Eyes Unclouded

Chika wasn't sure why he was here. Well, no that wasn't true. He was the one who moved his feet forward towards the Uchiha Clan district to pay respects to his fellow Konoha-nin after the terrible events he had seen in the name of loyalty. While hie dojutsu were deactivated and he in his puppet, the head was retracted, the sides of the mechanical head disguised as shoulder pads as not to unnerve any onlookers. But he had it down, as he felt being behind his mother's face would have been too insulting to the dead. They didn't know how pointless the war was, and he couldn't blame them for what their clansmen had decreed.

Oh how he wanted to punch the several Uchiha Kage for this travesty. Nyguyen for starting the war against Iwa in the name of the second, despite the fact they were at peace. Satomi, for invadinf Iwa in the first place and giving Nyguyen his ideals. Kazuya, for laying down the groundwork of nepotism for the Uchiha to take over. And then....Akari. Akari was one that he could find only One thing to hate, and that was for going into a coma and letting his mentor become the new head of state. It wasn't much and he had tried to break the ingrained dislike for their blood cousins, but he was still young, and habits died hard. But habit or not, he could not bring himself to hate the ignorant dead as he set down some flowers for the recently deceased.

She had no need to visit the cemetery.

The simple truth of the matter was that she hadn't lost any of her close family. Her brother, Mansuke, was fine, her parents were fine. The only fear in her was the simple fact that her lover, Kagura, had fallen under the same coma she had. She stayed with her in the hospital most nights nowadays, sleeping in a nearby chair, but restlessness kept her from being able to sit in one place for too long. She had always been one to move around, even when she did paperwork she mostly used shadow clones to do the work while she trained in a nearby training ground. She had managed to do a lot in her brief time as the Sixth Hokage although she couldn't say she was pleased with the way Nyguyen's Administration was handling things. Haku, her predecessor although he barely counted if at all, had freed all of the subservient nations under their control. Not only did he do it, but he had the legal right to do so. Akari facilitated this to a degree but more or less the truth of the matter was that she simply didn't have the spare military force to retake them.

She also didn't want to risk making it seem that Konoha was as fractured as some might think. No, a solidified front was necessary on such things and so she had gone with Haku's actions and left the nations alone. Instead focusing on Konohagakure and the Land of Fire itself and expanding it and building upon it. To this day she believe she still had more completed missions on record than any other in her efforts to bring profit and other such gains to the village as a whole and she had used those funds to expand the village and raise the overall quality of life of all within it. That was of course before the Coma came. She remembered being in her office with Yui and Rin when it hit her like a freight train. She was awake and politely ignoring their reuniting one moment, and the next she was waking up in a hospital room with Kagura over her the next.

Her mind was amongst the sharpest in the world but it certainly didn't catch up that quick. She had however forced herself into the training grounds to increase her overall capabilities and she was increasing her physical capabilities rapidly, and aggressively. Her swordsmanship was better and more fluid than it had been before the coma and her strength was somewhat better too now. Either way, life at the moment was quite boring for Akari, she hadn't gotten involved in the war against Iwa, mostly because she disagreed with it on principle. The war with Kumo was spawned from that conflict and she was even less inclined to get involved in that, but she might need to, and she knew it. She wasn't looking forward to the day she had to cut down Kumo shinobi because of mistakes she had seen as her villages fault.

Regardless though, she had come here with the desire to pay respects to the dead of the clan as a whole. She carried flowers with her, a bouquet of Amaryllis. She moved over toward a large monument in the middle of the burial grounds. It was a place for those like her, who hadn't lost any close family, but still wanted to respect the dead. The flowers in her arms matched her top in shade and her black skirt and thigh high socks were fairly recognizable. Her hair was done up in it's usual two bow style and her crystalline blue eyes surveyed the area closely. There was someone she didn't think she would find here. One, Chikamatsu Hyuga was not an individual she expected to see. He appeared to be in an armor made of hard material, wood probably, but she wasn't completely sure, and he was laying flowers too. His green hair and glasses were hard to miss and she bit back the internal snort at the irony of someone with the Byakugan needing glasses in the first place. It wasn't a rude though, just an amusing irony.

Moving quietly she knelt down next to him, not even looking at him as she set her flowers down and set her hands together. Her head was lowered slightly and her eyes closed as she prayed quietly for the deceased of her kin. The Uchiha Clan had done regretful things in the past, all clans did. That did not however that those who had perished thus far had done so maliciously. They had done what they had done for the clan and for the village. One day, she would have a plot here, as would Akihiro, Satomi, Nyguyen, Kimiko, as would the rest of the seemingly overcrowded clan. For now though they were the power in Konoha, and only an idiot didn't recognize it. All of the villages top fighters were Uchiha, and politically they were the power houses too. It was hard to deny that they were the most prominent clan in the village but Akari herself didn't let herself get a big head over it. To do so was asking for trouble and she didn't ask for such things, she dealt with it.

"Paying respects to the dead, even to the clan that ancestrally have been at odds with yours? How noble of you, Chikamatsu." She would say quietly, it wasn't sarcastic, it wasn't condescending, it was simply an observation of fact. "How goes your own recovery?" she would ask, knowing he was brutally injured during the Battle of Meijing, she wouldn't ask about Ari, not yet anyway. It might too fresh of a wound but if he was up and about, even aided by what seemed to be some kind of puppet, then it was more than likely a safe topic of discussion to bring up his own personal injuries.

He didn't notice her at first, her skills in stealth greater then his own, but years of using puppets without his eyes active had trained his peripheral vision and he'd see her before she spoke. He should have expected to see at least one living Uchiha, but he hadn't expected her. So he'd wait, letting her take the initiative as it was her clan's district, and once she spoke up he'd respond in a softer voice. "Noble actions are for heroes, and I'd hardly call myself that given what I've learned and seen. As far as I'm concerned they're victims who deserved better, just like everyone else." He'd continue to squat, not comfortable with the harder to defend position of sitting. He wouldn't make eye contact with Akari either, the knowledge he found in that desk lingering on his mind.

"My physical recovery has been rather quick, thankfully the one who knocked me out wasn't aiming to kill me, and the small piece that was wedged between my neck wasn't completely dehabilitating. In truth I've been able to move without the armor for several days now, but..." He'd leave the thought hanging in the air, the memory of that veritable beam of lightning surging at him, consuming her and nearly taking him. He had taken the armor off a few times, when he slept, when he bathed, but every time he felt weak, defenseless, alone. And he knew his puppet's defense wasn't perfect, but the safer he felt the better he held it together.

"But as for my mental state, it hasn't been the best. Being the head of the Hyuga Clan had forced me to see the numbers and I tried to take an impersonal approach to those lost, but that failed pretty quick. Trying to go to the front lines to assist hasn't helped either. If it weren't for the continuing wars, I'd've visited a psychiatrist properly, but with all hands on deck the visit I was supposed to have was moved down the line." Despite him being the head of the clan and having high priority, he had waved his priority to assist those who weren't as used to war. He was sure he could hold it together since he had training in Ijutsu, and that basically made him a medical professional in these hard times.

"The war with Iwa was pointless, yet everyone seems to be celebrating the victory because we preserved a legacy of all things. It's like they forgot that legacies often end in terrible tragedies.."

She would listen and face him after she had spoken. Her sapphire blue eyes turning to him as he spoke of heroes, and noble actions. His position wouldn't change, and he wouldn't sit either, it was like he was constantly ready to defend himself. Even here, with a half dozen powerful Uchiha fighters not far away. Her words, when she spoke, would be in the same tone as before, no condescension, no looking down on another. Neither of them were on duty at the moment, or they wouldn't be here, paying respects to the dead. "Noble action are not exclusive to Hero's Chikamatsu, anyone can be noble, should they choose to put forth the effort. What makes a hero is the essence of self sacrifice." She would say before turning back toward the monument and lowering her head again.

As he spoke of his injuries and his easy recovery, and his reluctance to remove the armor, she would nod in understanding. "I heard that the attacks on both you and Ari were extremely swift. It's no surprise you would want to be ready at all times after such a thing. To feel the comfort of your equipment at your side." She would say, her eyes turning back to face him. They were still blue, no sharingan. There was no need for it here and flashing it to people in such situations was often considered a sign of disrespect. Which it rightfully was. It implied one didn't trust the other not to lie or try to attack them. When spoke of the war with Iwa her expression would become neutral. She had her own feelings about the war with Iwagakure and the desire to 'preserve a legacy'. Feelings that didn't seem to coincide with the Hokage, or apparently the rest of the clan.

When she had taken over, she simply hadn't had the forces to recapture the lands they had. At least she hadn't had anyone she could truly trust to see to see it done. Konohagakure itself was in a shambles politically and financially and she had focused her efforts on building up from where they had been. Even going so far as to improve Konohagakure itself rather than go forth and reconquer the nations that Haku had released. When Masaru Tetsudashi came to request he be allowed to retake Iwa as an independent nation. She had decided to take the path that led to a brighter future, at least in her eyes. She had worked to pave the way to an alliance with a powerful and independent Iwagakure. Konogakure then would be seen as benevolent under new leadership and that would make the reacquisition of those minor nations they had lost all the easier for them. Plus they could expand their borders through financial means as well. As she had done with the Land of Waterfalls.

Her coma had brought her plans to a screeching halt. The new Hokage, Nyguyen, had chosen the path of war and people had been injured heavily in the process. The cycle of hatred from that would breed on for years to come. As the loved ones of those injured, and the injured themselves held grudges and sought revenge. If that revenge was successful then the loved ones of the original 'perpetrator' would want revenge as well, and so on, and so forth. It was truly a brutal cycle of cruelty, and hatred. All of it potentially caused because of one individuals fixation on the past. "Fixating on the past blinds one to the future...Seeking to emulate those of times past dooms us to repeat the mistakes upon the path..." She would say softly in response to Chikamatsu's words on the subject. In truth, she partially blamed herself. If she hadn't been so week physically, she might have avoided falling into a coma and continue to lead the nation. She hadn't really wanted the position, still didn't if she was being honest. She only held it because there had been no one else. It was why she hadn't made an issue of it at the clan meeting so long ago. She had simply allowed Nyguyen to have the position without contestation because he had seemingly wanted it. That was all she had needed at the time but now it was becoming clear to her that Nyguyen was not the man for the job of leading the country. They needed someone who truly looked to the future instead of someone who focused on preserving a legacy that perpetuated more injury and death.

Chika would listen quietly to the Rokudaime, finding some clarity for how to keep moving forward. Even with her talking about the differences between a heroic and noble action and him not fully understanding, it was a little comforting to know someone was at least trying, not that he'd voice that. When it came to her response to him wearing puppet armor tho, he was glad that he was in said armor and that her dojutsu weren't active, as his body had tensed a little. She probably could've seen it, but he'd believe that his armor could keep his emotions a little guarded. "It was, but even now I know it's a placebo. It wasn't just swift, it was overwhelming, like staring down a bijuu and knowing that all you could do was stall." He'd give a small snort. "And I guess we stalled enough."

He would note her change in expression after he had spoken about Iwa, and was a little worried that he had overstepped his bounds. She used to be a Kage for a reason, and a small part in the back of his mind warned him that speaking ill of Konoha's 'glory' could cause trouble, but he was pleasantly surprised when nothing bad came of it. He would take a few seconds to think about her words before responding. "I see. Then it lies with us to look and steer us towards a better future."

Self-sacrifice. The ability to give one's whole self over to a greater cause. It was something he had been told time and time again that a shinobi was expected to do, yet it was something he hadn't been able to do unless it was his puppets. There was always something resting on his shoulders, some responsibility that held him back from willing to give his life. At first it was his sister, then his team, and now the clan. But, as he listened to the previous Hokage and thought back to the battle at Mejing, it clicked. He was always sacrificing for things he selfishly cared for, not thinking about other's desires. The villages desires. But that could change. He could change. The village could change.

Chika would get up and give Akari a small bow. "Thank you Lady Akari, I must be going now, there are still other shinobi who should be given remembrance to while I have the time. May the Will of Fire continue burning bright within you." He'd then make his way out of the cemetery. He had some Senju graves to go to and some words to think on.

{Exit}