[Uchiha Yutaka]

There was no part of Yu that could blame his superiors for putting him on cleanup duty so often. His nature of clocking in and clocking out so that he could head home to be with his family, while respectable in some light, made him nobody’s favorite when it came to performance evaluations. And, when there was some extra task that needed done or menial detail, ideal for an otherwise unoccupied genin, Yu was the perfect fit.

And today he found himself in just those shoes once more. He knew the route to the town center by heart, having traveled it so many times, and his familiarity with the insides of the Hokage tower was nearly as in depth. He was like the assistant’s go-to assistant, an unofficial position devoid of glory or respect but relatively comfortable, all things considered.

As he approached the grand structure, one that put its surrounding buildings to shame, Yu couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't some deeper significance here. He, a lowly genin wash-out, was entering a marvel of a palace, the home to the greatest shinobi in the village and their staunch heroic defender, Keisuke. In comparison, Yu wasn't even one of the smaller buildings, because at least those had a strong and noble purpose. Yu's purpose was sweeping up the Hokage's floors.

He shook the thought from his mind. What may be a small fish diving into the deepest of oceans, was still Yutaka Uchiha. And there was never a man who was more content.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

He made his way up to the floor of the Hokage’s office before checking in with his supervisor. The slender young attendant caught his attention with a familiar smile and slight wave before approaching and detailing all of the simple housekeeping tasks that Yu had lined up in front of him for the day.

The most crucial was going to be cleaning up the Hokage’s office; not of clutter, but of grime. Keisuke was by no means a slob, and his assistant was no slouch either, but it seemed all of Konoha’s higher ups had been slated with extra responsibilities as of late. Routine cleanliness was an easy task to strike from their list. When Yu opened the large double doors that preceded the office in question, he quickly understood what the attendant had meant. It looked less like an office and more like a storage shed, with books and scrolls tossed haphazardly about, veritable mountains of papers threatening to collapse in an avalanche of pulp across the floors from where they towered atop the Hokage’s desk, and a thin layer of dust and dirt that told the story of hands otherwise occupied by fieldwork and critical outings.

A steady sigh escaped through firm lips as Yu shut his eyes to the mess. He’d have his work cut out for him.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

First thing to take care of was sorting everything into groups; making big problems into littler ones. Easy stuff, like addressing the dust or dirty windows, would be saved for after things like furniture and books were placed where they belonged. Yu walked over to the nearest windows and pushed them open to allow both sunlight and fresh air to fill the space.

He then took to replacing holes in bookshelves with all of the wayward texts that had lost their homes. Scrolls of all sizes, miniscule to massive, were placed leaning against those same shelves or placed in holders that adorned small cupboards and desktops. A trio of elegant spears were plucked from their place leaning against the wall and hung up ornately in a wooden frame.

It took some doing, but before long the floor was clear of most debris and large objects had mostly found their way back home. The main desk was still a concerning mess with its forest of loose files but that was for later. For now, Yu plucked a small cleaning bandana and used it to tie back what hair escaped the grasp of his shinobi forehead protector. It was cute, a floral design in light green that contrasted starkly with his attire; clearly his wife’s.

Though, weirdly, it suited him perfectly.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

From a nearby broom closet, Yu gathered some essential cleaning supplies. He returned with a broom, a mop and bucket filled with soapy water and a few rags for surfaces both vertical and horizontal. He’d need to grab more than one full bucket and moments like this made him curse his natural affinity for fire release. It was a destructive nature transformation and useful in both the field and in cooking, but would serve him little in mundane tasks like this.

However, he couldn’t curse all of his gifts, as he focused his energy into activating his doujutsu, the Sharingan. If his parents knew he was using the clan’s legendary birthright to help him get dirt off the floor and notice grime along the baseboards, they’d have him expelled, His ancestors rolled in their grave as he began to sweep, keeping a watchful eye at the path left behind his broom for errant dirt and missed spots.

Before long, the floorboards were sparkling, having been swept, then mopped clean and then finally mopped dry. He snatched a rag or two from the edge of his bucket and began wiping down the glass windows that surrounded the large office, this time watching out for nearly invisible lines of water that, if left alone, might streak. There was no greater dishonor for a warrior of the noble Uchiha than streaky windows. When all was said and done, the murky pit of despair he’d walked into was now a sparkling beacon of cleanliness. The Yuie would be jealous.

255 words | @open

[Uchiha Yutaka]

What lay ahead, however, was more monumental a task than anything the young man had faced thus far. Paperwork. He set to it, borrowing the Hokage’s throne to start sorting documents into increasingly specific piles.

First he separated administrative forms from medical and general information. Those three were then further separated into the type of document, be it a request or just a general briefing, before finally organizing everything by the levels of urgency needed for a response; immediate, critical, within a day, or if it could safely be pushed to the back burner. This form of administrative triage had served him well in the past and would save him a ton of time than if he’d just gone at each document one by one.

The less physically demanding task also allowed the young man a brief respite in which he could take his lunch. From within a small red lunch box, he plucked a few onigiri, packed tightly and promising a savory treat within. Each one was neatly formed and they were wrapped all together in a delicate pink cloth. Accompanying them was, of course, his favorite beverage. A piping hot thermos of Kisei brand oolong tea, no doubt steeped this morning by his doting wife.

As he worked, he ate and drank, and time would pass. The morning soft ambience, the way everything felt sharper and more alive, gave way to noon’s heat and an inevitable sluggishness to the world as people took shelter inside. But, within the Hokage’s office, Yu toiled away.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

He was rarely bothered by anyone, his being a regular gave those staffed to the building enough knowledge to know he preferred his solitude. And, besides, he was never one to take a true break during the work day and most were keen to the idea that he’d just keep on working if left to his own devices.

What was more likely to keep passing workers away was the reputation the young man had. Through no intent of his own, Yu seemed to have built up a disturbing aura that kept most people at bay. Maybe it was just his nervousness and the way he preferred to keep to himself, combined with his penchant for dark clothing and shabby appearances, but he looked like something of a hermit. If he was good at social stuff, or even relatively confident, he could probably squash the ill perception of him. But he was neither and the reputation persisted.

As midday passed, so too did the bulk of Yu’s paperwork into cabinets, drawers and boxes. What didn’t belong in one of those three were in neat piles, those groups of papers that would later need stapling or further sorting alternated in direction to keep them easily separate. And, what was once a jungle of paper vines and wild trunks of document towers was now a neat and manageable array of organized files and folders.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

Another task before the man was reviewing recent graduates from the academy and sorting them into groups. Of course, by no means was he meant to assign them to three man squads; that was a responsibility not only exclusive to the Hokage but one rather enjoyed by him as well. Instead, he was in charge of simply organizing the lot by their ninja types. Doing so would give any further reviewer a clear understanding of what role these young prospects filled and where their talents could most easily fit in or grow. Beyond that was well above the young Uchiha’s paygrade.

Speaking of his bloodline, he was excited to see whether or not some young genin with his shared surname would crop up amongst the documents. He was eager to see where they were at and where they were headed. After all, there were several of his kin in the academy. It was only natural he’d wonder at their success and, to some degree, expect it.

But alas, none.

That was fine, he mused. There was plenty of time for the little ones. And one of his trusted comrades, a Yamanaka about his same age but one rank his senior, was in charge of their training and would surely do the lot justice. Maybe there was also some darker part of him that was glad not to see a trio of kids half his age jump up to meet him in responsibility.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

His method for this sorting was much more broad in scope than the deductive method he’d used before. It was simple. Two major groups would consist of combat and support style shinobi. From there, those young shinobi would be organized by their fighting styles and the nature of their early budding talents.

That mostly meant long-range versus close combat. Whether or not a prospect had a talent for medical ninjutsu. But nothing too in depth for now.

Little to no thought was given to actual team composition, as again such things were above him, but Yu couldn’t help but take notice of the scant few shinobi that fell within his hybrid pile, one dedicated to those shinobi who were early generalists and lacked any true stand out speciality. Instead, most of them had a clear focus, be it illusions, martial arts or devastating ninjutsu. Such was his preference, given his own talents, and would no doubt make sorting them into squads a breeze.

He played at a few mock teams, not putting much effort into the fantasy but enjoying the potential dynamics nonetheless, before calling his work finished. All that was left now was to deliver the documents to those offices that they belonged to, if they’d already been attended to by the Hokage of course.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

And, while the actual workload of sorting everything into descending categories of detail was much greater in scope, this next task was far more daunting for the adolescent. The main issue was social interaction. Yu was never one to boast impressive social skills. There seemed to ever remain that eerie aura that bothered so many that met the young man.

All he could do was hope the interactions would go quickly and that he wouldn't cause too many people too much dread. He wasn't sure why people seemed to dislike him so, but he'd grown accustomed to it by now. He'd learned to keep things short and sweet. A simple greeting; a quick delivery. Then he could be off to the next spot. And, so long as he maintained a forward momentum, he'd soon be done and on his way home.

He made his way to each office, various piles of papers and boxes in hand, to deliver everything. After having sorted everything back in the Hokage's office, he'd determined that there were six offices that he absolutely had to visit. Unfortunately, that dark cloud of tension and fear traveled in his wake everywhere he went. As each door opened, that shroud of intimidation billowed out and enveloped all those unlucky enough to bear witness.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

From behind desks and around corners, shinobi quivered, unnerved by this creepy young man’s presence and the idle expression that read as cold and unforgiving that marred his face beneath those strands of hair that dared try and escape from his pastel green cleaning bandana. Crimson spheres that punctuated that expression flashed toward the nearest office attendant as he began to release a harrowing message from the maw of despair. "Hi.” Like a bolt of ice through each weak-willed ninja’s hearts, his words cast a dark future upon all who heard him. Death rode behind him; doom seeped up through the floorboards. Armageddon was imminent.

He stepped forward, placing the boxes down on the front desk of the office he visited. "Just-” he started; everyone held their breath. "delivering these documents...” Delivering death? Most likely. Was he a plague beset upon the village, vultures screeching behind him eager to pluck clean the ragged corpses of the fallen? Probably.

Yu didn’t linger, instead saving all from the awkwardness that was interacting with him. He didn’t really get it, but his awkward nature; the way he struggled to communicate normally with anyone save those closest to him, coupled with his off-putting demeanor and attire always seemed to make social interactions intolerable for all involved. He was no torturer so he tried to keep things brief.

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[Uchiha Yutaka]

This type of interaction continued as he made his way to the rest of the building’s various sub-offices, delivering anything from boxes filled to burst with signed documents to single sheets of parchment saying that work was in progress on whatever it was that office had submitted for processing. His final stop was, of course, to touch base with his supervisor and finish out the day.

He plucked the bandana from his head, allowing a mess of, admittedly quite sweaty, black hair to fall down across his gentle face. He’d been using his sharingan here and there to augment his attention to detail and overall awareness but allowed his eyes to rest at last as he approached his supervisor. He was praised for that attention to detail, as per usual, but conversations on Yu’s ability to clean up offices and sort papers had long grown stale.

But he didn’t mind. This was the kind of thing he liked doing, regardless of how menial the work was. Because it was safe. It promised him, and his wife, that he’d come home that night. While to some it may seem cowardly, or as if the young man had no real ambition, to Yu the path he walked was also a noble one. He was safe. He was happy. And he was content.

[Thread Exit.]

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