Event CLOSED: Kyōsaku House: Right Path - First Floor "Grand Ballroom"

[Tsurara Moriko]

...And that was about as far as the plan had gotten. Other than 'be honest, but not too blunt.' First one, Moriko was fine with. Second? Not so much.

But an opening was an opening, and she would use it, damn it. At least it hadn't been a no.

It was potentially a timer, but that was fine. That was fine. She was kind of on a timer of sorts anyway.

"Thank you," Moriko said, inclining her head respectfully. If Kaori started moving, Moriko would try to keep pace with her. And, honestly, this wasn't entirely surprising; there were quite a few candidates and anyone without a personal reason to pay attention to her for whatever reason likely wouldn't retain her information. It wasn't as if she didn't get mistaken for her various relatives in the field. "I am Tsurara Moriko, Kaori-san. Truthfully, this matter is to do with the events of tonight--I am not sure if you know of the tasks that the Kazekage has set those of us who agreed as challenges?"

If she already knew, Moriko didn't want to re-explain it, but it was entirely possible the judges did not know specifically what was in the cards here. Specifically, the card in one of Moriko's pockets right now.

...Was the fact she was armed with her gear here still any kind of detriment when attempting a conversation? A ridiculous thought; just about everyone here was a ninja of some stripe and those who weren't such as undoubtedly some of the servants were used to them.

And, well, maybe she should be attempting sublety regardless of this not being her strong suit when speaking to people. But nothing said she couldn't just outright ask. She would have to do so in some way unless she wanted to make a guess and get it wrong. But had the Kazekage obtained the information himself to verify they weren't just making things up? Had he done that tonight, or earlier?

Which...actually suggested that the people asked did know to expect this. Right? That just brought it back down to 'does she have anything invested in a different candidate to the degree she might sabotage me on purpose?' but that seemed...paranoid.

Also, there were simpler ways to sabotage someone than just being coy about or denying answers, if you were a judge. And she shouldn't assume malicious intent for no reason just because she was feeling dicey about a social situation.

Because that would be assuming malice in nearly every social situation and hmmm. No. Shove that bit of introspection back in the box for later, thank you very much.

[Topic Entered; Current Points According to CURO: 90; Status: Curious/Nervous]

 

[Sand Council]

Hour 5 has ended with the following scoreboard:

@Chikamatsu Shin 92/100
@Tsurara Moriko 90/100
@Chigokai Yuna (Name shows as Silent) 80/100
@Shingetsu Sora 87/100
@Sunaku Harupia 85/100
@Uziuke 62/100
@Miroku Akkuma 60/100
@Okami Roku 42/100
@Kaen 25/100
@Kanmuri 25/100
@Mikaboshi (name would show as Sunahoshi Suzaku) 25/100



THIS IS THE START OF HOUR 6 (of 8): This hour will end at 20:00 UTC next Sunday (December 10th)

Remember you must be attempting to interact with someone to forgo the -5 penalty at the end of Hour 5!

 

[Sand Council]

Chairman of the Commerce District

Sitting down with a smug look on his face.

---

Hotei - Oracle


He would wait for Uziuke to speak for himself, but wouldn't refrain from chiming in on Sora's guess.

"Aye, a spicy finger food lover? Impatient but practical but with the spice to provide a little intrigue."

He chuckled a bit before turning his attention back to Uziuke with a much different look on his face. A more serious one, that didn't seem to match the vibe at all.

"So, is that you, Uziuke? A lover of spicy finger foods?"

Shingetsu Sora Uziuke

---

Takahashi Satoshi - Head of the Journeymen Order

The still heavily drunk, smelling of alcohol, man would burst into the scene, with a confused, angered, but mostly red-cheeked drunk look upon his face.

"Oi! Which one-a-ya is Sora?!?"

Shingetsu Sora

---

Kaori - Med Chief

Pausing for Moriko to introduce herself, she would scan the female up and down once more.

"A member of the Tsurara Clan? My, what a unique existence in such an oppressive environment."

She would then turn around and begin walking once more, while talking, "Ok, Moriko, please follow me. I am in fact aware of those game you are supposed to be playing from the the group meeting."

With that, she would continue her conversation as she exited the room and made it towards the front door.

[Topic left, please continue here]

Tsurara Moriko

---

Enamored, she would remain silent as Harupia bid his farewell, made his claims for the future if an exploration occurred, and his current intent to talk to the Kazekage.

She would not utter goodbye, merely place her right hand upon her chest and gently clenched the fabric of his shirt, as if holding her heart.


Sunaku Harupia is awarded 10 points

 

[Shingetsu Sora]

"Aye, a spicy finger food lover? Impatient but practical but with the spice to provide a little intrigue." Nodding in agreement with Hotei, Suigetsu would smile and wait for Uziuke to respond for himself. Seemingly one who was always thinking, Suigetsu wondered if Uziuke was trying to think of a way to avoid saying what his actual favorite food was. Ever the thinker, Suigetsu was mid thought in trying to remember what all he knew about Uziuke when a very loud, and by the waft that bespoke of his most recent whereabouts, individual yelled for his attention. "Oi! Which one-a-ya is Sora?!?" Even when expecting the unexpected, Suigetsu couldn't hide the initial panic from his face as he quickly looked from the loud belligerent man to Hotei. Though the look on his face implied the wanting of help, Suigetsu took a deep breath, tried not to gag and decided to face whoever this new character was. Raising a hand and giving a wave, he started to walk towards the man despite his best instincts. "That would be me." Wishing to calm things down before they appeared to get elevated, he quickly followed up with an apology. "Did I offend you with something that I did before? I don't think that we've had a chance to meet and I sincerely apologize for what I may have done." Spitting words out quickly, Suigetsu certainly didn't want to end up in a shouting match with a very clearly tipsy person but he was even more concerned about the embarrassment of it all.

 

[Uziuke]

"Ramen placed with anything, but mostly ramen." His answer was short and simple. He thought of how often he went out to eat, almost everyday if he had to put a finger on it. "And it has to be cooked by a fine chef of course." He chimed in, making sure his answer was complete. He looked to Sora, who was called out by someone. He looked in the general direction, but didn't take leave when Sora began to walk away.

Uzi looked back to Hotei, "So the Oracle? What information am I missing on this group. Sounds nifty. If I had to assume, you guys watch over Suna and make sure everything is... sandy... right?" It's what he thought, but he didn't believe his answer was correct.

CURO: 62/100

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Shin would walk indoors and find his way back to the grand ballroom, his radiant light dwindling back down into a general aura of life and vigor that he often emitted. Looking around the room he could see a variety of different people in conversation when his eyes would land on a man he didn’t recognize who seemed to be minding his own business.

Approaching the man sitting with a smug look on his face Shin would chime in before taking a seat beside him.

”You look like you’ve been up to something fun. I’ve been antagonizing the devil, what have you been dabbling in?“

He would bow his head slightly before placing his hand on his chest.

”I am Chikamatsu Shin, Medical Chief of Research and Development for the Omni Prime Medical Facility and Overseer of the Chikamatsu Clan. I’ve been looking for someone who can carry a conversation that I haven’t met yet. Would you mind if I bend your ear for a while?“

If allowed Shin would continue.

”I have been looking around trying to make connections in these games, even if I don’t gain the rank of Sennin I wish to be able to expand my work at the Omni Prime Medical Facility by finding other pathways to share the technological advancements my branch has been developing. This happens to be a call I have, regardless of currency… though I suppose everyone would a dream job if money was involved, do they not?“

He would look towards an attendee and raise a finger for a drink.

”Is this something you’d be interested in? Exploring the sciences that is, or do you find yourself being a man that would rather rest at home with the comfort of a-“

Shin would look the man up and down picking in information about his appearance.

”-cat, I would assume?“

92/100

 

[Tsurara Moriko]

Well, of course she knew. Moriko at least hoped she could prove to be somewhat less predictable of a person than much of her family, at least.

Though like many of them, there was still a small puff of pride in her that other people did in fact recognize that they were an ice-based clan in the desert. Since well, it wasn't the easiest thing, no. Fortunately they didn't actually require water to use their ice ninjutsu, or it might have been nigh-untenable.

Moriko did exhale a bit in relief mostly, though; she was not being too blunt or taken-ill to, then. And Kaori was indeed aware of the challenge that Moriko and the others who'd accepted had been tasked with. She wouldn't have to explain that part. Albeit she might have to do some convincing; walking up to someone and straight out asking them might not have been the intention...

Scrap that.

The Kazekage struck her as a pragmatic and adaptable person; he'd been perfectly willing to juggle around group assignments during the expedition in the desert upon seeing Moriko's tracking and scrying ability, for instance. Plus this whole thing, in general. It was doubtful he'd insist on one specific way of obtaining the information as long as no one was hurt. Walking up and asking someone in the same village for information they possessed was probably preferable to surreptitious methods anyway.

After all, this was a public relations bonanza--this part, at least. So being personable, plus playing to your own strengths, was likely at least part of the point.

(Did her accepting the challenge make her look good or otherwise...? No way to know.)

"Thank you," Moriko said, opting for retaining level politeness instead of showing already overly-obvious relief in her voice too. "I hope I won't be delaying you too much from what you need to get to." The lack of need for explanation would certainly help that.

She kept pace, exiting the room again. At the very least, she couldn't get lost going along with someone else...

[Topic Exited following Kaori; Current Points According to CURO: 90; Status: Curious/Relieved]

 

[Sand Council]

Dear Contestants! Unfortunately due to Out of Character timing causing a drastic delay to this In Character competition, Round 1 has come to an end. The 1st Sennin will be rewarded to the contestant with the highest score!

@Chikamatsu Shin 92/100
@Tsurara Moriko 90/100
@Chigokai Yuna (Name shows as Silent) 80/100
@Shingetsu Sora 87/100
@Sunaku Harupia 85/100
@Uziuke 62/100
@Miroku Akkuma 60/100
@Okami Roku 42/100
@Kaen 25/100
@Kanmuri 25/100
@Mikaboshi (name would show as Sunahoshi Suzaku) 25/100

Congratulations Chikamatsu Shin for gaining the role of Sennin of Sunagakure!

Round 2 of the Sennin Games will begin at the start of the year of 2024! ICly this will be a month worth of prep. While Round 2 is not going to be a straight up modded combat, as there will be other factors that will go into this round, every contestant which has made it to Round 2 has been notified that they will be in direct competition with in the following pairings.

@Tsurara Moriko vs @Uziuke
@Chigokai Yuna vs @Miroku Akkuma
@Shingetsu Sora vs @Sunaku Harupia

 

[Shingetsu Sora]

While he expected to hear some sort of report about what he had done, Suigetsu was instead once again caught off guard by the buzzing of his C.U.R.O. device. ~"Dear Contestants! Unfortunately due to unforeseen occurrences, Round 1 has come to an end. The 1st Sennin will be rewarded to the contestant with the highest score! Congratulations Chikamatsu Shin for gaining the role of Sennin of Sunagakure!"~ What? Looking around at other contestants, they too seemed to be glued to their devices and some had their faces twisted in disgust that apparently they hadn't had a score high enough to reach the coveted position. Racking his brain, Suigetsu wondered just who this Chikamatsu Shin fellow was when he remembered his conversation from before with the poppy dual persona medic. As a matter of fact... ”I am Chikamatsu Shin, Medical Chief of Research and Development for the Omni Prime Medical Facility and Overseer of the Chikamatsu Clan. I’ve been looking for someone who can carry a conversation that I haven’t met yet. Would you mind if I bend your ear for a while?“ There he... they... were again. For a brief moment, the Ancient was a bit incensed, surely they had accounted for the fact that Shin was playing with two decks, right? By that logic it seemed equally odd that Suigetsu hadn't also managed to do the same. Perhaps he was playing a different game, or perhaps...

~"Round 2 of the Sennin Games will begin in a month's time. While Round 2 will not simply be comprised of combat, the following pairings shall be observed. [Insert reading of unnamed pairings]... Tsurara Moriko vs Uziuke, Silent vs Miroku Akkuma and, Shingetsu Sora vs Sunaku Harupia."~ This time, Suigetsu let out an audible gasp. He could be annoyed with Shin's lot later, for now, he had to be more worried about who this Harupia was. Looking up from his device, Suigetsu took a cursory glance around to see if anybody was especially looking at him in particular. Another buzz at his wrist further drew his attention away from his lookout pursuit. ~Congrats of being promoted to Chuunin!~ Noting that the this message seemed to only be directed solely at him, something in the Ancients heart stirred as he realized that he had achieved some sort of moral victory this go around. Was it as good as Sennin, no, but it did afford him great freedoms than the likes of simply being a Genin. Now knowing that he had a month of prep time, Suigetsu would turn to leave out of the Grand Ballroom, content to learn more for the coming second round. On his way out, he stopped by a peculiar figure clad in a peculiar looking outfit. Suigetsu could simply be tired but it certainly looked like the individual had a turtle shell on their back. Asked about his opinion on the recent developments, he shrugged and gave his take of things.

Spoiler: The Turtle Times: West Div.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race!
By Reo of The Turtle Times

Congratulations Suna, your new Sennin is none other than Chikamatsu Shin!

And thus we came to the conclusion of the long awaited Sennin Games of Suna! The western front proving to be anything but quiet, once again the shinobi world at large waited with baited breath as the insular shinobi fiefdom held one of their hallmark tournaments! Whereas the previous exercise was held in Tea, this one was held well within the Wind Country borders. In fact, while this event was just as notable for its wide reaching entrant base, it was for all intents and purposes, a slogfest of wit and charm instead of a slugfest of fisticuffs as we were used to. We must admit that even our patience ran thin with this glorified Who's Who of the Sunan up-and-comers. You'll recall that this event was announced nearly a year before it actually occurred but while the start was slow to begin with, it more than made up for itself as things began to get underway. Certainly the sands of time knew to take their dearest and sweetest, and while the ultimate winner will in fact be Sunagakure as a whole, there was sadly only one winner thus far, our titular noted Medical Chief (who was noted as being a late comer to the games). As we write, our shells are still, very much in shock!

As more than one contestant could attest to, precious few points separated the top three contestants. Chikamatsu Shin at 92 points, Tsurara Moriko at 90 points and Shingetsu Sora at 87 points! It was as in a word, uniquely, cowabunga! In our humble opinion, the two runner ups are ones to watch out for, but the colorful cast of characters present goes beyond the silver and bronze medalist. Uziuke the silent, literally some individual named Silent, the oft misunderstood but sometimes family friendly, Miroku Akkuma, and the hometown hero, Sunaku Harupia, all made it to the second round as well. Strangely, another notable legacy name, Sunahoshi Suzaku failed to medal but these Sunagakurian nights are as plentiful as the sands so perhaps his stock will rise like the sun once again. Truly, how any of them will ultimately fare is anyone's guess, but for a fact, this will be another event for the bookies and Oracles alike! Sand, though it seemingly gets everywhere, anybody who's anybody knows that Sunagakure is the only place that you'll want to be when the next round of these Sunan Sennin Games start. Will you be there, will a sandworm decide to cast its shadow on the games, or will Mother Suna herself decide to bless us with her presence? How this thing ends could be anybody's guess, but just know that we here at The Turtle Times will keep giving you more and never give you any less! Stay sharp concerning those blue shells and keep an eye out for your local Turtle Times reporter!


~This article originally appeared on The Turtle Times: West, a regional sub-branch of The Turtle Times covering news reports regionally important to the western shinobi world. This article covers the Suna Sennin Games.

OOC: Topic left

OOC #2: Edited to remove Yuna's name.

 

[Uziuke]

He was glad to see that Shin was appointed as Sennin. The news he read over on his CURO told him everything he needed to know. He was almost sure that the one he was paired up against was one of the students or Genin that was with him and Raizo during the desert expedition. This would prove interesting indeed. He read off the other parings, recognizing Sora and Akkuma. So it seemed that this event would continue, and that was just fine. The event was something great for Suna, he couldn't await the parings and to see what they would bring. Uzi placed his hood back on his head, strolling back to his room to prepare for a nap. Afterwards he'd probably return to gate duty, keeping an watchful eye on what came and left the village.

[ Topic Left ]