Water is the essence of life [Closed Event]

[Junan]

It seemed like an ordinary day for everyone. Fly fishermen stood in the stream talking amongst themselves as they cast their line, cursing as the occasional boat would make its way past them and disrupt the peace of the stream, or wave hello to them as they recognized some of the sailors. Time could pass so easily like this and catching anything was really just an added bonus to the experience.

On shore children played and the woman tended the rice fields.

Suddenly downstream the water started to bubble. Confusion across the faces of the fishermen as suddenly the children and woman let out shrieks. What was going on? The wondered as they looked from the bubbling water to their loved ones, yet nothing could be seen, the children simply running away, the women doing similarly. Small creatures bounced across the fields, thousands of them.

They looked to each other for a moment before memory struck them, the water! Their attention refocused back to the water before them, it was closer, MUCH closer. They reeled in their lines quickly and then were suddenly swarmed in fish. Never before had they seen so many. One was knocked onto his ass by the sheer quantity of them slamming against his legs, pushing him back.

It was what came next which made their faces pale and freeze in terror.

Sharks flooded the water, the hunt was on and they were here for blood. But who's blood and why? The men stood still as the sharks swam past them, one would swear later than one had looked him in the eye and smiled at the terror on the mans face.

[OOC: No-one is to join this thread. I will send invites to those who are welcome.]

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo whistled a tune as he walked down the path next to the rice fields. A breeze lightly jostled Tomo's idol clothes, cooling him off from his earlier fight. His mission had been a complete success. Honestly, the bandits had been a cinch. Their numbers were small and most were dumb as bricks. With a splash of ink and a dash of electricity, the bandits had dropped like flies. The leader had posed a bigger threat, but still not enough to cause the genin too much trouble. Tomo lifted a hand to his bangs. "Stupid crook took off a piece of my hair though." Tomo pulled his fedora forward, trying to hide the new hack job he got. Now what was Sei-san going to think? He'd bragged earlier to her that no one could touch him, yet here he was with a chunk of golden-dyed locks missing. But that's what Tomo got for fighting the man head-on. The brute had been taunting Tomo into a 'fair' fight, and Tomo had taken the bait. Tomo gave a sigh. I guess there's a bit of Tama in me after all...not that I'd ever admit that to her.

Tomo reached a certain area of the stream and stopped as a horde of women and children ran by. Tomo cocked an eyebrow and looked in the direction the group came from. An interesting scene was taking place. Swarms of fish were flopping around some men in the water. A moment later, a new swarm had come, a horde of sharks to be more specific. Tomo's other eyebrow rose in surprise. What, is this some kind of Running of the Sharks festival? Tomo turned towards the mayhem and put his hands to his mouth. "Ooooooi! You guys need any help?" Tomo had never learned to fear sharks. Spending most of his life on land, he'd never seen the devastation even one shark could cause, let alone a large group of them. With luck, Tomo wouldn't have to learn what fighting a shark was like.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu sat upon the banks of the river, leaning back casually against a boulder which conveniently propped him up. Loosely held in one hand, a fishing pole extended above his head hanging over the river. The fishing line dangled into the river where a bobber marked the location of his lure. The gentle current in his location was taking the lure along with it, but as long as it was attached to the line it wasn't going far. Ayumu lazily kept an eye on the bobber, but his eyelids grew heavy, and fluttered between open and closed. He glanced down the river where others were fly fishing, standing in the river itself. Ayumu had considered trying it, but unfortunately he was not dressed for standing in a river. Technically, he was supposed to be heading back to Kumogakure right now, but his meeting with the ANBU contact had gone quickly so he elected to take some time for himself. Time passed, and Ayumu's eyelids grew too heavy. He dozed off for an uncertain amount of time.

A sudden tug on the fishing pole still gripped in his hand jarred Ayumu awake. His eyes followed the fishing line to the water where the bobber had disappeared. "Oh!" he said in realization. Obviously something had taken the bait. No sooner did he tighten his grip on the fishing pole did an enormous force pull at the other end of the line. Ayumu was pulled to his feet where he dug in with all of his might. Had he not been so strong, it would most likely have pulled him in. Fortunately, the fishing line gave in before he did. It snapped like a wet noodle and vanished beneath the water. "Well, damn... stupid line, I definitely caught the big one there," Ayumu complained. It was now that he noticed a serious disturbance in the water. Stepping closer to the edge, he peered into the water to find what seemed like thousands of fish cascading down the river. That was not nearly as insane as what came next.

Even Ayumu, reckless as he was, had to take a step back at the sight of so many sharks using the river like a main thoroughfare in a crowded city. "The hell?!" he exclaimed, watching them stream by. His eyes wandered down the river to the fishermen standing in the shallows. "Oh, CRAP! HEY, YOU GUYS GET OUT OF THE WATER," he yelled loudly. Unfortunately the sound of the river and the distance would drown out his voice before they could be warned. Ayumu took off running towards the fishermen. He would never reach them in time. Soon, they discovered the dilemma for themselves. Oddly, they didn't all disappear under a cloud of red-dyed water. As Ayumu reached them, he watched in confusion as the sharks continued on without a care, like they were on a mission. Nearby, a boy Ayumu recognized as Mochizuki Tomo was offering aid to the fishermen. Ayumu would aid if necessary, but for the moment he was trying to figure out what was going on. Sharks didn't normally swarm down a river like that, right?

 

[Junan]

-----------My post-----------
Kushin had come down the mainland to undergo some research. Several villages had been devastated by what looked like an experiment. Those that survived had suddenly gained powers beyond that which people had without training from a young age. Shinobi training. Someone was shortcutting and this shortcutting could not be good for anyone.

The obvious question to ask was "why would someone want to do this?" or better "why would someone want to quickly enable people to fight on closer to even footing with shinobi?" The answer wasn't something Kushin wanted to dwell on. Whoever did this was attempting to do this on a large scale, which meant the possibility of an army.

He headed towards the second village on his list. The first had been a bust, no-one had been to the advertised location where someone could gain the power to 'combat the shinobi menace'. Obviously this group was the number one suspect on Kumogakure's list. But they needed more proof before they could act.

On his way he witnessed a plague of toads and a river filled with sharks. Standing still he let everything go past. He didn't want to get messed up in whatever was going on.


-----------Tomo-----------

Woman and children fled past the boy, some called to him and told him to run as well as he watched the Sharks in the river. The men were knocked down and Tomo called out if they needed help. The men were stunned however and couldn't reply. Yet a voice did address him.

Listen here lad.

Looking around Tomo would eventually realize that he was surrounded by toads... thousands of toads. They were all heading in the same direction as the sharks were but one with more wrinkles than the rest sat before him and had its head turned so that an eyeball was looking at him.

I see something about you... You're a shinobi aren't cha? The words didn't seem to fit the image of the toad, but the words matched the mouth movements.

-----------Ayumu-----------

Standing at the rivers edge Ayumu looked across in confusion and had noticed Tomo. In a similar situation to Tomo a voice called from behind him. Sharks passing watched him one slowed down but then a voice called at him from behind. The shark's attention was changed and it continued to swim on.

You with the quick reaction. Ayumu'd look around with the toads hopping through the field and upon closer inspection would be swimming alongside, some even sitting atop of the sharks. Yet one was facing him and sitting atop a small rock.

You're a quick bugger ain't cha? I see your mate over there has been spotted as well. Kumogakure? The toad asked.

-----------Kushin-----------

The toads looked at him as they passed but ignored him. Word had spread that they'd gained a couple of shinobi aids already. Instead a barking and yet smooth voice came from the water.

I can smell your blood from here. It smells tasty, and dangerous." Kushin would look to the river and would see a shark looking in his direction.

Come over here shinobi, I have a task for you. The mouth filled with sharp teeth would say to him.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo awaited a response from the men in the stream, but not a single one spoke. Tomo's brows furrowed. To help, or not to help...hmm... The sharks hadn't hurt anyone yet, but was it really okay to leave the situation as it was? Tomo's eye caught movement down the stream, and he looked to find the ANBU Ayumu heading toward the fishermen. Tomo blinked a few times is surprise. What's the ANBU Sennin doing here? A voice from nearby caught Tomo's attention, and he finally looked at the ground around him. Dozens of toads were hopping by, seemingly in the same direction as the sharks. It took Tomo a few seconds to finally see a toad staring at him. Tomo cocked an eyebrow at the animal. Did that toad...talk? It addressed Tomo again, its rumpled skin moving lightly as it spoke. Caught off guard, Tomo reeled back slightly, almost stepping on a small orange toad passing by. Regaining his composure, Tomo crouched down to converse with the withered amphibian. "That I am little guy. Mochizuki Tomo, manager-in-training and rising idol of the Mochizuki Troupe, at your service." Tomo gave a slight tip of his hat.

The genin remembered learning about this sort of thing in school. Certain creatures had a surprising amount of intelligence, and lived lives very similar to humans. They had a hierarchal system, which Tomo found primitive, but effective. In the end, the main thing when meeting such a creature was to treat them as an equal, not like some inferior animal. As the mob of toads continued to hop by, Tomo questioned his new conversation partner. "So, any idea what 'this' is all about?" Tomo made a sweeping motion with his arm towards the direction the sharks and toads were heading. The blonde wasn't one for doing side-missions, but this odd migration of creatures, along with the appearance of the ANBU Sennin, was certainly a sign of something big.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Fortunately, it seemed the sharks had deemed the fishermen unworthy as prey and had passed them by. They were more interested in something else, apparently downstream. He supposed it was possible, they were chasing the swarm of fish that had passed by first, but there was something odd about the whole situation that led him to believe there was more to it than that. The thought occurred to him to follow and see what they were after, but a voice called to him breaking his attention on the water momentarily. It suddenly occurred to him that there were toads everywhere, all around him, even some moving along atop the sharks. They were brave little things, to swim with the sharks, but Ayumu was more interested in the fact that they could talk. One in particular was addressing him from atop a rock. He complimented Ayumu's reaction and noted the shinobi nearby. Ayumu looked up to see that frogs were also addressing Tomo. 'The hell kind of dream is this?' Ayumu wondered, suspecting that he might still be dozing on the water's edge in reality.

"That's right," Ayumu said warily. Who wouldn't be wary of a talking frog? Frogs alone weren't all that much to be worried about usually, but give them the ability to talk and they could be... humane. Despite his wariness, there wasn't much hiding what he had admitted to- he had a forehead protector identifying his allegiance wrapped around his arm. "Name's Ayumu... you got a name?" he asked out of genuine curiosity. Did frogs give themselves names? If they could all talk, surely they'd come up with some way to address each other. Ayumu stole a glance over in Tomo's direction to see if he was fine and make sure he wasn't being eaten alive by a pile of sharks or frogs. He was Kahako's friend and beyond that was a shinobi of Kumogakure, so Ayumu was inclined to keep an eye on him. For now, he returned his attention to the talking toad.

 

[Junan]

Ah, good lad, I admire your confidence. Following Tomo's gaze the toad noticed he had been looking at Ayumu. Ahhh yes, it seems 'e's a shinobi too isn't 'e? Da boyz have noticed that too.

Oi bring them further up. We found one too. A shark had stopped on the rivers edge, almost beaching itself to tell the toad what was going on. The toad nodded and looked to Tomo

Well you 'erd 'im. Up stream we go, you'll be told what is what there.

-----------------

Ayumu's toad went about his side of the introductions Sandantobi is my name. I'm one of the 'leaders' you could say of this bunch. I'm unusually small for my race but as strong as the bigger boys. We're using th... He was cut off as a shark beaching itself called out the same message which Tomo had been given.

Ah... okay. Come along along then, we'll get you all together and see if you'll be willing to help out at all. and with that Sandantobi hopped, skipped and jumped away into the mass of other toads and headed upstream

-----------------

Kushin walked over to the shark, he could understand it being able to smell him, he was of the blood clan after all. Despite all the toads they managed to not get underfoot as he walked, though he took no precautions to avoid them.

What is up? He asked plainly, the number of sharks was interesting, indeed so was the number of toads. Something was amiss, and it wasn't just the fact that they could apparently talk. After all he did have the Marine Mammal contract, he was used to talking creatures somewhat.

Wait here, our chief will come and speak with you. Also a couple of others are joining you here.

-----------------

After walking up river together Tomo and Ayumu would walk over a rise and see Isaki Kushin standing before them. His white sennin's robe a sign of his office. He looked over in their direction, his eyes meeting Ayumu's silently and them moving to Tomo who he wasn't sure if he recognized.

Interesting. He said as he witnessed them coming closer.

A much scarred shark moved beside Kushin, clearly one which had undergone many battles. Sandantobi moved over beside him as well, looked at Kushin who looked back, his face was blank rather than frowning and the frog looked at the shark I should have guessed you'd find someone like this. The shark wheezed slightly, something which passed as a laugh.

As the trio were gathered, Kushin nodded to each in acknowledgement of their existence, the shark spoke up.

I am sure you are somewhat curious as to what is going on here. To put it plainly there is something of a race going on. A scroll containing a powerful creature with no form has become known to this world, the prophecies of both the Shark and Toad tribes have fortold of its existence and what it means should the 'winged ones' gain it. We must gain it before they do or else our clans could suffer. In addition to them we have to worry about the Youkai. We know they will have persuaded another clan to join them in their hunt for it, but we are unsure of the other clans reasoning for helping and we don't know who they might be. Either way the Youkai can only want it for one purpose and that purpose is never good for anyone.

Sandantobi stepped in at this point You can imagine that normally we don't work together, but as our desires match in this situation we have combined our forces. We have been searching for some who might be able to give us aid in this situation for we are sure that the others would do so as well. It is common for contract creatures such as ourselves to seek the assistance of Shinobi, and the Youkai has always held much sway over the minds of shinobi.

Will you aid us? This question was posed clearly to Ayumu and Tomo, the shark looked at Kushin letting him know the question was also posed to him.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The toad was polite enough to introduce himself, and identified himself as a leader of the toads. He did say "one of" meaning he was not at the very top, but at least he was head of those around here it seemed. Before he could explain any further, one of the sharks poked its head up from the river to speak to them. At this point Ayumu was beyond the point of being surprised to see an animal speak. The only incident of animals speaking of that he was aware of was that of the case of contract animals. He held no such contracts himself, but he had no doubt heard of their existence. They were widely accepted as real, but it was a different matter to encounter one for himself. Regardless, if he was going to hear them out, he was going to have to follow them downstream. He curiosity was peaked, no doubt, and he did have a few extra days before he was scheduled to return to Kumogakure. He didn't know what Tomo was out for, but if he was aiding a Sennin he would be in no trouble for returning a bit later than expected.

"Let's see what they have to say," Ayumu said to Tomo, though the boy had likely made up his mind for himself already. With that, Ayumu began walking down the stream, following the parade of sharks and frogs. This was definitely the strangest thing he had seen in a while, even as a shinobi. Something that was strange even by a shinobi's standards was certainly worth investigating. It wasn't long before the ascended a rise and found themselves looking upon Isaki Kushin, the medical Sennin of Kumogakure. Interesting, a chance encounter of two Sennin outside of the gates.

"Sennin Isaki... go figure, they managed to catch the interest of two Sennin," Ayumu said upon nearing Kushin while the two local leader of the contract clans moved next to one another. The shark was the one to speak up and explain the situation. An interesting sounding scroll, foretold of in the contract clans, had apparently revealed itself to them. The scroll sounded dangerous if it was enough to unite contract clans in their rush to obtain it. Additionally, the youkai were also after it, which was more concerning to Ayumu.

"Youkai..." he grunted, a sign that he was aware that they were not a good clan to come in to possession of the scroll, considering it apparently contained a powerful creature. Sandantobi went on to explain that the two clans had combined forces to seek the scroll, and were seeking the assistance of the shinobi present for they were certain that the Youkai would manipulate shinobi of their own into assisting them. Sandantobi asked if the shinobi would assist them. Ayumu had been blessed with a bit of extra time where he was not expected anywhere. He had the time to commit to this little adventure.

"I suppose it can't possibly be good for Kumogakure for the Youkai to come into possession of this scroll... Alright, I'll help you out," Ayumu said, pledging his assistance to the contract leaders before him. Of course, he didn't know everything about the situation, so as he worked with them he would continue to make his own assessments and decide for himself what he should do. It was possible the clans were trying to manipulate them into assisting them. The best way for Ayumu to keep an eye on this situation was to go along with it, he figured. He looked at Kushin and Tomo to see if they would lend their aid as well. He had no idea what they would encounter, so allies would be most beneficial.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo's gaze shot up as he heard a gruff voice near the stream. It was one thing to hear a toad talk, but to hear a shark speak? Tomo would never have guessed that sharks could be intelligent. They always sounded too...bloodthirsty. But then again, there were plenty of bloodthirsty humans who could converse with the best of them. So Tomo did his best to stay as cool as a cucumber. After the shark's words, the toad addressing Tomo told the genin to head upstream. Tomo gave a nod and stood up. Ayumu spoke to Tomo as well, saying that they should check it out. Again, Tomo gave a nod. He kept his head down, being careful not to step on any of the toads around him. This was of course as a courtesy to the talking toads, but also because Tomo didn't think he'd like the feeling of squishing a toad underfoot.

As the two made their way upstream, Tomo glanced up to find the medical Sennin, Isaki Kushin, standing near the stream. Tomo's face lifted in surprise. This day keeps getting weirder and weirder. As the genin and Sennin reached Kushin, Tomo gave a bow, not adding his usual flair. This situation seemed serious, probably too serious for Tomo, but it was likely something Tomo couldn't pass up. A battle-worn shark spoke first. Tomo listened intently, making mental notes to himself. Special scroll, prophecy, don't let 'winged ones' or Youkai get it. Tomo nodded lightly to himself as the toad beside the shark added its own comments. It then asked for assistance, and Tomo first looked to Ayumu, then Kushin. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot as he weighed the options. Would Tomo really make much of a difference when two Sennin were the other candidates? Ayumu was the first to speak up, stating he'd assist since Youkai didn't sound like the best owners of the scroll. Ayumu looked both to Tomo and Kushin, and Tomo gave a shrug. "Well, to be honest, I really don't think I'm needed. You've got two of the strongest shinobi in my village here to help. But...I guess another shinobi wouldn't hurt. I'm not really sure what 'winged ones' could use a scroll for, but the Youkai definitely sound like they could be a problem. I don't know, letting demons get their hands on an all-powerful scroll just doesn't sit well with me..." Tomo gave the lead toad a smile. "So yeah, count me in. Just tell me what needs to get done." Despite the confidence in his voice, Tomo was inwardly begging Kushin to join the search as well. Nothing boosted moral quite like having two Sennin on your side.

 

[Junan]

Kushin nodded to their approach, Ayumu had been found as well. So many shinobi in such a small area, yet chances would be that they would have passed without knowledge of each other should they have been under normal circumstances.

The Shark gave the description of the events transpiring. Contracts were after this scroll, though there were so many searching for it they must all have their own reasons. He would have summoned the marine contract he already possessed but that could have complicated matters as they must have been currently unaware of what was going on.

Ayumu was the first to voice his agreement. It was a fair point, the Youkai could not be trusted in this world, so they could not be allowed to have the scroll. Who knew what power it might unleash should they have it. Tomo then spoke up, talking himself down which caused Kushin to frown slightly in the boys direction.

I will come as well. Boy, do not doubt yourself, we may be the powerful of the present day but you are the power of tomorrow and it is for you that we exist. The 'we' in that included Ayumu and also the other leaders of Cloud, indicated by a nod of the head in Ayumu's direction. Tasks such as this require things other than power, my 'power' does not grant me the ability to find this item any quicker than an academy student. These are the tasks in which can develop true strength so do not let me hear words of self deprecation come from you again. His eyes bore holes into the boy, words which when taken for what they were may inspire, but with Kushin's glare may instead threaten.

The Shark looked between them and then to Sandantobi I think we should go then. We are not restricted to only the waterways, but they are certainly the path of least resistance for us while the Toads are able to go where they please. I will let you three decide on where you wish to search first.

The Shark then gave several location where they wanted to search for the scroll allowing the shinobi to pick their location. Then it gave a temporary seal upon Kushin's hand, the Toad did similar to both Tomo and Ayumu These seals allow you to summon us once. Should you find the location then call us immediately.

[OOC: This is how this is going to work:

Remain in this thread but we'll be 'moving' to different zones of Lightning Country within it. We can choose to stick together, or split up, however everyone is going to receive a roll between 1 and 10, only on a 9 or 10 are we going to find the scroll, and only if we receive that roll in the correct location.

Bonuses to awareness will affect this roll.

The area options are:
The Mountains
The City
The Plains
The Forests

Not too many because bad rolls may mean re-searching through the same location. I'll let whoever replies first to this thread decide on if we're sticking together or splitting up. If we're sticking together then the first person to reply will also need to name the location being searched. If splitting up we can each choose where we go.]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu turned to Tomo as he started to speak. He expressed his thoughts that having two of the strongest shinobi in the village was enough, though he would help out anyway. Ayumu hated to hear someone count themselves out so quickly, and was about to say something when, to his surprise, Kushin spoke up first. It was in his own special way, but he essentially gave Tomo a pep-talk and tried to give him hope for the future. It was uncharacteristic of the Kushin the rumors spoke of, and Ayumu couldn't agree more.

"Well said... I agree wholeheartedly. We could use your help," Ayumu said to Tomo, though he had already stated he was willing to aid them. The shark spoke up again, suggesting that they get started immediately. He suggested several locations to search for the scroll at and allowed the shinobi to choose their first destination. As Ayumu mulled over the options, Sandantobi approached him and Tomo and gave them each a seal on their hands which he explained would allow them to summon the contract animals to their location if they found the scroll.

"Right then. Honestly, I don't have a strong preference for whether we should stay together or split up... it seems our odds of finding the scroll are the same regardless, but I'm just going to suggest we stick together. If we search together, we can clear a location much more quickly and move on to the next, whereas searching individually could take forever and sounds like a pain. But if either of you disagree, I'm fine with that," Ayumu suggested, though he truly didn't mind too much either way. While he waited to see what they would say, he took a moment to inspect the seal on his hand. He wondered if it was similar to the process used to summon them once a contract was signed. He recalled that the toad had specified that it would work once, however.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo felt himself relax a little as Kushin agreed to come along. However, soon the man began to lecture Tomo, something that caught him off guard. Tomo listened quietly, trying his best to keep eye contact with the man. However, Kushin's glare was quite intimidating, and Tomo found his eyes slowly falling to his feet. It was odd hearing people talking him up. His family was always complaining that he was a pretty lame shinobi. But who could blame them? Tomo was a seventeen-year-old genin. He wasn't really going to amount to much more than a common lackey. However, Kushin's words did ring true in some aspects. Events like these were important, and would certainly help Tomo grow into a stronger person. After Ayumu agreed, Tomo nodded his head and gave his companions a smile. "Yes, of course. Rest assured, I will do my best."

The shark then cut in, listing the possible locations that the scroll could be. Afterwards, the toad gave Tomo a seal on his hand, and he found himself staring at it for a moment. Could something so simple as a symbol on his hand call forth a toad? Tomo wanted to test it out, but knew that it would probably be the dumbest thing he could possibly do at that moment. He lightly smirked to himself. Good thing Tama isn't the one here instead of me.

Ayumu was the first to speak, giving his opinion that the group should stick together. Nodding his head, Tomo spoke his mind. "I agree Kogami-san. We can't forget that there are others out there looking as well. If the Youkai did indeed find other shinobi to help, we might have a fight on our hands." Not to mention I would probably get killed on my own. Tomo was bright enough not to say that part out loud after Kushin's harsh words. Tomo placed his hand to his chin. "Now the question is...where to look..." Tomo closed his eyes as he began to think out loud. "I can't imagine it would be in the plains unless it's buried. The city could house the scroll and would explain why the toads and sharks haven't found it yet. That would also be an easier place for the Youkai to search compared to the animals. But we can't forget that the mountains would be easier for the 'winged ones' to search." In the end, the true question was, did the group want to try and intercept the other creatures looking for the scroll, or check the place they probably wouldn't look? Finally, Tomo opened his eyes. "I'm going to suggest the city. Even if we don't find it there, we could ask around and see if anyone knows something about it. Not to mention we seem to agree that the Youkai are the ones to worry about." Tomo looked to his companions. "Does that sound like a plan?" Tomo was a bit nervous being the one planning out their actions, but Kushin had admitted that his and Ayumu's power only wouldn't necessarily win the day. Maybe this was what Tomo could do to help his brethren.

 

[Junan]

Based on the surprised movements and body language given out none had anticipated Kushin lecturing the boy. He was aware of the thoughts the different groups had about him, but everything he did was for the next generation. His methods were strange, and often lacked the delicate touch of others, but that was because he used his awkwardness and reputation to get away with it. He was willing to do the things which needed to be done, no matter the cost. None other at his level in the village could say the same, for they all needed to act ethically to maintain the loyalty of their shinobi. Indeed if they all acted like Kushin did Kushin was aware that the system wouldn't work. One of him was enough, and all the village needed.

Forgetting the lecture once the boy had acknowledged it himself Kushin moved to listen to Ayumu. Sticking together did make sense from multiple perspectives. They would be able to cover a wider area within a single zone more carefully, while splitting up could mean covering the same ground repeatedly.

The team of three decided to head to the City to begin their search. Raiden's Eye was the largest city, it was linked to the rivers and it was relatively close. So the three headed in that direction eventually coming to the outskirts. The Sharks and Toads headed on their own way, continuing their search for the scroll in other areas.

In Raiden's Eye they began their search...

Kushin and the others moved into different zones, Kushin suggesting the sewers and they walked through the underground chambers of the previous city which existed below the surface and now served the purpose as a sewer. Nothing was seen in there. After searching an area which each of them could think of nothing was found. It seemed that this was not going to be a simple search.

[OOC: We were unsuccessful. I'll let you guys pick where to go again. Roleplay searching in the city and then deciding where to go next, or we can stay for another set of rolls. I can't pick because I know where it is lol.]

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

The group's first destination was Raiden's Eye and Tomo didn't know if he should be glad or not. The city was large, meaning there were lots of people to ask. However, that also meant that they had a lot of ground to cover. When the three shinobi reached the city's edge, their animal companions departed to continue their search elsewhere. Kushin first suggested looking through the sewers, and Tomo's nose scrunched. He was by no means a clean freak, but walking through the sewer of the largest city in Lightning Country was the last thing on his list of 'things to do while in a large city'. He knew he shouldn't have been wasting his chakra, but he wasn't going to last long if he didn't use his wind jutsu to help keep the stench away. They trudged through the filth and had nothing to show for it.

After that experience, it was Tomo's chance to pick a place to search. "What better place to look for a scroll than a curio shop?" The group travelled around, searching through the scattered antique stores, but again, the three came up empty. It was Ayumu's turn to pick and they followed his lead. For the third time, the three were at a loss. Tomo plopped down on a nearby bench, letting his legs stretch out and his head overhang off the backrest. "Welp, sorry. My idea was a bust. Why don't you pick this time Kogami-san?" Part of him wanted the location Ayumu picked to be wrong too, just to make Tomo feel better about his attempt at leadership. But then again, Tomo knew he wasn't much of a leader, and decided it would just be better for everyone if they found the scroll as soon as possible.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The others seemed to comply with his choice for them to stick together, it did seem the best course of action from his point of view. Of course, while Ayumu had decided to suggest they stick together, he had completely forgotten to suggest a location to start their search. Fortunately, Tomo was up to making that decision. He suggested that they check the city suggested by the contract animals first. Considering that Ayumu had no better ideas, he had no problem with checking the city first. For all he knew it could be anywhere, so what did it matter to him where they checked first? With no disagreement to be had about the first location, the trio headed off.

It turned out that the city in question was Raiden's Eye, the sprawling city that was considered the largest in Lightning Country. This was going to be no picnic. Kushin's suggestion was to check the sewers, a place nobody likely to think to check. It made sense for the scroll to be hidden well, so Ayumu had some hope for this idea. Sadly, despite hours of sightseeing in an old underground city, their search was fruitless. At last, they decided to give up on that route and return to the surface empty handed. The next idea came from Tomo, who's idea was to check curio shops and other occult type stores that might have collected such a mysterious scroll. It would have been nice for it to be so easy, for them to have found the scroll sitting on a dusty shelf in a shop, but still no luck came their way.

Ayumu's last idea was to abuse make use of some of the ANBU's contacts in the city, to see if any of them had heard whisperings of such a scroll. Unfortunately, despite visiting some friends and coughing up a bit of yen, there were no leads that brought them to the correct scroll, even if some of them were interesting. After a very long day of searching, the three of them stopped to scratch their heads and think. Tomo stopped to rest on a bench, probably exhausted from the search. It was possible they'd need to take a night to rest before moving on. Tomo asked Ayumu to choose where they headed next.

"Ah... well, don't worry about it- your guess was as good as mine. That's all we can do really, guess. We may be at this for a while. Let's try a search around the forest next," Ayumu suggested. It was a shot in the dark, but that was really all they had to go on it seemed.

[OoC: By the way, I should have mentioned it before but I have Sixth Sense. You did mention that bonuses to awareness would affect the rolls. I'm not sure if Sixth Sense would apply to these rolls in any way, but I figured I'd mention it on the off chance that it helps.]

 

[Junan]

They had been unsuccessful. Though that was to be expected. The likelihood of finding it this quickly was certainly against them, after all the scroll would be in a single location, hard to find even within that location. For all the three of them knew they had chosen the correct place to look, but just not looked in the right corner. They didn't even really know exactly what they were looking for, an assumption that perhaps they would understand when they saw it probably in all of their minds.

It was getting dark out now though, and Kushin was wondering probably something similar to the others. If it's night time how much hope do they have of finding something. Especially in a forest.

Tomo apologized, and earned a sharp glance from Kushin. Any of them could have made that mistake, none of them were any more likely to guess the general location of the scroll. Still this time Kushin kept his mouth shut. He'd scolded the boy once, the boy didn't need another. It had been interesting none-the-less. Ayumu had visited specific individuals, hell, he'd had half the scum in the city working for him, searching for them. Under Kushin they'd have been nailed to walls, alive only so that the pain and anguish of their deaths would settle on their minds before eventually passing away from either the pain or from some other low life. The death of one being used as bait to find another, and so the massacre would continue until they stopped taking his bait, or until he ran out of bait to use.

Certainly Ayumu's method had merit, and was being shown as useful. Yet Kushin couldn't help but think that his method would make the city a better place to live.

The next location that Ayumu suggested was the forest. It would take time to get there, and in fading light it could become dangerous. Even shinobi needed sleep, even shinobi were only human while asleep. The safest location to sleep would be in the city in a hotel. Kushin voiced his thoughts Shall we stay here for the night and begin again at dawn? It would be an early start, but it should be enough to allow them to travel to a couple of locations without needing another nights rest.

All in agreement they slept in a hotel before waking and traveling in the red light of the morning sun. The birds were out above them, Kushin wondered if they were

Reaching the forest they moved into the tree line and spread out, yet remained in visual distance. Kushin searched the forest floor and would let his vision search the trees at times as well in the hope that he could find something. Yet in the several hours they spent searching they found nothing that resembled a scroll.

Meeting again on the outskirts of the forest they grouped together again.

It doesn't seem like this is going so well. I hope that if the frogs or sharks find it they let us know so that we can stop searching. Kushin said and looked out across the fields. Where could the item be? He hated that no amount of thinking seemed to make this any easier, for it could be anywhere.

Perhaps we should search the ______ next?

[OOC: Cool, will take that into account Ayumu. We didn't find anything again. One of you can pick what Kushin says. Again I can't because I know.]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Kushin recommended that the group stay the night in the city before heading out for more searching and Ayumu was happy to agree. It had been a long day of fruitless searching. Ayumu slept well enough and in the morning he was ready to continue the search when they met in the lobby of the inn. They left early and reached the forest before long to begin their search. It was another long day of searching. They separated and looked around the forest for some time but no matter where they looked, it seemed they couldn't find it. Some of the time Ayumu spent combing the ground, checking around shrubs, searching on old knotholes in old trees, and some of the time he spent dashing along the tree tops, looking for anything out of place. Several hours passed and they regrouped to discuss what to do next. Kushin expressed his hope that the contract animals would let them know if they found the scroll themselves. "They had better, I'm not doing this for my health!" Ayumu grunted.

Kushin decided it was his time to suggest a location, which Ayumu had no issue with. It was just a guessing game, and a guess was a guess whoever it came from. Kushin suggested the plains next, and there were naturally no objections. If it was there, how hard could it be to find in such a flat location? There was still some daylight left to travel, so they'd see how much they could get done before seeking shelter.

[OoC: Question- if we search an area and get a 9 or 10, but it's not in that area, will you tell us we've searched it and determined it's not there and thus we can mark it off the list? Or will it be the same as if we rolled 8 or below? I'm just wondering if we'll be able to effectively search a place til we roll 9-10 and then move on to another, or if we could search it and get a 9-10 and never know.]

 

[Junan]

[OOC: First warning for Tomo]

Walking across the plains they scanned the open landscape for some sign of the scroll. It was becoming quite ludicrous that they had no way of narrowing down their search. Indeed they didn't even know if it was actually in one of the locations they'd already searched, just in a place they hadn't looked. Light was fading fast on yet another day, yet Kushin's patience was even as usual. He didn't particularly care... if he was in Kumogakure he'd have been doing rounds in the hospital. Comparatively this was relaxing, and... in a way... it was nice.

Whether the other two felt the same way or not it didn't bother Kushin, but he didn't normally spend much time with people because people felt the need to talk to him and then they found themselves feeling insulted or something along those lines depending on the topic. This was nice for Kushin as he was able to spend time with Ayumu and Tomo without the need for conversation. They were simply each taking part in a single task nearly a hundred meters apart.

For Kushin... this was nice.

Yet there was a cry from Tomo, Kushin looked in his direction and surely enough something had been found.

As they closed in on the spot there was something like a hole, not ten meters in diameter and there was a darkness running along the edges of the pit. This was unusual no matter the situation, but there was also no way to know whether the scroll was here or not. Kushin stood in silence regarding the hole, wondering what they should do next.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

The group had spent the night at the city and began their search early in the morning. Tomo never liked sleeping at hotels. There was no telling what horrible deeds were performed on the bed he was resting on. So the genin got little sleep and was in a daze well into the day. This showed during his search of the forest. He wasn't focusing and he found himself nodding off, even while walking. When the three met up, the Sennin spoke, but it sounded distant to Tomo and he completely missed what they said. So he followed them blindly to their next location.

It wasn't until they were on the edge of the plain that Tomo realized where they were going to search. His companions went their separate ways and began searching on their own. Tomo, still groggy even now, began to complain to himself. "This is stupid. It's a stinkin' plain. How could someone hide a scroll on a plain? They couldn't, that's how. We're wasting our time. We already did a quick scan, we should just move on to the mounWOAH!!!!!!!" Tomo let out a shout as he felt his foot slip on some kind of edge. His instincts kicked in and he quickly summoned wind to push him backwards. Tomo sat on his bum, staring at the large hole he'd almost fell into. Ayumu and Kushin had heard Tomo's shout and came to investigate. Tomo gave an embarrassed laugh. "Hehe...I uh...found something." He hoped the two hadn't seen exactly how he had found it.

Tomo picked himself off the ground and brushed some loose grass from his rear. Tomo looked to Kushin who seemed to be debating whether or not to jump in. Tomo looked into the ominous hole as well. This was the most promising thing they'd found so far, but it could also be a trap. Tomo turned to Ayumu. "Sooooo...got any neat ANBU tricks to determine whether this is what we're looking for or not?" Tomo stroked his chin, thinking about what they should do if Ayumu didn't have any ability of the sort. It was while he was doing this that Tomo's eye caught something odd, and he looked to his hand. Oh, that's right, the toad seal......oh! If Ayumu didn't have a way to make their decision easier, Tomo would offer his own suggestion. "What if I summon the toad? He might be able to tell us whether this is it or not. And if this isn't it, Kogami-san will still have his seal available for when we really do find it." It was a stretch, but it might be the only way to know whether this hole was worthwhile or not. However, should either Sennin disagree, Tomo would follow their suggestion instead.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Now they were in an open field, nothing but grass as far as the eye could see. One might have thought this to be the easiest to search, but the grass was tall enough to conceal a lot of things. That included a scroll. This now seemed like the most hopeless search yet. Ayumu groaned as he tripped over another hidden rock and caught himself, becoming increasingly frustrated with this area. He looked across the way at Kushin who was searching not far from him. The only way they could really do this was to walk in a line and sweep the whole area which was going to take ages. Ayumu wished to hell they had a Byakugan holder at this moment. Watching Kushin, Ayumu observed that the man seemed to have endless patience by comparison. Perhaps that was an aspect that made him good at his job. Ayumu had work to do with his own patience. He shook his head and was about to take a step when he heart a yelp come from the younger boy.

Ayumu turned his head to look for Tomo only to find the boy missing. "...Kid?" Ayumu questioned, blinking a few times. He was quite certain he had just seen him searching over there. He glanced at Kushin and then went over to where he had last seen Tomo. Jogging over there he was fortunate enough that his foot fell only half off the side of the hole. Feeling the absence of ground underneath him he stopped on a dime and flailed his arms to regain his balance before taking a step back. The grass concealed the hole well until you were right on top of it so it was no wonder Tomo had fallen. Balance regained, Ayumu peered down into the hole where Tomo was laughing sheepishly, claiming he found something.

"So I see! Well done," Ayumu said, rubbing his chin as he looked around the hole. It was very dark, abnormally so. There was something off about it, but it was so dark if there was a scroll down there they'd have a hell of a time finding it. Tomo piped up with a suggestion that they call the toad. It was an idea, and the toad probably knew exactly what they were looking for, but Ayumu was hesitant to call the toad straight away. There was a question of whether he had any ANBU tricks that could aid them, and there was a possibility one might. "We may need to, and if this doesn't work, I suppose we'll have to. But I do have one such trick that might help here. We'll see," Ayumu said before running through a series of quick handseals. Once complete, he held out an open palm and a sphere of bright light formed hovering above his palm. Like tossing a ball, he gently flicked his palm upwards and let the ball descend slowly into the hole where it would begin roaming around in search of anything interesting.

"If we can't find anything, I suppose you can call the toad. Although, I suppose if we do find it, we'll be calling him anyway," Ayumu said as he watched the ball of light illuminate different areas of the hole. Tomo was down there already, so he was likely to have the best chance of spotting the scroll if it was lit by the spotlight.

[OoC: Using Searchlight... it's technically for finding a person by hovering around til it finds them but I think it should at least work like a flashlight. If we can't find anything, Tomo's welcome to summon the toad... or I suppose if we do find the scroll, he'll be calling it anyway.]