Understanding
"That's the Ninja Class system for ya. It's all about skill and experience.", Tsachi states as he & Naruko sit together near her apartment. She looks up at Tsachi, her green eyes looking into his blue eyes before asking, "How the hell does this not confuse you?". Tsachi chuckles, leaning against the guardrail across from the apartment door & replies, "Well, I guess when you're around ninjas for so long, you just sorta get used to it. Though, every village is different.". Naruko smiles at Tsachi, moving closer to him before inquiring, "How would you know that? You said earlier that Ninja Villages work hard to stay hidden.".
Tsachi looks away as he states, "I'm not from here. I wasn't born here, certainly didn't train here. Ninja Villages... they aren't all as nice as this one.". Naruko looks at him, a bit of surprise & confusion on her face. "Tsachi, if you aren't from here, where the hell did you come from then?", she inquires curiously. He slides down against the guardrail, sitting on the ground before answering, "It's a long story, but I'll tell you. My parents were a Hyuga and an Uchiha, but they were outcasts in their own clans. They fell for each other and ran away together, eventually ended up near the Hidden Rain Village.".
Naruko interrupts & asks, "So that's where you're from then? From this Hidden Rain place?". Tsachi shakes his head solemnly & continues, "Not exactly. See, when I was really young, ninjas attacked my parents. They fought, but eventually they died. My brother, I thought he died too but now I'm not so sure. At first, when they died, I didn't understand it. I thought they were sick, trying to sleep, to get better. Eventually, something snapped in my head and I realized that they weren't going to wake up. So I ate the little bit of food I could, did some childish things like tried to pack up my toys, and left home.".
Naruko sits there quietly, hanging on Tsachi's every word as she hears about his troubled past. "There were times when people took pity on me, gave me food, or help. Nobody ever took me in though. After a few years, I understood. I knew I had to get away from there, that I wouldn't survive the environment of the Hidden Rain Village and all the battle-scarred areas surrounding it. I sneaked into a caravan, rode out of there, and ended up in the Hidden Cloud Village. That is where I was grew up, where I was trained.".
For the first time in several minutes, Tsachi looked at Naruko; her head was rested on her knees while she looked at him. "Tsachi, why was it so bad there? The way you talk about it, it was bad but why?", she questions thoughtfully. He takes a deep breath & states, "The 3rd Raikage, he trained me personally after seeing what I can do. He used to say it was the day he "saw my true potential". After I was discovered in the caravan, the shinobi guarding it were ordered to kill me. I was so scared I blacked out, when I came to, the ninja that were supposed to kill me were dead. It took me years to realize that it was because of my Rinnegan.".
Naruko looks at him, slightly confused & inquires, "What's a Rinnegan?". Tsachi smiles softly, almost laughing as he realizes that Naruko doesn't know what that is. He turns toward her & says, "Stay calm, and look into my eyes.". At first, Naruko is incredibly confused. However, as she sees Tsachi's eyes shift & the gray circles appear, she starts to freak out & push away from him. "Please, calm down Naruko. I'm fine, I assure you. It's the Rinnegan, one of my many special attributes.", Tsachi states calmly. After a moment, she turns to face Tsachi again, still with an active Rinnegan. Naruko reaches over & caresses his face, her gaze locked onto the Rinnegan eyes.
"They're beautiful, in an odd sort of way.", Naruko states as her hand rests on his face. Tsachi blinks & the Rinnegan disappears before he removes Naruko's hand from his cheek, feeling more than a little awkward about the current situation. "Maybe I should just go...", he says awkwardly, trailing off as he stands up. She stands up with him, wondering what's going on. "What happened? Was it something I did?", she asks with an urgent & upset tone. He sighs & takes a couple of breaths before answering, "Naruko, you're in a situation you don't understand. I'm sitting here telling you things you don't understand, which is stupid of me. You don't understand, & maybe you shouldn't.". An angry look appears on her face before she slaps Tsachi angrily, replying, "You think I don't understand? You're alone, you're confused and scared, worried that you'll never be accepted! That as hard as you try, you'll still be a freak to every passerby that knows what you can do! I feel that everyday. I walk around, try to remember who I am, but I never see anything but awkward smiles and hesitation. I never see anyone who'll tell me a damn thing! I'm told I need to train, that I need to do this and that and I don't know why. So don't tell me that I don't understand, because I do.".
For a moment, there's a pause. Neither of them say a word, their gazes locked onto each others. Finally, Tsachi speaks, "It's been a long day, Naruko. We should both rest. I'll talk to Kakashi as well, see if your training can take a less... brutal direction.". Before Naruko can reply, Tsachi disappears in an instant, leaving her alone; yet still somewhat happy.
Meanwhile in the Village Hidden in the Mist...
"Master Utakata, we just received a message from the Hidden Leaf. The Water Lord has left it to you to read the message and take a course of action.", a ninja states after entering a room where Utakata was sitting. He looks up, replying, "Mizore, I don't understand. I have no experience in these matters. Why am I treated as the Mizukage, when I'm not qualified for it?". Mizore stands there for a moment before placing a scroll in front of Utakata. "I would imagine it is because you're the only relative of Lord Yagura that's still here. I am simply doing as I'm ordered, nothing more.". Utakata nods at the ninja, taking the scroll & replying, "Thank you, Mizore. That will be all.".
"Tsunade, Fifth Hokage, Medic of Sannin
I am certain whoever is reading this is in a position of power. You might personally know the Fourth Mizukage. It's possible you may even be a family member. Whether you are aware of this or not, I invited Yagura to my Village; with the hope of building peace between us. As he left, he was attacked and kidnapped by a group known as Akatsuki; along with the Kazekage. With contact involving the Water Lord, his subordinates, and the High Council of the Hidden Sand Village; I was permitted to assist in their retrieval. I sent my best ninja out after Akatsuki. Several of them perished at the hands of Leaf shinobi, while we lost one of our own. You might ask why I'm choosing to divulge such information. The reason is because I want whoever is able to read this to understand, as best as I can state with this message, that I am truly sorry. My ninja were unable to find the Mizukage. No trace of his body or any of his personal items were discovered. He is presumed dead.
If you choose to blame my Village or myself, I regretfully accept your blame. Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, was important to the Hidden Mist Village and the Land of Water as a whole. I understand this. I pray I am wrong, more over; I pray for peace. Thank you, to whomever reads this.".
For a moment, he stood there in silence, dropping the scroll onto the table in front of him. He can't bring himself to say anything, or even make a sound. The Mizukage, Utakata's half-brother, is presumed dead. There could be hope, belief that Yagura would return, but in the shinobi world it doesn't work like that. If a ninja goes missing, he usually stays missing. Very rarely does that change, & hoping that it will does no good. A part of him wants to cry, wants to scream & yell. Instead, he rolls the scroll up & walks out silently.
As he walked outside the village, the pain he felt was all too familiar. He lost his parents as a child, killed by Zabuza during his coup. He was taken in by Harusame, who already had another pair of orphans in his care. It wasn't necessarily a good thing though, for Harusame was a demented man who looked to control a Spirit Host. In fact, he was messed up enough to try & control 2 of them. Eventually, his methods caught up to him & Harusame died after accidentally freeing the Six-Tailed Slug inside Utakata. When Yagura saved Utakata, it was the first time they realized how much they truly cared for one another, that they were already like brothers.
That was probably the best time of their lives. Before Yagura was the Mizukage, before Yukimaru was abducted by Orochimaru; when they were nothing more than a family. Even though Yagura & Yukimaru were truly brothers, it was the first time since his parents died that he truly felt accepted. Yagura, while he had changed after his little brother was taken, he was still there. Utakata knew he still cared, but now; now Yagura wasn't distant, he was gone. He understood the pain, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with.
"Intriguing, you have traces of the Six-Tails... but you don't possess it.", a voice calls out to Utakata as he nears Namako's cave. He turns to see a short, pink-haired kunoichi standing behind a pair of male ninja. "What do you mean, Karin? How is that possible?", one of the shinobi asks her, this one sporting a pair of glasses. She steps behind them, eyes closed before stating, "It's close. The Six-Tails, it's free.".