Shin really wanted to care about the current situation. It wasn't like anything exciting ever really happened to him anymore. He was a new Kage,and it was nothing but paperwork. He thought about the enemies he might have been able to face if he went with them. But, he didn't really care about that though.

More so, he cared about what was, inevitably, drawing near, and somehow, he felt obliged to make sure as many people were ready as possible, especially the useful ones. However, Shin knew that some people's fates were sealed.

Akaya, on the contrary, had potential. The majority of the time, she had control over her emotions and could redirect them in her fighting styles. She had a flare, a fight, and a determination that many people tried to obtain. Unfortunately for them, you were simply born with it. Shin knew that from his own personal experiences. Shin had watched Akaya fight a few times in various competitions and spars. Her techniques and attacks were sloppy, but nothing that could not be easily fixed. The best part about her, though, was that she fought with her instincts, and while using her instincts, she still remained intelligent. That was something else that could never be taught.

Not many young ninjas possessed the knowledge of when to attack or defend, when to use chakra or fight with brute force, and when to actually fight at all. Shin knew that her potential needed to be unleashed, and who better to teach her than two of the most powerful beings in existence?

Plus, she needed to learn how to defend herself better. Shin inhaled slowly and exhaled even slower. He knew that he had to protect her anyways. He had promised that much. He knew that she had become distraught since Tajek had been gone. He had heard the village's rumors from afar. He was the Mizukage after all. And he decided to visit Konoha on business affairs; in reality, this was his business affair.

He had to convince that Hokage to let Akaya go out of the village on the search party in order to make her a better ninja. He had no real intent on her going on the search. Tajek would eventually come back for her. That was not even an issue. Shin had a week before he was to leave Konoha, and he planned to train her up in this short span of time. He also expected that until Sesoni got approved as the Raikage, Sesoni would pick up where he would leave off. She was an important element to them if she got stronger.

Shin was standing, semi-hidden, in an alley between two buildings, waiting for Sesoni to pass.

"You know Shin, that is a horrible hiding spot." Sesoni stood next to Shin. He looked somber and much unlike himself, worried. "Shin, we can't tell her that she can search for him."

Shin began to ponder. He had almost forgotten that Akaya was pleading to the Hokage to search for Tajek. He leaned his head back until it tapped against the wall. "But, that doesn't matter now does it? She'll go looking for him, with or without permission. The least we can do is make sure Akaya is ready." He chuckled, "Well, you'll mainly make sure she is ready."

Something crossed his mind at that moment. He had never officially been introduced to Akaya. Even so, he knew tons of little facts about her. Like the fact that her favorite color was green, and Tajek planned to get her a jade necklace when he could afford it. Or the fact that she told Tajek that she despised Himeka and yet still cared about her. Or the fact that her favorite flower was a Tiger Lilly, and Tajek planned to give a bouquet of them to her the next time he saw her.

It almost scared him how much Tajek talked about Akaya. Every detail of her. From her eyes to her nose to the way she held onto his arm tightly. But what surprised Shin more was that when Tajek left, he only asked Shin to do one thing: make sure that she was okay. Shin looked over at Sesoni. Thinking back to years ago, Tajek and Akaya reminded him of Sesoni and Toku. The only difference was that Akaya was not going to die. Not if he had anything to do with it.

Sesoni decided to lean on the wall next to Shin. "I had a feeling you were going to say that. Too bad, you won't be able to train her much though. You might have actually liked her. She's pretty determined. She reminds me of you a little bit."

"Yeah, Tajek told me that too," Shin pushed off of the building. "We might as well get going."

He started in the direction of Akaya's house.

Sesoni walked beside him. "I thought you were leaving it up to me. What changed your mind?"

Sesoni smirked. He knew that Shin was headstrong but never lost his edge. So to completely disregard his own plan, shocked even Sesoni.

Shin looked up at the sky to take in the scenery. He looked forward once again to take note of the surroundings that would lead to her house. "I just thought I might need to meet her. And, Sesoni, I know what you are thinking. I know where she lives because Tajek nailed the directions into my head."

Thinking back to it, Tajek seemed too calm when he left that day. Tajek trusted in him too much. That was obviously evident when he trusted him with his true love.

Sesoni shook his head lightly. "Figures he'd do something like that."

Shin and Sesoni continued onward toward Akaya's house while Shin's seemingly unshakable nerves started breaking down.

Sesoni spoke up, "Trust me when I say this, Shin. Akaya isn't judgmental. She doesn't really care that we are demons. She'll like you just fine."

Shin simply looked forward and spoke unevenly. "If she is anything like me, that will be what scares me."