Another One (P, Yoshimi)

Sitting at one of the many bars in Hoshigakure was none other than Akaboshi Uzumaki, the Red King. A bottle of liquor in front of him and a glass of sake firmly placed in his hands, the Chuunin was waiting for his most trusted friend to arrive. Earlier that day he had arranged for the two of them to meet, simply by writing a letter requesting his companion to come out for a talk over drinks. Of course he was talking about the one and only Yoshimi Manji, his Hyuuga friend he had reunited with not that long ago. Plans for the future of their village were mentioned that day, but this time Akaboshi didn't want to talk about the same subject. No, he simply wanted to see how his friend was keeping up.

Pouring himself another one while staring in the distance in front of him the red haired Uzumaki started to wonder what was next for them. So many things to do but so little time. But even then there would be no place for doubt, not in his mind nor his heart. The redhead believed he had it in him to become one of the leading figures of Hoshigakure, he only needed that one little push. If not him, then who? If not now, then when? A quote that had been following him around for quite some time now. Akaboshi leaned back against his chair, one hand placed around his glass while waiting for Yoshimi to arrive. 

(WC: 250)

Yoshimi would find himself making his way to the bar, not only to meet his friend Akaboshi Uzumaki but also to hopefully drink away some of this unease he was feeling. He couldn't quite place it, but something felt off as of late. Perhaps he had burned himself out training. Even his assignments have started to dry up. Perhaps he had done something to wrong his higher ups, or perhaps they were simply giving him a break from his duties.

Dressed in casual garb of a loose fitting white tunic. Due to the casual nature of this encounter his helm was left at home, his short platinum blonde hair exposed. Those accustomed to seeing the young Hyuuga in his typical soldier outfit would likely be surprised, though his unique genetic anomaly was known to the Red King. He would find his way to the bar, his trusted friend already seeming to have started without him.

"It is good to see you again, my friend." Yoshimi would gaze at the drink and ask the barkeep for a glass with ice. "Would you pour me a drink? Go ahead and pour heavy." While waiting for the drink, he would question his compatriot, "So how have things been for you? I've personally felt rather... odd as of late." His face would shift to a look of concern. If his drink was already poured he would take a large mouthful, "It sadly has impacted my training."

While still staring in the distance it didn't take long for Akaboshi to pick up on the presence of his most trusted friend. "Ah, Yoshimi. Glad you could make it my friend. Please, have a seat" the redhead offered while using his arm to direct the young Hyuuga to one of the chairs nearby. Taking notice of his companion's request to pour him a drink Akaboshi quickly grabbed the bottle of sake as he then filled up an empty glass he had already prepared for the arrival of Yoshimi. Placing his hand around his own glass of liquor he then pointed it towards the one the Hyuuga would be holding. "A toast, to our friendship." The Chuunin emptied the alcohol in one swift movement, feeling it run down his throat before putting it back on the table.

It allowed the Uzumaki some time to try and come up with an answer to the earlier question. "Not too bad I'd say, could be worse." The Red King would always have something brewing inside his mind, plans to better the future of their village. He hardly had enough time to focus on other stuff which is why he was glad Yoshimi was able to make it. "Now, tell me. What's been troubling you lately? It's not like you to let something bother you, let alone affect your training." Perhaps Akaboshi should have noticed something was amiss with his friend, now that they were together it was time to find out what exactly was keeping him awake.

(WC: 254, TWC: 504)

The alcohol would go down quickly, the distinctive burn of the spirits catching the young Hyuuga a bit off guard. He wasn’t one to partake often, such things being seen as little more than a distraction from his training. They say that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but the young soldier couldn’t allow his combat prowess to be the thing that dulls. At least not any more than it seems to have already done so. When asked what was bothering him, Yoshimi would lightly shake his head before gulping back the last bit of his drink, before gesturing for another round.
 
“I really can’t say for certain.” He would ponder a moment before adding on a bit more, “I think that I may be losing my edge, though.” He would state, lifting up his sleeves to show the scars from where the cuts had healed. “I got these relatively recently. An assassin….” If the next drink was indeed in his glass he would sip it again. “He managed to give me these… and you know what I was able to give him? Not a damned thing.” There was a tinge of unease in his voice, his own faith in his capabilities seemingly starting to waiver. “I was able to keep from worse injury, but he was always one step ahead of me. It was like he knew what I was going to do before I even did.”
 
Yoshimi would look his friend in the eye, his concerns plastered on his face. “How can I be the steel that defends you when I can barely defend myself?” While the young Hyuuga wasn’t sure that this was the entirety of what was bothering him, this much he did know. The timing couldn’t have been worse for such a thing, too, since missing ninja seemed to be brasher than ever. Like any predator, they see Hoshi as an injured entity and easy prey.

The red haired Uzumaki listened attentively to his friend, witnessing the Hyuuga emptying the liquor rather easy. It was a rare sight, seeing Yoshimi throwing himself at something else than training. Akaboshi himself enjoyed a bit of alcohol occasionally, when time and place allowed it. But even then the redhead wasn't much of a heavy drinker. But a glass of sake combined with a little cigarette made for quite the pair. But anyway, this wasn't about him, what mattered now would be finding out what was troubling his Hyuuga friend. When asked Yoshimi seemed uncertain what exactly bothered him so much. Akaboshi watched as his friend showed him scars and how he got them only recently.

The redhead kept listening before finally speaking up. "Never have I doubted you even for a second, let that be clear. No one is invincible, sometimes we'll draw the short end of the stick. But now that you look back at what happened, what do you think went wrong? What was it that caused you to be on the losing side?" The red haired Uzumaki didn't like to remind his friend of the unfortunate event that took place, but perhaps this would allow Yoshimi to figure out what he did wrong back then. Only by accepting our mistakes would they be able to learn and move on. "I hope you weren't afraid of using your Byakugan while in battle? Have you been training your dojutsu lately?" The Byakugan was such a powerful tool, it would be a shame if it wasn't put to use. 

(WC: 260, TWC: 764)

While the young Hyuuga was grateful to hear that his comrade held unwavering faith in him, Yoshimi wouldn't be certain how to answer the questions that followed. He had no idea what went wrong, which made it all the more concerning to him. If it was something he could recognize, isolate and improve upon that would be a simple task... but this wasn't so simple. "That is the thing about this situation, I held nothing back." He would take another drink of his liquor. "Despite my best efforts, the enemy had me beat. I'm not certain what it was, but it was like they knew every move I was going to make. I'm quick, but their movements felt even faster than mine. If it wasn't for Tsu coming to my aide, I may have died." Perhaps that was what was taking root into the mind of the Hyuuga. Facing ones own mortality wasn't an easy task, but one that all shinobi and soldiers must come to terms with. Yoshimi knew this and held none of this concern in prior conflict, but maybe that was what was really gnawing at him. Perhaps the horrors of conflict seeped into his subconscious. Perhaps he was allowing himself to be beaten not because he wasn't capable of victory, but because he felt he deserved punished for his actions... for the blood on his hands. He would listen to anything Akaboshi had to say in regards to this. 

Yoshimi would finish off his glass once more, shaking his head as the burn makes its way down the back of his throat. "Sorry, friend. Let us not dwell on the bad, but celebrate the good!" The Hyuuga was clearly trying to change subjects, hoping not to bog down this meeting with unpleasant conversation. "How much progress have you managed to make in our efforts? Has anybody else shown interest?"

"

Only paying attention to what his friend was saying, the red haired Uzumaki took another sip of his drink. Akaboshi then leaned back in his chair, taking a moment to reflect on Yoshimi's words. The Hyuuga explained how he did everything in his power to win, but to no avail. Having done everything he could and still falling short, it must have taken quite the toll on both mind and body. "There is no shame in admitting defeat. Sometimes we will be confronted with our own limits, unable to surpass them." The redhead noticed his friend needed a change of subject, to which he would comply. There was no point in standing still, important was to move forward.

Yoshimi would then inquire about how far Akaboshi had gotten regarding his plan to change the future of Hoshigakure and whether or not he found some people who could possibly join their cause. "No one in particular, but funny you should ask. I met with our Hogokage some time ago. During that meeting I was able to find out about some people who would be able to help us building a better future for our village." For now the Chuunin figured that was all he needed to say, he still had to do some research on them before making a decision. "I plan on meeting them sooner or later." Akaboshi allowed for a brief pause to fall over the conversation before he'd move on to another subject.

The red haired Uzumaki continued by bringing up a rather interesting event that was about to take place in the next coming weeks. "Have you heard about the upcoming Chuunin Exams? It sounds very promising, what do you think?" Maybe an event like this would be exactly what Yoshimi needed.

(WC: 295, TWC: 1059)

The young man would continue to sip his drink, listening closely to what the Red King had to say. Making sure that Hoshigakure was at its best, not succumbing to its past mistakes again... that was the most important thing. Yoshimi couldn't handle having to do  those things again, regardless of whether or not his words reflected this truth. "It is good to hear. Perhaps we will find the needed strength to prevent any repeats of the past. A strong organization can stand up to even someone of kage status should they act against Hoshi's best interests." He was of course referring to the traitorous actions of their former kage, Valen. He didn't think that their new kage would do something similar, but better to be safe than sorry. "If you have need of me, you need only ask." The liquor was clearly beginning to take hold, the young man not accustomed to drinking, especially this heavily. 

"The Chuunin Exams..." Yoshimi would ponder it for a moment before adding anything. "I take it you have heard about my recent... step down?" Yoshimi would ask, wondering if the word had already made it to his friend. "I was only really granted the rank of Chuunin out of necessity, and my recent failings have shown me that I may not be deserving of the rank.... so I requested a demotion." Yoshimi's words were so heavy that they all but sank to the ground upon leaving his mouth. "It could be a proper test of whether or not I truly am worthy of calling myself chuunin." The intoxication of Yoshimi was likely causing him to be more talkative than usual, especially about more private matters.

More talkative than usual, his Hyuuga friend continued to talk. The red haired Uzumaki had to try his hardest to hide his smile from witnessing a drunk Yoshimi, but maybe it was just what he needed after what he experienced during one of his missions he mentioned earlier. "So I've heard. Sometimes we need to take one step back to take two steps forward." Akaboshi would be referring to the demotion Yoshimi was speaking of. It would come as no surprise to the redhead, news always traveled fast, especially when it involved a friend of his. His Hyuuga friend requested one himself, it was a sign of how honorable he was. If he felt like he didn't have his place somewhere he always made sure to do something about it. Even if it meant stepping down.

It seemed the swordsman understood where Akaboshi was getting at since he suggested the upcoming Chuunin Exams could be a test to find out if he was worthy of his rank. "Call it a bad joke but perhaps it's exactly what you need. I'll pull my weight to make sure you are able to participate. After all, I've been working on these exams behind the scenes so it would only be normal I get a say in who can join." Pouring the two of them another drink the Uzumaki would look around him. The streets of Hoshigakure were lively again, something that used to be different when the traitor known as Valen Akari was in power. 

(WC: 252, TWC: 1311)

Exit 

Claims:
- 1311 towards Ninjutsu Amplifier bringing it to 1629/2500 (318 trained here)
- 26 AP (max stat discount)