En Route to Tomorrow

It had been such an impactful morning, despite their training session being, by all accounts, fairly short. Still, a combination technique had been formulated, his first simulated combat encounter had been completed, and Natsuki's fundamental understanding of the shinobi world was thrown off balance. His head stills swirled with notions of danger and loss; how, even if he didn't become a shinobi in the first place, his life- and the lives of those precious to him- could still be threatened by the realities of this world. Giant monsters were one of them, sure, but Natsuki couldn't help but wonder about what other dangers he didn't know he didn't know.

Even the streets looked different, somehow. Besides the obvious damage from Chomei's rampage being repaired, it all seemed so... flimsy- so insecure. The only thing set in stone right now was dango, and he could certainly use a treat right now. In truth, he had worked hard, and every wayward thought ended the same way: treat yo self.

As the three of them walked, Natsuki kept his hands in the pockets of his haori, keeping his head down as he so often did- not out of sorrow or a general embarrassment for being in public, but because that was his default. "So what's this place called again?"

The member 'Natsuki Uchiha' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

After the physically and mentally taxing morning practice the three konoha-nin made their way to the spot where he had recalled seeing the food cart the day before. Tōri was glad the two were receptive to a reprieve from the training for a more social outing, especially with how heavy of a topic they had ended on.

“It’s called ‘Dango Good Eats’, ah yes, over there!” Pointing to a wheeled food cart with an elderly man behind with its absurd name painted above on a sign. “My treat. Get however many you want.” Waiting for the two of them to order before placing his own Tōri would raise two fingers and point at some matcha covered ones that were calling his name before giving in and raising a third finger to complete his order.

“The matcha ones are particularly good, I can’t recommend enough if you're a fan.”

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

Sera wiped the sweat from her brow as she walked alongside her teammates en route to a dango shop. She wasn’t usually a sweets kind of person, and instead preferred savory food, but she was open to new things. When they got to the shop, Natsuki and Tori seemed to be pretty pumped and already seemed to have an idea of what they wanted to order. Tori recommended the matcha covered ones and so Sera would mimic his movements, asking the shopkeep for just one of the same. “I’d like to give it a try! I don’t know if I’ve really had matcha before, but it looks good.” Sera smiled at her friend and teacher and tried to keep the mood light. They had just come from discussing more heavy matters, so it would be nice to just relax as a change of pace. “Do you both come here often?”

The member 'Sera' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

Natsuki was certainly pumped, but he hadn't ever been here before. As a creature of habit, his snack of choice had pretty much always been those tasty okonomiyaki. Likewise, as he approached, he had no idea how this process even worked! Like Sera, he'd wait for Tori to order and mimic his movements... But there were so many tasty looking options!

Feeling uncharacteristically adventurous today, he held up one finger and pointed at one section of balls, the macha; and then a different one; and then another; and then... he looked to the old man running the stand who nodded in encouragement... another; and then another. The last ball barely fit on the stick! Eyes wide, Natsuki took it with glee before immediately shoving that first ball into his mouth.

“Do you both come here often?”

"Gno! I'be gnebah bin!" He didn't expect it to be chewy, and he was enjoying it too much to try and swallow it quickly for something so mundane as speaking.

The member 'Natsuki Uchiha' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

After making his selection both Sera and Natsuki went about so in the same manner, it was a somewhat surreal experience he had yet to run into in his time teaching. Recomposing himself, Tōri responded to the question at hand.

“No, I mean, well really yes. I have in the past week quite a bit. My sweet tooth has been really going off after training lately. It just really hits the spot, especially taking them on-the-go with their little sticks.” Taking the three sticks that were handed to him he then paid for the exuberant amount Natsuki had gawked over, the sticks barely holding under all the added weight.

Handing over the money he took the treats on the go, an aspect he’d taken a liking to after Natsuki’s outspoken preference on the style.

Raising a stick to his mouth he tore off a single ball and began to chew the lightly-dusted treat, curious if Sera was a fan of the sweet but savory desert.

“So, what are your favorite foods, Sera? I think we all know Natsuki’s, haha.”

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

The three of them received their sweet treats and Sera couldn’t help but laughing at the large amount of dango Natsuki tried to fit onto one stick. It was endearing seeing his enthusiasm, especially since he had started pretty closed off to the two of them. After watching how the two of her teammates took their first bite, she would nibble at the side of her ball, not wanting to commit to a full bite. The texture was chewy, and the flavor wasn’t as sweet as she was anticipating. There was a bit of an earthy flavor that she didn’t dislike, but wasn’t sure if she fully enjoyed either. She popped the rest of the dango piece in her mouth and enjoyed the chewy texture before swallowing and answering Tori’s question.

“Since I spend alot of my free time hunting, I really enjoy making stews out of wild game.” Sera shared with a smile. “There’s something extra satisfying about knowing that the ingredients you’re using were gathered by yourself you know? Maybe I can make some for us some time. I imagine if we’re on an overnight mission, I can hunt us some grub.”

Natsuki marveled at Sera's capabilities. It was one thing to hunt, but to be able to field dress and cook meat while out on a mission? If and when they had to do so, the boy was sure that they'd be the luckiest team in Konoha to have such a treatment. Still, however, the notion of leaving the village overnight, on a mission, was more than a little daunting. He hadn't really considered that some missions occur outside of the village walls, let alone so far as to need to consider sleeping out there.

As he listened, he swallowed his first portion of dango... and immediately plopped the next whole ball into his mouth, pushing at the bottom to coax the treat up the stick. "Oh wahw," he started with another mouthful of chewy. I be' ou 'abe som gwea' 'un'ing spo's," "Favorite spots" was something of a specialty for Natsuki, and he wondered if the pair had any of their own.

"Do 'ou guys 'abe a'y paborite spo's?"

While Tōri tore into his remaining dango he learned about Sera’s experience cooking with the wild game she hunted. He let out an audible groan lamenting the many missions he’d eaten little more than stale crackers. “That’s a terrific skill to have Sera, I can’t tell you how many missions I’ve been on with nothing but dried rations. A fresh stew would do wonders out in the field, you’ll have to show us the ropes when we’re out on one together.”

Thinking of the single time he and Sera had gone on a mission he realized the three of them hadn’t been out on an excursion like that as a team. Waiting on his go ahead to leave the village on his own mission he felt it prudent to share the information regarding the journey he’d been planning.

“In fact, I have an upcoming mission that will be taking me outside of the village. Outside, even, of the Land of Fire. Have either of you ever traveled very far outside the village? There are some terrific sights to be seen out there, the sea in particular is one of my favorite sights.”

The two of her teammates seemed to be a bit impressed with Sera’s stew-making ability and her face grew a bit red as she tried to change the subject. She would look over to Natsuki and answer his question about favorite spots. “I’ve got a couple of favorite hunting spots in the forest near my parents’ place, but I’m not sure if that’s what you meant. Though, it's interesting, because even though its my favorite to hunt in, we can’t go there too often or the animal population will be thrown out of whack.” She would then rest her head on her hand as she tried to think about a favorite spot for food. “Ooh, you know what, there’s a pretty good kebab place in the main marketplace that I like.”

Their teacher would then start to steer the conversation towards the toic of missions, mentioning that he had one coming up that took him out of the village. It had been awhile since Sera had gone out, and besides the boar hunting mission with Tori, she couldn’t really remember anything noteworthy.  Tori mentioned visiting the sea and Sera’s eyes grew wide. “I’ve never been to the sea, but I’ve always wanted to go! I was literally just practicing my swimming the other day!”

He was and he wasn't asking specifically about her favorite hunting spots, so that was the perfect answer! He didn't know much about hunting, be he imagined a great deal of quiet- and the fact that people can't go there too often?! It sounded meditative, perfect. His mouth hanged open in excitement, despite the chewy mess within, but it was quickly closed as Tōri brought him back to reality. Natsuki swallowed, perhaps a bit prematurely as the morsel was slow and a little painful going down.

As he regained his composure, he worriedly sounded off: "A, uh, mission? outside the Land of Fire?" In truth, Natsuki had never once left the village walls, much less the Land of Fire. His mother never let him go far, always so overprotective while also regularly beating the poor boy. It was a dangerous place out there, she told him: full of brigands, rogue shinobi, violent beasts, and who knows what else. He wasn't particularly thrilled at the idea of going, even if he was accompanied by two as capable as Tōri and Sera- though he was less thrilled to admit as such.

"I, erm; no, I have not..."

Given how eagerly he had previously devoured the dango, his reluctance to take another bite was evidence of how disconcerting he found the prospect of this mission.

The responses were about what Tōri had expected; Sera’s wide-eyed excitement and Natsuki’s aversion to the uncomfortable and unknown. He was ever so curious to see how the other students he would be looking after varied with how opposite his two students felt at times.

“Well Sera, you’ll get that opportunity to see the ocean sooner than you might think. I’ve signed each of your names, including your classmate Nao Hyūga, for this same mission with me. Though fret not, we won’t exactly be roughing it out there in the woods. Here, let me give you a little preview.”

Finishing one of the sticks he tossed one into a nearby trash can and took both of his remaining dango sticks in one hand. Finding a plot of unused land at the edge of the marketplace Tōri formed a few hand seals with his free hand, sending his chakra into the ground to raise a sample of their living conditions on the upcoming mission.

A several-roomed building with one floor rose from the ground, adorned with paneless windows, sliding doors at the entrance and to each room in a narrow hallway. Each room had beds with little neck rests and a couple pieces of simple furniture. Chomping on another tasty dango he tore it off the stick as he flourished his arm towards the door to invite them into the structure to take a look for themselves.

Used:
- Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique | 3 CP

Chakra: 317 / 320

They were going on the mission? That was awesome news! Sera’s mouth broke into a big grin, before she tried to reel in her emotions. It was incredibly exciting, but she was also a professional and wanted to act the part. Tori explained that the three of them would be going to the ocean for a mission alongside Nao soon. He followed up the statement by creating a full house out of his wood jutsu. “Whoa! That’s awesome Tori!” Sera ran over to the house and took a look at the intricacies that went into creating it. This was just another reminder of how cool elemental techniques that left behind physical properties were. She was really good at blasting and destroying things, but she would need to rely on her teammates for creation.

“Well, it sounds like the survival aspect will be on the easier side. What does the mission entail and where are we going?” Back to business! She could get excited about the trip after she heard the danger level of the mission.

Leave it to Tōri to, once again, completely upheave Natsuki's understanding of what was capable with Ninjutsu. As he spoke, Natsuki imagined that he might be able to whip up some kind of lean-to, perhaps a hut of some kind- but a whole fucking house? As he, once a-fucking-gain, marveled at the formation of this structure, the dango stick actually slipped from his hand. Quick to notice it out of his grasp, however, he bent his knees and caught it with ease and a quick "Op!"

He'd shake his head in disbelief as he entered through the sliding doors. "It has separate rooms?!" Natsuki would shout, running inside while Sera was discussing important things like the mission at hand. "It has furniture?!"

He'd continue walking around, casually make his way back to the entrance as he shoved another dango ball in his mouth. "Jus' wiwd..." The mission was far from his mind; and if he could be bothered to realize that Nao Hyūga's name was mentioned, he might recognize it; but this was all so much.

Both students had different reactions once more, though he was glad to see that Natsuki seemed any amount reinvigorated. Even if it was solely due to the technique rather than the aforementioned mission it would be utilized in. It was of little surprise that Sera was so interested in something that sounded very close to home for the kunoichi, he had to admit that he was very excited to try her stew once they hit the road. That combined with the wooden house would make their travels far more comfortable indeed.

Responding to Natsuki before getting into the meat and potatoes of the mission he was glad to have the foresight to make the walls literally paper-thin to allow for any house explorers to listen in on the details.

“You know it Natsuki, and please feel free to let me know what sort of things you’d want in your rooms too. All I need is a mental blueprint to bring it to life. As for the mission at hand, we’ll be heading to the Land of Hotsprings in order to find a specific group of summoning creatures I received some intel on that are supposedly within Haran Bay. I’m to sign a contract with these creatures to establish connections with our village, however, each of you will be given the opportunity to sign a contract as well if all goes well. This part is entirely optional, as for your part I want to give you both and your classmate a larger perspective on the world. You’ll all be receiving the details in the next couple of days via messenger bird.”

Having neglected his remaining dango Tōri tore into them and finished the last two sticks with haste to savor the treats while they were still fresh as he waited to see what questions might arise from the news.

Natsuki ran around the wooden house and began exploring all of the rooms, and to Sera’s delight, Tori remarked that he could customize them to their liking. It truly was remarkable what one could do with wood elemental techniques. As much as she wanted to go and explore the house herself, she waited to hear more information about the mission. There would be plenty of time to check out the cabin later. Tori explained what seemed to be a unique type of political mission. Although they weren’t acting as ambassadors to a group of people necessarily, they were essentially on a recruiting mission. He offered a summoning contract to the two of them, explaining that his goal was to form one with the creatures himself. “I’d definitely like to know more about the creatures and their abilities first, but I’m always interested in learning new things. The mission sounds interesting!” Sera cheerfully responded. A couple of days worth of preparation seemed like enough time, but simultaneously she felt a bit unprepared. What could she do to prepare for the unknown?

"Oh, right, the mission," Natsuki mentioned after swallowing his previous bite. He listened intently as he made his way back through the structure, glad to still be able to hear Tōri all throughout. 'Summoning creatures?' 'Signing a contract?' It was an entirely foreign concept to the boy, but the context clues were all there. Beyond the fact that he hadn't considered "summoning" to be an option before, his usual MO had always been to go it alone. Naturally, this has shifted some since coming to know these two, but he wasn't sure it was even his style to involve "creatures" that weren't built from his own chakra, like his growing favorite: the Earth and Stone Dragon.

"Mmm, I mean, yeah; I guess I don't have an issue with helping out..." A diplomatic mission didn't sound that terrifying. Sera definitely had the right line of questions, though. "Yeah, what even are these 'creatures" anyway?

With Sera’s questioning of the mission Natsuki seemed to be pulled back into the conversation from the depths of the house, making his way back to join the discussion. While Tōri’s instinct was to simply repeat the mission briefing he’d written for the genin he wanted to be a little more honest with them regarding these summons, getting a bit more candid with his response.

“I know that they are a clan of shinobi octopus I’ve pinpointed to a reasonably small region but beyond that we’ll be learning together on this one. The original lead I had on this group came from my late father, a native to Kirigakure, with notes about this summoning clan and their storied connection to that side of the family and shinobi villages in that area. I do know that they are apparently famously averse to outsiders which was mentioned, but other than that we have little else to go off of. That makes it less likely that we’ll encounter shinobi, though not impossible.”

Hopefully he hadn’t been too open, while it was true they could encounter other shinobi he didn’t want to make it sound more dangerous than it would likely be. Though in the shinobi world you never knew when the mundane might turn into the unexpected.

With mention of his late father, a shinobi from another village, Natsuki's demeanor shifted more seriously. This wasn't just a mission for Tori. Still, the Idea of shinobi octopus was, admittedly, hilarious. It couldn't be helped that he imagined a portion of takoyaki with little headbands.

At that moment, however, a fluffy white rabbit had come bounding out from within the house, but he didn't see it then. No, he saw it only when it happened to jump up and nibble at his favorite orange haori, somehow slipping it off of him and running towards off down the street.

"Wha-? Wait; not again!" the boy then ran off in a sprint after the creature. "I'll be right back!" And he would be, once the rabbits were gone.

As Natsuki had his little tumble down the rabbit hole Tōri decided it was best to end their meeting for the day. “Make sure to be on the lookout for those messenger birds, we’ll be heading out shortly.”

Time was running short, with the exams fast approaching Tōri wanted to ensure he locked down these assets for himself and the village before venturing out with the duty of overseeing the promising group of genin. With a hurried pace he returned to the Senju estate for some last minute preparations before being called to assist Airi with her task and shortly heading for the Land of Hotsprings with his assembled team.

Rarely speaking aloud about his father Tōri felt a child-like kind of wonder and excitement at the prospect of obtaining something that he considered a deepening connection to the parent he never knew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OOC: Attempting exit

It was surreal to think that the summons that Tori was talking about were Octopi! Sera instinctively raised her eyebrows as she tried to imagine just what shinobi octopi would look like. She had never even seen normal octopi in person, let alone ones capable of ninjutsu. Well, she had eaten takoyaki before. Was that going to be a problem? She shook her head and got back into mission mode. Tori had mentioned getting his intel from his deceased father which made this mission personal to her sensei. She would nod with seriousness as he explained the mission to them. “I would be honored to help with this mission sensei. I’ll keep an eye out for the messenger birds. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to assist.” Suddenly breaking the ice, a rabbit burst out of the bushes and grabbed Natsuki’s haori. A surprisingly silly interruption to a more serious meeting. With a smile, Sera would bid her friend and teacher farewell and left to go on her own as well.

[exit thread]