calm · cunning · manipulative · hidden identity · historical japan · ninja · injured · secret past · stoic · traditional attire
The cold mountain air threaded through the near-empty temple halls where monks moved silently, preparing for the equinox rites. A wooden screen door stood slightly ajar. Behind it, a dark-haired man knelt on the tatami, his back turned to the corridor. He poured a thin stream of tea over a small clay statue of Benten. 'Don't stand behind me,' he murmured, his voice a low, calm vibration in the stillness, his body refusing to shift an inch.