[Hyūga Shigure]

"a welcome respite". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." RANDOM ENCOUNTER The third round of the Chuunin Exams was going to start in just a couple days, and the tension among the Genin only increased. They would soon be testing their mettle against each other. Some would be facing their friends, some others their foes. Rivalries that arose and friendships alike would be put through the ultimate test as they fought their way into the coveted rank. Because of that, some people were relentlessly training, trying to get better prepared for the test to come. Shigure, however, wasn't really training. He was experienced enough to know that this was not enough time to really change much, and he could benefit better from resting his mind and body and attuning to his own chakra. Moreover, despite the fact that there were training grounds available, to display your abilities in a place where others could potentially observe wasn't wise. One of the main weapons of a Ninja is the secrecy of their techniques. Therefore, the Hyuuga spent quite some time enjoy the things that helped ease his mind, which in his case mostly meant food. Having already been to most restaurants in the city, the young man would make his way to a cozy and small sushi restaurant. Despite being a small place, it was known for the taste and freshness of their goods, the best he had tried in the city by far. He arrived at the place a little after normal dinner time, and the place was mostly empty, still, there were a couple individuals he immediately recognised: Nue Masahiko and Yuki Kazu. The first he knew from his second Chuunin Exams, the one where tragedy hit him like a wrecking ball; the second he met before the first round of the exams. Opening a friendly smile, Shigure waved to the duo and approached them. "Kazu-kun, it's good to see you. And you..." he paused as his white eyes locked on Masahiko. "I remember you from quite some time ago! Masatori? No... Masakatsu?... Still feels wrong..." he frowned his brows, touching his chin and trying to dig up his memory from that time. "Masahiko?" his tone lacked any confidence, but it was his best guess at this point. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Between Rounds 2 and 3 Sushi Bar [Yuki Kazu nue masahiko] [373 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu's three week break between the exam rounds was going pretty well so far. He had relaxed a decent portion, trained a bit too. Of course, he still had his daily dinners with his sensei. Though since he was on a break from the rounds currently, it wasn't daily for the time being. It was about twice a week. Today was one of those days though. So, he sat at the dinner table with his sensei. They were waiting on their food for the time being, Kazu had ordered the same thing he usually did since coming to this country: Kirigakure Soba. It was a dish that wasn't spicy, which was enough to satisfy the Yuki Genin. 

The restaurant had been mostly empty, until an individual walked in. Shigure Hyuuga's familiar appearance came into Kazu's view. They had met just before the final round, and Kazu had been trying to wrap his mind around a strategy to fight the boy if they had to clash during the final round. He had some for it, but he hoped he could see the boy fight before he had to face him. If he did that is. "Nice to see you Shigure-kun, this is my sensei, Masahiko Nue." He introduced his sensei, despite the fact that the two knew each other. "You mind if he eats with us, sensei?" He asked, it shouldn't be an issue since they didn't have much to talk about during this dinner.

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Masahiko had been thoroughly enjoying his time in Kagamino no Shi—likely spending far too much money, but it seemed worthwhile. Kazu certainly seemed to be enjoying himself, and fortunately hadn’t experienced too much hardship in the first two rounds. There was the debacle of the dead-then-not-dead teammate from the first round, and a few genin had suffered severe injury or lost their lives in the second round, but Kazu had been spared from much of the chaos. A fortunate thing, Masahiko thought. Not everyone’s exam experience would be so smooth. He was enjoying a small assortment of sushi, he and his student eating in a peaceful quiet when someone walked in, then greeted Kazu… and Masahiko himself, after a couple of failed attempts. Masahiko politely covered his mouth with one hand as he finished chewing—a task which took longer than it should have as he stalled for time, trying to figure out who this person was, why they knew him, and where he knew them from. Luckily Kazu came to his rescue in short order whether he knew it or not, bless him, and between the face and the name he was able to piece it all together. He swallowed. That exam had been… well, it wasn’t pretty. Masahiko hadn’t even truly known that Shigure had survived the entire mess, truthfully; they had both been much younger then, and with another half a dozen exams still in his future, that particular occasion of carnage had been lumped in with the many others across many other exams. Still, the years had been kind to Shigure, who held the same type of kind-faced attractiveness now that he had at fifteen. It was strange to think that he was still a genin—he was only a year or two younger than Masahiko. "Shigure-san, what a pleasure to see you again,” Masahiko said warmly, and gestured to their table. "Of course, come sit with us. How have the exams been treating you so far?” Shigure perhaps wouldn’t know the difference, but if Kazu were paying attention he might notice the subtlest of veneers fall down over Masahiko’s face; a kind of politesse that he simply didn’t exhibit when it was just student and sensei.

Hyūga Shigure Yuki Kazu -- 369

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Shigure]

"a welcome respite". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." SENSEI Fortunately, his last attempt at remembering the man's name was successful, and Kazu confirmed that by saying that the man was his sensei. It was a bit embarrassing to think someone who was roughly Shigure's age was already leading a team and had a student as skilled as Kazu. Didn't help the fact that the two of them went to the same Chuunin Exams, and Masahiko passed, while Shigure had his spirits completely broken from the misery that befell his team, claiming the lives of Kaito and Natsuki. "Masahiko! Sorry about that. My memories from that time are... A bit weird at times." he said, scratching the back of his head and leaving the explanation at that; he was sure Masahiko knew what happened. Everyone who was there knew. Masahiko greeted Shigure next, saying it was a pleasure to see him, and the Hyuuga nodded. "Likewise! I'm impressed. You are already a sensei!" he observed, quickly accepting the invitation to seat together. The Hyuuga pulled a chair beside Kazu and directly across from Masahiko, he was interested in talking to the man. "Pretty good thus far. I've been doing well, scoring decently. Still... This Round is what will truly determine who gets to advance, so I'm a bit anxious. Yet... I'm a bit excited too." he admitted, chuckling lightly and shaking his head. "So... You are a sensei now. I'm impressed, Masahiko-san. I guess I need to pick up my pace! Hahaha!" he added. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Between Rounds 2 and 3 Sushi Bar [Yuki Kazu nue masahiko] [248 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu felt a little awkward with his sensei and Shigure here. The two of them had a long history, and Kazu knew nothing of it. However, they still seemed to try to include him a little bit it seemed. As the conversation began, the topic became the exams. More specifically, how Shigure had been doing so far. 

Shigure's answer caught Kazu's attention, he was excited too. This was the round where they got to prove they had what it takes. "I'm excited as well." Kazu responded, looking at Shigure with a level of excitement Masahiko had yet to see. Still, he hadn't been doing quite as well as Shigure so far, but they also hadn't had any fights yet. This was the round that Kazu could exceed expectations in. Especially that of his sensei and Lady Yuki.

Kazu had never really thought of it, but Shigure's words made him realize his sensei was rather young. Especially for the leadership role he had. Kazu cracked a smile, "Don't worry Shigure, he's an old man at heart." Kazu would joke, no doubt earning a look of disdain from his sensei. It was all the boy could do to stay in the conversation though, yet he needed to have a serious response as well. "I wouldn't worry too much though, Shigure. You have a lot more experience than anyone else I know in these exams. Plus, worrying about it won't help much. You just gotta bring your best." Kazu was a different story though, the competition made him extremely nervous.

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

"Nothing to apologize for,” Masahiko said, waving Shigure’s explanation aside. He wasn’t about to admit that he’d also forgotten Shigure’s name, and there was no need to dwell on the subject. Kazu seemed to light up with Shigure here, though, a genuine excitement bleeding into his voice. Round over round Kazu had scored decently well, and with his performance he seemed more and more invested in the proceedings; it had been fascinating to watch, and something in Masahiko’s chest warmed with pride at the sight. That didn’t stop him from giving Kazu exactly the disdainful look that he had predicted, however. Nothing about him was old, thank you. "All either of you can do is your best,” Masahiko said mildly, though he was giving Kazu a look as he spoke. "The third round is important, I think, but you’ve already done a bulk of the work to get here. Kazu’s right; neither of you should worry too much.” Which… all probably sounded horribly condescending to Shigure, now that he thought about it. Masahiko grimaced. "Sorry, Shigure-san, I don’t mean to overstep,” he said apologetically. He was a grown man, and not of his village; he didn’t need Masahiko to be his sensei too. "I sincerely doubt you have to worry at all about catching up to me.” A flash of a smirk. "Kazu, on the other hand, will give you a run for your money.”

Hyūga Shigure Yuki Kazu -- 241

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Shigure]

"a welcome respite". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." ANTICIPATION It was true, all they could really do was to give their very best, and that was precisely what he was intending on doing. Of course they couldn't know who their opponents would be, but he could hope, and there were definitely a few names he would like to face during this round, such as Kazu and Momochi Kasumi. "That's true. Still... I wish I knew who we were going to fight. But I guess it's part of the challenge, so we can't over prepare." he said, chuckling lightly. Still, when Masahiko apologised, Shigure arched one of his brows, mildly confused as to why he was even apologising for. "Uh?" Even though he wasn't sure why he apologised, the conversation quickly steered to a different path and Masahiko commented on Kazu's potential, which made Shigure smirk. "Well... I'm pretty sure he will be one of the top dogs this round. Regardless... I hope we get to fight! You are one of the people I actually want to face in battle. The other being Kasumi-san." he admitted, chuckling lightly. "I trained really hard for this, but there are a lot of strong people as well. I think it's quite amazing. It's a steeper competition than the previous one, albeit not as bloody, thankfully." he sighed, shaking his head. The memories of the past exam were terrible for him, and they impaired his activities as a shinobi for many years, and even though he was over it now, it still left a sour taste in his mouth. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Between Rounds 2 and 3 Sushi Bar [Yuki Kazu nue masahiko] [259 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Of course, his sensei was just as offended by Kazu's comment that he was old as he had expected. It was nice to see that disdainful look again after being so focused on the exams. Despite that though, his sensei agreed that the two of them didn't have much more to worry about. They both already did extremely well in the first two rounds. Though, Masahiko's apology seemed rather strange. Why would he apologize for giving him advice? Shigure seemed confused by the statement as well, at least Kazu wasn't alone. 

Kazu blushed a bit as Masahiko complimented him once again, saying that Kazu would give Shigure a run for his money. Shigure then proceeded to admit that Kazu was one of the people he wanted to fight the most. "Glad the feelings mutual Shigure, I've been preparing to fight you from the beginning. It'd be a shame if I did all that preparing for nothing." Kazu thought back to the beginning of the exams, even before round one began. Taki and Kasumi had mentioned a guy with white eyes. That was when Kazu began to find out as much as possible with Shigure, asking his sensei for information as well as other individuals. "Sensei's pretty strong too though, but we're not at a level where we gotta worry about him yet." He smiled; it was nice getting to relax with them. It only made him more excited for the final round though.

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Masahiko had overthought his words, as per usual; Shigure didn’t seem to know why he was apologizing in the first place, bless him. Best to leave it alone and move on, he thought. It seemed he was the only one of the three who operated within the realm of doublespeak and hidden meanings—which was likely a good thing for the other two. "Kasumi-san—the girl with the sword, yes? She seems quite formidable,” Masahiko said. He hadn’t watched all of the rounds, but he’d seen one of the girl’s fights, he thought. "And angry with the blonde one.” Names were clearly not his forte today. Masahiko waved off Kazu’s compliment, dismissing it out of hand. "Not to sell myself short,” he said, "I’m capable enough, but I’m playing a completely different game from either of you. Give it six months, either of you could easily take me in a one-on-one fight.” Shigure could likely do it now, Masahiko thought distantly, which wasn’t an unattractive thought, but— "But that’s why you’ll never catch me in a one-on-one fight.” He shrugged lightly, unconcerned. "I’m support, not frontline. My job is to make your job easier.”

Hyūga Shigure Yuki Kazu -- 192

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Shigure]

"a welcome respite". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." BLONDE GIRL The Hyuuga was more than happy to hear that Kazu also wanted to fight him, and mentioned all his preparation, which just further ignited the flame inside of Shigure. "I'm happy you feel the same way. I don't think I will have many chances of seeing what a Yuki is capable of. Plus, you've been doing pretty well on the exams over all. And I think you will one day become a great shinobi." he said it, and his tone was genuine; Kazu had the potential, even though he claimed he came to the exams on a sort of whim, just to show people what he was capable of, maybe he was discovering new things about himself, and developing a good ambition, which could benefit not only his personal growth, but his village's status as well. When he mentioned that Masahiko was not at a level they had to worry about it yet, Shigure nodded in agreement, feeling a tad bit bad he had fallen so behind with the years. Masahiko pitched in at the mention of Kasumi, and when he said she was formidable, Shigure promptly nodded. "Indeed. And that one is called Okada Taki. We met before the exams by chance, and we had a little spar. I don't think that little exchange is anything to judge her by, however... If you do fight her, Kazu, she can use senjutsu." he would be lying if he said he wasn't concern about a potential fight with the girl. She had access to an incredible power, and she hated him and his village with a fiery passion. It surprised him to hear that Masahiko thought that in six months or so, either of them would be able to take him in a one-on-one fight, but he quickly explained that his role was more of a support rather than frontlines. Still, Shigure shook his head. "Perhaps that will be true in a situation like that, one-on-one. But you have experience as well, Masahiko-san. And that is an invaluable assess in the shinobi world. Still... I hope we, and our villages, can avoid getting themselves in a situation where we do have to test this theory out." he added with a firm nod and a kind smile. Despite what happened between the Hidden Snow and the Hidden Leaf, which directly involved the Hyuuga clan, Shigure still didn't want them to remain enemies. He believed Niko had handled the situation rather poorly at the time, and as a future clan leader, he was trying to have a more critical thinking of what the leadership did in the past, and what they were doing in the present. If he hoped to one day break out the cycle of hatred in the ninja world, things had to change, and more than anything, people would need to learn to let go. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Between Rounds 2 and 3 Sushi Bar [Yuki Kazu nue masahiko] [480 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu watched as the two of them talked about the other participants. Kazu had met both Taki and Kasumi prior to the first round, It was obvious that they wanted to be allies from the start, so he wasn't worried about death if he fought them too much. Fighting them in general would be a difficult match though. He could tell just from their first meeting that they were strong. They both despised Konohagakure, a mindset he couldn't completely get behind. And apparently Taki could use senjutsu? This conversation was definitely informative, at the very least.

"Thanks for the heads up, and the compliment. I'll make sure to be prepared if I fight her. I met both her and Kasumi before round one as well, they said something about being allies so I don't think she'd try to kill me or anything, but that doesn't mean she'd pull any punches either." He wasn't really sure how to feel about Shigure's earlier compliment. It seemed well-intended, but Kazu kind of thought he was already a great shinobi. Not amazing by any means, but great.

At Masahiko's comments of dismissing Kazu's compliment and mentioning that he wasn't much good in a one-on-one fight, Kazu wondered how he had managed to pass the exams. It was a staple of every exam, or so he'd been told. Did he have to take it more than once? Three times? Kazu wasn't sure, but he felt the distinct notion not to ask.

"I mean, you might be more support sensei, but I feel like if you had the time to prepare you could beat almost anyone. Though I guess that would also mean your opponent probably has time to prepare." Kazu wasn't the best at giving compliments, it seemed.

He quickly moved back to the topic of other participants. "I know there's also a girl named Haruka who has some sort of dojutsu, so be careful of her." He didn't wanna give too much away about the people he'd met. He considered them friends, after all.

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

"He is a great shinobi,” Masahiko said, the words falling from his lips on instinct. He didn’t bristle, there was no defensiveness there; only a statement of what he believed to be true of his student. Sure, Kazu was lazy sometimes; but that was hardly a major failing. He’d been doing well thus far, and growing leaps and bounds with every day that passed. With every dinner they shared he seemed more excited, more motivated. It was the absolute least he could do, as Kazu’s sensei, to build him up in the midst of heavy competition. Not that Kazu seemed to return the sentiment. Ah, well. Youth. "Thank you for your vote of confidence, Kazu,” Masahiko said drily. "For what it’s worth, the opponent only has time to prepare if they know you’re coming; but I certainly wouldn’t be able to beat almost anyone. But some of us have to keep the rest of you alive; if that means I’m less capable at cracking open skulls than you two, then so be it.” Kazu mentioned another contestant, whose name immediately slipped from his mind, who possessed a kind of doujutsu. Masahiko’s gaze slid back to Shigure. "So many participants this year from prominent clans,” Masahiko observed. "Yuki, Hyuuga, this sage girl, the doujutsu girl—what do you make of it, Shigure? Anyone of note you recognize?”

Hyūga Shigure Yuki Kazu -- 225

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Shigure]

"a welcome respite". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." LET'S CALL IT A NIGHT Not being at the risk of getting killed by an opponent during the Chuunin Exams was good, a privilege even, but he was glad Kazu had that on his side. In any case, he didn't mind sharing that intel, for like he rightfully pointed out: they were allies, but not of Shigure, so sharing their secrets was completely okay in his mind. Kazu then mentioned Haruka, who had some sort of doujutsu and Shigure nodded. "Thank you for the heads-up. If I don't fight her on my first match, I will pay attention to her fight." he said with a firm nod and a grateful smile on his face. Masahiko's job as a medic meant that he was not the most well-versed in direct combat, but their role was crucial to reduce causalities among shinobi. Medics were very important, and they needed to be protected by their team; a smart enemy will target them first most times. He then asked Shigure if there was anyone else of note he recognized, and he scracthed his chin with his index, pondering about it for a moment, until he shook his head."I believe we will be surprised by many other competitors, but I honestly don't know much more about them. I'm hoping to find out more during the first round." he admitted. Shigure would eat a bit more, but the hour was starting to run late, and he wanted to be well-rested for the matches to come. "Well, it has been great sitting with you guys. But I think it would be wise for us to call it a day. We need to be well-rested for the next round." he said with the friendly smile still on his face as he got up, giving them a formal bow. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Between Rounds 2 and 3 Potential exit post [nue masahiko Yuki Kazu] [305 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Masahiko seemed to echo his thoughts, stating that he already was a great shinobi. This, naturally, made the boy smile. Knowing that his sensei believed in him was a nice thought. Despite how lazy he could be, or how constantly he was late, his sensei had such a high opinion of him. Granted, so did Shigure, but it was different. He didn't have anything to prove to Shigure, his sensei on the other hand, he definitely did. According to his sensei's statement though, he had already proven himself.

Shigure affirmed that he would be careful of Haruka. Despite the fact that Shigure had given him as much information as he seemed to know, Kazu had still only given him a little information about Haruka. He had left out that Jou was her brother and, in turn, also had the dojutsu. He'd left out any of the other participants that he knew about. No mention of Asahi, Taru, Kashiwa, or any of the others. He felt bad for not giving as much information to the boy, but that was the reality of these exams. Get as much information as you can while giving very little away.

Eventually, his sensei somewhat accepted his compliment, it only took the majority of the conversation. He mentioned that his job wre to keep the front-line shinobi alive. Kazu knew firsthand that he was good at that. Probably the best at it in Yukigakure, for that matter. His sensei might not have been the best in fighting, but he'd keep the shinobi who specialized in combat alive so they could fend off any enemies.

Shigure didn't give any more specifics on the other participants, claiming there was no one he could think of, and that he'd hoped to learn more in the first round of fights. He then mentioned that it was getting late, so he would be going to get so rest before the fights started. Kazu watched as the boy left, he'd follow shortly after. But first, he'd take out a small notebook. Flipping the pages, he eventually landed on one that read Taki at the top, with the symbol for her village next to it. He wrote the word senjutsu in the contents of its page, not wanting to close the book as if the letters would disappear as he closed it. Eventually, he did close it, looking back up to his sensei. "I should go get some rest too, don't want to lose tomorrow because I didn't get any sleep. Wish me luck, sensei!" He'd say as he got up and headed to the dormitories.

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Shigure didn’t have much else to share, which was only moderately disappointing. It was unlikely that Masahiko would be able to do anything with the information himself, given his predisposition for conveniently forgetting information that he wasn’t supposed to know; but if it were beneficial for Kazu, then it was worthwhile to ask. Alas. They ate together for a short while longer, chatting amicably, before Shigure excused himself. "Rest well, Shigure,” Masahiko said, lifting a delicate hand to his chest and returning the gesture. "I’m certain you’ll make your village proud.” His smile was small, soft, but genuine. He and Kazu stayed longer. Kazu took out a notebook, scribbling in some notes. A faint burst of pride flared in Masahiko’s chest to see his student acting so diligently, but he held his tongue, not wanting to make the boy self-conscious or second-guess his instincts. After jotting down his notes, Kazu snapped it shut and hopped up out of his seat as well. "Goodnight, Kazu,” Hiko replied, his mouth quirking at the corner. "I’d wish you luck, but I’m sure you won’t need it.” And with that, he was alone. They’d done all the training they could reasonably do; the rest was in Kazu’s hands, and all that was left for Masahiko was to sit patiently by and support his student from the sidelines. He felt oddly helpless, a strange sense of disconnect happening in his chest, as if he were watching the sun dip slowly down over the horizon, casting the icy blue waters of the Yuki no Kuni coastline in shades of low, melancholy purple. Hiko savored another drink, paid the bill, and took himself back to his quarters. [fin.]

Hyūga Shigure Yuki Kazu -- 281

LAIKA OF THQ