With the Coming New Year

[King of Cats]

Sitting on his front porch Shiro was feeling restless. He had a long day at work as a ninja. Most of the day was spent on one mission. It was a grueling task to clean all of Mrs. Oshiwata's house but no one else was going to do it. Worst of all the other two genin didn't show up for duty so Shiro had to do it all by himself. He moaned and groaned the whole time but when he finished at four pm he was urgently called to another mission. This one was much more exciting and of a higher rank. They needed a Nara for the hostage situation and Shiroyasha was just the man. After careful negotiations Shiro found an opening and performed the Shadow Imitation jutsu. "Target aquired." Shiro told the cops and puppeted the man to release the cry young woman from his clutches. Shiroyasha was the hero.

He just felt like he could have done more. Something was driving him up the wall and he just couldn't put his finger on it. Rocking in a chair he listened to the radio and replayed the day in his head, trying to figure out which point he decided he would be unhappy with himself come night time. The sun was still out but barely. It was dusk time and Shiro was out of sorts.

Shiroyasha jumped up. "Fuck it!" He shouted and bent down to flick his radio off. It was playing some shitty classic rock song about cocaine and it wasn't alright with Shiroyasha. He'd heard enough, thought enough too. He needed to stretch his legs and get some action in his life. He left his front porch and started walking towards the Ninja Administration Office. That was were genin were given low ranking missions. It was put together like a commodity line but there was always work to be done. Shiro figured he would get some late night work in. The halfblood stuck his hands in his pockets and grumpily continued walking down the street.

[Taiga]

Man- Taiga wasn't even the luck son of a gun to get the title of Hokage and yet here he was doing paperwork while sitting at the Ninja Administration building. If Fanho wasn't getting laid at that casino in Tea Country or wherever his diplomatic mission took him, Taiga was going to make sure he made the biggest paperwork mess Konoha had ever seen. Peering down at the stack of papers he continued at it for what seemed like hours, till finally, a voice on the fuuinjutsu sound system rang out through the building.

"The mission office is closing in 15 minutes- if your case hasn't been filed, take a number and prepare to return."

Taiga had nearly fallen asleep when the sweet voice of a 60 year olf office assistant, heavy in the audible taste of cigarettes, called out to him. "Roz, you sweet angel." he said as he began to pack up his desk, looking just busy enough by hankoing the pile of papers he had saved for just the occassion that no one would question his slacking. He couldn't wait to finish up. A man like him had things to do, places to be, bottles of wine to drink, beds to sleep in, women and men to enjoy. The bannin ran his hand slowly through his grey hair and exhaled, a small puff of smoke exiting his lips.

I swear if some fuck comes through those doors right before close. he thought to himself, only for Sukairaa to implant a mighty good plan into his mind. If someone does, you should give em that one mission the genma cackled.

[King of Cats]

When Shiroyasha made it to the office he had just about fifteen minutes to get a mission from an official at their desk. He looked around for anyone familiar and noticed most of the people were getting up and leaving for the day. Shiroyasha was bummed out to see everyone leave but as he looked around he noticed someone was sitting at their desk still. Still standing in the doorway Shiroyasha grinned wildly and walked straight for the desk of Taiga.

Recognizing the Earth Genma jinchuriki from other times in the office Shiroyasha realized he had never recieved any orders directly from him. He figured it was due to his inconsequential rank and hoped today would be the start of something new. Shiro was smiling still and arrived at the desk. "Hello sir." Shiroyasha's voice was smooth and quiet. As he spoke someone brushed by him with a bunch of paperwork in their hands. When they collided with Shiroyasha the persons paperwork went flying all over the place. Shiroyasha apologized to the woman and started bending over to pick up the papers. He suddenly realized his stress was shedding off his back like water weight, just being in the ninja office was relaxing to him. Shiroyasha truly lived for his work as a shinobi. He quickly picked all the papers up and handed them to the woman. She thanked him and continued her exit from the workplace.

"Sorry about that sir. Shiroyasha pulled out the chair for visitors and sat down.

[Taiga]

It was like slow motion as Taiga watched a human hurricane enter the office, fifteen minutes to closing. It was like slow motion because at the rate Taiga perceived the world it was slow motion. The man collided his way into one of the employees sending her papers falling. Taiga counted the seconds in between as the papers fell, the pair picked them up, and exchanged their pleasantries. By then it had turned to minutes. Taiga tapped his fingers on his desk impatiently, his head echoing the 10 minute countdown like a coo-coo clock, his conscience announcing to the rest of his mental state that his chance of getting out of the office on time was increasingly at risk.

As the boy announced himself to Taiga, he would unapologetically look at the boy, look at the clock, then look at a stack of missives on the counter

"Being on time is a crucial tenant of being a shinobi." Taiga lectured. If only this Genin knew what a shitty student he had been- probably better described as an F5 tornado than a Genin. Taiga would stand up and moving to the counter where the missives were look through it. Sighing, he'd wave his hands. "Look, I don't think any of these missions are a good fit for you...." he said trailing off into a shit-eating grin as he glanced back at the Genin who was dangerously risking causing him to work overtime.

Oh! Give him the toilet cleaning one- ooh ooh give him the one at the old shinobi home! Sukairaa snickered with an unusual and childish tone. Taiga, mirroring the voice in his head, gave a light chuckle.

"I think I have a special mission for you. One that could really change things."

Ah- that one? That's a good one kid.

[King of Cats]

"Oh god here comes a lecture.." Shiroyasha thought to himself and abstained from rolling his eyes. It's not like he was late to the office, he just wasn't present at a good time. Shiroyasha tried to imagine the stress paper pushing put on a shinobi as recognizable as the Earth Genma. Taiga had a reputation among the Leaf as a warrior during war times. To see such a battle hardened shinobi in a state was weird for Shiroyasha, he only could imagine how it was for the jinchuriki.

When Taiga told Shiroyasha he didn't think any of the missions he had were a good fit his heart began pounding. He got a rush of anxiety and his brow moistened with sweat. He didn't want to go back home bored and restless. Shiroyasha was desperate for a mission. He was craving the thrill of shinobi work. To mold chakra was a rush for young Shiro, even if it was just to jump across rooftops in search of a missing cat. Shiroyasha craved the thrill of a shinobi now more than ever. He frowned when Taiga said that, but quickly regained his composure.

At the mention of a mission that could really change things Shiroyasha was reminded of the hands of fate. His father was always going on with old adages and one of them was, the hands of fate will move you towards your destiny. A mission that could really change things sounded like his destiny to Shiro and he grinned happily. Shiroyasha looked Taiga right in the eyes, his own bright yellow eyes flashing with light in them like a sunspot bursting from the core. Shiroyasha said to Taiga, "I trust your judgement sir." He unfolded his hands from his lap and sat more upright in his chair to listen properly to what Taiga had to say.

[Taiga]

The Bannin shifted in his seat as he crossed his legs, arms, and stared right into Shiroyasha's eyes. He took a deep breath and then pointed to the bathroom.

"The toiles on the 2nd floor of the administrative building are clogged. Would you mind fixing it?"

Taiga looked at Siroyasha with the deadest, straightest stare with no sense of tomfoolery. He was entirely serious or appeared to be at least. He'd hold his hand out to signal for Siroyasha to wait for a second though, and give it about thirty seconds of dramatic pause before letting out a rancid laugh and taking a file off of his desk, procuring a single sheet of paper from within. Grabbing his intricate hanko from his desk he stamped it and handed it to the boy, who was now making him stay dangerously close to closing time. He nodded gently as he passed the paper.

"This requires a discrete hand-" he said quietly, nearly whispering it. "No questions asked. Details in the document." he said as he blinked once, then turned around and went back to his desk, seemingly ignoring the Genin. Whenever he turned around to leave, Taiga would call out "Jokes aside that toilet is clogged. Let the kind lady near the front door know on your way out." he ordered before opening a file and pretending to be busy.

The document, if Shiroyasha read it, had some details, ranks, normal stuff, then a prime directive. The short-long was, he needed to sneak into an academy and change some files around.

An academy student named Moriya Yagi needs his assignment changed on graduation from Team 7 to Team 2971B.

If Shiroyasha knew his reporting structures, squads, and fellow Genin well... he'd know there was no such team named 2971B. Letters weren't used in team designations and there certainly was not 2971 Genin squads. Just what did this mission mean, and what could it be about?

[King of Cats]

Staring Taiga dead in the face Shiroyasha had the coldest look on his face. Taiga could have asked him to murder a puppy and he would have remained stone face. Shiroyasha was working as a ninja now, he had the most serious of mental forms prepaing his mind for what he was about to endure. Shiroyasha knew it wouldn't be anything toto dangerous, he was only a genin after all but the way Taiga looked at the half blood signaled to him it was extremely important.

When Taiga broke the news the tension in the air was palpable. You could cut it with a butter knife. "Would you mind fixing it?" Taiga's words echoed in Shiro's mind. He was suddenly sweating and filled with anxiety. Cleaning poop was his greatest weakness, he was born with a sout stomach. Shiroyasha couldn't bare the smell of another's waste, but as he was in ninja work mode he absorbed Taiga's words deep into his conscience for the thirty seconds they were left to float in the air. Shiroyasha was not feeling it and suddenly he regretted coming into work tonight.

But then the Bannin let out a terribly evil laugh and the heart quickening Shiroyasha endured began to recede. He felt a sigh of relief coming to escape his diaphram but Taiga handed him a document and he bit his breath once more. Usually Shiroyasha had a confident word to give his advisor but he felt like it would be more professional to keep his mouth shut. He didn't want to say something stupid to someone in such a circumstance. He instead began reading the document as Taiga talked. Shiroyasha had excellent eyes and the shine in them seemed to multiply as he activated his Raitogan and began scanning the document. Shiroyasha had an incredibly fast mind and he could analyze a paper filled with text in les sthan thirty seconds thanks to the unique way his Raitogan captured light. The fine detail his sight gave him made reading so much easier.

Among the standard notations and such there was a directive for the mission. Shiroyasha would be sneaking into the academy and replacing some documents on a fresh genin. Someone fresh out of the academy in fact. The placing was strange to Shiroyasha, he had never heard of any such teams but he had faith in Taiga. By the time Shiroyasha had analyzed his mission details Taiga was up and giving him one final instruction. He was told to let the desk clerk know about the clogged bathrooms. Shiroyasha what Taiga had ate that made him destroy the toilets. He stood up and gave Taiga a salute. Shiroyasha accepted the mission without saying a word.

The details on the mission required it to be done at night, after the academy was closed for whatever reason. Shiroyasha pondered why the secrecy, but he didn't give it too much though. Taiga telling him "no questions asked" pretty much solved his curiosity. It was beyond his pay grade to know. Shiroyasha was merely serving as an arm for the village and he planned on doing it right. After he told the nice lady about Taiga's blow up he left the office and went back home to prepare himself. He had until eleven at night before the academy was closed so he planned on making the best of his time.

Geared up with his kunai, shuriken and all sorts of other ninja equipment he probably wouldn't need Shiroyasha set off in the night for the academy. In his red coat he jumped from roof top to roof top until he finally made his way to the Academy. Shiroyasha climbed on the roof. From his memory the records he was looking to alter we on the third floor, the fourth hallway in room 2012. Shiroyasha had explored the whole academy as a youth and he rarely forgot such fun times. He knew the academy like the back of his hand and crawled about the roof until he made it to the window where the records were kept.

Shiroyasha lifted the window and crawled in the room. It was real dark but the Nara could see, his eyes were trained for the dark. He snuck across the room and ducked underneath the windows he passed. Shiroyasha remembered there were guards in the academy, trained chuunin who were keepers of the halls. He didn't want to get caught by them, even if he had a mission. The point of being a ninja was to be silent. Shiroyasha was careful not to let that tenant slip past him on this night. He eventually made it to the wall were the documents were kept and using his Raitogan Shiroyasha scanned for Yagi, Moriya. It took him just a second to find the paperwork and Shiroyasha pulled it off the shelf.

At the task keepers desk Shiroyasha looked at the document with a magic marker. With his dojutsu he quickly found all the places on the document he would edit and then performed a Kai on the magic marker. The fuuinjutsu on the ink inside the marker was released and Shiroyasha began covering up and reprinting the document in perfect condition. It only took him a couple minutes, Shiroyasha was fast. Once he was done he put the document back and headed back for the window. He jumped out and the mission was all but done.

The next day Shiroyasha headed back to the office. He had performed excellently on the mission and was eager to get some reward for it. He was hoping for Taiga to recognize him as a ninja. Shiroyasha had never been recognized by someone of his stature and to be proven as an arm of Taiga would be great for his self esteem. Shiroyasha thought about it as he walked to the office. It was early in the morning still, not even eight o clock. When Shiroyasha arrived he greeted the same desk lady from the night before. She gave him a weird look and he wondered if she suspected him for the toilet destroying. He was sweating in the mission office again, but never the less he walked over to Taiga's desk.

[Taiga]

After the kid left, Taiga left work ten minutes later. The sheer stress of having had to overwork such a boring job in a mission office had caused him to go to Konoha sanchoume and get absolutely destroyed. Both men and women danced on his lap and a copious amount of alcohol beyond his comprehension was infused into his body. Then, the next day, he woke up to rinse and repeat.

---

Nursing his hang over as he sipped on a cure tonic, Taiga noticed something out of the corner of his eye as something was moving towards his desk in the room. He looked out the side of his eyes. Did he know this punk? He sure didn't remember. Pretending he had't seen him, he looked back to his desk then continued to do his work, as if nothing had happened. After some seconds realizing whoever approached him was still there he would sigh, take a deep breath, then look back at him.

"Can I help you with something?" he said as he reached for his tonic and took another swig, awaiting the kids response.

[King of Cats]

Sweating profusely Shiroyasha stood at Taiga's desk. The vibe gave him the idea not to sit down. He felt like he wasn't going to be there for long. Taiga had a certain aloofness about him that hinted to Shiro he did not even remember giving him the mission the night before. Shiroyasha stuck his hands in his pockets. He was kind of annoyed with the idea of being forgotten so quickly but he tried not to let it show. He stood there for a second in front of Taiga, trying to recollect how he was going to say what he had to say.

"Good morning, sir. I'm returning from that mission you gave me last night." Shiroyasha pulled the envelope Taiga had given him from his coat pocket and set it on his desk. "I completed the assignment and I'm here to collect my payment." Shiroyasha smiled, the idea of money perked him up. Even if Taiga didn't acknowledge his outstanding ninja potential he figured he would be able to afford a nice bagel from the shop by his house. Shiroyasha had drank more than enough coffee in the morning and his stomach was doing the boogaloo. As he stood there his belly grumbled loudly, "Brrrawp!" Shiroyasha ignored it and stood there waiting for Taiga's reply.

[Taiga]

The mention of "sir" and "mission" caused Taiga's ears to perk up as he turned his head and stared at Shiroyasha. Deep confusion struck his face as he blinked a few times then turned to the file, then back to Shiroyasha, then back to the file. Receiving it with a quick culturally-acceptable bow of the head at 30 degrees the Bannin opened the file and read through the papers, from the original prompt all the way to the mission log and notes Shiroyasha had carefully put together.

Turning white as a ghost, like he had just defecated in his own pants or something, Taiga turned to Shiroyasha. His hand scratched the back of his head as he let out an awkward smile and said, "Shit- I didn't think you'd actually do this mission kid... it was a prank."

He paused for a moment, feeling a bit bad his joke hadn't stuck the landing. This kid was to faithful to his duties as a shinobi... While he couldn't pay him with state money for his own shenanigans... Bannin were on retainer. Clearing his throat he reached into his pocket and pulled out his coin purse. It was shaped like a little Fanho, the new Hokage. Taking some Ryo out he put it on the table in a tray for the boy to collect.

"He actually bloody did it, this chap..." Taiga mumbled to himself. Though it was a prank he was surprised the Genin managed to break into the academy and the filing rooms no less without getting caught. That... That showed he had a knact for subterfuge.

Taiga stood from his desk and shuffled through it's drawer, procuring a "away- come back later" sign as he placed it on his desk and turned to walk out of the room. He waves his hand at the boy- a clear gesture that he was saying Walk with me.

Perhaps this young man had better ways to service his village than saving cats from trees or the plethora of shitty missions fresh Genin got.

[King of Cats]

Shiroyasha was surprised when Taiga told him the mission was a prank. At first he was a little hurt that he had been made a fool of, but after rethinking it over he did think it was pretty funny some kids assignment would be delayed due to the great jinchuriki's playful nature. Shiro wondered if Taiga often played pranks on the genin. As he thought about it he watched Taiga pull out an "Away" sign. Shiroyasha was even more shocked when taiga signaled him to follow him.

Walking behind Taiga Shiroyasha was silent. He didn't want to chance making a fool of himself, or getting another prank pulled on him. He did not consider himself a jester, and that made him seriously consider what Taiga had in mind for him. "Maybe i impressed him?" Shiroyasha thought to himself while he walked behind the Earth Genma jinchuriki.

[Taiga]

The Bannin was silent most of the journey and would lead Shiroyasha through a hallway to a quiet corridor. That quiet corridor led to a stair well with a decent amount of dust on it. Despite this various shoe, boot, and sandal prints destroyed the film of dust and provided the only proof possible that people regularly climbed these stairs. Still quiet, the pair would round a corner to a door. Taiga's hand would press against it before it opened, revealing another smaller, darker corridor.

After a while, the silence would finally break, and they would find themselves in a room that looked akin to a scroll library. Taiga, procuring a scroll from the wall, would take it and set it down on the table.

"Micro-scrolls. Fuuinjutsu is used to shrink the text to an unbelievable density and level. Utilizing some ninpou you can read it- nifty really." he said as he paged through it rapidly for at least thirty-seconds till he started to slow, evident that he was coming up upon whatever he was looking for.

In an "ah- yes" moment he tapped his finger upon the scroll then looked up to the boy.

"This is one of the village archive storage rooms. Frightfully boring really- but useful at times. I see you were in the academy at the same time as someone. Same age, even. Hitoke, Ibuku, was it? Different classes but surely close enough to know each other or be acquainted to some level." Taiga rattled off, leaving little room for interjection. He would page through it a little more.

"You've proven to me that you can sneak around- so I have a mission for you off the books. It'll be funded from my coin, and you'll speak of it to no one but me. It won't go on your record but you'll have helped a rather powerful person achieve something, and in return, I'll be watching your career for you..." he said as he shook his head.

"I want you to spy on Hitoke Ibuku for me."

[King of Cats]

Shiroyasha listened intently to Taiga's words. By the time the Bannin had finished his proposal Shiroyasha was smiling, his heart set on performing this mission for Taiga with perfect rpecision. Shiroyasha was a trained spy. He knew how to operate incognito and maintain an air of mystery among his dealings. He nodded to Taiga and said, "I will do my best, sir." He had a wicked grin plastered on his face, the look of satisfaction. He was being recognized for his good work by one of the most powerful shinobi in the Leaf Village, his dream was basically coming true.

Reading over the micro-scroll Shiroyasha put to memory what facts were written on Hitoke, Ibuku. It wasn't an invedibly detailed read but it was interesting. It had a description of the boy and his academy dealings were all listed. Shiroyasha had incredible Visual Prowess and scanned the document over a few times. He passed it back to Taiga, "Very well. I expect to have a report in the next week with a detail of his schedule. Hopefully I can integrate myself into his life and discover some personal facts for you. I'm sure Mr. Hitoke is taking care of some important things, things the village should be aware of." Shiroyasha didn't know why Taiga was after Ibuku's personal details but he was smart enough to know better than to ask. He simply smiled at the bannin a sort of helpless smile. He was ecstatic to be working closely with Taiga and Shiroyasha was not shy to let the man know. He looked like a well respected young man getting ready to do the most important task of his life, and quite frankly that was true.

Shiroyasha knew exactly where he would begin his search. There was an orphanage where Ibuku was raised and Shiroyasha planned on begining his search there. His smile molded into a look of seriousness as he thought about it. Shiroyasha was a determined young man and there was no doubt in his mind that he would find out what he needed to about Ibuku. Ibuku, on paper, seemed like a decent kid. He graduated from the academy with honor and despite being a late entry into the world of shinobi. Shiroyasha found it interesting that IBuku didn't join the academy until he was of a later age and noted that down in his mind as something to inquire about. He planned on getting to know IBuku one way or another. Shiroyasha was an incredibly inventive and innovative ninja, he went to lengths no one else would in ways no one else would dream of. He figured he would go in a disguise. Shiroyasha liked to roleplay, it was fun for him.

Standing there with Taiga Shiroyasha realized he was being quite awkward and just quietly thinking to himself in the presence of a greatly respected Konoha ninja. He cleared his throat and quickly stood at attention. He gave Taiga a military salute and then bowed to the higher ranking ninja. "I will keep in touch sir. Thank you for this opportunity to aid you. You will be pleased; and we can keep this between ourselves." Shiroyasha paused for a moment. "Am I free to be dismissed sir? I am going to get right on this matter." Shiroyasha broke his stern countenance and grinned. He loved the opportunity to flex his talents with espionage. Shiroyasha was a tactical genius and the ways he worked himself into intelligence gathering were wacky to say the least. He was unorthodox but his results were promising. Shiroyasha wondered if Taiga head perhaps looked into his record and saw the case of the missing litter of kittens Shiroyasha had found. It was a funny story of a woman stealing her neighbors kittens, but a story for another time. Thinking about how lame it actually was wiped the smile off Shiroyasha's handsome face.

[Taiga]

Only one week, eh?

The corners of the bannins lips curled inward, pleased as he watched the genin instantly sink himself into the notes, documents, and the mission. They curled even tighter when he understood the mission and gave an answer on how long he thought it would take to get back to him. He knew HouRenSou... so clearly he had listened to what the academy had told him.

Taiga watched carefully as the younger shinobi took the mission assignment in stride. It seemed no matter what Taiga gave him he happily took it- perhaps a sign of naivety or perhaps a sign of strong loyalty... though one could argue those were both one-in-the-same. He scratched his chin then looked at the younger shinobi when asked if he was free to be dismissed.

"You're free to go, but some ground rules." the Bannin said as his eyes tightened.

"You are to bring no harm to Ibuku- and more importantly, whatever you do, you must not cause any mental or physical stress to him, what-so-ever." Taiga said as he looked at Shiroyasha.

"Failure to follow these rules and- I can't guarantee your safety." the Bannin said cryptically as he put away the files and stood up, clapping his hands together and walking Shiroyasha to the door and hallway.

If ROOT wants me to train this new Genma host, I'll learn about him first.

[King of Cats]

Shiroyasha was looking Taiga right square in the eyes as the Bannin spoke to him. Shiroyasha's shining golden eyes were sparkling as the light hit them in the little room they were in. Shiro's eyes were almost as bright as the light bulb shining in the room. He took in what Taiga said with a very serious expression on his face. He was taking in an order and he looked to be incredibly receptive to what Taiga was telling him about Ibuku's safety. Shiroyasha nodded his head when Taiga was done talking.

The genin stood at attention before Taiga. He was very focused on the task he was given and what Taiga said rang through his head. He immediately started crossing off the list any dangerous ideas that could cause Ibuku turmoil. There would be no cross dressing and seducing the jinchuriki, and Shiroyasha wasn't disturbed by that fact. He quite liked the idea of taking up his role for Taiga in the shadows. Shiroyasha was clever and inventive and the parameters of his mission were sure to test him. He welcomed the challenge. Inside he was burning up to battle the enemy in his pursuits to spy on Ibuku. Ignorance would be his main enemy and Shiroyasha was careful not to fall victim in the first battle. He carefully said to Taiga, measuring every word so as to not write a check his ass couldn't cash; "I will be sure to leave the young mans peace be. You have my word Taiga." Shiroyasha gave a great bow to Taiga and then turned to leave the room they were in.

As Shiroyasha went back down the steps he was grinning. He couldn't wait to test his skills out on a fellow genin. Shiroyasha was always talented and he certainly had strong wits about him, but to be tested against someone else in a realistic setting was a rare opportunity. He would have to pull out every stop if he wanted to get to know Ibuku. Shiroyasha planned on obtaining several facets of information from him.

First Shiroyasha was going to stalk Ibuku until his daily routine was memorized. He wanted to know when IBuku woke up, what he ate, when he left for work, all that. Shiroyasha planned on getting a good idea of it all in just a few days. Once IBuku's routine would be established Shiro would infiltrate the boys life as a civilian and get to know the boy more personally. What he fought for, who he was allied with, where he expected himself in ten years, Shiroyasha was going to get to know Ibuku real, real well. He was certainly going to have a hell of a dossier for Taiga to read in a weeks time.

Once Shiroyasha collects all of that intelligence on his target he planned on going in for the most crucial piece of knowledge. He planned on meeting with Ibuku and sparring him in battle. Shiroyasha would certainly be in for a challenge but he was ready for it. Besides with all of his collected knowledge on Ibuku he expected it would be an easy fight.

Shiroyasha most certainly had a plan and as he left the office he headed directly for Ibuku's home. Shiroyasha wanted to see it at eye level. In an alley he assumed a Transformation to cover his tracks and he headed right for Ibuku's home.

[Taiga]

Taiga watched as the genin before him received the order and heeded attention to each and every word. He listened intensely and he didn't ask any necessary questions. It was clear to him that the boy had promise and all that was left to see was whether or not he could actually pull it off. If he could deliver- deliver to the confidence he had shown the bannin. Nodding as the two parted ways, Taiga returned to his desk. He had at least 6 more hours left in the shift today.

Can't believe they got me doing village administration desk work. he thought to himself as he counted away the hours.

Unlike his predecessors, Fanho had perhaps realized the best way to cage and control Taiga was to tighten the clamp on his coin purse and cut his pay if he didn't do missions or work. A man needed pay in the end more than anything.

Woe was capitalistic society. Though also woe was communism. And also any other concept. Taiga mused that perhaps it was just life that was woe.