One-Thousand Blades [Tutor]

[Okada Kaji]

One-Thousand Blades

The sun was hanging low in the sky, and the merchant district of Port Cirrus was closing down for the evening as a final carriage rolled into the city. It was a large wooden cart pulled by two wooly yaks fit for journeying in the frigid mountain lands. Kaji and Tatsuo found passage into town by riding with a duo of farmers who came to the port to sell their wares. The shinobi had provided some protection after a fateful encounter which brought the travelers together.

And once their return to Port Cirrus was complete, the two shinobi would part ways with their new friends. It appears as if the day was one, and it was time to return to the inn where Umashi and Sara would be found, however, Kaji had one more stop planned.

Walking down the block in the direction of the inn, Kaji and Tatsuo weren’t far from warm meals and bard songs, but Kaji stopped in his tracks. “Most of the shops are closed up by now, but I want to turn over these flasks before we head home,” Kaji explained suddenly to his young comrade. He revealed one of the three flasks of Giant Spider’s venom he obtained during their adventure. Excited to make the sale, Kaji had mentioned his intentions a few times on their journey back to the village, so Tatsuo would have been used to it by now. “One of the sailors at the inn told me about a shop called 1000 Blades that stays open past dusk, here in town. He said it was where he sold his Suijin’s Anchor for a nice price.” Kaji then tucked away from the dangerous poison, and change course. “Apparently they trade rare items...If they have some nice equipment, maybe we’ll find you a souvenir for the journey.”

WC: 307
Kaji has entered the Thread
Requested Ranna Tatsuo​

 

[Tatsuo]

Re: 1000 Blades [Tutor]

Tatsuo's rear was starting to get sore from all this riding around, he wasn't used to riding around in carts too much but the company itself was enough to make him forget about his posterior pain. The farmers were interesting people, at least the older man whose face looked like a wrinkled leather glove, was. He had spent the whole ride sharing stories with Tatsuo of his youth. Tatsuo appreciated every tale, the man was an excellent story teller and able to keep his attention, quite the feat that many of his teachers weren't able to do this for this long.

As the two farmers left, Tatsuo looked around noticing the quiet streets. This was his first time seeing the city at night, when they first arrived it was around noon and the city was bustling. When it was quiet like this, it reminded him of late nights in Konoha, it sort of made him homesick. His longing for Konoha didn't last long as Kaji said they would head home soon, where he'd be one step closer to school. Man Umashi really was a jerk, who thought the Hokage could be a bad guy. Tatsuo would let out a sneer at the mention of home, his arms crossing defiantly, despite offering no other protest.

Once Kaji mentioned the shop again, his posture broke and his eyebrows furrowed in curiosity, 1000 blades sounded like a bad action movie he'd watch with his dad on a Saturday morning. He then looked to the familiar spider venom and grinned. "Hey will I get any of that sale? I did kinda I mean I beat one. And maybe if I had some extra money I could like, hm... pay the Hokage whatever my portion is then he might decide to let me skip school in the Cloud!" Tatsuo grinned happily, if his trump card didn't work, bribes might!

After hearing about the anchor, he asked "Why would you sell an anchor at a blade shop? Anchors aren't sharp, nor weapons, I mean I guess you could throw one at someone, but they're heavy if you could throw an anchor at someone, might as well throw a rock at them or something. You could throw a bench too!" he said pointing to one of the benches they were passing by. "Or a trash can! Or a backpack filled of books! Or like a bunch of bricks, yeah an anchor sounds like a dumb weapon." he said before following it with a confident nod.

Despite all this, the mention of rare items sure did interest Tatsuo, it was plain to see on his face, like most of his thoughts. "Rare items?" He said squinting his eyes imagining himself with a sword twice the size of him. "Man imagine if I could get like a super giant sword that could slay anyone with one shot. Or like a cloak that made me invisible, if I had one of those I could sneak out of class all the time without getting caught!" he said looking back to Kaji. "Do you think they have any cloaks like that or anything?"

WC: 521

 

[Okada Kaji]

With a nod, Kaji was sure that they were bound to find something interesting at One-Thousand Blades. "For what it's worth, I think we'll fetch enough coin from the venom to talk the shopkeeper out of some nice merch for us both," Kaji answered evenly. As a shinobi who often made income by trading the fairly-gained spoils of battle, Kaji knew when he had something good on his hands. Venoms from dangerous monsters and denizens of the wild lands often went for nice rewards. In knowing that the spider's venom wouldn't be worth a one-of-a-kind rarity like his blade Eelspine, Kaji intended on using his skill at playing up the value of an item to extravagant proportions to make good on his intentions. "They might have your cloak... But I'm hoping they'll have a ring that allows me to mute you," he added with a grin.

Following some vague instructions he received from the sailor the night he heard of the shop, Kaji led the duo to One-Thousand Blades. Outside, the shop was a plain storefront with a Logo reading the store's name in a cursive font, and a fan of kunai blades behind the text. The entire logo was made of multi-colored neon tubing and was the brightest object in an otherwise dreary block.

Kaji led the way inside and was first to see an illustrious display of odds and ends. Everything from standard to rare weapons, enchanted items, tomes, scrolls, armors, to vast collections of components for various jutsu and rituals. The interior of the show seemed to be over three times the actual size of what it appeared to be outside, and it smelled like a blend of unknown, earthy spices within the wide chamber. The two shinobi were free to browse the emporium-like setting, as the shopkeeper was present, but didn't seem pressed to bother with the company. "I'm going to go talk to the shopkeep, you can start browsing if you'd like, and let me know if you see something that suits you."

Kaji then engaged in conversation with a portly man wearing an insulated, furry crown at the back of the room.

WC: 370​

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[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo continued to wonder about what he would purchase, he really couldn't see himself with a giant two-hander but who knows maybe it'd be chakra infused so it felt lighter. Then he began to wonder what Kaji would purchase. "How much do you think the venom will sell for? Maybe it'll sell for a lot and we'll be rich then we can buy a giant mansion in the village and never work again and just fish, sail, and eat!"

As Kaji mentioned they might have a cloak he grinned, thinking of all of the shenanigans he could pull off being invisible, however the smirk was quickly replaced with a sneer as Kaji took his jab at Tatsuo. "Well uh I mean you I guess like your face smells!!!" he said crossing his arms again, his chin going to the air. However he quickly broke out into laughter, continuing to follow Kaji towards the shop.

Tatsuo looked up at the sign, wondering if he could get a kunai fan. "Ya think they could attach a bunch of kunai to a fan so you could slap people with it?" he said looking to Kaji not really expecting an answer. "Either way I think it'd be kind of a dumb weapon imagine if one of the kunai got loose and hit yourself or something man a Kunai to the eye would be terrible..." Tatsuo said before finally shutting up.

When they finally entered the shop Tatsuo was in awe of all the items, he had been to weapon shops before but nothing as unique as this. He was used to the more general store his parents had brought him to back in Konoha, but this had everything. Scanning the weapons and more important the price tag he placed his hand in his pocket knowing everything was out of his budget for sure. As Kaji gave him permission to browse Tatsuo deep into one of the corridors labeled cloaks. This is where Tatsuo would begin trying them on, despite none of them being his size and going past his feet making him look like a giant cloth blob.

WC: 354
Total WC: 875

 

[Okada Kaji]

The portly shopkeeper with the furry hat was an interesting little fellow, or so Kaji concluded during his dealings with the man. He was an arrogant sort who collected all manner of curiosities and believed he had a nose for quality that could not be beaten. He wore vestments trimmed in brown, violet and hints of gold, which complimented mocha hat. His eyes were big and bright, and his nose was quite round, with a small curling mustache underneath. This shopkeeper’s name was Taiji Yemon, and he seemed unswayed by Kaji’s telling of their encounter with the Giant Spiders at the Momento Deo. Kaji told the tale with enough to vigor to make most listeners swoon, yet Yemon remained a shrewd negotiator. However, Kaji hadn’t lost hope and their negotiations continued like a chess game at the back of the store.

As Tatsuo began to explore the wonders of Yemon’s shop, he found a rack of cloaks first. The rack was fairly plentiful in options, though most of the nice robes were meant for fully-grown adults, and would be ruined in short order if they dragged behind the likes of Tatsuo. They appeared to be arranged, not according to size but according to quality, and rarity. To the left were standard pieces that shielded the wearer from the elements, or aided in concealment. The finer cloaks were made of better materials and were sown with varieties in style and decorative patterns. And rather than having tags that would explain what each cloak may have been capable of, Tatsuo would have to use his own judgment to discern what kind of enchantments were sealed into them.

As Tatsuo tried on one of the cloaks, he’d suddenly feel a tap on his shoulders. And if he turned fast enough to look over it, he’s discover nothing behind him, only dancing cloaks, disturbed on the rack by something which vanished. There was clearly no one else inside the shop besides himself, Kaji, and Taiji Yemon.

WC: 331​

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[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo paid no attention to the arrogant shopkeeper, he was more enticed by this wide selection of wares. While browsing the cloak section he began to notice they weren't organized by size, like a majority of the shops he had been to, but by rarity. At the beginning seemed to be a jacket in which the simplest of farmer would wear and at the end seemed to be an iconic cape of a Kage. Tatsuo wondered if it was real or just a cheap knock off. Only one way to find out he thought, as he made his way over to the Kage's cloak he felt a tap on his shoulder and the hairs in his neck nearly stood up, there wasn't anyone in the store other than Kaji, the Shopkeeper, and himself of course. Letting out a small yelp, inaudible to Kaji or the shopkeeper unless they were looking for it, he flailed his arms in a guard like motion. His knees bending, his eyes squinting and arms extended to block any incoming strike. "Who was that! Reveal yourself!" Tatsuo said ready to face his cunning assailant.

WC: 188
Total WC: 1063

 

[Okada Kaji]

At first, Tatsuo’s demand for the mystery to unveil itself went unanswered. He could search between the many cloaks hanging on the rack, but wouldn’t find any person or living creature hiding within between the garments. As the so-called medic in training continued browsing, he’d suddenly discover a single cloak sized adequately for him, seemingly fated for him to choose. It was royal blue, and weaved from Momento Deo spider silk; a rare find indeed.

Around this time, the negotiations between Kaji and Taiji Yemon had developed into an exchange. Kaji placed the three vials of venom on the counter, and Yemon held one up to a candelabra near his cash register. Kaji was bothering to start his own browsing now and set his sights on an archer’s bow he found on an adjacent wall. While the bow was without arrows, it still appeared as a formidable weapon, crafted from fine wood with a polished oak finish. Kaji pulled back a reel-tied bowstring, and latched it to the top of the bow, thereby readying the bow for combat. He began testing the tension and power of the bow, while the shopkeeper took a moment to appraise the value of the Giant Spider Venom. Once he was sure, Yemon called for both Kaji and Tatsuo’s attention and bade them to approach his counter once more.

However, the moment Tatsuo turned his attention to Yemon and his sensei, a blanket of darkness would sweep over his sight, and a cloth wrapped around his head in a playful bind. The young shinobi was entrapped by the royal blue cloak and earned the laughter of his companion and Yemon, who identified the cloak instantly. “Well, I’ll be… the Cloak of the Wintry Woods has taken a liking to you, boy”, Yemon admitted. “You don’t see that every day.”

WC: 304​

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[Tatsuo]

With no creature to respond to Tatsuo's demand he began to sift through the cloaks in a flurry, sending cloth and leather left in right. After digging for a moment he finally stopped upon a royal blue cloak, which seemed to be just his size. Tatsuo was hoping to find something amazing, hopefully something that'd make him invisible, but something that made him look cool was fine with him too. He quickly pinned the cape over his shoulders and took a moment to let it dangle down his legs, it fit perfectly with the thick fabric falling down low at his calves but high enough to not get caught in his step. Taking a few steps in it to make sure it didn't impede his movement, he forgot all about his earlier attack and walked happily over to join his sensei. And of course, show off his soon to be new cape.

When Tatsuo emerged from the cloak section, he noticed Kaji with a large bow in his hands. Tatsuo knew that Kaji was a renowned hunter, but he wondered why he would use a bow. There seemed to be better ninja tools out there, a bow seemed too clunky to carry around truly but if anyone could do it'd be Kaji. Perhaps it was a special bow, he thought for a moment before finally saying something. "Looks like a cool bow, is it a good weapon? I mean seems kinda like a burden, I guess you could smack someone over the head with it though. Man imagine that though, you're just fighting some guy with a bow and instead of shooting you he just BAM! Smacks you right on the forehead with it, don't think I could continue fighting at that point i'd probably die from laughter." he said failing to stifle a laugh.

As Yemon motioned the two over something began to tickle at his back, within an instant Tatsuo's hands shot up and he turned quickly but it didn't stop the cloak from getting the jump on him. It wrapped it's head around him and with Tatsuo's vision impaired he ran off into a direction, slamming into a rack of, luckily, cheap spears sending them crashing down on top of him. However one of the shafts of the spears landed right on his head, knocking Tatsuo clean out. Tatuso fell over, luckily landing onto the nearby ground avoiding any sharp spears. The cape quickly flying to protect Tatsuo's head from the fall and preventing him from any further injury. Upon any close inspection it would be quick to see that Tatsuo was breathing and otherwise healthy, he'd most likely just wake up with a wicked bruise in the morning.

Roll: 1/20
WC: 452
Total WC: 1515

 

[Okada Kaji]

There was a stack of coins on the counter, approximately twenty-four hundred yen for all three doses. Around the time Taiji Yemon came to his price for the three vials of venom, Tatsuo noticed the bow Kaji was interested in. It was true that Kaji didn’t exactly need a bow, but a better question was if the bow suited a purpose he’d soon need it for. Yemon had a wide snickering grin because an item like the Cloak of Wintry Woods didn’t come cheaply. There was something afoot between Kaji and Yemon; the men had made some deal Tatsuo was left out of. “You like the cloak, great” Kaji said approvingly, though he didn’t know what the wintry woods were, or if that made the cloak special. “And, I think this bow will come in handy for me if I mount a holster and quiver onto Kukki’s saddlebag. See, we’ll both have something.”

But then Tatsuo made his collision with the rack of spears, which earned more laughter from Yemon, and a little embarrassment for his sensei. “Ehhh, I think he’s alright,” Kaji said as he kicked a few of the spears away from the slumbering boy. He saw no cause for alarm and chose to hurry along business with old Yemon before the cunning merchant tried to stick him with a worse deal.

Moments later, the deal was done and it went as follows: Taiji Yemon agreed to sell one Cloak of Wintry Woods, and one Hunting Bow to Tatsuo and Kaji in exchange and the shinobi got to keep their money in exchange for accepting a job Yemon needed to be done. The equipment and money up front were only incentives, while a greater reward would come from completing the contract. Kaji accepted the deal, and would just have to tell Tatsuo the good news later, though he did consider saying nothing at all.

By the time Tatsuo awoke, he and Kaji were arriving outside of the inn where their companions would be found, and his day of madness with Kaji had come to a close. Kaji walked alongside Kukki the horse, while Tatsuo was slumped over the horse’s saddle like a corpse. Kaji would wait until another time to discuss the contract he had taken.

- WC: 387
- Total WC: 1,699
- Tutor Complete
- Kaji has left the thread unless stopped.​

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[Tatsuo]

Luckily, Kaji was strong enough to carry Tatsuo wherever he had to go. Unfortunately though, Tatsuo was knocked out cold, the cape happily flowing on his back as he laid on the back of Kaji's horse. If the town wasn't so dead, some may assume Tatsuo himself was dead and Kaji was a funeral director or some kind. Whenever Tatsuo came too, he rubbed his head, feeling a bump the size of a golf ball, he winced in pain before looking up to Kaji. "Where are we?"

[Topic Left]
WC: 87
Total WC: 1602