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A's POV (Cloudless Plateau - Hidden Cloud Village)
Morning
A marched through the sounds of pants, grunts of effort and pain, and in sync counting. A moved through them watching them all with a forced emotionless gaze.
Instead, he allowed his attention to drift to one of his favorite places in this accursed world. The plateau he and his men stood on was one of great reverence to Cloud Village. While the exact record had been lost to time, a legend had been passed down on how this plateau had come to stand.
Supposedly, the original A, the man that he and all Raikage are named after, had been responsible for it. The man had been called the Unrelenting A, a powerful man who had led a small grouping of clans that would one day from the Cloud Village. They had attempted to overpower Hashirama's Senju Clan. The battle had been fought at this very spot; the leader of the Cloud had ambushed Hashirama and his guard, who were there to speak to them. The battle had been hard fought, and the two future Kage had obliterated the land around them in their struggle. The spot had once been home to a range of small mountains; they had left only one. Despite Relentless A's power and tenacity, Hashirama slowly overwhelmed the man. Realizing he was destined to be defeated he wildly unleashed his most powerful attack, a karate chop that could cleave mountains in two. Hashirama had managed to deflect the blow. But its destructive power had left its mark. The karate chop had been a variable storm of chakra, it had cut the mountain they stood on in two, burned away the plant life and even split the sky, even now the clouds mysteriously avoiding a narrow gash in the sky.
A barely believe in the tale however. Sure the leader of their village had not been so weak as to fail. Furthermore it was like shinobi to deceive and lead astray; with that in mind and the time that had passed, it was nearly impossible to be sure how true the tale was. But the area sold the idea well. The unnatural flat plateau had a smooth surface that shone in the morning. It is as if cut by a massive blade that was intense enough to melt stone. The land around them was flat and covered in thick trees A knew wasn't a normal species of the Land of Lightning. Even the sky seemed scarred somehow. But realizing he had lost himself to thought he snapped his attention back to his men.
His eyes drifted to Darui, who stood in front of the massive crowd directing their workout. The normally laid-back and passive man was energetic and demanding as he barked orders. His ability to switch between both was why A used him as his right hand. He was powerful and intelligent enough to be useful but lazy enough to never be a threat. In truth A often suspected if he ever died or retired he would be selected as his replacement. Such brought a small frown to A's face.
His assistant Mabui followed behind him, mercilessly critiquing the form of his men as they went. In truth, he recognized that Mabui acted differently than she genuinely was around him. He knew she was not nearly so cold and detached, he believed she acted such a way around him as a shield. But he kept her around due to her impressive intelligence and utter loyalty. Her mind was helpful in his less necessary paperwork and politics; she had a body he loved to gaze at and was smart enough to know to follow his every whim. He saw resentment and fear in her eyes when she gazed at him. But neither was why she followed his orders without failure, more than anything A suspected she realized just how necessary he was.
A ran a tight ship in his village, while some seemed focused on economics or service, he knew the true purpose of a shinobi village. Shinobi were weapons for their country, human tools that adapted and overcame limits as needed and ordered. They followed their superior's whim with absurd diligence and skill. They were not made to merely protect but to crush one's enemies. To conquer land and markets for their homeland. To make their country and home greater through conquest. They weren't some sort of heroes or mercenaries. They were a damn military. A preferred to run it as such.
Every morning, an alarm sounded out as soon as the sun peeked over the skyline. It truly was not needed, but insurance would save A from punishing those who had failed to listen otherwise. Once that sound was heard, his shinobi would dress in combat fatigues and gather at this spot. From Genin, Anbu, Intelligence, and even clerical, anyone who worked under A was expected to be there. They would arrange into formation as if marching out to battle. The range specialist and his mechanic fire his particular chakra canons in the back; in front of them was where the tactical and supportive manpower, and in front of them was a mix of their kenjutsu and Taijutsu shinobi, rounded out by the vanguard. Led by Darui, it featured some of his strongest shinobi.
With the assembled and positioned, Darui would lead them all through various physical drills. These were designed to be high-intensity, detailed, specific, and endless. This drill was made to wake them up and test their mettle first thing in the morning, keeping them from getting soft. To ensure it was painful and challenging for all parties, it went on until every single person dropped and was required to echo the call made by Darui. Forcing growth and assuring loyalty was how A started his days.
As his men worked diligently, A would march around seeking weakness or hesitation. This kept his men from slacking and allowed A to watch his forces. There would always be one with a weak mind or body or less than utterly loyal. Once he spotted them, he had a unique way of correcting them.
Karui, Omoi, and a few others were currently enduring such a situation. His Anbu engaged them in merciless and hopeless combat. Each of them was outnumbered, isolated, and beaten thoroughly. Once they collapsed and could fight no more, healers moved forth and got them back into fighting shape. They would continue until the others would finish their own drill. The two Genins failed him in the exams, but the others were no better. There was a merchant who still needed to raise the funds expected of him on his most recent trip. An Anbu who had hesitated to turn in his traitorous wife, even a homeless man who had failed to respect a Jounin Elite. Regardless of why they were punished, none of them were spared. A found this a better solution than killing or maiming them as he did in the past. It made them stronger and broke them down, making them all the more loyal… Besides, replacing manpower these days was no simple task.
Finally, his eyes drifted back to the working crowd and landed on a suitable target. An older man representing one of the founding clans. He worked tirelessly and almost flawlessly, but A noticed he hesitated before each call. The Clans rarely suffered in these drills and were expected to be spared due to their status. Likely it was the sole reason the man dared to perform anything short of perfectly. It made A's blood boil. His decision made A narrowed his eyes. While it may cause some inner village tension. A made it a point to knock the clans down to size on occasion. With their numbers and sway, having them anything less than absolutely loyal was a risk. A found occasionally catching them showed the Clans they were not exempt or special. A lesson A found to be most important to be learned.
He did not break his stride and slowly drifted toward the man in an inconspicuous manner. A enjoyed moments like this, it was the essence of a true leader. To crack down on one's men was to show them you cared. All the same A, made sure not to make his target aware of his attention, so drawn into the workout, the man did not notice him until he was on top of him. The man flinched as A made his attention and presence known.
"The timing of your calls is off, your posture is off, and I detect a lack of enthusiasm." A spoke emotionless in tone. He did not allow the joy he felt at his soldier's fear nor his intention to show, from the trembling as the man who continued the workout and calls even as addressed. It was the subtlety of this game A enjoyed. The absolute control over the man he wielded over him. The man was wiser than most; if he had stopped, A would've accelerated this. "You may address me and pause the drill."
The man collapsed, sputtered, and even dry heaved pathetically. A sense of resentment for him grew at his open show of weakness. The man struggled to catch his breath but even then it did nothing for his nerves. "M-my Lord, I would never. In my growing age I lose my breath more easily, and my calls are off due to this!"