Don't Dine and Dash [Open]

The Mizukage had been quite busy this past week: there had been a lot of paperwork she needed to catch up on, a new budget she had had to get set up, and the time was coming to set up some new trade agreements. Lots of busy work: the dull kind. She was no stranger to pushing papers – she had been the Mizukage for now over three years – but she still preferred to be out on the front lines instead of stuck behind a desk. In fact, she was pretty sure at this point there was likely a permanent butt imprint in the cushion of her chair from how long she had been sitting there: a simple glance at the clock that hung across from her on the wall over top the double doors that lead into her office telling her easily enough it was nearly seven o’clock in the evening. Twelve hours. She had been there for twelve hours.

With a sigh Umiko signed the paper in front of her – she had read it over three times by now to make sure she wasn’t missing anything – and then added it to the large stack in the Out Box of her desk. There were still a few forms left to handle but it was nothing she couldn’t knock out in the morning. She was hungry and at this point she couldn’t even remember if she had grabbed lunch given how fast the day had slipped away, so food was definitely going to be in order before she bothered with anymore work.

As she reached up to scratch her head she noticed she still had the Mizukage hat on: she had put it on earlier for a meeting that had occurred and had in her haste and business forgotten to remove it. Chuckling to herself she pushed her chair back and stood up, pausing a moment to stretch with a very satisfied sounding groan, before she made her way over to the hook her hat and robes normally hung from. She removed the hat first and then the robes after, leaving her in that days attire: a white tank top which covered her chest and left her mid-drift bare, a pair of light blue colored capri style shorts, and shinobi sandals which were white in color. Once the robe was off she grabbed the white duster which hung in its place: it had the words Mizukage in blue colored kanji down the back and she slipped it on over top of her usual outfit.

Pausing the Mizukage stretched once more before lifting up the heavy gourd of ice she carried with her and strapping it to her back via deep blue colored ribbon that wrapped around the gourd and then herself: the gourd sloshing with water on the inside. ”Hmm… I wonder where I can get a decent bite of grub this late at...”, she mused softly to herself before stepping out of her office. She paused by her secretaries desk on her way out, writing a small note for her for the morning explaining about the papers in her Out Box being ready for filing, and then made her way through the admin building and out, nodding and smiling to the numerous people she passed who had likewise been working late.

Once out in the street she paused, glancing around, and then took a left toward the still quite busy Market District: she knew the diners and such in that area stayed open later rather than those closer to the administration buildings so she figured it was her best chance at finding a place at this time of night...

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The docks.

They were always lively, 24/7. Goods came and went to other villages on boats, fishermen made a living here catching all sorts of seafood, right here and further out. Someone was always around and on the waterfront day and night.  Since most of the shinobi up and left the village, and he was one of the only ones that remained, ths was where Myuto spent most of his time, when not being sent on errands by his parents, or being nagged to death by his older sister.

Myuto continued to remain as sharp as a razor. He trained and ran every morning and evening to keep himself in shape, living under the philosiphy that all you really had in this world was the body you came here with. He knew sooner or later that things were going to get lively around here again sooner or later; the same with the rest of the villages. It was a peaceful time, but peace like this never lasted long. He planned to be ready when threats appeared,  or conflict arose. His sister often called him a training nut, but Myuto ignored her for the most part.

"Myuto!" While sitting on his usual bench he could hear the voice of his little brother Same. He could already hear his footsteps coming even before he called out, having memorized the pattern of his little legs running along the ground. Same eventually caught up, catching his breath and taking a drink from the water bottle fixed to his hip. "Myuto, mom and dad need your help at the restaurant, the next order of goods came. All of the backroom guys aren't there yet." Myuto closed the book he was currently reading, reaching behind him to put it into his watertight pack as he stood up.

Myuto and Same were leaving the dock area and headed deeper into the village that more resembled a city, with it's high glass towers and long bridges that connected the different districts, when a girl ahead seemed to be harassed by 2 guys. They were wash outs that Myuto knew all too well; failures that couldn't hack it at the academy. Rumor had it that they were trying to join up with the bandits and the scum that inhabited the outskirts that regularly did small time jobs such as rob travelers and extort small businesses. Though they looked pretty muscular and imposing, they weren't anything special and didn't compare to Myuto - who trained daily - at all.

The girl they were harassing was none other than his older sister Sakana. She was well developed for her age, and often wore clothes to show off her toned, voluptuous body. this would attract the attention of countless horny males, young and old alike. Everywhere she went she attracted eyes, and someone competing for her attention. Strangely, Sakana didn't seem interested in anyone but her own brother, who ignored her for the most part. Sakana had always been overly obsessed with Myuto, primarily because he never spoke. He'd never made a sound as long as he'd been alive. Same was alright with his big brother being silent, but Sakana had always been determined to get him to say something. She was overly protective of him, and at the same time she constantly played pranks and made attempts to get under his skin, all of which he ignored. Their father would only shake his head and say nothing about the situation, and their mother often said that Sakana had a "brother complex" to which she immediately denied.

"Come on Sakana, when are you gonna stop being so difficult," said one of the goons. "Who else in this village feels the same way about you than me? Who else has done more for you than I have? I'd say its about time for a reward, don't you think?"

"I'd say it's about time for you morons to get lost," was Sanaka's response. "Why would I want to be shacked up with a wash-out? Kimiko is more your speed anyway, don't think I didn't notice you hanging around her."

"Kimiko's a whore, she's not pure like you. besides which, we're getting a gang together. I won't be a wash-out long, soon i'll be the king of the outskirts. With the right woman at my side I could go straight to the top..."

"Or straight to jail. You seriously think the kage will let some gang of delinquents and scum just do as they please?" The goon tried to grab her but she wrestled away from him. "Keep your filthy hands off me! Go mess around with your whores you wash-out, i'm tired of telling you. Me and you will never be!" At this revelation the goon started to get angry, grabbing her with both of his hands.

"I'm really getting sick of you denying me all the time, it's starting to become a pain in my ass," he said, collaring her. "Now you can be a little more cooperative, or I can FORCE you to---"

He was kicked in the small of his back, and as he leaned backwards, a fingerless gloved hand grabbed his chin to yank, causing him to go rolling in the opposite direction. "Ugghhh, the weird mute again," said the other goon as the first goon scrambled on the ground to get back to his feet. Most of the time Myuto found his sister irritating, but he was fiercely loyal to his family members, even if it didn't show on his face.

"You guys are gonna get it now!" said Same, who always enjoyed watching his big brother get into fights.

"Look this is between us and your sister, mute boy, so why don't you go get lost or something---" Said the second goon as he attempted to push Myuto, but Myuto grabbed the wrist of the pushing hand, while sweeping his feet from beneath him, using his other hand to push the goon's head down, sending him into a front flip. The goon landed hard on his back. By now some people had gathered to watch.

"Always stickin your mute nose where it doesn't belong---" said the first goon, who was back on his feet now, with a kunai in his right hand, making a wild swing towards Myuto. Still with no expression on his face, making a fist with his right hand and layering it with a small amount of sound chakra - it wouldn't take a full technique for the likes of him - Myuto pushed the hand with the Kunai away from him and made a swing towards his mid-section. The fist impacted hard with a boom-like sound, making his eyes bulge from the sockets. He made a choking noise and began to foam at the mouth and nose from the sound echoing back and fourth through his body several times. he crumpled forward onto his knees and was soon down on his side...

Same clapped his hands. As they started walking away the second goon slowly gathered himself and went to check on his crony. "That was awesome, bro!" Same said, excited. Sakana put an arm over Myuto's shoulder with a look of lust in her eyes.

"My hero," she said in a certain tone, which made Myuto just look towards her with his expressionless face and take her arm from around his neck. Like a rubber band though, she put it right back.

"Why're you still messing around with those clowns anyway, sis?" Same asked.

"I'm not messing around with them, they're messing around with me," Sakana replied.

"Yeah right, it's like mom says, you're 'putting yourself out there, attracting them like a magnet.' You just like the attention." It was true, and Sakana got sot of red in the face from the frustration, especially seeing as Myuto pointed to Same, agreeing with him. Sakana slapped Same upside his head. "Oww!"

"Shut up you little twerp, what do you know," she said, and when she went to hit him again Myuto countered her, shaking his head no.

"You shuddup you brother lover," said Same, rubbing his head.

"What did you call me!?" They were about to get into it again, when Myuto snapped his fingers and pointed at someone as they neared their family restaurant. She was a woman that stood out. Myuto's echolocation reading that came back from her told him that she was strong; she possessed vast chakra. Myuto didn't really encounter many people anymore who were as strong as she was.

"Who's she?" asked Same.

"She's the Kage," answered Sakana. "She runs the whole village. I hope she isn't coming along and trying to start that shinobi thing again, because I won't allow it. There isn't any need for you to go out there risking your life anymore. You have your restaurant duties, and you have me, and that should be all you need." She put an arm around Myuto again, which he again removed.

"Brother lover. You're gross," said Same.

The Kage down in the street like this? The thought of the village going back to the old shinobi ways sounded interesting to be honest. Myuto was itching for some action, more than just a couple of scum. He honestly wanted to be pushed to his limits again which would force him to get serious for a change.

The siblings continued on towards the restaurant...

1,559 Words

As Umiko made her way down the street, continuing to nod and greet those she passed, she became quite aware of a situation going on not all that far away. It looked like a female – a bit scantily dressed – was being harassed by a couple individuals whom the Mizukage was aware still lurked and skulked the alleyways causing all manner of trouble. Given her usual protectiveness of her people she was about to intervene when she noticed it wasn’t needed: someone had beaten her to it and was handling the situation with the kind of skill and grace worthy of a shinobi.

Umiko paused, coming to a stop, and she admired the way the situation was handled. While it certainly would have been easier just to kill the scum the one doing the fighting – someone she recognized from the files she had all but memorized at this point, Myuto – simply gave them a good beating and then left them to be. Umiko was glad no one was murdered – it saved on issues with the local civilians as well as the paperwork she would have had added to her stack – but she had a feeling that these guys weren’t going to stop so easily. She was quite sure they’d be back to cause more trouble later on after they had licked their wounds and nursed their broken egos.

After a quick conversation the three seemed to have, and taking a bit of notice on how the female seemed to want to hang all over Myuto who continuously removed her arm., they headed off toward the very establishment she herself was going to. She started walking then, keeping her usual and comfortable pace as she went: she really felt in no rush, plus she did enjoy seeing her people and catching up with them as best she could.

However, she would arrive nonetheless a few minutes later and after shifting her gourd slightly she would enter inside, glancing around as she did so to see if there was anyone else there she knew. The aroma of delicious food that hit her as soon as she finished shutting the door behind herself caused her stomach which had been silent and empty up until that point to roar to life with an audible growl: she had definitely skipped lunch with as hungry as she was beginning to feel. Another glance was given to see if there was a sign indicated that the establishment was ‘seat yourself’ or ‘wait to be seated’….

Wordcount: 420 | 1,030

The Foot Restaurant

Myuto always wondered why it was called "Foot." But of course, he'd never ask why. His parents poured everything they had into the place and it's staff; it was their life's greatest achievement, besides their 3 kids. Foot was a 2 floored establishment. The top floor had glass floors in some places and glass walls with fish and other sea creatures within. All of the walls were connected at some point, so the fish and other things could move around the entire building. It was furnished with tables and booths that had very comfortable seats. Some of the tables had holes in the floor nearby that went down beneath the restaurant into the water, so that the waiters, cooks or even the patrons themselves could go down and catch their meal themselves.

The second floor below was entirely composed of glass. His father said that the floor below was for the "total seafood experience." The glass walls made the sea floor and all manner of aquatic wildlife visible while patrons ate. Myuto didn't much go down there unless he had to. After the siblings entered the restaurant, Myuto went into the back to the kitchens, Same went to go sit behind the cash register as he usually did, and Sakana put on an apron to go and help out the waiters.

Mother Hozuki, who looked mostly like Same and Sakana, who had light brown hair and the same voluptuous features the same as her oldest daughter, came to greet the Kage. She had a bright smile on her face and did her best to be polite as possible. "Ahhh, the Mizukage, to what do we owe the pleasure?" she said, giving her a bow. "Please, please! Right this way!" Mother Hozuki would lead her to a table that had very comfortable looking seats. "It is an honor to have you here today, Mizukage! Please wait here a moment and someone will be right with you!"

Mother Hozuki handed her a menu. With another bow, Mother Hozuki quickly glid across the floor and disappeared into the back. Myuto came from the back and went to sit near the cash register where Same was, pulling out and unfolding his portable Koto. A mysterious tune began to echo throughout the restaurant that most of the patrons inside seemed to enjoy. Sakana came from the rear again with an apron on. Sakana was nearly identical to her mother, except she had a salty expression on her face. Over-protective of Myuto, she was sure the Kage was here to induct him back into the shinobi life.

Sakana had a pen and notepad. "Yeah, so what do you want?" Sakana asked in a funky tone.

"Sakana!" came a growl from the kitchen area, even over all the noise of the patrons talking and the music playing. Sakana jumped somewhat startled from the growl. She frowned some then straightened out her face... somewhat. In a different tone she would say, "Welcome to Foot Restaurant, we are honored to have the Mizukage herself as a customer today. Have you come to a decision on your meal? What can I get you?"

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The Mizukage wasn’t left standing for long before a woman who looked slightly older than the one who was just being harassed outside came up to her and politely spoke, welcoming her to the establishment. Umiko quickly assumed this had to be the mother of the three she had just watched out in the streets and smiled gently. Umiko followed her to the table and took a seat after removing her gourd of ice and very carefully setting it down next to her chair, noticing as she did so how comfortable the cushions seemed to be: much better than the usual wooden chairs most eating establishments seemed to have. ”Thank you, and please… no need to bow; I’m no different than anyone else.”, she said in response before watching her leave and walk into what she assumed was the kitchen area.

Umiko took a moment then to glance over the menu; everything sounded delicious but she had some idea of what she had wanted already. She was just beginning to look over the sushi portion of the menu when music reached her ears and she glanced up in time to see Myuto playing a Koto. She stared for only a moment – it was out of the ordinary for a shinobi to know how to play an instrument most times unless it was part of their style so it was a rare sight to see – but then returned her attention back to her menu as to not seem rude. It took her only a few seconds more to pick out what she wanted to eat when a sudden voice – not friendly as she had been expecting – spoke up next to her.

Feeling quite curious and amused instead of angry or insulted she looked up with a passive emotionless face to see the female who had been being harassed standing there with an apron on. A single name was growled from the back – Umiko assumed from this girl’s mother – and the girl seemed to change her tune quickly enough and repeated her question in a more polite manner. Amusement twinkled a bit in the Mizukage’s eyes as she could think up no reason why this female would have a problem with her though she had every intention of trying to figure it out.

To answer the girl’s question she glanced back down at her menu, ”I’ll take a sweet tea to drink and the sushi roll sampler sounds good. Thank you.” Umiko made sure to keep her voice polite, and even looked back toward the other female to judge her reaction. What in the world could have caused someone she didn’t know to have a problem with her? The question was beginning to eat at her for a bit, yet she wouldn’t just outright ask.

Wordcount: 465 | 1,495

Sakana wrote something down on the notepad. "Will that be all?" she asked, her face with a half frown because of the amusement in the Mizukage's eyes. Assuming the Mizukage would say yes, Sakana would then say, "Your order will be along very soon please be patient," and head into the back. Some people leaving enjoyed the gentle, mysterious tune being played by the hooded Myuto, and dropped some ryo into the donation can on the counter near the cash register.

"Bye! Hope you enjoyed your meal! Please come again!" said Same, waving with a comical look on his face.

It wouldn't be very long before Mother Hozuki herself brought out the Mizukage's order, when ordinarily it would be Sakana or one of the other waiters or waitresses who did so. She sat down the drink and the plate of food in front of her. "Here you are Mizukage-Sama, sweet tea and the sushi roll sampler, prepares especially for you!"

Same came over to stand at his mother's side. "Hi!" he said, his comical look in full effect, waving.

"This is my youngest son, Same (Pronounced Sah-may) Hozuki." Like Sanaka, Same highly resembled his mother. "You've already met my oldest, Sakana. She has a problem with manners, but we're working on that... You may have also seen my middle child as well, he is my special one. I'm sure one day he will make the Hozuki name famous again." She looked towards the entrance, waving Myuto over. "Come over here and meet the Mizukage!"

Myuto finished his song, causing some to applaud throughout the restaurant. He stood and walked over to the table. "This is Myuto," said mother Hozuki, pulling off his hood. Unlike Sakana and Same, Myuto looked nothing like his mother and siblings, so it was safe to assume that he took after his father. He had wild black hair and red eyes. Myuto was dressed head to toe in dark blue and black colors, and his village headband could be seen beneath the collar of his hoodie, around his neck.

Myuto had no expression on his face, like usual. "You'll have to forgive Myuto, Mizukage-Sama; he never speaks. He has never uttered a single word or even made a sound since he was born. But he is very intelligent and he understands everything said to him. He is a boy of many different talents; before things calmed down in the village he was an A Ranked Jounin, and successful in every mission he was given. If things began to pick up around the village again, will you please consider him?"

"My bro's really good! He can beat up a whole crowd of people by himself!" added Same. He got a little closer to the Mizukage and put a hand over one side of his mouth, as to hide what he was saying. "And don't worry about my sister," he said in a hushed tone. "She's an over-protective butt head. Mom says she has something called a 'brother complex.' She thinks you wanna steal Myuto and send him off to go fight in a ninja war or something. But you don't look like you'd do something like that."

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The Mizukage watched Sakana leave after Umiko nodded her head to indicate that was her whole order and she wanted nothing else. She was still quite confused and curious about the animosity she had picked up on and allowed her mind to play with the ideas as to why she felt that way: had she accidentally wronged her somehow, had she bumped into her and not apologized, or was it something else entirely? The Mizukage normally tried her hardest to do what was best for her people so she couldn’t imagine at the moment what it was she had done wrong.

Before she knew it though she was being pulled from her thoughts by the arrival of Mother Hozuki who had arrived with her order. ”Thank you very much.” Arriving behind her was another male individual – someone whom she assumed was her son since they looked quite alike – who said hello. Umiko nodded with a gentle smile. ”Hello, there.” Mother Hozuki introduced him as Same. She also mentioned the female whom had taken her order as being her oldest, Sakana, who she admitted had an attitude problem. She then mentioned her middle child whom she knew from his file: Myuto. She had Myuto come over, which he did as soon as he finished playing his song – something that gained some applause.

Myuto didn’t say anything when he arrived, and had a rather expressionless look on his face. Mother Hozuki spoke up again though and asked her to forgive Myuto’s silence and explained that he didn’t speak and hadn’t uttered a single sound since he was born. She went on to mention that he was highly intelligent and understood what was being said to him – something the Mizukage had already assumed. She then mentioned how before things had calmed down in the village he had been an A-ranked Jounin and had preformed successfully in every mission he had been on. Then she asked something that caused Umiko to look thoughtful: if things began to pick up around the village would she consider Myuto? The Mizukage nodded her head in response. ”Of course… Anyone who returns wanting to resume their duties is more than welcome to. In fact… Myuto, if you don’t mind I think we should have a little chat soon – there are some things I want to update you on.” She had been hearing whispers after all – whispers of terrible things – and she wanted him to be aware of them: not only for his own sake but that of his family and fellow villagers. The more shinobi that knew of the possible dangers lurking around the better.

Same also spoke up about his brother, mentioning that he could beat up a whole crowd of people by himself. He then mentioned something in hushed tones about his sister, something that caused Umiko to realize what Sakana’s problem was with her: she was over-protective and had what they called a ‘brother complex’. Sakana seemed to also be under the delusion that the Mizukage intended on throwing Myuto to the wolves by involving him in some kind of ninja war: something that was far from the truth. Same mentioned that Umiko didn’t seem like the type to do something like that and she simply shook her head. ”I have no intentions of warring with anyone, let alone sending anyone out to fight in one… Besides I’m the type to prefer to be on the front lines myself, not hiding behind a bunch of Jounin sent in my place.” They were true words of course: she was not the type of person to hide behind others, or send others out to the slaughter, while she sat comfortably home in her office. No, if something were to happen she would be right there in the thick of things getting her hands dirty too – she just hoped it never came to that. War destroyed nations and lands quite easily, and the rebuild was always difficult on everyone involved.

Wordcount: 670 | 2,165

The Mizukage said that it was fine if Myuto wanted to return to active duty. Added to that, she said that she and Myuto should talk soon, as there were things that he needed to be updated on. Although it didn't show on his face, Myuto was curious and somewhat excited to know what she'd tell him. It had to be pretty important; possibly worldly affairs. Was there drama with another village? More than one? Was there some kind of criminal organization on the rise through the shinobi underworld? He could only guess right now. At her request, Myuto nodded his head.

Same told the Mizukage about their sister and about how over-protective and weird she was. The Mizukage responded that she had no intentions to put Myuto in harm's way, and went on to say that if it came to that, she was more prone to get in the line of fire herself, rather than order her subordinates to do so from behind a desk. "Ha! Cool!" Same said, his comical expression plastered on his young face.

"Well that's wonderful! Mizukage-Sama is nothing like the previous heads," Mother Hozuki said. "Nevertheless, I don't think Myuto to be the type to let Mizukage-Sama to go off and fight her battles alone. As I said, Myuto has many different talents, not seen from shinobi in a very long time!"

"Yeah! Bro can hypnotize people and make them fight each other, it's so cool!" Added Same "He can draw a picture and make it move! I only saw it once but it's totally awesome! Can you believe that?" Myuto pulled one of the bottles in his bag out to take a long drink of it. Same and Mother Hozuki both had the same kind of bottle fixed to their hips, as did Sakana. They were Hozuki after all, and constantly had to stay hydrated. Myuto bopped Same upside his head with his bottle before taking a drink. He didn't mind Same telling the Mizukage some of what he could do, but he had potential enemies around that he'd rather not know. "Oww," Same continued. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Bad guys could be listening, right?"

Mother Hozuki took a drink of her water soon after Myuto did. "Well, come along children, let Mizukage-Sama enjoy her meal before it gets too cold," she said, dragging Same away from the table. "Let us know if you need something, ma'am!"

Myuto pulled his hood back on and returned to his position near the front doors. Same came to join him not long after. Myuto began to play another tune on the Koto while new customers came in and waitresses came to greet them....

3,075 words

Mother Hozuki seemed pleased that Umiko wasn’t the type of Mizukage to sit around behind a desk while others went out and fought her battles for her and in truth so was Umiko – she couldn’t personally stand those kinds of people. How could you properly lead your people while hiding behind them safe and sound? It didn’t work out well in her opinion: it wasn’t fair to everyone else. Mother Hozuki went on to say though that Myuto wasn’t the type to just watch as the Mizukage went off to fight alone; he had many different talents that could come in handy. Same spoke up then, bragging about some of his brother’s accomplishments and skills – such as being able to hypnotize people and creating drawings that could actually move - before Myuto put a stop to that via a water bottle. Same seemed to get the picture as to why his brother didn’t want him saying anything: not because Myuto didn’t want the Mizukage to know about what he could do but rather so that other people, enemies in fact, didn’t overhear something they shouldn’t know. One thing Umiko picked up on was how it seemed the entire family carried water bottles around with them, and she couldn’t help but wonder about it though she didn’t ask.

”Hmm… that’s very interesting. I haven’t heard about skills like those in a very long time.” Umiko commented thoughtfully: they were rare abilities, rarer still to be coming from someone living in a water village.

Mother Hozuki then ushered her children away, indicating she wanted to give Umiko a chance to eat her food and she nodded her thanks before focusing her attention back onto the plate in front of her that was covered in various kinds of sushi. She picked up her glass of tea, sipping at it for a moment, before picking up her chop sticks and popping a bit of sushi into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed her food before continuing on with her meal in much the same pattern; silently. Her food was delicious, and the tune that Myuto played only made the dining experience that much more enjoyable. The Mizukage knew that she would definitely make it a point to come back to this establishment more often – though she did hope Sakana’s attitude towards her would eventually change to become somewhat better. Still, it was only one dim spot in the middle of a bright one and easily able to be ignored.

Once she finished her food she leaned back comfortably in her chair and picked up her glass of tea, sipping at it and finishing off the cup. She dug into her pocket then, laying down on the table more than enough ryo to not only cover her meal but also offer up a hefty tip too. She dabbed lightly at her mouth with a napkin to make sure there was no remaining food left there and then stood up, picking up her gourd and carefully tying it back onto her back; shifting the wrap a bit until it fit comfortably but securely…

Wordcount: 520 | 2,685

It was a typical night at the restaurant, just like any normal night. People came and went. Meals were ordered, brought out, eaten. Some people chose to dive into the chutes in the floor to catch fresh fish, clams, lobsters and snails, some chose to go to the lower floor for the more aquatic experience. A few times, Myuto was called into the back to help with some heavy lifting, but he mostly remained by the entrance, playing music that echoed throughout the whole establishment, Occasionally Sakana brought ryo to the register for Same to add in.

Some patrons put ryo into Myuto's tip cup as they left. When it appeared that the Mizukage was done eating and about to leave, Mother and Father Hozuki as well as Sakana came from the kitchen to see her off. Father Hozuki was a tall, muscular dark skinned man with wild black hair and crimson red eyes. Myuto looked almost just like him. Unike the rest of the Hozukis, he had several bottles of water fixed to his hip, while Mother, Same and Sanaka all had one. Myuto was known to carry around several in his bag.

"We hope the meal was to your liking, Mizukage-Sama," said a deep voiced Father Hozuki. Because of the heat and the atmosphere in the kitchen, he was constantly drinking from his bottles as if he were an alcoholic. He had to do this to stay hydrated.

Mother Hozuki collected the fee and the tip. "We hope to see you again at Foot Restaurant, Mizukage-Sama! You are welcome anytime!" she said. Father was grinning too, while Sakana didn't really have an expression.

Same was often Myuto's voice, and asked questions that Myuto should have asked if he talked. "Mizukage-Sama, when did you want Myuto to come around so you two could talk?" he asked, which caused Sakana's face to dip into sort of a frown. Myuto, still sitting near the entrance playing the Koto, saw this frown and simply shook his head with his blank look, not missing a note to his song.

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Mother Hozuki, Father Hozuki, and Sakana came out from the back clearly to say goodbye before she took off. She noticed that unlike the majority of the family who only seemed to carry one bottle of water with them Father Hozuki carried several: it still didn’t quite make sense to her, but she didn’t want to pry into their private business by asking – she figured it would be rude of her to do so. A genuine smile spread across her face and she nodded her head to the words both had spoken to her – it didn’t escape her notice that Sakana said nothing and didn’t seem to really have an expression on her face. ”It was very delicious, thank you. I’ll be sure to return soon… I must say this is one of the best restaurants I’ve ever visited.” She wasn’t lying either: the food had been delicious, the music more than pleasant, and the hospitality wonderful.

Same then spoke up, causing the Mizukage’s attention to shift and focus onto him. He inquired as to when she would want to speak to Myuto and the question caused a thoughtful look to form on her face. ”Now would be a good time actually – if that’s alright that is. I have to head back to the office for some paperwork I forgot to grab anyway…” She would shift her attention as she spoke onto Myuto, adding on a polite addition to her wording, “… that is if you’re not busy and don’t mind. If you have something else you need to do we could always meet tomorrow morning.” She would leave it up to him: she didn’t expect him to drop whatever he had planned on doing to come in on such short notice.

If Myuto indicated in some way that now would be as good a time as any the Mizukage would give a small bow to the rest of his family with a smile and then make her way out of the establishment and back up the street. She hummed softly as she walked but didn’t really bother mentioning anything: she wasn’t exactly the type for small talk and what she had to say to Myuto was not something she wanted to discuss where public ears could eavesdrop. The last thing that she wanted to do was cause some kind of panic because a civilian overheard something he or she shouldn’t have and started some grand and glorious rumor. The information she had wasn’t perfect, some of it was even guesswork, so there was no point in causing some kind of mass panic.

Given the path on which she traveled they would reach the administrative building fairly shortly, and after stepping inside the Mizukage would follow the all too familiar path to her office. Opening one of the double doors she would step inside and gesture for Myuto to take a seat if he wished: they were all quite comfortable and well padded. The door, were Myuto not to shut it on his own, would shut as soon as the Mizukage ran her hand along one of several small seals burned into the wooden top of her desk, before she seated herself in her comfortable office chair. One of the other seals she bothered triggering before starting caused a small glow; activated seals covering the floor, walls, and ceiling in intricate patterns suddenly coming to life. ”Those seals are to ensure no one can eavesdrop on what I’m about to say… so long as they’re activated anything that is said here remains well within this room.”, she explained, not wanting to alarm Myuto but their sudden appearance.

”What I’m about to inform you of is of the strictest confidence: you’re one of the first people whom I’ve decided to tell but I want my shinobi on their guard in case trouble hits...” She would pause then, reaching into one of her desk drawers. What she was looking for was easy enough to find and after only a few seconds she would pull out of her drawer a small file which she slid across the desk for Myuto to look at that contained hand-drawn sketches and some basic information of several missing-nin. ”A while back the kage of another village was slaughtered before the village was completely destroyed… there were rumors from the few survivors as to who did it. Most of the intel that’s been gathered pointed to a blindfolded man and a small girl – though there are reports of other missing-nin in the area during that time too. Now, some of what I’ve heard is guesswork and assumptions intended to fill in the blanks, but from what I’m being told some of these individuals responsible in this heinous attack have been seen in neighboring villages… Glimpses mind you, and whispers… but it’s enough to be disturbing. If they could take down an entire well armed village and slaughter what was supposed to be the strongest individual in the entire village… Well, I want to make sure everyone’s watching their backs. I don’t want my people taken by surprise.”

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The Mizukage complimented the meal which made Father Hozuki smile and nod. Answering Same's question, she said that Myuto could come along right then if he wanted, or if he was too busy he could come tomorrow morning.

"It's starting to slow down around here, I can handle the rest of the back room work," said Father Hozuki, pouring some of his water over his head. "Myuto! You go with Mizukage-Sama and see what's up, help out however you can, alright? Put those talents of yours to good use."

Myuto nodded his head even while not looking in their direction, and Father Hozuki headed back towards the kitchen after giving one more wave to the Mizukage. Sakana couldn't seem to contain her anger at the situation and folded her arms, making a "hmmph" noise. "Ohhh you. Sakana you had to have seen this coming one day. You seriously need to give up on that little complex of yours," said Mother Hozuki. "Myuto is not your little brother for you to protect anymore, he is something special. If he can help change the world then it won't be from this restaurant. You had to have seen this coming. He can do things we Hozuki haven't been able to do in a really long time, who are we to hold him back?" Sakana's look went from frustrated to a little sad. "Anyway, they're only going to talk. Now come along, we have work to do." Mother Hozuki looked towards the Mizukage once more. "Goodbye Mizukage -Sama, please come again!"

Myuto finished another song. The remaining customers in the restaurant applauded. Myuto moved the tip cup beneath the front counter and folded up his Koto, tucking it beneath his right arm so that it resembled a parcel or a staff. When the Mizukage walked past and out the front entrance, Myuto followed her. The walk back to the Administration building was in silence, but he didn't mind. He followed her inside of the building and into her office, closing the door behind him. She motioned for him to sit down in one of the seats, which he did. Whatever she did next on her desk caused all of the sound outside to suddenly stop. Myuto looked around strangely. The realization came quickly that she'd sound-proofed the room, likely for security purposes, and what she said next confirmed that.

She rummaged through her desk and produced a file. While Myuto looked it over, she began a tale of how a Kage of another village was killed - assassinated - and the village wiped out. The assassin was described  from survivors to be a blindfolded man and a little girl. There were also reports of others as well, an intel file on all of them in what she handed Myuto, as well as a basic sketch of them.

Powerful super ninja; dangerous criminals. They were still lurking about out there. The Mizukage wanted him to be informed. Against the likes of ninja who could destroy villages and warp the landscape, Myuto didn't quite know if he was prepared for such opponents, but it didn't mean he'd let them have their way were they to show up here in Kiri. He trained himself everyday for encounters such as these. Myuto pulled out his own notebook and pen to draw his own pictures of these criminals just in case they did happen to appear here.

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