Starring:
Date: October 11, 2012
Summary:
Itami opens up about deep thoughts.
"Confessions and Progressions"
Sunagakure
Itami hasn't left Sunagakure yet as she was making sure she was taking care of everything that needed taking care of before heading out. So far, all that she puts effort into figuring out seems like nothing she need concern herself with. When she attempts to make herself busy, people block her from helping out. It's frustrating, but it's the best way for her to grow used to removing herself from the village she knows and loves.
So, she spent her days milling around waiting for something to do. Sometimes she plotted how to make herself useful, but it appears that the citizens were keeping a close watch on her. Sigh. All she can really do is eat and pass the time. With food in hand, she lounges in the center idly eating the food she bought.
"Is this seat taken?" Comes a likely familiar voice to Itami, just off to her side. Before she will really have time to respond, Goh will slide onto the bench next to the female shinobi, exhaling as he does so. He looked tired. Weary. Thought not typical weary from travelling a long distance. More… the weary of having to suddenly having added pressures. Itami would likely know it well, given her field and experience!
But he's still grinning like a goofball, so it's obviously not playing too much of a toll. "I see that the Villagers aren't really that keen on you helping out anymore, huh? How are you travelling with it all?" Shifting a glance toward her, his nose wrinkles a bit. "How have you been?" This feels… oddly nice. Although he would never say it unless asked, but he did miss Itami during his ventures away.
Itami lifted her visible eye to look toward the one who spoke to her, lips frozen in post chew indicating there was a nice wad of food in her mouth. She swallowed the food with ease and cleared her throat of any remnants. "No, they aren't. I've tried. They want me to be able to leave on a good note. I appreciate it, but my attachment to this village is still a bit strong. They're trying to wean me off of it, I suppose," she chuckles. "I've been well, though. Considering what it will be like to travel and join the guild you've started. I guess that answers that question. I haven't traveled much at all."
Goh seems to consider for a moment, before he nods slowly. "I can understand that. To lots of people, you're sort of like the Village mother I guess. Nice that they're letting you go so loosely from the position though, y'know?" A hand lifts to rub his nose, getting some sand out from it. "But it's nice to see the place going on without you. I can understand the attachment. Not as easy as cutting some string, after all."
The blonde leans back a little in the bench, thinking a little. "That's alright. Everyone at Jump is at different stages. Some are constantly travelling and hardly in the guild at all. Others like the scenery and just like to venture out and back as soon as possible. It's been tough though, managing everything. Not that I'm trying to rush ya. Heh." He lifts his arms up to stretch.
"Actually, there's been a job come up that I'll need your help for. If you're keen. But before I get into that, what are your thoughts on joining under a different identity and clothing? Could be a good way to avoid people tracking you down as part of Sunagakure. While word gets around that you've resigned."
"I'm doing what I can to see what needs to be finished up here before I leave, but it looks like there's nothing I really have left to finish up," Itami shrugged. "I wouldn't mind helping to manage. As for that job, I might be keen," she hummed. "Joining under a different identity, eh? That sounds…" She paused and took a bite out of her food. "…Shounds nish, actually," she chewed and swallowed the food. "It's true, though. My leaving here is sure to spread and disappearing from the public eye for a bit may be a good thing."
"Yeah, sounds real nish." Goh muses. "Let's face it. Eventually, you'll be sprung. But until then, we can rely on word to spread that you've left and not really tied to the Village anymore." Goh nods at this, thinking it's a good idea! "I was hoping you'd say that. Out of most people, you have the best.. manager-ish skills I think. I would really appreciate your aid with some of the more technical details. It's a bit complicated for me. Sorta embarrassing." He rubs the back of his head, showing that it is so.
"Anyway. This job involves hitting up some pretty tough guys. So tough that even I won't be able to take them down on my lonesome. Two of them, I think. The heads of the mafia at Fuuma. They pretty much run things there, and one of the new members of Jump has some.. well, he's in trouble with them." He clears his throat.
"Anyway, it's about time they were put back into their place. The two heads of the mafia are Kage level strength. That's where I need your help with."
"I understand completely. It's definitely something that comes with practice. When I first started with Sunagakure, my skills were less than satisfactory. I grew better with experience, though. Still, I don't think I've done enough, but others would argue otherwise," Itami grins. "So, if you're better with the information thing, then that's fine. That's your area of strength." She went silent and took a bite out of her food once more as Goh began explaining what the job included. So, there's some tough guys in Fuuma that need knocking around and…Jump is already in trouble? Hm. That's fast work. She chuckled inwardly at this thought, but knew the situation was serious. "Kage level strength? That's…well, I guess that's to be expected. Holding power in Fuuma has to come with some great physical power as well. I think I can help with that, though. Do you know where their skills lie?"
"No idea." Goh replies in a chipper tone. He doesn't seem particulary worried, though he likely should be.
"The person who has requested this to be done is called Ataru. I don't know if Ataru has actually fought them before. The leaders, I mean. So he could just be speculating or projecting their strength based off of what he has encountered. He said he was roughed up by a few of them before. By just some goons, which is… interesting. Ataru is actually pretty strong. So if the goons can do that, even if they are in numbers, his guesses about the leaders being at Kage strength could be accurate." He pauses.
"Which makes no sense whatsoever. How do people that have the strength of you or I get into those positions?" He seems disgruntled. "It just seems odd. Not to mention bothersome. Anyway, there are dozens, possibly hundreds of others of varying strength between the entry and them. There will be a few others on this job, Ataru included, so we should be able to handle their numbers. But I dunno what sort of plan we should do. Like a storm the castle? Or a sneaky sneaky one?"
Itami hmmmed. This was a curious situation. She wasn't sure who Ataru was, but she figures if Goh seems to believe him, then she can as well. She has a mild amount of skepticism reserved just to be sure, though. "It doesn't take much. I believe. Especially if we're dealing with gangs. Their structure is determined by a complex system of trust and rite of might. In most cases, at least," she explained. "Sneaking may be our best option against these numbers. In cases like these, lack of attention and subsequently commotion should enable us to work efficiently and quickly. Of course, it won't be easy."
Goh seems unhappy with the answer. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that. I hate the sneaking stuff." Which is semi ironic, since he's so damn good at it. Sneaking into the Mizukage's office isn't an easy task, after all! Though it was more the Salamander that could sneak more than Goh. "I'd much prefer to fight my way in. But, I'll defer to your greater planning. Seems to me that we would need to hit up the bosses at full strength, and cannot waste chakra on the lowlives." He seems to think.
"Wanryo can help out clearing the masses. The big Sala is pretty keen for some combat, actually. Flex his muscles a little bit." He then snaps his fingers, "If we can catch the leaders in one place, I have a brand new technqiue that I can use to capture them. Well, bind them into the one location so they cannot escape. Others can't get in, either."
"You don't like sneaking?" Itami laughed. "I could compensate, I suppose. I was just trying to consider who we were going up against. I don't know what the rest of our team is like. If we're the only two that have some skill in the kage area, it could prove difficult. Manageable with some strategy, I suppose." She folded her arms at this point, listening to Goh while she silenced herself. She forgot about the summons he had. They're self sufficient enough. "Ah, we could use the salamanders, yes… I like this. I don't want to abuse them, of course, but if they're employed well enough, we could handle the problem. Ideally, we could just work to disable our competition as well. If we have any stuns or attacks that could prove to put down individuals for a period of time, things could work in our favor."
"Hate it. I can't stand it." Goh replies, seeming disgusted with the very idea of sneaking. "Part of the reason I stopped being a shinobi. Well, a small part. I won't say it hasn't got uses, but… bleah. I prefer a bash-and-crash method if anything." He seems to make a sort of expression that is both amused, but also confused.
"You say it like there are heaps of Kage-level shinobi around, Itami." He does chuckle a bit. "Really, you were the only one available. The others were… you know, busy being Kage's of Villages." He clears his throat. "Or very tied and happy to the Village they are in. Anyway, I didn't set out recruiting for strength. You and me are the only S-Class members in Jump. There are a couple on the threshold, but not quite ready yet. One of those, Ariya, will be joining us. She's a Murasame, and very good with taijutsu. Loves a fight, and will probably ask you for a fight when you first meet her." He leans back in his chair again.
"Ataru… I don't know much about his skills. But it's all stuff we'll learn about of course."
"On a completely different topic of conversation. What's the go with your mother? How is she?"
"Well I was thinking more of the shinobi that beat this Ataru individual you spoke of. If he considered them jounin level, I was assuming there'd be a number of them guarding their respective bosses. Fighting a cluster of jounin is like fighting a kage," Itami smirked. "But there's always advantages, I feel. If there's things to expose, I feel we can do something with what we're given. Crash and bash? I can go with that," she nodded. "It's all about working with the hand we're dealt, so to speak. On that note, I'll have to understand those I'm to be working with in Jump," she laughs.
Her laughter fades as her mother is brought up and she maintains it until she can gather up the means to speak. "I've been thinking about her…she finally spoke with me," she sighed. "By thinking I mean trying to think to keep from…thinking about her if that makes sense. I…she told me what happened to her and I didn't want to believe what happened I…" She lifted a hand to sweep through her hair. "I didn't want to believe she was just as much of a victim as I was to her…"
"I don't think they're that strong. The goons. I mean, Ataru is good, but he's not that good. Haven't actually seen him in action, but he's definitely got some noticable flaws. Which… you don't find as easily in Jounin level ninja." He waves a hand a bit. "I'm confident that Ariya and Ataru can handle them. Wanryo too." He nods a little bit. "It's all stuff that needs to be planned, I guess. Which is bothersome, but that's how it goes. If it pulls off, Fuuma will be much safer for neutrals to hit up."
When she begins speaking about her mother, he seems to… well, not quite frown, but show a face of curiosity. "I actually didn't mind your mother. She seemed to at least tolerate me, which is always nice. I'm sorry to hear that she's a victim though." He lifts a hand to clasp Itami's shoulder, a sort of physical support. "Has she left again? Or she still around?"
"That's…that's great. It makes things much easier for us to handle…" Itami remarked while attempting to resettle herself in her seat. She looked at her unfinished food and decided to wrap it back up in its paper casing and slip it away for now. She wasn't in much of a mood for eating anymore. Perhaps it was for the best. She was only eating out of boredom anyway. "I want to hate her now, but I only feel guilty for trying to after what she told me…" She looked at her shoulder as it was grasped and then up to Goh. "She's still around. I've allowed her to stay in my home for as long as she wants." She paused. "For the first time…she cried to me. I didn't know how to take that… I knew though…it was something she'd held in for years. Her spirit was all but broken; shattered. I didn't know how she managed to hold it together."
She leaned forward in her seat at that point and placed her hands up to her face as if to control the heat that was building from being flustered. "I just couldn't hate her at that moment." She went quiet once again and inhaled deeply to sigh. "She was accosted and…I was born from that event. A child of a terrible crime. She was so damaged that her anger turned toward me. Not because of who I was, but she felt I was a product of it a…living representation of what happened to her…"
Goh sort of just looks, stunned. Unsure of what to say next. He had rarely spoken or known people well enough for them to open up like this. "I'm… sorry to hear that, Tam." Is all he can get out. "I don't know what to say, other than that you're a pretty wonderful person. One of the best I know. If your mother can finally see you as you are, than that's… well, fantastic news." He smiles a bit, though it is a bit forced. He sighs dramatically, leaning back onto the chair.
"I'm sorry. I suck in these situations. Never really know what to say or do to make people feel better." He takes his arm back off her shoulder, perhaps opting to give her some space. "It's good I suppose that this has all happened before you left? So you can start afresh.. Almost anew, with a new look on life."
"It's…It's okay. It was more for me to get out than you, I admit. I just needed an outlet and you were here for it. I'm grateful to you for this. I didn't know who else I could speak to about this situation." She sighed. "I can start fresh. This has empowered me and I'm happy. I truly am. To start mending a relationship with my mother. It's…a good thing."
Goh nods, a smile coming across his face that's a bit wider than what he's been showing for the past few minutes. "Well, I'm glad I was here at least." He gives a little punch to her arm, just a playful thing more than anything. Just showing he was there. It's almost becoming his token 'affectionite' move. "Well, your mother is certainly welcome to come join us at Jump! If you want more time to be with her, I mean. I dunno her strengths, but you don't only have to be a fighter to join. Who knows? Maybe the scenary could help her turn a corner too." Standing up, he stretches about.
"Up for a drink?" He queries suddenly, looking down at Itami on the bench. "Could be good to quench your thirst, huh? It is hot after all."
FTB.
