A Valuable Asset

[Taiga]

In the past decade Taiga had earned many accolades and equally as many names. When they were warped back from the middle of Soul Country to deal with an SS-rank threat that was destroying Konohagakure at it’s gates, he dealt the killing blow that defeated the threat and earned him the moniker of “the hero of Konohagakure”, least for a few years before everyone forgot.

Then came the Great War. He was a commander and had fought in the expanses of Dragon Country and several other territories under the banner of the Fire Country Daimyo- serving the nation that hosted their shinobi village. Through his unparalleled mastery of Genjutsu and fighting from the shadows amongst his men he had earned the nickname The Phantom of Konohagakure. And yet again, his title had changed, as if each one defined a chapter in his life.


Now there was only one title that defined his identity: The Hokage’s Shadow. This was set in stone the moment he had resigned from his candidacy for Hokage. The moment he had agreed to play second-fiddle to Fanho. It would be his job to do the things the Hokage could not. To act from the shadows to defend the village.

His resolve, as usual, was resolute.

Such resolution had led him to actually join forces with the ANBU and Tenzin under an agreement that he was free to move and act of his own will- no one would command him. With the new information that brought to him, one thing in particular troubled him.

All this time the village had harbored a dangerouns missing ninja known as Takamori Saigo. This man- this killer really had walked the streets like everyone else, no body none-the-wiser.

The name echoed in his head. When ate he thought of this name. When he showered this name ran through his head like the water ran from the spout onto his body. When he kissed his lover this man's face appeared in his head. Needless to say, for the past few days he had become obsessed with collecting information on one individual.

To say Saigo was infamous was an understatement. A former Iwagakure missing ninha. A member of Henkou. A wicked man who had done wicked experiments on innocent lives in his past. It surprised Taiga when he learned the truth that the mad doctor, who was supposedly reformed, was allowed into the village by Takeo.
As his head collected his thoughts on the matter, the Bannin bit his lip gently as he eyed up a building from the street. Smoke bustling off his body he walked straight into it's wall, his form falling right through and into it.

Perhaps the fangless-hound had some great foresight. While all the bad things about Saigo were true... the man was perhaps the foremost expert on medicine in the world what was more important was that he had been a high-ranking Iwagakure shinobi.

The village had changed a lot most likely in the past decades, so it wasn't easy to assume Saigo had any useful intelligence.... But, the man knew people. He had threads they could pull on. Having tailed and watched the man for a few days now when not busy, Taiga had tracked Saigo to one of his usual spots within the village.

Deciding now was as good of a time as any, the Phantom would poke his head out of the wall and stare at him, silently. He’d wait for Saigo to notice him.

Whatever Saigo was doing, Taiga’s reaction would be blank, like he didn’t care about the intrusion or whatever he saw.

-
607

[Tsedas]

Takamori Saigo had that feeling again. He couldn't shake it but he wasn't making it overt that he noticed it, but someone was watching him again. That same feeling from back when he first came to Konoha was looming once more. The squishy, invasive eyes were upon him. He furrowed his brow in thought the past few days as he tried to ponder what could have brought the need to put him under surveillance again. Was it the invasion of Wind country by Iwa? Perhaps it was the inability to save Takeo? Did they discover that he secretly enjoyed putting hot sauce on ice cream?! He didn't, but if he was that kind of person then he should definitely be on a watch list.

He wasn't keeping track of the times, but he was keeping track of the instances were he could feel them watching. When he wasn't feeling that sensation, he could only guess if they were still looking in on him. Leaving the hospital was pleasant enough, but to come outside to some lurking shadow on his heels again just made him frown. "I thought I had proven myself time and again already, why would they do this now? Doesn't matter, I need to put together a proposal after my errands. Surely Fanho will hear reason about aid relief for Wind country after the attacks... If only Kiyori was still around." He sighed as he remember the promising young lass. Thoughts of her led to thoughts of others as he recalled Takeo and Kawa.

Moving through Konoha, he headed to one of his usual haunts to get a moments peace. Shifting off the main avenues and down an almost cramped side street, he arrived at a small hole in the wall place that he promptly entered. The sizzle of food and smell of fried food filled his nostrils as he gave a wave to the owner. "Back again, Takamori-san? Been a few weeks now, I was beginning to think you got deployed on a mission or something."

"And deprive you of your only mid afternoon customer? Never." He smiled with a laugh at the older man who returned the sound with his own guffaw. "Fried noodles with sakura sauce, a side of beef dumplings, and-"

"Bao with BBQ pork and a bottle of cold sake. You have ordered the same thing for months now, don't you wanna try the other things I make?"

"Maybe next time I'll get adventurous and try the katsu curry, but yes that'll be my order." Saigo stated before that feeling came back and his smile faded. Glancing over, he saw a face poking through the wall and this caused the Doctor's eyebrow to raise up. "Make it two cups Wada-san." He said while seating himself on the stool at the bar of the little whole in the wall eatery. Using his foot, Saigo pulled a second stool out and looked at the face, motioning with his hand to the free seat next to him.

[Taiga]

Taiga wasn’t surprised in the slightest that the infamous ex-Henkou member and arguably medical genius had picked up on someone tailing him- watching his every move. From the extensive ANBU files collected Taiga was sure that the man had been tracked before and for quite a lengthy period, and at some point he probably gained enough feeling for that it could become some discipline taijutsu if they existed in a game like world where everything was set against a system.

Truth be told, he hadn’t read the full files from the days of Yoru’s ANBU but he had come to the conclusion that Takeo and two separate ANBU commanders had decided Takamori Saigo was not a threat- then that right there gave him enough confidence to assume the same. Wasting any other efforts or resources on a decently closed case would be silly.

As Taiga watched the man gently put his foot out to command a stool to his will, then order two drinks and invite Taiga to join him, the Bannin cracked a wicked smile of amusement.
Saigo wasn’t boring like most of the village- this was now clear.

Blinking a few more times Taiga emerged fully from the wall as odorless smoke fumed off of him and his body retook its corporeal form. Clearing his throat he called out to the keep Saigo had been engaged with:

”Add an order of gyoza and some tsukemen too and switch the tab to the village administration under authorization of Sarutobi Taiga.” he called out as he moved to take the seat offered to him by the Bannin. This act not only was to fill his empty stomach but also to state who he was and why he was here to the infamous Takamori Saigo without needing to directly say it.

Once situated on the stool, he’d look Saigo in the eyes with an unearthly stare- not as if he was sizing the man up but instead as if he was judging the weight of his soul. Finally looking away to the water pitcher the’d break the pause and silence he had created.


”Takeo trusted you- even if I didn’t like the fangless hound that means I trust you too. That and Fanho believes you are a man of reformed character.” Taiga said as he poured himself a water with the pitcher and cups from the counter, letting out an exasperate sigh.

”I don’t expect you to know much about the affairs of a place you haven’t lived in for decades…” he said as he dipped his head into a shallow bow to Saigo.

”But perhaps you know someone or something- a thread I can pull on to ensure that war never reaches our forests.” the Homage’s Shadow said whole heartedly, bowing his head once more but deeper.


Though he wanted to gut Tatsuo like a pig and do so much more his job was solely to prevent war and more casualties for Konohgakure: no matter who’s back needed a dagger in it or what dirt he’d have to dig up or even what populace he’d have to cast Kotoamatsukami on he’d do it.

546

[Tsedas]

"I'll be damned, did you invite a friend for once?" The barman laughed heartily like amused old fellas do before going back to work with a grin on his face. Saigo looked at the old guy before turning his gaze back to Taiga. "Wouldn't exactly say a friend... yet?" Quirking an eyebrow, the Doctor looked over the other shinobi while leaning sideways against the bar. Planting his elbow on the hard wood surface, Saigo rested his cheek upon his upturned palm. As they locked eyes, Taiga would see the depth and width of a vastly traveled soul that's seen the good and the bad, the great and the evil, the light and the dark. They danced almost if aglow with green light and seemed to harbor both mirth and shadow. His eyes were those of a man who danced with the devil in a pale moonlight and came out changed.

"I would hope he trusted me, I helped deliver some of his kids. But I think he only opened the door to my being allowed to stay in Konoha because I saved Kawa." Saigo stated plainly before the barkeep set the cups on the counter. At Taiga's loose suggestion of knowledge on Iwa, Saigo cleared his throat and looked at the barman. "Hey gramps, mind giving us a moment? Use your back kitchen to cook, if ya can.[/color]" The old man huffed but saw the expression on Saigo's face and grunted before heading into the back to use the less visible kitchen. Once the sounds of cooking could be heard, Saigo turned to look at Taiga.


"You want me to talk about Iwagakure? As you said, my information is decades old. I could tell you about the Wall Guard, if that organization still even exists. Wanna hear about the clans? I can sum up my knowledge on them in a sentence each. Akari eat people like weirdos. Shoshiki make all the glass windows in Iwa. Enkouten make some pretty good weapons using lava." Saigo stated while counting on fingers the different clans. Pouring himself a cup of cold sake, Saigo took a sip before almost doing a spit take. "Damn you old man! You gave me that weird peach blossom sake again!"

"You didn't say not to serve it, did ya? Besides, you know I'm trying to get rid of these bottles!"

"Tch, wish he'd get that cherry sake out for me instead." Saigo grumbled before sipping from his cup again. Turning his attention back to the younger man before him, the former Iwagakure ninja shook his head. "I can't tell you anything that would be of us to be honest. The people who interrogated me upon my arrival dove into my mind and searched far and wide for information. Everything I know, the village knows. Everything I can share has been shared. I don't really know anyone in the village anymore.... I was a shut in as a kid and focused on iijutsu and trying to amass the skill to do what I can do today. I did it for the wrong reasons back then, but I found a way to turn it all around in the end. The only people I knew from back then are dead, that's part of why it was so easy for my to turn down a darker path and then cut the village out of my life."

Saigo took a sip from his cup and finished what he'd poured before setting the cup down and sliding it across the counter with his finger. "Sarutobi Taiga... Why is it so important that you have to skulk around as my shadow for information you should already have access to? Listen I recall hearing in the memos and such, you share the same title as I in this village; Bannin. If you're worried about defending the village against Iwa, then you've already lost. Power is strength in Iwa's eyes. Become strong. Power perceived is power achieved, the same holds true in Iwa's eyes. If they have such a hatred to wage war against Konoha now, what is the battle plan?"

[Taiga]

Taiga observed as the barman made jokes at the expense of the Doctor with a familiarity that only confirmed the Doctor frequented this waterhole very regularly. As the Doctor gazed back to him with the quizzical question of friendship, Taiga nodded back timed well with the yet. He wasn't here to antagonize Saigo, he was just here to affirm that this man would be on their side. Their asset. It would be his job to find out how to use every asset the village had, no matter how dark, to ensure that if war met their borders they would not only win but march upon their would-be conquerors and destroy them.

As he locked eyes with Saigo he could sense a great deal of internal struggle, but through it all a certain man that had come out. He himself would show a similar quality in his eyes. A boy who had struggled. Lost so much. Become so powerful but yet never able to protect those he cared about- least that was what Taiga was willing to show in his gaze. He knew all too well that they were shinobi and just as he could, one could control their presence even down to their gaze. Intuition only went so far.

Mirroring Saigo he put his elbow on the bar and similarly rested his hand on his upturned palm, turning inward and swiveling on his stool towards the man next to him. "If delivering kids for Takeo made you trusted, I'm sure you'd not be the only one..." Taiga said in a dry tone. He was relentless in his joke, without prejudice despite the man they talked about being the freshly deceased Hokage. The joke hit particularly because anyone who knew the womanizing Takeo would have likely expected to find out seven other new children at the funeral.

Merely listening to Saigo now, Taiga would move his head from his palm to resting his head on his chin. He had heard the Doctor had changed quite a bit in his moral allegiances, but he was curious to what lengths the Doctor would go to fight for the alliance if war came. It was true that the Doctor had nothing more in historic information to give them- but Taiga was here to assess gathering new information from untapped potential.

Drinking whatever he received as the Doctor slid him a drink without complaints, he would shrug to Saigo's complaints as if to say tastes fine to me. With a swig of the peach sake down his gullet he'd signal to the doctor with his hand, then lean into the doctor and say very quietly:

"What about new knowledge. You're a smart man- something of a scientist I hear. I'm sure no one knows the bodies of Iwagakure shinobi better than you. Perhaps some special medicine could be made that would shrivel Akari organs to dust. Or cause an Enkouten to be unable to control their lava..." he leaned back out after whispering such vile thoughts.

"Super soldier serum, that kinda stuff could be a more positive approach..." he said with a light cackle as his cold gaze would strike a freezing lock on Saigo's eyes.

"I don't need power Doctor. I have more than I could ever need." he said as a puff of smoke escaped his mouth and his eyes glowed for a moment- a moment brief enough that if Saigo was paying attention he'd hear the Bannin's voice change slightly and perhaps see a ghostly presence about him.

"But only a fool would bet on their own power. I can kill that octobrat myself but it wouldn't stop a war. Iwa might respect power but their drums have been beating and even if every S-Rank in their village dropped dead they will never bow to me, Fanho, you, or anyone for that matter. What I need is assurances. Assurances that ensure that even a little Konoha Genin could take down a Jounin."

[Tsedas]

Saigo snorted in amusement at the person's quip about people delivering Takeo's kids. When Taiga went on to ask about new knowledge and the bodies of Iwagakure ninja, Saigo shook his head. "I avoided clan members when I did experiments, it would have been a bigger red flag than what I was already doing. Akari I heard tales of but never personally met. Enkouten I did meet a few in the academy but that was before I even started studying medicine or doing experiments. If you want me to tell you the inner workings of Iwa's clans, I'm afraid you're out of luck on that subject matter. I just have the typical things that float around villages. Akari have special organs and eat people, that's all I know. If you want me to develop some kind of anti Akari drug, I need bodies to work on. If you want me to understand Enkouten bloodlines, I need Enkouten corpses to examine. I can't wish new information into existence."

Picking up his drink, Saigo sipped at it before setting it down. He let the flavor roll over his tongue and stay in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. Looking at the cup, he heard his younger drinking partner speak of super soldier serums and he scoffed in amusement. "We're shinobi, aren't we already super soldiers in comparison to other soldiers? But given some time, I could probably develop some enhancement drugs or rapid healing drugs that could make or break a fight or two. Just need time to research it." At the mention of Taiga not needing power, Saigo raised his gaze back to the young man and leaned forward. "You don't need them to bow to you, you just need to convey power. The problem is, any drug I make to give a Genin that kind of power is either gonna kill that Genin, or break every bone in their body by the time the drug wears off. Enhancing a Genin to that caliber of power would result in a number of side effects, some if not half could cripple them for life.... assuming I wasn't alive to perform restorative surgery upon them... or someone of equal skill and competence."

Turning to the bar, the Doctor rested his arms upon the counter top as he folded his fingers together. "And what exactly is your plan if war breaks out? Crash course all the Genin in the village to fight Bannin level threats? What are your trying to figure out here? Cause I could spend all day guessing and telling you about stuff I used to know that probably isn't relevant or helpful.... or you can just ask what you came here to ask. What is it you desire? Do you want to know if I can fight? Do you want to know if I'll be of help in a war? Do you want to know I'm gonna do my dog gone best to help Konoha? Cause if you wanted information about my past, there are other people you could have asked. People have read my mind when I first came here, scanned everything they could find and I even went back in a few times to let them take a crack at finding what they might have wanted to know. They were obsessed with Henkou and Yaku Fushinkou for a while, but I hadn't been associated with him for some time when I did come to the village."

Shifting his gaze, he stared at Taiga out of the corner of his eye. "So then Taiga... Are you asking if the Doctor can fight or are you trying to hinge a bet that I'd be willing to dig through a mountain of cadavers to make some lynch pin ace in the hole?"

[Taiga]

Taiga zoned out half way through the speech and a half the good doctor gave him and instead focused his attention into the alcohol he had been given. When the doctor finished, there'd be an awkward tens of seconds of silence making it obvious he hadn't really listened to a word- or at least not anything till the final question posed by Saigo. Turning his gaze back to the doctor he simply looked at him and said, "I'm surely not after you fighting- that wouldn't do much good." with a hardy chuckle.

It wasn't that Saigo wasn't powerful- but as he had already stated having a few heavy hitters mattered little in the scale of a multi-country war. No amount of intervention from Fanho, Taiga, or Saigo could stop battlefields from losing across the world from their positions.

Taking another swig Taiga would mirror the corner-eye gaze from Saigo as he returned to his drink.

"Look Doc, you're a smart man. I'm just looking to use those brains of yours to find additional contingencies and strategies to improve our posture. Be it lynch pin ace in the holes- better soldier pills, poisons, gases, or whatever it takes. I'm sure you'll figure out how you can best support our cause in this venture." he put his drink down and then picked a menu up, paging through the alcohol selection.

Rather than a threat, there was specific emphasis on our. A call to arms to someone who was now considered a fellow countrymen. A call for duty and sense to serve the nation.

"Should the worst really come, even losing some if it means pushing back the threat is a worthy sacrifice I, unlike others, am willing to make. Whatever you need we'll make sure you have ample supply- my people will be in touch with you." he said as he flagged down the bar man and asked for a relatively expensive brand of a malt liquor- aged 40 years.

He wasn't here to tell Saigo what to do. He was here to ask him to do something. Use his gifts in research to help stack the deck in whatever way he could dream up.

When the bar man returned Taiga motioned for the bottle, then ceremonially poured first Saigo's cup, than his own.

[Tsedas]

'Oh good, he's day dreaming...' The Doctor thought before shaking his head. "Really? That's your big gamble at the end? Give me a break kid. I sat here warning you about the potential side effects of a drug in theory you wanted and asked you various questions about what you want out of this talk. What's the response? Patriotism and patronization." Saigo finished what little he had left in his cup as Taiga flagged down the barman for something. As Taiga was given the bottle of liquor, Saigo watched the other ninja pour it into the Doctor's cup.

"Why you even wasting the money on that? We aren't toasting a partnership, and tell your people not to be in touch. You haven't told me shit, given me shit to go on, and just waved the most vague concept of a proposal at me. We aren't partners, I don't work for you, and you haven't inspired any kind of faith or trust. Be a broody little secretive wannabe ANBU all you want, but I've seen and dealt with better. So you can either talk plainly and give me a better and more upfront proposal on trying to work together or you can take your tip-toeing around the issue words elsewhere. Isn't there a risk of war? Do you have time to dance around the issue with someone you want the help of?"

Saigo pounded back the cup full of liquor in an instant before sliding the cup away. "You came in here spouting some crap about trust. You give to get. Now either get your shit together and speak plainly or let me have my lunch in peace." Saigo was getting a bad taste in his mouth from this kid. Reminded him of the other people in his life who liked mincing words, spouting vague ideas like they were masterful plans, and giving him half-baked promises of what could be. Almost made his stomach churn remembering those voices. As if on cue, the food Saigo had ordered was brought out and set before him as he muttered his thanks to the bartender and grimaced as he grabbed his chopsticks. "I'm not gonna sit here and be the baby sitter of your scheme when I have better things to do."

[Taiga]

Taiga poured another two cups, the Doctor's and his own. Men like them needed to drink a rather large amount of alcohol to even begin to feel it's effects- so he wasn't worried about it dulling the senses anytime soon.

"I'm speaking perfectly plainly to you old man- if there's something you don't understand ask for clarification instead of getting cranky like a geriatric patient awaiting their jello." Taiga said with a slight smile in the corner of his mouth. He was, and always had been, a little shit stirrer after all. Shrugging, he'd look at the Doctor.

"Wasting my money? Did you not provide me a drink? And should I not provide you one, then, in return of the favor?" Taiga asked gesturing to the odd flavored alcohol he had earlier partook in. "Is that not in it's purest form an example of give to get?" he said with a light chuckle as he paused. It was, indeed, undeniably a pure gesture of mutual relationships to share drinks.

"Saigo- there's no better way of saying your greatest gift to this village and the reason no one snuffed you out in the middle of the night the first few nights you were here is you are a medical genius. You might say "side effects" or "its complicated"... but everything is at the start. The simplest of medicines were once dreamed impossible- till someone made it probable." he fidget his fingers.

"I can't begin to think of the solutions you could think of- I'm not a medic... so I can't ask you for anything specific. But, I can know what your skills are and where to best put them to use. This is, the only rational thing I can do." he put his hand on his chin. There was nothing more to gain then the untapped research potential from Takamori Saigo. He was already working in the hospitals. Doing medic things on that front.

"So again. I don't care what you do, so long as you do something to help our cause directly. Don't bog down on specifics of a medicine or poison. But use those damn gifts of yours to stack the cards in our hand so if we need it, we have as many contingencies as we need... find some way to make our shittiest medics half the doctor you are- I don't know." he shrugged, putting his hands out.

Taiga wasn't sure how he could be any more plain. No one in the village had any right to tell Saigo what to make, research, or imagine because no one possessed the skill or knowledge he did. But, Taiga was sure if he was given all the support he needed, he'd be able to come up with something.

"You respected Takeo. Iwa does not. They killed him and paraded his head around. If not for my asking, consider that Takeo let you be in this village for a reason and that's all I'm looking for- to tap that potential."

He almost wanted to make a honka honka sound effect, but that probably wasn't appropriate.

Clasping his hands together he added "This ask is, of course, under the guise of ethical research. Not asking you to return to your old ways..." Taiga said with a hint of importance on old. "Look I'm no poet... but hopefully my point is clear... why don't we eat and drink a bit more first."

[Tsedas]

"You ever consider that I might like jello?" Saigo snorted before biting into his Bao. The fluffy dough was like biting into a cloud as the teasing tickled of BBQ sauce soaked into the inner most layer of the dough. The filling was now exposed as steam escaped from the bun, the aroma of the pork filling the Doctor's nostrils as he chewed. As Taiga talked about his interpretation of give to get, Saigo just chewed his food and listened. Staring straight ahead, he listened but his brain was already delivering it's own inner monologue. He didn't like the sound of either looked down at the bun.

'Old man packed these full today...' He thought to himself be glancing at Taiga. While the pretty looking older man seemed disinterested, he was clearly listening. Once Taiga finished, Saigo set the bun down and swallowed. "You want medicine, ethically done at that, it would take months to develop a prototype. I say things like 'side effects' and 'it's complicated' for a reason. I've tried explaining break throughs to people who understand the details and they get confused or lost. But if I make a pill that can grant you strength and speed akin to a Kage but in return you suffer a bout of deep vein thrombosis in your femoral artery, you'd probably not know what the latter means but perk up at the benefit. Deep Vein Thrombosis is clotting in the veins of the legs by the way, typically in the veins, but I'm using a major artery as an example. These clots can be quite bad as well and cause heart problems."

Saigo plucked up his Bao once more and held it aloft for Taiga to see. "Power has a price, but the real problem is the number of possibilities for what can be done are endless. I need a direction or I'll just throw darts a board and wind up making a pill that helps old codgers get lively in the sack again or something. You want a list of possibles? I'll need some time to write them all out. You want your magical pills? You can get them after development is complete in a few months time. You want good results then it can't be rushed. Bear in mind, this is before test trials on people. Development of medicine isn't fast, but if your end goals for it aren't turning Genin into Kage level threats on the battlefield, then I can development enhancement medicine in a rainbow of effects and flavors. Do you want pills? Gummy bears? Powder to mix into a drink? Aerosol medicine can be inhaled and enter the blood stream more quickly. Pills or anything ingested will take a moment longer to take effect. What about eye drops? Just as effective as aerosel deployment. I doubt you want these to be suppositories'. Perhaps I can develop a patch that can introduce the medicine transdermally?"

Saigo had been rambling for a while going over particulars and seemed lost to the world as he meticulously pulled each strand of pork out of his Bao and lined them up on his plate as if each string of pork was a bullet point of his medicinally focused mind. "-ot forget that there's also the possibility of sterility.... oh wait, I was gonna make a list of all this." Saigo blinked and looked down at his now hollowed out Bao and all the meat lined up neatly on his plate and sighed. Using his chopsticks and the bun, he scooped and tucked it all back where it belonged before biting into the bun again. Despite having a mouthful of food, he waved a hand through the air. "Takeo was a good man in my eyes. Flawed, but what good men aren't? Kill him, parade his head, spit on his name all you like Iwa, yet your efforts will not erase nor tarnish the memory of those he considered him close. As for my being here... I wouldn't have made it past the first interrogation when I arrived had it not been for Kawa. That man and Takeo both held the means of my second chance, all I wanted to do was keep people alive."

Taking a drink, Saigo stared into the cup before looking over to Taiga. His green eyes seemed cold, even with the soft ethereal glow to them, but behind them burned something in the dark of those eyes. "Everything I do, for myself or my family or even Konoha is to keep people alive. You want a miracle then you pray for one. You want a Doctor to fix a problem, you show him where it hurts. But don't expect me to kiss it and make it better.... I mean technically I could, but that's not the case here. You want something made, I need to know what. Don't leave me to my own creative devices, you won't get what you want or what you think the village might want."

[Taiga]

Whoever knew the great Takamori Saigo was such a pedantic drag. Sighing, as smoke escaped his lips, Taiga ran his hand through his long grey hair as he procured a cigarette from his pocket. Making eye contact with the bar master and getting a nod that it was okay he light up his cigarette and took a drag as he leaned back on his stool, then took a swig of the alcohol before him while alternating the too in silence.

"Anyone ever tell you you're kind of a drag, Takamori Saigo?" he said with a chuckle as he finished the final bit of his cigarette then snuffed it out in his own palm. A bit of chakra escaped his palm as the cigarette was erased in completion. He figured someone as bright as the good doctor would be able to find a way to help the war effort on his own without direction...

"Alright, how about you focus on healing then? There's probably a way to put mystical palms or something into a pill... I hear you have regeneration techniques that can bring you back from a single-cell. Find a way to keep our boys and girls alive then."

"Considering you just as a force to put on a battle field, frankly, is a waste of your genius." Taiga said as he sighed and reached for some of his food. Speaking with a mouthful he said, "You can't be at every battlefield at once, nor can I. So we need to find ways to be there for the others even when we aren't... even if it gets down to sealing some of your jutsu into scrolls to give everyone." he said as he chewed through his previously ordered gyoza.

Taiga wasn't the best communicator... but all he was after was to utilize Saigo to his fullest potential to protect all that they had inherited. From Tousha. From Takeo. From Kawa. From all of them. Finishing off the food he wiped his face then said,

"What do you think?"

[Tsedas]

Saigo ate his bun a bite more as Taiga spoke after some silence, having been smoking a cigarette for a moment it seemed. When the question came, the Doctor put his bun down and sipped his drink before looking over at Taiga with a bright cheerful smile. "Nope! You're the first! Which means out of a volume of people you're in the .001 percentile range of people thinking I'm a drag. So unique that you don't even warrant a whole percentage point. How special!" He teased before turning back to his bun and picking it up. He stared it as he pondered if food could be imbued with medical properties. Mayhaps a jutsu that could turn a snack into a healing method. Perhaps there was a methodology to it all. But how would one make it readily available for production and distribution without the food going bad before it was used?

"Healing pills or medicine... I mean I've already pitched the idea to the hospital to preserve chakra output of the medical staff for injuries. I can see how far they've gotten on that. Nothing that will save you from being bisected, but enough to handle smaller wounds and things. For something that handles more severe injuries, a more potent medicine will be required. I'll need to gather samples and various medicinal herbs to properly concieve such a pill, then test it." Taking a bite of his bun, he chewed while while thinking on the resources needed to create that kind of pill.

"My strengths don't thrive on the battlefield but off of it. I can fight, I can keep people alive, and I can ensure people make it out alive. However, the techniques I could put into scrolls for healing are.... well most are common place, the strongest technique I have in regards to healing others requires someone with a Fuuton affinity. It can heal over a large area and heal multiple targets at once but it's going to take a toll on people not accustomed to expending that much chakra. The strongest technique I have for healing oneself is [Woundless Tyrant]. It can heal everything, including fatal wounds quickly. However it requires a lot of control and will definitely take a toll on others. Putting that into a pill would be difficult to reproduce and probably have a very low output for medicine, making them a 'break glass incase of emergency' type of item."

Saigo popped the last of his bun into his mouth and finished his drink. Pulling out some ryo, he set it on the counter before rising to his feet. "My lunch break is almost over, I need to return to the hospital and see to a few things. If you have something in particular you want for these medicines then write it up and send a letter to the hospital. No one would think twice about dropping my mail in my inbox there. As insightful as it has been to play the grumpy bastard, I've been prodding you for information at the same time and seeing how you handle me at my dumbest."

Stretching, he started to walk towards the door before dropping his hand on Taiga's shoulder. Leaning in, he grinned as he whispered quietly. "I was joking about losing my way and making pills for old codgers. I just wanted to see if you'd tell me what you'd want in particular. But you couldn't seem to give me a precise answer other than make better healing drugs. Shame, I would have been curious to explore a commission that was a little something closer to your heart.... that adn I already developed the medicine to help old codgers."

Saigo chuckled to himself before cracking his neck. "I'll look into your drugs but nothing will be ready for this coming conflict. I'll keep you appraised of any progress I make, but I won't promise a miracle drug. Best I can do is create compartmentalized drugs that enhance different attributes of a person, at least for now. Anyway, lunch is on me! Later Wada-san!"

Stepping out the door, Saigo pulled a small book from his pocket as he wrote down several notes and concepts to bear in mind for the development medicine. He also made a note to tease Taiga some more later. If Taiga followed him to give him grief or yelled after him as he was leaving, Saigo would linger to listen but then keep walking. He had patients to see and pills to develop!

[Taiga]

Taiga had slumped down in his seat, nearly comically turning white with a complete uninterested as Saigo seemed to talk a mile a minute, unloading more words than he ever thought was possible. Taking swigs of his drink all the while he prayed to the powers at be for Saigo to get to the point before finally the man had suddenly risen up and put money on the counter. Taiga was barely half way to mouthing "hold up a minute" when the man suddenly turned and put his hand on Taiga's shoulder. Taiga's eyes narrowed as the doctor said he had been joking this whole time.

Letting out a sigh that bordered on an annoyed grunt, Taiga merely looked back at the man, noting that Saigo was indeed the type he did not enjoy... but perhaps in his annoyance he actually did enjoy the company? It was like some sort of two-man owarai combo. Sighing once more he'd merely call out to Saigo was he left.

"As long as you do something with all that knowledge you have, that gives us an edge, then my expectations are met..." he said shrugging, before turning back to his meal and muttering something to Wada-san like is he always this way? once the Good Doctor was long gone.

He wouldn't pretend that for a second he knew anything about the medical world or cellular structure. Or research. Or anything. Taiga was, for all intents and purposes, a different kind of genius who operated more on gut feels and intuition and that had its limits when it came to the world Saigo played in.

All he could do was make it clear that he had expectations for the other man. Expectations that needed to be met. Reaching into his haori he procured a scroll and crossed off Sagio's name, before scanning it quickly to see what other names existed.

Nara, Tousha
Yamanaka Inori

And several other names were scrawled all through the scroll as "peoples of interest". Interestingly at the bottom was "Aisu Naohiro" and "Shinjiro". Neither had anything to do with Konohagakure.