The rent is too high! [Free RP]

[Oishi Shichimenchou]

I placed two soap boxes on top of each other and got on top of them. I then dusted myself off and got on top.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, Med-nin", I started.

"I am the daughter of nobility. My blood is so blue that if I was bleeding in a pool you wouldn't notice I was bleeding. I am so pure that I will probably die from one of countless hereditary diseases by the time I turn twenty."

I nodded, "Now I won't name any names, but let us just say that my father's name rhymes with nami."

"Despite my lineage I believe that all citizens of this republic are equal. The problem with the old regime was that it was too rigid. The son of a farmer was expected to become a farmer. Someone whose father was a Mednin could only become a Mednin. It was that rigidity that led to our village being destroyed. We have come a long way since then, but let me propose that as we begin to rebuild we learn from the past."

I pointed towards the clan houses behind me, "And what ties us more to the past than the clan system?"

I raised my fist, "Just because someone is born a Senju does not mean that they should be afforded special privilege! A kunoichi ought to be judged by her actions, not by her mother's actions!"

"Now I am not saying we need to destroy the past. Let us build a museum so that future generations do not forget where we come from. Honor the past. We must not however let the past shackle us. The clan housing district should be opened up for everyone to live in. Let us revise the zoning rules so that the existing clan lands can be split up into smaller units. If a clan has died out sell its property to the common man as discounted prices. This will increase the housing stock and provide much needed help to those who cannot afford housing in today's housing market."

"The rent", I raised my fist higher, "is too high!"

 

[Ryu Hime]

One of those clan houses she pointed to was the House of Black and White. This building was the home to an unusual clan known as The Faceless. The Faceless is a religious cult that worshiper a deity to which they refer to as the man-faced god. According to their beliefs it is he who taught the founder of the clan the true art of transformation. The Faceless freely sacrifice their former identities so that they may view the world through many perspectives. Many outside the clan view them as a clan of eccentric actors. Without a doubt the ability to change ones form so effectively is the most renowned ability to the Faceless is their ability to transform. Each face is its own weapon. A member that has earned the title of No One has many faces which can give a variety of effects. The transformation jutsu there god teaches them is a strong one and is a difficult one to master. Hakuren is currently under the tutelage of one such No One. The Faceless is a clan that one is not born into and would take anyone who wishes to join. However must would agree that the price of entry is far too high. The Faceless are not for the weak of heart for the many-faced god demanded subject that will be comply devoted to him.

Hakuren did not agree with the noble’s views and remain silent for the time being. She waited for the response of the crowd and judge how influential her words were. From the sound of it she was declaring war against the clans. If this was the case then Hakuren would have no choice but to snuff her out. With an unamused look she glare at the one standing on the soap boxes. She could feel her curse encouraging her to devour the person’s soul, but she resists the temptation.

 

[Oishi Shichimenchou]

I felt the cold sensation of water dripping down my back. The crowd was being tough.

"You there!" I said toward the crowd. I wasn't actually pointing to anyone. That was the trick you see? By pointing to the crowd generally someone was bound to think I was referring to them.

"Yes you!" I shouted as I outstretched my hand toward them.

"Do you not agree that the village needs to be given new life? That all women should be equal? I am sure there is something you wanted to be when you were younger but your parents told you that you should settle for something else. My parents-"

I jumped down the soap box. That was the second trick with crowds. Try to move around to keep everyone's energy up.

"My parents laughed when I told them that my dream was to become the Hokage one day. They said a girl could not be a Hokage. That it was a man's job, but you know what? With the rain goddess Evaline as my witness I Ayunee will be the first female Hokage! And I will be the bestest Hokage that there ever was. I won't just lower everyone's rent bill, but I will also add cat litter boxes on every corner. Konohagakure will become great again under my leadership."

 

[Ryu Hime]

Hakuren is from the village of Andaran. It is a village of spell casters, though they are a little untrusting to outsiders. So when the woman points at her and asks her if she believed Konoha needed a new life. She did not know what to say. The next question wasn’t really any better for Andaran was a matriarchy, so women are actually treated not equally but better than men. As for the last question she could answer comfortably. “Actually they encourage to be more.” Up until she was exiled. After answer the question the speaker steps down from her soap box and walks amoung the crowd. From her speech she sounded like she was campaigning for the position of Kage. Though Hakuren was unsure what was with the litter box thing. This girl was just a weird one. Probably no reason to worry about this one; people will probably just thing she is some kind of nut.

 

[Uchiha Arata]

The young Uchiha began leaving the area where the Uchiha Clan houses were located. He was wearing his casual attire, that being a black hoodie with red edges and black sports pants. On the back of the hoodie was the Uchiha crest, nice and big for all to see. The attire was rather comfortable and allowed him to move around easily. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows as he was wrapping his hands in some white tape. This helped prevent injury in training, though this also helped because his hands already were injured from training.

As he was walking out, it seemed somebody was trying to gather other people's attention. He only listened briefly as he was on his way out, but stopped and glanced at the person as they began speaking about selling off clan houses that weren't occupied to common people. On the inside, this infuriated him. The clan houses were sacred and should be respected. Sure nobody was there now, but what about the people growing up and were about to move into their own houses, start their own families? It was very disrespectful to think, especially speak out loud about selling off clan houses to common people.

On the outside, he was as calm and collected as usual. His hands then slipped into his pockets as he closed his eyes and shook his head. How dare somebody like her even attempt to do this.

 

[Oishi Shichimenchou]

A very tough crowd indeed!

I had been sure that, at minimum, they would get excited at the prospect of a litter box on every corner.

"Oh they encouraged you to do more?" I replied back, "Well you had very good parents then. You should thank them for supporting you."

I sat on my soapbox. I really had not planned for this. Usually it was not hard to find support for re-distributing wealth from the rich to the common people. Maybe I ought to quit and head down to the Hidden Sand Village instead. No, what was I thinking. Everyone knew the future was in the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Oh geesh folks. I am going to be honest here. What DO you all want improved in the village then? Do you want more classes offered in the academy? A library with the village's history?" I asked toward the crowd.

"Or are you content with the way things are right now?"

 

[Takayama]

Somewhere beneath the reflective sheen of a set of wide black lenses sat a pair of eyes that had by some small miracle noticed something odd as they approached the clan house district. It was a crowd of some sort, gathered a bit haphazardly around something too short for him to make out with certainty. Whatever it was, it was certainly opinionated enough. He almost thought he could recognize the voice, but he had found his memory exceptionally difficult to trust as of late. Hopefully that was a problem that would fade with time.

The blue haired shinobi stepped with an air of ignorance, one toeless boot following the next as every crack and chipped stone in his path somehow managed to skirt within millimeters of becoming a real obstacle. The road had only just recently undergone any real repavement since the village revolt. The war effort had finally been taken outside the village, but even in the best districts there was a lingering sense of disrepair that was being casually tended to by those who could afford to sacrifice the time and energy.

One such person with time and energy was Takayama, as would be evidenced by the boxes whose weight was causing him to wobble and shift. He couldn't help but become curious as he attempted to pass through the odd throng of people and was even moreso when he found they had managed to crowd around...

A young woman sitting on a couple soap boxes...

The blue haired chuunin's eyebrows raised incredulously as the girl went on about improving the village and becoming Hokage, his vision drifting away and drinking in the subtle damage that still needed fixing. He swiveled his jaw indecisively before apparently failing to notice that the third and topmost box stacked in his arms had slowly started sliding onto the top of his head.


"And people call me crazy..."


He muttered it to himself just a bit too loudly, but there were more than a few things that he didn't quite follow. While things had got precarious during the age before the invasion with class strife, most of the history Takayama remembered being taught in his childhood had recalled different circumstances. Konohagakure was a military village, a shinobi's income was largely based on the missions they undertook and their pay decided directly by the Hokage who charged the client based on their needs and the risk involved. What wasn't given to the shinobi was used to pay for tools, construction, maintenance and rations. It was even the case that shinobi training or active had their premises provided for to maintain military preparedness. The ones who saved up enough of their own income to afford houses usually had to pay builders out of their own pocket, or deal with a lender from the Daimyo, which wasn't really an option since the invasion. It was true that with the fire country war had nearly halted mission requests and put a heavy ding in the hidden leaf's reputation, but there was little a change in order would do to fix that. All they could really do was wait for business to pick up from the countries and towns nearby and keep trudging along until they earned their respect back.

Takayama tilted his head just enough to steady the box sliding over him as he tried to puzzle through the girl's words, his expression hinting that he probably still had no idea it had been happening. Maybe she was a confused civilian whose family business had suffered at the money loss, but why on earth then did she think civilians had any right to live among the most respected and reputable military households?

It was a shame he hadn't shown up early enough to hear the whole thing, maybe he had missed something...

 

[Ryu Hime]

Hakuren could not help but smile while thinking, if only she knew how hard it would be for her to do that one simple action of thanking her parents. Seeing the girl defeated Hakuren begins to leave but notices a man carrying quite a load and seems to be having trouble carrying it all. “Excuse me sir. Do you need some help?” Without even letting the man answer she goes to grab the top box that was starting to slide towards the man. “Here at least let me take this one. He seems to be giving you trouble.”

 

[Takayama]

Takayama faltered, a voice emerging unexpectedly from one of the shapes in his peripherals. He had only just begun to turn his head when a misplaced weight on his shoulders corrected itself and he was greeted with the sight of a pair of helping hands firmly attached to a young woman he didn't recognize.

His eyebrows seemed to hold their suspension before he glanced up and the hint of a smirk began to peak through.


"Thanks~ Be careful though, he's a loose cannon that one. Luckily he doesn't have too far left to go.

His legs seemed to start without him in an absurd way as he found himself winding past the crowd and the soapboxes, his steps zigzagging toward the clan district in an almost comical fashion as his load of what sounded like roofing tiles clinked awkwardly. Hopefully she would be able to keep up with him...



[Topic Left with Hakuren unless stopped]

 

[Oishi Shichimenchou]

I nodded absentmindedly as I heard the people voice their various complaints. I had been off the mark on this one. I had been so sure that there would be more anger over the privilege that the clans kept for themselves, but there was little of it. Why was that?

Surely, as things were right now, there had to be those who felt that they had been cheated by the system? I supposed that it was possible that I was right and there was discontent, but I had failed in trying to find it so close to the clan houses. Or rather - would those who felt cheated by the system have stayed so close by to the source of their ills? Not everyone had the luxury of moving, but there had been a long interval between the destruction of the old village and this current incarnation. Those who were really opposed to things had plenty of time to find home elsewhere and would be unlikely to return.

These were the sort of thoughts I had as I sat on my soap box.

(OOC: Pardon the wait. Got caught up in Christmas/New Year shenanigans.)

[Leaving topic unless stopped]

 

[Uchiha Arata]

It seemed the girl got discouraged by the lack of approval from others. That was to be expected however. People in the leaf highly respected the clans here and it wasn't because they had to. With her finished though, it seemed the whole of the crowd left, leaving just a few scattered people. At that sora strutted away as well, having better things to do than just stand around.

[topic left unless stopped]

 

[Ryu Hime]

[left topic]