Return to Service

Yoi was sitting nervously at the bar of the inn, trying to eat his breakfast. In front of him sat a bowl of beef stew as well as a couple of slices of bread on the counter next to it. The spoon felt heavy in his hand, as if the spoon itself didn’t want him to eat. The Yuki’s nerves were for good reason though. He had recently sent a letter to the Mizukage’s office, hoping to find some way to end his house arrest sentence short. Almost five years ago he had arrived in Kirigakure for the Blood Games, an eager young Genin doing his best to try and achieve the rank of Chunnin after he lost his fight against Tadashi in the final round of the Konohagakure Chunnin Exams. However his hopes were soon dashed as the Blood Games were cancelled and his close friend Tadashi was killed at the hands of Kirigakure shinobi. Yoi was already frightened at the mere prospect of venturing outside of Kirigakure thanks to Taichi and Calin, but now Kirigakure itself was a hostile location, ready to pounce on Yoi at any moment. Unwilling to comply with the notice to leave Kirigakure, Yoi was sentenced to “house” arrest in the inn for an indefinite amount of time. Over the years Yoi had sent many letters to Kirigakure’s various criminal authorities, attempting to appeal his house arrest and seeking naturalization into Kirigakure. However now Yoi had a change of plans. For starters, he was slowly running out of money and the amicable relationship he had with the innkeeper was likely to rapidly deteriorate when would have to transition to being a squatter rather than a long term customer. Most significantly was that it had been almost two months since a shake up in Kirigakure’s leadership had occurred and now Shiro Hyuuga was back in power and trying to give the village a new, more welcoming attitude. Shortly after hearing this news, Yoi had sent a letter to the Mizukage’s office, seeking some sort of way to finish his house arrest sentence. Just a couple days ago, he had received a letter instructing him to come to plead his case in person, with the meeting being scheduled for today.

Now Yoi was sitting there, struggling to eat his breakfast, very nervous for what was to come. Realizing that his time was drawing short, he forced himself to eat, settling on eating the least offensive item possible, his simple slices of bread. The stew would have to wait until after the meeting. He put the bowl behind the counter, covering it with a cloth to mark he was unfinished with it. The white haired man made sure he had all of his letters and various documentation, before heading to the door of the inn. As his hand touched the doorknob, he paused for a moment, the weight of how long it had been since he had seen the outside world setting in. After that moment, he opened the door and stepped outside. Unfortunately winter was not quite the best season to return to the outside world, as a stiff breeze blew across his face and slammed the door shut behind him. Fortunately, as a Yuki the cold didn’t really bother him so he continued onward, making his way to the Mizukage’s office. The stone and metal looming architecture of Kirigakure was a stark contrast to the small, sprawling wooden buildings that Yoi remembered oh so long ago from Konohagakure.

Having to ask for directions a few times, Yoi’s novelty to Kirigakure was not lost on the average citizen. Fortunately he was not stopped by any ninja along the way, hopefully demonstrating the forgetfulness and forgivingness that would be displayed towards his crime. Eventually Yoi found his way to the Mizukage’s Estate, surprised by the grand opulence. The architecture was absolutely beautiful and clearly inspired by buildings of old. Arriving at the front door, he was immediately ordered to stop and requested to hand over his paperwork. Upon proper inspection of his documentation, he was directed inside and, to the surprise of Yoi, to the office of the Mizukage himself. When Yoi was told that he would plead his case directly, he thought it would be to some criminal board of review, not someone with such a degree of authority.

The Yuki found his way through the complex hallways of the Mizukage’s Estate, before eventually arriving at the door adorned with the symbol of the Mizukage. Yoi took a deep breath to calm himself and ran his hands down his clothes, smoothing them out. Then, he knocked on the door.

WC: 773