Open Blocking out the noise

[Tamashi Seto]

After walking down the numerous streets of the village, passing the countless stands and ignoring the occasional gaze put on him by those he passed by, he eventually decided to make his exit of the current situation, using his skills to make a getaway up a towering apartment to get away from everything that was happening down below. Once at the top, he sighed before he took a seat near the edge, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. It was all too much, the people, the noise, the talking. He knew he had been gone for a long time, but he didn't think It would hit him this hard. He shook his head gently to side to side. He exhaled before he calmed himself. He needed to relax before he would head back down. Clearing his mind of any and all distractions, he Inadvertently began gathering natural chakra from all around him, siphoning it into his body, merging his own chakra with what he was gathering. It took a few moments for him to realize what he was doing, and when he did, his eyes jolted away, the fading markings on his face disappearing. He hadn't realized meditation had become such a centerpiece of his life but he supposed it made sense given the direction his life was going in. Upon carefully releasing the natura chakra he had absorbed, he pulled himself up. He looked down at the bustling city below. It had only been a week since he had returned from his exile, and it was surreal, as If everything was a dream. When he was here last, he was a mere child, and a rather idiotic one at that, but now? He stood here, as something more. It was foreign, alien to him, this village, everything he was reexperiencing again. It made him question his oaths momentarily, no longer seeing himself as a lightning shinobi, but in a instant, his mind reminded him what it meant to take a oath. The part of his mind was right of course. Regardless of whether or not he foind kinship with these people or those who govern, he and his clan had taken a oath to serve and protect the people of this land, and It wasn't like he needed a oath to protect the weak defenseless from harm. The last thing he wanted, was people experiencing the same as him. That said, he sighed again afterwards while his crimson pupils starred up at the clouds. He knew, that in order to better protect those here, he would need to reform a kindship with the people here, buuut that meant going back down and mingling through the city streets again. He whimpered at the thought. He really didn't want to go down. In hindsight, he should have brought Shizu after kissing up to her after he had explained the entire situation that had went down. She didn't like obviously, but she wasn't a impulsive, stupid woman. He wasn't sure if she ever forgive him. He suddenly shook his head. He needed to focus on the task at hand. He didn't want to think about his mistakes right now. Peering over the edge once more, his crimson eyes peered down towards the streets below. It was time to get a move on, and maybe get one of those drinks Sunako always got when they were in the village.

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Yuna was in her regular clothing, that is, not in her usual anbu garbs. Instead, she was wearing a set of light armor with a glove that goes up to her left shoulder underneath the armor. The Anbu Sennin had decided to have a relaxation day. After all of the things that she's been doing, from fighting rogues, to paperwork, to branch management, to paperwork, to giving out missions, to,

you guessed it, paperwork.

She's been diligently doing her job, but no matter how long she goes into Sennin business, it's all just mountains of paperwork. So today, she decided to relax. The problem is... She doesn't really know how to relax. Turns out, the life that she's lived some years before she took up Sennin position has kept her busy and on her toes to the point that she was damn near paranoid. Her time in Sand was probably the most stressful that she has been. Shaking the thought out of her head, she thought back at what her father would do to relax. Watch sunsets. It seemed so simple but the fact that she would always hear stories of her father either meeting new people or having a renewed sense of purpose was a lot of times taken during the times that he was watching sunsets.

The only problem is... Well Cloud Village, the village hidden in the clouds, doesn't get much good sunsets, especially when it is during the winter time. Yuna would sigh as she would roam the rooftops, her footsteps along with her jumping from rooftop to rooftop barely audible even to the trained ears of a shinobi. She would then soon stop to see a boy watching out into the distance, almost in a meditative state. She can't see, but she can feel the natural chakra enveloping him. She may no longer be a sage, but she still knows the feeling of natural chakra. She would wait until he was done concentrating before speaking from a distance away, "Hey." And once she has gotten his attention, she would speak up once more, "Trying to relax and connect with nature and the environment?" Her voice soft but only a tiny bit deep, surprising if anyone was expecting the Anbu Sennin to sound differently, for those who don't know her. She also had chosen to only say hey and wait for a response because she knows that she is part opportunist core ability, so sometimes she's being stealthy and sneaking up on people when she doesn't really think that she is.

 

[Tamashi Seto]

He was mustering the courage to head down, down back into the chaos below that was the village when he heard an foreign voice call out for him, one he couldn't recognize. Despite that fact however, or the fact he had lowered his guard enough for someone to approach him without even him picking up on it, he kept his focus on the hundreds of miniature dots below, not even lifting a single muscle to turn in the direction of the voice, keeping his shoulders relaxed.He couldn't really explain it, but he felt no hostilities from her, at least for now anyway. He could only figure It was from his training as a sage. He was had a skill for perception, being able to square up someone up, or able to sense when danger drew but his time away had trained his senses to a level he never thought possible before, and to think, he hadn't even reached the ceiling out. "Something like that....I've never really been one for the city....It just....well, I'm sure you know." He spoke in a casual tone before he paused momentarily. A few seconds drew by before he finally turned his body in the direction of the voice, revealing a young woman that instantly reminded him of Shizu. That stature, that hair & eye color, even he pigment of her skin, he raised a eyebrow ever so slightly. He wouldn't be surprised If they were related, but he knew better than that. If she had relatives in the village itself, even as long distant branch clan members, he would know since she probably pond into his head for one reason or another.

Tamashi Seto
"So what do I owe the pleasure...beautiful? I can assure you I am no threat to the village"

While he kept to a nonchalant, friendly like tone, there was a hint of serious in his tone. He knew what he said, but he wasn't trying to come off as offensive, obnoxious or a flirt, though from prior experience, he wouldn't be surprised If she took it the wrong way. Women in this village, for some reason he could never understand, hated being complimented. He softly sighed a few moments later, his eye lids closing momentarily before he revealed his crimson eyes once more. "I do tend to attract the femme fatale type for some reason~" *He relaxed further, letting out a brief, soft, quiet chuckle. He made an attempt to stop himself, but it was rather pointless, after all, he had been surrounded by powerful women his entire life. To him, it was just how the world worked, and he knew better to question it by this point. His stance straighten somewhat, becoming slightly more serious before he spoke again, making a faint smile while boasting a sympathetic expression, raising his eyebrows.

Tamashi Seto
"Ehh, don't take what I say as too serious....It's just a old habit I have, I meant no offense...."

Hopefully this mystery woman would understand, or at least, laid back, otherwise it be looking like he be in the doghouse again. He was already in three, he needed to be thrown into a fourth now. Knowing his luck, she be somebody important too...​

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

"Chaotic?" Yuna had provided an answer for the boy, given his thoughts on city life. True, it can be chaotic, even on the best days. But it is something that Yuna has adapted to been able to handle on a daily basis, when it comes to just transiting to chasing down a criminal, which she hasn't done in a while. The boy finally turned around and had raised his eyebrow at her. It isn't everyday that someone meets a woman with purple hair, so she thought that maybe it. She walked over and rested her arms on the edge of the roof as she looked out.

She then heard the comment the boy had given her. She would scoff before saying, "Don't flatter yourself. I don't roll that way." She fell silent as she processed her own words. She's been sinlge for a long time, but there was only one instance in which she had felt butterflies in her stomach. When she was in Sand and had met Momo. Momo is a Cloud ninja, like her, that had found her way into Sand. And when Momo had spoke to her, in a very flirtatious manner, Yuna was very tempted to flirt back. So Yuna had thought about it for a minute before she came to understand that she herself, likes other women. "Well if you were a threat to the Village, I would have already dispose of you. As for femme fatale, I'm only fatal to those deserving of it."

He then told her that she shouldn't take what he says too seriously as he doesn't mean any offense. She would sigh before saying, "Don't worry about it. I've heard worst. "This time kind of reminds her when Hon had started tracking her down when she was a Jinchurriki. She didn't think that he knew she was a jinchurriki so she thought he was just some stalker, whereas Hon was just trying to ensure safety. Even though she was facing a little bit away from him as she stared out into the city, she was aware of where he was simply by hearing his own blood flow. Chigokai are like that, and her father had made sure to hammer it into her head to always listen for blood flows. Her father was even able to discern peoples emotions or even intentions by how the blood flowed.

 

[Tamashi Seto]

And there it was, the typical Kumogakure kunoichi mentality he was all too familiar with. He wanted to say he was surprised, shocked even, but by this point, he would only be shocked If the opposite occurred, which in his experience, very rarely happened, and this one was no different, evident of the tone she took. She even showed the same level of aggression, returning the favor If he was, in fact a threat, he would already be put into the ground. A faint chuckle escaped his lips while he subtle smile.

Tamashi Seto
"You wouldn't be the first Kunoichi to make such a claim, Jonin or not. At least Lady Shinrya knew how to roll with it and have some fun~"

He chuckled on for an another second or two in a nonchalant demeanor before taking a moment to silence himself. He turned to a few skyscrapers in the distance, folding crossing his arms in the distance. His mind momentarily wondered if they were administrative buildings before he very subtly shook his head, forcing his mind to keep to the matter at hand, this new acquaintance of his. He had clearly never seen her before, let alone met her, but than again, he had been gone for quite some time. He wasn't even sure If Lady Shinrya was still the Raikage. For all he knew, she could have stepped down or worse, not that he really wanted to ponder on such fates, having taken a likening to her when he was younger. After all, she was one of the very few women were able to tolerate him back than without resorting to passive aggression. He kept his attention the city Infront of him, keeping his back to her without any ill reason. "Do you find solace up here amongst all the mayhem you must deal with every day?"

He spoke up in a more serious tone, returning closer to usually how he spoke normally. He had no idea who she was, but he could feel she was someone of importance.
She didn't need to tell him, though he doubted she would unless he asked directly or did stupid to prompt her to do so. It went without saying too that he didn't needed to be told or at be the receiving side of a death glare to know this one could probably kill him as well, not that It bothered him, or brought fear to him. If anything, he felt more at ease around such women. Regardless, on this matter, he just had a sixth sense for these type of things, having been training and fighting nearly to the death for as long as he remembered. Eventually, he tilted his head over the shoulder slightly, the edge of his left eye looking in her direction as he continued speaking.

Tamashi Seto
"It was never really my choice....to become a sage, but I do admit....in certain situations, it does help with finding one's inner peace. Without it, I'd probably find myself on these roof tops often....to escape the chaos below."​

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His eyed laxed after that, though his shoulders stiffened a bit, still clinging to his normal serious demeanor. For a moment afterwards, a thought had posed in his mind to see If she wanted to do something together to expel some of this anxiety, and some steam off, but given her responses so far, he was sure she would take slightly offense, thinking he was trying to make advance on her or something of the sort. Truth be told, the city was simply foreign and alien to him as much as It seemed friendly and relaxing when he was a child. It was frankly a bit jarring for him to be in this place. After she would surely blow him off, treating him as some flirt or pervert, he grab his strength and back down. He was sure he could find, what Sunako call it again? A saki bar? He was sure he could find one. Tricking a commoner was childs play for him, even during his early days at the academy.​

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

"Well that is Kitsune-sama. I haven't really had much chance for much harmless banter." This holds true even before her time as a Sennin. As soon as she became a ninja it was one crazy mission after another for her. It was especially hard for her when she arrived back home from her mission in Sand. Gaining the Sennin position and then learning about her father's death right after. Along with that now having to manage a whole branch of people along with fix her predecessors slave problem. Not to mention it seems to be that the Main Branch ninja have a thing against the ANBU for some reason or another. From the previous Main Branch Sennin about to fight her, to see her worth, to a jounin wanting to fight her, more out of pure loyalty.

It truly has been, if not one thing it's another, moment for her. She really had hoped to have the chance today to just wind down a bit. Yuna took a deep breath and thought about an answer as the boy had asked her. "Honestly? I don't know, really. My father had always told me stories of his time in Leaf. How he'd watch the sunset to calm down. As you know, we don't get much memorable sunsets here, especially during the wintertime. But maybe I'd thought that going to a place far up may help... I don't know, center myself, if that makes any sense."

Yuna paused as she listened to the boy speak again, saying that he is a sage, and it wasn't planned, but it had helped him find inner peace at times. She thought about the times in which she was an archsage. Very deeply connected to her contracts. But again, it was her pain and sorrow that had welled up inside her that made her lose that inner peace. Her pain and sorrow had unlocked a power inside of her that had dwelled from within waiting to be unlocked. "I was once a sage..." She started. "But when I had lost my father... the pain and sadness had built up inside me to the point that I lost that deep connection with my contracts. I've managed so far. Heck, this is the first time in a long time that I've decided to make time for myself to try and relax." This was also only the second time that she has talked about her father to another person. At first, it was hard for her. Now a second time, it still stings, as Seto might be able to tell the pain in her voice as she had talked about her father, though no tears have fallen. Yuna took another deep breath. She has cried her tears for her father already. She knows that he would want her to be happy and strong for him and for everyone.

 

[Tamashi Seto]

He gave her a gentle nod at her response. He was sure she wasn't bluffing, knowing the pain of leadership to some extent, being the heir of his clan. He had only returned a week ago since his "exile" and since that moment of return, he has few chances at relaxation, let alone sleep. Today was really the first day he had any of that, or rather, he found a opportunity to slip away, consequences be dammed. He had already overseen several small scale projects, attempted a negotiation between two clan families to find a solution and having been forced by his mother to write several documents down for diplomacy purposes, than there was the Kami clan merger. He quietly sighed to himself at that thought, not wanting to think about that right now. He was already at his wits end. If he had to end just one more conflict between Izumai and Shizu, he might explode from rage and do something stupid. Her taking a deep breath before speaking caught his attention, and when she spoke, lamenting about Kumogakure's disappointing sunsets and her father's past experiences, he couldn't help but agree with another nod of his head, his vision still scouring the countless roof tops for any dangers when the both of them knew there wasn't any to be found, not on their level anyway.

Tamashi Seto
"True enough I suppose, though to be frank, my childhood memories of this place have become a blur.....as if they no longer matter.....Ironic...I know."

He spoke about such things, implying as If he was no longer a child, even though the later was true. Despite what he had gone though, everyone here he had met today, treated him like any other inexperienced, energetic genin who had something to grow. A few years ago, he would have agreed without hesitation, thinking back on it, but that was than. He had always been forced to grow up faster than most but found time & energy to have "fun" as he called it. Before, It was just training that would nearly take his life to please his father, to gain his approval as heir despite knowing he could never live up to his elder sister's prowess, and now, he was performing work akin to a former administrator of nobility in service to a Daimyo, like the old ways. Then there was of course, the political marriages and the aspect of further heir rearing, another topic he didn't enjoy thinking about.

When the young woman began speaking again, this time, citing she was once too a sage, as well as sharing her own ill omen relationship with her father, a powerful gust of wind blew past them, catching him off guard momentarily as several leaves flew past. He gently pushed his bangs to the side with two fingers, returning his vision. He than turned to face her as she continued speaking about the lost of her father and the pain she carries within herself. That was the moment she captivated him, drew him in. With this stranger of all people, he had instantly found a connection on her on a deeper level than he had envisioned when she first appeared. He didn't say any initially, still processing her words, his eye lids closing for a brief time before he beamed at her with his crimson eyes.

Tamashi Seto
"Hmm....I understand......in more ways than one.....but I won't pretend to know the full depth's of the pain you carry. It's something we all gain at some point I suppose..."
He paused momentarily, looking up at the sky, and by extension, the blazing sun.
"Even though most probably see me as a joke still, I've learned through life, no matter how young I am, that father's are difficult. Mine still lives, and yet.....in some ways, he's already been dead to me for quite some time, having never lived upto his expectations until recently.....but only through Kami forbidden means..."
Returning his attention back at the young woman, he made a deeply sigh, closing his eyes before they returned to meet her eyes.
"Since the day I was born, I was gifted....gifted with these crimson eyes....the eyes of "hatred"....As you know no doubt, they are a powerful weapon.....when wielded correctly, but as much as they are a blessing, they are equally a curse as well....forever dooming me to the path of sorrow and further trauma.....that is, If I ever wish to unlock the full extent of it's power.....It's not something I look forward to...."

He closed his eyes after after. He began thinking of his past and how he got here. While he could no doubt measure upto to the same suffering and trauma this one went through, he could still understand another broken soul like himself when he saw one, and while most veterans never spoke of their past, and usually for good reason, he found strength in releasing it, whether through speaking to another, or using it to fuel himself in battle from prior experiences. If she didn't wish to speak of her past, that was fine by him as well. It was not something easily done, and It wasn't as If he was a master of it himself. He just knew talking to another like himself was easier than someone who never experienced trauma or lost, unless it was someone who loved you unconditional, but that was a separate can of worms altogether.
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