Exam Preparations

Smirking at the manner in which Maniko exited the room, she made a mental note to thank her for plugging the hole she'd made this time, and then turned back to face her guest. She was just in time to catch him regarding her intensely, which caused her smirk to broaden into a small smile as he looked down into his lap. She might not know specifically what was on his mind, but she could make a few educated guesses based on things that had happened earlier. He probably had so many questions, both about her and about those outbursts he'd witnessed earlier. So when he finally decided to stop regarding his crotch and look at her again, she was more then happy to entertain his query by kicking the door wide open... Figuratively speaking of course, "Yes, I'm sure there is. Why don't we start with whatever seems to be botherin' you? It looks like its tryin' to bore a hole through your skull, so we should probably get that off your chest first."

Ha! This woman is full of surprises...

She picked up on the underlying issue rather quickly though Akira attributed this to the manner in which he had nearly given it away previously. He had not been in check of his facial expressions or gestures just a moment ago but the thought of what that girl might be was too intriguing and now that Fei had opened the door up entirely he might as well begin to enter. Thus, he regarded the Kazekage for a moment more before continuing. "Very well then. There is the topic of the sealing methods to discuss next. Yet before we start that I'd like to pose a question though I'm not so sure you will answer me or not. Either way is fine with me, but regardless I must ask." He paused for a moment here before speaking up again, careful about his wording.

"Your favored pupil seemed rather hot-headed and brash if I may say so. What might have been attributed to an ill-temperament has actually caught my interest. I believe that most of her rebellion is caused by something else, is it not?" He refused to come right out and call the girl a host of a Bijuu, but this was not because he did not trust the woman sitting in front of him. Rather, he was not sure how many prying ears might be listening in whether at Fei's behest or not. It was merely playing it safe and Akira was already sure he had stepped into hot water. She was unlikely to just give away such information even with their alliance but he could always be wrong on such matters.

Fei's eyes twinkled with mischievous delight at the Mizukage's reaction as she hit the nail on the head. She always enjoyed catching people off guard like that with her directness, especially when it came to the village elders or her seniors. Her favorite reaction so far was when she'd caused the Hokage to do a spit-take at their first meeting. The look on his face at her complete disregard for the usual political dissembling had been priceless, and she secretly treasured that memory as it had been the foundation of a beautiful friendship. Turning back to the matter at hand however, her kitsune-esque smile returned and she gave her counterpart a dismissive wave, "Oh you know how girls her age are. She's just finished goin' through some serious changes, so of course she's still a bit outta sorts."

That was all she was going to give him on the subject, but she was pleased with the double meaning of her statement. It was amazing how much one could say without ever saying anything of merit. "So why do you wish to discuss the Sealing Arts? Are you having issues with the ancient seals placed upon your sacred beasts?"

Akira was not sure how to interpret the Kazekage's remark about the girl. What had she meant? He knew that what she said was not what it seemed though. She was playing on her words and the Mizukage was sure of that, yet he would not press the issue any further. His suspicions were enough for now and he would merely think on her words more thoroughly. Her next question caught him off guard and it seemed the woman had done this to him more than once during this meeting. Yet this time, was she toying with him? Ancient? These sealing methods were formulated only years ago and she knows this. He took stock of the situation before he replied, wondering what she was getting at. Yet saying nothing would get him nowhere and thus he decided to respond. "As you are well aware, these sealing forumlas are rather new. Our formula is not stable and the hosts are not responding well enough." There it was, his weakness out on the table for her to do with it what she will. He shifted his weight once more and merely stared ahead at Fei, wondering how she would proceed.

Fei was enjoying herself immensely as she watched the gears spinning in the Mizukage's head, his rapid changes in expression reminding her so much of her meetings with the village elders. Some would say that her attitude and manner of problem solving was unsuited to the political world, but it seemed to have a way of keeping her opponents off balance enough for her to get things done the way she felt they needed to."My apologies, I say ancient seals only because what we hope will eventually become ancient seals is a tad cumbersome." Leaning back in her seat again, her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment as she mentally went over her notes on the sealing techniques. She'd had a feeling that this was going to come up at some point, so she'd made a special point of reading up on the jutsus before coming to today's meeting. "I'm afraid that my knowledge of those techniques is nowhere near as impressive as that of my predecessor, but between my own knowledge and that of our available specialists I'm sure we can find a way to point you in the correct direction in order to avoid endangering your potential hosts."

Again the Lady Kazekage's remark came across of both snide and teasing. The woman seemed to have an unusual manner of going about such a formal meeting and Akira wondered if her relationship with the Hokage was much the same, or perhaps she was toying with him. How much did she really trust him? How much should he trust her. In response to her explanation, she would convene with her specialists and see what methods they could come up with. Yet, Akira was a little skeptical of this though he would show no outward sign of such a thing. Was he wrong in thinking that she had as much information on the sealing formulas as the Hokage did? Fei's response made it seem that way, but Akira choose not to push the matter any farther.

Instead, he glanced toward the wall that had served as the young girl's entrance and exit previously as he pondered another topic that was very similar to what they were discussing now. Though he was a bit hesitant to bring the topic up, for fear of what it could imply the Mizukage knew it was a legitimate concern of their alliance, especially of Sunagakure. The Mizukage turned back to his host after a moment and thus changed the topic slightly. "Your help is much appreciated. I will be in your debt." A pause occurred before he continued. "There is another matter which we should discuss, even if briefly. What of Iwagakure? Has your intelligence hinted at any movements near the border? I am not sure where the Hokage's men are placed, but some of my own are monitoring the border of Kumogakure. With the exams coming up and our decision not to invite Iwagakure, I ask as a precaution."

Fei nodded in response to his thanks, "Its no trouble a'tall, I can assure you. We can go and see the sealing specialists as soon as our business here is concluded, that way you don't need to go home empty-handed."

His next question was one she had been dreading, but it wasn't at all unexpected. Their conversation had been going so well up to that point, and she hated to darken the mood by mentioning the Mizukage's former ally and her age old enemy. "Sadly it is a wise precaution, and one that my own advisers wished to bring up as well. Much to their chagrin however, I went around behind their backs and had already appointed some of my best agents to the task prior to their mentionin' it." Rolling her eyes in a show of her opinion of said advisers, she realized that she'd been rambling slightly and decided to get back on topic, "In regards to your question however, no we haven't observed any movement yet. It is still early though, and I have the sneaky suspicion that they'll be up to something before long. Those two don't usually take a perceived insult lyin' down."

Akira had to smile at Fei as he noticed her eye roll. The Mizukage was all too familiar with the relationship between a Kage and their advisers. Akira himself had much trouble with the Shinobi Council of Kirigakure not too mention the elders. To think that this woman too had such problems made him smile slightly. However, he also noted the hint of... was it disdain, for the Tsuchikage when the words escaped her mouth. Akira know what she had meant and he knew that he was now allied with the Hidden Sand. He himself had fought along Seiji in the war, but during those years they were mere commanders... not the leaders of entire villages. Even then, Akira himself had wondered why Kirigakure had sided with the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Cloud. It honestly hadn't made since until his grandfather had spelled it out for him.

Yet the change occur ed before the old man's death, he himself deciding they had made a mistake, the council and the Yuki Clan turning on them toward the end. Akira would uphold this alliance now, as his grandfather had cut ties with the Hidden Stone and Akira intended to keep it that way. So after a moment of contemplation he spoke up. He felt so very sure of what he was about to say, if only because he had met the Tsuchikage face to face. Then again, Fei has met him as well... though on much different terms. "I agree with you. The Tsuchikage does not meddle in poor tactics however and I believe that a doubled patrol effort should be made during the time of the exams, even if it ends up being a waste of man power." He paused, considering something and then decided to speak aloud. "You know, it baffles me that the Hidden Stone's issue of the seals wasn't solved when the Nidaime Tsuchikage came into power. As I'm sure you know, he is an artful Sealer... It has bothered me for a while now, but perhaps they seek something more?" His inflection hinted at curiosity but also true pondering, it was clear that Akira had thought about this before and he hoped somewhere in the back of his mind that this younger woman who had seen a different side of the Stone's Shadow could perhaps enlighten the Mizukage.

Thinking it over for a moment, Fei weighed the pros and cons of the Mizukage's suggestion before nodding her ascent, "Agreed. I'll make sure to have the commander in charge of our patrols make himself available for a meetin' with his counterparts from your village and Konohagakure. The three of them can brainstorm what they feel are the most efficient routes for the available resources, and then can present their suggestions to us at our next meetin'."

Having said that, her face seemed to glaze over again as she turned Akira's analysis of the Tsuchikage over in her head. Despite his being a master of the Sealing arts, it was entirely possible that he wasn't able to crack the formula on his own. The ones responsible for its creation had been truly impressive individuals after all, but somehow that didn't seem to sit well with her. No, the Mizukage was right, there was more going on here then met the eye. "I'm afraid you may be correct. He's never struck me as the type who would be satisfied with bein' on the same level as the rest of us, which means he's likely tryin' to do more with the Seals then we'd like to admit. Though to what end, I can't even begin to hazard a guess at this point."