[Hyūga Shigure]

"to bid farewell". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." MEETING OF FATE The Chuunin Exams were finally over, and Shigure had been approved. Not only that, he was also the third highest score, behind only Taru and Kashiwa, who were dominating the exams since the very beginning. He was satisfied with that. Obviously he wanted to perform the best he could, but passing meant a lot to him. He was obviously sad that Wahei and Tokaku fell short, but he was sure his teammate failed because of his decision to forfeit his last fight against Haruka, still, he could hardly blame him for that; the death of Yoru shook them down to their very core, and even Shigure had given in to his worst emotions for a while, until his fight with Kazu helped him crawl back from his own darkness. He knew he would have come to regret killing Asuna, so he was thankful they didn't fight in the end. Speaking of Kazu, for someone who came to the exams not expecting much, he performed amazingly well, finishing in sixth place with a good enough score for a solid pass. He was happy for that, the boy certainly deserved that, and now people in his village would see him with different eyes, something Shigure was also hoping for within his own clan. It was now time to leave Kagamino no Shi and the Land of Waters, the cease fire would last for a few more days while people made their way back to their own countries, so lagging behind was absolutely not an option. Shigure packed his belongings and one member of his entourage came to fetch it; he had come with five other members of the branch house, his fiancée included. Once that was taken care of, he walked out of the dormitory and took a moment to look around one last time. His expression was rather serious, he was still processing his own grief, but then he saw someone nearby: Yuki Kazu. It was almost as if fate wanted the two of them to be able to bid themselves farewell. Their villages were not in the best of terms, especially after the Yusaku incident, so it was very likely that if they were to meet again in the future, it would be as potential enemies. Still, for now, they could be friends, and a faint smile formed on the Hyuuga's lips as he slowly approached the Yuki. "Ready to go back home, Kazu-kun?" he casually asked him. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Departure Day Near the dormitory [@stikr123] [413 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu sat on the bed of his dormitory, a surreal feeling overtaking him. The exams were over. He had passed, coming in sixth place as far as points. He'd done everything he came here to do. He won against Taru and Wahei. Taru was still the top score, Wahei had the same dojutsu as Shigure. He might have lost to Shigure, but it was an extremely close match. Soon, he'd be going back home.

He started packing early, putting his burnt jacket from the first fight into his luggage as he reminisced about his first fight with Taru. She had been extremely versatile, making it hard to strategize for Kazu. Once he found what she was weak at though, there was almost no way she could win. He'd proved his Taijutsu prowess in that fight. Wahei was different though, it was a test to see how he'd do against Shigure once Kazu realized they had the same dojutsu. He excelled in that fight as well, knocking out his remaining 5 or so clones with one move. Once his clones were gone, Wahei had little options left. His forfeit was just a matter of time. 

Shigure was on a different level entirely though. Kazu came up with multiple strategies, multiple different ways to beat him. Some of the strategies had succeeded, but none of them were a decisive blow capable of knocking him out. Shigure was definitely his most difficult opponent in these exams. Once he was done, he gave his luggage to one of the individuals from Yuki that had been sent to pick up his luggage. His room was now empty, his roommate had already left. 

Still, he wanted to say goodbye to a few people first. Jou, Shigure, Okingshi and Kashiwa came to mind mostly. He walked out of the dormitory, taking time to look for any of those four to bid them farewell. Instead, one of them found him first. Shigure, his most worthy opponent in the final round. "Glad I got to see you before either of us left. Thanks for that amazing fight." He had a smile on his face, not just because he got to say goodbye, but also because he felt good about his performance in the exams. "I'm definitely ready to see snow again, started missing it more recently. What about you, you feel ready to go home?" He asked the Hyuuga. He wondered what Konoha was even like.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"to bid farewell". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." HOME Shigure and Kazu were of one mind in regards to seeing each other before departing to their own villages, and the Hyuuga was happy the feeling was reciprocated. He also thanked Shigure for the amazing fight and the Hyuuga shook his head. "No, I thank you. When I walked into that arena, I was overcome by anger. I was not truly myself, so... Our fight really helped me. And it was an amazing challenge as well!" he said with the large, friendly smile he was known for. There was still hints of sadness in his eyes, but no longer could Kazu see any anger or hatred; it was like those feelings had been exorcised from his heart. The Hyuuga chuckled lightly when Kazu mentioned snow. Shigure wasn't very fond of excessive snow, and he could only imagine how much snow Kazu had in his home, but he did miss the Hidden Leaf Village and the Land of Fire, so he nodded. "I miss my village and my country like crazy! I can't wait to come back and assume some new responsibilities as a Chuunin now." he said and although he sounded a bit excited, he wasn't as excited as he could be due to Yoru's fate. "Still, there are a few things I'm not truly looking forward to, but it is what it is." he sighed, scratching the back of his head and pursing his lips. "But I would rather not delve into that subject right now." he quickly added, but the pause was not long, for he truly wanted to leave that behind him. "And you? Ready to become a Chuunin?" he asked, somehow restoring the smile on his face, even if he was forcing it; it was better to smile rather than let the sadness take over him completely again. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Departure Day Near the dormitory [Yuki Kazu] [304 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu had known that Shigure would be angry going into the fight, if he hadn't known that he might have lost a lot quicker. Apparently, Kazu had helped ease that anger throughout their fight. "So, my strategies were no longer valid since I didn't change them to account for you getting less angry over time..." He mumbled to himself before snapping out of it. "Sorry, strategic mind and all that. Either way it was a good fight, and you helped me to see how I measure up to such a worthy opponent. Even if you don't accept my thanks, I'm thankful." He would smile, hoping to ease the clear sadness in Shigure's eyes. 

Shigure seemed to miss his village even more than Kazu, he could feel the excitement in his words. "Sounds like a nice place, but I'll take snow over anything else. Matches my personality pretty well I think." The fact was, Shigure was returning home without a friend. Without one of his fellow Genin. It was better than losing his whole team, but it still affected him. Kazu could tell. "It's understandable that you'd rather avoid that. No worries, man." Kazu assured the man. He hoped that Shigure would be able to move past Yoru's death, but it wasn't his place to pry either.

Upon being asked if he was ready to be a Chuunin, Kazu smirked. "I came here not thinking I was ready, but then I scored the sixth best out of everyone. I think I'll take a bit of time before I get my promotion. There are a couple things I wanna do first. It'll be easier to do those as a Genin. That's not to say I'll be slow about it, though. I'll get past Chuunin in no time!" He really had changed drastically throughout these exams. From a boy with no motivation to someone that didn't mind taking things as slow as he needed.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"to bid farewell". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." PLANS Kazu's mumbling about his strategy was rather amusing, but Shigure kept that thought to himself, and when Kazu apologised, he just shook his head, keeping the friendly smile on his face. "Chill, it's cool! Haha... Gosh, sorry... It sounded funny considering you just mentioned snow! Haha!" Shigure could be rather silly at times, and he was doing that almost at a subconscious level now, to cast away the sadness that insisted on installing itself in his heart whenever his mind thought of Yoru. "And I will accept your thanks, if you accept mine! I guess we can be even with that, right?" he firmly nodded, raising his right hand in a thumbs-up. The Yuki was going to take his time for a bit while finishing his due preparations before assuming the Chuunin work. That was fair and rather common as well. Shigure was the one who couldn't waste any more time, he would be turning twenty-one this year, and he felt a great debt towards his village. And with Yoru's death clearly showing him how much the younglings were unprepared for actual one-on-one battle, he wanted to make sure the new generation could learn from the mistakes of the previous one, and hopefully that would mean more Leaf shinobi would survive to have their hair turn white. "That's fair, bud. I'm assuming my new rank as soon as I get home. I send a letter of intention to the Hokage and it has been accepted already. I will be teaching at the academy! I feel that's a good preparation for eventually having my own team of Genin." he said. Although Shigure wasn't revealing his other job at the Barrier Corps, as it was way more sensitive information and he wouldn't share that with a Shinobi from a non-allied nation, there was no harm in mentioning the academy. If anything, this could play out in the Leaf's favour: Shigure was hurt by the loss of his friend and comrade, and if he was going to train the new generation, he would make sure they would learn from the mistakes of those who came before them. Still, he wasn't doing a powerplay or anything right now, as ultimately, he still kind of saw Kazu as a potential friend and maybe a full-fledged one even, if the Hidden Snow and the Hidden Leaf could work out their differences in the future. It was unlikely, but not impossible. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Departure Day Near the dormitory [Yuki Kazu] [406 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

After such a serious topic, Kazu wasn't expecting Shigure to make any jokes. At least, not on purpose. He gave a light chuckle in response; it was a little funny. "Guess my mind decided there's no rest for the wicked, huh. No need to apologize for the pun though, Shigure. I'm pretty used to it anyways." He replied, wondering if Shigure was making the joke to distract himself from Yoru's death. It made sense, and there was definitely sadness in his eyes. He then mentioned that he'd accept his thanks if Kazu accepted his, to which the boy smiled. "Yea, that's fair. An even trade of accepting thanks." As Shigure gave him a thumbs up, Kazu mirrored the motion.

While Kazu was going to take his time, Shigure had already been accepted as an academy instructor. He felt that it'd be good experience if he was gonna try to be a team leader for genin at some point. "I don't know if I'd have the patience to deal with a Genin team in all honesty. You'll be a good teacher though, at the academy or as a team leader. Just be careful, Konoha has a lot of enemies." Kazu probably shouldn't have been worried about Shigure, but he was. Out of all of the villages Kazu knew of, Shigure's had the most enemies. As an academy instructor, he might paint more of a target on his back than he already had. 

If they're conversation was anything to go by, the leaf and snow village might eventually be on good terms. However, that was more dependent on the village leaders than anything else. Kazu wasn't entirely sure what caused their villages to dislike each other, but Lady Yuki was usually pretty forgiving. Still, it wasn't impossible for the two villages to be on better terms. Improbable, sure. But not impossible.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"to bid farewell". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." FORGIVENESS Shigure chuckled lightly when Kazu admitted he might not have the patience to deal with a team of Genins, and that was a fair statement; it wasn't for everyone. The Hyuuga, however, was looking forward to that, and taking a first step as an academy instructor was definitely a good way to prepare for such an important role within his village. Still, he warned him about the possibility of that putting even more of a target on his back, for the Hidden Leaf had a lot of enemies. Shigure nodded to him. "I'm well aware of that, and I will be careful. Still, I cannot shy away from my duties. And I want to make sure the next generation will be ready for anything, war included even though I hope it won't come to that." he paused, looking towards the skies for a moment. "I still hope we can all break out of this cycle of hatred. And I will do my part towards that..." he paused, looking back to Kazu. "I lost a friend to a Mist shinobi, and I found out that my uncle was killed by another one that was here during these exams. I was angry, yes, but I let go of that. Only the sadness and longing remains, but that's natural." he admitted, shaking his head. "For violence only foster more violence. And I truly hope our villages can mend their relationship in the future. I know my clan is in part responsible for the obstacles in the way, but that will change when I become the leader." he assured, but didn't delve into more details. He had previously told Kazu that the Hidden Snow had removed the eyes of a member of his clan, which - in itself - was a huge act of cruelty. It would've been better to kill him while at it, but again, holding on the grudges prevented people from moving forward, from healing and fixing things. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Departure Day Near the dormitory [Yuki Kazu] [327 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Shigure was right that he shouldn't neglect his duties, but that wasn't what Kazu had asked for him to do. Kazu simply wanted him to be careful, there were many shinobi villages that wanted to bring Konoha to its knees. "I'm not saying to neglect your duties Shigure, just saying to be careful. Not everyone fights for peace like you do." Kazu had already met some people that wanted war more than peace, they were despicable. However, they did have some points too. A villages economy flourished during war, but not everything was about improving your village. 

As Shigure revealed that not only had a mist shinobi, Asuna, killed one of his friends, but another mist shinobi had killed his uncle. One that was at these exams. "I'm sorry to hear that Shigure, I can't say whether they were right or wrong to do so without knowing the full situation, but I hope you're able to come to peace with whatever happened." No wonder Shigure had looked so sad recently, he'd figured out who killed his uncle and seen Yoru murdered. Not only that, but the anger he felt went against the way the man wanted to live his life. Full of forgiveness, not hatred. 

Shigure hoped that their villages would eventually mend their relationship, to which Kazu agreed. "I can't speak for the previous Yuki Ladies, but I can say the current one is a forgiving person. I can only hope that the next time we meet, it won't be as enemies on a battlefield. I'd rather not be told to kill someone that I think fondly of." Whether he'd win or Shigure would wasn't really important, Kazu didn't want to have to fight him to the death in the first place. 

[Hyūga Shigure]

"to bid farewell". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." WILL TO CARRY ON The Hyuuga nodded once again, for he knew all too well that some people fought for the sake of fighting, some even to quench their thirst for bloodshed and cruelty. He had witnessed that before and even now, when Asuna unnecessarily ended Yoru's life. "Although I do fight for peace, these hands of mine..." he paused briefly as he looked down upon his own hands. "They are stained with the blood of many people... I took many lives, some I could've spared. I hope I don't have to do it often moving forward, but I'm aware that the shinobi world is not yet at peace." he said, lifting his head to look at Kazu once again. The Yuki was a kind boy and Shigure liked him very much. He was empathetic and he deeply appreciated that. "I struggled in the past, not gonna lie. But I'm fine now. Holding on to hatred, to revenge... It takes us down a dark path that will only bring us further pain. Learning to let go and carry on was the hardest, yet the most important lesson I learned. But thank you, Kazu... For caring, and for your words. They mean a lot to me." he admitted, chuckling lightly. It was reassuring to be able to come to such good terms with a shinobi from a non-allied nation. It gave Shigure hope that the future could be brighter, that the world could improve. Kazu was also hopeful their villages could come to an understanding, and he mentioned that the current Yuki lady seem to be a reasonable, forgiving person. "This gives me hope. Our current Hokage is quite different from the one who preceded him, he is a nice person." Shigure liked Keisuke, and he had hopes for his reign. "And I feel the same way. I would rather not having to fight someone I see as a friend." and he did come to see Yuki Kazu as a friend. If duty forced them to fight, he knew it was going to be hard on him, and he honestly didn't think he could come to end his life, but he would rather not think about such scenarios; they might not even come to happen. Before anything else was said, an older Hyuuga approached Shigure and bowed very respectfully. "Shigure-sama, the vessel is ready. We should depart soon." Shigure glanced over to the man and nodded. "I will be there soon." the answer seemed to satisfy the man, who bowed once again and turned away. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Departure Day Near the dormitory [Yuki Kazu] [425 words]

[Yuki Kazu]

Both Kazu and Shigure had surprisingly similar mindsets, at least for the basic parts. Shigure wanted peace for the world mostly, but Kazu was too realistic in his views to see that really happening. That being said, the fact that Shigure could still keep the mindset of peace despite Yoru's recent death... That was something else. Still, he was very well aware that his hands were stained with blood. The life of a shinobi was one of killing your villages enemies.

"Your hands aren't the only ones that are bloody. That's the reality of the shinobi world right now. Don't beat yourself up too much about it. We have to live with the decisions we've made, that's what makes this life hard." Shigure continued, talking about how he used to struggle with holding on to his hatred. He was thanked for caring, for being empathetic towards Shigure's mindset. "No problem man, you'd do the same for me." Was his only response.

The conversation continued along, with Shigure being hopeful that their two villages could come to good terms. The new Hokage was apparently very different from the prior one. That was a good thing, Kazu hoped. Shigure continued on, mentioning that he'd rather not fight a friend. "I just like to be prepared for anything that might happen. Trust me I'd rather not have to, but in this world it's a likely scenario." 

With that, Shigure's escort came by to inform him that they were ready to leave, "I should probably be heading out to. Good luck to you, Shigure. I hope that the next time we encounter each other it's on good terms." With that, he got up and waved to Shigure as he headed to his ship. It was time to return to the familiar cold of Yukigakure.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"to bid farewell". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." GOOD BYE, LAND OF WATER Shigure nodded at Kazu's words, he had learned that the hard way, but learned nonetheless. He came to accept the reality of the ninja world, even though he was still hell bent on one day being able to change it. "We've gotta do what we gotta do, after all." he simply added, as he knew that having this hope of his was not the most common thing. Most people would just come to accept that they were powerless to change the status quo, and that was not unreasonable. Ultimately, as much as he hoped they wouldn't come across the battlefield as enemies, that was still a real possibility and he nodded to that. Kazu was quite the respectful opponent to have. "That's what we ought to do, as shinobi. We have to defend out land. Let's continue to grow strong." he said, giving the Yuki a large smile and a thumbs-up. After being informed about his vessel, Kazu said he also had to get going and Shigure nodded. "I wish you a safe trip. And I'm sure it will be a day of celebration in the Hidden Snow Village. They bid their farewell to a young man with potential, and they are now about to greet a Chuunin. A leader. And a true warrior." he said, giving him a respectful bow. "Farewell, Yuki Kazu." and with that, he turned on his heels and headed towards the Hyuuga vessel which was ready to depart. Once he boarded the ship, he looked back one more time, looking at the place and recording it in his memory. If he ever came to the Land of Water again, it wouldn't be for visiting most likely, so he hoped, deep inside, that this would be his last time there. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Departure Day Exit post [Yuki Kazu] [300 words]