Private/Closed Naruto AU: Roleplay

[Retro Master]

At first, Kiro didn't know what Sagiso was going on about. Then when she puffed out her chest, he realized what the girl wanted. While Kiro hadn't been that interested in grabbing her chest at the moment, he would certainly go another round with Sagisō. Especially since he wouldn't back down from a challenge like that. Taking a breath, Kiro accelerated the flow of chakra within his own body, even sending a little current into the hat in his left hand.

"Fine. I'll try not to be as rough with you this time."

Kiro would take a few gather steps forward before he could aim to plant his left foot directly underneath him. The close position should allow him to be close enough to move forward and reach for her chest with his left hand. His right hand, still holding the green hat, would also move forward, but at an upwards angle.

 

[kyuukestu]

Blood boiled in her veins at Kiro's approach but the skillful star schooled her hair-trigger reflexes. Seconds stretched as Sagisō's focused narrowed. She didn't move, she didn't resist. She maintained a state of absolute readiness, her chakra pushing against her skin from the inside-out. She was a weapon primed for an attack but tempered to retaliate. It was only if the Uchiha were to be so bold in his endeavor that she would strike back and not a moment sooner.

 

[Retro Master]

Like he'd seriously attempt to grab her so obviously. In fact, he knew better than to actually challenge her up close even with chakra. Instead of actually throwing his left hand at her, Kiro brought his right hand slightly down as he struck his knee up, lifting into a vertical jump off the one foot. The green hat in the right hand would be sent over her face as it went downwards to about the same level as the other hand. It wasn't anything to crazy, but it was enough to lift Kiro into the air and get him space to gauge her reaction. He'd keep the hat directly in his line of sight while rising. In fact, should it go over her face and take her attention, he would send chakra to his eyes to reluctantly activate the sharingan before flicking hand seals for a jutsu.

 

[kyuukestu]

Kiro's fake-out only brought a self-satisfied smile to Sagisō's face. She knew he didn't have the guts to go for her chest. With Kiro's bluff called, the skillful star was in a smashingly good mood. So much so that she paid little attention to all the hoping and skipping the Uchiha seemed to think were maneuvers. Humming a cheerful tune to herself she simply quipped.

"I knew ya wouldn't do it~"

That done, she rotated her wrists and let it rip. A duo of mountain crushers, all force, and no power. Two very wide cones of chakra which would send anything caught within them flying away from Sagisō and that something happened to be Kiro who appeared to have no room to dodge as he jumped into the air.

 

[Retro Master]

For some reason, Sagisō expected him to have given up after not going directly for her chest. That wasn’t the case at all. Kiro just wasn’t going to attack recklessly without knowing what she was up too. Unfortunately, it appeared he’d miscalculated how serious Sagisō was as she lined up two mountain crushers directly at him. As Kiro was hit at point-blank range, he had been prepared to take the full brunt of the attack. That damage never came.

‘Huh?’

To his surprise, rather than being completely obliterated, Kiro had been blasted further away into the air. The girl must’ve been playing with him since that was all there was to her attack. Though this wasn’t exactly the best scenario, he’d still taken no damage and received valuable time and insight in return. Rather than resist the rest of the force, Kiro let it freely send him through the air. Seething with rage at her words, Kiro took this time to let it sizzle inside of him. Subconsciously, the current created through his accelerated chakra flow had spread throughout his body. Tucking his legs midair, Kiro gracefully turned over and performed a backflip of sorts. Once Kiro was upright, he'd extend his legs before leaning slightly forward as he landed on the balls of his feet first. At this point, Kiro felt somewhat grateful to Sagisō because now, he knew what must be done.

“Let's try this again.”

Bending his knees to absorb the impact upon landing, streaks of blue flickered around him for but only a moment. At the same time, Kiro blinked once and allowed his eyes to burn with chakra, activating the Sharingan. He was overcome with not anger, but a fierce desire to just take the girl with his bare hands. Kiro was fully determined to complete this challenge. Even if it meant taking damage, he would not let Sagisō get away so easily. All the energy stored in his legs was released as he launched himself at her with a quick burst of unforeseen speed. As Kiro moved towards Sagisō, he shouted as his palms were open and ready to grasp the targets on her chest.

“You’re mine!”

 

[kyuukestu]

Bold! She liked it that way.

"Make me!"

A pleased smile had come across Sagisō's lips with Kiro's direct, albeit very reckless, charge. She tucked her arms into her sides, bending at the knees as she steadied her stance. As Kiro approached she struck out with both palms « Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Wall Palm » ! It was just like her mountain crusher, composed of explosive force, but not intended to do any real damage. The force in the wall palm was more focused than the mountain crusher, but this only meant it could do its job better. Sagisō fully intended to arrest his momentum before he could reach her.

 

[Retro Master]

"Oh, I will..."

With his eyes, Kiro continued to watch her very closely. Noticeably, the girl had yet to move from her position. Not that Sagisō had any reason to do so, but the possibility that she was injured during their previous was there. Even though the Sharingan couldn't exactly predict her movements, it could still perceive where she was likely aiming. After all, her focus was directly on him.

Though Kiro had resolved to take damage, he wasn't going take it so freely. His charge had been reckless, but not foolish enough to where he couldn't react. Due to the vacuum palm being more focused, the spread of the attack was narrower. He took advantage of this by bringing a foot down, leaning at a forward angle as he bent his knee, before hopping diagonally to the side. Once landing on the other foot, out of the range of her attack, Kiro would bounce off of it and continue towards her. Of course, his eyes never left Sagisō as he expected her to continue watching him and react accordingly.

Should Kiro actually get close enough, then he'd attempt to grab the closest extended arm with one hand and aim to grab her chest with the other.

 

[kyuukestu]

The skillful star had expected nothing less from her adversary. She most certainly approved of his approach as she excitedly traced her lips with her tongue. The legs that Sagisō had previously bent to steady her stance now become powerful pistons. She let him get close, as he seemed to believe was his advantage, and then she sprung. As he attempted to grab her closest arm, she rushed right into his range; her legs straightened, explosively lurching her forward as she leaned her weight onto her foremost leg. She twisted at the wrist intending to drive her knuckle into his carpals, the hollow of the wrist through which his muscles ran and upon which his grip was reliant. It was only the first of many strikes as with their current positioning, he was well within her the range of her 8 trigrams.

Pivoting on her foremost leg allowed her to bring her second outstretched hand —which hadn't been that far away, to begin with— into a comfortable range. « Eight Trigrams: 16 Palms » ! She didn't add chakra to her blows; instead, she leaned into the ferocious speed and fluid nature of the consecutive strikes. She intended to overwhelm the Uchiha her and now. The 16 strikes could be linked in any way she desired, and the Nadeshiko was prepared to let them lead her into the 32 palms and then the 64 palms right afterward.

However, despite Sagisō's eagerness to continue the bout, there were others who had different things in mind. Dancing on the wind, the frills of a red and green maid dress briefly obstructed Sagisō's vision before a forceful blast of chakra sent her staggering back.

"You'll have to pardon me but it's almost time for the concert, young lady. You need to get changed."

With flat words and an even flatter expression, out of the blue Natsu had appeared, apparently intent on keeping the matters of the festival on-track even if those who were responsible for those matters had gotten...side-tracked.

 

[Retro Master]

Kiro had barely managed to stop himself when Natsu had jumped in the way. He glared at the older woman, furious that they had been interrupted. The thought of attacking her instead briefly crossed his mind. The Hyūga maid was not the Hyūga Head after all. A second passed and he decisively decided against it. His target had been Sagisō and only her alone. If she was done, then there was no need to continue. He deactivated his Sharingan before he looked over to the skillful star under the maid's protection.

"Saved once again Sagisō. I guess we'll finish later if you're still up for it."

This was not the first time Sagisō had been saved from his assault and she should do well to remember that. Other than that, Kiro was ready to get going as well. They had a concert to get going too.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

..............


The day was riddled with festivities, from a small ninja tourney to cooking shows, the day was truly a spectical to behold. For some it was a day to be enjoyed and absorbed, for others it was a day of competition, some thought it a chore, and others just amused to see everyone else play a part.

As the day became night, the lights of Kohona were shining bright, the crowds abuzz, firing off firecrackers and the kiddies playing with their newfound toys. While almost every event had been completed, there was still one big one: The Dusk Fireworks Display. Truly a sight to behold, many a lover’s eve were spent taking in these fireworks. A spectical to remember.

In this crowd of people, Kou stayed with Sakura, and had finally caved in to seeing that puppet show he was so interested in. While a certain rodent kept his safe from the jaws of a feline killer. Kou giggled, remembering the funny show he just saw.

“Hey Sakura, did you see the part where Minato conked that big fox on the head? Haha, I didn’t think leaf history was that funny!”

 

[Nukas]

After the Tournament, Amari was done being around a bunch of people for the day. She liked getting to know Senji and Raiku throughout the day, but too much of the same people for too long can turn a good experience bad very quickly. She left them after the last event and went to go find a quiet place where there wouldn't be any more huge crowds, just a nice place to sit and relax. She then remembered where the others had taken her today up on top of the stone kage faces. It was so tranquil and it had a beautiful view of the village. She decided to go back there, maybe meditate when she got there and just be calm.

When she got up to the top she was surprised to see a familiar face, Sagisō was resting on top of the stone faces. She hadn't gotten a moment alone with her sister all day since she had been participating in most events at the festival. Amari had wanted to make sure she had a chance to give Sagisō her present before the day had ended, but before a few moments ago, she wasn't sure it would be possible. She walked over and sat down next to her sister. "So what brings you all the way up here? Don't you wanna spend time with your Konoha friends since we're leaving tomorrow?"

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō sat along the edge of the stone faces, her legs dagging over the locks of stonework hair. From what she knew the stone head she sat on belonged to the Fourth Hokage, apparently the greatest of the Hokage from what she'd heard. As Amari came up behind her and took a seat, Sagiso mumbled over the question she'd asked.

"Konoha...friends? I don't feel like I have a lot of friends here."

Truthfully, Sagisō felt she could count only a few of the people she'd met during her stay as friends. Acquaintances, maybe. 'Friend' was perhaps too strong a word to describe what existed between herself and the various Konohagakure shinobi. The way she saw it most of the people she truly cared about were distant family, and even then, they'd not interacted with enough to have formed a strong connection. Still, none of that felt pressing right now. It would all be behind her tomorrow, so why dwell on it now?

What actually occupied the skillful star's mind was no the present, but the future.

"I guess it's because we're going home tomorrow that I'm up here. I want to...sort things out."

 

[Nukas]

Amari wasn't too surprised to hear that Sagisō didn't consider many people friends her, but Amari did know she had her family that she assumed Sagiso would want to spend time with before going back. If Amari could have just one night with her parents again, she would jump at the chance. Of course, she knew that was impossible, but she dreamed of it some nights. It's one of the reasons she felt connected to Sagisō, neither of them was born in Nadeshiko and were taken in. They worked hard and fought and were treated as any natural-born Nadeshiko kunoichi would.

Amari found herself starting to lose herself in the past and snapped back to the present. "What kind of things?"

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō's lips twisted into a frown, not knowing where to start and not sure if she even wanted to. Idly she traced her hands over the seal imprints on her arms; though there were many things stored within, there was only one she was thinking of. It was an ornate comb inlaid within a plush, decorated box. It was a gift and a most meaningful one at that.

Sagisō lifted her arm, cupping her palm over the setting sun; her splayed fingers allowed the light to dash across her face, scattered and beamed. Rarely did the Nadeshiko ever allow herself to sink so deeply into her own thoughts and emotions. Nothing good had ever come of it.

Brushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, the skillful star felt an odd sense of ease.

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing important. Oh, but I got you a present!"

 

[Nukas]

Amari knew there was more on Sagisō's mind that she had wanted to say, but knew well enough to leave it alone and let her come to terms with it in her own time. She didn't want to push her into saying more than she was ready to, she just wanted to sit here and relax with her. It was peaceful but more meaningful than just meditating by herself, she was sharing this calm. Amari was then surprised by Sagisō's announcement that she had gotten her a present. "Really? I didn't think you would get into the Winter Spirit, but it just so happens that I got you one as well."

 

[kyuukestu]

"I gave it a try." She shrugged, "After all, it was no skin off my back."

With the flip of her hand, Sagisō revealed a palm-sized box. It was very tightly sealed to preserve both the integrity and freshness of its contents. It was one of the many presents Sagisō had collected throughout the day and it was by far the most expensive. It wasn't a gift of luxury, however, but one of practicality. As matters were, it was hard to find high-quality and practical goods in their line of work.

"How about we open at the same time?"

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Down where the firework display was set up stood Shiho as she was in charge of the firework show this year. The girl was swiftly running around the area, regularly checking each of the firework cannons to make sure everything went smoothly. It appeared she was trying really hard to make sure the festival would finish on a good note, but in actuality she was simply bored. There was no need to look after the fireworks as much as she had been doing.

Shiho briefly stopped her excessive checkup routine to take a look around the square, seemingly looking for someone. “I wonder where he is, I told him to meet me here. He better not have forgotten, he owes me after all.” She mumbled to herself with a sly expression before returning to her fireworks.

 

[Nukas]

"That sounds perfect." Amari unhooked the ninja tool bag and presented it to Sagisō. It wasn't fancy, and she knew Sagisō had no need for a ninja tool bag, but it let her keep the present on her at all times today in case she needed to give it to her sister at a moment's notice. She handed the bag over to Sagisō and took the box presented. She wondered what her sister had gotten her, especially since she hadn't expected to get anything at all from her. "So on the count of three?"

 

[kyuukestu]

The type of container a present came in could tell someone a lot about the gift itself. A ninja tool bag drastically narrowed down the number of possible options. Sagisō already had an inkling on what Amari's gift had been, but she still smiled and went along. Agreeing with Amari's suggestion, Sagisō started the count.

"One...Two...Three!"

With that, she pulled open the lid on her gift-box. Inside were a pair of wooden earrings whose surface was punctuated by ornate carvings, in the center of which sat the characters for the number '13'. The earrings themselves weren't made from any normal wood, but instead the more exotic genjutsu wood. It was produced from trees of the same name that emitted a genjutsu-inducing fragrance on all those who carelessly approached them. The way Sagiso saw it, they were more than perfect for the meditative solitary star as the spiritual nature of the fragrance would act as premium grade incense while she meditated...or so Sagisō's head cannon went.

 

[Nukas]

“... Three!” On three, the solitary star revealed what she was keeping in the ninja tool bag. Inside were two sets of eight Five pointed shuriken in order to resemble stars. The stars meanings of course weren’t hard to understand. They were obviously shaped as stars to represent the stars of Nadeshiko. They came in sets of eight because Amari had remembered Sagiso using seven stars accompanying the moon which required 8 shuriken to perform. On one of the sets of 8 she had engraved “36 Heavenly Skillful Star” and on the other set was engraved “13 Heavenly Solitary Star.” This way, no matter where she went Sagiso would have a part of Amari with her. It wasn’t much, but she was certain her sister would appreciate the gift.

 

[kyuukestu]

"Oh! These are perfect!"

Eyeing the double-octuplet of shuriken Sagisō's mind immediately slipped into fantasies of combat. Shuriken worked very well with her « Blade of Wind » technique and were her preferred choice in ranged offense. The Violent Whirlwind, Mountain Crusher, and Vacuum palm were solid moves, but they relied on concussive force whereas the blade of wind relied on its sharp cutting edge. Sagisō much preferred the latter as it took less chakra per effective damage dealt. It was a small nuanced differentiation but nuanced was kind of her thing.'

"Mind if I test them out?"

 

[Nukas]

“Wow Yizhen, these are just... beautiful!” Amari took the earrings and examined them. They had a soothing aura around them and the carvings on then were Well thought out and added to the overall design. She would have to ask her sister more about them later, but first she had a question of her own.

“Of course! What are Shuriken for if not to be used?”

 

[kyuukestu]

Wordless but expressively Sagisō swept up the Shuriken leaping from her perch on the Fourth Hokage's head to the mountainside proper. As she landed on more solid ground she took some time to flip the 5-pointed shuriken between her fingers. The steel was different, and the additional edge gave the star a new weight and a different balance. It wouldn't be the same as throwing normal shuriken and the awareness of that was half the task in adapting.

Sitting down cross-legged, the skillful star continued to inspect her latest set of shuriken. She had an idea of what she wanted to do with them, but it hadn't quite come together in her mind as yet. It would take more meticulous coordination to utilize this set's preponderance of shuriken, but pushing boundaries was often the best way to improve one's skill. She would have to give it a try.

 

[Nukas]

"While you're thinking about that, I have to ask where you found these earrings. The carvings are elegant and they just have this really soothing quality about them, although that could just be in my imagination." She was inspecting her new earrings as she said this. She didn't usually wear jewelry, but this was very subtle and wouldn't really interfere with her movements. The wooden pearls wouldn't feel very heavy and she would almost barely notice they were there. Plus, it was a gift and a very thoughtful one at that so of course, Amari was going to wear them. She was however forced to tuck them away for the time being back into their box since she did not currently have her ears pierced and would have to think about how to get that done later.

 

[kyuukestu]

"I didn't find them." Sagisō started, flipping the shuriken between her fingers and familiarizing herself with its weight. "They're custom made; genjutsu wood is a bit hard to find, but it's pretty good quality, no?"

Sagisō chewed on her lip; the sheer number of shuriken in the set she'd received was quite troubling. Coordination the 8 shuriken needed to perform « Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon » was already a challenge by itself, but that approached the limit to the number of shuriken she could effectively deploy at once. If she held the shuriken between her fingers, then she could get four shuriken on each hand. That put her upper limit at 8 shuriken total.

Perfecting a 16 shuriken technique would require so workarounds to this limit. She could potentially throw the shuriken in two waves, but that would allow her opponent a microsecond of respite between each wave. Unacceptable. The most pressuring play would require 16 simultaneous attacks, but achieving that would take some ingenuity.

Kicking off her sandals the Skillful star stood barefooted. She gave the shuriken a light toss before she flipped into a Worley. The Worley was a variant of handspring, but one that involved a mid-air rotation that allowed her to orient herself in such a way that she remained facing forward. During her last bout with Kiro the Uchiha had sought to capitalize on the brief moment where she'd turned her back, but it sufficed to say that their last bout had been his one and only chance to capitalize on that mistake.

As she performed her worley, Sagisō caught the shuriken between her toes, clamping down on one of its blades. Her eyes locked onto a tree a few meters away, the perfect target. Her leg flicked forward sending the shuriken flying in the same motion she used to spring back to her feet. She'd hardly waited a second before she heard a satisfying thud as the shuriken found purchase in wood.

Ponderously she stared at the tree and the shuriken therein. It was a good start, but she obviously couldn't use her hands to throw shuriken if she was using them for the worley. That meant any maneuver of this sort would need to be 100% airborne. However, even though being airborne wasn't an issue, aiming all 16 shuriken where she wanted them would pose a challenge...

Sitting back down cross-legged, the girl sank back into her thoughts.

 

[Nukas]

"They're great quality and also subtle and they don't seem like they'll hinder my performance at all in battle." Genjutsu wood, that explained why she felt at ease when Sagisō gave her the gift. Of course she also probably also felt at ease knowing it was Sagisō who was giving it to her.

Amari watched as her sister thought about how to use all 16 of her new Shuriken at once for her new move, something Amari had not anticipated or expected of her. There was a reason she was named the skillful star. Her dexterity and grace was something that Amari could not hope to match any time soon. She had always looked up to Sagiso and her ability to make any move look graceful and powerful at the same time. It was also amazing how she would be able to put her mind to something and stick to it until she found a way to make it work. That took a level of mental resolve that Amari had just not reached yet.

Amari wished she had that same determination, but she had a hard time focusing unless she was meditating, which actually sounded really nice right now. She repositioned herself, closed her eyes, and took in her surroundings. The bugs buzzing in the air, the light from the moon beating down on the other side of her eyelids, the feel of the rock under her, and her sister just sitting there with her, in the pleasant night.

 

[kyuukestu]

The tournament's conclusion and the eventual selection of its champion brought to a close a veiled military exercise orchestrated and overviewed by one Hinagiku Hyūga. Work was neverending and in the spirit of industriousness, even amidst apparent recreation, work had to be done; there really was no disciple quite like the Hyūga's. Be that as it may, her judgment dictated that as soon as she had finished writing her report on what she'd seen, and subsequently dumped it into the Hokage's lap, then her hands needed to be washed of the matter unless explicitly asked otherwise. With her vacation looming just over the horizon, distancing herself should pose no issue.

On the topic of that vacation, however, she would need to prepare. Hinagiku took her leave from the fanfare of the celebration returned to the Hyūga Clan where she retired to the sanctum of her office.

=======================================​

"You know..." Sagisō suddenly started.

"With succession coming up a lot's been on my mind. Actually succeeding my mother —the other one— and all. This is what I trained my whole life for, but I can't help thinking...I could've done better. Do you remember what Lixue said? 'Having a weakness is not a bad thing but learning how to keep yourself and that person safe … if you fail that, then that is a tragedy.'"

She paused, drawing a crisp, cool breath of air. Then she continued quietly.

"I don't want to experience that tragedy again."

She turned her gaze to the village and the myriads of people who blissfully enjoyed its protection.

"They can only do that because this village is strong," She gestured to a small group of jovial party-goers, bringing them to Amari's attention.

"But that's what I want for us; the power to act freely, without worrying about enemies breathing down our backs. No, I want more than that. If those citizens had seen what we saw on those islands, the power of the biju, would they still be this carefree? Ignorance comforts them...for now."

The leaf clearly had enemies capable of wielding extraordinary power, and frankly, Sagiso wasn't optimistic about their chances. From what she'd seen, the leaf had little ability to resist the full force of their enemies now that the Legendary Yellow Flash was gone. Without the strength to protect themselves, they'd been chewed up sooner rather than later. That her sisters were no exception to this rule brought only grim, depressing thoughts.

"The outside world is Survival of the fittest, Shaqing. I don't want the ones being preyed upon to become us. We need to remain the hunters, always the hunters. Power, Initiative, and...sacrifice. A Hunter possesses all three."

Her impromptu speech had come as a result of her ponderous ramblings, however, now that she'd actually vocalized her thoughts they crystalized inside her. She was clearer now and what she wanted to do, what she needed to do.

"Help me, Shaqing. Help me convince the rest of them —our sisters. Nadeshiko needs to change, that's what it means to be third generation...no?"

 

[Retro Master]

"Once our shifts are done, I was thinking we could probably go get some drinks with the rest of the barrier team.”

Kotetsu told his partner Izumo as both the gate watchers awaited their order at one of the many food stands near the village gates. Even today they still had a very important job to do.

"The rest of the barrier team? They really have you all working from sunrise to sunset today.”

While he focused on packaging their meal, the man expressed interest in their duties. Of course, any member of the Leaf would respect those who defended their village, even in times of celebration.

“Yeah. Well, at least us in the interception division. Those guys in the detection division never really get a break. Can’t imagine what it’s like to be staring at a giant bubble all day.”

Without a second thought, Kotetsu casually gave an explanation to their fellow Leaf citizen.

“That giant sphere represents the sealing barrier over the village and allows them to detect any intruders who enter the village. It’s not a job just anyone can do.”

Izumo continued for Kotetsu, giving a better description of this bubble. Intruders would have a troublesome time sneaking in without getting caught. Escape might be another story.

“Yeah yeah I know. That’s why we’re here picking up a quick meal for everyone. We should probably get going now though. Thanks for the food.”

With that, Kotetsu and Izumo gave their regards to the stand owner before heading off to deliver the food to the rest of the barrier squad.

‘So it's only them two actually here by the gates during the day with the sealing barrier team somewhere else. Interesting. Well I suppose a drink doesn’t sound too bad, but I got something better.‘

Leaning against the wall on the side of the stand, out of view from the two jōnin, was a certain prisoner chewing on his favorite soft and sweet confection. The silent eavesdropper reached into the little bag in his hand and pulled out another delectable treat. Glaring back at the bunny-shaped marshmallow were two Sharingan. Imprinted on his meal was the face of a former enemy, courtesy of the photographic memory granted by the dojutsu. While that could be seen as a gift, it felt more like a curse to him. The things he’d seen due to those eyes just wouldn’t go away.

‘Every time I look, I see its face. Stupid rabbit.’

With his first bite, Kiro took its entire head clean off. Though this wasn’t the actual thing, he still enjoyed it’s rich and sugary flavor.

'I'm so close to freedom I can taste it. All I need to do is get past those gates. At full speed, I'm certain none of them will be able to react in time to chase after me. The only one capable of doing so is probably sipping tea in her office right about now and thanks to that spar with Sagisō, the Hyūga assigned to watch me revealed herself. Some maid isn't on the level of the Hyūga Head. There’s no doubt about it. I can escape right now.’

He could escape. Yet, when Kiro actually stepped out and took a good look at the large gates, a question arose in his mind. Then what? Would he actually be free? Where exactly could he go? The location of the Sound was still unknown to him. His best bet would be to get assistance from either Zaku or Tayuya. That would likely require him to break at least one of them out first. The other option was returning to the Mist. As much as the idea of returning "home" intrigued him, he most definitely wouldn't receive a warm welcome if the words of the Yuki Head were to be taken seriously. Once again, he didn't have the power to take him on by himself just yet. Lastly, he could just try to survive the harsh life as a rogue ninja. While Kiro was confident in his capabilities of doing so, confidence could only take someone so far without the power to back it all up.

‘Pathetic.’

Picking up the trend in each one of the options caused the prisoner to gently smack his forehead. It was quite amusing to be honest. He just lacked the adequate power necessary to gain that freedom. Besides, all it would take was a few minutes before he was completely out of chakra. That weakness still continued to hamper him.

'Escaping tonight would've been a good birthday present to myself, but that seems pointless. Come to think of it, no one actually wished me a happy birthday. Not that I was expecting something anyway. Don't think I even told anyone. Well, there is Raiku, but I haven't seen him since that street incident. Knowing him, he's probably alone training or something. I guess he really isn't into this stuff.'

Turning around, Kiro looked on into the depths of the village, the crowds of people seemed to grow rowdier as the skies slowly grew darker. Seemed like the fun was just beginning for some. Since it appeared his stay here would be lengthened, then perhaps he could indulge in something as well.

"Guess I’ll treat myself to some of that delicious ramen. Ichiraku Ramen was it? Now if only I could find that place without getting lost.”

 

[Nukas]

Amari stopped meditating so she could focus on her sister. She hadn't heard a speech flow this freely from her sister in a long time, it was most certainly what she had been holding in earlier when Amari found her up here thinking. Amari had assumed Sagiso was going to have come up with some kind of amazing technique when she next spoke. She was not ready for the chaotic rambling she received. She had to take a moment to take it all in. As soon as they got back to Nadeshiko, the ceremony would take place. They would officially be third generation. If there was a time to make a change it would be with them.

"I think you're right at the core. If I'm being honest, it was a little hard to follow your exact train of thought throughout that speech, but I think I understand for the most part. We don't want the blind loyalty like the leaf has, where over half of the nation is ignorant to the outside world, but I certainly don't want us looking over our shoulder at every turn because of our enemies. I want what you want, and if you think this great change will keep Nadeshiko strong enough to assure that, then I will be with you every step of the way." Amari was a little unsure of the details of what Sagiso was picturing, but she could tell from her sister's determination that the future was looking bright. Together they could make this generation something powerful and better than Nadeshiko has ever been. It would be a lot, but they could handle it.

"So, until then... come up with any new Shuriken techniques?"

 

[kyuukestu]

If one were asked to describe the 3rd generation Majestic Star in a single word, then one look at her pale complexion and frosty expression would bring to mind thoughts of a chilly winter morning. Such a person would probably choose the word 'Snow' as their descriptor of choice. Another type of person might notice her full round cheeks, delicate lips, and limpid eyes; all those traits came together to give the girl rather fruity features. That person might then choose 'Plum' as their optimal adjective. Yet others would see her slender legs, and shapely hips, their eyes tracing the curvature of her body up to her overflowing blossom and delicate neck. Those people were perverts; or, they were as far as Lin Lixue was concerned.

Although she didn't mind being ogled, she tended to ignore such crude gazes, them not being worth the time or effort needed to repel them, Lin Lixue was far more predisposed to those belonging to the first two groups. It wasn't because she liked looking fridged or that she took some great pride in her fruit-faced-ness; instead, it was the sentiment behind those two descriptions. Not from random onlookers, of course. Lixue hardly cared what they thought; the sentiments came from her late master. Her handle, Lixue, was formed from the characters Li and Xue, Plum and Snow respectively. It was a joke once shared between the cross-generational Majestic Stars, but with her master's soon-coming retirement, it would be one of the few sentiments she still had. That and her chakra.

Where most of her younger sisters would only go through the through succession ceremony and inherited the matrilineal techniques passed down through the 108 Stars, the Brave Star, Majestic Star, Fierce Star, Prestige Star, and Steadfast star —namely the 5 Tiger Generals— held to their reputation as the most elite warriors of the 108. Their succession ceremonies were not limited to merely techniques, but they also inherited a portion of the chakra from previous generations. This was known as the inheritance ceremony and required weeks of preparation and meditation to properly assimilate the absorbed chakra.

Lixue raked her fingers through her hair. She could distinctively feel the chill from the white splotches that polka-dotted her hair —Ice chakra. The change in her hair color was indicative of her successful inheritance. As she cultivated her strength her hair would be bleached white, and eventually, she too would pass down a portion of her chakra to the next generation. Though, those were thoughts for the future.

What mattered now was the here and now which were, respectively, one of the renowned hot springs in the land of hot water and the last lingering days of December. Those whole spring had been occupied by the Nadeshiko, nearly a hundred of them in total, a mix of second and third-generation stars. Walking into the hot-spring proper, Lixue was hit by the tense atmosphere, a mix of excitement and apprehension trained on the scene of two figures clashing over the waters of the springs. The onlookers maintained a respectful silence which only served to highlight each of the heavy clashes of steel. And heavy was truly the right word as a downward stroke, deftly avoided by its target, cleaved a blade-scar through the stones lining the hot spring, accompanied by an explosion of stone shrapnel and water.

Its target had wisely vacated the splash-radius, landing on the other side of the hot-spring her twin battle axes landing beside her with resounding thuds.

"Shihong, is dodging the only thing you're good at? I would've expected more from the fiend star, the Black Whirlwind. Tsk, Tsk. Is there no one who can withstand this General's blade?"

The blade in the stone was pulled up no more strenuously than one might pick up a feather, revealing itself to be a phoenix-engraved Guandao. It's wielder casually propped her blade over her shoulders as she provoked her opponent with a smug grin. Evidently the girl cared not for her modesty and made no attempts to cover her nakedness; though one might argue the counter-point that it would've been a pointless endeavor anyway. The towels provided by the hot spring resort stood no chance of keeping up with this extent of battle.

"Haoran you bitch! Don't get all cocky just cause you got your inheritance, you're not the only one who's gotten stronger!"

The duo paused to bicker and smack talk but Lixue had already stopped paying attention, ignoring the resounding clashes of steel she took a seat within the crowd and plainly asked.

"How long have they been going at it?"

"Eh...about a minute?"

"Does Chang-Chang know? I don't see her. Someone might need to get healed after this."

"She's waiting inside the Inn. You know how she is, the whole...not fighting and all. Who'd ever heard of a Nadeshiko that didn't like to fight? That girl's a mystery."

"Leave her be; after all, how many times has she saved your life?"

"Ehehe..."

With that chuckle of embarrassment, the short conversation ended and just in time too, as the fight seemed to kick into second gear.

"Alright, watch this, I'll show you Black Whirlwind!"

With her dual-axes at the ready, each pinched between her thumb and index finger, she gave them a twirl with a deft sleight of hand. She advanced; axes whirling about her hand, and around her body, their dual-sided blades expanded with wind release. The addition of acrobatics to her advance swiftly brought her theatrics to the facsimile of her epithet; she moved like a maelstrom of blades and carnage, leaving gouges across the landscape during her advance.

Yet, at even this, her opponent scoffed. Haoran dipped her Guandao's blade into the water, where a single mighty slash threw up a ferocious curtain of water.

Neither girl flinched at their opponents, and their calamitous clash seemed inevitable. Breaking through the curtain Shihong struck with her ax, a downward cleave.

Surprisingly, Haoran had not committed to the direct clash she had provoked.

A subtle shift and dervish of footwork allowed the ax to graze past her; where the swing of her Gaundao brought its heavy butt crushing into the side of her opponent. The blow looked nasty the clear sounds of a crack signifying a broken arm, and that it had landed at all seemed to surprise the onlookers as much as the attacker herself.

For her part Shihong was unperturbed, neither the broken arm nor the shaft now digging into her ribs seemed to concern her. She hadn't flinched, hardly even responding to the pain. Instead, she used it to her advantage, evidently, it was not she who'd fallen into Haoran's trap, but rather it was the other way around.

Seizing the initiative from her gambit, her second ax had already cast its shadow across Haoran's face. Turned on its flat, the ax landed with a heavy thud and its wielder batted her opponent across the hot spring. The smug, triumphant grin across her face was at odds with the broken state of her body, but after feeling around for a moment, Shihong merely snapped her bones back in place and cast them with a strip shorn from her towel. It would hold for now.

Ready to push her advantage, she readied her axes...only to be stopped by Lixue, who'd seen fit to intervene.

"That's enough. Go get checked up; we don't want that arm getting worse."

Her protest was silenced with an icy glare and though reluctantly, she slinked off into the inn.

One down, one more to go. Lixue flittered over to the crater where Haoran had landed, the latter seemed to be pulling herself from the rumble, the only sign of injury a faint trickle of blood from where she appeared to had split her lip. She was scowling and yet her expression contained some approval.

"A risky gambit, but it paid off this time."

"You shouldn't encourage that type of fighting, it'll kill her someday."

"Hmpf, it's our job to prevent her from ever needing to fight like that, but the willingness to gamble, its an effective trump card."

"Hmmm..."

"We do what we must, Lixue."

"..."

Despite her silence, the faintest of nods gave the Majestic star's agreement.

"Now that you're here we need to meet with the others. We've got a long road ahead of us and I'd like to have a game-plan in place."

Dusting the debris from her shoulder Haoran gestured for Lixue to follow her, and along with the Majestic Star, she picked out a handful of other sisters.

=================
​

Sagisō was apprehensive as Amari began, but her mood rose as the Solitary star appeared to throw in her support. That was until she got to the last part. With a slight fluster Sagisō lowered her head.

"Well...no, but you can't rush genius!"

Huffing indignantly, she playful gave Amari the stink-eye.

Though she hadn't mentioned it, she'd taken Amari's earlier words to heart not only on a sentimental level but also on a critical level. The next time she delivered that speech it would need to be more organized. That was for another time though, right now she wanted to lighten the mood.

"Wanna...have some fun~?"

 

[Nukas]

Amari just laughed at Sagisō's response to her question. She seemed determined and Amari always found that quality to be inspirational. "Fine, fine. I won't rush you. Although I do expect you to have it done before we next fight." Amari knew the technique wouldn't take long, but she knew not to rush it any further, even though she was really interested in what her sister would come up with.

Amari was hesitant when she saw the look in Sagisō's eyes, along with the tone of voice asking to have some "fun." There were a few ways this could go, but she honestly couldn't tell what Sagisō was thinking at that moment. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

 

[kyuukestu]

"We jump off."

Sagisō's lips curled into an ecstatic smile as she appraised the roughly 6 story drop from the peak of the Kage faces to its base. The face of the mountain was complex in its topography, the contours of each face and the natural ruggedness of the cliff created a unique playground upon which Sagisō say limitless potential. Swinging her hand, Sagisō produced a wooden board, a surf-board of sorts, which flew towards Amari. She held another surf-board in hand, this one evidently for her own use.

The Skillful Star licked her lips and took a running start and without a whit of hesitation, threw herself off the mountainside. She slid the board beneath her as she performed a 360 horizontal rotation; though, she had taken a brief moment mid-rotation to give Amari a little wave.

"Meet ya at the bottom~"

Then she plummeted.

 

[Nukas]

How did I not see this coming... Amari watched as her sister jumped off of the cliffside and started to surf down the cliffside. Amari thought about all the consequences that might come from this. This was a landmark in the leaf, one of the most important ones to them in fact. If someone saw them doing this, it might go badly for them. Of course, this was all forgotten as soon as she saw Sagisō's cute wave as she did a flip on the cliffside.

With newfound Determination, Amari jumped off the cliff with her board. She did an initial flip when tumbling off the side of the mountain before landing and sliding down what she assumed to be the face of the third Hokage. She got some air as she slid off the nose and went int a bit of a free dive before finding her footing again. She didn't even think about the consequences anymore, she was just enjoying the thrill. She tried not to participate in these kinds of things to often, but the thrill was so much, she could barely keep herself composed. She tucked her body in, hoping to create a more aerodynamic shape to better catch up to her sister. While she might have had a head start, Amari was hoping she could at least get to the bottom around the same time as her sister.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō went low-rider, her knees and back bent to give her as small a front as possible and as little wind resistance as possible. Her hands were balanced at her side and she used them as air-fins, directed her movement by shifting the weight of her body from one side to the other. Where Amari had chosen the face of the third Hokage, Sagisō had opted for the face of the fourth Hokage. The initial drop was longer but so too was the room for maneuvering; Sagisō tucked into a flip as she landed in the stone nest of the Yondaime's hair, catching one of his protruding locks like a ramp.

She'd equipped her gloves, not wanted to rip the skin on her hands to shreds with what she was about to do next. She used her hands carefully, cupping the stalagmite-like coiffeur, changing her direction and navigating down the sculpture. She made a few scant shifts, trying to slight shot herself down the mountainside, but soon she ran out of hair to surf and then hit the bridge of the Kage's nose, using it as a ramp to once again gain air.

Her hands went to the back of her board, as she pulled into a series of forward-tuck-rolls. She continued her hapless spin until she neared a tree after which she promptly ditched her board and finessed her way through the branches and to the ground, ending in a double Arabian before she stuck a shaky landing. She very much hoped Amari also had the sense to ditch her board so she could land safely.

 

[Nukas]

Amari couldn't quite catch up to Sagisō, just far enough behind to see her slightly shaky landing before realizing it was about time for her to do the same. However, she quickly realized that the way down from where she was on the cliffside was straight down, no ramps for her to use to her advantage to dismount from. Panicking for a second she realized she had to do something quickly as the last thing she wanted to do was fall flat on her face at the bottom of the stone kage faces in front of Sagisō. From her aerodynamic position, she quickly pushed off of the board and launched herself in the direction of the trees. She only just barely made it to the tree line and tried to work her way down as gracefully as possible. While the landing was less than ideal, she did minimize the damage. "Let's, let's not do that again." She said this to Sagiso in between her heavy breaths from the events that just transpired.

 

[Mystic Zander]

“Damn Guards breaking up my fun. Didn’t even get my money back.” Katsuo mumbled in an unsatisfactory tone as he walked away from the pile of crooks, now being held down by two Leaf Shinobi Guards.

“That Katsuo kid. He’s been ‘jumped’ by low level crooks like this a before, hasn’t he?” The first guard quipped, slamming the leader of the three individuals into an arm-bar.

“Yeah. It’s clearly no accident. But he’s a tough young ninja. He’ll be fine.” The second Guard retorted, lifting the remaining two crooks up by their collars.

“Even so, guys like this usually have connections with more dangerous individuals. If that boys not careful, he’s gonna make some enemies...”

———

The day slowly trudged by, soon transitioning into evening. The dirt paths of the Leaf village had grown quiet, and all was calm....that is, except for the Ikeda household.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU MISSED THE TOURNAMENT!?! HOW DID YOU POSSIBLY MISS IT???” The fear inducing roar of Ichiko boomed through the household, sending chills running down the spines of everyone residing inside.

“Ichi...don’t you think you’re being a little hard on him?” Kido cut in with a look of pure amusement on his face as Ichiko proceeded to shake the Traveler-Nin aggressively.

“NO I DONT! NOW TALK!”

“The-e—ere wa-s a gro-up of c-rooks!” Katsuo fumbled out with a dazed expression, attempting to regain his footing once his mother released her ironclad grip.

“There’s always a ‘group of crooks’! Now look what you’ve done! This was your last chance at real practice before-“ Ichiko stopped short, her eyes like that of a deer caught in headlights. She’d slipped up.

“Before what?” Katsuo piped up, now looking rather confused.
Everyone remained quiet as short glances slowly traveled across the room.

“Before what?!” He shouted, awaiting the answer that no one wanted to reveal.

“Your mother and I have decided that it would be best for you to stay in the village, particularly at home, until this Orochimaru business is dealt with.” Kido’s announcement weighed on the room for a moment. It was clear that Katsuo wouldn’t stand for this.

“What? You mean you want me to halt my training as a ninja?”

“That’s not what we’re saying, Katsuo. You can still train, we just don’t want you traveling for awhile. It’s for your own good.” Ichiko’s words were comforting, but her eyes said otherwise. She didn’t like this anymore than Katsuo, and knew this decision would end in a disagreement.

“It’s for my own good? How? If I wanna stand a chance against this threat, I’ll need to be out there! I need to travel, learn, and grow on my own. Staying here would only halt my progress, and I’m not gonna stop now!” The shaggy haired boy hadn’t realize just how loud he’d raised his voice until he scanned the room. All eyes were fixated on him.
It wasn’t common for the boy to have emotional surges like this, which only cemented his stance even more.

“Katsuo...you’re my baby boy. I can’t lose you.” Ichiko cupped her sons head in her hands, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

“I’ll always be your boy, Mom. But I absolutely cannot just sit around waiting for something to happen. You know that.”

“...yes...I suppose I do...”

——

Once again, Katsuo found himself outside, walking the streets of Konoha. He didn’t want these pointless little walks to become a common occurrence, but he’d found his mind increasingly troubled these last few days. What’s more, he knew he had to get back out there, but he wasn’t sure where to begin.

How does one come across an eye-opening journey? Finding a secret message in a bottle? Discovering you’re the heir to a massive fortune? Two girls flying overhead on snowboards?

“Huh?” Katsuo was ripped away from his own thoughts as two figures came bounding down the side of the Kage Summit just a few meters away.

“Well...you don’t see that everyday.”

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
After that run-in with the strange man that tried to kidnap his little sister, Taiyo wanted nothing more than to bond with his sister. Thankfully, his desire wasn't that difficult go please considering that there were festivities practically everywhere. However, a small part of Taiyo also wanted to hang out with his friends, notably Raiku or Furījia, but he felt duty bound to stay with his sister to protect her.

"So Susei, what do you wanna do now?" The genin asked his little sister. The academy student took some time to ponder on what she wanted to next. After some thought, Susei made a decision.

"I wanna go home and open gifts with Mama," Taiyo nodded to his sister's suggestion, though he fully intended on returning to the festival. When they got home, the sound of a fireplace crackling was the first thing the siblings were greeted with. There was also the smell of cookies being prepared, likely for one but hopefully for multiple people.

"Hello sweeties," Kinrenai Akugami greeted her children as she put a plate of the confectioneries that she prepared on the table, "How was the festival?"

"It was great!" Susei exclaimed shortly after she and her brother had finished embracing their mother.

I'm glad she isn't too shaken up by that whole thing. This is a holiday after all.

"I suppose since your here now, we might as well open presents," The mother of two suggested as she revealed the two bagged gifts she hid in the kitchen. With an eager smile on their faces, the siblings raced up the stairs to get the gifts they planned on getting. In truth, their gifts were nothing extravagant, Taiyo's being a tea set for his mom and a new paintbrush for his sister. Grabbing their gifts didn't take long, so it was soon time to open the gifts. They sat down at the dining room table, their usual spot for gift-giving. A warm plate of cookies and a refreshing glass of milk was at each seat for each member of the family.

"I'll give first," Taiyo offered, grabbing the bags that contained the gifts for his family, "This one's for you Mom, and this one's yours Susei," Now came the anticipation of their reactions.

"I love it Taiyo, thank you!" Kinrenai gave a warm hug to her son, to which her daughter followed suit after she discovered that she could now paint better. Susei volunteered to give hers next, she gave a new cookbook for her mother and a transparent, scarlet rock to Taiyo. The rock served little other purpose than being a paperweight, yet the FBS master couldn't help his mesmerization by the gift.

Funny how she can get away with giving me a pretty rock for Christmas isn't it?

Well scarlet is my favorite color.

The Leaf-nin and his mother both expressed their gratitude towards the youngest Akugami child, allowing Kinrenai the freedom of gift giving. To her daughter, the gift of a new canvas was received, but to her son, a gift with more emotional value was given.

"Wait a minute..." Taiyo slowly examined the painting he got from his mother. It was obviously a family portrait, for he could see people that clearly resembled himself, his sister, and his mother, yet there was someone else that didn't seem to belong. It was man who very clearly held familial resemblance to the rest of them and he had a hunch as to who it was, he just needed the guts to ask the question. "Mom...is this older guy on the picture supposed to be Dad?"

The mother gave a knowing nod, "I took some creative liberties in my request, I thought you'd appreciate that," This prompted the young genin to give his mother the best hug that he had ever attempted to give. Though by surprise, Kinrenai gladly returned the gesture, both of them trying to hold back the tears.

"I never met Daddy..." Susei began, "What was he like?"

The two had to conclude their embrace so the little girl could understand the scenario.

"Well, your father was brave and strong," A warm and dreamy look got into. Kinrenai's eyes as she described her late husband, "and he had just about the biggest heart around. His big heart is actually why I married him," Realization lit up Susei's face, her face lowering now that she understood the source of their sadness. After that, the three of them now joined in a solemn but loving embrace, allowing themselves to feel the warmth of their lost loved one from beyond the grave. This period of embrace then transitioned to a period of silence.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to go back out into the festival to hangout with my friends," Taiyo announced to his family, hoping that he wasn't being too insensitive.

"That's fine sweetie, have fun," Kinrenai nodded as she watched her son leave the house to return to the Hyūga festival.

 

[kyuukestu]

"What do you mean we're not doing that again? Your form was sloppy! And you know what they say, practice makes perfect."

There had been a knot of anxiety on Sagisō's brow as she watched Amari's less-than-spectacular descent, but with her sister's safe landing, all that melted into nothingness. A playful grin had surfaced as she eased forward and poked fun at Amari's landing, however, she hadn't failed to notice the new arrival on the scene, noticeably lacking his trademark suit and tie. She couldn't think of a snide opening remark, which was unfortunate, but she picked up with the next best thing.

"Oh, Shaqing, I've yet to formally introduce you. That's Katsuo and he's a husband candidate."

 

[SageNeb]

A good amount of time had passed since Raiku had been grouped up with the people he met in the festival. However he was still near one person he had met. Too near for his liking. Raiku had asked the... thing that had caused a disturbance earlier to leave him alone since the creature began following him but he received no response. Eventually he gave up and decided to just go on with his day pretending he wasn't being continuously rammed into. This was made even more difficult with the added bonus of Bobo heavily breathing down Raiku's neck. Of course this didn't stop him from being annoyed but at least Bobo couldn't harass other people. That was the silver lining Raiku had given the situation to save his sanity.

Eventually Raiku grew hungry again and decided to go find somewhere to eat. He went to the nearest place, a restaurant called Ichiraku Ramen.

I heard some good things about this place but I don't remember the last time I went hear... hopefully it's as good as people say.

He sat down inside the stand as Bobo followed him inside.

"Umm, I'll just get ramen with eggs and meat, thanks," Raiku said in response him being asked what he'd like. Ayame looked down at Bobo expectedly.

"Oh don't worry about him... he just finished eating some sweets," Raiku said in order to save any confusion of why the "child" wouldn't talk.

 

[Retro Master]

“Finally. Took forever to get here. This village is too big for its own good.”

A certain prisoner arrived just after Raiku while mumbling some nonsensical things under his breath. Something about it being the Leaf's fault for not having any maps he could go off of. The dimming skies also served to increase the difficulty of his quest. As the afterglow faded ever so gradually into the blue dusk of night, the festive village had been lit up with a brilliant display of nightlights. Though these lights managed to fend off the creeping darkness which threatened to consume everything, that didn't make it any easier for Kiro to find his way.

Needless to say, Kiro hadn’t expected to find Raiku at the same place he wanted to go. Perhaps it was just a coincidence. An amusing one that he didn’t find unwelcome at the moment. He took one glance at the shifty boy beside the Uchiha. The kid was the same one who caused all the commotion earlier. Kiro smirked to himself as he sat down next to Raiku before looking at Ayame to place his order.

“Hey Kiro, it’s been awhile since you came here. How have you been?”

Ayame recognized the boy as the same one who had come a few months ago with the story about a rabbit. She smiled remembering how he generously gave it away to a group in the slums before coming here. He also had another certain friend come and strangely eat ramen using senbon. In fact, that whole night ended up being rather unusual.

“Yeah. They were keeping me in the Hyūga compound for the past three months. I was on that Hyūga diet you know. But that didn’t stop me from forgetting you and the ramen here. The service you provide here is truly exceptional. Anyways, I’ll take the same as this babysitter over here.”

Ayame lightly giggled as she heard his praises and took his order. The babysitter Kiro was referring to was most likely the boy with his child. Of course, she wouldn’t judge. Teuchi taught her better. Speaking of her father, the elder man spoke up to remind them of his presence.

“It’s not everyday you hear someone comparing our service to that of a prestigious noble clan such as the Hyūga. We appreciate your kind words and your ramen will be done shortly.”

Kiro nodded at Teuchi before shifting his attention back to Raiku. He was careful to keep his expression from revealing any suspicion. Raiku was oblivious at times, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. His let his eyes linger briefly on the kid before looking back at the Uchiha. Figuring Raiku would catch on, Kiro gave a simple greeting.

“So, what’s up?”