Capitalizing On An Opportunity [Ikko/Open]

[Kaguya Shiro]

The first few days at the academy had been equally exciting and entertaining. There were countless of kids, all present for relatively similar reasons. And though the instructors insisted in using the vast majority of the time in their introductory days for a form of meet and greet, she just couldn’t remember so many names. She did however manage to pay close attention to the rules, and the expectations their superiors had of them. And so, as the day retreated to make way for the welcomed penumbrae of the night, Shiro had decided to spend some time at the Heartland of Kaminari of Kuri. It was the very first time she had ever been near them, though she did hear a lot about them. In her mind, it was quite possibly the best place to train, other than the training grounds which would likely be swarmed by adults. The young girl knew that if she wanted a chance to step out of her life at the foster home, she would need to devote herself to this life and to the opportunities it presented for her along the way.

At first, she figured that she couldn’t be the only one out there. After all, didn’t everyone want to become a shinobi as much as she did? Surely that was the case. To her surprise however, beyond a couple of Genin that had left moments after her arrival, there was no one else. Most of the kids in the academy had gone off in groups to play after class while the daylight persisted. A few others had chosen to go back to their home to help with their family business. Shiro on the other hand could do neither. She wasn’t the best at striking up conversations, and she wasn’t very fond of being in tumultuous and boisterous groups, effectively making the circle of friends for the little girl relatively nonexistent. And there was nothing for her at the foster home either. Only some kids that wished they had a shot at the kind of opportunity she possessed, and some that wished they would’ve capitalized on that same opportunity when they had the chance. With much of nothing left for her where she stood, and next to nothing waiting for her where she came from, her very best bet was to capitalize on the opportunity as best she could, to maximize her chances at a life that she considered worth living.

Standing before a large wooden trunk that would serve as one of the training posts, she had to take some time to think just how could she train. Should she just punch it? Would it break the post or would it break her hand. Perhaps it was simply far too soon to try and find out. Instead, she threw her arms forth, releasing a pair of wooden shuriken she had carved back at the foster home. While they were certainly sharp, the edge paled in comparison to the real thing. But still, a hit was a hit, though she’d see none of those on her first try. One of the shuriken had been thrown relatively close but still managed to miss its target. The other shuriken had angled to the side in such a manner that one could’ve believed she had just aimed it at a different spot instead.

”Again.”

The whisper was spoken out loud albeit gently enough to be meant for her own ears. Through several attempts she would continuously pick up the wooden shurikens and toss them, missing the target every time up until one finally managed to hit and bounce off.

”Yes. I did it!”

There was an obvious look of joy and satisfaction in her expression. The constant failures she had experienced on the first few attempts did not stood a chance against the feeling of fulfilment she displayed once she finally succeeded. The notion that she could improve gave her hope that perhaps more difficult things could also be accomplished. In the winding road of her youth, she was finally starting to find her way out of the fears that held her back, restrained to a life to which she simply did not belong.

WC: 700​

 

[Honnou]

[spoilername=][/spoilername]There were more areas outside of the ‘downtown’ of Kumogakure than Honnou had imagined. Despite spending most time strolling across the village, he knew little about the farthest places that edged the outskirts. On his shoulder was a white shoulder bag filled with goods that his mother had prepared for him given his request to go out and train. Yes, as a newly welded shinobi, the kid had to keep improving himself and his capabilities. Even though it troubled him a little as time had passed from the day that he was announced a genin…

For him, it went too quickly. He never really got to learn his own classmates to know, and the headband came to him too sudden. Although, he did go through the test and all with the thought that it was to show his level and if he was ready to move on, but he didn’t assume that he would graduate. And now, having been granted the spine and spirit of the Hidden Cloud, there was no turning back. That was why he hid the headband in his shoulder bag; why should he go around and wear it as he clearly knew that a kid in his age would stand out a little? Was it, perhaps, the time of war? Besides, in his eyes and mind, when he looked at his own palms, he saw but a simple Hyuuga child.

Anyway, today was a new day. And tomorrow would be a mystery. With that in mind, he closed his eyes in as he landed on the large grounds that were rarely used anymore. However, far away from town and folks, he could settle a little here with a peaceful mind. And that was when his oddly brown eyes noticed the flicker of someone’s silver-white hair along with the sound of wood clashing another wood. “Woah… wait… are those objects like wooden shurikens?” he mumbled out in curiosity, not able to hold himself back from approaching the training girl. He was about to speak again, but something grabbed him and made him reconsider his choice of words in an instant as his voice turned a little more ‘around his age’,

“Woooaaaah... They look so pretty! Did you make them yourself..?”

WC: 373

 

[Funai Ikko]

Ikko's legs swung jovially off to the side, alternating back and forth on the small tree branch he had been granted as he grinned down at the girl going through the motions. He wasn't sure if the girl knew he was there, he wasn't trying very hard to hide his presence or anything of the sort, but given how determined she was there was a good chance she was oblivious to his presence. It was still pretty remarkable though, she was young, younger still than he which was a relatively new experience, but fascinatingly determined even without being met with much success. Ikko had difficulty empathizing with her. These were the things he had always naturally excelled at. Hitting a target with a shuriken was something he had never had an issue with. It wasn't necessarily to gloat that these thoughts rotated through Ikko's head, far from it. For instance, the girl could probably write her name without having to use both hands which was something Ikko found infinitely more impressive than throwing a piece of metal on target, but it was a new experience to watch someone be less progressed in an area than he when he had spent his time in the village having everyone be better than him at everything, all the time.

Of course, part of her problem might be that she was using wooden shuriken. Having the same shape as the real thing didn't really help and with projectiles, weight was one of the most important factors. Even minute levels of wind resistance can force a throw off target. Ikko was just about to pull some live ammunition out of his pack and toss them to her when a second form showed up in the clearing. Ikko's head tilted down at the new arrival, skeptical. He didn't know this one either, but he looked about the right age for the academy, just like the other two small children in the area. Would he have wooden shuriken too? Were...were wooden shuriken something the academy gave out? Why didn't he get any wooden Shuriken!? it would seem that wouldn't be the case though as the newcomer took a similar interest in the wooden weapons. Ikko, still joyously swinging his legs, would take this opportunity to actually contribute.

"Try throwing them a bit to left instead of straight on target, they're lighter than the metal ones, gotta factor in the air. Or or or, maybe give them a stern talking to, makeum fly straight, show them who's boss."

[WC: 420]

 

[Kaguya Shiro]

Picking up her wooden shurikens, the young girl was far too mesmerized by finally hitting her targets to notice the subtle movements and noises that rustled around her. Little Shiro was simply far too acquainted with the idea that she was weak and fragile. She was conditioned to believe that she should be careful to avoid breaking like glass could, or become a victim to a terminal illness in the zenith of her life as had happened to her mother. It made sense that exceeding any expectation , especially those having to do with physical skill would be met with unsurmountable amounts of joy. Unlike some kids of her class who were blessed with a natural affinity to all things ninja, she did not possess the same skill or talent. However, what she did possess was a remarkable work ethic impressive for her age. She would gladly struggle in earnest to create the very best chance for the kind of life she wanted.

”Hm? Y-yea, yea, I carved them myself!"

Shiro had turned and answered the question before she even had a chance to take a good look at the boy. As shy as she was, stumbling over her words had already become a common and expected practice. It was one among many things she hoped she could trim out of her personality at the academy. Regardless, once she was able to regain her composure, the girl extended one of her hands to shake his. Before she could continue with what she assumed to be the appropriate next step in an introduction, a different voice spoke out to her, this time, from above. Tilting her head upwards, she noticed another boy sitting happily over a branch of the nearest tree.

”Were you there all this time?”

She maintained the same level of shock long after noticing the boy that she simply had not noticed before. Shiro had been so concentrated on her tasks that she filtered out just about anything that wasn’t related to her training. She was however glad there were kids there around her age, though both looked to be at least a year or two older. They both seemed happy and energetic so she had to assume they were good people. After all, bad people couldn’t smile, right? Still, taking into account what one of the boys said, she quickly fired off both of the wooden shuriken, aiming them just off to the left. And just like that, they hit.

”Thanks! I’m Shiro. Who are you guys?"

No doubt the boy was skilled with throwing weapons. After all, how else he would have known, she thought. The reason she used wooden shuriken in the first place was because she didn’t own the real thing. As she took a step back to look at her two new acquaintances, she had to admit they seemed about as different as they were similar. Though the two looked distinctively different, they both seemed to project an aura that exuded confidence. And while confidence did not replace the need for other more important values, it was something she always longed to have. Thus far, the day had turned out to be a success. Training had gone well, and she had already met two new kids. If she was lucky, maybe they’d want to be her friend too. Time would tell.

WC: 558​

 

[Honnou]

Surprisingly, yeah, she carved those wooden shurikens herself. Perhaps she didn’t bother getting the real thing, or maybe she didn’t have the means to own metallic shurikens… or maybe those wooden weapons were hiding deep potential that only she could utilize? Either way, his face brightened up by her reply, despite that not only a little bit of pride was shown, but also anxiety. She stumbled a little over her few words, which kind of signaled that he may had taken her by surprise.

She quickly extended her hand over to him. He couldn’t but quickly grab it and give a good handshake, supposedly going to tell his name and all that. However, yeah, before he got to do all that, they were both met with a comment from another boy up in the trees. He came with a rather confusing suggestion about throwing the shurikens that the girl had in her possession… confusing being the few choices of words in some places that indicated that he was understandable yet funny… it reminded the young Saito that he didn’t bring any shurikens with him. Well, there went a chance to show himself off just a little bit, but he was far more interested in learning more about these two than learning about himself.

Therefore, his eyes locked onto Shiro as she was about to throw the shurikens again, both his clenched fists raised in excitement. “oooooooOOOOOOOOOH-“ he let out in suspense, before Shiro finally hit the wooden log with both shurikens, “That was sweet..!” He dashed up in the air happily, having stretched his arms out and all that, a typical yet joyful act that symbolized pride and accomplishment.

“You’re both so cool with those shurikens!” he complimented with sparkling eyes, “I’m Honnou. Let’s be friends..!” He quickly suggested that to the white-haired girl before waving to the boy up in the trees, “You, too! Come down and join us..!”

WC: 321

 

[Funai Ikko]

"Well, not the whole time, I'm not the old. But I've been here since you started practicing!"

Ikko watched, still beaming down at her, as she threw the shuriken once more and this time, she struck true. Somehow, the boy managed to grin even wider at her success and the accompanying exuberance from the other boy. It was a nice change of pace. Outside of Hoshi, most people that Ikko had come across were...well...downers really. Downer wasn't fair he supposed, they were all nice and good people, but they were either too mature or too grumpy to really enjoy life. At least, not enjoy life the way they should. The boy, Honnou, and the girl, Shiro, were closer to Ikko's own mindset than the elder folk the boy had spent the majority of his time around and it was a welcome reprieve. When Honnou called him down, Ikko, swung his legs back before launching himself off the tree branch, catapulting himself down to the pair on the ground with a wide grin.

"I'm Ikko, I could always use more friends!"

Ikko held out his hand to Honnou for a firm and jovial handshake before turning his attention toward Shiro, extending the same courtesy. Honnou, for the most part reminded him of himself. They were both happy and energetic and that was something he was excited for. He could really use a friend who he didn't have to convince to engage in the time honored tradition of shenanigans. Shiro was a little more reserved, more like most people Ikko had met, but she had a different emotion layered under everything...was it shyness? That was the word right? She wouldn't be like Honnou, he doubted, he'd have to encourage her to do engage in shenanigans through sheer persistence, but that was alright. She seemed nice enough and her hair was pretty, hardly a sacrifice to make for a new friend. After they had finished introducing themselves though, Ikko's face shifted, growing somewhat stern. Motioning to the pair of them with the utmost secrecy, Ikko dropped to his knees and picked up stick, motioning again for them to drop down with him to the spot on the ground as Ikko began carving out lines in the ground.

"I need your help, the Raikage's nephew's second cousin on his granduncle's side twice removed has given me a sacred duty to perform out here today. I've been tasked with finding Lord Raiden's Legendary Lightning Log. It was last seen in this area but I don't think I can find it on my own. Are you guys brave enough to assist me in this most important mission!?"

Of course, Ikko had made all of that up on the spot in the event it wasn't obvious enough, but he spoke the words with the utmost severity and assuredness, as if it really was a mission he had been assigned. He looked up from his drawing, which was an extremely crude of this area of the woods. It was abundantly clear Ikko did not have Shiro's artistic flare, but he pretended like it was as good as an actual map as he pointed his stick at a random spot on the drawing. His face looked stern, but a smile was visibly threatening to sneak out as he enjoyed his little game he would hopefully get to have with his new friends.

[WC: 563]

 

[Kaguya Shiro]

Both boys displayed emotions that could be considered sincere, kind, and all around innocent. They were both happy she had succeeded, and more importantly, they were supportive of her without seemingly wanting anything in return. Up until that point, most of Shiro’s friends had been within the confines of the foster home. As far as real world experiences, Ikko and Honnou were her very first steps into a world unknown.

Shaking Ikko’s hand after he had come down, Shiro would pass her other arm underneath the outstretched one to shake Honnou’s hand at the same time. The effort certainly merited recognition, and for anyone looking at them from the sidelines, the trio would appear to create the most adorable young shinobi triangle in existence. With a blissful smile on tow, the girl was ecstatic with the situation. Were all kids like that? No, that couldn’t be right. Maybe she was just that lucky. More importantly however was that they both agreed to be her friend. Was it really that simple? Maybe she didn’t need to be so careful when approaching people after all. Maybe.

All of a sudden, Ikko started making lines and figures on the ground with a tree branch. It looked as though he was trying to draw out a map, and she was right. After listening to his proposition, she had to admit it didn’t seem to be completely sound. Would someone as important as the Raikage honestly send kids with such an important mission? It didn’t seem likely. Regardless, she’d make no mention of her reserves, as to not jeopardize hurting his feelings and risking losing the friend she had barely just acquired. Part of her however did believe him. After all, he was really knowledgeable with throwing weapons, so who was to say he didn’t know another thing or two about something unrelated.

”What do you think?” she said looking to her side at Honnou.

In any case, she didn’t have anything planned for the day other than to continue training. And if the mission proved to be as difficult as she imagined, then it could work just as well. Though she hadn’t quite understood it herself, Shiro was already creating a form of competition with her new friends. For starters, she needed to get better at throwing weapons to surpass Ikko, and the rest was to be seen. For the time being it was all fun as Shiro smiled in excitement of what could lay ahead.

WC: 412​

 

[Honnou]

Huh… lots of things began speeding up. He got to shake both their hands and all, and a well group had been formed containing these three children from different corners of the Hidden Cloud. Ah, hanging around with kids around your age was already the best thing to spend the free time with in Honnou’s mind after years of experience. It never got bored, despite that he mostly thought in a different frequency than most other children. Maybe he was overthinking at some times, but did he have time to worry right now? Hell no.

And just as adventurous as Ikko had arrived, the boy had begun writing on the dirt beneath them with a stick. The lines and patterns resembled that of… the lines and patterns resembled what? A map? Okay, the young Hyuuga knew very well that, perhaps, Ikko was just rushing things because of something important, but that map looked awful. A drop of sweat trickled down by the view, yet Honnou said nothing when Ikko stated an issue that was far more interesting than the map itself… apparently, he was on a mission directly requested by a distant relative to the Hidden Cloud’s highest authority, the Raikage.

Did that not sound like a bunch of bull? Surprisingly, Honnou’s expression showed the exact opposite; remember, he was usually more formal and adult than his age would symbol in general. However, having free time now, he gave himself the opportunity to get excited, eager, naïve and playful as a young boy with lots of energy. It made the day brighter, in the end. That was why his face brightened up by the information that Ikko gave them.

Besides, Raiden wasn’t unfamiliar in any way. A slayer of a god? A legend? Well, it made the story less believable, but screw that! He slowly moved his face towards Shiro’s as she asked about his opinion on this matter, in which he lightly replied: “We can do this! I bet that we’ll find that log in no time..!”

 

[Funai Ikko]

"Then we have no time to lose!"

Ikko had watched the spectacle with a muted sense of excitement and bemusement. He had to internally stifle a giggle as Shiro turned her arms into a mini pretzel to accommodate the multiple handshakes and Honnou eagerly embraced their epic quest for the Legendary Lightning Log. Once they had murmured what did not actually qualify as consent but was close enough for Ikko's purposes, the boy put one decisive slash through the image he had gouged out of the Earth and hopped to his feet. Flashing that devilish grin once more, the boy did an about face and stalked off through the undergrowth. He had absolutely no idea where he was going, but that hardly mattered. The point was the journey! Of course, as safe as Kumogakure's country side tended to be, Ikko was a bit concerned of inadvertently leading them into something dangerous, but confidence bordering on arrogance was something Ikko had in abundance. He was sure he'd be able to protect the trio from whatever wickedness this way comes, so it should be fine. Probably. It was then that the trio met their first trial on their epic quest, the first hurdle between them and the Legendary Lightning Log. Ikko came to an abrupt stop, heralding the first trial they ran across.

"Behold, the Great Ravine of Rajaguptapopdopoulisstein! This is the first of the Grand Trials confronting all those who seek the Legendary Lightning Log! We must find a way to cross the ravine if we are to continue on our journey, but should we fail and fall in to bottomless pit full of ravenous beasts below, we're naught to see the light of day again. Any suggestions?"

Of course, the "Great Ravine" was more of a semi-steep valley and the "bottomless pit" was very much visible to the trio and the "ravenous beasts" were very much not visible, and if they really needed to they could just climb down one side of the hill and then just climb back up, but that was not really the point. Ikko turned his attention back to his two compatriots with a pensive look adorned across his features, waiting for them to come forward and present possibilities for circumventing a fall to their inevitable "doom." They would have to cross the valley to continue on their quest and it was time for Honnou and Shiro to show some creative gumption to speed them on their way.

[WC: 412]

 

[Kaguya Shiro]

That settled it. The three of them were in agreeance. And though she had her fair share of skepticism, both about the nature of the mission, and the potential mishaps they could run up against along the way, it should be okay. She still had her wooden shuriken, and even if her friends had skills she didn’t, the girl still had her brain and a few creative ways to put it to work. And so, dusting her dress off from being so close to the ground, the trio started to walk towards wherever the mission led. She wasn’t sure, but Ikko should know. Right? Speaking of which…

”Say, is it a log that makes lightning, or a log that is made of lightning?”

It might’ve seen like a silly question but she didn’t think so. Could the log make thunder? If it was a wet log, did it also cause rain? Or did it shoot lightning bolts? The possibilities could be endless. And though she wondered why a Jounin or an Anbu were not sent to retrieve it instead, she thought that maybe it was secret enough where young shinobi would be better as to pass unnoticed Before long, the trio would encounter quite the dangerous and challenging terrain. A Ravine? It was the first time Shiro had heard that word, but she presumed it meant a difficult to cross area with a kind of cliff to your death space in between. The girl didn’t even attempt to try to repeat the other long name in her mind. It was far too long and far too complicated. But it made her wonder, how can he even remember that. The name was a mouthful!

The idea of the ravenous beasts did make her nervous however, albeit not scared. She knew the fauna of the region could be treacherous, but she wasn’t aware they were so close to the guarded areas of the village. Still, it would pay to be cautious at all times. More importantly, they needed to figure out a way to cross. Shiro didn’t have any tools to cut down trees, and even if she did, she’d be hard press to muster the strength to pull it off. Vines..branches..maybe?

”I have an idea, but its not safe at all… Maybe we could gather the longest and sturdiest vines in the area, form a large loop and fasten the remaining end to a long and firm wooden branch. There’s a few big rocks and some cut down trees on the other side, if we could aim the loop to fall around one of them, we might be able to travel through the vines to cross…”

The more she said it, the worse the idea sounded to her. It was suicide. While it could work, the vines or the branches could have just as easily not been strong enough to hold their weight and snap off and make them fall. But perhaps the two of them had a better idea; if so, she was certainly open to it.

WC: 531​

 

[Honnou]

Okay… he sounded eager to begin. So was Honnou now that the right atmosphere had settled and all that. When he slashed off the map beneath their feet, the young Saito followed him as Shiro had asked a reasonable question to the adventurous boy… this lightning log and its origin. What was it? Where was it? Should he elaborate on this issue to Ikko, or should Honnou stay quiet? He decided for the last option for faint reasons given the idea that he was a kid, and kids were allowed to have their fun no matter the logic behind it.

Therefore, as he dashed across the shrubbery beside Shiro, Ikko had rapidly braked his advancement as they faced the edge of a ravine. “…Rajaguptapopdopoulisstein?” Honnou firmly repeated in disbelief. Was that the insane name of this ravine? Why? Just… why? Ikko was making it a bit too obvious, but hey… what if this was a test? A trial? What if Ikko had prepared some issues for the three of them to overcome together? It made the adventurous spirit blaze even brighter.

“Hmh… the vines around here look a bit too-“ he was commenting, throwing disbelieving and suspicious looks at the shrubbery, “… untrustworthy?” He then threw his glance over at a large tree close to the edge… maybe, if they could push it down, it would function as a bridge? It sounded like a safer idea than the vines, given that she did mention the big rocks and cut down trees on the other side. Then again… what was the chance that they could bring it down? “Huh… does any of you have any thin silk?” he suddenly asked out to Ikko and Shiro, “I think that we can use the branches around our spot, along with the tree over there, to pass the ravine… I mean… my plan is that we’ll fly over the ravine!”

He quickly dashed his arms out in the air, resembling wings that lifted the body up. “Yes! If we could build a glider, then we could just soar across the ravine..!”

WC: 347

 

[Funai Ikko]

"Yes, Rajaguptapopodopoulisstein. It's a national landmark."

Ikko said this particular bit of bull with the sense of confidence of a seasoned orator brimming with authoritative luster even if he was completely throwing random things out entirely off the cuff. He thankfully would not, or at least should not, have to keep defending the name of this particular obstacle. Ikko folded his arms across his chance as the pair of them brainstormed their daring attempt to cross the ravine. Ikko's grin however grew wider and wider as they bounced their ideas out. He was glad noone pointed out the obvious of just climbing down and then climbing back up, their journey would be pretty boring if someone kept trying to forcibly insert realism into everything like an unimaginative, well, adult. Screw adults.

There were good points and flaws in both of what they suggested and, whether it was by design or coincidental, their suggestions strongly complemented each other. Ikko swung his pack around, sat down on his rump and tentatively pawed around in it. Hoping to find something for Honnou to use, but unfortunately only had some metal wire on hand, it could still work if they had a cloth substance to form the kite out of. Unfortunately, they weren't going to have enough to actually form more than one glider and there was no way they'd be able to make a glider that could hold all three of them, so that'd only work for one of them. Plus, there was another issue.

"That could work Honnou, but there's one problem. The other side is parallel to us, we'd either have to carry a heavy glider up one of these stupid tall trees, or you'd end up crashing into the hillside. Gliding isn't a straight line, so you'd drop and crash in there. So we'd need some way to get you across and I think I have one."

Ikko pulled the wire out of his pack and tossed it to Shiro, flashing her a cheerful grin. Shiro's solution was good too, but just like Honnou's, there were some issues with it. First was finding at strong enough vine to serve as a rope, which while difficult wasn't impossible. The harder part was actually getting the vine fastened to an anchor on the other side...which was considerably more difficult a trial from this side of the ravine. They would have to try to lasso a boulder or something and pray it fastened properly. There were a lot of maybes there that would, probably, end up with gravity getting the best of them.

"So we're going to pull our resources. We're only going to be able to get one glider across, only enough material to make a big enough one for one of us. We'll get Honnou across then have them fasten a strong vine to the other side, then Shiro and I will use the vine to cross the Ravine. Shiro, those shuriken were beautiful craftsmanship, you're clearly a genius at it. Do you think with Honnou's help you could make us a glider that can hold Honnou up long enough to get across? I can make sure he makes it if you can keep him airborne long enough. While you guys do that, I'll go find a sturdy vine for us."

Ikko spoke like impromptu glider craftsmanship was a perfectly normal and logical thing to be able to do in the middle of the woods with next to no materials and he, more or less, seemed to already decide that this was the plan. He was already surveying the area to find a strong enough rope or something to make the canvas of the glider with before he was relegated to offer up his shirt as a sacrifice for their adventure.

[wc: 631]

 

[Kaguya Shiro]

There was no doubt, both of her friends were pretty smart. Who would’ve thought. Perhaps she’d have competition in the academy after all. In any case, she had to admit she did like Honnou’s idea. It was dangerous, maybe even more than hers, but it was pretty dang cool. But unfortunately she wouldn’t be able to help him with the fabric. Sure, out of the three of them she was the one that was wearing the most clothing, or rather whose clothes contained more fabric. But even then, even if she happened to donate her whole outfit, which she surely wouldn’t, the amount wouldn’t suffice for a decent glider.

”You’re both pretty smart, that sounds like a good idea.”

With Honnou’s and Ikko’s input as well as her idea, the three had decided on a plan that was actually not half bad. It was still awfully dangerous, but it could work while minimizing their chances of meeting the grim reaper far too early. When the boy commented on her craftsmanship, the white hair girl couldn’t help but smile brightly as what appeared to be the subtlest hint of pink hues flashed over her cheeks before dissipating.

”Yea, I can try my best.”

The task wouldn’t be easy for her, not at all. While it was true that Shiro had always possessed a form of artistic inclination, she only drew pictures and carved little figurines out of different materials. She had never truly built anything before; let alone something that was both complicated and potentially fatal if done wrong. But at the time, she needed to have confidence in herself and trust her friends as they had trusted her. They were both doing their part, and she wouldn’t be left behind.

As soon as the trio began their individual tasks, Shiro would a bit farther back into the forest, looking for suitable branches. Once she was out of sight, she extended her arm, a bony protrusion extending from her elbow out into what appeared to be the bone in her forearm. It was sharp enough to be used for the task, and large enough to be considered a small sword by a children’s perspective and a big knife by an adult. Regardless, as soon as she pulled out the bone she was in tears, biting her lip and trying not to make too much noise despite the pain. Shiro wasn’t sure how she could do what she did or why she could to begin with. All she knew was that it wasn’t normal and maybe it meant she was dying. But she had no intentions to let her friends find out. She had just met them and the last thing she needed was losing them.

Locating a few branches of seemingly sturdy size, the girl would chop them down and began cleaning the edges and preparing them. Ideally, once she had at least half a dozen to use and for spares, she would return to them. Of course by then she would’ve surely thrown away or dug a hole to drop the bone knife into. Once she was back at their meeting spot, she would ask Ikko for his wire, or at least some of it. Perhaps that could be used to tie the branches together. Or perhaps if any of them had senbons they could stick it through two of the branches and place a small wooden piece at the end to secure it. The danger of the situation was eminent even at the sight of progress, but she had to admit that even under the circumstances, she was excited.

 

[Honnou]

The glider sounded like the plan, and on top of that, they included the vine too. Apparently, Honnou was going to glide across the ravine, while Shiro and Ikko were going to cross it with the vine that he would transport to the other side. Obviously, Honnou had just tried to sound like any child, but the finished, stretched-out plan sounded not so bad in the end. They both agreed to that given by their next words, nad he couldn’t but blush a little by the coincidence. A glider was the first thing that came to mind, but maybe it was one of his genius feats to be told in the future…

As Ikko had dived into the woods to find the perfect vine for the task, he and Shiro began their work to make the glider. She must’ve been focusing a lot on the task at hand, because Honnou was following her just behind whilst checking his shoulder bag. It would be a waste if they had to sacrifice clothes just to get over the ravine, right? Luckily, the bottom of the bag that functioned as a kind of cover or, to put it more comparatively, underwear could be ripped off. As he slowly did so, he checked its dimensions and nodded to himself, quickly turning his eyes back at Shiro. “I bet that this’ll make for-“

She had gone deeper into the woods, though. He got a little anxious and quickly dashed forward to find her, so that he could deliver the surprisingly dense fabric. They did meet back at the earlier spot right in front of the ravine where he held up the cloth. “It’s not made of wool… that means that it has a higher density. It might just be packed enough to further heighten my chance of crossing the ravine, being able to catch the wind streams in the air and use the principle of the albatross-“

Idiot. IDIOT, that boy was losing himself in too much of a detailed explanation. He realized that just as he mentioned some kind of bird that he couldn’t even imagine exist in these regions, so he quickly shut his mouth and saw pearls of sweat trickle down his face. “U-U-U-Uhm, w-what I meant was..!” he quickly tried to recover his childish side that got lost in a fog just a few seconds ago, “D-Does this look good enough… f-for the wing?”

WC: 403

 

[Funai Ikko]

"Excited' was something of an understatement. Unfortunately however, exuberance did not actually assist him in any way when it came to collecting useful materials. Unlike his two new partners, when Ikko had returned to the construction site, it was almost completely empty handed. Outside of finding a decently long vine that the pair of them could trapize walk across, the wire and a few assorted ninja tools, metal ones thankfully, Ikko didn't really have anything on him to assist in the completion of the glider, but, somehow, the two of them had answered all of his prayers. The white haired girl had, somehow, managed to find rather expertly cut pieces of wood for the frame of their manned aerial vehicle. Ikko's eye's flashed brightly with excitement but, steadily, began to shift toward something akin to suspicion. Ikko wasn't exactly, well, smart, but he was very good at tallying what the facts were in a situation and sensing when something was off and didn't match up to those facts. Those pieces of wood were cut way too accurately to be found naturally in the woods and the cuts were way too fine to be made with her wood shurikens or even by a metal kunai knife. No...it was something el...

And then Ikko's attention was ripped away once more as Honnou appeared with a large piece of fabric that, at first glance, looked perfect. It had a big enough surface area for what Ikko was planning and that was the extent of the facts that mattered to him...but it wasn't the extent of the facts that he was about to get. As Honnou kept speaking, Ikko's head slowly tilted to the side in confusion. He was using a lot of...words. Sciency words. Not Ikko's forte. Though he did pick up a few things, for the most part the talk of density and types of fabric went way over his head and the boy had no earthly idea what an albatross was. The boy seemed to catch himself though, realizing he was going into particulars that'd make Ikko's eyes glaze over and asked a direct question.

"Yeah! It's perfect!"

It probably wasn't perfect, but it was definitely good enough for what Ikko wanted. The boy had leaped into action and took a few of the too perfectly cut pieces of wood from Shiro and began placing them where he thought that needed to be and, likely, doing it over again once Shiro or Honnou pointed out that Ikko had no idea what he was doing. With that, he would help build their glider, following whatever directions the pair of them had for him to jury rig a passable glider to cross the deadly ravine. While Ikko wasn't especially adept at leading the building operations, they'd quickly find that he could at least follow directions well if they tugged him along by the nose with them. Ikko grabbed hold of the vine as he left the two to put the finishing touches and tightly fastened it to a nearby tree. It was definitely long enough to bridge the gap between the cliff sides, hopefully it'd be able to hold their combined weights, but hey, Shiro was a pretty small girl and Ikko was...also small...it'd be fine. It wasn't like she had hyper dense bones or anything. Ikko held up the other end of the vine to Honnou with a grin on his face.

"You ready to go?"

Honnou...didn't need to know how else Ikko planned to help him get the lift to get across, not yet.

 

[Kaguya Shiro]

The three kids had manage to sort out their own individual uniqueness to work together for something that merited, or so she believed. It had not been long until Shiro came to the rondevu point to meet her two newest friends. Honnou had found a rather peculiar piece of fabric that was long enough, and stretchy enough to work. She had to admit however that the more she looked at it, the more something just felt off. It was almost as if she shouldn’t be looking at it. Was there something with the nature of its origin that triggered such an intrinsic reaction? Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, she would quickly toss caution to the wind, since for starters, it couldn’t possibly be what she thought it was. And more importantly, they had more pressing matters to tend to, and obstacles to overcome.

”Have you ever built one of these? I haven’t but I’ve seen grown ups make tents. Shouldn’t it work the same way?”

As she watched Ikko wrestle with the materials, It was obvious that neither of them had ever built a glider before. Then again, it would be difficult to say with certainty if any of the kids their age in the village ever had. In fact, most of them likely couldn’t even come close to explaining what a glider even was. Despite the inherent difficulties and her own ignorance on the topic, she figured her point did indeed merit some consideration. After all, most tents she saw being built were made in a form of triangular formation. She didn’t know why, though up until that point she figured it was simply due to artistic leaning or aesthetic purposes. However, perhaps there was more to it. It did make sense that triangular shapes would tend to be a bit stronger. After all, given equal lengths for the wooden pieces, one could create a form of base that was as rigid as could be given the lack of material or tools they had to create a better alternative.

”Are you sure you can do this Honnou. If you’re not, we’ll think of a different way.”

Shiro was ready, but before she went on with the plan she needed to be sure everyone was on board. Despite the inherent dangers for all of them, Honnou would be the first out into the fray, setting the plan into motion. She figured Honnou would be okay with continuing, but she simply needed to hear it from him first. At the same time, the girl realized that perhaps she shouldn’t have tried that hard with the wooden pieces she brought. A rougher and more unrefined job would’ve still served their purposes just as well. At the very least, neither of the boys had questioned the means through which she obtained it. There was just so much you could do with wooden weapons regardless of sharpness, and nature didn’t usually lend itself to be as coincidentally serviceable in most circumstances.

 

[Honnou]

The cloth appeared to be the perfect material for the glider given by Ikko’s glance over it, and the younger Hyuuga grinned at the approval. It did cost a neat shoulder bag’s inner warmth and cover for his items, though, but he could always repair it later or buy a new one. It was now time to build the glider along with Shiro, while Ikko would fix the vine as he made space between them, and Honnou threw a last glance at the cloth on his hand before turning his gaze back at the white-haired girl. “It should, yeah,” he replied to her assumption, “A glider… it looks like a triangle, so it’s obviously going to work like that, I believe.”

He would sit down and begin placing the wood pieces as he heard Shiro’s words of worry for him. It was a very sweet thing to do, but he didn’t find himself incapable of pursuing this goal of getting over the ravine. However, hearing her all worried like this, he felt that he was being a burden now, in which he faintly blushed.

“It-It’s alright, I have some experience with a Jutsu that can help me so much,” he assured the small beauty whilst having his hands up to shake off the worries that soared around her, “Y-You know, if we really put our minds into it, then it’ll be a lot easier! It’s about the dedication to reach your goal, and not the worries that occur periodically-“ He was quick on cutting his words short to turn his focus back on the woods again, carefully helping Shiro building it. He was shockingly surprised at the handiwork that she had found out in the forest, and it looked as if the pieces of wood were cut firmly… even though he didn’t recall her having a knife in possession. Then again, even with a knife, it was quite spectacular. “It looks splendid, Shiro..!” he complimented out of need to, given that he couldn’t let this masterpiece of material go by without at least a few good words to it.

Ikko had then reached the other end of the vine to the young Hyuuga, and he firmly grabbed it. It was now time to test this… uh, fairly solid-looking construction of what was called a glider. It looked a bit too wide, though, as if they were actually building this with the albatross from earlier in mind. Then again, that couldn’t have been the case? Anyway, he slowly moved towards the tall tree that he spotted earlier and climbed up with the fairly heavy glider on his back… perhaps he could’ve used his chakra to lock himself onto the tree’s log, but he feared that the weight would tip him over. “Hnng… j-juts give me moment… I’m al-almost u-up there,” he assured the two others assuming that they were gazing upon him from behind.

“Okay… if I see myself falling, then I have to rely on that Jutsu,” he mumbled to himself as he looked over the ravine, “Okay, guys! Cross fingers for me…!” He would then dive out, unhesitating, and balance his body so that he would be laying horizontally. The glider began pulling his body upwards in response to the winds that lifted it, but despite his size, he was still heavy enough to approach the ground faster than he hoped. “N-No problem…!” he let out as his hands began performing the seals necessary to execute this splendid Jutsu, ”Wind Style! Wind Release! From his mouth, a powerful beam of air burst out and hit the ground, forcing his body to soar upwards in order to avoid a crash. The beam was strong enough to successfully lead him gliding towards his wished destination…

Although he did land harshly, he was here! The vine was still attached to his right arm and all, it went better than he expected in the beginning! “Ouch, ouch… h-hey, I made it,” he assured himself before turning over to the other side of the ravine, “Okay, get ready to cross over!” He would quickly find the rock that Ikko pointed out earlier and tie the vine around it to make a sort of line for the two others to cross the ravine with. His cheek and left side had been bruised decently, but he had felt more than a few bruises in his days as a shinobi…

WC: 733

 

[Funai Ikko]

Ikko watched in great amusement as the pair of them did the majority of the useful work, grinning in excitement as they finished constructing their glider. The grin wavered a bit as Shiro questioned whether or not Honnou was prepared for this and, despite Ikko's desire to protest her skepticism, he had enough presence of mind to let Honnou come to that decision all on his lonesome. However, it would appear that he wasn't one to be dissuaded and Ikko's brilliant smile returned. It would seem that the boy had his own plan to guarantee his own safe passage across the chasm and Ikko was more than willing to let him try to ensure it himself. He attempted to grin at Shiro, hopefully ease whatever concerns she had about the efficacy of the plan, but he doubted he accomplished a whole hell of a lot with the gesture.

It would seem though, that when Honnou took off, he had embarked on a similar plan to what Ikko had, more or less, been planning. He had been standing by and if Shiro was especially astute, she would see that Ikko's left hand had curled in to something that looked suspiciously like a hand seal. He was standing ready in case whatever plan Honnou had did not seem like it would prove effective. Thankfully, sort of, he seemed to have a plan rather similar to Ikko's though with a bit less control than the Haku would have been able to exert without also managing the glider.

Ikko winced as Honnou "landed." It looked less than pleasant and a pang of guilt coursed through him, probably not the last one he would encounter on this little adventure. Ikko recovered quickly though as Honnou fastened the vine to the other side and jumping ahead of Shiro to showcase that the vine would be sturdy, Ikko hopped up on to the vine to demonstrate to Shiro that it was sturdy enough for them, or at least him, and then began to trapeze walk across the chasm, putting that Shinobi Dexterity to work.

Ikko hopped off next to Honnou, then waited patiently for Shiro before bellowing an "onward" and leading them further through the undergrowth. It did not take them long at all to find the next obstacle and this one was, admittedly, considerably more grand in nature. As they carved their way out to the next clearing, the trio would come upon a towering earthen wall. Stretching up to twenty feet high and just barely obstructed by the forest around it, the rock face was covered head to toe in what looked like deeply religious iconography. The typical signs were all there, masses of people gazing up to the heavens and the night sky as the sun passed across the sky before finally melting into the starry visage of the night as people raised their hands beneath it, offering their prayers up to whatever divine being they believed presided above them. When they got closer however, they would find words written in a language quite familiar to them.

"To breach this door, a pattern you must find
With cunning wit and fitness of mind
Thou must arrange in five rows of four
If you desire to open the door"

Ikko beamed at them and pointed to the spot on the ground directly below the scripture. Embedded into the ground below them was an obnoxiously perfect circular dais. Upon closer inspection, the pair of them would find that the dais was slightly adhesive in nature and if they pressed upon it, it would recoil and form around their fingertips. If they recoiled, they would find the dais seem to meld back to the perfect surface it was previously. Next to the circle, they would see ten perfectly round stones in a single file line. It was then that Ikko chimed in.

"It's a puzzle, that surface only really responds to those stones if you want to get the door to open, so you can't try to cheat with your fingers or something. So how would you make five rows of four stones with just ten stones?"

Ikko looked and sounded like he knew exactly how to make five rows of four stones, but he certainly wasn't in any rush to give that information out to the pair of them, that wouldn't be any fun whatsoever.