Open Recollections

[Ikeda Kohaku]

The decaying wood, the creak of the steps when you scaled them to the fresh yet thick vines that were slowly beginning to creep down the side of the roof, even the windows looked like they could do with a few scrubs or two, Kohaku thought to himself tilting his head in a temporary state of amused as he took in the excuse that had been the abode of happiness and peace for years on end until like all good things, that era had also come to an end.

It was the same scenery year after year and even after sweating it out at the Academy and earning a little for his purse, the Ikeda boy couldn't bring himself to just do away with the house. Some of his friends had persuaded him, even pushed him to do away with the abonomation that was a building but they only saw the physical side of the home, only Kohaku had a deep mental connection to this run-down residence that was the reason he kept coming back to it time and time again.

After all, it just didn't seem right to turn the other cheek in this instance.

"Then again, they weren't exactly the most forthcoming of people either so maybe they wouldn't mind. It was always about the profit, not the product."

Kohaku murmured to himself folding his arms his feet firmly planted unmoving to the door he had walked in so many times. He had practically memorized the layout of the house to heart having lived in it but even he couldn't deny it's state of decay, it just seemed wrong to disturb it in any matter almost like it was sacred ground. That was how he'd been justifying it at least watching a spider wriggle out of a crack in the wood, look around and dart back into the blackness of the house.

Shrugging his shoulders, he slung his brown bag over his shoulder making to walk forth wincing as the first step threatened to give way as it creaked on the way to the balcony. Well, if you could really call it a balcony at that as the third step up, the wood split underneath his feet sending him hauling back down onto the ground letting out a grunt of pain as he stared up at the sky.

"Well, maybe a few touches here and there wouldn't hurt them." Just a little though, not too much, he didn't know if he could bear the sight of a total overhaul.

~ MFT: 415

 

[Koga Akane]

After the war the immaculate Raiakge had instructed, some would rather say ordered, the deconstruction and reconstruction of old buildings that littered the city and residential districts of Kumogakure. Erected high and proud were an array of newly designed and modern buildings that went by the name of Art-Deco. The construction team had a hard time coming up with the blue prints and engineering of the buildings but after a year they had it down to an architectural science.

The construction team had become so well-versed in the new building design that it only took a team of ten to fully plan, demolish and reconstruct a new row of improved housing in a matter of weeks. This month had been no different as a squadron of construction equipment moved loudly through the streets of the residential area to an old row of houses. Citizens were previously told about the impending noise and were told to go about their day but avoid the area of construction. These old homes were a sight for sore eyes. One in particular had been untouched for years. Covered in old dark green vines that housed a plethora of bugs and rodents.

Out from one of the vehicles stepped a well dressed woman with a white construction helmet. In her arms were a roll of blueprints and design choices she had made within. The large construction vehicles had begun to surround the house while other men and woman filed out from a van. Yet there had been a reason why building had gotten done so quickly. Within the ranks of the construction workers two persons stood out. The metallic gleam of kumogakure headbands shimmered in the sunlight. These two were ninja.

“Alright.” The well dressed woman called out. “Secure the perimeter. We’ll demolish this building, clean the debris and have the metal ninja build the foundation. Sound good?” A resounding wave of approval echoed out.

From the opposite side of the street a young teen with dull orange hair leaned up against a chain link fence. One arm had been propped on the rail while the other held a large drink that she occasionally sipped on. “From training to dinner and a show. Never seen how buildings were built.” Her lips pressed together around the bendy straw to suck down more sugary liquid. Out of the corner of her eye a blur of movement caught her attention through the window. Was someone inside?​

[Topic Entered]
[MFT]
[WC:407]

 

[Ikeda Kohaku]

It took a moment for Kohaku to gather his bearings as the moment passed before finally with a sigh, the young boy hauled himself to his feet dusting off his garbs staring at the step that had given out. It was a tell-tale sign that thie structure was most certainly coming onto it's last legs yet the genin could not bring himself to part with it and perhaps it was denial and refusal to accept this reality that had led to it's downtrodden state.

Still, you'd think the village would pay a little bit more close attention to an eyesore like this even if it was in a normally unimportant part of town as far as Kohaku was concerned. No one liked a stain on a reputation and the genin didn't think any reasonable person in any positon could handle such an nightmare to contiune to co-exist with everything else espeically with all the filth and he was sure that spider was the size of his foot.

His daydreaming was interuppted by a series of well-versed instructions called out and the glint of metal on sunglight as the boy frowned scrambling to his feet. "Speak of the devil, here he is." The genin muttered curious to see just what village ninja were doing in this part of town, dragging off another deranged transient probably?

His eyes widened as he realized one of their points of interest turned out to be the Ikeda family home or formerly watching how they circled the perimeter mentally taking notes, words like "demolish" and "new" reached his ears and the boy was able to put together a conclusion fairly quickly in his head and it was not an solution that he liked very much, a sudden fear striking him.

"Now, just hold up a moment." The boy suddenly burst out scurrying quickly stumbling halfway down the front steps of the house which had caved in underneath him previously as he planted his feet firmly in front as if daring these presumed building experts or ninja to cross him glaring at them as if offended they would even dare to lay their grubby hands on this home which was a palace of memories to him.

"You have any idea what you're doing?!"

The idea didn't cross him that these were professionals in their field and that, yes, they knew what they were doing and no, they did not have time to waste on people's personal grievances no matter how tough but Ikeda Kohaku, genin that he was wasn't about to let that stop him from at least trying to make them see sense. "This is my house! You can't just bring you rfancy tools in here and start swinging away."

He added with a bit of heat perhaps slightly ticked off at the fact these strangers were basically helping themselves to such a precious memory. Granted, Kohaku had been harboring the thought himself but that didn't mean he would let anyone do the honors for him, he still wasn't quite ready to depart with the past quite yet as he took a defiant stance

"Plenty of other houses, this one's occupied."

 

[Umetsu Saki]

Saki strolled a few meters above the street below, hopping from awnings to overhangs to balconies and dodging ruffled crows as she went. She had never really appreciated the lovely value of having the day off- though her everyday workload was only just getting back up to pre-Kumogakure levels, back when living in a caravan was her full-time job, along with combat training and raiding villages, et cetera. The ANBU branch was certainly giving that life a run for its money.

Still, it was nice sleeping in the same spot most of the time for a change, and now she got to put her skills to use for a cause other than the imbeciles she was traveling around with. She felt almost pampered, getting to spend her days in the village doing whatever she felt like without having to worry too much about her place in it… if she ever felt undeserving of something, which she didn’t, it would be the knuckleheads she got to share a house with now.

The sound of voices from nearby drew her attention. The AiT sighed- she didn’t have any weapons on her or anything, nothing to scare kids with nor much to defend herself if needed. Unless she counted her flimsy ninjutsu prowess, extending to a few specific techniques and nothing else… ah, well. She could count the number of times she’d actually been attacked first in this village on one hand. Maybe that was her problem, she was worrying too much about being caught at a bad time instead of just having fun with it. Saki was very strictly against fun, ESPECIALLY not when it was dangerous or at the expense of others.

The young woman somersaulted off of the metal pole she’d perched on and landed in the street. She slid along the thin midday shadows of the Cronopolis, minding her left arm, which was covered in a long stretch of stained bandage. The source of the voices appeared to be a construction team confronted with a line of dilapidated houses, going about their work. The homes themselves interested her more initially than the people sizing them up- they reminded her a bit of some of the cottages she’d come across while travelling between cities.

She spotted a girl a bit younger-looking than her with muted orange hair and a drink, leaning up against the opposite side of a fence to watch the renovators going at it. Saki squinted at her for a moment- she was probably too old to fall for ghost stories or anything like that… especially without props. That was the age range she disliked, mid-genin or so; they’d be itching to start fights with older kids to let out all of their experience, but they weren’t tough enough to justify taking them seriously yet.

She figured she should introduce herself, though, just in case. “It’s a shame that they’re going to be taking those poor buildings down,” Saki began, with a smile and a hint of overplayed drama. “Decades of history and memories, all demolished in the name of pure and senseless destruction… and you choose to watch, like this is entertaining for you. How must the surviving houses feel.”

Suddenly, though, she saw a boy rushing onto one of the older sets of front steps out of the corner of her eye, fixing the construction crew with a rather defiant glare. “Oh, look at that-” Saki mumbled, the flourish gone from her voice and replaced with a bit of genuine interest. “Seems like someone agrees with me.” She flipped over the fence, landing on the same side as the orange-haired girl. From there, she crossed her arms, watching the scene unfold once she’d glanced around for possible escape routes. “Looks like fun. If that head lady is properly authorized and stickler enough for her operations, he’s going to have some trouble on his hands.” She fell silent for a few moments, asking after a little while as if she’d made up her mind, “Do you know him?”

[WC: 671, MFT]

 

[Koga Akane]

After a moment of ruckus and commotion the front door of the abandoned property kicked open. The house was haunted…! By… some short twerp. Akane looked at the young kid, bewildered that anyone would actually be inside the building. From the look of the place it hadn’t been kept up in decades. However his protest held no merit as the woman in front of the house stopped him in his tracks.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” A free hand opened up her jacket to rummage through an inner pocket. Within it she pulled a finely folded note on expensive parchment with the seal of approval from a higher up. Cursed CEOs and their paperwork. If the forewoman were nuts she’d throw the parchment at the kids face like a cease and desist order. “Orders from higher ups, kid. These houses have been abandoned and even the one you defend has outstanding debts owed to the bank.” Which was partially true but what did the kid know?

“So step aside, Runt. Or else we’ll knock you down with this old house.” As her final words crept past her lips the two headband wearing ninja stepped forward like an old timey shake down. Both of them laughed while one rolled his shoulders and the other cracked their knuckles.

Behind dulled orange tresses Akane’s ear twitched. The movement of an up-and-coming ninja caught her attention yet she hadn’t bat an eye. With another satisfying slurp of her beverage she continued to watch the incoming onslaught. However the girl chose to speak to her. Some sentimental shit about memories and senseless destruction. As if she had room to talk. Akane’s entire way of life had been demolished in the war by Kumogakure ninja. “And?” Akane rebuttals with an attitude. “That’s what you people do. Tear down history in the making. Taking things that aren’t yours. A girl with a quiet step like you should know that.” Referring to her way of the ninja. It made her sick.

The teen let out a telling yawn. What the young girl spouted was correct to a degree. But what could she do? What would her newly acquired Booba-Sensei do? The idea to intervene titillated her taste buds. Probably had something to do with the soda. To stop the recurring theme of taking what is not yours Akane had to act quickly. “If you care so much why don’t you stop those other two ninja. Unless you’re chicken.” A smug grin painted those pink lips. The teen turned away to walk towards the corner of the block. She had a plan but it all would unfold if the company did demolish the house.

[Those ninja look rowdy! The uncivil sort too!]
[wc:449] ​

 

[Ikeda Kohaku]

Kohaku looked on in certain disbelief as the ringleader of these suppposed band of ruffians, he absoutley refused to call them ninja because shinobi did no such thing like these hooligans were doing. The parchment she thrust in his face was legitmate alright but as to why the village had suddenly developed an oustanding interest in this part of town was beyond Kohaku's comprehension.

"Don't you think some sort of prior notifacation would have been nice?! You can't just show up and just have at it without telling anyone!"

On the contrary, they believed they could and what was all this hogwash about debts? As far as he knew, his parents had been virtually spotless with thier monetary obligations, no need to have trouble come knocking with the work that they did but then agian, after their passing, the boy hadn't been actually too particular in realizing that the building he called home and resided in wasn't exactly without it's own expense.

They seemed ready to rumble, ready to take the Ikeda family house into their crummy grasp and Ikeda Kohaku wasn't just about to stand aside and watch as they helped themselve to the art of demolishing and destroying everything within a couple feet of here.

"Like hell you will." The boy growled stepping forward, perhaps an unwise move on his part.

They had the audacity to give him the threat of getting a beat-down? Sure, Kohaku knew they could probaby put him through his paces but he was counting on the fact that these supposed shinobi had some sort of moral code unless they were some sort of heartless demons that only saw the payout they would get from these operations and didn't think about the impact they had on the potential victims.

Granted, most of the buildings were abandoned and people didn't gave a flying damn about them but there was alwas the odd exception, this one being Ikeda Kohaku.

"I guess you had better get someone down here because I'll be here all day."

Hostily was rippling through every fiber of his figure, so many memories and recollections that would be washed away in just a few minutes, it was frustrating to think something os precious could be ripped away so easily at someone's say-so and he was going to correct that here today. "And if you think beating down an kid makes you tough, have at it."

 

[Koga Akane]

That little pipsqueak did have a valid point. Foreign unknown people waltzing into your territory just to knock it down and claim it as their own. Big feet crushed the little man ever since the start of time. It was no different when those filthy ninja ran amok in her homeland of Tenouza. Look what was left… nothing but a crater of mirrors. Akane hated what Kumogakure did but something pulled a chord within her heart. That boy stood their ground. A commendable feat yet he stood no chance. Unless…?

Akaned veered around the corner out of sight. Her hands clasped together and in a puff of white smoke her orange tresses became a beautiful white. Her usual stature reshaped into that of a giant and one with a particular endowment that easily caught the attention of any passersby. Once the dust settled, it was clear Akane transformed herself into her Booba-Sensei. The appearance was uncanny and after a moment of looking herself over and lowering her shirt a bit more she had to get into emotional character! “Yosh! Let’s see how well this plays out!” With a cheeky grin, chakra welled up at the base of her sole and she launched off.

With an impactful landing on the patio roof of the crowded house the dark silhouette of a massive figure eclipsed the sunlight. Like a superhero with their hands at her hips the tall woman looked down at the forewoman and her crew. Akane called out, “What’s the big idea?! This is NOT what we signed off on.” Casually Akane stepped off the roof and with an impactful landing yet again she placed herself between the ninja and Kohaku.
She scanned everyone around her before wrapping a muscular arm around one of the ninja. Pressed up against her bust she grinned again repeating the motion. “Ohoho, you’re much better built than your skinny friend there~.” The man's face grew red while his eyes were fixated on that revealing shirt. Her other arms quickly snatched up the other Ninja. “You know what they say though. 2’s a crowd but 3… 3’s a party.” Akane let out a boisterous laugh and with her muscular arms she unknowingly choked out both the Ninja that threatened the boy. “Gah!?! Tired already?! Weak men!” Another laugh escaped her before she released the ninja to fall onto the floor.

The forewoman blinked repeatedly. “Just who do you think you are!” “Bleh… I’m not interested in women… But times are changing!” Her eyes caught that note she flaunted around. “I’m the Main Branch Sennin of Kumogakure. I remember giving the ‘O.K’ to your company's president on that little contract you have there. However, only under the premise that nobody lived within the houses.” Akane moved with purpose over to the foreman who had to look directly up at her. “From the look of it, someone lives here. Ain’t that right kid?” Akane motioned to the boy behind her, an arm beckoned him over.

[WC:495]
[MFT]
[Cast Transformation Jutsu!]​

 

[Umetsu Saki]

Saki looked on, raising her eyebrows a bit as the demolitionists cracked down on the boy that had appeared in their path. She wondered vaguely if he lived there himself, or if he just used the place as a haunt or somewhere to stash his things. The official-seeming woman gave her final verdict, and her headbanded cronies stepped forwards to scare him off the property, laughing and cracking their knuckles.

The AiT was perfectly content to watch a kid get beat up by two trained adult ninja, although she doubted they’d do anything too nasty- Kumo might have its rough spots, but it was by far one of the most civilized inhabitants she’d been to. At that moment, though, the orange-haired girl next to her answered her mock-accusatory greeting with a retort of her own. “Maybe.” Saki smiled. She hadn’t expected a reaction like that, truthfully. “Unlike these corporate sickos, some of the takers don’t start off with much themselves. And if it’s history in the making, then surely tearing it down is making history too, right?”

The younger girl then dared her to intervene. Saki’s smile didn’t change, but she raised one eyebrow as she turned and walked to the corner. She wasn’t even going to wait around to see if the ANBU conscript would actually do it? If orange-hair seemed to hate ninja that much, she would be pretty daft to assume they had any sense of moral obligation or cowardice. Which was probably the point, she knew they didn’t; the older girl recognized the insult, though of course she had no intention of proving her wrong about ninja when she was dead right.

Saki was not a ninja, however- at least not one in the Kumogakurean fashion. Truthfully she was whatever she wanted to be. She glanced back at the boy standing up to his unwanted houseguests with interest, wondering if she would get involved after all. The rule of thumb for heists in larger villages was always to interact with authority as little as possible. But if she thought about it, what could go wrong… she could get out easily enough if they threatened her too, she had ANBU training; plus if she played this from the right angle they’d have no reason to report her for anything.

Suddenly, a large figure landed on the patio roof, come from the sky to tell off the construction crew. Saki frowned as she incapacitated the two ninja and confronted the forewoman. It looked a hell of a lot like the Main Branch Sennin from her distance, who she hadn’t personally met. The situation was… very convenient, though. A clone appeared in a puff of smoke beside the AiT, pausing for a moment before blending into the backdrop; it was a habit of hers now.

She was making it a point to chat with all of the village higher-ups to figure out what happened to her caravan before she went through with a certain operation, so she figured she might as well introduce herself. Maybe she’d be something like Midori or Miro? Hurrying up to the scene, Saki called, “Excuse me ma’am! Excuse me!” Once she got close, she asked with a huge grin, “You’re the Main Branch Sennin, right? It’s wonderful to meet you, my name is Umetsu Saki, and I have a few things I’d like to discuss if you aren’t too busy right now!!”

WC: 594, MFT
[Casting Elemental Clone (with no elements, the taijutsu one) and entering stealth!]

 

[Ikeda Kohaku]

Kohaku had seen a lot of things, he never thought he would see the day when professional trained shinobi took it upon themselves to engage in a fight with a runt half their size for the sake of an assigment that they'd rather not be doing if he could guess judging from the look on their faces, his fists tensed ready to take them down a peg or two but that moment never came.

It didn't come because the solution to all his troubles arrived in the form of one very big miracle.

Well, perhaps not all of them saw it that way as the boy stood there dumbfounded as another stranger catapualted into the scene although her introductions was very direct in a manner of speaking promptly dispataching the two who had dared to harbor intentions of demolishing the Ikeda family house. Kohaku thought it would be a wise idea not to get on the bad side of this woman glancing down at the shinobi who had just been standing a few moments ago.

He might have felt sorry for them if it wasn't for their assumption that they could simply roll over him.

"You're the Sennin?" The boy said, his eyes widening as he swung to look at the woman. He had of course heard of those who spearheaded the village but had never had the chance to meet one of them in person tucked away in the upper echelons of the village class, they weren't people you could just stop to have a pleasant chat with any time of day with their duties yet the way she causally dropped the title and swung in to his rescue.

Had she known about this operation all along? Was that why she was here?

His mind was overloaded trying to process this that he almost missed the question she threw at him. "Hm? Oh, yes! I've been here all my life, just doesn't seem right you can decide when that time is up."

Kohaku said seziing the chance of a higher authortiy figure's influence in an attempt to preserve the ridden down house from the foreman's grasp.

Another voice called out, this one a bit younger as he turned bewildered watching the person run up. Like him, she too was keenly interested in this Sennin person, it appeared that the woman was a popular figure, perhaps a good thing for him.

Whatever things Saki had to discuss, Kohaku reckoned it wasn't as urgent as having your livelihood pummeled into the ground before your very eyes.

"Lady Sennin, you'll forgive me but this house has been here for more decades than I can count on both my fingers and I'll be damned if someone can just strut in one day and decided it's time for it go. They weren't exactly the most forthcoming or professional about it either." He added with some heat glaring at the forewoman.

The sheer gall of some people.

 

[Koga Akane]

Just as suddenly as she appeared on the porch of the house, the girl that stood beside her appeared out of thin air. Now both of the two students confirmed the identity of the transformed Akane. With a toothy grin she took on the task of kicking out the Forewoman and her squadron of goonies. “One at a time! First and foremost. You!” A muscular arm erected itself to point directly at the forewoman. The sudden expression caused her to jump. “You may work on the other houses but this house is currently within the arms of this young gentlemen right here! If there’s any concerns I’m sure to send him to the Main Branch with proof of the Deed to the house. That’ll clear up this whole charade.” Like a superhero both her fists planted themselves on her hips to stand there in glory.

The forewoman grit her teeth. She coiled the paper documents and stuffed them away. With a crisp snap of her fingers the conscious goons hurriedly jumped into the work van as the Forewoman stepped into the car. Just as they were about to take off the window rolled down just so she could give her final remark. “I’ll be in your office by days’ end tomorrow. I want to see this “Deed” he owns.” With a scowl the window rolled up and the crew van drove off. The Sennin watched as the car drove down the block and around the corner. Out of sight and out of mind. A heavy sigh escaped the big lady's chest followed by another puff of smoke.

After the smoke cleared it revealed that the big woman was none other than the red haired teen that laid against the fence, Akane. “Ohh man. You are screwed! And stop asking me questions about my Sensei! I barely know that big oaf.” The energetic teen turned to bark at the small ninja she sat next to on the fence line and the other ninja. “All this because of your stupid chatter. I’m going to get an earful when I get back…” Akane rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Shit.. what do we do about these guys?”

[WC:364]​