Night had fallen on the road to Otogakure, and thus the group of shinobi would be forced to camp out for the night. Even out in the wilderness, Daichi felt perfectly safe and secure being surrounded by so many experienced shinobi. Of course he knew better than to let his guard down entirely, it was nice to know that there were always people on the watch and ready to strike at the first sign of danger. And since it wasn't his turn to take watch just yet, he had enough time to carve through this strange book of his. Again.[break][break]
Not too long before his departure, the Kazekage gave him this book. A strange story that definitely wasn't what he expected to receive during that meeting. He hoped that maybe she would give him some kind of hint, a little clue as to how she became so powerful. Or maybe a story of how she started as nothing and became something great. Or if he was lucky, something that would help him to optimize his training or set him on the path to discover a new technique. But no, instead he got this storybook. And it was...difficult to parse what she was trying to tell him.[break][break]
Daichi sat by the light of the fire, legs crossed with the book in his lap. He didn't dare make any notes in the book itself, as it was without a doubt a treasure to be cherished regardless of whether or not it was what he was expecting. This was a symbol of the kage's hope in him, proof that she was willing to part with something to help him grow. Or...maybe not? The genin had read through the story multiple times, and the notepad in his hand made that quite obvious. He flipped through page after page of detailed notes, occasionally jotting something new down or editing something previously written. He was determined to figure out what exactly she was trying to teach him with this. Because so far the message wasn't sounding nearly as positive as he initially expected. If one looked closely, they may even not the hints of fear and anxiety in his eyes as he frantically scoured the book in search of the true meaning it was meant to carry.
Daichi wasn't the only one seeking to make good use of their downtime. Like his fellow genin, Koma showed no interest in letting the time go to waste. Dressed in the traditional black and white of an Amegakure shinobi, the village's mark strapped about his arm, the canvas bag weighed light over his shoulders readily showed its contents. Scrolls. And no small number of them. At the very least, there must have been at least a dozen - their parchment curled and captured in bamboo cases to keep them safe during the group's travels.[break][break]
Like Daichi, Koma sought the light, and for the purpose of his own studies he moved to close in at the edges of the campfire's heat, a bland gaze cast toward his companion.[break][break]
"Mister Konishi."[break][break]
The respectful greeting sound quiet and plain from his lips, no judgement in the stare settled toward his momentary companion. It would have been rude not to announce his presence, though he'd likely have preferred a moment longer to study the subtlety of the young man's expression. The trepidation in the other's eyes brought questions to mind, and while the dull nature of his stare failed to express his curiosity, the subtle tilt of his head did something to convey his wonder.[break][break]
More like flesh and bone. Be himself. They were contradictions, but he'd do his best to find the middle ground. In his fellow shinobi's lapse of certainty, he knew well. He should offer his teammate support.[break][break]
"You look troubled."[break][break]
And what would a "normal" boy do? Invite himself. Rudely. Take a seat beside Daichi and give him no room to turn him away. It just wasn't him. So Koma simply stood. Waiting. Watching on with no threat to offer.[break][break]
"Maybe you'd like some company?"[break][break]
The curious lilt of his voice was mild, an attempt to stave off the even nature of his tone that seemed to unsettle others so. The blank of his eyes showed a faint spark of life for his effort. He had no reservations in showing his intentions to connect with his squadmate.
[attr="class","glassslipperkoma"]Daichi Konishi[break]if you're here because i accidentally tagged you - sorry xD
The sudden presence that had previously gone unnoticed beside him may have startled the genin if not for the familiar soft tone. It wasn’t a voice he heard often, but it was still one he knew well. Daichi simply turned to look toward Koma, giving him a quick nod. ”Hey Koma. You know you can just call me ‘Daichi’, right?” As nice as it was to imagine Koma looked up to him, he knew the genin well enough to realize that it was less that and more just...general weirdness.[break][break]
He assumed that would be the end of it, focusing on his work and pouring through his book. Koma wasn’t one for chatting, so it was safe to assume he was just coming here to work on his seals or warm up by the fire or something. But when he spoke up Daichi would pause, pinching his brows together before looking up to the younger genin in mild confusion. ”...What? You…” Lips pressed together in thought as he looked down at his notes. Maybe...talking about it would help? He’d kept so much of it to himself for so long, and Koma was quiet enough that he must’ve been a pretty good listener, right? Not to mention the odds of him blabbing about any insecurities that revealed themselves here were pretty slim.[break][break]
”...Yeah. Yeah, why not? Take a seat, Koko.” Daichi pat the ground beside him, giving the other a friendly smile. ”Not that I’m troubled or anything. I just uh…” His smile faded a bit as he looked back to the book and notebook resting in his lap, a subtle sigh escaping his nostrils. ”Just trying to make sense of this book the Kazekage gave me before we left. I thought it’d have some practical stuff in it but… I gotta be honest, man. I’m not sure what I was supposed to get from this one.”
Call him Daichi. Could he? The answer lie in character rather than permissions. Koma had never been one to refer to others by anything else than respectful titles and surnames. Despite the fact, boy's curious gaze turn brief between Daichi's own in quiet consideration, weighing his invitation to treat him more as a 'friend' than some distant coworker. It took him no time at all to come to a conclusion, but the strange nickname granted to him... it hitched his thoughts a moment, the blink of his eyes coming a bit too slow as he register the moniker.[break][break]
"Thanks."[break][break]
Koma nod his head toward Konishi in offer of gratitude. It was casual over formalities tonight, though his stubborn nature set his skin to crawl as he denied himself a proper bow. It came too easily to him to play pretend, and as he further emptied himself of his own wishes and comfort, he found no difficulty at all in settling himself in the dirt at Daichi's side - eyes toward his bag of scrolls as he settle it gently to the earth.[break][break]
"The Kazekage...?"[break][break]
His voice trailed off in thought as he turn his eyes to the young man beside him, the deep crimson of his stare searching the puzzle of his eyes before dropping to the book in his grasp. He made a point not to try to glean the characters on the page, no effort put into searching what title might be printed onto its cover. His curiosity was mild, harmless for the gentle loft of his brows.[break][break]
"It sounds important. Is it for a mission?"[break][break]
A blink of his ivory lashes and his gaze was right back toward Daichi. Relaxed as he was, it seemed even in his downtime he held an air of solemnity and tradition. His posture proved perfectly straight, a hand drift to rest against his lap as its partner keep gentle claim on the bag rested at his side.
Wow. He actually did it. Koma was always so quiet and distant that Daichi assumed he wasn't too interested in other people. Like he was just a kid who was going through the motions and wanted to get the job done so he could go home and...do whatever he did. Watch TV? It was hard to imagine Koma doing anything recreational, but he could only assume that he was more relaxed at home than he was with the team. Or at least one would hope. Whatever the case, Daichi would give him a smile as he got comfortable, even reaching over to give him a pat on the leg.[break][break]
"Yup. Shinko Osore herself. I actually got to have a meeting with her a few days before we set out. I guess she had heard of my talents and wanted to meet me herself." Sure, she didn't even know his name. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure if he remembered to tell her who he was. He was so nervous and caught up in everything that was happening that it completely slipped his mind. To think that after all that she may have not even known who he was or cared to remember his face. "Been trying not to make a big deal out of it. Don't want people getting jealous, y'know?" That and he didn't need people to start asking questions he didn't wanna answer.[break][break]
His attention turned down to the book sitting in his lap, his smile fading significantly as he flipped through the pages. "Not exactly. See, I went to her asking for her wisdom. Cuz...y'know, when you're gonna be the best it's good to learn from the best, right?" Definitely not because he was getting desperate to find a way to set himself apart from the various prodigies and shinobi with generations of experience flowing through their veins. "It's actually a story book. About a guy who...Honestly is really stupid? No, that's not right. Mentally challenged. He gets a procedure done that makes him really smart, and it's all great. Except he realizes that being smart doesn't actually make him happier? In fact he realizes that a lot of people were actually mocking and taking advantage of him back when he was dumb. And then he learns that it's gonna wear off and...It was all useless? He got smarter, but it didn't actually make him any happier. And at the end, he loses it all and runs away to someplace where nobody knows him." His voice loses its strength toward the end, brows furrowing as he turns to start flipping through his notes. The more he said it all out loud, the harder it was to keep up his confidence.
"Like...Is the moral that...When you're not any good, nothing's gonna change that? Even if you get a shortcut or something, if you're no good then eventually you'll just...fall behind all over again? That I'm- I-I mean! That HE'S totally hopeless?" He really hoped that wasn't it. Especially after what he could've sworn she was trying to tell him at the end of their conversation. She was expecting him to return someday, right? So why would she give him this book, of all things? "A-anyway. It's uh...I'm just trying to figure out what the message is here. Why give me this book out of all the ones she keeps in her office? I'm still trying to figure that out."
It was... a lot to take in. What seemed a simple, straightforward question to Koma was enough to invite entire essay's worth of explanation on Daichi's part.[break][break]
Though he did nothing to acknowledge the pat to his leg (what was his platoon's fascination with touching him?), he offered his full attention for the welcoming smile offered alongside the well meaning gesture. While he had no smile to grant in turn, Daichi was at least met with some glimmer of interest in the boy's stare, the line of his lips calm as he studied toward the elder genin with idle curiosity lighting the amber of his eyes. Daichi had his attention, and he allowed for some effort to see it made clear.[break][break]
What boasting Konishi thought to offer sailed right over the young Uzumaki's head, neither jealousy nor admiration sparking to life for the other's poorly concealed pride. Or show of such, anyhow. All Koma could read of the young man spoke the exact opposite of confidence, though he saw no reason to attack him for his uncertainty. Koma simply listened, hearing out the full explanation of his reasoning as his gaze drift down toward the book in his lap.[break][break]
His answer was silence. Perhaps at first it seemed he may have nothing to offer his teammate at all. After a moment of quiet however, he broke through what tension might have thread the air with movement, a hand offered palm up in request. Whether Daichi sought to hand him his notes or the text itself was up to him.[break][break]
"You wouldn't be here if Lord First didn't want you to be."[break][break]
The quiet words found strength in the boy's conviction, the shallow depth of his soft tone bolstered by an unflinching sense of certainty.[break][break]
Man...Koma was kind of a weirdo, wasn’t he? He was nice and everything, but the kid’s lack of expression was always somewhat eerie. But the boy’s saving grace was his eyes, the faint sparkle within them conveying that there was life in his soul. And perhaps even a bit of interest in what was being discussed? It was hard to tell for sure, but for his own sanity he was just going to assume it was there.[break][break]
Though the quiet that followed his explanation didn’t help much. Lips pressed together as he debated whether or not his teammate understood what was being said. Or if he just realized he didn’t really care and tuned out part way through. Whatever the case, Daichi let out a sigh as he turned his attention back to his notes, going back to digging through them once more.[break][break]
Brows rose a bit when Koma spoke up, his attention flicking to the other genin’s hand. The words of...encouragement? Were nice to hear at least. It was a good reminder of what he had told himself before, that the kage wouldn’t have sent him on this mission if she thought that he was hopeless. He was a representative of the whole village, after all. ”I mean...Yeah. Yeah, I know.” And yet for some reason he didn’t sound entirely convinced.[break][break]
With a sigh he handed the book over to the other genin before burying himself back in his notes. "You can give it a read if you want. Just be careful with it. Whatever the message is, it’s still a gift from the Kazekage. I can’t let anything happen to it."
As gentle as his voice was, Koma wasn't pulling any punches. The tally was up to three sighs now, and even a child could note the lack of truth in his fumbled words. Daichi's distress was obvious, and that he hide it behind feeble lies would earn no feigned ignorance from his fellow genin.[break][break]
With the spine of the text caught between his finger, Koma drew the text in near to himself to gently guide open its cover, the delicate touch of his fingers taking exceptional care in handling the Kage's tome. It was almost as if it were made of glass.[break][break]
For the cut of his words, Daichi was at least safe from what calculation might reflect in the boy's eyes. His attention was toward the characters printed upon the book's pages, fingers turning slow at the parchment to guide him from one page to the next. His movements were slow and leisurely, though the precision with which his gaze hopped from one section of the page to another suggest he wasn't taking the assignment lightly. He was hard at work, helping his teammate to solve the puzzle.[break][break]
But dead air seemed a scary thing to the majority, so he spoke, devoting at least a fraction of his attention to trying to soothe his teammate's worries with conversation.[break][break]
"There is a rule the Uzumaki house," he claimed softly, the words followed by the whisper of parchment as he turned another page.[break][break]
"If you can't lie convincingly, don't speak at all. It's better to exchange your life for the majority than watch them suffer for a slip of the tongue."[break][break]
While the words themselves may be found utterly lacking in comfort, the kindly nature of the recitation hint that Koma was at least making an effort.[break][break]
"Luckily for you. I'm a friend. Not an enemy."[break][break]
Koma paused in his reading, peeking over toward Daichi in curious consideration. The gaze he offered was far from cutting, softened by the subtle arch of his brows and the innocent purse of his lips.[break][break]
Ok, maybe Koma wasn't the right person to be having this sensitive conversation with. Every word he spoke felt like an emotional punch to the gut, even if his soft tone cushioned the blow ever so slightly. It was difficult for Daichi to open up like this, to admit he was vulnerable or unsure about something to begin with. And worst of all, he knew that the younger shinobi was right. He wasn't fully convinced that the kazekage wanted him here. For all he knew this was just a test, one she expected him to fail so that he would realize just how hopeless he was and give up on wasting his time and energy trying to make something of himself.[break][break]
He sulked a bit as he went through his notes, eyes darting between thoughts of despair and glimmers of hope as he tried to figure out which was the intended message. The silence between them was suddenly broken as Koma spoke up again, causing Daichi to furrow his brows a bit as he turned to face the other. And yet again, the words were sharp and without an ounce of tact. As much as he would've loved to linger on the fact that he actually considered them to be friends, it was hard not to fluster a bit as he was called out on his lies. Why was it so much easier to lie to enemies than friends?[break][break]
But his jaw would clench at the accusation, his first instinct being to double down and fight back against the claim that he was obscuring the truth. But it had been a long day, and he wasn't quite sure he had it in him to keep such a facade up against someone who clearly couldn't care less about it. And so in the end, his shoulders sank as an exhausted sigh escaped him. If he really wanted Koma's help, he was going to have to be honest with him. "...I'm not lying about everything. It IS a gift from the Kazekage. I went to her to ask for advice on getting stronger and being a better shinobi. She kept telling me I was looking for a shortcut, but..." A hand reaches up to run through his shaggy hair, his expression sinking as he reflected back on their conversation. "She told me that there is no special trick, gimmick or training technique. That she just does what she specializes in the best and that it's not something that requires blood. Then she gave me the book, said it would be helpful and told me not to come back until I was ready."[break][break]
The genin leaned back a bit, turning his eyes to the star filled sky. It was always nice to get away from the lights of the city and see just how beautiful the night sky was. It might've been his favorite part of taking missions that would take him far from civilization. "See, I thought that if she said that then it must mean she was expecting me to come back. But then I read the book and it's like...I dunno, man. I really want to believe that she's trying to say something positive, but..." His voice softened as he swallowed back the lump in his throat, his brow furrowing as he felt an unexpected wave of emotion threaten to overtake him. "...I'm kinda scared, man." Man, this honesty thing was rough.
It was the question that mattered the most that went unanswered. Daichi gave no hint to the reasoning behind his purposeful deception, opting instead to defend himself by drawing attention to the seed of truth hidden within his web. The clench of the shinobi's jaw and subtle constriction of his pupils didn't escape the younger genin's focus. Yet, In the face of anxiety, Koma was the perfect picture of calm, curiosity unwavering in the quiet interest of his eyes. Unusual as it might have been, considering his typical demeanor, there was no trace of distance in his eyes - his own guard lowered in an attempt to "humanize" himself.[break][break]
His watch lingered on as the elder shinobi turn his eyes toward a star-brightened sky, in wonder over his thoughts. Until, of course, he thought to offer them freely.[break][break]
Daichi's mention of fear put Koma at ease. The amber pools of his stare retreat to rest toward the dance of the campfire, shoulders easing themselves gentle and low as he turn the admission over in his thoughts.[break][break]
"I've... heard the same thing."[break][break]
The pause hadn't been his intention, though the fact that he allowed a moment of quiet to rearrange his thoughts showed no measure of self doubt. His words came soft and slow, thought out carefully to be delivered with an uncertain sense of sincerity. Discussions like these were wholly unnatural to him. But he was a shinobi. It would be a shame not to adapt.[break][break]
"There are no short cuts. And we all have our limitations."[break][break]
With a steady blink of his eyes, his gaze turned away, seeking the darkness scattered back to the edges of the camp in order to better focus on the words swirling about in his mind.[break][break]
"You said the man in the book used a shortcut to increase his intelligence, right? But that he lost it, in the end. It sounds like what the Kazekage was telling you."[break][break]
His gaze drops for the tome in his hands, eyes turning fruitless over the script as he admires the brushstrokes rather than the words themselves.[break][break]
