In sheeps clothing (Urufu)

[Sagasu Yume]

She felt guilty for abandoning her Uncle during the showdown with the Cabal but she knew that staying would have only put other people in jeopardy. She had been getting weaker and would have only been dead weight in the journey to Deadlines otherwise. When she had reached the safe haven, she became entrenched in assisting Prime Diamund with keeping her patients comfortable while the Earthen used their druidic like talents to heal the survivors. Now that she had returned, it was time to speak to her Uncle once again. She was pleased to hear that he had been retained and given medical treatment but in Katsuo’s wisdom, they had all been kept in a comatose state. Pausing to swipe her ident badge at the first of three check points, Yume glances at the positions of the camera’s at the entrance to the sterile asylum; It comforted her that they were in a monitored space. While the Steward might trust Mikaboshi, Yume had minor dealings with him on a professional level and wasn't certain that her Uncle would have been safe in his care, especially since Sanban was in his possession. A biometric checkpoint was the next security point, using her retina and finger prints for access. With brisk steps, she advances to the isolation room that was holding her family member and noiselessly punches in the code. Previously the buttons would beep but there had been an incident in times passed where one Jinchuuriki had deciphered each number by its tone and managed to escape.

Entering into the room she finds her Uncle lying on a bed, bound with prototype plasma chains and dressed in the cream garb of a mental patient. It had been made clear to the staff that these individuals were not to be treated as delusional, but rather as the dangerous criminals that they were. Glancing over the clipboard that charted his progress over the last 48 hours, she’s glad to see that nothing unusual had cropped up in her absence. Leaning over to one of the orderlies, she requests for an itemized list of his personal belonging upon admittance. For a moment, there is a look of resistance that is quashed by a hard stare by the mednin. There were two things on that list that concerned her and one of them concerned her more than the other. Rubbing the silver ring that clung to her index finger with her thumb, she takes a deep breath and then starts the jutsu to bring him back into the waking world. Hand seals performed, she presses her hands to his chest, allowing her chakra to seep into him and bring him out of the foggy depths of his subconscious. When he would awaken, she would offer him a kind smile and proceed to check his vitals for any irregularities with the practised touch of a physician.

Ohaiyo, Oji-san. Don’t fight the bindings, you’ll only hurt yourself. Don’t give me that look it’s for your own protection. Last time I woke you up, you hit someone. If you were to do that again they would throw you in the Obsidian Palace and then it would be beyond impossible for me to guarantee your continued existence. It’s guarded by Mikaboshi, but of course you already know that since you were an agent of the Cabal that occupied Suna.

Now that we’re both on the mend, I think it’s time we spoke with clear heads.

 

[Sand Council]

Re: In sheeps clothing (Urufu) - [Suspended pending discuss

Urufuu​

Urufu was left to his own devices, those devices being in the depths of his mind. He truly enjoyed this time to reflect. On his thoughts, on his clan. On all the things he had to do to become the man he was. He admired the man he became in a way, but no life is ever lived without regret. Hindsight is still far from perfect sight, this belief that you could have been more clever, more diligent, happier with a life better lived. That would not have been his life if it was the one he looked back on of course. His body was battle-worn and tired, he should have died in battle that day at the gates. He would have died happy, or so that is what he told himself now but on that day it was not his death he feared nor was it the reason he struggled to maintain conscious and continued to get up to fight despite the blinding pain. He needed to save someone. He had something to live for, something that had eluded him for some time.

It was then that the haze that ensconced his consciousness lifted. He let out a deep sigh, his first purposeful breath in some time followed by a series of moist hacking coughs.

Ohaiyo, Oji-san. Don’t fight the bindings, you’ll only hurt yourself. Don’t give me that look it’s for your own protection. Last time I woke you up, you hit someone. If you were to do that again they would throw you in the Obsidian Palace and then it would be beyond impossible for me to guarantee your continued existence. It’s guarded by Mikaboshi, but of course you already know that since you were an agent of the Cabal that occupied Suna.

Now that we’re both on the mend, I think it’s time we spoke with clear heads.

"I am not angry, Yume," Urufu replied gently. "I was just scared... scared that you might have died or that you too would suffer my fate,"<i></i> he explained looking at the ceiling and not at the Inuzuka woman. He did not want to look at her, he was happy that she was safe but seeing her here...living this life among these wretches hurt his heart. He pulled gently at his chains. They were secured tightly, not that it was a shock to him anyway. Trust is not something he was looking to earn. The fetters clamored restlessly as he shifted his position on the bed. His eyes scanned downward and he let out a disgusted sound as he saw a bag filled with golden fluid hanging off the side of the bed. He rested his head back onto his pillow, indented to the size and the shape of his head. "The men and women of our tribe may claim that 'loyalty' is paramount, but true allegiances are known when there is nothing to gain and everything to lose. I thank you for your loyalty."<i></i> He smiled, he seemed content. Perhaps it was the drugs, perhaps he truly had gone mad or perhaps he was plotting his escape. It was too early to tell.

 

[Sand Council]

Re: In sheeps clothing (Urufu) - [Suspended pending discuss

Been almost a month. Leaving thread in 24 h

 

[Sagasu Yume]

Re: In sheeps clothing (Urufu) - [Suspended pending discuss

[[ I didn't even realize that this topic had been re-opened. Sorry! ]]



Taking a seat next to her uncle, she gentle strokes his hair, letting her nails massage his scalp as he takes in his surroundings. His words relieved the stoic mednin and she allowed her professional demeanor to slip away. Taking one hand, she released it and massaged his wrist. It was a show of faith that Urufu was truly penitent or at least wouldn’t seek to break free. When she was done with one limb, she secured it and moved on to the next. Her brow furrowed as he expressed his concern for her safety.

Having Sousuke as my mate wouldn’t save me from exile but he’s a fair man. I would have deserved the punishment if he considered my actions treason. I had the privilege of being interrogated by the ANBU Sennin himself and surviving. Why is it that people find those of strength so intimidating?

She tried to keep a conversational tone as she inspected where he had been fettered. Making her way back to his side, she curled up next to him as if he had always been her family. She was comfortable in his presence, seeming to have bound herself to him as her pack-alpha almost instantly. Though a grown woman, she gave the appearance of being a child next to the man, her locks stark against the pale linens of the ward.

Loyalty is begat out of love, something the Inuzuka clan has been lacking in my lifetime. My loyalty has been to my mother, my father, and my brother… I always thought that it was to my village as well but when caught in the middle, family won out. Did you know my mother Ojisan? I suppose not… she would have been 48 at the end of this year. She would have been only a babe.

It was clear the mednin was lost without familial ties, clinging physically and metaphorically to the man who weeks before had threatened her village.

But he did not threaten me. He cared for me, spoke kind things to me. That counts for something, doesn’t it?

Why did you accept me as family? I’m technically only a half-breed. My father wasn’t even from Wind Country. The stories say that you wanted to purge the impurities from our bloodline.

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

Her fingers combed through his mane. He shifted his head, letting her fingers run through his coarse hair. He let out a sigh, the room smelled strange. As if the natural scents were washed away with peroxide, benzoin and alcohol. The solid frame that held him did not shift as he pulled against his fetters. The bedframe was warped, bent where he was held but it never gave way. It would not hold him forever, nothing was eternal, not even his imprisonment. He had already resigned himself to his likely demise.

"Having Sousuke as my mate wouldn’t save me from exile but he’s a fair man. I would have deserved the punishment if he considered my actions treason. I had the privilege of being interrogated by the ANBU Sennin himself and surviving. Why is it that people find those of strength so intimidating?"</B><i></i>

"I do not fear him,"<i></i> Urufu protested. He growled lightly as the restraint was loosened. It felt good to be free, even if the time was fleeting. He could have wrapped his arms around her delicate neck if he had so chosen. Rather, he let her delicate healer's touch run over his chaffed and sore limb. "It is not his strength that is the problem, it is what is or is not done with it,"<i></i> Urufu answered grimly. "He is a dangerous and terrible man and he will hurt you,"<i></i> Urufu insisted. Being interrogated by the ANBU Sennin and 'living' was no accomplishment if he never intended to seek her demise but rather scare her. "You committed treason, even if you do not think it was... just not against your kin. I would have killed your mate if given the opportunity,"<i></i> he admitted but in truth she already knew this and that was why her actions were lèse majesté. It was fine that Sousuke feigned ignorance to her treachery, it likely made it easier for Yume to sleep at night easier for her to live with the guilt of a heart divided. Once she made it back to his other arm, he wrapped his thick fingers around her tiny arm. "He will never trust you," he warned as his eyes locked into hers. His hand lingered for a moment as did his gaze before he relinquished his grasp. It was not enough to hurt her, he would never hurt her but it was sufficient to make it troublesome for her to pull away. "He's proud," he explained "...and when he is insulted he will seek reprisal."<i></i>

"Loyalty is begat out of love, something the Inuzuka clan has been lacking in my lifetime. My loyalty has been to my mother, my father, and my brother… I always thought that it was to my village as well but when caught in the middle, family won out. Did you know my mother Ojisan? I suppose not… she would have been 48 at the end of this year. She would have been only a babe."

"Perhaps,"<i></i> he replied to the curled up ball. "It has been a long time," he exhaled. Those were dark days, full of anger and fright. He was not proud of what he had done in his youth but not his prime. "I might regret my actions, but not my intent -- at the time, I did not know of another way."<i></i> His words cryptic and sad. His loyalty then was also divided, and his family lost that exchange.

"Why did you accept me as family? I’m technically only a half-breed. My father wasn’t even from Wind Country. The stories say that you wanted to purge the impurities from our bloodline."

<B>"You reminded me of myself -- lost,"<i></i> Urufu stated giving a half-truth. He was also lonesome, dogs were pack animals. He lived a life as a lone wolf for a great many years and there was a natural sense of kinship felt but even that was not enough. "You are... what you are: part of my pack,"<i></i> Urufu sighed. His conclusion illogical to a level but her loyalty solidified that bond. Some things could not be easily explained, but blood alone was not what made one an Inuzuka. "I cannot justify what I did those years ago, but the content of their... your blood seems like a silly reason to fight,"<i></i> Urufu added simply.

 

[Sagasu Yume]

So many questions arose from her uncle’s words and settled deep in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want to believe him or even acknowledge his sentiments but they couldn’t be left to the silence. For the moment she let him finished, allowing her thoughts to take form in her mind. His last remark reminded her of something her father would tell her when strange shinobi would wander into the village

“Not all who wander are lost, little Lotus”

Sitting up to allow her sight of his face, she chews on her lip, gathering her long hair to one side and fidgeting with the ends. Admitting that he might be right was something that didn’t sit well with her in regard to Sousuke but she wasn’t so foolish as to think that her actions would have no consequence. Her only hope was that the day would never come that would require her to choose between family and love. As it stood now, she wasn’t rightly certain which side should would take.

Him not trusting me would not be unwarranted, but I do not understand what you mean by him being proud. Aren’t we all proud? I went mad with loss and devoted my time to my research… research that would founded in making our clan traits manifest in Shinji. I was willing to fight against my home for a pack member I was unaware of having only weeks prior. To some this may seem selfless but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Tears threatened her vision as she took a few deep breaths. It was unbecoming of a woman starting her third decade to cry so freely. It was a habit she should have been finished with by the end of her first. There was no room for hysterics in the world of shinobi. Leaning forward, she buries her face against her kin’s chest, inhaling his scent to calm her. The vibration of her words would be felt against his ribs but she would speak loud enough for him to hear as well.

I’m afraid, Ojisan… I’m afraid to be alone. To be misunderstood. I’ve never met someone as scientifically inclined as myself. My family understands my inherited traits but he seems to understand what goes on inside my head. Perhaps I do him a disservice by not understanding myself and expecting others to do it for me. Are you still lost? When do we stop being lost?

It was painfully clear that while Shinji had cared well for Yume, she lacked the guidance of a parent that should have eased her through these questions already.

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

"Him not trusting me would not be unwarranted, but I do not understand what you mean by him being proud. Aren’t we all proud? I went mad with loss and devoted my time to my research… research that would founded in making our clan traits manifest in Shinji. I was willing to fight against my home for a pack member I was unaware of having only weeks prior. To some this may seem selfless but that couldn’t be further from the truth."

"We are all proud in our own way, aren't we?" Urufu replied with a low voice. But the concern was not the pride but what is done when it was threatened. Some are merely narcissists - preening peacocks. Others are studious men and women, the Oracles being an example but he was not very different. A thirst for enlightenment can be maddening, a fact he knew far too well. The book he held at his side, taunted him with a world of understanding but it came with consequence and risk and yet he still bound himself to this dangerous, cancerous tome. "I never said your pride was any better, but your pride puts people in danger I care not for. His may..."</B><i></i> He admitted honestly. Surely she remembered well the first time they met, what the book had told her.

Sagasu Yume, without father, without mother, without clan.
Left alone with a brother, a pitiless man.
So to abandoned once more by the man of fire, iron, and ore.

What is it you want out of life?<i></i>​

Her errant lover had returned, did that make Sanban wrong? The book has a twisted sense of humor, but it is never wrong. It prefers to mislead and to allow someone to deduce an outcome that is flawed. He knew that the Kazekage was prevented from returning and therefore had not 'abandoned' her just then. He knew that was a statement of things to come. A time that would come to pass where there would be much weeping and gnashing of teeth, first for Yume but then for her mate. He had asked the book a question of his own. A question in regards to the nature of the village and the leadership. The ominous statement made by Sanban filled his heart with dread. "He was kept from you as you surely know by now, on the surface away from his people... away from you. If he had not abandoned you then, that means that it speaks of something that it still to come." He reminded her. The book was not telling her only what is, but also what will be. Not confined to what was as all written things are, Sanban was something else entirely.

"I’m afraid, Ojisan… I’m afraid to be alone. To be misunderstood. I’ve never met someone as scientifically inclined as myself. My family understands my inherited traits but he seems to understand what goes on inside my head. Perhaps I do him a disservice by not understanding myself and expecting others to do it for me. Are you still lost? When do we stop being lost?"

"It would not be a life worth living if we were always found, knowing has its consequences... it is hard to live in the moment when you know the terrors on the horizon,"<i></i> Urufu warned. <B>"But know, everything will work out for the best," Urufu lied. There was something comforting about being told that everything was going to work out. That everything was going to be 'all right.' It was not, it never was going to be. He had no answers on 'what to do.' When and how seemed incidental, the threads of fate would go unchanged. It did not matter what he knew or how he used what he knew, the end result would still be the same and it was maddening.

Nothing was going to be all right for a long time.​

 

[Sagasu Yume]

The words hung unfinished in the air but her mind filled in the blanks. His may bring harm to those he cares for. Turning her face, she hides from the light as if the shield herself from the truth but the words eked into her ears all the same. A reminder of what Sanbad had told her when they first met. She hadn’t forgotten but supposed that she had misunderstood in her degraded state. She had heard somewhat of the events on the surface and how Sousuke and company had been met with resistance upon their return. It was a piece that helped her heal realizing that it wasn’t by choice that he was kept from the cavern.

The explanation that the state of existence was uncertainty wasn’t good enough for Yume. There must be something in this world she could be certain of. It used to be family until she was left with no more than a handful to call kin. It used to be research until it pushed her to a point of obsession that demanded a sacrifice of ethics she was more than willing to give. She knew Sanban had the answers but its words would never hold the clarity she required.

It has been my experience that everyone leaves. There are moments I am surprised to find how many people I am in contact with and it makes me wonder how long they will be around. Eventually it will be my turn…

She tried to push beyond the nagging reminder of Sanban’s poetry. It scratched at her veins and threatened to steal her mind with longing. What would one more question cost? She had bartered her freedom with Mikaboshi, perhaps risking a fraction of her soul was worth gaining insight but there was a high probability that she would be left with more unanswered questions. There was one question, however, that didn’t require the tome.

What damage was your part? Everyone in the occupation brought some calamity upon the village. You found me in Keystone Prime so I can only assume that it was you who encouraged the… test subjects… vagrants to destroys the labs. What else was by your order? Who died by your hand? Who were your targets?

She wondered if her questions felt like an interrogation but from her diminutive perspective it was difficult for her to see it that way. While questions fell from her lips, thoughts formed and dissipated in her mind, trying to determine the risk her uncle was to the village and if he would ever be allowed amnesty in the village. She had heard of the horrors Naganisa had committed and it sat heavy in her gut when she realized that she stayed Homura’s hand. During the altercation, Yume had been blinded by their sordid romance, ignorant of the blood-bath the woman had painted Sunagakure with. Deep in her heart she dared to hope that her uncle was different from them; that his mission had been more personal to the Inuzuka clan. Without realizing, she held her lungful as she awaited the answers.


[MFT; WC:515]

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

"It has been my experience that everyone leaves. There are moments I am surprised to find how many people I am in contact with and it makes me wonder how long they will be around. Eventually it will be my turn…

It was true, all things were fleeting. Possessions... friends... family... lives. In the end there would be nothing but loneliness, he was not a religious man. He sometimes prayed but it was an emulation of faith. The words and the poses, an attempt to replicate the sentiment. But in the end he was not looking for a savior, he was always capable enough but there was a sense of comfort and a lack of responsibility in saying that something is 'out of your hands' or to blame fate. He had asked the book once if there was something beyond this life, the answer cryptic as always leaving him with more questions to ponder than actual answers. There was one thing he did know of course, if he was as fortunate enough as to be dead and buried - he would be alone but the dead did not always remain as such.

"True," his voice rumbled. "But now is not then," he explained. Some call it carpe diem, he preferred to think of it as an excuse to feign lacking regrets. He enjoyed the pleasures that the day would bring, the companionship that others offered and the friendships he would foster. It was in his nature as it was surely in others to protect what they cared for as he had with Yume, knowing full well that he would have to leave her someday. It was not an outcome he looked forward to, but he knew his fate or at least he believed he had discerned what the cryptic book. The details were always a mystery of course but he would not be around forever and when he was gone there would be regret.

It would be the lone wolf's greatest folly to know trust.
When fate and faith are placed, the wolf's would turn to rust.​

It would not be Yume, it could never be her. The book only wanted him to believe such but he tome did not lie only distort the perception of the things to come. Taunting him. Vexing him so.

"What damage was your part? Everyone in the occupation brought some calamity upon the village. You found me in Keystone Prime so I can only assume that it was you who encouraged the… test subjects… vagrants to destroys the labs. What else was by your order? Who died by your hand? Who were your targets?"

"...Enough," he exhaled. He did not regret the part he played in the attack, but he felt recreant admitting to his deeds... to her. A pup more than a hardened shinobi in his eyes. "You have terrible taste in men," he commented with a low self-depreciating laugh. "The others did most of the damage,"</B><i></i> he admitted referring to the vagrants and madmen who needed little encouragement to wreck havoc but he was not a sedentary part of the attack. "I planted the bombs that destroyed Keystone Prime," he started. "I commissioned many of the street-dwellers to protect the bombs that Akio planted throughout the village," he sighed counting off his sins one-by-one. "I convinced the degenerates to destroy the labs," he affirmed. <B>"...and I was on my way to the Asylum, ironically after we met. But then the Maw collapsed and I knew it was a matter of time before the rest of the village followed but before I could leave I detoured."<i></i> He was of course referencing the note he left Yume, the very note that led her to the hidden gates. It took time, precious time he did not have to find her address and leave that note with only the faintest glimmer of hope that she would find it in time to escape.

"I suppose that is where I will disappoint," Urufu admitted with a grievous sigh. The manacles clattered and groaned as the massive man shifted slightly, his body tense with anticipation as he made a final admission. "I do not regret my trespasses against Sunagakure -- I am no hero. My qualms with my clan have little to do with my ire for this village and the monsters that lead it, leaving me little choice besides becoming the same as they to destroy them."<i></i> In his mind he knew that killing was wrong, that he was causing terrible pain for so many but she also felt that there was a great and horrible evil housed in this shinobi community that had festered for years. A place where power and skill hid behind a wall of earth, squandering their gifts... forgetting about the little man. So wrapped in tradition and bureaucracy, perhaps it was hubris to say he felt he knew a better way. That he could do better. This exiled Inuzuka without a familiar armed only with the enlightened knowledge of a book of riddles.

 

[Sagasu Yume]

The sentiment was reiterated of her preference in mates. No, that wasn’t it at all. It was simply her choice of men and it seemed that he was referring to all of the men in her life. Yume couldn’t help but grin and hide her face for a moment to keep from laughing. Between him, Shinji, and Sousuke, perhaps there was a trend. Headstrong, Stubborn, Undesirable in her former clan’s eyes; and yet she loved them all. Perhaps too much for her own good. Leaning up she kisses his cheek with a grin.

Then doesn’t that just make me the fool for loving them all the same.<i></i>

His explanation stirred questions within her but she waited until the end to ask them. She remembered coming out of the fog after leaving Keystone. She really hadn’t been got that long but the hours had somehow become months in her mind. After he had left, she received a visit from Mako and Mikaboshi and shortly after that, she left the facility with the veteran. The time line was falling into place in her mind but it was starting to feel like a distant memory.

Only an idiot regrets the decisions they’ve make consciously. If you regret it, then you shouldn’t have done it in the first place. What’s done is done. Unlike one of your counterparts, the streets did not run with blood from your hand. I hesitate to say that the only ones who were injured in Keystone were the criminals that were released from prison. As for your qualms with the leadership of the village, it won’t be that way much longer. There is discussion of the rightful Kage returning. I’m selfish in my hopes that it’s true. You might not approve of his leadership but I approve of him as a man. It would be nice to have a mate I wouldn’t have to share with the village.

If you disagree, why don’t you do something about it? I know violence is the preferred method of most shinobi but I’m sure there are other ways. Sousuke is a reasonable man. Perhaps… perhaps you could talk to him? Impart your views?

As the words fell from her lips she knew it was a foolish sentiment. She had been taught to fight but her preference was in healing and scientific research. There was no place for lone wolves in a village and no solace for a man seeking repentance. They all had their sins; hers perhaps less than some but she still wasn’t proud of them. What kind of woman claimed to love a man and yet adopted the enemy as her pack leader and then in the next breath almost sells out her family for her own freedom in a game of words with the devil? Her hands most certainly were no longer clean.

If neither of them spoke more, the room would descend into silence as mednin contemplated her predicament. She wanted her uncle free but she had to think about her village. They would not be so happy to simply allow someone who brought the underworld down on them to roam free. It was possible for the Sagasu siblings to leave the village with him as exiles but she was not ready to choose between her family and her mate just yet. With a sigh, she pushes the thoughts out of mind again and sits up, smoothing her dishevelled hair. There was still one thing that was bothering her.

Who is Akio? Was he the guy you fought with the eye-patch? No… that was K…hmm… Kaito? Yes that was it. Was Akio another one in your group? Why bombs any way? Pathogens are much better for subduing a populace.

Despite trying to be less scientific with others lives, Yume still had a knack for thinking clinically. It allowed her to see why the Cabal did what they did while removing the emotion that came with the knowledge of it being done to her home. Bombs were still inelegant in her opinion.


[MFT; WC: 673]

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

Then doesn’t that just make me the fool for loving them all the same.<i></i>

"Absolutely,"</B><i></i> Urufu replied grimly. He was probably the worst of the things she had affections for in a way. He would never hurt her, but being associated with a man like him would have devastating repercussions. Being associated with an exiled clansman with no familiar, a man who participated in the destruction of this community. And here she was, accepting him. She was not an accomplice but she would be seen as complicit. Reviled by those who knew what he was, hated. "You should never have come," he reminded her.

"Only an idiot regrets the decisions they’ve make consciously. If you regret it, then you shouldn’t have done it in the first place. What’s done is done. Unlike one of your counterparts, the streets did not run with blood from your hand. I hesitate to say that the only ones who were injured in Keystone were the criminals that were released from prison. As for your qualms with the leadership of the village, it won’t be that way much longer. There is discussion of the rightful Kage returning. I’m selfish in my hopes that it’s true. You might not approve of his leadership but I approve of him as a man. It would be nice to have a mate I wouldn’t have to share with the village.'"

"Not what I regret," he exhaled. "I find those in Sunagakure... vile. Again, I do not regret how I felt, only my trespasses. My transgressions stemmed from those sentiments, but you... and I would have had a drastically different experience if my part remained unknown,"<i></i> he explained. It was a very nice way of saying he was sorry he was caught. Well, not even that. Being caught was fine when it was just him. When it was only him that would suffer the consequence it was a different matter. Even fettered as he was now, he was in an asylum not a prison. Drugs and restraints had their limits. They were not equipped to hold a sane man as powerful as himself, that was what the Obsidian was for. The very facility they breached, allowing the foul contents to spill out onto the streets. He did those actions when it was only himself that he has to be concerned with, the clanswoman was an unanticipated complication. "I have so much hate for these people."<i></i> His sins might not have been as grotesque as some, but it was more the passions his name fostered due to his contraventions. He only had to be concerned with himself, but now there was an extension of himself to be distressed for.

"If you disagree, why don’t you do something about it? I know violence is the preferred method of most shinobi but I’m sure there are other ways. Sousuke is a reasonable man. Perhaps… perhaps you could talk to him? Impart your views?"

"We are too different," he debated. Perhaps they were too similar. Angry and harboring such. Meeting his opponents with his claws, much like Sousuke does with his blade. Jealous. Angry. Dangerous. Most of all fearful - but not fearful for himself but rather Yume. Wracked with guilt and regret, the one thing that it would seem the Kazekage did lack. Did the Kazekage regret the hand he played in this devastation? Did he even believe he was in part responsible for the suffering inflicted? He actually knew the part he played and never considered himself a hero and never tried to claim it was not his fault. He had a reason why but that did not... could not negate his guilt.

"Who is Akio? Was he the guy you fought with the eye-patch? No… that was K…hmm… Kaito? Yes that was it. Was Akio another one in your group? Why bombs any way? Pathogens are much better for subduing a populace."

Urufu's brow furrowed at her question. Was she sent to interrogate him? How cruel. "The leader?"[/b] He shook his head side to side. "No, they are two different men." He answered. He had little more than that to share, at least from his perspective. "I do not know who Akio was, only that Kaito... listened to him. He never talked much, we picked him up a few months before we came to Sunagakure."<i></i> He added with a sigh as he deferred the answers to Kaito not that he had anymore than Urufu did. Most of these members harbored secrets, few knew Urufu's whole story despite working alongside him for years. <B>"All I know about Akio is that he knew the village structure... socially and physically better than I," eluding to the fact that it was likely that Aiko was a shinobi or someone who lived in Sunagakure. It was only an assumption, after all he never saw Akio plant many of those bombs within the building but they exploded as Akio warned they would. The bombs in place, not leaving a blemish or a scar, Urufu not knowing that in some cases the bombs predated the Cabal's arrival into the village.

 

[Sagasu Yume]

She shrugged off his pointed observation. Perhaps she shouldn't have come to see him but there certainly was no one else in the village who cared for him. If the Inuzuka were to find out their arrangement, it had the potential to become volitile. The clan was proud and that pride had been hurt recently by Yume renouncing them as her family. Now to have her side with the Exile? It would simply be salt in the wound. There was a nagging in her heart that told her that her uncle couldn't stay much longer. The Asylum wouldn't hold him and she refused to have him transported to the Obsidian Palace. She survived Mikaboshi because he delighted in her existence as a cat delights in the fear of a mouse. There was no question that her uncle would survive too but his encounter with the Sennin would be a much different scenario.

Trying not to chew on her lip, she gets off the cot and takes a calming breath to clear her mind. She had to remind herself that she wasn't there in a medical capacity. This was entirely a familial visit. Checking the restraints once more, she ensures that she didn't make them too tight while not leaving them loose enough to let him escape.

I can petition Sousuke on your behalf if you would like. I don't think it is healthy for someone to be held in confinement for an extended duration. Whether you've spend a day or a thousand in exile, solitary can be a vastly different beast.

She let the topic of Akio drop as fast as she had brought it up. It had been a curiosity but was starting to feel like she was prying for information. As much as she was interested in every detail he knew, it wasn't for incrimination; it was for the same reason Sanban got under her skin so easily. She had an insatiable desire to know things. His response satisfied that curiosity for a tick, giving her a tidbit to mull over. It was likely that Akio had lived among them the longest but as was the case with Urufu, he could have been a disgruntled villager that had been cast out. It would be difficult to tell from simple Q&A and she was not a detective. Leaning down, she places a kiss to his forehead while unsuccessful trying to keep her hair from falling on his face. Brushing her hand over his mane, she gives him a small smile before turning to go.

I will be your advocate, Ojisan. Everyone deserves a second chance. I saw Naganisa almost get one. You couldn't have done anything near as terrible as she did.

She paused for a second at the door before letting herself out. The journey through security seemed longer as she exited the monitored wing. Consumed by her thoughts, she is startled when she almost runs head long into Miago Tsukiko, a fellow mednin. With mumbled apologies, Yume bows and tries to move passed her colleague only to be blocked by a side-step.

Can I help you, Miago?

Damned straight you can. Do you know what you're doing? You're such a bleeding heart and a simpleton. They'll associate you with that monster. You're bright. Don't be such an idiot. Think about your family...

He is my family

I meant think about your brother. The one who has been with you your whole life.

I think you think about Shinji enough for the both of us. Don't even pretend that you understand my clan dynamics, Miago. Besides, wouldn't it be easier for you if I was implicated and out of the picture?

The hand flew before Yume realized what had happened, leaving a stinging patch of reddened flesh on her face. Their voices that had risen to a shout become nothing more than a whisper as Tsukiko brought her bespectacled face withing inches of Yume.

You're so selfish, you know that? You have a brother that loves you and co-workers who care but you're too busy being a martyr. You've barely known him more than a few days and you're pretending like the occupation had never happened. That this man just appeared as your family. Why does everyone think that these creatures should be let go?

There were no remarks or retaliation given in response to the outburst. The Inuzuka kept her gaze where it had been slapped and listened, barely breathing to keep from lashing out. The emotional pain stung more than any assault could, tearing into her soul as she feels her heart being pulled in multiple directions. He wasn't a monster to her but perhaps she was becoming a monster to everyone else?


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