Abyss of Fire (Finished)

Assassination Attempt

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the art involved in this story, they belong to their respective owners and franchises. All I own is my OC.

Mizukage Office: Hidden Mist Village

   Currently, Mei Terumī was sitting at her desk, going through the various mounds of paperwork that it seems all village leaders must endure. Fortunately a knock at the office door broke her from the vicious cycle.
   "Enter." She calls to the person on the other side of the door, when it opens she has to hold back her gasp of shock at the state of Chōjūrō, whom she sent on the second mission to capture Raijin Krieg. Obviously upon arriving back to the village he came directly to her office, as he was covered in gashes and cuts.
  "What happened?" The words leave her mouth with a somber tone behind them, it was obvious what happened but she wanted to make sure.
  "He... He slaughtered us, he challenged me to a fight... I lost. His wager was that if I won, he would come back to the village peacefully, but if I lost I would have to walk away and let him kill the others. We did not allow this to happen, but he hunted us down anyways... Mizukage, Mei, we need to send a message to Konoha and respectfully ask that this 'Raijin' be a representative for the Leaf. Because the council keeps forcing you to send shinobi to their deaths trying to capture him." Mei sighs loudly to herself, 'the damn council', she thinks to herself about the elders that demand she have Raijin captured and brought in as a prisoner, 'to show strength', they say every time there is a meeting. Simple matter of fact, is that he has killed all the shinobi they have sent against him, besides the one ANBU he damaged for life and allowed said ANBU to live. Reaching for a blank piece of paper she begins to write down the request for a official shinobi representative group from Konoha to be sent, so that they may speak about the current standings between both villages. She honestly hopes she can establish better relations and perhaps finally see this Raijin Krieg for the first time, not just the one picture they have or the accounts of survivors. Taking a few more minutes to write the letter, she lets the ink dry before sealing it.
   "Have this sent directly to Konoha, should the council get their hands on this letter it will spell doom. They must not know of this until I deem it necessary." Chōjūrō nods, taking the letter he leaves the room quickly, leaving Mei to her thoughts as she looks over the other mountains of paperwork in front of her. She honestly did not know what would happen when the representatives from Konoha arrived, but she would rather have a party of representatives than more lives lost because the old council members are still reminiscing of glory days.

Hokage Mansion: Hidden Leaf Village, Three days later

  Looking down at the letter in front of him, the Hokage was honestly surprised that the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist would want a representative team of shinobi sent to speak of relations between the two nations. He honestly believed this letter was created because of the number of shinobi killed by Raijin within the past two months, the reason he did not retaliate was because he knew that the Mizukage did not wish for the deaths of said shinobi, but the councilors she had were war-hawks he could imagine. Looking up from the letter he would smirk at seeing who was allowed to enter his office, none other than Raijin Krieg stood before him. The young man had obviously cleaned up before coming to him, as he was in a different uniform and wasn't wearing his mask.
  "What have you to report, my young friend?" Hiruzen takes a puff from his pipe, waiting for Raijin to deliver his report as he usually does.
   "Sir, the mission was a success. The Iwagakure missing nin were eliminated along with their bandit counterparts, however, after eliminating them a blue toned man wearing a black jacket with red clouds appeared before me." This immediately caught Hiruzen's attention as the grip on his pip tightened.
  "He offered me a place in their organization, the 'Akatsuki' they are called, I refused him and left the area quickly. Later on while I was traveling back to the village, I was set upon by ANBU and other shinobi of the Hidden Mist Village." The Hokage looks down at the letter, a grimace coming to his face as he had to ask the next question.
  "What did you do to these shinobi, Raijin?" Raijin seems to stand a bit straighter as he reports his actions.
  "Sir, I hunted down and killed all but one of them. The one I let live carried a sword on him and I beat him in a one on one fight, but his teammates interfered and that is when I began hunting them down." A deep sigh comes from the older man as he sets the letter down and look at Raijin.
  "The Hidden Mist Village has sent a formal letter, detailing that they want a shinobi representative team to talk with their Mizukage and establish a way to better relations. I want you on that time, not only a sign of goodwill but also of strength, to show them who it is they are afraid of. You will be traveling with Kurenai, Might Guy, Asuma and Kakashi, as I would not want any genin to go on such an important mission." Hiruzen notices one of Raijin's brow raise in question, and he knew what was gonna be asked.
  "Sir, I'm not a Jōnin or even a Chūnin yet." A mirthful chuckle comes from the old man as he pushes forth a card, Raijin walks closer and picks the card up. The card is an identification card with Raijin's name, height, weight, blood type, village of origin and lastly his rank classification, 'Jōnin'. Looking at the old man, a chuckle comes forth as Hiruzen nods respectfully to him.
  "Congratulations on your promotion, Jōnin Krieg." He can tell that a question is brewing behind Raijin's green eyes and decides to answer him.
  "While you were away on mission, I took the liberty of conversing with the other clan heads and Jōnin within the village. The decision was unanimous to have you receive a field promotion to Jōnin, the only ones who insisted you still partake in the final stages of the Chūnin exams were Hiashi Hyuga and Inoichi Yamanaka, however it was explained to them that someone of your skill would treat the exams like a game. Tsume Inuzuka practically threatened to fight both of them, as they said some rather unflattering things about your behavior while on missions." Even though it was fleeting, Hiruzen swears he could see some light of affection come across the young mans face at the mention of the older clan matriarch.
  "Do I have permission to be dismissed, sir?" A chuckle comes from the old man.
  "Yes, you are dismissed Raijin. The team that is going to be sent to Kirigakure won't leave until a few days from now, take the time to rest and train if you have the time." A simple nod of respect from Raijin is received before the younger man leaves the room, leaving the older Hokage to ponder everything he reported.