Deathly Profession[Kazue/Ko]

Usually, Kazue found Rei. Whether inside the village or around its close vicinity. It was unusual for the opposite: Rei looking for Kazue. The young hyuga princess had spent a great portion of the morning and early afternoon searching the village for her female uchiha friend. Yet to no avail. Around noon, Rei had even enlisted the help of her two handmaiden Branch family members to seek out Kazue. Finally, Rei had decided to check one of the few places one would actually think to look. She had told her two servants where she was headed and hoped that if they found Kazue, they would forward her message that she wished to meet up. I bet Kazue will find it a bit peculiar for me being the one looking for her. I bet her curiosity won't be able to be held.

She knew Kazue quite well. Better than her own father Kenichi. Kazue was the spice in Rei's bland childhood and likely the only factor that had kept her from turning into a complete robot. A troublemaker and adventurer, Kazue was the girl to often drag Rei into circumstances where Rei's mind screamed inappropriate but she stayed for some unknown reason. Looking back, Rei knew now that the unexplained reason, was a bond. Friendship. So here she was once again, in a place she shouldn't be- chasing Kazue. In the forest of Death. A place her father would surely scold her for once he found out. She was near the entrance of the gate, but still directly out of sight behind a giant tree, half hoping Kazue would appear and she could catch her friend off guard even though their skills were worlds apart. Kazue was really good at Genjutsu and Rei wanted to learn a bit about the skill herself. She knew her Byakugan was capable of affecting Genjutsu, so she activated her Byakugan in advance.
Cp-450
Byakugan

Kazue had beeb in the forest for most of the day. It was the anniversary of her bout in the Chūnin exams after all! So, she had been visiting her teammates. She had taken time to sit down and chat with them. This is where she buried them after all. She had also been working on gathering Nature chakra. It was something she always seemed to start doing whenever she sat and meditated, and she supposed that wasn't a bad habit to get into. She wondered what adventure the day would bring.

Kazue hadn't ever spoken much of her own Chuunin exams, so Rei could only wonder what kind of experience her best friend had had here. Thinking about it, she felt like a terrible friend for not knowing as much as she should about her best friend. Then again, Kazue always seemed cheerful and didn't talk about her past most of the time. Rei could only assume it was a barrier, something that her friend would have to overcome and accept. Rei had no clue that Kazue was already here in the forest. Even as she had activated her Byakugan, her vision increased greatly. Evident proof that her training some nights before with Kazue, had been well worth it. Even still, inside a forest like that, it was the perfect place for others to hide from her vision. It's been a while.. Surely my family has sent the word along to Kazue by now...

That meant that kazue was already in the forest of course... Somehow she was either already here or had snuck passed Rei who was watching the gate. The latter seemed almost impossible, so Rei came to the conclusion that Kazue had already been in the forest to begin with. "I better track her down if I want to learn anything from that big brain of hers." Rei would say with a huff and began to jump from tree to tree as she used her vision to quickly pick up on fresh footprints in the soft grass. She followed them until she found Kazue sitting by herself. Unaware of the situation, Rei would wave and call out to the uchiha. "Hey you gloomy princess! I have a favor to ask!"
CP-445
Byakugan

Hearing Rei approaching, Kazue wouldn't move to greet her friend, instead she would simply say, "What are you doing all the way out here, Rei?" She didn't have it in her to use her cheery persona, not right now. She was still somewhat in mourning as she blamed herself for the deaths of her teammates. If she had only been stronger, she could have saved them. 

Of course, she was very curious as to what Rei was doing in this area. This training ground was reserved for those of Jounin rank, meaning that Rei had come here to find her. This was an oddity in and of itself and warranted some curiosity from Kazue. Though, she would allow for Rei to explain herself as she continued to hone in her Nature Chakra.

2/4

While her somewhat somber cheerful way of greeting Kazue was effective, she had expected Kazue to be cheerfully surprised that Rei had done something questionably bad like bend a rule just to come find her. Instead, she was greeted with an equally somber expression and curious tone of voice by her best friend. Rei knew instantly that something was up. She slowed her pace and took in the immediate surroundings with her Byakugan before speaking again. "There is word going around that there will be Chuunin exams soon. I was hoping to become stronger and was searching for you. I need you to teach me about genjutsu. While my eyes afford me moderate protection against Genjutsu, I still don't know enough about the skill itself. she would explain and then fully approached her friend, noticing what looked like possibly makeshift graves. Maybe someone she knew? I won't ush her to tell me... she thought: the whole time, molding her chakra in eager anticipation. Kazue was good at Genjutsu and no doubt, her cute short best friend asking to be taught, would spark interest in the uchiha girl. It was also a good way to get Kazue's mind off of unpleasant thoughts.
CP-440
Byakugan

Kazue would continue to draw on the natural energy around her as she would listen to Rei explain herself. So, Genjutsu? Kazue was rather skilled in the art, though she only used it on rare occasions. "I have heard that the exams are coming, though the village who is hosting has yet to be decided. I can tell you a bit, though I'm not much of a teacher ya know?" As she spoke her voice would betray a slight glimmer of her cheerful self. "Ya know, my exams were in Konoha. I was so excited to be taking them on, even though my team was still green." It was tough to talk about, but Kazue thought that maybe telling her story would help ease her guilt.

3/4

Kazue's response about the Chuunin exams only further reinforced Rei's own suspicions that the Chuunin exams were more than just hopeful talk this time. Chuunin exams were typically a topi of discussion: the younger generations always looking forward to doing them just to prove their own worth. Then again, Rei's own reasons for participating were quite similar, so she couldn't say much. "I hope the exams aren't held in Konoha. I would like to see the other villages. Though I'm more excited to see what kind of skills and strengths the other shinobi have." It was a good opportunity for recon so to speak, though everyone participating was surely to show as little skill as possible. Showing an enemy your full hand of cards was always a bad move anyways.

Kazue began to talk about her own Chuunin exams, an appropriate topic given the relevance... yet Rei could tell that it was a difficult discussion for her. By now she had put two and two together and could safely assume whoever was laid to rest here, was someone important to her best friend. Likely fallen during the Chuunin exams. Rei plopped down on the grass suddenly, a moderate distance away from the graves and patted the ground close to her. "Well we can visit your friends here while learning. I'm sure they'd be happy to see even you can become a teacher." she would say, the last sentence more of a light-hearted tease and at the expense of Kazue. "So what's the first thing I should understand about genjutsu?"

Kazue could feel her nature reserves fill up. So, she stood to go and sit next to Rei. "Heh, good ol' Rei-chan, always interested in a challenge. Genjutsu is quite the opposite in terms of application than Taijutsu or Ninjutsu. With those, one focuses inwardly to control chakra to end with an effect. Be it enhanced strength or shooting a fireball. Genjutsu however, requires you to focus on your opponents chakra. You must use your own chakra to disrupt your targets flow. This results in various effects, such as causing extreme hallucinations or even manipulating your targets senses." It kind of amazed her how easy it was to explain the intricacies of Genjutsu. 

She was somewhat glad that Rei arrived, she would have sat here all day like she did every year at this time. She was definitely thankful that she had such a friend who would be here for her when she needed.

Rei sat and listened to her best friend, she could tell that Kazue understood genjutsu quite well. In fact, even her description of the application to Genjutsu made sense to Rei. So much sense in fact, that just by looking for her Byakugan- she felt like with a little more practice, she could use her enhanced sight on an opponent's chakra circulatory system to enhance the effects of Genjutsu. "You're right... That is a lot different than what I've learned from Ninjutsu and Taijutsu... Though Fuinjutsu also sort of does what you described. Inadvertently, she had told her friend that she dabbled also in Fuinjutsu. Rei wanted to be after all, a useful woman of her clan. her family. Reliable and strong enough to carry the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.

She would sit quietly for several moments, her brows furled as she thought about her chakra and focusing her sight on a squirrel not so far away. Finally, she felt her chakra slightly fall and then the result took effect. The little squirrel suddenly panicked as though it was lost and ran about frantically, finally coming to a stop as it hit its head on the base of a tree. "I believe I have the hang of it... Your explanation really helped Ka-chwan."

Kazue would chuckle and strike a good guy pose, "Of course it did! I am the MAGNIFICENT KAZUE-SAMA!" It was somewhat comical to see her make a squirrel strike its head on a tree. Suddenly, it dawned on her that she needed to tell Rei something. "Hey Rei-chan, I needed to tell you. I spoke with my father about you." She would wait for Rei to ask what it was about. She knew that bringing it up like that would cause questions to swarm in the other girls mind and thats exactly what she wanted. It was always funny to cause Rei to overthink or get slightly flustered. But, this was more serious than that.

5/5 Chakra trained +100

There it was. She knew by praisng her best friend, that Kazue would end up doing something silly. She expected the pose in a sense, having contemplated whether or not she should have reacted and positioned herself better beside Kazue to perform a heroic pose herself- just to steal the spotlight from the uchiha princess. Rei didn't however: spontaneous things just wasn't her style. So instead, she sat passive and smirked at Kazue until she was finished and began to discuss another matter. A matter that immediately got the wheels turning in Rei's mind. Spoke to her father?.. Don't tell me she blackmailed him into consenting me to a forced marriage.. she thougth halfway joking. though marrying her best friend ddn't seem like that bad of an idea. Kazue seemed like a good "manly" type while Rei herself was the obedient housewife type. Course she'd never tell Kazue that.

Not only would Kazue bonk her on the head for associating her with "manly" but Rei would never hear the end of "Waifu" or "wifey" "Oh?
What did you and the Hokage talk about concerning me?" she just asked flat out. She had a few ideas in her head, but she wasn't going to indulge Kazue in her many suspicions. Albeit blackmail and bribery seemed higher on the list than a few other "normal" options.

Kazue would simply nod to her friend chuckling at seeing her mind race slightly. It was always fun to poke and prod at Rei. But, anyways, now was the time to tell Rei what exactly had happened between one of the most trusted ANBU in the village and the Hokage. 

"I told him that you had been growing in strength and that you would most likely be entering the exams. He will be in attendance so I told him that he should keep a close eye on your performance. I also gave my recommendation for an ANBU position should you make Chuunin. I know its a lot to take in, but given your answers the other night and how much you have improved recently, it only seems like the best choice to bring you into the fold." 

She knew this might be a bombshell for her friend, but she didn't think Rei was one to get stage fright, even if the one paying her scrutiny was the strongest ninja in the village. "I suppose I should also explain what being inducted into the ANBU details." She would wait for Rei's responses thus far and any questions before moving on.

1/5

She sat quietly and listened to Kazue as she explained in some detail about what she had picked Rei's interest with. Rei bit her lip, in both anticipation and excitement. This sounds like a lot of pressure has been put on my shoulders just now... But it all hinges on my success in the Chuunin exams.
All I need to do is worry about doing y best and nothing else! She felt no pressure from the enlightened information: after all, she was used to heavy burdens and high expectations. "getting to work with Ka-Chwan? Of course! she would say with a wink. Though she remained silent afterwards to allow Kazue to explain the ANBu induction details.

Laughing a little at her friends reaction, Kazue would get straight into business mode when describing the induction process. "Well, first, you will be welcomed by my father where he will assign you a mission as a bit of a test to see how you would handle the pressure. It is here you will be given your future mask, it is yours to keep should you succeed. You will then go and take on your mission solo, making sure to keep your identity a secret and killing anyone who finds you out. Once you return, if successful, you are given your ANBU seal and welcomed into the ranks. If you fail, your memories will be wiped and it will be as though it never happened. The process of getting the seal is simple, it goes on your right shoulder and is placed with a jutsu only known to the Hokage. The placement of the seal however, is immensely painful and basically everyone passes out when they get it." True, it was a LOT to take in, but Kazue knew that if anyone could do it, her Rei-chan could.

2/5

Again, she listened carefully, absorbing every word that her best friend said. Kazue was in serious mode st the moment, likely reciting a narrative of her own experience during initiation. Rei had never killed before, but she felt indifferent about killing. Emotionally prepared to end someone's life, she had much bigger responsibilities on her shoulders than pitying someone expendable or too stupid or too weak to survive. If the village deemed some one worthy of death, it would become her responsibility to carry out that order if it was given. Friend, foe or family. She had thought this though thoroughly by now: yes, even her own clan would die if it was necessary. So long as she personally carried on their heritage and restarted their clan bloodline by becoming the mother of the Hyuga. "This sounds basic enough, things I half expected at least. Aside from the memory purge." she said nonchalantly, having calmed down and fully collected her thoughts. It was a funny thing. A memory purge meant she wouldn't know what had happened. So even if she did pass the exam on her first attempt- she wouldn't know whether it was truly her first attempt or not.

Well, Kazue was not surprised that Rei had expected as much from her description. It was only Obvious that her friend was very perceptive and figured things out faster than some others in her rank would have. It wouldn't be overly complicated, if Rei took an ANBU induction mission, but it would be difficult and she would have to snuff out her light to complete it successfully. However, Kazue had faith in her friend. "I believe you will do just fine Rei-chan, in both the exams and in your potential ANBU initiation. Just remember, when times get tough, youve always got me to count on!" She would then strike the iconic good guy pose to her friend.

Kazue had faith in her, that was all the confidence Rei required. After all, Kazue was the daughter of the Hokage and an S Rank shinobi herself at such a young age. ANBU profession on top of all of that and it was no wonder that Rei felt no worry when her best friend had great confidence in her. In fact, she had waited after their little talk, knowing Kazue would take up a silly pose. She too would take up a pose just as Kazue did, this pose however- the hero pose. As the moment would pass, Rei would laugh softly and then look at the daylight. "I must be getting back Ka-chan. Father will be displeased if he learns I visited this forest without aid from the family. I'll see you soon! she would say and began running back towards the gate. She needed to get home before her father returned from a business trip.
[Exit]