Your mission, which you don't have the choice of accepting... [Tsurude, Sachiko]
[ooc: takes place after this post.]
Sachiko hoofed it up the stairs to the Hokage's office. Checking with the secretary on the ground floor the previous afternoon allowed her to know the best time to actually go see the Hokage when there was no actual appointment scheduled was around ten in the morning. Tsurude's reputation for slacking off was an open secret, so she timed her arrival to be more around ten-fifteen.
She didn't guess what Tsurude wanted to see her about. Considering everything that has been happening, it was stupid to stress over it when he would tell her exactly what their discussion would be on. And since he hadn't wanted to discuss it in front of Naruko when the three of them had gone out for ramen the day before... Best to just get what would not be a pleasant experience over and done with, the sooner the better.
Pausing outside the Hokage's office door, she tugged on her long-sleeved t-shirt hoodie to get rid of any wrinkles. Her hitae-ate was in her pocket as she didn't feel like wearing it but didn't feel like leaving it at home, either. A few moments to calm herself down a little, and she knocked.
Tsurude was enjoying a nice nap, feet propped on his desk with a blanket of paperwork. The knock startled him and he jumped slightly, sending the papers scattering to the ground. He sighed in annoyance and stood up gathering them in his arms and then promptly dropping them on the desk. Shizuya would chide him for his organization skills but the work got done... eventually.
"Come in," Tsurude called, taking a seat and straightening his vest. He stifled a yawn just as the door opened.
Sachiko entered and closed the door behind her with a click. She bowed respectfully (ignoring the sleep she'd spotted in his tawny eyes) before straightening.
"You asked me to come, Hokage-sama?"
He waved her in and pointed to a chair, trying to stifle another yawn. He poured himself some more tea, ignoring the fact that it was lukewarm. "Yes, come in. Nothing to worry about, just want to clear some things up."
"...H-hai," Sachiko responded after a blink. She didn't sit down so much as perch on the edge of the seat. 'Some things' could really mean anything and...
Let him lead the conversation, she told herself. Let him lead and you just worry about answering questions.
Tsurude was silent for a while finishing his cup of tea and then placing it back on the desk. He shuffled through a full papers, looking for the reports he wanted. "So," he said pleasantly, "tell me about your training." He pulled out a scroll and held it in front of him as she spoke. "And who you've been training with," he continued, reading down the scroll. All the information he asked for was here but he wanted to hear it from her.
She winced a little inside, then resigned herself to the fact that as Hokage he had a right to know, more than anyone else. "I was working with Inuzuka Hanato on a technique he called 'chakra claws' for a while, to help in bettering my control. I haven't seen him much since his clan claimed him for 'heir duties', as Kiba once phrased it." She paused to take a breath and remember she shouldn't rush through this. "I've been doing quite a bit of self-training, or I was until a while ago when burned myself pretty badly. Kureno-sensei found me working on illusion techniques and offered his help, and his own methods for improving my chakra control for the illusions. I'm in the process of doing some projectile training with Tentsuke, and I have asked Leigh for some help with my taijutsu but she hasn't responded to me about that."
When she stopped again, it was obvious she was searching her brain for what to say. She'd mentioned Kureno's recommendations for help with sticky-chakra but nothing involving mindwalking or memories. She'd mentioned Hanato and his help with the chakra claws (she missed him, a bit; she needed to ask Kiba how he was doing), Tentsuke and his weapons training, Leigh, and her own self-training. "Oh, and I've been reading the archives for information on what else I can do with Sharingan. That's been... slow going."
Tsurude looked up from reading along. "Kakami can't help you with that?" The question seemed innocent but Tsurude was well aware of what had transpired between those two. And this was as good a time as any to bring it up.
"Maybe. I don't know. We... haven't talked much about it." She had to fight the urge to squirm. Talking about the Sharingan in general with Kakami... It was on her to-do list once things kind of calmed down. Probably after she was wholly moved out of the compound, where there wouldn't be such an oppressing weight. And, she was going to suggest Kakami take a look at any records ANBU might have concerning Sharingan's capabilities for when Sachiko had questions that Kureno couldn't answer.
The memory of looking at Kakami's Sharingan and seeing Obiko there flashed through the young Uchiha's mind. "Some, but... not much."
Tsurude eyed her from behind the paper. He shouldn't have to ask outright, his expression should say it all. That wasn't the answer he was looking for. But in case there was any question, he added a few spoken words as well. "I would assume between her and Obiko, you would have better luck then on your own. Unless... Kakami isn't being helpful or..."
Now she did squirm. Her eyes focused hard on the lip of Tsurude's desk.
"It's not so much Kakami-sensei as me," she answered quietly. "I don't... know what she can do, or even if she's capable of some things I'm trying to find out." And yet she was capable of the mangekyou. That was something Sachiko could live the rest of her life without seeing in action again, and do so gladly. "Even though I know there are some things she has done that... are not easy to reconcile." Managing to obtain a third tomoe, a mature Sharingan, even though she was outclan being the other thing besides the mangekyou.
"We're going to be meeting up to talk and maybe train, though." Maybe. They were definitely going to talk.
"Talking will be a good start," Tsurude said tersely. "I'm not sure Kakami should be training again so soon." He put the scroll down and stared at her, taking in a deep breath. "I don't need to say that what occured must never happen again, no matter what the circumstances," he continued, "because of your past, you are already prejudged. Stop giving people a reason to believe what they do."
Sachiko nodded, eyes clouding a bit. "It won't," she whispered. She bowed her back to clasp her hands together between her knees. "I know it doesn't change anything, but I did apologize to her."
"It does," Tsurude replied. "Or at least it's a start. Senseis are more forgiving then other people... most of the time." He cringed a bit as he was reminded of a few of Sarutobi's choice punishments. He went back to his scroll. "Well your training attempts have been ambitious to say the least." He frowned a bit. Keeping her mostly to D-rank missions was supposed to allow her time to get used to living in Konoha again. It was supposed to be a slow transition but leave it to an Uchiha to ignore the chance to relax and use the time for training instead.
Tsurude sighed. "You'll overwork yourself in no time at this rate. You've had a physical recently, correct?"
"Yes. It was performed when Sakurai pushed me to still get looked over in the hospital." And there had been much griping on the doctor's part about how no matter how much Sachiko hated hospitals, she needed to understand that they existed to help.
"Good good," Tsurude replied, waving off the underlying tone of that reply. He wasn't in the mood to lecture about the importance of keeping physical fit. At some point, every shinobi had to learn that one the hard way.
Tsurude placed the scroll down and picked up another. "Your mission count is somewhat low," he stated. It was well known that as the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, Sachiko had inherited the family funds but living off savings for too long could get nerve wracking. That, in addition to excessive training to fill the time... Tsurude didn't really want a restless Uchiha on his hands. Especially when Orochimayu might still be interested in adding the young girl to her village.
It was a difficult decision. On the one hand there was the obvious betrayal, the label of traitor, and the general distrust that a majority of the village felt towards to Sachiko. But on the other, Tsurude knew that a person could only take so much before it became easier to just leave it behind rather then deal with it. Only Naruko, who had the endless supply of energy and optimism had overcome that. Tsurude had no illusions that Sachiko would ever be able to do the same.
"The academy is holding field drills in three weeks," he started. "They'll be divided into two teams and tasked with capturing the flag of the other side. I'm sure you'll remember that game from your days in the academy. The same rules apply. The area is divided by a boundary line, if a student from one team is caught on the side of the other, they are captured and forced to remain in a side area until they can be rescued by the other teammates. The first team who can steal the flag of the other team and cross the boundary back into their own territory wins.
"You'll choose three other shinobi to help you organize and run this event," Tsurude stated, handing over the mission scroll. "It's the equivalent of a C-rank for the amount of work and time needed to prepare. I'll want a report at the end of each week on how things are progressing."
It was a mission he could have assigned to any chuunin but... Tsurude had thought it through and decided that this was the best choice. It was a mission within Konoha but one with leadership responsibilities. It would give him an idea of how the other shinobi viewed Sachiko and that would determine what future missions could be assigned to her. And most of all... the thought of Sachiko trying to organize nearly fifty academy students in an all day event that usually brought their parents out to watch and other people to bet on which side won... well it would certainly test her patience.
Sachiko blinked once as she took the scroll, but nodded acceptance while she kept her face neutral. "Understood, Hokage-sama." This... was not what she would have expected. She could disect the reasoning later; right now her mind was already running through the beginnings of how to organize this. She recalled playing the game when she was in the academy, and also recalled how boring it had been. Ideas sprouted and Sachiko made a note to bother Iruko-sensei. Actually, Iruko-sensei might not be a bad person to have in on this...
Dark eyes sharpened by a focus and a challenge looked to Tsurude. "Was there anything else, Hokage-sama?"
"The rules for the game will need to be posted a week in advance of the event. In that week, every student is going to look for loop holes," he smiled. "Obviously having a few in there is good training for their deductive skills but... well, this year's class is crafty. They will think of things you haven't. Good luck," he said, a tone of dismissal in that last statement.
"Understood," Sachiko said again as she stood. She wasn't quite smirking, but a ghost of it was there. The Uchiha bowed respectfully before turning to leave the office.
Ideas and thoughts bloomed in earnest as she walked down the stairs. This mission could prove interesting. Would prove if Tsurude wasn't exaggerating about the academy students. So, Iruko-sensei would be a good source of information on the academy students, Naruko could provide if nothing else excitement and energy needed to coordinate the event... Maybe she could ask Kiba to be the third person, and gain a 'fourth' in Akako...
Tsurude watched her leave and waited a few seconds after the door was closed. His plan was in place, now all that was left was to wait and watch to see how things panned out. But that was for later, for now... Tsurude put his feet on the desk and closed his eyes, happily going back to his midmorning nap.
Sachiko hoofed it up the stairs to the Hokage's office. Checking with the secretary on the ground floor the previous afternoon allowed her to know the best time to actually go see the Hokage when there was no actual appointment scheduled was around ten in the morning. Tsurude's reputation for slacking off was an open secret, so she timed her arrival to be more around ten-fifteen.
She didn't guess what Tsurude wanted to see her about. Considering everything that has been happening, it was stupid to stress over it when he would tell her exactly what their discussion would be on. And since he hadn't wanted to discuss it in front of Naruko when the three of them had gone out for ramen the day before... Best to just get what would not be a pleasant experience over and done with, the sooner the better.
Pausing outside the Hokage's office door, she tugged on her long-sleeved t-shirt hoodie to get rid of any wrinkles. Her hitae-ate was in her pocket as she didn't feel like wearing it but didn't feel like leaving it at home, either. A few moments to calm herself down a little, and she knocked.
Tsurude was enjoying a nice nap, feet propped on his desk with a blanket of paperwork. The knock startled him and he jumped slightly, sending the papers scattering to the ground. He sighed in annoyance and stood up gathering them in his arms and then promptly dropping them on the desk. Shizuya would chide him for his organization skills but the work got done... eventually.
"Come in," Tsurude called, taking a seat and straightening his vest. He stifled a yawn just as the door opened.
Sachiko entered and closed the door behind her with a click. She bowed respectfully (ignoring the sleep she'd spotted in his tawny eyes) before straightening.
"You asked me to come, Hokage-sama?"
He waved her in and pointed to a chair, trying to stifle another yawn. He poured himself some more tea, ignoring the fact that it was lukewarm. "Yes, come in. Nothing to worry about, just want to clear some things up."
"...H-hai," Sachiko responded after a blink. She didn't sit down so much as perch on the edge of the seat. 'Some things' could really mean anything and...
Let him lead the conversation, she told herself. Let him lead and you just worry about answering questions.
Tsurude was silent for a while finishing his cup of tea and then placing it back on the desk. He shuffled through a full papers, looking for the reports he wanted. "So," he said pleasantly, "tell me about your training." He pulled out a scroll and held it in front of him as she spoke. "And who you've been training with," he continued, reading down the scroll. All the information he asked for was here but he wanted to hear it from her.
She winced a little inside, then resigned herself to the fact that as Hokage he had a right to know, more than anyone else. "I was working with Inuzuka Hanato on a technique he called 'chakra claws' for a while, to help in bettering my control. I haven't seen him much since his clan claimed him for 'heir duties', as Kiba once phrased it." She paused to take a breath and remember she shouldn't rush through this. "I've been doing quite a bit of self-training, or I was until a while ago when burned myself pretty badly. Kureno-sensei found me working on illusion techniques and offered his help, and his own methods for improving my chakra control for the illusions. I'm in the process of doing some projectile training with Tentsuke, and I have asked Leigh for some help with my taijutsu but she hasn't responded to me about that."
When she stopped again, it was obvious she was searching her brain for what to say. She'd mentioned Kureno's recommendations for help with sticky-chakra but nothing involving mindwalking or memories. She'd mentioned Hanato and his help with the chakra claws (she missed him, a bit; she needed to ask Kiba how he was doing), Tentsuke and his weapons training, Leigh, and her own self-training. "Oh, and I've been reading the archives for information on what else I can do with Sharingan. That's been... slow going."
Tsurude looked up from reading along. "Kakami can't help you with that?" The question seemed innocent but Tsurude was well aware of what had transpired between those two. And this was as good a time as any to bring it up.
"Maybe. I don't know. We... haven't talked much about it." She had to fight the urge to squirm. Talking about the Sharingan in general with Kakami... It was on her to-do list once things kind of calmed down. Probably after she was wholly moved out of the compound, where there wouldn't be such an oppressing weight. And, she was going to suggest Kakami take a look at any records ANBU might have concerning Sharingan's capabilities for when Sachiko had questions that Kureno couldn't answer.
The memory of looking at Kakami's Sharingan and seeing Obiko there flashed through the young Uchiha's mind. "Some, but... not much."
Tsurude eyed her from behind the paper. He shouldn't have to ask outright, his expression should say it all. That wasn't the answer he was looking for. But in case there was any question, he added a few spoken words as well. "I would assume between her and Obiko, you would have better luck then on your own. Unless... Kakami isn't being helpful or..."
Now she did squirm. Her eyes focused hard on the lip of Tsurude's desk.
"It's not so much Kakami-sensei as me," she answered quietly. "I don't... know what she can do, or even if she's capable of some things I'm trying to find out." And yet she was capable of the mangekyou. That was something Sachiko could live the rest of her life without seeing in action again, and do so gladly. "Even though I know there are some things she has done that... are not easy to reconcile." Managing to obtain a third tomoe, a mature Sharingan, even though she was outclan being the other thing besides the mangekyou.
"We're going to be meeting up to talk and maybe train, though." Maybe. They were definitely going to talk.
"Talking will be a good start," Tsurude said tersely. "I'm not sure Kakami should be training again so soon." He put the scroll down and stared at her, taking in a deep breath. "I don't need to say that what occured must never happen again, no matter what the circumstances," he continued, "because of your past, you are already prejudged. Stop giving people a reason to believe what they do."
Sachiko nodded, eyes clouding a bit. "It won't," she whispered. She bowed her back to clasp her hands together between her knees. "I know it doesn't change anything, but I did apologize to her."
"It does," Tsurude replied. "Or at least it's a start. Senseis are more forgiving then other people... most of the time." He cringed a bit as he was reminded of a few of Sarutobi's choice punishments. He went back to his scroll. "Well your training attempts have been ambitious to say the least." He frowned a bit. Keeping her mostly to D-rank missions was supposed to allow her time to get used to living in Konoha again. It was supposed to be a slow transition but leave it to an Uchiha to ignore the chance to relax and use the time for training instead.
Tsurude sighed. "You'll overwork yourself in no time at this rate. You've had a physical recently, correct?"
"Yes. It was performed when Sakurai pushed me to still get looked over in the hospital." And there had been much griping on the doctor's part about how no matter how much Sachiko hated hospitals, she needed to understand that they existed to help.
"Good good," Tsurude replied, waving off the underlying tone of that reply. He wasn't in the mood to lecture about the importance of keeping physical fit. At some point, every shinobi had to learn that one the hard way.
Tsurude placed the scroll down and picked up another. "Your mission count is somewhat low," he stated. It was well known that as the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, Sachiko had inherited the family funds but living off savings for too long could get nerve wracking. That, in addition to excessive training to fill the time... Tsurude didn't really want a restless Uchiha on his hands. Especially when Orochimayu might still be interested in adding the young girl to her village.
It was a difficult decision. On the one hand there was the obvious betrayal, the label of traitor, and the general distrust that a majority of the village felt towards to Sachiko. But on the other, Tsurude knew that a person could only take so much before it became easier to just leave it behind rather then deal with it. Only Naruko, who had the endless supply of energy and optimism had overcome that. Tsurude had no illusions that Sachiko would ever be able to do the same.
"The academy is holding field drills in three weeks," he started. "They'll be divided into two teams and tasked with capturing the flag of the other side. I'm sure you'll remember that game from your days in the academy. The same rules apply. The area is divided by a boundary line, if a student from one team is caught on the side of the other, they are captured and forced to remain in a side area until they can be rescued by the other teammates. The first team who can steal the flag of the other team and cross the boundary back into their own territory wins.
"You'll choose three other shinobi to help you organize and run this event," Tsurude stated, handing over the mission scroll. "It's the equivalent of a C-rank for the amount of work and time needed to prepare. I'll want a report at the end of each week on how things are progressing."
It was a mission he could have assigned to any chuunin but... Tsurude had thought it through and decided that this was the best choice. It was a mission within Konoha but one with leadership responsibilities. It would give him an idea of how the other shinobi viewed Sachiko and that would determine what future missions could be assigned to her. And most of all... the thought of Sachiko trying to organize nearly fifty academy students in an all day event that usually brought their parents out to watch and other people to bet on which side won... well it would certainly test her patience.
Sachiko blinked once as she took the scroll, but nodded acceptance while she kept her face neutral. "Understood, Hokage-sama." This... was not what she would have expected. She could disect the reasoning later; right now her mind was already running through the beginnings of how to organize this. She recalled playing the game when she was in the academy, and also recalled how boring it had been. Ideas sprouted and Sachiko made a note to bother Iruko-sensei. Actually, Iruko-sensei might not be a bad person to have in on this...
Dark eyes sharpened by a focus and a challenge looked to Tsurude. "Was there anything else, Hokage-sama?"
"The rules for the game will need to be posted a week in advance of the event. In that week, every student is going to look for loop holes," he smiled. "Obviously having a few in there is good training for their deductive skills but... well, this year's class is crafty. They will think of things you haven't. Good luck," he said, a tone of dismissal in that last statement.
"Understood," Sachiko said again as she stood. She wasn't quite smirking, but a ghost of it was there. The Uchiha bowed respectfully before turning to leave the office.
Ideas and thoughts bloomed in earnest as she walked down the stairs. This mission could prove interesting. Would prove if Tsurude wasn't exaggerating about the academy students. So, Iruko-sensei would be a good source of information on the academy students, Naruko could provide if nothing else excitement and energy needed to coordinate the event... Maybe she could ask Kiba to be the third person, and gain a 'fourth' in Akako...
Tsurude watched her leave and waited a few seconds after the door was closed. His plan was in place, now all that was left was to wait and watch to see how things panned out. But that was for later, for now... Tsurude put his feet on the desk and closed his eyes, happily going back to his midmorning nap.