Dark Ness
Rises Where Silence Dies
- Location
- The Primordial Soup
They all have both.
End of an Era (Naruto AU)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Bachelor's Degree in History here. I actually have a long response to the question of Zenzo and arming civilians in the context of both power and Ninjas, but not sure how relevant it is, since it'd be a lot of me citing historical examples through the prism of Ninja politics.
Last edited:
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about the assassination, what was it like?
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
Shizue opening up about her mother and her doubts seems weird to me, since this is their first informal conversation, and also because Emiko could be selling information that would lead to Shizue's death. If Emiko actually is the spy (unlikely but this is purely hypothetical), that means she's a handler so skilled at cultivating agents she could gain reliable access to restricted information within a couple of days. Telling someone like that about personal reasons they're disillusioned with the village is practically fishing for an invitation into her spy ring.
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about the assassination, what was it like?
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
Shizue opening up about her mother and her doubts seems weird to me, since this is their first informal conversation, and also because Emiko could be selling information that would lead to Shizue's death. If Emiko actually is the spy (unlikely but this is purely hypothetical), that means she's a handler so skilled at cultivating agents she could gain reliable access to restricted information within a couple of days. Telling someone like that about personal reasons they're disillusioned with the village is practically fishing for an invitation into her spy ring.
Heh, I know that one, though not a history student.
Basically, quantity has a quality of it's own, especially since quality accrues over time as they develop strategies, gain experience and improve practices. They might not be as killy as a high ranked ninja, but there are things that 50 dudes with spears and bows can do that one superhuman badass can't.
ReaperofInterest
Herald of Disaster
Gonna be honest, Yumiko seems like a bit of a jerk, in the 'I'm older/more important than you so I'm always right' way. Though I am curious as to why she hated our mother so much, and why she seems to have it out for us.
The Stormbringer
Worm Fanfic & Crack Connoisseur
- Location
- Spaaaaace~!
[X] Yes
-[X] Two plain looking sixteen year old girls who are girlfriends. Shizue is straight, thus it is an extra layer of disguise!
--[X] Emiko might have to convince her once or twice to make it convincing.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
-[X] Two plain looking sixteen year old girls who are girlfriends. Shizue is straight, thus it is an extra layer of disguise!
--[X] Emiko might have to convince her once or twice to make it convincing.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Can someone make a tally?
lkmcclenahan
That which doesn't kill me, only makes me stranger
- Location
- UK
Vote tally:
##### 3.21
[X] Yes
-[X] Two plain looking sixteen year old girls who are best friends
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Interests? Hobbies? Goals?
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
No. of votes: 1
Kairos123
[X] Yes
-[X] Shizue's infiltration is not as high as Emiko's, so the disguise might be marginally better if it reflects the disparity in their relationship, such as by having Emiko appear at least slightly older than Shizue. Other than that, the typical sort of disguise that Shizue uses when she mingles with the civilians should be fine. However, Emiko pretending to be her mother would be interestingly heart wrenching with the continued possibility of Emiko betraying the village, so let's go with that.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go shopping at the markets (Pick 1, can choose this multiple times)
-[X] Go food shopping, and for appliances, normal things.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
-[X] Her past?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
No. of votes: 1
AllRoadsLeadTo
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about the assassination, what was it like?
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
No. of votes: 5
veekie
wingstrike96
Ct613hulu
Crotalus
Velocirampage
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
No. of votes: 1
Kelirapc
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
No. of votes: 1
Arkatekt
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
No. of votes: 1
Ridiculously Average Guy
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt. Being family they, of course, look like each other.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Write-in
-[X] Go to the markets and check for music instruments. Try them out, maybe Shizue could play something for her?
[X] Ask about the assassination, what was it like?
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Talk about Reef.
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
No. of votes: 1
Bakkasama
[X] Yes
-[X] Two plain looking sixteen year old girls who are girlfriends. Shizue is straight, thus it is an extra layer of disguise!
--[X] Emiko might have to convince her once or twice to make it convincing.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
No. of votes: 1
The Stormbringer
##### 3.21
[X] Yes
-[X] Two plain looking sixteen year old girls who are best friends
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Interests? Hobbies? Goals?
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
No. of votes: 1
Kairos123
[X] Yes
-[X] Shizue's infiltration is not as high as Emiko's, so the disguise might be marginally better if it reflects the disparity in their relationship, such as by having Emiko appear at least slightly older than Shizue. Other than that, the typical sort of disguise that Shizue uses when she mingles with the civilians should be fine. However, Emiko pretending to be her mother would be interestingly heart wrenching with the continued possibility of Emiko betraying the village, so let's go with that.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go shopping at the markets (Pick 1, can choose this multiple times)
-[X] Go food shopping, and for appliances, normal things.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
-[X] Her past?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
No. of votes: 1
AllRoadsLeadTo
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about the assassination, what was it like?
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
No. of votes: 5
veekie
wingstrike96
Ct613hulu
Crotalus
Velocirampage
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
No. of votes: 1
Kelirapc
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
No. of votes: 1
Arkatekt
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
No. of votes: 1
Ridiculously Average Guy
[X] Yes
-[X] A girl two years younger than Shizue and her aunt. Being family they, of course, look like each other.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Write-in
-[X] Go to the markets and check for music instruments. Try them out, maybe Shizue could play something for her?
[X] Ask about the assassination, what was it like?
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Talk about Reef.
[X] Talk about politics, local and otherwise.
No. of votes: 1
Bakkasama
[X] Yes
-[X] Two plain looking sixteen year old girls who are girlfriends. Shizue is straight, thus it is an extra layer of disguise!
--[X] Emiko might have to convince her once or twice to make it convincing.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
No. of votes: 1
The Stormbringer
Oh I am slain!
Wynaut?
- Location
- Tatooine
Darn, just noticed that my half-typed-up reactions were wiped. 
I think at least a few of my thoughts were along the lines of veekie's about:
1.
Also, I totally still feel like Emiko is recruiting, either as her first or second objective. The Hidden Road theory is tempting too.
Ah well, I'll make a vote for the sake of voting anyway. Looks like veekie's wins unless if there are any contradictory results from a tally of sub-options.
[x] Arkatekt
I think at least a few of my thoughts were along the lines of veekie's about:
1.
2.
3.
Also, I totally still feel like Emiko is recruiting, either as her first or second objective. The Hidden Road theory is tempting too.
Ah well, I'll make a vote for the sake of voting anyway. Looks like veekie's wins unless if there are any contradictory results from a tally of sub-options.
[x] Arkatekt
Classic one is a mutual love interest, which our mom won over and she hated forever.
It's why I work on an offline text editor with autosave.Darn, just noticed that my half-typed-up reactions were wiped.
The Stormbringer
Worm Fanfic & Crack Connoisseur
- Location
- Spaaaaace~!
No one commented on my joke about them being girlfriends? I honestly wasn't expecting people to vote on it, I just wanted to make a funny.
Dark Ness
Rises Where Silence Dies
- Location
- The Primordial Soup
[X] Yes
-[X] Two plain looking sixteen year old girls who are girlfriends. Shizue is (probably) straight, thus it is an extra layer of disguise!
--[X] Emiko might have to convince her once or twice to make it convincing.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
-[X] Two plain looking sixteen year old girls who are girlfriends. Shizue is (probably) straight, thus it is an extra layer of disguise!
--[X] Emiko might have to convince her once or twice to make it convincing.
[X] Go to the docks to check out the ships with Emiko.
[X] Show her around the poorer residential areas and alleyways, about how civilians live. The other half. Or, you know, ninety percent.
[X] Go find somewhere to eat.
[X] Try to engage in conversation and find others to join in. Also, listen to civilian gossip.
[X] Ask about herself:
-[X] Her background.
-[X] Interests? Hobbies?
[X] Tell Emiko about herself.
-[X] Her mom.
-[X] Her doubts and current situation.
[X] Ask Emiko for advice on being a Ninja.
[X] What about Earth Jutsu training?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Progress is being made, update should be posted sometime tomorrow. It's currently at 3.8k or so, at the moment.
Oh I am slain!
Wynaut?
- Location
- Tatooine
...I was strongly considering voting for it. But I was afraid that some people would switch to it, allowing the vote to actually win. >_>
The Stormbringer
Worm Fanfic & Crack Connoisseur
- Location
- Spaaaaace~!
Well, I don't thing the people here are quite as, um... easily amused as those in the quest where Taylor kissed Emma and then beat up Sophia.
That was probably an ill advised turn on my part, but in my defense, I thought including that option would be funny and I didn't really expect the majority to go with it. There was a significant minority that wanted to then skip out before the faculty could intervene and get Taylor's side, but that didn't win. It's kind of annoying that it was the single largest number of votes that the quest got at any point so far, though. But if you want to talk about that you can go to that threat or PM or something.
---
As for the girlfriends option, I wouldn't have voted for it at the very least. It doesn't really strike me as adding either more entertainment for the audience or utility for the PC. Well, maybe it would have amused some people.
Emiko being Hidden Road does seem a reasonable theory. It seems like the logical organization for Missing Nin to associate with, given its similarly outlawed nature.
On that note, @The Laurent , how did the peripheral villages form in the first place, since trying to leave one's village makes one a missing nin? Did they just set up shop far enough away that their original village didn't feel like bothering, or did the bigger villages send out or permit some of their ninja to leave and set up new villages? I could see Naruto letting that happen, but where did the ninjas to start Sound in canon come from without drawing flak for being missing nin, or any of the myriad villages that exist here?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Alright, I just woke up, so I'll try to be coherent as I can. There have always been Ninja outside the major village systems. Remember those Naruto filler episodes about the independent ninja clans without a village who got absorbed/exploited by Sound when it showed up in the neighborhood? So there have always existed at least some ninja outside the system without being missing ninja.
There are, of course, Missing-ninja somewhere in the history of most of the new minor villages, excepting some of the satellites, but fewer than you might think. And from that base, the essential fact is that while not everyone has the talent to become a ninja, the world of Naruto is big enough that not even the Great Villages have the resources to individually test all applicants over months for all of their potential skills. In other words, there are a goodly number of potential ninja who remain potential ninja because beyond the standouts, and those most interested "Dad, I wanna become a ninja" there is a diminishing return to searching out ever more borderline or subtle ("Hmm, chakra levels are just barely within what we want, but he seems to have a secretive personality and a knack for codes, even at this young age: let's see how he does in the academy") qualifications. Thus, any new village, once started, can then hyper-focus or more closely target villages in its area.
As a similar note, pretty much everyone who has even the least shred of talent to be a ninja and the desire to be within Konoha itself, rather than its sphere of influences, has a chance to enter the Academy. But as it spreads out further throughout Fire in its recruitment (I'm imagining it being a mission for experienced chunin and maybe Jonin with a specialty in that area), it inevitably loses some of its absolute control and ability to continually check on an applicant. For instance, at five someone might have inadequate chakra reserves but a desire to become a ninja and at least some of the proper mindset. So why not give them some exercises to do and check back in some months?
If they're really dedicated, they'll do the exercises and if they're dedicated and have potential, it'll lead to adequate increases in their chakra reserves. This is something that Konoha can do *in* Konoha, but it couldn't possibly manage across vast distances without having half of its ninja running the program.
So other villages do find the slack, once they've come into being. Independent clans, Missing-Nin, one-off cases and the like all combine with specific recruiting efforts (for instance, Orochimaru had a knack for recruiting within the desperate, the poor, the hopeless, the lost, etc, etc, that can not be underestimated considering his web apparently stretched across the entire world, since there are orphans and castoffs from some pretty varied places) to create the foundation for a new village.
Act 1, Scene 9 (Cont)
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Act 1, Scene 9: Amidst the Village (Cont)
[Commerical break ends.]
"Alright then," Emiko said, in a very different voice. It was a little bit lower, and tinged with a certain exhaustion. Her long face was drawn, her eyes dark, long black hair carefully bound up. She seemed somewhat plump, but in the way that a person would age, and she wore a plain blue kimono with a repeating pattern of leaves, worn and a little faded. "A casual kimono for a nice day out with my niece." Her voice had, besides weariness, a certain controlling nature to it. Not quite motherly, but oddly close.
"My name is Hamano Ayaka," Shizue said to herself. Her voice sounded a little strange, prepubescent, and her form too was even skinnier than before. But she was shorter, at least, average for a ten year old. Her dark hair was free flowing, and in a transformed version, it looked something like her old hair. It was not worth it to keep transformed, but it felt nice to have long hair again. Shizue had made sure that her facial features were completely different than before, smoother, paler, a little bit more pinched. Just a few changes here and there. "My mom is still good friends with yours, and she works doing washing and selling things on the market while her husband plies the sea."
"Indeed. I'm doing somewhat better off, but not that much better, and I often help take care of you," Emiko, or 'Maitake Juri', said. "But it's a fine sacrifice for my Ayaka-chan. We could perhaps flesh out your likes and interests more, but this isn't meant to be a long-term cover. I have my own ideas, dear. Just follow my lead."
"Yes, oba-san," Shizue said. They were just going out and about, and wearing their better clothes rather than the more modern ones after a certain old-fashioned formality. Shizue wasn't that used to wearing a hiyoku, a children's kimono. Children of ninjas tended to imitate the practical and simple garb of the ninja, and compared to times past, there was far less aping of civilian fashions in what kunoichi wore. So Shizue tugged at her colorful kimono, red and bright but with faded patterns of various flowers, adding youthful tones to the whole appearance. All carefully chosen and directed by Emiko.
They slipped out the back, moving for a bit as a ninja would. Quietly, and even with kimono on, quickly. But once they were on the main path, they walked slowly, carefully, yet in other ways carelessly. It was the walk of someone who wasn't expecting to be attacked, and yet also wasn't so confident in their physical prowess, in the sureness of their every sandled step. The average ten year old was clumsy, usually. And she was Ayaka. Her mom had said that getting into a role, understanding a situation, involved being able to see what others saw. And so Shizue found herself skipping a little ahead, turning to look and see what was going on. She knew, of course, but Ayaka would be curious. In fact, maybe that's what separated Ayaka from Shizue- for that degree of separation was how you kept things from bleeding over- her curiosity and openness. So skipping ahead and looking around, it all felt natural.
Just as natural that Emiko, or rather 'Juri', she had to think using the right names, would tsk and call her back and eventually got worried enough that she took Ayaka's hand in her own as they headed down towards the docks. When a Chunin approached, Shizue froze, uncertainly, but Juri pulled her aside, out of the way, as the Chunin arrogantly stomped past, a step splashing water in their way. Not that they noticed or cared. It was easier to create that separation, that distance between civilian and ninja, than it should have been. To some extent it had already existed, and she was using that sensation to guide her own reactions.
It worried Shizue, even as it was an entirely normal reaction for 'Ayaka.' She looked over at Juri, who said, "Look, watch," in a quiet voice. "Pay attention." Everyone else on the street had done the same thing, got out of the way, was standing nervously until the ninja had passed. It was obvious, and Shizue had even known it happened to ninja other than herself, to the higher ranked ones, and yet she'd never noticed it. Had gone out of her way to avoid noticing something like that, by presenting herself as different, by disguising herself as a civilian girl to play with the other kids. Now, facing it, Shizue didn't know what to think at all.
Once they reached the docks, there at least normalcy reigned. Despite the war, most ships that went out came back, and while the war was likely to get harder on Reef over the next few weeks, for the moment there were dozens of ships in dock. Emiko avoided talking directly with the captains, but she looked around until she'd found a shipyard, and then she'd moved in and began asking questions. It was sorta stunning to watch, how smoothly she asked. Maitake Juri was nobody's idea of a beautiful, lovely woman, but there was a certain charm about her, she was very polite, and willing to listen to half-drunk men in their forties boast about their shipbuilding skills and flirt with her out of a sort of habit. The numbers thrown around were considerable. In fact, Shizue couldn't even believe the numbers run past.
To build a boat capable of taking one or two people across the sea was expensive enough, but over time, slowly, Emiko teased out the costs for larger and larger ships. It might have just been Juri, but the woman expressed at one time a desire not to be caught out at sea in a tiny boat. One craft that the shipbuilders had been working on was over sixty feet long, a beauty they were looking at finding a buyer, and they'd let it go for three and a half million ryo. Which was obscene, which was a nightmare, which was...how could anyone have that sort of money to spend on a boat?
Shizue left daunted, but Emiko seemed in a good mood and said, "Come on, Ayaka-chan, we're going to go see about something. Don't run ahead too much." Which was actually an invitation to run ahead for the exact purpose imagined, to show Emiko around, though what there was to show she wasn't so sure.
There were richer parts of the village, and there were even very nice parts of the village (more like small town) which were owned by civilians, but Shizue gravitated towards the poorer regions. Other villages sometimes lacked things like water or electricity, but Reef cared for their own, and all houses had plumbing, as of a decade ago, by mandate.
Kids grew up a little bit wild, but they went to mandated schools, and while the alleys were cramped and narrow, and a little bit filthy, Shizue moved between them with relative ease, though she had to make sure not to get her kimono dirty. People bartered and haggled here, away from the market, and Shizue saw several women who- having been here before- she suspected were prostitutes. The worst parts were towards the scar again, the same area that had been burned down, and the sights and smells became mixed, strange. Delicious food and the smell of refuse, the laughter of gambling dens even into the afternoon, though they were dead compared to night, and the quiet of half abandoned houses.
This was a place of extremes, and Juri looked nervous, and only glad once they began to pass the stately, quaint homes of the working poor. They'd been built at a dozen different times, and while ninjas were self-regimented in their lifestyles, there was often only concern for structures if they were a fire hazard. But on lanes like that, looping back around towards the teahouse and restaurant that Shizue wanted to show Emiko, there was some order, some similarity. People compared each other, and held themselves to certain standards, and so most houses were two stories, shops on the bottom stories, and rooms on the top, with the kitchen in the back of the bottom floor. They bought and sold and scrimped and saved, and down a few more lanes were the merchants, and whipping around, the fishermen, the shoemakers, blacksmiths and other such men and women of labor.
After a rough start with being a tour guide, the village seemed to come alive, and though Ayaka could not say too much, could not verbally be a tour guide, her passion for exploration highlighted at least some of what she loved, even if she couldn't point out details like the way the materials in most houses that could afford it were designed to deal with the sea air, or the slants of the houses to funnel the brutal winter and spring rains, or a thousand other minor things that she only became aware of, really, when she decided to show it to Emiko. Was this how an outsider might view things? Things she'd taken for granted, she now wanted to reveal, and the whole tour took longer than expected, but finally they reached the restaurant.
The Golden Chrysanthemum was one of the best teahouses in the village, and the second best restaurant, the best being one that catered exclusively to ninjas and very rich guests--from listening, Shizue understood that the other restaurant poached the best chefs as soon as they popped up anywhere else, offering wages that were enough to draw anyone away from another establishment. Within its limits, it was known as a place with good sake, lovely decorations, and good conversation. The prices were reasonably affordable if you were merely coming in in the late morning, or just for tea. It was the sort of place someone a little less well off might go to just for the conversation, or as a treat.
"Just a little farther, oba-san," Shizue said as it looked like Juri was flagging, exhausted from all of the walking around.
"I know, Ayaka-chan, you just need to let me rest for a moment. You've dragged me around town, and I want to sit down, maybe have a drink."
"Sure, oba-san," Shizue said, halfway dragging Juri forward towards the entrance. The building was simple enough on the outside, but inside there were dozens of lamps hung for light, and the patterns on the wall were illuminated by their faint light. There was the smell of flowers in the air, and dozens and dozens of booths. Privacy was a byword, and there were screens to protect one conversation from the other. Not that they blocked noise, but sometimes the perception of privacy mattered as much as the reality.
The restaurant was already more full than expected, with groups of men and women arguing, gossiping, and drinking tea. A few were getting drunk on more than that, and plenty of others were eating. It was only going to get busier as it got time for lunch, and Juri stood there, looking nervous and out of place, until a waitress dressed in a long skirt and top, with an apron to keep clean, approached.
"Good morning, ma'am. May I seat you? Today's special is eel, with a side of honey noodles, as well as a wide variety of teas."
"That sounds lovely, Miss…"
"My name is Emi," she said. Not that unusually, neither Emi nor Emiko were particularly rare names, after all.
"Please take care of myself and my niece, Emi-san," Juri said formally, smiling, "I believe we wish to share the eel, and perhaps some…"
"Dumplings!" Ayaka burst in, grinning. She could read the leading question, could guess that she was supposed to chime in.
"Some dumplings to start, and then tea. How about Jasmine for us both, and water for Ayaka-chan if she's not in the mood for tea."
The other woman, who couldn't be older than her late teens, nodded, taking down the orders as she showed them to their booth. They slid in, past the rice-paper partition, and Emiko turned, briefly, "If you don't mind, I mean I know it's a bit early but…"
"Yes?"
Emiko hesitated, bit her lip, and asked, "Could you bring a bottle of sake?"
"Our East Daiginjo?" Emi asked, naming the priciest and highest ticket sort of bottle.
"No, I'd like something served warm, how about the West Honjozo," Emiko said, "If you don't mind?"
"Very well, miss…" Emi said, repeating Emiko's leading words.
"Maitake Juri, and this is my niece, Ayaka," Emiko said.
"The drinks will come out first," she said, and departed.
It was known that the West Honjozo was the most unique of the drinks there, because it was made in the archipelago, whereas Daiginjo could only be shipped in from abroad. How did Emiko know if she'd never been here? Or had it been something she'd heard on the streets. But knowing about the West variation, on the other hand...it made Shizue wonder. How much had Emiko explored on her own.
"Drinking so early, oba-san?" Shizue asked, teasingly, voice quiet so it wouldn't carry.
"You know a place by knowing its waters," Emiko said, in her chiding, mature, Juri voice.
"Well, I suppose that is true," Shizue said, "You know its waters, and people wonder."
"Oh?" Emiko asked, "I don't see what they could wonder about. I'm a very straightforward person. An open book." She said it as if she meant it, and Shizue stared at her for a long moment.
"I mean, everyone is wondering where you came from. And what village you're a missing-nin from and...everyone's wondering everything, really."
"Ah yes, I know, and I was thinking I might clarify a few things, if you're really curious. I mean, what reasons would I have for wanting any privacy?"
"Well, I mean," Shizue said, "I'd like to know more about you, since--"
"No problem at all. It begins--" she paused as the tea came and a large jug and bowl for the sake. They gave polite thanks and Emiko poured herself a bowl of warmed sake and began to sip it, "Ahh, just the right drink for this."
"In a small town in southern Wind Country, there are only two things it is known for. Nishinomote is known for its great sake, which is blended with the slightest hint of a number of local flowers and juices, and for its piety. For it is a town, though buffeted by storms, in which there is a great piety. And in one of the small adobe homes on the west side. The street that ran closest to the local market, where the winds were least fierce, I was born." She took another deep sip.
She described the place in details that were unmistakably real. The sound of the wind against the open windows, the cloth that every boy and girl carried to cover their face, growing up in the small hut, their mother a trader and their father a roamer and a drinker. LIttle details came to life in her mouth, as she described a hard childhood.
Shizue was caught, enraptured, as Emiko continued to drinks slowly but steadily. She kept on waiting for the point when ninja would come in, but even when ninja visited the town, they were, it seemed, a minor presence. Just passing by.
They were interrupted by Emi bringing the food. It looked delicious, and the smells were amazing, the glaze on the eel made it perfect with the rice and the honey noodles, and the dumplings that came out were perfectly cooked. Yet this only launched Emiko into a discussion of diet, of food. Poverty made eating sometimes bland, but on festival days their meals could get very creative, and despite expectations, there was growing done in southern Wind. Even corn, something Shizue had never tasted but could apparently make very interesting noodles as well as flatbreads made of corn maize that often served as the platform for other flavors. These and other such unusual types of starch supplemented the rest of the meal, which tended to lack in meat, and especially lack in the fish which was the staple of any archipelago diet.
The story continued, until just as suddenly it veered off. "And you know, sitting there, miserable, I decided to join the monks in the third temple, Kitano-ji, you know the one I told you I'd hidden in once, a few years prior, during a game? But I wasn't taught much of use. Everyone there was full of hot air, and so I learned wind jutsu, and I was always hiding from having to work, and learned to be stealthy. Everyone was a gossip, so I learned to dish up dirt, and since their religion was, it turned out, false, I used learned to use genjutsu. But when it turned out they were an evil conspiracy, I ran, building a boat with my own two hands and sailing the sea aimed for this place, since surely they'd never look among ninja for a runaway monk. And there is of course the surgical changes I got to my appearance…" she trailed off, smiling.
"Was that all an elaborate way to tell me to mind my business?" Shizue asked, her eyes open wide, stunned by the sudden drift.
"Perhaps a little, Ayaka-chan," Emiko said, taking some eel and noodles with her chopsticks and eating, pausing to chew before saying, "I don't expect you to tell me all about your life either."
"Was any of it true?" Shizue asked, stunned. The level of details had seemed impossible, but was it all made up?"
"Nishinomote is a real town, and everything I said about it in general is true, as are the general events I described. The people as well."
"How long were you there?" Shizue asked, then blushed, "You don't have to tell…"
"About a week, was just stopping there after a mission," Emiko said.
"And you figured out all of that?" Shizue said, "I barely feel like I know Reef half as well, and I've lived here all my life."
"When you pay attention, you notice things. But, it helps to have an outsider's perspective," Emiko said, "To know what's unique and what's not. Sometimes, at least."
"So your parents were nothing like described?" Shizue asked, quietly.
"No," Emiko said, "I've heard something about your--"
"Lies," Shizue whispered, "They lied about her. Whatever they said. She's not a coward. She's not weak. Even as she was sick, even as she was dying, she fought for this village, despite advocating subtlety--"
Shizue felt an arm rest on her shoulder, and Emiko said nothing for a minute before she finally spoke, once Shizue had time to take a breath, "I believe you. I do not blindly believe things claimed in this village. If you wish to talk to me about memories of your mother, you may, and I will take them on faith. You knew her better than her enemies, in the only context that matters."
Shizue began, talking about her cunning and her jutsu, her outgoing nature and the way she and Shizue went out and about the town, laughing, joking, sometimes carrying Shizue on her back to meet the peddlers, who always had a smile and trade news for Sae. Shizue spoke quietly, slowly, like someone laying out a report, a counter-argument, and Emiko chimed in a few times, mostly commenting on some of the things Sae said about being a ninja.
"She sounds as if she was a remarkable woman. And that flute you carried, it's hers?" Emiko asked, for confirmation.
"Yes, I inherited everything from her. My love of music, my flute, my enemies. That's the nature," Shizue said, "Of family."
"You have enemies?" Emiko asked, quietly. She didn't sound shocked or surprised at this revelation, but she seemed to be attentive, to be asking what needed to be asked.
"I am not the most popular person, and while I had a few friends when I was younger, even those drifted away, like Genta--"
"Genta-kun could use a friend," Emiko said, just as quietly, taking another long sip of sake, "He's been stressed lately, and seems even more exhausted than usual. My guess would be that he wasn't sleeping well." He'd certainly seemed a bit out of it last time they spoke, but Shizue had been distracted by other things, certainly.
"Well, I'll try. Do you know what he likes to do? I mean, I could get him a present if I knew what he liked," Shizue said.
"He's really busy, and sometimes the presence of a friend can mean a lot. He likes reading, and studying, but he's doing enough of that lately," Emiko said.
"Well, I like movies, but there's not really a way to show him any, the only public video tape machine is in the academy."
"I saw the poster," Emiko said, "You like Hoshi Numatashi?"
"Yes," Shizue said with a blush, "He's a really good actor and he was...my first crush."
"First crushes, like first sakes, are always significant. You don't need to be embarassed. He's a pretty good actor. Not my type, but that's no matter. I like movies as well, and learning and reading and exploring. And like you, like many good ninja, I like practicing and exploring. Genjutsu and fuinjutsu are both a lot like puppetry. They are arts that benefit from time spent experimenting. What else do you do?"
"Well, I study music, I'm trying to learn as many instruments as possible, and I sometimes transform into a civilian and play with the other civilian kids. I enjoy playing hide and seek, and games that involve working together with others," Shizue said.
"Ah, we're sharing hobbies. Well, I like to keep up with the world. Academics, news, politics. Learning about daimyos and other cultures. If one is a Missing-Nin and has to travel around the world, they should make a virtue of it. The world can be an ugly place, brutal and dangerous, but there is beauty too. And more than that, there are things that are interesting even when they're ugly."
She chuckled. It was a rich laugh that reminded Shizue clearly that this was Juri she was talking to, despite having taken on some of Emiko's speech pattern.
"Travel the world, meet new people, kill them. That's what we always joked the ninja motto was," Emiko said, "Myself and others. Teammates," she admitted, with a shrug, pushing the plate aside and pouring some more sake, "I indeed had teammates at one point, it's no secret to admit it."
"I'm not so sure on the…" Shizue took a breath, "I mean, lately I've been worried. I've finally made friends, but the war's escalating, and there are reasons to be worried for everyone's safety. Wars aren't nice, I know. They're brutal and people die. And I killed someone and…" Shizue took a breath, steadying herself, "I'm not even sure how I'd deal with that fact. I regret it, but the pain isn't deep, it isn't as strong as I expected. There are too many other things to focus on."
"And it makes you feel like a bad person?" Emiko asked, quietly.
"Yeah. I should feel horrible. Killing someone like that should destroy me," Shizue said, "Should tear out my guts. That's the way it's in those books. The first kill."
"Listen, if you want my advice, every person is different. My first kill was entirely by accident, and I didn't even know they were dead until much later," Emiko explained, "You have to understand that your ninja way is your own, and that you need to follow it and see where it goes. I haven't see you fight, but once you get good enough to have a free hand, then things will open up with your puppetry. You'll be able to use genjutsu to hide your puppet, and learning fuinjutsu would be important as well so that you could carry the puppet around with greater ease. Most of all, there are very few ninja arts that do not benefit from surprise and stealth. Any attack is ten times as dangerous if they don't know it's coming. The mind and the eye are the foundations of my own ninja way. You use both and you fool both, and there are very few opponents that can fight back against that."
Shizue nodded, "Is that how you managed to kill all of Tide's Jonin?"
"Managed?" Emiko asked, leaning forward and finishing the Sake. By all accounts she should be drunk, but her voice sounded not even a little bit different or sloppier, as impossible as that seemed. "Let me be honest. It was easy. One of the easier jobs I did, considering I'm being paid millions of ryo. In fact, if not for other factors, I'd say it was the easiest job I've had in the past two or three years. Part of it is simple. A ninja infiltrating a location by stealth is at their best, at least ideally. They've rested, they've planned, they've done everything right. Whereas those they are arrayed against, while they have a home field advantage, do not know that this is the day they've been practising for all this time.
Besides, Tide was unusually unprepared for a quiet entry. Even Reef would have been harder via silent entry thanks to the underwater mines that the Yaramachi have perfected. Often, for the hardest targets, posing as a civilian to get beyond the first layer of defense is far safer, but I slipped in unnoticed, then burrowed silently under the earth, without disturbing anything. They didn't have mines there either. I killed the twins in their bed, the Oyabun was in his bed as well, and only the second in command was up and fighting, and only then for a moment. If you do things right, if you plan well and you have the right skills, it can be quite routine. I never felt in danger for my life, and only briefly did I consider that an alarm might even be raised before I escaped. I don't have a particularly dramatic story to tell, in all honesty. But I think there's something to be learned even in stories that lack immediate drama," Emiko said.
Shizue, who had been listening closely and with more than a little fascination, stunned by the idea that something like that could ever be easy, nodded. "Well, it's a good thing you came along, I mean… killing those Jonin helped the village," she said.
"Probably so, but," Emiko said, then paused as she heard someone shout, and then another person laugh and say something.
"Honestly! You just follow the ninja. Just let them lead the way and then do all the work. I'm going to make twice as much this year as last year, if we can just--"
Emiko pushed aside the screen and stepped out, followed by Shizue. It seemed that the usual table had been set up. Three or four tables pushed together near a set of booths formed the area where all of the merchants and layabouts and young adults and others could get together and talk. Sometimes it was gossip, sometimes about women or books, but often it was about politics. There were sometimes plenty of women at the table, and always at least a few, and so when Juri made her way over there, nobody exactly batted an eye.
But an older man with greying hair who looked to have slowly gone to fat adjusted his kimono and asked, "Hello, have I seen you around here before?"
"Probably not, but it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Maitake Juri, and this is my niece, Ayaka-chan, and we heard all of this shouting and were wondering what it was about," Emiko said primly.
"Oh, just the war," a young man with wild looking hair said, loudly, "Nothing for you ladies to be worried about. We won't be fighting, any of us, and Reef here is safe."
"It does make me worried for my shipments, though," a woman in her sixties said, taking a sip of tea, "Nothing's safe anymore, and more and more attacks are devastating trade. We'll have to cut back soon, and then where will our profit margins be?"
"If," another young man, this one with light brown hair and a far less formal outfit of breeches and a shirt, "If our ninja win--"
"They'll win," another woman, around Juri's age, said. She was drinking sake, as were plenty of the others. Tea wasn't for everyone, and it was after noon by now. "But there will be a cost, there always is with ninja, and then there's Island. And once they control everything...well, we'll see what happens."
Emiko managed to find a seat and she had Shizue sit on her lap as she talked. She kept quiet mostly, sipping her tea and only commenting several times, mostly with rumors she'd heard in the market. Or said she'd heard in the market, including several that were clearly false.
It was remarkable both what the average civilian knew and didn't know. On the one hand Shizue could tell that they didn't understand ninja battles, and that they hadn't had much experience with the council's politics. But they understood that the council had politics, something some ninja would have denied- while knowing it was a silly denial- in favor of the idea of a council that was uniform in its mind and actions. And they understood the human cost of war. Most of them seemed to trust the council, or at least expressed trust, but there was a growing sense of unease.
In rather more concrete numbers than Shizue was used to, the full cost of the war was sketched out. On and on, and here Emiko seemed surprisingly knowledgeable, talking about a lack of supplies for her own work. That was one area that Shizue had understood somewhat, but seeing it laid out, she began to understand that there were shortages just below the surface. Civilization was always a few meals from severe problems, and rationing would have to begin soon.
In fact, unofficially, rationing existed for most products since ninja got the first swipe at supplies, and officially steel and other critical materials were constantly rationed and restricted. Apparently the waitresses here were supposed to keep an eye out for anyone smuggling utensils, since many households had nothing more than the traditional chopsticks, rather than the more modern forks and other implements.
The conversation got heated a few times, but things were churning along nicely when the door slammed open and in walked several unexpected figures.
Leading up the party was Yumiko. She looked as she had when Shizue had seen her last. She wore long dark pants, and a short-sleeved shirt with pockets all over for weapons, as well as her belt. Her strong arms were exposed, and her clothes were somewhat tight, perhaps to show off her form, though not so tight as to be a problem. She fought with earth chakra flow and tainjutsu, and was thought quite formidable. Her boots stomped as she entered, arms stretched beyond her back. Her eyes were bright green and inquisitive, and her hair was in a single ponytail.
Behind her were Takudo Ieyoshi and Inoguchi Nami. Ieyoshi had a katana at his side and wore armor even indoors. He was a big guy, large bones and the sort who probably would have been fat if he hadn't worked out as much as he did. His armor rattled with his every step, and the helmet he carried under his shoulder had, it was rumored, been taken from the corpse of a ronin who had journeyed to the archipelago upon some fools' errand. His face was hard, lean, with a large nose and flinty eyes.
Nami had dark eyes, and her skin was darker than average, tanned a bit, perhaps, but also naturally a little less pale. Her long dark hair reminded Shizue for a second of her mother, and she certainly was beautiful. It was said that her grandmother had come from Suna, or perhaps Iwa, long ago. Back when there was a Shimakage. Either way, her cheekbones, her eyes, her skin color all marked her as subtly different, but when combined with her slender frame and smooth skin, it made that difference into an asset. And while her dress was mostly typical, she didn't have to wear the fishnets that she did, drawing attention to her legs. Mostly, though, even that was probably jealousy, Shizue would be forced to admit. Her signature weapon, a kusari-fundo, was coiled at her hip, hanging from a loop, and aside from the use of fishnets, it was in most other ways a normal uniform.
And finally, a Chunin brought up the rear. Reddish brown hair and brown eyes, a typical outfit for Chunin, but Shizue recognized him. He was one of the healer apprentices, the Chunin who were following Momoka's lead and hoping to succeed her to her place when the time came. His name was...what was it? Kurata Shigeru. They stormed in towards the back, Yumiko calling out, "Bring sake, girl! We'll need it!" Near the back there was a room that one could use for large parties, such as birthdays, and the foursome headed right for it, sweeping past Emi and all of the civilians, sparing them not even a glance.
Then the door opened, was briefly in that state, and then was slammed again, leaving the room quiet, startled. Taken aback.
Shizue, on the other hand, was thinking, even as the others at the table looked around, nervous, as if they had been caught spreading sedition. An apprentice of Momoka, Ieyoshi who was most associated with himself, but with Ken secondarily, and people like Yumiko and Nami meeting, when neither were friends? It had the feeling of a cross-section, of people with very different opinions, and they hadn't been laughing or joking when they entered. And why would they come here rather than somewhere else? The only explanation was simple when she thought about it.
They didn't want to be overheard by their fellow ninja. But why? There were many reasons, some of them relatively innocent, plenty of them far less so. Shizue thought fast, and came to a decision.
[Another Commercial Break]
What does Shizue do?
[] Suggest to Emiko quietly that they leave. The conversation might die and being caught in their transformed forms, if any of the ninja can sense that sort of thing, could be problematic. They can talk more somewhere else.
[] Stay and try to continue the conversation with the civilians, maybe there's something that can be learned, maybe even rumors about the ninja, if anyone is brave enough to speak them.
[] Stay, and ask Emiko to cover you sneaking to listen at the door to the ninja. Use genjutsu to hide Shizue's movement from the map, or even aid her in her stealth and sneaking. What if they're saying something important related to, well, the elephant in the room?
[] Write-in
******
A/N: And, the adventure continues. We're going to be forced to finally confront an issue we'd been avoiding before. Money. So first, don't go looking up modern boat prices and saying 'hey, that should totally be X instead of Y because most of what we're doing is guessing and checking based on a variety of factors. There is, however, an actual exchange in Naruto's time for the value of ryou, and because we don't want to look at how inflation might have changed in one hundred years, we're sticking to it.
This is that 10 ryo equals around $1. So Emiko is being paid several hundred thousand dollars for her short, simple mission. Albeit a dangerous one, and she happened to have a rare commodity in the archipelago, allowing her to charge whatever the hell she wanted within reason, since who else could have the same skills to do what she did? Thus, 3.5 million ryo is roughly $350,000 dollars. Which is still a lot of money for the average person to scrounge up, as you might guess. Though, don't take everything in that blog post as exact canon.
Speaking of exact canon, me and my co-QM also talked about food and crops, and what grows where. So yeah, Naruto-verse has corn. Go figure.
I'm opening questions again if anyone wants to ask about the world/currency/economics now that it's been raised.
The death counter remains unchanged...so far! Dun dun dun!
[Commerical break ends.]
"Alright then," Emiko said, in a very different voice. It was a little bit lower, and tinged with a certain exhaustion. Her long face was drawn, her eyes dark, long black hair carefully bound up. She seemed somewhat plump, but in the way that a person would age, and she wore a plain blue kimono with a repeating pattern of leaves, worn and a little faded. "A casual kimono for a nice day out with my niece." Her voice had, besides weariness, a certain controlling nature to it. Not quite motherly, but oddly close.
"My name is Hamano Ayaka," Shizue said to herself. Her voice sounded a little strange, prepubescent, and her form too was even skinnier than before. But she was shorter, at least, average for a ten year old. Her dark hair was free flowing, and in a transformed version, it looked something like her old hair. It was not worth it to keep transformed, but it felt nice to have long hair again. Shizue had made sure that her facial features were completely different than before, smoother, paler, a little bit more pinched. Just a few changes here and there. "My mom is still good friends with yours, and she works doing washing and selling things on the market while her husband plies the sea."
"Indeed. I'm doing somewhat better off, but not that much better, and I often help take care of you," Emiko, or 'Maitake Juri', said. "But it's a fine sacrifice for my Ayaka-chan. We could perhaps flesh out your likes and interests more, but this isn't meant to be a long-term cover. I have my own ideas, dear. Just follow my lead."
"Yes, oba-san," Shizue said. They were just going out and about, and wearing their better clothes rather than the more modern ones after a certain old-fashioned formality. Shizue wasn't that used to wearing a hiyoku, a children's kimono. Children of ninjas tended to imitate the practical and simple garb of the ninja, and compared to times past, there was far less aping of civilian fashions in what kunoichi wore. So Shizue tugged at her colorful kimono, red and bright but with faded patterns of various flowers, adding youthful tones to the whole appearance. All carefully chosen and directed by Emiko.
They slipped out the back, moving for a bit as a ninja would. Quietly, and even with kimono on, quickly. But once they were on the main path, they walked slowly, carefully, yet in other ways carelessly. It was the walk of someone who wasn't expecting to be attacked, and yet also wasn't so confident in their physical prowess, in the sureness of their every sandled step. The average ten year old was clumsy, usually. And she was Ayaka. Her mom had said that getting into a role, understanding a situation, involved being able to see what others saw. And so Shizue found herself skipping a little ahead, turning to look and see what was going on. She knew, of course, but Ayaka would be curious. In fact, maybe that's what separated Ayaka from Shizue- for that degree of separation was how you kept things from bleeding over- her curiosity and openness. So skipping ahead and looking around, it all felt natural.
Just as natural that Emiko, or rather 'Juri', she had to think using the right names, would tsk and call her back and eventually got worried enough that she took Ayaka's hand in her own as they headed down towards the docks. When a Chunin approached, Shizue froze, uncertainly, but Juri pulled her aside, out of the way, as the Chunin arrogantly stomped past, a step splashing water in their way. Not that they noticed or cared. It was easier to create that separation, that distance between civilian and ninja, than it should have been. To some extent it had already existed, and she was using that sensation to guide her own reactions.
It worried Shizue, even as it was an entirely normal reaction for 'Ayaka.' She looked over at Juri, who said, "Look, watch," in a quiet voice. "Pay attention." Everyone else on the street had done the same thing, got out of the way, was standing nervously until the ninja had passed. It was obvious, and Shizue had even known it happened to ninja other than herself, to the higher ranked ones, and yet she'd never noticed it. Had gone out of her way to avoid noticing something like that, by presenting herself as different, by disguising herself as a civilian girl to play with the other kids. Now, facing it, Shizue didn't know what to think at all.
Once they reached the docks, there at least normalcy reigned. Despite the war, most ships that went out came back, and while the war was likely to get harder on Reef over the next few weeks, for the moment there were dozens of ships in dock. Emiko avoided talking directly with the captains, but she looked around until she'd found a shipyard, and then she'd moved in and began asking questions. It was sorta stunning to watch, how smoothly she asked. Maitake Juri was nobody's idea of a beautiful, lovely woman, but there was a certain charm about her, she was very polite, and willing to listen to half-drunk men in their forties boast about their shipbuilding skills and flirt with her out of a sort of habit. The numbers thrown around were considerable. In fact, Shizue couldn't even believe the numbers run past.
To build a boat capable of taking one or two people across the sea was expensive enough, but over time, slowly, Emiko teased out the costs for larger and larger ships. It might have just been Juri, but the woman expressed at one time a desire not to be caught out at sea in a tiny boat. One craft that the shipbuilders had been working on was over sixty feet long, a beauty they were looking at finding a buyer, and they'd let it go for three and a half million ryo. Which was obscene, which was a nightmare, which was...how could anyone have that sort of money to spend on a boat?
Shizue left daunted, but Emiko seemed in a good mood and said, "Come on, Ayaka-chan, we're going to go see about something. Don't run ahead too much." Which was actually an invitation to run ahead for the exact purpose imagined, to show Emiko around, though what there was to show she wasn't so sure.
There were richer parts of the village, and there were even very nice parts of the village (more like small town) which were owned by civilians, but Shizue gravitated towards the poorer regions. Other villages sometimes lacked things like water or electricity, but Reef cared for their own, and all houses had plumbing, as of a decade ago, by mandate.
Kids grew up a little bit wild, but they went to mandated schools, and while the alleys were cramped and narrow, and a little bit filthy, Shizue moved between them with relative ease, though she had to make sure not to get her kimono dirty. People bartered and haggled here, away from the market, and Shizue saw several women who- having been here before- she suspected were prostitutes. The worst parts were towards the scar again, the same area that had been burned down, and the sights and smells became mixed, strange. Delicious food and the smell of refuse, the laughter of gambling dens even into the afternoon, though they were dead compared to night, and the quiet of half abandoned houses.
This was a place of extremes, and Juri looked nervous, and only glad once they began to pass the stately, quaint homes of the working poor. They'd been built at a dozen different times, and while ninjas were self-regimented in their lifestyles, there was often only concern for structures if they were a fire hazard. But on lanes like that, looping back around towards the teahouse and restaurant that Shizue wanted to show Emiko, there was some order, some similarity. People compared each other, and held themselves to certain standards, and so most houses were two stories, shops on the bottom stories, and rooms on the top, with the kitchen in the back of the bottom floor. They bought and sold and scrimped and saved, and down a few more lanes were the merchants, and whipping around, the fishermen, the shoemakers, blacksmiths and other such men and women of labor.
After a rough start with being a tour guide, the village seemed to come alive, and though Ayaka could not say too much, could not verbally be a tour guide, her passion for exploration highlighted at least some of what she loved, even if she couldn't point out details like the way the materials in most houses that could afford it were designed to deal with the sea air, or the slants of the houses to funnel the brutal winter and spring rains, or a thousand other minor things that she only became aware of, really, when she decided to show it to Emiko. Was this how an outsider might view things? Things she'd taken for granted, she now wanted to reveal, and the whole tour took longer than expected, but finally they reached the restaurant.
The Golden Chrysanthemum was one of the best teahouses in the village, and the second best restaurant, the best being one that catered exclusively to ninjas and very rich guests--from listening, Shizue understood that the other restaurant poached the best chefs as soon as they popped up anywhere else, offering wages that were enough to draw anyone away from another establishment. Within its limits, it was known as a place with good sake, lovely decorations, and good conversation. The prices were reasonably affordable if you were merely coming in in the late morning, or just for tea. It was the sort of place someone a little less well off might go to just for the conversation, or as a treat.
"Just a little farther, oba-san," Shizue said as it looked like Juri was flagging, exhausted from all of the walking around.
"I know, Ayaka-chan, you just need to let me rest for a moment. You've dragged me around town, and I want to sit down, maybe have a drink."
"Sure, oba-san," Shizue said, halfway dragging Juri forward towards the entrance. The building was simple enough on the outside, but inside there were dozens of lamps hung for light, and the patterns on the wall were illuminated by their faint light. There was the smell of flowers in the air, and dozens and dozens of booths. Privacy was a byword, and there were screens to protect one conversation from the other. Not that they blocked noise, but sometimes the perception of privacy mattered as much as the reality.
The restaurant was already more full than expected, with groups of men and women arguing, gossiping, and drinking tea. A few were getting drunk on more than that, and plenty of others were eating. It was only going to get busier as it got time for lunch, and Juri stood there, looking nervous and out of place, until a waitress dressed in a long skirt and top, with an apron to keep clean, approached.
"Good morning, ma'am. May I seat you? Today's special is eel, with a side of honey noodles, as well as a wide variety of teas."
"That sounds lovely, Miss…"
"My name is Emi," she said. Not that unusually, neither Emi nor Emiko were particularly rare names, after all.
"Please take care of myself and my niece, Emi-san," Juri said formally, smiling, "I believe we wish to share the eel, and perhaps some…"
"Dumplings!" Ayaka burst in, grinning. She could read the leading question, could guess that she was supposed to chime in.
"Some dumplings to start, and then tea. How about Jasmine for us both, and water for Ayaka-chan if she's not in the mood for tea."
The other woman, who couldn't be older than her late teens, nodded, taking down the orders as she showed them to their booth. They slid in, past the rice-paper partition, and Emiko turned, briefly, "If you don't mind, I mean I know it's a bit early but…"
"Yes?"
Emiko hesitated, bit her lip, and asked, "Could you bring a bottle of sake?"
"Our East Daiginjo?" Emi asked, naming the priciest and highest ticket sort of bottle.
"No, I'd like something served warm, how about the West Honjozo," Emiko said, "If you don't mind?"
"Very well, miss…" Emi said, repeating Emiko's leading words.
"Maitake Juri, and this is my niece, Ayaka," Emiko said.
"The drinks will come out first," she said, and departed.
It was known that the West Honjozo was the most unique of the drinks there, because it was made in the archipelago, whereas Daiginjo could only be shipped in from abroad. How did Emiko know if she'd never been here? Or had it been something she'd heard on the streets. But knowing about the West variation, on the other hand...it made Shizue wonder. How much had Emiko explored on her own.
"Drinking so early, oba-san?" Shizue asked, teasingly, voice quiet so it wouldn't carry.
"You know a place by knowing its waters," Emiko said, in her chiding, mature, Juri voice.
"Well, I suppose that is true," Shizue said, "You know its waters, and people wonder."
"Oh?" Emiko asked, "I don't see what they could wonder about. I'm a very straightforward person. An open book." She said it as if she meant it, and Shizue stared at her for a long moment.
"I mean, everyone is wondering where you came from. And what village you're a missing-nin from and...everyone's wondering everything, really."
"Ah yes, I know, and I was thinking I might clarify a few things, if you're really curious. I mean, what reasons would I have for wanting any privacy?"
"Well, I mean," Shizue said, "I'd like to know more about you, since--"
"No problem at all. It begins--" she paused as the tea came and a large jug and bowl for the sake. They gave polite thanks and Emiko poured herself a bowl of warmed sake and began to sip it, "Ahh, just the right drink for this."
"In a small town in southern Wind Country, there are only two things it is known for. Nishinomote is known for its great sake, which is blended with the slightest hint of a number of local flowers and juices, and for its piety. For it is a town, though buffeted by storms, in which there is a great piety. And in one of the small adobe homes on the west side. The street that ran closest to the local market, where the winds were least fierce, I was born." She took another deep sip.
She described the place in details that were unmistakably real. The sound of the wind against the open windows, the cloth that every boy and girl carried to cover their face, growing up in the small hut, their mother a trader and their father a roamer and a drinker. LIttle details came to life in her mouth, as she described a hard childhood.
Shizue was caught, enraptured, as Emiko continued to drinks slowly but steadily. She kept on waiting for the point when ninja would come in, but even when ninja visited the town, they were, it seemed, a minor presence. Just passing by.
They were interrupted by Emi bringing the food. It looked delicious, and the smells were amazing, the glaze on the eel made it perfect with the rice and the honey noodles, and the dumplings that came out were perfectly cooked. Yet this only launched Emiko into a discussion of diet, of food. Poverty made eating sometimes bland, but on festival days their meals could get very creative, and despite expectations, there was growing done in southern Wind. Even corn, something Shizue had never tasted but could apparently make very interesting noodles as well as flatbreads made of corn maize that often served as the platform for other flavors. These and other such unusual types of starch supplemented the rest of the meal, which tended to lack in meat, and especially lack in the fish which was the staple of any archipelago diet.
The story continued, until just as suddenly it veered off. "And you know, sitting there, miserable, I decided to join the monks in the third temple, Kitano-ji, you know the one I told you I'd hidden in once, a few years prior, during a game? But I wasn't taught much of use. Everyone there was full of hot air, and so I learned wind jutsu, and I was always hiding from having to work, and learned to be stealthy. Everyone was a gossip, so I learned to dish up dirt, and since their religion was, it turned out, false, I used learned to use genjutsu. But when it turned out they were an evil conspiracy, I ran, building a boat with my own two hands and sailing the sea aimed for this place, since surely they'd never look among ninja for a runaway monk. And there is of course the surgical changes I got to my appearance…" she trailed off, smiling.
"Was that all an elaborate way to tell me to mind my business?" Shizue asked, her eyes open wide, stunned by the sudden drift.
"Perhaps a little, Ayaka-chan," Emiko said, taking some eel and noodles with her chopsticks and eating, pausing to chew before saying, "I don't expect you to tell me all about your life either."
"Was any of it true?" Shizue asked, stunned. The level of details had seemed impossible, but was it all made up?"
"Nishinomote is a real town, and everything I said about it in general is true, as are the general events I described. The people as well."
"How long were you there?" Shizue asked, then blushed, "You don't have to tell…"
"About a week, was just stopping there after a mission," Emiko said.
"And you figured out all of that?" Shizue said, "I barely feel like I know Reef half as well, and I've lived here all my life."
"When you pay attention, you notice things. But, it helps to have an outsider's perspective," Emiko said, "To know what's unique and what's not. Sometimes, at least."
"So your parents were nothing like described?" Shizue asked, quietly.
"No," Emiko said, "I've heard something about your--"
"Lies," Shizue whispered, "They lied about her. Whatever they said. She's not a coward. She's not weak. Even as she was sick, even as she was dying, she fought for this village, despite advocating subtlety--"
Shizue felt an arm rest on her shoulder, and Emiko said nothing for a minute before she finally spoke, once Shizue had time to take a breath, "I believe you. I do not blindly believe things claimed in this village. If you wish to talk to me about memories of your mother, you may, and I will take them on faith. You knew her better than her enemies, in the only context that matters."
Shizue began, talking about her cunning and her jutsu, her outgoing nature and the way she and Shizue went out and about the town, laughing, joking, sometimes carrying Shizue on her back to meet the peddlers, who always had a smile and trade news for Sae. Shizue spoke quietly, slowly, like someone laying out a report, a counter-argument, and Emiko chimed in a few times, mostly commenting on some of the things Sae said about being a ninja.
"She sounds as if she was a remarkable woman. And that flute you carried, it's hers?" Emiko asked, for confirmation.
"Yes, I inherited everything from her. My love of music, my flute, my enemies. That's the nature," Shizue said, "Of family."
"You have enemies?" Emiko asked, quietly. She didn't sound shocked or surprised at this revelation, but she seemed to be attentive, to be asking what needed to be asked.
"I am not the most popular person, and while I had a few friends when I was younger, even those drifted away, like Genta--"
"Genta-kun could use a friend," Emiko said, just as quietly, taking another long sip of sake, "He's been stressed lately, and seems even more exhausted than usual. My guess would be that he wasn't sleeping well." He'd certainly seemed a bit out of it last time they spoke, but Shizue had been distracted by other things, certainly.
"Well, I'll try. Do you know what he likes to do? I mean, I could get him a present if I knew what he liked," Shizue said.
"He's really busy, and sometimes the presence of a friend can mean a lot. He likes reading, and studying, but he's doing enough of that lately," Emiko said.
"Well, I like movies, but there's not really a way to show him any, the only public video tape machine is in the academy."
"I saw the poster," Emiko said, "You like Hoshi Numatashi?"
"Yes," Shizue said with a blush, "He's a really good actor and he was...my first crush."
"First crushes, like first sakes, are always significant. You don't need to be embarassed. He's a pretty good actor. Not my type, but that's no matter. I like movies as well, and learning and reading and exploring. And like you, like many good ninja, I like practicing and exploring. Genjutsu and fuinjutsu are both a lot like puppetry. They are arts that benefit from time spent experimenting. What else do you do?"
"Well, I study music, I'm trying to learn as many instruments as possible, and I sometimes transform into a civilian and play with the other civilian kids. I enjoy playing hide and seek, and games that involve working together with others," Shizue said.
"Ah, we're sharing hobbies. Well, I like to keep up with the world. Academics, news, politics. Learning about daimyos and other cultures. If one is a Missing-Nin and has to travel around the world, they should make a virtue of it. The world can be an ugly place, brutal and dangerous, but there is beauty too. And more than that, there are things that are interesting even when they're ugly."
She chuckled. It was a rich laugh that reminded Shizue clearly that this was Juri she was talking to, despite having taken on some of Emiko's speech pattern.
"Travel the world, meet new people, kill them. That's what we always joked the ninja motto was," Emiko said, "Myself and others. Teammates," she admitted, with a shrug, pushing the plate aside and pouring some more sake, "I indeed had teammates at one point, it's no secret to admit it."
"I'm not so sure on the…" Shizue took a breath, "I mean, lately I've been worried. I've finally made friends, but the war's escalating, and there are reasons to be worried for everyone's safety. Wars aren't nice, I know. They're brutal and people die. And I killed someone and…" Shizue took a breath, steadying herself, "I'm not even sure how I'd deal with that fact. I regret it, but the pain isn't deep, it isn't as strong as I expected. There are too many other things to focus on."
"And it makes you feel like a bad person?" Emiko asked, quietly.
"Yeah. I should feel horrible. Killing someone like that should destroy me," Shizue said, "Should tear out my guts. That's the way it's in those books. The first kill."
"Listen, if you want my advice, every person is different. My first kill was entirely by accident, and I didn't even know they were dead until much later," Emiko explained, "You have to understand that your ninja way is your own, and that you need to follow it and see where it goes. I haven't see you fight, but once you get good enough to have a free hand, then things will open up with your puppetry. You'll be able to use genjutsu to hide your puppet, and learning fuinjutsu would be important as well so that you could carry the puppet around with greater ease. Most of all, there are very few ninja arts that do not benefit from surprise and stealth. Any attack is ten times as dangerous if they don't know it's coming. The mind and the eye are the foundations of my own ninja way. You use both and you fool both, and there are very few opponents that can fight back against that."
Shizue nodded, "Is that how you managed to kill all of Tide's Jonin?"
"Managed?" Emiko asked, leaning forward and finishing the Sake. By all accounts she should be drunk, but her voice sounded not even a little bit different or sloppier, as impossible as that seemed. "Let me be honest. It was easy. One of the easier jobs I did, considering I'm being paid millions of ryo. In fact, if not for other factors, I'd say it was the easiest job I've had in the past two or three years. Part of it is simple. A ninja infiltrating a location by stealth is at their best, at least ideally. They've rested, they've planned, they've done everything right. Whereas those they are arrayed against, while they have a home field advantage, do not know that this is the day they've been practising for all this time.
Besides, Tide was unusually unprepared for a quiet entry. Even Reef would have been harder via silent entry thanks to the underwater mines that the Yaramachi have perfected. Often, for the hardest targets, posing as a civilian to get beyond the first layer of defense is far safer, but I slipped in unnoticed, then burrowed silently under the earth, without disturbing anything. They didn't have mines there either. I killed the twins in their bed, the Oyabun was in his bed as well, and only the second in command was up and fighting, and only then for a moment. If you do things right, if you plan well and you have the right skills, it can be quite routine. I never felt in danger for my life, and only briefly did I consider that an alarm might even be raised before I escaped. I don't have a particularly dramatic story to tell, in all honesty. But I think there's something to be learned even in stories that lack immediate drama," Emiko said.
Shizue, who had been listening closely and with more than a little fascination, stunned by the idea that something like that could ever be easy, nodded. "Well, it's a good thing you came along, I mean… killing those Jonin helped the village," she said.
"Probably so, but," Emiko said, then paused as she heard someone shout, and then another person laugh and say something.
"Honestly! You just follow the ninja. Just let them lead the way and then do all the work. I'm going to make twice as much this year as last year, if we can just--"
Emiko pushed aside the screen and stepped out, followed by Shizue. It seemed that the usual table had been set up. Three or four tables pushed together near a set of booths formed the area where all of the merchants and layabouts and young adults and others could get together and talk. Sometimes it was gossip, sometimes about women or books, but often it was about politics. There were sometimes plenty of women at the table, and always at least a few, and so when Juri made her way over there, nobody exactly batted an eye.
But an older man with greying hair who looked to have slowly gone to fat adjusted his kimono and asked, "Hello, have I seen you around here before?"
"Probably not, but it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Maitake Juri, and this is my niece, Ayaka-chan, and we heard all of this shouting and were wondering what it was about," Emiko said primly.
"Oh, just the war," a young man with wild looking hair said, loudly, "Nothing for you ladies to be worried about. We won't be fighting, any of us, and Reef here is safe."
"It does make me worried for my shipments, though," a woman in her sixties said, taking a sip of tea, "Nothing's safe anymore, and more and more attacks are devastating trade. We'll have to cut back soon, and then where will our profit margins be?"
"If," another young man, this one with light brown hair and a far less formal outfit of breeches and a shirt, "If our ninja win--"
"They'll win," another woman, around Juri's age, said. She was drinking sake, as were plenty of the others. Tea wasn't for everyone, and it was after noon by now. "But there will be a cost, there always is with ninja, and then there's Island. And once they control everything...well, we'll see what happens."
Emiko managed to find a seat and she had Shizue sit on her lap as she talked. She kept quiet mostly, sipping her tea and only commenting several times, mostly with rumors she'd heard in the market. Or said she'd heard in the market, including several that were clearly false.
It was remarkable both what the average civilian knew and didn't know. On the one hand Shizue could tell that they didn't understand ninja battles, and that they hadn't had much experience with the council's politics. But they understood that the council had politics, something some ninja would have denied- while knowing it was a silly denial- in favor of the idea of a council that was uniform in its mind and actions. And they understood the human cost of war. Most of them seemed to trust the council, or at least expressed trust, but there was a growing sense of unease.
In rather more concrete numbers than Shizue was used to, the full cost of the war was sketched out. On and on, and here Emiko seemed surprisingly knowledgeable, talking about a lack of supplies for her own work. That was one area that Shizue had understood somewhat, but seeing it laid out, she began to understand that there were shortages just below the surface. Civilization was always a few meals from severe problems, and rationing would have to begin soon.
In fact, unofficially, rationing existed for most products since ninja got the first swipe at supplies, and officially steel and other critical materials were constantly rationed and restricted. Apparently the waitresses here were supposed to keep an eye out for anyone smuggling utensils, since many households had nothing more than the traditional chopsticks, rather than the more modern forks and other implements.
The conversation got heated a few times, but things were churning along nicely when the door slammed open and in walked several unexpected figures.
Leading up the party was Yumiko. She looked as she had when Shizue had seen her last. She wore long dark pants, and a short-sleeved shirt with pockets all over for weapons, as well as her belt. Her strong arms were exposed, and her clothes were somewhat tight, perhaps to show off her form, though not so tight as to be a problem. She fought with earth chakra flow and tainjutsu, and was thought quite formidable. Her boots stomped as she entered, arms stretched beyond her back. Her eyes were bright green and inquisitive, and her hair was in a single ponytail.
Behind her were Takudo Ieyoshi and Inoguchi Nami. Ieyoshi had a katana at his side and wore armor even indoors. He was a big guy, large bones and the sort who probably would have been fat if he hadn't worked out as much as he did. His armor rattled with his every step, and the helmet he carried under his shoulder had, it was rumored, been taken from the corpse of a ronin who had journeyed to the archipelago upon some fools' errand. His face was hard, lean, with a large nose and flinty eyes.
Nami had dark eyes, and her skin was darker than average, tanned a bit, perhaps, but also naturally a little less pale. Her long dark hair reminded Shizue for a second of her mother, and she certainly was beautiful. It was said that her grandmother had come from Suna, or perhaps Iwa, long ago. Back when there was a Shimakage. Either way, her cheekbones, her eyes, her skin color all marked her as subtly different, but when combined with her slender frame and smooth skin, it made that difference into an asset. And while her dress was mostly typical, she didn't have to wear the fishnets that she did, drawing attention to her legs. Mostly, though, even that was probably jealousy, Shizue would be forced to admit. Her signature weapon, a kusari-fundo, was coiled at her hip, hanging from a loop, and aside from the use of fishnets, it was in most other ways a normal uniform.
And finally, a Chunin brought up the rear. Reddish brown hair and brown eyes, a typical outfit for Chunin, but Shizue recognized him. He was one of the healer apprentices, the Chunin who were following Momoka's lead and hoping to succeed her to her place when the time came. His name was...what was it? Kurata Shigeru. They stormed in towards the back, Yumiko calling out, "Bring sake, girl! We'll need it!" Near the back there was a room that one could use for large parties, such as birthdays, and the foursome headed right for it, sweeping past Emi and all of the civilians, sparing them not even a glance.
Then the door opened, was briefly in that state, and then was slammed again, leaving the room quiet, startled. Taken aback.
Shizue, on the other hand, was thinking, even as the others at the table looked around, nervous, as if they had been caught spreading sedition. An apprentice of Momoka, Ieyoshi who was most associated with himself, but with Ken secondarily, and people like Yumiko and Nami meeting, when neither were friends? It had the feeling of a cross-section, of people with very different opinions, and they hadn't been laughing or joking when they entered. And why would they come here rather than somewhere else? The only explanation was simple when she thought about it.
They didn't want to be overheard by their fellow ninja. But why? There were many reasons, some of them relatively innocent, plenty of them far less so. Shizue thought fast, and came to a decision.
[Another Commercial Break]
What does Shizue do?
[] Suggest to Emiko quietly that they leave. The conversation might die and being caught in their transformed forms, if any of the ninja can sense that sort of thing, could be problematic. They can talk more somewhere else.
[] Stay and try to continue the conversation with the civilians, maybe there's something that can be learned, maybe even rumors about the ninja, if anyone is brave enough to speak them.
[] Stay, and ask Emiko to cover you sneaking to listen at the door to the ninja. Use genjutsu to hide Shizue's movement from the map, or even aid her in her stealth and sneaking. What if they're saying something important related to, well, the elephant in the room?
[] Write-in
******
A/N: And, the adventure continues. We're going to be forced to finally confront an issue we'd been avoiding before. Money. So first, don't go looking up modern boat prices and saying 'hey, that should totally be X instead of Y because most of what we're doing is guessing and checking based on a variety of factors. There is, however, an actual exchange in Naruto's time for the value of ryou, and because we don't want to look at how inflation might have changed in one hundred years, we're sticking to it.
This is that 10 ryo equals around $1. So Emiko is being paid several hundred thousand dollars for her short, simple mission. Albeit a dangerous one, and she happened to have a rare commodity in the archipelago, allowing her to charge whatever the hell she wanted within reason, since who else could have the same skills to do what she did? Thus, 3.5 million ryo is roughly $350,000 dollars. Which is still a lot of money for the average person to scrounge up, as you might guess. Though, don't take everything in that blog post as exact canon.
Speaking of exact canon, me and my co-QM also talked about food and crops, and what grows where. So yeah, Naruto-verse has corn. Go figure.
I'm opening questions again if anyone wants to ask about the world/currency/economics now that it's been raised.
The death counter remains unchanged...so far! Dun dun dun!
Dark Ness
Rises Where Silence Dies
- Location
- The Primordial Soup
[X] Stay, and ask Emiko tocover you sneaking to listen at the door to the ninja. Use genjutsu to hide Shizue's movement from the map, oreven aid her in her stealthand sneaking. What if they're saying something importantrelated to, well, the elephant in the room?
Okay, thanks for the information.
She's starting to notice how things work in Reef, and (more) or how it's not an ideal place.
This sounds like something that many in Hidden Road would say, but it could really be any other ninjas as well.
Also, her making up a story shows that she's very good at pretending to be someone else, even in her alleged name should have been a hint to Shizue that Emiko was lying.
'Other factors?' That sound like this whole job for her is more complicated than she's letting on, unless one of her earlier jobs is biting her in the back.
We already knew she's very skilled, but if she's telling the truth, she vastly prefers stealth to the direct approach, which is sensible.
This sounds like a plot hook, and just generally suspicious behavior. Maybe they know something about the leak? Either as part of a conspiracy for it, or against it. Or it could be totally unrelated, but it seems unlikely that it would be considering that if a Genin can figure out what's happening, Special Jounin should be able to as well.
What does Shizue do?
[] Suggest to Emiko quietly that they leave. The conversation might die and being caught in their transformed forms, if any of the ninja can sense that sort of thing, could be problematic. They can talk more somewhere else.
[] Stay and try to continue the conversation with the civilians, maybe there's something that can be learned, maybe even rumors about the ninja, if anyone is brave enough to speak them.
[X] Stay, and ask Emiko to cover you sneaking to listen at the door to the ninja. Use genjutsu to hide Shizue's movement from the map, or even aid her in her stealth and sneaking. What if they're saying something important related to, well, the elephant in the room?
[] Write-in
I say we go with the investigation. They might be mad, but Yumiko already hates us. Then again, it might give her an excuse to act against us.
That's 3 of the special Jonin in one place. It's unlikely we'll have a chance to spy on so many at once again, but is it worth the risk? Our stealth and dex comes out to 24 versus the awareness and perception of 3 special jonin and a chuunin. A typical chuunin is 33-48 so that's a significant skill gap. How much of a bonus Emiko covering us provides isn't known but I think it's probably enough to even the odds which makes it a dice roll.
So if we get caught, what happens? If we overhear something incriminating they'll probably try to kill us. If we overhear something classified but not related to the information leak we might get charged with espionage. Getting caught spying on our superiors while there's an ongoing information leak wouldn't look good to say the least.
[X] Stay, and ask Emiko to cover you sneaking to listen at the door to the ninja. Use genjutsu to hide Shizue's movement from the map, or even aid her in her stealth and sneaking. What if they're saying something important related to, well, the elephant in the room?
This could go very very wrong, but I'm a sucker for plot hooks.
So if we get caught, what happens? If we overhear something incriminating they'll probably try to kill us. If we overhear something classified but not related to the information leak we might get charged with espionage. Getting caught spying on our superiors while there's an ongoing information leak wouldn't look good to say the least.
[X] Stay, and ask Emiko to cover you sneaking to listen at the door to the ninja. Use genjutsu to hide Shizue's movement from the map, or even aid her in her stealth and sneaking. What if they're saying something important related to, well, the elephant in the room?
This could go very very wrong, but I'm a sucker for plot hooks.
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- They/Them
The vote closes tomorrow...or whenever after that point we actually have more than like, two votes.
[x] Stay, and ask Emiko to cover you sneaking to listen at the door to the ninja. Use genjutsu to hide Shizue's movement from the map, or even aid her in her stealth and sneaking. What if they're saying something important related to, well, the elephant in the room?
What's life without a little risk and adventure?
What's life without a little risk and adventure?
The Stormbringer
Worm Fanfic & Crack Connoisseur
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Still reading. It's a very big update.