I coulda gave up then but-- Then again I couldn't have

[shunshinoshishi]

Who: Uchiha Shisui thelittleprincess , and Uchiha Obito thebestuchiha
Where: Konoha
When: March 24th
Notes: This is a continuation from a couple of test drive threads, moved over here for ease of access etc.

It never ceased to bring a smile to his lips when the terrain changed and the clumps of trees became thicker. It meant only one thing: the gates of Konoha were near.

It felt good to return home. Not that he was going to be promised any down time or vacation, but there was something about actually marching up to the entrance of that beloved village than keeping her at heart when fighting for her elsewhere.

Shisui identified himself at the gates, passed the security checkpoints, and, having done the needful, made a bee-line to the Hokage's office. Hands in his pockets, he was walking slower than usual, sniffing out the smell of a brand new tea shop nearby. Now that's one place he was going to have to try soon.

But first, he was going to have to report to the Hokage. And then he was going to need a shower. A nice long one if the fact that the girls weren't sending him their usual coy smiles were any indication. He also wondered what his genin was up to. It had been a while, and he was going to have to figure out how she'd fared on her own for a month. If she'd been slacking, then there would be words.

He doubted it, though.

Either way, he figured he'd find out soon enough. He did have something planned for the two of them after all.

Comments

At the Hokage's Office

[shunshinoshishi]

with: Uchiha Obito

Re: At the Hokage's Office

[shunshinoshishi]

Shisui huffed a laugh at that, a lopsided wry smile on his face that read 'yeah right'. "That new village in Rice that no one knows about," he repeated. "How convenient." It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together to figure out what Obito was insinuating, but then again, it was that little village that no one really knew anything about. So they didn't necessarily have proof, and without proof, they didn't really have much of an excuse to butt into another village's business. It was like walking on water, having to be careful not to slip past the surface and let the ripples turn into waves.

"What do we know?" On any other day, Shisui probably wouldn't have asked the Hokage outright. But times have changed, and he wasn't looking over his shoulder as much as he used to. At least now he wasn't on the list of suspects. Not that Shisui ever was, but collectively, because he bore the name Uchiha, he would have been treated with some degree of caution.

Old news, though. Times have changed.

Shisui was glad.

The look he was sending Obito then, however-- So you have reason to believe that Orochimaru could have something to do with Oto and recent events?

[thebestuchiha]

"We know Oto has a snake summoner, extremely steep prices, and a reputation for having the most lethal poisons coming onto the marker in the Elemental Nations." His tone was completely dry. Clearly he wasn't terribly thrilled by the fact they knew so little.

"We also know that no one contacts the village directly. All jobs go through a civilian village in the country first."

[shunshinoshishi]

Well, it sounded a whole lot like something Orochimaru would come up with. Fancy that, going all out and collecting a village full of minions. He wouldn't be surprised if they were all, at some point, his 'experiments'.

"I wouldn't put it past someone like Orochimaru to come up with something like that. We don't have enough probable cause to warrant an open investigation either, do we?" Sneaky. Shisui wasn't surprised.

[thebestuchiha]

"Unfortunately... not even slightly." He sighed, shaking his head as he leaned on his desk. "Not to say we haven't been... keeping an eye on things though. No need to risk being blindsided."

[shunshinoshishi]

"Worst-case scenario would be Orochimaru gathering enough support from the other nations and letting Konoha have it. He'll have to burn Konoha to the ground if he wanted to take over, though." Because it was highly unlikely that the man would have any sort of support from the people. Except, of course, in the case of certain persons who would benefit from the snake's presence.

Shisui looked to Obito. "But you already knew that." They all knew that. It was the pile of dust bunnies collecting under the bed that they told the villagers was nothing to be afraid of, when in reality, every single one of them knew that the real monster lay waiting. Waiting to grab them when they were sleeping; when their eyes had closed long enough to miss the subtle shift of sand when the snake slithered out of its den.

"The Council has suggested surveillance and reconn for now, then, I presume?" It bothered Shisui because even with such measures, he had a feeling that Orochimaru was still able to slip through and assert his influence on Konoha. And they couldn't be wrong with their assumption here that the nukenin had something to do with recent events.

When he glanced at his cousin again, his gaze conveyed concern, and warning. "It will mean more than simply a breach of security if something should happen on your watch, Obito-nii." Family. Old wounds were bound to open once again.

[thebestuchiha]

He looked sideways at Shisui, letting him air his concerns without interruption. Shisui needed to work out things for himself, after all, and he'd known a long time ago that the best way was to point out the bits and bobs in the middle once everything was laid out. Sometimes they just... got missed.

"I know. Security has been tightened and I've called for a round of evaluations that almost no one is aware of yet outside the T&I department. They're old hat, so I know people won't be upset by them, but it's still better if they're surprised. I don't want to risk a security gap any more than you want me to have one, after all."

He paused a moment, then sighed softly. "The Council... is divided on what should be done so I'm moving ahead without waiting for them to sort themselves out. They've all given me their opinions, and I am, by no means, willing to slack on any kind of surveillance. Especially not with recent events brewing as they've been."

[shunshinoshishi]

He was silent. For a long time, Shisui was silent, his gaze focused on a pile of papers on Obito's desk. "Perhaps it is time to admit a new member into the council," he murmured. "An Uchiha on the council would even things out." That council was made of every single member of the team his father had belonged to, sans Akimichi Torifu. But Uchiha Kagami had never had a chance.

Perhaps an Uchiha elder would even things out now.

And should there be any disagreement amongst the existing members, they'd know where they stood, despite the Hokage being Uchiha himself. Shisui wasn't closed to the idea of someone from the inside working to put cracks and fissures in the walls of Konoha.

[thebestuchiha]

"Maybe. As they are right now... they're useful, but I have breathing room. And much as I like and respect most old people in this village, I'm not thrilled about giving more of them the opportunity or position to try to tell me how to run the village, you know?"

He shook his head slightly, watching Shisui for a long moment. "If your dad were around I might go for it but... well, not everyone is your dad."

[shunshinoshishi]

Shisui nodded. He knew full well what Obito meant. They couldn't always live in the past. As for Obito mentioning Kagami as a likely candidate should he have been alive, Shisui laughs, a twinge of sadness lacing the gesture. "If Dad was around, he'd have told you to pick someone younger. Someone who didn't necessarily think like the old days. Someone with fresh ideas to keep up with change."

He smiled at the other man, pocketing the scroll with the mission details for the renegade cat. "I might have picked Fugaku or Mikoto, but they're too high up the clan itself. Someone in the middle ranks, then." He paused then, thinking. "...Or someone who came after the Third. Saindaime's got a big heart, but he really can't be the only one all the time."

[thebestuchiha]

"Sensei's out until Kushina-nee settles herself in one country or another. That leaves my mess of Jounin." He leaned in, focusing on him intently for a long moment. "I mean, there's already my jounin council, so, there's them. Maybe I should bump some of you lot, mm?"

[shunshinoshishi]

Shisui averted his gaze when he felt the Hokage's stare literally boring into him. "Whatever you think you need to do. But don't look at me; I'd be the worst candidate for the job."

Not because he couldn't do it, but because he would immediately be suspected of brainwashing the rest of the council.

[thebestuchiha]

"You say that, but you always have interesting views... that tend to work out in the end." He flashed him a smile, but it was one of those where it meant more things than it seemed. It was also gone quickly.

Outside with Ami

[shunshinoshishi]

with: Oyama Ami

I'm horrible, sorry

[thelittleprincess]

"The masochism M thing." It was a real danger that a kunoichi might meet a man or woman like that; it negatively impacted not only their ability to focused on fighting that person, but also their ability to stay incognito in some cases. She wrinkled her nose at the memory of that lecture, and how in some cases, the teacher had explained in a frustratingly knowing tone, it was okay to want to hurt and degrade others.

Yeah, that had meshed real nice with the anti-bullying lecture. Not.

She sipped silently until his opinions and advice had been delivered and couldn't help but look at him in surprise. Her eyes narrowed as she gave him a once-over, trying to pick out just which traits had been their weapons of choice.

"Was it because you have dandelion-hair?" She asked, at length. "And does that mean I have to flirt with them when we're older? I mean, I guess making the housewives cluck 'lolicon, lolicon' like they do about you sometimes is good reven—uh. Um." She...didn't actually know if he knew about that, and shoved her current bun into her mouth before he asked her to explain.

I'm just as bad. But! Boomerang is go!

[shunshinoshishi]

Shisui watched her expressions, his own morphing into something of amusement. "The masochism thing, huh? Gee, how come they didn't teach us any of that back in the day~?" You mentioned danger? You were staring at it right in the face, Ami. But that was probably because Shisui was more curious about it than anything-- he had a rare medical condition he'd rather no-one knew about. Telling somebody would endanger him.

Also-- dandelion hair?! Excuse you but he--

No.

No way.

....What?

"Eh?"

Come again?

[thelittleprincess]

She might have voiced the opinion that wartime curriculum had different priorities at its core than the current Academy standards, if not for thef act that she was currently desperately trying to avoid speaking. She widened her eyes and gestured 'helplessly' to her bulging cheeks as she slowly chewed her way through the bun, lips resolutely sealed. Can't talk through a mouth full of food, after all.

And especially not about Shisui's hypothetical bad reputation among the shopping district matrons, no sirree.

Most certainly not.

...though in a way, she knew he had to find out eventually. She had just hoped it would be after she laid that particular bit of misinformation to rest.

[shunshinoshishi]

Perhaps that was the case. Either way, he'd made it a point to educate himself on the topic in his spare time. But that was the least of his concerns at the moment.

Shisui stared at Ami, unblinking, even as she gestured to her cheeks. He was going to keep staring at her until she finished. Even if it took forever. Because-- he needed to know!

"You have some explaining to do, Madam. It'd be best if you swallowed down that bun ASAP or else--"

Or, you know. Threats could work, too.

And he would agree to clearing the air before embarking on a brand new mission.

[thelittleprincess]

Stubbornly, her chewing slowed to an almost glacial pace, and she refused to look him in the eye. Eventually, however, the bun was little more than mush and she was forced to swallow—though she did her best to stretch out that motion as well, and followed up with a long, long sip of tea.

But she really could only do so much to stave off the inevitable, no matter how awkward it could be.

(And, oh, didn't it say something that she could talk about masochism and body odor and whatnot with her teacher, but this gave her pause?)

"Um." She focused her line of sight on the now-empty canteen, and tried not to fidget as she forced the words out. "You...didn't tell me when your mission would end. So I. Might have...maybe...been stopping by the Uchiha district every couple mornings. To see if you were back. And some housewives might have seen on their way to the morning market. And you know. Thought of silly things."

[shunshinoshishi]

At one point, Shisui just almost wanted to grab her jaw and 'help' her chew. Maybe even stuck two fingers down her throat to make sure she swallowed, too. But he wasn't that impatient, and he would never do anything of the sort to his A-- er. His student.

And yes, it worried him a little bit that she could talk about all that and the shape of his ass without even batting an eyelid, but struggled at things that actually mattered. It mattered; there was no way Shisui was going to tolerate a reputation like that. What kind of sick person made something like that up?!

The agitation and vexation seemed to mellow just a little, however, when he listened to her explain. In the end, he was sighing, shoulders drooping just a little. Did he just get worked up over nothing?

"...That-- that was very nice of you to check up on me but--" He really was touched. (And not to mention guilty!) "Ami. They didn't actually say anything, did they?" Because from what she was telling him, it sounded like she assumed they might have thought of silly things.

But Shisui wanted to know. For reasons.

[thelittleprincess]

"No one actually called you a lolicon," she was able to assure him. "That part was just sort of...joked about? Like you were my crush." She wrinkled her nose and pulled a face. "And I think one lady said something like 'he's keeping her pining, smart man', and then it sort of snowballed into a weird in-joke every time they saw me; that you were raising me up romantically like in that one famous story about that noble-guy."

The Tale of...Genshiki? Kenji? Something like that. It had been a rather weird and unsettling story, in her opinion, but then again she wasn't a noble. Maybe that sort of thing was normal, in the courts.

She shrugged. "I don't think anybody actually thinks you're a pedophile. Probably. It isn't like you have anything to worry about even if there's an investigation, though." They didn't spend much time alone together outside of public venues...ever, really.

[shunshinoshishi]

It might have been a joke to them, but Shisui wasn't laughing. Sure, he was nearly thirty and had never been romantically involved with anyone yet, woman or man. That didn't mean he was in any way inclined towards tweens. Somehow, he was getting the sinking feeling that all the Uchiha-aunties whose daughters he had refused were now ganging up on him. Subtly.

Of course, that was extrapolating and going off on a tangent, but the fact remained that even if spoken in jest, such claims were bound to have some sort of negative impact on whatever teacher-student relationship he had with Ami. He was certain that Ami was not the sort of girl to take silly comments to heart, but even so-- It bothered him.

Jokes turned into rumors. And nothing good ever came out of a rumor.

Ami's attempt at reassuring him that he wasn't exactly living up to the housewives' rumors were-- not reassuring in the least.

"Probably?" Cocking an eyebrow, Shisui fixed his stare on her. "Investigation?" His tone was dead serious, admonishing even. Usually, Shisui's admonishments were gentle. But not this time. "There is no probability and there will be no investigation, do you understand? Don't be so flippant about it. You and I know what our relationship is, and that is all that should matter, regardless of who else says what. I'm not saying you're buying into the jokes, but let's get one thing straight. There isn't and there never will be a 'probably' in this case. You are my student and I am your teacher; you would do well not to disrespect me with your probabilities."

Shisui paused, taking one long draft of the tea before he finally gets to his feet.

"That's conversation enough for one day. Are you ready for your mission?"

[thelittleprincess]

"The Academy taught us never to speak in absolutes when reporting information unless you were sure." Was that a touch of bitterness? It was hard to tell. Perhaps she had simply reverted to the normal coolness she usually spoke with, in the absence of post-workout euphoria and the awkwardness that came from being forced to explain the rumors. Besides which, he had asked in the first place; it wasn't fair for him to have the gall to get angry at her for telling him.

"And you don't have to worry; going by the current trend, our current relationship will stagnate and terminate after I make Chuunin, and then any jokes or rumors will stop. And then you can focus more fully on your other student."

Now that? That was unmistakably bitterness bleeding through, and she regretted it as soon as the words hit the air. She wasn't certain there was another, secret, student, but given what she knew of his time-table and missions, and how much time he had spent overall training Ami, she had privately come to the conclusion that her slot in his life was a time-share, to put it politely. It was part of the reason she had been so dogged in checking after him; she felt threatened and as though she had to fight for his time and attention, just like she had at the Academy.

She dug out the last bun and bit into it sullenly, but stood as well and nodded in assent for him to begin reviewing the mission specs.

[shunshinoshishi]

"It seems the Academy taught you much. But it failed to teach you when not to be a smart-ass." Just putting it out there, straight. He knew she reverted to that coolness when backed into a corner some, but he could also tell that she was going on the defensive. That wasn't coolness at all-- that screamed uneasiness. And her attitude wasn't flying well with him either.

When she mentioned said 'other' student, however, Shisui sucked in a breath, holding back the words he'd been itching to let out just moments ago. Understanding dawned over him, and he suddenly realized what the real problem was. Perhaps it was time to stop the reproach and tackle the situation differently. Clearly, she was upset. How she had found out, though, he had no idea.

"That's enough." ...But he decided to let things cool off a bit before delving deeper into the issue for now. He would explain to her later.

Shisui reached for the envelope again, opening it this time to reveal details of their target. He held it up to her.

It was a cat.

Their runaway was a cat.

"Take a good look. Memorize this face and any other details you can. Our subject answers to 'Mishka', and we better find her before nighttime." There was a pause. "Why is it important to locate the subject before nightfall?"

[thelittleprincess]

She set her jaw behind her wide collar, but focused on finishing her food rather than retorting. Her stomach twisted coldly at the lack of denial—she was actually unhappy to be right for once—and when she spoke again, staring flatly at the photograph, her voice was even more carefully emotionless than ever before, which was an accomplishment of sorts.

"The target is both darkly colored and compact, which maximizes her chances of evasion during the nighttime, and minimizes any chance of retrieval during that timeframe." Her words were clipped and clinical, but after a moment of tense indecision, a bit of her personality slipped back in. "Also...Micchan likes to curl up in tight spaces to sleep, so it would be even more difficult to get her back then."

Correction: their runaway was a cat that Ami knew.

After a bit of foot shuffling, she looked at the ground and quietly admitted, "Micchan sometimes eats with the other cats—strays—that I put food out for. So...she might show up at my house around mid-afternoon. Prob—" She bit her lip, drawing her shoulders in at the memory of his scorn the last time she used that word. "...it's...a promising lead. If she shows up, we can pick her up and deliver her, and be done for the day."

And she wouldn't have to spend another awkward mealtime with her instructor, promises and equivalency be damned.