[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro was familiar with Mizu no Kuni as he had visited the place a fair amount of times before. However, he rarely came to the city of Kagamino no Shi. As he tended to head more to Kirigakure for business-related stuff or to visit whenever he had the chance. This time he had come to the place as the escort to Himishi Haruka. After dropping her off at the residence where she would be staying for the duration of the Chuunin Exams. He was also meant to remain in the city as an escort, which gave him plenty of time to visit the place.

One of the things he was openly looking for was a good restaurant to eat at. Rentaro had his priorities and food was always his top priority. He knew that Mizu no Kuni usually focused on seafood, restaurants of that type were abundant around here as that was the most common diet around the country. While he searched for a restaurant he also spent his time roaming around the place, getting to know it. For the sake of convenience, he would've preferred the Chuunin Exams to be held in Kirigakure, but he knew that the Mizukage had a good reason to hold them here. After all, shinobi from opposing nations came to this place, it was the perfect opportunity for them to gather intelligence. But, by holding the exams in Kagamino no Shi, the amount of intel they could gather was heavily limited.

Eventually, Rentaro managed to find a restaurant, at least one that got his attention. He walked into the restaurant and took a sit on one of the chairs that had a long table that stretched all the way to the counter where one ordered food. "I'd like a small tablet of sushi and as sides miso soup and onigiris." He asked for his order and the woman behind the counter quickly took his order, now it was just a matter of waiting. Rentaro knew he was going to be staying in the city for a while, so he might as well look for a way to get entertained aside from taking naps.

[Hōzuki Kyōka]

We are violence Kyouka was already inside the restaurant that Rentaro had just entered, she had just finished her meal and was just enjoying some sake when she noticed the familiar face. Even though they didn't really interact with each other, they both had a failed participation in the FEAR event. Being from an allied village, she knew all too well his alias as 'Sharingan Rentaro', meaning he had that coveted kekkei genkai at his disposal, which she concluded was hidden behind his eyepatch. Placing the money on the counter and grabbing her sake bottle, Kyouka slowly walked towards Rentaro's table, and without much warning, pulled one of the chairs and sit there, in front of the man, placing her sake bottle on the table and chugging down her cup, before doing the same. Her violet eyes stared right into his one visible eye and she cracked a somewhat mischievous grin. "Guess you liked the Land of Waters, eh? Sharingan Rentaro." she said, making the man aware of her knowledge on his alias; she wasn't one of the top Mist shinobi for nothing. Kyouka made herself comfortable on the table, and after greeting the man, she offered a second cup she had on her other hand. "Drinking alone is a bother, care to join me?" she offered. and this is hell Takeuchi Rentaro 231 words Sake & Sushi Bar

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[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro noticed the arrival of somebody else at the restaurant and finally shifted his attention to the person that had arrived as she placed the money on the counter. His eye met hers, as he looked directly at the woman that held a bottle of sake and gave him a mischievous grin. Although the two never faced each other during the FEAR Event, it was known they participated. He was knowledgeable enough to know who she was just by her appearance. He wouldn't be a jounin, nor the Tsuchikage's assistance if he knew of such a thing. "The woman they call Bloody Maelstrom and a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, huh..." Rentaro said, he didn't expect her to encounter her out of all of this place, but it's not like her company bothered her either.

"I don't drink often... But, since I have nothing better to do, why not?" He gave her a nod and took the cup that she had offered to him, placing it directly towards her in order for her to pour him one while he waited for his food. Rentaro wasn't expecting to find somebody of her reputation here, so it made him curious. "I wasn't expecting to find someone of your reputation around here. Any particular reason? Do you have a genin team, perhaps?" He decided to ask, as it didn't hurt to do so. It wouldn't surprise if she did, after all, it's a position that jounin in some villages could take. That was the most probable reason as to why she would be around here, but he decided to ask just to be sure. The two were allies, so there was nothing bad in engaging in a conversation. It was better than having to deal with somebody from Konoha, that's for sure.

[Hōzuki Kyōka]

We are violence Rentaro knew her alias, but that was hardly surprising, the man was - after all - growing used to hanging around the Land of Water, and he had a good reputation on his own. The man said he didn't drink often, but regardless he accepted her invitation and she giggled lightly. "Good answer, Rentaro-kun!" she said in a rather playful tone, winking to the man as he took the cup she offered. Kyouka was quick to pour sake in his cup and then chug her own cup down, only to refill it a second later, resting the half-empty bottle in the table, between the two of them. When asked for the reason to being there, she nodded at his second question. "Indeed. After I retired from the Hunter-nin corps, I became a team leader. Well... Sort of... For two years the genin they assigned under my instruction were worthless, so I just sent them back to the academy. But this team of mine now has quite the potential." she said, with a proud smirk on her face. "How about you, handsome? You don't strike me as a genin team leader, if I'm being honest." she said, her tone friendly but blunt. and this is hell Takeuchi Rentaro 218 words Sake & Sushi Bar

made by eden @ gs and thq

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro had heard of her and her reputation as one of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist was simply hard not to notice. Although he wasn't the kind to drink often, he could at least go for a drink or two for a change of pace. After his she poured sake into his cup, he drank from a portion of the cup and let out a sigh. The sake gave his throat a burning sensation for a few moments until it was finally gone. He heard her comment about being a Team Leader now after stepping down from the Hunter-nin Corps, the organization that was dedicated to hunting down rogue ninja from Kirigakure.

"Hm... I see... Well, there's some genin that always is like that." It seemed like Kyouka was a strict Jounin Team Leader, he wasn't that kind of, but he could understand that philosophy. He knew some Shinobi from Iwagakure that was strict about such things as well. "You got that right... I've never been into the idea of becoming a Genin Team Leader. Instead, I'm the Tsuchikage's Assistant, for the reason why I am here is to escort a genin to the exams." Rentaro stated, never having the preference to lead a team of genins, as he didn't believe he was qualified for the job. Instead, he worked as an assistant, but since he knew she was going to wonder why he was here, he explained that it was due to escorting a genin to the exams.

[Hōzuki Kyōka]

We are violence Indeed, the man didn't look like he was a Genin Team Leader and he confirmed that. His position was the Kage's assistant probably played a role in that too; it is hard to perform both jobs. Heck, even for Kyouka, after retiring from the Hunter-nin, it was still hard to lead a team and handle her obligations as one of the top shinobi from the Mist, and the First Seat of the Seven Swordsmen, still, her students were growing a lot, and were among the top Genin of the village, something that she was kind of proud of. "So they decided to send you instead of their sensei? That's a curious choice. Maybe because you were already familiar with the place, uh?" she wondered, twirling one of her fingers around her pure white hair while chugging down the cup of sake, immediately refilling it; the woman could definitely drink. "So, how are your little brats doing so far? Or are you not even bothering?" she asked, arching one of her brows in curiosity. Kyouka would then snap her fingers, and one of the waiters would bring another bottle of top tier warm sake with gold pieces inside. She liked her booze, and she liked it fancy. and this is hell Yami 225 words Sake & Sushi Bar

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[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro never saw himself as a teacher, although the position was available for him to take the moment he became a Jounin. He preferred to be the assistant to the Tsuchikage, with the intention of assisting Lady Takara in the improvement of the village. Ironically enough, even if he didn't see himself being a teacher, he still accepted the proposal of teaching a particular girl. That greatly backfired and further cemented the idea of not being a teacher.

"Most likely, as far as I'm aware the current genin I'm escorting lacked a formal sensei due to some complications. I was apparently the only person she trusted, so I came along... I've been to Mizu no Kuni a fair amount of times before, but this is my first time in Kagamino no Shi." He stated, one of the reasons why he was brought as well had to do with his familiarity with the country. Just as Kyouka had guessed and it made perfect sense as to why. "I think she has done well so far, well she's a capable kunoichi, she can just be too prideful... How about yours? Surely, they don't want to disappoint their teacher." Rentaro commented, wondering how her students were holding up. Ever since the exams officially started he had reserved to just watching everything unfold by the sidelines, he didn't even bother coming up to Haruka due to the tension between the two. Ultimately, the exams were priority and he held no desire to disturb her on such an important moment.

[Hōzuki Kyōka]

We are violence Kyouka took another sip of her sake while she listened to Rentaro's words. "I see." a brief and simple comment, as she didn't want to interrupt the man. The fact that they lacked a sensei was concerning, especially given the fact that the Hidden Rock and the Mist were allies, and if that meant they were growing weaker, they had to do something about it, but that was likely a subject for another day. "Ah. Our beloved capital. It's a lovely place indeed. I assume it must be quite the change in scenery when compared to your home country, is it not?" a coastal country as opposed to the rocky mountainous landscape of the Land of Earth, she wondered how he felt about it. He must like the Land of Waters to a certain degree if he was always so willing to visit despite being the Kage's assistant. When he returned the question about her students, she cracked a large smile, showing her sharp, menacing fangs. "They are doing really well, not surprising for I'm their sensei. I wouldn't be surprised if all of them made it to Chuunin. Especially Kasumi, she has the skills and the brains for it. But the others are not to be underestimated." she explained, chuckling lightly as she finished her cup of sake. Kyouka's cheeks were turning red a bit due to the alcohol, but other than that she seemed perfectly fine. and this is hell Takeuchi Rentaro 257 words Sake & Sushi Bar

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[Takeuchi Rentaro]

It was a bit surprising to think that Iwagakure, the village with the largest shinobi military lacked the means to assign a proper teacher for the genin. Rentaro didn't put too much thought into it, as he believed that Haruka wouldn't have any problems passing the Chuunin Exams so she wouldn't require a Genin Team Leader anyway. To him, it seemed quite the opposite, the Stone had become much more powerful after the Civil War took place.

"Yeah... The place, the people, and even the food here are different. Fish is quite abundant here and surprisingly good, it's a little harder to find it back at home." Tsuchi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni were two completely different countries, the atmosphere and the type of things that were found there were not as common back in his home country. He didn't mind, that's one of the things he liked about the country, the variety it had and the cuisine present was one of his favorite ones. To say he preferred the Water Country over his own country was hard, after all, he was born there and nothing could change that. However, he had taken a liking to visit a fellow ally country, whether it was for work-related reasons or just for the sake of relaxing

"Can't expect any less from them, right? Mm. The competition is quite fierce and there's a lot of skilled genin out there. Underestimating their opponent might result in their failure. Last time I checked Haruka had quite a high score in the list, but only time would tell if it remains the same." He agreed with Kyouka, they were some good competitors, some from opposing villages. The Chuunin Exams were full of surprises. Rentaro took another sip from his cup of sake and finished it, letting out a sigh.

[Hōzuki Kyōka]

We are violence Kyouka had been to the Land of Earth before. Not a big fan of the scenery. Mountains everywhere, rocks and not much else. Quite dull, if you asked her, so it wasn't a place she visited often, and only when she had any shinobi business there. In comparison, the Land of Waters was much prettier and full of life, she was proud of her homeland, and as selfish as she was, her loyalty was attached to her vanity, and as such, she was very unlikely to ever betray the Mist and her country. As the subject shifted to their Genin, Kyouka mentioned her high expectations of her students. Rentaro remarked that the competition was fierce, but that didn't shake Kyouka's faith in her students. The man did mention one of the Genins, Haruka, the Himishi girl, and Kyouka nodded, taking another sip of the sake. "This is the Himishi girl, right? I'm watching her too. What about the others? The two boys, I mean." she asked, curious as to what Rentaro thought about them. It was interesting to hear opinions of their higher up, it was rather enlighten. and this is hell Takeuchi Rentaro 206 words Sake & Sushi Bar

made by eden @ gs and thq

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

No matter what, everyone would have a bias towards their own home country. They were born in it and had most of their time in it for their entire life. It was hard to argue otherwise, everyone had their own preferences, and trying to say which one was the best was a waste of time for him. Rentaro liked the idea of living in a simple place, there was no need for something complex as simple was always better.

The competition among the genin was quite fierce, some really capable genin from both allied and enemy villages alike. It showcased how this upcoming generation of shinobi was quite capable, which meant that he didn't have to worry about much, at least from his side. Regardless of how fierce the competition was, he held faith that the genin of Iwagakure would prove themselves and rise up to the rank of Chuunin. "Correct... Hmm... I've only one of the two, Himishi Jou. He seems like he's doing fine, but I believe he hasn't managed to gain the mindset of a shinobi." Although he didn't know the young man much, from what he saw during the Chuunin Exams there was a sense of hesitance to attack some of his friends.

"Your student, Kasumi. She's quite good in combat and a force to be reckoned with for the other genin. How about your other two students?" Since she brought up earlier what he thought about the two other Iwagakure male genins, he decided to ask her about her other two students. It seemed like Kasumi was her best student and with good reason, there was no denial that's for sure. He took another sip from the cup of sake that he was handed over, letting out a brief sigh.

[Hōzuki Kyōka]

We are violence That was a fair statement, that boy did seem like he was more on the soft side, but sometimes people like that awaken their inner beast and surprise everyone. In any case, they would have to wait for the third round to truly see it, for the first two were quite the private ones, and other than the scores, they were all kind of kept in the dark as to what was going on there. Rentaro seemed to have also taken notice of Kasumi, and that made Kyouka's smirk widen, showing the pride she had in the team she was training. "Kasumi is strong, but the other two are also strong. Kazue is powerful and is growing to become ruthless. Kei is still a bit naive, so if anything, she is the one who has to change the most if she wants to rank up. That's how I see it anyways." she shrugged, pouring the last of the sake bottle in her cup and downing it. "I'm curious as to who they will end up fighting. And how many people will die. When I took the exams, I killed every single one of my opponents. Now that was a good time!" she giggled lightly, seemingly having fun with the memory of such an event. That was why she was called the Bloody Maelstrom after all, the alias she was giving following her own Chuunin Exams. and this is hell Takeuchi Rentaro 255 words Sake & Sushi Bar

made by eden @ gs and thq

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Sometimes the kind people are only required to be a corner in order to show their true selves. Put pressure on something or someone for long enough and they will break. Everyone had their limits and everyone tends to behave differently in battle depending on the circumstances. The first matches were usually the more boring ones, with some exceptions, with the third round usually being the one with the most pressure. The most capable shinobi usually made themselves known in their first two rounds, although one could already tell from the most capable just by looking at the scores. However, fighting was an important part of being a shinobi, the ability to come up with adequate tactics and figure out the weakness of the enemy was important.

"Mm... I see. The Chuunin Exams serve as an effective way to put the genin to the test. After all, the types of missions Chuunin is assigned to are different from the ones of a genin. In the field, it boils down to kill or be killed." Unfortunately, that's how it was at times. The options were always the following, kill the enemy in front of you, or hold yourself back, but such a decision might result in one's own death or the death of a teammate. Sometimes it is better to live with the burden of killing an enemy, than living with the burden of failing to protect a teammate. "So nobody has died, yet. Only time will tell, the combat part is normally the most dangerous one. There might be some towards the opposing villages. Must be a pain in the ass to fight somebody of your skill." The possibility of death was there and in a battle where an examinee could die. After all, the rules consisted of fighting until one of them gave up, was knocked out, or died. Rentaro's comment was a compliment, he had never seen Kyouka in battle, but he knew enough of her to know that she was a deadly opponent.

[Hōzuki Kyōka]

We are violence The woman laughed when Rentaro spoke and she shook her head. Then, she snapped her fingers and the waiter brought yet another bottle of sake; she could really hold her liquor, but even Kyouka was starting to show signs of getting a bit tipsy, like the redness on her cheeks and her more exaggerated body movements. "Come on, Rentaro-kun! We are tools of murder! You've been to F.E.A.R., that's how it should be. The softies are just fodder. In this world, the weak are the food of the strong. As simple as that. Hahaha!" she said, pausing when the waiter brought the sake, and she poured a cup for herself and the man in front of her. She giggled when he gave her a compliment. "You flattering me, Rentaro-kun? Who knows, maybe if you continue I might fall for your charms. Hehe... But you see... I'm an artist, and this sword is my brush... I just like painting beautifyl pictures with blood!" the casual way she talked about murder was enough to show that Kyouka was naturally a cruel individual. Still, she enjoyed the company of the strong, and Rentaro had made a name for himself, one that was known in the shinobi world as well. and this is hell Takeuchi Rentaro 227 words Sake & Sushi Bar

made by eden @ gs and thq

[Takeuchi Rentaro]

Rentaro rarely drank as it simply wasn't his preference, the only times doing so for the sake of providing the other person with some company. Rarely with the intention of getting wasted. Kyouka had been drinking and drinking a lot more than him for a while now and he could tell from the redness of her face that she was starting to drink too much. "Mmmm... Probably." He gave her a slight nod, not commenting much on her worldview, but it held some truth. "They knew what was going to happen, so that's on them." Cold as it sounded, if only they had never bothered to participate they would've been fine. Either way, they were open to giving up at any moment and they would've been taken to safety.

He was not ignorant of her capabilities and she was known for her reputation. One of the shinobi out there wouldn't like to fight at all, just because of how much a pain in the ass it would be. It was a good thing they were allies since it would suck to be on the receiving end of her insanity. "Just stating the truth... Eh, I see. So you're an artist? Well seems like you've been drinking a little bit too much artist, you wouldn't be able to walk back in that state." Rentaro said, pointing out that she was drinking too much. If she kept going down that route she was going to get drunk for sure, although a part of believed she wasn't going to listen to him at all.