In reply to Uchiha Sarada (msg # 21):

To hear Sarada be so supporting and telling her not to give up on Sigmund brought hope to Nori that maybe she could still hold onto that hope that things could be worked out. It was just going to require time and patience. She wasn't sure how long it would take. Whether it was days, weeks, months or years, but however long it did take, she would wait for him. Ever since they were kids, Nori had always gravitated towards Sigmund and admired him for his abilities and strength. She had never been sure if she would ever reach his level, so she worked hard in hopes that they could reach the dream of being a Shinobi together. That was something they had promised to each other and when they got older and became part of the same squad, she remembered the feeling of happiness she had at being able to be apart of the same team together. While she wasn't always the strongest between the two of them growing up, he had always been there for her and pushing her to be at her best. He was always there supporting her when it counted the most, but the fact that she couldn't be there for him when he truly needed her, pained her because she knew he had worked hard to be in the position he was in. To lose it all was just...she couldn't imagine having everything stripped away like that. 'He needs you Nori, whether he wants to admit it or not, he needs you. You’re what he needs right now. Remember that.' Sarada's words echoed in her ears and it made her wonder if that was really true, but it made her think of just what it was she could do to make him see that he could trust her again to be there for him. She didn't want to disappoint him, so she knew she had to work on proving that she wasn't going to give up and walk away. To her, he was never worth giving up on. He was worth so much more than that.

"I hope he does realize that I mean what I say. I don't ever plan on giving up on him, sensei. Even though so much has happened and we have been apart for a year, he is the one person in my life that has always meant more to me than my own. I don't care what I have to do to prove that, but I will no matter how long it takes. Whether it's years, decades or centries. I won't fail him again," she told her sensei solemnly as she stared up at her from the box she sat on. It was within her vow of determination to not give up on Sigmund that she heard Nanami's familiar voice come from off to the side, causing her to turn her head and look off to see her friend approaching them. Nanami had always had a very different outlook on things and somehow when she spoke, she had a way of saying things in a way that was just very...different. She had always been one of the more intellectual ones amongst them and even though she didn't always 100% agree with her on things in the past, she did respect her. When she brought up how their sensei had been killed in front of all of them at the exams, Nori's mind went back to that time as they all watched on helplessly. Thinking about that made the pain in Nori's chest begin to ache. It was a day that changed all of their lives. She remembered the sadness she felt. The pain. The anger. The need to want to get justice towards the person that killed a man who meant so much to all of them. Perhaps that really was the moment that changed everything for Sigmund. All of those emotions manifested inside of him and created that darkness which led to so much chaos and destruction. When she had thought of it like that, maybe everything did make more sense. Yet she knew that their sensei wouldn't allow his passing to be a justification for why Sigmund had done the things that he did. He would have wanted him to be better than that. To fight the darkness inside. He would have pushed him just like he always pushed all of them. More than anything, Nori wished he could be here right now. He always had a way of making them think and bringing them together. What would he had done in this situation?

"Our sensei wouldn't have wanted all of this to happen. He wouldn't want to be the reason why Sigmund changed for the worst instead of the better. He would have had us turn all of our negative emotions and channel them in a way that we could use them to our advantage. He always pushed us to be better because he knew we all had the potential to be something better than what we were. He was tough on us, but we all respected him deeply. Especially Sigmund. It makes me think of what he would have done in this situation that we're in," she said as she gave Nanami a faint but sad smile when she saw the crystal in Nanami's hand. "He always had a way of bringing us all together again..." she began to say before she slowly stood up to her feet and stood tall. "Maybe this is another one of sensei's tests that he is giving us. How do we piece together something that is broken and make it whole again?" Nori slowly walked over towards Nanami and stopped beside her before she brought up a hand and placed it on top of her shoulder. "You, me, Sigmund. That is how this all started. Even back then we were all very different, but that is what made us such a great team. He knew even back then that despite how different we were, we could make it work as long as we stuck together and believed in each other. Maybe we just need to remind Sigmund of that again. It will take time, but when have any of sensei's tests ever been easy?" she said with a small smirk.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:03, Sat 04 Dec 2021.

Nanami could only smile. This was the first time in a long time that it was genuine. Listening to Nori, and Sarada. She knew she waso n the right track. She had no real reason to hold onto to her anger towards Sigmund. He was in the enemies grasp from the time their Sensei was murdered. She had been thinking about it for a long time. It was only after listening to all of them that she finally controlled her inner self. Even now though she could not say she was the same person. She had adopted an old moniker, one given to the creator of her jutsu - Non-person -. She would lean against Nori. Something that didn't feel right sense they first met. She hoped this would be their new beginning. But would Sigmund accept it, or go straight to it being pity. Looking back at Sarada..

"Sensei, actually you mind if I have the crystal back. I think it is something both me and Nori would like to give him, and then have a long talk. I will leave out the events and will not blame things on him. I failed because I failed myself. I couldn't protect everyone like I said I would. Well it is time to step up or give up. I prefer stepping up over giving up. If I let you do it, Sensei. Then the point of it is lost. Both me and Nori would fail this test. We can't keep having someone else do the hard things for us."

She would let out a breath and look at Nori again. She was already feeling much better. Then she posed an odd question to Nori.

"I do have a question that I think only you might know out of all of us. What is Sigmunds favorite breakfast food?"

There it was. This was the smile that Nori remembered seeing from Nanami before all of this had started. It wasn’t forced. It was genuine. After hearing her friend speak, she was glad to know that they were on the same page with one another. They were the ones that had to fix this. Not Sarada. “Nanami is right, sensei,” she said aloud before she turned her body slightly so that she was standing side by side facing Sarada. “This is something that only her and I can do. We realize that we both have failed Sigmund. Not just as his teammates, but as his friends. What is the point of reconciliation or forgiveness if it isn’t being asked for by the ones who have caused him this pain? If you go on in there and give him that crystal, we will not only have failed Sigmund again, but sensei, too. It’s time for us to step up and take accountability for our actions. He may not forgive us right away and that’s okay, but I think Nanami and I can both agree that if we don’t reach out to him ourselves, that door will close out a chapter of our lives that we aren’t ready to end just yet. There is a reason why the three of us are together again.” She turned her head and looked at her friend beside her. “Call me crazy, but I really think sensei is here with us and I think we just…need to remind of him of who we once were and that we aren’t completely lost just yet. Our team and our friendship are worth saving. Even if I have to make him a million of those octopus shaped sausages that he loved as a kid in his bento boxes, I will do it.”

Nori had remembered all those years ago when they had ate lunch together underneath their favorite tree in the school yard. That was their spot. It was a spot that held so many wonderful memories for her and Sigmund and it was really where their story began. It was a story innocence, friendship, and in Nori’s heart, love. She wasn’t ready to close out their story just yet and she hoped he wasn’t ready to, either. “That’s why I’m also asking you, sensei. Please give us that crystal back,” she said before she looked back to Sarada across from them a solemn but genuine expression. “This test is for Nanami and I to see through to the end. Whether or not we succeed or fail should be left in our hands, not yours.”

Sarada couldn’t help but be proud of the young women before her. As they continued to reconcile and remember their first start as genin with their former sensei, she reached into her satchel and held out the crystal to them. She couldn’t agree more with the two; they were right after all. She shouldn’t be the one to give Sigmund this gift. It wasn’t her place to get involved in terms of fixing their friendships with one another. However, she did feel obligated to talk to Sigmund later about last year’s events: she too was just as guilty not being there for him but she honestly couldn’t. She spent that last year in a coma and the only thing she could train herself to do was chakra control and genjutsu. She wasn’t there for Sigmund either but she had hoped he would understand considering the circumstances.

When they takes about their former sensei, she was kinda jealous. Their old sensei left an outstanding impact on their lives and she had hoped one day Sarada could do the same for them. While she was still young and didn’t have a ton of life experience like their old one, however her bloodline spoke for itself. Former ANBU and a descendant of the Uchiha bloodline spoke for itself on her part. She wasn’t like her mother or like her father: she was unique and a whole new level of Uchiha. She vowed to herself that she could make this squad proud of her as well one day, but much later in life that is.

”Of course you can have it back. I was wondering when you’d realize this on your own. While I know I’m still your leader, there are some problems that you must figure out for yourself and this was one of them,” she praised with a soft smile. ”Just remember, he’s been through a lot okay? This test won’t be easy and there’s likely going to be resistance. A lot has changed over the course of the year and that can have a lasting effect. Just be considerate. Keep your emotions under control if you can. Things will be said, for better or for worse but you all need to clear the air with one another. That is how a squad succeeds: working together,” she explained as she let out a slight yawn. ”Excuse me,” she said with a soft, nervous chuckle. ”Be sure to wait until he wakes up at least. Let me know if you want us to temporary leave the quarters for privacy. “

Nanami noticed the shift in Sarada's body language. She would smile and shoulder bump Sarada as she came and took the crystal. The weight just kept getting lighter. She wanted to be rid of it permanently. Yet one thing would be there until the man in black was killed. She had no interest in capturing such a person. In essence all of her missions were training to find and kill that man. She never just blamed Sigmund. But like she had said he was there, and the man in black was not. She would keep some of her theories to herself until some of her inquiries were proven. For now she had to make her team whole again no matter what.

"It is on us, while there was nothing we could really do to prevent last years incident. That man wanted us there, and he seemed oddly familiar. But I don't know why. Anyways. I want us all to operate with a clean slate. What happened last year, stays there. Of course we still will be searching for Naruto and the Man in Black still out there plotting."

Her head would turn and look at Sarada after she had made the friendly contact.

"While our past Sensei understood us. He had taken many teams under his wing. You will be you. He will be him. Just be the best you and everything will be good."

Nanami says with a bright smile.

"Anyways. We'll bring him breakfast in the morning and likely ask for the room for a while. Unless something explodes, ignore any yelling or shouting that might happen, as no matter what I expect his frustration to be high."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:14, Sat 04 Dec 2021.

"Rest well," Sakuya replied as she watched Sigmund head to sleep. She was grateful for his words, hoping it would also help him find peace with their teammates too. It did not need to happen immediately as long as the situation gradually improves over time.

She quietly left the room, finding a cloak to wrap around herself to keep herself warm. Maybe she could check around the ship to see where everyone else was?

Nori had been glad when she saw Sarada take the crystal out of her satchel and come over to them to hand the gem back. To know that their sensei had understood where they were coming from and were allowing them to make amends with Sigmund on their own terms was, in a way, comforting to her. She heeded them to keep their emotions in check and to approach him with ease and consideration of what he had been through the past year. After knowing everything that had happened, she didn't want to approach Sigmund in a way that made him think she wanted to be at peace with him out of pity. She truly wanted to show him that she was still there for him even if only as a friend. Her and Nanami needed to remind him of where they came from and let him know that the three of them could work together again like they used. They were all stronger than when they had first started out together. They had developed and grown into the people that their sensei had hoped they would become. While none of them could have expected that things would turn out this way, they each had their own tests they had to face while being apart and their choices led them right back to where they started: together. Was it really crazy to think that their sensei was the one behind all of this? Somehow that crystal was a sign that maybe he was.

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity, Sarada-sensei. While we know that it is going to take work, we won't give up. Sometimes it takes something small to remind us of who we were and what we were before this all started. Hopefully Sigmund will see where we are coming from and understand," she said. She wasn't sure how Sigmund was going to react when the two of them would talk to him, but it was better than not trying at all and letting things be the way that they were. Their sensei wouldn't have wanted them to give up. It wasn't in any of their natures to do such a things. He was the one that made them realize that they were all stronger together than apart. Hopefully Sigmund would see that. "We will be okay, though, sensei. It will take more than words for him to forgive us, but sitting down and talking is the first step into piecing together what has been broken." She turned her head and looked over at Nanami beside her. "I think I may know just the thing we can make that may help him warm up to us again. It was one of his favorites as a kid," she told her friend.

We are skipping to the morning time now. Go ahead and post.

Nanami was up before dawn. She had become accustomed to sleeping in such a way due to her missions. She never left herself vulnerable. She knew she might be in such a situation in a bit. She would head to the mess hall and into the kitchen. She needed to think about what exactly she is going ot say. Will it be simple, or should she draw it out. She would come to the conclusion her short version would be best for the talk. It was simple, and really no argue points as this coming talk could likely be more difficult. But she hoped the easier and shorter approach would get the point across more quickly. As she was thinking she began to cook. She was far from the greatest cook. But she had mastered one food. Omelets. They were easy to make and needed minimal equipment. So she would start working on breakfast for everyone. She would work slowly so she would finish as people started waking up. There was nothing like smelling fresh food and coffee in the morning.

Nights out in the sea were usually the worst (but not as bad as staying out in the cold), and even for a shinobi with roots from the Hidden Mist the cold was unbearable. Sakuya has wrapped herself under her blanket to make sure she could preserve her body heat through the night, but that made getting out of bed even harder. The blanket bundle she hid herself in curled up before she finally peeked out, unintentionally shivering when the cold air came into contact with her warmed face. She soon reluctantly crawled out of bed and prepared for the day, picking up a scent of something nice cooked up from the cafeteria section of the ship.

When she came in she spotted Nanami cooking, something she didn't know her friend did during the time they shared letters. The latter seemed to be in a brighter mood than before, making Sakuya smile as she stepped forward.

"Good morning, Nanami!" the younger genin greeted as she approached, "What are you cooking?"

Nanami would turn and give Sakuya a smile. Again it was very genuine. It seems Nanami for now has gotten rid of the fake smile she had been wearing for a long time. Sakuya was one of the few people Nanami actually admired. Her pure heart and attitude was something Nanami wished she had. As she was humming and as Sakuya spoke up. Nanami would pause her humming.

"Omelets. They provide everything you need to start the day. Protein, fats, calories, carbs, as well as whatever the filling provides. These are simple cured ham omelets with a garlic cream sauce. I know it sounds fancy, but it really is simple. I created many variations when I was away on missions. They are quick, delicious, and you can find all but the cheese in the wild if my food supplies were low. But I figured it would be a nice way to start the day. You can have the first one of the day if you would like it? I figure you are not into coffee so how about some green or black tea?"

After the two friends finished speaking with Sarada, the two of friends went off to bed below deck. It had been about 5 o'clock the next morning when Nori had woken up only to find both Nanami and Sakuya missing from their bunks. It was still dark outside and she could feel a cold chill seeping in from underneath the cracks of the wooden door. While she had slept outside quite often, she could never get used to the cold weather. She sat up in her bed and planted her feet on the floor before she got up and stretched out her arms. She was quick to grab her cloak from the bed post and slipped it in. Once she secured it around her neck, she walked over to the door and opened it up. She braced herself against the cold breeze that suddenly hit her as she walked outside and quickly closed the door. She made her way up the steps and onto the ship's deck where she saw a few crew members already up and gathering things together for the rest of the voyage to the Land of Snow. She didn't see Nanami or Sakuya around, which could only mean one thing: they were both most likely in the kitchen.

Nori made her way over to where the kitchen was below deck on the opposing side and once she reached the bottom step, she reached out an arm from beneath her cloak and opened up the door. As soon as she did that, she breathed in the delicious smell of omelets. She couldn't remember the last time she had one of those. "I see you already got a head start this morning, Nanami," she told her friend as she walked inside and closed it behind her. At least it was a little warmer in here thanks to the heat from the stove. "Does the cook have any sausages on board? I'd like to make those if you don't mind. I know just the way Sigmund likes them." Today they were going to have their talk with Sigmund, so they were going to make him breakfast as a nice gesture before they did. She was glad that she was going to have Nanami at her side this time and that they were doing this together as friends to make peace with Sigmund and ease their way back into being not just a team, but friends again.

Sakuya was clearly impressed with the omelet Nanami made, taking a good look at the yellow and fluffy food her friend prepared for breakfast.

"Thank you, Nanami! I'll have green tea with it!" she replied as she picked up the dish prepared for her. The plate felt warm in her hands and helped with coping in the cold climate. It was at that time Nori came in and also greeted Nanami, mentioning about how Sigmund would like his omelet done. Sakuya then was able to put the pieces together - this was Nanami's attempt to reach out and make amends with Sigmund!

"Good morning, Yamada-san! Did you sleep well?" she turned and greeted Nori with a smile.

Nanami would smile as she went into the cold storage and brought several sausages and set them on the counter next to her. She'd wave at Nori to come into the kitchen. She started a pot of hot water, and began making tea and coffee. For Nanami she had grown to love coffee. It had helped her on many of her missions. She slid an omelet to Sakuya.

"It should be almost perfect. The occasional rocking the boat does throws off the balance a little. Feel free to cook the sausages, Nori. There are many ways to cook them. I did look for bacon, but they didn't have any."

She said as she went back to cooking the next omelet. Nanami began humming a soft melody as she cooked. She really hoped the upcoming talk would be a productive one. She planned on her side to be shorter than Nori's as there was a lot more history there.

Upon hearing Sakuya's greeting, Nori turned her head and looked over in her direction. "Good Morning, Sakuya. I see you must have also followed the scent of Nanami's cooking, too," she said with a soft smile as she approached closer to the two girls. She fixed her cloak over her shoulders and stopped beside the stove, bringing up her hands to warm them up. "After being gone for a year, I almost forgot how cold it was the last time we were here. At least we were able to get some rest despite that." She watched as Nanami started to boil water for coffee and tea on the stove top before she plated an omelet and moved it towards Sakuya. It really had looked delicious. She hadn't remembered if Nanami knew how to cook in the time that they had known each other, so this was the first time she was seeing it for herself. Although, she did seem fairly good at it.

"I'll get started on the sausages," she said as she brought her hands down and reached out to grab the pack of sausages from the counter before she moved to the other side of Nanami. She got a small frying pan from above the stove and set it down on the stovetop before she turned on the heat to warm up the pan. She added a little bit oil and swirled it around to coat the pan. Once she was done, she then took hold of a knife and opened up the package before she started to make small slits to make the legs. Nori lightly tossed them into the now heated pan one by one before she began to shuffle them around to make sure that they were evenly cooked. While this wasn't her first time cooking, this would be the first time that she was cooking something for Sigmund. "I remember as kids these octopus sausages used to be Sigmund's favorite thing in his lunch bentos. His mom used to cook them all the time and he always had the best smile on his face as he chowed down on them," she said as she smiled at the fond memory of when her and Sigmund were children. "As much as he didn't always like sharing his lunch, we would always share our lunches together every day at school."

Edited GM note:
Player Shiroma is taking some time away; being unable to make her character just vanish for this mission, your leader will
resume both their actions as one, however try to avoid any interaction with Shiroma unless absolutely necessary.

---

It hadn’t gone unnoticed that Sarada and Shiroma were becoming much closer than just professionally. They had spend every moment they could to themselves, especially last night. Once Sarada had finished conversations with Nori and Nanami, she felt better knowing her squad might actually overcome their differences after all. As a sensei, that was her job; to ensure her squad could work together regardless of any personal issues. But these issues had to be resolved. She was going to allow them to make amends on their own while they had the down time for now. She knew she needed to train them once they got to shore. She needed to know their capabilities now like before. She needed to test them all; where they could improve or perhaps they were superb on their own.

As she remained on the deck in silence, the snow continuing to fall quietly and blanket the ship. ”So this is where you’ve been hiding,” Shiroma cooed as she walked from the corner and made her way next to Sarada. ”I was beginning to wonder when you’d show up,” Sarada murmured with a smile as she turned and snaked her arms around Shiroma’s waist and brought her closer. While she had some height on the gorgeous ice Queen before her, it wasn’t much of a difference. She closed her eyes and brought her lips to Shiroma’s softly then passionately. Shiroma was surprised as butterflies grew in her stomach, her breath catching as Sarada continued to kiss her. Shiroma had frozen for a moment before she allowed herself to relax in her arms and wrapped her arms around Sarada’s shoulders. Sarada had pulled away for a moment, coming up for air as they both we panting in unison. ”I’ll never get enough of this.” Sarada had whispered before kissing her again softly before smiling and turning to the ocean, Shiroma still in her arms. ”Are you ready for this again?” Sarada asked. She knew Shiroma had been here too. This is where they saved her; Sigmund actually saved her.

Shiroma had been with the group for over a year now and she had become a vital part of their team and apart of Sarada’s life unexpectedly. Shiroma remained quiet as she looked beyond, her other persona chiming in this time as Shiroma’s eyes became ocean blue. ”This time I’ll be ready. They got lucky on me last time but I can ensure you, things will be much different now. I won’t let them hurt us.” Sarada nodded her head and they remained quiet before making their way back to Sarada’s private cabin. Shiroma never regrouped with her comrades downstairs and instead spent the evening with Sarada that evening.

By morning, the two women had still been asleep in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms, naked and in love. Last night had been a bit of a blur however it wasn’t a moment they would forget. Sarada had been the first to wake up. She held Shiroma closer, burying her head in her hair and just enjoying the scent of the beautiful woman in her arms. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:45, Sat 22 Jan 2022.

   Sigmund had stayed to himself last night after briefly speaking with Sakuya. He was awoken every time he heard the others leave the barracks. He was rather curious however he wasn’t going to get up any time soon. He needed to be alone. It wasn’t long before he couldn’t fall back to sleep and decided he needed a nice hot shower to start his day off. Grabbing fresh clothing, a black tshirt, black trousers, and black traditional ninja shoes; he kept his Uchiha kimono cloak packed away still. He didn’t want to bring attention to himself while he was here. His shower was quick as the hot water didn’t last. Using his chakra, he managed to dry himself off instantly as he got dressed. He frappes the hooded, leather jacket on himself as he walks up the steps and hits the deck.

   He had no desire to find the others however food was in the air. A familiar smell at that. Sausages He hadn’t smelt those in years let alone had any since he was a child. He began to reminisce for a moment before shaking his head. He wondered who was cooking those delicacies but he sure he’d be offered them by Sakuya later. He walked around all over the deck before settling down in the back of the ship and sat down on some crates as several crew members were shoveling the snow off the ship. He closed his eyes and did a deep breathing exercise and when he opened his eyes he attempted to produce his sharingan but when he tried, he was given pain a shock that coursed through his body. ”Argh,” he muttered out in a pant before he stopped trying. It really was true: he could no longer harness any power through his bloodline. Would he ever be able to again? Was there a way to break this curse?

   He huffed in frustration as he closed his eyes again, this time meditating his chakra, storing it for his new power: the wolf sage. He hadn’t displayed it for anybody and while it wasn’t as powerful as it was when he was able to use his sharingan, it could do some havoc if given the chance. He had to follow daily meditations so he could connect with his inner wolf, the spirit of the pack. As he continued to focus, chakra became visible around him, swirling slowly around him as he continued to control it.

"That's right! Nanami's cooking smells great!" Sakuya replied as she picked up the omelet Nanami cooked for her, "Thank you very much!"

Taking a seat at a nearby table, the younger genin had her breakfast while listening to Nanami and Nori discuss about preparing breakfast. It was good to see the two were also making amends with Sigmund.

"Do you need any help in preparing breakfast?" she finally offered after swallowing the piece of omelet in her mouth. It sounded like a good idea and Sakuya would like to help her friend out with their plan.

Nanami was becoming more and more upbeat. Being together in a fun and friendly atmosphere took her back a bit. She needed to enjoy these moments more. She has only had a few since she became a Kunoichi. She started singing a well known song as she cooked, and tried to get the other involved as she went about. Hearing Sakuya asking if she could help she would think for a moment as she kept working.

"If you want to cut up some potato's that could be useful. I am thinking ahead for an easy lunch. My diet was primarily omelets, rice, and potato's. Like I told Nori. I got very creative with how I went about varying the taste. I do not recommend bear meat except for jerky. Cooking wise it is way to tough and gamey."

She would serve up another omelet and place in on a plate. Some of the crew smelled them, and came and grabbed a plate. They seemed happy to have a hot meal. She was dancing around having more fun than she had had in years. It was odd, just admitting certain things to anyone took a good deal of stress off of her. So she was able to start to return to normal. Knowing she could switch gears as she needed emotional. Nanami tries to get the others to dance along with her.

Nori stayed standing in place at the stove as she continued to slice up the sausages into octopus shapes and toss them in the oiled pan. It had been a long time since she last cooked anything like this. Especially within a kitchen. She used to cook all the time with her parents while was at… home. Parents. Home. All seemed like a distant thing now. She honestly didn’t even know what happened to them after that event a year ago. In fact, it didn’t really occur to her to even think about them. That was sad, wasn’t it? After she had found out about her adoption and that her parents were out there somewhere, that was all that she had concentrated on this past year. She wanted to find them. To ask questions. To get answers. But she never got anywhere. Even now, though, she just had this feeling that they were alive out there. Just because she was apart of this mission didn’t mean that it was going to deter her from what she had set out to do. For now, though…

Nori turned her head and looked over at the dancing Nanami and then Sakuya… she would just focus her attention on spending time with the people that she had parted ways with a year ago and reconnect with them again. Especially Sigmund. She knew that breakfast wasn’t going to entirely make up for everything, but hopefully it would stir up some of those old but good memories that she had locked away herself for so many years and help him see her in a better light like he once did. She turned her head down and looked at the sausages that were now evenly cooked and ready to go. She reached out and turned the stovetop off before she looked over at Nanami. “These are done. We just need to plate them up with what you made and we’re good to go,” she told her friend. “Sigmund is probably already up, so we should him and bring this to him while the others eat.”

"Hai, I'll get started then!" Sakuya replied as she set her plate by the kitchen sink and went to look for the peeling knife and where the potatoes were stored, looking back to ask Nanami once she found them, "Do you prefer the potatoes diced or sliced?"

Trying to live by herself over the past year was a strange experience. For one, nobody had to tell her what she needed to do. It still left a strange, hollow feeling in her whenever she was by herself. She was able to learn how to do things on her own such as cooking and cleaning her place, but it was very different from the time before their old home was lost.

Being in the company of Nanami and Nori helped a great deal in alleviating those feelings. Sakuya started to hum one of the tunes Nanami performed before as she peeled the potatoes, finding the skills she learned from Tsunade very helpful with work in the kitchen too. Using even a small amount of chackra on the knife made it easy to peel the potatoes cleanly.

"Cubed if you could. They are going to be baked on one of the metal sheets, and just mix them in a bowl with, melted butter. You get nice soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside potatoes, and you can easily flavor them with salt and pepper. They are really good all spiced up though, so use that bag of spices and mix them when you add the butter. I am sure the crew would appreciate hot potatoes as well."

Nanami looked at Nori and nodded. She was still kind of dreading this talk, but she knew what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. She also knew Sigmund, and she wondered how he would respond to her method. But she knew apologizing was not going to get anything than animosity. So instead she was going to stick to her guns and do what she needed to do. The food though was making her very hungry.

"Yeah our food will be ready in a few minutes. I think it would be good to start the talk out just by eating and then moving into the topics that we need. You should probably start. But do remember the one rule. No pity, no saying sorry. None of that, or he will reject us. We need to be sincere, straight forward, and real. If we are anything other than that things might get worse."

"All right! I'll do that!" Sakuya replied as she moved on to slicing the potatoes into small bite-sized cubes. She then went to look for a bowl to slice butter into smaller cubes that made them melt sooner and adding the cubed potatoes in them. The young medic then looked to where Nanami pointed for the bag of spices, checking the contents to make sure she found the correct bag before getting a cupful to mix with the butter and potatoes.

Finding a metal sheet to put them on followed next, placing the sheet on a tray before laying the mixed potatoes on them. With some help from Nanami she was then able to get the oven ready for baking the potatoes, keeping an eye on them until they showed a golden brown color along the edges.

"The potatoes are ready!" Sakuya called out to Nanami as she took the baked potato cubes out, settling the tray on the table.

In reply to Nara Nanami (msg # 43):

Nori knew what needed to be done during this talk with Sigmund. Considering how their conversation went last night, she wanted to be more cautious about how she approached it this time around and with Nanami at her side, she was sure that the three of them could at least have a civil conversation. “Don’t worry so much about me. I know we are in a sensitive place with Sigmund right now and that saying the wrong thing could ruin everything. I really want us to be in a good place and work together as a team like Akuma sensei taught us how to be. If you and I don’t give it our all to repair what’s been broken, than everything he ever taught us would be for nothing. The last thing I want to do is dishonor him,” she explained as she looked into Nanami’s eyes. Back then if three of them were ever in a disagreement with each other, Akuma sensei would make them see things through each other’s perspectives and try to make them understand one another. Nori could only hope that Sigmund would see the sides of both of her and Nanami’s story and try to understand them. She never left with the intention of hurting him. Even now, despite how much she had gone through in that year, he was still at the center of her existence. It had always been that way since the moment they met. If only he could really understand that.

Nori picked up the plate of octopus shaped sausages from the counter and turned towards Nanami, so she could place the food that she made onto it. “Sensei taught us to never give up on each other no matter what and that we are stronger together than we are apart,” she said. “It’s our turn now to be the strong ones now, Nanami. Even if it seems like things aren’t going the way we hoped they would, don’t give up on Sigmund, okay?”
This message was last edited by the player at 07:42, Tue 15 Mar 2022.

Hide waited on the boat, her equipment on and ready to go. Her puppet attached to her, or nearby so they would be ready to be used. She didn't get a lot of information on the mission, other than the general knowledge. Backup because of a mysterious stranger. Then again, even if the others knew more it was not very likely they would tell the genin the more important information. She wasn't exactly excited to travel on the water, as it was one of her weaknesses. And the knowledge that if she fell off Hide would have to drop most of her equipment least she wanted to drown.

Still this fear didn't show on her face as she glanced to the others that were also included in the backup squad.