The Heavens seemed to beating down upon the Land of Lightning, thunder boomed and lightning struck the ground while a light rain pattered against the roofs of the Susukino district. Chiyoko moved through the rain-soaked ground with the grace of a woman who had ran through the rains many a time. A slight smile rested upon her youthful mouth, she had just filled her stomach with a combination of pork-buns and rice balls, a meal that would make even the most down-trodden smile in glee. Beside her meal she was always a fan of the days when the thunder would boom and the lightning would fall, it reminded her of what it meant to be a Kumogakurian, of why she would eventually become a Shinobi. A topic of which she had lately been struggling with, having the responsibilities of being a future Kunoichi, it was near maddening at times, especially with the fact that she didn't really get to choose her profession as much as it chose her. Days like these made her felt a bit more at ease with what she would become, more at ease with the fact that she had been forced to cede her position within her family. They would never tell her directly that she was being sacrificed, that she was slowly being removed from the family business, in a way she silently resented her father and brothers for pushing the responsibility upon her; but she knew that it was in the best interest of her people for her to be a martyr of sorts.
Her thoughts faded as she trotted across the street and through the bustling traffic of the busy district, not yet having realized that she was beginning to find herself in a portion of the Susukino district that she wasn't fully acquainted with, in the middle of a storm, and with none of her family within sight. Of course she soon realized the predicament she had found herself in, moving toward a small tavern from which came the familiar lullaby of the Biwa. The tavern was humble in appearance, it was a fairly open design with it's sliding doors open inviting anyone inside, along with the familiar smell of fresh tobacco and rice liquor. It all felt familiar. Quietly she made her way inside the pub shaking off the outside weather and taking in her new surroundings, noticing there were only four others in the establishment, all fairly elderly. There was the Biwa player, a woman who seemed to be in her late sixties who briefly made eye contact with the young Kunoichi, though continuing her playing throughout the ordeal. The bartender who seemed to be the same age as the Biwa player standing and cleaning the glasses behind the bar unaware of the new patron, and two men who seemed to easily be in their nineties playing a game of Go toward the side of the bar. One of the two seemed to be smoking ona cob pipe contributing to the smell of smoke in the establishment, the man seemed to be bald and with no facial hair save for the small amount of hair that one could barely consider to be his eyebrows. The other man had long flowing white hair along with a long beard which he curled between his fingers, contemplating his next move in the game. It was evident that the two saw the young Kunoichi, though they didn't speak a word. She figured they were too absorbed in their game.
Chiyoko's vision lingered upon the game for second more, obviously interested in the outcome of the game and how each player moved their pieces, though she didn't wish to be a bother toward the men deciding to sit at the bar, perhaps he could give her a bit of conversation, "Could I get something to drink?" her youth bellowed through her voice leading the bartender to chuckle slightly, still not having turned around from cleaning his glassware, "You're a bit young for a drink, don't you think?" he knelt beneath the bar returning shortly after with a glass of soda and a container of grenadine, seemed he wouldn't be giving her any alcohol. "Taking a bit of a reprieve from the storm, lass?" he asked while stirring the Grenadine into the drink, trying to make idle conversation, "I was going back to the Cronopolis, but I got a bit turned around.</COLOR><i></i>" she replied in earnest watching as the man turned around and offered her the beverage.
"We used to live in the Cronopolis too." The man stated, pressing against the bar and looking toward the woman who still sat playing her Biwa, seemed that they were a couple. "But you saved up enough to buy this place, and now you live here?" Her tone was of mild interest, taking in a quick taste of her cherry flavored beverage. The man briefly nodded, gazing over toward the eldest two men in pub, watching as they battled silently, "That was about twenty five years ago now, time flies." Chiyoko gave no reply as she trained her vision back upon the two, from what she could see their game seemed to be coming to a close. The Man with the beard was winning, though not by much; never the less she figured the man with the pipe wouldn't be making a comeback. "Looks like they know each other pretty well, probably play together a lot, right?" She was clearly interested in game waiting intently to know if her suspicions were correct, "Every day, they've been coming in nearly long as we've been open. They play about five games a day, neither of them talk much." the bartender looked back toward Chiyoko signaling her to come a bit closer to him so that he could whisper something to her, she openly obliged. "<COLOR color="blue">I've talked to them both maybe twenty times since they've been here, there's some crazy rumors about them. The man with the pipe, they say he was a great Shinobi from the Land of Water who deserted many years ago. The other man, they say that he was a master strategist from the Moon islands who has never lost in the same way twice, they say he's a genius.<i></i>" Her ears perked up as she listened about who these two could potentially be, they certainly seemed to be interesting.
Suddenly a puff of smoke hit the two directly, as if blown from only inches away, both the bartender and our young Kunoichi turned to see the man with the pipe sitting at the bar, staring at the two. "Sake, please." His voice was that of a smoker's, gravely and deep. Intimidating even in his old age, clearly he also moved with the grace of a cat not alerting anyone until he chose to. He seemed to be the real deal. Both the two of them tried to hide the look of shock that and elderly man had just snuck up on them, the bartender turned his back making the drink leaving the man to stare at Chiyoko, "You're a future Shinobi." he stated, somehow knowing that she was in fact a future Ninja. Our young Kunoichi nodded, incredibly interested with the old man, one could say she had stars in her eyes. "You were watching our game, you watched me lose. How would you have proceeded differently?", she was even more awestruck than before as the man asked her opinion on the match. She quickly regained herself, thinking back to what she had seen during the match first denoting that he was playing a bit too aggressive for her tastes, though she had only played the game a handful of times before, "I would have played reactively, let him come to me. From then on I would have pushed the confrontations with hit-and-run tactics, eventually I would hope to surround him and end it there.<i></i>" she quipped happy that the man had asked her opinion. "That's not going to work now." His reply was solemn and his expression was unchanging, but with that she couldn't help but wonder what he meant by his words, Not going to work now? she asked herself waiting for his explanation. "I think it's time for me to take a break, my friend needs someone to play with. How about a round?" Chiyoko's eyes ballooned from the excitement of facing an opponent who clearly outmatched her, she reveled in the chance to learn something. "Sure, I'll win a few games for you.<i></i>" Her tone was as confident as ever leading the man with the pipe to laugh.
Quickly she moved from the bar toward the booth with the bearded man, who had reset the board while his friend was away. His eyes locked upon the young woman as she sat, exchanging no words. The game were his words, his communication, and she was about to strike up a conversation.
[MFT - 1500]
Her thoughts faded as she trotted across the street and through the bustling traffic of the busy district, not yet having realized that she was beginning to find herself in a portion of the Susukino district that she wasn't fully acquainted with, in the middle of a storm, and with none of her family within sight. Of course she soon realized the predicament she had found herself in, moving toward a small tavern from which came the familiar lullaby of the Biwa. The tavern was humble in appearance, it was a fairly open design with it's sliding doors open inviting anyone inside, along with the familiar smell of fresh tobacco and rice liquor. It all felt familiar. Quietly she made her way inside the pub shaking off the outside weather and taking in her new surroundings, noticing there were only four others in the establishment, all fairly elderly. There was the Biwa player, a woman who seemed to be in her late sixties who briefly made eye contact with the young Kunoichi, though continuing her playing throughout the ordeal. The bartender who seemed to be the same age as the Biwa player standing and cleaning the glasses behind the bar unaware of the new patron, and two men who seemed to easily be in their nineties playing a game of Go toward the side of the bar. One of the two seemed to be smoking ona cob pipe contributing to the smell of smoke in the establishment, the man seemed to be bald and with no facial hair save for the small amount of hair that one could barely consider to be his eyebrows. The other man had long flowing white hair along with a long beard which he curled between his fingers, contemplating his next move in the game. It was evident that the two saw the young Kunoichi, though they didn't speak a word. She figured they were too absorbed in their game.
Chiyoko's vision lingered upon the game for second more, obviously interested in the outcome of the game and how each player moved their pieces, though she didn't wish to be a bother toward the men deciding to sit at the bar, perhaps he could give her a bit of conversation, "Could I get something to drink?" her youth bellowed through her voice leading the bartender to chuckle slightly, still not having turned around from cleaning his glassware, "You're a bit young for a drink, don't you think?" he knelt beneath the bar returning shortly after with a glass of soda and a container of grenadine, seemed he wouldn't be giving her any alcohol. "Taking a bit of a reprieve from the storm, lass?" he asked while stirring the Grenadine into the drink, trying to make idle conversation, "I was going back to the Cronopolis, but I got a bit turned around.</COLOR><i></i>" she replied in earnest watching as the man turned around and offered her the beverage.
"We used to live in the Cronopolis too." The man stated, pressing against the bar and looking toward the woman who still sat playing her Biwa, seemed that they were a couple. "But you saved up enough to buy this place, and now you live here?" Her tone was of mild interest, taking in a quick taste of her cherry flavored beverage. The man briefly nodded, gazing over toward the eldest two men in pub, watching as they battled silently, "That was about twenty five years ago now, time flies." Chiyoko gave no reply as she trained her vision back upon the two, from what she could see their game seemed to be coming to a close. The Man with the beard was winning, though not by much; never the less she figured the man with the pipe wouldn't be making a comeback. "Looks like they know each other pretty well, probably play together a lot, right?" She was clearly interested in game waiting intently to know if her suspicions were correct, "Every day, they've been coming in nearly long as we've been open. They play about five games a day, neither of them talk much." the bartender looked back toward Chiyoko signaling her to come a bit closer to him so that he could whisper something to her, she openly obliged. "<COLOR color="blue">I've talked to them both maybe twenty times since they've been here, there's some crazy rumors about them. The man with the pipe, they say he was a great Shinobi from the Land of Water who deserted many years ago. The other man, they say that he was a master strategist from the Moon islands who has never lost in the same way twice, they say he's a genius.<i></i>" Her ears perked up as she listened about who these two could potentially be, they certainly seemed to be interesting.
Suddenly a puff of smoke hit the two directly, as if blown from only inches away, both the bartender and our young Kunoichi turned to see the man with the pipe sitting at the bar, staring at the two. "Sake, please." His voice was that of a smoker's, gravely and deep. Intimidating even in his old age, clearly he also moved with the grace of a cat not alerting anyone until he chose to. He seemed to be the real deal. Both the two of them tried to hide the look of shock that and elderly man had just snuck up on them, the bartender turned his back making the drink leaving the man to stare at Chiyoko, "You're a future Shinobi." he stated, somehow knowing that she was in fact a future Ninja. Our young Kunoichi nodded, incredibly interested with the old man, one could say she had stars in her eyes. "You were watching our game, you watched me lose. How would you have proceeded differently?", she was even more awestruck than before as the man asked her opinion on the match. She quickly regained herself, thinking back to what she had seen during the match first denoting that he was playing a bit too aggressive for her tastes, though she had only played the game a handful of times before, "I would have played reactively, let him come to me. From then on I would have pushed the confrontations with hit-and-run tactics, eventually I would hope to surround him and end it there.<i></i>" she quipped happy that the man had asked her opinion. "That's not going to work now." His reply was solemn and his expression was unchanging, but with that she couldn't help but wonder what he meant by his words, Not going to work now? she asked herself waiting for his explanation. "I think it's time for me to take a break, my friend needs someone to play with. How about a round?" Chiyoko's eyes ballooned from the excitement of facing an opponent who clearly outmatched her, she reveled in the chance to learn something. "Sure, I'll win a few games for you.<i></i>" Her tone was as confident as ever leading the man with the pipe to laugh.
Quickly she moved from the bar toward the booth with the bearded man, who had reset the board while his friend was away. His eyes locked upon the young woman as she sat, exchanging no words. The game were his words, his communication, and she was about to strike up a conversation.
[MFT - 1500]