Kurikita (022)

[Ushiro]

John looked intently at the piece of paper and grimaced at the straightforwardness of the boy. It was also obvious that the other people weren't the same, and knew how to use tact to deal with unfamiliar situations. He, being the one in the room.

Reading the letter and listening to the rather smart Star-3, he begins

"I trade things... I am a merchant. Taking things from me is quite a sin to even think of!"

Thinking deeply, he realizes we have looking at the unexpected kindness of the people ahead of him, and as a return of favor he decides to tell them the truth. However, what they chose to believe and how incomplete the truth was.. was quite hard to figure out.

"A few moons of travel away, there is an ancient temple. The temple is said to reside of ninja monks who keep care of the area and preserve it. However.. it was come to my attention that they also kept something much darker. The records of times where, in the name of their gods they tortured; men and beasts alike.. or even something else. I have a friend, he is.. he is...different. He might not appear the friendliest but he isn't deceitful. He is honest. It was his people who were victim to the temple years ago. He wanted me to investigate so..." John pauses before revealing the key,
"This is the key to the treasury of the temple. I have acquired it through difficult means. I have already prepared a letter for my friend alongside an envelope to carry this letter. I was leaving to drop it off at our rendezvous but.. I guess the ports are closed. "

Setting his gaze onto Star-3's eyes, he finishes his story,

" This profession means I don't have many friends, kind shinobi. But my young friend.. he deserves a better life. He deserves the truth. It is absolutely essential he gets this. And I will do my best to keep my word "

Ryuu listened intently to the man's account of what he was doing, but he still did not know why the man was covered in blood when he arrived. Did he have to fight to obtain this key? The boy looked over at Astra, wondering if they would say anything. They were obviously more mature than he, being a child after all, and so he trusted what they would say more. He had already inadvertently acted too bluntly, and what they needed at the moment was the man's trust. He wondered if the stranger was a good man, for if he was, Ryuu could offer later to help him with the delivery of his letter. After all, he was an ink user, and so he specialised in spying and delivering information to places discreetly.

Astra’s mind wandered as the merchant told his story. His words didn’t reveal nearly as much as they wanted to hear and left the specifics of his mission very open to interpretation. If he wanted to keep his business a secret he would have told them as little as possible. Instead he told them everything but in the vaguest terms imaginable. What a mess. No amount of theorizing was going to help them now. They snap back to reality, finding Ryuu looking troubled about their guest’s dubious story. Star-3 kept her composure and faced the man. If anything, the part about him having few friends seemed genuine enough.

“Going so far for your friend’s sake...i think it’s admirable.” She said smiling gently. ”You two must be very close. Though i wonder if he cares about you as much as you care about him. He sent you off to infiltrate a group of so-called torturers for what sounds like a very personal reason. Either he’s as unfriendly as you say or he had faith in your skills. Maybe both. I wouldn’t trust an amateur with that important a task.”

While she spoke, a small red blur shot toward her head and she caught it without breaking eye contact with the man. She glanced at the apple in her hand and lowered it, glaring at the one who threw it. Star-2 was sitting at a table holding another one of Ryuu’s apples which he was almost tempted to bite into.

You must be registered for see images

“Don’t give the guy too much credit. Remember, he could barely reach this village in the state he was in. Even if he did find a ship he could board i doubt he can cross the Gulf without getting discovered by a gang of greedy pirates. I hear they can smell a merchant from a mile away.”

As Star-2 two spoke, the apple came flying back at him but was pierced by three table knives making it briefly stop in mid-air before dropping to the floor with a thud. After defending himself he gave Star-3 a questioning look, as if he was appalled she would do such a thing, then turned to the merchant to hook him in.

“If all you need to do is deliver a letter, there are plenty of ways to do so without putting yourself in danger. I happen to know someone who can help. I can assure you that he can send your message safely and discreetly, and you can be closer to fulfilling your friend’s wish.“

Star-2 picked the apple off the floor and grinned knowingly at Ryuu. Astra still wasn’t used to relying so much on their little friend when they were entirely capable themselves but it was the best option. It would be a missed opportunity if anything happened to the man when he had information they could use and a key to the temple’s treasury. Everyone knows secrets are more valuable than gold. They really wanted to know what was inside, hidden from the world.

 

[Vroqrak]

Ryuu listened intently to the man's account of what he was doing, but he still did not know why the man was covered in blood when he arrived. Did he have to fight to obtain this key? The boy looked over at Astra, wondering if they would say anything. They were obviously more mature than he, being a child after all, and so he trusted what they would say more. He had already inadvertently acted too bluntly, and what they needed at the moment was the man's trust. He wondered if the stranger was a good man, for if he was, Ryuu could offer later to help him with the delivery of his letter. After all, he was an ink user, and so he specialised in spying and delivering information to places discreetly.

Astra’s mind wandered as the merchant told his story. His words didn’t reveal nearly as much as they wanted to hear and left the specifics of his mission very open to interpretation. If he wanted to keep his business a secret he would have told them as little as possible. Instead he told them everything but in the vaguest terms imaginable. What a mess. No amount of theorizing was going to help them now. They snap back to reality, finding Ryuu looking troubled about their guest’s dubious story. Star-3 kept her composure and faced the man. If anything, the part about him having few friends seemed genuine enough.

“Going so far for your friend’s sake...i think it’s admirable.” She said smiling gently. ”You two must be very close. Though i wonder if he cares about you as much as you care about him. He sent you off to infiltrate a group of so-called torturers for what sounds like a very personal reason. Either he’s as unfriendly as you say or he had faith in your skills. Maybe both. I wouldn’t trust an amateur with that important a task.”

While she spoke, a small red blur shot toward her head and she caught it without breaking eye contact with the man. She glanced at the apple in her hand and lowered it, glaring at the one who threw it. Star-2 was sitting at a table holding another one of Ryuu’s apples which he was almost tempted to bite into.

You must be registered for see images

“Don’t give the guy too much credit. Remember, he could barely reach this village in the state he was in. Even if he did find a ship he could board i doubt he can cross the Gulf without getting discovered by a gang of greedy pirates. I hear they can smell a merchant from a mile away.”

As Star-2 two spoke, the apple came flying back at him but was pierced by three table knives making it briefly stop in mid-air before dropping to the floor with a thud. After defending himself he gave Star-3 a questioning look, as if he was appalled she would do such a thing, then turned to the merchant to hook him in.

“If all you need to do is deliver a letter, there are plenty of ways to do so without putting yourself in danger. I happen to know someone who can help. I can assure you that he can send your message safely and discreetly, and you can be closer to fulfilling your friend’s wish.“

Star-2 picked the apple off the floor and grinned knowingly at Ryuu. Astra still wasn’t used to relying so much on their little friend when they were entirely capable themselves but it was the best option. It would be a missed opportunity if anything happened to the man when he had information they could use and a key to the temple’s treasury. Everyone knows secrets are more valuable than gold. They really wanted to know what was inside, hidden from the world.

John keenly observes the friendly nature of the people ahead of him trying to offer their services, and feels almost bad he couldn't tell them the entire truth. However, after a brief second he regains his usual poise and begins swiftly composing a letter and folds it in an envelope before handing Ryuu the key. Looking up after listening to everyone, he turns at Ryuu and speaks,

" I owe him more than what I could pay for in my lifetime. But he sent me because he had faith I could do it. And also at this very time, he's doing something for me too", he finishes with a smirk.
"Thank you, both of you. I will be returning back in ease now. "

He doesn't, however, fail to notice Star-2's reaction but chose to ignore it. They were good people, he thought, but good people needed to look after themselves too. Continuing,

" Please drop this off using a courier or any of your resources at Jiro Island (004). ", letting of a sigh he says " It would be impossible to drop something there usually but as of now, if you leave it at the Blood Prison's door, my friend will receive it. I have given details about this area and about the kindness you folks have shown me. He's going to compensate you in any form he can, rest assured. I have told him to meet you at the docks instead of this house. I don't want your secure place compromised by other people."

Finally, he gives one last look at Astra before readying to leave,

"I will take my leave now, friend. We will probably never cross paths again, I feel like this mission was something I needed to do for the sake of my friend and no selfish reasons. So here I ask you, please take in my friend. He's young and has been mostly alone all his life. But he's strong from all aspects. He will not betray for he has no home to run back to. I hope you talk to him and consider it. He has... better people skills than me"

Grabbing a sack of 1000 Ryo from his back, he drops it at the table beside the door before bowing to everyone in the room and leaving back to Landmark 20.

 

[Ryóma]

Ryuu looked at the man after being handed the key, realising that he was talking to him. He did not really understand everything he said though; it seemed the man chose to keep some things hidden. But he nodded eagerly all the same, as if he understood every word of it. Watching the man leave though, Ryuu felt a twinge of sadness for him; he thought the man seemed a little distant and sad somehow. He couldn't exactly pinpoint the feeling.

Once they were alone, Ryuu turned to look at Astra, raising his eyebrows to indicate his interest and surprise at the man's mentioning of taking a person into their clan. So far, it had only been Kaizen and Ryuu. He wondered what Astra's reaction to a new person would be. For the time being, they indicated their desire to see the key, and so the boy handed it over to them. They looked over at it and seemed to be doing things with it, although Ryuu was too tired to pay attention.

Instead, he channeled chakra to one of the tattoos on his stomach, creating a small ink hawk. It stood on the ground in front of him, cocking it's head to one side, as if questioning why it was there. It did not have to wait long though, for once Ryuu got the key back, he put it into the envelope with the letter and attached it to the bird's back, with the help of a thin string which the bird could later break with its beak. Receiving instructions of where to go and what to do, the ink hawk flew out the door towards the ocean, heading for Jiro Island.

(Ninpo: Sōzō no Karada) | Ninja Art: Body of Creation

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary/Defensive
Rank: C
Range: Short-Long
Chakra cost: N/A (-5 per turn)
Damage: N/A
Description: Using the ability to manipulate Ink, the user will gain the ability to place the ink on their bodies for the sake of future battles. Similar to getting a tattoo, the ink will rest on the user's skin in a variety of shapes and forms, and can often times be confused with Fūinjutsu seals. The ink "tattoos" have a variety of uses and properties, namely the ability to create ink animals directly from the user's body without the need for a scroll, because in essence the user would have turned his body into a living canvas. By channeling chakra into the ink the user can have the tattoos move about on their bodies in order to ensure the perfect orientation. Ninjutsu and Ink manipulation techniques that would require pre-prepared scrolls can be done with Sōzō no Karada by either the user drawing the needed shapes on their body or having the image needed already drawn on before the match. How this works is by first drawing the required shape/kanji onto their body and then coursing chakra through the ink to summon the preferred effect. Due to the ability to move the ink while it is on the skin, a new shape can be created instantly with chakra control and as such the user would only need to drawn a single shape once and then have it re-purposed for anything else. As mentioned before, the main ability of this technique is to allow the user to bring forth small, ink made creatures for the sake of carrying messages, scouting, or general amusement. Meaning, even if they were used to attack they would count as free form techniques with no rank or damage value at all. The creatures able to be created are listed below:

Hawk (鷹, Taka) Can be ridden for reconnaissance or high-speed travel. Smaller variants can be used to carry explosive tags or be used to deliver messages.

Rat (鼠, Nezumi) Can swarm across an area to search for a target much faster than the user would be able to on their own. Being so small, the rats are inconspicuous, also making them suitable for covert message delivery.

Snake (蛇, Hebi) Can be used as ropes to restrain someone. With the ability to soundlessly enter through even the smallest crevice, they can also be used for covert ops.

Tomoe Lion (巴獅子, Tomoe Shishi) Used for travelling on ground, these lions appear vicious on the outside but are actually harmless. If needed they can be used to hold down a target with their powerful jaws.

Fish (魚, Sakana) Made of special, water resistant ink, the fishes are able to travel through bodies of water to deliver messages or very small objects in their mouths.

Note: Must be stated in the user's biography or beginning of the battle.
Note: Up to 3 tattoos can be made in one go.
Note: The technique can be used five times per event, with each contract lasting two turns.(In the case four are made at a single go) Alternatively, the user can create a less amount of constructs and have the additional turns added to the created construct. For example releasing two creations that would last four turns each. Due to the technique lacking any actual damage potential, this extension serves for more story oriented purposes.

 

[Ushiro]

Astra said nothing as the man went on his way. Sighing, Star-2 grabbed the sack left as payment and turned it inside out, spilling a pile of coins on the table. He methodically arranged the coins in rows and flipped them over one by one. The rhythmic clinking of coins being placed was calming.

“’Never cross paths again’. Fine by me.” Smiling to himself, he picked out the filthiest coin in the bunch and slipped it in his pocket. “If i have to put together a puzzle with only a handful of pieces, i’m gonna take a good look at the box it came in first.”

Star-3 had been staring intently at the key given to Ryuu and asked to borrow it for a while. Astra wouldn’t go through nearly as much effort as the merchant to get a key of their own. The rest of the Stars came downstairs and held up the key. Star-1 took a small bear statue off a disorganized shelf and focused earth chakra into it. She shaped and moulded the hard material into a rough outline of the key. By examining the key from several angles at once and chipping away any imperfections, Astra refined their work until it became a exact replica of the original key. After returning the key to Ryuu they watched him create a bird of ink and send it flying southward with the envelope. Star-2 shook his head.

“Leave it to a merchant to try and market his ‘friend’ to us. I’m not convinced he won’t drag us into some mess we know nothing about. I’d like to give that temple a visit one day. There could be a problem if those monks already know their key is missing. Anyway, enough about that. If we're going to grow into a clan worth its salt we're going to need a bigger pot. It's about time we laid the groundwork for Kaizen's future. But let's not worry about that today. You look like you could use some shut-eye.”


Leaving Ryuu to his business, Astra headed to the local tavern to get to know the villagers better and learn more about the peninsula in general. Drinks were on Mr.Merchant. They used what they had left to purchase an expensive map supposedly acquired from the peninsula's port city. They didn't even feel bad about haggling the drunk trader for a discount. Of the rumors going around in the tavern, the most popular was about a faction gaining ground in the tea peninsula led by Takauji Ashikaga. The man had apparently been throwing ryo left and right getting people to do his dirty work suppressing rival clans coming up in the world. It pissed them off that he had so much influence already but they were also immensely jealous. They wanted what he had. The power to secure a place in the world without facing any personal risk. They have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Vroqrak]

Following are the storyboard elements involved:

Perform a moderate workout routine. (2)
---

With the letter from his friend on his pocket, Ushijima makes his way from

You must be registered for see links

almost quite quickly. The morning was really at it's peak as the held up ships on the docks gave a very curious look at a boat which happened to pass through unscathed at such a difficult time. Those were, difficult times indeed considering the pirates made it impossible to have a relaxing journey. But no more. Well, his mission at the Blood Island didn't mean all of the troubles would stop.. but it was enough for them to think a hundred times before a large operation like that would ever be conceived.

Anchoring his boat alongside the other ships, he completely ignores the ladder on the side of the wall and jumps up in a display of athleticism directly to the top. Rummaging his pockets, he hands a pouch of gold coins he collected from the pirates and hands it to a nearest person cleaning the port floor.

"For the trouble of taking this boat off my hands", he says to the confused teenager as the boy nods his head.

Wasting no time, he walks off to the busier inner markets looking for some information on the whereabouts of the so called Kaizen. He had received the exact details of the headquarters but decided to wait the night and only approach them in the morning. Renting a small room for the night, he then moves onto the open fields pointed towards by the rather chatty hotel owner.

"I have only rowed for the entire day, I need to work my muscles more" Ushijima thinks outloud as he takes off his top and with only a black trouser begins his session.

He begins by stretching his hands and legs, making sure all the parts of his body are well warmed up. Taking a offensive stance, he then proceeds to perform 100 jabs, both left and right hands, alternating between them until he finises his three reps. Then, deciding to give those a rest, he begins squatting with no weights on, with his back perpendicular to the knees and in a straight flowing motion. He repeats this 20 times each for three sets and takes a 2minute breather. Then, he creates a solid bar of earth and applies additional chakra to increase the weight ten times.

Jutsu Used:

Spoiler

(Doton no Jutsu) - Earth Release Technique

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary/Offensive/Defensive
Rank: D
Range: Short-Mid
Chakra: 10
Damage: 20
Descripton: Creates small pillars of earth, small tools, and small shields of earth

(Doton: Kajūgan no Jutsu) - Earth Style: Added Weight Rock Technique

Spoiler

Type: Offensive/Defensive
Rank: A
Range: Short
Chakra: 30
Damage: N/A ( +20 if used to add damage)
Description: The user will perform the Snake handseal and touch a given target (he needs to use his hands in most cases but can release the technique through his whole body if needed) for a small time frame. Upon doing so, he'll use the earth chakra to increase the weight of the target drastically. The technique can increase the targets weight up to 10 times. One interesting side effect of the technique is that when its used on wood based techniques (such as Zetsu's spore clones or normal wood), the infusion of large amounts of earth chakra into it will actually petrify the target in addition to increasing its weight. A similar effect can be achieved in other earthen materials such as mud. The user can also add weight to a given attack (if feasible) to increase both momentum and impact force, effectively adding damage to it.
Note: The weight change lasts 2 turns or until countered.

Starting off, he carries the bar on his shoulders and slow squats 10 reps into 4 sets. Then, he lays flat on the ground, facing upwards with his knees crouched and facing up as well. He then carries the bar and performs a solid chest workout for 30reps and 4 sets. Not destroying the earthen bar yet, he returns back to the striking exercises and starts off by performing 100 straights with both right and left arms. He places right foot forwards while performing the right straight and alternates between the leg and the hands. He finishes the routine and moves towards kicks. He starts by taking a L stance forearm guarding block and shuffles with his feet, alternating the foot and using the other one as a pivot for every left and right kick. He continues this for about 50 repetitions each before taking another break. Seeing the sun begin to set rapidly, he decides to hurry up the workout and take a 100 laps around the field before returning to the room for a shower and night's worth of sleep.

-Mission Ending.

 

[Ryóma]

The previous day had been one of relaxation for Kaizen. Having spent the day just lazing around the house and doing nothing, Ryuu decided to go out for a walk this morning. Getting up, he stretched and walked out of the bedroom. Peeking in to the other rooms, the boy could see that his friends appeared to be asleep. He could never be too sure though, for he was aware that they were different beings...

Quietly, so as not to wake anyone, Ryuu then exited the house, closing the door quietly behind him. What to do today... Perhaps he would go to the inn first to catch up on the latest news, and to see if anyone around here needed any services that he could provide. As he walked around the village, he could see that people were already up and about, doing their own thing, be it work or just walking. Some people recognised him and crowded around him in awe, with some children latching on to his legs, begging him to lay with them. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Ryuu simply smiled politely, before turning around and dashing off... The young ninja was not used to such attention. Perhaps it would have been better had he waited for his clan. Then the attention would be spread out over everyone.

At last, after managing to politely, and perhaps a little bluntly, shake off all the crowds, Ryuu set foot into the inn. It seemed small and cosy; just what he would expect from a little village like this. But he did wonder if it ever got rowdy when the pirated came in. He could imagine so. Looking around, he sat himself at a table meant for 2 people, indicating to the innkeeper that he would like one drink. Raising his eyebrows, the innkeeper looked over at Ryuu and spoke:

Why, a little squirt like you, wantin' a drink?! Hold up, I'll get you something.

His face was friendly as he laughed at himself, but Ryuu still couldn't help but scowl a little in irritation. He might have been small, but he was sure that he was stronger than most people here. But to say so would be arrogant, so he didn't. Or rather, he couldn't... Instead, he tried to listen in on the various conversations of the few older men sporadically seated around the inn, trying to see if he could find any useful information. But they only talked about things that bore him.

Soon enough, the bartender came back with a white-filled glass. Taking a sip, Ryuu looked at the innkeeper with a bit of a frustrated look, as if to say Why'd you give me milk for instead? But secretly, he was grateful; he only had to pretend to dislike it so he could act more like an adult. Also, he had not had breakfast yet, so it was pretty filling after all.

 

[Ushiro]

Spoiler

The previous day had been one of relaxation for Kaizen. Having spent the day just lazing around the house and doing nothing, Ryuu decided to go out for a walk this morning. Getting up, he stretched and walked out of the bedroom. Peeking in to the other rooms, the boy could see that his friends appeared to be asleep. He could never be too sure though, for he was aware that they were different beings...

Quietly, so as not to wake anyone, Ryuu then exited the house, closing the door quietly behind him. What to do today... Perhaps he would go to the inn first to catch up on the latest news, and to see if anyone around here needed any services that he could provide. As he walked around the village, he could see that people were already up and about, doing their own thing, be it work or just walking. Some people recognised him and crowded around him in awe, with some children latching on to his legs, begging him to lay with them. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Ryuu simply smiled politely, before turning around and dashing off... The young ninja was not used to such attention. Perhaps it would have been better had he waited for his clan. Then the attention would be spread out over everyone.

At last, after managing to politely, and perhaps a little bluntly, shake off all the crowds, Ryuu set foot into the inn. It seemed small and cosy; just what he would expect from a little village like this. But he did wonder if it ever got rowdy when the pirated came in. He could imagine so. Looking around, he sat himself at a table meant for 2 people, indicating to the innkeeper that he would like one drink. Raising his eyebrows, the innkeeper looked over at Ryuu and spoke:

Why, a little squirt like you, wantin' a drink?! Hold up, I'll get you something.

His face was friendly as he laughed at himself, but Ryuu still couldn't help but scowl a little in irritation. He might have been small, but he was sure that he was stronger than most people here. But to say so would be arrogant, so he didn't. Or rather, he couldn't... Instead, he tried to listen in on the various conversations of the few older men sporadically seated around the inn, trying to see if he could find any useful information. But they only talked about things that bore him.

Soon enough, the bartender came back with a white-filled glass. Taking a sip, Ryuu looked at the innkeeper with a bit of a frustrated look, as if to say Why'd you give me milk for instead? But secretly, he was grateful; he only had to pretend to dislike it so he could act more like an adult. Also, he had not had breakfast yet, so it was pretty filling after all.

The front door to the inn slowly opened and a disheveled young man with a mess of spiky orange hair and sunglasses cautiously stepped in. Astra (specifically the Animal path) stood in the doorway scanning the faces of all the individuals present until he found one definitely shorter than the rest. When Astra started walking over to Ryuu he was yanked back since he was still holding the door handle. After making sure to properly close the door behind him, he made a beeline toward the boy, walking very deliberately across the inn as though all of his focus had to be put into this one task. Astra ignored the concerned stares and greetings he got from patrons, responding with a curt "Hi" each time without turning to them. Twigs and leaves fell from his black sweatshirt and jeans as he slumped down into the empty seat and lay his head on the table.

"Haah...I looked everywhere for you kid. Well, not everywhere. Just one other place but- Ah! It still hurts! ...i know i had something to tell you...just give me a minute. I've had better mornings."

 

[Ryóma]

Sitting at his table, Ryuu noticed the door of the inn opening, before Astra entered. Judging by how he was scanning around, he was definitely looking for Ryuu. Upon finding him, the man started walking over all too eagerly towards Ryuu. The boy found the fact that his friend was yanked back by the door handle so hilarious that he accidentally spat out the milk from his mouth on to an unsuspecting middle-aged man, who turned around and glared at him at first, before realising it was Ryuu, so he just took it and smiled politely.

As Astra sat at the table, looking all worn-down, when it was just the morning, Ryuu raised an eyebrow, as if to ask him "What on earth have you been up to?" He wondered how someone could be looking so disheveled so early in the day. But his expression then quickly changed to one of concern, upon hearing the word 'hurts'. He patiently waited for his friend to calm himself so he could find out what had happened to him.

 

[Ushiro]

"Heh, don't look so concerned. I had a little too much fun last night and now my head is a throbbing mess but it hasn't stopped me yet. I got here in one piece and only fell twice, once on the stairs of House Kaizen...and again in front of a bunch of kids but damn did i do it spectacularly. Ugh...what happened again? I was searching the meat market for you. Maybe you were looking for bacon, i don't know. Heading back, i ran into some kids who knew where you were. Problem is, i have to manually control everything this guy does so he might have been walking funny. According to them it looked like he needed to 'poo' and they started mimicking his walk and making fart noises...i wasn't having that. So i thought i'd impress them with a few flips. You should have seen their faces light up. It was going well until i cartwheeled through a bush. Sooo...here we are. And now for the important part. I told you before that we need more resources if we want to this clan to thrive. My man concern is our lack of Ryo. So, i'm going to see what this peninsula has to offer. That means Astra won't be here for some time. I'll leave a Star in Kurikita but if you want to come along you'll need to pull your own weight. I won't be looking after you out there. Decide what you want to do now."

Astra kept his head on the table, making no attempt to sit more comfortably as he waited, staring at Ryuu through dark shades.

 

[Ryóma]

Listening to the Star speak about what happened to him, Ryuu nodded his head at intervals, smirking a little at the imagined sight of his friend walking in the manner that he described. He was as comical as ever. Ryuu was glad, though, that Astra was not hurt as bad as he had thought.

It was a good suggestion his friend was giving. They needed to expand their horizons if they were to survive in this era. Usually one to stick with Astra, Ryuu decided to test his independence out this time around. He also wanted to see if he could effectively communicate with srangers without speaking. So instead of nodding in agreement, the mute boy used sign language to communicate that he would visit another place by himself.

 

[Ushiro]

Astra's hands twitched as he tried signing like Ryuu did but settled with a simple thumb up to express his approval. Pushing himself to his feet, Astra left the inn like he entered quietly muttering to himself. "Ok, left foot forward...then right...Left. Right. Left. Right..."

Through sheer determination, Astra returned to the meat market and found the meat stall he visited earlier. The owner, Rou, is a large muscular man with blank white eyes who was glaring intensely at something. Astra followed his gaze to a fish stall across the market. Customers crowded the fish stall where the owner, a younger man with spiked hair and small circular shades, happily conducted his business. He occasionally looked over at Rou's comparatively deserted meat stall and sneered, making a vein bulge in Rou's forehead.

"How can this damn punk be so successful?! Red meat is the ultimate form of sustenance!" Rou's wife, comparatively ordinary in appearance, clung to his arm calmly comforting him. "Ignore him, love. He only started setting up shop a few weeks ago. Those customers are just excited by the novelty of it. Oh look, Kagari's back." Kagari held himself up on one of the stall's posts and greeted the two. Kagari was the name this Star was using for the time being. It made him seem more like an individual than 'Astra' or 'Star-4' which were merely code-names.

Rou turned to Kagari. "Look at that. A fish stand at a meat market! Fish isn't even meat! Look at those dead, soul-less eyes!" "You're one to talk..." Kagari said, nervously avoiding eye contact with Rou or any of the rows of fish across the market surely staring right at him. Still, Kagari liked these villagers and didn't want to see them upset. "Hey, i'm going on a trip and when i come back, i'll give you something i know will cheer you up." "That punk's head?" "...No...not that. It's a surprise. It'll be really good, i promise."

Bidding the couple farewell, Kagari marched off to the first stop on his trip.

~Leaving LM

 

[Ryóma]

This post marks the beginning of my mission using this storyboard element:
Babysit someone much younger than you (1)

Summary: Ryuu is about to head off to explore surrounding landmarks. However, on his way out, Ryuu is stopped by a pesky little child...

---

Ryuu watched Astra leave the inn with a concerned expression. 'Will he really be alright, with the way he is walking?... Well, he would have the company of the other Stars too, so hopefully he would be okay. After a few moments, Ryuu decided he should be on his way too. So dropping a coin on his table for the bartender, he slid his chair back and got up, walking out of the inn.

It was afternoon now, and the sun was directly overhead. Squinting his eyes, it took the boy a few seconds to adjust his eyes to the bright light. Looking around, he could see that the place was bustling with life. He was on his way to Kaizen's house to get some belongings for travel, when all of a sudden, he felt a heavy weight on his left leg. Looking down to see what was there, Ryuu noticed a little boy of about 4 years clinging determinedly onto his leg. But it was too late; since he was in mid-walk, Ryuu toppled face-first in the ground after just a single glance at the child. He looked rather comical; face in the ground, and a little boy clung onto his leg.

As soon as he fell, Ryuu heard footsteps rushing besides him, and a voice:

Oh no, Riku, what are you doing! I turn my back for one second and you go and knock someone over?!

Ryuu felt the woman kneel besides him and help him up, all the while apologising profusely to him. She then noticed that it was Ryuu, the newcomer in the village, and started apologising and telling her son off even more.

Oh I'm so sorry! Riku, is this how you treat a guest?! I told you not to... (stream of telling off continues)

The woman seemed to be going so red now that Ryuu was worried she might pop a vein in frustration. So to calm the situation, he pet the little boy on the head, trying to reassure the mother that it was alright. Eventually, she calmed down. Taking a closer look at the boy, Ryuu realised it was the same child who had asked to play with him on the day of his arrival. Ryuu had matters to attend to himself, but perhaps he could afford to spend some time with the kid. He had promised, after all, and the child was looking up at him with gleaming eyes. Sighing internally, Ryuu wrote in his notebook, before showing it to the boy's mother:

I can take him off your hands for a few hours if you like?

Oh really? That would be wonderful! Riku hates shopping, so he would be a lot happier with you! Look, I think he's warming up to you already.

She chuckled, before fixing a stern look on her son.

Make sure you behave okay? This young gentleman here is giving his time for you. Alright then Ryuu, I'll just be shopping around the stalls here. Just bring him back whenever you feel tired, okay?

Riku and Ryuu both nodded, watching the woman walk away. As soon as she did, Ryuu glanced down at Riku, who looked up at him like a puppy wanting to play. Ryuu was not sure where to start exactly; he never really played with little kids. This might prove to be a bit difficult. But Riku seemed not to sense the awkwardness at all. Immediately, he started to stream sentences after sentences together. It looked like he had his mother's motor mouth, amusing Ryuu.

...and he likes leaving his smelly socks on the floor for mummy to pick up, and then she chases him with a spatula. Oh yeah and my older brother once challenged one of those pirates to a fight and...

Ryuu listened to the child with amusement; he was revealing all the funny things about his family, and many things about his personal life. Ryuu wondered if this boy got along with others of his own age. He seemed like a pretty smart and bubbly child for his age, and so he realised that Riku probably liked the company of older children, much like Ryuu did when he was younger. Smiling, Ryuu recognised that this boy might be more similar to him than he thought.

Why are you smiling like that?

The boy's high-pitched, genuine voice snapped Ryuu out of his thoughts. In response, he simply beckoned to the boy to walk with him. They couldn't just stand there the whole time. First they walked alongside the shore, and the boy continued chatting up a storm. He told Ryuu all the stories he knew about the pirates, and how he would see ships coming here to trade all the time. Ryuu had to admit, he was pretty impressed at the kid's vast knowledge. He seemed very observant, and Ryuu realised that perhaps he could rely on Riku if he ever needed an information source.

Whilst they were walking along the shore, Riku skipped along, typical of a child. But then he accidentally got too close to the water and stumbled, falling into the water... Ryuu thought he might start crying, but luckily, the boy simply got up and laughed it off. He really was mature.

Ooh, the water's cold. Ah, I found a shell! You should come in the water too!

Riku then attempted to push Ryuu into the water, but the older boy resisted, grabbing the laughing boy with him away from the shore. His thanks for that was having something slimy plopped onto his head. It seemed that Riku had caught some seaweed after falling into the water... Ryuu made a funny face at the child, before putting the seaweed onto Riku's head instead, which just made the boy laugh even harder. It was contagious, because Ryuu was soon internally laughing, visible through the huge smile on his face. Is this what it felt like to be around a kid? He had always been around people older than him, who would inevitably be a bit boring compared to a child. It was tiring though...

The sun was fast moving, no longer overhead, but now between it and the horizon. Ryuu looked over at Riku, wondering if the boy was tired yet. But, unsurprisingly, he was still bouncing around, looking as energetic as ever. Next he dragged Ryuu away from the shore, going over to the residential areas. It seemed he wanted to introduce every single house to his new-found friend, and poor Ryuu was forced to look interested as Riku told him about every single person who lived in each house. Most of the information was not even going in to Ryuu's head anymore... Whilst they were walking, every now and then, they would occasionally pass by old people who would dig around in their pockets and give Riku some lollies. It was because 'he loved helping them, and they loved his company', they explained to Ryuu, who just silently nodded his head. Although this was nice, unfortunately for Ryuu, the sugar from the lollies only served to make Riku even more energetic. So much so that he started running everywhere all around the town now instead of just walking in a civil manner, and of course, Ryuu had to run too to keep up with him.

Rike even made Ryuu give him piggy-back rides, using Ryuu as a horse, or just generally using Ryuu as some form of transport or another. He tended to make engine sounds too, trying to make it more realistic too. The whole time, the boy did not even seem to mind that Ryuu was quiet. He was quite content to just chatter off himself, only making sure that Ryuu was listening by observing his head nods, and at points asking Ryuu 'isn't that cool?', to which Ryuu would of course smile and nod. He also noticed other children running around the village, all pausing to look at him, and then at Riku next to him. They seemed to look at the little boy with awe, as if amazed that Riku had formed a connection with someone so big in their minds so fast. They were probably too shy, Ryuu noted, as they would run off.

Then at last, when Ryuu felt like he could not take it any longer, and was just about to grab the boy to dunk him in the ocean to cool his little head off, the boy stopped in his tracks, stood still for a few moments, then s l o w l y fell face first into the ground. Ryuu was stunned; the boy had literally stopped like a little machine that had just run out of battery. Picking up the unconscious child and examining him with his medical abilities, Ryuu recognised that there was nothing wrong with Riku; he was simply just exhausted. Well, it looked like the long day had finally come to an end.

With the child sleeping peacefully in Ryuu's arms, the older boy walked back over to the area where he had left the mother, and to his relief, he found her there, chatting to another lady. It seemed she had been talking whilst waiting for Ryuu to return, as the other lady went off as Ryuu approached. Of course, Riku's mother was very grateful for Ryuu taking care of her son, and told him that it would be great if Ryuu could look after him again sometime. To this, the mute boy nodded, although the thought of it made him feel even more tired. Luckily, the woman left with her son before it became evident to her that Ryuu might nod off to sleep right there and then. What an eventful day it had been...

Slowly, Ryuu trudged off towards his residence. It was nearing the evening now, so it would make no sense to leave today. He would have to set out in the morning instead.

~End of mission~

 

[Ryóma]

This post marks the beginning of my mission using this storyboard element:
Leave a place/event without being detected (2)

Summary: Ryuu gathers supplies to head off to explore surrounding landmarks, trying to do so in a discrete manner so that the villagers don't know of his departure. On his way, he is ambushed by some local kids, who he has to successfully escape from to make his way out of the village...

---

The next day, Ryuu woke up right at the crack of dawn, yawning as he stretched. After he had looked after a village child yesterday, he had fallen asleep as soon as he returned home. Hearing his tummy make a loud growl, the boy realised that he had not eaten dinner last night; so exhausted he had been. Well, he had to get ready to leave now. Quickly gobbling up a hastily poured bowl of cereal, Ryuu then grabbed his wallet and a backpack for the trip. He threw a water bottle in there too, before deciding it felt too empty. Surely people needed more than just a wallet and a water bottle when setting out for a trip?

And so, that is how Ryuu found himself wandering the markets of the village, taking care not to look as if he was about to leave for somewhere. If the villagers heard that most of Astra had left the village, and that he too would be off soon, they could very well panic. He would rather not cause a commotion. Stopping in front of a stall which had loaves of bread stacked upon it, Ryuu paused before taking out some Ryo and paying the man who looked down at him with a broad grin.

Well, look who we have here! Welcome, young doctor! What can I get you today?

Ryuu found this question a little amusing considering there were only breads in this stall. Nevertheless, he used his fingers to indicate that he would like 3 loaves of bread.

Coming right up sir! But that's a lot of bread for a kid like you ain't it? Enough for a trip! Hahahahh.

The jolly man's laugh boomed across the stall. Ryuu knew the man was just joking; he had not figured out that Ryuu was indeed leaving for a bit. But luckily, at that moment, Ryuu's stomach gave a huge growl, to which the broad-built and hairy-armed man raised his eyebrows, commenting on how he could indeed picture Ryuu eating them all now. Ryuu was a little embarrassed by this, considering his stomach could be even louder than his non-existent voice would ever be, but was grateful to it at the same time for saving him. Taking the warm bread that was wrapped in butcher paper, Ryuu then departed that stall with a courteous nod, with the man smiling and waving behind him. Ryuu felt a glow of warmth inside at the kindness of all the villagers towards Kaizen since their arrival; this really was starting to feel like home to the boy now.

After gathering some other things, like butter, a couple of little milk boxes and a sunhat to keep out the sun, Ryuu was ready to be off. Walking down a path East that he was sure would lead him out of this village, Ryuu suddenly heard loud sounds in the distance behind him. Looking to see what the commotion was, the boy was alarmed to see a large number of village kids running towards him, sounding cheerful. As they got closer, he could hear their voices.

Play with uuus!
Shounennn!

Ryuu winced at being called 'Shounen'; a term used for a little boy. Did they really consider him as their age?! That was too appalling for him. And they wanted to play with him, right now of all times? Not a chance! So as they drew closer, Ryuu turned to his heels and ran. As he rounded a corner, the ink user created a clone made of ink, inserting some extra chakra in it to make it more durable, before jumping himself atop a building, leaving just the clone down there. As he watched from above, the children soon also turned the corner, jumping upon the clone as soon as they sighted him. This was why Ryuu inserted extra chakra into the clone; the children were very rough with it, and so instead of 'poofing' away, the clone simply regenerated each time a kid accidentally hurt it. This seemed to amaze them greatly, thinking that it was some cool kind of ninja trick Ryuu was playing on them. The real Ryuu watched from atop the building as the children showered the clone with a thousand questions, and asking him to teach them how his body was just 'disappearing and reappearing' again. He reflected on how, just yesterday when he was with Riku, the village children had been too shy to approach him. But maybe seeing Riku spending time with him, the other children also felt that they had to play with him now. If that was the case, Ryuu knew he was going to be in for a hard time upon his return. The thought of babysitting more kids exhausted him already, when it was only the morning.

(Sumi Bunshin) - Ink Clone

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra Cost: 15
Damage Points: N/A
Description: The user creates a clone made of ink that takes the appearance of the user. This clone can only use Ink Ninjutsu up to A rank.

(Inkupo: Warui Appuru ) Ink Art: Bad Apple

Spoiler

Type: Supplementary
Rank: B - Rank
Range: N/A
Chakra: 20
Damage: N/A
Description: Bad Apple is unique technique that doesn’t follow the traditional means of Ink Ninjutsu, rather being a technique designed to supplement the artworks instead. Through the infusion of additional chakra, the user is able to apply a similar ability to its sister technique Ninja Art: Ink Flow in which we seen when the snakes are capable of regenerating consecutively thus making escape impossible. What this technique does, is enable other works created by the user the same properties of regeneration. The regeneration however can only take place in the event the artwork is not completely destroyed and would regenerate so as long as it hasn't sustained enough damage to be neutralized or overpowered. This technique can be used three times per battle, lasting two turns each. Due to the nature of this technique, it's initial activation is instantaneous and can be used within the same time frame of another technique.

As amusing as this was, Ryuu had to be on his way. This time, to ensure his safe escape, the ninja performed the Tiger hand seal, controlling the reflections of light around him to make him appear as invisible. This allowed him to easily jump off the building roof, and walk away without being noticed by the kids. He felt kind of sorry for his clone though... Finally back on track, the young explorer set off. The further he walked, the more sporadic houses and farms became, and the less people he saw. When he could finally see no more of the village people, their houses or farms, Ryuu was sure that he was at the border of two villages, if a village even existed further on. He pushed on, curious to see what lay ahead of him...

(Meisaigakure no Jutsu) - Hiding with Camouflage Technique

Spoiler

Rank: A
Type: Supplementary
Range: Short
Chakra Cost: 30 (-10 per turn active)
Damage Points: N/A
Description: This is a ninja escape technique that allows the user after performing the Tiger hand seal to control how light is reflected around their body with chakra inflections. The technique also erases the user's scent and shadow, and is usable on any terrain, making it ideal not only for covert maneuvers but also offensive strikes. Perceiving the user's position is possible only for ninja who are astute enough to observe minute variations within their surrounding environment, such as distortions of air currents in the immediate vicinity or distinguishing sounds, i.e. footsteps etc. However, the usefulness of this ability can be entirely negated by those with special vision or sensory skills. The Second Tsuchikage, Mū's mastery of this technique helped earn him the moniker "Non-Person" seemingly having neither form nor chakra while the technique was active. Thus, he could not be sensed through traditional means.
Note: Technique lasts a total of 3 turns

~Ending mission~

Leaving Landmark

 

[Ushiro]

"What do we have here?"

Star-3 skimmed through the newest cult recruitment form posted on the town bulletin. This mystery person was really persistent. First they wanted sacrifices, now gems, like their first sales pitch didn't catch. She reached for the page to tear it off the board and noticed several geography based riddles, the most thrilling of puzzles. Out of idle curiosity she went through lines upon lines of nonsense and actually found something that made sense to her.

"This is..."

She looked into the distance, now knowing one of these gems wasn't too far off from where she was now. It irked her. She read it again and put it away. The village was doing fine, they wouldn't miss her if she took a quick trip to the lost and found.

~Leaving LM

 

[Ryóma]

After returning home from the tiresome Cassander journey, Ryuu had rested for many days. The villagers had noticed his absence, and so when he had returned, they had all insisted on pestering him with questions, so much so that he was almost looking for an excuse to leave on another trip. Walking around the village on this day with his hands in his pockets, and a cloak covering most of his face and body so that the villagers could not bother him, the boy looked around, wondering if there was something for him to do. It had been rather quiet lately.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a note on a pole that caught his attention. Observing more closely, he realised that he had seen a few of them around the village already. It must have been something pretty important, and so he read it. Of course, this Candidates thing again. He had heard about it before, but the prospect of handing in people had not appealed to him. But this time it was something else. A special stone of some sort. Surely that would be interesting enough to keep the bored ninja occupied.

Looking around, Ryuu needed only one glance at the villagers to confirm his decision. No more pestering kids asking him questions for a bit. Immediately, he set off. He noted that he still had the running shoes on. Perhaps he would just keep them on for the time being and return them to Astra later.

Starting in a direction, Ryuu paused before he realised he had no idea where he was supposed to go. Strolling back to the notice, he saw that he had missed the riddles. Going over them then, the Hyūga chuckled internally. There was a gem this close to him? This was going to be too easy. He activated his Byakugan, already being able to see the place where he was supposed to go.

Spoiler

(Dōjutsu: Byakugan) Eye Technique: The All Seeing White Eye
Type: Supplementary
Rank: C
Range: Short-Long
Chakra: 15 (+5 per turn to keep active)
Damage: N/A
Description: The kekkei genkai intrinsic to both the Hyūga and Ōtsutsuki clans—descendants of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Those who possess this dōjutsu have it manifested as eyes with featureless white irides and no visible pupils. And when activated, the pupils become more distinct and the veins near their temples bulge. To activate the dōjutsu, Hyuga but not Ōtsutsuki clan members are initially obliged to use a rather long and specific sequence of handseals: Horse → Tiger → Boar → Hare → Rat → Dog → Horse → Dog → Hare → Rat → Boar → Snake. But once activated, the dōjutsu user is endowed with a range of skills.

To start, an activated Byakugan gives the user a near 360º diameter field of vision bar one blind spot at the back of the neck, above the first thoracic vertebra. Its vision can penetrate through any solid objects or obstructions, and likewise remains unaffected by blinding interferences. But that being said, certain barriers and the like may distort its perception. In addition, it is able to follow high-speed movements, which enables those with this dōjutsu to analyze their foes' actions and better react to them. The Byakugan is also able to see chakra to a higher degree than the Sharingan and ergo, identify where a person's chakra signature originates from. Beyond that, it can discern certain types of clones from the real person. And its ability to see chakra is in fact so acute that those who possess this dōjutsu are even able to see the chakra pathway system and the 361 tenketsu that comprise it. The Hyūga clan has gone so far as to develop their unique Gentle Fist style in order to capitalize on this particular ability.

Note: Hyuga clan bios of at least Sannin rank become able to passively activate their dōjutsu upon one month having passed since Gentle Fist training concluded. Ōtsutsuki bios never need to expend a move in order to activate it.
Note: While traversing the NW, bios with activated Byakugan are able to see up to two 2 adjacent landmarks away while those of sage rank can see as far as three away, but this doesn't extend beyond an ocean landmark.

(Hanuri Sensō Cheisā Kutsu) – Hangurian War Chaser’s Shoes
Type: Artifact
Rank: C
Range: N/A
Chakra: N/A
Damage: N/A
Description: A pair of worn shoes recovered from the Ruins of Chungsu and sold on the Ninja World Marketplace after being refurbished. These shoes augment the user’s travel speed in the Ninja World, reducing their travel time by 5 minutes. The shoe’s bonus to travel time cannot stack with other items equipped on the user’s person that also reduce travel time in the Ninja World; meaning two pairs of shoes, or an item like it, would not additively reduce the user’s travel time. However, the bonus from the shoes can be stacked with bonuses granted to specific landmarks, like a road or bridge. This bonus can also be stacked with consumable items, like the Runner’s Liquid Courage, to further reduce travel time.

Chakra: 1600 - 15 = 1585

~Leaving landmark

 

[Ryóma]

Coming from here

This post marks the beginning of my mission using these storyboard elements:
Build a ninja academy in one of your landmarks without using Ninjutsu (3)

Summary: Upon being harassed by the children of the town, Ryuu decides they need an academy to spend their time at. Without using Ninjutsu, and only their brains (for planning) and their strength (for building), Ryuu and the villagers set off to build the academy...

---

Tired from his adventures in Yabuchi, the sleepy eyed boy walked back through Kurikita, aiming to go straight home and sleep the rest of the day away. However, he was not so lucky. For as soon as he stepped into the main area of the town, he found himself being crowded on all sides by little kids. He should have known... His recent long absences made his returns all the more exciting for the kids. Wearily, he waited for the kids to finish climbing all over him, giving them piggy backs and what not until he finally reached his home. It also took encouragement on the parents' parts to drag the kids off.

Not so sleepy anymore once entering the house, Ryuu thought for a bit. All these kids, and no where for them to study... As far as he had seen, they had no education at all, and spent their time either harassing him or just playing. Surely they needed a little more than that. So as quickly as he had entered, the boy left the house to question parents whether they would like such a thing. Parents holding firmly onto their kids to make sure they stayed put this time all seemed to agree as he went around communicating to them via ink one by one or in little clusters. Ryuu was sure their enthusiasm came from the parents wanting some time to themselves, but also that they wanted their children to have an education, including learning ninja arts. Since the arrival of Kaizen, the had seen how useful Ninjutsu actually was. They were prepared to have the young generation learn different ways of living.

And so, Ryuu set off in gathering a group of people who would help him with building the ninja academy. He managed to get a group of around 100 people, comprised of strong looking men and women. The first thing they had to do was decide on where to build it. Ryuu walked all around the town with his helpers, trying to find a suitable place. They ruled out making it near the ocean, as pirates could come at any moment and attack the children. Also, if there was a tsunami, the kids would be the first ones to get hit. That wouldn't do... Next they looked at the forest near the homes and buildings. Too dense, they thought. Also, it was a bit too far. At last, the group settled on making it somewhere central in the village, somewhere where all the kids could easily reach, and where it could be accessed very easily. Near the markets were large, expansive fields of plain grass and sparsely scattered trees that were not being used. The soil there was not fertile enough for growing anything, and there was no need for more housing at the moment. There was plenty of space here, for the academy and even more things in the future. It was a perfect location. Close to villagers homes, to Kaizen's base, and the marketplace where everyone gathered. They finally found the place after a couple of hours of looking around.

Next, Ryuu went inside a building with his workers. Huddled around a huge piece of paper, they then started to make a plan of what the academy would look like. They all pitched in, drawing lines here and there where they best thought rooms would be. They planned everything, from small things such as where doors and windows would be placed in order to have the most effective lighting, to the size of the classrooms and their locations, the number of classes and the designs of the whole structure. It took a very long time, so much so that they had to leave it and go home. Planning was very tedious business, and it took Ryuu and his crew about a week just to make it. So much could be seen on the paper by the end of it; notes, lines, things scribbled out. One might have thought it to be illegible, but they understood every part of it, given that they had worked on it.

Ryuu then assigned the workers into 6 groups. Group #1 were the wood gatherers, and their job was to go into the large forest and gather wood with which to make the building. Group #2, the choppers, would take the wood and chop them into decent pieces to make the building. Group #3 were the helpers, and they had to pass wood and other equipment as needed to the builders. The builders made up Group #4, and they were the ones who would actually do the construction of the building. Group #5, the guiders, would be looking at the map and letting the builders know where to place each brick, wood piece and other parts of the academy. This group was scattered throughout the whole construction zone, with different people from it helping different builders. The final group was Group #6, the landscapers. Their job was to make sure the landscape was pretty and looked polished, which meant pulling out weeds, tidying the grass, adding some bushes and other nature pieces, and a small playground, something that children loved. The helpers and guiders consisted primarily of women, since those jobs were less taxing. Furthermore, within each of the separate groups, Ryuu assigned one leader each to oversee their workers and guide them. Ryuu knew he would not be able to handle such a large project all on his own.

The Hyūga himself was not in any particular group; he opted to take a part in every group. His reason for this was that he wanted to feel as much as part of the academy as he possibly could. It would be a place of learning, something that the boy highly valued, and so he would do everything in his power to make it work. He also decided not to use Ninjutsu to respect the making of the building. He felt that the more labour that was put into it, the more precious it would be in the hearts of people.

On the first day of the building part of the project, only the wood gatherers, the wood choppers and the landscapers groups were in effect. This was because the first two jobs would take so long that there would be no wood for the other groups to start to work yet. Instead, workers from other groups were assigned to these 3 groups temporarily in order to get the process line started faster. The landscapers took advantage of this time and smoothed out the area directly underneath where the building would stand. Ryuu decided to join this group first, given that it needed to be done quickly before the building started. First, they started to pull out all the grass and weeds around in a systematic manner. With each worker given their own few square metres to work on, this part was completed very quickly and efficiently. As he finished his patch, Ryuu got up and wiped sweat off his brow. Making an academy was hard work, but he would not give up. This was just the beginning. Next, the group, still in their allocated spots, poured water all over the land in order to harden the ground a little. This would make the next part easier. With that done, the landscapers then used shovels to fill holes left by pulling out grass, moving dirt around to make the ground flat and even. There were no potholes left by the end of this, just very dirty people. Next, they were going to lay bricks on the ground as a simple foundation, however, it was getting dark, and so they had to call it a day. The tired workers returned to their homes, returning the next day.

Currently, the season was to the colder side, making it suitable for building. However, it could very soon turn nasty, so they had to try to be as fast as they could. The next day, Ryuu assisted the landscapers in laying bricks for a foundation on the smoothed out part of the land. Given the number of people, it did not take too long, and so they were done by midday. Taking a break, the workers all stopped to rest for a bit, eating and whatever else they had to do. About an hour later, they returned. Now that the landscapers had finished making the base, they moved on to other areas to landscape. Also, the wood gatherers and the wood choppers had already started at the same time as the landscapers as well, and so there was a decent amount of wood for the builders to finally get started. The extra workers who were originally from other groups but had been temporarily helping in these three finally went to their own groups. At last, all the different groups were in action.

Ryuu decided to go help the wood gatherers this time. And so off he went into the forest with an axe, just like the rest of them. This was harder that the landscaping, Ryuu thought. His little body could not keep up with the adult men, and a few times he almost cut his own foot as he went off balance! This made the workers rather nervous, as they kept looking at him warily, for his own safety, as well as perhaps their own... Regardless, the boy managed to get away from every single accident injury free, except for a few splinters here and there. But that was natural; others did too. Moving his axe rhythmically, Ryuu focused on making cuts in the trunks. This kept him going when he felt like giving up. It was hard work, but he did his best to keep up. By the end of the day, workers from this group looked at each of their piles. Compared to the others, Ryuu noticed that his one appeared to be the smallest... No one judged him though; after all, he was much younger than them. The group started taking all their logs in wheelbarrows down to the site of construction where the choppers would work on them the next day. It took a few rounds, but it was eventually done. The wood gatherers would return here the next day to continue gathering wood.

The next morning, Ryuu, with sore muscles, got up and went off to work again. This time, he joined the choppers in chopping the wood into separate pieces and carving it. This, he found a lot easier than gathering wood from trees. This wood was already smaller, so it did not require as much effort as the previous day. Instead, it required a lot of mind work, figuring out what size to make each piece, and what shape to carve it in. This he did not mind. By the end of the day though, the boy did have a few more splinters to add to his hand. It would take him a long time again to take them out... Perhaps he should have worn gloves. He would next time. Once again, the workers went home for the day.

This time, Ryuu decided to join the helpers, when he arrived the next day. He thought the previous day's job was a bit easy compared to the wood gathering, but this one was even easier! All he had to do here was pass wood and other equipment to the builder he was assigned to, as the man needed them. He took this time to observe the builders, as he would be doing this the next day. It also gave his muscles some chance to rest before taking on this laborious activity. He ran around here and there, grabbing wood from the choppers, with the guiders instructing him in which logs to pick up. He worked hard, trying his best. His allocated builder appeared very pleased with Ryuu's fast feet, and sometimes Ryuu would be waiting a while to pass him something. Overall, it was not too hard, and by the end of this day, he was pleased. So far, the basic stick structure of the building had been made. The supporting logs stood firmly, and now rooms needed to be divided, and wood and bricks needed to be placed in between the supporting pillars. For now, it was just a shell. They would continue the next day.

When he arrived the next day, Ryuu saw a group of kids watching the early workers in awe, amazed at this large building being put up by so many people. A lot of them had parents working on it, so that made them even more curious. Ryuu took his place with the builders today, climbing a ladder. To aid him was a helper on the ground below. Ryuu started by taking logs from the woman, securing them into their places with a hammer and nails, as well as careful instruction from a guider. This work was slower than others so far, due to the level of precision and concentration it required. Everything had to be balanced well. Every now and then, he would hop off the ladder and position it a few feet down to move on to the next spot. Like this, he went on. Once, the boy slipped off the ladder, and would have gotten hurt had it not been for the helper who caught him. She was strong, and the embarrassed and red-faced Ryuu tried to shrug it off and went back to work. The helper smiled in an amused manner. Even little ninjas had their shortcomings... Once again, the day came to an end, and Ryuu went back home.

The next day, Ryuu was a guider, and this was by far the most fun job he had. Looking at maps, and working out locations in the spatial dimensions of his mind made him feel alive. The builders that he instructed seemed pretty happy with his guidance, even though he could only motion instructions to them with his hands. Like this, the young ninja spent the rest of the day directing where builders should place certain bricks and logs by looking at the construction map, along with letting helpers know which wood pieces they should be giving the builders. By the end of the day, he felt like quite the manager.

You must be registered for see images

The construction of a building takes time, and so over the next 3 weeks, Ryuu continued to work every day, with the exception of one day a week that they all had off, and he would rotate between all the different jobs like he had this week. He had all kinds of close calls, such as dropping a hammer whilst in the builder role, and almost donging someone on the head with it, but he always managed to come out almost unscathed. Little by little, the building looked more and more like what they had envisioned, until finally, the day came when it was all done. The whole lot. The outside structures, the windows, the doors, the benches and tables in the classrooms, the lights, the boards at the front of the classrooms, everything they had planned. Apart from the multiple classrooms, offices and staff rooms for teachers had also been made, along with bathrooms. There was even a little dōjo in the middle of the building for sparring practices, and outside the building there was a training ground. Not just that, there were also spare rooms that could be used for something else in the future. All the floors of the building were made out of smooth wooden panels that the choppers had carved. After the final finishing touches had been done, the workers all looked back to admire their work. It had been a hard last few weeks, but it felt rewarding to them. Ryuu made sure to thank them all, and let them know that the academy would be open after enrollments were taken, as well as when teachers were found.

Chakra: 1600

~End of mission

 

[Ushiro]

Coming from here

It wasn't long after returning to Kurikita that Star-3 was faced with a dilemma. What to do with this big ship? She'd only though as far as getting the prisoners to a safe place so they could sort themselves out, but was it really safe? She scanned to horizon nervously, just waiting for more pirates to show up. When she went into town to introduce the former prisoners to the townsfolk she was relieved to know that they would take care of them until the time came for them to go their separate ways. At least the crewmen seemed to be enjoying themselves, having many things to bond over with the townsfolk regarding sailing and the like. Yet, it still didn't solve her ship problem, a remnant of the Red Giants. However, she was assured by the town head that a secret spot existed for ships to remain hidden from wandering pirates. So, after getting Semblance repaired, she went looking for Ryuu, to tell him of all that happened.

@Ryóma

 

[Imp]

[x]

LLM.

 

[Ryóma]

Walking through the town, Ryuu was intrigued to see many new people around. They appeared to be shipsmen, and the townsfolk took a quick liking to them. Ryuu was sure they could all learn a thing or two from these people. But he also heard narrations here and there about who he assumed to be his friend. Was Star-3 back now? Ryuu did not have to look far though, for he very quickly bumped into her. His clanmate seemed to be looking for him too, judging by the walking style. Cheekily, Ryuu decided to just start walking behind the Star to see when she would realise he was just right there. He thought it could be amusing for her to be looking for him right under her nose.

@Ushiro

 

[Ushiro]

Star-3 stumbled through the town distracted like she hadn't walked these streets many times before. The search for her silent partner wasn't going well. As she glanced at the faces of passersby, some of them changed into someone else only to return to normal a second later. Ordinary objects seemed inexplicably strange, and she'd hear a familiar voice but see no one there. She saw the river running though town swell immensely and flood the streets with water that smelt of salt and blood. Eventually, she found a small crowd of townsfolk, mostly children, excitedly circling a section of the town that looked different than she remembered, but she couldn't be sure. She called out them and they waved cheerfully. It was when they greeted her as well as Ryuu that she finally noticed him following behind her with an amused expression on his face. She adjusted her tie, trying not to look suprised.

"Don't tell me you had a hand in all this."

She motioned to the sparkling new building they'd arrived at. Just looking at the size and layout of the building and the field beside it, she could tell it was a school of some sort, one that must have taken a lot of time and effort to complete. She didn't have to wait for an answer, the onlookers' reactions gave it away immediately.

"I can't say whether I like it or not but i know an improvement when I see it. It's impressive. Making progress is what Kaizen's all about isn't it? "

Pround of the kid's accomplishments, started to tousle his hair but stopped, still feeling lightheaded. She walked off, signalling to Ryuu that they should talk privately elsewhere.