It was a slow day, and Takashi was completely alright with that. He had been training so hard recently after graduating that he found himself growing more and more exhausted as the days went on. He had let that exhaustion compound until he eventually he had almost passed out in the middle of a training session. It was after that he realized endless training would only serve to hurt him more than it would help him. And so, after that experience with overexertion, Takashi had decided to spend the day relaxing. He had slept in already, rolling out of bed in the middle of the day instead of at the crack of dawn as he had been for the past few weeks.  It was actually a challenge in patience as he had woken up far earlier than noon due to his body being so used to it, but he had forced himself to stay in bed long enough to let sleep return to him. When he awoke again, he felt much more relaxed and the sun was high in the sky.

From there, the young Uzumaki had taken a long shower and taken his time putting his clothes on. He had nowhere to be today, and so he was going to make every moment of relaxation count. He ate a full breakfast out in his kitchen area, making eggs, bacon, pancakes, and all other manner of breakfast food in order to treat himself for the first time in a long time. It was during that breakfast that he realized how long it had been since he had really sat down alone and relaxed with a book in his hands. He used to love doing that back home in the Land of Wind, and the fact that the destruction of his home had led to him losing yet another part of his life that he had enjoyed so much made him a little angrier than it probably should have. He decided right then and there that he would make up for some of that lost time with the rest of his day and scarfed down the rest of his food so that he could head out as soon as possible. Tossing his dishes in the sink, Takashi grabbed his jacket on the way out the door and made his way toward the Diamond Heights University; a place where he knew he could find all the books he could dream of.

The trip to the university did not take too long, and before too long Takashi had made his way into the large library on the campus proper. The newly promoted genin quickly stepped past a plethora of bookshelves in search of the non-fiction section of the library in hopes of finding something on shinobi history. He had never been one to read about fantasy or fiction of any kind for that matter. He preferred to better himself with his ready, and thus had decided to read up on the Warring States period centuries ago. It look a little bit of time, but before too long the young Uzumaki found himself with a fairly large textbook sitting in an overstuffed chair, his feet propped up on one arm while he leaned on the other. His sideways position might not have been the most appropriate, but it was certainly the most comfortable, and comfort was king today…

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Sayuri woke up just as dawn was breaking, as was her usual routine. Throwing a robe over herself she hurried out of her room on the lower floor of the Diamond Heights University and raced up the stairs and out the door. Finding purchase on one of the taller stone decorations that were placed carefully throughout the grounds, she climbed up and curled herself into a ball. Her eyes were firmly fixed on the eastern horizon, watching in awe as the sun continued it’s majestic climb up into the brightening sky. A happy sigh escaped her lips as she sat, transfixed, by the golden orb. She did this nearly every morning, enjoying the way the rocks created the most interesting shadows that danced and curled across the ground. She liked to create stories for all the shapes that formed as a result of the rising sun, one of the many games she indulged in throughout her days. After watching a pair of shinobi fight their way across the large expanse of the lake before finally making peace and dancing their way inside a tent, she climbed down from her perch and skipped merrily back inside the University. Taking the steps back downstairs two at a time, she would dash towards the cafeteria, sliding across the floor and plopping unceremoniously into one of the many empty chairs. The squeak of the chair as it complained at her improper usage of it was almost drowned out by the sound of chattering and the clanking of pots and dishes in the adjacent kitchen.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, Sayuri would creep slowly towards the doors to the kitchen, a mischievous grin on her face. She knew that the head chef would probably scold her again, but she loved watching them all work, it was like art - and of course their art focused on one of her favourite things; food. As she peeked her head in to the busy room, she was delighted at the smells that wafted from the meal being prepared. All of the staff were concentrating on their work, their hands moving quickly as they chopped and sliced, the bright glint of light off of the knives in their hands making her think of the way snow sparkled on a sunny morning after a storm. It did not take long before someone noticed the short white haired woman, crouched and half inside the kitchen. Fortunately it was one of the older chefs that had taken a liking to the girl and he simply winked at her guilty looking face before walking over and handing her a piece of fresh cooked crispy bacon. She grinned at him and returned to her seat, all the while happily munching on her ‘stolen’ treat. Not more than a few seconds after she finished the piece of meat did one of the chefs walk out with a plate in hand and place it in front of her on the table. A generous stack of pancakes was ringed by more heavenly bacon and herbed scrambled eggs. Saying a quick “Thank you!” as she dove into the hearty breakfast, pouring syrup on everything as she practically inhaled the sweet and salty morsels of cake, meat and eggs.

Once she was finished with her breakfast she carried her plate back towards the kitchen and waved cheerfully at the staff who were also eating their hard earned meal. After receiving smiles and waves in return Sayuri would wander back to her room and pick out her clothing for the day; she had grown fond of the sun dresses that she owned, and picked out a white one with tiny clusters of blue and yellow flowers on it. Laying the dress out carefully on the bed she found her soft soled canvas shoes and placed them neatly near the end of her ‘bed’. In actual fact her clothing was placed on the inner most mattress of the three beds she had pushed together, causing the clothing to appear smaller than it should by comparison. With a giggle she gathered her towel and traipsed off to the bathing room, spending extra time in the shower making large amounts of bubbles with her soap and trying to construct a ‘soap squirrel’ to keep her company. After toweling herself off, she would braid her long white hair so it sat over the front of her left shoulder and then proceeded to get dressed. Satisfied that she looked like a decently respectable young woman she would walk back upstairs and make her way to the library. It had been some time now that she had actually been able to read; even though certain words still eluded her. Thanks to Harichimo patiently instructing her she found that she was able to enjoy most of the books that the library had to offer.

As she entered the library she caught sight of her favourite librarian and would call out to him with the energy of someone who had yet to experience the drudgery of employment. “Good morning! Are there any new books for me today?” The old man would laugh and shake his head ‘no’, scuttling off to scold some students who did not appear to be caring for the books as much as he would have preferred. Walking straight for the fantasy section, she pulled a book off the shelf that had a picture of a man with a sword on it. She loved the stories that involved fighting dragons, or magic swords - anything with a lot of adventure, and the more epic the better. With her chosen book in hand she moved purposefully towards the comfortable seating area, and sank into one of the empty arm chairs. She was surprised to see a man sitting more or less across from her, legs propped up on one of the arms and invested in what seemed to be a fairly heavy book. She hadn’t noticed him in the University before, and so, being that she was often curious beyond what was considered appropriate she spoke to him in her friendly and soft voice. “Hello there! I haven’t seen you here before. . . not that you shouldn’t be here, or uh, anything. I mean. . . hm. I’m Sayuri! What are you reading?”

1049

Takashi had picked a good book. He knew it the moment he opened the cover and the smell of the pages flowed over his senses. The potent vanilla-like, sweetly fragrant paper scent caused a small shiver to run down his spine and he smiled ever so slightly at the thought of spending the next several hours deep between the pages of the tome. The book was one about the ninja world history, though more specifically it focused on known clans and the history from centuries ago that made the shinobi world the way it was. The opening pages were nothing new, as they discussed the time in history known as the Warring States Period when the clans warred against each other for the favour of the highest bidder. The tales of the most famous clans in the world like the Senju clan and their famed Wood release as well as the Uchiha clan and there infamous Sharingan were all well and good, but Takashi was interested in some of the less known clans that could be found throughout the ninja world. So instead of continuing with the opening chapter, the young Uzumaki flipped through the book until he came to the section on the clans form the Land of Lightning. Furrowing his brow, he began to read.  

The first clan that he came across was the Raiu clan. This particular clan was renowned for its advanced elemental release, something that Takashi could never imagine being able to utilize. Ranton, or Storm Release as it was known as more commonly was the result of the combination of Suiton and Raiton chakra, molding them together to form a very versatile way of manipulating Raiton chakra through something other than open air. It was interesting to read about, but what Takashi was really interested in was the clan’s history. According to the book, the Raiu clan was the product of the two founding clans of Kumogakure no Sato, the Misora and the Yamamoto. Though some of the clan members remained separate, for the most part they banded together and created the clan that is was so prominent in the present. Th Raiu clan were used as the depentant, loyal bruisers that were always ready to fight for their land. They remained as a mostly passive clan that was known for fighting and little else until the student of the third Raikage, Darui, rose through the ranks of the shinobi and became one of the few people to wield the legendary black ration. Eventually, this man was promoted to the rank of Kage after performing great deeds in the Forth Great Ninja War. The Raiu were held in higher esteem from that day forward, and have kept that level of respect for all the centuries since then.

It was a great tale that Takashi was interested in learning more about, but instead of continuing on to learn more about foreign clans, the young genin decided to take a long shot and search for something a little more personal. As he thumbed through the pages of the text, Takashi knew that he probably would not find much on the Uzumaki clan, but he knew he had to try. He had so much that he wanted to learn, and he would not be able to do that unless he kept searching for answers. And so, though he had low expectation, he continued to flip through the book until the unthinkable happened. There it was, on one of the pages near the back of the book; the symbol of his clan was drawn prominently and proudly. His eyes went wide for a moment, unable to process the fact that he had actually found something of value in the book. The section looked to be smaller than most, but even so, there was content to consume. With a deep inhale, Takashi began to pour over the pages.

It was about that time that he heard her. A young woman’s voice coming from the  area near the library entrance. “Good morning! Are there any new books for me today?” He almost flinched at the sound of another voice in the library, but managed to ignore it for the most part as he continued to pour over the pages before him. There was not much information there, but what was there was dense with context and history that Takashi had not read about before. Excitedly, he tried to read on further when he heard a voice that was close to him. The same voice as before, but this time, it was addressing him! Blinking out of his trance, Takashi turned to see who exactly was trying to get his attention, and why. “Hello there! I haven’t seen you here before. . . not that you shouldn’t be here, or uh, anything. I mean. . . hm. I’m Sayuri! What are you reading?”

Takashi’s mouth was slightly agape for a moment as he took in the young woman before him. He was so taken aback by the fact that she was talking to him while he was reading that he could not do anything but take in her appearance. She was shorter than him by quite a bit and had long white hair. Her eyes were different colours, and her features were nothing less than delicate. Her clothes were well made, which made him think that she probably was not a ninja like him. All in all, she was attractive, but Takashi could not come to any more conclusions simply because he was still so surprised. After a moment or two of staring in silence, the young Uzumaki finally found the presence of mind to speak up. “I um…hi. Ya I don’t come here very often. In fact this is my first time.” He glanced down at the book for a moment, trying to weigh the options of sending her away of continuing. With a slight sigh, he came got the conclusion that being rude was not an acceptable option at this point, and the book wasn’t going anywhere. Looking back up form the book, he addressed his newly introduced acquaintance.

“Hello Sayuri, I’m Takashi. I was just reading a book on great shinobi clans and their history. What about you? Did you find something to read?”

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Sayuri knew that she was speaking too quickly, as soon as she saw the man across from her pause for an unusually long period of time before answering. She also knew that this was probably a personality trait she should work on, as it seemed to be off putting to most people, but she rarely thought about it until it had occurred - yet again. Keeping the palm of her hand on the cover of the book she had chosen she would smile and wait patiently for the man’s answer. Well very nearly patiently, she squirmed about in her chair and ended up with her legs crossed on the large seat, finally settling down when she felt there were no more comfortable options to be had. “Takashi, that’s a nice name. I’m pleased to meet you. You know, it would seem that quite a lot of people come here to study history. But as for me, I found a book about a. . .” She would quickly look down at the book in her lap, as in her excitement at meeting someone new she had all but forgotten what she had chosen. “Knight? I think? It’s an adventure story anyway, they’re my favourite kinds of stories. What with all the dashing about and sword play and what not. I think they’re very exciting and romantic.” The longer she spoke the more high pitched her voice became, and the more she would fidget. Hugging the book to her chest she would pull her legs underneath herself and lean forward just slightly so that it almost seemed as though she might fall out of the chair and flat on her face. She wouldn’t of course, she was quite used to perching in uncomfortable looking positions and was not the least bit concerned - or aware - that she was causing a minor scene.

“So Takashi, why are you studying history? Are you a student here? Or maybe your clan needs you to study the history of, well, your clan. I met someone here before that needed to do that but he. . . oh. He said he had to do it alone. Do you have to do this alone? Or can you tell me about it?” There was a small pout forming on her lips as she remembered that Kejido had had to leave because of his studying. She had very much wanted to go to the library with the man, but that had not been allowed to happen. Something about his clan needing him to do the research on his own or something. Now that she had met yet another young man who was interested in clan history, she was afraid that she would get a similar answer. All in all she was finding it terribly difficult to make lasting friendships in Iwa. There was Harichimo of course, but he had also been charged with teaching her. So while they were friends, she wasn’t sure that he counted, in that he had an obvious obligation to spend time with her. A small and sad sigh would escape her lips and her head would droop a bit, causing wisps of her hair to partially cover her reddening cheeks. “I understand if this is something you need to do on your own. But if so, whenever you’re done maybe I can show you around the university - since it’s your first time here and all.”

574/1623

The way that the young woman squirmed in her seat as she waited for him to answer made Takashi reckless himself, though the feeling quickly left him as soon as the answer left his lips. It looked as though she had finally found a comfortable position at almost the same time he had asked her his question, and part of him wondered if that was in part because she was more uncomfortable with the silence than her actual seated position. Regardless of the true root cause, Takashi was interested to hear she would reply. After complimenting his name, eliciting a silent nod of acknowledgement from the Uzumaki, she went on to tell him about her own book. Though he was slightly disappointed due to her selection clearly being fiction, he chose not to say anything knowing full well that most people would find the books he enjoyed boring. Instead, he nodded once again and took note of her movements. She was fidgeting more and more as she talked, her chosen novel held tightly to her chest and her posture held far forward to the point where Takashi was impressed with her balance. In response, Takashi sat up and leaned back in his own chair, hoping to put a more comfortable distance between the pair without making Sayuri embarrassed in any way.

As she continued, it became clearer and clearer to Takashi that Sayuri was acting a lot less mature than her age appeared to be. She was not much older than Takashi, if at all. But she seemed like a young adult whose personality was that of a…younger person. It was confusing to say the least, but Takashi always did his best to be polite, so he didn’t bring it up at all. Instead, he listened intently to her question, a small smile showing on the corner of his mouth. She was so concerned about his privacy that it looked like she was becoming visibly upset. He did not want her to be upset at all, so he kept the smile on his face as he shook his head. "No no, you don’t have to leave. I’m actually not even a student here to be honest.” He reached out then and patted the large tome, his eyes drifting between it and the woman before him. “I’m actually here because it’s a day off of sorts for me. I’m a genin of the village and I’ve been pushing myself really hard lately so I decided to take some time off to let my body recover. I came here to read a little bit, and I’m partial to non-fiction. History is particularly interesting to me, especially since I don’t know much about my own clan’s history.”

He paused then for a moment, mulling over the repercussions of telling her that he was an Uzumaki. There tended to be a certain level of expectation that was thrust upon him by other shinobi when he would bring up the legendary clan of Konohagakure no Sato. Not only that, but he was usually bombarded with question about himself and his own abilities. He did not really mind that very much though. He was happy to answer questions. What bothered him was that he did not like to be judged for being as weak as he currently was while having such a lofty clan name hanging over him. It was a lot of pressure, especially considering he was just recently graduated at such an old age. His brow furrowed as the consequences rolled through his mind before he looked back up and saw something that solidified his choice. The innocence that was in her eyes reflected curiosity and kindness, not a judgemental attitude that would come back to haunt him. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed a little before continuing.

“You see, I’m an Uzumaki, which is a clan that you’ve probably heard of. A lot of out history has been lost to time, and I always like to learn something new about my people when I can.”

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Sayuri was relieved that Takashi reassured her that she could stay. She would have left of course, privacy was something she fully understood the value of; but she hadn’t wanted to. The gigantic book that the man was holding had piqued her curiosity and she wanted to know more about it. When he at first explained that it was a history book, she had found the coincidence interesting; before quickly realizing that she lived in apparently the busiest library in the whole village, and more often than not she would end up meeting people that were studying history. What she found more interesting than the large book though, was when he admitted to it being a day off. She was not entirely sure what he meant by that. She was aware that people had jobs, places they went to where they got paid to do things. But she had no experience in it herself. She wondered if perhaps he could be some sort of fighter, and that’s why a day off was spent without physical activity. She had heard the phrase ‘a day off’ only in reference to jobs, so it seemed that was likely the case. Her eyes would light up at the realization and she would shift positions yet again, this time moving so she was sitting lightly on the arm of the chair she was currently perched on.

“So you’re a fighter of some kind then? That’s exciting! I’ve met a couple of fighting type people, and it looks like a difficult job. But so far you seem very pleasant. . . and smiley. Not that. . . uh, not that other people are unpleasant just that, um. Okay so, I’m still not especially good at talking with people yet, so I’m sorry, please feel free to ignore my ramblings.” She would duck her head down a slight bit and blush as she reviewed what she had just said. Of course she didn’t mean that any of her other friends were unpleasant, more to the point she meant that Takashi was still, well, fun. Or something to that effect. Other friends she had that had spent a good portion of their life studying martial arts were less. . . cheerful. It was an aura of what she could only describe as seriousness. And while she thought that being serious was an important quality, for her she found it far less entertaining.  

As Takashi continued by revealing his clan name to her, her face drew into a look of puzzlement. She knew what a clan was - kind of. It was a family she thought, at least so far as she had pieced together from conversations with various people. The conversation that she was now having though was one she often hoped to avoid, for two reasons. Firstly she had no idea what her family name was, or if she even had a ‘clan’. Based on what she could remember of her own family, probably she wasn’t in a clan of any kind. People always made clans sound special, or powerful - and what she remembered was fairly mundane. She and her family were rice farmers, nothing more. Her grandfather had a modicum of skill with a blade, some of which he had passed down to her, but other than that they were ordinary people. It caused her a fair amount of anxiety to think that she didn’t know if she could even find her family in a library like this. She probably couldn’t, but even if there was a chance she wouldn’t know where to begin looking. Her own last name - Kome - she had made up so she could participate in missions and help out wherever she was. The second reason she didn’t prefer speaking on these topics was her abysmal lack of knowledge. She had not, until now, gone to any school or academy to speak of. So when it came to things she ‘may have heard of’, she most certainly had not heard of them. It was just another thing that she felt she was inferior with. With a throat swollen slightly from the tears of frustration and embarrassment she was fighting back she replied in a voice that cracked part way through. “No, I uh, don’t know who the Uzumaki are actually. I’m not very, well not at all, versed in the history of. . . anything? If you want to tell me about them you can. I mean, it sounds very important - the clan I mean. I mean, wait. You sound important as well! I’m messing this up. I’ll start again; would you like to tell me about your clan?”

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Takashi could tell by the look on the woman’s face that she was happy, or at least relieved that he had said she could stay and talk. When she questioned whether or not he was a fighter, Takashi opened his mouth for a moment, wanted to tell her that he already said he was a genin of the village. That meant he was a shinobi, and fighting was definitely part of his job. But upon second thought, the young Uzumaki was not even sure that that Sayuri would know what a ninja was. Instead, he simply nodded along with her observations, trying not to get lost in the mixed and jumbled pile of thoughts and words. “Yes, a fighter is one word for what I do.” There was a lot going on in inside her head, and it looked like most of it was spilling out into her conversation. If he was honest with himself though, Takashi did not really mind. It was nice to talk with someone who spoke their mind, no matter what they wanted to say. It meant that he could actually let his guard down a little bit, which was something he had a very hard time doing ever since the destruction of the Village Hidden in the Sands.

When he mentioned his clan, his suspicions that Sayuri was pretty much clueless when it came to matters of the shinobi world was solidified. The extremely puzzled look on her face combined with the fact that she did not immediately say anything along the lines of “The Uzumaki!?! You must be really strong!” or “Are you a descendant of Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage?” or “Can you show me some sealing techniques?” made him realize that the woman before him probably had no idea what that name meant. Once again, Takashi found himself completely alright with that, In fact, the moment she responded, the young Uzumaki knew he was going to have a good rest of the morning with the young woman. “No, I uh, don’t know who the Uzumaki are actually. I’m not very, well not at all, versed in the history of. . . anything? If you want to tell me about them you can. I mean, it sounds very important - the clan I mean. I mean, wait. You sound important as well! I’m messing this up. I’ll start again; would you like to tell me about your clan?”

The small smile on his face started to grow when she asked her question, in part because the was she asked was hilarious, but also because of how much he enjoyed talking about his family. Takashi swung his feet around so that he was sitting upright and facing towards her before pulling the book he had been reading out and flipping open to the few pages that it had on the Uzumaki clan. “I would love to! But I will warn you, Uzumaki history is one of my hobbies so I know a lot. If you get bored, don’t be afraid to just shush me.” With that, the young Uzumaki would began talking about the little he knew regarding his clan. It was not very much, but what information he did know, he held dear. “My clan, the Uzuamki, used to be a really prominent clan in the land of Uzushiogakure before it was destroyed by a mysterious force of ninja from all over the world that feared them because of how strong their sealing techniques were. They then retreated from there to the Land of Fire where they found refuge with the Senju clan. They stayed there ever since, growing stronger and living in peace with the other clans there, welcomed as one of their own. In fact, the symbol on the flak jackets from that country are actually my clan’s symbol!”

He paused then for a moment to point down at the image of the clan symbol in the book before him. The red swirl that was so important to him hung in his gaze for a moment before he snapped out of the brief trance and focused back on his new friend. “The Uzumaki became really well known for their fuuinjutsu ability, which is passed down through the bloodline to each and every clan member, including myself. Out seals are more potent than the average fuuinjutsu technique, and they can do a lot more. That eventually led to some jealousy in the Land of Fire that forced the Uzumaki to leave Konohagakure no Sato officially and wander the world for a time, which is part of the reason I was never part of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Instead, my parents lived in Sunagakure no Sato, until it was destroyed so recently.” His voice would grow quiet for a moment as he relived the memory of his father turning to ash before his eyes, and his mother’s legs being crushed to the point where he would never walk again. He wanted to say more, but decided that bearing his emotions to this woman that he just met would be a bad idea. Instead, he simply forced back the tears that tried to form in the corners of his eyes and made eye contact with Sayuri once again.

“I would love to travel to the Land of Fire someday to see where my people call home now, but first I have to become a much stronger ninja so that I can protect myself along the way.” With that, he would close the tome on his lap and set it back to the side, resting his hand on it for a moment as he addressed the woman once again. “But enough about me; are you from this village? I haven’t been here very long so knowing someone who knows their way around the village would be awesome.”

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Sayuri had been concerned that once again she had been speaking far too much, so much it was bordering on annoying. But the smile that grew across the man’s face told a different story altogether. Even his body language shifted as he moved to face her full on and flipped open the large book on his lap to a specific page. “I would love to! But I will warn you, Uzumaki history is one of my hobbies so I know a lot. If you get bored, don’t be afraid to just shush me.” Sayuri would laugh as he gave his caveat; she understood his current feeling. “I’m the last person, probably in the whole world, that would tell you that you’re talking too much. I’m always excited to learn new things, and it’s all the better that you’re just as excited about it! That means it will be super fun for both of us!” With that said she would move over to the arm of Takashi’s chair with a light hop and settle herself on his left so she could easily see over his shoulder and look at the book he was referencing.

“My clan, the Uzumaki, used to be a really prominent clan in the land of Uzushiogakure before it was destroyed by a mysterious force of ninja from all over the world that feared them because of how strong their sealing techniques were. They then retreated from there to the Land of Fire where they found refuge with the Senju clan. They stayed there ever since, growing stronger and living in peace with the other clans there, welcomed as one of their own. In fact, the symbol on the flak jackets from that country are actually my clan’s symbol!” She looked intently at the symbol that the man pointed at, and gave a soft exclamation of recognition. “You know, I do recognize that symbol, I remember seeing it on people’s coats and armor while I was in Konohagakure. I didn’t give it much thought before now, I just sort of assumed that it was the symbol of Konoha, without any other meaning. See I only just recently learned how to read and write, so I lumped it in with all the other things I didn’t understand. That’s amazing though! An entire village remembers and honours your family!” She would reach down and trace the red curled symbol on the page with her left index finger. She really did think it was special that his family was so well loved.  “The Uzumaki became really well known for their fuuinjutsu ability, which is passed down through the bloodline to each and every clan member, including myself. Out seals are more potent than the average fuuinjutsu technique, and they can do a lot more. That eventually led to some jealousy in the Land of Fire that forced the Uzumaki to leave Konohagakure no Sato officially and wander the world for a time, which is part of the reason I was never part of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Instead, my parents lived in Sunagakure no Sato, until it was destroyed so recently.”

Sayuri did not understand what Takashi meant by ‘fuuinjutsu’. She had seen some examples of ‘sealing’, but she hadn’t realized that it was its own art. “So if I’m understanding correctly, fuuinjutsu is a fancy word for making things disappear. Is that right?” They question could have been seen as disrespectful, were it not combined with yet another look of puzzlement. Her confusion was short lived as Takashi went on to talk about his family, and how they had lived in Sunagakure. She knew full well what had happened there, or at least she thought she did. Something, or someone had completely razed the city recently. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the amount of people that must have suffered as a result. And with the quieting of Takashi’s voice it seemed to her that he was among those that had suffered. She would do her best to try to comfort him, attempting to place a hand on the mans shoulder in sympathy. “I’m so sorry Takashi, that must have been really hard. If you ever want to talk about it, I would be willing to listen to you.” She knew what it was like to lose your home, and your family. She had had neither for so long, and the only way she’d found to be able to deal with it was by not thinking about it most of the time. She could see that he was struggling with his emotions, which to her was understandable - she’d never quite understood how most people she met were unwilling to display them. Though she was on the far end of the extreme when it came to displays of emotions, and as he continued she brushed at the tears that had formed in her eyes both to empathize with Takashi and to grieve her own pain.

“I would love to travel to the Land of Fire someday to see where my people call home now, but first I have to become a much stronger ninja so that I can protect myself along the way.” It seemed to her that Takashi was trying his best to remain positive and so she did not press the issue further. “Someday I would love to go back to Konoha, if you’re looking for someone to travel with at any point, let me know! I miss it quite a lot. I had to leave my friends behind there, and I would love to see them again.” The sadness that welled up this time at the mention of her friends was not overwhelming, and not entirely unpleasant. She knew that her friends were fine in Konoha, and that they were happy. So while she missed them, she did not feel the need to grieve them. The sound of the history book closing snapped Sayuri out of her daydreaming and she would resume looking at Takashi, she enjoyed looking into his eyes - they were a beautiful shade of yellow, almost like gold she thought.

“But enough about me; are you from this village? I haven’t been here very long so knowing someone who knows their way around the village would be awesome.” She would blush a bit as the conversation turned to her, she was reasonably comfortable talking about others, but her own history was unpleasant and she was only occasionally reminded of it at times such as these. She would duck her head back down and stare intently at the hem of her dress while she fiddled with an invisible loose thread near her knee. She didn’t speak for a few seconds, running through all the ways she could answer his question before she finally took a deep breath and spoke softly. “I’m not from here, no. Well, I live here now, but I only arrived a few months ago, I don’t know how long exactly - time is still something I’m working on. I lived in Konoha for a while, and Kumogakure as well. But I do know all the best places to eat and all the best places for adventure. So! If you want to do either of those things, I’m your girl!” She would gesture emphatically at herself as her voice regained it’s cheerful tone.

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Takashi could not help but smile as the woman – the full grown woman – crawled onto the arm of his chair and peered over his shoulder so that she could read along with him. It was hilarious, and the joyful innocence that Sayuri exuded was nothing less than infectious. As he went on to describe his clan, he learned more and more about the woman before him. One thing tat caught his attention was told to him when he mentioned the flak jackets of Konohagakure no Sato. “You know, I do recognize that symbol, I remember seeing it on people’s coats and armor while I was in Konohagakure. I didn’t give it much thought before now, I just sort of assumed that it was the symbol of Konoha, without any other meaning. See I only just recently learned how to read and write, so I lumped it in with all the other things I didn’t understand. That’s amazing though! An entire village remembers and honours your family!” It was an interesting bit of information, knowing that she had once live din the Land of Fire. He kept that piece of information in his mind as he continued his explanation of his clan and their abilities.  

He answered her questions as best he could, agreeing with her that fuuinjutsu could make things disappear, but elaborating just a little bit more so that she did not get the wrong idea. “Fuuinjutsu can be used to seal things inside of other things, yes. Like a shuriken into a scroll. But it can do so much more. It forms bonds that are made of pure chakra, making it a very potent tool. The Uzumaki can take those bonds and actually break them, along with other existing bonds. Its pretty complicated, but its basically out special ability. It’s what makes my clan so famous around the ninja world; nobody else can break bonds like that.” He continued his story, and was able to smile weakly as she encouraged him in regards to the loss of his family. Instead of staying on that topic, Takashi simply nodded his thanks at her offer and moved on to his next topic which led to an offer that the young Uzumaki had not expected. “Someday I would love to go back to Konoha, if you’re looking for someone to travel with at any point, let me know! I miss it quite a lot. I had to leave my friends behind there, and I would love to see them again.” The excitement on the young genin’s face was plain to see as he thought of travelling across the land until he ended up in a country that was so foreign to him, and yet so familiar thanks to all he had read. The smile returned to his face at that thought, and he had to accept. “I will definitely take you up on that offer someday Sayuri!”

It then came to her turn to answer questions, which the young woman seemed happy to do. She mentioned that she was not a local, much like himself, but also that she did not know much about time. It was a confusing statement, but one that actually made a little bit of sense given the level of maturity the Uzumaki was witnessing with her. He simply nodded along with her statements, expressing a small interest in going on an adventure with her someday, but not really wanting to commit to anything quite yet. After all, he still had to get his training in. “I’ll think about it for sure. I really need to find a good restaurant one of these days, so if I see you around on another day I’ll take you up on that offer.” He paused then, glancing up at a clock on the wall and realizing how much time had gotten away from him. He had planned to read all day, but had ended up chatting for quite some time. He didn’t really mind, but part of him really wanted to get a little bit of time to himself.  

Thinking through his options, Takashi came up with a solution that he hoped would not sound too rude. “Hey Sayuri, I actually was hoping to get a bit of reading in before the day if over.” He paused to look up at the woman perched on his chair. “Would it be alright if I just sat and read for a while? You’re welcome to stick around if you want!”

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Sayuri found the man's excitement at the suggestion of travelling infectious. It had been many months since she had travelled anywhere, and truth be told, she missed wandering. She adored her new home of course, but she knew that there would always be a part of her that wanted to run through the forest and feel strange wind on her face. She had met so many interesting people in her travels, done so many exciting things; it had been with no small amount of effort that she had decided to settle down here in Iwagakure no sato. One day she knew that she would travel again, hopefully on some sort of diplomatic mission to help the Village, or maybe she would be escorting an important official to a far away land. Given the current state of the world however, she thought it would be more likely that she would have to travel in the defense of her Village. There was war brewing, she could see it plain as day. First Sunagakure was destroyed, then Mitsuo was taken prisoner by Hastur - the current Raikage and then on top of all that her friend and the lord Tsuchikage Harichimo was attacked by the so called ‘benevolent leader’ of Kumogakure. Although she was troubled by her current thoughts, she kept them to herself, preferring to focus on the pleasant conversation that she was fortunate enough to be participating in.

When Takashi asked if it was alright for him to read quietly, she would blush fiercely. She had not considered that perhaps the reason he was sitting alone in a library was because he wanted to be alone. She scrambled off the arm of his chair and curled up back in her own. “I’m so sorry, yes, um I didn’t mean to bother you. Of course you can do whatever you want! I’m so, so sorry Takashi!” Settling herself back into her reasonably comfortable position, her book set carefully on her lap with her left leg swung over the arm of her chair she would open her book up to the first page. She felt absolutely horrible for having monopolized the man’s time like that, and she had thought that she’d gotten better at reading social situations. Apparently she had not. It would take some time for the embarrassment to fade from her cheeks as she tried to focus on her book. It was a good enough story, but she was less enthused with it now that she had so many other things occupying her mind.  The coming war with Kumogakure, the revelation of exactly who the current Tsuchikage was, memories of her family, her rescue plan for Mitsuo, and now she was worried that she had offended Takashi. As she read, or at least tried to read, she would look over periodically at the dark haired man, partly out of curiosity but mostly to ensure that he didn’t seem angry with her.

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The colour of Sayuri’s face shifted from that its normal colour straight to bright red so quickly that Takashi blinked a couple times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He instantly knew that he had said something that upset or embarrassed the child-like woman and the feeling of regret that he felt was surprising to him. He was not one to worry too much about wat people thought of him; especially not of late. But even so, in that moment the young man found himself regretting his words. She scrambled off of the arm of his chair and curled up in her own once again, her apology springing from her lips just as quickly as everything else she had said. “I’m so sorry, yes, um I didn’t mean to bother you. Of course you can do whatever you want! I’m so, so sorry Takashi!” The young Uzumaki smiled softly back at her, flipping his hair out of his eyes before responding. “There’s really no need to be sorry Sayuri. I enjoyed our talk! And I hope we can talk again soon. Do you come around this library often?” He would pause for her response, hoping that she would say yes. Being able to tell someone all about his clan and about his fighting style was actually a lot more enjoyable than he thought it would be. He had never been one to talk at length, but it seemed as though this strange woman had opened up a side of him that he did not know that much about.

Takashi took the book he had been reading and set it down for a moment and swung his legs back around to their previous position. Once he had situated himself so that he was laying down in the chair once again, he picked on the book and opened it back up to the pages about the clans of Iwagakure no Sato. This was his home now, and if he was going to be part of their forces, he would have to know exactly what the people around him were capable of. And so he began reading at length about the legendary users of Particle release, and the old explosion corps of the Village Hidden in the Stone. He had much to learn, but there was no better time to learn it. But even as he read, he could not help but glance over at Sayuri every once in a while, his mind trying to comprehend exactly how she came to be the way she was. It was a mystery to him, but as he caught her eye for a brief moment, he smiled at her in an attempt to reassure her once again. He had made another friend today, and that was an encouragement in and of itself. And who knew? Maybe he could even learn something from her someday…

[Exit Thread]

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Training:

The soft smile that Takashi gave Sayuri was enough to reassure her that she hadn’t done anything horrible. She took a shuddering breath before answering his question, trying to get a handle on the sudden rise of emotion she felt. “I do actually, I mean am. Or well, I’m here, in the library, quite a lot. I live here you know, not in the library exactly, in the University I mean. So yes, I’m here everyday. And I would very much like the opportunity to speak with you again. I liked hearing about your clan and I’d love to know more!” She would smile at Takashi in kind as she spoke, still cradling her own choice of book. Learning about the Uzumaki and Fuuinjutsu had been very exciting, and she knew that these were the sorts of things she would have to study now that she held a position with some responsibility within the village. She could imagine the looks on any of her students faces when she inevitably had to reveal that she didn’t know even the most legendary pieces of history. Though from what she had gathered the vast amount of historical knowledge that shinobi gained was from their time spent in the Academy. Something she had never had to do, but also something that now, she wouldn’t have to worry about teaching. Even still though, she didn’t want a situation to come up where she caused a problem because she didn’t know something about a clan, or a village or even a particular person.

With a quiet laugh to herself at her own likely unfounded worries, she would open her book and trace her right finger lightly across the words as she read them. She had found that touching the words as she tried to read them gave her more focus and stopped her mind from wandering. Which it did. With great enthusiasm. She had read about one chapter into the book when she cast a glance at Takashi who she saw smile at her, and she smiled again at him. While initially she had been concerned with sitting here quietly while there was a perfectly good conversation partner sitting across from her - now she was finding that it was a very pleasant experience to share the peaceful and silent company of her newfound friend. She was curious about him, about where he came from and what it was like. What had drawn him to Iwagakure specifically and not another Village. Was it similar to why she had made Iwagakure her home, had he grown to love the village the way she had and decided to make it his home? He looked pretty athletic unlike a lot of the students she saw around the University, so when she had suggested an adventure, did that mean he would be able to keep up with her? She really hoped so, since she had been here she had discovered many beautiful climbing spots just outside the Village, and she would love to show them to other people. She had so many questions for him, and she hoped that she would soon get the chance to learn more about the mysterious man.

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{Exit Thread}

Training:
PER B-2 > B-3 - 900 words + 225 ryo
END B-1 > B-2 - 800 words + 200 ryo

1700 words + 425 ryo

Cerulean Raiton: Final Spark (A-Rank) - 2000 words + 250 ryo
Basic Recovery Method (C-Rank) - 1000 words + 150 ryo

3000 words + 400 ryo

Total Training: 4700 words + 825 ryo

14 words discarded