strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Aug 20, 2007 22:09:25 GMT -5
"Yes, Tokoharu-sama!" It was almost a squeak, honestly, before falling in behind her. He wasn't really looking forward to those hallways again, especially since he couldn't cower behind Tokoharu-sama.
Regardless, he was just happy to be moving forward...
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Sept 13, 2007 16:39:37 GMT -5
Akina had to take care not to shoot through the hallways too terribly quickly for the sake of the young man following her. When on her own, her size - and what she had been told was a rather intimidating aura, at times - got her through the packed hallways with relative ease. But were she to go at full speed, she would lose her young charge. So she went slower - a little slower, at least - and trusted that people were smart enough to see that she had someone following her. Her first stop was another counter, obviously some sort of reception center for the warren of offices visible through a door behind it. "I'll need these processed and on Hokage-sama's desk first thing in the morning," she instructed the attendant, a middle-aged man who currently appeared to be drowning in a river of papers, as she set one of the folders on the counter. "What?!" he demanded, grabbing the folder and eying the contents. "You expect me to push a complete residence and citizenship process through the system overnight? Don't you know how overrun we are right now?""I had better," Akina told the man, her face darkening. "Considering I brought most of that down here. This is on the Hokage's personal orders." "Every day," the man sighed. "I'll never understand why Hokage-sama lets a kid like you take charge over the entire Administration office. And I don't see any indication of an express order on this," he finished, brandishing the folder so it nearly hit Akina in the face. "I do believe Kaori-sama gave personally gave me that authority," Akina snapped, snatching the folder from the man's hand, "And I think she would be none too pleased to hear about one of her own employees disrespecting that. Oh, you're right," she sighed. "I did forget to mark this correctly, didn't I?" Without asking permission - she didn't need it, after all - she reached over the counter, grabbed one of the express labels, and two pens. With enough force to shake the whole counter she slapped the express sticker on the front of the folder. The deadline was written on the sticker in black. And in red, scrawled across the entire folder, was written: Do it NOW!Smiling as though that fearsome outburst had never existed, she calmly slid the envelope back down the counter to the attendant. And though she smiled, her aura clearly said, Cross me again, and you'll regret it. In the adjacent hallway, people suddenly began to decide that walking down the far side was quite a nice idea. The attendant shivered, nodded, and took the folder. "Good," Akina said, giving him a polite nod and one of those cold smiles. "Tsutomegi," she ordered. "Come." And with that, she took off once again, the crowds now parting like a tide before her. It wasn't until they rounded a corner did she turn around and face the young man. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she told him. "Some people here still do not accept someone like me as Hokage-sama's Lieutenant." Her wry tone indicated that while she didn't want him to think her anger was directed at him, did not mean he could start questioning her authority as well.
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Sept 13, 2007 17:15:36 GMT -5
Tokoharu-sama....was a very scary woman. When that folder hit the counter, Utsuro had just about jumped clear out of his sandals. He noticed, however, that the man stopped his protesting. He very much wanted to appologize to the poor man for causing him such trouble, but after that exchange, he could not find his voice. "Tsutomegi," She quite suddenly commanded. " Come."Woof woof. Shooting the man a quick appologetic face, he hurried after her. Suddenly coming to a halt around a corner, the clumsy boy narrowly avoided colliding with her. Listening to what she had to say, he nodded slightly before responding softly. "..I am sorry to hear that, Tokoharu-sama...People should respect authority...especially someone right under Hokage-dono.."
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Sept 13, 2007 20:09:05 GMT -5
"I'm glad you agree," Akina said with a simple nod. "Now practice what you preach and call me as I asked to be called. Shall we?" Without waiting for an answer, she was off down the hallways once more.
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Sept 13, 2007 20:16:53 GMT -5
"G-gomen Akina-sama!!" Stupid stupid stupid!! You forgot again!! Utsuro quickly moved to catch up with her.
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Sept 13, 2007 20:22:43 GMT -5
Next was another station, this one run by a young-looking woman who was decidedly more easygoing than the man from earlier. "I'll need as much of this done tonight," Akina explained, handing another folder to the woman who would take care of the Academy Enrollment process. "Hokage-sama's orders. She'll have the residency and such tomorrow, but active enrollment is suspended pending medical evaluation. You know what to do with that, I assume?" "Sure do!" the woman replied with a grin, tucking a strand of short black hair behind her ear. "I'll get on this right away. Oh! And welcome to Konoha," she added with another smile to Tsutomegi-kun.
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Sept 13, 2007 20:38:38 GMT -5
Well...this seemed to be going a little smoother than the last stop. He still did not understand this whole 'medical evaluation' bit. He was perfectly healthy. It couldn't be helped, however. Hokage-dono was the boss in every sense of the word. If he wished to stay in Konoha, he'd have to do whatever she said.
Wait..he was being spoken to. Snap to it!
"..ah...thank you.." He offered a nervous smile back, attempting to maintain eye contact.
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Sept 13, 2007 20:51:25 GMT -5
"You're learning," Akina remarked with a wry smile as she led the young man to their next destination. "That's good. People will think you're lying all the time if you can't look them in the eye and give them a straight answer. Come on, we're almost done. Take this to the financial aid department," she told an aide who'd happened to be passing by at that exact moment. "It's to be done immediately. Hokage-sama's orders. I'll be by in a few minutes to pick it up. Go," she added, giving the aide a gentle shove as she let him go, leading Tsutomegi off in another direction. "That'll make things a bit faster, anyways. Here we are," she said, stopping at another workstation that led into a series of offices and other rooms. "To be done today, Hokage's orders, right?" the young man asked with a grin before Akina could say anything. "Hiraga sent a message out to do as you asked without question," the man said with a shrug in reply to Akina's questioning look. "What'd you do to him, anyways? Takarabe said Hiraga looked like he'd seen his own death.""Nothing you should be concerned about," Akina told the aide as she handed him the folder. She was left with only one, now; the original. "And that's to be done now, not just today." "You got it," the cheerful young man replied with a wink, picking up the folder and turning to go into the back. "I'll be back in a jiffy.""And now," Akina said to Tsutomegi, "we wait."
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Sept 13, 2007 21:03:22 GMT -5
Waiting. THAT was something he could do quite easily. After years of traveling from place to place, patience was something the lone Tsutomegi had in spades. He had to stop and marvel at just how much authority this woman exuded.
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 2, 2007 18:05:54 GMT -5
Akina drummed her fingers impatiently on the counter as they waited for the young assistant to return. It wasn't that she was frustrated with him - he was doing a good job, of course, and doing it without putting up a fuss - but rather that the Ninja Administration had suffered greatly during the war. There had always been something that had to be done right away; something that was more important than everything else. But now that the war was over, "everything else" was a pile that had grown so long, Kaori-sama had needed to order the hiring of extra help to get everything sorted out. With new employees, a new Hokage, and mountains of backlogged paperwork looming in front of a Village come only a couple short weeks from a heavily taxing war, it was easy to understand why everything was so hectic. Akina couldn't help but wonder what would happen once they got everything sorted out - if they ever did. But there was no use worrying about that now, as the aide had returned bearing a new packet of papers, on top of which sat a little brown envelope. "I'll see that the other copies get to where they need to be," the man told Akina before she had a chance to ask why he was only giving her one set. "And an extra will be on Hokage-sama's desk as soon as I can snag someone to run it up there.""Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Akina asked jokingly, giving the man an appreciative grin. "Oh? You love me?" he asked, laughing. Akina reached to take the packet and the envelope, but the man pulled them back before she could take them. "Then why don't you go on a date with me?""Don't push your luck," Akina replied coolly, snatching the desired items from the man's hand before he could pull them away again. "Tsutomegi, let's go." The teasing laughter of the man's co-workers could be heard as they set off once more.
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 2, 2007 18:44:02 GMT -5
Having drifted off slightly to look out a window while they waited, the boy took in the view of the Village with wide eyes. It was even more massive than he thought! His wanderings over the past couple days barely covered half of it by his best guess. "Tsutomegi, let's go." Akina-sama called, holding a fresh stack of paperwork. With as much paper as he's seen in the past couple hours, Utsuro began to wonder how the village stayed hidden in the leaves. "C-coming!" Hurrying back to her side, he paused to bow quickly at the aides. "T-thank you!" His appreciation seemed to be lost, however, beneath laughter. Had he missed something? The time to contemplate such things was not now, as Akina-sama was on the move again, the Tsutomegi boy close behind.
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 2, 2007 18:55:25 GMT -5
"One more stop," Akina assured Tsutomegi as she expertly wove a path for the two of them between hurrying aides, staffers, and various other harried personnel. At last, though, they made it to another counter without incident. This time, though, Akina stopped a short distance away. "This is the financial aid desk," she explained, pointing to the sign hanging from the ceiling that stated as much. "You'll come here to pick up your weekly allowance for living expenses. But, as I said earlier, this won't last forever. You'd do well to remember that. Anyways, there are offices and such behind that counter, but you don't need to worry about that unless you need to have an in-depth conversation with someone. Now, you'll have to do this for yourself every week," she instructed, "so pay attention. Let's go." It was only then that she approached the counter. The staffer stationed there had only to see who had come to call in order to know what she needed to do. "Everything's all set, Akina-san!" the young woman said cheerfully, setting a piece of paper and a pen on the counter. "You must be Tsutomegi-kun," she continued, turning her attention to Akina's current shadow. "Your aid's been processed in record time!" she announced with a triumphant grin. "Just sign this form on the line here, saying you've picked it up this week, and it's all yours."
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 2, 2007 19:19:09 GMT -5
Listening intently to Akina-sama's words, he did his best to commit everything to memory, including reviewing the mental map to this very location. Nodding both to Akina-sama and himself, he followed her up to the counter. After listening to the staffer's instructions, he picked up the pen and began carefully writing down the kanji for his name. He had always liked his name. Other people had told him before that it was 'weird' or 'creepy', but it was a good, honorable name for a Tsutomegi to have. Finishing, he set the pen back down and waited for further instruction, from either Akina-sama or the staffer. ((OoC: Dunno if I've mentioned it before or not, but Tsutomegi loosely translates to 'Mercenary Spirit', Utsuro meaning 'Hollow/empty/void'. It's a creepy name, but it fits him XD))
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Tensei Kaori
Hokage
Konoha's #1 Henge Master
Taking over the world, one bishie at a time...
Posts: 7,888
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Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 2, 2007 20:53:45 GMT -5
"Here you go!" the staffer said cheerfully, sliding an envelope across the counter. As soon as Tsutomegi had the envelope in hand, though, Akina was leading him off. Knowing him, he'd spend the next five minutes bowing to the woman for doing her job. Not that there was anything wrong with being polite, but there was work to be done - and Akina couldn't afford to stand around waiting on extraneous formalities. Before long they had escaped the administrative jungle and stepped out into the Administration Building's spacious - and decidedly calmer, and quieter - reception area. "I don't have time to give you the grand tour," Akina explained simply, rifling through the packet of papers in search of a certain page, "but someone will be found who can give you important information - like when you can pick up your aid money, and so on. Now, if only I can --" she cut off, though, noticing a presence in front of her. Not missing a beat, she whirled to the side and narrowly avoided a collision. A closer inspection revealed Kaori-sama's relative, Hideki-kun - who, finished with his interrogation job in the office, had seemingly taken a break to speak to a young Jounin before returning to his duties. Having noticed Akina's presence, he turned around and regarded her with his steely blue gaze. He didn't betray any emotion - he was as stonewalled as any Interrogator had to be - but all the same, Akina got the feeling he was surprised that she'd almost run into him. "Akina-san," he said politely in his deep voice, giving the woman a polite nod. "Fumei-kun," she replied evenly, returning the nod before returning to the packet of papers, finally finding the sheet she needed. "Tsutomegi, let's go."
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strangevisitor
ANBU Squad Leader
Only a man looking for a dream
Posts: 1,754
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Post by strangevisitor on Oct 2, 2007 21:37:28 GMT -5
Barely having time to secure the envelope in his hands, Utsuro was quite suddenly moving backwards. Apparently he had not been moving at a satisfactory speed for Akina-sama, and she had taken matters into her own hands...literally. Turning to look over his shoulder, he managed to offer a quick 'thank you' to the staffer before they were too far away. In what seemed to be a blink of the eye, he found himself in an altogether more serene area of the building. The furniture and decor seemed to indicate it as a reception area for people to wait in, although it spoke nothing of the hustle and bustle of the building beyond. Utsuro never saw him coming. He was too focused on listening to Akina-sama, and had only managed to avoid a painful collision because he had gotten into the habit of dodging when she did. The dodged persona, however, was a slightly familiar one. Utsuro found himself watching Fumei-sama for a moment, at least until Akina-sama beconed him again. Commiting the face to memory in case he ever ran into him...literally or not...again, the young man moved swiftly to return to her side.
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