Jiraiya waited not-the-hell-at-all patiently, fighting down the urge to either kick the door in or just leave. The first would earn him a faceful of explosion and the second meant he wouldn't get the implosion seals he wanted. He wasn't going to leave without them. Because it was important. And because Sensei would mock him endlessly if he came back empty-handed.
So I was wondering what the hurry was; why not just do it some other time. But check the dates. This is August 31. Per Jiraiya's testimony later, "We arrived in Noodle the morning of September 1st". That means he must be swinging by to pick up these implosion seals as one of the last thing he does before heading on the mission to Noodle. Literally, I'm guessing he told Saturobi, "Hold on I'm going to go pick up some seals and then I'll meet you at the gate."
I wonder how they performed in the battle! It would be nice to think they made the difference in Jiraiya coming back alive. The line about "Sensei would mock him endlessly" is sad too; points out the familial relationship he had with Hiruzen and how hard the man's death is really going to hit him.
The sound of a wasn't-there-when-they-moved-in deadbolt being withdrawn came faintly through the door. And then another one. And another. And another. And anoth—okay, seriously, what the fuck?
Finally the door opened a tiny crack. One suspicious eye showed around the edge as Kagome surveyed the hall. "What do you want?" he demanded.
I swear, sometimes I wonder if Kagome isn't fucking with people on purpose. I mean, I think a lot of it's real, but it wouldn't surprise me if he plays the paranoia up a little in order to keep everyone on their toes.
Jiraiya sighed and crouched down, opening the bag wide and pulling out the contents one at a time, placing each item on the floor as he did.
"Fifty thousand ryo," he said, tossing a jingly pouch on the floor. "A storage seal with ten thousand sheets of seal-quality paper and ten inkstones. Two pounds of chocolate. And these." He held up the three books, waggling them suggestively before fanning them out so that Kagome could read the covers: Ueshiba's Guide to Security; Practical Cooking for Bachelors; and Civil Engineering, Volume 1.
That last title is rather interesting. Unlike the genin, Kagome doesn't consult Hazou as to how he spends his experience points. I wonder if he's training Mechanical Aptitude on the sly, inspired by all of Hazou's airship talk and wanting to get better so he can contribute.
...or maybe it's just that knowing how buildings are constructed makes it easier to destroy them.
Jiraiya sighed; a lifetime of politics and spywork allowed him to keep a calm face, but it was hard. "I don't know your implosion seal and I don't have time to figure it out on my own," he said, not gritting his teeth at all. "They're...impressive." The last word almost choked him.
High praise!
"What's the range on the timer?"
"Half a second to two minutes. Or you can set them for proximity detonation. Good for securing the perimeter. Automatically deactivates after twelve hours in case you need to move them."
Also means you're not leaving landmines around permanently, if you recall the discussion on that.
Jiraiya's eyebrows shot up. That was an unusual trigger mechanism and tricky to get right, especially if there was a secondary trigger built in. "Spherical detection or cone? What's the range?"
I wonder if Kagome has a special talent for trigger mechanisms.
"Haven't seen Jiraiya since the sealing work yesterday," Mari-sensei said with a casual shrug. "He said he was going to be crazy busy from now until the Council meeting and probably would just stay at his apartment since it's closer to the office." At the word 'Jiraiya' Mari-sensei casually scratched the back of her hand in the intra-team code for danger; avoid subject.
Nice to see that he trusted Mari enough to tell her it was really a top secret mission.
Akane straightened up, snapping to attention. "Ishihara Akane, reporting for orders, ma'am!"
Mari smiled. The henge she was wearing was of a tall, spare woman with salt-and-pepper hair wearing the grey uniform of a Konoha civilian in service to the military, the blue cloth tied around her upper arm marking her as an official messenger. Nice to see that Akane didn't recognize her. Her former student was looking good; she had grown an inch in the few months they'd been gone and put on substantial muscle. The green spandex was a very bad sign, but at least she wore a vest over top of it. Good in part because it covered up her chest and in part because it provided pockets. It lacked the shoulder flashes of a chūnin vest though, which wasn't too surprising given her age and experience. Still, pockets.
Sounds like Akane really bulked up over the summer. Heh, wouldn't it be funny if it turns out she's the team member who actually has S-class potential?
I also noticed this "grey uniform of a Konoha civilian in service to the military" stuff popping up a few times. It makes sense that not everyone in uniform is a ninja. There are lots of office jobs where it wouldn't make sense to waste a chakra-user but that are still important.
Akane smiled at the last, and then took a seat. Mari was both pleased and saddened that the girl sat slightly more than arm's-reach away.
Kind of horses and barn doors after that hug.
"Did your father tell you about Hazō's visit?"
Akane nodded. "Yes," she said. "At breakfast the next day. I think he was conflicted about it, but he did. He told Hazō-sensei to stay away but said that if he could deliver this miracle he promised then he—Dad—might reconsider." She smiled fondly. "And then Mom said, 'Akane, sweety, I know that telling a teenage girl to stay away from a boy she fancies is the best way to drive her to him. It's how your dad got me, after all.'" Akane's face split open in a radiant grin. "The way they looked at each other was adorable. Anyway, Dad told me that Hazō-sensei was a missing-nin and wouldn't be allowed to stay in Leaf forever and that they didn't want to see me heartbroken when he left, or to have me go missing myself to be with him. Mom asked me to please just end it now."
Looks like Akane's family practices Clear Communication no Jutsu....
Akane chuckled. "Yes, Ino came to see me. She seems nice enough. She dragged me out shopping a couple of times, and even took me to places I could afford. I've been training with Gai-sensei and, um, Lee." She looked down at the name, a bright-red flush spreading up her face.
Holy shit, she really did impress Gai enough to get him to train her. No wonder she's so much stronger!
September 3, 1am
"EVERYBODY OUT! MOVE IT!" The bellow from outside the windows was backed up with a massive wave of killing intent that hit like a slap from a demon god.
Literally the middle of the night, which is something to keep in mind during the Council discussion that follows. I think a lot of people weren't at their best there.
"Shut up and follow me," Jiraiya snarled. Hazō blinked at the sight of him; Jiraiya's face was covered in bruises and parts of his hair were burned off. He wore a field uniform and pack instead of the traditional robes and sandals that he favored while in Leaf. The uniform was torn and covered in road dust and splashes of blood.
Jiraiya has been through some stuff, as we can see here. I suppose it's a miracle he made it through without serious injury.
Jiraiya started to turn away, then stopped and pointed at Kagome. "You. Listen closely: You are fucking safe while you are with me. If anyone threatens any of you I will fucking burn his face off and piss on the ashes. We are going to become a clan right the fuck now, so don't screw it up. Don't talk unless I tell you to, don't threaten anyone, keep your hands in your godsdamned pockets. I am all out of fucks to give about anything at all, so don't screw with me right now. Got it?"
Kagome studied him for a moment, then put his hands in his pockets and nodded. "Got it."
See what I mean by the "playing it up" comment earlier? Kagome is capable of buttoning it up when he really needs to.
"They're ready for you," said a colorless and surprisingly calm little man in the gray uniform of a civilian. He held a writing tablet with a series of papers in one hand, a charcoal stick pinned to the surface with one ink-stained finger. In his other hand was a scroll sealed with red wax which he offered to Jiraiya.
I didn't catch it the first time through, but this was Saturobi's last will and testament. Obviously Isobe already knows he's dead.
"Hyūga and Uchiha are seriously pissed," said the grey man. "Nara is being quiet; Yamanka and Akimichi are taking their cue from him, as you'd expect. Inuzaka is ready to chew nails but she's waiting to hear what's going on before complaining. Aburame looks stiffer than usual but I've never been able to read him very well. Motoyoshi and Kurusu are curious and a little nervous. The rest of the minor clans haven't arrived yet."
I believe Motoyoshi and Kurusu are non-canon clans made up for this quest to round out the clan council a little. Correct?
Jiraiya's smile was a tiny bit less forced. "You're a good man, Isobe. This would be a lot harder without you."
"Honor the hat," Isobe said. The words had a steel behind them that civilians rarely dared use toward ninja. "That's all I ask."
He also seems to know that Jiraiya is going to be claiming the position of Hokage.
"Shut up and listen, Hyūga," Jiraiya said, stalking around the table to stand in front of the Hokage's chair. "I'm about to explain it."
Hyūga's face suffused with anger, but one of the other clan heads jumped in before he could say anything. One of only two women at the table, she was medium height with spikey brown hair, a narrow face, and dressed in field uniform. "What do you think you're doing there, Jiraiya?" she demanded, pointing at the chair. "Where is the Hokage? And who are those people?" She pointed accusingly at Hazō and the others where they stood against the wall.
"Shut your fucking mouth and listen, Inuzaka," Jiraiya said, his voice deadly cold. "You'll have your answers in about five minutes.
I know Jiraiya is pretty stressed, but it's a shame he can't control he big fat mouth here. There's no call to be telling all these clan heads to shut up. They weren't part of the disaster that just happened, and they didn't do anything wrong.
"On August 25th this team of missing-nin"—he waved in the general direction of the team—"delivered into our hands a new seal that lets any ninja walk on air. For the last week the War Office has been scrambling to rewrite every strategic and tactical doctrine we have." He nodded towards Nara Shikaku at his right. The head of the War Office slouched in his chair, fingers interlaced over his stomach; he grunted in acknowledgement but didn't say anything or move.
Notice Shikaku is keeping his hands locked, giving away nothing. Of everyone here, he was the only one in on planning the mission. He probably already has some guesses as to just how badly things are fucked.
"At the same time that they brought us the skywalker seal they also brought us intelligence that on September 6 there will be a meeting at the Hinago Medical Center in northern Rice. At this meeting the summoning scroll for the Capybara Clan will change hands. We don't know who will be involved in the exchange but if there's a summoning contract involved we assume the people involved will be powerful. Nara can give you the exact details after my report, but he estimated that there was a thirty percent chance the buyer will be from Mist."
"Twenty-eight percent."
1. What the hell are we/they going to be doing about that Capybara Summoning contract now? I hope it doesn't get lost in all the fuss.
2. If this plan was contingent on Mist having one of their top ninja tied up in Rice, then either:
A. They hadn't sent him/her yet and that top ninja died in the ambush, meaning no one is going to show up at Hinago Medical Center. Or....
B. They did send a powerful ninja, and that powerful ninja is now their only remaining S-class, meaning they are a shoe-in for Mizukage and killing them would really ensure Mist chaos. Or...
C. Shikaku was wrong and the buyer wasn't Mist to begin with (since the Mizukage showed up at the ambush that's possible).
3. Something like "28%" is just false precision, Nara.
"If we assumed that Mist would in fact be the buyer, that meant that one or more of their top ninja would be tied up in Rice. Their combat power has been reduced significantly over the last year; a sizable group of ninja, including several jōnin, defected and hid in the Swamp of Death in northwestern Fire. With our permission Mist sent a task force to wipe out the defectors. All of the defectors were killed in this action, as was thirty percent of the task force.
Is that the first time we've heard that 30% of the task force died? Nice to know that the Village Hidden in the Swamp didn't go down easy, I guess.
"The right bait, of course, was my godsdamned godson, our jinchūriki." Kagome twitched; heads snapped towards him for a moment before turning back to Jiraiya.
This is the first time anyone in our group has heard about Naruto being a jinchuriki, of course. Of course we know what Kagome's opinion of jinchuriki is.
"We deliberately leaked word to intelligence assets who are known to be compromised that Naruto would be going on a C-rank mission to Noodle accompanied only by his jōnin-sensei and two genin teammates. We expected that Mist would take the opportunity to ambush him, and we had a force positioned for a counter-ambush. Given that Mist would be attacking a jōnin and the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails we expected them to bring a large force—best estimates said we should expect to face Momochi Zabuza, nine to fifteen jōnin, and possibly the Mizukage himself: Yagura, jinchūriki of the Three-Tails.
Yeesh. Even with the advantage of surprise, that's still a hell of a group to try and take down. I mean, look how it turned out. Sarutobi died even before the Akatsuki showed up. I admit, I'm confused why it was worth doing. I would have thought the Skywalkers made such gamble less necessary.
"On the afternoon of August 1st Naruto and his squad—or, rather, his jōnin-sensei and two Shadow Clones henged to look like his squadmates—departed for Noodle in full view of gods, demons, and every fruit vendor and spy in Konoha. That evening, after dark, I led a covert strike force to shadow him and his team."
Pretty sure that should be August
31,
@eaglejarl.
"The force that I brought with me consisted primarily of ANBU agents. Ox." From the pack he produced a storage scroll with the character 'Ox' brushed on the outside and the two black stripes on the ends that marked a scroll containing a dead body. He set the scroll down and reached inside the pack again. "Bull." Another scroll. "Hawk." Another scroll. "Ocelot." Another. "Crane. Wolf. Cat. Bear. Mamba. Tiger. Panda." The names came faster, the scrolls laid down with more force. The faces of the clan heads had grown pale.
"And, finally...." Jiraiya stopped, taking a deep breath before pulling out one more scroll. He dropped his pack to the floor before laying the final scroll down with tender care. "Finally, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage."
Eleven dead ANBU plus the Hokage. But.... what about Naruto's jonin-sensei? Jiraiya never says anything about his fate one way or the other. Even if Kakashi is still in ANBU in this continuity, he didn't do the mission as an ANBU. If he was dead, wouldn't Jiraiya have pulled out a scroll for "Kakashi Hatake"? And if he's not dead, then where the hell is he? Tracking the group that took Naruto?
"They attacked just after sunrise on the 2nd. Nara's estimates were almost spot on: twelve jōnin; Zabuza; Terumī Mei, one of their strongest ninja; and the Mizukage. They attacked from the sea, sending in a fog bank first to give them cover. The fog was thicker than the normal morning fog in that area but not so much so to draw attention if we hadn't been expecting it. Since we were expecting it, and since they sent it in slowly so as to seem unremarkable, we had time to prepare and were ready with the counter-ambush.
Mist = 12 jounin + Zabuza + Mei + Mizukage
Leaf = 12 ANBU + Jiraiya + Naruto + Naruto's sensei + the Hokage
That is still way more even odds than I would be comfortable with as a LEAF planner, personally. As I said, the whole scheme seems kind of reckless.
"Sarutobi-sensei engaged Yagura, I engaged Mei, Naruto engaged Zabuza, and our ANBU engaged their jōnin.
Again, what was Naruto's jounin-sensei doing? He suspiciously drops out of the narrative.
In the ensuing battle we wiped out their jōnin force as well as Mei and Zabuza." He cleared his throat. "I didn't see what happened exactly, but when I finished with Mei I saw that Naruto had things well in hand with Zabuza, so I turned to help Sarutobi-sensei, who had taken a wound in his thigh and was having difficulty opening the distance. Before I could reach him, Yagura...." He paused, clearing his throat and wiping at his eyes for a moment. "Yagura killed Sensei.
Tough luck. But again,
this happened before Akatsuki even showed up. The second-worst loss (counting Naruto as the worst) of this whole thing happened when events went as planned. They would still be here, having to decide on a new Hokage.
"It was at this point that we were attacked by a third group. They were all flying, most of them on what looked like dragons made of clay. They had the sun behind them, so we didn't see them coming until they were on top of us. They wore a uniform—black cloaks with red clouds—suggesting that they were an organized group and not a collection of individuals put together for this mission."
AKATSUKI: Yo dog, we heard it's a major tactical advantage to be able to fly.
"Whoever the man with Uchiha was, he gestured—no hand seals, just a wave—and one of Naruto's clones came flying into the air, right into this man's hands. Uchiha used what I presume was some sort of genjutsu, then stabbed the clone to pop it. All of Naruto's clones immediately popped and the actual Naruto fell to the ground screaming."
HAHAHAHAHAHA! No, it actually is a hilariously dickish method of taking advantage of the memory-transfer part of how shadow clones work. Itachi puts a mind-screw on the clone, pops it, and the mind-screw is instantly transmitted back to Naruto himself.
"Two more of these ninja attacked Yagura. They rode one of the clay dragons; the one steering the dragon used truly shattering quantities of explosives for battlefield control while his partner jumped off and beat Yagura into the ground with the most insanely powerful display of taijutsu I have ever seen.
And that's coming from a man who knows Maito Gai!
"Our ANBU were simultaneously attacked by a strike force of approximately two dozen chūnin-level opponents led by a pair of S-ranked weapons users. The first was a blue-skinned man with a sword as big as I am and some ridiculously powerful water jutsu. His partner fought with a scythe and seemed utterly immune to harm...I saw Crane stick her sword right through the guy's heart and out his back without even slowing him down. She had tactical command of the ANBU squad and when she saw that her attack had done nothing she was smart enough to instruct Mongoose, who had been wounded already, to retreat in order to bring the news to Leaf.
So actually, there is one other survivor to corroborate Jiraiya's story. That's probably a good thing.
"I reviewed the battle site for any information; there was a limited amount but I will make it available to all of you once we finish here. I put the bodies of our dead in scrolls"—he snorted bitterly—"or, in several cases, their forehead protectors since that's all that was left. I then summoned a series of Toads for fast transport back to Leaf. Along the way I tracked and picked up Mongoose, who is now in the hospital and can be debriefed once the mednin are done with him. We arrived just before midnight and went straight to Hokage Tower, where I immediately sent messengers to summon all of you so that I could brief you.
And now here we are in the middle of the night. Boy, how screwed would the quest have been if Jiraiya had died in that fight? Sounds like it was a very real possibility.
Hazō couldn't stop himself from gasping at the site of the hat. A wide-brimmed conical hat with bits of veil on the sides. A third of it was burned away and the rest was discolored, but it was without a doubt the Hokage's hat. Jiraiya put it on with a grim expression.
Not sure why Sarutobi wore that stupid thing on a mission. Maybe he was secretly hoping it would get destroyed because it looks ridiculous.
EDIT" Should be "sight of the hat"
"That scroll"—he gestured to the one that Nara had now opened and was currently reading—"is the last will and testament of Sarutobi-sensei. In it he declares his desire that I succeed him as Hokage. I will be doing that. Leaf's resources—"
"Are you insane?!" snapped Inuzaka, bristling. "You come back from a mission where the Hokage and everyone else conveniently end up dead and say you're now Hokage? I don't think so!"
Okay, yeah point, but that was still a most undiplomatic way to phrase it.
On the other hand, I sympathize with the clan heads in this scene. There's no reason to allow Jiraiya to railroad his self-appointment as Hokage through. Yes it's very nice Sarutobi wanted Jiraiya to succeed him, but the wishes of a dead man aren't binding.
"He's right about one thing," Nara said calmly, leaving back and tapping his fingers together in thought.
Jiraiya and Hyūga both spun on him. "What are you/What do you—" they said together.
Nara waited for them to stumble to a halt. "You are both correct about certain things and incorrect about others," he said calmly. "Jiraiya, I do not believe that your feelings for Inoue are an issue, but Hiashi is correct that you are emotionally compromised." He gestured towards the smoking hole in front of the Hokage's seat as proof. Jiraiya had the grace to blush. "Hyūga, Jiraiya is correct that none of us have the experience to run an espionage effort of this magnitude."
"Don't manage me, Nara," Hyūga said coldly. "You could do this in your sleep."
"But I won't," Nara said. "I will support Jiraiya. He has the contacts and the experience. Instead of fighting with him I will devote my efforts to keeping him reined in so he doesn't go rampaging around the village threatening clan leaders and destroying buildings."
I posted this before, but
Nara Shikaku for Hokage. Dead serious. He has the brains and the ability and he commands a huge amount of respect. He can snap his fingers and have the support of three major clans. Everyone, including Jiraiya, respects him.
The only reason he wouldn't be picked is that I'm not sure he's quite S-class in power. Is that enough to disqualify him? Can you be a Kage while being "only" A-class, if enough of the clans support you?
This guy single-handedly kept Konoha from descending into civil war on the spot. He'd be a great choice.
...I mean, not that we get a vote or anything.
"When I say this is an existential threat, that isn't idle speculation. Thirteen years ago the Nine Tails destroyed eight percent of the city and the Fourth Hokage died stopping it. Our trade plummeted for three months and did not return to its former levels for three years. In large part that recovery was due to the speed with which the Third Hokage came out of retirement to take up the office again after the Fourth's death, and the amount of time that he spent on diplomacy thereafter. I don't know if you recall, but Sarutobi was only in Konoha for fifty-two of the four hundred days after taking office. The rest of the time he was traveling to our allied nations and some of the neutrals, rebuilding our relationships and reassuring everyone that we were still strong enough to make a reliable trading partner.
No you nerd. No one but you would recall a statistic like that.
"Losing the Third so soon after the Fourth is going to be a disaster for us. Civilian families are going to feel unsafe; they will begin migrating to other villages, taking their labor and economic resources with them. And no, Manaka, clamping down and preventing them from leaving will only make the situation worse. We need their loyalty, and that cannot be gained with a stick." The Inuzaka clan head sank back into her chair with a disgruntled look.
While I buy into almost everything Nara says here, I have to choke on the phrase "so soon after the Fourth". Thirteen years is a good long run for executive power in any civilization in any world in any century. Do any of the other villages have the same Kage they had thirteen years ago?
"So soon" my ass.
"Now, my suggestion is this: Jiraiya, you will serve as Hokage for the next three months. By the end of three months we will either have dealt with our enemies and retrieved Naruto or we will need to face the fact that he is beyond our reach and turn our efforts to preventing Leaf from bleeding to death slowly. In either case, at the end of three months you will agree to step down in favor of the candidate selected by the Councils...which might be you, depending on how your time in office goes.
"For the duration of those three months, the Nara are completely at your disposal. You may draw on our treasury, have unfettered access to our library, and use whatever other resources we can offer. I will make available whatever ninja or civilian operatives you need, even if it means shutting down our internal projects. Leaf needs us, and the Nara will answer the call."
Jesus Christ, how is there any other choice for Hokage than this man?
With the Council's sudden desire to be helpful it took just under nine minutes to grant citizenship and full pardons to a group of missing-nin, get the Hokage married, and form a clan. At which point Yamanaka Inoichi spoke up.
Even though it was sneaked in there almost as an aside, what a major milestone for the quest. Finally and at long last Hazou is no longer
Marked for Death. He has a home village again. Zabuza is dead.
What the hells was Akane doing here?!
The green-clad genin stood at attention in front of the Hokage's desk. Beside her stood Minami, the chūnin who had been escorting the team around.
Jiraiya slouched around the desk and into the Hokage's age-polished leather chair. He shuffled through a stack of papers that had been placed neatly in the center of the desk.
So the Jiraiya must have arranged this just after summoning the clan heads. He already knew this is how it would have to go.
"Nara was running interference for me in there, but he wasn't wrong about any of it," he said without preamble. "The next few weeks are going to suck; I let my temper get away from me and pooched it with the clans. Nara got a lot of that good will back for me, but that sense of unity will fade once they leave the room. I'm going to need to do some serious fence repair." He looked at Mari-sensei. "Best way to do that is for my charming and lovely wife to go make friends with all the clan leaders' wives. It'll also help you integrate into Leaf and become accepted."
So he's honoring Mari's request to retire. First time in a long time the team will be out there without her support. That means that for jounin-level skills we'll only have...
Oh god, Kagome.
He pulled a sheaf of papers out from the stack on the desk. "That's where you lot come in," he said, holding the papers out to Minami. "Hazō, Noburi, Keiko, Kagome—I need you out of the city for a couple weeks so the Council can't use you against me. Out of sight, out of mind sort of thing. I also trust you, which is more than I can say for a lot of people in that room back there.
"So, here's the deal. I need these messages delivered to agents in my network, and I need it done as fast as humanly possible. Try not to blow their cover, but I care more about speed than secrecy right now. At each stop pass off the message scroll to the senior agent on site and check if they have messages to add to the stack or if they need short-term muscle. You are not, I say again not, under their orders. You will make your own judgements about what jobs to assist with and what order to deliver messages in, although I want you to start off heading southwest towards River and then go clockwise around the EN.
Definite "start of a new story-arc" feel to this.
"Minami, you have formal command. I will note that you are taking over what is already a skilled and tight-knit squad. They each have their specialties, and I strongly suggest you listen to them. In particular, Keiko's bloodline makes her an analytical genius on the order of the Nara. Factor that in when you're making plans. Hazō here is young and inexperienced but terrifyingly creative. Kagome is an expert at security systems and reducing things to a fine red mist. Noburi and Ishihara are both excellent diplomats, albeit in different ways, and I encourage you to make use of them in that role. In addition, Noburi's bloodline allows him to transfer chakra by way of the water in his barrel. Make use of that to increase the team's endurance.
Note for plans, Minami is briefed right here about Noburi's water.
"Good. Any questions?" He paused while the team looked back and forth uncertainly. "Okay, good. Get out of here."
Also note for plans, this update ends with Hazou being told to "get out of here". I don't think there's any more opportunity to talk to Jiraiya unless we have something demonstrably important to say.
