Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Games of Body and Soul

All Roads Lead to the Black Market

After Lord Sixth excused the newly assembled Team Hokage, Hanasaku remained still where she previously stood, observing her superior with an awkward glare. The Sixth took a couple of moments to notice this, the three genin who were on their way to leaving the office also turned back and froze in observation of how this will play out.

It was no secret that Chestnut Hanasaku and Lord Sixth – Ogame Okoto did not get along. Some thought it was because Ogame occupied the seat, which Hanasaku previously held. After all, while Chestnut Hanasaku was not quite the textbook definition of a leader figure or even of a responsible adult, she was clearly displaying signs of growth and improving at both areas during her time as the head of the village.

Those that knew Hanasaku at all from a closer distance were aware that it was not the case at all – the woman disliked the politics and micromanaging every aspect of the village. Leadership suited her ill and she was just temporarily holding the seat as per the original arrangement with the Council. Showing no ambitions of desire to prolong her stay in it.

Hanasaku's differences with Lord Sixth hailed from the woman's tremendous love that could have been compared to an actual family that she showed to her students and Sixth's strict, by the book decisions in terms of their growth as well as the very confrontational manner in which the two settled their disagreements in the past. Tensions were burning up as if the glares represented even a single percent of their owners' strength, they'd have long since made the world that held them collapse in on itself.

"Will there be something else?" The Sixth finally spoke up, murdering the living hell out of the awkward and creepy silence that could have been compared to the cold war while anyone around these two would have felt like citizens of bickering world leaders. Almost accepting the fact that these differences might cause their own utter annihilation and the sick sense of cosmic irony.

"Drats, I forgot again..." Hanasaku snorted before pulling out her little book and flipping through several pages, her eyes slowly shifted through the paper. The woman's fingers ran through the lines at the pace of someone who has recently mastered the rocket science of reading but was not quite confident in their mastery yet.

"It was very mindful of you to attribute us a specialist required for this assignment," Hanasaku exclaimed in a polite yet forced manner before bowing half of her body in a submissive manner. "As expected from a leader such as Lord Sixth!" she added, while secretly glancing at the still open book in her left hand.

Lord Sixth blinked a couple of times. Over his time serving as Black Ops he had seen more than his fair share of all kinds of things this world had to offer but this genuinely confused him. He was a master of reading the environment and tracking any sort of killing intent in a fellow person but this woman displayed none.

"I apologize, Lord Sixth, sensei is just reading a book about improving her skills as a mentor. She's just learning..." Kiyomi grabbed her mentor by the collar and dragged her out of the office with a blush on her cheeks.

"I... I see..." Lord Sixth babbled before clearing his throat and returning to his work.

*****

"Ugh... I hate the goddamned Uchiha. Those snobby brats thinking they're so much better than everyone!" Kiyomi grunted while Team Hokage worked on leaving the Administration building.

"I dunno, their faces are usually so bland. I don't think they're thinking about that much at all. Maybe they're just kinda returded or something?" Meiko pondered, twisting her lower jaw as her head was working overtime.

"Do you mean "retarded"?" Waiso tried to fix Meiko's flaws in thinking, walking into what he did not yet know was an impossible task.

"Too late, newbie! I refuse to call them anything other than "returded" from now on, those little turds!" Kiyomi laughed out.