Bone and Blood (Naruto Quest)

[No Country]

You can't even bring yourself to look back at the battlefield as you maneuver carefully (or as carefully as you can with the contract-bearer tailing you) around the back of the Iwa camp. You chose this route because it had the lowest chance of you and your tail running into any other ninja, which works out.

"Hey. Hey. Hey hey," After a few hours it becomes impossible to shut out the contract-bearer.

"Yes?" you hiss out, barely hearing your own voice over the pounding of blood in your ears.

"I've been trying to get your attention for hours now! For a ninja you've got zero awareness, did you know that? Of course you didn't," he continues prattling on in his grating voice. You wonder if it would have hurt the One Tail if you injured it, considering its entire body seems to be made out of sand.

"Why did you want to talk to me?"

He scoffs, "I didn't say that, I just said I wanted your attention. Am I in safe hands with you and Ame? They promised I would be, but you were just as eager to run out of that fight as I was."

He tightens up when you grab him by the forearm, dragging him off the road. "We're stopping here for the night, I want to get an early start tomorrow," is all you offer. You've already reached the Land of Mountains, so you'll be safe to rest, barring animal attacks. And you don't have to worry about those.

Not fielding any further questions, not that you answered any before, you keep watch as your client falls asleep, still grasping the scroll in his arms.

Over the course of the next few hours, you find yourself inevitably thinking back to the One Tail, and the two Iwa-nin you fought alongside. Without the client's constant nagging or your own neurotic self-reflection (though the latter is still trundling along somewhere in the back of your head), thinking back on the pair of Iwa-nin proves worthwhile. The shape of 'Iruka's chakra cloak, their eagerness in giving you false names, the fact both of them seemingly had kekkei genkai, and 'Etekou's seeming familiarity with Tailed Beasts that he nearly covered up. Yes, they were definitely Iwa's jinchuuriki. How lucky you were to have run into them! How lucky you were to have fought with them!

And you just walked away from that…

The scream of realization you let out wakes up your client, though you play it off.

"There was a bear, they don't like that noise," before he can butt in, you continue, "anyway it's time to get going anyway, so let's go!"

He's relatively quiet until the sun begins to rise.

"Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey."

"Yes?"

"My feet are getting sore. I'm pretty tired still, you don't look that strong-" of course he couldn't sugarcoat it "-but you're a ninja so you've got to be pretty strong right? Can you carry me?"

…

A good enemy ninja ambush, problems at any of the international borders, even a good bandit attack. Anything that would have made the journey back to Ame more interesting that could have happened, didn't.

Even the guards on the Land of Storms' border barely give you pause, and before you know it (not really, but all the days bled together thanks to your intolerable companion) you're back in the familiar skyscrapers of Amegakure. And thankfully, finally, the contract-bearer is taken away from you by a pair of jounin.

You don't even get to go home before Lord Hanzo calls you for an audience again.

"Jounin Kaguya," his gravelly voice carries over his audience chamber, after having left you alone and kneeling for about ten minutes. "Your mission in the Land of Demons was a success."

For some reason, it's hard for you to accept his praise.

"Tell me why, then, are you so tense and dissatisfied?"

"Apologies, Lord Hanzo," you reply loudly and clearly, still looking at the floor, "but during my mission I encountered a very lucrative situation which, for the mission's sake, I was forced to turn away from."

"I see," his tone is unchanging, "I see, also, that there is something else on your mind."

"Yes, Lord Hanzo," for the first time, you allow your eyes to move, and you see only the expected elites besides yourself and Lord Hanzo, "I came into contact with, and fought the Jinchuuriki of the One Tail. A monk by the name of Chabin, loyal to Sunagakure."

"Interesting, you may raise your head," you do as he says, and the look in his eyes tells you to continue.

"I am unsure if the jinchuuriki survived, as I escaped the battlefield to complete my mission before confirming the kill, though he was in dire straits before fully transforming. More important than this, however, I fought the Beast alongside two Iwa-nin who I strongly suspect are their own jinchuuriki."

"I see," Lord Hanzo is unmoving, his tone still unchanged, but part of you knows the energy in the room is now different. "For a long time we've known Iwagakure possessed two jinchuuriki, but only the Four Tails' has been identified."

"I do not know which was which, but the older of the two used an odd expression of Lava Style, and physically he was a shorter man with red hair and a beard-"

Lord Hanzo nods, "That is Roshi, the Four Tails."

"His companion was also male, very tall, and wore a red suit of armor with some kind of kettle on the back," you continue, "he utilized steam to enhance his attacks, and at one point I saw him form a chakra cloak which was in the shape of a tailed, horned beast."

"Yes, that would be the Five Tails," his stance slackens a bit, "I can safely assume that you learned neither of their names?"

"They gave me pseudonyms, Lord Hanzo."

"Of course," Lord Hanzo nods, "you are dismissed Jounin Kaguya. Expect your next mission within the week."

You bow your head, backing out of the room.

"Jounin Tsubaki," two of Lord Hanzo's compound's maids appear next to you in one of the corridors, one of them addressing you. "Lord Honda extends his invitation to you once again, he wishes for us to tell you that his offer from the last time you were here remains open."

[] Excellent! You were just thinking of a way to work off some stress, not to mention get some of your pent-up aggression out. Meet the heir in his chosen arena and fight him.

[] No, some mundanity would do you far better at the moment. Go home and see your mother, though you don't have to share with her the fact you met and were involved in a battle with jinchuuriki.

[] No, you'd rather work through the nagging voice in the back of your head yourself. Get some rest at home, then throw yourself into some well-informed yet destructive training.

[] There are too many people you would rather see than the heir to count. If you're right about deployment times, some of your old teammates should still be in the village right now, and it's been a while since you hung out in any meaningful way.

[] If you wanted to decrease your intelligence, you would spend time with your head held underwater. No, you want to expand your horizons, seek out Youme-sensei, or at least someone on her level should she be unavailable. You know of a few Ame elites who might be interesting, and would probably be interested in you.

 

[No Country]

A silent chuckle resonates in your throat, and you turn to the maid.

"The heir's offer is still open, you say. How courteous of him, perfect timing," you catch yourself slipping from practiced etiquette and turn it back on, "apologies, it has been a long journey." The maid nods, accepting the subpar excuse from a jounin, she probably hasn't left Ame in some time. "Where should I meet with the heir?"

"Lord Honda-" she seems annoyed with your insistence on not using his name "-can be found in the fifth western training room. Do you need to be shown the way."

You nod, smirking internally at the provocative language.

The maid leads you through a maze of hallways, stairways, and (at one point, you assume since you go down pretty far) tunnels. The scale of Lord Hanzo's compound is astonishing, compared to the Bird Daimyo's castle or even its capital city. Whenever you picture the Five Great Nations' Hidden Villages, you can't imagine any of the Kage having something this extensive (and that's only after having been in the main area and seeing it from the outside). Well, maybe the Mizukage has a fortified labyrinth, from what you've heard about Kiri.

After a good deal of walking behind the maid, she lets you through a pair of reinforced doors, into a massive gym. It puts even the main training space of the auditorium to shame, probably being double the size and having an entirely poured concrete floor.

"My Lord Uncle's mad dog finally musters up the courage to accept my offer," the heir bellows from nearly halfway across the cavernous room.

Honda, Lord Hanzo's great-nephew and appointed heir is a towering figure, even from so far away. Six foot ten, barrel chested and heavily muscled with beady red eyes (though his sclerae are white, unlike Lord Hanzo's) and long muddy blond hair, it's hard to believe he's still a teen. Though you aren't sure if that's biologically true (and you don't know enough about medicine to say either way) since experimental medical ninjutsu and scientific techniques have been used to turn him into an absolute juggernaut and (one day) a symbol of Ame's power.

This time, the chuckle doesn't stay silent or in your throat, you laugh out loud.

"Lord Hanzo's mad dog, that's wonderful!" You jab a finger in his direction, smile breaking out on your face and the One-Tail swimming in your mind's eye. "You have much to learn about me, heir. Though I shouldn't sound ungrateful, no, in fact I'm delighted you gave me this opportunity."

Grimacing, the heir rolls his head, neck and shoulders indistinguishable in the motion. "Prodigious daughter of the traitorous Academy bike, good at taijutsu, killing and not much else. I think I've got your number, dog."

Well, you don't know what a bike is, but you're pretty sure he just insulted your mother, and you can't let that go.

Also you don't particularly like him calling you 'dog'.

Also also, he certainly does have a lot to learn about you. Maybe more than a lot, and he's very very dense. This is going to have to be a harsh lesson.

"Your voice is a lot less pleasant than you think it is," you crack your knuckles and drop into a fighting stance.

"Then I'll fill the palace with your screams! Fire Style: Hellhound Jutsu!" The heir's first move is surprising for a number of reasons. Hellhound Jutsu is a B-rank technique requiring a good deal of shape transformation knowledge, and is also rather deadly.

Three balls of condensed fire trailing flames careen towards you, one larger than your body directly in front of you, and smaller ones curving to either side of you. Even with the wall behind you, dodging won't be a problem though.

[] The only reason you accepted was to let out some steam. Go all-out on the heir, even if he won't be able to keep up with it and give you a proper fight.

[] Honda seemingly doesn't know about your kekkei genkai. Give him a proper demonstration of the distinction between having a bloodline and being an abomination of science.

[] Honda seemingly doesn't know about your kekkei genkai. Don't overplay your hand and keep yourself to your ninjutsu, taijutsu, and iaido. Beating him with just those will make victory all the sweeter, and make the fight actually interesting.

[] The heir thinks all you can do is taijutsu? Then beat him with taijutsu! It may even be an uphill fight, holding back!

[] Write-in (QM retains the right to veto!)

Also:

[] Do you want to say anything to Honda? If so, write it here and vote in plan format, if not you can leave this option out.

A/N: Another big wait on this one, but my weekend was crazy! I fear it might be this way through the holidays, but I'll work on being more expedient. Posts may be shorter as a result, or just because things cool down between missions, we'll see. I was going to blog about my problems with another manga here but I decided not to.

 

[No Country]

Kicking off from the ground, you land on the wall and flip over the fireballs right as they converge, using the force of the explosion to propel you further through the air and towards the middle of the gym. Partway through the jump, a metal ball meets your trajectory, which you block with both palms, flipping around again and landing about halfway between where you started and where the heir still stands.

The heir has produced an oversized, heavy kusari-fundo, the ball end of which returns to his hands shortly after you land. One end of the chain weapon is ball-shaped, and the other is more of a cylindrical handle. Overall it's larger than normal, with a very long, thick chain and both ends more than a foot in length/diameter.

You can't help but smirk.

"Even your chosen weapon is a pale imitation of Lord Hanzo's," you shake your head, before fixing your opponent with a glare. "That's perfect, let us see how strong others have made you, Honorable Nephew."

His eyes widen in rage at the special attention you give the moniker, and once more he swings the kusari-fundo at you.

Dancing away from the attack puts you where you wanted to go, next to a weapon rack alongside one of the walls. You pick a ninjato off the rack, dodge another strike from your opponent's kusari-fundo, and then approach him. When he pulls back for another strike, you slam the tip of the sword through one of the chain-links, pinning it to the floor, and dive in.

Your opponent slips his hand down the chain, off of the cylindrical end. He swings that end barreling towards your face, though you duck out of the way and catch the strike on your forearm, chain wrapping around it.

Instead of striking at you again, your opponent instead pulls you in. You let him, kicking off the ground and aiming a kick at his head. He gives the chain some slack, and your kick instead hits his chest with a meaty, ineffective, slap. One of his hands completely envelops your left ankle, squeezing it with not-inconsiderable force.

"Not so smug now that I've got you, dog?" He questions, and you decline to answer. "Where does your strength come from then?"

This time, you do respond, but only after firmly planting your right heel in his throat, causing him to let go.

"Myself, of course," you duck the ball of his kusari-fundo, finally free of your trap, "though I owe credit to my teachers." The hand seals for Howling Movement are quickly flashed through, your natural speed more than enough for the heir. "And perhaps-" you consider for a moment, and can't help yourself, "-no, certainly-" a one-two punch combo sends the heir reeling, stumbling backwards as he regains his footing, "-the gods."

Your opponent growls, swinging the kusari-fundo in faster and faster circles, turning it into a steel-colored blur. "Of course you pray, you're a barbarian raised by a traitor mother!" The kusari-fundo sails towards you at great speed, and you only barely get your head out of the way.

The follow-up strike from the other end is far slower, not having gained the momentum from being swung, and you cleanly smack it out of the way. Again, you're able to strike your opponent twice, a right hook to the ribs and a cross-knife to his neck with the left. The second attack doesn't quite land on-target, but a trickle of blood issues from his ear nonetheless.

"I don't appreciate that," you offer, sweeping for his legs, though his bulk means the endeavor is fruitless.

"Of course you don't, bar-"

Your kick cuts off his sentence, blasting him across the gym and causing him to drop the cylindrical end of the kusari-fundo.

"Not that, though your running your mouth is something that's quickly becoming hard for me to stand. I don't think you've ever met my mother," something truly cutting worms its way onto the tip of your tongue then. "Or your own, for that matter."

Interestingly enough, his responding profanity is muttered instead of bellowed.

He charges you, both sides of his weapon coming in to crush you at different angles. A three-pronged attack much like his opening ninjutsu, though far harder to dodge. Still though, very, very boring.

Stepping in, you spin on your heel, lifting the other leg at a ninety-degree angle as the ends of the kusari-fundo smash into one another. Your opponent strikes a split second after his weapon does, something you relied on to land your devastating wheel kick.

The heir's knee touches the ground, the ends of his weapon clattering to the ground.

"This is boring," you flatly state, "you bore me, Honored Nephew-" you make sure to put special emphasis on those words, "-or should I say abomination-" you shrug, "whatever I call you. Why did you challenge me if you were going to turn out to be such a disappointment?"

Though you do want to hear his response, you turn away from him, and begin walking back to the doors.

[] Leave him, even if he attacks you again. The heir has proven that he isn't worth your time. Maybe you can convince others he isn't worth Ame's time either.

[] Should he attack you again, continue to fight, you want to pick him apart a bit more, maybe find out more about him. If he doesn't, you'll leave, and if anyone asks, talk about his cowardice. After all, you're not the one bleeding here.

[] Stop before you actually go, there's no way he won't continue fighting if you stand in his own personal training area in defiance of him. This is the best way to learn more about the heir, and just why Lord Hanzo would consider someone like him worthy of his time, much less to be his successor.

[] Write-in (QM retains the right to veto!)

A/N: Weird to say, but I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Then again, I'm feeling pretty weird in general so it might be just me. Either way I hope it's alright, and moreover I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Voting closes at 12am on Monday, November 30th!

 

[No Country]

"Where do you think you're going," the heir says, rage seeping through his tone, though only after you've been standing by the doorway for almost a minute.

You look over your shoulder, and see that he's once again spinning the heavier end of his kusari-fundo in the air.

Instead of replying, you shrug, turning slightly towards the heir and giving him an uninterested, impassive look. Your eyes widen when you see the trail of paper following in the wake of his weapon. A cloud of explosive tags rapidly fills the air.

That makes sense, Lord Hanzo's chosen successor not only favoring a weapon similar to his own, but also utilizing one of his most effective tools.

You dig in your heels, shield your ears and close your eyes, bracing for the explosion.

Even protecting yourself from the explosion, the shockwave and heat is nearly overwhelming. The only way you stay standing is by digging your feet into the floor so hard the concrete cracks.

Before the heat even fades, the heir is upon you.

Your reflexes save you from a heavy punch aimed directly at your temple. You dance nimbly away from the heir's stone-shattering but relatively slow assault. His follow-up strikes are wanton and unpredictable, and you fall into a pattern of backing off while the heir chases after you with punches, kicks, and kusari-fundo strikes. Occasionally, he lets loose a handful of explosive tags from the weapon, which you move further away to dodge, refusing to be pinned down.

"Tell me, Honored Nephew, Star Experiment of the Medical Division, whatever you want to be called," you speak after slipping another series of strikes, "did you want to pursue me on your own, or was it chosen for you, like everything else in your life?"

He grunts angrily, slamming the kusari-fundo into the ground with an explosion.

"My desire to crush you is mine, dog!" He snarls, as you dodge another strike.

"And that," finally, you slip inside his guard, and deliver two powerful punches to his stomach. It's not enough to dislodge him though, his bulk letting him withstand it and counter with an attack of his own. "The whole 'dog' thing, the hostility-" you blow him backwards by releasing Howling Movement while firmly planting a heel kick into his sternum "-why?"

"You're an obstacle, Tsubaki-" oddly enough, he uses your name, "-one my Lord Uncle dangles in front of me. Do you know how much I've heard him talk about you? Compared to the other jounin who only see him for debriefings?"

You definitely don't blush or smile, thinking about how Lord Hanzo talks about you so much. Even though you want to.

"It's not just that," the kusari-fundo slams into the ground six inches from you, leaving a deep crater. "When you and your traitor mother first came to his attention," the metal ball smashes a rack of weapons, explosive tags exploding it and scattering wood and metal across the gym. "I heard rumors. Nothing certain, but I became more and more sure as time went on," you continue to dance away from his attacks, almost letting your body take over, having seen through your opponents patterns. "Both of you from some traitor clan of barbarians from the east, an old legend about the mad incarnation of the war god-"

That last part wasn't a story you had ever heard. Perhaps something from the Kaguya Clan or the Land of Water? Really, you had just said the comment about the blessings of the gods earlier to pick at any resentment he had towards his artificial enhancements.

"-I've managed to get my hands on enough of your mission reports to know the madness part is true at least," he sneers, "you and your mother are a poisoned gift to Amegakure at best. I won't even say how bad I think it truly is."

You internalize what he said, something to think about later, but respond flippantly nonetheless. He can't be given any ground, "How misinformed. Even by abusing your privilege to get something on me, your ineptitude gets in your way!"

The heir opens his mouth to speak, but you silence him.

"Now, like I said, I'm quite bored by this, and by you." After running through a set of hand seals, dodging his enraged kusari-fundo assault and the accompanying explosions, you put one of your hands behind your back. "Don't blink. I'm going to beat you with just this hand-" you crack a smile, "-well, and the greatest movement ninjutsu there is."

Jet Movement carries you past the heir's weapon, and you grab his wrist before he even realizes it. Grabbing his wrist, you use his bulk against him, flipping him onto his back.

The heir's eyes widen only when you drive the same hand that was just on his wrist deep into his gut.

Having finished off the heir, there's only one place you want to go now- home. But after that, your options are still quite open.

[] No, home is where the heart is after all. And also your comfortable bed and lots and lots of food. But more than that there's answers, you have a lot of questions for your mother based on what not only the heir said, but also what the Kiri-nin from the Land of Birds told you.

[] It's been a while since you spent any real amount of time with Youme-sensei, whenever she's available you'll seek her out! But if that takes a while, you know there are plenty of interesting Ame-nin in her circles who would definitely take interest in you seeking them out.

[] Your peers -in terms of age and time as a ninja (though not mission experience)- might have some insight on what the heir said. And it's been quite a long time since you spent any real time with them, what with jounin missions and the war and all.

A/N/Edit: Oh man I hope forgetting the threadmark doesn't mess up the automatic voting.

 

[No Country]

After a bath, a change of clothes, and a hearty lunch bordering on indulgent (all while making sure you absolutely do not inform your mother that you encountered three Tailed Beasts during your missions), you're out of the house again.

Thinking about it, you're not too sure where Youme-sensei would be, if she's in the village at all. When you were on a regular team, and even during your brief solo apprenticeship, most of the places you went with her either had to do with training or studying. A few times she had brought you to restricted labs, but you definitely don't have the clearance to get into there. And you'd only ever seen Youme-sensei's own laboratory from the outside, she had said it wasn't somewhere anyone but her could go, even her students. Which does make sense.

There was one place that she had mentioned going to in her free time though.

Buried somewhere deep and dark in Ame's labyrinthian streets and allies, sits The Tank, Amegakure's premier bar for its considerable population of elite jounin.

It's not somewhere you would ever imagine Youme-sensei setting foot in, without her explicitly saying it was somewhere her and her teammates frequented. It's not somewhere you had any real intention of going to either, not without a good reason anyway. Most ninja bore you with their company, even the ones who want to talk about nothing but fighting, but more than that it's the fact that The Tank is a bar. You'd only experienced alcohol once, when Youme-sensei had your team (and somehow, your mother) have a sakazuki of the eponymous drink in celebration of your fast promotion to jounin. The foul taste and accompanying burning sensation had upset your temperamental tongue so much it had made you sick.

Just the smell lingering around the bar didn't do your stomach any favors.

You start to think that you should have checked out the library first after stepping through the door. The smell is much stronger inside, and is accompanied by a choking haze of tobacco smoke. None of the patrons are wearing rebreathers (though the bartender is, as well as a flak jacket, it's strange that they would be a ninja as well) and most of them have a cigarette, or worse, a cigar, sticking out of their mouth.

A quick glance around the room tells you that Youme-sensei is, in fact, not in the bar. You definitely should have checked the library, or her neighborhood, you do recall where-

"Oh hey hey there she is!"

"I told you."

The first speaker is Tobiko, you struggle to recall her last name as you've only heard Youme-sensei use it. Despite her youthful looks and even more youthful voice (the jounin looks and sounds about your age), Tobiko is the same age as Youme-sensei or their other former teammate. Long, rusty-red hair that would touch the ground if it wasn't bound into a braid and her aforementioned youthfulness let you spot her from across the room.

Handling her drink far better, and appearing far more smug as well, is Retsuko Nizuuru. Higher-profile than the redhead, but not quite as prominent as your sensei, Retsuko is one of the higher-ups of the medical division, and a skilled combatant as well. From what you know of her, she's both a swordswoman as well as one of a small group of medical nin who can use their craft offensively. Taller than Tobiko, but shorter than Youme-sensei, Retsuko is a brown-eyed blonde who strangely enough, ties her hair in the front rather than the back.

Tobiko (whose surname continues to evade you) waves you over.

Despite yourself, you accept the invitation.

"You could have anticipated that Tsubaki here would come to The Tank if you weren't so far gone, Tobiko," Retsuko states as you sit in the empty chair at their table.

The shorter jounin waves her off dismissively, "You're cheating. Besides, Youme told us it'd been a while. It's not like you saw the future."

"It's not like I'm seeing double either," as if to mock her teammate, Retsuko takes a long drink from the glass in front of her. Tobiko just glares in response. "I must apologize, Tsubaki. Not just for my companion's state-" the other jounin glowers at her even harder "-but for not greeting you properly."

She waves to the bartender, who dispatches a server with another round of drinks to the table.

"If you're looking for Youme-" Tobiko begins, only to be cut off by Retsuko.

"Which she is."

"If," the youthful jounin swirls her drink, "let's not assume here, Rekko. And you said I was being rude. She's still filling out her paperwork or giving her report, I don't know if she'll even meet us here." Tobiko takes a drink, then continues, "Of course, Tsubaki, you could just be here to celebrate a job well-done and knock a few back, right?"

You shake your head, "No I really shouldn't, but I was-"

One of the two pushes a glass in front of you. "Come on, you can choke it down, it's tradition," Retsuko's tone is goading and sweet at the same time.

Giving in, you brace yourself and take a sip. It takes a lot for you to actually swallow it, bitter flavors dancing along your tongue. You don't even suppress the shudder.

"Heh, talk about a lightweight. At least now you have someone to keep up with you, Tobiko," the jounin in question doesn't hold back the angry look, unlike you.

"I was looking for Youme-sensei," you clarify, "but I'm always interested in Ame's other important jounin."

Retsuko nods, while Tobiko watches you over the rim of her drink. "Of course you are, Tsubaki," the blonde says, "and you're rather interesting yourself." She leans over the table, and asks you in a hushed tone, "One of my medical colleagues attached to Lord Hanzo's household mentioned to me that someone beat up Lord Honda. Would you know anything about that?"

You might not be the best actor, but you can still read a room. "I do," you grin, similarly quiet, "I was the one that did it."

"You have to tell us about it," Tobiko interjects, having set her glass down, "but we'll answer any questions you have first."

[] What do you want to know about Ame, the world in general, the current course of the War, more about Youme-sensei/her teammates? Of note: Retsuko is in the medical division, so feel free to probe into Honda if you wish. You don't actually know what Tobiko does, but she's a less notable figure than Retsuko or Youme. (Write-in)

A/N: Not sure how this more directionless "vote" will go, but frankly I wasn't sure what to put there myself, and anticipated a lot of write-ins anyway. If this doesn't really work, I'll think of something, but for now anything is fair game! And also, I'll integrate as many votes as I can, so don't be afraid to write in your own even if something else is winning.

 

[No Country]

There are a lot of questions in your head, including ones you probably shouldn't ask out in the open. Though if the two senior shinobi are comfortable with speaking freely here, that's a sign that you should be able to as well.

"It would only be fair if you let me know how the heir is doing? Fair to him at least, he saw how I was doing when I walked out of there and I have no idea what state he's in."

"He's thankfully fine," Retsuko informs you, "or not thankfully," she adds with a shrug.

"From what you told me it sounds like Tsubaki is the only one besides Lord Hanzo to know Lord Honda needs a real beating from time to time," Tobiko continues.

Sipping more from your drink, you have to suppress a coughing fit before asking another question. "How come he's the one Lord Hanzo picked anyway? It can't be just because they're related, right? Imagine the competition for being the heir if the position was open." You've imagined it more than once, though the upper echelons of Ame are rather murky to you.

"Afraid it's that simple, kid," Tobiko manages to down another drink, but rejects the new glass Retsuko pushes in front of her. Either way, she maintains her wherewithal and leans in to expand on her point. "You see, some people are convinced that if someone's related to you, they'll be able to inherit your will or something like that. It's not popular with everyone though." The older jounin winks at you, her drinking companion nodding in agreement.

Her answer deflates you a bit, "I see. I guess I thought Lord Hanzo was better than thinking like that." You keep your tone very low as well, the topic seeming somewhat taboo.

Retsuko and Tobiko share a glance, before leaning in together.

"Over the past few years," Retsuko speaks up, Tobiko seemingly having deferred to her to speak, "some have said that Lord Hanzo is beginning to decline." Unfortunately for your interest, that's all she says. "Naturally neither of us would say that, and your sensei certainly wouldn't."

There are other questions in your mind, but only one (well, a few) of them really gnaws at your mind. "Have either of you run into anyone strong? Anybody interesting? Have you heard any good rumors?" To cover your tracks, you add, "Just in case I were to hear of them or run into them, to be safe of course."

"Nobody you haven't already heard of, I don't think. Our missions haven't been that interesting so far," Tobiko says somewhat lazily.

"Don't be like that, she's clearly excited," there's something predatory in Retsuko's grin. "Though Tobiko does have a point, we haven't seen anyone or anything very exciting so far. But I have heard rumors from other fronts. They say that Suna's got a puppet master even younger you, but it hasn't been verified. Oh, and the Seven Swordsmen are back at full strength, I think there were five at the beginning of the war?"

The other jounin picks up where Retsuko left off, sounding a bit more enthused, "The Third Raikage has a secret son too, he's been hidden from his enemies for ten years!"

"That one doesn't sound true," the blonde says, her deadpan matching the redhead's earlier lack of enthusiasm. "Now if that's all, Tsubaki-"

It is, and she knows it.

"-How about answering some of our questions?"

Nodding, you answer, "I said I would." Retsuko asks you how you beat Honda, and the answer is pretty simple. "My taijutsu is better, that's all. I'm also quite a bit faster, and probably tougher," you want to smile, to swagger, but the revelation of Lord Hanzo's reason in choosing his nephew and the disappointing reality of the heir means you deflate instead, "when I used my ninjutsu I beat him with one hand."

"That ninjutsu," Tobiko pipes up, "it's not like what Youme uses right? She's pretty flashy and ranged, and from what I've s- heard, you're up close and personal, yeah?"

"That's right, I'm really a taijutsu specialist more than anything. But it's not like it's nintaijutsu," maybe that admission is showing too much of your hand.

"Oh no?" Retsuko tags in, "so what makes you so tough then? From what I saw of Lord Honda, your hand should be black and blue." She snatches the afformentioned appendage from across the table, "But you're pristine."

"You're a creep. You're creeping her out," Tobiko mercifully slaps her teammate's hand from yours. "My untrustworthy medic friend does have a point though, you've got some kind of secret, right?"

Being a better actor would be helpful right now…

"Ah, yes, well I do. But it's not something I can freely talk about, you see."

Both jounin speak over each other, telling you they understand before politely but firmly requesting you see them in private at some point. Overwhelmed, you accept.

If only social interactions were as easy as fighting…

After leaving the Tank, a few days pass by rather quickly, sleeping in a bed, eating good food, and either training by yourself in one of the isolated underground training areas that take reservations. You don't run into either jounin from the bar again, nor do you see Youme-sensei outside of a short run-in in between two official appointments of hers. And you absolutely do not mention anything outstanding from your last two missions to your mother, that is something you don't do at all.

Now it's time for your Campaign Rewards. Please use plan format for your votes, counting by block will probably mess this up.

Select at most two Shikotsumyaku techniques. If you select two, you may only choose one other reward.

[] Cedar Dance (Sugi no Mai): Ossify muscle, tendons, and skin to increase mobility and defense, even with complete subdermal bone armor (increased regeneration). (Tier 3)

[] Larch Dance: Cone (Lv. 2) (Karamatsu no Mai: Matsukasa): Fire the sharpened bones created by Larch Dance (Lv. 1) like Finger Drilling Bullets. (Tier 4)

[] Clematis Dance: Flower (Tessenka no Mai: Hana): Create a single weapon with highly-compressed bones, for massive attacking power. (Tier 4)

[] Clematis Dance: Vine (Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru): Remove a greatly extended spinal cord which retains its flexibility to use as a sword, whip, or lance. (Tier 4)

Select at most three ninjutsu techniques. If you select three, you may only choose one other reward.

[] Wind Style: Withdrawing Jutsu (Fuuton: Ikiseki): Compress a large amount of air either by inhaling it or drawing it in the path of a strike, creating a vacuum effect in its wake. (Tier 3)

[] Wind Style: Falconry Jutsu (Fuuton: Kotaka): Enhancing the cutting power and force of a weapon at the expense of its durability by empowering it with waves of Wind Chakra. (Tier 3)

[] Fire Style: Pilot Light Jutsu (Katon: Tanebi): Create floating points of flame which burst with surprising power if touched or activated. (Tier 2)

[] Fire Style: Black Powder Jutsu (Katon: Enshou): Convert Fire Chakra into a combustible ash around the user, which can be set off by another source. (Tier 2)

Select at most two traits. If you select two, you may only choose one other reward.

[] Enhanced Reflexes (lv 5): Facing greater threats means that you appreciate dodging even more, even if you can take a hit. Your exceptional sense of touch means you can even feel disturbances before they hit you.

[] Shearing Fist: Biting Method: When oblique motion is impossible or otherwise wasteful, the alternative method for creating internal damage and breakages is extremely fast retractions. Straight strikes do even more damage than they usually would, provided they're actually retracted.

[] Shearing Fist: Crushing Method: Grappling is an important part of any fighting style, and Shearing Fist is no exception. Crushing Method is the grappling application of the Kaguya Clan's signature style, and keeps to that brutality. Crushing joints, separating bones, and an emphasis on targeting the spine are all hallmarks of the Crushing Method.

[] Fireproof (lv 1): You resist major damage from weaker Fire Style jutsu or natural fires, thanks to your physiology. Stronger techniques will still hurt you, however, as will some targeted weaker techniques.

[] Speed Demon (lv 3): Why dodge a strike at the last second when you can dodge it before it's even close to landing? While you are durable, taking hits will still change up the flow of a fight, so it's better to be light on your feet. Increasing your speed remains easy.

A/N: I am so sorry about the past three weeks, but I've been busy beyond belief this whole month. This post also gave me some problems, and some of your questions will be addressed in an information post, because they didn't really go with what was here. I hope everyone had/is having a happy holiday season, again, sorry what I got you came a little late!

 

[No Country]

Between your self-imposed training you do manage to have some free time, and it seems like your next mission is still some time away. It seems your recuperation is still important, even with the war on.

It's just up to you how you want to spend it.

Pick 2:

[] Your mother has asked you to assist her with a taijutsu demonstration at the Academy, where she's a senior instructor. It's nothing more than a special seminar really, mostly for the graduating class and promising underclassmen, but beating up on some of your old instructors does sound really fun. Also it's been a while since you really did something with your mom.

[] Youme-sensei finally has a day where you and her can get together. You're eager to hear the particulars of her mission, and she would like to see the results of your training. Perhaps she'll even have some pointers for you. Either way, her lab is open to you, however briefly that is.

[] Your former (genin) teammates, Iori Hiroge and Juura (who either has no last name or chooses not to go by one like you), have apparently also just gotten home from a mission. Well, got back from a mission and went straight to the hospital in Iori's case. It's been quite some time since the three of you were actually all together, so seeing them could be nice. You'd also like the opportunity to measure their growth.

[] Satou Koifuku wasn't a teammate of yours, but she was arguably the classmate you were closest with (and the one who graduated the next-fastest). Satou has reached out to you, asking for your help in gaining the skillset needed to become a jounin. Even you can't help her get promoted in such a short time, but you'll certainly try your best to get her well on her way.

[] Your solo training sometimes takes you out of the village for the sake of utmost secrecy. It seems like you go farther and farther out to more remote places every time…

A/N: Busy yesterday and today, struggling to come up with a post the whole time and I realized it's probably better to have a vote here. At least in terms of it not being padding.

Voting closes at 11:00PM EST on Tuesday, January 5th!

 

[No Country]

Amegakure's Academy would stand out in any other village, a low industrial building with a considerable sprawl. But in Amegakure it's almost easy to overlook.

"I'm so glad you agreed to come today, Tsubaki, the students will love to see what you can do," your mother gushes as you enter through a side door for the staff.

"That sounds like they know about me," you observe, being led towards the main gym/auditorium by your mother.

"Well yes," the older Kaguya says, not entirely enthused, "thanks to the War, word of individual missions spreads a lot faster, and there's less oversight except for the most confidential deployments. There's a lot of talk about the young jounin who single handedly liberated the Land of Valleys from Kumo and overthrew the Land of Birds' failing government. I'm surprised you haven't heard."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration…" you say through a pout.

"Are they really saying all of that?" you think to yourself, "it's not like it's completely false, but what I did really wasn't that impressive." The One Tails burns in your mind. That would have been truly worthy of fame…

Before long, you arrive in the auditorium, the sparring ring set up in the center, surrounded by rows of chairs.

"These are the Academy's most promising students," your mother says into your ear as the two of you enter the ring, "showing them what a young jounin of Ame can do will do wonders for their efforts. But," she turns your head with a hand, her grey eyes meeting your jade green, "try not to go overboard on my instructors. It's a demo, after all."

It's hard not to smile or chuckle at that, and you can't force yourself not to. "Of course mother, I'll keep it impressive for a chunin."

Embarrassingly, your mother toustles your hair before leaving you in the ring, heading out to see her pupils assemble.

Left in the ring with you are three chunin instructors you don't recognize, probably from the roster of teachers for the upperclassmen, and Yonosuke Amebochi, head teacher of the Academy's first years.

"You certainly waited a long time to come back, Tsubaki," the bespectacled chunin states.

A shrug is your response, "Not much reason to."

The three other instructors, all rebreather-clad are two men on the tall side, one rather muscled and the other thin, and a long-haired woman in a half-cloak. They whisper among themselves off in one of the corners. It's the thin one who breaks first, walking over to you and your old teacher.

"Suzuran's daughter," he says with a short bow, which you confusedly don't return, though you probably weren't meant to, "I fought you in a demo once, when you were a student, though I doubt you remember. I'm Iemora, the other senior class instructors are Orin," he gestures first to the woman, "and Hatsu," the burly man this time.

You do remember getting the chance to fight instructors, but you don't remember the ones you fought in particular. Oh no, if you were able to beat them as a student, what does that mean now that you're a jounin?

That thought dominates your mind even as your mother and a pair of other instructors give a short talk to the students about what they're about to see and to watch very carefully, along with explaining a little bit of your (unclassified) background.

A sigh can't be held back when you finally face off against the quartet of instructors. Yonosuke and Orin (you force yourself to remember their names, out of courtesy) are to your left, with Hatsu down the middle and Iemora to the right.

[] Hold back a lot, maybe even let the instructors get a few light shots in before taking them all down. This is a teaching opportunity after all.

[] Hold back, but just enough to make it look like you're really trying. None of them will even manage to touch you, of course, but you'll make it look like you need concentration to dodge them. You made a promise to your mother after all!

[] You said you wouldn't go overboard, not that you would make it look like a challenge. Give the instructors a proper, if light, taijutsu beatdown. Show them what you can do (holding back) and what they can probably do someday too!

[] Going overboard means putting them in the hospital right? The Academy can afford a few instructors with black eyes and bruised ribs. Not like they're fighting in the war…

[] Write-in (QM retains the right to veto!)

A/N: I really like writing Tsubaki with her mom.

Voting Closes at 10:00PM EST on Thursday, January 7th!​

 

[No Country]

For the sake of both your sanity, your enjoyment, and flashy showmanship (which is for the students, definitely), you slip the initial assault completely.

Iemora aims for your head with a pretty good, if textbook, punch. Instead of bobbing your head in the other direction (like he probably predicted), you duck and slip in his direction. This also means you avoid the crushing heel-kick aimed at the center of your chest by Hatsu.

From the other direction, Orin crouches low, sweeping your legs and spinning into a hook punch into your kidney. You step between her feet, the motion of your dodge meaning the step carries you further to the right, completely sidestepping the haymaker Yonosuke had aimed at the back of your head.

'Huh, that was a pretty good move for an out of practice teacher,' you think to yourself, coming to the conclusion that you might be able to have some fun with this after all. As long as you limit yourself, that is.

Another idea pops into your head soon after, as you block a follow-up backhand from Iemora, pushing it out of the way with what must look like surprising gentleness.

"With so many attackers," you utilize the thin man's momentum to throw him out of being an immediate threat, though you make sure it seems more rushed than it is, not making it a shoulder throw either. "It's smart to attack from multiple angles like your teachers just did," you allow Hatsu's punch to make contact with you, taking it against your crossed forearms, "however, with four attackers, a more coordinated effort won't leave any windows for escape." Dropping into a low squat, you narrowly avoid being grabbed from behind by Yonosuke, who was clearly aiming for a throw. This leaves you in the perfect position to be kicked in the ribs by Orin, you most certainly do not spin into it to mitigate the damage or snap her knee backwards, which you could easily do. No, for demonstration's sake, you let the heel crack against your ribs, twisting your torso a moment later and rising to your feet.

"That time was much better, you see-" Iemora's foot passes centimeters from your face, and you narrowly (it is pretty fun, holding back as you are) catch an elbow aimed at the crown of your head. It's so entertaining you can't hold back the chuckle when you speak, "-heh, see? That was a lot better, cornering an opponent in a bad situation and having a follow-up ready." Already, Iemora has a fist leveled at your chin, which you slip by leaning your head back. Your hands shoot down, catching the knee directed at the small of your back by Hatsu. The big man grunts in surprise when you match him, strength-for-strength. Getting back into the act of being pushed, you let the strike carry you up, right into another grapple attempt from Yonosuke. The first-year Academy instructor grabs you under one arm and over the other, both of his hands snaking behind your head, before throwing back his spine and flipping you completely over, aiming for you to land on the back of your head against the floor of the ring, hard. Instead, beginning to move an instant before he lets go, you catch yourself with your hands, backflipping away from the instructors.

Oh, how bad Larch Dance would have made that little move look…

'Technically, most Shikotsumyaku are taijutsu' a little voice advises you. You push it down, you've been pushing down the desire to cut loose a lot lately.

Orin, the closest to where you would have landed, attempts to press the offensive. You exchange a few strikes with her, making sure that your moves can be clearly seen. "A speedier fighter is better to have as a short-term distraction than someone slower, even if they would be stronger," as if on-cue Yonosuke's foot comes down in an ax kick, right where your shoulder was barely a second earlier. "Because your goal is just to tie up the opponent, especially if they're clearly superior to any of you individually," Hatsu and Iemora's attacks both go wide, unfortunately telegraphed thanks to their distance. "Don't worry about being outmatched right when you start out, genin are paired with a jounin for a reason!" You cheerily say as you knock the wind out of Yonosuke's lungs with a cross punch to the sternum.

They've all gotten their strikes in against you, and the fight's been dragged out for… two minutes? Maybe? You're not that great at estimating time in fights, but this one has had a rather sedate pace. Maybe they should have fought you all one after the other if they wanted a real show, but you can't imagine the instructors would have been content with that.

You knock both of Hatsu hands down and to the side, which means throwing both your hands away for a split second. Though that's no problem as you KO the big man with a ball-kick to the chin that impacts with an audible crack.

"Naturally, with a strong opponent, it's ideal to overwhelm them quickly, or to ambush them so they don't have the chance to fight back," Orin and Iemora each grab one of your outstretched wrists as your feet touch the ground. "Especially one with more stamina," the female instructor has to let go to avoid having her knee dislocated by your back-kick, and you turn and hit Iemora square in the temple with a bear's paw. Your second opponent goes down. "And especially one with more chakra!" Yonosuke's betrayed expression as your hands come together into a ram seal is almost enough to make you feel bad. You lose sight of that expression after you kick him over the side of the ring. "A good ninja is also good at bluffing, but you've heard that already!"

Orin barely has the chance to react before you throw her over your shoulder and completely out of the ring.

"Thank you for having me!" You bow to the audience with a smile, "I hope that you all learned something and that it wasn't over too quickly."

Immediately the throng of Academy students bursts into buzzing activity. You're practically flooded with questions alone, not to mention all the exclamations on how cool the fight was, requests for autographs (really?), and challenges from students.

The crowd is quickly silenced by your mother, her voice raised higher than you've ever heard before. Her tone isn't harsh though, you don't think you could even imagine that. "Quiet, students, quiet! You're almost ninja of Amegakure, I know that you have the discipline which comes with that distinction!" Once all the noise (besides the quiet groaning of the coming-to instructors) is silenced, she speaks again. "Now, Jounin Tsubaki will take questions, so please raise your hands."

Almost every hand in the room is raised, and you spend some time answering mundane questions, or questions that you have to dodge the answer to. Falling into the latter category are things like "who was the strongest opponent you ever fought?" and "how did you get so strong?"

In the end, you answer a lot of questions about techniques and the best ways to train (though you make it absolutely clear the sequence some things have to be trained in to avoid permanent damage), as well as some about the general experience of a ninja in the field. Your answers to that last category of questions are almost certainly not embellished enough for the likes of the Academy's instructors, as you make out surviving/traveling in the countryside as incredibly dull (which it is).

The only question that gives you any pause is when a confident-looking navy-haired upperclassman asks you flat-out if you'll be the jounin-sensei for any of their teams. After a moment or two of inability to provide a clear answer, you manage to respond that with the war on, it's very unlikely. You completely forget to mention that there would be no way even in peacetime, seeing as you're too young for that.

After the students filter out, you remain behind with your mother and the instructors (who occasionally shoot you a dirty look), to help clean up the auditorium. It doesn't take a lot of time, considering there's two jounin-level and four chunin-level ninja dedicating their time to it, so you're left with your mother in the Academy before long.

"Thank you for doing this for me Tsubaki," your mother tells you as you sit across from her in her office, a cup of milk tea in your hands and hers. You haven't actually been to the office the Academy had provided your mother before, it's rather nice, though the desk is metal and the chairs aren't very comfortable, she's put an actual rug down and has a number of decorations hanging on the walls. "I appreciate that you held back against my instructors, and gave the students a measured demonstration." She smiles, having put her teacup down, "And you even talked through what you were doing as you fought, I'm proud of you."

Even beaming at the compliment, a blush on your cheeks, you can see that there's something other than pride in her gaze. A shard of doubt, or maybe pain. It's best not to bring it up.

"It seemed like a good idea, mother," you admit, setting your own cup down. "And I held back for your sake and the students', if I went all out nobody would have learned anything. Maybe the students, but not the lesson you wanted to teach them."

Your mother's laugh is short, but genuine. "That's true, and it's good you're aware of that." Her soft expression becomes ever so slightly downcast, "I know it's a vain hope, but for the sake of the village-" you can't help but feel she forced herself to say that one, "and for the sake of the students-" that one felt actually genuine, despite your way of thinking even you can see why someone, especially your mother, would have that sentiment, "and for your sake, Tsubaki, I hope that the Land of Storms is spared in this war."

It is a vain hope. A history scholar is something you are not, but even you know that in both the Second and First Shinobi World Wars, the Land of Storms became a hotly-contested battlefield and was devastated in the fighting. Fighting reached the borders of the village of Amegakure itself during the Second War, only turned back by the efforts of Lord Hanzo himself, with the country's forces massed at his back.

'Maybe, if I ever met those men again, if something could be worked out with Iwa…' you shake the thought out of your head, you're no politician.

"Mother, I know it's not something you want to hear, but," you lock eyes with the older Kaguya, thin smile on your lips and gaze full of hope and fire, "I'll do my very best to keep the war out of Ame, and I'll do better than my best to keep these kids out of it-" before she can interrupt, or say something about your safety, you add "-and I'll come home to you at the end of it all."

Is your mother tearing up? No, it must just be the heating in the Academy.

"Thank you Tsubaki, I know that you will."

After that your day with your mother becomes much lighter, visiting one of the classrooms and briefly sitting in on her explaining theory before you head home for the day. You sleep like the most contented rock in the world after a top-notch and lovingly made dinner.

~~~~~~~~~

"Tch, that's not going to be good enough if only three of them hit," Satou Koifuku, probably your best friend, says after a torrent of fireballs completely obliterate a training dummy in one of the rooftop training areas of Ame.

It's been a while since you saw Satou, what with all the missions you've both been running, along with the training she's been putting in to become a jounin. Rather than interrupt her in the middle of practice, you elected to pick a spot on a nearby fence and watch.

After another barrage of fireballs annihilates another training dummy (this time four are on target), the girl calls out to you, a slight tinge of annoyance in her voice. "Come on down, I know you're there Tsubaki."

You appear behind your classmate before she even turns around. Satou remains nonplussed, turning to face you slowly.

Much to your annoyance, Satou has at least half an inch on you in height, and you can see a slight, but less slight than last time, swell of breasts under her flak jacket. Satou is similarly petite to you, though evidently growing faster, with less-pale skin (probably what would be called a healthy tone), dark blue eyes, and green hair cut into a bob. You suppose that she has the look of a promising young chunin, overall.

"You never even looked at me, your sensing abilities are getting better," Satou just gives you an unclear noise, "So what am I doing here?" You ask with false boredom.

[] "Give me a hand with getting these Fire jutsu on target, your movement ninjutsu can be controlled after they've been activated, so you should get the concept."

[] "Taijutsu has always been my weakest subject- stop laughing - just teach me some of those techniques you do, the ones that really hurt when they hit."

[] "I know you don't have a very high opinion of genjutsu, but could you be my target, just so I can practice against common counters? And don't use that automatic breaking technique you have, that's cheating and I'll know if you're using it."

[] "You're kind of a swordsman, Tsubaki. I know it's a lot to ask but just spar with me with weapons a bit. I'm really good at shurikenjutsu, but- and don't tell anyone -my kenjutsu isn't all that good."

A/N: Sorry this took a whole week and I'm putting it out at 3am but between Friday and Monday I think I had literally 2 hours of free time total and by Monday night I could barely keep myself awake. So here it is! I hope your definition of tomorrow is as loose as mine!

Voting closes at 3:30PM EST on Wednesday, January 13th!
I know it's a short voting period for me, but the next post will (should) be out earlier this way. And it means Thursday will have one too.

 

[No Country]

"If you want to make up for a lack of physical strength you have to accelerate your strikes," you admonish Satou for what must be the fifth time. "Add more chambers, don't just stick your arm out there." Grabbing her arm, you pull it outward, angling her wrist down.

"Not so rough, I get it." The taller (for now) girl pulls her arm back, and gives you a glare.

It wasn't that rough, you just had to manipulate her into the right position. "Do it right and I won't have to." You stick your tongue out at her, you just have to.

It takes a few more tries before Satou finally gets down what you're saying. Now to move onto the basics of Shearing Fist…

Before long, the iron tao you're having Satou use to practice on is soaked in a thin layer of blood, and the backs of her hands are rather ruined. Unsurprisingly, there's been a lack of complaining on her part compared to the lightheartedness of earlier. When she really gets down to it, Satou might be the most serious person about training you know. Well, there are a few others who could give her a run for her money in that department. Excluding yourself, of course.

"So, Tsubaki," Satou begins, sipping on a milkshake from her favorite restaurant and resting her hand in a bucket of ice, after you've both returned to the training area, "besides the classified details, what are solo missions like? Most of the time must be pretty boring, yeah?"

You nod, "Yeah, the missions themselves take up more of your time than if you were with a group though," you explain. "Because you can move at your own pace, and it's not like you have to set up a camp every time."

Satou listens carefully, "Not much has changed with the War on I hear, for Ame at least. Just more missions that are more dangerous."

"Mhm," you think back to the jinchuuriki you faced, "and it's only going to get worse I think."

"Yeah, I think so too," Satou switches hands, resting the other one in the ice. "It's been a while since we got together, we should do it more often."

"When I have the time, I'd like that," pausing for a moment, you continue with a grin, "there'll be plenty of time before you make jounin after all."

Satou puffs up, retracting her hand from the ice quickly enough that a chunk is still stuck to her hand. "I'm close to being promoted and you know it, there's just the trial left!"

"But who knows when that's gonna be," you relish the opportunity to prod someone, there's only really three people you feel comfortable doing it to, Satou being one of them. "Besides, you can't keep up taijutsu for very long if your skin is that delicate."

"I'd rather have thin skin than a thick skull," she fires back, getting into the verbal sparring.

"One of those will save you on a mission, the other won't," you answer with a shrug, painlessly bouncing your own head off of the pole of a fence for emphasis.

"It helps that that head is as empty as your ninjutsu repertoire," Satou smugly smugs at you.

You scoff in return, "I know plenty of ninjutsu, you don't need to know five hundred just to be effective in battle." It's true that you don't know a ton of offensive ninjutsu, but, "besides, what makes S-rank ninja S-rank is that they can apply their skillset to any situation and get through it."

"Now you're claiming to be an S-rank ninja?" Satou asks dryly.

"Not yet, but-" the other girl quickly cuts you off.

"Don't even say it Tsubaki, if anyone is going to end up S-rank it's you," there's genuine admiration in her voice, before she switches back to a lighter tone. "Well, maybe Iori, if he manages to use his clan techniques without exploding."

A laugh passes between you and Satou, as your teammate had just been released from the hospital, and was already running another mission.

After some more idle small talk (which is exceedingly tolerable when it's Satou, and a few others), the topic turns more serious again.

"Hey, Tsubaki. Before I become a jounin, how would you feel about leading a team of me and some other chunin on a mission? My sensei told me about a mission coming up, it's in a few weeks. We need a captain for it."

[] You couldn't do that. No offense meant to Satou, but you're still very much a lone wolf, or maybe a weapon to be used by a more experienced captain. Politely decline the offer, maybe if it comes up later you'll agree, but not now.

[] You'll give her an answer after your next mission, it shouldn't take you too long as long as it isn't another retrieval mission, and you won't get two of those back-to-back. You're not saying no, but at least this way someone else might pick it up.

[] You'll give her an answer after your next mission, it shouldn't take you too long as long as it isn't another retrieval mission, and you won't get two of those back-to-back. Assure her that your answer will more likely than not be yes, so she should keep her options open until you get back.

[] Promise Satou that you'll lead her mission! After all, most legends have some kind of leadership skill, don't they? Even Madara Uchiha led his clan before he betrayed them (did they betray him?) and the Gold and Silver Brothers had those pirates! (Wait, pirates doesn't sound right…) Anyway, what better way to develop as a leader than by testing it in the field?

A/N: I don't know why but once I actually sit down to do it I've been getting these out pretty quickly. Or at least I think it's kinda quick, I won't say how long it is so the illusion isn't shattered

Voting closes at 6:00PM EST on Thursday, January 14th!