Bali's Courtyard

Yusuke stood before a temple dedicated to ninshu. He had heard from the local Priests that this courtyard was dedicated to the ancient art of ninshu; and they told him that he could find answers to his questions here. 

It had been a week since Yusuke spoke with his new friends at the water fountain. The conversation hadn't brought out much of him, the group was sort of awkward at first. But Yusuke had asked them all what seemed like was an important question. Something he assumed all ninja could relate to.

"Your nindos" he asked. Yusuke wondered what drove those ninja, what creed they followed. But they hadn't even believed in such logos. It truly disturbed Yusuke as a ninja. To fight with your life was a deep commitment, and to bear that courage in one statement seemed like Valor come to life. But these young genun had no such belief. 

"With great power, comes great responsibility. Yusuke whispered his nindo as he stood before large red pillars to the temple. Yusuke was dedicated to discovering how ninshu was related to a nindo. He believed so strongly in his work, and that mantra held him up with laurels. To know other ninja were fighting so seemingly carelessly was bewildering to him. 

Yusuke walked up the pathway to the temple. He stood outside its paper wall and sat there. He sniffed the air and recieved strong scents of the aromatic airways. It was clear someone had been in the temple, Yusuke could smell a human nearby. Though Yusuke couldn't tell for certain, he opened up the door to recieve some wisdom, hoping the person to be in the temple and ready for his questions.

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The morning had been well enough for Bali. These days seemed to drag out and on as she listlessly wondered what to do, and some part of her whispered 'your job'- the deep need to keep up appearances so that her mask wouldn't slip and draw unnecessary attention to herself. She didn't care. Everything had changed.

There was a knock at her door, and she opened it to an attendant providing her with a new garment she ordered, then dismissed them as she got dressed in her new clothes and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked the same, but at the same time… she was different, and she couldn't pinpoint why. Even sitting in front of her makeshift vanity and trying to put on make-up, yet another battle armor for women, she kept removing it and then trying again. Still, she stopped after the fifth time and did no more than mascara, looking at herself. At the reflection of her own eyes. 

This would be it. This would be the only way she could see her sister again, by looking at her reflection. Baliquis stood up, pulled away, put her heels on, and walked out of the room onto the wooden walkway of her courtyard. Even the air tasted different. Still, she closed the door behind her and decided to continue her daily tasks as she tried to think of another way to handle this situation.

Then she went to the tranquility room to allow the public access to her as expected since her equal-level peers put her on leave from more administrative duties- like hiding in her office because she didn't want to mingle, which was as much pleasure as it was a punishment since now she had to find something else to do. Still, going to the tranquility room and its high pillars to light incense seemed a better way to spend her time than sitting in her room.

[ WC: 323 ]

When Yusuke closed the door to the temple he noticed the flowery scent grow stringer. It was clear to his nose that s woman was nearby, and so he brushed his fur like a gentleman. Yusuke wasn't wearing a shirt, instead kept warm by the fur all over his arms and lower half of his body. His attire was presentable, with his loose fitting gi pants properly ironed out. Yusuke was a well kept man and as he strolled between the red columns, looking for someone to speak with, he made sure to walk straight. 

A fan of being on all fours he had a sort of hunch to his gait usually, but now Yusuke was at his best. He could have had his nibbles covered, but he hadn't been expecting a woman. Yusuke had been directed to this temple by bald monks, he tried to shake the insecurity out of his mind and walked a little faster. 

Eventually the genin found Baliquis, and he stood before her after a bow of respect. Yusuke spoke softly in the temple, his gravely voice still echoing no matter how hard he tried. "Hello miss. My name is Yusuke Inuzuka. It's a pleasure to meet you." Yusuke held back his questions on how ninshu worked, and how that operation could be applied to ninja holding a nindo. The conversation was very meta, and Yusuke was still sort of confused. The muscle bound scholar had a hard time imagining how other ninja could put their life on the line with no anchor to the joys of life, like his nindo did for him. 

Yusuke stood before who seemed to be a priestess, giving her a friendly smile as he awaited her reply.

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The ripples churned a mirror’s smooth, polished surface with soft waves outward from where Baliquis had felt the drop. That’s what it felt like to feel another presence to her for many long years, yet she only ever wrote it off as a heightened awareness or perception. Never diving deeper unless she needed to and never bothering to explore coyly still pools of water-seeming liquid. 

Someone else was in the room; moments later, the doors to this wing of the temple and its renovated room were shut. The sound of the footsteps were weightier thumps, a man perhaps? As she walked into the room and looked over, the sight only confirmed it was another man. A little shorter than her standing, maybe at… five feet and eleven inches? No, perhaps five feet and ten inches? No shirt; he wasn’t bothering to wear a shirt… in public? Oh. 


He seemed to be standing at attention, but even then, the extra inches her geta gave her didn’t help her feel unbecomingly overbearing at six feet and now two inches, but that was nothing to the fact he was wearing loose-fitting pants in pair with his…strangely furry arms. How unusual. “Hello miss. My name is Yusuke Inuzuka. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” At least he was polite, but this is the part where the guest expected a response from her whether she wanted to give one or not. 

“Welcome to the tranquility room of our Temple, Yusuke Inuzuka; The pleasure is all mine.” Now she needed to introduce herself, “You may call me Baliquis.” She remembered her sister's voice being more harmonious in the sense of soft wind chimes on a summer breeze and hoped that her monotone slightly resembled it. 

Was this going to be one of them? The ones who left? Or was he going to be the one who didn’t leave so quietly? He had a muscular physique, so perhaps she could not win in a fight entirely outright, but she had what you call it… home-field advantage? The entire room and its daunting pillars were made to her specifications, after all, so she knew this room more intimately than another so that she might stand a chance against a Shinobi and their witchcraft just yet. 

She gestured to the altar and the rows of holders for incense, “Surely you’ve come to take advantage of lighting some incense for good fortune or perhaps advice in some matter?” To the latter, she put on her perfectly practiced “warm smile for guests” that had enough warmth to be believed to be welcoming and kind. Baliquis couldn’t be bothered to genuinely dig up the feelings, especially not while she was still mourning, but either way, she waited for a reply. 

[ WC: 469 ]

"It's a pleasure to meet you, really it is." Yusuke said to Baliquis as he stopped sniffing so hard and let the scents around him settle into his human olfactory unit like a normal man would smell. The incense burning hadn't caught his attention until she mentioned them, but now Yusuke was considering what Baliquis had asked of him. 

Why did he come here? Or rather why did people come here? Yusuke didn't know much about ninshu besides what the history books in the Acadamy taught him. Thr furry man scratched at his fur, a comfort tic he had, and pondered how he would address his matter at hand with Baliquis' own. 

Rudi, Yusukes canine companion, was just sitting there, his tail sitting in one place behind his rump. He had noticed the incense while Yusuke was sniffing around, but hadn't gotten a chance to say anything. Rudi was generally quiet outside of his home, an introvert at heart; unlike his master who thrived in company with others. Rudi looked at his master, his black dog eyes staring pointedly at Yusuke. Rudi was waiting for his companion to reply, and Baliquis had herself just another moment longer to ponder the strange man who had come in with his dog.

The temple was beautiful and Yusuke took it all in before speaking, careful to choose his words as to not give away too much of himself. Yusuke may have loved being in the company of others, but he was a private man. 

He was most surely a ninja, and he wondered how ninshu was related to one's nindo, like the monks had told him it did. Yusuke looked over Baliquis, who stood just over him in her drop dead gorgeous heels. She was certainly well put together, and Yusuke appreciated his chance to talk professionally with the priestess. 

"I came here to seek counsel with you. I have spoken to some monks and they pointed me here," Yusuke's hand reached out through the smokey temple, his hands gesturing the altars the temple kept. "I wonder, how do you believe ninshu carries through a man's word. What might become of a man with strong words, in the eyes of ninshu?" Yusuke's tail whipped behind him as he finished speaking, his curiosity rising as he vocalized his conundrum.

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The man, Yusuke, seemed to be observing all the work she put into the room they were in, but while he was doing that, she was looking pointedly at something else- an animal sitting next to him. 

What the hell is that? Was the only thing she could think of as she searched her mind for something she had read- and a picture of something similar popped up at the forefront of her mind. A view of a four-legged animal called a ‘dog’ from an encyclopedia. Are you telling me…they just let a fucking dog in here with no qualms? As the thought’s question trickled away in her mind, she made her avert her eyes and attention back to the man so she could at least seem somewhat normal. As normal as anyone else.

As normal as someone who knew what a dog was and didn’t have to struggle and play mental trivia to figure out what it was. 

Then he voiced his intent, “I came here to seek counsel with you. I have spoken to some monks, and they pointed me here,” before he gestured to the altars as well, and she smiled politely, “I wonder, how do you believe ninshu carries through a man’s word. What might become of a man with strong words, in the eyes of ninshu?” 

What was she meant to think? What did it matter? Bali did not care enough to apply to question to herself to find a more straightforward answer. Still, she did care enough to keep up appearances once more and work on a solution that might be easier for him to hear and swallow than anything else of natural substance. She stepped backward with a well-versed and years’ practiced grace with her right foot, lifting her left foot once she completed the move before placing that same foot towards the alter and smoothly changed directions before pursuing that path of movement, “I will offer what counsel I can, but the question you ask caries a variety of answers.”

“To those within the Temple, Ninshu holds a different weight and value than those outside our halls.” She moved forward but stopped as she came to the altar, “Ninshu to us is everything, in vague, serendipity simplicity. It is our belief, as well as our religion, of peace and connectivity with all beings and individuals. However, to those outside this wall, it could be considered a ‘creed’- defined as a statement of belief on any subject; religious, political, scientific, or anything other than. All creeds can be written down, but they all have an allowance for interpretation.” She turned partially to look at Yusuke,

“The way I think Ninshu carries through a man’s word, whether it strengthens the man or not, is not entirely up to me; Rather, it would be up to you and what your interpretation of it may or may not be. The ‘strong words’ you reference are not inherently overseen by Ninshu but rather the meaning and action behind them.” Baliquis said, “In my opinion, Ninshu would be carried through the way you act behind those words; a man of strong words that hold credibility and reliability could be more favored in the eyes of Ninshu… for example, if you were to say ‘I will do my best for the community it would be best to follow those up with actions reflecting such a statement- such as doing charity work or perhaps working to better conditions for the overlooked members of the village such as those who have fallen on hard times and are struggling financially. To move forward with actions that contradict your ‘I will do my best for the community statement- such as, for an extreme, setting an orphanage on fire- is in opposition to the beliefs ferried and replicated by Ninshu and will not be favored, since the intent behind them is not entirely aligned with your statement.”

[ WC: 653 ]

The Inuzuks duo listened to the words of the priestess, the dogs ears perked up as he listened carefully. Rudi wasn't quite as scholarly as Yusuke, and philosophy was partly lost to the literate canine. Yusuke on the other hand was carefully listening to what was being said, staring soberly into the eyes of the priestess as she spoke. 

In this temple Baliquis the priestess seemed grand, ubiquitous even. Yusuke had built up her counsel greatly in his mind as he traveled across the village to see this esteemed master of ninshu. What she said however seemed to be something he could have come up with on his own. She seemed down to earth, and Yusuke held even more respect for her position as she leveled herself and spoke to Yusuke on an important matter. 

Nindo was a fading title that shinobi of the modern era were forgetting. In an interesting reveal of Baliquis'words it was clear to Yusuke and Rudi that ninshu too was a fading creed; ninshu had even been leveled to a religious oractice when at one time it was what brought together peoole of the world. Yusuke wondered if nindo had overshadowed ninshu, and now the same was happening to nindo. 

Baliquis continued speaking and Yusuke didn't have much time to ponder the thought. 

Baliquis explained how ninshu was carried through the actions and not the motive, and Yusuke considered that ninshu was the product of a nindo. Which came first the muscle bound scholar wondered, the thought fleetingly escape him as Baliquis continued. 

When the tall, beautiful woman made an allegory of the community Yusuke was in complete agreement. It just made sense to him, and so did carrying ones nindo through their life and ninja work. Yusuke opened his mouth as Baliquis ended her words, but he didnt say anything. 

With all the questions Baliquis brought up to him, Yusuke felt as though he had an answer. What he knew for certain was that the nindo, like ninshu was a human tool. That was clear. 

Yusuke felt good, he was smiling to Baliquis, giving way to an awkward silence. His original curiosity had been satisfied.

Rudi growled, not having the same understanding as his master. Yusuke reached his hand down to pet his ears then he spoke to Baliquis. "Well I must say I agree with what I understand. I think you have answered my question. It's one's responsibility to maintain the powers that protect them, and there are forces unseen behind that motion." Yusuke chirped his words to Baliquis, no longer abated by his fellow genius lack of nindo. 

Yusuke carried on, "Thank you Baliquis." Yusuke said and allowed his curiosity to travel in a different direction. He wondered about the priestess role in the temple, what forces unseen had brought her to him "So then I suppose I would like to burn an incense. Is there a proper way to pay homage, or? Yusuke leaned over to where an incense cone was sitting at an altar. 

The genin was lighting an incense in memory of the protection that genin forsake by losing their ninja way. Yusuke gave out a soft whistle and then held his hands in a circular position, he asked, "May i?

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Before Yusuke responded, he just stood there with his mouth open as if he was trying to figure out what to say; then he smiled, but his dog growled. How disrespectful. Then he petted it, and it looked- fluffy. The animal quieted down, but Baliquis’s mind was elsewhere, so damningly distracted-

How fluffy was it? What did the fur feel like, was it soft and velvety, or was it deceptively coarse and unwelcoming? She wanted to pet the dog too. 

“Well, I must say I agree with what I understand. I think you have answered my question. It’s one’s responsibility to maintain the powers that protect them, and there are forces unseen behind that motion.” Well, that was good- “Thank you, Baliquis.” For what? Rambling? Shinobi were weird, but what was she genuinely expecting? 

“So then, I suppose I would like to burn an incense. Is there a proper way to pay homage, or?” He asked after walking over and leaning over an incense cone. Then he left out a soft whistle while he cupped the air above the incense cone and asked, “May I?” Baliquis furrowed her brow a little bit in confusion at the question, 

“Sure, I suppose… yes?” Baliquis offered as she turned away, picking up a long-handled match stick from a separate container nearby, “That was a failure of communication on my part… I should have pointed out the matches. However, if you wish to perform some type of shinobi witchcraft, I only request that you do your best not to burn down the room.” Then she followed it up subtly with,

“I paid quite a lot for its renovation, and I would hate for it to go up in smoke because of an incense cone, of all things,” Baliquis said, but she stepped back apprehensively so that she, too wouldn’t get burned since being able to see their witchcraft up close and personal. Or, more specifically, within a 5-meter range of herself since the arena stands were rightfully far from the actual battlefield of the same arena for the Chunin Exams she snuck out to watch.

[ WC: 351 ]

Yusuke didn't hear the word witchcraft that often, but it wasn't uncommon among the families that lived in Hoshigakure before the village maintained status. Many of Haven Country locals were unfamiliar with the science behind chakra, so when she referred to it as witchcraft Yusukes nose crinkled. He didn't like that term. He nodded his head and thru a feint grin he exhaled thru a hole his fingers made. Fire escape his finger tips from the breath and flooded the air where Yusuke leaned over. The flaming explosion was only about six inches though, successfully lighting the tip of the cone and filling thebimmediate air around Baliquisand Yusyke. 

A musky vanilla scent filled the air as the incense burned up slowly. Yusuke nodded to Baliquis in thanks for allowing him to utilize his "witch craft, his cheerful grin plastered across his face. 

Yusuke continued talking, pressing to see how well he could get to know this tall priestess. Her white robes were delicately wrapped around her, and Yusuke sensed she held a wealth of knowledge. The genin spoke again. 

"Your temple is amazing. It must take a lot of effort to keep it together. " Yusuke smiled as he got around to his point. "So Baliquis, I assume you don't know much about chakra or jutsu?" Yusuke didn't want to insult her but the archaic way she spoke of his ninjutsu was curious. "Since you've enlightened me so. Maybe I could help teach you something about chakra." Yusuke the scholar by night snapped the fingers he previously held in a circular shape, and a little spark of flames fell to the ground in ashes. 

Yusuke was primarily a taijutsu specialist but he did have the ability to perform some amazing ninjutsu. He wondered if the priestess had ever seen such witchcraft, and tried not to smile too hard as she replied to him.

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Baliquis watched as Yusuke wrinkled his nose a bit but then proceeded to exhale through the small hole he made with his fingers, and fire expelled from the other side of it. Bali twitched. Even though the fire only extended maybe six inches and only to where she requested- the incense cone- it successfully burned the cone’s tip before putting it out to fill the room with the momentarily warmed scent of vanilla. He thanked her, and she smiled politely, but internally?

She was screaming ‘witchcraft’ and ‘shinobi witchcraft’ at the top of her lungs. However, that monologue stayed internal.

“Your temple is amazing. It must take a lot of effort to keep it together. “Yusuke said, “So Baliquis, I assume you don’t know much about chakra or jutsu?” He asked, and Baliquis decided it was best just to shut up. “Since you’ve enlightened me so. Maybe I could help teach you something about chakra.” 

He snapped his fingers, and little sparks of the remnant flames trickled to the ground; she watched closely to ensure they fizzled out. She didn’t want to take him up on the offer, but if she were going to do something about the problem of shinobi existing, then it would probably be best to learn more about them and their ways of… what did he call it? ‘Chakra’ and ‘jutsu’?

“If the phrase ‘Don’t know much’ is an abbreviation for ‘I know absolutely nothing about the ways of shinobi,’ then yes. I rightfully ‘don’t know much.” Baliquis admitted calmly and with a level tone, “I attended a Chunin Exam and saw shinobi fighting from a distance, and this is my first time seeing the witchcraft- no, you called it ‘chakra’ - being performed so close. It would suffice to say I am not entirely allowed to leave the temple, much less interact with shinobi on a more…intimate basis such as this.” Baliquis offered, 

“I would like to take you up on that offer of teaching, and I will be a dedicated scholar of what you would be willing to impart… for example, that whistling.” Baliquis said and ventured timidly, “Was that… part of the process as well? Or just something you do before…performing the ‘chakra’?”

[ WC: 370 ]