Tsuyo had felt himself stressing as of late with all his training and research into his goal. With Mitsuo preoccupied and Tsuneo away along with Gin being unaccounted for it felt like he was alone again. The cabin having been empty aside from himself since he sent Sayuri away. Papers littered the desk of research and the nearby tree's bore the marks of martial training. Not just some of the tree's mind but every last tree for a half mile from the cabin had chunks of bark ripped off from repeated blows to the hard surface. Yet not a spot of blood from the impact. Tsuyo's skin far stronger than any tree bark. He had even felled a couple of large tree's near a carpentry business. Beating the tree's around the trunk with kicks until the entire great tree's fell to the ground. Split from side to side. He had been careful not to knock down others though. No need to do so if the tree's would not be put to good use. However training had grown so dull as of late. Punching tree's might as well have been punching pillows. He didn't think it wise to go for anything tougher though. Dented tree's didn't bring questions. Rocks with fist prints did he had learned early on.

Still it had been his luck that he was out walking as he smoked his Sherlock pipe with the tobacco burning strongly that he happened upon a traveling merchant on his way into the village to sell some exotic wares. The man had explained the amazing physical sport of golf. Demonstrating a stance and swing of the 9 iron which was all he had. Claiming the point of the game was who could send the ball the furthest won. Of course that was not how golf was actually played but seeing as Tsuyo had never heard of it before he was sold. With his power and finesse surely he could set some sort of record. By the end of the discussion Tsuyo had purchased nine nine irons and all the balls the man had. Waving to the man as he left with coin in hand and happy with his new found hobby. Perhaps this would distract him for a time. If nothing else smashing some balls over a great distance would be some nice stress relief. Lord knows he could take out some aggression in a way that didn't harm anyone.

So Tsuyo would go to his cabin and change into something simple for the afternoon and comfortable. It was only about three in the afternoon but it was blistering hot outside. In the end he picked a pair of tan shorts with a white polo shirt. Some ankle high socks under a pair of shined dress shoes. Lastly was a Dark brown flat top hat. His sherlock pipe still burning as he left with all his golf gear and keys having locked the door behind him. He had opted for the easiest place to stay away from the majority of people. The back of the Hokage mountain was difficult to reach and if he golfed off the back no one would be bothered by balls rocketing down from the sky. At least since it faced away from the village. Still it took him until about four to reach his spot. A good ten meters from the tree line with ten meters of flat stone before a long drop off from a cliff. Happy with that he set himself up within that twenty meter space in the center. Placing the first ball down before rising up. Bending slightly at the knees. Of course it took him a couple of practice swings. His form wasn't great but when he did swing to connect then connect it did. The metal club slammed into the ball hard enough to send a line of wind along the dirt covered cliff side and a sound echoed across the small area like a small crack of thunder in the distance. Off into the distance the white ball flew. A dent in the back side of it as it screamed off into the sky. Flying high and far until even Tsuyo lost sight of it. A small "Huh." of satisfaction was all he said to his first ball. Perhaps he should try aiming for something. A tree perhaps?

741

It was an unbearably hot day out and Supaku, while normally having allocated the majority of the afternoon to physical training, had decided that today would be better spent with some quiet studying in the shade of some bushes on Hokage mountain. Her favourite place to train was the mountain, so she spent most of her time up here and knew all the best places to hide from the sun or rain or wind. She had only been doing some of her forms and she was already sweating, her lavender hair clinging to her forehead and neck where her ponytail didn’t keep it off her skin. She wiped at her face with a sigh of annoyance and gathered her back pack, hoisting it onto her shoulder as she looked up at the peak of the mountain. “This is probably going to be worse than just staying down here and training.” she muttered while taking the first few steps up the path she had memorized from her many treks up to her place of solitude.

As she hiked her way up Supaku took the time to look for pieces of dead fall that looked good enough to carve, it had been some time since she had pursued her passion in art, but recent events had renewed the more creative parts of her. Namely, her interactions with Anon had sparked something within her that had had made her excited about life again. Instead of merely studying and training all of the time, she had made time for her pursuits in art again and now seemed like a perfect opportunity to look for supplies. She could have just as easily gone to the market to see if there were any new shipments of exotic woods, but as long as she was here anyway it seemed an efficient use of her time. “And you are nothing if not efficient.” she would laugh as she bent down to look at a piece of wood partially covered by leaves. The bark was starting to rot, but the wood looked quite nice, so she carefully peeled away the soft material and stored the bit of tree in her bag, smiling happily to herself at her good fortune before heading further up the mountain.

She was getting close to the top of the mountain, and feeling much better since the sun wasn’t always beating directly on her, her red dress and black shorts now cool and dry and thankfully no longer sticking to her as she walked. Supaku was just about to set herself down beside a rock when she heard a crack like thunder come from further up the mountain, what she assumed was the top of it proper. She froze and listened carefully, looking up at the sky for signs of an incoming storm, and seeing none she made her was cautiously up towards the noise she had heard. It was not that she had assumed she was alone on an entire mountain, but that noise was an especially odd one, and worth both investigating and being careful of. Most certainly in the wake of her recent experiences with the crazy doctor who had taken her eyes. The memory of that sent a shiver of discomfort through her and as a reflex she activated her byakugan, blinking once as for the briefest of moments a flicker of strange colour washed over everything.

As she opened her eyes again she was awestruck as in front of her, just on the edge of the range of her byakugan was a shining golden purified chakra. She had never seen anything like it before in her life and she blinked once more, even rubbing her eyes to ensure she wasn’t seeing things that weren’t there because she’d spent too long in the sun. When the golden beacon in front of her did not dissipate, she would move towards it in a sort of daze, hoping that this was not some sort of trick set to trap her like the last time. Releasing her byakugan so that she could see clearly the figure that emanated such a refined and pure chakra, she was surprised at the man standing in front of her. Tall and undeniably handsome, yet dressed in casual summer clothing with a flat brimmed hat and holding something she didn’t recognize. It was incongruent with the chakra she had just witnessed and she would tilt her head to the side as she approached him, speaking in a slightly quizzical tone. “Excuse me, I don’t mean to sound rude or anything. But who are you? I’ve never seen anyone with chakra like that, it was near enough to perfectly refined that you may as well call it pure.” After a pause she remembered her manners and bowed her head respectfully. “I am Hyuga, Supaku by the way. Oh, and what are you doing with that thing?” She would motion at the piece of metal the man held in his hands.

838

Chakra 135/150:

Tsuyo would gaze out over the horizon in the direction he had hit the ball. The ground directly in front of him torn asunder from the swing as if sliced by some great sword. Still his silver eyes would watch something for some time though it couldn't possibly be the ball. It couldn't be possible for him to keep track of an object moving that fast that far could it? Still after a couple of seconds there was a distant sound. Like something hard slamming into wood and spots filled the air at the very edge of ones vision. Birds taking off from a group of tree's as if startled by something. He would frown at the extent of his thrust and glance at the golf club and then the ground. Perhaps there was something more he was missing. He sure wished all the sudden he had asked the man about forms and hints towards the game. Perhaps if he bent his knee's more or even came up with more of an upwards ark. Then again he had no example to base his swing off of. Was this game even meant for shinobi or was he cheating just a little? He could see a one on one match now. Two individuals with clubs and one ball. Perhaps something like two holes. They would do battle knocking the ball mid air and then spiking it down with their club only to be intercepted and having to pursue the opponent as they clubbed it towards their own goal.

He was mid examination of his club, noting where the white paint had scraped itself onto the metal from the ball, when he noticed the feint sound of shuffling brush some distance behind him. Someone wasn't making any effort to be silent. Yet he could feel eyes on him. Feel the gaze on his back enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck. Someone was studying him. Had his Hobby already brought such attention to him? He would breath in the air and mindfully separate the scents. No blood in the air or smell of metal oiled. So there wasn't a killer or anyone with a practiced weapon drawn. So he would allow them to approach seemingly unaware of them. Keeping tabs on the sound of their steps for any adjustments towards rapid approach. Instead a voice spoke up. Certainly female in nature. Still her words surprised him a little. Enough so that he would glance over his shoulder before turning to face her as he would place the club head first on the ground and lean on it. Crossing one ankle over the other and his free hand on his hip. How curious it was that another hyuga would be the one to find him. She spoke of his chakra and he looked into her eyes and knew this before she ever bowed and introduced herself. However were she to meet his gaze she would know the truth as well. He too was a Hyuga. So he would gamble and see if the clan kept their youth updated on supposed traitors to the clan.

"Well hello there madame Supaku. My name is Tsuyo. No last names or titles have any use here. I assume based on your statement that you have achieved at least some mastery of your Byakugan though. Congratulations. As for what I might be doing with this tool here. I have been introduced to a game they call 'golf'. I must admit I fear I have picked up the game before knowing all the details though. Supposedly the goal is to take said golf club and smack the golf ball as far as you can."

1365

Supaku could hardly believe her ears. And were it not for the fact that she could clearly see that he was Hyuga she would have passed the name off as a coincidence altogether. But here was a man, with silver eyes and the most purely refined chakra she had ever personally seen standing atop Hokage mountain of all places, claiming to be Tsuyo Hyuga. She stared at him as he explained what he was doing with the piece of metal he was currently casually, and rather handsomely, leaning on. Apparently it was a game called ‘golf’ though her mind was reeling with the implications of the revelation of his identity and she was just barely taking in his explanation. Walking up to him Supaku would tilt her head slightly and study his face, looking for some indication that this was the Tsuyo that she remembered as a child. She had been young but she didn’t remember him looking like this, the eyes were the same perhaps, but that could be said of any Hyuga.

“Tsuyo. . . I knew a Tsuyo once. When I was younger, and he was wonderful. I wanted to be just like him, he was everything that I aspired to be. He was strong and brave, and really was going to be the best of us. Could have been Hokage I think, if he hadn’t have disappeared. Frankly he was everything that everyone aspired to be within the clan.” She would pause as she walked slowly around the man, looking him over, still trying to find evidence one way or the other of his claim. She couldn’t decide logically whether this was the same man that had gone missing so many years ago, or just some person who happened to also be a Hyuga with the same name. Come on now Supaku, don’t be a dolt. You know damn well what’s what here. You really think there just happens to be two Hyuga with the same name? One that you’ve just happened to have never met? You really are an idiot sometimes.

As she returned to facing who she now accepted to be the Tsuyo Hyuga she let out a defeated sigh. If there was ever a time where she felt trapped it was now. Even when she literally held trapped by Genpaku and his cronies she hadn’t felt more inner turmoil than she did now. As she thought of her run in with Genpaku she felt the phantom pain in her eyes and blinked again as the colours about her looked wrong, rubbing absent mindedly at the myriad of new scars along her bare arms. That struggle at least had been simple, though horrible. She had been struggling for her life, there were good guys and bad guys, like in a story book. This one was all internal, nothing clear cut about it, and no one was attacking her or telling her what to do or not. This one was all on her.

And then with a sudden surge of inspiration an idea struck her. More than anything in the whole world she wanted to be Hokage, because she loved Konoha and all of it’s people. She had been told that Tsuyo was a traitor of course, but what she had never been told was why he was. She’d never really been told anything about it. And the one thing she wanted to do as Hokage was to be fair, so she resolved to hear his side of the story. With that thought in mind Supaku would bend down and pick up one of the golf clubs as long as Tsuyo didn’t stop her and with a charming smile would speak again.

“Thank you, for the congratulations that is. Though it’s hardly warranted, I’m barely out of the Academy and I’ve run into more trouble than success so far. As for this game of golf, I’ll give it a go. How hard could it be, after all we’re Hyuga are we not?”

She would then take a golf ball and set it down on the flat rock, glaring at it in annoyance as it wouldn’t quite stay where she placed it. “Tsuyo, you’re certain we can’t use jutsu for this game?”

724/1562

He would listen to her and watch her facial expression for a time as she stared at him with those silver eyes. Eyes the world knew to be cautious of. Eyes that saw through deceit and lies and sought the truth of all things. He would smile in return to her and his eyes would watch her in return. Seeming to see through her and everything around them even though they were clearly not activated. She circled him and he remained calm and poised and yet as a taijustu specialist she might notice something. Something was amiss even as she circled into his supposed weak spot at the square of his back. Where all taijutsu fighters were weakest. He didn't turn more than his head to observe her and yet there was not a single opening. Every scenario that might play out between them screamed of caution to be taken even at his most vulnerable spot. Like looking directly into the maw of a great being that waited for a challenger. He was calm, he was comfortable and yet at the same time he was likely the most dangerous thing to attack on the entire mountain. His taijutsu expertise was immensely oppressive and yet his demeanor was warm and comforting.

She spoke of having known a Tsuyo once. Obviously his face had been altered since then so of course she had her doubts. The changes he had made surgically to himself were subtle but enough to ring doubt into even those who had been close to him. However he had moved passed hiding now. He was no longer afraid of the ANBU that may come for him. He no longer feared any power in this world above his own. Even the rumored strongest he found himself a match for. So his confidence was potent for a reason. Still her words about how he could of been Hokage made him chuckle with amusement. He would wait a moment for her to finish circling him and sigh. Already he could read it in her expression that she was leaving behind doubts of who he was. Accepting it on his sheer chakra and eyes alone. Still he would tilt his head as she collected a golf club. Finishing her speech with question on if they could use jutsu for this game. Personally there wasn't much in the way of jutsu he could see assisting in this game. Still he would speak up in return. A silver gaze watching her.

"If you have the ability to channel jutsu through items as a hyuga perhaps you can yet surpass even me. It has always been something our clan has struggled with. As for Hokage, I suppose it was a possibility though I don't regret missing out on it. After all I was a Kage, just not Hokage."

With that he would move over to where she was struggling with the ball she had collected. Adding herself to his game was fine with him. While he would of liked more practice himself he didn't mind the company. She wasn't acting hostile towards him so he doubted her holding a literal club next to him a threat. Instead he would stand next to her and use the tip of his shoe to make an ever so slight divot in the ground before using his club to nudge her ball into the divot so it stayed still before he would step back well out of range of her golf swing. Speaking again as he slid the golf club over his shoulders and rested his hands on either side of the club.

"More trouble than not, yes that does sound familiar. Some find value in us outside of our skills. One must always be on alert for dojutsu hunters. Even I had my unfortunate run in with them before. As for being a hyuga meaning we should find any task simpler, I would argue that. One must earn pride from more than a name but their actions speaking across nations. Go ahead young lady. Take a swing. Don't be afraid to tear up the ground a bit."

2059

He was unusually calm for a person being scrutinized. Not that she was of any particular threat to anyone’s person she had recently come to learn. However she did pay special attention to the fact that he was completely at ease with her presence, even as she passed his weak spot, which sent a chill down her own spine. She felt no threat or danger from him, however clearly neither did he from her and that concerned her all the more. Even in the mine, Sugita’s henchmen were at least a tiny bit wary of her, but not this silver eyed man. Whatever had transpired during the last decade, it had made Tsuyo into a very powerful man.

Supaku would laugh as Tsuyo mentioned being able to channel jutsu through items. It wasn’t a mean spirited laugh by any means, she knew all too well to what he was referring. She couldn’t do that of course, people she could, but not items or weapons. Imagining a game of golf where fire exploded out of the golf club was amusing and made her smile all the wider.
“It’s probably best that I can’t channel jutsu that way. I’d end up lighting the forest on fire or something horrible I imagine, flaming golf balls everywhere.”

She was surprised when he admitted to be a Kage though, he had been gone for many years and this at least seemed something he was willing to talk about. She was puzzling over how to ask about it without offending him, and then decided that she probably wasn’t capable of being so discreet in the first place, and if he didn’t want to talk about it he would not have brought it up. So she would turn to him and speak her mind plainly, the only way she knew how.

“If not Hokage, then what? You’ve been gone for so long, no one even knew what happened to you. Just one day you vanished and then. . .” She didn’t bother finishing her last thought, it seemed unnecessary and cruel. They both knew what it meant to leave the clan and village without a word. “I’m very excited to see you again though Tsuyo. I looked up to you when I was small, I wasn’t exaggerating earlier when I said I wanted to be like you.”

She would pause with a nod and turn back to the golf ball that was now secured in the divot that Tsuyo had made in the earth. Taking up a defensive pose she held the golf club awkwardly in both hands, she had no training whatsoever with holding weaponry and it felt heavy in her grip. Taking in a deep breath Supaku would exhale and swing violently towards the golf ball, feeling a satisfying ‘smack’ as she swung through. However as she looked down she saw that the golf ball remained precisely where it had been seconds previously and there was now a sizeable chunk of earth missing adjacent to it. With a small “huh” Supaku would rest one end of her golf club on the ground in front of her and lean her weight on it, looking over at Tsuyo, a perplexed expression on her face.

“Well this game does require skill, that I don’t seem to have by virtue of my name you would be correct. I clearly require more practice or instruction, perhaps you could aid me? And a question if I may, someone took your eyes as well? You got them back I see, however can I ask do you see things. . . wrong now?”

610/2172

Tsuyo would smile in such a way that just a small corner of his lips were rising in a way that suggested he was slightly amused as she laughed. It was something cheerful which seemed to disarm the situation almost entirely. He had expected some hostility but instead he was greeted with only mild suspicion followed by interest. She was certainly a fascinating character to say the least. He found most of his clan to be rigid traditionalists. None had ever supported his player life style. The lavish things he surrounded himself with and his vanity always bringing irritation and disapproval to the lot of them. Perhaps this girl was more like a young him than she realized. Unlocking her byakugan after having it removed was a talent. He wondered if they tried making her a specialist or not. Still his words struck true when it turned out that she hadn't overcome their weakness to understanding weapons. They were excellent taijutsu specialists but somehow Bukijutsu had always eluded even him. Which was amusing since almost all of his allies utilized it. He would be careful though to keep somethings to himself even as she joked about lighting the forest on fire. Such as his newer abilities with genjutsu.

She would smile and then look confused to one of his comments as he had suspected she would. She was curios for answer instead of assuming he was little more than a traitor. Still he paused a moment in hesitation before he would speak. What he was about to reveal was a serious crime. Something that could and if wide spread would assuredly end ties between Konoha and Iwa. After all Iwa so far had kept it under wraps and claimed he suddenly retired. He was of course banished from the country but it was far to much of a political mess to have him hunted. "Another nation had fallen for some time into disrepute and despair. Criminals ruled the roads and homeless starved in the streets. Public education was hardly heard of and drugs as well as slavery ran free under the protection of corrupt law enforcement. I saw the issue and knew how to fix it so, I changed my face and name, faked an identity as one of their shinobi and won the Kage position. Since then that country has turned around and I left it to the actual shinobi from the country. Capable and good men and women."

She would take a swing and her club would only send a clump of dirt and grass flying. It was not what one hoped for but he supposed it was expected on a first swing for most. It was amusing all the same. Idly he would place his ball on the ground in a small indent of its own. Demonstrating for her slower than his usual swings as he bent his knee's slightly and lowered the club. Aiming it before turning with his whole body and entering into the swing. With another powerful crack the ball rocketed into the sky. As the sound faded he would listen to her question. She was assuming his eyes were taken from the encounter. She wasn't wrong. She was also assuming these were his original eyes too. Still he would sigh as he straightened out and made sure he was well clear of her swing before speaking again with a calm tone. His eyes studying her. "Such is the curse of our clan I suppose. Even the mighty may fall if they let their guard down. I am curious though, how are you seeing wrong?"

2663

Supaku’s head would tilt and her eyes would widen as Tsuyo explained how he was Kage of an as yet undivulged village. The fact that he had not named the village he was Kage of had not gone unnoticed by her, and it glaring omission was one she decided not to draw more attention to. While she did wish to one day become Hokage, she did not wish to act the part of one while she had neither power nor resources to do so. She knew that with a small amount of research and a modest bit of travel she could easily discover the answer to the mystery herself, and at some point she likely would. Today however she was still trying to decide if Tsuyo was in fact the traitor that their clan and village had labeled him as, and the answer to that particular question made the unnamed villages identity irrelevant. She did appreciate that he at least did it for noble reasons, and left as soon as his purpose was completed, making his nobility more certain in her mind. However it was still only his word and while it was enough to sate her own curiosity she knew it would never be enough to pacify anyone in the clan or the Hokage.
Still she would nod and smile warmly up at him as she brushed her violet hair away from hair yet again before acknowledging his good deeds. “I must admit I was somewhat taken aback when you first started telling me that story. But I can see why you did it. And frankly I’m glad you were able to help those people. Villages are meant to be havens, communities, places where everyone feels safe and cared for, not places filled with corruption, starvation, crime and slavery. If that were to happen here there would be no lengths I would not go to in order to stop it. So I suppose I’m saying thank you on behalf of all those that won’t ever know that you helped them.  You did a wonderful thing.”

After failing miserably at her own swing she would step back and observe as Tsuyo demonstrated his own golf swing. As his golf club connected firmly with the ball and the tiny sphere sailed through the air she would whistle her approval while leaning on her own golf club. She still wasn’t entirely sure what was so different about what he had done compared to what he had just done, but it probably had something to do with how he was standing. With a playful laugh and a shrug she would step up after gathering another golf ball and making another divot in the earth with her boot she would attempt to mimic his earlier stance. Supaku would bend her knees slightly as Tsuyo had done and then lowered the club at the ball, taking a deep breath and then pulling the club back and trying to turn her body as she swung while still aiming for the ball. It was moderately successful, the ball not going nearly as far as Tsuyo’s had done, but it still hit and flew off to the left before dropping into the forest below them. She would jump and cheer, raising one fist into the air excitedly and turning around to breathlessly exclaim her happiness to Tsuyo. “I actually hit it! Not well, but it hit. Now just a thousand more times and maybe I can be as good as you.”

She was cheered only momentarily as Tsuyo’s question came. It was a difficult one for her to answer, however perhaps since he was also Hyuga it would be easier, since he also saw the world somewhat differently. Wringing her hands nervously on the golf club she would take in a deep breath and then let it slowly release, one of her breathing techniques for calming her mind. For right now she was in need of calming, she had not spoken in great detail of her experience with many since her encounter with the Mad Genius, and it was causing her to become quite anxious.

“There was a man who stole my eyes, Sugita, crazy doctor type. I got them back obviously but ever since then there are colours and flashes of light where there shouldn’t be, mostly around people. Especially when I activate my byakugan, it’s far worse then. It becomes somewhat difficult to see at times, not see exactly but focus I suppose, it’s like an overlay of sorts and it is extremely distracting. Does that happen to you?” She would stand waiting nervously for Tsuyo to answer, she was hoping the answer was yes, since she didn’t like the idea that there was something wrong with her. Her whole life she had gone until now as relatively perfect, and it would be a crushing blow to her hopes and dreams if she had something like the loss of her sight to combat. Again.

839/3011

“I must admit I was somewhat taken aback when you first started telling me that story. But I can see why you did it. And frankly I’m glad you were able to help those people. Villages are meant to be havens, communities, places where everyone feels safe and cared for, not places filled with corruption, starvation, crime and slavery. If that were to happen here there would be no lengths I would not go to in order to stop it. So I suppose I’m saying thank you on behalf of all those that won’t ever know that you helped them. You did a wonderful thing.”

She said it with a sincere enough smile and for a moment his mind was shocked with surprise. Out of anything he ever expected another hyuga to say to him he had always expected hate or even violence. He had never expected them to care for his side of the story and knew or at least thought he knew the purpose of finding him would not be for a trial by his peers but for simple annihilation. The world was filled with prejudice like those and paranoid people tended to run things in his experience. People that never hesitated to cast the first stone even if there where whispers of innocence. He knew of the worlds cruelty and had never considered he might be able to overcome it for himself. Yet here was the youth of a newer generation acting entirely different from his expectations. Perhaps she was a breed all her own. Perhaps she was the future of the clan. One could only hope others were as open minded as her. If so peace would not be an illusion but a truth they could establish with a little effort and support. He was rather impressed with the soul of the girl before him and would bow his head ever so slightly even as she wasn't really paying attention to him anymore. Truly her words did his heart wonders.

For the moment she would continue on with the determination to play his game. Before it had been awkward and with little chance of succeeding. She divoted the ground again with the toe of her foot and placed a ball down. He would continue to rest his hands on either side of the golf club as he watched her. She was bending at the knee's now as he had done and taking the time to aim the head of the golf club. Still his head tilted just a little as he admired her backside more so than her stance. He was a lecherous old man after all. Still even if her form wasn't fantastic this time she connected with the ball sending it flying off and to the left. His eyes glanced to the distance where it fell and he made a small inward hum sound as he contemplated it. Comparing it to his capabilities with distance flown, He would say her strength alone was right around average for a genin. The comparison was simple and the math seemed right. Still it could all be just a fallible theory. If she were holding back for some reason still that was. Still he admired certain movements of her as she jumped up and down and exclaimed out “I actually hit it! Not well, but it hit. Now just a thousand more times and maybe I can be as good as you.”

She would continue on after a moments pause to his inquiry into what she meant exactly. How her new eyes were working wrong or rather in what way were they different. Different didn't always mean wrong but could be improved. “There was a man who stole my eyes, Sugita, crazy doctor type. I got them back obviously but ever since then there are colors and flashes of light where there shouldn’t be, mostly around people. Especially when I activate my byakugan, it’s far worse then. It becomes somewhat difficult to see at times, not see exactly but focus I suppose, it’s like an overlay of sorts and it is extremely distracting. Does that happen to you?” How interesting he would think to himself as she spoke. The name Sugita had been in some research papers before and he seemed like a respectable medical professional at some point. To experiment on the hyuga was grievous sin against their clan. He would of had to have gone mad. Still he could see how her condition was troublesome and uncomfortable. He would let his club fall to the ground simply by releasing it as he took a step closer to look down into her eyes. Studying for anything obvious before standing straight again.

"There was discomfort and black spots at first but that comes with any ocular surgery. Beyond that all I get now is phantom pains. However you are not trapped in your condition. In fact I can offer you a choice. I can bring you entirely back to your peak condition with a clap of my hands. All it would cost you was a minor boon. Or, you can try and discover if those flashes and color have a purpose. See if you can mold it into your own tool. Which would you prefer I wonder?"

3552

Tsuyo let his golf club fall to the ground and approached her, which was somewhat unnerving, she still didn’t like people near her eyes. She did her best to stand still and let him look at them, it was a test of her own will though as she felt a new trail of sweat trickle down her brow from underneath her bangs. She was glad when he didn’t reach out to touch her eyes, she likely would have done something stupid at that point, hopefully just attempt to dodge away from his hand, but more than likely she would have attacked him. Which then would have ended any rapport she was building with him. She imagined it would be difficult to continue having a friendly conversation after she punched him, assuming she could even land a hit mind. She’d barely been able to fight back against the horrible woman who took her eyes in the first place, so she really had no reason to believe that she would do better in this instance.

"There was discomfort and black spots at first but that comes with any ocular surgery. Beyond that all I get now is phantom pains. However you are not trapped in your condition. In fact I can offer you a choice. I can bring you entirely back to your peak condition with a clap of my hands. All it would cost you was a minor boon. Or, you can try and discover if those flashes and color have a purpose. See if you can mold it into your own tool. Which would you prefer I wonder?"

Supaku stood still in shock for a while staring at the tall Hyuga in front of her, trying to decide if what she had just heard him say was real. When her eyes had first been taken she had been told over and over that everyone was sorry they couldn’t do more for her. And here was this man, long lost and while not a total stranger close enough to, who had just offered to fix everything. It was mind boggling and a look of distressed confusion would pass over her face as she leaned more heavily on her golf club. He had no reason to help her of course, he likely didn’t remember her at all, being that she was so young when he left and hardly the memorable sort. But there was the mention of a minor boon, so it was not as though he was doing it for nothing.

She weighed the options presented to her carefully as she would walk back over to the pile of golf balls, and picking one up would set herself up for another swing. She needed something physical to distract her from the thoughts rolling through her mind, turbulent and chaotic as she tried to sort through them. On the one hand that he could heal her back to the way she had been before the mine was terribly tempting. She hated that she was less than what she had been, it was a major point of contention when she tried to train now and the pain started in her eyes again. On the other hand, she was not the sort to give up simply because something was difficult or painful, that was the complete opposite of everything that she worked for.

As she would dig her foot into the ground and make another divot for the golf ball in her hand, she turned to him and asked the one question that was the variable she didn’t have knowledge of. “What kind of boon could I possibly offer you? I have no sway with anyone in Konohagakure, I’m merely a genin and by some thinking, I’m likely not known as a very good one. I was barely out of the academy before I got into this mess, I have hardly any friends due to keeping to myself mainly, that and my fairly abrasive personality. I really don’t think I’d be much a resource for you.”

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Tsuyo would observe but was careful not to touch just yet. Suddenly grabbing people by the face was certainly a social anxiety trigger for almost anyone. He was aware of that from his time as a medic within the village. The devil had him beat for souls collected but he was always racing towards that line. Saving lives as he moved along and denying death its due. Still he was not immortal nor did he care to test how pleasant a knife in his ribs might feel. Healing capability or no he was not a fan of being stabbed. Pain was simply unpleasant as far as experiences went. Blades were one of the least interesting things in his mind. Dangerous to work with and even more to be against. The way of the fist was more his style. Still he would examine the eyes and see nothing visibly wrong with them. Whoever had experimented on them didn't leave much in the way of a signature. It was strange considering the symptoms she was presenting. Had they done so to her on purpose? What was the goal here? His offer wasn't flat of course. No matter what damage they had inflicted he could fix it. Nothing in the world could refuse him enough to deny his healing will.

Still he would watch her as she shifted over and lined up another ball for herself. Distracting herself slightly from her thoughts. If she was considering his offer she wasn't sure of anything either. Even as she collected the ball he was amused and interested on how she temporarily deflected the topic. Was it really such a difficult choice? If so she was facing a choice that could alter her for the rest of her life. A known path she was comfortable with or an unknown variable that could lead to something great in the future or lose everything entirely. A blind hyuga was never seen because no Hyuga would wish to live that way. It was a gamble for her which she hesitated with. He would cross one arm across his chest and rest the elbow of the other in his palm while his free hand stroked his beard. She was interesting at least. Or rather so he was beginning to see. Still he listened to her speak as he had suspected her to swing first. Holding off on that for the time being.

“What kind of boon could I possibly offer you? I have no sway with anyone in Konohagakure, I’m merely a genin and by some thinking, I’m likely not known as a very good one. I was barely out of the academy before I got into this mess, I have hardly any friends due to keeping to myself mainly, that and my fairly abrasive personality. I really don’t think I’d be much a resource for you.”

He would smile a little and lower the hand stroking his beard to rest with his arms crossed. Lowering his stance to something comfortable as his toe on his left foot shifted to the side and he shifted his weight to his left leg. Feeling comfortable standing there before he would respond to her. Soft words like poetry hiding behind the smile that reassured calm feelings. "Oh but my dear you undervalue yourself. Imagine if you would, fleeing the noose and having to choose the shadows for so many years. Your clan wanting you to cross the river styx in order to regain their honor. Not minding if my body were to be lost at the bottom of the river running through Konoha. A single voice changing that opinion in my favor would be a comfort. You might not have the power to release me from the clans influence yet one voice can change a thousand minds. It just needs to be spoken."

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Tsuyo’s smile and soothing voice helped to calm her anxiety and relieve some of the doubt she had been feeling in regards to her own worth. Supaku was in a strange place as far as confidence went and it was with no small amount of effort that she attempted to imagine the things Tsuyo asked of her. She had spent so much of her life knowing that she was a strong voice among many, and recent events had shattered that assurance within her.

"Oh but my dear you undervalue yourself. Imagine if you would, fleeing the noose and having to choose the shadows for so many years. Your clan wanting you to cross the river styx in order to regain their honor. Not minding if my body were to be lost at the bottom of the river running through Konoha. A single voice changing that opinion in my favor would be a comfort. You might not have the power to release me from the clans influence yet one voice can change a thousand minds. It just needs to be spoken."

She would smile back at his words and nod slowly as she contemplated their meaning, before turning back to her golf ball and lining up for another swing. Bending her knees and taking the stance she had observed Tsuyo in, she would let the golf club carry her body as she swung and hit the ball with a satisfying ‘crack’. It wasn’t a great shot, but she thought it was slightly better than her last one as the ball didn’t veer nearly so far to the left this time. Taking a moment to enjoy the success of hitting the golf ball again, Supaku leaned on the golf club with her right hand and smiled up at Tsuyo. She hadn’t decided still how she would answer his proposal. It was a tempting offer, and really she didn’t mind speaking on his behalf to the clan, she wasn’t confident that they would listen to her but she wasn’t afraid to try. The problem she was facing was his offer to heal her. She had never once shied away from a challenge before and now that she was given the opportunity to do so, she was finding it remarkably difficult to turn it down.

Looking up at the man thoughtfully she would wipe her brow again before answering in a quiet voice. “It sounds to me as though you have had a rough time of things. And while I greatly appreciate your offer to heal me, I am more intrigued by the idea that perhaps I could rise above my current predicament and find some use in whatever is happening to my vision. That being said however, I would like to offer a counter proposal; I will speak for you, but I would like you to help train me. Whatever is happening to me I think of anyone in the world you might have the most insight into, and as Hyuga of your renown and obvious achievement I could think of no one more suited to assist me with it.”

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Tsuyo would tap his chin as she took another shot. The golf game completely forgotten by this new and intriguing mystery. What had they done to the Byakugan within her and if brought to bear what was it capable of? He didn't know many med nin that would waste their time disabling innocent hyuga. He could feel a sense of purity within her. Much more than he had as a child her age. His finger would press against his forked beard again and again as he contemplated the possibilities. What would he do if he was experimenting medically with the eye? How would he choose to improve or modify its capabilities? He hadn't considered it much up until that point since his own did everything he needed it to. Still his attention would focus on her eyes. She had a new doorway afforded to her possibly. If a med nin had experimented on her it had to be towards some effect. Since she survived the experience he doubted she had been considered a failure. Even if she wasn't fully a success either she had time to mature. Time to evolve into something else. He was certainly interested and mentally invested into seeing what it would happen. She was a cocoon at the moment. Waiting to evolve into a butterfly.

Still she finished her swing and for the moment he would raise an eyebrow and watch it fly a little further this time. Naturally it wasn't comparable to his but his own strength made that incredibly unlikely to begin with. Still it had some nice accuracy on the swing. She could pick up simple basics quickly and utilize them as she saw fit. If she transferred that over to her martial arts she would likely find her progress would improve quickly. Still she needed guidance at this point since she had been forced to doubt herself. A dilemma she had to overcome in her own time. He was the lord of his domain only due to his victories. His domain was where ever he stood due to his strength. If she could regain her confidence she could regain her own power. However he suspected it would shift greatly from his own potential. After all in the event that she didn't accept his help and took that gamble, she could transform into something else entirely. That by itself would be interesting to see. Still he would listen as she replied to him.

“It sounds to me as though you have had a rough time of things. And while I greatly appreciate your offer to heal me, I am more intrigued by the idea that perhaps I could rise above my current predicament and find some use in whatever is happening to my vision. That being said however, I would like to offer a counter proposal; I will speak for you, but I would like you to help train me. Whatever is happening to me I think of anyone in the world you might have the most insight into, and as Hyuga of your renown and obvious achievement I could think of no one more suited to assist me with it.”

Oh well that was an interesting shift of things. She was willing to take her own fate into her hands instead of his. That was a wonderful shift that he hadn't expected to begin with. He had considered her broken by her own doubt up until this point. This was a new vigor he hadn't seen coming. She simply put was full of surprises. He smiled to himself as she had turned the game on him now. Offering him something he wanted for something she did. Well he wasn't opposed to taking on a student at this point. He supposed it might even do her some good to train under him. So he stepped forward. More interested in her than this game any longer. So he stood before her now and held out his right hand as if to shake on it. Speaking with a smile on his face.

"Alright, you help me reclaim my home within the compound and you may come over and train as often as you see fit. Sound like a deal?"

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Supaku had been a bit concerned that she had been too bold in her request. It was after all a bargain she was proposing, not exactly something you would normally put forward to a potential teacher. She was pleasantly surprised though when Tsuyo stepped towards her with his hand outstretched.

"Alright, you help me reclaim my home within the compound and you may come over and train as often as you see fit. Sound like a deal?"

She considered his words for a moment, looking for the angle. She couldn’t see how this would not benefit either of them necessarily. So with a sparkle in her eyes she would reach forward with her own hand and ‘shake on it.’  She was, probably not so secretly, thrilled that he had accepted her counter proposal.

“Well now, it looks like we’ve got some things to work out then I suppose. First of course, I need to speak on your behalf, but to who? Did you have anyone specific in mind, or just the Clan Elders? I can do either, or both I guess if it would help.”

She would pause in her thought process and look up into his silver eyes, suddenly self conscious about her excited rambling. And it occurred to her that a more thorough acknowledgement of what had just transpired was due. So with a more serious tone, and a warm sincere smile she would nod and voice her gratitude.

“Thank you, Tsuyo. I don’t know which one of us is getting the better end of the deal, but I feel as though I am. To have someone such as yourself open their home to me for training is no small thing, and I just wanted to be sure to express my appreciation.”

After waiting a polite amount of time for a reply, if there was one, she bent down again to pick up the remnants of their game of golf, long since forgotten. She wasn’t sure if she should continue practicing hitting the tiny dimpled white ball, or if the time for games had passed. There was an obvious spring in her step as she would go about collecting golf clubs and golf balls, and placing them in a neat looking pile near where they had been swinging. With another surge of bravery she decided to question him further, attempting to justify her prying by a need for more details in order to hold up her end of the deal.

“Where are you staying while you’re in Konoha? An inn, or with someone you know? I mean, how am I supposed to get a hold of you for further arrangements? It’s all well and good for me to help you out, but it’s of no use if I can’t find you afterwards.” She smiled shyly before blurting out her next suggestion. “If you have nowhere to stay, there’s room at my house. I’m sure it would be safe for you, if you wanted.”

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Tsuyo would listen as he smiled. His hands finding their way into his pockets to pull forth a lighter and a smoke. Placing the cigarette in his lips and lighting it as he would inhale and listen to her. She was very willing to be molded by his hands and to get his home back without a fight would be ideal. He had no desire to have to prove his might to his own clan. His own legend should have spread to them. He just needed them to believe it and consider it for their own benefit to include him as a member of the clan once more. To give him back what was rightfully his. However her questions were decent ones. He considered it a moment. She could go to the elders but he knew them to be stubborn old men with a mind more for tradition and less for his interests. Whatever good he had done they would twist into more wrongs. Tipping the scales to their predetermined justice. Unless of course they could not ignore the voice of the clan. He made a path through life manipulating situations. Perhaps it was time to pass on one trade secret.

:"Actually, avoid speaking to the clan elders as long as you can if you would. Instead spread good word of me through the members of the clan itself. Talk with them and bring up my deeds so in the mind of the masses I am more praised than condemned. The voice of the people can not be silenced if it speaks together enough."

How true those words were. It was perhaps why his own time in Iwa didn't have assassins after him and a bounty on his head. Of course the daimyo and council there hated him but the people and the ranking shinobi did not. He had done far more good than his lie had harmed. His own scales tipped by the voice of the many. He would have her do the same thing here. Still she spoke in thanks to him. Considering herself lucky to be able to train under him. Oh but if she knew what awaited her she might not consider it such a great thing. Still he would simply smile and take a second drag. He would break her because he could fix her and repeat the process until she was better than she had been before. He was certain that by the end of day one she might reconsider. He was far from a gentle master, None of his students had left without having felt his wrathful methods.

Still she would set about cleaning up his game. He had lost interest in it over her some time ago and was only just now reminded of it. He didn't actually intend to keep the instruments and actually rather hoped they would find their way into Konoha. Perhaps be discovered up her and konoha would have members that took up the hobby. It was a marvelous game. However she continued her speech. Inquiring where he was staying and even suggesting he come live within her house on the compound. However arriving now simply wouldn't do. He needed positive word of mouth to spread before making his appearance. He needed the majority to sing praises instead of leaping to eliminating him. Instead he would glance over his shoulder and hold up one finger. Looking back to her from the direction he had been glancing in. His escape route towards the cabin.

:"I am well enough on my own for the time being but I am near. I will give you one week. After a week I will walk into the compound personally and reclaim my home. It is up to you that it is done peacefully and a happy affair. I have no desire to fight my own but I will have what is rightfully mine. Do be quick my dear."

With that he winked before stepping once. With that he stood at the edge of the cliff far faster than she could follow. However he would wait for her to realize where he had moved to. He would pull the cigarette from his mouth and preform an elegant bow to her before stepping back and off the cliff. He would take another drag of his smoke as he fell the length of the Hokage mountain before sticking out his left arm and letting his fingers dig into a thick branch to turn his downwards fall into a forward swing. Flying through the air before landing on the ground at a walking pace. Walking down a trail towards his cabin. He doubted very much a genin would be foolish enough to follow him down that path. Just in case she was truly curious as to where he was staying.

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Supaku paid close attention to Tsuyo’s words of advice. Seeing as he had once been Tsuchikage she didn’t think it was too much of a leap to believe he understood how to get things done. And as he spoke an idea began to form in her mind, it wasn’t clever or crafty, but she was an artist after all. If she couldn’t reason with the Elders, which she fully believed she could not, then she could spin tales of Tsuyo’s good works. It wouldn’t be the first time she had told marvelous stories, and one thing she knew from studying history was that whichever story was told the most eloquently and the most often was the one the people believed was fact. And what's more, in this case she was not lying to anyone, they simply didn’t have the whole story. She would need to be careful of course so as to not create any trouble for Tsuyo in the meantime, but she was confident that a few well place rumours and subsequent follow up discussions in the right ears would go a long way towards changing the perception of the Clan towards the Hyuga that stood before her.

She hadn’t truly expected Tsuyo to take her up on her offer of lodging, they only barely knew each other of course. And geographically her home was not in a place that benefited their current circumstance. She was surprised that his plan relied so heavily on his trust in her ability to change people’s minds. One week he gave her, and then he was planning to waltz in. The statement left her anxious, now she felt even more determined to succeed, as the price of failure would likely be his imprisonment in one week. Or worse. She simply couldn’t allow that to happen, not only because it would leave her without any benefit from their deal, or even because she knew it would leave her with that guilt for the rest of her life. Both of those things were true, but her truest reason for wishing to succeed came from her view on how members of Konoha should be treated. And she didn’t believe that anyone from the Village deserved such a fate if circumstances proved that they were still acting in the best interest of the Village. She made a vow to herself then and there, that there was no way she would allow any harm to befall him. At least not from the Village or the Elders. They had branded him a criminal when in fact it was, in a way, he that had had crimes done to him. If anything they should welcome him with open arms and a heartfelt apology for their failure to keep him safe.

A thought occurred to her and as she opened her mouth to voice her question, what should have been carefully thought out words was instead a small ‘yelp’ of surprise as he stepped backwards off the mountaintop. She rushed forward to the edge, looking for what she thought would be a mangled corpse after a fall like that, and instead caught sight of him nonchalantly swinging his way down the rockface and landing with perfect grace at the mountain's base. She let out a sigh of relief, she had been silly to think that a man as powerful as Tsuyo Hyuga would be in any danger from such a thing. Shaking her head she wiped the newly formed beads of sweat from her brow, a result of her sudden fear more than the unrelenting beating down of the sun. It was going to be interesting, dealing with Tsuyo. On the walk home she went over ideas in her head, and the whole time wondered; how small must she seem to a man who casually jumps off mountains.

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{Exit Thread}