The Long Day [Open]

He had rarely been a morning person. Something about waking up along with the sunrise had never made sense to him. Having tried it once or twice he could safely say it was an utter waste of his time. So imagine his shock when during the early hours of the morning he found himself on one of the misty beaches of Kirigakure's islands. The surprising thing to him, over than the time, was that he had woken up here. Truth be told the man didn't remember falling asleep on the beach the night before. Takeo voiced his confusion out loud, a frown etched onto his features as he tried to wrap his mind around what was going on.

It's about time to woke up. The rumbling voice he had unfortunately grown accustomed to pierced through his thoughts.

Takeo sighed, dragging his hand down his face in irritation. Of course. Ever since their conversation upon the peaks of the previous leaders of Konoha there had been a change in Shukaku's attitude. Of course their relationship had changed during the entirety of their time together, growing from foes forced together to tolerant roommates. Though recently Shukaku had seemed to warm up more toward Takeo. Upon revelation at the loss of his dear Akihana Takeo had succumbed to despair, his will to continue onward ceasing to exist. Even a month later the loss continued to plague his thoughts, and a sound nights sleep was no unheard of. His bijuu had tried in his own way, constantly reminding Takeo that it was just one person. Takeo had his own thoughts on the bijuu's motives, perhaps past hosts had succumbed to the same experiences over the years. Maybe the bijuu itself had. While Takeo had questions as to why, he never asked. As if the notion of getting to know more about the entity within his body was a taboo he dare not indulge in.

Shukaku's influence over him was growing stronger with time. As Takeo's own acceptance of the bijuu grew so did the control in which he granted to his new found ally. It was why Takeo now found himself on the beach. The bijuu within his body had taken control of him during his sleep. Last year the mere thought of this happening had kept Takeo awake at night. For long periods during the beginning of their partnership Takeo had forgone rest in order to keep the beast in check. Now at Takeo's weakest mentally it had finally happened, yet Takeo seemed unperturbed by this. Now more than ever he felt more at ease with the presence of Shukaku. With access to Takeo's memory and thoughts it was the one tailed beast that knew more about him than any other, it understood him on a level most others couldn't imagine.

While he couldn't say for certain, he imagined Shukaku had grown to feel the same way. A sense of trust and union-ship had grown between the pair with time, emboldened by the mutual respect gained through their trilogy of battles the previous year.

"It's fair too ear-" The white haired man began, cut off by a yawn which he muffled with his sleeve, "-ly for this Shukaku. Why are we here?" Takeo took a moment to look around where exactly here was. Considered the main island of Kirigakure, due in part to being the largest, the beach was not far from the main harbour for the country, visible even was the flagship of Kirigakure's fleet within the distance. While he waited for his pseudo-kidnapper to respond Takeo felt the rays of the sun beginning to peak through the mist. It warmed his naked back, which in fact was the first time that morning Takeo was aware of his state of dress. "And did you not have time to find a t-shirt?" The irritated man added on.

No. Was the snappy reply, the beast's short fuse already blown. I do not waste time on such pointless things boy, there are more pressing matters to attend to.

"Oh please, do continue." Takeo said dryly, wriggling his toes in the sand as he waited, it seemed the concept of shoes was also lost on the beast.

Training.

"What?" The man deadpanned. "I haven't trained in over three years, why would I do it now?"

You're a joke of a host boy. In all my years I have not been hosted by someone who has never used the powers that I provide to them. The strongest of the bijuu and you don't bother using me? It's a mockery and it ends today.

"You're joking."

I don't joke.

"You must be.

I just said I don't joke.

"But you are right now."

I am not.

"Yet you are."

Don't play games with me! The voice roared from within. Takeo clutched at his head as if he had just been struck with a bat.

"No need to get pissy." He mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just tell me what to do already."

Throbbing, pounding, unbearable pain. That's what Kotsuzui awoke to on this misty morning. Much like most mornings had gone for the Kaguya, he woke up in an unknown location with his head throbbing and his wits lost. Fortunately for him the sun was not out at the moment. Thus is overly sensitive eyes were not strained from the bright rays of the sun, for now. Although he could not tell if the blurriness was due to the usual mist that plagued this village, or if his own vision was failing him. The pain in his head was enough to leave the Kaguya laying on his backside for a few more moments before he made any attempt at composing himself and trying to figure out where he was. Of course he knew exactly what had happened to him, or rather what he had done to end up in this current state of mind in and unknown location. The answer was simple. Sake. The Kaguya favorite pastime was the consumption of alcohol. Any alcohol at that. But Sake was his go-to.

"Why do I do this to myself" the Kaguya mumbled to himself under his breath as he only slightly began regaining his thoughts and composure. "Because you having nothing better to do" the voice inside of him responded. Of course this was his own voice speaking to him. Perhaps the 'bad' inside him trying to get him to stick to his unhealthy, decaying habits of destroying his own body. "Yea..." he mumbled in semi-accordance yet again as he ran his left hand across his face before releasing an incomprehensible sound that could only be interpreted as a groggy sigh. 

Slapping the groggy out of his face and the dryness from his mouth, the Kaguya mustered up enough strength to lift his upper body up from the ground, crossing his legs to be more comfortably seated. Placing his elbow onto his leg, his face fell into his left palm as he began rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to clear the fogginess from his eyes and rid himself of his drinking induced headache to no avail. It was only then that he realized this wasn't his own vision but an actually mist. Only at this point did Kotsuzui realize he was not sitting on solid ground but rather on sand. "What?" he thought to himself while his hands fumbled around him, feeling the grainy texture in between his fingers. "This isn't Konoha..." he uttered, his wits clearly still having been lost until now. "No shit. I left Konoha days ago." 

The hard knock against his right hand in the sand caused Kotsuzui to stop he unnatural movement in the sand, instead grabbing the object and bringing it up to his face only to reveal a semi-empty bottle of sake. A slight chuckle escaped his parched lips at the reminder that he had more alcohol to drink. Not yet. For now he wanted to fully gather himself before he continued drinking. This land was still foreign to the Kaguya. The people strangers and the geography a maze. It was best to spend his days familiarizing himself with this land and his nights drinking. A simple glance up and Kotsuzui realized he was on a beach, the main land being ahead of him a few miles off. 

Just as the sun finally broke through to warm those below, Kotsuzui picked up on the chakra signature of someone on the same beach as him. It caught him off guard, nearly sending a shock through the boys body. Even in his current state Kotsuzui could not understand how he had not noticed it earlier. It was potent, unlike any other he had felt before. He couldn't remember sensing anything this powerful on the battlefield years ago. He slightly turned his head over in the direction of the source, eyes squinting from not having adjusted to the sudden appearance of the sun. It didn't take him long to spot the white haired, shirtless man seemingly resting in the sand. "Why the hell not" his voice said as he slowly got up and made his way over to the stranger.

Like a moth drawn to a light, Kotsuzui was subconsciously being pulled to the raw power he was sensing from the man. He used the walk over to properly gather himself, the cold sand beneath his bare feet helping reel him back to reality. Before getting too close, the Kaguya plopped himself back down into the sand. Far enough not to impede in the man's privacy but close enough to hold a conversation. Based on what he could see, Kotsuzui had not seen this man when Kiri attacked. Were Kiri's forces so powerful that they could afford to leave behind a man with chakra levels such as this and still dismantle Konoha? Perhaps this man simply had not obtained such power by then. Maybe he joined later, recruited much like Nobunaga had been. Regardless, here he was. 

"Care for a drink?" Kotsuzui spoke, his voice coming out all raspy as it was the first time this morning he spoke proper. "Looks like you've seen better days. Drink always helped me." The socially awkward Konoha nin held out the bottle for the white haired man. Although clearly out of reach, the Kaguya used it more as a signal that he was offering the drink up. If accepted he'd close the remaining distance to the man. If not, he'd simply remain seated and enjoy his drink on the beach.

Takeo listened to the brief instruction that his newfound mentor for the day was giving. Still he sported the headache from the beasts frustrated outburst minutes beforehand, though he tried his best to ignore it and focus on the teachings. The man's right hand moved across his field of view from right to left, his focus currently being on the control of his chakra for the first time in seemingly years now. A simple enough movement by the man that yielded no results.

"It doesn't work." The man voiced his frustrations.

You're not trying hard enough.

"I'm trying plenty."

The only thing you're trying is my pati- The beast stopped short of another of it's outbursts and paused. Someone approaches.

Takeo himself had noticed the appearance of another chakra signature in the vicinity. A foreign chakra signature in Kirigakure was nothing new to him. The new generation that had been cultivated under the ruling of Xyxer was a far cry different from what had once been the brightest future of Tengakure. The shinobi were different, both in personality and even ability. The one that approached seemed to be at what the former Tenkage considered to be an average level for a shinobi past the rank of Genin, though only just.

The entity was making their way toward the location of the 'pair', something which put Takeo on edge. It was a natural reaction these days, developed from the years of experience working as a shinobi. A foreign chakra signature was usually one that could not be trusted. He was without most things that would be of use to him within a situation like this, a testament to how little Shukaku had thought ahead during his body snatching session the night before. A misfortune that Takeo could only silently berate his companion for, though all things considered it would be unlikely that the man would need such things today.

While his mind wandered, distracted by the mental argument that was going on between himself and his teacher for the day, the stranger had approached and began to sit down off to his right hand side. Takeo jolted back to attention when the voice of the man, one that wasn't that pleasant to the ears, broke on through the conversation. He blinked and turned his attention to the right. The shock of pink was the first thing Takeo noticed. It was not a hair colour he had ever seen before, and while his own family was known for it's white hair and his brother had for sometime had blue, he had not seen something like this before.

The oddity of the man before him proved to be distracting enough for it to take a moment for Takeo to register what had been spoken. "A drink wouldn't go amiss." He decided after a moment's thought. The irony of the second statement coming from a man likely to be suffering from a hangover was not lost on Takeo, though it was too early in the morning for him to begin with the snarky comments directed toward people. The shirtless man instead relaxed somewhat, keeping his arms planted behind him so as to remain upright. Shukaku, seemingly not a fan of idle conversation, had gone quiet, likely either sulking that it's lesson was interrupted or having fallen asleep.

"It's been a long month." Takeo commented after a moment, acting as both a respond to the man and a statement to himself. The elder Tadashi looked out into the water in the distance, gaze piercing through the mist as he watched the horizon with little direction to do anything else. "What brings you to the beach this early?" A simple enough question to ask, if the pair were to share a drink during the morning it would work out better for it not to be in complete silence.

He might be a spy. The rumbling voice of Shukaku emerged once more.

Don't be stupid.

You should kill him just in case, there's plenty of sand here. The tailed beast urged.

You have an odd sense of humour. Takeo pointed out. Though it was yet to be seen on if the manipulator of the sands was infact being serious or not. Suffice to say when it came to the more intricate part of conversation between the two there was still much to be learned, on both ends.

He was a stranger in a strange land. The smell on the wind that filled his nostrils, the feel of the sun that licked his face, the taste of the food that occasionally filled his belly, the roaring sound of the ocean that barraged his ears almost daily, everything was foreign and strange to the new recruit. He was a wolf in sheep's skin but not in the traditional sense. He was uncomfortable with his surroundings, annoyed by the situation he found himself in. He was disappointed with his shortcomings and it was taking a tole on his body. His days here were plagued with sleepless nights and the future seemed to only be littered with more to come. Any attempt at resting riddled his body with aches and pains, sprouting a sudden sourness of the muscles and creaking of the joints. He was uncomfortable in his own skin, a phenomenon that lead to constant tossing and turning even in the softest of beds. 

This inevitably lead to a lack of sleep, which left the Hiyu searching for other things to do. Training was not an option. Any attempt at training simply served to remind him that his training would be enhancing the skills that would explicitly be put to for the Mizukage, in order to further his desires and war mongering agenda. Although he was a man of his word and would do so nonetheless, the mere thought of it knotted his insides and twisted his guts, preventing him from training altogether. This also left him with very little of an appetite, therefore food was not much of an option. Nobunaga was also not one for material things, usually only donning his armor and basic clothing so a trip down to the market wasnt an option either.

His days were long and with nothing to do, he was left with naught but his own thoughts. Fortunately for him however, there was a beast caged within him, privy to all of his thoughts. Having nothing to do but think away till the ends of the earth, the Hiyu inevitably began forging a stronger relationship with the beast within. The two of them were stuck in a world they did not want to inhabit, a situation that left them longing for an alternative outcome. This unlikely familiarity brought beast and shell closer to one another, slowly morphing the two into once cohesive unit, something that seemed even unlikelier a year ago. 

Therefore on yet another restless day, the Hiyu and his unlikely companion found themselves sitting atop the lighthouse overlooking the vast shores of Kirigakure's beaches. Facing the sunrise and watching the fluffy white waves of the ocean ripple off in the distance, Nobunaga silently sat with arms crossed and donned his full plate, simply staring off in the distance. Although completely silent, the conversation going on within his head went as as usual.

"You tire me with your thoughts Hiyu." The feminine like voice from within screeched in the ears of the failed aegis. "These are my thoughts alone Rokubi, they need do not concern you." Responded the brute, his mind plagued by the knowledge that his sword would soon be called upon by the Mizukage, tortured by the idea of serving someone he fundamentally believed himself to be at odds with, a leviathan whom he saw as the opposite to him, a shield. "You are no different than a whining child. You pout because events did not play out as you wished they would have, cry because they did not go your way. Make peace with your situation fool, save me the trouble of having to hear your whimpering."

Looking up and down the beach, Nobunaga spotted two people seated far along the beach to his right. Sternly hazing at the two specks, he responded. "These are not my people. This not my home. What you ask is an impossibility." Instinctively rubbing the scar that ran along his face, Nobunaga felt Rokubi's chakra flare up along side its anger, its impatience growing with every word its unlikely acquaintance spoke. "Calm yourself." "You've some nerve human. You are an annoyance if there ever was one. Did you not once think it was an impossibility for the two of us to work together? Yet here we sit, me trying to help you in your pitiful state." Still gazing at the two strangers down the beach, Nobunaga remained silent while Rokubi's chakra was supressed and slithered away in the recesses of his mind. Of course, the wise, ancient creature was right. Against its will it had been forced into captivity inside the Hiyu and eventually the beast came to grips with its reality. Could Nobunaga do the same? Could he make this place his home, make these people his family, makes this a place he could feel comfortable enough to sleep at night in?

A frustrating sigh would escape Nobunaga's mouth. For the sake of the Rokubi he would give it a shot. With a gentle push, the brute slid off the lighthouse roof and used chakra in the soles of his feet to control his speed while scaling down its side. The sand bellow parted beneath his heavy landing as Nobunaga adjusted the massive great sword strapped to his back rose to his towering, full height. 

The mountain of a man would casually make his way towards the two strangers seated with one another, putting the lighthouse he sat at almost everyday behind him. Odd that two people were here so early in the morning.  Nevertheless, the brute armored for war harmlessly approached, making no attempt to hide his presence. Once several feet away, Nobunaga grunted to clear his throat before giving a nod and speaking. "May I join the two of you?" 

Nobunaga was already regretting this.

As Kotsuzui made his approach and took his seat down onto the sand, the stranger paid little to no attention to the Kaguya. Or so he made it seem. He had no doubt that this man was fully aware of the Chuunin's presence. Whether he was on high alert or not Kotsuzui could not tell. Although Kotsuzui approached in a nonchalant manner, he too was on guard. This place and its people were still foreign to the Kaguya. He did not know them well enough to know how one would react to a random encounter this early in the morning on a beach. Nonetheless he took his seat and the man made no signs of being on high alert. It wasn't until Kotsuzui spoke that the man decided to turn his attention towards him. Before that he seemed distracted. More occupied with his own thoughts before the Kaguya's words seemingly snapped him out of it. 

He seemed distracted by the Kaguya and it didn't take long for Kotsuzui to figure out why. He just had to follow his line of sight. It did not phase the Konoha nin. After all it's not the first time it was happening. Not everyday you see someone sporting a mohawk. Adding pink hair on top of that only made it worse. As the man studied him, Kotsuzui studied the man. It looked like he had seen better days. Days where he was sleeping. Judging by the way he looked at Kotsuzui and the black complexion beneath his eyes, sleep was not coming easy to this man. Perhaps alcohol was exactly what he needed. Help him get some much needed rest. It begged the question. What was keeping him up? The answers that could follow such a question were infinite and Kotsuzui spent little to no time dwelling on it. It was futile and quite frankly a waste of time. 

It would not have bothered him had the man declined the offer for a drink. All it meant was he'd leave the beach and likely had back into the village for some rest at his quarters. The white haired individual was not the only one lacking sleep here. But he did accept so Kotsuzui obliged. He got up from where he was seated being slightly too far to simply hand over the drink. He took up a new position a few feet to the man's right. Crossing his legs he'd hand over the bottle of sake, resting his hands on his knees taking up a position opposite of the man. He gaze shifted to the open waters once the bottle was taken from him. Although this land may be foreign to him and he preferred being home, there was a certain calmness that came from simply looking out over the water. It's stillness instilled a certain soothing sensation Kotsuzui could not quite describe. A sensation he had never experienced before back in Konoha. It felt odd to the Kaguya.

His attention was brought back to reality at the mans calm words, his gaze remaining towards the water. A long month was likely the simple way of putting things. Easy to explain why he looked so terrible yet not actually explaining why. Kotsuzui would leave it at that, not feeling the need to pry into the mans affairs. It was none of his business. There was little room for silence as he posed a question for the Kaguya causing him to peer over his shoulder to look at Takeo. "That right there does" he replied, his right pointer finger directed at the bottle in Takeo's hands. "Besides, there isn't much else for me to do here" he added while turning his upper body slightly to the left. As he did so he brought his right arm across his body to show Takeo the metal plate with the Konoha insignia engraved into it strapped around his bicep, informing him he was a foreigner. He returned to his previous relaxed position with both arms over his legs. "Drinking passes the time when my presence is not required by your Mizukage." The resentment in his words could almost be felt as they spilled from his mouth. "And you?" Kotsuzui inquired, "am I intruding on your alone time?"

At some point in time after Kotsuzui posed his question he felt another chakra signature making their way here. Another stranger or someone coming to meet Takeo? He did not look over to the newcomer's direction until he was close enough to look at without a struggle. Kotsuzui was still hungover and to strain his eyes to observe a figure coming from a long distance would only help to worsen the pounding in his head. But when the man arrived he finally got a look at him. The Kumo bodyguard. Another foreigner come to grace the beach with their presence. Perhaps this beach was a common place for people who could relate to come to. Kotsuzui and Nobunaga could both relate to the fact they did not belong here yet they had no choice. Nobunaga and Takeo could relate to more things than Kotsuzui even knew about. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for Kotsuzui to learn about the former Kumo bodyguard and what lead him to joining the Kiri forces.

"If you'll have a drink" Kotsuzui replied to the brutes question. By the tone of his voice Nobunaga would know it did not mean that he could not join if he did not have a drink. It was quite friendly in tone. A tone from someone who understood what it was like to be alone in this strange land. Whether he wanted a drink or not, Kotsuzui was welcoming him. He observed the brute's armor and giant sword once more, wondering why he chose to be glad in his armor at all times. Perhaps that's what it meant to be a bodyguard. Always prepared to do your job and prepared for the worst. Or maybe he simply didn't trust the people here. That would be the smart move, one Kotsuzui may want to consider. He did not know these people either. He had no idea how they may react to him.

With confirmation came movement from the stranger. They moved closer to Takeo, taking a seat once more not too far away. The bottle which the man had carried was held out toward Takeo, who took it within the grasp of his right hand carefully lest he drop it into the sand. He was familiar with the liquid that lay within of course though he had to admit it was not one he was particular too. Still, one could not simply turn down a drink. A subtle movement was made by Takeo to wipe the rim of the bottle before taking a swig. Not terrible, but not excellent either. Takeo had drunk far worse so he couldn't complain. It was this moment that the other man answered his question with an accompanying gesture. The response brought a small smirk to the face of the man, he was all too familiar with what they were referring to.

And with that came more information. The movement of the pink haired man drawing attention toward the insignia. Takeo's gaze moved toward it, taking in the the metallic plate that signified the man as a member of Konohagakure. Takeo wondered why the man was in Kirigakure. Briefly the idea of them being a spy crossed through his mind. An absurd notion of course, considering he outed himself immediately, the thought itself was amusing regardless to him. An emissary of some sort was the most likely option then.

The words that followed struck a nerve. His expression soured for a moment as he took one more drink from the bottle before reaching over to hand it back to the man. 'Your Mizukage', taken to mean that Takeo was a mere underling to the man. It was to be expected that outsiders would not know of the nature of their relationship. While Xyxer remained in the spotlight for now, it was Takeo whom was the architect to his very successes. Without him, his younger sibling would be nothing more than a pawn to some deadbeat Kage of Tengakure.

Such thoughts were put to the back of his mind soon after, as the pink haired man asked him a question. Once again he found himself smirking at the words. The idea of being alone had long since been abandoned by Takeo. It was after all difficult to have time to yourself when you were practically made up of two separate beings. "Even if you were I wouldn't turn away a man who comes bearing drink." He lightly replied. "I take it you travelled back here with the delegation from the exams then?" He threw out a stab in the dark, seeing if it would allow him to gleam some more information from the stranger.

Another is approaching.

I'm aware.

Thank you for informing me Shukaku-sensei. Oh no probl-

Shut up. Takeo shook his head lightly, pinching at the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he wondered if he was in fact cursed to never have a moment where the manchild of a bijuu was not giving him a migraine. He afforded himself a glance in the direction of the approaching party. A hulking figure stood a few feet away from them, the distance between them having lessened considerably while the bijuu had distracted him. The first impression was that it would be difficult to lose this person in a crowd. There was something about them that seemed familiar to Takeo. His thoughts dove back to the days of Tengakure and his original encounters with the armour clad figure of Xyxer. The similarities were plain to see, yet the difference in how the two carried themselves was there.

The man cut straight to the point, questioning if he would be allowed to join the pair. Simple enough, yet still quite the odd question in Takeo's mind. "Feel free." He would reply plainly with a small wave of the hand. Who was he to deny someone who carried a weapon that was larger than Takeo himself. "Not on the job or anything though are you? Xyxer doesn't strike me as the kind to allow people to skive off." The irony that it was Takeo, the wanderer who rarely ever stayed within the village, who asked such a question was not lost to him. "To save further awkward conversation to skirt around the subject, name's Takeo. Genin of Kirigakure."

The art of small talk was a skill that few people could master in their lifetime. For some it came easily, for others it was far more difficult and often impossible to do it correctly. Takeo was definitely in the latter category. Still, forcing some conversation would be better than three men sitting on a beach in silence surely.

Towering over the two seated individuals, the hulking would shift his gaze towards the smaller, familiar individual. He had accepted the Hiyu's request with an offer of his own. Gazing down at the container housing the alcoholic beverage with disdain the brute offered a simple answer in response. "Ill pass." "Off to a good start." Mockingly interjected the Rokubi, now makings itself known after noticing Nobunaga had taken its advice to heart.

Not only did he not partake in the drinking of booze but it was far to early for any regular person to engage in such a destructive activity. Clearly the Kaguya enjoyed his alcohol too much as he already seemed somewhat without his wits, something that could not have been achieved after having just arrived at the beach. Great, Nobunaga was choosing to join the company of an alcoholic. Was this how he coped with the fact that Konoha had been conquered and that he was now required to assimilate into the enemy forces? If so, perhaps it was a good thing that Nobunaga and him got acquainted with one another. The failed aegis was no stranger to residing in foreign territory and living among the enemy. He himself had been in a dark place not that long ago. What felt like an endless abyss and misery and despair that continuously gnawed at his consciousness, tearing away at the fabric of his mind and dismantling the core of the Hiyu. We're it not for the unexpected yet friendly aid of Max, who knows what would have become of Nobunaga. Perhaps he could offer his own assistance to the Kaguya.

That was an unlikely proposition however. Nobunaga was not a people person. He was not well versed in interacting with the populace, as was demonstrated by him abruptly asking these two strangers if he could join them in their idle gathering. Being social was not his forte. 

Nobunaga's stern gaze shifted over towards the individual who had the same silver, white hair as Xyxer, who casually permitted the Hiyu to take a seat with a wave of his hand. Nodding in thanks, Nobunaga would cross his legs and stoically descend into a seated position, calmly resting his hands on the full plated steel of the armor adoring his legs. With his massive sword resting nearly horizontally to the ground, still strapped to his back, the Hiyu would shake his head in response to Takeo's unsurprising question. "No, I am not. I am simply ready, if ever I am needed." "Like a good solider." Needlessly quipped the beast within, attempting to aggravate the unshakable shield. In all honesty, Nobunaga was simply more comfortable in his armor than he was normal clothing. He was a soldier, born and bred to fight and he lived every waking moment ready to do exactly that. Also, thanks to the gifts granted to him by his kekki genkai, the armor was bonded to his flesh while wearing it, therefore it quite frankly was like a second layer of skin to him.

His unwavering gaze never leaving Takeo, the now seated brute nodded his head upon the Genin introducing himself. Odd, someone of his age, his build, his composer and with his chakra potency was only a Genin. Was he lying? Nobunaga would put that thought at the back of his mind as he focused on another oddity. "No family name?" Blunt as always, it was uncommon to find someone who only had one name for most hailed from a clan and if not still had a family name. Was he lying again? Did he have something to hide?

With an eerily calm facial expression that would betray his concern's, Nobunaga would continue with the formalities. "I, am Nobunaga Hiyu." Shifting his gaze over towards Kotsuzui for he knew what would come next put the two of them in the same boat, the ANBU would continue "I was only recently... assimilated into the Kirigakure forces as a Jounin." He would leave the circumstances of his assimilation out for it was not knowledge he wanted the masses to know, but he was still telling the truth nevertheless. He would also stop there, for idle chitchat was uncommon to the juggernaut  and he wasnt entirely sure what to lead with next, therefore he would let Kotsuzui introduce himself, assuming he hadent already done so since Takeo just did.

Even though their encounter had just begun, Kotsuzui was taking a certain liking to the silver haired man. Why one may ask. Well simply put, he enjoyed drinking. Perhaps not as much as the Kaguya did but he enjoyed it nonetheless. So when he told Kotsuzui he could not turn down the chance to drink, he couldn't help but grin just a bit. Drinking partners was also nice to have when the time came. He missed Takeo's expression go sour at the mention of his Mizukage, looking out over the water instead of the man beside him which was likely better for Kotsuzui. Drinking with someone usually made Kotsuzui more open and comfortable with people, whether that be unconsciously done or not. Had he seen the blatant irritation in the man's face then that would have left the Kaguya feeling like he had done something wrong and evidently revert back to his unsocial self. 

After revealing his Konoha insignia Kotsuzui had pretty much expected the next question to come. After all he wasn't the only Konoha nin to come along with the delegation. "That's right" he replied with a simple answer at first. "It's the second time I return with Kirigakure in their departure from Konoha. It seems Xyxer would rather keep me close rather than have me back home" he added, the distaste in his words nearly palpable. Kotsuzui had still not quite figured out why Xyxer was keeping him here. Could it be to train and teach him? The idea wasn't that far fetch as he had made an attempt at doing so his first visit down here. But could it be more? Was it way to mock Kotsuzui and remind him that no mater what he'd always be under the control of Kirigakure? 

He shook the thoughts from his head as Takeo passed the bottle back to him, the new comer having arrived shortly after. He got the ok from both to join them, even though he turned down the offer to drink. "Rude" Kotsuzui said with no ounce of being serious in his tone as he watched the hulking man in armor take his seat. He hardly seemed comfortable in all that metal and that massive slab on his back. But to each their own. Kotsuzui took a couple more sips of the sake while the two conversed a bit. It was true. Xyxer didn't seem like the type, yet here Nobunaga and Kotsuzui were. Perhaps the leader of the conquering village was simply too busy.

Kotsuzui removed the bottle from his mouth ever so slightly as glanced over to Takeo with a raiser eyebrow. "A Genin?" Kotsuzui thought to himself. It was not unknown for a Genin to posses chakra on similar levels to that of Takeo but certainly rare indeed. It piqued the Kaguya's interest of the man even more. But now was the time for introductions and formalities. The newcomer was a recent acquisition of Kirigakure, whhich Kotsuzui knew but was still interested in. How did it happen? A bodyguard of the Raikage turned Kirigakure Jounin. "Kotsuzui Kaguya" he said in turn, offering Takeo the bottle of sake if he wished to have more, "Chuunin of Konohagakure. What a rag tag bunch we are" he added with a sly grin. "If you don't mind me prodding..." he asked in an attempt at being polite. Takeo and Nobu were not the only ones who were socially awkward. "...But how does someone go from being the protector of the Raikage to joining the enemy?" The question was blatantly for Nobu. He fully expected Nobu to be surprised Kotsuzui knew him. Regardless the Kaguya was intrigued to see how Xyxer had persuaded the brute.

Takeo's stab in the dark about the flamingo haired man had been on the mark. The venom of which he responded was almost enough to down a bijuu, a telling sign that he was here not because he entirely wished to be. The methods of his twin was lost upon Takeo once more. Once more Takeo found himself examining the man for another moment or two as he had passed the bottle back over. What was it about this person that had interested his brother? The obvious part was that he was male, but that alone wouldn't bring Xyxer to request for a foreigner to come to the village for what was apparently a second time.

Thoughts? Takeo asked during the moment of respite before the armoured behemoth had fully arrived.

Oh so already you want my help huh? Well I've got news for ya, not interested.

You're literally hundreds of years old, grow up.

Silence followed, once more the beast of sand had gone quiet when Takeo actually needed his aid. An annoyingly common occurrence, one that he had hoped would end with time but yet seemed to have only gotten worse. There was however little time to delve on the childishness of his bijuu as the towering figure had then made it's presence known.

The passing on the offer of the drink gave off the impression of a no-nonsense type of man. Only to be bolstered when they had seated themselves and responded to Takeo's own query about their attire. It was understandable to a degree, there were often essentials that Takeo carried with him at all times..except for today due to a certain individual. Though the extremity upon which the stranger had taken it to amused Takeo greatly. Yet the only sign of that would be an amused 'hmph' in response to the man.

Takeo saw from the side of his vision the man observing him while he had introduced himself. Not entirely unwarranted, while he certainly wasn't the strangest looking person in the vicinity Takeo wasn't exactly ordinary looking himself. The blunt remark made by the larger man drew Takeo's gaze from the horizon and over toward them. Using a family name upon introduction wasn't exactly uncommon, yet Takeo often didn't bother with such a thing. It's not like he bothered to recall family name's all that often anyway, so the man had never found the use of them. It was the first time he had been called out on it though, so it had taken Takeo a moment to register what exactly the man was referring to. "Takeo Tadashi." The man corrected.

The introductions of the large man, Nobunaga, soon followed and with it came Takeo's curiosity. Another foreigner that had been recruited into the fold. The reasoning for this one was far more obvious to Takeo than the other. It was as if the man was fabricated upon the same parameters as his brother. The similarities between the two of them were disturbing in a way, yet it was plain to see why Xyxer had allowed this one to join. Another member of Konohagakure was what Takeo assumed the man to be.

Flamingo went on to introduce himself as Kotsuzui, a Chuunin of Konohagakure. While it seemed Nobunaga had joined Kirigakure on a more official basis the Kaguya still remained as a shinobi of Konohagakure. Takeo honestly was not sure of what to make of the two. His brother had always been one to take in strays, perhaps that trait had moved on to shinobi as well. Takeo made a note to ask the Kage about it later, if he remembered that his encounter had occurred.

"Quite the collection." Takeo would add on to the rag tag comment made by Kotsuzui. However their next line of questioning piqued Takeo's interest. Once more he found his gaze moving from the horizon over toward Nobunaga. A protector of the Raikage that now resided in Kirigakure? Takeo doubted that Youka, or Maku, required much in the ways of protection. Though if they were still even Raikage was a question in itself. What manner of monster could depose the pair? Thoughts for another time, ones that would likely require another journey to the land of lightning in due time.

"One would imagine the same way a member of Konoha now finds themselves within Kiri." Takeo couldn't help but remark, a smirk finding it's way on to his face as if he were amused by his own wit. However the man himself was curious as to the reasoning. His comment had perhaps given the man a ways in which to dodge the question, simply laugh at the joke and move on, it was not something that Takeo would allow. Thus the man righted the figurative ship with the follow up, "Then again I don't recall Xyxer invading Kumogakure yet so it's unlikely to be that." He pondered aloud, keeping the ball in play to see wherever this conversation would lead.

This was really not how Takeo had expected to spend his morning, but oh well.

The Hiyu kept his stern gaze locked onto the Kiri native who was fond of looking out over the horizon. Despite the fact that he was in the company of others, his mind always appeared to be elsewhere, as if he were thinking of something else, focusing on other sets of thoughts more than he was the words of those seated before him. This was made apparent when he finally turned to face Nobunaga upon the foreigner asking him about his last name. He simply stared as if either confused due to not having listened to the question or insulted that Nobunaga had asked at all. Nobunaga stubbornly stared right back at Takeo, waiting to see if he required a clarification or repeat of the quest. 

'Tadashi'. That one word hung in the air as Nobunaga's gaze never faltered, the sound of that very specific last name lingering like a bad taste in someones mouth. Was this Tadashi the very same name held by the Mizukage himself, who Nobunaga knew to be Xyxer Tadashi? Was this man a relative of the Kage, a brother or perhaps a cousin? Nobunaga was left questioning who this peculiar individual before him was once more until his train of thought was broken by the drunkard next to him.

Slowing shifting his gaze away from the horizon loving individual and towards the shortest of the three, Nobunaga found it odd that he still referred to himself as a Chuunin of Konoha. The Hiyu wondered if that was because Xyxer had not assimilated him into the Kiri ranks and simply had him here as a prisoner or perhaps he did not want to sully the forces of his village with shinobi from a village he deemed to be lesser. Or perhaps Kotsuzui was simply in denial, not wanting to admit he was no longer a Konoha shinobi. If the latter was the case, he could sympathize for he was no stranger to being in foreign lands.

"Indeed." Nobunaga offered as a simple response in agreeance. A rag tag bunch these three were. A failed aegis, a potential sibling of the Kage and a Konoha drunk. The fact that the three of them were here together at the same time was absurd in its own right. 

For the second time in mere moments, the words spoken by these strangers hung in the air while the armored brute sat there, questioning everything. "Oopsies." Gazing in bewilderment at the Kaguya, Nobunaga wondered how this kid knew he had been the guard to the Raikage? Then the dots connected and at that moment he recognized the bare foot Kaguya. He was one of three shinobi at the Kage summit who did not sport a mask, he had been a guard to the Hokage. Of course, Nobunaga had been wearing a mask however the sheer size of both his sword and frame had clearly betrayed any sense of secrecy he may have had. "Damn it." He thought to himself, not wanting to reveal the truth. 

The Anbu would turn his always stoic gaze over towards Takeo who was offering an explanation as if to free Nobunaga from an obviously awkward situation. However, he was so obviously playing a jest for he knew and made it known that it was an impossibility for Nobunaga to have arrived here due to Kiri's war efforts. Those efforts had yet to make it to Kumo. "Cats out of the bag now." Cackled the Rokubi from within his mind, pleasantly enjoying what was going on to its host as he thought about how much he was going to tell these two. He was no liar, but that did not mean he had to tell them them everything.

"Kiri was not Kumo's enemy. And Kumo was not my home, it never was." He started, his gazing shifting down towards his crossed feet as he thought about the appropriate words to speak, which was difficult for someone who never spoke that much to begin with. Damn you Rokubi. "I was conscripted into their empire after their conquest and destruction of my home. I was made to protect and serve and so I did." Nobunaga's gaze would shift back upwards towards the Kaguya seated just next to him as he continued to speak. "I acted as the Raikage's guard at the Kage Summit because I was doing my duty at that time." Then, his rock hard gaze shifted over towards the Tadashi. "My duties changed when I met Xyxer in the forests of the Fire Country during the joint Chuunin exams. We came to.... an agreement and now I am here." Nobunaga was not about to disclose to someone who may be related to Xyxer that he had challenged him to a duel, therefore he left that part out while telling as much of the truth as he was willing.