Gaining Knowledge (P, Kozai)

For some reason Akaboshi had forgotten all about a certain book he acquired some time ago, A Study of Kekkai Genkai and Their Connection to DNA. Back then he never really thought about what purpose it could possibly serve to him, but when he found it laying somewhere between his other reading material, the red haired Uzumaki couldn't help but wonder about its contents. He never really was one to indulge into the subject of DNA, nor did he have much knowledge on the matter, but lately the redhead started having more thoughts about it, call it a healthy curiosity if you may. Even more so after meeting with the Hogokage, Yasaki Uchiha a couple of weeks ago. Something that was said back then kept lingering around Akaboshi's mind.

He still remembered the words of the Kage, the mentioning of a man who helped him decipher the powers of his clan. Back then he didn't really pay all that much attention as he never really inquired further into the matter, but now that he came upon that book he couldn't help but feel curious about what exactly Yasaki meant when and why he said those things. As he kept thinking about it, the red haired Uzumaki decided it was time to clear his head as he was in clear need of some fresh air after pondering on the subject. Akaboshi didn't really have anything planned for the day so he figured he might as well go out for a walk, hoping to get a better view on things. 

Lighting up a cigarette, yes he still had his habit of smoking once a day, he set out not knowing where he would end up just yet. Although Akaboshi wasn't on duty he still decided to wear his Chuunin Flak Jacket as a means to be recognized more easily. Not that he would need it considering the color of his hair caused him to stand out quite a bit. After a couple minutes of walking the Uzumaki noticed he had arrived at the library, or the Archives as most people would call one of the largest buildings in Haven Country. "Quite the coincidence, considering I'm carrying a book with me" he thought out loud. Perhaps this place would give him some answers to his questions. 

(WC: 383)

Kozai's Gakidou had finished her tasks for the day and was returning to home base. Kozai was still testing the limits of these new bodies, but it seemed obvious that this one, invested with his ability to absorb chakra, would be the best to deploy in a village full of energy wielding ninja.

It was nearing evening, and the sun kissed the western horizon, signalling the advent of night. The village itself was bathed in a gentle, orange glow as Gakido climbed her way out of the hatch to the maintenance tunnels embedded in an alleyway near the entrance of the Archives.

... Right into view of a red haired young man. Kozai recognized him from the files and cursed. An amateur mistake, to not leave a lookout by the front door. Still, the important part was to not let this body fall into the hands of Yasaki's flunkies. The kage probably had no compunctions about sending his best to check Kozai's environs and activities, and if Kozai remembered correctly, this Akaboshi was no pushover. In his current state, could he really take on even a mere jonin? This Gakidou wasn't exactly fitted to fight hand to hand either, and the Uzumaki clan was known for having an... impressive constitution.

Gakidou would bolt down the alley, Kozai moving her toward a small employee side door in the alleyway leading into the Archives. Turning her back to the shining was probably a bad idea, but Kozai didn't have many other options, really.

Placing the book inside one of his side pockets, Akaboshi noticed he had neared the entrance of the Archives. As night began to fall over Hoshigakure, the red haired Uzumaki didn't expect to run into anyone. Ever since the latest Missing Nin attack at the village gates and the hostage situation, he noticed that lately people avoided the streets once the sun went down and he couldn't really blame them. "Hm, what's this?" He wondered stumbling upon what seemed to be an alleyway. Right when he was about to take a closer look a young woman appeared in front of him out of nowhere. Clearly surprised, which could be said about himself as well, she immediately took off without saying a word. "Wait .." before being able to even finish his sentence the female individual turned around and started running towards the location she was coming from. 

Throwing his cigarette on the ground Akaboshi began his pursuit as he followed her into the alleyway. When it came down to it there were only a few who'd be able to outspeed him and unfortunately the woman wasn't one of them. Determined to not let her get away he witnessed how she entered a side door which he figured would lead back into the Archives. A strange move, but perhaps her panicked state caused her not knowing where to escape. Entering the room through the same door, he noticed she had her back turned towards him. Hardly having any time to look around he wondered what was going on and who this person in front of him was. "What is this? If you haven't done anything wrong, why'd you run?" Akaboshi had a feeling he was about to get some answers, but perhaps not the ones he was looking for.

(WC: 297, TWC: 680)

The room she entered was one of the chambers within the archives. Therein, large shelves of books were arrayed in perfect rows, their dark mahogany giving an air of gravitas to the room. Kozai himself would emerge from the hallway to the larger portions of the library, pushing a cart and clad in a turtleneck sweater, suited to Hoshi's northern climate. He stopped as he saw the man enter the building, with Gakidou just ahead of him.

"Oh, goodness." Of course, this was all a somewhat inelegant ruse. Kozai himself pushed up a pair of rectangular spectacles, left the cart where it was, and hurried over to the commotion. He had Gakidou turn around and take up some kind of amateur fighting stance, similar to styles that the general civilians would have been taught. He laid a hand on her shoulder, stepping forward to greet the intruder.

"Ah, sir shinobi." There was always a chance that Yasaki hadn't sent this one, but there was really only one way to find out. At the moment, Kozai looked like a normal archives employee, and though he showed similarities to the somewhat dramatic portrait of him in the entry hallway, nobody who hadn't known him prior to his arrival to the village would be able to match the two.

"I apologize for my colleague's erratic behavior. She has a tendency to panic." The girl with the oddly blue, ringed pattern within her eyes gave a sullen look (just another act by Kozai, of course). "I'd sent her out on an errand; I hope she hasn't caused you any trouble."

Surrounded by books Akaboshi would scan the area with his eyes, all the while not losing sight of the woman who tried to run. "Amazing" he mumbled, clearly impressed by the shelves that contained all the literature in the room. Even though the red haired Uzumaki wasn't that much of a reader, it would be hard not to be captivated by this place. If it were a completely different situation, one where he didn't have to chase a strange acting individual, he would have taken the time to truly take in the atmosphere but alas, it seemed fate had planned something else for the redhead. He couldn't allow himself to get lost in thoughts but fortunately for him the young woman decided to grab his attention once more.

Raising a brow, Akaboshi noticed how she had suddenly taken up quite the interesting fighter stance. "Look, I don't really plan on throwing fists .." It was at that time he could hear footsteps approaching before someone else decided to show up, interrupting what he was about to say. Placing his hand on the girl's shoulder, indicating the two of them clearly knew each other, the new face joined the conversation. Not that it really was one before considering the Uzumaki had been the only one doing the talking. Wearing rectangular spectacles the man gave off the impression of what Akaboshi imagined what the standard library employee would look like. 

"Oh, not at all. Your .. colleague started to panick when she ran into me so I figured it was in everyone's best interest to follow her in case she had ill intentions. We wouldn't want something happening to the Archives, would we?" The Uzumaki would smile, looking at the man who seemed a bit protective over the young woman. Not that out of the ordinary if they truly were colleagues, or perhaps they were even more. Nevertheless, that wasn't up to Akaboshi to decide. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but for some reason he couldn't help but get the feeling the librarian's face looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Perhaps they crossed paths in the village, yeah surely that had to be it.

His eyes would meet hers once more, it was then that Akaboshi noticed the interesting pattern within her eyes. For the time being he wouldn't think much of it, but safe to say they had quite the impact on the redhead. Directing his attention at the man, the Uzumaki spoke up. "So, still at work this late in the evening?" Perhaps his presence was unasked, but now that he already made it inside, might as well try and find out more about this place and its people.

(WC: 454, TWC: 1134)

Kozai gave the shinobi a knowing smile.

"Of course." There was always work to be done around here, and not just the cataloguing of books or the management of the Archives either. He made a brief gesture, and Gakidou retreated into the depths of the Archives, ostensibly returning to her duties. He still wasn't sure if Akaboshi was playing some kind of game with him or not, but if the man really didn't recognize him, this might go better than he had expected. For a moment, he thought about just trying to get the guy out of there as quickly as possible, but there was an opportunity here that he didn't want to pass up. When it came to counter espionage, the general idea was not to remove the enemy spies, but to feed them false information. This could help Kozai a lot more than it hurt him.

"I tend not to get too much sleep these days." He extended his hand toward the redhead. "I'm *Kozai*, the founder of the institution you see around you." He removed his glasses and folded them, placing them in a compartment in the cart. Now, while this might have seemed like a risk, it really wasn't. Nobody knew that Kozai had been a shinobi or anyone of significant power. Mostly, they knew he was a foreigner who had come to the village some years ago, and that he had founded this library despite the protests of the Church. Other than that, there shouldn't be anything else known, unless Akaboshi had been informed by Yasaki.

Akaboshi noticed how the young woman returned to her duties after being signaled by the librarian, leaving the two men alone to discuss things. Without even saying a word she left the scene, making the redhead wonder if she was simply timid, or afraid to say something she shouldn't. Nevertheless he gave the girl a friendly smile and a nod as she took off. The man informed him of his lack of sleep, if the two of them were really the only ones running the Archives then it wouldn't be that out of the ordinary most of their time would go to their work. 

"Ah, the man responsible for making the Archives into what it is now, impressive" he said while accepting Kozai's hand shake. "I do hope you're not cooped up in here all the time? Our village is far too beautiful not to go out once in a while." The Uzumaki didn't mean anything too serious by it, he was aware that the books and managing the Archives in general would be of great importance to Kozai, considering he was the founder. Going by the amount of literature and content it made the redhead wonder about the knowledge this man possessed. 

At the same time he started to chuckle from the thought of the Hogokage, as he considered himself an author as well. "Have you been visited by Yasaki yet? One time he called for all shinobi to gather, only to inform us about a new book he wrote. Of course that wasn't the highlight of the event but still." He would take a brief pause, weighing his words, careful how to continue. "Not that I can say much on the matter, I've only met him in person recently and I'm still not sure what to think of the man." Akaboshi acknowledged that peace had returned under Yasaki's reign, but the man was difficult to read. In the case that Kozai had met with the Kage, perhaps he could share his thoughts regarding the current leader of the village.

(WC: 341, TWC: 1475)

Yasaki is an idealistic fool, is what Kozai would have liked to say to the man. Obviously, he couldn't, but he still frowned and turned to place a book from his cart onto a nearby shelf. His dislike of the kage was rather intense. At first, the man had been quite difficult to read, but as Kozai revealed more of his intentions, it quickly became apparent what kind of person Yasaki was. To have him ruling the shinobi side of the village, the kind of person who would give up success for the sake of his own irrelevant morality, was something that gave the librarian some concern.


"I'm sure you're a better judge of character than I am", Kozai began rather dourly, "but I've met him once or twice. He seems adequate enough." He pushed the cart along a few feet and turned to inspect one of the volumes, his face momentarily shrouded in darkness. "I've met many leaders in my time." Not an outlandish claim, since he was a foreigner. The Hogokage didn't rule every aspect of the village, unlike the leaders in Iwa had. "Lord Yasaki is merely another in a line of succession. Although, he has the kindness to allow the Archives to remain in Hoshigakure despite the objections from the Church." Kindness? More like common sense. Kozai had had to put down a firm foot to force Yasaki to his side of the argument, pointing out that the other two factions within the village were far greater threats.

Akaboshi would listen to the librarian as the man shared his thoughts on the Hogokage and gave his opinion. Although Kozai used the word adequate to describe Yasaki, the Uzumaki couldn't help but hear a certain sound of disdain in his voice. It would be hardly out of the ordinary if some were opposed to the idea of having him as the current leader of the village, let alone be the one to make all the difficult decisions. One being letting the Archives to remain in Hoshigakure despite the objections from the Church, which could count on some of Kozai's respect it seemed. Well of course, he was running them after all.

Considering the religious entity in the Land of Haven wasn't particularly enjoying the thought of the Archives remaining in the village, Akaboshi figured the librarian wasn't their biggest fan. "Ah yes, the Church. Not exactly our biggest supporters" he'd say with an awkward smile. Although he couldn't complain too much about them, he still had a sour taste left in his mouth from his time at the Queensguard. Putting aside those thoughts, mainly because he didn't want to be remembered of that fated day when he witnessed his comrades slaughter each other just because the Church wasn't able to accept the shinobi, the Uzumaki didn't want to stray to far from the subject. 

"What is there to object? Choosing not to support is one thing, but why is the Church so opposed to having the Archives in Hoshigakure?" Perhaps there was more to it than meets the eye, but Akaboshi got curious about what exactly their deal was.

(WC: 270, TWC: 1745)

As the conversation continued, it became more apparent to Kozai that while Akaboshi reported to Yasaki, he wasn't exactly a spy for him. In other words, while he wasn't about to let down his own guard, Kozai didn't need to be evasive on purpose. All he had to do was speak frankly, and simply omit anything he didn't want the shinobi side of the village in general to know.

"Well, let's think about it." He shuffled the cart down some more, and drew out a thick volume. Normally, people weren't allowed to take reference volumes out of the building, but he'd picked this one up off of one of the library's sofas. "Imagine you're an organization that provides a product. The product is purely immaterial, and comes at little to no cost to yourself, but people give you their time and ten percent of their income in order to receive your product." He shelved the book, and considered the row, seeing all the volumes of the encyclopedia line up flawlessly. Just how he liked it. "You spread your influence, as any smart company does. Maybe you get the ruling class to give you their 'brand loyalty' as it were. You're living the high life, until some foreigner comes in and spooks you." Kozai moved his cart to the end of the row, assuming that Akaboshi would follow him.

"You see these, young man?" Kozai would indicate the books directly in front of him. "Heresy. Apostasy. Or at least, that's what they'd have you believe." He shrugged, removing an out of place book from the shelf and placing it in the cart. "Apparently the knowledge offered here is enough to threaten their doctrine."