Welcome to Gaia! ::

As the man spoke Shinken turned his words over in his head. The more he thought about what had happened in Aren, the more he had to question Michio's motives. Splitting up really hadn't worked out that well, and the Kaguya had emerged from the very place Shinken was trying to infiltrate. How had that come to pass? Surely if he was inside of the Citadel he would've assisted Leoman and the mission would've gone very differently. The more he thought about it the more it really did sound like Michio was a traitor. If Michio had any part in how the mission had turned out Shinken was sorry to say he needed to die.

When the man gestured toward the small dresser Shinken nodded and got up out of his chair. He took a few steps before bending down and opening the cabinet. He reached in and pulled out a rather fancy looking decanter full of a clear liquid. For just a moment he allowed himself to hope it was sake. As the young Genin pulled out two glasses he realized it looked more like water. It was not cloudy or slightly discoloured like most sake was. As he poured it into the cups in front of him his suspicions were confirmed. It did not smell of alcohol in fact it smelled of nothing.

The glasses clinked softly as he placed them on the desk, and slid one towards the man interrogating him. Shinken thought for a moment to flash the man a smile but discarded the notion. It seemed like this was a time for a more serious approach. The young Uchiha brought the glass up to his lips and slowly sipped at the water. It felt cool and refreshing against his dry parched lips. He nursed the water for a few minutes as he considered his interrogator's words. In Michio's temper could have easily been a cover, but something about it seemed a little too real to be completely faked. It could easily have been a trait that was exaggerated for effect allowing him to get away with things that would normally be questioned. When the man sitting in the Kazekage seat brought up the term Ketsueki Shinken's eyes narrowed slightly. It certainly hadn't seemed intentional, but then if everything Michio had done had been act it could've easily been done that way to fool Shinken. Without reading those reports Shinken would never know.

"Well it all started out rather well. I easily obtained entrance into the city by paying a simple bribe. The guards did not seem too suspicious only greedy. I quickly made my way to the nearest tavern where I attempted to sit in and listen to the local gossip. I ordered some food which came out and was utter slop. It certainly wasn't anything fit to be eaten and all eyes were on me. I was afraid I was going to have to eat it when there was a ruckus outside. The holy guard were taking Leoman to the prison. I followed them doing my best to stay hidden among the crowd. A local priest picked me out and struck up a conversation. I did my best to speak casually with him, and seem interested in the holy Army. I led him to believe that I was in awe of their forces. He quickly lost interest in our conversation and moved on. The day continued to pass and turned to night. When I believed the time was right I attempted to infiltrate the Citadel. I was seen and most likely would have escaped with a simple slap on the wrist, but something had triggered the alarms. The city went into lockdown. That's when things started to go to s**t. I was forced to flee. I jumped over the cliff using my ninja wire to rappel down. I ended up down in the mines among the Irikura. They treated me quite well, and gave me a place to hide and rest. At this point if I wanted to get to Leoman my only option was to fight my way into the Citadel, and the Irikura wanted to do just that. So I made an alliance with them. We arrived at the Citadel in the holy guard met us. The combat began and we were quickly beset by feral rebels. They were bleeding and frothing at the mouth. They killed the Irikura, just as a new group of rebels arrived and killed their own. Then there was an explosion from inside the Citadel and the Bishop emerged with this army of horrid zombie like creatures. They killed the guards and began to fight the rebels. There was a man who began to fight the Bishop, but I was trapped on the front lines until the general of the rebel army threw some kind of scroll into the air. When it activated the battlefield got icy cold, and I knew I had to get out, so I pulled back. I'm glad I did because everyone and everything on that battlefield died. They crystallized into ice like statues and shattered. The Bishop was left mortally wounded and dying. I don't think any medic could've saved that man. Certainly no one on the battlefield was going to save him. He was missing an arm, part of his face, I'm guessing his lungs had frozen and shattered, and he couldn't even walk. I put him out of his misery. After that I tried to go after the general of the rebel army that had thrown the scroll, but he got away. I never did see Leoman. I don't know if he survived or what happened to him. Eventually the Princess took power, and I left the city. Is that a satisfactory report?" Shinken explained before finishing off his water.

Shinken was taken aback by the sudden interest in the ice user. He didn't understand why the old man would have such an interest in a foreign warrior. But seeing no harm in it he obliged the question.

"Well I was pretty far away from the fighting I couldn't make out any specific details really. But if I can just think back for a moment." Shinken said as a strained expression crossed his face. There was something in his memory. Something that was nagging at him. It took him a few minutes but it finally clicked.

"Well actually yeah, I think he did have pink hair. I don't remember the color of his eyes, but I think someone called him Sai? It was the general of the rebel army. Apparently they made some kind of deal I think? If I ever see that general again, I tell you I'm gonna break him. He had no concern over the lives of his own men. He was a coward through and through. He had blue eyes, spiky white hair, was fully decked out in whirlwind armor, and he was about 6 feet tall." Shinken said reciting as many details as he could remember.

" You seem really interested in these two. Beyond what I would expect for interest in the mission report. Is there a particular reason why?" Shinken asked knowing he probably wouldn't get an answer. He wasn't looking forward to writing out a mission report. The whole thing had been kind of a blur. Still it was protocol, and if he got it done quickly maybe he would be allowed to go after Michio. Though at this point he was honestly seriously considering killing his old companion rather than bringing him back.

"That's all I can remember about them, I swear. Is there anything else you need from me or can I begin filling out the paperwork? I'd really like to get all of this done as soon as possible. I think that demon scroll might be a lead on Michio. It should still be in the Kage's possession I think. Is he going to be in anytime soon?" Shinken asked, honestly hoping to be done with this whole thing.

Shinken watched as the man seemed to become more agitated. He had deduced that this man was probably his new handler. Why this information agitated him so much was quickly explained. Apparently this man called Sai, was someone of immense power. A member of the clan referred to as the Orasakai. It was pointed out to him that the general may well have also been of the same bloodline. They didn't seem to act like they were related, but it was hard to tell. Shinken didn't think the man seemed like a demigod. He had fought on even terms with the Bishop yes, but he still fought like a man.

While being given the history lesson Shinken began to consider what all of this meant. It was all so much to process. He couldn't really give the lesson his full attention. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Michio was a traitor. All of those training sessions. All of the time spent together a lie. Maybe he had a reason for it, but could he really justify his actions? If he had a good reason he wouldn't have run away from the village. He would've explained himself.

It was only at the mention of the founder of the Ketsueki clan that Shinken snapped out of his reverie. Why would Michio be seeking out someone who was long dead? All of this had happened a very long time ago from what he gathered. At least over 20 years ago, probably more. Shinken wondered what kind of power he would need to combat Michio if he indeed did have the DNA of one of these so-called demigods. Perhaps he would have to go looking for a demon. They were said to have great power, and he knew they could be sealed into a vessel.

As soon as he was dismissed Shinken made a point to fill out his report on the mission to the holy city. He did his best to recall small details while also keeping the report from being too lengthy. When he was finished he stepped outside, and for a moment he paused. He now had a lot of things deal with. He would have to tell Shisara how the father of her child was a traitor. That conversation would not be an easy one. He also had to figure out where one of these demons was, and how to seal it. If he was going to fight Michio he was going to need every edge he could get.

Knowing he needed advice Shinken decided to turn to the one person assigned to be his mentor. If anybody would have advice for him it would be Kuno. With the decision made on how to proceed the young Uchiha began to make his way toward his squad leader's house. It was on the other side of the village, and it took him quite a while to get there. When he arrived he saw that the lights were out, and when he tested the door it was locked. He rapped forcefully on the door hoping that Kuno was inside. When he didn't get an answer Shinken let out a sigh, and began to make his way back through the village.

The young Genin had only taken a few steps before Kuno came into view. It seemed he had been out shopping. Shinken raised a hand and waved at his teacher. Kuno had his hands full and could not return the gesture, but he gave Shinken a nod.

"Shinken I see you're back from your mission. How did it go? Speaking of which where is Michio? I haven't seen him." Kuno asked as he approached the door to his house. Shinken extended his arm and offered to take one of the bags so that his teacher could unlock the door. The blonde haired man smiled at the young ninja and accepted the offer. The door unlocked with a click, and swung open. Shinken waited for Kuno to step inside, and quickly followed after him.

"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about Kuno. I don't really know what to do. I think… I think Michio is a traitor. He… He was very suspicious during our mission. Then he left the city without me, and now he's left the village. He went rogue. Apparently he was experimenting on himself. That's why he has that strange ability to manipulate blood. I'm supposed to go after him when the sandstorm clears up, but that's not the worst part. He left behind an unborn child. He wants me to take care of his kid, and Shisara. How my supposed to tell them that he's a traitor? How do I tell them… That I have to kill him?" Shinken asked sounding rather distressed. Kuno looked at him, eyes filled with sympathy, and shook his head.

"That's a right mess you're in Shinken. I don't envy you. If anyone can take down Michio it'll be you. You've trained with him. You got to know him. You know that it's easy to make him angry, and when he's angry he makes mistakes. I would tell you to be careful, but I think you know that already. As for what to tell Shisara that's a lot harder. You can't force her to understand. All you can do is explain the situation, and try to help her come to terms. While I hate to say it… You don't have to be the one to take care of Michio's kid." Kuno said before being suddenly interrupted by Shinken.

"But I do have to be the one to raise the child. I know what it's like to be branded with that stigma. My family have been viewed as traitors in this village because of my brother. If I can kill Michio, and bring back the body I'll be able to redeem my family's name, and if I do that I can take the kid under my wing. He won't have to go through life being discriminated against because of the actions of his father." Shinken said passionately. He didn't want anyone to suffer the way he had suffered. The sand village could be a harsh place. Much like the desert it belonged to.

"If that's honestly the way you feel Shinken the you're gonna have to work hard to make that happen. If Shisara still has feelings for Michio and you bring his body back she probably won't let you get close to the kid. You're gonna have to convince her that Michio isn't the man she thought he was." Kuno said as he stroked his chin. That was something that the young Genin was not looking forward to, but given enough time he was sure he could convince Shisara that he was right.

"I appreciate your guidance Kuno sensei. I know Michio going rogue doesn't reflect well on you. It doesn't reflect well on my family either. The fact that I'm associated with another traitor will probably kill any progress I've made towards redeeming my family. The only way I see to fix this is to kill Michio." Shinken stated with a mix of emotions. He was angry, disappointed, hurt, and conflicted, but he knew what he had to do.

"I wish you the best of luck Shinken. You've been a good student. Whatever you do just make sure you come home." Kuno said with a sigh of resignation. It was clear he wasn't a fan of how things turned out either. It was hard to spend so much time with someone and not form a bond. Shinken gave him a solemn nod, before setting the groceries down on the counter and walking out the door.

It was starting to get a little later in the evening, but the young Uchiha still had time to make the other stop he had planned for. He was going to go see the shopkeeper who had found the puzzle box containing the scroll on demons. If anyone in the village knew where a demon was, and how to seal it it would be him. The journey to the store took him about 15 minutes. It wasn't far from Kuno's house. When he arrived he saw that the old man was beginning to close up shop. He looked up, saw Shinken, and immediately closed his door.

"I don't want to see you! You're bad for business. We're closed go away!" The old man shouted through the door. Shinken had to resist the urge to rub the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. This wasn't going to be easy, but it needed to be done. The young ninja knew he could easily break the door, but that was not the way he wanted to go about this.

"Look I just want to talk. I can make it worth your while. I promise." Shinken said just loud enough to be heard through the door. The rickety door opened just a crack, and the old man's big nose poked through.

"And how exactly would you do that? Do you have something of value? Information on an artifact perhaps?" The old man inquired. Shinken had at least grabbed the old man's attention. Now he needed to convince the shopkeeper to let him in.

"I have stories to tell yes, and some Ryo. I might even have a small sample of a very rare and precious mineral." Shinken said slyly. He knew that if it was rare this merchant wanted it. He also knew if it had any kind of historical value the shopkeeper was interested. There was silence for a moment before the door swung open.

"Well don't stand out there all day. Come on, I! In!" The old man said excitedly as he gestured for Shinken to step into the shop. The young ninja smiled a very genuine smile. He was halfway there. Now all he had to do was bargain for the information he wanted. The black haired Uchiha quickly stepped into the shop, and closed the door behind him.

"Now that we are alone I'd like to speak to you about what was in that scroll. I know it's been a long time, but I'm sure you remember it, and what was in it. I'm willing to trade my stories, and some of that mineral for the information contained within that scroll. I need to know everything you know about demons." Shinken said as quietly as he could while still being loud enough to be heard. The old man's face took on a very serious expression as his eyes narrowed. There was a slight smile that quirked up in the corner of the shopkeeper mouth. He knew he had the upper hand in this negotiation.

"Well I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement as long as it is… beneficial" the shopkeeper said he carefully measured even tone. It was clear he didn't want to give away how much he knew, or what it was worth. Shinken tried to read the man's facial expression. He was having a difficult time gauging just how much to reveal. He didn't want to give away more than he had to, and for a moment it seemed like they were at a stalemate. Then the old man spoke up again.

"What exactly are you looking for? There must be some kind of field of knowledge you're seeking in particular. If you were to reveal this to me I could better assist you." The old man said hiding a smile behind the blank mask of his poker face. He was clearly used to negotiating in situations like these. It made sense that he had that kind of experience considering what he dealt in. It was then that Shinken knew he was in a very precarious position.

"Why don't we start from the beginning? Tell me what you know about their origins." Shinken said calmly. He knew that if he garnered more information than he needed from this old man that it would be harder for him to tell which pieces of information Shinken was using.

The old shop keep let out a wry grin. For a moment Shinken wondered if he'd walk into some kind of verbal trap. The old man began to rummage behind a desk and pulled out a rather nondescript scroll. He crooked a finger at Shinken and motioned for the boy to come closer. The young Uchiha warily took a few steps toward the desk where the scroll was laid out.

"You want to know about the origins of the demons first I have to tell you a story. You see it is said that long ago all of the demons were one. It was a massive and a horrible creature of incredible destructive force. However there was a man. I believe they called him a sage. The sage was able to control the horrible demonic beast. In fact he took it into himself if the legend is true. You see all of what I'm going to tell you is speculation. There is no way to prove that any of this actually happened. For all we know the demons are just a force of nature. But I digress." The old man chattered. Shinken got the feeling he was in for quite the long-winded story, and while he felt a sense of urgency, he knew he still had time to kill.

"If all of this is just speculation then how can it be worth anything? This mineral is very valuable and I assure you my story will be one that interests you. However if all you have to offer is speculation I suppose the deal is off the table." Shinken said slyly. He knew that the shopkeeper had made a misstep by admitting that his information was mostly speculation. Now the Uchiha had the advantage in this negotiation, and it was the shopkeeper's turn to backpedal.

"All I assure you my friend, the information that I have is of value. While their origins may be speculation I do have concrete facts to trade. I just thought that you would enjoy a little storytelling. After all you did ask me to tell you everything I knew about them." The old man said as he pointed down scroll. When Shinken's eyes travelled down he saw that it was full of illustrations. Before he could ask about the pictures the old man began to continue his story.

"Now this sage he lived for a long time. Eventually he split the beasts into nine separate entities. That is where the term tailed beasts comes from. You see each of the demons has a different number of tails. There are nine in total the strongest of which is believed to be the nine tails. The nine tails is a demon fox. It possesses vast amounts of chakra and is said to be able to cause natural disasters. It is said to have a foul temperament and a hate of mankind. It supposedly appears where the darkness of men's deeds accumulates. It then wreaks havoc and destruction and disappears as quickly as it came." The man said as he pointed to an illustration of an orange fox with nine tails. Shinken studied the picture. The fox was huge easily dwarfing even the Kage's office. The beast was very much an intimidating site.

"What exactly do you mean it can cause natural disasters. The level of power required to do something like that would be immense. Are the demons really that powerful?" The young ninja inquired. It was impossible to hide the sense of awe that Shinken felt at this story. Even if it was exaggerated still incredibly impressive. The thought that someone could combat something that powerful was insane. There had to be some kind of special technique behind it. Some kind of secret he didn't know.

"Well my boy you see it is said that the nine tails and create tidal waves and rain down meteors. It truly is a fearsome beast, but has not been seen in a very long time. It once laid waste to the village hidden in the leaf. The village was partially destroyed and lost many good ninja. I have not heard much about it since. The information can be very difficult to come by. Speaking of which I have given you at least some of what you asked for, perhaps it is time you return the favour." The old man said wryly. Shinken got the feeling that he was in the den of a snake. The way this man seemed to weave through tales and negotiations unnerved him. He forced himself to rip his gaze away from the picture and look up to meet the old man's eyes.

" I suppose that is a fair assessment. Though you have given me very few facts and mostly speculation. In return I will show you this mineral of which I spoke." Shinken said as he reached it was felt and pulled out a small vial of silver liquid.

"This is known as Atium. It is a rare metal found only in the holy city of Aren. It has very interesting properties. You see it can be shaped into a solid, and infused with chakra. In fact much of the equipment that I'm wearing was made using this material. I'm sure a collector such as yourself would love to have a sample of this material in their collection. That makes it most valuable both in collectibility and coin." Shinken said only allowing the merchant a glance the material before sliding it back into the pouch on his leg. He carefully gauged the merchant's reaction. The old man couldn't hide his desire for the material. It was as if he was the salivating dog.

"And there is a story to go along with this material if I like what I hear. If you would please be so kind as to continue." The young Uchiha said slyly. The old man regarded Shinken with narrowed eyes for a moment as he pursed his lips

"I suppose that would be enough to buy some information. What else would you like to know?" The old man asked trying to downplay how much he wanted the atium.

Shinken made a point of looking around the store letting his eyes wander. He didn't want to show this man exactly how interested he was in this information. The shopkeeper licked his lips impatiently and his eyes darted around the shop trying to follow Shinken's gaze. Eventually Shinken's eyes drifted back to the picture of the nine tails. He let the silence hang heavy in the air for just a few more moments before he replied.

"You said there were nine of them. Were they all as powerful as the nine tails? Why is there so little information on them? Where did they go? I mean it's not like something that powerful just disappears." Shinken said bombarding the old man with questions. Perhaps it showed his hand, but he hoped it would put the old man off balance. To his credit the old man seemed to follow the questions with a kind of fluid grace.

"Well that's a lot of questions. Are you sure you want to pay the price for all of them? As a show of good faith I'll answer your first two questions. And then we can move on to the beginning of your story. All of the tailed beasts were quite powerful, forces of nature in their own right, but the nine tails was the strongest. As for why there is so little information about them I would assume it is because they can be used as powerful weapons and many people would rather they just be left alone and forgotten. But again that is speculation." The shopkeeper said with careful and deliberate stress on certain facts. Despite his outwardly calm appearance Shinken got the feeling that the old man was beginning to grow impatient.

"Now you promised me a story. Why don't you take a seat and I'll make us some tea" the old man said as he began to shuffle towards the back room. This gave Shinken time to think over what he was going to tell this man. He couldn't go into classified mission details, but he could recount what had happened in the holy city. Then there was the story of how he had bested a Jounin. Though it was not his proudest moment it was still an achievement. It took several minutes for the old man to return and when he did he was carrying a small green tea pot, covered in black flowers, on a silver tray.

"I hope you are a fan of tea I like to keep some of my more delicate blends in the back of the shop. I find they help me unwind after a long day." The shopkeeper said as he set the silver tray down on a table in the corner of the shop. The tea was obviously not as delicate as he claimed it to be because Shinken could smell it from where he was. It was not an unpleasant smell by any means. In fact it had a floral smell to it akin to cherry blossoms or some other kind of flower. The young Genin nodded to the shopkeeper and made his way over to the table before pulling out a stool and sitting down.

"I suppose I should begin this story by describing to you the setting in which it took place. There is a city that exists inside of a mountain. It is a great cavernous structure full of torchlight and the bustling of crowds. In this city there is a mighty Citadel. It stands tall and proud and watches over the denizens of the mountain. Our story begins just outside of this mountain. A young boy barters for passage into the mountain. Coin changes hands, and the guards satisfied with this bribe open the way to him. Once inside of the city he is amazed by the sheer size of it. The ingenuity it must've taken to craft such a thing baffles him." Shinken said taking a moment to reach out to the cup of tea that had been handed to him. He nodded with a slight smile to the shopkeeper before raising his cup in a gesture of goodwill. After performing this gesture he sipped slowly on the tea. It was sweeter than he expected and he guessed it had been sweetened with honey.

"Now this young man was tired and hungry so he began to look for a place to rest. Eventually his eyes came to settle on a tavern. With one hand on his coin purse and the other pushing his way to the crowd the boy approached the building. He opened the door to find this building filled with rougher looking men and women. There was much drink to be had the food did not look as appealing. He felt many unwelcome eyes upon him. It was not long before he left that building in an attempt to find sanctuary elsewhere. Unbeknownst to him there were many machinations at play in the city. Factions vied for power behind each other's backs. Little did he know he was going to get pulled right into the middle of it." Shinken said pausing right at the end of his statement. He waited for a few moments and watched the old man's face hoping to gauge his reaction. The old man seemed mildly interested though Shinken could tell he was waiting for the young ninja to get to the good part of the story. All he needed to do was give him a little bit more information and the hook would be set. Then could pull all the information he needed out of this old man.

"You see as he made his way outside there was a man dragged in chains toward the Citadel. This man was a very very large man, imposing in his stature. And it seemed that it took an entire complement of guards escort him where he was going. Out of curiosity the young man followed this group of guards. It seemed they were taking him to prison according to the priest the boy ran into. It was a rebel of some notoriety and if you wish to know more than you will have to give me information in exchange." Shinken said slyly. By the old man's expression he knew he had the shopkeeper exactly where he wanted him.

With everything that had happened it'd been a long day for Shinken. After leaving the shop he decided that he would like to relax at home. As he walked the thought of how Michio had played him like a fiddle coursed through his mind. By the time he arrived at his house he was fuming. Shisara was still there but he put up a single finger to silence her.

"We can talk about this later Shisara." Shinken said as he stepped inside of his home. He didn't feel good giving the woman the cold shoulder, but he was in no mood to talk to her. When he got inside he did what he always did. He headed into his brother's old room. He plopped himself down on the bed and put his hands over his face. This had all gone so wrong so quickly.

He stayed in the room for almost half an hour trying to contain his fury. Eventually he lost his cool and flipped the bed up against the wall. It was then that he noticed something strange on the four. Part of the four was raised up ever so slightly. He quirked an eyebrow and bent down to examine it. What he found was a trap door just large enough to fit a book inside. In fact that was what he found an old leather bound journal. He opened it and began to read. It was his brother's old journal and when he got to the last entry he gritted his teeth and his eyes went wide. The last entry said that he was going out on a mission for the sand the village. The mission was to infiltrate a group of criminals. The same criminals that his brother had brought to the village. The same criminals that got him killed. Shinken wasn't sure if that was the plan all along, or if his brother simply fell in with the wrong crowd. What he did know was that all of his family suffering was because of something the Kage ordered. That sealed his decision. He was going after Michio himself, and placing a bounty on him. This village no longer held anything for him.

Shinken gathered his things and set out to slip away into the night. He pulled up his special cloak and use the shadows to his advantage as he scaled the wall and pushed out into the sandstorm. It wouldn't be long before he was well on his way.

Having passed the graduation exam, Hiro was now an official genin of the Hidden Sand. "In just a couple days, I'll get assigned to a team and we'll start going on missions with our mentor. I know to start out we'll only be doing E ranked missions, but I need to get some more practice in. It's unlikely we'll be in combat with enemy ninja, but I'm not sure I have a lot to bring to the table if we do. I should head to the practice field and start working on expanding my skills." Hiro grabbed his recently acquired equipment, making sure everything was stowed away securely, but readily accessible, and headed across the village towards the training fields.

Arriving, Hiro noticed that many of the other fresh genin had had the same ideas that he did. He walked over to the only remaining open field. Hiro dropped his bag off to the side and began stretching. "Hmm... I can throw shuriken or kunai as well as the next guy, but taijutsu has never been my strong point. I guess, if I'm going to focus on ninjutsu, I should work on expanding my repertoire to more than just the basic skills they teach in the academy."

Hiro turned his head as the Hyuuga girl addressed him. "Hi Bumu. That's right! I graduated yesterday. There's a decent chance that we'll get paired together. From what I hear, not a lot of people passed this year. I dunno if the exams were just tougher, or if my classmates were just unprepared, but I expect they'll have to mix all the classes together." Finishing the stretch he was working through, he turned fully to Bumu. "Yeah, target practice can be pretty boring. I'd be up for some group training. I figured I'd start working on some ninjutsu outside of the basic techniques they teach us in the academy. Maybe give a jutsu with chakra nature transformation a shot. I hear those can be pretty difficult. What do you think? If you've got a better idea, I'm all ears."

After asking Bumu what she thought, Hiro went back to the stretching routine that he had been working on before she arrived. "Regardless of how we end up training, I need to make sure I don't overexert or hurt myself because I didn't prepare properly." Hiro gave Bumu a few moments to think about what she wanted to do, with regards to training, and finished the next stretch before turning back to hear her response.