Phase 1
[col]
A Familiar Face: Rojin Bosu
The Protagonist: Byakko Yanjirou[/col]
"Maybe... Maybe this? No no, that wouldn't make any sense at all..." Rojin Bosu, our wonderfully handsome and successful business man from weeks ago, was now lost - in thought of course - while trying to read a book that he bought off of a traveling merchant. It was supposed to hold secrets to success, not that he needed any more with how rich he happened to be, but it wouldn't hurt to have even more ideas! Sadly, being the busy man he is, there was far too much on his mind, and he kept getting side tracked. "Grrrrr, why is this language so complicated!" After making the mistake of shouting in such a professional environment, he had to apologize, "Uh, I mean... Wasn't sensei.. Super weird today?" He said with a beautifully awkward smile. With all of the meetings he had to attend to later this evening, how on earth was he supposed to figure out what the book said in a timely manner? If only some knight in shining... Hair!
The familiar sight of his former savior graced his eyes with a magnificent glow of white light, and Bosu couldn't help staring in awe at the boy. He would have to act fast, before giving any else the chance to snatch him away...
"Oh no... Why the hell is he here?" Not only was it a surprise to see such a familiar - and old - face in the scroll locker of the academy, but it was almost... Horrifying, to see him dressed up as a stereotypical child... Sure, his small size might help him blend a little, but did he have to go so far as to wear overalls with short little pants and a whirly hat? Kids in the academy don't actually wear that kind of stuff, and nobody there actually believed he was a kid. Everyone was whispering to each other, snickering after each comment, yet.. How did he not notice this? Did his old age finally affect his hearing? It had to be that... But it was good(?) to see that he was still just as narrow minded as ever.
"Maybe it would be better if I just-" Before Yanji could even finish his mumbling, Bosu was already upon him! Dragging him by the collar of his shirt, over to the books he had gathered.
"Here boy! I know I promised you proper compensation next time we met, but I have another task for you!" He yelled, pointing at the only open book on the ground. Just from a glance, once could tell that the language it was written in was not their own. It was something more... Ancient. Being such a book worm, the young Byakko was at least able to identify that the characters belonged to Suna's ancient language, Runic Terran. Why the old man was trying to read it, he had no clue. "I was told this book contains some great secrets, and I must know them! You seem to be a sharp young lad based on our previous encounter, so I'm asking you to translate it for me. Of course, there will be a hefty sum of yen in it for you if you succeed, and you're free to use everything I gather up here. I'll give you.... Two weeks! Don't let me down boy, I'll send you information for where to meet once your time limit is up, don't be late!" With that, the old man sprinted from the scroll locker! The fact that he required a cane for walking, but was still capable of moving that quickly without once left Yanji dumbfounded for a moment. But he wasn't alone, as all of the children had to take a moment to comprehend what they just saw..
"I guess this a good learning opportunity..." The boy mumbled with a sigh. Of course, he did plan on learning the language eventually, but that was a goal he was saving for the future. Perhaps one that he could achieve upon becoming an oracle, but this soon? It would be quite formidable at this time. From what he'd read, and even seen at times, people never have to study to learn the language. For most - most being anyone who's proven themselves capable of being a shinobi - any book written in Runic Terran just... Projects knowledge of the entire language directly into their mind, and they become immediately fluent when speaking it. It's a strange site to see, but it must be even stranger to experience it. Sadly, Yanji may never know this feeling if he successfully teaches himself how to read, and perhaps even speak it.
With another long, exaggerated sigh, the boy collected what scrolls were lying on the ground beside the open book, and the book, and left the scroll locker. He was simply assuming that he would be allowed to study these elsewhere, away from the prying eyes of other, less intuitive students.
Phase 2
The Protagonist: Byakko Yanjirou
After successfully transporting what scrolls the old man had to his own home, it was time to figure out what exactly he was using to try and translate that book... At first glance, most of the scrolls or books were written entirely in Runic Terran, so they wouldn't be very useful until he started to have a general understanding of the language. Good thing he has two weeks? Once he took the time to look through all of the books, he finally managed to come across one that might as well have been labeled "Runic Terran for Dummies." It went over the meaning of each symbol in the language, and it would be best to learn each of those before trying to tackle any of the other documents.
[spoilername="Key made by Yanjirou"]ا - A
ب - B
ج - C
س - D
ه - E
ف - F
ـغ - G
ـه - H
أنا - I
ـج - J
ك - K
ـل - L
م - M
ـن - N
عـ - O
ـا - P
ـض - Q
ـر - R
ـش - S
ت - T
ـو - U
الخامس - V
ـيـ - W
د - X
ـي - Y
ـظ - Z
[OOC: This list is inaccurate and incomplete, don't try to use it anywhere else.][/spoilername]
The key itself took several hours to make, as most of the book was written in Runic Terran, making it difficult to find what he needed. But once he finished it, he was finally able to start working with the harder stuff! The first book he decided to translate was the largest he could find, and the first thing he needed to do was translate the title..
Runic Terran Title: "قاموس"
"This goes into that, and this to that.." He mumbled to himself as he translated each later into his own language, and the key he had made it far easier and faster to translate than it would without it. The end result was not only surprising, but pleasing to the boy.. Not only did that senile old man find an entire book devoted to teaching people the symbols used in Runic Terran, which was already like a needle in a haystack, but he found a dictionary as well! Yanji would hug the man if he were here, and if he weren't an awkward little boy... With such a useful tool he now had access to, it should be a synch to not only learn the words, but learn how to pronounce them if it was written like modern dictionaries. The only question he had now was.. They actually had dictionaries back then? It would be something he'd have to look into later, perhaps it was something made by the oracles to help teach those who want to learn the language. Or did they just project the language into their mind as well? Most likely something he would learn if he ever became one..
With the dictionary in hand, and the convenience of how it was written, it was now time for the boy to begin teaching himself how to read and speak the language using the remaining two weeks he was given!
Time practically flew by as he was absorbed in each of the books he was provided with... He managed to finish, and generally understand, the dictionary far sooner than expected, and was able to quickly move on to the others collected. Many of the others were novels, or encyclopedias from many years in the past, each one with its own story to tell, and each one seemingly becoming shorter and shorter as Yanji read them. Or at least, that's what it felt like. His understanding of the language went from that of a novice, to one that may rival a master throughout the course of the two weeks. With each page he read, he gained new knowledge for how a word was pronounced, how the characters fit together, everything he would need to know in order to write, read, or speak it as if it were his first language. Who did he have to thank for this mind of his? Was it his lord, Byakko, that simply blessed him with the ability to learn an entirely unfamiliar language so quickly? Perhaps his father was smarter than he appeared? Either way it was a blessing, and one that he would likely cherish and use for more than just Runic Terran.
After finishing up a novel, one about the trials a man faced in an ancient war, the boy happened to look up at a clock, which was also conveniently placed next to a calender, and he quickly realized that the time to meet Bosu was coming quickly! Quickly meaning about half an hour... After sitting and staring for a moment, he reacted as fast as he could, grabbed the book Bosu wanted translated, a piece of paper and pen, and headed out the door.
Phase 3
[col]
A Familiar Face: Rojin Bosu
The Protagonist: Byakko Yanjirou[/col]
As Yanji rushed through the caverns of Sunagakure, he managed to bump into just about every single person that crossed his path, only delaying him further on his way to meet with his client. Thankfully, he still managed to arrive a few minutes early at the location specified, which was a large fountain outside of a hotel in The Desert Crown. The boy gave himself a moment to sit and relax, the book and his paper resting beside him, pen in hand and ready to write should the man arrive earlier than specified. A few minutes after his arrival, the young Byakko began scanning the area, wondering where exactly the man could be as it neared the meeting time. And it wasn't until a large clock nearby struck 12:30 that he heard a familiar voice whisper in his ear..
"Glad to see you showed up boy..." Because of how close he was, and the fact that he appeared out of nowhere, Yanji jumped from his makeshift seat, almost knocking the hood he usually wore from his head. Upon landing, he quickly patted his ears through the holes specially knitted onto the hood for him, and was relieved to feel that they hadn't slipped out and revealed themselves. "Hahaha! Such a reliable young man you are, I'm glad I've chosen you for this job as well. So, what did you find?"
Yanji looked slightly embarrassed as the question was asked, "Well, I haven't actually translated it just yet.. But I did bring a pen and some paper so that I can write down what it says!"
"Hmmm, good enough for me boy!" Bosu shouted with a smile, what an admirable man!
"Good... Just give me a moment to flip through the book and I'll get started." As he said this, Yanji lifted the book from its temporary perch and flipped through several pages, looking more and more confused as he scanned each one.
"Well? What does it say!?" Bosu grew impatient, it seemed to him like Yanji was absorbing the knowledge that was supposed to be his! Which would be problematic for any businessman.
"Well... I don't know what to say honestly. This just seems to be one phrase that repeats over and over again on each page, I'm actually surprised you missed that. No language would have characters that look that similar."
"That doesn't matter boy! What is the phrase!?"
"الذهاب يمارس الجنس مع نفسك. Oh wait, sorry. Bad habit I formed while learning the language, forgot you don't actually speak it. And, well, I don't know if you really want to hear it honestly..."
"Boy, I would not have hired you if I didn't want to hear it.."
"Alright, well... It means: Go... Ugh, I really don't want to say this.."
"Just say it!"
Yanji took a deep breath in, looking around for anyone he might know then proceeded, "Go fuck yourself." The boy said this as quickly as possible, as such words weren't really in his normal vocabulary, and he felt strange saying them at all.
"Is that... Is that really it? I payed so much money..." Bosu's tone was not what Yanji expected after hearing the truth behind the book, but he waited for the old man to finish before saying anything more, "Why couldn't he have just told me that!? The key to a successful business was so simple, and something I could have tried this whole time, but I didn't! I've even considered it after so many people suggested it! Here boy, I must begin right away!" The man tossed Yanjirou a small pouch of yen, with a label that said how much it held.
"He took it so literally... Doesn't even know he got gypped..." Yanji mumbled under his breath as he watched the surprisingly agile old man run through the crowd, excited to get to things. Yanji shivered at the thought of what he might do to himself now that he's heard the "secrets to a successful business." "Oh well," The boy looked down to the pouch in his hand, now reading the label, "3000 yen huh? Not that I was really interested in the money after I started learning anyways." The young Byakko would shove the pouch into his coat pocket, and his hands into his pants' pockets, then walk slowly through the city. The day wasn't over yet, might as well do some exploring... So long as he remembered to return those books later.