Asuka had been standing in her office for hours, her old office now. She remembered the first time she had set foot inside of it, how alien it all seemed. How Rayne was standing next to her, congratulating her on how much she had grown. Now, she was gone and Asuka was leaving her old office for a new one, a better one some would say. With a deep breath, she knew what had to be done. Or rather what had been already chosen. Standing up she slowly walked to the door, holding her hand a little above the handle. Thinking on what her decisions had brought her, how the good ones had changed how the Main Branch was run, how strength wasn't the only thing that mattered but was given a strong point. How the bad ones had brought death and destruction upon the village and the people she cared about. Closing her eyes she opened the door and walked out of the Main Branch office. Leaving the position she had held for years. Leaving the Main Branch Sennin position behind.
It usually wouldn't have taken so long to walk from her office towards the Hokage's office but for some reason, her feet felt heavy, as if time had slowed down. Was this really the best decision for the village? Was she the best decision for the village? So far her only contribution was being a good lackey. Like a well-trained dog simply following her master's orders. But now, she had been entrusted with the future of the village. With not only keeping the village blooming but keeping it safe and secure.
She stood outside of the Hokage's office for a few minutes, she hoped Takeshi was inside. Something about the presence of her biggest mentor and teacher made everything better, or at least, it made sense. She took one more deep breath and knocked a few times, just as she had done a thousand times before walking through the door. Unfortunately, no one was waiting for her. She took a few steps around the villages, memories flowing through her mind.
The first time she met the man, the first time she got punished for being brave but overly stupid. Where plans were drawn to deal with frost. Countless meetings with promotions, orders, fights, arguments. So many times she had been called out on her bullshit, so many times she had called people out on dumb decisions due to the fact that her voice mattered. But ultimately the decision was Takeshi's. Now the decision would be hers.
She walked over to the desk and saw a letter addressed to her. She looked at the robes and smiled, the silly man had forgotten them. But upon closer inspection, it was clear it was her robes. The 5th Hokage's robes. With a slight smile she shook her head, even gone he didn't cease to surprise her. She opened the letter and started to read. Upon first inspection, it seemed like the normal resignation letter but as she continued to read the words got more personal, more emotional. She could feel the stroke of the brush as Takeshi wrote it, his voice reading each word out loud. Her eyes tearing up as she took a deep breath, trying to contain her emotions.
She couldn't.
A sniffle escaped her lips as she finished reading. Cleaning her eyes with the sleeves of her Kimono a smile bore her face. Indeed, every word true. She knew what she was going to say no. Taking the robes she slung them upon her shoulders and walked out of the office, her office. The smile on her face not leaving she took upon the Hokage's mansion roof. Where her predecessors had given their own inauguration speeches. Now she was going to give hers.
She looked around the people outside, those who she would now have to lead, and with a smile on her face finally started to speak. "To start I'll tell you a story." She smiled taking a deep breath. "The tale of a young child who came upon this village with bloodied feet, no money, no shoes, no friends, no parents, no money. Who spent the first years living in this village homeless." She stopped for a few moments. "Then she was given a chance. She was given a chance to study and get stronger, she was given a chance to chase and win her own future, complete her dreams. And what was the first thing she did? She got punished for being an idiot and decided to prank the ANBU Sennin. Smart right?" She laughed placing a hand on her hip, shaking her head. "This decision was finalized by my predecessor and the village's council. But I want you to know that it was much more than that."
Asuka smiled "I would like to thank some people who helped and raised me to get me to where I am today. From prankster to Hokage, quite the upgrade." She chuckled
"First I would like to thank Hyuga Yukio. My first teacher at the academy, he who saved my life time and time again, who later became not only one of my co-workers but also one of my closest friends. Wherever you are, we miss you.
"To Haku Yuki, the first mentor who was mean enough to teach me not only how to throw punches, but how to take them. Pro-tip to those who don't know her, don't anger her... being a popsicle isn't fun." She smiled
"To Maru, even though we didn't get along you taught me sugar coating isn't the way to teach a lesson. Let alone a life lesson."
"To Maki, who taught me that no matter how far you get pushed down, you can still get back up... even if it's as a partial skeleton."
"To Kotori, who was not only a cute little sister but someone who saw life as a way to move forward. Who's life lessons won't be forgotten... nor everything else." She looked down and stopped for a few moments.
"To Santaru Soku. I couldn't have asked for a better sister, a better teacher, and a better punishment dealer. We've come a long way from the small apartment in the maple district."
"To all those in the Academy who at one point passed through my doors, couldn't be prouder of the bunch of pipsqueaks you lot turned out to be. Always keep growing."
"Last but not least, to Uchiha Takeshi. The one and only who basically taught me almost everything about being a leader. How to be fair and strict. How to move lead by example. How to listen and respond. How to take definitive action when it calls for it. How to care."
"We Shinobi live to serve. To serve those who can not protect themselves, we live to make the lives of those we protect easier. We live so that no one has to needlessly suffer and we are fairly rewarded for that service BUT it comes with a price. The life of a Shinobi is nothing less than hell, we see the worst in people, we take on the worst in people, we have to either kill or be killed. There are those who fight in the front lines, keeping us safe from upcoming dangers. There are those who fight to keep the pieces together while others fight in the shadows, fighting dangers before they even appear, never being shown the appreciation we have for their job. We are Shinobi. This is the life we chose and I will gladly help Konohagakure prosper. I will happily lay down my life for Konohagakure as your 5th Hokage." She raised her arm in the air, a paper slipping out from her sleeve she caught it with two fingers. A bright smile on her face.
She tirled around and made a couple of hand seals, elemental clones popping to each of her sides. At amazing speed each clone took to a different rooftop, throwing their own paper into the air. Asuka bit her finger as the lines in each of the seals connected. For those familiar with it, it was a summoning circle. "And the first order of business." She giggled as the sky darkened, to those down upon the floor it would seem as if the sky and sun disappeared. To those familiar with Asuka and her whole gist, this was one huge glitter bomb. Asuka giggled as she took one of her storage seals and opened it, a bright white umbrella. "Thank you Konohagakure! I won't disappoint you!" She snapped her fingers and the bomb exploded.
the air currents was enough to be felt but not actually blow anyone or anything away. More of a way to spread the glitter. Asuka laughed at her own prank, finally giving an end to the prankster with a literal bang, probably... she still had to unwind herself from time to time.
It usually wouldn't have taken so long to walk from her office towards the Hokage's office but for some reason, her feet felt heavy, as if time had slowed down. Was this really the best decision for the village? Was she the best decision for the village? So far her only contribution was being a good lackey. Like a well-trained dog simply following her master's orders. But now, she had been entrusted with the future of the village. With not only keeping the village blooming but keeping it safe and secure.
She stood outside of the Hokage's office for a few minutes, she hoped Takeshi was inside. Something about the presence of her biggest mentor and teacher made everything better, or at least, it made sense. She took one more deep breath and knocked a few times, just as she had done a thousand times before walking through the door. Unfortunately, no one was waiting for her. She took a few steps around the villages, memories flowing through her mind.
The first time she met the man, the first time she got punished for being brave but overly stupid. Where plans were drawn to deal with frost. Countless meetings with promotions, orders, fights, arguments. So many times she had been called out on her bullshit, so many times she had called people out on dumb decisions due to the fact that her voice mattered. But ultimately the decision was Takeshi's. Now the decision would be hers.
She walked over to the desk and saw a letter addressed to her. She looked at the robes and smiled, the silly man had forgotten them. But upon closer inspection, it was clear it was her robes. The 5th Hokage's robes. With a slight smile she shook her head, even gone he didn't cease to surprise her. She opened the letter and started to read. Upon first inspection, it seemed like the normal resignation letter but as she continued to read the words got more personal, more emotional. She could feel the stroke of the brush as Takeshi wrote it, his voice reading each word out loud. Her eyes tearing up as she took a deep breath, trying to contain her emotions.
She couldn't.
A sniffle escaped her lips as she finished reading. Cleaning her eyes with the sleeves of her Kimono a smile bore her face. Indeed, every word true. She knew what she was going to say no. Taking the robes she slung them upon her shoulders and walked out of the office, her office. The smile on her face not leaving she took upon the Hokage's mansion roof. Where her predecessors had given their own inauguration speeches. Now she was going to give hers.
She looked around the people outside, those who she would now have to lead, and with a smile on her face finally started to speak. "To start I'll tell you a story." She smiled taking a deep breath. "The tale of a young child who came upon this village with bloodied feet, no money, no shoes, no friends, no parents, no money. Who spent the first years living in this village homeless." She stopped for a few moments. "Then she was given a chance. She was given a chance to study and get stronger, she was given a chance to chase and win her own future, complete her dreams. And what was the first thing she did? She got punished for being an idiot and decided to prank the ANBU Sennin. Smart right?" She laughed placing a hand on her hip, shaking her head. "This decision was finalized by my predecessor and the village's council. But I want you to know that it was much more than that."
Asuka smiled "I would like to thank some people who helped and raised me to get me to where I am today. From prankster to Hokage, quite the upgrade." She chuckled
"First I would like to thank Hyuga Yukio. My first teacher at the academy, he who saved my life time and time again, who later became not only one of my co-workers but also one of my closest friends. Wherever you are, we miss you.
"To Haku Yuki, the first mentor who was mean enough to teach me not only how to throw punches, but how to take them. Pro-tip to those who don't know her, don't anger her... being a popsicle isn't fun." She smiled
"To Maru, even though we didn't get along you taught me sugar coating isn't the way to teach a lesson. Let alone a life lesson."
"To Maki, who taught me that no matter how far you get pushed down, you can still get back up... even if it's as a partial skeleton."
"To Kotori, who was not only a cute little sister but someone who saw life as a way to move forward. Who's life lessons won't be forgotten... nor everything else." She looked down and stopped for a few moments.
"To Santaru Soku. I couldn't have asked for a better sister, a better teacher, and a better punishment dealer. We've come a long way from the small apartment in the maple district."
"To all those in the Academy who at one point passed through my doors, couldn't be prouder of the bunch of pipsqueaks you lot turned out to be. Always keep growing."
"Last but not least, to Uchiha Takeshi. The one and only who basically taught me almost everything about being a leader. How to be fair and strict. How to move lead by example. How to listen and respond. How to take definitive action when it calls for it. How to care."
"We Shinobi live to serve. To serve those who can not protect themselves, we live to make the lives of those we protect easier. We live so that no one has to needlessly suffer and we are fairly rewarded for that service BUT it comes with a price. The life of a Shinobi is nothing less than hell, we see the worst in people, we take on the worst in people, we have to either kill or be killed. There are those who fight in the front lines, keeping us safe from upcoming dangers. There are those who fight to keep the pieces together while others fight in the shadows, fighting dangers before they even appear, never being shown the appreciation we have for their job. We are Shinobi. This is the life we chose and I will gladly help Konohagakure prosper. I will happily lay down my life for Konohagakure as your 5th Hokage." She raised her arm in the air, a paper slipping out from her sleeve she caught it with two fingers. A bright smile on her face.
She tirled around and made a couple of hand seals, elemental clones popping to each of her sides. At amazing speed each clone took to a different rooftop, throwing their own paper into the air. Asuka bit her finger as the lines in each of the seals connected. For those familiar with it, it was a summoning circle. "And the first order of business." She giggled as the sky darkened, to those down upon the floor it would seem as if the sky and sun disappeared. To those familiar with Asuka and her whole gist, this was one huge glitter bomb. Asuka giggled as she took one of her storage seals and opened it, a bright white umbrella. "Thank you Konohagakure! I won't disappoint you!" She snapped her fingers and the bomb exploded.
the air currents was enough to be felt but not actually blow anyone or anything away. More of a way to spread the glitter. Asuka laughed at her own prank, finally giving an end to the prankster with a literal bang, probably... she still had to unwind herself from time to time.