Another path

Bonus chapter 2 - Introducing Mitsuba

Here's Mitsuba. Her name means "clover" and her surname means "frog".

She's originated from Amegakure but she decided to leave along with Megumi, who was already her teacher at the time, when people started to 'disappear' in Ame. Her father actually disappeared like this after trying to investigate what was happening in Pain's tower. She enjoys Uzushio and the peaceful life she lives here but dearly misses Ame. She often says she misses its rain but Megumi's the only one who knows what that really means.

She loves frogs and call them her brethren. She will actually get furious if one dares hurt them. Or any animal for that matters, she really cares for them. She considers herself to be apart of Nature and puts her life on the exact same level as other being's.

She looks and speaks in a simple, clear fashion. She doesn't care about 'fancy stuff' as she herself calls it. Surprisingly, she's able never to lie. She always finds a way to avoid having to, either by leading her interlocutor to a different topic or by telling the truth.
A way to describe her would be to call her simple, but not in a reductive, pejorative way. Simple here means she is authentic and clear, "like water" as Kurama would say. Decorum and fanciness aren't her things and it shows in her every action.

She takes things very calmly and has her own pace. She believes in thinking twice before acting, never rushing to make a decision. This, along with her being so chill, leads people into believing she doesn't care about anything. Suzuka and Higure suspect she's aware of it and use it to her advantage...

She's specialised in tracking and gathering intel but she's not very proficient in combat. Suzuka and her have a joke about them never being on the same missions because they're such opposites when it comes to work.

She's often regarded as the most open-minded person in the whole village, she actively rejects any form of discrimination, judgement or stereotype. That includes against Konoha, Iwa or Ame. That doesn't mean she's lenient but she thinks everyone deserves a chance and has their own history.

A problem with her attitude though is that she always ends up late. It's worse than Kakashi because only potential life or death situation can get her to be on time. That's something her team should try to help her with but they tend to follow her pace instead. As a result, she can hardly work with any team but hers (Sakuya almost murdered her after their one and only mission together).

Despite being eighteen, she can behave like she's much older at times. Both in a 'wise' kind of old and a 'I forget where I put my glasses- oh they're on my nose' kind of old. Kayō thinks it's hilarious and Harubana makes her tea so she doesn't mind being called a grandma.

She won't ever hit you or scream at you. Not even give the disappointed-mom stare. She'll just tell you one thing - one thing - that you didn't want to know about yourself and you'll start to question your whole existence. Grown people have cried themselves to sleep after crossing her...
She's the incarnation of the ominous smile. When she smiles like that, brace for impact because she'll psychologically stab you.

A peculiar thing is that despite being quite short, she's never really unnoticed. You just don't forget about her presence, even if she's silent. It's different from the radiant aura that Kurama and Suzuka exude yet not similar to the intimidating air that Enma carries. It's more tranquil, more discreet but still omnipresent.

There's something languid about her, like she's always drifting along and away.
If she could be described by an emotion, it would be serenity. If it was by an element, it would be a water stream.