Welcome To The Jungle [Contract Search]

[Miraku]

A few years prior to current events, Miraku had returned to Kumogakure from Water Country, having put more time into his training with his master Okuro, whom he had found in that barren wasteland of ice and snow. The man who had saved his life and taught him almost everything he knew. Once again he had been sent home on somewhat of a mission. This time he had been told to head out into the jungle when ready and see what he could find. The aim was to hopefully find and meet a creature with whom he could form a pact; a contract in which he would request the help of such an animal companion when he needed it and learn from them that which he couldn't fully learn from his master. It was also a test of his character and abilities to find such a creature and form a bond which would allow him to create such a pact. Miraku had no idea how to even start with such a thing. He was but a Chuunin at this point, not even having been ready to join the ANBU yet that he would in the future.

He had taken a few days off at home before deciding he was ready to give it his best shot. Spending the past few days training and preparing himself to take on such an endeavor, he felt like he was as ready as he was gonna get. Packing his essentials in a backpack and the pockets and pouches which he wore on his pants and belt, he got dressed in his Chuunin shinobi attire and headed out. Sprinting through the village, he headed straight for the gate, requesting exit in order to do some personal exploration of the country. After being granted permission to leave, he headed out to the heartland of the country. A warming climate filled the air with lush vegetation as far as the eye could see. Before him were tall trees filled with bright green leaves and large plants, rolling rivers and tall grass. Taking his first step in, he closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath as he could feel a slightly warm breeze brush against the exposed skin on his face and neck. It felt so good to be in a warmer climate for once, as he had grown so accustomed to the frigid cold of water country, and the northern temperatures of Kumogakure. As the sun rose into the sky, it was getting closer to midday, the sound of birds and other animals echoing through the trees to his ears as he listened closely. Miraku became curious if he would manage to find anything, and if so, what kind of creature would it be? He supposed that was up to fate, or possibly some higher power, if such a thing existed.

Deciding to just go straight into it, Miraku took off at a sprint once more, lunging into the jungle before him. He ran as fast as he could, trying to make some distance from the edge of the treeline so that he could be deep within the jungle, believing whatever was living in there would try to avoid the edge in order to stay away from most civilization. After getting a few kilometres into the greenery, Miraku stopped his sprint and came to a walking pace. Looking around him, as there was no evidence of any end to the jungle in any direction, a smirk crept across his face, feeling like this was where he would have to truly start. He had been running most of the morning, so he figured now was a good time to stop and take a break at least. Pulling his arm from the strap on his backpack, twisting his body, the bag swung around to his front. Unzipping one of the pockets, he pulled out a canteen of water, opening it and taking a long chug from it to quench his thirst, fighting off any kind of dehydration that may have been occurring due to the physical exercise he had been doing. Closing the lid, and placing the canteen back in his bag, he put his arm through the straps and carried it on his back once more.

Placing his hands in his pockets, Miraku wondered where to begin. Leaning his head back slightly, looking up into the trees, keeping it on a swivel such that he could keep himself alert and aware of his surroundings while still trying to fulfill his objective here today. Not seeing anything, he decided to look around some more. Stepping further and further into the wildlife, he kept an eye out while keeping to himself for the time being. But as he walked, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched, but not just by one creature. No, there were definitely a few. Eyes locked onto him from different locations, yet hidden such that he couldn't find their exact locations. This was their territory. Eyes from the trees, on the ground. No matter where he walked, something was interested in this being that was so out of place. Sure, it was likely people came through here once in a while, but Miraku highly doubted it happened often enough for creatures here to be comfortable with it.

Coming to a slight clearing, the sight of the river rolling through the jungle, down a small waterfall in the distance was a pretty view. Noticing a nice position with some clear area by the edge of the river where some large rocks stood, Miraku walked over. Once more taking off his backpack, he set it down on the ground next to one of the large rocks before approaching the shore. Kneeling down, he placed his hands into the river, cupping them and picking up some water, splashing it onto his face to refresh himself a bit. 'It's certainly relaxing and serene out here compared to the chilling wasteland that Water Country is currently,' he thought to himself as he stood back up, placing his hands on his backside, stretching out his spine a bit as he leaned back, taking the moment in for what it was.

[Using 'Discovery of Contract of Your Choice' bought here for Monkey Contract]
[1,035 WC]
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[Haku Yuki]

Kubo had probably overdone it the night before, he could tell this because his head felt like it had been the venue of an elephant tap dancing convention, but he was a glutton for punishment that and his now personal stock of fermented mango juice was just too tempting to turn up. The walked sluggishly through the thick undergrowth dragging his hands across the ground as he walked he was thankful for the thick canopy offered a sweet shade from the burning sunlight. The primate flinched at every noise that echoed around him, the smallest of rustles felt like someone shouting in his ears what he needed so a quiet place to sleep off the results of a night of the night before and he knew just the place.

Kubo dragging his feet through the underbrush made his way towards the waterfall, not only did he know that it would be quiet, but it was also going to be a nice place to cool off. He approached the clearing the sun beamed into his face causing him to squint intensifying the pounding in his head. He brought his hand up to his face shielding his eyes, he was already regretting the lack of willpower when it came to his homebrew. Messaging his temples Kubo scouted the area finding a nice shaded tree, the branch was covered with a thick coating of moss making it a mattress of sorts. Sheepishly he climbed the tree almost slipping more the once it would have seemed that not all the alcohol that he had consumed and left his system. While it took him longer then he wanted he eventually managed to get the branch that would be his resting place at least for the next few hours anyway.

Thanks to the level of booze already in his bloodstream it didn’t take long for the monkey to fall asleep once the world around him had stopped spinning around him that is. If Kubo had been conscious he probably would have heard the intruder into his jungle home, he probably would have remembered to wrap his tail around his branch which would have prevented the events that we about to unfold. As the male shinobi entered the clearing that housed the waterfall, Kubo stretched and rolled forgetting completely that he wasn’t on a flat surface or not on the ground for that matter. There was a yelp followed by a splash as the primate fell from the tree into the body of water below.

 

[Miraku]

As the young man stood there by the riverside, stretching, suddenly out of nowhere came a yelp followed by a large splash. Stopping his stretch, he immediately moved his body in reaction to the sudden movement. Something had entered his space and due to the water he was unable to tell if it was a threat or not. Putting his body in a defensive stance, his hand reaching back and quickdrawing his dagger. Looking into the river prepared, Miraku waited for the water to settle as he could suddenly see what appeared to be a decently large humanoid creature in the water. If was definitely covered in fur, but also appeared to have clothing and accessories of some kind. Taking a closer look, it appeared to be a primate of some kind.

Miraku wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed him until he had hit the water; feeling bad about letting himself become too relaxed by the calming waters and fresh air which surrounded him currently. Waiting a few moments to see if the creature would attack or anything, Miraku decided to call out to it and see if it could respond. "Oi, you alright in there?" he asked the creature, holding his current stance, readied to defend himself at a moments notice. He didn't want to have to fight if he didn't need to, so if the creature could understand, hopefully, it would show his concern and lead to a response quickly. The clothing made him think this creature was more civilized than some of the beasts which called this jungle home. Maybe this was the kind of creature Okuro had sent him here to find.

Growing up, in the academy, he had heard of these creatures which could communicate with humans and form pacts with them to be summoned into battle, but he had never seen one himself, until his master had told him about his mission. He had summoned a creature of his own to show him proof of his own conquest and give the boy hope in order to achieve such a feat himself. The being which his master had summoned though was a Demon of some kind. He had called it a Youkai, but kept the visit short due to the cold weather of Water Country. He certainly hadn't found himself a creature like his master, but that didn't bother him; he was his own person. Although he wasn't sure if he was ready for such a thing, if the opportunity were to present itself now, he surely would try to attain it through whatever means he could muster.
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[Haku Yuki]

The cold water certainly came as a shock to the monkey as his body plunged from the branch waking Kubo from the brief nap that he was enjoying, he took a deep breath nearly taking in a lungful of water with it forgetting that he was underwater, luckily for him it wasn’t all that deep. He heard was concerned voice calling to him and his put his thumb in the air signalling that he was fine before getting to his feet, he was hoping that the cold water would have done something to fight back the ever increasing hang over but alas, it did not.

“Do not fear, the mighty Kubo is unharmed.” He slurred a response toward the bank where the voice had come from.

He sways a little standing in the lake the water reaching about chest height on him, slowly he stumbled his way through the water towards the source of the voice, it belonged to a strange looking creature, while the similarities between him and Kubo were quiet striking he couldn’t help thinking why he was bald, granted the monkey like thing in front of him did have hair but it was strictly limited to his head that and he was missing a tail. The more he looked at the creature on the bank he began to realise that it was one of those humans. He had heard stories of them, that they lived in great city far beyond the jungle but he thought them a little more the fairy stories the mothers told the infants but here one was standing in front of him.

“I must have more a lot more the drink last night then I though” The primate rubbing his head as he reached the shore of the lake, it has taken him a lot longer then he had thought, who knew that waking through water was made twice as difficult when you had tried to replace you blood stream with booze the night before. “You are an actual Human?” He reached the shore falling over his own tail skidding through the mud landing at the male’s feet inelegantly. Kubo rolled over his face look up at the Ninja’s from the ground. “Why are you here anyway I have been tasked with protecting this place on behalf of the great Monkey Clan?” His vision was spinning as he spoke seeing double he flipped himself back over “I think I’m gonna hurl,” He announced be unceremoniously empty the contents of his stomach on the ground next to him. “I am a great warrior you know, I’d start running if I were you. You do not want to face the wrath of the great and mighty Kubo the finest warrior of the proud and noble Monkey Clan” Kubo got to his feet, he resembled a new born fawn standing for the right time, his legs were like jelly as he grabbed a nearby tree for support swaying slightly.

 

[Miraku]

Up from the water came a thumbs up signal as the creature began to get up onto its feet once more, still in the deep of the river, he began to speak. The words that came out of its mouth definitely surprised Miraku. It truly was the kind creature he had been sent to look for. It was certainly strange to hear human words coming from the mouth of something which wasn't completely human. The words seemed to sound slurred. Keeping his stance calm and ready, he felt prepared to deal with a possible attack, though it felt like the creature was pretty laid back for what had just happened to him. On him, he seemed to have some bottles, which caused Miraku to assume the creature who called itself Kubo was drunk on some kind of alcohol. Kubo seemed disoriented and probably unable to function fully. As the primate made its way through the water towards him, Miraku took a step back as they locked eyes, a brief moment before any of them reacted.

Kubo seemed confused that he was face to face with another human, talking about his job as protector of this jungle for a Monkey Clan. Piquing the young shinobi's interest even further. Before he could respond, the Monkey bent over, speaking of getting sick before throwing up before him, splashing it all over the ground, bits ricocheting up and landing on his own feet. "Uh..." Miraku had started to speak, but before he could continue, Kubo began to speak again, talking about how great of a warrior he was, apparently threatening the shinobi. To him, it seemed like the Monkey wasn't up for such a fight, probably more used to relaxing and drinking than fighting. Though there was such thing as drunken fighting styles, so one couldn't be too sure. Thinking it through, the boy figured it would probably be best to avoid fighting if possible, especially if he was supposed to form some sort of relationship with the creature in order to befriend him and his people.

"Well, I'm not looking to start a fight, but I'm not going to run away from you." He told the warrior Monkey, as he lowered his weapon to his side, showing his lack of animosity towards the creature, but still ready enough to react should he become hostile. Placing his free hand in his pocket, he tried to appear relaxed as he watched Kubo steady himself. He seemed hardly able to stand, let alone fight. "It seems like you're not in much of a condition to fight right now anyway. You should probably drink some water and rest for a bit." He told him, as he took a step slowly towards Kubo, attempting to keep the warrior calm. "You certainly have piqued my interest with this walk of your great Monkey Clan." He continued, trying to strike up a conversation for the moment, curious how he would respond to his forwardness.
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[Fujiwara Minako]

What interested the monkey known as Kubo, was the fact that the human was not running. Instead, the human seemed speechless from the fact that Kubo literally vomited right beside him. The human even said that he wasn’t going to run, and suggested for the monkey to drink some water and get some rest… Some rest?! The mighty Kubo does not rest! Drink or no drink, it makes no difference! He has a duty to do for the great and magnificent monkey clan!

“You do not suggest what I do! You are not my mother! How dare you!” Kubo announced as his shaky legs wobbled slightly towards the boy before bringing his finger towards the poor guy, pressing his finger against the boys nose a couple of times. “Boop, boop.” This lead to the monkey to give out some sort of erratic laughter before slapping him on the back like he was his best friend going out for a drink with him. The monkey was clearly not right in the head, but when it comes to drinking too much, when was anyone right in the head?? The drinkers whole personality could change depending.

When Miraku spoke of his interest being raised, Kumo looked to him and grinned before holding his stomach. “I… I think I am gonna be sick again…” Kumo admitted before kneeling over. Maybe he should have taken the boys advice after all. After some coughing, the primate then puked once more, releasing some more of his fluids before standing up again. “Maybe taking your advice is a much better idea…” He spoke bleakley before pointing in one place, before pointing in another place, then another place. “I am sure camp is here, no! It’s here! No no, that can’t be right.” Kumo scratched the back of his head. “You, human, whatever your name is, take me to camp immediately or I, Kumo, will show you how great of a warrior I really am to the great monkey clan.”

Kumo wasn’t sure how this will end, but he was sure that this guy will take him to camp or he will literally batter him, like a battered fish you would get from here and there in certain places.​

 

[Miraku]

At first Kubo seemed angry that a human would dare try to tell him what to do, seemingly upset, but still unable to control himself fully at this point. It was obvious he was still drunk, but was this a regular occurrence for him? He moved in close and pressed his finger to the boy's nose, making silly sounds. His face shifted from that of intrigue to one of unamused, his eyes closing up slightly, eyebrows dropping and mouth closed to a straight face. Apparently, this action gave Kubo great joy as he began laughing, slapping Miraku on the back as if they had known each other forever.

He seemed excited about the boy's interest in his tribe, but before he could get into that, he began to get sick, puking once again, as Miraku looked away slightly to avoid such an unpleasant sight. "Like I told you. I've seen drunks before. Water and rest are definitely good for you." He told Kubo as he watched him begin pointing around the forest, ignoring his words. It seemed he wasn't sure where his camp was, and it seemed to be bothering him that he couldn't figure it out. Soon he turned to Miraku and began giving him orders, demanding the outsider take him to his own camp or face him in combat, assumedly? The jungle was pretty dense, and it was hard to tell where anything was. Surely landmarks like this river and the waterfall would give indications for directions in a place like this. Was the monkey too drunk to even recognize or remember such things? It would surely make finding his camp more difficult if he were that drunk.

"While I would like to take you to camp, since, as I've said, I'm interested in meeting your people. But as an outsider, I'm not sure how you expect me to know where it is." He said, lifting one eyebrow while looking at the monkey, a puzzled look which would show he really had no idea where to take this. This was really Miraku's first time trying to properly explore this jungle, so he truly had no idea where he was going. Getting out would be much easier than finding a random camp within such a massive jungle. "While I'm sure I would enjoy a good spar with you, I think I'd rather wait until you're sober. And besides, I'd rather not be on bad terms with you so I can learn more about you and your tribe." He continued, as he moved in beside Kubo again, patting him on the back this time, looking up at him in his eyes. "But I can look around with you and try to help to find out where your camp is if you'd like? You might enjoy the company, and maybe you could use the support while you're still a little wobbley?" Chuckling a bit at the slight verbal jab, he hoped Kubo could take a joke as good as he gave them.

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[Toraono Michino]

Kubo leaned hard and heavy against the human as he flopped his left arm across the male’s shoulders. His legs felt like they were noodles and as Miraku would try to propel the duo further into the jungle he would find that his inebriated primate companion was doing little to help. His feet dragged against the ground long before actually taking lifting to take a step, dragging the human down a little before finally taking a step; over and over again.
“Drunk! Dreee….unk! How dare you, you, you…bald…fleshy…” Kubo let out a long smelly burp before dropping his head back down and groaning, “…what were we talking about? It doesn’t matter. Now take me home before I unleash my furry. Fury!” Kubo’s hand raised up and started to point in wild random directions before it slowly settled in a South Eastern…ish direction, “That way noble steed!”

The monkey groaned a little and swayed the moment his companion would start to drag them out in the direction he pointed. Part of him thought to himself, ‘Man, I’ll never touch mangoes again if I ever make it home.’ Of course his brain painfully argued back that, no, he would be touching that delicious fruit again the moment he got home. It was so sweet and juicy, the flavors running up and down his tongue. A strange smile had perked itself on Kubo as his head hung down from the scattered beams of light as they sauntered deeper on into the jungle. The smile was replaced with a horrible grimace the moment he remember what he had done with that delicious sweet fruit by turning it into alcohol and drinking the entire supply in one night. It was a miracle he was even alive and the cannons going off in his head were completely justified.
“Oh man,” Kubo muttered as he dragged foot through the soft ground, “I really, really, really hope my roommate isn’t in. Holy crap it is so hard to understand even half of what he’s talking about, unless you’re drunk, and then you forget what it was he was talking about. I’d introduce you because, you know, he likes weird things like humans and…and…,” the primate’s free hand raised up into the air and rotated it’s wrist to roll his hand around as if it was helping him go through a reel of things his roommate liked, “…stuff. But right now I doubt I could handle him.”

Using a grip on his companion’s shoulder and a single leg he pulled Miraku to a stop and lifted his head that felt like it was ten tons by itself to peer through blurry, red cracked, sleep deprived, alcohol soaked eyes. As they moved to peer at their surroundings Kubo would describe the sensation like two rocks rubbing against each other under his breath before letting out a long sigh,
“Oh dang, man, you…you trying trick me? This isn’t anywhere near home! I’d say from the color of these leaves we have indeed walked the opposite direction! In fact I’m almost very sure it is not and you are indeed trying to trick me!” Kubo released his grip on Miraku and fell down into the dirt, coughing and groaning as he did, and barrel rolling away until he bumped into a tree with a grunt.
Then got sick again.
Then lifted a hand for help.
“Nobel steed! You’re rider hath fallen again!”​

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[Miraku]

Having a large monkey on his back was not Miraku's idea of fun. Especially when that primate was extremely intoxicated to the point of finding it hard to even be carried properly. Kubo continued to boast of his strength and ability as if he were in any state to fight with a shinobi, even one as young as Miraku; a still slightly fresh Chuunin. But he couldn't really argue with the creature, knowing he needed to follow its instruction if he ever hoped to complete his quest. Following Kubo's directions, Miraku carried him, trying to stay steady and keep him from falling to the ground.

For a little while there was silence; so peaceful besides the breathing of the two, the sounds of the jungle soothing almost. But a peaceful walk was too much to hope for as suddenly the monkey began to speak again. This time it was about an apparent roomate. He was more human like than Miraku had anticipated. Was their whole clan like this? More than just his clan? So many questions. But he knew his new companion was in no state to be answering questions at this time. Maybe when he sobered up, if the young shinobi would be around to see such a thing.

Suddenly the primate moved in a way that caused Miraku to stop his trek forward. Stopping, he looked around for a moment to assess if there was some kind of danger, but that feeling quickly dissipated as Kubo's mouth opened, questioning Miraku of trickery. Accusing him of taking him the wrong way. A quizzical look crossed the young mans face before Kubo suddenly fell off his back and onto the ground, away from him. “Nobel steed! You’re rider hath fallen again!” said the monkey, seemingly looking to be picked back up. Of course he wasn't trying to trick him; Miraku had no idea where they were going. He only knew where he had been told to go, but obviously the drinks had hindered Kubo's sense of direction, or at least his vision such that he was unable to properly tell where they were going at first. Maybe now that he knew more clearly where they were based on the colour of the leaves, he would be able to lead them properly.

"I'm definitely not trying to trick you. I thought I was following your directions. Maybe I got a little mixed up. I'll need your help keeping us going the right way." He said, realizing that Kubo seemed to enjoy feeling superior, and wondering if maybe admitting he needed the creatures help would make him feel more powerful and increase their bond such that they could manage to make it to their village properly. Reaching out his hand, he would then help Kubo to his feet, bend down and offer him a ride once more so they could be off and head towards their true destination finally, or so he hoped.

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[Toraono Michino]

Kubo felt the young male grab his hand and with uncanny dexterity suddenly lifted his own body as if it was a feather in what appeared to be reflex. With a simple tug the monkey effortlessly landed back-to-back on Miraku; then slid off. As the monkey hit the ground he laughed so hard a snort came out. A look of surprise came from his eyes before he covered his mouth and before long had began to laugh so hard he was on his side and curled up. It was sorta painful. Before long the pain started to aggravate the headache that still didn’t have the good manners to just go away. The laughter slowly began to subside before it turned into a small coughing fit.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized a moment after sitting up and wobbling, “It…it has been a very long…night. Day? Week? I forget.” Without any assistance the primate slowly stood back up into a wobble and teetered over to a tree. For a moment the drunkard just held himself up on the tree with his arm and it looked like the poor creature was going to be sick again from the way it was breathing. Then without warning the other arm that wasn’t holding him up curled its hand into a fist and jabbed the tree. There was a soft ‘knock’ like someone gently trying to get a bartender’s attention from his single straight punch and it echoed through the jungle. The large foliage in question didn’t even so much a shake before a perfectly carved walking stick came falling out of the tree.

The stick bounced back and forth between its fellow branches as if the tree itself was trying to hand down the stick. It slipped between the leaves and finally landed in the ground next to him and slightly dug into the Earth though it didn’t seem to have drop with that much force. “Thanks,” he muttered before gripping the staff with one hand and using it to make his way back over to Miraku. With about as much grace as an overstuffed trash bag Kobu through his left arm over the youth’s shoulders with a chuckle. He looked up at the leaves above him with a squint as any light what so ever seemed to make his head pains sharper he tried to see where they were.

“Oh yeah. No I was right the first time, this is the right way for sure. Carry on steed!” As they walked forward his legs would drag mostly as he used both the human and his new walking stick to slowly move along the road. Honestly he was probably hindering more than he was helping.

 

[Miraku]

Miraku sure wasn't used to dealing with drunks. He found it slightly irritating, though it was probably mostly due to the fact that he was young, and unable to understand the fun that Kubo was having, even when things were so strange. The Monkey fell to the ground and laughed; laughing hard at something as silly as falling to the ground again. It was a childlike wonder that the young shinobi had lost since beginning his tough trainings. A part of him missed it, but the other just wanted to keep improving no matter what it took. As Kubo apologized, he began to stand on his own, showing he was able to before moving to a tree and knocking on it. Whether it was just dumb luck or skill, a stick fell from the tree which the primate used to prop himself up. It caused Miraku to wonder just what kind of powers this Monkey had. It seemed a bit too coincidental with the purpose that Kubo had in knocking on the tree for it to be luck that he was given a walking stick.

As Kubo walked back over to the young shinobi, he stood and watched him, pondering to himself. He was curious how skilled this new friend would be if we weren't so intoxicated. His thoughts were interrupted by Kubo telling him he was wrong again and that they were going in the right direction to begin with. Miraku's hand instinctively went to his face, slapping it lightly, covering it in embarrassment for Kubo; a faceplam. He wasn't sure if he even believed the primate knew where he was going now any more than he knew before. But he really didn't have a choice but to follow his directions as he had no idea where to go on his own. "You're a little crazy, Kubo. I really hope you know where you're going." He said to the Monkey as he decided they were ready to keep moving.

Beginning to walk again, he could feel Kubo using him as a secondary support, his staff in the other hand as they hobbled through the forest. Miraku tried to walk slower, to keep pace with Kubo such that he wouldn't get left behind or lose support of his shoulder on their journey. He began to wonder how long it would take, or if they would end up running into more issues or any trouble along the way. "Maybe next time you should stay cloer to home when you get this drunk. Then you wouldn't have such a hard time getting home." he jabbed playfully, trying not to let the trek be so boring, hoping it would keep anything around them away, hearing the voices. Surely the jungle was filled with dangers, but he hoped they would make a clean hike to their destination.

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[Toraono Michino]

The monkey laughed softly as he leaned heavily on his mortal companion with the half that was hanging off Miraku. Crazy? Yeah he had heard that one before.

In his village where they were slowly tracking back towards he was easily known as the ‘town drunk’ but there was also good reason in that. The primate that hung off the shinobi was a creature of war; a soldier. He had experienced a lifetime of loss and sadness that he could only begin to describe but never truly be able speak of. In his long life he had lost both of his children, a wife, and most of his family to the trails and tribulations of living in the wild jungle and the wars that roared below the notice of Man. Everything he was now as a warrior and a keeper of peace was due to the harsh life he had managed to struggle through. It was sad really that Miraku would see Kubo at this level of weakness for the monkey warrior was incredibly powerful.
“I would have,” he started to reply, “but you see I like to…train…my…” the monkey gripped the bottom of the staff with his foot to continue walking on with it as his hand released it to form a kung-fu chop, “fighting…stuff.”

The two would walk on like this for some time as they stepped deeper into the greenery around them. Before long the light overhead would start to dim until it was next to pitch darkness as they reached a thick point in the trees. They were on a path now that few mortals were allowed to travel and with good reason. There was creatures out here both primal and terrifying; not to mention a few good ancient ones. The deeper they good into the jungle the more on guard Kubo seemed until he spoke in a quiet whisper through his migraine,
“Keep an eye out for sn-” and before he could finish a gigantic anaconda launched its massive form from the bushes. The snake’s mouth snapped open in half a second, extending fangs and preparing a bite that would take only two more seconds to latch down and snatch both prey; Kami knew it’s head was big enough. Like lightning the monkey released both the male and his staff, swept out Miraku’s feet from under him, and launched himself at the snake. Sweeping his staff from side to side with impossible speeds the monkey managed to knock out a large portion of the reptile’s teeth so that when it crunched down on his body only his leg was broken instead of broken and bleeding.

The easily sixty foot long creature launched all eight-hundred pounds of itself, not including food in mouth, up into the tree above the shinobi as his hung-over companion screamed curses and fowl words in a language that wasn’t human but somehow still translated as really bad words. “Heeeeeeeeelp!” came his last cry as the snake eyed the shinobi below wondering how it was also going to deal with snack number two.

 

[Miraku]

Kubo seemed rather funny at times, now showing off his 'fighting stuff', it normally would have made Miraku chuckle a bit, but it didn't seem appropriate. Maybe because he felt like his new companion meant it seriously and had seemingly fell so far as to put himself in such a drunken state; he couldn't know the truth behind it though. Perhaps it would be something they could talk about in the future if their friendship were to blossom, only time would tell. As they continued through the jungle, suddenly the atmosphere changed and as Kubo began to whisper something quietly, Miraku felt another's presence slightly, but before he could react to the new threat before them, the primate swept out the young shinobi's feet, felling him to the ground, moving him out of harms way before launching towards the snake himself.

What happened next caused Miraku to realize the true power of the one before him. With incredible speeds which the young man's eyes could hardly follow, the monkey swung his staff at the snake mid lurch, knocking out most of it's teeth before it managed to latch onto him. Before Miraku could even get himself back to his feet, the gigantic snake launched itself up into the tree above him. Kubo was on the ground in obvious pain, crying for help. Sadly, now was not the time to help. They were still in danger, and pausing to help his companion first could leave him open to an attack.

Taking a deep breath, Miraku stood on his own to feet again, bent down at the knees slightly as he tried to get himself ready to counter-attack. As he exhaled, he released some chakra throughout his body, quickly weaving a few hand signs before a strong aura of wind surrounded his body, which he would use to significantly increase his speed -- His Wind Style would help him to keep up with the foe. Placing a hand on the hilt of his sword, he eyed the snake back up in the tree. Now that he had seen how impressive Kubo was, he couldn't hold back himself either; he had to show what he was made of and make sure they both made it out of this encounter in one piece. Pushing some extra chakra down through his legs and into his feet, he crouched lower before using it to help boost him off the ground, up into the air towards his enemy, unsheathing his sword mid jump. Furiously he slashed with blindingly fast swings as he unleashed his Higuma taijutsu, slashing seven times in a matter of moments in attempt to cut the snake up before him. While killing creatures in general didn't please him, they were fighting for their lives and he couldn't allow this dangerous predator to have the chance to attack again. Upon landing back on the ground, he would re-sheath his sword, checking to make sure he had dealt with the enemy as he slowly walked backwards towards Kubo so that he could try and tend to his wounds.

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[Toraono Michino]

The primate dragged himself along the ground back a little with an obvious look of fear on his face. His eyes were narrowed in a sheer hatred but Kobu’s body screamed out in fear of the opponent they faced. The pythons that roamed in this jungle were not just your average run of the mill giant snake. They almost always were patron guardians of the Snake Realm meaning that Kubo had made a deadly mistake in tracking a little too far across the borders of their two realms. In moments the monkey was getting PTSD flashbacks of all the battles he and the brave primates of his realm had waged against the ever encroaching presence of their mortal enemy. The moments of flashing horror behind his eyes stunned the old warrior as the young shinobi stepped up.

The snake in the tree above assessed the creature below it without much concern until it evoked the power of wind to its aid. Instantly the reptile narrowed its eyes in preparation as it coiled up a little tighter. When Miraku launched himself in attack the python followed suit and they lunged for each others throats in mid air. The swordsman withdrew his weapon and attack faster than the snake could seem to follow. Warm red blood splashed out in a wave to cover the shinobi as the creature fell to pieces before him. When they landed on the ground the pieces of snake did so without a sound as the parts began to ‘poof’ away into smoke. By this time Kobu had snapped out of his trance and yelled,
“Don’t attack it head on Kiraku! They’re versed in Sage Arts!” but it was too late to cry out even if the monkey had called out to the shinobi by the name of his fallen comrade who had once made the same mistake Miraku just did.
From the bushes on either side of the path two python heads with eye wounds erupted out in attack. One was a fake but both could both kill and instantly the death of Kubo’s best friend replayed itself briefly as he watched the shinobi begin to fall victim to the same attack.

“OOK!” came a loud bellow that shook the jungle. In the moment before either python could get their fangs within inches of the swordsman two impossibly large gorilla fists flew down from the canopy overhead to violently crush the snake on the swordsman’s right side as the one on the left poofed away into smoke. The two large fists returned to a normal size as a seven foot tall red gorilla landed heavily from the branches above. In quick few movements it shuffled over to Kubo and slapped the absolute hell out of him, causing the monkey to tumble over a few times.

“What did we tell you!?,” came a surprisingly feminine voice from the large red primate, and who the ook is this?!.