Back Home (P/shinji/NK)

Tori walked through the rain filled streets of Konoha to her home. She knew she was a little later getting back than she had intended, but she was hoping Shinji would understand. Its not everyday a person hunts you down and tries to kill you, then your boyfriend shows up and has this person begging for mercy. A small smile spread across Tori's lips at the thought of Sephora begging for him not to kill her. And of course she might have to explain she has a boyfriend in Tengakure. That's not going to be easy! Biological parent or adopted parent, they still will not handle the news very easily. Especially a father figure, who apparently knows the   person! 
Tori ran to the door unlocked it and stepped inside her dark house. The bright flash of lightning illuminated the inside of the house through the window making it look as though it was day time instead of the middle of the night.
Tori shut the door as she sighed and turned around to walk into the living room.

Some say there is no rest for the wicked, and that may very well be true, however, Shinji would never know as he was neither wicked nor awake. The Uzumaki scion had spent the evening poring over various documents left in the main Uzumaki household. Sadly it would appear as if the paperwork had been done by a child, which, actually,was not far off of the truth. Making use of his experience with paperwork, and organization in general, the former kage embarked on a errant mission to organize his clan's affairs.

Alas, as time wore on, and as rain pelted a steady staccato on the manor's windows, Shinji slipped into a gentle sleep. Papers littered the floor around the plush armchair in which the Uzumaki now napped. Thus, when Tori entered the vast living room, she would find Shinji awakening from his slumber as a result of the roll of thunder and flash of lightning. Groggily rubbing the sleep from his eyes he smiled lazily before greeting his adopted daughter in his attempt at a disapproving tone, but coming out as more a sleepy question, "So, where might you have been?" Also, while he spoke he motioned for the girl to take a seat in any of the chairs that called the living room home.

Yeah, Shinji was never too good at expressing his disapproval with vocal cues, even in his days as a kage. Plus he still found it rather odd having a person to look after other than himself. Sure, he had watched over a village as a kage, but a single person, a part of his family, well, it felt different. So, he found the whole situation a bit awkward, but he did not let any of it show as he folded his hands in his lap and waited for a response from Tori.

Tori saw Shinji as she hears him speak. Granted the area was covered in paper work she managed to find a place to sit in a armchair next to his. She positioned herself facing him.Now came the difficult part, how to tell Shinji Exactly what happened. She sighed looking down at her ripped shirt.
"Well, my intention was to go to Tenga to tell my boyfriend Haru the good news, that you took me in and that I was no longer living the life of a missing nin. unfortunately, I was attacked by someone who had the intent to kill me! But, Haru showed up and saved me! That's the short version, what happened in a nutshell..." Tori trailed off at the end of the sentence wondering if the short version was easy enough for him to get the idea of what happened, or if she should have included details. She waited for his reply because she was sure she would have more questions to answer. She felt bad for making him worry and knew that this was a bad way to gain his trust!
"I'm sorry I worried you, I guess I should have been more careful and left you a letter saying where I was going!" Tori said apologetically. "I guess because if my past as a missing nin...certain people don't like it when you change your ways." She added looking away feeling embarrassed.

Boyfriend...Tengakure...Haru...Why did he know that name? Haru...Haru? Shinj found himself unable to shake the feeling of deja vu, he had heard that name. Perhaps he had known it once, but, for now, it remained clouded in the recesses of his mind. Shame. All the same, the Uzumaki listened silently to what Tori said. His face did not shift expression nor betray emotion in the slightest. Rather, his thin lips remained pursed and eyes attentive. How does one react to such news? Almost getting killed, having a boyfriend, yeah, Shinji was not exactly cut out for all this. Thus, there lasted a few moments of silence after Tori finished speaking in which only the low roll of thunder and steady rain could be heard. Then, he spoke.

"Oh...." Indeed, Shinji was quite the smooth talker. Though it did hit him that Haru, yes, it had to be Haru Hyuuga, the boy he had sparred once before he became kage. Interesting, apparently the boy could actually defend himself and others now-go figure. In a attempt to recover his slight fumble of words, Shinji renewed his effort and spoke up again, "Well, all that matters right now is that you are safe." Pausing slightly Shinji considered his next words carefully, "Also, I will have to ask that you do not return to Tengakure, at least in the near future. The leadership there, well, it is unstable." Wanting to end on a lighter note he shifted the train of conversation hopefully avoiding having to explain to Tori the entirety of why Tengakure was not the best place to be, "So, Haru, Haru Hyuuga, correct? I remember him from my time there is he well?" His voice taking a more concerned turn now, Shinji finished speaking, "He treated you well I hope, yes?"

Like that the Uzumaki fell silent. However, his mind did not settle so easily. Tori had entered Tengakure with apparent ease and returned. What kind of village was Xyxer running? He let people in and out without a care in the world. Shinji almost shuddered at the thought of what his people were going through even now at the hands of a madman. Hopefully, for now, he could distract his straying thoughts with conversation. As such, he hoped Tori would not take long to reply.

"Haru treats me very good, he is a good boyfriend. I first met him when I tried to get into Tenga and he stopped me at the gate. He kept an eye on me because I was a missing nin. I don't know why but I kind of developed a crush on him, apparently he felt the same.way! As for me going back to Tenga, that would be difficult shortly after Haru disappeared and Sephora and I were leaving they evacuated the place. I don't know what happened, I didn't stick around to find out!" Tori relied and answered him. "I am not sure where they were going, the village was mentioned but It was muffled. Like I said, I wasn't going to stay and find out! "She added. Tori had never really had a person to speak to about things like this before, it felt weird but she knew she had to get use to this. If she ended up calling him dad, the situation would end up even more awkward, but she figured in due time she would! "Just a question, um, if you're the Tenkage, and as far as I know you are, then who ordered the Tenga evacuation?" She asked curiously. Shinji was in office last Tori knew And now this whole situation had her confused!

Eh, the conversation had taken quite an awkward turn. Taking a quick breath, Shinji gathered his thoughts. Now...how to phrase it? How to phrase it? The same question rattled about in the Uzumaki's head for a few seconds before he began to speak with all laziness gone from his voice replaced with a more serious edge, "Well, see, I am a former Tenkage, the second to be exact. Unfortunately, my successor, one by the name of Denkiteki, and myself were thrown from the village in a cowardly coup by two men, Takeo and Xyxer. They took over the village when both Denkiteki and I were away from the village. Naturally, we have since then been branded as missing ninja in an attempt to make Takeo and Xyxer's coup appear legitimate."

At this point he paused ever so slightly as his tone shifted to curiosity, "So, put simply, I have no idea why Tengakure would be evacuated. However, it is an interesting prospect nonetheless." Talking more to himself than to Tori now, "...I wonder what Xyxer is up to..." Shifting his voice for the final time he took on a more genial one, "I assume you have more than a few questions, I know I would, so ask away." Leaning back in his chair he flashed a pleasant smile that masked the strife within: What was happening to his beloved village? Why was it being evacuated? He would have to find out and Viper was not being too helpful. Perhaps it was time to return to Tengakure? Time would tell.

Toris mouth almost hit the ground! Her dad was a missing nin! And a former kage! His story was amazing! She just developed a huge amount of respect for him! She already respected him and looked up to him, but this added to it! That Xyxer person, was he the one who had them evacuated? Tori was in deep thought at this information, and yeah she did have questions for her father , but she was sure he had questions for her.
Tori couldn't get comfortable in the chair so she sat on the flor in front of Shinji facing him
" I do have questions for you but I am sure you have sime fir me, so since you already answered one of mine, feel free to ask me anything, anything at all and I will answer you." Tori said getting up off the floor and grabbing a towel from the living rom closet and sitting back down In front of Shinji Towel drying her hair.

Tilting his head ever so slightly the Uzumaki flashed an amused smile. Tori could have a future in politics with the way she appeared to guide the conversation with relative ease. Naturally, Shinji did have a few questions, more than one might think, but he decided to keep it to just a few. He saw no point in bombarding his ward with endless questions. So, he kept his questions short and uncomplicated, "Well, I suppose I'd like to know how you came to be a missing ninja.....And, when you were in Tengakure, did the people look happy?" Two questions and no more. The former kage restrained himself from asking a endless stream of questions. Instead he felt the two he asked boiled down the stream of questions into a few drops. Hopefully they would be enough.

The one question that she is always asked because no one understands how a person like her becomes one. Which is understandable. Tori really Isn't a vicious killer or one to turn her back on her village. Tori took a deep breathe and released it as she sighed.
"Well, it was before I took aging pills. I was about 11 and I had just received news Arashi had died. I was devastated! And tgen 2 days later my close friend who I consider my first boyfriend, Gekido Uchiha died in front of me! Then the next day my sensei Primrose Uchiha went missing. I was supposed to go with me, but that night I fled the village to search for Prim! " Tori had tears coming out of her eyes as she remembered the events! She said she would answer, and even though it was difficult. As the rain poured outside, it added to the setting for her story. " That night that I left, my friend was nowhere to be around. And as the old Saying goes, the borders are not a safe place to go! Two missing nin found me, and I Managed to hold my own for a while. Until I was chased up a tree. One of them turned out to be a kid who was 11 like me, I gave up and let them willingly take me, I felt I had nothing left here anyways. I was also hoping maybe Prim had been kidnapped and I would find her! They took me to some village in the islands and then the one my age, who I had become close to, took my headband he said I wouldn't need it anymore. After that they left and sent me a message to go to Tengakure, and he would meet me and bring me back To the village! I couldn't stay in their Village, their Kage was someone from here and would have instantly recognized me! After three months in Tenga, someone found me and invited me to Volcano for a.birthday party. I met up with my friend from Suna , Hota and we the others at the boats on the borders. Of course the birthday girl had some creepy guy with her and then she picked up some strange girl no one knew. Anyways I ended up taking aging pills, knocked out and my DNA stolen and so forth. Anyways, you probably have heard these kind of stories before so I won't bore you with any details or names." Tori was starting to close up, she wiped the tears away pretending to be okay, truth be told, she wasn't! She moved forward and leaned her head against Shinji's knee, if he allows. She wasn't sure why it bothered her so much! But she knew at least it was behind her now.
"The people in Tenga, they seemed happy on my first visit there, but a little more defensive on my last visit." She added at the end.

Naturally, the Uzumaki nodded along with the story. Honestly it seemed almost like a fairy tale of some sort. However, he felt the sincerity in Tori's voice and took it all in as fact. For one so young she had indeed lived quite a life already. Hell, some shinobi might go their whole lives and not see so much action. Odd that innocence should be ruined by the brutal world so soon in life. It almost brought a tear to Shinji's eye, almost. It was not worthwhile showing weakness around someone who was already crying. So, the former kage remained strong throughout her story. Of course he allowed Tori to rest her head with a gentle smile, which quickly shifted to worry as she mentioned the people of Tengakure. Furrowing his brow Shinji reflected on what that could mean. They were defensive? Defensive? Why would a populace be defensive? It felt...off? He could not quite put his finger on it, but deferred the thought in hopes of not worrying Tori.

In an instant, the worry that once marked his face melted away into a warmer smile as he spoke in a cool easy tone, "Well, that is quite the harrowing tale." Reaching down and gently wiping the tears from Tori's eyes he gave a wry smile, "There is no reason to cry about the past. It is long gone. Focus more on the future. After all, that is where your life lies." Leaning back in his chair once again he continued, " Keep your chin up. You are part of the Uzumaki clan. There isn't a mediocre member among us. So, what do you plan to do now that the missing ninja part of your life is behind you?" Oh, yeah great idea Shinji ask a kid what they want to do with their life...that'll go well he scolded himself mentally. Regardless, there was no turning back, so he waited attentively for Tori's response.