Noel was dressed in his usually basic t-shirt with his wings sealed inside nicely as he was showing off his new shorts he got with the stripes on the side. It was a gift he got from Lux even though it did not seem to serve any combat purposes other then having cool side stripes, as he made his way towards the office as he had made an appointment earlier and was simply told to wait outside her office until she arrives and requests him to enter.

Noel was nervous and he realised a bit too late that he had skipped breakfast that day, though he felt he could probably wing it and just get through the day. He felt that as a Kazekage she would probably be punctual so he could not afford to be late because he went to get a snack so he sat there patiently swaying his feet back and forth. He wondered if it was okay to be entering the Kazekage's office without shoes, but he also wondered if it was even okay to wear shoes inside someone's home not realising that the Kazekage does not live in her office.

Though for now he believed that was the case as a bookworm he felt she probably had fun all day under a mountain of pages as his mind started to trail off imagining the library since he had spent a bit of time there and was told he used to work there part time which made him happy as they let him take out a few books for free.

He was getting a bit tired of waiting so he took out his book called
'the Angel and the Sword' which seemed to fit him perfectly since he had angel like wings and was a sword user, all he needed was the actual sword then it would be perfect. He was busy reading patiently while awaiting the arrival of the Kazekage, unless she was already in the office then all he had to do was wait for her to call him inside. He was nervous, but he hoped she would not notice that since it was embarrassing.

361 Words

Midori sat up at her desk, sorting through the paperwork and shifting through the assorted squad listings. She had a meeting coming up, but, didn’t see the point in clearing up the office, as there was never a harm in multi-tasking and getting on with things at the same time. In the corner of the room was her primary assistance puppet of the time, Theophrastus, its face facing the wall and back facing Midori. Standing up, she strode over to said corner, flipping through several pages before stopping on one that stated several herbs that could be found only in the land of stone. Making a quick mental note of these, Midori once more walked to her desk, sitting down and writing down the names and locations of the herbs of Tsuchi no Kuni. After a few minutes of scribbling, the locations and names were noted, and Midori felt contented with what she had done.

Downstairs, however, as the time ticked away, eventually the administration office worker that had signed in the recent arrival walked over to the boy that had sat down and began reading, tilting her head as she spoke. “Uh, excuse me, Noel was it? The Kazekage is in her office and will see you now, so, you don’t need to wait or anything…” Having said her piece, the office worker returned to her seat, writing through forms and organising documents.

Should the boy take the cue and begin to ascend the stairs and follow the corridor to the Kazekage office, Midori would wait patiently. Upon hearing the knock of someone at the door, she would sort her documents and set them aside, declaring in an authoritative tone. “You can enter.” Of course, if there was no knock, she would simply remain quiet and watch as the person entered, the door creaking open slowly as the hinges were pushed away from the closing, and folded with the movement of the door – a long winded way within Midori’s mind, as she thought about the door opening.

The figure that walked in at that time was the one of the boy she was meeting, and cocking an eyebrow, Midori waited for them to shut the door behind them before speaking up. “Noel… Nitah, correct? Greetings. I am Midori, as you probably figured out. Please, feel free to take a seat. If you get thirsty I can fetch you a glass of water. Now, before we begin this meeting for whatever purpose it is that you wanted to speak about, I have a topic I would like to broach first. A metaphorical elephant in the room, as it were. As I’m sure you’re aware, I receive and read through mission reports. Now, recently, you were assigned a mission alongside two others. A stealth and recon mission, unless I’m mistaken.”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “I’m sure it was with good intentions, however, this is the shinobi world. If you are to gather information, then it is imperative you don’t do things that make you stand out. It had minor repercussions in this instance, however know that your actions put the lives of you and your team mates at risk, and jeopardised the mission entirely. I hope to not get reports of this again, do I make myself clear?” her voice was stern, and her posture held an authority that came with discipline. Midori was on mission and business mode, and it was all too obvious from her expression that she was not impressed by the boy in front of her.

595

Noel nearly felt like he could die as the nerves he felt when he got interrupted while reading his book as if he was caught doing something wrong as he was a bit jumpy. The nice lady told him he did not need to wait and could enter the Kazekage's office now. He was really nervous as he took step after step towards her office, his heart beat getting louder and faster as the build up was hurting him as he did his best to keep himself composed. He was in the hospital for a long time, and after attempting his first mission after leaving the hospital he ended up failing as he was told to scout by his sensei, he felt like he failed them not knowing whether he flew wrong or if he needed to have black wings to be less suspicious, though there were other reasons as well that he did not understand at the time.

He slowly went up the stairs carefully, step by step as he knew he could simply run up or fly right up there it would be rather rude and impolite to do so. He was told to always behave and he was not even sure what the Kazekage knew since she probably knew more about him then he did. This was his one moment in which all his questions may be answered, this was the first step of many into the world he knew of only from his notes and what little he learned from both Lux and Syekren as his mind was wondering as thoughts rushed to his head. There was someone he could barely remember, fragments of wings, black feathers scattered into the wind and a beast like wolf that kept following him around as it plagued his mind. He was not sure whether he was really ready for the world, but he could not back away from the truth or from his fate in this world, he had to take that step as he reached out his hand.

Memories of a figure looking to him with a smile on their face as he knocked on the door as it sounded like a drum resounded and pounded deep within the resonance of his soul as he heard a voice. A voice that told him to enter as he softly opened the door as the world he knew was about to change as he did not know how to deal with all these emotions as he almost felt dizzy and excited at the same time as his eyes looked more lively then ever before.

He saw her face as he was panicking a bit as he instinctively pushed the door closed gently while not turning his back to her for even a moment. She had beautiful black hair and some really nice looking eyes, though the way she had her eyebrow raised seemed strange and out of place, but at the same time he did not know how to react as he was still nervous as he was opening his mouth to greet her, the words were too slow to beat the question asked by her. She asked if he was Noel Niitah, as he nodded in reply too nervous to say anything yet. He was shaking on the inside and looking down to the ground a bit frightened by her presence that seemed even more imposing then that of the head nurse.

She greeted him and said her name was Midori and that he should feel free to take a seat as she asked if he needed any water as he looked up to her finding a bit of confidence. "yes, please Kaze..kage...sa..ma.." as the words were a bit foreign to him having no memories of when they may have first met, though when he said Kazekage some other woman appeared in his memory for a moment as he did not quite know how many times Kazekage's had changed in Sunagakure in the time when he was in the hospital.

Noel sat down on the seat which seemed a bit high for him as he began swinging his legs for a bit, until she mentioned a recent stealth mission as he stopped and stood completely still like a child who was now in trouble and about to be scolded by a teacher. She had a serious look on her face as she berated him for not being more careful and to not stand out as much as he did. He did what he was told on the mission, which may have been a lapse of judgement on Syekren's part having probably underestimated the enemy or not fully taken into account how much Noel could stand out in a stealthy mission. Though he felt it was all his fault, so having it brought up again just made him feel bad all over again. She asked if she made herself clear as his eyes were watery, but he did not let any tears fall as he just nodded with a muffled reply of "yes, Ka..ze..kage..sama..." as he did not feel he had the right to use her name without permission even if she told him she was Midori.

He had a look on his face and the entire mood now was of failure and disappointment as he resisted his urge to cry as he was pressing his hands down hard on his thighs. He did not want to be told he could get his sensei killed, or that his new friend Lux could have died because his wings stood out too much. He raised his head slowly looking up to Midori with his eyes shining from the wetness as he did his best to stop looking down as he felt he needed to show her more respect then he was, he was expecting to be punished even though what she did now may have already been the punishment as his heart was racing he could not simply run away just because the Kazekage hurt his feelings. He was a shinobi and he had to be strong, so he could find out who he was, who he is and who he will become as all his thoughts were scattered as he tried to find his way back to his original purpose of visiting the Kazekage.

Noel Feels Theme

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1414 Total

Watching the child in front of her, Midori felt a sense of confusion around her. She had expected a youthful appearance, but was this kid really a shinobi? Many children were shinobi since the age of ten, as the way of the ninja was often taught through the academy. People went into the ninja lifestyle fully aware of the serious nature of their task. Fully aware of the need to be able to be emotionally sound. According to the files, this kid who seemed to be so timid was a chuunin. Either he was pretending to be timid for manipulative purposes, or someone gave a promotion out of either poor judgement or in a bad tasted joke. Regardless, upon finishing her declaration of the boy’s failings on his recent mission, Midori watched as he seemed to withdraw into a shell – the shimmer of liquid at the edges of his eyes seemed to emphasise this emotional vulnerability.

Still, it wasn’t in Midori’s nature to penalise someone for having emotions. With a light sigh, the Kazekage rose from her seat, offering the boy a slight smile before stepping towards the table in the corner of the room, to the left of the door were one just entering, or to the right if they were leaving. A fine oaken table with a white cloth covering it, it held a couple of books and paperwork, although the main feature was two rather plain jugs of water, and a collection of glasses that were stacked and lined. Extending her puppet arm, in quite a literal sense, Midori began to take a glass and pour some water into it. Setting the jug back down, she allowed her arm to retract to its normal state, and gently placed the water down in front of the child, being sure to not make hasty movements to startle the boy.

Now that the water was served, Midori returned to her desk, sitting back where she was and relaxing into the chair. Doing her best to give an informal appearance, Midori then gestured a hand at the boy. “So. Now that the formality and such is out of the way, and the elephant in the room has been addressed, I’ve said my peace. So. My name is Midori, I’m your Kazekage, all of that formality. So, rather than hanging on that formality, let’s just get to the meat of the meeting. You set up this meeting for a reason, and I’m guessing it wasn’t to be nagged at. I apologise for sounding strict, but as a shinobi, especially of the rank of chuunin, there’s an expectation. I’m willing to look past that and simply move forward, so, Noel – what is it you want to talk about? The reason for this meeting that is…”

The Kazekage sat there then, keeping her expression as open and friendly as she could while preparing to listen, puppet arm unnaturally still when compared to the obvious liveliness of her left arm. From now on, Midori would simply listen to what the boy had to say. Although, there were doubts of course. From the mission reports and the personality she had seen thus far, the lifestyle of a shinobi was not one for him. Where did the rank of chuunin come in? Why did this kid even get the rank of shinobi to begin with? There was nothing in her mind that told her the reason for how someone this emotionally fragile would survive the academy, where expectations were taught, alongside the skills needed to survive. But, those thoughts were not to be shown on her face, which seemed to have a soft, welcoming appearance at this current period of time, the authority fading from her figure and form.

622 + 595 = 1217

The boy was on the corner with his emotions as the Kazekage Midori had risen from her seat as he felt an imposing air from the fact that she was not only the ruler of the village, but as his elder was he even allowed to look up to her as he began looking down towards his feet bowing his head slightly as he did not get that good a look at her smile. At this point she was a symbol of fear rather then a symbol of hope, but his mind was trying to get back to the reason why he was here and why he had to talk to her so soon.

Noel began to distract himself as he looked at the white cloth upon the really oaky looking table. He liked all the books and papers on it as he spent most of his missions in the past helping out the library with general work and retrieving library books. He then looked up towards the Kazekage as he heard the sound of water falling as she poured the water from a jug into a glass that he did not even notice earlier as for a moment his mind seemed to calm down as he blinked as small droplets of tears just flicked off his eyes. He then noticed she was giving the water to him as his heart began racing, her strange arm did not bother him in the slightest as he just froze in confusion as he took the glass rather timidly as he held it with both hands and started drinking the water downing it as the cool refreshing water helped to calm him down to some degree as she returned to her desk as he watched her.

She gave a hand gesture as she said the formalities were out of the way and mention an elephant as his mind was now drifting back into confusion as his emotions were still a bit torn. He took a deep breathe as it appeared as if he was going to say something as he paused, her inviting expression and the fact that she did not try to interject or interrupt him started to give him more confidence as he finally took another deep breathe and began to speak.

"I wanted to say sorry for failing my first mission and for missing Kazekage-sama's coronation ceremony" as he seemed rather nervous his heart beating.
"I got out the hospital and they told me I was a chuunin, but all I remember are my skills. I also wanted you not to blame Syekren-sensei or Lux, Lux has been helping me out a lot and Syekren-sensei did not have enough time to prepare for me joining the mission." The young Noel then took another deep breathe before his eyes changed from the wetness of before as he gave some different look this time, a more curious look as he looked to her paperwork.

"Kazekage-sama, may I get permission to see why I was put in the hospital. I do not remember everything, but since the Kazekage knows everything I thought you might be able tell me or help me, please."

While Lux got a file, when Noel requested the documents as well a lot of it was blacked out and when he asked they said the doctor did not feel that he should know about those things. However he knew the Kazekage ruled the village and could over rule this to allow him to learn about his past. He had been told the Kazekage is a great person who rules the entire village and knows all that happens. This view was a bit distorted, but it was not much worse then his previous views of Mikasa.

He held the file in front of the Kazekage hoping she would help him as he bowed his head down again as his hair fell forward as his fringe swayed slightly to the side as well. He was still a patient that was recently discharged from the hospital, but with the amount of paper work the Kazekage got on a daily basis expecting her to know everything was actually a bit of a stretch. However Noel was not taught that the Kazekage was actually just a really strong and usually experienced shinobi with a higher rank and level of skill.

The documents were unreadable to Noel, however they could be revealed by the Kazekage or even the council for that matter. If the Kazekage decided to look at the documents the basics of the documents would be the first bit of readable information. However the document would appear blank as Noel then said.

"I can not read it, but Kazekage-sama should be able to read it"

************************************************************

Name: Noel
Family Name: Niitah
Rank: Chuunin
Condition: Amnesia and muscle fatigue

Height: Four feet two inches
Weight: Sixty one pounds last weigh in

Niitah Noel is a Sunagakure Shinobi, after an incident was left in our care having suffered severe shock resulting in him collapsing into acoma, over a period of several months we were able to get him to a more healthy constitution while under our care. He has retained most of his motory skills and muscle memory, however has lost some crucial memories to his past and requires careful guardianship until he has recovered.

His body is frail so it would be best adviced to not do too much training that may be hard one his body. He also has a bad constitution when it comes to receiving medical treatment as well.

*************************************************************

If she chose to read it, the wording would begin to change after acknowledging the rank of the reader to be that of great importance as the details would begin to change if she read through it long enough.

************************************************************
A small boy found at a young age wandering into Sunagakure, the higher ups noticed he had a good amount of chakra and decided to adopt him into the village to train as a shinobi. He also possessed a special pair of white wings which we felt might be a useful tool to the village. Being a foreigner and with the only knowledge we could obtain from the boy was that his name was Noel of the Niitah branch of some clan known as the Santaku. He apparently came here in search of someone by the name of Mikasa. After some time in the academy he managed to graduate at the age of ten as we kept up the promise of allowing him to search for this person in his free time.

His history before the village was vague since he was too young to remember clearly, he had a talent for using new tools and weapons as well as some inherent skill in sealing techniques. We eventually gained more knowledge as he finally found a ronin by the name of Mikasa and also hung out with some other ronin known as Sozo. Since those ronin were not causing any trouble in the village we did not do much in terms of watching over their interactions as he did show loyalty to the village.

During that time he had taken up several missions for the library as well as obtaining some rare books, he was deemed worthy of a promotion by the Kazekage. As shown by his efficiency with missions which required a straight forward and diligent approach.

We did observe an encounter involving the foreigner Kimura Suutei from another village, though it seems that nothing came of that as they had just come across eachother by coincidence.

Unexpectedly the two ronin he had associated with had started a fight in the Slums in which he attempted to intervene receiving a rather critical wound to the gut and other internal injuries. A jounin on standby near the location was able to retrieve him as the ronin Mikasa had died while trying to kill both of them. Though the other ronin ran off during that time, and given the situation it was deemed that the life of one of our shinobi was more important then two ronin.

After his treatment and spending a rather long time in the intensive care unit when he awoke we found a large portion of his memories were missing as he had been placed in a medical coma at the time to recover from his wounds. Over a long period of several months we were able to get him stable as well as noting he still retained most motory skills and due to his diligent nature he managed to learn some of his previous techniques due to his nature of writing all his techniques in a notebook along with other information. We had taken away certain information relating to Mikasa and Sozo in order to prevent triggering another shock and have deemed it necessary to not have him learn of this past.

His body is rather frail and he does not respond well to medical treatment, however since he is a shinobi of the village with talents we can not keep him under our care any longer as he is now fit to return to light duty.

*************************************************************

However all that he knew was that the Kazekage had access to these and that she was the only one who could give the permission to have the information viewed itself. The Kazekage had the right to give him access to any information and he knew if he asked her and  if she agreed then no one could stop him. A part of him also knew if she said no that this would mean the end of his journey to the past. She was a person with the weight of an entire village on her shoulders, how would she respond to his request for truth.


1631 Words
3045 Total

Midori wasn’t really sure how to react to this little kid’s reasoning. The boy declared the reason for the meeting was mostly as an apology, but the second reason for it didn’t make much sense. Although, it would be rude to not appreciate the thought. With a slight smile and a gentle dismissive wave of her hand, Midori shook her head. “It’s fine. I did not expect anyone to arrive at the inauguration, so I do not fault you for not going. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not Kazekage yet.” She declared once he had finished speaking about what he wanted to apologise for. “Furthermore, I do not fault anyone on the failure of that mission. Mission failures are inevitable to happen. Not every objective can be completed every time. I only hope you can learn from this mistake. There is no need to cry over a failed mission, because so long as you learn from it, and no lives are lost, then it is not truly a failure."

What was really odd however, was the boy’s next request. Documents that he hadn’t been given? It was certainly something that made her confused if nothing else. His wording was uneducated and that of a child, and the more she heard him speak, the more she thought that the boy having the rank of chuunin was just a sick joke. Still, what was further strange was that he apparently had the documents, but couldn’t read it? Taking the piece of paper, Midori perused the information it held. His name, his rank, and some of the details she would expect to see. Upon reading further, however, the true nature of the paper was unveiled. A large, rather extensive document that was… Vague, and unexplained. Giving the paper a skim read, Midori felt her faith in the previous Kazekage go ever further down. There wasn’t really a proper explanation. There was nothing about this that made sense. A chuunin that they were worried about suffering shock because… He witnessed a murder?

Putting a hand to her forehead as she finished reading through it, Midori paused as she thought of what to do with this… Well, could it be called information? Shrugging, the Kazekage decided the best course of action for what was a rather foolish situation. Folding the piece of paper, she held it in front of her. Holding the piece of paper in front of her, to the rather feeble child in front of her, Midori spoke sternly. “You may read at your own leisure. However, know that should you freak out, or allow something such as this to influence your behaviour, you will be stripped of your status as a shinobi, without hesitation. I don’t know why you were given the rank of chuunin by whichever Kazekage it was that felt it would be a good joke, but right now, you do not appear to be chuunin ranked in either skill or stature. Your reason for hospitalisation was due to shock regarding the witness of a murder between ronin. I don’t know the details, but that’s because they aren’t there. At the time, there was no policy regarding the interactions to be had with foreign shinobi. But, even if these people were important to you, if you react in such a way, and allow your emotions to break you, you are not worthy of the title of chuunin. A chuunin is a teacher. One to help guide those that are along their side. While I do not have qualms with someone young holding such a position, I do have qualms with someone who does not belong in the position. If this information is correct, then know that you will be judged far more harshly than you would have been prior. As you have the position of chuunin within the village, people’s lives are trusted to you. I will not allow you to put other lives at risk because you are inadequate, and promoted for a reason that makes absolutely no sense. So, Noel of the Niitah branch, here is the information you requested. Act upon it how you will, but know that I will be watching. And should you betray the village, or prove that you are naught but a child pretending to be a shinobi, you will be punished accordingly. At best, the rank of chuunin shall be removed from you formally. At worst, you will be deemed a missing ninja. I will not take this lightly, no matter how young you are.”

Her gaze was cruel, unforgiving, and the normally calm and gentle posture of Midori sat up straight as she stared ahead and down at the boy. The letter made no sense, and why it would have had that information be incrypted was beyond her. Whoever made this child a chuunin, if everything that she has seen and heard so far is true, acted out of foolishness. Rising once more, the Kazekage walked over to the table with the water once more, pouring out a drink and taking it back to her desk, where she sat down and sipped from it. After a quick sip and a sigh, Midori spoke once more. “Understand that I am not saying this out of spite or maliciousness, and if anything I am saying this out of respect for you as a member of my family. I truly believe that cooperation is an important part of Sunagakure’s survival, and that every hand is a welcome hand. But, as I had just said, the rank of the chuunin is the rank of one who holds other’s lives in their hand. Not in the sense of choosing whether they live or die, but something far more important. Your role as a chuunin is to guide those around you to help them become better than who they used to be. So, Nitah, you will have to prove to me that you are worthy of the rank of chuunin. Whether in the sense of skills, or in mind set, I do not care. Wings, age. None of it matters. Prove to me why whoever promoted you was not a failure. I hope to not hear any further negative news regarding you, understood?”

Her voice carried with it a sense of authority and as her words ceased, so did the harshness of her expression and posture. Taking another sip of her water, she would now simply wait and allow the boy to read, watching for his reaction, and expecting none of what she had said to sink in. Time would tell. Time would tell it all.

1100 + 1217 = 2317

Noel watched as Midori, the Kazekage began to put a hand on her forehead as he wondered what she found out. He watched as she shrugged something off as he began to get more curious, his eyes had become a bit more confident and he seemed to have more excitement welling up inside of him. She read it rather fast as she simply handed it over to him and told him to read at his own leisure, but that if he freaks out or something like that again he would be stripped of his shinobi status. He began to get even more curious, as his curiosity was currently out weighing his potential fear for the Kazekage. This may have been something someone would consider to be youth.

He was told he did not seem like a shinobi of chuunin rank or stature as he felt like he agreed with her. Though his reasons for agreeing were a lot simpler then hers as he just could not believe he was at that rank. Imagine waking up to be told you a rank about genin, but you only roughly eleven years old, even though it was not unheard of his mind was missing some important information. He was told he did not belong in his position as it began to hit him deep down in his heart that he did not belong.

A part of Noel was idolising her, even though it was actually due to some of the past memories being replaced or altered to protect his mind. Her cruel gaze seeming familiar. He had already began reading some of the information out of curiosity as he did not learn much other then the fact that he went into shock from losing the person who tried to kill him. He blinked and was going to read it again as he looked up to listen to the Kazekage and told him to understand that she was not saying this out of spite or ill intentions. He listened as she finished her lecture as he began looking up to her even more, mistaking her for a parent figure more then the older sister image she had earlier.

After reading for a bit Noel gave a confused look as he looked to the Kazekage, and then back at the information as he looked to the side. "None of this makes sense." as he did get fragments of his memory, he began to think maybe he had something mentally wrong with him. There was definitely some bits of incomplete information as he tried to figure it out, but then just sealed the paper away using his fuuinjutsu.

"Sorry, Kazekage-sama..." as he looked down a bit annoyed at the information. What was wrong with him before for him to break down over something like this, maybe there was more he did not know but right now all he knew was that he was Noel. "I will do my best, and thanks for helping me learn something Kazekage-sama"

As Noel then bowed his head slightly he then looked towards Midori as his eyes seemed to have a more clear and less confused look then when he first came in. While it may have seemed redundant to her, what she did was gave him closure or at the very least a starting point on his way to recovery. He then had one last question he had to ask of the Kazekage as he took a deep breathe.

"Kazekage-sama, do you think I will become strong like you one day?" as he was simply looking for assurance, or a vote of confidence from the Kazekage. Even if it was a brutally honest hit to the face or a jab at his child-like nature. He at the very least currently held at least the shinobi skill level for his rank, he just required the tactics and knowledge that he would have gained if he had more time to develop.

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Midori watched as the boy had finished reading the document that she had passed to him. He seemed less tearful this time, which was something at least, if nothing else. Still, his expression was one she expected, and was glad to have seen. If the boy understood a word of what was written there, then it simply meant that whoever wrote the letter was truly an ass. Not so much a malicious ass, as just an ass – one who abused a position of authority for a prank that was in poor taste. Regardless, the boy just put away the piece of paper using sealing techniques. So, the kid was a sealer? Fair enough.

As he apologised, and said thank you, Midori shook her head, taking another sip of her water afterwards. “There is no worries or problems with that. You have a right to know about who you are as a person. Besides, as I said, I was not critiquing you. Whether the rest of the shinobi world thinks it or not, you are allowed to have emotions. Shinobi are born human after all. I merely voiced my concern over how this emotion is shown.” She declared, voice softened from before, before taking one more sip to finish off her water.

The last question that was asked was certainly an interesting one though. Humming slightly, the puppet wielding Kazekage thought on the answer to the question. Did she think he could become strong? “Well, there’s a few ways you could define strength. Is it strength of personality? The ability to lead others, to forge bonds that shall protect others and yourself. The ability to live among a community. Is it strength of arms? The ability to wield a weapon, to use a jutsu to devastating effect, and to smite your enemies, to cut through the harshest of armour? Is it the strength of perseverance? To continue when all allies around you are down and defeated, to be able to take the toughest of the tough, to be a survivor? There are many definitions of strength, and in my mind, every individual has their own unique talent of which they are truly strong within. To this end, I cannot tell you whether or not I believe you can become strong. I cannot do that comparing to myself either, for you and I are separate people. We have different life experiences in every degree of the term, and to that, I cannot compare you to myself. Or to anyone. Do I think you can become strong? Perhaps. But you have a lot to learn to do that, and the first step is to understand what you mean by strength. You are still young. Learn.”

With that, Midori leant back in her chair, allowing herself to get comfortable. “So, Noel, if there is nothing else, you are dismissed. You are to avoid intense missions that require skill until you have figured out what went wrong before, and from then you may return to normal missions. As this is not a formal order, should you opt, you could immediately go to intense missions once more. Just remember the potential repercussions.” With that, Midori waved a hand, gesturing to the door. “If you don’t mind, I have other meetings to prepare for, and paperwork to sort. Dismissed. Go do shinobi things.”

556 + 2317 = 2873

[EXIT]

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