The Winds of Fate

There was just something about this place which was so harrowing. Between both the known history of it, and just the overall desolate and barren atmosphere which the environment had been adorned with. Well, what it wasn’t adorned with. Normally, this region of the village hidden within the clouds would be flourishing with lush wildlife and all sorts of whimsical flora. But alas, due to the infamous era brought about Youka Tau, and his desolation of the sacred mountains of Kumogakure, the forest which once could be seen sprouting there was now a decrepit, black hell scape. The necromantic and rotting energies could still be somewhat felt, their lingering effects creeping out of the ground like the ravenous undead emerging from their graves. All that could be seen for miles on end was just the charred remains of what used to be vivid greens mixed with earthy tones. Now, it was all dark, depressing, and bleak.

Nothing could be done now though. Hiroki knew that this age brought about by the mad kage had ended a few years ago. For all he knew, the man was buried 6 feet beneath the ground too, and things were much better off if that was indeed the case. But for whatever reason, whether it was boredom or the haunting siren’s song of mystery, the lad found himself drawn to this place. Something deep down within his core just felt like there was some kind of connection to be had here, but the teen dressed in an all red attire just couldn’t quite place his finger upon what said thing could possible be. Maybe, the wind’s of fate would smile upon him, shining a light on the whole situation.

WC: 285

Duncan sat there, resting on an old boulder that managed to survive the damage done to this place. It was a shame how far this place had fallen since his youth. A once magical and wondrous place was now nothing more that the charred remains of a long dead forest, a mere husk of what it once was. Kumogakure was a place of what felt like constant change, almost as if the chaos of the leaders past had bled into this place, warping it on a fundamental level. Chaos and turmoil, two words that could easily describe Kumo over the years. Luckily, it would seem as though the place had calmed down a good bit. No longer the days of revolving leadership and mad tyrants. This place was on the right path, one that his master would have been proud of. 

The quiet moment of contemplation was disturbed by the presence of another that had been wandering through the area. "Aye, who goes there?" Duncan would yell to the approaching man adorned in all red. They were far enough away that the giant of a man couldn't make out their details. The giant bald man would rise, looking out over the charred lands in attempts to spot a Kumo headband. He was ready, just in case this had been some sort of upstart missing ninja that thought they could make a quick payday from a lone target. 

wc: 237

Off within the distance, the horizon could be seen. Shedding the only colors across the otherwise drab and boring landscape. It was quite the juxtaposition of things, really. Such a daunting, dead space being shined down upon by a beautiful backdrop of the oranges mixing into pinks, and finally fading in to purple shades. It was a balance of two similar ideas, but on either side of that particular spectrum. Beauty in one of it’s most gracious and natural forms, and then that of a stained one. Taken away. What once was there, now was plain and simply gone. Never forgotten, and hopefully it could be reversed. There were some doubts in this, but there was still the possibility to restore the forest to it’s former glory. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt to just make an attempt at doing so. Not to mention, the attempt alone could have huge positives for the village, revitalizing not only the place but the people. Hiroki had been on a similar journey as of late, with overcoming the grief of the past. Maybe, once he found a way to remove this weight off of his shoulders, he could find a way to kindle the spark that once was the forest.

Meandering without a real goal in mind, the Dragon Slayer was snapped to from just wondering aimlessly by a voice calling from off in the distance. Looking to the west, there was large boulder about 30 or so meters away. Accompanied by this sight, was a rather large looking figure. Cautiously, Roki would make his way on over to them. Upon being able to make out that they were just another ninja from the Hidden Cloud, his guard would be lowered, and to which he’d finally respond both answering and theoretically asking in return. ”A friend.” And he would stop as he drew about 5 meters away from where the giant rock was located.

”A friend, just wandering about. Reminiscing on memories of days past.” The Shimadan teen would further explain, his voice calm. Gently drifting through the air like a cool and soothing breeze carrying a refreshing spring’s mist. Now being closer, Hiroki would further scan the man. Obviously, the sitting giant appeared to be someone of great physical strength, their most notable features revolving around the muscular structures. Another notable thing which was slightly off putting, but the genin didn’t think too much into was how this guy was casually dressed in prisoner’s garbs. A fleeting thought of an escaped convict very briefly crossed his mind, but that was silenced faster than it had flown in. If that were the case, there would have certainly been an alert or something of the sorts already out and about for the situation. Putting this out of his mind, after a moment the Raiju of Kumo would speak back up ”What about yourself? Just enjoying a peaceful time? The name’s Hiroki by the way.”

WC: 493
TWC: 778

Duncan would ease up, lowering his defenses once he had realized that the approaching person was a comrade and fellow Kumogakure shinobi. The giant of a man would shift his gaze from the approaching man and look back into the destroyed remains of a place he once truly felt at peace. "I guess that makes two of us out here to reminisce about better times." His tone of voice held a tint of sadness to it, memories of the beauty this place once held flooding his mind once more. "I used to come here in my youth. Hell, that feels like a lifetime ago now. This place is practically unrecognizable, though I imagine it is a great deal better now as a scorched scar on the land then things were when hordes of psychotic monsters roamed the outskirts of Kumo." That was quite the time... the reign of Mortarion was quite literally something ripped right out of nightmares. It was also a time of great regret...

The name spoken by the fellow Kumo shinobi rang a bell to the giant. "Hiroki Shimada? Well it would seem as if luck was on my side. I actually have a letter for you." The man's large hands would begin to fish his pocket for the letter. Usually putting a letter in a pocket was difficult without folding or bending it, but due to the man's immense size his clothes (and by extension pockets) were far larger than normal. Pulling out the ornate letter, he would offer it to his comrade. "This comes from your brother. Met him at the Spring Carnival. He said that he misses you dearly." Duncan would just shake his head, "Hope you don't mind me saying, but I can't say that I much like your brother." 

Considering that Hiko ended their encounter with a very concerning line, Duncan couldn't help but wonder where the young man lost his way. After a moment of debate, he would almost offer up a topic that might bring a good conversation... or it might cause conflict. Deciding it would be best to hold off for now, he would see how his ally would react to what was already presented. The giant would save his questions for now. 

wc:374

The giant man sitting upon the boulder would seem to lower his guard a bit. Muscles which once were tense in case something were to occur looked to level out once Hiroki had revealed that there was no quarrel to be had. With a smile on his face, the mischievous one would listen well as the man reminisced on the good ole days. There was a brief time within his own life that Hiroki could relate to this, the first 6 or 7 years growing up were before Youka Tau’s hellish reign. ”I don’t have as much memories of this place prior as you do it would seem. But the few that I do have, I like to hold onto as well. Thank goodness those days are long over now though. Especially since Kumo has started to accumulate more power recently, so if someone were to try…well good luck to them.”

The next words in which he spoke though, made the light tone go sour really fast. The Shimadan’s face went completely pale; the expression it’s as if he had seen a ghost was an extreme understatement. Instead it was almost as if a ghost had come back to haunt him, torment him. Bring upon nothing but agony and grief. The facial expression made it clear to, this was clearly a bit of a touchy subject. Being too stunned to speak, the short haired kid would only take the letter which was given to him by this man. Upon inspection, the mark on the wax seal…that was his family’s crest, but distorted in a sense. Reversed with a divider of a scorpion tale. With a dull voice, mixed with both a somber tone and one of confused anger, he’d go on to say still blindsided by this ”What you say is true…that’s my family crest right there…I don’t know if you know, but. Well, there’s no easy way to put this, he’s supposed to be dead. One morning when I was 10…” A tear would roll down his cheek upon saying this, getting slightly choked up from the sad stream of memories overtaking his mind’s eye.

Clearing his voice after that brief paused, Roki would continue ”I found my parents dead and my brother…gone. They never found him, so they presumed him dead, and place the blame on him for the death of my-“ The right hand would make it’s way up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose ever so slightly. ”Our parents. Tell me, what exactly did he say to you?”

WC: 429
TWC: 1207

The tone of the encounter was a pleasant one... at least at first. The pair seemed to ease into conversation about the history of this place, and Duncan would just nod his head as he gazed upon the landscape. It was a shame that such action was needed to help cleanse the land of Mortarion's filth. "Good luck indeed. This place is doing well, considering all of the tragedy it has faced in its past. I am truly happy that this place has grown strong... far stronger than I thought it would at the end of my former lords reign." His words held a sadness as he spoke, his reminiscing only offering pangs of pain in return. 

After offering the letter, Hiroki's whole demeanor would shift to that of almost panic. His face lost color, his eyes wide in disbelief. His tone held anger, though after hearing him out it was clear that such anger was not directed towards the giant. Duncan knew that feeling, that of disbelief upon hearing dire news. The rage that could build inside, eating you up. It was truly dangerous.

"He said little, yet so much. He mentioned how he has been travelling the world, searching out his true lineage. He looked well travelled and battle worn, so I'd say that those words were no lie. He gave off the presence of being well versed in death." Duncan wasn't great at this, easing into the unpleasantries of delivering bad news. He's done it before... but its never easy. Duncan would grunt and shake his head, unsure if the words held any truth or if they were simply presented to stir up confusion and unease in Hiroki, weakening any resolve he might have to claim his brothers life. Still, holding back such information felt dishonest to Duncan, the giant having no intentions to keep secrets from his fellow Kumo shinobi. "He mentioned being a wanted criminal for the murder of his parents, though he said that such claims were false and that he was innocent." The giant would gaze over to his companion, not an ounce of deception held within his face or tone, "Those were turbulent times... evil spread over our lands like a plague. In fact..." Duncan would think back to the young mans final parting words, "I fear that even if he hadn't been corrupted by it then, he surely has now... His finals words to me were that The Age of Tau was nigh." 

"I'm not sure how familiar you are with that name... but it holds a great deal of darkness, especially for our village." Duncan would break his gaze, looking to the ground as unease filled him, "Do you know of Youka Tau? Or perhaps you might better know him as Mortarion..."

wc:462

With the shifting tone and pace of the conversation, there came about the extremely difficult and tedious task of picking up all the pieces to the fractured puzzle, and putting them all together again. One by one, slowly and carefully. So that way the same thing wouldn’t have to occur again. But where to start really was the question now, wasn’t it? When it came down to things, what was the correct piece of grief in order to examine first? Although still unknown, the answer to this would be simple, practically on the verge of being common sense. There was no “right” way to actually go about doing things when it came down to stressful times such as this. Everyone had their own ways to let these natural processes harmlessly surge out from the body.

So, Hiroki would attempt his best at remaining composed. Hearing certain words fly out of the gentle giant’s mouth. A single hand would shakily start to pick at the wax seal holding the parchment together. The word Tau was a word that had appeared in both the letter, and Duncan’s little speech about his run in with the thought to be dead Shimadan brother. More specifically the mention of another name, one which was somewhat familiar come to think of it. ”The…Tau? They’re the people with threads throughout their body? It talks about in the letter how the day he left, he overheard our mom and dad speak about this. And he’d been…traveling the world…since then. After all this time- I…I don’t even know what to say or think really.”

With one hand still loosely grasping onto the edge of the paper, the other hand that was clutching the bridge of his nose would go to rub his eyes. No tears were streaming, but that didn’t mean some were being held back from being released. Trying to move onwards from the situation, he’d go onto say ”But Youka Tau. The Old Mad Kage. I was around the age of 6 or 7 when his reign came to an end. It was all quite maddening really, had my parents in a twist. And I guess, well…now I know why. This cryptic message, if it’s some form of threat I’m not sure of, but do you think it’d be wise to inform the Kage on this?” Roki would inquire, pondering upon it because to be frank, it was shrouded in mystery as to whether or not it was some form of slander with substance, or just a baseless remark. So possibly the man who was there could shed a light onto which he thought it would be.

WC: 440
TWC: 1651

"Aye, those are the ones." Duncan would offer, his whole body nearly shuddering at the thought of some of the horrors he had seen brought on by those of that cursed bloodline. They were beings composed of countless, razor sharp tendrils. Less man than monster, really. Duncan had years of experience under his belt, and it was clear that this whole ordeal was shaking up the lad. Duncan would shake his head, "Maddening indeed. Those times were... challenging, to put it lightly. The tyrant had no qualms about killing his people for even the slightest insubordination, real or imagined. No doubt that your brother belonging to that bloodline..." Duncan stopped, knowing the next words he had nearly said aloud were not anything that the young man should have to hear. He was going to say that it meant that some very cruel and horrible things must have occurred, but Duncan didn't want to say exactly what he thought might have been the cause. There was no reason to say things to deliberately upset the young man. 

"It was most certainly a threat, though I can't fathom that it held much weight." His words said one thing, but his mind burned with other thoughts on the matter. He knew that the threat was hollow, it HAD to be. Youka Tau was a ghost, long gone from this world. His time as Raikage Maximillian's personal bodyguard allowed him a great deal of time to speak with the Little Lord. They scoured every inch of Kumogakure, unable to find any trace of the vile tyrant. Last seen with Raikage Maku, there was always the possibility that the space time specialist simply fled with his comatose comrade, but not a single report had been made regarding the return of either of the two high ranking criminals... at least not while the boy lived... Still, something itched at the giants mind, clawing at him without mercy. His mind told him one thing, guided by reasonable and rational thought. His heart on the other hand... it held the guttural, emotional response to even the slightest inkling of such a terrible return of the titan. Deep rooted, there was.. fear. Duncan was a young shinobi, molded under that man's regime. 

"Bringing such to the attention of the Raikage would probably be for the best, just to be on the safe side. Although bringing such to his attention without any truth to the matter makes me look a fool..." 


wc:411

”There’s no doubt then that he possesses the same bouts of insanity as the Mad Tyrant…” Hiroki would say, finishing the unspoken sentence by Duncan which didn’t need to be completed in order for the message to be conveyed. His tone would be solemn, and the eyes of the youngin would only grow a bit more weary upon the words escaping. But there was some manner of truth to it. There had to be. As difficult as the music was to face, it was something which had to be faced. This fact, the older brother knew, unfortunately. It didn’t necessarily come off as a complete shock now that the pieces of the puzzle slowly started to fall into certain places. Not quite completely being all there, but it was better than not having a single clue at all. After a deep sigh, Roki would also then add ”I’d say as his brother it would fall down to me to ensure this wouldn’t happen…but I am forbidden from fighting him. A month or two before his dea-…disappearance, my father made us take a blood pact; it’s rules quite simple. We can’t bring even an ounce of harm to one another. And now, well…now I’m starting to see why.” Something unspoken told him that his parents somehow foresaw those events happening down the road, so to ensure neither of their children would get hurt, made them forge the pact. This much was now clear at least.

Kicking a small, ashen ‘pebble’ of petrified wood, dust would be kicked up in tandem with the blackened, almost charcoal like object. Roki would listen as even more suspicions had been confirmed, with the words spoken by Hiko representing a more distant threat apparently. Not one which would be acted upon soon, but the potential of an attack in the future. A revenge plot perhaps? A man scorned could prove to be one of the most dangerous kinds of man, especially if treated in such a way where they are completely rejected by society as a whole. The last sentence spoken was also something in which was taken under close consideration. Both of them had come to the crossroads of telling the Kage yet running the risk the threat was hollow, or not sharing with an equally bad risk of an encroaching threat upon the horizon. ”Let’s leave it up to the winds of fate then. A coin toss.” Hiroki would mention, the voice saying the words still being done with an ounce of sadness and grief, all the while a hand would reach out to his pocket and grab a single Ryo.

”Heads, we inform Lord Noboru on this grave matter. Tails, it remains here, but we mustn’t forget it. And if either of us get even the slightest inkling that he may be approaching, we must inform the Raikage.” And saying that, the coin which was just taken out would be flipped into the air. As it went upwards, it would begin to rotate through both sides. Twirling in one direction at the same, continuous speed that it had been launched at. Until it would reach the peak of it’s slight arc, and come tumbling back downwards towards the ground, this time spinning in the opposite direction that it was originally flipped in. Once it would hit the ground, the face of the coin would reveal to be…

WC: 564
TWC: 2215

The member 'Hiroki Shimada' has done the following action : Roll Dice/Flip Coin

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'Lucky Coin' : 1