Hyuga Compound

[Hana]

No longer was this a time to kid around or for any comical banters. No time for arguments because the Frost king's name was equal to what they thought his presence would be. They were slowly running out of time so the time to act was now. Of course, this would mean there wasn’t any time to be selfish and act on your own thoughts. And so she listened attentively to his words carefully not to miss any sort of information regarding their important mission. Of course, the most shocking news was the disappearance of Lord Heiwa and Owatatsumi nearby the Land of Earth. But what shocked her the most is that they were identified dead, her eyes widened the moment he dropped their names and the aura of the atmosphere slightly changed. Of course, she had heard it here and there but she didn’t really want to believe it. Heiwa was humanity's hope after all.

She kept her gaze fixated on Ketsugo until the moment he was done explaining. It was no lie that the dangers of being able to run into Madoguchi made her a little anxious, this was their biggest threat after all. But at least this wasn’t a mission to take him on just yet, stealth was their advantage after all. It was important to seek out anything of importance, not only to avenge the lives that were lost already but also to save the world from falling apart. Once the man had spoken his last words to finish up his sentences she as well reached over to grab the scroll to verify she would take this mission on.

“There aren’t any questions for me Lord Ketsugo, everything is perfectly clear.”

She let the man know and verified she understood everything loud and clear. She silently nods in agreement once Sayu replies that they’ll be leaving right away. Hinome waited on the Uzumaki lord for any last words, or goodbyes to finally get back inside. She too would need to prepare for the dangers this mission would bring along.

 

[Davon]

Optics scanned the body movements of the Hyuga Lord, a man who is intentional and deliberate in body language as well the words that escaped the mouth. Words that were taken in by Uzumaki Lord, processed and thoroughly filtered to comprehend the most basic intention behind them. As an afterthought, it seemed, as time passed by regularly. The man sought to see underneath the underneath, as he was knowledgeable of every skilled and distinguishable individual in the land by this point. This was thanks to the resources which worked behind the scenes prior to arriving, as he had been reacclimating himself as the leader of the land. This was only to verify the assumptions the man had and from the data collected on a first-hand basis, this most certainly was a mission he could entrust Sayu with. On the other hand, the Hyuga clan Lord would be balanced with Lady SightSeer. A wondrous tandem, at least he believed based on what he has visually observed. They seemed to work well with each other, as trust and coordination were a fundamental process of a shinobi's abilities. Ketsugo anticipated the mission to uncover more truths than issued, but wasn't that the case with most missions?

Nodding to the both of them after their acceptance, Ketsugo would turn around and walk with the pace at which he entered the Hyuga Lord's estate. Walking in the direction in that which he had come, the Uzumaki exited the Sayu's estate and continued to his familie's property. It would seem as if the vanished from sight, as he was now gone with a zephry that apparantly drifted him away. Presence now gone and presumably onto his duties, as there were countless other things to handle in the Land of Fire.

 

[Jag]

The Hokage nodded his head in response to them both and was on his way. Sayū felt the presence of the man vanishing by the time he was upstairs. The audible sounds of clothes coming off and on were apparent and so was the sound of the Jonin vest snapping on. Sayū wasn’t talking or even making sound, it seemed as if his whole focus had shifted from complaining about the mission to getting it done. He moved at a great pace getting ready. Within a few minutes, he had completely been geared up, which included his kunai holder on his right thigh and a pouch around his waist carrying shuriken, kunais, scrolls, herbs for healing, and even poison. Sayū knew his fiancé would be joining him soon to prepare for their mission.

Had she joined while he was getting ready, she’d notice that he was zoned out. Getting ready was like driving a car if you are familiar with your destination. At times, when driving, you zone out and find yourself at your destination. It becomes second nature. He’s been on so many missions it was second nature. A routine at this point. While he got ready, his mind drifted onto the details of the missions. The Ninth Hokage was no more. Neither was his platoon. What could have possibly happened to cause such a catastrophe? His next thoughts were about approaches and methods to the Land of Earth. The way the conversation could go and what could be potential outcomes. Essentially, Sayū was doing a visualization technique. This allowed him to prepare himself for potential situations that could arise and since he has thought them out, his reaction time would be incredible. This included combat and even conversations.

 

[ZimTheInvader]

After the sudden and devastating declaration by the being known as Madoguchi, it would seem as though as he had retreated into the chakra source as fast as he had arrived. Due to this sudden retreat by the alien threat, the world leaders have ordered all citizens' return effective immediately.

Time-skip Implemented
Zone 1 & 2: April 13, 1205 AH 9:00 AM
Zone 3 & 4: April 13, 1205 AH 9:00 PM​

 

[Izanagi]

-Previously-

Looking on from the sidelines was always the hardest part. Devil was in the details and he always found himself buried under hell, having to stay low profile to make sure that he maintained discretion. That he never made it too obvious where his allegiances lie. But now...perhaps it was getting better? Perhaps it was getting worse?

"Honestly - I don't know what to make of this. Are they...are they retreating? Why?"

It bothered him more then his mumbling a'loud thoughts gave off. He'd been watching, hiding in plain sight all this time just like he always had been for quite a long time. It was painfully evident to him that in the state that the shinobi world was - Madoguchi and his forces were all but in an absolute tactical, intelligence, and militant advantage. It bothered him to think what it could have been that they were planning? Was it the absolute worse case? Perhaps they were leaving the planet so that they could destroy it without collateral. His gaze looked up to the sky - watching as bright streams of light left the horizon and ascended to join the stars - resplendent in their ominous trek across the night time sky. Nervous...irrevocably and inconsolably nervous he was - and even still most certainly is. However he was stable, not shaking a bit despite how his heart quavered so - the only thing that belabored him was the brief flash in his mind of all the lives here on this planet that were oblivious to the possibilities - and the slight thought that in a flash of light, just as creation was made - they too could be unmade. The slip he experienced was both physical and brief, staggering slightly upon the crumbled roof of a near building that had been decimated by one of the detonations of the ambiguous lines left by Madoguchi before. He jumped down to continue about his way...there were still those whom were innocent that needed his discreet special touch.

-Current Day: Post-Time Skip-

"Breakfast served! I know I know, and yes - miracles do happen, thank me later."

-He had called out through the halls of Sayu's manor with the utmost pride in his cooking, as was typical with the man when it came to anything that he did in honesty. Despite the things that he was dealing with and some of the lingering conflicts on his mind and in his heart he was the kind of man that enjoyed everything he did. Even the little things. Honey-glazed crescent rolls, bacon, eggs, grilled halibut, and his signature Bourbon Glaze Tori Katsu. As he set the table he wouldnt be bothered with sitting down at leisure and having a dish himself. Instead he was far more taken with the main article of issue on his hands at the moment....resurfacing in open spaces. He skewed a few pieces of the Katsu on a stick and snatched a few strips of the swine as he walked off down the hall. An aberration to the very laws of anatomy as most people knew it started to occur, and what was previously a brown haired young man with blue eyes wandering the halls - looking absolutely as civilian as possible; peeled apart as bright carrot tinged hues of orange plumed out from his head and his skintone lightened. Vibrant green hues of the Naibugan glowing out in the open as he examined himself in the mirror while a distant sound of pattering on the floor began to become less, and less distant. Soon the visage of a small hooded cat rounded the corner and stood in the doorway. There was a katana upon his back of very curious design and he took no time addressing the man in the mirror:

"You sure about this Takewa? You've got enemies. Hell, you've got friends too - you've always been so frugal with your appearances so to keep those close to you from getting hurt and to keep those who wish ill for you second guessing your next move. I say if it ain't broke don't go trying to fix it."

"You worry too much. Sure, I don't have very much personal faith in humanity - but if anything, I would hope that in light of passing events as they were, calmer heads would understand that maybe we have worse to worry about. I don't think they're done with us. As a matter of fact I don't even think that's on the table at this point. Someone has to do the right thing. Maybe a group of someones. But its plainly obvious to see that the world at large is divided - perhaps more severely so then I had thought. They don't have a Heiwa to rally under and come together. You've seen them. Sam, don't worry about it. This could possibly even turn out better for us. The survival of the Sozo clan, as well as the human race - align in the same intentions once again. Someone needs to voice it. And they need to do so loud."

That being said the two looked between each other for what could have been perceived as an uncomfortably long time. However the silence was set off by the body language between the two. Sammanosuke was very well focused - never waivering and staring intensely straight into Takewa as he handed him forward an information scroll, detailing notable events and happenings around in his area gathered by his informants in the Black Market Intelligence network. The way he focused showed that not only was he confident in what he was saying being true but he was still trying to push the idea that deviating from it was a bad move. Assertive and intense eye contact. However, Takewa was showing pacifying behaviors - scratching his nose to deal with the discomfort the stare was giving him, and glancing away from him between blinks - a distancing behavior which was something done when the subject subconsciously wanted to put distance between themselves and a potential stressor - IE: Sammanosuke. He was after all like a father figure to him. Taking the scroll and glancing at it then over it at Jubei almost as if to get clarification that this was accurate he rolled it back up after a thorough reading and chuckled to himself.

"Guess its good that Sayu and Hinome never got to leave on that mission due to the emergency cease-op. Wouldn't have anyone around besides you to tell me how much of a bad idea getting involved in this will be."

That being said he tossed a khaki jacket over his wine colored shirt and started to make way off down the hall. His facial features melding and his hair starting to darken once more; aiding the process by shaking his hand through his head bouncing his locks and making his hair more messy and unkempt as it fell over his face a bit. When he got to the door he grasped the knob and whipped back around to call out through the manor - not knowing if Sayu was even still there or Hinome for that matter but, it wouldnt be the first time he talked to himself:

"Guess I'm off to go play with the nice lil neighbor kids. If I'm needed you know how to get hold of me!"

-And with that he was off, closing the door firm but gently behind him as he scurried to...lord knows where to do who knows what.-



(Takewa Sozo > ? ? ? )
​

 

[Jag]

The Night Before

There was a void of uncertainty burrowed deep within Sayū’s chest. It was one of the reasons he had been up all night, in deep thought about the circumstances that had occurred over what was supposed to be merely one glass. In reality? He was more than a bottle in. Within the dark confines of his living room, he raised the glass to his lips as he inhaled another shot. As someone who was obsessive over answers and knowing, the disappearance of Madoguchi caused an imbalance within him. Madoguchi’s arrival was merely one set of questions: Why was he here? Why now? What are his objectives? They were questions that were going to get answered. They were questions that were supposed to be answered. However, that was not the case. All that was left now was speculation.

It had what caused him to isolate himself. Nothing was making sense. Nothing was logical. First was the death of Heiwa informed to him by Ketsugo Uzumaki. While he did not react at the moment, his heart had dropped for he understood what the demise of the pillar of peace meant. It also explained why his mentor had come as well. But not being able to continue the mission left more unanswered questions. What had happened to Heiwa? Why is nothing being done now? Had they forgotten about him—did they even deserve him? He served a purpose and when he was no longer around to serve that purpose they—he began coughing from the burn of the drink. All these questions yet no answers. Sayū rubbed his forehead with his right hand as if he were trying to ail a troublesome headache. What he felt was himself slipping, his mind spiraling deeper and deeper toward insanity.

Currently

"Breakfast served!”

Sayū’s whole body jerked as if he were falling in a dream as Takewa’s voice awakened him out of his slumber. From the living room, he could clearly see the man and he knew the man could see him or had noticed him earlier before he had begun cooking. His startled wide-eyes dimming down to what could be compared as lazy or even sloth-like. Barely open as he placed both palms onto the side of the chair and struggled to get up. As he stood up one foot went over the other as he leaned involuntarily toward the left while making his way towards the kitchen. Clearly indicating that he was still drunk. If that had not been a sign, perhaps the quarter-full bottle in his left hand that had been in his hand which he was unaware of.

“Hey, eugh—” he grunted as he slid into the seat. The bottle in his left hand colliding with the marble kitchen island causing the bottle to shatter and the remaining liquid to spill on the floor. “Oo,” he stared at the ground dramatically with a chuckle before facing toward the man placing his elbow onto the table and using his hand to hold his head up. “Hey, you know.. I don’t think they deserved him. I don’t think they truly appreciate what he did for them!” Sayū’ was loud, loud enough for the person twenty feet away for him to hear clearly. He was also slurring his words. The “him” he was referring to was none other than Heiwa Sozo. “These civilized people—they only care about themselves. The-they don’t care about anyone else. Maybe! MAYBE we do deserve to be era—"

Suddenly the words of the drunk became outstripped by an anomaly of what appeared to be stars sprinkling through his estate. They were ethereal, mixed with colors, and slipped into through his floor and fluttered around his being. His eyes fixated upon them and he aimed to decipher them but was too in awe to do so. “Oi Oi Oi.. You see this or have I lost my mind?” What occurred next sobered him up then and there. Suddenly, the stars that were inside his estate had begun to gradually become brighter and brighter until they engulfed the entire room. As he looked into the light, beams of different hues skyrocketed past him. It was as if he was traveling at lightspeed through space. However, he was not. It was only his mind and as he recalled his drunken thoughts, his eyebrows furrowed in anger and it sparked the idea in his mind. The idea that men and women, children included, were all consumed by their self-preservation over humanities. It was why they required Heiwa Sozo, a pillar of peace that gave his life for others by standing against the world’s greatest threats. Not alone, but he could if required. He was merely the glue that brought others together. And there will never be another him. The only other way to ensure that the world would come together in times of need?

Extinction.

And start anew with chosen few. It became his first and foremost thought. The white tunnel of light with green beams of light began to slow down. And as it did, cracks began to form through the tunnel. The sound of mirror shattering almost came alongside the visual and bit by bit pieces fell which revealing his kitchen. Until suddenly it all burst into pieces and dispersed abruptly as an explosion had been set off. Through the corner of his eyes, his spacious white orbs fixated themselves upon Takewa. Not a word was said, but one could see the killing intent behind them. The intent not directed toward the man. It was to only foreshadowed what was to come. Somewhere in the distance blood-curdling screams would be heard. It seemed he was not the only one affected, but the villagers as well. He could smell it already. The blood that stained the ground. Within the hour the air would soon become tainted as well and then—then they’d be able to taste that beautiful, pungent sour taste of blood within the air. He licked his lips at the mere thought as a sinister smile began to form on his face. Slowly forming until it become stuck, following by a slow chuckle.

"Hah-hah... hahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAH!"

 

[Hana]

“Dreams? I’ve never thought about that, I suppose I like this path..” - Hinome Hyuga

What do I want?

A question anyone would have an answer to right away. What are your dreams? What do you wanna be when you grow up? What do you like? All these and multiple other questions were things any person would have an answer for. From the moment you’re born you slowly learn what was given to you by nature and nurture and develop these things into a new person, a new identity, ‘You’. And everything that revolves around the different traits and dreams you get makes a person unique despite many having similarities. Dreams and purposes were most important to people and the future was something the people always chased… but with everything that’s been expressed to be normal, she never felt like this. From childhood, the ebony never grew up with a purpose, goal, or dream. Of course, she obtained her own personality here and there, but she still knew what it was like to have a mind of their own.

She lived life to basically obey her parents' wishes, she was their future, their dream. She was formed into the perfect child; gentle, kind, and obedient… of course she had a few flaws that were her bluntness but it was never something that overwhelmed the perfect image they set her to have. And for the longest, she believed this was normal, but her peers who constantly fantasize about their dreams made her realize she had nothing of her own to look forward to. The ugly truth she forever kept to herself… she felt empty inside. She never knew the answer as to what she wanted. She never wondered if she wanted to train to be the best or not, perhaps that’s why she ended up being overshadowed on becoming Clanlord.

Truthfully she was in a weird place right now. The world that seemed to end and collapse would supposedly turn normal by the disappearance of Madoguchi. But along with the Frost king, they took the world's pillar with them. The situation was too weird and didn’t feel right. While everything should be safe, nothing felt safe either. This gut feeling told her that something bad was gonna happen, and the mental state she was in made it hard for her to properly focus. She couldn’t really vent to anyone either, she felt so distant from everyone that they were out of her reach. It’s like the people started to change with madoguchi’s disappearance because the world still felt cold even without his presence. Her emptiness made her wonder what her purpose was. Her destiny? But there weren’t any answers… there never had been an answer in her life. Everything to her was nothing but a question mark. And she hated it. There wasn't a day where she felt she needed to pull up a facade to get through the day, she started to doubt everything she was or had done. Who was she? but she couldn’t show these identity issues to anyone. There was no choice but to focus on the now rather than the future.

She hugged her figure for warmth as she finally stopped zoning out. She had been awake for a couple of hours and because it was a day off she chose to stay in bed for the time being. There wasn’t anyone here to intrude on her thoughts because everyone in the household had mainly been doing their own thing, they seemed… distant like the state the world is in right now. After finally gathering enough energy to climb out of her bed she realized it was time to at least hydrate herself, and make an attempt to eat. Midst standing up she was caught on her reflection by the mirror. Hell.. she looked like a mess, seeming more pale than normal along with dark circles and messy hair. First, she needed to at least look somewhat human. And so she first headed towards the bathroom to wash her face, brush her teeth, basically cleaning herself up even though she was sure afterward she wanted to dive back in bed. But from her care of hygiene she was caught by the aroma that came from the kitchen. When was her last meal anyway? She was so forgetful nowadays, she didn't even remember what she did yesterday. After guessing when her last meal was she wandered over to the kitchen area only to hear the faint voices in the distance, guessing they were Takewa's and Sayu's and later laughter. Despite the three of them living in this house the past days she hadn't had a chance to see how they were doing. She knew Takewa usually had his own things to do and she never questioned what because she respected him enough to mind her business and well Sayu had been distant as ever.

 

[Izanagi]

"Hey you know, I dont think they deserved him."
Soon - Takewa's typically jubilant countenance was washed from his face with all the subtlety of a moose in a jewelry store. It was very apparent that the man was not ready for such a thing to be said nor was he prepared for his mindset to be jumped back to such a contentious repressed thought in his mind. The short haired mild mannered façade of a body he took on turned to look at Sayu as he had said such - not in anger, or irritation. . . but almost in mournful shock. Sayu knew how Takewa felt about it and unlike most people that Takewa was around during the day Sayu knew the depths at which he battled with this thought. It was very close to Takewa's heart, and furthermore being so it was a deep wound within him - a spot where he was vulnerable. The way that he turned towards Sayu was almost as if to say *Why would you say that...right now?* but Takewa knew that he had been drinking - he didn't need doujutsu to know that his trusted friend was impaired at the moment and unable to be discrete about the way he jarred him with such words. With a sigh, he lowered his head - apparent to anyone that knew body language that this was a distancing behavior - separating himself from the emotional stressor that was the matter of Heiwa's death and was it worth saving these people. His hand washed over his face - composing himself as he started to comment on the matter saying:

"How could they ever? Most of these people...they're flawed to a staggering degree and could never comprehend what they lost. You're probably right, they don't. But Heiwa-Sensei wanted to show them the way. He was their pillar of peace. He'd want his students to uphold that peace. And for my own sake I have to believe tha-

He was interrupted by Sayu's sudden exclamation, asking if he was seeing what he was seeing. For a moment Takewa fell back into his typical sarcastic nature and wanted to make an inside joke about the difference in what they see - nudging at their unique doujutsu and abilities, but then he started to take it in. His expression widened and by reflex his body staggered back only to freeze. It was funny how people referred to the flight or fight response as only those two things. In truth - there was a third and that third was more common then the latter. It was freeze. Natural for a lifeform to freeze in a dire situation like this - it was what prey did when in the midst of a predator in order to gather as much information about the situation as possible to make a proper assessment for how to move to secure one's safety - much like the way his eyes widened in shock to seeing such a spectacular yet abruptly horrifying occurrence before him. Suddenly - his body started to become engulfed in what could only be described as a nebula of chakra that bonded to his body, the distance between himself and Sayu closed quicker then one could blink as it seemed his body simply projected itself across the floor as he gripped his friend's shoulder and started to call out to the only other Hyuga within the compound he had any relation towards: "Hinome! Help!" That was a loud and bold statement of severity coming from Takewa. The man usually had everything under control for himself but in moments that he knew not what to do? Calling for help was not above him when it meant the survival of a friend and himself. . . and Takewa certainly did not know what to do.

Suddenly - in horror he watched as the luminescent shockwave of energy cascaded over his friend's body right there in his grasp. Teeth grit as he felt like he was failing him again, failing those around him, failing his family, failing Heiwa - it all came rushing back to him as his opposite hand started to become spectral and ghostly - activating Nutrino-Veil as his last ditch effort to save them both. But it was far too late. He braced himself as he became blinded by the sudden waterfall of light that came over his body and suddenly...he found himself overwhelmed, lost in a fount of light and cosmic energy as his mind was sent reeling faster then he could think. His body tried to adjust - adapt, every part of him was trying to come out of this in a way that he could at least fathom some bit of information to understand what to do or even what was happening. Resisting the urge to give in was...a monolith in itself - the horrifying thing about it was not knowing but the more he drifted in the cosmos he witnessed a star shower above and around him, millions of bright lights whisking past and around him until his mind was sundered - realizing that what he was seeing was not stars, but windows into himself. He couldn't make sense of all the voices. In some instances he heard himself, some he heard Sayu again - but in different context, others he heard Heiwa there with them, alive, Tenwa - the Crane Dignitaries. What he was witnessing was millions upon millions of other universes and instances of himself, his life - passing him by. . . and they all shocked him.

"You've seen hell." His body by reflex tried to spin to see where the female voice was coming from but he could not make it out. His brain motioned to take action, but there was no ground beneath his feet to do such - the universe around him mercied his insignificant place in this cosmos and turned his being for him. A gift granted that he ran with, spinning around to see nothing more and more when suddenly...the stars stopped falling and everything was just...black. He spun again to see a man in a black shirt, long wine colored hair standing with his back turned to him as he called out: "Who are you? What do you want? What is this?" Could this be the culprit? The tension was apparent on Takewa's face and how he grit his teeth, his jaw tense as he looked upon him with a glare. First Madoguchi, now this? Who was this man and what did he want? Where were they and what was the purpose of this? The man was in no hurry, turning slowly to face Takewa as he started to notice something. Examining the man's body with his Naibugan he was starting to become more aware of what he was looking at. The man was a Sozo . . . no, that's too simple to say - he wasn't just a Sozo. As the man turned all the way around, piercing Naibugan trained upon him with all the emotionless and cynical gaze of a tried and true sociopath he understood completely who this was. Not just any Sozo - this man...was him. "Who are you?" The man called back to him, in almost the exact same way - one could believe it was mockery. Then he heard that voice again, disembodied as if around them both...speaking about, them both: "You've seen hell, and now hell lives in you..." It shattered him to the core. He'd heard these words before - though for him it was not a woman, for him. . . it was that man his savior, his greatest enemy, his closest friend. . . but in that moment he felt his heartbreak all over again - no, not just his heartbreak - but both of theirs. They'd both heard this line in pivotal parts of their life and felt the same culling of emotion that set them on their paths and in that moment...


Their hearts wept together.

Suddenly - the two of them started to feel as if they were being drawn in, pulled against their wills as both leaned backwards as if to get away from one another. Before they knew it they were sliding directly in towards each other - the stoic countenance of the alternate Takewa broken and fighting to resist just the same as the original, but to no avail. They'd collide - and with it their worlds...their sorrows...their joys...and their grudges - and suddenly as this happened and they slammed into each other there he was in Hyuga compound once again...the curtain of light had only just washed over them, and what seemed like it had been several minutes - had only been a couple of seconds. His hand released Sayu's sleeve...lingering there over his shoulder hovering as if trying to make out exactly what it was that happened as he looked about...wine colored hair - and devilishly cold eyes taking in the surroundings and where they were as he refocused...what happened? What was he doing? Why were they here like this? . . . a hiccup in his daily life - something that he couldn't explain although it didn't matter anyway. . . only one thing did.

Extinction

In that moment the worse case scenario that could have happened in the room did happen. Both Sayu, and Takewa both - were not exactly the same as they had always been. Their thoughts were upon one thing and one thing only - in synchronization before one another on a single matter - Adjudication for Heiwa. It was another thing that bonded not only the original Takewa and Sayu but these versions as well - another fixed point, their thought process. It was always on a wave length that the two could understand each other and often times finish each other's thought without so much as a verbal message, and he knew he was thinking the same that he was. This world - the things he witnessed, these people are selfish. They will not conform to find true peace unless the world is met with a threat so great that it will force them to come together against a common threat with a common goal - and this time unlike Madoguchi, there was not the cold calculus of a machine with a purpose...they would feel the anguish of living scorn. As Sayu laughed on - the stoic Takewa turned on his crutch and walked his way over - a single leg as he smirked only a slight bit as he approached the door and started to hear the chaos outside. Of course his missing leg should not be taken as a handicap...he was more then capable and only did such as a deeper immersion into his disguise. Looking back to Sayu he commented - a simple statement. Though almost sinister in the way that he said such "Lovely day outside. We should go for a stroll."​

 

[Jag]

The tunnel of light had already demanded his full focus and no external intervention would have pulled him out, even Takewa’s grip on his shoulder. He heard the man call out for someone however he was incapable of fully making it out as the voice had faded abruptly. Moments later he was brought back and when he set his eyes on Takewa—he knew for absolute certain that the Sozo was thinking the same thing as him. He wanted to make some joke since the other man is capable of a special sort of sensory, yet continued forth laughing. It was as if their wavelengths had been synced completely and they had agreed on a mission. One mission. One mission that would change many things. That being:

Adjudication for Heiwa.

Long ago, he was asked what he believed to be a very simple question. “How do you believe peace to be truly attained?” There were several options, but at the foundational level, there were two: Peace is for those who are willing to take it versus peace is for those who protect it. At the time, he had firmly believed that true peace would be found with individuals who protect it. Those who have united in a bond similar to that of the Will of Fire and have been strengthened by it. Now, however, that is not the case. The woman was right. The only way peace can truly be achieved is if someone with enough power, and enough determination to do so, forces the world to yield at their behest. Yes, it may seem like borderline oppression, but that looming threat that if someone—some greedy individual were to threaten that very peace, they’d be dealt with—swiftly. They no longer had that. And it was what was needed.

The hand came off his shoulder as Sayū dug his hands into his face, muffling the sinister laugh momentarily as he wiped the tears streaming down his cheeks. He wiped them away by the time Takewa had begun speaking and began to make his way over there once the man had finished. “I agree, we should.” With that being said he opened the door and moved to the side, gesturing with his hand for the man to go first so he could follow began. “After you.” And as the man would begin to walk through the doorway, Sayū remembered something. “Perhaps our stroll will lead us to the Land of Earth. It was where Uzumaki stated that was last known location of Heiwa.” As he said this, Sayū too would exit the estate and close the door behind him—awaiting the man's response.

 

[Hana]

“Dreams? I’ve never thought about that, I suppose I like this path..” - Hinome Hyuga

The female Hyuga felt light-headed but her steps felt heavy she wasn’t in a good condition and honestly, it was noticeable. She had not experienced something like this in a long while, her thoughts were eating her up and nagging at her. She needed answers and like all of humanity. Everyone seeks an answer to their purpose, everyone lives different experiences and lives so each purpose would be different but somehow in the back of her head, she believed she served no purpose. She basically dragged her feet across the floor that is how exhausted she truly felt. The voices heard in the kitchen area sounded so faint it’s like she drowned them just because of the distractions of her own whiny thoughts. With each passing thought, she believed she could come close to an answer but to all avail, there wasn’t any.

A scream! A loud scream broke her focus from her thoughts causing her to halt her walk towards the kitchen. She was so distracted that she needed a moment to realize this voice belonged to Takewa and called out for her name. Something unusual, he was usually the one to soothe others and come with solutions. He never seemed to have a breaking point, but the panic in his voice seemed genuine and thus she knew this was something serious. Her eyes were widened and she seemed more alert to her surroundings. The woman’s fretfulness caused her sluggish state to go to a more energized as you see once someone screams in horror you’ll act on the noise. She ran towards the kitchen in horror, but she prepared for the worst. Had someone broken in and harmed them? What one of them lost their consciousness? The what-ifs and worst scenarios went through her head as she rushed to get to the room they were in. Once she finally made it to the scene there were no more screams or any conversations happening. What she witnessed was well... Unusual and strange. She scanned the place, everything was well the same no sign of an attack of any sort. Her gaze averted to the only two men in the room; Takewa and Sayu.

The two of them seemed unharmed, with no wounds, scratches, or any symptoms of them that they were in pain. They were silent from across one another but something didn’t feel right… she felt this dark atmosphere and couldn’t place why or how it was that she felt the way she felt. She slowly walked closer towards them from the door opening, like a cat showing she didn’t show any harm. Slowly… from a safe distance that was still in their vision. She glanced at their faces, not giving any intention of anything positive. Truthfully their smiles were twisted. Were they pranking her or something? It wasn’t like Sayu to pull a prank but who knows what these two were up to. Perhaps they wanted to try and scare her. But when she entered the room it seemed they were completely unaware she was here too, honestly more like they were ignoring her presence and so she decided to make herself present by checking up on them “...Uhhh are you two okay? I heard my name being shouted from the middle of the hallway I thought we were under attack or something. Did something bad happen or something?” Her tone was in a gentle manner but loud enough for them to hear hoping they wouldn’t completely ignore her on their way out on their stroll. Honestly, she couldn’t lie she felt a little annoyed that she needed to make it known she was around...She was tired of the distance.