[Nakahara Ichī]

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Autumn

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]I will lead us to it. Definitely.

[attr="class","skullbody"]It was certainly odd, how at home one could feel while so far from their home. Ichi had no illusion that he loved Kaminari no Kuni, contrary to his generally willing to help and calm, gentle exterior Ichi had no love for most nations. Nohara no Kuni was his heart and its land was his soul, yet his truest love had always been and likely always would be festivals. It was why he was somewhat frustrated at the fact that he still hadn't quite gotten that Festival ground technique fully figured out. It was exhuasting to use, but the young man was sure he would eventually figure it out - much like the cabbage and beer-fried chiken skewers he was currently munching on as he traveled the cold streets. His size, for once, not getting him glances as the occasional Fujiyama past him on the street and utterly dwarfed the commonly considered 'giant' anywhere except here. Truly this Akazaya festival was a home that was worth investigating fully over the course of the week he would be here.
[break][break]

There was a level of glee in what Ichi was experiencing that made his see color even where none existed, his long standing brilliance to see in the world when it was truly alive and safe. That was not fully the point of his travel along the road though, despite his newly appointed position there were few places that were easier to meet the Raikage then in her own home, or rather what was the closest he gathered to a home to her; the bar. Indeed the young man was heading for a very specific dive that had been chosen and inconspicuously closed for business still despite most places being open at the time of day it was - particularly on festival hours. Nevertheless the location was a small place that was quietly situated just next to a semi-busy pub that seemed to attract more attention then the worse-for-wear front of the building. Knocking Twice Ichi awaited to be let in, taking another bite from his still steaming skewer.
[break][break]

Being allowed through the door only a moment later Ichi would duck down and enter with a warm smile upon his face. There was three signatures of life in the room, two at the bar, and presumable whoever had opened the door for him, "I presume I have found the correct place?"

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]000 WORDS / @tags!!

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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SPOILER: Click to show

Ichi's SA's and Techniques in Use:[break][break]

『Harvest Moon's Child』
Ichi was born to the Nakahara clan on the night of a Harvest Moon. Born with quite the green thumb he was assumed to be an inheritor of the clan's natural talents with plants. The roots ran deeper, however, as Ichi was born with a Kekkai Genkai, being a rare natural occurance of Wood Release outside of the Senju. In learning of this he has trained his kekkai to the best of his abilities. He is no master, seeing as he has no reference of Mokuton, but he has found a way to bring out techniques along side his own talents in a cohesive manner.

[Cosmetic Only: All Mokuton techniques Ichi uses appear as his favorite trees, though it has no real change as is.]

[break][break]
『Weaver of Wood』
Ichi was born with Mokuton, but he was not graced with the same level of chakra as the Senju would be in his situation. Being roughly average for an individual, Ichi instead focused on the skills his birth clan preferred. Practicing his medical skills, he has gained a higher quality of Chakra Control. Ichi is much less likely to leak chakra than the average shinobi because of this.

[break][break]
『The Festival's Atmosphere』
Having practiced his skills with extending his senses outwards with the use of mokuton chakra, Ichi is particularly adept at sensing life in an area. Capable of finding life through the very nature around people. Within [20 meters] Ichi is capable of passively sensing out plant and animal life in a general sense. Able to differentiate it between plant and animal, but no further. Unlike chakra sensory Ichi can not more or less readily sense others based on their chakra, but instead purely senses the 'vitality' in things, though even those with seemingly boundless vitality will read the same as the elderly or a newborn to him. Also unlike usually sensory to actively search out individuals Ichi requires Mokuton, or the use of his pipe (though using it makes his position much easier to locate), as a catalyst to extend his senses, only going out as far as the technique's range, or twice his passive range in case of the pipe. It is also notable that the deceased, and those that feign death in some fashion, as through a poison or a jutsu, are completely invisible to Ichi. Notably the furthest he can extend his senses is [100 meters].[break][break]

『Master of Festival Games』

Ichi is incredibly smart for someone his age, but he lacks the qualifications to be a scholar. This is because his intelligence is not found in understanding of principles and anything so magnificiently deep. It instead lies in his observational talents and ability to react to everything that is going on around him with an absolute calm. Being able to plan and act with just minute details to go off of, Ichi is best described as a schemer and a diplomat rather than a genius. This makes him perfect for roles that are heavy in Tactical and Diplomatic Decision Making, as he grasps larger images and can put together clues better than others. Effectively allowing him to take in the wider picture of everything going on and piece together practical responses in mere moments with little to no hesitation or error.

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

It had been something of a disappointment when Kanoh had told her she’d stepped down from her position as Kusa Lord—Kizumi felt a special kinship with her, and had liked working alongside her as briefly as they did—but her disappointment quickly transformed into pride when she caught wind that Kanoh’s young assistant had stepped into the role in her place. Pride, and a little bit of trepidation. He was so young still, and only a chuunin, and Kizumi worried that unseen hands would take advantage of a young chuunin with new responsibilities on his shoulders. But in her brief exchange with him, he seemed very sensible and put-together, and naturally she was more than happy to meet with him during the festival. She was busy as all hell, but if she couldn’t make time for a drink with a colleague, then what was the point of it all? The dive was discreet: the shades were drawn, the facade a little run-down, but Kizumi and the owner were old friends and she knew no better place in Akazaya for a low-key meeting. She had only one bodyguard with her, with most of the rest of her usual retinue dispatched as surveillance throughout the festival. She was far more concerned about keeping the peace than any potential danger to herself. Two knocks sounded, and her bodyguard—a Murahira woman clad in a white fox mask—allowed the newly minted Kusa Lord inside. "Ichi!” Kizumi said brightly, lifting her half-drained beer in a greeting to the young man. Then she corrected herself: "Lord Tenth. Thanks for coming through. Do you drink?” Her eyes crinkled at the edges as she spotted his chicken skewer. "Enjoying the festival so far?” There was an obvious swell of pride as she asked this: she had worked monstrously hard to bring the concept to fruition, and was anxious to see it go off without a hitch.

Nakahara Ichī -- 316

LAIKA OF THQ

[Nakahara Ichī]

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Autumn

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]I will lead us to it. Definitely.

[attr="class","skullbody"]Ichi was always delighted with the sight of someone who gave away that there was more to what they knew. Standing before not just his senior in leadership, but a woman of reknown Ichi greatly respected he had to admit that sometimes being tall did not make one feel large. Kizumi was a giant to Ichi in a great multitude of ways, and even in her drunken ways he had to admit she ran a very tight ship here in Kaminari. Bowing respectfully to the woman while still holding the half-eaten chicken skewer in his hand as he did so, a deep sign or respect though any interaction the two would of had would have made it clear that while he was friendly and even eerily unintimidated by the presence of herself or anyone else of higher station Ichi was still respectful of lines that had no reason to be breached.
[break][break]

Lifting himself to his full height he could only beam towards the Raikage as he moved to close the distance between them to the bar, "Hahaha, Lord Tenth is almost embarassing to hear given my own faults Lady Raikage, I have much to do before I can fully feel like I bear that title's full weight. Ichi was what I have been as a common man, and among my senior leadership you have no reason to refer to me as anything else. Unless you would prefer we move to more official ways to talk Kizumi-San," Ichi would say as he would sit to her right. He was never fully sure if her eye was truly damaged below the eyepatch, but he figured very few would choose to do such a thing, and fewer would hide something so obviously, "I drink tea, but not alcohol no there is always exception though I apologize for my lack of tolerance. As for the festival it is like being home still even though I am not - though I doubt many are most at home in celebration over the common day."
[break][break]

Taking another bite from his skewer and chewing it down as a small bottle of sake and two shot glasses were set between the two by the bartender. Ichi would regard the man kindly and bow slightly from his seat as he chewed before turning back to Kizumi and having his impassively calm silver eyes contact her own cherry eye, "I must ask your thoughts more truthfully though Kizumi-San. I can see clear signs of concern when you began to greet me, and I do believe its high time I heard some concern from someone if I were honest as well. Trepidation comes with new leadership, though maybe that is myself concerned with my worth in such a station given Lady Kanoh's work before me."[break][break]

There was one of the things Kanoh would of likely mentioned the most on Ichi. Despite their meetings before Ichi was neither one to circle a topic nor was he one that missed subtle signs, like a politician he was prone to observe a person for any sign that there was issue and capitalize. Frankly in this instant it was mostly to his own detriment though, the smiling young man's face making it clear he was calm, yet rather unsure of the decision himself. It was why he had forced leadership structure to change with the Daimyo's decree to back him. His inclination for the mind was also on full display as Kizumi's only showing of emotion had been positive - he could just feel it though. Like a bloodhound for stress and concern Ichi could tell there was more here.

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]000 WORDS / @tags!!

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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SPOILER: Click to show

Ichi's SA's and Techniques in Use:[break][break]

『Harvest Moon's Child』
Ichi was born to the Nakahara clan on the night of a Harvest Moon. Born with quite the green thumb he was assumed to be an inheritor of the clan's natural talents with plants. The roots ran deeper, however, as Ichi was born with a Kekkai Genkai, being a rare natural occurance of Wood Release outside of the Senju. In learning of this he has trained his kekkai to the best of his abilities. He is no master, seeing as he has no reference of Mokuton, but he has found a way to bring out techniques along side his own talents in a cohesive manner.

[Cosmetic Only: All Mokuton techniques Ichi uses appear as his favorite trees, though it has no real change as is.]

[break][break]
『Weaver of Wood』
Ichi was born with Mokuton, but he was not graced with the same level of chakra as the Senju would be in his situation. Being roughly average for an individual, Ichi instead focused on the skills his birth clan preferred. Practicing his medical skills, he has gained a higher quality of Chakra Control. Ichi is much less likely to leak chakra than the average shinobi because of this.

[break][break]
『The Festival's Atmosphere』
Having practiced his skills with extending his senses outwards with the use of mokuton chakra, Ichi is particularly adept at sensing life in an area. Capable of finding life through the very nature around people. Within [20 meters] Ichi is capable of passively sensing out plant and animal life in a general sense. Able to differentiate it between plant and animal, but no further. Unlike chakra sensory Ichi can not more or less readily sense others based on their chakra, but instead purely senses the 'vitality' in things, though even those with seemingly boundless vitality will read the same as the elderly or a newborn to him. Also unlike usually sensory to actively search out individuals Ichi requires Mokuton, or the use of his pipe (though using it makes his position much easier to locate), as a catalyst to extend his senses, only going out as far as the technique's range, or twice his passive range in case of the pipe. It is also notable that the deceased, and those that feign death in some fashion, as through a poison or a jutsu, are completely invisible to Ichi. Notably the furthest he can extend his senses is [100 meters].[break][break]

『Master of Festival Games』

Ichi is incredibly smart for someone his age, but he lacks the qualifications to be a scholar. This is because his intelligence is not found in understanding of principles and anything so magnificiently deep. It instead lies in his observational talents and ability to react to everything that is going on around him with an absolute calm. Being able to plan and act with just minute details to go off of, Ichi is best described as a schemer and a diplomat rather than a genius. This makes him perfect for roles that are heavy in Tactical and Diplomatic Decision Making, as he grasps larger images and can put together clues better than others. Effectively allowing him to take in the wider picture of everything going on and piece together practical responses in mere moments with little to no hesitation or error.

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Gods, this kid was too fucking tall. Kizumi was used to most people having at least a few inches on her; she was below average for a kunoichi, especially in a village heavily populated by Fuijyama clan members, and was comfortable with needing to crane her head back to look people in the eye. She just wasn’t used to it from… well, anyone who wasn’t a Fuijyama, honestly. "We’re all friends here, Ichi,” Kizumi said warmly, glad to be on the same page. "Let’s talk like it, yeah?” She murmured a soft thank you as the sake and glasses were deposited; she poured generously for herself, slightly less so for Ichi. Not out of covetousness, but a respect for his professed lack of tolerance, and she followed up with a quiet request for a freshly brewed pot of tea. Ichi cut right to the chase, though; K hadn’t been kidding when she said he was perceptive. Kizumi sipped her sake, rolling the taste of it around in her mouth as she considered the question posed to her. She appreciated straightforwardness, and would always respond to it in kind. It was something she’d liked quite a bit about Kanoh, and she was glad to know that Ichi was of a similar mindset. "Honestly? I’m worried for you,” she said. She put her glass down and leaned forward, her elbow resting on the bar. "You’re nineteen, you’re a chuunin, and you’ve had a lot of responsibility dropped in your lap after not a lot of time working as Kanoh’s assistant. I’ve been a shinobi for longer than you’ve been alive and I was stressed to hell and back when they first gave me the hat. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now, but maybe you’re made of tougher stuff than me. You’ve definitely got a smarter head on your shoulders.” She sighed, long and heavy. "I’m just concerned that leadership in your nation might have seen an opportunity in putting a caring young man in a position of power, thinking that you would be easy to manipulate. I really hope that’s not the case. I just want to know that you’re well.” To anyone else, especially an experienced politician, her words might have been interpreted as their own bid for control—positioning herself as someone to trust, someone Ichi could rely on, and thus gaining some measure of control over a foreign village. But for better or worse, the thought had never even crossed Kizumi’s mind, and someone as perceptive as Ichi would know it. She was, with all sincerity, only concerned for his well-being.

Nakahara Ichī -- 433

LAIKA OF THQ

[Nakahara Ichī]

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Autumn

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]I will lead us to it. Definitely.

[attr="class","skullbody"]Ichi could not have expected a better response and it only went to his grin as he drank from his poured glass with an eager gusto. Kizumi was a sweetheart, one that could rip him limb from limb, certainly, but one he found profound respect in. Honesty had been part of what he had wanted when he came here and he was certainly receiving more then his fair share of it in the moment. For a normal nineteen year old what she said was true and it wasn't like the boy was that abnormal. He pursued his interests fervently like a burning candle, he smoked far more then he probably should of, and he always looked after his friends who often came off as more of a found family then his true relatives - not that he ever ignored or turned them away either. No, this was fully what he had wanted to pry into with asking what he did.
[break][break]

"Well spoken Kizumi," Ichi would state with a cheerful chuckle, that unnaturally calm composure taking over some, "I believe you misplace me a bit though, I couldn't be having more fun and vigor bore into me if I tried right now! Honestly, the position I hold has been unstable starting back from the Yondaime Kusa Lady. When I had freshly promoted to genin at the time I was just twelve, I took it as reason to simply do as much as I could to honor her gentle nature. As the years go that instability got worse and it became a determination of mine to help quell it though I failed to do much then. Doing so has never come with even the most minute amount of stress to me, no matter when or where, in only seven years I have managed to reach the position that so easily has been unraveled into a hellish landscape for my nation. I intend to close that line on the history books, though that is likely youthful aspiration speaking for me more then anything."
[break][break]

Waiting for Kizumi to finish her cup he would grab the bottle to pour, a far more traditional trained motion to pouring then one may expect came from the boy as he would top her glass and then his own again. Giving Kizumi space to respond to his statement before continuing on her second point with a bit of a blunter response, though one Kizumi likely would have also gotten from Kanoh, "On the subject of whether I am easily manipulated, or placed for that reason I do not foresee my Daimyo doing such a thing. He is a forward man with little need in the ways of deception towards his countrymen, and he rarely courts around those who philosophically disagree with him."[break][break]

Ichi would finish his skewer in another small bite and place the skewer in his left sleeve half placed inside of his tool bag strapped to his arm, "As for my own folly, I am afraid my stance will never be shaken on killing. I will not shed blood with my own hands, so in most cases I am lacking skills needed to be considered powerful, though I follow a very different path then most shinobi with my barriers and my focus towards politics instead of raw power. Perhaps that will be my end in the future, eh?"

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]000 WORDS / @tags!!

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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SPOILER: Click to show

Ichi's SA's and Techniques in Use:[break][break]

『Harvest Moon's Child』
Ichi was born to the Nakahara clan on the night of a Harvest Moon. Born with quite the green thumb he was assumed to be an inheritor of the clan's natural talents with plants. The roots ran deeper, however, as Ichi was born with a Kekkai Genkai, being a rare natural occurance of Wood Release outside of the Senju. In learning of this he has trained his kekkai to the best of his abilities. He is no master, seeing as he has no reference of Mokuton, but he has found a way to bring out techniques along side his own talents in a cohesive manner.

[Cosmetic Only: All Mokuton techniques Ichi uses appear as his favorite trees, though it has no real change as is.]

[break][break]
『Weaver of Wood』
Ichi was born with Mokuton, but he was not graced with the same level of chakra as the Senju would be in his situation. Being roughly average for an individual, Ichi instead focused on the skills his birth clan preferred. Practicing his medical skills, he has gained a higher quality of Chakra Control. Ichi is much less likely to leak chakra than the average shinobi because of this.

[break][break]
『The Festival's Atmosphere』
Having practiced his skills with extending his senses outwards with the use of mokuton chakra, Ichi is particularly adept at sensing life in an area. Capable of finding life through the very nature around people. Within [20 meters] Ichi is capable of passively sensing out plant and animal life in a general sense. Able to differentiate it between plant and animal, but no further. Unlike chakra sensory Ichi can not more or less readily sense others based on their chakra, but instead purely senses the 'vitality' in things, though even those with seemingly boundless vitality will read the same as the elderly or a newborn to him. Also unlike usually sensory to actively search out individuals Ichi requires Mokuton, or the use of his pipe (though using it makes his position much easier to locate), as a catalyst to extend his senses, only going out as far as the technique's range, or twice his passive range in case of the pipe. It is also notable that the deceased, and those that feign death in some fashion, as through a poison or a jutsu, are completely invisible to Ichi. Notably the furthest he can extend his senses is [100 meters].[break][break]

『Master of Festival Games』

Ichi is incredibly smart for someone his age, but he lacks the qualifications to be a scholar. This is because his intelligence is not found in understanding of principles and anything so magnificiently deep. It instead lies in his observational talents and ability to react to everything that is going on around him with an absolute calm. Being able to plan and act with just minute details to go off of, Ichi is best described as a schemer and a diplomat rather than a genius. This makes him perfect for roles that are heavy in Tactical and Diplomatic Decision Making, as he grasps larger images and can put together clues better than others. Effectively allowing him to take in the wider picture of everything going on and piece together practical responses in mere moments with little to no hesitation or error.

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Fun and vigor. Ah, youth. Kizumi felt like she had aged ten years in a single moment. "I’m glad to hear it,” she said, charmed by his enthusiasm despite herself. As someone who had never yearned for the hat, being suddenly thrust into the office had been an overwhelming learning curve for her, one that she was still adjusting to: Ichi’s earnest ambition was likely making this something of an easier process. "You’re a lot more patient than me. I’ll need to borrow some of that energy down the line.” She downed her cup, and gracefully accepted a refill. To Ichi’s assertion that his Daimyo was unlikely to indulge in manipulative games, Kizumi only inclined her head; Kanoh was close with the man, and had similar praise. A bitter taste rose in the back of her mouth at the thought of her own Daimyo; but she pushed it away. Different problems for a different time. "I’ve never been good at pacifism,” Kizumi said, rubbing the rim of her cup with a fingertip, "but I respect it. All the more reason to surround yourself with trustworthy allies, though—lives you refuse to take yourself might just need to be taken by someone else, depending on the circumstances. I’m trying to avoid as much bloodshed as possible myself. ‘s why I arranged the exams the way they are.” She gestured vaguely to the space around her: the dingy bar, the dim lighting. "We lost too many to the Plague, and I don’t want to see more people dead for bloodsport, or a pointless war.” The elephant in the room: war. Some days it felt more inevitable than others. In the lead-up to the exams, she could almost pretend that it would never come at all, that she could stave it off inevitably if only she tried hard enough. "I hope you know,” Kizumi said—hesitantly, as if she might be rejected—”that you can count myself amongst your trustworthy allies, and Kumo among Kusa’s. What K and I were working on, I want to continue that work with you.”

Nakahara Ichī -- 344

LAIKA OF THQ

[Nakahara Ichī]

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Autumn

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]I will lead us to it. Definitely.

[attr="class","skullbody"]Ichi could only nod in agreement to her sentiment as he breathed out a deep relaxing breath that felt hot from the warmth of the liquor now in his body. He was not that far from sober et, but it would certainly continue if he continued at such an aggressive rate for his own. Pouring a glass of warm tea as the pot was served he would turn to nursing that for a moment so he could stay in this more pleasantly unsober, yet conscientious state of mind. His mind processing the words of his senior with a great deal of respect and mulling over an answer before he grinned. Her hesitation was that of someone much younger then herself and for once he did truly feel he was speaking to his equal even if only on an emotional wavelength.
[break][break]

Looking over his smile would only soften as he nodded, "If others wish to bloody their hands that is their free choice in battle, but I strive to keep the blood shed from being my own kin and nothing else. If that means death comes for another, that is one thing, but I do not believe that one who acts as a shield and coordinator need also be a sword and banner," He would state pointing to himself and then her as he crossed to the word sword as if pointing to their differences being night and day in terms of what they had focused on. It was not necessarily wrong either in any case, "Though I fully agree on needless bloodshed. Kusagakure is not exactly a respected village given our more recent escapades and I don't blame many nations for not being able to show any face given that. I do sit on a very broken foundation I am just barely getting to fix itself. That means I have a lot of decisions to make with my land's Lord to see where we go from here."
[break][break]

Ichi would take a sip as he continued his chipper demeanor, "I will always appreciate that sentiment even if it does change at one point Kizumi, thank you. I hope that Kusa and Kumo can always remain within each others good graces regardless of anything and everything. As to what you were working on with Lady Kanoh, I was not fully aware of what you to were working on, though I am fully on board with listening to the details of the matter and likely continuing the projects with you." Ichi would state his wording deliberate and more obviously so then what was maybe necessary for the young man. He however did not want to hide much from Kizumi when she was already doing quite a lot for the young man. Everyone had their limits.

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]000 WORDS / @tags!!

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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SPOILER: Click to show

Ichi's SA's and Techniques in Use:[break][break]

『Harvest Moon's Child』
Ichi was born to the Nakahara clan on the night of a Harvest Moon. Born with quite the green thumb he was assumed to be an inheritor of the clan's natural talents with plants. The roots ran deeper, however, as Ichi was born with a Kekkai Genkai, being a rare natural occurance of Wood Release outside of the Senju. In learning of this he has trained his kekkai to the best of his abilities. He is no master, seeing as he has no reference of Mokuton, but he has found a way to bring out techniques along side his own talents in a cohesive manner.

[Cosmetic Only: All Mokuton techniques Ichi uses appear as his favorite trees, though it has no real change as is.]

[break][break]
『Weaver of Wood』
Ichi was born with Mokuton, but he was not graced with the same level of chakra as the Senju would be in his situation. Being roughly average for an individual, Ichi instead focused on the skills his birth clan preferred. Practicing his medical skills, he has gained a higher quality of Chakra Control. Ichi is much less likely to leak chakra than the average shinobi because of this.

[break][break]
『The Festival's Atmosphere』
Having practiced his skills with extending his senses outwards with the use of mokuton chakra, Ichi is particularly adept at sensing life in an area. Capable of finding life through the very nature around people. Within [20 meters] Ichi is capable of passively sensing out plant and animal life in a general sense. Able to differentiate it between plant and animal, but no further. Unlike chakra sensory Ichi can not more or less readily sense others based on their chakra, but instead purely senses the 'vitality' in things, though even those with seemingly boundless vitality will read the same as the elderly or a newborn to him. Also unlike usually sensory to actively search out individuals Ichi requires Mokuton, or the use of his pipe (though using it makes his position much easier to locate), as a catalyst to extend his senses, only going out as far as the technique's range, or twice his passive range in case of the pipe. It is also notable that the deceased, and those that feign death in some fashion, as through a poison or a jutsu, are completely invisible to Ichi. Notably the furthest he can extend his senses is [100 meters].[break][break]

『Master of Festival Games』

Ichi is incredibly smart for someone his age, but he lacks the qualifications to be a scholar. This is because his intelligence is not found in understanding of principles and anything so magnificiently deep. It instead lies in his observational talents and ability to react to everything that is going on around him with an absolute calm. Being able to plan and act with just minute details to go off of, Ichi is best described as a schemer and a diplomat rather than a genius. This makes him perfect for roles that are heavy in Tactical and Diplomatic Decision Making, as he grasps larger images and can put together clues better than others. Effectively allowing him to take in the wider picture of everything going on and piece together practical responses in mere moments with little to no hesitation or error.

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

The difference between them was stark, as Ichi so cleanly illustrated: he was the shield and coordinator, while Kizumi was the sword and banner. This had always been her role, and while she did more admin work now than she ever did while on Chuya’s ops team, her understanding of who and what she was to Kumogakure’s shinobi forces had not changed. His talk of a broken foundation rang true: the Kumogakure Kizumi had inherited was a Kumogakure on baby deer legs, on the better side of the Plague but still far from recovered from the damage it had wrought, and with no one to blame for their suffering. A vastly different experience from Ichi’s, she was sure, but the broad strokes were there. She considered his words for a moment, turning them over in her mind: she had never been an especially academically or politically gifted woman, which only made her current position all the more surprising, but she did her best with what she was given, and she appreciated how direct Ichi was being, even if it was couched in niceties. "I understand,” Kizumi began gently, carefully, "that sometimes unpleasant choices need to be made for the greater good. As long as we’re aligned towards the goal of avoiding needless bloodshed, our nations will continue to work well together.” She laid out the plan for the Nohara-Kaminari trade route, which had been making good progress: the route had been secured on both the Nohara no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni ends, with the final step to secure the pathways through Frost and Hot Springs Countries underway. A young shinobi exchange program, efforts towards shoring up border defenses, her own work in striving towards universal neutrality in an effort to stave off the shadow of war: she shared everything that she and Kanoh had discussed, trying to get Ichi up to speed.

Nakahara Ichī -- 313

LAIKA OF THQ

[Nakahara Ichī]

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]
Autumn

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]I will lead us to it. Definitely.

[attr="class","skullbody"]Ichi was pleased with the plans as they were made, Kanoh had done a wonderful job as she always had. Sipping on the last of his drink he set it down and relaxed into the comfortable buzzing of his mind. He was used to this state of being afterall, one could only stay so comfortable in a state of insobriety for so long before they became more aware of what they were doing after all. It was an easy beat to fall into and live within when you learned it after all. A man and woman who sold their sobriety to higher forms of life unhealthy as they could be on the body be damned.
[break][break]

"It sounds wonderful honestly. I think that would be a nice knot to a much closer relation then just that of military allies. I believe expediency is a large factor to why my own Daimyo has never quite approved of a closer relation, but I think this is a larger show of faith on the matter and it is not like this would go unmonitored in its entirety," Ichi would say with a nod to his head. Refilling his glass again. A comfortable silence setting as Ichi searched his own mind for a non-business topic to carry to, after all their actual diplomacy was basically handled. A look of concentration taking his face as the giant leaned back like a palm tree swung back by the wind, spindly and almost exagerated motion from the stickbug of a leader. Perhaps he could actually ask for advice on the matter? Perhaps that was a harder question to answer. It was rare he talked to someone his senior, yet his equal in some aspects. Perhaps though, a show of face past his country would be good though. This was, after all, partially a social visit - Kanoh would have likely kicked him if he was so formal the entire time they were here, not to mention many of the other leaders he had known.
[break][break]

"How far?" Ichi asked out of the blue again once his glass was downed again. It was a vague question overall but one he needed answered, "How far should one be willing to go? No, more apt - how far are you willing to go? I hope my meaning isn't lost, but as much as I love jovial conversation and partaking in diplomacy. This is a more personal question I feel need to ask. Not just of you but perhaps all leaders I find myself to be in touch with. I believe there is a limit to words, and actions can be just as shallow despite their weight. Perhaps the alcohol is getting to me, eh?" Ichi would chuckle as he sighed, his face relaxing to a more neutral look as his silver eyes very openly interogated Kizumi's reaction. There was a line drawn, a dangerous one if Kizumi had paid much attention to the words of the young man sitting next to her, and he had asked where she sat.[break][break]

Ichi for a moment looked far older than his age would usually allow, an age that matched his natural maturity and position rather then the jovial young man. Sharp eyes broke through the delighting buzz and for once he looked resolute, but unsure - hypocrisy maring the calm that never broke for the storm.

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]000 WORDS / @tags!!

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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SPOILER: Click to show

Ichi's SA's and Techniques in Use:[break][break]

『Harvest Moon's Child』
Ichi was born to the Nakahara clan on the night of a Harvest Moon. Born with quite the green thumb he was assumed to be an inheritor of the clan's natural talents with plants. The roots ran deeper, however, as Ichi was born with a Kekkai Genkai, being a rare natural occurance of Wood Release outside of the Senju. In learning of this he has trained his kekkai to the best of his abilities. He is no master, seeing as he has no reference of Mokuton, but he has found a way to bring out techniques along side his own talents in a cohesive manner.

[Cosmetic Only: All Mokuton techniques Ichi uses appear as his favorite trees, though it has no real change as is.]

[break][break]
『Weaver of Wood』
Ichi was born with Mokuton, but he was not graced with the same level of chakra as the Senju would be in his situation. Being roughly average for an individual, Ichi instead focused on the skills his birth clan preferred. Practicing his medical skills, he has gained a higher quality of Chakra Control. Ichi is much less likely to leak chakra than the average shinobi because of this.

[break][break]
『The Festival's Atmosphere』
Having practiced his skills with extending his senses outwards with the use of mokuton chakra, Ichi is particularly adept at sensing life in an area. Capable of finding life through the very nature around people. Within [20 meters] Ichi is capable of passively sensing out plant and animal life in a general sense. Able to differentiate it between plant and animal, but no further. Unlike chakra sensory Ichi can not more or less readily sense others based on their chakra, but instead purely senses the 'vitality' in things, though even those with seemingly boundless vitality will read the same as the elderly or a newborn to him. Also unlike usually sensory to actively search out individuals Ichi requires Mokuton, or the use of his pipe (though using it makes his position much easier to locate), as a catalyst to extend his senses, only going out as far as the technique's range, or twice his passive range in case of the pipe. It is also notable that the deceased, and those that feign death in some fashion, as through a poison or a jutsu, are completely invisible to Ichi. Notably the furthest he can extend his senses is [100 meters].[break][break]

『Master of Festival Games』

Ichi is incredibly smart for someone his age, but he lacks the qualifications to be a scholar. This is because his intelligence is not found in understanding of principles and anything so magnificiently deep. It instead lies in his observational talents and ability to react to everything that is going on around him with an absolute calm. Being able to plan and act with just minute details to go off of, Ichi is best described as a schemer and a diplomat rather than a genius. This makes him perfect for roles that are heavy in Tactical and Diplomatic Decision Making, as he grasps larger images and can put together clues better than others. Effectively allowing him to take in the wider picture of everything going on and piece together practical responses in mere moments with little to no hesitation or error.

[hirana kizumi]

And just like that, the diplomacy was done. Ichi was such a reasonable young man—Kizumi could only hope that all her discussions going forward would be as smooth and effortless to work through, a true exercise in collaboration. It took far more liquor than what she’d already drank for Kizumi to get drunk, a practice she was well-versed in, but she was comfortable now, her mind clearing in the way it only did after she was a few shots into her day. But Ichi’s expression grew pensive—just the barest glimpse of uncertainty that shone through. He was relaxed still, good-natured, but Kizumi felt for the briefest moment that she was perhaps seeing what few ever had the opportunity to: a young leader choosing to engage in a moment of vulnerability. The question he posed was a difficult one. Kizumi leaned her elbow on the bar, a finger lightly circling the rim of her glass as she considered her answer. "If you’d asked me two years ago I would’ve had a much easier time answering,” she said. "Death before dishonor. I would’ve walked right into my own end before I let a mission fail, and to some degree I think I expected others to do the same. Or I thought less of them if they weren’t willing to, or more of myself because I was willing to. Now I’m not so sure. "I have four little niblings. Two of them are genin now, and the other two are still academy students, and when Katsuo lost his arm in the exams in Kuwana I thought about discharging all of them immediately, because I was afraid, and because for the first time I could. Because I’m responsible for what happens to them, and if Katsuo lost his arm that’s because I didn’t give him the tools and training he needed to keep himself safe. "But it’s not just the kids. I’m responsible for every single shinobi in Kumogakure, every mission scroll that goes through my tower, every death at the edge of a blade. Every civilian robbed by a bandit or killed by a nuke-nin is supposed to be under my protection. And then it goes deeper—if there are bandits in Kaminari no Kuni, is that because the country has failed them? What if they didn’t have what they needed to survive, so they took it where they could? How many nuke-nin are displaced, falsely accused, genuinely justified in their actions? Shouldn’t they be under my care as well? "So how do you reconcile the necessary violence? I can say I’m willing to defend my country—but am I okay with my boys dying to pay that cost? I can say that I’m dedicated to protecting my people, enabling them to live free and happy lives, but how many have to die to make that happen? I treasure our alliances, but am I willing to sacrifice our own security to defend another? Can I let my sister die in a foreign country in a war that isn’t hers to fight? How many teenagers have to spill their lifeblood in the effort to reach these imaginary goalposts?” For all that she was talking, Kizumi was curiously dispassionate—as if this was a monologue that had been rehearsed in the annals of her mind, ad nauseum, since the day she was given the hat. She looked into the amber liquid of her glass as if it would give her answers. "I take it a day at a time,” she said. "A choice at a time. If there’s a price to pay, I try to make sure that I’m the one paying it—and if someone shatters because of my orders, I need to be there to pick up the pieces. I try to maximize positive impact while minimizing negative consequences, and if sometimes that means I need to go tell a mother that her fourteen year old boy is dead because I sent him on a mission that killed him, then I drink a little extra to help me sleep at night.”

Nakahara Ichī -- 691

LAIKA OF THQ

[Nakahara Ichī]

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]
Autumn

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]I will lead us to it. Definitely.

[attr="class","skullbody"]Bitter was a flavor of life that Ichi didn't particularly care for, despite his familiarity. Listening to Kizumi let him know that he was not alone in the endless march of questioning. The thoughts of one leader a mirror of his own in many ways, though perhaps naively he did disagree with her on some things. Perhaps it was cultural, perhaps it was philosophical. The world was too inter-dependant on everything working for any to truly be above another, the relativity of importance. Ichi didn't need to ask himself if his people would march to help save the skin on anyone who would do the same for them - it was never a question that needed asking. Nohara was a proud folk that would march from any able-bodied farmer to the trained soldiers of the Daimyo's army, it was just that sort of culture. To the last man, in unity before life and death everyone had to stand one day. Nohara would face it all headlong, their pride would stand long past their nation's existance - that Ichi was assured of as sure as he inhaled air to breath.
[break][break]

"I think a lot of that is naturally the best answer to have as a leader. Knowing what you are willing to do, and how you will respond in a bad situation... that's natural. I think that statement alone says volumes about who you are Lady Kizumi. Speaking formally that question was as much for me as it was a testing question - I am young, yes, but I can also usually tell when someone is being genuine and your voice speaks of anxiety about all of that. Anxiety that is controlled and measured, though perhaps the drinking could use a bit of a break, I am probably close to my limit and your face still reads as rather sober," Ichi would state as he set his glass down and set the skewer that he had finished across it, signifying he was done drinking. Instead pulling out his pipe and packing it in what looked like a single practiced motion of his hands before lighting the bowl. His face had relaxed back into that eerily calm cheer.
[break][break]

"Many of my active shinobi currently are genin my age or younger. I think a lot about that when the weight of leadership feels pressed on my shoulders and I do have the council being put together to assist me where I would otherwise fail, but I think I am very much of the same mind in terms of what you said. I take death before dishonor to be your nindo, or it was at least? My own creed I believe led me so far in a direction similar to what you said, though with different intention. I will lead everyone to autumn - the season of harvest and celebration, when the world is its brightest and the people know that we have fought back the tragedy of another winter. I was willing to die a martyr for a long extent of my youth, but that sort of reckless uncaring approach to progress is wrong," Ichi would pause as he fully turned over towards Kizumi and looked at the woman nearly two decades his senior in life and certainly in the line of duty.[break][break]

"To lead I need myself to live, and I need the greater whole of people to survive as well. That includes your people, those of Kaze no Kuni, Hi no Kuni, and even those that live within our enemies land. All the same I can only promise peace or an attempt at mutual destruction. For your nation I would never need to ask if we would go to battle for your safety, that is how Nohara is as a nation, not just for me as an individual. We protect our own, distant or not the nation is too small for anything else to be applicable for us. So if the time comes we need your help I hope you can do the same, but I do fully understand if you do not commit to what is surely to end with thousands of graves."[break][break]

Ichi would take an incredibly long drag off of his pipe, the embers in the bowl glowing with a near full flame from the deep inhilation Ichi was performing. Listening to Kizumi's reply to his statement as the conversation fell to a sway of idle chatter. Advice given, thoughts and opinions on matters, stories from the past, a bond ignorant of age and time formed over a shared burden. A bond that was furthered in trade and the capital resource that made the world turn. Grass and cloud united not as a community of military bodies, but as people.

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]000 WORDS / @tags!!

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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SPOILER: Click to show

Ichi's SA's and Techniques in Use:[break][break]

『Harvest Moon's Child』
Ichi was born to the Nakahara clan on the night of a Harvest Moon. Born with quite the green thumb he was assumed to be an inheritor of the clan's natural talents with plants. The roots ran deeper, however, as Ichi was born with a Kekkai Genkai, being a rare natural occurance of Wood Release outside of the Senju. In learning of this he has trained his kekkai to the best of his abilities. He is no master, seeing as he has no reference of Mokuton, but he has found a way to bring out techniques along side his own talents in a cohesive manner.

[Cosmetic Only: All Mokuton techniques Ichi uses appear as his favorite trees, though it has no real change as is.]

[break][break]
『Weaver of Wood』
Ichi was born with Mokuton, but he was not graced with the same level of chakra as the Senju would be in his situation. Being roughly average for an individual, Ichi instead focused on the skills his birth clan preferred. Practicing his medical skills, he has gained a higher quality of Chakra Control. Ichi is much less likely to leak chakra than the average shinobi because of this.

[break][break]
『The Festival's Atmosphere』
Having practiced his skills with extending his senses outwards with the use of mokuton chakra, Ichi is particularly adept at sensing life in an area. Capable of finding life through the very nature around people. Within [20 meters] Ichi is capable of passively sensing out plant and animal life in a general sense. Able to differentiate it between plant and animal, but no further. Unlike chakra sensory Ichi can not more or less readily sense others based on their chakra, but instead purely senses the 'vitality' in things, though even those with seemingly boundless vitality will read the same as the elderly or a newborn to him. Also unlike usually sensory to actively search out individuals Ichi requires Mokuton, or the use of his pipe (though using it makes his position much easier to locate), as a catalyst to extend his senses, only going out as far as the technique's range, or twice his passive range in case of the pipe. It is also notable that the deceased, and those that feign death in some fashion, as through a poison or a jutsu, are completely invisible to Ichi. Notably the furthest he can extend his senses is [100 meters].[break][break]

『Master of Festival Games』

Ichi is incredibly smart for someone his age, but he lacks the qualifications to be a scholar. This is because his intelligence is not found in understanding of principles and anything so magnificiently deep. It instead lies in his observational talents and ability to react to everything that is going on around him with an absolute calm. Being able to plan and act with just minute details to go off of, Ichi is best described as a schemer and a diplomat rather than a genius. This makes him perfect for roles that are heavy in Tactical and Diplomatic Decision Making, as he grasps larger images and can put together clues better than others. Effectively allowing him to take in the wider picture of everything going on and piece together practical responses in mere moments with little to no hesitation or error.

[hirana kizumi]

Ichi was a perceptive young man—too perceptive. Asking for his own benefit, testing her character; observing the line drop further and further down her bottle. She waved off his gentle admonishment of her drinking with a snort and a dismissive wave of her hand. She was sober, or close enough to it, her mind clear now that she’d drank through enough to rid herself of the hangover. Kizumi felt an odd kinship with him. I was willing to die a martyr. Wasn’t that what she’d been working towards all this time? She’d always thought she’d meet her end at the edge of a blade, was happy to see her own demise come, but as the years waned on and the robe of responsibility grew more comfortable on her shoulders she found herself wondering who would take her place if she passed. Who would take up the mantle? Had she trained her forces well enough to ensure ongoing loyalty to their allies? Was Kumogakure as unified a front as she needed it to be? Who would lead if she died? "If the time comes, we’ll stand with you,” she said, "though I hope the time never comes.” The conversation waxed and waned, a comfortable companionship growing between the pair; a sign of the growth of an allegiance, cemented through smoke, good liquor, and better conversation. [fin.]

Nakahara Ichī -- 231

LAIKA OF THQ