Shortly after joining squad 4 Hitoshi begins to develop an interest in poison, deciding that he wishes to implement it as a major part of his fighting style. His squad captain Mina points him in the direction of their Hokage so that he may begin his education. Is he ready for the difficult path he's decided to walk?
Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:06 pm
▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ HitoshiHojo █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂
A young man sighs, fist slightly raised to knock on the door before him. For the fifth time now his arm falls limply at his sides and he begins to pace back and forth in front of the door that would lead him to the Hokage's office. For the fifth time, he begins to wonder if this was ever a good idea in the first place.
"Hi, I'm Hitoshi Hojo. A nobody Genin who you have no reason to go out of your way to concern yourself with here to ask you to waste your precious time teaching me something because I'm so dumb that I couldn't create a poison potent enough to kill a rat. Would you, the most powerful and important person in the village, please help me even though I have nothing to offer in return?" These thoughts and many other similar ones continued to plague his thoughts, his indecision only serving as added fuel to the fire that is his own self-destructive mindset. Should he just call it quits and go home? Abandon the idea of using something he clearly had no talent in and find something else to focus on? He groans at the thought, a hand sliding down his face before he shakes his head no at his own question. No, that wouldn't work. He wasn't particularly good at anything in the first place, and because he lacked talent he needed to make use of something to make up the difference between him and his peers. He needed to if he wanted to be a good squadmate.
He needs to dig deep, really deep, to find it, but Hitoshi does eventually manage to find his courage. Stopping again in front of the door, he raises a fist and quickly raps his knuckles against it a few times before he has the opportunity to chicken out once more. "Miss Sadayo? I'm Hitoshi Hojo, a genin in need of some... assistance. May I enter?" Upon receiving permission to do so, Hitoshi would swing the door open. Stepping in and closing it forcefully behind him, he'd take a deep breath. It... it would be fine, right? Mina-sensei wouldn't have sent him here if it would be a waste of time... right?
Hitoshi’s entrance was acknowledged in kind first by someone other than Sadayo. “Hiiiiii-” a childlike whisper sounded off somewhere below that escalated quickly, confidently, “-yah!” The voice yelped before something bashed into the genin’s thigh. A figure, hardly even half of Hitoshi’s size boldly ran up and slammed a warm, soft surprise strike and pretended to shout a little warcry into the fabric of his pants: ”Azami smaaaash!!!
The Hokage who called him in had her back turned for the split seconds a giggling toddler was alerting the room of her antics. On suspicion, Sadayo dropped a stack of files on the table and looked over her shoulder to spy one tall, young guest, the victim. “Hey!” Hitoshi’s timing granted him a glimpse of some stricter side of the Fire Shadow. She spoke sharply and snapped her fingers, "none of that!”. The woman’s tone only diminished the bubbly noise of the child’s giggling to happy humming stuck between pride and changing gears on behavior. ”That’s not how we greet visitors here.” The child covered her mouth, still giggling, as she turned and bowed away from Hitoshi and ran. Bypassing Sadayo en route to hide behind the massive office desk. The woman looked like she had more to say on the matter of a rambunctious youngster pressing her boundaries. But she sighs, pressing her fingers to her forehead. “I’m sorry. Sorry, you need assistance with something?" It was a hurried, scrambled invitation to continue speaking as Sadayo opted to spend the time collecting herself. Meanwhile, a head of black hair and bright brown eyes belonging to the little girl were peeking out, over the top of the desk at Hitoshi from behind. Tiny hands clutching the desk.
BlackJack1995
Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:07 pm
▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ HitoshiHojo █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂
Hitoshi would certainly be lying if he said that he expected his first visit to the office of possibly the most important person in the village to begin with a child enacting a sneak attack on him just as he enters. His expectations clearly meant nothing, for here he was and there that child was standing right before him, her tiny hand pressed against his thigh. "Um... ow? Good job, I guess?" It didn't actually hurt, of course, but in his surprise he could think of nothing but to fall back on his mother's old tricks she used with him. Just going along with a child's antics and pretending that their craziness somehow made sense worked wonders, apparently. He wouldn't know, since he didn't think he was very good with kids. He didn't think he was particularly bad with them either though?
The third occupant of the room that could only be the Hokage herself shouted sternly at the child, surprising Hitoshi and making him realize he'd absently reached out to pat said child atop the head. The Hokage's stern tone, even if not directed towards him, had him instinctively standing at attention as if he himself was the child being scolded by his mother rather than the little girl, Azami. Hitoshi couldn't help the fond grin on his face as Azami darted behind the desk, giggling. She was a cute kid.
Sadayo went on to address him, and all of a sudden Hitoshi could feel his mouth dry up and for a moment was unable to remember what exactly it was he was doing there. "I, um, yes. I need... sh- crap." He stammered, though was careful to censor his language upon remembering the presence of a child when he was her peeking over the desk at him. Sighing, Hitoshi took a deep breath to center himself before trying again. "Sorry. I... need some help, and I was told that you were the best person to go to. I've developed an... interest, in toxicology. Poison would be really beneficial to my particular fighting style, I believe, but the problem is I... well I have zero talent in it! It's been impossible for me to get anywhere by myself so far." Hitoshi's face was red from embarrassment at having to admit his shortcomings, but he didn't allow that to stop him from voicing his request. "I know it's a lot to ask of someone in your position, but would you be willing to help me learn about poison, Sadayo?" The name felt and sounded awkward as it left his lips, uncomfortable. He didn't know what else to call her though. Lordship? Highness? How was one supposed to refer to their Hokage again, and why the hell hadn't Hitoshi thought of this earlier?
Developed an interest in toxicology? How’d it get out she dabbled in toxins? Sadayo’s initial reply was almost a hardened declaration that she does not take students. It wasn’t like her guest was admitting to be an amateur puppeteer wanting pointers. But she held her tongue for low-lying reasons haunting her and someone small and impressionable was watching. “How long have you been trying?” Devoting herself too long to a student was a lot to ask on her schedule. She thought of everything: preparations for the dark time ahead, the mundane forms, spreadsheets, report summaries, the humdrum of spinning around in her chair to find the fun in reading line after line of the new monotony to keep this new Leaf afloat; the bouncy pattering of one five year old who craved attention, and then other affairs that could use Sadayo’s attention. "Can you tell me about anything you've learned on your own that seemed worthwhile?" Unless it goes in one ear and out the other? Maybe his journey sprung in the wrong place?
Meanwhile, there was activity behind the desk. The office chair rolling backwards, sideways, and then it finally spun slowly as the little girl came walking out from behind the desk lugging the belted strap of a loaded, roundish canvas bag. She approached Sadayo's side, dropped the strap, and knelt beside the bag itself. The child was half Sadayo's height (even shorter on her knees), fair skinned, with a round face topped with black hair, primly bunched up into two ponytails. She was dressed for playing outside in little denim blue overalls and pink shoes but was stuck inside. The snapping sound of little metal buttons below tore Sadayo's attention off Hitoshi in way that suggested that wasn't a bag of treats and toys someone was about to rummage through.
BlackJack1995
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:34 pm
▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ HitoshiHojo █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂
Honestly, Hitoshi wasn't sure if he'd been trying for very long at all. It felt like a long time with plenty of failure to him though, and the final option he had available was not something he felt comfortable approaching by himself. "I've been at it for about two weeks now. So far I haven't been able to get far on my own, partially I think because I'm rather lacking in materials. I know about the existence of the Harmonic Death Arts as well, a taijutsu style that focuses on using poison, but I worry if I attempt to put my body through what is required to learn that I'll only kill myself without a master. Aside from that, I've heard talk of summoning contracts and was hoping there was one that could help me as well. Oh! I'm rambling. I-"
He'd been about to apologize for wasting her time and excuse himself, suddenly embarrassed to be asking the Hokage to help one lowly genin, that embarrassment only compounded by the fact he'd managed to go off on a tangent and been about to spill the entirety of what he had learned in his research these last two weeks when the little girl from before strode around the desk dragging a very large canvas bag across the floor behind her. The comedic sight he felt justified his momentary loss of concentration. Such comedy was lost when both adults in the room heard the buttons on the bag snap, and suddenly Sadayo's attention was focused on the small girl as well, a look as if the child was about to receive another lecture for her misconduct worn plainly on her face. Hitoshi himself wasn't sure what to do besides to silently pray that there wasn't anything expensive or fragile in that bag. Another glance at the Hokage's face assured him that at least one of those most certainly was the case.
“This?” She said, briefly looking into the bag below before extending the object of interest. In her little hand, a small locked container reminiscent of an index card box was turned to face Hitoshi with the words printed in black marker: Caution - Liquid YUCK. “Is this what you want? Ehm. Want? Err…want to know? Mommy’s bag is full of mister yuckies!” The words poison and toxicology were summarized under one, unusual blanket term that signaled caution to one wide-eyed child who couldn't hide her curiosity. Did other people make potions? “Right. And mister yuckies aren’t toys. Let me have that, please?”” She urged calmy, cautiously, and extended her hand prompting Azami to pass the container upward. “Close the bag too, okay? There are sharp things in there.” Below, Azami was snapping the bag’s buttons to a close before cradling the bag itself in her arms as she watched Sadayo at work. “If you aren’t reading the basics you simply cannot expect two weeks to be enough time to grasp the material. Furthermore, tackling Harmonic Death Arts-” Sadayo hadn’t studied that fully either. She wouldn’t jump to admit it either. Her own only solid attempt on the matter ended before it could start for one reason or another. In thought, she averted her stare into space as a familiar name came to mind, “I know someone who could oversee that,” she continued, treading upon a fine line of calm where the anxiety of teaching crept at all sides. There was a voice from some recent memory echoing. The voice haunting her had once disclosed the reality of her lack of connections to the younger crowd. Tying herself into the affairs of an individual was an invitation she worried could end disastrous. But the lack of networking needed correction.” He’s capable of making sure you don’t happen to choke to death. And I'd have to take you to him.” Kill two birds with one stone? “Then we’ll fuss about finding summon contracts.” Oh goodness. This wording. She was betraying her own solidarity but defying this opportunity and her compassion was another. Sadayo hadn’t agreed to anything yet but apparently presented a generous, hopeful hypothetical. Her attention was forward but her sights briefly set downward, in the direction of the child shoving Sadayo’s supply bag onto the table. “We can do this,” she lingers on a pause and weighs the delivery of a warning. “But I reserve the right to reply if you bite the hand that feeds you.” It might have been unconventional to sprinkly soften threats against potential students but teaching someone how to concoct hazardous contaminants wasn’t something Sadayo took lightly. Teaching anyone who couldn’t guarantee they might someday consider ditching the village was serious business.
BlackJack1995
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2021 5:44 am
▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ HitoshiHojo █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂
Hitoshi was glad when the little girl handed Sadayo back her box of, uh, "mister yuckies" without much fuss. He didn't know if he could handle a crying child, and being in the same room as a mother scolding said child would never not be awkward. What was written on the box did draw his attention, however. "Liquid yuck" was certainly a very amusing way to describe the toxic substances no doubt contained within. If it kept the kid from sticking her nose into it then he couldn't fault Sadayo for putting such a childish label on it though. Not like it was inaccurate anyways.
Eventually, after ensuring the safety her daughter, Sadayo turned her attention back to him and all of a sudden Hitoshi was nervous again. However, the more she spoke the more it started to sound like her response to his cry for help would be a positive one! "Yes, I would very much rather not die if at all possible please." He couldn't wait to meet this man she spoke of. As always, Hitoshi was looking forward to learning new things. Anything that could make him more useful was a good thing in his eyes. Then, Sadayo implied that he might one day turn on the village. "I understand it's your job to be cautious of outsiders ma'am, but I've already seen one home be reduced to a pile of rubble. I'm not exactly keen on that happening again." He said, feeling somewhat offended at the insinuation despite his calm response. Hitoshi had made new friends and family since being taken into the village, and even though a small part of him resented the fact that his old village had never received any aid until it was too late that didn't mean he'd blame Sadayo and the entirety of Konoha. "Right now I just want to help protect others so they don't go through what my mother and I had to, so I can promise you that I will not be biting any hands anytime soon."
“That’s noble,” Sadayo replied thoughtfully to his goal. “But unfortunate that you had to go through something so difficult. Wherever you came from isn't any issue. Generally.” She had secured the box of poisons in her palm and with her other hand, reached down to pat Azami on her head, “the caution isn’t teaching outsiders. You’re looking for a means to hinder your opponents with concoctions contrived from ingredients you might find on an outing to the meadow or the forest. Did you know the whole hydrangea plant is toxic?” She flicked her wrist- tossed the box- and caught it under her palm again.“And yet, we brew ama-cha to celebrate the Buddha’s birth from leaves of a plant from the same family.” The matter of identifying specific breeds in the wide world of plant families could be a deceptive game to the untrained eye, one that someone familiar with the how-to’s had the upper hand in when impromptu poisons could be needed. “When you get further in your studies you might understand why I have a sense of caution.” A muscle tugged the corners of her mouth. Restraining the makings of a devious grin. “We can eat dandelions!” The child’s little voice chimed cheerily from below as she rose but a few centimeters on the balls of her feet. Sadayo’s tune shifted seamlessly and her devious grin simmered quickly into something warmer whereupon she gave a gentle pat to the girl’s head. Humored by childish, innocuous input. “Yes, dandelions are edible. Grab your backpack. We’re taking our new friend on an adventure.” It was from here that Sadayo motioned, without a shadow of a doubt, for Hitoshi to follow her. with full eye contact. waited for Azami to scurry about the desk and collect her belongings. A backpack sporting a happy orange fox. ”I don’t keep a lot of supplies for poisons in the administration building.” tab If a walk was supposed to be an adventure the very definition might have been put to shame: it unfolded with may as well have been mundane sights of village life until Hitoshi was led to the commonly occupied residential district and even further until the compact, comfortable arrangement of homes gave way for a stretch of rustic spaces. Numerous properties were often fenced in with some decorative presentation of stone and metal walls; many dotted plentifully with fluffy greenery and trees. Upheld tidy garden plots bursting with vegetables and fruiting trees weren’t uncommon in this outer segment of the village. Age had not yet shaped the neighborhoods. The sight might be one to find picturesque against green mountains in the distance. A building was selected and marked a brief ending to their travels: a two-story building with a tall, sloping tiled roof with dark green walls on the front exterior and dark brown panels seemingly on all other sides. A stone fence encloses the front yard.Entering from the street, anyone taller than Azami could see an additional building behind and something small enough one might figure to be a shed? "Hey, if you want to use yuckies on bad people does that mean you don't fight with your fists and feet too?" An honest question posed to Hitoshi but a blunt hint about how the child was probably confused about how martial arts and poisons went together. For whatever unclear reason, the question took Sadayo by surprise and she responded as if words alone were weighted with a punch to her gut. Her hand flinched before she could properly clutch the doorknob to the front entrance and her reply was weary but lighthearted. “I…. I think you can have both punches and poisons no problem.” Although the child’s reply was doubtful. Skeptical. ”Really? The little girl arched her attention back up at Hitoshi and squinted her eyes giving him a look stuck somewhere in between doubt and thinking her naive thinking and Hitoshi were on the same page: very doubtful of Sadayo. tab Outside of question and doubt, this doorway was proving itself quickly to be the entrance of Sadayo’s house. Nobody vocalized this fact. There may have been enough photographs giving a couple glimpses into the child’s life beside a few Sadayo-look-alikes to offer an idea that a family probably lived here. If anything stuck out it might be the distance between this door and the foot of Takijinsei: adding up to be a long walk everyday. As Azami was trading her little pink shoes for... nothing… Sadayo remained at the entrance to voice instructions, “put your backpack down and take our guest outside to the workshop. If Gogo is there, say that Mommy needs the big chemistry set.” It was as if Sadayo’s direction was a cue shoving Azami to eagerly snatch the hold of Hitoshi’s hand- as soon as she saw one free- to pull him along into the next room and diligently outside into the adjacent, nearby building. It was very much something sturdy and outfitted like an additional, detached room of the house but stocked with cabinets with white labels, a loaded pegboard of tools, and long workbenches also loaded miscellaneous goodies of a builder’s trade. At the center of it all was a broad-shouldered man with short, neat, dark hair with a complexion like Sadayo’s. An old, creasing crooked scar crossing his left brow was evident. He was busy over a workbench under a bright lamp. He was slow to react to the pattering pace entering the room and little voice calling out to him. The man held and put down his work: a wooden block hewn halfway into something resembling a face and a little, curved knife. Until bringing his attention to Hitoshi first- his aged stare dark eyes were bleak and impassive like the young Fire Shadow’s- before he dropped his attention to Hitoshi’s pint-sized guide. Dark eyes observing them. His voice sounding off a low, deep noise was a little gritty with age but however warm with a greeting. “I take it you are bringing me a customer today?” The man began with a question that all around stumped Azami from her current train of thought. Her grip would just be letting go of Himitsu, “what?” As if the very word carried the most perplexing meaning to her in context to hauling a guest around. “Who is your friend?” “I… forgot!” The child shrugged and giggled. “I forgot… his name.” Her response coaxed a gentle smile to curl on the man’s face, “then you should do the polite thing and introduce yourself first. That way he will tell you his name.”
“Uhmm. Okay!” Introductions became a game, apparently. She hopped forward until she was in between both men and she faced the older man until he’d introduce himself. You first, Gogo.” And without a hitch, the older man stood and introduced himself with manners notably on point as far as social expectations were going: “My name is Soga Goro,” Prompting Azami to jump and turn all in one step, planting her palms on her hips, just to excitedly somewhat copy the her elder’s introduction but with more enthusiasm and pride. “I’m Umechika Azami!” Then another turn and she spread her arms wide! ”Okay! No more! Gogo! We need the big chemistry set!”
“The chemistry set? What for?” The man’s expression changed. Goro looked at Azami, furrowed his brow, and finally frowned as he looked up at Hitoshi again. Behind the man was his work: a paper taped for a toolbox with a caricature drawing, more knifes, torn and crumpled slips of sandpaper; and beyond that, beyond the stock of tools and cabinets was a stock of completed life sized figures that weren’t as simple as the piece on the table. The room was filled with memorabilia and functioning tokens of this man’s trade -of Sadayo’s trade- of building puppets. The man might have had another idea for why Hitoshi was there.
In short, Sadayo arrived from another entry just barely facing them. She caught the older man’s stare while carrying boxes familiar enough to Goro that he quit asking questions all together. He pursed his lips together, nodded slowly, all the while turning to collect a keyring kept far from Azami’s reach on the workbench. Goro jingled before closing the ring in his palm and stepped away from his seat at the workbench. He might have been arm’s reach from Hitoshi when he gave the boy another look. Cocking his brow sporting a look of intrigue, “Are you making medicines?” Although he carried on and didn’t wait on Hitoshi’s response. He stepped away with his question to cross the room, unlocked, and opened one of the metal cabinets. Finally giving instruction to Hitoshi with the array of glass flasks, vials, and miscellaneous useful bits of laboratory equipment. “Here, please lend me a hand with this," He collected some of the larger equipment. "We're going to put them over there.”There, specifically being a second workbench where Sadayo was already depositing books and laying various transparent containers filled with various… things.
BlackJack1995
edit, color fix
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2022 8:11 pm
▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ Hitoshi Hoshigaki █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂
Noble, she said. Maybe it was, but Hitoshi didn't see what was so noble about just wanting to protect his home. It was sensible, is what it was. He lived here after all, and despite not yet having formed any meaningful connections with the people of the village yet, his adoptive mother was all the reason he needed to get stronger. Still... he appreciated her words, all the same. He'd never been called noble before... monster was more common, ever since his scales grew in. "I didn't know that. I was never the religious type... but I see what you mean. It could be easy to kill someone by accident... or on purpose." The thought clearly made him uncomfortable, his face twisting into a grimace at the realization. He never intended for people to be his prey, only monsters and yokai, but he supposed there would be those who wouldn't exactly give him that choice. The Hokage herself being one of them, since he supposed he'd be expected to follow any orders she gave to him. "We can eat dandelions!" A little voice exclaimed excitedly. Hitoshi just blinked at the tiny girl, staring at the child in confusion for a few moments as he allowed her words to process fully in his head, "I... okay, you got me kid. I didn't know that either," he said, laughing. Hitoshi hadn't expected the Hokage to be so... motherly? That was the only word to describe what came to his mind as he watched her gently pat the girl on the head. Somehow it made her feel more approachable. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. tab Approachable or not, that still didn't make Hitoshi feel any less uncomfortable with the idea of engaging with the Hokage in idle conversation once they left her offic. And since she didn't intend to start one until they reached their destination, he decided to try talking to who he was starting to think must be her daughter. "Uh huh. I can breathe underwater for a reeeeeeeally long time too, you know. I could probably live down there if I wanted to." She seemed skeptical, but it really was true! At some point, the conversation turned to the subject at hand, and she questioned if he could fight physically since he was using poison. "Well, I actually prefer my spear over fists and feet, but I can fight with all of those. The yuckies just make it easier. Kind of like how it's easier to cut someone with a sword than a fingernail." Even with the explanations provided by both himself and the Hokage, she still seemed to not fully believe them. Hitoshi just shrugged. She was only a kid, after all. There was no reason to freak out at her for not believing him. tab Okay, it was officially time to freak out. He asked the Hokage for help training in poisons. How did he end up at her house of all places? Tearing his gaze away from the picture of her and an even smaller version of the little girl who was holding onto his hand as she led him away, he tried to tell himself that he needed to calm down. He was careful, however, not to touch anything as the girl tugged him to a man. If this was Sadayo's house, then did that make him her husband? Hitoshi had so many questions, and yet no intention to ask any of them out of embarrassment. Why was he here again? Oh, right, poison. And they were introducing themselves and he was rudely not paying attention, great. He was glad, at least, that the girl had admitted to forgetting his name since he also couldn't remember hers. Azami. He'd try to remember that. And the man was Gogo. "Hitoshi Hoshigaki. Nice to meet you all, and especially you Azami." He smiled at the girl, as she was far less intimidating than the large man.
"Are you making medicines?""Uh, of a sort?" Hitoshi responded, though he was speaking to the man's back now. He stood there for a few moments before realizing that he was expected to follow. The young man helped move the various pieces of lab equipment without argument, though he removed his naginata from his back and set it aside, leaning against the wall first. He didn't want it knocking anything over. These people were taking time out of their day to help him, so he wouldn't waste any more of their time by complaining or asking pointless questions. They would tell him what they were about to do in time. Maybe.
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