Gin sat in her usual corner at the club, watching and drinking as she did so. Her mother, Hana, sat next to her, indulging in the same activities. They sat in silence, enjoying the pounding bass in the background. She’d given the strippers a night off, wanting to just throw a regular party for once. However, the poles and cages were still up in case some of her guests wanted to use them. She knew that she’d be up there on the stage at some point in the night, once she was drunk enough. For now, however, she could just mingle. This was Gin’s way of relaxing. Some people preferred to sleep or meditate, others preferred to burn off stress by being physically active. Gin was one of the few shinobi who would much rather indulge in debauchery. Gambling, partying, sex, drinking – those were the few things that actually helped her keep her sanity. The Kazekage was aware that it was a rather large character flaw, but one didn’t simply spend eight years in power without picking up a few bad habits along the way. Well, at least she didn’t encourage crime and funnel the village’s money into her own pocket like her predecessor had.

She downed the shot of vodka she had on the table in one fell swoop before she decided to get up and play meet and greet. Her excuse for throwing this little party was because the Chuunin exams were nearing their end and everything had gone smoothly up until then. No missing- nin had tried to interrupt the event, making the extra security that the Kazekage had put up an unnecessary expense. The village’s budget was running tight as is, with the daimyo refusing to increase their funding. But this wasn’t the time to think about such things and the pile of paperwork that came with them. This was her time to take a break, to take a breath of fresh air and momentarily forget about the troubles that lay outside the club.

Gin walked onto the dance floor. She squeezed in between the writhing bodies. Heat, sweat and a general feeling of ecstasy rubbed off on her barely clad skin. No one paid any particular attention to her. In here, she was just another person, just another guest. That was what she loved about this setting – the feeling of being just another ordinary person. Of course, people recognized her and gave her knowing looks. Some even came up to greet her and thank her for throwing the party. But she wasn’t addressed as Kazekage. She was just Gin. Finding a comfortable place in the crowd, Gin started to dance among the people, a wide smile spread across her face as she mingled among locals and foreigners alike.