X Marks the Spot [Private]

[Muramasa Maya]

....How unfortunate. missions couldn't always be chosen, and it seemed Azusa was stuck with a very annoying retrieval mission taking some place in the vast reservoir of water beneath the desert. But misery absolutely loves company; and today, the Kitsune had set her eyes upon the very boy she had helped deliver into the world. Naturally, this meant to Azusa that he should be obliged to assist her as she saw fit. It was the least he could do to be at her beck and call right?

See, in the grand scheme of Azusa's plans, Yanjirou played an especially vital part that would be revealed to him later...and rather than simply ask Kyuji and Yanshi's son to accompany her, the Kitsune decided to lure him here of his own free will like the good priestess of tricks she was. She just needed to...leave him a little motivation. So, whenever Yanji returned after a hard day of lessons at the academy, he'd discover that several shelves worth of his personal library had been repossessed by kitsune personally while he was out.

In their place? A humble invitation;

Spoiler

Yanjirou was free to accept or decline the invitation, but hopefully he realized that dragging a bag of books from the Byakko estate to the Undersea took its toll on the Priestess, and it was extremely unlikely she'd be bothered enough to actually make the trip back to return them. The best he could hope for was that she'd tire after tossing half of them into the water...But was that a risk he was willing to take?

Should he choose to accept her invitation, the boy shouldn't have much trouble finding her; see, the Aikayume heiress used some of the generous donations her shrine received to rent out a shack along the shore, claiming it as her own for the day. That combined with her skill in Genjutsu (Fox Magic, CRPJ) to create a large set of neon lights in a vague chibi image of Yanji atop the roof.

And so with her supplies on one side of her and about a third of Yanjiro's literary collection on the other, Azusa sat upon her beach chair in her simple white dress, and her wait consisted of raiding whatever snacks were in the shack as well as flipping through various pieces of Yanji's books. (...Come to think of it, I didn't tell him to bring a swimsuit. Ah well, sucks for him.) He was a smart kid; perhaps he'd piece it together that he wouldn't just be reclaiming his own treasure today.

Spoiler

Fox Magic - Custom RP Jutsu

Effect:
A technique that allows Azusa to create illusory effects through a seal of her own creation, which may only be created in a topic she is in. Should they be effected, then those able to perceive the area effected by this seal through sight, sound, or smell can be effected by this illusion without Azusa having to cast Genjutsu upon them directly.

This is performed by pressing her thumb to an object or surface, creating a small seal serving as the 'focal point' for the illusion, which glows faintly blue for the duration. An illusion cannot extend more than 5 feet from a seal in any direction, but can effect people from beyond that range in a way that the created illusion would be expected to (i.e. Azusa could create the image of illusory fire that couldn't expand more than 5 feet from a seal, but someone beyond those 5 feet could still see the flames as if they were normal). The illusion can move or change in a way that appears natural for what it is, so long as it remains within a 5 foot radius of a seal.

The illusion and seal are dispelled if;

• The Illusion or seal is physically touched.
• Someone interacts with an illusion in a way that should cause them pain, dispelling the illusion in place of pain (like waking up before falling into the ground in a dream)
• A seal remains outside of Azusa's vision for over a half-hour.
• Azusa releases it, or creates one beyond her ability to maintain.

Azusa may only maintain a certain amount of seals simultaneously before older ones begin to disperse. Azusa can maintain 2 at C-rank, 3 at B, 4 at A, and up to 5 at S-rank.

Reason why it cannot be used in battle:
Though diverse, this technique ultimately creates only weak illusions that are easily broken and resisted, and relies entirely on catching people when they are unaware that an illusion is even being used. Simply being actively on guard and knowing that Azusa may be targeting them is enough to see through through the illusions made through this.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

This woman... Has gone too far. Yanji had thought this day would be like any other. He would return form his studies, and continue to study or tinker to his heart's content until he was either forced out of his room or he passed out on the floor amongst his sea of books. But something... Something was off. This something was not a little detail he noticed however, oh no, this something was an entire shelf of HIS books missing. Not only that, but there was a note in their place containing a threat that they may be drowned if he didn't comply to its orders.

"Damn it!" The boy shouted, slamming his fist into the wall of his room, an act of violence that he never allows himself. Also an act of violence that he regrets... Not only did he break composure and curse, but he also let out a small whimper of pain as he held his now injured hand. "Why do protagonists always do that when they're angry?" He questioned, remembering something very vital to his sanity in the progress.

With great knowledge comes great responsibility, and great strain... Even the most intelligent of individuals need something to help them relax, and for Yanji - though he would never admit it, even if evidence was found - reading manga helped. Without the adventures of the Sand Devils, and their courageous leader Hokori, the boy may not have made it this far. And now the latest issue has been stolen! He couldn't risk another trip to that dreadful place... Too many of his peers enjoy the occasional trip to the manga store as well, and the next chance he'd get would be too late. People around him would have spoiled the whole thing, or it would no longer be available. Either way, this only left the young Byakko with one option: he'd have to go to the Undersea and do whatever it is that demon of a goddess wanted of him.

So off he went, the journey wouldn't be too long of course. After all, the Toroano Dojo housed the entrance to the grand subterranean sea, and he'd been there a few times before on his own, while he was learning the layout of the village. As he walked - more like a quick jog really - he realized that the letter never mentioned where exactly in the Undersea the two were supposed to meet. Little did he know, that beast of a woman had a plan for that too...

Once he arrived, the chibi representation of him was difficult to miss. It's god-given cat ears out for all to see! Thankfully cartoon copies like that were difficult to compare to their originals, and if no one else had seen his ears or hair before... He should be fine. Or so he hoped, anyways. He spent no extra time thinking about it, as he had a manga to save. Amongst other things, of course.

As he arrived at the shack, he immediately noticed the kitsune lounging in a chair, his textbooks close by. A quick scan of the stack revealed a corner with strange black markings on it. Which caused him to let out a sigh of relief. "It's still safe..." He thought to himself, aware that his involuntary sigh should have alerted the priestess to his existence. And if it didn't, he may as well try to sneak off with all of the books before she can order him to do anything.

 

[Muramasa Maya]

The golden fox ears atop her head twitched in response to footsteps approaching her. The steps were heavy, as if tired...but slow enough that it almost seemed begrudging to actually continue. It seemed the small Byakko had arrived afterall, and without any literary casualties either! Yanji made quite good time, she was impressed.

*Thunk* She shut the book she had held, and paused for the moment, waiting to see if anything followed the sigh of exasperated relief. "...Well? Is that it? Are you just going to stand there without at least saying hello to your favorite sempai? How rude. And I went to the trouble of inviting you out here, too..." Azusa threw on a playful frown as if to add emphasis...Although it lasted for only a brief moment before she rose from her seat and turned towards the young Byakko. "The adorable Lady Azusa has lots of fun things planned for today, little Yanji." The kitsune said with a sly smile befitting a fox; she also waved her hand out towards the sea; "We shall be going on a treasure hunt! Doesn't that sound like it could be fun? At least, more fun than reading books all day, right?" She stuck her tongue out while tossing the book she had been reading towards the boy.

"Oh, you can have these books back, too." The priestess said as she motioned to the pile by her chair. Simply by knowing that how much space was empty on his bookshelves would let him know that the stack was much too short to contain all his possessions. "As for the rest of them...Well, that is a secret! Don't worry; they are safe and dry...And Lady Azusa always rewards those who make her happy. Also, please grab a drink from my bag; we can't have you tired before we start, right? Otherwise, I would feel sooo bad..." Another playful frown emerged as she directed him to her bag of supplies; mostly snacks and energy drinks for whatever extended trip she had in mind.

Afterall; if she was going to put the effort in to drag someone along with her for their forced-assistance, she wanted them to be at full capacity. Especially since her...-their-, objective was quite a good distance away. "Even if you are a bookworm that reads all day, your eyes should at least be able to see that island waaaaay towards the back of the sea, right? That is where we are going. So, rest up for now, and...any questions, Dearest Yanji?"

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

This woman truly was the bane of Yanjirou's existence... Not only did she manage to sneak off with books that took years to collect - including a very... Important book in particular - but Azusa still managed to make it seem like the whole situation was his fault. Or at least accusing him of something so that she can play the victim. For a shrine priestess, she was quite good at it.

"A... Treasure hunt? Why would you need my help with a treasure hunt? I fail to see why you would go through so much trouble just to drag me out here for that." The boy replied, barely managing to catch the book, skimming through it to make sure there was no damage. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him that this woman would need assistance with a treasure hunt... She may be good at getting her was, but never seemed to be too bright to the young Byakko. Perhaps she got stuck on what the little dotted lines on a map she found meant?

The boy sighed once more, "Guess I don't really need an explanation, what is it you really need help with? I'd rather stop wasting time, and rescue the rest of my books from your evil clutches." After his initial relief from seeing his books safe and dry wore off, the boy slowly began to realize that what was present wasn't near enough books. Which, of course, meant that there would be no way for him to sneak off without some form of punishment. Azusa may as well join the ANBU with how she was handling this, if those skills were refined she may make an excellent agent.

Once the initial explanation was out of the way, Yanjirou was ordered to to take a drink from the nearby bag. This at least made sense, even he knew that staying hydrated was important whenever you were out doing things. But the refreshments available seemed like another way the woman was trying to torment Yanji... "Are energy drinks the only thing available? I've read those things destroy your body like poison, and one that I've risked drinking tasted quite bad, honestly." The one drink she had to have, and it was something that only led to an early grave...

"I think I'll pass for now.. I don't plan on being out here longer than I have to." The boy stated, slightly quieter than normal. He was almost certain this woman would order him to drink what was available, but he could only hope that wasn't the case. Maybe relying on her sadistic nature, and suggesting that he might suffer later on may help him get his way instead...

When the island was pointed out, it was easy for the boy to see with his feline eyes. It would be quite the interesting journey getting all the way out there, but anything is possible with enough planning. He would just have to hope this girl had done enough planning...

"Why do you want me to relax for now, and how do you plan on getting all the way out there? Those, and the questions I've already asked of course." Yanji was trying to get straight to the point. Even if he was just an academy student, he had no time to play her little games. Too much studying to do, too many observations to make. He simply couldn't afford to loiter right now

MFT

 

[Muramasa Maya]

"Oh come on, it's okay to be abit more excited. See, treasure hunts aren't just for kids; sometimes someone posts a mission to get things they lost...and the village doesn't like having missions go untaken for too long...And so they send lowly Genin to do the jobs that no one else wants..." She trailed off while playing with the white ribbon in her hair. "...Of course that's just an example of how things could happen. This mission wants me, um, us to find something that someone left behind on the island; what else could that be other than a treasure hunt? Surely you've read a few stories with seas and islands and pirates, right?" Azusa explained, giving no hints as to whether she truely believed she was persuading little Yanjirou or not. See, she felt her explanation was far more entertaining than simply telling him someone found a way to crash their boat on a waveless sea and lost some some undefined equipment.

As for her generous offer of sharing her supply of drinks? See, despite her smiling, her eyebrows definitely twitched in response to the boy's refusal of her generous offer. See, it's one thing to refuse her; it's another to look down upon her likes. "What...do you mean they destroy you're body? They're so bubbly and tasty...how could they possibly be bad for you?" The Priestess was not informed about any of this poison in them until now. See, her babysitter servant forbade her from bringing any energy drinks into the shrine (among an extensive list of other things), so Azusa's only real chance to enjoy them was when she was away from home (yes, Azusa did, in fact, listen to some people...). She would not tolerate the Byakko brat's insults to them! "Well, if you don't like them then fine! I won't share any with you then; I'll get you a cup so you can drink from the sea if you want." Whats next? The catboy would try to tell her that the water was bad too? And people called her spoiled...

As if irritated, Azusa stormed off to the nearby shack without a word to Yanji; shortly later, she'd return the from the front pulling a rope behind her...which would slowly, gradually, painstakingly reveal itself to be tied to a pretty small rowboat. (Th-the hell is this so stupidly heavy for? It's empty!) Nevertheless, she was red in the face after dragging it halfways the downhill beach towards the sea.

Wiping sweat from her forehead, Azusa once again put on her cheery facade for Yanji. "*ha....ha...* Anyways...you know what doesn't destroy your body, little Yanji? Exercise. I mean, at this rate, you'll end up reading books that you wouldn't even be able to lift with your skinny little arms! Since I know you love reading, I figured I'd let you take us both to the island so you won't have to worry about your strength. I only took some of your books so they wouldn't distract you, really. You're welcome." the fox said. The targeted island of her mission was definitely a good distance away, and while a chuunin may have the stamina to sprint across the sea with chakra, Azusa lacked that stamina. And the Aikayume Priestess paddling herself out there? Hah.

"As for our ship...Tadaaa~" She gave an exaggerated wave to the thing behind her. Old, beat up, dusty...It looked like it could definitely get them to the island, but counting on the boat to survive a trip there and back? Well, what was an adventure without abit of risk? "I figured we'd split the work to make it fair; I'll take care of the hard part moving it to the sea, and leave the simple rowing to you; there's only one set of oars by the way." See, while some may frown upon child labor, in this case it was a win-win situation she was planning; strength training for the academy student who was in need of it, and companionship for what have been a dreadfully dull mission for her otherwise. The treasure hunt thing? A fun little excuse. Kids loved treasure hunts, right?

"So go ahead and rest while I move this into the water. Since you didn't want any of my drinks, I'll take longer than I normally would so that you can get a decent rest after the run here. You're parents wouldn't like it if you passed out, not that you would, since I'm a pretty good medic, but..."...Well, the thought of having to tell the boy's mother Lady Yanshi, that something had happened to her son didn't exactly rate high on her to-do list. Tugging on the robe again, she dug her feet into the sand with a few profanities under her breath. Although she loved her Illusions and Foxfire, neither of her skills really seemed to be of much use at the moment. As much as she looked down upon Taijutsu practitioners, they definitely made sturdy mules. Thankfully, the boat was missing a few pieces of wood along it, that would surely lighten it for her without much downsides, right?

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Did this woman truly believe that Yanji would fall for her ruse? Or perhaps she was trying to make such a mission sound more entertaining to herself so that she would be more inclined to actually do it, rather than trying to skip out on it entirely? Either way, it seemed that he would be stuck being her chauffeur until the task was completed... And there were so many things he could have been doing today, too. Oh well, he must remember it's for the safety of his precious books!

By the time the woman realized he had stated that energy drinks are bad for your body, she began going on a rant about how they can't possibly be unhealthy. This just baffled the boy, how could you not know this? That kind of information was something you could hear from just about anybody you ask, but... Perhaps a shrine priestess such as her doesn't need any outside advice? That is the only explantation the boy could think of; this woman had spent most of her life giving advice from her gods, that she was unable - or at least unwilling - to accept it from anyone else. The boy let out a long, exasperated sigh. There would be no convincing with Azusa it seems. Though he certainly wanted to try after she suggested he drink sea water...

Once the girl walked away, it took some time before she returned, hauling a very unstable boat behind her. It was riddled with holes, and was hardly seaworthy, but if it wasn't being used in the actual sea... Perhaps it would get them there and back without making them drown. Yanji hated the water...

As he assumed the moment the island was mentioned, it would be up to Yanjirou to bring them both out to the island. Which, according to Azusa, was the "easier" of the two jobs. It was almost difficult to understand his instructions though, with all of that huffing and puffing coming from the woman. "Fine... If you want me to bring you out there, I can. But you better make sure I get those books back once we return." He said with a sigh, "If we return." The last bit was mumbled, in an attempt to prevent Azusa from hearing. Sometimes, he just needed to hear his own complaints out loud, to make sure they're getting through to somebody.

Yanji watched, and tried to force himself to laugh a bit, as Azusa struggled to get the boat into the Undersea. It seemed to trouble her quite a lot, but once it was in, it was finally his turn to work... And he already knew that he would be sore after this little "adventure" of theirs. Yanji approached the two inanimate objects, and climbed into the smarter of the two - the boat of course - before gripping the two oars and motioning for the other object to climb in after him. Once she was seated, he would begin rowing the boat out to sea. It didn't even take long for him to start feeling the effects of rowing such a large object through water... But if he wanted to see his books well again, he would have to push - or, row would be a better way of putting it - through the day until they both made it back to shore. Or perhaps he would have to make sure it was only one that made it back at this point...

 

[Muramasa Maya]

Moving the boat was certainly a challenge for a Genin who would sooner break her arm swinging a sword than actually breaking a sweat, but her unrivaled stubbornness soon managed to bring the sketchy boat onto the water. Do not underestimate her, umm...willpower.

And lo and behold, it actually managed to float. So far, so good, right?

Azusa gave a sigh of relief at this point, glad to not have to fall back on the nonexistent Plan B. She wiped away the sweat of hard work from her forehead. "Haaaa. I do not think I have done something that difficult since reaching Genin..." She was really setting the standard for her little kohai to aspire to, right?

Yanji wasted no time in making for the boat, having found the two oars his hands would be getting extremely comfortable with over the trip before she had even caught her breath. "...Don't worry, Yanji. Trust me, I'm just as much in a hurry to get back too..." She snarked, letting her sour attitude shine through her false cheerfulness for the first time today. Regardless, she lifted her dress and jumped into the boat with excellent balance; she was weak, not uncoordinated, afterall. They soon were off, with Yanji fulfilling his purpose wonderfully.

Now it was Azusa's turn to rest; the kitsune trailed her fingers through the water as made their way to the island. Had she not be tired from exerting herself, she may have even acted upon the temptation she had of rocking the boat in an effort to see if the little kitten with her suffered from any motion sickness on the boat. Instead, she peered into the clear water of the undersea, noticing how despite being clear, the surface reflected the glowing crystals providing the cavern light far, far above them. It was easy to forget about them on shore, but with the water all around her reflecting them and making them apparent, well, she felt kinda trapped.

Or, maybe it might have just been the boat being small.

Eitherway, it prompted some thoughts in the Kitsune's mind. Contrary to Yanji's belief, yes, she did have one. "...Has sensei-, uhmm, your father...ever taken you to the surface, Yanji?" Azusa asked with genuine curiosity in her voice, since he lived near the border of the village and the outskirts. Poor kid practically had travellers passing through his bedroom into and out of the village. "I ask merely because I have never left. Any time not spent training or working, I'm at my clan's shrine. My missions have always been inside the village, too, like this stupid request..." She knew Yanjirou was likely upset with her, but they had some time before they arrived. Might as well talk, otherwise she might be tempted to make Yanji's job even more difficult. Like seeing if she could splash water on his ears.

[MFT]

 

[Muramasa Maya]

[Inactivity leave; sorry, I've been having trouble managing multiple topics at once.]

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

[Inactivity leaving as well then, I'm sorry as well, been really busy lately.]