[Senju Kazuto]

"Hmmmm?" Kazuto would look at the young Uchiha, an eyebrow raising after her words struck him, trying to comprehend the meaning behind the words. The Senju had always striven to treat his apprentice with respect, yes he could be stern and scold her, but he would never do so in public in order to humiliate her, he would try to give her the best advice that his experience and wisdom could grant. "Why would I be less than kind to you?" He asked in a confused tone before tossing the empty wrapper of the pastry to a garbage bin, the crumpled ball sliding on the rim before it would fall to the bottom of the bin with the whisper of a thud. "Kindness is not a weakness." Kazuto replied softly to his student, remarking unto the words as he tried to achieve eye contact with the girl. He wasn't sure of her background about her parents, he had known that the girls father had been much more stern than him, perhaps harshly so. "Being a shinobi is not an easy thing I know, you might be asked to kill someone. But we're people first and foremost. Our bonds, our friends, the people we love that is what makes us, that is what we fight for." That is what he thought at the very least, and that is what he had wanted to taught her, for her to understand. Power was all well and good, but without a purpose and without a sense of justice then it was just tyranny. "So... you don't need to be afraid of being kind." He told her with a smile. He looked down as he would tuck away the bag with the powered herbs inside one of the pockets of his cloak. He looked at the girl again with a slight grin twisting his features as he hoped that the answer would be sufficient to her. Chuckling to himself he would speak once more. "But, no. I don't feel like dipping my toes. This is better served for you and Miho." He would tell the girl.

-tag- Lady Kazui -words- 361 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Kazui could see the confusion in Kazuto’s expression. From the tone of his hum, to the rising of his brow, the girl could tell that he was trying to wrap his mind around what the girl exactly meant when she told him about his kindness to her. "I don’t know.” She mumbled softly as she looked down at the bucket of water. She didn’t expect anything less from Kazuto, but that was her problem. The girl felt a bit of frustration, but would ultimately allow it to simmer down as she relaxed.

Listening on, Kazui would hear the Senju explain why kindness was not to be taken as a weakness, even more so as shinobi. And even though everything that he was saying made perfect sense and was definitely something that the girl could learn from, she would simply offer a faint smile as she breathed a quick, soft chuckle. Slightly shaking her head from side to side, dark eyes would look back towards Kazuto’s. He had so much wisdom on the spirit and life of a shinobi, but Kazui’s problem ran deeper than that, before she even considered joining the ninja academy. "You’re right, but…” The girl would start. Unfortunately she couldn’t find the words she wanted to say, and so she decided to simply just not finish what she was saying, her eyes drifting back towards the floor. However, It wasn’t that she was afraid of kindness, but more so that she was used to the lack of kindness throughout her childhood, especially whenever she fucked up on something.

Growing up, she was often ridiculed and scolded when she didn’t meet the expectations of her father, who was more or less a perfectionist. But the man did not understand that there was no such thing as perfection. Yet, still he held his children to those standards, and while one of them met his goals, the other was incapable of doing so. The good was often overlooked, and the bad was almost always on the forefront. It’s why the attention and praise she receives from Kazuto is taken to heart. The point is, Kazui was still trying to wrap her mind around Kazuto as a person, and how he was so different from her own father.

Nevertheless, Kazui would offer the man to join in the relaxation but of course he refused, as she expected. A smile would grow on her lips as she listened to his answer. "Ugh, you’re always like this. Oh well then … your loss.” The girl would say jokingly to him as she rested her eyes for a moment.

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[Senju Kazuto]

"But?" He asked softly before noting that she would not press with the issue any further. He couldn't say that he was surprised, there were things of herself that she would hid from him, almost as if she were embarrassed by them. He couldn't say that was completely accepting of that, after all he had always accepting with her and even if he had his second doubts about how she acted, he did his best to remain open minded and accept her decision. For now he decided not to pursue his questioning any longer, feeling that she would speak to him when she felt herself be ready to open her own fears and insecurities to him. When she would tease him about being like that, he would just chuckle at her reaction, finding it rather humorous that for such a girl that each and every day seemed older and more mature and that had demanded to be treated as a grown up, that she would be willing to pout and almost act like a little girl. "What do you mean?" He said as he looked at her, expecting an answer from his apprentice. "I just don't mind sharing, that is all." He explained quietly before he would shrug. "Specially with people I care about." The Senju would explain. "Besides I don't think you'd like to see my feet." The Jounin joked as he looked at his student. He imagine he could spare the girl from looking as tired feed that had been far too long from wrapped on cloth to avoid frostbite. He had just taken them once off a couple of times, be it the few times that he had being out, watching the exams themselves or simply walking around the village to pass boredom as he awaited for the exams to finish, in fact there was little precious things to do around here and he had exhausted all of them, or he thought.

-tag- Lady Kazui -words- 335 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

She could tell that he knew there was more meaning behind her words, meaning that she was keeping to herself instead of just simply telling him. That was a part of who she was, and it wasn’t because she didn’t trust him as it usually tended to be with others, but it was more so because of the fact that she didn’t want to bring the mood down. Kazuto seemed to be in a rather good mood, so she didn’t want to take the chance of ruining that by reminding him of her past. To her that seemed selfish, and as a result, Kazui would simply just allow the topic to wither away into silence. However, as the Senju kept an eye on her, she could tell that he knew everything wasn’t as easy as that. Neither of them would press the issue any further, and Kazui was sort of happy about that.

Moving on, the girl would joke and poke fun at Kazuto as he declined her offer to relax. He was a decorated jonin; a busy shinobi, having to deal with paperwork, the hokage, and even Kazui herself. She never seemed to really give the man a break, she wanted to be just like him which is why she always trained with him, and whether he realized that or not was unsure to her. In addition to dealing with Kazui, he also had to deal with his cousin, Himawari, and his soon to be wife, Miho. So it just made sense that he should be relaxing during this time as well, even more so than Kazui.

"I mean, you’re always putting me and Miho before yourself.” The girl would say, gently shrugging her shoulders before continuing. "It’s nice and all, but you need to relax as well, but I know that cramps your style.” She teased the man even further, softly chuckling behind her own words. In all seriousness, it showed that Kazui cared about Kazuto just as much as he cared for her.

The girl’s smoke returned as Kazuto went as far to joke about himself. Kazui would simply shrug her shoulders as a smile curled softly around her lips. "That doesn’t matter.” She explained softly, shifting her weight and leaning back slightly as her weight was being held up by her outstretched arms. What mattered to her was making sure Kazuto wasn’t overworking himself while trying to make sure everyone else was happy and well rested.

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[Senju Kazuto]

"I thank you for your concern." He said responded to her, holding his smile for the young Uchiha. He appreciated the girl's concern, her thoughts about his well being. But he supposed that the way he acted was ingrained unto him. All Senju loved the village, saw the people around it as family and fought to protect the things they cherished. Even himself that had grown away from the influence of the clan elders believed in this key tenant, even if his more reserve nature didn't always allow him to express it in the most outward of ways, but only for the people that he cared the most about, his apprentice, his cousin, his wife to be, his grandmother and his close group of friends. "But, seeing you content and happy, that brings me enough joy." He remarked as he would shrug and then rub his shoulders, easing whatever tension had being building upon his shoulders. He understood her concerns however, he didn't imagine that Kazui knew that he actually took his time off, that he had leisure to pursuit that were apart from his life as a shinobi. In that regard he was a man just like any other, finding solace in fishing and wood carving. He managed a smile as his hand went about his kunai and from his pocket he produced a half-sculpted piece of wood that fitted snugly in his hand. "Don't look so surprise." He voiced as he continued carving, slicing through the small block as he tried to made smooth surfaces as flakes of wood began to slowly descent and rest on his feet. "I have hobbies as well... But I think this might be a little bit too boring for your taste." He said as he continued, bracing his hand against the half-carved block and slowly guiding the kunai as he cut away the slight imperfections. "But this is relaxing to me." He added.

-tag- Lady Kazui -words- 331 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

"Meh.” The girl would mumble softly as she shrugged her shoulders dismissively at the man. It wasn’t a big deal, so there was no real reason to thank her, like himself, Kazui also had people she cared about and he was surely one of them, so her thoughts and concerns for those she loved didn’t need much gratitude for it was just how she was.

The Senju then went on to add that seeing Kazui happy and relaxed brings him enough joy. She didn’t see exactly how, for the most part the girl understood that she could be a pain in the ass more often than not. Dealing with her and everything that came with her was not for the faint of heart, the girl was still a work in progress, walking her own road trying to find the answers she seeks in life. Of course she would have flaws, that’s what made her human, but it wasn’t Kazuto’s obligation to handle these things. Nevertheless, he stood by Kazui and treated her the same as her actual brother used to treat her, from what she could remember of course.

Jokingly scoffing beneath a smile, Kazui’s eyes would begin to roam towards the ceiling. "You sound like my Obaasan.” She voiced softly, playfully poking fun at the man. But it was true, the last time the girl heard anything similar to what Kazuto said it came from her grandmother, the last time Kazui had seen her alive. Even in her final days she put Kazui first - yet the girl still has trouble seeing just how loved she is. Well it’s less that, and more so everything she loves seems to perish before she even has the chance to say goodbye.

Nevertheless, a gentle yawn would escape the girl’s breath as she watched Kazuto pull out a block of wood and a kunai before he began carving his artwork into it. The girl watched on with glee in her eyes, despite the fact that she was tired. The Senju would go on to explain that he too had hobbies, despite that fact that he worked so hard he still had time to dedicate to certain activities that he enjoyed doing, and honestly Kazui wasn’t really surprised that he had a hobby, she was more so interested in the art the man would put into the block of wood. "Ooh, can you carve my face into it? Like the hokage monument?” She asked joyfully before changing her mind. "Hmm nevermind, I want to try it myself. Can I?” The girl asked.

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[Senju Kazuto]

"Well I've been told I sound like an old man sometimes..." Kazuto replied as he heard her words, chuckling as he sliced more wood flakes from the block that had begun to take a rough humanoid shape. "Your friend Issei seems fond on remarking that trait... Though I prefer to think I simply prefer the more simple delights of life." He said as he continued to work. He supposed there was a little bit of merit to the words that he was rather dull and austere with his own interests and hobbies that he could see others considering him as someone that was old in mind despite his youth. But he guessed that everyone was different like that. However when the girl would ask him to first to carve her likeness into the figure only to recant and ask him if she would do it herself, the Senju would look at her at first, blinking as he had wanted to be sure that he had heard correctly before smiling briefly, handing her the half-carved statue and with a flick of the kunai at his hand, offering the handle to the young Uchiha so she could begin slowly carving the piece. Bringing his hands forward he would crack his knuckles before he would speka to his apprentice. "Now, slowly guide the blade, don't press too hard." He would begin advising, speaking from experience and the many trials and errors that he had taken in order to at the very least be proficient with wood carving, then again when he could produce nigh unlimited quantities of wood, failure seemed to have very little consequence. "Brace your hands and hold the statue, guide the edge, don't force it." He counseled to the girl and would lean back and allow her to start, watching her progress slowly. "Kazui..." He would murmur the name of his beloved apprentice, thinking that it was perhaps a good moment to speak some of the suspicions that he had. "I know you keep your secrets." He said, looking at the girl. "You're entitled to have your secrets and that doesn't bother me." He added, after all, Kazuto had secrets of his own that due rank or occupation in the village, he could not tell the girl. It was true of shinobi. "If it is because I'm Senju that you don't wish to tell me, I understand and I can respect that. But... if you do want to talk about what troubles you, know that I won't be the one to judge you."

-tag- Lady Kazui -words- 433 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

"Heh.” The girl chuckled softly at Kazuto. She wasn’t one to poke fun at her own mentor vet often, but she did have to admit he sounds like an old man when he speaks. Not so much as his voice, but the message he portrays and the tone that he delivers it. It gets his point across every time, and more often than not people listen. He seems wise well beyond his years, which is more or less the reason most would call him ‘old’. However, the mention of Issei’s name would cause the girl to smile even more. Issei calling Kazuto an old man, who would have ever thought.

As the conversation shifted, Kazui would ask for her face to be carved into the wooden block before asking to try it herself. From the way his green eyes rested upon her, the girl could tell Kazuto was surprised, but what else did he expect? "What?” She would ask the Senju. She liked to try different activities every now and then, so he shouldn’t have been too surprised. Reaching out and grabbing the block of wood, as well as the kunai, Kazui would begin to follow Kazuto’s instructions.

Slowly guide the blade - And that is what she did. Taking a deep breath the girl would begin to dig the kunai into the wooden block, her mind was clear and her body was absent of any nervousness that could have caused her to mess up. The girl had a way with a blade, but still her carving wasn’t as clean and accurate as Kazuto’s own work. Nevertheless, the girl continued on, her mind drifting and fading as focus completed shifted to the carving. She was in the zone, and more or less took a liking of the work she was doing. That was until Kazuto spoke her name.

"Hmm?” Without looking up from the wooden block, the girl replied, humming softly as her attention remained at the task at hand. The man would go on to speak to her about "secrets”, more so the secrets she normally tends to keep to herself. Kazui’s head remained looking at her hands as her hands came to a halt. The blade resting gently in her hands as she thought over the words he said. She knew she was allowed to keep things to herself, but it wasn’t something that she did just because. Her feelings were usually locked off, and despite the fact that she often showed her true emotions around Kazuto, there were something’s about her life that she felt the man just wouldn’t understand. Nonetheless, Kazui wouldn’t respond to the words. Instead, she would simply continue on with her carving.

After a few minutes had passed, the girl would look up and hand the wooden block back to Kazuto, as well as the kunai. "There.” The girl would say as she did so. The block was carved into neatly, the lines were smooth and crisp. The carving was good, but unfortunately Kazui wasn’t much of an artist. So if Kazuto looked at her work, he would see a pair of well carved stick figures. One representing the girl herself, the other representing Kazuto.

Sighing gently beneath her breath, the girl would look off to the side as she spoke. "I don’t hide secrets, and it’s not because you’re a Senju.” Kazui voiced softly. "I just don’t want to bother everyone with my problems.” She added on, still looking off towards the wall, trying to avoid eye contact with Kazuto.

"I can handle them myself.”

That’s what she believed. Although, her problems weren’t anything that could be handled by conventional means. Her problems were mostly inner turmoil, and despite the fact that she had people like Kazuto, Miho, Issei, and Hiruko. The girl still felt emptiness within her soul. She didn’t feel whole.

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[Senju Kazuto]

Kazuto listened to the girl and nodded as he digested her words. He valued self reliance and resilience for this were the things that would make or break a shinobi. For a long time he had being convinced that he would deal with things in the same manner that his apprentice seemed to do. That he alone would shoulder his own doubts and use all his power and intellect to solve them. That had been arrogance he now realized. He had been too stubborn to see it and sometimes he would fell down to the same errors of the past. He scratched his chin as he looked to one side of the room as the girl before him continued to carve the piece of wood as more flakes of wood fell to the floor. "You're strong." Kazuto would reply to her, as he tried to find gentle words to scold her from such line of thinking as well to guide her as best as he could. He had meant what he had said about his apprentice, about her being strong, steadfast, his pride as a teacher as she would accept all that he taught her. But a part of him had grown wary of that belief that she could do everything on her own. "And I'm proud of that." He told her quietly as he was careful with his tone and the words he chose. "But is not weakness to ask for help, to talk to me or Miho." He added as he looked at her. He knew that he couldn't really fathom what she had gone through as their situations were different even if there were similarities that bridged a gap. "We all have our doubts... But we don't have to shoulder them alone. I'm sure Hiruko would agree with me." He said, hoping that the mention of his wife and Kazui's adoptive mother would be good enough to convince her not to be so closed of mind.

-tag- Lady Kazui -words- --- -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Kazui listened to the man speak as her eyes continued to drift from one object to the next before eventually meeting his own. It wasn’t that she was nervous or anything of that nature, she had actually grown used to Kazuto as a person, even going as far as calling him her own brother; words spoken from her own mouth. The girl didn't have any negative thoughts or feelings about him, but she just did not want to talk about herself at the time being. Maybe at a later day she would open up a bit more and tell the jonin everything that crosses her mind.

The words that the Senju spoke were more or less encouraging. Kazui was strong, so he said, and he was proud of her for it. But the girl knew there was more to it as another breath exited his lips, he would tell the teenager that asking for help shouldn’t be considered a weakness, and he was right about that, but Kazui didn’t see it as a weakness at all. If she never asked for help, then she would have never been the man’s apprentice nor would she be in Byakuya taking part in the chunin exams. Her feelings were closed off to protect herself and keep people from worrying about her. Kazuto would continue on by saying that she shouldn’t shoulder her burdens alone, and that Hiruko would probably agree with him. The girl allowed his words to sink in for a moment, the room growing silent before she spoke softly in return to her mentor.

"Yeah.”

She voiced softly as she reached for one of the towels that were folded neatly just off to the side of her bed. Pulling her feet from out of the water, the girl would rub them gently in between the linen towels, drying them off in the process as well. "Thanks..for everything.” The girl would murmur gently, her eyes averting to the floor as she softly swung her legs back and forth. She had to admit that the warm water was relaxing, but it did make her a bit more sleepier than she was before.

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[Senju Kazuto]

It wasn't exactly the words that he would expect. But as he would listen to the ones that she would grant him he nodded in acceptance, understanding the message that was implicit with the choice of her words, the message telling him that she would speak to him what troubled her mind when she felt ready about it and not a minute too soon. Closing his eyes he would release a long sigh and then would look at his beloved apprentice. "There's no need to thank me, Kazui." He said, speaking softly as he did his own way to reassure her that he didn't feel grief about the young Uchiha keeping things close to her heart. "Just... Keep in mind what I've told you." He said as he would raise to his feet, understanding that perhaps he would give her some time and space to rest and also to think. After all the girl clearly had wanted to be left alone until he visited her. "You take your rest... You need it for the next round... Although just to make it first for someone else, you should stay awake all night." He said with a chuckle and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pressing his fingers into her flesh, granting her a grin. "Now if you don't mind." He said as he would bring pull out his gloves and wrap them about his hands, preparing himself to walk in the cold environment of the eternal winter, pulling his hood to cover his features from the blizzard that would certainly would be there to meet him. As he looked at the door and placed his hand around the door handle before he stopped himself and turned to look at her once more. "Oh... And Miho told me, to remember to eat well." He told her with a nod, and then he stepped outside into the cold weather.

-tag- Lady Kazui -words- 327 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Her exhaustion was evident as her voice grew quieter and quieter, and her eyes began to stare off into the distance a bit longer than normal, it was time for her to get some rest, despite wanting to stay up and hangout with her mentor. Nonetheless, it seemed as if sleep was inevitable and maybe it was best for her to take a nap. Kazuto’s sigh didn’t mean much to the girl, he was showing patience for her, patience that her father refused to grant. It was all that matter at the end. He would assure Kazui that there was no reason to thank him, and although Kazui heard him clearly, she would choose not to reply. What’s understood doesn’t need to be explained, at least that’s how she felt.

Dark hues would follow the Senju as he rose to his feet, reminding Kazui to keep in mind all the things he had spoken to her about. More or less disregarding what he said, the girl was more focused on the fact that he was leaving. Hoping that it wasn’t because of her being closed off or being a brat like many considered her to be. Knowing Kazuto, it more than likely wasn’t either of those reasons, but Kazui still had that feeling inside her. The man would suggest that the girl rest, before adding a joke onto the latter end of it which would cause the girl to chuckle beneath her tired demeanor, the mention of Miho also bringing amusement to the girl as well.

"Heh. I’ll try.”

She spoke softly as her eyes shifted towards the ground for a brief moment before looking back towards her master who stood at the door. A slight smile would greet him on his way out as the girl’s gentle voice spoke out for one last time. "See you tomorrow, Master Kazuto..” Bidding her farewell to her teacher, Kazui would flop onto her bed and stare up at the ceiling. She knew and understood that she needed to be a bit more open, but she just couldn’t allow herself. A sigh escaped her lips as she squeezed the pillow around her head, muffling the sounds of the outside world. The girl hated herself for the time being, for this reason alone. Quickly turning over into her stomach, she would bury her face into the pillow and wait until she eventually fell asleep, the task being a bit harder now since her mind was racing. Nevertheless, time eventually laid the girl to rest allowing her time to catch up on sleep that had seemed to elude her for the past four days.

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