There was still a lot he needed to do in order to gain experience as an anbu operative. Ibaraki can’t help him all the time, so Uri needed to gain his own identity. For that, he needed to be more proactive within ANBU itself, and no longer just be a shadow, an extension of Ibaraki. He needed to finally put a reason as to why he wore the red faced oni mask. But it can be difficult to do so. It wasn’t like he was hoping to get as many assassination missions. He was getting bored with gate duties. And he wasn’t really aiming to be a normal recon specialist. He wanted to be the man who stood next to the highest authority in the village– the Raikage’s guard. It would take a while to reach there so he would have to accumulate his credentials and prove his worth.One such fear, he realized was that it wasn’t just important for him to improve on his own. He needed to make sure that the anbu operatives were also doing well. Being a raikage-guard wasn’t just about being one person, it was also about being able to assess and trust the rest of the anbu corps. While there was the sennin who took charge of the anbu affairs, the guards needed to be able to protect the Raikage as firmly as a shield as well, and for that to work, a guard needed to be as knowledgeable and competent as the sennin in order to properly perform his duties. And for that end, Uri took it upon himself to accept the challenged posed by Ibaraki-san– to check up on the recent additions to the anbu ranks and make sure they were not slacking off.
As such, he sent an invitation to a certain anbu operative whose profile was given to him by Ibaraki. Looking at the file, Uri could tell that he was still a kid, but being able to join the anbu, this kid may have proven his worth in the past. It was now time to make sure that this was proof was sustained, if not, developed even further into an asset. In the invitation, they were to meet in the Sileo’s training grounds, a closed off space, though big enough to contain the academy, he supposed since it was underground and everything had their place. In this enclosed space, it was like a large square space meant for open fighting, or if they were to be more creative in their spar, figure out how to disappear from such an open sight. The place was well lit enough and the walls were fortified with steel structure. It could take a good beating, something Uri was hoping in order to make this training session fruitful.
With his red oni mask on and dressed in a long black coat, he waited for the boy to arrive and join him in this training.
[Requesting Hon]
Much to his surprise, the face that greeted him was none other than that man, Takaji Osada. He was still for a moment, trying to remember the instance that they first met. Surely, there was a kind of arrogance that the man displayed in front of them that was gathered, and the confidence to even be in good communication and regard with the Raikage. This only confirms it. This man was definitely someone beyond his rank. And to think that he was walking around the Sileo without the mask, though clearly he wore a uniform that very much resembled that of an anbu’s. He kept his guard up, even as the other greeted them with a half-hearted commendation of Honnou’s performance. He knew there was something wrong with the situation, especially when the man’s eyes were far from being cheery and the plain sight of his weapon.
“Honnou can stay; my friend Bhelzira will tend to his burns in short order,” said Kaji, who was unperturbed as a floral tendril reached for his shoulder with a gentle touch. The creature emerging from the vapor besides the Anbu Commander was a scaly mass of bulk, muscular and towering over her human company. Bhelzira was a vivid green beast of the reptilian order, uniquely bearing a bloomed, massive symbiotic flower from her back.