Entertainment and Knowledge (Private)

The archives were a bit too quiet to Takuya’s tastes normally, as he leaned against a shelf of scrolls. Scanning over the contents of one with disinterested eyes before rolling it back up and placing it on a nearby table. About a dozen other scrolls had already been left there, and while he could have replaced them, at least getting the caretaker’s ire would make things more interesting. He’d already glanced through to no real avail as of yet. The Chunin of Hoshigakure had heard of the more interesting contents hidden within the village library, things he could use. At the moment, his arsenal of techniques was usable, but most were a bit specialized. The Chunin didn’t like the idea of having most of his entire arsenal able to be countered if he encountered a foe that could counteract his Byakugan, and while direct confirmation wasn’t his preference, it’d be helpful to be able to know more ways to fight an opponent.
 
“Jeez, how dull.” Takuya remarked, as he put down the scroll he’d been reading. He was hardly the type for studying over books rather than learning through practical experience. At the moment the Chunin was wearing his standard outfit, with his vest over a black shirt, and the headband identifying him as a Hoshi-nin worn on his forehead. He’d hoped being able to check the chunin areas of the archives would let him access something interesting, and while some of the things he’d found were potentially interesting. Most were more theory craft than anything concrete. The blonde haired man frowned as his eyes scanned over the pile of scrolls on the table.  


While there was plenty of interesting enough information, whether on history of the villages, defenses, or even theories on how jutsu might be applied. There was also a bunch of philosophical nonsense regarding “meaning” of Chakra and the like, but he barely touched those scrolls. It seemed that most of what he looked at in this area of the archives was useless after all.
And the more interesting stuff is all sealed.
He thought dropping another scroll into the pile before walking to one of the other sections of the library. There were other subjects he was meant to look into but, focusing was rather hard when things just seemed so mundane. Maybe he would take a mission soon. Somehow he knew that things would turn more than a little...surprising shortly. The only real question was time. Takuya knew without a doubt that  turmoil was inevitable, the whole thing would probably get tedious, but that was the life of a shinobi. They’d see action sooner or later, whether it came from one of the other major villages or some other threat hardly mattered in Takuya’s opinion. Things were going to get serious in some way, at some point, and he’d be expected to help deal with it. Whether he did so as a medic in the aftermath, or as a shinobi taking a more active role in whatever happened hardly mattered either. He’d have no choice but to get involved one way or the other no matter what happened.


Still he’d need to find some way to pass his time in the meantime. Serious times could wait, and when they did come, he’d deal with the cards he was dealt when they reached that point. For now it was all about being ready for that point, or making sure one could get out of the line of fire, 


The chunin walked with a casual gait, hands in his pocket and a slight slouch to his posture indicating just how troublesome this whole visit was. There was still some holes in his knowledge however that needed filling. After all, his knowledge of medical ninjutsu itself left something to be desired, even if he did know some techniques within the classification. He knew about some poisons, and a few jutsus classified as medical, but the chunin knew that his own specialization would require more knowledge. 


And he was sure he could always find some more...creative ways to utilize his knowledge,. If he really needed to. If nothing else he could find something he could use a technique to make things more interesting. Either way, he found himself amusing at tapping out a rhythm on the shelf as he looked through the scrolls, occasionally finding making as though he’d read one, before finally finding what interested him.


It was a scroll on herbs, both harmful and beneficial within fire country that could all be used in some interesting way or another. He could find a scroll on jutsu after and besides. He glanced towards one of the archives current caretakers that had seemed frustrated at his antics with a pupil less, dark eye. 

There was bound to be somebody interesting showing up, and a mission was only truly as interesting as ones companions. If nothing else, he could find some other ninja to work with for now, somebody who could work with him easily enough. After all his own methods weren’t always the best when operating alone, particularly if faced with an opponent he couldn’t close distance with or force to engage in a close combat situation. Though really, there was some more important criteria for Takuya. Namely that he wanted somebody...interesting he could deal with. After all what was an adventure without interesting, unique companions right? The fact that having a companion would work well for his performance as a ninja was mostly a secondary concern if anything. Still the question remained. Who could he find that could pique his interest, and that would be willing to remain in a team with him? After all, a temporary alliance was hardly what he needed for the long term.

(WC: 959)

It had been a while since Kari had visited the library. It was much quieter without the others, especially a certain chunin. Quiet was a good thing though. It meant you could read, study, and even draw without the hassle that chaos brought with it. The girl had her notebook out and was leaping around from the top of the bookshelves. She works a black cloak with a white star on the back. A metal band acted as a clasped and also signal that she was a ninja. Beneath the cloak was a beige sleeveless t-shirt and black shorts. The collar of girl’s cloak easily rose up to cover her mouth, an easy cop out to avoid hiding her failed attempts at making facial expressions. Her red hair was the only vibrated color on her person and was tied up into her signature pigtails. The scene was perfect for her notebook, perfect like it was the last time it was empty and she drew it. Now more than ever, the girl wish she had something different to capture on paper.

Skipping around the top of bookshelves, Kari worked out outlines but everything looked the same. It lacked any sense of exploration or interest. As quickly as she found her guidelines and subject, she lost interest in the picture. It was never this hard to draw something before. Everything seemed so full compared to the emptiness in her chest, but now the place looked as cold as the void which held on to her heart. The girl sighed and proceeded to tear out the paper. All the erasing made it impossible to compete with her self given standard. With a sigh, the girl tossed the paper ball at a small trash bin. Sadly, it missed. Sliding down the book shelf, the girl walked over to the paper. After picking it up, she noticed a human sound.

She wanted to pass it off as one of the library caretakers, but those scholars didn’t introduce such distractions into this place of knowledge. Plus, the voice sounded too young to be an old man. Ensure her paper made it into the trash can, cause littering was unbecoming of a Tsukami, Kari scurried up the bookshelf and made her way to the noise. With added height, she could identify the noise, hopefully before it could identify her. With her notebook and pencil clutched in her hands, she came across the source of unpredictability in her dull scene. A guy she never met before.

Her gaze however was robbed by the stack of scroll he was building. It was ruining the scene… or was it? Sure it was not visually appealing, but the boy had a weird expression on his face. She could not put a label on it, nor explain why it made the scene fit. If only it was a smile, then her brain wouldn’t have to work so hard. Skipping along the top the bookshelves around the boy, she looked for the perfect angle. It would help if he would just pick something and read it, that or just stay still for a minute. Picking a shelf in front of the boy, she hung upside down using her legs as an anchor to and not fall down. The boy would easily see her if he looked up as her black cloak and shorts clashed against the collection of red, brown, and yellowish scrolls.

The first thing she drew was the pseudo frown on his face, at least that's what she called it. It made the piece work so she had to capture it quickly. This was followed by the pile of scrolls and finally the rest of the scene. With the guidelines set, the boy was free to move around. She hoped he wouldn’t see her and call her out. She was almost finished and ready to climb back up the bookshelf. Looking back at the boy, she noticed some more interesting things outside the elements important for her work. His blond hair did not match his pale eyes.

Was he blind? That couldn’t be the case since he was obviously a ninja, a chunin at that. She squinted her eyes focusing more or his eyes than the hair. She seen eyes like those before. Thinking back she remember receiving training from a girl from the leaf village. Then she remembered meeting another puppeteer who she nearly had to enter a conflict with. They both belong to a famous clan, the Hyuugas. There was another in the village. The girl looked at her notebook to see her pencil focusing on capturing that area. The clan was powerful for one reason in her eyes, the Byakaugan.

The all seeing eye, she read books on it and wondered how it compared to her Segian. It was weird to know more about another’s blood before your own. Maybe that’s why it had so much strength in her mind. Maybe that gift was what she needed to become stronger than her old allies. No… this was not the time to be thinking about that. She was weak because she stopped working hard. She followed in her mother’s steps and suffered for it. Only hard work would restore her to normal. After that then she could explore alternate means of obtaining power.

WC 884

Takuya considered the words on the scroll he was reading, but the whole thing seemed not worth getting involved in. Most of it seemed to be rehashing basic knowledge in the beginning of the scroll, though some of the herbs detailed were things he’d never really had an opportunity to learn much about. After all, the scroll he was reading WAS centralized on medical herbs more often found in the land of Fire, rather than Haven Country. An area he hadn’t really been to before, though he was certain that would change eventually. After all, plenty of ninja spent time moving between villages for missions, and who knew what type of things he’d be forced into. 

A strange sound caught his attention, and while it wasn’t precisely clear what it was, there was enough noise from the wood of the shelves to indicate something. It was a somewhat familiar sound, especially for somebody who’d lived in a small village town like his own, which had been much more rural than a ninja village like Hoshigakure. It wasn’t uncommon to hear the sound of small or even medium sized creatures scurrying over a structure, with the larger of creatures being much more notable. The sound was somewhat similar, though to a higher extreme that would indicate a person, rather than an animal of any type. Unless the library had some particularly large rats or mice running around the place. Still he hadn’t sensed a chakra signature that was too notable, and it was unlikely to be any sort of danger in the middle of Hoshigakure without some commotion having occurred earlier. Besides, somebody sneaking around in a ninja village wasn’t exactly abnormal regardless.

Looking up from the scroll revealed precisely who it was, as he noted a redheaded girl in a high collared cloak that seemed to be staring at him, and apparently sketching out something. Her cloak was darkly colored, and the only thing that really contrasted that was the girl’s red pigtails. In some way, she reminded him a bit of a bat staring at like that, upside down and clad in dark colors. What was noteworthy was that she was obviously a ninja, one he didn’t recognize but the clasp of her cloak indicated was of Hoshi.  

“You know, the old men are going to get annoyed with you like that.” He remarked, amusement clear in his voice.  The focus on his eyes wasn’t missed, even if he couldn’t guess at her thought process exactly, it was obvious what would catch her eye. Even if he didn’t look like what many Hyuga often did. “See anything interesting?” He asked, feigning ignorance. She didn’t appear to be wearing any sort of chunin vest, and was young enough that it made the possibility of her being a Jounin unlikely. Though not impossible. His mind noted, knowing more than enough to know that there were exceptions to the rule regarding that. There was also no chunin vest on the girl, and he couldn’t sense to much power from her.

If she was a chunin or Jounin, she’d have to be some kind of physical fighter, unless she was suppressing her Chakra. A genin seemed much more likely, and for now that was the assumption he had to make given she didn’t wear any indicators of any higher rank. So he’d just have to assume, and if he WAS wrong then it was probably her fault anyway. Still, this could be interesting, and it was a welcome distraction from the tedious quiet that the library seemed perpetually stuck in. If nothing else, he was curious about what she was writing. 

“At least you know how to make an impression on somebody, it’s rude to stare you know.”

WC: 625

Kari continued to sketch out the scene, managing to move away from the face of the boy and added other details to the scene. She would soon regain control over her curiosity and be able to move her eyes around but it was already too late. The boy had already noticed her, something she expected from a supposed chunin. Her eyes would dart away from his face, moving to the stack of scrolls. Her pencil reflected the new focus, capturing every edge, word, and shadow her eyes perceived. Despite this, the boy decided to initial communication between the two.

Out of everything he could say, he started with correcting Kari’s action, or at least he tried to correct Kari’s actions. The old men, the scholars of the library were strict people, but they were also busy. Also long as she did not attract their attention, she knew she had nothing to worry about. “Oh… are they around now?” Kari asked in her quiet dreary voice. Kari’s quickly scanned the area to see if she attracted their attention. None were in an eye shot distance of her so disciplinary action from them seemed unlikely. Also the boy was not smiling.

Kari’s eyes hooked onto his smile in a mass effort to guess his emotion. Smiles meant happiness and his seemed warm, if not a little hot. Did he enjoy seeing her? Did he enjoy seeing someone hanging upside down? Did he enjoy seeing another ninja? It was not like she was actively hiding anything. It was a question she wanted to ask, but the risk of recourse was too great. This was a stranger who disapproved of her actions. She needed to be cautious.
“Yes. You make the scene… different. It’s much easier to draw now despite the mess you’re making with the scrolls.” Her tone remained the same despite her appreciation for what he was doing for her art. Had he not been here, she would have never completed a drawing for today. “Thank you for your contribution.” Kari pulled herself up to the top of the bookshelf and gave a quick bow to the chunin boy.

The boy’s next statement really confused Kari. See, he still had on his smile which had not changed, but his words were negative. A frown would better suit his words. Even worse, she was bring shame to her name, even if he did not know it. “Ah… Sorry. It was not my intention to disrespect you Senpai. I only wished to capture a perfect scene,” Kari apologized. Her voice and speech patterned remained the same, if not sounding scripted. It was clear the girl had practice the speech as her voice was slightly louder. “If you wish, I will find a new subject and relinquish my rights to my current project,” Kari added with her voice returning to its normal level of quietness. This was off script but it retained the same dull slow tone.

With that big mess up, Kari made the decision to heed the senior ninja’s warning and get down. She did not want to incur multiple infractions. Being disrespectful was a bad enough blow. If the boy did not make her throw away the picture, then she would be in a good enough spot to finish another time. She had most of the library memorized anyway. There was no further benefit to sitting up on the bookshelf aside from being away from any unnecessary attention. Even that point was mute now that the boy was talking to her. She accidentally made eye contact, almost locking on to his eyes, but she managed to drag her eyes to the floor.

Now that Kari was on the ground floor and not actively drawing, she had a much better view of the scrolls the boy was reading. All of them seemed to be related to medicine, flora and herbs, and related jutsu. If she had to guess, she assume the boy was trying to create a new jutsu or learn a more common one. She had been studying the topic a little and she volunteered at a hospital regularly so maybe she could help him out and right the wrong she did earlier. “I don't mean to intrude any further, but if you need help with your studies… I can give you some good recommendations,” Kari offered in her slow dreary voice.

This was Kari’s best shot of improving her image. If this failed, she might be forced to having to own a negative image. A negative image was bad for her father’s business and might make her lose his favor, in her eyes. Also her Mother might use it against her. She could not let that woman be allowed such an opportunity if possible. However, her fate lied in the boy’s hands and his willingness to forgive her lack of self control and manners.

WC: 813

Takuya was definitely bemused, even though he also couldn’t help but be a little surprised by the way she spoke. Whether the scholars actually cared wasn’t really something he was sure about, after all it WAS an archive in a ninja village, where things like walking on normal paths wasn’t always the prefered method of travel.  After all, why use roads when one could use rooftops, or even use the body flicker technique to get from place to place in the village. He knew some people prefer such methods, even if his own preference was to be more...subtle about things. It was hard to get the drop on somebody when one was making an overt display of their ninja status, and being in the habit of doing that sounded like it could be troublesome to deal with. Besides, he had a much better chance of running into more entertainment walking around the more conventional way. 

Her reaction was interesting, and he wondered if he wasn’t playing things a bit too seriously at first before the girl replied to his second comment. So she was drawing him then?  She didn’t seem to be what he’d come to expect from the artistic type. Especially given that slow, dull tone she seemed to speak with. Or was that an act? He’d heard of ninja creating personas before, but he didn’t get that impression from her at least. Still there was a sort of sense to what she said, regarding the ‘mess’ he’d made.  

“Gotta give the geezers something to complain about, otherwise they won’t have anything to do.”  He stated, regarding the mess, but his intrigue was somewhat piqued. “Besides, I think it looks better that way.” He added. Takuya figured that was the most likely explanation. Orderly things in an orderly place probably didn’t make for any sort of interesting subject matter after all. She definitely didn’t seem to recognize his teasing for what it was, which was actually quite amusing in its own way at least.
“Nah, keep it.” He stated, waving off the girl’s...panic? No that didn’t seem quite the word, neither did concern really. It seemed more a hollow respectfulness than anything. Even when she looked away he didn’t get the sense of any real...emotion in her actions. It added more strangeness to an already strange, and thereby interesting person. 

He’d been around the village long enough to see how eccentric some ninja could be, and how strange they often acted. Even among the strange they tended towards being strange...perhaps that was just part of the job, though. Whatever the case, the eccentrics of Shinobi and Kunoichi alike seemed to come in an assortment of different forms. It reminded him of a saying his own old man once said when he was younger. That strangeness was the mark of most decent ninja. It hardly really mattered, and thinking about things like that usually just bored Takuya. It was much more fun to see the more eccentric side of the shinobi world for one’s self after all.

The girl seemed to have noticed something about the scrolls he was reading, If nothing else, it was a distraction from the tedious reading.  “Maybe, you can, know anything on basic medical ninjutsu?” He asked. Figuring it was worth asking. The basics always bored him, and while he had enough training to get by up until now, not knowing the basic jutsus of the subject certainly presented him with a problem. There was only so much one could do with herbal knowledge after all.

Then there was also his ulterior motive. He still needed a partner, if not a full team to work with. This girl if nothing else wouldn’t be boring, though Takuya knew he’d have to actually see her capabilities as a ninja.  “My training in the basics wasn’t exactly complete, and I’ve been trying to fix that.” If nothing else, it was hard to get a read on the girl, or what she was thinking. Her eyes were hardly expressive to any real degree, and the girl’s monotone, dreary, way of speaking seemed rather emotionally detached. Though at the same time, she wasn’t necessarily improper or impolite.  If nothing else though, at least she wouldn’t be as bland to deal with as the writers of these scrolls were probably often like. 

Though there was still a matter of mild importance with dealing with the younger ninja. A lack of information far more important than what she knew or what her qualifications might be. Even if she didn’t know anything about medical ninjutsu, that lack of knowledge would have to be rectified immediately. It was for the sake of future interaction, and would require him surrendering equally vital information. He still had no clue who she was.

“So, I’m Takuya Hyuuga.” He stated, glanced. “I don’t think I got your name.”

There wasn’t really much harm in giving his last name, after all anyone familiar with the Hyuuga name would most likely already be able to recognize the signs of a Byakugan user. The fact he wasn’t directly associated with the main clan as a whole, only meant any assumptions made from his family name would likely be incorrect ones. Outside those regarding the bloodline at least.

WC: 880

After Kari apologized, she saw that the boy was still smiling. This should be good news but the boy had already shown to mix his words with his expressions. She thought he clearly was not train on his expressions. Though she knew she was not any better. At least she hid her face behind her cloak unlike him. Another interesting thing she noticed about him was his lack of changing expression while she spoke. Whenever she spoke to people, they would drop their smiles or their smiles became colder. It would be like putting a blue tint over a sunny background. His smile remained warm if not a little hot.

“I disagree. Everything has its place.” Kari explained in her emotionless tone, “this is a mess. Sempai.” Everything in the library had a place. It was all organized and orderly. In fact, it reminded her of her father’s hotel in that way. The boy was the chaos on this order. This chaos moved things from their place. Thus, this was a mess no matter what the boy tried to say. Kari did not know how she felt about giving people work. She was against it, especially if it lead to negative statements or being scolded. If this was her mother, Kari would be cleaning the mess since her mother wouldn’t do it. At last, it was not her place to touch the chunin’s material.

At the very least the boy forgave her and would allow her to finish her picture. It was much more efficient to not start over. The girl closed her notebook and gave a quick bow to the chunin. “Thank you,” She said with her quiet monotone inflection, “I don’t like wasting work… so it is nice to be allowed to continue.” It was disappointing to have to start over. It was almost impossible to capture that same picture which only added more time to the project, unneeded time at that. It was a waste of energy that she would be forced to give up since the urge to draw and capture or record the world wouldn't go away.

She then opened her book to see where she left off. It was possible she would need to return to the top shelf to recapture the scene she left. Scanning over the picture, she noticed the focus of the drawing changing from her original plan. The details on the face and books made the rest of the scene minor at best. This made it not worth the risk to climb back up the bookshelf and not heed the boy’s warning. Also she had one more thing to follow through on.

The boy did seem to want her help despite her being a genin and him being a chunin. A lot of people, the girl seen, put a lot of value in that difference in rank. Some of them are so prideful that they would refuse help. So it was a good thing this boy didn’t have such a flaw holding him down. It made it much easier to interact with him. His first question seemed really simple and easy. Not only did she know basic medical ninjutsu, working at the hospital gave her a little bit more experience for someone who never specialized in it. Her eyes broke away from the boy, as she took a few seconds to work out his question in her head, and moved to the scrolls. None of them seemed like a useful resource for this. It was a shame because now she had to go get the book.

Kari set down her notebook the table and walked off to go look for the book. The library was vast and a maze to anyone who didn’t visit the place frequently, like her. Still, she knew some of the rules. After about a minute of searching, she managed to find a scroll discussing the technique. She opened the scroll inspecting it as she walked back. It was a lot of good information, but it was missing some good picture examples. Kari, being an artist… sort of… has always been bias to having examples she could actually see. So maybe, if the boy wanted the extra help, she could show him the jutsu at use.
Making it back to the table, she whined the scroll back up held it out to the boy. “This reference is okay. It doesn’t have examples… but I can show you the jutsu if you want.” Her voice remained quiet and emotionless with her face hiding more under her cloaks collar. When she offers others help, sometimes they believe she is lying or being malicious for some reason. She could never figure out why, but when she covers her mouth, it lessens the chance of that happening. She never really dropped the habit either. Maybe one day she will try and add emotion. She did need the practice.

It was then that the boy introduced himself and he was in fact a Hyuuga. Kari wasn’t shocked. The eyes completely gave it away, but it was nice to know she was correct. It was another itch in her head that she could cease feeding mental energy to. Still her eyes climbed the boy’s face and stopped at his eyes. The Hyuuga bloodline was so fascinating after all. She would be silent for a distinct pause before finally giving a deep bow.
“I am Kari Tsukami.” she said in her usual rehearsed fashion. Her eyes would soon return to his. The lack of color with just a hint of life was fascinating. It really resonated with her though they also felt empty. The boy himself did not give up this feeling, but the nature of the eyes made her think of the feeling before being reminded of her own heart. With this being the first time she interacted with a Hyuuga out of a combat scenario, she could pick apart new various aspects of the eye that the other hostile environments wouldnt allow. Hopefully she would get more opportunities to see the eye more… wait, wasn’t it rude to stare?


WC: 1018

Takuya shook his head, glancing over at the scrolls for a moment. He hardly felt like it TRULY mattered much, after all the old guys didn’t do any real work half the time anyways, and they were paid to maintain the library after all. So he didn’t see why it mattered all that much if he left them a bit of work to do for once. Her reaction to the mess wasn’t entirely unexpected, given what he could tell of her personality. It seemed almost like even her concern over the mess was primarily...hollow. Everything about the girl came across that way actually, when he truly thought about it. Or maybe simply most of what she displayed. The real question was if she was truly as hollow as she came across, if she was hiding her emotions, or if she simply was that bad at expressing them. It hardly mattered to him, other than the intrigue of it all. The whole thing to Takuya was just something to think about to alleviate boredom,  


The closest to emotion he’d seen was her gratitude for allowing her to keep her work, and even then it was done with an emotionless tone that was a bit perplexing. She certainly had to feel something, if nothing else than to have a desire to do something like drawing somebody right? After all something like that had to be driven by something, especially given she hadn’t been compelled by another person to draw anything as far as he could tell. The sketchbook itself was evidence she likely drew more often than just this time, and he’d assume he wasn’t her first model for an image. There wasn’t any real harm to it, even if she were from a different village considering most villages had at least SOME knowledge of other villages ninja anyways. 


As for the genin, he had to wonder at her, after all she seemed to have a fairly notable knowledge of library, he noted as she seemed to quickly identify that none of the scrolls or books he’d already been looking at were going to be any use for his current purposes. Disappearing for a moment into the library to seek out something. He’d assume she was a regular then, considering that Takuya himself couldn’t seem to find anything in here as precisely without utilizing other means and resources to find what he needed. He was hardly going to go find one of the old men when searching without them could find more...interesting information.


Most people failed to understand just how easily some information could be in the hands of the right person. Tea ceremony became an exercise of execution if performed by the right person, using the right types of herbs. Other information could be equally as fatal in the right hands, even when seemingly unimportant. It was usually a simple matter of how one applied such things. Still it made actually finding what he needed hard.


Though apparently, the girl had no such, the Hyuuga noted when she returned with a scroll, one that upon looking had exactly the jutsu he needed written in it.  Still, a practical example could always be more helpful in reality. Especially when it came to Jutsu, scrolls usually weren’t always the best way to learn, especially without practical examples. Being  a Hyuuga meant he could look at a jutsu being performed in a different way from most people, and in some ways that could give one a better understanding of the technique. “I guess if you can spare the time.” He remarked, as the girl introduced herself.   Tsukami wasn’t a name he was overly familiar with, if nothing else it was not a well known clan if it was even a ninja clan. 


“See anything interesting?” He asked, still bemused at the girl’s staring. It wasn’t exactly uncommon, after all even ignoring the Byakugan itself, he’d always been told his eyes were abnormal looking. The girl, Kari seemed interested in them if nothing else, it was another strange oddity of her that he found entertaining if nothing else. Especially when it made her break from the politeness she seemed to hold herself to. 

For now, he decided to take his attention off the genin for the moment, instead focusing his immediate attention on the scroll and how best to use the technique. It wasn’t too hard to actually accomplish, so long as one had the chakra control to actually use medical ninjutsu. Though he still felt a more practical example would be more helpful. After all, techniques were best taught by experience, and no amount of words on a scroll could truly replace such things.
 
“So, about that jutsu you were going to show me.” He prompted, still bemused by the fascination the girl had. He knew that caution would be preferable regarding that, as it wasn’t unheard of for people to attack others to steal their bloodlines, and while being a part of the same village would normally be enough to keep things such as that from happening for most. Some ninja could easily get more...determined to acquire the power of a bloodline. It had happened before, where Ninja became missing nin after stealing someone else’s bloodline. 


WC: 876

The boy, no Hyuuga, accepted her recommendations without much doubt. This showed that he really wasn’t bothered by her being different or a genin. It was a good thing that would make this interaction much easier. With an easier interaction, the girl could focus more on the more interesting things in the library. Maybe most interesting person was a better descriptor. The girl continued to inspect every small detail the gentle light offered her. Every curve, line, hint of color, lack of iris to those not familiar with the art of shading, it was all being recorded into the girl’s mind, ready to be traced down on paper. Sadly, the boy’s voice peeled her attention back. Those small details disappeared as she was forced to devote mental energy to his question.


“No sempai… their colors abnormal, rare in the many scenes I record from,” She responded even slowly as if she was struggling to find a correct way to express herself. Cutting her response here would allow her to return her focus but it didn’t seem right. There was extra detail she needed to express; pointless information that she doubted the boy had the means to return an interest on. Words were cheap, an investment that would never backfire, at least not in this case. With her logic fleshed out and her brief pause finished, she launched her more completed thought. “I don’t think I have the proper combinations of pens, inks, or paints to make those colors. If only I had sample at home,” Kari added in a more rehearsed fashion. Her words had much more time to bake in her head. Little did she realize the true meaning in his words. Only the next statement from his mouth completed the act of pulling her attention away and back to the reason they both were talking.


“Oh right… I lost focus. My apologizes Sempai,” Kari stated in her dreary tone before giving a quick bow. Upon rising, she pulled a kunai out of her cloak and attempted to grab the Hyuuga’s arm. “Please refrain from moving,” Kari said a bit louder but keeping the same tone. If the Hyuuga would allow, Kari would run her Kunai an inch down the top of his arm, well away from any vital veins, or anything that would make a mess. The cut was deep enough to draw blood and no deeper. Then Kari walked to her notebook and tore off a piece of paper. She wiped off the blood and then returned the kunai back to its hiding spot. She moved to the chunin and pulled his arm to the table with the paper under his arm to catch in rogue blood. She made boar, rat, and then snake hand sign. They were made very slowly to allow better understanding of what she was doing. Chakra flowed into her hands given them a soft blue glow. The girl hovered her hands over the cut and the skin quickly restored itself. With that, the jutsu was complete. Kari grabbed the paper and wiped away any remaining blood.
“That is it Sempai. Is there anything else I can do to help you,” The girl said before giving a slight bow signaling the end of said service.

Rising up from her bow, her eyes tried to sneak another peak at the boy’s eyes. This time, the girl maintained control and restrained herself from falling into a greedy indulging stare. It was rude to stare and get caught twice. The boy did not show observable signs of being mad like a frown or bridging his eyebrows but his comments signaled to Kari that he cared. Thus from now on, she was coming to be more careful about how she captured them. As she said before, she had no way of replicating their color so it was best not to ruin her chances of seeing them again. In fact, she had all she needed for her scene anyway. All that focus detail sketching with her brief analysis of the eyes gave enough of a reference to finish her drawing.

WC: 682

The girl certainly seemed attentive, Takuya noticed as he watched her eyes, seemingly fixing on one point or another before moving to another. He’d seen artistic types acting like this before, but had rarely seen it from somebody quite so...unusual. He supposed that was one way of saying it. The girl certainly didn’t act strange necessarily, in that there was reason for anything she seemed to do, but the unshifting tone and from what he could see, lack of expressiveness certainly was unique compared to the blazing passion most artists where said to have. There was little likelihood seemingly of any emotional outbursts he’d seen from the few “artists” he’d seen. Usually they were more the types to allow their emotions to control them, from what he had seen of them.


The comment on his eyes’ color was an interesting one, as most simply described the Hyuuga eyes as creepy or even unsettling. A strange pale color that became highly recognizable given his clans abilities. It had been compared in some ways to the eyes of the blind before, by others he’d met that had decided to comment on his eyes but, even that description wasn’t completely accurate. Not to say the comparison wasn’t ironic, especially given how powerful the Byakugan actually was, as well as what it specifically allowed the user.  Still it was interesting the way she seemed to describe it as he’d never really thought much about the color itself. Not when there were other Dojutsu that changed ones eyes to a much more notable. 


He watched as the young genin girl took out a kunai. His instincts screaming at him to move when she tried to grab his arm despite knowing that it should have been a demonstration. One couldn’t really heal if there was nothing to heal after all. Still it was a lot to ask for a ninja to let somebody cut them, and it was only natural any ninja would find it tough to keep from moving, though he knew enough to know such things sometimes could cause a person to slip up when t came to more delicate procedures.


The pain itself wasn’t anything serious, as any ninja could deal with pain, and usually did so with much more. The girl’s hand was steady though, and while he’d stiffened visibly, otherwise Takuya didn’t move. Watching as the girl made a slow, mostly superficial, but visible cut. His mind filtering out the pain and discomfort with a little effort.


His eyes watched as the girl’s hands moved through familiar motions, his mind noting each sign as it was used. Hand signs themselves were easy to identify for any ninja, especially at this short a distance, and he watched as the girl’s chakra took on the blue glow one would expect from the medical technique. Watching as Kari’s hand hovered over the cut on his arm. Takuya felt, as well as saw the cut slowly closing itself up, healing in a matter of moments.  


“Perhaps,” Takuya answered, mentally appraising his knowledge of the girl. So far she displayed some knowledge in Medical jutsu but he didn’t really know near enough to know if she was the possibility to fit into his other plans. “But not right now.” He added after a moment. It’d be too boring to simply question the girl, much better to allow himself to determine if she was the right person over time. Simply asking would hardly be entertaining enough. He picked another scroll off one of the shelves seemingly at random, glancing at it for a moment before placing it in a different spot, disinterested in the apparent contents. Before glancing over the medical jutsu scroll again, noting it. He was fairly certain he’d be able to use the technique simply enough, especially having received a demonstration of it.  

“Though, I’d like to see that, when you finish it.” He remarked, wondering if seeing the drawing could give some interesting insight.  One could learn from anything with the right mind set after all.

WC: 674

The boy retain his self control and did not move. Kari was impressed at the level of trust he had in her. Had she been an enemy or some sort of spy, then she could have potentially killed him right here. That would have been a ridiculous assumption though and Kari knew what she was doing. So maybe he was not that stupid or brave. Either way it did not matter. Him standing still made it easy for her to make her cut required to show off the jutsu. When she did make the cut, he did not wince, cry, or reveal any signs of feeling pain. The girl wouldn’t have stopped had he did cry, but maybe she would lighten up a bit.  As such, the jutsu’s results were satisfactory as she expected.  

After the boy responded to her question, she shifted her eyes to his face. She searched for another feature to look at, hoping to avoid locking onto the eyes, void of color. Settling on his mouth, she read off his next words as he spoke it. “Oh, I thank you for giving me the opportunity,” she responded as if reading off a script. She really hoped to receive a little praise from the chunin. Still, it would have been better if it came from her dad. With him not wanting any more demonstrations, she wondered if she did something incorrect. Maybe the boy knew about this and was just testing her. Her thoughts rambled on and on  until she noticed him move a scroll out of place.

Her eyes bounced between the book and the boy, not sure what to do about this. As an observer, she could bare the brunt of chaos. As an artist, she refused to sit by and let her scene change any further. Without vocally speaking out she moved over to the scroll and placed it back where it belonged. This man was an interesting subject, but he was not a very good one. A good subject stood still and did not add more chaos to a scene. Still, he was her senior and it was a privilege to be allowed to draw others so she would remain silent.

When the boy admitted to wanting to see her finished product, Kari turned to her notebook. All of this was distracting her from her original objective. She lowered her head, realizing her mistake. “Sorry. Sempai… I will return to my work. Else I won’t be able to fulfill that request,” the girl’s voice was a bit quieter but remained dreary. It was an apology she did not want to make. To admit this kind of childish mistake, while it would not affect her family, did affect her own reputation. Still, old habits die hard and so the apologize just came out. With that, she walked over to her notebook and continue sketching the scene, abet without climbing to the top of the bookshelves. At the very least, she did not want to disrespect her sempai’s words.

WC: 504