An Acquired Taste [Private, Solo]

Spoiler:

A flash of light and came went and left Asahi standing alone on the shore.

"This is the closest you could get me!?" he shouted out for the Hollykage to hear, but no response ever came. Typical, he thought, once he sets you to work he also chooses to ignore you. Oh well, he took a quick look around, guess I'll need to find a ship to sail into the water with.

He stood on a shore against, what he presumed, was the ocean. So vast was the blue before him that he could not see land on any of the other sides. The silence was eery, only broken up by the sound of waves breaking against rock. The sky above was overcast and it felt like it could rain at any moment. Beneath his feet was sand, freshly wet from the tide moving in. Oh boy, he sighed. Asahi looked around to see if he could notice anything that would help him in his task but it was only blue waters and grey skys all around. Well, I'm going to need a boat first. There must be a dock along the shore here somewhere. Surely the Hollykage wouldn't have placed him someone where his task couldn't be completed. He wasn't quite sure if that was true, however.

Regardless, he set off on foot and started walking along the coastline. The walk was a lonely one. Coarse sand crunched beneath his soles. Occasionally their were a set of rocks to move over. Sometimes a bird or two flew by to give him something to look at. He was beginning to think that he would never see another person again. The wind started to pick up and he shivered as it blew over him. Eventually, though, he could see structures materializing in the distance as he approached. First a small shack, then a few more buildings, and finally a dock jutting out over the water. There were even a few boats there, which was just what he needed. Some luck, he thought.

It was a small fishing village, Asahi realized. A sign outside read "Brightport." There was nothing bright about this place, though. It was a bleak little village. Still, to Asahi, who needed a boat to complete his mission, it was like striking gold. Now, where to find a captain to one of these ships. There was a tavern near the docks called "The Burnt Anchor" and that seemed as good a place as any to start. He stepped inside and was immediately hit with the smell of mead and smoked fish. There were a few tables filled with unsavory characters but otherwise Asahi did not know where to start. I should talk to the barkeep. He can steer me in the right direction. The Genin approached the man behind the counter for some guidance.

"Excuse me, sir," he started. "I'm looking for a captain to take me out to sea."

"Oh?" the barkeep looked up from wiping down the counter. "Whereabouts are you headed?"

"The Ruins of Old Kirigakure."

A surprised look came over the man's face. Then followed by one of fear. He leaned over the table so as to whisper to the ninja. "You won't find many here willing to take you there. It's a dangerous place, and there are all sorts of tales and legends about it here. It's superstition, you see. Only the most craziest or desperate captain would be willing to sail to those waters."

Dangerous? Of course it was. The Hollykage loves setting me up for these sorts of adventures. "Well," Asahi sighed and looked around the tavern. "Do you know any of that sort? Those craziest enough to bring me to Old Kiri?"

The barkeep thought for a few moments and scanned the room. "Over there," he pointed towards a shadowy figure slouched against a chair in a corner. He looked either asleep or dead, it was hard to tell exactly from this distance. "He's a little rough around the edges though, I'm warning you. You're taking your life in your own hands going with him.

---

674 Asahi WC
674 Asahi Total WC

Asahi nodded his thanks, tipped the barkeep, and then strolled over to where the man sat. As he got closer he could see more details about his would be captain. The man was never alive nor dead, as he had thought, just completely drunk. His eyes were half closed and he had spilled his drink all over himself and the table. He smelled horrible. If this is what I have to work with the barkeep is right, Asahi realized. I really am taking my life into my own hands here. Still, he needed to get to the Ruins of Old Kirigakure to complete his mission. The Hollykage would not let up and whatever reward he would earn from this task was sure to be worth the time.

"Hi... there," he introduced himself as he arrived at the table.

"Whose there!" the man jumped upwards from his slouch. His eyes opened wide and then squinted in the dimly lit tavern to try and see who he was talking to. "I'll give you your money, just give me a few more days, you'll get it this time, I promise." He tried to wipe up some of the drink that he spilled over himself to look presentable.

"I'm not... you don't owe me anything." He has no idea who I am, Asahi realized. He thinks I'm some debtor. The Genin could see the drunkard trying to work things out in his head while he talked. "Listen, I'm here for something else. I'm looking for a captain."

The man perked up from his slouch at the mention. He had forgotten all about the owing money part of the conversation. "Well you've come to the right place, sonny! I'm the best around and I've got the fastest and strongest ship in the harbor!" The drunkard burped then.

"Uh... great," Asahi replied. "What's your name?"

"Captain Swaine Finch at your service! Where shall I be taking you? I've the cheapest prices of any here, you'll not find a better deal."

"The Ruins of Old Kirigakure," Asahi said point blank.

Swaine went quiet and stared at the Genin with wide eyes. "Well, that's going to cost you a pretty penny."

"I thought you said you've the cheapest prices here?"

"You didn't say you wanted me to sail us to our deaths!"

After an hour of negotiation the two men settled on a deal that included a large payment and some share of the treasure that the Hollykage wanted. It was an ideal arrangement and both of them left the bartering table unsatisfied, but Asahi supposed that meant it was as fair as it could be. Swaine moved to stand up from the table and it was then he realized that the captain only had one leg, his real one now replaced with a wooden peg. Oh great, he thought. A drunk, one legged, mad captain. What have I gotten myself into this time? The man lead him out of the tavern and towards the docks where his ship lay. Asahi followed the hobbling and swaying drunk as he stumbled through the small town. Finally, they arrived at what he claimed was his ship.

"Here she is!" Swaine said with excitement. He seemed almost proud of his ship. "I call her the Miracle!"

Never before had Asahi seen such a disaster that someone claimed was a ship. It was made out of wood, that much the Genin could tell at least. But even then it was barely held together. He was surprised it was event floating next to the dock in the state that it was in. There were a few holes on the side and some of the wood was even starting to rot away. It looked like it had been in a dozen battles but just managed to escape every time. The sail, if you could call it that, was once red but had long since faded and now looked more like it was pink. There was a large fishing net hanging off the side of the ship that had all manner of trash still tangled up in it.

"Well, what do you think?" Swaine asked.

"It looks great," Asahi replied, trying to seem positive. It'll be a miracle if we survive this.

---

692 Asahi WC
1366 Asahi Total WC

Asahi could already taste the salt in the air as they departed from the town and headed towards the Ruins of Old Kirigakure. The ship rocked beneath the waves and the Genin struggled to stay on his feet, though it seemed that Swaine with his peg leg was having no trouble. At least he's a natural out here, whatever else he may be, Asahi thought. The town slowly faded from view until it was just them out on a rickety ship in the middle of the sea. It looked to Asahi like the sky was getting darker and he prayed that it would not rain on them out in the middle of the ocean. That is the last thing we need, he thought. This ship will be lucky to survive this trip. Rain would truly do us in.

During the journey the captain asked what it was exactly that they were doing in Old Kiri. "So," Swaine pipped up. "What does this Hollykage want you to find out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"A couple things," Asahi replied.

He recounted his conversation with the Hollykage to Swaine while they sailed. It all started back in Sunagakure, in his apartment, as usual. Ho ho ho! the Hollykage's voice appeared in his head. He was hungry and needed something to eat. But not just any old thing, some rare Pufferfish that could be found in the waters around Old Kiri. It struck Asahi as odd, but the Hollykage was an ecentric man, and it certainly wasn't outside of the norm for him. The strange Christmas man also needed Hemlock, though for what he would not say. That was certainly out of the ordinary, and Asahi and Swaine couldn't help but wonder what the Hollykage would use it for. Does he mean to cook the Pufferfish and poison someone with the Hemlock? Asahi had thought. Even thinking about it now still brought a shiver down his spine. The Hollykage was certainly not what he appeared, whatever the case.

---

333 Asahi WC
1699 Asahi Total WC

Eventually there was nothing more to talk about and the two men sat on opposite sides of the ship as it sailed across the waters. The sky was still darkened above but had yet to begin to rain. Asahi hoped it would wait until they were finished their mission, but somehow he knew they wouldn't be that lucky. He sighed as he leaned against the wooden railing. At least there was a nice breeze and he was not in one of the chilling environments the Hollykage usually saw fit to send him to. Still, there wasn't much to do for now but wait until one of the two things he was looking for showed up. Suddenly, just what he had waited for arrived.

Swaine picked his head up and pointed over the edge. "Those fish!" he said. "Are those the ones you are looking for?"

Asahi looked over the edge of the ship in the direction the captain pointed. There, swimming in a circle about twenty meters away were the Pufferfish. They were large and round and spiky and the Genin couldn't imagine who would want one of them, let alone eat them, but there they swam nonetheless. Just my luck, he thought. There was nothing else for miles around, but they had just chanced upon the very fish he was looking for. Perhaps the Hollykage is looking out for me? he thought, but there was no time to investigate that theory. He jumped up and started looking around the ship.

"We need to get the fishing nets out now! These are the Pufferfish! Up, Swaine, before they swam away."

Together the two man hauled the shoddy net up and tossed it over the side in a clump. As the ship moved it unfurled itself and was now ready to catch their targets. Swaine hobbled back to the wheel with his wooden peg leg. When he got there he started spinning it as fast as it could go so that they would intercept the Pufferfish. The ship curved sharply at the Captain's behest and Asahi struggled to stay on his feet as it cut across the waves violently. The net managed to envelop the area that the Pufferfish were swimming in, quite masterfully. Asahi was impressed at Swaine's skill. Though he was a drunkard and a cripple there was no denying that his place was at sea.

"Let's see what we've got!" Swaine said excitedly.

They hauled up the net together. It took several minutes to get it up over the railing but finally the two men managed the effort and fell over in exhaustion. The net was filled full of Pufferfish who floundered about desperately for water they would no longer find. It was an impressive haul, one that scored many more fish than the Hollykage would acquire. Asahi told Swaine that he could keep most of them to sell and try to make some money off of. The captain was thankful for the offer and Asahi was glad to be able to offer it. He certainly deserves it, he thought. If not for him I wouldn't have been able to do this at all. The Hollykage is lucky I was able to find such a captain.

"We must keep going," he told Swaine. "We've still yet to find the Hemlock. Once that's done we can return home."

---

552 Asahi WC
2251 Asahi Total WC

The ruins of Old Kirigakure were now in sight. It was a ghastly place. Torn apart by war and years of neglect, it made the pair shudder even from this distance. He could understand now why so many of the sailors had refused to come out this far. I don't blame them at all, he thought now, not one bit. The wind started to pick up as the entered the city and the sky started to dark. It looked like the rain clouds above would burst at any moment. Not good, Asahi said to himself, looking up at the sky. The ship slowly sauntered past old crumbling towers just barely sticking out from the water. There were different species of fish swimming among the ruins and sea weeds of different sorts started to climb the broken and scorched stone of wars past.

"Hemlock, you said?" Swaine asked Asahi, not taking his eyes off of the destruction of Old Kirigakure.

"That's right," the Genin responded. "The Hollykage needs it. For what he didn't say. You wouldn't happen to know what to look for, would you?"

"You're in luck, shinobi." Swaine looked over and gave him a toothy smile. He spun the wheel in an arc and started sailing off to a jutting piece of land over to the east. "It grows in shallower waters," he explained. "It's likely we might find some over that ways. Though, I won't be able to get the ship close enough to pick it if we do. You'll need to get wet if you want it."

"That's fine." We're so close now.

The ship turned towards the piece of land and it slowly came into view against the backdrop of the ruined city. There were short little two or three feet tall plants growing all around it, their base's just barely dipped into the water. Asahi turned to see if this was indeed the Hemlock and the captain nodded back that it was. Swaine got the ship as close as was possible but he could bring it no further lest he risk it running aground. This should do well enough, Asahi thought. He started to take off his jacket and ninja pouch and place them on the deck. No use in getting all this wet.

"Take this too," Swaine told him. He handed him an empty sack.

"What for?"

"The Hemlock, boy. Don't let it touch your bare hands, you might get sick. Collect it by grabbing it with the bag. Better safe than sorry."

"I owe you one," Asahi told him.

He dove straight into the water. His momentum carried him down a few meters before he gradually surface. He broke through the water in a shiver. The water was ice cold, he had never felt anything like it before. Better get a move on. The Genin swam towards the little isle as fast as he could. Reaching the island he hurried as fast as he could, bag in hand. He moved from plant to plant, grabbing each one out by the roots by holding onto the bag and then flipping it inside so as to avoid it touching his bare hands. The technique Swaine told him worked well enough, and soon the bag was full. He thought that should be more than enough for the Hollykage, whatever his nefarious needs with Hemlock were.

When the Genin arrived back on the ship the first drops of rain started. He quickly dressed and the captain hobbled back over the wheel to steer them back to the port. What started as a drizzle soon became a violent storm and it wasn't long before the ship was being pulled in every direction as the weather threatened to tear it apart. The captain pulled out his compass to guide the way as they were now blind in the storm. Asahi and Swaine held onto the wooden railings as tight as they could. It seemed like forever that they were caught in the disaster. Many times during the storm Asahi was sure his end was near. He could imagine himself being picked up by the winds and tossed overboard, never to be found again.

Yet somehow they made it. The storm subsided and the found their way back to the port where this adventure had started from. Asahi had both the Pufferfish and Hemlock that the Hollykage required. He thanked Swaine for his services and let him keep the excess Pufferfish and Hemlock as a job well done.

"I'm done, Hollykage!" Asahi yelled out. "I've got what you sent me here for!"

The Hollykage answered his call, teleporting him back to Sunagakure and rewarding him for a mission complete.

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765 Asahi WC
3016 Asahi Total WC

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B-Ranked Mission Complete, 3016 WC, +40 AP and 4000 Ryo.

Spending 444 WC to finish learning Drunken Fist. Previous progress was at 2056/2500 as noted here.
Spending 2500 WC to then Master Drunken Fist, removing the need to be drunk and allowing me to discern friend from foe.

Discarding leftover 72 WC

+10 Vigor and +20 Strength

Approved