An order to be shipped off to Otogakure made its way to my ear like a bad dream. So much travel - and for what, exactly? Nothing I gave the slightest shit about. Unfortunately, the pay was more than I could bother to refuse.
A finger idly traced the rim of a glass, slumping into an incredibly uncomfortable chair as the group of... Wait, what did she call us?
The room was filled to the brim with 'Helpers' - for whatever reason that was the best they could come up with - various shinobi from various villages who had been called upon for the aid and wellbeing of Otogakure. Of course, the village was some god forsaken ass backwards nation that needed debriefing on how to even navigate the place, so we were stuck. Being lectured to.
For hours.
Or however long it had actually been, I didn't bother to keep the time. Stifling a yawn, I elbowed whatever unfortunate soul I had been seated to the left of, whispering over my shoulder.
"Do you think this is their normal, or they just think we're stupid?" the faintest sign of a smile as the last word let slip.
Deep in the forest a call was sounding... he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it.
The quiet rumbling snore of the bear she’d been sitting back on was all Korogaru really heard throughout the briefing- or whatever this was- as she picked at some dirt under her fingernails. This had to be THE WORST way to spend a sunny afternoon in a foreign country. Stuffed into a room with a bunch of strangers while some dude pointed at maps too complex to comprehend.
It seemed pretty dumb to go to all the trouble of building a defensive labyrinth like that only to invite their competitors in and show them around. There were plenty of keener minds than hers in the room and she was certain some of these ‘helpers’ were already conspiring against the sound. The chunin yawned, those things were contagious and she’d caught the bug from the guy she’d been seated next to even though she’d kicked her chair aside long ago. “Meh.” She shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked over at the guy with a toothy grin, “How should I know? Anyways, this guy is getting paid to talk- doesn’t mean we have to listen. I’m Korogaru. What do I call you?”
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"Hm. You know, I think we actually are." I replied, peering down at the egregiously large... That's not a dog. A nervous laugh almost crept out, but I was able to choke it back. "So, bear, huh? Cool, cool."
A bead of sweat dripped down my neck. "Benkei, Benkei of the Sword or Benkei of the Mist if you want. Trying to get one of them to stick." a continued smirk as I nudged the chair slightly towards her. "Figure multiple choice means I don't have to worry about it sounding pretentious." It was true, at least a little. Benkei of the Mist is just lame compared to Benkei of the Sword.
'Sword' Benkei? 'Sword' Nomura? Yeah no, that's... not good. a shake of the head, turning a side eye back to the instructor. Something about reconnaissance for the surrounding area? 'Inspect the trees for explosive devices' - yay.
"So, Korogaru," I continued whispering, "What's with the uh, throw rug? And the bear underneath it?" no traces of fear or apprehension present; except for a lump in the back of my throat.
Deep in the forest a call was sounding... he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it.
“Mhm…” was my only response to Mr. Friendly pointing out the bear behind me and it’s inherent coolness. The little hairs on the back of my neck tingled at his introduction and a quiet rage seared red-hot through my veins. ‘Deep Breaths’ I urged myself as I remembered our task here and attempted to set aside personal vendettas. Besides, I reasoned, this guy was too young to have been any help in the war. He couldn’t have been involved in the death of my father… or my ninken.
[nope too weird]
“I like Benkei of the Sword better.” Korogaru responded, “It makes you sound like some kind of badass and it’s not pretentious if you aren’t pretending. And if the blade at your hip tells me anything… Well, I forgot what I was saying.” The woman glanced back at the speaker at the front of the room who had cleared their throat while shooting disapproving glances at the perceived troublemakers. She just shrugged. The chunin had been kicked out of many briefings in her home village and she had no intention of turning a new leaf anytime soon.
“His name is Nomi and he’s a ninja too.” The bear sighed, a great huff of warm bear breath expelling from his nostrils as he flopped his head down on the ground in an effort to express his boredom. “I wonder how much longer they plan to go on like this?”
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"Nomi, huh?" another side 'eye' at the beast, a short but loud exhale following. "Good name." Not a particular favorite, but hey - it was a bear. A bear ninja, even. Best not to let that thought sit long.
"Benkei of the sword it is." a faint slip of sincerity, turning back away from the girl to their instructor. Another drink from my glass - what the hell was it, again? Some kind of juice I had never heard of. Good, though.
If we keep talking, they'll probably kick us out Before I could say it, the presentation actually started wrapping up! An almost startled double take as the lights were raised higher, the presentation 'stage' dimming. 'You may all begin to file out through your nearest exit.' Sounded out, incredibly loud - undoubtedly ninjutsu.
"Looks like they don't call it the sound village for fun." remarking, I turned to the girl, plugging my ears to the absurd noise. "You ready for whatever crap this is?" If she could even hear me over the rest as we funneled out of the building.
Deep in the forest a call was sounding... he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it.
“Finally!” Korogaru stood up and stretched her arms up above her head. It had taken way too long for them to explain what the helpers were supposed to be doing and now that it was over she still wasn’t certain of the task at hand. This was the natural consequence of just not caring enough. Still, she didn’t want to look like a lost pup so she decided the best course of action was to just follow someone else to wherever they were going.
Fortunately, she knew at least one person here even if he was a new acquaintance. She wasn’t a big fan of the symbol on his headband but he seemed pretty ok. She turned to look back at him with a chuckle. “They are pretty loud around here, huh? Well… I’m ready. Doesn’t sound like much fun to be had but hey… what do you say we stick together on this one? Could make things a little more interesting.”
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We were filed out of the building, sunlight pouring down blindingly. A few errant blinks as the most stray of tears loosened itself. How long were we in there? Felt like a lifetime.
"Now, we're continuing on with a practical demonstration that we want all those free to participate in." sounded out, followed by a far more audible groan from the crowd, myself included. The sound of a bark shifted my head, almost in excitement. Glad to see you for once, sensei.
I turned back to the bear woman, a now toothy grin having spread wide.
"Sorry," I motioned off to the side of the exiting crowd, "I've got a ticket out of here." My finger decidedly pointing at a woman surrounded by dogs. With a small smile, I'd turn away from the bear-woman, waving. "Have fun with whatever crap they're putting you through!"
Thankfully, I had a reason to get away. Bomb disposal's one hell of a way to go, though.
[EXIT]
@kurogaru | 162 words | I have no idea where to take this; post and we'll call it a wrap?
Deep in the forest a call was sounding... he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it.
Korogaru looked a little crestfallen but she understood. If she had an excuse to get out of working she’d take it in a heartbeat. Sniffing out explosives was a specialty of hers. In fact, that was what she’d done most of the time during the war with the Mist and she was kind of over it. The Inuzuka glanced this way and that to make sure no one was looking at her before slowing her pace and following after Nomura Benkei as if that were where she was supposed to be headed all along.
“Ehm…” Korogaru winced at the sound and glanced over her shoulder. The instructor wasn’t buying what she was selling. “The gate is over this way.”
Note: The end! lol
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