Ryozan grimaced with every swing of his sword, utterly dissatisfied with the sloppy and erratic strokes. This wasn't like him; he was a Jounin now, and Jounins' sword strokes were not off by whole millimeters. With a sigh, he sheathed his blade and ended his mid-day practice early. It was futile to practice any more when his mind was buzzing with unnecessary thoughts. Doing so would only reinforce bad habits. Today was definitely an off day for Ryozan, but it wasn't as if he didn't know why. He made his way over to the scroll that the recruitment officer had left him and re-read the invitation to join the Empress's army, as if reading the message again and again would somehow bring some kind of clarity to the situation. To be honest, he wasn't thrilled about the idea of being a part of the army. They had come into his home and forcibly usurped power; there was little reason for him to be loyal to such a force. At the same time though, the Empire was merely forcing people to be responsible, productive citizens. Unemployment was at zero percent, and he was allowed to remain a ninja, just as he always had been. Yes, the Empress was perfectly willing to kill those who opposed her, but he had seen first hands that the rebels were no different in that regard. As far as he could see, there were simply two opposing views vying for power... and he was asked to support one of them.

Ryozan's mind wavered back and forth like a pendulum, the small scroll seeming to have more weight than his katana. If he accepted the offer, would he be sent to slaughter outspoken civilians? If he refused, would he be deemed a rebel? Scroll in hand, Ryozan decided to go for a walk to clear his mind. Perhaps if he found a nice relaxing spot to calm his mind, he would be able to find an answer easier. The idea that mere location would alter his thinking patterns was utterly irrational, but right now rationalizing the issue wasn't working. 

Any simpleton could tell that something was not right simply by walking the streets of Konoha. Everything was dead. The weather was beautiful, there were no imminent threats to public safety, martial law had not been declared, and yet a typically lively village was so empty that any of the poor food vendors would probably lose money today because their merchandise would spoil before it was sold. And yet they didn't close shop. It was a nasty blend of normality mixed with peculiarity that made Ryozan glad he had decided to keep his sword on him; perhaps he would need to use it today...