Amegakure was the only village Daichi ever knew. The conveniences of technology, the towering metal buildings that reached for the heavens, the surrounding open plains. It was a place he had come to love, even if he was always curious of how others lived in the various villages. His father told him all sorts of stories about how inferior they were in their infrastructure. That there was no point in being anywhere but the Village of Rain. A strange thing for him to insist so firmly, considering neither of them were even natives. But with his limited knowledge and experience he had no reason not to believe his father.[break][break]
And after spending some time in Otogakure, he was starting to understand what he meant. This place was...interesting. Daichi clutched the strap of his bag tightly as he wandered the tunnels connecting the various hubs of society, looking around in quiet awe at the intricacy of the network. He had to admit, it was really cool at first. Definitely not what he expected. He figured the village of sound would have like...windchimes or speakers all over the place. But maybe the name was more in reference to the way sound echoed in the tunnels?[break][break]
Whatever the case, he had spent enough time wandering around the tunnels. He had gone all around, even got bored for a bit and started walking along the walls and ceilings to squeeze in a little extra training while he was here. Nothing like a long upside down hike to help build stamina, right? Only problem now was that little stunt was exhausting. Not only that, it kinda messed with his orientation a bit. And without being able to see the sky, he had no idea what way these paths lead. Hang on...Was he lost? Like, ACTUALLY lost? In the middle of a village filled with strangers from all over? He quickly looked around, realizing that there was nobody nearby that he could ask for directions. Oh boy. This was not good. [break][break]
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 slow rhythmic click clack of sharp claws against stone echoed through the cavernous tunnels; manmade and unnatural. As a large brown bear lumbered lazily through the depths of the sound village. A white haired kunoichi sat astride the beast, bent over with her face almost buried in the soft brown fur of its muscular shoulders to avoid bumping the ceiling. Korogaru raised her head to sniff at the air, stale and stuffy as it was down here.
“Aha!” She snapped her fingers at the sudden realization. “I’m lost.”
It’s true. The Inuzuka had followed the scent of her sensei down into the bowls of this strange village but his musk was covered by that of a thick mildew and the body odor of the hundreds of civilians that trekked these halls daily. She’d gone looking for help but Korogaru wasn’t very charismatic and the presence of her bear companion was enough to send most people scurrying off in the other direction. It had been three or four turns since she’d seen anyone. Perhaps it was getting late? Hard to tell in the empty expanse of the labyrinth.
That’s when she heard a voice echoing just around the bend. She slid off Nomi’s back and gave her a pat. “Stay here, girl.” The chunin tip toed over to the corner and poked her head around so just her pointy ears and grey eyes would be visible. There was a young guy in there and he looked as lost as she felt. A soft mass of muscle and fur bumped into her and she tumbled forward awkwardly as her curious bear moved forward to get a peek for herself.
Korogaru straightened up in plain view of the stranger and scratched the back of her head self-consciously.
“Oh, hello~” She sang sheepishly. “I’m Korogaru Inuzuka from the Cloud and this is my dog-” She glanced at the bear with a blush. “I mean- This is Nomi!”
She offered a polite but quick bow to the stranger. “Could you point me in the direction of the nearest exit… please?”
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The genin continued to wander around without direction, hands resting on his hips as he took a moment too catch his breath. He probably should’ve kept calling for help, but he was a bit more winded than he realized from all that ceiling and wall walking stuff. At this point he was starting to worry that no one would be around to help, that he would be stuck in these tunnels for who knows how long. He swallowed heavily as he stared up at the ceiling, wondering if maybe he could just...use his jutsu to burrow a hole through the ceiling. It’d be find as long as he filled the hole back up, right?[break][break]
”Ok...Here goes…” Daichi placed his hands together, trying to formulate what exactly he’d have to do to accomplish this. But before he could start molding his chakra, he’d hear stumbling footsteps echo from not far off. He quickly looked forward, spotting...a woman! Yes! A mature, adult woman who would definitely be able to help him out here. He let out a breath of relief, arms falling to his sides as he moved to approach her.[break][break]
A hand rose in greeting as she introduced herself, lips pulling back into a confident smile as he immediately sought to hide his own fears and anxieties. It wasn’t like he could just admit that he went and got lost, right? Nah, he had to play it cool. Especially in front of a fellow shinobi! ”Hey! I’m Daichi Konishi, from the Rain.” Yes, super cool and smooth introduction. Nice. And an Inuzuka! Surely their dog’s keen nose would help them find their way out. He turned to give the dog a wave as wel-[break][break]
”WOAH! What the hell!?” He stumbled back a bit the moment his eyes fell onto the kunoichi’s ’dog’. That was definitely no dog. That thing was a huge BEAR of all things! A hand came to rest over his heart as he looked between the two of them, quickly coming to realize that this was just...a weird pet or something. Though that didn’t do much to keep his heart from racing. But that wasn’t even the biggest surprise he’d be facing today.[break][break]
”Wait…YOU’RE lost? That’s…” Quite possibly some of the worst luck ever. A hand moved to run through his mess of dusty hair as a heavy sigh was pushed out from his chest. So now he was stuck in a tunnel with a lost adult and a bear. Yeah. Cool. Ok. He could work with this. ”...A-actually, I was just on my way out myself! Yeah. Yeah let’s just uh…” He stepped closer to Korogaru, shifting to the side a bit to keep her between himself and teh bear. ”...Why don’t you come with me? I’ll get you outta here no problem.”This was such a terrible idea.
[attr="class","zacwords"]Dark. Damp. Bleak. How in the hell did I let myself get so lost…? He knew the reason, of course, but avoided owning up to it in order to not get so upset. Instead, as he progressed forward down the cavernous path, he mumbled and growled, blaming everything from his compass to his map, as well as unforeseen circumstances unrelated to him. Yet in the end, he could not shy away from it – he had ventured down here because the local drunk he gave money to earlier convinced him there was an illegal but potent bootlegging operating somewhere below the villages, where an ancient set of tunnels and caves exist. [break] [break]
It would be here that he would find a legendary elixir said to knock you out drunk with one sip; after all, how could a sip hurt!? Truth be told, these tunnels probably were not all that secret, especially when you consider the source. And although his directions weren’t exactly the most accurate, he knew all to well how to arrive here. These aren’t secret tunnels at all… Either the result of abandoned underground projects, or an old way to commute across the village, one thing Chinetsu was for certain about would be that with enough walking, he’d eventually find his way out. This would be about the time that he heard the voices; two, at least. [break] [break]
“...”
[break]
It seemed he was not alone, nor did it seem like there was any immediate danger; their tones appeared somewhat friendly and considering the nature of events recently taking ahold of Oto, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary these were the very allies he was waiting for. They sound like kids… And while the voices were rather on the younger side, he was in position to criticize age, considering he was well on the wrong side of time. Let’s get this over with then… After a brief sigh, he would begin his approach towards the two, figures that became clearer and clearer with each step taking. It helped that his right hand, crackling a faint blue hue as it channeled a small amount of raiton chakra, would grant additional light for improved sight. [break] [break]
“Is that...a bear...?”
[break]
His voice, deep but friendly, rang as he approached the trio. Maybe they knew how to get out quicker than the Chuunin could decipher. Or maybe it would get worse. Who knew? Only time would tell. [break]
Deep in the forest a call was sounding... he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it.
“Oh right!” Korogaru grimaced at Daichi’s reaction. It was weird how people always seemed like they’d never seen a pet bear before when she was so accustomed to having Nomi around. “He’s a bear but there’s no reason to be alarmed. He’s actually quite friendly. He’s my friend and a ninja… It’s kind of a long story. Well- no it’s not. I found this bear and trained him to help me.”
The chunin didn’t know what else to say on the subject so she just shrugged her shoulders and made a face that clearly asked him not to judge. She let out a sigh of relief as the young man offered to help her find the exit. “I’m so grateful! I don’t spend a lot of time in cities and everything smells really weird here.”
“There’s no exit that way, not for at least a mile.” She said as she jutted a thumb over her shoulder and back in the direction she had come from. Daichi of the Rain had come from the tunnel to her left, leaving two branches of this crossroads to explore unless Daichi had seen an exit on his way here but that seemed unlikely since he said he was on his way out too.
A flickering blue light caught her attention and she watched as the crackling energy drew nearer, a familiar man emerging from the shadows of another tunnel. He was from the Cloud as well! She’d seen him before although she couldn’t quite remember his name right now. It was right on the tip of her tongue.
“Hey there, stranger!” She responded teasingly to avoid admitting she didn’t know his name. “It is! He’s friendly though so no need to worry.” She scratched the bear behind the ear and he sat down on his hind legs and made a face of pure bliss. “I was just looking for a way out of here. Did you happen to see any exits the way you came?”
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”...The bear is a ninja?” Yeah, ok. Sure, the bear was a ninja. He wasn’t gonna think about that one too hard. Domesticated dogs, cats and birds? Totally feasible to be trained and used in combat and stuff. But a ninja bear? Daichi was skeptical, making a mental note to keep a distance from the creature despite her reassurances. ”Right...Well.” He turned in a circle to survey the tunel, always moving just a bit quicker whenever the bear wasn’t within his peripheral view.[break][break]
”I could’ve told you that was the wrong way, y’know. That tunnel heads north, faaaar away from where we’re stationed near the border.” Was that true? He had absolutely no idea. But it sounded smart, so he was just gonna roll with it. ”We wanna head-” He was just about to point in a random direction, only for another figure to come into view along with a flickering blue light. A hand immediately reached for his tool bag, gripping a kunai just to be safe. He recognized the crackle of raiton, and wasn’t about to be caught off guard by an enemy threat.[break][break]
But in the end it seemed to be another lost soul startled by the presence of a bear. Daichi let out a sigh, hand sliding out of his bag unarmed. ”Don’t worry about it too much. It’s just a bear.” He said as if he too wasn’t made deeply uncomfortable by the hulking creature. While Korogaru dealt with the new face, Daichi would take a moment to survey the area, examining the floor in hopes of spotting the most well worn path. If they could find that, then surely the would be able to identify a main road that would lead them most quickly to an exit. ”If you’re lost too, don’t worry about it. I’ll get you out of here safe and sound.”Hopefully.
[attr="class","zacwords"]Judging by the swift but friendly response that attempted to dismiss any assumption that the bear was anything but unfriendly, it seemed this was not the first time its owner had to deal with such a line of questioning. And considering how both of them responded in a similar fashion, Chinetsu feared he may have accidentally walked in on a conversation which not only had already covered that ground, but was also trying to move on to newer ones. Looks normal enough… And so, the concept of the bear would occupy his mind no more.[break][break]
In fact, he should have done so already once he identified her allegiance. She’s from Kumo… All the more reason he would be disappointed in his response to her inquiry. Not only had he let the numerous amounts of forks in the underground roads throw him off, but he had also followed the purposefully faulty and vague set of directions in here, given to him with the explicit purpose of leaving him lost and thus stranded. Well, it’s working... He sighed, one arm still aglow with chakra, hovering ahead of him to provide continued lightning, while the other remained at his side; both shoulders shrugged simultaneously. He concluded those who had awarded him such bad directions expected him to exhaust over time, becoming an easy target for thievery – or worse. After all, who would be looking out for anyone's best interest down here...? Chinetsu shuddered at the thought.[break][break]
“Truth be told, I was hoping you would know...”[break][break]
“…I’m not from around here, so getting’ lost became all too easy a feat to accomplish...”[break][break]
...not that I'm proud it, either."
[break]
He directed lowly spoken words towards the girl with funny ears – the one whose giant bear acted as her pet, and most importantly, her bodyguard – all the while re-directing his gaze to the other young shinobi. The boy carried an air of brash confidence typical of those in his age, but at the same time, it appeared he was somewhat capable of backing it up, should he need – or be forced to. I remember being like that... As he nodded to the youngster’s promise of safe passage, he could not help but let out a small grin; it seemed fate always had a way of dealing him a rather perplexing situation. Here he was, starting his ascension into the literal earth with nothing but promises of unique and incredibly potent alcohol, and instead, he is now being helped by shinobi half his age. [break][break]
“My name is Chinetsu, by the way...”[break][break]
Deep in the forest a call was sounding... he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it.
“Don’t worry about it Chinetsu! It’s a little embarrassing for me too. I don’t usually get lost very easily but this place is a well traveled labyrinth with all kinds of really ripe smells… it’s a little overwhelming to be honest.” Korogaru chuckled more to herself than anyone else. The humidity was worse than she would have predicted down here; the smell of sweat and garbage made her crinkle her nose playfully.
Nomi seemed to grow tired of all this deliberation and rolled over onto his back where he sprawled out for a nap. “Don’t get too comfortable!” Korogaru whispered as she scratched the bear’s tummy. “Daichi of the Rain was just about to lead us out of here.”
She looked from Daichi to Chinetsu, “Excellent! Although I hope we shall not be needing a medic. We should travel as a pack then… since our destinations are aligned.”
Korogaru peeked further down the tunnel. Since they’d each come from a different branch of the crossroads there was really only one path left to explore. That had to be the way out, right?
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[attr="class","zacwords"]Those ripe smells his fellow Cloud-nin referred to were most likely originating either from the rotting, dead bodies of those previously unfortunate enough to be mislead into this retched trap and then robbed soon after their tired, lost selves succumbed to lack of energy, or from an actual hooch operation hidden away somewhere nearby. And while the latter seemed unlikely – he was a bloodhound when it came to the illicit – Chinetsu cared not to find out whether the former was true or not. The sooner I’m out of here and above ground, the better… The Chuunin, sighing quietly, was beginning to feel the same as the reposeful mammal before him, and were it not for present company, would most likely indulge in a very similar commodious rest. [break][break]
“I agree...on both accounts...miss...?”
[break]
He found himself at a loss for words upon reaching the conclusion of his response to her previous inquiry as he soon realized that while he had learned the boy’s identity through her confident exclamation, she had yet to introduce herself. For some reason, I recognize her… She did, however, seem quite familiar, calm, and confident, and he was convinced he’d had a previous encounter with her of sorts. Then again, if this were the case, he would certainly remember that bear; perhaps something about her air screamed of some hidden camaraderie? Could it be his age betraying him already…? He’d scoff at the idea as quickly as it had come to him, and decided instead the gut feeling was fine left unchecked. She could introduce herself, or she could not; at this point, the medic’s only concern was escape. [break][break]
“Daichi-kun...what exactly is your plan...?”
[break]
Once asked, Chinetsu would peep the bear keeper eyeing a new path down the cave labyrinth. If the Rain-nin was unable to produce an authentic response to this directional crisis, then his next suggestion would be to simply head in that direction. [break]
While the two chunin spoke, Daichi found himself getting lost in thought. He had spent so much time wandering the caverns that he had completely lost track of where he cam from and where he had already been. But surely if he just took a moment to stop, think and examine the situation he would figure out the right way to go, right? There was the classic maze solution of just picking a wall and hugging it all the way to the exit, but that would take too long. There was the option of following the footprints, but with how much they had all wandered around, how could he tell what was new and what was old?[break][break]
He spent a moment in deep consideration, brows pinched together as his fingers meshed together and came to rest on top of his head. There had to be a way to solve this puzzle, right? His thoughts were interrupted as it came time to put his money where his mouth was, as the oldest chunin turned to himf or an answer. ”Huh? Oh. Yeah. Uh…” Daichi took a moment to clear his throat, glancing between the two adults and the bear that he somehow forgot was still there and still super weird. But at least it was kinda cute now that he was growing more confident it wouldn’t be eating them.[break][break]
”Y-yeah! Yeah, don’t worry about it, Doctor Chin.I’ll get us out of here no problem, just like Koro said. See, it’s all about the process of elimination. So… That way!” They were at a four way crossroad, and the three of them had each come form a different direction. And if they were sure there were no exits where they came from, then their best bet was the road not yet travelled! Easy solution. Though he knew that was just the first hurtle. He had no clue how they would solve the next crossroads.[break][break]
But for the moment, he would engage the other two in conversation as he heads down the designated path. ”So, what were you guys doing down here again? Don’t tell me you both just came down here to mindlessly wander unknown tunnels.” He said as if that wasn’t exactly what he was doing down there.
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 Inuzuka” She responded. If he didn’t recognize her, he should at least recognize her family. The whole lot of them were Cloud Shinobi and all of them had the same white hair like a pack of arctic wolves.
She followed Daichi down the fourth path. It seemed the most logical path so he must know where he’s going, right? She wasn’t really worried about running into anyone else this late so she just walked alongside the others casually with Nomi plodding along behind them.
“Well… I was looking for someone but I don’t think he’s down here anymore.” The chunin hung her head shamefully as she admitted to not possessing the skill to track her sensei in this environment.
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[attr="class","zacwords"]Though it would seem the youngest of the three had suddenly lost himself in a sea of deep thought once Chinetsu placed the inquiry upon him regarding their plan, he would soon begin to come back to life, jerking forward with a simple proposal – to use the process of elimination. From the medic’s vantage point, he had known only one road, and with the ever-present darkness, it was almost impossible to make out anything else. So there are four... A small hum escaped his lips as he nodded to the youth’s plan. [break][break]
His chakra fueled hand, still maintaining the lighting gifted to him by his simple channeling of Raiton energy, would allow a better sight of the other routes as Chinetsu moved forward, passed the two and towards the apparent intersection of pathways that lie ahead. Well this makes things easier... As he surveyed the crossroads ahead, he could hear his fellow Kumo-nin and their newfound friend discuss the obvious plan ahead. Eventually, the conversation would steer towards the reason they were down here. Chinetsu had no intentions of revealing the true nature of his wandering. Simply put, the terms of his employ explicitly stipulated that he would be sober at all times. To be caught lost in the search of bootleg alcohol operations for the sake of consumption and profitability was not an option. [break][break]
“Truth be told, I too was on the search...” [break][break]
“...but it was less for a someone, and more for a something...” [break][break]
He spoke once the others were finished, and while he had not bothered to turn and face them once he decided to speak – he continued to survey the area, one hand alit, the other at his side as his gaze slowly and steadily scanned their surroundings, ever vigilant – he had nonetheless addressed their concerns with his own. That’s as vague as I can be… Regardless of their reasons for being down there, a united front to escape seemed like the best solution. He was, after all, present in the country for the sake of supporting the war effort. Were he to be questioned about this in the future, he could merely attribute this misadventure as an attempt at “morale building” with his fellow shinobi. [break][break]
“Regardless, I like your plan, so let’s stick together...” [break][break]
“…and why don’t you lead the way…?” [break][break]
He was of course referencing to the young boy, his tone deep, short, but respectful, and outstretched hand and pointed finger making it clear who Chinetsu was referring in order to remove all doubt. As the medic, his role was that of support. In this case, he was ready to see this through to end, with both of them – even after an odd set of noises that originated from the one path they had not yet traveled crashed through their conversation just as Chinetsu ended his words. Just what WAS that...!? One thing was for certain; time would soon tell. [break]
