There was hesitation in how to respond to Dren, who didn’t appear to understand the circumstances they were in well enough. If this woman wanted to fight them then she would have done so already without warning given. It was possible she might’ve been a little too arrogant and assumed the combined strength of the entire village couldn’t deal with her, but Kaede believed she knew better. There was a difference between confidence and stupidity, and she had a feeling that this woman had known that difference. Whether she revealed she was an enemy or not, the fighting ability of the village had not deteriorated, and she could be turned on in an instant. Dren’s overprotective nature wasn’t necessarily ‘bad’, but his need to make up for a past event he viewed as a mistake appeared to cloud his judgment of the situation. 

[b]“That’s unnecessary.”[/b] Kaede muttered. The ‘wounded’ in the vicinity were stable once more, as he would have witnessed. There were still pockets of people she needed to examine but this pocket of the back line were obviously the most in pain right now. Kaede was not one to underestimate an individual’s abilities but didn’t allow herself to be intimidated by someone she recognized as much too smart to make a ‘play’ like this. She had come here for something, she chose to reveal herself instead of hiding, and if she wanted to battle it was likely that there was more threatening an action to take than this one. Kaede looked over her shoulder towards him; although compassionate to what Dren might have felt from the guilt he carried, this was not the time to display fear in the face of someone who brought nothing for them to fear. [b]“I understand your caution, but keep in mind that there were several ways to establish herself as our enemy. She hasn’t yet.”[/b]

Turning back towards the stranger, those that were recently aided by Kaede had kept their guards up. Unfamiliar faces in a time like this brought paranoia, and if you were not a friend to Konoha or the Empire you had no real place on the battlefield at this time. As expected the stranger had raised her arms up in a position commonly meant as ‘no harm intended’, setting down the bloodied headband that quite obviously didn’t belong to her. Listening intently as the stranger made her case, Kaede could agree with her on certain aspects. War did consume people and it didn’t matter whether they were good or evil, none were spared should it linger for too long. Neutrality was also, even from someone like Kaede, a silly notion that people couldn’t afford anymore. Sides were inevitable, and ignoring the conflict did not make it go away any faster. The review of her words made Kaede unhappy in spite of how hard the stranger intended to make it seem like she wasn’t threatening them, and although the Hyuga herself was considered a strong single unit in the shape of the war, she didn’t go around proclaiming that she’d decide the world’s fate. 

This was one of those times where she could not be Kaede Hyuga, but rather the heir of the Hyuga clan as a whole and a representative of Konoha before her comrades all around her. One day she could combine both Kaede and the heir into one person but that may not be today. No punches were to be pulled in the face of someone who attempted to prove themselves intimidating, regardless of it being intentional. Relaxing the state of her Byakugan, Kaede’s eyes returned to normal, and she spoke with dignity. 

[b]“This was not a war Konoha wanted to have, it was a war the Empire had brought upon the entire world when it did not bow to its ultimate purpose. I can agree that no one can pretend that this war doesn’t affect the entire world as we know it, as well as it hurting numerous people, but I don’t agree with how you express yourself to me and my fellow shinobi.”[/b] Peaceful discussion may have been her intention but all Kaede heard was a passive confrontation over a war that Konoha did not start with the Empire. [b]“What can I possibly express to you that you wouldn’t already understand? Konoha does not wish the occupation of the Empire, it was the Empire that forced itself against every nation by force, it was the Empire who struck at us for refusing to surrender our free will, and it was the Empire who made every man and woman fighting this battle so angry and desperate.” [/b]

Her powerful tone of voice brought respect and surprise from those she had just mended; she was a sweet young woman who did not enjoy confrontations like this, but when looked at so accusingly as though Konoha was at fault for the resentment they have felt for so long was a critical error. 

[b]“We fight for the freedom that the Empire doesn’t wish to return to the world after it had risen and robbed us of it. It is not a war we wanted to fight, but there is no longer any other option for us. The village wants peace that is genuine, not peace through shackles. I despise how things have turned out for this world, but do not look down on us as if we are the root cause for the world in the state it is now.”[/b] There was little more of a ‘case’ to make here, and if she needed to be ‘convinced’ to join a side after so long then Kaede couldn’t be sure her loyalty was a solid one. This was a discussion at the worst possible time, acknowledging a stranger who may have helped protect one of her comrades, yet also believed that she alone decided how the world would run. Kaede as herself might have been kinder if the woman opposite of her had shown she was not judgmental, but her idea of good will was not walking through a battlefield lifting items from the deceased, and then approaching a force you did not sympathize with in the slightest. If you had to be convinced to fight for a cause after so long, then how could you be trusted in the long run? She did not even offer a name …

[b]“Although you’ve attempted to show respect, you entered an active warzone willingly with the intent of judging us for our fight, and tore the symbol of our village from the fallen. The cause of the death of every man and woman in this forest is war, and it does not demand taking from the body of our fallen to determine. I hope that you do honor to them by returning it to their body, and allowing us to handle burying our own.”[/b] Kinuko’s intentions had proven poorly executed and Kaede could make no effort to hide this. Saving Katsu was a kindness, but to continue to decide neutrality after that did not seem logical even if she had come here to rid herself of it. Furthermore, believing herself above the opinions and wishes of others was not an attitude that was welcome on a team, which might explain why she traveled alone with no name to give. Whatever this mysterious woman might have thought of her after this, Kaede hoped that she would take notice of the pride she shared with the people she was to fight beside, and how firm she stood in the face of ‘judgment’. 

This discussion was not one she desired and she’d rather never have had it in a time like this, but the woman had forced her into this corner with no one else stable enough to respond. Kaede’s resolve was not to be questioned, her stance tall and proud with her answers firm and full of certainty. Without a single shred of doubt, this was the case she could make to someone who did not earn her respect, her kindness, or her smile. 

In the end, despite how intense Kaede may have seemed, this stranger had received all of the above.

Smiling now, Kaede clasped her hands together below her waist and bowed her head in a show of respect to a woman she did not know. The 'heir' of the Hyuga was safety tucked away, allowing 'Kaede' herself to be present. 

[b]“I apologize if this isn’t the answer you were hoping to receive, but I have given you all I can. You had no reason to aid the Uchiha you saved, but you did so regardless …even if you believe yourself uncertain of your side I think you made a choice without knowing.”[/b] Lifting her head up, Kaede’s smile hadn’t faded and the aura of warmth and goodness had always seemed to become stronger when she had done so. [b]“It takes courage to admit you don’t know the answer and to not pretend otherwise. You did not come for an argument, or a fight …merely the truth as I, a rebel within the Land of Fire, see things.”[/b] 

There were many feelings when it came to a nonlethal confrontation such as this, but this glow of warmth had defeated her firmness before. The heir of a clan, the pride of the Hyuga and Konoha both, found it difficult to maintain any sort of emotion other than kindness. It was embedded deep into her soul; as much as showing the strength of Konoha mattered, sometimes the greatest strength was showing your kindness to someone like this. Kaede Hyuga had disarmed the emotional defensiveness of her peers, believing her words to be true, and they all appeared to relax in the face of this strange woman. They would only battle if Kinuko demanded they take action, however due to the efforts of Kaede she had put things into perspective for them, and hopefully the others that might have been listening. 

[b]“I’d rather have a new friend than a new enemy, so …please consider what I’ve said. People need me now.”[/b] Turning on her heel, Kaede was prepared to leave Kinuko in peace before she stumbled a little and spun back around, hands on her cheeks which burned with the pink of a cherry blossom tree. [b]“S-sorry, I forgot to introduce myself again …I’m Kaede Hyuga!”[/b] Although she was still a woman of a sweet and mature composure, it often slipped her mind to introduce herself to others. Heir or not, sometimes she forgot the simplest of things, but it couldn’t be helped when an entire village already knew your name and adored you.

Leaving the stranger with words she hoped would create a new friend today, and not inspire an enemy tomorrow. With the standstill of a battle behind her, there was still an opportunity to reunite with Natsumi. Restoring her eyes to the Byakugan state, she had leaped from the ground and brushed by Katsu quickly, applying to him her seal with a gentle press on his chest. Immediately he would feel a new sensation of comforting warmth and the exhaustion of his body beginning to soothe. Nurturing his chakra system even from afar, she began to spur the recovery of his chakra and added with it his own, making her power now his. Within moments he would find that Kaede’s medical ninjutsu was accelerating his ability to move and unleash jutsu once more. 

There would be time to talk, but that time wasn’t now.

The end of this battle was drawing near, and with her expanded vision as her guide Kaede had begun to move to the front of the battle lines to see things through with the best resolution she could influence.