Gh- ghoooosts! In the Rice Paddies!!!

There were certain rumors, speculations really that had been revolving around something which was lurking beneath the surface of the rice paddies. As per one of the local Tanbogakuren tall tales used to lull kids away from going out at night, there was a great and evil spirit which had once made this country it’s residence for whatever reason. This spirit was one of an ancient evil, said to have driven those without a strong mind to the very brink of insanity; the verge of being trapped inside the dark recesses of their collapsing brains. However, due to the inherent nature of those born within rice country, they stood up against the creature, sealing it underneath their very feet. No one really knows how they managed to do this, but eventually once the task was done, things were back to normal and everyone went about their lives as if nothing had occurred. Still to this very day though, even though much of the truth has been lost throughout the times, the tale still spirals as a warning for those who would attempt to go to the fields at night.

This was one of the things which had sparked an interest within the eyes of Hiko. The whole idea, even if was just that, of a dark evil tucked away hiding somewhere, waiting to be found, was enough to peak the thoughts and curiosity of the boy. Wanting to know whether or not these rumors were true, the scar faced miscreant did just that. Around midnight, with the crescent moon dangling high up in the starry night sky, he found himself standing within the grassy knolls which made up the farming areas. But there was something more than just these ghost stories which had captured the attention of the missing nin. It was also time to somewhat bury the past behind him. Within the palm of the Shimadan’s hand was the headband that he was supposed to be given on his tenth birthday to symbolize the start of his path of a shinobi. But, that day never fully came to fruition in that sense at least. But still, there was a large scratch going across the cloud on the metal, deeming him an outcast and exile of the village hidden in the clouds.

Seeing as no one else was around, he’d start to dig up a small hole to bury this in. Wanting to rid himself from any potential connection to his homeland to make things sail smoother for the upcoming plans that he had.

WC: 424

Kaiya would be walking home after a long shift at the hospital where she has been working trying to learn medical jutsu and surgery techniques. She would be wanting to learn these things so she could leave her past behind her and finally move on from childhood. She would go by the rice fields when a young man would be walking out and she would ask “Hello sir are you lost? Is there anything that I could possibly help you with? I am still new in town but i might be able to point you where you need to go?” she would slow down and not approach him incase she needed to turn and run. She would be very suspicious of the man and would proceed with caution with one hand looking for a kunai but she had not had the chance to go buy any new weapons yet. She would start to panic a little, feeling kind of naked with out a blade she has had one since 4 this is the longest she has gone with out one.

WC180

Digging through the dirt with nothing but a kunai, short progress would be made in the matter of 5 minutes. It was a small one at that too, only going below the surface by not even a full foot. But still, there was enough hope that it would be deep enough so that way the rain wouldn’t be able to erode the ground down to where the headband would be buried. At least, not for a while. There was obviously just the given fact that over time, such a thing would be an eventual outcome. Both wind and rain would make their inevitable arrival, washing away what once was to reveal what was hidden. Only time though, would be able to reveal when said thing would happen. But for now though, the past would remain there, sitting underneath all the soil of the rice paddies. Hiko would place the headband inside the dug up ground, and start to replace the dirt which was removed from it.

There was an interruption though before this act could be fully completed. A voice. Calling from behind. Shit, had I been found out? the Tau would think to himself, the mind starting to run to it’s normal position in between the border or paranoia and trying to defend the ego. Slowly, while still kneeling on the cold earth beneath him, his head would turn to face the feminine voice which had spoken during this late hour, emerald green eyes gazing upon that of a kunoichi. Most likely from Tanbogakure. No matter, there was an easy out to all of this. Maybe, the thoughts from before could be used an excuse to help with this situation.

In his best voice, although it was still a bit rugged like a rocky road, but with a tad bit of a gentler demeanor and approach in the particular cadence used, Hiko would respond back to the woman ”Why no, not lost. Thank you for asking though. Just out here chasing a particular rumor, a local legend of the village which has recently sparked my intrigue. Tell me, have you ever heard of the ghost story about the one who was supposedly trapped underneath the rice fields?” Maybe…just maybe, this young lady could be of some assistance with aiding in the knowledge of what the Tau was supposedly chasing in this moment. If not, possibly some help in finding it could be achieved. All would be told in due time though.

WC: 414
TWC: 838

The kunoichi spoke in a very soft manner. Each word breathing life into the next, forming a bouquet of letters. There was certainly a kind air around this one. The manner in which she spoke wasn’t the only give away. After scanning her up and down with the 2 emerald green eyes placed within the face of the tanned skinned boy, the overall appearance of the woman was also very soft and she seemingly knew certain formal intricacies in which some like Hiko don’t often partake in when greeting another person. Yet there was still a bit of an edge to things, maybe it was her style. Dark clothes being a dramatic contrast to the otherwise peaceful personality. Maybe, there was still a chance that her allegiances truly lay up in the air, but that was one bet that couldn’t be taken at this current moment.

So listening while she spoke, and offering the same slight bow back to her, Hiko would remain quiet. A neutral expression striking his face. Once she was done speaking, the missing nin would offer a response back ”The name’s Hiko, and those are precisely the rumors I’m chasing after. Legend has it that the rice paddies are haunted, and supposedly long ago an evil was sealed underneath them. But, there’s been no evidence of truth to the latter statement, no one has ever confirmed it at least. I’m personally curious because some would call me a supernatural enthusiast I guess.” And there would be a slight pause before continuing. It wasn’t as if he was hesitating to do so, calculating his next words. More of just to let the string of info sink in. Part of it was a strewn together lie to hide the true motive behind being here, the truth being something that would remain a secret even if found out.

”If you’d like, I’m just trying to dig around in certain spots to try to find something. For some reason, I just get the feeling that something’s buried around here. Part of the ghost story is, they only come out at night, which is another reason why I’m here now.” He’d say to elaborate on second question that was asked. The help certainly wouldn’t be denied, but things would now have to be done with extra care.

WC: 390
TWC: 1228

“It is a pleasure to meet you Hiko. I guess I could help a little. do you have any idea what we are looking for buried in the rice fields?” She would ask obviously a little suspicious of the missing nin. She has not seen him around before so she was wary. She was also very curious about the rice field though. She never really had any interest in the supernatural. She never learned a lot about it. She would think about her childhood she was never really asked about the myths of the world from the elders of the Sad Flute. She tried to avoid them and just do her jobs. But she would continue “What do you know about myths? I have heard about the ghosts of village in passing but was never really curious about them. There is no proof of ghosts. I am a lady of medicine and science not myth and legends but I do like doing research so if I am proven wrong I will admit it.” She was always reading and trying to learn new things. It was usually medical books and some botany books but she has never really looked into the history of the village. Growing up she was taught the weak points of the human body and some healing in case an ally and fellow assassin was hurt but was not taught anything about the history of the world or politics. She was just the edge of the spear for a lot of her life. But she would continue “ I have two questions though. Do you think this would be easier with a shovel? Also will the farmer find out and get pissed off at us.” She would asked these questions walking toward the man and when she got close to the edge of the field and the step down she would test and see how trust worthy he was and hold out her hand and see what he would do. If he helps her down into ditch she would thank him and ask where she should start digging.

WC349

It would appear as if Kaiya too was a very precise and calculating person. From the small little intricacies residing within the very polite manners, to the simple way in which she spoke; it could be seen that the woman was trying to pry at something a bit, without actually prying about it. The niceties didn’t seem to be faked, it’s just the particular choice of words and the expression given on her pale visage while she spoke them which hinted at such a thing being possible. An extremely small potentiality, but one which could be very real.

”Besides that, not much else. All I know is they sealed this ancient evil away using some kind of advanced element if I'm not mistaken. What it was though, I’m not entirely sure.” Hiko would reply in his rough tone. Peering up towards the Tanbo nin, he’d continue to say ”Oftentimes, science and legend go hand in hand. Take the chakra system for example. You can’t answer some of the questions brought about by it’s mysterious nature without prior knowledge of the particular creation story of shinobi. But, then again, I’ve yet to be proven right on this matter. No ghosts yet after all. But say, as a medicinal practioneer, do you know how to go about creating poisons? If so, I can help get you started with a…business in that.” The cadence turned to a bit of a warble at the end, the last sentence done in a bit of a sing-song kind of manner. Emphasis had also been placed on keywords such as help and business to prioritize an immediate focus on said words. A simple buzzword tactic used to hide the nefarious scheme behind it. While nothing bad would happen to Kaiya, if accepted, the business in question would be the black market that he and Katsuragi had begun to set up in their hideout. ”As for the shovel…I’d imagine whatever was used to seal it shouldn’t be too deep under the soil. I was just using my kunai for now, but I’d understand if you wouldn’t want to get your hands dirty. The farmer, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. And I won’t tell if you don’t.” The Scorpion’s words would now become hushed, as if elaborating upon a secret that was being told.

Within the next moment, underneath the light of a pale moon in clear night sky, stars twinkling way up on the high; a hand was being put out in the lad’s direction. Eugh. The things I do for people. Hiko would think to himself, with still keeping a passive look to his face. It took a lot of restraint to act upon how he normally would and at least attempt to take some money. But, the missing nin was in a rather generous mood this evening. The unpredictability within the night air seemed to reflect within him too, this certainly wasn’t something that others who knew him would think he’d do. But, there was also the slight chess game still taking place of not being found. This moment would be utilized in a strategic way, to employ at least some kind of concealment tactic. Getting up, he’d slowly start to move towards the small decline of the ditch, stepping into the small hole that was dug to cover up the headband. With another stride forward, the cloak in which he was wearing would then slide the miniscule mound of dirt which had been dug up, back into it’s place. Although a watchful eye would still be able to notice that it wasn’t as packed as the rest of the area; glancing at it one could possibly presume that it had been tampered with. Once he’d get to within arm reach of the black haired kunoichi’s outstretched hand, his own right hand would reach from below the green patchwork mantle in which he wore, taking the girl’s and helping her down into the paddies.

”On second thought…maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s best to do this in the day when it would be easier to try and see the very thing in which we’d be trying to find.” Hiko would quickly mention as Kaiya would presumably start to walk downward. The lad would promptly stop her from moving any forward before starting to trek the opposite way to where she originally was. Climbing up the small slope was an easy task, and once achieved, the miscreant would turn to the woman, and outstretch another hand towards her. Helping her get back up then as well, their eyes would meet for a moment at the top. ”Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Kaiya. Until next time.” He’d say to her, offering any extremely light smile which presented a stark difference compared to the rest of his rugged, battle scarred face.

WC: 806
TWC: 2034

Claims:

Misc-
Thread Exit

Techs/Skills-
500 words to Earth Style Wall, was previously D rank from here, completing it for C Rank
1500 words to Earth Flow River, completing it for B Rank
34 words to Tearing Earth Turning Palm, was previously 464/1000 words from here, now 498/1000

Stats-
18 total
5 to Vigor
13 to Chakra

Max stats achieved :3

Approved for Hiko. Congrats on max stats :3 crom in disguise