Of investments and promises (IO Ren)

The morning dawned with a gentle warmth that wrapped around the landscape like a comforting embrace. The air was crisp and clean, carrying the faint scent of dew-kissed grass and blossoming flowers on its breeze. Birds chirped merrily in the trees, their melodic songs serving as a backdrop to the peaceful scene.

Near a sprawling house, bustling with the activity of its inhabitants, a sense of camaraderie and community filled the air. Laughter echoed from within as the would-be family moved through theirs and others lives.  The smell of breakfast was beginning to waft out through the windows to mingle itself with the area around.  

Nestled beside a traditional dohyo, a one-room house stood with quiet dignity, its wooden walls still new, yet untouched by years of sun and rain. Despite its modest appearance, there was a sense of warmth and homeliness emanating from within. A soft glow emanated from the paper lanterns that adorned the doorway, casting a welcoming light onto the path outside.

Inside the one-room house, the atmosphere was cozy and intimate. A low table sat at the center of the room, surrounded by cushions where if Kaito ever was so inclined he could invite the others for a meal and drink. The tatami mats cool and smooth, a soothing contrast to the warmth of the morning sun streaming through the paper-screen windows.

Outside, the dohyo stood silent and serene, its earthen surface a testament to the ancient traditions of sumo wrestling. A pile of clay, dirt, and salt all purchased with various wages lay in organized attention as though they were the watchers of the arena.  An unseen crowd.  Behind them the mat wrapped trees that looked to have been beaten for years, when the truth was, they had only taken a few weeks of abuse.  

In this idyllic setting, time seemed to slow to a gentle crawl, allowing its inhabitants to savor the simple joys of each passing moment. And as the day stretched out before them, filled with promise and possibility, Kaito thought of how to approach his aquantence....or was he finally his friend.  It had been some time since he had stayed in one place for very long, so making friends was never top of his list.  Making acquaintances that were mutually beneficial however, was a necessity of life on the road.  Still the task he had been set, perhaps some of his own volition, and some by Junko dictated his question was worth a lot more than a casual favor.

It was no small secret what the many individuals around the area where doing.  Their mission was to set up something grand, a haven if you will in a haven of an island.  For his own part, he had never seen his roll as anything more than a short passing.  Still he had come to enjoy the place, and the thought of leaving had weighed on his mind a little more each day as he properly settled himself in.  Building the small home had perhaps been a mistake.  What he had wanted was just a place to call his own for the next couple of months.  Enough time to train, to compete, to recover and then to go.  Still Junko had been persistent in wishing for him to stay and help them on their grand quest.    

It wasn't that he was prejudice, it was that he was realistic.  Shinobi invite bloodshed, it was a fact.  He may fight for a living, but they fought for the killing.  Not something he much wanted to be apart of, and it was hard to remind himself of these facts when he looked at those in the house.  Jun might be a bit of a lush, but she was harmless and sweet...Junko was an idealist and strong in her own ways, and each of the others had their qualities.  Ren had proven someone he could rely on with the work that needed to be done, and he seemed a gentle enough soul.  All these things gripped his mind as he sipped on the cool spring water and thought of the items of the day.  

His chair sat just outside the dohyo, a second beside him.  He had invited Ren to come down once he finished breakfast with the others in the home.  This was not his idea, but Junko's he told himself.  She had tasked him with helping protect the place for as long as he stayed.  In return he was given a place to live, and she had helped some of his funds when he wasn't doing his own work.  Truly the last week he had nearly halted all outside work save training, which was for the best with only 3 weeks left until the Basho.  

He was letting himself get off track again, he knew.  Thinking of other things....why was it so easy to face a man down in a ring than it was to ask one for the simplest of things.....money.  Junko had instructed him that if he was not to join the village, and he wished to stay within the area that he would need to provide something of great benefit.  He had offered his time in helping guard it, but that wasn't enough.  She'd been vague, and so it had been up to him to figure out the rest, and of course he had.  Still.....for the price he was looking at, it wasn't as easy as he would have hoped.  

In town many new arrivals had started showing up.  Many to watch the upcoming Basho, and the largest enthusiasts, as always where the first to arrive.  Among them was a samurai, a samurai who enjoyed sake nearly as much as Kaito did.  It was through this mutual love of liquor that the idea of what he could bring to the village had been spawned.  The samurai told of his tales, and techniques he had developed to survive in the rough world even against shinobi, but when Kaito had inquired what he would charge to part with this knoweldge.....the price had been well.....he had been a roommate of Ren, and he'd seen how much cash he ahd laying around.

Does a person truly need to believe that they have done something good, to feel joy? Can someone just simply feel joy without doing anything? Kitsu had a problem with this idea. Everything in his world was transactional. There was no cause without effect, and there was no deed that was done for no reason. He admittedly was not free from this cycle of giving and taking, far from it. Instead, he took part in it possibly more than the average individual. When he hunted the bandits, he would do so with fervor. The idea of slaughtering dozens at once was something that made him truly feel joy. But even then, he didn't do so just because it brought him joy. He did it so he could appease the forest spirits.

He could feel their presence when he would kill, he would feel their presence when he would wear the blood of the men that he had murdered on his clothes and on his skin. It was a feeling that he couldn't soon part with, so he would imbibe on the killing on a nightly basis. He was beginning to believe that these men were being brought back to life as they always seemed to be great in number.

He digressed in his mind, today was no time for him to simply idle and prattle on about the musings of his incensed and insane mind. But instead, he was to focus on the job at hand. He was given the task to meet with Takeshiyama, along side both Ren and Sakoshi. This was one of the few jobs that he didn't mind taking as he did appreciate Takeshiyama's stature, and his strength was nothing to scoff at. So he gladly would change his appearance for this visit.

He would wear a freshly cleaned fox fur jacket and his tunic, finished off with leather wrap shoes with matching pants. He wore a charm necklace that had a man's eye hanging from it, stitched to the necklace with what looked like a mix of different types of hairs, ranging from beast to human. He would not have a drop of blood on him, as he would have taken a long bath in the creek before exiting the forest and finding himself at Junko's home. He would see that both Sakoshi and Ren were already waiting for him so they could all whisk themselves away.

Kitsu would gladly walk with the two of them, which seemed to surprise the poor Ren who had been desperately trying to keep a hold on Kitsu. Kitsu would bow to them both and they would start heading towards the small home that Takeshiyama had built for himself. Kitsu hadn't seen the large man in what seemed like a while, but the days and nights began to blur together so he wasn't entirely sure if it was a week or a month. But either way, he would walk through the village streets, getting to a more serene area, where they would find the rather large man sitting upon a seat on the porch of his home.

He would call out to Takeshiyama when they got within range. "Hello, sir!" He would wait patiently for an answer to his greeting, then stay respectfully silent during Ren and Takeshiyama's exchange, unless he was required or asked to speak.

WC: 558

"Fuck." Sakoshi would groan as he rose from the bed. He looked around the room and he saw that he was the only one in the room. It's been that way for some time now. Takeshiyama had moved out, Kitsu basically lived in the forest, and Ren slept with "his darling Kiko". The mere thought of him saying it like that made him roll his eyes. He swung his feet from the side of the bed, and he began moving about the house. He would hear Kiko and Ren just above his head pretty much every night, and it was becoming a problem, but it wasn't anything he would do something about, far too much work.

Sakoshi had been given the task of being the village's Fuinjutsu applicator. It was a fine gig. He did a little bit of work, and his seals just did things for him. It was a pretty good deal. But there was little that he truly found himself caring about, no matter how he felt about the world, it always seemed to keep moving forward. What more could he truly do? He didn't have many means to hurt others, so he just reveled in the idea of simply existing within the village that they were going to create together.

He would meet up with Ren as he told him that there was a job needed doing, but this was more of a social call and Ren wanted both Sakoshi and Kitsu to both attend this meeting with him. Sakoshi would inquire as to who this meeting was with, and Ren would explain it was with the one and only Takeshiyama. Sakoshi didn't mind Takeshiyama, especially now that he was no longer haunting his waking dreams with his snoring. So he would agree with going to see the man with a small amount of excitement, but a larger portion of indifference.

As they walked out of Junko's home, he would see that Kitsu was on his way to their position already. He had clocked him as soon as he came out of the forest, and he was surprised that he wasn't completely covered in blood or anything; he seemed... normal. Kitsu would approach the two of them, and his face seemed to be that of a normal individual, something that Ren was happy for, but Sakoshi seemed to know better. His guard would be up the entire time that Kitsu approached and even after when they started heading towards Takeshiyama's house.

He would look over to Kitsu on occasion, and there was nothing seemingly wrong with him. Sakoshi would think to ask him about it. As to why he felt so different, he even used his Sixth Sense to sense his emotion, but there was just nothing there. To Sakoshi, he was simply a husk of the one that he usually encountered. Was he just this good at hiding his emotions? Or was there something different about this Kitsu that seemed to escape the forest. Sakoshi realized that he was thinking way to much into it and decided to let it go.

They would arrive at the small house that the sumo had built. He would approach the house and bow to the proprietor of the home. Then he would go off into the surrounding grounds to explore, unless he was called upon.

WC: 557

Staring at the trees, he would hear before he saw the arrival of the three individuals.  He would nod to each of the men, when Ren took his seat next to him.  “Living the dream”  He would simply say in response to how he was doing.  “Hope you are doing well, I know you have been more than a little busy, not getting worked too hard I hope.”  He would say with a half smile.  It was his understanding that Ren was to hold a decent level position with the village that was truly beginning to sprout up all around them.  The man was level headed and kind, so he felt that the job would suit him.
 
As he spoke he would watch as Sakoshi moved about the small plot of land that he somewhat called his own.  In truth it wasn’t his per say, but no one seemed to mind what he was doing, and that was good enough.  In the event Sakoshi got close to the dohyo and looked about to step over the corded boarder, he would yell out, “You have to bow first.”  Not with judgment, but just of a tone of a man who was passionate about what one was supposed to do.  Tradition remained a pillar of sumo, and he was unwilling to be one that let it crumble even a little. 
 
Once this was done or not done, he would look at the smiling face of Ren, his stomach turning just a little bit, which given its size was a heck of an accomplishment.  “Well….you know my….hesitation with roots.”  He would start out slowly.  Junko wasn’t the only person that had requested he stay after the tournament, it was well known that his initial intentions was to leave some weeks after his tournament.  “But…Junko has requested I do my best to help everyone that remains.  I think perhaps I have found a way to do that.”  He would go into the story of the samurai he had met In town and the abilities he knew.  The techniques of how to deal with shinobi in close combat, and utilizing weapons against them, even in the face of chakra abilities like ninjutsu and even genjutsu, the power to block fuinjutsu.  He admitted to Ren he didn’t understand all of the fine points of chakra control, but he was confident he could learn these abilities from the samurai. 
 
“My people rely on the strength of their back, or their arm.”  He would say, gesturing towards the kanobo that lay massive as it leaned against the door of his home.  “I know how to wield it, but I don’t know anything besides protection I could provide the village but…..maybe I could learn from this man, and pass it on to others…..for as long as I am here of course.”  He would finish.  The indecision plain that he was unsure of what his next steps where.  “He will only be here for the tournament, and I don’t think he would teach anyone, but we had sake and words….I think I could convince him to teach me….at a cost.”  He’d slide over a small scroll in which the samurai had put down how much it would cost to learn the techniques….and it wasn’t a small sum.

TWC - 1547

Ren would suddenly call him just as he was getting far enough away from the talking to feel nature's presence, which seemed to be quite powerful in this area. He took in a deep breath as he heard Ren's voice in his mind. He turned and walked towards the two of them. When he would arrive, he would be asked to give Ren the money that he had on him. Once he heard it was for Takeshiyama, he would gladly do so and hand him the money that he had. Then when he was released, he would leave and go back to the woods.

WC: 102
TWC: 658
EXIT

Starting Ryo: 52,000
Giving all money to Takeshiyama
Ending Ryo: 0

WC Claims:
12 AP
+658 words towards mastering Flower garden illusion (mastering for half handseals) (658/1500)

He neared a specific spot in this area that belonged to Takeshiyama, and he could hear him yell out that he needed to bow first before entering the corded area. He would decide to walk away from the area instead, he didn't want to mess anything up in that regard. It was shortly after this point that Ren would be calling him through the telepathy seal to come to them and give them all of his money. Sakoshi generally just stole Ren's money anyways, so he didn't bother with arguing. He would stroll over to where they sat and he would give Takeshiyama all of his money.

WC: 107
TWC: 664
EXIT

WC Claims:
+6 Charka (Bringing it to 89)
+495 towards Chakra Storage Seal (Complete) (Previous Progress)
Dumping remaining WC

Starting ryo: 30k
Giving all money to Takeshiyama
Ending ryo: 0 Ryo

Though he did his best, there was no way to hide the awkwardness from his face.  Much like Ren pontificated, Kaito had never cared much for money either.  It was a necessary thing like any resource but like others it was just meant to be spent to make one’s life easier.  Still, just as he would not seek to ask for food, water or shelter from another without providing his own item of value.  Still, he would accept the money gratefully and tuck it away in his robes so that it remained safe.  He would grunt a thanks to each of the men as they came and went without another word before leaning back with Ren.  

He would sip on sake while Ren enjoyed the tea.  Their conversation quickly moving away from that of finances and on to other things of the day.  When it was time to part he would stand with Ren, before bowing low.  Despite his massive height he would bow low enough so that his own head went below that of Ren’s even while he stood straight up.  “It’s for a good cause, I will ensure it.”  He would say before their farewells.  He would watch the man go, before walking back to his home.  He would gather up his bag and kanobo before patting his pocket making sure the entire sum was still there.  Making sure that it was, he would make his way down the same small road that Ren had gone until taking a different fork in the road.

His goal was the port town, and the bar contained within.  The kanobo was shouldered and out, his goal to use it in showing he was serious in the samurai’s offer, though the 150k ryo should have been more than enough to do that.  Still it didn’t hurt to have his bases covered.  

It wouldn’t take long before he was within the seaside village. It would take even less time before he was in the bar and ordering a familiar ceramic jug of sake from Daiki.  He wouldn’t have to wait long before the samurai made his appearance and he would slide up to him.  The conversation would be accented by the sake and their conversation would edge back towards the techniques that he had spoken of on their first encounter.  It wouldn’t take long before the man had had his fill of drinks, and Kaito would breach the subject.  

The night would continue and money would go between hands.  After that, deals were struck and that was that.  He hoped that the knowledge he would procur would help the village in a way that would eliminate any debt he had to Junko and then…..it was just a matter of eliminating his debt to Ren and co.

TWC - 2010

Exit

Claims

+20 chakra to wiggly woo

2k words to double master Flower garden for no handseals

Starting ryo 28,375 + 150k = 178,375 new total