Picking a Flower Before it’s Bloom

Date Started: 5/17/24 
----Date Finished: 
----Previous Role-Play: 
----Next Role-Play: 
----Timeline: May 1050 SE
----Setting: Konohagakure, Great Shinobi Countries
----Characters Involved:
*Konohagakure: Hayato Uchiha, Himiko Uchiha
*Seika: Y, Fukurou, Inada Uzumaki
*Mentioned: Takehaya Uzumaki
----Users:Starving Skeleton, Lilpj200, Gold		
== Flowers in the Garden==
He remembered how it felt. The tree’s warmth as his back pressed against it. His bloodied ebony body covered in deep wounds. Gashes. Burns. His messy hair stuck to his crimson forehead 
And yet his heart continued its rhythm.. 
He wanted to close his eyes. To take a breath. But he feared that resting them for even a second would lead to an eternal slumber. 
Didn’t he deserve an honorable death? 
Hadn’t he served his country and it’s children well? A shinobi whose name echoed throughout the Five Countries among the orchestra of this generation’s budding legends. 
Yasuke denied it. His golden eyes, although lowered, still shined with the moon’s heavenly radiance. 
The adrenaline rushed through his body when it happened. His mind focused only on survival. He fought. He killed. Paying for his life with that of others. A raging river flashed before his eyes.
Now he sat in its calm water where he was sure no one followed. Allowing it to set in. He swam through his memories of tonight and tried making sense of it all.
But couldn’t. 
The blood of his comrades dripped from his sword’s edge. His grip still held tightly around Futsuno Mitama’s handle. The same grip responsible for saving lives had now claimed those very souls. 
Was it retribution? Inevitable payment?
Y couldn’t make sense of it. But he didn’t have time to try. He dragged himself to his feet…there’s only one place he could go right now. 
“Kidnapping?” Yasuke said to himself. “Why do I always get stuck with the shitty job?”
He was a calm swordsman. His lowered eyes hidden by a bamboo hat which cast a shadow over his visage. He walked with leisure. His hands in the depths of his kimono’s 
“Hmm.” A voice behind him hummed as a man of similar structures appeared with a hood obscuring his face from others. This is Fukurou, one of the least vocal members of Seika, and he is parched on his shoulder with his partner Yoru, a small gray screech owl. 
“At least you have company this time.” He spoke quietly, as if he were whispering.
“Huh?”Yasukesaid, shocked! That’s right. Fukurou was assigned to him as a partner for this mission. Yasuke dazed out and totally ignored the man walking besides him. Not that Yasuke cared for either Kongō or the sand ninja. He’d get the job done either way. Still, he wondered what Tomoe was up to. 
“I bet he got the better mission.” Yasuke thought to himself. 
Associates would be putting it loosely. A bunch of criminals with nowhere else to go? perhaps. Yasuke didn’t bother to get to know them. Even though, he and Kongō competed with who saved the others lives more times. Kongō was up a few notches. 
The two men walked an evening path. The setting sun enveloping their surroundings in darkness. Awakening the nocturnal animals from their slumber. 
“Why did you choose to come with me?” Yasuke asked. “Konohagkure is the founding village of the Shinobi world. And we’re taking an Uchiha. Brat or not, an Uchiha is an Uchiha. What goal could be worth this trouble?”
“I’m here to strictly be backup; no ulterior motives. Well, not any I can think of.” Fukurou spoke as he looked toward Y. 
“Now that I think about it, a Hyūga would be something that I would want. Yoru does need a new eye.” He began as he petted Yoru on her head, “But I would not go after one as I do not want to risk the mission. An Uchiha is all we need; that is all we get."
“How noble.” Yasuke teased. “But I won’t stop you if you decide to grab a Hyuga brat. I’m sure there’s a nursery somewhere on the other side of the village.”
A light quip that juxtaposed Fukurou’s serious demeanor. It’s not that Yasuke didn’t take this mission seriously. No, he knew very well from his time as a Hatamoto, the danger of going against an Uchiha. Let alone infiltrating Konohagakure as a whole. But if not anything else, Yasuke’s calm demeanor matched his tranquil steps. Futsuno Mitama rested on his hip. He didn’t need any fancy eye as long as he had his katana.
“If I had to choose,” Yasuke continued. “I’d want an Akimichi. Strong women and great cooks, would do wonders for my training.”
Those words were hollow, of course, for he thought of her. Their last conversation not too long ago. 
“I guess it’d be worth asking. Do you have any intel on Konohagkaure?” Yasuke asked. “The Land of Iron and Konoha battles are often bloody. They’re fought away from both homelands and end in massacres. This will be my first time setting foot in this village.”
“My knowledge of Konohagakure is not the best. I was a child the last time I was there.” Fukurou said this after a moment of silence. 
“All I know is that Konohagakure and Sunagakure also don’t have the best relationship either. So, I guess we’re going in blind.” Yoru let out a small screech after Fukurou said those words. 
“Almost blind.” Yasuke revealed. “Kanae and all her all-knowingness foresaw this and arranged a meet up with one of her former associates.”
They were heading towards the eastern part of Konoha, to a clearing where a river ran from a waterfall. There under the cover of darkness the duo would divert from the trail. 
“Konoha has a barrier. We try to break in and it’ll alert everyone. Supposedly this guys’ll help us get in.” 
“Hayato!” Himiko screamed. The petite Uchiha ran down the stairs looking for her brother. Her raven hair flowing with each step. She wore her signature white kimono with black markings. 
They weren’t Inari’s children but being his niece and nephew definitely had it’s perks. Who’d complain about living in the second largest house in the familial quarters? However, it also served as a reminder to Himiko of the massive expectations for her and her sibling. 
One of their cousins would surely become the next head of the Uchiha Clan. And she swore to honor her parents by protecting whoever earned that title. Even it meant her life.
“They might become the Hokage!” She’d scream during her recent graduation to Genin. “That means I need to be a powerful Jonin just like father and bring pride to the Uchiha name.”
“That’s right Himiko.” Her eldest caretaker would agree. “The Uchiha are one of the founding pillars of Konoha. And even the concept of Shinobi villages as a whole. You too shall one day carry that pride.”
Both she and Hayato passed their test to become Genin. Which meant more dangerous missions. But she couldn’t join her brother’s team like she’d hoped. Still, that just meant she needed to grow on her own so he wouldn’t leave her behind. 
Her two goals were to awaken her Sharingan, and then master the Fire Release her clan was fame for. 
The world will recognize her as Himiko Uchiha, the Flame Empress. 
“Hayato!” She called before leaping from their manor’s window. “Before your mission, do you want to grab some Shumai?”
Her voice reaching far and wide as she continued searching for her brother
----
Inada Uzumaki stood in the clearing, the cool night air brushing against her skin as she waited at the designated meeting point. The sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a dappled pattern on the ground. She had already placed a privacy seal around the area, ensuring that their conversation would remain undetected by any unwelcome ears. The mission they were about to embark upon carried enormous weight, the potential to ignite the Second Great Shinobi War—a prospect her uncle, seemed to desire in his quest to elevate their nation to new heights. Inada, like many others, would never question the Uzukage, especially on matters of war.
As she waited, Inada's mind drifted to the gravity of their task. The secrecy surrounding their mission was imperative; any slip-up could lead to catastrophic consequences. She understood the importance of their objective and the critical role her clan played in the delicate balance of power among the shinobi nations. Despite her personal uncertainties about the wisdom of provoking such a conflict, her loyalty to her clan and the Uzukage's vision was unwavering.
The clearing was eerily silent, save for the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant call of nocturnal creatures. Inada took a deep breath, centering herself and reviewing the details of their plan. They were to intercept and kidnap a member of the Uchiha Clan.
“I’m guessing you’re the liaison.” Yasuke said. His voice breaking through as they entered the seal. The ebony samurai walked with a certain calmness to him. 
He didn’t quite care for the intricacies of the Uchiha and Uzumaki lineage. They were just names in a world of names. Albeit two large names. A name nonetheless. It meant nothing to him. Yasuke didn’t care for the intricacies of the Shinobi world. 
“You’re a lot…prettier than I expected.” Someone would’ve took those words for flirting. But those who knew Yasuke, well they were his honest feelings. He didn’t expect her to partake in this kind of work. Perhaps maybe at the Red Light District?
”Not that it matters. Tell me, what’s the plan?”
"My task is of support, I am to disrupt the and safely smuggle you into the village undetected." Nada replied, her tone soft and emotionless as she gave no indication that Yasuke’s comment had any effect on her. "Your mission is to infiltrate the village the village and capture an Uchiha, two if possible without alerting the village." She instructed as if reading from a scroll. 
"I will remain close but hidden for backup if you shall need it, once you capture the target, I am to apply seal to render them unconscious and immobile." Inada concluded.
 
“That seems simple enough.” Yasuke said with a slight smile. Nothing about this was simple at all. Even with her the rumored excellent mastery over seals and barriers, sneaking around was a shinobi’s job. Not that of a samurai. But more importantly, kidnapping two Uchiha is way easier said than done. 
However none of this was on the ebony samurai’s face. He stood with undeniable confidence. The confidence instilled in him by his late lord who raised him. 
“We will use this entry point closest to the Uchiha quarters and father from the main village to escape.“ He rubbed his chin. “If we happen to draw attention, we become your backup while you escape with the Uchiha.”
“We’ll meet back at the border.”