Home
Search
Register
Log in
Tanjiro NazarCitizen
Ryo : 500
Sugimoto's eventfull day in Kumo
Tue Feb 12, 2019 5:41 am
Suguimoto would take the few days in between the training with Okami and asking to join Max while he goes to Hoshi to pay back the Orphanage for the kindness. He would wake up early on the day after the training like he always does, and like every other day before he would have to maneuver in between the other kids sleeping on the floor. Sugimoto would use WInd Style: Quiet Footsteps so as in not to disturb the kids, his footfalls landing inches away from some kids faces on the creaky wood but yet he was not making any sound.
After maneuvering his way through the maze like chaos that was the bedrooms sleeping arrangements, Sugimoto would find himself in the hallway before the orphanages kitchen. This hallway was spotted with buckets collecting water, Sugimoto would look at the ceiling, spotting far too many holes he would think to himself “This place seemed to be forgotten and forsaken by the village, does anyone care about the innocents that suffer as a result of their conflicts?” While he was looking up at the ceiling and being distracted by his thoughts, Sugimoto would accidentally kick one of the buckets causing it to to titer, sloshing around its contents til the point of being on the verge of spilling. But Sugimoto fast reflexes would manage to catch the bucket before it spilled by using the same foot that kicked it over and use his toes to catch the lip of the bucket and pull it back to its original position. With a sigh of relief that was kept under his breath Sugimoto would then use the skill Chakra Suppression to null his presence and try to sneak into the Kitchen.
Unsure how or why it happened Sugimoto found himself playing a kind of “game” with Mother Abigail. No matter how hard one tried, none of the kids at the orphanage could manage to sneak in on Mother Abigail. It was as if in the exact moment you fell with in her care you were implanted with tracking seal. Sugimoto knew this not to be the case while looking into this theory himself. (since he looked all over his body and could not find any seal he believes this theory to be null and void) He would wonder to himself if she may have been a Shinobi before she took up the mantle of Mother or if it was just a skill developed over years of handling unruly kids?
Regardless of its method of development the skill that Mother Abigail showed were undeniable. Sugimoto under the effect of his Quiet Footsteps Jutsu and the skill Max helped him improve on yesterday Chakra Suppression, he would try to sneak towards the kitchen. Once he got to the kitchen door frame( more in name then in function since there was no door in the frame, just a set of hinges where a door should be) Sugimoto would partially put his head through the door frame to scout the room ahead, his sight would pan the room, looking from side to side he would notice that Mother Abigail was in the kitchen. She seemed to be cooking with her back facing to the door frame, one of the smaller kids was clinging by her side. No matter the time of day or night there always seemed to be one or more of the kids latching onto Mother Abigail’s side.
Taking advantage of the fact that she seemed to be distracted with cooking and the kids neediness Sugimoto would try to sneak his way to the kitchen table and sit down before she could realize he was even there. He made it about halfway to the table before Mother Abigail would say “good morning Sugimoto.” without even turning around. “She got me again” Sugimoto would think to himself, his inner voice sounding slightly exasperated. “How did you know it was me?” Sugimoto would ask as he walked over to the table, he would deactivate his Quiet Footsteps Jutsu and his Chakra Suppression skill and then move the chair from underneath the table and sit down. “Simple, Sugimoto” she responded “I know all the chakra signatures of the kids in my care, most of them are faint but still there. But as it seems, you must of learned about chakra suppression yesterday while you were training with that sweet kid Max. So when I heard one of the buckets kicked over and since I could not sense which kid it was, it would only make sense to assume that it would be the new genin living in our humble home.”
“Ok, that makes perfect sense” would be Sugimoto’s outwardly response to Mother Abigail's answer, inwardly however Sugimoto was chastising himself for letting something so obvious slip past him. He was a shinobi now and making simple mistakes like this could cost him his life, he should take these little games and his training more seriously because sooner rather than later he will find himself in a situation where a single oversight like this could and would cost him everything. His mind still felt clouded from the morning haze but as the gears in his brain started turning the fog that clouded his perception seemed to fade. As Sugimoto thought more on how Mother Abigail answered his question, he realised that actually, she only answered on how she deduced his identity and figured out he was sneaking this time, what about all the other times? Mother Abigail was definitely a bigger mystery then she let on.
While Sugimoto was pondering this train of thought, Mother Abigail would stop her cooking and place some food on a plate and then proceed to walk over to the table and place the food in front of Sugimoto. The noise of the plate hitting the table took his attention away from his thoughts and brought it to focus on the food, Sugimoto admired the food that was laid out on the plate. Sugimoto could not help but be impressed by the way Mother Abigail could take the small amount of food that was donated to the orphanage and manage too stretch it out enough to feed all the kids that lived here, while still making something that tasted good. This morning Mother Abigail made the stale bread the bakery gives the orphanage taste better by slicing it thin and toasting it then adding a little butter, she also cooked some eggs by scrambles while adding the sparse amount of seasoning the orphanage could get its hands on, but the best part of the breakfast was the bacon or what poor people would call bacon. The so called bacon consisted of less than choice cut meat that the local butcher would donate to the orphanage, but Mother Abigail with a little care and preparation would remove the less “edible” parts and would cook it up so I would be more reminiscent of bacon.
Even if the breakfast food did not fall within accordances to most people's standards or could even be considered close to ideal; to the unfortunate kids that live in the orphanage it was a declicy, and to Sugimoto it was delicious. Sugimoto would try to quickly scarf down the food so he could get going and start his day, he had big plans for the day. But before he could finish more than a mouthful or two, Mother Abigail’s voice would chime through the sounds of Sugimoto aggressively chewing his mean to ask him some questions.
“Speaking of that kind boy Max, are you going out and training with him again today?”, “You may not know this, but he use to come help out at the orphanage and donate, but it has been sometime since he came last.” Her head turned slightly to the side as she talked a worried look flashed across her face, Sugimoto took notice that she would always turn her head like that when worrying about any of the kids. Sugimoto would take some time to chew and swallow his mouth full of eggs before responding, “No not today, I think he may be preparing for a trip somewhere.” Sugimoto would wipe a little egg off his lips and continue. “My plans for today are to go down to the blacksmith and see if I can take on a little work today. If everything goes well I am hoping to get a little ryo to buy some wood and I will try my hand at doing some repairs to the orphanage.”
Mother Abigail’s face would glow at the mention of potential repairs, “That would be appreciated Sugimoto.” Her motherly tone mixed with homely atmosphere of the orphanage worked wonders to mask the pain Sugimoto felt at losing his own home and family not so long, the least he could do to pay it all back was put in some hard work. “If I could make a helpful suggestion?” Mother Abigail continued, “A blacksmith did help us out a few seasons back, my cookware fell apart and he made me a new set free of charge.” while talking she would turn and point at the pots and pans neatly stacked in the corner of the kitchen according to size. “If I can recall right, his name was Ken Kenta” “you should go and see if he has work for you?”
Sugimoto would smile as he repeated the name to himself, It had the kanji for Fireborn(Ken) and Plump & Healthy(Kenta), and that sounded to perfectly fitting for someone who livelihood was becoming a blacksmith. So Sugimoto would shoovle the last bits of his breakfast into his mouth, he would take his dishes over to the sink and wash them. He would do well to make sure that he did not leave any dirty dishes in Mother Abigail's house, Sugimoto learned that lesson the hard way his first dinner at the orphanage. While putting his dishes away he decided to take a look at the pots and pans that Ken Kenta made, from his inspection of the cookware he could tell they were well made. The pots were sanded smooth so that he could not see any hammer impressions from the forging process, the pans seemed to be forged strong from one solid piece of cast iron, the handle crafted to fit the hand comfortably. He could tell that the crafter put thought into the cookwares practical use and then he would take the time and effort to develop and forge it, this all showed a quality of character and skill in the potential smith. Sugimto would turn to Mother Abigail and say “I will go and seek him out, see if he has any work for me.”
Mother Abigail would respond by giving Sugimoto directions to Ken Kenta’s forge, it was somewhere across town in the crafters district. She would then pick up another two slices of bread then stuff a mix of the other breakfast foods together and make a sandwich, putting it in a bag she would walk over to Sugimoto and hand it to him. “Your going to need some food if you are going to be working the forge all day.” she would say in a up beat way, a warm smile across her face. “Thank you for breakfast and lunch, Mother Abigail, I should be back before supper.” Sugimoto would say as he left the orphanage and headed out into the streets of Kumo.
The cold air hit Sugimoto in the face like a hammer and knocked whatever morning haze that still may have lingered right out of his head. It was early enough in the morning that almost no one was walking in the streets, so as Sugimoto walked the streets he would practice his shinobi skills. He would activate his Surface Walking Technique and scale up the closest building, jumping from wall to roof, he was trying to get a high enough elevation so he could get a good visual of Kumos layout. It was much colder up here on this standing off the side of one of the tall buildings but it did not take Sugimoto a long time to locate the crafters district with smoke billowing out in the early morning. He would jump down from his perch and parkour his way across the rooftops, pushing himself for more speed and better foot placement.
Sugimoto was so focused on the self improvement that he lost his concentration when he heard a loud voice shouting at him “what the hell are you doing this early in the fucking morning?!” Sugimoto would stop and turn to see a balding man leaning out his window looking up to where Sugimoto was stopped on his roof. With a finger jabbing angrily at him the bald man would continue his tirad, “why the hell are you stomping around on my roof this early in the fucking morning, Huh, you draft boy?! Sugimoto would curse himself under his breath, just a little while ago he was chastising himself for overlooking a similar simple thing. He would clasp his hands together and give a slight bow in apology, “Sorry sir I was just a little excited at the potential of work, I rushed without thinking” with that he would then form the hand signs for Ram-Horse-Ox and channel chakra to his feet activating Quiet Footsteps Jutsu. Moving his feet around to make sure his footsteps would no longer bother the people sleeping, Sugimoto would offer one more bow to the angry bald man and continue as before.
As Sugimoto neared his destination with the billows of smoke towering overhead, he let out a sigh of relief. The rest of parkour trip across Kumo ended up being much less eventful, so he did end up managing to get a good stretch in before a hard day of forging. He walked around the crafters district looking for a sign of Ken Kenta’s smithy, but he knew if he headed towards smoke he would eventually find himself at the forge. And just as predicted, not to long after following the billows of smoke Sugimoto now stood outside of Ken Kenta’s smithy. The building itself seemed well built, not fancy or ornate it just seem to him that it was built by experienced craftsman that seemed to cared about their craft, probably recently redone. The building was split into three distinct parts, the most prominent section was the forge itself, it seemed to be a moderately sized rectangle shaped building with its short side facing the street. There were three smoke ventilation stacks placed along the buildings long side, most likely used for the forges themselves. Attached the other side of the Smithy was two smaller buildings, one was a small apartment like structure that seemed like it was built on top of a equaily small storefront.
A nice elderly woman standing out in front of the store dusting off some of the display pieces they had to show off Ken Kenta’s smithing skill. She was short and plump but she seemed to have a jolly way she moved about her work that made her seem like a fun person. Sugimoto would release his Quiet Footsteps jutsu and approach the jolly woman, she would turn her attention away from dusting to address the new potential customer. “Hello there young shinobi, what are you looking for, I can see if we have what you are looking for.” A glowing smile would cascade across her face, lighting up her big brown eyes. “She's giving me the puppy dog eyes.” Sugimoto would laugh to himself as the nice elderly lady grabbed his arm to guild in into the store. He found himself slightly amazed at how firm grip was, she showed him around the store pointing at objects with her wrinkled hands and giving a short yet enticing sales pitch for each item.
He knew he had to cut her off before she had him buying up the entire stores , so before she could start up another spiel Sugimoto would cut her off “Sorry, but I am actually here to see the blacksmith Ken Kenta.” The old ladies demeanor change real quick as the realisation that he was not a customer came to light, her once joyous demeanor was quickly replaced with a cold and sour one. “O, you are looking for a good for nothing husband, he is at the forge next door working on making more useless crap I can not sell.” Then with an exasperated look, the old lady turned her back on Sugimoto and threw up her hands. “If no one comes and buys this useless crap, I am going to leave this old fool and marry a lord!” Sugimoto stood there, his jaw left agape as the shock of the old ladies quick transition from slick yet friendly store clerk to the angry and bitter wife slowly sink in. He could still hear the old lady complaining about all the other various heinous grievances that her husband and or fate/destiny have dealt to heras he turned to leave out the stores front door.
When Sugimoto left the store and headed to the forge next door, the cold air made its reappearance across his face, sending a chill down his spine. He expected to feel the welcomed warmth of the forges fire as he got ever closer to the smithy, but to his surprise the building that housed the three forges was built so well that only a fraction of the heat one would expect to feel being this close to the forges. He would not waste any extra time admiring the skill of the carpenter who built this impressive smithy, it was simply to cold for that. Turning the warm metal door handle and giving it a solid push opened the oddly heavy smithy door, hot air rushed out of the forge right into Sugimoto’s face causing him to squint his eyes shut to avoid the heat. Sugimoto would rush through the door and quickly close it behind him, once inside the sound of a blacksmith hammer hitting on metal would ring one more time before a long pause while the smith Ken Kenta would look up to see who has come into his smithy. “Your not my assistant but yet you are wearing a blacksmiths apron….? What brings such an peculiar young ninja to my fine forge?
Sugimoto held in the urge to laugh, Ken Kenta was exactly like how one would expect a blacksmith to look. He was a big man, arms corded with muscle from years of swinging a heavy blacksmith's hammer. In addition to a just as impressive big belly, forged from the years of eating his wife's cooking. Ken seemed to have lax demeanor, a roll with the punches kinda personality, he was scratching his short scraggly beard while he waited for Sugimoto’s response. “ Hello Smith Ken Kenta, my name is Sugimoto Tamaki. Mother Abigail from the orphanage told me if I was looking to do some blacksmithing I should come here. I am trying to do some repairs to the old orphanage but I am going to need some supplies, a hammer, some nails, metal hinges and a lot more. Sadly the orphanage is low on ryo but I can pay with my own skills as a blacksmith, I have years of experience making the everyday necessities for a village.” Sugimoto was about to prattle off a list of things he had crafted from over the years but Ken stopped him with a wave of his burly hand. “Ok, Ok enough, I may have something you can do since my assistance seems to be drunk and missing work, just give me a moment.”
Ken would then pause for awhile, an aloof look took over his face, it would seemed as if he was thinking about something and trying to remember something that was hidden somewhere in his memories it was just being elusive. And in the few moments while Ken was thinking like this, the hand that was scratching his beard would suddenly migrate to the chasm of a bald spot that laid atop his head. The hand had ether found a new itch to scratch or was trying to get his brain to think faster. “ Ya, ya I have some projects that are behind schedule that you could help me with.” Ken said taking off his forging gloves and turning to the work table that was a meter and a half away from his anvil he would pick up some papers that were hidden underneath some tools and unused steal bars. He would read out “This fool wants 20 shurikens, that ass hole ordered 10 kuni and that shogi cheating old bastard ordered 200 nails 100 screws.”
After Ken finished reading the paper he would drop it back on the table and turn to Sugimoto “Alright this is how we are going to do this, you need to earn some nails for repairs right? so I will let you use my steel and make as many nails as you need but in exchange, I need you to finish these backed up orders for me.” “ Also if you finish with the nails and screws order in addition to the nails you will need, I am willing to throw in a free hammer and some premade parts that would definitely come in handy when fixing up the orphanage, but only if you can deliver that order to that fucking cheating carpenter for me” Sugimoto would agree to Kens offer, it seemed to be a fair exchange. Ken would walk over to one of the other forges and start it up, “I am going to have you start with the shurikens. Have you made a shuriken before?” Sugimoto a little distracted by Ken Kenta’s impressive forge set up would take a second to respond. “No, but I have made a blade, before normally for a farmer's scythe or a axe blade. So what kind of blade edge would you like on the shurikens? A single or double sided blade, hollow or convex edge?” Sugimoto’s normal calm and cool demeanor was fractured slightly with a small but noticeable amount of smug poking through. “It seems you may know a thing or two, I think the convex edge is preferable, it holds the blade's edge better, plus make it a simple four pronged double bladed shuriken design.” Ken would move to a shelf covered in metal objects and pull out a premade shuriken and give it to Sugimoto. “Use this one as a template while you make the others.”
The heat of the forge was washing over Sugimoto’s face as he stood by the anvil, Ken Kenta showed him around the smithy, to the steel stock he would use to craft the shurikens and the tools he will use to forge them. A fire burned inside Sugimoto that he had almost forgotten it was even there, he felt his mind and muscles kick back into the old routine, he would put on all the necessary equipment before he started forging. Some soot covered thick leather blacksmith gloves, a borrowed pair of goggles to protect his eyes from the inevitable sparks smithing produced, the tongs he would need to for heating up the steel in the furnace and finally Sugimoto would go and pick up one of Ken Kenta’s meny smithing hammers and place it on the loop of his own blacksmith apron. The fire inside him intensified as all the fond memories of his old life flooded to the forefront of his mind, the years his father hammered into him the skills of a blacksmith and the times his mother trained him to defend himself. Ever since their deaths and up until this point Sugimoto has never had the chance to just stop and process his emotions.
With the fire blazing inside him Sugimoto rushed into his work with great vigor, he fell back into an old routine of smithing, it was as if he never stopped forging. He would moved some of steel stock with tongs and placed it into the furnace, he watched the steel stock through squinted eyes as it turn from a low red heat to the perfect yellow orange heat, then pulling it out he would start forging process. The hammer slams onto the stock steel, each blow causes the metal to shift ever more slightly closer to the its desired form. The years of crafting experience took over and placed Sugimoto on auto pilot while he forged the shurikens. When his parents died he felt nothing but distance and cold, but now in front of the forge doing something he once loved it felt as if the heat was washing away these dark feeling with fond feeling of his old life.
Sugimoto’s minds eye was replaying his old life while his body was going through the motions of forging. His hand stretched out to grab the next piece of stock steel he would need to finish forging the next shuriken, but his hand grasped at nothing, all of the 20 stock steel pieces he cut and set aside for Shuriken order was been used up. The sudden loss caused a immediate shift in his perspective from what was to what is now. This came with a realization, that the fond memories and the happiness he was feeling while forging was just him reliving his past life and as as soon as the stock steel ran out so did the warm feeling slip from his mind and the a dark gloom would settle in. Desperation tinged his voice as he asked Ken Kenta for the Kuni template and more stock steel so he could get back to crafting. Sugimoto had to recapture those warm feelings, the memories of his parents that he misses more and more every day. After Ken found him the kuni template and the 10 piece steel stock, Sugimoto would then rush to back to the forge and launch into the smithing routine hoping to stave off the greif a little while longer.
Sugimoto did not know the answer to these questions but from what Ken said he would have to find the answer for himself. Sugimoto looked inward as his body did the forging, he thought about the first question about figuring out how to regain control over his emotions and his life. What he was missing was direction, he needed a purpose to act as a foundation to act upon. But what direction does he want his life to take? What is his purpose? As Sugimoto thought about this question only one answer would come to mind, revenge. He could only think about finding the person who killed his family and take their life. This desire burned hot in Sugimoto soul, acting as the heat to forge his now forming determination. Now with his purpose set, how was he going to regain control? Power and Strength, one can not be in control of their own life if they are weak. You must have your own strength to rely on as he learned the hard way being powerless to stop his family's death. So how will he gain this power and or strength? He would have to start practicing his Yamato clans secret art of rune etching, but he would have to do it in secret. Plus he wanted to keep learning shinobi arts from Kumo, he needed to learn how to fight better in addition to learning other more advanced skills and jutsus.
Sugimoto knew he needed a master to train him to be a better shinobi, but he did not know any shinobi capable of teaching him? Is there anyone a shinobi in Kumo who could teach him the necessary skills to gain the power and strength Sugimoto desired. Plus Sugimoto knew deep down that he would one day have to find his hidden clan and learn more of the secret arts of the Yamato clan. But he had no Idea where his clan could be, his only information he had was once his father told him that the clan was hidden close to Hoshi. So he knew one day he would have to go back. So without these options available at this moment, so what could he do to gain this power and strength? That Shinobi he trained with the other day Okami, if he could make a genin team together with him I could gain real life experience. So his plan was to stay in this village learn what he could form here and then go and find his clans home and learn what he can from them. With his direction and goals solidified and his purpose clear, the pain he once felt dulled to a constant radiant heat. His mind was now cleared up and he felt much better after taking some time and thinking about Kens advice.
Sugimoto was putting the final of the metal rods into the forge to make the last of the extra nails Ken said he could make he looked up to Ken, and say “Thanks Ken, your advice help me out alot. I believe I may have put my mind and emotions right.” Ken would look up from his own task and say “O’ good, glad it helped you out.” putting his work down he went over to a side of his workshop and picked up a thick and large paper bag “Thanks for your help, a lot got done today thanks to you.” Ken started to shovel the nails and screws for order into the bag and the extra nails into another bag. Then Ken placed both bags by Sugimoto’s feet and said “ Well when your done forging your nails would you bring these to the carpenter two streets up and three streets down and to the left?” Sugimoto after quenching the last of the nails would nod his head and say “Sure, that is on my back to the orphanage. So I do not mind dropping them off.”
Sugimoto would replace all the tools he borrowed but Ken would pipe up “Don’t put those back, you can keep those tools.” Sugimoto shocked would said “are you sure?” Ken with a smile on his face would respond “Ya, consider it my gift to you.” Sugimoto with a slight smile on his face would gather his newly owned tools and place them in his apron’s loops to hold them. Now picking up both big paper bags Sugimoto would head to the smithies door, he would turn back Ken and thank him for his help in more ways than one. Ken would wave his hand and respond with “No worries, feel free to come back anytime. Next time I will pay you.” Ken would finish with a hearty laugh. With a final wave Sugimoto would leave the smithy and head off to drop off the bag at the carpenters shop.
The day turned to night at some point long past and the air managed to get even colder. A shiver ran down Sugimoto spin as a gust of wind blew particularly hard in his direction, being in the heat of the forge and then walking in the cold weather just made the cold feel even colder. He knew he would just have to bear it, he was not to far from his destination and after that it was just five more minutes to the orphanage and his bed. After a few minutes in the extreme cold and following Ken’s directions he managed to get to the street the carpenter was supposed to be on. Sugimoto could not seem to find the carpenters building, there were no signs and no indications to lead him in the right direction. So he asked someone who was walking by “hello, do you happen to know where the carpenter around here is?” The elder woman turns to Sugimoto and answers “O yes, it is the third house on your right with the nice shutters and big building in the back.” Sugimoto thanking her would follow her directions and head to the house.
Once he got to the house it became apparent what the old lady was inferring to when she mentioned the nice shutters. They seemed to be hand carved in the shape of dragons flying over a mountains skyline. They looked extremely well crafted, but on closer examination the whole house seemed extremely well built. Sugimoto walked up to the front door and knocked, after a few moments an a seemingly slim man opened the door. He had a pair of glasses on a face with a chin to strong for his slim body, he wore a button up shirt that was sprinkled with wood dust. He looked only to be around forty and seemed to be confused why someone would be at his front door. “Hello how can I help you?” Sugimoto shuffles the paper bag to the front “I just came from Ken Kenta’s Smithy and I am here to deliver you order for nails and screws.” The older man would grab the bag from Sugimoto “please come inside for a quick moment and get out of the cold.” Sugimoto would gladly take up the offer and follow the older man inside.
The Inside was just as well crafted as the outside as it was on the inside, the stairs had a decorative dragon as the hand rail, the house seemed full of handmade and decorative furniture and with just a look around Sugimoto could tell this was a highly skilled craftsman. The older man takes out the nails and studies them he says “Ken did not makes these nails and screws and they are too well made to be forged by his drunk of a assistant? Sugimoto would quickly pipe up with a response “I forged them”. “The old man says “impressive” Sugimoto would take this time to complement the old man on how incredible his house was “You’re house is amazing, the craftsmanship is quite impressive!” the old man smiles and says “My name is Riyo Tamagachi, what is your name?” “Sugimoto, and If you would not mind I have a favor to ask.” the old man would put a more stoic face on, unsure what I could be asking for he would say “Um, what do you need?” while trying to be as persuasive as possible Sugimoto would ask his favor. “I live at the orphanage and the place is falling apart slowly, I went to Ken to get the nails I would need but now I need some wood. If you have any warped wood or wood scraps I could use to fix the old place up that would help a lot.” Riyo would purse his lips and a frow would form on his brow as he thought about the favor. A few moments would pass as the older man put his thoughts together, Riyo said “I may have some wood you could use but it will take me a day to gather it together.” Sugimoto bowed vigorously all the while saying “thank you very much.” and with that Sugimoto left Riyo’s home and headed back to the orphanage.
Sugimoto was tried after a long day of forging and running around Kumo made it so he was excited to reach the orphanage and find his bed. With the walk being colder now than it was during the day his progress was slower than he would have prefered. There was a noticeable lack of people walking around the village, with no other sound but the wind rushing by his ears, the village gave off a ghost town like feeling. Sugimoto being 16 was long past the point of being afraid of the dark or being alone outside, the perilous trek from his home to Kumo inoculated him from those fears. But that does not mean he did not feel the eerie atmosphere that the empty village gave off. But after a few minutes of being uncomfortably cold he managed to find his way to the front door of the orphanage. Quickly rushing in and shutting the door behind him, Sugimoto would latch the lock and let out a shiver. “Man I am glad to be out of the cold.” Sugimoto whispered to himself as he headed into the kitchen of the orphanage.
This late at night the majority of the kids should be sound asleep, so he would try and slowly walk through the kitchen and try to make as little noise as possible so as to not wake up the kids. But to his shock a whisper would break the silence “how did things go with Ken?” Mother Abigail’s silhouette was sitting down at the kitchen table, her question was punctuated by a yawn. “It went great. Ken seems to be a great guy and I got the nails I will need to fix up this place. Plus I also met and and made a deal with the carpenter Riyo Tamagachi for some of his extra wood.”Suimoto would respond in a hushed tone. It occurred to him that Mother Abigail must have been sitting here for sometime before he got home. “Sorry, where you waiting up for me?” Mother Abigail would get up from sitting and head over to where Sugimoto was standing “It is no bother, I like to make sure all the kids under my care are home and safe in their beds” and with that Mother Abigail would take the nails from Sugimoto and place them in a cabinet out of the reach of the younger kids. “Good night Sugimoto and thank you.” and with that Mother Abigail walked to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. Sugimto would make the hand seals for Ram, Horse and Ox and then activate Quiet Footsteps Jutsu and make his way to his bed while avoiding stepping on the kids sleeping on the floor. Their snores making a rhythmic beat that he moved to so as to not disturb the sleepy and relaxed atmosphere in the room. He made a mental note to himself that he would like to make bunk beds for the kids if he ever got the chance so they would not have to sleep on the floor. Once he made it to his bed he would slowly lower himself into it, deactivate his quiet footsteps jutsu and pull his pillow under his head and his blankets over his body. The day was taxing both mentally and physically, so once he was settled in sleep overcame him immediately.
TWC 8841
Claims
44 stats points
Funinjutsu Chakra Barrier 4000/4000
Yamato Bloodline/ Rune Writing 2000/2000
Paper Seal: Explosion 2841/4500
also claiming Fuinjutsu Breaking E rank as I forgot to claim it for free at genin.
After maneuvering his way through the maze like chaos that was the bedrooms sleeping arrangements, Sugimoto would find himself in the hallway before the orphanages kitchen. This hallway was spotted with buckets collecting water, Sugimoto would look at the ceiling, spotting far too many holes he would think to himself “This place seemed to be forgotten and forsaken by the village, does anyone care about the innocents that suffer as a result of their conflicts?” While he was looking up at the ceiling and being distracted by his thoughts, Sugimoto would accidentally kick one of the buckets causing it to to titer, sloshing around its contents til the point of being on the verge of spilling. But Sugimoto fast reflexes would manage to catch the bucket before it spilled by using the same foot that kicked it over and use his toes to catch the lip of the bucket and pull it back to its original position. With a sigh of relief that was kept under his breath Sugimoto would then use the skill Chakra Suppression to null his presence and try to sneak into the Kitchen.
Unsure how or why it happened Sugimoto found himself playing a kind of “game” with Mother Abigail. No matter how hard one tried, none of the kids at the orphanage could manage to sneak in on Mother Abigail. It was as if in the exact moment you fell with in her care you were implanted with tracking seal. Sugimoto knew this not to be the case while looking into this theory himself. (since he looked all over his body and could not find any seal he believes this theory to be null and void) He would wonder to himself if she may have been a Shinobi before she took up the mantle of Mother or if it was just a skill developed over years of handling unruly kids?
Regardless of its method of development the skill that Mother Abigail showed were undeniable. Sugimoto under the effect of his Quiet Footsteps Jutsu and the skill Max helped him improve on yesterday Chakra Suppression, he would try to sneak towards the kitchen. Once he got to the kitchen door frame( more in name then in function since there was no door in the frame, just a set of hinges where a door should be) Sugimoto would partially put his head through the door frame to scout the room ahead, his sight would pan the room, looking from side to side he would notice that Mother Abigail was in the kitchen. She seemed to be cooking with her back facing to the door frame, one of the smaller kids was clinging by her side. No matter the time of day or night there always seemed to be one or more of the kids latching onto Mother Abigail’s side.
Taking advantage of the fact that she seemed to be distracted with cooking and the kids neediness Sugimoto would try to sneak his way to the kitchen table and sit down before she could realize he was even there. He made it about halfway to the table before Mother Abigail would say “good morning Sugimoto.” without even turning around. “She got me again” Sugimoto would think to himself, his inner voice sounding slightly exasperated. “How did you know it was me?” Sugimoto would ask as he walked over to the table, he would deactivate his Quiet Footsteps Jutsu and his Chakra Suppression skill and then move the chair from underneath the table and sit down. “Simple, Sugimoto” she responded “I know all the chakra signatures of the kids in my care, most of them are faint but still there. But as it seems, you must of learned about chakra suppression yesterday while you were training with that sweet kid Max. So when I heard one of the buckets kicked over and since I could not sense which kid it was, it would only make sense to assume that it would be the new genin living in our humble home.”
“Ok, that makes perfect sense” would be Sugimoto’s outwardly response to Mother Abigail's answer, inwardly however Sugimoto was chastising himself for letting something so obvious slip past him. He was a shinobi now and making simple mistakes like this could cost him his life, he should take these little games and his training more seriously because sooner rather than later he will find himself in a situation where a single oversight like this could and would cost him everything. His mind still felt clouded from the morning haze but as the gears in his brain started turning the fog that clouded his perception seemed to fade. As Sugimoto thought more on how Mother Abigail answered his question, he realised that actually, she only answered on how she deduced his identity and figured out he was sneaking this time, what about all the other times? Mother Abigail was definitely a bigger mystery then she let on.
While Sugimoto was pondering this train of thought, Mother Abigail would stop her cooking and place some food on a plate and then proceed to walk over to the table and place the food in front of Sugimoto. The noise of the plate hitting the table took his attention away from his thoughts and brought it to focus on the food, Sugimoto admired the food that was laid out on the plate. Sugimoto could not help but be impressed by the way Mother Abigail could take the small amount of food that was donated to the orphanage and manage too stretch it out enough to feed all the kids that lived here, while still making something that tasted good. This morning Mother Abigail made the stale bread the bakery gives the orphanage taste better by slicing it thin and toasting it then adding a little butter, she also cooked some eggs by scrambles while adding the sparse amount of seasoning the orphanage could get its hands on, but the best part of the breakfast was the bacon or what poor people would call bacon. The so called bacon consisted of less than choice cut meat that the local butcher would donate to the orphanage, but Mother Abigail with a little care and preparation would remove the less “edible” parts and would cook it up so I would be more reminiscent of bacon.
Even if the breakfast food did not fall within accordances to most people's standards or could even be considered close to ideal; to the unfortunate kids that live in the orphanage it was a declicy, and to Sugimoto it was delicious. Sugimoto would try to quickly scarf down the food so he could get going and start his day, he had big plans for the day. But before he could finish more than a mouthful or two, Mother Abigail’s voice would chime through the sounds of Sugimoto aggressively chewing his mean to ask him some questions.
“Speaking of that kind boy Max, are you going out and training with him again today?”, “You may not know this, but he use to come help out at the orphanage and donate, but it has been sometime since he came last.” Her head turned slightly to the side as she talked a worried look flashed across her face, Sugimoto took notice that she would always turn her head like that when worrying about any of the kids. Sugimoto would take some time to chew and swallow his mouth full of eggs before responding, “No not today, I think he may be preparing for a trip somewhere.” Sugimoto would wipe a little egg off his lips and continue. “My plans for today are to go down to the blacksmith and see if I can take on a little work today. If everything goes well I am hoping to get a little ryo to buy some wood and I will try my hand at doing some repairs to the orphanage.”
Mother Abigail’s face would glow at the mention of potential repairs, “That would be appreciated Sugimoto.” Her motherly tone mixed with homely atmosphere of the orphanage worked wonders to mask the pain Sugimoto felt at losing his own home and family not so long, the least he could do to pay it all back was put in some hard work. “If I could make a helpful suggestion?” Mother Abigail continued, “A blacksmith did help us out a few seasons back, my cookware fell apart and he made me a new set free of charge.” while talking she would turn and point at the pots and pans neatly stacked in the corner of the kitchen according to size. “If I can recall right, his name was Ken Kenta” “you should go and see if he has work for you?”
Sugimoto would smile as he repeated the name to himself, It had the kanji for Fireborn(Ken) and Plump & Healthy(Kenta), and that sounded to perfectly fitting for someone who livelihood was becoming a blacksmith. So Sugimoto would shoovle the last bits of his breakfast into his mouth, he would take his dishes over to the sink and wash them. He would do well to make sure that he did not leave any dirty dishes in Mother Abigail's house, Sugimoto learned that lesson the hard way his first dinner at the orphanage. While putting his dishes away he decided to take a look at the pots and pans that Ken Kenta made, from his inspection of the cookware he could tell they were well made. The pots were sanded smooth so that he could not see any hammer impressions from the forging process, the pans seemed to be forged strong from one solid piece of cast iron, the handle crafted to fit the hand comfortably. He could tell that the crafter put thought into the cookwares practical use and then he would take the time and effort to develop and forge it, this all showed a quality of character and skill in the potential smith. Sugimto would turn to Mother Abigail and say “I will go and seek him out, see if he has any work for me.”
Mother Abigail would respond by giving Sugimoto directions to Ken Kenta’s forge, it was somewhere across town in the crafters district. She would then pick up another two slices of bread then stuff a mix of the other breakfast foods together and make a sandwich, putting it in a bag she would walk over to Sugimoto and hand it to him. “Your going to need some food if you are going to be working the forge all day.” she would say in a up beat way, a warm smile across her face. “Thank you for breakfast and lunch, Mother Abigail, I should be back before supper.” Sugimoto would say as he left the orphanage and headed out into the streets of Kumo.
The cold air hit Sugimoto in the face like a hammer and knocked whatever morning haze that still may have lingered right out of his head. It was early enough in the morning that almost no one was walking in the streets, so as Sugimoto walked the streets he would practice his shinobi skills. He would activate his Surface Walking Technique and scale up the closest building, jumping from wall to roof, he was trying to get a high enough elevation so he could get a good visual of Kumos layout. It was much colder up here on this standing off the side of one of the tall buildings but it did not take Sugimoto a long time to locate the crafters district with smoke billowing out in the early morning. He would jump down from his perch and parkour his way across the rooftops, pushing himself for more speed and better foot placement.
Sugimoto was so focused on the self improvement that he lost his concentration when he heard a loud voice shouting at him “what the hell are you doing this early in the fucking morning?!” Sugimoto would stop and turn to see a balding man leaning out his window looking up to where Sugimoto was stopped on his roof. With a finger jabbing angrily at him the bald man would continue his tirad, “why the hell are you stomping around on my roof this early in the fucking morning, Huh, you draft boy?! Sugimoto would curse himself under his breath, just a little while ago he was chastising himself for overlooking a similar simple thing. He would clasp his hands together and give a slight bow in apology, “Sorry sir I was just a little excited at the potential of work, I rushed without thinking” with that he would then form the hand signs for Ram-Horse-Ox and channel chakra to his feet activating Quiet Footsteps Jutsu. Moving his feet around to make sure his footsteps would no longer bother the people sleeping, Sugimoto would offer one more bow to the angry bald man and continue as before.
As Sugimoto neared his destination with the billows of smoke towering overhead, he let out a sigh of relief. The rest of parkour trip across Kumo ended up being much less eventful, so he did end up managing to get a good stretch in before a hard day of forging. He walked around the crafters district looking for a sign of Ken Kenta’s smithy, but he knew if he headed towards smoke he would eventually find himself at the forge. And just as predicted, not to long after following the billows of smoke Sugimoto now stood outside of Ken Kenta’s smithy. The building itself seemed well built, not fancy or ornate it just seem to him that it was built by experienced craftsman that seemed to cared about their craft, probably recently redone. The building was split into three distinct parts, the most prominent section was the forge itself, it seemed to be a moderately sized rectangle shaped building with its short side facing the street. There were three smoke ventilation stacks placed along the buildings long side, most likely used for the forges themselves. Attached the other side of the Smithy was two smaller buildings, one was a small apartment like structure that seemed like it was built on top of a equaily small storefront.
A nice elderly woman standing out in front of the store dusting off some of the display pieces they had to show off Ken Kenta’s smithing skill. She was short and plump but she seemed to have a jolly way she moved about her work that made her seem like a fun person. Sugimoto would release his Quiet Footsteps jutsu and approach the jolly woman, she would turn her attention away from dusting to address the new potential customer. “Hello there young shinobi, what are you looking for, I can see if we have what you are looking for.” A glowing smile would cascade across her face, lighting up her big brown eyes. “She's giving me the puppy dog eyes.” Sugimoto would laugh to himself as the nice elderly lady grabbed his arm to guild in into the store. He found himself slightly amazed at how firm grip was, she showed him around the store pointing at objects with her wrinkled hands and giving a short yet enticing sales pitch for each item.
He knew he had to cut her off before she had him buying up the entire stores , so before she could start up another spiel Sugimoto would cut her off “Sorry, but I am actually here to see the blacksmith Ken Kenta.” The old ladies demeanor change real quick as the realisation that he was not a customer came to light, her once joyous demeanor was quickly replaced with a cold and sour one. “O, you are looking for a good for nothing husband, he is at the forge next door working on making more useless crap I can not sell.” Then with an exasperated look, the old lady turned her back on Sugimoto and threw up her hands. “If no one comes and buys this useless crap, I am going to leave this old fool and marry a lord!” Sugimoto stood there, his jaw left agape as the shock of the old ladies quick transition from slick yet friendly store clerk to the angry and bitter wife slowly sink in. He could still hear the old lady complaining about all the other various heinous grievances that her husband and or fate/destiny have dealt to heras he turned to leave out the stores front door.
When Sugimoto left the store and headed to the forge next door, the cold air made its reappearance across his face, sending a chill down his spine. He expected to feel the welcomed warmth of the forges fire as he got ever closer to the smithy, but to his surprise the building that housed the three forges was built so well that only a fraction of the heat one would expect to feel being this close to the forges. He would not waste any extra time admiring the skill of the carpenter who built this impressive smithy, it was simply to cold for that. Turning the warm metal door handle and giving it a solid push opened the oddly heavy smithy door, hot air rushed out of the forge right into Sugimoto’s face causing him to squint his eyes shut to avoid the heat. Sugimoto would rush through the door and quickly close it behind him, once inside the sound of a blacksmith hammer hitting on metal would ring one more time before a long pause while the smith Ken Kenta would look up to see who has come into his smithy. “Your not my assistant but yet you are wearing a blacksmiths apron….? What brings such an peculiar young ninja to my fine forge?
Sugimoto held in the urge to laugh, Ken Kenta was exactly like how one would expect a blacksmith to look. He was a big man, arms corded with muscle from years of swinging a heavy blacksmith's hammer. In addition to a just as impressive big belly, forged from the years of eating his wife's cooking. Ken seemed to have lax demeanor, a roll with the punches kinda personality, he was scratching his short scraggly beard while he waited for Sugimoto’s response. “ Hello Smith Ken Kenta, my name is Sugimoto Tamaki. Mother Abigail from the orphanage told me if I was looking to do some blacksmithing I should come here. I am trying to do some repairs to the old orphanage but I am going to need some supplies, a hammer, some nails, metal hinges and a lot more. Sadly the orphanage is low on ryo but I can pay with my own skills as a blacksmith, I have years of experience making the everyday necessities for a village.” Sugimoto was about to prattle off a list of things he had crafted from over the years but Ken stopped him with a wave of his burly hand. “Ok, Ok enough, I may have something you can do since my assistance seems to be drunk and missing work, just give me a moment.”
Ken would then pause for awhile, an aloof look took over his face, it would seemed as if he was thinking about something and trying to remember something that was hidden somewhere in his memories it was just being elusive. And in the few moments while Ken was thinking like this, the hand that was scratching his beard would suddenly migrate to the chasm of a bald spot that laid atop his head. The hand had ether found a new itch to scratch or was trying to get his brain to think faster. “ Ya, ya I have some projects that are behind schedule that you could help me with.” Ken said taking off his forging gloves and turning to the work table that was a meter and a half away from his anvil he would pick up some papers that were hidden underneath some tools and unused steal bars. He would read out “This fool wants 20 shurikens, that ass hole ordered 10 kuni and that shogi cheating old bastard ordered 200 nails 100 screws.”
After Ken finished reading the paper he would drop it back on the table and turn to Sugimoto “Alright this is how we are going to do this, you need to earn some nails for repairs right? so I will let you use my steel and make as many nails as you need but in exchange, I need you to finish these backed up orders for me.” “ Also if you finish with the nails and screws order in addition to the nails you will need, I am willing to throw in a free hammer and some premade parts that would definitely come in handy when fixing up the orphanage, but only if you can deliver that order to that fucking cheating carpenter for me” Sugimoto would agree to Kens offer, it seemed to be a fair exchange. Ken would walk over to one of the other forges and start it up, “I am going to have you start with the shurikens. Have you made a shuriken before?” Sugimoto a little distracted by Ken Kenta’s impressive forge set up would take a second to respond. “No, but I have made a blade, before normally for a farmer's scythe or a axe blade. So what kind of blade edge would you like on the shurikens? A single or double sided blade, hollow or convex edge?” Sugimoto’s normal calm and cool demeanor was fractured slightly with a small but noticeable amount of smug poking through. “It seems you may know a thing or two, I think the convex edge is preferable, it holds the blade's edge better, plus make it a simple four pronged double bladed shuriken design.” Ken would move to a shelf covered in metal objects and pull out a premade shuriken and give it to Sugimoto. “Use this one as a template while you make the others.”
The heat of the forge was washing over Sugimoto’s face as he stood by the anvil, Ken Kenta showed him around the smithy, to the steel stock he would use to craft the shurikens and the tools he will use to forge them. A fire burned inside Sugimoto that he had almost forgotten it was even there, he felt his mind and muscles kick back into the old routine, he would put on all the necessary equipment before he started forging. Some soot covered thick leather blacksmith gloves, a borrowed pair of goggles to protect his eyes from the inevitable sparks smithing produced, the tongs he would need to for heating up the steel in the furnace and finally Sugimoto would go and pick up one of Ken Kenta’s meny smithing hammers and place it on the loop of his own blacksmith apron. The fire inside him intensified as all the fond memories of his old life flooded to the forefront of his mind, the years his father hammered into him the skills of a blacksmith and the times his mother trained him to defend himself. Ever since their deaths and up until this point Sugimoto has never had the chance to just stop and process his emotions.
With the fire blazing inside him Sugimoto rushed into his work with great vigor, he fell back into an old routine of smithing, it was as if he never stopped forging. He would moved some of steel stock with tongs and placed it into the furnace, he watched the steel stock through squinted eyes as it turn from a low red heat to the perfect yellow orange heat, then pulling it out he would start forging process. The hammer slams onto the stock steel, each blow causes the metal to shift ever more slightly closer to the its desired form. The years of crafting experience took over and placed Sugimoto on auto pilot while he forged the shurikens. When his parents died he felt nothing but distance and cold, but now in front of the forge doing something he once loved it felt as if the heat was washing away these dark feeling with fond feeling of his old life.
Sugimoto’s minds eye was replaying his old life while his body was going through the motions of forging. His hand stretched out to grab the next piece of stock steel he would need to finish forging the next shuriken, but his hand grasped at nothing, all of the 20 stock steel pieces he cut and set aside for Shuriken order was been used up. The sudden loss caused a immediate shift in his perspective from what was to what is now. This came with a realization, that the fond memories and the happiness he was feeling while forging was just him reliving his past life and as as soon as the stock steel ran out so did the warm feeling slip from his mind and the a dark gloom would settle in. Desperation tinged his voice as he asked Ken Kenta for the Kuni template and more stock steel so he could get back to crafting. Sugimoto had to recapture those warm feelings, the memories of his parents that he misses more and more every day. After Ken found him the kuni template and the 10 piece steel stock, Sugimoto would then rush to back to the forge and launch into the smithing routine hoping to stave off the greif a little while longer.
The heat washed over his face in waves as he pushed the stock steel deeper into the furnace, Sugimoto stared into the flames seeing his memories play out as a dance amongst the fires many tendrils. Memories flicker in the between the various times his father taught him the vary skill he was using now, to the happy times he spent with his whole family. Sugimoto would then pull out the steel and place in on the anvil to be forged, raising his hammer he would strike with more intesity than normal. The raging tide of emotions was fueling his hammer blows, the hot steel was in some way a mirror too Sugimoto’s internal struggle. The steel would start yellow hot, just like the fleeting emotions his memories brought to the forefront. But as he worked the steel it cooled and became blackened and cold, just like how he as felt so detached from his feeling ever since his parents died. His hammer continued to forge the kuni, Sugimoto’s emotions and the steel alike were being worked and strained almost to their breaking point. But after all it was said and done and he laid down his hammer, all he had was an empty feeling and one Kuni finished out of ten. He used his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow and would look at the rest of the stock steel, he hesitated to pick up the next steel piece. Fear of starting up that torrent of emotions and memories, just to have it all end again welled up in his heart. It was unknown to Sugimoto but some people who suffer a big loss can recede to into a state of shock or a state of delayed grief, this is what he was suffering from. His grief was coming back to him in overbearing tides of sadness, anger and frustration, with the realization that his old life was truly dead and done just and now he was just prolonging the inevitable. Tears would well up his eyes as he picked up the next piece of steel and prepared to forge it, to go back and relive what he now knew to be dead and gone.
Ken Kenta would watch the boy work the forge from the corner of his eye. He still had to complete this sword order for that noisy ninja but his years of experience let him split his attention between his own work and keeping an eye on the boy. If Sugimoto turned out to be even halfway decent he could finally replace his useless apprentice with someone who would show up for work sober. As he watched Sugimoto work on the shurikens, he found himself impressed by the boys skill and with the efficiency of the boys work. From what Ken could tell, the boy seemed to have years of experience, the way he swung his hammer with strong quick tempoed strikes proved it so. Plus, only someone with a smiths trained eyes could keep the steels heat a consistent temperature for forging. But what shocked Ken most was the fervent look in the boys eyes as he worked, It would seem to Ken that the boy was looking at something deep in the flames and in the ever shifting colors of the forged steel. It was a shock to Ken the transformation of the boy from his previously mild disposition to the now fervent zeal displayed with every hammer blow. Ken’s concerns were solidified when the boy finished the shuriken order, the fervent zeal the boy exuded as he worked shifted to something more akin to desperation as the task came to an end and whatever the boy was seeing seemed to vanish. The boy would then rush to Ken, asking for necessities for the kuni order with a pleading look in his eyes.
Ken gave Sugimoto what he needed to start the kuni order, sat back and watched as the boy seemed to take on a desperate internal struggle to recapture whatever was driving him before. Consern made a furrow form on Kens sweat covered brow as he watched Sugimoto work over his new task. The kid was clearly dealing with the emotions from some kind of traumatic event, the kid did say he was from the orphanage and that is enough of an indicator for what that event could have been. Ken would keep one eye to watch the kid and one eye to focus on his own project. Ken was finishing the bevel on his sword project when a odd sound made his pay more attention to Sugimoto’s work, “Szzzsszz”, “Szzzssz”. Ken turned to see Sugimoto finishing the last of the kuni, he looked physically and emotionally exhausted. The sound that drew Ken’s attention was Sugimoto quieting crying over his work, his tears slowly flowing out of his eyes and falling onto the hot steel. They would fizz and sizzle across the yellow hot surface of the molten metal. To Ken old eyes it seem like the boy was going through the emotions of grief that he suppressed for sometime. But now those pent up emotions were raging through the boy, like fires unchecked, they could consume him. Ken not so unfamiliar with grief himself, no one lived in this harsh world of shinobi wars and endless bloodshed without experiencing some losss.
Ken would place his sword project down and walk over to the boy, Sugimoto would not even look up as Ken aproched. His attention seemed transfixed on something within himself, as if he was staring into the inferno of his own raging emotions and trying to piece together some semblance of control over them. Ken just stood there as the boy finished the last kuni, slowly the yellow hot metal cooled to its usual gray color as the boy finished forging. Ken would put his hand on the boy’s shoulder causing him to look up with red eyes made raw from silent tears. Ken would break the silence while examining the kuni, “So you ended up being pretty skilled.” The boy would use his shoulder to wipe his eyes before he responded “Ya I spent years working with my father at his forge.” Ken would then place the Kuni in the box with the others the boy finished and placed it by the grinding stone to be sharpened later. Ken would then grab the some steel stock from his stores and head back to the boy. “Alight, are you ready for the next project?” Ken would ask as he placed the steel stock into a basket by the boys anvil. The boy seemed to be pulled away from his internal struggle by Ken’s simple conversation. “Not yet, mind if I take a second and rest” the boy said in response. Ken could see the physical and mental exhaustion clearly on the boys face. Ken wanted to help the boy but did not know anything he could say or do that would have any impact. Ken nodded his head to the boys question and headed to the door of the smithy. “I will go and grab us some drinks” Ken would then leave the smithy and head towards his kitchen.
As Ken walked into his home and was greeted by the lovely sound of his wife screeching some questions at him. “Ken, what are doing with that vagrant in the smithy? Where is your useless assistant? Have you finished those orders for the customers? Ken did not hear much of what his wife was saying he was too engrossed in his own thoughts to pay her much mind. As Ken poured some of his wife’s freshly made lemonade he rattled through his brain for the right words to reassure the boy. But Ken knew what a thin line it was between patronizing and reassuring. With the cool drinks in hand, Ken would head back into the smithy followed by the incessant complaining of his wife until it was shut out by the closing door.
Ken would see the boy sitting down and leaning on one of the walls with his head resting in between his hands. Ken would walkover to the boy and press the cold glass on some of his exposed skin causing him too jolt out of his stupor. “Here boy this should help you cool off” Ken said as he handed the cool drink over to the now outstretched hand of Sugimoto. Ken would then attempt to lower himself down to sit next to the boy but would let out a groan as a slight pain would shot out from his legs from the unusual movement accompanied by the weight of his bulk. With the laborist task of sitting down was complete, Ken would take a sip of the refreshing lemonade so he could take a little more time to organize his thoughts. A few seconds passed as they sat silently sipping their drinks, the only sound being that of the ice clanging on the sides glasses. Ken would break the silence with what he hoped would be perceived as reassurance. “Boy, I don’t mean to pry but I could not help but notice, you seem to be suffering from something.” A look of embarrassment and shock flashed across the boys as he realized his emotional journey was displayed for anyone to see, but before the boy could say anything in responses Ken would continue. “It is none of my business but if you would let this old man give you some advice I may be capable of giving you some insight.” Sugimoto would take a few moments to organize himself before responding, Sugimoto in his short life has never felt a torrent of emotions like he felt today and the idea of someone helping him out before he drowned in them seemed like a good idea. So Sugimoto would look at the old blacksmith and nod his head in acceptance of the man's offer of insight.
Ken seeing that the boy accepted his offer would take the time to weight his words very carefully. Each sentence he would take time to formulate and then express his years of accumulated experiences to the boy, hoping that his words would give the boy some comfort. “I don’t know what kind of situation you come from nor can I fathom what kind of trauma you may have suffered, but the advice I am about to give you should be helpful regardless.” Ken would pause before he continued to let the boy collect himself because simply mentioning those traumas seemed to bring them back to the forefront of the boys mind. Once the boy seemed calmed Ken would continue, “You may have lost you parents and you may have suffered many hardships since, but the sad truth is in this harsh world we live in you will suffer a lot more before you die. At times the suffering will feel unbearable, akin to being placed into a forge. The forges flames will burn you down to your very soul. But you have a choice to make, do you let those flames consume you or do you forge yourself anew? Do you take that pain and that anguish and temper yourself in it, quench yourself in the tears of your loss? Like a sword do you forge yourself strong and hard so you can take all the pain and suffering life will throw your way while also being flexible so you can adapt to all the threats problems you will face? Do you hone your will to a keen edge so you can cut down those who would take that which belongs to you? Or do you let those flames of pain and suffering burn you to ash? The choice is yours to make, but smiths like us tend to be made of sterner stuff, so I believe I know what path you will chose.
Sugimoto felt some reassurance from the old smiths words, the way he spoke with terms he could related to and understand helped Sugimoto get some semblance of what the old smith was trying to convey. Sugimoto would stare at something far off as his mind mulled over what Ken said while he did a long and slow sip of his ice cold lemonade. After finishing his own drink Sugimoto would stand up dust off and look to Ken, “Thank you for your advice I am going to have to think about it some more.” Ken was slow to get up and would let out another small groan as pain shot through his knees again. “Ogh, ok well when you ready all you will need to forge the nails and screws are by the anvil” Ken would say with slight strain in his voice from the effort of getting up. He did notice the boy had a different look on his face after the talk yet he could not pinpoint what that look ment.
Sugimoto would slide on his blacksmith gloves, adjust his blacksmith apron, picked up his forge tongs and finished the preparations for working on the next project. To make nails was an easy and mindless work the screws on the other hand required a special tool and a vice that was on a table just a few feet from from his work station. Sugimoto started working on the nails heating up the metal forming it into a long thin rod. As he looked into the forge waiting for the metal to heat up Sugimoto would think upon the old smiths words, he knew that the worlds made sense but incorporating them into his being would take some more thought. As his body worked with muscle memory to complete the nails and screws his mind would work through his emotions. Ken talked about what someone does with one's pain and suffering and the choice you have to make once confronted with these kinds of emotions. Sugimoto did think about the emotion tidal wave he went through before while he was resting before and sipping on the sweet and sour drink, he knew he did not want to keep feeling as lost and out of control as he did in those frantic moments as he was overwhelmed by his grief. What was he going to do to regain control? What does he want for his life now that he was alone and lost his family? Sugimoto did not know the answer to these questions but from what Ken said he would have to find the answer for himself. Sugimoto looked inward as his body did the forging, he thought about the first question about figuring out how to regain control over his emotions and his life. What he was missing was direction, he needed a purpose to act as a foundation to act upon. But what direction does he want his life to take? What is his purpose? As Sugimoto thought about this question only one answer would come to mind, revenge. He could only think about finding the person who killed his family and take their life. This desire burned hot in Sugimoto soul, acting as the heat to forge his now forming determination. Now with his purpose set, how was he going to regain control? Power and Strength, one can not be in control of their own life if they are weak. You must have your own strength to rely on as he learned the hard way being powerless to stop his family's death. So how will he gain this power and or strength? He would have to start practicing his Yamato clans secret art of rune etching, but he would have to do it in secret. Plus he wanted to keep learning shinobi arts from Kumo, he needed to learn how to fight better in addition to learning other more advanced skills and jutsus.
Sugimoto knew he needed a master to train him to be a better shinobi, but he did not know any shinobi capable of teaching him? Is there anyone a shinobi in Kumo who could teach him the necessary skills to gain the power and strength Sugimoto desired. Plus Sugimoto knew deep down that he would one day have to find his hidden clan and learn more of the secret arts of the Yamato clan. But he had no Idea where his clan could be, his only information he had was once his father told him that the clan was hidden close to Hoshi. So he knew one day he would have to go back. So without these options available at this moment, so what could he do to gain this power and strength? That Shinobi he trained with the other day Okami, if he could make a genin team together with him I could gain real life experience. So his plan was to stay in this village learn what he could form here and then go and find his clans home and learn what he can from them. With his direction and goals solidified and his purpose clear, the pain he once felt dulled to a constant radiant heat. His mind was now cleared up and he felt much better after taking some time and thinking about Kens advice.
Sugimoto was putting the final of the metal rods into the forge to make the last of the extra nails Ken said he could make he looked up to Ken, and say “Thanks Ken, your advice help me out alot. I believe I may have put my mind and emotions right.” Ken would look up from his own task and say “O’ good, glad it helped you out.” putting his work down he went over to a side of his workshop and picked up a thick and large paper bag “Thanks for your help, a lot got done today thanks to you.” Ken started to shovel the nails and screws for order into the bag and the extra nails into another bag. Then Ken placed both bags by Sugimoto’s feet and said “ Well when your done forging your nails would you bring these to the carpenter two streets up and three streets down and to the left?” Sugimoto after quenching the last of the nails would nod his head and say “Sure, that is on my back to the orphanage. So I do not mind dropping them off.”
Sugimoto would replace all the tools he borrowed but Ken would pipe up “Don’t put those back, you can keep those tools.” Sugimoto shocked would said “are you sure?” Ken with a smile on his face would respond “Ya, consider it my gift to you.” Sugimoto with a slight smile on his face would gather his newly owned tools and place them in his apron’s loops to hold them. Now picking up both big paper bags Sugimoto would head to the smithies door, he would turn back Ken and thank him for his help in more ways than one. Ken would wave his hand and respond with “No worries, feel free to come back anytime. Next time I will pay you.” Ken would finish with a hearty laugh. With a final wave Sugimoto would leave the smithy and head off to drop off the bag at the carpenters shop.
The day turned to night at some point long past and the air managed to get even colder. A shiver ran down Sugimoto spin as a gust of wind blew particularly hard in his direction, being in the heat of the forge and then walking in the cold weather just made the cold feel even colder. He knew he would just have to bear it, he was not to far from his destination and after that it was just five more minutes to the orphanage and his bed. After a few minutes in the extreme cold and following Ken’s directions he managed to get to the street the carpenter was supposed to be on. Sugimoto could not seem to find the carpenters building, there were no signs and no indications to lead him in the right direction. So he asked someone who was walking by “hello, do you happen to know where the carpenter around here is?” The elder woman turns to Sugimoto and answers “O yes, it is the third house on your right with the nice shutters and big building in the back.” Sugimoto thanking her would follow her directions and head to the house.
Once he got to the house it became apparent what the old lady was inferring to when she mentioned the nice shutters. They seemed to be hand carved in the shape of dragons flying over a mountains skyline. They looked extremely well crafted, but on closer examination the whole house seemed extremely well built. Sugimoto walked up to the front door and knocked, after a few moments an a seemingly slim man opened the door. He had a pair of glasses on a face with a chin to strong for his slim body, he wore a button up shirt that was sprinkled with wood dust. He looked only to be around forty and seemed to be confused why someone would be at his front door. “Hello how can I help you?” Sugimoto shuffles the paper bag to the front “I just came from Ken Kenta’s Smithy and I am here to deliver you order for nails and screws.” The older man would grab the bag from Sugimoto “please come inside for a quick moment and get out of the cold.” Sugimoto would gladly take up the offer and follow the older man inside.
The Inside was just as well crafted as the outside as it was on the inside, the stairs had a decorative dragon as the hand rail, the house seemed full of handmade and decorative furniture and with just a look around Sugimoto could tell this was a highly skilled craftsman. The older man takes out the nails and studies them he says “Ken did not makes these nails and screws and they are too well made to be forged by his drunk of a assistant? Sugimoto would quickly pipe up with a response “I forged them”. “The old man says “impressive” Sugimoto would take this time to complement the old man on how incredible his house was “You’re house is amazing, the craftsmanship is quite impressive!” the old man smiles and says “My name is Riyo Tamagachi, what is your name?” “Sugimoto, and If you would not mind I have a favor to ask.” the old man would put a more stoic face on, unsure what I could be asking for he would say “Um, what do you need?” while trying to be as persuasive as possible Sugimoto would ask his favor. “I live at the orphanage and the place is falling apart slowly, I went to Ken to get the nails I would need but now I need some wood. If you have any warped wood or wood scraps I could use to fix the old place up that would help a lot.” Riyo would purse his lips and a frow would form on his brow as he thought about the favor. A few moments would pass as the older man put his thoughts together, Riyo said “I may have some wood you could use but it will take me a day to gather it together.” Sugimoto bowed vigorously all the while saying “thank you very much.” and with that Sugimoto left Riyo’s home and headed back to the orphanage.
Sugimoto was tried after a long day of forging and running around Kumo made it so he was excited to reach the orphanage and find his bed. With the walk being colder now than it was during the day his progress was slower than he would have prefered. There was a noticeable lack of people walking around the village, with no other sound but the wind rushing by his ears, the village gave off a ghost town like feeling. Sugimoto being 16 was long past the point of being afraid of the dark or being alone outside, the perilous trek from his home to Kumo inoculated him from those fears. But that does not mean he did not feel the eerie atmosphere that the empty village gave off. But after a few minutes of being uncomfortably cold he managed to find his way to the front door of the orphanage. Quickly rushing in and shutting the door behind him, Sugimoto would latch the lock and let out a shiver. “Man I am glad to be out of the cold.” Sugimoto whispered to himself as he headed into the kitchen of the orphanage.
This late at night the majority of the kids should be sound asleep, so he would try and slowly walk through the kitchen and try to make as little noise as possible so as to not wake up the kids. But to his shock a whisper would break the silence “how did things go with Ken?” Mother Abigail’s silhouette was sitting down at the kitchen table, her question was punctuated by a yawn. “It went great. Ken seems to be a great guy and I got the nails I will need to fix up this place. Plus I also met and and made a deal with the carpenter Riyo Tamagachi for some of his extra wood.”Suimoto would respond in a hushed tone. It occurred to him that Mother Abigail must have been sitting here for sometime before he got home. “Sorry, where you waiting up for me?” Mother Abigail would get up from sitting and head over to where Sugimoto was standing “It is no bother, I like to make sure all the kids under my care are home and safe in their beds” and with that Mother Abigail would take the nails from Sugimoto and place them in a cabinet out of the reach of the younger kids. “Good night Sugimoto and thank you.” and with that Mother Abigail walked to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. Sugimto would make the hand seals for Ram, Horse and Ox and then activate Quiet Footsteps Jutsu and make his way to his bed while avoiding stepping on the kids sleeping on the floor. Their snores making a rhythmic beat that he moved to so as to not disturb the sleepy and relaxed atmosphere in the room. He made a mental note to himself that he would like to make bunk beds for the kids if he ever got the chance so they would not have to sleep on the floor. Once he made it to his bed he would slowly lower himself into it, deactivate his quiet footsteps jutsu and pull his pillow under his head and his blankets over his body. The day was taxing both mentally and physically, so once he was settled in sleep overcame him immediately.
TWC 8841
Claims
44 stats points
Funinjutsu Chakra Barrier 4000/4000
Yamato Bloodline/ Rune Writing 2000/2000
Paper Seal: Explosion 2841/4500
also claiming Fuinjutsu Breaking E rank as I forgot to claim it for free at genin.
Madrigal KaguyaCitizen-
Ryo : 0
Re: Sugimoto's eventfull day in Kumo
Tue Feb 12, 2019 6:23 am
For the record, you need 50 points in chakra to learn A rank techs, this is okay, so long you put 44 of those stat points into your chakra stat to make it 50.
Approved
Approved
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum