The All-Seeing, the Wood, and the Shadow

It was a quiet night, almost looking like something out of a fairy tale. Zunair glanced down slowly from the branch he sat upon, the abundance of leaves around him providing him with cover as eyed the ground beneath him. It was the middle of the night, just after midnight in fact; the star-strewn sky was clear and had a full moon tonight, allowing the dim glow from the celestial body to be cast unhindered onto the area. Said “area” was outside the large compound of his district with widely-spaced trees. Zunair had been resting in the lower branches of a large tree, not high enough to risk injury by falling, yet not low enough to for any ordinary person to reach him. Zunair had recently cut his hair, his long locks have become short, and pierced his ears. He looked to be a totally different person.

Zunair's eyes narrowed as he scanned the ground beneath him. As he had been lying on the branch with his eyes closed, he had heard a sound below him, in his vicinity. As he was in the middle of a wood in the middle of the night, he was bound to hear sounds from the nocturnal inhabitants of this woodland. However, this sound had been different compared to the rest. It was the sound of humans treading carefully yet with unsuccessful silence over the natural litter of a forest floor. Leaves, twigs, rocks, and many others were unintentionally treading on by a pair of covered human feet. Zunair's gaze turned in the direction of the sound. It was approaching slowly, and judging from the number of footsteps he could hear, the source of the sounds was two humans. Pulling himself onto a higher, more secluded branch, Zunair peered through a gap in the leaves at the line of shrubbery from behind which came to the approaching sounds; however, as soon as it got closer then it turned away. Seemingly gone down an alleyway.

"I guess that is that then," the young Hyuuga said to himself.

Zunair jumped down from the tree and began to head into the Hyuuga compound. The mint-eyed Hyuuga was not all that tired even though it was the middle of the night. He wanted someone to hang with but he has only met a couple of people from missions and the hangout and ichiraku's and his drunken night at home. He figured they would all be asleep by now, he sighed as he stopped and laid up against the entrance into his compound.

[WC: 424]

Ryō yawned as he walked through the woods, bringing one hand up to ineffectually stifle the yawning he had endured after waking up from his impromptu nap near the training fields. He had been training hard the last several weeks, pushing himself further and further as best he could. It was grueling work, and he had begun to suspect that he wasn't being entirely effective in his efforts. Part of him saw where others his age stood in terms of ability and saw that they far exceeded his own ability, and yet another part of him understood that only time would beget the improvements he so desperately sought.

There was certainly no denying that he had seen some considerable improvement since his return to the Hidden Leaf Village; he could run faster, and longer, than ever before. His jutsu were coming faster and far less taxing than they did just a few months prior. And yet, for all his progress forward, he still felt... less... when he compared himself to his peers. He had not yet learned any jutsu that were truly exceptional or difficult to perform. There was one final block, it seemed, to his progress, and Ryō did not know what he would need to do to get past it.

As his mind stopped wandering, the Senju realized he had wandered across the Hyuuga Compound. He hadn't interacted with anyone from the major clan, at least not that he could remember. Major clans tended to avoid each other if there wasn't a reason for two of their members to be interacting, at least as far as his experience went. His family's history and teachings had seemed to bear that idea out; it was too easy for one simple mistake or misunderstanding to spiral into a massive mess when the honor of two clans was put on the line like that. 

Still, Ryō found himself wishing he could meet someone that could help him push past that final block in his training, someone with the power to force him past his limits and into that land beyond. He was close, he could feel it in his bones. He held up a hand to his face and closed it into a fist in symbolic resolve. 

The sound of feet on the ground caught his attention and Ryō snapped his head to the left in time to spot someone approaching. The full moon's light made it easy to see the details and a flash of recognition came to the Senju, forcing him out of the shadow of the trees and into the light of the path. "Hey," he called out with a grin, raising a hand in greeting. "Fancy meeting you out here at this hour." He started to open his mouth and question the pink-haired girl as to what she was doing out so late and realized that his own presence at the late hour was equally suspect and unusual. His sense of propriety was agitated, and he felt himself begin to blush and stutter as a dozen thoughts tried to force their way out before he settled on a clever line.

"Nice moon out."

-----

@Zunair Hyuuga
@Vaera Vael

WC: 525

Zunair began to be thought-deep in himself as he couldn't begin to understand why it is that he was burdened with such responsibility at such a young age when he should have been enjoying his youth. As smart as he was the young genin preferred the approach of confronting his problems and if they displeased him, he beat them. It was just that simple or well at least it use to be that way before he was acquired to be heir of Hyuuga's. He let out a sigh into the crisp midnight air which was then inadvertently stolen away by the wind. Those mint-like eyes of his scoured the sky for any sign of the moon that he loved so much, especially when it began to set high in the sky above the mountains and trees. Its soft blue and gray rays washed over the village almost giving it an ancient sort of feel to it that you would think reflected the true age of his home. After the death of almost everyone in his immediate family, Zunair was put under a strict training regime from his father, most likely since he lost his wife, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew in just a few years.

Zunair's thoughts became interrupted by a beautiful girl with pink hair that was showing a tint of blue in it from the moonlight reflecting off of her mane. He studied her as she walked by, giving him a small nod. She wore a pink kimono-like attire which contrasted his standardized black attire with gold buttons that shined in the hymns of the moonlight. "Hello," he would say as she passed him. He wondered if she was the one he heard while laying on the branch. That's when he started to hear footsteps coming out of the woodwork, making Zunair give off a glare as he saw a man greeting the pink-haired female that just passed him. Strange, how long has he been there. Was he there all this time, Zunair thought as he felt something was off-putting in this situation. 

"You two, what are you doing here," Zunair was surprised when his cousin, Hana, who was on guard duty that night firmly said. Zunair did throw the idea out that the girl was just on a midnight stroll beside the Hyuuga compound and just then coincidentally met up with this scraggly dude but he wasn't going to call them out like that. He knew anyone that is not from the Hyuuga clan rarely ascended to this area of the village. That's when he realized that the male was Ryo, who he had only met once at the Ichiraku but he figured he didn't know he was from the Hyuuga clan since his eyes were the color of mint-green rather than white-lavender ones the majority of his family had.

"Hana, there with me," he said, stopping her from starting a fight that he knew these two newcomers most likely would die from. His cousin has always been that way, jumping into things and overracting. Zunair knew she was about to try and reject his notion but Zunair put his hand up immediately and gave a strict tone with her, "Know your place, go back to your position," he said. He hated having to use his status to make the lesser branches obey, but with Hana, it was always almost needed.

Turning to the duo he would say, "I'm sorry about that, I know the hour is late, could I offer you some tea for my cousin." The Hyuuga-heir said waving them in, trying to be nice to them since he was so harsh on his cousin. If they would try anything funny, he knew he would have the skill set to handle them both. However, hoping they would take his offer, he would turn to wonder into the Hyuuga compound.

[WC: 644]
[TWC: 1,068]

Ryō's attention was stolen from her answer when it was grabbed by the sudden detection of a boy near the front of the gate. As he turned, he first looked past the boy to the gate. Something about it agitated his brain and sent warnings off, but he did not recognize the reason until his eyes glanced upward and spotted the Clan symbol on the gate. 

The symbol of the Hyūga Clan.

It was difficult, but Ryō kept himself from flinching physically when he saw that and instead made himself smile at the other boy's presence, although that smile soon faltered by the arrival of another. This one did not seem nearly as friendly, and in fact, took a rather accusatory tone in her inquiry. A part of Ryō balked at that notion; even if he was somewhat estranged with his parents due to the decision to return to the village, he was still a Senju. The notion that someone might have the audacity to question that was deeply engrained, even if he hadn't considered himself anyone special in many, many years. Yet he didn't make any reaction to that.

He couldn't.

Ice ran down his back as he heard the other boy then speak. There was no mistaking that kind of tone, the absolute surety of its authority and power. Even if his next command hadn't made it obvious, Ryō knew that there was no chance that this boy was anything other than a member of the Hyūga main branch family. That undeniable fact overruled any possible feeling of outrage he might have otherwise displayed. Instead, years of clan training on the matters of social interaction between clans snapped cleanly into place. 

Whereas when he spoke with Vaera Ryō's voice had wavered and there was an undeniable streak of simplicity to his words and a ponderousness to his cadence, now Ryō was considerably more composed and quick-minded. He brought his hands up and held them up clearly in front of his chest, making plain his lack of weapon and signaling his peaceful intentions. Of course, he did nothing quite so direct as just that, instead cloaking it with his words to make himself plain. "No need for apologies. She was just trying to help keep the peace." He turned, hoping that that would be the end of it and they could move on.

Instead, he was invited inside for tea.

Ryō was glad his back was turned to the Hyūga boy as he could not help but widen his eyes at the offer. He was now in dangerous waters. The intricacies of tea ceremonies were legion, and more than a few books and scrolls back home had covered them in great detail. It was generally frowned on to refuse an offer, especially if there was no pressing matter that would demand refusal. He could try and play it off as too late for tea, but he knew more than a few family members who woke in the middle of the night for tea.

He turned back as Vaera spoke and gave a small smile and a bow as his own response. "Thank you. That sounds lovely." He noticed her furtive glancing and gave her a warm smile and a short nod as if acknowledging the unspoken trust she'd just given him, whether knowingly or not. While he was relatively certain that the Hyūga boy wasn't about to stand on ceremony here, nevertheless there was a part of Ryō that could not help but analyze the other boy's actions and words. If he was wrong, if he slipped up and insulted the Hyūga, it was the sort of mistake he might not live over.

Following after his host, Ryō allowed himself the small indulgence of looking around the place as they went. There was certainly no shortage of impressive sights to take in, and more than once he nearly stumbled while craning his head to keep staring at something. However, he remained on his best behavior and made no blunder. His mind raced with a conundrum; As he wore no outward badge of his clan, as he wasn't sure that using their symbol while technically defying the will of his father and leader of his branch family, it was quite possible that he could play this off as just being a member of the clanless. He introduced himself typically only by his first name, again wanting to avoid using the status of the Clan as part of his own.

However, he had a sharp memory of introducing himself to Vaera by his full name. 

At that moment, after that realization, nothing else he was considering even mattered. If he tried to preemptively assume a false identity, she could easily out him as a Senju. At the same time, he was going to have to introduce himself, sooner rather than later according to the demands of the decorum. If he introduced himself as merely 'Ryō', and she later implicated him as a Senju, then he would almost certainly be accused of ill-will at having failed to properly introduce himself. So he could not introduce himself only in part. And so his choice was made; if he could not be someone else, and he could not hope to glide by with his identity unknown, there was only one thing left to do. 

"This is a lovely home you have." He gave that statement a moment to itself before he continued. "I should introduce myself. My name is Ryō Senju. This is my friend Vaera. It's a pleasure to meet you." Taken at face value, his introduction was merely that. There was nothing hesitant or uncertain in his tone; it was a normal introduction. Whether he meant it like that, or if he meant it to be a shrewd move in a game of politics and theater was unclear. By introducing her as his friend, he was effectively shielding her from any possible reprisal... and also taking on the possible insult that she may or may not give in the course of their tea. She was trusting him... and he was going to have to trust her.

-----

@Zunair Hyuuga
@Vaera Vael

WC: 1,024
TWC: 1,549

Zunair didn't think about how he just invited two basically strangers into his home, was he forgetful about how he should proceed with caution, was he absent-minded. No, it wasn’t absent-mindedness. Absent-mindedness entailed that the individual in question was forgetful or even displayed an inattentive disposition. Does this sound like Zunair, a boy who was raised by a man who hammered discipline into him? As he grew up, extracurricular activities such as spending leisurely time with friends or others were extremely limited. His father demanded that he either be studying or honing his prodigal shinobi talents. Perfection and efficiency are what his father demanded. Perfection and efficiency were what his father received. Zunair was a child of focus, commitment, and sheer will… something this generation outside a few knew very little about.

The wind was flowy and smooth and the outside noises were peaceful and graceful. The sounds of the oh-so-calming wind chimes that moved along with the direction of the wind as the trio entered his family's district. The compound is surrounded by a vast circular wall, made of stone and covered with red-painted plaster. The wall is pierced at each cardinal direction by a gate and studded with numerous guard towers.  The Hyuga’s South Gate, which they passed through, its largest and most ornate, serves as the main entrance to the compound and is an iconic symbol of the Hyuuga Clan.

As they entered the area, he could feel the two others were fidgety and seemed to be nervous. Well, the one named Vaera definitely was but the other was so-so. Upon his feet hitting to darken wood tiles, the scruffy male decided to share the entirety of his name which made Zunair stop in his tracks and turn towards the Senju. The low-lit lamps gave off an eerie shadow upon them as Zunair spoke, "a Senju, a member from one of the founding clans, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Zunair gave a small bow to the taller male and then retreated to his upright posture. Now, why would a member from the Senju clan be nervous upon entering the compound, were they not distant cousins after all. Maybe he was just shy, maybe Zunair is putting too much thought into it.

Turning his focus to the girl, "Don't be nervous, we aren't all rabid like my cousin," he said giving off a small laugh, trying to make the air feel lighter for the girl as she seemed to be very uneased at the moment. With a wave of his hand and mouthing the words, "Come, come," he would lead them through the backdoor into the main house that would lead them into a corridor of rooms with all closed doors. Heading through the long hallway and entering through the arched entryway, they would be standing in the kitchen area.

Ryō gave himself a silent cursing but outwardly relaxed; it wouldn't do to give off the impression of being guilty of anything. After all, there was no curfew and he had certainly not trespassed on Hyūga grounds. He could not help but continue to eye some of the details of the compound as they walked. In many respects, it reminded him a lot of his home within the clan's ancient compounds years prior. There was something to be said for a level of wealth that was not overstated with flashy, gaudy things, but rather with the very simple yet elegant choices. 

As they were led into a kitchen, Ryō took note of the almost rustic nature of its design. A pang of longing struck him as he was reminded again of his home, and the family that he had left behind to return to the Leaf Village. The lighting was more than sufficient to clearly navigate and see what was available without being harsh on the eyes; It was a necessity for doing things at night without getting a headache or disrupting the body's patterns too much. 

Ryō took a seat at the table with his back against the window and observed the Hyūga boy as he went about preparing the tea. He took note of the flowers being used, as well as the scent that rose in the air, and gave a small smile. "Hibiscus sabdariffa; a good choice for a tea at night. I hope you don't mind if I like mine more on the tart side of things than the sweet." He hoped he wasn't being too forward with the comment; some people were very particular about their tea and took great offense to anything that ran counter to it. 

As he came to sit down at the table, Ryō could not help but examine the Hyūga as he took a seat. The Hyūga clan were old, very old, in a way few other clans within the Hidden Leaf Village could match. The Senju were such a clan. That meant that there were a lot of similarities to be found within each clan. Traditions were important, almost more so in having a tradition than the actual tradition itself. Tea ceremonies were quite high on the list and had made for a considerable portion of his past time and education. While this definitely had the makings of something far less official and traditional than a common tea ceremony, it remained a good sign; offering tea rarely signified hostile consideration. 

"I was out training on the fields," Ryō finally answered with a calmness that suffused his posture and words as he relaxed in the chair. "I spent much of my time out there when I'm not on missions or taking care of other matters." Aware that it would be impolite to end on such a note, Ryō continued. "I'm afraid I pushed myself a bit far and fell asleep afterward. I was on my way home when our paths crossed."

-----

WC: 501
TWC: 2,051

Zunair smiled as Ryo said he like his tea on the little more tart side, "Of course, I'm the same way so no worries," the Hyuuga stated as he moved to the stove once again, grabbing a couple of glasses. After filling the cups with the dark-red liquid and placing a mint-leaf on the brim of the cup, giving it a more natural, sophisticated look, he turned around and saw the pink-haired girl as disappeared altogether. Giving Ryo a puzzling look as he sat the cup before the Senju, he then activated his Byakugan. Worried this girl might do something but as he searched in all directions, up to a mile, it seemed that she has vanished entirely. "Where'd she go? So strange, I cannot see her within a mile radius," Zunair said as he deactivated his Byakugan and sat across the brown-haired ninja with his cup of tea, taking a sip of it savoring the natural flavors of it. Taking his mind off the girl, he then focused his attention on the elder genin.


"So, you know the tea. It's one of my favorites," Zunair stated from the other side of the table, even though it was a few feet across. He knew people were typically formatted in tea traditions, like his family is; however, he was not. He wasn't that worried about traditions even though he should be, considering he was from the main family.


"hmm, so you must be pretty strong if you spend all your time training. Just make sure you don't overuse your muscles as it could lead to some injuries for you," said having his medic side come out as he seen many injuries like this from numerous shinobi that have shown up to the hospital. The overuse of muscles tends to cause microtrauma, resulting in things like tendonitis, calluses, blisters, and so on. In some cases, overuse can lead to bruised and blackened toenails. While this isn’t the most painful on the list of microtrauma injuries, it is one of the most offputting. Shin splints and golfer’s elbow are more painful options, both of which can lead to lasting, or even permanent, side effects. Carpal tunnel is one of the more common, and more unfortunate, microtrauma injuries, and is one of the number one reasons to avoid overuse. "Just make sure you're only rest isn't from pushing yourself to extreme exhaustion," said giving him a smile while taking a sip of his tea once again.

"Sorry, I'm giving my opinion and worrisome when not asked. I've worked at the hospital so my medical side comes out. So, hailing from the Senju clan, I suspect you can do the famous wood release?" Zunair asked intrigued if he could the powerful kekkai genkai that the senju's possessed. He heard stories about how it could absorb chakra, suppress, and even manipulate someone's chakra. That was fascinating to the younger genin as he had never seen wood release in person and definitely would want to. 

[TWC: 2,161]