In Search of Octo Friends

On the backs of the swift mounts that the four Konoha-nin rode on, the squad reached their destination far quicker than Tōri had estimated. In fact, they made such good time on their travels that the dipping sun just barely started to stain the sky red as they reached a hill that provided a vantage point of Haran Bay. The crescent-shaped coast was dotted with what looked like small fishing villages at the water’s edge. The villages looked to be suspended in the air on stilts near the water's edge; he was curious if it was indicative of a particularly intense tide they had to deal with.

Leaping down from his mount he would motion for the others to join him. Once all assembled Tōri would address the group before continuing.

“Since we’ve made it before nightfall we can do a little recon in the closest fishing village. It wouldn’t be surprising for the presence of the shinobi octopus clan to have created some interesting tales and myths. Let's enter the village staggered and try to see what intel we can gather on our own before reconvening. I'm sure a village of even this size has an inn that we can meet back up at for a meal before heading to the inn of my own making.”

If no further comments or questions were presented then he would head down on foot, not wanting to draw more attention than they already would as the outsiders they were to the villagers.

Along the way, every sight and splendor seemed to leave Natsuki dumbstruck; the forests that went on for miles, the rolling countryside, the quaint little villages along the way, the fucking ocean?! It was all so incredible, and the boy could scarcely believe that all of this was so nearby, mounts permitting. It all seemed so fast, he didn't get a single word out to his traveling companion and sensei.

This little slice of beachlife was no exception to his continuing awestruckedness, especially with the setting sun as a backdrop. Still, the young Uchiha was eager to put the day of traveling behind them for some well deserved rest and relaxation, but Tori had other plans. "Oh, we're starting? I thought we'd-" He stopped himself. "No no, nevermind." Tori was in charge, it wasn't his place to question orders. He just wasn't used to having a commanding officer. Dog walking never required something like that.

"It looks like some fishermen are coming in with today's haul," Natsuki started as he pointed down the beach. "I'll head beyond the village and head back up the beach, see what I can find out from them."

Truth be told, he was more keen to take a "stroll" on the beach- that was a thing, yeah? The thought of communing with those sailors scared him to his core, but perhaps he could build the courage along that stretch of scenery. He would wait to hear the others' plans before heading off.

The journey was faster than expected, likely because of the mounts they all rode. Amarok enjoyed it more than Nao of course, the dire wolf was at home in such wilds that they had journeyed through. For Nao though, this was the first time he had ever left the village. Even with his byakugan active the animals would move too fast for him to truly enjoy his sight seeing, but that was not the point of this trip. He could sight see later, they were there for a mission. Reaching their destination, Nao would dismount from Amarok as he listened to their Sensei explain the plan. He wasn't much of a people person, talking was never really one of his strong suits, with the exception of stating the obvious or making bullies second guess themselves. However, Nao would not argue with Tōri, if the man wanted them to gather Intel then that was what he would try to do.

If his byakugan was stronger he would have been able to keep an eye on all of them no matter how far apart they would get during their Intel gathering, unfortunately for him it was underdeveloped and still had much room for improvement. Nao would look to Amarok before giving the wolf a nod, without hesitation the wolf would bound off to the forest to hunt for its food. The last thing he needed was the large wolf causing a spectacle or even worst panic when they were supposed to be converted gathering Intel.

Natsuki mentioned going to speak to the fishermen that were returning with their haul of the day, a good place to start no doubt, Nao would look out from where they were to the nearby village, he was sure that there were a least a few travellers within the village. "I will look for fellow travelers, see if one of them might have seen or heard something on their journey." Nao stated trying to contribute something to the plan

The trip to the Land of Hot Springs had been much easier than Sera had anticipated. The animal companions that Tori and Nao had brought along made the travel easy on their own bodies, and with so many of them there, it was easy to keep a lookout. The sun was setting as the group got to their destination, or at least the relative area of their destination. A small fishing town popped up nearby on the coast that the team began to head towards. Tori gave them all instructions to begin gathering intel and everyone began to split up.  Since the area was so open, Sera didn’t think it was too worrisome for them to go off on their own. Natsuki offered to check out the beach and Nao left to go interview some other travelers.

Sera thought about who would know rumors or legends about the clan of sentient octopi.  Fishermen were a great start, but it was possible they may make up tall tales for entertainment as well. People who lived in the village for a long time had to have seen all sorts of things right? Maybe that would be a good place to start. “Okay, I’ll go ask around in the village about rumors and legends. I’m going to try and find some elderly folk who have been here awhile.” she would give the group a little wave and then head off towards the village!

Descending into the village Tōri slowly browsed the wares in the marketplace as he perked his ears for any gossip or whispers that might point him in the right direction. There was quite a commotion brewing at the fishmonger, which wasn’t particularly noteworthy in a fishing village, but the mention of quotas and cut nets perked his ears as he tuned into the conversation.

“-m I suppose to bring in big hauls with holes in my nets?!” A short but stout looking fisherman stood before the merchant, a fishnet with what appeared to be lacerated cuts creating holes in the tool. “Well that’s what you get for fishing by The Eye, not my problem. Fish in the waters outside the bay like the others to pick up on-” Drowned out by another explosive argument Tōri decided to work with the information he had gained to see where it might lead him.

Inquiring at a local distillery he spent a bit of money to get the stills flowing and workers talking, apparently The Eye was a formation of rocks that became more visible at night when the tide lowered that formed a maelstrom. While peaceful during the day fishermen were known to have particularly bad luck when fishing in that spot making it somewhat taboo.

Armed with more actionable knowledge he would head to the tavern to meet up and see what the others had gathered so they may finally seek these water-dwellers out.

As the group separated, Natsuki meandered on down to the beach. He couldn't help but keep his eyes fixed to the ocean and marvel at its scale, it was almost disorienting. Even the sand underfoot, so seemingly similar to any random riverside, felt so incomprehensibly deep. What else is there... What don't I know that I don't know? His lingering was interrupted by the sound of bells, an alert of boats as they came into harbor. Oh shit, right.

He stepped up a creaky and salt-soaked staircase and walked between the random mutterings of sailors passing in the setting sun. They swapped tales, both short and tall, of large catches, ideal spots, annoying maintenances, etc.. It was as foreign to Natsuki as their oceanic backdrop, but one conversation stuck out to him.

"Yeh'm, the sun musta bin playin' tricks on the water." The young Uchiha turned to the man's conversation, he wore a particular shade of green Natsuki had never seen before. "Them damn rocks, we was gettin' pulled in and just... fwoosh, went passed like nuttin'." Well that certainly sounds like something... "Yerp, we man'ged to git'er out the swell, never takin' spot advice from Gensou e'er 'gain."

Good enough for me, I suppose! His next step was to find that tavern that Tōri mentioned. Or... He felt out for chakra signatures, in search of one that was, frankly, ludicrous. He certainly wasn't hard to find, so Natsuki would be there as the rest arrived.

[Used Techniques]
Sensing Technique - A rank - 0.5 CP

289.5/290 CP

Nao quietly moved through the village, his byakugan scanning the faces of villagers, hoping to catch wind of any rumors or whispers that might lead to valuable intel. Spotting a group of travelers sitting outside a tavern, sharing stories and laughter of long journeys and distant lands over mugs of ale. Approaching them with a respectful nod, Nao hoped to glean any knowledge they might possess about the information that they were there looking for.

"Good travelers," Nao greeted them politely, "Have any of you encountered anything unusual or noteworthy in that area during your travels?" The travelers exchanged curious glances before a seasoned adventurer, adorned with travel-worn gear, spoke up. "Aye, the Eye," he said with a knowing nod, "a place of both wonder and peril. We passed by there not long ago and witnessed a sight that still haunts my dreams."

Nao's interest was immediately piqued. "Please, tell me more," he urged, leaning in to catch every detail. The adventurer's voice grew somber as he recounted their encounter. "As we sailed past The Eye, the waters began to churn and froth, as if some great beast lurked beneath the waves," he explained.

Nao listened intently, absorbing every word. "And did you see was causing it?" he pressed, his curiosity burning bright. The adventurer shook his head, his expression troubled. "No, we dared not linger there any longer than necessary," he admitted. "But I can tell you this, young one, there are forces at work in those waters that defy explanation."

Thanking the travelers for their insights, Nao mulled over the information as he made his way to his companions at the Inn. The tales of strange occurrences near whatever this Eye was seemed to be exactly what they were looking for.

As the group separated, Sera wondered where she should start her interrogation or investigation. She would enter town and look for some sort of park or public gathering place that she could talk to people at and finally found what might be her winning ticket. In the center of town were several benches circling a garden, decorated with a fountain in the middle. A young couple was sitting on one bench, but they were making goo-goo eyes at each other. Sera guessed that they wouldn’t be too much help.

Another bench sported a couple of elderly men who seemed to be playing some sort of card game. She didn’t want to interrupt their game, but this was a mission and they seemed more willing to talk than the teens. With a bright smile, Sera approached the two men and greeted them. “Hello! My name is Sera and I’m here on a mission searching for some especially intelligent octopi. Do either of you two know anything about that? It could be a tale of a kraken or missing food or anything really.”

One of the elders wrinkled their nose in thought and then turned to Sera with a scowl. “Yeah that’s right! When I was young there was a group of octopusses that loitered around the village. There was one I thought was my friend. One day they all just vanished though! Stopped coming here altogether and the fishing went down ever since. I swear it was so much better back then…” The old man’s voice began to devolve into muttering and he started to go back to his game. “Thank you very much.” Sera would nod with a smile and go off to find the inn they were going to stay at.

Opening the door to the village’s inn Tōri found a table for his team and ordered a pot of tea and some dumplings for the table to snack on as he waited for them. Pouring himself a pot of tea after it was quickly brought out he gave the cup a whiff before taking a sip. It seemed a perfectly standard green tea, something he wasn’t the biggest fan of but it was still nice in the slightly cooler climate they found themselves in being right on the seaside.

The dumplings were brought out fairly quickly too, surprising Tōri as he gave a tip to the server with his thanks. Plucking one up with a pair of provided chopsticks he would dip it in some soy sauce before popping it in his mouth. Unsurprisingly they had a medley of seafood in them along with a blend of veggies that made for a very fresh and delicious meal.

As the others would join he would raise his hand a place a new order of dumplings as well as extend the invitation for the genin to order whatever they wanted. Once all together he would relay the information he learned, hoping they would be able to pinpoint the hidden village's exact location with all their pieces.

“I’ve learned of a formation of rocks out on the water that forms a maelstrom at night with the receding waters that evidently is somewhat of a bad omen to the fishermen in the area. The locals call this location The Eye and certainly seems a location worth checking out.”

Sitting beside Tori, Natsuki was eager to fill his belly with some of these delicious treats and wasted no time ordering some for himself. An outing with the Senju was always a portent of free treats, it seemed. As the others and the food arrived in convenient timing, Natsuki would nod in understanding towards Tori's discoveries before contributing his own.

"Mmm, I think I ran into some fisherfolks that got caught up in this 'The Eye' thing! By the sounds of it, they passed right through one of the rocks as if it weren't there." He took a brief pause, in equal parts to shovel some dumplings into his mouth and to contemplate the implications of this. "If I had to guess, there's probably a way of navigating the maelstrom safely!"

"If we had an 'eye' of our own in the sky," Natsuki continued with a brief glance towards Sera, who rode in on Tori's flying mount, "then we might be able to find a path through it." He was unfamiliar with Nao's special eyes beyond the fact that he seemed to be able to see out of them, so he wasn't blind, but they would also be a valuable asset in this endeavor.