Private/Closed Naruto AU: Roleplay

[Retro Master]

It took Kiro only a few minutes to reach the door of Hinagiku’s office. Now he only hoped the Hyūga Head was actually in there. Considering how active the clan was, it would be no surprise to him if she had gone out. The Uchiha grabbed the knob and prepared to turn it...

“Don’t bother Kiro, she isn’t in there. But I can tell you where she is if you really want.”

The Uchiha turned to his right where the soft, unusually calming voice had come from. He found himself facing the back of a certain Hyūga. The full-length kimono she was wearing had a red and emerald green pattern with an obi that had the design of a leaf on it surrounded by gold.

When she turned to face him, Kiro immediately recognized those milky white eyes that gazed deeply into his. Just like last time, an uneasiness drifted over him. He found himself lost in her eyes, completely losing sight of anything else around him. Kiro didn’t know what he was looking for or if there was anything to find in her eyes in the first place. However, unlike with Hinagiku, this paralysis didn’t leave him with fear.

“Kaori...”

Kiro mumbled her name quietly, his tone almost leaking the aroused suspicion within. Thankfully, Kaori spared him by briefly closing her eyes and giving him a friendly smile. This gave him time to take a breath and quickly check his surroundings. The urge to use his sharingan was there but he chose against it. After seeing the coast was clear, the Uchiha smirked as he looked back at the Hyūga.

“What’s up?”

His offering of a casual greeting gained a sudden reaction in the form of a quick poke on the shoulder. He nearly flinched but did his best to hide the brief sensation of annoyance from his expression. After brushing the wispy bangs that threatened to reach her eyes to the side, Kaori replied to him in a sweet-tempered, almost playful tone.

“You know there’s no need for you to act so tense around me. It almost hurts my feelings. Anyways, as you can tell it’s been quite the busy day for our clan. I have been all over the place trying to set things straight. As for Lady Hinagiku, well, she’s doing her thing in the training room over there.”

Her merry expression was everlasting as she continued to speak. The manner in which she brought up Hinagiku and revealed her location was a casual one as well. Though he felt that tone was lacking, Kiro neglected to say something as he had received so much from Kaori already.

“Even as Head of the White Tiger faction I still myself picking up the slack for those maids. Anything to help the clan I suppose. Well I don’t want to waste anymore of your time as you seemed to be in quite the rush. And don’t worry, I’ll try to get you some more marshmallows soon~”

Light on her feet, Kaori did an elegant twirl to turn in the opposite direction. However, after taking only a few steps, Kaori suddenly paused. She gently placed an index finger on her lips and looked up as if she was trying to remember something. Not bothering to face him, Kaori revealed her request to him.

“Oh! And say hi to Sagisō for me! Unlike Lady Hinagiku, we just don’t have the time to get to know her better. Sometimes I wonder where that child’s heart really is. Here with us or perhaps somewhere else? We do try our best to make her feel at home. But sometimes your best just isn’t good enough you know. Anyways, bye-bye.”

As Kaori walked away, Kiro realized he hadn’t actually gotten to say anything else to her. He didn’t want to. Something about her tone was off putting. Particularly her latter thoughts.

Kiro didn’t know why Kaori seemed to be interested in him, especially since he had been the only one who seemed to benefit from their relationship, if you could even all it that. But if he had learnt anything during these last few months, the other side always required something in return for their service. Always.

In any case, he had more important priorities at the moment. Kiro quickly made his way to Hinagiku’s training room. Part of him was interested to see how the Hyūga Head trained. It was that interest that led to him just straight up walking into the room to find her with a pole arm, looking like a cross between a glaive and a spear. There was what looked like a small spear on one end and a wide, curved blade on the other.

“Is that a Guandao, Lady Hinagiku?”

Kiro confidently announced his presence to the Hyūga Head by using the extensive knowledge he had on weapons. Hopefully she wouldn’t kill him for showing up so unexpectedly. Then again, Hinagiku was probably expecting his arrival.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Mori lifted his hands and lowered his head with a grin. "I am a ninja, deceiving others is part of our lives. I do think that you would be a great Tsuchikage, but that doesn't mean that you wouldn't jump at the opportunity to pull something on me. But since you are so insistent on talking, I hereby invite you all to my place and you can come any time you like. Knowing you and your friends that would result in a visit at midnight, but what's life without a little breaking and entering?"

"I don't see why I wouldn't be able to have the nerve to ride that sled when I had the nerve to skip the academy, so count me in!" He pointed a thumb at himself and grinned, whilst Kasumi smiled and shook her head.

"How you can be proud of that, I'll never know. But atleast you're making friends so I can't complain."

The three guests thanked their hosts as they got utensils and napkins. Iwao reached for his pocket as he decided to leave a gift for the kind parents as Mori smirked at Hoshi for doubting him

-----------

"I'll keep that in mind, any support I can get and give can go a long way." Taji had a small smile on her face as she extended a fist towards Kenji for him to bump. "Eh, being a supportive ninja is pretty useful and easy to do with being a sensor type and all. But some offensive presence is a must for any self-respecting ninja. So training it is."

As if it was planned, Aisha appeared and asked to join the training. "I don't see why not, might as well help a fellow Kumo-nin." The kunoichi flashed a grin as she looked at the new member of the village.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kou sat there, just hiding his head away in his lap, seconds ticking by. after a while, Sakura sat next to him, offering an ear to listen and a should to lean on. Kou was silent for some time. Either he wasnt sure what to say or wasn’t sure if he should say it. Perhaps a mix of the two? After a long sigh, he started off.

“I dunno when or where I was born, all I know is that I got dropped here somehow. So I really never had parents to talk to or to learn from. But I didn’t mind. I picked it up as I went, trying to keep myself fed and avoid getting robbed or beat up by the local gangs and stuff. But every time I’d come back to a safe place to rest for the night...I always found myself wishing as I went to sleep...’what would a family even BE like?’

He raised his head out of his lap slightly, only his eyes being seen from out of the top of his crossed arms.

“I thought I didn’t really need one, maybe to save myself from getting sad or high hopes for the future. I just set my sights on the present, taking every day as they came. It was all for one and one for me, you know? There was no one to lean on for support or help. Just me and my wits. And just when it became to a point where it was too much...he came.”

Kou raised his head, giving a reminiscent smile, looking at the wall in front of him at no one in particular.

“Boss. He saved me from a bunch a thugs and helped me. He gave me food, some helpful advice, and he even offered me a home. You see I’ve never had a home before either...so when this all happened to me, I just...found within me the deep longing I had for such a thing. A family. He was responsible for all that. No sound ninja, no Orochimaru, HIM. My boss. Is this what he gets in return? To die as some bizzaro experiment while I am too weak to help him myself? A family is supposed to be there for each other and support each other in times of need...and I just...can’t...”

Kou slammed his head back into his lap, some muffled cries coming from it. His rat sibling crawled out of his sleeve and onto the ground, giving a whimper, putting a paw on kou’s Elbow.



.....


The Old man Seiun walked passed gave him a stink eye, the old hoot tracking his movements every step of the way. He blew air from his mouth, making his grey mustache flutter slightly.

“You got lucky sonny, ever since everyone was jam packed in here like sardines yesterday, the whole museum has been vacant today. Afraid of silly old ghost stories I reckon. Bah, if I see that Damos feller, i’d Give ‘em the old one-two myself.”

“..̛.R̢igh҉t.̢.͞.͘le͞t̵s ̛car̸ry on͢ ͏t̀h̨en.͟”̀



....


Reaver made a stasifed deep chuckle, bringing the scythe to his eyes so he could see the blood. He bellowed a laugh, his eyes licking on to Okabe, like a hunter stalking it’s prey.

“YOU ARE WEAK, WARRIOR, YOU WILL FALL SOON! BUT HAVE NO WORRIES, I, REAVER, AM AN HONORBOUND WARRIOR! YOUR FAMILY WILL BE SPARED TO TAKE VENGENCE UPON YOUR DEATH! HIYAAAA!!!!!”

Reaver charged forward with his scythe, his two hands beside him. They charged forward at the man, one hand being further than the second. Before the man could dodge, the first hand would have hit him so quickly it would have Decapatated him...instead it hit the wall right next to him, a foot off it’s mark.

....WHAT??

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Rasa nodded to Pakura’s comment about their mission. “That is fine, as long as your mission resulted in some form of gain for the village.” Rasa said out loud. He would be pleased as long as the mission didn’t end in vain. Looking out his window, Rasa turned his gaze back towards Pakura. “As you may or may not know, there has been a summon for a summit. I would like you to accompany me for that.”

 

[kyuukestu]

Nadeshiko

Ruins of Takumi Village — 4 hours after engagement
​

Stained with crimson blood, cargo —wrapped in sackcloth and ash— rode along the shoulders of the bitter. Three such packages of cargo made up the funeral procession. A supplementary procession accompanied, seventeen pallbearers whose long faces and deep-set, seething eyes spoke of a battle between sorrow and anger.

The mission to Takumi village had ended in disaster; three crimson stars birthed by a rueful encounter with a jinchuriki. Crimson Stars were exceptionally rare, only occurring if a kunoichi in active service fell in the line of duty. The three fallen The Earthly Harm Star, Empty Star, and Tranquil Star, had been the only star-falls in nearly a decade. That fact made the event monumental. Even though the death of every Star Maiden was treated with the appropriate gravity, this called for a summit.

While she’d always been meaning to call a gathering of the Nadeshiko, the recent events weighed heavily on the Brave Star’s mind. She took these first crimson stars as a sign; one heralding an era of turmoil. One such era which, unlike those before it, now held the Maiden Pink in its grasp.

This should’ve been expected. It was expected. The consequences of their exodus from solitude had been deeply discussed before it happened. They’d made plans to account for yet unseen dangers, and though they remained confident in their ability to tousle with the world’s major powers, they’d slacked off on the execution.

Their loose, nomadic, and unrestrained lifestyle had led to very little cohesion of power. At this very moment, their sisters were scattered to (and between) the four corners of the continent.

Creases appeared across her brows as the Brave Star determined —This would need to change.

Henceforth, she would need to ensure the kunoichi of Nadeshiko acted with more cohesion and decisiveness.

Outlining her intentions, she attached a note to a messenger hawk. The hawk would move from one Nadeshiko to another, leapfrogging across the continent on its journey. In addition, her note asked the Nadeshiko who owned hawks to help propagate the message. She imagined that in little more than 2-3 weeks, every Nadeshiko on the continent would be aware of the summit.

Hyuga

Guards ​

“Well met, Lady Aburame.”

Saluting sharply, the guard returned a greeting. “Our Lady is present, preparing for tomorrow within her court yard. Shall I lead you there?”

Turning, the guard prompted the Aburame Head to accompany him. Meanwhile, another Hyuga took his place, maintaining guard duty in lieu of his absence.

Hinagiku ​

“Oh —recognize it? You’ve got good eyes; the Uchiha’s blood runs strong.”

Smilingly Hinagiku indirectly confirmed Kiro’s suspicions. The weapon across her legs was a Guandao, officially dubbed the Yanyuedao or— “A Reclining Moon Blade...lovely weapon isn’t it?”

She lifted the blade from her legs, her waist loosening slightly as her muscles relaxed, no longer taunt from the weight placed on them. That tension was transferred to her arms; her coiled fingers clasping around the length of the weapon. With her shift in posture, she released a breath, leaving her following words airy.

“It's also been called the Moon Beheading Blade—”

Despite the weapon’s size (being nearly the size of Hina herself, if not larger) and apparent heft, it was light as a feather in her palms. Affectionately, she caressed the weapon’s body, starting at its neck where the pole and main blade conjoined. She warmed the cold steel with the heat of her palms, sliding them along the weapon’s body and stopping at its but where the steel spear-head was affixed.

In this position, her hand held onto the weapon’s end giving it the maximum possible range but in turn, making swings lopsided and unbalanced. Still, she gave no quarter, neither with the weapon nor with Kiro. With a length of nearly 2 meters, the weapon’s reached was just enough to —Swoooosh!— land next to Kiro’s neck.

“—care to guess why?”

Smiling once more, Hinagiku withdrew her Guandao, using its newly polished blade as a mirror to idly inspected her face. Reflected across the blade was someone young, proud, and competent. Peering into that silver mirror, the eyes which stared back at her were milky white. She blinked— and they were crimson red.

“You move boldly and step with swagger, but the nail that sticks out is often hammered down. The more flamboyant the nail, the more ruthless its hammering. Haven’t you experienced that twice already?”

Dailing back the full 360 degrees, her words and posture were no longer bellicose. Instead, they’d even taken on a flavor of sympathy— rather, empathy. She looked towards Kiro with understanding; she’d been in his shoes once. Though not exactly in his current situation.

“You’ve reason to be proud, no doubt about it. You’ve earned that right through your capabilities. ”

Participating in the Chunin Exams and ending in the top 4 was plenty of reason to be proud. It was well-known that the Chunin Promotion Exams were a joint venture between all the great villages and even several minor villages. A ranking within the Chunin Exams was as close as it got to —practically synonymous with— a generational ranking.

Those at the head of a generation deserved to be a little smug —just a little.

“When I was your age, I was even prouder than you, cocky even, but I also had the Hyuga Clan to cover me, much like that dauntless friend of yours.”

She turned her nose up at this example, muttering a few hateful comments. Though...the target of her distaste was unclear. Even with the Yuki Clan backing him, the boy —whose name she hardly remembered— should’ve been given the spanking he so richly deserved.

Voice still with disgruntlement, she continued. “Unfortunately, you don’t belong in that boat. You sail with the Rain girl, small ships hoisting big sails. If you aren’t careful...you’ll capsize.”

 

[Godjacob]

Okabe frowned a bit as he prepared himself for Reaver's charge, building up chakra in an effort to either evade or counter strike, and given that this monster missed his mark Okabe had an opening as he closed in to get underneath the mechanical apendenges as he moved to Reaver's chest with his palm extended out.

"Wind Style: Pressure Palm Jutsu!" Okabe called out as he fired a wind-produced shockwave from his hand as his aim to to drive the attack to Reaver's chest and try to deliver a close-range strike.

Woosh! Crash!

Azumi herself had not made much progress, on the surface in any event, as the lumbering giant swung and tried to strike her down relentlessly; though she managed to avoid each blow of the death hammer, something kept this guy from feeling her blows. Perhaps some sort of drug? Either way...

The masked caravan brute just managed to avoid a shadow as she tried to possess him. Seems the giant was quick and aware enough to just avoid it. For now, but now Azumi was forcing it back and as she eyed the Reaver fight her mind raced with a new idea...

-----------
"Oh come now, we would knock first~" Tomiko replied with a cheeky grin on her face as the kids seemed to light up at the mention Mori would sled with them. Well, "grin" was strong for Ren but hey if Naomi liked Mori so would he.

Hoshi had a cheerful shrug in response to Mori's motion, but it was the gift laid out for them.

"Again you didn't have to." Atsuko insisted as Kuro was curious what this little gift that Iwao reached for was while everyone enjoyed their slices.

------------
Kenji listened to Taji and saw her extend a hand for a fist bump, and with a small smile he returned it in kind to make the fist bump before he overheard Aisha come in who Taji seemed more than okay with letting train with them. The new Kumo-headband had been a lot to get used to but he had not been discomforted by it and his smile showed he was happy for Aisha.

"Yeah, sounds like fun." Kenji added as Aisha had a toothy grin.

"Very well, then we will make preparations tomorrow. For now today is a day of celebration. I'm new to Kumo so hopefully you can help guide a girl to someplace good to eat." Aisha said as she seemed to want to use today to celebrate their success as Kenji shook his head with an amused grin.

"Well, I might know a good place." Kenji said, who knows maybe if they bumped into Rika he could invite her to.

-----
M-mom I...I am scared.

I know sweetie, but worry not. This is what we Yuriko have prepared our lives for. If the current Jinchuriki line goes down. I am getting up there and years, nor will I live forever, so you will have a responsibility no a duty to your village. And you must be ready for it, because you never knew when you might be called to bare this honor.
​

Rika walked through the main streets of Kumo, hands in her pocket and her head down as she had a lot on her mind since her private conversation with the Raikage. She had a million thoughts racing through her mind yet couldn't focus on any one of them as they just raced more and more as she was on edge though tried to betray no expression. Breathing in and out as she tried to collect herself, she had a good few hours to prepare for this and who knows....other people who had a Biju placed in them managed to remain mostly normal. Granted the last one deserted the village for unknown reasons which had not been a good sign but maybe that was just an outlier.

Though there was the matter of general poor treatment those who were known Jinchuriki faced across the world, but it wasn't everyone so maybe things would be different from her. Besides, she desired to be a medic not a combat ninja anyway, just having a literal beast put inside her wouldn't change things that much right?

Her own self defenses seemed more self defeating so she shook her head and simply tried to not think about it as she walked though where she aimed to go had been unclear even to herself.

-----------
Sakura listened to Kou as he pored his heart out as he expressed his frustration for not being able to help Zaku; frustration that stemmed from a life of hardship on the streets where no one outside of Zaku had showed him any kindness at all. And it finally seemed to dawn on Sakura just how much Zaku's connection meant to Kou and finally seemed to get to the root of it.

When you feel you are all alone, no when you know you are all alone the first person to show you warmth and care....at that point, any fault they have just seems to be impossible to accept and easy to deny no matter how ridiculous.

"I....I have no way to say I really understand what you went through. Alone like that, no parents on the streets dealing with thugs...that's a bit extreme. And I am naive on it so don't get any idea that I really can say I one-hundred percent get what you have been through. But....but I do sympathize with that feeling, I felt I was alone for the longest time to. I was a bit of an outcast, not particularly talented or skilled at anything and was often the go-to tease target and bullied; didn't have much of a spine so I made things easier for them." Sakura said, shedding some of her own backstory to Kou as she never had someone to really talk about this stuff with. Preferred to keep the pain of those years close to the chest, but...

"Then, then I met Ino. She was about the coolest kid around. Everyone liked here, and there wasn't reason not to as she was confident, had a fun attitude about her, was the eye of most boys around among many qualities. She was the cool kid, so it's a wonder she came to me and desired to be my friend of all things. I couldn't wrap my head around it, but she gave me the kind of support and affection I never got outside my home. She helped to give me a backbone, to find some confidence in myself allowing me to find my feet. I owe her everything, I wouldn't even be here right now if it was not for her, so I know what it feels like to feel alone only to have someone "save" you from it." Sakura said, as she felt a similarity with Ino to Zaku in how they helped salvage their lives. Course Ino wasn't as morally questionable a person nor was Sakura's life as tragic as Kou's. Sakura had spoken with a low tone the entire time before she turned to look Kou in the eye.

"From there I worked hard to improve day by day, as Ino gave me the confidence I needed to work to be the best kunoichi I can be. And really all one can ever ask or expect is to improve gradually and work to become the best we can be. I was dead-weight, and if I have the capacity to become even an average ninja then there is nothing to keep you from growing as well. As far as Zaku goes....execution is not on the plan, least for now. Didn't happen with Tayuya, didn't happen with Kiro. We don't tend to do that here except the very dangerous criminals of higher standing, but Zaku isn't....helping his case. He already has some bad blood on his hands and his antics here isn't gonna help him get the VIP treatment as it were. Only making it harder to even put the option of letting him go on the table, he has to try and control himself if that chance is to even be possible. He has to control himself, as he only gives the higher ups every excuse needed." Sakura explained, she had no love for Zaku but she had to admit there seemed to at least exist some side to him that was....decent. Had it justified anything he did? Kami no! And in Sakura's internal view she'd never get over the crimes Zaku did, but for Kou's sake her focus was on trying to assure him and point out his need for some control and someone to reign him in from doing something else that could hurt his already low standing.

-----​

With some space given to him, Kakashi made some preparations as he carefully began to trace a specialized seal over the visible curse mark of Zaku. Thankfully, Yugao's Genjutsu should keep him out so he'd feel no pain during this and it should not be interrupted as Kakashi worked to create a sort of suppression system for the Curse Mark. Zaku's mark appeared different from the Oto-girl's, whether that meant it had the same effect or a stronger one had been uncelar but Kakashi was not one to take chances.

He would use the best seal he knew on hand, he had been no Minato but his skills with sealing techniques had improved over his guidance as well as Kushina's....when she had been alive. Inoichi, Yugao and the nurse watched in the room as Kakashi worked to try and apply this seal to help suppress the mark's power and his free access to it.

----------
"Thank you I appreciate the guide." The Aburame head replied with a nod as she'd follow the Hyuga guards as they would lead him over towards Lady Hinagiku as this meeting had been of the mind irregardless of the guard's clarification towards her plans or not.

It had not been often she spoke directly with the Hyuga Head in one on one conversation, and based on the rumor mill she had heard about her she was ever so eager to get this opportunity to see for herself what the unconventional Hyuga head would say to her.

-----------
Madoka's eyes widened at the mention of a summit, and Pakura's own curiosity peaked as she had but a small grin on hand. "Oh a summit? I am honored you'd select me to be part of your personal guard. Though perhaps clarification on when it is would help me set up the time table, Lord Kazekage."

Madoka herself what the summit would be about, though if she guess it involved the affairs of the islands. Those cloaked figures, the Biju....there was a few talking points even if Madoka had been green to the business held at such meetings.

Madoka also wondered what was to be done with Kin, would they try to convert her or use her much as Konoha had with their Oto-prisoners or would the Biju be removed from her and placed in a new host? So many questions but she lacked any nerve to ask any of them.

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

The sound of wind carving through trees and branches crashing against the ground said just as much as it didn’t. She’d hit plenty of trees, but no bodies. As the hidden archer readjusted for her second attack, Baiyan did much the same. Lowering her stance at the hips, she sheathed her sword and prepared for an Iai strike.

Her left hand rested along her scabbard, thumb supporting the sword’s cross-guard. Her right hand hovered over the hilt, prepared to draw at a moment’s notice. That moment came with a crackle of lightning.

Baiyan reacted not to the firing of the arrow, but instead to the crackle of lightning as chakra cloaked the arrow. As a result, the drawing of her sword coincided almost perfectly with the release of her opponent’s arrow. The crescent-shaped shockwave of chakra collided in mid-air with the arrow, exploding into a cloud of dust and foliage.

“How rude— is it your custom to attack others so indiscriminately?”

Sheathing her blade, the Sword Star retreated calmly, leading her opponent into the bandit’s lair.

Sagiso

“You’re from the sound village, right? How good are you at singing?”

Pushing her way into the room, the Nadeshiko began with her hook.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Having brought his sister to the location she wanted to go to, Shura began walking off to where he wanted to go to. “Well, I’ll leave you here then Shiho.” Shiho nodded to her brother as she waved him goodbye. She walked closer to the room and was witness to the conversation taking place. “Oh sorry to barge in, what’s going on here?”

On his way, he walked pass the interaction between an eager Sagiso and a moody Tayuya. He over heard their conversation. “Huh, I feel like I know how this is going to end.” He thought to himself.

 

[Retro Master]

“That conniving, arrogant, two-faced witch has gone too far! We shouldn’t tolerate this blatant lack of respect from the Hyūga or the village any longer!”

Yashiro shouted in an enraged manner, slamming his hands down on the desk of the Uchiha Head. His sharingan flaring to life as he stared intensely at the wooden board Fugaku was currently looking over. Yashiro had stumbled upon the note after seeing a small group of Uchiha gathered around it with skepticism written across their faces.

“Wasn’t she the one who offered to take in that treacherous runt?! Why is she complaining about the prisoners now? As for the festival’s funding, she needs to get off her high horse. This village doesn’t revolve around the damn Hyūga! But if she wants us to get off our asses, then we will!”

The ash-grey haired Uchiha suddenly turned around to face Tekka, who was standing quietly by the door. Unlike Yashiro, he had remained calm upon hearing the contents of the note. Though Tekka found the message quite disrespectful, he felt it was unlikely Hinagiku would randomly send such a message on the day before her festival. Yashiro, on the other hand, was too blinded by rage to see that.

“Tekka, mobilize whatever Uchiha you can get! The Hyūga won’t get away with this! I’ll see to that myself!”

Speaking with hostility, Yashiro began stomping towards the door. It seemed he was hellbent on taking the offensive against the Hyūga. Perhaps he could spin it as disorderly conduct or ‘contempt of cop’. After all, they were part of the police force. However, Yashiro stopped in his tracks when he heard a deep, daunting voice speak up from behind him.

“Maybe you would be able to see clearly if you used your eyes for once.”

Turning around, he was met with the firm gaze of two sharingan eyes looking directly at him. The Uchiha Head still wore the same composed expression as always, seemingly unfazed by the happenings. Seeing as he had the belligerent Uchiha’s attention, Fugaku looked over the note once more before coming to a decision.

“Take a squad with you Yashiro… but not to the Hyūga.”

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Reaver was stunned, as his chest was hit directly by a sudden burst of air. He was hurled off through the room, tumbling onto the floor. The air hadn’t done as much damage as it did knockback, but it did cause heavy bruising in the impact area of his front body.

Why, why did my attack miss like that?

I cannot stand idly by Anymore. The man has a family, a story. If you but asked why he would go through all this while he has all that-

“RAAAAH!!! GET OUT OF MY WAY!!”

Reaver yelled at his opponent, gripping his scythe once more. The hands followed him as he charged the man down again. This time he would get it right. He swung the scythe at the man, his arms coming in to punch him in the gut.

Have you learned nothing?


.....


Kou listened intently to sakura’s own story. It really didn’t sound like she had any hardship, he had a hard time seeing it as relevant until she got to this ino person. Someone who helped her see who she was and bring her into the light, giving her what she needed to be who she was today. Yes...yes he could relate to that.

He then listened about zaku’s situation. How he was now an official prisoner like Kiro and tayuya was. His fist tightened and Teeth clenched. He didn’t look up to Sakura, instead he looked at the ground.

“If it were ino in that room and we were in the sound right now...would you want to be hearing those words from Orochimaru’s mouth? Would you have sent ino to the sound if she needed medical help, all well knowing she would be made a prisoner? How reassuring would it be to hear that Orochimaru was going to be alone with her in a medical room, and you weren’t allowed inside?”

Kou’s growing anger was heard in his voice, out a mixture of frustration, futility, betrayal, and stress. He wished he could take it all back and try and tend to Zaku on his own, but he had to trust the leaf. The leaf that his parents probably trusted to give him a home.



.....

*SNARL* *RRRRRAAAAAWL* *SHLARP!*

Kin struggled in her bonds, several layers of chains overlapping layers of chains. Her arms were buried amongst the suna steel and her legs bolted to fasteners under the ground. Seals were scribbled all over said chains and the inner walls of her cell as well. She spat and shlorped her fluids all over the cell, the chains simply returning to their original state, unharmed by her acid.

“When i get out, I’m gonna kill every last one of ya! Ya hear me?! It’ll be a bloody massacre! HELLO?!? RAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

She buried her teeth into the stone, feral attempts to escape while breathing and groaning like an animal, wriggling and squirming in her bonds. She flailed about, drool pooling everywhere inside the cell...it was a nasty sight

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Knock or blow down the door? I know it is the same for you, but we need to replace the door. Cause, y'know, doors are kinda required in a house." Mori nodded towards the door as he thanked Tomiko's parents for the pie.

As most, if not all eyes were drawn to the gift Iwao put upon the table, the jonin revealed two scrolls. One was bright red and the other was a dull teal. "These scrolls have hawks stored inside of them, the red one has Kamange inside of it, she can hold his own against chunin rank ninja and will be at your side once summoned. The teal one has Maralo, and is one of the smaller hawks I have a contract with. He can find me wherever I am, so feel free to use him if you ever need something from me. I doubt you will know how to unseal them, but your daughter should be able to help you with it. The seals are solvable by genin after all. I don't want to hear any complaints for either of you, and I'll tell you why."

The man weaved his fingers together and sighed as he closed his eyes, calming his nerves as flashes of green and red appeared in front of him. "In my life I have seen a lot of things no one should see, but I noticed one common trend. The good and innocent are always the victim, no matter what. I can't help the entire slums right now, but I can help one family right here and now. My son clearly cares about your daughter and her happiness from what he told me, and she apparently cares a lot about her family and friends. This is my way of helping you and making sure both my son and your daughter can find a glimmer of hope in the darkest of days, by knowing that you two have someone out there that cares about you."

Iwao suddenly looked much older as Kasumi rubbed his back, comforting him as he regained his posture. Mori looked at his father with eyes as saucers, was this the same man who scarred him for skipping school? It made sense, his father always cared deeply about him regardless of what he did, but it was such a shock to finally realise that the man with a shell of stone actually had a heart.
------------

"Celebration huh? I am not too well versed in restaurants and food stands, but Kenji might be. Lead the way, we'll follow." Taji smiled as she jumped down from the tree. "So, a Kumo kunoichi huh? Told you Lord Raikage would give you a headband." Grinning at Aisha, she raised her voice. "Hey, Kenji! Hurry up, you slacker! We haven't got all day y'know?"

 

[Godjacob]

Woosh!
​

Even as the arrow exploded on contact, which sent sparks everywhere, the caravan member had already been ready for such an outcome as she shifted her position again as she loaded a new arrow. A direct attack, even with the enhanced speed of her lightning arrows, seemed to be futile and it appeared Baiyan tried to shift the battlefield as she began to make way towards the entrance of their lair.

But the caravan archer had not been ready to make it so easy, and already shot an arrow through the air once more coated in electricity. However, this time she would hit the ground just by where Baiyan arrived as her aim was to pierce the ground and have the tip explode to rock an electric surge along the immediate area and try to shock Baiyan and stun her; if it worked it would stall her the moment needed to drive one more arrow right through her helpless frame. He managed to at least aim to stall Reaver back, but this forced chance provided the opening Azumi needed.

"Agh!" The massive caravan cried out as a few liquid shadow tendrils stuck into his lower back while Azumi grinned. She had the beast locked down now as Okabe watched with wide eyes as he charged with a wind blade towards Azumi as the later reached for an umbrella as the giant was forced to copy her movements though it was stuck in the lock with Reaver.

-----​

As Reaver lunched at Okabe once more, the caravan leader was quick to move back and to the side as he aimed to take advantage of whatever internal conflict complimented Reaver's physical ailments. However, as he moved out of the way Azumi dashed by the area followed by the massive caravan ax member who saw Reaver charge as he had been lulled to position and raised the ax to block his strike.

------------
Kuro & Atsuko watched along with Tomiko and the gang as Mori's parents outlined the pair of scrolls that had been offered before them. Before either had a chance to voice any objections to this as Mori's father was quick to not merely explained what was contained inside the scrolls & how Tomiko could help them make use of them but also why he wanted to do this.

And it touched all of them. It was not known what kind of person raised Mori but this man seemed to have a good heart beyond the tough exterior and teases with his son; one that extended to them as he desired to help at least one family of the innocent who were victims of the cruel side of life. And that touched all of them at the table at Atsuko had tears in her eyes.

"I-I...I don't know what to say I...I am speechless. This is all so much even if it is but a token." Atsuko began to say as Kuro picked up after her.

"I do know what to say, and I speak for all of us, thank you. This means more than you could ever know." Kuro added on as Tomiko had a big grin with wide eyes that someone thought of some "worthless" slum folk in such a manner and flashed a thankful nod to them and then Mori.

-------------
"Wouldn't be here without you and sparky here. I will forever be grateful, but anyway let's eat. Get a move on!" Aisha said with a toothy grin as Kenji shook his head as he led the two rather vocal kunoichi to the main town.

"I can't make the store just appear before us, have yet to master that sacred "Restaurant appear no jutsu" so just settle a little bit. Whiners have to pay double share of the tip~" Kenji said with a tease as Aisha rolled her eyes as they walked along and eventually found the place Kenji had hinted at. In this case, an old mongolian BBQ place that had some open seats on the outside as Kenji ordered a table for four and escorted the two.

Thankfully, Sky & Luna had been allowed to sit by them. Though they'd have to be watched carefully and would be on the thin leash. For lack of a better term.

------------
Well name me an example of Ino launching an attack in another nation unprovoked killing innocents and maybe you'll have a true equivalent....
Not helping.

Sakura worked to try and quell that other voice in her head as she heard Kou's worry as he provided his hypothetical example that concerned her own friend if they had been in the sound. Which naturally ignored the vastly different context as Oto would have merely killed them or tossed them in a dungeon rather than try to save them.

But arguing that would have been a waste of time as Kou already had his view of this and nothing she said would have changed it. He was a stubborn one so that was only bound to lose him so she merely offered what she could.

"It would be scary, but you must understand. We are not Orochimaru. Our goal now is to just make sure Zaku doesn't hurt himself or others, I can't tell you what the future holds but all I can tell you is that the best way to give him the best chance is to not give them an excuse to see him as a danger. Hard to make any talk or debate on what to do with him if he keeps threatening people." Sakura said, though she figured what Kou also needed now in this chaotic situation was a friend. And given that Iwa girl was who knows where back home...

"It's hard, no question. If you ever need to talk about anything or just vent. I am here. Ow you that much if nothing else." Sakura said to Kou, her tone sincere behind each word she said to the young boy.

-----------
And the initial hook only produced a scowl from Tayuya, who grabbed Sagiso by the collar as she aimed to try to pull her out of the room back into the hallway as she glanced the Hyuga in the eye.

"I play instruments, I am no vocalist." Tayuya replied with a dry tone.

-----​

"I see you've been busy. I do hope you'll be able to squeeze time in me all the same...."

The voice of the Aburame Head, Masa Aburame, spoke up as she quietly stood in the doorway overlooking Hinagiku who seemed to be having her own rather visual demonstration with one of her presumed treasured weapons towards someone. Someone who Masa knew least based on the rumor mill was the infamous former Kiri-Uchiha who had gotten tangled in Oto affairs.

Seemed she was having a conversation with him, not that Masa had directed a gaze at the young Uchiha as her focus was on the Hyuga Head for the moment. Whether anything she had to say concerned the young Uchiha or not remained to be seen.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
“You got lucky sonny,”

The first part of the elderly man's statement made Seiun stop dead in his tracks.

Lucky?! I've been forced to flee from my home because I got some well deserved revenge on my abusive parents and then after I decide I need to relieve some stress by killing my current mistress, I end up as her slave! And you call this lucky?!

Anger began to boil up inside of the missing-nin. He started to grab for his axe when the old geezer continued to speak.

“Ever since everyone was jam packed in here like sardines yesterday, the whole museum has been vacant today. Afraid of silly old ghoststories I reckon. Bah, if I see that Damos feller, i’d Give ‘em the old one-two myself,”

As for the middle part of the geezer's statement, it wasn't particularly offensive to the faux Kiri-nin as it was simply information. The same could be ssid for the last bit, although it was due to the old man clearly being senile. He took a step forward, before throwing his axe in a way that would sever the old man's arm if he were to not block it.

"That's for assuming you know enough about me to think that any part of my life was 'lucky', because luck doesnt exist, you old fart," Seiun spat at the old man before continuing on his way.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Reaver came in for the kill shot, certain that his ‘inner voice’ wouldn’t stop him this time...only to be cut short due to a massive axe blocking his path.

*SNAP!*

His scythe broke in two, the axe that blocked the attack being enough to break the stick it was attacked to. Reaver growled, looking to the rather strong man.

“A TRUE WARRIOR DOES NOT INTRUDE ON THE HONORABLE DUEL OF ANOTHER! RAAAH!!!”

he bended the scythe blade up from the broken stick, tossing the handle to the side. The scythe blade was thrown at the strong man, since his arm was still down froms winging the heavy axe. The scythe blade began to morph midair, becoming more smooth and circular. It intended to become a noose upon hitting the man, making a firm hold like a leash


.....



Kou listened begrudgingly to sakura, heading that it’s best for Zaku to stop resisting, and stop being a danger to those around him. He’s healed up and we should be gone by now, of course he’s upset, I would be too. Kou bit hi tounge on that particular matter and continued to listen.

"It's hard, no question. If you ever need to talk about anything or just vent. I am here. Owe you that much if nothing else."

Kou jumped up from the ground, putting his fists up high, a determined expression on his young face.

“I don’t need to vent, that won’t get Zaku out of there! What will though is you helping me!” He proclaimed. “Help me get Zaku out of here, you know it’s not right for him to stay against his will if he’s already healed up! C’mon! Don’t you have any special ninja tricks or something??”


......


Lucky?! I've been forced to flee from my home because I got some well deserved revenge on my abusive parents and then after I decide I need to relieve some stress by killing my current mistress, I end up as her slave! And you call this lucky?!

“A̧ s͜h́am͡e ̸isn’t̀ i̶t̵?͢ Tha̛t̕ n̡o ̴one un̸ders͞t͜an͜d͠s ̢you ̨li̢k̷e͢ ͘I͢ do. No͜ o̸n̶e̢.”

The old man brought up his arm from the table, narrowly missing the axe that imbedded in the wooden structure. His old eyes twitched and his moustache huffed. He shook his head after seiun had begun to walk by.

“Sheesh...what has become of the new generation...?”

“I̕gnor͜e҉ ̀t͏h͢ȩ o͡l͟d b̵at. We̶’v̴e g̶ot̛ b̧u̡s̶i̢n͘e̴s̸s͢ t͠o ̧a̸t̨t̡e͞n̨d t̛o.”͞

As seiun walked down the hall, the imagery seemed to change. This particular wing seemed to branch off into its own separate building, devoted to clans of the mist. There were many different exhibits. From a large one featuring the Yuki, to an exquisite one of the Hozuki, and then terumi and so on.

Many of said exhibits talked about the birth of their clans, as well as their role in society and everyday life of a mist citizen, including some trivia such as the current Kage being a terumi, Mei to be more accurate. The wing had much more to explore, in this winding room as well as two branching hallways. They were labeled: ‘The Fallen Clans’ and ‘Clan traditions.’ At this point, B.O.S.E.C. Crept up on his shoulder, whispering centimeters from his ear.

“͠H̷ead ̛t͏o ̛t͡he le̷f̡t,̴ f̸a̢lle̵n cl͝ans̢ įş wha͠t̛ w͞e̴ ҉a҉r̵e ̸a̸ft̸er͟. ̕Un͢l͝e̡s̷s ͘you ҉ha͘ve ̕à ỳea͞rn͢ińg ̛fór ͜kn̴ow͡le̡d̵ge?͠”̛ The entitity half teased.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagiso

“Ahhhn~”

Soft and coquettish, Sagiso released a playful moan as Tayuya grabbed at her collar. The skin-tight fabric constricted under Tayuya’s distorting influence, and as a result, hugged tightly the contours of the Nadeshiko’s suppleness. Firm yet pliant, her pressed flesh outlined itself against her already revealing clothing.

“Mnnn, not so rough little Koshō.”

The softness in her voice was only matched by that of her movements. With the flexible snap of joints, her wrists were propelled towards Tayuya’s outstretched arms. Specifically, toward the joint on her elbows, where the soft blows would halt the transmission of force along her arms.

“Eager, aren’t we? Let’s talk it over. The bathhouse should be opening now, care to join me?”

Furijia

Her fingers unclenched; the fabric of her skirt shuffling as frosty winds brushed against her legs. The trembling began as goosebumps flared across her skin.

drip...

The scarlet hue on her cheeks receded, blood draining from her face. Those cyan pools held therein rippled; astir with waves of emotion. Broken on the shoreline, the waves spilled over.

drip...

Rivulets crossed her cheeks, flowing to the edges of her chin and depositing their load of liquid crystal. Falling to the ground they shattered, almost inaudible.

drip...



Her breath caught in staunch disbelief, rasping from the caverns of her throat in subdued sobs. Splattering against the ground; loaded tears laden with the weight of the world, her own world.

Overwhelming. Taiyo’s faith, trust, and admiration; these few gifts, meager as they might’ve been to anyone else, to the heiress they were priceless treasures. Like burning torches that kept at bay the dark shroud of her own self-doubt.

She hadn’t meant to cry, it’d just...happened. She wanted to express joy, gratitude, relief, anything...but she’d been reduced to naught but a whimpering mess.

Though now that she thought about it, Taiyo had a knack for making her cry. She could hardly recall not crying around him. In good-natured self-ridicule, she almost laughed. Between laughter and tears, the heiress settled on a smile, messy and tear-stricken. Despite habitually being reduced to tears around the fiery ninja she found it enjoyable, flavorful —even if that flavor was a bit salty.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Rasa nodded upon hearing Pakura’s request to hear the details of the summit. “Yes of course.” As the Kazekage was about to answer his chosen guard’s question about the time frame of the summit, a ninja wearing the prison guard uniform barged into the office. “Lord Kazekage! I’m deeply sorry for intruding but there is something you must be informed of.” Rasa turned to the man and let out a sigh. “Is this about the Jinchuriki that’s in captivity?” The prison guard nodded. “Yes sir, the Jinchuriki is causing a lot of ruckus down in her cell. He bindings are holding up and I don’t believe she’ll be able to escape but it’s unlikely she’ll cooperate with us.” The man concluded.

Rasa let out another sigh before forming a tense look on his face, he turned towards the Gennin present. “You are dismissed.” He turned towards Pakura. “Pakura follow me to the dungeon, I believe it’s time to settle something.” Rasa said with authority as he walked out of the room.

 

[Retro Master]

‘What?’

The smile and the casualness Hinagiku spoke with nearly caused him to miss the significance of her first comment. Though Kiro managed to sustain a composed, almost equanimous expression, he was actually quite puzzled by what she said. Her mention of his eyes and the Uchiha blood felt like an offhand remark at first. Either it was a simple comment or she had purposely dropped the line there for him to latch onto.

However, Hinagiku didn’t bother waiting for him and seamlessly transitioned back to her precious guandao. Her steady movements with the blade didn’t go unnoticed by his eyes. Kiro watched as Hinagiku methodically adjusted the position in which she held the blade. It was only after a gradual shift in her posture that she let out a breath.

‘Moon Beheading Blade?’

Kiro stood idly by as Hinagiku played with the guandao like a toy. He found himself growing increasingly perplexed by this display of fondness. Was this his reward? An audience with the Hyūga Head only to watch the woman affectionately fondle a pole as if she had finally been reacquainted with her long lost love? Kiro had yet to see her lover in the flesh so the desire was understandable if that was the case.

Slowly but surely, she slid her palms away from the neck, where the blade arose from the wide open jaw of a brass dragon. Designed with protruding eyes and ears, this specific entity was a fierce warrior who took joy in both fighting and killing. According to some ancient texts at least. Nevertheless, if his reward was to witness only a taste of Hinagiku’s unbridled skill, then Kiro would gladly accept.

Unfortunately, when the Hyūga Head began swinging, Kiro found himself disappointed. Her swings were careless and off-balanced. Holding onto the weapon’s hand did not help and she clearly didn’t seem to care. Kiro pocketed his hands and mirrored the same nonchalant demeanor Hinagiku seemed to be displaying.

He blinked only once and the blade’s fangs were at his neck. Kiro’s mouth slightly opened and his eyes glanced towards the blade. In a quick but strong slashing movement, Hinagiku had nearly beheaded him. If the Hyūga Head had lacked even the slightest control of her momentum, Kiro would’ve surely lost his head. He was the careless one for even doubting her capabilities. She could end his life in an instant and there would absolutely be nothing he could do to prevent it.

Kiro continued to gaze silently at the pole weapon in her grasp before she retreated with another smile. The Hyūga Head appeared to be enjoying herself and once again she seemed to become lost in the metallic surface of the blade. When Hinagiku spoke again, Kiro was actually unsure if she was speaking to herself or him. Kiro was able to distinguish himself as the target to her words only after she questioned his experience.

Indeed, this wasn’t the first time he’d dealt with a blade attempting to silence him. Kiro had been knocked down on more than one occasion while attempting to stand firmly with only his own power. The most memorable being his failure in killing the Uchiha Head. This blunder led to the public humiliation he received at the hands of the Yuki. Perhaps if he had more power things would have gone differently. There was nothing else he had to lean on.

That’s why he internally scoffed at Hinagiku’s mention of being proud. Though her words sounded strangely empathetic, spending three months as a prisoner wasn’t something he was proud of. Kiro could go on an entire spiel as to how disgusted he was with his limitations and the humiliation he had endured ever since he first stepped foot in this wretched village. However, being a prisoner did have its benefits.

Having the backing of an entire village was not something he planned to waste. The original reason Kiro held off on escape was solely because he knew his best bet was to remain under the protection of his captors. Of course, that didn’t mean he could openly assault a clan head or even a regular civilian without consequence.

His interest rose when Hinagiku used her younger self as a comparison. It was brief but Kiro found this new insight to be quite intriguing. Mainly the fact that she had been somewhat cocky during her youth but had the backing of the Hyūga when things went sideways. She also mentioned herself in the same breath as his friend. Kiro subconsciously looked away for a moment, knowing she could only be speaking of Kai.

If he remembered correctly, Kai’s misconduct during his time in the Leaf didn’t go over quite well with its citizens. However, the Leaf lacked the power to lay a hand on him mainly due to Jin and the Yuki clan’s intervention. From what he understood, Hinagiku must’ve gone through similar experiences when she was young. A story which he would be interested to hear from the Hyūga Head.

By the time the Rain girl was brought up, Kiro believed he knew what point she had been trying to clear up. Whereas Kai and Hinagiku possessed the backing of powerful figures along with their noble clans, people like Azumi and him didn’t necessarily have that. Kiro’s protection was only temporary and there was a question to be asked why he hadn’t been disposed of already. Once his time as a prisoner was up, what would happen then?

Other than the fact Kiro carried their blood, he doubted the Uchiha had much interest in him. It was a common misconception to believe blood is thicker than water. That family ties trumped all others. If that was truly the case, then why was he left to suffer in the Mist? Unless he was told a lie, they knew of his existence but chose to forget. Having the cursed blood of an Uchiha made his life a living hell and the actual clan didn’t give two shits—

‘No. Damn it! I told myself I would not get worked up over this.’

Pausing suddenly, Kiro blinked once, then twice as his eyes started to burn. Any further and he would’ve likely activated his sharingan. The rage Kiro felt was made evident by his trembling hands, which he had inadvertently balled up into fists. Thankfully they were already in his pockets, out of the Hyūga’s current eyesight. Perhaps if this was a few months prior, Kiro would’ve acted a bit more rashly.

He had long since come to the realization that his impetuous behavior of the past was what lead to the constant downfalls. Standing up against power that far transcended his own was futile. However, that didn’t mean he should rely on his own blood to defend himself either. Kiro couldn’t. In fact, after spending over three months as a captive, he could argue that the Hyūga were more likely to be there for him when push came to shove.

It soon dawned on him that perhaps he was now on the verge of reaching one of the long term goals he had hoped to achieve. His work on that mission must’ve paid off. Perhaps this reward was what he’d been hoping to gain the entire time. He couldn’t be too sure though. Letting out a sigh, Kiro started off moderately with his words, choosing to carefully express his thoughts to the Hyūga Head.

”You’re not wrong Lady Hinagiku but…”

He quickly paused upon sensing the arrival of another person. Kiro curiously looked in the direction of the mysterious voice to find a woman, who looked nothing like a Hyūga, appearing to have business with Hinagiku. She was either another clan head or someone else of importance.

In any case, Kiro would rather reserve his words for Hinagiku’s ears only. He looked back into the azure eyes of the Hyūga Head, wondering if she shared the same special ability as her eldest daughter. On the off chance she couldn’t read his mind, Kiro hoped to summarize his thoughts into a phrase Hinagiku could interpret correctly.

“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, is it not?”

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
The blush went away from the Hyuga's face, and eventually gave into tears, much to Taiyo's worry.

I...think I messed up.

To prove his fears wrong, he later saw a smile on her face, causing a familiar smile to grow on Taiyo's face as well.

"Ms. Furījia, could I have another piece of candy?" Susei had been done with the first piece of candy a while ago, but when she saw Taiyo smiling at the Hyuga, the little girl began to start thinking about the meaning of the scene she was witnessing.

Seiun
“A̧ s͜h́am͡e ̸isn’t̀ i̶t̵?͢ Tha̛t̕ n̡o ̴one un̸ders͞t͜an͜d͠s ̢you ̨li̢k̷e͢ ͘I͢ do. No͜ o̸n̶e̢.”

Seiun chuckled, mainly due to the fact that B.O.S.E.C. was right, no one really did knoe him as well as he did. No one else at Kirigakure really knew or cared about his past, his friends who he made on his little "missions" prior to being captured didn't really have an in depth discussion of his past either.

As Seiun walked, the scenery around him changed. It seemed to be imagry of the noble clans of Kirigakure; each clan getting their own branch. He could easily discern the Yuki due to being constantly surrounded by them, and the Hozuki depicted in what few images he saw did looked close enough to Hyo that he was able to make the connection. As he explored more of the room, he saw a branch of the wing called "Fallen Clans and Clan Traditions".

“͠H̷ead ̛t͏o ̛t͡he le̷f̡t,̴ f̸a̢lle̵n cl͝ans̢ įş wha͠t̛ w͞e̴ ҉a҉r̵e ̸a̸ft̸er͟. ̕Un͢l͝e̡s̷s ͘you ҉ha͘ve ̕à ỳea͞rn͢ińg ̛fór ͜kn̴ow͡le̡d̵ge?͠”̛

Yeah, I do yearn for some knowledge: Why would we waste our time with some clans who were so weak they couldn't even survive?

 

[DarkHydraT]

"You don't need to thank us, just stay as kind and generous as you are now. That's all we ask of you." Iwao meant that from the bottom of his heart. His wife quickly backed his statement up. "As two parents to two others, our children are the most important to us. By staying kind and generous, you create a safe haven for your daughter. And as long as your daughter is happy, our son will be happy too."

Mori looked at Tomiko a bit flabbergasted, he didn't know that his parents cared this much about him. But Tomiko seemed so happy that he returned the grin, and the words of his parents became true. Seeing his best friend this happy made him happy as well, although he didn't expect happiness to give him a stirring feeling in his gut.
-------------

Taji just rolled her eyes at the joke Kenji made, she never was one for quips and jokes. "Yeah yeah, just make sure you don't forget your wallet before mastering that jutsu." She noted dryly as she followed 'Sparky', as Aisha dubbed him. After arriving at the BBQ, she sat down and turned to Aisha.

Taji was not one for useless banter, but she also didn't want her teammates to carry the conversation by themselves. So she decided to try and learn something without being all business, in what quite possibly could be regarded as the worst attempt at small talk ever. "What made you come up with the nickname of Sparky for Kenji? The nickname would fit anyone here, why him?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Yeah, I do yearn for some knowledge: Why would we waste our time with some clans who were so weak they couldn't even survive?

B.O.S.E.C. Glitched up, appearing to be near Seiun’s face now, its’s white glowing grin and eye beaming in to the rouge rain ninja.

“͞Y̶o͠u͝ ͢kn͠ow ͘I ̀h͢av͝e̢ yo̴u̷r̷ ͏b͢e͏st ̶intere̴st ̷a̧t̸ hȩa͜rt҉,҉ ̸Şeiu̕n̕.͡ ̡I have vast́ kn̛o̡w̧l͏e͢dge st̀or̸e̷d͝ ̴insi͝dȩ ͟m͜y͟ b̶i̶ome̷tric ̀p͘a͟t͞hw͝a̡ys a̷nd ̛c̕o͢mput̵ing ͢p̛o̸w̷er in͘comp̵a͘r̢a̶b͜l̡e ̷t́o̷ ̢t͏h͏at̀ ̨of͟ ͠any͡ ̵devi̸ce.͡ Ẁh͟en ͏I ma̧ke ̛a ̧ça҉ll t͢o ͡act̛iòn͞,̕ ̕k͏ǹo͟w ̸t̶hat ͘I͏ h́a͘ve҉ ̵ćalcul̛ate̶d ̧e͢v̨e͘ry҉ m͢óv҉e. I ça͢n҉not For͘ce ͘yoư ̢alon͟g̶ a͏ny path̀,̡ ̷t͠ha͠t͞ ̡i͜s up ͘to you̴. B̷ưt ̵if͘ y̶ǫu͘ ̴desiŗe ͘yo͜ur f́r̢e͡ed̨o̕m͠,́ I’m͏ ͟giv̀i͠n͟g̀ yo̢u t̕h̶e ̸m̕o͟s͏t̶ ideál way ṕo̧ssib͡le.̕”́

The construct didn’t seem able to stop Seiun from doing whatever we do desired, seemingly restricted to vocal/telepathic communication.




.........




Kai finally broke his final appendage out of the wall, growling as he did so. Tucking a strand of white hair behind his ear, the Yuki-nin snarled at what or rather who was responsible for the freezing. His father, Jin Yuki. Something has changed. Changed for the worse at that. Not a few months ago was he willing to slaughter greener civilians to get a questionable pure blood back, and now he’s rolling over for this Damos impersonator? That’s not even counting freezing me when I ask about this. What has become of his mist pride? He’s making a mockery of everything the Yuki stands for!

Walking back toward the Yuki compound, Kai had begun to talk back and forth with himself in his head. Speaking to him directly has already proved...unaffective. But the honor guard...yes. Maybe they know something about this. Let’s see, there are six of them: Guardian of Knowledge, Guardian of Change, Guardian of Heritage, Guardian of Strength, Guardian of Will, and the newly instated Guardian of Heart.

Hm...the guardian of knowledge has sworn an oath of secrecy, never to talk to anyone other than My father or fellow honor guard. Guardians of will and heart are always at His side, rarely seen without him...However the Guaridan of Heritage always catalogues where everyone is during every key event, our key historian...yes, yes he will do.

With his new tactic in mind, he entered the yuki grounds, taking a pathe to the left, cutting through the guardens which had several small marble murals dictating honored events throughout their past. The guardian of heritage was an artist as much as he was a historian, responsible for all the works of historical art scattered around the Yuki Grounds, both acting to educate as well as instil pride. A brilliant man. Surely he’d know of what to do.

Kai approached a special building located to the west of the Yuki grounds, just within a walk’s distance from the Yuki mansion itself. The building was unique in the fact that it was shaped like a spiral. Albeit this was misleading, as the actual building was mostly underground. Kai entered the building, being greeted by a storage room of sorts. Several of the same type of murals that were outside were stacked neatly next to each other, alongside bookshelves and several metal tablets. The metal tablets upon closer inspection had been inscribed by some sort of chakra writing, Blue glowing lettering on them.

Kai took the stairs down, metal tablets on the walls becoming more and more prevalent. Step after step he descended to the lower floor. Upon reaching the lower floor, the atmosphere changed dramatically. It went from a simple storage room to a vast library of books, diagramed maps, and historical relics of many kinds. In the center of all the information, The guardian of heritage stood donned in his Yuki honor guard armor. He seemed to be writing on another metal tablet, his finger glowing with chakra as he inscribed said tablet

It’s now or never...

 

[Nukas]

Amari
Having gotten her daily meditation in, Amari decided she would go and look around Konoha. She had seen it when she came in, but she hadn’t explored the village much outside of the Hyūga mansion. She left the training room, and subsequently the Hyūga mansion itself. The village was very impressive, to say the least. The people seemed very active and happy. While this could have been due to the Winter Festival beeing the next day, Amari felt like there was more to it than just that. Then she looked up at arguably Konoha's biggest feat, the stone faces of the 5 Hokage. It was impressive to see in person as they didn't have anything like it in Nadeshiko. That said, the environment was a little too busy for her taste, and while Konoha might be a good place to stay so she could train with her sister and other strong shinobi, she couldn't stay there more than a couple of weeks without getting tired and bored of it.

Amari started down the streets looking at all the shops as she passed. She stopped when she passed by a blacksmith in town. She realized this would be the perfect time to get a gift for Sagisō. While her sister might find the tradition a bit foreign, Amari did enjoy the idea. Of course, she didn't expect anything in return from Sagisō. She wanted to make this winter festival count since she hadn't participated in one in a long time. She knew exactly what to get to make the gift count. She gave the blacksmith the details of what to craft and left so she could come back by later that day to pick it up.

--------

Nadeshiko
Not far outside of Kumogakure, a group of 5 Nadeshiko kunoichi was quickly approaching the great nation of Kumogakure. Due to Koki'o's letter; the Fierce star, Dark star, Flight star, and Speed star, all met the Heavenly Crying Sar in the Land of Frost in order to pick up the Mizukage's cargo. This would be their final deed for the Mizukage so they were in quite the hurry to get it done. When they arrived at Kumogakure, the Kunoichi wasted no time and started straight towards the tallest tower in the village, the office of the Raikage.

 

[Godjacob]

The brute could only watch with raised eyes as the shadow tendrils that had dug into his body presented him from even having the idea to escape as he was forced to brace for impact.

Slash!

Blood shot int he air as the make-shift scythe noose slashed into his flesh and remained secure against it, as the muscular masked brute only groaned in pain while he shot Reaver a glare as blood dripped around his shoulders & neck. Unable to move or defend himself while he had remained glued to Azumi's liquid shadows.

Clang!

During this, Okabe's wind blade clashed with Azumi's umbrella which had a bit of chakra coating to help prevent the wind-jutsu from slicing it in two as she needed to stall just long enough for Reaver to finish the brute while she had him bound...a grip that had been slipping from his own resistance on top of Okabe's interference.

-----------
"We never intended to be anything less than true to ourselves." Kuro replied with a grin and thankful nod back, as the other of the slum kids enjoyed their slices of pie though Atsuko had noticed the exchange between Tomiko and Mori and it had not taken her long to see the subtle signs which she masked excellently with a subtle grin.

"Gotta say having only this dinner to go by your parents seem pretty cool." Tomiko said with a whisper to Mori unaware of the feeling in the gut even he probably had not been totally aware of or her mother's subtle notice as she spoke with a smile to Mori.

------------
"Two reasons. One personal and one rather general. Generally he was the first person and first lightning user I had come across so Sparky seemed like a fitting nickname. Second was a rather funny bit when we were first scouting those Oto guys back in Konoha." Aisha said with a toothy grin.

"I think you make too much of it." Kenji replied, eyes rolled already as he asked for some menus to come.

"Hey I wasn't the one who gave a buzzy boop to Luna. Kenji here was "charing" himself a bit to get his chakra ready for a clash if need be and Luna just happened to walk by where his sparks shocked her nose. So the name stuck." Aisha said as Luna seemed to unconsciously swipe at said nose while Kenji merely offered a shrug.

"Accident. Like I said a thousand times before. Besides, it was her fault for being a bit too nosy." Kenji said with a cheeky grin as Aisha had her turn to roll her eyes and Sky seemed to bark as if the wolf was annoyed by the pun.

-----​

"HALT! State your business before you advance any further!"

The Nadeshiko kunoichi were quickly met by a group of elite Kumo-nin who had been quick to arrive upon the "guests" though if Ay had his new border implements added sooner not soon enough for his liking. The group was led by the sibling pair of Samui and Atsui as Samui had her usual stone cold expression while Atsui was quick to contrast it with an almost cheeky grin.

"Evening ladies. Which I had been informed of your arrival sooner I would have brought something to spice up the occasion." Atsui said as Samui merely rolled her eyes as she walked up to who she presumed was the leader of the party.

"I take it you have business with Lord Raikage?" Samui asked with that dry, almost bored tone of hers.

-----------
Great, you inspired the kid to want to break him out. Good job.
Oh shut up. Sorry for trying to help him, I still don't regret it.
And that is the problem here.

Sakura listened to Kou as he urged her to try and do something to help free Zaku, as it was wrong of him to be held against his well. Well it was also wrong for him to attack their village, kill innocent people and try to kill them for no reason back on the islands but Kou was never one to listen to those arguments and it would only put them in circles as far as conversation progression had been concerned.

Either way, Sakura would look Kou in the eye as she had to come up with something quick. And it had not taken the star academic of Iruka's class to think of something convincing.

"Listen, it isn't something I have the power to do. But if anyone can do something like that. My sensei Kakashi, I'll have to speak with Kakashi and see if I can have him work any magic. I can't guarantee anything beyond that I will speak to him." Sakura assured Kou which had been the truth as she did aim to talk to Kakashi about the Oto-nin.

​

----------
Tayuya internally groaned when Sagiso managed to slip out of her quip while she "scolded" her for her action as it appeared the simple rejection had not been enough to dissuade her.

To make matters worse, Sagiso had the nerve to suggest they discuss this over a bath. Which caused Tayuya's eyes to shoot up slightly at the mere implication of that as she shook her head and was quick to give an answer.

"Listen and listen well cause I will only say this one. I do not bath with anyone, I already get the impression your clan is nothing but perverts given this arrangement you tied and barley have enough space to wash myself as it is. I don't need any Hyuga hands touching me when I know what you people do with those eyes already." Tayuya replied, as she made her elongated rejection out to Sagiso though whether that'd stop her advances remained to be seen or honestly likely if Tayuya's gut told her anything.

----------
Pakura heard the report about the Jinchuriki, which caused Madoka's own eyes to widen a bit though she had not made any comment on the matter. It seemed a dismal was called for as something needed to be done about it as Pakura gave a nod as she understood right away. "Of course Lord Kazekage." Pakura replied, before she turned to her team in the room as she made the motion for them to go.

"Your business is finished for today. I will be sure to inform you when you are able to collect your share of the mission reward. For now enjoy the rest of the day off." Pakura explained to the Genin present as they had nothing left to do. And Madoka got up with the initial impulse to simply leave as what became of the Oto-nin had been of no concern to her. That was, till a conversation she recalled with Tomiko on their way away from Konoha after the hectic Sound "hunt" incident.

Kiro....so you decided to officially make him a rival?

No idea if he sees it that way, really it is kinda confusing trying to fully understand him, but yeah. He is a benchmark I want to meet and surpass, and I want to show him one can get strength while staying true to oneself. That kind of thing.

Right. Well that "benchmark" of yours might very well be a traitor to his nation who went to a psychopath who attacked all the world's leads...if what he said is true. Seems to be you are putting a bit of a scumbag on a pedestal.

Eh not like I am praising his techniques, really I am just disappointed someone with that talent tried to get the easy way out. But I don't know enough about him or why he made that choice to make an objective call. I'd want to know more personally.

Really? I figured your only motive in this was just to beat him not learn his life story or something.

Oh believe me beating those smug special eyes in will be the main goal here. But even if I disagree with someone I do think there is some value is learning about what drives them and getting their perspective.

Is there much perspective one can gain though? I mean I doubt Kiro's motive is gonna change how you feel about the choices he made.

No but I do think understanding what fueled his choice can help me get a picture of what things are like in a point of view I am not familiar with. I mean I feel a lot of conflict is fueled by what we do not understand about our "enemy" and if I am gonna be a Tsuchikage then I have to try and understand the problems and what makes people tick beyond just those in the slums. Feel that would make me a better leader rather than if I just say kept myself in a box you know?

....did you like, steal some philosophy books from Konoha and just binge read them or something? Cause this is not the words I expect of a Tomiko.

What is that supposed to mean!?

Nothing. Nothing at all.

Really, she considered that conversation nothing but filler. But the more she thought it over, the more she began to wonder if there had been merit to that kind of thinking. Madoka had considered the very grim reality that with the frequent skirmishes threatened at the border of Suna & Iwa that she or Yasu would have to come to blows with Tomiko if it ever escalated. Maybe if she could get to the bottom of this tension between their nations, and widen her point of view between them she might be able to find some any kind of resolution to quell it before significant blood is shed.

And it had been that curiosity, and a lack of purpose she felt over her own ninja life, that caused her to want to try an...experiment. As she quickly turned back to face Pakura and Rasa.

"I-if it is not too much to ask, I would like to occupancy you Lady Pakura and Lord Kazekage to see this issue. I think the personal field experience in this matter would help prepare me for the future where I may take the reigns in such matters."

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Yeah, I didn't expect them to be this relaxed. Especially my dad, would've expected him to be more rough than he is now. He is surprisingly civil, wish he did that before." Mori pouted as he decided to try the pie, one bite of it and his pout was gone like snow in the sun. "This is delicious, unbelievable!" The genin was ecstatic and had to refrain himself from shovelling it all into his mouth.
------------

Taji rolled her eyes at the pun. "Puns aside, that is a decent explanation. I do suggest that you be more careful the next time Kenji, Aisha's wolves are Kumo ninken now and you don't want to hurt your allies." After reprimanding 'Sparky', she grabbed the menu and tried to make a decision on what food she wanted.

 

[Nukas]

Nadeshiko
The Fierce Star of Nadeshiko spoke to the woman who addressed them for the group, almost completely ignoring the Kumo-nin with the big grin. "We are here with business from the Mizukage. We have a cargo-report that we are supposed to retrieve from the Raikage. We assumed that he would be aware of our arrival. Let us pass to pick up the designated items, and we will soon be out of your hair" The fierce star did not intend to waste much more time with this, and she made it clear in her tone that she would be getting by the two of them to pick up the items.

 

[Godjacob]

"Hey it's never too late to improve I say. If they can act like that here then there is no reason it can't carry over outside of just trying to please present company." Tomiko said as she tried to encourage Mori and took a bite of her own pie as everyone on the table seemed to enjoy the pie which only caused a sense of pride to swell within Tomiko's parents as they had slices to enjoy as well.

----------
"Yeah yeah I got the picture. Zap the enemies not friends..." Kenji repeated, and while he was more joking about it he had intended to keep to that word as he scanned the menu to see what he wanted. There seemed to be a little of everything at this place, which offered plenty of variety but also made it hard to zero in on one choice. Least for Kenji it had been.

Aisha meanwhile had already moved over to whatever meaty food her eyes could lock on as she licked her lips as it was clear what she had been in the mind for.

----------
"If you are on business on behalf of the Mizukage, then why would she send ninja of another nation in her place?" Samui asked as naturally it seemed off that a smaller village handle such a responsibility or transport in place of one of the large nations as this matter usually one scent one of their own for this.

"You know just cause this is a serious matter doesn't give you right to give a cold shoulder." Atsui said, more annoyed that he had been disregarded by the Nadeshiko party leader though a side glare from Samui caused him to sigh out.

Meanwhile from a distance, Rika who had been sulking off on her own had observed the scene form a hidden area more so curious about what this exchange had been about than anything else.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
“͞Y̶o͠u͝ ͢kn͠ow ͘I ̀h͢av͝e̢ yo̴u̷r̷ ͏b͢e͏st ̶intere̴st ̷a̧t̸ hȩa͜rt҉,҉ ̸Şeiu̕n̕.͡ ̡I have vast́ kn̛o̡w̧l͏e͢dge st̀or̸e̷d͝ ̴insi͝dȩ ͟m͜y͟ b̶i̶ome̷tric ̀p͘a͟t͞hw͝a̡ys a̷nd ̛c̕o͢mput̵ing ͢p̛o̸w̷er in͘comp̵a͘r̢a̶b͜l̡e ̷t́o̷ ̢t͏h͏at̀ ̨of͟ ͠any͡ ̵devi̸ce.͡ Ẁh͟en ͏I ma̧ke ̛a ̧ça҉ll t͢o ͡act̛iòn͞,̕ ̕k͏ǹo͟w ̸t̶hat ͘I͏ h́a͘ve҉ ̵ćalcul̛ate̶d ̧e͢v̨e͘ry҉ m͢óv҉e. I ça͢n҉not For͘ce ͘yoư ̢alon͟g̶ a͏ny path̀,̡ ̷t͠ha͠t͞ ̡i͜s up ͘to you̴. B̷ưt ̵if͘ y̶ǫu͘ ̴desiŗe ͘yo͜ur f́r̢e͡ed̨o̕m͠,́ I’m͏ ͟giv̀i͠n͟g̀ yo̢u t̕h̶e ̸m̕o͟s͏t̶ ideál way ṕo̧ssib͡le.̕”́

Seiun nodded as B.O.S.E.C had made his convincing point, convincing enough to cause the missing-nin to go into the fallen clans wing, but not convincing enough to get him to drop his question.

I know you have my best interest in mind and I can believe that this fallen clan has some secrets. But I just want to know exactly what I'm supposed to be doing here.

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

Baiyan immediately resorted to her name-sake technique as the situation turned prickly. Her sword stabbed into the ground as rock shifted to mud. “Lotus Field.” The ground’s sudden change in consistency would betray the archer’s intentions, as instead of shock-charged shrapnel, the first arrow of lightning penetrated deep into the mud, discharging its payload underground.

The lightning did, however, achieve its effect, as Baiyan had actively submerged her entirety beneath the mud. The numbness quickly spread through her body, slowing her as she transitioned between hand seals.

Though delayed, she intended to permeate the surrounding land with her chakra. Seizing control of an area with a radius of 5 meters. From there she would swallow the entrance of the base with mud, depositing herself inside the base while a pristine mud-lotus would bloom above the entrance.

Sagisō

“If you need help taking that stick out your ass, the nurses are rather skilled. I needed to pay them a visit myself, so we could make a stop there if you’d like?”

Her voice was inlaid with innocence, and her genuine concern was on full display. Only the sly grin on her lips and the playfully mockery in her eyes betrayed her otherwise heartfelt suggestion.

Koki’o

Wagging her finger dismissively, the Scorpion Star gave a frown of disproval to the Kumo-shinobi. “Why we’re in service to the Mizukage is hardly your concern, no?”

Deflecting their first question, the Nadeshiko kunoichi pulled out a document, the list of materials to be handed over to the Mist, signed and approved by the Mizukage herself.

“Will this suffice?”

Furījia

'Eeek!'

A mixture of horror and embarrassment froze Furijia in place. Honestly, she’d forgotten about the existence of the candy gobbling tyke. Suisei’s sudden appearance left her feeling all sorts of awkward...

“Errr, of course, take as much as you want...”

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kou balled up his fists, his determined expression not fading at all upon sakura’s rejection and diversion of blame.

“Then we got to this Kakashi guy and we get ‘em out! You know where he is, so let’s get him! Times wasting!”

He never caught the name of Kakashi when he met him, so he wasn’t capable of putting the name to the face. So when he saw Kakashi enter the room with Zaku, he didn’t have a clue that it was Kakashi. All he could do is rely on sakura’s expertise in this matter.


........


B.O.S.E.C. Encircled Seiun, shushing him about his question as he had began to walk toward the wing that the construct had urged him to go down.

“͟S͠h͡hh͞h҉ḩh͡.͢.̧.͜I w͜i̷lļ ̨ęx͢p̨l҉aįn͢ ̴all҉ i҉n͟ due͜ ̀ti̴m͟e͝.̕ ͘F͡or n͢ow̵. ̀Le̛t’s͠ ̕j͟ust ma̢ke̡ ̵it the̴re͞,͘ y͜és̨?̵”

As they entered the room, it was noticeably dimmer in theme, walls being painted a darker shade of grey, black plaques marking the names of these clans, as well as the sheer tone. From the Hü exhibit, which featured a thirty foot bundle of Hü hair wrapped around a giant casket, to the Rinha clan’s Funeral like tribute made of medical materials, it was a drastic tone change.

B.O.S.E.C. Pointed with his talons toward a white suit of armor in the corner. The Kaguya exhibit. There were piles of bones in the exhibit, and many different types of bones and spines on display in glass containers. The armor however seemed to lack these bones.

“T̡h̸e ̨Ka̴g͜uyá ͘C͜lan͘. ҉A t҉a̡le̛ ͞o͞f folly and͞ f̵u͝ry͠.̨ ̡F̧e̵r͠oci͡ou͢s ̨wa̸r͏r̷i̸o҉rs, al̛l ͡o͢f th͏ęm̢.́ ̧B̨li̷nde̸d ̢bỳ ͟h̢atred and̛ u̷s̕e͜d th͏èi̸r a̵bi̸l҉i̢t͢y, ̧H̨a͘r͞den̨i͘ng͡ an̸d ͏gr͘o͢w͝ing b͘o̴nes ͡h͝ar͘s͟he̴r t҉ha̷n ̀s͡t̕e͘èl ̧t͘o͝ kil̡ĺ t̢hèir ͡e̛n̡e͞m̶ies. Thȩy ́w͞ere̴ v͘i̸r̀t͏ual j̢u̢g̀g̡e͟rnau̕ts̷ ̨in͏ bat̴tle͢, u͝ńr̕iv̵aled͘ ́in͘ mel̸e̶e p̴ŗow̴es҉s̷ ͝an͠d͝ ͠sh҉e̷e͟r̵ ̶f̀ùr͏y.͡ ͟Q̵u̧i͞t̷e curio̢us wh͜y͡ ̸suc̢h̨ à ͟péople wo̢ul̶d̛ ev́e̶r ͝n̸eed ̡à suit ̡o͘f͘ ąrmor͝,҉ n̷o?”̸

The construct traced it’s finger on the armor, cooking around, all in seiun’s Head of course. It seemed to me remembering a tale of olden times.

“̧You se͏e.͞..Tḩere.͝ Th̢a҉t Ol͠d́e͡r àr͞m̢òr̕ ͞of͠ t͢he K͠aguy̨a͟ ̛ćlan. ̴T̀hey ͘were ̷so b́lǫodth̨ir̴st͠y̨ án͢d̷ ͡p͢a̶ŕanoi͏d tha͢t͜ t͝h̛e̴y͡ cơu͝l͟d͠n’̵t st̢an̷d ͠b̢e͠ing ̸wit̀houţ a ҉weapo̕n͝.͜ ̡Th̨e̶ f́o̡o͡l͞s͘ h̨ad͢ ̧so many węap͜on͠s̵ an̵d ̴t̨o̵o͠l͡s̴ t̴h͝an th̵ey̶ kne̢w͞ ͢ẁha҉t ͏t̕o do̶ wit͏h, ̴and̛ a̢ll ̴for̴ ̸what?̛ ̸S͘o ͝th͡ey̵ ̡cǫuĺd͝ f͞oolheárt̶i͘d̵l͝y ̶wi͞p̸e̸ ̕th̡ems̀èlv̛e͢s ͏o̴ųt͡ ̕on̵ ̧a̸ geno̡ci̛d҉e͠ toward͠ ̛the mìs̨t? ̕P̨i̶tìful ͏c̵reatur͏es̛...”̶

At this point B.O.S.E.C. Approached the suit of armor’s faceplate. It’s one eye glowing a deep shade of violet as it it crept closer.

“a͡d̀ inferos͘ p̵e̛r̷ ́p͜hàņta͝s̶máta ͝d̷ece͡pt͟urus est mort̸uus!!”

A shining light began to emit from the suit of armor, a hidden seal beginning to appear! The seal was hard to see, translucent and faded, but no less operational. It appeared along the chest of the suit of armor, Rippling in the air. B.O.S.E.C. Recessed back to Seiun’s shoulder, keeping close to him. It crept close to his ear.

“͝With͢ ͟a̢ ͜d̨r̡op ͝o̡f̶ y̷o̷ur̸ bl̨o҉o̴d͘,̴ p͟res͜s ͡y̢oùr͏ ͢o̸pen ͢p̵alm̨ on̕to̧ ͢the ̸s̸y͢mbol͟. ̛And͟ ̨yo͘u̧r҉ ͝p̛a͏th̢ ͜t́o̕ ̶fr̵e̕e̛d͟om͏ wįl̸l ͡be̛ ͟a҉śs̕ured...̨”

 

[Grand Master Koop]

As he was about to head out, Rasa stopped as he heard Madoka's request and turned to look at the Gennin. He thought about what she said. "Hmm, its good that you're thinking about the future, it's a valuable mentality. Very well, as long as you don't cause any problems you can come along." He said before walking out.

Making his way through the Sand Village, Rasa looked around at the various bright sceneries presented to him. From the children busy playing on the streets to the adults moving from place to place, either working or just to have fun. A slight gust of wind picked up a bit of sand in a swirly motion before blowing off into the wall of a nearby building. A small smirk appeared on the Kazekage’s face, this was the village he has worked so hard to maintain, but that wasn’t all the only side of his beloved village.

Arriving at a much... gloomier part of the village, the scenery completely changed, as did Rasa’s expression. The streets were dirty and full of old houses and building, some of which are even falling apart. The area was not filled with the laugh of children or the gossips of workers on their breaks, instead a dead silence was looming in the air. The streets were barren, spare for the few unfortunate souls who are finding themselves homeless. A sanitary mess was in front of passing spectators. Rasa lowered his gaze his smirk completely faded from his face, this sight reminded him of what he has yet to accomplish as Kazekage, a bright future for everyone in his nation.

The group eventually arrived at the prison area where they were detaining Kin. Rasa brought his attention back on the present matter and walked inside. He moved to the cell that was keeping the captive foreign Jinchuriki. "Still no intention to comply? This attitude won’t buy you anything." He spoke in a serious tone.

Still standing near the scene, Shura watched the exchange between Sagsio and Tayuya, as expected, devolve. "I knew it." He sighed. "If Sagiso is trying to convince her by using her personality, she's not doing it right." Thinking to himself, Shura realized something. "Wait, why do I care anyway? This has nothing to do with me." He though before turning away. After only taking two steps, Shura stopped and turned back. "I have no idea why I'm doing this." He though before speaking up in a casual tone. "Geez Tayuya, you sure are rejecting everything offered to you with a passion. A bit too stuck-up don't you think? I agree with Sagiso here in that front." Inside Shura's head, he was questioning why he was doing this. "This is going to end badly for me, I just know it." He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Shiho made her way into Kiro and Tayuya's place and sat back into a chair, eyes looking off into the distance.

 

[kyuukestu]

Natsu Hyuga

From Uchiha to Aburame, Inuzuka to Kurama, letters had been delivered by hand, inviting each of the Clan Heads to tomorrows dinner. Now at her final stop of the day, Natsu glanced up at the Kage residence, it’s bright red rather fitting for the season. Stepping inside its borders, she navigated the halls, coming to a stop signified by the rap of knuckles on the door to Tsunade’s office.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

It’s now or never...

Kai walked toward the Guardian of Heritage, who seemed very inthralled In his work. He jotted down many of scribbling using his chakra laced finger, many books hovering around him. Upon closer inspection, these books had two chunks of ice on them: one in the front cover and one on the back, so that he could freely bend them to and fro to his whim, something that Kai had to remember for later.

“Ahem, Good day.” Kai spoke to him. “I am-“

“Kai Yuki, descendent of Jin Yuki and Roanna Hü. Yes I know of you.”

Kai was taken aback. He wasn’t used to a mist citizen, let alone a Yuki talking over him so abruptly and quick. What was even further odd, was that this person knew so much about him, despite the fact that Kai never exchanged words with him. He could be just the guy he needed for answers.

“How did-“

“No historic event goes unwatched from my eye, every birth is catalogued, let alone one of such importance. Besides, I was there for your birth, boy.”

Kai blinked, flabbergasted. The man was straight to the point, and truly knowledgeable. But what was further interesting was that the honor guard were present even during his birth. He began to contemplate what other happenings the honor guard played a hand in. He had to stow those thoughts for now, he had a mission.

“Ahem...anyways. I am here to request that I see the records of who was where during the initial apperance of Damos.”

The man stopped writing on his metal slab, his chakra vanishing on his fingertips. He turned to Kai, his expression unreadable due to the mask.

“An uncouth of an action to go against the wishes of one’s father.”

How did he- How does he know what i’m doing?! There’s no explanation for it...unless my father warned him of this...damn, I have to think of something. Kai tightened his fists, stepping closer to the man in armor.

“Uncouth or not, I deserve the truth, and it’s cowardly to keep such information away from me. The Yuki aren’t some low ranking clan, we have to set an example by having transparency!”

The honor guard kept in head facing him for a few seconds before shifting back to his writing without a word, his finger glowing yet again.

“Are you listening to me?!”

“Your nationalistic zeal has shown to be the downfall of many nations in the past.”

Biting his tounge, Kai ignored the comment. “I didn’t hear a definite no on my request.”

Many seconds passed, the only sounding being the chakra of the man burning inscriptions into the metal tablets. The man cleared his throat, still not looking at Kai.

“Your father has requested me to not show this information to you, nor anyone for that matter.” He stated firmly. “...However this conflicts with my duty as the keeper of our heritage and history that I keep such information to myself and lie. My oath forbids such action, even if told so by him. If you wish to see such information, it is in the restricted section, twelfth row, it has no label.”

Mentally cheering for his own success, Kai outwardly bowed respectively to the man, counting his blessings.

“Thank you.”

“...”

The man seemed quiet after that, preferring to work on his task than interact. Kai moved on from the honor guard, making his way to the restricted section. He made his way down the bookshelves, finding the twelfth row, and eventually, the blank book. He cautiously flipped the page of the book...waiting in baited breath for the information he would find...

.
...
.....

Nothing.

The page was blanks. Thinking there had to be some kind of mistake, Kai flipped through the pages, all of which were blank. What?! What kind of trickery is this!? He lied to me! Angrily closing the book, he marched up to the man once more, opening the book wide and shoving it in front of him.

“The book is blank! Why have you lied to me?!”

“My oath prevents me from denying knowledge to others, however, it does not mean I have to show you how to read said knowledge.”

 

[Mystic Zander]

Evening had finally come in the Leaf, casting burnt orange rays of sunlight through the foliage that acted as the village’s namesake. All was quiet, and for the first time in awhile, it was peaceful...or so it seemed.

In the middle of town rested a generic looking stone and wood home, relatively large in size, with an equally adequate looking garden around back. In said garden resided Katsuo, his sister, and the pairs rogue parent’s.

A heavy vibe of tension permeated the air, giving each soul a feeling of uncertainty. However, this tension was finally broken by the words of Ichiko, which cut through the still air like a blade.

“....Katsuo, Rittsu...there’s certain things your father and I had agreed it would be best to keep from you. We thought keeping said information a secret would keep you both at ease, and prevent future conflict from arising, but...um...” Ichiko trailed off, her eyes slowly trailing down to the soft grassy field on which she sat.

“....it looks like the past has come back to haunt us.” Kido interjected, taking note of the visible stress emanating from Ichiko.

The grey haired Jonin paused with what he was saying, promptly getting up and disappearing into the house, only the reimmerge moments later with a scroll in hand.

“This will hopefully show you why we’ve been so secretive.” Ichiko spoke up, being able to calm herself in the few brief moment’s Kido had left.

The scroll was unrolled on the ground in between the four, revealing complex inscriptions and elaborate markings that neither Katsuo nor Rittsu could begin to decipher.

“This scroll contains a powerful genjutsu, one we’ve used to reconstruct the night where this all began. Both of you place your hands on the seal.” She added whilst casting a long string of handsigns.

“Ready Katsu?”

“More than you.”

The two siblings traded a smile before smacking their palms flat against the piece of parchment, only to be jolted by the words of their mother.

“RELEASE!”

~~~~~

Katsuo’s eyes fluttered open, revealing him to be standing on the porch of a small wooden cabin buried deep within an unknown forest. Quite shocked by how vivid this was, he took a brief moment to let his surroundings soak in, only for his mind to be brought back to the present by the sound of Rittsu’s unsteady voice.

“Katsuo…” The traveler nin heard his name called from over his shoulder, causing him to whip around and meet his sister’s gaze.

Upon doing so, both siblings were now face to face with an unsettling sight.

Just a few feet away from the wood cabin, stood the duos parent’s, only, something was odd about them. Kido and Ichiko appeared to be at least ten years younger.

Kido stood facing away from his wife, with his arms held up in a protective fashion. Ichiko was crouched behind Kido-no, not crouching, cowering...an uncommon sight to see coming from a warrior of her caliber. On top of this, she appeared to have a small child wrapped up in her arms.

“That’s….me.” Rittsu muttered under her breath, taking a few steps towards the unsettling sight, only to freeze in place when she finally noticed it...or rather…him.

Several feet away from Kido and Ichiko, stood a grey cloaked figure with piercing yellow eyes and a look of sadistic malice washed across his face.

“What do you want with us?!?” Kido shouted, his stance unwavering.

“Oh...well, you may have something that could be important to me. So I’ve come to collect.” The cloaked figure replied in an eerily calm tone.

“Over my dead body!” Kido roared, casting a quick set of handsigns that appeared to cloak him in a shimmering white light.

“So be it…” The figure replied, lightly rolling his shoulders whilst ushering the light cloaked ninja to attack.

“Just leave us alone!” Kido dashed forward at blurring speeds, clearing the gap between he in the figure in mere moments. This impressive display was shut down quickly however, as with one quick move, the figure not only slid under Kido’s defenses, but delivered an unbelievably hard palm strike to the Shinobis sternum.

“Ghack!” Kido was sent rolling backwards towards Ichiko, unconscious from a single blow dealt by this man.

“No…” The burgundy haired mother mumbled under her breath, turning to run towards the house.

WOOSH-

This escape was cut short however, as the figure was in front of the mother and child faster than one could register.

“Leave us-“ Ichikos plea was cut short by a swift chop to her neck, causing her to slump over, unconscious. The child in her arms plopped to the ground before rolling onto her bottom.

“M-mom….?” A scared, younger Rittsu cried quietly, stumbling towards her mother.

“Ah ah ah.” The figure muttered, snatching Rittsu off the ground before bringing the child to eye level. With a flick, the cloaked man whipped his hood off, revealing a pale face, and long black hair. Orochimaru had made his presence known.

“Let me go! MOM! MO-HAHA-OM! MOoo...m” The small girl cried, kicking and screaming as the figure picked her up, only for her tantrum to falter as she stared into his piercing yellow eyes, almost entranced by some unknown force.

“Hm...a shame. It appears you don’t possess what I’m looking for. Just another disappointment.” Orochimaru hummed, dropping the child to the ground without a care in the world.

“You...b-bastard!” The shaky voice of Kido filled the snakes ears, causing him to grin a devilish grin.

“Ah. Still breathing are we? I must admit, you’ve got quite the durable body,” The Sannin replied, slowly approaching the downed Kido, “Tell you what, as a reward for being so dedicated...I’ll let your family live.” Orochimaru added whilst slowly dragging one of his nails along Kido’s cheek, causing a shallow cut to form along the way.

“Besides….” his cold voice trailed off as he raised the blood coated nail up to his lips, “...you may still prove useful to me.” He added before allowing his tongue to coil around the bloody finger, seemingly enjoying the taste.

“ORICHIMARU!!!!!” Rittsu roared, having seen enough. With one kick off the ground she aimed to plant her elbow in the back of the snakes neck.

“Rittsu its just an illus-“ Before Katsuo could give warning, his sister's arm passed through Orochimaru’s head, which promptly vanished in a puff of smoke.

“Huh?” The young kunoichi muttered, as the world around them followed suit, becoming a hazy cloud before fading out all together. Plunging the pair into a void of darkness.

~~~~~

Moments later, both Rittsu and Katsuo silently shot up from there sound slumber, now being back in the garden with their mother and father.

“What the hell does that mean?!?! Why would we wanna see you two in that situation?!” Rittsu yelled with confusion and anger catching her throat, causing the girl to flee into the house before she could receive an explanation, clearly quite worked up over the events she just witnessed.

“I’ll go talk with her.” Ichiko said softly, trailing her hand along Katsuo’s shoulder as she stood, attempting to bring the boy out of his thoughts.

A few brief moments of utter silence filled the air as both males were left sitting among the garden, staring at one another.

It was clear Katsuo and Kido were similar, as they both found it difficult to voice the many complex thoughts passing through there mind.

“At first we weren’t sure what that man was on about, and we could even confirm his identity for quite some time.” Kido finally spoke up in a crisp, calm voice, catching his sons attention, “But due to the recent happenings, it’s become apparent that Orochimaru wants you. And we believe it has something to do with your unique ability to wield the power of an Ikeda and Denki as one.” The grey robed Jonin added, allowing the information to sink in.

Katsuo’s eyes were dark, hidden under his hair. It was clear there was no single way he could voice his feelings on the matter. But this was no time to sit around and feel regretful of things you simply can’t change. With a loud sigh, he lifted his head, meeting his father's gaze once more.

“And that’s why he didn’t want Rittsu, because she doesn’t possess the same potential that I do….” The young ninja took a pause, climbing to his feet slowly, “It looks like we’ll all just have to work much harder than we originally realized!” The determined boy added with a smile, catching his father off guard.

“Katsuo….it’s okay to be worried. It’s okay to show how you feel.” The elder ninja attempted to get through to his son, but the traveler-nin simply wasn’t having it.

“Really Dad, I’m okay. If my power has made me a target, I’ll use every ounce of it to fight back. Because this…” Katsuo took a brief moment in his reply to pull a Shuriken from his back pocket and bring it up to his face, “...this is who I am. And I’ll be damned if anyone is gonna take that away from me.”

 

[DarkHydraT]

"I guess so, I'm quite glad to see him this relaxed. Hopefully he will stay like this for a while." Mori took another bite of the pie before pointing at Tomiko with his fork. "Have you told your gang about our mission yet? You did really well out there, even managed to convince our target that not all ninja were bad. The prime example of that is sitting at this table here." He nodded at the young girl with a smirk on his face.

"This pie is amazing! If this is for sale, I'd love to order some when I have time." Iwao told Kuro and Atsuko, expecting them to accept the compliment and offer.

"I must say, with what I assume to be few ingredients you two managed to make something incredible! If I had a hat, I'd take it off for you." Kasumi added to the compliment of her husband.
----------

"Barbecued vegetables are a thing? Not sure who added that and thought it would sell." Taji asked as her eyebrows went up to her hairline before crashing down and furrowing. After a while, she made her decision as she put the menu back. "Should I order for everyone or should I wait some more?" There was no real sharpness to be found, she seemed to enjoy her time with her new friends.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
As B.O.S.E.C shushed Seiun, he initially felt irritated but he was able to hold in his frustration due to being promised an explanation later. True to character, the construct did in fact offer its little history lesson.

So your telling me that even with all this cool weaponry and stuff, they managed to take themseleves out just to attempt genocide on the mist? What a bunch of idiots!

The missing-nin found himself chuckling at the apparent stupidity of the Kaguya Clan while B.O.S.E.C began to chant something. This chant caused a seal to appear on a suit of armor in the exhibit. From there, B.O.S.E.C got up close and personal as he often does and gave a set of instructions to the missing-nin.

“͝With͢ ͟a̢ ͜d̨r̡op ͝o̡f̶ y̷o̷ur̸ bl̨o҉o̴d͘,̴ p͟res͜s ͡y̢oùr͏ ͢o̸pen ͢p̵alm̨ on̕to̧ ͢the ̸s̸y͢mbol͟. ̛And͟ ̨yo͘u̧r҉ ͝p̛a͏th̢ ͜t́o̕ ̶fr̵e̕e̛d͟om͏ wįl̸l ͡be̛ ͟a҉śs̕ured...̨”

Seiun facepalmed at B.O.S.E.C's directions. This was not because of anything that the construct itself did, but rather the raingy rogue facepalmed at the fact that he forgot to bring some kunai.

I'll be right back, I just gotta get my axe.

With that, Seiun took off to get back to the entrance. Luckily, the axe was exactly where he left it, lodged into the wall.

"Sorry about my temper good sir," Seiun's voice was intentionally meek and polite sounding, the kind of tone he used when he and Tsuki were alone, "I'm seeing a therapist and I've been known to have random outbursts of anger," He said all this to distract the old man as he snagged his axe and went back inside the museum, but before then he said to the elder.

"Have a good day sir!"

As he went back inside, he chuckled to himself at how easy it was to convince the old man that he was merely mentally unwell; the fact that it was true to an extent only made it easier.

Sorry for that minor inconvenience. Now, lets get back to work.

The rouge shinobi returned to the armor, the seal on it pale, but still visible anf seemingly able to be activated. With his axe in his right hand, he swung it down on his left hand hard enough to draw blood, but not hard enough to split bone. Understandably, Seiun grasped his wrist and winced in pain before forcing his open, bloody palm onto the seal with a strained smile on his face.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

B.O.S.E.C.’s offer of freedom was all of a sudden cut short as seiun began to run out of the room. The contract of course was tagged away from the armor due to his link with Seiun. It frowned, snapping to his host.

“J́ùs̨t w̨h͞a͏t̀ a̸r̸è ͘y҉o͢u̷..̀.̶?̴“

As he made his way to the front desk, he seemed to apologize to the old man, who was noticeably defensive upon his re-entry into the room. Reclaiming his axe, the construct seem a bit less on edge about this, unlike the older man.

The old man was quiet, just looking in suspicion and disgust at the boy. As the boy left the room, the old man brought out something from under the table. It seemed to be a communicator of some kind. He began to click on it many times, communicating through Morse code. S-E-N-D H-E-L-P. The message would be broadcasted to a few local areas, covering but not limited to local security forces, the Kage mansion, Terumi, Hozuki, and Yuki.

B.O.S.E.C. Watched on as seiun returned to the armor, axe in hand. It was genuinely surprised when he slammed the axe into his hand, fuming blood. A wide grin plastered itself on it’s face.

“My.̶..̨aĺl you n̨ée̵ded͜ to d͝o wąś ͢d̷raw͡ a̕ litt́l̴e̴.͢ Yo҉u͢r e͡ǹt̡hus͜i͢asm͠ ͏h҉óweve̛r̴ ̵is mu͠c̴h a҉ppr̢éc̀iated́..̕.̴!”

As seiun places his hand on the seal...it began to shine brightly. Suddenly, a plume of smoke filled the room, the seal vaporizing upon doing so. As the smoke had begun to clear, there was a new object in the room. It was a two foot tall thin stick of some kind. The stick was ironclad with two holes on either end of it. Old Stained blood had been coating the handle of the stick, which was at the very center of it. The last detail of note was a white and black symbol on the weapon, extremely faded and hard to make out.

“̵A̴ha,͏ ͘so̵ ̢the̢r̵e ͞ar͞e̡ ̵m̡ore ̕of ͞them...҉!”̢ B.O.S.E.C. Gleamed. “Se҉i͘un͠,͡ ̨m͞ee̴t Ga͡he̛dra̷. Exp̨e̡r̨i͞ment͠a͝l͘ ͟cha͞k͝r̢a̧ ͢w̡e͟a͏pon̸.”̢

B.O.S.E.C. Traced it with a talon, unable to interact with it, but still admiring the craftsmanship.

“̛St͡o̴len͞ b̀y͘ ͞t͡he͏ Ka͝g̶uya͞ c̛l͢an d҉ur̶ing ҉one ̸o͞f҉ t́he͡ir ̛ŗa͠i͞ds ̷it̕ ̢se͝em̨s.̵ ̵The͡ ab̢iļit́y̨ ͜to͞ tu̡rn͏ ̢y͘ou͢r̸ ̧own͡ chakŕa ́i̕n͞t͢o͏ ̛a͢ h̷a͝r͞d̸l̸i͘g͢h̸t̷ w͜e͝a͟p̷o͝n.̷ ͞Weathér p͞u̸re ̷ch̴a͟kra ͠or ͝an̛ el̀e͡m̛e͞n̕t.̶ Eventual͟ly t̢hi̧s t͟e̕chn̷òl͝og҉y͝ wo̷u̡ld͟ be ͘use̛d ̧tǫ ͏man̡uf̡a̶ct͝u͞re ͏t̕he̛ ̷baseli̛n̸e̢ Yu҉ki Hono͝r ̧G͠u҉a҉r̸d ̢a͘r̕mor̷,̶ it’̸s͘ n͏o ́w̨o̡nd͏er t͘he̢ ͘ŕe̕st҉ o͏f͟ ̢th͘e͝s͘é ̸we͡a͟pons wer͘e͠ co͝nf̡is͞càte͠d̶.͞ ̡Care͝ ̢to͠ ̧giv͢e i̷t a̛ ͘whi̸rl͝~̕?̢”͏



.....



Reaver laughed deeply at his kill, the metal noise detatching from the neck of the man, allowing him to fall to the floor...Decapatated. Reaver stared Okabe down, the corpse between them.

“YOU SHALL SHARE HIS FATE, HELL IS A FITTING PLACE FOR ONE SUCH AS YOU!”

With that, the noose flung into the air, it’s shape changing slightly, the center filling out and getting sharper...becoming a razor sharp disc! The disc swerved to the side, darting right at Okabe from an angle.

 

[Godjacob]

"Tomiko gave us the cliff notes, but not the details." Jirou replied after she had a piece of her pie as Hoshi was quick to fold his arms over his chest at that mention.

"Yeah, Tomiko stop being a tease! I want to know everything! You said you fought this weird clown wanna be and I want to know how it all went down!" Hoshi cried out as Tomiko had a chuckle at that.

"Apologies, I was planning to share it all when we go on our trip tomorrow. Believe me you will get all the juicy details." Tomiko replied with a sly grin as she seemed to use it as some bait for plans her and her crew seemed to have.

"Oh thank you! W-we have a menu we can give you if you want a full selection." Atsuko said overjoyed to have someone with interest of purchase that came from the big main city.

"Well, you tend to be more creative when you have limited options. So it actually helps with sparking us e-even if finding the right pieces to the dish can be a bit bothersome." Kuro said with a sheepish grin though he had been flattered all the same by the Jonin.

-----------
Sakura had masked a sweat drop as Kou made his declaration. This guy was gonna drag this conversation on and on at this pace, she needed some way to shift the topic while also convincing Kou it was a "reasonable" move to make from his view. No easy task, Sakura was always more of an academic than one of social sway but she came up with something she figured could work.

"Well, my sensei is a bit...out there, as far as Jonin go. He usually meets me ahead of time at places because trying to figure out how his mind works is one of life's great mysteries. Like what is behind his mask...." Sakura said, that last part she muttered to herself before she shook her head and focused as she worked back to Kou.

"Anyway, he said he'd meet me at the raman stand today. Guess he could figure I needed lunch today, I suppose I can slip you a seat there." Sakura said, as she outlined this "information" she had onto Kou which a lot of it had been based on actual fact and habits of Kakashi which made it much more effective.

-----------
Madoka nodded in kind as both she and Pakura moved with Lord Kazekage as he led them to the lair where the Oto-nin had been kept as the Jinchuriki thrashed about as if she was the beast she housed rather than its container.

"Now now, careful where you bare your teeth. Your impulse here should be focused on self-preservation more than anything else." Pakura advised to Kin, not that it mattered that much. If this girl refused to even give them a little in cooperation than they'd simply replace her. No strain on their ends though having a Jinchuriki with some experience would be a nice bonus.

Madoka herself simply watched Kin, unsure if she should speak up at first

"So I'll say this much, it is very much in your best interest to try and be civil about all this. Understand?" Pakura advised Kin as Madoka watched curious what her response to that would be.

-----------
Tayuya merely had a scowl in response, this Hyuga had a bit more sass than she expected as the realization of what was happening dawned on the Oto-prisoner. With a sigh she had her head down a bit as she shook it before she looked up to Sagiso with a deadpan expression on her face.

"You are not gonna leave me alone until I agree to do something with you, aren't you?" Tayuya muttered to Sagiso as she could easily guess where this was going. Then she heard Shura comment as she passed a new scowl his direction.

"Oh you decide to chime in? What you want to stick up for your girlfriend's honor or something?" Tayuya asked, even with her tease she was curious what reason Shura had to step into this conversation.

----------
"Like I said they have a bit of everything. For better or worse. I think we are ready to order." Kenji said, as his mind settled on some fish for this evening while Aisha traced that juicy jumbo stake pictured on the menu as clearly the Inuzuka-nin had her mind made up as well.

"Yeah, we're good." Aisha added on giving Taji permission to make the orders.

-----​

"Seems they got the paperwork sis. Now maybe we can stop being so cold with our guest and work for a much more warm relationship." Atsui suggested as Samui internally rolled her eyes though she had carefully read the notice that was offered to her by the Nadeshiko ninja as it seemed to be legible. Enough to make her ease up as she signaled the other Kumo-nin present to lower their stances though they remained in position all the same as Samui looked the leader in the eye.

"Very well, then allow us to escort you to Lord Raikage. Please follow us and don't pay mind to my brother. His words speak on his own idiocy rather than reflection of us." Samui replied as Atsui rolled his eyes at that but none the less the Kumo siblings as they would begin to lead the Nadeshiko ninja to the Raikage's office.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Hearing Tayuya’s scrowl, Shura shifted in place a bit before looking back towards the sound prisoner. “Not at all, I don’t appreciate people putting words into my mouth.” He glanced that Sagiso. “In fact, I’m more so on your side. I mean she went from asking you to be her singing partner to suggesting you take a bath together, that’s kind of a jump on topic don't you think? Makes you wonder what goes on in her head doesn’t it?” Shura was still speaking in a casual tone. “In this situation, I would understand your reluctance.”

 

[kyuukestu]

Yasu

While the trio of Madoka, Pakura and the Kazekage left through the doors, a single black feather floated over the windowsill where Yasu had departed. Seeing as nothing else was required of him, the crow-feathered shinobi departed in silence. He crossed the sandstone roofs heading nowhere in particular. Perhaps the training ground would welcome his presence, heavens knew he needed it. The mission had impacted his chance to train, and he hadn't had much chance to test his skills either. If his time at the northern border had taught him anything, it was that the sharpest knife was the one daily polished.

 

[DarkHydraT]

"I mean, I could tell you the details but that would ruin the trip you guys are on tomorrow." Mori looked at his fingernails in a bored fashion. "Guess you just have to wait a bit longer to hear the incredible story of our mission. A shame really, once you hear how well Tomiko kept the team together and how she fought, you'll be seeing her in a different light than now." The genin had a lopsided grin on his face as he faced the crew, although one thought ran through his mind. Was Tomiko going to tell them about the Incident? And if so, how badly was it going to influence his reputation?

"If you have one, then please. I am pretty sure that I'll be coming here more often when I know what is for sale." Iwao smiled friendly at Atsuko, quite enjoying the joy on the woman's face.

Kasumi chuckled. "I guess our jobs share that huh? Creativity is always a good thing, not using it is a waste. A different perspective opens up a whole new world of possibilities. One of my friends has good contacts with someone in the food market, if you ever need ingredients, just let me know."

--------------

"Excuse me, sir." Taji beckoned a waiter to their table. "We'd like to order something. Some fish for the boy and me, a jumbo steak for the girl and two bowls of water for the wolves please." The waiter nodded and left. "So, Aisha. May I ask how you met Luna and Sky?"

 

[kyuukestu]

Hinagiku

Hinagiku sank into the reflective gleam of the blade, her idle admiration provided to the draconic contours engraved into steel. Kiro’s nuanced silence had not surprised her. She presumed him to have submerged himself in thought. Taking what time he needed to mill through her words and the meanings held therein. These moments, she graciously allowed.

Oh, how she appreciated that look of thoughtfulness, the tell-tale signs of someone who read words yet unprinted and heard things yet unspoken. It was such astuteness and cunning that made the kiri-born Uchiha worth the...risk.

As the saying went, high risk, high reward, and it was up to the investor to gamble on the roll of the die. Speaking of gambles and investments, it would seem one had sought her out, a noted deviation from the norm.

Before Masa had even stepped through the door, Hinagiku had sensed her presence. The sudden visitation brought an amusing smile to her lips. The Aburame Head’s word, however, evoked another response.

“My time’s worth its weight in gold you know?”

A benign smile gave her words a touch of pliancy. Although she hadn’t been pleasant, she hadn’t been presumptuous. Her message was simple; her time would be spent on whatever held the most weight.

She leaned back at her own words, leaning haphazardly upon her weapon. When Kiro had finally emerged from his thoughts and given his response, she turned to him, and her smile was flickered with hints enigma.

“Nature cannot be tricked or cheated...”

Sagisō

Sagiso wiped the snark from her face, Tayuya’s deadpan response dampening her ruse. Her fingers brushed through her shortened hair, tossing the dark strands into the air. She leveled her disapproval at Shura but spared him no more than that glance.

“All burnt out today, little kosho? No matter, I didn’t come here to tease you. I wanted to chat, but if you’re so against it, how about you call me Onee-sama right here? I’ll get out of your hair if you go with option 2~”