Ryozan was a bit disappointed, but not surprised, that chizuma hadn't known his mother, but even so he could tell that Chizuma seemed more uncomfortable talking about it than he did, so he decided not to bring it up around her again. He did wonder what exactly she was writing down in that book of hers, though. Or perhaps the more prominent question was "why?" Was she measuring what she perceived as his capabilities as a shinobi? His value as an entertainer? Or was she just keeping a record because she was bad at names. He was half tempted to take out his own notebook and begin making an esoteric evaluation of his own about Chizuma as retaliation, but then Kaede returned with Natsumi. His burning questions would have to remain unanswered for now.

Natsumi's greeting was far less confrontational than his mother's, so hopefully he wouldn't screw up this first impression as well. "I'm Ryozan Tanzo," he said, returning her courteous bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Then Ryozan heard Chizuma mutter his score. Three stars? Well, whatever he was being rated for he certainly had room to improve. Natsumi seemed to object to her mother's behavior, but Ryozan just let out a small chuckle. He never minded being assigned an objective rating on a scale of any kind; those things were actually very helpful for him. Now, if only he knew what the scale was...

Chizuma led them all outside and served them all a nice barbecued meal, which Ryozan ate with relish since he hadn't eaten anything since that small bowl of ramen before the battle. And then came kaede's question about said battle. "No, I wasn't in hiding. I..." His voice trailed off as he tried to think of the best way to explain why he was not permitted to join his comrades. Telling these two girls that he had aided Imperial soldiers and had been stripped of his rank was just too much for him. He averted his eyes as he thought things over. Sure, Takeo had forgiven him and apparently thought well enough of him to invite him into his home, but as far as Ryozan was concerned it was the most shameful thing he had ever done. "I was hesitant to join the fight, so for that I was only able to play a small role," he said at last. "But the matter has since been settled, and I expect that you will see more of me in the future." He took another bite of food and decided that it would be a good time to change the subject. "This meal is delicious. Does your mother often cook like this Natsumi?"

"Hrmm..." Natsumi glared at the food laid out before her, her tongue pursed between her lips as a pair of chopsticks shook in her fingers. Using the delicate eating utensils was proving to be more difficult with her hand still injured. After failing to pick up a piece of beef several times, she finally got fed up and stabbed it, then bringing it to her mouth and chewing on it with extreme prejudice. As she continued to eat in an awkward fashion, she listened to Kaede and Ryozan. Ryozan hesitated in answering Kaede's question, and seemed to avoid making it very clear just why he choose not to fight. She decided not to pry into it, she herself was not entirely fond of fighting. The sounds of people dying, the act of taking another life, it wasn't something she wanted to grow accustomed to.

Ryozan asked her about her mother's cooking, she looked down at the food before her. Sure, her mother was capable of cooking good food, but she was far too adventurous in the culinary arts. Often, she would cook up some frankenstien concoction and have her taste it, proclaiming it to be the next big thing. It was never the next big thing, it was always a disaster. "Well, honestly..." Natsumi started, but the sound of knives scraping together stopped her words in their tracks. Chizuma was standing right behind her, a devilish grin on her face that was daring her to speak out of turn about her cooking.

"My cooking is always perfect, isn't it dear?" She said in a honeysuckle voice. She leaned forward to cut up a steak on Natsumi's plate, a gracious action that seemed more like a threat to her. A bead of sweat ran down Natsumi's face, and she swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Y-yeah, my mother's cooking is always perfect. Every. Time. I've never gotten sick for an entire week or anything like that at all!" Natsumi said with a nervous chuckle. Chizuma patted her daughter's head and walked back into the kitchen. "A-anyway, we've got a lot of work ahead of us, huh? Helping the other villages fight the empire isn't going to be as easy as this. We caught them off guard, after all."

‘That’s not the entire truth, is it?’ Kaede would keep her thoughts to herself, but was more than used to that single, momentary pause an individual would use to come up with something proper to say. Whatever his reasons might have been, the Hyuga was able to recognize that what he was avoiding was something shameful or embarrassing, perhaps just both. Deterred from going on, the portion that Chizuma had provided to her was eaten slowly and without much enthusiasm in spite of the fact it felt like it had been several days since her last meal. Chaos took a lot out of her spiritually and she was by no means currently depressed, simply wondering how many more lives had to be taken for this to conclude. For a path dedicated to seeing life prosper, it was unfortunate she was growing up in a period that demanded it be taken for the benefit of so many others. She understood her duties, but didn’t like what she had witnessed today. Reckless anger from her peers and a desperate attempt to succeed without any concern for the life they were about to take. There wasn’t any thinking about it; Kenta was the enemy, certainly, but no one except Natsumi bothered to hesitate and even then it was Natsumi herself who came the closest to killing him in front of everyone. Missing the humorous exchange between Chizuma and Natsumi, Kaede’s eyes moved from her plate to the ground.

“Some of us more than others.” responded a voice that was certainly not Kaede's.

Widened eyes and a light jolt, Kaede looked to her immediate left to discover the presence of a young woman around the same age of all those present, dressed in the attire of the ANBU unit. Normally dressed in the attire closely linked to the Aburame clan, this person had not hidden behind that sort of outfit for quite some time. Without a mask she had the neutral stare of someone who had no fear, no hope, no happiness, and no pain. Neutrality in all things was essentially what Juri Aburame had become, and though her golden eyes looked across Kaede and Natsumi both, she didn’t appear to recognize them as once being friends. This was how they knew her now and as unfortunate as it was Kaede didn’t believe there was any way they could get Juri to speak to others any more. Ever since the loss Konoha suffered six months ago she had appeared to go into an extended period of solitude, often not even seen in her own compound and instead among some of the villages most veteran of shinobi and tacticians. Classified as ‘The Elders’ to a majority of the village, they were second only to the Hokage and Jonin Commander in authority, but were willing to go directly to the daimyo for requests they feared the Hokage would not authorize. They were not as popular among some of Konoha’s youth as one might expect, but they gained the respect of the shinobi for their cunning and decision-making in times of great pressure in the past. Kaede wasn’t able to know too much about them, in fact most information beyond that was difficult to acquire, but they seemed to have a knack for recruiting only the best. That was where Juri had come in, apparently.

“J-Juri, you scared me. How have you been?” Kaede hoped to start some conversation among them and help introduce an old friend, but the Aburame appeared to look right past her and bring her attention beyond her. Following the gaze, Kaede noticed that Juri’s piercing eyes lingered on Natsumi for several seconds and seemed to look beyond her as well.

It wasn’t Natsumi she was looking at.

“All this time and nothing to show for your gifts other than a tantrum. Several months of naivety.” The months of solitude had done little to withhold Juri’s strong opinions of others, much less caring about the feelings of those she commented on and if it hurt them. Kaede was prepared to try and diffuse the situation, but the elite Aburame picked a new target fairly quickly. ANBU and ROOT’s joint operation was short and by the books, scaling across the perimeter of Konoha in order to silence all stationed Imperials surrounding the village’s immediate vicinity. After the Hokage’s attack towards the now-smoldering garrison, she was encouraged by her superiors to monitor Natsumi closely, while also maintaining a close eye on the village to ensure no one had gotten through. Not only was she a witness to Natsumi’s pitiful performance, but also happened to catch what little participation Ryozan had placed in the fight. She didn’t know much about it, but he was far too comfortable sitting among those who bothered to become involved even if one of the two had been an utter failure in utilizing her true power.

Brushing her onyx black hair lightly aside, her views on Ryozan were hardly as negative as Natsumi’s but were not much higher either. She respected the ability to carry out an order and execute a mission without flaws, yet was unable to see him providing any use to the Hidden Leaf anytime soon. Returning her stare to Natsumi, Juri had shut her eyes and nodded her head towards the doorway. “The Elders request that your mother be present for a special demonstration.”

Natsumi's chopsticks fell from her hands and clanked against her plate as she heard a nostalgic voice. Turning her head, she saw Juri Aburame. She had not seen her recently, ever since six months ago when the village was taken by the empire she had become like a ghost. Natsumi had missed her, even though the feeling was not mutual. When they were younger, Juri was a friend to her, the Aburame actually smiled, and wasn't someone that appeared to be bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. Seeing her now, it was frustrating. She'd thought long and hard how she could bring Juri back to a place where she could laugh and consider her a friend, but nothing ever came to her, it was as if she had lost a game with too much at stake. She was in the ANBU now, which meant it was her job to be elusive, both on the job and in her personal life.

Kaede's attempt at conversation was ignored, or perhaps she did not even notice it, as her gaze was directed towards Natsumi. Juri's words hurt, but they were nothing compared to the way her eyes bored into her. It was as if she weren't even speaking to a person, but a tool that needed to sharpen up. No rebuttal was given, it would be a waste of breath in a number of ways. She knew she had made a mistake, all she could do was try to learn from it.

Chizuma then walked outside, hearing that she was wanted by the Elders. She let out a derisive chuckle and planted her hand on Juri's shoulder. "It hasn't even been a day and the old geezers are already ordering people around. Alright Juri, let's go." She said, already walking off. She looked back towards Natsumi, and told her to get some rest, her daughter nodded, and went back to eating her food.

"Nice to see you, Juri." Natsumi muttered under her breath.

Remi gathered her purchases and made her way back to her hotel room. She moved the bed and up against the wall to empty out the middle of the room. She began to set up her beakers and jars as well as some samples of meat and her books. Once done, she labeled her chemicals for a side project and pulled another table towards her.

Once she was satisfied, she left again to seek out some living samples. Three hours later, she walked back into her room with seventeen different species of insects and reptiles, two of each. She labeled them and stored them in cages she'd kept in a scroll then set them near the window for those that needed sun. She then set up communal heat lamps and kept the reptiles in there. For the final touches, she filled the glass cages with some sand and a few pieces of a large branch that she'd broken up. "There. Now...just need a few blood samples then I will feed you all." she said happily. She placed water bowls in cages then placed the queens of the bugs she managed to gather in glasses filled mostly with sand and sediment. There were a few hornets, two ant species and a wasp species. "Alright. You seven. Here are your drones." she dropped the drones in then moved onto settle three spiders in their special cages. One was a large poisonous species that was all black and could fit in her hand. Another was a very large, furry looking tarantula with four fangs. She needed a large cage for that one. The last was a naturally occurring spider/scorpion hybrid with eight legs, elongated body, pincers, and two tails with stingers. "Wonderful to see you, little one."

An evening intended for celebration had quickly ended with anger and bitterness. Add the sadness of a private discussion with his daughter about her current role in the village and keeping in mind what exactly the ‘elders’ had implied would be done should she fail to master her Tailed Beast soon. Things for the Hokage used to be so much simpler than they were now; it wasn’t a known fact, but Kenji never really wanted to take the mantle on, things just happened to fall on his lap. It was a beautiful early morning in Konoha, about ten in the morning, and the village had found life it hadn’t had in several months. Standing atop the Hokage Mansion in his everyday apparel, though this time sporting the cloak that held the title of ‘Fourth’ on it, he was leaning against the railing towards the mountain that sported the faces of all previous Hokage before him. Right about now he’d need a little guidance himself; no one wrote a guide on how to raise a daughter who carried one of the most powerful creations in the world within her, nor how to carry this war out from here. The 1st Hokage would’ve wanted peace, but the 2nd Hokage might’ve wanted to establish superiority. Hell, what would that old bastard the 3rd have wanted?

“Lord Hokage!” A small group of ANBU had formed up behind him, kneeling down in respect.

“Report.” Kenji responded quietly, picking himself up from the railing and rubbing the back of his head with a small yawn to follow it. It wasn’t out of disrespect he did this; growing up unless he was active in training or mission work there was always that boredom and restlessness that settled in.

“Our borders are clear, there has been no sign of imperial activity within the Land of Fire.”

‘Surprisingly fast ...’ An entire night to pull back didn’t seem like much, but as fast as the enemy took off so close to Konoha it might not have taken long for others to catch word and follow swiftly. All the eggs were placed in Konoha’s basket, which meant whatever smaller outposts she had scattered throughout the Land of Fire were likely already hit or abandoned out of fear. Konoha was unchained and prepared to take the fight back to the Empire at any time. “That’s a relief, excellent work. You three should take a break, get back to your families for a while.”

The three appeared momentarily confused at this suggestion, looking to one another. Kenji was famed for his use of space-time ninjutsu and his natural talent with the Sharingan and the Mangekyou along with it, but he could become incredibly lax at various times. This was a trait people often believed he acquired from his wife Chizuma, but the truth of it was that Kenji’s attention could be difficult to maintain at certain periods of time. Launching an attack one day and wanting a nap the next, his mannerisms could often change depending on his mood. Nevertheless he was always thinking about everything, and everyone.

“Sir-“

“You three are part of a top-of-the-line unit and I can respect that, having been a part of you once. The least you could do is visit your family and friends, kiss your wife or your husband, and have a good meal before resuming duty.” Yawning, the Fourth Hokage would turn his back to them once more and lean against the railing, visibly looking out towards the faces of the previous Hokage. “Get going before I change my mind.”

“Yes sir!”
“Yes sir!”
“Yes sir!”

The three of them scattered, leaving Kenji to prepare for the upcoming mission briefing.

~

A harsh knock against Ryozan’s door would prompt even the heaviest of sleepers to awaken. Having been informed yesterday evening that he may be involved in an upcoming mission and to await further details, the most prepared of shinobi would have already gotten to work on setting up tools and having a good breakfast to prepare for the times ahead. The boy seemed eager enough to prove himself and in time would show himself a valuable asset to the Leaf once more …but first, answering the door was to be necessary. Today was a big day for not only those handpicked for the assignment, it was also going to be a big day for the Mist as well. The message of their ‘Mizukage-to-be’ was not well received and would have prompted a fearsome response from the Hokage if not guided down a more logical path. Understanding the Mists stance as well as remembering who he was and what he represented allowed Kenji a night’s sleep to rethink how he was about to handle things today. And there was also the matter of informing Yuna, and he didn’t find that job easy for any man or woman.

“Ryozan, if you’re in there, open up.” Takeo couldn’t wait forever, and the window for the assignment was going to shut soon. In twenty minutes the briefing was meant to start, with or without those being picked up.

~

Finishing the last of her breakfast and being fully dressed to start her day, Kaede had been the subject of much controversy for the Hyuga clan and Konoha itself in the past 24 hours. Thankfully the Hokage had attempted to make things right between the two parties, and it was with much surprise that her father was willing to allow her on the assignment the Hokage had spoken of very early this morning. The details were kept even from her, but from the sounds she was to serve as a strong speaker for the Hidden Leaf and rebels as a whole and the fighting was intended to be nonexistent. While her mother expected things to be better this time around, her father wasn’t entirely convinced and seemed keen on having the Hokage allow one of his clansmen to accompany her and assist in the mission.

“Mother, where has Dren gone?” she would ask quietly, knowing her father was out visiting members of the Konoha Council, specifically referred to as the ‘Elders’. Two prominent members within Konoha, Kaede hoped that whatever they may be discussing it didn’t involve hiding her away again. Without her friends, those might have been the most painful months in her life. She hoped that she could life her life normally again.

Her mother resembled Kaede strongly with long flowing hair and a healthy tone of skin; she was well-dressed in a formal black kimono, and had long since put her days as an official shinobi of the Hidden Leaf behind her to become a full-time wife and mother. Preparing Kaede for her future role as a wife and mother was her ‘official’ duty, but this woman of the Hyuga clan was no slacker when it came to the art of combat. Encouraging Kaede’s interest in medical skills was not uncommon, but she never allowed Kaede to forget how to defend herself.

“He’s secluded himself ever since his failure. He could be home at this very moment, or he may have wandered out again in self-pity.” Shrugging her shoulders, Kaede’s mother glanced towards the direction of the doorway. “Don’t let your father see you, his standing with our clan is declining, and quickly.”

“Thank you.” Kaede knew her mother didn’t particularly favor Dren for his failures as a shinobi, but was kind enough to know that her daughter cared too much about people that ‘didn’t deserve’ the attention. Bowing her head at her mother, she would quietly step outside of the Hyuga’s primary estate and make for Dren’s home. Strangely enough, she hadn’t seen Karela since that time either. After the battle the girl had vanished, though Kaede hoped dearly that she would be okay. Promptly arriving outside of Dren’s home, she would knock on the door three times hoping he would be there to answer her.

"Dren, it's me. Are you home?"

~

‘Keep her within sight, she’s regrettably one of our strongest military assets. Should she fall into enemy hands, the rebellion’s power will drop and with it I fear our Hokage may break.’

‘We cannot afford that’ Juri thought to herself, fully armed and prepared for today’s assignment. As ROOT’s leading operative, the ‘Elders’ had charged her on the joint operation. While the official goal was to help escort the primary party, the real objective was to ensure Natsumi had proven mentally capable after yesterday’s outburst of rage. The Hokage had put faith in her, but why wouldn’t he when she is his own flesh and blood? Her superiors felt this blinded him, but drawing out the Fox was likely to kill her, something that no one in the village would want to see. Natsumi was too adored by the village and as such an accident was not a valid option, but there was still hope for her. If she had the right motivation, she could become mighty …as soon as she woke up, that is.

Standing on the Uchiha Estate’s patio, Natsumi had been asleep. The briefing was only twenty minutes away and here she was, the Hokage’s pride, napping like a baby. For several long moments Juri had kept her golden eyes locked onto her, expecting a shift in her breathing patterns or some sort of sign showing she was aware. Juri did not feel that, even for a moment, she could handily counter any attack she would throw at her. Vulnerable. Childish. Weak.

‘Friend’…

Juri slowly reached behind her back and gripped the hilt of her short blade, wondering if this was not the best time to test her reaction time. Her grandfather was famed for his ability to react almost instantaneously to any situation, but Natsumi …what was she all about, really?

"Remember. Head-on attacks don't always work." Dren instructed Karela as they continued sparring in the training field. "A head on attack against an opponent who's ready for it can end up being more devastating to you then to your intended target. When fighting, it's best to adapt to the situation rather than to keep throwing yourself at your opponent."

Karela was breathing heavily as she nodded. She had insisted that the two of them train after their failure of working as a team the night the rebels had taken back Konoha. And to be fair, she had learned quite a bit. Dren wasn't that bad of a teacher when it came to fighting. He looked her over once again. "Why do you think we performed so badly the last time we fought as a team?" He asked in a tone that told Karela he knew the answer but he wanted to know if she knew as well.

"Because we had different goals from everyone else that night. I wanted to kill as many solders as I could and I was filled with anger. And you wished to...well, I don't know why. Your fighting style is different from what it was that night."

Dren nodded. "Correct. And the reason I did so poorly was because I was trying to redeem myself that night. I didn't focus one hundred percent on what needed to be done for the village that night."

Karela returned her kunai knives to the pouch as Dren looked over once again. "You have so much anger in you, Karela Yatoma. Anger is never a good thing to be influenced by when fighting. It causes people to make rash decisions that they would not normally make and mistakes that they would not normally make. I know that you are angry about what happened to your home...to your family, If it had happened to me I would most likely do what you have done. But you need to let go of that anger. If you don't...you'll turn into something that you'll hate. It may take a long time to let it go but I believe if you do you'll be a better and happier person."

"Yeah. Like that's going to happen anytime soon." She muttered.

Karela simply shook her head as the two of them headed back towards Dren's home and after walking for a short time saw someone at the door to Dren's home. As they got closer they saw it was Lady Kaede. Dren bowed and smiled.

"Lady Kaede. I apologize for not being here. Karela requested assistance in a few matters and I thought I would help her. If I may ask, what are you doing here?" He asked curiously.

Karela let a small smile appear on her face when she saw Lady Kaede. "Greetings Lady Kaede." She said simply.