High level Negotiations

Continued from https://gladiusnarutorp.forumotion.com/t5158-eating-out-open#40337

“Welcome to my humble abode.” she said with a light tone of voice that suggested she wasn’t entirely serious. It was hard to call the Royal palace humble given the building’s massive size suspended in the air between two mountains.   It was a shame Damian had never gotten around to installing the flight generators in the basement like she’d wanted to make it a truly floating palace but she figured she could ask Kara to get around to that eventually.

As they arrived at the gatehouse the guards stepped aside, opening the large and heavy metal doors to allow the Queen and her guest through without fanfare.  It wasn’t as if she had time to stop and have trumpets play each and every time she came and went.   They passed by the outer garden which was chock full of Roses of every color and size and finally into the palace itself.  Given what her last name was she supposed it would be hard to be much more fitting then that.

Finally after a few more minutes they made their way into the actual building itself.  One could tell at a glance that the furniture inside was very elaborately well made and expensive but at the same time it wasn’t overstated either.   This wasn’t the kind of place where you would find golden candlesticks and silver chandeliers at every turn.  

It was without question Luxurious yes, but Ryuko wasn’t the type of sovereign to waste her citizens' tax money on pointless frivolities.    Truthfully the only reason everything was as nice as it was and not a step or two lower was because she was expected to display at least this much wealth in order to maintain her dignity as the Queen.

Taking Renny into a parlor that looked like it wouldn’t be out of place at the most pricey of hotels Ryuko gestured for Renny to have a set at a chair by the fireplace while she took one on the opposite side so that they could sit and talk while face to face with one another before putting her summing staff down on the table beside her.

“You asked me if anybody could join Royalty. I suppose the answer would differ depending on the context of what you mean by joining them.” she said with a sly smile.  “If you mean can they become Royalty themselves then I suppose that technically anybody could.”  She casually waived her right hand and suddenly she was holding a kunai tightly in her palm.    Outside of her staff she had looked entirely unarmed but the truth was as a master bukijutsu user it was child’s play to have a knife on two hidden on her person.

She wasn’t brandishing the blade to threaten Renny but to make a demonstration as she pricked her left index finger with the point of the kunai before waving her hand again making the blade disappear back into thin air like she was some kind of magician.   Drip, drip came the sound as drops of blood flowed from the wound and into the previously empty wine glass Ryuko had brought with her.  

“See I am Royalty and yet if you cut me do I not bleed the same color as you?” she asked rhetorically before sticking the bleeding finger in her mouth and sucking on it for a second as if she truly enjoyed the flavor.  Pulling her finger out again mysteriously there was no sign of the wound she had suffered even before she politely wiped her digit clean with a napkin.

“Realistically speaking though tis a nearly impossible dream.  Not just any old Joe can become Royalty.  In my case, I could rise to the crown because I was a member of the nobility to begin with. If your goal was to join those ranks, well it would be a tad more realistic.”  she said with a quiet shrug.  "I can't speak for other countries but the only way to become King here would be to marry me.  No offence intended buddy but I'm just not interested." she let him down lightly.  She liked Renny enough but a friend was all he could ever hope to be to her. She was letting him know upfront since if that was a deal breaker it was better for them both to know now then later.  

It wasn't all bad news for Renny though, it wasn’t impossible for a commoner to rise to nobility.  She herself had offered to make Damian the equivalent of a Baron because of his meticulous service to the country.   She couldn’t make that same offer to Renny right out of the gate but it was entirely possible that he could earn that type of honor given time.

“Now if your question was if just anybody can work for Royalty, well then I have good news for you my friend.  Age, Gender, Status, Nationality none of those things matter to those who would follow under my banner.  I welcome any and all with the aptitude or talent for the job at hand.” If she discriminated for something as silly as the color of one’s skin, who knew what diamonds she’d be overlooking?   The real treasure wasn’t money or jewels as pretty as those things could be but people.

Snapping her fingers she summoned a young maid into the room. Leaning over Ryuko whispered something into the maid’s ear.  The maid nodded before taking off presumably to perform some task related to the negotiations.

“The reason I asked about what type of contract you want is that most people only ever get to sign one. Best to make it count eh? A poor synergy between you and your animal can lead to reduced or even negative returns on your investment.”  She advised.  As a summoner herself she knew the ins and outs of how they worked better than most.  

“I can offer you not just any summoning contract but a restricted one.” she said knowing that the word restricted how a very strong allure to it especially since he’d inquired about those already. “That said, most of the creatures it can call upon are Rank B and above.   If you aren’t a versed summoner I can not promise you’ll be able to make the best use of it.”   She warned.  

The thing was anyone could sign a summon contract and call creatures up to at least C level, anything beyond that took dedication and skill to achieve.   In this case she’d never bothered to try calling a low level Hydra, frankly she wasn’t even sure if lower leveled versions of such mythological creatures even existed in the first place.

“As for money I can not offer millions of Ryo straight up all at once but I can give you something better.”  She was going to get some level of flack as it was for bringing a total stranger into her administration as it was. Even if there were still a lot of empty seats to fill, people would find fault in her for not prioritizing her own citizens for the job.  She didn’t want to think about the amount of discontent she would brew if she straight up handed Renny that kind of money sight unseen.

“As you know there is a lot of land under my control. Tis only natural that anything abandoned would end up in the hands of the state." As funny as it seemed considering the nature of their work, not every ninja bothered with a will the way Ryuko had.   If they died without one often much of their property would be forfeited.  It also wasn’t entirely unusual for people to retire and run off leaving their stuff behind.  Her Teammate Natsuru had been one such person.

“I happen to have an abandoned clinic, over in the Shinjuku area of the Central business district.   Tis the perfect place to conduct your bloodline research.”  She said. As long as Renny kept it above board with volunteers she had no objections.  Studying bloodlines to advance science was something  she was perfectly on board with.  After all, the more they understood the better chance they had at replicating the same effects mechanically.

“Any money invested on the Clinic up to 500,000 ryo will over the owner a monthly return of 30%.....” In other words just by owning the building he would be able to make 150,000 ryo a month.  Well it’d actually be about 145,000 a month after upkeep but who would quibble about such a small thing.   “Kumogakure will cover the initial money to get the Clinic fully invested for you.  In addition I will afford you the rank of Special Jounin which comes with a monthly 100,000 ryo salary on top of your 30,000 for administration work”  It wasn’t quite millions upfront but he would be able to accumulate more over time making for quite the attractive offer.  

That was the same method Ryuko herself had used to get filthy obscenely rich.  The only ones who could match or exceed her were people like Okane and Kara who owned massive multinational corporations.   The problem here was that she was looking to hire Renny for.   Something of personal interest would come out of her own pocketbooks, anything of national interest would be paid by the bank.   They were working to rebuild Yugakure as well as some other post war restorations which meant she didn’t have a lot of leeway to make use of at the moment.

[1]

Thankfully Renny didn’t seem to be too upset about the show she had just put on for him.  Ryuko knew she had a flair for the dramatic which helped her with a lot of her tasks like inspiring the masses but it didn’t always work out to her advantage.  She was a tad concerned Renny would think she was threatening him but he must have realized by now that she had no need to use such a roundabout method if that was her intention.

For someone like her, taking what she wanted from Renny with brute force would have been simple enough.   She could have easily pinned him down and used a jutsu to mine his memories for everything he was worth but she didn’t because in principle she was generally against taking those types of actions.   She much preferred to obtain services that were willingly given.   It was only when someone decided to do something with their own free will that she could accept it with a smile.

“Come now, Why do you think I became a Vestal in the first place?” she asked. “As the second highest form of authority in the church, Vestals are considered to be symbolically married to our God Hakkin.  As such we have taken a vow of chastity that is expected to last for the duration of our service. Breaking the vow with a man can result in serious punishment both for the vestal and their lover.  Usually resulting in excommunication from the church for the vestal and castration of the paramour.”   she explained everything including the fact that any man dumb enough to sleep with her would suffer a fate many considered to be worse than death

“As a noble my parents wanted to use my existence to expand our clan's power base through a carefully arranged marriage.   By the time I came of age tis was too late for such things as I had already risen to my post making me exempt from such petty nonsense.  Of course having their daughter as a figurehead for the dominant religion of the region was a good consolation prize.” Ryuko said with a heavy sigh.    When she had become Queen they had been so thrilled with her which was annoying since she hadn’t taken the crown to please them at all.

“I’m not so weak that I can be wounded by cowards who resort to sneak attacks” replied the Queen with a laugh to Renny’s provocation about kings being easily made by death.  She had good reason to be so confident.   She was one of the few rare X class ninja in the entire world.  She knew full well she wasn’t invincible but she hadn’t earned the title of “The Walking Fortress” during the War for nothing.   She was armed to the teeth with superior and even legendary equipment and had numerous techniques at her disposal.   Anyone who came at her, even another X class ninja would be sure to pay a high price in blood to take her down.

“True people are always quick to remember the villain of a story.” She conceded.   If you did things to make people hate you, the negativity associated with you would last long beyond your lifetime.  Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan were both infamous for the path of devastation they had left in their wake. “However I prefer the idea that great men are remembered for great deeds.  Not just for accomplishments in battle but in the arts as well.”   it was far better in her opinion to be immortalized for a song you composed or a sculpture you constructed then for being a tyrant.

Standing up from her chair Ryuko took hold of her summoning staff, gently clacking the end of it against the floor as she turned her back on Renny. Staring into the fire she took a moment  to consider how to answer his high handed demands since he was continuing to ask more than she was willing to give.    She’d offered him what she had considered a plum deal and since that still wasn’t good enough was having trouble understanding just what exactly he wanted from her.    

Bringing him here had been something of a gamble, one that was looking like she had failed.  If things kept developing in a negative direction she was going to have to consider taking drastic actions.  Other Queens might have him arrested or even executed for Lèse-majesté at this point for daring to turn them down but she wasn’t going to go quite that far, but she had already revealed enough of her hand to him that she might have to considering wiping his memory of their encounter away if she couldn’t get him to join her.

“You ask for Sincerity and funding with the same breath?  As if My honesty was some community to be bought and sold for cash.  As if Integrity was something that can even be measured with money.” she said her voice was seemingly so cold with ice that it seemed to extinguish the hearth before her though that was more than likely a mere coincidence since it wasn’t like she was flexing any chakra.   Turning to face Renny she was watching him with eyes that seemed to be evaluating his worth.

“The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity ... is regrettable” She said feeling slightly hurt when she had been so open and honest with him this entire time.   She hadn’t exactly announced she was the Queen right off the bat but she hadn’t lied to him about anything either.  "Know however this does not in any way diminish my respect for you, nor my willingness to find a solution to this problem. “    She added to reassure him that she still wanted him onboard.

“As for Millions of ryo I’m afraid nothing you have to offer Me at the moment is worth that much.  To be completely candid,  I do not have the leeway to hand over such large volumes of money all at once even if you could do more.” She said with a shrug.  If that was a deal breaker for him then so be it.  She couldn’t give what she didn’t have.

“The Clinic in question was built by my teammate for a close mutual friend.   Tis not something I would offer to just anyone.  You Renny are the first person I have deemed skilled enough to be entrusted with something so important.   Is that not the Closeness and Facility that you seek?” she asked.

“Do not underestimate my Jounin.” She warned him at his offer to demonstrate his strength.  Not that she had a lot of Jounin to begin with but she was pretty close to all the ones she did have. “We have been fighting a war in which we have been vastly outnumbered on all sides and yet we still stand.  You will find that Kumo ninja are made of stern stuff.”   Frankly it made her wonder if Renny had some kind of death wish wanting to challenge one of them.  

“Besides I think we both know your real strength lies here.” she said pointing to her head with a finger and tapping it.  It was his brain not his brawn that made him valuable.  If he randomly ran into one of her Jounin in the field he’d be mincemeat.   With prep time however he might be able to manage something which was why she was willing to offer him the rank of Special Jounin.

“I have no need for a personal doctor and I can not tell you why without having to make you forget this meeting if you decide not to join me.    What I can tell you is that I run not a company but a Nation.  I only seek to improve things such as medicine not for profit but for the sake of my people, all in order to make this country and perhaps the world a slightly better place than it was before. That is my glorious purpose.” She declared with conviction.  All of her wealth and status were nothing but a means to an end.   She hadn’t asked to become Queen but the former daimyo had forced her hand.  As long as she was a Priestess of Hakkin she believed it was her soul bound duty to look out for the people.

[2]

“Yes I am fortunate indeed. All as is my Lord Hakkin wills it.” Ryuko agreed with Renny, attributing the fact that things had worked out so well for her to be divine providence. She had been chosen to be Hakkin’s Champion for this generation and as such had been placed in the perfect position to bring as much good to the world as possible. She had everything she needed to enact the kind of change that the average person could never dream of.

“People should be measured by the standards of their time. What was progressive then might seem regressive now. Context in such things matters greatly.” said Ryuko. There were fools that wanted to tear down statues and waste millions of ryo to change street names all because of how short sighted they were. Little did they know that by erasing history they were dooming themselves to repeating it.

When Renny said that he couldn’t live up to past ties she had to wonder if she was subconsciously comparing him to Damian. That would be pretty unfair of her considering they didn’t have the same skill sets. Then again the main reason she had been willing to give Damian so much funding was that he almost always had either a working prototype or small scale model as proof of concept. That was great when you were building things but it was hard if not impossible to measure medical research the same way.

The biggest problem with medical research was that they were typically more interested in providing a treatment for symptoms but not a cure. The lengths that some companies would go to turn a profit was frankly disgusting. The fact that Renny was willing to restrict his research to volunteers was a strong indication that he was at least one of the more ethical ones but it was still very hard for her to justify throwing that much money at him when the projected results and their applications were nebulous at best.

“Risk? What’s the worst that can happen?” Ryuko asked. “I consider myself to be a fair and just ruler. I’m not about to lock someone up who hasn’t broken any of my laws nor would I have them executed for a mere disagreement.” as long as Renny didn’t do something monumentally stupid he would be safe with her.

“The only bloodline I would even be willing to consider implanting on myself would be the Nature clan but good luck finding someone to provide a willing sample. I’ve been trying for years without much luck” Clan members were few and far between making those that did exist very illusive. “Currently the missing ninja Raijin is the only member of the clan my village knows about. If you value your life, don't even think of approaching him.” she warned.

She had no idea the brand of the wine she had chosen had given Renny the wrong idea. The bear with the eyepatch was just a label that she happened to find amusing and had no real significance.

“What is money, your super power or something?” she joked. “I would think with 2.5 million ryo just about anyone would find a way to defeat our so-called “weakest” Jounin. I’d be more impressed if you could defeat them with something more mundane like a paperclip.” she said. As a bukijutsu user she herself could absolutely wreak havoc with objects most people would consider to be relatively harmless. Then again as a martial artist her body was perhaps her strongest weapon to begin with.

“If you’re so eager to fight someone to prove yourself then how about the Twins? They are Chunnnin right now but I’ve been thinking about promoting them” she asked with a spiteful grin. When someone spoke of the twins in Kumogakure there was only one set that came to mind, Yui and Yua Chinoike. This was a test to see how well informed Renny really was. If he readily agreed he either hadn’t done his research before coming here or was insanely overconfident in himself. Either way he’d be learning a very painful lesson to be more careful about picking your battles.

Swishing the blood in her cup around she glanced at him balefully. As Royalty her dna was priceless. Her clan didn’t have any special ability but she could think of several potential ways to misuse it. If Renny wanted the throne bad enough it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to produce an heir artificially and then use the scandal of their existence to spark a civil war. She knew because she’d been looking into how to have a child between herself and Nozomi.

“Neither of my summoning contracts use blood as medium. I’m afraid mine would do you no good in that regard.” she informed him as a pair of maids began to cart loads of food into the room. Unlike the lunch she had treated Renny to this was luxury food of the highest order. The kinds of rare dishes that would usually only be served at a royal banquet.

“I figured you’d be hungry again by now. Care to join me for some dinner?” she asked. Oddly enough the Maids had put out plates not for two people but for four. Before Renny could even ask who the extra plates were for Ryuko had already made her move. Channeling chakra into the crystal she had hidden around her neck, she caused two magical glyphs to appear on the ground between them from which a pair of sixteen inch Three headed Hydra began to emerge their platinum scales glittering from the lights overhead.

“You called Mistress? Mistress, Mistress” Said one of the Hydra as they both gave her a polite bow with all their heads. They didn’t look like much on account of their small stature but in actuality they were both A-rank summons second only to their boss Ghidorah. Out of all the creatures she could call upon, they were her most goto Summons.

“Irah, Ngova I’d like to introduce you to Renny, a potential contract holder.” said Ryuko as she waved a hand at Renny causing 12 sets of eyes to begin staring at him. One of the two even waddled over to him and began to simultaneously try and sniff his legs, hands and back at the same time.

“He smells like medicine. Medicine. Medicine.” said the Hydra who happened to be Ngova with what sounded like approval. “But the question is, is he worthy? Worthy? Worthy?” asked Irah. “We will not serve some second rate Quack. Quack, Quack” he added his concern.

[3]

“Hush now, He’s no Quack, I can assure you of that much.” Ryuko quietly admonished her summons before returning to the business at hand. She had enough intelligence and skill as a doctor herself to know when someone was good or not. It was easy to tell by the way Renny moved and talked that he wasn’t second rate at least. As frustrating as it would be to admit he was likely a better Doctor then she was since he had to divide her focus across several disciplines whereas Renny just had to focus on two. Ijutsu and Fuinjutsu.

“You might not have changed your mind but you haven’t walked away either. Clearly something is tempting you to stay at the negotiation table.” said Ryuko with a knowing grin. If he truly wasn’t interested in working for her he would have left already. Now it was really all about just coming to an arrangement they could both agree with. The only real problem was that Renny kept suggesting less than impressive ways to demonstrate he was worth the kind of money he was asking for.

“You’d be surprised by the kind of risks I would take. Of course a good part of my job tis all about mitigating them. Any kage that can’t learn to stack the deck in their favor quickly meets a swift demise” The longest serving Kage, her mentor Nariko had been able to hold onto the hat for as long as she had not because she was the strongest, but because she was so crafty. She had taught Ryuko everything the Queen knew about gambling, including when to raise and when to fold.

“Have you heard of the Shinda Niku no Myakuhaku bloodline? Where one twin goes the other usually follows. How would you even determine which is weakest between two equals?” Ryuko asked somewhat bemused that Renny kept looking for the easiest fight he could get rather than the toughest which would have been a more surefire method to impress her.

“Why the insistence of defeating the weakest? What would that even prove beyond the fact you're not the weakest yourself?” She asked. Did he want congratulations or something for not being a total scrub when it came to combat? “Fortunately for you tis not battle prowess that I seek. While a chance to see you strut your stuff would be amusing, I see no point in foisting such a farce of a fight upon you.” said Ryuko.

Like she’d said earlier about stacking the deck the Queen had picked an opponent that she knew Renny had next to no chance against. Even if it was just one of the twins that wouldn’t change the fact that both collectively were a jinchuriki together. Either of them were good enough to give Ryuko herself a workout which meant they were simply out of Renny’s league.

Them not having made Jounin yet had nothing to do with their pure combat potential but rather in their decision making. Ryuko had been hesitant to fositer any further responsibility onto them before she vanished and they had since proven themselves in her absence. All that remained was the formality of giving them the rank they truly deserved.

“If you were asking for a grant that sum would be out of the question for the moment at least. A loan however would be a different story, provided that you have some kind of collateral that can cover some of the risk of course.” A million or more Ryo was a lot of money to just loan out. If it was someone she really knew and trusted Ryuko might be willing to do that without a collateral but she was still getting to know Renny so it was a bit too early in their relationship for something like that to happen.

Her primary concern was that for such a smart man, he seemed prone to taking risks for his research. She could easily envision him getting in over his head in an attempt to secure a Nature clan implant for her. If he died or was imprisoned while out in the field how would she ever get her money back? It wasn’t like Renny owned any property in the country she could seize other than maybe the clinic she was offering to him if he signed on. If Renny suggested that she use that as the guarantee she’d have to wonder if he was seeking a career change from medic to court jester.

“Of course I’m always learning. There’s always room for improvement no matter how slight.” Ryuko said. She was always coming with new ideas. It was a blessing when doing research into making life better and a curse since she was also constantly dreaming up new ways to end it. If she wasn’t such a champion of Justice and virtue it was scary to think what a threat she could have been to the world with pesky things like ethics to hold her back anymore.

“In my experience Caution is usually warranted in most things.” Ryuko said. Even if he could do something to her blood with Fuinjutsu so that it couldn’t be used against her, there was still a chance that what was done could be undone by someone else. Maybe she was just being paranoid but that had served her well so far so it was hard to just stop worrying.

“You don’t need my blood to learn my strength. Some of what I do might not work for you” She said vaguely referring to Rafaela, an entity that shared her body that couldn’t be replicated. “But you’re a surprisingly good candidate for learning Sage mode, or at least the version I have access to at any rate.” Ryuko explained. Without knowing at least Ijutsu, someone becoming a Hydra sage would be like casting pearls before swine. She could teach her student Tsumi a lot of things but sage mode likely wouldn’t be one of them since his aptitude lay more in hand to hand combat then studying.

Both summons had been gobbling food from their plates with two heads like it was going out of style while keeping their third head eerily staring at Renny. They both preened a bit at being called cute but their eyes opened wide in shock when Ryuko disclosed that she was thinking of teaching Renny how to use Sage mode. Even letting him sign the contract was one thing, by Sage mode was an honor among honors for them.

“Why enhance what’s barely there? Even with Sage mode he’d still be weak...weak...weak” asked Irah. He had a point, even if Renny could go full sage mode right now will all the stat boosts that could apply Ryuko could still crush him without having to tap on sage mode or Rafaela.

“You’re only thinking of the way things are today Irah. I’m thinking 30 moves ahead. Renny might not be a mighty warrior now but he has the potential to be with some training. Besides the main aspect of becoming a Hydra sage isn’t the buffs it grants the welder but the debuffs they can cast via poison jutsu. He doesn’t need pure strength to make the most use of those but brains which I can assure you that he has plenty in that department.” explained the Queen.

“If you’re willing to go that far then maybe he isn’t so bad after all....all...all” said Ngova as he regarded Renny with a look of newfound respect. Of course Renny would only be able to sign the contract and learn sage mode if he came to work for Ryuko. Perhaps those would be worth not getting as much money as he had been hoping for upfront. Her original offer of 500,000 to invest into the Clinic still stood after all. If he was willing to play the long game he’d make out with much more money in the end then he would get from the loan he was hoping for.

“Oh that plate isn’t for me. My Student should be joining us momentarily.” Ryuko explained after catching Renny giving her a funny look for bringing out an extra plate when she had told him earlier that she was fasting in preparation for the upcoming festival. Knowing Tsumi’s big appetite he’d likely smell the food and come rushing in at any moment.

[4]

Tsumi had spent the day doing his endurance drills and trying to attend the classes his instructors were struggling to teach him. He was getting a better grasp of reading but some words he still had to sound out. The instructor being an intellectual found the process tedious but it was someone Ryuko had placed in charge of Tsumi so he was patient at least. Still sometimes it felt like teaching a beetle to be a ballerina. Not just an uphill battle but really more like climbing a mountain. Tsumi however never seemed to lash out in frustration over it. He dedicated himself to all aspects of his training whether he enjoyed it or not. Still he openly prefered the physical training. Running laps or the taijutsu lessons he got from Ryuko herself when she had time. She was an important person so he didn't push her much but was eager to attend whenever she called upon him. Taijutsu was his one focus and love so her willingly teaching him multiple styles and helping him improve was a gift in his eyes. Even if the distance between them was apparent he smiled through every bit of it. Though he hadn't used his devil form since that first session. It was taxing on him and he could only hold it for so long. Besides strength was not what he needed to focus on.

Still it was meal time and he had finished up a course on verbs. He still kinda barely got it but essentially a verb was an action right? But why did words have words for words? It was really strange to him but hell he would try and practice it. His last class had been a mental practice and he was required to shower before those anyway. Smelling like a post workout was just considered inappropriate by his tutor. So for the time being he wasn't in his training gear but actually dressed in the wardrobe provided for him. Today he had attempted to look fancy at least. His slacks were new and felt soft on his skin but not very durable. The white slacks were kinda cool though. He had thought they only came in black. His shirt was a white button up he hadn't actually tucked in with the top three buttons undone so his defined muscular chest was somewhat visible. He was wearing black socks with black but shined dress shoes. However he had mixed cultures poorly. Thinking the Montsuki (Dress robes) were a cool coat he would wear it open. A long pair of silk robes that were white with cherry blossoms around the edges stitched in with the clan symbol for Yokai on the back. Not that the two long black horns protruding from his forehead weren't sign enough.His long red hair left straightened but spilling around his shoulders.

He would move to the dining hall with a yawn and a stretch as he walked down the hallway. It was pretty much a scheduled everything around here. When you were expected to wake up. What time training started and for how long...when you got breaks and what time meals were. It was a comfort that he could use the bathroom whenever. Still the staff waiting at the doors would see him coming and he would wave at them with a friendly smile. They would remain stoic but open the doors for him. He tried talking to the staff sometimes but they rarely had time to talk back. Still he would enter into the dining hall as if on que. His golden gaze like a birds as it shifted between Ryuko and the stranger with open confusion at first. The plate of food being his third thing to notice....but of course there was something else that drew his attention and caused him to forget his manners. He had never seen a Hydra before. So he would gasp before moving at C++ speed across the room right too the closest of the two. Picking it up without permission and smiling at it happily. Not even remotely cautious about something plausibly dangerous or considerate of others in the room. Simply saying excitedly to the Hydra.

"O M G you are soooo adorable! Whats your name little fella?"

As someone who had two personalities living in one body Ryuko knew full well the importance of good mental health. The only reason she could stay so strong after seeing the sheer amount of horrific things that she had was because she had people that she could talk to in private about her worries and concerns. It was possible for a Psychologist to be a quick of course but she didn’t think that they were automatically one just because they focused on the mind over the body.

If Renny had told her he had considered going to Iwagakure in hopes of more prosperous offerings she would have flat out laughed in his face. Iwa had suffered and languished under Kohana’s occupation. Kumo had helped them early in the war in a bid to help them maintain their independence precisely because they weren't very prosperous and thus not much of a threat. Frankly speaking they were bad enough that she wanted to lend them more support on the grounds that it was better to have at least one ally in the geographical area then be surrounded on all sides by enemies.

“True those that are strong like myself tend to be good at picking our battles when we can.” She didn’t think someone like her could have survived for as long as she had if she was constantly trying to fight strong foes like the other kage. The only reason that she’d gotten into the war to begin with was because the attack on Moonspire had forced her hand. Frankly speaking she’d rather have avoided the whole mess if she could. Sure Kumo had one technically this time but there was no guarantee they would win again if another major war between the villages broke out. It was luck as much as skill that had allowed them to emerge victorious.

“That said it’s not like I was expecting you to best someone of Shimiko’s caliber or myself. If you absolutely insist you can go challenge someone like Kaede Hayami to a sparring match. He’s not the strongest Jounin nor the weakness. You don’t have to beat him, just holding your own would more than prove your worth.” said Ryuko. If Renny had to fight someone she wanted it to be someone he had an actual chance against, not someone like Seid or Tamwyn where he’d need to have a fully mastered sage mode to even have a shot.

“Again though, you don’t really need to fight anyone. I’ve already got a rough idea of your general class level from watching you for a while.” she said. Renny was B-class though and though which wasn’t to say that he was weak. Under the right circumstances even a B class could defeat an X class like herself, though such a thing actually coming to pass was incredibly unlikely.

“Hmm….” said Ryuko as she went over Renny’s promise. Really it was nothing more than an Iou which wasn’t much collateral at all. But then again hadn’t she just gotten something very important from Arisu on what was essentially an Iou herself? Shouldn’t she pay that kind of thing forward a bit. The only problem was that the lone was so high risk that it was hard to justify paying it out of the village’s pocket.

Perhaps she should pay it out of her own since Renny didn’t seem to want an official rank and salary but rather to work for her directly, or should she just consider it an advance and put the monthly salary he would otherwise be earning towards the loan? At 100,000 Ryo a month it would only take him roughly 15 months or so to pay the loan off which wasn’t terribly outlandish.

“Very well then. We shall make a One point five million Ryo zero interest loan part of your contract under the terms of your employment.” She said as she took out a very fancy piece of paper and pen and began writing the stipulations of the loan down. “Tis safe to assume you’d prefer to be considered a civilian special contractor rather then a member of the armed forces with an offical rank?” she asked. When she’d offered him the chance to become a Special Jounin he hadn’t exactly seemed thrilled by the idea. Essentially she was saying she was really only expecting him to do research and healing for her, not fight.

“You shall be free to come and go from the village at will. All I ask is that you complete the standard gate procedure of stating your destination and the expected time of your trip so that we can come looking for you should an emergency arise. Should you wish to leave permanently you must notify me two weeks in advance and at such time your contract shall be annulled provided first that your loan has been paid off in full or that you have provided something of equivalent worth.” she said, providing him with what was frankly jaw dropping generous terms.

“In exchange you shall share the results of your research and information gathering with the village of Kumogakure. I or one of my representatives will receive these reports and decide what to keep proprietary and what may be shared with other villages.” in all honesty there were some medical advancements she would be more than happy to share with the other villages, stuff like vaccines for common diseases like the measles would only benefit everyone.

She just had to be careful she didn’t hand them something that would give them an edge over her or cost her her edge against them. It was frankly annoying to have to play geopolitics when you just wanted to help people. Given her extended lifespan she longed for the day that was sure to come when she wasn’t the one running the country anymore and could just do things because she wanted to without having to worry about the bigger picture.

“Naturally I expect you to keep any sensitive information you learn about Kumo such as exclusive and restricted jutsu such as sage mode to yourself.” Normally she would be tempted to have one of her Turtle summons place a Cursed Seal on his tongue to force Renny’s compliance in that regard but he was one of the few people with the right smarts and skill set to actually be able to break such a seal which meant there was little point. She was simply just going to have to trust him.

If he betrayed her then Renny would find there was no place on Earth (and perhaps even beyond it) that he could run to escape her wrath. Ryuko was usually not a cruel woman and generally granted her enemies a swift and merciful death but if someone truly crossed her they would invariably discover that there were much worse fates. The wrath of Hakkin when unleashed by one of his most faithful followers was a terrible thing indeed, enough so that even being tortured to death by a Jashinist would seem kind in comparison. He would beg her to die by any means and she would not give him the luxury.

“How dare you call us cute! We are fierce warriors, warriors, warriors.” said one of the Hydra, likely Irah. Being the same size and with scales of the same color it was hard to tell them apart until you’d spent time with them already. Ryuko grinned at this remark thinking that they where indeed as cute as they where ferocious. She kept writing the contract only to drop the pen in surprise as she saw Tsumi unexpectedly grab one of the Hydra and pick it up.

“Unhand me you lout. Nobody picks up the great and mighty Ngova without permission” Hissed the Hydra in Tsumi’s hands with one hand even as it went to bite Tsumi with it’s very sharp and very venomous fangs with the other two. One moment Ryuko was by the desk, the next she was standing beside Tsumi with her left arm blocking the Hydra’s fangs without so much as flinching. She wasn’t wearing her full combat gear but her silk gloves were still S-grade equipment that couldn’t be easily pierced.

Luckily even if they were she was a Hydra sage herself and thus immune to the poisons they produced since she and her summons all shared the same formulas. Sharing the contract with Renny was actually a big risk since if he taught them poisons she didn’t know those might potentially circumvent her sage immunity since only her own poison couldn’t affect her. Not that she was going to tell him about that. As a medic she knew how to make antidotes for all of her poisons but didn’t tend to carry them around, mainly to keep an enemy from being able to swipe them off her. She wanted the bar for them to cure themselves to be as high as possible. Not to mention antidotes tended to be very expensive which was the main reason she’d taken the hit instead of allowing Tsumi to suffer the consequences of his actions.

“Please forgive my student Ngova. I’ll be sure to teach him better manners.” she said as the Summon withdrew his fangs from her arm while continuing to glare at Tsumi. Privately both Hydra were wondering what they had to do to prove they were definitely not cute or adorable.
Turning towards her student Ryuko gave him a harsh glare and attempted to lightly flick his forehead with her right index finger just hard enough that it would string slightly.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to pick up strange animals?” she asked. Even if it was just a dog or a cat you wouldn’t just run up to it and pick it up first upon meeting them for the first time. Most of her poisons were geared towards capturing people non lethally but against someone at a low enough level they could still be deadly. If Tsumi had picked up Ngova when there wasn’t a doctor in the room there was a chance albeit a small one that he would have been killed. Of all the dumb ways to lose a student, having your own summon kill them had to be near the top of the list.

“Renny, this is my Taijtusu appearance, Tsumi.” said Ryuko introducing her student. She had several students and apprentices for different disciplines like blacksmithing so she felt it was important to clarify. “Tsumi this is Renny, our new court doctor?” she said, ending the sentence with a question mark since she was still in the middle of clarifying Renny’s exact position in her regime.

[5]

Tsumi had picked up the creature and smiled gleefully as it threatened him. He wasn't even sure what a lout was since he had never been called one before. Other insults towards his mental capacity certainly but never that. It was new so he would ask later. For now he was just enjoying such a fascinating creature. However he could only blink as suddenly Ryuko was between them. He would blink innocently as the creature was pulled from his hands. He would glance around as she addressed someone else as if just now realizing there was someone else there. His mouth hanging open a moment ever so slightly as he processed that. Huh...guy looked like someone crafty. Tsumi would take a gander and say he was....probably a stylist. Yeah dude likely styled hair. Still his golden eyes would shift to the Hydra as it glared at him. He would smile and wave at it. Attempting and failing to tuck his hands behind his back as Ryuko turned around and noticed. She was far too perceptive for him to actually hide it from her but he would still give it a try instinctually. Still he question made him blink. Thinking a moment before he spoke.

"Uh...well no...my clan didn't really find the need I guess. Animals are naturally attracted to me normally. Like...even mean dogs play with me. Not cats as much but aunty Sam says cats just hate everyone."

He would smile widely. Not taunting her but just thinking of those dogs and how they caught his scent and ran around him and with him. Sprinting around and jumping on him and he could pet them all he liked. He liked petting animals as they were much nicer than people. Still Ryuko would introduce him to the guy. He would click his tongue lightly against the bottom row of his teeth. Damn...a doctor...not a stylist. He just lost a ryo to himself. Of course the good new was he just made a ryo off a bet! So win some and lose some. Still he would look the guy over once more with curious golden orbs. Eyes of warmth and innocence despite his impressive muscle structure. It was likely obvious he was a taijutsu specialist. Still he would glance at a glaring Ryuko and remember he was like..supposed to kneel or...some shit...right! He would bow awkwardly and then hold it a moment as he glanced at Ryuko...as if wondering if he was acting right instead of straight out knowing. After a moment he would hesitantly straighten up. Speaking with his hands on his hips.

"Hey du...doctor. Nice ta meet ya. I am the hero of the people Tsumi. Chances are we are gonna see a lot of each other. Since I get hurt a lot. Like the amount might surprise you. But hey, that doesn't stop a Hero right? Oh...are we eating? Sweet biscuits Ryuko that smells great! I...I mean....Sensei."

“Fine, let me know if he agrees and I’ll bring popcorn” said Ryuko, feeling a bit cheeky. Watching a one sided curbstomp would be boring, a fight where either side could win was way more entertaining. Maybe she should make a real show of it and sell some tickets. She had to start making back that loan money somehow after all.

Maybe she could even get the other villages in on this and they could make it an exhibition match of an international jounin tournament. The thought was enough to make her wish she could participate herself but no kage was dump enough to showboat like that considering it would reveal too many of their trump cards to the public.

If only Renny would decide which role he wanted. Just because he could perform both roles didn’t mean he could have both since they weren’t compatible. Well at least the civilian part wasn’t at any rate if he was going to hold an actual military rank in the village while he was under contract.

“Good then please sign here.” Well at any rate at least Renny seemed to understand the importance of not spilling the beans. She felt almost like she was acting like some mafia member or something as she held out the contract and pen for him to read over. Technically it wasn’t like she absolutely needed a contract but having one was the best way to keep everything above board from a legal standpoint if any trouble cropped up.


“Of course, one of my favorite novel series is about an imperial food tester in the rear palace.” replied Ryuko referring to The Apothecary Diaries. It was an obscure series from overseas but she figured that a Doctor like Renny might have heard of it since it was another Doctor, Morikawa that had introduced her to it. She found the way the main character MaoMao hid her beauty by painting her face with artificial freckles to be particularly charming.

Ngova recoiled at the intensity of Renny’s demand. First he’d been picked up by an overly rambunctious youth and now his new potential summoner was acting psychotic, just wonderful. “Fine, it’s your funeral. Funeral. Funeral.” said the Hydra with a nasty grin as it snapped at Renny’s hand with his other two heads attempting to bite him, though he was only half serious in his efforts which would result in him deliberately coming short. He didn’t need to mold chakra to use his Venom bite which if it had been successful would inject a powerful Paralyzing Venom Agent which was capable of inflicting full body paralysis for several minutes.

Unlike before, Ryuko didn’t intervene even though she could have. Being bitten because of ignorance would have been one thing Renny had deliberately provoked the reptile so he deserved whatever he would have gotten in response. Besides she was pretty sure he was tough enough to live to tell the tale, something that was harder to tell with her Young Student since most of her poison revolved around reducing the enemies stamina, something that Tsumi didn’t have in abundance quite yet.

“Not particularly, but then again if I was aiming to kill someone rather than just capture them I’d use a poison that would be incredibly hard to detect making it look like a natural death.” Ryuko said casually as it would be the most casual thing in the world for her. In many ways it would be like merely disposing of garbage, or at least that’s how she looked at it when she removed bandits or drug pushes from the world.

Ryuko blinked in surprise at Tsumi’s response, forgetting to look stern in the process. Were Cats and Dogs something you would consider to be a strange animal? She supposed if it was one you’d never met before her advice would still have been pertinent. She wouldn’t want to just go up to a dog that she didn’t know and pick it up at any rate.

“I wouldn’t say that cats hate everyone. Tis just harder to earn their trust is all. If you treat them right they’ll come around.” It wasn’t as if she preferred one or the other. She liked dogs just as much as she did Cats but in her experience getting dogs to like you was generally pretty easy while most Cats tended to play hard to get. The more interested in them you were, the less they would want to be around you.


Ryuko gave Tsumi a thumbs up at his introduction. It wasn’t perfect but it was a marked improvement to when they’d first met so she was feeling very proud of him. Even his exclamation was Cute. She wondered if this was what a mother would feel like watching her child grow up? Not that she would know given that she didn’t have any kids of her own.

“Help yourself Tsumi.” It wasn’t like she had cooked it herself or anything but it always made her happy when people enjoyed the food that she served. She was nothing if not a gracious host. “Can I trust the four of you to behave for a while while I run out for a few minutes to grab Renny’s money?” she asked. It wasn’t like she carried that kind of money on her person after all.

[6]

Tsumi would already be shifting over to the table to pick up something at random that by chance was actually meant to be a hand food. Not that he would purposefully choose to eat a pasta with his hands but he was certainly distracted. Those golden eyes kept watching the hydra with interest as he smiled. It wasn't a pet but it wasn't a person either. But it could speak so he could be its friend over time right? If Ryuko trusted it he could too was his thought process. Still he would stuff a whole piece of seasoned bread into his face and chew it with his cheeks slightly puffed out. Barely savoring the flavor before chasing it down with water. He didn't look for anything to drink besides the water. Mostly because he only really drank two beverages. Water and protein shakes. Still he would swallow it all and take a satisfied breath ending in a happy sigh. It was good to stop training for a moment long enough to eat. Still his hand was reaching for another bite when he listened to what Renny said to the hydra. His whole body would hesitate before it stiffened and he stood tall.

Gold eyes would stare at the new court doctor with a less friendly gaze. Had this man just threatened an....animal Tsumi assumed was the correct term. He had just said he would kill the hydra if it failed to kill him. Of course Tsumi would not see this as a bluff or anything besides a threat. His fists would slowly clench as he watched. The heat rising off of him making little waves in the air. Golden eyes now glowing with intent to protect. Court doctor or no he wouldn't let someone just threaten an innocent animal. Of course the fact that the animal was designed for combat was lost on him. The fact that Ryuko wasn't bothered by this either was also lost on him. Since she was smart enough to know the man wouldn't dare. The cup of water in his other hand shattered under his grip. Yet the glass didn't draw a drop of blood from him. Instead the pieces of it dropped to the floor and shattered into even smaller pieces. But he didn't seem to notice any of it as he stared at Renny instead. Speaking up finally to the mysterious man he likely held no chance against.

"If you try and kill them...I will stop you. I won't let it happen on my watch. That's a promise."

The reptile however didn't seem nearly as concerned as it followed through and attempted to bite the man. Still Tsumi would watch even as Ryuko explained something about cats to him. But Tsumi had tunnel visioned on the situation. He was naive still but he wanted to be a hero. Any time any where. At least if he had to be taught a lesson Renny wasn't likely to kill Ryukos student. He just didn't understand that the smaller creature was stronger than him to begin with. Still as Ryuko would say she intended to leave the lot of them alone while she ran an errand Tsumi would finally break is stare and blink a moment before glancing to Ryuko. His face still completely serious. He would nod to her a moment before returning his gaze to Renny.

"Sure thing Sensei. But if he tries to kill your pet Imma have to beat him up. Where I come from you don't pick on animals. It ain't right and I won't stand by when it happens. That's my way of the hero."

"Renny's the one who's most likely to die if he tries anything funny with Ngova but feel free to watch over them so that doesn't happen." said Ryuko with an unconcerned shrug. She was about to leave when a masked member of the Anbu slipped into the room and whispered something in her ear then vanished in a poof of smoke.

"Looks like we'll have to take a rain check on the cash delivery. Feel free to finish dinner without me I since I won't be back tonight." said Ryuko as she grabbed her summoning staff, clutching it tightly in her hands as she left the room.

[exit]

Tsumi would watch them both leave one after the other and tilt his head a little in confusion. He had only just arrived and they both had to go? Thoughts began to drift into his head as he wondered. What if it was because of him? They both were nice enough...Ryuko had even given him a place to live at the palace of all places. She had taken him under her wing to train him. Taken him into her home and even introduced him as her student. Still he would swallow as he stood there with both of them gone. Watching after them like a puppy that wondered why its master had left. He had to push these thoughts out of his head anyway. Force them down as usual and go over to the table. A shy smile to the hydra but besides that he left it alone. He knew that thing didn't like him. So he wouldn't press it. Instead he would sit down at the table. It was a bigger table in a palace with wondrous foods. But the issue was a table all to yourself was just as lonely no matter where you were. So he ate his fill quietly before returning to his studies. Having a quieter day now. But a full belly at least.

exit thread
4 posts 15 for 3 people +10 for Ryuko - Sensei bonus and UA bonus = 25 x 4 = 100 exp