"How refreshing to know you place such a high degree of trust in an unproven shinobi from a village reputed as the Bloody Mist. A name like that with traditions like that really gives the impression that they'd go easy on anyone, ne? Oh, wait."
A scathing commentary, to be sure, despite the easiness of the words and the little chuckle tacked on, but it was completely directed at Ami as opposed to Sephiroth in that moment for a sudden degree of apprehension about her mind. Was she truly that foolish? That compromised? Deceit was the nature of shinobi. To earn the trust of someone from another village, to become intimately familiar with their techniques, their mind, to use that against them and their village if the situation called for it -- it was all within the realm of realistic possibility with a declaration of treason following the refusal to cede such information to the village if it was requested. Had she forgotten herself? Possibly, but that was a jump he wasn't willing to make untested, nor was he particularly keen to usher in such a messy affair on such grounds. He wasn't Sakura, after all.
And then, there was Sephiroth himself, who Masanori was rather intently sizing up subtly. Too tall, that was his initial complaint, and entirely too pretty. Effeminate, even. Could men do that? Was that allowed? He might have frowned if not for the necessity of holding his expression. That he'd met Shisui and his teacher was insistent upon holding caution to this degree, though... well, it made sense. The man's posture, the confidence in his words and speech didn't lend itself to the idea of him being prey. No, he was a predator of a different sort, someone to be watched, observed.
no subject
A scathing commentary, to be sure, despite the easiness of the words and the little chuckle tacked on, but it was completely directed at Ami as opposed to Sephiroth in that moment for a sudden degree of apprehension about her mind. Was she truly that foolish? That compromised? Deceit was the nature of shinobi. To earn the trust of someone from another village, to become intimately familiar with their techniques, their mind, to use that against them and their village if the situation called for it -- it was all within the realm of realistic possibility with a declaration of treason following the refusal to cede such information to the village if it was requested. Had she forgotten herself? Possibly, but that was a jump he wasn't willing to make untested, nor was he particularly keen to usher in such a messy affair on such grounds. He wasn't Sakura, after all.
And then, there was Sephiroth himself, who Masanori was rather intently sizing up subtly. Too tall, that was his initial complaint, and entirely too pretty. Effeminate, even. Could men do that? Was that allowed? He might have frowned if not for the necessity of holding his expression. That he'd met Shisui and his teacher was insistent upon holding caution to this degree, though... well, it made sense. The man's posture, the confidence in his words and speech didn't lend itself to the idea of him being prey. No, he was a predator of a different sort, someone to be watched, observed.