sunshineverse | [Open!] Come forth!

Where: The country of Ame
When: The entire month of April
Notes: Basically, Nagato's health has been improving lately so you'll be able to catch him out and about pretty much anywhere in the country, be it borders or around the city. He's always accompanied by his Deva path, and you might get said path first. In other words, hello, ~~come get trolled~~.

Nagato had been restless lately. The months before this, it hadn't been such a worrying thing, just him consolidating his energy to reverse the damage he'd done to himself by overextending, but now... now he just wanted to be out. Out where he could interact more directly with the contact rain in his country, where he could watch his people without needing to send his paths out to do it for him...

This meant that people who had never really gotten to meet him before, in spite of having been in Ame since he'd taken control, were finally getting the chance to see him face to face, instead of simply being in contact with his paths.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

While his Path was off in another area... Nagato was in this one, peering over rooftops from his perch on one of the taller buildings, where he'd been tracking the lone running figure. He didn't hesitate to approach once his curiosity was pricked, and he ghosted in that direction, slipping through the rain until he was in easy speaking distance, peeking from under the brim of his hat. "Ame mud is better for a fast walk than a true run you know."

All the hair on the back of Itachi's neck stood on end. He slowly turned his head towards the noise, resisting the impulse to duck for cover. Ame was friendly, and it wouldn't show a good front to have one of Konoha's ninja ducking for cover at a friendly comment. The man's red hair put him immediately in mind of Kushina.

"I'm have started to come to that conclusion, thank you." Itachi lifted his tone to be almost cheerful and smiled a little.

He'd noticed the twitch, and his smile was rather dry. The instinct was correct, even if the timing of it was not. He could only presume this one was rather active in the field. He'd know such reflexes after all.

He came to a halt out of easy grabbing, but not throwing, distance, peeking at him through his hair. "You're welcome. Cutting through on your way to somewhere else, or were you headed to the main city?"

"Unfortunately I'm just passing through on my way from here to there," Itachi apologized. Itachi noted the man was standing withing striking range, but not too close. Interactions with ninja had different rules than civilian interactions, and it was almost soothing to shift back into these rules of conduct.

It was hard to feel threatened by someone who peered through their hair like that. Itachi wondered what he was trying to hide. "I'm heading back to Konoha," Itachi admitted, which carried the subtle message that he was going home and people would miss him if he didn't show up. It wasn't needed here, Itachi was sure.

He felt an amused smile come to his lips at the way the man seemed calmed. It was rather fascinating, it was true. "Ahh, of course. Might I walk you to the border? There's no need to exhaust yourself when you have to lose the time stopping anyway."

An escort to the border? Wasn't that...friendly. Itachi didn't tense, but he shook his head. "There's really no need, and I'm sure you have more important duties than seeing a random ninja on his way." Unless that was his job--making sure strangers didn't loiter anywhere they weren't supposed to. Very friendly indeeed.

"My duties are well in hand, I assure you." The murmur was soft, full of secret humor as he studied the man, taking him in with a thoughtful air. "I will not slow you."

"I never meant to imply that." A native would generally always be faster at navigating the terrain than a stranger. There wasn't anyway Itachi could really refuse, was there?

Itachi bowed from the waist. "Thank you." He might as well be gracious about it.

He gave a low, soft laugh, inclining his head slightly in turn. It never once occurred to him to bow likewise.

After all, he was far further up the totem pole than that here. "There is no need for thanks. It is, after all, as it should be that I keep an eye on things like this."

Itachi wondered what exactly he meant by "things like this." Ninja where they shouldn't be? Keeping visitors from getting lost? Exactly how was this man viewing Itachi's intrusion in his area?

And, more importantly, who was the red-head? His lack of bowing could be rudeness, an injury, or he was that high in the hierarchy.

"That's very prudent of you."

"Yes... but it is my responsibility to tend to this country, after all." He gave another laugh, tilting his head to the side enough that his rinnegan was more obvious. "I'm sure you understand Shinobi-san."

Ah.

Itachi gave the man another little bow, just to be extra polite. He also wondered if anyone would ever take Obito escorting them out of Konoha seriously. Probably not. Obito seemed to like people underestimating him.

"I understand very well." Itachi wondered if Nagato hard guards nearby and hoped he would have noticed them.

"I see you do." He blinked, then looked... much more curious, focusing a bit more on the younger man than he had been. In the details.

"Not everyone is so observant. And... you've already bowed. There's no reason for more at the moment, you haven't offended me."

"I try to be extra careful about offending people on their own doorsteps," Itachi replied. "I find noticing the small details helps keep one alive, so I've tried to cultivate a talent for it," Itachi demurred. He didn't see a reason to advertise his bloodline limits, but if he dropped a few hints it wouldn't seem like he was trying to hide it.

He made a little noise that committed to nothing. "Then I suspect you're fully aware of whom you've ended up speaking to."

Itachi nodded solemnly, but he still wondered why Nagato was escorting people out of his country. It made him wonder if this wasn't a chance meeting, and what he could have done to warrant an escort by the hidden villages leader. Hopefully it was just coincidence.

He looked sideways at him for a moment, thoughtful, then looked forward again. "You're Uchiha, aren't you?"

It wasn't everyone who could look at him with calm dark eyes and divine that he was an Uchiha, even though he had what in Konoha would be called the 'typical' Uchiha features. Itachi nodded.

"I am." He didn't know if it made a difference to Nagato.

"There seem to be a lot of your family lurking about my borders recently." It was a simple, easy statement, and he examined him. "Is there something of which I should be aware?"

[Open!] Come forth!

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