Canyon Shade [Heida]

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

Almost two years had gone by since Hiruzen had left the Hidden Cloud village behind him. Feeling like he had to choose between a dead end road and a more dangerous and unknown route that would take him to greater forms of power, the kind of things his own village did not want him to have as he was now. In their eyes, or at least in the eyes of the council and the Raikage, he was not yet ready to be trained in the art of weaponry because they were not certain as to whether or not he would be staying in the village after he got what he wanted. As a rather ironic twist, it was in fact their refusal to place their trust in him and take the time to teach him what he wanted to learn that gave him the final push he needed towards leaving the place and becoming a wandering shinobi. Throughout his life, he had lost his three best friends, his Sensei and even his father while performing missions that were in the best interests of the village. He had even gone to the point where the civilians and even his fellow shinobi saw him as a monster after he brutally murdered an organization of trained assassins known as the Prajñã along with the pirate crew that had been smuggling in their explosives and tools, even though they were citizens of the lightning country. Though it had in fact been a personal issue for him, he had done his killing for the sake of avenging his fallen loved ones and to make sure that they would not be a threat to the village again.

Though he had done it out of revenge and had come to terms with the fact that he would not be able to go back if he killed those people, it had been rather painful to know that everyone in the village would give up on him so easily. Once he had risen above the feelings of self-pity and did more missions for the village that most others did not want to dirty themselves with, it had been all the more painful when the Raikage refused to train him because he was unsure if Hiruzen's loyalty was truly with the village and not just with himself. After setting his own house on fire to let his clan know that he was no longer a part of their family, he also let the village know that he was not one of their shinobi anymore while making it clear to himself that he no longer had a place he could return to. In the time he spent away from the village, he had managed to earn some coins by turning in a rogue shinobi in order to collect his bounty, stole a couple of jutsu from their owners through the use of his Sharingan and furthered his own investigation and training. The last couple of months had been spent in a far away nation known as the land of Iron. It was in the land of Iron that Hiruzen spent most of his time training under the Shogun in the largest Samurai Temple of the entire country. There, he had learned how to better control his emotions, to let go of his past and how to wield a sword. He had even been given a sword from the vault, this being the same blade he had hanging on his side right now. His sword Saiketsu was something he took pride in as it stood for everything he had gained after he left the village.

Wearing a black coat with a high collar that covered a sleeveless black shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back, black fingerless gloves with steel plates on the back of the hand, black slacks that ran down into a pair of black boots and a violet sash around his waist that had the scabbard of his blade tied into it with the yellow sageo cord, the Uchiha did not stand out much among his fellow shinobi, though he would more than likely stand out among civilians. Since he had left the village, his hair had grown quite a bit to the point where he had to part it to the side so that it would not obscure his vision. His stern and somewhat emotionless dark eyes were a dead giveaway that he was a shinobi, as no eyes were darker than those of the person that had lost everything that was important to them while they could no longer count the amount of people they had killed for a cause, for revenge or simply as a means to survive. Wandering through one of the back roads that went not too far from the border of the southern lightning country, the Uchiha knew about a place that sold great Yakitori and Ramen dishes. The diner had a fine location as it was located in a small canyon that it had been built into. Since the canyon walls themselves granted a lot of shade, most of the people that were not all too familiar with the lightning country might not even see it. To the locals of a small nearby village, the diner was one of the places that got a lot of attention. Had it not been on their way at the time, Hiruzen might not even have known about it's existence at this point. The first time he had been to the place was before they started their big mission to the land of forests as a Genin team.

For him, the small diner had been the one good thing about the mission that got his entire Genin team as well as his father killed. Before he entered, he stood in front of the somewhat old looking building while taking a deep breath. The rush of memories that came back to him was rather overwhelming at first, though it only took him a few seconds to get his act together and enter the diner. After all, the training he had received in the past couple of months had not been for nothing. Sitting down at a table in the far corner and away from any windows, he noticed that aside from another traveler that just paid his bill and left, a waiter and a chef that was probably also the owner, the diner itself was empty. For him, this was great as it allowed him to order his food straight away while the slim amount of people that would still recognize him after two years would most likely not be able to see him unless they entered the building. This was, however, more for their own protection than for his own, seeing as he was quite capable of taking care of himself these days. Living outside of the walls had put him in a state of alertness, especially since he was considered an enemy of the state to a village that had received nothing but help from him. When the waiter came over to his seat, he ordered his favorite dish, a bowl of Shōyu ramen as an appetizer, a plate of Inarisushi, five sticks of Yakitori and a Hijiki salad. When the waiter left his table, Hiruzen remained vigilant, even though his rather laid back body language would not show it. For now, he would just wait for his food to arrive while reading up on a book he had taken with him from the library in the Iron Temple.

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

HUNGER: She was tired. Really damn tired. Not just physically, but mentally as well. It felt like her head was filled with sand and her limbs were almost at the point of creaking every time she moved. After meeting that magician about a week ago, Kirima had spent some more time just wandering around the Lightning Country without any real purpose other than just ... walking around. She hadn't encountered a single person during that week and had been quite satisfied for the time being with sleeping outside on the ground and eating her meager proportions of food; which consisted mostly of bread, cheese, some nuts and water. However the young woman was now nearing her tolerance for this kind of lifestyle. She needed warm, good food - something nutritious that would bump up her energy levels. She craved milk and a nice cushioned chair to sit upon. And strangely enough she found herself also desiring to see other people. These past few days had been a bit lonely after all. Despite her talk with the Konoha lady about the Jinchuurikis and Bijuu - then Kirima still hadn't managed to get in touch with the demon residing within her. Honestly at times, she even wondered if it was still there.

Maybe it can sense my hesitation. Even if I am lonely and wish for someone to talk to, I'm not sure if I want to talk to that demon. I don't really know what to say to Her. But at the same time, She could really help me out with retrieving my memory or at least just give me some hints of things I should know.

So she had at least thought and she had tried a few time to sit down and meditate whilst trying to reach deep within herself.. but to no prevail. There was a major wall of steel that seemed to block the communication. So time could only really tell what would be happening with Kirima and the Nibi.

This particular day, the young woman had been walking as per usual without any real goal or aim. She was not sure if she'd manage to meet anyone she wanted to meet at this point in her life. After the rather dramatic encounter with Gouka she sure as Hell did not fancy meeting anyone else that was from Kumogakure. It was still not even sure if Gouka was right at this moment trying to hunt her down with fellow Kumogakure Shinobi. All the red head could really do was hope that he'd still care enough to leave her be and try his best not to do anything stupid. After all, no matter if they had been good friends in the past; that didn't mean the young Jinchuuriki would just sit down obediently and let herself be captured. She was pretty sure there would be punishment or even death waiting for her in Kumo, and therefore she would fight literally as her life depended on it. Even if her current life didn't seem all that exciting or fulfilling at the moment...

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and sniffed the air. Food? Her small nose twitched slightly as she inhaled deeply before starting to move in the direction of that delicious aroma of cooked, warm, awesome food. She only needed to walk for a few minutes before the diner came to view. It seemed like a pretty nice place, perhaps too nice even as she was sure it'd be popular with the locals. She would have preferred a run down old shack with a single chef where there would be less chances of running into other people.

Oh well. I could just leave or... I could take the chance and go in there.

She shifted, poked the tip of her boot into the ground. Mulled over the possible outcomes and incidents which might occur if she stepped in there. And then, as if on cue, her stomach growled loudly. She -really- did want to go in there. Order a shit ton of food. Eat it like she hadn't eaten anything good in a looong ass time - which was the truth, before she'd disappear from sight again. Truly she raised little attention in her dark brown shorts, black tank top and black coat. The only real thing that would cause people to stare when she had the hood up (as she did now) was the pair of cat ears sewed into the hood which sprung in the air. The coat was tied tightly around her narrow waist, and with a sour expression Kirima noted that she had indeed lost some weight during this travel. Strangely enough she would not rejoice at that like most females would. Simply because of the fact that she knew she had to keep up her strength. One could never know what dangers were lying around, and it was not exactly safe to be travelling alone no matter which country you traveled through.

Sighing softly, she pulled the hood of the coat even further down to her forehead so there would be no sign of her fiery red hair. Then she made sure that underneath the coat, at her right hip, the ninja kit was still hidden; before she walked up to the diner. Before entering it, she paused and listened intently for a few minutes. There were no noises, no loud laughter, no brawling, hardly no conversations. This place did not seem to be busy at this hour.

Well good for me!

She pushed the door open and walked inside. It would seem like she only walked forward without any thought to the surroundings, but truly she had already grasped whatever was going on in that room the moment she had opened the doors. Indeed only the staff was inhabiting the place, except for one other person. A male clad in dark, with black hair whom was sitting alone in a corner of the diner. Kirima did not turn her head his way, but rather moved swiftly and elegantly towards a table was which gave her good view over most of the place; along with her being able to watch that guy from the corner of her eyes if he was someone suspicious. A waiter came over almost immediately as she had sat down.

"What can I offer you, miss?"

She almost started drooling as she looked the menu over.

"I'll have a bowl of shoyu ramen, a serving of takoyaki, the teriyaki wings, a chicken katsu bowl, jou buta bara, green tea and a glass of milk."

At first the waiter had been smiling, however now he looked shocked and even slightly disgusted and in a bit of disbelief. How was that tiny looking female -ever- going to stuff down all that food? And what the heck was up with the glass of milk? However, he knew how to behave while at work, and therefore only plastered on his professional smile before scurrying off with the order. Only then did Kirima truly smile to herself as she waited in great anticipation.

Her gaze was slowly however drawn in the direction of the stranger whom was also in the diner with her. Was he a Shinobi or not? Sticking her tongue partially out of her mouth, the young woman focused intensely on her 'ninja powers' as she liked to call them. Seeing as she still did not remember much of her past despite the last the last two years or so (and that was still shady as fuck for her) she didn't have much control of her ninja skills at all. But she had noticed that she -could- sense people, and so she tried to focus on it now... just to check if she had the skill for it. Sure enough after about 5 minutes, she suddenly felt such an overwhelming feeling omitting from that person sitting in the corner that the Jinchuuriki almost toppled over from her seat.

Yep. Crap. He's a big gun. I better just refrain from looking in his direction from now on.

That would be all fine and dandy, however she lacked any and all finesse... so it was painfully obvious the moment she deliberately started to avoid looking in his direction. And the sheer shock and surprise on her face just seconds ago had also been superbly obvious.

SC:

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

By the time the waiter returned with his bowl of Ramen, he had already seen that another person had entered the diner. While he had not exactly put too much effort into his initial inspection, he had made sure to use his sixth sense in order to tell how much chakra this person had. Normally, he was not exactly all that bothered about how much chakra a person had as most of the stronger people did not bother him, though things had changed a bit now that he was in the land of lightning. This close to his old home, chances were quite high that people might try to bring him in. With his eyes closed, it looked like he was merely relaxing and not worrying about anything, though he was in fact trying his best to read the chakra signature of the new arrival. Something about it did not add up as it seemed much like it was the chakra of something inhuman. That said, Hiruzen had heard people say the same about his own, so that did not not really mean all that much. The only thing that really mattered right now was what this woman was doing here at this time. As things were right now, the entire place was empty and had the feel of a possible arrest. It was not uncommon for the authorities to make sure there were no people around to keep the amount of casualties at a minimum when trying to capture a fugitive. Believing that the time had finally come when the village had grown the balls to come after him and put him down as the bad guy in the story, he got up while taking his bowl of Ramen with him.

Kicking the chair on the other side of the woman's table just hard enough to set it just right for him as he was holding his bowl with both hands, he dropped down in his seat moments before he continued eating with his eyes locked on those of the woman. For most people, this could be considered as awkward, inappropriate or uncomfortable, though the Uchiha did not care all that much. He had trained himself long enough to no longer be bothered by such trivial things. Besides, it would show rather quickly if the woman was planning something now that he was sitting this close to her. Working down the noodles with his chopsticks, the awkward silence held up for over a minute without anything being said.

"Good afternoon miss, how are you on this fine day? The name is Hiruzen, what might I call you?".

With that, he broke the awkward silence and made first contact with the woman that seemed to not really know what to do in this situation that was presented to her by her self-invited dining partner. The fact that he was planning on staying where he was now became all the more clear when the waiter walked over to his old table, only to find that he had moved seats. Placing his food at his new seat, Hiruzen kindly nodded at the man while he finished up the last of his Ramen. As he ate, he thought about what the woman might think about him. Being rather up in her face because he believed that she might attack him at any time, he was usually a lot more quiet and respectful of personal space. Had it been any other situation, he might not even have spoken to her at all and would most likely not have even bothered investigating her rather interesting and unique chakra signature. Knowing that all chakra signatures were unique, he reserved the term for this particular case because it was not like any of the others he had ever seen, and he had seen a lot in his still short lifetime. In a way, it was a little bit like those that used the enlightenment technique to augment and increase their chakra. Though that was an augmentation jutsu, it did not seem like the woman was currently maintaining any kind of Ninjutsu, as signs of that were always rather clear to someone like him. For now, he believed that he could keep her strange chakra and save it as a point of conversation for a later time, if the two had not come to the point of killing one another yet.

Placing the empty bowl on the table, he took a Yakitori stick off of his place and bit off the first piece of spicy chicken meat while he kept his eyes locked on the woman. Finding her red hair rather pretty, he wondered if Kumogakure had now started sending in good looking women as opposed to trained men, or maybe they just reserved those men for when they had to catch a female fugitive. Just like always, he caught himself in the act of greatly overthinking the small things again. It was one of the things that came with his experience and intellect, at least that was what he had been told by his grandfather and one of his teachers when he explained that his overactive brain often kept him up at night. Once the realization hit him about how he had been overthinking Kumogakure's personnel, he believed that he might have also overreacted a bit when he treated this woman as a possible threat and dancing partner. Slowly chewing the piece of meat, one could almost hear the gears grinding in his head as he thought about the possibility that this woman was not sent to capture or kill him. In a way, he would be a little disappointed if he was wrong as he had already set his mind to a good fight after finishing his food. For now, he could only wait and see how things might turn out.

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

IRRITATION: Time ticked slowly away. Too slowly to be honest. There is no torture as overwhelming as the torture of having to wait for food when you were starving to death. Kirima was actually starting to consider nibbling away at the napkins on her table. The ravenous female had thought (and hoped) she'd be left alone inside of such an empty place. She had hoped she would just get her food, be able to eat herself into a food coma, before then simply leaving without any troubles. And then she could blissfully keep on her never ending traveling towards retrieving her damn memory. Alas, she had hoped for too much on this particular day in this particular diner. Maybe the encounter with the magician from Konoha had left her with way too much optimism in her system ...

As she busied herself over watching and observing absolutely nothing on her table, in the feeble attempt of ignoring the dark clad male, Kirima noticed him getting up and then start moving in her direction. Perhaps he just needs to pass me to get to the bathroom or needs to see the waiter or - Her thoughts skidded to halt, then crashed and burned, as the male kicked the chair on the other side of the table before he promptly sat down in front of her with his bowl of ramen. Naturally, that delicious aroma traveled swiftly through the air and into the Jinchuuriki's nose - causing her stomach to rumble loudly. Slowly, ever so slowly, she looked away from that food she wanted to gobble up, and into his very dark eyes. Those almost black orbs belonged to an overly handsome face. A face that under any other circumstances had probably interested her a bit. However this good looking face wasn't welcome at her table right now. And it didn't look very friendly as a matter of fact, which was not good news. Usually she'd just welcome the fact that she wasn't being hit on, but it felt like there was something a bit ... dangerous about this stranger. So if he had no intentions of bothering her with flirtation, then just why had he sat down here?

Just what the heck does he want? If he thinks I'll share my food then he's -really- mistaken.

She squirmed a bit around on her seat, before crossing her arms in front of her chest and then busying herself with looking at just about anything else in the room rather than that rude male. Perhaps if she'd ignore him, he'd just go away. A slim chance, but it was there nonetheless. She noticed him getting some more food, which made the female sort of want to tackle the waiter down and eat him with soy sauce before he'd get the chance to leave again. However she made sure never to look directly at the stranger.

"Good afternoon miss, how are you on this fine day? The name is Hiruzen, what might I call you?".

His sudden speaking interrupted her ignoring session, causing her to turn her two big sapphire colored orbs back to his face. A small scowl was slowly starting to spread over her features as she struggled to understand just what his problem was. He had approached her in an arrogant, 'alpha male' type of a manner, gave her a silent treatment and now wanted to chit chat like nothing was more normal than that? And to make matters even worse, those casual words of his sounded almost like a challenge to her. Kirima's lips parted slightly, but were pressed together again into a thin white line. Her eyebrows were drawn together into a somewhat of a 'w' shape on her forehead as she thought furiously just what to say or do. Just when it seemed like she had pulled together something smart to throw in his face, her eyes were drawn towards the waiter that was approaching with her shit ton of food. Without a word, but a rather offended expression, he placed everything she had ordered down before strutting away again; while throwing a little 'bon apetit' over his shoulder.

The female stared at her mountain of delicacies like a young child would stare at his|her presents on Christmas morning. She couldn't wait to dig in! Feel her stomach fill up with warm and good food! But then she was reminded that there was an intruder sitting at her table. Someone that really ruined her pleasure of this meal time. Sure enough she didn't really mind people in general, but people like him were something that could easily trigger her temper. So she finally found some words to growl out in her usually soft and gentle voice.

"I -was- fine. And I'm not sure why I should feel obligated to introduce myself to someone that's interrupting my meal in such a rude manner. Just why did you come over here? I thought this diner could be big enough for both of us. If you don't think it is, then I suggest you eat outside since I am not leaving my food."

Damn I just sounded like a pouting child didn't I?

The female looked a bit like a carnivorous beast guarding the carcass of an animal it had just finished hunting down, as she dragged the plates closer to herself and gave the stranger in front of her another nasty little glare (again probably taking it to kindergarten level). Her hand grabbed the glass of milk and she looked at him over the brink of that glass like she wanted nothing more than to punch him right in that smug and good looking face of his.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

Interestingly enough, the woman seemed to have just come her for her food, just like he had done. Normally when someone as strong as her walked into a bar where he was also at, she would not have come for the food but to take care of, or so he had thought. As per usual, his mind had been going through too many possibilities when he had taken the liberty of reading her chakra signature and had decided to run with the darkest turn of events possible. Luckily for the both of them, as well as the owner of the diner, the two would most likely not end up fighting one another. Letting things sink in for a moment, his somewhat imposing facial expression disappeared to make place for a mostly relaxed one. As a sensor ninja, he could usually tell when someone was lying to him or trying to hide something as the subtle shifts in their chakra would give it away. Right now however, the only thing he could really sense was a somewhat aggressive vibe, though that did not require one to be a sensor. The way in which she spoke along with the rather nasty look she was giving him was enough for even the worst interpreter to figure out that she most likely just wanted to punch him straight in the kisser. Wondering if he could figure out more about her if he was just a slightly bigger prick, he decided to just discuss her unwillingness at sharing her name with him.

"My my, aren't you being all grumpy. There are only two of us in this place, so the least thing you could do is share your name with me. Actually, I think you're being a bit rude not to introduce yourself to a dining partner. You lack table manners missy.".

While he was mostly joking about what he said because he had more or less introduced himself by just dropping down at her table, he figured that it would be funny to see how she would respond to him in this case. He had already ticked her off by approaching and treating her like he did with everyone he suspected of being a spy or a member of the KYOBU, mostly because he really had nothing to fear from any of these people. In his opinion, there really was not anything strong enough to defeat him after all the rough and rigorous training he had undergone throughout his life, not without walking out alive anyway. Bringing his Yakitori stick to his mouth and taking another bite of the spicy chicken, he just looked on to see if his words sparked up any further hostility towards him. In truth, Hiruzen was not a bad person as he had already allowed one dangerous person to continue living by taking him into custody and claiming the bounty on his head while allowing yet another to walk away after he had challenged the Uchiha to a fight. Had he been a real prick, he would have just killed them both to make sure he would not be troubled by them again in the future. Believing that he had been annoying enough for the time being, it was time for him to explain why he had been treating her so poorly, believing he at least owed her that much.

"In any case, I apologize for my earlier manners, I sensed your chakra and figured that you were one of those trackers from the Hidden Cloud village. I don't really like those guys, being all sneaky while they watch you when you go to the bathroom. Regardless, when I sensed your chakra signature, I thought you were one of those jerks that couldn't let things go. Besides, i've not been in the village for almost two years, so you'd think they would have other things they'd prioritize.".

Now that the metaphorical cat was out of the bag, the woman would at least have some insight as to why he had been behaving the way he did earlier. In doing so, there was a chance that she might believe that he was a wanted fugitive because he was wanted for murder or other acts against the country. Truly, the only thing he had truly been guilty of was burning down his own home and taking down a dangerous group of people against the orders he had been given stating otherwise. His acts had been for the good of the country and his village, as well as for the people that had lost their lives so that Hiruzen could continue with his own. Believing that he had paid off his debt to his old friends by defending the village when the village really did not want his help and actually scolded him for it, the Uchiha had bought his freedom with the lives of those that threatened to tear the entire lightning country apart at it's seat of power, the Hidden Cloud. He had expected people to lose faith in him after he had gone against orders and took down people that seemed like civilians in the eyes of others, but the fact that people treated him as an outcast had been hurtful enough for him to become what the people treated him like. While it would take a while for him to explain things to the woman in case she'd ask, he would not really mind sharing some parts of his story.

"Don't worry about it though, i've only killed people that had it coming, so you don't have to worry about me using this big sword to stab you under the cover of the table, you've got my word on that.".

In spite of all the innuendo, he decided that it was still the best way to make her feel more at ease. Hiruzen really did not have anything that was worth more than his honor, so when he gave someone his word on something, he was not going to come back on it and risk destroying his honor. As a wandering shinobi, honor was really the only thing that he had left. His training under the Shogun in the Iron Temple had taught him just how much ones honor was truly worth in a world that had all but forgotten what it truly meant to have it. Most shinobi traded in their honor for the sake of their village, killing people without even really knowing why they did it aside from the information they were being given on their mission documents. As someone who had become as much a rogue ninja monk as he was a samurai, he no longer believed in a system set up by shinobi for other shinobi. In a way, his lack of faith in the system and the people leading it from a young age could really not have done anything but draw him away from the village onto a different path. Working down some of his Hijiki salad, he was excited to see how the woman would react to him. If she was to be quick on pulling the trigger, there was a chance that she might attack him even before he had gotten the chance to apologize, at which point he would have at least gotten his earlier wish granted. Only time could tell what would happen next.

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

CONFUSION: In response to his words, the female simply rolled her eyes dramatically before stuffing her mouth full of food. Eating seemed like a better and more mature way of handling this, rather than sticking her tongue out at him like she -really- wanted to. Kirima had no intention of talking to that asshole and she wanted to make it very clear that he was in no way welcome at her table. There would be no encouraging his behavior. His presence was doing nothing but spoil the taste of the long awaited food she had been craving for, and that alone was enough to make her feel like grabbing one of those wooden chairs in there and hitting him over the head with it. However, before any chairs would be broken on any heads, that male's next words certainly managed to catch the full of her attention and cause Kirima to stop chewing loudly for just a moment as she looked with curiosity at the dark haired stranger sitting at her table.

"In any case, I apologize for my earlier manners, I sensed your chakra and figured that you were one of those trackers from the Hidden Cloud village. I don't really like those guys, being all sneaky while they watch you when you go to the bathroom. Regardless, when I sensed your chakra signature, I thought you were one of those jerks that couldn't let things go. Besides, i've not been in the village for almost two years, so you'd think they would have other things they'd prioritize."

She blinked slowly, trying to take in his words and make some sense of them. Then the next move was to swallow everything in her mouth before she'd speak out with a slightly softer voice than before.

"Wait, so you thought I was a tracker? Coming after you? I didn't realize ninjas looked as ... unprofessional as I do at the moment. And also, I can assure you I have not followed you or anyone else to the bathroom. So do not even think about bringing something like that up again."

Her tone was at the brink of making her sound slightly offended that he would even suggest such a thing. However that tone of hers was quickly exchanged for a light chuckle as that male was seemingly starting to amuse Kirima. Despite his first appearance and how he had really annoyed her, it seemed like he was the type of a person that she could warm up to. If he was telling the truth, it meant he was very honest. And honesty was something Kirima liked a great deal.

"So, you decided if I was one of those -jerks- then the best thing to do would be to spoil my meal? Aren't you a peculiar one."

So who is he exactly? It sounds a lot like he's in the same position as I am. But... how and why? I'm not sure if I should buy his story that easily. I mean, just about everybody out there are good at lying. So... do I just need to try and trust this stranger?

His next words of 'warning' and 'sort-of-promise' that he would not hurt her with his big sword, caused a slightly playful yet dangerous glint to appear within her sapphire colored eyes.

"Well that's mighty kind of you. In return for you not poking me with that over sized butter knife of yours, I wont turn you into a human fireball."

Kirima wasn't sure where she was getting this confidence from. Just yesterday it had seemed like she was nothing but a quivering, frightened kitten. But with a smug smile, that of a true feline creature, she licked her fingers and looked him over again. Now that he was a bit friendlier, he seemed like he could perhaps make a nice guest at her table. -Perhaps- being the keyword. After a short moment of thinking things over, she decided to just go ahead and be honest as well. After all, they were already confronting each other. Either they would be fighting in a matter of minutes or they would just be enjoying a nice meal together. Either way, Kirima was tired of sneaking around in the shadows while trying to hide herself from the whole world.

"I actually suspected the same thing from you, to be frank. I wasn't sure if you were a shady person out here to get me. It's been a while since I was last in this country, and I don't think I'm the most welcomed guest around here."

Even when she said it so casually and with that small, smug smile on her lips; there was no denying the darkness and hurt in her eyes. Those eyes of hers always reflected what she felt deep down inside, as Kirima had never been a person of a good poker face.

"Now I just wonder if we are both telling the truth, or if this is perhaps after all a trap. Are you willing to take my words that I'm not going to do anything unwanted to you, and I will then do the same? After all, I'd really rather just enjoy this first warm meal in a week I've had rather than tumbling around with you on this dirty looking floor."

With her long fingers, she picked up a piece of teriyaki wing before nibbling on it while watching that dark eyed, way-too-pretty guy in front of her. Was this going to be a meeting like she had with that magician from Konoha? Or was she already out of all luck on this long journey of hers?

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

Being able to tell that she was feeling a bit conflicted about the spying on people in the bathroom thing, he wondered if she understood that he was merely joking or not. To him, life itself had become somewhat of a joke. He had been given the chance to be with people who were like him, shinobi that were skilled beyond their own age, only to have everyone but him die in a skirmish with the Prajñã organization. Having his abusive father see the error of his ways and clean up his act, only to die in that same fight. Being put down as one of the most promising shinobi in the village, only to find out that everything had been for the sake of turning him into a mindless drone tasked with protecting the hive from any and all threats. Being born into a clan known all over the world for their elite level of skill that outshone that of other clans, only to be hated by the civilians he was tasked with protecting because his clan had more funds than them. While it was not a funny joke at all, Hiruzen had trouble believing that his life could have possibly turned out any different. He had been made to believe that he could better his life and make the world a better place so many times that he no longer believed that there was still such a thing as changing the world they lived in through conventional means.

People always wanted more, which was why he had been through so much in so little time. That was why he believed that his life was nothing more than a cruel joke, treating him like a toy that could be set up before it was struck down again. When a grin appeared on his face, he worked down the remnants of his salad to more or less eat away the rather infuriating memories of the past. Focusing on his breathing while he ate, he used the techniques he had learned in the lightning and iron temples that could cool down his temper whenever he felt like he was getting angry. Luckily for him, the woman finally started talking to him after she had more or less been ignoring him to the best of her abilities, adding further distractions to keep him from thinking about his past and how it made him want to utterly crush the place he had originated from. Joking around a bit like he had done only moments ago, he could tell that the uncomfortable air that was hanging around them was starting to slowly disappear. Letting it slip that she possessed the fire element when she told him that she would not turn him into a human fireball if he refrained from harming her with his "overgrown butter knife", he had at least figured out something about her, aside from the fact that she had abnormal levels of chakra.

It was however not until she told him that she was in fact suspecting him of being a spy that he actually started enjoying the situation. It meant that she had been careful about her business, or had at least tried to be because she also had something that made her wanted by the Hidden Cloud. Pondering on what that something might be, she again spoke up about how she was hoping that they were both telling one another the truth, implying that she might well have been lying to him while also making it known that she did not entirely trust what he had told her up to this point. Aside from bringing up that she would rather be eating her food while it was still warm over fighting him on a dirty floor, he could agree with her about how they should probably trust one another. That was however only because the young man enjoyed fighting powerful opponents to see just how good he really was and how strong his opponents were. That was when he had an idea. If he could make her trust him by telling her a thing or two about his past and why he had chosen the life of a wanderer, she could just sit back and listen to him. Without asking if she was even remotely interested in his story, he just started telling the tale of his youth.

"I grew up in the Hidden Cloud village as a member of the prestigious Uchiha clan. My mother died when I was born and my father blamed me for it. Since he neglected to look after me, I usually spent time outside of the village. You can imagine that such a thing tends to mess with your head when you're that young. When my father became less verbal and more physical about his actions, my uncle and grandfather stepped up for my sake and set him straight. Thanks to their constant supervision, both me and my father had the chance to better ourselves.".

Taking a moment to let the part of his early life sink in, he worked down a bit more of his Yakitori now that they were still hot. Chicken was ruined once it got colder and the juiciness made way for a more sturdy texture. With his sensory ability still quite active, he made sure that no one would be able to approach the building without him knowing it. After all, he was telling a story to his dining partner, not to every single person that wandered into the building.

"When I had an actual home to return to, I stopped slacking off in school and made attempts at improving myself so my mother could have been proud of me. Over the years, I graduated, became a Genin and was put in a group with the other advanced students. I lost my faith in the village when my group was sent on a mission to retrieve a scroll from the land of forests. Because we did not have all of the information, we ran into a group of trained assassins. I won't go into too much detail, but I was one of three people to survive, my sensei, two of my bests friends and my father not being among them.".

Continuing to tell the story of the mission he had been on that had changed his life from one that had been starting to get more bright to a far darker one, he left out the fact that his uncle and his friend Hakumei were the other two survivors. He had done so because sharing that information was not at all beneficial to her because Hakumei had taken her own life three years ago due to not being able to live with the fact that others had died to see to their well being. His uncle had perished very recently when he was looking into something regarding the mudfolk that were becoming more active. Though he had severed his ties with his family and his village, he still made an attempt at catching any bit of information about them whenever he could.

"Though the village was technically succesfull due to the retrieved scroll being delivered back to the village, no one in the village thanked us due to it being a classified mission. It was however enough for the Raikage to take an interest in my case and even train me by sparring with me. He called me the most promising shinobi in the village, though I realized in later years that they were just molding me into becoming a weapon to be wielded by the village. When they refused to further train me unless they were one hundred percent certain that I would make the village my main interest, I decided to leave and train myself. That is really all there is to tell about my background, so if you feel like the story I told you is not the truth, there is nothing I can do to change that.".

Now that he had told her the summarized story about his early days as an academy student, his days as a Genin, the death of his closest friends and relatives, the way his village treated him as a drone and finally the reason as to why he had become a wanderer, it was entirely up to the nameless woman to decide whether she wanted to trust him. He had done whatever he could to make sure that he was the kind of person that could be trusted by going as far as telling her his real name as opposed to just another alias and letting her hear every semi-important part of his past. In a way, he more or less expected her to do the same thing for him, to tell him about her past so that he could decide on whether or not she could be trusted or not. For now, he just stuck to finishing up his food before it got cold while awaiting her reply.

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

It can never go worse than badly: Just when Kirima was starting to think that this stranger wasn't all that crazy or too weird, he seemed on the verge of proving her wrong. Out of all the things he could have started talking about; the red haired Jinchuuriki had never expected it to be a story of his youth. But instead of commenting on that with some dry, sarcastic remark, she just continued eating while keeping her ears open to whatever it was he had to say. She had probably known something about that Uchiha clan in her 'former' life, but he could have just as easily told her that he was of a famous mushroom-growing clan. The name 'Uchiha' rang absolutely no bells. Truth be told, she was afraid that all the 'bells to be rung' had vanished from her head after the accident. She could still only remember the very vague scenery of that cave Gouka had talked about, and she could just barely remember a young boy around her own age with hazel eyes and a kind smile. And every time that smile would enter her mind, a stabbing pain in her heart almost caused her to feel nauseous.

She however did not make any comments about what she knew or didn't know. Instead she simply kept attacking the food without changing her expression or doing much more than occasionally glancing at the Uchiha male. If what he said was true, it sounded like he had had a rather shitty childhood. It actually made the young female feel rather angry when she heard about how his father had acted. Despite not knowing herself or her 'normal' tendencies, Kirima had come to know during this last short month that she was a creature of empathy. Atsu had filled her in on the fact that she had never killed anyone and never wanted to, and he had also told her that she had always shown compassion towards those around her... even when she had to battle with a great deal of temperamental problems at the same time.

When he started sharing the information about his mission, Kirima's hands stilled and she stopped chewing for just a moment. Now this part was something she could relate a bit to. At least according to the latest information she had gathered about herself. An unsuccessful mission filled with death and dread. A mission that was probably a huge part of why she had decided to leave her village. Silently, she turned her eyes to the male as he was speaking, and she studied him as his lips kept moving and words were flowing out. If indeed he was telling the truth, they were more alike than they would have ever guessed.

Now as he came to the part of being 'the weapon for the village', there was no way for Kirima to stop herself from literally gawking at him. Is he pulling my leg here? Does he actually know who I am and is just making fun of me? This all sounds way too familiar to what I have come to learn about myself. As she started to think that, doubt and anger started piling up within her mind. And it was very clear for whomever to notice the moment she started doubting him and his purpose in that restaurant, because the female had by now completely stopped paying any attention to her food, but instead stared at the male sitting in front of her with something that seemed to be bordering malice and suspicion.

Within her mind, she was starting to plan on what the best way of escaping would be. This place wasn't too big, and it had some windows to jump through. There was also probably another door at the back. As she thought that over, she kept staring with a guarded look at the man. Her whole body had tensed up, her almond shaped eyes were narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin white line. She tried to see if his eyes reflected anything of suspicion. If he was laughing at her within himself. Playing and toying with her.

"So you are certain you are not here to hunt me down?"

Her previously soft voice had been turned down into something resembling a growl. Is Gouka waiting around here somewhere perhaps? Is this guy supposed to make me feel less guarded and more vulnerable?

"Because your story just seems to be hitting home way too easily. Don't try to tell me you've never heard of the missing Jinchuuriki of Kumogakure. A female with fiery red hair. How she lost the person she loved on a mission and almost lost her best friend during that same one. How nobody could quite look her in the eyes after that mission. Or how she was always considered as nothing more than a weapon and a threat in general. And how she simply disappeared shortly after that mess of a mission."

Her voice shook slightly from the emotional strain those words brought to her. She wanted to believe him, wanted to think that this guy would be just like the Konoha magician; yet Kirima felt like that would only be wishful thinking at this point. Depending on that Uchiha's next words or actions, she would either attack or run. She needed first to see if there would be a sadistic smile covering his face or surprise at her words.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

For a while, the nameless woman sitting in front of him was just sitting around eating her food while listening to what he had to say to her. During that time, Hiruzen could tell that she believed the story he was telling her about himself. That was when all of a sudden, her expression seemed to change back to the one she had back when he first sat down at her table, one of disbelief and faint but growing anger. For a moment, he wondered what had brought about these sudden changes, though he did not need to wait all that long before she let him knew exactly what her problem was. After asking him if he was certain about not being here to hunt her down, she made it known that Hiruzen's story hit home way too easily. Feeling a little bit confused about what she was implying with that, by the end of her story, Hiruzen knew that she was pretty much calling him a liar. Bringing up the case of a missing female Jinchuuriki with fiery red hair, Hiruzen did not need any further hints as to who she truly was and what the reason for her abnormal chakra levels was. The nameless woman in front of him was a vessel for a Bijuu, one of the nine primordial demons made up entirely of chakra.

Hiruzen had heard stories about these creatures that were supposedly strong enough to win a war on their own and had unique powers that they gave to the person they were sealed in either voluntarily or involuntarily. Truth be told, he did not know enough about the Bijuu or about the process that turned a person into a Jinchuuriki to know what made them tick, though one thing became all to clear to him. Almost dropping his last Yakitori stick onto the table from the sheer excitement of meeting a shinobi that had one of the strongest beings in the galaxy sealed away inside of her, he knew that he wanted to fight her and see what she was capable of. More than that, he wanted to know whether or not that which she was capable of would be enough to best Hiruzen in combat. Not even trying to hide his excitement, there was nothing he loved more than the thrill of battle. All the while listening to her story, she stated that she lost the person she loved while away on a mission and almost lost best friend too. Continuing by telling him that she had been seen only as a possible threat and a weapon in the village before she eventually just disappeared, he could not help but think of how very similar her story was to his own.

"I'll be honest with you, now that I know that you are a Jinchuuriki, there is nothing I want more at this moment than to see just how strong you are. I've never seen a Jinchuuriki before, and compared to the trash I have been butting heads with in the past months, it would be a great change of pace to try my luck against one of the nine tailed beasts. That said, I am not here to take you back to that hole of a village.".

Sharing his thoughts and feelings on the matter with her without a second thought or any lies, he had no reason not to be honest with her or straight up lie to her at all. To him, there would be no better waste of time than to fight her, one weapon against the other. After all, they had both been viewed us such for a good amount of time, so there was no reason not to embrace the fact that people feared what they were capable of. Still, there was something about the way in which she told him her story that was slightly off. It sounded like she was telling it from this angle for a reason, not just because she wanted it to make an impact on him. She told her tale almost like one person would about another, like she had not experienced it personally but had just heard about it from someone else. While he had heard stories from his kinsmen about how a Bijuu could take over their host and go on a rampage, there had never been any stories about a Bijuu going out of control and killing people in the village without the recollection of the Jinchuuriki, so that could not possibly be it either. Whatever it was, he was certain that he would figure it out at a later point in time. For now, he wanted to make sure that he was not a threat to her freedom and that he had nothing to gain from lying.

"I have no reason to lie to you, I am far too strong to lower myself to the level of those ants that need to lie in order to survive. If I want something done, I will let it be known without dancing around the subject. It is exactly as I said before, whether you want to believe me or not is entirely up to you.".

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

It can never go worse than badly: Excitement was not the emotion Kirima had been expecting to see upon his face. And she certainly had not expected him to almost ask her to fight him. It seemed like that male was a powerful one, and probably a bored one. So now when he came across someone like Kirima, he probably thought his boredom problems were over since he could try out his skills against her in a combat. ...A scenery that she wanted to avoid at all costs, seeing her crippled mental state. His words however, caused her to almost immediately drop the thoughts and feelings of suspicion and anger. Strange as it was, she just couldn't even imagine that he was lying at this point. And if he was -that- good of a liar, then he certainly deserved her head on a platter.

The food was almost all gone down, but she didn't start eating again. She felt .. full-ish, but too many things were really going around for her to feel like keep eating. (And that was a rare rare -rare- thing).

"Okay. I believe you. I however can't really believe that I've shared this much with a complete stranger .. again."

The last word was muttered so low that it would be almost impossible to notice.

"Well I should warn you then. I met a guy not long ago, someone whom supposedly was a friend of mine in Kumogakure. My ... friend from that mission." Her pearly white teeth bit lightly on her lower lip as she thought with regret back to that encounter, before she'd continue speaking. "He's a Kyobu guy now or whatever it was he said. Seemed rather set on the fact that he was supposed to be hunting me down. He however decided for old times sake to let me go... but I can't really reassure me nor you that he's not on my trail as we speak with half of the village with him. I'd rather not have anyone get involved in my messed up situation."

She really -was- way too nice. Not only somewhat bonding with a stranger but also warning him so that he could get away without being captured. Maybe it was for the best that she'd never remember again about her life as a ninja. Maybe she really wasn't cut out for this. She could always just travel to some isolated island and start growing vegetables and get a lot of cats...

"I just want to make clear that I did not do anything wrong, as far as I know. They just want me back because of whom... or what I am. Which honestly I think is rather unfair. I should be able to just live my life. I haven't done anything wrong to anyone. I... think."

Her hand went up to her temple where the now slightly faint pink scar still marred her skin. The young female traced the outlines of that scare with her fingertips before she'd softly and slowly start rubbing her temple. She probably sounded like a crazy person at the moment, and thus wondered if perhaps she should offer that guy some explanation to her weird wording. At least that might help to make him -not- attack her. He seemed way too eager for a spar for her liking. If he really was as strong as he claimed to be, he'd probably turn her into a paté before she could blink. Even if the idea of her, being unable to control her powers, accidentally burning his face away scared the woman more. Another day perhaps ... If we ever meet again after this encounter.

"Before you slap me with a glove and challenge me to a duel in your overly excited state, let me just explain that I have no recollection of my life as a ninja. I had an accident just about a month ago, got a nasty head injury and lost my memories. So I have no idea what I can or can't do. I don't know anything about how Chakra or whatever its called works. I haven't been able to communicate with ... the one inside of me at all. I'm like a weak little kitten."

Her annoyance over her helpless state was very clear within the tone of her voice. Impatient, anger and bitterness were also not far away as they were greatly reflected within her words. Anyone would feel annoyed at being stuck in such a state, especially if that person was someone whom was used to wielding a great deal of power. Despite not remember that time in her life, she still could only imagine how different she had been from how she was today. The only word she could really use to describe her current state was: 'Pathetic'.

"I came back here to try and see if I could remember anything. But I can't. I panic. My head feels like it will explode. I only get these tiny images before my body feels like it might break down. So I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think I'm anyone you'd want to fight at the moment. I'm just a scared.. helpless coward whom hurt an old friend."

Her lower lip started trembling and so Kirima stopped talking and focused on holding the tears at bay. She really did -not- want to cry in front of that stranger, but man was she getting close to her limit. This past month had been such a roller coaster of emotions and incidents. What she wanted to do was just to curl up in a ball somewhere and sleep until her memories would come back. Yet there was no denying the fact that no matter if her memories came back, the people she had lost would not be coming back to her.

How depressing ...

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

The more he listened to her speak, the more he could relate to her problems. It was not that Hiruzen was the greatest empath, especially not after all of the things that had taught him not to feel bad for humanity, but because her problems were so very similar to her own. The fact that she came from Kumogakure and faced the exact same problems as him made him let go off every bit of blame he had aimed at himself. That said, he did not suffer from any head trauma that made him forget parts of himself or his past. For a good amount of time, he believed that he had overreacted when he left the way he did, though the nameless woman made him see that he was not the one who was in the wrong after all. Even though he had chosen the life of a shinobi, it was a job performed for the sake of protecting one's family and friends, not to be treated as an object used for the sake of winning battles. Now that he had freed himself from the shackles of the village and became his own man, his powers had been allowed to grow much more than they ever would have within the confines of a village. Thanks to his free state, he could go everywhere he wanted and do whatever he wanted to do.

Because of it, he had been able to learn how to control Hermit chakra, create powerful techniques, study ancient ruins, texts, religions and languages. He had been able to master the use of chakra beyond what any mortal man would ever be capable of and even managed to push his mastery over the Sharingan, the ocular power that had been fed so much hate during his life as a shinobi in the Hidden Cloud that it had achieved the third tomoe by the time he became seventeen. When he thought about all of the things he had achieved in his life, his urge to fight the thus-far unnamed Jinchuuriki simmered down quite a bit. There would be no real fun in fighting someone that could barely remember who she was and in doing so would be nowhere near her peak. As the urge to fight her started dying down, he felt more inclined to turn his attention to something else, or rather, someone else. Hearing about how her former friend, a member of the KYOBU, might be on her trail, he became a lot more willing to stay in the country. If some shinobi from the Hidden Cloud believed that he had the right to take either one of them back to the village, he was gravely mistaken.

"Well.... there is no fun in fighting someone that forgot how to use half of her arsenal and lost her connection to her inner demon. I guess i'll hold off on slapping you across the face with a glove at least long enough until you've gotten back what you lost. As for this KYOBU person, I think he'd do well not to get too close if he does not want to get more than he bargained for. He may have been your friend, but he is no relative of mine. If he would try to take away my freedom by dragging me back to that village, he won't see his village again.".

As he let her know that he did not want to fight someone that did not have full access to all of her powers, Hiruzen put the empty plates and bowls on an empty table next to their own to create some space. Doing so as a means of venting a bit of the aggression he felt towards the person that might try to take away his freedom, he did not really care all that much about how the woman sitting on the other side of the table might react to it. After all, he had supposedly threatened to take away her freedom too by more or less cutting the ties of friendship that had once bound them. Trying to put his active mind to better use, he tried to think of ways in which he could help her. With the village still on his mind, he remembered that he could pull out things he wanted to know about her out of her mind through hypnosis. More than that, he knew that his eyes had the ability to tame and control the nine tailed beasts, even though he had never really had the chance to try out such abilities. If he was to use his hypnosis and the Bijuu controlling power of his Sharingan, there was a good chance that he could restore her connection with her former self and her Bijuu.

Being quite proud of his abilities, he knew that he would not be overselling his abilities if he offered to help her out by such means. Though he was not really sure how she would respond to him offering to poke around inside of her head, it would be a great opportunity to see just how much his Sharingan had grown in the past three years. More so, it would be a great chance for him to meet an actual Bijuu and see if the rumors and legends told about them were remotely true. Getting more excited now that the chance presented itself for him to not only tests his powers but to also meet a demon and possibly fight a Jinchuuriki and a group of shinobi from the Hidden Cloud that might try to capture her as well as him because of who they were, his stomach started acting up a bit. Knowing that he could still eat quite a bit more, he would hold off on stuffing his face for a while. There were more important things than food presenting themselves to him that deserved their full attention. Seeing as how the woman seemingly had no idea of who the Uchiha were, he figured that it would be a good thing to freshen up her memory on the subject.

"You know, the Uchiha clan goes back many hundreds of years to a time long before the era of warring states and the time in which the hidden villages were built. Ancient tablets and texts state that we are one of several clans that descended from a living god that lived during the dawn of humanity and the first documented cases of chakra. To be more precise, the clan I hail from has several powers that go beyond your basic bloodline limit. Some say that our powers are divine while others would call them demonic in nature. As far as I know, we are one of two clans that are capable of controlling the tailed beasts, just like our ancestor from ancient times could.".

Letting his words sink in for a while, he did not know exactly how much she could actually remember and how much she had lost. As such, it seemed like the wise thing to break things down as much as possible without really naming everything in terms that might sound foreign to her. After all, if he told her a story that she could not understand, he would just be wasting both of their time. Explaining a bit about the Rikudo sennin and the time when chakra first came into existence through an unknown event, he eased her into the fact that there were several ancient clans that were believed to have descended from him. Going into further detail about his own clan and how some believed their powers were monstrous in nature just like Mana had more or less called it at some time, others believed them to be nothing short from divine. It was justified in both cases as it was a power that sprung forth due to a loss of love and the birth of intense hatred, bringing about a special type of chakra in their brain that awakened the Sharingan, in turn allowing them to do inhuman things. Knowing that the term "Inhuman" was rather vague in a world with so many different kinds of bloodlines, he believed that it was fair in the case of the Uchiha.

"Now, this power I told you about is called the Sharingan. It is a powerful Doujutsu, an ocular power that allows us to do a great deal of things including but not limited to copying techniques, casting immensely powerful Genjutsu, hypnosis and the controlling of Bijuu. If you want, there is a place nearby that is probably the safest place in the entire continent, I know because I made it myself. It is hidden beneath the ground in a rather unpopular region of the lightning country. If you want to get back in touch with the person you once were and the Tailed Beast that is inside of you, I can help you. That is, if you trust me enough to take a stroll through that head of yours.".

With that, there was really nothing more that he had to tell her about his powers. If she was willing to let him do his thing and pull back the memories she had lost, chances were that she had plenty of information on his clan and their powers among the memories she could no longer gain access to. From his point of view, the whole thing would be a whole lot of fun, though he felt like the woman would most likely not agree to have him help her. It was to be expected when someone offered to take someone to an unknown underground bunker where he would use his hypnotic powers on her to look through her brain to find her lost memories and reconnect them all like a broken circuit-board before going on to find a demonic entity hiding inside of her. Right now, it all came down to just how much she trusted him as that was what would determine whether he would get to meet a Bijuu and if he would get to fight her at full power or not.