Open Learning to Run: The Nightshade's Beauty

[Chikamatsu Shin]

The Yamanaka child found himself sitting at the family's shop. He was wearing a simple white shirt with matching black jacket and slacks. He looked rather professional to be in a floral shop, but this was something that brought him comfort. While his mother and his father mostly tended the roses and other general floral bouquet arrangements while Shusuke was currently responsible for the creation of the Nightshade Extract. In his hand he held the thin stem of this deadly flower. Five purple petals formed a star with a prominent yellow style in the middle. While the extract of this plant is made mostly from the roots, every aspect of it was extremely toxic.

A smile came from the boy's lips as he began to daydream looking into the stunning form that was this flower. Five petals marked this plant as unique. He looked to his hand where he had recently begun manifesting his newest style of attack. A fifth chain had yet to form, but he had four down so far. He was curious if there was something about him that marked him as unique. His pupilless blue eyes would scan through the empty shop, it was uncommon for there to be no customers in a ninja village. There was almost always someone in the hospital and needing deliveries as a sign that a loved one was thinking about them. He needed a break from this.

Hopping to his feet the young boy would make his way out onto the streets. It had been a long time since he forced himself to take a day off from training. Pinning the flower on his lapel he would begin to walk down through the marketplace. He would see different vendors shouting out about their wares and he understood the importance to make a sale. His family made most of their income through their shop as his parents were lack luster shinobi who rarely got guard duty let alone actual missions hat paid well.

Running his fingers through his hair he would shake the thought of those two out of his mind. His mind... Ever roaming and expanding. He was curious what his life would have been like if he wasn't born of a legendary clan in Konoha, well legendary was pushing it. Whenever people think of the legendary clans of Konoha many solely think of the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. His family, the Yamanaka, as well as some of the other clans like the Nara and the Akimichi were rarely discussed in the grandiose ways that the dojutsu clans were. But to be fair, the idea of having an apparently genetic factor would make any clan prominent. The genetic linking of his skills was that of genjutsu prowess, a skill that any shinobi could learn, so he didn't feel special. He felt like his clan was a simple violet on the side of the road that led to the garden which housed the likes of wisterias and sakuras.

His fingers raised and touched the Nightshade Flower on his lapel. He let out a sigh. Why was he the one that was overlooked? He has spent so much time training and working on turning his illusions into reality but if you asked someone about the strongest genjutsu users in the village he knew they would bring up the Uchiha. He felt like this was probably always going to be the case, but he felt like it was up to him to change that. With their Tsukuyomi being so famous he wondered if people actually cared about his clan's Mind Possession Jutsu or even know about the other techniques like Mind Disturbance Jutsu or Mind Destruction Jutsu.

Finding his way to one of the local food vendors he ordered a few Tako Tamago and found a bench to sit at while he enjoyed this moment to himself.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Hime stood in front of the shop dressed in one of her many suits of armor. This one consisted of a breastplate, gauntlets and greaves. The attire had both heavy plate and cloth type armor. The armor is predominantly dark red in color, but also has orange and black parts. Both the gauntlets and greaves are shaped like dragon's claws. Connected to the back of the breastplate was a cape split down the middle which resembled a pair of dragon wings. Her long crimson hair is tied into twin ponytails. Some might think the outfit was a little revealing, but this was just her style. She may be in a predominantly male profession as a blacksmith, but she is not afraid to flaunt her femininity. She finds her armor to be both functional and fashionable.

“Get your arms and armor from the Demon’s Forge! Best ethereal wares in all of Konoha!”

Yes, she and many other vendors were shouting out about their wares. Personally, she would rather be inside practicing her craft right now, but business has been slow ever since her father retired. She is not sure if it is because she and her sister were young or simply because they were women doing a so-called man’s job.

Suddenly she spots a man with a very decorative katana on his belt. The hilt of the man’s sword looked gold, and the sheath was studded with jewels. To Hime it screamed ‘wall decoration’ and yet this man wore it like it was a real weapon. Hime hates people that make these ridiculous works. She points at the man, “You there. Why don’t you throw away that hunk of junk and buy a real weapon?”

“Excuse me!” The man did not take kindly to her words. “How dare you.” Anger was starting to boil in the man and people were starting to gather to see what was going on. “Do you have any idea how much this is worth?”

“As a weapon, not much.” Hime was not intimidated by the man and was not afraid to tell it as it is. However if this crowd got too big, she was going to start feeling uncomfortable. “I dare say you overpaid.”

The man drew out his sword and the crowd was getting excited. The blade was a beautiful silver, but so dull that it would be considered a blunt instrument. While most people there found the blade impressive, she could not help but cringe at the sight of it. In her eyes it was utter garbage. “You brag about your armor. Let's see how good it really is.”

Hime opens her arms wide ready to take whatever attack the man throws at her.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

((OoC: Sorry for the delay, life has been super hectic as of late!))

The moment of peace didn't last long, because why would it? This is Konohagakure after all. His eyes shifted as he took a bite of his small lunch and caught an unusual scene before him. There was, what could only be described as, an armored demon woman. Her gear was demonic in design and Shusuke was honestly surprised to see as much in a ninja village, especially one as technologically advanced as this one. She looked like a traditional Shogun, but with more skin exposed. The lack of armor at the pinch points was probably because she was fast and needed a full range of motion.

With a grin he would shout out. "Take off her head, unless you're worried that shit sword is as useful as you are!" He let out a chuckle. He didn't recognize this man and if he was a shinobi he sure didn't look like one. Honestly, if this man was a shinobi his gaudiness made him look weak. He giggled softly because while the crowd didn't know it, he knew what he was up to. False Success was as elementary Genjutsu that became so second nature to the Yamanaka that he didn't require the use of hand seals nor much effort. His Illusory Cantrips allowed him to use minor obscurities of reality on a regular basis against the common villager and he found it hilarious. How was he supposed to respect these people if they couldn't even see through the simplest of illusions?

 

[Ryu Hime]

Take off her head was the phrase now rolling through the man’s head and the idea makes him smile. The man holds the sword with both hands and held it like it was a baseball bat. His stance so poor that it would make any swordsman cringe. The man swings the sword with all his strength and lucky for Hime her neck had an armor piece. However due to the shotty craftsmanship of the blade, it shatters on impact. Shards of silver fall to the ground and only a hilt remained in his hand. The man also fell to the ground after swinging without proper footing.

While everyone else saw the truth the man was under the effects of a genjutsu. Waking up after falling to the pavement, he sees Hime’s severed head staring back at him. He screams like a little girl and rushes to his feet. Hime figured he was screaming about his now broken blade. She wo"What the hell?"uld quickly realize that was not the case with the man’s next actions. The man believes he killed someone in front of several witnesses and in a panic attacks the people. Still under the effects of the genjutsu he stabs a person through the heart and decapitates another. One by one he cuts a witness down with ease. However in reality he was just swinging around a hilt not hurting anybody.

"What the hell?" Hime was confused as she was not proficient with genjutsu. She understood chakra control, weapons and poisons, but she never really understood the illusionary arts.

(OOC: sorry for my lateness. I lost some of my inspiration with my father's passing)