Contract Search Day 17: The Rumbling

[Chikamatsu Suisen]

Chikamatsu Sora, the daughter of the Chikamatsu Shin and the homunculus formed from the chakra of a princess from a far off land, was sent out to the desert expanse along with Santaru Kazuma to investigate the massive earthquakes that were felt across all of the Land of Wind. There were rumors of what caused these tremors but the students, along with many of the other students and genin of the village, were ordered to survey the surrounding lands to investigate to see if any of these tremors caused catastrophic damage to the lands within the Land of Wind.

Sora was wearing her dark navy winter coat and her large fur lined hat as the Homunculus was often cold, even in this hot and arid climate. Her paper white skin slowly showed hints of pinkness as this was the longest she had been out in the direct sunlight in her couple of weeks of being alive and was starting to gain a slight sunburn. Her red eyes which held the Sharingan was surveying the horizon as she walked along with her peer.

"How long do you think it will be before we find anything of note to report back to the Village?" She asked the storm summoner.

The desert seemed to go on forever, from each direction the students looked there was sand and heat dancing off of the ground's surface.

"I swear they gave us the worst location to scout simply because of the affinities we carry. As if we are supposed to be producing our own water in this desert. Don't they know most water style ninjutsu require some source of water originally? I swear, when my father hears about this he will not be happy! How dare they send a princess out here without a proper entourage!"

The rumbling of the ground beneath their feet returned for a slight moment and in that instance Sora shifted her body to get into a ready position.

"Kazuma, what was that?"

326/1500

 

[Santaru Kazuma]

Kazuma and Sora strolled through the endless desert, the blazing sun bearing down on them as if they were walking on the sun itself. Kazuma had ditched his regular clothes for something more practical, some lightweight desert-colored gear to deal with the scorching heat. But even with his prep, the sun's relentless attack made him break a sweat, his forehead glistening as he trudged through the sands.

He shot a sideways glance at his mission partner, Sora, and couldn't help but wonder how the young Chikamatsu was so unbothered by the heat. There she was, cool as a cucumber, sporting a jacket as if she were on a winter stroll. She asked the young boy a question but Kazuma was lost in thought How the heck is she wearing that jacket out here? He fanned his shirt, trying to catch a hint of breeze to cool down. He quickly snapped back into it and replied to Sora "Hopefully we won't find much, I don't trust these desserts, way too much can go wrong at any second.." his last words lingered for a bit before shaking them off, this wasn't the time for him to think about the past.

As Sora voiced her frustration about their mission's location and the challenges it presented, Kazuma couldn't help but nod in agreement, a dry smile tugging at the corners of his parched lips. The young boy was out of his element in the harsh desert, a stark change from the homeland he grew up in. "I know what you mean," he replied to Sora, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It's like they expect us to summon a sea in the middle of this desert." trying to crack a joke with the very serious young girl. He noticed Sora often flaunted her status as royalty in the Chikamatsu, though Kazuma had no idea what that meant. He knew he wanted to stay on her and her father's good side, especially after seeing them in action in class.

The Chikamatsus had been good to him so far, as well as their other clansmen. He had met several so far and all were formidable shinobi. "Maybe next time they send us a cart and horse so you can be more comfortable princ..e.s" His sentence cut short, and the ground beneath them trembled, causing Kazuma to stumble slightly. His senses heightened as his heart rate rose. Kazuma quickly scanned their surroundings and gathered his footing. Sora's question mirrored his thoughts. "I'm not sure," Kazuma said cautiously, his eyes darting around the desert, his face shifting to a more serious one. "We should see if we can get to higher ground, maybe we can see if anything is happening from up there with those eyes of yours" alluding to her sharingan, the infamous eyes known for their ability to see things others could not. He pointed to a large Mountain of sand south of their location. Though he was unsure of what was causing the tremors, he knew standing in this sea of sand, they needed to get a better position.

[WC:511/1500]
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[Chikamatsu Suisen]

Kazuma was right, the deserts were unpredictable and if the two of them were careful then there was a chance of them stumbling into a sinkhole, or a sandworm's nest, or maybe even a pack of desert dwelling lions. Who knew in the Land of Wind, there were so many monsters out here that this homunculus was ignorant of, but that would not deter her in the slightest. You can't be afraid of what you don't know. She would look at the boy and grin. "Exactly! If they want us to conjure a sea in the middle of the desert then idk, give us some go go juice or power up senzu beans. I don't have that kind of chakra!" She giggled at the idea of being able to eat a small bean and regaining all of your strength back, how ridiculous of a concept. Food pills were where it was at, totally different idea! eating a small pill shaped condensed food pill was way different than eating a small bean.

She was getting distracted, but her attention was caught back when Kazuma started to call her a princess. The slight pink tone to her sun kissed face would shift to a full bloom of blush at the mention of him calling her that. She wasn't actually a princess as there was no royalty in the Chikamatsu Clan and her status was no different than Ayame's, Hina's, or even little ole Sakura's despite her relationship to the current Overseer. While Kazuma probably just used the word she had said it was still the first time someone that wasn't her father called her a princess in a non-derogatory way.

She couldn't linger on this feeling for long as the rumble nearly took her down. She nodded at Kazuma's orders and the two tomoe Sharingan she held would be incredibly beneficial. For once she wasn't ashamed to carry a technique that was foreign to her clan because Kazuma acknowledged how useful it was in their situation.

Darting towards the top of the sand dune she would look out to the horizon to see what was happening in the surrounding areas. Shifting sands and coursing winds could be seen as small dust devils spiraled into and out of creation along the landscape. she kept her eyes peeled to see if there was anything unusual that she could spot, and just as a few moments passed she pointed out towards the far east. "There was something dark in that direction! I can see it going into the canyons at the edge of the desert!" Her eyes would shift back, causing the black tomoe to vanish back into her regular red artificial eyes.

Turning her gaze to Kazuma with a grin she continued. "Do you think we should just report this... or should we do some investigation of our own?" The smugness of the child returned as she raised an eyebrow. "I mean, we were chosen because of our abilities to drastically change the landscape of this desert to a thunderous sea!" She said sarcastically to the Santaru boy.

836/1500

 

[Santaru Kazuma]

Kazuma's laughter echoed across the desert, a brief break from the unrelenting heat. Sora's playful joke, complete with mentions of "go go juice" and "power-up senzu beans," added a touch of humor to their otherwise arduous mission and showed a bit of her less serious side.

Sora's cheeks colored with embarrassment when she was dubbed a princess, and Kazuma couldn't help but find her reaction puzzling After all, she always referred to herself as a princess, and the innocence of his words didn't quite align with the intensity of her blush. His young mind couldn't grasp the subtleties of her emotions, and he was left slightly confused. All the same, the young boy smiled at the young girl.

"Um, did I say something wrong?" Kazuma asked with genuine curiosity, his big, innocent eyes fixing on Sora's reddened face. The desert's scorching heat had nothing on the warmth that radiated from his youthful sincerity.

The sudden tremor that jolted the desert beneath them served as an abrupt reminder of the seriousness of their mission. Kazuma's instincts kicked in, and he scanned the expansive landscape, his senses on high alert. Sora mirrored his concern, her Sharingan eyes revealing a mix of curiosity and caution.

"I can't say for sure, all I see is sand and shadows," Kazuma confessed, his voice tinged with uncertainty. The tremors' source remained a puzzle, buried beneath layers of scorching sand and blinding sunlight.
Yet, their uncertainty didn't dampen their spirits. Sora's agility and sharp senses took the spotlight as she gracefully scaled a nearby dune, her Sharingan eyes scrutinizing the horizon with unyielding focus. When she pointed out a distant, foreboding anomaly in the far east, Kazuma's curiosity surged.
"I think it's worth a closer look, but we have to be careful" he declared with newfound determination, nodding in agreement. Sora's unwavering confidence spread like wildfire and her triumphant smile kindled a spark of hope within Kazuma. "Let's do it, Sora. We're the ones who can change this place's landscape right?" he said in a joking tone.

With renewed resolve, Kazuma followed Sora, and together, they embarked on their journey toward the distant eastern canyons. As they ventured further into the unknown, the desert winds whispered around them as if someone was telling secrets, and the vast expanse of sand seemed to hold its breath in anticipation of the adventures that lay ahead.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, casting long shadows next to the young shinobis. Kazuma and Sora walked side by side, their footsteps marking the beginning of a new chapter in their mission, ready to confront the mysteries and challenges that the desert had in store as they made their way to the top of the canyon. As they reached the top of the canyon the young boy strung some hand seals together, and then a small clump of clay and rock would form an eye "Let's let this scout ahead for us, better to be safe" as The eye began to float, the young Santaru focused on controlling his creation. With that another tremor stuck near the children, this time it could be felt much more than when they were near the dunes, breaking the boy's concentration as the eye construct fell to the ground and shattered. "I think we're getting closer to whatever is causing all this." He said with a voice sounding much more concerned than his casual tone.

[WC:1074/1500]
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[Chikamatsu Suisen]

Sora looked away and let out a "hmph" "Well, if you insist on knowing, I am not actually royalty! She pulled her hands to her sides and spoke louder than needed. "Technically speaking there is no royalty in the Chikamatsu Clan, and just because my father is the Overseer of the Clan that doesn't mean I have any fancy titles okay!" She crossed her arms and looked away and began to mutter. "But Father has always called me his princess and his miracle creation so I was caught off guard when you said it to, okay? Is that enough of an explanation for you. It's not like I have to tell you the inner workings of the Chikamatsu Clan anyways, everyone should know it. We are one of the Five Great Sunan Clans after all!"

Her face slowly losing all color again she would take to her composure and let out a sigh as the heat from her face faded as they began to make their trek across the desert and towards the canyons. She would keep an eye out using her Sharingan to see if any threat was coming their way. She knew that they were just students but if there was a creature out here how could she go back and face the clan if she just ran away and didn't try and take care of it here and now? The life of service was more noble than that of royalty, she had to put her life on the line if it meant to protect and serve the people of the vilalge. That is why her father created her and that was why she was out here in the desert.

Sora would stay back momentarily as she watched the boy before her create an eye that began to float and scout ahead. "That is a clever trick! I have never seen a jutsu like that before." She was thinking for a moment to try and figure out what she could do to help ther was another tremor which rocked the students much harder than the previous tremor. She looked around for any signs of loose rocks before nodding at Kazuma.

"I think we need to head down into the canyon to get a better look at what might be around here." As she spoke a few chakra threads would creep from her hands and stretch out and weave themselves into a pair of small eagles. "Don't just stand there, come on!" She would take a step over the edge of the cliff and place her hand and her feet on the craggy surface. Using a steady flow of chakra she would cause her decent to be much slower than it would naturally be.

As she carefully slid down the rocky surface she would once again see a form moving just out of few and it appeared to continue to go downwards. Perhaps the creature they were following used a system of underground tunnels. It would explain the tremors they were feeling. Perhaps this creature was just a giant size mole that was minding its business.

After that thought her eyes would go wide. If there was a creature down here digging tunnels large enough to make tremors is there any possibility that this creature could be one of the legendary sandworms that have disappeared? Were they hibernating? "You don't think that we could be chasing a sandworm do you? They are all extinct now right? That's why there is less and and less carmot in the village..." her voice had some concern in it.

Upon landing on the ground below she would take a few steps, the two eagles made of coiled chakra fluttered just behind her shoulders. She would point in the direction she saw the creature and took a steadying breath. "I hope this thing is ready for us because we are not backing down now. It is time for us to prove we have what it takes to be shinobi for Sunagakure no Sato." As she finished speaking she would dart towards the creature as ready as she could be.


MFT:681
1500+/1500

 

[Santaru Kazuma]

With a playful grin, he turned his attention to Sora. "Well, Princess," after her long-winded explanation. "At this point, it's just going to have to be your nickname then, even if it's not an official title, it is how we met after all" Shortly after he followed up with"It must be nice to have a long-established family here, within the village," he said nodding to her explanation. "It's just my mom and I here in the village" his voice reflected a sad tone in saying so, you could see the disappointment on his face at not having an abundance of family here. He shook it off after that and continued to perform his jutsu to investigate further.

He shyly smiled at her compliment of his jutsu "Just a trick I picked up from exploring a bit, better to let something else peak its eye" But shortly after the young girl would have a trick up her sleeve of her own, threads would seep out from her hands and take the shape of small eagles, using their floating ability to go down into the cavern, "well that seems useful" he said to himself before climbing down himself, jumping from rock formation to rock formation carefully not to slip off.

The young children knew they were moving towards something but were completely unsure what it could be, the thought of sandworms seemed to be on the young girl's mind but Kazuma hoped it would be literally anything but that. He had heard the tales from the villagers of their immensity and destructive power. "I really hope not" He replied to Sora's question about the sandworms "If we never see one in our lives I think that will make us lucky". Noticing the concern in the young girl's voice he tried to comfort her "Don't worry though Princess Sora, I Kazuma will keep you safe" he said posing in a corny knight pose. He knew Sora was much stronger than he, but eliciting a laugh would help ease the tension he could sense in what lies before them.

Sora reached the ground before Kazuma did, the eagles then landing on her shoulders, Kazumas final leap would happen about a minute after she arrived there. The young girl had pointed out in the direction she saw the creature before while floating about. Her final speech before arriving had riled the young boy up, he nodded proudly as she spoke of what it takes to be a shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato "Let's show them what we're made of" He said before venturing off forward ahead of the girl, jumping over small boulders along the canyon's foundation, in an attempt to finally approach the creature.

[WC:447:1521]

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[Ninpocho Admin]

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