Right, so even with the hat and a reason not to leave the village... he needed to leave the village. However there was a reason this time; namely, he needed to go talk to the leaders in Iwa. The Tsuchikage, if there actually was one; which given he trusted Satoshi's information, there was some new guy running the show. A chance to maybe fix his low opinion of Iwagakure more than Satoshi had alone. It would be good to not want to vomit every time he saw references to the fact that the countries where now allied; as he still thought of Iwa in terms of Dengen, and that just caused problems. Satoshi had agreed to stay in Konoha, which pleased the Inuzuka greatly; and they'd come up with a pretty solid plan for getting the male clearence to stay, without him being thrown into a BINGO book for the shits and giggles. Not that Kenta cared much about that; he protected his friends and family fiercely; and if Iwa wanted to go to war over a single Jounin wanting to remain in Konoha in a position of friendship and alliance... well; he wouldn't put it past the Iwa he'd known when he was the reigning Hokage a decade ago. Things had changed, and he was willing to accept that; but he needed to see it for himself.

Still, he was without Sannin now; or without enough to just wander off like he'd used to. Before, he could leave Amaya or Naota running the show, and take the other with him and be fine. He could take Michi with him and leave the kids with Amaya and/or Naota and not care. He could take Michi with him now, really; what with the kids being old enough to take care of themselves; but he'd prefer not to leave them alone if something went wrong. On a battlefield not made up of Iwagakure no Sato itself, Kenta would reign supreme; but the Earth Country didn't give him what he needed to dominate a battlefield; so he was going to take some people with him.

They would be young, and mostly weak; but that was the point. If he took a pile of ANBU and Sword Saints and such, he'd look like an invading army. But a  group of Genin and Chunnin with one other Jounin? That didn't scream invasion to anyone. Not really. Not normally. If they weren't as xenophobic and nervous as they had been, then Iwa wouldn't react badly. From what he'd been able to find out about Karumo, the Tsuchikage, they should get along pretty well. It was up to time to tell on that one, anyway.

He had Kashizudoto going ahead as a messenger, and he would be part of the escort team once the rest arrived; and now he was going to get himself another genin for this; not Jinx or Yuki or Temaki or Hiroyuki sadly; he'd be set with his kids or goddaughter, but they weren't available for this sadly, or else he'd take them all. The message requesting this Natake was sent; the boy went by Tre, according to the paperwork; so this would be interesting. A kid named Three, it amused him. He wasn't even sure how many people would get that reference; not many of the civilians spoke or knew of languages outside the one shared between the ninja countries; so many wouldn't get what the name meant. He was curious himself; he might even ask him about it. It'd make for interesting conversation, anyway.

WC: 615

The message came by hawk, pecking at his window in the wee hours of the morning. The male let the bird in only after noticing the note tied to its leg. The message it contained was short, consisting only of his name, and small paragraph telling him that he was being summoned by the Hokage. What the fucking hell? What sorcery was this? Why was the newly reinstated Hokage summoning him? Did he do something wrong? What could he have possibly done? No -- he had done nothing wrong. So, why was this man calling for him? He had better find out soon.

A light snore from his bed caused him to turn and look back. His latest conquest was peacefully asleep; a young ninja by the name of Xio Mishima, ironically his new former classmate. The male had studied with Tre for several months before this point in order to pass their graduation exams, something that neither had planned: it was be request from thier academy teacher that Tre assist this young man to help him pass. A small celebration had turned into a night drinking, with the younger betting the Natake he could drink him under the table. Not one to turn down a wager of such nature, the elder ninja accepted, and then proceeded to show Xio exactly how it was done. By the end of the night, both were quite drunk. Rather than let the young man walk home at that time of the night, the elder ninja offered to let Xio stay at his house for the night, as it was not far from the bar. Once home, one thing let to another and .. well... a satisfied Tre burned through the alcohol in his system while showing one of his classmates exactly why he was called 'King'.


Perhaps it was time for a shower? Getting up from his desk, Tre stripped down to his small clothes and fetched a clean pair of underwear from a nearby drawer. Stepping into the adjoining bathroom, he turned on the hot water. He preferred his showers burning, and the bathroom to feel like a sauna. As the water began to heat, and the bathroom began to steam, he could not help but think over what he'd been reading, mulling it over in his mind. There had been mention of something called 'Yin release'. From what he could understand,it was the opposite of his own chakra nature, Yang release. Where as Yang release techniques were based on the physical energy that governs vitality, Yin release, or "Dark Style" or "Shadow Style", were based based on the spiritual energy that governs imagination, can be used to create form out of nothingness. According to the texts, the abilities of Genjutsu fell under Yin release. Well, that seemed like the proper place to begin. He had to find a way to discover how to use Yin release, if possible. He had read that the power of a genjutsu relied heavily on a person's intelligence; he did not think himself unintelligent, but this was something he had no experience with whatsoever.


After stripping off the last of his clothes and ducking under the water, the male could not help but groan as the dirt, grime and the scent was scalded off his body. Reaching for the soap, he lathered his body before proceeding to scrub the remaining traces of the scent of sex from his skin. While he was particularly proud of his ability and stamina, he hated smelling like sex for an extended period. While one upon a time, he wore it as a badge of pride [particularly when he first lost his virginity], he had come to realize that that notion was foolish. When he was satisfied that he was finally clean, Tre stepped out from under the water and grabbed a towel hanging nearby. As he dried himself off, he could not help but admire his body. For a man in his late teens, he had the physique of a man in his late twenties. According to his doctor, his youthfulness was due to the power of his yang nature chakra, which apparently kept his body in top physical condition. He was going to complain; just another wonderful reason to be him.

Once he had put on his undergarments, the male took a moment to hunt down some clothing. He'd try for something... different today as a departure from his typical style of dress; today, he was clothed in a long-sleeved black trench coat with slit sleeves and red designs and a white symbol on the left side. His trench coat was red on the inside with red flame-like accents at the bottom and a large emblem on the back, with a white tulip design covered by a red rose design. His lower body was clothed in long black pants and black shoes that are red on the bottom, and black gloves with red emblems on their fore hand, appearing to be a variant of the Greek letter Ω (Omega), the last letter in the Greek alphabet. When the male was finally satisfied, he would even snatch up a bit of cologne to spray on himself to cover up any lingering scent of sex on him; Inuzuka were notorious for thier sense of smell, after all. It would be a bad impression to show up to a meet with the Hokage smelling like he just fucked his way through a marathon.

When he was satisfied with his clothes and scent, he grabbed a brush and pulled it through his hair, thanking what ever deity that watched over him that he was blessed with easy to manage hair. When he was done, Tre snatched up his identification papers, his hitai-ate to tie around his forehead, and headed down the stairs. Before stepping out the door, the made sure to snatch up the sword that leaned against the door frame. It was a beautiful thing; a jian, or a Chinese straight sword. The blade is approximately seventy centimeters long and four centimeters wide, with the grip measuring about twenty centimeters long. The sword is light and flexible, weighing less than one kilogram. Comes with a hard leather scabbard. The blade is a testament to the skill of its creator; a true work of art with no visible flaws on its surface at all. The hilt is covered with decorated silk and the guard can be accented by ingraining pearls or precious gems into its surface, as well as making unique designs specific to each blade. Despite the length and width of the blade, it is strong and will not break under stress. It is sharp and has the shine of a polished weapon that glistens in the light. He had decided to bring the weapon with him as he had no clue why the Hokage wished to see him; perhaps he was being personally assigned a mission? It was best to be prepared, no?

Stepping out the door, the male would head in the direction of the Hokage's office. He was not worried about Xio -- he knew the male well enough, and it was not the first time he had slept over and woke up to find himself alone. Tre would not even bothering to leave him a note to let him know what was happening. More often than not, if Due or Uno were home when Xio awoke, they would feed him breakfast before he left. It would not take the young man long to reach the mission board; the perks of being from a small family like his was that they were able to live just about anywhere in the village they wanted instead of being regulated to a compound like most of the larger clans. As such, the triplets' home was close to the administration building, making it very easy for him and his siblings to pick up missions on the fly -- or, be summoned by the Hokage, such as now.

As he stepped into the Administration building, he would look around. As expected at nearly four in the morning, the place was empty, save for the overnight secretary who was slumped at her desk, softly snoring. Chuckling quietly, the male made way over to the desk and rang the bell. The secretary jumped up with a gasp, knocking her stationery to the floor.

Tre offered her a polite smile as he waited for the female to compose her self. Pulling out his identification papers along with the summons he had recieved, he slid them across the desk to her. "Natake Tre, I.D. number zero nine two eight eight nine. I was summoned to speak to the Hokage."

The secretary adjusted her glasses, peering down at the i.d. papers and the summons. When she was satisfied, she nodded to Tre, pointing down the hallway to a door. "Down this way, dear. The Lord Hokage is expecting you."

There was nothing else to say; Tre tucked the scroll into his jacket with another smile and nod, before departing in the direction in which the secretary pointed. As the male walked, he felt a shiver run up his spine; he was about to meet the freaking Hokage. How would it turn out? Would this be a pleasant meeting, or one right from hell? Time would tell. Taking and releasing a deep breath to calm his nerves, the male slid the emotionless mask into place upon his face before lifting a hand to knock on the great doors.

"Lord Hokage."

1590

Oh, that was fast. Good, good. Sleep and Kenta tended to not be on speaking terms, at least when he was 'on duty'; so most of the time. Off duty, him and sleep where the best of friends, but at the moment he was being a night owl. Or morning worm? Whatever, the sun hadn't even decided to start making coffee yet, but he was up and hours into his paperwork for the day. If he kept the pace up he'd be finished in time to meet Michi and the kids for breakfast; so he was pushing himself so that he'd have plenty of time with them before the girls left on a mission and Michi took Hiroyuki off to help teach a class on tracking and scouting at the academy later that day. Kenta would end up holed up in the office with a mountain of paperwork, and maybe a Satoshi to keep him company until Michi slipped away to come hang out too. The doors would open upon a silent command from Kenta, more of a gesture really; carved into the desk where seals that acted like a keyboard of sorts, allowing him to control the various things in the office, from the doors to the windows to the light and temperature. Granted, they had technological things for that; but Michizuka had done the work to make the seal network for him not long after he'd been made Hokage originally, so Kenta wasn't very keen on replacing it with some little box that would take up more space and be damaged by the humid air and dog fur that normally made the office a bit of a swampy mess.

"Enter. You may sit, if you desire. I have a mission for you." He gave the child time to enter the office and make up his mind about sitting or standing. Kenta reached for a specific file on his desk, flipping it around and pushing it toward the far side where Tre could reach it when he was ready for it. "I'm putting together a special detail that will be acting to protect a set of high value targets traveling from Konohagakure to Iwagakure. The date of departure is left blank as it hasn't been officially set; nor will it be until they are nearly ready to leave. Security, you understand. If you agree to this mission, you will have little to no warning before you will be called in. The mission itself is simple enough, escort them there, escort them back. You and your peers will remain in Iwagakure with them while they go about their business, but you will not be required to tail them within the village. This mission will be rated above your normal mission grade; so it will look rather good on your dossier, and come with a substantially better pay than what you're likely used to. Any questions?"

WC: 500

500 + 615 = 1115

"Enter. You may sit, if you desire. I have a mission for you."

Pushing open the door to the office, the male was immediately assaulted by the humidity and the scent of wet dog. His nose crinkled somewhat, but he stepped inside regardless, making his way over to the large desk. He took care to avoid the large sleeping beast by the window; he was not sure if it was actually a dog, or a horse in a dog costume given the size of it. Taking a seat before the large desk the Lord Hokage sat behind, the male immediately felt a bit of envy; this man, Kenta Inuzuka, was sitting in what Tre viewed to be his throne. To be so close to what was due to be his own, yet so far in terms of power was a weird sensation.

One the young male took his seat, Kenta reached for a file on his desk, flipping it around and pushing it toward the far side where Tre could reach it. As the young man opened it and began to leaf through the contents, the Hokage began to speak once more.

"I'm putting together a special detail that will be acting to protect a set of high value targets traveling from Konohagakure no Sato to Iwagakure no Sato. The date of departure is left blank as it hasn't been officially set; nor will it be until they are nearly ready to leave. Security, you understand. If you agree to this mission, you will have little to no warning before you will be called in. The mission itself is simple enough, escort them there, escort them back. You and your peers will remain in Iwagakure with them while they go about their business, but you will not be required to tail them within the village. This mission will be rated above your normal mission grade; so it will look rather good on your dossier, and come with a substantially better pay than what you're likely used to. Any questions?"

The Natake child raised an eyebrow at this; an escort mission? He had done those before, but the targets were normally merchants that wanted a bit of extra security as they went from minor village to minor village. Looking up from the folder, the male stared at the Hokage for a moment. While the average genin would have been ecstatic to be given a mission by the Hokage directly, Tre was more inclined to think before rushing into battle. There was something off about this situation.

"If these are such High Value Targets, then why are you selecting me? I am a genin -- and you are assigning me to something like this? This is more for the likes of special jounin and ANBU, is it not?" He paused a moment, thinking of what to say next. When his train of thought departed the station next, he was ready. "You never stated who or what I am to be escorting; you simply say its a High Value Target. So, tell me, Lord Hokage, who am I escorting?"

A slow heat was beginning to rise within the male. As a ninja, he was expected to lay down his life for his mission and village, but this was strange. A mission to escort something of such value, and the Hokage decided to assign a genin to it? Who else was assigned to this? Something smelled funny about this mission; it was seeming like Tre was being assigned to play decoy to something greater, and he would not have any part of it if he was being lied to. If this man expected blind obedience, then he was about to be in for a rude awakening. Tre felt no inclination to serve this man, just the village. But if this man was going to be dishonest with him as far as the mission details, then actions would be taken as far as making sure that Tre was able to survive this ordeal. For the moment, he would play it by ear, and see where things went. However this man answered would determine the young Natake's course of action.

"If I am to be a decoy in this mission, then please, tell me so. I do not want to go into this blind, Lord Hokage. I am merely a genin as you know, and while I know that my life is to serve the village, I ask that I not be thrown aside so easily. You request that I take a mission escorting a High Value Target when there are so many more qualified shinobi of the village that are much better suited for protection duties, so I am left to wonder if this is my true mission. Is there an ulterior motive for asking that I take on this mission?"

805 | 2495

"If these are such High Value Targets, then why are you selecting me? I am a genin -- and you are assigning me to something like this? This is more for the likes of special jounin and ANBU, is it not? ...  You never stated who or what I am to be escorting; you simply say its a High Value Target. So, tell me, Lord Hokage, who am I escorting? ... If I am to be a decoy in this mission, then please, tell me so. I do not want to go into this blind, Lord Hokage. I am merely a genin as you know, and while I know that my life is to serve the village, I ask that I not be thrown aside so easily. You request that I take a mission escorting a High Value Target when there are so many more qualified shinobi of the village that are much better suited for protection duties, so I am left to wonder if this is my true mission. Is there an ulterior motive for asking that I take on this mission?"

Ahahahaha, smart boy; this one was. He asked questions that others would not. It seemed he was right to pick him; this was what he wanted, someone that was able to question, but question in the right ways. This wasn't disobedience, or asking for information that could be used and sold; no, this was covering of one's own ass, while still gathering the information needed to actually function on a mission that seemed to carry an extreme risk. To act without knowledge was deadly to the shinobi after all, so he wasn't going to play stupid or anything like that. There was information that he couldn't risk sharing, this was true; but there was plenty more he could divulge.

Leaning back in his chair, he adopted that lackadaisical posture that infuriated the Civilian Elders that called themselves his advisers; it was 'uncouth' for a Hokage to be that relaxed and informal at anytime, let alone on duty and in the office. He settled comfortably into his chair, propping his feet on the edge of the desk so that he wasn't showing the bottoms of his sandals to the other male, arms lifted so that he could slip his fingers behind his head and net them in a way that let him pillow his skull on them; "Gotta give you some points for having the brass balls to ask; specially with you being a Genin. Most wouldn't second guess, they'd jump for joy at the shot. The kid you'd be working with sure as frick did. I like him, though; he asked different questions than you did, but that's why I picked him. I have plans for that one, and you too, maybe. Nothing sinister or anything; but I'll queue you in later to that bit. For now, I'll indulge you; yeah. Basically, I have an Iwagakure Sannin that I plan on keeping in Konoha. Not as a hostage or anything like that; it's entirely his decision and choice. He wants to stay, and I rather like him, so I'm going to Iwa to help negotiate him staying on with us permanently. Or something like that. Beyond that, it's basically just a trip for the shits and giggles; although now the timing is apparently shit due to some shit brewing between Kirigakure and Kumogakure, but I have Rippa handling that stuff. Now, as to why I'm taking Genin instead of Jounin; well, I don't care much about the security itself, between Satoshi and I we're set for safety, however the Jounin Council is adamant that we take at least two 'guards' with us, so I'm giving a couple of Genin that I've had my eye on a chance to get some serious street cred and a nice boost to their dossier. All we're expecting from either of you is to act as forward scouts and a rear guard during the trip; otherwise, you'll be free to dick around in Iwagakure all you want. Within reason, obviously. Anything else you wanna know, eh?"

WC: 702

702 + 1115 = 1817

The male waited for a moment for the Hokage's response; the emotionless mask sliding into place as the hokage kicked up his feet on the other side of the desk. What response would this man give him?

"Gotta give you some points for having the brass balls to ask; specially with you being a Genin. Most wouldn't second guess, they'd jump for joy at the shot. The kid you'd be working with sure as frick did. I like him, though; he asked different questions than you did, but that's why I picked him. I have plans for that one, and you too, maybe. Nothing sinister or anything; but I'll queue you in later to that bit. For now, I'll indulge you; yeah. Basically, I have an Iwagakure Sannin that I plan on keeping in Konoha. Not as a hostage or anything like that; it's entirely his decision and choice. He wants to stay, and I rather like him, so I'm going to Iwa to help negotiate him staying on with us permanently. Or something like that. Beyond that, it's basically just a trip for the shits and giggles; although now the timing is apparently shit due to some shit brewing between Kirigakure and Kumogakure, but I have Rippa handling that stuff. Now, as to why I'm taking Genin instead of Jounin; well, I don't care much about the security itself, between Satoshi and I we're set for safety, however the Jounin Council is adamant that we take at least two 'guards' with us, so I'm giving a couple of Genin that I've had my eye on a chance to get some serious street cred and a nice boost to their dossier. All we're expecting from either of you is to act as forward scouts and a rear guard during the trip; otherwise, you'll be free to dick around in Iwagakure all you want. Within reason, obviously. Anything else you wanna know, eh?"

...Holy shit. He was escorting the Lord Hokage himself, as well as a high ranking Stone Village ninja, to Iwagakure no Sato for some sort of negotiations. This WAS big, and Tre had no doubt that the Lord Hokage as well as the Iwa nin could handle themselves as far as security went. But still, taking some extra hands in case shit went down was always a good idea. Tre nodded slowly to himself, closing the folder and placing it back onto the desk before him. He was quiet for a bit, attempting to think of something else to ask. When another though opened his mind to another possibility, he opened his mouth to give it voice.

"You say there was another shinobi coming as well, Lord Hokage. Might I inquire as to whom that is? I only wish to know so that I can make a better judgement of our skill sets." Another legitimate question; any number of people could be rendered ineffective if thier skills sets did not mesh well. If Tre knew who else was going, he would know if he would be carrying the weight of this mission on his shoulders, or if he was free to act as he pleased without worry of harming a potential partner.

Additionally, knowing who else was going would give Tre a bit of time to find this persona and observe them, to find out about their habits and potential. Missions such as this were critical for the future.

571 | 3066

"You say there was another shinobi coming as well, Lord Hokage. Might I inquire as to whom that is? I only wish to know so that I can make a better judgement of our skill sets."

Well, that was definitely interesting to watch. Even watching from the periphery of his vision, the elder could see the minute tells of someone that was cycling through emotion, but attempting to hold a poker face. It was a solid one, but Kenta was a master at reading the little signs, the tiniest ghosts of movement. When you routinely worked with empaths and psychics, oftentimes the only way to tell anything going on was by the barest hint of a movement; most never fully mastered the art of disconnecting their minds from their bodies in a way that allowed them to entirely halt the psychosomatic movements in relation to stress or emotion. It meant that he had one hell of an eye for poker faces, and was part of why he could ready ANBU so easily, even behind their masks.

"Another genin, a kid by the name of Sarutobi Kashizudoto. Nothing super special, on paper anyway. Enthusiastic, and definitely one that's got some motivation; if nothing else. I see potential in him that could be of benefit for the village, same as I see in you. neither of you is outright prodigal, but you're both very above average; even more so with the atmosphere of laziness that had overtaken much of the ranks. I'm rather hoping that seeing what I'm doing for you will help to motivate the rest. If nothing else, it just means they have even less to bitch about when you two race up the ranks ahead of everyone else." He'd leave the male to investigate his 'partner' as he saw fit; there was plenty of relevant information available once you had the name of a shinobi. Limits existed, yes; but even Genin could research the relevant data on their peers as they saw fit. He'd be able to figure out enough with just a name. He yawned now, both because of the early hour, and because the movement and deep inhalation forced his bronchial passages to open enough before his lungs decided to randomly collapse; it happened often enough, but this kid didn't need to see that. It'd buy him a few minutes before he started spitting up blood again, too. Always great, that.

"Anything else, hm?"

WC: 417

417 + 1817 = 2234

"Another genin, a kid by the name of Sarutobi Kashizudoto. Nothing super special, on paper anyway. Enthusiastic, and definitely one that's got some motivation; if nothing else. I see potential in him that could be of benefit for the village, same as I see in you. neither of you is outright prodigal, but you're both very above average; even more so with the atmosphere of laziness that had overtaken much of the ranks. I'm rather hoping that seeing what I'm doing for you will help to motivate the rest. If nothing else, it just means they have even less to bitch about when you two race up the ranks ahead of everyone else."

Sarutobi Kashizudoto? That sounded familar to the young man; was Kashizudoto not the name of the child that Tre had fought a few days ago in the Rolling Hills? The mask cracked somewhat for a brief moment as the young Natake male thought about the situation -- if this was indeed the same person, then shit was dire. Tre remembered defeating that kid with two jutsu -- a simply kekkei genkai jutsu and a substitution jutsu. If this kid was coming to The Village Hidden in Stone with them, then things would be harder on Tre; he imagined himself carrying most of the weight of the mission to 'escort' the Lord Hokage and his guest, despite the fact that there was a significant power difference between the 'escorters' and the 'escortees'.

"Anything else, hm?"

Tre paused, allowing the mask to mend it self and adjust back into place seamlessly; there was nothing more to ask the Lord Hokage about this mission in particular. In reality, the young man was surprised more than anything that the Hokage decided to take himself as well as Kashizudoto on this mission. But, the Lord Hokage clearly stated his reasoning for doing so, and Tre was not going to question them any further.  Shaking his head, Tre spoke quietly.

"No, I have no more questions, Lord Hokage. If you do not have anymore information that you deem important for this mission, then I shall take my leave to begin preparing for departure."

Provided that the Lord Hokage Kenta Inuzuka did not stop him with additional information, the young man would rise from his seat, departing from the office and the building before heading to the market district. If he were to be going on this trip, then he needed supplies, and perhaps a better weapon. But, given how early it was, he would stop for a cup of coffee, and some breakfast. He knew of a lovely little restaurant, hidden away that began selling early in the morning...

~Thread Exit~

472 | 3538 Total WC

3538/525 [Genius Perk + Quick Learner = 30% WC Reduction] = Rainmaker Jutsu Trained [D Rank Jutsu]

3013/450 [Genius Perk + Quick Learner + Natake Clan Perk = 40% WC Reduction] = Indigo Raiton Trained [D Rank Jutsu]

2563/450 [Genius Perk + Quick Learner + Natake Clan Perk = 40% WC Reduction] = Cyan Raiton Trained [D Rank Jutsu]

2113/600 [Genius Perk + Quick Learner + Natake Clan Perk = 40% WC Reduction] = Violet Raiton Trained [C Rank Jutsu]

1513/600 [Genius Perk + Quick Learner + Natake Clan Perk = 40% WC Reduction] = Lightning Release: Javelin Trained [C Ranked Jutsu]

913/700 [Genius Perk + Quick Learner = 30% WC Reduction] = Water Prison Tech Learned [C Rank Jutsu]

213/180 [Genius Perk = 20% WC Reduction] = STR E-2 to E-3

"No, I have no more questions, Lord Hokage. If you do not have anymore information that you deem important for this mission, then I shall take my leave to begin preparing for departure."

Well, that was quick enough. Not that he minded; concise and to the point wasn't a bad thing at all, he preferred it most of the time, with some exceptions. He could be as verbose and flowery as the next silver tongued bard, but most of the time he was too lazy and bored to be that poetic. Maybe in cases of politics he'd bust out the Encyclopedia Kentanica, but that was rare at best even then. Not that he didn't have fun spinning heads of Genin every so often by talking like a career politician; which while he was that, technically, he didn't play the stupid games most did. Not unless there was a reason; at which point he played the game harder and better than any of them ever could. Which was why he was keeping an eye on this particular kid, because something about him struck the Inuzuka as being one that was going to be playing some serious games one day, and he needed to be on his toes.

He allowed the boy to exit with a dismissive, if not disrespectful, wave of his wrist; the motion blurring into a reach for his pen and the paperwork he'd been focused on before. Never bothering to lose his comfortable position, he went back to working his way through the mountain of paperwork. He had breakfast plans, eventually; and he needed to be ready for them if he wanted to see his kids that day. Given he always wanted to see his kids, well; he was going to bust that butt of his getting the boring shit done.

-EXIT-

WC: 310

310 + 2234 = 2544

S0-S1 STR 2544/1750

794 leftover