"You want to put your face on the mountain?" Mito looked over at her husband with a rather dubious expression with the question, clearly wondering why he would want something so silly.
"Yes. It could be... an anchor for the seal defenses of the village! You can use it as a guardian sentinel and none would question extra precautions put on it."
She stared at him, and when he simply stared back hopefully, she sighed. "I am not going to give it any special abilities."
He drooped, just a little. "Well, it's not as though I was going to ask you to have it shoot lightening or anything."
They both paused, then she snorted, once, and gave him a small smile. "You wanted it to didn't you."
"...Perhaps. It would have been an impressive defense next time outsiders tried to attack."
She just shook her head and pulled him over to her work area by the hand so she could sit and pull out paper while they talked. "How about this instead. We're the first village to welcome other clans, but now that we've started the trend I'm sure other places will too. How about, for now, we give the face an... intimidation factor? I can make a seal for that and it should chase off groups that intend to hurt the village instead of live here."
He didn't look thrilled at the suggestion. "Isn't that a bit strong? It would possibly chase off some of the wilder groups, and you've seen how haggard the few clans here already were when we pulled them together."
She gave him a slightly exasperated look. "It wouldn't be set to individuals. We would never manage to get anyone to come if they were under the impression that it was possible they were being controlled that way."
"Well, then maybe nothing that scares people off. Maybe just something to make them hesitate to really try to hurt the place? That sensation like you're being watched with the 'I know what you're doing' stare?"
She paused, turning the idea over in her head. "I was coming at this a bit backward wasn't I? That could work. If we use that as a defensive seal, I could combine it with a lure for those with the traits we would most want in a village like ours. Those who want to defend will come here, and those who mean harm will be wary, but encouraged to cease being hostile and settle here. It can be a compound seal and should hopefully bring in a few more clans instead of just the four we have now."
Nodding, he looked over her sketches. Sealing was not his thing, not really, but he could understand enough to know that she was getting invested in the idea. He was so glad he'd managed to present the idea to her in a way that said it was for a reason. That wasn't vanity. He was entirely sure she saw right through it anyway. "So, I can put my face on the mountain?"
She gave him a fond, amused stare. "You can put your face on the mountain."
Somehow, once all was said and done, the part about the seals failed to get around, and while his successors put their faces up too, well, they just didn't have the same impact as the first.
Until the Yondaime's anyway. But that's hardly relevant, now is it?