The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter [Dual Contract Search]

[Ryu Hime]

Kuren and Soku were coming in through the south entrance and traveling along Fire Street which was one of Crater City’s main roads. When the two of them left, Kuren said that she would explain the details when they got to Crater City. “The thing my sensei found is related to what we were discussing at The Memorial Stone Garden.” The two of them did talk a bit but it was heavy focused on a specific time period. “As you well know, there was a time that the practice of the Shinobi art were declared forbidden. Yamanaka Shiro was not the only one to disagree with the prohibition obviously. However not most were not as open with their defiance as Shiro and practiced in secret. Sensei found clues to a hidden dojo.”

“He lives in a shrine just around the corner here.” Long stairs separated the shrine from the street level. The design of the aged building seemed to be as old as time itself. It was crafted from wood with a vintage design, and appeared to be well-kept for such an old establishment. The entrance of the building seemed quiet and empty, after all it was around dinner time. The two of them arrived at the entrance of the shrine, and were enveloped in the rustic charm. The air was filled with the sweet scent of cherry blossoms as the trees around the area were in full bloom. Flower petals dance in the air to the gentle roaming breezes of the wind and the tree branches begins to sway gently. A crow flies down and lands on one of the fox statues. The black bird welcomes them with a loud caw.

“Does any of this look familiar to you?” She asks knowing that there was a sister shrine back in Kanoha. Both shrines were built by descendants of Shiro. The shrine was not to honor a specific god or goddess but the pursuit of enlightenment. If Kuren recalls correctly the shrine back in Kanoha was home to a former sennin.

With careful eyes one would see many forms of life. A black cat lays by the entrance bathing in the warmth of the rays of the sun, a couple of rabbits nimble at the bed of flowers and a cricket begins to play its song for the coming night. They were being watched by the residence of this place, Yamanaka inhabiting the minds of animals. They are merely watchers used to keep an eye out for those who would seek to make trouble. Kuren and Soku would likely not have to wait long for her sensei to come walking out.

[WC: 441]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Crater City.

The home of all things evil and alluring in nature..well..mostly. Soku had made a quick trip home before returning to accompany Kure and this time, her weapon was present with her. A curved katana with a thunderbolt engraved onto the hilt of the sword. It rested in it's black sheath strapped to the ANBU Captain's back as they made thier way through a place Soku had the misfortune of coming to more than once. "A hidden dojo, you say?" A place where such arts were practiced and probably in great detail and passion though, it would serve as excellent proving grounds to exactly what had taken place so many, many, years ago. "Such things are bound to have secrets that have yet to be discovered." There were many things within this place that people dared not speak of, rumours believed to be just rumours and Soku was sure she was about to break one of those stereotypes.

The greeting sound of the bird was the first thing that captured the female's attention glancing around in wonder. It was unlike the aura and run-down state of the buildings around them, it resembeled harmony, inner peace as her eyes snapped to the shrine in question her mental gears working in overdrive. "That shrine.." Soku started slowly looking it up and down. Yes, it had to be, the same material and everything. "One sits proudly just like it back home, just who is your sensei?" She asked in wonder her interest peaked. She had never stumbled upon a place like this among all her travels. You would think for a city that had garnered a reputation for raising thugs, bandits, and the worst of civillazation that something like this would be unimaginable but yet here she was and Soku was pretty sure she was not under any genjutsu or dreaming for that fact.

"I must admit I have seen a lot of things in my time but this..this is unlike anything I have stumbled upon in my travels. This place holds something, something great. Something of value." Physical value or mental value, she knew not but it just gave off that vibe. She was mostly silent for the most part as they awaited the mysterious individual that Kuren referred to as her sensei. Whomever they were, Soku wondered how they had fared all these years. A part of her wondered if they had any ties to Konohagakure itself, it was reasonable to assume so given the relatively ease with how one could travel back and forth. "What type of person is he?" Soku asked quietly tugginer her black cloak tighter around herself. She had learnt a very important lesson here today, never take anything for what it is at first glance, clearly Crater City had much to offer than what was initially percieved of it.

WC: 471

 

[Ryu Hime]

Kuren gives a light smile as she sees that Soku does indeed find the shrine familiar. “This is the Yin Shrine. The one in Kanoha is the Yang Shrine.” Yin and Yang are the two primordial forces that created the universe. These to forces were contrary to each other and yet complementary at the same time. Despite being so different they were dependent to each other. Yin was the darker half of the two forces. Little surprise that the shrine of darkness existed in Crater City. “The people that live here seek enlightenment, though you might not like the road they take.” Kuren after living in Kanoha for some time was figuring out that morality was not viewed the same way between the two cities.

Kuren would stare into Soku’s eyes with a very serious expression. “Remember we are in Crater City. These things are acceptable here. Please keep your sword sheathed while on the grounds.” That last part came out more like a plea than a warning. Kuren knew how her teacher would approach them and had a strong feeling Soku would not approve of it. “He is a man that adores history. He has taught me much and more.” Kuren face then begins to tint a shade of red as she stares nervously at the ground. “He is the moon in my night.” She seems to have a little crush on her teacher, which is not too uncommon for one her age.

Soon a feminine voice would call out to them, “Kuren, my shining star.” Addressing them was a woman young and in her prime. Her hair was cut short but was a lovely shade of red. Her eyes were like polished jade that almost seem to glimmer in the light. She wore a plain kimono as white as freshly fallen snow. However what likely caught Soku’s eyes the most would be the chains. A metal collar adorn her neck and manacles around her wrist and ankles. The woman would run up to Kuren, hug her and kiss her forehead. The sound of metal rattling rang with every step. “You have grown so much.” While embracing Kuren, the woman would notice Soku. She then let Kuren go and step towards this person she did not recognize. “I see you brought a friend. Welcome to our shrine.”

“Sensei this is Soku. Soku this is my sensei I was talking about.” Soku was likely a little bit confused as Kuren referred to her teacher with a male pronoun and yet this was clearly a woman. She was also a slave from the looks of it. There were answers to such riddles, but Soku may not like them. Considering a Yamanaka’s powers, one could say this slave’s free will was more restricted than most. “Sensei you mention you found clues to a hidden dojo.” Kuren wanted to get to the point of this meeting before things get heated on the topic of morality.

“Yes, that is correct. I found a cryptic message that mention five things you must find in order to get to the dojo.”

The Begging Bowl of Budha
Cloth of the Fire Rat
Jeweled Branch of Hōrai
The Cowry Shell the Swallows Protect
The Jewel from a Dragon's Neck​

Kuren has heard of these items as they were from a story she read as a child. They were from ‘The Tales of a Bamboo Cutter.’ They were treasures that never really existed and yet somehow they have to find them to get to the dojo.

[WC: 587]
[TWC: 1028/1500]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

"Don't pull the pointy sword, got it" Soku said eyeing the place with relative interest. To be fair,she didn't exactly fancy the request given that they were after all in Crater City even if it did not look like it at the present moment. Still, however, the Captain elected not to do anything that would be considered a breach of protocol..as if such a city like this had one. She supposed they did, it had to function somehow someway. "A wise man if I do say so myself." She hadn't met many people who were as tenured with the past as Kuren made out her sensei to be, the way she was going on about him the kunoichi would wager guess he probably had been living and breathing the air of this city long before she had been born. The thought did not last long as a feminie voice cut into her thoughts and her head snapped up, eyes locking onto another woman.

There were several things that stood out at once. Firstly, this was not the wise, old man she was imagining in her head and to add on, the metal restraints clearly evident. Soku fought the urge to pose those questions though she did tilt her head Kuren's way shooting the girl a questioning look for a brief second. Just what exactly was going on here? "Thank you, it is a pleasure." She said smiling though internally, the female had boatloads of questions. Who was she? Or he? What were with the restraints? Was Soku hallucianting? Perhaps a Transformation Jutsu gone wrong? She decided not to push the matter any further. The topic of converstation quickly moved to a matter of importance. Ah, yes, the dojo in question. However, it seemed like it would not be so easy judging from the riddle-like message this woman..or man for all Soku knew posed to them.

"Cloth of the Fire Rat, huh." She mused. Somehow, Soku did not entertain the names of some of these supposed items of value, the dragon one was not as comforting either. She really hoped it wasn't literal, the last monster Soku had taken on had been that..she didn't even knew what to call it but it had been quite the effort. "These are all objects hidden somewhere and I am sure great measures have been taken to ensure their location remains undisclosed. Surely, there must be something hidden somewhere here and there to indicate our current course of direction." Maybe their clue was hidden in the message itself, riddles tended to be like that. Unless Kuren's sensei had something else she hadn't shared with them either.

WC: 439
TWC: 910/1500

 

[Ryu Hime]

“Begging Bowl of Budha, Begging Bowl of Budha.” Kuren held a hand to her face with her thumb and ring finger on her temples. She could feel an answer was there in her mind, but she just could not quite access it. After a few minutes of nothing an idea suddenly pops into her head. “Nanachi.” Kuren would then weave hand seals for a nightmare jutsu, but something was very different about this one. This entity was made up of fire chakra, which was unusual and gave it unique abilities. The creation touches a falling petal and sets it ablaze. The bird only seeing the fire and not the one who sparked it is startled and flies off.

“Nya, showing me off to people now.” Nanachi's appearance is very rabbit-like, save for a long sturdy tail. Medium tan fur covers the most of Nanachi, with light tan covering the insides of its ears and belly. Nanchi was very androgynous as it was hard to tell whether it was a male or a female. Though as a nightmare jutsu it might not have one. “Nanachi, you know what I know. Does Begging Bowl of Budha mean anything?” Nanachi simply smiles and shakes its head. However the movement was not in to say that it does not know but to say it is disappointed in Kuren for having to as. “Nya, fru yna oui dryd tuh'd ghuf ouin recduno?” It speaks the words Kuren knows all too well, but it doesn’t really help her remember. “Where are you right now?”

“The Yin Shrine.” “Nya, which is in?” “Crater City.” “Good, now what is the city located within.” “A depression tha…” Kuren’s eyes suddenly light up with a realization. “Nya, I assume you have your answer.” “Yes, yes thank you Nanachi.” Kuren was about to dismiss her jutsu, but stops herself. “Actually you’ve been a big help just now. Would you mind searching with us?” “Yes, I would like that.”

“Sensei do you have maps of Crater City during the prohibition area?” The sensei gives a laugh like she really had to ask. The woman told Kuren that she would go get them and recommends explaining the situation with her partner. Kuren turns and looks at Soku as she seems to have forgotten about her in the excitement. “Sorry about that.” She says with a nervous laugh. “You see the crater this city is located was once referred to as The Begging Bowl of Buddha by a nomadic tribe within fire country. Though that was before the city was built. Possibly why the city was built.” The original inheritance probably had some high hopes for this place and she wonders if Crater City lived up to such hopes. “Anyways I believe that the items listed aren’t items at all. I think they are places or direction that will lead us to the dojo.”

[WC: 480]
[TWC: 1508/1500]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Soku couldn't help it. She just couldn't her eyes locking onto the creation as she stared at the thing that was dubbed Nanachi. The ears might have betrayed it as a rabbit but most rabbits she had seen had been nothing like this. She presumed it to be a summoning animal of sorts though it certainly was unique in appearance for lack of a better word. The Begging Bowl had nothing which struck a bell in her head though to Soku, it sounded like something of sentimental value, she racked her brains wondering if the Academy lessons might prove any fruition. Oh, the Academy, those days were long past and while Soku had retained the lessons preached there, it was safe to say not everything you stumbled upon there was going to be recalled so easily. Especially not when it had been more than twenty years since the clan head had last sat in a Academy classroom listening to a teacher rant about the great glory of Konohagakure and how much of great and aspiring shinobi they would grow up to be. It made her almost miss those days as she smiled a bit but the mention of some weird bowl definitely wasn't coming to mind.

Marvelous, so they were going to be going into the heart of the city itself, a city that had tore itself apart. At least this time, she had brought her weapons with her and that gave her solace. "Does the tribe still reside there? If so, they might give us some hints or something of value on our little quest here." That is, if they were friendly. So far, all experiences Soku had with any inhabitants of Crater City had been nothing sort of negative with the exception of this time. She hoped to change that trend if she could, it would certainly make for a nice change of pace as far as she was concerned. "We should utilize utmost caution when seeking out these..items or locations as you say. It is likely we are not the only ones in pursuit of the dojo." She didn't know what obstacles awaited them Soku was sure they would garner attention at some point or another in some way and if anyone learnt of their alterior motive, well, an hidden dojo sounded like a very appealing goal for some individuals.

"Once the maps have been provided, we should set out at once before nightfall. It is not advisable to take to the streets of Crater City at dark, I have come to learn." A funny comparison really given the ANBU Captain should have preferred the cover of darkness for such a task but this place was different. Crater City had it's own monsters and things they needed to be wary of. She knew her own summon would probably thrive in the filthy aura of this thug-ridden city but she opted to keep the Youkai away for now, she wished not to disrupt the calm and relaxed air of the setting they were in at the present moment. "I'll let you lead the way then since you are probably more well-versed in navigating this place." As for Soku, she would make sure she came out of this with the same number of limbs she had gone into it with.

WC: 550
TWC: 1460/1500

 

[Ryu Hime]

“Nya, the Shikame Tribe is nomadic, which means they travel around.” Kuren has looked into them before and according to her research they traveled to Earth Country some time ago. However due to the fact that Leaf has received an influx of Stone refugees over the years, there is a chance the tribe came back. “Finding them would prove difficult, nya.” However Kuren does remember seeing a mission on the bulletin board in the Missions Office. There was an abandon wagon found in the forest. The Shikame Tribe were gypsies and traveled by wagon. If it is one of their caravan it might hold clues to where the tribe went, but that would take up time they might not have. “It never even occurred to me that there could be others.”

Meanwhile from a dilapidated building neighboring the shrine a man pokes a barrel of a rifle out a broken window. Staring down his scope he was reading the lips of Kuren and Soku. A woman stands behind him smoking a cigarette. “So, were they able to figure out anything?” The man was not able to get everything that was going on considering he was unable to see Nanachi, but he was able to get the important parts. “Yes, the girl seems to have deduced that the clues are locations. It appears the hidden dojo is here in Crater City.” The woman gives a surprised look, blows out her last puff of smoke and tosses the butt out the window. “Looks like Ryu had a bright idea after all.” The man gives a little chuckle while never looking away from his scope. “Yeah, I thought he was mad giving the journal to the shrine, but now we can have someone else figure out the riddle for us.”

Back at the shrine the woman in chains returns with the map. She holds it in a way for Suko and Kuren to look at it. Many things have changed from the time this map was created to today and something were the same. The shrine may not be on this map but the road it was on was. This was not too surprising as it was the main road that came to the south entrance. It seems that back then there were roads named after the twelve animals of the zodiac. The hidden dojo was somewhere in this city and the clues should point them in the right direction.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

The Shikame. Soku filed the name away mentally nodding to herself. It did well to retain that sort of information though to be fair, Soku had never heard of the Shikame people. It was a name that was foreign to her at best though perhaps it bore some sort of relevance. She had to smile at the remark that was made about them being nomadic and tracking them down. "No one is ever truly hidden. There is always a way. Somewhere. You just haven't been looking hard enough." The captain would say, If it came down to it, she had no problem putting the various skills the ANBU had granted her to use, tracking and finding people was her favored thing and a tribe was bound to have large quantaties of people which would make it all the more easier to find. She nodded at Kuren solemnly. "It would inadvisable to think there is not and those people might not bear as good of an intention as ours."

Sadly, it was the way the worlds worked. It was like two fierce dragons fighting over some treasure but in the end, only one dragon reigned supreme. In this analogy, Soku and Kuren happened to be one dragon and as for the other? Well, that remained a fact to be seen unless of course, there was no such variable but in Soku's head, it would be foolish not to account for it. Footsteps reach her ears and t the sensei figure returns though at this point, the Nanjirou was lost as whether to address by masculine or feminine honorifics, it was quite a interesting set of circumstances to say the least. "Let's take a look here.." Soku remarks thoughtfully head leaning down so she can get a better view of the map. It was weathered, indicative that these were not the only hands that the map has rested on as her eyes scanned it. A lot of pathways and roadways winding leading someplace though one pattern could been in all of them.

"Rat..Ox..Tiger..Rabbit..these old routes are christened after the zodiac creatures." The kunoichi would say gesturing at each of the pathways, each one with it;s respective animal name barely visible, the letters faded over time. She didn't know if that in itself was some sort of message or the creator of this little diagram was just particulary philsophical. At this point, anything could be a riddle as dull crimson eyes sought to make sense of this parchment. "You said it is likely the Begging Bowl is most likely referring to a crater that was made. Anything here that even resembles that? Perhaps that should be our first destination?" It would be a start at least.

WC: 451
TWC: 1911/1500

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Congratulations! You've found Elemental!
Do you accept?​

 

[Ryu Hime]

ACCEPTED​

“Nya.” Nanachi says like an evaporated sigh and rolls her eyes as she does so. Fortunately the woman might be able to set him straight. “There is only one crater in Crater City. It encompasses the entire city, hence the name.” Crater City is situated in a depression just off the Fire Country coast. “Nya. In other words the first clue pointed us to this city.” Kuren wore a very depressed look as she thought she explained it to Suko. Obviously she was not that good at articulating her knowledge and Suko was not the first one to remind her of that. She has run into similar situations many times before.

“We should also follow the order of which the clues were given.” Kuren has heard of this story when she was a child and remembers certain details. The princess sent the first suitor to retrieve the begging bowl of Budha. The second suitor was sent to get the jeweled branch and the third suitor the cloth of the fire rat. The fact that the clues did not match the order of the story meant something. “The next clue is the cloth of the fire rat.” Looking at the map, none of the buildings were labeled. However small icon did appear over some to notate what is sold there. For example a bar had a sake bottle on it.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

CONTRACT ACCEPTED

​

She let out a sigh at the information. It made sense for a city so similary named but that didn't make their job any easier though she supposed that was a given with any sort of challenge especially one as unique as this. "Well, at least we narrowed it down to this city and we don't have to go overturning every stone we see within Fire Country." A bit of a relief but not as Soku knew far too weel the winding pathways of this accursed city were far too numerous to count and it would be quite a challenge to cover ground on foot unless they found some other way to gain a lead on where in the name of all that was holy they were supposed to be going. So, if the first one referred to the Crater City, surely the other clues had to indicate something within the city.

Her suspicous was confirmed as the others began pondering about the cloth symbol. "Cloth of the Fire Rat.." The captain murmured to herself thinking. Cloth..cloth...it would not be evident at first. No riddle was that easy but it was there, they just had to look beyond the dotted lines. "Cloth..so like clothing? Perhaps a place like a tailor's shop?" Her thought process was working in overdrive trying to decipher this mysterious riddle that had set itself upon them as another idea sparked upon her. The Fire Rat. she supposed the fire adjective was christened due to the fact that they were in Fire Country so at least that was a satisfiying thought. "Rats are known to be great in number around places that are impure and not moral in nature." Frankly in her opinion, that fit all of Crater City but they had to dig deeper.

"So my guess is either we are looking for a bad part of town, presumbubaly a fabric buisness in those parts. Any residental or commerical districts that come to mind?" She supposed that even a run down city like this one had to have some sort of profit if any. Soku didn't exactly fancy going into the belly of the beast especially if her guess was right. Still, she had seen the type, well if you could even call them shinobi. In Soku's mind, they were lower than that given their way of living and notorious criminal reputations that many of the residents this place had but nothing too terribly great.

 

[Ryu Hime]

“Nya.” Nanachi says like an evaporated sigh for the second time. “Remember the clues are hundreds of years old. What was once were bad parts of town then might not be the same now.” Nanachi was seriously starting to wonder if this shinobi had anything between her ears. However Soku was not completely off the mark as her hunch on the cloth part was spot on. “The people that made this riddle had no idea that the banned would one day be lifted. Surely they used things or places that could stand the test of time.”

“I do know of a statue of a rat in Crater City.” Kuren would then scan the map to see if she could find where it would be. Obviously the statue was not marked, so she had to confer with her own memory. “I believe it is here on the corner of Earth and Rat.” A rat statue to mark Rat Road. She always wondered why there were statues of various animals in Crater City. “Unfortunately there is no clothing store near that location.” However after hearing herself say the word ‘Earth and Rat’ made her think. Perhaps Fire Rat were street names and without moving her finger she quickly glances over to where Fire Street and Rat Road intersect. Sure enough there was a clothing store there and one she is familiar with. Instead of pointing her findings out she decides to keep silent for now. She wish to see if Soku could figure it out on her own.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Sometimes she wondered.

She really truly wondered if the composers of said riddles and prophetic sayings really thought about what they were putting into their riddles. She could agree with the fact that the purpose of hiding something away was that so it would not be found any way whatsoever but you would think they could have made their directions and clues a little more clearer. She didn't know how the holders of this secret came up with the ways they did but the female had one thing to credit them on, they certainly were not making it easy by any regards. She didn't recall the last time she had subjected her mind to such pain-staking work, probably at the Academy. The voice of her instructor's droning voice echoing in her head as crimson pupils scanned the map trying to make sense of it all in some way and form.

Her head snapped at Kuren's words. "A statue, you said?" That could be something. She didn't know many places that put up statues of rats, the thought just seemed repulsive to her so in that sense, it was a very appealing lead to pursue if you asked her. A look of dissapointment at the revealation of no tailor's shop that was anywhere near the vicinity. There had to be something, something. They just weren't looking hard enough but Soku believed they were onto something. They just had to figure out what that something was. She kept reapeating the words over and over as if it would help the invsible light bulb in her head turn on. "Fire Rat..Fire Rat...."

That was when she paused scanning the various roads of the city, her eyes widening for a minute as she analyzed a pattern. "Wait a minute.." The Captain said slowly as if trying to determine whether it was even worth suggesting. "There is a trend here..half of these street names are elements and the other correspond to creatures." Her thumb jabbed at the word Earth and then again at Fox before repeating the clue they had been searching for. "Fire..Rat..Fire..Rat..that's it!" She exclaimed shooting a excited glance of sorts at Kuren before turning her attention back to the map. "Where is the intersection with those pathways, that's gonna be our go-to." The answer was hidden in the answer. So typical.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Soku seem surprised about the statue. Kuren guesses it’s not an animal that most people build a statue of. The statue was made of stone though it did held a white wooden small sphere. Kuren thought it was kind of cute how it coveted the ball. “Yes we have quite a few statues in Crater city.” Along with the rat, there was the dragon, the ox, the dog, the snake and the monkey. Just like the old streets they were animals of the zodiac, but not all the animals were represented. Kuren wonders if the statues hold some significance.

In the meantime Soku seems to be working her brain into overdrive, but fortunately she seems to be going down the right track. The question is will Soku be able to solve any of the other clues as they are not likely to get any easier. Soku now notices that some of the streets were indeed elements. In fact Fire Street kept its name. It was the street they were on when they entered the village and was the street they were still on.

However in his excitement Soku seems to have forgotten how this map was being displayed. A woman was holding it up which would place her behind the map. When Suko thrusts his thumb onto the map, he ends up hitting her. Soku got her in the stomach and then the left breast. Instinctively the woman lets go one end of the map and swings her open palm toward Soku’s face. Should connection be made Kuren would wince at the sound.

Meanwhile the man staring down the scope is laughing hysterically. His friend was on the radio sending troops to the clothing shop at the corner of Fire and Rat. It seems they were able to figure it out with Soku, which might be unfortunate for the duo. Kuren and Soku will likely meet resistance when they get to their next destination.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

A flicker of movement than the woman's hand is flying towards her face. Out of habit and training, Soku's own arm would shoot to grab the woman's wrist in a vicelike grip redirecting the hand to the side in a painful manner to any average, a apolgetic yet irritated look clear on her expression. "I'm sorry, okay? Take it easy, will ya?" The last thing the Captain needed was to wind up getting jumped by people who were supposed to be her allies on this particular quest. That, and she didn't exactly fancy getting trumped by someone who had spent presumably all of their lifespan in this little dojo, something about that equation just did not sit well with her.

"Now, if we are all in agreement and done trying to knock each other out, perhaps we should be well on our way, yes?" Soku said, one eyebrow twitching a bit choosing this time to fold her arms as it appeared any slight grievance on her part was going to earn her a prompt beat-down here, she did not exactly fancy getting into it with someone whom she had just met. For a newcomer, the Captain was not exactly making a very good first impression. Her interactions usually went more positve than this, she would have to fix that in the near future.

The route was not too complicated but the real issue lie when they actually got to the place. What sort of obstalces would they face there? She imagined it would not be glaringly obvious what great secrets they were after would just be out there on a silver platter but that was what made it well worth it. For someone to hide something so sacred in a city not exactly known for it's purity meant that they were more than willing to pay the price should any unwanted intruders happen upon it. The prospect of that happening, she would give it fifty-fity. In Crater City, if you paid the right people and knew where to look, you could get almost anything.

Almost. There were a few exceptions to that rule.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Kuren and Suko came here shortly after receiving the message and being one was a student they made it to the city later than it would take if Soku went alone. When they got to Crater City the crowds were light as it was around dinner time. Now after spending so much time working out the first two clues, that the ground beneath their feet was dyed a crimson red. Soon other members of the shrine were walking about lighting lanterns, which some gave Soku curious glances. All of them wore chains just like the woman. The woman bows her head and apologizes, “Forgive me I lost control of my vessel. I can assure you she will be discipline accordingly.”

Fortunately the shop should still be open even at this late hour as many of the more shady customers wait till around this time to visit. Kuren nods in agreement that they should leave immediately to the location, but the question is what route they were going to take. “I know the place. It is one of the oldest shops in Crater City. The shortest way would be to go back onto Fire Street and travel down it. However I not sure it’ll be the quickest as we may run into some trouble. I know a longer route but it is safer.” Kuren would let Suko make the decision as she was of higher rank. Maybe she could handle the thugs on the main road. Kuren being only a student with little fighting experience would rather avoid conflict.

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

"Apology accepted." Soku said nodding in her direction. The woman sure was weird from her appearance to her personality but she could not deny one thing. She had defnitely helped them, the kunoichi tilting her head to glance at the roaming members that began to filter into the shrine. It was only logical that there were others here. The Captain had thought it was only the sole individual here but that fact was clearly proven wrong to her. At the mention of a safe pathway in a city hellbent on housing thieves and rugrats of all types and forms, Soku had to do her best not to laugh. She would pay hoards of gold if they could go five minutes on any of the roads in this fine dwelling without being jumped by hooligans or eyed in various hostile manners.

It was a ridicoulous thought to enertain. "Safe is not a word I would associate with Crater City with all due respect." The ANBU said though Kuren had a point as she mused over it. They could take the swift shortcut and travel gladly into whatever things awaited them or take the more painstaking option and perhaps she could deem how 'safe' it was. She shook her head at the suggestion, her expression molding into a more serious one. "We can not afford to waste any more time than we already have, getting stuck on some long road as the sun dips below the horizon is not exactly something I fancy."

Crater City was sketchy enough at daylight but it reared it's true ugly head in the evening hours and that was something Soku was hoping to avoid. "If we run into any nutjobs on the main pathway, just keep your wits about you and we should be fine. I would hope they teach you at least some basic combat repertoire at the Academy." For someone who took great prides in things like spears changed into shovels and whatnot, the Captain reckoned she was more than capable adjusting the plates of her vest as she jerked her head towards the way they had come.

"Let us be off then."

 

[Ryu Hime]

Kuren would be looking really worried at the moment for she was sure Soku would choose the safe route option. “Basic Combat. Of course I learned that,” she says with a nervous laugh. Soku could probably see sweat run down her forehead. Most of the classes Kuren took were lectures as they were her favorite. The last time she had a class that had to actually fight, she ended up knocking herself out with her own attack. It is true that she has spent many years mastering her fire techniques, but she has yet to ever use her flames in battle.

However this is the place she once called home and she does have some defenses against particular lowlifes. Though it was something she would prefer not to use if need be. Unfortunately the powers that be did not side in her favor. As she was racing down the stairs she missed a step and started to fall. Lucky or not she did not fall to the ground but into the arms of a stranger. The man was completely drunk and in the mood for a good time. “Falling for me already, my dear? How about a kiss for the one that saved you?” Kuren was about to say something but she was silenced when he pressed his lips against her own. She could taste the fermentation on his tongue and feels a hand against her cheek.

Kuren pulls the glove off her right hand and raises it up. The man grabs her arm thinking she was about to smack him. He then sees the tattoo and his eyes grew wide with disgust. In an instant he shoves her away and spits profusely. “I can believe I just made out with a Jikininki.” He then marched way looking for better prey.

Jikininki are ghouls which feast on the bodies of the dead. According to legend the jikininki did not eat just the corpse, but also any offerings left behind. If Soku would ask about it she would tell him, “It is a derogatory term for a grave robber. No surprise they suspect a family of grave diggers of being scavengers. Often people view us as unclean for handling the dead.” Kuren would not so easily admit her past crimes. However it is likely Soku would figure it out. Being that Kuren is from the infamous city of thieves, did he really think she was spotless? Wether she explained the term or not she would put the glove back on her hand. “We better keep going.”

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Everything was going fine. It was going just swimmingly but that did not appear to be the case as they descended the stairs. Soku watched in her eagerness as Kuren took the steps downward simply shaking her head. Sure, the kid was not your average block-headed Academy Student, she knew what she was doing but clearly everyone had their own flaws. As Kuren teetered forward being deposited into the embrace of a man who had clearly too much to drink that day. the Captain raised an eyebrow as the male intruded upon Kuren's personal space in a rather intimate fashion. That had not been what she had been expecting.

She made no move to help however watching as the man muttered some odd term before darting off. "You alright?" Soku said deciding not push the situation any more. Soku nodded at the explanation, not that she was surprised in any regard. A clan of people who practically made the corspes their best friends were bound to have some negative reactions here and there. As long as it wasn't her they were burying or digging up, Soku decided that Kuren at least was pretty alright for someone who spent the majority of their time around gravestones. However, attention to detail was probably needed or they would wind up dead before they even got anywhere close to this supposed mystery dojo.

"Perhaps it would be more prudent if we were more aware, yes? The next person might not be so..ah..social." It might have been a drunken man one time, the next, they could wind up running into a gang of thugs or something. She had seen many a shinobi who in thier eagerness had failed to grasp the bigger picture. That had led to some traumatic results in her experience as she followed the girl, one hand clenched firmly around the hilt of her blade. Well, the goons could try but no one said their prey was going to be easy. Crater City sure had some interesting individuals from Kuren's master to the rather obvious drunkard. She didn't know what lay in store for them next but she didn't exactly have her hopes up.