What Not To Wear [Saya]

God damn it, she'd mistaken them for people again. She must have been seeing double of Ai earlier, too. Between this and Mitsu's match in the Hunter Games she is beginning to suspect that puppetmasters exude an aura of confusion. Murata gets Saya a glass of water during that period of awkward silence before the tree crashes through the wall.

Murata gives Ai a long look after the puppet girl's desperate apologetics, now more keenly aware that on some level Saya is talking to herself. "I can see that," she murmurs, sipping her coffee and turning to watch the show.

This girl is certainly much too talented to languish as a genin, and her quirks do not necessarily preclude her promotion. Much more concerning to Murata is her impulsivity and eagerness to 'interpret' orders in... the way she finds most personally exciting, it seems. It's obvious that some part of her is much more restrained, given Ai, but with it externalized in such a way that can only do damage control after the fact...

As these thoughts go through her head she watches the attic expand into a proper second floor, tilting her head in curiosity.

"If the Kage's living quarters are to be split into two floors, I think the sleeping areas would be best moved up to the second," she says. A little smile tugs at her mouth. This job comes with its perks, doesn't it? It's good that she has a Senju working with her, and one so suited for the job, otherwise the expenses would be enormous. "The skylight isn't a good idea, but I think a good view of the village would be wonderful."

With the second floor dedicated to sleeping areas and bathrooms, that leaves the first to be living spaces and kitchen. Hm, that does leave them with a bit of room...

"If we have the space on the first floor, might I suggest space for a small library and a storage room?"

330
TWC 1739

The girl is obviously much too talented to languish at ge--DAMN IT. Narrator you always seem to do this. Your job is to tell the story not quote something someone has already said. Anticipate. Predict. Decypher. That is the narrators code. That and free coffee in the break room. That part isn't important. Though our protagonist hasn't realized in the slightest, it would seem that the mizukage had taken notice of the raw potential she had. That was..... Well it was something. While I can't say its good, it does bode well for her recognization. Hopefully it does so in a positive way.

She continued her work, Not even glancing upwards as the second floor seemed to build itself. There was a loud thudding sound as the eagle clawed feet of a king sized bed landed not too softly on the second floor, just before Murata had the opportunity to give suggestion. Well that worked out quite well.

"Oh yea. Definitely need a loft bedroom. Imagine all the sleeping and boring stuff happening on the first floor and then you have to go upstairs for the important stuff. That would be a CRIME against interior design. Don't worry murata, I got the mizukage. " She took several sips of the water, glancing away from the mass of shifting wood style in a manner similar to a magician trying to emphasize the wonder of his trick. Of course she didn't need to see it. She had a photographic memory. She knew exactly where everything needed to be the moment she looked into the room. THe only thing slowing her progress were the arbitrary rules about "durations" and "size limitations". I mean. Uh. NARRATION!!!!!

"Miss murata Aya. Please give the higher ups some respect. Mother taught us better than that.... And stop. Isn't a good idea is a solid enough negative that there isn't wiggle room to pretend it was up in the air. Decisively there will be no large glass--" She let out a sigh. Technically Saya had followed orders exactly. Murata HAD said that the mizukage would like a good view of the city, so it just made sense that an entire three meter tall section of the wall that spanned the whole length of the room(with support beams here and there so the top portion of the building didn't just fall in because there was now an entire hole separating the two) would simply fade from existence to make space for windows. In her defense the large picture window esque sills were quite beautiful. The wood that was removed from the wall to make windows grew back out, turning rigid to form wood slatted blinds that covered the obnoxiously large area. With a heavy THK they closed themselves, clicking flush to make it clear that the enhanced wood style accent was tough and protective of the glass that would go beneath it. THen she let out a loud whistle.

There was a stampeeding sound coming from the stares as six men wearing musician outfits rushed in carrying long panes of glass. While she couldn't craft glass with her jutsu, she'd planned ahead.

"Sure sure. I planned to add a bunch of book shelves to the downstairs nook, anything else you can think of?!"

(TWC 3214)

"How do you feel about a sitting area and dining room out here, and then a more private lounge by the stairs that is largely separate?" Murata thinks aloud. "I am thinking it would be good to have the opportunity for diplomatic visits and afford some privacy to the family of the Mizukage at the same time." Of course, the majority of important visitors would be taken care of purely downstairs, but Murata would like to keep her options open. Offering a personal dinner without so much political fuss sounds quite comfy, but she would like to keep such an event... still insulated from Goro, if necessary. It feels bad to plan around somebody she considers to be a little brother, but he needs a bit more time to learn his social graces.

For now, she looks out over the village from what will likely soon be the new master bedroom, cool seabreeze coming through the opened-up wall.

"Saya, I have put up a little bit of a charade so I could get a good idea of your personality," she says. "Truth be told, I took over from the Second as Mizukage a few days ago. I'm surprised you haven't already heard."

Given that the Second had been so protective of his likeness, photographers had been all over her. If Murata doesn't ever see her face on the front of a newspaper again it'll be too soon.

237
TWC 1976

"Hm... I need to check the feng shui. iF you want a private area I think i'd have to put the wall back instead of windows? That kind of makes sense though. I could double reinforce the walls so that it can also be a bit of a panic room--not that the mizukage would need one. Gotta be the strongest in the village right? Supah tough. " As the girl spoke, The power of saya's ninjutsu brought the vision to life. A second wall with sliding door rose up to cut off the private lounge area. The moving team was quick to action, running downstairs with lounge furniture after placing each of the windows into the slots set up for them. Everything seemed to be coming together perfectly.

~Hey. I need some pillows, seats, the whole nine yards made. Also grab one of the spare ultra plush matresses please. I'll send freyja to come pick it up~ She spoke to Ai--that is actual ai not the puppet lovingly reffered to as PupAIt, through their mental connection. With her and yagami working on it it wouldn't take too long. She'd given them a heads up that a variety of things would be needed quickly the moment she'd gotten the letter so half the supliments to her wood creation jutsu had been mostly made and waiting for confimation that it was actually needed. Unfortunately she was so focused on the seven different things running through her mind that she completely missed what miss murata had said. "Huh? Sorry what?"

"She said that she was putting up a charade little sister. Lady murata was promoted to the status of second mizukage a few days ago. Hence why I kept telling you to show some respect...." Of course Ai knew. While pinochio wasn't actually at the ceremony, he'd gotten wind of what happened IMMEDIATELY after. IN their nightly updates he'd told pupnochio, PupAIt had heard, and she'd told Ai. It was a miracle that somehow Saya seemed to have missed it, tough we in the know understand. In the split of her consciousness information was compartmentalized based on importance and reaction. Things involiving the running of the village was passed specifically to pupnochio, or Freyja at current, and while it passed through our dear protagonists mind, It went in one ear and out the other.

"Oh. Uh. Dope! I guess nice to meet yo--wwwaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiitttttttt" There it is. THe moment when automatic expected response meets realization. Team puppet was called into a huddle, each leaning forward as whispers shifted to and fro in the group for several minutes. "YOU'RE TELLING ME THE MIZUKAGE IS A GIRL?! I DIDN'T KNOW GIRLS COULD EVEN BE MIZUKAGE THATS SO HECKING COOL" The outburst was quieted as they continued what was clearly an important discussion.

"Sorry. Uh. I think its real neat that a girl is the mizukage and uh. Thats like important and expected respectful response." Did she just.... Theres no way that she chose to just say 'expected respectful response' in hopes that she could insert the concept of what she was supposed to say instead of actually formulating the statement herself right?! RIGHT?! By the old gods and the new, this girl... Will be the death of me.

(TWC 3755)

Murata laughs. "I'm liking the idea of you continuing to confer with your siblings before making important decisions," she says. "Are you unaware that the Kazekage is a woman? Or did you consider Kirigakure especially backwards?"

It's a bit of teasing, but it isn't cruel. Murata is discovering that she finds this girl entertaining when she is not of imminent danger of making a scene. More and more she catches on to the compartmentalization going on, and wonders how to work with this girl in such a way that works well with the way her brain seems to function.

"Saya, in terms of talent and skill, you are easily Jounin level," she says, tone and posture turning more serious, the woman sighing and reaching to scratch at the back of her head. "I need you to understand that if I didn't feel like you needed to be babysat, I would be promoting you to such a position right now. Instead, I have our Jounin looking after you rather than doing something more productive."

It may be a little harsh, but it's the truth. The village has a lot going on, and Saya needs to be an asset rather than a liability.

"After we are finished here - and I do very much appreciate your help here, by the way! - I am going to be promoting you to Chunin and reassigning your observation team. I need you to listen to your family before you cause trouble, especially with your greater responsibilities to your village. Can you do that?"

Murata crosses her arms. "In a little while, I will be checking on your performance and if there have been complaints as to your conduct, and we can move from there... and I promise you I do understand that none of us can change overnight."

She herself has always been skeptical about peoples' ability to change. If Saya were behaving like this, here on her lonesome, she isn't sure that she'd give the girl a chance. However, she knows that this girl has the potential inside of her - or perhaps outside, as it were - and she may be able to bring it out with proper nudging.

362
TWC 2338

"Oh. Oh yea. I totally forgot about the Kazekage!" She glanced over at ai who let out a heavy sigh. In perfect unison pupAIt and freyja spoke.

"Kazekage is the leader of Sunakagure. " Behind them, The coach puppet held up a sign. It uh. Well. It said the same thing.

"I.... Didn't actually know that. I mean like. I guess it makes sense that we could have a girl Mizukage cuz like. We're super cool and stuff i just i dunno. I've never really seen a powerful ninja who was? Granted i've only met like three powerful ninja. Theres travin, and theres the shark guy, and then there was mister Keita. Meeting him was cool cuz he taught me fuinjutsu but also apparently the anbu said i'm a trouble maker but he wasn't mean at all." She was rambling, but Ai didn't have the heart to stop her. Thankfully, Murata's exposition did the job quite effectively.

"Huh. Jounin? Honestly i never really thought about that. LIke. I guess i'm more powerful than alot of the people around me but i just figured I was a really cool genin. I thought jounin level strength would feel different somehow... More tingly?" As Murata explained the importance of Saya not getting herself into trouble, she opened and closed her hands. She was sure that now that she'd been told she was jounin in strength, she would feel that jounin level surging through her veins but as she focused on her own preconcieved notions of what a power level should feel like..... She just felt hungry.

"I mean. The jounin don't really have to look after me. I put everything I break back where it belongs with my wood style, and my perfomances usually don't go longer than ten minutes to an hour! Sometimes I even set up the stage outside of the main thoroughfair! Also I only summoned an entire forrest in a residential area that one time..." She ran through the list of reasons why she had been told she was being watched. In her mind she was totally getting better. Oh to be in her mind.

"twice."

"Three times actually. You weren't here." Freyja and then Ai interupted, correcting the girl about her tree summoning counter. Thinking about it, they had eventually removed the trees in at least two out of the three instances. While Ai disagreed, Saya thought that the alley behind the training facility looked much nicer with a forrest growing out of the street. It wasn't in a traffic area anyway.

"Nope"

"Absolutely not"

"Probably not if i'm being honest? I can definitely try to tone the destruction down to areas where there aren't actively people? Maybe I can learn a stone creation jutsu for non wood stuff, but uh. I'm an artist. So like. With muse comes reaction n stuff?" At least she was honest. Once again Ai stepped forward. While the two puppets responses were at least humerous, Saya's heart felt confirmation that she didn't actually understand any of what was being asked of her probably looked pretty bad.

"Lady mizukage. While i can't garantee my sisters tendencies will stop, I can assure you that her ability to stay on task in a more formal setting is well rehersed. She will do some rediculous stuff in the village, but She takes note of the requirements of the missions she's sent on and will complete them with the strength of her blood. It may not always be the intended solution to the problem, but my little sister is a genius, and her ninja work will continue to be clean and well planned as long as we stand at her side." Thats better. At least I hope it is. It sounded way better?

(TWC 4380)

Murata inhales deeply, contemplating instead promoting her to ANBU and coming up with an international assignment.

"Alright. Compromise. When you cause trouble, I do not want to have to hear about it unless it's good trouble." She claps her hands, smiling broadly. "Consider it an indefinite mission assignment!"

It'll be fine. A problem chuunin is only slightly more of a problem than a problem genin.

"Erm, with that out of the way, I suppose we can get back to work..."

---

Once they are done the renovation, Murata sends Saya home with a written request to visit her office lower in the building later in the evening with her siblings - her real siblings. Upon their arrival, Murata will place on the table an ornately decorated scroll. It is the least destructive technique of the trove, though certainly quite a painful one. She has also presented Saya with her new flak jacket to properly signify her promotion, and Murata imagines this is the last time she will see it in such a recognizable state or Saya looking so proper.

"I am not sure how well-suited you are to Taijutsu, Saya, so this may be of more interest to Pinocchio," she says, unrolling the scroll on the desk. Images of gigantic water sharks wreaking havoc and destruction emblazon an instruction manual for absolute chaos. "This is the Anything Goes - ah. No, this is the wrong technique. Sorry, I have not had time to take a look at most of these yet. It's been a long week."

Murata closes up the scroll for Great Water Shark Bullet. Unfortunately for her, Saya has seen everything. Everything. She clears her throat and opens up the appropriate scroll for Pinoch so he may take a look.

[Granting Saya permission to learn Great Water Shark Bullet and Pinocchio permission to learn the Anything Goes Style.]

289
TWC 2627

"RIght. I will figure out how not to let you hear that it was me if I cause trouble. " While most would take this as a suggestion that she should simply cause less trouble, for Saya the statement meant something very different. This opens new and inventive costume opportunities! They continued their work, Saya effortlessly creating the perfect space for the new mizukage. She was almost even on task most of the time. Sort of. She only squeed four times when remembering that the mizukage was a girl. That's progress. Stepping back she'd take a look at her handywork and as she beamed, she let out a sigh.

"I... I think it's perfect. And I fixed the wall. So uh. The blinds aren't just blinds. They're made of super strong mokuton so like. If something happens ya just flip em down until they look like wood paneling and its almost like theres not fifty meters of super breakable glass trying to keep things out. I promise it works better in practice. Plus if theres trouble I can manipulate portions of the building as a base for my mokuton techniques. It'll be so cool. "

With the renovations done, She gave Murata a nod and the entirety of team puppet and their entourage left.

After a delicious lunch of, you guessed it mappo tofu, Saya sent word to the team. The message she'd left was a bit ambiguous. She'd meant to ask about it before heading back home but the tofu. How it called to her. Delicious fried soy beany goodness drenched in spicy sauce 'with some form of vegetable because a balanced diet is important for a healthy ninja' or whatever Ai always said. It had completely slipped her mind. She determined that her "real" siblings had to mean the true forms they took, so she pulled out the old Pinochio puppet. Ai was CERTAIN that she didn't mean their first forms. She went on and on for an hour about how obviously she meant the flesh and blood clones, but I mean it was like a lot of words and she sounded pretty lectury and Saya wasn't having any of that. Thankfully Pinochio was, as usual nowhere to be found, so the puppet would do.

In the lower office of the building Her eyes glanced the scroll up and down. As it unfurled, Saya finished the statement for Murata.

"Style of martial arts. Huh. I dunno i--Right. Makes sense. It has been a long day." THe pinochio puppets eyes went wide--or that would have if they could. He was a puppet and his eyes were made of wood, set and glued into his head. Oh the catch up convorsation they would have this evening. As she read the second scroll, instinctively her hands flowed through the seals.

"Saya no. No ninjutsu in the secret jutsu room. " A small drizzle of suiton slid from her lips, the final seal almost formed. Right. That made sense. They said their goodbyes, and if accepted Saya would give the mizukage a hug because....Saya? and off they were to more mappo tofu and training.

That night the clones and their puppet counterparts gathered for the passing of information. The pinochio puppet was literally vibrating with excitement as he described what saya had seen in the first scroll.

"So its like a fighting style right. For tai and weaponry. But like. It can do basically ANYTHING!!! Its even named the anything goes martial arts style. The rules were kind of wierd though. The tennants just said "first shot is a groin shot" over and over. Dude. This is huge for us. I mean you us not us us. I'm still a puppet so i'll be hanging out in a closet. "

(TWC 5004 claiming permission to learn gwsb on saya, anything goes style on pinochio, and in true saya fashion putting 5k towards great water shark bullet(5k/5k) also making part of the hokage building out of mokuton. it's a fun tool that'll help us later!(for invasions. i am not going to harm the mizukage) then of course claiming chuunin and +10k ryo exit and topic closed! )

More puppets. Always with the puppets. Once Saya's left, Murata finishes up her last few things and heads upstairs to enjoy her new accommodations and signs a check to pay the girl for her help.


Paying Saya 10,000 ryo from Murata's balance.

TWC 2662

All at max stats discount:
818 words into finishing Tank at B-rank, prev. partially trained here
104 words into finishing Immaterial Tools at C-rank, prev. partially trained here
1312 words into Starch Syrup Capturing Field at B-rank.
440/750 words into starting Samurai Sabre Technique at C-rank.

Approved