Pancake Party

Missions Attempted
Pancake Challenge
Cleaning Duty

Junko would stretch slightly as the two of them began exiting the bar with each other. So far she was having a rather nice day, the sky was sunny and cloudless, and she got to spend some time with Akabayashi. There was one last thing she needed to do before she could complete her errands for the day, then she would probably retire to the tower to get started on some dreadful paperwork after seeing him out of the village. Though she wished for her busy day to be over with, she wanted to savor her remaining time by his side and continued her happy, upbeat demeanor.

It was roughly mid-afternoon as they two began to walk the streets once more, heading to Darkside with their hands interlocked if he allowed. The owner recently requested that she come to participate in the Pancake Challenge, hoping her triumph would encourage others to give it a shot. Apparently, Hasu had come when it originally opened and was the first person to complete it, though Junko wondered how that small girl could possibly eat 10 pancakes. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to complete the task herself, and would likely need to use clones to aid her in her endeavor.

If she was to do that, however, she would need to use one of her blood techniques to summon a few copies of herself. Usually, she was scared to do such a thing since she didn’t want to be judged for ability, though she figured he’d find out eventually. She’d shift her gaze to look at him as she began to speak up in her normal, melodic voice.

”I hope you’re hungry because we’re about to eat a bunch of pancakes. The owner of Darkside asked me to come in and try their “Pancake Challenge” in hopes that it’d attract more customers, so of course I said yes. I hope you don’t mind.”

She’d giggle slightly before returning her attention to the street ahead of them.

WC: 337

He would hold her hand and follow her back to Darkstar to enter the pancake competition, it seemed jutsu were allowed, so he had just the trick. "I don't think I could eat that many, but I know someone who can." As they were sat down and there orders taken Akabayashi would lay out a corpse storage scroll and call forth the body of a bulky man. A rod of black metal seemed to materialize in Akabayashi's hand as he spun it in his hand before thrusting it through the stomach of the corpse on the table.

It would open its eyes the rings within similar to his own. It would raise its torso and climb off the table. "This is Asura." he would say as if making corpses move was an easy endeavor. As the pancakes arrived he would take a few and eat them slowly, while Asura ate the remainder quickly.

Once, they had finished Asura would go his own direction. "Don't worry about him, he is going to find my bodyguard." As he said the path made its way to the gates and met up with the Uchiha woman. When it arrived she already knew where it had come from. She would fold her arms. "Hurry, the hell up Akabayashi." The path would shake its head no.

Meanwhile Akabayashi was headed to the next destination with Junko to clean. Maybe, he should have kept Asura around to help.

WC: 245

The two of them would soon enter Darkside, and she’d request a room in the back so they could have a bit of privacy as they enjoyed her meal. She also didn’t want any prying eyes to potentially see the technique she intended to do once they had been seated. Once the waitress had taken their order and left their side, Junko watched as Akabayashi pulled out one of the scrolls he had shown her previously. She’d offer him a curious look, tilting her head slightly to the left as summoned the body of a rather large man.

Junko would jump slightly as a rod materialized in his hands and he plunged it into the corpse on the table. Any sane person at this moment would be absolutely horrified, but she couldn’t help but be fascinated. She’d watch as the corpse rose from the table and took a seat with them. Junko offered Akabayashi a nod as he introduced the creature as Asura, though didn’t give any information as to what he had just done. Since he had been so open with her about other things, she assumed it’d be all right for her to inquire about this as well.

”If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly did you just do? You make bringing a corpse to life seem so easy, I’d love to know how it works.”

If he explained, she’d listen to his words and soak up the information he provided. Though once he was done speaking, from under the table Junko would pull out one of the kunai strapped around her thigh. She’d slide the blade across her left-hand palm, and make a superficial wound before putting the kunai back where it had been. Allowing a bit of her blood to drop to the floor beside her, she’d whistle a string of hand seals and two identical copies of Junko would spring into existence. Turning her attention to Akabayashi once more, she offered him a smile as a bit of blood continued to trickle down her fingertips.

”There’s no way I could eat all of them by myself either, I’d probably get so sick.”

Looking back at her hand once more, she’d whistle another string of hand seals and the wound would seemingly begin to stitch itself back together. Once it had been completely closed, Junko would use some napkins along with a bit of water she conjured to wipe off her hands. Thankfully by the time the waitress arrived with their pancakes, she looked to be back to normal. She had ordered a different kind than Akabayashi, and offered to let him try a bite of hers if he wished. If he accepted, Junko would cut him a piece with her fork and hold it out to feed it to him.

It wouldn’t be too long before they finished the challenge and Asura left their side. She felt reassured as Akabayashi mentioned that he was going to go meet with his bodyguard and offered him her hand as they began to exit the building. Their last destination was her old home, it had been quite some time since she visited and the person who she had hired to maintain it for her recently came down with a cold. Though she had only lived in the place for a few months, there were so many memories within the walls. Some were happy and joyful, though others often brought feelings of dread or loneliness.

She felt thankful that Akabayashi was by her side, she felt confident that her emotions wouldn’t get the better of her with him around. As they walked Junko would have her clone's trail behind the two of them, thinking it’d be smart to have more helping hands.

”Our last stop is the first home I owned on the island, there’s a few cleaning tasks I need to do there but it’s nothing too bad. Then afterward I suppose I’ll show you out of the village if you think you’ll be ready to go.”

His departure from Tsukigakure was rapidly approaching, and Junko couldn’t help but feel a bit of sadness at the thought. For the time being, she’d maintain her happy and cheery demeanor, not wanting him to see her upset. Soon the two of them would come upon her home, it was a large, two-story building that looked to be recently renovated to fit the other houses within the village. On the side of it was a small but beautiful orchard filled with different kinds of fruit trees, and lush flower beds could be seen in front of the home.

Walking inside, Junko would call out to see if anyone was still around for the day. There were a handful of people still living within its halls, but during the afternoon it was usually empty since most of the inhabitants had jobs to attend to. Her clones quickly got to work cleaning the various windows and tending to any needed yard work. Junko would then ask if Akabayashi would prefer to sweep or do some dusting. She then began doing whatever task he didn’t pick and assisted him in his if he needed it.

WC: 871
Total WC: 1208

He would place his hand to his mouth in a thinking pose. "Hmm..." To tell her the rod asks as a reciever for his chakra and the body is like a doll which he can move and explore the world with or to keep that to himself? He would make a proposal somewhere between yes and no on revealing that secret. He would hold up five fingers. "Five dates and I will explain the technique. I can't reveal everything too early." It was like with talking about his masks which she had already seen, he said if there was a second date he would show her how they worked and he had. This was similar.

Blood clones never have seen that before. However his focus was on something else she was bleeding. He was planning to use his threads to sew the wound together, but it was unnecessary as after she spoke and whistled the wound closed. He would take a napkin along with her palm and begin wiping it dry. Just an excuse to hold her hand some more he knew she likely would have done this herself.

He would accept the offered food eating it like a typical couple would while sampling one anothers plates. Asura was too fast with eating as he rolled the pancakes up and appeared as if he was almost shoving them down his throat. So, he was unable to offer any off his plate in return as he had only eaten one.

The moment he was dreading leaving. I do not think I am ready to go, but will I ever be? "You know if I couldn't come back here in seconds I would not leave. If you would like to come to Kiri I can bring you along. You would be gone a day or less if you chose." The invite was sincere as they neared her home and went inside to clean. It seemed unoccupied as Junko called out and no one responded. As he was asked he would take the broom and summon the masks from his back. Along with making two identical wood clones of himself. The faster this finished the more time he had with Junko.

The beasts flew up and dusted the ceiling, took out the trash, swept and mopped. After they had finished the masks would return to his body. He had a pained look he never wore. Until he saw Junko, whether she saw him first he did not worry about as his face returned to normal. He would use the mop in his hand to lean on if she approached. Once within reach he would let the mop fall and hold her, picking her up so that their faces would be at the same elevation if she allowed. "I hate having to leave. Usually, this would be the part where I'd whistle teleport us to the gate then to Kiri. But I feel you would not like me for that." He was saying the keep it to yourself part out loud. The wild untamed intrusive thoughts.

"That would be rather selfish of me, which is usually what I am. But not with you. I care about your desire to see this village succeed, your love of art and music, your interest in biology. So, many things that make up Junko." If she wanted to get the mushy goodbye out of the way now was likely the time as they were alone.

WC: 584
TWC: 829

She understood why he wanted to wait to tell her more about his techniques. Junko appreciated what he had already told her so she didn’t feel the need to push him. After offering him an agreeing nod, she’d happily say she was looking forward to it. Soon she’d make her blood clones, though he didn’t make any remarks about their creation. He instead seemed to be more concerned that she was hurt. Though she enjoyed the throbbing sensation in her palm and the warm feeling of her blood trickling from her fingertips, she knew it wasn’t a good look and decided to fix herself up.

Thankfully after whistling a few hand seals, the wound would seemingly stitch itself together. As she began to wipe off the remains, he’d reach out and instead would do it for her. A light blush could be seen on her cheeks as he watched him remove the crimson from her fingertips. Soon their food would arrive, and Junko couldn’t help but be a bit disturbed by the way Asura shoved pancakes into his mouth. She’d attempt to keep her focus on her food and Akabayashi, occasionally offering him a bit of hers with a smile.

It wouldn’t be too long before they both had successfully completed the challenge, and the two of them began heading towards her home. As they walked, Akabayashi would mention that he wouldn’t be leaving if he wasn’t able to instantly return as he wished. He then would offer to bring her to Kiri with him, noting that she’d only be gone for a day or so. She’d think on this for a few moments, seemingly wrestling with her thoughts. Junko felt stuck between her personal wants and tending to her village duties. After a minute or so she’d look up to him with a warm, but apologetic expression on her face as she spoke.

”As much as I’d love to join you, I have too much going on to just leave. In the future when I’m far less busy I’d feel more comfortable stepping out for a bit, but for now, I need to be here.”

Soon they arrived at Junko’s and after Akabayashi summoned his masks they all began cleaning her home. Thankfully it didn’t take them too long, and the people currently living in the home kept it rather neat so there wasn’t too much to do. While tidying up her bedroom, she noticed a few things she had yet to move over to the Kage tower. After briefly looking over her belongings, she’d pocket something and make her way downstairs once more. Once she was happy with the home, she’d have her clones see to a few other tasks within the village and they would leave the home. As she returned to his side, Junko briefly saw a pained expression across his face, though once he noticed her it changed back to normal.

Once she was within arm's length of him, he’d move to pick her up, which she allowed him to do. Her legs were wrapped gently around his waist, his hands propped her up as they held her back, upper thighs. Junko’s arms would gently rest on his shoulders as she held him close to her, her right hand would move to play with his hair gently if he allowed. She’d attempt to press her forehead against his as he began to speak about his dislike for having to leave her side. He’d mention that this was normally when he’d attempt to whisk her away, though knew she’d be upset if he decided to.

Continuing on he’d explain that it would be rather selfish to do so, which he normally was. However, seemingly with Junko, he cared about her interests and ambitions to see the village flourish. If he allowed, she’d gently rub her nose up against his before pulling back slightly and speaking up. Her voice was warm and reassuring as she attempted to comfort him about the soon-to-be distance between the two of them.

”I promise I’ll join you there one day, but for now, I appreciate you respecting my wishes. Though I’m sad you’ll be leaving, I’m excited to see you again soon and can’t wait for our next date night. Oh! Also, I have something for you, just a small token for you to remember me by.”

Pulling out from the bust of her dress, Junko showed him a finely made silver necklace. A pendant in the shape of a water drop hung from the chain, with a dark red gem embedded into it. She had it commissioned originally to resemble a drop of blood, but since he was from Kiri she felt as if the gift could be justified. If he accepted it, she’d hand it over to him happily.

WC: 806
Total WC: 2014

Putting on a necklace while holding her would be awkward, but he would gladly accept the jewelry. "I didn't get you anything. Thank you, Junko." He would place her on the counter to sit then take the necklace off of her and put it on. He would have to remember to get her a gift the next time he saw her, maybe an overly expensive book. He did not think she would want something flashy.

"Alright, well its time for me to go." He would teleport to the gates suddenly with a quick whistle. Was the goodbye anticlimactic yes, was it the goodbye? No. When he got to the gate Yoshinori was about to talk to him, but he put up a finger for her to wait a minute. Then he would teleport back to Junko's kunai. "I'm a whistle away. So this is not goodbye, its I will see you soon." He would kiss her forehead and let her speak. After she had finished he would whistle once more this time with a certainty he would not be returning today.

At the gates he would take Yoshinori's and his paths hands and teleport to his seal by the interdiction barrier. From there he would step out of the barrier into the borders of moon and teleport back to Kiri.

WC: 223
TWC: 1053
Claims: Claims: 32,500 ryo. 2,000 mission rewards and 30,000 from rank. (Kage) Converting 10ap to 500 ryo. -1 FTG kunai given to Junko.
Exit to Moon borders via Flying Thunder God

Junko offered him a sweet smile as he mentioned that he hadn’t gotten her anything, she then shook her head slightly and indicated that it was all right. He then would place her on a nearby countertop, accept her gift, and then secure it around his neck. Akabayashi would then mention that it was time for him to go, and without a proper goodbye, he popped out of her kitchen. She immediately became a bit saddened since she felt like she didn’t get to say all that she wanted. However, even if given a few more hours, she didn’t feel like she’d be ready to part ways.

It was probably for the better that he left so abruptly, it felt similar to ripping a bandaid off in a way. If they had prolonged their goodbyes, it would have just been more agonizing for both of them, so this was far easier. Though before she could jump down from the countertop, he reappeared in front of her once more. Admittedly she looked to be a bit distraught but perked up slightly as she listened to his reassuring words. He then moved to offer her a kiss on the forehead, which she leaned into and closed her eyes gently. Pulling away from each other, Junko looked up to him, her eyes looked to be watering a bit though she wasn’t fully crying.

”I’ll be here when you return, don’t stay away too long alright?”

If he allowed, Junko would kiss him on the cheek before he disappeared once more. She’d linger in her empty kitchen for a few moments, though she knew he wouldn’t be returning she hoped he would. Minutes passed, and the loneliness that once plagued her mind began to creep in once more. Not thinking it wise to linger within her empty home, she’d make her way back to the Kage tower.

(EXIT)

WC: 316
Total WC: 2330

2750/2750 Seal of Absorption 1x Mastery for Power previous training here (1539 wc used)
791/1000 Upgrading Damage Reduction Shield from B to A Rank

Mission Rewards:
Base  Rewards: 2,000 Ryo / 10 AP
Beloved Presence doubles it to 4,000 Ryo/ 20 AP
Converting 20 AP to 1,000 Ryo
+10,000 per mission from Village Leader Rank (20k total)
Total Reward: 25,000 Ryo