Sown

forty-nine

"He doesn't deserve to know."

Tadou couldn't hide the chuckle rumbling in his chest. He walked alongside his son, both non-natives being escorted by a shinobi. "Your sister would sob if she heard you talking like that, my Tatsui."

Tatsui scoffed. He had folded his arms, hands resting on his forearms beneath the sleeves of his kosode. Both had foregone their kimono, the weather in Konoha much more moderate than they were accustomed to. "She'll cry more when she finds out he didn't even come to visit her."

"I admire your strength, but I wish you would realize that not everyone can be as strong." The elder samurai admired the faces carved into the Hokage Rock. It was rather charming, he had to admit. It would be nice to implement something of the same kind in the Land of Iron, but he had a feeling the only face added to the monument would be that of Mifune. "I was like that at your age as well so I can understand. Thinking about it, you probably got it from me." The redhead stopped, turning to look at his son with a charming smile. "We'll have a talk between men. Then we can work on you sharing your sister."

Upon entering the Academy the pair's number of escorts quadrupled. Tadou paid it no mind, understanding that the building contained not only the village's school but also the office of their leader and arguably their entire military force. Tatsui, already in a bad mood, shivered in annoyance once surrounded. If either woman of their family had been present the teen would be much calmer ; anyone could blame it on the fact that he was in an awkward part of his life, both age wise and hormonally, but Tadou knew better.

Tatsui had always favored himself as a protector, something he no doubt learned from his father. The Umu being as old of a clan as they were still held onto some of the more traditional ways of living and thinking such as the fact that men protected women. It wasn't that they viewed women as weaker or needing protection. No, in fact it was quite the opposite - for the Umu, women were invaluable, capable of physical, emotional, and mental strength so natural it felt godlike. Women were the water that nurtured life and staved off flames, yet not afraid of forming torrential outbursts that few could recover from.

"The Feminine always conquers the Masculine by her quietness, by lowering herself through her quietness. Hence, if a great country can lower itself before a small country, it will win over the small country." Tatsui had heard this many times in the dojo and his home throughout childhood. It was a favored teaching from Mifune himself and reflected the philosophy of the Land of Iron perfectly. Thus, despite being the youngest of his family, Tatsui always vowed to protect his mother and sister until his last breath, the least he could do to make sure something so sacred was never lost.

It was this thought process that made it that much harder for Tatsui to understand why the man who supposedly loved his sister so much couldn't make an effort to make sure she was alright. So when he was finally allowed into the Hokage's office, the sight of Kakashi sitting so casually made his blood boil.

Tadou pressed his hand into his son's chest when he began to step forward. The normally carefree expression on his face was replaced with a stern silent warning, one that Tatsui knew better than to oppose. "Lady Hokage," the patriarch greeted warmly. He fell into a seated bow, hand resting on his thigh as he dropped his torso low, Tatsui following suit.

Tsunade stood to greet the pair, Kakashi following her actions. Unlike her, he recognized at least one of their visitors, and unlike Tsunade he felt much more uneasy about his appearance. "Is there something I can do for you?" She questioned when the two stood. "Is this meeting on behalf of the Land of Iron?"

"No. I'm sorry to bother you, but this is for a personal matter." He motioned to the silver haired man much to Kakashi's dismay. "May I borrow your subordinate? I won't keep him long."