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...Yokou hesitated.

Well?

How was she supposed to answer this child? That Zephyr-sensei would've normally sent him flying hundreds of acres with the first flick...? But then again, this boy was lucky. She, along with Shikamori and Museifu...their Genin bell test...well, it should be simply left as it was - painful. This person, she thought with increasing fury at the remembrances of the past, well! Why, Zephyr had never planned to lose any of the bells from the start...and for the proud eleven-year-old Hyuuga princess at the time, working with the Uchiha prince and the bumbling young Nara lord was...not an option her pride would allow.

Needless to say, the three spent that glorious afternoon tied to a wooden pier - yes, a pier to each.

Zephyr never untied them either (he later claimed to have forgotten and had gone home for dinner) thus leaving them for their parents to find. Museifu's father came by first...but the Uchiha head of family merely gave a scornful look at his younger son (Museifu was a second child) and stalked off into the distance... Shikamori's father came by next: he began scolding his only son in an angry tirade about the values of teamwork (to which the Nara Elder pounded quite literally into the poor boy's ears - and his teammates' as well due to the close proximity of the wooden piers - that even if Shikamori did not find the team that replaced the traditional Ino-Shika-Cho trio [in his case] desirable, at the least, he should've placed more effort into working with his new teammates...)

...

Shikamori's father left promptly afterwards, but not before untying her, claiming that this was no way for a young lady to remain. As for Yokou? She attempted to undo the knots to free Shikamori, not only because his father had freed her first but also because there was no way she was going to help a Uchiha...so aiding a Nara logically became the better option.

That was the day, when she learned though, just how damned well Senju could tie knots.

Lord Hyuuga came by some time later, weeping over his poor, "delicate" daughter...to which she politely asked her father to release her from the bone-crushing hug and if he really wished to do a favor before she goes after their jerk of a Sensei and raid the Senju estate for the bells, to free Museifu, who was still tied to the pillar. Her hands hurt, and there was no way she was going to go through those tortuous attempts to undo the knots in the rope (tied by a Senju) EVER again...

She shook her hand with a scowl, waving away unpleasant memories...though a smile did creep up her lips as she recalled the later events of her Genin test... That night, she was not the only one whom had the idea of raiding the Senju estate. Museifu and Shikamori met up with her, and together, with the aid of her Byakugan, Museifu's proficiency with crafting traps and Shikamori's ability of tricking people into them...

Somehow, they had managed to nick the bells.

But the three couldn't decide who should be able to pass the exam. After all...there were only two, one of them would have to return to the Academy. So a brawl broke out between the Nara and Uchiha, arguing over who did more work in the Senju estate-break in. In the end, both boys gave their bells to her, claiming they made up with each other, and Yokou would just have to face the wonders of being a one-person cell...

...

She chuckled openly, as the three had later discovered...well, the only reason they had managed to nick the bells in the first place was because Zephyr was bathing and...well, the three stole his clothes with the bells. All of it, because they did not have enough time to search through the pockets of his robes... It was a wonder how they escaped, though...because Zephyr expected such a course of action (that they learned later, when it turned out it was only a mere doppelganger the three were spying on and had robbed) but well...that night, a good quarter of the Senju estate was wrecked: not due to the [then] ANBU captain's superhuman strength because Gowan thankfully was not utilized but...

The whole compound attacked them. She did not mean this with respect to the Senju clansmen...it WAS quite literally the compound. That day she learned new respect for the Senju's usage of the environment...and in the end, anyways, Zephyr caught up with the three...they expected to be bashed unconscious and left on the streets but surprisingly...with the odd turn of events, he gave them each a pet on the head, claiming they done well and passed the test...

But he still made them tend to the injuries of the people who had fallen for Museifu's traps. Damned martinet. And he refused to allow any of the Senju medics to use medical Ninjutsu to make their life any easier too... Haha...clean? This boy had no idea...Zephyr used to claim the three were filthy, and thus by his logic, were not worthy to stand in his presence...

Egoistic b*****d.

But she chose her words carefully...from what little she knew of her sensei's past, anyways.

"Hmn..." Zephyr was originally from Oto, though of Konoha blood...so... "It depends really on how one would look at it, I suppose. He grew up in a rural area, yes, but I do not think he ever worked in the Otogakurian rice-fields..."

Her eyes widened a little, at the slip.

Her sensei had said he was from the Earth Country to these children, not Oto!

Takeshi walked slowly and calmly around the Nara Compound. He did not want to cause any trouble. But sure enough he could hear people shouting to each other about how a kid was running on their roofs. Now was not the time for someone in that crowd to say, "There he is! Get him!" They did not spot him however, but he decided to pick up the pace and get away from there as soon as possible.

As he reached the other side of the Nara Compound, he looked up into the sky, and saw that the sun's place in the sky had changed. Judging by the sun's position in the sky, he had about three or four hours before sunset. Seeing that he was just about past the Nara Compound, he started running again. He ran a good distance around the Senju Compound, instead of wasting time walking through it, and soon enough he was at the edge of the great forest that surround Konoha.

Because of all his running, Takeshi had to take a 10 minute break, being totally out of breath. He walked past of few lines of trees, just until he was hidden by the forest, and sat down leaning against a tree trunk. He made sure to keep his eyes open though; the last time Takeshi took a break and closed his eyes for longer than thirty seconds, he fell asleep for the rest of that day, and Takeshi did not want his back to hurt the next morning from sleeping against a tree.

Takeshi walked slowly from the forest and found himself on the outskirts of the Konoha Housing. The sun was low in the sky, it would soon be nightfall. This would work to his advantage; he could get to the hospital, get treatment, and be out by tomorrow. Judging by the distance between where he thought he was in the Konoha Housing and the hospital, he thought that he had about a fifteen minute walk. So Takeshi practiced his Bushin no Jutsu hand seals on the way there. But it had been quite some time since he last practiced the Bushin hand seals, and he trpped up on the second seal. Still, he was almost done with the assignment to successfully practice five times, so it didn't bother him. He was almost at the hospital.

Bushin no Jutsu Part 1
DC: 15
Formula: 6 + 0 = 6.
Train: 3/5
**No Cp cost and no Hp deduction for this part.
Rewards: +1 Dexterity

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Takeshi once again walked through the streets of the Konoha Housing, though this time he wasn't all banged up. Several people kept their eyes on him but never spoke once. He felt their scorn, their contempt for him, but he didn't care. Part of the main clan or not, he was an Uchiha, and his pride would never succumb to the thoughts of others, especially strangers.

He kept walking back towards the forest clearing where he was training. On his way, he tried his Bushin no Jutsu training. But, sure enough he fell short of his goal. It was the toughest training that he had come across in quite some time. Still, he had reached the forest.

Takeshi looked around for the trees with the Xs marks on them, which would mark his path to the clearing. After a minute or so, he spotted one, and the path became clear. He was heading back to his private training campsite.

Bunshin no Jutsu Part 1
DC: 15
Formula: 9 + 0 = 9.
Train: 3/5
**No Cp cost and no Hp deduction for this part.
Rewards: +1 Dexterity

"..."

She watched the child, with a quiet smile playing on her lovely lips. He would grow up to be a fine shinobi, this fledgling child, so young for his age yet already possessing a heart of gold. Yokou shook her head, a gentle gesture aside of the head, her long midnight-blue hair shifting just ever so slightly to follow the delicate movement. But she allowed the child to do as he pleased. His insistence: he had the right to assert for himself.

So instead of a quiet reprimand, the Hyuuga princess reached into the pockets of her robes and provided the remaining money needed. While usually she would've been certainly scolded for such a thing, she bowed her head just ever so slightly: an acknowledgment and quiet farewell to the Nara child, for now. A certain man approached them: and Yokou's eyes widened with surprise, realizing that this young man...



You like him, don't you...?

The words went unsaid but the small child, slowly opening heavily-lidded, gorgeous green-gold eyes and gave a soft smile up to the Hyuuga woman. However, whatever conversation that might've begun between the two lingered unheard, for the Juugodaime (Fifteenth) turned his attention to the speaker. He breathed out the greeting Yokou could not:

"Hello, Kisuke-kun."

It was surprising that this young man remembered him. The last time they met was ten years ago: when Zephyr had left Konoha a decade back. Then, that boy had been a mere Genin, barely fresh out of the Academy. How had the years been to Kisuke?

Zephyr gently shook off Yokou's hold and from her hold, the form of a child melded with the air: the moment his foot touched the ground, the Henge around his form had dispelled, his long, dark hair further lengthened, and the high ponytail with the growing weight slipping to a loosely-bound low one. The youthful eyes no longer wide with innocence, but still held their sharpness as now he stands at a new proud height, and an angular handsomeness now to the priorly cherubic face.

But yet still, he did not look a day older than eighteen. His student, Yokou, had baby-like features...it was understandable how so most first meeting her acquaintance were so inclined to believe she was only in her early twenties, or even late teens. But the Senju lord should be nearing mid-thirties now, if not already...the lady Hyuuga Yokou - the Hyuuga head of family - after all was celebrating her thirtieth birthday this year.

Zephyr observed the Jounin somewhat disinterestedly, the doll-like beauty of his features composed, unreadable. "Hello, Kisuke. I see you are well." It was strange, how casual the Juugodaime seemed in address...it had been ten years, not merely yesterday since their last meeting! But there was only a pause, as the Senju lord further considered his answer:

"It is interesting...observing Konoha's next generation, that is." He tilted his head slightly aside with those words, the lingering 'don't tell Moku yet' lingering in the air. Yokou looked, uncertainly, in his way. She would be correct to look so suspicious, for Zephyr, laughing at her worried face, continued:

"I'll be a temporary Student of the Academy, until the Examination."

He has gotten braver.

Yokou simply smiled thinking this, as she took her cup of warm tea, held it forth in a gesture of toasting to the new Jounin, before closing her eyes when taking the long sip. She placed the cup down, delicately held in place between her fingers, the smallest finger cushioning the bottom of the cup so that it would not make any rude noise when set down. Such was the table etiquette of the Hyuuga nobility: the posture held tall and proud despite the chairs being mere stools.

It was a good thing too, but first, she would apologize for not attending Kisuke's Jounin initialization ceremony. Thanks to the incident with those Go-ryu Masters, this was her first time stepping into the village after a year and half: one whole year of which the village had been reigned by that usurper, the Fire Master Irou. Her lips pursed slightly in distaste at this memory...one whole year and half since she had last seen her comrades remaining in the village, of her family...one whole year and half spent away, fighting against the Master's army with the Hokage's troops.

And ah of course, the memory of the Juuyondaime and his betrayal pained her even still now.

She spoke.

"I apologize that we weren't able to attend your initialization ceremony." Yokou heavily suspected he received none, or such a small one that it hardly mattered, due to all the strife that had only almost so recently concluded. She gave him a soft smile. "When you meet your new Students, it can all be arranged, of course."

Speaking of which, she wonders how so the Genin Exams have progressed?

If Kisuke had looked carefully, the Jounin would've noticed the slightest widening of Zephyr's green-gold eyes at the mention of how he "did not age"... But he recovered. Perhaps partly due to the fact that Yokou still seemed very young herself, but...in a cheerful voice, he piped up instead:

"You'll never believe it. The Nara almost failed the written exam." The Hokage chuckled, as he took a piece of the fresh bread on Yokou's plate and rolled the roll expertly between his long, deft, pale fingers. "Shikamori will be rolling in grief..." Speaking of which, Zephyr's Nara Student was oddly enough not with his teammate and Sensei...where could he be...?

Zephyr had ditched Shika back in Iwa, to pose as him for the third and final round of the Chuunin Exams. The Senju lord had little interest for tournaments nor watching an open elimination round. Besides, there was the...financial pro-er, report- he have to...well, deliver! Yes, deliver...to the Council of Elders...

But it was Yokou who made the request.

"If you are not too busy, Kisuke-san, would you like to come with us to watch the Students of this concluding semester?" She paused. "I have hard there are quite some impressive young Students this year."

Taiju moved through the city with an alarming amount of urgency. The girl couldn't be left to her own emotions right now, especially when she was this emotional. Emotions were always a touchy subject for Taiju; he often got in trouble for overreacting and getting violent with people. His bad memories of his childhood days caused him to hate students. Their constant optimism made him hate himself, as if they were a constant reminder of his failures.

Taiju barely noticed that he was in he middle of the restaurant district. He looked around, for any sign of his quarry. It wasn't like an experienced ninja like him to lose someone this easy. Then he saw her; sitting there with her head in her hands. Had he really upset her this much? He could only wonder what Yarotai would say to his superiors about this.

Trying to be calm and not scare her, he slowly sat down next to the distraught girl. "Hey now, what's with you? You look like you're quite upset. Why don't you calm down a bit and tell me what's wrong? I don't think you really want to talk to me right now, and I’m no Yarotai, but I can't say I’m heartless. And I’m no stranger when it comes to extreme emotions, so why don't you talk to me for a bit." Taiju tried as best he could to sound calming and understanding, but he was never good at it. This was why he liked rage, anger, and hate. They could easily be identified and he was used to them. A few people looked over at him, and he just glared them away, doing his best to keep his anger down. No use in scaring the girl off again.

"I'm not much of a doctor, but I can tell that you're definitely not fine." Taiju didn't get any closer to the girl; no doubt she was quite afraid of him at the moment, and with good reason. He wasn't called a monster by people for nothing. Brutal, violent, and to the point; those were the qualities he was known for. He sat there in silence for a second, trying his best to figure out how the hell to be comforting. When that didn't work he knew that the only thing to do would be to go back to what he knew.

"Now I was hoping I wouldn’t have to say this, but we can do this one of two ways. Either you can talk to me and we can figure this out, or I can drag you back to Yarotai and he'll figure it out. I'm not sure what's going on, but running from it and breaking down in public isn't going to make it any better. Normally I would just drag you back there and not think twice, so I suggest you make the best of this opportunity and vent to me. I can hold up a house, so I think I can handle listening to your problems."

Taiju's voice was stern, yet there was no anger in it. He tried his best to scare off anyone who was looking, and was glad that he could at least do something right now. He wished that he could just beat someone up and move on like he normally did. Women, and more specifically feelings, weren't his best subject. Yarotai would know what to do here; he always did being the charismatic enigma that he was. Still he wasn't here and Taiju needed a way to make the girl comfortable. He rubbed his temples and leaned back. This was going to take a while.