Master and Commander

A ship without a rudder, much like an arrow without fletching, rarely stays true to its course. It dips this way and that at the whims of the prevailing winds and unrelenting tides until it reaches its final destination. It is only chance that decides the fate of the ship and those aboard; finding safe harbor comes down to Mother Nature's dispassionate coin flip. The village of Hoshigakure was much the same way, for without a firm hand on the till and a strong guiding force at the helm it too would soon find itself dashed across the rocks of history and doomed to the depths of obscurity like so many before it.

Tanji Heiji, jounin of Hoshigakure, would not stand for that.

When the would-be invader, Valan Akari, appeared at the gates, only one man met him head on. When a large portion of the village's shinobi folded to the former kage's demands and defected, only one man spoke out against him. And only one man negotiated with the white-haired traitor to preserve the village in its entirety. Now, the same man found himself on the threshold of the leader's chambers and, indeed, his own destiny.

All had deferred to him as he made his way through the building's hallowed halls and, in much the same way, the door before him yielded without even so much as a sound. The darkened room that greeted him felt small relative to the power it exerted over the lives of an entire village. Within these very walls, the village of Hoshigakure was conceived, molded, and solidified into the place Tanji now called home. And, like those before him, he planned to leave his mark on the office, for better or for worse.

With a buzzing mind and mixed feelings, Tanji took a seat.

He had work to do.

---
TWC: 307

Exit.

+1 stat & +307 words to Gate of View

Claiming Hogokage.

Approved

Until I take back my title