Greyer Than Winter Days (Open)

Another sunrise turned in to set, dimming the sky. It was a pretty hue above, something out of one of those famous oil paintings. And to top the picture, big flecks of snow scattered nicely all around. The type of snow that could stick. Perfect for a snowball fight. 

Suzume's footprints led a bit of a distance from the village. Going past clusters of trees, there she was at a decent sized clearing. All the ever, of course - as usual, she was busy thinking about why she bothered to stay a shinobi. It was good in the academy days, when all that was worried about was if you improved from yesterday and that you got to see your friends. But it had been a long time since then, enough so that Suzume hardly remembered it. Thinking about those times felt more like a dream than it did a memory. Now it was all about getting missions done, and issues with other villages. 

With no one around to pelt with packed in spheres of snow, she instead put her hands to work for a snowman. She made it so big that Suzume had to use all her body weight to push the base of the snowman forward. It probably was an adequate size at that point. Once completing the mid part and the head, she gathered some pebbles and twigs to decorate it with. It took her a moment to decide if to give it a smile or frown, so she just formed a neutral face instead. The massive heap was pretty sturdy, and could likely endure a whole storm of impending snowballs. The game was on. At least, for the moment...finally something that wasn't so dreary.

Wrapped up in her snuggly scarf, Suzume prepared an arsenal of snowballs. Maybe she would have build up a shield for defense, but there didn't seem to be any way General Snowman would manage to get anything on her! This was a battle about patience, it might take all night to bring the snowman down but so be it. It would go down if she kept the game up. 

[WC: 355]

Another day had gone by where Kinzoku was cooped up in his office the entirety of it. He had meetings with a few people who requested that they be allowed to see him. Otherwise most of it was simply doing paperwork. Never had he imagined there was this much paperwork to do as a Kage. Shouldn't they have people to do this for them? The thought entertained the Nazar as he thought about potentially hiring someone to for the job. But until then it was his and his alone to do. However, today the Nazar was taking an early exit from his duties. Most days Kinzoku stayed well past the setting of the sun and into the night before taking his leave. However today he decided differently. He would take a stroll through the village. Grabbing his jacket and swinging it on, slipping into his gloves, and adjusting his hat comfortably, the Hokage left the building and began walking the streets blanketed in snow.

With each step he took a soft crunch echos around him. As usual, Kinzoku added one of his favorite pastimes to this walk. Cigars. With the delicious smell of the cigar and the comforting silence of walking through the mostly empty streets of the village, Kinzoku felt right at home. With the exception of the snow and cold that it. Being a Suna boy, Kinzoku did not take kindly to the cold. Even in all his warm clothing he could feel the cold biting at him, shivering every now and then. On his walk he paid a visit to his former meditation spot. Normally it would still have been his meditation spot though the snow made it nearly impossible to do so. So now he meditated in his office where it was often most quite. At least the few times there was no one in it but himself.

Eventually he found himself walking along side the massive walls surrounding the village, eventually coming to one of the gates. He greeted the guards, creating small talk as he asked them how their night was going and so on. Instead of entering the village Kinzoku decided to take a trek into the snow filled woods. He needed another meditation spot and what better place to look than the natural woods surrounding his home. 

With his cigar in the corner of his mouth and his hands in his pocket, the Nazar spotted tracks leading deeper on the woods. They belonged to a single person. Curiosity getting the better of the Nazar, he decided to follow them. Eventually he came to a clearing, the person who the tracks belonged to being in said clearing. She seemed to be entertaining herself as she had built a snowman and was preparing snowballs for what was undoubtedly and all out assault on her creation. "What did the snowman do to deserve this?" Kinzoku asked in a warm tone as he took the cigar from his mouth before leaning against a tree on his left shoulder.

If it weren't for her mittens, Suzume's hands might have been bitterly cold by now. The layer of knitted wool prevented any freezing flesh, and so she made snowball after snowball without having much of a problem. She stacked them neatly in a pyramid formation. After a while the pile grew so high she had to get on the tip of her toes to place one more. She was all set in taking down General Snowman! While finishing up, Suzume heard the sound of heavier feet strolling atop the snow. She didn't pay much attention to them, it wasn't as if this area of the woods belong to her. Anyone could be there, so long as they were from Konoha supposedly...so she assumed it was some other shinobi that wouldn't do any harm.

With some ammunition set in her left hand, she glared the snowman down. Suzume naturally stepped into a sturdy stance before readying to throw. A strong base makes for a powerful offense, as she was taught so many times just about anywhere in the village. Prior to her launching the first snowball, a very odd scent drafted nearby. This wasn't the kind of smell one would find in the woods on its own typically, at least not in these woods. Cigar smoke. Having taking note of that, Suzume turned around, in the direction that it came from.

There was the culprit, clad in all the necessary winter wear - leaning against a tree like some stoic villain. At first sight, Suzume was startled. What was a man such as he doing approaching a girl such as herself? But then he spoke, interrogating her about what she was about to do. Although, his voice deceived his appearance. Had Suzume heard his voice only and not seen him, she would have pictured a much less menacing person. Understandingly confused, she gawked at him. Kinzoku wasn't a man she recognized, but somehow she got the sense that she should have been able to. Maybe she had come across him somewhere upon wandering around? 

Taking a quick glance at her snowman, she came up with some kind of silly answer to his question. "Because...because...he...took over the empire and let all the snow children be killed in a tournament for his own twisted entertainment!" she declared, flinging a few snowballs at the figure. It was a very vague allusion to how she viewed shinobi life. One of them missed and ended up landing into some bushes, shaking them up and causing some snow to fall off. The other two managed to forcefully land on it, but just ended up sticking to its surface. As she reloaded, she looked back at the man and gave him a mischievous smile. By now, the odor of his cigar no longer seemed so harsh. Suzume got used to it, and as she looked back at him she took note of how the tree that he rested on had branches that stuck out perfectly above. If she were to toss one of her snowballs up there, the snow would cover Kinzoku. That is, if she found a reason to do such a thing. 

[WC: 525]

Judging by the girl's reaction to Kinzoku's sudden appearance he had startled her. Kinzoku did blame the girl for getting startled at the sudden appearance of a man watching her have a snowball fight with a recently made snowman. The last thing she was likely expecting was company. Kinzoku made sure to make no sudden movements or to give Suzume any reason to be on edge. After all he was quite relaxed himself, despite being quite uncomfortable in the cold weather. Judging by her reaction it would seem she also did not know who Kinzoku was, despite his promotion to the office of Hokage. He was quite amazed however, at the pile of snowballs she had managed to gather in preparation for the onslaught. Making snowball after snowball seemed like tedious work. For her to be dedicated enough to make a pile larger than herself was quite impressive to the Nazar. It likely required a certain dedication and patience than many did not have. It forced the Nazar to observe even further who this one, out here in the forest on her own.

Once she turned to look at Kinzoku he was able to get a better look at who she was. As he studied her face he began picking up on familiar features. He had seen her before. That much he knew. But from where? It only took the Nazar a matter of seconds to remember where he had seen her. If there was anything Kinzoku was good at it was seeing the details in things and remembering them. He had met this young lady back during the Chuunin exams between Konoha and Kiri. After Higuto had lost his fight a number of people had gone to comfort him back at the water tower. Suzume had been one of this friendly people. Now he knew who she was by face but he did not know who she was by name.

As he continued to smoke his cigar, the smoke steadily streaming up into the sky, he listened as Suzume gave her response. Her response brought out a slight chuckle from the Nazar. Mostly because she was clearly trying to think of something off the top of her head. The reply itself had the Nazar thinking back on his own childhood and how he barely had one at all. From a young age, as far back as Kinzoku could remember, his clan had him training. It was a tradition in the Nazar clan. It was meant to prepare them for their Coming of Age journey, to prepare them for Enlightenment. As a result Kinzoku had trained physically, mentally, and spiritually for most of his life. The sight of Suzume playing as one should made Kinzoku wonder if he had missed out on an important part of being a kid.

His attention returned to what was ahead of him when he heard the soft crunch of a couple of snowballs sticking to General Snowman. His eyes slowly returned to those of Suzume's as the two looked at one another again. Though not for long as something else seemed to grab her attention. He followed her line of sight, raising his head into view of the pile of snow that had gathered on the branches above him. His gaze returned to Suzume's, a humorous look on his face. She wouldn't dare, would she?

"So you've managed to capture him" Kinzoku began, hoping to distract her from her own mischievous thoughts as he retrieved his cigar between two fingers. "Now you've deemed his actions punishable by snowballing. Potentially his death if I may add. Do you think that's a fair, or rather just punishment for his actions?" Although they were clearly both joking as the situation was entirely hypothetical, it would give Kinzoku an opportunity to peer into the philosophy of this young lady. If nothing at all, it would simply provide him the opportunity to better know his own citizens.

From all the effort she had put into preparing for her snow war, her arms had grew sore. Not enough to stop, but enough to slow her down. The imposing man that for whatever reason decided to walk into the area might not have been a fair match for her, especially if she was already half way to being tired out. His size for one was twice as much as her, and judging from how he carried himself he was probably one who sustains a lot of power. Suzume hadn't yet developed the confidence to take on some like that, despite her level of ambition. Though, he did not make any brash movements that would hint at ill intent. In fact, he behaved rather playful. The man was playing along with her antics, at that. 

However for the life of her, Suzume could not recall where else she had seen this person. Had she ever seen him? She almost swore that she had, but by now she would have been able to tell where from. Though, Suzume didn't put too much thought into it. If she forgot, then there wasn't much else she could do about it. Besides, how important could it have been to remember some random man that she probably had only ever seen once? It couldn't possibly have that much of an impact to have to recollection of the man.

He gave the slightest of laughs after she gave her explanation to what she set up. What, did he actually find that amusing? Suzume didn't think someone of his grizzly looks would have a sense of humor. Maybe the scenario was intriguing because he was stuck at some desk doing paper work all day. Kind of similar to school, except instead of getting a grade he'd have people who one way or another relied on him to have it done well. At least, that's what she thought of most adults. Many of them weren't too fun, since they were tired out by their work. Perhaps that was why he chose to stop by? 

Somehow, this guy managed to get into Suzume's little game. She didn't think she would be answering to questions that would need a deeper response than what a student would have recited from their academy manuals. Something about fairness? Fairness, he was concerned about, eh? What a trait Suzume let go of a bit of time ago. Once she considered it something to keep a hold of, but after her experiences that occurred after graduating from the academy it no longer had a place in her mind. She hadn't given it any thinking since before she was promoted to genin. Baffled at his question, Suzume turned from him to toss some more snowballs at the snowman. She wasn't ignoring what he asked, she just didn't know how to answer. "Sure, why not," she managed to say after a round. "If I don't take him down, he might continue his evil ways!" she excused her actions with.

[WC: 502]

Although Kinzoku gave off every effort possible to not seem as a threat to the girl, his eyes were attentively studying her from the moment he arrived down to the moment he posed his question. The entire time she gave of one impression. Uncertainty. The Nazar had an idea as to why but he could not be certain to the exact reasoning. His guess was that she was suspicious of him and rightly so. What was a man like Kinzoku doing out here in the middle of no where in the Konoha forests walking up to some girl playing in the snow? From her point of view he could see how that may creep someone out. If Suzume was uncomfortable with the Nazar she was doing a fine job at hiding it. Normally it would have been easy for Suzume to identify Kinzoku since he always wore his Konoha plate as a belt buckle. But today was no ordinary day. These last few weeks had not been ordinary due to all this snow. It had forced Kinzoku to actually close up his jacket evidently hide his konoha plate. 

Another possibility for the uncertainty could be that Suzume simply did not remember Kinzoku's face, which was likely the case. Even though they had both seen one another atop the hospital roof, Kinzoku had only been there for a brief moment at best. Suzume was likely more preoccupied with Higuto's well being that Kinzoku at the time. Her actions also informed the Nazar that she as unaware of the fact the was currently in discussion with the Hokage. It made Kinzoku wonder what else she may not be aware of in terms of the political proceedings of Konoha and Kiri.

In some ways Kinzoku envied Suzume. The fact she could just come out here and play in the snow and not have to worry too much about the village struggles. In some ways he also felt bad for her. Once the harsh reality of the world we lived in hit her it would likely change her entire being. For better or for worse, only time would tell.

After he had posed his question, he saw the surprised look on her face as clear as day. Even though she had not answered right off the bat, she had pretty much already answered the question with her actions as she continued to pelt the snowman with another round of snowballs. Kinzoku simply watched, bringing the cigar back to his mouth to take a few more puffs. He listened as Suzume nonchalantly answered the question, as though she would have no hesitation and killing a man. It was one thing to say so. It was another to do so.

He brought the cigar back down to his side while blowing the smoke out from the slight crease in his mouth and his nose. "If you have what is needed to take him down, why stoop to his level?" he questioned once more. "Why not be better than him? Defeat and imprison him. Let him live a life of regret and be properly punished for his actions. Isn't that better than giving him the release of death? Some people simply don't deserve it." How strange that Kinzoku turned what was likely meant to be a friendly gesture into a philosophical discussion. Perhaps this is dealing with more political matters that ever before has done to the Nazar.

Some people don't deserve death? What a crazy suggestion, this oddly familiar man offered. What was he trying to do, give some kind of life changing lecture about how people should and shouldn't be treated? It was so laughable to Suzume, because regardless of what philosophies she gathered from her elders she would continue to see the world in grey. Things are the way they are. Although, this guy was surprisingly cheery about it. Maybe also crueler than herself, to say that some people should sit and rot for their actions rather than be put to death as for how the juvenile girl thought. Suzume wasn't inherently cruel per say, but had a considerably harsh outlook. "Because if you don't kill them then they could do it again, even when being chained behind prison doors."

What was this guys deal? He had been keeping a pretty keen eye on her this whole time. Suzume couldn't think up of any reason that anyone would want to harm her. Was this man a spy to gather information on Konoha? Oh, but wouldn't that be hilarious if that were so! Suzume was whimsically unaware of the current tensions of the village she lived in. She had a rough idea that something was going on of course, but had no idea of how serious she should take it. Even so, it was typical of her not take anything too seriously, despite certain things being meant for seriousness.  

Would now be a good time to cover the unnamed man with the snow that just begged to tumble down? Heck, even the branches tipped down at such a way it was as if they were pointing at him. With a menacingly thoughtful expression, she whipped around towards the tree with one of her snowballs. She knew that she would have to act quickly, before he could move out of the way. Although, to clear the distance from where she was standing to there might take too long. By this point, she assumed the man already knew what she was up to. So to hide her tracks, she pretended as if she was just increasing the distance between her and the snowman to have a more challenging target, in spite of missing so many throws anyhow. Suzume gave it a skeptical throw, first trying out her aim before truly hurdling the packed snow at her snowman. She couldn't help but to giggle at her attempt to cover up her idea. She surprisingly hit it, and so kept with it. 

And yet with that, came a new idea. Suzume didn't quite get it, but he sure did seem to enjoy that cigar. What a shame that would be, if she snatched it from him. Back in the academy, students were typically warned not to smoke, drink, or get involve with anything that could compromise their health. So, why did some adults do it? Using her tactic of taking a few steps further and further from the snowman after attacking it with her very own made ammo, eventually she drew in close enough for her to play through her new devious plan. In her mind, the man was expecting the snow to come down on him at any second. But instead, she leapt up towards him to swipe away the cigar with a wicked smirk and coltish maniacal laughter. 

[WC: 560]

"Fair enough" Kinzoku replied with a slight shrug as Suzume had given her reasoning for why she would simply kill the snowman for what he had done. After all she was not wrong. Sometimes it was a necessary precaution that needed to be taken in order to prevent his actions from being done again. It was simply just a different way of looking at the situation but not any less valid. The thing is, if time came where Suzume had to make such a decision, could she? It was easy to say what one would do or what should be done. But it was different once you came face to face with the situation. When it was hitting you in the face and you needed to make a decision that may result in killing someone. You would think that all his evil actions would make it easier to take his life. But it doesn't. Not always. 

However Kinzoku decided to spare the young girl from his words. He had already said more than he would have liked. Fortunately for him it did not see to ruin the mood as Suzume continued pelting the snowman with her munitions. Her method of approaching the Nazar did not go unnoticed. It was quite brave of her to start approaching a man she knew nothing about, even if it was only to increase the distance between her and the snowman. Most people would do the smart thing and remaining cautious while keeping their distance. Although Suzume had seemed to be quite cautious at the beginning, she was now moving right for Kinzoku as she moved away from the snowman. Her giggle seemed so innocent to the Nazar, a child enjoying her play in the snow. But her actions soon revealed it was more mischievous than innocent.  

Keeping a keen eye on Suzume as she had previously given away her plan to drop the snow on Kinzoku, he needed to make sure she was up to anything else. Unfortunately she was. Once she had drawn in close enough she turned and lunged up for Kinzoku's cigar. The attempt alone caught the Nazar off guard. Not because he did not see it coming but because he did not expect Suzume to actually attempt stealing his cigar. The act alone pretty much confirmed for Kinzoku that the young girl and no idea who Kinzoku was. If she had she would not have tried stealing away his cigar. Right?

Kinzoku simply moved to the right as he pushed off the tree he was leaning on evading the futile attempt at his cigar. Kinzoku took a few more steps to the side as Suzume was now standing in the spot he was previously occupying. The force of Kinzoku pushing off the tree was minor. But it was enough to nudge the snow packed branches that were already tipped down towards those below. Unfortunately for Suzume she'd get covered in the snow as she now occupied the spot. "If you wanted a cigar you just needed to ask" Kinzoku said as a slight chuckle escaped his mouth. Whether she now had landed on Suzume or not didn't matter. The attempt alone was enough to get Kinzoku laughing. "You could be a little quicker though. Not keeping up with your training I see" he said while blowing more smoke from his mouth, the cigar still teetering on the edges of his lips almost to mock Suzume in her attempt at retrieving it.

Suzume couldn't help but think he had more to say at first, but for whatever reason cut himself off. She wrote it off as adult stuff she'd take more time to understand yet. If it weren't for being outside for so long already, Suzume's irritation could have exploded all at once with the snow falling. What a sight that would have been for the hokage. She was still unaware that she was in the presence of her village's leader, and with her frame of mind of the shinobi system maybe that was for the better. If the man were to introduce himself, Suzume would have a hard time responding. The genin girl stood facing him, more alert than a moment ago with the branches dropping the snow on her. She accepted it, not bothering to brush it off. Part of playing in the snow was to get it all over yourself anyhow! That being noted, the man had a particular lack of snow on him. Suzume had the idea to chuck one of her perfectly packed spheres, but knew doing so was going to be a risk. He could take it as assault, and it was unknown to the girl what he could or would do if angered. She noticed that one of his hands was in fact made of metal. That is what made her decide not to mess with him any further. Anyone who had lost an arm for a fight meant business. She kept the idea far back in her brain, to not give in to any impulse.

She crossed her arms once the snow was set on top of her. "Alright then, gimme!" she said immediately after he suggested to ask for the cigar. It wasn't exactly asking, the way she did it, but Suzume didn't put much thought into it. The man also criticized that she was slow, and that she needed to bump up her training. She knew that was true, too much fooling around had finally caught up to her. Although, for now she would ignore the remark. It was mostly out of not having the maturity to acknowledge that he was right, but she also wanted leave the opportunity to prove him wrong somehow. Then would have been the time she'd toss that snowball at his face...but wait, Suzume remembered that wasn't something she would do. At least, for now that is.

[WC: 400]

Kinzoku's eyes looked up at the descending snow as he watched the white cloud make its way down towards Suzume below. He thought she had enough time to get out of the way, or that she may have even seen it coming. But it looked like she stood there on purpose. Instead of making an attempt to evade the oncoming snow, she instead welcomed it and made no attempt to move. The Nazar found such an action to be strange. Why would anyone want to be covered in this cold white powder? But he knew his perception of the snow would differ from this young female. After all she was out here on her own free will to play in the snow. Kinzoku was no fan of the cold and would have done whatever it took to get out from below the falling snow. Yet she left it tumble onto her as she covered herself in a blanket of it. The fact she had yet to remove the snow off of her left the Nazar more puzzled than letting it hit her in the first place. Perhaps this was all apart of a child at play in the snow.

Her reaction to his offer was quite sudden, almost done to spite the Nazar. In all honesty it seemed quite petty. She was likely upset at the Kage's words and thought Kinzoku wasn't serious about offering a cigar. So she decided to take him up on his word regardless. Kinzoku smile as both hands reached into his pockets. His left hand went into an outside pocket while his right hand found its way into a pocket on the inside of his jacket. Both came out at the same time, the left hand retrieving an all steel lighter. The right hand retrieving a single cigar from the case it was in. He held out both items to the girl, not wanting to toss them over to her since they were both precious items of the Nazar. All the while he kept a good eye on her. Her expression had grown somewhat more serious than before. It could mean an array of things. But it could mean she wanted to get revenge for making the snow fall on her and Kinzoku could see she still had a snowball in her possession. 

"You're the first person I have ever offered a cigar to" he said with a gentle smile, "don't sully the moment will ya."