Out for a Stroll [OPEN]

[Hoshirei]

Hoshirei was happy to be home, even if home will certainly be different from now on. Her kitten was rather excited to see her and had literally jumped into Hoshirei’s arms as soon as Maiko heard her name called. Hoshirei's wedding hadn’t gone quite as smoothly as one would usually hope, but it was perfect considering the circumstances.

Maki was still busy with the tournament for a week or so after the “big day”, so they hadn’t much opportunity to talk about how this would all work. She knew he wasn’t really comfortable with her, especially with the clan she- well, they both belonged to. Hoshirei did not blame him in the slightest. If the clan had done that crap to her, she would not have wanted to be around them either. He did seem to loosen up a tiny bit when it was just her, though maybe she was just fooling herself.

Now, she was unpacked from her small, eventful trip to Tea and she was glad to be back. Things could go back to some sort of normal after the ridiculousness of meeting the puppet who once was her namesake. Just thinking about the man made her cringe. She had grown up with some stories about him, especially as her mother hero worshiped the man to an extent. Later on, she had gotten some of the controversial stories as her mother was further disillusioned to the clan, and Hoshikata specifically.

Almost an hour ago, she had decided to go for a walk around the clan houses, but found herself wandering into the Red Oak District. The smells of ramen and dango flickered across the air and eventually garnered enough power to set her stomach protesting in hunger. She made her way to her favorite ramen stand and was pleased when they quickly completed her order of miso ramen. She gently gripped her disposable chopsticks and softly said, "Itadakimasu," before breaking her chopsticks and trying to decide where to start.
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WC: 331; MFT

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to sigh as he headed out of the Hokage mansion, he had already had a day where he had been slammed with requests and enquiry’s it seemed that it was his life right now. Though he imagined a bit more of a glorious time inside of the office of the Hokage it seemed that there was a lot less to it than that, though he would hate to admit that he kind of wished the day was not as dragging as it normally was. He sighed as he walked from the building and looked around for a few seconds, it seemed that he had let time go past him.

His stomach grumbled slightly as he allowed himself to realise how little he had eaten today, instead of going to the clan house it seemed that it would be easier to head to the Red Oak district and grab some food that way. He passed a few places and glance at what was inside before stopping at once more the Ramen Stand. It seemed that he always stopped here though he would enter inside and allow himself to smile and glance around grabbing the seat once more allowing himself to order ramen.

As he waited for the ramen to come he glanced to the woman that he was now sat besides, it seemed that he did not recognise her. That was something alone that intrigued the Uchiha, for someone to be around that he didn’t know was strange. He allowed himself to smile slightly as he waited for the food, the smell of the Ramen being cooked was distracting but conversation was about to start.

“You know I cannot recall your face around here much, sorry to be a pain but I got to ask the question. Who are you? Sounds rude I guess let me introduce myself first, I am Uchiha Takeshi the forth Hokage.”

 

[Hoshirei]

Hoshirei sat, quite enjoying her ramen, slowly eating the noodles and the toppings, when a man sat beside her. She took a quick look at him and noted that he looked at least somewhat familiar. He ordered his food and waited for a moment before introducing himself. The young woman paused somewhat suddenly, a noodle gripped between her chopsticks. Fourth Hokage... That would be why she recognized his face, after all, it was carved into the cliff face of Hokage Rock. She almost wanted to smack her forehead when her mind made the connection between the person beside her and the carved rock you could see from basically anywhere in Konoha proper.

Setting her chopsticks down elegantly, Hoshirei pivoted in her seat as much as she could to more fully face her Hokage. "It isn't rude to want to know who you are sitting beside, especially if you don't recognize them, Hokage-sama, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Hoshirei of the Isaki clan. I wouldn't be surprised if you had only heard of me in passing. 'The shinobi with her head in the clouds who talks to the air,'" her smile faltered a bit at the last bit before brightening again somewhat. "I believe you are more familiar with my husband, Maki. He has spoken highly of you and your leadership. It's nice to finally meet the man my husband talks about."

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi watched the man as he cooked his food, though he was still paying his full attention to the lady as she spoke to him in those few moments, it seemed that he was still indulging with a member from the Isaki clan. That was something that interested Takeshi that the clan that recently came to leaf had started to spread out slightly. He had no issues with that and had no ill will towards them as he knew full well that they still had a lot of learning to do about the clans.

“Well it is nice to meet you Hoshirei, looks like I found some company for the evening at least. I know a few Shinobi who have their heads in the clouds for better or worse, so I will just adjust to this fact with no issues.”

Takeshi took a sip from the peach ice tea that he had ordered when the next news came, her husband was Maki the drink almost flew from his lips across her instead he sprayed outside of the Ramen shop. A weird and wonderful sight to be sure but he believed he had simply mis heard the women in those few moments as he whipped the drink form his lips and looked at her.

“I am sorry, but from what I gathered Maki is not married, maybe you have the wrong codename for someone, does your Husband go by any other name perhaps, one that is similar. The Maki I am aware of is still single and I find it hard to see him in love, forgive my ignorance it just caught me by surprise. I believe I heard you talk about one of my friends and one of the Sennin of the village which could have been my mistake”

 

[Hoshirei]

She chuckled a bit when Takeshi mentioned that he knew plenty of shinobi that had their head in the clouds. "Head in the clouds, they may be, but I doubt they've been called insane by an academy student just for speaking with a ghost in front of said student."

Hoshirei could tell just as soon as the man before her clicked that she was maybe talking about his friend and was very glad he turned himself away from her as he did a spit-take. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen someone do that outside of movies. Thank you for not getting your tea on me."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "My husband is in fact Tonkon Maki. It is a very recent thing and it was rather sudden. We aren't necessarily in love, but we like each other well enough. I heard some people calling it a shotgun wedding, but I don't know if that term really fits as I'm not pregnant." Hoshirei pulled a ramen noodle to her mouth and ate it, debating how much she should tell her Hokage about the circumstances surrounding their marriage.

"Part of the reason the clan is here is because of our wedding. After we married, the old clan head passed the mantle to Maki. I believe he is rather chuffed to spend the clan's money. I haven't been adverse to it either, estranged from them as I was," she let out an almost shark-like grin as she thought of the mild revenge they were getting on the clan. "Though, I doubt they really notice beyond just okaying purchases."

Once she was done speaking, Takeshi's food arrived as did a refill on her jasmine tea which she took with a soft thank you.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to turn as the Ramen arrived he still had doubts about this woman being married to Maki but he would give it a few minutes and ask some more questions of course. He allowed himself to bring the chop sticks into the food bowl as he brought the noodles to his lips and enjoyed the splendid taste it was worth it for some food and he knew that he had missed this taste it was just his luck that he would have company at least to enjoy while he was eating. Once he had finished eating it seemed that he was going to strike conversation once more.

“You know that I can just about believe that, I must ask Maki how this all came to be, but as long as you two are happy together then I cannot see anything wrong with that. It just caught me off guard at the thought that Maki managed to get married, I suppose recently I have been so busy handing over the duties of Hokage that I didn’t have time to even notice it. You have my apologize that I did not turn up, I will have to have words with Maki about missing it as well.”

Takeshi allowed himself to take a sip from his drink once more as he enjoyed the flavours, normally his day involved skipping out on food, probably something that he should not admit to anyone. And he knew full well that Yuki would scold him if she ever found out, but it was to be expected he stayed so busy that he never really had the opportunity to eat when his day seemed so busy.

“I guess I can see him as a Clan head. He has that figure, but enough talking about your other half. I am interested to know about yourself, and what you want for the future. What drives you and what makes you feel that you have done something that makes you proud?”

Takeshi allowed himself to continue to eat the Ramen, he wanted to see what Hoshirei wanted for herself, it was all well and good being married to Maki. But to work for something that you dream of was what always caught the Hokage’s eye about people and he wanted to see what this member of Leaf wanted.

 

[Hoshirei]

They sat quietly while they both ate. Though Hoshirei knew more questions would come one way or another though the topic was up in the air at the moment. She finished just before Takeshi did and pivoted toward him again, leaning her elbow and forearm against the bar top. She listened to Takeshi speak and couldn't help but chuckle a little when he mentioned having words with Maki about missing the event. To be a fly on that wall. He then turned the conversation toward her and what her dreams were for the future.

"Six months ago, that would have been an easier question to answer. Six years ago, even easier still. I still want to be taken seriously, that has never changed. Too many believe me to be of little use because I spent so much time 'talking to the air'," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I found a place that I can excel in as a shinobi.
While his ghost was still around, my father was proud of what I overcame in regards to the living around me. Now I wish I had more opportunities as a youth to really connect with my peers. Maki was the first person to even give me the time of day despite his reaction to learning my clan affiliation. It is- awkward to speak with people. I wasn't kidding when I said that an academy student called me insane. I was talking to a ghost with the same kekkei genkai so they could understand what was going on.

And now I'm rambling. I guess my drive is still to be taken seriously and to prove to myself I can do what it takes to be successful. It is a simple hope and one that I sometimes scoff at myself. Perhaps being dismissed is better at times, as you have more opportunity to surprise others."

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to simply listen to his new addition to the village, it was weird that he wanted to try and consider each Shinobi of this village part of the family, though it was a simple change for the head of a clan. He allowed himself to consider her words as he finished the food that he had order instead now deciding to have a liquor as he allowed himself to order a single and neat whiskey from the restaurant maybe it would be considered weird for him to drink like this but at least he was enjoying the conversation.

“Want anything to drink, I would hate to be the one that is drinking alone. And I can understand that when I was a Captain I stopped for a while there when things developed between myself and Yuki. She changed a lot for me, but I found that drive after a while, I know what you mean. You take a small step back and people forget about you and think that you do not matter anymore. Look at me I proved them wrong so what is stopping you doing the same Hoshirei?”

Takeshi allowed himself to take a sip form the drink in a few seconds. He allowed a small chuckle to come to his lips as he considered the situation with Hoshirei and pondered on how they would be able to fit her back in. Placing the drink down on the bench once more he allowed himself a few seconds to turn and study the Shinobi that he was with.

“You want responsibility, you want a chance to show yourself off more. If you want these things I can give you that opportunity though you must be willing to accept it and want it, if you are down for this consider the options and I will offer you a chance in return. But I need to know Hoshirei that this is what you want.”

 

[Hoshirei]

Did the Hokage just offer to get her a drink? Would you look at that, he did. She nodded and asked the server for a cherry vodka. Her drink came just as quickly as Takeshi's and she sipped at it as they spoke. He asked her what was stopping her from proving herself. She took a moment to think, her brow furrowing slightly. Hoshirei's thoughts were interrupted by a ghost popping out from behind the counter with a funny face. She couldn't help but snort in amusement, making the ghost smile brightly. The young woman smiled at the young ghost and made a slight shooing motion with her hand. She watched the young one run off giggling with a soft smile until he disappeared in the distance.

"Many people don't quite understand me, especially as I discuss ideas with the dead and not just the living. However, perhaps what holds me back the most is just worrying about what others think. Most of the time, ghosts are just glad that someone is listening to them and speaking to them. They aren't generally used to the living seeing them except for a fleeting moment and as such are easy to please. The living seem more difficult and when I was young, it just wasn't worth the effort. My mind has changed on that front."

Hoshirei paused and looked down into her drink. She did, however, look at Takeshi again once he started talking about responsibility and if she would be willing to take some upon herself. Once he finished, she looked down at her drink, took a sip, and leaned back a bit on her stool.

"I believe I would welcome a bit more responsibility than I currently have. I believe I could help fellow shinobi grow into their own, no matter their age, even if many people would scoff at the idea just because of their preconceived notions."

 

[Shirai Sadao]

Walking through the streets of leaf the Captain sighed things were only getting busier as time went on something expected but it was still a strange thing to adjust too turning his head from side to side as people passed by things seemed somewhat quiet a nice change of pace from the bustling activity of the branch this would not be the case for long however in the distance his eyes picking up a familiar sight a slight smile coming across the Hyuuga’s features as he approached giving a slight cough to announce his arrival. “A pleasure to see you here” A bow to Takeshi following the statement.

Turning to address the maiden a similar bow in greeting being given in respect for their first meeting. “And I do not believe I have made your acquaintance, I am Hyuuga Yukio a pleasure I hope you don’t mind me joining you.” Taking a seat, a deep sigh escaped him relaxing into the chair his tone turning to one of relief and relaxation. [color=#3299CCF]“I must applaud you on your choice, Though I do not frequent this area I do hear great things about it a nice chance of pace to say the least.” [/color]

Ordering himself a drink before taking the glass spinning it slowly in his grip the Hyuuga took a drink every so often tilting his head to the side. “I couldn’t help but catch the end of your conversation, don’t mean to eavesdrop but such things can’t be helped from time to time. As someone who has trained our younger generation for some time now I can say it’s not easy sometimes, You may be ignored or things may not go the way you think however watching them grow into fine shinobi makes it all worthwhile.”

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[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to get a refill in those few seconds he knew full well that he still had a few more things to say. He listened to Hoshirei speak in those few seconds, she seemed to want to give more to the village and ended a little bit of faith and direction to focus on. He noted as Yukio joined the party as he allowed the spirits to continue to be consumed by himself. Letting it get refilled he allowed a small pad to be taken out of his inside pocket in those few seconds, unsure about what the female shinobi would make of it.

“Well then, I will give you that chance, I have just appointed a new Main Branch Sennin and Head Jounin who have already started work on reconstructing the Branch. I will give you a letter to hand in at least that way I know that you now have a purpose inside of the Village, you will be taking on the roll of a Journeyman, an instructor for students, you will report to your branch Head when you find the time. I expect to see great things from you Hoshirei.”

Takeshi allowed himself to finish the drink that he had as he let the liquid go down his throat gently, he had given her the pep talk it would be down to her to take the opportunity as he allowed himself to put the glass down and tap the rim of the glass to signal for it to be topped up. He turned his attention back to Yukio who had just joined.

“Welcome for joining the conversation Yukio, how has your day been so far”

He spoke to Yukio as he finished writing the note before handing it over towards Hoshirei it seemed that he had given her the opportunity it would be down to her to do something with this. What she would do with it would be down to her own abilities.

 

[Hoshirei]

A third joined their little party and introduced himself. She waved off his concern at potentially butting in the conversation. It's not like it was a private area and as such, she didn't care that he had heard part of their conversation either. He did express that he had the opportunity to teach the younger generation and how it could be frustrating at times. Just from her interactions with people younger than her, she could understand his frustration. Even as ghosts, or perhaps especially as such, children could be extremely annoying. Once their new arrival finished, Hoshirei introduced herself, eyes sparkling with some amusement left over from Takeshi's reaction to her relationship.

"It is nice to meet you, Hyuuga-san. My name is Isaki-Tonkon Hoshirei," she said with an ever-so-slight emphasis on the second of her two last names. It would be amusing to see if this person had a reaction to hearing that last name.

Hoshirei stayed silent as she watched Takeshi pull out a pad of paper and explain the restructuring of the main branch. She easily took the letter from him and put it in her pocket. "While I have had minimal experiences with living youth beyond my own childhood, I do know that it can be frustrating trying to get anything through to a child. I will take the night to determine what I wish to do. I hadn't meant just those under the title of Academy Student, however. There are plenty of ways that shinobi of all levels can grow just by learning from one another. I may not have had the best experience in my four-man squad after becoming a genin, but I did learn from the team.

"Perhaps it would be best to tutor a few students before fully committing myself to being a Journeyman, as you called it. After all, I would like to know more about those I might teach"
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MFT; WC: 318

 

[Shirai Sadao]

Taking another sip there was a moment of pause a slight smile coming across his features at the question posed the the events of the last few days being rather rewarding at least in the Hyuuga's eyes. "It's been rather quiet today, time off to let the lessons taught to the students sink in before continuing no point in rushing things if it's just going to go over their heads and be forgotten a few moments later." He chuckled it wasn't that he thought they couldn't do it more a matter of taking what he'd learned over the years and applying it to each one. "And you Takeshi? How has the new role been treating you busy i assume?"

Leaning back slightly to get a better view of Hoshirei though didn't seem to have any reaction to the name tilting his head to ponder if it sounded familiar though the number of names that passed through his door on a daily basis it could have been anyone. "Well it's a pleasure Hosherei, and yes frustrating however you are correct learning to tutor the youngest Shinobi we have can make it easier to train the older ones. We all know the story of the student you and looking to prove themselves, more than likely going to get in some form of trouble if you take an eye of them but should you be able to get them to cooperate you help build teams for the future."

Experience was one of the things the Captain had in great supply with such matters having become a teaching himself from a young age working up from students to AiT and now assisting in the training of fully fledged ANBU for the branch. He would be lying if he said the process had been simple at any stage but the same could be said had the Hyuuga attempted to say he disliked the process, the duty of learning was up to the older generation and on occasion there was something for the teacher to learn from the students.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to continue to drink, it was clear that Hoshirei would have to consider this, but it was her option. Takeshi could only open the door for them to walk threw it was down to that Shinobi to walk threw that door. Nodding slightly, he allowed the conversation between the three of them to continue as he sipped the liquid, though he allowed the glass to be refilled when he put it down. Having just a nice conversation was something that Takeshi missed and even he had to admit the evening was going a lot quicker and he was enjoying himself.

“I can see your point as well Hoshirei, you should never stop learning, if you give up on that then you give up on what yourself. However at least with this letter when you report to Kenshin he will be able to give you all of the options that you have. I would recommend it when you get a chance and we can get you back in the driving seat. But that is a discussion that Kenshin will be able to have with you.”

Takeshi allowed himself to listen to Yukio talk as well, it seemed that everyone had a thing to say in the matter of how they should teach or the best way and that made this conversation interesting because it was never the same. It would always have a different twist or change to it and even he knew that.

“I am adjusting well, a lot of my time is still spent sorting things out, but I will get the hang o it at some point. Change is good you just must be willing to step up and take the challenges on. Other than that, I am doing fine Yukio, how was the lesson with the newest Academy Students?

 

[Hoshirei]

Hoshirei was quiet the rest of her time at the stall as she contemplated how she could go about her future in the village. She had grown up here and while she did well on her missions, she had always missed the camaraderie she could see between her peers. Her gennin team had only tolerated her enough to trust her to watch their backs, but even that was a stretch. There had been plenty of times where her fellow gennin had planned a get together outside of missions and training and hadn't invited her or they did invite her but told her the wrong time or location. Living people were not her favorite people for a long time on purpose. At least the dead were happy to be able to talk.

She drank down the rest of her drink and made to stand. "Thank you both for the company. While I would stay longer, I believe I should make my way to a quiet place to think. Who knows, I might even catch my husband out of that office of his, wherever he built the new one. It saddens me that he wouldn't even let me test the security features on the old one before it was demolished. Oh well, maybe next time," she finished as her eyes sparkled with a bit of mischief. "Perhaps I'll stop by the academy on the way home and see if anyone would like a tutor. Thank you again, sir, for bringing the opportunity to light."

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[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi whished Hoshirei a good night as he watched her leave, it seemed that he had at least had one conversation done with and he had finally put a face and name together, he could consider that a win in his eyes. As he turned himself around and faced Yukio briefly he allowed a small smile to escape form his lips as he judged the man that he called Son. How that small boy had changed so much since they had first met, but he couldn’t blame him, he had become something strong and a solid foundation for the future.

“Well Yukio, I would love to stay and indulge myself more, but you know how Yuki can be, she can kill the fun and I would rather just stay out of the anger that can cause. I will go home and allow Yuki to have my company, enjoy the rest of the night my son and have a good one. Try not to stay out to late.”

With that Takeshi turned and left the place, leaving the money on the side to cover everyone that had turned up, it seemed that he was more than willing to accommodate some needs of people and he was happy to do so in the rare times.

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