At Last, the Mizukage Is Found! (Xy)

After having traveled to the Hokage’s Chambers without any luck of finding the blunette there, and instead finding Lady Hokage, Risako, reigning in her position once more, the snowy haired kunoichi spoke with their leader for quite some time, with the raven haired woman eventually granting her permission to leave the village and travel to Kirigakure. In the process of her granting Hikari her request, the Lady Hokage had used a jutsu to seal away any secret information about the village she knew, information that, should she perish, could be detrimental if it fell into the wrong hands. Hikari did not mind her memories being sealed away if it was to protect her village, a place no longer like home only a village she remained loyal to. She could no longer afford to linger on her disdain for her village’s actions, not when her own life now laid on the line. Her heart had to remain stony and icy, as cold as the village she was about to request to leave with.

Hikari was walking towards the village gates, and the ocean which lay beyond, having caught wind that the Kirigakure shinobi forces were about to leave, using the same kind of transportation they had arrived in, replaying over and over again how she would approach the Mizukage. One wrong move and he could very well end her life, the simple thought of her demise coming so soon irritated her. She should have been afraid of death, afraid of the darkness embracing her in eternal slumber, yet she was not, Salzem’s death had numbed her of that fear. Despite her desire to become stronger in order to protect her comrades in the future from suffering the same fate as her little brother, she continued breathing for the moment that Yensung Aburame stopped doing so. When he took his last breath she would let go of her anger, hatred, the monster she had become; she would be free and could die happily, accepting death at her doorstep. But until that moment death would be her greatest enemy, the only thing that could stop her from accomplishing her purpose in this life now, thus the thought of death boiled her blood like no other.

Her high heeled ninja boots thumped as she made her way across her earthen path, her lilac tinted eyes resting on the horizon, a mixture of baby and navy blue hues as the ocean collided with the sky. The day was warm and inviting, as if even the gods above were rejoicing that Kirigakure was finally leaving their shores, a rather pleasant contrast to the chilly and gloomy day they had arrived, when the sky cried endlessly for Konohagakure and their fallen heroes. Her gaze drifted to the greenery surrounding her, feeling a sense of nostalgia for the vibrant plants that gave Konoha it’s name, silently saying what could be her last farewell to the only place she had ever known. If she ever came back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, she feared even Kuro might not recognize the wolf in sheep’s clothing she had become.

Soon the ships docked at the shore came into focus, a familiar blue-haired, sword-wielding man towering beside the moors. There were a few other Kirigakure shinobi milling about, doing what was needed to prepare the ships for their travel home. The petite kunoichi made her way to a reasonable distance from the Mizukage, not being too close or too far away, before she spoke up, unless he called out to her first.

“Hello, Lord Mizukage.” She would bow as she spoke to show the man her respect, and after she straightened her back once more into an upright posture, she would try to make eye contact with the man, all the while her voice remained steady and monotone as she spoke, her eyes lacking any traces of her former emotion, “If you will allow me, I have finally decided what I would like to use my request on for winning my fight in the tournament. My deepest apologies, however, for approaching you with my request when you are about to depart home, Lord Mizukage.” She would patiently await his response, or lack thereof, before continuing with what she would like to do, in case he decided to pose some questions to the younger woman, or declined hearing her request altogether.

(WC: 732)

The Abysswalker walked along the stony shore as his eyes took in the daring sight of his horde of wooden ships. It was an interesting thought to recall their journey here, how the atmosphere had changed and his men had for a moment became utterly obedient to him; reliant on Xyxer's capacity for extreme cruelty and remarkable swordsmanship to see them live through whatever they may have found when they anchored. They'd all known about Konohagakure being their destination, yet how many of them knew anything about the shinobi there beyond the rumours that whispered their way through the storm? He had to wonder, as he gazed into the eyes of the men that stood in rank around him as they awaited their turn to march across the ocean into their respective ships.. How much loyalty had he earned from this voyage? The notions of excessive violence would now be replaced with calculated barbarism which could potentially be even more damaging to his role in their eyes. He'd have to talk about the implications of such a thing with Naoki, a man that Xyxer trusted with his life.. almost.

Perhaps these men would no longer truly fear the demon that walked among them, maybe they'd developed some form of respect for him that was born out of his ambition rather than his desire to cause harm. Xyxer was unsure and these thoughts would last for little longer as he was soon caught off guard by soft, untested steps not too far away. Short paces, yet not trying to be hidden. If this was an assassin it was a very poor one. His head turned so that the dirty chips of ice in his skull could observe Hikari as she tentatively made her way towards him, making her way past the ranks. Deciding not to make her journey too much of a hassle he'd walk past his troops, deciding to let the quartermasters take control of sending people across to man the ships.

Waiting for the girl off to the side, roughly ten meters from the shinobi ranks he'd wait for the girl to close the gap and state her intentions which didn't take too long. Her bow brought an amused smirk to his features since it exposed her roots of being a shinobi from Konohagakure, yet she seemed to want a request. Perfectly acceptable as that had been the reward promised for the tournament. He tugged momentarily on the weather-beaten leather jacket that adorned his upper half, responding to her words in a simple fashion, "Greetings. You're supposed to kneel, not bow, but let's not get too caught up in things on such a joyous occasion. Your sense of timing is.. impeccable; what's your request?" Xyxer inquired, the wind around the area starting to pick up which prompted the shinobi to move their cargo into the ships quicker. They'd get home to their families sooner if the wind remained on their side.

The gap between the two closed as the Mizukage took it upon himself to walk closer, meeting her about ten meters away from the shinobi awaiting their turn to board their vessels. Her slender legs made quick work of the remaining distance on her side, the Mizukage not having to wait long for her to reach him despite her smaller stature. It was then that she greeted him and got to her point, believing Xyxer was a man who did not enjoy beating around the bush in his interactions and would not have enjoyed small talk either. After she bowed her pupilless eyes noted the man above her wore a smirk, either from a dark, entertaining thought crossing his mind or for her actions intriguing him enough to show a reaction. Hikari highly doubted it was the latter, she had not done anything smirk worthy in her opinion, and the former option just seemed to fit the man’s impression more.

After she spoke, informing him that she finally decided what to use her request for, he pulled at the hem of the leather jacket he adorned, the material worn from many years of use against what she could only presume was the harsh climate of Kirigakure, before he gave her a reply, his words laced with neither venom or poison, but a sense of casualness and indifference. He informed her that she was to kneel and not bow, and she mentally cursed herself for having performed the wrong one, as she had been unsure about which form of respect to show. She would remember next time the two of them met that she would need to kneel, least she catch him in a foul mood and he decided to chop off her head for bowing instead of kneeling. He went on to call their meeting a joyous occasion, surprising her with his choice of words for she would not have used joyous to describe their meeting. She had not really done anything worth being joyful over, and she had not deemed the Mizukage as one that could feel joy in the simple things. Although she did not know the man before her, and could not compare his words to a previous meeting to try and understand him better.

The last few words that dribbled out of his mouth were exactly what she had hoped to hear; he wanted to hear her request. She had half expected him to decline and send her on her way for interrupting his departure, so the Hyuuga was internally happy he chose to listen although she would not allow any emotion to become visible outwardly. She had to remain stony and emotionless, or else he would try to pry at any weakness he found and would most likely decline her request to travel with them. Kirigakure did not accept weaklings or weakness in their village, they culled those who were not “worthy” of the life they had been given.

The wind lashed out at the shinobi around the shore, violently striking them in hopes they would leave sooner. The cooler air hit her exposed skin and seeped through her thin layers of clothing, although the woman standing there did not show any signs of being icy for the cold never bothered her anyway, her voice remaining calm and confident despite the chilling air striking every few moments, “I am sorry, Lord Mizukage, I will remember to kneel from now on.” She mentioned the kneeling instead of bowing section first to get it out of the way as the gravity of her following words were given time to sink in, “My request is that I want to travel to Kirigakure with your army and yourself.” Hikari expected him to have many questions for her, a mini interrogation of sorts to truly gauge if the young woman was prepared for the cruelty waiting in Kirigakure. She wasn’t sure if she was fully prepared for what laid in the Village Hidden in the Mist, but she needed to become stronger and her village would not allow her to do so, they were not as strong as Kirigakure and she needed to be surrounded by only the strongest if she were to improve her abilities.

(WC: 1,438)

Unbeknownst to Xyxer, the joyous occasion would be misinterpreted by the girl to mean their encounter, when he was simply happy to be returning to his home. He'd killed so many people to protect the isles of Kirigakure, everything in his life had lead to that village becoming his.. and now he'd finally return after tasting the history that was etched into Konohagakure. It'd been an interesting journey. He'd encountered many characters within the village that had changed his perception of others yet they'd never truly know the impact they'd had on him: The man that initiated the fratricide, the girl that roused the fire in them all, the boy that openly jeered Viper.. and the girl that'd played the medic. As she stood before him he found his thoughts drifting back to the war and how he'd never seen the girl lift a weapon nor harm another person which was the most peculiar thing to a man that knew only violence and its aftermath. 

What turned out to be even more curious was how her request was not for information nor much personal gain, yet a venture to his own village. It was a strange thing to be asked from someone he'd conquered. Did this harmless looking girl intend to push a dagger through his ribcage? Poison the supplies? Destroy the entire village? He was unsure on what she was capable of, yet.. she had been promised a favour. His head bowed a little before he started to speak once more, a mild look of perplexity on his face, "Forgive me, Hyuuga, but you didn't fight in the war did you? You went around and healed? There's still a great deal of people that need to be cared for in your home village, so please do explain to me why you're choosing to abandon them.. in exchange for experiencing Kirigakure? It's not a place for the meek." He'd question, hinting towards their callous nature.

He proved her expectations with the slight tilting his head downward, his visage contorted out of minimal confusion. He had probably never been asked something like this bya shinobi reining from another village, especially not one he had defeated. She knew her request was quite peculiar and could change her very being, living in a place where life was taken on a whim and death was omnipresent. But, as the man before her would soon find out, she had no real choice in the matter, their village was the stronger of the two and having spent twenty years sheltered in Konoha had made her weak, far too weak to even fight in the war. Sure she was a medic and needed to heal others, not risk her life as the only healer in a fight with some random Kirigakure warrior, but she could have saved Sal in two ways had she been strong enough to fight. She could have beaten the man who stole his legs and reattached them to his body, thus removing the target off his back, or she could have intervened and killed Yen before he laid a hand on Sal, using the Aburame as their scapegoat to survive.

“You are correct, Lord Mizukage, I did not fight and only healed, which is exactly why I want to go to Kirigakure. I no longer want to live as prey like I did during the war,” Her eyes narrowed slightly, a mixture of resolve and determination swirling in her vacant orbs. She was prepared to give up everything in order to gain absolute power, everything but her ideology of saving the innocent, for that ideal would be her only tie to humanity, to the little brother she was leaving behind. “I want to be the predator, to hunt down those that are weak and full of cowardice.” The image of  Yensung Aburame flashed across her eyes when she said she wanted to hunt down others, for he was the weakest, most cowardly man she had ever witnessed and it was her only goal to end him. “However, I cannot change if I stay in Konohagakure for they hold neither strength or power, only Kirigakure has such qualities. That is why I wish to go there and leave my home village behind, and there are other medics who can take care of the people here in my stead so I do not need to stay here as a healer.”

The man before her knew not that she had already heard the tales of their village from another Kirigakure shinobi and believed she was in over her head, although to some degree the Hyuuga most likely was, but she already heard how they had tournaments for their Genin to rank up, but in order to do so they had to murder the other participants, and she knew they greatly punished those that committed crimes, taking their lives as payment for their wrongdoings. It would not be hard for her to imagine that worse things took place, especially for shinobi of higher rank, within the confines of their walls, unspoken and unheard of anywhere else. For this reason alone did she decide to leave Kuro behind in the village, despite his protests to come with her, because the Mizukage would have most likely made her kill him as a trial of her loyalty to the path of power. She could not risk his life over their bond no matter how much he pleaded, Hikari just could not. Luckily only one person knew of her connection to Kuro, and she highly doubted they would say anything about him to Xyxer and fortunately it was a relatively unimportant detail for them to mention, at least she was banking on that.

(WC: 2,067)

The wind continued to pick up pace as it whipped and howled around them, threatening to blow the ships from their positions had they not been anchored. Hell, if the shinobi had to actually get boats across to the ships then they'd likely be in for a ride. Xyxer continued to study the girl before him as perplexity became a somewhat constant emotion on his face throughout this exchange. Her words resonated with the creature in front of her, yet he couldn't help feel that they were.. artificial. Something did not seem genuine about them yet Xyxer couldn't put his finger on it.. was it her tone of voice? The way she drew the comparisons? He was unsure yet it was somewhat unsettling to see a person who had been a pacifist during the war now desire to visit the most bloody village in the known world; a girl that'd harboured a grudge over a single kill, wanting to visit a village that encouraged multiple kills during their rank ups. She truly was a strange one.

Xyxer paused for a few seconds as he tried to consider how to approach the situation as he couldn't exactly refuse her request. It'd been a simple one that could easily be granted, yet it didn't sit right with him to enable such a contrast to his village. For now, he'd continue to poke her with questions as he tried to get a short feel for her true intentions, or at least something he'd consider more appropriate. "You don't seem to have it in you to kill, Hikari, you didn't make any attempt against me nor your friend's opponent. Kirigakure could very well be the last place you ever visit, so using your wish on a suicidal whim is something you may wish to reconsider. Have you spoke to your Hokage about this? Risako?" The male queried, adding on as he glanced over her attire once more, "You aren't even dressed for the occasion, Hikari, you'll catch hypothermia if you aren't careful. Get warmer, thicker clothes." He suggested, somewhat resigning himself to the idea of allowing her to journey with them.

The wind grew heavier and harder, threatening to knock the petite woman off her feet and blow her away if she wasn’t careful. It was, unfortunately, one of the curses of being small, the dangers of heavy winds. But Hikari kept her feet planted to the ground, her body steady against the invisible offender, and her eyes locked on his ashen spheres, unless he averted her gaze. Throughout her explanation his confused expression remained, and if she didn’t know any better, seemed to deepen over time. Hikari had not planned on him objecting to her request or even bombarding her with questions to figure out if she knew what she was getting herself into, she had not expected the Xyxer of the Bloody Mist to have a sense of humanity left within the husk of a person he portrayed. She knew not the ulterior motives his questions held, that he didn’t think her personality would sit right in his village was more of the reason for his almost hesitant acceptance and not for her well being as much as she had taken it for.

“I know my limitations, Lord Mizukage, and had I tried any attempt on either you or his opponent, I would have lost; the extent of my losing I don’t know. Would I have only lost the fight, my belongings, or my life? It was a gamble I could not take for more shinobi would have died if I had lost my life. For example, Kotsuzui would have perished if not for my medical aid, unless your own medics would have been ordered to heal him, and thus, had I fought my friend’s opponent, I would not have been able to save him.” Hikari figured her words would garner a negative reaction from the man, she had just openly admitted to not having nearly as much strength as the shinobi of Kirigakure, due to her weakness being the lives around her. Perhaps Xyxer would realize that if she were in a place where her priority was not to save others but herself, maybe he would see that she wasn’t nearly as weak when not tied down. If she had not worried about Salzem’s life when the Kiri man had first ordered her to cut her own hamstrings, she would have been able to use her poison mist technique and potentially end his life before he could do any harm to her. The reason she had not used that jutsu was because Sal would have been in the crossfire, close enough for the poison to seep into his lungs and kill him instantly if not given medical treatment right away.

There was a fire burning inside of her, growing larger as she began to realize how far she would go to prove herself in order to get the permission she needed. Her voice held a newfound tone to it, having finally accepted that death would plague her in her new residence should she travel to Kiri. She would most likely be forced to prove herself to the giant man, taking a life without hesitation or remorse, and she was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she would do it if she had to. “You may not believe it given my previous record, but I am prepared to kill, especially if it is to save my own life, and will prove it to you if I must. However, I am not barbaric and will not kill an innocent to prove myself. Give me a guilty criminal and I shall end their life, but a naive, pure child I will not cut down.” Hikari did not know the type of man that stood before her nor how he would react to her declaration. Was he the type of man who would find honor in her unwillingness to murder someone whose hands were clean, or would he stand there, mocking her defiance against  shedding virtuous blood?

When he mentioned she should reconsider her suicide mission, she made a silent vow to herself as her eyes, staring up at the man still, hardened. Hikari swore that as long as she breathed she could not allow Kirigakure to be her end, she would not allow Xyxyer’s village to break her. Similarly, she could not reconsider her request for that would mean she had already given up and lost the fight against Yensung Aburame. The kunoichi could not allow herself to lose to that man, nor give her life up before she was able to take his. She would do everything she could to stay alive in the bloodiest, darkest village known to mankind.

“Yes sir, I spoke to Lady Hokage before I came here, and she has already given me permission to go to Kirigakure.” His eyes traveled to glance down, looking over the clothes she wore for a reason she could not pinpoint. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to continue, explaining that she was far too underdressed for the harsh, bone-chilling climate Kirigakure offered. “I can fix that right away, Lord Mizukage, if you will allow me?” If the man gave her permission she would create the rat then dog hand signs and, at a speed of 30, materialize a black winter coat with a hood and some navy blue tights in her hands, both made with insulating material to keep heat in but not make her look fluffy. She had summoned the articles of clothing as a point to the Mizukage that she had planned ahead and packed warm clothing for the rough climate surrounding Kiri; however she did not put the coat on for it would most likely just waste the man’s time and she could change before getting on one of the ships (or even on the ship, if there was a vacant room she could borrow for a few minutes). If he did not give her permission, she would nod her head in understanding and say, “I shall not do what I intended to then. Just so you know, sir, I do have warm clothes with me and will not freeze to death in your village, Lord Mizukage.”

Regardless as to if he gave her permission or not, his last comment gave the young woman hope, a sign he was going to allow her to travel with them even if he did not fully believe it was the best idea. She would not react in any manner to the underlying meaning his statement held, however, for she did not want to change his position on the matter by getting ahead of herself. Until he verbally gave her the okay to join his army on the vessels, she would not begin figuratively celebrating.

(WC: 3,187)
(Potentially used Storage Displacement)

Xyxer listened to the girls explanation as to why she had avoided a direct confrontation with the forces of Kirigakure and if truth be told he had expected as much from someone he considered a neutral medic. He didn't know whether she would have healed his shinobi if he didn't coerce her with the life of her friend yet in the end she had done so and it didn't serve well to dwell on matters that couldn't be understood. Yet something she said rubbed Xyxer the wrong way, his look of confusion returning to neutrality instead of any sardonic expression he usually expressed. "Kirigakure doesn't have thieving shinobi, Hikari. If we were to take your equipment you'd be dead prior to the retrieving; we just don't want to waste good equipment." Xyxer retorted and whether the declaration was made in a half-jest or with true sincerity would be unclear with the tone of his calm voice. Xyxer doubted that he would have saved Kotsuzui's life had Hikari not been within view nor in close proximity. He'd made a mistake on the battlefield and by most rules he should no longer be within the world of the living, yet stars must have aligned in the astral sky to project good fortune on that boy; fortune that was soon taken from him when he was told that he was to be a part of Kirigakure's forces. Xyxer wondered if he had informed the girl of this and if that was the true reason as to why she wanted to come along.. perhaps the two were simply kindred spirits in a life that only spiraled further and further out of control and understanding.

For a moment Xyxer felt as if he recognised something in the girl before him. The same determination that beat inside the breast of the girl he'd spoke to inside the jail, Queen, yet it had been much more timid before. It took guts to stand before the man that ordered the death of your ally and friend, only to humbly request to join them in their own village.. yet that roused some interest from the Leviathan. He wanted to see how her story would play out and how he'd interact with it, the ways he could corrupt her morals and turn her on her friends.. No, that wasn't what he wanted. The time for such petty acts had passed as he now had to lead two villages into a new era; claimed with their own blood and nourished with their desires. A luscious garden where the most vibrant of plants would flourish, yet the price would inevitably be steep. If Xyxer attempted to corrupt people there would be no future for his dream; it'd die as soon as he did. 

Xyxer's left hand lifted itself from his side, rubbing at his jaw for a few moments while Hikari broached her view on innocence and deviance, yet it seemed to be poorly thought out. The intent behind her words was obvious yet they were flawed in the mind of Xyxer.. but was that any surprise for the man that couldn't differentiate between animals and people? He'd verbally poke at the girl, curious to her views, "Where do you draw the line? When do you drop your arbitrary views on innocence and criminality? The heart of a person can't be weighed until after they've left this world as we can never truly hope to know everything they've done; a pacifist monk could simply be making up for a violent past, yet it doesn't make them any more innocent than a man that murders the assailant of his family. Things aren't as black as white as you perceive them." The man ranted for a short while, amused by the notion of sparing someone purely on the whim of imagining their innocence.

She confirmed that Risako had given permission for the girl to visit his land to which he'd take her word for it, he'd simply send a letter informing her of such when they got home. When she asked for permission Xyxer bowed his head, watching her materalise more appropriate clothing into her hands. She seemed reasonably well prepared yet he was curious as to why she didn't prepare herself for the voyage itself, yet it made little difference if she could simply summon anything she needed. Her answers had been satisfactory and her path seemed to intertwine with the boy he had taken, so he saw no need to impede the destiny of the girl. "You can join us in Kirigakure. Make your way onto my ship, there'll be a spare room you can use and you'll be expected to help out for the duration of the journey. Oh, you'll probably see Kotsuzui too." Xyxer bowed his head towards her, gesturing towards the largest ship in the bay. Aptly named 'The Silence' he expected she'd understand the connotation behind the name as she must be somewhat aware of the vessel if she'd come this far. If the girl was to leave without any further questions Xyxer went back to monitoring the transportation of both people and resources onto the appropriate ships.

[Potential exit]

While she spoke, describing her reasons for avoiding combat during the war, something caused the man’s expression to change, shifting from perplexity to indifference. His voice resonated calmly across the area, his words causing the Hyuuga her own sense of confusion that she kept hidden within. She vividly recalled the day of the war, remembering every detail, no matter how miniscule it seemed, and she knew she had witnessed the bastard of a man who stole Salzem’s legs also claim his belongings while his chest still rose and and fell with each breath his body consumed. Hikari could not tell if the leader before her was serious about his claims due to his neutral expression and tone of voice; however, she had no reason to believe the man known as Xyxer, the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist, would be anything but serious, given his title and the fact that they were having a professional, slightly important discussion.

Her tone would match his, as calm as the ocean on a gentle day, while she replied for the matter did not pertain to her personally, “If what you say is the truth, Lord Mizukage, then I witnessed one of your shinobi defying your statement by retrieving equipment from a fallen, but still visibly alive, Konoha shinobi. I felt it was something I should bring to your attention, however if I was misguided in thinking it might be important to you, I am very sorry for wasting your time on the matter, Lord Mizukage.” She had a feeling the Mizukage could care less about what his people did during a war, but she thought maybe he would like to know that his shinobi were contradicting him. Of course, if it turned out that he had not been sincere in his statement then her comment would no longer hold any significance, becoming useless and irrelevant.

It seemed her comment regarding the looting during the war was not the only potentially useless thing she said in their encounter, for her following remark was met with disagreement. Her lilac tinted eyes fell on the lifted hand of Xyxer, momentarily believing he would pull the legendary blade from its sheath on his back and strike her for not having as clear of an understanding of the world as he, yet she was relieved when his fingers landed on the smooth flesh of his chin, sliding back and forth while he silently contemplated her declaration to prove herself against a guilty criminal. He did not made her wait in anticipation of his opinion for long, his voice resounding through her very being. He had much to say regarding her ideals of innocence and guilt, enlightening her on the fact that nothing in their world could ever be so simple and easy to determine as the colors of black and white.

Hikari had truthfully never thought as far as he had regarding pure and tainted hearts, for previously she saw good in everyone and believed that even murderers had value in their lives. There was no need for her to differentiate between innocent or guilty, and if her mind had been in the same place as the day they met, she would have argued that both men were guilty for their crimes, but that the monk was trying to right his wrongs and that the man who avenged his family needed to do the same, taking hold of the light buried deep within. But now, she was learning the truth about the world firsthand, that not everyone can hold a bit of light in their darkened souls, and she would have argued with her past self that the avenger was doing what was necessary, taking the life of a cold hard killer who deserved to be punished for his murders, and that the avenger was innocent despite taking a life. Perhaps she was biased, relating far too well with the avenger in Xyxer’s example to make an accurate ruling as to his innocence or guilt.

She was beginning to believe the Mizukage had a point, that innocence and guilt could not be judged solely on the facades people hid behind in the present, one had to take into account their past as well, to determine if they had already atoned for their sins and paid the price for their crimes or if they eluded the punishment they deserved. “It seems I still have much to learn about this world of ours, Lord Mizukage, for my ideals of innocence and guilt are more naive than I originally thought.” Hikari chose her words carefully, articulating her opinion as best she could to the more experienced shinobi in a respectable tone, wanting to have a civil discussion with the man and potentially gain some valuable insights and knowledge from him, “However, how can one determine if someone is truly guilty if not through their actions in the current moment? For we cannot hope to know the past actions of every single person we pass on the street without interacting with them through a jutsu or any other means to delve into their memories, but we do know if someone commits a crime right in front of us for a crime is usually objective within a single village. That does, however, mean that crime, and thus guilt, can be subjective between villages and countries, which is where the line blurs.” Hikari mentally prepared herself, unsure as to how Xyxyer would react to her inquiries that she thought might provide some food for thought, or even help her understand the unwritten rules of their trade and the views of the world as seen through the eyes of the Mizukage.

Shortly after they discussed innocence and its counterpart, guilt, the Mizukage asked if she had gotten permission from Risako, and once she confirmed that she had, he inquired about her poor choice in clothing. It was then that he nodded his head, granting her permission to summon her warmer garments that she gripped loosely in her palms. Hikari was able to hide the surprise she felt when he accepted her request, allowing her to travel to Kirigakure with his army, by masking her emotions and remaining composed. She could not afford to lose this opportunity she had been given, her incentive being the only thing keeping her neutral and expressionless. The mention of the Kaguya’s name threw her off guard, her eyes widening ever so slightly for a brief moment before she was able to regain her stony expression and allow her voice to be heard, “Thank you very much, Lord Mizukage. I will assist in any way that I can during the journey.” Her eyes traveled the length of the massive vessel sitting afloat random bursts of ripples from the unforgiving wind. It was the largest ship Kiri had sailed to their shores, looming dangerously above them all. Her first time on the ocean would aboard a monstrocity, the thought both exciting and terrifying to the kunoichi who has only ever spent time on dry land.  

She averted her gaze from her new resting place to look back up at the Mizukage, debating about if she should voice the question on her mind aloud, not wanting to be ridiculed by Xyxer for how childish or impertinent her question was deemed to be. Eventually though the curiosity got the best of her, causing her to ask, “Pardon me, Lord Mizukage, but I would just like to make sure I heard you correctly...Kotsuzui is also traveling to Kirigakure with you?”

Her mind was in a state of disbelief and confusion, replaying their encounter on the village gates over and over again, trying to pick up on any subtle clues that would give his plans away, yet her analysis was fruitless. He had kept the secret hidden well, granted that he even knew at the time that he would be leaving for he very well could of been informed recently or perhaps he had asked to travel with them as she had just done so. Any option was quite plausible given the time span between their last interaction and now, plus there was the fact that he might not have been able to disclose the information to her lest he risk his life over something rather trivial. She would not want him to die because he told her of the mission the Mizukage had given him, and as such, she would not pester Kotsuzui about his appearance on the ship when she encountered him next.

If Xyxer did not want to indulge her question of disbelief about Kots sailing with them, then she would accept that he no longer wished to converse with her and be on her way, kneeling respectfully towards the kage before making her leave, unless he wished for her to stay, towards the ship, where she would then board the transportation and settle into one of the empty spare rooms until she needed. If Xyxer answered her question regarding Kots, she would respond to anything he said or did before continuing with any other actions.

(WC: 4,700)
(Potential Exit?)

For some reason or another the man with eyes that resembled a leopard seals spoke no longer, not indulging the girls further questions as he solemnly went back to the lines with a courteous nod so the girl knew she was still able to join the journey.

[Exit]

I'll do the WC at a later date