Ninpocho Chronicles

Ninpocho Chronicles is a fantasy-ish setting storyline, set in an alternate universe World of Ninjas, where the Naruto and Boruto series take place. This means that none of the canon characters exists, or existed here.

Each ninja starts from the bottom and start their training as an Academy Student. From there they develop abilities akin to that of demigods as they grow in age and experience.

Along the way they gain new friends (or enemies), take on jobs and complete contracts and missions for their respective villages where their training and skill will be tested to their limits.

The sky is the limit as the blank page you see before you can be filled with countless of adventures with your character in the game.

This is Ninpocho Chronicles.

Current Ninpocho Chronicles Time:

The Underbelly [Req. Megami]

Okada Kaji

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Deep underground beneath the city streets of the Capital City, there is a thick labyrinth of machinery and sewer lines known as the Underbelly. From numerous guarded access points on the surface, and risky manholes located throughout the city, fleeing ninja seek out the underbelly when they are on the run, and need a quick, quiet path to Arcadia. While encounters with commuters or vagrants are somewhat common here, the Underbelly only exists as a part of the village’s infrastructure; and is an endless menagerie of sturdy machines, like reactors. Many of the villagers who dare to come here meet their fate in some gruesome fashion, whether it’s being ground up between giant gears, drowning in the sewage line after falling in, or a victim beaten to mush by a local urban legend; the Nightman.

On a warm summer afternoon, Jomei wandered street-side through Aventurine, the road paved in Basilisk Ivory through the spine of the city. Within the metropolis of Maruishi, Aventurine was the hotbed of commerce; market shops The city streets were buzzing with irritated citizens, complaining with their neighbors about the sudden power outage, which spread district wide. Sent from the SRD Lab to investigate and solve the outage, Jomei commuted through the streets with a canvas tool kit strapped over his shoulder, and map of the Underbelly subsystem unrolled between his hands. “This is the spot” he said to himself beneath the symphony of the busy street life. He was eyeing a polygon-shaped sewer lid; one of countless access points to the Underbelly, and the hidden district of Arcadia, below it.

Before prying at the steel disc, Jomei placed a peculiar object known as an unsealing jutsu pendant onto the reaction was incited. A barrier jutsu emerged in a puff of smoke, in the form thick chains and a rusting lock painted black as tar. Just as planned, the badge fizzled with bluish steam; the visible remnants of the chakra placed into the jutsu prepared in advance for Jomei to have access for his task. Although the Underbelly was known for it’s vagrant inhabitants, surface dwellers were strictly prohibited from entering the underground territories without proper authority. It was considered a safety ordinance.

In order to lift the steel disc, Jomei spawned all four of his additional appendages to pry the heavy steel plate out of the ground. The moment he got the lid ajar, an excess of steam rushed out from below, and the air became rich with warmth, wetness, and the scents of smoking motor oil and rich sulfur. He was sure it was toxic and backed away, and the sewer lid fell aside, exiting from his moment. The stifling air seized his lungs, but he was a ninja and returned to hover over the black pit, and persevere. A few faceless bystanders gathered in the moment, bothering to notice as Jomei began his descent down into the Underbelly, but paid him little mind. A nearby shopkeeper even came along to close the lid behind him, though it was mostly due to paranoia that one of his customers would accidentally fall in.

And as the lid slid over the surface opening, the light formed a crescent shape and thinned out until nothing but a black spot lay above Jomei. Filling his technician role fullest, Jomei lowered himself into a steamy tunnel setting, covered with large insulated tubes leaking out piping hot steam, cranking gears, and a steady buzzing sound that echoed through the corridor. By following that awful buzz, Jomei also followed the path to reactor 12F, where he expected to find several blown fuses, and a self-triggered emergency shutdown valve. Following the given path, Jomei traversed the underground path to make his way towards chamber twelve; but he paused cautiously when the sound of slurred male speech echoed out from the one of the chambers not too far away, along with another raspy, deep voice, as if the second speaker survived a crushed wind-pipe. The young ninja he was; Jomei used his uncanny agility to lunge upwards, and grabbed a hold of the rafters running more cables overhead. He vanished into the shadows above the guarded fluorescent light panels which ran in a track, and lit the underground path. And moved in silence, and stalked the approaching travelers with a hunter’s sense. Two rapscallions emerged from around one corner, and crossed the path around another, headed towards the same destination as Jomei: Chamber 12. From above, Jomei pursued the rogues, and followed them into the chamber via an access hatch to the ventilation system located above the body of the reactor. Though he rarely ventured down to these winding corridors, Jomei still knew the layout of the reactor chamber well enough after the countless hours he spent assisting the more-experienced SRD researchers in developing upgrades for the central reactor prototype, located at the laboratory. And in the past few months, smaller versions of the central reactor have been constructed throughout the underbelly, gradually replacing the steam-powered furnaces that powered the Capital City for the last the last century or so. The new reactors were a spectacle to behold when compared to the old steam units, and held a somewhat mystic appeal to the untrained eye. The new units large, sleekly-designed units painted starch-white, and fit with a complex keyboard panel interface with several monitors protruding from the console, and numerous levers made to trigger god knows what. Besides it’s sleekness, the unit was dull, with the exception of a large window that revealed the large fragment of Arcadianite powering the district from within. The gem was much larger than the unique specimens Jomei often sought in his adventures, yet it was this grade of Arcadianite that served perfectly as a power conducting resource. Though the mountain’s own excess of natural energies, the gemstone offered a force of energy which seemed endless through a miraculous process comparable to the energy created when an atom is split: they called it fission.

From his now inverted position over the group of vagrants, Jomei crawled along the heights of the chamber through that access hatch, and discovered the act of foolish thievery those men were attempting. Using a variety of random tools they brought along for the job, approximately several masked men and women had gathered in an effort to steal the Arcadianite gem powering the reactor. And how foolish they were. Jomei listened closely from the darkness as they chatted hurriedly, sure that they were running out of time to steal the gem before ninja like Jomei would come to investigate due to the blackout happening surface-side. However, the thieves were talking as if they expected much more than one measly Chuunin, and came armed with enough strength to fight off a small band of ninja. Rather than facing them directly, Jomei took to the shadows, to create an image much more intimidating than what a chuunin from the hillside could offer. Jomei dropped down upon the group of seven from the above, and took hold of the thug to the rear of the squad, who entered last and kept a lookout by the entrance. Several strands of spider webbing splattered against him, and he was instantly snatched into the darkness of the poorly lit space. He gave out an ear-piercing shriek, which was muted after a silencing blow. A dagger slipped out of the captured thug’s grip. Echoing clangs came from the overhead pipes as the dagger crashed, and fell to the pavement for the other thieves to see. But as that second goon from before stepped towards the blade dropped by his comrade, he failed to notice his comrade, would was bound in a harness of webbing, and coming in like a wrecking balls. The pair of miscreants collided with brutal physics at play. A chuckle couldn’t be contained from the shadows, and escaped as a whisper of laughter that haunted the thieves, and caused them to overreact. They revealed their clunky guns; things rarely wielded by the likes of ninja, yet growing more popular than ever among common men. Of the five thieves remaining, four of them carried various firearms. They fired weapons into the rafters, causing pipes to rupture as they sought out the terror stalking them. Steam rushed out from over a dozen rips and punctures, and spiraled through the chamber until it became a broiling haze. Only the light of the blue gem shard shining from within the reactor could be seen clearly through the haze; well that and the broad shoulders of the leader of those thieves, which towered over his comrades. The other petty thieves fled the chamber, overcome by the sheer heat until they lost their nerve and abandoned the hulking one. This heat wasn’t the stuff you felt at the sauna; this was a torrent of steam hot enough to braise the ninja, yet this one stood tall. And what became of Jomei? Who knew? Certainly not Big Fella’ here.

He knew the vermin stalking his crew wouldn’t leave the chamber until the heist was a bust, but ole’ Big Fella’ had no intention on calling it quits until someone could put a stop to him, and a pesky spider wouldn’t be enough to stop him once he got started. The intense heat forced him to take on his true form, and his tough hide was revealed, bumpy and gray. Arcadia tends to have some unique inhabitants, but he wasn’t someone you’d see every day in the below-lands. His appearance as a common man before must have been some form of illusion, as Jomei didn’t recall any of the thieves having hardened skin or horns protruding from their forehead. Horns now pointing towards the reactor. Dumb enough to think that he could smash the face of the machine in and steal the gem, the Iron Hide tool a posture getting ready to charge the machine, and felt several webs splatter against his backside. With all his might, Jomei attempt to sling the Iron Hide as he had done twice to the other goon, yet this one was much, much too big to be tossed about. Instead, the Iron Hide was forced into a corrected posture, and his spine popped as Jomei pulled him upright, but without the effect that inspired Jomei to take the shot. The foe then seized a grasp on the webbing, and reeled in Jomei from the safety of the rafters where he lurked for so long.

Clad in his own brand of webbing armor, Jomei crashed to the floor and rolled across the unforgiving pavement. “Ahh, oww, I think I broke something” Jomei admitted to himself as he came to term with the reality of his position, already bordering mangled. However the rush of adrenaline meant a brief stay on the ground, and he was able to spring back into action, right on time for a direct charge from his new friend. The ground shook as the giant charged Jomei; and the fear almost swallowed Jomei as his foe drew nearer. Still seeing stars from his own harsh landing, Jomei failed to escape the oncoming onslaught, and the Iron Hide lifted Jomei into his charged assault. Although he barely avoiding the villian’s goring impale, Jomei was still taken captive in the grasp of deformed man and his mad charge, which quickly drove through a cement wall, and deep into the mysterious paths of the Underbelly. The ongoing attack resembled demoliton as crashing sounds began to resonate through the chambers. Kathoom after another mighty kathoom and kaboom.
 

Mienai

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It felt like Megami had stepped into another time, one of both futuristic design and one of decay. Some areas of the village seemed to be advancing rather quickly with alien technology and architectural designs while others started to crumble and fall apart, collecting dust and cobwebs, with immediate signs of damage and destruction. Few people still gathered in these places, as why would you when everything else was so fancy and new? Being a guardian, the Sennin at that at one point, she was privy to some information that perhaps most other's wouldn't, but if anything it means she knew the lay of the land. She knew what areas held the most shady of people, she knew what areas were the most friendly and shut away, but she also knew secrets. Upon her arrival back in the village, with all that had been going on she decided she at least earned a drink, right? That's when she found herself slipping into one of the old mine shafts, into a pitch black tunnel. It looked familiar enough. Things underground tended to hold it's form longer than things above that are exposed to just about everything else.

As she landed, there was a shift and a dust cloud cascaded upward. She coughed a bit and waved away the dust near her face. After it cleared, there wasn't really much to be seen. It was just one huge pitch black tunnel leading forward. Megami was more or less capable of producing her own light, it was an element she had grown familiar with using over the course of time. Many a time it would cause her or her blade to glow a shimmering amount. But here, given that attention is never really something you want in these kind of places, she figured she'd throw up a small orb of light instead. Crafting it quickly, the small ball of light hovered near her shoulder, creating a small beam that illuminated her path. She started forward, trying to establish the area she had entered into, and see how easily it would be to find this bar again. Hana would probably be disappointed that she was going for a drink, but she'd promise only to have one...maybe two.

To her it felt like she had been walking for about an hour, making various twists in turns, until she came upon a cross section of tunnels that were vastly more illuminated than the ones she had just came from. There was a bunch of tape and caution signs and a blockade even that said that the tunnel she had come from was a wing that was apparently at risk for collapse. Good to know. She stepped around the various things and tried to figure what way it was that she needed to go. Before she could take her destined path, a rather strange sound resonated down the tunnels. It was like a popping sound, very rapidly occurring. Strange. She did not think she had heard this sound before. She started to walk towards it, careful as not to become ambushed. As she drew closer to the sound, another thing started happening, there was a shaking happening, a rumbling. "An Earthquake?" No that couldn't be it. It would be much more aggressive. It didn't take long before her question was answered though.

Suddenly before her eyes, a boy came crashing through one of the cave walls, dust clouds going everywhere, the tunnels shaking and rumbling as parts collapsed due to the unexpected damage being caused to it. Megami instantly went into defensive mode, as any good warrior would. Her blade was drawn and she ran up to see if the boy was alright, but it seemed that some kind of massive humanoid creature was following behind. "What the hell is that?" While it was true that in her travels, and being from Arcadia, Megami had seem some pretty strange stuff, but a hulking beast of a man with hard skin and horns wasn't exactly something she thought she was going to stumble across today. So, in the most tactical way possible, Megami couldn't assess the damage the young man had taken. One knew it wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing to have been plowed through a wall. She needed to get him away from this thing and see if she could help him before figuring out how to handle such a thing in combat. She had an idea, one that would surely make the beast angry, but it would buy her and the boy some time.

Grabbing a pebble, Megami threw it at him to get his attention. "Hey idiot, how about you stop wrecking walls before the whole place collapses." Once she had his attention, or even if she didn't, Megami would focus on one of her more defensive stance, unsure as to what exactly this big guy was capable of. "Why don't you drop the kid and fight a real challenge." She could only hope the thing was gonna listen to her. She didn't want this kid to lose his life to a rage filled giant, he seemed young, probably had a lot to live for. Might have just been trying to do some good, maybe stumbled upon the wrong crowd, who knew. But she had to do everything she could to get him released from the grasp he was in and then she could figure out how to put some distance between them or be forced to fight.
 

Okada Kaji

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The iron-hided bandit came in like a wrecking ball, tearing down one more wall for good measure in an effort to mash Jomei to a pulp. “Oh yeaaah” he exhaled with a satisfied tone as he stood there, basking in the cloud of dust... and steam… and steamy dust. He smelled like a locker room and his skin resembled one’s unmopped floor, covered in filthy tiles of skin, and wet body hair. He wore poor Jomei over his shoulder like a bath towel, and then flung him all the same. The lad flew with his back to the wind, and this time, he didn’t quite spring back to his feet once he hit the unforgiving floor. He rolled to the feet of a curious stranger. Jomei looked up at the blurred image of his savior to be.

“Welcome to the party... good. G-rreat timing.” He said despite the ache of pain. “Whatever you do, don’t let him grab you. He’s using Kyoujouran stone armor jutsu; seriously durable. Go for ninjutsu. Use... lightning.” Jomei rolled off his broken ribs and turned enough to glance at the Ironhide, who was distracted, dusting himself off.

The massive bandit repeated a bellowing laughter, and proceeded a slow march down the tunnel passage. “I haven’t seen a challenge down here in a long time. If you’re from around here, you should know just who I am. Cuz the Underbelly belongs” He paused to beat his chest with a balled fist “to the Iron Hide.” Then without much more of a delay, the brutish man began a heavy metal dash towards Jomei’s likely ally, attempting to pulverize her the way he did the young ninja laying besides her.

-Mft.
 

Mienai

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This, man, if you can call him that was something that reminded Megami of the two lightning titans she had fought alongside the Kage, Endo, and the medical Sennin, long ago. The titans had been smug as well. Ultimately it was their very smugness that ended up bringing about their retribution. Holy light purifying them to such an extent that they were defeated and finally put to rest. It was what brought her closer to the gift, closer to her bond with the Goddess. If she could fight titans and win, she could fight this giant. The young boy that he had once held was finally flung to the ground. He rolled towards Megami, until he was close to her feet. Good, he got away from him. Means he lost the only thing holding me back. With her sword drawn, Megami prepared to go in. Suddenly the young lad said something that drew her attention away from the enemy.

"Lightning?" It almost made her want to laugh at that. She wasn't the Guardian of Lightning for nothing. It was more so a reflection of her ability to strike like lightning, her speed and her precision. But she was also an expert in the ways of lightning abilities. Still, she had to weigh her decisions here. The kid was clearly injured, he was holding his rips and seemed to be struggling in his speech. Not to mention that he was just smashed and thrown against several walls. No, Megami wasn't going to waste time trying to fight off this guy at this very moment. They needed to put some distance between him and them so they could regroup when the stakes weren't as high. Civil protection came first in her mind. And she had a plan. She leaned over and whispered to the injured boy. "Be ready." Cryptic perhaps, but he would know what it meant when that time came.

As the behemoth that needed a shower bad, finally decided to address her, she stood her ground with no fear. She had heard of rumors of the Iron Hide before, but nothing concrete, nothing ever to really draw her attention here. There were slums full of all kinds of gangs and criminals, ones that even the best warriors could never fully weed out and destroy. She briefly wondered if that clan that had stolen her sister from her was still in operation, but that was a fleeting thought. The man beat his chest and then started to charge at them. She had to be quick in her reaction time, she had to make sure he had no time react and it had to hit. He drew close, closer, and closer and then in a quick blur of actions Megami lit up the area in front of them with an electrical energy field. Nothing, no matter how large, could resist the stun effects of a fully charge electrical pulse of that magnitude. Not to mention, his own weakness to lightning.

As a secondary precaution in the event that it did in fact failed, Megami would used an advanced anbu grade technique, a full paralysis body bind. She stared him down, chakra infused heavily in a gaze so deep it would be felt deep into whatever rotted soul that rested in the overdeveloped body he had. This would stop him in in tracks, for now. Again, for the time being she just needed to get away from them to assess what had went down and a good way to put an end to this. She quickly turned to the boy that stood by her, her ally in this now. He was in no condition to move. Megami breathed out, she didn't have much time. Had to go big for it. Her body started to glow, and she would go to offer her hand to the boy. "Come on." Should he take her hand, he would suddenly feel his pain dissipate and his injuries would disappear almost instantaneously. Should he refuse her hand, she would need to pick him up, something that with her strength she would be completely capable of, but would probably not be too pleasant for the young lad. "Run." Megami would then take off down the tunnels, trying to put as much distance and turn as many corners as possible. He would probably come smashing through the walls anyway, but if it ultimately caused a collapse, it would probably work in their advantage. What she was really looking for was a room that they could duck into and lay low for a bit. "We need a place to hide. Going head on at that guy without a plan isn't going to do us any good. See anything?" She would wait for a response from the kid. He had been down here before she was, maybe he could scope something out.


Jutsu used for reference
  • Amp Field [Rank 2]
  • Body Bind [Rank 2]
  • Angelic Blessing [Rank 2]
 

Okada Kaji

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Iron Hide barrelling towards the two ninja resembled a bull charging a matador. Or maybe, it was more like when the bear attacked Leo in The Revenant. The ground shook as if his every step would be his last before caving in the entire Underbelly. Your heart couldn’t help but beat to the cadence of those heavy, wide feet bashing the pavement. Big fella' rushed into a clever trap. Images of how he’d gore the beauty flashed through the Iron Hide's his simple mind as he closed in. He became so focused that he paid no mind to his opponent’s preparations. He tilted his horn low, just as he had done nine hundred, and ninety-times before, parallel to the turf. But on this thousandth charge, he entered an electric field. The force of a lightning bolt entered him through his feet, his mighty metal skin, and bones. His fight-engine failed, as did the mechanical rhythm of his stride. The Iron Hide stumbled, and crashed into the filthy, cruddy pavement. “Haaaarrhraaaaaaghh.” He let out a menacing scream that echoed through the chamber, for what was surely miles. This pain was something new to him. It was something his armor failed to stop, and the price he paid struck him down to the cellular level. “Crush youuu” the Hide persisted as he continued to crawl in the muck with a single functioning harm. His right side had been entirely impaired. Despite that, the look of unbridled anger hardened in place from cheek to check. Permanent displeasure. With his eyes locked upon her, he made the second step of her impairment bind that much easier to apply. The Iron Hide fell still on the ground; face down with his horn cracking through the pavement as he did so. Bubbled of stale air popped out from the side of the mud covering his face. He was still alive somehow, and breathing.

Jomei found renewed composure upon recognizing the foe laying in the same mud. He climbed back to his feet until he no longer resembled the the mass of steel-coated meat lying on the ground. At last, the danger dispensed, and only Jomei and the mystery woman remained. Yet she then hinted at the danger to come. "We need a place to hide.” Her every word seemed decisive, and inspired Jomei to suck up the pain of his injuries. “Going head on at that guy without a plan isn't going to do us any good. See anything?" The champion of sorts sought to flee the scene, and took a hold of Jomei. Ironhide would be fine as is, and would soon be discovered by the Aegis Division. Before engaging with Iron hide's band, Jomei tripped a distress beacon within chamber 12F. who would be there soon in search of those thieves responsible for shutting down the reactor. further deciding to leave the Iron Hide where he laid. She ran ahead of him, and pulled Jomei along to her rear. Despite his injury, Jomei found vigor from the warmth of her touch, and kept pace with her. With his every move, he could feel the warmth of her chakra passing through him. Jomei recognized it as a healing presence; much to his relief. Her mere touch reversed the damage from Ironhide, and erased the impact imposed on young Jomei.

Their footsteps raced through the dark tunnel. They passed under a dozen overhead lights, gaining a distance from the reactor compartments. They also distanced themselves from the ironhide, and the surface, alike. The duo fled until Jomei was lost within the underbelly, and stood alone with her in utter silence. “I think we went far enough” Jomei said between deep breaths. “Ironhide isn’t going to be giving us any more trouble for a while… not that he’d even be able to find us, now.” The place was like a labyrinth. Jomei was lost until they could find another compartment from the reactor system. He looked about, but absorbed nothing but the sight of his pleasant company. Aside from the unknown kunoichi, there was just the darkness of yet another blank tunnel. It wasn’t until he took a pace to the right, when Jomei noticed the reinforced oak door beyond her at the end of the path. The light of an oil lamp besides the door illuminated a halo of light around the stranger. Her cherry blossom hair reminded him of Maruishi Park. He considered the surface world above, and how he couldn’t wait to return to it. Jomei shuffled towards the large wooden door, falsely presuming that it would lead to a surface access point. Jomei stepped backwards, balancing his attention with the lightning maiden who saved his life. Viewing her, there were more mysteries in her than lacking a name for Jomei to speak. He looked upon her with intrigue, and when he opened his mouth to speak, he said “thank you”. A solemn show of appreciation. “You really saved my bacon back there, lady. Not a lot of people come down here often... myself included. I doubt I could have ever calculated the odds of running into someone like you down here; especially against an enemy like Ironhide. Y-you were incredible back there.”

Jomei tugged upon the wooden door and it gave way. It revealed a destination other than the surface access point he hoped for. The scent of aged rum rushed out to meet them. “Ah snap, this isn’t what we’re looking for” Jomei admitted in a disappointed tone. He wasn’t that interested in the treasure trove they reluctantly stumbled upon, yet. “What a dump... I should recommend this spot for housing the next backup generator.” Suddenly, Jomei lost interest in the valiant stranger. The place was a forgotten ale-house. It was filled with imagery from a 52-card deck, and colorful oil paintings of obscure royal portraits. It was all covered in dust and cobwebs. The place reeked of booze as if barrels of it were soaked into the floorboards. Jomei paced about, already having visions of where he could add a personal workspace. By the time the stranger followed Jomei into the clubhouse, she’d spot him behind the bar. “Hey home-girl, I'm starting to have second thoughts about this place. Not exactly the way back, but this is what I call a big-time come-up.” The sound of his voice became inviting to his company, and the sound of clinking glassware echoed. Jomei found half a bottle of liquor, and set it on the bar. He unboxed glasses with a kunai from his hip-holster. And after placing an old cap from under the bar onto his head, he took on the appropriate caracture. “My name is Jomei, and I’m serving on the bar tonight, ma’am. Allow me to fix you a shot on the house, it’s the least I can do to repay you for taking down iron face.” He prepared a stiff, luke-warm drink for her, and another for himself, as if he’d done it before. “And for setting seven of my ever loving bones back in place.” He spun the bottle around and read the label. They had stumbled upon the old “Wonderland Cafe. Er umm, It's our house blend, love. I haven't tried it, yet.” In fact, he had never tried any alcoholic, let alone the good stuff.

"Alright, down the hatch."
~ MFT| WC1220
 

Mienai

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After the long chase, making turns and twisting in the very monster of tunnels that was the old mines, they finally came to a halt and were able to get their bearings. Megami noticed the kid taking breaths, clearly a little winded from running. Megami just stood there calmly waiting for him to finish speaking between them. Sometimes there were benefits of being incredibly fast, almost to an unnatural level. The boy mentioned that that....thing wouldn't be finding them anytime soon, but that didn't mean that Megami, as an official policer of crime could let it keep wandering around here, victimizing whomever were to cross it's path. She made a note to come back with some backup and have it hauled off to a cell in the Hole. Nothing that this kid needed to worry about anyway. Even if he was a warrior, or a shinobi, he could be considered a casualty if something were to happen to him, and on her watch she refused to let that happen. Best to just clear out the area and come back in with a full squad. But that was for later, not something that needed taken care of right this second.

Suddenly her attention was brought back to the present as the person she was with managed to make his way over to some part of the wall that bore a wooden door. Something in Megami told her it looked familiar, and the lamp that illuminated the area around it. Why was this place familiar? She hadn't recalled being down in these tunnels for ages. But...there was a bar, she recalled. Was it a bar? A restaurant? It was much too, colorful though so she rarely came here for drinks and she didn't much care to exchange pleasantries, so it wasn't one of her usual spots. It did, however, provide vodka, and that's what's important here. Anyway, she stepped closer to the door, looking past the boy standing in front of it. He gave her a rather heartfelt thank you, one she simply returned with a slow nod. It's not that she didn't appreciate someone showing her gratitude, it's just what she does. She stepped in after him, allowing herself to take in the cobwebs and decay of everything

Walking up to an old table, she lifted one of her hands and gracefully swept it across the rotted wood of a round table, decorated with faded echoes of pinks and purples long since past their vibrant primes, now left to chip away it's beauty and bury itself in dirt and dust, forever forgotten. This place called to her, aged and decaying. "The Wonderland Café, that's what this was." She whispered it, almost not believing things had been let go so badly. Perhaps it was because Iwa was missing much of it's old self. This was, after all, a very real sense of time lost, time she was away, time where change had taken hold of history, and left it abandoned, and forgotten, much as this place was now. Megami wasn't paying much attention to the boy's fascination. How could he remember the place as she had once recalled it. Even if it wasn't her favorite spot to go, Goddess knows the decorating was atrocious, so of course she wasn't caught dead in here most of the time, it used to thrive with customers all looking for different things. And to think, all she really wanted was some Vodka, and to maybe find a new drinking spot.

The voice of the boy turned her attention to the bar. So, his name was Jomei. Interesting. Megami made her way over to him, her boots causing a small thud every time it made contact with the ground and a crack when it smashed over broken bits of glass and other things. She took a seat as he offered to fix her a drink, one she couldn't help but chuckle at. Kid was sweet, funny even. He poured her a shot, and for a moment she considered downing it, but looking around at the state of this place, she let it sit on the bar. "Thanks, the gesture is nice, but that's probably got all kinds of bacteria in it by now. It would more than likely do more harm to us than that crocodile back there." Megami chuckled, leaning her head on her hand in a rather lazy fashion. Jomei read the bottle, confirming her statement that this was indeed the ruins of the Wonderland Café. Jomei mentioned having never had alcohol before, and it crossed her mind to tell him it's really not all it's cracked up to be, but didn't. Who was she to stop anyone from learning experiences? And she did love her vodka, oh boy, did she love her vodka. She opened her eyes wide when Jomei took a swig from the bottle. She could only imagine that he was going to start coughing at any rate, but she didn't have time to stop him. She made a mental note to make sure to be on hand in case she needed to access any more healing remedies. "Feeling okay there?"

Looking past the bar, Megami noticed a door halfway off it's hinge. It looked like it used to be an office. She stood from the barstool she had been sitting on, which had by some miraculous occurrence managed not to break on her, and headed towards it. She ducked under it, and started to open drawers and see if there were any documents or indications on what happened to this place. After picking a lock on a fake bottom of one of the drawers, Megami removed a rather large ledger, one that recorded most of the business that happened here. Last Megami knew, a woman named Arisu owned the bar. What had happened to her? It says here that no one else bought out the business. The records stop nearly a year ago, and afterwards there were nothing but blank pages. The last entry stated that some shady businessmen had come in harassing Arisu for the deed to the bar, wanted to buy it out. It crossed her mind that that Iron Hide, and his goonies might be behind it, but if they were, then surely they would have set up shop here already. Nah, couldn't be them. But still, then who would be harassing her? Was this about money? Something else? They needed more evidence. Megami returned to Jomei with the ledger in her hand. She gave it to him to look over. "Arisu was the woman that owned this place. Seems her last written entry was almost a year ago. I would consider her a missings person at this point. The woman loved this place, she'd never let it fall into ruin like this. I'm making it my personal duty to find out what happened here. If Arisu is alive, I'm sure she'd want this place fixed up anyway, and I really don't like seeing it in this state. I need a new drinking spot. You can tag along if you want." Megami turned back and began riffling through the office again for more clues, waiting to see what Jomei's response would be. As a last thought, she figured she should give him something to call her. She was supposed to be laying low, so she didn't want to bring attention to her. So addressing herself as a guardian wasn't an option, nor was revealing her real name. So she simply shrugged and said. "Call me Light."
 

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