A Little Finnicky

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Toshi
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Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 7:00 pm

A Little Finnicky

Post by Toshi » Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:51 pm

"My name is Soyokaze Kane. I'm here to save you."

The youth stood at the oasis village's gates, staring at the rabble of men, women and children who had gathered there. Bare hills of rolling desert surrounded the quaint outcropping of thin, wooden shacks that made up the village. Tall, stone walls loomed along the western border and shielded the buildings and residents alike from the relentless wind their country was so aptly named after. Color flourished at the village's center where a shallow oasis fed life into otherwise barren soil and sand. Greens and rich browns mingled together, a harsh contrast to an otherwise drab existence.

Not much more could be said about the people who had bothered to greet the Suna Shinobi. Garbed in loose, dusty clothes the villagers stared at the boy with much less admiration than he was expecting. They looked more unimpressed than he thought possible.

A few long, painful moments skittered by as Kane looked from person to person, searching for any kind of reaction other than abrasive apathy. A few villagers walked away shaking their heads and joking in hushed voices. Doubt and insecurity pressed down on Kane but he forced his features to look more determined than ever.

Page 89, Rule 13A of the Shinobi Handbook: A Shinobi does not doubt himself.

"My name is Soyokaze Kane and I'm here to help!" the Genin shouted at their silence.

Finally another spoke up. "With what?" a man asked, scratching himself unceremoniously.

Kane stared at the man over his sandstone colored cloak, its collar tall and wide to protect his mouth from the wind and sand. "The poaching scoundrels that have plagued your lands and soiled your-"

"Poachers?" another asked, slack jawed and hunched. "What's all this about, then?"

Kane took a breath and started over. "The Kazekage himself has tasked me with the privilege of ridding your lands of the scum who dare disgrace the laws of our country by hunting and killing the animals you all hold most dear."

Another long silence.

"What animals?" some guy shouted from the back.

Kane shot an incredulous look at him. "The-What animals? The animals. Don't you people care about the ecosystem? These poachers are running off valuable lifeforms for maintaining equilibrium in this already fragile-"

"What's he doing again?"

"I think he's a plumber or poacher or something. I dunno."

Frustration twitched at the Genin's brow. "If anyone knows anything helpful regarding this very pertinent situation please report to me immediately. You will find me camped just southeast of here. Thank you for your... cooperation."

With that the Shinobi walked off, leaving the already sparse group of listeners to stare at his back for a moment before wandering off themselves. A few hundred feet away from the shack-ridden village Kane let his travel pack fall to the evening's chilled sand. Mechanically he set about making camp and before night fell a small fire sprung to life, fending off Wind Country's biting cold and illuminating a small canvas tent. Inside Kane flattened out his bed roll, making sure each corner lined up with the corners of his tent.

Page 14, paragraph 3, rule 4 of the Shinobi Handbook: Keep a tidy camp.

Kane sighed and drew one of his Shotel blades. The steel's gentle curve glinted orange in the firelight as he produced a whetstone and meticulously started sharpening it with practiced movements.

He didn't know how long it had been before he heard the footsteps. The sound of metal on stone had always put the boy in a kind of meditative trance. Carefully he pushed the tent's front flap aside with his free hand and stared outside. A shriveled prune of a woman was slowly making her way towards the camp, the gnarled walking stick leaving perfect holes in the soft sand to accompany the smeared footprints.

"Ma'am?" he called, stepping out of the tent. "Can I help you with something?"

Before the woman even reached the camp she waved his words away. "Sit down, stupid. Let's talk about those animals."

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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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