A "Fair" Spar (HE/Festival Thread)

Far removed from the throngs of festival goers, a mismatched pair sat alone in a well-kept hotel room, facing each other atop plush cushions. The older man, despite his formal dress and immaculate posture, was clearly a man of battle, heavily built and scars adorning his face. The younger man, attempting a similar level of poise, was clearly stunned at the contents of the letter a servant had just completed reading. The servant rolled up the scroll, bowed, and quietly left the room.

The elder male cleared his throat, “I do not know why the Hokage has asked for one so young and inexperienced to spar with him, but it ultimately does not matter. This could be a great boon for you my nephew. You must do the clan proud: a good performance here could perhaps mollify those who are….less than fond of your official adoption into the clan.” The man looked at Mura significantly, raising a trimmed eyebrow. Mura nodded, rising to his feet. “Do not worry uncle, I will do you and the clan proud. I will await the Hokage at the battlefield with proper Hyuga reserve.”

With a final heave, Mura pulled his body over the lip of the building onto the rooftop, activating his Byakugan with a surge of chakra and a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that he was expecting someone to try and assassinate a Hyuga in the middle of a gathering of the shinobi world’s powerhouses, but Mura had not lived outside Konoha for so long with a pair of fresh Byakugan by taking chances. It was…..annoying how others of his blood couldn’t seem to see the situation that way, forcing him to deactivate his dojutsu in the interests of “preserving bloodline secrets”. Orthodox stupidity at its finest, but Mura had had little choice.

Flitting from rooftop to rooftop with the grace of a squirrel, Mura finally arrived at the assigned site, waiting for several minutes, examining the area in exacting detail with his Byakugan. Finding nothing suspicious, the half-blood would slowly, reluctantly, drop into the training yard from above, waiting for the Hokage to arrive.

Xia was usually ecstatic, or at the very least extremely high energy. Today was different though. Today she was over the moon, because today she was going to the Festival at the Heavenly Emporium! She was staying in one of the hotels at the Festival, her mother had insisted that she get a room there. Her mother had also winked and told her “Make sure you enjoy yourself!”. To which Xia had been utterly confused, as usual, but assumed eventually that her mother meant she was working too hard lately and needed a break. Xia was laughably naive when it came to innuendo, which was possibly why her mother insisted on teasing her constantly.

The night before she had wandered around and taken in the sights, her pupiless eyes shining like stars at everything she was seeing for the first time. Being on a floating city was fantastic enough, but there were games and eateries and people dancing and. . . everything. She had stayed up a touch too late and had crashed fairly hard, so she barely awoke to a knock at her door. Muttering something unintelligible, Xia would drag herself out of bed and sleepily answer the door. There was a messenger standing there with a small scroll, which she took without questioning, offering a drowsy smile and a drawn out “Thank you” to the messenger before closing her door again. Half walking and half stumbling she made her way back over to the edge of the bed and plunked down to unfurl the scroll. It took her eyes a moment to adjust well enough that she could read. Once she did finally read what it said her tiredness instantly evaporated and she jumped up to rush about getting ready to leave.

The message was from the Hokage himself, her Sensei. She was being summoned to the training grounds at the Heavenly Emporium, which was fairly convenient. She hastily showered and tied her black and blonde hair back in a ponytail, putting on a pair of black leggings and a tank top, she threw on a loose fitting coat and a pair of high top sneakers. Her outfit was a far cry from the festival clothing she had been wearing the day before, but it was still a bit nicer than she would usually use for training. She grabbed her jade kama and kunai and ran out the door, making her way as fast as she could to the training grounds. Xia wasn’t especially coordinated so she opted for running there in a straight line, and eventually flew past the walled off area and came to a screeching halt roughly in the center of the training grounds. Looking around she didn’t see Tengoku, but she did notice a white haired man standing there, so like any unreasonably friendly person she would walk up towards him with a bright smile. “Hello there! I don’t suppose you’ve seen the Hokage anywhere have you?”

Tengoku had selected the other side of a nearby tree to quietly listen and wait. After all without even using his sensory Tengoku could track people moving in the small area by sound alone. His wolf like ears twitching as he smiled and waited in total silence. The practice of being totally still was natural for a hunter. And that was what Tengoku had been all his life. Of course with hyuga coming he would activate chakra suppression to hide his chakra entirely. Born to be a tracker nin and working his way from there to Hokage on mostly willpower. Yet somehow the rumors from the village was he was a peaceful Kage. They had called him the paladin of Konoha before he was Hokage due to his warm and virtuous theme. Helping where he could. Yet there were other whispers from those who didn't like someone like him in office. Some orphan from poverty with mutations and no bloodline to speak of. To most of them Tengoku was filth and a coward. Not participating in the war at all and then immediately establishing peace? He hadn't raised his sword for the cause once. Even speaking against it openly. No sense of national pride. Tengoku was just a mutt who wandered in and tricked Nyguyen into giving him the hat.

Of course these were more whispers as he didn't have nearly as many detractors as he did supporters. Talk like that was a staging grounds for a brawl in the streets. Still despite being aware of these talks Tengoku had let them be. He was fine with others sharing their opinions and felt it had no impact on how he would choose to live his life. So he had turned to his roots and chosen to pursue taijutsu more in depth. Of course there was an opportunity he wasn't about to miss out on. A legendary taijutsu called the soft palm. Surely he could learn it if he could experience it. Repeatedly if possible. However the Hyuga were a proud bunch and the older generation were traditionalists to the last of them. So asking them was pointless. If they discovered that he wanted to practice his own adaption of soft palm they would possibly die from the shock of it. No he would go to those with more open minds. People who had a chance still to choose who they wanted to be. To decide for themselves what a good person was to them. Or if they even wanted to be a good person. All walks of life.

The first to arrive was a young man he hadn't met yet but was said to be a possible up an coming prodigy. Which seemed interesting as one of Tengokus ears straightened as he picked up the slight sounds of Muras approach. Quick and quiet. Interesting. His scent was more traditional as well. Soon after he dropped down though another scent would filter into the air. Ahh Xia had arrived. One could say she smelled like birthday parties and unicorns. Just oozing joy about herself. His student and a Hyuga he knew. This should make introductions easier. Of course loudly she would march right up to the boy and say hi. Not even an introduction but an inquiry. Tengoku would grin a little before calling out over his shoulder around the tree. "I doubt it." A simple statement since he had focused on remaining hidden and using his superior perception to listen and smell for them. He would rise to his feet before stepping around the tree. Tengoku was wearing a pair of basketball shorts with red and black designs on them. Black tennis shoes and a loose basketball jersey that was green and red for the Konoha cobras. A set of gold rings covered in feathers adorned his bare arms both upper and forearms and on his ankles as well. No other equipment other than that. His hair tied up in a ponytail with a white five oclock shadow. A white toothy grin at them with amber eyes watching them.

"Hey guys."


Chakra suppression active for one post

Mura noticed many things about the training yard as he anxiously awaited the Hokage, making careful note of every nook and cranny. The yard was approximately fifty by thirty paces, and was primarily constructed of a gnarled hardwood combined with cracked concrete floors, cracked and scorched by previous training sessions. The yard had exactly three exits (two side entrances and the main one), however one of them lead out into a dark alleyway: not an ideal location for escaping an ambush. If things went south here, Mura didn’t give much for his chances of escaping. After all, the Hokage must have asked him here for a reason, and the Hyuga could only thing of two very distinct reasons why such a distinguished individual would wish to speak with him.

It was during this minor panic attack that a new person arrived at the yard, making a beeline for the paranoid Hyuga. The only thing that saved them both from a rather embarrassing incident was the fact that Mura vaguely remembered her from a few clan gatherings he had attended since his awakening, and the fact that she seemed far too bubbly to be a competent assassin. Managing a thin smile, Mura extended his hand in greeting,“I have not, though if you are here as well, I doubt he would call us both here for no reason. My name is Mura, nice to meet you.” He said, looking at her curiously. If she truly was the Hyuga he was thinking of, he remembered her as a lot more….formally dressed than she currently was. Perhaps she too was a victim of the Hyuga’s traditionalist values?

The new voice on the scene, however, shattered the moment, as Mura was already spun 180 degrees around and halfway into his combat stance before he recognized the Hokage’s voice. How had he not seen the man previously? Mura had been sure he was keeping watch of all of the entrances, and he had scanned the entire courtyard before he had dropped into it. Could his Byakugan truly be deceived this much?

Masking his consternation, Mura would bow to his superior. “Greetings Tengoku-sama, I hope you haven’t been waiting long.” He would say rather formally, before straightening and eyeing the Hokage with equal amounts of awe and mild suspicion.

Xia was basically a walking cloud of rainbows and unicorns most days. She worked hard and that gave her a deep sense of satisfaction and peace that she unconsciously radiated as joy in most situations. She was also a genuinely pure intentioned person and so it never occurred to her to be cautious, since it never occurred to her that other people might not have pure intentions. It was an incredibly naive and stupid way of looking at the world, but Xia had yet to experience negative things like betrayal or malice, so it was also the only outlook that she really could have.

And that of course led to the only reasonable option she could make in her current situation; she couldn’t find who she was looking for so she walked up to the first person she could see and asked. Her behaviour was frequently the subject of much suspicion she’d noticed; having previously been accused of trying to trick her squadmates, or being sneaky in some other way (usually related to her graffiti). And someone watching her might think she’d make the perfect assassin. . . or more likely, the perfect victim for an assassin. Either way there were assassins involved - just probably not very good ones.

When she asked her question she saw the white haired man smile thinly and she was just about to shake his extended hand when she heard a clear answer to her question from behind a nearby tree. She would pause briefly to turn her attention to the sound of Tengoku’s voice, a voice she recognized immediately, and then proceeded to shake Mura’s hand. “Nice to meet you too, Mura. I’m Xia Pangfua Daiyu Hyūga, but please call me Xia.” Once she’d introduced herself she would turn to face Tengoku, noting his informal attire and feeling much less awkward about her own informal attire. “Hello Tengoku-sensei! You’re looking very colourful today! Were you hiding? Or did you just appear?” Xia was still a little bit shook from her first experience with genjutsu and couldn’t quite trust her own eyes when people suddenly appeared. Not that she was particularly good at seeing things anyway, she was still quite inexperienced in combat and she knew she had many more years to go before she could get notably stronger. Clasping her hands together in front of her as she could barely contain her excitement, she looked up at her wolf eared Sensei and spoke as politely as she could considering how excited she was. “So, what are we doing today? More races? Or, um, basketball?”

Tengoku would smile and walk towards the two of them. The bow would have him smile cheerfully before he acknowledged it with a nod. He would move to stand in front of both of them. His left hand going out to pat Xia on the head at her greeting. His hand was warm but solid. It was perhaps not as soft as he intended even though he made an effort to be very gentle. Still it may be more like getting patted gently by a brick. Not painful but uncomfortable. He was fond of her good nature just as he was Azzies. Maigo had been placed on the same squad because his determination had been impressed upon Tengoku with a private training session. One where Maigo had been pushed severely but that was another time. Today Tengoku would respond to their inquiries with a warm chuckle. His right hand placed on his waist as his left would fall to his side. His wolf like ears twitching away a dragonfly that attempted to use one of them as a landing spot. Amber eyes matching the warmth of his chuckle as he spoke. He was certainly a cheerful man.

"Aye I was hiding but not for too long. I will stop concealing my chakra now of course. I just wanted to surprise you both. A bit of fun is all. As for why I called you both out here, No it won't be a race or anything. I have mastered a couple of styles of taijutsu called Strong fist and Arhat. But to this day I have never seen much less experienced the Hyuga fighting style. I must admit I am curious about it."

Tengoku would offer a shrug a moment before winking to Xia. His amber eyes shifting towards Mura as he took the young man. Certainly an attractive young man but much like Xia he didn't appear like his body was trained up too much. Still he was here as requested which gave him points. Most would have probably denied such an offhanded request. Still Tengoku would continue speaking as surprisingly honesty would come out. He had a policy of trying not to lie or manipulate people. Not intentionally anyway. But either way he would continue speaking as he addressed first Mura and then Xia.

"It is nice to meet you Mura. Xia is already a student of mine but I value different perspectives. Plus I thought you would both have more fun with this if you had a teammate for it with something in common. That said I waited until we were away from the village to ask because your elders would likely advise you not to participate. Letting a taijutsu expert like me observe your clans style willingly could get you in trouble with them so its up to you both if you want to risk it. If you don't mind it...we will practice by seeing if either of you can find an opening with both of you attacking me at once. Don't worry as I recognize the space between us and it is fine if you can't manage it today. We will simply go until you are tired. Oh and I am not allowed to strike you. I can lightly push or deflect but neither of you will be in any danger unless you put yourselves there. So, what do you both think?"

“Charmed.” Mura said evenly, giving Xia an odd look as she gave the Hokage a similarly bubbly greeting. Years of associating with traditionalist elders that could be best described as humorless had set the boy’s thinking into a certain pattern. Ninja business was to be conducted with reserve, logic, and above all suspicion, never giving even your closest friends any indication of weakness. This “Xia” however, seemed to have received the exact opposite instructions, being not only informal in the Hokage’s presence, but downright bubbly. She had turned her back on him without the slightest hesitation and was making goddamned jokes. Safe to say, Mura was very confused: either she was the best liar he had ever met, or Xia was like this normally. Either option worried Mura for reasons he couldn't quite describe.

On top of this, Tengoku’s casual claim of “hiding his chakra”, was not exactly calming to Mura either. If the Byakugan, one of the most powerful dojutsu in existence could truly be fooled so casually by a non-member, it meant that Mura’s one safety net was a complete and total lie. Was it just that his eyes were too weak to penetrate the concealment? Or was this chakra cloaking a complete and total counter to the vision of the Byakugan. Mura would have to figure this out, and quickly.

Shaking the panicked thoughts from his mind for the moment, Mura would listen as Tengoku made his own greetings, outlining the reasons for his invitation. “I of course would be grateful for the opportunity to spar with you alongside your student Tengoku-sama: such a thing would be of vast help to my training." The Hokage's logic was surprisingly sound for the monster the Hyuga elders had made him out to be. While it was true that he had been strongly encouraged to accept the invitation, Mura had got the sense that his uncle would not be exactly...pleased if he revealed the deeper secrets of the Byakugan to an outsider, even through a simple spar. Mura wasn't exactly sure why they were so concerned when Tengoku had another Hyuga as his genin student, but it was irrelevant.

Mura swallowed, "Unfortunately…I fear that I cannot help you with experiencing the Gentle Fist.” Mura said, his voice apologetic, “An accident during the war put me in a medically induced coma for some time, and I only recently awoke. I haven’t recovered the coordination to pull off the true Gentle Fist.”

Mura was clearly not very happy about what he perceived to be his failure, and it showed on his face. From his perspective, he would need a miracle to get out of this little meeting without punishment, and even then, the Hyuga probably wouldn’t be terribly pleased about the “Mutt Hokage” learning about their clan’s failure. Once again, all of his problems could be simplified to a simple equation: a lack of strength leading to embarrassment and danger.

"If you would still wish for me to spar with you, I would of course be willing. If not, I will remove myself and leave you two to it."

Xia beamed up happily at Tengoku as he ruffled her hair, much like a puppy would when being shown affection. Xia had deep respect for the Hokage, although she did display it differently than most others, and she was happy to receive validation from him. It let her know that what she’d been trying to convey to him was well received. Mura seemed more sedate than she was, but that was pretty typical for those that interacted with her. She’d only met one person who was somehow more excitable than she was, and that was Azzie.

Once Tengoku started explaining why he had summoned them both here she would move so that she could easily see both Mura and the Hokage. His request was one that brought a blush to Xia’s cheeks as she realized that she wasn’t going to be able to help him. And for probably the first time ever, she had a look of sadness on her face. She didn’t think it would be so soon since he had taken her on as a student that she would be letting him down, and it broke her heart. She listened as Mura explained why he wouldn’t be able to help either, and in a strange way it made her feel a tiny bit better. She was saddened to hear that he had been through an accident in the war and even was in a coma for a while. Looking between the two men, she would clear her throat gently and admit to her failings.

“Tengoku-sama, I am so sorry but I can’t help you either. I’m just. . . not strong yet. I will absolutely still spar with you though, but until I can get faster I just keep failing every time I try to learn our Clan’s techniques.”

Tengoku would smile and place his hands on his hips as he would listen to each of them. Mura would speak first and Tengokus right ear would twitch to the sound of his voice. His amber eyes almost glowing with a strange energy as he listened. Niceties and more niceties. Tengoku really was abhorrent at social standards for the office he held. As decent of a person as he was considered, Tengoku always felt awkward using titles and how much he should bow or rather nod in return. He was always better as a soldier. Still his ears would droop slightly as he mentioned his coma. Tengoku was all too familiar with the plague. Having worked hard to make sure his sister woke up to everything they had wanted and more. Which she had a few months back. But still the plague was unfortunate. He knew the struggles it caused. For him to had suffered muscle atrophy his care likely hadn't been up to the same standard. Perhaps he and his sister had been fortunate. She had savings before she went under after all. All Tengoku had done was use the rank of Jounin to earn himself prestige within the military.

Still those eyes would soften at the suggestion that Tengoku may send him away if he wasn't able to do exactly what Tengoku had asked. How cruel his upbringing must have been for him to assume that as possible. He felt for the guy but he could barely shake his head no at the idea with a smile of disbelief on his face. As if he couldn't believe he even suggested that. Then Xia would mention she couldn't either and those dog ears would flatten as he looked at her with surprised eyes too. Like a dog watching their friend leave for work. He realized he had expected a little much from them and sighed. His shoulders slumping a little as he glanced to the side. "Ahh well. That's unfortunate." He would say almost to himself as he processed the idea that his goal today just couldn't happen. Still he would only seem to process that a moment before he took a deep breath through his nose. His ears raising back up to attention before he turned with a smile and standing tall again. That warmth in his eyes again matching that white toothed canine smile.

"Well then. Nothing for it but to get you two up there to your goals right? Best way to do that is to start by what we came here to do today. I want you two to come at me with whatever stance suits you best. Try to figure out how best to work together and get your timing right. The good news is I can not directly attack you back. I can trip you or attempt to redirect you into each other for instance but I can not kick, punch, headbutt, knee, elbow, grapple or bite. The bad news, is this is likely not a possible task for you to actually land a blow. Not right now at least. I don't say this to mock you....I say it to prepare you. We will be able to see your progress by how close you get and you will learn to work well as a team. How to attune yourself when moving as more than an individual. Any questions?"

Mura fought back the temptation to laugh bitterly when Xia spoke, not in mockery of his fellow Hyuuga, but simply at the ridiculousness of this whole situation. It was like some joke told around a campfire during an Academy survival situation; neither of the Hokage’s chosen training partners had the ability to help him with what he wished. The Hyuga was sure that the elders of the clan would be enraged when they heard of this whole situation and for once Mura wasn’t sure he could blame them. This whole encounter had the potential to cause immense embarrassment to everyone involved.

However, instead of disappointment or anger, Tengoku seemed to express…excitement? Resigned happiness? The half-Hyuga had trouble identifying the exact emotion that flittered over his Hokage’s face, but none of it was what he was expecting. Sure, with his ambitions he had intended to do his best to garner the attention of the Hokage and train with him at some point, but he didn’t expect it to be so….soon. Mura would bow deeply from the waist as Tengoku finished his speech, “I thank you deeply for this opportunity Tengoku-sama. I promise you, I will not disappoint you again.” Perhaps this is what he needed to shake the rust off: a true, no-holds barred spar against someone who vastly outstripped him in power. It had been….too long. “May we have a minute or so to put together a strategy?”

Assuming Tengoku acquiesced, Mura would fall back a few paces, turning to face Xia and whispering quickly. “Lady Xia, as you are Tengoku-sama’s student, I will leave the choice up to you. I may have a way of tying down Tengoku-sama’s attention for a few seconds, off surprise if noting else. Shall I employ it, and then you can flank him from his off-side? Or do you have a different idea? I am relatively skilled in Wind Release, so I can also provide ranged support if necessary.” Mura spoke the last part with a little hesitation, barely noticeable but still present. He loathed the idea of handing out his capabilities to relative strangers, even if they were in the clan, but it would be essential if they had any chance of nearing Tengoku.

Xia was truly miserable, right up until she saw the Hokage’s smile once more. It seemed that despite her apparent failure to assist Tengoku she was not a total disappointment. She was clearly pleased to have the opportunity to spar regardless of her inability to use her clan techniques. Returning Tengoku’s smile she would shake her head at his question. “No questions from me. Thank you Sensei, I won’t let you down!” And then she would move to the side with Mura, the same excited smile still on her face as she tried to make a plan with him.

She listened to Mura’s whispered plan, her smile only faltering for a moment when he addressed her as ‘Lady’ Xia, she still didn’t understand why people kept calling her that. Considering his proposal she would bring a hand up to her chin as she thought. She didn’t really know how to fight, she knew the theory of it, but she’d never actually done it. She’d practiced her forms and techniques, but never in a formal spar outside of the Academy and certainly she had never been in a real fight. Not that this was one, but fighting the Hokage was about the closest she could think of to a real fight. “So. . . you want me to wait for a signal or something? I’m not very fast, or ya know. . . dextrous. But I’m enthusiastic. Oh and I use fire. Maybe that could help? Oh and according to my squadmates, I may have accidentally used Genjutsu. But I’m not totally sure what that means.” Xia was not overly confident in her combat abilities, but she was more than willing to attempt what Mura was planning. Seeing as she’d already thoroughly embarrassed herself in front of Tengoku she wasn’t even afraid of that anymore.

Tengoku would smile and nod to the young man as he asked for a moment to plan. It amused him at least as his wolf like ears would twitch. He wondered if they thought his ears were just for show. Perhaps it was a bit like cheating if he could hear every word they were saying. Still he would let them move back a few paces and listen as he would cross one arm across his chest and pull lightly on his elbow with his other hand. And then repeat the process the other way as well. Followed by bring his ankles to the small of his back one at a time and holding it there for a couple of seconds. It was interesting that they had elements that complimented each other so well. Wind especially was useful against Tengokus raiton. However it could be used here to help with Xias Katon if used appropriately. He would listen as they planned and lean down to touch his toes. Just getting some stretching in before this training session. It was important to stretch before exercising anyway right. After all it wouldn't do him any good to get a cramp or pull a muscle while training the two of them.

Still he would shuffle the toe of his right shoe into the dirt a moment before glancing around. His amber eyes gazing through his white hair a moment as he looked around. As if he was looking for someone. Truthfully he was. If someone was looking for an opportunity to attack him or spy on him now would be the time. However his sensory hadn't picked anything else up outside of these two. Seeing and hearing no one else he would smile and take a breath. Well he may as well finish his prep work before this started. They were very formal but he hoped they wouldn't hesitate. There was an audible sound of electricity crackling as the energy surged into the rings on his arms and ankles. Suddenly the six pieces would expand outwards. Covering his shoulders, forearms and shins in an unfolded gold feather patterned armor. Taking away the appearance of his simple work out clothes and giving him the appearance of a warrior in armor once more. This left his torso and head exposed still but the armor was unmistakingly of the highest quality. Still he would simply smile and remain quiet as he listened to their plans. Whispering or no he could hear it as if it were directly into his twitching canine ears.

Mura mulled over what Xia had told him, plans flickering through his head. While her abilities with Katon and Genjutsu could potentially be extremely useful, Mura had little to no knowledge of her skill or, indeed, the fields themselves. He had never really seen anyone utilize Fire Release before, nor Genjutsu, and the few things he had heard about them were more in the realm of legends than something a genin could employ. Still, he supposed it was better than nothing.

“Alright. I’ll move in and try to get him between us. Once you have a clear shot, start peppering him with Fire Release as much as you can. If you can whip up a few illusions too to distract him, that’d be great too.” Since Xia had not professed a specialty in Taijutsu, there was no point in her moving in close only to be taken out in a single blow. Perhaps this way they could split enough of Tengoku’s attention to land a significant blow.

Mura rose, turning on his heel and falling into his modified Arhat Fist stance. “Ready Tengoku-sama?” He asked, before suddenly blurring into motion, his Byakugan shining like silver. If Xia was watching, she would notice a dense layer of Fuuton chakra settle in around him, simultaneously sheltering him from air resistance as well as providing him a boost in speed. Attempting to catch Tengoku by surprise at his increased speed and strength, Mura would circle around to the opposite side of Tengoku and attempt to hammer the Kage with repeated blows to the midsection, aiming for several shots to the liver in an attempt to rack up damage quickly.

Spoiler:

Xia nodded as confirmation that she understood the plan Mura had made, she would watch as he sped towards Tengoku with Fuuton chakra swirling around him. And then just as he was about to reach the Hokage he suddenly collapsed onto the ground. That had not been part of the plan. Xia was mortified and dropping all pretense of a battle would rush towards her fellow Hyuga and kneel beside his unmoving body. She could see clearly that he was still breathing and did not appear to be injured in any way, but it seemed that the plague had finally regained its foothold over the young man.

With eyes brimming with concern she looked up at the Hokage. “I think he needs to go to the hospital. I’m sorry Hokage-sama, I don’t know if this is how you wanted today to go. I do still want to help though, after we take care of Mura of course.” She wasn’t strong enough to lift the young man by herself, but she would try anyway if she could without injuring him. Otherwise she would assist in any way she could, a look of worry on her young face the whole time as either through the Hokage or other staff at the Heavenly Emporium Mura would be attended to and eventually transferred back to the hospital in Konoha.

After her peer was safely cared for, Xia would bow again to Tengoku and reiterate her promise to assist him. “I’m always willing to help Tengoku-sensei. Anything you need.” And with that she would return to her hotel room to enjoy the festivities, although her enjoyment had a grey cloud cast over it now that her fellow Hyuga had fallen ill.

[Exit Thread]

Tengoku would see Mura drop and blink a little in surprise. He sort of just crumpled mid attack. Most other cases he had seen of the plague had happened in their sleep. His sister being one to constantly be taken over by it. It was as if she couldn't escape it. So he knew what it looked like when someone succumbed to it. Still it was surprising for it to happen so suddenly. From an onlooker it would seem like Tengoku had done something to knock the poor boy out. Xia however simply rushed to his side and checked on the boy. Tengoku would sigh a moment. He hated the plague but he had no simple answer to it. They had rescued a doctor working on a cure in Konoha but not results as of yet. He would lift his index and thumb to his mouth before letting out an ear-piercing whistle. Almost immediately two jounin would land on either side of him. Part of his guard that had remained concealed. He would instruct them to move the young Hyuga boy to Konohas hospital. To treat him there. Once they acknowledged the order they went to collect the young boy and Tengoku would turn to respond to Xia.

"It isn't how I saw this going...no. But these things happen. When you get back to Konoha. Come find me and we will see about making up for this with a training session." He would say with a soft smile before he turned and left himself. Leaving the grounds...The plague made him uncomfortable to be around. He had no way to fight it and it haunted him directly through his sister. Still it meant another person with potential in their ranks was unable to keep their numbers up. It was a problem...so he would continue to grow stronger to cover the difference.

Exit thread
5 x 20 = 100 exp
sensei bonus with Xia and 3 posters for 5 posts.