Tea over Death (Kuniko, Kiryu) (IK)(NK)

Kuniko sat quietly and sipped his tea as he listened to the other two. Kiryu's effort of self determination was almost out of turn, if not for the loss of their teammate and friend on the previous mission. But it was not the young Hyuuga's place either to interrupt the other genin. Being raised in the side branch of such a prestigious family had trained Kuniko well to observe and know his place in the order of things. Perhaps he would speak to Kiryu later on the matter, but not now. They were guests after all. 

Then Tsubaki began to speak. Surprisingly, she offered up her own history for the first time Kuniko had seen. It was strange of her to mention her own feelings like this; a new milestone reached! "That why I called you two over. The sproutings of something great. We need to plant our roots so we can survive." Such words from his mentor moved Kuniko. He grasped his hands together in surprise and awe, then said as though spellbound, "such elegance! I am blessed to witness Miss Tsubaki say something so eloquent as if from a poetry book. Indeed, we are but saplings, Kiryu. I may very well refer to you as such, and you may do likewise to me. Miss Tsubaki, how should we plant our roots?" 


WC: 223
TWC: 1004

Kiryu was somewhat surprised to hear Tsubaki say that she was hit hard with Takeshi’s death as well. He had always felt as though Chuunin had a much tighter grasp of their emotions and death didn’t faze them. Still, he supposed it couldn’t have been easy for anyone to watch someone that they felt responsible for die in front of them. The fact that she lived among religious parents was also interesting to him, as it mirrored his own family. Still, she had made her way in the shinobi forces of Hoshigakure, which meant that surely he would be able to as well if he continued to improve himself.

Ah, so she’s a medical specialist, Kiryu thought to himself, filing that information away. Medical shinobi were absolutely essential to the village, and it would be very helpful to know who was talented at that particular skill. Still, it wasn’t good to be overconfident. Her medical ninjutsu hadn’t been able to save Takeshi, after all, although neither Kiryu nor anyone else could hold that against her.

People were fragile, that much was true. He grinned as she smiled at them both. He was glad that she saw him as a sprouting of something great and not just a fragile flower that needed to be protected and coddled. After all, he was a shinobi in his own right. Kuniko’s response certainly was not what he expected, however. He seemed almost completely starstruck by the Chuunin. Sure, she had made a good analogy, but it certainly wasn’t something that Kiryu would consider himself blessed for having heard.

”If it’s all the same with you, Kuniko, I think I’ll just use your name.” He smiled to show that he meant no offense, but he did feel a little awkward in the moment. He did want to hear Tsubaki’s answer to his question though. ”I would be most appreciative of any guidance you could provide, ma’am.”

[WC: 321]
[TWC: 1,224]

Tsubaki smiled, hearing such high praise about her speech from Kuniko. He had described it like it was a poem and that he would start referring to Kiryu as a sapling. This made Tsubaki chuckle. Kiryu didn't seem to share the same idea, saying that he would not use the same nickname. "Awe come on," Tsubaki joked, "I guess I'll have to drill the sapling analogy more into your head." 

They both brought up on what they should do to dig their roots more. It was a fair question, one that she didn't have a straight answer for. "I don't quite know yet. But I know that it won't be easy, otherwise, people wouldn't be as fragile all the time."  Tsubaki would pick up her teacup and took a sip. "I'll be honest, I'm also a sapling. I'm not perfect either and Takeshi's death was still a big impact for me. I got knocked over so much that I didn't go to the funeral. One of my biggest regrets." She set down the cup with a saddened face. She sighed and closed her eyes to ease her mind. "But that's going to be my challenge to get my roots in." She smiled to distract herself from the pain.

WC:203 
TWC: 1156

Kuniko continued watching Kiryu as he parried his response. In playful manner he replied, "ah Kiryu is already asserting his independence. He's matured after all." The young Hyuuga gave a snicker. Poor Takeshi couldn't stand on his own until it was too late. And Sakuragi would never even sit down to have tea. Kuniko felt glad that he found some decent company. 

He then looked towards his mentor with a gentle smile and said, "Miss Tsubaki, there is no reason to regret attending the funeral. Many of the villagers whose lives were touched by Takeshi's actions had attended and paid their respects. His spirit has surely found peace now. I think we should make an effort to make the roads safer so incidents like this don't happen in the future. I believe we should speak to the Hogokage and ask him to set up a series of watch towers in the forest."


WC: 153
TWC: 1157

Kiryu couldn’t help but be put into a good mood with the more positive vibes that were flowing through the room as the other two shinobi joked back with him. Unfortunately, Tsubaki was drawn back into a somber attitude with memory of missing Takeshi’s funeral. Kiryu could relate to that feeling. He regretted not going to the funeral either. Kuniko’s insistence that Takeshi’s spirit had surely found peace brought some comfort to him, however.
 
The desire to make the roads safer resonated with him. That was, after all, a big part of the reason he had been working so hard with his training regimen. He couldn’t help but let his eyes narrowed slightly when Kuniko mentioned asking the Hogokage for help. His thoughts flashed back to his first encounter with the man. The Uchiha… Everything that he had learned about that cursed bloodline pointed toward nothing but death, destruction, and evil. How could a man that was tainted with the blood of an Uchiha be the man that was in charge of the holy village? Still, he wouldn’t protest those plans. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe that they would be able to secure the roads outside of the village by themselves. ”I think watchtowers would be an excellent idea,” he replied. ”It would certainly take quite a bit of manpower to keep them useful though.”

[WC: 226]
[TWC: 1,450]

Tsubaki listened as Kuniko explained that more people wanted to go the funeral to pay their respects but didn't. She wondered why they didn't, it couldn't possibly be that they felt the same way she did. Tsu wondered if this was normal for funerals. There were only two funerals that the Senju had been to. They were both of them were her parents'. No one had shown up to either funeral but Tsubaki just assumed that it was because no one knew them. Maybe funerals were just falling out of style due to the guilt associated with them.

Kuniko suddenly brought up the idea of having safer roads and having watchtowers put into place. "It certainly would create some better protection for not only the village but the shinobi as well." Kiryu seemed to agree with the idea of watchtowers, yet the idea of the Hogokage seemed to have disturbed him. Kiryu's eyes narrowed as if in deep thought about something that he didn't agree with. Tsu thought maybe he had some negative ideas against authority not realizing that it was a dislike of the Kage's bloodline. "But we could talk politics all day if we wanted to," Tsu would quickly change topics, "Let's talk about the future of us as individuals." Tsu would pick herself and head to the kitchen for another cup of tea. "Where do you see yourself in the future?" She asked this because she wondered if the shinobis' ideals had changed over the ordeal.

WC: 249
TWC: 1405

Kuniko could immediately tell that he may have struck a nerve with his tea sipping companions. A quick deflect left them talking about their future as individuals. Kuniko though to himself that perhaps the other two were more individually focused. His lifetime of being reared to protect the main branch family of the Hyuuga taught him that legacy and family were more important than the individual. Perhaps it was time he shared his opinion... 

To answer Tsubaki's question, Kuniko closed his eyes with a nod and spoke rhythmically as though repeating a mantra, "a lifetime of being reared to protect the main branch family of the Hyuuga Clan has taught me that legacy and family are more important than an individual. My future is determined by the head of my clan, which is the young Lord Ayato. He is wise for his age and bestows his commands sparingly. I have not spoken to him since Takeshi's funeral, and he has not offered direction since. Until then, I am a ship without a mast." 


WC: 173
TWC: 1360

Tsubaki’s change of subject from the Hogokage and possible solutions for the protection of the roads to asking about where Kuniko and himself saw themselves in the future. To be honest, Kiryu hadn’t put a lot of thought into it outside of simply getting stronger in order to protect his friends and the inhabitants of Hoshigakure.
 
Originally, he had become a shinobi in order to become a member of the Queensguard. Unfortunately, that possibility seemed to have gone out the window. A queen no longer ruled Hoshigakure. Instead, it was overseen by the Hogokage, an Uchiha. It felt like a betrayal of his beliefs, but he had made the commitment to become a shinobi, and he would honor that as best he could.
 
When Kuniko spoke, Kiryu felt a twinge of sadness. The other Genin was much more than he gave himself credit for, and to him it seemed as though the Hyuuga had fully embraced being a tool of others in his clan. That was a fate that Kiryu would not have been able to accept if he was put in that situation. Duty and honor were important, but unquestioning loyalty such as that was deserved only by the gods. Still, he didn’t want to offend Kuniko, so he held his tongue on his thoughts about the matter.
 
”I had originally wanted to join the Queensguard,” he answered once Kuniko had finished speaking. ”Now I don’t really have much of an aim for myself. I suppose I would also like working as part of the diplomatic corps in the future, but for now my main goal is simply to get stronger in order to better serve the village.” He wondered if Tsubaki had any advice for him, or any thoughts at all really. Any sense of direction would surely be beneficial, even if it was just helping him determine what options he had available to choose from.

[WC: 318]
[TWC: 1,768]

Kuniko would go first, explaining his goals. He explained that he was going to protect the main branch of the Hyuuga family and the Lord Ayato at the head. Tsu would be offended by his lack of individuality. It was like he was only a puppet made to be used or, as he puts it, a ship without a mast. What a waste of a perfect person. Kiryu would follow up with his own goals. He explained that he wanted to become a Queensguard or part of the Diplomatic department. Tsu was pleased to see that he had some goals in mind for himself.

 She would rest her hand under his nose in a thinking posture as they spoke. "I see," she would speak after Kiryu was finished. First, she would look at Kuniko, "So you have no sense of individuality. This Ayato seems to have you at his complete command." She would look angrily passed Kuniko as if she was staring into the eyes of Ayato himself. "I've never met his man, but it sounds like I'll have to pay him a visit." 

To relax from her slight outburst. , Tsu took another drink from her teacup. After placing down the cup, she would look at Kiryu. "You seem to have a clear centre of a goal. You want to protect within your field of expertise. I can respect that. We'll have to work hard to get you to that goal." The Senju would lean into chair's back. "My goal is to nurture. After Takeshi's death, I've realized how important the lives of the next generation are and how fragile they are. I will work on allowing them to grow and lead them into a more powerful generation." Tsu always idolized power and the thought of seeing these children become powerful due to her prepping filled her with delight. Power didn't come from wealth but experience and care. 

WC: 319
TWC: 1729

Kuniko was surprised by the reactions he got from the other two. It seems they were displeased for some reason. At least Kiryu had greater ambitions before. Kuniko felt more hope for him than he did for Sakuragi, and he smiled at the thought. 

Tsubaki made an astute observation that Kuniko would gladly agree to if not for her venomous glare. He thought it much better to remain quiet on the subject for now. Of course he was obedient. Ayato was his master, and the head of the clan. Kuniko reminded himself that to think of himself in a higher regard that leader of the clan was insolence. 

However, Tsubaki's own deceleration prompted him to speak, "Miss Tsubaki, I think your goal is just. If I may help you nurture the next generation, you need only ask. Perhaps Kiryu and the remnants of Team Summer could assist you, unless you were looking to join the team?" He then finished his tea and smiled gently back. It would be nice to have a higher ranked ninja to lead the team, he thought. 


TWC: 1500