Private/Closed Naruto AU: Roleplay

[DarkHydraT]

Iwao let out a tired chuckle as he ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, alright. Enough with the accusations. Whilst I don't want to pick sides, we're leaving in an hour and will be on this trip for around a week, and that's not taking in account that we also need to go back to Iwa. You're gonna need clean underwear, good socks, warm clothes, something against the rain if possible and a blanket. It's going to be cold and whilst I can make shelter, a blanket out of rocks will not be comfortable. We're gonna make a few stops to wash the clothes, but we won't do that daily. If you think that you can make it in the clothes you're wearing right now, more power to you. I wouldn't be able to do so. If you want, I can help you pack. If you get too annoying though, I'll pack you instead and keep you in a bag." The Jonin did not want to have to force the child to pack his clothes, but he also did not want a child with hypothermia. Something like that was hard to explain on his track record.

Kasumi, after seeing that Iwao had the situation under control. turned to Naomi and knelt down. "Mr. Snugglebottom huh? That's a cute name, how did you come up with it?"

-------------

After watching the situation with Kenji and Sagiso unfold, Taji let out a sigh. "Welp, guess we're gonna have to wait for Kenji to show how strong he is. Are we going to place bets on the outcome or not? I don't know about you two, but I'm going to watch this fight. Someone needs to carry Kenji should he get his butt kicked, plus I want to see what that girl can do. She looks like an Hyuga, so I'm curious to see what she's got."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Our Faithful warrior had reached a snag. He was entrapped inside the palm of a wooden Giant. Secret project T.A.I.Y.O. This certainly would be a difficult foe to vanquish, but not impossible. If he could simply ready his signature, Fur Duster, this battle would be over in sheer moments. As the giant let him out of his grasp, The rodent warriors flew up in a spring, climbing up Kou before sitting atop his Kage hat, Fur Duster drawn and prepared to use.

“I don’t think so, you kill the entire sound village if you had the chance, wouldn’t you??” Kou growled at him. “It’s okay for you to kill us, but horrible if we retaliate? And you expect me to love you nearly killing boss?? You’d be out of your mind!”

The people of the leaf were more blinded than he had anticipated. They took Zaku, tortured him and called it justice. Despite the fact that they themselves would do what Zaku did in an instant. He remembered that scary anbu that chased him and his mother...how he had no regard to life itself. The definition of villainous.


.......

Kai sighed as Kiro’s words sunk in. He was probably right. There wasn’t an easy solution to get Kiro back in the mist without causing some kind of uproar. If he somehow got into such a big position of power, he’d have to prep for Kiro’s landing per say. Even then was unknown how he’d do that.

“You know, I miss the past.” Kai looked past his hands. “Where the politics seemed not to matter so much, where you were unbanished. No Damos, no war, the only threat being what Xeno you may stumble across.”

Getting a small, dismal chuckle out of himself, Kai’s nostalgia escaped him as did his yearning to turn back the clock. Kai was always a realist, very rarely did he fantasize about possibilities that would never happen. But for some reason, he couldn’t help himself.

 

[kyuukestu]

Hinagiku

Hina raised an eyebrow and took a gander at the women—the girls, really—that comprised the party from Nadeshiko; or the star maidens, as they wished to be called. Their choice in nomenclature was none of her concern; unlike their dealings with the Mizukage, which had drawn more than just her curiosity.

The M.O. seemed cloak & dagger but...there was a certain subtly that was lacking. What was that about? She was curious but a better question was: what was this about?

Her eyes drifted across the muddy field to settle on Wu Meihui—the proclaimed leader of Nadeshiko. It was one thing to hear about the Nadeshiko's lust for battle and competition; it was another to experience it first hand. A spar before negotiations?

"Is this really necessary?"

The ebullient clatter of chains, Meihui's weapon of choice, nearly drowned out Hina's voice and below that, came a tittering response.

"Absolutely necessary!"

Hina breathed a throaty sigh, "Then let's not dally."

This would need to be over soon; she still had to check on the Sound.

 

[Retro Master]

“The past huh...“

Though Kiro continued to look forward as they were walking, he had listened silently when Kai began to reminisce a bit before speaking himself. Things appeared to have changed for the worse in the Mist since Kiro had last been there, so he could understand Kai’s feelings a bit. Personally, Kiro didn’t really like to remember his past too much. Usually every good time or memory had its ending. He could remember the good times, but that just eventually led him to where they ended. After all, they were good for a reason. There couldn’t be a good memory without a bad one that followed. That’s just how things balanced out he thought. While Kiro couldn’t exactly say all his own memories in the Mist were good, he still did have some nice ones as well. It was only six months ago where Kiro didn’t know any home besides the Mist after all. Even though Kiro wasn’t there now, he still had some interest in their state of affairs.

“Seems like a lot has happened to the Mist recently. I heard that Damos attacked the village as well. Lady Mizukage didn’t want to reveal too much, but the situation must’ve been pretty severe for her to feel the need to call a Summit over it.”

From what was said during the Summit, the Mizukage has been very careful with the information she dropped. The only other significant intel revealed was that Damos carried certain techniques from the Noble clans of the Mist. That was certainly interesting. Recalling his own experience with Damos, he did remember the murky black water that trailed behind the demon like a shadow. Unfortunately, Kiro didn’t get to witness any of his other fabled techniques, such as ones that he might’ve used to kill the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

“You know, I’ve heard the stories of Damos and I actually encountered him on those islands a few months ago. It was only for a brief moment, but just his presence alone made it feel like I could’ve died at any second. Calling him a monster would be an understatement, so I can understand why the Mizukage would be so concerned. How bad was it though? Did Damos nearly destroy the village or did he just leave once he got what he came for?”

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Unfortunately, Taiyo's words fell on deaf ears, with Kou attempting to turn the question of morality on him. However, the FBS master had stopped listening after he made his point, wherein he mentioned that he had better things to do than deal with ignorant, petulant children. Speaking of, it was finally time to get down to what he really cared about.

"Well I guess you could say that," He chuckled a bit, allowing himself to relax after the previous tense encounter, "But on the topic of modifications, here's what I was thinking of:" Before Taiyo began speaking his ideas, he moved in closer and lowered his voice to avoid giving too much information to any eavesdroppers.

"Firstly, I've noticed that whenever I activate my chakra shields, I'm unable to really move due to the size of the shield. So I'd like some smaller shields so I can move more freely. Secondly, I'd like a pair of flamethrowers installed in my arms so I can still use some kind of fire when I'm low on chakra. In a similar vein, I'd like a pair of jets coming out of them, allowing me to power up my punches with speed. Finally, I'd like a pair of retractable claws installed into my knuckles, allowing me to have easy access to a weapon. Ideally I'd like this to be prepared before the exams, but I understand that I'm asking a lot here, so I'm willing to help you in any way possible."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Taiyo turned away without answering any of Kou’s question, showing even more the little remorse that the leaf had over the sound or anyone for that matter. Uncle Orochimaru was right. Growling, Kou crossed his arms, Wyatt marking Taiyo as an enemy to kill after this was all over.

“Uuuuuugggh! Thats so annoying!” Kou said to no one in particular.

Turning back to the person he actually cared about, Kou let out a sigh to calm his nerves. He then cave a small smile as he gripped the collar of his Kage cloak.

“Soooo what you been up to since last we met huh? It feels like it’s been so long!”


......


Kai frowned as soon as Damos was brought up. That demon plagued everything around it, even when mentioned. Giving a quick shiver, he cringed as he recalled his memory , or lack there of of the incident.

“I was on the island unconscious during the incident. But I didn’t need to see the monster proper to see the wake he had caused. The unstoppable perfect will of the mist was broken that day. I don’t think it ever recovered.”

When the mist’s personal devil shows up and accomplishes what it wants without interference, it’s a dampening event.

“I’ve heard the tales since I was a young kid about Damos. And seeing it come to a reality like this...I’m not sure what to make of it. He just came in, stole the jinchuriki and left. Like he wasn’t even there. The guards say all he needed to do was walk in their general direction and it was all over for the entire detail...”

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
As Seiun found himself in his new position with newer surroundings, he began to recollect the events that got him here. Fortunately, he managed to use his silver tongue to persuade the High Priest of Pain and Azumi to come to his party that he was throwing in attempt to make amends towards them for betraying his people. Though his brother was on board for the idea, he refused to let him anywhere near the kitchen, due to past experiences. To work around this unfair discrimination, he waited until the hired guards were on break, transformed into a chef, and spiked the drink that was designated for the High Priest of Pain. After that minor hiccup, everything else surrounding the festivities went smoothly. The high priest of pain was more than happy to put a good word in for Seiun, and the head of the Yasei Clan gave a toast celebrating Seiun's shift in loyalty. However, not everything was smooth sailing. Though the High Priest was able to put in a good word for him whenever he prompted, he was much more affable towards Seiun than he had any right to be. Understandably, this made Azumi suspicious, as she pulled the rogue shinobi aside to confront him about the unusual behavior. In response, Seiun told her that his intentions towards loyalty and servitude were genuine due to needing a source of protection against some of the enemies he made during his time outside the Rain. Fortunately, this was enough to satisfy Azumi, as he now found himself under her payroll.

That was cutting it close, but all's well that ends well I guess. Now, what am I supposed to do until she gets back?

As the champion of the previous exams was out on her little business trip, Seiun was sitting in his quarters doing little more than twiddling his thumbs and waiting. Bored out of his mind, the rogue shinobi decided to walk out of his quarters and explore the village he once called home.

 

[Godjacob]

"Glad to know I have such great support." Kenji mused with sarcasm at Taji's comment before facing Sagiso as he heard his reply and grinned in response. "Sorry but I like to talk, comes with the territory." Kenji mused, even if he clearly understood Sagiso's point as he none the less followed the fight-eager Hyuga as she moved to the battlefield. If Kenji had to guess there was an itch she had about the whole thing, well hey everyone needed to let off their steam their own while and while Kenji appeared more lax by comparison he had a similar drive to the Star kunoichi.

"Isn't my intention. So what are the guidelines? First to a surrender?" Kenji asked, more so a means to feel out the kind of fight Sagiso had been looking for as much as "rules" to this impromptu spar.

During this Sakura and Aisha had moved to the side of the battlefield to observe the action, if lunch was gonna be delayed the least they'd do is see how Sagiso and Kenji have improved since previous meetings. Aisha in practical seemed interested to see how Kenji's training would bare in a practical setting.

I doubt Kenji will break his chakra cuffs for a spar outside the exams, but even if he did remove them victory over this one would be no guarantee. She seems to carry a powerful spirit, so how do you expect to stand if you decide to keep the restraint Kenji?

----------
"Uh huh, glad we're all getting along..." Tomiko mused with a sweat drop, as she figured even as Kou settled it was best to diffuse the situation as she decided it was best to move them away from one another; as she waved goodbye to Madoka who in kind waved back as she began to lead Kou on the path to where Zaku had last been. When asked about what she has done, Tomiko smiled as she seemed eager to change topics from Kou's aggression earlier.

"Oh well the usual. Been training for these exams, and now aim to become a Chunin proper in the finals." Tomiko said with a touch of excitement to her tone as she clarified her reasoning for why she was in Ame which Kou likely could have guessed.

-----
Madoka in turn waved off her friend before her eyes set on Taiyo, as after that outburst from the Oto "Kage" and their little spat it seemed he focused on her as he outlined his list of requests. The first seemed reasonable, though as he kept tacking on more and more modifications a sweat drop rolled back Madoka's head as Taiyo seemed to confuse "modifications" with upgrades in some steampunk Yukie Fujikaze flick.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as his offer to help, earnest though given his lack of experience questionable before she spoke to him.

"Well, that is an extensive list. I'll need to get some additional tools if I am gonna work about that, especially the flame thrower feature. Course, this kind of extended effort won't come merely from the kindness of my heart..." Madoka said, as she blank face implied there'd be a fee at the minimum if they were gonna discuss upgrades. First time she had been willing to help a ninja at his lowest (Mostly due to friend suggestion) and that she was kind enough to not put a tax on.

Further upgrades yeah Madoka was gonna make sure she had incentive for that beyond a mere "touch up."

-----​

Iwao seemed to carry almost magic words, or least it felt that way as her advice seemed to quell the fighting between Jirou and Hoshi as the other members of the slum pack seemed to listen to her advice on what to pack, and as Ren returned having helped as the latter seemed to help drive the kids forward as they prepared to head and pack up their things since it seemed Tomiko's parents had been aided enough to be well on their way.

"T-thank you, you both are miracle workers!" Naomi said with a big smile as the crew moved to pack for the trip ahead, a renewed optimism and excitement about spurned by the kind gesture of Mori's parents.

----------
Azumi had moved away from the meeting of the Kage, thankfully Zaku seemed to have moved to whatever else he desired to do. Seems she found a sensitive spot with him, so she'd keep that in the back of her mind. Though now that her schedule had been free, what was she to do with herself now?

The feelings she had of those nations that ravaged her homes mere decades ago left her conflicted. Frustrated, perhaps angered and maybe a way to relieve that stress had been ideal. She could secure a spot in the training area and work to let off some steam, though part of her wondered if she should check with her squad in particular their newest addition.

Seuin was a hard one to read. On one hand, he seemed to desire to reform and owe for past sins as an Ame ninja which already ranked him above Reaver in that respect. On the other hand, incidents like drink with the High Priest compounded by his rather shaky background and the fact Azumi knew the least of him caused hesitation to rise.

If she bumped into him, she figured she'd least work to further feel him out with a convo. For now though she worked to the training area.

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Yet to prove you deserve anything but." Taji quipped as she sat down next to the other girls. "Alright, smooth boy! You can impress four girls at the same time, bet you don't see that in those books of yours!" The girl encouraged Kenji, or she was mocking him. It was hard to tell, but the support was meant to be genuine. "How much you wanna bet that your training did for him, Aisha? Another camping trip? The last one was fun." The Kumo kunoichi asked her friend as she petted the nearest wolf.

-----------------

"A miracle worker is a strong word. The kid didn't seem like the type to listen to authority, so convincing him is a lot easier than pulling rank and that way he has some free will. If he wants to show up with nothing, so be it. I gave him that choice and I just have to respect that, he's gonna suffer from it though. There's no better way to learn than to experience it, so hopefully it'll be a wake-up call for him. Don't worry, he'll be fine. No kid's gonna suffer on my watch, just you wait!"

Whilst Iwao seemed to merely joking around with Naomi, Kasumi knew damn well what made him make that sentence such a strong vocal point of his life. After all, every time he looked at his son, he was reminded of that mistake. It was awful seeing both of her boys suffer from that incident and the tension at home was suffocating. Whilst everything was okay now, Kasumi knew that Iwao was still beating himself up for it and trying to redeem himself. That was a thought for later though, right now they needed to prepare for the trip. "Do you want some help with packing or can you and Mr. Snugglebottom do it all by yourselves?" The jonin kneeled down to talk to Naomi, a smile on her face.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

The virago closed her eyes, her senses turned inward. She reveled in the cool kiss of raindrops against her skin, the chill penetrated the soft suppleness of her muscles to subdued the fervent cries for action that gnawed at her bones. An eager moan whispered past her lips. "Mmmh, no restrictions; just make it fun. First to surrender."

Sagisō opened her eyes and gazed at Kenji, a provocative smile hanging on her lips. "I won't beat you up too badly since the Finals are next week; I'll be gentle with you~"

Her advance signaled the start of the fight, the time to talk was over. She took the most direct route, sprinting right at him. Her billowy cloak of feathers, strapped around her shoulder, concealed her hand movements. When the distance between herself and Kenji narrowed to only hardly a dozen meters, two shadows burst from her cloak—shuriken—aimed right for Kenji's chest.

The shuriken were an opening-feint. The real attack followed in their wake as Sagisō accelerated: in the moment he reacted to the shuriken she would strike with a whip-kick aimed at his temples.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
Unfortunately for Taiyo, it seemed that Madoka wasn't inclined to all the upgrades that he had in mind, as in his eagerness to become more versatile, he forgot about financially manifesting his desires. However, not all was lost, as Madoka seemed to be willing to cooperate provided her services were paid for.

"Name your price, I'll see what I can do," Taiyo smiled, now over the little spat he had with Kou. Hopefully, she wouldn't be charging a price too steep. Although he could always take a loan, the fiery shinobi didn't feel like taking on a debt that he couldn't pay. If push came to shove, then Taiyo would cut back on some of his requests.
Seiun
The Ame-nin sauntered around the town, absorbing the sights as he walked. He rarely got out the house when he was a normal citizen, so this was an foreign, yet enjoyable experience for him. However, that enjoyment was soon interrupted when Seiun accidently collided into someone.

"Try watching your step next time," Thinly veiling his annoyance in advice, Seiun decided to get a better look at the person he quite literally bumped into. The most defining features that she sported were her choice in attire and her hair pigment. The former being an Ao Dai, something he hadn't seen since his mom occasionally invited her friends over, and the latter being a striking pink that faded to white, a pigment that the redeemed shinobi thought only possible through hair stylists and dyes. Once he got a good look at her, he began to walk away, only to stop dead in his tracks when he recalled someone with those same descriptive features. One of the few things that Azumi detailed to him was the names and appearances of his coworkers, one of them being a pink haired, Ao Dai clad kunoichi.

"I'm sorry, but I think that I've been told about you before. What's your name?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

.....


Kou begrudgingly turned his back on Taiyo to go with Tomiko. However, not before whipping back around for a second and made an ‘I’ll keep an eye on you’ motion with two fingers two his eyes. Wyatt leaped on Kou, absolutely ready to strike Taiyo again if he dared come close, pointing his handy weapon toward him as if to threaten.

As they got further, Kou took a deep breath, calming his nerves. Giving Tomiko a small smile through his stressed expression, he gave a slump of relief. He listened to Tomiko’s explanation why she was here, the thought seeming to pump Kou up.

“Right! So you can show that guy that banged you up so much what for!” Kou said, punching the air. “Boss and Kiro can beat ‘em up to if you want!”

 

[Godjacob]

"Oh uh well uh, I admire the spirit but that might be a touch hard to ask of them Kou..." Tomiko mused with a slight sweat drop as almost on reflect her hand traced over the scarred arms masked by her clothing and gauntlets from that rather traumatic encounter though she shook her head and returned a light smile the young "Kage's" way.

"Though I do aim to make a better impression this time around. First time on the finals stage and I aim to make the most of it!" Tomiko said with usual fire as they walked to around the previous summit area as she looked for signs as to where Zaku was or where he had gone if nothing else.

------​

Madoka nodded as least he was not one to fight over this, and had began to do some math in her head based on the parts required of him from Taiyo. The average D-Rank mission was about 5,000 Ryo and the parts for the flame thrower components if he wanted something compact but reliable averaged out to about 12,000 Ryo Each. She did the figure of the other more inexpensive supplies as well as time she'd have to take to making this, though considered Taiyo's offer to "aid" her during this before she came to what she presumed was beyond a reasonable figure.

"30,000 Ryo should cover it." Madoka said once she finished her mental conversions.

((Disclaimer, 1 US Dollar is roughly equivalent to 80 Ryo. Essentially Madoka is charging Taiyo equivalent value of about 375 US dollars))

------
Naomi seemed to take each word spoken to her by heart, holding her stuffed companion close to her heart as the slum girl seemed bright as can be and when asked if she or others needed help packing she nodded with an enthusiasm to her. "Oh no you two have done more than enough, I'm a big girl I can pack myself. And I got my friends with me~" Naomi smiled as she soon departed for their "home" with Ren, Hiroshi, Jirou, Miu and Mio as they worked to pack up for the trip ahead.

The air of the bakery had lifted significantly as the trip to Ame offered so generously by the pair help light a spark in everyone which the two ninja could have just felt.

---------
"Believe me there is much you do not know of such fine literature~" Kenji mused back to Taji as Aisha had to snicker at that before his focus and the eyes of all present shifted to Sagiso as she seemed to outline her conditions. And Sagiso seemed to least be conscious about his exam coming in a week as her comments caused Kenji to chuckle on reflex.

"Ah how sweet, I'll be sure to get you something nice when this is over. Just don't be upset if I do manage to win here." Kenji replied back, but casual as he seemed to be one the figurative bell rang he was all business as he seamlessly shifted to a battle ready stance and as Sagiso charged toward him Kenji dashed to the side aiming to get Sagiso to chase.

His long sleeves worked as in motion he hid his hands, which along with his swift motions and sway of arms masked his own hand signs as he also passed over his weapon's pouch like a blur with his hand as Sagiso began to close distance between them.

Woosh!

A chain swung from his sleeve in a 360 degree motion, a faint but visible slimmer of electricity crackled through the chain as he swung it to knock the incoming shuriken aside, though while the chain dealt with the projectiles his eyes never left Sagiso as he pressed his palm on the soil and moved back in one leap to gain distance while he at the same motion reached for his pouch and tossed a pair of kunai Sagiso's way; aiming to time the toss when she'd be in motion for a strike to try and limit her evasive window.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

Eager to close the distance between them, Sagisō took Kenji's bait and pursued. She wasn't reckless, noting his chain, a new addition to his arsenal, and a weapon she would need to keep an eye on. She also mused at his counter-attack: Kenji wanted to play with shurikenjutsu and that was a challenge she would oblige.

Sagisō allowed everything to go exactly as Kenji planned. The kunai he'd thrown caught her right in the motions of her whip-kick and her new apparel was immediately put use deflecting the ninja tools. Unimpeded by the assault, the Skillful Star fully intended to capitalize on the moment and make the Kumo-boy regret his choices.

She drove the whip-like motion of her kick even faster with a snapping motion from her waist; aided further by the slick mud underfoot, she completed a frictionless spin in the blink of an eye; the first spin. Her hands had not been idle while she did so and in the time it'd taken her to turn around, she'd pulled seven shuriken from her seals: three tagged with flashbangs and four tagged with paper bombs.

"Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon."

She integrated her spins into her attacks, releasing a volley after each complete rotation: the first spin added the additional force she needed to capitalize on Kenji's jump, and she sailed three-paper-bomb-shuriken beneath him that would detonate simultaneously. The force of three explosions would prevent him from landing while the resulting shockwave would give him a little oompf and some additional air-time. The longer he stayed in the air, the better.

Her second spin curved the three-flashbang-shuriken in rising arcs, they entered the smokescreen of soot and debris left behind by the paper bombs, untraceable until they burst from the smoke-cloud around Kenji and detonated, filling the battlefield with blinding light.

Spoiler: Rising Arc Visual

Prepared for this development, Sagisō had protected her eyes by covering them.

Her third spin, the final of the volley, sailed her last paper-bomb towards Kenji. Even without vision, Sagisō's accuracy was unerring. The last shuriken hadn't been aimed at Kenji but instead targeted his vicinity, where the detonation of its paper bomb would further disorient the (hopefully) blinded boy. The final explosion, if things went according to plan, would send Kenji reeling, both literally and figuratively. Temporarily blinded, deafened, and sent spinning from the blast, the boy wouldn't know up from down until he hit the ground and which point, she would already be upon him.

Needless to say, Sagisō had activated her Byakugan, ready to pounce through the debris. As she waited she mused to herself, wondering how Kenji would wriggle his way out of his predicament.

Baiyan

Was everyone from the Rain this crass? Following the sound of his voice, Baiyan turned in Seiun's direction. Her expression was flat but the beginnings of a frown hung on her lips. She had sensed him coming but hadn't expected him to walk right into her. If she wasn't blind she might've taken his words to heart.

"I would if I could," she said flatly, raising her head so he could see her dull, amber eyes. Her irritation was tempered by his immediate apology, as half-hearted as it sounded.

"It's common courtesy to introduce yourself first, no?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Zaku crossed his arms as he leaned on a pillar. This entire thing had been a drag. If Orochimaru hadn’t ordered him to come here he wouldn’t have taken it. What was the benefit anyway? Lying to the other nations? They were the Sound, they could just take what they wanted! This didn’t make a lick of sense.

“Hey, Boss!!”

He remembered that voice. Turning around with a whimsical smirk, about to make some half asinine joke, that is, until he spotted Tomiko. Of course. Kou seemed to have his little babysitters no matter his village he was in. As Kou came up with her, Zaku looked her up and down.

“Looks like your looking less and less like a busted up doll every day.” He mused, poking fun at her injured state he last saw her in. “But I see someone was still able to play with you.”


......

“̞̟͜T̸̢͍͕̓̔͐r̴͇̟̐͘͝e̵̡̢͓̾͋͐ä̵̢͔͖́͋͘d̵̘̘͇͆̈́͠c̢̪̺a̙̞̘r͔̪͚e̼͕̫f̢̠͜u͉͔̠l̞̫͜l͉͍͚y̙͉͎.͖͚͚ T̸͎͕͉́͛͘h̵͎̼̒̕͘e̵͍͕̞͌͝͝r̸̟̠͓̽͝͝e̴̪̙͖͒͊̕ i̡̦̟s̙̟̼ m̡̞̪o͍̘̦r̡͍̫e̙͕̘ t̺͚o͎̼̦ h̡̪̺e͚̞̺r̻͔͍ t͖̦͔h̟̼̙a̢͍̼n͔̺͍ ș̠͕h̙̼̟e͚̠͜ a͓͉p̘͍̠p̞̞̼e͎͍͖a̢͕͚r̦̺s͍̼̦.͇͚̙”̙̻̟

B.O.S.E.C. Manifested in Seiun’s perspective, erupting from his neck like a gaping wound. The glitched spirit seems wary of the Baiyan character, knowing Seiun has a hard time with the social aspect.

 

[Retro Master]

“So Damos did come to capture the jinchuriki then...”

Come to think of it, the Mizukage never explicitly stated that the one tails jinchuriki had been captured. She had only alluded to the objective of this mysterious organization and it was now clear how she had come to that conclusion. It made sense for Mei to not disclose that information, as it would be unwise to let all the villages in the room know that the Mist had basically lost their tailed beast. Jinchuriki were essentially a major piece of a village’s military strength. Both offensive and defensive. Sunagakure was considered by most to be the weakest of the great villages, primarily due to them not being in possession of their own tailed beast before they were given Kin. If the other villages knew about the loss of the jinchuriki, they may be more willing to act boldly against the Mist. Especially if the conflict within the village began to spite out of control. Kiro looked to Kai, knowing this was all taking a toll on the Yuki, at least mentally, especially due to who the jinchuriki had been.

“If I remember correctly, the one tails jinchuriki was also a Yuki, so the loss probably impacted you a lot more. I don’t think your father would sit idly by with one of his own taken. Assuming those guards survived the encounter, then maybe Damos purposefully avoided outright killing everyone? I know it sounds strange, but I heard he also has techniques from certain clans in the Mist, like the Yuki and Hōzuki clans. Damos could’ve spared them due to some connection to the Mist, unless they just got lucky and survived instead. It’s a bit of a reach, but maybe there is also a chance the jinchuriki might still be alive. Did anyone even bother trying to find him?”

Of course, Kiro couldn’t help but begin to theorize with the new information on Damos that had been revealed to him. He was also interested in the mysterious group and what their goals were for the jinchuriki. As evident by the event with the eight tails jinchuriki, tailed beasts were well sought after. Mostly due to their power, but that was a pretty basic reason. This organization was shrouded in mystery, with the presumed goal of capturing the weapons that played a role in holding the current balance of power in place for the ninja world. If this group had other members similar to the demon known as Damos, then they should be a threat to be taken seriously like the Mizukage warned. Kiro would have to ask Orochimaru about the group when he had the chance. The Snake Sannin had his hands in a lot of things after all, so an organization like this shouldn’t have escaped his attention. Having one of the most knowledgeable people in the world as a teacher was quite the privilege.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
The fiery shinobi let out a sigh of relief when he heard the price, confident that he could cover it without any strings attached, though there was one more thing to work out before the process could get started in full.

"I can cover that. I'll have to withdraw the money from my account, is that ok with you?" Unfortunately, Taiyo didn't have the luxury of having 30k ryo on hand, though if he did, itd probably get snatched by a pickpocket anyway.
Seiun
Inwardly groaning at B.O.S.E.C busting out like an obnoxious hive, Seiun addressed it's advice without any time wasted.

Alright sure, I'll stay on my toes. Though I'd appreciate if it you just...didn't burst out my neck like that. I know no one else can see it, but I can and it's needlessly unnerving.

Disregarding B.O.S.E.C's lack of regard for unsettling behavior, Seiun took a closer look at her dulled out eyes. With that and her previous comment in mind, it was safe to assume that she was blind. While normally a relatively inoffensive characteristic, Seiun sensed that it could be problematic if she turned out to be the person he thought she was.

"Well, it's also common courtesy to answer questions when asked," The Ame-nin sarcastically remarked before proving his point, "In that spirit, my name is Seiun Yasei."

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

In spite of his sarcastic response, the ame-nin who introduced himself as Seiun had still satisfied her request and thus, warranted an appropriate response.

"I'm the Sword Star, Ling Lien," she introduced. It pleased her to introduce herself with her recently acquired star-name and title, but knew it was unlikely her rainy acquaintances would keep up with her traditions. "but if Azumi sent you, then she'd have said my name is Baiyan."

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
At first, he had to stifle himself from breathing a sigh of relief when the blind girl introduced herself, but it was soon clarified that she was exactly who he thought she was, much to his chagrin. In truth, Seiun was suspicious of how this girl managed to work past her disability, which, for lesser shinobi, would be an utter death sentence. She either survived this long by virtue of luck or skill, leaving the Ame-nin the burden of figuring out which.

"Do you mind telling me why you introduced yourself twice?" Seiun opened amicably in order to make up for their rocky introduction in addition to making the prospect of later cooperation more appealing, "And more importantly, do you have a preference on which name I use?"

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

A pleasant surprise; Baiyan's lips lifted. It was always flattering when an unrelated person took an interest in one's own culture. It was especially flattering when that culture was not only a way of life but a major component of one's identity.

She paused to consider her response and released a soft hum, her choice of verbal filler. She didn't want to overcomplicate things but neither would she oversimplify her culture. The best of both worlds, she felt, was a direct and pragmatic answer. If Seiun wanted to inquire further, she would happily oblige.

"In my village, it is customary that a warrior of age and recognized skill possesses at least three names."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Å̌̈́̆n͛͊̂͑ͦ ͗͌̏͆͆o͂͛̍p̊p̽̍̏̒ô̓̅͂̍r͂̆ͬͦ̈̂t͂̅̎̔͛uni̅̔ͨͭt̒̂́ý dͫͬͨ̒ẽͣͬ͗ͣͨtͤ̋e͊̃̉cͬ͛t̔ͧ̚e̾d̉̓.ͫ͛̋́̓͛̀ ͛̈́̾̏ͤ“

B.O.S.E.C.‘s crescent shaped eyes grew even narrower to match it’s smile, the entirety now reaching out and tracing a talon across Baiyan’s face, phasing right through it like the mental projection it was.

“In̍̍͋ͬqͩͮù̾̑i̓̾̈́̅̐̋̇r̿̉͆̃̏e͂ͯ̈́̄͗̂ͦ ̍̇͐ͫ͑f̀u̍̈́r̒͂t̅ͮ̀̽he͑rͧ͐ ̆̏̾oͩͫnͭ ͊̽̌ͨ̐͋ͮthͮ̈ͤͧ͗e͋̏ͭͮ ̄m̈́̿ͥ͊a͐̈̉ͦ͆ͯt̽̇̍̈̔̋ͩt̄eͭͣ̑r̒ͪͬ,̾ ̆͂ͪ̈́͒ͮͤả͌̑̚sͬk̆̅̽̚ ͆̊̽̓ḧ͋̆ͮe͂r̄ ̓̂o̓̿̒́̉f̋ͮ͑͛́ ̿ͩ̾̉̓ͦh̄̏̿̋̾ẽ̌̓͗̊̊̚r̆ͭͫ͆ͬ ̎̐͌͗rěcͧ͊͌̓ͬo̐g͐̇̉ͭn̉͐́̏̈́̐̊ĭ͐t͐̋̈͂͛̅i̽ͩͣ͋͒̉̈́oͩ̑̽̄́nͥ͑̐ ͪͧ͗́̔̃̐asͩ̒̐͛͑ ͯȃͮ͂ͮͬͭ͒ ͮ̋̉̿̚w͒ͬ̒ã̐͋ŕͩ̃͑͛͊ri̒͋̽ͧoͬͣ́r̽̃ͪ̿̍.ͥ̾͌ ̊̓̄ͯ͗̄Mͤ͆a̒̂kͮͪ̏e̿̒ ͥ̽͒̇ḣ͊̾̇̇ͮ͗ĕͨ̿̄̽ͥrͣ̑͛̄̉̂ t̎̎ͮ̉ͪaͩ̇l̏kͣ ͧ̀ͫͧ̀ã́͒ͧb̈́ͣ̽͆̑̀ő̇ů̒͋ͬtͬͭ̆ hë̉̋͐ͦr͒͑̒ͪsͫe̒̋͐l̽fͬ͐ ͯͫͩ̊ͩͬͧa̓ͯ̽́̓̽nͭ͌d̑͊ ȭ̋ͩ̃ͭ̚cͬͦ̉̉͆̀̚c̏̂̇͐̌͒̂ủ̌p͆́̍̂̽á̂tͨͯͤ̊ͥ̏ìoͤ̊n̊̓ͭ̓̄.”̿

Orbiting her, it seemed to be gathering data, identifying certain scents and visual patterns, attempting to find links and cross-referencing them with lead they had acquired in this village.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
The redeemed shinobi was already irritated that B.O.S.E.C seemed to ignore his prior request about not making him uncomfortable, but it felt patronizing for the construct to instruct him to do something that he already intended to do. Still, Seiun remembered how poorly the last time he tried to rein in the A.I's help, so he decided to explain his intentions without wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

We're on the same page here, B.O.S.E.C. I suppose great minds think alike.

"Is that so?" Taking on a curious tone, Seiun asked the virago with a certain eagerness to be educated, "If you don't mind me asking, what are the categories of names that you're assigned? How did you become a warrior? What does it mean to be of age and recognized skill? Where did the custom of three names originate? I'd appreciate as much detail as possible, though if you can't answer it all at once, I understand. I've asked a lot of you, but its just because I love learning about different cultures." While he was doing his Curious George act, Seiun noticed that B.O.S.E.C seemed to be examining Baiyan for information. Keeping with his learnings of cooperation, he decided to consult B.O.S.E.C for his input.

Did you find anything interesting about her yet? Also, how was my performance?

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

The A.I.‘s face glitched up to where half of the entity’s face had split off, an eye and part of it’s mouth, looking up and down at it’s host.

“̈́̽́̓͗An̔̉͋ ͥ͑̆̋ͮ̚aͮͩ̓͒̆c̓ͦ̿cu͊͑r̈́̉̿̽̋ͭat̀e̾ͣ̊̏ ̀͑̆a͌͛̈͗̇͋s̅sͪ̊̆̑e͆͛͌ͫ̐s̽ͨsͬ͂͂́ͦ̿mͨ͗e͆̌̅̉ň̓t̔̇ͭ?͛̆̒͊ ̿̓̆6ͩ̑͗5̓̃̔̋̀̋̚%͛̏ͦ͊. ̽̏͌ͤͮ̅̑Tͣͭoͭ͌o͊͊ͥ ̎f̏͐̽̂͒̈́oȓ̽̀̎͒ͩ͆ċ͊̉̌̃e̓̇ͯ͊ͯ̒ͨf͊̿͒̍̆ͨuͪͬl̑͊̄̓͒̉ ͆̚aͫ͊ñd͆̋͑̊ ͥ̊̾͛rͩ̑̿ͤ̓̿o͑ͣͣ̂̈́́͂ȗ̎̇̽͛̾̚g͗͊̃͂h̾,ͧͣ̌ͥ̈̈́͋ ͛̏̉͐ͯ͊ͩh̾̒a͐͗͐ř͐̏ͣ͐dͩ͛̑͑ͣͣlͬ͑̈̄ͪy͗ ̓͐͑̒͗oͯ̊̎pͫt͗̋͌͛̿̚̚iͦ̾͒͑͂͂mͪͯ̽ͪ͊a̍ͫͨ͌̍lͬͤ̄.ͬ͋͛̿ ́͒̐͑̇̇̚B̅̊͊uͧ̉͋̄ͥ͆ͬt͆ͩ ͦͪ̂̽iͣ͐ͯt shouͮͩ͊́ͪl̎ͥͭ̓ͨ̌dͩ͊ ̑ͫ͊b̍͆̄ė͗ ̏ͦ͂ͩw̽͐͊̏̍̈̇iͤͦͦ̈̐̐t͑ͣ̌͑͗hi͌̄nͬͩ̔ͮ ̇̓ͦ̓̓͊̃a̓ͤͬ͒̔͂cͧ̿ͥ̄ͧ̆͋c̿̈̉̓͆ͬe̍ͨͮpͧẗ̈ͧ͆̀̎͂abl̔́ͧ̃ͦ͐ẻ̓ͥͯ̆ ̄ͯ͛̈ͣ̆ͫp͆͛ͦ̐͂̾a͋ͬͧ̽ͩ̾̎r̓ͨͨ̎̏͗ͥaͨm̿ē͑̏̇̒͆tͪͩ̈͐ͨͮe͛̓̓ͪͫ͑r̈ͨ̚̚sͪ̄͆ fͥ͐̽͐ò̎r̓ͤ͋̆ ̊̇̒̓̒wͤͬͪ̊̉̅ĥ̿͗̊̓̏â̎ͦͦ̓̈t̊ ͥ͌̈ͪ̋͆̾w̑̒̒ͥͦ̂e̐̊̀ͯ͐̽ ̌́͛̂̆aͦrͩ̎͗̈́ē̽̀́͂̒̚ ̔́ͣ͆ͫt͐̊̽ͬ̀ͪr̔̈yi͒n͆̏̆̄̑g̅̉͊ ̂ͧt̔̓̒̄̀̽̓o̓ͯ̒̌̓ͥ ͌ͫ̀̋ͪͭä̏c̋͐̓ͦ̏̂̇h̄̅͊͗ͬ̀i̅e͐ͬͭ͊͂̈̓vͩ̒̄̐e̐̿̾̇̽ͮͪ.̇̓ͫͧ̏̂͊”͆

It glitched back together in a flicker, ignoring Seiun’s original pleas for less ‘uneasy’ behavior, grasping Baiyan’s hair, appearing to take a purple strand of it out, albeit this was only projection.

“Cͨͤ̈́̿ͫ̿̍eͫͣ̅̆̂r̽ͪͦ̈t͛̔̄̂a̾̽̈́̉͊̈i̅͊n̅͑̚lͨ̽̊yͯ̆ͪ͂ ͑̀o͊͗̿̓n̒̃̆̾͗̾ͦĕ̅ ̎͋͑͛ö́̍̉ͬͤ̍̚fͩ ͐̑ͤt̿hͣȍͦͬͧ̔̒̚s̈́͆̈́̀̇ͩ͊ȅ̉͑̌ ̋̈̓͗̏ͤ̅i͑̉͊̿̇gͯ̉n͒̓ͨoͪraͣ͌n̂͗̓̓̂̏tͭ̊̐̀̔̊ ͂̿̽̋́äm̿ͩ̋͆͒ͨ̉a͆̋̇̑͑ͨzͨͫ́̍̌̉̚oͦnͩ̓̏͋ͧ̈sͧ̀ͪ.̊ͧ S̆ta̅ͬnͭ̽̏̂̈́̐̈́di͗ͩ̉̈n͒̒g̾ͭͥ͐ ̒̽͂̽͊i̅ͩ͋n͗ ̉͐̊ͯͪtĥe͂̏ͩͣiͯ͂ͭ̒ͫ̋ȑͥ ̂ċ͒ͭǔ͛l̏͂̎t̿̈́̍͂͒̃͋u͌r͛̆̐̓͐ȅ̉ ͑̊ͪ̃̊ͨy̿̒̊͗̋̆̒e̎͆ͯͬt͗̚̚ ͐̒̅́́̀ú̽̅ͪ̑n͛͒̄͒̆̔k͋̃̿͆n̅ͩŏ̿͐wnͯ̂̉,͆͋̿̚ ̿ͪ͌ͣͦ̐͒s̐̈̃ͯ̓ͥ̈tͤ̔͛̊i̽̀͋ͫ̚l̎́ͣl͆͂̿́̆ ͮͮ̔cͤrͥo̿̿ͦss̍ͥr̐̒̒̈́̾̽ͤëfͯ͐er͑͑en̂c͂inͨ͑͆̀g͗̅̂̎.ͩ͑ͩ ̽̊͒Ĥ͐̈́̒̃̃oͮ̈wͭ́éͮvͫͨ̊e̓ͯ̍̚r͂,ͥͮ ͒̓Iͩ̿ͥ̽ ͫ̊ͩ̓̈́ͧ̌a̋ͬͣͬ̀̆m̅̍ͧ͐ ̓ͬmͫ̏ͣͬ̒ͣoͯ̋r̾̽̌ͤ́́e͆ͭ̚ ̎̿͌̊̊i͗̂̋̓͗̆̾n̆ͤͪ̐ͩͨ̒t̔ě͒͌̋r̓̏͛͆̑͛ȇͤ̈͒̈́s͗̑̓͂t͒̌͆̆̿ȅ̈́̏d̆͑ͣͯ͂͐ͦ ̇̐ͯ̄ͬi̓̄n͑̌͑͛̈ͪ ̅sͬ̊͋ͩĕ̑͂̅ͯͣe͌͂iͣͫͪ̑n͊ͨ̐̚g̒ͨ͂ͯ̃ ̃̒ͬͦ̃i̎̓̑ͭ͋̍f̀̈́͂̽ ̊ͬ̌̾̄͐t̂̒͑͗̊̄̍his͋̆́͐̈́ ͥ͒̏̅̑̊̒ḯ̔sͩ ̈́ͪͧthe͒̇̎͂̓ ̇ŏ͗̉ͭͤ́n̉̃ͬ̎̆e͐ ̈̐Iͪ̑̾̓ ̎lͦ̋͌̃͌̎ͯeaͦ̎d͐ͮ͐ ̔ͣy̓ͦͫoͥͪ̾͒ͦ͌uͪ ̒͐ȍ̑̏̂ͮͥ̐v̿ȅr̿ ͥ̈̏̿̑͊hͩẽṙ̓ͮ͆͐͐ͧe̽̿̃̑ ͐̈́̀͌f̍̐̈́̎̄ö́ͬr͑̌.̃ͯ̎͂͗ͮ̔ ͪͮͪ̍̈͒̔C̋͛̊h̽̍aͩͪ̿ͭͬ͂ͤn͐ͧͪ̆̔ͫ͑c̽͂͑̉ͭ͋̃e̅̆͌s̀̓̓̉͊̃ ͪ̃ͯ̽̐ͧͤi̒ͥ͆ͫͨ̆͌n̐c̋r̍̏͐ͪ̏̚e̾ͮͧͮ͛̎̈ȧ̆̋s͊́͛̒iͮ̎̑̉̎nͭ̀g ̇ͪͨͯb͆̂̿̒̍̍̚ẏ͋ͤ̒̆ ̚tͬ́̂̅̂̄hͬͨ̈̊eͩ̆ ̈̄̾̾sͥ̉͂́ͩe͂cͯ̾ͫͤͭŏ̎̆̓n͆ͦ͐̈́̓͋dͮ̽͆ͧ.̐́ͭ”ͩ͂

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

She was bombarded with questions and queries, verbal probes into the nature of her customs. Seeing no reason not to respond, Baiyan answered each question as they came.

"We're given a name at birth—our true name—and two names upon being recognized: our courtesy name and inherited name."

It was customary that she offered her courtesy or inherited name rather than her true name, but out of consideration for Azumi and their agreement she had given her true name. The infraction was a minor point of annoyance for her and it was quickly forgotten as she moved onto the next question.

"You are recognized when your mentor deems you worthy."

That was as specific as it got. A virago could be recognized at any age so long as they were competent and proven dedicated. The array of skills with the sisterhood was varied, and so their recognition manifested in different ways.

"In my village, we are all warriors. We do not live inside comfy cities like this one, so it is by necessity."

The ninja villages, the ones that she'd visited thus far, were all rather homely places and she rather liked the accommodations and conveniences they afforded. They were a far cry from the simple huts of twigs and mud that had housed her childhood.

"The system was established when our village was founded. I think—", the virago suddenly paused, brows creased. Blind as she was, the sword star had invested heavily into her ancillary senses which, aided by her natural affinity for sensing chakra, were extraordinary. Chakra fluctuations called her attention to the east and her jaw tightened, a susurrus of shock on her breath. "She's comprehended her dark rank...already?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line and a moment later, her expression had become unreadable.

"I think they made it up," she finished in monotone.

 

[Godjacob]

Woosh!
​

Once Kenji had managed to deflect the initial projectiles, he had in the same motion already began work on his follow up as while he spun his eclectic chain around he launched it to his side a good 15 feet away from his current spot with Sagiso as the electric edge added a stabbing power to the chain as it stuck into the mud and provided a brief "anchor" as Kenji yanked on the chain and pulled himself as he seemed to glide away quickly from their area as Sagiso began her new combo.

All the while his free hand, which seemed to have a spark to it, traced the muddy ground as he shifted locations.

Boom!

The resulting explosion of the paper bombs Sagiso dropped where he previously stood sounded, and while it had him wobble as he was pulled to his new location he was able to roll with it landing on his feet as he retracted his chain once more. Kenji already reached into his pouch for an answer though sudden flash bangs caused Kenji to cover his eyes with an arm to avoid the blinding attack which halted his advance.

Hearing the sounds of objects sailing in the air, Kenji worked to shift and lung himself away from the noise though worked to launch a volley back as he reached in his pouch and fired a trio of kunai and pair of Shiruken each as they'd arch from the sides to where Sagiso had last been as a sort of counter attack measure; with a bit of an explosive surprise latched onto one of the otherwise unassuming weapons shot Sagiso's way.

Naturally, Kenji kept light on his feet, as well as a finger traced along the muddy soil as his chain was at the ready once more if need be.

----------
Soon enough, there they had found Zaku. Casually chilling by a pillar a long way from where Kou had bumped into them which was far from the most encouraging of sights as Kou naturally seemed happy enough to see his boss and of course Zaku replied with some quip at her expense.

"Well I know how to take a lickin and keep on ticking as they say..." Tomiko mused with a seemingly friendly smile. "...say uh Kou, mind if I have a word with Zaku in private? More of a secret thing so I don't want anyone knowing about it so I need someone on lookout. Can I count on you?" Tomiko asked Kou, having moved to a knee to speak to him at eye level as if she had given him an important role as an equal per her request.

---------
"So long as you assure me the money comes. I won't do work only for you to then say "oh sorry I don't have the money" once I am done. Beyond that acceptable terms." Madoka answered Taiyo without much emotion but her tone did carry some sincerity to it as she figured so long as she got her due payment it mattered not where Taiyo had gotten in from.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kou arched a brow at what Tomiko meant about leaving them some space, that is until Tomiko elaborated that she needed lookout for this. She needed his help? How could he refuse? He nodded his head and balled his fists.

“You can count on me!”

Kou quickly shuffled off just within eyesight, turning around and putting his hands on his hips, making sure no one got close...albeit he wouldn’t know what to do if someone got close anyway. Zaku let out a snort at this, offering a whimsical smile that reflected his dubious expression.

“Oh? You wanted to be alone with me Eh? Now isn’t this a plot twist. Sorry to say but your not my type.”

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

Unknown to Kenji, Sagisō had given a subtle nod. His reaction was about what she'd predicted. Already in a position to pounce, the girl wasted no time in capitalizing on the opportunity she'd created. Fifteen feet? Her lips, wet with rain and anticipation, curled into a confident smirk. He might as well have been right next to her.

Sagisō shot forward with the body flicker, a blur of motion through the smoke. She took the path her opponent had paved for her, the obvious gap he'd left as his shuriken arced on either side of her—down the middle. Trap or otherwise, the Skillful Star didn't care. She was upon him in mere moments, her fist coated in chakra, crashing down with speed and ferocity that distorted the very air—Nadeshiko Style: Hardliner Gale Fist.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
Seiun listened to Baiyan intently as she managed to answer his barrage of questions. As far as definitive information went, he now knew that she hailed from a village of warrior women and that their traditions were as old as her home. He inferred that she came from some kind of slum based on how she thought the city to be comfortable, whereas he just saw it as an ordinary city. While he was absorbing information from Baiyan's answers, he split his attention towards B.O.S.E.C. as well, particularly his evaluation of his performance. Agreeing with construct in the forcefulness of his approach, so he attempted a smoother approach for his next questions.

"Most traditions are made up by the founders of the culture, so I suppose it isn't too unusual for yours to follow suit," The Ame-nin chuckled at the virago's deadpan comment, both because he found it humorous and to make her feel welcome. His desire to be approachable was not born from the kindness of his soul, but rather the knowledge that she'd be easier to manipulate in the future if he came off approachable in the first encounter.

"By the way, who was your mentor? More importantly, what did they teach you..?" Asking this specific question would give the redeemed shinobi the best awareness of her capabilities in combat, as opposed to the idle trivia that he'd gotten up to this point. Once he got his question out, he shifted his focus on B.O.S.E.C. and their findings.

What amazons are you talking about? And what do you mean "the one you lead me over here for"?

Tsuki
After what seemed to be hours dedicated in her writing, it seemed that the icy kunoichi had come to a point where she could write no more. Looking up from her notebook, she was faced with the sight of myriads of her peers talking amongst one another, further fueling her lingering feelings of isolation. However, these feelings were merely temporary, for Tsuki had recalled important information.

Kai's my friend, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I paid him a visit.

Without further hesitation, she rose from her lonely seat on the bench and attempted to locate her clanmate, hoping to engage in any kind of conversation. Tsuki walked with her head hung low to avoid eye contact with strangers while also allowing her to introspect in peace. As she was walking, she found herself stepping in some white substance. The substance gave off a crack when she stepped on it, breaking the icy kunoichi out of her trance. After tapping her foot on the substance a couple of times, Tsuki finally came to the conclusion that this "substance" was actually snow.

"Why is there snow here..?" Tilting her head upward, Hama's pupil was greeted by the sight of a group if women duking it out over a cause she was unaware of. Of the combatants, a suitably pale woman was responsible for producing the snow.

She has to be of Yuki descent! No other kunoichi would possess the ability to create snow like she is. Perhaps I should notify Kai about her, see if he wants to engage in conversation...

After writing her observation about the snowy girl down, Tsuki continued on her way to meet her only confidant. Eventually, she found the Yuki Prince, who seemed to be conversing with someone else. With a pep to her step, Tsuki gleefully approached the gentlemen and waited her turn to be invited into the conversation.
Taiyo
"I can work with that, I'll make sure you get your money before we start," Taiyo began, turning to leave before stopping cold, coming up with an idea, "Oh! Do you accept cash only or checks as well?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"It's hard to say..." Kai said, gripping his chin. "His attacks are described as showing Similarities. Weather he copies bloodline justu in proximity of him or simply knows every bloodline justu is a terrifying thought..."

Kai cringed when he heard Kanshi's name, not seeming to like the subject matter. He adjusted his position slightly, looking above.

"There was a search party mounted. But the trail of death in his wake proved too demoralizing. Especially since he could fight a Kage along with clan heads and still remain on course with his plan. What would a few scouts do? He travelled by ocean, and there was fear the black water had contaminated it."

Kai sighed, dissatisfied by the state of affair and how the situation was handled. By both sides. The entire thing was a mess that couldn't be avoided.

"Look Kiro, i above all else hate the shedding of mist blood. But I think my father and Mei rather use Damos as a political tool than do anything about him. They are so blinded by their own ambitions that they can't see-"

He stopped mid sentence, seeing Tsuki eavesdropping on their conversation. Clearing his throat he motioned over to her.

"Ahem. We have a guest. This is Tsuki. She is an aspiring Yuki. She is a friend. Tsuki, this is Kiro. He is a...comrade in arms."



.........


"̽̽͛̿ͬI̅r̍ͥ͊̈̆͑r̀ͧẽ̐̏̑̒ͥl͌͋ͣ̒̓͋͆e̒ͣ̃̽vͪān͗̓̓ͤͫ͗̚t.̾͗"ͥ̈ͧ

Didn't seem as though B.O.S.E.C. Wanted to elaborate on the amazon matter, flashes of images frantically running through the air. Symbols, signs of battle, and some kind of large crater with a formation of crystals in the epicenter.

"̋͛͒B̂͒͆̄̉̓e̾̐̇ͪe͒̀̃ͭnͩ ̐ͮͩ̈́k͊͂ͯ̔ͬe͗̓̅͂eͩͨ͋ͭ̄ͣp̀̊ͮ́͒ͪ̀i͋̾̉̍́n̈́̃̆ͬg͌̈ͧͬ̌̂ t͑ȧ́ͨͨ̓bs ͥͨȏͭň̑͊̇͊ ͐̊̿̍ā͑͒̇ͤ̅̋ s͒̒̐́̆m̓ͬ̍ä́̅̾̆͑ͧl̒͊̋͂̐lͯ̎͋͛̃ ͭͮ͛͊b̅̾̽̇͌̄a̓͛͌́n̿̆̂̊̉̂ͬd̊ͥ̀̂̃.͌͗͂̐̐ ̔̽C̄͗͑r͋̈́u̔ͨ̈dĕ̉̈́ͭ yͦ̐êt̒͗̇ͯ ͋̓̈́eͤfͩ̀ͨ̽f̆̽̆̈̓̃̉e͑͌̎c͌tͫ̅̉̚iͦ͊̽v̐ͪ͂ͣeͥ̎͒̏̇͛̾ ̇͛̇͌ͥ̆b̂͐̃̒̉̅̈ú̂̒̉̊n̿͛͛c̈́̄ͩ͗ͧͨ̚hͨͤ͒ͩ̄ͤ̌,̈́́̍̄̇͊ ͂ͮͤ͐ͨ̂hͬẻ͊a͂v̽̎y̾ͫ͗̑̆ ́o̒̐n͐̓͌ͩ̊ ̅͆oͮ̆f͆̈fͨͦ̏͒ͩe͐̌̚nͧ̎̌͒̽sͥ͒̇̏ͨ̈́i̇ͫͪͮ̋̎v̍̄e͌ ̿a̾͆ͫ͆̀̋n̈́d̋͒̅ͯ ̉ͬ̅͒̍͗d̈́̎ͩeͯ̈́̉fͩ͊en̓̑s͋iͥ́̌ͦve͑̓ ̌à̃͗̊̓͛b̔̓i̾l͋̆̏ͮ͐ͮͮiͭ̇̅̈́ͮ̋tìeͭ̒ͧ̉͛ͥsͣ̓̓̄̊.̋͗͋̆́ͦ ̑̓My̋̒̎ ́̓s̈̊̊o͛u̅̇ͫr̂̈ͬ͆c̎̎es̏ͧ̋ͣ̇ sͫͩ͐̆ͣͨ̚t͛̎͊á͛̆̋ͭ͊t̓̍͂e̍͑ ̄t̑h̽aͬ̏ͯ̉t͗ ̾̑tͨ̂̅h͐eͨͪͦ͑̆̉ͮy̓̌ͣͬ̓ͪ ͌ͨ̒̇s̋̒ͮ̔̏ḣo̅ͭul͌ͦd̒ͪ͌ͥ̿̄ͬ ͪͭbͩẻͤ ͤ̅ͬ͋̀̈̆i̔̄̽ͭͪnͦͬͯ ̈͆t͆h͆͗́̆eͬ ̔̊̑̇r͊aͤ͋ǐͣ̐̑n̉ a͑̃̽tͤͨ̽̚ ͗̓̉ͭt̉ͪͤ̇̚ĥ͛̈́̆i͊̓sͤͫ pͬ̇ͤ͊̏ͭo͆̋̇i͗ͧ̍̾̚n̓ͭͥ͂̀tͫ̑̏̔ ̽ͥ̍ͧ͑̋ȁ̄ͮ̚n̿̂͛͐ͭͨͧd̎ ͦ̀̓ͮ̈ͯt̿̃́͛ͭ̿̈i̾͊͐͌̅ͪ̓me̅̔͌ a̅̐ͥ̿̉͒nͧ̅͛͌ͮ̏ͩd̑̃ ͤ̄͐͐ͫc̔̃͂̓͗o̍͂nͩͩ̚s̽͆ͧ̏ͧͫ̄ístͫͯ̀̆͒̉ ofͥ̂̊̐ ͨͪ͆͌ͥYͧ̈̑ỏͩ̉u̓̓̄ͪ̔t̎ͬͮ̈ͬ̃ĥ͂̅̂̐̿͛s̔ͥ̾̐̇̋.ͩ̈ͨ͆̔̽̿ A͂̈́͊̋͑m̽ͭͮong͐̇͂̃̅s̉͆ͣt̏͂ ̅͗thͭ̏̄̊̇ͫè͊ͭ̋͌m̆ wͫeͣ͒rͥͯ̎͂͆͆͆ë̈ͮ̉̓͆ ̊ͥͤ̋̊̉s̆ͦ̋̓t̆ͪͭͫͣ̚a̍ͨ͛ͥ̀ͤͭṫͯ́̉e̿̐̊̊̓̎d ̐̑̔̽̋̒tͦ́ͬ̀͐ő͂͑̏̃ ͋h̓͗͑̉aͣ̈͋͛ve̎̄́ͤ ̂ͧ"A͗̔͊͑͌̏͋ ͗ͩ̈́̓̓̓̚r̄͆̀̅̑̈́ͦe͗͗̂̇͒ͬͫl̑̅ͪ̇̾̒i̋̂̆̀͐͋̊gͬ͑i͑ͩͭ͑ͨ̚ǒ̅͗u̎ͯ̽̍̽s̏̿̔̾̽ ͒ͪ̿ͮ̚z̎̈e̔ͮaͨͥlö́̉̽ͥ͂̆tͫ̈́̉̐͆ͬ"͒̐ͪͣͮͮ̈́,́̆̏̔ ̿̌͌͗̅͛"͒͑͒ͫ̋̈́A̚ ͆lͭ͑̐i̐v͐̒ͯi̋ng ̈́ͣt̆̊ͥ͑̊̚a̾ͯ̂͂͆̾ͦn͒ͤk̀̐"̾,͐ͪ̎͆ ̉äͬͮ͒̐nd̂ l͆̇̈̓̉́ǎ̂̍̈́̒̊͑s̔̉ͣͫͭtl̉y͗,̀̊͋͗ ̔̅͒͂ͩ̓͋ā̑̑͊ ̍ͫ̎̚'̑ͪ̂e̊ͭl̒̋ĕ͊ͦ̅͐̔gͣaͭ͂n͆̅ẗ́ͬ̎̏ͣͫ ̃a̋̓ͣ̐̈s̅̌͋ś̆̿́ã͐̂ͣͦŝaͦ̈́̏iͫnͨ̉͑.̌́̇͆' ̔̉͗ ́͑̄̌Hͫ͌̚ẽ̓̆̈ͨ͗ ̃̎̃ͩ͆ͮ̍mͥ̊͗aͩ̍̎͆yͯ̆̆͂̊ ̍̿͒͌͆̊b̏̆͗ͣ̓̚eͫ̇͋͛̐̈́ ͆͋̾̋̊͌o͒̃f͌ ͨ̏t̉̄̂͋̔̇hͤ̊́̾̃̚eͤ ͮͬ̓ͭ͑ͤf̔ͩo̚r̽̓̐̀m͑͛͐͑͗èr̃̊͋ͪ̃̓̚ ͛̇͋̊̔ͬo͛͛ͬ̾řͪ̄̑̀̋ ̄̏̚l̐͑͊̾ͣ̉͆atͯ͗ͩ̾ͦ̽e͋r ͯͥc̈ͬ͒͌̑̃ͯa͑ͨ͗t̊ͮͮ̈́e͐̆͐ͩͭg̈orͨͫͧͯiͪ̉ͭe̋ͯ̐̈́ͤs.̉̓͛̈̍ ̔̌͒̆ͩ͛̐Leaͮn͗̋̊͆̂ͫi͑̏́̎̍ͭ̿n̆ͯ̔g ͋ͩͩ̑t͌̄ͬỏ̚w͐̐ǎ̊̂̌ͧ͛r͛ͦdͪ͗͋̓ͫͬͪ ̀̏̚tͣ͒͂ͬ͆͛͐h͋e ͧͫͫl̈́ͤͣ͆aͭͤͥ̐̀̏ͨt͋ͮ͌͂͐t͆̐̆ͤ͗e͊͂͋̔̉̈́̌r̀.̑̇̽̊͆̈̚"̆̈̌̓̇

The A.I. Focused on the dark hair sample, examining it closely. It didn't match the hair of the Zealot. Certainly not. And the Assassin's currently had no registry. And considering the consistency of the hair and the small traces of bacteria it had collected...it was able to discover she HAD been in battle in the last two months. Not exactly pin point accuracy, but she certainly had the making of a suspect. Perhaps if Seiun dug deeper....

 

[Retro Master]

Kai did bring up a good point with his final remarks. Damos could very well be being used as a political tool. Perhaps to incite fear into their very own citizens. Preying on the fear of people was one way to manipulate them. Was the purpose of calling the Summit, solely to discuss Damos, a ploy by the Mizukage to instill fear into the other villages or a genuine warning? Of course, the threat of Damos was still very real. At least it seemed so. However, before Kiro could state his response, an acquaintance of Kai quietly appeared.

As evident by the pep in her step, the girl appeared to be pretty joyful to see Kai. Just by a glance, he could tell she was of a similar nobility as Kai. Though it was subtle, Tsuki’s refined appearance and mannerisms set her apart from the rest of the commoners that passed by. She stood idly by until the Yuki Prince generously invited her over. Kai appeared quite fond of Tsuki and was quick to welcome and introduce her to Kiro.

‘A friend huh.’

Though Kai might appear cold to most, he really did seem to look out for those he cared about and considered as friends. Come to think of it, Kiro hadn’t really seen or spoken with any of Kai’s friends before. After the introduction, Kiro looked at the girl and gave her a respectful greeting.

“Hey. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tsuki.”

 

[sSoul]

Tsuki
Although she fully expected to be invited in the conversation, she didn't expect Kai to interrupt himself just to introduce her to his "comrade-in-arms". Speaking of that, Tsuki got to thinking as to why she was introduced to Kiro as a friend and why the Uchiha was categorized as an ally in combat. Perhaps there was a nuance in relationship between her and Kiro, possibly based in the circumstances in which the companionship was forged. While Kai reached out his hand to pull her out of the depths of loneliness, maybe he reached his hand out to Kiro to pull him out the depths of death before they met. Further corroborating this train of thought was the deliberate pause that the Yuki Prince inserted in his speech, almost as if the term he used was an oversimplification of their relationship's true nature. Regardless, she was intrigued by Kiro and figured to piggy back off of Kai's initial introduction.

"It's nice to meet you, Kiro," As she greeted the Uchiha, she gave a little bow out of respect, "The pleasure is mine, knowing that Kai could rely on you puts me at ease." So far, the Uchiha seemed friendly, although she had nothing to go off since all she had to go off of was his introduction. Still, she trusted Kai's judgement of character and was pleased with the potential of another companion.

"I apologize for intruding on your conversation, but if you don't mind me asking, what were you discussing?"
Seiun
Rolling his eyes at B.O.S.E.C's reluctance on sharing his information at first, Seiun tapped his foot impatiently until the artificial intelligence unit eventually elaborated on what it was referring to. He raised his eyebrow at the mention of a group of highly specialized youths in the area, curious on where they came from and what their business was in Amegakure. Moreover, based on what Baiyan described of her cultural background, its possible that she may be a member of the group that B.O.S.E.C spoke of.

You think that this Baiyan chick is a member of that group? Also, you think I did a better job asking questions this time around. Now that I've got a baseline of information about her, I believe I can go down specific lines of questioning now...

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

"I am the Sword Star and my mentor was the Sword Star before me."

Though she had introduced herself as the 'Sword Star', the implications of her title and the eponymous skills that correlated to it had not been properly conveyed.

"I was taught the way of the sword."

Baiyan presented her waist and by extension the armament she wished to display—Abyss Orchid. The obsidian blade, as its name suggested, held dark beauty. The blade's gentle curvature and its dark glassy luster—a dimming starlit glow that extended slightly beyond the blade—were distinct. It was the only sword of its kind.

 

[Godjacob]

"Be careful Kou, counting on you." Tomiko said with a smile, as if to give his "job" a sense of importance and without even having acknowledge Zaku's tease she worked to lead him to a spot out of Kou's earshot, still within her Seismic Sense in case anything actually happened but so he wouldn't have easy access to hearing or seeing their convo.

Once they were in their more private spot, Tomiko flashed a friendly smile Zaku's way.

SMACK!!!

"What....is....wrong with you!? I ask for one thing just one simple thing, keep the kid safe! I figure we both had a mutual stake in that, so I didn't think it would be a big deal. But no the second I see him again he's been named a KAGE for the summit!? We both know that's a load of crock, the kid if just a scapegoat with an expendable neck to slit. This is basically a death sentence for him, and to top it off his "guard" can't even be half assed to actually watch in case someone tries something on him. How could you let this happen!?" Tomiko cursed, speaking with the most harsh whisper possible as she had given Zaku an aimed smack to his head while she seemed both angered and utterly befuddled at how Kou's "guardian" could have let this happen to him on his supposed watch.

---------
Kenji had kept sharp focus of Sagiso during this, though the smoke had made it a guess game as sparks flew from the muddy spots he had touched as well as the chain he had recalled though he'd not have to wait for long as within a moment it seemed Sagiso had appeared before him. One moment she was among the smoke, the next moment she'd have landed a strike on him.

One moment was all Kenji need.

On impulse, Kenji shifted back and to the side, a move aimed to avoid Sagiso's frontal strike before it could land using a bit of natural quick step and in the same motion his hand had flashed a seemingly basic hand sign as Kenji struck back; he released what seemed to be a pulse of electricity as sparks shot out all around his immediate area in a short range 360 "strike" that had been built up using static electricity. It would lack the "punch" this move would've had if he held it longer but if the jolts struck Sagiso mid-move and stunned her for even a second it would open up a counter strike from Kenji.

Course, his goal first was to move back at a safe range as the technique released.

-----​

Azumi had made it to one of the training fields and given the events of today needed a way to vent the frustrations of the meeting, though as she prepared to she heard commotion by an adjacent field and became curious. Not that she was the type to care much what others did, but in this context with the exams coming up she figured it was likely one of the finalists had been using that field and if so she had a touch of morbid interest in least getting a sense of who it may have been.

As such, she subtly began to move to go inspect.

----------
Madoka listened to Taiyo as he seemed to ask if she had a preferred payment method as she seemed to be unexpressive in this regard before she gave a reply. "I'd prefer physical credits with first time clients. Just a personal policy..." Madoka explained to Taiyo, making it clear she what she preferred to accept as her fee for this service. She figured given their lifestyle it should not be too difficult but she'd wait to hear what Taiyo had to say.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
At first, Seiun nodded slowly at Baiyan's answer, remembering the virago introducing herself with her title. Despite his urge to make a a sarcastic remark about how she mentioned her title without elaborating on its meaning, the Ame-nin managed to stymie his speech long enough for Baiyan to display her sword and state that she knows how to wield it. Seiun raised his eyebrow upon being told that information, curious about how she got to her position with her handicap.

What kind of dumbass teaches a blind girl to wield a sword?

"I see...I was also trained in the way of the sword," The Ame-nin replied with a nostalgic look on his face, reminiscing the days of his youth where he go without food in order to hone his technique. Naturally, he imagined that Baiyan wasn't subjected to such cruel methods of teaching during her training but given her handicap, there had to be some deviation from the norm that allowed her to get to where she is. With nothing better to do and the time for small talk trudging onward, Seiun decided to make a suggestion.

"I was thinking that we could compare the fruits of our training through battle, how does that sound to you?"
Taiyo
Nervously scratching his head at Madoka's answer, it was apparent that Taiyo hoped that she would be fine with accepting a check in lieu of cash. However he understood why she kept her policy, she didn't want to be suckered out of her end of the deal and the fiery shinobi had no objections towards that. His problem laid in the fact that his funds would need time to get transferred to Madoka, and since he wanted these upgrades by the start of the finals, he'd want as much time as possible to strategize with his tools.

"I get where you're coming from, but I gotta transfer my funds from the Leaf to here in that case. Are you okay with waiting until they get here?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"̀T̔̅ͣh̍͊ͩ͛ͤ͒ͧǎ͐͒ͨ̊̍ͯtͣ̅͆ͯ ͦ̇ͨiŝ̉̋̾́̀ ̇̽t̄ͨ͛ͮh͑̃e̚ ̓̈́͐ͭĕ̍̔ͮn̒ͪ̂́ͭ́tͨͨ̓͒ͤͮͮi̍ͣ̒̏reͤ ͆̄̄ͤp̅o̓̌̈́̌i̇̈̓̋ͦͪñͪ͒ͣ̂ͫ͛t̉ͯ̊͛ why ͐̈́̋͊wͮé ̒̒s̓t̀̓̾͂ȏp̃̒̌ͫ̀̐p͑e̊̓̆̋d͂ͣ̎̚ ̐ͨ͊f͂o͆ͩ̅̋͌ͬr͐̐ ̒̑t̓̎̆̂̚hì̊͋͌͐̀s̋̈̌̍̓̐̋ ̈́ͭͥ̓otͧ̆͛͑h̀ͫ̋e̋̈́ͧ̅̔̾̔r̉wíͮͬͤͧs̈́̃ͥe ̏̋͛̀ͤm͂̆̉̔ͤ̔ẽ́ͯ̀ͩa͗͌ͦͥ̈́̏̒ň̓͌́ͮỉ͛̂nͣͧ̓̌g̽l̂ͬ̍ͣͥͧe̍̑ͫ͐sͦ̇ͪͥ̏̽ͫsͬͭ ̄c̑̂̈̃h̓̾͊̅ͥͦͧä́̆̃tͨ̊ͮ̇͌tͯeͨ̃r̓ͧ̏,̄̉ͣͪ ̒̀̍̚y̏ě̎s̉̏.ͨ̑̏ͫ͑ͤ"

The A.I. Seemed less than enthusiastic about Seiun's word choices. Everything was flawed. Imperfect. Illogical. But it was when Seiun mentions combat did B.O.S.E.C. appear intrigued, letting go of the strand of imaginary hair and retreating close to Seiun's shoulders.

"ͭ̉͗ͥPͤͨ̇̓e̐ͦͪr̈́̂͆̆haͪ̾̏̋͑p̅̍ͦ̑́̆sͤ̏̚ ͩͭt̏̌̒̒hͤ̄ͣ̈͒i̿̀ͧ͋̃ͧs̅ͩ̔̃̑ ̓ỉ̄ͣ̓̌̍̾s̍ͦ̈́̚ ̈̚ju͛ͣsͩ͐̎t ͛wͮ̌͆̒̋h͆ͪͥ̾aͧt́̈́ wͪe̽̌̈͂ ̐̎͊ͯ̏̚në́ͭ̏̈́̽̉̾ê̒͒̍̋ͣͧdͩͯ!̈̀͒ͧͩͯ̌ ͬ̏̎̃͐̉I̿͊fͫ̓͂̿̈́ͯ̑ ͨͪͪ͂Iͯ̎ ͆̋̓͐̅͑̑c̄̊̽̈a͛n͛ͩͭͫ ̅̓̋̃̏id̄ë͒̏͊nͩͮ̑̓͊ti̐ͥ̒ͣͧfyͧͯ͋̍̍̅̃ ̿͊ͬ̓he͊̔ͯŕ fīͤ̀gḣ̾̇͒̈́̂ͣt͑̑̒i͒n͐͊́̎ͯ͑̌g s̃̿ͤ̑̊̾t̿̈́y͑̇̍ͪ͂ͯ̏lͨͤ͆̈́ͥ̇̎e,ͣ̀̉ͬͤͪ ̾̾̆ͩt͒ͧ̉̓ͥ͒̌h̄̉̓ͤͪeͫ̍͆̔̈́͒nͧ ̐ͭ́Ḯ̌ͬ͂ͥͣ ̉̓̒cͫ̽̓͌ͮ͒̃a͗̔̄ṅ̃ͪ̇ ̄ͥ̈́ͧ̀̂͋g͌̄uͭͯͦ͗̈́̓̈a͆ͦr͒ā̓ͧ̏ͧ̓̚ñt̓̿eẽͮͮ ͗ͪ̏ͥw̌iͯ̐̿ͦ͛̅t̀͐̃ͫ̈h͂̔̾͂͋͐ u̎̏p͂͛ͩ̈́ͥ̎mͨ͑ͪ̈́̌ͣo̅̓̾ͭͩ̚s̀͊ͥ͒ͩ̈ͪt̓͒ͤͮ́͛ ͥͣ̾̏c̋͌ͩ͑e̓̐̓̾̋̋r̿tͧ̌̋a̓ͥͬ͑iͭǹt̎͑̑y͆ͭ ͗ͧ̒͂͐̃oͥ̓ͪͮͮfͬ̋ͮ ̈́̒h̍̌ͯͪ́e͑r̍ ͮi͋̄ͪd́͒ͭ͒͗͊̉e̋n͒̐̈͑̒̔ti̐͌t̊̓͂y͐̈́́͒̃.̌ͯ͛ͬͦ"ͫ͐̓́


.........


SMACK!!!

"Augh! Hey...!!"

I expected some kind of begging for groveling from her, maybe an admission of her true feelings, not a smack in the face! What's this chick's deal?? Is this about the kid?

Low and behold, it was because of the kid. Sighing, he spat on the floor in the opposite direction, grumbling some obscenity under his breath before turning to Tomiko with a less than amused expression.

"Hey, hey, he hasn't got hurt or killed has he? Psht, he ain't never gonna experience the real world if I or you act as a helicopter parent. Look, I get you care about the kid, he ain't bad. But your blowin' this way out of proportions. And I know a thing or two about blowin'."

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

Rank 27 — Heavenly Sword Star | Ruan Ling Lien ​

While the way he asked it might've been weird, Baiyan had no aversions to the request itself. A random person wanted to battle her? That was perfectly fine by her, in fact, she even encouraged it.

"Very well. I presume you know where the training fields are?" She certainly didn't. The sword star hadn't thought to ask Azumi where the major locations inside the village were and she hadn't chanced upon the training fields while wandering around. It went without saying that her navigation skills weren't the best under normal circumstances and that was impaired further in the ever-present rain.

"I'll follow you."

 

[Retro Master]

When Tsuki mentioned how she was put at ease knowing that Kai could rely on him, Kiro slightly averted his gaze from her for a brief moment. What she said was a bit far from the truth. If anything, it was himself who had to rely on Kai to get out of some situations. For having caused nothing but trouble for the Yuki prince, Kiro was still a bit unsure of why Kai held him in such high regard. Even introducing him as a fellow comrade to a clan mate. Though Kiro couldn’t care any less about what that man thought, the Yuki Head probably wouldn’t be pleased if he found out about this. Of course, Kiro didn’t reveal any of those feelings with his expression and simply reassured Tsuki as he answered her question.

“No worries. We were mostly talking about Damos and the incident that occurred in the village about three months ago...”

Kiro assumed Tsuki at least knew about the incident with Damos, which is why he didn’t think there were any issues with providing the clarification. She was from the Mist and a member of the esteemed Yuki clan after all.

“The Mizukage tried to stress how dangerous that guy is during the Summit. For example, I presume you have heard about the black liquid, which can convert liquids even found in the body apparently. The capabilities of the liquid seem to be near fatal to anyone who comes into physical contact with it. Seems like it would take an exceptionally skilled medical ninja to deal with that, don’t you think?”

Since it wasn’t completely fatal, Kiro assumed there was a way to stop it from spreading. Unfortunately, a single medical ninja, or two, couldn’t be everywhere at once. Without a way to defend against the black liquid, fighting against Damos could be suicide. Well, one medic was still better than none. Of course, the Mizukage made sure not to let the other villages get time to test it. Especially with one of the most renown medical ninja world in the current Hokage being present. Even though she had warned them, Mei was clearly still holding some cards close to her chest. She wasn’t going to give the rival villages any further assistance. Like Kai said, Damos was likely being used as a political tool.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Well, they seem to be getting along

While Kai wasn't sure what Kiro was getting at asking Tsuki these specific questions about Damos's black liquid, but he chalked it up to some type of curiosity, leaving it at that. It's not like Tsuki had intimate knowledge of this anyhow, at most she'd had limited knowledge. She was after all, a genin. A fresh one that that.

"Hence why Hama is on the project. You know her, the peculiar pale haired medic herself?" Kai asked, wondering if Kiro ever met the woman.

 

[Godjacob]

"Oh right, the real world. My mistake, I didn't account for those totally realistic scenarios of a non-ninja kid being named Kage to go to a Summit. How just childish of me to have missed that..." Tomiko said with a natural touch of sarcasm as this situation was about the most absurd thing you could pretend to call realistic. Tomiko seemed to be fuming but sighed before she'd speak once more.

"I know, or least hope you care about him. But how can you not see this as the death sentence that it is? The second the kid is isolated or the Leaf see a chance to strike he is as good as dead. Whatever ace in the whole or assurance you think you have isn't gonna chance the Leaf taking their prime chance they'd be foolish not to. May not be now, may not even be tomorrow. But it will happen. And if it does, no...when it does, what then?" Tomiko asked simply, since Zaku seemed to be so sure of things. "Can you look me in the eye, and honestly tell me that there is no chance any harm would come to Kou during this? That this position isn't a clear target? Can you say that to me and look me in the eye." Tomiko asked.

----------
Madoka sighed, she figured that Taiyo would want this. Given that the Chunin Exam Finals were to come, it is likely he'd want these soon a possible and be able to get "used" to them with as much time as had been possible. Which was fair, but asking to aid a rival with only promised payment after the fact seemed to be asking a lot. Madoka looked Taiyo in the eye as she thought of a response.

"Before anything else, could I trust you to supply me with the money soon as it comes over?" Madoka asked as she checked for any signs of uncertainty or doubt with the answer.

 

[Retro Master]

"Hama..."

Hearing the name and description of the person mentioned by Kai caused Kiro to think back for a moment. He was quite the observant one and was able to pick up on some things during his brief time around the Mizukage. If he remembered correctly, Hama was an esteemed medical ninja in the Mist. At least one of the more reputable ones. Although Kiro didn't recall seeing Hama in action, he had heard enough good things about her to make a positive assumption. If his memory was correct, then she might have been a Yuki as well. That would add her to the impressive list of Yuki clan members that he knew of, but Kiro made sure to ask just to be certain.

"She's a Yuki, right? Well, in any case, I think I have heard of her. She is a very skilled medical ninja from what I know. If the Mizukage is willing to trust her with the task of Damos, then it should be in good hands I suppose."