Kakashi arrived at the Hokage Tower on time for the meeting. He had only been back in the village for a couple of hours, but he didn't mind, the sooner he could finish this assignment, the sooner he could forget about Wave.
He walked into the office and saw Tsunade sitting behind her desk reading some documents. She looked up when he entered the room before greeting him with a tired smile.
"Hello, Kakashi." She greeted him wearily. "How did the mission go?"
"Weird," Kakashi admitted. "On the negotiation front, it went fine, they are willing to sell us any excess resources at a discounted price, including lumber and medical herbs."
Tsunade nodded. "That's good news, but what did they ask for in return?"
"Well, that's part of the weirdness," He explained. "They want permission to build a shrine either in or next to Konoha, and basic Jutsu of each element. They said granting these two requests would give us 15 Years of preferential trade with a set price ceiling and an amount of stock set aside for us."
Tsunade frowned thoughtfully, Kakashi understood why she was confused; it was a deal that economically favoured Konoha a great deal.
But at the same time, they were asking for unusual things, asking for Jutsu was extremely uncommon in diplomacy, especially if they weren't a hidden village.
The request for a Shrine was even more so, even though it wasn't unheard of, it was almost always reserved for countries, not hidden villages.
And by specifying that the Shrine didn't need to be inside the village itself, showed that they knew how sensitive their request was.
"What about their military strength?" Tsunade finally asked after a few moments.
"That's also part of the weirdness," Kakashi admitted. "For starters, I didn't press my luck, so all I gathered was from the mouth of the officials I dealt with or the civilians I overheard."
"Understandable." Tsunade said, she gestured for him to continue.
"Well, apparently they have the cooperation of a Summon Clan, Crows to be specific. They were used for message delivering and security." He explained. "I can confirm that Zabuza is also part of the Order as a full member and not as a Mercenary, training the combat side of the Order, called the Military Wing."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, that was a good amount of information for someone that didn't 'press their luck'.
"They also claimed to have captured several Hunter-Nin squads targeting a Jinchūriki within Wave..." Kakashi continued reluctantly.
Tsunade sighed loudly before pinching the bridge of her nose.
"...Did you confirm these claims?" She asked tiredly.
"No, after the earthquake that turned out to be a glowing meteorite, I didn't want to press my luck."
Tsunade looked at him in disbelief. Kakashi knew he could say goodbye to his early leave.
"Start from the beginning, be as detailed as possible." There it was, Tsunade transformed from a worn-out woman into her serious Kage mode.
"The travel to Wave itself was uneventful..." He began relaying his experience as honestly and precisely as possible, knowing any missing detail would lead to more questions and wasted time.
***
10 DAYS LATER
Amikiri watched as Yomozuki nervously fiddled with his armor. He had grown more confident as the mission progressed, It took them 2 weeks to reach the Land of Demons, and in those two weeks all four Acolytes showed progress. Growing more confident now that they were not under the comforting watch of the Watcher's gaze.
But it seems there were still some areas where they needed work...
"Yomozuki." Amikiri spoke, interrupting the man's fiddling. "Calm down, the Priestess of this land is said to be reasonable, and a child. She has no reason to refuse your request."
Amikiri was currently Shape-shifted as a normal crow, resting on Yomozuki's shoulder, while they all waited in the antechamber of the temple where the Priestess resided.
The Acolytes were here to ask for permission to establish Shrines to the Watcher and recruit members for the Order in this land, Amikiri was here to convert the Priestess to the worship of The Watcher Behind The Stars.
A large wooden door swung open, revealing a tall, slender woman dressed in pink robes. She bowed politely before speaking in a soft voice.
"Greetings travellers, I am Maki, attendant of Lady Shion." Her eyes shifted towards Yomozuki, who quickly bowed back respectfully. "My lady will see you now."
The Acolytes all stood up and followed Maki through the door into the inner sanctum of the temple. The room they entered had numerous torches along the walls that illuminated the darkness. In front of them was a throne-like chair with a young girl sitting on it. There we also a dozen guards lining the walls.
Amikiri knew from the knowledge granted by his creator that this girl was Shion, current priestess of the Land of Demons.
Shion looked a bit nervous herself, but she was still a child, Amikiri knew that humans were not as blessed as the Star-Eaters when it came to mental maturity.
"You may present your case, strangers." The Priestess spoke carefully, trying to sound more formal than she actually was. "What brings you to my temple?"
"We have come from the Land of Waves," Yomozuki replied cautiously. "We wish for permission to build a few Shrines for our faith and spread our teachings throughout this land."
The Priestess looked confused before whispering with Maki for a few moments.
"W-Why are they asking me?" Amikiri heard her mutter to Maki under her breath. "Shouldn't they be talking to the Damiyo about this? He has final say about all this stuff."
Shion was correct, but she was here as an observer, so she let the Acolytes handle it.
"Um, I think he does, you should ask them." Maki whispered back to her lady.
Shion nodded, clearly unsure of what she should do.
"Uh... Why are you asking me for permission? Shouldn't you be talking to the Damiyo about this?" She asked confused, giving away her inexperience.
Yomozuki bowed to the Priestess respectfully before speaking again.
"Lady Shion, while legally the Damiyo does hold authority over what can be built in his country, you are the one who safeguards this country's spiritual beliefs," Yomozuki explained politely. "Disapproval from you would be disastrous for us, so we wish to get your approval first before approaching him."
Amikiri felt pride at watching how well Yomozuki was handling himself. His earlier nervousness had evaporated, and he was now standing tall.
"Oh!" The Priestess exclaimed in realization. "I see!"
She regained her composure and took on a more serious expression.
"Very well then," She said with dignity. "Tell me more about your faith, then."
"Lady Shion, we come here as envoys of The Watcher Behind The Stars, who guides all of his faithful through the night," Yomozuki began. "He watches over humanity from beyond the stars and nurtures them, so we may build a paradise upon this earth."
"Through sharing the wisdom of The Watcher, we hope to guide people into becoming better versions of themselves. To strive towards their full potential and live lives filled with happiness and peace."
"The Watcher has no demand of worship or sacrifice, all he wishes is for us to grow beyond what we are today." Yomozuki finished reverently.
The Priestess listened attentively as Yomozuki spoke passionately about his beliefs, clearly interested in what she heard.
"And what would these... Shrines be for?" She asked curiously when Yomozuki finished. "Would they be used purely for worship?"
"They would serve as places of gathering, where people can congregate to learn more about The Watcher's teachings or seek guidance," Yomozuki clarified."We would also perform charity work, it was standard practice back in Wave to give out food to the hungry and medicine to the sick."
Yomozuki then continued explaining some other basic things, like the training of Initiates and the hierarchy of the Order.
The Priestess seemed satisfied by his explanation and nodded slowly.
"I shall endorse your request for now." She said seriously, she then gestured for Maki to come closer. "Maki will guide you to the Damiyo, good luck on your mission."
The Acolytes bowed to the Priestess as one before following Maki out of the room. Amikiri hopped off Yomozuki's shoulder and landed on the ground, the guards and Shion watching him curiously.
Now that the Acolytes were gone, he was alone with Shion and her entourage.
Shion looked at the guards warily.
"Uh, Taruho, could you take this crow back to the envoy's group?" She asked nervously.
Amikiri let out an amused chirp before interrupting.
"There is no need, Lady Shion," She jumped from her chair in shock at hearing him talk. "I am here to speak with you alone."
"W-What?!" Shion squeaked out in surprise, her eyes going wide.
Amikiri ignored her undignified reaction and continued.
"My name is Amikiri, I am one of the Watcher's children, here to make a deal with you." She declared formally, bowing as best a crow could.