Discussion over Dumplings

Tarnish sat at the table in the middle of the room, sipping slowly from a cup of tea as he waited patiently for his order. Many of the patrons were glancing towards or angling themselves in their chairs to get a better look at him. He was wearing his full Hokage robe, he large red hat with the village's symbol on it placed next to him on the table. He drew those looks because he was easily one of, if not the youngest person to ever hold the title in the village. There was no doubt of his capability, but it was strange to see someone so young considered the village's head. In all actuality, he knew that he probably wasn't the strongest in the village, but at the time he was the closest to the Hokage before he up and disappeared. He was given the title originally as a formality, but it ended up sticking. He sighed before taking another sip of his tea. A waitress came up to him, setting down a plate with dumplings, bound together in groups of three by a stick. He reached for one, blowing on it to cool it when he heard a familiar screech. Glancing up, he watched as a falcon swooped through the opening doorway heading straight for him. It billowed out it's wings to slow its descent as it landed on the table across from his food. Several people in the store made exclamations of surprise, but Tarnish just smiled, offering one of the dumplings to the bird.

"You're late," he said, as the bird leaned forward and snatched one of the dumplings from the stick. It rested it on the table, holding it down with one talon as it tore a chunk from the dumpling and wrangled it down his throat. It was none other then Talon the Falcon, Tarnish's pet and oldest friend, back from patrolling the skies. He served as Tarnish's eyes and ears, able to observe the whole village in a matter of minutes. Thanks to a natural affinity with animals, Tarnish could understand Talon and any other animal he came across, a unique ability that was invaluable in many situations. Resting his teeth on one of the dumplings, he slid it from the stick and began to chew on it, savoring the flavor. "Delicious. So Talon, did you see him? Is that what took you so long to get here?" He asked, giving the bird a quizzical look. Turning his head to the side so he could look him in the eye, Talon squawked once before tearing into the dumpling again. Tarnish nodded, leaning back in his chair. He was expecting someone very soon, one of the Sannin to join him. He had some very important things that he needed to discuss with him about the future of the village, and he waited impatiently for his arrival

(OOC: a little out of practice, but im gonna get back into the swing of things)

(OOC: Entirely fair, I'll see what I can whip up.)

Six was an intricate number. It was surreal in it's perfection. The smallest composite digit, with divisors one, two and three, those very same divisors adding back up to it's total. It was a being of symmetricality as well, six points to a star making it holy, just as five created the unholy pentagram. Insects had six legs, more specifically bees, whose nectar was created within a six sided honeycomb. It represented the six levels of taste; sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. There were six strings on a guitar, six semi-tones to a tri-tone harmonic and an average of six holes if each woodwind in the world were to be counted. Lastly, there were now six Hokage's. Masahiro currently sat on the head of the latest.

Figuratively speaking of course. The Sage of the Snowy Peaks was within a state of deep meditation, not uncommon for him to be in, among his waking hours. Perched high above the Kage summit, the wealthy knowledge of the universe flowed through him. Breathing in deeply, his thoughts on the number six and the new Hokage reached their pinnacle, a better number of which could not have occured, well... perhaps eight. Masahiro frowned at this thought, his mind striding in new directions.

There are eight levels of consciousness, eight inner gates of the body to be opened, eight trigrams in Jyuuken style. A disphenoid crystal is bounded by eight triangular ones, arranged in pairs. Eight cervical nerves withi-

Chirp.

...Odd. Where was he? Spiders and most cephalopods had eigh-

Chirp!

Masahiro opened his eyes to find a rather large avian creature on his shoulder. His initial thoughts: That's an awful large bird to be chirping. As the haze of his meditation faded however, and he awoke fully into the world, he recognized the Falcon to be none other than Talon, the Hokage's personal courier, confidant, and beloved friend. That being said, it indeed was an odd sound for the fearsome beast to be making, perhaps it's manners were better then the average raptor, and as such, Masahiro chalked the sound up to it not wanting to disturb him too greatly.

TSEEEEEER!

Quickly tilting his head away, Masahiro winced as the piercing sound struck his right ear. That was more like the Talon he knew. Slowly, the sannin raised his left arm, and as if on cue, the falcon hopped the gap, turning to face the sage as it clung to his forearm bracer. Masahiro loved animals, and seemed to have a deep sentient connection to them, presumably through his mediation. After all, he hadn't even noticed when Talon chose to take roost upon his frame.

"And, what may I do for you, proud sky hunter?"

Predatory birds tended to be vain in a subtle way. They took great care in their appearance, preening carefully daily to let it match their hunting ferocity. It was wise to pay them the respect they knew all too well that they deserved. A series of beak clicks cawing and shrieking followed, thereafter a fluttering of wings and a short puffing of the rest, all the while the bird stared at Masahiro from one eye or the other, it's head on a quick swivel.

"Understood. Fly swiftly, I won't be short behind."

With that, Masahiro raised his arm and the bird took flight, disappearing into the sun. Staring after it for a moment, the sage couldn't help but wonder what the Hokage needed, for it was rare that he was ever summoned, even the past Hokage's having left him to his musings. "Interesting..." With a sigh, he then grasped Kagaikinrei, a staff of untold legends from where it lay upon his thighs, and then, uncrossing his legs, used it as a prop, pulling himself up to his full height. With a hand over his eyes to block the sun, and his trusty staff held firmly beside him, Masahiro's figure smiled, then flickered from view.

It was a lazily spent ten minutes later before Masahiro strolled into the Dango shop. His staff proceeded every second step, tapping it's way along the ground as his guide. Without much more then a subtle wave to the shop keep, he passed the hostess booth, and turned down the short aisle towards the Hokage's table. As he arrived before the seated Kage, his staff came to a stand still, Masahiro's hands resting on top of it, with his chin above that.

"You wished to see me, Lord Hokage?"

Tarnish looked up as Masahiro stepped into the Dango shop. "You wished to see me, Lord Hokage?" he said, navigating through the tables towards him. "Right you are. Please, have a seat," he said, gesturing towards the seat across from him. "Have you eaten? Feel free to have some of my dumplings, they often give me far more than I feel I can eat," he said with a smile. With a wave of his hand, a waitress appeared at his side. "A cup of tea for Lord Masahiro, if you please." Bowing once, the girl scurried off to comply. "I love this place. Wonderful service, wonderful food," he said, smiling. His face quickly grew somber as he shifted his full attention to Masahiro, his tone becoming much more serious. "I'm sure that you realize I didn't invite you here just to join me for lunch. I have much that needs discussing, and you're one of the few people I feel comfortable enough to have this conversation with." He leaned forward, resting his left elbow on the table, as his piercing gaze met Masahiro's. "It's in relation to the future of the village."

Talon could easily feel the gravity of the situation, his gaze swiveling back and forth between Masahiro and Tarnish. He suddenly hopped forward, keeping his eyes fixed on Tarnish, as he slowly leaned towards the dumpling still on the stick in his hand. Resting his open beak on the dumpling, he quickly slid it off the stick, hopping away to the edge of the table as if he feared retaliation, he proceeded to gobble up the dumpling. So lost in thought was Tarnish, he didn't notice. "As you're aware, as the sixth Hokage I'm easily one of the youngest to ever hold this position. That being the case, I have received much advice and council from the village elders, but I feel as though they don't truly trust me." He paused for a moment, looking troubled. "I am young, and being the Hokage is an enormous responsibility. I won't pretend that it can't be an overwhelming task from time to time, but I refuse to simply become a figurehead for the elders to use as they see fit. I am going to stand on my own two feet, and lead the village like a Hokage should," he said, raising the stick to his mouth to take a bite of the dumpling. He examined the empty stick for a moment, before glancing over at Talon. Talon didn't meet his gaze, as he was busy preening a wing.

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed a fresh trio of dumplings. He rested them on a napkin and slid it closer to Talon, who fell upon them with gusto. Turning back towards Masahiro, he continued. "At any rate, I've called you here because I may need someone to lean on. I know that my age may hinder me from time to time, for there are many things that I do not know, so I want to have someone who will give me an honest look at a situation, someone who can council me without their own personal benefits in mind, someone who I can consider my right hand. I thought long and hard about it, and I figured who better to ask then the Sage of the Snowy Peaks and one of the Legendary Sannin, Masahiro Yukina?" He emphasized his words by taking a bite of a dumpling. "You are one of the most powerful and well respected ninja in this village. The previous Hokage spoke very highly of you, and I valued Ryusake's opinions highly. Please tell me what you think of my proposal."

Masahiro nodded, his hands clasping together as the staff folded in on itself, disappearing from view to become nothing more then a small tattoo on his right palm. With a sweeping motion he was then seated, his robes swirling and their many chains and gold ornaments falling into place until he was comfortable. Having eaten already, he raised a hand in a polite declination but gladly accepted the tea when it did arrive, his eyes and ears focused on the Hokage's joyful then stern face and the words he uttered respectively.

"It's in relation to the future of the village."

Taking a sip from his steaming cup, Masahiro's eyes closed briefly, the warm brew allowing his shoulders to relax and a wave of calm to pass over him. This was indeed to be a conversation of utmost importance, at least in the Hokage's eyes. As the new leader of the village, he presumably had much to worry about. The sage across from his felt little anxiety however, time would crawl on, regardless of what mistakes were to be made. The thought was oddly comforting.

"You mean to tell me that you are worried about it's future?"

The question was soft, and albeit rhetorical, so naturally the Hokage carried on with his explanation. While Masahiro listened intently, he couldn't help but let his eyes examine the man before him. He had had little to do with the Hokage since the receptive ceremony, that which had given him the title of Fire Shadow. Then he saw a young man brimming with confidence, who's eyes had been teeming with visions of a bright and wealthy future for both he and the village. Now, well now it appeared as if the true duties of a Hokage were catching up with him. He was stressed, although the visual hints were few, they were certainly not invisible, especially to someone as perceptive to Masahiro. His voice was strained as well, almost as if every word was something that might possibly turn and leap back down his own throat to strangle him from within. Masahiro didn't envy his position, nor the power that came with it. It required a man of great strength to simply shake off all the temptations and misleadings that came with a position of leadership. And as Tarnish spoke, it seemed that these very things were beginning to become his foremost issue. For a moment, Masahiro's attention was diverted, watching the falcon steal a dumpling from it's companion. Shark fin was a rare treat for such a bird. They had a pretty difficult time coming across it themselves when on the hunt.

Tarnish concluded his conversation just as Masahiro polished off the rest of his tea. Handing the empty cup to a passing waitress, he then placed his palms flat on the table between he and the Hokage, one atop the other. Leaning forward as he did so, he inhaled deeply, arranged his thoughts, then spoke.

"I think, that I have no more right than any other man to help decide upon the flow of countless other lives. Labeling me as your adviser, gives me more power then you yourself, and is the equivalent to placing a great weapon of destruction of mayhem within my hands. To that note, I am disappointed. However, I am fully aware of the amount of trust required in someone to propose such a partnership. For that I am ever humble that you chose me. I unfortunately, have to decline though."

Masahiro paused at this note, his next cup of tea having landed beside him. Reaching over, he kept his eyes low, as if in thought. He planned on continuing his statement, he just needed another sip to wet his tongue first.

"I cannot be at your side at all times, nor do I deserve the privilege of knowing every intricate detail of a Kage's dealings, my path of righteousness would surely disagree with many decisions needed to be made for the greater good. As such, I am no councilmen. However, as I've pledged allegiance to the Hidden Leaf Village as it's guardian and protector, my shield only naturally includes you as well. It's here that we meet an impasse, though I have a solution, be it only one."

With this Masahiro reached his free hand into one of his robes many pockets, retrieving a slip of paper while he took yet another lengthy draw from his tea. Placing it on the table, he slid it to the center of the wooden plateau, letting it rest next to the dumpling plate. It was folded in half, and sealed with wax to prevent it's secrets from spreading to quickly, but within, it contained the knowledge of Masahiro's Hogoshashoumon technique.

"Should you be seeking my opinion, you may have it, but I cannot stand by your side to make it at every discourse you may have. If I were to do so, I'd be no better then the elders you speak of. Instead, I can come to you in time of need, as a friend, carrying nothing more then a few words of wisdom from a homely hermit. I'm sorry if this decision offends you Hokage, however, I believe it's my very will and dedication to the path of righteousness that Ryusaki appreciated, and unfortunately, it's that very same thing that prevents me from aiding you now."

[[The note contains the seal design for this technique:

Spoiler:

As well as a description of how to properly place the seal, and what it does, should you decide to open it.]]

"I think, that I have no more right than any other man to help decide upon the flow of countless other lives. Labeling me as your adviser, gives me more power then you yourself, and is the equivalent to placing a great weapon of destruction of mayhem within my hands. To that note, I am disappointed. However, I am fully aware of the amount of trust required in someone to propose such a partnership. For that I am ever humble that you chose me. I unfortunately, have to decline though."Tarnish nodded, resting his elbows on the table. He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them as Masahiro continued to talk. "Should you be seeking my opinion, you may have it, but I cannot stand by your side to make it at every discourse you may have. If I were to do so, I'd be no better then the elders you speak of. Instead, I can come to you in time of need, as a friend, carrying nothing more then a few words of wisdom from a homely hermit. I'm sorry if this decision offends you Hokage, however, I believe it's my very will and dedication to the path of righteousness that Ryusaki appreciated, and unfortunately, it's that very same thing that prevents me from aiding you now."

Tarnish smiled slightly, nodding again. He reached out a hand to grasp the slip of paper, slipping it into the sleeves of his long robe. He clasped his hands back and heaved a sigh. "I expected as much. I'm sorry for being so presumptuous. Ryusaki spoke so highly of you, and now I truly see why. I will make sure to keep you in mind if I need council." He leaned back in his seat, a wry smile creeping on his face. "Honestly, one of the other reason's I'd rather have had you come along with me is because I won't be able to the leave the village without some form of escort. I'm not much of a fan of big processions, so I figured one of the Sannin might suffice. Quality, not quantity. See, even though I'm the Hokage, I still plan on going out on a mission or two every now and again, just to stay loose," His smile widened, as he finished the rest of his tea in a single gulp. Exhaling, he gave a short whistle to Talon, who hopped across the table onto his shoulder.

"I appreciate you meeting me here, and I'm glad that I contacted you. Believe it or not this meeting has put me in a much better mood, just to know that I have some help, even if it's just a little." He smiled at Masahiro, extending his hand across the table towards him. "I look forward to your council in the future." Talon squawked, pecking at Tarnish's ear. Jerking his head to the side, he gave his companion a quizzical look. He squawked again in impatience, flapping his wings several times. "Yes yes, fine. Calm down," he said in an exasperated tone. He reached down and grabbed the last two sticks of dumplings in his left hand, holding them up so Talon could pick at them. "He's a handful sometimes," Tarnish said with a laugh. Talon didn't dignify him with a response, so engorged in his task was he. Rising from his seat, Tarnish reached over with his right hand and grabbed his hat, placing it on his head. "Unfortunately I was supposed to be eating lunch in my office. Lots of paperwork, which means I have some catching up to do. Feel free to swing by the office sometime, it gets pretty boring after awhile," he said with a grin. Talon spread his wings to balance himself as Tarnish made his way towards the exit.