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The office of the Kusakage is a humble collection of huts under one large thatched grass roof. It is indistinguishable from the rest of the village but all villagers know which building it is. Its interior is decorated with the local artistry, the walls covered in ornately woven, muti-tonal, geometrically patterned grass mats. The same covers the floor, leaving the vaulted woven thatch ceiling, something akin to a large upturned grass mat bowl. In the main office there is a low lying desk made of deeply stained jungle hardwood. Soft animal skins cover the floor and several cushions are arranged around the table. On the walls are shelves of books, scrolls and papers of many shapes and sizes. There are no secrets to find here. The third chamber has a small bedroom for the residing Kusakage, it is dark in here and the smell of jungle flowers and soft plain grasses fills the room. Low lying furniture is arranged neatly about. There are guards that hide in the grasses around the hut and some that guard within the building, though none enter the Kusakage's room out of respect for privacy.

Hatsumi read and reread the letter several times just to be sure that this wasn't a joke. However, there was a not a jutsu at work here. So, she let it sit on her desk. That was when she heard the knock on her door. "Come in, I could use a distraction," she said. She wondered who it could be, not an enemy that's for sure. She had already set up a jutsu that would stop any but a grass ninja.

As she turned to look at the person that just arrived she could tell by the light footsteps that this was someone that was fairly young. When she had finally turned around to the point that she was facing her desk, she looked upon the young genin. He must have just been made genin for the young boy had not combed his hair out of his eyes. She immediately stood up and walked over to the young man. "Now, let's not hide those gorgeous eyes of yours. Even though I can barely see them, red is just beautiful!" She said as if she was speaking of her little brother. She had brushed his bangs to the right side and she exclaimed, "There now! The girls will be chasing you now! What is it you needed sweetie?"

××××××××G R A S SX X S H O D A IX XK U S A K A G EX XR E T I R E D

Bend, Fold, and Press it.
The Truth never changes.

Before the humble hodgepodge of buildings that made up the Kusagkage's office and residence, stood the quiet figure of Kyuuji. As always he had an air of humility about him that, though portraying his true nature, tended to make others overlook and discount him. His appearance was just as typically normal, the same well worn and well worn out clothing in the varying shades of grassland greens. He did not look destitute, rather he looked like a man who had lived a life of honest labor.

The former Kusakage was not a man of great renown. He was a local name, mostly, he had worked to keep it that way. His abilities remain a rather large mystery to the world, there are rumors, there are all ways rumors. The majority of these rumors were fabricated by Kyuuji through various means of subterfuge. He was by no means some dark mastermind, all of his secrecy was intended to allow him the greatest amount of freedom, and to protect Kusa no Kuni.

It was no surprise that Kyuuji was coming to the Kusakage's residence. Kyuuji held an effective monopoly on the stationary of Kusa no Kuni, and was a generous exporter of paper to the other shinobi nations. During his upbringing Kyuuji had amassed a substantial fortune in this industry, and even after the less savory events of his guardian's demise, he had kept his businesses open and reaping a profit. During his travels through the shinobi nations he, through many faces, had set up a merchants empire. As such, he was here to make his regular delivery of paper to the office of the Kusakage. A uniquely fashioned stationary that was nigh on impossible to counterfeit due to the fact that it was fashioned from a plant that grew only in the depths of the Kusa no Kuni jungles.

With grace he moved away the thatched door and entered the reception area of the office, letting the door close behind him. The offices were somewhat busy today, two visitors, well three if Kyuuji were to include himself, but often he did not. Spying the manner in which the Kusakage was addressing a gennin, Kyuuji raised an accusatory brow, but otherwise said nothing. He well knew that it was not in his successors nature to abuse authority, but as her councilor, the opportunity to get a rise from her was a bit too much to pass up.

Hatsumi get a strange sensation coming from this child with red eyes. She wondered what lay behind this child's shining red eyes. However, she realized that she had two more visitors and one of them her advisor. She smiled at the genin and said, "We'll talk after I find out what these two need of me." She turned to the jounin and advisor that had just entered the room. She nodded to the two of them and said, "No Anivia, you weren't interrupting anything. Now, do you two need anything?" She wondered what exactly Kyuuji wanted. It wasn't often that he came to her office, so it could be something really bad.

××××××××G R A S SX X S H O D A IX XK U S A K A G EX XR E T I R E D

Bend, Fold, and Press it.
The Truth never changes.

Turning his pale yellow eyes on the gennin, Kyuuji's face held a small twinge of sorrow. Kyuuji himself had been an orphan, and during his reign as Kusakage he had instituted many policies towards ensuring that orphans were given the best opportunity to be loved and cared for by the people of Kusa no Kuni. Kyuuji knew that Gilbert had struggled in the ninja academy, his instructors had reported to Kyuuji his difficulties.
"Gilbert-kun," softly Kyuuji addressed the boy with a smile, "Kusagakure can still become home to you. When you made the commitment to enter the ranks of the Kusa Shinobi you sacrificed your life to this country and to those who protect it. Just as I warn every Shinobi, so I warn you. If you betray Kusa, I will make claim on the life-debt you owe her."

Kyuuji turned back to the Kusakage with a slight bow of the head, "Hatsumi-chan," he addressed her with the natural and easy affection he had with all of the Shinobi of Kusagakure. "Through the events of our last battle with the Nibi, I have obtained a concentrated amount of its chakra, which I am planning on running some tests on. If all goes well we may be able to use it to defend our country from the tailed beasts and their Jinchuriki vessels. I thought it would be wise to let you know that in the eventuality that the experiments go drastically wrong, fear not, the likeliness of my death is infinitesimally small."

Taking his package off his back, Kyuuji set it lightly down on the Kusakage's desk. The heavy stationary box was sealed with a jutsu that allowed only the residing kusakage to open it and access the personalized stationary within it. Turning once more to the Kusakage, Kyuuji smiled and said as he began to walk out of the office, "I felt it was time to replenish the stock, a grand portion of the job is paper work, a small tidbit no one ever informs you about until your first day. Good luck!"

With a short bark of laughter he left the office disappearing as the door closed behind him, his laughter being smothered by the tall grasses that wait beyond.

Hatsumi didn't let her anger show, but the veins popping out on her forehead were still very obvious. She had quickly realized that she had gotten played again!!! Why did this man always do this to her? Ah well, there was nothing she could do about other than complete the paperwork. Before that though, she had the matter of the genin to attend to. She turned to him as the others had left her office, "Well, the first thing we need to get you before you get a mission is a team. Don't worry, I have someone in mind."