A/N: Kept you waiting, huh?
So, I won't lie, I've had other things to do in life and this story just isn't a main priority (you'd understand if you have bills and a job and college and all that going on at once). But, I do enjoy writing this thing, even if it's casually. Chapters aren't gonna be showing up fast and there will definitely be long, long, LOOOONG gaps between some chapter updates. But, don't think this chapter is the only one you'll see for a year or so. I've been writing in my spare time, and I've done so to the point where I could provide over, what, ten chapters for all of you? I consider just leaving this story behind quite a lot, but then I see reviews from people who STILL read this little fun project and it warms my heart. Thank you all for sticking with it, even when I don't update. It means a lot.
That being said, my semester just ended and work has eased up a little. I'm gonna be working on a few more chapters with more diligence, and hopefully I can get them published in a timely manner. But, we're talking about 20 or so chapters later? So it'll be a while before they even meet this site. It was weird going back and proof-reading this chapter, knowing how much changed between now and then...
...but, that doesn't really matter. I'm a bit tired so I apologize if I didn't do a great job of proofreading. Hopefully, you'll find this chapter satisfactory.
I hope you enjoy! :)
Water burst about far from the home of the Tamashi family. A massive splash reached for the skies before droplets cascaded down Jiyuu, his chiseled body slick with sweat and lake water. He was struggling to control his breathing, trying his hardest to not consider just what was going on tonight, or the fact that he had been invited to it. Dinner at Tenshi's place, but with everybody else present. He wasn't even sure why he was considering it, in all honesty. Why would he EVER want to be around his old team when he wasn't doing a mission? The only thing that kept him interested in this little shindig was Tenshi herself, the young maiden still having some sort of dominance over Jiyuu's softer side. The man never felt bitterness towards her...at least, not directly. It was only because she associated with Tsuyo on a very intimate level that he felt disgust by association. That bastard with the glasses, HE was the reason Tenshi had betrayed Jiyuu so. He was like a wedge, forcing himself between the two until they split apart. There mere thought of Tsuyo grinning, it made Jiyuu's fist tighten.
This was stupid. Why did he even care about Tenshi anymore? What possible reason did the Hyuuga's Black Eye have to care about some childhood crush? Hell if he knew...perhaps he was just clinging to memories of a more innocent time, a moment where he needn't worry about all the things that clouded his mind in the present. It may have been a method to keep him from going insane while alone, and perhaps, he could win her back from Tsuyo like the tragic hero that he felt he was. But who was he kidding, he was no hero. He barely qualified as a good guy in the slightest. He was smack in the darkest of grey areas, and the only thing keeping him going was the desire to not become as dark and conceited as the very Hyuuga who, to this day, still desired he join them. It was just that the Jinchuuriki Crisis was a little more important than his own personal crisis.
Soft footsteps along the water's surface got Jiyuu to look over his shoulder, half expecting a battle of some sort. Seeing his mother out on the water with him, however, completely threw him off. She was giving him this look, something sad, that just made him feel uncomfortable, almost enough to turn red. Odd, she was still in her pajamas...did he wake her up?
Warai folded her arms beneath her bosom, and her gentle eyes roamed over her son, glistening with a little moisture from held-back tears. "...sweetie...you're pushing yourself so hard."
"..."
"...you're training like you have to fight the world all alone."
He held his tongue, only for a moment as he gathered his thoughts for some sort of polite response. He looked ahead, keeping his full back to his mother. "Don't be so dramatic, please. I just think someone who's stronger is also someone who's more capable. I'll be more useful if I keep improving."
Now was Warai's turn to fall silent, which threw Jiyuu off a little. It was the soft retreating footsteps from the kunoichi that got him to turn around, surprised that she was not correcting him with her own opinion...at least, not right away. She was walking along the lake's surface to the small dot that sat in front of the Hidden Mist Village, the foggy air almost smothering it. Home was so far away, and he seemed to step further and further from it every morning during his training.
"Jiyuu, it's good to be a strong fighter. But trust me, real strength doesn't always come down to how hard you can punch someone. I know, I used to be a lot like you."
Using the Body Flicker technique, Warai left Jiyuu alone on the lake's surface to absorb her words. The young man scowled at what he was just told, he highly doubted she was ever like him. A sad attempt to relate to your son with the whole 'I've been through what you've been through' tactic was pathetic, and no, Jiyuu didn't know what his mother's childhood had been like, but what were the odds that it was anything even close to what he had experienced?
But...who really cares?
His frown loosened up, and Jiyuu turned to face the direction of his home, Four Trigram Mezame Byakugan activating. He could see with complete clarity that his mother had indeed reappeared inside the abode, and could see that Ketsui was just beginning to stir in bed. Warai, still in pajamas, moved about the kitchen in a slow, clouded manner, like a lot was weighing on her mind. Jiyuu knew it could only be worries of him that were bothering her so, but it clearly wasn't going to stop her from whipping up breakfast. Breakfast...absentmindedly, Jiyuu's hand went to his stomach as his doujutsu deactivated. Food sounded good after all his training.
But that would be it. He wouldn't stick around to chit-chat.
An hour passed since then. Jiyuu choked his food down the moment he sat down, and his parents barely got to speak a word to him before his was out the door. All he let them know was that he was on his way to speak with Lord Chojuro, and sure enough, he was making his way towards the Mizukage Tower. A very specific request was to be asked of the Mizukage, and Jiyuu kept hoping on the inside that Chojuro could help him out. Perhaps he'd understand, hopefully give the young Hyuuga just enough time to...well...whatever.
He reached the tower, and climbed the numerous steps on the inside as he made his way up to Chojuro's office. It's been a long time since he climbed the tower from the bottom floor, a very long time. Memories of returning home and arguing with Sakana, perhaps being covered in bruises from a completed mission, filled his mind. The stale musk of misty air still managed to seep into the walls, but at least the stench of wall paint or air freshener wasn't mixed in nowadays. The number of people who would eye him as he walked by had increased though, no surprise there. Many people still believed he had been the one to make Mendona disappear, that he had all the jinchuuriki either locked away somewhere or killed them off. Stupidity at it's finest, really, but what else was to be expected when mob mentality tended to run rampant during high-stress times?
Finally, there's the door.
He didn't bother knocking. Jiyuu turned the knob and let himself in, swinging the door closed behind him. Of course, Chojuro was seated behind his desk as he tended to be, but he was actually looking towards someone else in the room, another unexpected visitor that had beat Jiyuu here. He was a Hoshigaki, an absolute tower of a man who's natural aura made your skin crawl. The large man slowly turned his head to peer over his shoulder, eyes concealed with goggles and hair done up in dreadlocks. A large, killer smile ripped across his face, and the Hoshigaki turned his whole body to face Jiyuu head-on...he looked more intimidating from the front. Yaju Hoshigaki, Sakana's father...Jiyuu knew he had looked familiar. He had the same killing intent that leaked from him naturally, except his was far more intense. It didn't do much to the Hyuuga's Black Eye, however, who stood stiff with unnatural stoicism. Both men knew that one was not intimidated by the other, nor were they trying to do so. But, that didn't stop one of them from trying to shake the other up.
"...The Hyuuga's Black Eye," Yaju spoke, his words crawling off his tongue like a mass of spiders. His smile seemed to stretch wider as he said it...Jiyuu already knew that the man was thinking of fighting, not for any particular reason, but mainly because most Hoshigaki loved a good battle, and an even better opponent.
"The bigger fish," Jiyuu spoke back, easily confusing Yaju with a small inside joke between the young man and his daughter; an inside joke, mind you, that wouldn't be spoken again with the same friendly context is used. The Hoshigaki was a little unsure of how to respond, but it didn't matter since Jiyuu walked right by him to stand at the front of Chojuro's desk. The Hyuuga's brow furrowed, attention fully on the village leader with a look that screamed 'strictly business'. "I'd like a mission, pronto."
An answer wasn't given right away, for the Mizukage instead chose to stay leaned back in his chair and eye the son of Ketsui. Whatever Chojuro had swirling around in his head, it must have been quite a large amount of thought to process. "...Yaju, you are dismissed."
"...yes, sir." Not finding any reason to hang around here any longer, the Hoshigaki left without putting up any form of argument. Jiyuu could feel the giant shinobi's footsteps as he walked to the exit, and a sharp, piercing sensation of a glare in the back of his head before the door opened and closed.
"Why do you need a mission so badly right now?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes," Chojuro stated with a blunt tone, still appearing indifferent on the outside. "So, what is your reason for wanting to go on a mission with such urgency?"
"..."
"You do understand that you're not to be sent out on solo missions just yet, yes? With all the controversy surrounding you and the jinchuuriki, anything I can do to help keep the village from seeming suspicious will help me in the long run." He sat up in his chair a little more, just enough to fold his hands on his desk. "And besides, it wouldn't be possible even if I wanted to. There's nothing now, not until all information gathered from the Hidden Coal Village is analyzed."
"I'm sure you can come up with something," Jiyuu insisted, his hands meeting the insides of his pockets as he tried to appear relaxed, though he really wasn't liking what he was hearing. "Even something simple like patrolling one of our smaller islands near the village."
"No."
The flat answer made Jiyuu grit his teeth on instinct before he recollected himself. It's not like the Mizukage didn't catch it either, he saw it clear as day.
"Jiyuu, we both have important tasks to take care of that will get disturbed if I come up with something for you to do, which I shouldn't to begin with."
"...what do you have on your plate?"
"Other than leading the Hidden Mist Village, you mean?" Chojuro's answer was sharp, and it was coupled with a small glare. He'd be damned if he let Jiyuu talk down to him. "I have a Kage Summit to prepare for. What little information that we've deciphered from the remnants of the Hidden Coal has everybody worried, and the Hokage wants to discuss a plan of action and make sure all five nations are still at ease with one another. It's probably a discussion that all of us Kage need right now, more than anything else."
"...it's always meetings and talks with you five," Jiyuu stated, arms folding. "The more time you waste on formalities, the smaller of an opportunity you have to act."
Of course he was trying to keep a civil tone, but it was clear to Chojuro that Jiyuu thought the whole concept of meeting with village leaders was pointless. His glare lessened some, but enough of it stayed in place to let the younger shinobi know that he was not being taken seriously.
"It's better to make sure that everybody is on the same page, Jiyuu. If we just did as we please, if we were to find Hidden Leaf shinobi snooping around the borders of the Hidden Mist without trying to be detected, it would be rather suspicious. We can't afford to act on intuition. We can't afford to be wild cards like you were...or are." Chojuro could already see the Hyuuga's Black Eye open his mouth to protest, but he was cut off as the Mizukage continued. "But that's enough about me and my duties. Why did you come to beg for a mission today? You already have an ongoing mission that has yet to see completion."
"...I do?"
"Of course. Rebuilding the bonds you had with those around you."
"..."
A small twinkle appeared in Jiyuu's eye as he looked away from Chojuro, though it wasn't a positive one at all. He was disappointed to hear it, though an air of childish anger was the first thing he could feel coming off of the younger shinobi.
"You've become much more hostile than you used to be, Jiyuu; no doubt an effect of being the Hyuuga's Black Eye. But I didn't welcome back and promote the Hyuuga's Black Eye to jounin status, or make him a part of a special-ops unit. That privilege was given to Jiyuu Tamashi."
The young shinobi's body loosened up a little, and his gaze became downcast as Chojuro continued.
"I suggest that you keep whatever happened between you and your friends in the past exactly where it belongs: in the past. I don't need a missing-nin in my village helping out with the Jinchuuriki Crisis, I need Jiyuu Tamashi. I need you. And to bring you back, it would be wise to use any down time you have to rebuild the bridges that had been knocked down."
"...but, sir-"
"I won't hear it, Mr. Tamashi!" Chojuro stood up behind his desk, his action a little sudden and putting Jiyuu on alert, causing the man dressed in black to step away. Their eyes remained locked, though it was clear that the Mizukage's gaze was the more dominant one here. It helped that he had the ultimate role of authority here. "I have enough problems dealing with the jinchuuriki issue, as well as the wavering morale of my people and my shinobi. And now you want to insist on being a loner during a time when we need to stick together the most?!" The Mizukage's hands slammed on his desk, making Jiyuu jump a little where he stood. "STOP being part of the problem! Help me out...and fix your relations. The sooner you can work with others effectively, the sooner we can start tackling the bigger issues the five nations face."
And that did it. Chojuro wasn't going to budge from his position, especially not after an outburst like that. Jiyuu was familiar with people frowning at him, but he could never recall a time where Chojuro had worn a scowl like this. It looked like it didn't even belong on his face, like it should be plastered on the mug of a really gruff and broken-down leader. He may have been a leader, but Chojuro was far from broken, and the man was always more stern than gruff. But regardless, the message was clear. Jiyuu would not be getting his wish today, nor would he for a long time. Chojuro made it sound like Jiyuu's personal life was going to affect the Hidden Mist as a whole, and that notion was absurd. One man should not have so much influence on a village depending on whether or not he likes speaking with certain people. But that was exactly how this was sounding, and that just made it all the more ridiculous.
That being said, Jiyuu wasn't left with much choice. His expression eased up, as well as his body language, and Chojuro lowered himself back into his seat when he took notice of it. "Fine," the young man spat, clearly unhappy. He turned and headed for the exit, leaving the office and slamming the door shut like a child who just lost an argument with their parents. This was unbelievable...all he wanted to do was find a decent excuse to not go to Tenshi's little dinner arrangement. Sure, he could simply not show up...but...well...
...to be honest, he felt weird about doing something like that, mainly because it was still Tenshi. Had he managed to become preoccupied with work-related matters, then he would have been guilt-free. But, naturally, no such luck was on his side. It never was, Jiyuu was used to making his own. Too bad he couldn't do such a thing now, he couldn't just give himself work. Kami, what a mess all of this was.
Jiyuu left the Mizukage Tower through the doorway that met with one of the tall defending walls that wrapped around the outside of the tower like a spiderweb, and his eyes followed the long bridge atop the frontmost wall that his team would always use to visit the Mizukage for their mission reports when they got back. He took a few small steps forward until he was on the bridge, and looked around at the mist. It was thick, almost to a choking degree. He couldn't see anything, just the sunlight that struggled to break through above. The great fall below wasn't visible, nor were any of the other giant pathways that lead to the tower. Eerie, especially with the wind whistling by his ear as he stood from such a height. He stood tall, nose turned high and body unflinching against the gusts that blew his open coat around.
He...didn't want to do this. Rebuilding his bonds seemed like such a waste of time, they wouldn't offer him anything and it wouldn't solve the problems that the Five Nations were having. However, if he didn't do as he was told, he'd never get the chance to go on missions by himself, he'd never get the opportunity to solve things on his own while under the protection of the Hidden Mist. You could say he was between a rock and a hard place.
"...I'll do it..."
He struggled to mutter the words, as they kept getting stuck in his throat somewhere. But he did, and he'd make sure to see it through till he was at least on talking terms with everybody. He'd go to dinner that night, but...
...well...he didn't have to convince them of anything. They had to make Jiyuu believe that they had changed for the better, right?
...Kami, he may never go on another mission alone again...
The hour of day that he had been dreading came much faster than anticipated. Street lights partially lit up the road Jiyuu took to the Kyofu Compound, though the thicker mist was still obscuring the path. Had he not grown up in this village, he would have been lost for sure. His head was hung low as he let his legs carry him on their own, for his mind was taking him to a different place. He couldn't help but feel that he was wasting his time, that the village as a whole had been wasting time. Hell, perhaps that went for all the shinobi nations. Five Kage Summit? Why bother when everybody could sweep the lands and find the jinchuuriki? It all came down to technicalities , as usual. This was idiotic...and why was it so important for Jiyuu to speak with his old friends? Another waste of time...if he didn't want to be home now, then he could have easily been training, maybe practicing a new technique, anything but this...
"Jiyuu Tamashi?"
He froze, and snapped his head up to meet the gaze of two guards fully clad in jounin apparel with a sash hanging from one shoulder that proudly displayed their clan symbol. Their eyes were glowing with a dim light similar to their eye color, one brown and the other a light blue. Members of the Kyofu Clan, though they looked about as bland as any two random civilians on the street.
"...yes."
Their eyes glowed with less intensity, and Jiyuu could tell that their muscles were relaxing. "Lady Tenshi had said you would be arriving," the blue-eyed one spoke. "Just head straight back towards the large pagoda, she already has other guests with her. They are expecting you."
No words were spoken back to the guard. Jiyuu brought his attention to the gigantic marble archway that used to be a plain open entrance to the compound, but now two massive doors of a similar material kept it sealed off. The second guard knocked on one of them in a specific manner, and soon they parted, allowing the Hyuuga's Black Eye entrance to a world he had long forgotten existed. He strode in, immediately looking around to see if things had been the same as they were when Tenshi used to bring him back here. It was incredible how little anything had changed...the main difference being the tree that she and Tsuyo used to train near had grown ever-so-bigger, but not enough for most people to notice. Kyofu Clan members were striding to and fro, and much like the guards, they showed no specific clan traits other than a slight glow to their eyes. The younger members didn't even have that, meaning none of them would ever be pinned as being a part of such a large clan. Jiyuu had heard rumors that the Kyofu Clan was a group that filtered in varying members from different clans all over the world, and back then, it had been a genius way to take a foreign village's numerous kekkei genkai for war purposes. The Clan managed to survive during the days of the bloody mist only because of the political power it held, as well as being a good war deterrent...it was one of the few things the Mizukage had looked over in the past. Oddly enough, as time went on, many of the bloodline limits had dispersed anyways, being lost forever within the genetic code of each current member. In fact, not even the elders here had retained such abilities. They faded away quite some time ago, and it seemed that the Kyofu Clan had become most in tune with their immediate ancestors: the Uzumaki. Their chakra control was second to none, and with a prominent amount of Yang Chakra in their systems, it only became natural that they would utilize Light Release for combat.
...but...learning of their past while Jiyuu was away was disheartening. It made him wonder...just why did Tenshi like him? Was it truly something pure like love, or...
...he would always shove those thoughts back down. Tenshi would never do such a thing, and she had been crazy for him before he even awakened his doujutsu. It just so happens that she...liked Tsuyo more.
A bitter frown worked it's way onto Jiyuu's mug, and he began to walk faster.
He walked onwards for a few minutes, and soon the familiar ring of Tenshi's laughter could be heard, carried along by the wind. There, straight ahead. A dinner table just outside the front of a massive pagoda and sheltered by the giant structure's lowermost eave. From here, Jiyuu could see Tenshi, Tsuyo, Sakana, and even Tanken were present. Seems like he was the missing piece of this puzzle; there was even an empty chair right beside Sakana. Of course it would be next to her. He immediately had second thoughts about this whole situation, but was discovered before he could act on them. Tenshi's laughter stopped in an instant, and her radiant green eyes lock onto Jiyuu's form in the distance. She stood up from her seat, and waved at the man clad in black. "Jiyuuuu! Come on, hurry and sit with us!"
Her request got all people at the table to face where she was calling out, and noticed the expressions of only Tsuyo and Sakana change: he seemed to be a little less enthusiastic, even partially losing his smile, while Sakana looked like she was struggling to keep herself composed and refined. Tanken, as usual, showed no change in emotion on the outside.
The Hyuuga's Black Eye took cautious steps towards the table, looking over everybody with a touch of unease, though he wouldn't show it. Deciding it was best to just go along with the path put before him instead of defying the Mizukage's orders, Jiyuu walked around the table and took the seat that had been saved for him. It was mere moments after his rear made contact with the chair that a member of the Kyofu Clan approached from behind, placing a cup of green tea in front of him; it must have been made fresh, since steam was coming out from the top of the cup.
"What will you be having tonight, sir?"
Having tonight? Oh yeah, this was dinner. He hadn't thought of it, to be honest. A partial glance at everybody sitting at the table revealed that they each had a dish of partially-eaten food in front of them, all their individual favorites. Fine, he would go with that.
"Just some grilled fish, thanks."
"I knew you'd say that," Tenshi responded with a smile from her end of the table, getting the young man's attention. "I put in the request for the dish an hour ago. I'm certain it will be ready soon."
"Oh. Um...thanks." Unsure of what to make out of this situation, Jiyuu turned to dismiss the Kyofu Clan member, but the man had disappeared already, probably because he already knew what the situation would be thanks to Tenshi. Everything around here ran like clockwork, it seemed, and before long, Jiyuu had already been presented with a plate of his requested food. The grilled fish smelled simply sublime, absolutely the best-smelling food he had the good fortune of being sat in front of in a very long time. There were heaps of it too, more than enough for him to enjoy. Each filet, which had been cut into strips, was a beautiful golden brown with clear grill marks, butter and oil drizzling down from the top of the mound with small specks of spices gently sprinkled on each piece.
It all felt a bit excessive, to be honest. But the food was there, already prepared, so who would be rude enough to turn it down? Jiyuu turned his head to thank the man who placed the food down, but again, he had already left.
...weird...
From her side of the table, Tenshi twiddled with a lock of her hair in a bashful manner that everybody was familiar with, including the ex-rogue shinobi. Coy laughter came out of her, and it grabbed Jiyuu's attention. "I know it's not the fanciest-looking thing, but I told the cooks to make sure it was as delicious as possible without destroying the fishy taste. I hope you like it."
All she got from the man in return was a slow blink before he shifted his focus back to the plate in front of him. He scanned it up and down, unsure of how to react to her words aloud. He quickly decided that it may be best to just be polite and eat in silence. He quickly placed his hands together and muttered a quick 'itadakimasu' before his hands parted and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. The first piece that slipped into his mouth practically sent static through his whole body, electrocuting his taste buds and then his mind with pure gluttonous glee. From there, he began to steadily shovel the food into his guzzle, his pace appearing slow and polite to the others at the table, but by his standards, he was eating like an animal. Hell, he was barely chewing at this point.
"Anyway," Tenshi began as she turned to Sakana, hands folding in her lap, "you were telling me about your new training routine, Sakana?"
The Hoshigaki had been watching Jiyuu eat next to her, so caught up in seeing him this close without the stern aura surrounding him. Hearing her own name made her jump a little, and she whipped her head towards Tenshi in an instant. "Eh? Oh...yeah, that." She took a deep breath in as subtle of a manner possible to collect herself, and cast a bashful glance to the Hyuuga's Black Eye before looking back at Tenshi; she could practically feel Jiyuu paying attention to the conversation, even if he appeared to be only interested in his food. "Yeah, well...now they've got me building my strength back up, as if I had lost it. I'm sparring with them more often now, but my weapon's literally this big heavy slab of metal. It's so unwieldy, kind of ridiculous in a way, but I guess they know what they're doing."
"They should, right? It's the Seven Swordsmen, after all."
"Well, six of them. My pops isn't going to lift a finger to help me, so that's off the table." Sakana picked a bone off of her plate, and began to examine it through her single yellow eye as her gentle, yet calloused fingers played with it; looks like she had ribs for her meal. "But everybody's been pretty helpful, despite that. They know my dad's a bit of a prick, so they don't pay him much attention when he complains about them training me." Her eye slid over to Tenshi, narrowing some. "But I'm not gonna sit here and say that it's fun, or anything. I'd kill to have a real good fight again, not some mission where I cut through a bunch of fodder. I'd like a challenge. I've been setting the bar so low for the past few years that it's hurt my usefulness in a normal mission."
Tsuyo fixed his glasses a little and picked up his untouched saucer of saki; he was without his cloak as well as his extra wooden arms, the first time Jiyuu got to see him like this since he came back home; he was as scrawny as ever. "Be careful what you wish for. I've come across some savage people on my missions, and it wasn't fun to deal with." He cleared his saucer of the alcohol before sucking a little air through his teeth, and placing the thing back down. "The worst are the Hyuuga. It's very difficult to use genjutsu on an enemy who can see through illusions."
Although not adding to the conversation in any way, Jiyuu could notice a small nod coming from Tanken, who was still eating his own food; cup noodles, simple and not too demanding. How fitting of him.
"I'll take that over what they'll have me doing once I get used to the weight of the weapon. After that, I'll be doing two-on-one sparring, with even MORE weight added to the weapon. And on top of that, they'll be using their normal weapons. No more of the dull-edged basic swords."
The sound of that actually made Jiyuu pause mid-bite, and he found himself staring into his dish as mulled over what he just heard. Sparring with a group as legendary as the Seven Swordsmen was an achievement, sure, he would give her that. But was that really what they did to people who were just starting out? Seemed a bit extreme, if not lingering on deadly. And she spoke about it in such a nonchalant way too, like it was just some school assignment she was given. From no real training to that in practically no time at all was insanity.
It had only been a day or two since they got back from their mission in the Hidden Coal, and Sakana left a decent body count there, despite the shinobi being no real threat. She seemed like she was up to snuff when it came to combat, but Jiyuu never got to see her at her absolute best; her only chance to show off was during Team One's retake of their genin test, but she hadn't done a thing. Who knows? Maybe she was more capable than Jiyuu thought her to be...but that alone wasn't going to change his opinion of the backstabbing Hoshigaki. Not in a million years.
Clearly worried, Tenshi gave her a bashful wave of the hand. "Please do me a favor, and don't push yourself too hard, okay? It could do you more harm than good."
Again, a silent Tanken nodded in agreement as he continued to eat in quiet.
"I'll be fine," the Hoshigaki spoke, brushing off the concern as she dropped the bone back onto the plate and slung an arm over the back of her own chair. "Crazy training like this isn't new to me."
Jiyuu mumbled something to himself, but it didn't go unheard by the kunoichi to his side. Her ear twitched, and she put her full attention on him.
"Hm? What was that?"
He could hear it clear as day, she was trying her hardest to act normal around him. The slight blush gave it away, if her strained words didn't. Kami, she was so obvious.
"I said that 'leg weights would help'," he clarified, going back to eating his food. "I use them for taijutsu practice. Any extra weight helps, just make sure it's weight you can handle."
He was only speaking his mind because he would hate to be on missions with someone who wasn't at an acceptable level of skill in his eyes, she needed to be operating at 110% in his opinion. On top of that, this was what the Mizukage wanted him to do, so he would put his personal feelings on the side for just tonight, if possible. Of course, Sakana was stunned to hear something semi-positive from the man, and the corner of her mouth rose into a smirk. "Thanks for the tip," she said, her voice more cool and relaxed than before, but obviously strained just as it had been.
Grunting in response, Jiyuu continued to shovel his food in as Tenshi and Sakana continued to speak amongst themselves. His focus spread out to all the members visible in the clan compound, taking note of how unique some of them really looked. There were many different traits from skin color to body type, but everybody had a slight glow to their eye, as he observed before.
An amalgamation of different clans, all for the sake of getting power fast. Hm. Maybe I was the sucker from the very beginning, maybe it really was all for the Byakugan, but Tenshi seemed too pure and genuine to me. I'm sure Tsuyo found some way to wedge himself between me and her when I was busy worrying about the Hyuuga, but...
Suddenly, a small idea crept into Jiyuu's head. It was a simple one, a small realization, but it was all he needed to develop a small grin that faded as soon as he became aware of it.
...or...maybe it's not about feelings on her part. Maybe Tsuyo was 'just business'.
Soon, the whole table falls silent. It's not so much an awkward and uncertain silence as much as it is everybody enjoying the peace and quiet. It was no secret that this was going to be a commodity that just got more and more rare as the Five Nations began to dig deeper into the whole jinchuuriki thing.
"I have heard that the Mizukage will be taking a trip soon," spoke Tanken while he ate. His quiet, raspy voice nearly went unheard, had it not been for the silence of the atmosphere.
"It's a Five Kage Summit," Jiyuu clarified.
A nod came from the blind shinobi. "Correct. It is very strange for such an occasion to happen nowadays. Perhaps whatever your team discovered on your previous mission was rather important." He paused as he poked and prodded at his food with a pair of chopsticks, a long breath held in his lungs. "...but, you already knew that."
"We might have found more if my father's battle didn't destroy the mineshaft I had been exploring."
The only Uchiha present gave his head a small shake. "You can't blame Ketsui-sensei for that," Tsuyo stated.
"I'm not blaming him, I'm blaming his battle. It wasn't something he could really control, being cornered in a place like that."
"Well," Tenshi piped up, "if everything Sakana had shared with me was anything to go off of, I would say that you three did plenty."
"We didn't do enough," Jiyuu said, sounding a little more aggravated whenever someone felt they had to add on to or debate his feelings about the mission. "We didn't find anything I'd consider substantial."
Out of the blue, an agitated sigh rung through the air. It came right beside Jiyuu, and he could already feel his anger bubbling up when he saw that Sakana was staring at him with disbelief. "What, like a Hyuuga?" Her remark earned her a glare from the Hyuuga's Black Eye, but she couldn't have cared less. "Don't be such an idiot. There's more people in the Hidden Abyss Village than just Hyuuga. Hell, Ketsui-sensei killed an Akimichi! Is your obsession with the Hyuuga that bad?"
Maybe the sake was reaching her head a bit fast. She didn't mean to get all huffy like that, but Sakana was fed up with this edgy 'nothing's good enough' attitude that Jiyuu was always walking around with. She was fed up with this 'man' who wore Jiyuu's face, and wanted to break through and find the real deal. But, her patience was only so great, and this edgy asshole was pushing it's limits. If calling out his bitter hate for the Hyuuga didn't cause him to react in some way, maybe get his gears turning, then who knew what would work? Perhaps the only way to convey any sort of message, the only way to really break through and get to the real Jiyuu, was through arguing and shouting like they did as children.
Jiyuu didn't say anything. In fact, he didn't even bother to scowl at the kunoichi. He only gave her a long, blank stare before looking at his half-eaten food, keeping his tongue still as his brow smoothened itself out. He could feel the Hoshigaki's gaze on him, lingering like the mist in the air of the village itself, before it was also torn away and brought to her own plate. He wasn't obsessed with the Hyuuga, not really. But...maybe he was. He didn't know. He spent plenty of his time away just tracking the rogue ones down, killing them, pouring all of his hate into a headhunt for those with the pale, pupil-less eyes. So much time wasted on something so...minuscule, even if it shaped him into the shinobi he was today. That's a pretty sad thing to spend your time on, and she wasn't wrong. Normally he would have yelled back at her, perhaps began throwing insults to and fro like he had when he returned to the village. But...he didn't know, her words just hit him where he lived. The Hyuuga have caused him so many issues, they had been the reason he was leaving the Mist to begin with.
For only a moment, Sakana could see something resembling sadness wriggle onto Jiyuu's face, but it was so quick and so minor that she almost believed she had just been seeing things. Either way, Jiyuu was very quiet, too quiet for someone like him. She cleared her throat in an attempt to make the situation less awkward, but it only aided in making things more uncomfortable. She didn't know what came over her, what caused her to speak in such a way. Sakana just assumed he would take it in stride like the big bad Hyuuga's Black Eye tended to do. She had momentarily forgotten who the man beside her was, that he probably only came in an attempt to rebuild his already-fragile relations with old friends. Sakana understood that she may have just stepped on whatever goals Jiyuu hoped to achieve here tonight, and could feel her cheeks turn a little red in embarrassment. "...sorry," she muttered, brushing some hair behind her ear. "I...I don't-"
"Forget it." Jiyuu interrupted whatever she was going to say with a flat tone, eyes shifting from his plate to dead ahead, staring at nothing in particular. The kunoichi could hear him sigh through his nose, a sign of stress. He was either too tired to really care about what she had said to him, or she might have hit a soft spot by accident. To the kunoichi, it was up in the air.
If anything, he wasn't aggressive in his response. That was definitely a change for the better.
The odd silence between them both continued a little more, and was only broken when one of the surprised individuals sat at the same table spoke up. "...well, Jiyuu does have a point, in a sense. It's rumored that the highest-ranking members of the Hidden Abyss are all Hyuuga, the most well-known being a tyrant by the name of 'Tokage.'" He saw Jiyuu's head turn a bit; perhaps that name was familiar to him in some way. "He's the one who's been spotted out in the open the most, always when people are tracking down missing Jinchuuriki."
"Is he said to have one eye?"
"The last time I checked my bingo book, it said he always kept one eye shut, possibly sewn closed, but that's it. Perhaps he is missing an eye, but there have been rumors that he just has trouble lifting that particular eyelid for some reason."
A slight grunt rumbled from the throat of The Hyuuga's Black Eye. "I battled with him for a brief time when I recovered the Four Tails Jinchuuriki, he seemed like a pushover."
"Then he might not have been acting very serious," Tanken added as he put his chopsticks down. "He is capable of doing massive damage by himself, making him invaluable to the Hidden Abyss Village." His chin met with his thumb and forefinger, and his head inclined. "If I remember correctly, I believe that Suchiru-sensei said he had cornered Tokage on the last mission he was on, yet he managed to escape. Quite the troublesome situation, but, you already knew that."
That...that bit of news, Jiyuu did not know. He swallowed something in his throat, and his attention went skyward as he repeated those words in his head. 'He managed to escape.' How was that possible? That rat was decent at fighting, perhaps good enough to give Suchiru a hard time, but the man was already winded from fighting with Jiyuu to begin with. On top of that, he was literally chained up and at Suchiru's mercy. How could he have found a way to escape? Either Suchiru was slacking on the job, or this Tokage guy actually did have more up his sleeve than he let on.
...and, as strange as it is, I remember him acting like he knew me. I don't mean in terms of accomplishments and rumors or title, but more than that...something on a more personal level. I have no idea who that clown is, but I feel like if he does pop up again, it will be to fight me again. What a mess.
"Um," a nervous Tenshi mumbled, grabbing Tsuyo by the hand under the table. Her soon-to-be husband looked to her, and she gave a pleading look. "I'm sorry, but can we please stop speaking about the Hidden Abyss Village, or missing-nin, or anything related to work? It's rather depressing."
An audible 'phew' came from Sakana, and the woman reached across the table for a bottle of sake. "I'll say. Enough of that, I thought the whole point of this little shindig was to unwind." She pulled the cork off the bottle and refilled her saucer; she quickly extended her arm with the half-filled bottle around to everybody at the table, shaking it in front of them to wordlessly ask if they wanted more. Only Tenshi nodded, and after Sakana tended to her once-empty saucer, she placed the bottle down in front of herself and tossed her own alcohol back with little thought. Another sigh came from her, though nobody was sure what the half-lidded Hoshigaki was thinking to elicit such a thing. "But it's so hard to unwind normally, isn't it? There's always something in the back of everybody's mind that just keeps them from kicking back and taking it easy."
She earned a resounding nod from all people at the table, even Jiyuu.
"Well at least you have an outlet," Tsuyo remarked. "You get to hammer away at metal to take your mind off things. And if that doesn't work, you just wri-"
An all-to-convenient clearing of the throat came from Sakana, and it was loud enough to make Tsuyo stop speaking. She gave him a little frown, the blush on her cheeks still there; it was more from the sake than her being embarrassed. "Hey...don't. I don't need the world to know, it's just a small thing that doesn't need to get shared." Kami, she could feel people staring at her, namely Jiyuu. The sensation made her wriggle around a bit in her seat, and she quickly poured herself another saucer of sake.
"Really," Tsuyo asked, his word carrying a very mocking tone. He even had the smile of a troublemaker, despite being on the receiving end of Sakana's glare. "Because you were very adamant about asking me for writing advi-"
"UGH..." The Hoshigaki threw her drink back in the blink of an eye, and refilled her saucer a little too quick to be considered polite. "You big-mouthed...guh..."
"You write?"
Halfway through the motion of lifting the saucer to her lips again, the blue-skinned girl froze when she heard the deep, yet familiar voice of the ex missing-nin. She could barely find it in her to face the man with onyx eyes. Lo and behold, Jiyuu actually seemed curious about this subject. "Y-Yes," she managed to choke out, not sure if she should fight a smile on her face or remain indifferent. She could feel her cheeks become warmer still.
The Hyuuga's Black Eye was analyzing Sakana, making her feel very uncomfortable for obvious reasons. He arched a single brow upright before bringing his sights elsewhere, a single finger lifting to scratch at his cheek. "Huh...that's odd."
"...what's odd?"
"I never took you for a writer."
"Oh...well..." Before completing her thought, Sakana eyed her saucer full of sake; her hand was shaking a little. She must have been drinking more than she wanted...why was she like this? Oh, she already knew. She was stressed out beyond belief, and the alcohol was making it harder to hide such a fact. Kami, just mulling over her embarrassing behavior made her feel even more odd, which made her cheeks become even more red. She swallowed a lump in her throat, but it didn't help. What was this all of a sudden? Why was Jiyuu suddenly interested in something she had to say that didn't involve training?
"...um...it just helps keep my mind busy when I close the forge," she admitted, narrowly avoiding the slurring of her words. Sakana's hand slowly began to lose it's quivery attitude, but only because of her next thought, which she just blurt out.
"...my mother...she loved writing."
Now, Jiyuu understood full and well what Sakana was feeling. Although indifferent on the outside, he did feel a slight ping of familiarity. Long ago, Sakana had told him of her mother, how she was the sweetest woman in her life and tried teaching Sakana how to be more of a lady than a warrior. Of course, none could have predicted her untimely demise, which lead the unfortunate Hoshigaki down the path she walked today. The Hyuuga's Black Eye lowered his chin and shut his eyes, not daring to follow up her comment with anything.
...not that he cared about this backstabbing monster...but even Jiyuu had manners, to an extent. For him to speak now would be inappropriate.
But, for some reason, Tsuyo was completely oblivious to all of this. "Well personally, I'd like to see some of your work. I could use a new novel for whatever mission I go on next."
He got only a slight mumble from Sakana. It dawned on the Hyuuga's Black Eye that the third member of Team One had never been informed of Sakana's mother. It was either that, or he was completely oblivious when it came to being respectful, which Jiyuu doubted; even a bastard like Tsuyo had some class. Had Jiyuu been the only one to be informed about this? Perhaps, because even more outside input was about to be added to the topic.
Tanken grinned somewhat, leaning on the table with his elbows. "Yes, I would also very much be interested in whatever it is you are writing. I may not be as adamant about literature as Tsuyo is, but I do enjoy a good adventure, even through brail. But, you already knew that."
"I think what Sakana would like is to decide for herself whether she wants to share her work or not." Tenshi cut in like a hot knife, and gave her friend a tentative smile, clearly the only other person at the table who understood what Sakana was speaking about and how it made her feel. Her being aware was a given...but not Tsuyo? Not Tanken? Did anybody else know other than Jiyuu and Tenshi?
Didn't Sakana trust anybody else with that sort of knowledge?
The half-drunk Hoshigaki put her empty saucer on the table, closing her eye and resting her cheek in a palm. "Mmmmmm, I don't think I'll share. My work's private for now. So embarrassing..."
The conversation died once again, but this time it was for good. Who would have an urge to keep speaking after that? Not Jiyuu. Hell, he didn't even want to be here to begin with. He was just following orders from Chojuro, that was his whole reason for showing up. Not only did Sakana make a remark that managed to get under his skin and bring him to pure silence, but Jiyuu just felt uncomfortable all around. He hated this...yeah...he hated this. Why the hell didn't he bail after a few minutes of eating?! He frowned as he thought about it all. He hated how perfect Tenshi was, with the whole 'I already told the chefs your favorite food an hour ago' deal, how she had the servants here running like clockwork, how she got along with everybody. He hated it...this wasn't the Tenshi he remembered. He hated that she was going to marry Tsuyo, who sat beside her and acted like such an intellectual. He despised how this backstabbing clown sat and chatted like he never did anything wrong, how he thought he was better than Jiyuu in nearly every way. Jiyuu hated how this bastard clearly thought that, since he ended up with Tenshi in the end, that he somehow 'won.' Tanken...that man was such a ghost in this whole situation that Jiyuu could hardly care about his presence. But most of all, MOST of all, he hated that Sakana was trying her hardest to rebuild her friendship with Jiyuu. Kami, he was being played like a fiddle. He almost began to care about her again, especially when she brought up her mother. But memories of the past quickly funneled down to the moment she tried killing him, the removal of his forearm. A tingling feeling wriggled through the fingers of his wooden arm, and the bandaged appendage twitched in response to the phantom limb sensation. He would never trust her again, not ever, and he was such a fool for coming here and nearly letting her convince him that she changed.
They were all the same, but weren't afraid to show it now. Kami, it was such a mistake coming here.
"...I think I'm going to go home," he admitted out of the blue. He stood up from the table and made a quick stride around it, heading for the gate. He heard Tenshi call out his name and ask him to stay a little while longer, but all that did was make Jiyuu walk faster. Before long, he was outside the Kyofu Compound, and was walking down an empty road with the moon high overhead. He should have just stayed away, out of the village. Tanken had destroyed Tsuyo's ears, but the two were able to work together as a damn team now. Sakana nearly killed Tenshi, and yet the two ladies could sit and chat with smiles on their faces like it was all a dream. Tenshi and Tsuyo acted as if they had been together their whole lives, like there had never been someone in the middle of their journey to be together. The moment Jiyuu added himself to any of these equations now, he brought everything to a screeching halt. He and Tanken had a very minimal bond, than being when Jiyuu brought Tanken to the light in their childhood. Beyond that, there was nothing. Jiyuu's heart had been ripped apart by Tenshi, and he knew Tsuyo had probably orchestrated it from the sidelines like the coward he was. And Sakana will always be remembered as the one who took the last of Jiyuu's hope, and stepped on it like an insect.
Why would they want to bring Jiyuu back? They were better off with him gone, all of them...and he was better off alone.
Jiyuu stopped walking, his last footstep making the wooden floor beneath him creak. He was on the dock again...he had walked far, too distracted by his own thoughts to notice right away. He couldn't look out into the ocean because of the mist, naturally...but he didn't care. He stood and stared out into the nothing, cursing himself for going against his better judgement.
...Lord Chojuro, you had better never make me do something stupid like that again...