Entry into the largest crater in the land of stars was not a common occurrence for the Tribesmen of Hoshi no Kuni. It was a curious procession from the top of the crater to the lowest part of its bowl as a group of five tribesmen made their way along the main road that led into the crater and to the capital city of Hoshi no Kuni. Initially the people on the outskirts of town would pause and stare, but the men who were dressed in elaborate dyed clothing and leathers with feather crowns. They were much different from the rest of the world that was more humble and less flamboyant, but to them this too was civilization.
Two of the five bore ropes tethered to a wobbly cart upon which was the carcass of a large Lizard. Once called the King of beasts, the terrible Lizard with a roar like thunder, a tyrannosaurus rex - or at least what was left of it. The proud scales of the one time King had been removed. However there was one unmistakable item jutting from the remains. A sword. It was coated in a layer of the beast’s blood but its design was eastern in origin and matched most of the region outside of the very tiny, comparatively speaking, patch of jungle that made up the home of the tribesmen.
Even still so little was known about these tribesmen. Not even the name of their tribe, such was their refusal to speak or do business with the outside world. Yet here they were now marching to the capital of Hoshi no Kuni with the carcass of a great beast and each of them adorned and painted and set with grim faces as they ignored the gawkers and made their path directly to the palace of the Chief Merchant.
Each year the wealthiest merchant in Hoshi no Kuni is elected to become the chief executive of the country. This particular year, that was Fujino Daichi. He was a trader in the rare star metals that could be found in Hoshi no Kuni. In the past year he had managed to obtain a monopoly on the exports to other countries, and the endeavor had made him rich. Today this meant that he now had the Carcass of a Tyrannosaurus Rex at his doorstep along with several angry tribesmen. From the second story balcony of his mansion he stepped out and looked at the party at his doorstep.
“Get lost!” He yelled at the gawkers. “This is none of your business.”
Daichi hoped secretly that it was none of his business too, but based on the glares of the tribesmen, he certainly knew better.
“Hojino-sama, we of the Tribesmen have come to demand that you and your people cease your poaching of the dinosaurs in our lands. As you know it has been a time honored tradition that the Dinosaurs are off limits for hunting. And yet here we find a carcass of the great beast.” The leader of the tribesmen gestured to the dead dinosaur on the cart before returning a sour gaze to the Merchant King.
“If this does not stop, we will be forced to break our treaty with your people.” The tribesmen concluded.
“Gentlemen, why don’t you step inside and we can discuss this in detail.” Daichi told the tribesmen. He returned to his room off the balcony and signaled the butler to prepare a room to meet and refreshments for his guests, common courtesy at least.
Before long he was meeting in a lounge with the tribesmen procession that had made such a ruckus with their procession through town. The butler poured drinks for the Tribesmen while Daichi took his seat across from them in the small room in his own chair.
“As you are well aware of our agreement with the tribes people, we have decreed that poaching of dinosaurs is illegal. Tell me about this beast, what you know about its death and where you found it. I will do all that is within my power to punish those responsible.” Daichi folded his arms and leaned back in his chair and watched the Tribesmen exchange glances before each accepting the small meager portions of Sake that was being presented by the butler.
They drank and set their cups down as one.
“Fujino-sama, it gladdens our hearts to hear that you have outlawed this practice, but it is clear to us that someone among your number has continued this practice. We would not come to you seeking restitution if it weren’t for the fact that we believe the perpetrators operate out of your city. This is different from Rogue ninja from other countries having their way with the beasts as they pass through Hoshi no Kuni.”
“My good fellows, I must apologize that I am not aware of who could be committing such crimes against your people. The body of the beast you brought into town was quite large, however. I don’t think simple town guards would have been able to take out such a creature.”
“Shinobi? Yes, you’re right. The damage we found on the carcass does much to the prowess of those. We expect that since this is your people that you shall deal with them however.”
“Of course, per our treaty.” Daichi didn’t look forward to this. There was only one way to deal with Shinobi and that was to hire another shinobi. Hiring Shinobi from one of the major villages would no doubt solve his issue, but ultimately it would cost him his position as the Chief Merchant - the wealthiest man in Hoshi no Kuni.
The quality of shinobi he would get from one of the smaller shinobi villages would obviously be a great deal less, and contacting the villages that were farther away would require more incentive for them to travel all the way to Hoshi no Kuni to deal with the issue. Now that he thought about it there were rumors of shinobi, a child really by all decent standards, that was in town. She was young, it was true, but she was a shinobi all the same. If he could hire her to deal with these poachers he could certainly save his title and pay her less than he would a major village for their shinobi.
Daichi said his farewells with the tribesmen and requested to keep the carcass, to which they refused. They agreed to remain in town for a number of days so that he could examine it if he felt necessary, but they would be returning home otherwise. He then sent out his contacts looking for the girl that had made a splash in town, and he hoped that she alone would be enough to deal with these poachers. If he was lucky she would be made of some real quality.
This mission was a lot more long term than what Hanako had ever done before. She had done odd jobs around the village in Kumogakure and the occasional client protection but never something to this degree. Hanako hadn’t bothered to ask why Chiaki and her were assisting an organization called Kintsugi, but now here she was in Hoshi no Kuni and was performing surveying and scouting duties for them on the land here.
Since coming to know Shinjiro more Nakano had learned that the fellow could be who or whatever he liked. Whether it was the woman he disguised himself when she first met or the charming male form that he wore which seemed like it belonged in a romance novel rather than a living breathing man. He had told her that this whole exercise was for her to become stronger in her fundamentals.
As a result she had spent the last few days here on her own and scouting out the region and contesting with the wild dinosaurs that were in the region. She hadn’t been fighting them herself, but rather had been trying to hide and avoid them. Such were the top skills of a kunoichi or at least such should be the top skills. Ninjutsu could often be a very blunt tool.
She had been using the village in the large crater in Hoshi no Kuni as her base of operations. She had rented an inn room with the money Chiaki had given her and now she was examining her ninja tools which were all laid out across her bed. There was a certain matter of inconvenience to the whole thing as a result of not being in Kumogakure any longer. That meant that these remaining tools would be all that she had until she found another source of income to purchase some more. 5 Kunai, 10 Shuriken. An explosive tag, smoke bomb and a flashtag. 10 meters of wire. It wasn’t much, and not nearly as much as she would have liked to have on hand.
There came a knock on her door. Hanako snatched one of her kunai and approached with her hand behind her back. She crouched near the door frame with her side pressed against the wall. “Identify yourself and what you want.”
“Pardon little Miss. There are few gentlemen downstairs that are asking to see you. They said they want to inquire about your services.” It was the voice of the innkeeper. Hanako gave a silent sigh of relief before getting to her feet.
“Tell them I’ll be right down.” She gathered her tools and placed them into pouches and then she fixed her pink Yukata before she exited her room and proceeded down stairs to meet with the men who had come to see her.
Training 2x strength 1606/1500
Hanako Vs. Dinosaur Poachers [Lonely]
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HotelBravo
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Hanako Vs. Dinosaur Poachers [Lonely]
Last edited by HotelBravo on Wed Jul 05, 2023 7:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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HotelBravo
- Posts: 389
- Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2022 11:12 pm
Hanako Vs. Dinosaur Poachers [Lonely]
This place was certainly rustic. The building was made of old hardwood and old photos were framed along the walls as Hanako made her way down the staircase. What awaited here in the lobby of the inn was a pair of men sitting on a sofa. The Inn keeper gestured towards them and Hanako nodded obligingly. She moved to the two men and looked them over. ”These are the two who said that they were waiting for me.” Hanako commented out loud. They were both wearing elegant clothes befitting of merchants and had cups of tea sitting before them on a coffee table. They stood as one at her approach. “You are the Kunoichi that we have heard so much about?”
”I’ve never seen these two men before. What do they want? They know I’m a kunoichi.” Hanako began to wonder aloud. ”Merchant’s clothes, tea, and they are behaving with respect. They would only be interested in something that would make them some money. Perhaps this is a business deal of some kind? That's something I could use. I am in need of more Ryo.”
“My name is Jiro and this is Itsuki. We are servants of Fujino-Sama. The young lady is very perceptive. We have indeed come to you on a business proposition. Fujino-sama would like to speak with you directly. Would you be willing to come to his manor? We will compensate you for your time of course, even if you decide not to accept.”
Hanako nodded. ”I will listen to what your master has to say. It is important for us to have a good relationship, that's what Shinjiro said.” The two men exchanged pleased glances.
“Shinjiro…hopefully not the S class Shinobi.” Itsuki said in a hushed voice.
“That’s wonderful! We’ll take you there right away!” They eagerly gestured towards the exit of the Inn and walked her outside. The Street of Hoshi no Kuni was a place full to the brim with trade. The large crater that housed this village was the crossroads between 5 countries, and two of them were major powers. This city was perfectly situated between them all. There were men pulling carts laden with goods and caravans that were coming and going on the five roads that formed a star shape at the bottom of the crater. The Eager Jiro and Itsuki guided Hanako through the street until they came to a blocked road.
“Damn, what luck that somebody’s carriage would get stuck in the mud.” Itsuki stood on his tip toes and looked over the crowd. Hanako herself was too short to share the same view and was satisfied to trust the man’s words.
“Ah, this way.” Jiro gestured to a small alleyway between two buildings and pushed the crowd open for Hanako. He lead the way and into the alley. Somehow the light of the sun didn’t reach this place. It was littered with trash and junk. Hanako’s trained eye - skilled at tracking movement of her targets - couldn't help but catch onto the microexpressions of Jiro in front of her. The man seemed nervous. He kept looking over his shoulder at Hanako - almost as if he was checking she was still there. Almost as if…
Hanako spun and saw Itsuki lunging at her with a dagger. She had just enough time to dodge and make the injury non-fatal, but it was still a deep wound. Hanako retaliated with a palm strike into Itsuki’s leg, which he immediately dodged by backing off from her.
Hanako changed a glance over her shoulder and saw Jiro doffing his Merchant outfit and revealing the fact that he too was a shinobi and was now drawing a weapon. Hanako pulled out a handful of shuriken. She narrowed her gazed as she shifted her view from the one in front and the one behind her.
757/750 (100 From the previous post) +1 strength
”I’ve never seen these two men before. What do they want? They know I’m a kunoichi.” Hanako began to wonder aloud. ”Merchant’s clothes, tea, and they are behaving with respect. They would only be interested in something that would make them some money. Perhaps this is a business deal of some kind? That's something I could use. I am in need of more Ryo.”
“My name is Jiro and this is Itsuki. We are servants of Fujino-Sama. The young lady is very perceptive. We have indeed come to you on a business proposition. Fujino-sama would like to speak with you directly. Would you be willing to come to his manor? We will compensate you for your time of course, even if you decide not to accept.”
Hanako nodded. ”I will listen to what your master has to say. It is important for us to have a good relationship, that's what Shinjiro said.” The two men exchanged pleased glances.
“Shinjiro…hopefully not the S class Shinobi.” Itsuki said in a hushed voice.
“That’s wonderful! We’ll take you there right away!” They eagerly gestured towards the exit of the Inn and walked her outside. The Street of Hoshi no Kuni was a place full to the brim with trade. The large crater that housed this village was the crossroads between 5 countries, and two of them were major powers. This city was perfectly situated between them all. There were men pulling carts laden with goods and caravans that were coming and going on the five roads that formed a star shape at the bottom of the crater. The Eager Jiro and Itsuki guided Hanako through the street until they came to a blocked road.
“Damn, what luck that somebody’s carriage would get stuck in the mud.” Itsuki stood on his tip toes and looked over the crowd. Hanako herself was too short to share the same view and was satisfied to trust the man’s words.
“Ah, this way.” Jiro gestured to a small alleyway between two buildings and pushed the crowd open for Hanako. He lead the way and into the alley. Somehow the light of the sun didn’t reach this place. It was littered with trash and junk. Hanako’s trained eye - skilled at tracking movement of her targets - couldn't help but catch onto the microexpressions of Jiro in front of her. The man seemed nervous. He kept looking over his shoulder at Hanako - almost as if he was checking she was still there. Almost as if…
Hanako spun and saw Itsuki lunging at her with a dagger. She had just enough time to dodge and make the injury non-fatal, but it was still a deep wound. Hanako retaliated with a palm strike into Itsuki’s leg, which he immediately dodged by backing off from her.
Hanako changed a glance over her shoulder and saw Jiro doffing his Merchant outfit and revealing the fact that he too was a shinobi and was now drawing a weapon. Hanako pulled out a handful of shuriken. She narrowed her gazed as she shifted her view from the one in front and the one behind her.
757/750 (100 From the previous post) +1 strength
Last edited by HotelBravo on Wed Jul 05, 2023 7:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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HotelBravo
- Posts: 389
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Hanako Vs. Dinosaur Poachers [Lonely]
”I’m surrounded. I need to think outside the box. What did these guys even want? Why are they targeting me?” Hanako began to question aloud as her mind was preoccupied with something else. She had a limited number of techniques in her repertoire and those primarily focused on Shuriken Jutsu. A straightforward attack was unlikely to work. Hanako palmed a smoke bomb. She would let them make the first move. Her gaze shifted between the self proclaimed Itsuki and Jiro. Her own blood was already dripping on the tip of the blade on Itsuki’s kunai.
There was palpable tension in the air now that both sides were aware of one another, and were aware of the threat that the other posed. Hanako was cornered, but it seemed that Itsuki and Jiro did not let that fact get to their heads. Hanako was a ninja just as they seemed to be, and had the potential to be just as dangerous if she was allowed to land a good hit. Hanako lost sight of Jiro for an instant. The man was fast. Before she could even process what was happening she found he was crouching below her field of vision but within her peripheral vision.
The attack was too fast to defend and Hanako once again just barely managed to turn the fatal kidney shot into a different kind of injury instead. The smoke bomb dropped out of her palm and smoke filled the dense ally. Hanako threw her shurikens at Itsuki and Jiro both while simultaneously running up the wall of the ally. At the top she released a volley a kunai with an explosive tag attached with all the strength she could muster. It hit and immediately detonated on impact. The sides of the two buildings were torn asunder by the force and the explosion sent debrise flying out of the alley and into the traffic that they had escaped from before.
Screaming suddenly filled the street as the traffic was forced to give way to panicking people as everyone began to run to safety. Hanako took the brief repose to use the chakra stitching technique to close her wounds and stop the bleeding as best as she could given the circumstances. As she finished with the second wound the two Shinobi made their way onto the roof.
“There she is!”
In an instant both Jiro and Itsuki had closed the gap. Hanako tugged on the wire strings she had around her fingers and shuriken were launched from an unexpected angle forcing both men to stop their charge as shuriken slashed through the air between them and Hanako. Hanako took the brief moment of their pause to throw kunai in their direction. Both were easily deflected with their own Kunai, and now Hanako was defenseless. She just wasn’t fast enough or strong enough t o deal with these monsters. They were beyond human.
“Get her in a genjutsu Itsuki.” Jiro ordered his companion. Hanako’s eyes widened to the danger. She lowered her body to the ground and extended her leg in a kick, grabbing the shuriken that were stuck in the roof from her last attack to the sole of her foot using the wall walking technique and pulling the shuriken free and launching them as an attack by releasing the wall walking jutsu at her opponents. Jiro stepped in front of Itsuki and took a shuriken to the shoulder but deflected the other while Itsuki finished the seals.
The world began to waver. It was an illusion that made the target fall asleep. She had to resist it. She pressed her hands together and formed the Tiger seal. Kai! Kai! Kai! She tried again and again to break the flow of her chakra, but the genjutsu was just that much stronger that she couldn’t do it and she felt herself getting drowsy. She fell to the ground, finding that her strength had left her. Her eyelids began to grow heavy. It was useless to resist. As much as she screamed internally for her muscles to move they wouldn’t listen. Her body was succumbing to the jutsu and she could feel the cool numbness of sleep begin to seep into her mind as well. She knew that if she fell asleep she would die. She had to stay awake… she had to…
“Should we finish her off?” Hanako couldn’t tell who was talking at this point. As her eyes sealed shut and she saw the last light of day.
752/750 +1 strength
There was palpable tension in the air now that both sides were aware of one another, and were aware of the threat that the other posed. Hanako was cornered, but it seemed that Itsuki and Jiro did not let that fact get to their heads. Hanako was a ninja just as they seemed to be, and had the potential to be just as dangerous if she was allowed to land a good hit. Hanako lost sight of Jiro for an instant. The man was fast. Before she could even process what was happening she found he was crouching below her field of vision but within her peripheral vision.
The attack was too fast to defend and Hanako once again just barely managed to turn the fatal kidney shot into a different kind of injury instead. The smoke bomb dropped out of her palm and smoke filled the dense ally. Hanako threw her shurikens at Itsuki and Jiro both while simultaneously running up the wall of the ally. At the top she released a volley a kunai with an explosive tag attached with all the strength she could muster. It hit and immediately detonated on impact. The sides of the two buildings were torn asunder by the force and the explosion sent debrise flying out of the alley and into the traffic that they had escaped from before.
Screaming suddenly filled the street as the traffic was forced to give way to panicking people as everyone began to run to safety. Hanako took the brief repose to use the chakra stitching technique to close her wounds and stop the bleeding as best as she could given the circumstances. As she finished with the second wound the two Shinobi made their way onto the roof.
“There she is!”
In an instant both Jiro and Itsuki had closed the gap. Hanako tugged on the wire strings she had around her fingers and shuriken were launched from an unexpected angle forcing both men to stop their charge as shuriken slashed through the air between them and Hanako. Hanako took the brief moment of their pause to throw kunai in their direction. Both were easily deflected with their own Kunai, and now Hanako was defenseless. She just wasn’t fast enough or strong enough t o deal with these monsters. They were beyond human.
“Get her in a genjutsu Itsuki.” Jiro ordered his companion. Hanako’s eyes widened to the danger. She lowered her body to the ground and extended her leg in a kick, grabbing the shuriken that were stuck in the roof from her last attack to the sole of her foot using the wall walking technique and pulling the shuriken free and launching them as an attack by releasing the wall walking jutsu at her opponents. Jiro stepped in front of Itsuki and took a shuriken to the shoulder but deflected the other while Itsuki finished the seals.
The world began to waver. It was an illusion that made the target fall asleep. She had to resist it. She pressed her hands together and formed the Tiger seal. Kai! Kai! Kai! She tried again and again to break the flow of her chakra, but the genjutsu was just that much stronger that she couldn’t do it and she felt herself getting drowsy. She fell to the ground, finding that her strength had left her. Her eyelids began to grow heavy. It was useless to resist. As much as she screamed internally for her muscles to move they wouldn’t listen. Her body was succumbing to the jutsu and she could feel the cool numbness of sleep begin to seep into her mind as well. She knew that if she fell asleep she would die. She had to stay awake… she had to…
“Should we finish her off?” Hanako couldn’t tell who was talking at this point. As her eyes sealed shut and she saw the last light of day.
752/750 +1 strength
Last edited by HotelBravo on Wed Jul 05, 2023 7:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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HotelBravo
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Hanako Vs. Dinosaur Poachers [Lonely]
Her sleep was dreamless. Thoughtless. Like the dead. She wasn’t aware if she was still alive or not and at the moment she didn’t care. It was only when sensation began to return to the extremity of her mind that she began to become conscious. Awareness rolled in as if from her peripheral vision at first, and then eventually she came to full awareness. And as she became aware she also became aware of the sharp pain that she felt in her body from the injuries she had sustained and also in her neck. Someone had slit her throat, she realized. It was the pain that awoke her from the genjutsu and she realized rather quickly she had less than a moment to save her own life as the blood flowed from the wound.
Itsuki and Jiro had taken off, apparently satisfied that their work was done, and perhaps it would have worked on any other ninja, but Hanako had received enough medical training to be able to use her own chakra to seal the wound. She forced her chakra to dance into the shape of threads and sew into her flesh and pull the parted flesh together. She tested her throat with a breath and it stung. She wouldn’t be speaking any time soon. At least not until she either had time to heal or perhaps met with Chiaki.
Who had those men been? Why did they try to kill her? She couldn’t think of any reason other than that they were enemy ninja from another village - but if they had been, why didn’t they keep her body? It was common practice to examine the body of your foes to analyze their jutsu, yet these two had left her where she was. Hanako rose to her feet and stumbled towards the roof’s edge. She glanced down at the approaching feudal forces loyal to the Merchant King that were coming to investigate the explosion she had caused during her brief conflict with the two phony merchants.
“You there! Stay where you are!” A shouted voice, it belonged to one of the feudal guards that were now approaching the scene. Hanako complied, but it wasn’t out of any sense of duty. She may very well have taken off were she in better shape, but the blood loss at having her major arteries cut left her feeling light headed. Fortunately she had woken fast enough to prevent her own death, but things were going to be a lot tougher and interesting from now on.
For one she was struggling breathing. The immense hyper physical exertion required by the body to perform ninjutsu and taijutsu suddenly became a massive boundary just by breathing alone. She wouldn’t be able to talk for some time, if at all due to the damage to her throat - she hadn’t time to fully understand the extent of her injuries aside from the fact that it seemed that the chakra thread pressing the wounds closed seemed to be enough to keep her alive. Somehow she had managed to avoid going into shock despite all of this.
Soon she found that she was being taken into custody of the Feudal guards and was marched to the local jail where. She was placed behind bars and was left there to herself. About an hour of Hanako going mad with nothing but her own thoughts she had her first visitor.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Fujoka. I understand that you were injured and I’m here to take a look at your wounds.” Dr. Fujoka said. He was a middle aged doctor wearing a black kimono and glasses carrying a black bag that clinked subtly with the tools of his trade. It was a crude way of doing things, but sometimes the people who were not left with control of the chakra this was the best way of doing things for them.
A Feudal guard opened the cell and Dr. Fujoka stepped in. Another guard brought in a chair and set it beside the bed that Hanako was laying on. He sat down and put the bag on the bed next to Hanako.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to have a look.” Dr. Fujoka began to examine her three wounds. Each had been sealed up with Chakra thread t hat was feeding off of Hanako’s chakra system. It was a subtle drain, but given the grievousness of the three wounds it was significant. She couldn’t afford to stop the drain however, as that might very well cost her life.
“This throat wound…by all means you should have bled to death. The fact that you are still alive is very impressive. You’re not going to want to move your head or neck until you begin to heal.” Dr. Fujoka opened up the black bag and withdrew some salves, and some clean cloths. Dr. Fujoka then cleaned Hanako’s injuries with fresh water, and then began to rub the salves over the injuries.
“These are to prevent infection, and This is a type of steroid cream that I use for wound care. It will promote tissue growth and for your muscle to reattach.” Dr. Fujoka pulled out a vial with pills and set them beside Hanako. “Take 1 a day at dawn for 90 days.” He prescribed.
Finally he wrapped Hanako’s neck and sides up in Bandages. The Doctor gave her a grave look. “Based on what I see here, I don’t think you’ll be able to answer any questions about what happened in the market place until your throat is healed up. Even when it does you may not get your voice back - or you might not sound the same as you used to. It might be an airer and more wispy voice then the one you had in the past. I’m sorry. There is nothing I can do about that.”
Hanako wasn’t particularly worried about that. She just needed to survive. One visit to Chiaki and she would be back to normal - however for the time being she was on her own and would need to survive with just the help of this civilian Doctor.
“Here are some clothes. Your Yukata was ruined with blood. They were my daughters, I hope you don’t mind.” The Dr. pulled out a new Yukata and placed it on the bed beside next to Hanako, who at the moment didn’t feel particularly like standing up and getting dressed. The rags she had on for the moment worked just fine.
Over the next few days Dr. Fujoka would come and visit her and check up on her situation. Hanako wasn’t sure how effective the steroids she had been given were, but she knew that part of her remarkable speed of healing was related to the fact that her wounds were bound by her own chakra. The wounds were effectively glued shut with an organic material that was made from her own body. It was the perfect suture. Soon enough the skin began to connect and that muscle pulled itself back together.
She had been relocated to the Dr. Fujoka’s practice where she semi-permanently occupied a room while handcuffed to the bed pending her healing and being able to talk to the inspectors about the events in the market. The authorities were patient, if not aggressive. A week into her healing they bullied their way into Hanako’s room and furiously began to question her.
“I understand that you aren’t able to talk, so we will keep this to yes or no questions. I’m Sgt. Kunekida.” It was an older man with a wart on his nose and slicked back black hair. He wore a formal Kimono and had a pencil and notepad in his hands as he stepped into Hanako’s room.
“Mr. Kunekida, she shouldn’t even be nodding or shaking her head. Her throat was slit open.” Dr. Fujoka was saying. Sgt. Kunekida shoved the man out of the room.
“Dr. I will respect the health of your patient, but I need you to trust me, now please leave the room as this is related to an ongoing investigation.” Mr. Kunekida tunred back to Hanako. “Now then girl, among your effects was a headband for the village hidden in the clouds. Are you a Kunoichi from said village - hold up one finger for yes, two for no.”
Hanako held up one finger, indicating that she was in fact a Cloud Kunoichi. Mr. Kunekida scribbled onto his notepad. “Was this an attack planned by Kumogakure?” Hanako signaled no.
“Were you the one who caused the explosion?” Hanako signaled one finger back.
“So you admit guilt for killing 20 people?”
Hanako signaled back to him no. She wanted to explain the whole situation to him, but as it stood she couldn’t really speak. She had to hope that he would figure things out on her own. She empatetically signaled for “no'' hoping that he would get the message. She held two fingers up and shook them in the air in front of the mans face.
“Damn this would be so much easier if you could speak. I hate charades.”
1518/1500 = +2 strength
Itsuki and Jiro had taken off, apparently satisfied that their work was done, and perhaps it would have worked on any other ninja, but Hanako had received enough medical training to be able to use her own chakra to seal the wound. She forced her chakra to dance into the shape of threads and sew into her flesh and pull the parted flesh together. She tested her throat with a breath and it stung. She wouldn’t be speaking any time soon. At least not until she either had time to heal or perhaps met with Chiaki.
Who had those men been? Why did they try to kill her? She couldn’t think of any reason other than that they were enemy ninja from another village - but if they had been, why didn’t they keep her body? It was common practice to examine the body of your foes to analyze their jutsu, yet these two had left her where she was. Hanako rose to her feet and stumbled towards the roof’s edge. She glanced down at the approaching feudal forces loyal to the Merchant King that were coming to investigate the explosion she had caused during her brief conflict with the two phony merchants.
“You there! Stay where you are!” A shouted voice, it belonged to one of the feudal guards that were now approaching the scene. Hanako complied, but it wasn’t out of any sense of duty. She may very well have taken off were she in better shape, but the blood loss at having her major arteries cut left her feeling light headed. Fortunately she had woken fast enough to prevent her own death, but things were going to be a lot tougher and interesting from now on.
For one she was struggling breathing. The immense hyper physical exertion required by the body to perform ninjutsu and taijutsu suddenly became a massive boundary just by breathing alone. She wouldn’t be able to talk for some time, if at all due to the damage to her throat - she hadn’t time to fully understand the extent of her injuries aside from the fact that it seemed that the chakra thread pressing the wounds closed seemed to be enough to keep her alive. Somehow she had managed to avoid going into shock despite all of this.
Soon she found that she was being taken into custody of the Feudal guards and was marched to the local jail where. She was placed behind bars and was left there to herself. About an hour of Hanako going mad with nothing but her own thoughts she had her first visitor.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Fujoka. I understand that you were injured and I’m here to take a look at your wounds.” Dr. Fujoka said. He was a middle aged doctor wearing a black kimono and glasses carrying a black bag that clinked subtly with the tools of his trade. It was a crude way of doing things, but sometimes the people who were not left with control of the chakra this was the best way of doing things for them.
A Feudal guard opened the cell and Dr. Fujoka stepped in. Another guard brought in a chair and set it beside the bed that Hanako was laying on. He sat down and put the bag on the bed next to Hanako.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to have a look.” Dr. Fujoka began to examine her three wounds. Each had been sealed up with Chakra thread t hat was feeding off of Hanako’s chakra system. It was a subtle drain, but given the grievousness of the three wounds it was significant. She couldn’t afford to stop the drain however, as that might very well cost her life.
“This throat wound…by all means you should have bled to death. The fact that you are still alive is very impressive. You’re not going to want to move your head or neck until you begin to heal.” Dr. Fujoka opened up the black bag and withdrew some salves, and some clean cloths. Dr. Fujoka then cleaned Hanako’s injuries with fresh water, and then began to rub the salves over the injuries.
“These are to prevent infection, and This is a type of steroid cream that I use for wound care. It will promote tissue growth and for your muscle to reattach.” Dr. Fujoka pulled out a vial with pills and set them beside Hanako. “Take 1 a day at dawn for 90 days.” He prescribed.
Finally he wrapped Hanako’s neck and sides up in Bandages. The Doctor gave her a grave look. “Based on what I see here, I don’t think you’ll be able to answer any questions about what happened in the market place until your throat is healed up. Even when it does you may not get your voice back - or you might not sound the same as you used to. It might be an airer and more wispy voice then the one you had in the past. I’m sorry. There is nothing I can do about that.”
Hanako wasn’t particularly worried about that. She just needed to survive. One visit to Chiaki and she would be back to normal - however for the time being she was on her own and would need to survive with just the help of this civilian Doctor.
“Here are some clothes. Your Yukata was ruined with blood. They were my daughters, I hope you don’t mind.” The Dr. pulled out a new Yukata and placed it on the bed beside next to Hanako, who at the moment didn’t feel particularly like standing up and getting dressed. The rags she had on for the moment worked just fine.
Over the next few days Dr. Fujoka would come and visit her and check up on her situation. Hanako wasn’t sure how effective the steroids she had been given were, but she knew that part of her remarkable speed of healing was related to the fact that her wounds were bound by her own chakra. The wounds were effectively glued shut with an organic material that was made from her own body. It was the perfect suture. Soon enough the skin began to connect and that muscle pulled itself back together.
She had been relocated to the Dr. Fujoka’s practice where she semi-permanently occupied a room while handcuffed to the bed pending her healing and being able to talk to the inspectors about the events in the market. The authorities were patient, if not aggressive. A week into her healing they bullied their way into Hanako’s room and furiously began to question her.
“I understand that you aren’t able to talk, so we will keep this to yes or no questions. I’m Sgt. Kunekida.” It was an older man with a wart on his nose and slicked back black hair. He wore a formal Kimono and had a pencil and notepad in his hands as he stepped into Hanako’s room.
“Mr. Kunekida, she shouldn’t even be nodding or shaking her head. Her throat was slit open.” Dr. Fujoka was saying. Sgt. Kunekida shoved the man out of the room.
“Dr. I will respect the health of your patient, but I need you to trust me, now please leave the room as this is related to an ongoing investigation.” Mr. Kunekida tunred back to Hanako. “Now then girl, among your effects was a headband for the village hidden in the clouds. Are you a Kunoichi from said village - hold up one finger for yes, two for no.”
Hanako held up one finger, indicating that she was in fact a Cloud Kunoichi. Mr. Kunekida scribbled onto his notepad. “Was this an attack planned by Kumogakure?” Hanako signaled no.
“Were you the one who caused the explosion?” Hanako signaled one finger back.
“So you admit guilt for killing 20 people?”
Hanako signaled back to him no. She wanted to explain the whole situation to him, but as it stood she couldn’t really speak. She had to hope that he would figure things out on her own. She empatetically signaled for “no'' hoping that he would get the message. She held two fingers up and shook them in the air in front of the mans face.
“Damn this would be so much easier if you could speak. I hate charades.”
1518/1500 = +2 strength
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HotelBravo
- Posts: 389
- Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2022 11:12 pm
Hanako Vs. Dinosaur Poachers [Lonely]
Mr. Kunekida ripped out a fresh sheet of paper from his notepad and handed it to Hanako along with his pencil. He wore a somber expression as he did so. “I know this may be difficult for you because of your condition but I need details about what happened otherwise you are the only suspect in this investigation and I will have to bring these charges to the Merchant King.”
Hanako signaled for yes, and then firmly grasped the pencil in her hands. She began to explain how two men came to her inn room and were inviting her to meet with the Merchant King, although they didn’t explain what it was about - they only mentioned it would be a lucrative agreement and required her expertise as a kunoichi. There was traffic in the street so they lead her to an alley and attacked her. She had to use her full wits and knowledge just to stay alive and the people were collateral damage due to the skirmish, which she ultimately ended up losing. She handed the completed statement back to Kunekida who took a moment to read over it before tucking the pages of the note back into his notepad.
“I’m sorry that happened to you, but that doesn’t absolve you from the fact that you were the one who decided to use explosive tags in a residential area. I’m going to report my findings to the Merchant King and he will decide your sentencing.” Mr. Kunekida stated. He tucked his notepad into his Yukata and gave a polite bow before leaving the hospital room.
Hanako wasn’t concerned about what this sentencing was supposed to mean. Ultimately they wouldn’t really stand a chance against her - at least not the feudal guards. They would need another shinobi of equal or greater skill to beat her, even if she wasnt at her A game in the present. They might try to force her to comply but that wouldn’t work, and the more time that past, the more she continued to heal. She was certain she would be able to handle any kind of threat they decided to present to her.
She gazed at the ceiling waiting for her injuries to heal so that she could pick up the trail of her would-be assassins and finally turn the tables around on them. She had limited supplies though, and her first objective after getting out of here would b e to obtain shinobi tools to replace what she had lost in the fight and to supplement them even further.
Yes, she would need to be prepared and armed to the teeth against these guys. They were good. They were faster than she was and had genjutsu. The next time they met she would need to kill the genjutsu user right away. She could figure out how to handle the other man’s greater speed and strength with her own skillset. With these grim thoughts she waited as the natural process of healing continued, supplemented by her chakra and the healing balms of Dr. Fujoka.
Time slipped by and Hanako spent the majority of it resting her body and busying her mind. Her thoughts rarely had a moment of tranquility regardless, but here with no distractions to save her from herself she was allowed to dive deep into her own thoughts. They raced at a thousand miles per hour and covered a vast sea of topics. Most of it was unhelpful, but she did come up with some ideas on how to deal with the would-be assassins that had tried to kill her earlier. She was so tied up in her own head that she barely recognized when she was shocked by someone practically kicking the door open.
She was hardly able to stir because of her injuries, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t ready to retaliate. At her side she held a pen and in her mind she had the vicious will to use it on any would be attacker that had breached the sanctity of this room.
A handful of men poured into the room. They were mostly dressed in the garb of the Feudal guardsmen that protected this town and provided a sense of order. Then at the last of the train was a balding man in a fine kimono with a mustache and goatee, and a golden cord of rope stylish and ceremonially worn on his shoulder.
The man gave Hanako a scrutinizing stare. Much like the merchants of this city he seemed to be taking her weight and measurement
760/750 + 1strength (total of +7 now)
Hanako signaled for yes, and then firmly grasped the pencil in her hands. She began to explain how two men came to her inn room and were inviting her to meet with the Merchant King, although they didn’t explain what it was about - they only mentioned it would be a lucrative agreement and required her expertise as a kunoichi. There was traffic in the street so they lead her to an alley and attacked her. She had to use her full wits and knowledge just to stay alive and the people were collateral damage due to the skirmish, which she ultimately ended up losing. She handed the completed statement back to Kunekida who took a moment to read over it before tucking the pages of the note back into his notepad.
“I’m sorry that happened to you, but that doesn’t absolve you from the fact that you were the one who decided to use explosive tags in a residential area. I’m going to report my findings to the Merchant King and he will decide your sentencing.” Mr. Kunekida stated. He tucked his notepad into his Yukata and gave a polite bow before leaving the hospital room.
Hanako wasn’t concerned about what this sentencing was supposed to mean. Ultimately they wouldn’t really stand a chance against her - at least not the feudal guards. They would need another shinobi of equal or greater skill to beat her, even if she wasnt at her A game in the present. They might try to force her to comply but that wouldn’t work, and the more time that past, the more she continued to heal. She was certain she would be able to handle any kind of threat they decided to present to her.
She gazed at the ceiling waiting for her injuries to heal so that she could pick up the trail of her would-be assassins and finally turn the tables around on them. She had limited supplies though, and her first objective after getting out of here would b e to obtain shinobi tools to replace what she had lost in the fight and to supplement them even further.
Yes, she would need to be prepared and armed to the teeth against these guys. They were good. They were faster than she was and had genjutsu. The next time they met she would need to kill the genjutsu user right away. She could figure out how to handle the other man’s greater speed and strength with her own skillset. With these grim thoughts she waited as the natural process of healing continued, supplemented by her chakra and the healing balms of Dr. Fujoka.
Time slipped by and Hanako spent the majority of it resting her body and busying her mind. Her thoughts rarely had a moment of tranquility regardless, but here with no distractions to save her from herself she was allowed to dive deep into her own thoughts. They raced at a thousand miles per hour and covered a vast sea of topics. Most of it was unhelpful, but she did come up with some ideas on how to deal with the would-be assassins that had tried to kill her earlier. She was so tied up in her own head that she barely recognized when she was shocked by someone practically kicking the door open.
She was hardly able to stir because of her injuries, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t ready to retaliate. At her side she held a pen and in her mind she had the vicious will to use it on any would be attacker that had breached the sanctity of this room.
A handful of men poured into the room. They were mostly dressed in the garb of the Feudal guardsmen that protected this town and provided a sense of order. Then at the last of the train was a balding man in a fine kimono with a mustache and goatee, and a golden cord of rope stylish and ceremonially worn on his shoulder.
The man gave Hanako a scrutinizing stare. Much like the merchants of this city he seemed to be taking her weight and measurement
760/750 + 1strength (total of +7 now)
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HotelBravo
- Posts: 389
- Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2022 11:12 pm
Hanako Vs. Dinosaur Poachers [Lonely]
“My name is Daichi Honjino. I’m the current merchant king of hoshi no kuni.” The man in the kimono with the golden cords on his shoulder stated. He paused for affected and watched for Hanako’s reaction. Hanako glanced between him and the Feudal guards who had accompanied him. They all looked like they were anxious, while the Merchant King seemed perfectly at ease. It must have been an act then. There was no reason for there to b e such a discrepancy. They were scared of her.
“So, you are the one who made a mess of my Marketplace. You’re a kunoichi so I have heard.” The man walked towards one of the medical charts on the wall and folded his hands behind his back as he made a show or pretending to read it. “Several of our people were killed. I should throw you in prison for terrorism or have you executed.” He shook his head, and turned back to Hanako who was still following his every move.
“What is your name, girl?” He gestured at his feudal guards who approached and provided her with a notepad and a pencil.
Hanako took the notepad and wrote down her name. ”My name is Hanamura Hanako. I was attacked in the marketplace, but your detective didn’t allow me a chance to explain myself. I’m also not able to talk because they slit my throat. By all means I should be dead, but I was able to save my life with my jutsu.”
She turned the notepad over to the Feudal guard who held it for the feudal lord to read. The man examined it and frowned. “If what you wrote here is true, then your assailants were no mere men, but surely shinobi. I can tell that you too are a kunoichi just from a glance. You have the definition in your muscle tone that proves it, and the skill with chakra, you’d be hard to find someone who hadn’t been trained in such arts who could have such refined control. Kunekida is right though, you have freely admitted your guilt of harming civilians, however I also can’t overlook that fact that you also were a victim when it was our responsibility as the hosts of this fair city to keep you safe from harm while you were within our walls.”
“So I’m thinking of a compromise. The city of Heaven’s Landing could use the services of a skilled Kunoichi, and I think clearing your name of the crimes you’re accused of is well within my power - and I would be happy to provide this service in exchange for your time and talent with a most pressing issue that we are dealing with here.”
Hanako inclined her head, and the Merchant King arched an eyebrow in response.
“Are you interested?” He sat on the side of the bed and handed the notepad back.
Hanako took the pad again and moved to a new page. She didn’t particularly care about their threats to her. Threats of prison were rather worthless, but having a business relationship with the village would potentially useful for normalizing relations between Kintsugi and Heaven’s Landing. Reluctantly she wrote her agreement upon the clipboard and flashed it to the Feudal Lord, however with conditions.
First, Supplies. She would need fresh supplies of Weapons. Kunai. Wire. As much wire as she could get her hands on. Shuriken. Explosive tags, smoke bombs. Flashbangs. She would need all these things, and they would cost Ryo that she didn’t have - but they were the tools of her trade and if she was to complete a t ask that needed a shinobi she would need these things.
This obviously wasn’t the deal that Daichi thought he would get from this arrangement, but Hanako had made an excellent argument for why she needed these things. She would need this to perform the duties that he was requiring of her in exchange for clemency. After reluctantly reviewing the sheet of things that he would have to buy he pursed his lips and finally acquiesced.
“Fine. Deal. We’ll get you those tools, you’ll receive a pardon, and in return you will assist us.”
Hanako nodded her agreement as well.
“We have a trade agreement with the Southern Tribesmen for the resources in the jungles and for the trade in dinosaur leather and bones, occasionally even meat. The Tribesmen came to Heaven’s Landing and placed a complaint that we were poaching. I want you to find out who is behind this poaching and stop them. ”
760/750 +1 Strength (+8 in total)
“So, you are the one who made a mess of my Marketplace. You’re a kunoichi so I have heard.” The man walked towards one of the medical charts on the wall and folded his hands behind his back as he made a show or pretending to read it. “Several of our people were killed. I should throw you in prison for terrorism or have you executed.” He shook his head, and turned back to Hanako who was still following his every move.
“What is your name, girl?” He gestured at his feudal guards who approached and provided her with a notepad and a pencil.
Hanako took the notepad and wrote down her name. ”My name is Hanamura Hanako. I was attacked in the marketplace, but your detective didn’t allow me a chance to explain myself. I’m also not able to talk because they slit my throat. By all means I should be dead, but I was able to save my life with my jutsu.”
She turned the notepad over to the Feudal guard who held it for the feudal lord to read. The man examined it and frowned. “If what you wrote here is true, then your assailants were no mere men, but surely shinobi. I can tell that you too are a kunoichi just from a glance. You have the definition in your muscle tone that proves it, and the skill with chakra, you’d be hard to find someone who hadn’t been trained in such arts who could have such refined control. Kunekida is right though, you have freely admitted your guilt of harming civilians, however I also can’t overlook that fact that you also were a victim when it was our responsibility as the hosts of this fair city to keep you safe from harm while you were within our walls.”
“So I’m thinking of a compromise. The city of Heaven’s Landing could use the services of a skilled Kunoichi, and I think clearing your name of the crimes you’re accused of is well within my power - and I would be happy to provide this service in exchange for your time and talent with a most pressing issue that we are dealing with here.”
Hanako inclined her head, and the Merchant King arched an eyebrow in response.
“Are you interested?” He sat on the side of the bed and handed the notepad back.
Hanako took the pad again and moved to a new page. She didn’t particularly care about their threats to her. Threats of prison were rather worthless, but having a business relationship with the village would potentially useful for normalizing relations between Kintsugi and Heaven’s Landing. Reluctantly she wrote her agreement upon the clipboard and flashed it to the Feudal Lord, however with conditions.
First, Supplies. She would need fresh supplies of Weapons. Kunai. Wire. As much wire as she could get her hands on. Shuriken. Explosive tags, smoke bombs. Flashbangs. She would need all these things, and they would cost Ryo that she didn’t have - but they were the tools of her trade and if she was to complete a t ask that needed a shinobi she would need these things.
This obviously wasn’t the deal that Daichi thought he would get from this arrangement, but Hanako had made an excellent argument for why she needed these things. She would need this to perform the duties that he was requiring of her in exchange for clemency. After reluctantly reviewing the sheet of things that he would have to buy he pursed his lips and finally acquiesced.
“Fine. Deal. We’ll get you those tools, you’ll receive a pardon, and in return you will assist us.”
Hanako nodded her agreement as well.
“We have a trade agreement with the Southern Tribesmen for the resources in the jungles and for the trade in dinosaur leather and bones, occasionally even meat. The Tribesmen came to Heaven’s Landing and placed a complaint that we were poaching. I want you to find out who is behind this poaching and stop them. ”
760/750 +1 Strength (+8 in total)