[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

"So you're saying every time I create coral, I'm creating life?" He tilted his head a bit curiously. It was an interesting thing to ponder, because in that when he created it he would also destroy it to get rid of it. Was he creating and killing all at the same time? He wondered if it would hurt to be repeatedly created and destroyed at the whim of a beast larger and more powerful than you.

Ask me.

Ask you what?

Well, you're tiny I could crush you.

I'd rather not talk about that. You already did enough damage several years ago. There are people who hate you.

Oh. Right...

Isobu quickly silenced himself, clearly frowning by the tone of his voice. He had not meant to do all that he had done. And now it was Toru's job to rebuild the damage and he expected he would be doing so very soon. It would very symbolic as well as something he did in the real world - the jinchuuriki rebuilding the part of the village that had been destroyed. Not that anyone knew he was a jinchuuriki.

Still, it would be good enough, if only he just knew it. That was good enough.

The boy of few words would look down once again his wrist turning slowly focusing chakra. Once again a smaller structure of coral would begin to grow in an attempt to mimic the structure that Taru had drawn out.

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[Suzuki Taru]

"Exactly," Taru said, pleased that he hadn't been one of those people who insisted that because coral was stationary and hardly had any features of an animal, that it didn't really count as life. Of course, she knew there were a lot of arguments about what did and didn't count as alive, but still. These things were able to expand and grow, replicate themselves.

They didn't necessarily have feelings or the kind of stimulatory responses that many other animals had, but they could still want to live. They could want to protect themselves. They could build an armor or create a toxin to protect their existences. Didn't that make them alive? And Toru was bringing them about. And destroying them. That was fine, too, though. If they were made by him and they served their purpose, it didn't really matter if they were then wiped out. 

She watched him work again, leaning in closely to inspect. This time he definitely managed to get it a lot closer, much better. Her drawing had helped at least a little, though she did resolve to share her stuff with him so that he could study even more. She didn't own much, but she tended to spend her own money on things like that, things that she wanted to research and read about rather than other nice things. 

"That looks good! An improvement. Now in the wild, this kind of coral would release its toxin if it felt threatened. Like if an animal brushed against it... It could have skin contact, but it would also release it into the water, or even into the air if it was exposed," she explained.

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

"It's versatile then?" Toru did not know of the poison that Taru was talking about, but it might be too dangerous to reach out and touch the coral to test it out. They would have to have an antidote of some kind before touching something like this. This would likely warrant a visit to the laboratory in the future to see if he could formulate something effective. But he had some kind of base to go off of. A nice new discovery, a new way to integrate and bond with his bijuu that was currently dejected by their last mode of conversation. Which, admittedly, Toru understood but he had no intention of making it better right now. Isobu had to understand what kind of jokes he was making.

"I do not think it would be a good idea to touch it, though. To test it." He murmured to himself in idle thought, though it was likely Taru could hear his statement too.

Toru glanced over his shoulder then, the bodyguard lingering some distance away. It still felt awkward... He dug his heels into the sand, his elbows against his knees, legs spread wide as he leaned his head forward and stared at the coral.

"Think I can borrow that scroll you mentioned?"

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[Suzuki Taru]

Taru nodded. Versatile wasn't really the best way to describe it, but it wasn't wrong, so she didn't thing it would be right to get pedantic about it. It's just that if it was emitting the toxins, touching it directly would also expose you. But the intention was usually to put it out into the water/air in order to get the threat away quickly, punish the course of trying to eat it and make every other animal thing twice about trying to hurt you again.

Was coral a vengeful animal? 

It definitely wasn't a good idea to touch it to test it. ...She was still kind of tempted, though. She held out a hand, but didn't actually touch it, just hovering somewhat close, as if thoroughly contemplating it. A small bit of exposure wouldn't be the end of the world, would likely just irritate her skin and make her feel a little sickly. But since this was a piece of coral that had been created from jutsu and not from nature, it was always possible that the toxin would be more concentrated and potent, that even a small touch could be more thoroughly harmful than she was prepared for. 

Even though she enjoyed the danger of nature and did not fear death, she decided she would rather not risk it for herself today and pulled her hand back. 

"Of course," she said. "I've read it so many times I almost have it memorized. I can get it and have it delivered to your office for you. Do you want me to look for other things about coral? I could go to the library... How did you get to be able to grow coral?" Finally she asked that pressing question. 

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

The gears turned, but ultimately she went with the better, safer choice. She pulled her hand away. Even without the fear of death, a sense of self-preservation was never a bad thing. Especially since they had all come to life for one reason or another. Some did not think they had a reason at all, others were filled with glorious purpose. Hard to determine in truth, life sometimes handed people a set of cards that were barely playable. It was how one exchanged them for better pieces over time, that was really what life was about. Otherwise, Toru wouldn't be sitting here.

"At this rate, you'll end up my assistant." He commented idly, inserting it just between her comment about going to the library and then her question. Her question was not one that he liked to answer, but it was not as if no one knew. And, Taru seemed the type who could keep a secret. He could trust her with this almost sacred information. Plus, he was already a high-profile individual, it was not as if more of a target could not be painted upon his back as it were.

"You must not speak to any one of this," He stated and would wait for Taru's confirmation. Otherwise, he would not continue.

"Not long before I got this position, as Mizukage... I had the Sanbi sealed in me. In a slightly unexpected turn of events." He recalled the memory a bit bitterly, if anything his mother had turned cold right after, and very distant. He hated the whole situation. Isobu had been a source of anguish for the village and now it had been his job to tame him - allegedly - but now... Well, now he knew better but it did not alleviate the pain he felt with how Minako acted right before she disappeared with his sister.

Life was a lonely thing.

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[Suzuki Taru]

It wouldn't be such a bad thing, ending up his assistant. Though those people had to spend a lot of time indoors doing paperwork, right? She was not sure how much she would enjoy that. If she could take everything out and do the paperwork lakeside, maybe. Idle tasks didn't bother her too much, and she didn't mind reading, but she certainly wasn't the desk-job sort. It was something to contemplate for the future! 

The topic shifted to something more serious as he went to answer her question. He swore her to secrecy and she nodded, giving him a very serious look. Taru wasn't the type to guard secrets herself, she much preferred sharing information, but she knew how important a secret could be to the soul. If someone was guarding something, it was with good cause, and it was not her right to allow that information to be shared before it was ready. All things had a place and time and who was she to determine that? No one. 

As he divulged his secret to her, she realized that her instinctive guess was correct. That was why, then, she must have been so drawn to Toru. He was a strong spiritual presence, but further, they had a slight connection even before they met. She had always been drawn to the Sanbi, compelled by it. 

"I remember that time... when they were searching for a new host. When the previous one was having integration problems," she said, thoughtful. "They considered me briefly before deciding my chakra profile wasn't right and it would've killed me." At once a disappointment and a relief. 

So Toru had had all this responsibility placed upon him. This great beast and his mother leaving him and him being left alone to rule. 

"Toru, I think you're the strongest person I've ever met." 

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

Toru kept sitting there, immobile. He was watching the waves soothingly ebb and flow over the lake's shore. Sometimes, just barely touching his heels, soaking the coral that he had left behind to sit there. He would get rid of it before they left. He inhaled deeply, there was no salt here, but it still smelled good. That smell of lake water was a unique scent. Earthy, rocky, but stable. Parts of Kirigakure smelled this way due to the canals made from the lake. Deposits of freshwater for people to boil and use for drinking. Though most of it was safe to just drink, simply without the boiling part it was always safer.

He closed his eyes, listening to Taru for a moment. He remembered seeing it in her file, what she had said and he would nod in acknowledgment.

Her words did not come expectedly. No one had ever told him such a thing.

That he was a prodigy? That he was a once-in-a-generation talent? Things that did not leave a lasting impression on him, ones that only served to feed his ego. Little by little, until it ate at him to be better as to never enact disappointment on those around him.

So what Taru said, sent a legitimate shudder up Toru's spine. Not one he physically showed, but one he felt. Chilling to his very bone. The boy sat there a moment before something genuine sparked up onto his features. Something infinitely rare, rarer perhaps than a natural wild-born pearl.

He looked towards the girl and smiled. It was light, not the kind of smile that took over the face. But the light of the smile would reach his eyes.

"Thank you. I try. For our nation."

The words were said, and the smile slipped from his face just as easily. The moment was gone and he reached out to get rid of the coral with a wave before starting to stand up slowly.

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[Suzuki Taru]

Watching a smile grow over Toru's features was like watching a rare cosmic event. The shine of his eyes, subtle but there, the soft moment of happiness. It was like the brief wonder of a solar eclipse, a meteor storm, a pinprick of light up in the dark and infinite night that reminded the soul of something bigger. It made her smile, too, bigger, almost a grin. It felt like an accomplishment, that she had managed to make that happen. She would like to do it again if she could. Not right now, though. Right now that was a special thing that could be left alone. 

She rose to her feet as well to follow him, brushing off the seat of her clothes and shaking the sand from her hands. 

"I'm willing to bet you're going to be the best thing to ever happen to this nation," she speculated, thoughtful. She cared about this nation a lot and she could tell that he thoroughly did, too. 

"Thank you for coming to visit here with me today. I knew there was a good reason," she said. "But I also enjoy spending time with you." 

Taru began to hop up the bank away from the water. 

"I need to go get that scroll and start looking for other information about coral for you! I'll see you soon, okay?" 

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Suzuki Taru

Toru inhaled her words, he hoped to make them fully realized and did not wish to disappoint as he started to walk up the shore back towards his not so invisible bodyguard. He glanced to Taru as she hopped. What a strange human being she was. Not in a bad way, but certainly an observable way.

"Alright." He would acknowledge and hope to see the scroll on his desk in due time. Despite being the Mizukage, he still had a lot to learn. Everyone did, and he would never stop growing, this he refused to do. To stop growing would be an egregious thing indeed as if he were to stop growing, how could he lead his nation to grow as well? It was a lead-by-example situation, and he would do so with as much honor and dignity as possible.

"You should sign up for the chunin exams. At least you won't have to travel far." He mused briefly, just before turning a shoulder with his guard who looked stoic. It did lend a question as to who really was the leader and who was the guard here. They were both so stoic, and without a semblance of expression that it made things very curious.

[end]

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