Natural Remedies, Mystical Cures, and Seals

[ltr]Frail was what you would call the man wearing the white cloak of the Nova Corps made to look like a lab coat. The man’s plague doctor mask was secured snugly to the man’s face preventing onlookers from seeing the man’s face. He would get occasional looks from people passing as he walked. The ninja’s reddish hair moving with the wind. The ninja didn’t carry much on him based on first glances, he liked to travel light in the village. Today was more about getting back in touch with the people of the village anyway. Akabayashi hadn’t been around for quite a bit from his wanderer travels to his capture and escape, then there was also restoring enough vitality to even walk about. The ninja still had the occasional moment of weakness where his legs would buckle and he would be left leaning onto a wall or nearby person. A quick apology was enough to release the citizens of their concern however ninja on duty would usually make a spectacle of the event. [/ltr]


“Do you need a medic?” They would always ask. The Terumi would brush them off with but a few words. “No, no need. I am just having a dizzy spell.” He wouldn’t inform the ninja he was the doctor of the Nova corps there was no need to divulge such information. To his corpsmen he was known as Doctor T, a medical consultant and wandering ninja. Sadly, none of his brethren were around to tell of his return. Ayato their leader had already left the village for a kage summit. He would let the man know of his safety when he returned. There was no use in worrying the boy that Skellinger was still loose and had plans for the hidden star. When I can walk normally again Jack, I am going to find you. The man would think while scowling behind his mask. 

When the man arrived at his destination, he would stand behind a stall and raise a sign that was placed inside. The sign said natural remedies, mystic cures, and protective seals. It was not only the name of the man’s little shop, but also what the man sold. There were already a few members of the village in line having waited for the man. It seemed there was a bit of the flu going about and the Terumi’s announcement of his shop’s reopening had spread. The first in line was an elderly woman who had a cough and appeared to have a fever. The man would take his time with his patient asking her other symptoms and at last would swab the woman’s throat and store the swab in a tube. “I will test this later to make sure, but it looks like the flu. For now, take this medication twice daily the symptoms should get better after a few hours. Rest for the next week or until the symptoms end. Please stay indoors while sick as you are contagious as long as symptoms persist.” The woman would leave with her medicine having not paid a dime. 

The line would continue to move some people asking for protection others looking for the best antioxidant tea available. The ninja made the tea using his boil release, the general population thought it was the strange pot or the tea leaves that purified their ails, telling them it was ninja magic would ruin his business. After the last person received their medication, he would pull out a mortar and pestle and begin concocting more medicines to restock his shelves. The ingredients ranged from normal herbs found around the village to things that grew elsewhere. During the Terumi’s travels he would take the seeds of medicinal plants and send them to Hoshi to be planted in his medicine garden. Luckily for him some of the nurses at the hospital had agreed to take over its care while he was away, otherwise the plants would have died long ago. 

Occasionally, someone would ask the Terumi if he was still open and he would do a quick evaluation asking almost no questions and send them off with what they required. After finishing the man would store his things, remove the sign and lock up the shop. He would then begin his walk back to his home, with a bottle of a chunky brown substance in hand that he would drink and make a Mr. Yuck face as he did so, that could be seen as he had to lift his mask to partake. Have to restore my strength no matter how gross the medicine is. After walking a small distance, the Terumi felt his knees shake and would take a seat on a bench outside of the training grounds. Explosions and crashes could be heard happening within, a welcome sound after the silence of being imprisoned within a cave. 

Code:

WC: 810

The hyuuga would be seen sitting on top of a rock, only few meters above the ground. It was morning and there is much to be done today. Sakuragi was simply taking some time for meditation, as such was his usual practice. Meditation was a thing that became a part of him, ever since his grandma died. The hyuuga , orphaned from childbirth, never knew his parents. His father died in a deadly mission and his mother died some minutes after giving birth to sakuragi. The only person left for him in the world, his grandmother, passed away. It was such a terrible momment for him, that was the darkest momment of his life. For eight months , he saw no one. Lonely and depressed , all he did was to stay indoor all day, he would not even talk to the members of team summer anymore. Sorrow ate him up like termites eats wood, he was mentally hurt, physically hurt, emotionally hurt and spiritually hurt. Being alone and with no one to lean on was too much for him to handle. After eight months, he found light , and ever since that day , he had been slowly healing up. Ever since the day he lost the most precious soul to him, meditation had been a thing of pleasure to him, he mostly do it to lock away his own soul from the troubles of this world.  Maybe meditation showed light and the life that he needed. Sakuragi was a person who doesn't even get well with people, he really just doesn't know how to bond well with people because he wasn't exposed to living with so many people other than his grandma, and that previous has gone to meet her ancestors.






The hyuuga would continue his pleasurable act of meditation on the rock. He would be dressed in a black cloak that reached just below his knees, black pants, black shinobi sandals, coupled with  bandages wrapped around his  right arm and right leg. The ground around the mountain was a plain ground of fine sand, though trees can be seen scattered far away. 


Once the hyuuga had enjoyed his pleasurable momment of meditation, he would head to the training ground to enhance his skills. He needed to perfect his techniques and learn new ones and skills. It was a lonely day at training ground, the hyuuga thought he would see someone to train with at the training ground, but unfortunately, he was the only one there. He had to do all his training alone, his day at the training ground was much of strike trees with his palm and less of  book studying.  




It was a rather lonely day for Sakuragi, one can be around people and still be lonely . Loneliness is of the heart , you may be with a thousand people and still be feeling lonely. For Sakuragi, it was both. he was lonely in heart and lonely externally and even if someone would come around , that still wouldn't make him stop feeling lonely in his heart. Having such a lonely day , he would be ready to leave the training ground once he felt he has had enough of being here. 




As he walked, the hyuuga would start to feel a bit dizzy, it was not a usual thing for him, today just seems to be different. He had gone on three days straight training and meditation before, without  any feeling of  dizziness or much tiredness.  Maybe he was so lonely that his physical body would begin to get weak, or maybe not. His white eyes would catch the presence of a bench and a figure sitting on it. The bench was wide enough to contain at least 5 people . The hyuuga would walk towards the bench and would sit at the other edge. “ Hi there” he would say as he sat on the bench. Once sitted would wait for two or three seconds before he continued “ I'm Sakuragi, I don't think I've ever seen this face around here before .” The hyuuga who wasn't good relationally didn't have much words , he would often be lost of words when talking to people, even people he was familiar with. That may not really be his fault , it's just the way he grew up. The young genin would await the man's response , that is if he would be interested in conversing with him.


WC: 728

[ltr]The man would shift his eyes through his bird mask to see who it was sitting down next to him. Keeping an eye on them the man would offer a greeting and state that they had never seen the man’s face. Odd thing to say as I am wearing a mask. Maybe the comment was an invitation to remove the plague doctor mask and show his true face. In Hoshigakure the removal of the mask was not only permitted, but expected. Had this been the anbu of Konoha removal of the mask would not be allowed. Using his thumb to lift the chin of the mask with a quick move upward the mask would come up and off to be stored at the ninja’s side. Underneath the mask was a man with sharp, piercing eyes, the right of which having a scar on the outside. “Good morning, I am Akabayashi Terumi of the Nova. I don’t usually stay in the village.” He would state stretching out a bit and smelling the air of the village. As a wanderer the village served more as a base of operations than as a home. Which is why the person on the bench likely hadn’t recognized him. [/ltr]


The Terumi had a wonder if the kid needed something and that was why he approached, but thus far the man hadn’t said much. Perhaps he was just being polite. The Terumi expected the boy would say his name at some point and wouldn’t ask. Usually, that is just the way a greeting went hello’s, exchanging names, commence small talk. If the person on the bench was in need of something it would likely come after giving his name and not before. Unless he wished to break down the communicative norm that was riddled throughout society. The doctor was a fan of this method however straight to business. It was easy to follow and told the man exactly what was needed of him. There couldn’t be a simpler form of communication, ask and receive.  

To the pairs left it looked like some people had decided to start training on some dummies. They seemed to be focused on shuriken and kunai training meaning they were probably younger ninja from the academy. Throwing accurately was a basic skill of the shinobi after all. If the man on the bench began to speak again the Terumi would return his attention back to the man. Little time had passed since the two had sat down, but Akabayashi knew he was in the right place. The training grounds were always a good place to train and maybe today after resting a few days would be the day he got some of his old energy back. The man would reach to the inside of his lab coat and from a pocket produce a pair of shades, with rectangular lenses. The sun was beginning to enter his eyes from the position he was sitting in. Turning to the direction of the Hyuuga he would see people leaving the grounds as well some looking like they had just spent the night. 

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WC: 516[/ltr]

The hyuuga  would hear the figure tell me that he does not usually  stay in the village. The young lad would wonder why, but he'd be too forward to start bombarding a stranger with questions. The hyuuga was sure the man sitting down here was definitely not a genin like him, and from his first statements, he knew he was an experienced person , in whatever field he was specialized in. “Well, my name is sakuragi, what's yours?” he would pause for a second or two to hear the man's response and then continue, “ so if you don't usually stay in the village , that means you're either not from this village or you are a wanderer, right ?” he would ask to clear his doubt . 




“As far as I know, Shinobis of this village aren't granted the permission to go out of the village unless the Hogokage allows it. The last time I travelled out of the village , I had to take permission from the former Hogokage , Yasaki Uchiha, and despite that , he gave me a deadline to return back to the village. It turned out that he ended up teleporting me back to the village” . At this point he felt he was talking too much, doing most of the talking, so he would paused to hear the man's response. Hopefully, the man would tell him his name too. Maybe, there are things he could learn from this scar face man, who knows.


TWC: 969

[ltr]Sakuragi a solid first name, the person hadn’t given his family name thus far but perhaps he did not have one. It wasn’t uncommon for a person to not know of their lineage. The life of a shinobi was a rough and dangerous one perhaps the kid had never met his parents. That was assuming much however, perhaps Sakuragi merely just didn’t commonly mention his last name.  [/ltr]


Sakuragi would then remark that the ninja “wasn’t from the village or was a wanderer.” Causing the ninja’s eyebrow to raise. “Are the Nova unheard of in Hoshi?” He would ask, perhaps the rules had changed or a name swap, but last Akabayashi had heard the Nova were the anbu of the village. A replacement for the now non-existent Queensguard who no longer served a purpose without any royalty to protect. “The Nova are the elite ninja of the Hidden Stars Village, must like the Sand’s Dust, Leaf’s Anbu, Cloud’s Storm, and the Mist’s...” The man drew a blank to the name of the Hidden Mists special operations force. 


Once more reaching into his pockets he would withdraw his ID. It was different from the standard one, it mentioned his status as a wanderer and included permits to enter each ninja village. I have to make some updates to each village, perhaps I will update my ID tomorrow. Along the bottom of the ID was the signature of the third Hogokage, Kyousuke Snow which was all the permission needed to leave the village at any given time. “I am also a wanderer. I just returned to the village recently after encountering...” The man would sigh. “A problem.” The problem being his former student locking him up in a cage and starving him for months.  

“Yasaki was a nice guy. Little strange, but an okay guy.” The Terumi would say after Sakuragi had finished speaking. “Did you leave because of a mission or to track someone down?” The Terumi recalled that Yasaki had sent the Doctor a body to prepare for a funeral before he went missing perhaps this ninja was found to bring back the killer of Genki Rones. As the Terumi recalled the ninja was a jounin before his death, that was some time ago perhaps he was incorrect. Knowing Yasaki could teleport was useful information, having a person who could travel anywhere was helpful to say the least. In a pinch he could be called anywhere he was needed.  

Akabayashi wanted to ask why Sakuragi needed to be gathered by the kage, but it wasn’t necessary and likely would seem rude. Either the boy wasn’t ready for a mission outside the village and things became to challenging, he wasn’t planning to return, or some other factor. Perhaps the ninja was injured during a scuffle and he was unable to return alone. The reasoning need not be stated one way or the other. “Last time I was in the village the fourth hogokage had divided the ninja to go to the hidden sand.” Now that was a weird time to be in the hidden stars. The kage had lost his marbles after his friends' “disappearance” and showed up wanting to end the village or something. The kage before that released a bijuu in the training grounds. It was still an improvement from the old days where thievery and murder were commonplace in the Haven country. The Terumi still had to wonder what made the two finally snap and caused ninja from the village to attack one another.  

“So how is the new Hogokage doing?” Akabayashi asked. It was quite fortuitous that Ayato had been put in charge. The ninja was familiar with Jack Skellinger’s antics. After the mission the two did together was the last time he was seen by anyone in the village. When Ayato returned he would have to explain his whereabouts. A unfortunate occurrence the kage had left for the summit. Hopefully some of the nova went along with him for protection.  

[ltr]WC: 663[/ltr]

The hyuuga would surprised when the older man mentioned NoVa to him, he hasn't heard about Nova before. He wasn't an exposed person , so he was literally hearing it for the first time. It feels kind of strange how this man who just returned to the village, knew things about the  village that Sakuragi doesn't know. How did he gain that knowledge, he must have grew up here and must have stayed here long enough to have that knowledge. “Maybe there is a Nova organization in Hoshigakure, but  I have spent most of my days with Team Summer, and I'm hearing about Nova for the very first time. I'm wondering how you know about that ? but I guess you must have stayed in the village long enough to have that knowledge” he would say to the scar-face man.  This older man looks like someone who holds  a high ranking position in hoshigakure, and why did he blanked out when he got to Mist's elite ninja of Nova version? “ The mist what ?” he would ask to satisfy his curiousity , “also you mentioned sand , leaf, cloud and mist, are those villages too ?” the boy would curiously ask again. If these four are villages , then he would love to visit them someday. The white eyed genin barely got out of the four walls of Hoshigakure, and the only time he got out of the hidden star, he couldn't even achieve his mission before he was teleported back to the village. Perhaps Yasaki feared that it would be a risk to let him all alone outside the village , he probably felt he wasn't strong enough to defend against himself if he was attacked. If those four words that the man mentioned were actual villages , Sakuragi would become curious to know more about them, he had always wanted to see beyond the walls of Hoshigakure, and honestly, the Hogokage is making it difficult for him. 



Sakuragi would give the man a serious look, was it intentional or does he enjoyed blanking out when speaking or was it an occasional thing ? he couldn't be so sure, but the genin would continue to seek more from him. There seems to be much more to learn from this guy. He was born in this village , he is 16 years and he only just knew about Nova from this guy. 




“Huh, what problem ?” he would ask in a soft tone, drawing closer to the man as he would drag his body closer to him, hoping that the man would want to talk it, because as it is, the tone of his voice rang the bell of how personal and regretting the issue is. Maybe he won't talk about it, maybe he will, that's totally left to him to decide.




“I wasn't really on a mission, neither was I trying to track anyone down. I was only on a journey to search for my father’s grave since I never knew him. He died  in a ...” he would say the last four words in a soft and shaking tone , paused for a second or two before he continued “ ...he died  in a deadly mission, that's what my grandma told me before she died”. The hyuuga didn't want to lose himself in front of this new person, so he had to control himself. It was true that he still had pain in his heart but he is gradually healing from those hurts. “Anyways, I met someone on the journey , in the land of snow. He had special eyes , they were kind of crimson in colour. The guy was using some kind of technique that I have never seen before , he was hiding underground, he could partially emerge out of the ground too. Most of our conversations was while he was partially emerged, which was like a distance talking. Before I could  get closer to him to have a real talk , Yasaki-san had teleported me back to the village. I wish I could see that guy again, maybe someday I'll visit the land of snow again if the new Hogokage gives me the permission”




The young genin became even more curious when the scar-face man told him about how the fourth Hogokage divided the ninja and sent them to the hidden sand, “ That sounds interesting, can you please tell me more about it ” he would ask and await the man's response.




“Hogokage-Sama is doing fine, I met Ayato-sama only once and it was coincidental , my foolish actions almost got both of us killed in a mission to rescue a lost cargo and a helpless victim who was kidnapped by some criminals. I'm glad I met him tho, he gave a sealed wax thing  from which I was able to learn a very powerful jutsu.” That jutsu is Sakuragi's strongest  defense, maybe in future he would have something stronger, but for now , disruption field is his strongest defense. The hyuuga seems to be enjoying this conversation , he wouldn't mind to spend the whole day talking to this man.




TWC: 1808

[ltr]Maybe? Maybe there’s a Nova organization in Hoshi. It was both alarming and puzzling how the Hoshi’s education system was failing. The Hyuuga would then ask how the Nova would know about the organization that he was in. The man’s hand would rise to face and full-on palm the thing. “I know about the Nova because it is the highest rank in the village aside from the kage and I am one.” He would reiterate hoping Sakuragi finally understood that Akabayashi was a member of the Nova ranks. Maybe, it was just unbelievable that someone as feeble as the Terumi were an elite ninja of the village. Truthfully, if he had heard someone with his appearance talk about being an elite he wouldn’t just believe their words either. 

[/ltr]
[ltr]The mist what? Yes, the mist what, I am drawing a huge blank here. Sakuragi would continue on and as the kid spoke once again the Terumi found his palm holding his face. This kid must have paid zero attention in the academy. He doesn’t know of any of the other villages. I wonder what the kid does know about it may be an easier start. I need to take this kid to the library he can learn a whole lot there. 

[/ltr]
[ltr]When Sakuragi questioned what exactly the problem was he decided few details and maybe a bit of lying was in order. He couldn’t just tell a genin a psycho was running around turning the recently deceased into zombies in a plot to overturn the hidden star and was trying to use Akabayashi to help him. “I can’t say much there is a person doing highly questionable things somewhere in the village. That is about all I can tell you until the kage returns.”  

[/ltr]
[ltr]So, the boy hadn’t left on a mission but to track down his father’s remains. Often times a ninja’s remains were kept by whoever killed them or if they were left torn apart by animals for food. However, Sakuragi had stated grave implying a burial. Why was he buried somewhere for dying on a mission? Did his opponent bury the corpse of an enemy or an ally perhaps?  There were questions for sure, but it was none of the Terumi’s business to pry. He even mentioned the loss of his grandmother, a loss that seemed to affect him more or even the compounding of his losses. “Sorry, for your losses.” It wouldn’t be much but perhaps some words could help.  

[/ltr]
[ltr]“All the way to the land of snow, huh.” The Terumi would state fascinated the genin had been able to travel that far. Then he would talk about the man with strange eyes talking to him from within the ground. “Crimson isn’t a normal eye color, but it was probably a good thing you didn’t get closer. You have to be wary of everyone you meet especially when away from the village and alone. Yasaki may have saved your life. If you get the chance to go again try to go with others hopefully at least one will be able to teleport. It is an exceedingly useful skill to enter or exit a dangerous situation.” 

[/ltr]
[ltr]It was good to hear that Ayato was doing well. He would listen to the continuation of the story and how some actions had nearly killed both. It was clear that Sakuragi required some form of instruction on the basics, he would suggest it after asking a question. “Was the sealed wax thing perhaps, a scroll?” It was the only thing that made sense. 

[/ltr]
[ltr]Standing Akabayashi would look toward the direction of the library. “Have you ever been to the library in Hoshi it is massive and contains a ton of information about the other villages and lands. Should even be information on new techniques there. I am about to go there would you like to tag along? I know the library has restrictions based on rank, but I can pull techniques for jounin if you want.” The Terumi would gesture with his hand hoping the kid would follow. [/ltr]
[ltr]“The thing with the third Hogokage Valen happened while I was away and was the main reason I came back. So, all I have is what I heard. Kenshin Uzumaki the first Alpha of the Nova abandoned the village and Valen followed. Something happened that prompted him to try and split the forces between the star and a new force for the Sand that Kenshin had taken over.” That was the gist that Akabayashi had gotten his girlfriend's capture and torture happened after and guy wanted to end the village because the civilians still were fearful of ninja. This particular reason was why Akabayashi himself didn’t like to remain within the village for long. Some religious zealot was always out there spouting how ninshu was evil and against god’s decree. From the Terumi’s observation the evil of ninshu was a misinterpretation based on preferance rather than an actual principle of the religion.  

[/ltr]
[ltr]“There was a trial against the inquisitor of the queensguard and the rogue ninja Valen Akari for the torture of one of the ninja of Hoshi.” They could read about that court case at the library as it was a public trial all should be able to view the information. “I think the guy was imprisoned for using an illegal interrogation tactic. Its always good to keep up with current events, but then again this was a past event.” Truthfully, Akabayashi wasn’t up to speed on the current state of the world. What had changed in the ninja’s absence? Hopefully there were things that the Terumi could learn at the library.   
WC: 940
TWC: 2929[/ltr]

Initially, The hyuuga never knew the conversation would last this long, but the boy seems to be enjoying every bit of it. In a matter of minutes, he had learn useful things from this guy and he's still learning. There was no doubt that this scar faced man has a wholesome knowledge in him. His words were refreshing the day, and every second felt like an hour to Sakuragi. It came as no shock to the white eyed genin when the man told him that the Nova is the  highest rank in the village aside the kage, someone who knew about Nova was probably one of them, and the hyuuga guessed right. “I thought as much, it's interesting to know that you're one of them” , he would reply the man's statement. Now, he realized he is having a conversation with a high ranking ninja, even though the scar faced man doesn't look like one. Never judge a book by its’ cover was one of the lessons he learnt from his grandmother before her precious soul went to meet her ancestors. He had, since then, kept that lesson in mind. Even if the man sitting beside him doesn't dress fancy like some other high ranking ninjas would do, that still doesn't make him less of a Nova.




The hyuuga genin knew  too little about other villages, he just wasn't exposed to them. This wanderer beside him could actually take him on a wandering journey. For someone like sakuragi, who is so power driven , will explore every possible opportunities. Maybe a journey to the other villages would fetch him the power that he so much desire. Maybe this man, who have seen the universe, could teach him and even mentor him, but as it seems , the man looks too simple to be able to do that. However, the lesson still speaks and beats, never judge a book by its cover. 




Sakuragi would notice that the man was hiding something from him when he asked him what the problem was , but since they were just meeting, the hyuuga would not want to bother or pester the older man about the matter, he would simply just nod his head at the end of his statement.




The terumi's few words about his loss cooled some nerves in the hyuuga , it was not that his words could console him or do much , but it at least eased his tensed nerves. The hyuuga wouldn't even release that he had said so much about his loss until the terumi's few words rang through the air. It was not a bad idea anyways, there are just times that one need to let it out. The genin’s past and experience have  somehow distorted his personality, stuck between choosing to heal or to succumb to pain and hurt. These experiences  have molded the young boy into what he is today, the same is true for every living being in the world. Experience molds us and it shapes us.






The spiky head would let out a smirk once the man was through with his words about going with others during travels, “ I just have to get stronger so I'll never have to run away from any one again , only a weakling runs away  from a fight. If I'm strong enough, I wouldn't need anyone to teleport me to save me. You are a wanderer, and i bet you've travelled the whole universe, you probably travel alone and you don't need anyone to teleport you around because you are strong enough to defend yourself. One day, I'll be just as strong as that,” he would say in a soft tone, holding his right hand into a fist and pressing it tightly.  If only his father was strong enough, he would still be alive . True, his father was strong, was what his grandmother told him, but he wasn't as strong as the ninja who confronted and killed him. The boy is hell-bent on finding the criminal that killed his father, he would stop at nothing to avenge his father's death. Though his mother died a natural death, he believed that depression must have eaten her way into her , the depression of losing a loving and caring husband. 




“Yes, it was a scroll, I had to learn a technique in it within two days” he would reply the man.  Ayato probably gave him the scroll as a reward for surviving the mission or maybe he was just lucky. The criminals they fought that day were tough, that was infact the first time the hyuuga fought someone that strong, but still they both survived, and fortunately, the genin was able to learn the technique in the scroll within two days.




Excitement would fill the boy's face as the older man told him about the library. He has never been there , he wasn't even sure they would allow genin ranks like him to enter the library. That place is a must be , and now the terumi is throwing him a free offer, “Wow, of course, I'd like to tag along, there's definitely a lot of things that I can learn it the library” he would say as he stood up from the bench, showing his readiness to go to the library. Knowledge is power , and if he truly wants power , then he needs knowledge. Knowledge makes the world, there would be medicine without knowledge, no ninjutsu or Taijutsu or genjutsu or anything of such  without the knowledge of it. Knowledge is needed to unravel the mystery behind his father's death.




Confusion fills the space around Sakuragi when the older man began talking about the third Hogokage, Valen  and another man called Kenshin Uzumaki. It seems there is a lot of background history that Sakuragi needs to know about. Perhaps, knowing this history would make him find the one that killed his father and to have his revenge. He doesn't understand why a shinobi of Hoshigakure would abandon his village . “ This Kenshin Uzumaki sounds like a bad guy, I wonder why he abandoned the village to take over another village and why would the third Hogokage, Valen, also abandon his own village as a kage, or am I misinterpreting you ?” he would ask to be sure before making a conception . “It seems there's a lot that I need to know about this village. I need to know more  about the third Hogokage and that Kenshin Uzumaki, I need to find out the person who sent my father on the mission that killed him, I need to find out who killed him.”  Even though he felt he was giving out too many informations about his life, he doesn't really care, as long as it leads him to the man that killed his father. The terumi knew much about the history of the village so the hyuuga believe he would be able to get as much informations as he can.




“Torture ? illegal interrogation tactics? , is there an illegal way to interrogate a criminal as long as the information needed is gotten?” he would ask in response to the man's statement. It was only normal for someone like him to think like that , someone who believes power is everything and knowledge is everything.

TWC: 3011

Luckily, the Terumi's apology for Sakuragi's losses was enough to ease his pain. If even only for a brief moment. It was obvious Sakuragi had been given a bad hand, by losing two loved ones in a very short time. After some time the blow would lessen as he became accustomed to life without them. Grief was a common theme in the land of stars, but it was something globally that people had to deal with. 

Akabayashi would listen intently as he spoke about how only the weak run and how Akabayashi must be strong to be able to travel, but neither statement was true. "It is not weakness to run, sometimes a fight has no purpose and thus no reason to partake or you realize your position isn't secure so you make a rational decision to leave with your life instead of fighting and dying, just so your pride isn't hurt." The man would pause hoping Sakuragi was understanding what he meant. That it was better to run for your life, than die for your pride. "There is a reason pride is one of the seven deadly sins, it will get you killed." He would add with a small chuckle.

"Also, I'm not very strong. I just know enough to keep me alive on the road. The roads to travel, the plants that aren't poisonous, the contacts that won't sell me out." Being a traveler was as much if not more a knowledge game than an exercise on combat ability. Finding rogue ninja was near impossible anymore with them being accepted into villages. One even had to wonder if the missing ninja that joined villages were even still classified as missing ninja. Does going to collect their bounty make you unwelcome in that village? 

"There are a few things I want to look up in the library as well. I want to see if they have any new medical journals." He would say with a small amount of enthusiasm. Hopefully, there was some information on different bloodlines. 

"I don't really know if Kenshin was a bad guy. Most of what I heard were rumors, I never really met the guy. As for Valen I don't really know what made him snap. You got it right he abandoned the village as the kage." He would add in quick succession to answer the questions and add input. 

"I might be able to get information on the mission what was your father's name?" While they were in the library he would look up the details if he was able, even as an anbu the information he was allowed to know was limited. Based on the details so far it may be impossible to figure out who had killed the man, as his body was buried in an unknown land. 


"Sometimes you can go too far in the pursuit of knowledge. Hikari was a loyal ninja of Hoshi her torture by a member of the queensguard was nothing short of wrong." What even were those has beens doing investigating discension within the ninja ranks. "An investigation should have been handled by the Nova as they are a ninja organization within the Hidden Stars. The queensguard is a part of Hoshi's royalty, which has lost all its structure when the last queen died."


When they arrived to the library, Akabayashi would open the door and allow Sakuragi to enter first. The Terumi would enter behind him and the librarian would turn to see who had entered. She would smile as she recognized the Terumi. "Doctor Akabayashi, haven't seen you in a while. Have you lost... weight?" This turned the man's smile into a bit of a scowl. Sure he was no longer muscular from his lack of eating and training, but people didn't have to mention it. "I was on a forced diet." He would say dryly not wanting to go into detail of his imprisonment. 

"Anyway I am taking this kid into the jounin section with me." The librarian nodded, usually this wasn't allowed but things from the library could be learned and taught to anyone. Turning to Sakuragi he would add one detail. "Don't touch anything just let me know what you want to look at and I'll proofread it for information you might not be allowed to have." He would then wave his ID on a scanner in front of the librarian. "Are there any books on bloodlines and jutsu that people may have added. Also, can you get Sakuragi's reading list? He needs a basic detailing of the other hidden villages and their rank structure and locations, and he wants access to his father's mission log. I will overlook it to make sure he is only reading about the relevant mission he wants to know about." The librarian would point out where each item was located and their ID's would be used to open the books. If the ID did not meet the rank requirement the book would not open.

Akabayashi would grab all the scrolls on bloodlines he could get his hands on. The Terumi wouldn't start to read any of them until Sakuragi found what he was looking for. No doubt he would want to know about his father as soon as possible. The genin could even look up the public records on the court case if he so desired. If Sakuragi took the mission logs of his father. Akabayashi would recieve the file from him and unlock it with his ID, before moving to the last mission and reading it over. After that he would remove the papers about that mission from the file and hand them to Sakuragi. "Anybody asks I let you read only what was relevant to your questions." He would wait for a nod or statement of understanding. 

He would then open the scroll on the Uchiha clan, a bloodline he possessed after a transplant he performed himself. The inside of the scroll detailed the doujutsu called the sharingan and its many stages the eyes were red in color. Thinking of that the Terumi recalled seeing crimson eyes in the groung, at the land of snow. "Did the crimson eyes you saw in the land of snow contain black tomoe?" He would show the diagram of the sharingan to the ninja.
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The terumi's words about pride might actually be true, but deep down in the heart of the genin, he still never want to run away from a fight. Why run away from a fight if you can beat all your opponents blue black. Just like the mission that he and Ayato found themselves in, they didn't run away from their opponents even though they were strong, they fought them and they won. Power is all sakuragi needs and to gain power , knowledge is needed. “You may be right, he who runs from a fight lives to fight another day... I'm not sure I quoted that right” he would say with a slight chuckle. Not that he agreed with the man's idea of running away from his  opponents, he just needed to fake the impression that he agreed with his statement. Pride  comes with Power afterall, and to Sakuragi , best offense is best defense.




It was kind of funny to the hyuuga when the terumi said he wasn't strong, was that sacarsm or was he serious about that ? The genin would try not to dispute his words, the man surely knows himself more than the hyuuga does. Everyone's got choices and everyone have to walk their own path.




“The queensguard ? ... There's a queensguard too? ” the boy would asked the man in surprised. Too bad that he knew so little about his own village. Maybe the organization lost its structure before he was born. He had lived 16 years in this village, and not one time did anyone mention the queensguard to him until now? The people of Hoshigakure needs to be enlightened about their villages history.




“Let's go then” would be his immediate reply to the terumi's words about checking out things in the library. He would walk alongside the man to the library. The hyuuga himself knew there are a lot of things he could learn there, and with a Nova on his side , he would be given access into the library.


Foolishness must have abode in the heart of the third Hogokage, Valen, for him to abandon his village as a kage. What kind of person does that ? That clearly shows the kind of person he is. Ruthlessly and foolishly leaving his own village , and making the people of Hoshigakure a herd of sheep with Shepard. Maybe Valen was just another man who was thirsty for power, so thirsty for power that he would forsake his village to seek and pursue his lust. At the end of the man's statement about Kenshin and Valen, several weird thoughts would flood the boy's mind in a split second. Was his father sent on a mission to bring back Ken or Valen into the village or was he sent to kill them ? It is true that once a Shinobi abandons his village , he is marked missing, but who would send his father alone on such a mission. If he was accompanied by teammates or comrades, just like the terumi said earlier  about not  travelling alone, maybe he would have survived. Perhaps, he would have survived, even if he survived being crippled or eyeless. Sakuragi was sure that it was not the kage that sent him on this mission, because the terumi just told him that the kage at that time abandon his village , so who was responsible? It may even be that this was a planned work between some people, to send him into the lion den. Sadly, the lion devoured him.


“Really?”, the genin’s eyes would widen out, as the man told him he could help get information about his father's mission. That was  what he wanted all along, “His name is Al Hyuuga, I don't particularly know his shinobi rank as my grandmother never told me before she died, maybe I can find out about his rank in the library,” he  would say to the man. 


When they arrived at the library, the man would be kind enough to open the door for the young lad to enter first, to which he did. Once both of them are in, the hyuuga would observe  his surroundings, his eyes running to and fro to catch a glimpse of the area, he would then  watch as the terumi conversed with the librarian. From their conversations, he knew the scar faced man had lost weight, he must have been through a lot of shitty stuffs but it appears he doesn't wanna talk about what's he's being through. It's not ideal for everyone to know what you've  been through anyways, their knowledge of it wouldn't change the past, it wouldn't change what you've been through.




The terumi would explain to the genin how he should behave himself and the likes, and the hyuuga would follow his lead. The first thing that the young lad wants to study about was about other villages, there would be no way he would found out where his father died if he doesn't even know the locations of other villages and where he was killed. Thankfully, the terumi would help request all of those books and even more from the librarian. He would watch as the older man grabbed all the scrolls that he could lay his hands on. “The first thing I would need to study on would be the location of every village , then I would study my father's mission log, I think that should give me a clue” he would say to the terumi as he searched for books on other villages, he would also searched for the mission log of his father, to which Akabayashi would help unlock it with his ID, the terumi would hand over the paper from the mission file to Sakuragi. The momment he picked up enough books on other villages, he would sit himself on a chair to start studying. The books had maps of every villages , it showed their different locations and every hidden structure , some of the books even listed the kage of the villages till date. From  one of those books, the hyuuga learnt that Valen, the third Hogokage was a jinchuriki , he must have been a very strong shinobi. Of course, a kage is a strong Shinobi. The hyuuga would continue his studies through the many books laid open before him. As he was studying, the scar faced man would call his attention to the diagram of a red eye, “ Exactly, that's the same eyes the guy had, do these eyes belongs to a certain clan ?” he exclaimed , looking into the eyes of the terumi. Maybe these eyes are as powerful as his clan's dojutsu, the byakugan, but he believed he could get enough informations on them in this library. “do you know have information about the eyes? , those eyes can Pierce sharply into one's soul, haha ” he would say with a warm smile. Hopefully, the boy would get as much info as he wants.


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