Sitting in the window frame with his back against the pane, Jin'ichi laughed a little as Sousuke started. It seemed that despite all the restrictions, a member of the Takahashi would end up related to a Sunahoshi either way. It was the same mixing of blood that their law forbade, but it created another spiteful comparison nonetheless. Katuso, like Jin'ichi himself had no idea of his background. He had helped them bring down the source of the wicked storms, revealed to be a suspected Daisuke, but came up short in a lot of ways. For one, it was clear he had no interest in fulfilling his familial obligations. Secondly, Nobu, Sousuke's right hand, didn't quite like Katuso either. Knowing his own brand of justice would be far different, Jin'ichi already found himself at odds with Katsuo's decisions involving Cabal members. If the shoes had been on his feet, would he have been so different from Katuso, or was he being a hypocrite?
Sousuke hadn't considered anything else aside from duty in his life. The man was humble, and at the same time had more power than he could ever fathom. As reluctant as he was to assume true command, Jin'ichi would find himself in agreement with Nobu. Sousuke was annihilating himself by overworking, and left no time for recovery whatsoever. Day in and day out he exhausted himself taking on as many things as he could, and despite the loyal soldiers at his side none had the skills to truly help him build. If they did, they hadn't bothered showing it thus far and it was worrying. Looking out the window and noticing the trash can at the far bottom of the motel, he smirked to himself. Reaching out and dangling his now empty bottle by its neck, his fingers opened and let the bottle sink through the air. With a resounding thud instead of a shatter, he successfully landed his trash in an already full garbage can. "I know I haven't been here that long and all, but I know a thing or two about the world."<i></i> As he looked lazily down into the streets, the crimson lights hit his face dead on. It made his darkened eyes seem to glow with little crimson rings, reflecting the string of lights outdoors.
"At this point, the only thing our village does is exist. That's a part of what makes us such an easy target. We're no different from any other Shinobi village, in the sense that all we've done is hire ourselves out and maintain infrastructure. We sit on this high horse of neutrality at times, according to the scrolls I've read any way. Which is what made it so easy for the Cabal to win the hearts of those we've let down. All the power we've got, and we're falling apart instead of expanding. There's little more killing this village than the people inside it, and one of them is you."<i></i> There was a deadpan silence, mirroring the one his cousin would give at times. Staring off, pupils lifting from the streets to the distance, Jin'ichi continued. "If we don't make decisions, the world will make the decisions for us. We can't always expect things to just turn out in our favor if we do the right thing. Every now and then, you gotta' grab destiny by the horns and make her your bitch. Not everyone gets that opportunity, but when you do don't squander it." Giving a quick shrug and laughing before looking at his more weary relative, he smiled. "I support you steppin' up to be a real Kazekage, one thousand percent. Once you do that, you can delegate and start to build something that'll endure. Get your own steward, divide up the work...Have an audit done, see which Shinobi are still here after the chaos and which aren't. Check on their status, and change up the leadership if you've got to."<i></i>
Though it was their first heart to heart, it would be just one of many. If there was no one else in the past, present, or future that Sousuke could get direct words from, it was Jin'ichi. Having spoken so candidly and openly about the matter, he revealed a sliver of political or even militaristic knowledge. There was more to him than met the eye, and his intelligence beyond the surface had depth upon depths. "I ain't sayin' do a hostile takeover or anythin' like that, but I read a quote once. Dude said 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expectin' different results."<i></i> With a sigh, he thumbed the side of his nose. "If what's worked for so long hasn't worked as of late, it's time to change up the game. If we don't do that, we lose. If it's not the Cabal, demons, or some other assholes... You can bet the other Shinobi villages will smell our rottin' corpse and come pick us off like vultures. We have two choices, cousin. Evolution, or extinction." Breaking the grim statement would be a sudden smile on his face, causing the formation of a slight dimple. Laughing and throwing his head back just a bit, he would exhale after the fit of humor. His laughter wasn't loud or maniacal, but to laugh at oneself was still not considered common. "Seein' as I've only just gettin' into this thing. Evolution seems the much better choice. Hmph, my two cents any way."<i></i> Looking at Sousuke, he then looked towards his own clock taking note of the time. Not bothering to comment on it, he awaited a response. Was he out of line, even though they were both off duty? Was the steward or Kazekage ever off duty?