The Cold Feeling Before the Final Strike [Miraku Vs Ao Spec.][Open]

[Kagetsu Yuii]

"I am always striving to become stronger for my village. I am the calm before the storm. The cold feeling before the final strike. Glory to Kumogakure and its allies."

Yuii snorted to herself as she overlooked the little pamphlet in her hand. The saying has been created by Kumo's government for its combatant, Rikutsuchi Miraku's use. When he'd been picked from amongst 'the nine' combatants of their country, the words had been printed on everything. Such was the propaganda of the village of Cloud: they liked to make heroes of their best, pile expectations and hopes on their shoulders. Replay the fights, show off the stats, take bets, create dreams, waive promises under their noses.

And for what?

Only one of them could win after all. Only one could become the champion- or none. That was the danger of having such grand expectations for men who were fighting the best across the world. What was perfect, strong and exemplary in Cloud could be torn apart by the darker parts of the world. Afterall, Kumogakure did a fine job of keeping the evils out, and the mutation limited homegrown monsters; and it was making them soft.

She didn't know Miraku, she'd never trained with him, completed missions with him; he wasn't even in her branch, but she pitied him. Whatever the outcome of the battle before her, he would win nothing. Being a hero for Kumo meant being trapped forever more in the propaganda living the life they wanted you to show. If he lost, he would be amongst the failures, they would tear his every action apart. Already she'd heard words about her husband's fight- their best hope. And worst of all, she would have to stand by and watch it happen, because it wasn't a sennin's place to interfere with such affairs. Even their kindly Raikage, the reputed most powerful man in Kumogakure and holder of a seat on the council of eleven moons could not change their fates without consequence. Such was the power of the council.

The kunoichi wished it could have been different and wondered if it was for other lands. What stakes did Miraku's opponent have? What had driven him to be there, and what would he have to lose? A mercenary, she'd heard, but what did that mean? Did he simply have a drink and return to whatever hole he lived his life in when this was all done? How was that fair?

Yuii crushed the paper into a ball and stuffed it into her pocket. The crowd had filled the stand quickly for this battle, as they had all over. This time Yuii had been early and carved herself a spot a mere five rows back; close enough to smell the perfume of the rich and powerful who commanded the closer stands. She had also dressed lightly this time, finding a thin, shorter than she'd ever worn Yukata in greys-blues and black silk that felt and looked like moonlight to wear. Umeko, as always, was nestled to her side, half asleep in her mother's care.

The children were attached to Hoshi, he was one of their own after all, and Kaji was a great commander of the anbu, but Rikutsuchi Miraku? An unknown, a man who was not youngest or oldest to fight. A man's who's odds were hard to pin. A man who could win or lose; no one knew. He deserved to be witnessed.

So far, it was anyone's fight, but lady luck had seen fit to hit Raku with a solid blow. She could only hope he would pull though.

Or lose.

Yuii wasn't certain of her feelings anymore.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu had been having a lot less fun than he had anticipated in Tea Country. When he had decided to come, he wanted to think of it purely as a vacation, a time to get away from the village and his usual duties and relax. To enjoy the cuisine and entertainment in the foreign country. It would be a lie to say he hadn't done that to some extent, but something had been nagging at him since the beginning. Kumogakure had been burned once before by an invitation that brought the shinobi villages together. Things tended to happen when they were all gathered as such. The village had decided to take the risk and attend the tournament. After all, win or lose, it was free advertisement for the shinobi of Kumogakure and would mean more mission requests back in Lightning either way. Just because they had decided it was worth the risk didn't mean Ayumu trusted any of it.

From the very beginning he had dropped off the grid, even giving his own guards the slip. He'd been watching the fights, though not from the stands, and not enjoying the company of friends or basking in the revelry. The fight with Miraku was no different. Ayumu sat not in the VIP section but with the general population, his hood up to further disguise his face should any happen to recognize him in the crowd. He had been watching from the beginning as the ANBU traded blows with the mercenary named Ao. The tide of the battle had gone back and forth multiple times. Early on, Miraku had seemed to grasp the upper hand landing a few solid blows on the clay jutsu user. Next thing Ayumu knew, Miraku was the one taking a beating as explosions rocked the arena. For a moment, Ayumu's eyes left the fight and in that moment he spotted a familiar blue head among the crowd. Upon closer inspection, he spotted the young child all but confirming Yuii's identity if the blue hair wasn't enough. She seemed to be alone and perhaps that was why Ayumu decided it would be fine to join her.

Of course, looking as shady as he did, he had a bit of trouble getting into the section Yuii had managed to snag a seat in (V'eru had found that pretty funny). With some persuasion and after lowering his hood and showing off his Raikage signet ring, he managed to slip in and made his way down to the row which Yuii had occupied. Conveniently, whether someone had gone to the restroom or by sheer luck, the space next to her was currently free. Ayumu quietly sat down with the popcorn he had procured along the way and took a handful before offering the bag Yuii who may or may not have noticed him coming.

"How'd we get the short end of the stick to be pitted against two of these damn mercenaries?" he asked before tossing the handful of popcorn into his mouth. Mercenaries were about as problematic as missing-nin in Ayumu's experience. Without any ties to a village they needed to represent, they tended to do whatever they wanted which led to a lot of undesirable incidents. Ayumu had dealt with more than enough of those for his taste.

"Oh, fancy meeting you here. Been enjoying the festivities?" he greeted with his mouth partially full. He gave a quick wave with his free hand before looking around the audience. Everyone was focused on the fight and not a soul was paying him any mind right now. Perhaps he had been silly to worry about that. 'See, you're not that big a deal,'<i></i> V'eru commented in Ayumu's head, never missing an opportunity for a quick jab. Of course, the seat further back had afforded Ayumu a fuller view of the entire arena enabling him to keep an eye on things, which had been his main focus. Perhaps he was just being paranoid?

 

[Saotome Asami]

The Sennin was not the only one to bear a sceptic’s eye. A young would-be shinobi found herself confused by the purpose of the tournament, and not nearly as interested as her peers. Perhaps the event made more sense to its organisers, but… Whatever. She’d managed to get a free holiday out of feigning interest in it. How often could a child get an adventure in another country, and how long would it take before she could earn her release again? With that in mind, she would be silly to miss the opportunity. She’d had her fun around Kurosawa for a good few days, however… There was no harm in her checking out one of the fights.

She could sort the fighters into two brackets – the ones that she had never heard of and the few Kumogakure had hailed as their champions. She cared slightly more about one than the other; most would prefer for their home village to claim victory. Beyond that, she knew nothing about them, and wouldn’t have taken the time to find out if not for the tournament programme. In the end, her choice to watch the match was solely based upon her being available when it began, and being willing to see what the fuss was about. Who knew? She might have been able to learn something from the experience.

She hadn’t quite cared enough to turn up on time, however. Her arrival in the arena was heralded by her shuffles and polite attempts to find a place for herself. “Excuse me. Pardon. Sorry, can I just… Mind your back…” Things were much easier once she got into the stalls themselves, thankfully. The sounds coming from them told her that getting anything resembling a view was going to be troublesome unless she bent the rules. Thankfully, if there was one skill she could take pride in, it was etiquette and presentation. Most of the time. With a few kind words, pretty batting eyes and slipping past the officer once he ignored her for somebody else, she found herself... no closer to a solution. The arena was still packed, but her part was packed with the world's well-to-do. It seemed that the only place she could find was next to a blue-haired woman. A familiar blue-haired woman. Oh no. She’d had but a brief encounter with the shinobi. Nothing worth being remembered for, but Asami had definitely remembered Yuii’s first impression. It was enough to make her err on the side of caution, but the longer she stayed standing, the more onlookers began to wonder what she was doing, and…

The more obvious it was that she was staring at the woman. She was making a terrible habit of that.

Had she noticed? Most likely, and from what she had seen on the boat, she wouldn’t take kindly to it. Asami had to think fast to salvage the situation! Against her best hopes, she hurried to take up a seat beside her elder, giving the first distraction that came to mind. “…I’m not sure I understand this tournament, Miss… Yuii.” It took her a moment to recall the name from their boat ride. A meek smile forced its way onto her face as she paused to regard the woman's partner, and a bigger one for the child. “I mean… it’s a way for one village to tell everybody it has the best fighter, but wouldn’t the best fighter be the one that nobody knows about? …All these people are showing off their skills, which means everybody watching gets to see it. How they fight. Their weaknesses. Whether or not they’re actually good at their job.” She paused. Maybe that was a touch too far. She switched to a contemplative frown, and continued as if she’d done nothing wrong. “Wouldn’t this tournament be a great chance for any enemies to get information on the villages? I thought shinobi were supposed to like keeping secrets.” The whole time, she barely gave the fight below more than a few odd looks, and didn't look too keen on catching the other man's gaze. It wasn't out of recognition - she would have shown surprise at best, and bumbled around trying to make herself seem useful at worst. Rather, he appeared to be the type that would rather go undisturbed, especially compared to the spectators showing their wealth on all sides of them. More importantly, he might not have taken kindly to her initiating contact, and she was not in the position to pick fights with foreigners. The action in the pit, on the other hand, was moving too quickly for her to make sense of straight away, and so she decided to focus on her more pressing issue for the moment - keeping cool, and not getting chewed out. Whether she was succeeding was up to their interpretation.

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Bad times were always eased by good company. Yuii eyed her Raikage with amusement, wondering if the hooded cloak was the natural choice amongst Kage trying to be low key, or if he and Umashi had exchanged notes. Surely he found it just a little uncomfortable to be so covered though. She answered his first question with a shrug, not sure how the tournament had decided who would battle who, and for the second she opened her mouth only to have another voice on her opposite side cutover.

Yuii swivelled her head around and raised her eyebrows at the little redhead- there seemed to be a number of those lately- that had appeared at her other side. She had been aware of the child's arrival, but somehow it hadn't quite clicked that the girl would want to engage in conversation. She'd been monstrous to all the little ones in order the quell the ship chaos, and as a direct result most children were afraid of her now. Not this one though.

"It's a matter of pride." deciding to reward the girl's bold questions with a bit of her own insight on the battle. "And showcasing each village's strength. Measuring our best against the best of other countries to see who is supreme- who shouldn't be messed with." That was what it was on the surface at least. Nothing was what it seemed, especially when it came to the shinobi world. Fights were a distraction for the populace, they presented incredible financial opportunities, they covered up mass travel and meetings between leaders. They allowed for the whole world to shift without suspicion. That was why they were so dangerous.

Her eyes flicked back to Ayumu apologetically, beseeching him to add his own interpretation.

The fight continued as the two opponents traded blows. Miraku was still doing well, but the blood pouring from his body was certain to catch up with him soon if nothing was done about it. The fight was long from over, however, and she wanted to believe in him. Stranger or not, she was a Cloud shinobi. "You're right that it goes against our normal grain to fight like this, however, we've only sent three shinobi and of them, a chuunin, a Jounin and a Commander. They get to see the strength of these three particular shinobi, but in exchange, we get to see the same from other nations. We learn about our enemies and allies, see their faces, meet their leaders, learn their cut and character. We get the opportunity to case a new land, and that knowledge is priceless. That is why we are all here, and that is why regardless of their victory, our combatants are doing the work of Raiden." Another fallacy, but closer to the truth. Their fighters were more like sacrifices to the political game. Everything about their fighting style was on display for the world to see. Years of hard work could be analyzed and countered, their names would be known in every land; all so Cloud could be here.

Umeko squirmed in her arms and squirmed unhappily. She didn't seem to like the fights, too much noise, and grew discontent when Yuii sat too long. Without much thought to whether or not he wanted to become a babysitter, Yuii slipped the months old baby from her sling and dropped her in the Raikage's lap. Having strangers face to stare at immediately enthralled Umeko enough to keep her still.

Yuii's attention shifted back to Asami, "Whats important for you to focus on is the battle. You're here to watch them fight Your eyes will have trouble following it at first, they move like wind and clash like lightning, but learning to anticipate movement is every bit as important as learning a jutsu. What good is shooting a fireball if you can't hit?" So unlike the students that had been watching Kaji and Azusa fight. Asami didn't seem hypnotized by the battle, despite it being every bit as exciting to watch. They were great shinobi, the blows they were trading were beyond anything the little girl should have ever seen, and yet the magic of it didn't pull at her. It was a shame, and yet, Yuii understood.

"Boots wants to talk to you I think," Yuii chimed, finally addressing the poor disguised Raikage, "Something about trouble."

It occurred to her suddenly, that Asami's attention was completely on her. Ayumu wasn't registering for her, which meant the girl probably didn't know who he was. Not a surprise since he'd avoided helping on the ship like they all had an ice zombie plague. A cheshire grin cut across her face, as an interesting opportunity presented itself.

"Hey, what do you know about our Raikage? Have they taught you much about him in the academy yet?" she asked, probably a little too innocently.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Before Yuii could respond to Ayumu, a small voice drew both of their attention to her other side. Leaning forward, Ayumu peered past Yuii to notice that at some point a young student had plopped down next to her. Apparently she had not even noticed Ayumu sitting there. He tried to ignore the blow to his pride and simply listened. She had questions, tough questions, for her Sennin. Those were the kind of questions kids liked to ask, after all. Ayumu quietly leaned back, partially hiding himself behind Yuii as the girl raised fair points. Why were they here? Wasn't this giving the other villages too much information? Of course, the villages wouldn't all be here if they didn't have their reasons. Ayumu let Yuii field the question- it was directed at her, after all. She raised some fair points. There was some level of pride on the line here. Every Cloud-nin watching wanted their shinobi brothers to win, to show how strong Cloud was. That wasn't why the village itself had decided to send shinobi, of course. The real reasons were more pragmatic. Her continuing explanation turned to the more practical purposes of attending this event. They could learn about the other villages and speak to their leaders... even if Ayumu wasn't thrilled with the prospect.

Meanwhile, the battle below pressed on as the two combatants exchanged more blows. The exchanges were still fairly evenly matched, but the tides continued to flow towards the mercenary's favor. By this point, Miraku was bleeding heavily and it was clearly taking a toll on him. It would be difficult to recover, but the Kumo shinobi was still very much in the game. Watching, Ayumu couldn't help the slight itch to jump into the arena himself. He bit the tip of his thumb slightly as he carefully watched their movements. It was hard standing by and watching. His training told him to aid his comrade, not sit there. Still, the logical side of his brain was well in control despite that urge. He needed something to distract himself. Almost as if on cue, a baby was planted in his lap unexpectedly. Blinking, Ayumu looked down to see little Umeko staring up at him with those big distracting eyes. Instantly, Ayumu was completely refocused on something new.

"Well hi there!" he said in a higher pitched voice than anybody would probably ever expect from a Raikage as he poked at her little hand. He could remember when Susumu was this little that he liked to grab his finger and try to hold on to it. "Aren't you just the cutest?"</B><i></i> he asked- a rhetorical question. Clearly she was the cutest. He looked up briefly as Yuii mentioned something about Umashi wanting to see Ayumu about trouble. The man was probably just as suspicious about the whole tournament as Ayumu was. Shinobi had a lot of enemies as had been evidenced the last time the villages had come together in one place. Ayumu nodded in response. He intended to meet up with the Hokage at some point. He needed to congratulate him on not dying, after all. He filed that thought away for later and returned his attention to the conversation at hand.

<B>"Anyway... this may all seem silly, but it does serve a purpose for the villages, like Yuii said. No matter who wins, we all benefit. It isn't just shinobi watching. The clients within our respective nations will see too and be reminded how valuable our villages are. More notoriety means more missions mean more money. Of course, winning means more of all of the above," Ayumu explained, finally adding in his own two cents. He leaned forward enough to glance at the student, wondering if she might actually notice that he was present now that he was the one in possession of an adorable baby. Once again, as if sensing Ayumu's thoughts, Yuii formed a mischievous grin and turned to the student to ask a question. What had they taught the students about the Raikage in classes? Feeling a small bead of sweat form on his temple as the awkwardness set in, Ayumu leaned back to hide behind Yuii once more and focus on baby Umeko.

"Do you remember Uncle Ayumu? Of course you do!"<i></i> he said hopefully. She couldn't claim otherwise, fortunately, since she was a baby and all, so he'd just choose to believe she remembered him. He stuck out his tongue and made a silly face as he pretended not to listen to the response to Yuii's question.

 

[Saotome Asami]

What an odd cloaked man. Both suspicious enough to hide his face, but easily enthralled by a young child. She almost turned to get a closer look, only to find that he had shifted to hide himself from view. She was right – he didn’t want to be noticed… So why was he talking? They had a point, she supposed, and that was enough to distract her for a few more moments. To gain information and to assert dominance. In exchange, they had to make both a gamble and a trade, but if they had to offer up just as much as every other village, was it really worth it? Definitely, if the alternative was appearing weak and having something to hide. She nodded to the Sennin, apparently satisfied with that answer.

Then came the suggestion: focus on the fight. For a half-second, she looked as if the woman had told her to do chores, but she entertained the idea anyway. There was a lot of blood and clashes. Fascinating. Never mind that her eyes couldn’t process enough of the scene to make sense of it; she struggled to find the enthusiasm for fighting anyway. That much she could be honest about, but she knew what would follow. “…With all due respect, Miss… I wouldn’t call myself much of a fighter. It’s difficult to, er… be interested in it.” Or being a shinobi at all, but she had met to meet one that would accept that as an answer, so why bother saying it?

The subject changed again, but the woman seemed a bit too keen to hear Asami’s opinion. Why would the woman even care what a child thought of a Kage? She spoke with her eyes on the arena, but her eyes weren’t moving much; rather, she was feigning interest to try and appease the woman.“Not much more than anybody else, I’d say. He took the position peacefully, which isn’t very common here. Besides that… I don’t know much, but I think a lot.“ She had plenty to say about her views of shinobi, but surprisingly little about the man in charge. She also, however, had a strong sense of self-preservation, and knew her thoughts were bound to bother the woman that could put a hole through her heart before she got a sentence out.

“I wonder… what kind of person he has to be, to let the things that happen to us students happen. It’s not a major thing, I know, but seeing as I’m one of them…” It was only human nature to think about one’s own situation above others. “I’m sure there was the usual stuff about our Great Peaceful Leader. Something about glory…” She wasn’t buying it – that much was clear from her tone. A sight had forced her voice to trail off, however, and neither of them would have to look far to figure out what. Finally, she’d leaned forward and taken a good look at Ayumu’s face. Hers lost a few shades of colour and gained quite a bit of surprise. The girl suddenly realised how interesting her thighs were. Did her words count as treason? If she’d thought running would feasibly allow her to escape from a Sennin and a Kage, she would have bolted. Her best bet, she realised, was to pass it off as nothing serious, keep her head down and hope it all blew over. Her voice drew quieter, becoming even harder to hear over chants and cheers. “…But what do I know? There’s a reason I’m still a student for a reason. A child. Not expected to understand things.”

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii burst into laughter, amused by how boldly Asami refused her 'suggestion' to watch the fight. In a different mood, she might have been angry that a mere student was talking back to her, but with her melancholy over Kaji's loss and her own rising disgust with the tournament, Yuii found her crass behaviour charming. For now. "Shinobi life isn't about doing what you like, strawberry, it's about doing what you must to survive and thrive or you might as well roll over and die." She chastised lightly heartedly, "You watch him fight, train your eyes, and learn." She leaned back furth in her seat, kicked one leg to cross the other and ruffled Asami's hair with her too cold hand, "You're young, nothing you do right now is any good."

She had to hand it to Miraku. he wasn't going down without a fight. The Anbu shinobi had somehow managed to stave off what had looked like heavy bleeding caused by his missing ninja opponent. Both men looked ready to drop any moment, and it could be any man's win now. Closer than Kaji against Azusa, though she hated to admit it, the fox woman outclassed them all.

And yet, the far more interesting were the little girl's carefully worded opinion of their Kage. Yuii had prompted the conversation on a wicked whim, but Asami was proving to be more amusing then she'd thought. What interested her most wasn't what she said so much, as what she was dancing around saying, or leaving out entirely. The academy was hard on the young ones, but the ones not born into the village had the worst conditions. The feeling that they had been cursed by their powers and kidnapped from their homes was not far off- in some cases it was completely true. Ahe knew it, Ayumu knew it; every shinobi did. They'd all lived through those days.

"You're right. The esteemed ninth Raikage, Akira Saito, passed the title to Kogami Ayumu of Kumogakure after a short tenure in power.which restored Kumogakure's balance. Before his ascension to leadership, our tenth managed two different branches, Anbu and Main, for over a decade of his life. He has a lost of missions completed as long as both my arms. Since his leap into leadership, he has proven himself to be a politically and socially fair Kage and has pushed from a number of policy changes through the village which has been designed to bridge social and economic gaps. Our society is far more socially advanced than the rest of the country, where the nobility still step on the backs of their people, " she droned as if the entire lecture had come from an academy scroll. Yuii knew it all to be true, but to the wrong ears it sounded like a bunch of propaganda."But the Raikage, while holding a non-hereditary seat on the council of the eleven moons, is also shackled to the wills and wishes of the Kumogakurian council- not because Kogami isn't a good man, but because historically not all Kage have been good." Like the kage of old, the kage controlled by the ancient, self-serving clans, like the handful of evil men and women whose names were stamped 'heresy' in the old texts.

Suddenly it seemed Asami had caught on to her situation, and Yuii's game ended prematurely. The Sennin sighed, morose to lose the extra entertainment and entertained that she thought Ayumu could be, well, scary. "Many of the things you experience as a student are necessary, or the will of the Bakufuu, and the Raikage can only protect us within the scope of his power and make our lives comfortable in other ways," she assured, feeling the words were right; few truely knew how much work Ayumu did. Maybe it would placate the little redhead to know.

At her side, Umeko giggled and trashed her hands wildly at the interesting faces Ayumu was pulling. She made uncoordinated swipes with her hands and pulled her own faces in baby mimicry. Her large blue eyes sparkled with interest and intelligence that reminded her so much of her father. That smile though...

"He also sucks at Ninjatendo, can't hold his liquor and has a fondness for breakfast sweets and strong coffee." Yuii sniggered, elbowing the Kage, " a total embarassment."

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

This must have been Yuii's payback for... well, there was a number of things Ayumu had done in the past that it could be called payback for. The child didn't recognize Ayumu as the Raikage and here Yuii was asking her what her opinion of him was. Ayumu forced himself to keep his sights set on the adorable child in his lap (which wasn't too difficult, mind) or on the fight. He couldn't force himself not to listen, of course. The first few comments were just facts she was repeating from lessons, most likely. Yuii expounded upon this, rattling off what sounded like a practiced mini-lecture. Of course, they were all very kind words which made it all the more awkward. Ayumu could only keep his head down, though he wanted to protest.

"...what kind of person he has to be, to let the things that happen to us students happen..."

That statement was a dagger in the back and Ayumu physically winced with his entire body. He couldn't allow himself to take it too personally. It wasn't unusual for a student to bemoan their situation, especially as they entered their teens. What teen didn't think their situation was awful? Ayumu had been angsty like that too at one point. After all, the same academy had produced him, though some would argue the academy nowadays was a bit kinder. That didn't make the student life any easier... it was rough, and not every student could cut it. Some rose to the challenge more than others. The rest of the comments sounded like the kind of inflated narrative they liked to feed to students about Raikages and how fabulous they were. She didn't seem to care about hiding the fact that she didn't place any value in those ideas, which didn't bother Ayumu really since he didn't either. The girl's voice had trailed off, leading Ayumu to fail in his mission to not look and glance to see what had caught her tongue. His eyes met hers for a moment before she dropped her head and began staring at her lap. She had finally noticed who he was.

Immediately, her tone became decidedly less frank and much more timid as she tried to roll back her earlier statements. Ayumu laughed awkwardly and returned his attention to the baby as Yuii defended him to Asami before taking a few light hearted jabs at him to ease the tension a little. Ayumu felt exhausted as though he had just been through an ordeal.

"I'm sorry, save for perhaps the coffee, aren't you just describing yourself?" Ayumu growled back as Yuii laughed, obviously quite delighted with herself. He couldn't blame her, he probably 100% deserved everything that had just happened, though the student was innocent in this as far as he knew.

"Your Sennin's cruel prank on both of us aside... you are allowed to have an opinion, student or no. Don't worry, I'm not going to bite your head off," he said, trying to give a reassuring smile if she could even bring herself to look at him. "If you're having problems in the academy or have concerns, my doors at the Torre are open and I'll be happy to listen... believe it or not, I went through that same academy," he continued before a rousing cry from the audience brought his attention back to the match once more. Miraku and the mercenary had just exchanged another round of heavy hits upon one another and they both now looked as though they were barely standing. Miraku had stopped the bleeding, but looked almost unconscious standing there.

"Ah, jeeze... looks like it's almost over. It could go either way at this point. Come on, Miraku, you can do this," Ayumu said, his eyes glued to the arena now. The next few moves would likely decide the outcome of the match.

 

[Saotome Asami]

She was still alive. Neither of the shinobi she had disrespected even made a move, except to mess with her hair. The woman even saw fit to bestow her with a nickname. Whether it was supposed to be endearing or demeaning, she had no clue. Still, knowing that she would live another day was no small comfort to Asami, but she was visibly still on edge. A weak forced smile showed itself as the Prankster Sennin repeated her suggestion, but she gathered that it was closer to an order the second time around. She tried to obey, if only out of respect, but she had about as much success as she did the first time. Hopefully, none of her were expecting her eyes to adjust over the course of half a match. The two in the pit simply moved too quickly, making use of jutsu she had never seen and could barely comprehend. Mist and hues of chakra only helped to obscure the scene to her. How were the crowds getting excited when they could barely follow the match? She’d known from her first attempt that trying to make sense of the fighting was a futile effort, but she’d also pushed her luck enough with her two superiors.

She continued to watch, but her mind was elsewhere. There was a lot she didn’t understand, and she hated not understanding. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel there was a disconnect. Supposedly, they had both been in the same situation, so why were they so calm about it? Neither of them were hostile, and she could appreciate that much, but none of their answers appeared to hit home either. That much was clear on her face; horror gave way to dismay as they attempted to sway her mind. Yuii sounded as if she was being forced to give a speech, and of course, she noticed. She quickly decided against commenting on what sounded suspiciously close to propaganda; her tone earlier should have made it clear how she felt about that. Either they didn’t understand that some students had no interest in the shinobi life, or – more likely, she realised – they didn’t care to hear objections.

The little girl had a lot to say about that, but an inner voice told her to hold her tongue. It was all too easy for her to get frustrated with the situation, and that emotion would do nothing to help her or her case. Though the two finished speaking, even making attempts at humanizing each other, she seemed to have nothing to say to them. Her eyes remained on the arena, just as the Sennin had told. It conveniently stopped her from having to look Ayumu in the eye after her harsh comments.

She didn’t have much time; if the Raikage spoke true, the arena would soon erupt with a thousand cheers, and any chance at holding a conversation would be lost in the noise. Fortunately for her, she had a way with words, given enough time to put them together. All she needed to do was find a way to get her point across without upsetting the two.

“With all due respect…” Another pause. She kept her eyes on the pit, but had clearly failed to keep up with the duel. “If we changed positions now… If you were the student, forced into the academy, and I was the leader towering above… Would anything either of you just said convince you that you were wrong? Would knowing that your place was decided by a group of old men that will never send one of theirs to join you, because they ‘know what’s best’, make you feel better? Do you feel comfortable being told you’re going to be sent off to die, and that there’s nothing you or anybody else can do about it, but that doesn’t matter because something else will make up for it… somehow?” She took a breath. Hints of irritation had begun to edge themselves into her tone, but she was quick to stamp it out.

“To hear that I went through what you did, know exactly what it feels like, and have the power to change it… But I still won’t see it as a problem worth looking into until you make an appointment? How would that make you feel?” ‘Would it be anything like the way I feel now, or am I the crazy one?’ She decided against continuing aloud, but her thoughts rode on. Helpless and hopeless. Like a free horse, about to be broken and reforged for the mills. Oddly enough, not angry. Not anymore – of all the emotions she had run through in the months since, anger was the first to give out. Frustration, on the other hand, came out in full force, especially in the worst of her classes. There was a strong basis for her feelings, compounded by the usual teenage struggle. Despite what teenagers believed, however, all adults were at their age once. Would either of them be able to use that knowledge for the better?

[MFT]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

And, like the action movies, Kaji liked to watch, the two fighters faced one another in a final showdown. For a single moment, the entire stadium went silent as all waited with baited breath for the end. Then a flash, an explosion of fire that somehow Miraku narrowly escaped, a flurry of counter-attacks the landed with deadly accuracy and the roar or the crows as their winner was decided. Rikutsuchi Miraku had won.

Despite her poor mood, Yuii found herself clapping along with the crowd. She wished, hypocritically of her earlier thoughts, that Kaji could have gotten the same undulation. That it was her love soaking in the cheer of the crowds, keen to move on to the next battle arena. And yet. it was for the best. Their lives were already under such scrutiny that being Cloud's champion would have made maintaining a private life impossible. Ninja paparazzi was a horrible thing. Better this man, a stranger, take the burden.

"You're encouraging her. You know this kind of talk gets people in trouble," Yuii hissed at Ayumu, taking advantage of the cheering to cover her words. She nudged him with her elbow for good measure, making her displeasure known. It was probably a positive change that the academy was no longer under Ayumu's direct control. Her friend's child was in the system now, and she suspected he would be quick to follow up even the mere whisper of trouble within the academy. That he would see his child in every sad set of eyes.

Which was why Asami implying that her Kage didn't care made Yuii scowl. "Listen, Strawberry, be comforted, or don't be. If we switched places right now, you would understand the limitations of a single human being- powers or no. If we changed places you would know the history of a hundred other men and women who tried to strong arm the system into a kinder way and ended up causing catastrophe for all involved. Even Raikage have met violent ends for heedlessly striding towards change. So no, Kogami-sama is unlikely to jump and make radical changes to the academy, but don't confuse that with a lack of caring or awareness." Her mouth formed a thin line as she realised she had been speaking on Ayumu's behalf. The Kage could speak for himself and cater to whoever he liked.

With the fight over, people were standing, stretching, seeking food and drink while the tournament adjourned for intermission before the next battle. There was only the star boy left, one of Yuii's old students. but if Ayumu was out watching there was no need for her to show a third token appearance."I need to get back to my husband. I suppose you'll be congratulating our champion?" she quipped, changing the subject suddenly to signal she was done with their line of conversation. She plucked Umeko up from Ayumu's care, earning herself an frustrated squeal from the baby, and balanced her on one hip. "Don't forget about Boots.-" then to Asami, "Enjoy the rest of the tournament."

And with that, she slipped between a group of celebrators comparing bets and was gone.

[Topic left unless stopped]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

No kind words ever began with "with all due respect" and that was something Ayumu had learned quickly after entering his first position of leadership. If the statement needed to be qualified to reassure you that respect was implied, the words would suggest otherwise. The girl was irritated with her lot in life, and nothing they could really say would make up for it. From her perspective, he doubted anything would make it okay. Before Ayumu could give any sort of response, the crowd erupted into cheers signaling the end of the match. Ayumu had almost missed it from the distractions. Miarku had won.

"Yes!"</SIZE><i></i> Ayumu cheered, giving a quick fist pump as the excitement of the moment overtook him. He joined in the applause for Kumo's champion and then was reminded of why he had been distracted by a jab in his side as Yuii chastised him for letting Asami speak her mind. Unfortunately, that was just the kind of rotten guy Ayumu was. Yuii took to responding to Asami's accusations first, defending Ayumu in a manner that could almost bring a tear to his eye. She certainly wasn't one to mince words for the kids, though. Ayumu laughed a bit nervously as Yuii collected her child. "Thanks, Yuii," he said quietly before she made known her plans to go and see Kaji and suggested that Ayumu might congratulate Miraku now before leaving him with Asami.

"Hoo... that was something. I don't imagine you're feeling comforted after that. But unfortunately, I don't think there's anything comforting to say. She's right. I'm not going to make radical changes to undo what the Academy has been doing for ages. Even if I wanted to, I'd be limited in my ability to do much. The directive to send chakra capable children to Kumogakure comes under the authority of this nation's government. The thing is, as unfair as it feels... no, as unfair as it is, it's as much for the good of the kid as it is for anything. The rules are the way they are because of how the world is.

The world doesn't like us shinobi very much. We're scary to them because we're different. A kid, out there, unable to understand or control their powers is a threat to their family and themselves, but they're also likely to attract the wrong kind of attention. I could tell you horror stories about the kids that Kumogakure found out about too late. At least in Kumogakure, despite how you might feel about it, you are among your kind. That's the conclusion my experiences throughout my life have led me to," Ayumu explained, giving his point of view without reservations.

<SIZE size="105">"Maybe your experiences will lead you to a different conclusion. And maybe you'll figure out some way to make a change some day, if you still feel how you do now. But for now, this is your lot in life and it isn't going to change. What you do with it is up to you,"<i></i> he concluded. He didn't expect Asami to be swayed from her opinion, but the last statement he made was no opinion. It was the fact of the matter. She had been dealt the hand she had been dealt, just like everybody else, and it was up to her to how she was going to go forward. Looking down to the arena, Ayumu saw Miraku heading out, probably for treatment and to begin preparations for his next match. Now only Hoshi's match remained. However, there was time now and Ayumu would stay a bit longer to let the crowds clear out.

 

[Saotome Asami]

The fight was over. The Kumo-nin had ended the duel with a flurry of strikes, and that was about as much as he could make out. She clapped twice for the man; a half-hearted attempt at being polite and supportive. If she was hoping to remain in the good graces of her superiors, she’d already ruined that. They seemed bothered. Irritated, even. She supposed she couldn’t blame them. Most people didn’t take kindly to criticism, herself included.

“I was supposed to feel comforted…?” If that was what either of the two were going for, they’d failed spectacularly, and the genuine confusion in her voice made that clear. She repeated the sentence as a statement in her mind; once it sunk in that they truly thought they were trying to ease her troubles, her face fell all over again. Disappointment showed itself, plain as day. Yuii had something to say about what any single human could do, but if their glorious leader, the strongest man in the village, either couldn’t or didn’t want to make the effort to change things, who did? If even his Sennin felt that nothing could be done… What was she supposed to take from that?

She wasn’t sure. She really wasn’t sure, and there were few sensations that brought about more frustration than uncertainty. Asami made no effort to stop the woman and her baby leaving (though it wasn’t as if she could have anyway). While the rest of the spectators cheered, mourner their losses or left to gather refreshments, she remained still, staring straight ahead. Despondency had taken dismay’s place on her face.

“Neither of you could give me a straight answer. …I feel like that said the most. You do know how it feels. You just don’t…” She pursed her lips, realising there was no point in her finishing the sentence. She’d already heard enough claims that they were cared for or thought of beyond what was necessary to break them, and very little proof to back it up. Maybe she was the crazy one after all. They made it sound so obvious. That somebody like her needed to be protected from herself, through a gruelling regime and a way of life few ever left behind… As far as she knew, anyway. “If that was true, there would be an option to leave after basic training.” The horror stories of untrained children had never reached her; that and her inner sceptic made his tales sound awfully convenient. She knew better than to outright call the man a liar. Instead, he could look at her face and see that she wasn’t sold.

It could have been worse, she told herself. She’d spoken her mind and lived to tell the tale, which was always a plus. Rather, she had entered what was supposed to be a cheerful event and unloaded on the two, souring their occasion. Perhaps later, she could feel grateful that she’d gotten off so lightly. Instead, she had summarised their words as best she could. “’Deal with it.’ You can just say that. Everybody else did, so I can do it too.” Never mind the other shinobi that had died along the way, or the plethora that were but a shadow of their former selves. Faces flashed into her mind – ‘teachers’ that had clearly lost a piece of their mind or morals along the way. “’Let the system take you, and you can kill what makes you, you to survive, or die trying as yourself.’ It must sound so much easier once you’re out the other end.” Woah. She’d surprised herself with a random, dissatisfied outburst, even if her tone had remained controlled that time around. It didn’t matter, she reminded herself. It was no way to talk to superiors… But somebody had to say it!

She fell back onto a tried and tested defence: a show of respect, humility, and a silent prayer for forgiveness. She turned to Ayumu, still bearing the slightly-widened eyes of a girl that knew she had gone too far. “I should go,” she decided, before she could make the situation any worse for herself. “I-I’m sorry. For… spoiling the match. This isn’t the time or the place… or the right people. I don’t even like fights…” She folded her arms as she rose from her seat, awaiting the man’s permission to leave with a growing sense of discomfort. Contrary to the Sennin’s words, she wouldn’t be enjoying the rest of the tournament; in fact, she doubted she would see any more matches for a while, after how terribly this one had turned out.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu sighed as the girl seemed unmoved still, continuing her argument with poorly hidden resentment. It didn't seem that there was anything he could say that would make her feel better about it. That was probably his failing as an adult, but there wasn't much he could do but offer his own perspectives. She shot up from her seat and, looking perhaps fearful of retribution, apologized and suggested that she should leave.

"Stop. This is clearly something you've been waiting for an opportunity to talk about. You're not going to get in trouble with me for speaking your mind. The match is over... now is as good a time as any,"<i></i> Ayumu protested, hoping to stop her from leaving. It was easy to think that disagreeing with the Raikage was a big no-no, but that was a notion Ayumu had to dispel here. Nobody was paying them any mind, so why not have the discussion there and now?

"So you think that there's no way to make it through the Academy without killing what makes you yourself? That all of us who have are just shells of our former selves?" Ayumu asked, presuming she didn't just up and run away. Though he wasn't going to get angry, he couldn't help but feel offended for the first time in the conversation. To imply that he and everyone he loved were somehow incomplete versions of themselves because of their experiences as a shinobi.

"I have a wife. I have a child... a family. Friends, like Yuii... and her new family. I'm living a full life and I'm happy. We're not broken and you don't have to be, either," Ayumu tried reasoning. There was no part of him that resented being a shinobi. No part that wished he could have been something else. He was proud of what he was and similarly proud of the people that he cared about. "Not unless you choose to be by resigning yourself to that fate," he concluded.

 

[Saotome Asami]

Permission denied. As much as the thought crossed her mind, she didn’t dare try to flee, even if half of her thought it was a wonderful idea. They could agree on one thing, at least. None of her teachers and barely any students would entertain the idea of rejecting the academy. A child that had so much to say needed to let it out at some point, but her bedroom mirror was usually the victim. A mirror couldn’t listen, however, which meant she could spout whatever nonsense her emotions threw out in the moment. With an actual human giving her attention, requesting her side of the story… She actually needed to make a coherent argument. It was harder than she would’ve thought, which explained her initial silence. She showed an uncomfortable frown, as if it wasn’t clear enough that she hoped to leave, but she had made her bed. Whatever her truth was, there was no guarantee that he was going to like it.

“I never said broken…” To be polite. She couldn’t claim that the word hadn’t crossed her mind… several times. ”But… It’s not normal. Good people don’t do the things shinobi do. They don’t drug the people they’re supposed to be protecting, or throw surprise… lethal tests at them for the fun of it…. And leave them to almost die. They don’t take advantage of other peoples’ kindness. That’s just what I’ve seen from the people that are supposed to teach us lessons. I don’t think I need to mention the attacking, kidnapping, killing… Probably a lot more stuff that never makes it onto paper. If you aren’t a shinobi, those are illegal and wrong. You and I know it, and most children are taught it… But that’s not the shinobi way, is it?” She turned to the empty pit – a glorification of violence with thousands in attendance. “Something has to give. How do you follow a good person’s rules when it’s your job to be bad? I bet that’s why some of them ended up so…” Insane. “Wonky. Some of them don’t do well. Some start to enjoy it, and some others convince themselves they’re doing the right thing.” By her logic, the Raikage fit squarely into the latter, but would he pick up on that? “Maybe… that’s enough for you. But I know I’m not the only one that sees something wrong with that. It doesn’t matter, because that’s my lot in life.”

Finally, she turned to face him again. As much as she wanted to look annoyed, she could only seem to portray sadness. A disguised village leader, probably twice her age, had taken the time to listen and respond. He’d made himself the target of her venting, but made it much harder for her to focus her anger. How was she going to paint the Raikage as a devilish bogeyman after this?

“It’s not… that strange to you guys, right? Wanting to be a good person that does good things… But that’s not really what shinobi are for, is it?”

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu listened quietly as Asami retorted once more, insisting that shinobi weren't normal. The thing was, Ayumu couldn't see them as anything but normal. He'd been a shinobi all of his life. His family had been shinobi before he lived, and his lineage before them the same. They all lived the shinobi's way of life- going on missions and fighting were second nature. But here was she, someone who up until recently was an outsider. None of this was normal to her. It wasn't that hard to understand that she'd see things differently. So when she turned to him and asked him if it was strange, he shook his head adamantly.

"It's not strange... To me, it's ideal. I want to do good things," Ayumu began. His gaze turned downwards as he looked at his hands in quiet contemplation for a moment.

"All I can do is the best I can within the confines of what we are. Shinobi have existed long before you or I, or my parents, or their parents. Way longer. As long as people exist, shinobi will continue to exist. If Kumogakure wasn't around, some other village would spring up to fill the void. The major countries all have them. But we haven't existed this long without changing. Kumogakure used to be a darker place, even more so than as you see it now. If we took all the contracts that were offered to us, the vile things that evil people want to use us for, I wouldn't be able to stand living in Kumogakure,"<i></i> he said, pausing again before looking back up at Asami.

"We're not perfect, and I don't have full control of shaping the village even as Raikage, but the Kumo I envision uses its strength to protect the country and people. To maintain peace. If you want to do good things... the village needs more people like you to move closer to that image,"<i></i> he concluded. He meant it, too. To make the village a better place, people with a conscience like Asami were vital. But the desire to do good wasn't enough. If she couldn't accept being a shinobi, it wasn't going to be possible to improve anything and that would be a damn shame.

 

[Saotome Asami]

He agreed with her. A pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. Asami felt the need to be the contrarian, for no reason other than she was used to it. Too many times, had spoken against the system and earned nothing for it. For somebody to finally agree with her felt off. If pigs started soaring above their heads, she wouldn’t have thought it out of place. Stranger still, the man seemed to be considering her words. Fancy that – a little girl having something useful to say to a grown veteran. Mild confusion crossed her features for a few seconds, until she realised what she was feeling. A sudden sense of admiration for a man that showed some genuine concern, far removed from the big bad Kage she had imagined.

She took a step closer to him as he watched his hands and took up Yuii’s place on the bench. If he’d meant to kill her, he’d had plenty of chances to try. For now, she felt safe. Better than safe, even – she could speak freely, as long as she remembered her manners. Nothing new for her. He gave his thoughts; maybe it was because he didn’t try to spin it into somebody else’s fault, or something that was for her own good. Perhaps it was his attempt to make the problem something she could fix that did the trick. Whatever the reason, she allowed the rowdy roars of the arena to wash over them once he was one, dwelling on his speech.

“Well… you’re not wrong. It could be a lot worse, for me and the village.” For all the times she had bemoaned her predicament, at least she had the ‘privilege’ of a home to return to. If she hadn’t lived in Kumogakure, she had no doubt that she would have been separated from her family one way or another. She’d lived a comfortable life before, and besides the emotional turmoil, her parents weren’t suffering much from her enrolment. If she had been born to a poor family, or an orphan, without a caring support system…

She knew she had things relatively well, but telling oneself it could be worse rarely helped anything. “But… It could be better too, couldn’t it? I know that, but…” She pursed her lips. It was a hard truth to swallow. “Not for a lack of trying… But that doesn’t mean we- you should stop trying…! You can do something about it. You make it sound like most people care what one student has to say. The other students either look at me like I’m crazy or don’t say anything at all. Mostly the second one. I think they’re scared of being punished, and I don’t really blame them. Again, no offence-“ Always a good sign. “From where we stand, at the bottom of the chain… Any group that’s willing to steal children to keep their projects going, or let them beat each other up for training, or let them face blizzards alone to toughen them up… probably doesn’t have any problems with handling the ones that speak up. If I hadn’t done the math and realised how much each one of us was needed, I wouldn’t take the chance either.” She paused, as if anticipating the denial. “Heck, you just saw Sennin-san brush it off… I’m surprised you’re still here listening…” She quickly shook her head, realising she was getting side-tracked again.

“I’d love to do something about it. At least then, I could feel like I’m doing something worthwhile, instead of being forced into all of this. One student can’t do much, and…” One Raikage was stuck in a dilemma too close for comfort. She paused again, realising what he was getting at. If she wanted to, she had the option to move further up the chain; find herself a higher position to act from. But that would require learning to fight and kill, and carrying out whatever dirty deeds the top demanded from her. She found herself thinking the words again: Something had to give. If she wanted to fight monsters, then she would have to become like them. If she did that, then what was the point?

Her eyes widened slightly, and she turned to face the man properly. “I don’t get it. You don’t sound like a bad person, Raikage-sama, but you used were a normal shinobi too. You would have run out to assassinate and steal and destroy, but you’re not like the teachers. …Some of them, anyway. Why not? What are you doing differently?” Would his message be something she could learn from?

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

For Ayumu, this was not an experience he had often. His schedule in Kumogakure kept him pretty busy and afforded him few chances to speak to students. It had been that was since he had become Raikage, though even before that he had been a Sennin of two branches for quite some time. His time was spent mostly it was meetings with diplomats, assigning missions to higher ranked shinobi, or speaking to his Sennin. It was unfortunate, because it meant the point of view of a student, the one from which he was the furthest removed at this point in his career, was mostly unknown to him. He'd been a student once, yes, but it had been so many years ago. He realized now this was probably something he needed more of.

As the conversation continued, Asami seemed to be softening up on him, at least a little. Like a barrier that had been set up between them was coming down bit by bit. Maybe she was realizing that Ayumu actually wanted to hear what she had to say. Maybe he was realizing that her input shouldn't be disregarded just because she was young. Probably some of both. He knew that the progress was real which she admitted that he wasn't wrong on one point, and that was a good step in his book.

She contemplated her situation, considering that, for the tough things she had to put up with, it could be worse. At the same time, she argued that it could be better. He couldn't say that wasn't the truth. Things were far from perfect as they were. Ayumu nodded in agreement silently as she continued. She felt as though a student's voice wouldn't carry very far. That was undeniably true in most cases. Here he was listening to her at this moment, but it was really a matter of chance that it happened. They were, or at least she was, afraid of what consequences there might be for speaking up. If anything, it made the fact that she did anyway more impressive. Of course, how could they feel otherwise? In many cases they were moved to Kumogakure before really being old enough to understand why. In the more rare cases, it was even done against the wishes of their family. The CPSS was necessary for many reasons, but it was hard to defend some of the practices they continued to maintain even now. There was definitely room for improvement.

At last Asami seemed almost on the verge of a breakthrough. One student couldn't do much, but indeed, she didn't need to remain a student. She could go further, gain the ability to make a change, but there was still some hesitation. She didn't want to lose herself along the way. Her next question through him for a loop, though. What made him different? Perhaps it was because of the people he tended to surround himself with, but he didn't feel that he was that different.

"If I'm not a bad person, I probably owe that to the people around me who've inspired me to try to do better. It's easy to fall into the trap of forsaking humanity... but those people encourage me not to. I think there are more good people, that want to do the right thing, in the village than you know. Perhaps you haven't had the chance to meet them yet. Those are the people, like you, that give me hope for our village," Ayumu explained, trying to make sense. It wasn't easy to examine himself like that and determine why he was who he was, but he wanted to help Asami if he could.

"That said, at the same time I probably wouldn't have made it this far without the ones that were tough on me in order to prepare me for the challenges of this lifestyle. A bit of both is needed, I think. Even if it's far from pleasant," he continued. After all, the entirety of his experiences are what led him to where he was now, not just the pleasant ones.

"If I'm being honest, we've just met, but you strike me as the kind of person that's strong enough to make it as a shinobi and hold on to your convictions..." he began, pausing as he realized that he didn't know how to address her. "I don't think I caught your name... I'm guessing it's not really Strawberry? Yuii likes to make up nicknames..."<i></i>

 

[Saotome Asami]

‘Good friends’ was the key takeaway, as far as she could tell. It made sense to her; having trustworthy people to keep each other in line must have done wonders for their psyche. Would that help her, though? For all his claims that there were good people left in the village, she struggled to meet them. Heck, she could only claim to have one friend in the academy. Well, one and a half – Shizuka showed the best of intentions. Natsumi might make for a good friend, but she was a little pricklier than she was used to.

She couldn’t prove that there weren’t more good people in the village, even if her experiences left her with some doubt. Logically, it made sense, but how many of them had good intentions and the drive to see them through? Wherever they were, their paths hadn’t crossed yet, or she was too distracted to notice they were nearby. Somebody like Yuii had to have at least some good in her, but the moment, she was mostly another adult that thought she knew better than her. Whether or not that was right was up to debate…

But in the end, did it really matter? How ever she felt about Ayumu’s words, it didn’t change that she was stuck in the academy. Her options were to continue a futile struggle against the system, or latch on to the hope he offered. She wasn't entirely satisfied, and she knew it... But what he was giving her was better than nothing. "Mhm," was the best she could offer at first. From their conversation, she'd been given a purpose to work towards and a means to help herself reach it, so why did she still feel like something was missing? She was unsure of herself and it showed, but if she couldn't articulate the reason, then what was the point in showing there was a problem? The small frown slowly faded, and in its place came a gentle smile. Polite, but not confident. "I guess I never thought to introduce myself... Saotome Asami, sir. Just a student. For now." She feigned belief in herself - would he catch on to her tricks? "I know who you are, of course. This wasn't what I expected when I came here, but It's the kind of surprise I can get used to. I... kind of feel like I have a goal now." Her brow furrowed, so quickly it could almost be seen as a twitch. 'Kind of' was the problem, but it wasn't his problem. Perhaps with time and thought, more would come to her, and the right set of words might give her insight.

"Either way. It does sound like I have a lot of work to do, and a lot to think about. I'm not crazy - I know it won't be easy... But that was never the problem." That, at least, she could say with real confidence. "It was being dragged into some strange world to against my will, because some old men that I'd never met and would never do the job themselves said so. It was never my choice. Well... I guess it still isn't." A nervous chuckle escaped her, but her smile remained, growing as she reached her conclusion. "But at least now I have a reason. Something to work towards for myself. Well, for other people, but sort of for myself too...! That... that makes a big difference. So thank you, Raikage-sama. Thank you very much." She supposed there were a lot of small things in it for her. Freedom to travel the country under the guise of missions, though every shinboi was still chained to Kumogakure. Riches were nice, but she already lived comfortably. Fame, perhaps? Treasures? Raw power?

Perhaps it was an internal debate for another time. For the moment, what she had would do. All it took was one shady-looking old man.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Saotome Asami was her name. For a student, she had made the Raikage think about some things he hadn't given as much thought as perhaps he should have before now. He leaned back in contemplation as he peered across the stadium, watching the audience continue to filter out of the exits. He turned his attention back to her as she continued. Asami appeared to have a general goal in mind, though her voice wasn't bursting with confidence. Ayumu wasn't so conceited to think that he could solve all of her problems in one conversation. At least, as she continued on to explain, she had gained something from her conversation with the shady-looking old man. She had a goal now, and some motivation to try to reach it. That was a starting place she seemed to be missing when they first started speaking.

She recognized that she had a lot of work ahead of her and despite not having overwhelming confidence, she wasn't backing down from the challenge. The smile she gave was a relief and Ayumu was glad to know that she was able to give a genuine one despite her unwanted circumstances. The gratitude was more than Ayumu expected though. In typical fashion, he turned his head away and scratched his head bashfully. "Oh,"<i></i> he started, chuckling awkwardly, "You don't need to thank me. I'm glad if I can be of any help to you. I need to be a useful Raikage sometimes." Looking around, the crowd had really thinned out. Asami and Ayumu were the only ones still sitting in their section. For one trying not to draw any attention, he was really letting himself being singled out.

"We might be overstaying our welcome here a bit. I'm sure the cleaning staff would like to get in here and prepare for the next match,"<i></i> Ayumu commented, looking around at the half empty drinks and other discarded trash that the audience had left in the stands. Nearby, somebody had spilled what appeared to be an entire bag of popcorn on the ground. There was a mess to clean up, to be sure, though that wasn't the only reason Ayumu wanted to clear out. Standing up, he stretched his legs and old man back before lifting his hood back over his head. If anybody was going to spot them standing out in the empty seats, at least they wouldn't easily spot his face.

"Asami, I think you can accomplish your goal. You've got guts, clearly, standing up to a Sennin and a Raikage. That'll carry you far in the village,"<i></i> he pronounced, turning to face her, "And if you need some encouragement along the way, you can stop by my office whenever."<i></i> He gave a quick thumbs up and flashed a smile. He never refused anybody that wanted to speak to him if he could help it, even troublesome teenage girls. "But for now, I'm sure you've had enough of hanging out with this old man. Unless there's more you'd like to talk about?"<i></i> he asked. He wasn't trying to bail by any means, but he wondered if she might have friends she wanted to hang out with or things she wanted to do while in Tea. Once they had said their farewells, they they would part ways and Ayumu would return to sneaking around and avoiding sight.

[Topic Left]

 

[Saotome Asami]

What was that? A bashful kage? It was a good thing Ayumu turned away; for a moment, she fought to keep a snigger at bay. Etiquette was a field she could speak confidently about. “Of course I do…! What kind of person would I be if I didn’t thank a helpful person? It might be your job, but… Well, solving problems might be a lot of people’s jobs, but that doesn’t mean it always gets done. And if we can’t appreciate the people that do it, then…” She realised she was going onto another tangent and quickly shook her head. “The point is, Oka-san taught me better!”

Without chakra, Asami would be a businesswoman-in-training; while she was too young to start balancing chequebooks, but Mrs Saotome had done a good job of moulding her personality. Confidence, value in appearance, and a bit of charm had been inherited from the woman, which helped a lot when she felt the need to be outspoken. He had a good point, though. A quick look around confirmed that they had spent a little too long in the stalls, and her running her mouth wasn’t helping much either. She rose to her feet, giving a slight nod in agreement. “I don’t blame them. They’re going to have their work cut out for them.” She didn’t have to worry about being identified, but she would rather not have to be asked to leave anyway. Their time was almost over, which was probably for the best – if given the chance, she could talk the man’s ear off.

He had a few more words for her first. A compliment and an invitation, should she ever need it. He would practically see the moment her ego grew two sizes. ‘The Raikage said I’ve got potential’ would be her ultimate trump card in arguments for the next several months. “You too!” She narrowed her eyes for a moment. “Obviously. Admitting that you can’t isn’t easy. For me, anyway. But you did. I’m glad you did, but I hope you won’t let that stop you… Shinobi can start natural disasters with a few handseals now, but one person had to figure it out first… So if a bunch of old people – like, way older than you – are in your way, you just have to be the first to figure that out, and I’ll work on figuring something out too.” What she was meant to solve would be a work in progress, but that went without saying.

She took a few steps towards the main aisle, leaving her with a clear path to the exit (barring the occasional spot of trash). “Oh, and, er… Sorry about saying there was something wrong with you all… Maybe it didn’t come out right. Just, some of the shinobi in the village… They’re not normal. Call it a bad first impression. A series of… cause-for-concern first impressions, that made me think that was the future I had to look forward to. I hope it isn’t. It won’t be.” With a more confident statement, she felt satisfied to part ways. “You take care. Please. I need to get myself started, but I’ll remember what you said for a while. So, until we see each other again…” She raised a hand and waved him farewell. As before, she allowed him a moment in case he had more to say, but otherwise, she was set to leave the conversation on a much better note than before. The days to come would be no less difficult, but she had higher hopes for them.

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[MFT]​