Almost a week had passed since Takashi was instructed by Takamura that "The Tavern is down this road, take two lefts and a right." Of course Takashi felt down for not having visited earlier. There was a reason for that though. Not a good one for Takashi couldn't live up to a promise he had made. It wasn't fully Takashi's fault either. Kashizudoto never showed up at the tea stall and Takashi couldn't make any contact to advance the meeting he had promised Takamura. This probably did leave a bad impression of Takashi and Konoha too.

Now Takashi was standing in the middle of a street. He had taken two lefts already, and he was looking over the corner of the last turn - right turn. Not literally looking though. He rather just gazed upwards and listened to people - some people who took the right turn were going to their homes. Others wanted to visit some shops. Some who were coming back from this street were talking about their daily routines or something. Others were concerned about ongoing events in the Kumogakure. All of these things were currently meaningless for Takashi - he was more concerned about what he is going to say when he enters the "Rising Sun". Since the tavern was just around this corner for some people were talking about the great food they just finished. It would be just unfair to not visit Takamura. After all, Takamura offered free food for Takashi (but he is probably going to retract this offer when the blind boy fails to keep his end of the promise).

It was time to move forward. People were getting suspicious about this weird-looking adolescent standing in the middle of street, almost like time had frozen for him. Of course, that wasn't the case, Takashi was just gathering the courage. But if he could see this sight, he would admit it looked rather odd. A man in festive robe just standing in the middle of street with his hands freely hanging in each side and head slightly raised towards the sky. Only geta covering his feet. Some might wonder if he wasn't cold - he was. But if he wanted to start moving - it was only away from here. He couldn't do that.

"I should've worked on a genjutsu that motivates me," he said to himself, still lingering in the same spot. For a Nekomata he actually was quite motivated. Not many of their clain left home, even crazier for them would be to start their own portable shop. But Takashi had done it. But his only motivation right now was to get something warm in his belly. Hot water would be enough, Takashi could spice it up with some of those leaves he always keeps in his pockets. But what he desired was that Miso soup Takamura spoke of.

Time to go forward. The boy obviously had no idea how far to go. He was expecting the tavern to be a warm place with a smoking chimney. These thoughts reminded of "Rising Sun's" history. Although it was a week ago, Takashi perfectly remembered what Takamura had told him. Perhaps he remembered it so well, because Takamura could only tell one thing - the tavern was opened by his great-great-great-grandmother. Since this woman was incredible at making a stone tankard, Takashi wanted to feel how this tavern looked during it's grand opening. The interior and exterior must have changed during the years, but the soul of the place must have remained. Takashi wasn't fan of the paradox - if you replace all the parts of a table, is it still the same table? Yes, it is.

"Excuse me, sir, could you show me where the "Rising Sun" is?" Takashi asked. It was a bad question, since the man literally showed the direction with his hand and said nothing. Takashi didn't pick this up.
After another try, he was standing  in front of wooden door. The old lady he had asked guidance also confirmed that this building really has a wooden sign with Kyokujitsu-ki painted on it. So there was no mistake, this was Takamura's place.

Takashi knocked.
706

Taverns, beer halls, bars; all the same shit, under a different name. So long as the booze was plentiful and remotely drinkable, he was okay with it; bonus points for decent food in large quantities was where always awarded. Big bonus to them all, rarely did anyone give a fuck about who you where, who you looked like, and all that jazz; specially when you had deep pockets full of local currency. There was always some civilian currency going around, and better to use it than ninja ryo, even if the ryo was worth more and easier to carry around. Something about paper money never sat right with him, he preferred the solid coins. Plus, fewer people looked at you when you weren't dropping loads of ninja coin. Less conspicuous.

Not that he much cared. If anyone did recognize him, they wouldn't do shit. Too much behind his name, that legend he couldn't understand how it blossomed into such insanity; but it came with perks. Idiots didn't usually try to challenge him, and by the time they where drunk enough to try, they where too stupid to get far. Fun times, those brawls. Maybe if he had been younger he'd still seek them out, but now a days he'd settled down a tad, and only fought when he had to. Kids and all that; he had something to stay alive for, so no reason to risk his skin needlessly.

Even then, he wasn't dressed much like a ninja; a simple drab cloak over fairly local attire, nothing fancy or outlandish, but it was a bit... new; sort of stiff in that way that brand new clothing was. A bit odd for a place like this, but not enough to garner more than a glance his way. If not for the strands of golden hair and his golden eyes, you'd never think he was anything but local; a bit pale, yes; but not that much so. It was good his sleeves where long, however, his old ANBU tattoo was still upon his arm, and that would lead to some.... interesting conversations if it was noticed. His headband tucked into an inner pocket of his jacket was at least safe; not that he was too worried about anyone causing shit with him for being a Konoha ninja overall; but it would be... interesting, to explain why he had the Hokage's headband; he'd customized it years ago and it was a one of a kind sort of thing; the golden banding and chakra metal plate where very, very different from a normal Konoha ninja's, and the fact that his had his clan symbol engraved into the rivets, as well as the names of his family carved into the reverse of the plate; meant that it was impossible to forge proper fakes. He was never without it, though; not even when he'd left Konoha did he leave it behind; it was too much of a reminder and a bond to his home and his life to leave it anywhere he couldn't be. A risk? Maybe. But whatever. He was too busy sitting at the bar, downing beers, and munching on what passed for a decent slab of elk steak to care if anyone was going to mess with him that night.

WC: 560

Takamura had been up working in the tavern far before it opened it’s door to its first customers. His Mother was away for a while to get a change of scenery and visit her relatives after she found herself overworked pretty harshly even with Takamura helping her as much as possible between training and missions. Even though she had told him not to worry and close the tavern while she was away, Takamura knew well enough that their financial situation would only worsen if he didn’t pull his weight. On the other hand he couldn’t manage to run a tavern for a whole day by himself especially in the bustling hours of the evening. Even though he knew that he would be losing most of his profit, he decided to open from morning to the early evening, closing down before the tired workmen could overrun him with work. Still, it was better than not opening at all. Rising early at the break of dawn, Takamura would quickly embark on a quick training routine to keep himself in shape and compensate for the lack of training in the evening. As the sun would make its place over the rocky surroundings of Iwagakure, Takamura would be cleaning the tavern, polishing the innards of each rocky mug and scrubbing each floor board to at least make them shine for the first customers that make their way onto them before they are trampled back to oblique. It was monotonous and back breaking work but Takamura was no stranger to harsh work and training.


As the bustle in the street would start to pick up, Takamura would then don the once white apron, now riddled with stains of every shape, size and colour to open open his doors to any hungry customer, keeping himself busy by whisking up takayoshi batter and crushing up wasabi stems amongst other mundane tasks albeit these moments were usually short lived as even though only few people would stop in and order minute things like beer and easy to cook food. Even though the tavern was empty except for one patron, Takamura still donned a wringed cloth around his forehead to keep his hair out of his eyes and absorb the perspiration he generated as he worked in close proximity of heated surfaces albeit the only thing he had cooked today was an Elk stake for the singular patron that was gulping down on cup after cup of sake with seemingly no end; Even though Takamura didn’t pay him too much heed as he continued chopping and dicing spring onions, he seemed to give off an aura that betrayed his simple clothing although Takamura didn’t think much about it.  Although grateful that he wasn’t being pushed to the brinks of his ability to serve, cook and tend after multiple customers at the same time, that also meant that he was not going to make much income albeit with the rate that he was selling drinks the sole patron, he was making pretty good income.


Takamura’s attention was turned to the Tavern entrance as a knock was heard through the nearly empty tavern. “Who would be knocking to enter a Tavern?” Takamura asked in a low voice. Putting the knife down, Takamura wiped his hands reflexively on his apron and headed towards the door, unsure what to find. Opening the door slowly, Takamura came face to face with a somewhat familiar face. It took him a moment to recognize him but his mind soon brought back the memories of the Tea Stand and the Promise of meeting the Hokage. “Come in Takashi, for a moment I thought you had forgot about our little deal” Takamura said as he welcomed him by practically pulling him into the tavern and popped out his head to see if he maybe brought anyone with him. “Make yourself comfortable, sit where you like. So, What do you want to drink?” Takamura said as he made his way back to behind the counter. “So, the Hokage is running late or something?” he continued as took a stone tankard from the ones lined on the shelves behind him, ready to serve Takashi.

[700]

Why did Takashi knock on tavern's door in the first place? It's not like he had never visited taverns or inns before. Yes, he didn't have much money back in Konoha and went out to eat only on special occassions, but he was actually afraid that in Iwa there were other customs. After all, he might have knocked on the backdoor of ''Rising Sun''. Luckily, the door opened and Takashi was greeted by Takamura's voice. What a surprise - Takamura didn't forget about deal and mentioned it in the first sentence. Furthermore, without letting Takashi talk, Takamura just forcefully looked outside, obviously expecting to see the Hokage. It kind of pissed the Nekomata. He was bearable usually, but when getting treated the wrong way, he can become repulsive. Currently, Takashi was about to pass that line.

Takamura indirectly guided Takashi to a table. It was unintentional, but Takashi simply followed the cook and hearing an increase in sounds of tableware, he could determine where the tables were. Now, using his hands he found an empty table and sat there. "Red wine, Takamura," There were two reasons why Takashi ordered wine. First, he didn't want to leave the place sober. Second, Takashi wanted to get something more expensive, he was offered a free treat after all. Although Takashi was wise in teas and their appropriate use, he had very little sense in wines. He sometimes added strong alcohol to his hot beverages, but he had tasted wine only once. And everyone could guess it for his poor choice of wine today. He was getting miso soup with it, after all.
Takashi could sense Takamura handling something very familiar It was the same tankard that Takashi had filled twice during their meet at the tea stand. "Cool. I will get drunk after all," he though to himself. And at this moment, he was ready to do things that he would definitely regret later.

"What do you mean - Hokage is running late?" was the first thing Takashi was going to regret. Takashi didn't get in contact with Kashizudoto. And the boy had no idea how to recognize the Hokage. "It is all Kashizudoto's fault" he was now blaming others for a promise he wasn't able to fulfill in the first place. Takashi was planning on leaving Iwagakure soon and he had no problem leaving bad memories of a lying Konoha-nin here. "Then who's that?" the boy pointed to the only customer he could hear eating. "Yes, Takamura, the Hokage doesn't walk around in golden armor or something. He looks just like an ordinary person," Takashi was getting detailed in his lies, "In fact, he told me he would get here earlier than I would. I just thought he had introduced himself to you. But apparently, he was just waiting for me." Takashi now was ready to take up a full con. He got up and made his way to the table where the man was sitting and eating his elk steak. It smelt good. What a bad way to ruin a meal.
"Greeting, Hokage. I hope you're enjoying your stay at the "Rising Sun" tavern." he was trying to look in the eyes of the person he talked to. But the only way to judge his approximate eye height was to look a little bit higher than where the chewing sound was coming from. "The cook, who made this delicious steak is named Takamura," Takashi now pointed somewhere in the direction where Takamura was heard grabbing the stone tankard. "We can have a little chat with him, don't you agree?" this was what Takashi said aloud. But in his head, completely different phrase was repeating "Please help me out, please help me out, please help me out."

637

"Greeting, Hokage. I hope you're enjoying your stay at the "Rising Sun" tavern." ... The cook, who made this delicious steak is named Takamura," ... "We can have a little chat with him, don't you agree?"

"..."

Uuuugh.

Well, that didn't last long, someone already pointing him out. Lovely. He was about to growl something along the lines of 'get the fuck away from me, I'm off duty' when he realized two things. One, this nekomata? Ninneko? (one of the cat clans, by the way he smelled, anyway) was one of his, and not just because the clans where from Konoha. No, this was one of his Genin, if not one that he knew well; he just seemed to recognize the face from an ID image; likely from one of the hundreds of files he'd parsed when he came home. It would make sense then, that this kid could have recognized him even without his robes on, and dressed as a local; that fang mark of his was pretty damn distinct; and blonds tended to be fairly rare about the world, outside of the desert at least; so he did stick out some. That wasn't it, though; there was a blankness in this guy's eyes when he looked at him, more like all he saw was a random person, and he was trying to play a part? Huh, weird.

"Chat, eh? Anyone that can cook elk decently can get a few minute's of my time." He was... curious, now; not that he was about to stop eating that steak before he move; grabbed the roughly third of the steak that was left and dropping the entire thing into his mouth, chewing his way through it without much problem, and basically looking like a hyena or a wolf with a strip of game in his mouth for a bit. He reached into a little pocket of his cloak and pulled out a rather... well used rag, moving it to his face to clean up just a bit. He wasn't much for giving a fuck about his appearence, and he'd find some water or something to properly wash up later. "Aight, let's see this cook 'a yours."

WC: 375

935 Total.

Takamura was surprised when Takashi ordered wine, thinking that he was definitely not of drinking age. He also didn’t realize that he was blind till Yusuke had told him, so it wouldn’t be far-fetched if he was wrong especially considering that he had forgotten that. He turned towards the shelves lined with the odd stone tankards and out the lip of the tankard he just cleaned under the tap of an oaken barrel and slowly filled it with red wine. Patrons rarely asked for wine and thankfully a single barrel of wine held its taste for years, letting Takamura serve the odd request without having to constantly stock up on new wine and throw out the old. As he turned back to make his way to Takashi, Takamura eyed the lone patron to make sure he wasn’t in need of anything as he brought the drink to Takashi’s table. “Here you go; I can add some ice if you want.” Takamura added as he placed the Tankard in front of Takashi. Takashi finally addressed the issue of the missing Hokage before he could bring it up again and as he pointed towards the lone patron and addressed him as Hokage; Takamura felt the damp cloth press against his forehead and realized how sweaty his palms were in an instant. Behind him, lay the Hokage and he didn’t know he served him steak.


He always excepted the Hokage to stride in and make himself known, ordering the finest food and drinks yet the man behind him had come in and ordered like any normal worker would have. He did radiate an unusual vibe but Takamura wouldn’t have guessed he was the Hokage in a million years. He wasn’t even sure if he had cooked the steak right; He didn’t cook it regularly and it was the first thing he had cooked in the morning, so he might have done some mistake while preparing the steak. It wasn’t a special steak anyway, he made it with a pretty normal recipe. Elk meat cooked in animal fat and marinated in soybean oil and chopped spring onions and to top it off he lightly spiced it with a few sprinkles shichimi togarashi. Trying to gulp down his fear, he turned to face the Hokage, still unsure what to say. He barely had time to open his mouth and say a half-thought out apology when he was caught off guard by the Hokage’s compliment. “Lord Hokage, it is an honor to meet you in person.” Takamura managed to mutter as he bowed respectfully, amazed that the Hokage liked his dish so much as he wolfed it all down. “Please take a seat of your choosing, anywhere you please. I will bring better food in the meantime.” Takamura said as he made his way to the kitchens as fast as respectfully possible, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone and calm himself.

[700 + 500] = [1200]

Thank god or whatever holy entity had helped out here. The man who had just finished eating the steak was up to fool around with Takashi and play the Hokage's part for the evening. Takashi could judge that this man was a little older than himself. The genin knew that the Hokage was a rather young man. If Takamura knew this little detail, the plan just might work out.

Perhaps it was the calmness of the man that convinced Takamura. Because it was far-fetched to believe a blind person that someone, who had been in the tavern for some time already, was the Hokage. Anyway, after a brief greeting and pleasantries, the cook hurried off to kitchen.
Takashi now was left alone with the 'Hokage'. The genin grabbed his stone tankard of wine and took a big gulp. Tankard felt just like that time he poured tea for Takamura. It was heavy and stone cold. But it was weird to drink something cool for a change. It was like drinking simple water - it tasted like nothing and lacked warmth. Takashi was just too used to tea, he couldn't change his ways. "Thank you," Takashi said after swallowing mouthful of wine. This man was intelligent, no doubt. To get acting so fast, you needed to be skilled. Perhaps he was another shinobi of Iwagakure that Takamura didn't know of. "Well, I should apologize for dragging you in this.." Takashi said in a quiet voice while Takamura was getting some food in the kitchen, "but you are getting free food," which perhaps wasn't the best bargain since this man had already eaten elk steak. He was supposed to be full after that unless he was a big eater. "And perhaps this cook will give us a tour to the bloody mountains," Takashi had never heard of these mountains, but Takamura promised to take them there. Perhaps if this man truly was local, he might not be interested in this offer, but Takashi would gladly visit the bloody mountains. It was worth going there just to know the origin of the name.

Obviously, Takashi owed some more answers while Takamura was gone. He was going to keep talking untill he could smell some good food from the kitchen or untill he heard someone coming. "So yeahh" an awkward smile decorated Takashi's face, "Long story short - you are the Hokage for today. Takamura, the cook, will request you to teach him some kind of jutu," Takashi took a pause for the man to understand just in what he was being involved, "politely refuse it and everything's gonna be okay" it almost sounded like threat. Takashi had no intention of forcing the man to do anything. Even a quick 'Sorry, got to go' would be enough.

After the explanation of situation, Takashi was ready to take on any complaints the man had. He probably had tons. It's not like any of that could be helped right now. Best Takashi could do was just listen and remain with the awkward smile on his lips in await of Takamura's return.
522

"Well, I should apologize for dragging you in this.. ... "but you are getting free food, ... "Long story short - you are the Hokage for today. Takamura, the cook, will request you to teach him some kind of jutsu," ... "politely refuse it and everything's gonna be okay"


I mean come on now, this was just too good. This kid had no idea how hard he'd scored, and Kenta was enjoying this way to much to break the act just yet. It would be too easy to start talking more, and give away who he was. He almost wanted to see the reactions this guy would make if he revealed himself to be the legitimate Hokage, he really was. It would be great, just watching this guy either freak out entirely, piss himself in fear, or whatever. It was always awesome to see the reactions people had to finding out who he was. Still, he kind of wanted to see how this would play out, so he remained silent for now, allowing this kid to direct him as needed. He might just pop some random easy jutsu for this guy, just to toss a wrench into whatever plans this kid had.

"Not turnin' down food." Simple, easy. Nothing given away, nothing to be curious or concerned about. He was just another random no name looking for free food, yeah? Easy to be that, since he normally was pretty much a random guy always looking for a nice meal; Inuzuka metabolism meant he could eat like an Akamichi and not really gain much weight; and with his workout regime being what it was, he was usually pretty hungry, even for being a twiggy looking dude most of the time. He never really put on muscle mass, which wasn't a bad thing since he was a sprinter by nature.

The smell of food coming from the kitchen had him ready to settle in and wait, so he did just that, glancing around a moment for something he could flop onto and rest a bit. Lazy Dogkage is lazy, after all.

WC : 350

1285 total.

Takamura found himself alone with his thoughts as he started boiling up water for the meal of the Hokage. He still couldn’t believe that he was here, eating at his Tavern. Sweat dropped heavily off Takamura’ whole being, the rag wrung around his forehead too wet to absorb any more sweat. Yet he was too focused on the task at hand to notice. Usually, he would have a cauldron of miso soup already cooked up to avoid leaving the customers waiting, but due to the low customer flow, it would turn cold before it could be eaten. Judging from the hunger the Hokage displayed alone, he put four person’s worth of Dashi. As he waited for the water to boil, he started heating the cast iron Takoyaki mould. This routine was something he had done hundreds of times yet it felt like the pressure was higher than that time he did a chakra-less climb down a mountain with a goat on his back. He pulled out the octopus tendrils that were packed in ice and rhythmically started chopped them in evenly shaped pieces, just small enough to fit in the moulds. The sharp whistle of the kettle somehow surprised him, causing him to chop in too deeply and embedding the blade in the wooden board underneath. “Come on, focus, focus!” he muttered to himself as he poured the water into two pots, filling them nearly to the brim and striking up a match under an empty hob, lighting it up.


Swiftly, he chopped up a considerable amount of spring onions, tofu and wakame, all which he dumped into the dashi pot. While that was cooking up, he poured the batter he whisked up that morning into the takoyaki moulds. He began putting a piece of chopped octopus in each hollow, followed by a tenkasu, green onions, wasabi powder and finally pickled ginger before covering them once again in the batter. He dumped four bowls of freshly bought ramen in the other pot, as he stirred the other pot with his other hand. Putting an empty pan on an empty hob, he quickly sliced a slab of pork into twelve chunks with practised dexterity and put them in the empty pan. Smelling that the miso soup was ready, he turned to the back where the barrels of miso were kept. He picked up a small bucket and filling it to the brim with dried miso. He half-ran back, dumping into the pot, giving it a good stir as the water turned from a pale brown to a dark crimson. He pulled out the embedded knife out of the wooden chopping board, the indent one of many that littered the stained block. He chopped up some spring onions, sweet potatoes and a few cloves of garlic; adding them in to sizzle with the pork. He then marinated the whole pan with a mix of soy sauce and sesame oil; topping it off with a heavy dab of imported spices. He blew out the fire from under the miso soup and let it simmer while he turned over the takoyaki onto their undersides. He started rummaging through the wooden cupboards and two bowls. The one destined for the Hokage was big, usually used when a group of guests order a group meal. The one for Takashi was a standard soup bowl for one person. Slowly, the swirling cascade of miso swept into the giant bowl; emptying nearly three-quarters of the pot. He poured the rest into the smaller bowl, filling it nearly to the brim. Takamura then opened a drawer to his right, took out a platter spoon and put in the Hokage’s bowl. He then took a normal sized spoon and put in Takashi’s soup. Giving both of them a good swirl, the first course was done. All he had to do now was wait for them to cool down just a bit more and go serve them.


Takamura then turned back to the Takoyaki; flipping them once again. He took another two bowls, same as before; One large for the Hokage and a smaller one for Takashi.  He turned towards the ramen, blew out the fire from under it and strained it. He then proceeded to mix in the pork and vegetable mix with the ramen, giving it a good twirl to make sure the tastes mixed. He then divided them once again in the two bowls. He got a big oaken tray that was once polished, now a dull mat strained brown; He carefully put the bowls on the tray, making sure the Hokage’s meals were diagonal to each other as not to disbalance the whole thing. With a grunt, he managed to pick up the tray and made his way out of the kitchens slowly. At the sight of the Hokage, Takamura got that cold feeling once again. He realised how dry his mouth was and how sweaty his palms were. “Lord Hokage, Make yourself at home. Sit anywhere you desire. I will just place these here and I’ll be back with another refill for you and serve the rest of the food” Takamura said as he put down the food on the nearest table, careful not to spill a drop. He slowly approached the Hokage, took his empty tankard and did an awkward bow whilst avoiding eye contact. He quickly made his way back to the kitchens, completely forgetting to ask the same for Takashi. He turned over the Takoyaki once again and then slowly taking them out with tongs and submerging them in Rayu before skewering them in groups of eight on a big plate, managing to complete 12 groups in total.  With the giant plate in one hand, he would finally be serving them and the rest of the food to the Hokage, hopefully by now he would have chosen a place, then proceed to bring him a refill or beer. He would then sit down opposite of the Hokage and wait. Hopefully, the food will be up to the Lord’s standards.

[1200+1015] = [2215]

It got a little awkward sitting next to a stranger who was forced to take on a role of Hokage. The silence was broken only one - when this man revealed that the only reason he is staying was to get some more food. A big belly for a commoner if he had eaten the elk steak previously. Takashi took a sip out of the tankard in front of him. He didn't want to repeat that big gulp. It didn't taste good enough to actually drink it. He was sipping it out of the lack of action and overthinking what to do.

"I wish he'd hurry up" Takashi wasn't expecting the chef to take this long to prepare some simple food. Ramen stalls did the job way quicker. And the food there was enjoyable. And probably cheaper. It was hard to tell, since today he was having a free meal.
Finally the moment had come. Great flavor was filling the air. And footsteps in background meant that Takamura was finally brining something out. The plates were placed not on the table they were sitting at. What the hell Takamura? Do you even know how to serve people? Yes, Takamura did offer them to sit wherever they wanted, but this table, where they were sitting, was the table they wanted to sit at! "Might as well go over there," Takashi invited the man to change seats after Takamura rushed back to kitchen. Without waiting a reply, Takashi got up and went ahead, navigating himself to the good smell of food.
It wasn't hard. With hopes to not bump into anything, Takashi made his way forward and tried to touch the table with food on it. When the aroma was the strongest and table's surface was touching his plam, Takashi searched for a chair and sat down. Impatient he was, because without waiting for the guest to join him, Takashi grabbed a bowl of miso soup and started eating.
The spoon he picked up was an elegant one. Some kind of engraving decorated the handle of it. It probably was made by his 5th-great grandmother. He then swooped the spoon in the soup and took a big swirl. Literally, Takashi was so surprised that this bowl was so huge. He had to lean forward to reach the furthest side of the bowl. "It's really good!" Takashi said after he did the first tasting. "Hurry and get it while it's hot!" Takashi shouted for the man, innocently not realizing that he had started the wrong bowl.

431