Private/Closed Naruto AU: Roleplay

[Retro Master]

Over the sound of the shuttering fan, the sound of quick paced footsteps could be heard arriving on the roof. As Danzo expected, Lady Hokage has finally graced them with her presence. The Uchiha Head and Shizune being at her side of course.

“Apologies. We got caught up with an important matter.”

Tsunade greeted the group, giving a simple and brief explanation. Fugaku briefly glanced in the direction of Danzo. The Uchiha Head couldn’t help himself. In any case, that matter could be discussed another time. They had wasted so much time as it was.

“Glad to see you have things running quite smoothly Lady Hinagiku. Shall we get this meeting underway?”

 

[kyuukestu]

Hinagiku smiled politely at the former's comment. Her cordiality masked her thoughts which briefly wandered after the possible implications behind those words. She was running things smoothly... A veiled jab? A warning that she had overstepped her boundaries? An observation on how she appeared to turn the gears for the village's administrative machine? All of the above..? Maybe —or maybe not; and either way, it wasn't her concern. She knew where she needed to throw her weight and this wouldn't be it. What Hinagiku needed was a fast, effective means of getting things done and in light of the Hokage and Uchiha Head's recent tardiness...she was beginning to frown upon the official channels.

Times of trouble called for quick, decisive maneuvers. They couldn't expect to meet up over tea when Orochimaru once again knocked on their gate. The Snake's recent attack still burned at her subconscious. He'd managed to slip in unnoticed, him and a whole host of subordinates. Similar negligence would spell Konoha's undoing. Now that she thought back to it, Orochimaru's subordinates...they had been enrolled in the Chunin exams, united under the banner of a village. Otogakure...was it? Why hadn't she thought to look into that village earlier?

She was certain no such place existed within the Land of Fire and she doubted the other Great Nations would tolerate Orochimaru's presence but she could not outrule them as possible locations. One of the minor nations was the more likely hidey-hole for the Snake Sannin but a thorough investigation wouldn't hurt. Such a notion was far-removed from her original thought, and Hina found she'd gone off on quite the tangent.

Blinking back to the present she leveled her eyes at the two newcomers.

"Of course, we shall begin without delay. I've already called for Kakashi. Once he arrives we can review the results of the latest mission."

 

[Godjacob]

As the Hyuga Guard arrived, Hisao and others listened in on the conversation as it seemed there was some sort of skirmish with some gang though before, with the mention of live bait to boot which seemed to bring...mixed emotions among the clan heads. Some paid it no mind, seeing it as a reasonable move or trusted Hina that she had everything in place to prevent the worst to befall them while others questioned the use of putting children as bait for a gang of all things.

Though before word can be spoken for debate the Hokage herself showed up as everyone took note of her presence. Though even as the Hokage came and gave her word to Hina it seemed they needed one more arrival to come. The Copycat Ninja himself in Kakashi Hatake as Inoichi sighed out in exasperation.

"You'd think he'd have developed proper punctuation over the years..." He muttered to himself. And speak of the devil, the one-eyed Jonin appeared out of thin air as he had stood in a crouched position on the highest point of the roof with a copy of his favorite novel in one hand and another in his pocket. He would move that hand to wave to the party.

"Yo. Sorry I was late, there was this old woman who needed aid crossing the street and in good conscious I could not leave her to..."

"Much as this story time may be riviting, I believe we have more pressing matters." Masa said with a monotone as Hisao had a light chuckle at this as the Jonin shrugged as he set his book in his pouch before he moved with the group as he passed a respectful nod to the Clan Heads & Tsunade as everyone now seemed present and accounted for.

-----
As Sagiso went to the dishes Tayuya rolled her eyes at Zaku comment as the latter moved quick as a flash to use his airwaves to help clean the kitchen as minutes of work seemed finished in a matter of seconds. Tsume was blank faced though even if Hana made no comment on it she found this to be a rather handy method.

Shame this guy ended up being a cultist to that murderous lunatic. He'd make a half decent housekeeper once his ninja career was over.

"Well then since you have this extra time, sure you can lend the Hyuga a hand with the dishes." Tsume suggested with the same stone face though Hana swore she saw a previous subtle twitch of the lips. Could it be she was impressed at the cleaning move...or merely gave him more labor in response. She shrugged not like it mattered once the dishes were done the place would be clean and they could continue on with their day which shouldn't be much longer.

"Not too shocked by this, I've always heard you blow." Tayuya responded with a smirk as Hana had to say these were a bantering bunch, which oddly had made this visit more amusing.

-----
As the rat waved his feather at what seemed a frantic display, Mittens simply adorably batted at the feather as she seemed ever amused. Her young mind was drawn to its antics, and in her view this little rodent proved to be a fun playmate and perhaps they'd be the best of friends going forward.

Takato listened to Kou's request as he had a curious eyebrow raised. Seemed innocent enough and as he glanced at Mittens whose gaze shifted to the boy the Nara member shrugged as he held Mittens but kept it closer to Kou. "Sure, just try not to be too rough with it. No idea what her tolerance is yet."

"Meow..."

Sakura in turn, had overheard Ino's comment as she thought it over before she turned to her. "I'm gonna go take a look, I'll be right back." Sakura said to her before she dashed ahead as she aimed to track the sound of the commotion curious what was behind this concern her friend had.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“Not too shocked by this, I’ve always heard you blow.” Tayuya responded to Zaku.

“Why? You interested?” Zaku played, his eyebrows flexing suggestively.

He of course wasn’t interested in the slightest with Tayuya, but was just playing the joker. She was too bossy and crude for his taste. Why was he even thinking about that in a time like this? He discarded the trash and turned back to tayuya. She is the only ally I got here. That Kiro is a maybe, though seein’ all the betrayals going around I’m a skeptic. I wonder how I’d let her know I’m planning to escape...

“You know Tayuya, at some point we gotta break this...”

As he said that, he tooted out soundwaves with his implants. Not many people would get this, but being sound ninja, he’d hope she’d pick up on it. First a middle C, then an A, G, then E. C-A-G-E. It being alien to anyone else other than mindless bickering, this seemed to be a perfect way to communicate.



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



Kou gently reached out to pet the cat that was nestled atop Takato. His soft hands carried it’s fur, something that made his rat brother squeak out in alert at.

Parrying another claw swipe, the rodent jumped off Kou’s Head, running along his outstretched arm and then hurdling onto the back of the monster before him. Feather in hand, he hoped to blind the creature, swerving the back of the feather on the nose of the cat, brushing it quickly left to right. He hoped the dust brought up would clog it’s eyes, and that no possible other result could occur.

 

[kyuukestu]

So success is punished with additional work...glad I dodged that bullet.

Sagiso had originally been thinking along the same lines as Zaku, utilizing her chakra and skills to trivialize this chore. However, with Zaku as the forerunner, it seemed that it would be more effective in the long run to simply grind things out at a casual pace. It would be less work overall. With that realization, she turned to the dishes, inspecting them curiously. While she certainly knew the gist of these things after spending so much time in the Hyuga mansion, the Hyuga had never so much as touched a dirty dish. She hadn't used dishes at all when she was in Nadeshiko, much preferring to grill things on an open fire, and when she was with the Hyuga all these tasks had been taken care of by the maids. Washing plate was a rather new sensation to the Skilful star and it was a challenge she was eager to triumph.

Her battle strategy was the same as always. First, observe your opponent.

Thus did the girl spend the next five minutes staring into her reflection in the plate. Any minute now, she would glean some insight as to how to vanquish these stains and smirches.

 

[Retro Master]

'Blow what?'

Kiro hadn't missed the suggestive expression from Zaku when he asked Tayuya if she was interested in his assistance. Considering the two must've been longtime teammates, the openness to helping one another wasn't too unexpected. How far that generosity extended was another matter. If only Zaku knew the amount of information the Hyūga had managed to get from her. Of course, that couldn't be helped considering her mouth. What could be considered more important was loyalty. Not that he could really speak on that subject, but it would be interesting to see if the girl still held those same beliefs she preached to only a few weeks ago. Kiro remembered the scuffle from the day before and the blood he found on the floor of his old house. A few well placed words from the right person probably did the trick.

Still listening the entertaining duo, Kiro couldn't help but notice the sudden pause in Zaku's words before he started the seemingly random noises. Perhaps that was a sign he shouldn't be eavesdropping. Three Sound captives just standing and listening to different noises was suspicious enough anyways. Not like he could actually understand any potential secret message Zaku was saying in the first place. However, the Inuzuka likely didn't know that. He'd do Zaku a favor and make it seem like he didn't notice anything. Hopefully, if the Inuzuka suspected anything, that would throw off their suspicion somewhat. This was also the perfect excuse to figure out what the hell was taking Sagisō so long with the dishes.

He'd really been doing nothing this whole time while waiting for Sagisō to get going. Kiro still had his own needs to get to, so perhaps it would be best to go and help the girl finish up. She should at least be half way done by now. Needless to say, Kiro was absolutely stunned to find Sagisō just staring at the plate when he found her in the kitchen. Words couldn't describe how dumbfounded he was. The girl was literally just staring at a dirty plate expecting something to happen. Never would he have ever expected to find Sagisō looking completely oblivious. She appeared so clueless that it was hilarious and kind of cute at the same time. He simply shook his head to try and lessen his amusement before walking up beside Sagisō. After grabbing a fresh towel hanging on a rack to the side of the sink, Kiro waved it in front of her face.

"This is a dishcloth. Maybe you should try using it."

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

The freshness of the towel was apparent to Sagiso, so the skeptical look she fed Kiro was to be expected.

"Huh? Why would I use that?"

She'd already caused enough troubles in the Inuzuka Clan and wasn't keen on stirring up much more. Dirtying their towels was nothing more than a petty prank and she didn't deign to stoop so low. Instead, she came to her own conclusion on the matter. She plugged the sink and flipped the pipes on. Overturning the soap, she generously dispensed half the bottle. The rising suds, the fruits of her labour, brought a smile to her lips. Now that she was half-way done, she just needed to figure out some means of actually cleaning the dishes. She didn't really want to touch those food stains...

Once more, the Nadeshiko kunoichi fell into thought, her gaze locked onto the dirtied plates.

 

[Retro Master]

Judging by the seriousness of her expression, the question was a genuine one. Sagisō did make a good start by setting up the water in the sink, so perhaps she was starting to learn. However, it seemed she really did have no intent on using the towel. Kiro eyed a sponge resting underneath where the dishcloth once was, but doubted she hadn't noticed it already. Maybe she just preferred to keep her hands clean. To be honest, he'd rather not get his hands dirty with another person's filthy germs either. Plus, the dogs probably used some of the silverware as well. Who knew what those beasts did with those items? Kiro nearly gagged at the very thought of cleaning such muck with his own hands. He almost felt bad for Sagisō. Perhaps if there were some gloves or even a dishwasher, she could use them. The usage of chakra also appeared to be out of the equation as she would've used some already.

Whatever the case, he supposed this was slightly entertaining. Seeing as Sagisō just went back to studying the plates, Kiro generously removed the rag from her face and watched her continue.

"Well, do you think staring at the dishes will clean them?"

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

Her eyes lathered over Kiro with a dirty look not even soap & water could clean. As if out of pure spite —which it was— she decided to have the Uchiha eat his words. The Byakugan was multi-purpose!

Focusing on the plate she began to gather chakra in her eyes...

There was normally a faint pulse of chakra that was emitted whenever the Byakugan was activated. It wasn't particularly strong on its own, but when focused on and amplified with additional chakra it could become a strong, directed force. As the Byakugan activated the air distorted with a piercing sound. The dirt and grime flew off the plate, pushed away by the focused pulse. Though simultaneously, the Nadeshiko's head whipped backward and a pain-filled hiss steamed through her clenched teeth. She pressed a palm to her temples, assuaging an oncoming migraine. The dish she'd cleaned was unceremoniously dropped into the lather of soap-water.

Despite the apparent pain she was in, she turned to Kiro and turned her nose up at him. The expression on her face was one of mockery and victory-fueled smugness. That'd show him...

Moving-on she picked up a new plate. She certainly wasn't going to go through that for every plate, but she had an idea anyway. Pursing her lips she made a few kissy-sounds; they were dog calls, or so she'd learned. In a few moments, she had managed to beckon over one of the dogs in the area. She presented the plate and after a few moments, it had been licked clean. Satisfied with her method, she dropped the dish into the lather of soap-water and took out another, repeating the process.

 

[Retro Master]

Kiro hadn't meant for his comment to be taken as seriously as it was. The question appeared to have sparked a flame within Sagisō, pushing her to literally clean the plate with her eyes. He knew about the burst of chakra that came from the byakugan upon its activation, but seeing the generally overlooked function be utilized in such an unorthodox fashion gave him something to take note of. Unfortunately, the display only garnered her a few creative points and an even greater headache. After nearly knocking herself out with the recoil alone, it was almost baffling that Sagisō could wear such a triumphant mask in front of him. Funny almost. Kiro would've liked to congratulate her on the little victory, but before he could start clapping, Sagisō decided to continue the show.

The second act had her bringing on a guest for assistance. Hearing what sounded to be some type of dog call, Kiro turned see one of the cretins suddenly scurry over towards Sagisō. Thankfully, Kiro was able to retain his cool composure as the dog had its focus taken by the dirty plate in her hand. Raising his free hand, Kiro brought the palm over his mouth, but not completely covering it, as he watched on in disgust. To his disbelief, Sagisō was letting the dog lick entire plates and believed they were being cleaned. Even worse, she was holding them with her bare hands. The amount of disgusting saliva that her hands were probably touching concerned him. He made a mental note to avoid making any contact with her contaminated hands.

"I won't comment on your unique cleaning process, but I'd recommend you go wash up after this. Especially your hands."

Though his tone was clearly skeptical, Kiro was giving her genuine advice. Maybe he was exaggerating a bit too much, but there really wasn't anyone else there to tell Sagisō that her method was pretty unsanitary. Both her roots in Nadeshiko and recent lifestyle as a Hyūga Princess probably played a factor in why she saw no issue with her current process. Then again, he also doubted the Inuzuka would even mind eating from plates licked by their own pets.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

"Who's a good boy? You are! Yes, you are! Good Job!"

With honeyed words and magic fingers, Sagisō gave the dog an affectionate scratch behind the ear. The canine had done its dues and saved her a lot of trouble. She snatched a piece of meat from the table feeding it to the K9 as a reward. Her task done, however, she figured it was about time to leave. Swiftly and suddenly she flashed her fingers through the air as if to fling droplets of saliva in Kiro's direction.

"Oh, don't be such a baby."

 

[Retro Master]

‘So that’s how she does it.’

Once again, Kiro witnessed another successful attempt at mind control as she finally finished the dishes. Her manipulative words and poisonous fingers corrupted the poor dog. Sagisō even fed the animal another inducement for it to keep serving her. There was no chance of the dog resisting that piece of meat.

The chances of avoiding the venom Sagisō had suddenly flung his way were also quite low. Fortunately, Kiro already expected her to pull some devious tactic with saliva. It would’ve been surprising if she didn’t. Kiro was able to quickly sidestep out of the way and escape being contaminated. Albeit, he hit the side of one of the counters while doing so. The collision stung a bit but he played it off with a little smirk.

“Nice try Princess.”

Kiro complimented the Nadeshiko on her miss, in a somewhat snarky manner, as he looked over his clothes. He had to be absolutely certain none of the saliva actually got on him. Gently dusting off a sleeve of his jacket, Kiro continued to speak with the same flow as before.

“A baby for wanting to take care of myself? That’s funny. Glad to see your head is feeling better already though.”

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

"I didn't realize it was such a great danger to you."

Sagisō rolled her eyes and snickered at Kiro's masterful evasion. She turned back to the dishes, muttering something about the Great Nations and their feeble progeny. Dipping her hands back into the sink she took out the plates that had been soaking in the soap-water and washed them off before setting them to dry. With her task completed in full, she washed the suds of her hands.

She glanced over to Tayuya and Zaku, shaking her head. Turning back to Kiro, she set her hands akimbo.

"Doesn't look like they'll be done soon. Wanna spar? Would help pass the time."

 

[Retro Master]

Brushing her comment aside, Kiro watched as Sagisō finished up. It appeared she still had the decency to wash her hands after all. He was still skeptical about the cleanliness of the plates but they weren’t really his problem. Now that she was done, Kiro expected that they’d get ready to go. However, it seemed Sagisō had other ideas.

“A spar? Sure. I was actually hoping to test out those ninja tool summons...”

Unfortunately, when Kiro glanced down at one of his wrists, the missing sealing marks reminded him that he hadn’t gotten them yet. That was annoying. The whole time Kiro spent doing nothing here, he could’ve gone and come back with the seals. So much time wasted. He let out a dispirited sigh before bringing himself back to Sagisō.

“Never mind that I guess. I’ll still spar if you want, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be in decent shape for the concert. Speaking of which, doesn’t that start soon?”

 

[kyuukestu]

"Hmmm."

The Nadeshiko glanced at the sky, the Byakugan activating to reveal the blue expanse beyond the wooden ceilings.

"And I can't guarantee you'll still be able to attend the concert. The sun's still high though, it should be early so I've got time."

She gestured for Kiro to follow her as she began to walk off.

"I saw an open field we could use earlier. It's somewhere over here... Feel like adding any rules to the spar? Maybe a handicap to help you? If we do close-combat I can tie one of my hands behind my back for you."

A snicker left her lips as she navigated the corridors, and soon enough, she pushed through the doors and stepped onto an open field. She took a deep breath of the fresh air.

"How about it?"

 

[Retro Master]

"Well, if we're just going to do this spar for fun, I agree with adding some conditions. Not those ones though."

The cockiness emanating from Sagisō was on full display as he followed her outside. Not that it really bothered him. Without any rules, even if it was a spar, Kiro could kill her if he so desired. Not that he had any intent in doing so. The main reason he thought about adding conditions was to prevent them both from going overboard. However, they still needed a way to keep the match competitive. After taking some time to think, Kiro believed he had settled on something when they reached outside.

"Alright. I think I have an idea."

Raising his right hand, Kiro pointed, with his thumb, at the green hat he was wearing. The gift from Shiho still sat comfortably on his head.

"If you can physically pull off this hat, you win."

Of course, Sagisō would probably be a bit skeptical at first. Even a light gust of wind should usually be enough to blow it away. However, by focusing a fixed amount of chakra to his head, it should get a hold on the hat. As proof, Kiro gave the hat a decent tug in an attempt to pull it off. It stayed on. Unless Sagisō flooded her own chakra into the hat, it shouldn't be able to be taken off easily.

"I know this gives me a handicap but it'll help to keep this quick. As for the condition I need to beat you..."

Pausing for a moment, Kiro realized he didn't have an idea for that. Perhaps Sagisō might have an idea if she agreed on the conditions. This idea wasn't completely thought out, so her input would be completely welcome.

"I guess you can pick then."

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō crossed her arms, squinting at Kiro's proposition. It was certainly an...odd one, but she found herself intrigued by its uniqueness.

"Alright, then my cowl. If you can take off my cowl, then you win."

She brushed her hand through the scarlet red cowl that sat around her shoulders. It was a larger target than Kiro's hat, but he'd need the handicap if he wanted to win. Her eyes narrowed in slight amusement; he appeared to have misconstrued something, but she didn't plan to correct him.

She fished into the folder of her dress and withdrew a single coin.

"We start when this hits the ground, okay?"

Setting the coin on her finger she gave it a flip. The bronze coin spun wildly in the air glittering as it ascended in the sunbeams...

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

.........

The bobbing of a small feet were heard amongst the crowded village. Bouncy and and and springy, the footsteps got closer, until the source of the footsteps bumped into none other than Raiku, right into his hip.

It was Bobo, right at him. Bizzare, as just a second before he was on the rooftop. His head slowly rising to looking at Raiku directly. A constant unblinking Stare with unknown intent. Not a word was spoken from him, although his yellow patch on his collar, which resembled the pattern of beady eyes turned to stare at him in unison to it’s wearer, like it was alive.

 

[Retro Master]

The cowl was an interesting choice. Kiro gazed suspiciously at Sagisō, believing she was up to something. Especially with that amused look and the item she then pulled out. Why throw a coin when she should know he always let a girl take the first move in a battle? He was a courteous man after all. Perhaps it was set up for a genjutsu? However, judging by her earlier offer, Sagisō likely wanted to do close-combat.

Kiro brought his right leg back a bit, but kept his lead foot facing Sagisō. Since they still had some distance between them, he stood on the balls of his feet for some added mobility. His knees bent only slightly as he sat into the stance to equalize his weight. Lowering his chin, Kiro raised his hands up for a basic guard as he continued to look directly at the Nadeshiko. Not once did Kiro look up at the object she had thrown and he broke the silence before it could even land.

“I don’t give a shit about that coin. Ladies first, don’t you know?”

 

[kyuukestu]

Ignoring Kiro's words, Sagisō focused on the coin. Her muscles loosened blissful and tightened with anticipation. She rolled back on the balls of her feet and closed her eyes. The daily bustle of the Inuzuka faded into the background as the thrum of Sagiso's heartbeat rode a crescendo of adrenaline. The coin bounced, shattering her calm with its distinct ring. Sagisō surged into motion, a pounce of red across the courtyard. She caught herself with her hands, consecutive handsprings bringing her to Kiro in mere seconds. With a final bound she cleared the Uchiha, spinning through the air in an attempt to take his back.

 

[Godjacob]

"Yeah I know them, been at war with them here for years. They decided that since this place is a "shithole" that they'd be kinds of it and try to get what they can from anyone and everyone. I wouldn't say it is "dumb" they attacked you but more desperate. They see no other way to improve their lives than to try and take from those better off so even if it risked likely beatdown if they could get lucky they might make away with something more. Least if I had to guess." Tomiko said as they approached their home. Upon arrival Atsuko's apology was met with general understanding and on top of that some presents.

"Wow, you mean Santa gave these!?" Naomi asked with childlike wonder. As Tomiko smiled at that as a knock was heard at the door.

"Ho ho ho! Oh did someone mention Santa?"

Tomiko's clone, or rather Santa Clause, walked into the room. Wearing the iconic red and white garb that was cleaned though not made of the most high quality material. And old cotton bear was draped around the clone's chin as what was either presumed stuffing or some old pillow had been tucked under the red jacket.

As she brought the large sack inside, she gave her delightful chuckle as she spoke with her best impression of the presumed Santa voice. "Those are not the only gifts I prepared. A special one for such a wonder pair of families!"

Tomiko Clause produced some wrapped gifts that she handed out to everyone and everyone much to the collective surprise and amusement of all parties present. Ren had to resist the urge to slap his forehead at the cheese of this, though Naomi seemed to have sparkles in his eye so he merely allowed the moment to sink in.

"For all the good boys and girls about, Santa's here to help lift that festive cheer!" The Tomiko-Santa laughed as Tomiko watched it hand out presents to Miu & Mio, Jirou, Hoshi, Ren, Naomi, Mori, his parents and Tomiko's own in succession all the while she seemed to liven up the crowd a bit as the twins danced around giggling as Tomiko smiled in satasfaction.

Yeah, this may have been the best holiday yet.

----------
Aisha would smile as Taji offered to guide her to this place, tattoos and their symbolic meaning as she tried to ease her with a small tattoo though Aisha had a bit of a grin to that. "Well I do prefer my kin as opposed to dragons, but I'll think about what I want when we get there so lead the way!"

Luna & Sky smiled as they nuzzled into Taji's petting before they followed Aisha suit. Kenji himself had a slight grin on his face as he shook his head in amusement. To say his ninja career had taken a turn with these two would have undersold it, but given how crazy things had gotten lately these two may help bring some needed relief from the insanity of the Rika situation or everything else he had been through now.

"Well I haven't seen this in person in a long time, so I say we don't waste a minute~" Kenji said as he dashed ahead of them while they headed to this ceremony site Aisha having flashed a toothy smirk wide as can be.

----------
As Tsume and Hana observed Sagiso and Zaku as they finished up their tasks, with even the Uchiha offering an assist to the Hyuga before the two parted for some bet with hats and cowls, Tayuya could only roll her eyes as Zaku once more tried to promote his wanna be ladies man personal he so desperately wanted to be a reality.

"Yeah, if I was in a rush to be exposed to certain disappointment, I'd ask to wear Kiro's hat." Tayuya said with her usual mood as Hana chuckled as these kids all seemed rather interesting. Though as Tayuya heard Zaku's sass, he seemed to try and sneak in a message using his sound and as a natural sound ninja & musician she easily picked up on the "toots" to decode the word.

Cage? The fuck does that mean? Like the cage we are in here in Konoha? Does this shitbag have a plan out or is he just wanting to bitch at me?

"You know, trying to pass some secret signal to another prisoner even if it is "hello" in on these grounds isn't the wisest idea." Tsume said, as her sharp ears picked up on the "toot" that Zaku played to what she presumed was Tayuya. While the tone of the sound was heard, what it actually meant was impossible to tell. Though given it had been one Oto prisoner making the subtle sound to another she presumed it had not been something innocent.

Though that was not something she had capacity to prove, either way she glanced at Tayuya.

"For the record, since the rest of your party left. I ask you do as well. Apologies but without a party with you to act as a trustworthy affiliate leaving you alone with him is asking for trouble." Tsume said, as Tayuya scoffed before she turned to walk out. Only passing Zaku a back glance; her expression had the usual pleasant irritation though in truth she wondered what his aim with the code way.

Either way, she moved outside and soon saw Sagiso & Kiro doing....well, something she only assumed was of the most personal and ridiculous.

"Oh joy, this again..." Tayuya muttered but she figured this was as much entertainment as she had hope to get so she merely just observed the action before her.

-----​

From a distance, Zino observed this odd clown figure which puzzled the Hybrid ninja to no end. Why could his Byakuga not get much of a read on the guy? Why had he acted the way he did? What was his overall deal?

Zino had not figured he'd care much at all about the clown, but something just...unnerved him, as he deactivated his Byakugan and tried to just enjoy his sample.

-----​

Mittens purred softly as it felt Kou stroke her head, as it seems the young kitten enjoyed the gentle touch of the boy's hand. Though it seemed the rat had been less than thrilled as it jumped at Kou's hand and aimed to swipe at it right up to the kitten's face with the feather.

Mittens frowned a bit as her nose twitched, had she upset her new friend? Was he jealous the boy pet her? Well Mittens decided to try and make it right, she would aim to grasp at the feather with her paw and if successful pull it and the rat to her so she could snuggle with the rat if possible. Mittens figured a cuddle would help show her friend she still cared.

Takato in turn observed, somehow he both presumed these creatures were much smarter yet much dumber than they appeared to be based on this interaction.

​

 

[Retro Master]

Sagisō would never get the opportunity to jump over him. With her momentum, Sagisō clearly expected he’d allow her to do as she pleased. Her cockiness would be her downfall. Timing the girl’s handsprings, Kiro kept his same posture and played to her expectations. There shouldn’t be any reason for her suspicions to be raised as she closed in. It was only when Sagisō reached the final handspring that Kiro would finally make his move.

The Skillful Star seemed to have forgotten some of the basic rules of combat. First, never lose sight of the opponent. A swift punishment only needed a split second. While in the momentary position of a handstand, her back was facing him. At this point of the process, Sagisō would also be directly facing the ground or the other side. She shouldn't be able to see his feet which were at least three feet away from her. Along with her momentum and the lack of hesitation, there was nothing stopping the Nadeshiko from lifting her hands off the ground.

Her second mistake was letting her assumptions lead her. Rather, her cockiness led her to assume she’d be able to freely handspring over him. Therefore, she had willingly forfeited sight of him. Her byakugan wasn’t even active. As soon as her hands left the ground, she was virtually defenseless. With both her arms completely stretched out, plus the upwards momentum, it was physically impossible for her to react with them in time. There was next to no way for Sagisō to even expect an attack, let alone predict one due to Kiro showing her exactly what she had envisioned from the start.

Of course, in order for Kiro to take advantage of this mishap, he needed a quick and powerful strike. Maybe more. As soon as Sagisō landed on her hands, Kiro went into the motions of a switch kick.

Kiro skipped into his switch by bringing his lead foot back and rear foot forward. It was subtle and quick to avoid telegraphing the kick. Not that she could notice anyways. The movement itself brought him a bit closer to his opponent. His feet were momentarily in the same line, which also allowed for less distance when kicking. Throughout this process, his weight continued to remain on the balls of his feet. While switching, he also rotated the shoulders in the same direction as the kick. Specifically, he swung his rear arm down a little past his waist and his lead arm up, almost like a guard over the chin. This allowed him to assist the rotation of his hips and shoulders for greater kicking speed when he kicked.

Immediately after the switch, just as Sagisō lifted her hands off the ground, Kiro exploded up onto the ball of his lead foot and turned into the kick. His toes were pivoted away from her as he swung his lead arm down and rotated the hip. This allowed him to access the full potential of a high aimed kick. In real time, this whole process was extremely quick. The lower half of the shin would make contact with the side of her midsection if it landed. Even if the kick didn't somehow seriously injure the girl, she should be damaged enough to be knocked to the side, right into his follow up.

One of the perks of a technique like a fast switch kick was the ability to follow up with quick, consecutive strikes every second. The kicking leg would return to an optimal stance before immediately shooting back. However, rather than repeating the high switch kick, Kiro positioned the foot returning from the high kick as the lead to support an immediate leg kick from the right side. The momentum from the previous kick would likely send Sagiso directly into this one, likely increasing the damage she would take. In fact, by being caught off guard by the first attack, her attention would likely be shifted in that direction for a brief moment. She would never see this one coming. If Sagisō was lucky, the kick would hit her left arm or ribs. Worst case scenario, she broke her neck or got a concussion.

By using different angles, the combo would make it difficult for an opponent to defend against. If Sagisō was actually facing him upright, Kiro would’ve continued with the rest of the combo. Instead, he opted to reach for the cowl with his right hand and pull it off should the combo get this far. Kiro would do this by immediately reaching for the cowl after his kick landed.

 

[kyuukestu]

With Sagisō's final bound, her fingers tightened, up with her she took a spray of dust and debris, and a deft flick of the wrist sent it flying. Her back was turned, leaving no chance of the dust going into her own eyes, but her opponent would not be so— "Ugrk."

Pain exploded from her side as the wind was knocked from her lungs. Her eyes blurred in agony, but she gritted her teeth. One of the major teaching in Bagua, never to resist a much stronger force. In the past few months, Sagiso had learned that concept well. Though she wasn't at the level where she could predict and redirect forces with only the graze of initial contact, she at least knew how to absorb impacts much better than she could before.

As Kiro's shin sunk into her side, she let her spine curve to accommodate the blow, and not even a split second later, her muscles were instinctively contracting as she forced an inhalation, which compounded the contraction as her diaphragm protested the movement. The sudden contraction of muscle allowed her to snap her arm into the path of Kiro's leg even as it began to pull-back.

She hooked onto Kiro's calf as it recoiled, and with that accomplished, she let her momentum to the rest. The full weight of her soaring body tugged at Kiro. It was impossibly unrealistic for him to resist that force, especially given that one of his legs was in Sagiso's hand, and that could only mean he only had one leg on the ground. That wasn't the crux of her counter attack though. The girl had allowed her arm to hook over his leg, rather than clamp onto it, and that meant she now had a point of torque, a pivot point from which she could rotate.

With her arm, or rather, her Uchiha anchor, keeping her body from continuing upward, a portion of her momentum was given a spin, becoming angular. She utilized this to her advantage, now that her body was responding much more fluidly from the shock of the blow, she twisted her hip. The adrenaline still in her bloodstream mitigated the pain, but still burning agony prickled at her spine as her abdomen fiercely protested the movement. From her early 'curl' movement, her muscles had gained tension and plenty of space to release it.

The resulting ax-kick drew a full crescent as it began to descend on Kiro's head. This action righted her body somewhat, as she and Kiro were now oriented head-to-foot.

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Huh, must really be hard to stay positive here." Mori noted as he lowered his arms from behind his head to next to his body. "I don't agree with their methods, but I can see where they're coming from. If I lived here and I hadn't met you, I'd probably end up like them." Admitting the influence Tomiko had on him, he smiled at her, grateful for her presence in his life.

When they arrived at Tomiko's house and Santa Clause of all people showed up, he struggled to not burst out laughing. It was a creative idea, but boy did it catch him off guard. Recollecting himself, he leaned over towards Tomiko's ear and whispered. "I love the idea for it, but it is really hard to not burst out laughing when seeing what you cooked up. I must say, your beard is more impressive than my dad's." Flashing a grin that stretched from ear to ear, he ruffled up Tomiko's hair as Iwao pretended not to hear it, though the smirk gave it away that he most certainly did.

"Thank you very much, mister Clause! I'm glad to see that you didn't skip these lovely children." Playing along with the show, the Utamara family accepted their presents and Iwao offered his own sack to Tomiko Clause. "I hope you aren't too busy, since we've found a sack that you lost. Now, it turns out that the contents of this here sack have the names of the people here. I'd hand them out myself, but I think that you are more qualified than me."

As the mood lightened and everyone got their gifts, Kasumi leaned on Iwao's shoulder with a big grin on her face before pecking him on the cheek. Normally Mori would be incredibly embarrassed by such a public display of affection, but now it just made him smile. This time of year was called the season to be jolly, and it lived up to its name in this bakery in the slums of Iwa. So much in fact that Mori's jaw began to hurt from how much he smiled, causing him to massage his cheeks to ease the strain.

----------
"There's a whole catalog full of designs, and they take requests, so there's no rush. I can go first if you want, I've been thinking about getting my own tattoo for a while now. Probably between my shoulderblades, it's an easy place to hide and it is not going to be noticed easily if someone tries to copy me with the Transformation Jutsu." Taji shrugged as she followed Kenji. "My father has a tattoo of a thundercloud on his left shoulder and my mother has one of a butterfly on her ankle, anything can be picked. You could pick a sentence you live by if you want, the possibilities are endless." Stretching her arms above her head, she cracked her fingers. "Hey, Kenji? Do you plan on getting a tattoo?"

 

[Retro Master]

The dust Sagisō dirtied his clothes with annoyed Kiro more than her actual reaction. He expected her to counterattack somehow. She wouldn’t let him get away with a direct blow that easily. Though Kiro didn’t actually predict the actions, he was able to witness her exceptional combat instincts in real time. Kiro had miscalculated her aerial maneuverability. Rather than resist his kick, she curled into the leg and let the momentum take her away. In turn, her arm was bent in an angle that allowed the Nadeshiko to smoothly hook his kicking leg as he was in the returning motion.

At this point, his balance was about to be shot no matter what. After all, Kiro had been standing tall while only on the balls of his right foot before he was pulled. However, not all was lost. Though his return failed, he had still been in the motion of performing it. His stretched out left arm was now in the process of angling back to the right, where he would be able to bring his hand across. More importantly, Kiro had his returning leg recoil off her arm before jamming it right back into the side of Sagisō. Though the kick would likely do less damage than the previous, his main intent was to actually push into her curled side and get somewhat of a hold.

Of course, this would also completely lift him off his foot. Kiro was prepared to fall over, but on his own terms. By leaning forwards, rather than backwards, he would let himself be pulled with her. With his upright position, Kiro should be able to fall forwards and use her momentum to also turn on his side. Still, this didn't matter much if he was just going to fall over without doing anything else. Her decision to not resist the momentum meant there wasn't much Sagisō could do but fall with him. Especially with his other leg pressing against her side, giving him a little extra control of their fall. Both of them were just going to fall either way. However, Sagisō, being overly greedy, attempted to take this friendly game of tag another level and knock him out with an axe kick. His attack had been an attempt to shake Sagisō up a bit, not send her to the hospital. If she wanted to play dirty, then Kiro could too.

With the momentum already helping to move his left hand to the right, Kiro wasted no time in grabbing the kick before it could hit his head. Though it did injure his wrist slightly, Kiro had it in his grasp. Respecting the unspoken agreement between them, Kiro avoided using chakra. No lightning palm this time. His right arm, which had been in guard position as a second option for defense, quickly moved to hold the leg in place. He aimed to pull her downwards and use the same momentum to land on her leg. Knowing he was going to fall on that side, Kiro hugged the leg closely as he prepared to land on it to brace his own impact somewhat. Preferably, Kiro hoped her ankle or leg wouldn't land awkwardly beneath his weight. Her current position was a bit odd. Sagisō could still choose to be generous and potentially spare them both from any needless damage depending on how she landed.

In any case, if Kiro got the opportunity after the landing, he would move to grab her cowl and end this fun little game.

 

[kyuukestu]

Kiro's reactions brought Sagiso no small amount of displeasure. The renewed agitation in her side and his intercept of her kick cause her eyes to narrow. The Nadeshiko's mind raced with possibilities. Although she had expected Kiro to block or try to deflect her leg, she hadn't expected him to try and place it underarm. That...complicated things. Her tongue found purchase at the roof of her mouth; bracing itself as Sagiso steeled her determination. A rather painful choice was made then and there as Sagiso opted to pursue a future offensive.

She let herself sink into the Uchiha's plans, using his own maneuvers to mask her own. She would not give away her actions until that had gotten close enough to the ground to prevent unwarranted reactions.

With the intention to borrow the impetus of their fall, Sagiso carefully lined up her right leg with Kiro's shoulder joint. When they landed her leg would snap over Kiro's left arm as the impact with the ground shook them. With the way he had crossed that arm to block her earlier kick, she knew there was no way he would be able to raise the arm in time to evade her pin. The movement was almost imperceptible as her leg had only shifted slightly throughout.

As that she'd waited for arrived, and so too did the coarse earth, Sagiso released Kiro's left leg. Her own left leg squirmed in his grasp, finding further purchase with the top-flat of her foot as she hooked it against the pit of his arm.

Her hands raised to her side in a boxer's stance. Her left arm braced against the side of her head to protect it from a collision with the ground. Meanwhile, her right hand waited but a moment longer. With a firm grasp on Kiro, Sagiso pulled her body into a sit-up-like motion; her knees bent as she pulled their torsos closer together, her stomach clenched with the core exertion that pushed her upper body even closer, and much like Kiro had done before, Sagiso swung her right arm downward, her intention to deliver an elbow strike that would give her some breathing room away from Kiro's leg. It was all done in one fluid movement, but its effects were not to be understated. It would bring her upper torso, specifically her arms into the comfortable range of Kiro's cranium, while also take her out of the immediate range of his leg.

As the duo landed, Sagiso's face twisted as pain lanced through her left leg. It likely wasn't broken, but she would certainly need to have it checked later. In any case, where to end this by removing his hat or to pummel the Uchiha's face with a bloody vengeance, the cards seemed to lay within her hand. And who was she not to play them?

 

[Retro Master]

Kiro winced only slightly as they made contact with the ground. Though he had minimized the impact by landing on her leg, part of his right arm was also underneath. Sagisō had also snapped her free leg over his left shoulder, clamping it down after they landed. It appeared he was in quite a bind. His arms were trapped and Sagisō could simply pull his hat off at any moment. As for the demoness herself, his lips nearly curled into a smirk as he saw the painful expression written on her face.

"Apologies for being so rough with you Sagisō..."

Despite his prior reaction to her expression, the words had an unusual softness in their tone. Perhaps even a hint of tenderness. Kiro let her name gently roll off his tongue before he paused, looking into her fierce magenta eyes. They were the eyes of a ferocious predator who was clearly enraged at the excessive damage received from what should've been an easy skirmish. Too bad he wasn't exactly playing the role of prey. Sagisō would have to last a little longer if she wanted to take his head or hat for that matter.

"But I'm not finished yet."

With that, Kiro suddenly turned his free legs, attempting to get on his knees to help turn himself over and get on top of Sagisō. Due to being on their sides, it wouldn't be as difficult as having to turn her all the way over had she been on top. Unfortunately, all he could really hope for was a moment of surprise or hesitation from her to even give him a chance. Sagisō had her hands right by his hat and should be able to pull it off at any time. Even if it was futile, Kiro just couldn't give up. With his right hand, which was the closest to the cowl, if he got on top in time, Kiro would then attempt a last ditch-effort to grab and pull it off her left shoulder-chest area.

 

[kyuukestu]

She had been expecting an attack. Kiro's stubborn pursuit was not surprising to Sagiso; the Skilful Star had both expected and prepared a counter-attack to a possible counter-attack Kiro might've pulled at the very moment. However, the mode of Kiro's attack was...surprising. The Uchiha played his hand, twisting to take the high-ground and freeing his right hand. Expecting foot-work and receiving a last-ditch hand-grab in its stead, for a moment the Nadeshiko's brow furrowed and she'd even forgotten to resist. Ever so slightly and her focus shifted to Kiro's hand but she barely gave the motion more than passing glance, before her eyes settled on Kiro himself.

While he had been taking the high-ground, her legs had been locked at the ankles behind him giving her grip an additional level of tightness. With that as leverage, the Skilful star pulled herself into a sit-up. This simple action defeated the purpose of any attempt at her cowl, as it was now too close for Kiro to actually pull off. In fact, the simple tie that held her cowl to her shoulders would thwart most, if not all, efforts to remove her cowl as the Uchiha would have less than an arm's lengths of leverage with which to exert any force.

Locking her gaze onto Kiro's face, Sagiso loosed a sigh that ruffled the locks of his hair. She arched an eyebrow at him, revealing a mix of skepticism and incredulity. Her expression conveyed it all; 'Was that really your last-ditch effort?' As if commenting wordlessly on its perceived futility. From there, her lips quirked upward, in triumph and in humor as she was once more given such a pristine shot of Kiro in his green hat. She gave the festive top a few yanks, testing the strength of the chakra used to keep it down. She giggled teasingly, hampered by the pain in her side and yet even that was not enough to stifle her mirth.

"You're holding onto that hat so tightly. I'd have never taken you for that kind of person, or...do you not know the story of men in green hats?"

 

[Retro Master]

“I mean, why wouldn’t I be holding it tightly?”

The question was a genuine one as Kiro honestly didn’t know why Sagisō thought he would foolishly allow the hat to be taken off so easily. That hat was her target after all. However, the mention of a story about men wearing green hats did intrigue him. Perhaps there was a reason behind Shiho’s choice of design.

Kiro thought it was over once Sagisō pulled on the hat, but it seemed she couldn’t quite pull it off. Of course, as unlikely as it was, this meant he still had an opportunity. He’d have to play cards right and allow Sagisō to let her guard down. His gaze soon showed interest in the tale as he beckoned her to continue.

“Tell me then, what’s this story?”

 

[kyuukestu]

The Nadeshiko licked her lips deviously, staring down at the Uchiha like he was a suffering beast of burden. In a sense, he was. Specifically, he was an Arse. A poor, unfortunate, Arse.

Clearing her throat with a hearty harrumph, Sagiso began articulating.

"It's a tale I heard from one of my older sisters. They've been around the place and know a thing or two about the world."

Speaking about her elder sisters, that would be the Nadeshiko that composed the second-generation star maidens, Sagiso's voice had taken on a mote of rarely seen respect.

"Once upon a time, as all stories must begin, there lived a young couple. The husband was an industrious and diligent worker who would faithful leave the home every day to put food on the table, however, the life-style, though commendable, left his young, beautiful wife to her own vices and devices. Frustrated by her husband's misplaced commitment, the wife took it upon herself to find satisfaction and she was soon committed to regular trysts with the couple's neighbor. The adulterous duo found themselves on pins and needles, never able to meet in peace in fear of the husband's return.

Thus it came to be that one day that most devious of vixens happened upon a brilliant scheme. Elated, she rushed off to share it with her lover. 'I will create for my husband a Green Hat and whenever he leaves I'll ensure he wears it as he departs. When you see my husband leaving with the Green Hat on his head, that will be our signal to...~ ♥ '"

Sagiso's coquettish voice trailed off, leaving the remains of the story unsaid, but knowing that Kiro would understand the implications.

"Wearing a green hat has always been another way of saying...well, I'm sure you understand."

 

[Retro Master]

He hadn’t missed the change of tone in her voice. It appeared her sisters also had experience with this, making him further interested in what the tale was. Maybe it was a story about good luck or something. Needless to say, Kiro didn’t really know what to expect.

Basically the story was about some woman filling her needs by cheating on her husband and sleeping with the neighbor. It got to the point where the neighbor became her lover. In order to keep fucking behind his back without any worries, she made her husband a green hat. Whenever he left with it on, that would be the signal for the neighbor to come over.

In the end, there were two things that stuck out him. One, some women were troublesome and should not be trusted. They required their satisfaction and would get it one way or another. Two, this meant the hat currently on his head made him look like a complete and utter idiot. Kiro had been carelessly waltzing around in public with the damned had on! People probably thought he was getting played by his girlfriend. Not that he had one yet...

“Hey. You’re not messing with me by any chance, right Sagisō? If not, then why did Shiho give this hat to me?”

His voice was surprisingly calm as he shared his questions with Sagisō. Mentally, his mind was ablaze with speculation. Was Shiho actually tricking him this whole time? Truth be told, she had been quite generous to him after just meeting him once. Almost too generous. It almost reminded him of the girls back during his academy days. However, unlike them, perhaps Shiho had been scheming his downfall this whole time! He’d show no mercy to her if that was the case.

At this rate, though Kiro doubted it, he would have to question her. This didn’t mean he had forgotten about Sagisō. For all he knew, this could be part of some devious plan of hers.

 

[kyuukestu]

"Cause you're easy to fool..?"

Snickering, Sagiso threw her hands aside and came true. "How should I know? Go ask her yourself."

Noting his calm expression the Skilful Star was rather disinclined to continue. Where was the promised rise? The whole reason she'd told the story was to get a kick out of his reaction, so failing that, she naturally lost interest. No, there was still one thing that interested her.

"I'll be taking this."

Tightening her grip on the hat she gave it a firm yank, expecting it to pop off in her hand.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Leaning against one of the walls in the alleyway, Shura glanced at Taiyo when he finally made his appearance. “Ah I remember you, you’re that guy Sagiso attacked back in the compound.” He said out loud. “If I remember correctly this lady here is his sister, no wonder he’s fuming right now.” The Hyuga thought as he recalled the relations of the fiery ninja.

“You can relax, your sister is fine. I apprehended the guy who tried to assault her.” He pointed towards the guy who was currently sitting next to a dumpster. “The guy was a total rookie, wasn’t much of a threat honestly.”

 

[Retro Master]

“I think you’re enjoying yourself a bit too much up there.”

Kiro glared vehemently at the snickering girl now above him. At least, he tried to with a part of Sagisō obstructing his view due to their close proximity. She really thought his humiliation was funny. As much as Kiro would’ve liked to land a good shot right on that smug face of hers, he wasn’t in the position to do so. The girl had latched herself onto him, causing his right hand to miss the cowl completely and catch her waist instead. Her legs were quite troublesome and their positioning also limited the movement of his left arm, only allowing him to reach as far as her lower back.

This position still gave him the opportunity to get Sagisō on her back once more. However, Kiro resisted the urge to smash her into the ground when she grabbed his green hat with the intent to end this session. There was no need to further damage Sagisō as the point of the hat and cowl was to end the fight before it could go to far. Injuring the girl more would do nothing but incite her rage. There was no point in wasting his time with that. The fight was virtually over.

Maybe he should’ve taken this spar more seriously and respected her taijutsu a bit further. Though, that wasn’t to say Kiro hadn’t learned anything. In their brief skirmish, he’d picked up more on her style of battle. Like the way she flowed with her body and the willingness to trade blows. If anything, he’d dealt more damage while only receiving a fraction in return. Allowing her to grab him was also a flaw he could not repeat. All in all, the trade off wasn’t all that bad. Kiro even got her to relieve him of the cursed hat. Still, this didn’t mean his guard was down. Once Sagisō removed the hat, Kiro expected her to get off, but wondered if she had any other wild ideas in mind.

“So are you finished or...?”

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō angled her gaze down at Kiro, her vision passing through the depth of her cleavage to land on his expression of unprecedented intensity. His focus on her buxom bosom had tightened his visage into a glare of the utmost vehemence; such that she almost offended that he was more interested in the peaks of her twins than he had been her person during the fight.

The skillful star watched for a second longer, half-expecting Kiro's eyes to go bloodshot with exertion or at the very least for his Sharingan to activate...though perhaps he was truly captivated. It would certainly explain his blossoming friendship with Shiho; a fixation on mammaries appeared the only common ground between them that Sagisō could think of... Although, despite all appearances, she doubted Kiro was actually staring at her chest; though that wouldn't stop her from teasing him about it.

"Not as much fun as you're having down there. Are my breasts that intriguing? Do you need to glare at them?"

She giggled as she finished. Her hands moved down to Kiro's shoulders as she opted not to remove his hat. Unhooking her legs, she steadied herself about his shoulders and stretched her legs to maintain balance. She held this position for only a moment, before seamlessly shifting into a handstand and pushing herself off Kiro's shoulders to land a few feet away. Her knees had bent when she landed, a subtle indication of her bodily state; her opt to let her knees absorb the damage than the full length of her body belied her unwillingness to put such strain on her torso and aggravate her injury. Though it was unlikely anyone possessed the necessary discernment and familiarity with her body to pick up on such a small discrepancy.

She set her left hand akimbo as she threw a look towards Tayuya.

"Did you enjoy the show, Little Koshō?"

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Relaxing in his composure, he walked over to Susei to check if the man hurt her in any way possible. Thankfully, the academy student managed to get away from this incident relatively unharmed, much to Taiyo's relief.

"Thank you so much for your help," Genuine gratitude flowed from the FBS master's voice, "I am truly sorry for my negligence. I shouldn't've let my little sister alone and vulnerable..." The gratitude in voice made room for remorse as well as self-pity, however Susei gave her two cents on the matter before Taiyo could wallow in self-pity for very long.

"That's not true! I got a clean hit on him with a water attack!" Susei seemed very insistent on reaffirming the fact that she wasn't just a helpless little girl, even though her attack did very little in stopping the man's efforts.

Little sis got a hit on em?! Didn't think she had it in her...

"Nice one!" Taiyo smiled towards Susei, a smile fueled by pride in his little sister, "However, as your older brother, I recommend that you first call for help before trying to solve your problems by yourself," The academy student nodded at the advice she got, content that she was now safe again.

"I'll leave this guy to you, thanks again," Taiyo gave a respectful nod to the Hyūga as he decided to traverse back to the group he left earlier.

And now I'm back to waiting for everyone to take forever to do something. What's worse is that this isn't an isolated issue, this is a problem Konohagakure has as a whole...
Seiun(Flashback)
The Ame-nin found himself collapsed on the floor at midnight. His body has been worked to the point of exhaustion thanks to the rigorous Sword training that was after Ninjutsu training. All that Seiun could think about was food, yet it was the very thing that was out of his reach at the moment. His irritation festered with his disappointment in the training that he was getting, causing him to get less and less motivated as he clutched his stomach in hunger.

"Get up. The battlefield does not care for your hunger," The instructor motioned for the boy to rise and fight, even though it was obvious that Seiun's body has reached its physical limits. Regardless, the boy forced himself to stand, using the wooden practice sword to support himself. Half-heartedly, he attempted a strike at his instructor's left side, but the older man would not have it. He disarmed his student and pushed Seiun away in one fluid motion, causing his student to groan with exasperation.

"You're sloppy, likely due to sleep deprivation. Rest your body, and we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow," There was no sympathy in the instructor's tone, only adding onto Seiun's frustration. The boy went upstairs to finally get some sleep, his heart filled with resentment and anger over his parents' insistence that he was homeschooled.

I bet Academy Students aren't sleep deprived. I bet they don't have overbearing parents that take away their food for trying to defend their friend. I'm willing to bet my entire family fortune that they are having a better time and learning more efficiently at the academy...
Present Day
Unfortunately for Seiun, the hunger of his youth did not stay in his youth, his stomach growling as a reminder of that. Being reminded of his past had allowed the rogue Ame-nin to consider the choices he's made in his life, and the conclusion he made didn't sit very well with him.

Well B.O.S.E.C, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I may have in mind my next murder target, the bad news...that murder target may be myself.

 

[kyuukestu]

Somewhere within the Land of Water was a deep, cavernous gorge. It had once been a river valley but that had been many winters ago; now, only the hallows remained that told testament to when waters had cut deep into the land, carving a path through stone and slate. The waters had not disappeared entirely, but the once-mighty river had been reduced to but a trickle that tenderly caressed the rock it had once beaten smooth.

"What a beautiful training spot," As she traveled the scenic route through the gorge a middle-aged woman, looking to be in her late thirties, mumbled aloud. "Maybe I'll settle down here once I retire...words I never thought I'd say."

The was a sense of wonderment and urgency to her voice; her pace increased, her form blurring across the gorge until she had reached its center. There she came upon a much younger girl who appeared just on the cusp of adulthood, perhaps barely into her twenties. She cut a lithe and toned figure with slender and firm limbs that were well-proportioned. At a glance, one could see that she had above-average height and when it hoisted her stern, militaristic expression, she would appear intimidating.

The older woman clicked her tongue, appraising the girl but otherwise remaining silent and patient. A minute or two trickled by like the stream, after which the seated girl opened her eyes. That simple action triggered a change; the girl's once lustrous and uniformly black hair whitened with speckles, and the temperature around her dropped noticeably.

"Looks like you've completed your inheritance successfully," The woman started with a smile, "The Panther Head has a worthy successor, but we don't have time to chat. You were the last one to finish, so the others are already waiting. We're going to travel to the continent where we'll meet up with the others for the succession ceremony. After that...it'll be up to you and your ilk to decide."

The woman turned to face the valley's exit and beckoned the girl to follow.

"Let's go. We've no time to lose."

==========​

In a small town at the border between the land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass, a sizeable group of kunoichi was settling in for the night at an inn. Their entourage radiated an air of solemnity that had, so far, worked in repelling any curious bystanders from attempting to interact with them. They kept to themselves for the most part.

"So...Suwen, tell me again...why we're here?"

Rapping her fingers against the wooden table one of the women, seemingly the leader of the group, questioned another. Her words were slurred and her cheeks flushed, her eyes swam aimlessly about the inn before settling on the pint of mead in front of her. She reached for the cup, intending to take another swig, but her fingers just missed handle as the cup was shifted out of reach. The woman growled, discontent.

"If you're asking me that question again then I think you've had enough, Mudan."

Concern underlaid the stern voice and even sterner hands that thwarted the woman's attempts to retake her drink. Suwen, as she was called, removed the drink from the table before she sighed, resigned.

"We're here because of the message we got from Jin'er. She had an acquaintance she wanted me to look at and we all needed a break...this was just a good chance to take one."

Standing from her seat, Suwen shuffled around the table and grasped Mudan by the arm before draping it over her shoulder and hoisting the other woman to her feet.

"Now come on, you need to take a breather. No more alcohol."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

“Y͝o͏u͞ wer͏e ͡alw͞ay͢s t҉h̴e͏ d̴r̶am̶a͢t͠ic ͞ty͏pe͟, ẁe̸ren’t͞ y͡o͠u? Pu͞b͢l̡ic̷ ̀h̵u̸mi͞l̨i͟ati͡on̡ ͢ten͜d͘s͜ ̡to̸ ̶do t̵h҉at to̵ ̀y̨o̷ư.”̡

B.O.S.E.C. Swirled around Seiun, his long crescent moon shaped smile eerily glowing.

“D͟o͟n’t̴ ̀p̵on͟der͜ on͢ ̀t̵he҉ wo͢r͝ld, po҉nd̴èr w̵h̵a͏ţ’s̕ ̷in he̡r̕e͜..̴.̨”͠

He pointed a long talon toward Seiun’s forehead, reffering to the invisible seal to which gahedra was stored. The organic A.I.’s confidence didn’t seem to waver a bit despite the recent events. In fact, it seemed even...excited. For what?

 

[Retro Master]

"Would you have preferred me to move them out of the way instead?"

Responding in a deadpan tone, Kiro stood up after Sagisō got off of him and began to focus on dusting off his clothes. By landing on the ground during their scuffle, he had foolishly allowed the new clothes to get dirtied. The filth disgusted him. He'd have to take them in for a quick wash as soon as the opportunity arose. Himself as well.

Kiro also realized she hadn't taken off the green hat for some reason. Perhaps Sagisō knew he'd wanted to remove it, so she spitefully left it there. Judging by her giggles, this was all quite amusing to her. After all, she had been quite slick with this choice. Neither of them had satisfied the win conditions yet, meaning if Kiro removed the hat, he'd basically be forfeiting himself. However, if he kept it the hat on, endless humiliation would await him instead.

'Damn her!'

The demon before him had played her cards exceptionally well and now he was left with a near impossible choice. Of course, while Kiro didn't put it past Sagisō to think of such a devious plan, he doubted she really cared that much to take it seriously. Rather than harp on about some potential scheme much longer, Kiro simply removed the green hat himself. He'd have to return it to Shiho later or at least ask why she gave him the hat. With that settled, Kiro looked back over to Sagisō, who had questioned Tayuya something. Their interaction reminded him of an upcoming event he'd warned Sagisō about missing. Seeing her stained dress, Kiro was unsure if she'd be willing to even present in it anymore. While it wasn't really his problem, Kiro was still generous enough to give Sagisō a reminder.

"Looks like you might not be ready for the concert after all... unless we get going now."

 

[kyuukestu]

"Snarky, are we..?"

Spinning on her heels Sagisō turned towards Kiro. There was a savage, provoking light to her eyes as she paced two steps closer to the Uchiha and then stuck her chest out proudly.

"You don't have the guts!" She taunted.

Her eyes had narrowed into ominous slits and chakra flushed through her system, escaping her pores and billowing the cowl across her shoulders. Her lips had curved into a smile half-way between mischief and malevolence, and though she presented her chest openly, the veiled threat behind it was clear. To cop a feel would not be a pleasure without its price.

"I. Fucking. Dare. You."

The edge in her voice was sharp, but it couldn't overshadow her underlying excitement. Her blood was already aboil from the earlier confrontation and a chance to satiate her battle lust once more had been so readily presented, how could she not go for it?