[Hatake Toshizō]

"the cottage in the woods". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." HOME What very little people knew was that Hatake Toshizou, the stern leader of the Hatake clan, had a beautiful country cottage in the middle of the woods, in the southeast of the Land of Fire. A place that was constantly guarded by at least two of his Root operatives, and a place not even people within his own clan knew it existed. And that was the place he had taken Shiina to, after their encounter at the Aozora Ryokan. As he approached the cottage, he was greeted by the sight of a small, tranquil pond surrounded by lush greenery. A wooden bridge spanning the pond led him to the entrance of his cottage. The cottage itself was a classic Japanese-style house, with a low roof, wooden beams, and sliding doors. The exterior was made of natural materials, with wooden walls and a thatched roof that blended seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The entrance was flanked by two small windows, and a small garden with carefully placed rocks and plants greeted visitors. His guards were nowhere to be seen, but he could feel their presence thanks to his Mind's Eye. Stepping inside, Toshizou was welcomed by the warmth of the sun filtering through the paper screens of the shoji doors. The main room was spacious and airy, with tatami mats covering the floor and a small, low table in the center. The walls were adorned with simple paintings and calligraphy, and a small alcove held a delicate flower arrangement. To one side of the room was a hearth, where Toshizou could warm himself on chilly evenings. Opposite the hearth was a small kitchen area, with a charcoal stove and a few utensils for cooking. Beyond the main room were two smaller rooms, one for sleeping and one for bathing, both equally simple and elegant. Toshizou took a deep breath and felt the stress of his leadership responsibilities begin to fade away. This simple cottage was his refuge, a place where he could connect with nature and find peace. He felt grateful for its beauty and simplicity, and promised himself that he would spend more time here, away from the chaos of the outside world. And on top of it all, he was about to get reunited with Shiina, who he would not admit even to himself, but he had missed her dearly. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Land of Fire Toshizou's Cottage [Ryuujin Shiina] [398 words]

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - Hatake Toshizō



NOTES - 

Shiina had marveled at the cottage even when she first laid eyes on it, having accompanied Toshizou to it from Aozora Ryokan. He had told her that she could stay at his place, that it would be safe and guarded despite being in the Land of Fire, but she hadn't expected it to look like this. It had the perfect structure, the perfect atmosphere that she had secretly always longed for in a home of her own. It made her think of her own back in Kumo, a little house that was away from the Ryuujin clan compounds that she and her family had spent most of her childhood years in.

It reminded me of comfort and solace, two feelings she rarely felt nowadays.

"It's a beautiful place..." she whispered as she looked at the white-haired man, her eyes taking in the surroundings. It was indeed the symbolism of beauty and simplicity, and despite the fact that she was entering into territory that she would otherwise have been hesitant to, somehow the fact that Toshizou was with her made her feel...safe. The young woman took in every detail, and for the most part of the time he spent away from this place, she would find herself either by the hearth or arranging flowers by the alcove of his cottage. How she longed to just stay here, she thought to herself more than once, selfishly.

And as she found herself now, humming a soft tune under her breath as she clipped the flower stems off of some new lilies and tulips, she was once again arranging flowers for one of his vases. There was little to do at this place, and it was not even a bad thing that this was the case. Shiina had always been doing something with her time since she could remember that the luxury of having nothing to do and to think about were things she welcomed. Of course, at the back of her mind, the thought of what would become her fate plagued her mind, but they would be quickly replaced by thoughts of the owner of the cottage.

She couldn't deny that she missed him.

Dressed in a simple silk kimono mirroring the one she wore when they first met, this one was of a paler shade of lavender, a gold obi tied tightly around her waist. She sat by the low table, busily cutting flower stems when she noticed the ever faint chakra signature of Toshizou. Her heart skipped a beat, for it had been quite awhile since he had last shown up here. Standing from her seated position, the woman went towards the kitchen, fixing some tea that she prepared for him every day in case he came to see her, thankful that it had become somewhat of a routine. Pouring hot tea into two cups, she placed them both on a tray, before turning around to see the man himself standing there before her.

"Toshi..." she whispered with a warm smile.

MADE BY MIZO

[Hatake Toshizō]

"the cottage in the woods". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." PEACE FOR A FEW DAYS He had been busy of late. Not only with the matter between the two of them and the Raikage, but also dealing with his daughters being a handful and attacking one another, risking causing a way bigger incident than a normal bickering among siblings. It was tiresome, and he needed some time to decompress and relax, and what better way than to spend a few days in the middle of nowhere, in his cozy forest cottage with that beautiful, pleasant woman? As he entered the place, he would place his swords on the holder by the entrance. He was still wearing his normal shinobi attire, but he would also quickly remove his coat and hang it, leaving his sandals there as well, before taking a few more steps into the place. His scarlet eyes quickly found Shiina's figure, noticing she was dressing similarly to when they first met, even though his eyes were already picturing her without it. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed her too. A subtle smile appeared on his face and he greeted her with a short bow with his head. "Sorry it has been a while. I've been busier than I initially anticipated." he admitted, as he approached her. "But I should be good for the next few days or so." he promptly added. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Land of Fire Toshizou's cottage [Ryuujin Shiina] [232 words]

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - Hatake Toshizō



NOTES - 

Perhaps similar thoughts ran through her mind as her golden hues rested on his face. She nodded her head understandingly, taken in his shinobi attire as she ushered for him to sit down at the table, placing a cup of tea in front of him. "I am sure your work has had you busy," she continued in a low whisper, her smile widening a fraction as he mentioned that he should be good for a few days to spend at the cottage. "You do need some time to relax and unwind..." the woman would put the tray on the table, taking a spot next to him with her own cup of tea in hand. Within such close proximity, she felt like her heart would implode, her eyes avoiding the man's face as much as she could.

"Has anything exciting or interesting happened?" Knowing that he was a council member meant that there were things she knew he wouldn't tell, and to those things she would not pry. But she assumed that there were things in his day-to-day that would be somewhat interesting. Motioning to the vase of flowers, Shiina would speak, more to herself than to him. "As you can see, I've been busy myself too, with these flowers. I haven't done ikebana in a long time, so it's taken up a lot of my time." Of course, she omitted the fact that she had taken on the activity so that she wouldn't spend countless waking hours thinking of him.

She had more tact than that.

And as she took a sip of her tea, her eyes couldn't help but find his, holding his gaze squarely. The expression within them were of longing, of sadness and of love. She had found that her ability to speak with her eyes had improved since she met Toshizou, that words she couldn't or wouldn't say were now more explicitly displayed on her face. She moved touch his hand slightly, the sleeve of her kimono brushing the back of his hand ever so gently before falling back to her lap. It scared her the way that she was willing to display such physical gestures, scared her that she had lost the sophistication she upheld for the longest of time.

It put her in a vulnerable spot...and the thought itself terrified.

MADE BY MIZO

[Hatake Toshizō]

"the cottage in the woods". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." IKEBANA AND HOME He chuckled softly when she mentioned him being busy, and then he sit before her at the suggestion of relaxation and unwinding and he nodded, grabbing the cup of tea she offered and taking a sip. His eyes lit up at the taste of the delicious tea. "This is amazing." he exclaimed, before resting the tea back at the table. Shiina asked him if anything exciting happened, and he scoffed, shaking his head. "Other than my two daughters trying to kill one another? Not really... I sweat to god, I will never understand teenagers. I guess it is because I was an unusual one." he mused, remembering that by the time he was thirteen he was not only a Jounin, but also a member of the ANBU. His eyes would then rest on the flower vase she mentioned and his smile would widen. "I love what you did there." it was no secret to her that Toshizou really liked flowers. Heck, his whole sword style was named after flowers and fruits, and he was known was the Demon of the Fleeting Blossoms. The Cottage had beautiful gardens around it, and the forest it was in was also known for having a large variety of them. The perfect spot for someone like him to hide from the world. He would take a second sip of his tea, feeling that welcoming warmth of home. When Shiina reached his hand, he would return the gesture, holding it tenderly for a moment before she pulled away. "I hope you managed to make yourself at home. Sorry about the guards as well, I hope they didn't bother you much, but it is necessary. I don't want anyone thinking you are a criminal breaking in." he added, with a hint of concern in his tone. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Land of Fire Toshizou's cottage [Ryuujin Shiina] [307 words]

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - Hatake Toshizō



NOTES - 

Her smile turned into a slight frown when Toshizou mentioned his two daughters. She wondered if they had ever had a conversation about his family, or now his offspring. The woman couldn't mask the confusion that had settled across her face. "Your two daughters...? I don't think you've mentioned them to me, but if you did, I apologize that my memory has been failing me as of late..." she whispered once more, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as he had held her hand tenderly in his before she had pulled away. The warmth of his skin against hers allowed even the smallest of touches seem like such grand of gestures.

"And no worries about your guards. I understand that they did what was necessary and as a guest in your home, I would expect nothing less. They have treated me well, mostly leaving me alone except for the occasional greetings here and there." Shiina had always been somewhat uncomfortable in other people's homes, and it was rather comforting in a strange way that his guards were as dutiful as they were. It gave her a chance to really justify why she felt this uneasiness and she knew that they were only doing their jobs to protect his home. As a stranger, she had expected to be treated far worse than the treatment she received.

The woman heaved a small sigh as she sat, her body shifting somewhat uncomfortably as she stared at Toshizou. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to do, that it felt like she was going to explode right then and there. The lady-like part of her was slowly faltering, and if he didn't catch on for whatever reason, it would be somewhat problematic in the long run. The woman smiled a little at his compliment of her work, although she knew that this was far from her best. "You are too kind, Toshi..."

She got up from her seated at this moment, her body swaying slightly as she almost fell forward. It seemed that the toxins in her body; the ones she had found out were poisons long before she had met Toshizou was still not fully cleaned from her system. And that would perhaps explain the dizzy spells she had on and off, and why she didn't seem to have much energy despite sleeping relatively well every night.

MADE BY MIZO

[Hatake Toshizō]

"the cottage in the woods". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." A COMPLICATED FAMILY TREE Toshizou shook his head. "I don't think I have... I have three daughters. The two I mentioned are the eldest and the middle one. My eldest is a Hidden Cloud shinobi, it is a long story, and my middle one is an Uchiha." he said, gazing away towards the window, the one with a view of a cherry blossom tree. It was a bit uncomfortable for him to discuss his family, because it meant revealing his life as a sort of man-whore, who slept around quite a lot, producing a bunch of kids from different mothers, all of which he ignored until very recently. "The youngest is the only one who does not cause me trouble. She is the Hatake clan heiress." he added, with a sigh before he drank more of his tea. When she mentioned the guards, he nodded, feeling satisfied with her words. The Root operatives were very well trained, and they knew better than to go around Toshizou's orders. They were, however, completely unable to talk about the man or his organization, due to the cursed seal they had placed on their tongue. They were also forbidden from removing their ANBU mask while on a mission, so it ws likely that Shiina didn't even see their faces. As Shiina got up and was struck by dizziness, he promptly got up to hold her by the waist, pulling her body close to his. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice doing very little to hide the tone of concern. There was clearly something wrong with her, and for whatever reason, she didn't tell him about it. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Land of Fire Toshizou's cottage [Ryuujin Shiina] [278 words]

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - Hatake Toshizō



NOTES - 

Shiina could tell that the subject of his daughters was not really one that he talked about a lot, feeling the stress and underlying pain that he felt even as he spoke of his eldest and middle child. Her eyebrows raised slightly at the thought of him already having three children, who, judging by their clan relations, were from different mothers. It had perhaps verified the thought that had existed in her head from the moment she met him, and why she had been so hesitant to trust in his love for her. He was a player among players, she thought to herself, and it didn't surprise her in the least. "I hope that it wasn't that serious..." although the mentioning of his eldest daughter was in Kumo had made peaked her interest. She refrained from speaking of the subject though, knowing that he wasn't in a position mentally or emotionally to dwell deeper.

Maybe one day he would tell her all that there was to know...

For now, as her body swayed from the sudden dizzy spell, she felt his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her close. The distance she had felt between the two had disappeared abruptly, her eyes now staring deep into his with very little room to move away. The look of concern was blatant in his eyes, the same concern he had shown her at the ryokan. It was this half hot half cold part of Toshizou that irked her the most, and made her crave for him even more. "I'm alright..." she spoke quietly, although the slight furrowing of her brow and paling of her skin said otherwise.

"To put it simply, I'm cleansing my body of toxins..." she began, avoiding his gaze and resting her eyes on his neck. "At my geisha house, someone had been poisoning me for three years, and to this day, I know not who it was, nor what poisons they used. All I know is that they had used a variety, which makes clearing it extra difficult and strenuous." It would seem that he remembered that she had displayed similar issues when they were at the ryokan. Her eyes traveled to rest on his face then, her arms wrapped around his waist firmly as she clung on to him.

"Tell me...tell me how you feel...Toshi" it was a sudden plea, one that she had longed to ask since the moment he had left her in the care of his bodyguards and disappeared for an extended amount of time. She left the statement as open-ended as she could, despite her eyes trying to speak to him yet again of her feelings.

MADE BY MIZO

[Hatake Toshizō]

"the cottage in the woods". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." TO CARE Three was not the right number of kids Toshizou had, but he didn't quite know that yet. Still, he could understand that was a lot to deal with. "It was serious, but not extremely so. And I believe things will be more under control now. Uchihas can be rather difficult to deal with. They have a lot of boiling emotions inside of them, and to make matters worse, she tried to be a bit too much like me." he sighed, shaking his head, as he totally didn't approve of Tokaku's life choices, but then again, there was only so much he could do. Still, he was somewhat ready to leave that subject behind them, at least for the time being, as they had a more pressing subject at hand. Shiina had been poisoned and was trying to cleanse herself from the toxins. She explained that people had been gradually trying to get rid of her at her geisha house. The Hatake couldn't hide the concern in his face. "You should've told me. I have an underling who could extract the poison from your body easily. He is a capable medic, one that I trust." Missingno was quickly growing within the ranks of Root, and becoming someone Toshizou was learning to rely on. He could even see him replacing Yuuta in time. But before they could continue the subject, she would surprise him with a rather vague question, but one with a wealth of meaning packed behind it. The man would approach her, cup her cheek with his hand and give her a subtle, yet kind smile. "Me? I'm concerned, but also happy to come home and see you here." his words were simple, yet honest. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Land of Fire Toshizou's cottage [Ryuujin Shiina] [292 words]

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - Hatake Toshizō



NOTES - 

Shiina raised an eyebrow at the mention of Toshizou having someone who could help her cleanse the poison. "I...I didn't want to worry you..." she said in a low whisper, her eyes avoiding his gaze yet again. "And to be fair, I wasn't even sure if it was poison until recently..." again she allowed her voice to trail without looking at the man. There was so much that had happened before they had met, so much that had happened after they had, and it was all becoming so blurry to the Ryuujin. She had gone through days and days of poison cleansing on her own, something that had been painful and long. And to think that she hadn't met him then and hadn't had his comfort made it all the reason why she had kept it from him. "We also hadn't met then, when I first found out I was poisoned."

She decided to lay the topic of his daughters to rest for now, not wanting to dwell into the matter because it was not her place to speak on the matter. The woman did hope that his daughters would somehow resolve whatever issues they had, and the thought of potentially meeting any of them one day was a thought worthy of unease. For now though, she wouldn't gladly let the topic dissipate, instead focusing her entire attention on the man in front of him. Shiina watched as he listened to her question, moving to cup his hand on her face before responding in complete earnest. "You need not be too concerned, Toshi. The poison will hardly ever kill me, for you know that I am stronger than that..." she said with a small smile, attempting to reassure the man. "And as for being happy to see me here, I'd say the feeling is mutual." This time her smile was more genuine, one hand reached out to hold the hand that was cupping her face in place.

"Will you be staying for awhile or do you have to leave again?" She tried to not sound like a needy woman that simply craved for the attention of a man she had longed to see for quite some time. Shiina had been a geisha for years and learned to perfect the art of being nonchalant, masking her true thoughts and intentions underneath a façade that she knew that even with her words, Toshizou would probably not catch on that she secretly wanted him to tell her that he wasn't going to leave again. And this was quite frustrating, for she wanted to tell him how she felt about him, how she felt about them and yet her training as a geisha ironically hindered her from doing so.

MADE BY MIZO