We feel that too much freedom leads astray and lacks purpose, and that too much order leads to revolutions. Each of us has tale to tell. In our time where Shinobi are one with the shadows, the meaning of justice becomes twisted as injustice wreaks havoc. -- 6th Hokage, 3rd peace conference of the united Shinobi federation.



For the first time in ages, there was a warm breeze in Konoha, one that spelled relaxation and fun as the sun stayed out for longer than normally. This gave people the extra time to meet up with friends and do as they pleased - whether that was hanging out at their own house, walking around Obushide park or the Koi's Pond, or going to the Yomadaru lake and picknicking with others.

For our rag-tag crew of fresh Chunin graduates it was a party at the Lakehouse, at the edge of the forest, near the lake. Aoi had gathered all of the graduates and told them about the party during the last day of Shinobi highschool. Given that the Minamoru Lakehouse was neutral grounds for most of them and had a relaxed environment, this seemed the perfect location for such a party. Some had replied positively, almost immediately yelling out that they'd be there for sure! Others had said no initially, but after pressure from others begrudgingly said yes. Ultimately the whole class of that year would be there, a small class but a class none the less.

Outside the Lakehouse would be a path that'd lead to Yamato's house, and a lakeside patch of grass bordering the sandy beaches, where Aoi had set up a bunch of yard chairs, a fire pit at the center of them and some tiki torches around them, to keep the area well lit when the sun finally did settle in, and made way for the moon. The lake was calm and warm, well fit for swimming if anyone was interested in such trivialities. Unbeknownst to Yamato, the technical owner of the Lakehouse, Aoi had taken liberties in setting up a stash of drink and food in the house, scattering them all over. On the bed was a crate of Naruto-pop, a fizzly bubbly drink that would make you feel stronger, almost as strong as Naruto. Okay, not really, but that's how they advertised it. Near the sink was a small crate of Sasuke dark drink, or as the advertisements said, a containment of Chidori essence from the legend himself. Ofcourse it was.

In the cupboards was plenty of snacks such as chips, peanuts and other party food, as well as marshmellows when the party would kick off and the fire pit would've been lit. Aoi really did seem to have thought of everything.

---

Punctuality is a must but being too punctual is bad too. Parties? I'm all for that; finally I can cut loose without mom keeping me on a leash like a dog, I suppose father's orders are absolute but when he returns I am going to show him how independent I am from now on.

My name is Sentou Uchiha and I'm electrifyingly sweet. When I was a child my father talked so much about my real mom but I don't even know how she's like . My father became hell bent on his work, and then mom came back and took care of me ever since. Following that an accident made me awaken my clan's legacy, the sharingan. As one with the shadows, I use my skills to fight crime and fight alongside others like me, and one day I will find my mother and give justice to my family.

Just what is a shinobi? I don't get it. So what if we do things behind the scenes. Shadows... shadows... shadows... ninja...shadows... shadows this and that. This is stupid. She's in deep thought.

---

Sentou was the first to arrive after Aoi, her distracted mind setting the tone but not impeding her ability to be on time - something Ayame must've instilled into her over the years.

The inside and outside of Yamato's lakehouse were covered in various bizarre and colorful ornaments such as confetti and random bowls of candy, as well as a stereo playing party music handpicked by Aoi, all ready to greet the fellow Chuunin. This is obviously Aoi's doing, because an event without bright colors and sugar or music is a failed event in her book. As Sentou noticed the absence of anyone nearby, and inevitably asked herself what was up with this.

Right out of the blue, a wild Aoi dropped from the sky right before Sentou. She didn't land however and remained hanging in thin air, upside down. She was face to face with the young Uchiha, only a few centimeters separating the tips of their noses. The clown was smiling in a devilish way, as if she had prepared this for a while now. Aoi waited for a second so her frien could process what was going on.

"Boo~"

Sentou finally snaps out of her isolated thoughts and it is one of the moments that some of her friends tell her that she's back in earth. Sentou to earth. Still, Sentou takes time to recover from her "dreamland" and unintentionally as she gets up, her lips connected to her friend Aoi. It is at this time that she fully regained her senses and it was shocking for her. !!!

The tables were flipped and the situation took a strange turning. Sentou had kissed Aoi, and the latter could only cock an eyebrow. She didn't blush, as being shy wasn't her thing at all, and took it as a form of saying hello. After all, what girl in this highschool didn't kiss another girl? Aoi simply hopped off her little bungee trick and landed on her feet, still giggling from her trick.

"Teehee~ Gotcha there. So, still no boyfriend?"

She asked teasingly, obviously pushing the nail in deeper after Sentou's little slip up. One would question is Aoi would be insane and desensitized to any form of surprise, but the truth was she was the most extroverted person in the entire village, and people just found that weird.

Indeed the tables turned but it will soon backfire to Aoi for the record. Sentou takes in the kiss unintentionally, she felt as if she lost count on how many kisses were before. She replied to her best friend; "Doesn't matter. Who gives a shit." Sentou's expression shows of irritation with a hidden blush as a spark of lightning is seen from her agitation.

Ticking off Sentou was one of the many things Aoi enjoyed, knowing deep down she was doing a perfect job as an entertainer. The little clown then took notice of a couple of people approaching the party site. Aoi waved and skipped over to greet them with just as much quirkiness as usual.

---

After about half an hour of initial partying, everyone had arrived and taken a seat. The mood was relaxed and calm, although some of the people at the party were a bit quiet - it seemed to mostly be the 'prodigies' who were here against their own will and sat in their own corner looking at the fire, although they might just not feel like talking. Nobody could tell for sure - there was no Yamanaka here that could look into their heads.

Yamato on the other hand had not showed up. Matter of fact, all he knew of a 'party' was a stupid note left on his front door that he crumpled up and threw away. It was written in a child like writing and had drawings on it of suns and different shapes like balls, squares and triangles in a multitude of colors. Oh, and there was a drawing of a poop shaped image on the lower right, with an arrow pointing to it, with his name written on the other end. The next day he had notified Aoi in a less than friendly way that 'he wasn't interested in her stupid fucking party, and no, she couldn't use the Lakehouse.'

Instead he had spent his evening practicing in the backyard, beating up several training dummies instead of sitting around doing nothing at a party. When he was finally done he got rid of the traditional jacket he wore, with button up rope-wood connections, and instead threw on his usual apparel - a grey loose fitting tanktop, a black jacket, some grey skinny jeans and his apron-like cloth attached to his belt. Finally done, he put on his black slip ins and walked into the living room where Rei was sitting with her friend, who giggled as Yamato entered. “Rei, I'm going for a walk at the lake. Behave yourself.” he spoke, loud and clear with an authoritive voice. She nodded and her friend sat quiet, looking at the TV, pretending not to be ogling the handsome Yamato.

Leaving the house through the backyard, following the gravel path that lead to the Lakehouse through the forest, he heard voices in the distance. Not strange on a nice day like this, but they sounded remarkably close. If those kids from the 1st year were using the Lakehouse again to hang out he'd kick their asses, he told himself mentally. Approaching through the forestline, he noticed that his assumption was at least half right. “Aoi, I told you you couldn't use my fucking Lakehouse for this dumb fucking party.” he said, relatively calm although emphasizing heavily on the swear words. He stood relatively calm as well, not a single angry spell to be seen on his body, although his words said very clearly what he thought. His hands were stuck inside pockets but came out as soon as he had looked around rapidly to pinpoint Aoi, balling them into fists and clenching them heavily - they were shaking a bit from all the force he put into that, although he tried to keep a calm composure with all his 'friends' or rather ex-classmates that he barely knew here.

Aoi was catering a loving couple, two of those ex-classmates Yamato felt no sympathy for, playing a little card trick to impress them. When Yamato solicited the young magician, she rolled her eyes and only turned half way. The now tense Yamato had gotten close enough to Aoi for her to lift her arm and present a set of cards spread like a fan.

"Pick one~" she asked so endearingly. Awaiting for a chance to play around with her grumpy friend. Yamato wasn't having any of it, however, and raised his right arm while opening his hand, sending his hand into hers and smacking the cards out of her hand. He looked her into the eyes for a second before turning to the others and looking them over for a second. After taking in who was here, and who wasn't, he walked over to a lone yard chair and sat down on his own, trying to stay as far away from the rest as he could while keeping an eye on Aoi. She had crossed one of his lines, namely that no means no, especially when it was on territory owned by his family. This hadn't been the first time she had done something like this, entering his house at times and simply having dinner with the family. Yamato's mother didn't mind as she treated Aoi nice enough, but Yamato had made it very clear he didn't want her dancing around all day.

As for the others, well.. Yamato wasn't interested. Most of them were sub-par shinobi, not fit for the rank of chunin if you asked Yamato. More than that, some of them had kekkei genkai's, and they were lower than scum. Even more so, they were special snowflakes compared to the rest and still couldn't beat Yamato. They were lower than scum, and weak. Glancing around he wondered where the only other two who could keep up with Yamato were - Fubuki and Naomi. Had they declined the party invitation initially as well, or were they simply late?

As the cards flew around like a storm of leafs befalling on Aoi, she caught a specific card in mid air. It was the three of spades, the card he had hit with the back of his hand in order to have the whole structure crumble away. That and she made it so it was that card that was hit. Aoi, with an innocent little smile that translated into having a good idea, walked up to the contemplating Yamato and presented the card to him. Without warning, it exploded like a flashy firecracker right before him, the explosion being weak but the flash good enough to distract him. In her hand, the card hard carbonized and was replaced with three Ace of spades, each ignited with a little yellow flame at their upper right hand corner. They were very slowly burning away, but she hand the bunch to the fire user anyway, letting them drop, albeit slowly, to his knees. He was a fire user, so there was no worries.

"It's been three years since we've known each other in highschool ya' know~" she commented ever so casually right before turning to walk up to the fire, making herself the center of all things. "Alright! Let's get this PARTY STARTING!" she shouted at everyone's attention, and of course the DJ.

Sentou out of the blue comes in to Aoi, after all having her mess up with the fun can be distasteful and disrespectful to some. She smacks Aoi's head like she always do every time she does something stupid. It was a little bit of spark from her fist. "Quit your yapping you idiot. You're scaring people." Ruining the moment of awesome, Sentou comically grabs her from her ear to get her out of such childish moment. An eerie quiet overcame the group waiting for someone, anyone to speak up.

"Did you know," said Haruka matter-of-factly, eyes still focused upon the book he was currently flipping through, "that kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower are all variants of the same species of plant?"

The green-haired teenager was sitting in a wooden chair next to the wall, dressed in a nondescript white jacket and baggy grey trousers. His dark-green locks flowed down across his shoulders, accentuating his calm, almost-cherubic face. A hint of a smile ghosted across his lips as he snapped his book shut, warm blue eyes rising to meet those of the others in the room. Usually, he would have stayed out of whatever the younger ninja had been arguing about, but he couldn't resist taking advantage of the silence to make a snappy (in his mind of course) comment. It wasn't really one, he knew, but no one else had seemed willing to break the ice in any way.

Ah, kids these days.

"They're all cabbages," he elaborated, moving from the chair to stand at his full height of one point eight metres. "Kale is the closest to the standard wild version."

His right arm seemed to be slightly awkwarder to use than his left. There was a reason for that. An ill-advised experiment during a mission a mere month before had done quite a bit of damage to himself, and he had only recently recovered from the injury. It was why he was attending this party in the first place - to rest and enjoy himself instead of throwing himself out into the field once again.

"Sigh this is going to be a hassle" Fubuku muttered she was late she thought or she was pretty sure she was late. Heck she was unsure why she was even going to this little "party" of Aoi's. Heading towards the location she took a small deep breath before entering off the area "look I'm here now so with that said you can stop bugging me about not attending any of your little get togethers right?" She said out loud to the general audience to state her own opinion. Staking out a spot of her own in a secluded corner she sat down on a chair as she crossed her legs and let the silence continue though she was pretty sure that it was supposed to be more lively if she was not mistaken. Though she could be wrong she was not the best with social gatherings.

Leaning back she gently brushed a strand of her silver hair from her eyes. As she watched the people around here and hearing a whole lecture about vegetables or cabbages she wasn't exactly sure. Still she supposed things will pick up soon hopefully if not she supposed leaving would also be a viable option. Taking out a small book notebook she started to write away not really paying much attention to the others around her. Pausing a bit from her writing to briefly look up she couldn't help but wonder what exactly caused the things to become this silent. Still she supposed it was good she liked quiet it allowed to think and contemplate which she often did if others was to be believed.

His fist bashed into Mentor's arms with a thud but as usual the man simply slid it aside and counterattacked. Their exchange was quick and fluid, a practiced motion of combat that took them sliding across the small ring etched in the dirt. The Sharingans in their eyes flickered in their sockets, taking in the minscule muscle movement in each others bodies.

Daiki jumped back as Mentor through a kick at him, barely dodging the blow. His hands formed signs as he took in a deep breath. "Fire Style," he uttered, his voice a gentle echo."Great Fireball Jutsu."

The van-size ball of fire sped towards Mentor, tearing up the earth and turning the soil black. Daiki landed on bent legs, his arms out by his side as he waited. The fire lit the area up with a sunset hue before smoldering and fading back to normal. Mentor was gone, nowhere to be seen and it sent Daiki's senses on alert. Unfortunately it was too late, by the time he got a read, Mentor had shot up from the earth with a kunai in hand, holding it to his throat.

"See clearer, Dai. You're not using your Sharingan to it fullest. If I was your enemy, your head would be flying."

Again...

He had said the same line again. After every conflict, Mentor always repeats those words. And as usaul, the two sat down and talked about where he went wrong and how he could do better. When Daiki asked to cut the review short for the graduation party, Mentor simply smiled and hurried him into the house so that he could get ready.

A warm shower later and Daiki was throwing on his clothes. He slid a black v-neck over his head, pulled on a pair of denim jeans, and stepped into his black boots. Before leaving his room he grabbed his pink-stoned necklace from his dresser. Heading out of the Naito compound had been troublesome. All the members wanted to congradulate him and some even wanted pictures. It was a hassle but once he was out, he quickly made his way to Yamato estate.

He paused in front of the small path that led to the man's house and subsequently to the party. Harsh and raw emotions squinted his eyes as he looked beyond it, he could see his classmates. Most of them ignored him, treated him like he was invisble. A ghost. But a few of them, Aoi in particuliar, actually spoke to him once or twice.

If only to say hi, he reminded himself before strolling onward.

He paused once inside the circle of commotion, unsure of where to sit or what to do. As usual "the prodigies" seemed to occupy a space outside of the present. Only coming out when bothered by the regulars. Sometimes he felt like he did too, only his space was widely left alone. He walked onward to the edge of the lake and gazed out at its expanse.

"What am I doing here?" he thought aloud and stoic. "I should have stayed home." Some of the lesser students were enjoying the lake, playing on its surface. Others were running atop and kicking the water at one another. Daiki settled onto the edge, arms laid across his knee caps, and legs bent. He guess he could stay just long enough to be counted.

Ignoring the burning cards on his lap, a trick he had seen a thousand times before as Aoi did them in the restaurant, Yamato looked on to Fubuki as she approached, a respectable girl if a bit too reclusive at times. Yamato knew he was a bit of a loner at times, but Fubuki.. she was something else. Yamato raised a hand at her as a way to say hello and spoke out to her. “Yo.” The way he said it made him sound cool, but left her alone for the rest of it - she seemed rather bored to be here and Yamato couldn't say he disagreed with her. He wondered where Naomi was, or if she was even invited, because atleast Naomi was someone he could use for company right about now. Instead he was forced to put up with people like Daiki on his families terrain - not that the boy was neccesarily bad. He was just annoying to Yamato, always saying depressing stuff to himself. Actually, there he went again, walking into the circle of people, looking dumbfounded and then walking away. Yamato couldn't help the angry spell that spread across his face, being even more annoyed with the boy than Aoi at this point in time.

Yamato looked at the boy, standing on his own by the lakeside. He had half a mind to walk up to him and say ..why don't you drown yourself in that lake, waste of space. But instead of wasting his time focussing on this idiot, he chose to observe the group for a while and see who else was here, tresspassing on his families' property thanks to Aoi. First off there was Fubuki, who he had already greeted. She was a good enough kunoichi and they had worked together before, earning the nicknames of “Konohagakure ha no ken to tate” or the sword and shield of Konoha, due to their mixed natures as prodigies of defense and attack. But she didn't particularily interest Yamato beyond that. There was also Haruka. A bland, boring boy who didn't do much. Yamato thought he heard something about cabbages, but he didn't hear much else due to the fact that Haruka went mostly ignored by Yamato, and dare he say the rest too. And there was Aoi and Sentou - a couple that went together mostly - both being annoying pests to Yamato. Aoi never shut up, and Sentou had this annoying thing where she broke into people's interactions without being asked anything by anyone. “Fucking baka's..” he mumbled to himself somewhat loudly but probably not loud enough to hear as others didn't seem to be minding Yamato too much. He said it about nobody in particular, more so about the entire group that had gathered at this 'party' in his backyard that had sprouted up unasked for.

Rather than be bored at this party all night he thought about continueing on his way around the lake and then go inside back to Rei. Maybe he could convince her to train with him, so he could atleast learn her something useful rather than the stupid genin shit she was learning now. She had told him the other day about her mission, a low rank mission at that too, about cleaning the kennels for the Inuzuka's. She mentioned that the dogs were very cute. A dull thing to learn from a mission in a line of work where death lurks around the corner. he had told her, killing her streak of happiness with an accurate, sudden verbal thrust. She should learn to fight, to defend the Minamoru honour. But it seemed both father and mother disagreed. Deep in thought, he shook his head, seeming oblivious to the others around him.

Rei would say no anyway, since her friend was there and they'd want to watch TV all night. He might as well stay here and watch these idiots in case they try something dumb. It'd be entertaining at least, and in the best case he'd get to beat someone up. Bored with observing the idiots already, he whipped out his phone and texted Naomi, her name being one of the few in his contacts. “Hi, r u coming to the party? Y did u not tell me about it..? Hit me up, i'm stuck with these idiots...” He hit send, and put his phone back in his pocket while leaning back in the chair, yawning and taking another look around. There really was fuck all to do here. Yamato honestly didn't understand why people thought his Lakehouse was a good place to relax at, especially given that the building had very little furniture, barely having a shower and a bed. Not that he'd want to know what had happened on that bed over the years.. the door was usually unlocked and anyone could enter.

"Gahaha!" An all too familiar laugh resonated over the lakeside. The unmistakable cackle of Shin Maru. The black-haired teenager approached the lakehouse, holding a paper bag in his left hand. "Where is everybody?" Shin asked nobody in particular, though his smile was still present on his face. "Now that I'm here the party's really starting." The smile on his face turned into a sly grin as he held the paper bag up.

After brandishing the mysterious bag for a moment he brought it back down to his side and walked into the lakehouse. He set the bag on the table, withdrawing two twelve-packs of canned beer. It was only after he set them down did he take a moment to look around the environment. Aoi had definitely been hosting, judging by the vivid colors and the candy strewn about. Childish, but well-meaning and fun. "Hmm... Nah." Shin casually tossed the boxes of beer back in the bag and tossed it in a corner.

With his conscience cleared up, Shin stepped back outside with a wide grin on his face. He walked over to the fire, where most of his classmates had congregated. "Hey, Yamato," Shin greeted, giving him a wave. "Pretty cool of you to let us use your lakehouse for the party. Perfect property for a bit of fun." Shin didn't have any idea that Aoi threw the party without Yamato's permission, so he naturally assumed that the seemingly no-fun Yamato actually endorsed the idea. "Don't worry about any messes. I'll help clean up tomorrow. Gotta keep the place ready for the next party, eh?"

He playfully nudged Yamato with his elbow before chuckling to himself. "And you should smile a bit more. Makes you look like you aren't having fun when you aren't smiling." With almost no warning, Shin spun around and pointed at Daiki sitting by the lake. "You too, Daiki!" If the young man wasn't paying any attention, hearing his name being suddenly shouted might've been a surprise. Shin adjusted his thick overclothes as he walked over to the lakeside. "That ugly mug of yours would look better if you smiled more often." After flashing the depressed teen a grin, Shin turned around and calmly placed his right fist on top of his left palm. "Now... where are all the girls at? It isn't a party without plenty of girls."

Well how about that? After spending three years consecutively at the chunin exams, garnering a reputation as the Prankster of The Leaf as well as a few other names, Jaakuna Sawada finally did it. After two times of being rejected for god-knows what reason, he had finally achieved the rank of chunin. This was a proud moment for Jaakuna. Not only because he finally did it, but he was one step closer to catching up to his older brother, Hideyoshi Sawada. The brother who was of one year higher in age from the sixteen year-old Jaakuna. The brother who became a jounin around the same time JAakuna became a Chunin.

What did Jaakuna have in celebration for his big promotion? A party at Yamato's Lakehouse. Yeah, that's something that was definitely deserving of it. One problem it seemed presented itself. Yamato said no to the Lakehouse itself. It led to some big spat between Yamato and a couple of others, but it didn't matter to Jaakuna. Be it inside a comfy Lakehouse or outside by the lake, Jaakuna was ready to party. Of course, as there is with any great party, there would be fun, laughter, and pranks. That's where Jaakuna came in...literally, as he had just arrived just in time to see said spat.

When he took a seat around the fire, Jaakuna heard Haruka speak about the how Kale, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts,Cauliflower were all part of the same plant: the cabbage. Jaakuna couldn't help but look at Haruka.

"What the fuck are you on about?" He said sharply, giving him the "dafuq" face.

He didn't even wait for a response as he noticed that Daiki showed up, not really showing any enthusism about being at the party. Jaakuna didn't even acknowledge him. If he didn't want to be at the party around all of his friends and/or ex-classmates, then he shouldn't have bothered to come. However, Jaakuna did notice -- kind of hard not to -- Shin. This guy, he was one of Jaakuna's favorite people. If not for the fact that he was the least boring person at the party currently(aside Sentou, but that's cause she's one hot piece of ass). He also had a similar attitude that Jaakuna tries to maintain.

"Fuck yeah bruh!" Jaakuna said jumping up out of his seat in a backflip, his red jacking following his body's motion. The black-to-grey pants shined in the moonlight and so did his olive green boots. Jaakuna landed behind the chair he was sitting in. Jaakuna began to break dance for no apparent reason. Probably because of his most common nickname, The Sundance Kid.

"Owwwww! Hey, kyaaaa, stop it!"

Cried the little clown, dragged away by an overly Tsundere Sentou. Aoi could only guess her friend was ashamed of her little tricks and decided to take matters in her own hand. We was held rather submissive to Sentou's lock, but there were amusing alternatives to like working up the young Uchiha's temper with even more tricks. Luckily she and Sentou were tight, and as such Aoi didn't feel the compulsive need to impress her as much, so little practical jokes were not to be scrapped. Secreting mucus from her head and ear, she'd cover Sentou's hand with that thick, sticky liquid while letting her slip away.

As Aoi swiftly bounced away from Sentou's range, she purged her pigtails to release her medium length hair. The party had indeed started since almost everyone who was invited had arrived, including a certain redhead. There was her good friend Daiki, someone she enjoyed more than most, probably because she could get over his depressive act, and he was being all sulky as usual. Despite solicitation he didn't seem that enthusiastic, so Aoi would cure that with one simple action. The little clown quickly cartwheeled her way behind the lad facing the lake, only to greet him with a kick on the ass.

"Gueeeesssss Whooooooooooooooooo!"

At least Aoi wasn't wearing shoes, sticking to only to rainbow colored stockings to keep her from the cold, but he could still feel that marvelous kick on the behind mercilessly damning him to the warm waters of the lake. A smile of satisfaction formed on her face as she bent herself over to peer down at the poor, poor Daiki boy.

"Teehee~ That'll teach ya' to be boring in my parties!"

She added emphasis on the fact that is was her event, and thus anyone being ridiculously depressed or boring would suffer great consequence, like Yamato, but the lakehouse party was enough of a punishment for him. But as amusement roamed in her mind, she recalled having someone bring the 'interesting' consumables. Upon hearing Shin inquire females, Aoi finally remembered what was missing. She dramatically pointed at Shin, soliciting his attention for the important factor of this party.

"SHIN! Did you bring the... You know, magic potions?!"

The little carny called alcohol like that, simply because it magically turned reserved and shy individuals like Daiki a lot more social and active during such events. It also made them forget about all their worries. She also had to be discreet in case there were goody two shoes snitches around... A little beer would likely lighten the burden on the redhead's shoulders after all, plus she always wanted to see Naomi drunk, so having those ready before she'd be around would prove to be tactical for Aoi little scheme.

He was at a party for some reason, mainly we could have been better of training or something else: But getting to mingle with other is Very low of preferences. Takeshi grinned as he held his phone on his right hand and on the other: one of the Balisong knives he has, playing around with it like is a child's play. He was currently with his teacher about developing a new jutsu, so far was 'what type of attack would it be?'

"I guess...something lethal?" he muttered to himself.

His eyes however continued to focus from his phone towards his party that was happening around him. Frankly he didn't care. Feeling parched he stood up and pocketed his items into his pocket before strolling towards the refreshment table, quickly grabbing cake and a cup of punch he swilled around to watched around talking to each other, he could see other like him being by themselves. He stared at him before taking a chunk of the cake he took and swallowed.

"Hm...something's odd about the cake....Alcohol?" sniffing it he was right. "Talk about hiding the evidence..." pulling his hoodie over his head Takeshi dove into the crowd, carefully weaving past other, but he couldn't dodge them all.

He shoulder Bumped a Girl with colourful clothes. "Sorry about that." he continued.

He accidentally stepped on a girl with excessively long yellow shoes "Ah...Please forgive me."

Unexpectedly he tripped on someones leg and was sent hurl into a girl with a bob haircut, but looked pretty. "AH, i'm really sorry about that, Are you ok?" Without getting a the girl's reply, Takeshi stood her upright and patted her of the any dust on her before bowing again.

Finally he finally left the building and got some fresh air, inhaling it deeply he watched the sunset and smiled "This Is way better than some party."

He would go back in at some point, but watching the warm sunset was his main concern.

-

Taking in all the people, it seemed that more and more were arriving. Just.. just how many people had Aoi invited? He couldn't help but feel slightly angry at Aoi. That bitch.. Just when he was about to get up and literally kick her ass, Shin appeared and started poking at Yamato - wrong timing, pal. Yamato's hands balled up into fists again and he slowly raised up from his chair, his face turning grim as he looked at Shin walking away. When he was stood straight he opened his hands again and started forming handseals, preparing his characteristical Katon: Fists of a Tiger technique, and as soon as that was done he'd flick his wrists back, engulfing his hands in fire. He'd show this idiot..

“Konoyaro...” he mumbled at Shin as he approached, before getting interupted by that.. girl? Yamato had always thought her to be a girl, and she had never really talked to him so he wouldn't know specifically.. She bowed before Yamato, greeting him. She seemed to bow extra deep for Yamato, for no apparent reason. This wasn't really his party, more so Aoi. And Aoi hadn't exactly gotten permission to use Yamato's lakehouse. So in a way, the girl should've been bowing to Aoi.

Either way, Paneru had likely just saved Shin's behind without knowing it as the interuption caused Yamato to get slightly distracted. Instead of bowing back per custom, he simply nodded lightly at the girl. As far as Yamato knew, Paneru was a medical based nin, not a particularily powerful profession but a noble one in the eyes of Yamato. Never the less the boy was rather worthless all together, just slightly less so than the rest that had gathered here. Following the young girl with his eyes, Yamato noticed that there was also a lot of people in the Lakehouse. Baka Aoi.. you're gonna get punched. Yamato told himself as he saw the people, who started fighting over the girl. Yamato didn't catch the details and let his eyes wander a bit, looking at Shin with an angry look on his face.

When he glanced back at Paneru, he noticed a big fat kid holding the girl tightly. He was obviously drunk, and Yamato didn't exactly appreciate that nor tolerate it. He started walking closer right when the boy backhanded one of the girls, and reached the five meter mark when Paneru would get released and the girls would pounce the guy, who was called Shogo as Yamato picked up. What self respecting shinobi drinks alcohol.. Stepping even closer, he spoke out relatively soft, not even raising his voice. “Get up you fat piece of shit.” The order was stern, but Yamato didn't give the boy nor the girls time to react as he grabbed Shogo by his collar, pulling him upright with an exemplary show of strength.

He didn't get to punch Shin's lights out, so he'd take this fat fuck instead. “You call yourself a chunin.. I'm ashamed to be your equal according to this villages' stupid ranking system.” Truthfully, Yamato believed he could've been a jounin by now if it weren't for Konoha holding him back. Shogo didn't seem to struggle much as he got pulled away towards the lake, people making way for Yamato as he pushed past the crowd that had begun to gather. “Yamato! Let him go!” some yelled, others cheered for the show of action. As he got closer to the lake, Shogo realised what was happening and started struggling, grabbing onto Yamato's hands and trying to free himself. Noticing this, Yamato stopped and kicked Shogo in the side rather hard, causing Shogo to release a loud oomph. Atleast he stopped struggling. “Go drown yourself.” Yamato said as he stopped on his spot on the beach, a trail of imprints in the sand now being covered up by the following he had gathered. “Don't hurt him!” Yeah, right. You haven't seen Yamato, ever?

Rotating his body he slung the fat kid onto the water with such speed that he skidded on the water 3 times before he started slowing down enough to glide, before almost sinking. Shogo wasn't a bright kid but atleast he remembered to stay afloat using chakra. Yamato did the same, stepping onto the water while forming the seals for Katon: Fists of a Tiger. However after a few steps he seemed to change his mind. It seemed Shogo hadn't even gotten up and was simply laying in the water, watching as some of his peers ran over the water towards him to see if he was alright. Either that or they were going to beat Shogo up some more for Yamato. He stopped mid-seals and lowered his hands, looking at Shogo for a few more minutes to see what the people running out to him were going to do. It seemed they were going to help him back up and bring him home. Fine.

Yamato turned around and walked back to the shore, pushing past the crowd of people. Some of them looked at him angrily, others looked fearful. It didn't matter - they were below Yamato and thus their opinions were unimportant. Approaching the Lakehouse, he looked at those girls that had been fighting the boy before hand, stopping dead in his tracks as he stared them down. Looking at them for a minute in awkward silence, he uttered the words “Get the fuck out.” He wasn't sure if they'd comply but it wouldn't matter, he was not really trying to make them leave, more so trying to make a statement that he didn't really want any of these people here. Glancing over to his left where Paneru was dealing with the wounded girl.. wounded. She barely had a scratch, she should stop complaining and suck it up. Yamato had dealt with broken arms due to a training session and she was getting medical help for a scratch. “You, girl.” He pointed at Paneru with an angry glare. “Stop giving her medical attention. She's a waste of your fucking chakra. She needs to suck it up.”

He'd look at Paneru for a moment more with a condescending glare, but not as long as he had done with the girl, instead only looking for barely a few seconds before stepping away to the right, where the bonfire was along with the yard chairs. He threw himself down into the same yard chair he was in before and looked around again - this time even more angry. These fucking people were getting on his nerve.. he had intended to use the nightly hours to perfect his Fists of a Tiger technique and instead he was babysitting chunin and genin alike. He wasn't even sure if any of them had graduated from the academy, given that most of them acted like 12 year olds, save Fubuki perhaps. Yamato'd smack his right fist into his left hand, emitting a slight bit of fire as his fist connected, then cracked his knuckle.

Daiki looked over his shoulder at the mention of his name. Shin had started walking over and he sighed at apparent attention. The guy was loud, outgoing, and famous for pranking people. However, he had never pull one on him, which made Shin "okay" in his eyes. Daiki raised his hand in acknowledgment before turning back towards the lake. Everyone was having so much fun, but to him it sorta felt like just another day. It didn't seem special.

A shrug of his shoulders was his response to Shin's question. He hadn't seen any that particularly stuck out to him. Sure a few of them looked enticing in their bikinis and swimwear, but none made him want to get up and chase after them.

"Who knows," he said before nudging his head towards the lake. "It looks to me like there all out there. Maybe waiting for you to join them."

Before Shin could reply, he felt a harsh kick in his backside, one that sent him forwards into the beginnings of the lake. Daiki let out a breath, bubbles floated to the surface before he turned onto his butt and looked up at Aoi. Water fell down his face as he squinted a eye at her.

"I just knew it was you," he said softly, casually. "Your greetings are always rude."

Then he realized what she had accused him of as he stood up, soaked from his back to his feet. "Who's being boring? " he asked, livelier than before. "I've brought myself and a smile. A Daiki with a smile, don't you think that's pretty exciting in itself?"

He chuckled to himself but it was soon stifled by Yamato argumentative voice. The scene that unfolded in front of him, from the lakehouse to the lake, was unnerving. His fist clenched as his heart went out for the guy. After he was tossed out onto the lake, Daiki was one of the ones that ran out to check on him. His stoic demeanor returned as he looked down on the hurt man.

This is what happens when strength is feared instead of admired. No one speaks up

With long strides, he walked off the pale blue lake and back onto the healthy soil. Before he knew it, his feet had carried him in front of Yamato. He gazed onto the seated man a few feet away, his face calm but his body tense beneath the damp clothing. He didn't know the situation prior to the bout , but even so, was it necessary? Was it right?

"That was a bit excessive don't you think? Was it necessary to kick him onto the lake?"

His stance was confrontational.

Naomi let out a slow breath as she let the cool evening air touch her skin and fill he with a sense of awareness of her surroundings that would have been an unknown feeling to anyone that hadn’t either meditation or had the gifts of the Byakugan. The sound of the fluttering water in a small stream that flowed its way through the greenery that surrounded her: she was in a large green field that had been tastefully decorated with various artistic touches and had its greenery cut up and molded in order to fit the flow of the streams that led into the large lake in front of her: it was a garden, though the size of it was beyond anything akin to a normal gard - it was one of the benefits of being born as the heir of the powerful Hyuuga clan: even in this modern industrialized age their power meant that they owned real-estate that covered many acres and were filled with forests, mountains and their own small part of the city.
Naomi had been a keen student of meditation since her early ages as a ninja: she found that she could connect better with herself and the nature than with most people and through meditating she could train her mind and her skills through mental exercises - and this was her favourite location: in front of the large dark lake in the middle of a small opening of a forest, the moon hung high above her yet its size made it appear so close. The only thing that pierced the silence around her was her own breathing, the whisper of the wind and the bird’s singing in the distance. She had no idea how long she had actually there, but her peace was suddenly shattered by the disruptive noise of her mobile phone.
Naomi let out the breath she had been holding before she opened her eyes and let the light that bounced off the lake’s surface shine into her eyes. A smile had started to sneak its way onto her face as the ringing of her phone kept piercing the otherwise silent evening air. Without even looking at her phone she knew that there was only really two people that would contact her at this time - and considering her last meeting with one of them it was only really one person that would contact her now: Yamato.
She picked her phone out from her pocket and looked at the bright display that fought with the white moon to blind her - yet neither succeeded, instead the phone delivered its message as it was supposed to:

“Hi, r u coming to the party? Y did u not tell me about it..? Hit me up, i'm stuck with these idiots...”

The smile on her face grew a little wider. The party. She knew about it, but only because her own parents - and Yamato’s - had kept mentioning it over the last few days. She hadn’t really planned to go, not so much because of the hassle of actually going, but more because of the people - or ‘idiots’ as Yamato so perfectly had described them.
With a deep sigh she got on to her feet - she might as well go, who knew, perhaps even ‘idiots’ could be fun to hang out with?

She quickly opened the menu and hit ‘reply’: with a few short presses she had written her response and hit send:
“Okay”
It was her usual short style of writing: why waste time and space on needless words? And a single word should be enough of an answer, right?

As Naomi made her way up towards the lake house her usual wear seemed to protect her well against the cold. She hadn’t really cared to dress up or add anything fancy to her features: her dark hair was kept in her usual neck-short style, her light grey colored sneakers and her long t-shirt, this time in a rather surprisingly fashionable white with bright bubbles of colour splashed across the side, that was then covered in her usual dark jacket. She might as well had gone shopping than going to a party. As she closed the gap to the house in a few quick strides she knew that she would immediately come to regret her decision of showing up: the house really was filled with go-happy party people - or ‘idiots’. With another sigh she stuck her hands in her jacket’s pockets and scanned the environment around her: people seemed to have a lot of fun she had to admit, or at least it was a very energetic bunch of people that had allocated their time to this single spot.

“Yamato…” Naomi grumbled in a low voice that was filled with annoyance. How dare he invite her to such a place like this? Clearly it wasn’t going to be much fun hanging out with such energetic people so instead of trying to socialize like she would perhaps have done if it was actually needed of her to mingle with the group, she instead made her way towards a lone small bench that was positioned on the outer wall of the house. As she sat down she rested her head against the house and changed her gaze towards the dark blue sky and let her mind flow freely, somehow managing to ignore the loudness of all the fun and partying the people around her was doing

"Yeah, I'm alright. Watch where you're going next time. This is a party anyway, so knock yourself out." Sentou despite having a rough start at her morning routine, she is in control of herself and handled her situation maturely. Luckily it isn't Aoi she's dealing with otherwise it would be electrifyingly bittersweet and cause commotion. There are indeed a lot of people she recognized; Daiki Naito, a long lost relative of hers, Jakuna- calls her a masochist for no reason, Haruka- the type of friend who is fit to be a cook with his specialty in vegetable, he saved her from distress many times in cooking class, she owes him a lot.

Then in comes the prodigies, Yamato, Naomi, and Fubuki - "I don't get along with them. Period."

Takeshi Hanami. This person is mysterious. Majority knows less about him rather not even know him. Like her batch mates, Sentou is curious about Takeshi's existence.

Sentou summons a mic and talks; "I dedicate this song to everyone." She said while walking to the stage and seats on the chair and picks up her guitar. Sentou tunes it for a bit and tests her mic. "1...2...3 GO!"



One of the classic Shinobi songs composed and sang by a legendary ninja who dons the red and blue boots and the variations of golden hairstyle and lightning aura.

CHA!
What Sentou thought. She thought she'll sing it like him but....

But her version on the other hand....Sentou's version
"SPARKLING!!!~ <3" She yells at the top of her voice.
Sentou then started sporting the legendary shinobi Rockstar's swagger dance moves, head banging and rock star stuff.

Fubuki - lost prodigy

To be honest she was a loss at what was supposed to happen. Though she was never comfortable around people really she knew they all had someone there that was a friend though for herself personally she had no one. It was a odd situation to be honest and she kind of stood out not only as a "prodigy" but as a standard person as well in terms of social situation since it was never her main focus as a child it was strength to prove herself even more so when she was cast aside for her cousin. Fubuki sighed as she saw the chaos around her though it was odd she wasn't one for general interaction that happened with festivities. Standing up she straightened out her clothes as someone started to sing listening for a bit as she walked off. This was doing her now good as she was about to leave she stopped it seem Yamato got himself into a confrontation of sorts. Stopping and bringing herself in it would do no good for people to fight now. "This serves no purpose you know." she stated out loud looking at both Yamato and Daiki.

Jaakuna wasn't sure if anyone had even acknowledged him dancing. He had continued to do it for at least a minute and he started to work up a sweat a little bit. He stopped about midway through an upside-down, one-handed stand to only prop himself back onto his two feet. He wiped the sweat starting to drip down from his face, the drops themselves make marks on the ground, but only for a second until they vanished out of sight of the moonlight.

Jaakuna had stopped just in time to see Yamato through a bit of a hissy fit. This guy seemed to be full of himself all the damn time. “Oh, I shouldn’t be a chunin and not be ranked with these losers”, was among the nicer stuff he would spat constantly. After the few couple of times, Jaakuna had just learned to ignore Yamato. Besides, Jaakuna found it less stressful to do so. He didn’t want to bother with the elitist and risk getting into a fight with him. He didn’t need that shit.

Among the craziness of Yamato’s hissy fit, Jaakuna almost missed the Trap Queen himself, Paneru Yagyu. The only person known in existence that confused Jaakuna into thinking that he was a she when he was actually a he. Jaakuna liked the guy, he was cool, even though The Sundance Kid thought Paneru could open up more. He wished that he didn’t have to be so goddamn shy, but perhaps when one looks as confusing as he does, maybe that’s something that one doesn’t have a choice in the matter of.

After the commotion with Yamato seemed to have died down, Daiki came in as Daiki could only be as he became a little confrontational with Yamato. Jaakuna was glued to what was about to happen, but then he heard Sentou come out of nowhere with a mic in hand. Jaakuna turned to her direction, and listened.

He wished he hadn’t.

For a girl with all of the right stuff in all the right places(Hideyoshi’s words, not Jaakuna’s), she was a horrible singer. Like good god, it was like listening to cats scratching on a chalkboard while someone yelled for no apparent reason. Jaakuna didn’t know if she was drunk and her inhibitions were lowered or she was sober and that she was doing this on purpose. However, despite whatever feelings that Jaakuna had about her singing, he found himself cheering as loud a he could.

“YEAH! SING IT GIRL! LOUDER! LOUDER!” Jaakuna yelled, as his fists pumped into the air as if he were in a nightclub or something.

Shin grinned as Jaakuna began dancing. Jaakuna Sawada was one of the fun guys, definitely a good friend of Shin's. He knew how to have a laugh and knew how to be cool. He was a bit goofy at times and also a bit of a pervert (like Shin), but he was never bad company to have. Before Shin could go join the girls that were socializing around the lake, Aoi had appeared out of nowhere. Like she usually does. "Oh, I put them in the lakehouse," he said, pointing back to the cabin. "They're in the paper bag. Didn't want to leave them just lying about in case you had a plan." Throughout all this, Shin was blissfully unaware of the wrath he had almost incurred from the angry Yamato behind him.

However, he did notice the commotion brought up when one of the larger classmates began picking on Paneru. The boy, who Shin had to learn was a boy, was a timid kid that wouldn't stick up for himself. Shin had stopped bullies from torturing him in the past and was prepared to do the same again. Only Yamato had a different approach to situation. Shin crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the whole confrontation, his expression notably no longer happy or outgoing. He instead seemed like he had a reserved anger, or perhaps disgust, of the drunk kid's treatment.

Yamato Minamoru was an interesting case. Shin had always paid attention to him over the years. The rich kid had the best grades in the class, after all. And Shin was positive it didn't come from cheating. Yamato was one of the few that would always score higher than him. There was no doubt he was a strong shinobi, but his personality was lacking. And his volatile attitude was well demonstrated here. Had I handled it, the mood wouldn't have been killed, Shin thought to himself, watching from the shoreline as several others helped Yamato's victim to his feet.

With a sigh, Shin turned away from Yamato in preparation to assist Aoi in whatever plan she had with the booze. There was no point in trying to get into Yamato's head, he surely wasn't about to change. Definitely not right now, after showing off his dominance. "That was a buzzkill. I guess I'm gonna..." Shin stopped mid-sentence as one other voice came out of from silence. He turned to see Daiki had approached Yamato, seemingly ready to square off with him. Never took him as the confrontational type, Shin thought to himself, But Yamato is.

Daiki would feel a hand be placed on his right shoulder. Shin approached him, but he didn't move Daiki in any way. It was simply to get his attention. "Not the time, man," he said, his voice intentionally lower and more serious than normal. His blue eyes shifted to look into Yamato's briefly, before he removed his hand from Daiki's shoulder. The serious tension in the vicinity was broken harshly when Sentou Uchiha, one of the attractive girls that Shin was looking for, burst out in song.

Shin's face visibly contorted in discomfort as she began singing. "Why?" he let out, turning away from Yamato and Daiki. "Why can't her voice be as good as her body...?" Thankfully her song was relatively brief, otherwise Shin would've likely broken down crying. It seemed that he had entirely forgotten about Daiki and Yamato at this point, as he began to walk away from them without another word or glance. "This will haunt my dreams..." he mumbled to himself. Her song was terrible, but at least it brought fun back to the party. After taking a deep breath, Shin recomposed himself and his usual grin was back on his face. "Alright. Where was I? Right, girls."

Yamato had just sat down and intended to stay in his seat for a while when this depressed runt showed up. Daiki started talking to him and all Yamato could do was hang back and listen to him yap. “Excessive?” Yamato asked with a slight grin playing on his mouth, asking a question that was obviously not meant to be answered. Yamato got up again, ignoring Shin's interruption, and pushed Daiki against his shoulder - relatively soft, but he still pushed him. Tph.. the boys clothes would sound as Yamato's hand connected with the shoulder. “Idiot.. have you forgotten whose house this is?” Yamato's other hand now extended for the boys other shoulder, harder this time. Tph.

“Or maybe you enjoy when fat fucks are drunk in your house, picking on girls.” Not that he cared much for Paneru, he was just throwing that last bit in there to gain the moral high ground against Daiki. Yamato might be cocky but that didn't mean it wouldn't feel good to be supported by the rest. Again, his hand extended for the boys shoulder, harder and harder. Tph! Yamato's grin had dissapeared and made way for his characteristically angry look that toiled and milled on his face pretty much constantly. He was done pushing Daiki around, as could be seen from his fists which had now balled up as Yamato got ready to punch Daiki. “I should kill y-” But the punch never came, as Yamato was distracted by some cat screeching. Or rather, Sentou started 'singing.'

Then Fubuki came by and notified Yamato that there was no purpose in beating up this poor, depressed kid. She was right, though, Yamato's anger had gotten the best of him again and he now realized he wouldn't gain anything - be that respect, fame or honour from beating such a weakling up. His fists fell down and he put his hands in his pockets again, taking up a relatively 'cool' stance. “Baka, go back to that lake you were sitting in and drown yourself, that way you can stop pestering me at my house.” Whether Daiki would want to continue their little tussle or not, Yamato didn't care much and turned around. He spotted Naomi and walked over to her, dumping himself into the bench that was there and putting his left arm on the back-rest so he could turn and face Naomi rather than sit straight. He had noticed she had closed her eyes, no doubt to stop the crowds' annoying voices from reaching her but he'd make sure to interrupt her.

“Yo, idiot.” Yamato hadn't even read her text message back, oblivious to the fact that he'd even received one. “Daiki just got in my face.” He didn't laugh or grin, matter of fact he kept a straight, cool face. But he couldn't help but think it was funny. Daiki.. fighting.. him? That'd be over in 2 seconds. He wondered what Naomi would think or say to him.

Sploosh

Did the fat boy as he crashed in the water by Yamato's hand. Well these things happened quite often in the parties Aoi would organize with alcohol added to the bunch, however Shogo seemed to have found one of the secret stash to be that drunk already. At least Shin had righteously indicated where to go, which excited Aoi all the more, but Daiki took the recent event a little too seriously and had manifested a need to confront Yamato. The little clown took a second to realize what was really going to happen, and it became more apparent to her when people milled toward the two boys. This was going to end up in a fight, that's what she thought anyway. A a precaution, she had shot one of her bungees on Daiki's back as he made his way to Yamato, effectively sticking the end of the goo on his clothes and preventing any suspicion from her friend. At least she'd have a reliable way to separate them.

However their little showdown would prove to be a short one as Yamato cooled down upon hearing his colleague's thoughts on the situation. But Aoi wasn't so sure about Daiki, he could very well want to put the rich kid's ego in check, and she couldn't have that happen. The little girl had performed a forward somersault, the accuracy being nearly perfect as she landed her two small feet on Daiki's respective shoulders. Her landing well controlled and he'd barely feel her land on him, but the weight of her body was progressively more imposing on his figure. At least now he'd be too encumbered to do anything stupid with Yamato.

"Oii, no fighting Daikiiiii~ Let that grump be a grump."

She said as if she were the boy's mother, standing straight and tall on the young lad's upper body. She had now remembered her primary goal: Getting booze. Well they were at the lakehouse, or almost anyway, but she could spot Shin's bag. Pointing her index finger as if she was pointing an imaginary gun, she used her bungee to pull the entire thing toward her in one quick instant. She quickly inspected the container, only to find the pack of beer Shin had promised. Aoi grinned like a mischievous child happy to have pulled a prank.

"Yop, catch."

She let he can drop down in front of Daiki, prompting him to actually catch them if he wasn't too dumb or clumsy. It would only be now that she'd notice her party being screwed up by Sentou's poor attempt to sing. Not enough people were drunk enough to let this pass, and Aoi's reputation was on the line if Sentou were to completely destroy the atmosphere. Hopping off her friend's shoulders, she turned to face Sentou who had just finished her first song. 'If I don't do anything, she'll just murder this whole party...'

There was but one alternative to this, a life saver that only emergencies would allow. She had grabbed a second can and tossed it a couple of time in the air, as someone would do with a ball before throwing it. She carefully targeted Sentou's head, Aoi could NOT miss this chance to get things in order and regulate the awesome chaos that reigned before all of this. She threw the can, only to scream something at Sentou as the can was a meter away from her cheek.

"DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE!!!!!!!!"

Her voice echo'd throughout the shore and the nearby forest. This had to be done, just as hug-tackling Paneru was, but he was busy with healing someone. At least she waved at him during the start of the party. Nonetheless, a proper greeting was in order for kimono-boy, and so she skipped to his general direction. She didn't worry too much about Daiki at this point, she had a bungee on him and stopped him while he was hot for duking it out with Yamato.

"Pa-ne-ru~ Oooooooohhhhh! I love your Kimono <3 I totes want an identical one... But with yellow and blue and pink and green!"

She dived into her little fantasy of looking nice, but behind this little scene she was just asking him where he got it without directly asking it. Hey girls don't have to be direct. She was also trying to be a good host by being interested in everyone, but there were just too many for Aoi to cater one by one. Oh well, she had alcohol to occupy everyone so all was good.

It was around the moment where certain partygoers had nearly come to blows and when people had started singing horribly that Haruka realised that he had absolutely no idea of what he was actually doing at the party. Having successfully swiped a glass of plum wine from somebody distracted by the earlier conflict, the three-year veteran chunin was in the midst of slinking out of the building, blending into the background like others possessing his tendency for blandness. It was honestly quite stuffy in the room where some were gathered, and he much preferred being able to breathe without thinking that everything smelt strongly. He brushed some strands of green hair away from his eyes. It was a bit strange, he had to admit, coming to a graduation party for younger chunin. But he had been free, and it certainly was enjoyable, albeit a bit ... wild? Yes, that was the word. Wild.

The singing was pretty loud.

He could even hear it from outside the house.

Haruka quickly gulped down the drink in his hands, having realised that the intensity of his fellow chunin's ... vocal talents ... had begun to even shake the glass. His tongue tingled with both the sweetness and sourness of his plum wine. It wasn't really the type of drink he enjoyed, being somewhat of a teetotaller compared to some of his compatriots, but he did enjoy the taste. For all that people seemed to paint him out as a vegetable lover, he actually had one of the largest sweet tooths around.

Fortunately, he brushed his teeth regularly.

"Well, now what?" he mused to himself, having quickly discarded the glass on a nearby table. The party was in full-swing, but there was little he could imagine himself actually doing.