route_1065 | Ain't no party like a ninja party

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Ain't no party like a ninja party

Who: open to literally anyone in Blackthorn City who wanders into the ninja party + friends
Where: Blackthorn City (mainly hotsprings but also anywhere)
When: July 23rd
Summary: Sasuke gets a birthday party whether he wants one or not. Lucky for him, he has friends (in spite of his best efforts) who'll plan one.
Rating: G? PG for violence

[ooc; general mingle log for Blackthorn City/Sasuke's birthday. Most of it will probably take place at the hotsprings itself, though like the 'who' says, it's completely open to anyone just walking by and wondering what the big deal is, or someone who's already there and then has their pleasant soak interrupted by a bunch of dumb ninjas.]

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[It's not Neji who bothers her, he's still a little ways off keeping an eye on her. Bathing suits or no, he was still inclined to leave women be while in a hot spring...and he tended not to be overly friendly while he was attempting to relax in one anyway.

No, it's Yosuzume who interrupts her thoughts, swimming up and proudly announcing "BLU!" before it begins attempts to attack and tangle up in her hair. That's how Yosuzume says 'hi', of course.]

[Oh no no no no she's got her hair in braided pigtails, you are not messing this up, Yosuzume! Tenten lets out a yelp of surprise and immediately catches the little cloud-bird in both hands, tugging it away from her hair.]

NEJI!

[But but! The hair looks like a good nesting place and she's done with the water! Have a squirming flailing cloud bird in your hands, Tenten. Try not to yank her feathers or you'll be pecked instead.

Neji, by the way, is a short distance away lost in thought. When Tenten shouts, he gives a slight start, glances in her direction and...sighs.

It must be like having children.

She shouldn't have to worry long before her teammate makes his way over and plucks the bird out of her hands.] Yosuzume, stay out of other people's hair.

[Yosuzume, please. She's just going to keep that hold on the cloud-bird so she doesn't escape back into her hair. Thanks but no thanks.

Once she's safely in Neji's hands, though, Tenten turns and rests her arms on the edge of the spring, glancing up at him. She was going to ask him why he's not relaxing in the water, but anything she might have said to that effect is forgotten as she stares up at his forehead. His definitely-uncovered-and-bare forehead.]

Neji, the mark...

[She doesn't point, that'd be rude, but wasn't his whole problem with the thing that it could never be removed?]

[His thoughts are on Yosuzume once the bird is in his hands, scolding and instructing the bird not to go around attacking people's hair lest she be attacked in return. He doesn't actually notice Tenten staring until she speaks up.]

Hn? [Mark...

It takes him a moment to trace the direction she's staring with her words. Of course. The curse mark, which...faded in death. He'd found it somewhat disturbing when he saw his bare forehead at first, but it later occurred to him that...even if he hadn't been killed in battle and the mark released then, in this constructed reality it was possible it might be hidden.

Furthermore, if this was more reality than construct, the lack of chakra might--possibly--break the jutsu itself.

He shakes his head.] There's no chakra to sustain even static jutsu here.

[So even the ink from the mark itself had disappeared without Chakra to sustain it...? Seals worked oddly sometimes, and these kind were hardly her specialty. Instead she just beams, because that's the best news she's heard in a long time.]

Really? That's great, then!

[Give her a second to hoist herself out of the water so she can get at least a tiny bit closer to eye level, one hand reaching out to familiarly touch his elbow.]

I'm sure it must be a relief, huh?

[It was never actually ink, it simply appeared to be ink due to the concentration of chakra in one spot, like the Yin Seal. But he'd rather not explain the mark, so it works for him that she doesn't ask.

He glances down at her hand when she touches his elbow. While he has been...in less than the best mood since the arrival of Kushina, he still gives a small smile in response to hers.]

I haven't feared the curse mark in quite some time. Still, its presence is...not missed.

[More weird things about the future, it seems, and she's visibly surprised by the mention that he hasn't been afraid of it. She hadn't known that he was ever afraid of it, but the lack of bitterness and anger isn't something she misses.]

I'm really glad, though. Has Naruto-kun seen it yet? Seems like something he'd be happy to hear about, too.

[It's been a few days since Kushina's arrival, though, and she still doesn't quite know what's going on...]

[Fear was a crude word, but to say he 'accepted' it was patently untrue. He was no longer ruled and chained by it the way he once was, and so 'fear' seemed appropriate.

He shakes his head.]

I'm sure Naruto is far too occupied entertaining himself and Sasuke. [Tenten has been the only one to notice so far. But he would hardly blame the others: many wouldn't know to look for it, and those who did would be likely to think he was simply main branch. The few who might notice it was missing had been busy.] ...Aside from that, I'm concerned he might attempt to foist further eggs on me in some misguided attempt at celebration.

Well, it is Sasuke's birthday, so I guess that's to be expected...

[Seriously, that whole misunderstanding a few months back about Naruto and Sasuke and whether or not Naruto was competition? Good thing that's over.

But then she laughs, since hey, she's given him eggs too, and he doesn't seem to mind caring for Yosuzume too much.]

But I wouldn't worry about him giving you more eggs for the same reason. But Neji... [Her eyes drift back up to the seal, or lack thereof,] Can I ask? About how things are now with you and the Main Family...?

[He isn't really sure what that's supposed to mean: Naruto needed no excuses to spend all of his time fixated on Sasuke now that the youth was in range and in the form that Team 7 would have remembered him.

He waves off her comment about the eggs dismissively. It is one fortunate thing that his birthday is so far away from other gift giving days. He needn't worry about more 'gifts' for quite some time.]

...We...understand one another better than previously. There were things I believed of them which were untrue. [There's a faint smile then.] And before I found myself here...things between myself and the Main Family were settled in a satisfactory way.

You mentioned that, before we were attacked. By Sand and Sound, I mean. That Hyuuga Hiashi-san had come to talk to you about something with your father.

[She clasps her hands behind her back and glances up with another quick smile. The future and this place had been really kind to him, huh? No mark to worry about, and even his anger at the Main Family seemed to have eased.]

I'm really glad about that.

[What good is death and an afterlife for if not to give a form of peace and a 'new' life, after all. Another faint and fond smile.]

Mm. That was the time he cleared up a misunderstanding I held over a certain matter with my father. In fact you could say that the matter just before arriving here was the conclusion of that conversation. In that way...the future is not entirely bleak.

[Her smile only broadens as she looks to him again.]

That's great. I'm really glad you're here so I can know all of this, Neji, really. I mean, I'd see it in the future, but for now, this is a start.

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Ain't no party like a ninja party

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