Going for a Stroll

In order to fully experience society and all it had to offer, Arisu decided that it might be best to go out and actually exist in a populated area. Despite being uncomfortable here still, and having yet to adapt to this world, she needed to integrate into it and fast if she was to have a chance to blend in seamlessly.

It would be better for everyone if she was just another citizen of Kirigakure, nothing special about her other than her shinobi status, and with that, nothing special either. She didn't broadcast who she was, and to the other shinobi, she was Arisu Tsuki, hiding her true identity as an Otsutsuki in the wake of Zurui.

The current Mizukage wasn't likely to respond kindly to another Otsutsuki considering Zurui's attack of the hospital and his use of Eden as a Path of Pain. Still, Arisu was glad it had happened. He had died, and with it his Rin'negan destroyed, which was the entire reason she was in this dimension. Had he succeeded, he would still be alive and she would be awaiting her time to be chosen to rule some other place.

-

Arisu walked through the market district, watching the civilians and shinobi milling about. Unlike them, she wasn't here to shop around for anything, but to merely observe and gather information. She had to see how other people interacted here, and what sort of things the average person talked about and discussed. What people liked to buy, and where people liked to go.

She had chosen a simple long black kimono and sandals to walk around in, although she had her shinobi headband used as a diagonal eyepatch for the time being, still identifying her as a shinobi. Most people tended to leave her alone, as they assumed she was on patrol or had business in the area, and that was good for matters of people watching.

Tsubaki had her errands to run after being away from Kirigakure for so long. The tournament she participated in had many delays and for the most part felt like a circus. She was insulted to be put up against such a worthless foe. She had time to rethink her performance over the ship ride back to the Land of Water and hike back to Kirigakure. She was a bit disappointed seeing the other competitors in their battle regiment while she was stuck wearing her casual clothing. Although she proved to not need armor in her fight against the chocolate man she needed to be more prepared for situations. She wore a pair of blue shinobi sandals and a black haori kimono. She wore a pair of short black shorts which were naturally concealed by the haori kimono's length. A gold, red, and white sash was tied around her waist to keep everything intact, Under her kimono on her body she wore a simple mesh shirt which was cheap and easily disposable. Tsubaki herself is of short height among her clan, standing only 5'6 and weighing 140 lbs. Her skin was pale, eyes a sapphire blue, and hair a long, silky white extending to her lower back. She wore no makeup, yet her natural complexion made her remarkably beautiful.

The streets were busy as usual. Every since Kirigakure's big plans of development the population has gone up drastically in a "baby boom." In a way Tsubaki missed the simple village aesthetic. No skyscrapers and technology was sparse. It was more reason to stay in the clan district where conservatism was popular. But there were some services that her clan did not offer. Armor was no popular for many reasons, primarily that the Kaguya had little need for it. To be able to sprout a solid point defense on a whim made iron and leather useless. At least that's what most people in her clan saw. Tsubaki was a bit different having experienced more of the world beyond the walls of the village than most of the elders had. A solid uniform of armor did more than keep one protected from attacks. It insulated the wearer from weather and gave a sense of professionalism. She learned this in her time in Kumogakure and wanted to test this. She was even willing to purchase some generic tools to add onto the aesthetic.

Maybe now I don't have to waste my bloodline ability on such a worthless foe... She thought to herself still seething about the tournament, but calm for the most part. She had placed a large order at the local weapon smith for some basic gear to be delivered to the Kaguya Clan District gates, which would then be transferred to the palace for her use. She'd fold the long receipt neatly before stuffing it in her bosom where it would disappear completely into the void. A few paces through the streets after exiting the shop she had an odd gut feeling of being watched. She shifted her eyes to the left across the street where her feeling became true catching a pretty young woman with sickly pale skin, a long black kimono, white hair and blue eyes. The woman's eyes shifted from Tsubaki, possibly not even acknowledging that they met eyes for a brief moment before she began scrying on other passerby. She had remarkable traits that could be tied to Kaguya lineage, yet Tsubaki was unfamiliar with the woman.

She was naturally allured by her, crossing the streets to her making her path directly and not discreet. "Hey, you look familiar. Are you Kaguya?" Either this woman was a clan mate and was never introduced or she hit the generic jackpot. No matter the answer Tsubaki approved of her. The woman's body language was friendly and somewhat bubbly which was not seen often from the public and even those close to her in her own clan.

[Buying:
Kunai | 100 ryo ea. x16
Shuriken | 100 ryo ea. (Buki) x20
Steel Wire | 100 ryo per 15 feet. (Simple) x 10
Fuuma Shuriken | 3,000 ryo ea. Collapsible and detachable blades. (Buki) x10
Chokuto | 15,000 ryo ea. (Ken)
Explosive Tag | 1,500 ryo ea. 15 feet blast radius. x20
Flash Bomb | 1,000 ryo ea. 15 feet blast radius. x4
Smoke Bomb | 1,000 ryo ea. 10 cubic meters of smoke. x4
Chili Pepper Bomb | 1,000 ryo ea. 10 cubic meters of gas. x10
Large Sealed Weapon Scroll | 3,000 ryo ea.
Baldric | 50 ryo ea.
Backpack | 50 ryo ea.
Hip Pouch | 50 ryo ea.
Holster | 25 ryo ea. x3
Bandage Wrap | 500 ryo ea. x2]

As she walked through the streets, it was almost inevitable that someone had to step in and approach her, although Arisu was surprised by the appearance of this new girl. Tsubaki was a little shorter than Arisu, but only by a couple of inches. She wore a kimono as well, although there could be no doubt in the slightest that this girl was a shinobi. She didn't need to be wearing any sort of gear to prove that to her. The receipt from the weapon's shop was enough to give her that information on its own, something she'd glanced over a few moments before.

Judging by her appearance though, their similarities were what had drawn the girl over here in the first place. The girl in front of her sported gorgeous long white hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. She held herself like one above the common rabble as well, so Arisu had little reason to think she was anything other than nobility, or if not, she certainly dressed like one.

After being asked whether she was Kaguya or not, Arisu tensed up. In either case, the answer was the same, although Arisu wasn't sure which she was asking. "No, I'm not. My name is Arisu Tsuki." she replied, giving the name that meant moon rather than the full Otsutsuki that she was hiding. "Although, I believe that our bloodlines come from the same source." she gave her that much. Either she would know what that meant or she wouldn't, but she didn't really want to broadcast her exact nature to someone who wasn't knowledgeable about these things.

The Kaguya were descendants of the Otsutsuki clan, although they had deviated a little in terms of their abilities as the Kaguya mixed more with humans. They were still more pure than most however, and Arisu viewed them as a clan of divine nature.

With the streets bustling as it normally is Inarie was left with just a short list of things to get. Mostly because she's saving the money for a future investment not just to herself but to the village as a whole. Still Inarie can't neglect the necessities for the average Genin to have. The bombs will have to wait for later unfortunately, but seeing the different kinds of them gives Inarie a better idea of what she could use. Additionally it help give Inarie some indication of what she wants to do.

Inarie is a young lady standing at 5'9” wearing a plain midnight blue kimono. Her long wavy platinum hair pulled up into a fluffy tail with her bangs braided alongside her head. Freely exposing the metallic sapphire blue scales on her cheeks. Scales that takes on the form of bat wings that stretches to under her rose red-pink eyes. Inarie's piercing gaze wandering from one face to another until finally they set upon two individuals.

One of which brings tension upon Inarie's shoulders she recognized to be Tsubaki Kaguya, clan leader of the Kaguya clan. For the sake of avoiding the daily dose of shun Inarie normally avoids contact with the other Kaguya. However the other individual was someone Inarie does not recognize. Yet the characteristics were similar, or perhaps Inarie was just imagining it? The scales on the back of her delicate hands tingle with nerves like invisible needles stabbing into them as it was equivalent to goosebumps.

From the headband suggests that this lady was a shinobi of Kirigakure as Inarie's own headband is wrapped around her neck with the steel plate facing forward. So at the very least Inarie should become acquainted with this person given they're working for the same village. Besides she figured that if she was to lead anything Inarie had to try to not avoid her own family despite their tendency to shun her. So Inarie walks through the crowd minding people's movements as her sandals tap softly onto the ground. Up to close distance to Arisu and Tsubaki before Inarie presented a bow in respect to Tsubaki.

“Greetings to you Tsubaki-sama, I trust the tournament was pleasant?” Raising a question like this was normal… Right? Inarie presents a trademark soft smile on her lips. Of course Inarie turns her attention to Arisu and gives the same amount of respect by bowing as a form of greeting. When Inarie straightens herself she maintains eye contact with Arisu as she held her smile. “And pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Inarie Yoru Kaguya, Genin of Kirigakure. I'm afraid i didn't catch your name.”

Buying:

Tsubaki was taken back with surprise when Arisu said she was not a Kaguya which showed plainly on her face. The woman did state they were similar, their clans coming from the same ancestor. Tsubaki was unsure if this girl was trying to mess with her head. In a sense all clans did come from Lady Kaguya. How closely related to her was the difference. The Kaguya Clan are direct descendants which made them unique. To her knowledge, though, there was no other clan that had such close ties to Kaguya herself. The only other clan she knew of which were similar to Kaguya Otsutsuki were the Otsutsuki. Tsubaki had brief contact with two of their members and what they were capable of. The attack at the hospital was the result of a feud between Zurui Otsutsuki and Takeo. Now deceased, Zurui was still quite the power adversary in his prime being able to take on the Mizukage himself as well as some of his subordinates. Being so closely related to Kaguya Otsutsuki Tsubaki did not doubt how powerful that clan one and overall reminded her how blessed she was to be apart of the Kaguya Clan.

Alas, Arisu was not apart of the Otsutsuki. "Oh? I'm not familiar with the Tsuki clan. What's special about it?" Tsubaki inquired wanting to learn more about the girl's ability. Part of her was still a bit skeptical. Arisu was frail looking. If she was anything like the Kaguya she would have a more robust frame. One that looked like it could dish out damage and take some as well. Her skin and bone appearance would without a doubt make her a laughing stock in the district as a Kaguya. The women were expected to have voluptuous bodies, which of course were done by a steady exercise routine and diet. This started at a young age and evolved into a healthy life style. The Kaguya female especially were fed well during puberty. As such their body maximized on estrogen production giving them their maximum curvature during their puberty. Towards the end they would shed off their excess weight into a much more ideal number and in a pinch become the archetype of beauty or fertility. The men were expected to be equally attractive in muscular development. It would seem that very little ugly or out of shape people existed in the clan. As one that focused greatly on physical performance that was to be expected.

A newcomer would join the two talking. Tsubaki picked up her approach from the crowd as one person split from the traffic and made a linear path to the from the corner of her peripheral. Tsubaki shifted her head first detecting the white hair. It was another Kaguya look alike, but unlike Arisu she was actually a member...somewhat. Tsubaki's face displayed neither disgust or happiness when she recognized who it was. Greasy reptile...

The first words that Tsubaki could use to describe that mutt. She was a prime example as to why the Kaguya kept themselves closed off from the public. Without a doubt Inarie's mother dealt with harassment in public. A good set of blood lineage was ruined by Inarie's other half of her blood. A dragonic species that Tsubaki was not familiar with. In a way she felt pity for Inarie to not be born with the pure genetics of the Kaguya. She was ruined because of her mother's inability to keep her head straight and instead breed with the closest male in her sight. It was no surprise the father was never around.

Tsubaki kept her best impressions, however. She would respond to Inarie without giving a lot of emotion or detail. "It was fine. I got bored of it rather quick." Tsubaki stepped aside letting Inarie and Arisu conversate for a bit. Her hand briefly reached back into the void where she retrieved the folded receipt. Tearing off the bottom end she would also retrieve a pen. Jotting down a specific address and signature she'd store the pen and receipt before handing the slip of paper to Arisu. "So anyways, I was in the middle of running some errands. If you want to swing by the clan district sometime I'll be happy to have you as a guest, Arisu-san. Just show the piece of paper to the gates at the clan district and they will let you in. Dinner is always served at six o'clock. I hope to be seeing you." Performing a curtsy to Arisu she dismissed herself from the group heading over to the village's artisan armorer.

[Exit]

It appeared that Tsubaki did not pick up on the similarity between the Otsutsuki and the name she gave, or if she did, she was completely discreet. Either way, Arisu did not give any indication that it mattered to her, and simply sighed. "Unfortunately, it's not quite that easy to explain what makes my clan unique. We all have different specialties. Unless you have sensory abilities, I doubt you'd be able to tell, but I myself have immense chakra reserves." she explained. She wasn't sure what more she could really say at the moment, as they were still out in public, but she was saved from having to say anything at all by the appearance of yet another Kaguya.

It seemed that the clan was thriving well enough, although Tsubaki seemed quick to get back to her errands as Inarie approached. Inarie had mentioned that some sort of tournament had taken place, but Tsubaki quickly shot back that she had gotten bored of it rather quickly, which either meant she had lost, or had left before completing it. Accepting the offered paper, Arisu curtsied back. "I shall certainly do so." Maybe then she would be able to speak more frankly.

As Tsubaki moved off, Arisu turned her attention to the newcomer. "Arisu Tsuki, also a genin of Kirigakure." This one was an interesting one for certain, with a scaly appearance. She was either an anomaly of Kaguya, or she was of mixed clans. "What tournament were you talking about? That, Tsubaki was it, was in?" She had only picked up on Tsubaki's name due to Inarie referring to her as Tsubaki-sama. The curvy Kaguya hadn't actually introduced herself before leaving, but Arisu didn't really care all that much about it.

Tsubaki’s response was something that Inarie expected as in the open most if not all of the other Kaguya feel embarrassed and even humiliated just to be within Inarie’s presence. Still Inarie was a bit concerned though her expression doesn’t show on what exactly Tsubaki was implying. There was no room to question about that as Tsubaki seems to have invited the later introduced Arisu Tsuki. Apparently the Kaguya leader was in the midst of errands, and with a farewell just towards Arisu Tsubaki departed into the crowd. ’I hope one day we can get along…’

Then Arisu turned her attention towards Inarie who introduced herself in similar if not the same respect. The way her eyes scan over Inarie she can feel that Arisu is probably looking at her scales on her face that looks like bat wingspan reaching up to the bottom of her eyes. Her eyeliner hopefully either enhancing her red-pink rose eyes in terms of appearance or perhaps appeal to the dark blue scales that appear strangely metallic as they hold that particular shine to it. It was a bit surprising that Arisu is also a genin, but Inarie smiled a bit more earnest this time as it wouldn’t appear like it is forced.

”I see, well in that case i hope you progress smoothly around here. I’m currently in search for a sensei, but haven’t made progress on that.” Admitting that she hasn’t been taught save for herself, but if Arisu also speaks that she isn’t in a team either then perhaps Inarie could propose a plan to form their own team. As it would be Inarie, Chi, and Arisu as a team of genin. Arisu asked about the tournament, and while Inarie figured that at least everyone has heard of it she didn’t rule out the possibility that some might have been in the dark. ”There is a tournament called the World Shinobi Tournament supposedly held at Kumogakure, or at least sanctioned by the Raikage. Tsubaki-sama departed to participate in this tournament as it was supposed to have strong elite fighters, but i don’t know much more than that I’m afraid.”

There was an awkward silence between the two as Inarie felt like the conversation would be turned to Arisu. However she hasn’t spoken yet and appears to be absent-minded. So Inarie respectfully bowed before speaking once again.

”Well it was very lovely to meet you Arisu-sama. I must be going I’m afraid.”

With that being said Inarie bid her farewell to Arisu and made a quick stop to several shops. Inarie knew what she was looking for since that was the reason she was here in the first place.

Items Bought:

[exit]

Arisu had started to find herself a little faint during the conversation, not something that was an odd occurrence to her, given that she was a sickly individually and usually had to dedicate a portion of her chakra to suppressing the illness that had plagued her since she was born. She hadn't intended on spacing out on Inarie, but such was life, these things happened. She drew back to a mindful present as Inarie bowed to her.

Muttering in reply, Arisu bowed back, eyes still a little bit glazed over. "A pleasure." It was more of an absent minded reply, but she still made the effort to do so. Conversation wasn't honestly her strong suit, and there were other factors of course which had contributed to the death of the conversation as it was.

With that, they went their separate ways.

-Exit-