Rocking back and forth on the wooden chair that he was currently sat on in the middle of the small cafe, he had been keeping himself entertained within the Moon Country's ninja village while waiting in boredom for the tournament to start. Quite a few days have passed since his arrival at the exotic country, there was an obvious difference between this place and home. For instance, the toilets were far smaller then those he was used to which ended up making it quite a challenge whenever trying to excrete a certain mess. He had always hated using the bog when abroad, but it was something that couldn't be ignored. Another difference was the wildlife that grew across the vast yet limited lands of the Moon Country, the flowers and the trees were far more bright and colourful which simply made the scene that bit more encouraging to look at. The villagers here were also incredibly friendly, many strangers had given him warming smiles and welcoming gestures, yet he couldn't quite place his finger on whether this was all an act for the grand tournament or if these people were genuinely kind all the time. If the lavatory issue was fixed then this island would certainly become an ideal place to retire to when giving up on the ninja career, that's if he would ever give up on his career. Bringing himself back to the current situation, he now sat on the padded chairs awaiting for the arrival of his cup of mecha tea.

After some considerable amount of time, the Uchiha stopped his constant rocking motion and pouted as his boredom grew even more. The village was a wonderful place admittedly, yet the content did not seem to offer a wide range of activities that someone his age could partake in. He was quite amazed that the village actually had a fully functioning ninja academy, as some of the kids and teenagers must've grown more irritated then Kojin. It was quite a small island after all and he couldn't imagine there being that much crime that ninja would have to get involved, he also couldn't bring himself to believe that other countries required the tsuki ninja help. There was thing for sure though, the service within the cafe sure needed a work up. It was as if the staff weren't doing the jobs here and instead just stood around chatting. The nerve of some people. It was as if he'd actually have to get up himself and tell the staff what they needed to do, he restrained himself from doing so though for he was much happier to not bug people then to start a possible argument. Eventually though an employee found their way over to the centre of the room, where the Konohagakure shinobi was sat. Apologizing for the delay on the 'coffee', she placed a medium - sized mug with the companies logo around the side in front of Kojin. Taking the rich green liquid - filled mug, he began to sip away at the steaming hot beverage that was correctly classified as a tea.

Wasting his time away at a small cuisine such as this wouldn't be expected of the shinobi, since he wasn't at home though his regular day didn't apply at the beautiful island. Instead it seemed he was killing time away while watching the clocks slowly tick their way to the next day and the day after that, until it finally reached the opening of the divine tournament. It was true that he could be wisely spending this time by training, practicing his battle routines or possibly even just meditating, but when you had all day to work on such things you found spaces in between that needed filling up and having a cup of tea seemed to do so nicely. The spectacular tastes seemed to overwhelm his still - learning taste buds, in fact it seemed that the drink he had been served that day had a much more finer taste to it then previous teas served. He was thoroughly enjoying the now warm drink and would soon be finished drinking it and off to his next session of training. He seemed to be looking for something to distract him though, something or someone who could make him think twice about leaving the scene and stay for a bit longer. Yet with no one else around, it didn't appear as if this would happen.

Taking the greatest advantage he had in the current situation he was in, he took his last slurp of the mecha tea, noticing a small trace of tea leaves being left behind in the mug. He was quite satisfied with that drink, there were only a handful of people who actually seemed to make a decent tea, let alone make one that Kojin was satisfied with. Not even his home village could create such an empowering beverage as that, the young genin better make the most of it before he left. Still holding the mug firmly within his right hand, he clung onto it purely for the warmth that it seemed to offer around his hand. It was always a comfortable sensation holding such an object at such a temperature, it even brought back memories of when he would enjoy afternoon outings with his family at the local cafe in Konoha. How he missed being able to simply sit down with his family without being interrupted by their careers. While reminiscing about the past, he was soon interrupted by some unhappy customer. He wasn't aware as to what had happened but all he was able to view was another one of the employees bringing over a bowl of food and a drink to accompany this. He was quite appalled by the mans behavior, did he believe he ran the place or something?

Darting his eyes over to the source of all the commotion, he was quite bewildered to discover it was a tramp at first. However, upon further inspection he was able to distinguish the clothing apart from one another, as at first sight it all seemed like rags clashing together. With his eyes focused on the oddly clothed man, he couldn't help but wonder if was in fact a shinobi. The man didn't seem blend with the crowd at all, the material and colours he used were something quite out of this world. His curiosity only grew further as he began wolfing down his food yet drank the unknown liquid at a snails pace. Indeed this person was an odd one in Kojin's eyes, any normal person would ignore them and walk away but the curious mind of the Uchiha was far too strong to simply leave this man in his peace. He wished to approach him, ask him questions, discover who he really was and what he was doing here. Here being a country full of sunshine and glee, yet the man coated himself in darkness and gloom. All other senses were trying to hold him back from introducing himself to the man, but when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. With his courage and determination building up inside of him, he finally allowed it to take control of his following actions.

Casually lowering his right hand so that the mug would lay itself flat on the table, his grip soon left as well as both hands now spread themselves against the table in order to support the shinobi's weight. With ease, he was able to stand, his eyes still maintaining visual on the man that he was about to meet. With his belt in full sight, his modified head protector would glimmer against the lights reflections, hoping to make himself noticed by the stranger. As he strolled over to the opposite table, he reached for the furtherest chair to then pull it out with great care. The strong wood work was clutched by his right hand as he continued to retrieve at an almost incredibly slow rate. Finally yanking the chair out of it's position, he stared blankly at the man before he began to introduce himself.

Listening to every word the still unknown man had to say, it seemed very few words actually exited his mouth, in fact he only gave six words to Kojin. Although in this case quantity did not matter, for what he had said to him only raised his curiosity to a point that he did not believe could be reached. Kirigakure, a village famed for it's secrecy and also because it was actually hidden behind a thick coat of mist, much like the gentlemen but instead he seemed to wear a thick trench coat. His mother and father had mentioned the village in the past, how they had such an enjoyable experience on the many islands they toured across the Water Country. Though they weren't a particular fan to the ways in which they brought up children, it was still overall a friendly environment, unlike other villages who only seem to offer a hostile one. At one point in his life, the Uchiha had wanted to visit Kirigakure, purely because of it's water - based techniques. If he was ever going to master another element besides fire, it seemed like an appropriate idea to do it where the masters of the element are born. Unfortunately though, due to the relations between all of the villages changing over the smallest cause, it would prove a difficult task for Kojin to actually manage to enter the village without disturbing some of the locals. It was best that he simply stuck to his training within Konohagakure.

Reminding himself of what else the once - Kirigakure shinobi had to say, he was quite confused by what he meant when stating he used to belong to the village. Different people could read this in different ways, yet for some reason the growing Konohagakure ninja read it in multiple ways. The first thought that came to mind that he had already retired as a ninja from the village, yet this would prove to be most unlikely as both seemed to appear at around the same age. Plus, if he was in retirement, what was he doing walking around in clothing such as that, one didn't require eagle - eyes to spot him out of the crowd, not to mention the fact that he would also have family at such a young age, at least Kojin hoped he had family. His next assumption was that the young man had fled the village for criminal reasons, it would make sense hiding on an island that was so far away from his homeland, the Kirigakure ninja wouldn't think to search a country such as the Moon. The only thing drawing him back from this idea though was that no head protector was visible, he had never encountered a missing ninja before but he was always lead to believe that these people would try to show off the fact they were missing with the traditional single strike across the village symbol. His final reason was that all of it was merely a lie. He wasn't actually a Kirigakure shinobi, he was instead some traveling member of the world who enjoyed gaining a thrill out of telling lies. This of course did not settle his mind one bit. His mind had instantly decided it was the second option, he would have to become a nukenin. That would also explain why he did not offer his name, to keep himself further hidden from the ninja world.

"Waitress! I require another order of Mecha Tea and get this fine gentlemen another round of whatever he was drinking before."

Bellowing out to the rest of the cafe, he hoped that he would promote some sort of friendliness to the assumed - nukenin, in doing so he may be able to find out more about him. He began sorting out the questions he had in his mind, making the top of the list his priority. The questions varied from reasons for his status to why he was actually in the Moon Country. He didn't make himself want to come across as just a question - machine though, he would have to tactically bring himself into some of the subjects so that the man would feel more comfortable sharing information between one another. The first thing he would have to do though was found out his name as he did not give one previously. There was no way of trying to worm his way into slipping his name out by mistake, he would have to immediately go in for the question. Perhaps he could also ask a chain of questions to the man, while their orders arrived. He wished to gain as much information as possible, meaning he would have to squeeze every question he had out of his mind and into his mouth. Offering a warm and comforting smile to the man, he began his quiz - styled questions.

"Kirigakure? An interesting country, I've heard quite a bit about it. You mentioned that you don't belong to the village anymore, why is this? Also my apologies, but I don't think I caught your name."

While awaiting for the arrival of their newly ordered drinks, the two began to engage themselves into a conversation, hoping to find out vital information about each other. At least Kojin was, he was all for friends but he would much rather be gathering allies, even if these allies were on the opposite side of his beliefs. Abandoning your home village will always bring you the feeling of regret, for not only are you leaving behind the village but also the villagers, your friends and family are being left behind. As his ears began to listen in to what the man was saying, he was quite happy to learn that his planned gift had worked, for the man was soon babbling on about his home village. The detail he had no care for, all he truly wanted to find out why was he had left the village. Yet no specific reason was ever given during his entire speech, he spoke of how he independently made the decision however he still regrets leaving his home village. Much like Kojin had predicted. Then he identified a family member to the newly made acquaintance, his father, what had this man done that was so devastating his own son had to flee from the village. To conclude his first portion, he stated what his name truly was, that being Takahashi, Madrox.

'Uchiha...'

The boy began to ponder why he had been called by his surname. It was quite an odd thing to say and somewhat formal considering the two were only teenagers. It was as if he was trying to hint towards something but he was clueless as to what it was. Could it be that he had met a previous Uchiha member or was it that an Uchiha was to blame for his fathers past actions. Whatever the reason was he was more then curious to find out. Before he was able to say anything though the man known as Madrox continued on with his rant, speaking of how he would be able to ask any reasonable questions and gain full knowledge of the answer. This man seemed quite kind and friendly to say he was a missing ninja, if he hadn't know then he would've simply assumed he was an oddly dressed shinobi wandering the streets. Revealing his head protector, Kojin was able to learn of the symbol that was carried on the head protector. It's condition that it was kept it seemed as if it was still brand new, the man must have really cared for his village if he continued caring for it's symbol. It was time for the leaf ninja to speak up now, he had anything he could ask yet one thing was still puzzling him.

"You speak of the Uchiha as if you have encountered them before, why is this?"

Not stating anymore then he had asked, he awaited for Madrox's response. Before that could happen though, the same waitress that had served him before had arrived with the order in record timing. Placing the wooden - made tray on the table, she left the two drinks standing on the tray while also giving a small wink to the Uchiha. Taking a closer look at the tray, he was able to find that a small note had been slipped under his mug, most likely the woman's address. Retrieving the mug as if everything was normal, he picked it up at the bottom and also tried to take the piece of paper without being detected. He then looked on at Madrox while taking a few small tips from his boiling cup of tea.

Slurping away at his mecha tea, his eyes continued to scan his newly made friend as he reached out for his own beverage. The devoted leaf genin couldn't help but pull an odd expression behind his mug, as he was able to view Madrox's gloved hand. It was a strange and somewhat frightening design, it only seemed to give off a sort of evil appearance to the missing ninja, he didn't mention it though for that last thing he desired was a discussion about gloves. Even so, the way that the layers of the red and black stared at him, he could only imagine how many have fallen victim to a thrashing from these accessory pieces. In response to the Uchiha's previous question, he spoke of how the Uchiha and his clansmen were very distantly related with the Hyuuga. A shudder seemed to overwhelm the man as he spoke of the Hyuuga, obviously he had not taste for the noble family of he Hyuuga, nor did Kojin. Their ways proved to be quite inferior to the ways of others, having your own family locked under a seal, performing every command you wished. These weren't clansmen, these were slaves and masters. He couldn't help but chuckle as the man stated this, also managing to swallow a larger quantity of tea while laughing, for he did not believe a word he said. The shinobi had heard of this theory before but that's all it was, a theory. No supported evidence has ever proven that the doujutsu were related with the Hyuuga. As he felt quite strong on the matter of heredity, he wished to make himself heard before any interruptions could take place. Yet before this could take place, the man begin to swirl his chair so that he could face the door of the cafe.

Gazing over to the direction of the doorway, he couldn't quite see what the man was peering over at though. Either way, it allowed him to think over on what he was going to say on the current debate. His thoughts began to gather about within his mind, trying to find the best possible explanation he had for the Hyuuga's story, he wished to sound as convincing as possible. Then he suddenly performed some physical movement, as if signaling someone to join the two, that's when he saw her. A magnificent pink haired woman took his sight away, her hypnotic blue eyes seemed to take the young Uchiha away from his thoughts as she entered the building. Her clothing seemed to overwhelm her body, yet it only benefited her perfect appearance. It seemed as if angels were singing their songs of beauty and danced around her, yet he was suddenly brought back to reality when he found that Madrox knew the girl. He was quite annoyed at this, if anyone had been staring at him, they would have seen his jaw wide open with the last drops of his tea making their way within his mouth. Trying to reassert himself as the polite and mature Uchiha he was, he placed the now empty mug against the wooden tray that was brought over to them. The note that the waitress had written to him was simply scrunched away and shoved inside of his pockets. His attention was just kept on the newly found woman. Kojin couldn't make this obvious though, he would have to continue with the debate as if nothing had happened.

"Uhm yes, the Hyuuga... Merely rumors of course! There has been no evidence provided that shows the Uchiha, Hyuuga and now your Takahashi clan having any relation. Simply balderdash!"

Pauses managed to find their way within his speech, he didn't care about the Hyuuga's anymore, he wished to meet this new person. Perhaps his emotions were beginning to rule over his mind, he had to halt this though, for his intentions were to discover who Madrox truly was. While taking a second glance at the woman, his sight was amazed to find a furred creature following the girl, was this her pet or was it some sort of summoning? He had heard of clans who treat animals as equals, but to think that one of them was within the Moon Country along with a missing ninja, the chances were far too low. He began to clear his mind about the woman, he couldn't afford to flaw himself while in the middle of a discussion with his friend. He had to change the subject, distract himself, anything to not think of this girl. His eyes seemed to trick him though, for he failed to see that the girl was actually baring a out Konohagakure head protector that had been cut across the symbol, signaling the signs of a nukenin. He wouldn't have cared anyway, for his passion to find out more about this girl was far too overwhelming. The curious ninja would have to wait until she arrived over the table though, it would seem strange to walk up to a stranger and bring her over to the table. Trying to pull a gentle smile as he continued to talk with Madrox, he would ask away more questions.

"So tell me, what makes your clan so unique above the rest? You mentioned a doujutsu, but let's be honest, more seem to be discovered every month or so now. Also this father of yours, what choices are you referring to and why did you have to suffer the consequences? Lastly, why are you even at the Moon Country? I understand you must have to travel quite frequently, but to a place like this, it seems quite strange."

Still holding onto that cheesy smile that he had made before, his pitch - black eyes would remain on the Takahashi as he began to explain his answers. Stupidly of Kojin, his thoughts were distracted still of the woman that he had made previous eye contact with. She was a fascinating person to the still growing teenager and a person which he wanted to greet and meet. A pleasant sigh escaped his mouth along with the rest of his breathe as his thoughts were far too busy then they had ever been before. Suddenly, his attention was brought back to Madrox as the crazed man had purposely forced a metal fork into his own hand. His eyes would suddenly widen in shock as the seemingly normal and patriotic man had altered to a lunatic. The rarely practiced genin was disgusted by the act that the man had just performed on himself and soon he reached out for his own hand. Contact was made within an instant, the man who did not appear to suffer from any blood wounds, would violently strike at Kojin's innocent right hand. Rapidly pulling back on his arm, he would try to comfort his hand by smothering it with his left, yet soon a pain grew and began to cause great strain on his right hand. As his eyes would close in trying to fight the pain, his top row of pearly white teeth would bite down on his bottom lip, in an attempt to rid the pain. As the pain began to gradually lose it's effect, the now disliked man would explain his actions. Not wanting to seem that much of a child about the whole situation, he released his tense grip and motioned it back onto the table, while his left would remain flat on his legs.

The idea of being able to control ones own pain to then pass it on to another was causing great mischief within the Uchiha's mind, he began what he was best at, creating theories. If the deranged man was able to force pain onto people, could he also take the pain anyway from people? Would someone or something always have to be on the receiving end of this pain? How was he able to pass on pain so easily? A vast amount of questions began to swell up within his mind, there was so much more he wished to understand about this unique ability, yet his thoughts on the man had quickly changed. He didn't quite enjoy his company as he had before. It wasn't that odd of a thought though, after all he stabbed the poor unsuspected lad, he didn't even mention he would be performing such an action, nor what the effects would do. He wished to voice his opinion on the man, yet he had second thoughts about it, for if he was able to change his entire personality from a calm and gentle soul, to an insane and brutal man, then it was best he kept his mouth shut. The last thing he would want to do is receive another piece of the fork treatment. Instead, he listened to the man preach about his father, acting as if everything that had happened in between was normal. Taking mental notes about what he was stating, he had lost all interest in the girl he was previously dreaming about, it seemed that pain was able to take all of his happy and calm emotions away. Yet he could not afford to make it obvious how his opinion had changed and thus brought back that unneeded and obviously cheesy smile.

Opposing the theory that had been drafted up within the mind of the Uchiha some time ago, it was now apparent that Madrox had no parents to rely on anymore, or more specifically his father. His mother was unmentioned during his speech, apart from when she been victim of the domestic violence, other then that, he failed to mention her current status. For all Kojin knew, she could be alive and well within Kirigakure, or even beside her disturbing husband within the earth. His sympathy went towards the teenager of the Takahashi clan, he had been forced into quite a horrid history with a father figure such as his. A life which no other person would have ever wanted to go through, it might have even been the cause as to why the mans mind is so unstable. Having the thoughts of your mother being attacked and even having a destructive father, they must've been aching to be released from his mind. While the conversation seemed to draw to a silence, for once Kojin did not know what he would have to say next. Due to the random outbreak that had occurred earlier, he felt quite unsafe in saying anything that came to his mind. What if he had asked the wrong question and caused great anger in the boy, would he stab himself in the eye with a fork and pass on the pain. Not a chance that the Uchiha could afford if he was ever going to take part in the tournament. Out of nowhere a hand seemed to creep it's way over onto the genins now pain - free hand. His mouth would suddenly lose it's reputation in the scene, as his lower half of the jaw seemed to lower itself when witnessing who was actually making bodily contact.

Peaceful thoughts overwhelmed his once stunned mind, as his eyes were able to fall upon the same girl he had almost fantasized about. Any sense of false security was soon swept away as his heart grew warm and his hand suddenly began to perform small quivers when making contact with the girl. Her voice was that of queens, one that was worth worshipping over. One word was only detected by his ears, yet that one would was a grateful one, the fact that she had managed to register Kojin as an individual. He was getting over himself slightly. He failed to notice how her presumed loyal companion was giving the newly met ninja a check over before it could clarify the Uchiha as safe. What followed next was a disappointment to the Konohagakure shinobi. His eyes darted over to Madrox, who seemed to be displaying his rows of teeth, with larger then average canines inhabiting the jaw. The boy began to fear that the two were dating, he didn't want to lose her so easily, after all they had just met. He wished to show her that he was confident with her and also with her furred friend, he didn't want to seem like a weak child in comparison to Madrox. To resolve the matter, he would try to reach out to her right hand as well. Hoping that she would accept his hand to be placed upon hers. If the palm of her hand was anything like the top, then he would be able to feel a warm sensation building up in his hands. Looking over to the woman now known as Inuzuka, Rysa, his eyes simply lost their focus of the surroundings and sat in her own eyes. He had seen a blur of the headband, along with the strike that met with the symbol, but he didn't care. She was perfect and he felt imperfect, he wanted to make the most of the opportunity while he still could. While still looking over the Inuzuka, he answered Madrox's question.

Time seemed to come at a stand still for the courageous genin, as his eyes continued to fall deeper into her beautiful, rich and elegant light blue eyes. If only the two of them were alone, he would have expressed his true feelings towards her. How he thought of her to be some sort of magnificent woman, yet he was only a mere boy playing in a mans world. He had no chance with the Inuzuka and this is what would keep him from admitting his feelings. His fear of being denied or ignored and simply being given a broken heart that could not be cured. This was something that he would not allow to happen to him, he couldn't allow his heart to be played with so easily, if he was to ever open up towards the girl then he would have to ensure that she also felt the same way towards him first. But how would he find this out? The only possible way would be to ask her, that or to first take the lead and actually unlock his heart and feelings to her. He wasn't usually the sappy type, but that being that, he had never been involved with any woman on a serious relationship. The only other woman he had met before was during his journey over to the Moon Country. That in itself was just a simple mess about between the two, nothing ever actually took flight. Instead of sharing what was buried deep within his soul, he instead looked on in peacefulness as they shared each others hands, this would be the best he would get.

Whilst answering the question that the interrupting and psychotic nukenin had asked, Rysa would lose her attention with Kojin, forcing him back into the real world. What was he actually thinking. He was in a world of ninja, people are killed or lost every day, including loved ones. It was one thing to be denied, but it was another to be accepted, form a loving life together and then lose her to death. Noticing that Madrox had begun talking yet again with his large mouth, in fact he seemed to mention the reason why he had stabbed the innocent boy in the first place. He had managed to lose any hearing when he was mentioning one of Rysa's past lovers, whether it was because he didn't wish to hear of it or because he couldn't focus as his eyes glued themselves to the girl, either way he had managed to miss the entire speech and only enter midway. To finish off his speech, the ex - Kirigakure shinobi asked if the Inuzuka was going to consider the option of joining the tournament. He couldn't believe his ears, what if he had wound up to fight her during the tournament. This would be a definite no - no in Kojin's books. He would never fight those he loved, no matter what the reason was. While Madrox entertained himself with his Saki, his eyes would find their way back to the loving girl. Still content on learning more about her. Yet as his eyes wandered above her head, he was able to notice a modern - looking clock hanging off of the wall. It was close to fifteen hundred hours and he had already arranged to begin some training. He was far too late for the previous training he had planned and would have to make up for it by doubling his work out experience. In a faint and unwilling voice, he spoke to the girl and only her.


Announcing his departure, he would regret ever to having leave the girl behind with a deluded man such as Madrox, yet it couldn't be helped, the tournament was coming up and he had very little time to train. Even if she was the most perfect woman he had ever met, he would hope to see her again, yet her status as missing would prove to be an issue. The Uchiha would find some way of contacting her though, whether it would be through messaging her with his Falcon or heading out of the village, giving off lies on how he would be out on a mission. Whatever it took, he would find the girl. With it becoming a pain to say goodbye to her, he retrieved both of his hands. Having that final sensational rub against her soft and delicate hand. She was something different compared to the rest of the girls and yet he still didn't have the courage to admit himself to her. Forcing himself up, his hips would rise to her eye level, showing her his gleaming head protector that he adjusted to a belt. Bowing to the girl one last time, he simply forgot about Madrox and departed from the cafe, also managing to forget the bill that he would've had to pay. It seemed that the payment would fall down to the insane man now, he wasn't aware if he actually had any money but he didn't care the slightest for the man. As he left the doors of the cafe, he took one final glance back at the girl, emitting a warm and gentle smile, hoping that she would be able to witness his true face.