（ the rein on his emotions gets suddenly all the tighter, choking it out. the cold placidity that is his usual mien darkens and shifts, the way an old house may take on a new aura in a storm, and he —
does not respond immediately. simply continues eating, the scrape of his spoon against the side of the bowl oddly loud in the close confines of the room. ）
Assuming that would be a mistake.
（ it's not said unkindly. it's just — the truth of anything. itachi does not put much faith or stock in bonds, they are ephemera, necessarily sundered on the altar of duty. they are all here for a reason, and that reason is not like to be outweighed by a few months' casual camaraderie. ）
（ it is a neutral statement, but it is not — as he has reacted in the past to such probing — a veiled threat. it may not invite further questions, but neither it is a direct deflection, either. he has not decided to trust blue outright, not exactly, but he has grown... tolerant of his presence. ）
（ that is complicated, isn't it? he is silent a time, neatly finishing the contents of the bowl instead. he leans forward to deposit it on the tray blue had brought in, and then settles back into his former position like a statue. ）
I am from Konohagakure — the Village Hidden in Leaves. It was the first of the shinobi villages and as such, it was located in a lush, resource-rich area. Our leaders in those early days were strong enough to deter enemy incursion, but as other villages were established in less favourable places and gained power in other ways, ours was often a target. （ quietly, ） Konoha is not faultless in this. If we had been more generous and compassionate to our neighbors, we would not have given rise to such vitriol and hatred in other villages. As wars happened and blood was spilt, we perpetuated a desire for vengeance against Konoha that remains in play nearly a century later.
（ he reaches for a water bottle he keeps on his nightstand, unscrewing the top as he continues, ）
A shinobi's duty is to protect the civilians of their country, so one way to ensure war is to strike at the helpless townships within a country's borders. This also leads to resource scarcity, as this population is the bulk of our farmers and textile workers — work that is necessary to economic function.
[Blue listens quietly, his own dish set aside in favor of full focus on Itachi's words. the story doesn't seem outlandish at all - not unlike the way old historical records are written where he's from. gathering up resources for one's own, the friction of outsiders...]
It seems a terrible tightrope to walk, but...one that one must, lest they become detached from all the others walking it, or risk taking them down with them.
More are born every day...it would be impossible to know, given how far-spread humankind is across the galaxy. Within the Shangri-La, not many more than two hundred.
The count changed...since I fell asleep. Some rediscovered natural reproduction.
（ it seems odd to him that blue does not know — but then, he has envisioned the mu as a small community not unlike a hidden village. this is new information to him, and he is curiously attentive to it. ）
（ given his age, and the fact that they call him their soldier. he has pieced together what must have happened on ganymede through the context of their discussions. ）
Type-blue... That's what I was called. That's...the designation for the psionic capacity he and I share. Among all the others, it is extremely rare and powerful.
（ it does not shock or scandalize him as it might someone from a gentler world. the foundation raises shinobi without names all the time, and itachi himself is not especially attached to the concept of identity as it relates to a sense of self rather than to his use as konoha's tool. yet — there is a faint winding thread of empathetic sorrow that tinges their connection. ）
It's not common - forgetting your name. The others remembered. [Blue tilts his head thoughtfully in reflection.]
I think...when that moment happened, when my childhood was being erased and my psionics awoke...the reaction, the explosion...it took everything with it as a consequence.
So all I had was...type-blue. Blue. [he looks back with a faint smile.] But my eyes haven't...been blue in a long time. Not since then.
（ that's some sad shit, fam, and it's not like his life is anything to write home about. perhaps it would be kinder if he could not recall what he has done — but he would never willingly surrender that knowledge. it is too much of who he is. ）
Only by comparison, I think. There's nothing I can do to fix it - we've tried. But...it's been three hundred years. [a slight pause - like an auditory shrug.] Like we discussed before...the distance time puts on things...it shifts perspective.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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The places we've been sent to so far...have not been limited in resources, however dangerous. But that can be different next time.
[he pauses to have another bite.]
I believe...many bonds already forged...are strong enough to endure.
[but nothing is unbreakable, is it?]
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does not respond immediately. simply continues eating, the scrape of his spoon against the side of the bowl oddly loud in the close confines of the room. ）
Assuming that would be a mistake.
（ it's not said unkindly. it's just — the truth of anything. itachi does not put much faith or stock in bonds, they are ephemera, necessarily sundered on the altar of duty. they are all here for a reason, and that reason is not like to be outweighed by a few months' casual camaraderie. ）
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after another beat:] Past experience...informs that warning, doesn't it.
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（ it is a neutral statement, but it is not — as he has reacted in the past to such probing — a veiled threat. it may not invite further questions, but neither it is a direct deflection, either. he has not decided to trust blue outright, not exactly, but he has grown... tolerant of his presence. ）
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I am from Konohagakure — the Village Hidden in Leaves. It was the first of the shinobi villages and as such, it was located in a lush, resource-rich area. Our leaders in those early days were strong enough to deter enemy incursion, but as other villages were established in less favourable places and gained power in other ways, ours was often a target. （ quietly, ） Konoha is not faultless in this. If we had been more generous and compassionate to our neighbors, we would not have given rise to such vitriol and hatred in other villages. As wars happened and blood was spilt, we perpetuated a desire for vengeance against Konoha that remains in play nearly a century later.
（ he reaches for a water bottle he keeps on his nightstand, unscrewing the top as he continues, ）
A shinobi's duty is to protect the civilians of their country, so one way to ensure war is to strike at the helpless townships within a country's borders. This also leads to resource scarcity, as this population is the bulk of our farmers and textile workers — work that is necessary to economic function.
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It seems a terrible tightrope to walk, but...one that one must, lest they become detached from all the others walking it, or risk taking them down with them.
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It is tenuous. But it is our way of life, and we are accustomed to it.
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I think... if they do, it will not be in my lifetime. However, I have hope it is not an indefinite pattern.
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Blue murmurs a soft, affirmative sound.] It's worth working for, in the interim.
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（ he does not believe in it any less strongly now than when he was a child — but experience has tempered him. ）
But not everyone has the same perception of what it ought to be.
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Not even among the Mu, no.
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How many Mu are there?
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The count changed...since I fell asleep. Some rediscovered natural reproduction.
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What is your maximum sensory perception range?
（ it seems odd to him that blue does not know — but then, he has envisioned the mu as a small community not unlike a hidden village. this is new information to him, and he is curiously attentive to it. ）
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No more than a couple miles now...a bit more, if I were to throw my mind further from my body.
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（ given his age, and the fact that they call him their soldier. he has pieced together what must have happened on ganymede through the context of their discussions. ）
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[he looks back over.]
Not anymore. There's a stronger type-blue leading us now. Jomy. Soldier Shin. He's...stronger than I ever was, and he's still quite young.
[his head turns, looking askance in thought.]
He'll be remarkable. If anyone can get them there...it must be him.
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'Blue' is a designation?
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Type-blue... That's what I was called. That's...the designation for the psionic capacity he and I share. Among all the others, it is extremely rare and powerful.
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I see.
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I think...when that moment happened, when my childhood was being erased and my psionics awoke...the reaction, the explosion...it took everything with it as a consequence.
So all I had was...type-blue. Blue. [he looks back with a faint smile.] But my eyes haven't...been blue in a long time. Not since then.
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Does it trouble you?
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Only by comparison, I think. There's nothing I can do to fix it - we've tried. But...it's been three hundred years. [a slight pause - like an auditory shrug.] Like we discussed before...the distance time puts on things...it shifts perspective.
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smh i didn't get this notif yesterday big mad!!!
ur notifs said "enough, no more of THIS"
sad ninja nonsense has a limit
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