The Long Walk Home

[7eleven]

Satori had spent the last several months roaming the vast fields of Dragon Country- literally on the opposite side of the world from his home in Kumo. After six years of traveling the world, he had finally decided that it was time to return. He had been working diligently these past months, making his way from village to village to take up as many defense jobs and bounties as he could in order to gather enough coin to make the long trek across the continent. The journey in and of itself would be work enough, and he did not want to worry about having to make make his money along the way. While Satori typically made a point to keep a low profile and to never stay in one place for more than a few weeks, he had begun to make quite the name for himself among the residents of Dragon Country. In a land filled with farmlands and markets, an unusually tall man in a rabbit mask working as a sellsword was bound to attract attention. Luckily for Satori, this attention meant more jobs.

Satori entered the inn at a small town, having just returned from a contract. Satori would typically avoid killing during these tasks, but this bounty was for a particularly brutal group of bandits who had ruthlessly attacking and killing traders who had been making their way to one of the large Dragon Company markets. Many of the traders in the area had banded together and offered a sizable reward for these men to be killed, as they had rightfully grown to fear for their lives and livelihoods.

Satori spotted the man he had come to see, sitting at the bar. He made his way over and took a seat in the stool next the man, removed his rabbit mask and set it on the bar in front of him.

"Ahhh, I see that you've returned. What have you brought for me?" The man was nearly as recognizable as Satori in a village like this, but for opposite reasons. He was a soft and portly man, clearly not accustomed to the kinds of manual labor that the locals were. That, and the fine silks he wore clearly identified him as a man of means. Satori wondered if these people would have these sorts of problems if they practiced some discretion.

"A finished job." Satori reached into his robe and pulled out a small object wrapped in a blood stained cloth, which he passed to the merchant. He raised his hand for the bartender and requested a bottle of their most expensive sake. The bounty from this job would give him more than enough for his return trip, and he felt the occasion warranted a small celebration and a few days of rest before he started back.

The man unwrapped the cloth to expose a knife- a distinctive blade with a jeweled pommel, which the man had given Satori a description of to aid him in tracking down the targets. "And how am I supposed to know the job is done? You could've stolen this from them!"

The bartender set Satori's bottle and two glasses in front of him. Without hesitation, Satori picked up one of the glasses and handed it back to the bartender. He didn't immediately answer. Instead, he again reached into his robe and pulled out his pipe. He used the stem of the pipe to point towards the bloodstains on the cloth in the man's hands. "Do I look like I've been bleeding?"

There was a brief silence as the merchant looked Satori over, and Satori packed and lit his pipe. The man laughed, deep and guttural. "No! I suppose you're right! Ahahaha! A smug grin spread across Satori's face as he drew from the pipe. "I suppose I'll leave you to your bottle! You've made our roads, and our jobs, quite a lot safer." He passed Satori a rather sizable coinpurse, and the man took his leave after exchanging a few pleasantries with Satori and the bartender.

[TheLacarix]

The sound of a bell rang, as the door pushed open the door to the jewellers. An elderly man, with wisps of white hair that only covered only the side of his head, wearing a brass magnifying contraption over one eye and wore a light blue Yukata. As the bell rang through his ears, he perked up and turned to face the door, rubbing his greedy hands together at the prospect of a new customer. He however was met with disappointment, as the man who just entered had already paid for his commission.

“Ah, Mrs Aizawa.....” His tone barely suppressing his disappointment, the man known as Aizawa, Yoru stepped forward gently closing the door behind him. His single hazel eye glinted, his calm, gentile demeanour allowed a smile to spread across his face “Are they ready?” he asked with a hint of excitement in his voice, The Jeweller nodded “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t of told you to come today if they weren’t going to be ready.” As he replied with annoyance. Yoru bit down on his lip trying to stifle his laughter, this strange man was very amusing to the Ex Bannin of Konohagakure.

“Wait here.” The Jeweller grumbled as he head into the back, he seemed to be tutting and rumbling around looking for something. After a few moments of this constant grumbling he placed a pouch on the counter and pushed it towards Yoru, who immediately opened it up, placing his fingers inside and pulling out a golden ring, with a red stone and a black spider lily stamped into it. Holding it between his index finger and thumb he held it up high and eyed it over.

“Do you even know what you’re looking for?” aggressively muttered The Jeweller, the Rouge Shinobi scoffed and managed to chuckle out a response “You we’re much nicer before.” The old man shook his head and gestured towards the door, as though to be suggesting Yoru should leave. Yoru’s eye rolled as he turned on his heels, waving as he left.

---

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The Rouge Shinobi pressed his lips together, whistling a tune, his hands pressed deep into his green haori, as he casually strolled through a small village in the midst of Dragon Country. The sun cascading down, warming the village, children playing within the streets. It surprisingly reminded Yoru of the markets within Konoha. He somewhat missed his home, though for now he had other things to focus on.

Shio and Yoru had founded Kishikaisei an organisation that could be a safe haven for those who felt as though they couldn’t trust those around them. Unfortunately, just two members weren’t really much of a Safe Haven though both with notable power, likely unmatched even they were no match for any large forces that may come against them. They would have to recruit and that was exactly what Yoru had planned.

Yoru had heard rumours of a man, he knew as Satori had being around Dragon Country taking a variety of bounties. When a tall slender man donning a rabbit masked took a bounty in such a largely populated country, people took note. The pair had fought alongside one another quite some time ago, fighting off a powerful spirit. An event Yoru wouldn’t soon forget, this man wasn’t someone he considered a friend, they barely knew one another. Though Yoru respected his power and he’d be a perfect member, or at least he hoped.

He’d heard of a group of merchants had hired Satori, a man far too powerful for their needs and he likely over charged them. Satori was a man who could fight of a spirit, almost single handed a few bandits would be nothing to him.

Yoru however had no clue that he was incredibly close on Satori’s tail, having know clue that he’d already completed his mission, he had planned to rent a room at the inn and relax, maybe for a day? Perhaps even two as he waited for Satori. His fingers pressed against the door of the inn, pushing it open his tune still whistling out, not having a clue what waited for him within.

[7eleven]

Satori finished his second drink, and just put bottle down from pouring his third when he heard the bell signaling that someone had walked into the bar. Satori looked over reflexively to see a distinctive face- freckle dappled and half concealed by long red hair. An eyepatch barely visible. The man was thin, but not nearly as thin as Satori remembered. When the two had last met, the man had just barely survived a tragic injury. But despite his ill health and fresh wounds, the man had put his life on the line to fight alongside Satori in order to help a village plagued by a belligerent spirit. He hadn't known the man for long, but long enough to know that he had a good heart and strong will. Satori held in high esteem those he fought alongside, and this man was no exception. Aizawa Yoru; a man so proud of his village that he could not bear to look upon it when it lost its way, a man whose story was not entirely unlike his own.

His immediate reaction was one of surprise; how could he have possibly expected to see Yoru at a small village in Dragon Country? This was followed quickly by the comfort of seeing an old acquaintance in an unfamiliar place. But this comfort was bittersweet, as Satori had hoped by now that the two of them would have found what they needed to return home. There was a palpable irony in the fact that Satori would find this man again today, now, not an hour after he had secured the funds he would need to return home himself. There was a melancholy tension that filled the air between them. Satori wondered if Yoru had managed to redemption in his village the way that Satori had found in himself.

Satrori took a draw from the pipe that he held between his teeth, and lifted his sake bottle in offering to the man at the door. He imagined any questions he had would be answered in time.

[TheLacarix]

His high-pitched whistle rang out as he pressed the door open and stepped into the inn, his whistle came to a feint halt as his single hazel eye caught sight of Satori casual sitting at the bar, he hadn’t expected to see Satori here already, he had expected and in all honesty was hoping to rent a room, read and drink some sake. Least the latter could come to fruition, his eye glinting as he caught sight of the bottle of sake Satori was shaking.

Yoru chuckled out loud shaking his head, pressing his hands deep into his green haori. His fingertips either side of his ribs as he casually swayed forward towards the bar, hosting himself into the high stool behind the bar, nodding his head, gesturing to the barman for a glass. Who brought it quite quickly. Assuming Satori poured him a glass of sake, Yoru would place it to his lips and knock it back, wincing ever so slightly and putting the glass back down on the bar for another.

“You definitely over charged them if you can afford such a good bottle.” He said quietly enough that no one else in the inn could hear him. His fingers ran through his long red hair, pushing it behind his hair his eyepatch much more visible now “Seems as though we are both wayfaring strangers.” Yoru muttered with a melancholy tone.

[7eleven]

Satori poured Yoru a drink, and then another when he had finished the first. He had suspicions running into Yoru here was not entirely coincidence, and this was confirmed by his comment on the bottle. It seemed as though Yoru had caught wind of at least some of Satori's comings and goings around Dragon Country. So was this just a matter of Yoru finding an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend after hearing the local gossip about the bounty hunter in a rabbit mask? Or did he seek out Satori for a more specific purpose? He imagined the truth lied somewhere between the two. He wondered how long Yoru had been looking for him, and how far he had traveled in his search. Satori figured the truth would come in time. He knocked back his own drink before pouring another, more than pleased with his purchase. The sake was smooth and strong, a dangerous combination.

Satori's grandfather had taught him to find the story in every moment- and what better a moment than a luxurious bottle of sake shared between old friends? "I am happy to say that you are the least strange person I've seen in many months of wayfaring." Satori chuckled, pulling out a pouch of his current blend - black tea that smelled lightly of mint and strongly of lavender - and packed his pipe. "And I only overcharged them if you're thinking in terms how difficult it was for me, rather than in terms of how difficult it would be for them if I didn't. I learned a long time ago to bill from the perspective of the contract, not the contracted." Satori lit his pipe and took a quick glance around the room to gauge the other customers, and saw little more than farmer's hands and working knives. The habits of a shinobi were often a bit unnecessary in a place like this, but one could never be too careful.

"You look good, Yoru. I'm glad to see you healthy. But considering our last conversation, I can't say that I'm glad to see you here. But things never do go quite as planned, do they?"

[TheLacarix]

Yoru picked up the freshly poured cup of sake and placed it against his lips, this time taking a small gentle sip, finally savouring the sake. It seemed only fair that he used his last drink to catch up with his old friend Satori, who Yoru was listening to intently. Yoru nodded with a hint of melancholy and sombre as the discussion of plans not coming to fruition came up.

A soft sigh escaped Yoru’s lips as he nodded in agreement “My homeland is no longer my home, nor will it ever be now.” He said with a slight titter, as he continued to drink his sake “Though plans change, and I have a new plan. If you’re interested, I’d like to get you involved.” He paused for a moment, and pushed his long red hair over the back of his head “I’ve founded an organisation with someone else, a place for people like you and I, the wayfaring strangers without anywhere to go or anyone to turn to.”

He was surprised that Satori had yet to return home, he seemed hell bent on returning to Kumogakure. Though so was Yoru and he hadn’t returned home either. He placed his cup up, offering it up, assuming satori did the same, he’d tap his cup against the Rouge Shinobi from Cloud and took another sip.

[7eleven]

Satori clinked glasses with Yoru, and drank. It seemed as though Satori was correct- Yoru was looking for him, and he had something more than just a shared drink in mind. He recalled the man as he was when Satori had met him... injured, frail, and sickly. Recovering from a traumatic attack that had left him half blind. Yet in spite of his weakened condition, he had risked his life to help Satori in saving the lives of the people of that village. Hell, Satori himself may not have survived if not for Yoru's intervention. Those people had hailed Satori as a hero of legend because he was the one who struck down the beast, but the truth was that Yoru was owed equal credit. Satori was skeptical of Yoru's invitation, but he could not in good conscience refuse to hear him out. He owed the man at least that. He was deeply saddened to hear the man speak of his village in such a way, and he hoped that he would one day find his home. Maybe there was something Satori could to help him find it, whether that be his old home or something entirely new.

"I'm hoping to return home soon. But as you know, there are no guarantees in these sorts of matters. It's possible that my wayfaring has come to end... but then again, it's possible that it has not. I would enjoy hearing what you have to say." Satori again took a quick glance around the room to size up his fellow patrons. No one struck him as particularly suspicious or interested in the two of them, but one could never be too careful. "But perhaps I would hear you better somewhere quieter."

[TheLacarix]

Yoru nodded as Satori spoke of his hopes, it seemed plausible that he could return home, but for Rouge Shinobi it could be a difficult ordeal, it was a case of trust and criminality. Yoru hoped nothing but the best of his friend and hoped that he would be able to head home and one day hoped that Yoru and Shio could do the same.

Satori suggested that they should go somewhere quieter, which of course for Yoru wouldn’t be a problem in the slightest, he placed his hand on Satori’s shoulder and nodded for him to prepare, Yoru’s fingers gently grasped around the bottle of Sake, not wanting to leave it behind it was far too good.

---

Personal RealmShow

The Garden of Spiders
A garden that is 200x200x200m, unlike the name suggests there isn’t actually any spiders in this garden, it consists of a field of spider lilies, with loose petals fluttering everywhere. There are so many, when Yoru opens a world to his personal realm, the petals often fall out like confetti always appearing to be night, with a beautifully lit starred sky. There are cedar trees spread across the field, that are 40m tall. A freezing cold river running around the edge in an almost perfect circle, which comes down into a stream. The water is so cold, it can preserve any organic material and prevent it from rotting. There is a small hut, which consists of a bed, a chair, a table, a bookshelf filled with books and scrolls, and a small kitchenette.

With an instant Satori, Yoru and the bottle of Sake were within Yoru’s personal realm. A field of red spider lilies, petals floating through the air, swaying in the breeze. He gestured for Satori to follow, as he walked down a long pathway into a small hut with a small living space for Yoru a table, a single chair a bed and a variety of books and even a small kitchen.

“This for now, is where I call home.” He admitted glumly, he pulled out the chair and gestured for Satori to take it. Whilst Satori sat, (Assuming he did) Yoru moved towards the kitchenette, pulling out a kettle and filling it with cold water, placing it on top of stove letting the water boil. “I have someone I’d like you to meet, the leader of our organisation. He’ll be able to answer any questions you have.”

Shaking his arm free from his haori, he ran his fingers across the green charm that was attached to a bracelet, if the technique had worked, Shio would appear before the pair of S-Rank Missing Ninja.

[Ace Trainer]

Shio stood with Kesu and Michi, his arms crossed looking at the smoldering buildings, Kesu’s white fire burning across several building and rubble around them. “This wasnt quite what was expected.” Shio said with a frown, “But, this is what happens when gods touch the earth.” He said in a bit of a lassiez faire manner. He turned to Kesu and Michi, the ring on his hand starting to glow, “It appears I’m being called for. Michi, Kesu, look for survivors. Any you find, send them to the Kurama, let them know what happened here. I’ll be back in a little bit” He held his hand out, the portal forming from the ring. What a power Yoru had, and he stepped through it.

---

Looking around the realm he stepped through to, Shio sighed. A breath of fresh air. He rotated his shoulders, adjusting from the war zone he’s just created...and left, and into this serene setting.

“Daremo.”

Shio nodded respectfully, a smirk at the man’s pseudonym.

“And....?”

He turned to Satori, his eyes moving up and down behind his round glasses. “A new friend?” He asked, interesting. “What can I do for you?” This was business he supposed, not pleasure.