude. [B]"At least the Tatasuko have kept their people from quarreling amongst themselves like children,"[/B] she retorted in response to Chokeichi, uncaring of his status or his clan's influence. She was confident that the Senju could not touch the Antare, not because they were superior offensively, but because they were so well fortified.

If the Antare were infamous for anything besides their utter dominance in fuuinjutsu, they were known for their ability to seemingly negate most jutsu entirely. Little did most shinobi know that this too was the work of seals, incredibly complex seals, which they spread throughout the area around their clan compounds. This, along with their ability communicate and travel over long distances, put them in an advantageous position, at least when it came to defensive fortifications. As such, she stood fearless, unyielding, even under the eye of many powerful leaders. Such was her way.

Before Chokeichi could even reply, in which he would likely have simply spouted off a rant about the pride and capabilities of the Senju, or its size, or its influence, or its heritage, Kota retorted, "I know precisely who you are. I know your clan. I know your spear. Let me tell you what you don't know. If you believe that my banter was meant with any ill-regard, you are wrong. Zume was present for my coronotion, albeit late. Zume has been to eight of my last ten birthdays, did you know? Zume is one of my life long friends, and Zume promised he would be here because I was. If I speak of him like a devil-in-the sheets, miss, it is because he is my friend and I have the right to do so." Kota grinned playfully as he added, "but to speak ill of such a tragedy as what happened to the Senju is rude. We meant no harm by what we said of the Tatasuko, and even Zume would know that. Don't let ignorance get in the way of an important meeting; keep in mind, I traveled the farthest of anyone here because of rumor of a threat to even me. Mind your tongue." At this remark, even Kubota stayed quiet. There was no rightful addition to this, as there was a definite line between Kota and the alliance, but chances were, this would spark intrigue among the Clans.

Gritting her teeth with annoyance, the woman fell silent, closing her eyes despite her brow being screwed up in frustration. She had not been talking to Kota, but to Chokeichi, nonetheless the insufferable man had replied. After a brief moment a smile came across her face and her eyes opened. Her smile was which managed to barely conceal her anger, but not her hatred. [B]"Thank you Kota for so rudely interrupting. Nonetheless, I see no reason for further discussion with you three,"[/B] she then took to surveying the rest of the room, from the Uchiha's leader, to the Hyuga and Takahachi. Much more respectable men in her eyes, at least compared to the other three.

Kota only laughed in response to her. It was a lighthearted laugh, in all honesty. Kota, despite all his power, was truly a jovial person. Sitting on the opposite side of Kubota and beside Chokeichi, he even nudged the Senju leader and muttered, "ya only get one. She obviously isn't too fond of you." Kota then returned to address the woman, smiling back. He said, "well, you'd see the point if Zume were here to begin the important conversation. In any case, miss, I believe we have began things on the wrong foot. Believe it or not, I'm part of no alliance or coalition. I came here because of a threat. I assure you that getting me off my island and into the Land of Fire to discuss business that is not mine requires a real important topic. I am here and I am here on serious business, but we can't engage in that yet. So, with that said, has anyone ever told you that you have the most adorable way of hiding your rage? The smile is cute for a Kunoichi."

His voice drew her attention again, his smooth, annoyingly calm voice. She already regretted engaging him in conversation, then struck his compliment. She stood there, the words registering after a few moments of processing, causing her to whip her head back in his direction, trying to decide whether to glare at him or say thank you. She couldn't make a decision and had no way to graciously reset the conversation, granted it didn't help that she [I]knew[/I] he was toying with her, for while she may have been hot tempered, she was certainly not stupid. So she exhaled, trying to remove all bitterness from her attitude before even attempting to reply in some manner, though she knew there was no real way to ammend things, or take back what had already been said. Perhaps she had grown too detached from the needs of her clan in the time that she'd been away, working with Tsubasa.

[B]"[I]Thank you[/i], Kota, your words are...appreciated,"[/B] she stated a bit awkwardly, feeling a fool. [B]"It is good that you take these matters into consideration, although I hope you do not take them as seriously as you do your banter."[/B] There was a hint of sarcasm in that statement, for despite her efforts she simply couldn't help but be herself. Yes, that had been one of the few aspects of her position as clan head, which she had failed at. This was why she'd had advisors and ambassadors. Sadly, this meeting had been more specifically geared towards clan leaders or representatives and since Tsubasa had been coming, she had opted to represent the Antare, rather than attend and allow someone else to do so.

It would have been a bad side to show others, though...perhaps this was worse.

She wasn't certain.

Chokeichi was far from a fan of how Kota had taken the conversation away from him, but this was also the first time he had ever seen anyone from the Antare back down in such a manner. Chokeichi decided to remain silent, although he did scoff. One could say he was a bit of a brute, but that wouldn't be true. He was a brilliant tactician, although more or less in single fighting as he had another brother that acted as their general of sorts. Put in a position such as this, however, and his more forceful nature was apparent. Chokeichi preferred to solve problems through the most effective means, and as a man of great power, force tended to be that method. Kubota, however, saw the brilliance of Kota. The man was far from a perfect politician; he was obviously still a young, flirtatious bachelor. Regardless, his smooth, persuasive tactics were noted. Any formal politician would have ended the conversation when Kota brought up tragedy, and when that didn't work he approached from a completely different angle.

"You are lucky, famed Spearwoman of the Antare, that I am nowhere near as serious with my courtship as Zume," Kota added, grinning as he did. "Else, I might have offered you a formal spot in the Land of the Moon." At this point, Kota was playing on words and going far beyond the norm for cementing in the awkward, flirtatious oncomings he had for the girl in front of every Clan Leader. At the same time, he returned to the topic of Zume. Everything had came full circle, and there was a reason for that. More than anyone in the building, Kota could feel his pressence. Zume was near, and as he neared, they all grew closer to the looming topics ahead of them. Despite his jovial nature, there were true threats. Kota leaned back in his chair and chuckled before saying, "unfortunately, we at Kamenoko prefer just one wife, so I have to choose wisely." Kota ended the entire conversation and added what would have been a humorous element to the air as he balanced on two chair legs. At this point, he knew Zume was just waiting. Assessing the situation. Listening. It wouldn't be long. No. Not long at all.