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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Kimiko:
She chuckles at this
"hyu hyu hyu hyu hyu! Your correct of course. I should be working on a more....challenging jutsu."
Then her eyes narrow and she brings up one hand to scrunch in concentration as she begins to try perform the Rasengan again.
"Hrrrrrrr......"
The ball of blue chakra forms in her hand.
"RRrrrrrrrrrrr........."
It spins faster and faster........
"HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....."
Faster and more furiously then.....bursts, dispersing and losing all consistency.
"Agh! Kuso...."
As you walk along she tries again. and again. A third time. A sixth. a Tenth. Every time it ends up with much the same result and her growing more frustrated each time.
"aaaah, Stupid jutsu, this is so frustrating!"
"A jutsu that your having trouble with? Thats....a first, Kimi. How?"
"Rrrrrrrgh! Well this jutsu is supposed to be real advanced in theory. Teach you a lot about chakra control and molding if my chakra theory and math is correct. Like, if I mastered something like this, it would be an incredibly fast jutsu with no need for hand signs to use, I could just slam it into someone's face while they're still forming their hand signs as interruption, while the jutsu would help me manipulate chakra in many others ways that most can't much like how tree and water walking help chakra control. It looks simple but its actually incredibly hard and its just so......unlike any jutsu I've ever seen or done! No hand signs, nothing for me to memorize, or mental parts to understand! Just a lot of....trial and error and work. I don't think its even usable yet, every time I try slamming it into something it just leaves shallow spiral marks."
Yuyuyu comments, amused
"Heh. So even the great Kimiko Ishikawa has a point where all her talents and advantages are useless and only hard work can overcome the challenge. Didn't think I'd see the day come so soon."
"Aw shaddup."
Kimiko bites back, annoyed as she continues trying to make the Rasengan work as they walk along. She will proceed to do so for the rest of the day without much success, some of the balls lasting longer than others for a few seconds, some being more unstable, some more lopsided, some smaller, some bigger. Its clear that she is half practicing and half experimenting to try and figure how to make it work at all, trying to narrow down the right direction to go as if she isn't entirely sure about it without some clear instructions and comparison to things she's done before. As if this specific jutsu just completely defies everything she knows about chakra manipulation and is making her have to relearn it all from the ground up, frustration and determination visible on her face. You've seen her practice this on the few days journey to Touzaki as well with similar results. By the time night falls and you all stop to rest she is tired from both walking and constantly training on this one rasengan jutsu. She will take out a sleeping bag from a storage scroll then lay down in it, resting as she asks Senko while staring up at the stars.
"....Senko. What made you decide that Hu and Yu should die, and not Ottomaru?"
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Senko thinks about that question for a long time. It might seem like she's philosophizing, but in truth she's just trying to figure out how to explain it without giving away that the Otokage is to blame.
"Hu and Yu were grown men who made a rational decision to commit homicide."
"Ottomaru, if what I have learned is correct, is a small child who chose to trust the wrong person and as a result was subjected to cruel and unethical experiments that effectively drove him insane."
"So... It comes down to personal responsibility? For Hu and Yu, they themselves are solely to blame for their actions. You could argue that whoever taught them that kinjutsu is partly to blame, but they still chose to use it. At worst, they ma have been radicalized, which would have maybe earned them a modicum of mercy... If their supposed immortality had not made it exceedingly difficult to do enough damage to properly incapacitate them."
"With Ottomaru... From what I saw and what he said, it seems like he's just trying to make it stop hurting but is too warped to... So, in this case, the lion's share of the blame for his actions results not on the child himself, but on the bastard who put him in that state to begin with."
"Besides... I did much worse at a much younger age and was let off the hook for similar reasons. If he is to be condemned then what right to I have to live free?"
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Kimiko:
She thinks about your words as she stares up at the night sky. Trying to grapple with what you said in her own strange mind.
"....I guess that makes sense...I guess its just that at the same time you decided to kill them, you were also kind of sympathetic to the fact that all their comrades died, yet didn't take their side. Its confusing.
Does that mean to you, that the fact that what was done to Ottomaru was more painful because it resembled your own situation, and thus warranted more sympathy than them? Or is it because you consider it more sympathetic the smaller the number of the age? You expressed this inverse notion where the larger the number of the age, and the clearer the decision, you decided to hate them more?
Like were you deciding on the basis of logic or emotion? Is this a thing of objectivity or subjectivity?
Also: Responsibility. What is that?"
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
"Responsibility is... If I push someone down a flight of stairs, that person becomes injured. That person is not responsible for their injuries because they fell, I am responsible because I pushed them...
"...Unless, of course, that person was an assailant, and I pushed them off of my and their falling down that flight of stairs was a byproduct of my defending myself. Then the injuries become their responsibility because they chose to attack. I am merely responsible for defending myself"
"If however, instead of an assailant, it is a sparring partner and we have mutually agreed to spar at the top of a flight of stairs and I were to push them down by accident, then we are both responsible for the injuries because we agreed to do something stupid."
"Or... If we were fighting a Missing Ninja. Someone famous like... Riko the Beatle, the sand-ninja that practical lives in some kind of combat puppet." If you, Kimiko, solely did battle with her and claimed her head, then you would of course have sole responsibility for her defeat and would be entitled to the glory that comes from such victory, and the monetary reward of whatever bounties are on her head.
If Kimiko has been keeping up with the Bingo Books, she should know that the person that Senko is mentioning has a sizable bounty on her head for the crimes of kidnapping, serial murder, and desecration of human remains, but the exact details of her crimes are not disclosed.
"If, however, we all fought her and defeated her as a team, then we would all be jointly responsible and entitled to the glory and a cut of the bounty."
"And if I right now dosed you with a powerful hallucinogen and you started babbling gibberish about how a bunch of squares makes a circle... You did not consent to that drugging, it is not your fault if you make a fool of yourself while not in your own right mind."
"In short, responsibility in this context is a measure of how much of someone's actions and deeds are of their own accord and how much of it is the result of the action of others, or circumstances outside of mortal control."
"Hu and Yu, as they presented themselves, were not forced to kill, nor did they seem to be in an altered mental state. They chose to kill. I can be sympathetic to the histories, but they still had to be held accountable for their crimes. Between that and their immortality Jutsu..."
"Though I admit, if I believed they could have been captured alive I would have endeavored to do so. I even preset a chance to surrender. Just because I have no remorse for putting down a mad dog, that does not mean... You cannot save everyone, but that does not mean you should not try to."
"Which brings us to Ottomaru. Ottomaru did not ask for what was done to him. He merely trusted someone who he thought had his best interests at heart, and that person abused his trust to subject him to cruel, inhuman experiments. As a side effect if these procedures, his mental state was altered."
"Based on what I have seen him to be capable of, I believe that he can be incapacitated without the application of lethal force. If he is captured alive, then he can be contained until such a time as he is no longer a threat to himself or others... The modifications done to him are quite similar to our own research, if significantly less ethical. If I knew exactly what was done to him, the how and why, then I might be able to mend his condition myself."
Senko adjusts herself and mutters something about how her futon at home has spoiled her ability to sleep on the ground.
"As for age? That is a matter of biology. The brain does not finish developing until the end of the adolescent period at approximately twenty-five years of age."
"Structure? Chemical makeup? It is far from universal but some people just are not capable of making an informed, rational decision or controlling their emotions and impules until they reach a certain stage of development... And not everyone develops their brain at the same rate, either. In addition to age, nutrition, general health, whether to not you have suffered certain infections, injuries to the head, and even certain life experiences can affect the rate at which one becomes emotionally, cognitively, mature. Some people in our age range are basically little adults, others would think were half our age based on their behavior."
"Even under the best circumstances... None of here are foolish, but I can guarantee that ten years from now, if we are all still alive, that we are going to look back on what we did at this age and cringe at how stupid we seem to be in comparison to our more mature selves."
"So, when judging the actions of a child, particularly the mistakes or crimes a child may have committed, one must keep in mind that they legitimately may not know better, or be able to conceive of alternate actions, or control their impulses the way a more cognitively developed person might."
"Couple this with the aforementioned altered state of mind..."
"Which is, of course, the same logic presented as to why I am not incarcerated for my own crimes. I am a child, and my mind is warped by a power I never asked for."
"As for whether my judgment is objective or subjective... Obviously subjective. Someone else presented with the same facts can come to a different conclusion..."
"And... There is always an emotional bias to every decision. Anyone who says they have come to an objective decision based solely on facts and logic is lying to you."
Menko has fallen asleep while Senko says that.
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Kimiko:
She frowns and says
"That is.......huh.....that is a lot to think about. I never thought about of those things that way before. Sounds like expectations and laws. Hm. One last question. Senko, I'm a shinobi. I'm supposed to kill. I'm expected to. Like its this...responsibility. I tried to kill Ottomaru before, apparently succeed on some clone or something? and....I haven't said it before but....when I became a genin as a coming of age ceremony, my clan told me to kill a bandit in a basement to prove I can be a competent ninja. To prove that I can go through with it, when it matters. I did it, and I got this sword I now wield because of it.
Senko....am I child or an adult?"
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Yoroi
Yoroi is almost caught out of guard, but at the last moment he dodge.
"Huh. You seems to be more exprienced than I habe you credif for. Alright then."
Yoroi attack with more speed, jump around. He is quick, but prbably not as skilled as Tomoe.
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lord Raziere
Kimiko:
She frowns and says
"That is.......huh.....that is a lot to think about. I never thought about of those things that way before. Sounds like expectations and laws. Hm. One last question. Senko, I'm a shinobi. I'm supposed to kill. I'm expected to. Like its this...responsibility. I tried to kill Ottomaru before, apparently succeed on some clone or something? and....I haven't said it before but....when I became a genin as a coming of age ceremony, my clan told me to kill a bandit in a basement to prove I can be a competent ninja. To prove that I can go through with it, when it matters. I did it, and I got this sword I now wield because of it.
Senko....am I child or an adult?"
"...Literally, in terms of physiology, you are a child. Philosophically... That's a complicated question that I cannot answer."
"Also, your clan does not sound like a pleasant family to grow up in."
Quote:
Originally Posted by
igordragonian
Yoroi
Yoroi is almost caught out of guard, but at the last moment he dodge.
"Huh. You seems to be more exprienced than I habe you credif for. Alright then."
Yoroi attack with more speed, jump around. He is quick, but prbably not as skilled as Tomoe.
"Perhaps I should show you just how experienced I am?"
Tomoe channels her chakrea through her wakizashi, and expands a blade of chakra the size of a zanbato* from it in order to use her sword as if it were a tower shield to block Yoroi's blows.
*Big giant anime sword
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Kimiko:
She considers this, frowning as she takes this account with everything else Senko said about responsibility.
"Hm. I guess we'll find out then.
.....Yeah. Seems it wasn't now that I think about it. At least now that Anniki has taken over, Okaa-san has been softer when teaching me now. In a weird grumbly sort of way. Telling me stories she didn't before. Yaaawn.....Night Senko..."
She will fall asleep.
Returning to Otogakure:
You will travel back across the plains until you reach Otogakure once more. The clear skies, quiet open fields and peaceful green surroundings had been a change of pace from the constant hustle and bustle of this town, though Kimiko trained on her Rasengan endlessly to no clear success. You will receive normal C-rank pay as per the mission parameters which of course is split up evenly between all of the members of Team 3.
Kimiko will of course return home of the Ishikawa Manor. After greeting her family she will go to her room, pull out the Book of Jashin and begin research:
Spoiler: Notes On Jashin Jutsu 1:
Show
Beginning research on this. Here is hoping that this book actually contains useful knowledge. Began by tearing out all the pages with useless religious drivel that tells me absolutely nothing and absorbing them into the Origami-No-Tsurugi as excess ink and paper. Much more useful that way. This continued until I found what I was looking for. There are two jutsu contained within this text:
-the Jashin Immortality Jutsu consisting of a seal that does a miraculous job of preservation and regeneration. From what I can calculate, this seal if properly applied could even make sure the head stays alive even after it was cut off. It seems to utilize sympathetic connections to do this. However the other half is that requires a lot of energy to upkeep, and used a seal to drain life force/chakra from people to keep it working. otherwise the person is just a normal human being. It also doesn't seem to do anything about nutrition, meaning those monks still required food for something.
-another jutsu is called The Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood. It is interesting: when a user ingests the blood of the victim to establish a sympathetic connection then steps in the proscribed circle, the user can then inflict wounds on themselves that through the sympathetic connection wounds the victim in the same place. I believe Hu was in the middle of attempting to set up one half of this jutsu while Yu was setting up the other half. We simply managed to disrupt them before they can get it working. Good thing to, I would not want to find out if Senko's durability could hold out against Yu stabbing himself in the head repeatedly. Probably not.
-my observations so far is that these jutsu while seemingly powerful are also a bit impractical. this immortality jutsu requires ticking off too many people to work and might go against this...responsibility thing Senko talked about? More importantly the source of energy being drawn upon isn't constant enough. People are only little packets of energy, when this would probably work better with a constant stream or something. Like there just has to be more efficient way to gain energy for this jutsu than what they were doing, random people are for experiments not food. Like maybe harness natural energy? sunlight? maybe flowing water? The fact that it can be shut off with other seals is also concerning.
-while the second seal is basically something like wara ningyo or katashiro. Except using your own body. Eugh. Only usable at all if your using the other jutsu. Not practical at all. It requires too much set up in combat, shinobi are already paranoid about losing blood because there already ninjutsu/seals to track people using it, having to stand still in a circle is pretty much a death sentence against lightning release or taijutsu users who can move fast enough. Or even just an earth release user. and you harm yourself without the immortality, so the best most can hope for is taking another enemy with you. A losing strategy.
-yeah, the sympathetic connections that form the backbone of these seals are interesting, but they are not workable or useful in their current form. The general principles can probably be taken and used for something else in the future, but as they are these jutsu are horrible. As a form of immortality the first is just not sustainable, and there are a million better ways to kill people than the second. Will not be using them. They will be marked as "For reference only" while I figure out better jutsu to make from their principles.
Once she is done she will get rid of whatever else remains of the book, and put the research notes away.
A few days later
Next Kimiko will purchase the material needed and design the chakra goggles in the Ishikawa Clan's workshop, usually reserved for general sealing from carving them into stones to metal. She will raise up her new invention as Jirou watches, and puts the chakra goggles on and channel chakra into them to power it and looks back at him.
"Well? you've made it. What do you see, Kimiko-Anesan?"
"I see chakra flowing throughout your body, like veins with big source gathering in your stomach colored a brilliant blue like the ocean. and....hm thats weird, whats that strange bit of green chakra on your left hand? it doesn't match your right."
His eyes widen a little.
"None of your concern, Ane-san. Do not speak of it. Its a weapon I need for battles ahead of me."
She frowns.
"Hrmph. Fine, Anniki. But you better tell me someday."
"I will. Its just not quite ready for you to use yet."
She then will go about her day, testing the chakra goggles. Most people did have chakra coils but were pretty weak in their center of power at their stomach. She could tell which were ninja by how larger the center was and how their chakra flared and pulsed when they used it. What surprised her is that each ninja seemed to have their own color of chakra on this spectrum, though related families had the same or similar colors and whenever they used jutsu the chakra got more blue as it became more condensed and visible to natural light. The general atmosphere and environment in chakra vision were colored faint green- she didn't look directly at the sun as it was still bright just....green in the chakra vision. The green color must actually be natural energy. Interestingly she could tell the difference between natural energy and a person's chakra that were just green- they were different....shades for the lack of a better term. Chakra vision was weird and a bit trippy. There was a rare person she passed by that had no coils, some civilian that looked like a strange dark blue silhouette different from someone with blue chakra coils. The downside of this vision is that she couldn't see the visible spectrum with this, and thus the colors she usually saw weren't there.
At some point she will see the others of Team 3, greeting them at once or separately with this:
"Hi! Testing out the new chakra goggles I made from the last mission's money, hyuhyu. chakra vision is so weird..."
Where does she meet them, and what is their chakra coil colors? Yuyuyu's coils and chakra are pink like sakura blossoms.
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Returning to the Village.
On the way home, Senko continues to practice Mister generation... Though after a while she seems to lose interest in it, doing it more to pass the time than anything else.
If she could say, duplicate herself several thousand times in such a way that she could later reabsorb the clones and gain their experiences, then she could probably completly master water-style nature transformation in a month, but as she lacks the ability to make even a basic clone, let alone something so complex... She has, of course, gotten to the point where she's starting to see diminishing returns.
She briefly experiments with trying water-style chakra flow as a more advanced method of building up experience... But accidentally crushes her hand under the heavy barriers of water that water style chakra flow conjures and thus, elects to put that off until she has better chakra control.
(Luckily, between the mass she drained from Hu and her own regenerative abilities this is a relatively minor injury that fully healed in no time at all.)
Upon returning to the village proper, first Senko goes to her apartment, where she finds a note slid under her door detailing that tomoe has found work and giving the address of a house she's sharing with a roommate.
After checking that nothing is out of place, she heads to her laboratory and makes sure to lock the door.
"So, Menko-chan... You completed the errand I asked you to run for me?"
"Yes, Senko-sama. I spied on the ice-vendor and managed to sneak away with some hairs he shed without him noticing. Also, I don't think Kimi-chan is right about him being a ninja. If he was a ninja he definitely would have noticed me under my genjutsu. I've gotten better but not by that much."
Senko goes to where she instructed Menko to hide the sample and examined it. Three hairs, mostly bleached, but with dark vibrant roots.
"Ehem..."
And then remembers that she has a promise to fulfill. "Spicy miso, with pork, kelp, eggs, and fish cake. An extra-large bowl. I remember."
She stores the sample in her body and parts scroll. Hair doesn't deteriorate that fast, but better safe than sorry, and leaves for the ramen stand. The grafting can wait a little longer...
...And she should probably find a way to make it up to Fuyuki-san, for having Menko steal shed hairs from him, just in case.
Actually, on the way to treat Menko, Senko's stomach clenches. She... Doesn't need to modify herself anymore. Her chakra was balanced with Mebnko's cells.
And... it might be one thing to take cells from a stranger or an enemy, but Fuyuki-san... Was she putting the personal benefits of her research before her connections with people?
This... This was a moral and ethical conundrum.
Senko, who had always strived to be ethical in her research, felt like a hypocrite.
A few days later
Senko, who has yet to do anything with the sample Menko collected, shows up... somewhat somber, really. As if she has a lot on her mind.
Her chakra is... Interesting. It's a mixture of brick red and a very sickly, poisonous purple, but with occasional flecks of very light pink or *insert ottomaru's chakra color here.*
The light green natural energy, however, seems to pass into Senko's body into where her blood vessels would be where it is met with both a burst of the brick red. The brick-red energy—and sometimes the flecks of other colors—leaks into her veins where it is molded with the natural energy to make the poisonous purple which then returns to her chakra circulatory system.
Kimiko may have just witnessed the act of Senko's bodily fluids attracting natural energy, and her enzymes molding it with her chakra to make senjutsu chakra.
There's also a second chakra circulatory system wrapped around senko. Bundled into a long, narrow system, the chakra within it is the exact same light pink that appears in flecks in Senko's chakra. This, presumably, in Menko.
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Kimiko:
She will marvel over Senko's unique chakra system.
"Oooooooh! Senko your chakra coils are so unique! Its all purple and red and other colors! Most people I see are some singular color of some sort but yours is much more fascinating. I think I'm seeing the process of the natural energy being purified as we speak!! I can't wait to take notes on these, I'm seeing with goggles what was only possible with Dojutsu before! Who knows what discoveries I'll make with these!?"
She realizes that Senko isn't saying much and takes off the goggles, putting them over her headband and sees her sullen face.
".....Why so glum? Well you can't possibly be sad about my brilliant genius invention, so something else must be troubling you. Did Ottomaru attack you alone again? Don't worry, I Kimiko Ishikawa will...."
She remembers that Senko wants him alive
"...knock him out, tie him up, seal his chakra and bring him before you to face your judgment!"
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
"No, it is nothing like that it... I have a lot on my mind right now..."
Senko is silent for a momnt.
"What do you do when you have wronged someone and want to apologize... But they do not know that you have done anything at all?"
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Kimiko:
She considers this for a long moment. Want to apologize.....for something that the other person....didn't know was wronged? What? That made no sense. This sounds like another one of those weird Senko things like responsibility. Thus she puts into the category of "social problem" which she wasn't an expert on.
"....Sounds like something Yuyuyu would be more of an expert on. But if your asking me, well, I don't know why you'd be feeling bad about running a successful con on someone aside from that responsibility thing you mentioned on the way back I think? Congratulations on the con by the way, but what I'd do is either not tell them ever, because if they don't know and you get rid of all the evidence they never will so it might as well have never happened if I'm being practical. But if I'm feeling particularly daring - wait your talking about an apology not a taunt while disappearing into the night, uuuh nevermind belay that thought! What I meant to say is that you leave a calling card with "gomenasai" on it. Real impractical, but I think it gets the feelings across."
She smiles and nods at this advice, thinking that she helped.
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
"...Do, do you think that I am some phantom thief?"
Senko begins to second guess if Kimiko was the right person to ask about this.
After a moment she starts looking around for a leaf or a particularly long blade of grass. She's heard that a very basic chakra control practice technique is placing something like that on your forehead and focusing all your chakra on the point of contact to make it stick.
Very basic, academy stuff really... But Senko's never been to an academy, and until very recently has had a lot of trouble using chakra for any purposes but her clan's senjutsu.
But, with the progress, she's made on water style nature transformation, maybe...
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Yoroi
'Tche. Not bad.' Yoroi smile.
'Maybe you are one, who I could train my real sword with.' he try to spin, spin and slash from other angle. Tomoe probably has noticed at this point the sword on his back, which radiated it's own chakra.
=====
Usagi felt a bit out of the deep conversations, despite her attempts to be more learned. But it has inspired her if nothing else.
Odayama now had to worry, as the moves to choose the heir Ottokage were getting heated up. Ameoku came later and later home. She was energetic more then ever. Which was hot.
But also scary.
Maybe that why,she pushed him to train- maybe she subcounsily, feared, that will lose it, and trusted him to hold her. if she ever step the line.
=====
Few days later
Usagi has arrived, her hands dirty and scratched.
'AHA!' holding a small box with pride.
'Ah. Sorry... was I intrerputing something?' more subdued.
Odayama has arrived last, looking tired more then ever. Scrath marks on his cheek.
'Morning girls.' he said, offeing all of them toasts.
=====
Shushuryhu, the pink haired anbu with a cheetah mask.
'Are you sure about this, Oneesan?' she has asked,as they sat on a roof looking as the moon rose up.
'Your collegue has invited us after all. Let's see how can they handle me.' Ameoku has answered with a wide smile on her mask.
'Please don't make a scene...'
'Have I ever did a scene, Shushuryhu-chan?'
''...'
'Exactly!'
And again, Ameoku did her signature crush from the sky, but a completly silent landing
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Kimiko, Earlier:
"Oh hey Usagi, Odayama!"
She will put on her chakra goggles and look through them at their chakra coil colors
"Your chakra is so pretty...."
That is all, she just wanted to look at those, no matter what their colors are. We can move on.
Ishikawa Meeting:
When she lands and presumably either her or Shurshuryhu knocks, Kikenna will open the door to the Ishikawa Manor, with a mischievous smile on her lips, dressed in an Ishikawa style kimono
"Oh! Ameoku, we've expecting you. Come on in. Clan Ishikawa has prepared quite the feast tonight."
She will walk inside to lead her into the dinner table of the Ishikawa Clan, smaller than most given their numbers, but filled with nothing but.....sushi. Every single piece of food on the table was freaking sushi of various kinds. Like there just has to be every kind of sushi in existence here, and maybe some you didn't even know about, and they were all eating them with chopsticks. This of course makes perfect sense: the Ishikawan-Uzumaki rivalry over whether sushi or ramen was better is legendary. The drinks were tea cups in traditional teacups. The air was filled with talk of fuinjutsu and sealing jargon that you can only catch snippets and snatches of and do not understand what they're talking about even if you could make any of it out over the low din of their conversation. They spoke of sealing jobs they did around the village this week, or projects they were working on, things like that.
But more than that, Ameoku sees in specific: Yuyuyu in a picture perfect example of a social butterfly being a conversation she knows nothing about is expertly managing to keep the other person talking while smiling, nodding and asking questions to clarify this and that to keep them talking while she quietly and seemingly fascinated, just listens drinking it all in. Kimiko is busy correcting an older family member on some intricacy of sealing while sitting next to her mother:
"....which will overload the zen matrix when what you really want to do is reroute the chakra through the trigrams array for a better flow! While fooling about with the Yin-Yang combiner will only...."
Usagi and Senko of course are invited and will probably be wherever they want to be within reason if they decide to show up. Odayama is notably not invited or at least not here without Ameoku, that would be incredibly disrespectful to a fellow clan head you know and Jirou would not do that. Mitsuko of course is sitting near the far end of the table next to her daughter, she spots Ameoku and gives her a silent shark grin at her, like a predator finding some prey had wandered within their den. Kikenna will wait for her to take off her shoes then direct Ameoku to sit at the close end of the table clearly reserved for her to eat then go to the far end to sit across from Mitsuko and next to Jirou Ishikawa, who is not in the usual Otogakure chuunin uniform, but rather dressed in his clan hakama complete with two little kamon-clan crests- woven into the fabric: a paper crane inside a circle, to symbolize the clan. The message was clear: he was here in the role of the clan's patriarch, not as a chuunin of Otogakure. He will of course grab this seemingly specially designed bowl and strike it with a specially designed rod to create a chime clear as a bell that catches all the clans attention, quieting them down as he speaks
"Members of the Ishikawa Clan and other guests, I would like to welcome Ameoku-san and her Anbu assistant to the table. It is an honor to be dining with one of the Three Thunders tonight. We've been expecting you, and hope this can be a pleasant and enlightening evening for you and us all. I understand there is something you want to talk to me about, so what brings you here to our noble house?"
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
A Few Days Ago
"Your real sword? A proper swordsman should never fight without their real sword? I can only assume that the blade on your back has some... Significance?"
Tomoe does not know how to sense chakra.
Ameoku's meeting with the Ishikawa Clan:
Senko... Sits in the most inconspicuous place at the table she can find.
She seems to be eating at a slow pace, but if anyone is paying attention to her and not Jirou, Ameoku, or their personal conversations they might, might notice that Senko is feeding her sushi to a white cobra hidden in her robe—refusing would be rude, but Senko makes it a habit not to eat the flesh of an animal she didn't kill herself. She likes to make sure the animal died clean—if they can see through Menko's "this is normal" Genjutsu
Her robe in question being her "formal" robe, which is like her normal one but made of slightly better material.
She is quiet, but is paying very close attention to everything going on around her, ready to step in the moment someone—anyone—addresses her.
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Yoroi
He smirk. "Hmm. yes. This was the sword of my father. It's name is Akabodu. He was near unstopable when using Akabodu, but it's a cursed blade. It drain me when I use it, so my Sensei instructed me, for now to use it only as a last resort. Of course if my father was alive... he could have trained me."
Yoroi explain, as he jump around slashing with quick attacks looking for an opening.
----
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...mFOKg&usqp=CAU
Tonight, Ameoku wore new black dress/coat thing for the occasion.
Her eyes have widened up, at the sight of all the sushi.
She half hoped for a scandal she could leverage. But it seemed, either Jirou by his own will,or by guidance from Nozojo sticked to his goody two sandals act.
Shushuryu squeaked for her. "My my, you surely overdid it!"
Ameoku smiled. "It is nice. I hope its ok for my husband and daughters to join a bit later. He is still preparing them. Little beasts they are. I would like it to be meeting between our families."
----
Meanwhile on the roof of the Nekozako Household:
Spoiler
Show
Both Miko
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...M2YEw&usqp=CAU
and Kimiko
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/sh...20181231093243
hissing in unison.
Odayama with determined expression wielding a haircomb.
"You can't go looking like hedghogs to an offical dinner!"
Miko. "But it hurt! Nya!"
Odayam groan. "It's just because you never comb your hair! But this night you have no choice!"
Kimiko whine. "You are an evil Konoha tyrant!"
Odayama tried to slash with his comb, but they have parried the hair comb with combo move with their claws.
"Look. It's just a dinner. Do you think Kimiko Ishikawa going around with uncombed hair?"
Lil' Kimiko who became fan of "big" Kimiko during the Kinder Garden mission, and few times, Odayama had to bring his daughters to team meetings growned.
"Well...."
Miko shook her wild ginger curls. "Don't listen to him, Kimiko! This is a trap!"
Odayama face palmed.
Usagi tried to collect her ponytail to the best of her ability. At first she hyped at the thought of dinner! With a lot of food!
But.... She look like some urchin...
And... she cant let the stupid princess a chance to look down on her!
Usagi would probably turn to Yuyuyu asking for help and makeover, surrendering herself to Yuyuyu's taste.
Which ever it was, it was much fancier and probably feminine then Usagi was ever used to.
She is very self counsiounce, giving stares at Kimiko to see, if she find her looks... ok for the event.
She sit near Senko, her belly rumbling, as she fasted to have room for this dinner. But now, she is manner paralyzed, not sure how to eat without making a mess of herself.
Ameoku follow Kikena, give a studying look to the students of Odayama, who seemed to give him new drive. She stop near each of them, openly staring, wagging her tail, as if calculating something.
She nod with aproval to Kimiko.
Yuyuyu get a polite nod.
the longest stare get to Senko.
"Intresting." that all she say with an added smile, and almost completly ignore Usagi. Her akwardness and nervousness take away from the respect Ameoku give.
Unlike Usagi, Ameoku just pluck herself in seat, letting Shushuryu serve her.
"Nyanya. Jirou-kun..."
She eat with beastly vigor, through the mask.
"If I had manners like you have, when I was your age, I would probably had less blood on my hands. The peacful life give birth to such kind and beautiful people. AHM!"
She swallow another sushi
"Well. We both are doing home visits to diffrent clans and factions of the village. Scratch and his boys and girls seemed to like you a bit. And no matter how the power play will end, we will have to learn to work with each other. I believe you have the best intentions for the village, and I want you to believe the same about me. Villages are falling apart, when you make enemies out of rivals. And things are happening, things are getting more intense. I want to make sure, our... competiton doesn't hurt the village."
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
The Ishikawa Meeting:
Senko:
Surprising there is....for the lack of a better term.....vegetarian sushi on your plate? Its one of the more seemingly impossible variants of sushis and its more a collection of experimental sushi prepared specifically for you because Jirou let the family members that make the sushi know that vegetarian and they could not accept you going hungry during dinner at all, but there is still sushi for Menko as well.
Usagi/Kimiko:
Usagi, you see Kimiko when she looks at you just stop for a moment, mid-explanation on some fuinjutsu thing just staring. Just for a timeless moment filled with bishie sparkles as she beholds you in some red dress oddly thematic designs on it -how Yuyuyu got you a rabbit-themed kimono for you on such a short notice is a mystery, all she said on the matter is "I know a gal" and said you can keep it-and her hair its mostly just let down and combed so that its looks real good to emphasize your hair's natural beauty. Like overall she mostly just cleaned you up, but it seems to be working. Kimiko doesn't even notice Ameoku nodding at her in approval during this moment.
"...Pretty..."
"Kimiko? Kimiko? Hello? What you were saying about sympathetic seals?" some clan member says
She snaps out of it and says
"Oh sorry, just....something caught my interest. Anyways...."
With one last glance at Usagi she will continue explaining. Yuyuyu will stifle a giggle at all this.
Jirou:
He will nod and reply.
"I'm glad you think so, Ameoku. In times like these it can sometimes be hard for some to remember that we need to work together and when all is said and done we're a village and work as one at the end of the day. We might have our disagreements but I'm confident we can put those aside when it matters. Your commitment to a stronger Otogakure is admirable. I simply believe that the reasons why we should be strong are different, that we should think beyond our walls. We need to think of the health of the nation we protect and are apart of, the farmers that till the fields, the people in the capital of Port Sake, the samurai who command the ashigaru and the Daimyo. As we must cooperate with each other, our village must in turn cooperate with the rest of Land of Rice and what their concerns are. Don't you agree?"
He will ask and pick up some tea to sip.
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
[Yoroi and Tomoe]
Tomoe allows the other swordsman to land a shallow cut, giving him first blood.
"Only a fool uses a cursed blade. Whatever power it can grant you, it won't be worth the cost. That's why it's cursed."
[Meeting]
Senko takes note of Ameoku's reaction to her.
Menko, however, takes note of Kimiko's reaction to Usagi. "Bhwu, I knew it," she whispers.
It is at this point that Senko notices the kappa maki on her plate and begins to feel somewhat foolish.
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Yoroi vs Tamaoe
Yoroi laugh.
'Well, my father was a ronin. He never settled for anything, less then giving it. I'll follow his example, but not in the pace I would like.' He surprised at him being able to draw the first blood.
'What?' he frowned.
'Are you going easy on me!? It's clear you are more exprienced am I! It's tiring enough, to have a damn geniouse stock up in my team!'
Ameoku
'I can't disagree, when you are wording it like that.' Ameoku say as she eat with vigor.
'But I think the Damiyo should deal with the citizens, we ninjas of the Sound are undernumbered as it is. We have no Jounin Senseis, I am the only Jounin Anbu. Some people try to forget the nightmares... but they will be back, worse then ever if grow fat and convient' Quite ironcily or not, saying while she eating like a beast.
'Your father... I think he understood it. Stress is healthy for warriors of all kinds. Samurais grew confident in their status, and when the ninjas came... it was too late for them to stay in touch. What ever respect our village has in the world, was gained in sucidical resolve. Mad, they have called us. We have to stay the predators.. not... the prey.'
Pause.
'The damn Inuzakis, hunted us like damn rabbit-'
Usagi frowned at that*
'Sister after sister of mine, died in agony, in experiments,just to get a fighting chance. Only me, and another sister of me have survived. I have lost seven sisters, and my parents... I dont want their sacrifice to be for nothing. I dont want my daughter to be eaten alive by monster Konoha dogs.'
Spoiler: Odayama Vs Kimi&Kimiko
Show
Odayama was filled with scratches.
'Come on...'
Hiss*
'Fine. You have forced me into this!'
He jumped up, raining scrolls over them, which opened and have revealed hair combs.
Some hitted the target.
With swift moves, he have combed their hairs in 3 seconds.
'DADDY!' they whined.
'Now get you kimonos!' He said with an assertive tone.
Usagi blushed. Until now, a bit akwardly combined with the dress, she kept her scarff on. But now.. she let it slide, exposing the bite scar.
'S-shut up.' she say flustered.
'I just wanted to look nice for the free food? See?! EATING!' and gave in, eating with the manners of Ameoku
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Ishikawa Meeting:
At the mention of Jirou's father, the table falls silent. Mitsuko looks angry and staring daggers at Ameoku now. The whole table is waiting on baited breath, the tensions so thick you could cut it with a kunai. Jirou is silent as he remembers that day, about thirteen years ago when he was five, the last time his father spoke to him:
Spoiler: Jirou's Flashback
Show
It was still back in Kirigakure. The manor there was much more grand, and there were over 300 clan members rather than 30. Mitsuko was bringing him before his father to speak with him and offer the bad news. They sit before him on tatami mat and bow then a younger Mitsuko, a softer Mitsuko, says
"Ryota. We have tested him and...I'm sorry to say but he doesn't have the Paper Release bloodline. He did not inherit it."
Ryota fixes Jirou with gaze that he couldn't tell whether it cold uncaring assessment or contempt, the eternal icy glare he gives with his amber eyes on his sharp features never wavering, then speaks
"Then it is The Failure. Consider it disposable. The Mizukage could use more genin scouts for the front lines when it is trained soon."
"What? But Otoosa-" Jirou begins to say then was interrupted by his father's voice cutting through his own like a leaden blade, not even paying attention to him now.
"Mitsuko. Tell the Failure it is not to speak to me ever again, and that it is denied from inheriting my position. Only those who can wield Paper Release are worthy of leading Clan Ishikawa. Send it away, we'll begin making a new child immediately."
"What!? But Ryota this is your own son-" Mitsuko says distraught.
"No its not, and even if it was, the fact would be irrelevant. Do not defy me again, is that clear?"
"....Cl.....clear.....Ryota....I won't." She will sadly lead Jirou out of the room, When they were out of it Jirou will look at her and go
"Why!? What did he mean!? Why wasn't I good enough? Okaa-san!"
She just looks down at him with tears in her eyes
"...That is not your concern anymore. Your father has spoken, and we must obey."
"Mitsuko." Ryota will call "Do not keep me waiting. You must fulfill your duty as a kunoichi."
"...I must go. Go back to training. Now." Mitsuko says then walks back inside, shutting the door behind her.
"Okaa-san?" he just says distraught, heartbroken and confused. When did he fail?
Nine months later, Kimiko was born.
His gaze is fierce as he is reminded of that day, now knowing he never failed. His father....was just despicable. Ameoku....she understood nothing of his father. Or was goading him. He was about to speak when Kikenna puts her hand on his under the table, silently reminding him to not rise to the bait. He controls himself, but Mitsuko was less restrained.
"Oi! Ameoku-Teme! Don't speak of that bastard in this house! He'd consider YOU weak for having a loving family at all! It was only his skills as a ninja that were competent, as a person he was horrible. He didn't see anyone else as ninjas that need strengthening, he saw them as objects to exploit, pieces to move on his shogi board. You would just be another tile in whatever strange game of his own devising he was playing. In fact it was-"
"Okaa-san. Enough."
Mitsuko shuts up as Jirou takes the wheel before that got out of hand.
"Regardless of what my father thought, the dead do not make today's policy decisions. We'll come back to the topic of the rest of land of rice later. Of course we do not want to be on the losing end either. We have made our own sacrifices- sacrifices that we wish never had to be made, for sacrifice does not always give you more than you lost. If we limit the war to shinobi only-which all know won't happen-that our shinobi will get stronger from fighting more is just an assumption your making. There is no guarantee that will happen, that our shinobi as a whole will benefit. Imagine a coin flipping for every ninja we have when this war is fought: heads stronger, tails weaker. What your doing is betting that more coins will land heads than tails. When its entirely possible and much more likely that it land tails. Imagine a scenario where all our weaker shinobi you wish to strengthen all simply die because they all sink rather than swim and all the strong shinobi you value that remain try to keep but only get irreparably injured and thus become weaker as a result, then die as well. Look at our own clan: this clan once numbered 300. We once fought as a clan full of proud jounin, was a clan to rival the Uzumakis in their expertise! Now look at us. About 30 of us still a small clan, compared to others. All our jounin dead from fighting dangerous missions to protect the rest of us.
Once Ameoku, you could've walked the halls of this clan and found a Jounin who specialized in barriers, another who was also a medic nin in addition paper release, another who an elite tracker with chakra sensing, a fourth jounin who made their life's work to study summoning contracts. More jounin than we could ever consider legend by their mere existence like you do. They still all died, the dead outnumbering the living. Some of the last few we had were the ones who fought in the last battle with Odokuro, that victory not bought only by the suicide move of the Last Shout, but also by the last Jounins of the Ishikawa and Kaguya clans doing everything they could to help them win, and they still died, with us losing skills and experience we may never be able to replicate. That is what fighting a single war did to us. In the end, we lost more than we gained from fighting. Behold Ameoku and see what my father's leadership brought to you: a fallen clan, a shadow of its former self, seeking to recover any way they can find. Is this what you mean by being "made stronger"? Because I don't see any strength here gained from the Third Shinobi War."
Kimiko is sitting silently at this discussion, sad and not sure what to say.
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Tomoe vs Yoroi
"I apologize, but the purpose of sparring like this is to grow stronger. But, if you insist on using a cursed blade... A samurai's duty is to devote their life to their master, even giving their life if they must, but there's a difference between honorable sacrifice and senseless suicide."
"I cannot in good conscience be a party to your efforts to destroy yourself. Nor do I have the right to force you to swear off of the use of such a blade, so all I can do is remove myself from the equation."
Meeting
She doesn't say anything, but it becomes evident very quickly that everything Ameou is saying is pissing Senko off if anyone is looking to the sidelines instead of the main discussion.
Especially the bit about Ameoku's sisters and parents dying in agonizing experiments... Senko's heard the rumors about how Ameoku supposedly created her bloodline, and between the two, to Senko's ears, it sounds as if Ameoku is admitting to being an incompetent and unethical researcher who sacrificed her family for power.
She begins twitching when Ameoku mentions that and she does not stop.
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Yoroi
Yoroi rather cheerful and friendly attitude, change and darken.
"...How dissapointing." he sheath back his regular sword.
"And I thought I have found a sister in this land of ninjas. Pause
"So even, if I was raised at the Land Of Iron, I would ahe an outsider. I see.' he turn his back
"Thank you for the spar, Tomoe-san. You did have taught me a lot."
Yes. He can't trust anyone to understand and train him. He only has himself.
----
Ishikawa Estate
Shushuryou was the one looked worried on the other side.
Usagi turn to Senko. "You don't eat enough!" And with her great social skills, decide to feed Senko- this is exactly what Senko need!
Well. Kimono, hair down and a tiny bit of shyness- ahe is still Usagi.
Ameoku nodded during Jirou's and Mitusko's speeches.
"I see." she say rather.. humbly.
"I dont mean to downplay the risks and sacrfices that have been made. And I dont wish to repeat the Indpedence War. A good Indpedence War happens only once in the life of a nation. I also respect what the Second Ottokage did so far. It's nice and heartwarming, but... despite all that, we can just cower in fear. Exactly because of the large scale trauma, we can't keep doing this.'
At this Odayama and his daughters, with their hair decently combed and dressed in kimonos with the clan symbol enter
(assuming they are allowed)
they are giving bows of respect until they are invited to join
"Please. Forgive our late.. the girls.. just-" he pause and then change what he wanted to say.
"Insisted on making the house perfect, before we are living." Miko and Kimiko looked surprised at Odayama giving up the chance to scold them.
Kimiko waved to Kimiko.
Ameoku smiled at Odayama. "That fine. I was just talking about the combat trauma researches. You rememberrr them better then I do, and you hang out at the Broken Record Club."
Odayama sigh. "Oi, oi. Already with the heavy stuff? Can't we have just a normal formal dinner, where everyone dance around the real issues?'
Ameoku elbowed him.
'Oof. Fine." he said after sipping a cup of sake for confidence.
"As you might be aware, but probably not, unless you are personally involved, Scratchman take care of the mentally war injured, and in general of those, adult or young that the violence take toil on their minds. Most of them are my best friends, including Fuushi, which I am certain Kimiko-chan and Usagi-chan remember well."
Odayama slip into the comversation naturally as he more or less could imagine how this conversation went until this point.
"Most villages look at the mentally injured as liabilities and throw them away, back to home. Scratchman have collected evidence, statistics, and combined with his intense personal exprience... he had conclusions about the most optimal way of treating such people. NOT to take them back home. Keep them in relative safety, and use them to the best of their ability, until they are ready back to full action. The other way around, letting them just to turn their backs, while fussil this trauma, from a temprorary injury to a full mental disorder flr the long run.* And I am sure, my lovely wife, wanted me to say that to imply something about the bigger picture
'
*(Based on what I have been taught as combat medic)
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Jirou:
He will say
"Come now, join in, don't be shy."
He say to the girls. Then turn to Ameoku
"Well I won't argue the facts of that, but my concern with mental health problems is that many ninja simply won't report mental health problems at all or refuse psychological help out of fear they'd be admitting weakness or out of a self-sacrificing ideal to their nation where they think their mind is a small price to pay for the greater good of everyone and thus shouldn't bother anyone about it. Its a problem on both sides of the political spectrum, and not unique to our village sure, its apart of a wider culture of "it can't be helped" thinking that makes people not talk about issues that we should be out of politeness or not rocking the boat as it were, and it surprises me that Scratchman was able to get any useful psychological data from them at all. Especially since they support you Ameoku and thus your ideals of strength, one could only imagine how hard it would be to get such information if the people Scratchman works with are so enamored of you. and how convenient that this information just so happens to support your cause. Its almost as if your using a single tidbit of information for your agenda instead of studying the whole issue and figuring out what the problem is in general and debating honestly about it. Funny that.
But even then, your premise is rooted in treating the village being damaged from war as a mental problem. When there are real physical costs to this, in resources, lives, homes. To use a physical medical metaphor in response: there is only so many times someone can have their bones broken before the wear and tear takes a long term toll on their body that they can't recover from- not even with medical ninjutsu. The bones begin to heal imperfectly, and performance starts to decline. You see this in some sports all the time, not just ashigaru or shinobi. Whether or not the village is mentally ready, doesn't matter if the physical cost of fighting the war outweighs the benefits. Like your experiments. Sure you can say that the cost was worth it all you want to yourself Ameoku, but the fact of the matter is that that out of 9 subjects of those experiments, only 2 lived. That is what, a 22.22% success rate? 88.88% of your sisters dead? Those are losing numbers Ameoku. approximately four fifths of your force being dead at the end of a battle is either a Pyurosu (Pyrrhic) Victory, or no victory at all. If that is what you consider acceptable losses during a war as well, then I daresay that if you led this village through the Fourth Shinobi War we wouldn't have a stronger village....we would have no village at all. Because we would all be dead before you realized that the losses were too great to keep fighting through.
And Konoha? They've had time to recover as well, time to come up with new techniques, new strategies around us, with more money, more training, more resources to do it with. They probably have recovered from their losses more easily than we can. And if warfare makes people strong Ameoku, then wouldn't bringing warfare to Konoha make them stronger on top of all the strength they already have as well? Why do you want the enemies we hate, to become stronger?"
Kimiko speaks up suddenly confused as she tilts her head in thought.
"Wait wouldn't technically by that logic, if warfare is said to make people strong, then the same conditions of warfare would both make Otogakure and Konohagakure strong by the same mathematical amount and thus wouldn't actually make Otogakure stronger AGAINST Konoha, because the same relative gap of strength between the villages would remain the same even if both of them gained strength?"
"Good point, Kimiko..."
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
"If I may interject, Ishikawa-sensei. Ameoku-san," Senko says evenly and politely. "While this is a matter between clans and I formally have no stake here, I do believe that this is my area of expertise."
"You both have a point... The ways the villages handle mental illness is flawed, the fact that we do not talk about such serious problems is a problem itself, rooted in toxic ideals of strength... But the thing is... The mind is the plaything of the body. It all comes down to biology, and while the majority of my research comes from the interface of chakra and biology... I also have a vested interest in understanding things like brain chemistry and neurological mechanics."
"After all, if I had not studied such things, if I had not used what I'd learned to control the frequent homicidal rages those who possess the power of Senninka are prone to... Well, most of the people in this room would have died shortly after you made the comments about your family's death, Ameoku-san. The idea of people dying pointlessly for some fruitless cause? The very thought of it drives me to rage. And yet, becuase I have studied how the mind and body interact, I can control it, direct the anger constructively... I am not perfect, I do slip up on occasion, but becuase of what I have learned in my efforts to control my own illness I have avoided the sin of dishonoring our hosts with such ungracious behavior."
"If people are traumatized in battle, sending them back into battle over and over again will just make them worse. As will just having them retire and keep quiet about it."
"The brain is a marvelous thing, the pathways within it traveling, altering, rewiring as needing to adapt to new experiences... If someone is traumatized, mentally scarred by some event, they will adapt to avoid it. This could be a fear response, an anger response, sadness and grief, or simple shame..."
"This is natural. This has to happen. It is the only way to begin the process of healing... But some people get stuck. They find themselves trapped in a loop of behaviors that only grow worse with time. The way to deal with this? Reduce stress, learn to recognize rational emotions from irrational ones, and confront the trauma under controlled circumstances... The trauma never goes away, but if you do it right, it becomes something you can manage. You can function properly again. You can grow as a person again. And yes, some people may come out stronger for it."
Senko stands up and allows her sleeves to encompass her arms.
Ameoku-san, speaking as a biologist... What you are suggesting will not make the Sound Village strong. In addition to what Ishikawa-sensei and Kimiko-san have said, the simple fact is that we are not a large enough village for those who manage to overcome the trauma, for those who grow from it, to make up for the people who are killed by the kind of battle that occurs in warfare. To make up for the people who break and need help to be fixed. Who would not get that help under the system that you propose, but would instead be sent back into the meat grinder.
Between the rumors about Ameoku creating her bloodline and her own comments about the eath's of her family... And Ameoku's contract with the cats...
Senko channels some of her natural energy into her hidden limbs...
"So the question becomes... How do you make people stronger? That also comes back to biology. Genetics and physiology are the main contributors to aptitudes. How strong you can get, how fast you can run, how well you can think... Yes, these are skills that can be trained, but everyone has a ceiling that can't be broken through, an inherent aptitude you are born with... And sadly, all men are not created equal."
Senko rolls her sleeves up, revealing that her arms are now covered in white scales. Menko lighters out of one sleeve and curls around to hang from Senko's shoulders.
"But I do believe that you and I had the same general idea, Ameoku-san. By studying the physiology, the cellular makeup, the chakra of another being, it becomes possible to replicate them within another. By studying the way my own cells adapt and the unique cells donated by lovely familiar Menko, I was able to combine myself with the traits of a Summoned Snake... You did something similar to create your own bloodline, I suspect? Funny, how genius tends to repeat itself."
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Meanwhile.....
Samayo Majutsu: Receive Message
In Port Sake, Samayo Majutsu pursues his target. Minister Ping. An ordinary man, powerless by chakra standards. But money was a power of its own- the three Chuunin that he had come with were busy fighting criminal ronin who accepted his money. He strums his guitar, Ryoga, sending out a sound wave to collapse some crates over to block his path. Minister Ping stands frozen and afraid and Samayo advances upon him. Slowly. Samayo lets Ryoga the guitar do the talking-it'd be much too unsafe to talk himself too much after all:
"Well well well! Look who's guilty of oh whats it.....embezzlement, bribery, corruption, money laundering hiring ronin and missing nin.....thats the nation's money you were fooling around with there ne?"
The chatty little dragon head on the end of the guitar says, animated by some anomaly of chakra Samayo to this day wasn't quite sure how it was possible. Ryoga was something akin to a Tsukumogami like that.
"And that money my dude- that goes to the Daimyo, which goes to all the stuff that makes everything work! Roads, running water, electricity, ashigaru, shinobi.....its a lot! thats just some of it. Your hurting the nation, misusing the money like that. That ain't gonna fly ain't it? Thats like a samurai wasting his troops ammo! Can't have that."
"You can't do this!" Ping says trying to back away "the courts....they..."
"Won't find you guilty if you pay off the right people, ne? But that doesn't matter my dude! My crimson guitarist heres got a license to kill! Its for people just like you! Cause your beyond the laws reach. Kinda sucks when you think about it, probably shouldn't NEED it as a soci-Agh!"
Samayo plucks the strings with an annoyed look at Ryoga, silently urging him to stay on topic.
"Anyways, point is: you screwed up! And its time to pay the price no amount of money stolen from the till can help with!"
"This....this is..." Ping says afraid as Samayo comes looming up before him in all his crimson glory- hair, clothes, guitar, eyes, all of them red of some shade or other.
"JUSTICE."
Samayo proclaims, an uttering of a single word of his voice making objects around him vibrate a little as Ryoga turns into a katana and slashes.
After the deed was done, Samayo walks back to his three Chuunin: Yumi Kaguya, a Kaguya the same age as Jirou and skilled in Lightning Release- and the hunter Nin normally assigned to handle code ONI. Tatebaru Nobomei, Jirou's commanding officer when he was a Genin and Earth Release user, and Rahei Emiharu, a sensor-nin and sound-based Water Release user- and Jirou's Water Release teacher.
Yumi salutes
"The Ronin are taken care of, Samayo-taichou. The minister?"
"He's been dealt with alright!" says Ryoga. "I'll spare ya the details! Never like getting blood on myself or how it feels...."
The assembled Chuunin here pointedly have gotten used to or at least ignore Ryoga's side commentary. They often find the guitar's existence something best not to think about.
Then a bird comes flying down with a little scroll to land on Ryoga's hand
"Oi! Stupid bird! get off of me! Every time with these delivery pigeons...."
Samayo takes the scroll, opens and reads it, nods then shows it to Ryoga to read it out loud
"Neeeeeh......whats is say......blah blah blah official sounding stuff.....Ameoku is competing with some guy named Jirou Ishikawa to determine who succeeds Nozojo-jiji as Otokage!? And Samayo will have to return to help with the decision making process as he is one of the Three Thunders."
Yumi tilts her head.
"Jirou? My old teammate? The quiet one who was constantly making sealing tags and just obeyed orders without question? Spends all his time at the lab working on his weird project? The kid who was basically a non-presence while in the academy? THAT Jirou?"
"Yeah" Tatebaru says gruffly "Didn't know the boy had it in him. Ol' Nozojo musta really taken a liking to him. Hrmph! Only reason he'd be fool enough to butt heads with the Big Kitty."
"It is....strange to say the least to hear of this news. Nozojo choosing a successor like this and its not even one of the Three Thunders? Something's happened in the months we've been gone." says Rahei.
Samayo looks intently at Ryoga and nods, Ryoga then says
"Big Red here says that we've cleaned up enough corruption in the Big Rice. Orders are orders, we begin our return to Otogakure immediately."
They all nod and set out for Otogakure at a run.
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Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Usagi stared at the debate as it was a ping pong match.
Odayama and his daughters just have enjoyed the meal. It seems that everything going amazingly smooth.
Both Jirou talking in respect, and he was proud at his wife's patience.
Maybe she COULD be a good leader, overcoming her urges.
Ameoku nodded. She was about to answer, but letted Senko to say her mind. This girl made her more and more curiouse.
'Things can be more nuanced. I am not talking about an all out war all the time. I am talking about tension.'
She look at Senko.
'There is much, that weapons and genetics can push you. A Samurai could have the strongest katana in the world, but it would be useless, if he won't use it. And-'
Odayama start to grab his throat, and on parallel Miko and Kimiko. And it was more then a chocke- black and purple spots started to appear over their necks and faces.
All the work,meditations, long talks with Odayama... were nothing.
'TREACHERY!' Ameoku yell, enraged, without thinking, she kicked the table toward Jirou.
'No-no...dear...-... ca-calm... down...' Odayama tried to beg before he started to fume and twitch.
Miko and Kimiko were in a bit better shape the Odayama, but not for long.
'Mommy!'
'It hurts!'
'So much!'
Ameoku drawn her claws, and stopped to hesititated just for a very short moment, giving people a tiny bit of time to react, before she go fully berserk.
Usagi summoned Yojimbo.
------
A shilloute went out of the household. 'Feel my despair... auntie.' she wishpered softly.
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
The Ishikawa Meeting:
Jirou reacts quickly and leaps over the table, landing as it crashes into the wall. the rest of his clan had suddenly gone into combat stances. The whole room was an explosive tag ready to blow. He needed to defuse this as quickly as possible.
"Kuso! Kikenna! They're poisoned! I'll calm down Ameoku!"
"On it! Senko, we're the two most experienced with medical matters/dealing with poisons here, we need to examine them and get them cured ASAP or at least delay the poison until others can get a medic-nin here! Mitsuko, get a medic-nin, now!"
"Right!"
She will begin speeding away to find one. meanwhile Jirou quickly stands before Ameoku and says
"Everyone stand down! She is not the enemy! Ameoku, while I will swear to my grave that I had nothing to do with this poisoning of your family...."
He will drop into a deep bow before her.
"....That is no excuse. It is my duty as a ninja and patriarch of the clan to ensure the safety of all who live under my household, especially honored guests such as yourself and your family. I will accept any consequences that come of this for failing to be alert for poison in the food as well as punish our cook for letting it slip by. She is after a ninja and apart of our clan as well and if she was negligent in her vigilance or worse traitorous....then she will be punished appropriately alongside myself. This should never have happened and I will do everything in my power to rectify it until we are able to discuss proper punishment for this dereliction of duty."
Meanwhile Kikenna is rushing over to try and check out the children first to see signs of what poisoned them and look through what she has to get the appropriate anti-venom- Odayama was an adult, he was larger but the children were more in danger: smaller body, poison would spread quicker.
Meanwhile Kimiko is thinking: they clearly didn't poison the children, Ameoku wouldn't poison her own children, so who would?
"Kuso....him again...."
She looks about as if trying to find that mask and sowed-on ears again.
"Hyu! What, your poisoning kids and my commanding officer now Futility-San!? Too afraid to face me after I beat you the first time!?"
She does feel a bit inadequate however, just standing there. She doesn't know any medical ninjutsu after all, which would probably help in this situation.
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Senko breaks one of her own fingers.
"Anti-Genjutsu measures everyone! There have already been three attacks by an assailant known for using Genjutsu to disguise his presence."
Senoko does a quick look around for anyone who isn't meant to be there, then lets her feeling factor snap her bones back together and approaches the Odayama and the children.
"...This outside of my wheelhouse," Senko admits to Kikanna quietly. "My only 'healing' technique only works for flesh wounds and has a 90% chance of killing whoever I use it on unless I give them a drug I have been developing and the development of that drug is the upper limit of my knowledge into drugs and toxins... I am an idiot."
Senko rolls up her sleeve, revealing the arm that the snake summoning contract is tattooed on. The Snakes are known to be interested in all kinds of ore and previous snake sages have been researchers of all stripes.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Senko smears blood over the mark and preforms the Summon technique while desperately hoping to get anyone knowledgable about poisoning and/or medical ninjutsu.
In a burst of smoke, a pit viper with blood-red scales.
"For what purpose have I been summoned?"
Two children and their father have been poisoned. Symptoms including choking and purple spots appearing on the face. Please tell me you can do something about that?
"...You're seriously asking if a snake knows about poisoning. Huh, that's what we get when a child becomes the Sage."
The snake tastes the air around Odayama and each of the children and then begins working with Kikeena to help identify the probable poisons.
That taken care of, Senko turns to keep an eye on Ameoku... The Anbu had previously attacked Jirou n the middle of the street for no apparent reason, and had all but admitted to having murdered her parents and siblings for her own agender not twenty minutes ago. Senko legitimately would not put it past her to poison her own family just to have an excuse to take out a political rival.
-
Re: Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come
Odayama, Miko&Kimiko are poisoned with an old kind of venom.
It was nicknamed:"Bonapetite Venom
Even back at the war, it was brewed from wastes of factories,and it's effect is simple- to squeze the veins shut, to the point of changed colors. It's go and spread.
It's a cheap poison, and isnt used anymore- it isn't very reliable.
But the fact three targets in row were poisoned so effectivly, means someone upgraded the venom.
The main concern is breathing,but in few minutes the heart might stop.
Either to raise the blood pressure would help, or in anyway, to force the veins to wide again in any way.
Ameoku stop to talk. She growl.
"Ameoku-sama! Please!" Shushuryu beg, but in her rage she forcefully push her into one of Ishikawa shinobis.
Usagi ride Yojimbo, shooting bell needles but Ameoku parry any of them away, and move on.
She lift her claws. Barely returning to speak.
"...I... that.. I can't-" she seems to struggle for a moment, as if possesed she slash her strongest Slashing Tecqhnique- "Crimson Rain Of Pain"- S ranked taijutsu.
Odayama eyes roll back,and only the white in them is exposed. He turn into his sloth form and while fuming and chocking as by it's own, he send his long limb to block Ameoku- and it's shredded to pieces.
Ameoku stop, her eyes widen.
"Nonono! Not again! You fool! What have you done?!" She scream in horror but back into her senses.
her voice is broken, hollow... but calm
"....Shushuryu. I am sorry, but please see if any of your antidotes is useful here."
She kneel down, and tie the cutted off arm of Odayama,so he won't bleed to death.
She sidr glance. "I am sorry Jirou." and turn back to Odayama.
Meanwhile in the chaos, a kunai with a note thrown througj the window,toward Kimiko
"LeTs Go OuTsIdE tO pLaY!"