The boys secret...

[michael]

The boy had lived in these lands of rain for sometime and finding himself bored quite often he was prone to wondering. This lead him to eventually noticing the interesting Shinobi as she trained. He would with the help of his glider and basic Futon use would travel from rooftop to rooftop seeing what this young but obviously very powerful Shinobi was up to.

Her abilities far beyond his own would amaze him, her mastery of such high level jutsu would leave him gasping in wonderment. He knew he could never accomplish such great feats of jutsu without many years of practice. But this young girl only a few years older then him was accomplishing these feats seemingly without the years he assumed it would take anyone else.

Traveling to watch her practice was one of his favorite trips of the day, after spending most of his morning at the academy. He would always wonder if she knew he was watching, he assumed she did.

He kept to himself most often never interacting with those he watched, and was prone to following around other shinobi in the village as well as keeping track mentally of where they were and what they were doing. This quiet young boy thought of it all as a game or training exercise for one day when he would be asked to serve his village as a spy in other places. Anytime anyone nearby would say they were looking for someone he would always pipe in that he had seen them at this place or that. He prided himself on being helpful as he saw it, though other shinobi might find it irritating having this boy telling on them when they leave their post for a food break out of turn or something.

Yet the one person he never spoke of to anyone was this girl, she was a village secret he assumed seeing her so often with the Lady Ryuze. He had promised himself to keep her secret, because a Shinobi should learn to keep secrets. He also assumed with how secretive the girl was she didn't want anyone else to know what she was doing in the hidden places of the village by herself, and he understood this. He also assumed that he would get into a lot of trouble if he started talking about it not only with Lady Ryuze and this girl, but his family as well. They would probably punish him and ask why he was traveling so freely around and wasn't at the academy all day as he was told to be.

[Wani Ryuze]

The spy was being spied. First, it started as a casual mention to Ryuze by the Wani guards tasked with trailing Sio. Then, as it became more frequent, it became something of a daily game for Ryuze to get out of her office and track the boy who was tracking her charge. Silly, yes. But one must remember that Ryuze missed out on a childhood, herself. This was her version of play. So as he followed Sio, gliding from rooftop to rooftop, Ryuze danced between the raindrops, staying out of sight and out of sense, observing him observing her.
It was actually kind of fun.

And he was certainly interesting. Efficient in his movements, sharp in his observations. These were the kind of things that Ryuze liked to see. Talent and use outside of combat. Everyone didn't need to be a warrior, tearing out their opponents' throats with their teeth. Stealth and information gathering was equally appreciated. Ame was returning to their previous glory, internally.
"Hey." she said one day, appearing behind him as he observed Sio. "What are you up to?"
She was of course intending to spook him a bit. A little more of that rarely seen playful side coming out of her. It would be a lie to say that everything going on right now was not bringing out the better in her. Between Sio's progress in her training, the village's rebuilding, her meeting in the Grass, gaining missions for the Ame shinobi and her developing her own skills in her limited free time, Ryuze's days were filled with a little more smiling and a little less despair. Little by little.

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[michael]

Ito

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The boy turned with a quick movement of suprise, losing his footing on the slick rooftop. As he fell backwards because of his slip he peered up noticing from where the voice had appeared, it was the Lady Ryuze standing above him, Lady Ryuze he said as he started to plummet to the end of the roof.

He slid his fingers across the planks of the rooftop slipping down further and further and right as he was about to fall over the roofs edge he caught the lip of the roof. The ground a distance below him he winced in fear at the possibility of having taking the fall without preparation.

He looked around for his glider but it still sat where he had previously been perched, all the way on the peek of the roof. He quickly tried calcuating the movement it would require to gain sure footing on the roof or to survive the fall to the ground with the possibility of rocks or shifting mud there.

[Wani Ryuze]

Ryuze smiled a bit as the boy startled, her target achieved. That's until he went sliding off the roof.
Oh shit, I just killed a kid... she thought to herself as he went cascading toward the ground. Instinctively, she launched into action, rising to her feet and extending her arms. The water gathering on the roof began to rise, as well as she drew back a hand and then thrust forward. The water shaped itself into a rope-like construct, spiraling out toward the Genin. As he hung off the edge of the roof, the water wrapped round one leg, hoisting him back up onto the safety of the roof before collapsing lifelessly once more.

"Whoa...sorry kid. Didn't think I'd spook you right on off the roof..." she said apologetically. "What are you doing up here, anyway? You should be home and out of the weather."

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[michael]

Ito Akida

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He was able to say thanks when she saved him, but after that nothing, for moments, wincing from his near death altercation he tried to speak.

Yet now the hard part, answering her question. A million perfectly logical explanations ran through the boys mind, but none where able to reach his tongue.

I uhh...was..uhhh.. he stood there blank expression and all, then a light bulb. I was practicing my jutsu, homework you know, he mumbled. I just like the view up here it helps me relax, and i always like standing on large buildings to practice my Futon more wind, ya know. He said with all the confidence he could, which wasn't a lot, gotta try to be smooth he thought.

But ya i probably should..uhh..go.. he said as he walked over and picked up his glider.

[Wani Ryuze]

If only his deception was as stellar as his stealth.

Ryuze couldn't help but smile, still. Even in this, there was a particular silver lining. Give up no information. Apparently not even to your superiors. She had no idea how he would hold up against torture or someone a lot more imposing than she, but he was certainly fighting the good fight now. She contemplated letting the crocodile out around that particular moment, see how dedicated he was to his story, but she certainly didn't need a repeat of earlier's fiasco, nor did she need to be replacing a roof because a thousand-pound reptile came crashing through some poor family's roof.

The people of Amegakure have suffered enough.

"I appreciate your candor." she said, smiling and raising her eyebrows a bit. "But try again...you've been getting trailed for quite a few weeks now."
She was interested to hear his answer, and to see exactly how much damage control she was going to have to perform. Wouldn't be much, even at its worst. Sio was responsible, and they had set boundaries for her training and behavior in the village. They already had a backstory figured out for her. It was just a matter that to this point, Ryuze did not have to use it.

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[michael]

Ito Akida

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He stood there for a moment longer thinking his lies had won the day, but her words shattered those lies, she knew he had been following the girl. He tried thinking of a way to back up his story but once again no words exited his mouth.

I...I...uhhh...., was the only thing he could say. With a sigh he looked at Lady Ryuze and admitted the truth. Yes Lady Ryuze i have been following her, but i haven't told anyone, i know you think i might but i know she special to you. So i haven't told anyone and wasn't going to tell anyone either, I don't know who she is but i don't think she is from here. If she is from here then i assume she is a very important person with how secretive everyone that watches her is.

He paused for a brief moment the spoke again, I am just so bored these days having graduated almost a year ago and my step-father Siyoshi Renshi keeping me from.. he stopped speaking realizing what he was about to say and who he was talking to.

Ito hadn't ever been sure who had known about the "deals" that were made by his step-father a year ago. He assumed many knew they just never admitted they knew or how they felt about it, well other then his academy teachers during private lessons.

But he could not be sure if Lady Ryuze had known his Step-father had used his connections to keep Ito from being allowed into a squad. Many knew Siyoshi Renshi's name from when he was a shinobi that fought in the revolution, and many respected him for what he had done in those days, but not all agreed with the dislike Siyoshi Renshi had for his Step-son Ito.

I..uhh..I am sorry, he said dropping his gaze to the rooftop.

[Wani Ryuze]

Ryuze watched as Ito's entire facade fell apart at that moment, the Genin struggling to reclaim and repair his story before finally giving up.
There was a mild hint of disappointment in it, but at the same time, she was getting the truth, which was what she wanted. Ito had some work to do, but he was well on his way to becoming a great shinobi. Ryuze nodded in response to his words, lowering herself to sit down on the roof.

"You're right." Ryuze said, surprising herself. "She is indeed a very special person. But not for any particular skills she has...No. She's special for no other reason than she is who she is."
And it was true. Ryuze had to think back on the last couple of months that Sio had been here. Very few times had she thought about ending it all since that time. The despair that washed over her randomly throughout the day was becoming conquerable. And though Ryuze still had no idea what tomorrow was going to hold for her, at least tomorrow was now a possibility to be looked forward to, rather than an inevitability that could only be dreaded.

"She saved my life. And though she isn't originally from here, we are her family and this is her home. So watch over her, too, along with the rest of your Ame brothers and sisters. The same way I watch over all of you."

Her brow knitted at what he would have to say next, though.
"Stopped you from doing what?" she asked. She knew of the name he had dropped, though not much more than that. "You don't have to be sorry. What did he stop you from doing?"

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[michael]

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Ito Akida

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Well my step-father, he said with little confidence, he wouldn't let me join a genin squad. He told any Sensei that was interested in taking me into a squad, that i wasn't ready or some lie.

I have been ready for the last year that i have been graduated from the academy. What it really was is he wanted me in a squad with my older brother, So Tengata could keep an eye on me. More like boss me around, my half brother Tengata only cares about his own glory. He is so in love with himself, it makes me sick.

Ito sat down feeling a little relieved now that he had someone he was able to express his feelings to. The people in his life, well other then his mother, usually seemed to care little for what he thought or felt.

He sat quietly for a few moments, then he looked at Lady Ryuze with a big smile.

Don't worry Lady Ryuze i will keep this secret.

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