[UCHIHA ISSEI]

The time had definitely passed for Issei to take the next step in his career as a Shinobi. Months ago it appeared as though everything might finally be coming together. He had a team that he felt had the makings to become legendary, and then the very thing they feared might happen happened again. For Nori probably the last time. The other teammate he hadn't really seen much of since their teacher sort of went out of commission for whatever reason. Way above his pay grade was what his mother told him. As usual he'd shrug his shoulders and deal with it as he normally would have. Well except that this time wasn't so easy. He couldn't deny deep down that he sort of built some sort of network with Yuuta. He wouldn't dare use "connection" as a word to describe what he felt, but that was the word that probably describe it best.

In the meantime he begin taking things slow again. He wasn't getting any younger, but he wasn't that old either. While being a Genin still to this point was not ideal it wasn't the end of the world. He could always rise through the ranks as fast as he became a Genin if he worked as hard as he knew he could. His ceiling as a Shinobi was still pretty high according to his mother, but she had no problem telling him how it was. There was no excuse for his stagnation. He still could have put himself miles ahead of everyone else if he kept up with his pace from a year ago, and if he allowed this to keep happening there was no telling if he'd ever progress again as a Shinobi. He couldn't allow giving up to become a habit even if he felt that wasn't what he was doing. Nevertheless, today was going to be the start to that end game he hoped to reach someday, and this time he was going to keep it that way.

Gone were the days of him relying on having a teacher for him to grow. Some of the best to ever do it in his clan grew on their own. He felt like he had the makings of a Genius. As a teen he'd already developed a Jutsu of his own. A feat that was hard for even the more stronger Shinobi to accomplish, but like many people who fell before him once upon a time he spent too much of it living it in the past. What had he done for this village lately? The answer simply was none. "I think getting back on some missions will be a good place for me to start.. Immerse myself back into the community and workforce, and of course more training on the side." Muttered the Uchiha to himself as he began walking toward the exit of the compound. On his way out he saw a familiar face. Well there were many familiar faces so maybe that wasn't the best way to describe it.

"Um... hey?..."

Not the most ideal start to communicating with someone you never actually met. Especially since he took it upon himself to tap said person on the shoulder as they were minding their own business. Socializing still was not his best skill so there was no telling how she might respond. He heard a some things about her past from his mother. He couldn't quite remember her name, but she pointed her out to him one day while she was leaving from having lunch at home. Apparently she was just one of many Uchiha who experienced a high degree of hardship in the earlier parts of their life. She encourage him to talk to her, but him not being in the best position himself didn't feel he was best suited to do the job. She felt his presence might be of some good to her as he had not experienced such hardship in his life, and that the light that existed within him might be of some good to her.

That was about it though. He couldn't exactly think of any reason he'd have to approach her other than the fact that fate place her in his path on what he hoped to be the finally "beginning" to his journey to become a Shinobi. In the meantime if she hadn't already killed him he'd take his hand off of her shoulder and takes some steps back as to not invade her space.

[Deleted]

i never told a lie, and that makes me a liar.

The Uchiha clan’s compound was a very large area to say the least, however Kazui and her grandmother were lucky enough to have a home just by the entrance and/or exit. Just a couple of yards away from the gate itself. Her time as an academy student was hard, and to pile onto her troubles, the only person who was taking care of her at home was taken into the hospital not even a few days ago. Since then she has been mostly by herself at home, which meant her studying, training, and even relax time was all spent by herself, in a decent sized home with nobody but her own mind to keep her company. The girl even cooked entire meals that could feed up to three people, just incase her grandmother just so happened to return one of those nights, but instead she would just end up eating alone.

It was beginning to get to her a bit, but she never made it obvious since she still had hope that her grandmother would return from the hospital one day soon. But until then, most of the things she did was by herself, and today was no exception. Kazui was throwing around a ball, bouncing it off the wall and catching it in her hand. No emotion could be seen on her face. While most children who played often did so with a smile on their face, Kazui did not. She threw the ball and caught it, that in itself was not exciting enough to draw a smile from the young Uchiha.

A sigh escaped her lips as she continued on with the same actions, over and over again. Until, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Kazui would catch the ball and slowly began to turn around to see who it was. She didn’t have any real friends that were a part of her clan however, so she just assumed it was somebody who was going to ask her to stop throwing the ball against the wall. The guy was rather tall, which made it easier for the girl to just jump to the conclusion that he was an adult.

"I’m sorry. I’ll go play somewhere else.”

She had so much familiarity with the sentence that it came out as if it were the only words she knew. It was an automatic, quick answer to the guy before he could even get the chance to scold her for trying to enjoy herself.

@tagsomeone ● notes here ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[UCHIHA ISSEI]

The way the girl responded could have gone so many different ways. In a sense he kind of wish it went the way it normally did, but this? Definitely not what he expected to happen. Her response had him at a lost for words. A hand reached out in utter confusion as he tried to come up with a way to make sense of his failed entry. Normally they would just get upset, give him an awkward look, and then would leave. Usually having him feel as though he was in the wrong because of his approach, but hers. It was as if he was about to scold her for doing something wrong. An instant victim mentality. He felt worried for the girl. Perhaps the feeling was connected with what his mother told him because otherwise he probably would have just left her to go on about her day even if he still might have thought her response was weird.

"Um, Wait!"

The Uchiha yelled accidentally as he tried to come up with some words that might defuse her actions to his approach. "Excuse the exclamation, I wasn't here to say that you couldn't play." If she gave him the time of day he'd take a moment to observe her from up close. If he had to describe her the first thing that came to mind was that she was short. The average height one might expect of a growing child, but the rest of her makeup didn't feel like that of one. A teenager like himself seemed like the best way to describe her appearance, although there was a good chance she was still much younger than himself. At least three to four years he'd assume. Girls tend to reach there growth much faster than guys did so she couldn't be that old, or she was and her genetics just wouldn't allow her to grow beyond this point.

"My names Issei... Uchiha Issei."

Hopefully she'd adjust her tone and respond to him in a less victim like way. He was sure that she'd gone through alot, but the last thing he wanted was to cause anymore problems for the girl. "I was just heading out the compound, and wanted to know if you'd be interested in coming with me." Immediately after his response he couldn't help but feel an instant feeling of regret overcoming him. How weird was it of him to ask her to come with him out of nowhere. It was honestly borderline creeper and he wanted to take it back and edit it like an essay, but he was too fearful of messing things up any further. He'd just have to hope that out of whatever response she'd give him that he'd have a professional reply to add a feeling of comfort to his answer.

[Deleted]

i never told a lie, and that makes me a liar.

As the young girl turned on her heels and began to walk away, the boy behind her would call out to her, almost yelling for her attention. She would stop and slowly turn, still holding the bright red rubber ball that she was throwing against the wall. What did he want? She said she was sorry and that she wouldn’t do it again, what else did he want to hear? That she knew better? The girl would slightly sigh as her eyes slowly looked into the eyes of the other Uchiha, her hand would cover her eyes to block out the sun so that she could see his face more clearly as he greeted the girl, and introduced himself.

"Hi Issei..I’m Kazui.”

She would say softly as one hand held the red ball, and the other shielded her eyes. Well it seemed as if he wasn’t there to scold her after all. That was a relief, so perhaps she could return to playing, until someone actually did stop by to put a halt to the girl’s ‘fun’. Issei would continue on, telling the girl where he was headed and wanted to know if she wanted to come along. Kazui pondered on the thought, she wasn’t doing anything here that was worth her turning down company, so the girl would nod her head as she answered.

"Sure.”

The girl would say with a weak smile as she bounced the ball yet again. There wasn’t much for her to do, she didn’t have many friends, and the ones she did have were often with their family, either that or they just excluded Kazui for the day. She could be a buzzkill at times. As the girl stepped forward, she had one thing to ask Issei.

"So .. where exactly were you headed off to?”

The girl would ask with a look of confusion on her face. His answer wouldn’t have much effect on her decision to walk with him, but she did want to know just for the hell of it.

@tagsomeone ● notes here ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[UCHIHA ISSEI]

It was odd that the first thing she thought of was that she might get scolded for playing. The last he heard things were going pretty well around the compound. Outside of everyones edgy personality he couldn't imagine why she'd feel such a way, but perhaps that was the problem. Maybe the egos and personalities of some of the people living here had gotten to her. There was no telling what her story might be for why she was this way. Well, It wasn't like he'd be the person to figure it out anyway, regardless, he was going to try to make something of it even if the start of all of this was odd. The fact that she came back meant that there was a chance to make something of this.

He didn't have any direct plans of how or why it could be made into something other than a feeling he got once she turned back. "Nice to meet you too Kazui.." He spoke before inviting her to come with him out of the compound. To be honest he didn't really know he'd even ask her to do such a thing. Was it that he felt bad for her? Or was it something else. He wanted to believe it was the latter, but Issei wasn't the type of person that lied to himself, or others. Unless it was his former teacher that almost got him to break his stubborn characteristics. The fact that his mother mentioned her to him was definitely like a seed was planted into his mind. Just seeing her made him feel compelled to approach her sort of how he made his approach toward Satoru and Kazuto.

The Uchiha felt a sigh of relief once she decided that she was going to come with him. She'd even try to smile. Whether it was real or not he could see like he'd done many times before that she was trying to make an effort to be normal in a world where Uchiha were nothing but normal. "I was actually going to train, or even go on a mission or something... But seeing you changed my mind I guess... So maybe this means we just get to know new people?"

"Also... You aren't traveling around with strangers like me outside the compound are you?"

It was an appropriate question to ask. Even if it meant getting a response that would throw him in the mud. The fact that she was traveling with him was odd as well, but his internal justification was that they were apart of the same group so it had to be okay right? To be frank he never actually befriended anyone in the clan before. He trained with the kids of other Uchiha in the past, but never did a relationship form from it. Actually a relationship was never formed between clansman. Everyone was sort of always looking out to be better than the next person. Everything a competition. He would impress the most in the academy, who'd get their Sharingan first, etc.

[Deleted]

i never told a lie, and that makes me a liar.

Kazui would continue to bounce the ball a couple of times as she walked beside Issei, the girl would smile as she continued to walk. Kazui didn’t have many friends that were her age or around her age, and she surely didn’t have a friend in the Uchiha clan, so it was nice for her to finally come across a decent Uchiha who didn’t put her down for being weak or things of the sort. The boy seemed a lot different than most of the members of the clan, and he was a lot different than Kazui, she wouldn’t dare approach a random person in the compound, simply because most of them have off bad vibes.

"It’s nice to meet you too, Issei.”

The girl would say softly as she continued on beside the older Uchiha. It turned out that he was headed to go train, or even try to claim a mission that hasn’t been done yet, but instead he changed his mind. Kazui would shrug. She wishes that she could do missions, all she wanted was to be a shinobi, but she had to get through the stupid academy first. Being a student was so boring to her, but not only that, she wasn’t learning much either, outside of the academic aspect of school is where she found trouble, when it came to actually fighting and utilizing jutsu, the girl was inexperienced and couldn’t find the strength to learn how to overcome her fear of getting hurt.

Issei followed up his statement with another question. It was a legitimate question in which Kazui understood why he would ask it. The girl shrugged as she held the ball between her arm and her side, using her free hand to shade her eyes from the sun as she looked at Issei through squinted eyes.

"You aren’t asking random strangers to travel with you, are you?”

The girl would ask with the exact same tone that Issei asked his question with. She was more or less trying to be funny, but whether Issei knew that or not was unknown. The girl would remove her hand from her eyes as she began to look forward while she was walking. A sigh escaped her lips as she spoke.

"I usually walk around the village by myself, not many people offer me the opportunity to walk with them….so no, I’m not.”

Kazui would explain, bouncing the red ball again as she continued forward.

@tagsomeone ● notes here ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[UCHIHA ISSEI]

"Well uh..."

The Uchiha was rather shocked that she answered his question by asking a similar question. It left him stunned for a moment, but after thinking about her question and its connection to his own he understood why she'd done it. Smiling was the only option for him after her question. If he were to start his portfolio of what he thought of her it'd start with her IQ being rather high. With her still being an Uchiha like himself it was good to know that despite all of what he heard she'd gone through that she still had some sort of humor left to give. More than what he had to give if he were being honest, or majority of the clan for that matter. His idea of being funny was throwing rocks at Shinobi levels above almost everyone in the village. Rather immature to be frank.

"Smart response... And actually, I have.."

The Uchiha responded nodding his head in embarrassment. Making sure to take your own advice before giving it; the Uchiha noted internally while staring down at the girl who was constantly covering her eyes from the sun. Thinking back, it was something she had done quite a few times since he'd approached her. The actions almost distracted him from her response. It was sad to hear that she traveled the village alone. Despite his own growing pains and having to do the same his upbringing was different. He had the ideal life that many of the kids he knew wished for. Both parents. Both of which had good jobs, and positive reputation. Especially his mother who was a high ranking officer in the Police force. "Well.. I too travel alone... So maybe from time to time we could travel together? That way we always have someone to watch out back."

Issei would give his best impression of a smile and a thumbs up to hopefully encourage a positive response. He wasn't the best when it came to socializing with people, but he didn't get an impossibly negative vibe from her. If she didn't want to be around him he was sure she'd just take off. Also he factored in his possible age difference as a reason she might be encourage to tag along with him for time to time. A cheesy method, but it was something he often saw a lot. It was even a trait he shared himself. Kazuto was only a few years older than he was yet he looked at him as he would anyone that was his age twice over. His rank and experience commanded a certain level of respect. He hoped that what little he accomplished might do the same for him.

Inoyami said the first step were moves like this one. As silly and weird as he came off there was no telling over time what his image could become. She was easy to talk to, and something about her snarky response really got him excited. Her "edgy" personality was much more fun and interesting than the Uchiha he encoutered. Much like his own, but hers was actually intentional. Perhaps even he could learn a thing or two from her. "Also, do your eyes hurt like this often? You wouldn't happen to have... 'Those' eyes would you?" The Uchiha curiously asked before she'd get the chance to answer his other question.

[Deleted]

i never told a lie, and that makes me a liar.

Kazui softly chuckled at Issei’s hesitation to answer her question. It was more so a joke than anything, but at the same time she was seriously asking him. It wouldn’t be right for him to make sure the girl was being safe while he wasn’t, ‘practice what you preach’ is what her grandmother often said to her. The girl was glad however that he found the joke humorous to him, she would smile along with him before she gave the boy her actual answer, that she wasn’t traveling with randoms.

The young girl would shrug at Issei’s response as she smiled, holding the red ball against her side again. It was a smart response, but at least she was responding to him, which meant she was more or less happy that the two were talking. Issei continued to say that he didn’t travel with many people as well, so possibly they could travel together and have each other’s back. Kazui stopped to think for a moment, looking at Issei, she could tell he was a genuine person, and she always wanted another Uchiha friend. Before the girl could answer however, Issei would ask her another question, she was squinting a lot which meant...no.

"Oh..uh. My eyes have been hurting...but it’s only because of the sun. I don’t have "the eyes”.....”

Kazui would say nervously as she made quotations with her fingers. She knew what he meant however. The girl would lower her head, looking at the ground as she softly placed her hand over her eyes. How in the hell did he know that? Ever since she left the hospital, Kazui’s vision has been blurry on and off, going in and out of focus on their own, and her eyes would start hurting every now and then, but she thought she did a good job of hiding it, even from Kazuto-Sensei. Did she have the eyes? No...there is no way.

Kazui quickly looked up as she sighed softly. She wasn’t sure what the sharingan did, but she didn’t like it already. She hated when her eyes were irritated.

"Do you…?”

The girl would ask softly before adding on.

"Do you have them?”

@tagsomeone ● notes here ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[UCHIHA ISSEI]

Her quotation of "the eyes" was more than any other response he could have asked for. Once again she had him smiling. I mean how could he not. The way she responded to everything he said today constantly had him on the edge of his seat in curiosity. He could tell that there was a balance of what made him weird to others in her, but also another part that made it possible for her to blend in to everyday society. Even if she wasn't being asked by strangers to join her in random daily activities. He could tell that her social potential easily outweighed his own. Other than the possible combat experience he had over her he could tell that she was probably ahead of him having to do with normal everyday life.

After she responded to him it worried him a little that her head lowered toward the ground. Did he hurt her feelings by asking that? He knew that many of the people of his clan were sensitive when it came to those eyes. It was a big deal amongst their people, and anyone who could not unlock such a power was nothing more than a failure. Perfection was all that Uchiha knew, and without the Sharingan perfection could never be obtained. At least that was how he perceived the behavior of his people. Perhaps her actions was nothing more than a result of what ever was hurting her eyes, but if it wasn't the Sharingan than what could it be? Sensitivity to sunlight wasn't normal. To a certain degree it could aggravate the hell out of you, and in the future ruin your eyesight, but they were both standing in the same sunlight and his eyes were just fine.

Issei would not question the girl any further, but it wouldn't stop him from thinking about the question he asked her. Once he finally got out of his own thoughts he'd notice that she was no longer looking down toward the ground. A sort of annoyed sigh escape from her lips before she addressed him. Her tone was soft, almost as if she was trying to hide what she was about to ask.

"Those eyes? Nah... What kind of sane person would want those things.."

For a moment his walking paced picked up. The Sharingan was something he never admired, and was not a goal of his to achieve. Despite the conversation he had with Old man Kazuto it was hard to get over the emotional implication the Sharingan brought once you unlocked it. Hate was all he saw in the eyes of his people. His mother tried many times to explain the complex feelings involving them, but he only half way listened to her. Not only did they change the heart of the user, but the kind of attention it brought to himself and many others like him wasn't worth it.

Was it not possible for him to be a great Shinobi without them? Not to mention they were constantly the talk of the village. Everyone seemingly wished they had them, but none of them could see first hand like themselves what it could do to someone. It was the reason why he tried his best not to care for anyone. His mother made it clear that bonds like the one they shared played a huge role in how they came about. As a kid he even thought about severing his emotional ties to them to prevent himself from ever getting it, but it was too hard not to love the people that was responsible for everything he had.

He was lucky to even have them. The girl standing next to him did not, and he'd be a fool not to accept what so many people around him could only dream about having. "Those eyes change you... Never for better. You just become some sort of.. Edge lord." The latter being the words Kazuto used to describe the current clan head Satoru.

[Deleted]

i never told a lie, and that makes me a liar.

The girl continued to walk beside Issei in silence as he responded to her question. He didn’t have them either, which was good, he went on to talk about normal people not wanting the eyes, but in all honesty Kazui didn’t understand or know how or what it took to unlock the sharingan. She was sectioned off as a child, so most of the things that seemed like a given to know, was unknown to her. She only found out about the sharingan a few weeks ago, other than that she was clueless on how someone would go about getting one.

Kazui looked at the ground as she walked, making sure not to look up at the sun. Her vision was blurring in and out, but she could still make out things such as trees, buildings, and even Issei, she just couldn’t make out details. As bad as she wanted to ask how does someone get the sharingan, she felt as if she didn’t want to know. She also didn’t want to seem like an idiot for not knowing.

She would hold her words as she picked up the pace along with the other Uchiha. She was noticeably upset once Issei stated the eyes changed a person for the worse. She didn’t want to change, she didn’t want to be an edge lord.

"Edge lord?”

The girl would mumble to herself before quickly speaking up. She wanted to change the topic.

"So uh..where exactly are we heading to? Ooh can we get candy?”

Kazui would ask as they began to come up on the vendors, she patted her pockets looking for any loose change that she may have had. And maybe perhaps she could ask more about the sharingan later.

@tagsomeone ● notes here ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[UCHIHA ISSEI]

Immediate regret settled in after he finished his rant on why he felt the Sharingan was a bad thing. It probably wasn't the right approach to take, especially since he had just only met this girl today. What if her views of the Sharingan weren't as negative as his own. If she saw it in a more positive light who was he to take it from her. Plus, there was a good chance he could ruin his image by speaking in such a manner. Hopefully he'd get the chance to make it up sometime in the future. Nevertheless, her focus immediately went into another direction.

Whether it was a good thing or bad thing she appeared to have interest in traveling along side him so he couldn't have messed up that bad. "To be honest, I hadn't really plan things all the way through." The Uchiha tried answering before she'd ask if they could get candy. Something he probably had not had since he was a child. "Um, I see no problem with that... If thats what you like." The area they were in were surrounded by venders the likes his father would partake in from time to time when selling his own famous dishes to the people of the village. In the midst of examining the area he noticed her patting her pockets down. She was more than likely looking for money. Seeing her move in such a way prompted him to do the same.

Issei never went out often so it was a safe bet that he always had a good amount of money on him. Not too much, but just enough to take care of his daily needs whenever he went out. Training, and missions were the only thing that ever really occupied his mind so the money he garnered from doing missions hadn't really been spent unless it was on everyday things like clothing and food.

"How about I take the bill?"

The Uchiha questioned with a much more positive tone than usual. Given what little he knew about her there was always the chance that she wouldn't be in the kind of position to spend money on things not important like candy. He had two hard working parents, and as an adult he carried his fair share of weight by making sure they didn't have to take care of him.

"What venue were you looking to go to?"

As a kid the only kind of candy he liked was chocolate. Nothing in the world could satisfy in his like Chocolate. A close favorite was any sort of candy that fruit flavored and sour, but he only took it upon himself to have that when he had nothing else to occupy his taste buds during the day.

[Deleted]

i never told a lie, and that makes me a liar.

Kazui would only hear a brief part of Issei’s answer before she would ask about the candy that she wanted. She figured the boy didn’t have anything specific planned, he was just...well..walking around. The girl often found herself doing the same thing, whenever there was nothing to do she would explore the village. It was fun and boring all at the same time, when she was alone things were just dull, but she often met new people that usually brightens her day.

Kazui would take off in a light jog towards the vendors who seemed to be quite crowded. There were many places to choose from. Many kids and their parents were buying things as well. The girls eyes scanned the many options that she had to choose from, waiting for Issei to catch up before deciding. She would point to an older man who’s stand wasn’t getting much attention, she wanted to go to his. Once she got their her eyes scanned the many options there were after she greeted the older gentleman.

"Welcome! Take your time to look over all of our options.”

The old man would say happily as the two would be his first customers. Kazui smiles and nodded as she continued to search, he had cotton candy, chocolate, and bubble gum to name a few. Kazui wasn’t exactly a huge fan of chocolate however, she normally liked fruit instead.

"Can I have the cotton candy please.”

The girl would ask as she ruffled through her pouch trying to collect the ryo needed. Issei offered to pay however, and as much as she didn’t want Issei to pay, she couldn’t quite find enough money to cover her own bill.

"Thank you.”

The girl would say to Issei.

@tagsomeone ● notes here ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[UCHIHA ISSEI]

Now that he really had time examine things he couldn't really think of anyone else he knew that had probably gone through what she'd gone through. At least on a personal level. If he could even call it that considering anything he did know about her came from his mothers intel so technically he had no real knowledge about her life. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how someone who struggled lived on a regular bases. Anyone else he'd encountered similar problems disliked him, and as a result he never really got to know what it was like.

The burden of being an Uchiha was socially heavy. Having the potential for great power meant you had what nobody else could. His mother said that separation is what created the jealousy his former classmates constantly expressed toward him. The Uchiha took his time getting over to the stand, but not slow to the point where she'd be stuck waiting for him just as he offered to take of everything for her. Once they arrived they be greeted kindly by the person in charge of the vendor. After looking through the options that were available she'd go with cotton candy.

"Cotton candy it is.."

The Uchiha spoke reaching in for his own pouch and taking a little over the amount needed to pay for it before signaling for the man to keep whatever was left over. There was a a special place in the heart of the Uchiha for those who worked in the same field as his father. Being a vendor was an extremely hard hustle. A lot of early investments had to be made early on, and there was no guarantee that any of what you put out would be liked by the public. Most people only lasted for a few months before having to go out of business.

Not to mention the high chance that a venue like the one you're investing in already being in place. "So Kazui? Are you a Shinobi like myself?" Issei asked the girl curiously after thinking over in his mind multiple times if his mom had spoke of that. It was common that most Uchiha were to become Shinobi. Those who weren't were looked down upon much like his father was after deciding he was going to retire early in his prime as a Chuunin to be a cook. He figured if she were then perhaps he could offer some adivse on what to expect. From a lower level that is given that his rank was only that of a Genin anyways. However, the chance of her out ranking himself wasn't out of the question either, so maybe even he could learn a thing or two.

[Deleted]

i never told a lie, and that makes me a liar.

The elder man would smile as he slowly turned to reach the cotton candy cups that were on the shelf, taking two cups he would gingerly make his way to the cotton candy, slowly placing the cups in and spinning the sugary fabric around and around until it was like a blue and pink cloud floating in his hands. Kazui watched as he did his job, her eyes began to scan the area and the old man as he went on about his job. It was obvious that he was old, but there was more to him that the girl could read. Once the man handed her the cotton candy, she would grab ahold of the cup, noting the ring on his right ring finger, her eyes would cut towards the man’s other hand, noting that there was a ring mark there on his left ring finger as well.

Kazui thought deeply as she squinted, shielding her eyes from the soon. It was clear that the man was a widower, Kazui sighed as she watched the man offer the cotton candy to Issei, and taking the needed money.

"Thank you.”

She would say as she turned away from the vendor and continued walking alongside Issei.

"Thanks.”

The girl would mumble softly to her Uchiha friend before tearing a piece of the candy and eating it, she wasn’t too happy that he paid for her, but she wouldn’t complain simply because she didn’t have enough to begin with, but still he could’ve let her pay at least something. Kazui walked as she watched everyone go on about their day, kids and parents alike. Her mind was constantly in a state of analyzing, even if she didn’t mean to. Issei’s voice would break the girl’s concentration, he wanted to know if she were a shinobi.

"I’m an aspiring shinobi, yes. It’s one of my dreams to become a hidden leaf kunoichi.”

The girl would explain.

"I had a slow start at the academy though, it’s a lot harder than I expected.”

Kazui would say softly before picking off another piece of her cotton candy and eating it.

@tagsomeone ● notes here ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[UCHIHA ISSEI]

Isseis attention mainly focused on Kazui. It was important to him that he try to pick up on as many habits of hers as she could. He knew he wasn't going to figure it all out in one day, but he had to start somewhere. Consistency was key just like his training. Repetitive profiling might help him understand more of what she was feeling without her ever having to say anythng. Sort of like the connection he shared with Nori. They grew up on difference sides of the spectrum, but he could tell they had a natural feel for how the other was thinking. It was pretty cool. He wish he still came around from time to time, but as they got older the possibilities of life interfering increased.

It didn't take long for the old man to get started on making the cotton candy. The way he went about getting it all done was pretty cool. Cotton candy was the weirdest creation he'd ever seen. Especially if you ever took it upon yourself to see what "real" cotton actually tasted like. Even if you try to dip it in some sort of flavor. As embarrassing at it was as a kid it seemed like a no brainer kind of experiment. It was only natural that he took the name of the candy to heart. Watching the girl closely it was easy to see that her attention wasn't just on the machine like his was. He couldn't figure out exactly what it was she was focused on, but she just didn't seemed as amazed by it like he once was. Maybe the fact that she wasn't a child like he was had a lot to do with it.

Nevertheless, once the candy was made a transaction between the two transpired. Money was given, and in exchange he'd be handed the cotten candy. Odd that it was given to him, but from a business perspective he could see why it was it was probably handled in such a manner. "No problem... Feels good to be uh... Hmm, charitable? I think thats the proper word." A shrug followed as the two of them turned away from the vendor and continue to travel the village with no real destination in sight. It was at this moment she took it upon herself to answer a question brought up not long ago.

"Yeah... Its a dream of mine as well.."

The Uchiha spoke in a calm tone. Living the dream indeed he was. After a decent amount of time in the academy here he was walking along side his fellow clansman as a Genin. Too bad his career as a Shinobi had been less than successful. A member of his first team actually died during the Chuunin exams. A Senju named Tsuume. One of the first people he encountered that was Genuinely nice to him and didn't make him feel like less than a person for his awkward personality.

As a result it kept him from joining the exams a lot sooner than he wanted to. As ashamed as he was to admit it seeing someone he'd met work so hard to die so young was scary. A feeling of emotions overcame him as he tried making since out of her life. All her hard work was for nothing just because some ass wanted to prove a point. After that issue the team obviously split and another group of Shinobi and teachers were assigned. All of which disbanded so years continued to go by without any real progress. Even now his team lacked stability.

"Hmm... I remember having Issues at the academy.. Are your problems related to you being an Uchiha like myself?"

Issei never actually struggled from a Shinobi standpoint. The only issues he ever had were with the people in his class that taunted him and treated him badly just because of his name and the bloodline that came with it. He actually stuck around longer than he had to just to try understanding why people viewed him the way he did. He'd always come out on top when it mattered most so he never fell behind from a 'technical' standpoint. Clutch. Thats what they called him.