It was noon in Hurricane Country, the relentless tropical sun beating down upon the shores of Shipwreck cove with sparsely a cloud in sight. The cawing of dozens of seabirds could be heard as they scoured the beach for critters unlucky enough to be washed ashore by the unnaturally rough surf in the cove. A few gulls were even pecking through a once neatly folded white collared shirt laying on the beach a little ways up from the water, near a small fire and a pile of sun-dried driftwood, making it their beach blanket of sorts while they fussed over a pair of sandals they found under the shirt. Meanwhile the owner of the forlorn clothing could be seen atop a natural jetty that extended roughly twenty feet out into the waters of the cove, wielding a makeshift spear tethered to his waist by a line fashioned from split vines, and on that line a few skewered fish.

Essentially this was survival practice, a weekly tradition for Thaddeus, where he allowed himself the use of one Kunai to fashion all the amenities to survive comfortably. Well, that and a pair of light tan shorts just incase someone happened along. With the sun at its daily peak came the normal human tradition of lunch, which is why Thaddeus was spear fishing to begin with. It didn't take him long to spear a nice batch of fish and return to the fire he had set earlier, shooing off the seagulls that had made a blanket of his shirt as he arrived. He had caught five fish in total, and all of decent size, enough for a hearty meal for one or a solid meal for two. Spacing the fish at equal distances apart on the spear Thaddeus placed the oversized shiskabob atop two "Y" shaped sticks, one on each side of the pit, and began the process of roasting his midday meal.

Shipwreck Cove. For some particular reason Koten Tekishijin had been drawn to this very place today. Maybe it was because with his recent meeting of the Umikage, Saizo, and their talk about conserving the food supply in the River he wanted to see if anything had yet to be done. He wanted to believe that there had been but it was only a few days after, so he doubted that it would of been any changes installed so soon.

As he made his way down to the cove he had spotted a boy who had been fishing, and on his one rod and set between the cruxes he had made overhanging the fire pit to roast the fish where five fish. [One person eating five fish?] The Nibi no Kuni didn't take too kindly to that, especially after having had the discussion with Saizo that something would be done about this. {It is very well possible that this guy just doesn't know the new agreement that we had made out with the Umikage. It wasn't like he was there at the meeting with us. It is very well possible that we just have to tell this guy and next time he will only take one or two for himself.} Tekishijin gave the guy the benefit of the doubt rather than jumping down his throat as the Nibi wanted to do.

"Hey! Hey you!" He waved his hands in his direction as he marched through the sand, leaving his sandals at the dirt road just before where the sand began. At the edges of the beach where piles of large shipwrecks, debris mixed with the wood that once held the ship together and the bones that used to man the ship. {Besides, it is already too late. He has caught and began cooking the fish. After I tell him what he is doing to the food supply he more than likely won't catch so many the next time.

Tekishijin began to come into the immediate space of this guy who was cooking the fish. "Koten Tekishijin, a genin within the Shippuugakure no Sato. What about yourself?" He asked with no inclination that the man was a shinobi as well, and his superior in the ranks of the ninja lifestyle. His flak jacket must've been balled up underneath the seagulls and couldn't be clearly seen by first glance. [Make sure you tell him, otherwise we will have to let him know by a means more physical that the food supply is not going to be allowed to be tampered with for the gluttony of these villagers.]

The smell of roasted fish was enticing, but they weren't quite done yet. Thaddeus maintained a slow but consistent rotation with his spear turned oversize shishkebab, watching with a faint smile as the seabirds jealousy eyed his catch. Sure five fish seemed a bit much for one man to eat, but he had his reasons. "Hey! Hey you!" Just then a voice in the distance caught his attention, waving his hands as he marched through the sands in Thaddeus's direction. Thaddeus looked around briefly to see if there was anyone else on the beach past him, but it was just the two of them, so that left only himself as the person he was after. Using a poking stick Thaddeus spread the the logs of burning driftwood apart, reducing the temperature so his fish wouldn't burn while he made himself presentable, shoving the charred poking stick into the sand next to the fire pit to remove any chance of accidental ignition.

As the young man, who appeared to be roughly his age, got closer it became a little more apparent as to who he was. He seemed quite familiar, like he had seen or heard the description of someone like him before. Another shinobi from Shippuugakure for certain, but not one he had the pleasure of meeting face to face before now. Thaddeus grabbed his shirt, which luckily didn't have the stains of gull excrement, as he pushed himself to a standing position. As an act of modesty he threw his shirt on and rolled up the sleeves to just before the elbow, but it was far too hot out to button up. "Koten Tekishijin, a genin within the Shippuugakure no Sato. What about yourself?" Tekishijin, the name sounded familiar, perhaps he was in school around the same time as him. However he certain knew the surname Koten from the village's history books, a few legendary healers from what he could remember off the top of his head.

"Good afternoon Mr. Koten, my name's Thaddeus Roth..." Thaddeus replied politely, brushing himself off a little with his left hand while reaching for his identification in the left breast pocket of his shirt, flipping it out for Tekishijin to see once he had a hold of it. Hoping the Genin would do the same in response. "... Chuunin of our fair village." He finished, with the same polite and respectful tone as he started. Thaddeus didn't want to imply anything by showing his identification, only to clarify that he was indeed telling the truth seeing as he wasn't really dressed the part right now. Putting his identification away once the Genin was satisfied. "I sensed a hint of urgency in your tone, is something wrong? If not feel free to join me, I have enough for two." He said while motioning to the roasting fish over the fire, which had died down quite a bit by now. As long as it didn't rain he could always cook more, and even so it's not like he would starve this close to the village, whether he continued his survival drills or not.

Tekishijin had come closer to the guy who had shifted the wood of the fire around to make certain that he would not burn his fish. Fish that he shouldn't have, at least not in those numbers. From Thaddeus' viewpoint it looked like this little Gennin was on an official mission to stop villagers and other shinobi alike that they shouldn't be fishing from the river anymore. The real way Tekishi wanted to show him was by stomping out the fire pit and kicking the shishkebab off of the Y shaped sticks they had been cradled into. "Dude...like what the hell?"

He paused a moment to breathe deeply through his nose and out of his mouth several times, calming himself before he said anything more. "Thaddeus Roth, Chuunin from Shippugakure no Sato, have you not heard that there is a new limit on the amount of fish that one can catch from the river? This is paramount! If people such as yourself," he took the prime opportunity to poke Thaddeus Roth in his chest as hard as he could as he inched ever so closer to him throughout the rising crescendo of his voice "would be more in tune with village news you would know this. Especially being a Chuunin! The line of command and news runs through you before it should ever get to my ears, hell, sometimes Gennin do not even hear anything which they should and which they see as being important information to know. It is already too late but why did you not know about this change? The Onozuka River is currently facing an ecological crisis right outside of our walls and primarily because of the villages own inhabitants! The food supply is running lower and lower each season. That is why limits and bans of how many ships can be in the river and how many pounds of fish can be caught at one time or once a week have been installed."

{What should I do with this guy,} he asked the Nibi no Kani as he stared tirelessly in the eyes of the child of Roth. For some reason, more than likely being the host of the beast that has lived in the river for centuries and centuries, he had taken this issue to heart. [Let me claw his head right off his shoulders,] replied the Nibi, a tad bit more aggressive than Tekishijin had been. {No...we cannot kill him. Best we could do since he is another shinobi from our village is to challenge him to a spar.}

[Then we must, for the protection of the ecological system.] Tekishijin had acknowledged the words and feelings of the Nibi no Kani but still awaited for the Chuunin before him to respond before they had taken it to that level. It was because of the very protective nature of the Nibi no Kani that both the beast and Tekishijin had felt so compelled to act on this.

"Dude... like what the hell?" Something Thaddeus had said or done obviously struck a nerve with Tekishi, what exactly he wasn't sure. Did something happen in the village while he was off duty on his drill? Whatever it was apparently angered him enough to need to take a moment and calm himself. "Thaddeus Roth, Chuunin from Shippugakure no Sato, have you not heard that there is a new limit on the amount of fish that one can catch from the river? This is paramount! If people such as yourself," Tekishi started, steadily raising his voice and inching closer as he poked Thaddeus in the chest quite forcefully. If Thaddeus was a different Chuunin he might have taken offense to being treated this way, from a Genin no less, but he knew that in situations such as this it was best for them to let it all out. It would probably only make things worse if Thaddeus retaliated as a superior officer, especially when it seemed like a simple misunderstanding.

"would be more in tune with village news you would know this. Especially being a Chuunin! The line of command and news runs through you before it should ever get to my ears, hell, sometimes Gennin do not even hear anything which they should and which they see as being important information to know. It is already too late but why did you not know about this change? The Onozuka River is currently facing an ecological crisis right outside of our walls and primarily because of the villages own inhabitants! The food supply is running lower and lower each season. That is why limits and bans of how many ships can be in the river and how many pounds of fish can be caught at one time or once a week have been installed." Thaddeus remained silent as Tekishi finished his speech, staring back with a look of polite understanding. There was a fire behind those eyes, it was amazing how much this Genin felt for the ecosystem, and he was partially right. Thaddeus had been off for the past few days on his survival drill, the order Tekishijin was talking about must have been decided just after his departure, but even if his heart was in the right place his head was clouded by personal passion.

"Listen..." Thaddeus spoke with a calm tone, unfazed by the Genin's beratement. "... I respect your passion for the ecology of our waters, and you're right, I haven't heard of this new limit on fishing, but you shouldn't immediately jump to conclusions. This cove draws from the sea, not directly from the Onozuka river, it's ecology is different." He continued politely, avoiding a matter of fact tone in order to keep Tekishi calm. "That being said the ecology is still important, we Roth understand the balance that must be kept between predator and prey, or fishermen and fish in this situation. You see only the truth as it lies in front of you, assuming that I take as much as I wish with no respect for the source. These five fish aren't for one meal..." Thaddeus motioned to the fish over the pit. "... they will serve as my means of sustenance for the rest of the evening and into the morning if I dry and preserve them properly, it's a survival tactic. The weather of our country is unpredictable at best, if it were to rain I wouldn't be able to maintain the fire needed to cook these fish and would have to find another source of food." Hopefully this explanation would clear any misunderstandings between them, Thaddeus didn't need to get on a comrade's bad side, only trouble could come from that. Either way Tekishi was still welcome to join him. Company was nice to have, and a fellow shinobi could provide a welcome distraction to the tedious day to day of survival.

Tekishijin had not really paid attention in any of the academic courses. He would frequently fall asleep in them and dream of what it was like to explore the world and learn about it through first hand experience. That's why he had not known that the Shipwreck Cove got it's waters from the Sea. [The Sea feeds the waters in the river, so he is only partly correct.] The Nibi no Kani, the ultimate authority on this matter had said so and that's who Tekishijin would choose to believe ten times out of ten. Tekishi curled his brow more as he looked into the eyes of Thaddeus Roth, seeing how hard he was trying to remain calm and react to the very aggressive nature of Tekishijin in the correct 'military political,' way.

Tekishijin had not appreciated the way that he tried to justify the amount of fish he had caught. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... whether if the fish is for this meal, or the next, or the next, that is still five less fish from the River or the Sea." Tekishijin had crossed his arms and dropped down into the sand, sitting there as though he had been scorned by a parent or friend, unwilling to move from his position until something had been done about the cause he made apparent to Thaddeus.

He was fuming right now. He couldn't honestly believe that this was happening. He felt disrespected and primarily wasn't directly but more so indirectly, with his connection and relationship with the Nibi no Kani. "I want to kick your ass so bad," he stated plainly. He glanced over at Thaddeus with his scowl. {If he accepts my challenge I want to utilize some of your power to defeat him,} Tekishi asked of the Nibi.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... whether if the fish is for this meal, or the next, or the next, that is still five less fish from the River or the Sea." "Hmm..." Thaddeus let out a faint 'hum' of disappointment as he watched Tekishijin plant himself in the sand like a stubborn child that didn't get his way. What am I going to do with this kid? He thought to himself, they may have been around the same age but this Genin still had much to learn about the laws of nature, or maybe he just didn't want to accept them. Such is the trouble of youth, often throwing rationality to the wind to fight for their beliefs and rarely willing to see that which threatens them, but one would expect a shinobi to have enough discipline to at least think about it. No matter how one feels at heart the circle of life isn't something you can circumvent. "I want to kick your ass so bad." "I see..."' Thaddeus sighed a bit, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand while looking down at Tekishi. His disappointment was obvious but there was no anger or annoyance in Thaddeus's gaze.

This Genin was far too angry right now to see logic and reason, whether or not it was truly because he believed no fish should ever be hunted by man or because an outside influence was clouding his mind. Maybe Tekishi was purposely or subconsciously seeking conflict to relieve pent up aggravation and stress, Thaddeus's supposed act of over fishing could have simply been the final straw that made him snap. Then again maybe he truly felt the need to fight for these fish, but why? Because they were defenseless? Because they didn't deserve to be killed? If not Thaddeus then they would have likely been eaten by something else. Sharks, eels, dolphins, whales, seabirds, crustaceans, larger fish, and many more predators would gladly make a meal of these fish or other sea creatures; what made humanity a special circumstance in this Genin's mind? "I guess it can't be avoided..." Thaddeus sighed once more, maybe if this kid let off some steam Tekishi would be a little more amenable to reason. "I'll grant you the chance to do just that, but on one condition." Thaddeus spoke with the same calm tone, although with a hint of disappointment, as he addressed the stubborn Genin; putting out the fire by burying the logs in sand with his right foot as he did so.

"Tell me why you feel so strongly on this subject, and allow me to voice my opinion on the matter... Stretching a little as he spoke Thaddeus walked over to a large rock near the pit, bending over and digging through the sand at the rock's base while he spoke. "... and I don't mean sit back and roll your eyes while I talk..." After rooting through the sand briefly Thaddeus pulled out a small utility belt with the rest of his shinobi utensils, those he didn't allow while on his survival drill, consisting of two kunai and a small pouch with a shuriken in it. "... actually try to understand my point of view." After attaching his utility belt to his waist Thaddeus then went over to where his sandals were, picking up the partially buried kunai he was using to fashion tools earlier. "Then, and only then, can you judge someone's actions." Thaddeus turned back towards Tekishi as he finished the last statement, looking him in the eye with an unwavering and almost unnaturally calm gaze. He certainly didn't plan on his survival drill turning into a lecture and a spar. "Do you have any requests or rules you wish to observe?"

“Do I have any rules I wish to observe?” He repeated the question as though it was an insult to him. He was definitely not one to observe rules or regulations, and he must’ve gave off the wrong impression to mister Roth if he had thought that he was observing some type of rules or regulations as to why he was doing what he was doing. “No, no, no… you have it all wrong.” Tekishi unfolded his arms from across his chest and took a moment to get out of his pretzel legged cross. Standing up and brushing himself off a little bit because he was always peculiar about getting sand on him or leaving it on him for that matter.
He really didn’t want to give away that he was a Jinchuuriki to this guy. It was a piece of information that he was not very adept at or keen on making known to the world. If you had not already known that Tekishi was the newest jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Kani for the village hidden in the hurricanes then you more than likely just did not need to know. Tekishi had kept low key for a long part of his life, well… he wasn’t really important or felt compelled to become a shinobi up until he had been bestowed with the curse of the bijuu. There was nothing in his view even still, after finding a tinge of comfort in the uncomfortable situation of having a double conscious or, a mind of its own within his own mind that had made this journey of bearing the label of jinchuuriki any easier. It was as though if he were to go telling one more person it would only make the load that much heavier.
“Man… what kind of shinobi do you think I am? I am not one of those pencil and paper pushing genin who become a shinobi just so that they can get a nice comfortable job working in the Kage Tower! I get involved. I get active in the community. Why do you think I’m even here having this conversation with you? Because I’m looking out for the wellbeing of our village. The village isn’t just what happens inside the walls. The Village is also the ecological system that is within the borders of Hurricane Country! It is our duty to protect and watch over all of this stuff man. That’s why I care so much, because if I wouldn’t there more than likely would not be anybody else here to care and be the voice for the voiceless animals. If there wasn’t such a median as myself there wouldn’t be a warning. The fish would just start to disappear, then the predators would go, and then we would shortly go thereafter as we wouldn’t have anything else to hunt from these waters.” The entire spiel Tekishi was flailing his hands a lot and using gestures as he spoke.
He sighed heavily, feeling as though this encounter and introduction was bad on both behalves. Here was Thaddeus a shinobi of Chuunin Rank, who should know not to go fishing beyond his limits, despite its most recent addition into the rule book. And here he was, being someone he was not. He barely cared about rules but this one, since it was from his own suggestion by the Nibi no Kani he had paid particular attention to.
“Ah, today just isn’t a good day. Listen man, I apologize but I have to go. Look, maybe we can do a mission together sometime and get to know each other better and on the right foot that way.” Tekishi’s lips were pursed together and his cheeks were filled with air for a moment, something he had did when he was uncomfortable or feeling bad about something he had done or said. “I will catch you later,” he stated just before creating a hand seal and disappearing from the area in a wisp of smoke entrails.
[Well you blew that one,] stated the Nibi no Kani. {No…you blew it! If it weren’t for you dumb request, maybe that guy would’ve helped me in my training. He was a Chuunin after all.}

Four Posts || 1.925 word total || +190 exp

ooc: I wasn't feeling this thread so I just closed it out. Feel free to post again for more words (lol). I think our characters will do better in the RP together of the mission as long as Semasu is okay with me joining. I haven't heard back from him about it yet. Surprisingly I didn't see him at all in the chatroom yesterday when I was online. If worse comes to worse I can just start up another thread and we can get busy in that one.

"Do I have any rules I wish to observe?" Thaddeus cocked an eyebrow out of confusion, for some reason Tekishi took offense to his question. Maybe he misunderstood what he was asking. All Thaddeus was asking was if Tekishi had any special rules or requests he wanted to put in place for their spar, such as no weapons or no jutsu. "No, no, no... you have it all wrong." So far it seemed that way, unless he suddenly got cold feet when Thaddeus agreed to his unreasonable request, but Thaddeus doubted that. “Man… what kind of shinobi do you think I am? I am not one of those pencil and paper pushing genin who become a shinobi just so that they can get a nice comfortable job working in the Kage Tower! I get involved. I get active in the community. Why do you think I’m even here having this conversation with you? Because I’m looking out for the wellbeing of our village. The village isn’t just what happens inside the walls. The Village is also the ecological system that is within the borders of Hurricane Country! It is our duty to protect and watch over all of this stuff man. That’s why I care so much, because if I wouldn’t there more than likely would not be anybody else here to care and be the voice for the voiceless animals. If there wasn’t such a median as myself there wouldn’t be a warning. The fish would just start to disappear, then the predators would go, and then we would shortly go thereafter as we wouldn’t have anything else to hunt from these waters.”

Yep, definitely misunderstood what he meant. It sounded like Tekishi thought he asked if there was any disciplinary action Tekishi wished to take against him, however with the way Tekishi blew up on him it certainly seemed like his previous actions were due to pent up stress. At least his heart was in the right place, that being the safety and prosperity of his country, but for some reason he thought that he was the only one who cared about keeping the ecology of our country balanced. Sure there were a few people that didn't care how much damage they were doing, but any fisherman worth their weight understands how important the ecology is. Maintaining the fish population is necessary for ensuring food for the future generations and avoiding starvation. Even so one would think Tekishi would have met others that cared for the ecology of Shippuugakure's waters, maybe he wasn't looking in the right places. To find those that care the most about the waters one has to look to those who's lifestyles revolve around them, nonetheless is seemed as if Tekishi was under more pressure than one kid should be. There was something else that was causing this stress, but what? Overbearing relatives perhaps?

“Ah, today just isn’t a good day. Listen man, I apologize but I have to go. Look, maybe we can do a mission together sometime and get to know each other better and on the right foot that way.” "Very well." Thaddeus said politely, sheathing the kunai he was using to make tools earlier. At least Tekishi understood that he was out of line, and it certainly seemed like that out burst of his helped to calm him down. The idea of a mission with him brought mixed feelings. It could be a great chance to understand him better, but Thaddeus didn't know how often such outbursts of anger occurred, something like that could prove deadly on a mission. "I will catch you later." "Farewell." Thaddeus said as he politely nodded, watching the Genin form a quick hand seal before disappearing in a puff of smoke. The body flicker technique. "Well that was interesting." With a heavy sigh Thaddeus rubbed the back of his head before returning to his slightly overcooked fish and continuing with his survival drill.

[Total Word Count (Without quotes): 2302]