Open Fights, Frights and Shocking Delights (Closed)

[Ayeka]

Another beautiful day once again rises in Konoha and Oak street gives way to the usual hustle and bustle mixed with the waring smells of the different eateries. People greet in passing and a gentle peace the village is known for caresses the air giving a warm and pleasant feeling for it citizens which was soon shattered by one silvery haired child who may have grossly misunderstood what a restaurant was. You see this child has been wandering the Oak district a lot recently and she has seen some of the more.... impassioned patrons engaged in sloppy face to fist combat with each other in the street which has led to the impressions that these building must be fighting dojos of some sort which was exacerbated by her general inability to read. The resulting misunderstanding has caused said child to challenge and then assault a number of civilian restaurant owners followed a very thorough beating at said child's hand. Thus believing she had won said challenge as tradition dictated she then took their restaurant sign as proof of their defeat. Obviously the business owners have taken Umbridge to this and are now chasing a sign laden wildly cackling possibly insane Senju around the village with the intent of getting their signs back.

With such a strange turn of events occurring, general chaos has broken out in the district as untrained civilians trample each other in a vain attempt to capture a semi trained student ninja to very little avail in very much the same manner as an angry hoard of women chase down a peeping tom.

[MFT]
WC: 266

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"Moru, wait, what?!"

Keiyaku ran after the little Shiba puppy who was frantically barking and whining, bound for the Red Oak District's high street. The Inuzuka boy had no idea what had gotten him so worked up, but he was tearing down the road faster than when he caught the scent of a juicy steak cut. Darting between two buildings onto an open street, the source of Moru's flight became less mysterious. The street was in chaos; groups of people, shouting angrilly, running down the street after a lone figure, a white-haired girl, not much older than himself.

"Yeesh, you really know how to pick your battles, huh?"

Moru gave a little whine in response.

"Oh, don't give me all that greater-good crap."

But the little guy had a point; this was what they were supposed to do now. Swallowing his desire to turn tail and find somewhere to get lunch, he walked out from the alleyway and began running alongside the crowd. Moru had other ideas; instead running at the heels of the girl, whose arms were laden heavy with bags of some sundry sort. He was nipping at her heels trying to get her to slow down. At this point, Keiyaku was pointlessly trying to reason with a select few people among the horde, but the mass hysteria was proving quite impenetrable.

"Hey, you there, with the bags! Side-alley!"

The Shiba puppy was already running alongside her, trying to steer her to safety, hopefully to a street too narrow for the horde to continue its pursuit.

 

[Ayeka]

'Sore losers! Every single one of them!' Was the current opinion of the fleeing child not quite understanding the restaurant owners displeasure on her pugilistic entrance into their places of business. Though stopping and questioning the upset chefs never really factored into her thought process before the situation escalated and it was most likely not going to dawn on her any time soon despite her gradually failing stamina. However the appearance of one small Shiba nipping at her heels did do wonders for that nice burst of adrenaline that always allowed for a second wind powered burst of speed. "Rrrraaaagh What sicko sic's a dog on a child!!" Aria snorted with a deep snarl more reminiscent of a boar than the child she clearly was as the dog began attempting to herd her towards a side alley while a vague voice shouted in the distance urging her to follow the puppers urging directions .

Steam could almost be seen coming from her ears as her angelic features were twisted into a snarling mask of anger as she screamed. "Don't tell me what to do! The great Aria already knew the next move before you could even think!!" Such harsh words however belayed her actual actions as she surged forward with a burst speed only dropping a single signboard for a place called the Great Catch that despite it's maritime signage and pattern claimed to be the best barbeque restaurant in Oak Street which was doubtful to say the least. Rushing in to the alley which narrowed significantly enough that Aria herself was forced slow down did give her enough time to check behind her. Mercifully the glance showed that the alleys entrance was forcing her pursuers to a standstill at it's mouth. Taking her chance Aria quickly hefted her prize over her shoulder and with some agility was able to use the Alleys walls as springboards to quickly scurry up the to the top and on to the relative safety of the roofs where she collapsed huffing and puffing for the moment while angry grumbling from below ensued from her less than happy challengers.

[MFT]
WC:354

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"The great what?"

As if a rampaging mob chasing a little girl wasn't strange enough, the girl herself was certainly a whole other issue unto her own.

Keiyaku dropped to all fours, his groundspeed picking up considerably as he did so, enough to start to catch up to Morutobu and the girl as they finally turned towards the alley. Following swiftly behind them, Keiyaku's plan proved successful, forcing a bottle neck that halted the stampede, giving everyone pause for thought about what they were doing. Standing up and facing them, he backed away with arms held out, his voice audibly trembling.

"H-Hey, I'm just a kid! I didn't see nothin', okay? I-I'm just looking for my dog!"

That seemed to be enough to wipe the suspicion from the faces of the meanest looking folks among the crowd. Now that he really looked though, where was Moru, and for that matter the girl. He took a second to close his eyes. His nose twitched. His eyes opened.

"Clever little sneak," the Inuzuka boy smirked admiringly, eyes darting skyward. He jumped, scaling the walls of the alleyway like a lizard until he reached the summit, the girl standing above him, but, more importantly, Moru. The Shiba puppy was pacing, gazing at the girl with his head tilted curiously.

"Hey, are you okay?" Keiyaku's voice carried a mixture of genuine concern and outright bewilderment. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he stood to his full height, impressively framed in his shiny new ANBU rookie uniform... well... that's how he felt anyway.

"Can you just... explain what that was all about? What's that you've got there in the bags?"

 

[Senju Akio]

Senju Itsuki sat with his grandson in a small rooftop garden in the Red Oak district of Konohagakure. The two had just finished tending to the well-organized array of herbs, flowers, and plants when the sounds of a chase echoed into their respective ears. Akio, a young Senju academy student, quickly jumped to his feet and looked around, unable to ascertain more than the direction that the commotion was coming from. However, Grandpa Itsuki was slower to respond, instead looking towards the nearby rooftop and slowly turning an ear as he took in his surroundings with his eyes squinted to the point they were simply lines on his face. He put a sagely hand up towards Akio that the boy knew as a sign to stay calm then, in an instant, was gone from the rooftop. The sunny sandy-blonde haired boy was shocked by this sudden disappearance. It wasn't often that he saw his grandpa show off the talents that he'd acquired over his long years serving as a Jounin for the village. So Akio simply shook his head and blinked wide-eyed before calling out, "Wait up for me grampa!" As quick as he could, Akio daashed off after him, bouncing off of the nearby awnings and rooftops in pursuit of his elderly grandfather.

Without a sound, and in a flash that only took the blink of an eye to miss, Senju Itsuki stood behind the troublemaking kunoichi who was panting on the nearby rooftop. "I believe those are the respective signs of half this block's restaurant owners." The old man said, responding to Keiyaku's question. He hadn't even been on the same roof when the boy had asked, but considering he'd also pieced together the full story that took place from the rantings of nearby business owners, it appeared that the old man's hearing was as good as it had ever been. That's when the old man quirked an eyebrow in a subtle curious expression toward the young girl, who was surely surprised by his unexpected appearance. "Tell me young one, what is your name?" Itsuki asked, his elderly voice laden with a kind wisdom that belied his shinobi prowess, but highlighted his gentle and sagacious nature.

While he rarely spoke about it, Senju Itsuki was a former sensor ninja, extremely adept at recognizing the differences between individual users' chakra flows and 'flavor profiles', if you will. There was something in young Aria that had caught his eye, a small but growing pool of not chakra, but natural energy that flowed through her pathways. Normally he would have to experience a shinobi's techniques to really get a grasp of what the different profiles entailed, but this was one that he'd seen so many times in his life that it was impossible for the old man not to recognize. This young kunoichi was Senju. However, he did not let his observation be known. Instead, Itsuki would patiently await the young girl's reply to his earlier question.

After a bout of bounding from rooftops to awning to railing to rooftop again, Akio finally arrived to join his grandfather and the other two young shinobi. "Hey grandpa! Why'd you run off like that!?" Akio asked in a chipper but confused shout, his breath coming out in calm huffs as his body calmed down from the sprinting and leaping traversal of Red Oak's rooftops. That was when he noticed the two children who his grandfather was speaking with. He immediately recognized the young Inuzuka from a lunch they'd shared a few days prior, but his grandfather stood looking at a girl that he'd never seen before. She looked about his age, but hadn't been attending the academy, at least not that he'd known of. "Hey Keiyaku! Howya doin!?" Akio asked the Inuzuka ANBU-to-be with his characteristic bright and sunny smile, then looked towards the unknown girl with that same big toothy grin and continued. "And what's your name? I'm Akio!" He asked, not knowing that his grandfather had just done the same not a minute earlier.

 

[Ayeka]

Aria sighed in relief at her timely escape finally getting to breath for a moment and get her bearings. Fortunately she would have plenty of time and the furry little pursuer who had kept pace with the small Senju seemed to have no interest in apprehending her for the minute. Steadying her breath and sitting up while allowing her pilfered trophies to gently slide from her grip, clattering to the floor in the process. Aria considered the currently pacing dog at her feet. "Hey Pooch how you do...…" Arms outreached to embrace the pup in a friendly gesture Aria was interrupted in both speech and action when another person jumped onto the roof. Feeling unsure of the stranger clad in Anbu armour the white haired child just plastered a silly grin on her face allowing her naturally sunny disposition shine through. "What Bag?" Said simply proving without a doubt in this very first meeting that she was incapable of in any way making a semi believable lie but was saved from being called out on it by a sudden displacement wind.

Orange eyes began to slowly widen and mouth began to slacken, open in shock as that primal sixth sense that warned humans of danger caused the hair on the back of Aria's neck to raise and slowly she began to tilt her heads backwards until she could see...… An old man standing behind her? At first Aria almost chided herself but this man gave off a feeling of strength and danger that caused her expression to morph from shock to barely restrained glee as her eyes filled with feral excitement and mouth pulled back into a grin that bordered on manic. Barely nodding at the man's question pointed at her trophies Aria became consumed by her thoughts. 'This guy feels strong. I can't explain it but everything about this man just feels strong. Hehehehe I can already feel it the blood rushing through my muscles in anticipation, My breath is catching in my chest..........' Bursting into laughter with sheer exhilaration as soon as the old man asked his question Aria grinned savagely not caring this man could crush her five times over before she could even blink as the Senju pointed straight at him. "Fight me and I'll tell ya!" Was her simple response leaving a pregnant and somewhat awkward pause as the only sound that went by was the gently whistling of the wind.

Only to be broken by the slower arrival of yet another person. A sunny haired blond with a nice upbeat attitude and as much as she wanted to respond to him her body was in fight mode and wasn't going to back down by the pleasant greeting so she flashed a smile at the boy which sadly reflected all her currently feral desires to fight before her eyes refocused back on Itsuki awaiting on his answer and trying not to lose the leverage her name apparently had at the moment to this stranger.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

From the way Morutobu had started to growl, Keiyaku had no doubt this girl wasn't particularly trustworthy, stolen property notwithstanding; the pup was usually an excellent judge of character after all and the boy trusted that judgement. As the bag full of signs clattered to the ground, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and take a closer look.

"You know, little miss, I was expecting this to be like... money... or kittens or something," Keiyaku said slowly, half amused half disappointed. Shop window signs weren't exactly the pinnacle of organised crime. Another voice all but confirmed this; a much more experienced-sounding voice. He turned to see the old man, his nose flaring slightly as the scent of him was very faintly familiar. He seemed kindly enough, and addressed the girl in the way a sensei might a cherished student. The man's scent combined with his uncharacteristically kind demeanour made him think he was probably related to...

"Oh hey! Akio! Yeah, I'm great! Eh, sorry about the whole lunch situation; I still feel a little guilty about that. This is your gramps, huh?"

The Inuzuka's eyes turned to his faithful companion who was still grumbling unhappily at the girl.

"Found this girl running down the street, carrying a load of stolen shop signs. I figure I better take 'em back - but she's a kind so I can't exactly arrest her, can I?" He knew Morutobu would be clamouring to do exactly that; he had a bit of a manic sense of justice since joining the ANBU.

"Nice to meet ya by the way," Keiyaku said to the older Senju, not really wanting to butt in and be rude, but still feeling a certain duty in showing deference to his elders, "I'm Keiyaku; Akio's friend from the Academy."

 

[Senju Akio]

The young Senju girl had responded to the old man's inquiry with a request of her own. This caused Itsuki's cheeks to rise in a smile and his eyes to squint to mere lines as he was joined by his grandson. "Ohh, I'm well past the age where I'd consider that. But... truth be told you don't have to tell me your name for me to know it." The sagacious old man replied in a pleasant and unperturbed tone. His chakra-sensing capabilities were sharp even in his old age, and the look of a Senju's natural energy was unmistakable, and he wasn't about to make his introduction to an unknown clan member in the form of physical combat. He was much too old and wizened for that to even be a consideration.

Meanwhile, Akio replied to Keiyaku's greeting and explanation. "No way! Moru can share my lunch with me anytime!" The sunny Senju replied, before continuing to answer his question. "And yeah! This is Grampa Itsuki! He's super smart and wise and... apparently still way faster than I am!" He said, adding the last bit with a slight tinge of humility. He'd been training hard, but from the difference in speed between the two, it was clear that Akio still had quite a bit of work to do to catch up to even the level of a long-retired Jounin.

Itsuki's smile deepened at that statement. While he wasn't active as a shinobi, having hung up his kunai years ago and having gifted his prized wooden bracers to his grandson who wore them proudly even on this day, he found a sense of pride that he hadn't fully lost his touch. When Keiyaku mentioned not being able to take the young girl in, Isuki replied calmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you young Keiyaku. And no no. Punishment won't be necessary. It's easy to tell that this youngling is simply looking to test her growing skills. However..." He diverted his attention toward Aria, his barely visible eyes locking onto her oranges with a slightly chiding expression. "I'm certain you could find better ways to do so than attacking hapless restaurant owners in their own establishments. Such brashness hardly befits your Senju heritage." If she wasn't going to be forthright, Itsuki certainly was.

This caused Akio to don a shocked expression. 'Senju?! But... I thought I knew all the kids my age from our clan...' He thought, eying the girl with bewilderment. "Whatcha mean Senju, grandpa? I've never seen her around our clan complex!" Akio asked, certainly not understanding how he'd known or that it was even a possibility that there were Senju in the village that weren't officially a part of the clan. "Why don't we let our young friend here explain for herself." Itsuki replied, looking at Akio for only a moment before returning his gaze towards Aria. "This is surely a better test of your talents..." Itsuki said, removing a small potted plant from the sleeve of his long robe. It had a small seedling, bright green and barely poking two leaves from the surface. How he'd managed to hide it in there, much less think of bringing it, was a mystery to Akio, but the old man still had some tricks, and evidently other items, up his sleeve. "Focus now. Feel your natural energy. And let it grow." The old man said, and Akio simply stared on with intense interest, his characteristic bright smile adorning his face as he waited in anticipation.

 

[Ayeka]

Aria's forehead wrinkled and her eyes narrowed into an expression of confusion mixed with disappointment. The disappoint was easy to guess as her challenge had been rebuffed and attributed in her mind as 'Your took weak, Come back when the challenge is worth it.' Mostly because that was what Aria's own response would have been if a weaker challenger tried to fight her. Confusion however stemmed from this thing called a restaurant that Itsuki mentioned. "What the heck is a restaurant! Those board things came from dojo challenges. You know challenge the dojo master and beat them then take a trophy." Aria wasn't one to bully the weak so she made sure to challenge only the places she had seen fighting outside of in the evening so she was sure she hadn't accidently attacked this restaurant thing the old man was yammering on about. If it wasn't bad enough she was being accused of hitting weaklings the old man had also mentioned the Senju which was a strange topic and a very good guess in her opinion on her last name but also a name she was conflicted about as memories began to swim Infront of her vision.

Memories of a forest far from the village where a mist hung over even on the hottest day of summer, A forest with old gnarled trees that blotted out the sky and made you feel like that they were watching you, A forest that seemed to overflow with an ancient malice and bloodlust bled into the land by a clan of natural senjutsu users whom for decades have ignored the tenants of the Senju and have instead only focused on training excellent ninja using any method while discarding anyone deemed too weak to the woods outside. Escape or starvation where the only means of survival once discarded and the memories of herself luckily stumbling upon the leaf while walking past the bodies of unknown family members still left a bad taste in her mouth. To Aria her name was just that. A name, something to be called by but held no importance beyond that with her own heritage being largely unknown to her.

Memories simmered below the surface but Aria was not one to brood and where soon forgotten once again as Itsuki pulled out a plant as test for Aria but unfortunately she wasn't sure what Itsuki wanted her to do with the little flower so looking within herself and taking a deep breath Aria slowly reached out to the plant encapsulated in the wizened old hand before proceeded to fast as a flash, stuff said plant straight into her mouth. 'Old People are weird. Why did he want me to eat this?' Swallowing the poor victim of Itsuki's choices and completing whatever this challenge was Aria looked between the kid and the old man for a moment the kindly visages of them both felt relaxing like a pulse of something she couldn't recognise from the two of them. Taking a step away from the two she decided to officially introduce herself to these people and the dog boy duo. "Look I don't know who you guys think I am and I don't know what you think I've done but carve this into your minds. I'm Senju Aria the future sage who will conquer heaven and earth like none before them " Sticking her chest out in defiance with a wide grin on her face and her hands resting on her hips Aria allowed her awesome introduction, at least in her opinion hang in in the air.

[MFT]
[WC: 596]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Keiyaku gave a little bow of his head for a moment as the elder waved him off, not wanting him to take any action against this strange girl. It would certainly be interesting to see the two interact; someone who seemed so wise and at one with the universe, and a child who had just caused a civilian stampede and not even seemed to really be sure why or how.

"Senju?" Keiyaku asked, inclining his head slightly to the other boy beside him, "that's your family name, right? So, she's like what... your cousin or something?"

By this time, Morutobu had seemingly calmed down, much more owing to the presence of Itsuki, judging him to be a wholly non-threatening presence. in fact, he retreated a little and went to sit by Keiyaku's feet, almost as if standing guard over his big brother... like that would intimidate anyone...

The elder had a strange interaction with the girl, like he knew where she came from and know something deeper about her. He was handing her a pot plant, telling her to make it grow or something. He leaned over to Akio once more and whispered his question, "is that some kind of kekkei genkai? Making plants gr-"

He'd taken his eyes off the girl all of two seconds, but he was 98% certain she'd just swallowed the flower whole. He blinked. Looking between Itsuki and the girl, he was wondering if he should pipe up at this point.

"Uhh.... you know, Akio... after all what I've seen her do today... that's really making a lot of sense, right there..."

 

[Senju Akio]

Akio leaned over to whisper back to Keiyaku as he had asked him about the Senju's unique bloodline techniques. Yeah, we can do all kinds of things with woo-uhhh" As he began to speak the girl simply snatched the plant from its comfy home within the small pot, shoved it into the her mouth, and swallowed. The young Senju boy fought back the urge to react brashly and instead looked fearfully over at his grandfather. The old man was kindly, sagacious, and usually slow to anger. But for someone to take what he'd lovingly nourished into life and simply snuff it out... Well, Akio knew that wouldn't go over well. "Y-yeah, Keiyaku. I, uhh, better go try and settle things down before they get out of hand..."

Senju Itsuki gawked, his eyes going wide, his mouth hanging open, and the wrinkles on his face intensifying as he tried to stomach the thought of the girl he'd presented such an apt opportunity to literally eating one of the seedlings he'd raised. Aria would barely have been able to get her introduction out before the old man dropped his pipe from his mouth, raised his cane to start waving it, and the generally composed and calm demeanor he carried exploded into a fit of curmudgeonly exclamations. "EHHHH~!? HOW DARE YOU EAT THAT PRECIOUS PLANT!? ARIA? MORE LIKE ARE-YOU-A SENJU!? WHATDIDYOUTHINKIMEANT!? INSOLENTGIRL!YOUWANTTHATFIGHT!? I'LLSHOWYOUCOMEOVERHEREANDACCEPTYOURPUNISHMENT!"

The outburst was loud, fast paced, and considering the man's usual state of being, surprising to say the least. Akio, however, had acted quickly, placing himself between the clearly confused young girl and his grandfather. "Come on grandpa! She prolly just didn't know better!" The grandson said chidingly as he wrapped his arms around Itsuki's waist and pushed him away from her, creating some distance as his grandfather continued yelling, his words becoming nearly inaudible at this point. "It's okay, it's okay! He'll calm down soon!" Akio said with a red-faced smile as he looked back towards Keiyaku and Aria, still holding his grandfather back. Sure enough, just like the sunny young boy had said, the old man eventually calmed his raised temper and returned to his usual sensible and tranquil state. In fact, looking at him now, it would've been difficult to even think he was the same person mere moments before.

"Ahem~... I'm sorry. I let my temper get the better of me." The old man said to Keiyaku and Akio in his characteristically kind tone, then turned toward Aria. "As for you, Aria, it is abundantly clear that you don't understand what your name means." His face slightly tilted down, his line-like eyes looking straight into the young Senju girl. "We can do something about that, however. Please take the time to come to the east edge of the clan complex. Akio can show you the way." The old man added with a tone that spoke both sternness and kindness at once. Then, within the space of a blink of an eye, the old man was gone and Akio was left holding a potted plant in his arms where his grandfather had once been. Placing it softly onto the rooftop, Akio simply gave an embarrassed smile and scratched the back of his mop of sandy blonde hair. "Well, that's one way to introduce yerself." He said with a disarming laugh. "Grandpa's right though. If you're really a Senju, he can show you what you can really do. He taught me all I know!" Akio said, his smile brightening as he waved his hand over the pot and a full and beautiful orchid bloomed from what was once a tiny seedling. "But for now... I hate to tell ya, those weren't dojos you went through today. Those are places that normal people go to eat. Why don't we go take those signs back to the owners and apologize?" The amiable pre-adolescent continued, picking up a bundle of the signs. "Come on cuz. Let's go." Akio added with a wave and a smile as he casually hopped down to the streets below.

 

[Ayeka]

Aria grinned as Itsuki went wild thinking she was going to get her fight as the old man spouted nonsense at her while making large swings with his walking stick, fortunately Itsuki's rage had blinded him which would allow Aria to duck away from his strikes before Akio interceded between the two of them, much to Aria's disappointment. Watching the old man walk away with his grandson Aria just smiled to herself and said.

"This guy is a riot"

Giggling to herself Aria watched as Akio walked back over to her assuring the self proclaimed sage that the old man would calm down but honestly Aria didn't really care if he was angry with her since it was nothing compared to what Trainer used to put her through in these last few years. Shrugging away those thoughts before they fully formed Aria observed the old man as he came back over after calming down, to the point that it seemed like the ire she had caused had been a lie or hallucination which was kind of creepy on how much the old dude could swing his emotions around. Sensing the potential for a fight had departed she listened to Itsuki talk about a clan and that she didn't know what it was to be Senju. Which was fair as Aria had not been raised to be a Senju instead she had been raised to be a ninja with all that entailed. As she watched Itsuki disappear in much the same manner as he first appeared, Aria mulled over what he said and about going to the clan.


'Hmmm judging by how that old man acted, he wasn't talking about Wisteria clan, So what did he mean by I didn't know what it is to be Senju? Isn't fine as long as I fight and destroy whatever the village calls an enemy?'

She was shaken from her thoughts as Akio walked up to her and as she looked at his mop of blond hair she felt..... She didn't quite know but it was almost like he felt familiar like a long lost acquaintance from long ago which didn't make sense to her as she hadn't been in the leaf long but it was how she felt which saved Akio from a verbal rebuff about being taught as she turned around and retrieved her lost bag.

"Huh neat trick"

Aria muttered unsurely as Akio made the potted plant he was holding bloom as she tried to make heads and tales of her trophies to see if Akio was telling the truth but in all honesty reading wasn't her strong suite as she gave up.

"Fine I'll give these back. They weren't very good fights anyway."

Aria said as she moved to follow Akio but not before giving a fairly sizeable belch that ejected one small leaf from her maw. The single petal drifting in the air settling into a small crack on the roof before surging with a small amount of greenish chakra and quickly revitalizing the flowers remains allowing it to regenerate back but this time flowering. As the children walked away a Freesia merrily sways in the wind almost as if it was signifying first greetings and possible future friendships not that the white haired child noticed. Meanwhile Aria landed down in the alley next to Akio and looked over at the pot of plants he was holding and simply said.

"You gonna eat that?"

[WC:572}
[MFT]
[Topic Left unless stopped]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Keiyaku couldn't really say he was all that surprised at the spectacle unfolding before him; the girl destruction of property clearing not fazing her, but the elderly gentleman seemed to have quite a few things to say about it. Both boy and dog watched Itsuki, semi stunned, as he launched into a tirade against the girl following a rather pregnant pause. The young ANBU cadet was about to intervene himself when Akio stepped forward to defuse the situation, calming the elder down and reconciling the two somewhat.

"Yeesh, good thinking, Akio."

He felt the tension break as the old man calmed down, instructing the girl to join them so they could give her some kind of secret family information - that was Keiyaku's guess at any rate.

"Well, see you guys around; I better get this one some lunch, before he chews my leg off," smirked Keiyaku, pointing down to Morutobu who, now relaxed as well, gave a merry bark of farewell. When the youth and elder left the rooftop, Keiyaku returned his attention to Aria long enough to witness her disgorge the remains of the flower, and, before his very eyes, grow it anew.

"How did you do that?" The boy asked, jaw ajar, a kind of wondrous disbelief in his eyes. Sure, he'd seen some impressive things, but that was not something he expected the girl to do. With a little nudge from Moru, he came out of his reverie and tried to assume his previous, composed expression, trying in vain to sound authoritative, "uh, yes, right you are, you should return those signs. Don't let me catch you doing it again, little lady."

Giving Aria a little knowing wink, he turned tail with Moru and in a flash, they were gone.

~Topic Left~

 

[Senju Akio]

Akio laughed as his fellow Senju seemed surprised and confused by the simple exercise of his bloodline art. However, unbeknownst to Akio, within moments she had done the same herself, seemingly utilizing instinct alone to make a flower on the rooftop. As Keiyaku said his goodbyes, battling with the shiba inu pup that tugged at his leg, the sunny Senju called back a reply. "See ya Keiyaku! See ya Moru! Good to run into you guys!" He said with a bright smile and an exaggerated wave, his usual joviality coming through.

He turned that smile towards Aria as she agreed to return the signs to the district's restaurant owners. "Sounds like a plan! But you gotta be the one to give 'em back! Otherwise they won't serve ya their tasty food next time!" As usual, the young nature-lover tried his hardest to see the best in people. He remembered what his grandfather had said after all, 'When you look for the good in others, you also find the good within yourself.' So he made his way with Aria through the streets, determined to set things back to right.

Finally, he looked towards the relative he never knew he had and said, "Ya know. You really should come check out the clan complex sometime! I bet my family would love to meet a long lost relative! Plus, we can show ya more about what you can do!" As the two headed off, little did Akio know, that when Aria finally would decide to join him at his childhood home, there would be more revelations than simply her abilities as a Senju...

[Topic Left Unless Stopped]