Her change in tone was almost enough for me to react! But that's no fun. "Oh my toes, right, right. You know where we live, right?" a raised eyebrow followed the sarcasm to the dog-woman as I pointed off into the crowd. "I counted at least three of those gamblers earlier openly carrying knives, and in that crowd another ten. If they wanted to, they could all jump us."
Of course, it was another conversation of if. Kirigakure might be built on the bones of shinobi, but these tools? Probably not even academy worthy. Power in numbers made that a different ballgame, but they didn't seem smart enough to recognize that. "Whenever. If they grew big enough balls, anyway." The words sounded defeated, dammit!
"Okay, so maybe I'm over-exaggerating a little bit." hands spread out in front of myself, a faint shrug shadowing my shoulders. "'Take it serious'. Gotcha. Won't be running around without an eye in the back of my head." Mom. As silent as the last word was, it was extremely loud.
It took a moment for me to respond, fidgeting slightly with the bag of winnings, the thought of having to fight all of them off having hit a little closer to home than intended. More thinking than I wanted - almost made me wish I had a drink.
Training, huh? 'sWoRd ArM fLaBbY' - yeah yeah. I wonder... I took another look to the group of drunkards and partygoers, before slowly standing up. Brushing the loose sand off my clothes, I scratched the corner of my mouth as I replied. "I am kind of on the job right now, but as long as my shift cover doesn't show..." I cleared my throat, taking a step away from the table.
A nod of my head opposite the main entrance, I'd attempt to bring Makoto towards another part of the party. "Heard there was a little fight club going on further down the beach. a whisper as she neared, smile wide on my face. "You wanna make some money?"
Ears honed to the merchant, smile sitting calmly as I watched him. It was interesting, definitely a kid, not a shinobi. Ballsy, almost endearing. But kid looked like a pussy.
"That's pretty far kid, and you wanna ask me why I'm out here?" my voice incredulous, a hand held to my chest in some faux guffawed awe. The incredulity. A chuckle held tight against my throat.
"But nah, I'm not lost. Not yet, anyway. Was planning on it in about thirty, forty minutes though." a bolster in tone as I continued to 'stare' at him. "I've got to find a good excuse to not go back to the village for a while." Thoughts of the assignment flashed through my head, a slight falter in my smile. Be surprised if the kid noticed.
Nodding in the direction of Otogakure, I laid back against a tree, crossing my arms. "Know anything fun around here?" a pause, before I continued - "Heard there was a lot of wildlife out here."
No chance in this life or another, but this was fun enough so far.
"Hmm?" at first, I thought I was replying to Tadaaki. Dense as the rock his mom shoved him out on, surprised he could even make his way to Oto. But lo, a deception to myself! The cloud nin struck out, revealing a pair of shuriken aimed at our heads.
Looked like Iaichi would get to breathe for a bit.
As good an excuse as any. Knuckles tightened, the tendons snapping white in the midday sun as my left leg collapsed forward. Stepping in on my right, my wrist turned upwards as I dashed across the space and underneath the shuriken. The pressure in my shoulder, the movement traveling through my hip - my right heel planted itself, stopping as the blade cut through the air.
Crying Waterfall. A vertical Iaido strike delivered from underneath an opponent's line of sight, aimed towards their center mass. If a successful blow, the recipient was intended to be gutted, if not bisected with enough force. Unfortunately, with the range of a single step in, doubt crosses whether or not it'll put the cloud nin out of commission.
"Let's dance." was the only attempt at coordination i'd give Tadaaki, stepping forward on my left leg, preparing for a follow-up should the kumo retaliate.
"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.
The smell of sweat and anger sailed loudly through the air, assaulting everyone who dared to come close to the 'working' line. Side by side with a I-didn't-bother-counting amount of genin, we were a human assembly line for wood. Admittedly, the exercise was more enjoyable than some of the camp training, but not by much.
The sun craned overhead, my bare chest screaming with sweat. A pass across my forehead with my wrist, water flailing to the earth. The pair I was stuck in the middle of were quiet, not even bothering to introduce themselves. Quiet. Boring. I know the type. Another chunk of wood, another drop of sweat; the day was going as slow as it was hot.
Wait. I paused for a second, exhaling slowly. Is someone singing? My head popped up, leaning out of the line to scan the genin I was joined with. A moment, then another - the wood-passer behind me attempting (and failing) to elbow me in the side - there they were!
"Hey, you! The hell're ya singing?? That a fucking lullaby?" My voice cut through the air, the mocking tone riling up a few of those in the precession. A few chimes of 'Baby over here singing a lullaby!' rang through them, and a smile slipped onto my face.
The sifting crowds had few returning faces, despite the sheer volume of shinobi we had traveled with to make it here. Every day or so, I'd see one or two, but unless I kept an eye out for it - nada. Today, I figured trailing one of the more problematic ones would make things more interesting; and with a smile heavy on my heart, who would've thought I'd be right?
Pulling away from the crowds, I'd follow him and another as heated words were exchanged.
"Ooh, what's going on with you two?" My comment into the scuffle as I was; a loose blade in the wrong part of the world. A wide smile and narrow eyes greeted each of the troublemakers, although I didn't notice the small, third one until after the fact. "I always knew you were a little - what do you call it, again?"
A tilt of the head, disappointment creeping with a notably creased frown. "That short hand you used for being a racist asshole... 'Patriotism'? Oh, wait, no." I turned my conversation to the cloud nin, albeit out the corner of my mouth. "Little Tadaaki here is proud to be a piece of shit, turns out."
The entire entrance was punctuated with a hand on hilt, having been gripping my sword from the first word. "And to be honest, I've not liked him much." Spoken much louder, taking a step towards my fellow Kirigakure denizen. The twitch of my brow a faint signal, I doubted he'd notice - but it wouldn't matter. So long as he didn't die like a moron, anyway.
"Anxious." Another pair of air quotes adjourned the word, the click of teeth as I scoffed underneath my breath. "Sorry I'm not used to traveling deep into a potential enemy's territory to clean up their mess." My voice soured, a crooked scowl etching itself into my face.
"And I don't need a dog." was muttered, although not loud nor long enough to be heard. House already had what, four? Five? Cats now. After dad walked out, Mom got a little... Catty's too joking. Feral. Won't let a dog near the place if she can.
"I'm bored of sitting around, waiting to 'ship out'. Not like we're going on a boat." a smirk flickered onto my lip, but the joke wasn't particularly worth bringing attention to. "With the freeze on missions and that dojo I go to getting smashed to hell and back, nothing."
Frustrated hands prostrated themselves to the sky, a sigh resounding with slumped shoulders. "And they're always drunk." My sight had returned to the sky, the pinpricks of something other staring back at me. Glimmering tear drops of sand. "Shit, wait."
My head would pop back up, cocked brow aimed at the Inuzuka. "Are you drunk right now?"
"Territory?" My head tilted slightly, the twist of a grin at the corner of my mouth. How much do I want to fuck with this kid?
A few ideas had formed the moment I saw how short he was. Transform into a gnome, get down on my knees, hell, even just keep up the baby talk crap. Something else, on the other hand...
Words followed like a waterfall, with something almost bravado. "Of course it's my territory. Didn't anyone tell you the story of how I earned it?" I'd raise a hand, railroading over the child if he attempted to answer.
"No, because if you had you'd know how - my voice lowered as I leaned closer, an eye peering further open at Kakesu -I pissed on that tree back there." I pointed back, holding in a laugh. A pat on the shoulder as it broke, chest convulsing.
"Ah, a- sorry, kid. Just screwing with ya. Nah, I'm not from around here. You?" I could barely breathe, the look on his face - oh man. Short chunks of laughter left as I spoke to him again, pulling away with crossed arms.
Kakesu Aoki | 189 words | piss on you and tell ya its rain
The sound of skin hitting skin echoed out past the building, a sign hung overhead scrawled with barely legible text. Audible brawling was always a sign of a good time, though. I think it says 'Dojo', anyway.
A door slid open as I entered, a worn straw mat placed haphazardly on a pile of more worn mats beneath it my only welcome. The few inside were already busy, an array of training dummies at their disposal. At the center of the dojo was a large dohyo, although it wasn't being used by any sumo. Two men were sparring, bareknuckle fists slamming into each other over and over again.
"Hmm." crossed my lips, but I wouldn't say anything. Sliding the door shut behind myself, I began to pace the floor, thinking quietly. I wonder what kind of martial artists Otogakure has. This place doesn't smell like booze, so that's a good sign. Another sniff to reassure myself - Just sweat, and some blood.
Finding a bench, I sat down, and began to peel off extra layers of clothing, placing my sword atop the folded pile. Left with a plain white, sleeveless shirt and my pants - I'd make my way to one of the many using training dummies. "You looking for a spar?"
Travel had been long, and the wait for the 'mission' felt even longer. Bored out of my fucking mind waiting - might as well have some fun.
Uchiha Yūsuke | 236 words | please select your fighter
A voice echoed back! Thankfully, not my own, and hopefully not one I needed to cut down. Still, my hand rested on the hilt of my sword, a thought - worry - having perched itself on the back of my neck. Letting my guard down could get me killed in these strange lands.
It'd have gotten me killed at home, too.
"Merchant, huh?" I swiveled to the direction of the voice while replying, scanning through the thicket. A moment passed before I looked lower. "Ah, little guy, huh? No wonder you called yourself 'the lesser'!"
The hand fell away from my side, raised as far as it could in the wilderness as I walked towards him. Something akin to the posturing of a hug, although I'd drop them both to my knees; leaning in towards him. A good distance separated us, giving a faux bow - though not as showy as I would've liked.
"You can call me Benkei. Benkei of the Mist, or Benkei of the Sword, if you want." the titles were spoken as much in word as they were with hands, faint gestures following the counting of digits on my hand. "But not Benkei the Highwayman. Who'd want to steal from something as cute as a kitten, anyway?" the last few words reminiscent of baby talk.
The continued prattling was a bit much, but if things went sour I estimated little difficulty in removing the kids head.
Kakesu Aoki | 237 words | lemme pinch those cheeks
Rescue training. the words rang quietly, going so far as to mock them. Boggling.
The people drying themselves off would continue giving the dogs a dirty look through the night, a few unsuccessfully trying to kick them - untrained mutts. It had occurred to me a few times before that they might intentionally act like this, but I refused to believe it.
Given more time, that might change.
"'Cold feet', 'heroics', 'dumb stunts' - are you giving me or you advice?" I quipped, pointing a finger to the wet-and-disturbed gathering of people, another at a mass of hair and noise.
"If it's important enough, of course I'm gonna bother." I continued, my voice rising into a oh-too-sweet, not-too-real pitch. Dropping another few octaves after; "It's definitely paying enough to be worth it. Travel, too!"
It was an exciting proposition, to get away from the drunks and the empty beaches. Not the first time I'd be out of country, but the longest, by far. That mission was sour anyways.
All smiles, as I began scooping away the small amount of coin. Leaning forward, my elbows pressed down against the makeshift table, causing it to wobble a moment as I whispered. "I'm worried about the other part - hey, no!" I'd snap, spinning backwards on my seat. A dog - practically an overgrown rat - biting at the edge of my clothes. A hand raised saw it run off before I could do anything, a scowl having torn across my face.
"Seriously, what do you... DO, with those things?" an exhausted question, one I didn't expect any satisfying answer to.
"I don't know why you'd sit down to bet without knowing the rules, sensei." curdled on my lips, a faint chuckle tucked in my throat. Easy money though. She does owe me already, though...
A twitch rode my lip like an electric sting, a faint shot of air from my nose. As faint as a monsoon, anyway. This was not a memory I was fond of, although it was recent.
"'Dropping it overboard' is one way to describe how that happened." air quotes emerging from raised hands, my tone having a bit more bite than I intended. No point in apologizing, though. "I wasn't the one playing fetch with my sword. And no, I'm looking for an upgrade.
Bitch never pay me back for that last one, though. a faint sigh followed as I leaned back.
"That thing we got coming up in Oto has me a little antsy." I'd add, scratching the back of my neck. For a second, I wondered what I was forgetting.
For a second.
A frown creased as I lifted my head up, looking around the crowded beach. "Wait, what are your dogs doing?" letting slip the tiniest bit of panic.
Sun spotted the ground beneath through thick foliage, the faintest wind accompanying the scent of freshly bloomed flowers. I hadn't traveled far from the village, only arriving to the closest, densest area of the woodlands surrounding it. Something about 'getting used to the territory'.
"Not that I ca~re." whistled lonely, the sound of my footsteps being my only company. That and the steel at my hip; a rather bored passenger of my current outing. Their arrival had been so congested that organization was rough - barely getting more than three hours of sleep a night. Constantly being moved from building to building, like a massive filing system.
Pain in my ass. Quiet, silent; holding the thought from reality. No point to spoiling the moment.
They didn't have forestry like this in Kirigakure. The solid lush undergrowth spiraling into massive trunks, blotting out the sky above. Not a dark grey cloud in sight, peering down on a lifeless beach. A change of scenery was pleasant; Especially knowing it's temporary.
Snap.
A moment passed.
And another.
My thoughts collided together, fingers gripping the hilt of Iaichi. Turning my head slowly, watching the in-betweens of the trees, the softest movement of a shadow.
"Who's there?" To think I'd ever sound so ready to strike someone down - ah, what my mother would think of me.
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.
A faint glance shifted across the remainders - my sensei, and a pair of drunkards who seemed to have little sense left between them. An eye would creak open further than usual, slipping across the surface of the table as I rapped knuckles across the hand I had been dealt.
The others responded in kind, although Makoto would be rather loud about it. Sometimes I wonder about her... An errant thought, discarded only to be picked up time and time again.
"Read'em and weep." followed, flipping the cards face up onto the table. Grin widening as the drunks audibly cursed, refusing to reveal their own hands and instead leaving the table - sore losers. I'd stifle a laugh at the woman's cards, fingers idling tracing against the wood.
Facing Makoto, a hand idly reached for the pittance of winnings at the center of the table. "I never took you for gambling, sensei."
The soft tone would change to almost mocking, the words chiming quietly against each other; "Doesn't seem like something you should stick with." My smiled stretched further - almost too thin - as fingers closed around the coin, drawing it to my side of the table. "But if you find another group, we can go again?"
The words were sugary sweet, propping myself atop crossed hands awaiting her answer. "I've been needing a new sword."