[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

It was the final match of the chunin exams. A flock of delegates from the Land of Birds had migrated to the icy north on behalf of their lord to witness the talents of the various villages whom they might hire out for contract work. They all wore extravagantly heavy clothing, each crowned with lavish kufi with golden crests upon their heads. Most of what could be seen of these watchers' faces revealed them to be elderly with cracked faces and crows feet along their eyes. All but one, who had a youthful face with piercing silver eyes. Unlike the others he carried a large scroll upon his back.

A violent fiery explosion rocked the arena floor below. The young delegate was not alone as nearly everyone in the crowd leaned forward in shock. When the smoke cleared he searched the arena floor until he saw a kunoichi with blackened hair and crimson in her eyes. While many of those around him were cheering and in awe, he simply let out a held breath and sigh of relief and stood up to walk away.

"Kazutoshi, you’re gonna miss the conclusion!” a hoarse voice called to him.
"There isn’t much more to see,” he said in a dismissive voice. "I have to go to the restroom.”

He walked slowly towards an opening into the inner ring of the arena. Walking inside, he found a door marked for a latrine and stepped inside. Afterwards he moved into a stall and quickly undid the large scroll on his back. From the scroll fell a body wearing similar clothing. In a series of quick flashes of movement he removed the clothing of the Land of Birds and sealed it into the now empty scroll. After propping the body on the seat the man now dressed in a simple black garb scaled out of the stall from above and then at the corner of the restroom.

He moved swiftly and silently, using the shadows and his training to avoid being seen. He worked his way down the stairs and into the aid stations at the lower floor where medical shinobi were on standby to treat the injured after the fight. With patience the former shinobi waited for backs to be turned and moved beyond them to the lockers of the medical personnel. He quickly picked one a lock and grabbed a set of clothing and other tools before silently moving back out.

Some time later, he returned in blue scrubs with his hair tied back and a surgical mask covering his face.

"Hi, I was told you are short staffed today and they all have some minor burn injuries,” he told the medics inside. "They sent me to help out with treatment.”

He received no protest or suspicion from the medical team waiting for the Konoha shinobi to enter. Most of them had been draining their chakra for the past several days. During those same days he had eagerly searched for some way to get closer to her...

The easy part was over…

Medical stations were set up to do first aid on each participant in separate rooms. The masked man had managed to slip into the room with Kazui’s charts in it, again without protest from the rank and file medics. His biggest worry was that she might try to skip treatment, so he stood at the crest of the door ready to intercept her if she was as stubborn as he was when he was a kid.

SPOILER: Click to show

This is just long to set up the scenario, no need to match or anything.
Lady Kazui

[Deleted]

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

❧

It all happened so fast. In one breath all eyes were drawn towards the sky, anticipating what was going to happen - in the next breath, a flashy explosion would set the arena ablaze, sending searing hot shrapnel and debris through the area, piercing and slicing any exposed skin there might have been on the battlefield. The screams of the genin could be heard by all who listened, it wasn’t pretty by any means. Kazui managed to cover her face and eyes from the debris and flames before she dropped to the snowy floor and let out a muffled scream. She was being burned alive, and it was agonizing - however as she rolled on the ground doing her best to smother the flames, she would remind herself that the fight was still going which meant she couldn’t sit around and cry over her wounds.

It took a lot of effort but eventually she managed to get back to her feet, her legs shaking violently with each second that passed. Her clothes were partly charred away as blood ran down her hands - but her first instinct was to help her teammates, however with the final buzzer sounding to conclude the fight, the girl would simply collapse onto her knees where she stood, thinking to herself and asking what the hell just happened. It felt like she sat there for an eternity, smoke still lingering in the air as the medical staff ran out onto the field. From there she would force herself to her feet again, this time wrapping her arms over the shoulders of the two medics that stood at her side. The girl’s head hung low, long black hair obscuring her face as she was slowly guided towards the examination room.

With each step Kazui winced in pain, her nails digging into the shoulders of the medics’ uniform until they reached the doorway, a man with long black hair tied back would be there waiting for them. "I’m fine.” The girl mumbled softly as she looked up at the man before her. "It’s just a burn.” She added on.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

"You are fine, for now,” Hotaru said with a piercing gaze as he stepped to block her path away from the exits. "Once the adrenaline wears off, I think not.”

He lifted a hand up gesturing towards the doorway with his right hand while he held a clipboard with the other. He was wearing a plastic tag on his scrubs that named him Shitakiri Suzume. He carried a stern look to him, though his expression was concealed beneath the surgical mask.

"Regardless... I am sure you’d rather not walk out of here with a ruined complexion for the rest of your life,” he said. "If we treat it now you probably won’t have any scars.”

The first aid room was relatively simple inside should Kazui decide to comply. A leather hospital bed with a white sheet of paper draped over the center, a counter with a sink and faucet, and several kits fastened to various places on the wall. For the most part this was a place for treating basic injuries and stabilizing the seriously wounded for transport to the hospital.

Inside of his head he had to contain a myriad of emotions. He was overjoyed that Kazui had grown into a healthy person, but saddened and even angry with their father that he had dared to lead her into the life of a shinobi. He wasn’t sure what he was doing here. He was risking it all now just to see her once, even as a stranger.

He wanted to take her, but he knew he’d never get off of this Island alive if he tried. For now he would try to get what intelligence he could so that he might liberate her further down the road.

"Please,” he said. "It won’t take long…”

Lady Kazui

[Deleted]

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

❧

The girl said one thing, but her body told a different tale. The griping of the medics uniform would show that she was in a considerable amount of pain, and she knew that herself but for some reason the teen’s concerns remained on her teammates. The nurse’s gaze wouldn’t convince Kazui much, but she understood that treatment was necessary. She didn’t do all of that work just for her progress to be lost by some injury she refused to attain treatment for.

"Fine.” Mumbling softly beneath her breath, the girl would take a step forward, and the medics at her side would do the same, practically carrying her into the room. Gritted teeth would help her endure the pain as she grabbed a seat at the edge of the table. This wasn’t the first time Kazui had been to the medical stations - it is however the first time she’s actually needed it during the exams.

Slowly leaning back, Kazui would lie flat onto the table - as stiff as a board, trying to avoid moving and aggravating her burns/wounds any more. Her resolve to keep up the tough girl act was slowly beginning to fade as the pain only seemed to intensify. A single tear ran down the side of her face towards her ear before dripping onto the leather table. The girl’s breathing was slow yet controlled for the time being albeit through clenched teeth, mostly an attempt to prevent herself from crying any more. "They ooh and ahh at us killing each other.” She voiced softly as her dark hues remained fixed on the bright light lingering above her. ”What the hell is that about?” The young teen added on - not exactly seeking a response from anyone in the room.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

So she did have a questioning mind, after all. It took a lot for him not to break down here. Watching her on the field where she was a deadly kunoichi was different than here as a patient venting her stress while she lay wounded. Still, he couldn’t go as far as he wanted to here…

But perhaps he could give her a little push...

"Don’t you know?” Hotaru asked avoiding eye contact by staring at a clipboard reading over her blood type and other vital information. "Shinobi are products rented out to the highest bidder, the chunin exam tournaments are for the benefit of the village’s investors. It’s an exhibition to draw in customers.”

He pulled out a pair of forceps and approached the table. "The village will pay up to your lives for a commercial,” he said with his eyes closed and a cheeky tone. Without much warning he would pull a makibishi that had embedded itself into her arm out. It was about half a piece that had been broken up by the explosion. He held it up to show it to her.

The other medics in the room didn’t pay much mind to the small talk, though one of them rolled their eyes at him as she began administering healing chakra into burnt tissue on Kazui’s other arm.

Lady Kazui Let me know if anything needs edited!

[Deleted]

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

❧

Slowly and carefully turning her head, Kazui would face the slightly muffled voice that spoke out to her from behind a mask. Yet, she didn’t meet his eyes again since he was too invested in the clipboard that he held - instead the girl would focus on his hair as he spoke the truth behind the meaning of being a shinobi and how others saw them.

The girl was aware that the exams were some form of entertainment, but she wasn’t sure just how popular the event was. The fact that kids could potentially lose their lives just to keep an audience entertained and keep a smile on the face of those who watched made her sick to her stomach, but she understood not everyone thought the same. Had there been any other way for her to get promoted, she more than likely would have taken that route - but since the exams were such a common tradition amongst villages and many were presented a chance to make a name for themselves along with potentially earning a promotion, Kazui settled for what was considered as "normal.”

"That’s a pretty shitty way to put it, but I guess it makes sense.” The teen stated quietly as her gaze lingered upon the medics name tag, in that moment the guy would remove a piece of makibishi that had lodged into the girl’s arm - the pain would cause her to clench her teeth while she closed her eyes as tightly as possible to endure the pain as best as she could.

"I only joined to get a promotion..could care less about investors and the audience.”

It was true, the promotion was the holy grail behind her signing up, but that could also be the same reason behind any other genin joining. For a brief moment the girl would fall silent, her eyes focusing on the ceiling above while she pondered on what the man had said. He seemed to know a good amount, which interested her a bit. Nevertheless, she would turn her attention back to the only one who was paying her any mind - Suzume. "Did you participate in the chunin exams…..Mr. Shitakiri?” Kazui asked curiously as the other medics proceeded to use chakra to accelerate the healing of her wounds.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Hotaru placed the makibishi onto a little tray nearby and listened to Kazui carefully. She seemed to understand the situation but thought he was putting a negative spin on things. Of course she would, given the mental conditionings each shinobi went through. When she asked him about the chunin exams he paused for a moment and made direct eye contact with her as he recalled one of his life’s worst experiences.

There was a girl that he had killed, but it had been so long that he couldn’t remember her face. He instead imagined the face that he was looking at as he reimagined the act of cutting a throat at the behest of a bull headed teammate.

"I did, of course,” he responded. "It’s why I volunteer at every exam I can, hoping to save the children who aren’t ready for the trials.”

It was easier to lie when most of what he was saying was based in truth. He didn’t volunteer at exams of course, but his feelings about them were true.

He had made his way down towards her ankle, where a little pike of shrapnel had been embedded and broke off. He wasn’t going to be able to just pull this one out without a bit of scraping, so he began gently while another medic applied chakra to numb the area.

"What will you do with the promotion?” he asked her as he dug a small tool into her ankle so that he could start wiggling out the metal splinter. "Do you have big plans with the pay increase?”

@

[Deleted]

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

❧

"Hmm..” The girl hummed beneath her breath as she slowly turned to face the ceiling yet again. She didn’t know what to make of what the information the man had given him, but it seemed as if he was a pretty nice guy nonetheless - though it was obvious that the exams would need medics. "That’s nice of you.” Kazui stated as the medics moved from her hands and arms, down to her legs where she also suffered a good amount of burns and lacerations.

Unable to see much of what the medics were doing, Kazui was however able to feel the nerves in her legs begin to almost disappear as the feeling became duller and duller until she simply didn’t feel anything at all. Aside from the shaking of her leg when the medic tried to wobble the strap of metal from her ankle, the girl didn’t feel a thing - almost unaware that they were doing anything.

Once they were done Suzume would ask her a question which in return made the girl think briefly before slightly shrugging her shoulders. "I didn’t think that far ahead.” It was the truth, the girl was just jumping into whatever felt right for her to accomplish her dream.

"The pay increase would be nice but I don’t really care for the ryo either. I just want to be the best shinobi I can be .. like my brother was and to prove everyone who counted me out wrong.

No better way to do so than becoming a chunin and eventually a jonin.. ya know.”

Kazui explained softly as the medics continued to tend to her wounds. "Though...I wouldn’t mind traveling some more. A change of environment, It’s the only good thing to come out of these exams despite the fact that it’s always freezing cold.”

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Words that he had inspired her to this path stung. Hachiko had idolized him to everyone for his entire life in Konohagakure, it was no surprise that he was painted a hero to Kazui. What was also confirmed here, loosely at least, was that his treachery against the village wasn't known to his sister. Had the black ops truly fallen for his trick back then, or were they afraid of what the public might say?

"I had you pegged for that type,” Hotaru said with his eyes closed and a gentle laugh. "I’ve never cared about impressing anyone myself. Taking care of family is all that matters to me, so I was excited for the bigger paychecks.”

It had always been a great guilt to him that his meddling with the Gattai had gotten him labeled a rogue when he had a frail sister to take care of. Leaving their grandmother the beneficiary of his life insurance had paid off. His hypothesis that the village kept his status a secret from the family was now a working theory.

He was a dead man.

That female medic was getting tired of his bedside manner again as he was doing the work very slowly to buy time to chat. He quit pretending to fiddle with the lead and pulled it out of her leg, quickly ejecting it into a tray.

"You’ll miss home once you are out there in the field, i’d bet,” he said as he began closing the small cut with his chakra. He was trying to lead her into giving more details about her home life.

@

[Deleted]

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

❧

Soft giggles of laughter managed to escape from the girl’s lips. Drawing laughter from her wasn’t an easy feat for most, especially if one was a stranger to the girl - but for some reason she found it quite easy to talk to the medic, ever since her grandmother passed Kazui often found herself on the not so talkative side of every conversation, maybe she was starting to get over it and loosened up a bit.

"I want to take care of my family too!” The girl quickly exclaimed through her soft spoken tone, making sure to not actually yell of course. "Or my friends I guess I should say.” Kazui added on, her eyes gently closing as she took in a deep breath and exhaled. Memories of her family flooded her mind, the good and bad, she wished she could turn back time and try it all again - and maybe they wouldn’t leave her as quickly. Thinking of them always made her emotional, but she always managed to bury her feelings before they got the best of her.

Nevertheless as she listened to the man ask if she would miss home while being out on missions, the teen would simply sigh before a look of uncertainty grew on her soft features.

"Uhh..probably. I’d miss the village and all of my friends for sure. But as for my home - well I wouldn’t mind leaving it behind at least for a month or two..there’s not a lot going on there.”

Kazui explained with a shrug. Outside of hanging out with her friends, the teen often found herself all alone in an empty house - and while she did enjoy her alone time very much, sometimes it would’ve been nice to have the element of surprise - people bothering her whenever she was in her room for too long. Some nights the girl even hoped that Hiruko would pull her away to go do things together, as mother and daughter almost - but it never happened and instead she would find herself curled up in bed, buried into a book, with only a little lamp to light a small portion of her room while the rest was filled with darkness.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Her response made it seem as if she didn’t consider their father family. Perhaps someone with sense had taken her away from him, but there were also darker connotations. It could also just mean she put more stock in her friends than him. He also wondered about their grandmother, but asking more questions about that was dangerous territory. It was far too personal for a stranger to start digging into.

"You should try rearranging the rooms in your house,” Hotaru began as he started wrapping her ankle in a bandage tightly. "If you live in the same place your whole life, it helps you to appreciate it better if you change it up a bit.”

Did she still live in their childhood home? With their grandmother? He hoped that however she responded might give him a hint. He hoped that it was one of the two, because it would make getting a letter to her much easier, potentially.

He moved off of her ankle and made his way towards the front of the table where her head rested. He pulled out a small penlight and lurched over her, making direct eye contact with her for the first time with his pale greys momentarily as he brought the light up.

"Follow the light,” he said.

Lady Kazui

[Deleted]

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

❧

"Noted.” The girl voiced behind soft laughter. She never really thought of doing such a thing, but maybe Hiruko would allow her to rearrange her room if she asked. She didn’t really live in a place where she had much control over such things - as a ward, her freedoms felt limited to a certain extent, at least when it came to the house itself. There was no telling how Hiruko would react to finding her home twisted and rearranged to Kazui’s liking. "I’ll try, I’ll have to ask .. my mom about it.” She spoke as the guy seemed to be finished with wrapping her ankle.

Still facing the ceiling, Kazui would listen to the footsteps as the medic made his way towards the upper portion of the table, lingering over the girl as her dark gaze met with his - quickly her eyes would avert off to the side until he shined a light over her. "Hai.” - [lit. Yes.] The girl responded politely as she focused on the brightness of the beam. Her eyes would shift from left to right, following the light wherever Suzume decided to move it. Once she finished that examination, the girl would slowly lift her hands and rub at her eyes, in hopes of soothing them from the strain.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Was it adoption, or was it distrust. Hotaru thought of their mother when she spoke of the mystery woman, imagining a fantasy life where the four of them were seated at a dinner table like a happy family. He shook his head, such thoughts were pointless to think about.

"No concussion,” he said as he put the instrument away and turned back to looking at the clipboard.

"Sorry, I made an assumption when you said you wouldn’t miss home that..." Hotaru started. "Well, nevermind that.”

There were several minutes that would go by in silence unless the girl interjected. He had already said too much, but there was a world of things he still wanted to know. He felt that it would be unwise to press further. Doctors were expected to be friendly, but he could be prying a bit too much. Her teammates would likely be patched up soon enough.

Behind him there was a bit of a stir. Two of the women that were working with him had stepped away and were whispering something to one another in the corner. Hotaru glanced at them, and then down at his nametag.

If Kazui had looked at the right moment, she might have been able to read "That isn’t Dr. Shitakiri,” on the lips of one of them.

Hotaru began to set the clipboard down, his eyes growing tense as he readied himself to have to make a run for it.

@

[Deleted]

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

❧

"Great.” The girl mumbled a soft reply in regards to her not having a concussion. As far as she knew, the only thing that really hurt at the time was the shrapnel cutting and piercing through her skin, as well as the fire - but of course she could have fallen and hit her head as well. Slowly and gingerly pulling herself back up to a seated position, the girl’s legs would hang off the side of the bed as Susume continued on speaking.

A chuckle escaped her lips as she gently shook her head from side to side. "No, I'm adopted, but I always have the house to myself.” Kazui explained with a shrug - she had a feeling that he thought she lived all by herself, and that wasn’t the case. As the two ladies stepped away from the table to chit chat amongst each other, the Uchiha’s eyes would naturally follow.

In her mind she wanted to ask if that was all and thank them for their efforts, but as she paid closer attention, she would notice that they were gossiping almost - something that Kazui had grown used to recognizing. Trying to be as subtle as possible, the girl would read one of the nurse’s lips, but all she was truly able to make out were the words "Isn’t” and "Shitakiri” - quickly her eyes averted away from the ladies and her gaze met the white tiled floor. The sway of her legs kicking and swinging back and forth came to a halt as she turned her head to face Susume.

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before she simply spoke. "Thanks for everything, can I go now?” Her voice was as soft as a feather as she asked the man. Scooting further towards the edge of the bed, Kazui would hop off and try to walk, only to find that her limbs still lacked feeling, so she would collapse to her hands and knees on the first step.

It was obvious that she was on edge and that she was almost rushing to remove herself from the situation. If that wasn’t the actual doctor, then who was he? No other doctor ever cared enough to ask about her plans and her life at home, so she knew that he was more than likely there for her. He even managed to pry information from her, which made her even more uneasy. However, at the same time, Kazui knew that the women could have been wrong, but Dr. Shitakiri was someone they worked closely with for awhile, so she didn’t want to take any chances and completely shrug off their suspicion.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Uchiha Hotaru]

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"Ah, I see… I hate empty houses, and missing loved ones,” Hotaru replied, only half paying attention. He had begun quickly flipping through her files on the clipboard, he had been doing so subtly before but his time had run out. He would no doubt look more suspect than before as it became obvious he was searching for something. The home of record. He glanced at it and burned it into his memory.

Mission accomplished.

"You may want to-” he began, but his sister had already tumbled onto the floor. The gossiping nurses quickly rushed to her aid. Where it would have been expected that the doctor came to her aid, the forgotten Uchiha took advantage of the chaos to slip out of the room. He left the clipboard and the rubber gloves that he had been wearing behind.

To the shadows he took, using the talents of an ANBU shinobi to egress back to the place that he had left a decoy. He would change quickly, unraveling a small scroll and sealing the hospital scrubs inside to tuck into his pocket.

Shortly after, Dr. Kazutoshi of the Tori no Kuni delegation. Would step back out into an emptying arena. He managed to catch up with the other figures dressed in thick robes, walking towards the exits with their hands held in front of them inside of their sleeves.

"You missed the fight, and the closing ceremony Doc!” one of the elders chided.

"Ah well… we can’t stop nature’s call you know,” Kazutoshi said in an embarrassed tone. "You can tell me about it on the way back.”

The meek child that he had left behind had beaten the odds. He was overjoyed. Yet she was making choices based on a lie…

She had also surpassed him in many ways. He would have to return to his old regimen if he would bring her to his side and survive the fallout.

Lady Kazui