[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Masahiko had a new student. Another Yuki child, which was unsurprising, considering you couldn’t throw a cat without hitting someone in the Yuki clan in this village. This one, Yuriko, was apparently under the care of the Lady of Yukigakure herself. A terrifying prospect, frankly, though Masahiko knew that the Lady was a fair woman, not one to play favorites. He had read Yuriko’s file, of course, and knew of her troubled history and status as a prodigy—something he had audibly scoffed at when he read, as he knew too well what happened when people set their expectations too high and too early. He wanted to meet with her one-on-one before introducing her to the rest of the team, or taking them on a group mission or training exercise. He needed to learn her goals and ambitions in her own words, of course, but he also needed to get a beat on her psychological state. According to Lady Yuki’s files, Yuriko seemed to be on the mend, but if she was still unstable then Masahiko would need to be more cautious in how he led the team through missions. Masahiko sent her a message a few days in advance requesting to meet her at the greenhouses situated within the village. He’d requested and been granted permission to gather some herbs to use to replenish his supply of poisons and antidotes, and thought there was no harm in accomplishing two items on his to-do list at once. While he waited for the girl to arrive, he took a stroll around the greenhouse, examining the various flora that flourished here under the herbalists’ tender care.

Yuki Yuriko -- 276

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yuki Yuriko]

It had come rather suddenly, and Yuriko had to admit she was not entirely certain what to expect. After the incident with her last mission she had been officially been put on a cooldown period. Most would have said that it was in order for her to come to terms with her loss, and perhaps find some form of stability in her life. Fortunately thanks to the intervention of Shuka, and some support from a psychologist at the medical corps the young kunoichi had started to come to terms with the trauma of the past. Yet, the letter had come rather suddenly, a request to meet at the greenhouses within the village. Overall it was a good choice for a meeting, the greenhouses were not that crowded, and the various flora had a certain calming effect on the mind. As such on the day they were supposed to meet Yuriko had already arrived much earlier than necessary, and when Masahiko entered the greenhouse and examined the various flora the sound of a soft voice came from nearby.

"See those white flowers growing over there? Narcissus, pseudonarcissus are what they call them~ Despite their beauty they are frequently used in both medicine and poison~ The right dose of the flower's compounds can induce vomiting, so they often use that medicine for when someone just ingested something dangerous, alternatively an overdose of it can make you nauseous so shinobi that specialize in poisons frequently employ it to debilitate their enemies in combat."

Should Masahiko decide to look in the direction of the voice, he would find that leaning against a nearby pillar that supported the greenhouse's structure was the young kunoichi. A look of fondness in her eyes as she continued. "It's a pity I can't really touch those flowers for long myself, my touch is too chilly for them so it would damage the flower..."

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she stretched her arms into the air and stood upright once more. "Either way~ I'm glad you could make it Masahiko-senpai~ I have to admit I'm a bit surprised when I received your invitation."

Her gaze shifted downwards for a moment, a hint of gloom being cast on her expression as she spoke. "After that incident I was worried that no team would be willing to take me anymore."

She shook her head lightly, as if attempting to dispel the gloomy thoughts and looked the man into his eyes, a smile emerging on her lips. "But where are my manners~ The name is Yuriko~ Yuki Yuriko, a pleasure to meet you Masahiko-senpai. But you likely already knew that."

A gentle chuckle followed as she took a step closer toward the man. "Are you here on business by any chance? If you came to restock on supplies I can wait for a bit~ I like gazing around the greenhouse, it has an oddly calming atmosphere that I like, quite different from the hustle and bustle of the busier parts of the village."

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Masahiko was somewhat less thrilled with having the flower’s properties explained to him by a twelve-year-old, but he reminded himself that patience was a virtue, and that he himself was an overenthusiastic genin once, eager to share what he knew. He turned to her and raised a hand in greeting, offering a polite smile. "The pleasure is mine, Yuriko-san,” he said, opting to match her rather polite way of speaking. He tended to be more casual with Kazu, but they had known each other longer, and Kazu wasn’t especially hung up on formalities beyond calling him sensei. "Nue Masahiko, as you know. Thank you for meeting me here.” Off the bat there was quite a bit to unpack—introducing herself with a display of knowledge, referring to her hyoton abilities as it related to her inability to interact with the flora, her mood drooping briefly as she mentioned the incident (and referring to it as that incident), her sophisticated vocabulary and specifically formal way of speaking with that light, airy tone. Masahiko tended not to jump to conclusions—it rarely helped—but he was filing the information away for later. This was an odd one, to be sure. "I do have some business here, actually,” he replied. "You’re welcome to join me, if you’d like, I just need to grab a few things. In the meantime—perhaps you can tell me why you were so surprised by my invitation? I hope it’s not too strange to want to get to know my newest student.”

Yuki Yuriko -- 254

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yuki Yuriko]

Yuriko shook her head lightly in response. "It's not the meeting itself that is strange senpai~ It is your choice of student." She smiled weakly as she stepped beside him, seemingly wordlessly accepting his invitation while she resumed her reply. "I'm certain that if you decided to pick me as one of your team subordinates, it is quite likely that you were informed of my past experiences with my previous team."

She gazed back at the flowers. "Even with the vouching of my doctor and auntie Shuka- I mean Lady Shuka's input into my mental state, it does not excuse the fact I took several lives in such a brutal manner. Certainly, we were on a mission and those men had likely been prepared to kill us, I still feel ashamed of my actions that day."

She sighed softly as she turned her gaze back at Masahiko. "Hatred is a vicious cycle, isn't it senpai? The civil war took my parents from me, and in return I murdered several mercenaries who worked for the people that took my family from me. One might think their deaths satisfied me, and for a moment they did but then later when I talked to auntie Shuka I realized I just gave the cycle another spin."

She paused for a moment, trying to get a idea of his reaction after which she continued. "Those mercenaries likely had families of their own, and I might had taken away a brother, parent or even a lover. Those families would be within their right to pursue revenge, and in their eyes their actions would be no doubt considered just."

She raised a hand to her chest, taking a deep breath as she looked up at him. "To say that I want no part in such a cycle would not be too far from the truth, but I'm not naïve enough to believe the life of a shinobi is without conflict. Conflict often is accompanied with casualties, and born from the feelings of those left behind the cycle begins anew."

She smiled briefly at him as she asked in a more bemused tone. "Is it odd for one so young to have such complicated thoughts? Then again, shinobi are the weapons of this village, and I'd rather be a weapon capable of having its own thoughts and feelings, lest I'd become nothing but a tool."

Another shake of her head followed as she spoke. "I apologize for the gloomy topic, to which, in hope to improve the mood I'll pose a question of my own~ Why did you decide to pick me as one of your team members?" It was a question she was genuinely curious about. After all most would consider her a talented but difficult to handle student due to her complicated situation, so she wanted to hear it from Masahiko himself what sort of reason he had to accept her as a member of his team. And judging from the look of interest in her eyes, she was all ears~

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Masahiko listened quietly as she explained herself. He wasn’t so stoic as to be expressionless, but Masahiko had long since developed his own particular flavor of inscrutability, and if Yuriko were looking for a reaction in his face as she relayed her story, she would find none. He was attentive, clearly listening with intent and care, but he offered no visible reaction to either her speaking of the people she’d killed or her awareness of the cycle of revenge she’d been caught in. He went about his gathering as she spoke, picking handfuls of a few varieties of both medicinal and poisonous herbs and bundling them up with string before tucking them away into an extra pouch he carried at his hip. It was clear she’d internalized what she’d worked through with the med-nin psychologist, and the Lady’s estimation of her recovery seemed, on the tin, accurate. She was troubled but remorseful, and determined to move forward. She was still fundamentally twelve, regardless of how much she seemed to have emotionally matured from her experiences, and he would have to be mindful of both respecting her growth and autonomy while still understanding that she was a child with little experience beyond the life within Yuki no Kuni. Yet Masahiko was still dissatisfied. Perhaps it was the circumstances under which Yuriko received an intervention; the feeling that wiggled in the back of his mind that, if he had been Yuriko’s team leader at the time, he wouldn’t have considered her probation necessary. The pursuit of revenge would turn anyone into a fool, but hatred was a useful tool, once honed. He wondered briefly if, devoid of the context of her slaughtered parents, Yuriko’s actions would be considered anything less than an exemplary performance from a talented young genin. Their profession was brutal, after all. But she didn’t need to hear his thoughts on the matter; the Lady’s decision had been made, and it was done. Whether she would be a lesser killer for the experience, they would find out together. "Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me,” was his simple statement on the matter. "I appreciate your transparency and your willingness to discuss such a sensitive topic with me.” He paused, gathered up another bundle of herbs. "To answer your question.” he continued, "I didn’t pick you. I’ve never selected any of my students; the Lady assigns teams based on what she in her experience believes to be an appropriate team composition. That said—” Masahiko tucked the last bundle away in his pouch, and turned to fully face Yuriko. He offered a small smile, sympathetic. "I was informed of your history prior to requesting this meeting, and I agree with the Lady’s assessment. I think you’ll be a good addition to the team, and I consider your experiences to be more of an asset to team one than a detriment.” He tilted his head, tucking his hair behind his ear. "I’m curious to know what you’re capable of, Yuriko-san. Tell me more about what you’re interested in learning while you’re on my team.”

Yuki Yuriko -- 513

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yuki Yuriko]

It was hard for her to guess what might had been going on in Masahiko's mind. The absence of a reaction in his expression and a lack of knowledge about the man's personality in general made it difficult for Yuriko to get a solid grasp on what he might have thought about the things she just told him. The young lass simply observed Masahiko as he gathered several different medicinal and poisonous herbs. "Mhmm~ I wonder why I decided to share such a sensitive topic..." The girl paused for a moment, her gaze averting as she pondered internally for a moment. Perhaps it was to get a reaction, to get his thoughts on the matter? Or maybe it just felt a bit refreshing to take that burden off her shoulders, even if just for a moment.

"Ah~ I see. That makes sense." Yuriko mused softly as Masahiko enlightened her about the fact he didn't exactly pick her for his team. Rather, it was the wisdom and experience of the Lady of Yukigakure that created the team composition. Still, to see the hints of that small sympathetic smile as he explained how he thought she would be a good addition to the team, the moment those words were spoken the girl smiled briefly after which she answered his question.

"The answers which can't be found in books~" On the tin the response might had been a bit of a riddle, but she decided to explain her choice of wording soon afterwards. "I believe what I'm interested in the most is attaining more experience, especially of life beyond Yuki no Kuni. Although there is a lot of wisdom to be found in books, they are by no means a replacement for actual experience. It is also for that reason I asked my teachers not to recommend me for the Chuunin exams yet."

She looked back at Masahiko and added with a hint of curiosity. "Although many might be thrilled at the opportunity, I feel a lack of experience prior to such an examination might be a detriment, that is why I wish to build upon my foundations as a Genin, find a specialty to call my own and then once I have gained enough proficiency and experience I hope a recommendation for taking the exams will surface~"

She paused for a bit, thinking back about what Masahiko mentioned earlier. "In terms of what I can do, I focus primarily on my Hyoton Ninjutsu, and supplement those techniques with Bukijutsu. I'm particularly fond of a certain technique that I can combine both with, of course depending on the environment it will be harder for me to properly carry out such techniques."

She smiled briefly at Masahiko and inquired with clear curiosity in her eyes. "What about you Masahiko-senpai? What do you specialize in?"

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Masahiko nodded in approval to Yuriko’s desire to delay her participation in the chuunin exams. "A very sensible decision,” he told her. Lack of experience was the highest cause of death of genin in the exams, at least to his mind. "We can start off with group training exercises to build your rapport with the rest of the team, and then move on to C-rank missions; I think D-ranks are beyond all three of you, honestly. Depending on your performance and what we’re able to accomplish, I might recommend you for the next round of exams, bearing in mind that hardly anyone promotes after their first attempt, and it would largely serve as a deeply valuable learning experience.” Assuming she didn’t die, that is; but that was a risk in all things in their line of work. She mentioned her ice release again, to which Masahiko smiled; it must have been a point of pride, and rightfully so. "One of your new teammates, Yuki Kazu, shares your kekkei genkai, so I see a lot of collaboration in your futre,” he said. "As for myself—” He pondered the question. He certainly didn’t need to share his secondary position with her; as far as he knew, none of his genin were aware that he also served as an interrogator. If they did, they certainly hadn’t learned it from him. "I serve as field support,” he said decisively after a short pause. "I’m a trained combat medic and a genjutsu specialist. Bukijutsu is… not my speciality, I will admit. Of course I can assist you with essential theory and techniques up to an average chuunin’s level, but for more specialized training…” He wrinkled his nose with a playful expression of distaste. "Isao-sensei, who leads genin team two, is far more adept with bukijutsu than I ever have been or ever will be, and I could see if he’d be able to work with you on more specific advanced techniques. I’m sure he’d be happy to help.” He always was, the big lug. "We were on genin team two together ourselves some years back, so I’m sure I could call in a favor.” Nevermind that Masahiko was the one who owed Isao, and desperately, for saving his life. That was grossly beside the point. "Regardless, I’ve got what I came for,” he said, patting the pouch at his side. "Would you perhaps like to accompany me to the training yard, so you can show off some of your techniques?”

Yuki Yuriko -- 404

LAIKA OF THQ