[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

The blizzard battle had been entertaining enough to watch, though Masahiko got his primary enjoyment from watching Isao watch the proceedings, as the older man had participated in more cheering over the course of the snowball fight than Hiko had witnessed in all the years they’d known each other. Granted, that only amounted to a few go get ‘em’s, announced at a slightly louder volume than normal, but still. It was interesting to see the children from allied villages participate as well—they all had vibrant personalities, and Masahiko was deeply curious to see what kind of shinobi they would eventually develop into. Gods help him, he was thinking like a teacher. The day after the snowball fight, Masahiko happened to be walking by the village academy, lost in thought, when he bumped into someone exceptionally small and very pink. It took him a moment, but he recognized her—one of the kids from the snowball fight. Not from Yukigakure, though—Ame, perhaps? He was struggling to remember; he’d been mildly distracted throughout the event. "Ah, sorry, Tsuribari-san,” Masahiko said, smiling. He had no idea what her name was, but she had a distinctive fishhook that she used to great effect during the battle, so the nickname seemed appropriate. "My mistake, I wasn’t paying attention. You did very well yesterday, excellent teamwork with Sango-san.”

Shodo Tsuri -- 226

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shodo Tsuri]

nue masahiko

It had taken a moment for the girl to wiggle free from her cousin's overprotective grasp for a chance to go Ice Fishing, their lodging being placed in an old room of the academy that was unused she had been having some trouble sneaking off... although she really wasn't supposed to wonder around unattended. Strangers here could be malicious after all! The urge and call of ice fishing though... a thing that she could have only dreamed of doing in her home country of Arashi no Kuni. Dressed up in as much warm clothing as she could be with her fishing pole attached with the rather large fishhook attached to the end of it she had managed to slip free and out into the cold weather... but where and how would she get to go fishing? Ya know, she hadn't thought that far ahead.

The lightbulb would flick though as she was stopped by who she could only assume was the most flawless, and pretty lady she had seen other than Towa-Senpai, whom had gone radio silent on her not too long ago. Unlike Towa though, there was a modest elegance that she didn't see with most... and more importantly a way for her to get out to an icy body of water. Smiling with an innocent brightness she would show nothing but good intentions outside of her eyes which spoke on mischief, "Thank you, Kirei-Onna, but my name is just Tsuri, hehe. But I would prefer Sakanawa when it comes to people who aren't family! Sango-Senpai was really cool, unlike Taro-Senpai..." Tsuri would look both ways and then lean forward with a more serious expression and whisper, "He's kinda scary... and uh... Jun-Senpai called him a, uh... knave... I think that's pretty bad right?"

- ❤ -

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Kirei-Onna. Masahiko was aware that he favored something of a more feminine aesthetic, given the length he preferred his hair to be and his rigorous skincare regimen, but he’d never thought he’d actually be mistaken for a woman. He’s never felt especially insecure in his masculinity, but there’s something about the earnest mistake of a child that stung more than any insult purposefully levied at him. "Otokomae,” he corrected gently—a compliment of equal value, but more commonly assigned to men—and tossed his hair for dramatic effect to let the girl know he was teasing, not offended by her mistake. It was meant to be a compliment, after all. He didn’t linger on the moment, instead leaning in to match her whisper and saying solemnly, "Being a knave is a terrible thing indeed—it means you’re dishonest and unscrupulous.” He glanced from side to side, and spoke even more softly, so as not to be overheard. "Jun-san’s assessment of Taro-kun’s character is completely correct.” He leaned back quickly, giving her a wink, as if to say—now you’re in the know. "So, Sakanawa-san, what are you doing out here in the cold on your own?” He gave the rain-child a bemused, quizzical look; didn’t she have another Ame shinobi traveling with her? "I know the layout of Yukigakure can get confusing—would you like help getting somewhere?”

Shodo Tsuri -- 232

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shodo Tsuri]

nue masahiko

Tsuri turned redder than her hair for a moment as she was made aware of her mistake, the color disappearing as a concerningly high amount of water bubbled to her eyes. Tears like small faucets of water running for a moment before disappearing as Masahiko would ask why she was outside. A big grin reaching to her face as she pointed to the fish hook and fishing pole that were with her, the hook being large enough to match Isao's massive hands in comparison for the man before her. The girl carrying both would giggle, "Lady Shuka told me I could go Ice Fishing, but..."

The girl's tears would immediately return as her smile disappeared again, "Sugi-rin didn't wanna go fishing since its so frigid... and the yuki guards wouldn't let me go find a place to fish by myself..." The girl would seem to shrink under the gaze of the Special Jounin, "So I had to sneak out."

Knowing she should be in trouble for such a thing since she was in a village that was not her home, nor her business to explore she quietly looked down as the flood gates literally melted the snow around her from the sheer tear volume... more water than one little girl should have been capable of. As she looked up, eyes bubbling she looked like a very young child in trouble, "Can Otokomae take me fishing please, I was told I could!"

- ❤ -

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Masahiko’s heart stopped for a fraction of a second as the child’s face turned beet-red, tears welling in her eyes—but luckily his strategy of ushering the moment along and paying it no more mind worked. Strange to think that he was qualified to work with children for a reason, perhaps. He barely had enough time to process the actual size of her fishhook before those tears welled right back up again, however, the guilt of getting caught red-handed apparently too much for her to bear. Sugi-rin could only be the other Ame child visiting, Masahiko thought; the genin? Unsurprising that anyone not from Yukigakure would be uninterested in exploring the outdoors at this time of year. While the rest of the world was firmly in its forward march towards spring, Yukigakure remained locked in winter, and the early months of the year were especially unkind to foreigners. But that left a blubbering child in front of him, helpless in the face of a signed permission slip but no chaperone. Well, it wasn’t like he had anything else to do with his morning. "So long as we stay in the village, I don’t see why not,” Masahiko said gently. He wasn’t too worried about soothing her crying; perhaps that was callous of him, but he could be supportive without babying her. "There’s a large pond by the greenhouses that should do, I think.” He slipped his hands into the wide sleeves of his cream-colored robes. "My name is Nue Masahiko, Sakanawa-san, it’s very nice to meet you.” If she was willing to follow, he would lead the way. The pond he was thinking of probably wasn’t the grand icy lake of her dreams, but he was ill-suited to escort a foreign child outside the village; gods forbid anything happened to her. This was the best compromise he could think of, so it would have to do.

Shodo Tsuri -- 321

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shodo Tsuri]

nue masahiko

Tsuri couldn't have flashed a brighter smile for the man if she had wanted to. The idea that she could go and have a supervised fishing trip IN YUKIGAKURE was amazing to her! Who could say that they got to visit a seperate shinobi nations home turf and go fishing in the village! Tsuri was absolutely over the moon and it was at this point that fishing once in every country became a goal of sorts for the girl... or getting close to it. Was that a good life goal to be had for her at this juncture of her life? Probably not, but it was a reason to go forward as a shinobi!

Adjusting the jagged-patterned blue and white tobagan on her head and breathing into her gloves to warm them a bit the young girl would scurry after the Nue with an extremely pleased expresion. She seemed... very animated actually. It was an easy detail to catch with the girl if one really wanted to observe her. It probably gave her away quite a bit. Scratch that, it gave her away a lot. Like when her expression was suddenly very curious.

"Masahiko-San! Thank you for escorting me, but um... may I ask what you specialize in? I feel like your probably super strong and good at hiding it personally! So Im really curious!"

- ❤ -

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

It was to be expected of a child so young, but she truly wore her heart on her sleeve—her tears evaporated, and her smile was brighter than the sun reflecting off the snow. Though she didn’t look to be too much younger than Kazu, he thought, glancing sidelong at the girl. A year or two, maybe, and likely close to being done with her academy training, if the way she threw that fishhook around was anything to go by. You’re probably super strong and good at hiding it! What Masahiko was good at concealing was the full-body cringe he felt at those words. Twice in ten minutes the girl had unintentionally used his pride as a punching bag, but at least she’d never be able to read it on his face. "I specialize in medical ninjutsu and genjutsu,” he said smoothly, his tone even and light. "Though I have to be well-rounded to effectively lead my genin team. Not exceptionally strong, I’m afraid; for that, you’d want to speak to my colleague Hirata-san. He’s a weapons specialist—like you, Sakanawa-san, unless I’m mistaken?” It was a short walk to the greenhouses, and from there Masahiko led the child around back to where the pond was. It was only one hundred and fifty square meters or so, and less than two meters deep at its darkest point, but—it was freshwater, frozen over, and there were fish within. Surely it would serve the Ame girl’s purposes well.

Shodo Tsuri -- 250

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shodo Tsuri]

nue masahiko

Tsuri would, unlikely Masahiko, be completely unable to inhibit herself from cringing at the man's words. Not because Medical Ninjutsu or Genjutsu was bad, but because she was genuinely so awful at both that her school friend Fruit had kicked her out of a volunteer first aid lesson he had started, and genjutsu was so far from what she was comfortable with considering she could barely make a proper clone compared to other kids her age. It was frankly embarassing to admit, and the thought alone made her heat up a little.

"I um... I suck at both of those," Was all Tsuri could manage at first, trying her best to admit her own embarassing lack of talent in much of anything outside of fishing, fishing she was good at at least... that didn't translate easily to shinobi world skills. At least not in a direct capacity to combat, that is, unless you had a fish hook that reflected your soul in a way that allowed it to converse with you and be manipulated.

As the two finished their walk Tsuri would put Hakugei in her hand for a moment and cast the hook out onto the ice, being too scared to risk walking on it she opted to cut out an area using her permanant partner in crime. Hakugei would cut into and slice out a small block not long after. To which she would retract the over-sized fishhook and cast out her fishing pole to land hakugei beneath the water from a decent pace away, having done this while the two were still on the move.

"I would really like to meet this Hirata-San, if he is up for such a meeting! I like to meet new people, though fishing is my first priority! I uh... I don't actually know what I'm really good at though. The only reason I use Hakugei so well is because he's like a fishing pole in how he stretches and I think thats nothing unique to me either, I am sure Sugi-Rin could do it too," Tsur would say as she would squat down at the water's edge holding her fishing pole between her legs so she could breath hot air onto her already cold hands.

"If it had been up to me Papa would have sent my older brothers to the academy and I would have taken over the fishing business... but Im the only one of my siblings with the Kekkai, I think that's what Papa and Ojii-San call it."

- ❤ -

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

I suck at both of those. Unsurprising, honestly. Both of his specialities demanded both patience and good chakra control. Academy students were known for neither, and Masahiko couldn’t blame any child for being more drawn to the flashier, more physical realms of buki or tai or ninjutsu. "Even if they’re not where your interest or skillset lies, genjutsu at least is typically useful as a supplementary skill,” Masahiko said mildly. "At the very least, knowing genjutsu well enough to be able to break it is valuable. I would recommend dedicating more study to it, if for that reason only.” He watched with mild interest as she threw that oversized fishhook onto the ice, where it seemed to cut out a block for her to… well, fish from. Hiko didn’t know a thing without fishing, but her form seemed impressive to his inexperienced eye. She definitely knew what she was doing. And that fishhook was… unnatural. "I could try to arrange a meeting, though I suspect it depends on how long you and your friend are staying.” Isao had been there for the snowball fight, but Masahiko was unsure of his schedule outside of that. Considering the child’s words, though, Masahiko thought that it seemed less that she needed specific training—perhaps just talking to an adult who took her seriously would be encouragement enough. "A kekkei genkai?” he asked. It would make sense, considering that unnatural fishhook and how she spoke of it. "That would be… ah, Hakugei, you called him?” The puzzle pieces were starting to fit together now. "Well, I always find it helps to start from where you feel successful. What is it that makes you good at fishing?”

Shodo Tsuri -- 285

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shodo Tsuri]

nue masahiko

Masahiko would make a good point as Tsuri waited to see if she could get a bite out of the pond. Weighing the young man's words with a strong handful of salt, since a pinch was not nearly enough. It was obviously good advice from someone older, but if she didn't have such a good answer she wouldn't be able to keep from crying in her own panic over the subject, "It isn't that I don't want to Masahiko-San... its just kind of inefficient? I don't really get it entirely, but Hakugei takes a lot of my chakra so I don't have the resources to practice a lot of the uh... esoteric? Is that the right word Senpai?"

Her pool would tug not long after asking her question. Grabbing onto the rod she would pull it up and back tucking it partially into her armpit as she wound up the reel with her other hand, pulling a rather large fish from the water and across the ice. It was like the older shinobi's question had prompted the world to give her a fish at the request, though if one looked at where Hakugei stuck out of the cheed it would look more like the fish was impaled by force rather than latching on by its own accord. Holding the fish up proudly she would show it to Masahiko with a sense of pride.

"Got one! And I think I would like it if I could meet them... assuming you can arrange that for me Masahiko-San! And yes a Kekkei Genkai!" Tsuri would start in to saying only to turn to take care of the fish. She doubted she could actually eat the thing since this was an official resource, but it could have been a nice meal. Unhooking the fish she would toss it right back into the hole in the distance. Seemingly having practiced the fish toss just as much as she had her sword... if anyone but her could even call it a sword.

Casting Hakugei back into the water with a smile on her face she would turn again to the Yuki ninja. Tsuri would pat her hands together and breath hot air into them to heat them back up from the settling chill of the water on her gloves.

"Yes! Hakugei is my uh Kekkai Genkei... I think? Sugi-rin hasn't told me any more really than Ojii-San. I honestly don't get it," She would say shoving her hands into her outmost pockets and very obviously squeezing them to keep them moving. Rolling her head slight sideways she'd continue, "If you wanna know what makes me good at fishing, then it really comes down to the fact that I've been doing it since I was really little! My brothers used to let me sit on the riverbank in fish while they went down stream to the wider parts of the river. When I was about seven I also started to go boat fishing with my Papa."

- ❤ -

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Esoteric, huh? A big word from a little girl. He didn’t feel especially inclined to press the issue, though, since she seemed to be on the brink of tears again, so he made a quiet noise of acknowledgement and held his tongue while she reeled in a large fish. She unhooked it—such as it was, since it seemed rather less latched than impaled, but it seemed to slip back into the cold waters without much issue. The massive fish hook went back in the water, and the girl seemed very pleased with her accomplishment. More puzzle pieces falling into place—the hook was the bloodline, and the Ame boy who traveled with her apparently had the same kind. Logic would dictate that Sugi-rin’s was attached to that oversized sword of his, which quite honestly rivaled Isao’s in size. Interesting. "So you’ve been practicing for a long time,” Masahiko observed, looking sidelong at the girl. He tucked his own hands into his wide sleeves; he was far more used to the cold than a child of the rain, but that didn’t make him immune to it. "I think that means you have found what you’re good at, Sakanawa-san. Frequent fishing has made you good at it. From what I saw during the snowball fight, it’s also made you good at using… uh, Hakugei. As a fish hook, clearly, but also as a weapon.” A small, amused smile tugged at his lips. "If you can catch a fish, you can catch a knave.”

Shodo Tsuri -- 262

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shodo Tsuri]

Tag

Tsuri would seem to teeter totter physically as Masahiko spoke. There was definitely nuggets of wisdom in knowing what you were good at, and for Tsuri that was more than enough. If you could take one thing from every conversation that was something that was honestly just a win. Looking out beyond the ice she would continue to watch the string of her pole for any and all movement.

"I really don't know why Hakugei can do the stretch out thing that he does, but he does," Tsuri would say as she teeter tottered on her inner thoughts. To some degree it was normal in her head that Hakugei could do that, but it was also something that she had been doing for some time now. That probably affected the way she looked at it, "I'm not really sure I always wanna catch knaves, Ma-San. I know my skils definitely are best for catching, and if I get to grow a bit, probably killing. The goal of fishing is to eat, not saying I plan to eat people! But it feels like fishing for people would be the same as suffocating a fish... the purpose is killing even if there is a good cause for it."

- ❤ -

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Against all odds, this teenager had realized as an academy student what took most genin several missions to realize—that they, collectively, were killers. That this was not a job to be taken lightly, or an avenue for fun adventures and the opportunity to travel; that shinobi were, first and foremost, soldiers. It was an invaluable lesson, and immeasurably difficult to internalize. That Tsuri was already on her way there was a good sign, at least, even if she didn’t seem thrilled with the idea. (Ma-san was new, but Masahiko found that he didn’t especially mind it.) "You’re right,” Masahiko said mildly. There was no cushioning it; he was gentle, but forthright. "There are other things that shinobi can do; they can heal, support, run errands, run messages. But even the most pacifist medic is working in the service of death, and from what I’ve seen, Sakanawa-san, your skillset is likely to make you quite good at killing.” He rubbed idly at his forearms, watching the stretched-out line of the girl’s lifeblade lurking quietly in the water. "It’s not always for a good cause, either. At least, it may not feel like it. Violence is violence. It is what it is, and there’s little to gain from pretending that a shinobi is anything other than what and who she is.” His expression was still carefully pleasant, his words softly and kindly spoken despite the harshness of their impact. He looked sidelong at Tsuri, his head tilting curiously. "But this is my chosen profession—our chosen profession, should you choose to carry on with your education. Is that something you want to do, Sakanawa-san?”

Shodo Tsuri -- 271

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shodo Tsuri]

Tag

Tsuri had to take a moment to warm her hands as she absorbed what was being said to her. Like Akemi, before this, Tsuri was learning through reassurance the thing that she already knew. She had seen death since she was little, having grown up knowing fully well that fishing was an art form meant to kill fish, and often it was suffocation that was the real killer for the creatures. That didn't mean a fisher didn't respect their kill, because that would be disrespectful to nature for having feed you. It was ignorance to disrespect what you made bleed, so maybe that was why she didn't like the full extent of her current situation.

Having a tug on her line, she would assist Hakugei in spearing and catching the fish and pulling it from the water. By cruel fate it was the same fish as before, Hakugei would indicate laughter in a mocking tone in her mind, but not say a true word to her about his prey. She instead was the one to smile, her tears pooling up as they normally did when it came to fishing incidents like this. This time the wound was a lot worse than before, it wasn't going to heal naturally from this one, so Tsuri struck quickly, Gripping Hakugei and channeling her chakra she would twist the fish of her blade as it stretched in an odd angling to splice the fish's brain and killing it.

"Sorry for killing a village fish Ma-San. I uh... I think Hakugei was targetting it? I think I'm going to have to talk to him later about what that was about..." Tsuri would say as she simultaneously looked puzzled, but cheerful with the catch... all while crying. It was like she couldn't decide how to feel about the situation before she suddenly unscrunched and wiped her tears away. Back to just cheerful, "I know what is probably ahead for me, yeah, and it doesn't make me happy to do it, but if someone has to do it... then I can at least do it respectfully in my own way. My Ojii-San was the last to have this power within my family, and only recently did I learn that there were more like me in my village. I have an obligation to follow the path that I've inherited from my Ojii-San, and my brothers are to take over Papa's business in time."

Tsuri would pause as had turned the fish in her hand so that it would blood let properly hanging the tail of the fish to simply sit on Hakugei, the sword dulling to hold the fish and indulging the girl.

"As long as I don't have to treat people like dead fish, I think I am fine with that too... I think, honestly, I'm going a little crazy with all of this though. Its very odd."

- ❤ -

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

He watched with quiet fascination as Tsuri pulled the fish from the water and swiftly killed it, smiling and weeping all the while… though apparently she hadn’t meant to kill it, which only made him more curious. If Hakugei could have a separate, independent drive from Tsuri’s, then that might be cause for concern down the line; or it might prove a boon to the girl, who might otherwise shy from violence. Only time would tell. "That’s quite alright,” he said mildly, looking down at the fish. "You’re welcome to take it if you don’t want the death to be wasted.” As quickly as the fish had been caught, Tsuri’s mood flipped again, almost too fast for Masahiko to keep up. He looked at the oversized fishhook as it held the fish, blood dripping and melting tiny pockets into the snow beneath their feet. "That’s a very sensible outlook, Sakanawa-san,” he said. "So long as you have your own purpose, you’ll do fine.” It had taken a long time for Masahiko to find his; though, some days, he wasn’t sure if it still held true. His work had been easier before teenagers were placed under his care; it was a simpler task to break people’s minds before he had to learn how to teach. He didn’t shed much blood, but as he told the rain-child: he was in the service of death regardless. Some days that was harder to swallow than others. Her next words gave him pause, though, and he ventured to ask, as gently as he could: "Crazy in what way?”

Shodo Tsuri -- 263

LAIKA OF THQ