Kiku stepped out of his apartment, heading towards the shopping district. He'd just gotten paid and could use a few things. Normally he'd avoid going at such a crowded time, but he was getting desperate. He hated going when things were this hectic, he always ended up getting shoved, and the sheer number of people made him nervous.

When he arrived, the market was abuzz with rumors. There was a kage summit going on, and some of the bodyguards were touring the town while their leaders were in the meeting. Kiku kept his head down, hoping he didn't bump into one. They sounded dangerous.

[Back at the Airship]

Kira had received notice that he should remain out of the area as the Kage Summit progresses, that there will already special guards to take care of the Kage as the summit proceeds. However, he would be instructed to investigate the village as the conference would resume. Despite this, he would have to return at an expected time, or find his own way back to his home village.

[Present Time]

Stepping off the airship, Kira would begin wandering the streets of Soragakure no Sato. Such strange winds enveloped this area as even the Wind Sage himself could not understand its purpose. However, one thing he did notice was how open the winds were, the cool breezes seemingly hovering over all areas. "So this is your purpose..." Kira thought, "...You are freedom's wind." The Head Jonin would continue walking as he could hardly be seen for his status, which indeed appear to be a good thing...at least under these circumstances. However, he could be highly recognized as an outsider, seeing as his Umigakure headband would give a good glare, hanging slightly loose from Kira's neck.

The Wind Sage would eventually pace into a crowded area. This crowd seemed to consist of many wanderers, a strange fact as Kira would indeed expect the presence of a shinobi. Investigating the area even further, it seemed as though this area was some kind of market, a place not so interesting to the Umi Nin. Although some markets seemed more appealing than others, Kira would have to decline them all as he was only here to see what the village had to offer.

Precious minutes had passed as Kira could begin hearing some very interesting conversations. More and more people would converse as Kira could finally hear a striking topic. "They know about it?!" Kira thought. Obviously by his surprise, some of the civilians seemed to already know of the summit. The civilians that spoke of this seemed high class, ones that seemed to know a lot about the village. Kira would keep a good eye on these civilians, slowly excluding himself from the crowd until he would get sidetracked from another villager. This one seemed nervous as Kira could notice the village image within him. Now paying attention to this youngster, Kira would reveal himself completely as he would speak. "Are you okay?" The Head Jonin would ask, standing a few feet (10) away from the boy. Kira would remain standing from here, waiting for a response.

Kiku nearly jumped out of his skin when the older man appeared. He hadn't seen him before, and sneaking around in such an open place he had to be another shinobi. Probably a very good one, at that. That robe of his  looked like something special. It was probably some official rank thing from one of the other villages. This must be one of the bodyguards he'd been trying to avoid. He wondered how he'd gotten himself into this mess.

"I, um..." Kiku stammered, trying to figure out something to say. Why was this strange shinobi worried about a nobody like him? Was this some sort of trick? "I-I'm fine, really." He shifted nervously, fiddling with his tie. This was way more than he could handle right now. "Why do you ask, sir?" He tried to look more dignified, but that was too much for the kid. He ended up just looking at the ground, shifting back and forth like a kid who'd been caught stealing from the cookie jar. He didn't remember doing anything wrong, but he felt there was a good chance he probably had.

The cold, emotionless sensation would hold still on Kira's face as he could see the boy shifting quite oddly. The Head Jonin could easily tell that this boy was mentally constructed, in some way nonetheless. "First of all, kid, I suggest you relax." Kira commented, his inner, concealed bright self howling in laughter. As he was known to be emotionless, Kira would be strangely be an expert when it came to sensing the emotions of others. "Secondly, I am Tadashi Kira, a shinobi from Umigakure." Kira continued. Normally, the Wind Sage would not introduce himself to this extent. However, the boy before him seemed innocent; one who be trusted within mere action. "Finally, I ask if you're okay due to your obscure motions. May I ask your purpose here as a Soragakure shinobi?" Kira would try and knock some sense into this boy, trying to liven him up as he seemed grim. Despite this, however, the boy had an image of a mockingbird; one of a peaceful nature. Mockingbirds deserve to roam free and do as they wish for the sake of justice. However, this man seemingly looked restricted- something Kira disliked. It was even more troublesome as this boy somehow triggered Kira's rarity of speech. "Why do I speak?" Kira thought, "My goal is never to speak until I seek reason to smile in this corrupted world."


The Head Jonin would step back a few feet (4), giving the boy some air as he seemingly required recuperation. Until then, Kira would await a response.

Kiku tried to relax, but it was difficult considering his situation there. This tough-looking foreign shinobi was questioning him, and he didn't know how to handle it. That made him nervous, which caused him to be less relaxed, which made him even more nervous because that meant he was disobeying the command. It was a vicious cycle. He just nodded, trying to look calmer.

He bowed when the shinobi introduced himself. At least this he could handle. "I am Uzumaki Kikuchiyo, genin of Soragakure." He hoped that was all right. This guy didn't seem mean, he was somewhere between distant and friendly. That was a good combination for Kiku. It was helping him calm down a bit, having someone act non-threatening without getting into his personal space.

The next question destroyed any semblance of calm he had. Had he been acting suspicious? Was that why this ninja stopped him? He was going to get in trouble, he just knew it. "Oh, um, I'm off duty right now, sir. Just picking up some groceries." He was fidgeting more than ever now.

As the boy introduced himself, Kira would feel more at ease, knowing that no mess would occur here...at least for now. As the boy bowed to him, Kira would bow back, showing that he meant peace. This boy's position in the village didn't seem to surprise Kira. In fact, it was exactly as he predicted. The boy's image didn't seem to show that of extraordinary power, much like the Head Jonin himself when he was younger. As the boy continued to speak, Kira became interested, interested until he could nearly smell fear from the youngster. Kira would reflect on this poor boy's excuse as he had no choice but to smile. "Damn my actions..." Kira thought before speaking. "Off duty, huh?" Kira commented, "...Meaning Soragakure even makes Genin guard their village? Very interesting..." The tone of sarcasm would become quite obvious, Kira trying to release the boy of his fear. "I came here to meet nice shinobi such as yourself." Kira smiled, "Would you like help picking up these 'groceries' you speak of? I originally came here for a tour, but making a friend would be rather interesting." Kira would show no harm in his comments, only trying to satisfy the boy as he spoke. Again he would wait, this time at a standstill as this Genin was surely hard to figure out.

"Guard duty? Um, not really. I'm just not on any missions right now..." He scratched the back of his neck, looking at the ground. This man was giving him way too much credit. Kiku knew he wasn't a great fighter, he could barely win against a housecat. Guarding the village was way beyond his abilities.

The offer of help and friendship made little Kiku completely freeze up. Why would anyone, least of all a ranking ninja from another village, want to hang out with him? And a higher-ranking ninja offering to help him run errands? None of this made sense to him. It started to break his brain a bit. He stood there stammering for a long moment before managing to speak. "It's all right, sir, I can get them myself. It's not much." He shifted from side to side, staring at the ground again. He hoped he hadn't insulted the Umi nin, that could mean real trouble.

Kira would sigh as Kiku would decline his offer, still seeming to look down. Maybe letting the boy be was the best option at the moment, although the Head Jonin wished to get intel on villagers. He was not impressed. Kira could feel the wind redirect itself as there was nothing interesting occurring here. "Well, I'm off then..." Kira would say in response to the grocery offer. He did indeed let silence get the best of himself as, while walking, Kira would feel quite guilty. Ashamed, he would turn back to the boy. "Listen Kiku.." Kira demanded, "Despite my status, us Umi Nin are here to support you Sora Nin. I know you're well aware of the summit, anyway. I advise you not look so down, and allow yourself to have a good time. Until then..." With this being said, Kira would be on his way, hoping to blend in with the crowd so Kiku wouldn't notice where he's going. He would give Kiku one opportunity to change his mind before heading back to the summit. He knew there was hope in the boy, and now was definitely the time to test it. 

Kiku eased up a bit when the ninja started to walk away. He looked disappointed, but that was to be expected really. At least he didn't look upset. "Goodbye, sir." he said, waving nervously. Were you supposed to wave in this situation? He couldn't remember what the protocol was for a higher-ranking nin from another village.

He tensed up again when the man turned back to him. Was he in trouble yet? His voice seemed stern, but his words were encouraging. Kiku didn't know how to process this. Niceness confused him enough, but this blend of nice and serious was baffling. He stood frozen in place, blinking as his brain tried to catch up with what had just happened. There was a long pause before he managed to remember how to speak again. "Yes sir, I will try." He bowed awkwardly, and by the time he had looked up the Umi nin had vanished into the crowd. Kiku let out a deep breath, finally relaxing a bit. That had been quite enough excitement for one day. He went back about his business, hoping nobody else spooked him like that.

[Exit]

The boy's words would trigger Kira into immediate action as he would be disappointed; more in himself than the Soragakure shinobi. The fact that he risked releasing traits he was not known for in order to talk to such a fragile pupil was indeed devastating to the soul. Kira would blend in with the crowd once more, this time giving a bump to have the people move faster, still yet to know that Kira was of another nationality. Sudden voices in Kira's brain told him to calm down, stating that he had at least given the boy a chance to liven up, that he had attempted to inspire someone. "Chances, huh?" Kira thought, also considering the slight changes he endured while conversing with the youngster. All would conclude to an exceptional day as the Head Jonin would return back to the airship- his expected destination.

"Six hours early? I'm getting too good at my job..."

[EXIT]