Another Normal Boring Meeting

Kumogakure was freshly rejuvenated with a healthy new spark that had been recently jump started. Although she was relieved to be back from Kirigakure she wasn’t the most fond of going back straight into work. She had to figure out what was being done about the recent Raikage or lack there of as she wasn’t completely sure what was going on with it. All she could be sure was that their were now a few promising genin who were attempting to make something of themselves as she and the other anbu of Kumo had done before them. The happiness that it brought to her face was indescribable, however she had to make sure that their teacher was qualified. She intended to get to know him over bowl of Ramen at as shop, Kazu? Katsu? A letter was sent to him to see if he could follow the instructions well, the letter that was sent was written by one of the secretaries to the Raikage position which she had access to.

Dear Katsuro Michiki,
   I wish to inform you that I, Utsukushii Hana, wish to meet with all of the anbu and jounin on private terms to discuss a matter of dire consequences. Should you be unable to meet at the expressed time I will regret to inform you that I will have no other course of action but to strip you of your rank and label you as nothing more than a genin in Kumo. I will meet you at the tiny ramen shop in the middle of town, Takano is the type of dish which I will be eating so I suggest if you don’t know the various restaurants and shops that you familiarize yourself before this meeting. That is all the information I will be giving you into where to find me. Yep thank you dear that is all I need written in the letter so if you can add a bit more fluff to it I would be most appreciative. Mister Katsuro as Hana refused to tell you of the restaurant I have decided to inform you that the shop she will be at is Now & Zen. She enjoys playing this little game,
   
                               Sincerely
                               A secretary

Hana was sitting there with three bowls piled high of ramen bowls the name of the ramen store would be lit up brightly as dusk had begun to fall upon the city. Hana’s appetite would have been apparent after another bowls slid over to the side of the leaning tower. The chef keep track that this was in fact her seventh bowl. Leaning back in the stool she would appear to almost be falling backwards despite the fact she wasn’t moving as she sat there on the stool. “That should be enough now if you would be so kind to find me another bottle of your finest wine.” She smiled giving a large unfeminine burp that would echo through the streets. This sort of behavior was normal of the Anbu Captain as she liked both her food almost as much of her drinks and showed no disgrace in her actions. Still dressed with a small cloth across her breasts she was as provocatively dressed as usual her white hair streaming down to the ground now considering how far she had leaned back.

The way the bowls were stacking up along with two bottles it would have been apparent that she had been waiting here quite a while. Not because anyone was particularly late but because she really was hungry after her little venture to Kirigakure. The way she was leaning she would have seen him enter the little shop before leaning forward once again to take the next bottle which she was offered. Her head tilted with the bottle sticking out from her mouth the liquid in it would begin to drain down her throat, he neck not making a single notion of a gulp. She had been practicing this for quite a while with water till she started bringing it to various alcohols. The bottle would smash against the counter once again empty as she finally swallowed what remained of the wine. As Katsuro had finally arrived he was the final one she was meeting with. All of the others weren't particularly interesting. All trying to suck up in various manners by paying for her tab or being obviously shy from the apparel she wore. It was all a test in her mind to see whether or not they could be trusted with the protection of the village even if a scantily clad woman breached their vision. All of these crazy nuances that she held her Anbu and Jounin was absurd but necessary. She wanted to know them in an environment which wasn't as highly respected as Raikage or ANBU Captain.

The manage of the Ramen shop looked at her and then back to the man who had just placed the order. Her eye closest to the new instructor as she called them was closed, the other winking to the man who was told to bring him the meal. If she really wanted to test them she may have acted like a rogue but their was no way of knowing how hostile they would all react to her. She already wasn't the favorite among Kumo for rising through the ranks, but she was quite qualified who knows one day she could have even taken up the role of Raikage. She wouldn't have enjoyed the position so much as it involved far to much paper work in her mind as well as worry from the various guards that one would have.

As the manage was asked to he would bring out a bowl and the sake strangely enough. Glaring up at him the manage would disappear back into the kitchen. "Katsup right?" She questioned trying to look as stern as she could as she purposely messed up his name. However a quick smile would replace the grim expression and her hand would fly toward his back with a welcoming pat as if she was pleased to see an old friend from her days at the academy. Smelling the smoke still floating about him she sniffled a bit disliking the smell. "You know those cigarettes will kill you before I get a chance right?" The intimidate glare would once again return to her face as if begging for him to question whether she meant it or not.

She laughed at the remake of having a pickled liver, of course alcoholism wasn’t a thing to laugh at and it definitely was a term which she would attempt to deal with in the future. However, the world is a cruel and sometimes the things that are most deadly vices which are the most difficult to give up. “I am of course joking with you dear. I don’t mean any harm to those in Kumogakure merely those that have ill intentions to my people. So as long as you don’t mean any of the children and families of Kumo harm we will get along quite swimmingly. But then you are of course correct that I didn’t call you to merely talk about our inevitable fates. But more the paths we will take that will lead to those eventual ends.” Her neck crooked from side to side, letting out a large crack followed by a sigh of relief.

After the off putting conversation of pickling livers and charcoal lunges she would find her appetite a bit ruined. A hand slid the bottle over beside the rest of the dishes. Her hand would draw back from his back which she had patted which great gusto, sorta like a nordic woman of sorts with the strength that was behind it. The next remark caused a great smirk to spread over her features staring toward her fellow partner in the death of their vices. She cackled in a frightening manner that would have sullied the heart of weaker men, “I must say I never expected a man to ever turn down the payment of a ladies meal. I like you more and more. So Katsuro Michiki, from what I am seeing you are quite the responsible one for your own life if not for anyone elses. I would promote you for such manner. Although I suppose that you asked for this rank for a purpose. Anyone who fought alongside during the protection of our village surely deserves respect. So comrade? How are the young ones coming along I heard there are plenty of genin now.”

Her final bowl and bottle would both be pushed aside as  she sat their and the bar. She would sit there waiting for a response of how much he would wonder that she really knew.

“Well then I see absolutely no reason or outstanding issues that would put a smudge on your ledger. As for the time spent in protection of the city I see no reason to bring up such terrible memories for the both of us, I am sure you lost a few friends from the old days. I also have no need to question your strength since I recognize your face from that time of old.” She paused now a bit concerned as the rest of the anbu and jounin that came before him had been fair bit longer than her meeting with Katsuro. “Bar keep if you wouldn’t mind beginning to lock up.”

Her eyes skated across so that that her head stayed in placed still having full view of the man before her. The pause he took while slurping his bowl of Misu Ramen was one of the few unexpected reactions he had given her yet tonight. Intriguing the mention of the battles causes him to stutter in his hunger but one look at me has no effect. Although I first thought his morale was impenetrable it would seem he too wishes that he could let go of the past.

He then took another long swig from the bottle and proceeded about his merry way in his endeavors in finishing the bowl. She couldn’t figure him out, the way he thought of the past and the way he treated the present was quite puzzling but there was one thing that they seemed to both care about. The genin, the little ones that would be taking the same long and brutal journey that they once took in becoming a shinobi for Kumogakure. A feat in itself back in their day. The weak of heart didn’t make it most from then had manners of handling enemies in even the severe of manners.


Laying her head down now on the table so it was level with his bowl she peeked up toward her companion. As he spoke of the methods he wished to use upon the genin she found no trailing issues with such harsh scenarios while training. However it did mean that some probably would wash out but she was certain that this would allow for only the strongest to make it. “Two Uchiha and a Monzaemon,” she regarded out loud, surprised  of the lack of variety. “I am sure that you will work out all the kinks with those children. Make sure you don’t smother any of the ambitious ones, oh and you ever feel the need for an entertaining exercise. Call I will gladly give them a proper thrashing.” She laughed pleased with her own cruel method of training, a trait that continued to carry on from a time of old. Holding up her hand in regards to the sake, “Don’t fuel the fires of an addict right. Anyway if you have more time afterwards I am sure it would be fun to reminisce about the past.” She wanted to inquire more about him to see if his soul was as sound as his mind.

Hana eye him a bit strangely as his eyes lingered over her a fair bit longer than what he usually did. She paid it no mind though as he was stuffing his face now and was surely in a rush to wherever they were planning to reminisce.”I am usually always open, as long as the Raikage isn’t trying to hunt me down to do something. I enjoy playing hide and go seek with them, although I don’t much like it when he does end up catching me.” She smiled and laughed both at Katsu’s attempted joke as well as her remark on avoiding the head of Kumogakure. She hadn’t really been shirking her duties as of late. Sure she went to Kirigakure once and almost caused an international incident. Luckily the Mizukage and ANBU captain of Kiri were far more gracious than she anticipated.  

She enjoyed the company of others who had experienced the same events as her made her feel more at home in such a crazy world. Hana’s right hand would begin to brush through her hair as she sat inside the Ramen shop. She was unsure of how the new young Raikage was fitting in. She smiled pulling her head back up off the table, she didn’t actually know who the Raikage was or what he looked like but she wasn’t particularly anxious in meeting him as she had been eyeing the position about two days ago. Hearing a voice would suddenly cause her smile to depart her features, her head spun around like a snow owl the hair still flowing down her back and onto the table.

Good to see who? She blinked her gaze now fixated on the new face that had entered the room. Something was gnawing at the back of her mind, as if he was familiar or possibly she owed him money for something. It was an uneasy feeling as she continued to stare her eyes showing no sign of blinking anytime soon as she was puzzled, for the first time in months. How does he know me I don’t remember seeing him ever in my life? Of course Hana you do tend to stick out like a sore thumb even in a crowd he is probably just another parent who is proud to know that we are protecting Kumo in it’s time of uneasiness.

”I am sure that the pleasure is all ours but I am sure that Rao doesn’t want us keeping him up all night I am sure we have pushed him long past closing time.” The owner smiled as he saw the Raikage, apparently he got the memo that there was a new man back in town and Hana would grow more puzzled as she looked back to the own who was acting like he just saw a ghost or celebrity she couldn’t tell by the way he rushed back into the kitchen turning the stoves back on.

Hana stood there as the two exchanged various looks between the two of them, she had remembered Katsu from the academy but never this odd stranger. Would have probably helped if she had ever attended class more than once a month as well as not fall asleep the few times she was in it. Those years were long past though and now she was quite the adept in learning. She enjoyed knowledge, which was why she hung back hoping to learn exactly what type of history the two men had with one another. The millisecond face changes that flashed over Katsu’s face caused her to grin holding back a slight chuckle. Their moment was quite cute to Hana as if these two were star crossed lovers that were stuck on opposite sides of the world till now and all they could think to do in their moment of reunion was bicker slightly at how they didn’t keep in contact well enough with one another.

As the two shook hands Hana found herself leaning against the wall as the two of them reminisced for a brief time. The store manage already delivering the two large bowls of Ramen which she could only assume were now on the house since he was something special. Hana pondered the actions of the owner wondering why he would be so enthralled to give this man who was merely a stranger to herself and old friend to katsu. His name wasn’t anything special from what she could tell and that was when her eyes stopped at the hat which was upon his head. Is that. Blinking she shook her head, That can’t be right that seemed like the type of hat only  the kages would wear … and not many of them honestly wore them. Listening in on the two she wanted to make sure her suspicions were true, he didn’t seem particularly interested in talking about his story of the Land of Rivers. So perhaps she would pry at that in future time.

Scarfing down the bowls that were the size which she was normally given she watched in amazement, someone who might be able to compete with her in a noodle slurping contest. “Good to meet You Mr. Raiki, Utsukushii Hana Anbu captain.” Wondering if the others would mention their ranks.

“It is nice to meet you as well Raiki, I imagine we didn’t see much of each other back in the academy. Mostly from lack of me attending back then.” She laughed one hand rubbing the back of her head embarrassed that she wasn’t always the ever studious genin like the others before her. Perhaps she would recognize Raiki better if she had. “As for receiving the title of Rokudaime Raikage I congratulate you.” Spitefully holding back the amount of displeasure that she wasn’t selected for the position after the recent disappearance of the most present Raikage. All of them seemed quite serious when it came to their ranks and Hana who had thought at first she was the highest ranking here was sadly informed otherwise.

Watching she the serious demeanor disappear once again into the large bowl of ramen. Holding back a chuckle shed didn’t want to laugh at him as he place the hat back on his head in a most serious of manners. She couldn’t get over the look of it, something about it just made her laugh especially atop of the young Raikages head. “Well now that we have officially informed each other where we all stand in the structure of the city would we like to exit the premises of this nice owner.” Intruding upon the citizens late night hours was not a custom she was use to doing and the fact of the matter was they could have just as easily conversed outside as in here. The manage however didn’t seem to mind as he ducked back behind so pleased that he got this perfect advertising moment with the Raikage himself eating at his shop. They were a humble family so such presence was an honor.

Hana’s face was displeased as she continued to glare at the owner, he never brings me free food and looks at me like that. Best I get is a brief smirk and then look of despise as she normally gobbled  up most the noodles. "And feel free to smoke."

As the night droned on all three of them exited the shop owners ramen store and looked at one another and went their separate ways after mentioning how please they were to see meet one another.
[End Thread]