The Story of Tonight

[Hayate]

Never more a dirty, dingy tavern in Konoha was there than the Konoholic. A visibly smoky haze lingered upon the air of the dimly lit tavern where off-duty shinobi frequented. The air was thick with the scent of grilled skewers and cheap sake, and the boisterous voices of men and women all too bored for civilian life. At the back of the tavern, near the South Bar, was a particularly rambunctious group of shinobi, engaged in a loud and passionate argument.

In the midst of them stood a young man, his hands waving with furious passion, his eyes holding a determined glare. The man had an athletic build and hazel, sun-kissed skin. His auburn hair was tied neatly into a bun in the back. Though he wore traditional clothing, his personality didn't match it in the slightest. Tinges of anger flushed upon his face as he listened intensely to an elder looking shinobi, who was still in his freshly blood-minted mission gear.

"Pray tell Hima-kun, what do we get from getting ourselves killed like that idiot Takeo in sand? Riches? Anything really? Their own kage abandoned them." he said with a snide tone, as an angered Himurama slammed his cup down on the counter, creating a slight pause.

"While you drown your boredom in rice wine, the sands of Suna run red with the blood of our allies... Iwa's iron fist is tightened around their throats... and meanwhile, here you are, fat and complacent sitting. Doing nothing..."

His voice cut through the chatter of others like the edge of a freshly-sharpened Tanto. Another man spoke up, similar in age to the previous man.

"Easy there, desert rat. Suna's got their own problem. There forces are formidable, we'd be walking into a hornests nest..." "And Suna, again, couldn't even protect their own... We've got our own problems kid, they have theirs" the other man said, wiping the foam of beer from his beard.

The auburn hair man took a deep breath as he looked to those around the room, his green eyes piercing through each of them as he rattled off his proclamations.

"Their problem? They bleed the same crimson as we do! They fight under the same banner as us. Have you forgotten the Great war? When Kiri marched upon our streets, they were there. They answered the call. They didn't say it was just our problem... Or are the bonds forged in fire so quickly extinguished by a little distance?" Hima said as he stepped closer to the older, beared man.

"Look, we sympathize, alright? But the Hokage doesn't want us involved and we definitely can't just go charging in. Look what that got Takeo? Or rather where it got him?" "His head in a basket." the other man chimed in.

Himurama took a deep breath.

"The only thing foolish is standing idly by while injustice reigns. Do you think it ends with Suna? Do you not see it reckless to let tyranny fester at our doorstep? Or perhaps, you think that once they crushed Wind there is no more further campaigns for an already lustful madman...."

"Strong as you may be boy, you speak of things you don't understand. There are political intricacies, delicate balances of powers..." the other man said, leaning forward and pointing his finger to Himurama's chest.

Himurama cut him off "Intricacies? Balances? While they weight their precious "balances", children in Suna starve. Families are torn apart. Iwa grows stronger... and all we offer are polite condolences and empty gestures... if we do not fight in this hour, then, we are all doomed."

"Then what would you have us do, then, wise guy? Launch a full-scale invasion? That would mean countless casualties on both sides! We've been there. We lost."

Himurama was taken aback. He paused.

"Why don't we take to the streets. To the dunes in the sand. To the logistics pipelines. The ships in the sky. Sew chaos and prop our allies up- anything. We don't need to directly fight, but we should be doing something..." he said as he walked over to the other man, patting him on the shoulder and signaling to go.

The conversation... no, the debate, was over.

"Look kid, we follow the Kage's orders. If he orders that we'll do it." the other man said as the pair left, leaving Himurama alone at the bar. He looked at his hands, then his cup. Did inaction have no consequences? Look around.. This peace, this comfort they enjoyed, was it not fragile? The gears in his head were moving.

They had to do something.

825

[AFungalNetwork]

Bamba had been quietly drinking and cleaning the Konohalic of its peanut supply as he listened to the impassioned men speak. He could hear the passion in the man's voice, the indifference in the voices of those around him. So, when the man found himself alone, Bamba sat next to him and without turning his head, he spoke.
First they came for the Dasu Clan, but I was not of the Dasu, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Hizashi Clan, but I was not of the Hizashi, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the rest of Sunagakure, but I was not among them, so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.

He let the words sink in before continuing, Those were the words my father told me when I asked him why he continued to support the Suna rebels. It is easy to mistake safety for righteousness. To think that by doing nothing, we preserve peace. But peace bought with silence is only a slow death. You see the danger, Hima-kun. You feel the weight of it. That means you still have something many have lost — your heart. And so, we must act. Carefully. Wisely. But we must act, nonetheless. he orders 2 glasses of sake.

As they came, he raised his glass, To the forgotten. To the stubborn. To those who still believe the fire can light the darkness.

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247

[Hayate]

The young and passionate Senju had convinced himself that no one cared for the plight of Sunagakure and had resigned to finish the establishments last bottle of a particular whisky. He wasn't willing to let this stop him, but it was in the greatest of all ironies a sobering moment. Jus as he was about to take a swig of his glass, he heard a voice from beside him and with it came the passionate flames of revolution, stoked once more.

First they came for the Dasu Clan, but I was not of the Dasu, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Hizashi Clan, but I was not of the Hizashi, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the rest of Sunagakure, but I was not among them, so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.

His eyes the embodiment of his burning passion for freedom, justice, and the pursuit of all things related to it, the Senju bolstered himself up strong as he turned to this new man. Renewed strength flowed through him for tonight, he was not alone. He was not the only one wondering why the powers of the world did nothing for their allies. Did nothing to break the chains of oppression that had befallen Wind Country.

He nodded his head and raised his glass, nodding to each line of his new compatriot. To the forgotten. To the stubborn. To those who still believe the fire can light the darkness. Yes, it resonated to his core.

"Raise a glass to freedom. Something they can never take away." he would bring his glass to the other mans with a clink and then take a swig, before bowing his head, and introducing himself.

"Senju Himurama" he said, "and I see brother, like me, you believe that some injustices in this world cannot be ignored."

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[AFungalNetwork]

The clink of the glass, the sharing of sake; these were the things that bonds were made with. A revolution. Now that was something that friendships, kinship even, was made from. Bad things happen when good people stay silent. Bamba responded. Injustice needs to be rooted out at its source. And it would be a grave injustice for us to stay silent while our allies, those who fought in defense of us, suffer from the tyranny of an over zealous conqueror. So, how do we deal with the source of this injustice? We take a long, hard look at what WE are doing and we make the conscious effort to do better. To help. he finished his third bowl of peanuts. My name is Akimichi Bamba. It's good to make your acquaintance. We need to be cautious if we are going to do our part. An open war between Iwa and Konoha would be ill advised... for now. But there is a lot we can do. Like supporting the rebellion from the shadows. he stated bluntly. Now, we just need to decide where to begin.

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189

[Hayate]

Himurama bowed his head exaggeratedly deep, raising with his eyes locking dead-set on Bamba's. This man had the same passion for freedom and fighting injustice that Himurama had...

Akimichi Bamba.

The named rolled off his mind-tongue with relative ease. This... This was the name of a just man. He took a swig of his drink and grinned. "Akimichi Bamba and Senju Himurama." he said, in a low tone, then took another swig of his drink, nodding his head to each statement of his compatriot. There was no lies in any words he said, and Hima found himself for the first time this night agreeing with someone. It was also true that direct confrontation was not at all what the village needed to do.

"Akimichi Bamba and Senju Himurama." Taiga said. He liked the sound of that.

"Well, Bamba. I completely agree with you. We need to support the rebellion from the shadows. To stoke the flame in their hearts... if only the Hokage would agree..." he paused. "Perhaps, we could put together a team and a plan. And as long as we can do that... we can get the resources we need to aide the revolution..."

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[AFungalNetwork]

The sake was long gone, the night sky now a steel gray blanket over the Konohalic. Word had spread — quiet murmurs of discontent, like the wind before a storm. Now, he and Hima stand at the edge of a moonlit clearing in the Forest of Spirits. Scrolls unfurled, names circled, fates to be decided. The first meeting of the... whatever they were... begins — not with fanfare, but with quiet resolve. They had managed to gather a few others who were sympathetic to the cause with enough fire in them to do something.

Kaede of the Silent Rain
She was a retired ANBU, disillusioned by the actions of Konoha, she resigned when Suna had been captured. She rarely spoke, when she did it was in hushed whispers. Few have seen her face as she has replaced her ANBU mask with a cracked porcelain doll mask.

Genji Oemon
A former shinobi of Sunagakure who fled to Konoha shortly after Suna had been captured, only to find that no aid would be sent. He wields a large two handed axe and specializes in taijutsu.

These were the two Bamba had recruited. He was excited to see who Hima had found.

[Hayate]

Recruitment drives were not necessarily something Hima was gifted at... But it was something he would try his damn best at. After their night of drinking, a somewhat more sober Hima had found his way to the Forest of Spirits, a meeting spot where they decided would be the birth of a revolution. It seemed that Bamba had recruited two brave souls into the fold... as for Hima.

He scratched the back of his head and let out a deep breath.

"I uh... I'm a young guy... I don't have much of a network you know..." he coughed. [b"I managed to recruit one person."[/b] he said with earnest joy, though embarrassment that he didn't match his new brother in revolution.

He handed a scroll over to Bamba.

Soraio Tarou
62 years old; holding rank of Genin. Served in the third battalion as a chef in the Great War. Known for telling stories.

"I uh... he made really good omelettes for my squadron during the war... and he knows the deserts decently well." Hima muttered, his cheeks pink.