[Hyūga Shigure]

"head in the clouds". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." SURPRISE Shigure had travelled to the Hidden Cloud Village in anticipation of missions that would be taking place in the area, as an effort and collaboration between the two villages. He did, however, decided to arrive earlier so that he could have some time for himself, hanging out with some of his friends like Daisuke, and Azarea, perhaps even Kiho, and hopefully get to know a few other Cloud shinobi, and strengthen the bonds between the villages. After unpacking at his room in a nice inn in the centre of the village, he would leave the place with his more casual clothing, the beige jacket with the Hyuuga symbol emblazoned on it, a red shirt and, of course, his forehead protector, a sign of his home village. It had been a few weeks since he last saw Azarea during their last mission, so he was wondering how she was doing. He caught himself thinking about her, a bit concerned about her father situation. At the time she seemed really shaken up, but he could hardly blame her. Toshizou was a complicated man, and he could only imagine the shock, considering what he did to her when she was a kid. "Why is that man so complicated... I wonder how mom can get along with him... Maybe the bonds we form are just that strong... Wahei is not like Toshizou, but I would put my life on the line for his sake." he thought to himself. He didn't want to overuse his Byakugan in the village, as it could be seen poorly, but he did activate the doujutsu to try and find Azarea, who was walking near the village's gates. "There you are." he said, cracking a happy smile on his face. Hastening his pace, he headed to the area so he could greet his friend. "That's a nice sight for sore eyes. Well... Surprise, I guess?" he said, opening up his arms and shrugging; he had not informed her he was coming, so he was eager to see the look on her face. "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." Genjutsu Training Hidden Cloud Village [Aburame Azarea] [345 words]

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Reunion

It was a lovely cool fall day in Kumogakure. The scent of winter now lingering on the wind as the seasons changed and the markets flooded with their harvested goods. With the looming festival the merchants were certainly in a tizzy looking to hawk their wares to make way for new stock coming up the river in preparation for the festivities. Thus it was the perfect environment for a bargain hound like Azarea.

The woman forgoing her usual shinobi garb in favor of a long sleeved dark blue kimono with a white underslip and paired with red hakama. Donning dainty dark blue tabi boots on her small feet instead of her heavier leather nin-boots. Her apparel made complete by a white haori with a pale white fur collar and a reversible red inner lining. The Kunoichi's usually long wild red hair free of it's mane or tight mission braid and instead plaited back away from Azarea's face with a few flower ornaments that matched the stitched flower decorations on the cloth shopping bag she had looped over her arm. Such decorations apparently a theme among the various civilin and Kunoichi amidst the crowd. Where one ended it was hard to tell where the other began given how intermingled the Kumo population was. Though as Azarea turned the corner she found herself coming up short in surprise as her hive chirped and hummed catching Shigure's scent as the woman's face broke out in a broad grin. Her expression far more open and free in her home village then in Hi No Kuni where she'd had to constantly watch her back.

"Shigure!" She cries out throwing herself into the Hyuuga's arms with a joyful laugh as the various old biddies minding the stalls titter and chuckle about 'oh to be young' as they watch them. "I wasn't expecting to see you in Kumo! When did you arrive? If I'd known I'd have met you outside the gates!" Azarea chirps beaming at him as her Kikaichu hum and swarm. Spilling out of her kimono sleeves to alight on his shoulders.

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Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 347 | Hyūga Shigure

[Hyūga Shigure]

"head in the clouds". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." EMBRACE Azarea was dressing up in a rather cute attire, which made Shigure blush ever so slightly the moment he paid closer attention to it, but he tried to not think too much about it. With the arms open, he welcomed her into his arms, hugging the girl tightly and chuckling in joy as he did so. She was indeed surprised with his presence and quickly asked him when he arrived, saying she would've met him outside if she knew. "An hour ago or so, I just dropped my stuff in my hotel room. I came here to take on some collaboration missions between our villages, but I decided to arrive a few days earlier to enjoy the place, and see some friends." he explained, winking at the girl, as she was one of the people he had wanted to see. "It's a beautiful day, is there an event going on? I'm not really familiar with the calendar of the Land of Lightning." he admitted, looking around and noticing the preparations that were taking place. Shigure loved festivals, it meant that there would be amazing street food, some of which he likely never tried before, and the sole thought of it would make his stomach grumble a bit, and he wasn't even hungry. The weather was still pleasant, as they were still a couple months away from the coming of winter, but the Hidden Cloud had a colder weather than the Hidden Leaf, something he actually quite enjoyed, to be honest. "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." Genjutsu Training Hidden Cloud Village [Aburame Azarea] [253 words]

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Shopping

She laughed light and joyful voice ringing out like a bell at being lifted and then set back down as she grinned up at him, "Oh? You haven't heard? Kumogakure is going to be hosting a Remembrance Festival for those lost during the Plague here soon. That's why Kizumi-Sama is putting out all these upcoming joint missions to help the village get ready. What with it being the first open event the village has hosted in a long time she really wants us to put our best foot forward." Azarea was quick to explain and quicker to loop her arm with Shigure's as she dragged him off into the market.

"If you're all done unpacking why don't you help me finish up my shopping? We can drop the groceries back off at my place and I can show you the training grounds and things you'll need while you're in the village." She offers, "Maybe treat you to some of my cooking for a change." Azarea teases nudging him playfully in the side as she steered him between stalls pausing to pick up this vegetable or that, some chicken, rice, and other sundries that would be needed.

"If I'd known you were dropping by I'd have offered my spare room. Though to be fair the hotel is probably nicer. I have a decent apartment, but I have to admit it's rather cozy." She added with a fond shake of her head as she pauses to pluck a few cartons of carefully curated blueberries and wild grapes from a stall paying the woman with a smile as her Kikaichu buzzed happy a few swarming the container before she even got it in the bag prompting her to make a little shooing motion and noise at them.

"Stop that! You can have some when we get home." She muttered and if beetles could sulk hers certainly seemed to as they clung to her sleeves.

SPOILER: Click to show

Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 321 | Hyūga Shigure

[Hyūga Shigure]

"head in the clouds". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." MARKET The girl was quite different in her behaviour when she was in the Hidden Cloud, it felt like she was completely at ease, at home. In a way, it made sense. After she was exiled from the Hidden Leaf, she was fully embraced by this village, and it grew to become her home. It was bittersweet when he thought about it, but he was happy she had found a safe place where she could thrive, even if it was not the place where she was born at. According to Azarea, there was going to be a festival soon enough, to honour those they lost during the terrible plague. "Oh... I see." he commented, feeling happy that they were being able to now celebrate the turning of a new page in their history. It was a good thing that their Kage was pushing forward such things, he had high hopes for the future of the Land of Lightning. With their arms in a loop, he let her guide him through the market, so that he could help her finish some shopping. Shigure nodded and smiled at that. "Sure thing, I'm good at picking up good ingredients." he said, and he was not lying. He also seemed excited at the prospect of the training ground. "I'm looking forward to that, I'm eager to show how much I progressed with that ability I was developing." the ability to break out of genjutsu using his tenketsus was maturing well after the important help of people like Hirohito and Arashi. When she offered to treat him to some of her cooking, he got excited and so did his stomach. "I would like that very much!" he said with an enthusiastic tone. As they stopped at the stalls, he would help her pick the best of the ingredients, he had a very keen eye for that, picking up details most people would've missed. When she offered her home, he shook his head, blushing a bit. "Ah, don't worry about that. I would never impose like that. I appreciate the hospitality, though." he nodded, only to laugh after she scolded her own kikaichu for being a bit too excited about the fruits. "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." Genjutsu Training Hidden Cloud Village [Aburame Azarea] [368 words]

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Curry

"Next time then," She agrees cheeks dimpling slightly as she smiled. Her scarlet eyes observing what fruit and ingredients Shigure picked with care. The weight of her gaze thoughtful and curious rather then cautious and doubtful. The Kumo nin trusting her friend to have a better eye, pun intended, for such things as they meandered through the market. "It's always good to stay with friends and save money where you can, but I know the Hyuuga are very proper about things. Do they still make a fuss about clan members rooming with the opposite sex unless it's for strictly mission reasons?" Azarea inquired curious if her clans stuffy neighbors sensibilities had progressed any over the years, but from how Shigure blushed at the offer she rather guessed they hadn't. Her grin turning sly and teasing.

"I'll make you Kumo Curry for dinner. You haven't had real curry till you've tried Kumo's. It's much more flavorful with just the right amount of spice unlike fire countries where they tend to think more heat is better." She joked nudging him playfully with her hip as she tossed him a wink as the two circled past the stalls now that they had most of what they needed. As Azarea lead them towards some of the higher peaks dotted with little windows and balconies and few roofs were housing was built directly into the stone.

"Though don't get too attached. I can only imagine the scandal if Kizumi-sama had to write back to the Leaf that one of their clan heirs couldn't come home cause I'd gotten him addicted to my curry." Azarea teased cheeks flushed with a light blush of her own as she enjoyed their banter.

"Did you manage to get your technique to cease giving you a concussion? The hospitals here in Kumo are some of the best if you haven't managed to leap that shark yet, but I'll admit if I'm going to get you punch drunk it'd be far more fun with alcohol then a head trauma." She jokes as she channeled chakra to her feet walking right up the side of a mountain building that appeared to have no doors, only balconies.

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Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 364| Hyūga Shigure

[Hyūga Shigure]

"head in the clouds". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." FINETUNNING Shigure laughed at her comment but he had to admit she was right, so he nodded. "Yes, they still make a fuss about that. And they still frown upon marriages outside of the clan. But that's another thing I intend to fix once I'm the head of the clan." he said, thinking about his own political engagement that he was hoping to call off the moment he inherited his father's position. He wanted people to be able to choose who they wanted to be with, not having them selected by the clan for convenience and purity of blood. When she mentioned the Kumo Curry dinner, however, his eyes sparkled in excitement and he immediately glanced into her eyes. "Can I help you prepare it?! I would love to learn how to make it!" he could barely contain the excitement in his tone, almost like a child who just heard they were going to an amusement park of something. As they continued to head towards her place, he laughed at the idea of him not wanting to go back. "That's why I will learn the recipe, so we don't get ourselves into an international incident between allied nations. Hahahaha!" he joked, even though he fully intended on learning the recipe. When they switched the subject to the technique, he chuckled at her comment and nodded. "I did. Hirohito-san helped learn the proper way to do it, and then Arashi-sama from the Sand helped me apply it during combat. So... I'm pretty confident I can now break out of stronger genjutsu, even in the heat of battle." he explained with a confident tone. He had been training hard, he had been meditating and reflecting on the best way to approach this, but he wanted to test it once more against Azarea, for he knew she was more well-versed in Genjutsu than a lot of the other people he knew. "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." Genjutsu Training Hidden Cloud Village [Aburame Azarea] [320 words]

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Home

"Sure you can help. I don't mind teaching you the recipe especially if it prevents a diplomatic incident. Kami knows I give Kizumi-sama enough headaches." Azarea quipped with a chuckle as she alighted on a balcony overflowing with plants. Though a few of the leaves had begun to change color and brown. The native Kumo fauna dying off in preparation for the winter months where it would return once more come spring. Carefully disabling her traps she opened the sliding door and gestured him inside as she bustled towards the kitchen.

Azarea's home was perhaps very telling of her as a person. The room he'd walked into was a split living room and kitchen with the living area separated from the kitchen by a island counter with a few stools pressed up against it where one could eat and lounge against the plain stone countertop while chatting with the cook. Standard eggshell white cabinets lined the walls past the oven vent, their surfaces having been decorated with little doodled paintings of flowers and bugs and the back walls lined with spices and small succulent plants.

Really plants were about everywhere. The living room contrary to the kitchen looked akin to one of the Tent bazaar lounges used by some of Kumo's traveling merchants. With a thick blush soft orange and yellow patterned rug covering the floor. The center piece of the room a large wooden kotatsu table with a red quilt and various colors of seat cushions scattered around it. A worn pull out couch pushed a bit further back from the table to allow it to be used as a coffee table in spring. The walls themselves were lined near floor to ceiling with book shelves covered in scrolls and novels and little potted plants upon which her Kikaichu lounged. Where there were not books there was colorful artwork and tapestries. Some more worn then others and clearly salvaged. Giving the entire area very much the appearance of a cozy cocoon nest with enough fabric to ward off the chill of the Kaminari no Kuni winters. To the right lay a hallway off of which sprang three doors. No doubt a bathroom, Azarea's bedroom, and the spare room she had mentioned.

While the woman in questioned busied herself putting the food away for later. "You'll have to teach me that Onigiri recipe of yours in trade." She half teases as she shucks off her haori as she passes leaving it to drape over the back of the couch as she rolls up her yukata sleeves to work. "Though I'm glad to hear your technique has come along and you're not at risk of brain damage. I mean you're cute enough you could probably get away with it, but best not to tempt fate." She teases with a wink and a grin.

"And oh! How's Arashi-san doing! I trained with her some during her visit to Kumo and gave her a tour. I guess Konoha must have been the nest stop on her list!" Azarea quips thrilled to hear a familiar name.

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Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count:472| Hyūga Shigure

[Hyūga Shigure]

"head in the clouds". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." COZY LITTLE PLACE Learning new recipes was something he loved very much. He was so passionate about cooking, that he still exchanged some letters with Himish Jou, from the Hidden Rock Village, even though they were enemies. It was funny how every time they wrote to each other, the ANBU would be showing up at his door to deliver the already opened letter. He wondered how much time they spent trying to decipher a non-existent code within the many recipes the two young man exchanged, it was rather amusing to think about it. The room was quite cozy and gave him a good feeling about it, despite the initial traps she had to disable before allowing them in. It was much smaller than his own house, in the massive Hyuuga District, but what it lacked in size it thrived in personality, quite the change from the bland and plain looks of the Hyuuga complex. It was like the apartment was truly an extension of who Azarea was, and he paid attention to every small detail of it. "So this is what it means to have a place you can truly call home..." he thought to himself, unable to not think about how alienating it was to live in the Hyuuga complex at times, especially with that uncomfortable feeling that everyone was observing you at all times - which was partially true. "I will happily teach you that. It's my favourite snack, so you will have something to remember me by, even when I'm not around." hr responded, with a large smile on his face, only to laugh when she teased him further. "I mean, my father complains I look like a branch member, but if you ask me, I'm glad I do. My father is not a handsome man." and he wasn't even lying. Even on his younger days, Urashi's rough features were a lady repellent. He was lucky Sanae didn't really have a choice in marrying him. He was mildly surprised Azarea also had trained with Arashi, and he wondered how that went. "Oh... She was doing good. She is a legendary shinobi, so I was thrilled at the possibility of training with her. She was quite helpful to me." he admitted. "Even though she is not very well-versed in genjutsu, she seemed to think my approach to breaking out of it was interesting. And it did work against her." 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." Genjutsu Training Hidden Cloud Village [Aburame Azarea] [404 words]

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Onigiri

"I don't think I've ever met your Mother, but if I had to guess I'd say you take after her in appearance and all for the better." Azarea joked finally finishing putting away the food as she perks up at the agreement to teach her his Onigiri. Not allowing her own thoughts to linger on which parent she perhaps took after in appearance. For as much as she wanted to believe it was her mother aside from her coloring her appearance was all Hatake much to her ire. "Then I can get all my missions partners hooked on your recipes. Bribe my way into more work with decadent delicacies." She quipped with a goofy smile and a shake of her head.

"Make yourself at home I'll change and be right back so I can show you the training grounds." The Kunouchi calls back to him as she bustles off to her room. The house is quiet save for her distant shuffling and the soft hum of her Kikaichu's wings as they make themselves at home. A few playfully clinging to Shigure's clothes and hair as if the man existed for the sole purpose to be their playground. The little insect fanning their wings happily as they wait.

Thankfully Shigure doesn't need to wait long as Azarea returns her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her usual training/mission apparel in place. "There! All done." She adds as she heads towards the balcony once more. "And I'm glad to hear Arashi-san was helpful. I'm afraid I was pretty newly returned to duty back then so I wasn't much of a training partner for her. Then again her skills were not as ah..." She struggles to find the right word. "Complimentary? As ours are." Is what she finally settles on as she leads them back down the side of the building.

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Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 310| Hyūga Shigure

[Hyūga Shigure]

"head in the clouds". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." PREPARATION "Both me and Asuka look like her, from the facial features, to the hair." he simply said, with a sort of bittersweet smile taking over his feature for a moment. He cared deeply for his mother and sister, but talking about it made him feel anxious about what he was going to be doing once he was done with these missions in the Hidden Cloud. It was about time for his father to be brought to justice for what he did, and he was as ready as he was going to get, so no point in delaying it any further. It was funny how she could, however, make the bad thoughts go away, and when she joked about the Onigiri, he laughed and nodded. "It works for me! I'm always on missions hahahaha!" and he enjoyed that fact, it meant he was actually contributing to his village, his country, and their allies. Shigure would then sit in a chair while he waited for Azarea to change into her training gear, while he entertained - and was entertained in return - by her playful kikaichu. Not long after she left, the woman already returned, all ready for training. Shigure then got up, eager to get their training started. "I get it. Well... She is on a league of her own. Well... Show me the way then." he said, with a rather excited tone. "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." Genjutsu Training Hidden Cloud Village [Aburame Azarea] [233 words]

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Whirlwind Tornado

"Are you really surprised you're always busy? What with you being Konoha's whirlwind tornado second only to the Hero of Konoha Senju Kazuto?" Azarea quipped leading him through the village towards Kumo's rather expansive training grounds. With so much of the village being built vertically it left a large variety of terrain open for training. Between caves, lakes, hard packed earth, forests, and sharp jagged mountain peaks Azarea felt a great deal of pride in regards to her village's facilities.

"Sides there are worse things then looking like your Mother. I'm sure if you're anything like her she must be a very kind and pretty woman. All I got from my Mom was my hair color and build and that second one is debatable." She jokes, finding it easier to cope with the reality of her situation with wry humor. However given both Toshi and Eri possessed medium and lean builds save for her mothers softer figure and curves it was difficult to know which side had contributed there. Maybe if she ever laid eyes on these 'half siblings' of hers she'd know, but Azarea thus far felt little urge to do so.

"Ok what sort of training ground would you like? It looks like one of the caves, the small lake, and the grotto are open today for special areas, but the regular grounds such as Area 25 and Area 12 don't seem to be reserved." She mused stopping in front of a little board with metal number plates hanging from hooks. Those without number plates apparently reserved or taken, and those with their plates still on the hook apparently free. Though like most villages there was no map lest an enemy be able to more easily navigate the terrain.

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Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 291 | Hyūga Shigure

[Hyūga Shigure]

"head in the clouds". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." NOT QUITE THERE YET Shigure's cheeks flared in bright red when she compared him to Kazuto. While he was absolutely flattered by the comparison, he didn't seem him anywhere near the Senju; he still had ways to go. "N-no way... Kazuto is a legend, I'm just a fledging shinobi doing my best... There are plenty of shinobi better than me there, Chono-sama, Hiruko-sama, Tomomi-sensei, Yuuta-sensei, Miho-san... I still need to work much harder to put my name out there." he said, scratching the back of his head as they made their way through the village and towards the Training Grounds. They had quite the variety, he had observed, and that was good, the Hidden Cloud was indeed an interesting place. "Well... I know you dislike the guy, but considering how much of a player he is, I guess if you took after his looks that's not a bad thing." he said, not wanting to outright call Azarea beautiful, but hinting at that. In any case, it was about time for them to select their training grounds, and for something like Genjutsu a cave seemed like a fitting place. "How about the cave? We don't have many places like that in the Leaf, it would be an interesting change of pace." he suggested, following her to the location so that they could get all set up and ready. "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." Genjutsu Training Cave Training Ground [Aburame Azarea] [229 words]

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Crystals

Azarea's cheek brighten with a blush from a combination of embarrassment and pleasure from the roundabout compliment even if it could be partially attributed to Toshi, "I suppose I could have had things worse in the appearance department." She agrees selling herself short not unlike Shigure was doing now as Azarea offers him a playful eyeroll at his excuses.

"Tomomi-san seems rather interesting, but I haven't met or heard much of those others besides Senju-san. So maybe I'm a bit biased, but I don't think I'm wrong." Azarea quips plucking one of the plates for the various caves. Selecting the crystal pools one as she lead him towards the mountainside where a tunnel wound into the rock. The woman taking one right, then a left, then two rights, and a near u turn into a sharp left that lead down a narrow rock stair well that circled into an open air area filled with giant softly glowing blue crystals and large pools of turquoise blue water.

"We should be safe to train here, but don't go down into the lower half section of this cave without a respirator. Deadly fumes coalesce down there." Azarea warns pointing to further into the cavern where the floor begins to slope downward at a steady pace.

"Which level of genjutsu would you prefer I begin with? a C-rank?" She inquires stretching slowly enjoying the scenery and the way the soft glow of the rocks made Shigure's eyes gleam like mother of pearl. It was pretty in a way she hadn't expected.

SPOILER: Click to show

Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 257 | Hyūga Shigure

[Hyūga Shigure]

"head in the clouds". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." HOW ABOUT SOME WARM UP? Shigure nodded when she said that Tomomi was interesting. "They are quite well-rounded and versatile. We work together often as members of the Interception Team of the Barrier Corps. Kazuto also helped me train and develop a lot, he is one of the people I admire the most in the village." he admitted, with a subtle smile on his face. Now that the Senju had his twins, Shigure also wanted to grow stronger so he could help protect them from any harm. He nodded at her warning of not going down into the lower half section of the cave, keeping that in the back of his mind; he didn't need to suffocate for his training so better to outright avoid it. Then, when she asked what level of Genjutsu she should be starting with he pondered for a moment. "I've managed to break out of a C-Rank before, it was hard. So how about we warm up with a D-Rank first?" he suggested. It wasn't like he was cowering from the challenge, only that he wanted to make sure he was ready for when the stronger genjutsu came at him. If he was being honest, at his current level that would be his absolute limit, but that was already a good improvement from before, when he could only hope to escape from D-Ranks or below, and having to use the Kai Technique. "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." Genjutsu Training Cave Training Ground [Aburame Azarea] [240 words]