Breaking Fast Together [Gin, Ryuzaki]

With the written exam done with, his genin had some time to relax before the next trial: the bells. Kaito had received word of the grades of his genin, however, he was not to share any of this with them. He didn’t mind it, to be honest. They would be informed in due time. But he was pleased. Gin Akimichi, the broader of the two genin he had brought with him to the Hoshigakure, had done quite well for himself, so much so he wouldn’t need to participate in the bell exercise if he chose not to. Hopefully he would still do it, with a guaranteed passage, he could still snatch a bell for himself and prevent someone else from being a threat later on. Given his written example, Kaito felt he might do with a certain.... Advantage.

So, he waited for his genin to come down for breakfast in the inn they had commandeered at a modest financial strain. Kaito was worried about expenses, but also security. It wouldn’t do to have other people walking around while he was in town, so he had come to an agreement with a local tiny inn with a few rooms and short staff to pay for their expenses while vacancy was surrendered to the Kumogakure delegation, composed of all three people. The financial strain came also due to the regiment required by the massive Gin, whose very techniques depended on the amount of calories he could expend quickly in order to give the punch its Taijutsu needed.

The breakfast the cooks and owner prepared was quite a decent selection; rice, noodles, miso soup, tamagoyaki, fried shrimp, crab meat salad, pork rinds and belly… the smells alone, they made Nobo’s stomach rumble when he had come down from the upstairs rooms at the break of dawn, while they had just started preparing. Already clad in his dark armor, he had not brought his robe and hat, as he felt he wouldn’t need it. Curious how without armor he felt naked, but the thing that identified his authority he could skip. Besides, no point in bringing the white clothing to eat a messy breakfast. By the time it was done and started getting served, he hoped the commotion would bring down his genin.

The formalities and rigidity of the lads half broke Kaito's heart, though he wasn't sure why. He would've much rather have them treat him like a grunt, wherein they'd pretend to enjoy his company, while he acted like he was better than them while accepting the remedy to loneliness. That was modus operandi for most of his life, a degree of separation between himself and others that shielded him from the repurcussions of forming meaningful bonds.

Yet in this new position he found himself yearning for said bonds, bonds which were rare enough when he lacked power, and which would be increasingly more difficult to attain and maintain now that he had it. Did he allow his hubris to hold the reins once again, did he rise too high into the morning sky and as a result, would his wings fall apart? He hoped time proved his paranoia wrong.

He turned to face the genins, opening his arms towards the table. "Top of the morning. Take a seat, boys, let's dive in." He himself walked closer to the table so he could sit facing his genin. He took a plate and a couple bowls, and using chopsticks, would take pieces of food onto his plate and bowls, and lastly take some miso soup onto the last bowl which he would just drink. "Itadakimasu", he said audibly but without much ceremony, putting his hands together for one moment to appreciate the food before him.

As he sunk his teeth onto a piece of pan fried pork belly, the fats and spices exploding in flavor in his mouth, his eye rolled visibly onto his skull for a second. "Wow", he started, "this shit will destroy your heart, but goddamn it's good." He looked at the lads as they ate. "So, your written exams are done, but you've still got a road ahead of you. The bells."

He bit into some tamagoyaki, soft as it was but packed with flavor and protein. "Gin, you've come close to the top, so you can skip it. Although, if you want, you can still participate just to try and thin the herd." He gazed at Ryuzaki. "You, on the other hand, will still have to participate. Be wary of creating openings that your opponents can take advantage of, and be wary of openings they may grant you. If I may be so bold, keep in mind which techniques you use. Especially, if your opponent has one of these." As he spoke these last words, he would point with his free hand to his black eyes, which as the sentence ended, flooded with crimson, allowing for three dark tomoes to form. "The sharingan is an incredibly versatile tool, not only in its ability to apply and reverse visual genjutsu, but also due to its motion prediction and copying technique. Don't use any techniques you don't mind others learning unless absolutely necessary."

He disabled the sharingan before taking a sip of the miso soup again. “Either of you worried about the bells?”