Private Just a talk (Hon)

[Chigokai Yuna]

Yuna's thoughts got the best of her. It's been a long while since she had last seen Hon, and it had gotten her worried that she might never see him again. Not in any romantic type of way, no. Yuna had promised herself after pouring days after days into reports and notes about Miro, that she didn't want to end up just like her. How many people left the branch, or even the Village with Miro leading the Anbu. Yuna wanted to be a strict leader, but more importantly, a kind one as well.

The last time she had seen Hon was a couple months back with the incident at the gates. It's a grim thing that she had done, but it is a job that she had to do nonetheless to keep the secrets of the village safe. Is she proud of what she's done? No, she isn't. But it won't change the fact that even the girl seemed weak on her own, there is always the chance of something catastrophic that could happen if she was let go. Shaking the thought out of her head, she had another anbu member go and search for Hon and ask him to meet her here.

 

[Honnou]

Hon wasn’t in the best of spirits after the incident at the gates. Life really knew how to throw his emotions into the gutter… but Ziren’s words – his last words, or perhaps his words past his last words (if that was even a thing) – still lingered in his head. Wasting away in shadows alone… wouldn’t do. Not alone, not like this.

If only his predecessors could see him now, and give their advice… but such a thing was unlikely to happen twice.

“…” Hon was sitting under a large pine tree, around which a coiled-up Kokurenga was taking a nap. The serpentine dragon’s breath grew heavy as a scent hit its nose, the scent of a stranger causing it to growl. Hon had already seen them approach his location – an ANBU, likely with a message for him. “Calm down, Kokurenga,” he asked his companion to relax, patting the creature’s large nose to make it at ease again. Kokurenga was always so wary of people, even other Cloud civilians got the squinty eyes from him… wait, him or her? Oh well, Hon hadn’t really checked, and he didn’t particularly care.

“… Understood.”

It didn’t take much more time from that point on until Hon arrived inside of the ANBU Sennin’s office, one knee on the ground, in his full ANBU gear. His mask, previously purely foxy in inspiration, now had a pair of small whiskers running down its lower length, reminiscent of Kokurenga’s whiskers.

“Sennin-sama.”

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

"Rise and please sit." She would motion to the empty chair next to him. Yuna was used to the whole thing being called Sennin and the honorifics that follow, but it doesn't mean that she is used to this much of respect. Her voice more asking than demanding of Hon. She didn't have her mask on and had it set on the side. In a place like this, at the heart of ANBU HQ, she felt it unnecessary to have it on at all times. "You can take the mask off if you want. I find that it can be quite stuffy from time to time." She said, breaking the figurative ice.

Letting out a sigh she would then continue, "I'll be honest with you. Once I was given this rank of position and learned of what my predecessor had done, Kagami Miro, I had promised myself to not follow her footsteps. Because of that, I may seem more on the cold and calculating side of things." She would pause for a moment before continuing on, "Wednesday, or rather now Orochi Sakura Main branch Sennin, was right in her explanation of her reasonings. However, even with that in mind, one cannot deny what could be to come if we had allowed for something like a slap on the hand for someone trying to go missing and cut ties with the Village. We may have never known her reasons for leaving the Village, but also we won't know if she would have had the chance of causing damage in the future. Now killing... It isn't something I would have liked to have done in that scenario. And I would take it back if I can."

Yuna took a deep breath, "But I can't. What's done is done, and all we can do is protect the Village, from both inside and outside threats. Which is why I remade the branch, gave it more meaning and more of an idea what we do. We need people who can get the job done no matter what. We need people who can stay their blades and use words to make friends instead of enemies. And most important of all, we need people who can gather information and make sense of it. Because it is knowledge that makes the most powerful, and to make sense of that knowledge even more so."

"So I'm asking this of you. Don't forget that you are also Hyuuga Honnou. This job isn't easy, but if you focus too much on it, it will drive you mad. If you ever see anyone struggling, anbu or not, see if they need help. Because I don't think any of us want to have another Shun Sora willing to throw their life away." Yes, she had learned of the girl's name. A girl from the main branch, a mission gone awry and she had become weak. "Also, if you ever need to talk, about the incident at the gates, your own career, or even just about life, my door is always open."

 

[Honnou]

There will come a time when simply being strong isn't enough...

Hon did as told, took a seat and gently removed his mask, revealing his face to the ANBU Sennin for the first time since... well... damn. When was the last time he blatantly showed his face like this to his Sennin? Also... those words. Words echoed in his mind louder than ever. Words from the past... or what? Not a past, but just as strong a memory as any prior events...

They did kill Shun Sora.

There will be times where fighting isn't the answer.
And yet, that was what they chose to do. That was an action that was taken on that day... but even then, Yun- the ANBU Sennin was adamant to make a change. She was adamant to enforce the three branches of the ANBU - those who stained their blades with the blood of their enemies, those who filled their words with purpose to deter escalations, and those who harbored intel and shared it with others. Despite the shadowy weight that must've been dropped on her shoulders, someone like Yun-

Yuna... kept moving on. She wanted to shape a better future. She wanted to avoid repeating the same sins that the previous Sennin committed. And she sounded a bit motherly, too.

You have sacrificed a lot for Cloud and I might just be assuming this, but you never had a real moment of rest have you? You worry, you jump into the fray, and you come out victorious. but at what cost?

A tear suddenly ran down Hon's cheek. When it came to talking... about his life, his career, his own self... where on earth was he supposed to start at? He couldn't even begin to... he didn't know what words to say. How to start. He had to say something. "... I... talked with Ziren recently..."

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

"You.... What...?" She tried to process what he had said. Ziren.... Her father... He died in the struggle with the revolutionists that rose up against Cloud whilst she was out with her mission in Sand. Part of her hates herself for not being here. But she also has a feeling, that if Miro had went alone to Sand, there might have been an entirely different outcome than the events that had transpired. Knowing Miro being more willing to show emotion, it might have ended badly for her, and in the grander scheme of things, Cloud.

She... shed a tear. When was the last time she had actually shown emotion? When she first heard from the Raikage that her father had passed away. And before that? Her last conversation with her dad... She had said some hurtful words since he had often put duty in front of family. She had wanted her words to hurt him so that he won't risk his life anymore on dangerous missions. And he agreed.... Until.... The last few years for her has been one big event after another. Fighting a death cult, check. Being part of diplomatic relations with other nations, check. Planning an assassination on a clear enemy of the country, only to not follow through in order to have some sort of decent relations with Sand. Sennin-hood and everything that comes with it along with fixing Miro's mistakes. And most of all... Her father...

How long has it been since she had last talked? Ten seconds? Thirty seconds? An eternity? Yuna had carefully shut herself away emotionally from everyone to be able to focus on her job and ignore the little girl in her that is mourning for her father. "That's... Impossible..." She had said, "Zir... My father is dead... Has been dead for some years..." But even as she said it, she knows that it isn't impossible. Her father has had the ability to speak with ghosts before, so it is possible that he can go ghost. But the question now rises. Why hasn't he contacted her after all these years? Finally, she spoke, "What did he say?"

 

[Honnou]

… Her reaction was understandable. It was a wild idea, to think that a ghost could communicate with him… but she knew her father better than Hon did. And despite the tear running down, she asked what he said. She probably regretted not being with him in his last moments – partly, Hon wanted to blame himself, since he was on the train the day Ziren was apprehended by the rogue Uchiha. But it was too late for shit like that, and Ziren had hope in his dead heart even after all of these years.

“He… doesn’t want history to keep repeating himself. Though it’s the most likely expected outcome,” Hon reported the knowledge Ziren shared with him to the best of his ability, “And what you said earlier… he’d agree. I can’t lose sight of myself, not to this degree – and neither can you, Yuna.”

To think about it… Yuna’s words resonated with Ziren’s. Like father, like daughter. “He’d agree, yes. You’re trying to reach out to others, to be welcoming. One flake at a time, you’re trying to tear down the mistakes of the past, so those traps won’t catch anyone else again… and… he said he’s done all that he could to try and help shape people's future for the better, and… he put his faith in you, that you will persevere. Honestly, the words got lengthy, but… he put his faith in you. There was no hesitation nor doubt in his voice when he said that.”

Hon couldn’t help but crack a small smile. “That’s why I think he’d smile, too, if he saw you now. I’m glad to know that you’re carrying on his will… he’d be proud. But don't lose sight. You're not alone.” They’re not heroes nor gods – they’re just human beings trying their best to make a better tomorrow. As long as Yuna didn’t stretch her arms further than she could reach, lest they’d be severed off by the winds of chaos, then she’d definitely make a change. Her and all those who’d support her.

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Yuna listened as he spoke in great lengths about her father. After a while, there was just silence before she spoke up once more. "That sure sounds like Dad alright. Always striving for a better future for everyone." Falling silent, she thought for a second before speaking once more.

"In reality, my father, and by extension, my family, were not originally from here, Cloud. My father and mother were Leaf ninja. I was born in Leaf, but due to a war at the time, my father decided it best to move the family away from the danger. In all honesty, I've only known him for a short time since he had put his sense of duty sometimes even before family. In my younger days, I had resented him for it. But now I know that is sometimes the sacrifice to be made to ensure a world people would want to live in." Another pause, "My father, like many other ninja has had blood on his hands. Some deserved it, while others not. He may have never spoken about it, but I think their blood on his hands is another reason why he had pushed so hard to pursue this world that he dreamed of, so there will be no more senseless bloodshed."

As she pondered, her own crimson eyes would seem to stir, becoming more red, if that were possible for a Chigokai. A single tomoe would appear. In reality, she wondered if she was worthy of this title, always anxious about her own decisions, hoping that they are for the best, and now with one of her subordinates having met Ziren, her father, and talking about her, makes her want to try even harder for what seems like an impossible goal in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she thought about it for a while.

"To be honest, it is quite uplifting hearing this from you. Every step that I haven taken, even before Sennin hood, has been unsteady. I've thought about all the decisions that I have made that maybe I could have done better or done differently. Such as my time in Sand..." Another tomoe would appear in her eyes. Her stay in Sand was to say, one of the most stressful times that she has ever had. So much has happened there for her to try and sift through everything. By this time, Hon would be able to see a surge of chakra coming from Yuna, specifically coming from her eyes. "Now as the Sennin, I have already dealt with some of the immediate things, but there are a few others." She moved some papers out of the way to show a file on Tsukinowa Shinjo.

"I've only skimmed through his case, and if I am reading this right, my predecessor may have had a hand in pushing Shinjo to the point of wanting to leave the Village. However, the murder of some civilians isn't something that I'll overlook, no matter how long ago it is now. It seemed before her retirement, Miro had found the last location of Shinjo, but not the man himself. Once things calm down more, I will see about visiting Moon Country. When that time comes, you will have to step up as Anbu Captain."

 

[Honnou]

That was news to Hon, but it didn’t bother him. In all honesty, he had little personal beef with Leaf, if at all – hell, an old crush of his was from the Leaf… but to think that Yuna’s parents were Leaf-nin was new.

Blood on one’s hands were often the sign of a debt. You owed them. You owed them that you’d fight against it. You owed them what you took from them – a future. A brighter future. Even Hon’s hands still held that burden. There was little doubt left at this point…

He remained quiet. Yuna was deep in thought, but his eyes did widen when her own began to redden even further – as if showing a color of red redder than red, if that was even comprehensible. At first, he credited it to her Chigokai heritage, but… the appearance of a tomoe physically made his head lean back in surprise. And he thought he’d steeled his nerves hard enough, one surprise after another… one tomoe after another…

But if she was originally from the Leaf… then she wasn’t from the Uchiha branch here, was she? It had been similar with other Sharingan users in the Hidden Cloud, but that was probably not the most important thing right now. After Yuna had clarified her past troubles and the courage she’d gotten now, she showed him a file… of Shinjo. That’s one hell of a bad memory, he pondered.

Her predecessor, Kagami Mirō, had left some puzzle behind concerning Shinjo, and Yuna had caught the last location that Shinjo used… in Moon Country. “Understood…”

He honestly wanted to berate himself for how ignorant he’d been of Mirō’s antics. But not now… he had work to do as the Head of Intel among the Cloud’s ANBU. He wanted to know more about the area in Moon Country where this place was located, he needed to know why the predecessor hadn’t found Shinjo there, he needed to know more.

“I’ll see about further organizing our headquarters for intel gatherings in the meantime. I’ll answer your call when the time comes.”

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Yuna had a slight headache, as she rubbed her temples. When she looked back at Hon, he would see that the tomoes that had appeared had disappeared from her eyes. Could it be that despite all that is happening, Yuna is suppression her own issues and emotions? She focused on him, trying to read his emotions before going on to say, "When I had first met you, some years back when I was just an ANBU operative, I had my reservations about you. But upon reading through your files and actually talking with you, I am glad that you are part of this branch." True as it were, Yuna had thought of Hon as a creep and stalker, even called him one.

She reminisced, thinking about how far they have gone since then. Then an idea came to her mind. "Would you mind telling me about all of these missions that you have been on? And don't just speak verbatim with the files. There is so much left out without understanding as much just by reading files."

Yuna hoped that Hon would open up. She is so desperately trying not to end up like her predecessor, going as far as showing something that probably not a whole lot of other Anbu Sennin's do. Show compassion and support for the people that work under them. She has an idea to at least show more of a cold and steely exterior when out in public, and even when dealing with her branch as a whole, but maybe doing one on ones can help grow that trust and avoid situations like another Shinjo.

 

[Honnou]

Reservations? What reserva-

Oh… aha… ahahaha… that. He remembered that. He was a little weird, but definitely not out of ill will. Did she misunderstand him that much? He kind of felt a little bad about it, he sure left a bad impression. And here I thought I was polite and handsome, just like my parents tell me all the time…

But he was glad that she cleared the misunderstanding over time. He, too, was glad to be part of this branch now, in spite of everything that had occurred up until now. Almost cracking a goofy smile, Hon was then asked to retell of his missions, but from his perspective… not just a cold report. His words and experiences from these missions…

She probably wanted to know what shaped him into the shinobi he was today. He’d deliver, to the best of his abilities.

“… I don’t know where to start… uhm…” Should he start with the train, or with the bomb? “Do you remember the bomb that threatened to destroy the Academy? I reported that I neutralized it, but… I don’t know how. And I also left… something out of my report – something I thought was fleeting, irrelevant. Just… visions.”

He explained that he saw what he thought was a Genjutsu of four very different paths in his life – one, where he was carrying a toddler on his back with a robe, and another, where he was blindfolded with white linens and carrying ascetic garments. Left side and right side, respectively… and behind him was a skeleton, sitting peacefully. He could tell it was him, even though all skeletons usually looked the same. His eyes were sharper than that.

But in front of him was a Raikage. A future he’d dreamt of many times before… but even now, he’d reached none of these possible outcomes. None of these paths had touched him. He had no spouse, his eyes were… relatively… intact, he wasn’t dead yet, and he wasn’t the Raikage. To this day, these images left him ruminating, wondering what could’ve been… but where did that unseen strength come from?

What was that unknown energy that seemed to leak from the unknown in that exact moment, never to return again…?

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Yuna would sit back and listen to what Hon had to say. It was surely a lot to take in. She pondered on what he had said. Possible paths. It's quite true, that nobody really knows what the future holds for them. Listening to what he had talked about made her think of some things.

"There is a possible answer. But first let us go back to the most basic of things us ninja are taught. Chakra." She held up her hands, in case Hon would attempt to interrupt her. She knows that to talk like she is instructing him, that this must seem irrelevant. "Chakra is part of every living thing. But there are areas in which Chakra is dense, sometimes so dense that the unexplainable happens in those areas. I'm pretty sure that Water Country itself would fall under the subject. As for the events that had unfolded in Cloud during the Holy War, having the power to destroy the whole Village, at ground zero, the chakra must have been to the point where you could see such things, even if nobody was around to cast a genjutsu."

She would pause before going on, "But that doesn't make all that you've seen not real. In fact, it is probably showing you the paths that will most likely happen. With all of your feats and what you've done with the Village, I wouldn't doubt that you will achieve the Raikage title. And to be honest... You haven't had any girls tripping over each other to get to you? Though, if you acted the way when you first met me, then maybe I'd understand." She gave him an easy-going smile. It was meant to be a joke and hopes that he doesn't take it too seriously. "As for the other two... I can imagine being blinded must be one of your worst fears, since you rely on the powers that your eyes give you. From my understanding, you had a fight on a train and lost one of your eyes, though, by the looks of it, you have both of them. As for the skeleton Hon... It seems to me more symbolic than to put fear, though, I assume someone seeing their own skeleton can put fear into them. Yes, death is inevitable, something not even the strongest ninja in the world can escape from. But you said skeleton, yes? I think that would mean that is a time that is far past us, a time that you are remembered."

Yuna would take a deep breath, "Ziren, my father, was always the philosophical one. Even though he has passed away, he will always be remembered. I had not known that my family would have gotten the support that it did during his passing. All while I wasn't there..." Taking another pause, she would then say, "If he was here, he definitely would say that you should live your lfie to the fullest, that all of these visions are only what you make of it, if you want them to be true."

 

[Honnou]

Chakra. To think they still knew so little… and he was able to freaking see it. “… Uh? Uhm-“ Hon was about to ask, but Yuna’s hand made it clear that she had something important to say, so he went quiet and listened.

Chakra resided in all living things. Hon had seen it, in its smallest qualities, in the plants and the trees, and even faintly hueing the mountains in the distance with all the living creatures, big and small, that wandered on the spikes of the earth. That was one end of the spectrum, thin and scattered chakras everywhere… and what happened in the village was the opposite, according to her speculation. That chakra had gathered there in a huge quantity, so dense that it began… wait…

Did she mean what he thought she meant? Chakra itself, in such huge amounts, could cause effects… as if chakra used itself to cast its own Jutsu without the need for handseals or anything. It sounded absurd at first, but chakra was the building block of every Jutsu. Was it… was it possible? Impossible? Was it really what happened? And… if so, it was quite specific. Quite as if the chakra knew exactly what to show Hon.

He… understandably began to blush a little. He’d find it bloody cool to be the Raikage one day, but Kitsune just had everything under control and kept moving forward, both with herself and with the village that had transformed so much over the few years. He wouldn’t mind seeing that to its end, even if it’d last his entire lifetime. As for… girls… that was a tough topic. And she- ow, she did not have to bring up that awkward memory! “A-Ah…” his voice cracked with pain at the sound of it, his face greying from embarrassment, “… I wish you didn’t remember ALL the details…”

His eyes had been a topic of its own for a while, too. When he lost his right Byakugan, he was understandably shattered. Understandably, so, given the pride of his clan and the pride in himself. It felt as if his life’s work and effort had just been halved never to recover… and the eye he had in its stead now was the result of a very selfless compromise. His dear mother… he often shed tears with that right eye in memory of what she did for him.

He gazed at his hand for a second. He could live his life to the fullest, no doubt about that. Deep inside, forces beyond his understanding were being born, perhaps as a response of his growing determination. The visions created by all of that chakra had changed him, too, in a way. Time would tell what those changes entailed…

“I… often visit the monks at Raiden’s monastery, near the summit at the Spine of the World. They used to say this to me,” he narrated, reminiscent of the snowy winds and the chills atop the summit, “*cough* … Bereft of what we hold dear, how shall we show the world that our ties can be cut, and our lust can be quelled?”

…

“… I don’t see myself becoming a monk, really. Nor a philosopher. I’m… content with being a shinobi, and I think it’s the first time I could say that in a while. Clearly. Without a knot in my chest.”

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Yuna would listen and study his reactions as he would take in what she had told him. For obvious reasons, he seemed flustered to say the least when she brought up that moment in which they had first met. Understandably, they were both young, and Yuna was suspicious of Hon, and he probably was suspicious of her having a demon inside of her. But that time has passed. They're both adults now.

She listened as he would go on, talking about his resolve to stay on the career path of being a shinobi. Yuna would nod, "It is a dangerous path, but it can be a rewarding one." Then she fell silent. For some reason, her thoughts went back to her teasing Hon about him not finding a girl. But what does she know? She herself hasn't landed anyone yet, heck, she felt like she missed her chance with a girl that liked her, Momo. Curse her mission and work oriented mind!

"Say. Hon." She would say, "Have you ever relaxed? Like fully relaxed and just let go for one day? Just let whatever happens happens?" Her voice lowering to a whisper. "It's just that.... I feel like sometimes I need a break from it all. And you seem to be the only one that I can really relate to." She would lean in over her desk. She studied his face more closely, listening to his blood flow. "I think we both need such a day. A day where we can just relax."

Yuna would stare at him, taking in his facial features and muscles. Something about him that would tell her a story about him. Something, that maybe she wants to get to know better.

 

[Honnou]

Has he ever… relaxed…?

Some questions really felt like they had no real answer to search for. This was one of them – Hon grimaced a bit, frowned a bit, his face was trying its best to come up with something. He thought he had an answer ready, but then he double-checked, and in the damned end, he came up short. He asked himself ‘What about my duty? They can be relaxing as well’ and he felt fulfilled at times when completing his missions… but every mission had its burdens. Had he allowed himself respite?

“I… haven’t thought about it before. I guess I haven’t,” Hon answered. He was left with little reflection over such a usually clear and obvious question. Was he afraid to relax?

And… uh… his eyes were still sharp and ever-observant of his surroundings, so Yuna’s close stare made him a bit self-conscious. It led to a faint heat spreading over his face… but despite that short distraction, he understood her well. However, what was the question now?

A day where they could just relax… but how? Where? When? Was that even something you had to think that much about? He didn’t know. “Then… hmh… let’s do it, someday,” Hon suggested to the best of his ability, “As long as it doesn’t impede our duty – as a Captain, and as a Sennin – then we could hang out somewhere… one day. If it fits your schedule.”

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Yuna could tell that Hon was still a little tense. Though... Was it her imagination, or was he blushing? She gave him a soft smile as he tried his best to stay professional about it all. So it would seem that he is just a prisoner of his own job, always working himself to exhaustion.

She wanted to see just how far this can go, but alas, her own duties caught up to her. Her headset buzzed to life and it was one of her other agents requesting her presence. Letting out a sigh, the Anbu Sennin would get up, grab her mask and then walk by Hon. Not before she would lift his chin up and kiss his lips tenderly. "It's a date then. Make sure to mark your calendar." She would leave before he had any time to reply to what she had just said.

(topic left)

 

[Honnou]

Many things impeded Hon's desire to hold a day off and just slump. If anything, a few more hours of sleep would do a world's difference, but at the same time, he wouldn't be the accomplished shinobi he was today if not for all of those past obstacles shaping him into the ANBU Captain he was today. Kaji would've been proud. That was what he believed.

And Hoshi-niisan would've been proud, too.

Maybe Kaji would've found all of this weird - this whole conversation inside the Sileo. But really, it was one of those few, small things that Hon needed most of all right now. Deep down, he enjoyed the small talk far more than he anticip-

...

...

Many few things could stun the White Tiger of the Hidden Cloud. He'd suppressed a chakra bomb with his bare hands. He'd defeated a dragon. He'd killed unbelievably powerful Nuke-nin, enemy shinobi, and failed experiments left and right. He'd always been ready for the next challenge, but a kiss? He lost instantly.

His silent, frozen form, void of a way to process what just happened, it just stood there in the room until his face turned red as beetroots. "... O... kay... guess I'm not that weird anymore..."

WC: 207 (Topic Left)