Tempered Temperaments

Tea Country

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Toshi
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Toshi » Sat Jan 09, 2021 2:16 pm

There was once a day of clear skies and a refreshing breeze that smelled of peaches. It was a day not out of place in the small village of Momonomura, but certainly no less appreciated. The landscape's swaths of vibrant, hilly greens and browns had become blanketed with the pink petals of late Spring as the peach trees the small village had become infamous for burst to life with reckless abundance.

Among the hills and trees and sparsely populated homesteads there sprawled a simple dirt road, and on this road sat a squat building that looked half inclined to tip right over. It had a thatched roof, earth-stained plaster walls, a few lopsided windows, and a large red sign staked into the ground that read 'Nanen's Plump Peaches Tea House."

And, inside of this tea house, a man was trying his best.

"Hopeless," the old crone said as she watched the man scurrying from table to table, trying to keep everything in order. "Completely hopeless." She sighed with a resigned grimness and got back to work behind the shop's main counter.

The man who was trying his best had pale skin and black hair pulled back into a haphazard, loose ponytail. He moved about the place with equally loosely contained grace mixed with the air of constant apology. A farmer and his wife eyed the server curiously as he greeted them and began taking their order.

"Welcome to Nanen's Plump Peaches Tea House, where the peaches are sweeter and the tea? Can't beat 'er. What can I get you fine folks this afternoon?"

The gruff farmer removed his hat, revealing a shock of receding grey hair and said, "I'll have that dang 'ol house special. And a couple of them there peach scones."

The man scribbled a few notes on a small pad of paper and muttered, "Two turkeys in the barn and a cow to call them home, on it. And for the missus?"

The farmer's wife smiled and said, "I'll have the same, please and thank you, with a slice of Nanen's Famous Peach Pie if'n you don't mind."

Another nod from the man, more scribbles. "Three oinkers wearing pants, plate of hot air, basket of Grandma's breakfast and change the bull to a gill, gotcha."

Without a backwards glance the server left the couple in an understandable state of confusion. The pale skinned man approached the front counter and slapped his hand on it with all the confidence in the world before opening his mouth to relay the order. However, the old crone's crooked and creaking voice interrupted as she prepared the next order without even looking up.

"That isn't our slogan," she said in a practiced way that implied it wasn't the first time she's said it.

"I know, but how'd you like it? I think I'm getting closer to a real winner," he shot back excitedly.

"It's the worst one yet," she said flatly, deflating the server's hopes in one fell swoop. "Just terrible."

The man leaned on the counter and gave the woman a wink before saying, "Don't worry, ma'am, I'll find it one of these days. Better for business, a slogan. Keeps us fresh in the masses minds!"

The woman slowly began pouring a piping hot cup of tea with a practiced precision honed after years of experience. "And those aren't the names of the orders. It's nonsense."

The man looked exasperated. "It's called shorthand. Helps speed things up!"

The old crone sighed and shook her head. "You're a fool. Here, that gentleman's order is ready. Try not to toss it at him."

The man grabbed the tray on the counter and rolled his eyes dramatically. "One time, one time I try to express deliver an order and you won't let it go. Typical."

The old woman rubbed the bridge of her nose as the server whisked away the order and strode over to a table that sat a lone individual, a stranger that he hadn't seen around these parts. And in a town where everyone knew everyone, that was an oddity.

"Here you are, sir, hot outta the pot. Anything else I can get ya?" The server placed the man's order in front of him and waited for any corrections or additions, his trusty notepad at the ready.
Last edited by Toshi on Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
Posts: 1498
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Tempered Temperaments

Post by Golnax » Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:03 pm

Aimi Kaguya sat as Aimi Arisato in Nanen's Plump Peaches Tea House as the energetic seemingly improvising server placed his ordered tea down in front of him. The bannin wore a wide-brimmed straw hat that did a wonderful job of hiding most of his features and keeping his long white hair pulled up into a bunch underneath, giving him the appearance of shorter hair if nothing else, and his face was not his own. He had changed it to that of a round cheeked, sharp chinned man with equally round eyebrows and had shrunken himself down to a measly 5'4", his forehead and sideburns were painted with a cheap, rudimentary red paint made from clay that he had done himself. He looked nothing like Aimi Kaguya which is exactly how he wanted to be in the Land of Tea. So close to Water and Fire both, he little needed anyone who might recognize him from either country drawing attention to himself.

He had come to Tea for one purpose - the sword. His chosen primary style, Iaido, called this country home and its' dojos were world renowned. Thus it was only natural that, as a bannin who had been given a time limit of a year to travel the world and grow stronger before returning, that he would seek these dojos out and try to compare them to his own strength. Sadly, he had thus far found them to be... lacking, travelling from one dojo to the next heading south along the peninsula from the coast of Fire and Water and being disappointed by each home of Iaido that he came to. He hadn't even bothered to stay at any of them just yet, a simple look at some of the students and masters and how they operated telling him that he was faster than they were even if they were holding back! They could not make him stronger, and thus he had moved on his way.

Which is what had brought him here to this peculiar peach-themed tea house. The roads were long and harsh to travel, even in country so beautiful as this, and his feet were sore. He had come from a dojo some three and a half hours away by foot from the north and was looking for a place to get lunch when, ah, as if summoned by his thoughts and appearing from a swirl of petals came this tea house into view. Naturally he gravitated towards it, if only at first to have a look, but then as he grew closer and seeing the name, he realized that, with all of the peach trees around, this tea house must specialize in tea utilizing peaches! What an oddity! A rare and unique thing! Never had he heard of this place before but in his travels he had longed for just such an establishment. Training was all well and good and was technically his mission, but he was free to go at his own pace, see what he wanted, explore! Such was the freedom being a bannin allowed that he was able to go inside, find a comfortable looking seat off to himself and wait to be waited upon.

Which, of course, brings us to this moment, where Aimi Kaguya, travelling under the alias of Aimi Arisato, sat looking at his steaming cup of tea from under the brim of his straw hat and glancing up towards the energetic man who had brought it to him in the first place. He seemed harmless enough, really. Perhaps a bit too stern looking to be serving tea in some small out of the way oddity like this, but he had a pleasant air about him and stood so rigid and eager to please with his little notebook... the incognito bannin couldn't help but like him a bit, even if he didn't know him. Service like this was something he was beginning to truly appreciate in his travels as back in Kirigakure... well most waiters were actually slaves. There was a palpable difference between someone actively trying to enjoy their job and someone being forced to do it in the first place. The Kaguya was beginning to form a preference.

Looking back down at his steaming tea he reached out after tossing his right arm up a little far to get his crumpled white sleeve down (the gesture probably looked over exaggerated or otherwise strange, for he wasn't used to wearing his cloak as it was meant to be worn!) and took a hold of the warm cup, lifting it up and inhaling deep through his nose to sample the perfume coming off of the tea - sweet, warm, like a ripe peach in summer. Just what he'd wanted to smell! Slowly he brought the cup to his mouth and took a sip, licking his lips and setting the cup back down as he considered the flavor.

"No, I think I'm alright with just my tea for now," he answered finally after keeping quiet for several moments, tilting his head up enough that his smile would be plain to see from under his hat. "If you don't mine me saying, your boss doesn't seem to like you very much. New to the job?" he asked before taking another sip of his hot tea. There weren't many customers in the tea house at the moment and it would take some time before the couples' order to be prepared. Aimi doubted that the man would mind chatting until he was inevitably yelled at again to get back to work! Meeting new people was part of the fun of travelling, right?

Jutsu in EffectShow
Death Bone Pulse • Master of Disguise
A-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
By ossifying bones throughout their entire body, the user is able to change their entire skeletal structure. With this jutsu, the user is able to drastically alter their facial structure, allowing them to change the look of their face. With enough practice, the user can even take on the appearance of others. In addition, the user may also change the skeletal structure of their body, allowing them to grow or shrink by inches. This kind of change is limited, however, as the user must be careful not to loosen their musculature from their bones too much or else cause sever damage due to severed muscles. Because of this, the user may only change their height by 6 inches in either direction. The user is able to make these changes at a speed equal to their [Speed].

[Ignorance Is Bliss]
S-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite: 45 Control, [Heavenly Body Control], [Rigid Structure]
The saying 'ignorance is bliss' is not just an apt name for this stance, but also true in many cases. Using this Stance, the user tenses their body up in such a way that they limit their physical capabilities severely. The user's muscles become tense and rigid, severely hampering physical movement and strength capabilities. More impressive, though, is the restrictions placed upon the tenketsu system. While in this stance, the 8 inner gates are closed off, leaving the user with only a severely limited chakra pool to draw upon. This Stance places a -40 stat debuff on the user's Strength, Speed and Chakra Pool for as long as they maintain the Stance. Once assumed, even a direct look at the user with sensory ninjutsu will be fooled. Once this Stance is broken, the 8 gates are all thrown open at once, resulting in a sudden, massive influx to the user's chakra that is momentarily visible and palpable to anyone within an X meter radius of the user, where X is equal to the user's [Chakra Pool] as chakra bursts out of every tenketsu and forms a 'cloud' around the user. Anyone within this area of effect who's Strength is less than the users’ [Chakra Pool] is afflicted by a tremendous sense of nausea that lasts a number of posts equal to the difference between the users’ [Chakra Pool] and the affected's [Endurance]. If a person's [Strength] is 10 or more less than the users’ [Chakra Pool], they will be unable to prevent themselves from vomiting. If a persons’ [Strength] is 20 or more less than the users’ [Chakra Pool], they will be unable to prevent themselves from passing out for 1 post. The user must maintain this Stance for a minimum of 5 posts before breaking it once assumed to achieve this effect.
Last edited by Golnax on Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Toshi
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Toshi » Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:05 pm

The server slumped into the seat opposite of the patron with a resounding sigh. "Appreciation for honest work is so hard to find these days," the man puffed, resting his head lazily on his hand. "I've only been here a few weeks, yeah. Came to Tea Country because I'd heard it's the place to be if you're in the market for the perfect cup of tea."

After rummaging around in his back pocket the man pulled out a folded up map and slapped it on the table. He quickly unfolded and flattened the aging parchment, revealing a detailed map of Tea Country and its many villages. Black, bold ink strokes littered the map, detailing the server's journey across the country, which included the names of the many tea houses he had visited as well as small notes explaining his experiences at each.

A few of the more legible notes, as in the ones that didn't look like a child had scribbled down something incomprehensible, said things like "they use the cheap powdered stuff" and "almost perfect, but this place's interior design is horrendous."

The man traced a single, pale finger along the map, starting from the north and working his way to Tea Country's southern border. "Been all over the country and haven't found it yet. Came real close a few times, but something was always just a little off, you know?"

Finally the man tapped on the inky black dot that represented Nanen's Plump Peaches Tea House and added, "I was traveling from the south when I happened upon this place. Excellent tea, scrumptious scones, half decent atmosphere, but it was just missing something. Couldn't quite put my finger on it."

Then the man loudly slapped a hand on the table and pointed at the patron with a lopsided grin and said, "Then I saw it! A help wanted sign, right there plain as day. So I got to figuring, maybe the perfect cup of tea is the one I make myself. Anyone can sit around and drink any old cup of tea, but a true master of the craft can serve it as well as he can imbibe it."

With that the man spread his arms wide, gesturing to everything. "So here I am! Learning the ropes from inside the belly of the beast. Obviously I was the best person for the job, what with my natural charm and knowledge of everything tea."

"You're the only one who applied," Nanen said from behind the counter, still busy at work with the farmer family's order.

"Details, details," the server chided back, waving a disregarding hand. Then he leaned an elbow on the table and leveled a studious gaze at the stranger with the wide brimmed hat. "How about you, mister? Haven't seen you around these parts. What's your schtick?"
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Tempered Temperaments

Post by Golnax » Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:55 pm

Oh. He was just going to take a seat. Without asking permission. Hm. This waiter seemed quite friendly to Aimi, strangely so in fact because of where he came from. No one in Kirigakure would just... sit down across from a complete stranger. And the talking! This man was very obviously a talker, more so than even himself it seemed! Aimi listened to how the man had been at the shop for weeks (and was still apparently getting complaints from the owner) and watched as he full on pulled out a map, causing the Kaguya to reach down and pick up his tea as the map was unfolded on the table. He looked down at his waiter traced his finger and looked at the writing, thinking to himself, 'Wow... this hand writing is awful!'

Aimi flinched as the man slapped his hand on the table, speaking grandly about the perfect cup of tea and his travels to find it, his revelation to work in a tea house in the pursuit of that. It was charming, to be sure, but also overwhelming in a way. Aimi was by no means an introvert but even he had to admit that this man was on a different level in terms of energy! He was captivating and even as the incognito Kaguya sat with his cup of tea practically limp in his hand he didn't take his eyes off of his waiter for a moment.

Then came the question about him. "Hm? Me? Oh," he said, suddenly recalling that he was in disguise and had a cover story he needed to tell. He gestured with his right hand towards the longsword at his hip and the large scroll leaning against the table. "I'm a travelling ronin. I came to Tea to try and perfect my chosen style, Iaido, and have been travelling down the countryside from dojo to dojo in search of someone who can teach me. I write all I learn on my scroll-" he went on explaining, planning to go into detail about his 'past', his 'training', why he sought out the iaido masters in Tea, so on and so forth. As much as he needed to say to make it sound convincing.

He was stopped, however, by the sudden appearance of a young man in the tea house doorway.

He was young for sure, no older than seventeen perhaps, and had a wild look about his eyes. His black hair was messy and strands of it were falling out of his ponytail. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he looked first over at the couple still waiting for their order and then to the straw hat wearing 'ronin' and the strange server who was sat with him. The young mans' eyes widened and his brow furrowed. He was not alone. No sooner had he made spotted Aimi than three other young man, all around the same age give or take a few years, similarly in a state of travel and looking. They tapped each other on the chest and gestured with their chins in Aimis' direction as they saw him. They had swords on their hips.

Aimi saw them as well and froze up, looking past his waiter and to the four new comers. He didn't recognize them but their swords made him immediately assume samurai, and that made him wonder: Had his screwed up? Did he give some indication that he was a shinobi and not realized it? Difficult to say, but they walked over towards his table all the same. "You! There you are! We've been looking for you!" the first young man said, pointing an accusing finger in Aimi's direction.

"Hey! Hey! Take it outside!" Nanen chided shrilly, waving a rag at the young men in the general direction of the door. She went ignored.

"You dishonored our dojo and fled without giving us the chance to regain our honor! Are you a coward!?" the young man demanded loudly, raising his voice. Aimi sat quietly and breathed a small sigh of relief. Not samurai, Iaido students. They must have followed him from the last dojo he had been to, seeking some kind of retribution. Troubling, but not so threatening as a samurai come to expose him and potentially kick him out of the country and or kill him. The question remained: What should he do?
Last edited by Golnax on Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Toshi
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Toshi » Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:32 pm

The server scratched at his jaw thoughtfully as the patron explained his own reasons for visiting Tea Country. Ronin certainly weren't uncommon in these parts, what with so many swordsmanship dojos dotting the land. But a ronin claiming to practice Iaido with a straight longsword? That was interesting in and of itself. The dark haired man's natural curiosity was about to kick in when he noticed that the patron sitting across from him was looking past him, not at him.

Four new customers had made their way into the tea house, all of them sporting rather serious looking swords to match their expressions. Suddenly one of them, probably the leader, pointed a finger in their direction and loudly proclaimed that they were looking for him.

Sheepishly, the server pointed a finger at himself, his expression innocent and questioning. "Who, me?" he squeaked a moment before Nanen, armed with her trusty dish rag, berated the swordsmen with every ounce of tenacity she possessed.

Her shouts seemingly went unnoticed, however, as the quartet approached the table, going on about dishonor and cowardice. The pale skinned man shot a glance back at the patron he'd just been speaking with, and then back at the young man accosting him. "Oh. You mean him? That makes way more sense."

The leader of the young swordsmanship practitioners leveled a glare at the server, who seemed to shrink under the weight of it, and then turned back to the patron with the wide brimmed straw hat.

"Nothing to say?" the agitated student muttered, his brow furrowed and creased. The man let his words hang in the air between them for a brief moment before his hand rested on the hilt of the blade at his side. The movement was both fluid and mechanical, as if the extremity was acting of its own accord. The three other swordsmen standing just behind him smiled knowingly, though no mirth found its way into their shrewd, narrowed eyes.

Trying to deescalate the situation, the server stepped in front of the swordsmen and the tea house's patron. He raised his hands in an unthreatening gesture and said, "I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding, gentlemen. No need for things to get dicey, right?"

The four swordsmen watched as the dark haired man pulled out a notebook and a pencil and quickly blotted the end with his tongue before placing the tip to a crisp, fresh page. "Now what can I get you this fine afternoon? The house special is always a hit, especially if this is your first time at Nanen's Plump P-"

Like an adder striking at its prey the lead swordsmen drew his blade and sliced at the server with one, smooth motion. The entire tea house seemed to hold its breath as the man just as gracefully sheathed the naked blade with a satisfying 'clunk.' The wide eyed waiter watched as his pencil promptly split in half, the pointed end clattering to the floor and rolling away in a gentle arc.

The pale skinned man held the ruined pencil up to eye level and inspected it, his mouth a hard, flat line. "Well that's just plain rude," he murmured.


Jutsu usedShow
Mujuushin • Humility of the Vagabond
D-rank Taijutsu Discipline
The practitioner of this discipline is able to more easily not present himself as a threat to those who can perceive him. He may appear frail, inebriated, uninterested, boring, or simply not worth any attention whatsoever. This discipline is particularly useful for blending into the scenery, or catching an opponent with relatively low Willpower off guard.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:00 pm

Tempered Temperaments

Post by Golnax » Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:50 pm

Things were beginning to escalate quickly. He kept quiet as his waiter tried his best to defuse the situation, but he just... he really didn't seem like the man for the job. Friendly and charming as he was, he was facing down 4 students of iaido who were upset by... something that Aimi had done. What exactly had he done? He tried to remember back to roughly three hours ago when he was at their dojo, as he highly doubted that any earlier dojo would have followed him and not caught up to the bannin by the time he made it to the next (considering he was forcing his physical capacities to their bare minimum). Whatever he'd done it had clearly made the young man hostile, but for the life of him he just... couldn't place his finger on what he would have done!

All that he'd done is arrive at the dojo, express that he was looking to hone his skills, was shown a demonstration and then politely declined once he had assessed that he could learn nothing there. If he recalled rightly, his exact words had been, quote, "Thanks, but I can see that I have nothing to learn from you. I'll be moving on." Then he'd left. Simple as that! Were these practitioners really so fragile of ego that that had been enough to insult their supposed honor? While the Kaguya was thinking on this things did in fact escalate, as the lead student bisected the pencil of his server in half, making the man grow somewhat sullen as his mood was obviously hampered.

That was enough for Aimi to see. Slowly he stood up from his seat and sat his cup of tea down on the table before resting his elbow on the pommel of his longsword. "Oh what? Gonna do something about that!? HUH!?" the young student asked, his head darting to Aimi as he stood and his arms moving to replace the blade back into its' sheath so that he could potentially act again. Aimi sighed. He could already tell that this was going to take more emotional strength than he was prepared to give.

"Listen," he said. "I've obviously offended you and your dojo. I meant no disrespect, to your dojo or your sensei. I was just being honest - I saw nothing that I couldn't already do myself. If I'm going to gro-" that was as far as he got before he was interrupted.

"You stood and watched two techniques! Sensei was taking it easy! As if he would actually show his full strength to a stranger who came wandering up to the dojo demanding lessons!" one of the other students said, stepping forward and jutting his arm upwards as if to dismiss Aimis' words entirely. The Kaguya sighed and reached up to scratch at his cheek with his right hand. He didn't have time for this.

"Ok, fine. If you want I can show you just how far ahead I am of your sensei and demonstrate that I was telling the tr-"

"You know nothing of sensei you disrespectful ronin! Sensei is a great samurai, renowned throughout the Land! You should be on the ground groveling for forgiveness!" another student interjected earning agreement from his peers. Aimi was quickly losing his patience. Stepping around the table slowly he moved up in front of the group of students who all crowded together and spread out slightly, their hands moving down to the hilts of their katanas and their aggressive gazes fixed on him. Aimi stood before them all in white and grabbed a hold of his scroll, holding it in his right hand and tapping it on the floor beside him.

"Outside! Outside!" Nanen cried, waving her rag in the air. "You're upsetting my guests and ruining my tea!"

"A fine suggestion," Aimi agreed, never taking his eyes off of the student in the front. He harbored no ill will on his face and felt nothing towards these kids as individuals, he was just really annoyed that they were questioning his ability to be the judge of if he needed to learn something from someone or not. "Outside, there's more room," he insisted before picking his scroll up and walking through the students, showing no fear as he bumped shoulders with them and made his way towards the curtained door, a peach emblem printed on the cloth.

Outside of the tea house were two more students who looked to Aimi as he stepped out. The bannin looked at the two of them from under the shade of his hat. Six in total it seemed. He stepped away from the door and was quickly followed out by the other four students who were already talking to the two outside, bragging about this or that, talking real big with a lot of bravado that Aimi didn't feel the need to listen to. He walked diagonally from the front of the tea house and to the left about twenty meters, putting roughly that much space between himself and the students as well before stopping and facing them. A warm wind kicked up and blew petals out of the near by peach trees, kicking up the pink blossoms on the ground and sending them swirling around the group of seven swordsmen.

"Alright, why don't all of you come at me at once? No need for a one on one duel, I can handle it," Aimi called out, tapping his scroll on the ground again and looking down at the large roll of paper. He considered using it briefly before deciding against it. There really was no need to go so far against this group. He let go of the scroll and let it fall on the ground before looking up at the group of young men who were shouting insults and getting in position to try and take him on six against one. It really, really didn't matter though.

Whatever they were saying or however they were moving Aimi didn't pay attention to them. Instead he did something simple: He relaxed. Not your regular ordinary form of relaxation, no. It wasn't just his muscles or his mind that he let loose, it was his tenketsu that he let fly open as well. All at once. The eight gates included! There was a sudden, visible burst of chakra that centered on Aimi's personage and blasted outwards with a palpable force in every direction for 45 meters that blew more petals on the ground into the wind and blew back the hakama of the students who he faced, whose faces all fell as the chakra washed over them. It fell over the tea house and all those inside of it and well beyond them, reaching out as far as a small pond that was out from the front of the tea house and causing the water to ripple. Thankfully Aimi had not been holding the stance long enough for it to reach critical mass and thus no one would be affected by the sudden influx of chakra in the air - but they all would have seen it regardless.

And that would be the last thing they saw as Aimi brought his full speed to bear, leaping up into the air a good ten meters before drawing and resheathing his blade twice, sending twin slices of air flying downwards towards the group and cutting the ground in a V shape in front and beside them - but not hitting any of them. Aimi would then fall to the ground and dash forward, blitzing the twenty meter distance between him and the six students in a microsecond and moving between the iaido students, using the flat of his blade to strike each and every one of them on the back side with not nearly enough force to actually hurt them, instead making them fall forward as he finished his display by being five meters behind them.

Coming to a stand still he would sigh and sheath his sword, turning around and facing the group of students who had all been literally whooped to prove a point. Aimi's straw hat fell to the ground slowly twenty five meters away where he had originally been standing, his long white hair fell down his back and the sides of his head messily and a bit of sweat dripped down his brow from the effort and the spring heat. "See? I'm way ahead of you, and your sensei. It was nothing personal, I just... had nothing to learn," he repeated sternly, reaching up and running his hand through his hair to get his bangs out of his face - in advertently wiping some of the homemade paint off of his forehead and revealing the two bruises that were on his head.

Jutsu UsedShow
Released, but no secondary effects beyond the visible chakra:

[Ignorance Is Bliss]
S-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite: 45 Control, [Heavenly Body Control], [Rigid Structure]
The saying 'ignorance is bliss' is not just an apt name for this stance, but also true in many cases. Using this Stance, the user tenses their body up in such a way that they limit their physical capabilities severely. The user's muscles become tense and rigid, severely hampering physical movement and strength capabilities. More impressive, though, is the restrictions placed upon the tenketsu system. While in this stance, the 8 inner gates are closed off, leaving the user with only a severely limited chakra pool to draw upon. This Stance places a -40 stat debuff on the user's Strength, Speed and Chakra Pool for as long as they maintain the Stance. Once assumed, even a direct look at the user with sensory ninjutsu will be fooled. Once this Stance is broken, the 8 gates are all thrown open at once, resulting in a sudden, massive influx to the user's chakra that is momentarily visible and palpable to anyone within an X meter radius of the user, where X is equal to the user's [Chakra Pool] as chakra bursts out of every tenketsu and forms a 'cloud' around the user. Anyone within this area of effect who's Strength is less than the users’ [Chakra Pool] is afflicted by a tremendous sense of nausea that lasts a number of posts equal to the difference between the users’ [Chakra Pool] and the affected's [Endurance]. If a person's [Strength] is 10 or more less than the users’ [Chakra Pool], they will be unable to prevent themselves from vomiting. If a persons’ [Strength] is 20 or more less than the users’ [Chakra Pool], they will be unable to prevent themselves from passing out for 1 post. The user must maintain this Stance for a minimum of 5 posts before breaking it once assumed to achieve this effect.

[Iaido • Dragon Strike]
B-Ranked Kenjutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 35 Strength and Speed
The user steps forward with the front leg while unsheathing the blade in a horizontal attacking motion across the body. So swift is this technique that it is akin to a "flash", being impossible to see unless the opponents' Instinct is greater than or equal to the user's Speed. This slash creates a thin wave of nearly invisible air which cuts whatever it comes into contact with with 1/2 the user's Strength and travels up to a distance equal to the user's Strength in meters.

[Iaido • Rapid Slash]
A-Ranked Kenjutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: [Heavenly Body Control]
The user grabs a hold of the hilt of their blade and their scabbard before dashing forward up to a distance equal to the users’ [Strength] in meters. While dashing, the user draws their blade and rapidly slashes back and forth, leaving a corkscrew shaped trail of slashes behind them. So swift is this technique that it is akin to a "flash", being impossible to see unless the opponents' [Speed] is greater than or equal to the users’ [Speed]. These slashes linger in the air a moment before lashing out at anything and everything within a 3 meter distance of the user's trail. The slashes of air strike with strength equal to the users’ [Strength]. This technique is capable of hitting an opponent from behind.

[Mugen • Child Safety]
D-Ranked Kenjutsu Stance
This stance was developed specifically for the causes of mercy and to avoid taking life. While using this stance, the user fights with the thick of the blade rather than the edge, not using the sword to cut but rather to beat opponents. All sword strikes delivered by the user are reduced to half Strength as the user controls not just in what position the blade strikes an opponent but how hard it strikes as well.

Restraint
D-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
There is a time and a place to show off one's full potential, and a time for Restraint. Using this Stance, every strike that the user makes will only hit with half of the user's Strength. This applies to all Taijutsu Maneuvers that the user uses while maintaining this Stance. This Stance can be maintained indefinitely, or broken after as much as a single post.
SpoilerShow

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Toshi
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Toshi » Tue May 11, 2021 1:27 pm

The waiter couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as the situation removed itself from the tea house, his shoulders slumping as the last of the Iaido students walked outside with a confident smirk. A few moments of silent tension filled the room before the couple sitting on the far side of the room made a mad dash to the store's front window. They quickly pulled aside the thin cloth banner hanging over it and peered through the slatted gaps at the scene unfolding in front of the tea house, all six of the Iaido students taking their time to openly mock and antagonize the lone patron as they fell into slightly different iterations of a readied stance.

The dark haired man found himself moving to the shop's front door as the couple muttered to each other in hushed voices, convinced that the lone swordsman was done for. Nanen was talking angrily to herself behind the counter in a tone that only grumpy old women could muster after years of training. The waiter pulled the front door's curtain open just in time to see the lone swordsman relax his entire body, a visible wave of chakra blooming from the man's body.

Petals and leaves were flung into the air all around them, a few of the Iaido students raised their hands to block out the sudden rush of raw power, the tea shop's curtains, drapes, and banners snapped and waved restlessly. The couple at the window gasped at the display, the husband's wide brimmed hat unceremoniously toppling off his head and skittering to the ground.

Nanen shrieked something incoherent, desperately diving for a stack of napkins that were blasted off the shop's counter.

Only the waiter, his hair and clothes tussled by the stranger's sudden outburst, seemed to grasp what was happening.

"Hm." The waiter's eyes narrowed, his gaze suddenly sharp and knowing. From the tea shop's front door the dark haired man's hand instinctively wandered to the handle of a sword that wasn't there, his practiced fingers grasping at nothing.

All six Iaido students could only watch with diminished confidence as the lone patron leaped high into the air, unleashing two vicious attacks as he hung there suspended in space. Two large gashes tore through the earth and cobblestone and grass on either side of the students, causing the young men nearest to them to jump away in fright. Most of them wouldn't even see the patron rush forward, smacking each of them with broad side of his blade before he was finished.

As the lone swordsman turned to explain the obvious, that he was beyond the students, realization began to dawn on their faces. Two of them threw down their swords outright, screaming in panicked babbling as they turned and ran down the road. The remaining students at least had the nerve to sheathe their blades before slowly backing away from the patron as one would from a hungry bear in the woods.

The lead student opened his mouth as if to say something, thought better of that choice, and turned to run away with his fellow swordsmen without so much as chancing a backwards glance.

The waiter's dark, narrowed eyes remained fixed on the retreating students for a heavy moment before moving to the patron. The stranger's back was to him as he said, "Very subtle."
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Golnax » Fri May 14, 2021 4:31 pm

Ah, geez, they were running away now! What an annoyance! They were probably going to run back to their dojo and start spreading some rumor about how he attacked them or some other such nonsense! Aimi could already see it now! "No, wait, don't run! I wasn't attacking you, I was just -" he tried to say, doing his best to work as much damage control as he could as the young students dropped their swords and were on their way or ran away with them for those that had better sense. The whole scene was just... annoying, leaving the banning exasperated as he took a step forward and reached out as if to physically stop them with the gesture but to no avail. He gave no chase.

Aimi closed his eyes and furrowed his brow, moving his hand up to his eyebrows and pushing his fingers against them again and again. What a pain! He was probably going to have to come up with a new face to wear now, he might have to ditch his clothes; his whole disguise might need an overhaul because of some cowardly swordsmen who thought they were all that and a bowl of ramen and got proven wrong by two techniques - two techniques, mind, used to mirror the two that their sensei had demonstrated for him!

They were gone, he stood alone and the tea house settled rather quickly. The ripples on the water's surface came to rest, the cloth covering the door and window became still and inside Nanen, still angry at the 'gust of wind', sat the napkins back where they belonged as she continued to yell expletives about rowdy customers. It was her faint complaining that he heard first as the faint ringing the the Kaguya's ears faded. Then he heard the waiter speak.

"Hm? What?" Aimi asked, turning back to look at the man and, unbeknownst to himself, exposing the bruises on his forehead. It took a second for what the waiter had said to actually click. "Oh. That. Well, yeah, I mean... I tried telling them politely. More than once!" he cried, letting out a groan and shaking his head. With a step he was twenty-five meters back to where he had started and picking up his hat, brushing it off and holding it in his left hand while his right grabbed the scroll he had stood on the ground and hefting it up over his shoulder to walk back towards the tea house. He intended to finish his tea after all.

"They needed a demonstration and I didn't feel like humiliating them by pitting their skills fully against mine. Better to just show the difference all at once without killing anyone," he rationalized as he continued his approach, all the while ignorant of the revelation on his forehead now visible.

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Toshi
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Toshi » Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:31 pm

"They're a real bother for sure, mister. Good thing you're the 'handle yourself' kinda type, huh."

The waiter's eyes seemed to move with the patron, fast as he was. He watched the man retrieve his hat before heaving a massive scroll over his shoulder. The pale skinned man split an amicable smile as the swordsman mentioned ending the confrontation without any killing, leaning just inside of the tea shop's doorway. He put a hand on a hip and shifted his weight, nodding slightly at the gouged out path.

"Certainly saved me a lot of trouble. Cleanup and all," the waiter noted, almost to himself. "Blood has a way of getting everywhere. Hard to get out, you know?"

Before the patron could pass the little shop's uneven doorway the waiter placed an arm across the space, barring the swordsman from entering. It didn't have the appearance of a threatening gesture. The pale skinned man had the air of an absent minded gossiper, as if he wasn't aware of the motion at all or its significance.

Scratching at his stubbly beard the waiter said, "Refresh my memory here, mister, if you don't mind. It's got my brain itching something awful." He pointed two, pale fingers at the man's forehead and closed an eye as if in recollective distress. "Those bruises... Pretty sure I've seen them before but I can't place where."


Jutsu usedShow
Mujuushin • Humility of the Vagabond
D-rank Taijutsu Discipline
The practitioner of this discipline is able to more easily not present himself as a threat to those who can perceive him. He may appear frail, inebriated, uninterested, boring, or simply not worth any attention whatsoever. This discipline is particularly useful for blending into the scenery, or catching an opponent with relatively low Willpower off guard.
CharacterShow
Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Golnax » Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:19 pm

Aimi came to a stop at the door as the way was barred. Looking over to the waiter with a bit of confusion, the bannin couldn't help but wonder what he hoped to gain from this. Was he really trying to stop him from going back inside and finish his tea? Did he somehow think that he'd be able to stop him from doing so, after what he just witnessed? Unfortunately it was much more serious than that, as it turned out, as the stubbly bearded waiter pointed to his forehead and asked about the bruises! The trademark sign of a Kaguya, a dead give away!

Ooooooh, no. Oh this wasn't good. His disguise had in fact been entirely blown by this! AGH! He should have used a transformation jutsu on top of his restructuring of his bones, just to be doubly safe! If word got out that a Kaguya had been spotted in Tea it had the potential to cause a lot of commotion. Anyone who knew who the Kaguya were knew that they weren't allowed to just go wandering around willy nilly, which, to the knowledgeable, would draw one of two conclusions: That the Kaguya spotted (Aimi) was there on a mission, or, the worse one, that the Kaguya spotted was a bannin who could go where he wanted, and who was the only Kaguya in the BINGO book that had the rank of Bannin? That's right. Aimi Kaguya. This was very much, decidedly, bad.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, though, things got undeniably... weirder.


"YeeOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!"
The voice was loud, sudden and startling, just as much so as had been Aimi's display of power. It made even the bannin finch and turn away from the tea house and the waiter to see, standing over by the cherry blossom tree, was a giant. Oddly proportioned with arms that were slightly too long, dark skin, over all thin and in the shape of the man - except for the head. The head was that of a black jackal, adorned with a nemes headdress of blue and white. The thing had no eyes, empty sockets covered over in scar tissue. It was easily as tall as the tree was.

Upon seeing this thing, Aimi squared up, hand back on his sword after dropping the scroll. Instinct told him that this thing needed to die, whatever it was, but before he could say anything the apparition had raised it's hands and was waving them back and forth in a gesture to call off hostilities before they even began.

"Woah woah woah woah woah! Take it easy, big guy! I'm not here to fight! I just came to give you a little gift!"

the thing said, and suddenly it was right before them. Towering tall but knelt down on it's haunches, it grinned a toothy grin and turned it's canine head towards the waiter.

"You might have to cover your eyes for this one, man of mystery, things are going to get bright!"
It reached out with a hand just as Aimi began to lash out, it's body flickering as if it had already had an arm extended outwards with a finger that was just a little bit too long extended in just the right spot to touch Aimi on the forehead right as he began to lunge forward. The sudden disrupting gesture was enough to stop him in his tracks, a startled, "Wha-" escaping his lips, and then there was light.

Just as the thing had promised, it was blinding - a flash of golden chakra sudden and extreme that it entirely encompassed Aimi's entire body and made him invisible for a moment. Unlike his earlier display there was no sense of power behind this blast, only the fact that it was. When it subsided moments later, Aimi Kaguya stood there in a daze, looking much the same as he had before... except now his hair was golden blond instead of the white it had been a moment before.

The travelling bannin stood there, stunned, looking off in the distance while the thing before them giggled to itself. It slapped it's knees, stood up tall once more and said,


"WELL! My work here is done! You two have fun now! Buh-bye! Toodles~!"
and then it was gone. With a wiggling wave of it's fingers the thing took three giant steps back from the pair of them, turned to the left and stepped and vanished as if it were stepping behind something that wasn't there that hindered their vision. Another step and then it was entirely gone, save for the wiggling of it's fingers, then those, too, were gone and the pair of them were alone once more.

Aimi Kaguya looked down at himself, blinked. He relaxed his hand off of his sword, blinked. He looked to the waiter. Another blink. Then he closed his eyes, sighed, and brought his hand up to his forehead. "En Framförallt, you demented thing you... moving me through time and space once again without my consent. Is nothing sacred to you?" he asked the spirit who was no longer around to answer. His voice was different - not changed in pitch and tone, just softer. Calmer. With less frantic energy and surety. Where before there had been a sort of blustery wind in his voice, displayed by his cocky know-it-all way of speaking, now there was a small tranquil waterfall in a bubbling brook. Aside from his hair, it was the first sign of an actual change.

The next came as Aimi Kaguya shed the skin of Aimi Arisato entirely. Stepping forward he would grow before his waiter's eyes, sprouting an inch for every step he took forward until he had taken four, his face altering itself beneath the skin. He shrugged one shoulder and then the next, sliding out of his disguise and letting it fall by his waist. He kicked off his sandals, lifted up his feet and ripped the bandages off until they were discarded in a pile beside him and he was bare of foot and chest entirely. Now Aimi Kaguya once more, he turned back to his waiter, let out a sight, and tried his best to explain. "I'm sorry, but you've been put on the receiving end of a practical joke, of sorts, by an old enemy of mine. En Framförallt, the Blind Idiot God of a land not too far to the south from here. A spirit, like the genma but more... infuriating to deal with."

Folding his legs underneath him, Aimi sat down cross legged on the ground in front of the waiter, let out a sigh, and reached up to rub the clay paint off of his face entirely. "You're confused, I know. Try dealing with him for seventy years! It's best not to question it too much, believe me..." He trailed off, wiping his hand on the grass beside him and placing his hands in his lap. He opened his blue eyes and looked up at the man. "You wanted to know what these bruises are, and I won't lie to you anymore. They are the mark of the Kaguya clan, a distinguishing scar of a characteristic we all share. I am Aimi Kaguya, former bannin of Kirigakure, the Daimyo of Gold Country, the Sage of Ego... who, exactly, are you?"

He put the question to the waiter, who had undoubtedly just experienced one of, if not the, strangest experiences of his entire life! And he wanted an introduction? Also he had just casually revealed that he was not at all in any way shape or form, literally, the ronin he had claimed to be and had just introduced himself as a former bannin and Daimyo!? It had to be weird, right? What would the waiter do?

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Toshi
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Toshi » Wed Jun 21, 2023 10:19 pm

The waiter's head snapped to the side as a... Something showed up. A big something. A big, loud something. It was big and loud and scary and something. The pale skinned man's expression decided on something between existential confusion and whimsical disbelief as the swordsman fell into a stance of some kind. Or so the waiter assumed it was a stance, considering the majority of his attention was set squarely on the big, scary, loud something while it casually appeared right in front of the men. It still managed to tower over the squat little tea shop lowered into a crouch.

The thing that was a something grinned a horrible, toothy grin. Someone screamed from inside the tea shop. Then, the thing's eyeless gaze was on the waiter and somehow he could see its stare in those empty, scarred sockets. It felt as though the cold air of a lonely night passed through him, soul and body and all.

That feeling did not improve as the thing spoke at him.

"'Preciate that," the waiter managed to get out of his throat before kneading a concentrated dose of chakra into the shadows under his shirt. Nearly instantaneously the shadows stretched across the man's neck and face, eventually forming into a pair of nearly pitch black sunglasses that perched perfectly on his face.

Then there was another movement, and the day exploded into light. Even with his chakra infused shadow shades, the light emanating from the swordsman's body was difficult to endure. Stepping away from the glowing man, the waiter raised a hand and squinted through the harsh, golden beams that seemed to engulf everything in sight. Mercifully, that golden light seemed to falter and dim in a matter of moments. The waiter allowed the shadows to slip away, shifting black tendrils fell back into place beneath the collar of his shirt.

He gave the swordsman a probing glance and arched a brow slightly at the man's change in demeanor. The hair was obvious but there was something in the way that the patron carried himself now. His stare seemed... Older. Somehow. The guy seemed like an almost entirely different person, but the core of him was still there.

The waiter wasn't afforded any more time to dwell on what had happened to the swordsman, as the thing stood to its full, terrifying height, and bid them both farewell. The pale skinned man seemed to remember how to breathe as the thing's waggling fingers slowly faded away before their eyes, seemingly leaving them to their shock.

He was still trying to gather his thoughts as the swordsman, now all the more obviously changed just by the sound of his voice, started speaking. The waiter remained quite silent as the now golden blonde haired man spoke, rampantly grew in stature, and then began discarding his foot wrappings before sitting on the ground. The man had an air of calmness that stubbornly held its ground against the encroaching confusion and absurdity that hung heavy in the sickly sweet air, like the smell of the air burning after a lightning strike.

To add to the absurdity of the moment, the waiter's brow flinched again at the man's name and titles. He had heard of the Kaguya clan in his various travels over the years. They were powerful wielders of an impressive Kekkei Genkai, and infamously vicious close quarters fighters.

The waiter opened his mouth to speak, just in time for the couple inside of the tea shop to shoulder past him in a panic. They screamed almost incomprehensibly, the only manageable words revolving around swordsmen, demons, and how everyone and everything had gone crazy. The pale skinned man watched them spring down the road, kicking up dust in their wake, and disappear behind the gently sloping curve of a distant hill.

Many moments would pass before he finally replied. "Tousha. Just Tousha."

The silence was once again broken as Nanen, her back heavy with a large pack, emerged from the tea house, hung a small bamboo 'closed' sign across the doorway, and shuffled off at maximum old person speed. There was also old person grumbling, but Tousha wasn't fluent in old person yet so a lot of it went over his head.

Tousha sighed and slipped off his waiter's smock, tossing it to the ground in an unceremonious heap. "There go my tips for the day. Thanks a lot, Aimi."

Jutsu usedShow
Shadow Shades
D-rank Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals or utilizing advanced channeling the user will infuse any shadows on his person with chakra. These shadows will form along the user's eyes at a Speed and Strength up to the user's Control, effectively blocking any harsh light from affecting the user. This jutsu will remain in effect for up to 4 posts or as long as the user is infusing chakra into his shadow.
Last edited by Toshi on Wed Jun 21, 2023 10:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Golnax » Thu Jun 22, 2023 12:58 am

"Tousha. A pleasure. You've been an excellent waiter this day," Aimi complimented with a smile, all he had time to say as the commotion from inside began to clamor out. First came the other patrons, yelling about demons and the world ending or something to that effect. Aimi couldn't blame them. In the span of maybe... oh, three minutes or so? They'd been knocked out by a sudden burst of immense chakra after a gang of Iaido students had barged in and disturbed the feng shui of the tea house, then a Genma level spirit had made itself known, did it's thing which had caused a second flash of chakra bright as the sun, then left. Ordinary people who likely had very little to no understanding of chakra or spirits could be forgiven for thinking that the world was suddenly ending and wanting to run away from the impending apocalypse.

Nanen came after, muttering curses and grumbling about her business before shuffling off herself and closing down for the day. Perhaps forever, it was hard to say and Aimi didn't press. He hoped not. It was good tea this place served. All while these people were leaving Aimi was silent, still. It was only when Tousha spoke again that he broke his silence. "My apologies. Here, if it makes you feel any better," he said, trailing off for a moment as he reached down and rummaged through his clothes which now hung around his hips, finding the pocket which contained his spending money and pulling out the fist sized bag. He smiled at Tousha, jingled the ryo coins within and then tossed them over to his feet. "There's about 200 ryo or so in there. It's all yours... I... don't think I'll be needing it anymore..."

He trailed off once again, a feeling of melancholy filling his being like the distant sounds of music coming from a ballroom from a time and age long since past. Echoes of better days...

The wind blew and sent Aimi's hair flying wildly over his face. The short grass just outside of the shop that stretched to the cherry blossom tree and the edges of the water beyond all bent and swayed, pink petals floating away, ripples marching on. Things were actually fairly peaceful now that it was just the two of them. No scared customers, no enraged swordsmen, no bannin in disguise, no mischievous spirit. Just the wind and two men who had just introduced themselves to each other. Aimi took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly from his mouth. The wind continued to gently blow but around Aimi the world seemed to act... differently. The dust of the dirt path on which he sat seemed to ripple like the water did, the grass behind him bending towards him rather than with the wind as if bowing to someone of importance. A few errant petals came waltzing over on the wind and began rotate around the sitting Daimyo. It was as if he was suddenly the center of all that was natural around them.

"So, Just Tousha, tell me honestly," Aimi began, reaching up and tucking his golden hair behind his ears and looking up at the pale skinned man. "Are you a member of the Nara, or did you merely acquire their jutsu for yourself at some point?" he asked with a warm smile and tapping the top of the bridge of his nose as indication that he'd seen the shades that hadn't been there before and put two and two together. "No judgement, of course, and feel free not to answer. You have no obligation to be honest, but I would have you know that I am a Daimyo; it would be rude to lie to the leader of a nation... Or perhaps you have questions?" A joke, not an especially serious one at that, accompanied by a soft smile. He waited to see how Tousha would answer.
Last edited by Golnax on Thu Jun 22, 2023 12:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Toshi
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Toshi » Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:06 pm

Tousha looked down at the bag of coins, surprised. Without counting the coins he could tell it held within more than he would make in well over a week working at the tea shop. Maybe it was just the money, or the appearance of an unknowable, horrifying being of immense power, but something was telling him that it was time to move on from this place that smelled of peaches.

Quaint and charming as it was, Tousha knew he would not find the perfect cup of tea here. Not now. A shame really, but Tousha was used to this particular sting of disappointment. There was always another tea shop, and there was always an other cup of tea to soothe the pangs of the world.

Without taking his hands from his pockets, the Nara molded another dose of chakra into his own shadow. His darkened silhouette twitched and then collapsed in on itself, darkening as the man's chakra condensed it into something tangible. A thin, curling tendril emerged from the center of the darkness before wrapping its prehensile tip around the bag and lifting it off the pathway.

"If you insist," Tousha said, returning the Kaguya's smile in kind and grabbing the bag. He gave it a healthy shake, its weight as satisfying as it was comforting. He slipped it into his own pocket and added, "Always happy to be of service."

The shadow tendril slipped back into the puddle of darkness that spawned it, the puddle stretching away from itself and shaping the waiter's silhouette once more. The sudden breeze that overtook them threatened to pull Tousha's long, black hair out of its loosely contained ponytail and displaced the waiter's smock from its heap on the ground. The smock twirled and tossed before flying back towards him. Tousha caught it from the wind and splayed it between his hands, smiling with warm nostalgia at the Nanen's Plump Peaches Tea House logo and signage embroidered into the sturdy fabric.

The Nara chuckled at the notion of how rude it would be to lie to the leader of a nation. "Of course you're a Daimyo. Why wouldn't you be?" he asked, folding up the waiter's smock and tucking it under his arm. "Well, your highness, if you must know, I am a Nara. Have been all my life."

The seasoned Shinobi reached down, offering a hand to Aimi. "Nara Tousha. Konoha's Vagabond in the flesh. Pleased to meet you, Aimi."

Jutsu usedShow
Shadow Tendril
D-rank Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals or utilizing advanced channeling the user will infuse his own or a shadow within his Control radius with chakra, causing it to form into a long tendril at a Speed and Strength up to the user's Control. This tendril can be manipulated at will by the user at a Speed and Strength up to the user's Control as long as it remains within the user's Control radius. The practical uses of this technique range from attempting to impale a target to acting as a tertiary appendage to manipulate nearby objects and anything in between if the user is inventive enough. This technique will remain apparent for up to 3 posts before additional chakra is required.
Last edited by Toshi on Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Golnax » Fri Jun 23, 2023 10:43 am

The sage smiled at the sarcastic remarks that Tousha Nara made about his status as a Daimyo. Having once been just a ninja himself, he wasn't really stuck up or 'higher than thou', at least not when it came to his political rank. He also felt a sort of disassociation with the title as, technically, it wasn't true. Not yet, anyways. The Kaguya felt a deep sense of cognitive dissonance within him that rang out like the laughter of a jackal, dissonance that, as Tousha reached his hand out, told him that he remembered this moment, but that he was remembering it wrong. This isn't how things had happened before, thanks to the devious interference of one especially 'funny' spirit.

Aimi reached out and grasped Tousha's hand, feeling it in his own, connecting with it. Aimi's touch was warm and inviting like a fire, punctuated by a low, almost subliminal pulse as he continued to course nature energy by the fact of simply being. The Nara would feel this pulse in his hand assuredly. Such was the existence of a sage. "Konoha's Vagabond, hm? Forgive me, I have to confess that I've never heard of you! Don't take it too harshly, though, I've always been terrible with names," Aimi admitted with a comforting chuckle as he took his hand back and returned it to his lap. No questions it seemed. Well. Perhaps, then, he should levy one of his own.

"Have you ever flown, Vagabond?" he asked suddenly, getting up to his feet slowly and standing tall despite his relatively short stature. "It's one of my favorite past times and I cannot recommend it enough. The world looks so different from up above, and I must say I feel the urge to fly away from this place now!"

Having said so, Aimi Kaguya began to sprout wings from his back. Slower than he needed to he pushed the bones out from between his shoulders and from those bones grew layer upon layer of chitinous imitations of feathers which had always served him well enough in the endeavor of that mode of transportation most freeing. When his wings were fully formed he fanned them out to either side of him and once more extended his hand. "Come, let me show you the world from above so that you might see things as I do," he said softly, a plea.

Jutsu UsedShow
Death Bone Pulse • Skeletal Wings
A-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
The user will channel to ossify bone in their shoulders, growing a pair of skeletal wings at a speed equal to the users’ [Speed]. These wings have strength equal to the users’ [Strength]. These wings then ossify further as thin, hollow bones are added, mimicking the structure of keratin in the feathers of birds. These wings allow the user to fly, giving them a maximum speed equal to the users’ [Speed] while in the air and a maximum height of 30 meters

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Toshi
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Tempered Temperaments

Post by Toshi » Tue Jun 27, 2023 12:50 am

You could tell a lot about a person by their handshake and Aimi's was indeed warm. It was as if Tousha could feel the Daimyo's inherent connection with nature through their clasped hands and he was surprised to realize that the sensation was nostalgic. It reminded the Nara of coming home after a very long time away, something he was all too familiar with as a wanderer.

There was a quiet moment that passed between the two men. Tousha wanted to think it was a moment of understanding and mutual respect. With that thought the moment was gone, and the Nara's hand withdrew.

Tousha smirked at Aimi as he detailed the joys of flight, about how it provided a perspective that very few had the privilege to experience firsthand. He watched in silent wonder as the man's bones appeared to sprout from his back, emerging into a hauntingly beautiful pair of wings. He looked at Aimi's hand for a moment before turning his gaze back up to the Daimyo's own.

"I've been walking this path of mine for years, Aimi. I needed a more grounded perspective after... Well. Everything." Tousha began to explain, already molding chakra into his own shadow once more. "I lost sight of things. I want to find something new. Something I think I'll find down here, someday."

As Tousha spoke the shadow under his feet condensed and then expanded, carrying him off the ground as the pool of darkness continued to spread. While the shadows began to take shape Tousha would allow them to breathe in the air around them, drawing the wind itself into the inky mass with more chakra. Those shadows would begin to shift and change, taking on the appearance of smoky dusk.

Soon a massive pair of wings emerged, and then a beaked head. Tousha smiled whimsically as he rose higher and higher into the air, the now massive smoke shadow bird making him tower over the Daimyo. There was a heavy gust of wind as Tousha willed his shadowy mount to flap its massive wings and take to the air. Still standing atop the Blackbird Smoke Tousha said, "But I think I'll give myself a break today, your highness. I do miss flying."


Jutsu usedShow
Kōnton • Blackbird Smoke
B-rank Ninjutsu
After completing a sting of hand seals or utilizing advanced channeling the user will saturate the air with Shadow and Fuuton chakra, creating a mass of smoke-like particles in the form of a massive blackbird at a Speed and Strength up to the user's Control. This shadowy form has a wingspan of up to 10m and will remain apparent for up to 8 posts without making contact with the user, in which case it will maintain its form as long as the user supplies it with additional chakra. The Blackbird Smoke is capable of flying at a Speed of up to the user's Control, maintains a cutting Strength up to the user's Control on contact with an enemy and can comfortably carry up several allies on its back and a single passenger in each of its talons.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Post by Golnax » Tue Jun 27, 2023 11:11 am

Aimi lowered his arm slowly as Tousha explained himself partially. He didn't ory, the man's life was his own business as it was everyone else's and the Kaguya would be the last person to force such sensitive information out of anyone, or even consider it. But a smile came to his face as the Nara molded his chakra, engulfed himself in shadow before emerging once more, now with a rather sizeable bird made from shadow at his back! Wonderful! A construct made from shadows themselves, he wasn't aware the Nara were capable of solidifying shadow in such a way!

As the waiter turned Vagabond rose into the air Aimi's golden hair and folded over clothes blew around wildly in the generated breeze, a smile that went from ear to ear plastered unapologetically on his face. He didn't say anything, he merely laughed a joyous laugh and with one great heat of his skeletal feathered wings he was airborne as well, rising in the air high, higher, yet higher, expecting Tousha to follow his ascent!

He soared, not just climbed but really, truly flew, faster and faster but never enough to leave Tousha's line of sight. His eyes were closed and his hair billowed in the increasingly cool air. Ah, to fly! This was a pleasure that he had rarely had an excuse to indulge in. As a Daimyo, much of his time was spent governing, planning and building his people up on the ground. During the Great War he'd flown from country to country as a matter of convenience and strategy, never for pleasure. Before flight had been a secret joy, a way to escape the confines of Kirikagure's stifling walls. Here though, now, as Aimi and Tousha broke through the clouds above, a trail of puffy water particles trailing behind him in his wake;

Aimi danced in the sky.

He dipped, dived, rose up, spun around! He fell, only to regain his wings and climb again. He wasn't leading them anywhere in particular for there was nowhere that either of them needed to go, he simply went as his heart desired. He played. He frolicked. There was a whimsical glee to his every movement that may well have been infectious, indeed, Aimi did everything he could to get Tousha in on the fun as well - flying above and below him, sailing in front with his hands and feet dipping down into the clouds to cut into and draw lines in them, darting up and around the shadowy bird, even once darting directly towards him only to stop just before a collision, laugh, and turn away to fly some more. Up there in the clouds, away from the world and all of its complexities, it seemed there was no room in Aimi's heart for anything but amorous joy.

Eventually the pair would come to a break in the clouds and they could see the world below. From up high the landscapes were less real and more patterns, really, but an experienced eye in the sky like theirs would still be able to make out locations and directions - something which Aimi did as he came to a stop in the air and hovered for a moment, reorienting himself by finding the sun. He pointed down and called out to Tousha, "Look! See how much and yet so little of our world we can see from up here! Come and see, just beyond that horizon there is the Land of Fire and within it the Great Konohagakure," he paused, turning slightly and pointing to the west. "And there, beyond that one lies the Great Desert, housing another of the Great Powers of the world, Sunagakure."

Another slight change in orientation, slightly north this time. "Beyond there lies the fortified Iwagakure, and between them what would become one of the seats of economic power in my country, Gold. Oh, if only I could show you the progress I made..." He trailed off once again, turned, to the northeast this time. "Over there lie the mighty mountains which conceal Kumogakure, another Great Power that in but a few short years will become so much greater, as will all the ones mentioned before... And last, there is my birthplace, my prison, my tomb..." A final turn in orientation, pointing to the south.

Aimi lowered his arm and looked up to Tousha. "We can't see them from here at all, can we? The human eye is only able to perceive a distance of ten miles before we become blind to what is beyond it. The horizon stretches out conveniently along this same distance, more or less, bending and changing our view further. From up here we can see so much... But down there? Down there people only see walls, trees, mountains, deserts, oceans, rivers, ravines, caverns - divides, keeping them separate from one another. Preventing them from seeing the horizon their eyes were designed for, limiting their view to only what's directly in front of them... Is it any wonder the world has waged war so often and for so long when they are denied this perspective of things, Tousha?"

Gone was the joy from Aimi's voice. He was somber now, melancholic, a deep look of anguish, regret, desire on his face. He turned and looked back down to the world below. "Can you imagine it, Tousha? If everyone could see the world like this, unfettered by the illusion of division between the human race... Oh, imagine the things we could accomplish! I did. It was a very nice dream..."

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Toshi
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Post by Toshi » Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:23 pm

Where Aimi danced through the air, Tousha soared. The shadowy blackbird darted through the sky like a black arrow against the blues and pinks and whites of the clouds and atmosphere, gently arcing and looping and tumbling with precise delight. The wind whipped at Tousha's already unruly hair, threatening to pull it free from the loosely corralled ponytail he wore it in as the pair of Shinobi ascended higher and higher.

Tousha grinned and laughed like a fool and it felt wonderful. Each flap of the blackbird's wings seemed to lift the weight he'd been carrying for so long. Too long, he realized. The Nara knew that those problems and worries would be waiting for him below the clouds like everything else in this world and that lifted his spirits even higher, glad to be free of them for even a short amount of time but knowing that those anxieties drove him to make an effort for the better.

Eventually the pair of Shinobi found a break in the clouds and overlooked a large swath of creation. Dense forests, blanketing grasslands, stalwart mountains, winding rivers, all more breathtaking from Tousha's birds eye view. He willed his shadowy mount to hover in place near Aimi as he pointed out the directions of the great Hidden Shinobi Villages. The Nara stood atop the Blackbird, his smile serene as he let Aimi speak uninterrupted. It seemed to Tousha that the winged Daimyo needed to get a few things out of his system more than he needed to hear the opinions of some out of touch old guy.

Tousha's tranquil expression slowly slipped into a grim visage of concern and understanding. He was all too familiar with the tone of a man who had poured so much of himself into a cause but never felt like it was enough. To watch helplessly as the changes you were trying to make in the world melted away with a numbing, echoing apathy that made you feel like less than pointless. It was a feeling the Konoha Shinobi would hesitate to wish on anyone, no matter how cruel.

The Nara folded his arms and sighed deeply, refusing to shy away from the anguish radiating from Aimi. As much as he wanted to return to that feeling of blissfully unattached flight, Tousha felt himself being pulled back to grounded reality.

"I can imagine it, Aimi," he answered, his tone subdued in its own melancholy. "And I wish things were different. I'm trying to make things different, every day I'm trying to help change things for the better. Something. Anything."

Tousha leveled a knowing look at Aimi and asked, "You're not supposed to be here, are you?"
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Post by Golnax » Fri Jul 14, 2023 7:55 pm

Tousha's words cut like answer sword Aimi had ever wielded. They hurt because they were true. No, he wasn't supposed to be there. He could feel it. This whole situation was wrong, wonderful, but wrong! A dirty trick played on a dead man by a laughing god. He didn't give Tousha an answer. Silence was enough of one.

After silence, though, came questions if his own. "You're not supposed to be here either, are you, Tousha?" Aimi asked poignantly. "It's not every day that a Shinobi can keep up with me in flight, let alone fly at all. Your skill in ninjutsu must be masterful, and I suspect it's not the only ninja art that you're proficient in. It doesn't matter what country they're from; Shinobi don't get to call themselves 'vagabond' without great privilege, and that privilege is usually great strength."

He stopped his monologue and looked to Tousha. His chiseled face was hard with a direct look at the Nara that spoke volumes. "I think it's time we returned down now," Aimi said flatly and extended his wings outwards, holding them there and letting himself enter freefall back down to the world below. Through and below the clouds he fell, only flapping his wings again as he approached the ground and slowed his descent enough to not crash into the earth, instead landing on it on his own two feet, kicking up dust as he beat his wings furiously. He waited for Tousha to join him.

The place they landed was a small lake, far and away from the tea shop but not so far as one might hope for. The body of water was surrounded by dense, undisturbed foliage and trees - a source forest off in the wilderness with hardly any room to move your feet. Not at all an issue for a pair such as them, however. As Tousha landed Aimi would push through the flora and make his way to the edge of the small lake. He considered walking in the water and continuing their conversation there but, no. Too dramatic. He was done with dramatics. Now was the time to stay connected to the ground. It was just the two of them now, no distractions from the world around them.

Aimi walked along the edge of the lake, running his hand through the reeds and fox tails before finding a break at the waterline where the lily pads grew. All around them was the croaking of frogs, the chirping of crickets, the singing of birds. Nature's perfect harmonious chorus. Aimi dipped his feet into the water and wiggled his toes in the cool mud. He knelt down and dipped his fingers under the rippling water and lifted a green pad, visually exploring to see what wildlife was underneath. An idle activity to keep his body occupied while his mind worked.

"As I said before, I am the Sage of Ego. Do you know what ego is, Tousha? It's more than just an inconvenient personality trait you accuse someone of having when they don't work well with others; it's identity - and that might seem obvious, but I spent close to seventy years pondering the meaning of identity and what it means to be an individual, so there is no one more qualified to tell you definitively that it isn't."

He dropped the lily pad and lifted up another. The ends of his hair were floating in the water and drifting around him like threads of sound gold. "You're a powerful Shinobi, powerful enough to be allowed to wander outside of the confines of Konohagakure freely, whether you escaped or gained permission doesn't matter. I suspect there would be no one powerful enough to bring you back if you did not want to come back. Your name is Tousha Nara and you are fortunate that I was always terrible with names, or else I suspect that it might have given you away to anyone more knowledgeable of the BINGO book. These are all parts of your identity, your ego, but they aren't the whole picture. Your power, your village, your name alone dose not an identity define."

He looked up from the tadpoles he had been observing scuttling around his fingertips curiously. He looked at Tousha with that same somber look he had in the sky. "No more games, Tousha. No more half truths; who are you?"

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Toshi
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Post by Toshi » Wed Jul 26, 2023 3:50 pm

"Touched a nerve there," Tousha thought as Aimi deflected the question and turned it back on him. The Daimyo wasn't wrong in his assessment of the vagabond, but choosing to put the spotlight on Tousha was very telling. Even more so was Aimi's decision to leave the skies over Tea Country and return to the ground.

As he watched the winged Shinobi plummet through the air like a stone Tousha couldn't help but shrug. "As you wish, your highness," he said to no one before willing the Blackbird to follow after Aimi, albeit a bit slower. The shadowy bird circled lazily as it descended, corkscrewing around the Daimyo's much more direct fall back to earth. Tousha's sharp eyes spotted where the winged Shinobi broke through the dense forest that surrounded a small lake. Opting to not deal with working his way through the forest's dense undergrowth, Tousha directed the Blackbird Smoke towards the lake's calm, clear waters.

Like a leaf gently floating on the breeze, Tousha and his shadow mount drifted onto the lake. The Konoha Shinobi patted the bird affectionately and then released his control over it, causing the shadows that made up its massive body to disperse and evaporate in the sunlight. Tousha fell through these shadows and emerged beneath them, focusing chakra into his feet that reached through the water and found the bottom in nearly an instant.

Tousha remained there, standing atop the water, as Aimi waxed philosophical and took an interest in the local wildlife. The Daimyo seemed capable of speaking more than enough for the both of them, so Tousha once again remained silent until a deliberate question was aimed in his direction.

With a smile the vagabond crossed his arms and said, "No more games? Fine. I'm Nara Tousha, the Sixteenth Hokage." Then he waved his hand around in a tedious kind of way and added, "If you want to get technical it's 'Juurokudaime' Hokage but that's a mouthful and I can't be bothered."
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Golnax
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Post by Golnax » Wed Jul 26, 2023 4:36 pm

"No."

A simple word, one I'm used with latent Nature Chakra that sent ripples across the surface of the lake as though the word itself had weight and had made contact with the water. The tadpoles all swam away. Aimi stood up straight and joined Tousha on top of the water, walking towards the former Hokage.

"That is, or was, your job, like Daimyo is for me. It doesn't define your identity. Who are you?"

The question was like a threat though not if Tousha's person. As Aimi had done up above so too down below had Tousha deflected. Most people did when it came to their egos. They weren't willing or ready to fully grapple with it, but Aimi was the Sage of Ego; this was what he was all about and he demanded answers.

His stroll across the water, in no way threatening, was somehow made terrible by that unflinching look in his blue eyes.

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Post by Toshi » Wed Jul 26, 2023 5:06 pm

Tousha held Aimi's gaze as he emerged from the water, unblinking and walking towards him as sure as the passage of time. The weight of the Daimyo's 'no' bore down on him like a sudden downpour of wind and rain. Even the lake's surface seemed to ripple strangely at the word, the air seemed different somehow. Denser. It seemed to press in on Tousha from all directions at once, threatening to smother him.

"My identity?" Tousha shot back, a sharp smile widening across his face. "Guess I'm still figuring that out."

Sensing Aimi's threatening aura, even if it was just the man's gaze, Tousha's hands fell to his side. The Kage's body relaxed instinctively, dangerously.

"Right now I'm just some lost fool talking to a ghost."
Last edited by Toshi on Wed Jul 26, 2023 5:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Golnax
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Post by Golnax » Wed Jul 26, 2023 5:26 pm

"Liar."

The word was like an anvil being dropped in the water. It almost echoed in the still air. Aimi's foot stepped up on the lake and small waves ripples out from him, making the two men bob atop the water as it passed beneath them. At the shore the plants in every direction bent away from Aimi as if trying to escape his presence before righting themselves. No wind had blown.

"Fools don't get to become Kage anymore than ghosts get to be Daimyo. You're lying, not to me, but to yourself."

The fact that Tousha was lying was telling in a way, another piece of who he really was - someone who was constantly humbling themselves, not taking the initiative when dealing with issues that came his way so long as someone else was there to do it for him, like the Iaido students earlier. Never one to show off until after someone else had presented an invitation, Aimi when he bid him to fly. Calling himself a vagabond simply because he was travelling around by himself, not owning up to his status as Kage. All observations Aimi had made. All could be wrong. Perspective does not identity make; only the truth spoken from Tousha himself would suffice. The Kaguya stopped roughly a meter away from the wandering Nara and held his gaze up above him.

"Who are you?"

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Post by Toshi » Sat Jul 29, 2023 4:57 pm

"Why don't you tell me?" Tousha shot back, carefully maintaining the flow of chakra to his feet as the pond's surface was further disturbed by the natural energy emanating off of the Sage. The Kage's expression had relaxed with the rest of his body, resulting in a resting stern features notoriously common among the Nara clan. Tousha could feel his brow furrow on its own and his mouth harden into an indecipherable hard line.

This only added to the annoyance Tousha could feel bubbling up in him. He'd always disliked how serious he looked by default.

"You've known me, what? Ten minutes? Fifteen tops? Pretty impressive that you already have such a solid read. Either that, or you're full of shit."

Tousha held the Sage's gaze easily now. His mind was quiet. Unlike the lake's surface Tousha could feel his spirit becoming still and calm. The Kage didn't know what Aimi was playing at, or why he cared about how honest Tousha was with himself, but he wasn't about to roll over to the whims of anyone. Not this easily.

Tousha squared his shoulders and tilted his head ever so slightly. "Say one thing about me, say that I know what I'm about, Aimi. And I'm not about being called a liar."
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Post by Golnax » Sat Jul 29, 2023 8:19 pm

"Do not place the burden of responsibility for your own identity on someone else to decide. Seventy years," Aimi parried. "I spent seventy years pondering the nature of ego and identity. I don't look it because I stopped aging at around twenty five but I am a century old, Tousha, and you know what I realized spending seven tenths of my life pondering the nature of what it is to be? It's not something you can observe in another. Your eyes can lie, your preconceptions, perceptions and assumptions can trick you into believing a falsehood about who others are. The ego cannot come from what others think or believe of you it goes against the foundational nature of what an ego is!"

By now the waters had calmed from their previous roiling but we're now creating ripples all across the surface of the lake as though droplets of rain were falling in to join the water below. The reeds, cattails, weeds and trees bent back and forth toward and away from the pair on the lake, a rhythmic dance. An encouragement. A natural reaction by the world itself to one so sure of their own identity that it could be wielded like a weapon.

"The only trust worthy source of who someone is is from the individual in question, but they must be honest and unafraid of their identity! Fear as a perception has the power to cloud how an individual sees themselves and so to truly be told who a person is they must be unafraid of themselves, and they must also tell the truth!"

"Tousha since I met you in the tea shop you've displayed power, restraint, wisdom, skepticism, caution and joy: do any of those one words describe you as a whole? No. They don't have that power, as they are my observations of you which are powerless in the face of who you truly are! Embrace your identity! Tell me who you are in the only way that someone facing their ego can; in one statement that begins with the simple power of 'I am'!"

Aimi needed to get through to him. This was the most important lesson that Aimi Kaguya could impart to anyone and Tousha Nara may be the only person that he ever had the chance to teach it to. The two of them stared at one another unwavering and Aimi could see it - Tousha's self! His ego! Peeking through the carefully constructed mask that, for all the sage knew, he'd been wearing for years. There wasn't anger or malevolence in the Kage's eyes but indignation! Aimi had held that same expression during his tenure in captivity, the Kaguya could recognize how close he was! He'd even said something about himself truly for the first time!

He had to keep pushing. Tousha needed to face himself, not as a Hokage or as a Vagabond, but as Himself. As an 'I', not as an 'i'.[/color]
Last edited by Golnax on Sat Jul 29, 2023 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Toshi » Tue Aug 08, 2023 3:11 pm

Tousha held the Sage's gaze for many long moments after he'd finished speaking. Finally the Kage closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards, shoulders drooping heavily in a pent up sigh. He just stood there, feeling the nature pressing in on him. It almost felt like being underwater. The subtlest shifts in tide felt enormous, even if you couldn't see those changes. The sensation brought Tousha back to his childhood, when he and his clanmates would sneak into the Nara Forest to visit a small watering hole.

He remembered trying to stand on the water's surface like his friends, so frustrated that he never seemed to have enough chakra to do it. So many times he broke through the surface, hearing the muffled laughter as he hung there, suspended, in the depths of that pool.

Standing atop the water now, a man grown and weary of the world, Tousha looked up at the clouds lazily floating through the sky.

"I am..." he began, still staring up at the clouds, "Disappointed."

The Kage looked at Aimi and said, "Ever since I was young I've seen what Shinobi can do and I thought it was wonderful. We can use this power to accomplish so much good in the world and instead weaponize it so easily. We turn people into weapons. I helped turn people into weapons."

The Nara shook his head and added, "I wish more people could see it the way I do."
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Post by Golnax » Wed Aug 09, 2023 1:31 pm

There he was - an authentic Tousha Nara.

All at once the many ripples like rain droplets ceased and in their place one final, massive ripple washed over the surface of the small lake, emanating from Tousha's feet. The plants stopped swaying and the surface of the water returned to normal. It was as though the tension built up between the two of them during this confrontation of egos snapped and the world was once more at peace.

Aimi certainly looked peaceful. There was a softness in his face when the former Hokage looked at him, a tenderness like that if a father watching his son grow. He looked older, for a brief second, the century of his existence plain to see in his face; but there was no hint of struggle or pain or regret to be found in all of that time: peace. Just peace. Finally, someone saw things the same way the sage did and wasn't trying to hide it behind utilitarianism, a "it is what it is and I can't change it" mindset or resignation and defeat of the status quo of the world they found themselves in. Only an understanding that things could be different, could be better, and a desire to make it so.

The sage turned his back on the Kage and looked down into the depths of the lake. Now was the time. No point in putting it off any longer now that Tousha and he were at the same place. "There is going to be a war," he warned ominously. "They will call it The Great War in retrospect. It will engulf the world, changing it forever."

Aimi turned back to look at Tousha and the softness in his face was gone, replaced with hard bone and stern eyes. "For my part I... will try to do what is best for the most people. I will bring the knowledge of chakra to those who had been withheld it for far too long. My methods were... Are going to be often less than desirable, but I had no time to be gentle and kind. The Great Five will expand and take over many sovereign nations and I will unite as many as I can in the five years the war lasts, rechristening them Gold when it is all said and done. My treachery will not be discovered until towards the end of the war, and afterwards, I will be the most wanted man in the world with the highest bounty in the BINGO book. So it goes."

Having imparted all of this information to the Disappointed, Aimi waited to see his response. To answer his questions.

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