The Illuminators: Last Trinity (A Naruto AU)

[FortePlus]

You finish eating and decide on spending time with Ritsu. She's been through a lot in the past two and a half months or so, going through training, having to seduce men after getting out of a pretty horrifying relationship...you wonder if it's weighing heavily on her, and if she's just reluctant to speak on it. Hopefully it's not the case.

After washing up, you jog up the stairs and see that the reading room is still closed. What was Hannah working on so diligently? Hm.

"Yo, ninja girl."

"I'm here, sir." Ritsu appears outside of her door at your call. "What can I help with?"

"Are you working on anything right now?"

"Not at the moment, sir."

"Alright. I was wondering if you wanted to talk for a while."

"If you..." She pauses and thinks over your question again. "Yes. I'm alright if we talk a while, sir. Thank you. Is it alright if I speak informally?"

"'Course it is. Wouldn't make sense otherwise. Your room or mine?"

"My room, if that's okay."

You nod and she welcomes you inside. The rooms are furnished in the same way, but you can tell that Ritsu has been working on keeping things neat, as is her way. Hannah isn't exactly messy, but the neatly folded clothes and fluffed pillows were done by a professional's hand. You almost don't want to mess up the bed with its straight corners, but you sit anyways and Ritsu follows suit.

Not for the first time, you realize how small she is compared to you. Is that something she thinks about a lot? Something she considers in her actions?

"I don't know if I would have gathered the courage to ask for this on my own. I'm thankful you thought of it first," she says. "I'm thankful for a lot of things. More than just things, I would say."

"We can talk about that if you want. As much or as little as you choose, Ritsu."

"I know. You've always been sweet to me like that. Always...perhaps it's only been two or so months in real time, but it feels like a lot longer. I really value your kindness, Joshua. From the beginning I have, perhaps even before we got to actually know each other." She puts her hands into her lap. "Was there anything in particular that you wanted to speak with me about?"

"Not really. I wanted to listen most of all, just see how you were doing after the past few weeks. It's a lot, you know? When you said you were ready, I didn't doubt that. I don't doubt it even now. But there are a lot of heavy things that have happened to you, and a lot of mental pressures that don't seem like much at the time, but end up weighing you down later. You know what I'm talking about?"

"Like our recent mission."

"Yeah, things like that. I know you and Hannah were talking it out earlier."

"We were. It was more about the abstract of it. Not really the sexual parts...or at least in that way, I suppose. If that makes any sense."

"It does, a bit. I can't say I'm too knowledgeable in those sorts of areas...the trauma, and the feeling, I mean. It's not to say..."

"I know," Ritsu says. "Thank you. I...I hope you come to understand it, more than you would have to experience it."

"You two will have to guide me through. It would have to be a good long talk," you say as you rub your neck.

"Yes, of course."

There's a long pause between both of you as you let the previous thoughts settle.

"If you're ready to listen..."

"Always," you say, looking towards her with a smile. She nods and smiles back.

"Thank you. I know it might be hard to believe, but I really am fine. In a lot of ways. I'm actually happy and content. It doesn't exclude moments of frustration and fear, or shock at what's happening. But I've seen and been through a lot. It's...more than patchwork over my previous, broken life. More than just taking my feelings and gluing them together so that I can get by day to day. That excitement you felt from me, the day you set me free and granted my wish to join you...it's all still there, flowing from me each day. My devotion hasn't changed a bit. Perhaps there are more trials to come, but I'm very confident that I won't bend even in the face of those. I understand where I am in terms of skill, and I know my place. That said..." She sighs and clasps her hands together. "It's amazing how far my old skills have taken me. There's so much that goes into being a hostess and serving people most of your days. I thought it might get lost in the shuffle, but now I'm using it to the fullest, along with all of these new techniques. And it gets me to thinking about all of these other things, what I could possibly do next."

"I can see it," you say. "You're thinking big."

"Trying to," she says with a sheepish grin. "I think I'm set to stumble along the way. But you're always encouraging me, and I more than appreciate it. I love you so much, for that and everything else. This second chance, this freedom that you gave me without a second thought...it's more than just another journey back into the world. It's a chance at something much, much bigger. I believe it. There's so much in the way and ahead of me that I find it hard to dwell on the past. I still have thoughts, bad dreams about what happened. I still think about my parents betraying me, about Tetsuda using me as a toy, about all of the despair I felt and even wanting to kill myself. It doesn't just go away. But here and now, with you, with Hannah...I can't bring myself to hold onto those things for more than a moment."

Ritsu reaches over and takes your hand.

"I know you'll be there for me if I should fall apart. Both of you. But I want you to know that right now, I'm happy and grateful for this chance. I want to work hard, so that I can help you reach whatever dream you set your mind to. And yes...I would give my life for you in a heartbeat. Because we're family, and because I love you."

"I love you too, Ritsu. Thank you for trusting me."

She blushes brightly and nods. "You're very welcome."

"Um...not to breach anything too personal," you start, "but I was wondering how you and Hannah are getting along. Like...outside of the obvious relationship dynamics."

"There are...certain hangups for both of us, physically speaking. I can push my feelings aside for the sake of work, but when it comes to our intimacy...it's not terribly complicated, to be clear," she says, squeezing your hand briefly. "We haven't, um...gone all the way. We both want to wait a while longer until we're distanced from those harsher thoughts and experiences. To be honest, I was the one who wanted it more. But she recognized that it wasn't the safest or best idea to get that close, that soon. Her insight is wonderful."

"She does see a lot of important things, yeah. Generally, when you spend your life killing for money, that's kind of secondary. And then to notice something doesn't mean you'll have the best approach for dealing with it. She's really good at that, too."

"Do you think part of it is insecurity? The way she's so timid and delicate with us?" Ritsu asks.

"Yeah. She's never had friends, or loved ones before us. So there's a difference in how she treats us compared to others. I wouldn't say it's hard because she doesn't know how to act, it's more the pressure of her actions."

"She doesn't want to be possessive of us."

"Yeah. Things like that. She loves us with all she has, and she wants to make us comfortable at the same time."

"I understand. But yes, we're far more into the spiritual parts of our relationship at the moment. There is a lot of...sexual tension, as I'm sure you've noticed."

You chuckle. "Hard not to. You guys flirt all the time, seems like."

"We do," she says while blushing. "I really like it, being teased and desired like that. I remember when she first kissed me. It felt better than anything I've ever experienced in my entire life. And it's...like that every time. I like feeling her warmth. I like when she touches me and makes my heart race. But...I don't know why, but the thing that makes me feel the most bliss is when we just stare at each other and hold hands, meshing our fingers together. It's like our souls just...melt into one another, and we can really, truly understand one another, and feel each others' joy. Maybe it doesn't make sense, or it's just my mind playing tricks on me. But it feels incredible and real. Oh," she says as she puts a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I've been going on about myself and Hannah..."

"It's alright. I did say I was here to listen, and all of that is fine if you're okay with it. This conversation is between us, right?"

"I understand, thank you. I just thought you would be a bit...well. I mean, you're a guy after all. I don't think I'm wrong to assume that...you know?"

"Yeah. Truth be told, I'm not disinterested or anything, just..." You shrug your shoulders. "I'm good right now. A little bit of self control goes a long way."

"I can see that. You're remarkably restrained."

"Remarkably? How bad was it for you at work?" you ask.

"You really don't want to know."

"If it's that bad, no wonder I look like a saint," you say with a sigh. "I have my preferences, but no designs on anyone right now. You and Hannah included, as much as she teases me about it."

"Are you into older women?"

"Hm? Why do you..." You pause a moment and then grumble. "I don't know, but don't use what that woman says as an indication of anything. I'm just trying to be polite to older ladies. I'll figure it out one day...Hannah did declare her intent, so I don't have any reason not to be straight with her."

"I think it would be lovely if you two got together. You seem made for each other."

"You think so?"

"Mm-hm. I wouldn't mind being the other woman, either," she says with a smile.

You roll your eyes. "Yeah, of course not. You're both weirdos." She hits you on the shoulder gently as you laugh. "No, but seriously. If you're into something like that...well, you have to let me figure out what I want first. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt either of you. It probably doesn't seem like I'm capable of it, but...misunderstandings cause a lot of damage."

"They do, don't they..."

"Yeah. Was there anything else we wanted to go over?"

"Not that I can think of," she says while shaking her head. "Can...we just stay together like this?"

"Sure we can. As long as you want."

"Thank you." She slides closer and leans against you, her fingers nestling themselves in between yours as she grips your opposite hand. You watch as she closes her eyes and lets out a contented breath.

You pat her head gently before putting your arm around her, holding her close.

It's like this for a long while.

You appreciate every single moment.

---

[] Talk to Hannah. She's been working on something and you're curious as to what. Besides that, you think she'd like to speak to you about the past few days and everything else.

[] Talk to Ritsu again. You really like spending time with her, and there's something you wanted to ask her about.

[] Maybe have a group meeting. You could try talking things through to make sure you're all on the same page. Plus, it's a good way to bond.

[] Training. There's a safe area not far from the cabin where you can get some stuff done. (Roll d100 to train any stat that is already at 10, with a bonus technique to be added later. 50 is the threshold. Level of success is determined by final total, divided into four sections from rank A-D. S is 100-90, A is 90-80, B is 80-70, C is 70-60, D is 60-50. Voters can choose techniques in the appropriate zones or leave it to QM decision.)
-[] Custom schedule. You have a few hours left in the day (write in).
-[] Training day. Increase your physical stats. Get +1 to any stat of your choosing that is not at 10. Roll d100 to train stats already at 10.
-[] Research day. Improve your current abilities or create new ones.
--[] Improve a non-taijutsu technique by one level, unlock a new form of one non-taijutsu technique, or gain one element level.
--[] Create the basis of a new technique to be finished later.
---[] Train alone.
---[] Train with a friend or two. Your companions will gain at the same rate as you where applicable, and there may be bonuses that come along with them.
----[] Hannah
----[] Ritsu

[] Relax until the next day. You don't need to do much right now.

[] Custom (write in).

---

It's currently Tuesday and you have 48 hours until the meeting with the Five Kage. Haru will arrive with the meeting details on Wednesday morning, but it won't interrupt anything you're doing. You're free to either plan out the next two days at once or just go day by day until the meeting. At this point you can choose as many options as you want and/or the amount of time to put into each.

The recent update was planned as a standalone because most of Monday was already gone due to all the information being passed around.

 

[veekie]

[X] Talk to Hannah. She's been working on something and you're curious as to what. Besides that, you think she'd like to speak to you about the past few days and everything else.

Talk to Hannah, train, then probably rest after

 

[FortePlus]

I'll probably have the update in by tomorrow afternoon maybe, but don't hold me to it.

Any area you decide you want to train in I can work with, barring those at max output already.

e: yeah lol it'll be a while

 

[FortePlus]

You spend a bit more time with Ritsu before Haru comes by to check on you. The four of you eat dinner, where Haru mentions that her meeting with Shisui was uneventful. That sounds like a good thing, considering the potential for chaos. Hannah seems to have a lot on her mind, so you don't bother her too much over your meal. There's a small conversation about what you might have to do at the upcoming meeting, but dinner is quiet for the most part.

Everyone helps clean up before dispersing again to their own activities. Haru keeps watch outside, Hannah goes back to her readings, and Ritsu takes a shot at meditating again. You focus on some chakra control materials and try it out for yourself for the next few hours. After that, sleep.

Tomorrow is a new day.

---

You wake up, stretch, and spend a few minutes doing your routine shadowboxing. Helps keep the mind sharp and your body ready for anything that might come your way. Contrary to popular belief, you actually do follow a set of patterns whenever you take on your invisible "opponent", memorized over a few years and adjustable depending on how you feel when you wake up. On bad days, you upped the intensity a bit in order to clear your head.

Today is Tuesday. Still a fair bit of time before you meet with the leaders of the free world.

You think about training later. Before that, you want to talk with Hannah...but that would be after breakfast. After taking a shower and getting dressed, you head downstairs to the kitchen. Haru and Hikari are already at work, cooking up a traditional meal.

"Sir. Good morning, sir." Hikari turns and salutes as soon as she notices you.

"Morning. Thanks for making us breakfast," you say as you pat her head gently. "I was going to start myself, but I appreciate this."

"Sir. Thank you, sir. It was our honour."

"It was indeed, sir. Good morning," Haru says.

"Morning, Haru." She tilts her head forward slightly and you reach out to stroke her hair. "Good sleep?"

"Yes, sir. Perfectly fine. Do you mind if Hikari and I join you all for breakfast?"

"Not a problem. You guys finish up, I'll have some tea while I wait."

"I'll get you something right away, sir," Haru says. "Hikari, please check if the soup is done."

"Ma'am. Checking soup now."

You hear a yawn as you start to sip at your tea. Hannah glides into the room and seats herself, wearing a flashy looking pink nightgown.

"Morning, princess. Is that silk?" you ask with a smile.

"Indeed it is. Small indulgences must be allowed from time to time...should we completely abandon comfort in favour of professionalism? I think not." She flips her hair and sighs. "A pleasant morning to you, my darling. I trust you slept well."

"Yeah. Easy day yesterday. Ritsu and I had a chat."

"Did you, now. Are things well?"

"Yeah. She's happy, and excited most of all. We're both keeping an eye on her in our own ways, yeah? She's in good hands."

"She is, yes. I sometimes wonder if there are things I miss, and there might be. But with you here, I don't have to worry about a thing. My confidence is far from misplaced," she says with a smile. "Haru, Hikari. Good morning to you both."

"Ma'am. Good morning, ma'am. Breakfast will be ready soon," Hikari says, saluting again.

"Good morning, Lady Kuiper. As my junior has said, breakfast will be ready in a moment's time," Haru says. "Tea while you wait?"

"Yes, please. What Joshua is having, if you would."

"Of course. A moment, please."

"Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, ninja girl. How'd you sleep?" you ask Ritsu as she arrives. She's already dressed for the day.

"Incredibly well. Thank you for staying with me yesterday, sir. I really appreciate it."

"Any time, just ask. Oh, Haru and Hikari are joining us for breakfast."

"The more the merrier," Hannah says. Haru delivers her tea, and she nods her thanks. "You're already dressed, love. Plans for the day?"

"Hikari is going to take me to one of the libraries this morning. I wanted to check into some history from before the Warring States period, specifically on early ninjutsu sects and the proliferation of certain religions, aside from Ninshuu."

"That's the religion the Sage of Six Paths was spreading, yeah?" you ask.

"That's right, sir. Lady Kushina's comments, among other things, really made me think about the possibilities. Many clans that once existed have been wiped out, mainly due to war and genocide. Perhaps looking into their histories might yield some new discoveries we can use to our advantage."

"Sounds good. Hopefully you make a breakthrough, or something similar. If not, we've got time to keep trying."

"Right, sir."

"Sir, ma'ams. Please excuse us. Breakfast is ready now," Hikari announces. She and Haru serve you breakfast. Big bowls of rice, miso soup, and fillets of salmon. There's some sliced sweet melon on the side as well.

You wait for everyone to settle in before saying a quick prayer and eating.

"Good stuff. Thanks again for breakfast," you say to Haru.

"It was no trouble at all, sir. We thought it would be something nice to do for our guests."

"Sir. As senpai said, no trouble at all, sir." Hikari goes back to her rice at that.

"Hannah, you gonna be busy today?" you ask her.

"Not particularly. Did you need something of me, love?"

"Nothing too tiring. Just wanted to check in."

"Of course, it's no trouble at all. I was going to ask you something similar...did you have anything planned for this afternoon?"

"Just training, but I can move it down for you."

"No, no. It's actually perfect. There was something I wanted to show you, and it only makes sense to do it outside in a clear space. Wonderful, I have you to myself for the day."

"Living the dream, eh."

"The sweetest I've ever known," she says with a smile. You chuckle before drinking down some of your tea.

---

After a delicious breakfast, everyone disperses to take care of their own tasks. Hikari heads out on patrol, intending to monitor a few of the exam participants and check for any trouble. The amount of money going around in terms of betting, according to her and Haru, is unprecedented, and as such foul play is a strong possibility. Several of the Leaf agencies including the Military Police are watching things closely. She takes Ritsu to one of the big libraries along her route.

Haru is assigned solely to your area, and barring any other requests, will be on guard for the next few days. She's going to keep watch over you and will check on Ritsu throughout the day.

"Sit, sit."

You do as Hannah says and take a seat on the couch in the living area. As soon as you do so, she leans back and drops her head into your lap, looking at you with a cheeky smile.

"Oi."

"It's fine, isn't it? Hm...about the only thing that could make us closer is you actually seeing me naked," she muses. "But then...that's not much of a jump...we did bathe together already, and that wet towel didn't cover much."

You sigh and roll your eyes. She takes the opportunity to put one of your hands on her warm stomach. The one window to the room is opened, letting in a cool breeze that washes directly over you. It's quiet, with only the sounds of small birds in the distance breaking the silence. You can feel your warmed hand being moved up and down as Hannah breathes softly.

"We should do this more often."

"You mean teasing me?" you ask.

"That much doesn't need a schedule. I mean being like this. Just...really close."

"...we should."

"Does it bother you? That...mm. That we're like this, but not, I suppose, official?"

You shrug. "Nope. It's fine with me. I mean, it is outside what I know for others, but not what I've experienced myself. I have friends back home with different lifestyles."

"You have said as much." She puts a hand over yours, absentmindedly playing with your fingers. "So, was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"

"Not really," you say. "Just wanted to know how you've been feeling over the past few days, what you've been thinking."

"Ah, I see. You asked the same of Ritsu last night. I can guess she told you a few things, about our relationship and many things besides. I won't ask you to disclose anything personal, after all, there's no point in an intimate conversation if you talk about it with everyone else. We can be close without having to know every single secret of the other."

"Mm-hm."

"With that in mind, my feelings have been stable over the past few days. Nothing too exciting, nor anything too bad. I am rather intrigued at the prospects before us, not thinking that the Five Kage would involve us so suddenly in their affairs. Actually...perhaps I am excited, in a way. The chance to shift the world like this is something so rare you could only call it providence."

"You think so?"

"I can only say as much based on my experience, but yes. There's quite a lot going on all at once, you know. Being in the middle of all of it is something that only a certain few have experienced. Even Governor-General Mifune, a warrior of the greatest caliber, has yet to impact the world like we are about to. Our words and actions will change the course of history. It makes it sound daunting, and it is. But we can only move forward one step at a time across this fragile, narrow path."

"Any objections? Doubts?"

"Neither," she answers confidently. "I not only believe in myself, but I have you by my side. With that, we can grab hold of the impossible."

"..." You look down at her for a moment. She opens her eyes and nods once before closing them again. As sincere as ever...that was Hannah, and it always would be.

"Ritsu is a bright young woman. She devours information, takes care of herself, and has a firm grasp on her limitations. She is brave, and she is quite strong. Watching her grow is a pleasure second only to being with you."

"Do you think she's doing okay?" you ask.

"More than okay. Actually, I think her growth is beyond the normal curve, even for a trained shinobi. She really might be some sort of genius, though I suspect it has to do with the way we trained her. While we did have her learn the academy standards, there is a...peculiarity with how she took to chakra and training. I wondered if she might have some sort of hidden lineage, but even that wouldn't explain everything. What do you think, Joshua?"

"Hm." You think for a moment, feeling her mesh her fingers with yours in the meantime. "Well, it could be that her experience with chakra is more pure, or something like that. We all have it, but I don't think the original purpose was for techniques per se. Just a feeling, based on people all being born with it, but amounts not being equal. You know?"

"Mm. Perhaps that was one of things that caught her eye. In any case...she does have a different approach to how chakra works and what it is since she's not like us, or anyone we associate with. I wonder briefly if that is one of the keys to changing our world. It very well might be, but we shall see. I am proud of her either way. And of course, our relationship. It's not terribly complicated. We are close...and we do have moments of physical intimacy. But I feel like taking our relationship further, physically speaking, would be wrong, maybe exploitative as it is. It's part of what she wanted, and it does make sense...after all, I led off with kissing her as part of my cover."

"You told me. That was...quite a move, gotta say."

"It felt right at the time. I wanted to give her a measure of comfort, and...it was what my heart told me to do. Granted, I did have other motives, so it wasn't exactly a pure idea, but I thought it would be right. But as of now, I think it's better if we wait before going further. I don't mind it taking a long time. These bonds are more than enough."

"Sometimes when you experience something, you don't want to go back from it," you point out.

"That much is true. It's part of why I want to wait...I don't want us to go down a road that we're unable to turn from. Not before we're both ready. I...I don't want to hurt anyone. Not her, and not you."

"Well...I haven't decided on what type of special relationship I want, if any."

"That's perfectly fine. It doesn't make you any less of a man, or less of a person. Please remember that...after all, greatness does take time."

"Thanks. But I'm guessing you also want to use said time to tie me up."

You hear her laugh gently. "Darling, you know me far, far too well. It's like we're already married!"

"Oh, sheesh."

"I really do adore you, Joshua. I love you so very much, and I'll remind you of that every chance that I get. When you let me into your life, it was a small gesture in the eyes of the world, but something that meant everything to me. Thank you for all of this, and for everything to come."

"Might be messy."

"Surely. But the same sky that gives us the howling wind and pouring rain, also gives us the floating cloud and dazzling sun. For all things work together for good, towards those chosen by heaven. And we are those chosen children."

"Speak truth to power, and power to truth," you mumble.

"Yes."

"Grams said that a long time ago...I guess I understand it better now. We're in position, so you're right. We've been chosen to be great. So let's be great."

"At your pleasure, my love." She smiles from below you and gives your hand a comforting squeeze. "Everything is fine with me, and if there is anything that I can't handle on my own, I will let you know. I promise on my soul."

"Thank you, Hannah. I'll let you know if anything is wrong over here, too. Promise on my soul, too."

"I know you will, darling. Well...I think we're current as of now. How are you doing yourself?" she asks, looking up at you expectantly.

"Keeping my brain going. Potential terrorists are a problem, worse if they're from your hometown and you're about to go into a meeting with the strongest shinobi to tell them that much. No stress other than the usual, though. Haru's been keeping me informed, Hikari's been taking care of you, and both you and Ritsu have been great as always. I don't really have a reason to panic. Not yet, anyways."

"Do you have any plans for what comes next?"

"Nothing predetermined. Feels foolish to do something like that right now, the world might well turn upside down on Thursday morning and we'd be stuck if we committed to any one plan. Even with as much info as we have, we're still playing from behind and have to focus on being reactive as opposed to proactive."

"There is also the chance that things could devolve within the meeting itself."

"That's been in the back of my head all week," you grumble. "Or worse, we have some jackass challenging us in the streets. I wouldn't put it past any of these goons. Right now...they're under the impression that we're arriving or have arrived, which I imagine is part of why Hikari is checking on the kids and Haru is stepping up her patrol efforts."

"Have you given any thought to her?"

"As a new comrade? I'd be lying if I said no, but I'm very sure that Kushina dotes on her for a reason. I have my doubts about us prying her away at all. If you're thinking about someone, Hikari would be good. But I think our group as is works for now. We definitely want to make as many allies as possible, but there's a lot to be gained from a lighter group."

"I see. You don't mind if I personally turn things over, then?"

"Not at all. Use your best judgement."

"Thank you, love."

You nod and pat her stomach gently with your hand. "Right, I was meaning to ask. You've been keeping busy in that reading room lately. Are you working on something?"

"I am. And...it's all intended for you. A time of hard work, dedicated to my darling."

"Is this the thing that you said we needed to be outside for?"

"Mm-hm. Let's talk about that when the time comes. I want to savour this moment with you."

"Heh."

"In a world where we take on deadly work, and every other moment could be our very last...enjoying the finer things in life is a must. From the silk that kisses my skin, to the gentle warmth of your hand...I indulge in all of it, for the appreciation of heaven's gifts is worthy praise."

"You always have a way with words, Hannah."

"Do I..."

"Yeah. Not many people can speak as beautifully as they look," you say with a smile. Her face heats up as she smiles back at you, gripping your hand just a bit tighter. You can feel her heart beating slightly faster.

"And you say that I'm too much."

"I'm not wrong."

"Hm." Her cheeks are still bright and warm as she closes her eyes, relaxing with the smile still on her face. You look out at the fireplace on the far wall, letting your thoughts drift. Memories of your family and friends from the Port filter through your head. There are a lot of things to figure out, a lot of things that you know you now have to change. But home wasn't calling just yet.

Bigger things.

For now...you'll enjoy yourself before the work is set to begin.

---

You stick a kunai into the nearby tree and hang your vest and hat over it. The area near the cabin isn't terribly huge in comparison to other fields, but big enough for proper training sessions. It's out of the way and hidden by the dense tree cover that surrounds the rest of the area.

"Guess we can get started."

Hannah had gone upstairs to get herself properly dressed and to retrieve the scroll she had been writing in for the past week or so. Apparently this was an idea she had in her head for a while, but wasn't sure on how to implement until recently.

"The basics, then. Or shall we get right into the active parts?" she asks you.

"We'll go over everything."

She nods, looking pleased at the answer. "Of course. Then I shall begin." With a flick of her wrist, the lengthy scroll is unfurled on the ground beside you. You look down at it, noting all the formulas used and rejected in the search for the perfect one. A lot of work filters down into one technique, with differing parameters set for use.

"When I said this project was focused on you, I meant it. The day I saw your extraordinary ability, the idea formed in my head. It's a simple enough conclusion...elite shinobi have the ability to go fast, and the legends possess speed. It is something that's a part of them. Quickness, reflexes, agility, acceleration, and so on. All of these together are what makes one the fastest. In the case of the Fourth Hokage and Fourth Raikage, they each have different approaches to their speed and how it is used. Natural talent, as in natural speed, is a given. So what brings these things to a level that nobody else can reach? Chakra."

"Not just chakra boosting, then. Chakra as...a tool, more than simply as a lethal weapon."

"Yes, yes. You understand, as always. Most shinobi use their natural physical ability, combined with chakra boosting, and then add attacks into the mix. But those two use chakra to maximize the use of their supplemental abilities, and then use their speed to exploit those techniques. Natural speed and reflexes make Hiraishin a technique to be feared, not because of the ability to be anywhere at once, but the ability to both be and do anything, anywhere at once. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode is something that provides a high amount of neurostimulation, boosting the user's physical and mental limits. While that is fine enough for most, the addition of peak physical condition and already high natural speed makes this something that replaces the need for most, if not all, techniques. It's all purpose, durable, and reliable. You control your own destiny."

"So you've been working on something that surpasses the two."

She shakes her head. "Not in that manner. These things are not opposed to one another. But I mentioned the chakra mode as an example, not as something you will need to use or consider at this time."

"So, a supplementary technique, but one that allows the user to demonstrate incredible control over their movement," you conclude. "Something like that?"

"Yes."

"Okay." You put your hands on your hips and think. "From what I can see, you want to use the fundamentals derived from Hiraishin, which is the Fourth Hokage's signature technique."

"A technique that he inherited from the Second Hokage. It saw extensive use from him as a jounin. This was the power behind the Miracle at Kannabi. The technique uses a formula, a seal that is placed on a target. This means that one can tag their target or targets with the seal, then teleport - rather, travel through a dimensional void - to the point where the seals are, within three dimensional space. You can move towards or away from targets at any time that you please."

"And Minato applied the technique to kunai, allowing him to also move through three dimensional space at any time that he chose. This cut down on application time and chakra usage. We can also assume, because of the nature built into the name, that Hiraishin allows its users to appear on paths within the vicinity of the seals, and not necessarily on top of them. Meaning you can apply a seal to someone's front, but you're allowed to attack from their back. Some of the edge cases and disadvantageous situations are solved by additional abilities like sensing."

"Very good. That is in line with what I researched. The technique is difficult to pick up and even harder to master. Keep in mind that the two known and most prominent users were both sensor type shinobi of a high caliber," Hannah says. "Many people tend to leave out details like that when they speak about jutsu and ease of use."

"Being able to mark opponents without the need for direct visuals completely changes the scope of the technique. You're totally right, which is why it makes sense that we haven't seen the popularity of the technique explode since the Third War. Chakra based techniques differ from user group to user group, and within those groups, from user to user."

"Chakra in general is a subject that many people have spent their lifetimes on without fully understanding, because of the individualistic nature of it. There is no true universal path or catch-all because of the way that chakra is generated, which is from within. The energies used to make it come from outside and can be manipulated by external forces, yes, but the generated chakra itself is highly specialized and individual. Two persons can learn a fireball technique, but I know for a fact that if there was an observation of their chakra pathways at the same time, there would be significant differences in those persons."

"Chakra is affected by genetic coding, you think?"

"I feel it is a fact. Something so closely tied to physical state must be affected by it."

"Huh. That's...I didn't even think of it like that," you admit. "But it makes sense. Learned something new today!"

"I'm happy to help," she says with a smile.

"We got off topic though, sorry about that. Before, it was...Hiraishin and the movement through three-dimensional space. Unfortunately, I'm not a sensor type so I can't use something like that to its fullest. In that case, a great thing for me would be the chakra mode that the Raikage uses. But...you said not to consider that, and to focus on the fundamentals of Hiraishin. We're headed into space-time manipulation, then?"

"Yes, darling. Correct as always. Let's consider how the given technique works. It is functionally similar to the summoning technique. There, you offer blood, make the appropriate seals, apply your hand to a surface if necessary, the formula is generated, and then the summon is called through a dimensional void to your location. It is the same in that the lightning, which is the summoned object, is called to the rod, which is the technique formula."

"So as far as Hiraishin is concerned...the lightning bolt is the person, and the rod is the formula. What are you proposing, Hannah?"

She steps closer and looks directly at you, violet eyes sparkling.

"I propose that you grab hold of the power of heaven itself."

"How?" you ask, incredibly curious.

"A bolt of light, moved by the strength of a chosen saint, needs not obey the laws of nature. We remove the need for a rod to strike at. We give total control to those who would become the light." She makes a seal with one hand. "The Seal of Confrontation, commonly called the half-tiger seal. Thumb and first two fingers up, the rest down. You know this already. Now, what is the alternative you use?"

"This one. If it's a half seal, it makes sense to have it in combat position...that's what Gramps saw as the ideal." You hold your arm out in front of you and make the same seal as Hannah, then curl your thumb and fingers inwards, making a claw shape.

"Ah...the knuckles. I see," she says as she makes the same shape with her hand, jabbing at the air afterwards. "Noted. Though this is just a guiding action for now, you should be able to focus on your own afterwards and put your hands in whatever position you so choose. Now, remember that you travel through a dimensional void to reach a given position. Do you see the formula I've written near the bottom? Copy that first and get familiar."

"Right." You remember the stories about Tobirama performing the Water Dragon technique with a single seal. It was an example of seal compression, and that required that you had the original sealing method down in the first place, or something like it. Obviously not everyone was capable of doing what Tobirama did, but your grandfather was one of the few. He developed a system of seals that you hadn't gotten all the way into, but it worked by compressing and shortening a lot of things by way of different methods of seals. You wonder briefly if that was what Kushina was talking about on the night of Naruto's birth, or it was something completely different.

You finish copying the formula, then lock it in and have your seal ready. It takes a few minutes to get right, but you get it.

"Good. Now, I've been observing you for reasons other than the obvious," she says with a wink, "so I know how you work and what your strengths are. You have an incredible amount of chakra, and it's extremely potent in ways that I can't replicate. Your strength is amazing as well, you have your speed, naturally, and lastly you have a beautiful, brilliant mind to bring it all together. This is about brute force combined with perception. Your wheelhouse."

"Hold on, I don't quite get it," you say to her. "How is this going to work?"

"We remove the lightning rod. You will make your own way. Focus...and activate the technique. We'll start at perhaps fifty meters. Focus on my general area, that is, where you want to go. Then, accelerate. And I do mean accelerate, put your back into the launch speed required for this first go. Keep your legs moving, please do not stop for any reason, whether it be pain, fear, anything. You have to move until you reach me. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. Be careful, my love. I'll be waiting over on the other side."

You nod and start to stretch your limbs. Hannah walks to her spot and stands in place, looking at you hopefully. You wonder why she didn't just do a demonstration, but it's not a big deal. You trust her, after all.

Right. Time to get it done.

You make the seal from before and go into a crouch, pushing energy into your legs and feet as you get ready to take off. At the same time, you focus on the area near Hannah...and that's when your perception starts to change. There's a faint circle in the space beside her, then the faint circle brightens into a dull glow. Smaller circles begin to ripple outwards from the center, and something in your mind clicks before the circle flashes brightly. You launch yourself forward towards the circle and feel the entire world around you change.

A torrent of multicoloured light bursts out from the circle and towards you, surrounding you as you run and creating a moving, shifting tunnel. There's an intense pressure against your body all of a sudden, and you have to grit your teeth and tense your muscles. There's pain, then there's even more pressure and an incredible friction that heats you up to the point where you can see trails of smoke coming from your skin. But you remember Hannah's stern words: do not stop for anything.

You surge more chakra through your body and the pain lessens significantly. A strong force slams into you as you hit the end of the rainbow-lit tunnel, but you keep your legs moving and adjust quickly to blast through it and to the other side. Your momentum carries you back into what you see as the real world, and you slide to a stop several feet past Hannah.

That was an experience and then some.

You relax and hunch over, putting your hands on your knees as you catch your breath. You can see the smoke faintly rising from your arms before it disappears completely.

"Yes...of course you would make it work."

"Hannah..."

She crouches down to meet you, placing her hands on either side of your head.

"You have no idea...just how incredible you are, Joshua West. It will take you a while, because of your nature. But you are everything."

"..." You feel absolutely unworthy of it, the look she's giving you. Her smile is soft and subdued, but her eyes look at you with an amount of pride and admiration that you had never experienced before.

You find yourself blushing as she stares into you, silently.

"I...I'm not..."

"You are. And I love you for it. Do you see why I chose you? This is the strength of heaven itself, and only you are fit to wield it."

She leans forward and kisses you gently on the forehead before standing up.

"This is your strength. Amenozenshin."

"I see...Celestial Advance," you repeat.

"Yes, it is so. Come, my love. You've done enough for one day."

"I haven't," you say firmly. "Not yet."

Hannah stands in place for a moment, surprised. She observes you for about a minute, debating within herself, before nodding and returning to the place where she was before.

"Then...again. Remember my words."

"I will, Hannah." You get into your position, focus, and crouch. Flood your body with chakra. The circle is painted a fraction of a fraction of a second faster, and your resulting increase is so tiny that it probably couldn't be measured with advanced instruments.

But when time and space can be forced open at your will, you notice everything.

You're getting better with it.

You wipe your brow free of sweat and laugh as you get back into your position. Hannah watches you with interest as you take your stance and go again, into and through the rainbow tunnel, past the wall of force and into a shorter skid than before. There's so much you can do with this move, but for now you'll work on getting the basics down. Adjusting the amount of momentum upon your exit from the dimensional lane was one of the first steps.

And after that...the world could very well be yours.

---

You add in a fail-safe with Hannah's help. It means that normally you have to have a certain amount of chakra stocked before the technique will activate, so that you don't get trapped in the middle of your dimensional laneway. While this isn't too much of a concern due to your reserves, you can never be too careful. Much like Hiraishin, the chakra use increases if you're moving extra passengers. As long as you're moving, the other person or people with you are safe from harm within the field.

The acceleration requirements aren't as steep as you assumed, but still will take some getting used to. Your goal is to be able to accelerate into the technique from any stance, but you're fine with starting from a low position and shooting forward for the time being. The best speed based abilities leave zero tells, which is always fun for your opponents who need to guess what you're doing next. All of that will come with time, since you've already gotten a lot done in the space of a day. You try connecting two points without the fail-safe active, which doesn't result in anything other than a failure to launch since you can't lock in right away. You can fix that later.

Hannah tells you that the activation is fast; the time between lock on and arrival isn't bad and you've been getting much quicker with it. With the momentum adjustments coming out of the warp, you can react and attack or make an extra move immediately. You do things like teleport to a distant tree before bouncing off at speed, or going into the air and coming down, or starting in the air and shooting down towards the ground before anyone can react. Hannah says that without extra abilities, she has a hard time reacting to where you end up, since any space within your line of sight is available to move to. High speed visual processing is one of your boons, and this technique makes great use of it. Even with all of that, the technique can still evolve. She says the technique is completed as is, but there are upgrades possible that she wants to work on. You know what she's thinking of, but have no clue on how she'll pull it off for you to use. You'll have to see.

Eventually it hits late afternoon, going into evening. Lunch is long gone, and you're actually tired.

"Rest a while, darling. I'll take care of dinner for us."

"Alright. See you in a bit." You head upstairs and take a soak in the tub, feeling the ache of your muscles fade away in the water. It gets so comfortable that you fall asleep.

"You're going to wrinkle up in there."

"Hm...?" You yawn and rub your eyes briefly. "Sorry, I dozed off."

Hannah smiles and nods. "Not a problem. Ritsu is home now, so we're having dinner together with Haru. Come down when you're ready."

"Yeah. I won't take long."

She gives you another nod and leaves you alone. With a grunt you get out of the tub and drain it properly, then give it a good scrub before getting dressed. You head back downstairs and see the girls sitting around the table.

There's a lot of food on the table. You are very pleased. And hungry.

"I hope you don't mind, sir. We decided on take out today."

"Not at all, not at all," you say, trying not to salivate. "It smells nice."

"The lion's share is meant for you, darling. Go ahead and eat, you've worked very hard today," Hannah says.

"Any other day, I'd object. But I'm starved right now..." Ritsu hands you a full plate and you dig in right away, sticking your fork into a piece of barbeque chicken and biting into it. "Ish goot. Berry lavorf. Srry for manner. Lishis."

"Enjoy, sir. You did well today."

You chew and swallow before answering Ritsu. "Mm. She told you already."

"Yes, sir. But I don't want to interrupt. Please eat."

"Mmph. 'Kay."

The girls start on their own plates while you chow down. Home cooking was the best, but this isn't bad either. At least nobody will have to worry about cleaning the kitchen tonight. You're so focused on eating that you don't pay much attention to the conversations going on, but if they need you they can call for you.

"...is that so."

"Unfortunately, yes. He wants you to..."

"Is that a good idea?"

"It's not particularly...there are...reasons."

"Could we present it as...like that?"

"How fair would that be, though?"

"We can always ask."

"Hrm." You savour your ribs and lick some of the excess sauce from your thumb.

"Joshua, sir? We have something to ask...if you're not too tired from the day," Ritsu says.

"I'm not. Ask away," you say reassuringly as you wipe your mouth.

"Thank you. We're...at an impasse, sir. Lord Jiraiya, along with the Honoured Third, want to meet with Hannah tomorrow night before the Five Kage meeting, if possible. This is according to Haru."

"Lady Kushina...rather reluctantly passed on the message to me earlier today," Haru says. You can't see her face as always, but her voice is bothered. Wait...

Oh. Uh oh.

"You realize it too."

"Ah...him," you mutter. Nekobaa warned you about this very thing. "Why Hannah alone?"

"I received no report as to why, but there may be...certain motives," Haru says, unsubtly.

"It's becoming clear that I shouldn't go alone," Hannah says. "But we may want to hold onto at least some of our cards. I can handle a round of intimidation or two, don't you worry."

"Nekobaa said back in the Sky Ward that it'd be unwise to leave you in close quarters alone with Jiraiya of the Three. I can guess why, and I'm sure Haru knows. Probably has a lot to do with discomfort..."

"To say the least of it," Haru mumbles.

"A couple, then?" Ritsu says.

"A couple! It might work. Throwing them off balance, sussing out their motives. And a convenient excuse to go on a date!" Hannah says happily.

"Couple...date...hmm." You drum your fingers on the table.

"You're allowed to back out, just so you know," Haru says. "But if you do go, I recommend it be together."

"Probably...hm."

---

[] A Wednesday night meeting all of a sudden...well, what will you do about it?
-[] Originally, the call is for Hannah to go alone. You trust her ability, so let it happen.
-[] Nekobaa's words are ringing in your head. You should attend with Hannah, just to be safe. Really safe.
-[] Suggest that Hannah decline. But the invitation is addressed to her, so it's ultimately her call in the end.
-[] Custom option.

---

[] Tuesday night:
-[] Talk to Haru. She's a very sweet person, and you wouldn't mind getting to know her a bit better.
-[] Talk to Hikari. She's a good kid, and you'd like to see her relax a bit. Maybe talking would help.
-[] Hang out with Hannah and Ritsu. It's a good way to relax after a long day.
-[] Sleep. You're bushed after working on that crazy new technique.
-[] Custom option.

---

[] Wednesday:
-[] Talk to Hannah. You feel closer to her after the previous day, and you might have an idea for her on your side.
-[] Talk to Ritsu again. You really like spending time with her, and there's something you wanted to ask her about.
-[] Maybe have a group meeting. You could try talking things through to make sure you're all on the same page. Plus, it's a good way to bond.
-[] Training. There's a safe area not far from the cabin where you can get some stuff done. (Roll d100 to train any stat that is already at 10, with a bonus technique to be added later. 50 is the threshold. Level of success is determined by final total, divided into four sections from rank A-D. S is 100-90, A is 90-80, B is 80-70, C is 70-60, D is 60-50. Voters can choose techniques in the appropriate zones or leave it to QM decision.)
--[] Custom schedule. You have a few hours left in the day (write in).
--[] Training day. Increase your physical stats. Get +1 to any stat of your choosing that is not at 10. Roll d100 to train stats already at 10.
--[] Research day. Improve your current abilities or create new ones.
---[] Improve a non-taijutsu technique by one level, unlock a new form of one non-taijutsu technique, or gain one element level.
---[] Create the basis of a new technique to be finished later.
----[] Train alone.
----[] Train with a friend or two. Your companions will gain at the same rate as you where applicable, and there may be bonuses that come along with them.
-----[] Hannah
-----[] Ritsu

[] Relax until the next event. You don't need to do much right now.

[] Custom (write in).

---

It's currently Tuesday evening at dinner. The new meeting is on Wednesday night, and shouldn't run terribly late since Hiruzen has to be at the Five Kage meeting himself. Wednesday is 24+ hours to the larger event. Haru will give you details in the morning, but it won't interrupt any of your plans as usual. You're free to choose as many options as you want and the time put into each.

Also you can suggest lore just don't expect me to get to it in a timely manner.

---

You have 1 stat point to distribute.

You've acquired a new technique: Celestial Advance (Amenozenshin) - A space-time migration art, developed and customized by Hannah Kuiper for use by Joshua West.

 

[veekie]

[X] A Wednesday night meeting all of a sudden...well, what will you do about it?
-[X] Hannah will attend alone, you will attend Henge'd into an item of her choice. Preferably where canceling the transformation doesn't flatten her.
[X] Tuesday night:
-[X] Sleep. You're bushed after working on that crazy new technique.
[X] Wednesday:
-[X] Training. There's a safe area not far from the cabin where you can get some stuff done. (Roll d100 to train any stat that is already at 10, with a bonus technique to be added later. 50 is the threshold. Level of success is determined by final total, divided into four sections from rank A-D. S is 100-90, A is 90-80, B is 80-70, C is 70-60, D is 60-50. Voters can choose techniques in the appropriate zones or leave it to QM decision.)
--[X] Ninjutsu
[X] Stat Point: Ninjutsu

Uh, for the training I assume theres a missing NOT?

 

[FortePlus]

Uh, for the training I assume theres a missing NOT?

Click to shrink...

Possible. What is this referring to, I'm not clear.

 

[veekie]

Roll d100 to train any stat that is already at 10,

Click to shrink...

We can only train maxed stats?

 

[FortePlus]

We can only train maxed stats?

Click to shrink...

No sir. d100 roll is for any stats that are already at the 10 point cap. This is because you're going for a 'limit break' at that point.

Anything else is a free +1. That means you can currently train nin/gen/seals whenever. I see exactly what you're talking about now, I'll try to make the wording clearer the next time.

 

[veekie]

Right, no rush to trans 10s yet. Want to stack some nintaijutsu in

 

[FortePlus]

"I think you should go, Hannah. I'll come with you. Just...transformed into another object. Your choice."

You continue eating for a while before noting that it's unusually quiet all of a sudden. Ritsu tilts her head to one side and Hannah gives you a smile filled with mischief.

"Oh~? An object of my choosing?"

It hits you a moment later and you stop chewing, only to resume with a shrug. You swallow again before answering.

"Yeah. Your choice."

"As you wish. I will start making preparations after dinner. Haru, my dress code?"

"Semi-formal is fine at the least."

"Noted. Then I will aim for a touch of high class on the night in question. Thank you."

"You're showing remarkable courage, sir," Ritsu comments.

"Remarkable?" you mumble through your salad.

"Considering you've given her the freedom to choose what you transform into, it could very well-"

"Ritsu?" Hannah interrupts.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Shut up, please."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I would like to think the...item...in question is something that won't cause harm to the person holding or wearing it upon any transformation release," Haru says. "Then again...I don't know if you're into that sort of play also..."

"Haven't we gotten cheeky all of a sudden," Hannah mutters. "Bullies, the lot of you. I'm not quite that perverted."

"Solid defense," you quip as you drink down your tea.

"Oh, quiet. Before I have you spend the night as my makeup bag," she pouts. "The scent of foundation will be buried in your dreams, and you'll be smelling it for months."

"Quite the threat."

"Indeed. I happened to be undercover on a mission once, and it was oppressively hot. A good leather bag was completely ruined when everything inside of it melted and then dried to the point that it was like concrete. Absurd, that's all it was." She finishes eating and dabs at her mouth with a napkin. "Well. I am done with dinner. If anyone should need me, I will be in my room for the duration of the night. Good night, if I don't see you again."

"It'll be a while before I make my way in, ma'am. I wanted to do some more reading," Ritsu says.

"Don't be too long. You need your rest when it comes to that as well, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be careful."

"Good." She gets up and pats you on the shoulder as she passes by. "Till tomorrow, darling."

"Yup."

"Any plans of your own for the night, sir?" Ritsu asks you.

You polish off some ribs before answering her. "Nah. I was hungry and tired before, now I'm just tired. Gonna do some light reading then hit the hay. Did you need me for anything?"

"No, sir. I was going to ask you the same, but my question's been answered. Have a good rest, you've more than earned it."

"Thanks. Took a bit more out of me than I thought, but I think I'm used to everything now. The best part is we don't even need combat situations to be sure it works properly, we can just try it anywhere. It's great."

"Not many techniques have that kind of utility in multiple areas, it seems."

You shake your head. "Not really, no. Part of why shinobi don't just take over the world for everything. I mean, you can speed up trades with jutsu, but the fact of the matter is that you have to put time into both the trade and the jutsu you use. Shinobi life is dangerous, pretty unstable too at times. It's a craft of its own," you say. "My pops probably could have taken on politics and being a samurai at the same time, but it would have aged him like crazy. And then there's the whole work-work-life balance, or whatever order you want to put it into."

"So being a shinobi isn't as freeing as it looks, then," Ritsu concludes.

"Seems so. With the mission pay and assignments, once you get to a certain rank it's a full time job with all the benefits provided. Some people have family businesses they can run, but then if you want them to be properly successful you're paying other people to help you out. Missions may or may not be the length you first see. That makes running businesses kind of difficult unless you're in a niche area where customers are willing to wait variable lengths of time."

"Can't those from the Academy simply learn ninjutsu and start on their domestic goals afterwards?" Ritsu asks.

"A limited few can and do," Haru answers. "But others like them are thinking the same thing, and Academy education only goes so far. Those skills they learn are for discipline and general combat, which outside of being a member of the shinobi forces, don't see much use. Advanced techniques come from dedicated tutors and clan members, meaning most of your time is spent training or in the field. You are free to leave and enjoy life as a civilian, but it's going to be rare that you learn enough advanced techniques on your own to use for personal purposes, and even rarer that you refine them for such use. The Shinobi Academy here, and the continent over, is streamlined for those entering to become lifelong shinobi if they can stay healthy. There are many smaller clans alongside the larger and more powerful ones that have sent children to the Academy for generations, making it tradition throughout the land."

"There's also the tuition barrier to consider," you add.

"Tuition? I didn't know that. I suppose it makes sense...the Hot Springs is a self-defense force now, and anyone who wishes to join the shinobi forces is given a grant to do so. Their entire stay is paid for, even if they should leave or drop out of the program. If there is money involved, then it's training for a specific aim, much like higher education," Ritsu says. "And there are normal schools to send children to regardless, so it's not like the shinobi academy is the only place to learn."

"The chance to become a shinobi is a privilege more than a right. There are requirements to get in, requirements to graduate, and requirements to keep your job. Exceptional talents are always being scouted, and the village pays for tuition and equipment if you show off enough skill. We have programs to sponsor orphans individually and collectively. I handle three children myself, and by chance they all want to be support shinobi of some kind. They're very bright," Haru says. "But naturally, we take money from those who can afford to pay properly, and look after their children. The Leaf, like many other shinobi villages, is very patriotic. We get many students from all over the country, every semester, every year."

"I see...I didn't think to look at it that way. As a civilian, I always wondered how exactly it worked, but now I understand," Ritsu says with a nod.

"How'd you get yourself into this, Haru?" you ask her.

"Full scholarship," she says proudly. "My mom and dad live out on the countryside. They meant to retire but are enjoying their fruit farm. Because I was good enough to enter the ANBU early, I got a bonus which I then sent home along with the other parts of my pay. There are a lot of incentives for performance and mission type, for special postings, and so on. Many don't know, but Hikari and I, among others, get a special bonus for being part of Lady Kushina's personal guard."

"So there's a lot of money going around for the taking. And you used a bunch of it so that your parents could stop working early."

"Yes. They worried for me and still do, but they're also grateful and very proud. It wasn't something they expected, for their daughter to be successful enough to support the entire family and beyond at this age. But they're very happy that it happened."

"Heh. Not bad for a country girl, I'd say."

"Thank you, sir. If you're finished, I'll start cleaning up. Please, you've had a long day and you should take your rest."

"You should, sir. I'll help Haru, you should head upstairs," Ritsu says. "We'll be okay."

"Alright. Thanks, ladies. If I don't see you guys again, have a good night."

"Good night, sir," they say in unison. You leave the table and head upstairs, feeling comfortably full and a bit drowsy. You had planned to do some light reading before bed, but that didn't seem to be in the cards. You enter your room, flop onto your bed, and promptly fall asleep with your face in a pillow.

---

You open your eyes slowly. At least you didn't feel sore, which was good.

Wednesday morning. As you get out of bed, you note that it's still pretty early. You scratch at your head and go to the washroom in order to properly start your day.

"Morning."

"Morning, love." Hannah slides over so you can get at the sink. You brush your teeth absentmindedly as she gargles her mouthwash. She leans down into the sink and spits the mixture out as you stand aside, staring drowsily into the mirror.

"You look cute when you're still half asleep."

"Mm." You spit the paste from your mouth as she hands you a full cap of mouthwash. "You don't look half bad yourself, Miss Bed-head."

"Aw. Thank you."

"Hrm." You gargle and spit into the sink before turning on the pipe, going to wash your face at the same time and get some of the sleep out of you. "Haru here yet?"

"Downstairs. Breakfast is already up, she and Hikari worked on it."

"Still not used to being waited on hand and foot like that, but I like it."

"I feel the same. Though we'll manage later between the three of us, right?"

"Yeah." Hannah hands you a towel to wipe your face with. "What's your game plan for today?"

"I'm going to try and talk to Kushina. If not that, general information and surveillance to gather extra information on Jiraiya. Perhaps both. I'll be gone until early afternoon at the latest...I want time to primp and preen before tonight."

You gesture and let her out of the bathroom first. "Nothing to chance, eh?"

"Not at all. And besides, you know how prideful I can be...not one of my best traits, to be sure."

"We all have one of those."

"We do, don't we...mm. Worry not, I won't do anything so reckless tonight. You have my word."

"I know, Hannah. I trust you."

"Thank you. Let's get ourselves dressed for the day and receive our reports."

"Morning, sir. Morning, ma'am."

"Morning, ninja girl. Take your time and we'll see you downstairs," you say to Ritsu with a short salute.

"Yes, sir."

A few minutes later you head downstairs to breakfast. Today is pancake day. Thick and fluffy, with some fancy imported syrup. You look at the label and make an inquisitive sound.

"Maple syrup, eh."

"The life of the bourgeois, indeed," Hannah says as she walks into the kitchen. Her outfit for the day is a short denim jacket, paired with a long black dress that has a ribbon on the front of it.

"Is this expensive where you are, sir?" Haru asks as she delivers your plate to you.

"They charge out the nose for it in every corner of the Port except two places, and they only sell in bulk. But...we do get a discount cause they like my Pop and Grams so much..."

"Nepotism? Shame, shame," Hannah teases. You smirk and cut into your pancakes. Ritsu joins you a few minutes later and the five of you eat for a bit before Haru grabs your attention.

"The meeting place for Thursday morning is set for the Four-Sided Hall, in the eastern part of the village. It is an easily secured location since traffic around the area can be redirected, and it is also one of the more important buildings in the Leaf. Those reasons are, naturally, classified. Meeting time is set for 10 am, a few minutes will be given or taken as needed for the beginning of talks. You may dress as you please, but I personally suggest to dress normally in case anything should happen. Your weapons and other equipment are permitted, though you may be checked before entering the meeting room proper."

"Personnel?" Hannah asks.

"The ones rotating their personnel will be the Raikage and Kazekage, one each. They each carried a shinobi in a primary advisory position rather than for sustained combat. The Raikage will be bringing in C, who we know as a jounin and genjutsu specialist. The Kazekage will be making use of Baki, another jounin and a specialist in wind ninjutsu. All the others from the previous meeting will be unchanged. Hikari and I will be attending to monitor the situation as well."

"Anything to expect?" you ask.

"My apologies, sir. I don't have any advice to give you...this kind of meeting is beyond me, to be honest. To have the five leaders of our world coming together to meet with two people...I'm not sure what I would or could do in your positions. If I have to say anything, it's to trust everything that brought you to this point. And...to be careful."

"Sir, ma'am. I agree with senpai. To see you hurt would be terrible, sir, ma'am. I'm quite fond of you all, if I may speak honestly," Hikari says.

"Yes...the last thing I want to see is any of you hurt," Haru says. "Over the past few days, a lot has happened. I've heard your stories, and I've seen how you treat each other. How you look at each other daily and encourage one another. How you work hard every moment you can, how you consider everyone's feelings. I thought this would be just a routine protection assignment, that I would look after you because Lady Kushina asked. And while that was part of it at first...I came to like it more than I thought I would. Making meals for you, watching over you as you went through the village, and moments like this, when we can speak freely about so many things. I'm sorry, I'm going on, and..."

"It's alright, Haru. We've fallen for you too," Hannah says with a smile. "You've been kind and gracious to us all. You didn't have to open up, but you did...I understand now why Kushina chose to keep you by her side, and why Hikari looks up to you. You've returned our kindness a hundred fold, and for that, we thank you."

"Miss Hannah..."

"We appreciate you, Haru. Thank you so much for taking care of us," Ritsu says with her own smile.

"Miss Ritsu...I..."

"You didn't expect it from us. We weren't expecting it either," you continue. "But you make all kinds of friends the world over when you're good to people. For me, it started with Hannah, then continued with Ritsu. And now, we've got you. We'll be working together a while, since we've gotta try and save the world from itself and all. But for everything so far, you've been amazing, Haru. And you too, Hikari. Thanks for being amazing."

"All of you are so kind...that just makes it more important that you stay safe tomorrow. No matter what, I will be by your side, sir."

You nod. "Got it."

"There aren't any other details...perhaps expect some hard and aggressive questioning when you do settle in. I'll be here at 9 am with Hikari as your escort, but it shouldn't take more than a few minutes at good speed for us to make it across to the meeting place. Perhaps we can leave ten minutes to ten at the latest, but it doesn't hurt to be early. Um...if you could excuse me. I have to check something outside for a moment."

"No problem, we'll be right here, Haru."

"Thank you, sir." Haru gets up and leaves the room. It's quiet for a bit before Hikari stirs in her seat.

"Sir. Permission to speak freely, sir."

"Go ahead, Hikari."

"...ANBU is a hard life. Sister Haru is a kind person who works with all she has to make this world better. When she encounters a good person, or good people, her heart is touched. There aren't that many good people in this world. It's something we come to accept as we move through our existence."

Hikari bows her head to you.

"I hope that heaven blesses you a hundred million times over for what you've given her. You've given so much. You given out hope that one day our world will truly change, and that we can move away from our bitter dreams. Thank you, thank you so much."

"We will change this world. Not with good intentions, but with the strength of heaven's chosen," Hannah declares. "Let this be our promise to you, those brave and pure enough to wade into the darkness for the sake of others."

"Thank you," Hikari says, sobbing beneath her mask. "Thank you..."

"Done with breakfast," you say as you chew on your last pancake. You gently rub Hikari's head as she sniffles. "Gonna be out training if you need me."

"Yes, sir. We'll see you in a while then," Ritsu says.

"Take care, darling," Hannah says.

"Sir...be well, sir. Thank you," Hikari says, raising her hand for a salute.

"Appreciate it." You leave the table and head outside, bouncing on your feet.

Okay...you're fired up today.

Time to gain some ground.

---
---

"One more..."

"..."

It was now early afternoon, just after 1 pm. Hannah stood at a distance from the training field, watching Joshua go to work. He wiped sweat from his brow before setting his feet and weaving handseals, then inhaled before breathing out a mid-sized fireball. He sped forward and in front of it while making more handseals, and pushed his hand forward to fire lightning in the shape of a hound. It charged towards the fireball and slammed into it before the two attacks exploded in the air.

"Hah! Finally getting it..."

He stopped to catch his breath before starting on another jutsu, making several walls of earth, one after the other, and trying to send his lightning jutsu through all of them.

He winced as the attack barely made it halfway through the obstacles. "Maybe not...still a long way, I guess. Alright, again."

Hannah smiled and turned to make her way inside, satisfied with what she saw. He would definitely improve in time and become as great as she imagined he would be. There was no doubt.

In the meantime, she would get herself ready for the night as promised. First order of business...

What else but an indulgent lunch? Nourishment was necessary, after all.

"Hikari, darling."

"Ma'am. At your service, ma'am." Hikari appeared before her and saluted. Hannah smiled and gently rubbed her head.

"I have some things for you to get. Days before potentially stressful ordeals require comfort and relaxation. Here is a list. You may employ the help of others if needed."

"Ma'am." Hikari looked over the list and hummed to herself quietly. "Ma'am, permission to speak, ma'am."

"Yes, darling. Ask what you wish."

"There are white chocolate covered strawberries in the square. Also, I may be able to procure some of the premium grade scented bath salts."

"Oh, could you? That would be wonderful. Here you are..."

"Ma'am, no need, ma'am," Hikari said as she waved off the money offered. "We can use the same expense account tied to you for food and services, ma'am."

"Oh, my. I suppose I'll take more advantage of that before we move on, then. Thank you, darling. I'll be in the living area when you come in."

"Ma'am. Commencing tasks." Hikari slipped the list into one of her pockets and took off a moment later. Hannah pulled a bowl of grapes from the fridge and laid out on the floor on top of a cushion, reading a magazine while she waited.

"I'm home," Ritsu announced as she came in a half hour later. She looked into the living area and saw her mistress lazily reading, pausing to toss a few grapes into her mouth. "Ma'am?"

"Mm. Ritsu, welcome home."

"Ma'am, I thought you would be getting ready for tonight's meeting."

"This is part of the routine, sweetheart. Did you need anything of me?" Hannah asked, turning her head.

"No, ma'am. Just wanted to check in. Is Master still outside?"

"Still training, yes. I think he'll be done soon, judging from how his energy is waning. Please remind him to take a nap after his shower. He needs to be in good shape, the same as I will be."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll remember. I'm going to head upstairs. Please don't hesitate if you need assistance," Ritsu said with a bow.

"Of course. Thank you, darling."

Ritsu nodded and made her way upstairs, still slightly confused. Most people on a serious outing would be hurriedly preparing, or at least focusing intensely on their mission. Hannah was...relaxing without a care in the world, seemingly. Perhaps she did simply have an unusual routine.

"Still so much to understand...hm."

She shook her head and decided to let it go for the time being.

Another half hour passed before Hikari returned.

"Ma'am. Objectives complete, ma'am."

"Thank you, darling. Seems you've done quite well. I will let you know if I need anything else, for now just look after our young master. I am famished today and intend on eating until I'm content."

"Ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. Commencing observations." Hikari disappeared again and Hannah brought her spoils to the kitchen table, putting everything that wasn't food to one side.

"Ah, here we are...finally." She felt her stomach rumbling and knew this would calm it down at the least. Two big bowls of rice, a bowl of pork ramen, half a roast chicken, deep fried pork, egg rolls, sushi, and steamed vegetables. A bucket of ice cream, white chocolate strawberries, chocolate dipped cookies, and spicy-sweet potato chips for later.

Barely enough for the rest of the day, but it would have to do.

She sat, said her grace, and then started to eat...and eat...and eat.

It didn't take too long for all of the warm food to disappear, nothing left but takeout containers, chopsticks, and a few chicken bones.

"Wonderful. It's been a while since I've eaten this much..."

Hannah sipped at her glass of water and waited a while before getting up, throwing out the garbage, putting her goodies in the fridge, and heading upstairs to take her long awaited bath. Shopping bag in hand, she made a quick stop in her bedroom before going into the washroom and closing the door. Ritsu curiously poked her head up from her book for a moment, wondering exactly what her mistress was up to.

"Okay. Hair first."

She shed her clothing and grabbed a few bottles from the shopping bag. Some lathering, some scrubbing, and a fair bit of combing. She worked until she was satisfied with the result, her hair clean and visibly sparkling in the light.

"Good. Next."

A decent-length soak in the bathtub, aided by wonderfully scented bath salts. Relaxing and good for the skin. Hannah bound her hair and let it sit on her shoulder as she sat in the tub, closing her eyes and completely relaxing for the first time in days. Not that she was under any major stress, but unwinding in this manner was a fantastic luxury, and one she didn't often get to enjoy traveling alone. Here with people she could trust, it was more than possible to let herself go.

"All day. I could sit here all day...mm." She was reminded of her time in the Hot Springs a few months before. This wasn't as good, but the feeling was close. She thought about living in a world where she could do something like that any time she pleased, without having to worry about taking on dangerous jobs or having to kill people.

That seemed worth fighting for. Obviously, protecting certain smiles was more important, but relaxation was a good enough incentive, right? One day soon, once all of this came to a close. And it would, she was sure of it.

"...I suppose my time is up for now."

Hannah sighed and lifted herself from the tub, drained it while drying off, then gave it a quick scrub as she remembered hearing Joshua do before putting on her bathrobe and leaving, shopping bag in tow. Ritsu poked her head up again as she saw Hannah come into the bedroom. The blonde sat on the opposite end of their bed and stretched her arms.

"Another favor, love."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Wake me in two hours."

Ritsu nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Two hours."

"Thank you." Hannah sprawled herself across the bed and promptly went to sleep, breathing softly. Ritsu went back to her book, understanding what was going on.

Joshua finished his training and headed upstairs, noting the flowery scents wafting down the hall. It was also relatively quiet for the time of day...

"Sir. Sir, here."

"Ritsu?" he asked, matching her quiet tone. She carefully walked out from her room to meet him.

"Mistress is sleeping."

"A nap?"

"Yes, sir."

"Guess she's doing that whole decompression thing. All those treats in the fridge are hers, then...hm. Not shocked, anyways. She does have an appetite sometimes."

"She said to wake her in about two hours from now."

He checked his watch. "Yeah, plenty of time. Guess she'll wanna touch up her hair one last time, do her nails, makeup, things like that. Don't worry, she's alright. Just letting her guard down. You know why she can do that?"

"Because she has us," Ritsu said confidently.

"There we go. She trusts us with everything. I'll keep the time in mind myself...right now, I'm gonna get myself a shower. Training was hard, and it's hot out there."

"I'll leave you to it, sir. Any progress today?"

"Heh." Joshua puffed up his chest and breathed out through his nose. "My fireball is way bigger than last time. And I can make an Earth Wall twice as tall as I am!"

Ritsu smiled and nodded. "Good work, sir. You're very talented, and you should remember that."

"Hehe. Thanks, ninja girl. Alright, I'll get that shower."

"I'll have lunch waiting for you downstairs, sir. Also, please remember to take your nap before this evening's event."

"Read you loud and clear. You're the best, Ritsu."

---

"Ma'am?"

"Mm...is it time already?"

"It is, ma'am. I didn't want to wake you up late. Master is taking his nap as instructed."

Hannah rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned. She rotated herself into a sitting position on her bed and let out a breath. "Thank you, darling. I hope you weren't too alarmed at my behavior today."

"Not at all, ma'am. You do keep a healthy figure and look your best each day, so I trusted that it was under control."

"My, my. Flattering me, and so openly, too. You know what I like, don't you?"

"I would be remiss to forget to stroke your ego from time to time," Ritsu said with a playful smile. "Shall I leave you to your preparations?"

"If you could, my love."

Ritsu nodded and bowed. "I'll be in the reading room if you need me, ma'am."

"Thank you. I'll see you in a while." Hannah ran her hands through her hair, feeling satisfied with the results of her earlier washing. A few small touches and she would be ready for the night.

The longest and possibly most troublesome part now would be her nails. She took a small nail file and trimmed them down on her fingers and toes until they seemed perfect. Make sure the appropriate areas were nice and cleaned...and the first coat would be the base coat.

To pass the time, Hannah picked out one of her spicier novels and set it down beside her to read through as she applied her first coat and waited for it to dry. After the base coat was done, she pulled her feet up and began to apply the polish itself, in a shiny light blue colour. Toes first, of course.

"Mm. Hikari, dear."

"Ma'am. Reporting in, ma'am."

"If you would be so kind as to fetch me my treats from downstairs, with a small bowl and a spoon. Thank you."

"Ma'am. I'll be back in a moment, ma'am."

After a few minutes, Hannah was enjoying a small bucket of strawberry ice cream as she waited for her toenails to dry properly. She applied the important top coat next, and then started to repeat the earlier process on her hands, leaving one free at a time so she could work and then eat. After polishing off her ice cream and strawberries, and waiting a few extra minutes, everything was done.

"Ah, perfect. I love the feeling," Hannah said with a smile, admiring her refreshed nails. "Since this isn't a clandestine mission, I don't need to alter my appearance...let's apply some hair spray, combing, a bit of cleaning to make sure we don't have any dirt left over..."

Hannah stood in front of her mirror, taking care of this and that with her natural precision. She brushed at her hair, turned and checked herself periodically, posed, moisturized, applied perfume, checked her lashes, and debated with herself over what to apply to her lips before going with lip gloss, in a subtle and very light pink.

Now, the last thing to do, and by far the most important: what exactly to wear.

She had narrowed it down to three selections, each great in their own ways and with their own utilities for the upcoming event. Of course, all of them could be tossed away if a sudden flash of inspiration hit her, but focusing on these options was best for now.

So...what to choose?

---

[] Outfit!
-[] Something flashy. Bold tends to work, doesn't it? The black dress, accessorized, and paired with red wedge heels. The look screams maturity and assertiveness.

-[] Be businesslike. The modern woman can hold her own with the men. A crisp shirt, overlaid with a blazer and completed with slimming pants. Projects authority and control while looking stylish.

-[] Au natural. Why not simply go as Hannah? Be as bright as possible; a poet's blouse with its whimsical frills, paired with a layered skirt and those familiar high socks. Being true to yourself always worked out.

-[] A custom option. There's that flash of inspiration. (Dress and accessorize how you want, basically)

---

[] Key Accessory (Joshua)!
-[] Charm bracelet. Simple and sentimental, looks innocent. Keeps a good distance and line of sight.

-[] Watch. Not terribly flashy while having presence. Could be a nice conversation piece. Also keeps him abreast of the current situation.

-[] Barrette. A large enough one, at that. While at the back of her head and away from view, it also makes emergency egress significantly easier.

-[] Anklet. In case of a dispel, it would put him low to the ground and beneath her. It's also out of the way and should avoid a lot of attention.

-[] Custom option.

---

Buffering things before the meeting. Didn't...expect to run the update this long tbh, but that just means I'm enjoying myself. Probably.

I'll update Joshua's databook soon.

 

[veekie]

[X] Outfit!
-[X] Be businesslike. The modern woman can hold her own with the men. A crisp shirt, overlaid with a blazer and completed with slimming pants. Projects authority and control while looking stylish.
[X] Key Accessory (Joshua)!
-[X] Watch. Not terribly flashy while having presence. Could be a nice conversation piece. Also keeps him abreast of the current situation.

 

[FortePlus]

Updated databook for Joshua. New technique added and stats updated.

Story update...sometime soon. Probably not today. Suggestions, fun stuff welcome.

Also...gotta subscribe to get an icon for my index thing. Oof. I'll do it when this thing hits 500k words. Then the problem becomes whether I spend 6 billion hours in paint to make my own stuff or pay money for someone to do it.

When the time comes please remember to suggest people I should pay money to.

 

[FortePlus]

Hannah looked over her options one last time before coming to a decision. She put her hair up briefly and started to dress.

In the meantime, Joshua and Ritsu were waiting downstairs with Haru at the kitchen table. The former sat back with his arms folded, taking stock of his options for the night. He wasn't sure if he should be careful or confident in dealing with one of the Sannin. An older individual...with seemingly unwholesome designs. Hm. Hopefully things would go smoothly and he wouldn't have to make an appearance.

"Is everything alright, sir?"

"Yeah, it's alright," he said to Ritsu. "My transformation technique is a lot better now, way more reliable and I can manage my chakra better. Should be able to hold the whole night."

"I meant more...in regards to the meeting, sir."

"I don't really like it," he admitted with a frown. "But it's not my call. Hannah's her own woman and she's trusting me to help her out. This is better than not being there, at least."

"Right. I don't know much about the Sannin, but they seem to be well-respected. Though Haru would know more..."

"They are of exemplary skill, naturally. But each has their...eccentricities," Haru said. "Many shinobi are like this in some way, especially those of greater skill. The samurai on the other hand are more tempered, from what I recall."

"Yeah. Not robots or anything, but Mifune keeps everyone in line by being a great leader and role model," Joshua said. "Though you don't get away from it completely. Lives of fighting can do strange things to people, and everyone has their ways of coping. What do you guys do for mental health?"

"Not much at the moment," Haru admits. "The Third and Fourth have been working on such programs with Lady Tsunade, but they're having trouble getting through to the clans and the councils. The prevailing attitude is that we don't need it and it makes our shinobi look weak."

"Yeah, well...that's how you get psychopaths and missing-nin, and psychopathic missing-nin. People have to take some responsibility."

"I agree, sir. I try to volunteer my time to others on that end."

"I figured, but you alone shouldn't be responsible for that. Has to be dedicated personnel, not people already stuck with stressful full-time jobs like protecting the Hokage at all times. There's a lot of smartening up to do."

"The addition of many different social institutions would be of great help to all people, I think. Many are neglected or abandoned to the winds...it's part of why Akatsuki has managed to grow so large, so fast," Ritsu said. "Things like these add up..."

"They sure do."

"My apologies for the wait, darlings. I should be ready now."

Hannah stepped into the kitchen and presented herself to the group. She had decided on a red silk blouse with the top button open, and a black pinstriped blazer with the same coloured pants. A pair of rectangular glasses with false lenses sat on her nose.

"Suitable for the night, you think?" she asked, flipping her long hair back with one hand.

"You look stunning, ma'am," Ritsu said with a blush.

"Yep. Total knockout," Joshua said with two thumbs up.

"You look very good, Lady Kuiper. A striking figure," Haru noted. "The glasses are a perfect touch."

"Aren't they? I thought about them at the last moment...it simply felt right. Thank you, darlings. I feel as wonderful as I look now," Hannah said with a smile. "It seems to be nearly time, so...Joshua, if you would oblige me. You're well rested, yes? I can delay matters if necessary."

"I'm good to go. Thanks, Hannah."

"Very well, then. I've decided on a watch for the night, nothing too large or flashy...but presence is needed. While on my wrist, you should be able to see things clearly when needed, and you would have a quick escape point. Does that sound suitable?"

"Definitely. Alright...let's try this." Joshua focused before weaving handseals. With a pop and a small cloud of smoke, his form was replaced by that of a metallic black watch, which Ritsu caught before it could hit the ground. Hannah tilted her head as she inspected it; a reasonably detailed face with common numerals, some diamond around the edges, and a sturdy metallic band lined with soft material. She slipped the watch over her wrist without another thought, and nodded with satisfaction.

"As always, you're wonderful. We are definitely ready to head out. Mm..." [That technique should be useful here as well, no?]

[Yeah. Pretty much built for situations like this. I'm feeling fine, Hannah.]

"Good. Don't you hesitate if there's anything wrong."

[Promise.]

"Then we will depart." Hannah checked her footwear, a pair of black open-toe heels that showed off her painted nails. No point in all of that work simply too keep them hidden. She grabbed her black satin clutch purse and shook out her hair once before nodding to Haru.

"Good night, ma'am. Please take care."

"Of course. Pleasant night, Ritsu."

Ritsu bowed and made sure to close the door behind them as they left. She paused to say a prayer before heading back to the kitchen. Something sweet would calm her nerves.

---

The location of the meeting was a luxury hotel called the Gold Sparrow. A penthouse suite had been discreetly reserved for private use.

Hannah and Haru walked along the streets of the Leaf, drawing a bit of attention in the process.

"You do turn a lot of heads, ma'am," Haru noted as they crossed an intersection.

"Naturally, yes. I make a habit of owning my radiance and allowing it to spread to the masses. It is something you learn to handle over time, both the good and bad parts. Do you long for this sort of attention?"

"I'm not sure. I think...it would be nice to be complemented by strangers more often. But I'm fine like this."

"It's not for everyone. Sometimes you get more than you bargain for, like the unsavory types."

"Hm." Haru made a note of how Hannah walked. She had moving, confident strides that matched the aesthetic she put on. The audible echo of her heels as they struck the ground projected a certain power and authority. Whenever she came to rest, it was always with one hand high on her hip. There were many smaller things combining into one clear image, held together by personality and skill.

She found herself suddenly amazed by how talented this younger woman was, and how attentive she was to every aspect of life. It wasn't that she wasn't special before, but this was on another level.

"We don't have far to go, ma'am. The hotel is just ahead," Haru said, bringing herself out of her previous thoughts.

"Good. It wouldn't do to work ourselves too much on the way up. I trust they've spared no expense when it comes to central air."

Reaching the hotel lobby, they spotted the shinobi escort and were promptly led up the stairs towards the private lift. The three burly looking men said nothing and inspected the inside first before letting Haru and Hannah inside, then went into a protective formation before sending it up. It was quiet, save for the sounds of Hannah's compact mirror opening and closing.

The loud ding was followed by the doors sliding open, with the burly escorts stepping out first, checking the area, and then saluting towards Haru. She nodded in affirmation before they left, taking the stairs down.

"Friends of yours?"

"Fellows in the field, ma'am."

Hannah nodded. "Respect is a valuable commodity, and you seem to have it stockpiled. Well done."

"Thank you, ma'am."

They approached the first door ahead, with another shinobi posted out front.

"I'm sorry...Ikeda? What are you doing here?" Haru asked the young man in front of the door. He was on the thin side, wearing the standard Leaf uniform with its headband. His brown hair was swept to the back and streaked with white lines.

"Eh? Major?"

"Answer me. What are you doing here? Who assigned you?"

"Lord Jiraiya, ma'am."

"The Honoured Third was the one that was supposed to greet us, it was part of the protocol. What happened to him?" Haru asked, in an unusually aggressive tone.

"He...came down with something, Lord Jiraiya said."

"Came...down with something. What?"

"It's..." He beckoned her closer and whispered something. "...yeah."

"This close to the meeting, and with his consistently good health," Haru mumbled. "Like hell it's a coincidence. Fine. Protocol change, I will be observing the meeting and taking notes."

"You can't!" Ikeda said frantically.

"Excuse me...?"

"Haru, love. It's alright." Hannah put a hand on her guardian's shoulder, and it worked to calm her down. She then turned her attention to the young man, who was already in a trance of sorts from looking at her. "Young sir, I am the guest who intends to meet with Lord Jiraiya. We...did prepare for a three person meeting. Might I ask politely why our lovely Haru cannot enter with me?"

"Lord Jiraiya gave me specific orders to only let the blonde miss inside. Listen, please don't break the rules, he's gonna use a Rasengan to rearrange my face if anyone else walks through that door that isn't the Fourth Hokage. I'd really like to, like, not die..."

"Let's spare the young man a bout of surgery and give the Lord Jiraiya what he wants." Hannah raised her hand with the watch on it. "I have guardians in all forms. Things will work out, no matter what may come."

"..." Haru let out a breath. "Yes, ma'am. Understood."

"Thank you for worrying on my behalf, Haru. I will see you in a little while."

"Of course, ma'am. Please take care."

"I shall. Young man, if I might?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry, here you go." Ikeda produced a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, then opened it for Hannah. She nodded her thanks and stepped inside, noting the sleek design of the penthouse interior and the stylish furniture spread out ahead of her. An open concept space was certainly unique in this part of the world.

"Hopefully you didn't have any trouble getting here."

Hannah scanned the room, looking through the numerous glass windows at the Hidden Leaf skyline and the sky painted with stars. Her eyes swept across the softly lit room before coming to rest on the man approaching her. He wore a red robe, possibly ceremonial in nature, but fancy all the same and with characters on the front. Wooden geta clicked on the hard floors before stopping. The man with the long, wild white hair and a unique headpiece held a glass of wine in his left hand. Not just imposing for his strength or title, he had a physical size about him that could be intimidating in the right contexts.

"I did not. It is regretful that Lord Sarutobi couldn't join us. I was looking forward to having a chat with the God of Shinobi, your sensei."

"Yeah, he...didn't have something sit well, so he had to cancel. He wanted to be here too, shame."

Hannah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Indeed."

Jiraiya smiled and snapped his fingers, making the lights around the suite brighten a little. "Can't go darkening your lovely face the whole night, Miss Gold Reaper. Or is Miss Kuiper fine?"

"The choice is yours, milord."

"Oh, no. We can't be too formal either. Jiraiya is perfectly fine. So...I can call you Hannah, then?"

"You may."

"Great. Wine?"

"It would be lovely, thank you."

"Right this way." He led her to a small glass table near the dining area, where two bottles of wine sat with glasses. "Red or white?"

"Red, please and thank you."

Jiraiya poured out a glass and handed it to her. She nodded her thanks and took a sip as they both sat down across from each other.

"Very nice."

"Yeah, high grade stuff. First time trying it myself, it's good." He cleared his throat, and Hannah didn't need to be looking right at him to know he was making 'observations' already. She pretended to be thinking of something else.

[Yeah, so, step one? Tell him you are sixteen years old.]

[Please be calm.]

[This is calm.]

[Oh, goodness. Things are not in the weeds yet. Sit tight, love.]

"If I might be so bold to say, you look rather stunning tonight, Hannah. Not many women can pull off the look, you know."

"Thank you. I put a fair bit of effort into my appearance. Very much worth it, I find."

"Oh, definitely. Couldn't agree more," Jiraiya said with a smile. "I heard you were in town with that Joshua West kid. You're going to see the Fourth and the other Kage tomorrow morning. Sounds like an exciting time."

"Our intent is to make a change in this world for the better, nothing less," Hannah said. "There are a few sensitive things to be discussed."

"Yup, sounds like it. I just wanted a bit of a chat, you know. Get to know the girl who's such hot news lately..."

So it begins. "I'm more than happy to spend some time with you."

"Let's move somewhere more comfortable, then." They stood up together and walked across the suite, past the kitchen with its fancy marble tops, and to one of the living areas. A soft leather couch faced the windows and the starry sky beyond it, giving an unobstructed view of the horizon and beyond. Hannah sat down and stared at the beauty in front of her, also taking note that Jiraiya was about a half space away and intent on getting bold.

[Dude...say it. Say it.]

She ignored Joshua and gave Jiraiya a polite smile as they touched their glasses together.

"So," he said as he lounged back on the couch, swirling the wine in his glass around, "you want to start, or should I?"

---

[] Hannah decides she wants to take control of the conversation. Maybe steering it would help open things up...
-[] Being a bit guarded would work. Can't give away too much.
-[] Observing and being neutral to a point would work best.
-[] Jiraiya was probably looking to get a little fresh, either way...why not play into that a little?
-[] Write in.

[] Hannah decides to go with the flow and let him lead. There are sure to be a few twists, but she feels she's ready.

[] Custom option.

---

Don't be afraid to get creative. There aren't many options but this is a social duel, not a terribly hard one though.

 

[veekie]

[X] Hannah decides she wants to take control of the conversation. Maybe steering it would help open things up...
-[X] Observing and being neutral to a point would work best.

 

[FortePlus]

"If it's not a bother to you, I can start."

"Not at all," Jiraiya responded.

"Thank you kindly. As you already know, the current situation is that I've made my way here with my companion in order to assist them with a few issues. It's very much possible that the world could be plunged into chaos, and we want to help avoid that in any way that we can."

"You figured out that some shady actors from the Iron are behind this."

"Yes, one in particular."

"I see. I'm sure there's another angle to this."

"If there is, I wouldn't be served by revealing it to you," Hannah said politely.

"Fair enough." Jiraiya nodded and took a sip of wine. "What have you been doing lately? I'm sure someone like you is pretty active in the wider world."

Hannah kept her face neutral, knowing he was trying to make her say something she didn't need to. "Perhaps so. I did find myself in the Cloud, doing some work on a smaller scale than usual."

"Unusual for a high-priced beauty such as yourself," he noted.

"Of course. But a change of pace is necessary from time to time, and quite useful for one's mental health."

"I'm assuming that's where you met your companion. Or at least, that's what you're calling him."

Hannah sipped at her wine. "Companion is an accurate term. We travel together, and he is someone I care for very much." She looked directly at Jiraiya as she said that, and he saw no immediate way past that wall. Leaving it to a nod, he prepared another question.

"Is he why you're suddenly so concerned with the current state of the world? I mean, it wouldn't hurt you if war broke out. Lots of money, lots of things to do. Sounds like a dream for the Gold Reaper. Diplomacy seems out of your wheelhouse."

"Please say what you mean to say, Jiraiya."

"What I'm saying is that I'm quite sure you never told him about the killings."

"The killings. I'm not clear on what you mean."

"Sprite Valley I'm sure is clear in your memory, but I'm talking about the other ones. The vanishings and deaths that could really only be tied to you, or someone like you. Far as we know, there isn't anyone else running around."

Hannah let out a breath. "Well. I suppose you found that out from someone. I can only guess who..."

"The source is probably tied to Madara Uchiha, or whoever is posing as him. Yes, I get it. That still doesn't change what happened."

"Or what you say happened, at the least," she retorted.

"Eh." He shrugged. "No oil off my back, you know. More than one way to make a vampire squeal, right?"

[Oi-oi-oi...I oughta...]

Hannah let the comment fly past even with Joshua's commentary. "I suppose that is true. Your reputation does precede you a bit, even if I wasn't fully aware of your charms before. Very friendly, but hiding a rather ravenous appetite beneath those robes."

"Got a mouth on you, blondie."

"Indeed I do. A golden reaper should be expected to have a golden tongue to match."

"Tch." Jiraiya knocked back the rest of his wine and started to refill his glass. "So why him? I'm sure it's more than a matter of convenience for someone like you. Pet project?"

"No."

"Sharp answer. You're pretty protective of the kid, even if he might get you killed one day."

"I must apologize," she said coldly, "but your assumption that this sort of trouble is more than I can handle is misguided at best."

"You think so? Maybe you don't know what I know. You seem to think he's just some friendly guy who got kicked out of his hometown for looking into his grandfather's adventures. That's probably what he told you, anyways."

"A reason to doubt?" Hannah crossed one leg over the other. "Then show me."

"Why does he want to find his grandfather? Why try to disrupt the world like this? Maybe," Jiraiya said as he stood up, "there was more to the stuff he was looking into. Maybe he's not the innocent little guy you want to believe he is. It's possible that he's manipulating you. Ever thought about it?"

Hannah heard no protests from Joshua.

"..." She stared into the gently moving wine in her glass. "More...times that I care to admit. I have wondered whether this was all real. I...I sometimes wonder and doubt. I do."

"Ever told him that?"

"Not directly. I speak about insecurities and things of that nature. But I've never talked about my...lapses in faith. Not to him. I should have been more honest. He knows as much, and he'll know soon enough if he only suspected it till now."

"What happens if it all goes south?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead. Maybe these words have already sabotaged that lofty goal of ours, but I hope not. I hope that he would be able to forgive me for slipping into my old self."

Jiraiya raised a brow. "You're really devoted to him."

"I am. I have confidence in myself, but admitting weakness is still painful. There are always things you want to change or erase, and this is no exception."

"So...why?"

"I don't quite understand," Hannah said as she looked up at Jiraiya.

"Why follow? Why not lead? You're one of the most prolific warriors in a generation, you practically erase targets at will. You have the power to change the world on your own if you feel like it. And you're still pretty young, at a child bearing age, clearly attractive, and you must be loaded. You have everything, but you're following around some bum who wants to be a terrorist like his grandaddy."

Hannah bristled slightly but held her composure.

"You've got no reason to hang around him in a hot zone like this. No reason to put yourself into the affairs of people who think you're better off dead so they can collect the obscene bounties on your head and use it for their vacation funds. You're putting yourself into a lot of danger, and for what? Some dream of peace? Some vision of a better world? What could you do with that? What's your life other than killing and getting men to try and screw you?"

"..."

He shrugged and took a gulp of wine. "I just don't see it. Doesn't make sense to me, unless you have another agenda. Maybe you want his body, maybe you want kids out of him so you can move up in the world; those genes have gotta be worth a lot on any market you can think of. Like I said, I don't know much about you other than the reports. You like to keep to yourself."

Hannah finished her wine and set down the glass, still silent.

"So...what's a girl like you really here for, then?"

[It's like that, huh.]

[Joshua...]

[Ah, don't worry about me. You remember that time in the forest?]

[Hm. It seems so long ago, yet it wasn't, was it?]

[Yeah. Do what I said back then. It's up to you.]

Hannah was left with her own thoughts again, and a decision to make. She didn't have to answer. She didn't have to say anything, much less tell the truth. But...there was a lot going on besides the words being spoken out loud.

The importance really couldn't be understated. What she wanted...and what she believed in.

Perhaps this was the place to make it all real.

---

[] Hannah chooses to be untruthful. It's possible that she could send Jiraiya in the wrong direction. He was skilled at his job, but perfection was beyond his reach, like with all mortals.

[] Hannah chooses to be silent. Whatever her business was, it was no business of his.

[] Hannah chooses to be truthful. There's nothing to hide, after all.
-[] Then...why did she follow Joshua? Was there a reason?
--[] She didn't need a reason. It was what her heart said to do.
--[] It was simply, purely because she loved him, like she had said to him a million times before. She loved and believed in him without any restraint.
--[] Maybe she wanted to see the world and discover herself, and this was her way to freedom.
--[] To...run away from the past. A refuge. He was someone, and somewhere safe.
--[] Maybe, buried beneath the surface...there was more there. She wanted something.
--[] Something...else? Something...more? (Write in.)

[] Custom options.

---

Something extra for the interlude. It's a short update, relatively speaking anyways. Nothing too steep, but I'm curious (and nervous) to see the direction we might take. But if you stick with the status quo I'll be happy too.

Also tried something with the soundless speech of Correspondence, coloured text. Though I realize now the default code for it is not only RGB, but the colours I used for the original character sheets in XF1 are not present. It's not really a pain, though. Tell me what you think, and if you don't hate it then I'll keep doing it. Enjoy.

 

[veekie]

[X] Hannah chooses to be truthful. There's nothing to hide, after all.
-[X] Then...why did she follow Joshua? Was there a reason?
--[X] She didn't need a reason. It was what her heart said to do.

 

[FortePlus]

The answer came to her so fast that she was startled by it.

She already knew why she was there. Why she followed him into this possible disaster. Why she loved and cared for him, why she thought of him, why she wanted to move ahead with this incredibly lofty goal.

It was a simple answer, somehow. There had to be more, surely. She doubted inside of herself for another moment, before the answer came back to her again, bright and clear.

And at that, she parted her lips to speak.

"More than...the sweetness of love."

"Hm?"

Hannah rose to her feet and looked at Jiraiya.

"This is what my heart tells me to do. This is the path I've chosen, and I know that we are meant for great things."

"Following your heart, huh..."

"Yes. With no regrets," she said confidently. He looked back at her, seeing the violet eyes behind that pair of glass lenses, and the clarity within them. A young woman who was as sincere as anything.

"...I see." He finished the rest of his wine and rolled one of his shoulders. "Still...that doesn't mean I trust your boyfriend. I don't know what he could be up to, or what his real goals are."

"We only mean to protect the people of this world. It's the right thing...the only thing that makes sense to us."

"That kind of reckless optimism might get you killed one day. Well, more than just might."

"And should I fear death?"

"You're far from invincible, blondie."

"Of course. Heaven will decide my path for me, but I will not die. This I promise you, Toad Sage."

"Hoh, someone's high on themselves."

Hannah let out a breath and decided to take a seat again, crossing her legs over each other. "I see that you've been limited in the amount of information you could gather, on either of us from what I can tell."

"Bold statement."

"Indeed. And factual, of course."

"Depends on who you ask. I'm gonna fetch something stronger from the kitchen, want anything for yourself?"

"No, thank you. I will await your return."

"Thanks." Jiraiya allowed himself a small smile as he left. Hannah sat calmly and sipped on the remaining bit of wine in her glass.

The older man returned a while later with a smaller, stouter glass of his own. The sounds of ice cubes hitting the insides was amplified by the relative quiet of the suite.

"Refill?"

"Thank you." Hannah held out her glass and Jiraiya filled it halfway with more wine. She nodded her thanks again and leaned back in her seat. "So. As we were discussing earlier...how far are you in your investigation of Madara Uchiha and his interests?"

"Well, I think you know better than to ask that."

"I do, yes."

"Then don't expect much of an answer on that, or anything like it. Did you think you'd get something out of me for nothing?"

"Goodness, no," Hannah said, dramatically gasping. "In fact, I fully expect that you would demand the pleasure of my company before proceeding with any offers."

"You're on the ball today," he quipped as he sat down next to her. "So?"

"Hm. I don't see how it would go smoothly. After all, my boyfriend would get quite jealous. Not to mention that I'm a bit young for you."

"Are you?"

"Child-bearing age is a broad stroke, I'd say. I hope you're not intending to use that as a guide."

He snorted. "Right. If you're going to pose like a little girl, you should try and look the part, or even act it."

Hannah took note of his ogling. "Rumours, then? How many? What kind?"

"Nothing I need to say out loud."

Hannah flipped her hair with one hand. "Then they are baseless. I do urge you to reconsider any line-crossing, or thoughts of such. My interests are currently not carnal in nature either way."

"Am I supposed to believe that?" he said with an incredulous laugh.

"I suggest you place faith in it, yes. None of your sources on my behaviour are verified, so you only have me to listen to."

Jiraiya sipped at his liquor and paused a moment. "Well, I see you're trying to play the innocent one this time. Pretty unfortunate, but what can you do?"

"My apologies for disappointing you."

"Yeah, save it." He sighed and grumbled. "Came into this thing expecting more than what I have now. You're not only a kill-happy, blood-drinking loon, you're waltzing around with some guy who doesn't know what the hell he's doing or where he's going."

"Aren't we cynical." Hannah sipped from her glass slowly. "What do you think the solution to the world's problems are? Certainly it's not staying the course...or are you worried about something else? Something deeper, perhaps?"

"Hah."

Hannah tilted her head slightly as she looked at Jiraiya.

[What are you thinking?]

[Mm...something isn't quite right. The purpose of this meeting was to...well, there were many purposes.]

[I'll bet.]

[The one I feel he is stuck on right now is your importance. I was of interest, yes, but selfish reasons created this situation in the first place.]

[Creepy. Creepy reasons.]

[Hush a moment. What can you think of that would drive this man to this point?]

[Err...hm. He's the Toad Sage, right? Maybe...something deep and ancient? I dunno.]

[Mm-hm. A good thought. Thank you, love.]

[You're going to attack on that angle?]

[I will make my decision on that in the next few moments. I only wonder what I can get out of a proper exchange, though we stand to lose something if this goes badly.]

"Hmm..." She brushed away a stray strand of hair while humming softly to herself.

Jiraiya simply raised a brow and sipped on his drink as Hannah continued to study him.

---

[] Feeling more confident, Hannah attempts to make the next move.
-[] She has a bit of knowledge on the Toads from her travels. Perhaps that might open up conversation?
-[] Jiraiya wasn't the only one with a web of contacts. There are details she can game from going in that direction.
-[] Tit for tat? He challenged her ideals, it's only fair that she test the strength of his. Minato and Naruto are his students, and Sarutobi his teacher. That could be a hold...
-[] Custom option.

[] There's something to be said about a full charm offensive. Maybe obliging the old man could yield rewards later on...? Terribly suspect, though. Especially since he's aware of the age...gap.

[] It's not terribly late, but the meeting in the morning is an easy and convenient excuse. Withdraw, and leave the old hermit with a moral victory of sorts to soothe his ego.

[] Write in.

 

[veekie]

[X] Feeling more confident, Hannah attempts to make the next move.
-[X] Tit for tat? He challenged her ideals, it's only fair that she test the strength of his. Minato and Naruto are his students, and Sarutobi his teacher. That could be a hold...

Classics.

 

[FortePlus]

[We move forward. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.]

[Uh-huh. Sounds like you're ready for work...here we go, then.]

Hannah set down her glass of wine, making Jiraiya pause. She ran a hand through her sparkling blonde hair and flipped it upwards briefly, before returning her attention to the man beside her.

"Since you were so kind as to ask me my reasons for being here, I thought I should be courteous and ask you what you mean to accomplish in what remains of your life."

"A little on the nose, isn't it?"

"Oh, that's quite intentional on my part. It would be a lie to say that I wasn't a little incensed by your earlier accusations," Hannah said calmly. "Which is why I want to know if you have any meaningful dreams."

"It's not really any of your business, I'd say."

"You would say so. But I thought I would ask anyways."

Jiraiya swirled around the liquour in his glass for before taking a sip from it. He was quiet a few moments, thinking. Hannah held herself still and waited for his reply.

"I've been thinking about a peaceful future."

"Have you, now. Like us, then."

"Nothing like you."

"Hm." Hannah closed her eyes slowly. "I see. So you don't have a way just yet."

"Even if I didn't, it's not like anyone else has solved the problem either. There is a path to peace, somewhere."

"And all we have to do is find it. Is that it? That we use our strength as shinobi to endure and make our way to that bright future."

"Could be more to it than that."

"I understand." She opened her eyes and looked out at the window, towards the starry sky. "It fits with what I've heard about the the Third and Fourth Hokage, as you're directly connected with them through master and student relationships. Just as Lord Sarutobi instilled that wisdom within you, given from his teachers in the original Hokage, you moved to place it within your students, which include the Fourth Hokage and your godson, Naruto."

"..."

"It's noble. The kind of gesture that would change the world if it were to take hold. And yet...it's quite passive. Relying on the understanding of others, trusting people to do the right thing, hoping they find that your way is the right one. Relying on hope while we endure the darkness."

"Oh. And what's your solution? Kill all the dissenters?"

"Nothing like that. We simply refuse to rely on the insights of human beings, and follow the path that the heavens have given us."

Jiraiya laughed loudly and slapped his knee. "That's your plan?"

"I suppose sitting around and waiting for a group of lost, corrupted mortals to come to their senses suits you better. That's your right," she said, ignoring his derisive chuckling.

"That's rich. Some murderer lecturing me on how to make the world better."

"I do apologize for my ignorance, thinking that those with the strength to make a way forward should do so actively instead of searching for something that may never come. Mm. I expected you to be more open-minded, but I suppose that was a bit much," she replied curtly. "A shame."

Jiraiya took another sip from his glass. "If you're trying to wind me up, it's not working."

"The proof is in the response itself. To see the world for what it is...that is a blessing, and not simply a self-cultivated skill. You have made the mistake of thinking otherwise. The foolish little blonde girl you think you have in front of you is, in her heart, a woman with many years of spiritual experience. Far be it from you to judge me so harshly. Our goal is just as noble as yours, but we risk as much as we do whenever we can. We do not discard hope or understanding, but neither do they hold us in place as we wait for a so called proper season. Should we make our way by merely skirting the status quo, as you do, or should we become the dreadful renegades that disrupt the order of the world, and bypass it completely in order to make a meaningful difference?"

"..."

"Or...is it that you believe so strongly in your vision that you can't see anything else happening? What is it you think? That we're destined to fail because we're not designated to change the world by the writings of men?"

"You might have a harder time than you think. Can we move on from this line of questioning?"

"No."

He sighed. "Yeah, figured. You think you have all the answers because you take baths in yogurt and do weird interpretive dances in place of regular prayer, now that you're reformed or soul cleansed or whatever. I should have remembered that the attractive ones tend to be crazies. Especially the blondes."

"In despair already. How quaint."

"Bite me. I'm not sure where you get off on saying that you'll change things because you got brainwashed into thinking you're some sort of sacred cow, but it'd be best to drop the act as soon as possible. The Five Kage won't be too mad if you just tell them the truth from the start of the meeting."

"I'm not quite sure what your demands are, Jiraiya. That we become cowards like you?"

"Hmph. Like I said, you have a mouth on you."

"I take pride in it. Even if you think it will get me killed." Hannah leaned forward to pick up her glass, sipping from it slowly. "So your plan is to find a plan. Heroic, if misguided."

[I'm normally all for it, since he clearly doesn't like me for whatever reason, but...we're riding the edge, I think.]

[What was the expression you used once? Wanting all of the smoke, or something to that effect. I am interested in a smoking session.]

[I trust you enough, but I dunno about this one. Just saying.]

[Mm. Very well, I will consider other options post-haste.]

---

[] Jiraiya looks calm, but he's obviously annoyed by the last few minutes. On that basis, Hannah decides to pour it on.

[] Maybe another subject? Nothing immediately comes to mind. (Write-in)

[] It's a bit tense. Perhaps Joshua's suggestion is best and it's time to wrap it up for now.
-[] Leaving on a polite note would be best.
-[] Indifference. No need to act like anything of importance happened. It was only business.
-[] The character assassination was uncouth. Even if it's one of the Three, Hannah doesn't take lightly to it at all.
-[] Custom option(s).

---

Ah, the good stuff. Social duels!

 

[veekie]

[X] It's a bit tense. Perhaps Joshua's suggestion is best and it's time to wrap it up for now.
-[X] The character assassination was uncouth. Even if it's one of the Three, Hannah doesn't take lightly to it at all.

Best not to push him too far on his own place...but thats no excuse for being rude to a lady

 

[FortePlus]

[Your evaluation is, as always, very helpful. I will have us leave for now.]

[Great. But...I have the feeling you're not going to leave it as a simple goodbye.]

[I will not. I am a lady of great distinction, and I will not allow this disgrace to go unaddressed. This will serve as an example to any who come across me, and mistake this courtesy for weakness.]

Hannah tilted her head back and finished her wine, then took a small cloth from her purse nearby and dabbed at her mouth.

"Well. I think that I've said all that I can say for the time being. I believe I shall be going now."

"That so? Pretty rude of you not to consider your host," Jiraiya quipped.

"My apologies if you feel any offense by my early exit, but I do have things to take care of, and a meeting in the morning. We may attempt to have a meeting at a later date, if you so desire."

"So you can blow me off?"

"Your pessimism is noted. Please make contact through the usual channels, if you would. I thank you for inviting me here and holding this conversation. Your time is indeed valuable, and I hope you have gleaned something from our talks." Hannah rose to her feet and bowed deeply towards Jiraiya.

"Nice meeting you too, Miss Reaper. I'll escort you to the door."

"I thank you."

Hannah grabbed her purse and followed Jiraiya to the exit.

"You're sure that you can't stay a while longer? I'd appreciate the company, and it'd be a good way to soften the atmosphere," Jiraiya offered.

"I appreciate your compliments, but I must respectfully decline. As a young woman, I know that eventually I would be helpless against your array of manly charms, and the results of a long night together would not reflect well on either of us, as delightful as I imagine it could be," Hannah said pointedly. "Though I am within prime childbearing age, I am not yet mentally or legally equipped for the act of child rearing, which is of much greater importance."

"Well, I wasn't thinking of going that far," Jiraiya said defensively.

"My apologies. Life's trials have given me a rather vivid imagination, and I sometimes jump ahead of myself. Before I leave...I have a matter to address."

"Matter, huh." Jiraiya leaned against the wall by the door and lazily put a palm forward. "Yeah, it figures. Bitch away."

Hannah brushed back her hair and stared up at him, her violet eyes glowing intensely.

"Perhaps you have your reasons for acting the way you did, for saying the things that you said. But I do not take lightly to the unfounded, unwarranted, and uncouth accusations you uttered regarding my beloved. As someone who has an extensive intelligence network, you know full well the power of words and how they can immediately change a person's fortunes. I have no assurance that you haven't already played games with these reports and made that man into a complete menace that needs to be eliminated."

"Heavy accusations."

"There is no end to the weight I can bring down upon you. But more than your slander of my beloved, you made the error of crossing me. I do not care what your motivation or cause is. If it might be about protecting your legacy, your family, or your village...none of it matters. Don't ever in your life come as close to crossing the line as you did tonight."

"Is that a threat?" he asked, a brow raised.

"I don't make threats. I make promises," Hannah said calmly. "And I promise to bring ruin to you if you ever disrespect me again."

"I suggest you watch your mouth," Jiraiya said as he left the wall and stepped forward. A wave of pressure rushed out from his body, trying to wind its way around the blonde girl.

"And I suggest you not fuck with me," she growled back, sending out pressure to match his own. The glasses on the table in the next room cracked slightly before exploding into shards. The wine bottle was no better off, fracturing in several places and leaking liquid that spilled off the sides of the table.

The two stared at each other for a long while, making the walls shake slightly as their murderous flows clashed against one another.

"I think we should end the night here, Miss Kuiper," Jiraiya said through gritted teeth.

"I agree wholeheartedly. A pleasant night to you, Lord Jiraiya." She gave him another deep bow before opening the door herself and stepping outside. Haru already had her hands together in a seal, ready for what would come. She relaxed upon seeing Hannah and eventually dropped her hands to her sides.

"You are free to go, young man. The meeting is over," Hannah said.

"U-uh. Yeah. I...I'll go. Thank you." Ikeda hurried out of the area, glad he had managed to avoid wetting himself from earlier.

"We were simply having a staring contest of sorts, Haru. I'm sorry if I worried you," Hannah said to her companion gently.

"It's fine, ma'am. I...take it that the meeting didn't go very well."

"Not as well as anticipated, but I trust the Lord Jiraiya is satisfied with at least some of the information he obtained."

Haru mentally winced at the icy tone. "If...I might ask..."

"He recklessly slandered my beloved, and then attacked my honour repeatedly."

"..." Haru thought for a moment. "Did you...say anything about the Leaf?"

"I made plain to him that I would erase his presence from history if he crossed me to the point of anger. Perhaps he took that to mean I would bring harm to the Leaf...but if it comes to a choice between this place and the ones I love so much..."

"Of course, ma'am. And I would never hold that against you."

"Even if we became enemies, Haru?"

"Even then, ma'am."

"You really are sweet. If...there is a time where you must choose between loyalties..."

Haru nodded. "I understand. But I know what I would do if that time came."

"What would that be?" Hannah asked.

"That's classified, ma'am."

Hannah blinked before closing her eyes and nodding. "Everyone has their own reasons. I won't question yours, then."

"Thank you for trusting me, ma'am."

"Of course. We wouldn't have gotten this far without your help." Hannah went into her purse and fetched her compact mirror, then applied another layer of lip gloss. "Come. We will return home for a well deserved rest."

"Yes, ma'am."

They headed down the stairs and passed the burly guards from before, who saluted once more as they left. However, there was a small commotion in the lobby ahead. A blonde woman was loudly barking orders at the shinobi around her, who were protesting but with a clear measure of fear. Her hair was tied back into a high ponytail, with long bangs that framed her face and the violet rhombus in the middle of her forehead. She wore a long, red robe over her pyjamas and a pair of slippers.

"Oi! You realize what's going on, right? Tell me what that damn pervert sage is doing!" she yelled.

"Lady Tsunade?"

She dropped the shinobi she had by the collar and turned to Haru, brown eyes focusing in on the ANBU member.

"Haru? Oh, wait a minute...this is the woman?"

Tsunade walked up to the two ladies and looked them over, paying a bit more attention to Hannah. After a minute or so, she nodded sagely and put her arms beneath her notably large bosom.

"So you had your meeting already, then? How'd it go?" she asked Hannah.

"Minimal progress," Hannah said honestly. "I must introduce myself, even if it seems unnecessary. Hannah Kuiper." She started to bow before Tsunade placed a hand under her chin and forced her up.

"No need for that. Tsunade's fine."

"Ah. Thank you, then."

"I'm a bit of a weirdo compared to the other snobs. You know, Jiraiya likes to prance around as a people's person, but he's as addicted to the whole power and respect thing as the other dirty old men. And there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you're not a fucking hypocrite about it, you know what I mean?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Heh. You talk like those blue-bloods, but it doesn't piss me off. Nice. Anyways, I just wanted to check in after Sensei suddenly came down with something. Turns out he knew the antidote right away and I whipped up an extra strength batch for him...and of course he knew what the treatment was because he had been hit with that shitty prank before. Jiraiya can be a real fuckwad sometimes, you know. He didn't...you know."

"Nothing of the sort. We enjoyed some wine together and partook in some riveting conversation."

"Yeah, I felt that spike of fuck-off aura on my way in. Shit, you went toe to toe with him...that Gold Reaper title really isn't just for show. Well, I came around to make sure he didn't try to stick his dick in you or whatever, and to schedule a meeting thing of my own. I'm kinda sorta busy, but I wanted to talk to you and the man friend."

"Joshua, you mean."

"Yep. His granny is Becca West. She's a wild one, and I've been reading the stuff that she's been sending out...it's insane. Between meeting Jacob West and hearing about her, there's been a lot of headway on important medical projects, things I've been trying to dive into for years. And, and, and...she actually talks about me! She's mentioned me in a bunch of her papers, it's so crazy! But uh, yeah. I wanted to meet her grandson, and of course, talk to you too. So both of you can come along, we'll have a few drinks and some good food. My place next week, we'll pick a day during the tournament downtime. I'm gonna be having fun watching my Sakura punch the shit out of that jinchuuriki psycho from Sand. That'll learn the fucker."

"I'll relay the message to Lady Kushina, ma'am," Haru said.

"Thanks, hon. Well, I'll leave you two to get home. Sorry about the commotion and whatever, I got pulled out of bed for Sensei's sake so I figured I'd make the trip over. You kids have a good night, don't talk to strangers, yadda yadda...shit, I could use a drink right now..."

Tsunade muttered to herself as she left. Haru and Hannah looked at each other, shrugged, and then made their own way home, leaving the rattled shinobi to sort themselves out.

---

"We're home."

Haru and Hannah arrived to a quiet house. Hikari appeared promptly in front of them and saluted.

"Ma'ams. Miss Ritsu is asleep currently. The premises are secure."

"Thank you, Hikari." Haru patted her head gently. "It should be fine to relax now, sir."

Hannah removed her watch and tossed it into the air, watching as it exploded into a cloud of smoke. The veil quickly parted to reveal Joshua, looking none the worse for wear.

"Mission accomplished, I guess. That was an experience."

"I agree," Hannah said. "Thank you all for your help...if you'll excuse me a moment."

Joshua nodded towards Haru and Hikari before quickly following his friend upstairs.

"Hannah?"

"Yes, love. Did you need something of me?"

"I did. Mind if we step into...wait, hold on." Joshua checked his room and saw Ritsu sleeping peacefully on his bed, a book flipped open in one of her hands. "Your room. Ninja girl is in mine."

"Yes, of course." They went into the girls' room, and Hannah took off her blazer before stretching her arms out. "I hope there's nothing wrong, darling. What did you-?"

She paused as he stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

"Joshua...? Why are you...?"

"You don't have to hide it, you know. It's alright."

"I...I'm..." She let out a shaky breath and hugged back. "I just...what I said..."

"It's alright."

"It can't be. All of the things I've said, all of the times I've said that I loved you, and...how could I feel that way?"

"There's nothing wrong with you, Hannah. You've been alone just about your whole life. You've never had family, or people you could truly trust. You've never had people who are willing to put their lives on the line for you. How cruel would it be for me to judge you for those thoughts?"

"I just...how could it make sense...isn't it unfair? To you?"

"It's not. I can't do everything. I think about it, about losing you both, about failing, about things going wrong and falling apart. And it's not because I don't have faith in either of you, it's just...sometimes things don't work out. Sometimes things happen and you just ask God why that is, you get angry, you think it shouldn't be you. You think you don't deserve it. And then when something good happens, sometimes you think it's too good to be true. Sometimes you wonder again why it's you and not someone else."

She shook her head and pushed away from him. "What I thought was-"

"It's not evil."

"Do you believe that?" she asked, her eyes wet with tears.

"You were alone. Things like that, the isolation, the abuse, the betrayal...they don't go away. You're not evil. You're not a bad person, Hannah. You were just scared, and I understand why. I can't erase everything that happened, I can't cover it up. But I can...I can give you the love you never had before. And Ritsu, she can too. You have to forgive yourself."

"..."

"I watched you fight for me. That's all I need. That's all I ever needed."

"It...doesn't hurt?"

"Not at all."

"Please...don't lie to me. Does it really not hurt?" she asked, pleading.

"It doesn't," he repeated. She looked into his brown eyes, thinking there was something else there, that there was some mistake. Wasn't this too good to be true? But then...but then, he was already a blessing to her. Why did it have to stop at one thing, or two, or ten, or a hundred?

This too...was love.

"I know that...you would never hurt me. But everyone has their pride."

"You're right."

"And yet you would...set aside yours to...help heal me." She wiped away her tears and hugged him again, rubbing her cheek against his. "You are...I can't even find the words. What you've given me is much more than love."

"Heh. I wouldn't know how to describe that, either," he said with a smile.

"I'm still learning to forgive myself. To...be a person."

"I know. You're not near as bad as you think, you know. But whatever you need, we'll help you with. That's what people who love each other do, you know?"

"I know now. I want those thoughts to go away for good. One day, they will. I promise."

They separated and he patted her on the shoulders.

"Hannah Kuiper keeps her promises. You're good, then."

"Thank you, my love."

He nodded and started on his way out. "I'll man the couch tonight. Rest up, princess."

She watched him go, a hand over her beating heart.

"I am..."

There was just so much. So much...

"I am..."

Love.

"I am beauty. I am strength. I am...whole." Those words resonated within her spirit, and she stood for a long while letting them ring.

"I am beauty. I am strength. I am whole."

She strode over to her mirror and stared at the woman on the other side.

"I am beauty. I am strength. I am whole. Beloved, wise, and blessed. She who would rend the skies and deliver justice. Hannah Danita Kuiper, Duchess of House Kuiper, the Gold Reaper of legend, and chosen of heaven."

She nodded and let out the breath she was holding.

"There is nothing in this world for me to truly fear."

The woman in the mirror smiled, as warmly and as brightly as she ever had before.

---

It's now Thursday morning.

---

[] Attire. This is the last thing needed to set the tone.
-[] Haru's recommendation, which was to approach as if you were on a mission and anything could happen.
-[] Casual and relaxed. An open approach could soothe some nerves early.
-[] All business. Bringing an air of seriousness might keep the leaders in line and make them take you seriously.
-[] Flashy. You want to look defiant and let them know that you're not going to be intimidated.
-[] Custom option.

---

[] Adjust gameplan for meeting.

[] Nothing to change. Let's go.

---

Your current gameplan:

[-] The meeting will involve a set number of your team. Notifying the participants in advance is the first step; there are advantages and disadvantages to differing numbers. Pick any number of people to attend.
-[-] Joshua
-[-] Hannah

[-] Disclosure of information. Haru has said that the more you talk, the more responsible you make yourselves for what happens, and it's probably that each of the Kage will lean on you for their own reasons as a result.
-[-] Direct relevance. Balanced and allows some movement if you think things are getting too hot. The five powers will have to navigate some of the details themselves, but they should get the bigger picture from what you say to them.

---

Whew. Okay, we're heading into another round of politics I guess. I'll try to keep us on our toes again.

Also canon heights and weights are weird. According to the wiki, Tsunade, who looks healthy and big enough, loses over 25 (!!!) pounds on Hannah and is shorter (!!!!) than Ritsu. I made Hannah a bit on the taller side but that's wild. So I'm gonna play around with anything that seems weird on that end; just imagine Tsuna as the big strong medic lady she seems like. Or like, 5' 7" at least. Whatever.

 

[veekie]

[X] Attire. This is the last thing needed to set the tone.
-[X] Haru's recommendation, which was to approach as if you were on a mission and anything could happen.

[X] Nothing to change. Let's go.

Jiraiya's an old brat

 

[FortePlus]

Jiraiya's an old brat

Click to shrink...

Ya. Outside of normal situations that's how I tend to see him; sorta philosophical, some of Naruto's worse traits, and then being bad/awkward with women, worse the prettier they get.

I like Jiraiya but making him a flattering character would be a disservice tbh.

 

[FortePlus]

Rare double post. Spent 6(000,000) hours in 3D Paint: Son of Microsoft Paint to make a crappy banner thing and icon. I think it looks okay for the $0 I spent on it. Might outsource later.

Still...380,000 words to go before I reach my commitment. Then I'll get the gold star and jazz up this thing that I can only assume more than 1...2(???) people read regularly. Soon.

 

[veekie]

Ya. Outside of normal situations that's how I tend to see him; sorta philosophical, some of Naruto's worse traits, and then being bad/awkward with women, worse the prettier they get.

I like Jiraiya but making him a flattering character would be a disservice tbh.

Click to shrink...

Think he deals with stress by spreading the pain