The little things in life [Dual C-search/Private]

[Nanjirou Soku]

Her eyes swung to the mermaid creature as she began to manipulate the water in some art or fashion and before the Captain could even comprehend what even was going on, the water parted to reveal a series of steps that led deeper in to a brass door, the design was terrific on it, the shapes of various serpents or sea creatures implented on the door itself. She inhaled sharply simply nodding at the Sennin's inquiry."The realm of the sea is still one that holds many mysteries. There is so much of it that lays undiscovered by mankind, this is just an example of the many treasures that the rapids contain. Impressive would be an understatement, I thank you for granting us the permission to gain more knowledge about your world."She said briefly locking eyes with the humanoid creature."I see now why you would go to such great extents to protect that which lays within."She stepped foot on the first step following Yukio deep in thought as that ominous brass door loomed out at her. Who knew what secrets lay behind it? A treasure chest full of coins? A big, hulking sea snake poised to strike and devour them all? She smiled at that thought. That would be quite the turn of events. As the girl neared the door, she stopped in wonder next to her mentor eyeing the door up and down in wonder. There was a certain alluring sense about it. Something great lay behind it but what? The suspense of it all was the cause behind her motivation. "I'm lost for words..."She said softly taking in the great, delicate craftsmanship done on the doors and their pictures. This was not something natural, this was the work of some great being and she got a very weird feeling she was standing right next to that person. Though, she could be entirely wrong as well.

Her pupils scanned over the carvings of the sea animals with interest taking in the sketch lines and curves."These pictures....do they mean something...?"Soku asked her hand trailing over the illustrations one by one. The images seemed to almost tell a story in a sense but of what? Such great care and attention to detail was obvious here. It was clear someone did not want this place to be found that easily but at the same time, had put such amazing effort into it."They almost seem to tell a tale....one of serenity and great things to come...what say you, Sensei?"The young ANBU asked briefly glancing at the white-haired Hyuuga. It was not often she saw the soft or even this side of Yukio. He too, seemed starstruck by the beauty of it all. The pictures, the brass door, the pathway down, it was all too surreal. Some great untold story lay behind this door of destiny and she was gonna find out what it was. That was just how the kunoichi was, once something caught her attention and she was interested, she would not rest until the mystery was resolved. It was what made her so proficient in her area. The ability to keep going on and on until the very last breath. Now, time to find out what rested behind this brass door."So..uh...do we knock or...?"

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

With the two of them down into the depth of the lake, this seemed like the right time that the woman would join them. She allowed herself a few moments before joining them, though this was more like a gliding motion using the surface of the water to allow herself a gentle and slow movement down to the brass door. The water folding behind her like a magical trick that she was doing herself. It was clear that they where in the company of someone special, as the door slowly groaned as she got closer to it, her hand coming out slightly as she pressed against it. Standing between the two Shinobi she allowed a soft whisper of water to draw from behind her.

Slowly the water entwined itself up her body before coming out to the outstretched palm and finding its way into the cracks and nooks that the door offered. Cracking and creaking the hinges seemed to move slowly and as they allowed themselves to open as time passed by. What seemed to be an eternity as it passed by the woman’s hand never coming down from its out stretched position in front of the door, it was clear that she was unlocking it with each second that she took for herself.

“You could not be truer, but the real questions that you have to ask, is how deep can it truly go beyond that surface that you see, for that answer is the one that gives you true insight into what lays ahead. Some would say it give you the knowledge that you will need going forward, after all the future is only as covered as you think it is. The truth is you are just not looking hard enough at what is happening around you right now.”

Finally the door opened all the way, though the floor that was in front of them had water either side of it, the path was also in a shallow water, it seemed that this was a place for normally people who where not human to dwell, and as such it would be a first time any of them had seen it. Slowly blue flames licked into life, though it looked like droplets of water moving up to the ceiling than fire itself to them. The woman’s hand came out as in the middle of the room was a single plaque if they would investigate the room, it was like an opening hall way, nothing special with statues of various creatures from the deep on it. Simple on the plaque would read.

Who are you.

 

[Shirai Sadao]

Looking to his student as she pondered over the many drawings on the walls before turning to face the young Santaru with the same look of curiousity on his face he normally carried at times like this. "I wish i could answer that question young one, however I am not well versed in things such as this safe to say you may be better off asking out friend here about what they mean for she will surely have far greater insight than either of us into the meaning of such things however i believe it would be better such matters come at a later time for we have more to see do we not."

Watching how the women was able to manipulate the water was an impressive sight to see a slight smile coming across the man's face as she opened the doors before them. "Your mastery of the water is certainly impressive, if the opportunity came around I wouldn't mind learning a thing or two from you though I wouldn't want to impose." Credit where credit was due even with all his experience even this would be something of a strenuous task for the Sennin it was clear that her affinity with the element was stronger than most and that she had trained for more than a few years in its arts to mastery these techniques turning to Soku as she asked how they open it. "I assume this answers your question, though what we shall see on the other side is but another mystery for us to discover."

Her statement to them was quite an interesting one the Sennin left pondering to himself before speaking to the women. "I guess how deep we get beyond the surface is a matter of willpower, you will only get out of something what you decide to put into it and to that end we all have the opportunities to push ourselves to gain new experiences. However such things still come at a cost that much I am willing to accept and sometimes life can be a matter of learning your limits and coming to terms with them." As the door cracked open the man found himself somewhat stunned by the scene before him, the walls of water walking into the hallway as the flames flickered to life, an astounding sight to be sure as their escort gestured to the plaque on the wall it seemed a task lay ahead of them one of honestly and in his curiosity the man was more than willing to answer the question it asked of them.

"On the surface I am Hyuuga Yukio, head of the Hyuuga clan and Sennin of the leaf village though at the end of the day these are but titles granted by another at some point in my life. Beyond that I am a man who seeks to grasp what the world has to offer, one who would take opportunity when it is offered to him and make the most of any situation and beyond that someone who is willing to give up any part of himself to protect his village and more importantly those who reside within it."

What could be seen as a simple question on the surface was always far from it, those who couldn't see the deeper meaning in such things were always doomed at the first hurdle and even if it wasn't the requirement and the simple matter in the end it was a clear and precise answer showing who he was as a person and what he was willing to do to progress forward with the opportunities granted to him by their newfound acquaintance.

Feeling the water at his feet and caring little to how soaked his clothes may get the man turned to his companion looking to Soku and wondering how she would react to the question before them after seeing his own response to it as he gestured for her to stand by his side to answer just as he had.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

She blinked a few times to ensure she was not just imagining this as the water levels begin to rise and the great door in front of them began to part to reveal it's many secrets. The creature's mastery of the seas and how she molded and controlled it was impressive to say the least. Somehow, the Santaru had a suspicious the mermaid had been holding back just a little..bit during their brief skirmish. Soku took a glance briefly arond the room that had revealed itself to her sticking close to the Hyuug, the decorations and imposing structures looming out above them. "Marvelous.."The Captain muttered almost to herself than anyone else as her attention was diverted to the plaque in the center. It was a very simple-worded question but the girl knew a simple name would not suffice here. For things like these, you had to think outside the box, minimal effort was not an option here. Soku let Yukio go first glancing at him as he replied without hesitation smiling a bit. Here lay the reason she held so much regard for her mentor, put aside all the honorable titles and acclompishments, he was a good person at heart and a just character, that was what caused her to take after him...or at least, she tried to.

It seemed her turn to speak was next and she took a moment considering her words carefully stepping closer to the plaque. It was like a test of sorts except they would be tested on how they present themselves, if they were truly worthy to see and experience the things that lay ahead. She stared firmly at the object almost like she was talking to a human and spoke, her tone firm."As for me, my name is Santaru Soku of Konohagakure, ANBU Captain and head of my respective clan, but to me, ranks are meaningless, it is your character that counts. After all, even the most vilest person can obtain the most bountiful of rewards and highest of titles in their own fashion. I am a mere kunoichi who strives to understand the meaning of effort and responsibility. The village is my home and as such, I seek to repay it in any form I can for having me as one of it's children regardless of what throws itself into my path. If there is one thing my life revolves around, it is the importance of helping others to better yourself in any form."

She stopped wondering if she had said enough. The girl almost sounded like some sort of philsopher. Some of the words had come to her as she spoke going with the flow, it seemed satisfactory enough. The importance of family, helping others...bettering yourself. For a brief moment, the faces of Asuka, Nibachi and Yukio flashed across her mind and she grinned a bit at that. Family..she really was grateful for all this village had given to offer her. That was how she knew..that her answer to her had seemed like the right one to give at the time.