Open War... War Never Changes

[Shishiwakamaru]

The initial explanation of the unfortunate series of events that lead to his father's death were anything but clear. For one reason or another the people who informed the young boy of his father's demise were cryptic and obscure. Something about falling in the line of duty, but that just didn't make any sense. He hadn't been extremely familiar with his father's working schedule, but as far as he knew he was mostly assigned to the gates. What's worse is he wasn't even allowed to see him. They wouldn't say why no matter how much he screamed and begged. The real reason was because the body had been burned to an almost unrecognizable state. Perhaps it was for the best that they wouldn't let him, something like that would probably be pretty traumatic.

Having nobody in this world you can trust or depend on was overwhelming for Shishiwakamaru. His mother was gone, his father brutally murdered, and now he was living in an orphanage. He felt utterly out of control, and his mind was buckling under the stress. He was told to stay away from the gates for a while since coming here would trigger his emotions, he should have listened. At first he felt like it was a really good idea, maybe get some closure or something. But that certainly wasn't what happened.

It was late in the afternoon, probably only 4 or 5, when Shishiwakamaru arrived. There was the normal traffic in and out of the village like there normally would be. For some reason this bothered him beyond measure. To think that they would so quickly resume normal operations after such a tragic event. He was still just a kid, so he wouldn't understand that things still needed to continue, even if a ninja lost his life. The internal agony he felt in this moment pushed him past his limit and he let everything he had out. "Ahhh!!!!!" He fell to his knees as he screamed. It hurt when his knees made contact with the hard ground, but it was nothing to the mental torment he felt. The multitudes of people around him gave him weird side eye glances before quickly moving along or away. They wanted nothing to do with him. Who could blame them, here was this boy that seemed to be screaming for no reason, and now he was crying, almost bawling really. What a sad sight to see...


[OOC - MFT]

 

[Toshi]

Toshi neither laughed nor cried. The emotions he held in was something fierce, but he couldn't compare himself to the other kid. He had no kills under his belt, no mission experience, he hadn't even gotten his hands dirty with any fights yet. Maybe that's why he was on gate duty this afternoon.

He blandly stared towards the hurt kid. His expression read that he was calm and keeping his cool, but he could almost feel the blood boiling inside of him. He wouldn't let the series of events that unfolded within the village change his attitude towards his shinobi way.

He gave a sigh before moving from the top of the village gates. His tan shroud swaying with his movements with each step that he took. When he arrived next to the crying kid, he half wondered what exactly it was that he was doing. He wasn't exactly a comforter by any means. He wasn't obligated to help the guy in any way either, but the feelings that he kept inside somehow made him feel that he could relate to this kid. Some type of empathy jutsu? No, this was pure emotion. So before he had a chance to think of what to say, he just blurted out a few words.

"Sucks doesn't it. I don't even have my bananas out here today." Toshi sighed, he knew those words weren't going to help the situation at all. "I can't say I know what you're going through individually, but as a village, we're all hurt from what's going on." Toshi paused, watching the traffic at the gate. Business as usual. He didn't want a break from his duties however. He knew that life would go on. On the contrary, Toshi began to build some type of bloodlust on the inside. He tried being a nice guy around the village, but the anger only continued to build in his heart. He felt the urge to up and leave the village daily, and confront the threat that put his village in danger. Seeing death with his own eyes made him a bit colder on the inside, but his heart wasn't hardened or frozen, at least not yet. The few friends that he had, and wise mentors that he looked up to, kept him looking forward to better days. But when these better days seemed to be just a mirage in the desert, he could feel himself growing numb looking forward to the excitement.

"Maybe we could get a bad guy to come through and kick his butt!" Toshi thrusted his first into his open palm, gesturing that they'd be able to kick some tail, but not even that lifted his own mood. The ANBU hopeful sighed, this was going no where.

"Truthfully dude, it feels like we're getting our butts kicked." Toshi paused, offering a hand to help the kid back on his feet. "The only thing that's keeping me going, is looking forward to putting whoever's fault this is face into the ground." And that was about as much relief as Toshi could give the kid. It was nothing more than idle chit chat, but he wanted the cries to stop. Not only this kid's cries, but his own cries that he kept beneath the surface.

[ MFT | WC: +500 ]
[ Topic Entered ]

 

[Shishiwakamaru]

The sudden mention of the monkey's gold threw him way off track. The word just completely shocked him out of his downward spiral with utter confusion. Which by comparison was far better than utter despair. His tears were already starting to slow as the stranger attempted to console the young boy. Shishiwakamaru scoffed internally upon mentioning kicking some random bad guy's butt. What the hell could he do? He was only a student, and he knew no jutsu and had no fighting skill what-so-ever. No matter how badly he wanted to avenge his father's death he had no conceivable way to accomplish this endeavor.

Wiping his tear stained eyes on his sleeve he took the individual's hand and rose back up to his feet. Tears still wanted to come, but he held them back as best as he could in some feeble attempt to be tough or strong. In truth he was anything but when it came right down to it. He would probably piddle his pants if he actually came across the person who caused all this mayhem and strife.

Through occasional sniffles Shishiwakamaru would give his depressing retort. "And what if they put your face into the ground instead? I heard that even the sennin was beaten down. How are you, or I for that matter, going to make a difference? I thought we were supposed to be the amazing Hidden Leaf Village, but if someone was able to so easily come in and put us to shame then what's the point of anything, I should just quit school and give up now..." It was a long, drawn out assertion, but it's truly how he felt. It was going to take some serious convincing to change his mind. To be fair he was extraordinarily upset and emotionally compromised given he came to the actual scene of the crime. He would probably still attend school despite his current hopeless feelings. Clenching his small fists together his sadness started to turn to anger. "It's just not fair... Why did my dad have to be the one to die?! Now I have NOTHING... I have nobody, and nowhere to call home. I... I just don't know if I can keep going. I'm just a kid, what am I supposed to do?" He did have a home, in a way. The orphanage was quick to take him in, but that was not a home, it was just a child warehouse. At least that's how he felt about it.

 

[Toshi]

After helping the guy up and listening to his words, Toshi looked to the sky in wonder. He rubbed his chin, feeling a little intrigued by what was said. "Get my but kicked hmm..." It was true. The countless veteran shinobi he heard about losing to the intruder, his own orders to stay away from that fight. He could only wonder what to do. He looked back to Shi with a smile. "Yeah, I could get my but kicked, but that's also a risk I took when I decided to become a true shinobi." He pointed to the forehead protector tied loosely around his neck.

"And yeah, the veterans may be taking it tough too these days, but that's why they are training us. When they pass that torch to our generation, they are expecting us to improve on this village. To do a better job than they were. I take so much burden on that thought, that I train everyday just to keep up with my own standards." He knew they wouldn't be in the wading pool forever. When it came time for the true action, they'd have no excuses as to why they weren't up to par.

"It seems it'll be up to us to make a name for our village. Konohagakure, the place that makes you think twice about attacking it! Or some better slogan, I'm sure that one isn't that catchy." Toshi began to mumble it again to himself, trying to make it grace one's ears.

Hearing that the kid had no where to stay brought Toshi to a somewhat curious expression. He looked around the same age as Toshi. The Yuki had an idea. He lazily raised his eyebrows, his half open eyes looking towards the guy. "Losing your dad sounds tough." Toshi rested his arms behind his head, looking to the sky. He watched as a few clouds passed by, sometimes wondering if they were the spirits of loved ones watching down on their friends/family.

"But you aren't alone. You could always join Nao's clan. We have nothing but room at the clan house. It's a great place to stay, you only have to remember to do your chores daily, but it's not a hassle unless you let your chores pile up." He washed the dishes earlier that morning. He'd never let his chores pile up. He turned away from the clouds and looked the kids in the eyes. "Our house leader is Nao, the Sennin of the medical branch. He's great at teaching, and training, and you can ask him anything. He's been a great help with my own shinobi studies."

Toshi nodded. "It's what we do. We come together and form bonds. We become a strong team of shinobi that has each other's backs, through the losses and the victories. It's what makes us stronger." Toshi put his hand out, this time for a hand shake. "I'm Toshi, future Hokage guard and shinobi of the village." He was still working on his title, but he'd get there eventually.

 

[Yong]

She had watched the gates since the moment she had entered Konoha, watched the cleanup and watched the people get back to business, death so quickly forgotten in a shinobi village…

She had watched the guard increase in both vigilance and numbers. She had watched the night turn to day and the arrival of the merchants for an honest days trade.

She had watched the boy crying… She had watched the busy people ignore his cries of anguish and then… another child was the first to show compassion, the two children huddled now in quiet conversation, the distress still evident on the younger boys face.

She felt somehow responsible for the child’s distress despite the fact she had never laid eyes on the boy. But how does a (literally) heartless killer console a bothered child? Kiko would have to think for a moment.

~~~

A small, brightly coloured marionette puppet landed gently between the boys as if dropped by a passing bird. The motionless wooden puppet suddenly lifted itself from the ground with a dramatic summersault, landing in a tiny bow fit for a king. The small painted features displayed a bright smile, the doll pirouetting perfectly before transitioning into a silly, floppy armed dance. At the crescendo of the silent pantomime a small puff of blue smoke burst from the top of the puppet’s head, quickly followed by harmless multicoloured sparks.

When the smoke cleared the boys would see the small puppet now kneeling on a hard cover book, his wooden frame now stiff in place, small fingerless hands placed on his face as if reading the title in deep thought, framed by a holographic banner printed on the cover boldly exclaiming both ‘FORBIDDEN ARTS!!’ and ‘SUPER SECRET!!‘.

The title of the book you ask?

‘The Art of Puppetry’ ~ by Kiko Myakashi.

The book contained not only the basic techniques used in the arts of shinobi puppet warfare but also an in-depth study on the effects of puppetry on the human body and a special section simply titled ‘Hitokugutsu’…

~~~

Kiko moved like a ghost back into the village proper, perhaps it would come back to haunt her but what harm could come from teaching a random child, not connected to her by any chance of fate?

It’s not like she had killed his dad or anything…

Spoiler: Ooc

Use Houdini to leave in a single post.

Topic entered and left.

Run time: 30 minutes.

 

[Shishiwakamaru]

Toshi's words of encouragement did seem to help a little, enough to stop his tears from flowing. The offer to join this clan and leave the orphanage seemed like a brilliant idea. He wasn't going to learn anything at the orphanage except maybe contempt. Sure the other kids were nice enough, but none of them were chakra sensitive. An official Leaf Village clan was exactly what this young n' upcoming ninja needed. To be surrounded by other ninja almost all of the time, he was surely to learn something valuable!

Like an answered prayer, however, a most inquisitive event took place before their very eyes. One of spectacle and wonder with just a touch of confusion. A brilliantly colored marionette puppet descended from the sky with unparalleled grace. A moment later the puppet would roll off the ground with ease, followed by a rousing summersault into a dynamic finishing bow. Shishiwakamaru could only stare in shocking disbelief as he and Toshi bore witness to this curious event.

The unmoving smile was almost creepy as the puppet danced around 'gleefully', it's eyes appeared to be staring into his soul. Shishiwakamaru was almost in a trance as the puppet moved. He would jump in shock as the fireworks startled him out of his dazed state, pretty but odd. What was even happening right now?

Again his own thoughts were answered with haste as the smoke settled and began to clear. The puppet was now completely motionless, situated over a book that appeared from seemingly nowhere. The book glistened with beguiling hues, the shiny surface read ‘FORBIDDEN ARTS!!’ and ‘SUPER SECRET!!‘. Shishiwakamaru honestly didn't understand the implications of such words, he was just a kid and had yet to even take a class. But anything labeled 'super secret' had to be worth its time. It could give him an edge that nobody else did, that's essentially what the specialized clans were like. Keeping their secret jutsu to themselves, why not him?

Cautiously he would approach the puppet, unsure if it was going to continue to move around and shoot fireworks everywhere. His heart pounded empathically in his chest, he could even hear and feel it in his ears! Was this fear, excitement? Perhaps both. The book, and puppet, seemed to comply with his wishes and allowed him to pick the book up for further inspection. Turning the book over and inspecting the exterior the holographic display shimmered in his eyes, only making him want it all the more. The title was most curious as well, reading ‘The Art of Puppetry’ ~ by Kiko Myakashi. Nobody he had ever heard of, but if they could publish a book on this they must know what they are talking about.

Turning to Toshi he would give a half smile, the best he could muster given the events up until now. "I think I'm going to hold onto this, if that's ok." Though Shishiwakamaru was 'asking' he was already putting the book away into his knapsack. "That was really weird, right? Or is this a normal occurrence at the gates?" Suddenly remembering the boy's offer to stay with him and his clan he would cheerfully perk up, his eyes growing wide to match the excitement in his mind. "Oh yeah! Were you serious about me being able to stay with you and the clan?" Then he recalled the description Toshi had given him about this Nao, the leader of the clan. If this individual was really willing to teach maybe he could show him a thing or two about medical ninjutsu. Shishiwakamaru felt helpless in all this chaos, perhaps he could put a little bit of good back into the world by learning such a useful skillset. "I would LOVE to learn all I can from Nao. Maybe I can train to be a medic and join a squad so nobody ever gets hurt. What do you think?" All this talk about positive change and future possibilities had led Shishiwakamaru out of the dismal depths of despair. He was feeling much better after this interesting interaction. What a strange world we live in...


[OOC - MFT - Word Count: 681]

 

[Toshi]

The Genin paused as something caught his eyes. He looked to Shi to make sure he wasn't bugging out before putting his attention back on the puppet the headed the two with it's presence. It was interesting to see something so dazzling at the gates, especially at such a time. At a loss for words, Toshi only watched the performance, actually giving applause when the puppet bowed. He didn't know where this thing came from, or who was maneuvering it, but it sure was a sight to see.

It began to dance around, keeping the boy's eyes on it's performance. He couldn't have picked a better day for guard duty. As the fireworks sounded off a giant smile few on the boy's face. "Yeah! Nice!" He exclaimed, watching the smoke and Sparks begin to die down. What the gate guardians saw next almost started him a bit. "Forbidden Arts?" Toshi began to look around, wondering who would present the two with such a thing, but he didn't scout anything out of the ordinary. He didn't stress about it however, maybe there was someone watching over them? It was a fine time to have something like this in their possession, maybe it would help them with their intruder situation?

Shrugging it off, Toshi looked back to the book, studying it a bit. "Forbidden Arts." Toshi looked to Shi as he began towards the book. "This book may contain high classed techniques that are known by those higher up in the shinobi world." How did he know? Because he learned a forbidden technique and mastered it while training with Nao. He was interested in what the book contained, as the words, SUPER SECRET!!, would probably draw anyone in.

He stayed on guard as Toshi got closer to the puppet. If someone were to jump out and try to surprise the two, he'd make sure they would have a solid defense against whatever surprise last wait for them, but nothing happened. This want a trick, gimmick, or some kind of scam. A forbidden technique's book just landed in their lap, no strings attached.

Toshi looked to Shi as he began, saying he'd study the book. The boy nodded, watching as he put the book away. Toshi placed his head behind his head, "I've never seen anything like that neither in the village, nor at these gates before." His lazy answer was accompanied by a yawn, a bit down that the excitement was over.

A cheesy smile graced Toshi's face as he moved his hands from behind his head. The excitement came back, removing his quite lazy expression. "Yeah, I can introduce you to Nao and everything. It's really a nice place to train and relax. There's other things to do their too, and other shinobi to meet." Upon mentioning that he wanted to be a medic, Toshi raised his eyebrows a bit, his smile remaining on his face. He neglected to mention that Nao was the Medical Sennin of the village. The surprise of finding that out would probably make Shi's day. "I think you'd be a perfect fit for the clan. I'm sure Nao will accept you with open arms. After we get off gate duty, we could head over to the clan house. What do ya say?"

Toshi would look to the sky to see what time of day it was. They could easily get there by nightfall. He looked back to Shi, awaiting his answer.

[ MFT | WC: +300 ]
[ OOC: I was thinking of leaving this topic at this post. If you agree I can come back with a Topic Left tag, and a link to the Clan House Welcome Thread after I create it. Choice is up to you ~ ]
[ Topic Left | Continued Here: https://ninpocho.com/threads/clan-sakurako-after-a-day-of-gate-duty.65758/#post-364285 ]