Similar to Stage Art [io, nk]

Isaribi passed by the theatre district, purposefully not going through it, even though the place was undoubtedly a shortcut to where she wanted to go. The place was loud as fuck, and she she had a strange dislike for theater kids. Always so fucking energetic, and so goddamn eager to shout to the world about whatever artsy bullshit they were enamored with. Isaribi had no qualms with a good dance, some shakin' and stompin' and singin', but theater kids took it three steps too far for her liking. There was, of course, also the fact that the theatre district was for rich people. The royalty, and the church, and that motherfucker, the old Librarian, had all had their interests in turning this into a zone of commerce for the village. Oh, without a doubt, the coffers of the movers and the shakers were spilling over from the profits of effeminate soyjak college kids, zooming around on stages. Well, fuck them. Fuck them all.

Despite that, Isaribi wasn't necessarily in a bad mood. She had a satchel over her good shoulder, loaded down with satchels of spices and dry ingredients. This wasn't any kind of shinobi mission, just a personal mission. The folks who gave out the free food every Saturday didn't want her hanging around them, but she had ways to fool them, and get them what they needed anyway. Isaribi had never had a healthy respect for the rules, especially now that she was actualized and out of prison. She could help people, whether they wanted her to or not, because they needed people like her to get this kind of shit done. In this shining village, in this place with glory that hid such danger and such darkness beneath, sometimes people like her had to do shit like this to help people live bearable lives.

As of late she'd seem to cross paths with all kinds of folks as she ran her little paths through unfamiliar streets. In her youth, there hadn't been much to do except fuck around and get into trouble, but she could go wherever the fuck she wanted now, without much fear of anyone except the shinobi to bug her. So, she hoped and prayed that no more shinobi bugged her today, or if they did, they would at least be interesting or else fuck off posthaste. There wasn't time in the day for bullshit like that.

[WC 403]

A busy night indeed had awarded the theater district with many entertainers. The small smell of opened up bodies of ale, along with the distinct smell of cheese, Toran had crossed through the theater district with a sword strapped to his back. He had wanted to try and find a place more covert in order to figure out how the bonding katana even worked. Having bought both it and the small sheathed tanto around his waist. Some of the college kids that Isabiri had kindly referred to backed off when Toran had strode on through the district itself. Making sure not to try and catch much attention from the growing amounts of people that shot a glare whenever he turned his head around. Toran felt… bored… while also wondering about how Morio had gotten older in the first place.. He’d have to figure out whatever he took and see about using it for himself… Not to make him that much older, but enough to where he felt more comfortable inside of the shinobi corps.

Vanishing in a puff of smoke Toran found himself along the chilling roads, the air chilly around him for a moment before he took his first breath and returned back to his normal or “heated” body temperature. Fire release was super useful for the common occurrences in life, nothing to really bother him anymore, Toran relaxed, hands resting on the back of his head as he took the small stroll down the old streets that needed reconstruction. The place of glory where he grew up, where he was born certainly had problems… The religious aspect was certainly one of them in theory, yet right as he would continue his own thoughts, he had bumped into someone immediately. Taking only a slight step back as he found himself glancing slightly downwards at the image of a shorter woman then he… Someone who he did not recognize beforehand. Short chestnut hair that went down to about her neck… the darkened brown eyes and pale skin were noticeable even on a night like this. He had taken all of this information in less than 2 seconds before taking a step to the side to let her pass. Her own missing arm being the most curious thing of all.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to bump into you. I was….” He cut himself off, a bit embarrassed that he hadn’t sensed her coming his way… He seemed to be inexperienced, his shinobi headband wasn’t even on him during the day time, father warning him that he could get into trouble inside of a few of the more… Religious districts inside of Hoshigakure.

WC:440

Bumping into people in a city like this wasn't too uncommon (thought it was becoming less and less of a thing as the damn council got rid of more and more sidewalks), but it wasn't about that, really. It was about the other circumstances around the encounter that made her pause. Holy shit, she'd be damned if he wasn't packing a weapon. Her whole body tensed, and for a few seconds she seriously considered whistling some pain into this guy's fucking skull. No, that was the gang enforcer in her talking. He might have been carrying a weapon, but he didn't seem like a miscreant.

He did, however, look like the kind of guy who consumed truckloads of soy. Or was she wrong about that, too? He could have just been awfully young for his height; maybe he could yet be saved from this village's awful diet. Once again, her impulse was to just up and ask him about his eating habits, but that was the dirt poor neighborhood girl in her talking. It didn't attract the right kind of attention to talk to people like that, at least, not people who were carrying weapons in the open like this. So, she went for the more direct question instead.

"You planning on using that?" She eyed the sword, again. She was no expert in those kinds of tools, but she'd seen what an adept could do with something like that. Oh sure, she could probably get out a little peep of a genjutsu before he laid down the hurt on her, or forced her to use other means to defend herself, but she had a bad feeling that the shinobi of the village and the other talented folk around it could break through her illusions without much of an issue. Defenses it would have to be then, if push came to shove. Her eyes flicked quickly to the buildings around her. Use her ocular prowess and avoid attacks, or try and tear down the buildings around him, if he came at her all straightforward-like.

Like her, he hadn't bothered to suppress his chakra (or didn't know how, she didn't give a shit either way), so she could tell he was no slouch. At a cursory glance, she didn't see any of the telltale markings of the Jaws like the ones she had, so there was a good chance he was just a shinobi out of uniform. Bah! What shitty luck. Well, he didn't seem like a self-assured jackass, like so many of the others were. Maybe she could slither out of this.

[WC 432]

Toran was unsure as to why she had tensed up, perhaps he had startled her when the two of them collided, a few moments had passed, Toran not moving, staring at the shorter girl who didn’t even have one of her arms. He could read somewhat about her chakra, it felt untamed… dangerous even, a small shudder running up his spine from what his own body could experience. There was a well of untapped potential, Toran’s hands relaxing to his side as it seemed everything had calmed down to a point, perhaps he was someone who had eaten soy in his life, enough to where he could look like such a stupe in front of the girl. His diet was mostly that of beans and sometimes the occasional meats cooked up by himself or by his own mother. Dad didn’t even know how to cook an egg, much less how to sear a steak on their stove.

“I wouldn’t put my money on it right now. I need to actually practice with the sword itself before I can fully wield it. I should ask Morio if he can help me with that.” His thoughts wandered for a brief moment towards his teammate. Yet he still wore a small smile, not really all that charming or unique, yet it was genuine to be able to talk with someone.

“Yet that doesn’t matter, it’s nice to meetcha! Name’s Toran! Toran Uchiha! What’s your name?” He’d slowly raise up his right hand so that way her own right hand could shake it. Not wanting to disrespect her, as it seemed she might have lost it from combat. He respected that someone was able to keep moving forwards like that, despite all of the hardships and strife of losing a limb, she kept on going.

Although Toran could note that he chakra was still notably hostile, following her eyes' own movements from himself towards the building right beside them. He didn’t understand, no he couldn’t understand why she was acting like this. He remained non-hostile, his guard wasn’t even up as he just chalked it up to the people of the night and the loud bustling sounds of the entertainment district nearby. His eyes even went so far as to close when waiting for a response from what he didn’t know was his fellow clansmen.

WC:391
TWC:831

They were both pretty uneasy, probably because he could sense her as well. She wasn't about to go around with her chakra suppressed, though, at least not in THIS village. Having your energy out, like a flag to everyone who could sense it, was like a big warning sign to the rogues and scumbags that you were the kind of person they didn't want to fuck with. Even if she could fend for herself, being able to prevent violent encounters at all was of great value to her. It wouldn't do to get jumped, take out a bunch of guys, then have to fill out the paperwork later when she could just evade it entirely through intimidation.

This Toran, though, was also an Uchiha. While Isaribi had heard there were more folks like her out there, she hadn't bet on meeting any in person, though whether this was a lucky or unlucky meeting had yet to be determined. He didn't look or sound like he grew up in the same place she did, though, and he was a shinobi. That combination of characteristics made him less trustworthy, regardless of what he claimed his family name was. Come to think of it, maybe he knew who she was. Maybe, she thought, this is another goddamn shinobi setup. It wouldn't take much, to be honest. Set up some well-trained sensor shinobi in windows, on rooftops and in alleyways, get a guy to play the inexperienced grunt, and have him bump into her on the street. Then... then what? Take her out when she let her guard down? No, that didn't make any sense, they could try to take her out any time they wanted to. Get her into a casual conversation to try and get her to say something illegal? She didn't know the Hoshigakure laws on entrapment, but she was pretty sure that shit wasn't legal. Did that even matter to a shinobi? Either way, she resolved to simply not say anything that would make them give her that kind of attention.

"Uh, yeah", she started, a little uncentered. "I'm Isaribi. Also Uchiha." She thought about activating her sharingan, so she could cold read him from the minor adjustments in his facial muscles and body language, but stopped herself just in time. Doing that would be like drawing a weapon on him, especially if he knew about her capabilities with genjutsu.

[WC 400]

Having chakra suppression is a good idea… At least when OUTSIDE of the village, although Isabiri having her chakra out only made Toran wonder if she could control it, it was vast… easily much more than what he could output at the given moment. He raised an eyebrow, he had no guard to him, one simple genjutsu trick and he was caught in it, yet he seemed friendly enough, of course… There was nothing wrong with being just a tiny bit skeptical inside of this kind of world, especially with those inside of the village. She seemed slightly off, her balance and position lightly uncentered from the original spot she once held… Was she alright?

The knowledge that she was also an Uchiha shocked Toran… He had met Madara beforehand, who was also a pretty nice individual, although not very talkative when inside of a public place like this, yet Isabiri was like stone. A wall amassed in front of him in the shape of a person that was from his clan, one that he’d keep on talking to, even if it made him look more stupid in the process. His hand still hanging there as she seemingly dared not even take a glance at the hand, he felt a slight pain in his chest, but only slight as he immediately returned his arm back down to his side. Following through with hopefully trying to keep everything calm, especially on a night like this.

“It’s great to meet a fellow Uchiha! Jeez this is the second time that I’ve run into someone else who happened to be an Uchiha… Maybe this is becoming a pattern?” He kept with his jovial attitude, completely contrasting Isabiri’s own as he placed a hand comically on his own chin, thinking on why he’d meet two Uchiha in the span of simply a few weeks at most when he had just awakened that… thing…

“Also I’ve been asking this for any other Uchiha that I meet… But do you have a sharingan with a Unique pattern to it?”

WC:343
TWC:1174

What the fuck was making him so goddamn happy? Happy to see her, no less. It was with that that Isaribi concluded that this wasn't some kind of stealth operation to put her back in prison. No solid plan would have someone as excessively enthusiastic as this as its front man. She let herself relax. Okay, calm mind, calm nerves. This was just another Uchiha, some youthful upstart who was just excited to find someone else who he thought was just like him. It was a mindset she could sympathize with, to be sure, but they were nothing alike. She was surprised by how shitty that made her feel.

She'd lost everything. Family, a whole generation of friends, her pride, even a large chunk of her physical self. When you were down in the dirt, like that, what was left for you to rebuild with? Naught but what fortune threw your way. And here, in front of her, was a guy who, for once, didn't seem unhappy to see her. This was something she could work with. Had she not resolved, just a few days earlier, to make her own connections? Well, this seemed as good a chance as any. She got herself centered and gave him a bit of a smile.

"That's more of a third date question, yeah?" A bad joke, but she was also being partially serious. There were rumors that in other parts of the world, discussion of this sort of thing wasn't entirely legal, and she still wasn't comfortable talking about her Mangekyou Sharingan with most people, excepting those who had the authority to compel her to do so. It hurt like a bitch to use, or even to activate in the first place, and that dark dimension that it took her to was unsettling, to say the least.

"C'mon, walk with me. I'm just gonna drop off this package", she said, hefting the bag in her right hand, "and then we can talk about whatever." She set off down the sidewalk, toward her destination, which was only a few blocks away. If Toran decided to follow her, good for him. The fact that there were other Uchiha in the village was a matter that was more important to her than any factoids about the Sharingan that this guy could offer to her. If she could meet up with them, too, maybe she could make something happen. As long as she brought something to the table, something to get them to work together, maybe a path forward was possible.

[WC 424]

Toran potentially buying two new weapons from the shop might have something to do with his own demeanor, he was excited, happy to see that he was able to meet and greet a fellow Uchiha again. He sensed that her chakra mellowed out, a small smile appearing on his young pale lips. Toran was comforted in the fact that everything seemed to be calm now, the slight sway of the winds surrounding the earthy area of Hoshigakure. He was a youthful upstart, someone that wished to be able to fight with the best of them as one of Hoshigakure’s greats. Yet for right now, he was simply curious about the other Uchiha with her entire arm missing.

The sudden pointing out of Toran asking what was apparently a third date question left a red tint on the young males cheeks, a slight sputtering of his own breath. Isaribi was easily able to fluster the young boy, his hand slammed against his face in slight shock and wonder that he had asked that so soon, the curiosity of his eyes had been killing him for the countless amount of hours he’d spend in the backyard of his home, relishing in the form of release that ninjutsu could bring into his own life now that he had some amount of time for himself, enough to where he could actually train.

“Y-yeah,” He said unconfidently, “What’s in the package anyways? Is it a gift of some kind?”

He peered over the girl's shoulder, wondering what the contents of the package were. Eyebrows corking upwards in intrigue at what kind of package it even was. He had joined her in walking along the sandy sidewalks of Hoshigakure. He was simply impressed that she was able to carry on without that arm, remembering something that Isemori had said to him about losing his own arm within a spar. He wondered what had happened to the boy that had shown him almost everything about the basics of being a ninja, the one who had guided him through everything and taught him what he could do with his own life. It made him steer his attention towards the older women beside him as they walked down the narrow streets and sidewalks. Slowly getting away from the entertainment section of the village where apparently a lot of soy drinkers resided.

At least Toran seemed to have made a friend today.

WC:402
TWC:1576

She heard his question and felt a profound sense of resignation. Toran's enthusiasm might have been infectious in a different setting with different people, but for her it was just... "amusing" wasn't the right word. Too condescending. Once again, Isaribi found herself at a loss, her vocabulary too small to express exactly what she thought. *Meh, just forget about it*. Of course, none of this would be voiced aloud to Toran. She was savvy enough not to try and bruise a young man's ego. Too many kids out there, maybe like this guy, who lashed out when you bruised them that way.

The energy wasn't the only thing at play here, either. He was weirdly inquisitive. Toran had mentioned before, something about other Uchiha in the village. Through these questions, Isaribi could infer (perhaps incorrectly) that while there were other Uchiha in the village, there weren't THAT many. She adjusted her expectations accordingly.

"Bag's got supplies." What sort of supplies, she was hesitant to say. Technically, it was (mostly) over the counter medical supplies. Nothing illegal for her to have, nothing illegal for the recipient to have, and nothing illegal for her to give away. Nevertheless, having a stash of this stuff in the hands of someone who looked as battered as she did or knew her background was bound to raise some eyebrows. Attention, as she had already mentioned, was something she had wanted to avoid going into this.

"Was gonna bring 'em across town, you know? Drop this shit off, make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, that sort of thing." Sort of like off-duty bodyguard work, except for a bag of stuff, instead of a living person. Probably the best way she could frame it.

They rounded a corner and onto the sidewalk of a main thoroughfare. This larger street was in an older part of the city, and still retained its large sidewalks. This put it in stark contrast with the newer urban areas, which had no sidewalks and nary a safe spot on their sides. Fuckin' urban designers. Whoever they worked for were a clusterfuck of morons. Well, at least this part of Hoshigakure had not been touched. The businesses were still up front, near the street, and a nice tram line ran through the middle. This was how a village should be.

"Anyway, I've never really met another Uchiha; not in the force, anyway." By which she obviously meant the shinobi force. "When you say 'unique pattern', you mean the, uh, fourth stage, right?" She wasn't about to say its name out loud, in case mentioning it was in violation of some kind of shitty clan law.

[WC 445]

The unclear answer didn’t really bother the younger Uchiha all that much, eyes scanning the rest of the road, knowing fully well that with the two of them together that no one would really bother coming out on the street to try and mug them, he had heard rumors of thieves traveling around these parts, bodies of victims found somewhere in abandoned alleyways. Even in an Urban place like this, there were criminals about, even in a supposedly perfect place like Hoshi, crime still began to shift around the village. He had been asking her some questions that were inquisitive, perhaps out of sheer curiosity, Toran felt relaxed finally, able to relax and not have to worry too much about anything after all. He lost some of his enthusiasm as the talk died down, even with Isaribi mentioning where she was delivering these items. A bag of supplies across town, perhaps some kind of delivery operation? That was the only thing Toran could think of in his mind at the moment.

Crossing through towards the older section of the village, sidewalks finally blessed their feet when they made their way across the older parts of Hoshigakure. Toran eyes shifting back towards some of the older businesses that didn’t seem to be closed, a keen interest was placed in them, his hands darting into his pockets, not wanting to fidget from the newer area he was seeing. It felt nice, to simply walk, to have someone there with ya for a bit at least. His eyes flickering towards Isaribi, a small goofy smile permeated his face. His face immediately turned back to wild curiosity at what she suddenly spoke from out of her mouth. His face filled with a sudden coldness, knowing that now he was not the only person who had this second stage. Someone else in Hoshigakure had it, and they were standing right next to him.

“R-really? I would have thought there would be a few more Uchiha in the force, although the few that I have known, they don’t seem to go out all too much. Yet what you mean by force is… Are you a shinobi as well?” A small sudden stop at the mention of their being an actual fourth stage. It made him feel a slight melancholy, the joy overcome by a sudden understanding.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about, so if I could ask….” Face filled with a solemn declaration, his eyes closed for a moment, sudden sigh taking in with the brisk air suddenly flowing across from them.

“How’d it happen to you?”

WC:431
TWC:2007