Working With a New Friend!

Missions Attempted:
Building Blow Up
Bulk Trash Day
Stalking The Stalker
Shopping Spree Supervisor

It was a beautiful, quiet morning in Hoshigakure when Kayori rose out of bed. As normal she awoke before the sun had peaked over the horizon and began her morning routine. She’d get dressed in some athletic wear before leaving her home and taking a two mile jog around the village. As the sun rose in the sky she’d bask in the morning light, say a quick prayer to Amaterasu, then once she felt energized for the day she’d return home. Slipping out of her clothes, she’d take a long cold shower and finish her morning preparations.

Recently she had been neglecting her church duties due to her most of her time being consumed by the missions she had been accepting on behalf of the village. Though she knew that these jobs would help prove her dedication to the village and help her grow in strength, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about not being more involved with the worship of Amaterasu. Thankfully her siblings had been picking up the slack, so she was happy that the duties were at least still being fulfilled. For now she’d push these intrusive thoughts to the side and attempt to focus on her job for the day.

She had been tasked with assisting in blowing up a building, then helping the local landfill deal with the rubble and trash the destruction produced. Admittedly she was confused as to why she’d be tasked with such a thing seeing as she had no experience in the field, regardless she was willing to help wherever she was needed. Upon acceptance of the mission, she was informed that one other would be joining her so she was excited to meet a new face. After her shower, she’d quickly get dressed, have some breakfast with her family, then head out for the day.

Making her way to the meeting spot, Kayori would smile and wave at a handful of familiar faces. Through her community service, she had grown quite fond of some of the civilians that had called upon her for aid. Occasionally she’d stop to speak with some of them, though she wouldn't be able to talk for long so she’d apologize to them before excusing herself and continuing on to the meeting spot. She was eager to meet a potential new friend, so to ensure she wasn’t late she’d jog to her destination.

Upon arrival she began to look around for her soon to be companion with an sweet smile on her face. To any onlooker they’d see a fair skinned young woman with long, platinum blonde hair that cascaded down her back and framed her face almost perfectly. Her light blue eyes sparkled slightly in the sunlight as she attempted to find her mission partner. She looked to be wearing a pristine white dress that stopped roughly around her ankles. The top of the dress snugly clung to her torso and hugged her body in just the right places. Long slits could be seen up each side of it, stopping roughly around her hip bones. As she walked, her plump but toned thighs could be seen peeking out from the slits, but they were mostly hidden. A golden necklace with a sun pendant could be seen proudly displayed on top of her dress, sitting on top of her chest.

Kayori would patiently wait for her companion, though internally she buzzed with excitement. If anyone approached her, she’d offer them a warm, welcoming smile and a polite bow before introducing herself.

WC: 585

The gleaming light of the morning began to pour into his room. Rays of sunlight dispersed the shadows on the floor, allowing Toran to wake up knowing that it was a good day. Toran climbed out of bed, wearing only a white T-shirt and blue Pajamas. His hair, tangled and messy, would be quickly brushed to the side right before he began his daily routine. His eyes scanned the surface of his room, noting where his equipment was, his clothing, and also the small desk on the side of it. He was living by himself for now, yet the feeling of missing his home still tugged at his chest. He was older now, he needed to be stronger, for the sake of his family, and the sake of his team whom he had not seen in so long. The thought of his team made Toran sit in silence. His friends who had helped him now were busy people, people who were advancing far faster than he was. That, or they were buried, gone with the wind of the world and left with him trying to see just who could have done it. Who could have killed her?

The thought ran through his head while he got undressed and made his way into the shower. Small warm droplets hit his skin, Toran combing his hair slightly, trying his best to relieve himself of all the small knots that had tangled themselves together during his sleep. He had been informed of being assigned on a mission with a relatively fresh genin. He still had not received the rank of chunin, the thought annoyed him to no end. After everything he did, everything that he can become. He still was stuck as a simple Genin. The thought vexed him to no end inside the shower, his hand clenched in anger at the thought. Perhaps he must gain more strength before being recognized. For now, it was in his best interest to keep himself composed.

Getting dressed wasn’t too hard, his lightweight bodysuit always ended up going on first anyways, followed immediately by a white and red jacket and black pants. He didn’t think he’d need his sword for this, especially given that he wanted to practice his skills in taijutsu more and more. As a result, Toran shoved his feet in his shoes and walked out of his small room, down the hall, and outside of the small apartment he was living in. A few took notice of the young Uchiha. His posture was much more confident than before. He’d be pleasant with the few that would wave towards him, a small smile on his face as he moved across the roads while making his way towards the meeting center. Yet who he found there would make him rather surprised. Certainly, not the attire he was expecting while going on missions regarding blowing up buildings.

Her appearance reminded him too much of Hikari. . . He had seen her at the meeting location, assigned to primarily look out for pearly white hair and pale skin. What he was not expecting was the attire that the Hatake was wearing, the pristine white dress, golden sun necklace, and her platinum blonde hair made Toran’s face slightly blush from her appearance. She did look beautiful, yet beauty could often be deceiving.

His looks were far less lavash, the simple red and white puffy jacket, along with the standard black pants and sandals fit him rather well. It also hid his physique from the public eye, allowing Toran to look rather unimposing while he strode towards Kayori Hatake.

“You’re Kayori Hatake correct? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” His tone was rather nervous, inky black hair and black eyes stared back at the light blue eyes before him for a moment. Toran’s hand reached out, offering a handshake towards his fellow ninja.

WC:643

Kayori would watch happily as a young man approached her, which she assumed to be Toran Uchiha, her companion for the upcoming missions. As he began to introduce himself, she’d take his hand and shake it firmly, though not enough to cause any discomfort. Though he seemed a bit nervous about the encounter, Kayori wouldn’t mention it to him and continued her cheerful demeanor. As he finished speaking, she’d offer him a reassuring nod before talking herself. Her voice was warm and inviting as she began to introduce herself.


”Yes, I’m Kayori! You must be Toran, it’s so lovely to meet you.”

She’d shift her weight to her right foot and clasp her hands together gently behind her back as she examined him slightly. She hadn’t seen him around the village before, though since Hoshi was rather big, this didn’t surprise her. They probably just ran in different social circles, and she was eager to get to know him. Since most of her time was consumed by the church, she didn’t know many people who didn’t share her faith. She had a rather isolated childhood, so she was excited to potentially make a new friend. However he was a bit younger than her, so she was unsure if they’d be able to relate to each other.

Regardless she had high hopes for the two of them and couldn’t wait to see how their friendship would develop. If he spoke up, she’d wait for him to finish his response before talking once more.

”Looks like we have quite a bit of work ahead of us today, so I hope you don’t mind getting your hands dirty.”

Kayori would let out a bit of a giggle and motioned for him to follow her. In all honesty, she wasn’t looking forward to assisting with the destruction of a building, her talents mostly lay in working with individuals. However, she knew it needed to be done, and she would be the one to do it. Soon the two of them would begin making their way to the mission location, and as they walked, Kayori attempted to keep up a pleasant conversation.

”Have you always lived in Hoshi? I’ve met a few people who recently came to the village, and since we haven’t run into each other until now I was unsure if you were a local or not. Personally, I’ve lived here my whole life, though I wish to do some traveling someday.”

Her demeanor continued to be light and inviting, not wanting him to feel nervous about their encounter. Thankfully she had always been quite the extrovert, so social situations like this were an ease. However, she had a few friends that didn’t share this trait so she was used to trying to keep the conversation flowing herself. As they passed a few familiar faces, Kayori would offer them a warm smile and a wave, though she wouldn’t stop to talk with any like she normally would.

WC: 503
Total WC: 1088

He returned her handshake with his own firm one. His hands felt surprisingly rough against her own, with Toran continuing to look at her for a moment longer. He didn’t know exactly what to think of his new friend. She seemed so effortlessly confident, it reminded him a lot of his other teammates, of Morio, and of Hotaru. It was confidence he wished that he could have. Her tone was inviting, warm and confident. Which was the biggest difference, the warmth surprised him. There wasn’t any bite or any form of snark. It was similar to that of a warm hug, one that he remembered back with Isemori.

Although there was something quite peculiar about what she was doing, her hands went around behind her dress. Toran stood there confused for a moment, the jacket he was wearing covered his upper torso and arms all the way to the wrists. He had never really met someone from the religious part of the village. He had heard stories, some of them were vile, while others were rather peaceful and worked with the village to help out from time to time. Yet his face almost lit up when he noticed that she was inspecting him, she probably couldn’t even gather much from his outfit. Yet he was only a couple years younger than her, but that might be decades a part in terms of this world.

“W-we should probably get going. . . How much do we have to do?”

He wasn’t great with small talk, but she immediately spoke up to his own question. Discussing how he shouldn’t be afraid to get his hands dirty. Toran snorted at the thought, yet he kept himself composed. He’d immediately follow her motion, walking alongside her as she began to try and make small talk. It seemed that they’d be going towards the mission location, with her continuing to keep up the conversation with the young Uchiha.

“I’ve always lived in Hoshigakure, but my parents are actually from Konohagakure. I mostly live inside of the more urban parts of the village. My father works inside of the Unseen University as a Librarian. I was told at a young age to stay clear of the religious sector because of my eyes and the Hoshimura Rebellion. But traveling? I think that’s a great idea, going around the world and learning different cultures, techniques, and how others view the world.”

Toran noted that Kayori seemed to be so open, so happy to see others. Her smiles were bright, like a massive beacon inside of the village. She was the epitome of the saying that they light the way. He kept close to the Hatake, his face still slightly red from these small interactions. She felt so lively in comparison in him. He didn’t see many familiar faces, but those that he could see, he only gave them a small nod before continuing to walk with his new mission partner.

“So, what made you want to be a Shinobi? You said you’re from the religious sector, usually they don’t want people to actually become shinobi. . .”

WC:515
TWC:1158

While they walked to the construction site, Kayori listened as he explained that he had always lived in Hoshi though primarily stuck to the urban part of the village. She was a bit taken aback as he mentioned that his parents had told him to steer away from the religious sector because of his eyes. In reality, she knew his parent's warnings to hold a bit of truth to him, and though she hadn’t been raised to dislike or hate the Uchiha, she knew of others who did. Like her, he seemed to take an interest in traveling outside of the village and wished to see how others lived their lives. She knew she was far from being allowed to leave and needed to prove herself before she’d be permitted to go.

”Perhaps if one of us ever gets the chance to explore, we could tell the other all about it! Better yet, maybe we could do some traveling together someday if we both get permission!”

As they continued on their path, Toran asked her why she wished to become a shinobi since most people in the religious sector steered away from that path. In all honesty, she had wanted to hone her skills since she was a young girl, though her parents adamantly disagreed with her choice. They didn’t allow her to attend the academy like many of her peers and was now significantly behind because of it. Thankfully now that she was an adult she was able to convince her parents that it would be beneficial to have somebody capable of protecting the temple if Hoshi was ever invaded. Though she intended to protect her family and those within the religious sector, Kayori had much bigger ambitions. She wished to prove herself capable enough to join the Nova Corps and to help make the village a better place overall.

”Well I wanted to become one ever since I was a little girl. When I was young I thought the Nove Corps members were some kind of super hero’s and dreamed of joining their ranks. Unfortunately, my parents didn’t let me pursue this passion, but thankfully I’m on the right path now. What about you, how did you end up in this line of work?”

Soon they would arrive at the site, and quickly the two of them were able to locate the person in charge. If Toran allowed, Kayori would take charge and begin asking questions about the plan for the blowup, though if he wished to speak up, she’d happily give him room to do so. It was seemingly so effortless for her to speak with the foreman as if she had no anxiety surrounding the social interaction. Thankfully it seemed like most of the work had already been done, and all they really needed to do was help ensure that everyone was out of the way once it was time to detonate the building.

As they prepared the building, Kayori would quickly get to work passing out various gear that they’d use while cleaning up the debris. Once each worker was successfully equipped with a safety helmet, some gloves, and protective glasses it was time for the building to be demolished. As directed, Kayori began ushering people away from the blast radius and worked with Toran to ensure that the place was clear.


WC: 563:
Total WC: 1651

Toran blinked a few times at the sudden suggestion that they could travel together. He couldn’t get all up in his feelings, at least, not like this. The thought made him surprised, especially given that they had just met, but they were so similar in wanting to explore the world. He wished to witness the world, to study all of its wonders and cultures. He wanted to better understand other villages, what they valued, what they thought about others, and how their people interacted. He knew that to do this he’d have to be strong, strong enough to make sure he could protect himself. Her thoughts on the matter, being to travel together did make him feel far more comfortable around her. At least enough to continue talking, his face turning a few times, almost as if he was looking out for something or someone who could be watching. Yet Toran turned his head back to face her with a small smile.

“I think that’d be a good idea, traveling in this world is probably way better with a friend than not. Although I’ve heard stories of people outside of the village also hunting after me for my eyes. Guess you could say people of my clan are some sort of prized possession rather than people.”

The grim reality of his situation didn’t go unnoticed by him. She was constantly taking charge. It reminded him of those who he was with in the past. Isemori and Hotaru were different in demeanor, yet both of them were similar in a lot of ways. They were confident, brave, filled with courage, and most of all, they had ambition. Things that he felt he hadn’t obtained until it was far too late. Motivated only by the fact that his eyes had awakened on the advent of Isemori’s disappearance. Yet he had someone with him who wanted to become part of the Nova Corps, looking up to them like Superheroes.

“That’s an interesting way to look at our top shinobi. I. . . My family has had shinobi inside of their bloodline for generations. My parents were shinobi, my grandparents were Shinobi. So I thought it was best if I also became a shinobi. Plus I thought it would be a good idea to hopefully make a few friends,” He said, a small smile on his lips as he explained why he wanted to become a shinobi. He wanted to honor his family's legacy and courage throughout the years, to give back for what had happened to his father and to how his mother was still reeling from his father's near blindness. For a man who was a governor of books, one of his eyes was practically blind. Toran thought it was oddly fitting for a man like his father, soft-spoken and compassionate, yet fearful of how his child could become.

Toran allowed Kayori to take the wheel, even though he had a shinobi was almost four years. He wanted to see how someone who was starting would prepare the crowds for what was about to happen, namely the detonation side of things. The fact of the matter was that the only person that hadn’t put on any gloves or frankly, any protection at all was of Toran. Who stood roughly 15 meters away from the building. His hands weaved the specific hand seals of Tiger - Ox - Hare - Ram - Dragon before flames started to emerge from his fingertips. The warmth felt around his body as he took his stance before the building. The explosion would cause the complete incineration of the building's concrete. The flames licked the very air around him like a brush of ink.  These weren’t normal flames, at least from how the arrow appeared to look. It almost looked like something from a picture book. His left arm extended outwards, as his right arm brushed over his left arm, index and middle finger pulling the flames back similarly to the drawstring of a bow.  As the coast was clear to finally launched the arrow he was holding. Toran made a note about how far the debris would go, along with how much of the building would even be left.

His right hand let go of the flaming arrow, watching with interest as the heat left his hands. The arrow collided with the building in an incredible display, just as Toran weaved a hand seal with one of his hands as the arrow made it to the middle of the building. Thus, an explosive flaming pillar would explode outwards from the building in an incredible display. The fire spread outwards, completely vaporizing some parts of the concrete. As the building practically folded in on itself, being consumed by the bright flaming mass that he had unleashed. Yet just as fast as it came, it was gone in a single moment, leaving only the blackened stain of what was once a building of Hoshigakure. Toran saw as the few construction workers made sure to see if everyone was alright, as a few of them walked towards the remains of the building, picking up any remains of concrete there were.

He wondered how the Hatake would feel, seeing him use something so destructive.

WC:867
TWC:2025