Ask to Join Naruto: Warring States

[kyuukestu]

On the terraces of a small hill, on a small rice paddy—one of many rice paddies that characterized the eponymous land of rice paddies—a group of people were hard at work. These were the residents of Otoha village which sat at the hill’s peak.

It was November and the last harvest before winter, the biggest harvest of the year. For a small village like this one, every man, woman, and child was required to play their part and lend a hand.

Among them was a young girl who hummed a merry tune as she plucked bushels of rice; she waded through the shin-high mud fields, dressed in a conical bamboo hat and rugged robes. Sleeves of earthen gunk stretched from the tips of her fingers and toes to the bends of her elbows and knees. A healthy sweat clung to her brow as she piled bundles of rice into the basket at her back.

Soon the basket was filled, and she departed, ascending the hill towards the village storehouse. There, the girl unloaded her basket of rice and handed it off to a middle-aged man, the warehouse manager.

“Lady monk, thanks again for your help,” He greeted her enthusiastically. ”Why don’t you take a break?”

“Ambittha, then excuse me.”

The girl, the monk as it were, cupped her fists and wandered off. It only took a few minutes for her to arrive at the southernmost part of the village, atop a ridge that overlooked a grand plain.

Perhaps a kilometer and a half away, she could spot an exceptionally large encampment, bustling with unnatural activity. All around the encampment were clusters of tents and other accommodations; temporary housing erected by various shinobi groups.

Over the last few days, the once-simple plain had been transformed into a bustling venue fit for the grandeur of the Shinobi World Fair. The event had drawn all manner of people to the Land of Rice Paddies, including the monk herself. She could spot straggler groups arriving even now, only hours before the Fair would begin. Unfortunately for them, most of the best camping spots had already been taken; however, if they didn’t mind setting up further from the Fairgrounds, they could yet still find a decent campsite.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

....

Cape flutterin' in the wind, his hair black and streaked red. Such a swagger in'is step that even the fiercest of samurai would think twice before approachin' 'em. Who is this badass? Pssht, it's Akuto, king of all the bandits and master of all things bad!

Is this oh-so-heralded bandit king monologuing to himself in his own thoughts? Yeah, so what? If ya got a complaint, you can shove off!

...Anyway, I know what you be askin' (or SHOULD be askin'), Where is this dissident delinquent Marchin' his clodhoppers to? Well I'll let you in on my lil' scheme. Ya see, I heard from a lil' bird there was some shindig with a bunch of big wigs, clans, and big boys are attending.

Now, couldn't help but notice that they didn't give an invite to the biggest of the boys, yours truly. I ain't sure about you, but I find that VERY offensive. Downright shameful. So I ain't gonna take that sittin' down. I'm comin' wether they like it or not. ...wether? Or was it weather? Bah, who cares. Point is, I can really get some clout out there, show everyone that it was a big mistake leavin' me out!

Imma show up all the other no name losers that got the gall to show themselves! That way I'll show right there in front of everybody that I is the undisputed baddest bandit of them alls! That'll garner me a TON of new recruits! I could totally get my faction up with a bang! Literally and figuratively! Also, I'd go on but...did I make a wrong turn? Nggggh, I knew I should have taken the left at the sign. Bah, brb.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~The Rise of the Rat Lord...~

Rats. Rats just about everywhere. In trees, in holes, in the grass, hidden in the leaves, in pockets, but mostly hidden. If you see a rat, chances are, there were probably ten more that you didn't see. There was even one in Kaldo's shoe. Kaldo was laying in a hammock which was surrounded by large shrubs on all sides. Kaldo could hear his father talking with some other Nezumijin clansmen and an outsider. Kaldo's father Valdo and the other clansman spoke in common tongue, but also spoke back and fourth to each other in ratspeak.

What they told the outsider in common tongue vs ratspeak were night and day differences. They verbally spoke to the man in a kind and generous manner, but was clear they did not trust the outsider. From first glance it sounded like they were discussing smuggling deals. The outsider left with a feeling of contempt, but it wasn't mutual because Valdo told the other clansman to discretely kill the outsider. Some hungry rats would no doubt remove any proof. Whoever this outsider was, he pissed off someone within the clan, but that wasn't Kaldo's concern. Kaldo was too busy having a staring contest with a fat white rat he called Krum.

"Errrr...Goddamnit! You won again. Blink damnit! Yeah, now you blink" Kaldo spoke in ratspeak. Kaldo reserved common tongue for speaking with outsiders which resulted in him often times mispronouncing words and names when speaking in common. Kaldo sat there scratching his chin and wiping his hands.

"I'm heading out, I guess. When are we going to spar again, old man? I wanna show you I've improved on my jutsus!" Kaldo spoke in ratspeak.

"And I have duties to attend. The survival of the clan trumps all" Valdo responded.

"Whatever. I'm definitely going exploring. Not to far, I know I know" Kaldo reluctantly replied.

"Look at me. Look at me! and speak it" Valdo demanded.

Kaldo rolled his eyes and agreed before throwing Krum in his pocket. Kaldo now had 6 rats in his pockets including Krum. Like many clansmen, Kaldo kept rats on him to scurry around places. eavesdrop on conversation or do other very small menial tasks. Kaldo didn't know much about other clans, but the rats he communicated with kept him relatively informed. Kaldo knew where he could safely travel and places to avoid, even if he hadn't been in the area before. Most people ignored rats in the wild so they were good at giving helpful information. There was a place where various clans would be staying. Kaldo knew the potential danger of interacting with other clans, but for now his only intentions were to view from a distance. Kaldo chuckled to himself, believing he to be the sneakiest of ninjas. Kaldo sat in a tree watching the campsites from afar. He would have eaten snacks, IF HE HAS SOME!! His greedy rats ate most of it. To be fair, Kaldo did forget to bring snacks for them as well. He'd have to remember that next time. Kaldo let loose three rats to travel around the camp. Eavesdrop on conversations, but avoid contact at all costs.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Light seemed so much brighter here than when it filtered through the mangroves of Kazue’s marsh, she thought. The bright blue of the butterfly that had led her here vanished in a puff of shimmering smoke. It seemed it was no more real than anything else— or perhaps its disappearance was the true falsity. Kazue didn’t stress over it; startling aqua eyes gleamed from behind a shroud of thickets, where she crouched in curiosity. The flitting wings had led her here, and now she was once again near her own kind: humans. It was a daunting prospect, and yet exciting in its own way.

A cold touch on Kazue’s shoulder reminded her of what was — well, seemed, at least — real. The salamanders gathered around her feet, one on her shoulder, several more in the folds of her clothes. They had traveled with her from the swamp, their large numbers dwindling until only these few remained as the others returned to their home. Even now, two scuttled away through the leaves. The larger ones, the salamanders who sometimes spoke to her, had remained in their shared domain, but they had taught the girl how to call for them in a time of need. She had a vague memory of seeing another shinobi using a similar technique to bring forth a team of cats in a puff of smoke, calling it a “jutsu.”

“Shinobi” also seemed to be the correct word to use for the gathering before Kazue. She blinked at the huge variety of crests and colors worn by groups of people. Unconsciously, her hand drifted to the Shishiba crest she still wore around her left arm, a reminder of a past she knew was real: an upward-curving crescent moon cupping a gardenia, etched in a metallic plate and attached to a green-blue sash just a little lighter than her hair.

Memories of her other experiences with people held Kazue back from the gathering, but imagined wisps of light drew her inexplicably forward in curiosity. She stood outside the thicket, branches and leaves caught in her long mane of teal hair, looking entirely out of place next to the outskirt campsites, and subconsciously she began to mimic the people, drawing herself up until she stood precariously like the human she was, rather than the animalistic, three-legged gait she was used to in the swamp. The four salamanders who had remained with her hid, their bright colors sheathed by clothing or hair. Kazue wasn’t sure why, but her instincts had led her to this place… and her life had come this far by following them. She picked her way along the edge of the forest, simply watching the people and remembering what it was to not be alone.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

shake shake

rattata tatta

Onwards, approaching the festival, a series of distant sounds were heard. Rhythmic tempos, claps, instruments. It wasn't hard to see that there was a long stretching tent cover, carried by a dozen or so women and men alike. Underneath the tent was a small parade of people, carrying instruments and lugging goods on their backs and on their merchant animals. And with them, came the their music. Soon enough it was audible. A single female voice lead the song while the chorus of people chimed in after her lines.


♫♪ Oh do you hear the sound, o laddie?♪♫

♪♫♪ What's the sound, What's that sound?♪♫♪

♫♪ Surley you hear that sound, o laddie?♪♫

♪♫♪ Tell me that sound, Tell me that sound!♪♫♪

Looks like they hadn't exactly gotten the memo that this was a conglomeration of peoples to determine the next one to achieve powerhouse status in this new Senju/Uchiha-less era. Or perhaps they did, but elected to ignore the serious undertones regarding it. Instead, they brought wine, foods, and song.

♫♪ The melody of a beauty's tongue, in the way-hay, hours!♪♫

♪♫♪ Be it a beauty, Be it a beauty! ♪♫♪

♫♪ Yes the melody of a beauty's tongue, in the way-hay, hours!♪♫

It looked like the people in this musical caravan hosted garb from a desert scheme, having midriffs exposed, sleeveless wear and assortments of thin fitting veil covered clothes, commonly for the women. Many of them had long dresses with a series of ornate patterns that were hand stitched together.

♫♪ The symphony of drinks o' plenty, before the sun be beatin'!♪♫

♪♫♪ Are they a plenty?, are they a plenty?♪♫♪

♫♪ Yes the symphony of drinks o' plenty, before the sun be beatin' !♪♫

A number of the men had unbuttoned vests, shirts with flowing coattails, or long sleeves with small dangling ornaments hanging from them. It was clear that they had joyous tidings to bring, as well as a plethora of merchandise to sell.

A boy amongst them, banged his large maracas like drumsticks upon a sizable set of drums that were tied to 8 men's backs, 4 on either side of the walkway in tune with the song. This boy was the joyous child, the dancing boy Mizo. The boy gave a grin as they reached the perimeter.

Quickly, several began to splinter off and set up their wares to be sold, many gifting children with sugary candies or colorful trinkets while offering the parents a sample of their wines. A free sample of course to gently coax them into buying the full bottle. If this was going to be a momentous meeting, it was to be one with good tidings, fills with joyous song and cheer.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Kaldo...~

Sticking to the outskirts of the campground, Kaldo checked around. Symbols. Ninjas. Appearance similarities. Many clans had some genetic similarity. Eye or hair color. Outsiders had strange moves too. Some swung swords and some had funny hand signs. Some weirder than the next. Heck! What was next? Eyeball moves? The notion of someone using eyeball attacks seemed hilarious. Just gouge out their eyes. Done. Kaldo pressed his middle and pointer together. Even Kaldo could gouge an Idiot's eyes out. Poke! Poke!

Kaldo chuckled to himself, "I am smarterest fighter" Kaldo said out loud in common. A few ninja looked at Kaldo whom came off as a madman holding up two fingers, but quickly resumed their conversation.

The rats that Kaldo sent out were sending various messages as to what they were seeing. All of the rats saw ninjas. The first rat saw animals, people training and a strange boy playing musical instruments as well as singing. The second rat saw shops, merchandise and accidentally stumbled upon a dressing room. Quickly fleeing before being noticed. The third was mostly interested in discarded foods. It had some rather interesting input on some of the different types of food, at least Kaldo knew what food he wanted to try.


Kaldo would go around making clicking sounds and tapping on objects sending back and fourth messages with his rats both in his pockets and running around. Kaldo would slowly get braver and braver. Easing his way into the fairgrounds. Always having an escape route at a moments notice. Kaldo didn't trust outsiders that much. The smell of food in the air, sound of instruments and quantity of people present was a big change of pace from his home in the woods. Outsiders smelled funny too, a combination of smells that filled the air.

Kaldo would then casually walk over to some bushes. Squatting down and looking around. He received a glance of disapproval or two, but held his hand close to the ground. His rats had collected coins for him. Spare coins lying around that nobody would notice gone. Kaldo came to the fairgrounds with coins already. Not much, but a handful. He had gotten them from outsiders. Trading usually, but occasionally from corpses. Corpses had all sorts of things. His father or other clansmen confiscated most of it, but Kaldo got to keep some of the less important possessions.

Kaldo left the bushes, letting the rats continue scouting the area ignored and unnoticed by most ninjas. Kaldo eventually stumbled upon most curious sight and sound. It was the weird music boy his rat mentioned. His rat said the boy was weird and talking to himself, not understanding the difference between singing and talking.

"Huh... I see what you mean... He does seem weird. And what's the deal with those sticks. Kaldo hits dad with sticks plenty times and they don't make funny noises. So why do his? Should I confront him? I'll confront him" Kaldo spoke in ratspeak to his little accomplices.

Kaldo walked over to Mizu and pointed at his maracas, "Thas is cool stick. Thad one is neat too. How they make funny noise?" Kaldo said struggling to use common. His white rat Krum peeked it's eyes from Kaldo's pocket glancing at the musical boy before hiding away in his pocket once more.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Mizo


Looked like there was a lot people here, a perfect opportunity to sell their stuff and put on a good show! Didn't think they had this many eyes on them in a long time. Just like that, one pair of eyes approached coking towards their mobile caravan tent. They looked a bit ragged, asking about his 'funny sticks.'

"Huh? Oh! You mean my maracas!" He grinned as he gave them a little shake. "These things make sounds with the stuff that's inside of them, rattling them around by shaking 'em gives them a nice sound. And mine can be used to play the drums and other stuff too! watch."

Tapping his maracas together twice, he proceeded to play a drum solo on the eight individual drums that were being ferried by the men. A beat that could make anyone with an ear practically feel the fervor in it's performance. As the solo winded down, he leaped up to hit two suspended cymbals that hung from the top of the tent, rolling down in front of Kaldo with a 'Ta-Da' sort of pose.

"That's the power of music my friend!"

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Kaldo...~

"Ooooh .." Kaldo said scratching his chin as Mizu described the workings of maracas. Kaldo wondered what sort of tree maracas grew on, then gasped like a caveman that invented fire upon seeing Mizu demonstrate the maracas ability, and combining them with drums for additional effect. the rattling of the maracas and beat of the drum produced a unique sound. The cymbal usage at the end nearly had Kaldo covering his ears as he could practically feel the music. The rats in his pockets were telling Kaldo what they thought about it.

"That was surprisingly interesting! What do you think, Krum?" Kaldo said in ratspeak. Krum stuck his head out of Kaldo's pocket letting Kaldo know he thought the music was unusual but pleasant. Though Krum did not like the cymbals.

"Makaras is amazing. Power of moosic very imperssive." Kaldo said attempting to mimic his pose.

"Moosic man is very skilled. Jump in air and boom! I bet you is good fighter too" Kaldo said commenting on Mizu's brief display of acrobatics.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Mizo


"Thank you, thank you, you are kind." He smiled preforming a half bow like a performer. "If you like music so much, maybe you should tune in to one of our shows later, or maybe get an instrument yourself to play!"

That's when Kaldo shifted the conversation to a combat focus, which made the musician pause for a second and contemplate. After a moment, he started to chuckle, putting a hand behind his head.

"Haha... well i dunno about all that, but everyone's gotta pitch in to defend the caravan, ya know? I'm not all show- oh? What's this?"

Mizo crouched down a bit to get a better look at things. If his eyes didn't deceive him, he thought he saw some tufts of fur briefly sticking out of pockets and mounds in places they normally wouldn't.

"Who are these little guys? You got a lot pets in your pockets? Wait, don't tell me. Your some kinda of zookeeper! Thats gotta be it, right?"

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Kaldo...~

"Ooooh, Kaldo the moosic man! That kinda neat!" Kaldo said. Though only problem was Kaldo didn't have an instrument nor did he know how to play one. Kaldo had loud farts, but was also smart enough to realize it wasn't an instrument, nor something that would be appreciated.

"I think I settle for wotching" Kaldo said.

"Defend carvan, huh? I think i cans relate. Everbody does part, no sherking" Kaldo said again.

Kaldo looked down at the little guys, a d casually lifted them up by their fur.

"Rebies" Kaldo said holding up a thin gray rat rearing its teeth as if ready to bite at a moment's notice. Then placing it back.

Choclat" Kaldo said lifting a brown rat then placing it back into it's pocket as well.

"Krum" Kaldo said lifting his favorite rat. A fat white rat noticeably larger than the other two.

"Zookeper? Yes. Kaldo is zookepler. Kaldo got very good one. Krum good exampel of how good I am" Kaldo said.

"Krum, what the heck is a zookeeper...? You don't know either? Ah... That's too bad then. Just run with it I guess. We're zookeepers now, Krum" Kaldo said in Ratspeak. Kaldo chuckled and pet Krum.

"So carvan is bunch of moosic people?" Kaldo asked wondering if the caravan was at the festival as well. Kaldo could tell the caravan was nearby due to similar smells amongst other caravan members.

 

[Godjacob]

The air was cold, the soreness on her legs ever evident and she felt this hunger rock her being. And yet, she knew she could not stop, not here...not now.

These were the thoughts that drifted through the young woman as she walked along what seemed to be a fishing village. It was along the riverbank of the land known for their rich rice paddies though being she had ventured far she had yet to have a taste of them yet. Mitsuko Agawa was her name, and unlike a majority in the land the blades she carried on her holster signified not that she was a Shinobi.

No, her trade had been with the samurai.

A resident of the Land of Iron, she was sent by her master to represent her people in this coming "Shinobi Fair" of sorts, a celebratory event bringing together people from across the land. Mitsuko had no real care for the specifics herself, what mattered was her father entrusted her to represent the Agawa faction at this event, to make contact with the ninja world at a time when her own nation debated the merits of being isolated or connection with the vast ninja world beyond their borders.

"Hey give that back!"

"Oh bite me brat, finders keepers!"

Some laughter caught the attention of Mitsuko as she turned and saw a group of adults, 3 men and one woman, who seemed to be harassing some boy as one of them seemed to hold up what seemed to be a toy of his; a small little "warrior" doll of wool as they seemed to be having a crack picking on him. Mitsuko looked on in visible disgust.

"Give it back it's mine!"

"Hey hey pass it over here~"

"No no!"

"Oh think he's crying now, this is a riot!"

Mitsuko eventually decided she had seen enough. This kid was being picked on by thugs who seemed to have nothing better to do, and people around here seemed either disinterested or too worried to get involved, so the young samurai walked over to the scene and soon had spoken up.

"Give it back to him. This will be your only warning."

The group turned to tyhe young girl and noted her holsters but they seemed unconcerned. The man held the toy high as he cast a cruel smirk her way.

"Uh huh, and tell me, what happens if we don't?" The leader of the group asked, as another guy seemed to prepare a chain and the girl pulled a knife as they moved around her. Mitsuko even as the boy looked on worried didn't seem to pass much concern.

"Well, you had your chance." Mitsuko said and in a flash, she seemed to vanish.

"What th...agh!" One man called out as a kick to the back of his neck toppled over, before long and without even the need to draw a blade the samurai worked her way through the group and beat them down and before long they rested in a pile as the boy looked on utterly stunned. Mitsuko grabbed the doll off the ground and passed it over to him with a soft smile.

"Here you go, I suggest you hold it close to avoid losing it." Mitsuko said, and the boy overjoyed hugged the samurai girl as Mitsuko blinked a bit stunned but returned the gesture. A thank you was sounded off as Mitsuko moved on, and even if her trip to the fair had taken a slight delay she'd been pleased with these turn of events.

Even in a world as cruel as this, there still had been some place for honor to shine. With that, she quickened her pace towards the fair.

 

[kyuukestu]

Shinobi were a low-born and treacherous bunch, always striving after their own interests at the expense of others. In many ways, they were just like her. Chi Lin chuckled and swept her fingers through a spider web.

Life after abandoning the monastery had taught her much in the way of survival; be prepared, be perceptive, be preemptive. To that effect, the girl had scoured the forest and spooled together twines of spider silk, a preferred tool of hers. Rather weak as individual strands it was just enough to act as a simple, if fragile, wire when woven thick.

Satisfied with her ‘meager’ preparation, Chi Lin set off for the fairgrounds. Hopefully, they’d have already started killing each other—as shinobi were prone to do. At least then, they’d help alleviate her boredom.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Mizo


Rebies...Rabies?!? That thing had rabies?!? It wasn't until he brought up another rat and said it's name did he take a sigh of relief. They were just names, not diseases. That couldn't have been an entirely different talk altogether.

"Phew. Well, glad you meet your little friends! Bet they keep you good company."

When asked about the caravan, the boy scratched the back of his head. How exactly would he explain this in a way that wasn't confusing?

"Well, MY caravan is music themed, yeah! Not all caravans are though. Most of 'em don't got our style or rhythm. I like to think that makes us stand out better in people's minds. Either they can't get enough of us, or they never welcome us back. It's almost never in between, but at least the message is clear either way haha."


........


The Bandit King (is no longer lost)


Huff

"Finally! Ya think they could put up a few more signs...bleh! Stupid little..." Akuto grumbled.

The place had finally come into view and it...was more lively than expected. A whole bunch of hippy dippy music he wasn't too keen on. Bleh! Hardly the setting to proudly announce his arrival. Wouldn't fit his vibe.

"C'mon, gotta find something here that could get me in as many people's faces as possible..."

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Festivals, this wasn't a concept Aishu was familiar with. Nevertheless, the girl in blue had overheard of a sort of 'event' where people would be gathering from all over to show off their might, this was allegedly that 'event'. After arriving on the carnival grounds, the woman's eyes quickly began darting around, observing the crowd of festival goers as well as the festival itself.

It was clear that this festival was no small occasion, the sound of music, singing and dancing could be heard from a mile away, the laughter of children and adults alike filled air, the smell of freshly prepared nourishment would make anyone's mouth water. This place certainly was the liveliest place she's seen to date. However, Aishu couldn't care less about the actual contents of this carnival. What she was more interested in were the people present. While most of them appeared to be nothing more than ordinary civilians, a few choice individuals caught her eyes. No doubt those would be the ones participating in this festival thing. "A gathering of strong warriors, perhaps I'll find what I lack here." The woman mumbled to herself.

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Kaldo...~

"Not Rabes, Rebies" Kaldo said confirming the rat's name was Rebies. The rat indeed did not have rabies, whether something was wrong with it or not was a different matter.

"Very good compamy, cause Kaldo good compamy. They very good compamy too. Always there for Kaldo when he need them. Now if Kaldo can only keep good hiding spot for snacks, that would be good too, but nothing perfet" Kaldo said.

"It fine. Kaldo never confused. Just sometimes don't understand stuff" Kaldo said with a look of contempt.

"Why? Moosic carvan best carvan. Ask no moosic carvan why they no like moosic" Kaldo said poking the temple of his head with two fingers.

"Kaldo welcomes moosic man. Can visit home und I tell kin, moosic man good man" Kaldo said.

While Kaldo was talking to Mizo, his other three rats were still scurrying about. A thin gray twitchy rat with it's mouth covered in some sort of orange sauce was looking around and sending messages to the other rats in ratspeak. One of the ninjas the gray rat noticed a girl mumbling to herself. The rat stood on it's hind legs and squinted it's eyes at the girl as if it were trying to figure out what she was saying. The rat then quickly ran off to go find a hiding place.

 

[Draco Nightshade]

"Hah, I hope no one will mind if I grab a bite." Luna, the wolfish ninja-hound sighed as she padded along the stalls, inspecting their wares. Everything smelled amazing, the canine felt like she might faint from a sensory overload if she was careless. Eventually, she settled on a stall selling meat skewers. Initially she tried begging for one, but the owner was less than accommodating. "Go on, get!"
Being shooed away like that, Luna decided. "No more Miss Nice Girl." Waiting for the stall owner to turn away, the second he did she grabbed two skewers and dashed away. "Thanks Sucker." Sitting down, Luna used a Transformation jutsu to become more humanoid, enjoying the use of her thumbs as she held the skewers between her fingers. It just so happened that her seat was right next to the musical caravan where Kaldo was talking to Mizo. Not that she cared much about it, considering she just started eating her prize, growling at the odd rodent that came near her.

 

[Godjacob]

Eventually Mitsuko made it to the festival, had been quite the journey but the samurai seemed pleased that she had caught up before any of the major events seemed to begin. As she took a moment to inspect what was around her, she had to admit that the sights were rather dazzling and almost comforting atmosphere as she scanned the area around her to soak it all in.

Even after decades of nations coming to blows with one another, it seemed least this was a genuine effort to begin to mend those wounds of the past and the people behind it clearly had done their best to make everyone welcome. While Mitsuko continued to hold her reservations and didn't go out to speak with anyone willy nilly, she began to see maybe her master had reason to want to connect with the ninja world even as they had tried to destroy the land they called home. Still, she seemed to enjoy as others mingled and the competitive nature in her was curious what sort of "events" had been scheduled for the day. More than even connecting the Land of Iron to the world, she had a chance to show the spirit of the samurai and the power it possessed.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr....​

"Perhaps I should first address this matter..." Mitsuko said to herself with a sweat drop at the stomach rumble, before she walked over to one of the food stands as she had been in dire need of a meal.

 

[~Nilion~]

Amongst the last wave of late arrivals came a small group of five individuals who didn’t seem to have any qualms with pushing through the herd. Four of the groups faces were totally obscured by matching brown jackets, and at the center of this four-man huddle was a shorter boy in a pale beige jacket. Though he was nearly impossible to see behind the wall of taller figures.

“Niko, I’m going to check registration and see if any Akamichi are participating. You should have a look around and see what the competitions like.” The tallest of the four hooded individuals spoke in a deep, raspy voice before breaking away from the group.

“Got it. You guys can wait up. I’ll be back.” Niko responded while waving off his escorts before departing right back into the crowd of arrivals.
This tournament would be the origin of many new enemies, so he figured it would be best to get some interactions in before tensions were so high.

———————

With so many clans coming together in one place, there was bound to be bad blood, and it showed. Families had broken up into crowds consisting of almost exclusively people they had arrived with. Other than the occasional adventurous type, most seemed to be keeping to themselves, only willing to trade the occasional side-eye.
The tension was so thick it could’ve be cut with a kunai… and this was only made worse by a lone, black-cloaked figure who’d been pestering members of each crowd.

“I don’t care what it’s for, I don’t want the damn paper bird!” A large, burly man with dark skin and pale-blonde hair grunted angrily at the black-cloaked stranger. The stranger in question had been attempting to give the man an origami swan, but he simply wasn’t in the mood to be bothered.

“Shame on you, Yuubi. They’re just trying to show us a little respect, the least you could do is return.” A large, older lady with similar appearance to the man chimed in, giving the now sheepish looking Yuubi a firm jab in the side.

“I just didn’t wanna- er- right. My apologies about the attitude…” Yuubi replied in a half-sincere tone, before finally accepting the swan from the stranger. He gave it a quick glance over before continuing, “…so what did you say this was for, again?”

“…from one clan to another… a gift of good faith.” The stranger replied in a barely audible, feminine voice before quickly waltzing off in the other direction. She clearly had no intention of sticking around once they accepted the gift.

After a few minutes of wondering through the crowd, the stranger spotted a smaller group consisting of what appeared to be mostly Hyuga. She slowly approached one of the members near the back of the group; pulling yet another paper swan out from under her cloak.

“…from one clan to another…a gift of good faith…”

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Mizo


"Aha, well glad to hear it! Where do you live abouts, anyway? We've been a lot of places, and I don't think we've seen any rat kin."

Maybe the land of claws? Hadn't been there much. Possibly somewhere in the land of rivers, lots of nooks and crannies there. Mizo eyed him up and down as a few of his rats slipped away, possibly to go scout out where to go next. This guy sure looked like he had a history to him. Who knew there'd be all these unique characters here!


.......



Akuto


....


"Ha!"

Swiping a couple of dangls out from the hands of a rather burly man, Akuto chuckled as he took a bite out of one of them. The man, donning brass knuckles, raised it at the kid.

"HEY! Who you think you are??"

"Just the future ruler of lowlifes like you." Akuto sleazed with a shrug. "Least you can do is give me a lil' tribute."

"Ain't gettin SHIT from me except a couple of black eyes!"

Right as the man swung at the kid, the cape wearing boy raised a hand, spraying a thick, red mist from his palm. The man coughed, the gas weighing thick as his skin was covered slowly with the sticky particles.

"UGH! What...is this?!"

Akuto took the opportunity to slip out, fleeing down an alleyway as his sticky starch left a perfect smokescreen for him to escape. Now in isolated corner, he openly laughed, taking another bite out of the delicacy.

"Oi, these guys are easy marks." He snorted, sticking the Dango in his mouth. "If every mook here is like that guy, Then this'll be smooth sailin'."

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Kaldo...~

A gray rat with a brown spot on it's left eye was looking around. The rat was hiding on a tent. In the rat's mouth was a half eaten piece of cheese. As the rat ran across a rope connecting two tents, the rat was startled by a burly man with pale blonde hair, which caused the rat to drop it's cheese. The cheese fell into some oblivious person's glass of sake. The rat didn't stick around to get it's cheese, and scurried off.

"Where do Kaldo live? Kaldo live at Kaldo house, oaf course! Kaldo village not important. Thneaky thneaky! Though if you evers wants visit, I'ms sure some clansman will find you. You can't step in forest without somebody know where youz is" Kaldo said cheerfully before pausing with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"How many places have Carvan been? What is your favrit place you go to?" Kaldo said curiously as he scratched his chin. Krum mimicked Kaldo and made an equally puzzled gesture as the rat scratched it's own chin.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Mizo


"Aha...my bad." The musician sidestepped the issue with a semi nervous laugh. "Sounds kinda ominous, but I'm guessing that's inviting?"

Kaldo had a weird way of showing hospitality, but he was trying his best to get to know his culture. Part of him wondered if the clan he was talking about was rats and not humans. ...That was actually an alarming possibility.

"Huh? Oh! My favorite places? Wellll we kinda been all over the place. One sec."

He clicked his shoes, which were tied to the drums on the back of his ankles. The specific drum combination he tapped semeed to unlock a compartment on the top of one of them. Fetching something out of it, he unfurled a piece of parchment...a map! The map seemed somewhat incomplete and handmade, but had a many locations with several wriggling circles drawn on it.

"These circles are the paths we've taken! Yeah it's a little scratchy, but bear with me. We allllways go to the land of wind, we got a ton of valued customers and friends there! Kinda like a safer zone we travel. But my favorites ones to go to are the land of noodles the land of fields! The land of fields have a lotta people who don't know us, especially kids, so they always love our songs! And land of noodles just has THE. BEST. FOOD! Hence the name, haha. You gotta try it sometime!"

 

[Godjacob]

"Mmmmmm, oh this is...quite lovely."​

The young samurai had managed to find a noodle stand, and in a bowl which consisted on steamy noodles, a perfect broth and some vegetables on the side and for one who had traveled so long without much of a meal this had been a godsend. She seemed to almost slurp it down in a nearly undignified manner as really she had needed to fill herself up and seemed to have less consideration for image than had been usual for herself. Course though given the atmosphere that perhaps had not been something she needed to be worried over.

She sighed a moment as she took a sip of her jade tea and seemed to be at peace. Just this lovely meal was enough to reinvigorate her spirits, and it seemed this festival was a lively one as she scanned around and saw many people who had a good time, even in the wake of years of non-stop wars. It was a visual that she could not help but smile as as she scoped in some more noodles.

I am not sure if making a bridge to these people is wise, but I can least see what Sensei saw with it...

 

[~Nilion~]

As the young Hokori waded through the loosely packed crowds, he took the opportunity to scan over anyone who appeared to be in his age range. Most contestants were expected to be on the younger side.
Generally speaking… he wasn’t too impressed. Most didn’t look very physically capable, so they might try to rely on Genjutsu and Ninjutsu. This worked in his favor.

“Hmmm.” Rather than trying to spark up a conversation in the middle of the crowd, Niko made his way over to the concessions. He almost immediately took note of a girl in a black kimono with a set of fine-looking blades tucked away at her hip.

“A Kenjutsu expert, huh? Would probably be pretty nasty to end up on the receiving end of that Katana.” Niko spoke up as he walked over, ushering for the man at the stand to bring him a hot tea.

 

[Draco Nightshade]

"Aaah." Haru happily sighed as she relaxed in the river, the cool water rushing over her blue scales while her outer garments and weapon lay at the water's edge. She had spent many days traveling on land, hoping to find others of her own kind. So far, she has had no luck.
Feeling that she had spent enough time in the water, Haru exited the river, her body absorbing any water that would have slid off. After getting dressed and retrieving her lance, Dragon's Breath, Haru felt a presence that seemed to attract her more amphibious nature. Her interest piqued, Haru made her way to the source. Finding a strange girl.
@=Nightshade=

 

[Godjacob]

Mitsuko enjoyed the last of her noodle cup as she simply enjoyed the sights on her stool while the waited for the festival to begin, course she was soon joined by a young man she also presumed to be a competitor of sorts just based on his age which seemed to match the general turnout from what she had seen. More specifically, he seemed to insinuate that she had been a Kenjutsu user of sorts. Which was accurate, even if she presumed he presumed she was a ninja.

"Indeed. It is a trademark to us in the Land of Iron." Mitsuko answered back, which if this man knew anything of that nation had been her cue that she was a samurai vs. a shinobi. "Though I doubt I'll be asked to gut another at this festival." Mitsuko mused, perhaps an effort to quell that worry even if he seemed relaxed about it.

 

[~Nilion~]

Niko picked up the small brown cup of hot tea and took a sip as the sword fighter let him in on her land of origin. This only led to further intrigue on his part.

“Oh I wouldn’t be too sure. With stakes this high, people will inevitably take it that far at some point…” The blonde haired adolescent paused while peering off into the crowd. He knew the tournament would bring enemies together, but he’d really only just taken notice of how tense most of the older arrivals seemed to be. He looked back to the girl as he continued, “…but the Land of Iron, huh? I don’t know much about it. I don’t mean anything by this… but wouldn’t that make you a samurai?”

 

[ThAtGuY101]

"Yes! Kaldo formally invite moosic man! If moosic man family is as good as moosic man, then moosic man is welcome at Kaldo home. Even let you use chair, too!" kaldo said.

Kaldo gasped in surprise as he saw the map.

"Take notes, you! All of you take notes! Perhaps we can visit these locations as well" Kaldo said in ratspeak. The few rats still in Kaldo's pockets stuck their heads out of his pockets to examine the map. Taking mental images of the different sections of the map, so Kaldo could possibly try draw it out later on. After a minute, Kaldo shook his coat, gesturing for the rats to scurry back into the depths of his coat once more.

"Best food is best place! Yes! Good food! Need to visit food village! Bring whole family! Good times all round!" Kaldo said imagining all the noodles he could get. Kaldo had already had noodles before as sometimes outsiders would trade in food. Kaldo enjoyed sushi the most but the noodles were good too.

"Lots of noodles with extra chicken and extra brofth. No supch thing as too much brofth" Kaldo said before slapping his belly.

Kaldo's twitchy rat with orange sauce on it's face had wandered off once more, until it had stumbled across the most pleasant of smells. Noodles. A samurai had been eating them, and the rat had been quietly sitting in a low tree branch watching. A boy approaching and engaging conversation with the girl. Where would this lead? Twitchy would be there to find out.

 

[Draco Nightshade]

Having finished her meal, Luna undid her transformation, turning back to a wolf dog. Sadly for the canine, the meat skewers were not nearly enough to fill her stomach as she searched for something else. Padding along, Luna came upon Mitsuko and Niko talking. Sensing great strength and mental fortitude in Mitsuko, Luna walked over to investigate, snapping at the rat known as Twitchy as she walked. Once she was close enough, Luna started whimpering loud enough for the two to hear her while looking at Mitsuko.

 

[Godjacob]

Mitsuko processed his words as she had taken a sip of her own tea. Course, the young swordswoman was not naïve to things. Bitter feelings had to be plentiful in the wake of these conflicts between warring states that had ravaged this land far beyond even her time on this world. Bitter feelings had to linger, and pride was always a constant that would likely push more than a few contestants to go the extra mile to stand out, but Mitsuko was resolved to rise about it and only put out the needed force to avoid being a needless butcher.

"Indeed, I am a samurai. I came to this festival to get a glimpse of the ninja world. Should a period of peace come with the war at what seems to be a lull, an olive branch might be necessary and I wish to see with my own eyes how stable it would be if I extended it out among my own peers." Mitsuko explained before taking a sip of her tea.

Suddenly an audible bark sounded as this wolf, or perhaps it had been a breed of dog like a huskie, walked over as it seemed to snap at a rat of all things that had been near their area. The samurai girl noticed the light whimpering as the canine moved closer to her as Mitsuko blinked for a moment before a small smile crossed her lips.

"Well, this day continues to grow interesting." Mitsuko mused to herself, softly and cautiously extending a hand out, as if to signal she meant not harm as she went for a soft petting of the head as she figured that is what the creature wanted.

 

[~Nilion~]

Despite how ridiculous Niko found methods of those hailing from the Land of Iron, he managed to keep a neutral expression as the girl confirmed his suspicions.
He wanted to crack a joke at their expense, but this Kenjutsu expert seemed rather genuine in her conviction, so he simply chose to let the moment pass. Unfortunately…

“While I’ve never really understood the samurai way of life, I can respect someone going against the norms to achieve their own goals,” Niko finished just as some type of large dog wandered up to the pair. It was rather odd, a dog like this just strolling the tournament grounds? What’s more, it seemed friendly… towards humans, at least. The Hokori prodigy glanced back up to the samurai, taking note of how interested she seemed to be.

“It seems relatively tame. Think it could belong to someone here?”

 

[Draco Nightshade]

Seeing Mitsuko slowly reach for her, Luna pressed her head against her hand, enjoying the attention. "Mmm, you feel strong, will you be my Alpha?"
Looking at Niko, Luna continued. "I'm no one's pet, I'm a Ninja-Hound named Luna."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Mizu


"Haha, I'm flattered."

He smiled despite the implications. Does that means he doesn't usually let guests sit down? He quickly shook this off after the wild child studied over his map, craving the foods he spoke of.

"Oh yeah, totally! We ended up trading for a few recipes to their foods when we were over there, and lemme tell you what, they were hagglers! We got 'em though, so expect us to be serving a lot of tasty foreign dishes! Maybe not quite the same quality, be safe it's the spirit that counts I say!"

 

[ThAtGuY101]

~Kaldo...~

As the rat listened to the conversation, it noticed a wolf of sorts. It clearly didn't seem to like his presence. As she snapped, the rat looked ar her. If Kaldo taught his rats anything, it was how to be petty and hold grudges.

The rat squinted his eyes, and tilted its head in disbelief as it looked down on the wolf girl in a pretty condescending manner. Occasionally spasming as it continued to eavesdrop. The rat sneezed which shot orange sauce. Twitchy wiped his little nose before scurrying off to share Intel with fellow rats.

Kaldo nodded his head in contempt as Mizu thanked him.

"Mhum. Naturlly, naturlly of course" Kaldo said.

"Good food wurth good price, but need to fight fire with fire. Haggle wif haggelers. Does that mean you cook good then? You good cook and moosic man?" Kaldo said pointing at Mizu.

Kaldo put his hand on his hip, "Ah! All qualty good qualty! Just word high and mighty use. You food good. Just need to be grateul. Apprefiative" Kaldo said snapping his fingers.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Mizu


This guy was really appreciative, even over the small things. Definitely a change from some of the places he's went where audiences could have high standards for entertainment. that was something that put him to ease, a smile growing on his face.

"Haha...welllll my cooking skills ain't 'great', but I can guarantee I won't poison you or anything." He chuckled. "I'd be lying if I slacked off during cooking lessons....hehehe..."




Akuto


"Bleh, who cares what some mutt's up to, eh?"

The Bandit King approached the pair, a dango haphazardly sticking from the corner of his mouth. He moved past the hound with little care, stopping just short of the samurai and the meager looking boy.

"From the looks a you two, your gonna participate in that whole competition shindig, yeah? Well that's a cryin' shame, cause you be lookin' at the winner right here."

He couldn't help but sneer, taking out the dango from his mouth and extending his other hand, arching his back slightly.

"Akuto, king of the bandits. Pleasure to be aquatincin' ya."

 

[Godjacob]

Mitsuko had not ignored that little snide comment about the samurai "way of life" which at best could be taken as innocent ignorance and at worse a subtle comment which seemed to speak against the lifestyle. Mitsuko decided to operate on the benefit of the doubt and worked off the idea it was the former even if she seemed to suspect it had been the latter.

"There is much of the ninja life I still have to learn. Much of it is quite a concern to my people, especially the rather...aggressive, and brutish tendencies. I hope I see better with my own eyes." Mitsuko mused, a bit more blunt on what had been in her eyes fair critiques of how the ninja lifestyle played out given the excessive wars the rocked these states across the land.

As the topic shifted to the mysterious canine, before Mitsuko even had a chance to talk, it had began to speak amazingly. Talking animals had not been a foreign concept even in the Land of Iron but she had not expected to bump into one herself so soon and one that seemed isolated.

"A ninja hound? Do you have a master?" Mitsuko asked curious as she pet the ninja dog gently who seemed to like it. Though it had been interrupted as a boy rudely cut between her hand ahead of the hound and seemed to "introduce" himself as a bandit king and winner of the event.

Impressive. She heard a single sentence from the guy and already decided she disliked him.

"Bandit "king" huh? Not sure how you can take pride in that. Bandits are nothing but cowards; praying on the vulnerable acting as if it made them tough. It's pathetic." Mitsuko said as she casually had taken a sip of her tea while she expressed her feelings towards Akuto's title.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Akuto


"That's a massive generally-zation, dontcha think there, sugah?" Akuto said withdrawing his open hand, putting it on his hips. "It ain't about preyin' on the vulnerable. It's about doin' it to do it! It's about the thrill, the action, the thought that any moment you can be caught before- KABLAMMO!"

Akuto made a 'explosion' like motion with his hands, waving them in front of her. It looked like he was getting worked up just thinking about the next plot.

"After all, it gets borin' preyin' on the weak. Nah, for the bandit king, I pick on the cream of the crop! After all, nothin' but the best bounties and challenges are worth this guy's time. If they can't defend themselves, that's they own fault! Ha!" He grinned, pointing at himself. "So don't lump me as some low life larvae lurker, stern stuff. Dontcha know how to have fun?"

Oi, what crawled up her bum and died? Bleh, these samurai types sure are sticklers for the status quo, I tells ya.

 

[Draco Nightshade]

Luna was rather annoyed at the so-called Bandit King. Not only was he loud, he had called her a mutt! "Excuse me for a second Mitsuko." With that, Luna backed away and in a puff of smoke turned into her werewolf form.
"Still haven't gotten the hang of the Transformation Jutsu." Luna muttered to herself before looking at Akuto, she then pulled out two small shields with three claw like blades on each of them. "You do realize that you are being a royal pain in the butt right? Also, what kind of king walks around without attendants or guards?"

 

[~Nilion~]

Niko raised an eyebrow as the Samurai girl seemed to get rather snippy after his remark. She seemed to be a bit more sensitive than he’d originally believed.
Though he couldn’t help find the humor in it; a samurai aggressively talking about how aggressive ninjas were. Must’ve been some stellar brainwashing tactics in the Land of Iron. Unfortunately, before the young Shinobi could reply, he was interrupted by a young, homeless looking boy who began referring to himself as the ‘bandit king’. If that wasn’t strange enough, the dog who’d only just arrived moments before the boy began speaking.

“Right… well it’s gotten a bit crowded and I should be heading back. Best of luck, Samurai…” As Niko went to depart from the conversation, he stopped right next to Akuto, looking down at the slightly shorter boy as he continued, “you too, bandit squirt.”

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Akuto


"Eh-!"

The boy was taken off guard as the dog had transformed into a somewhat human form, yet still part mutt. taking a breath and adjusting his cape collar with a little he played it off as just a momentary surprise.

"Well, ain't short of weird bozos in these parts, that's for sure..." He muttered before addressing her. "The kind of king that ain't afraid of winnin', puppy chow."

He sneered, looking at the two of them. The samurai, the dog lover? They weren't much. He could take 'em, easy peasy. That's when the third person here, the one that looked least interesting, announced his departure, insulting his height right next to him.

"Hooooold up." He pivoted 180° on his heels. "The normie finally has the gall to speak up, eh? I know us Alphas can be hard for Betas to handle sometimes. Don't worry though, I ain't gonna steal your dates if that's what ya worried about. Between you and me? They ain't my type."

He whispered the last part to him, giving a a slightly held back chuckle, escaping his grinning teeth. Looked like he considered Niko easy marks.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Kazue peeked out curiously from behind a tree, quietly observing what appeared to be a rather heated argument between a girl with a sword, a rough-spoken boy, a quieter, taller male, and a creature that looked somewhere between wolf and human. An odd premonition in the form of a slight scent of rain prompted the teal-haired girl to hop back a few paces, ducking behind another tree. Her eyes darted back and forth, more intrigued than suspicious, before landing on a feminine-shaped humanoid with blue skin and fins.

Kazue idly wondered for a moment if her senses were playing tricks on her again, half-expecting the girl to disappear on the next breeze. But she didn’t feel like Kazue’s other hallucinations of people— those had always given off an air of fogginess, and felt familiar, like the swamp. This fish girl had an intense blue gaze and gave off an impression of undeniable reality, like the other humans here. (This was a sense of foreign chakra, though Kazue didn’t know to put it in those words). Forgetful of social norms, Kazue found herself crouching slightly, creeping around the blue-skinned girl, before awkwardly straightening to a more human stance and fixing her with an aquamarine stare. Her mouth opened, then closed in a frown, as though remembering how to speak. “Are you real?” Kazue asked finally, head tilting to one side. A bright blue and yellow salamander scurried across her collarbones, before disappearing into the mane of her hair.

@Draco Nightshade (sorry for the wait haha)