Well isn't this Strange [Mission Chain]

The other night he had stayed up staring into the distance of the village into the outer expanses near where the tree line had began. He had been making himself useful around the village but still felt like an outcast of sorts. He could never look at this place the way Ishimaru, his father, had looked at it. To him it had been a paradise on earth. A haven for those he strove or attempted to protect. For Nuraihyon however it had been a cesspit of weaklings that clung to the strong of the village, who constantly needed saving. What some saw this village had been...foreign to him in such a way it was almost hypocritical but at the same time he felt the need to protect them. Not from the perils of the world but from themselves. He had the power to do so and a power that was or could be far stronger than his creator. He flexed his fingers for a moment as he caused a spark of blue flame to appear and he smiled for a moment before shaking his hand loose and looking back to the horizon of the village," I'll be stronger than you ever were...Just you wait Ishimaru i'll show you how to wield the power you never truly mastered. Until then...Oh well," the red haired male shrugged as he laid upon the rooftop and with a small sigh closed his eyes. Both hands would be placed behind his head as he cradled it and fell asleep in the elements. As night passed and dawn began to slowly creep upon the Land of Fire, he would find himself waking up rested, but feeling something was off. Standing up he would yawn loudly and look about the area of his home. Silence. Usually his twin would be awake and assisting their Auntie with the day to day tasks of the house, but things were a tad off. Jumping off of the roof he would land with no issue and walk into the house.

Using his left hand he would slide the door open and walk in to the smell of food, not just any food but his favorite. As he moved with haste into the kitchen he would see his Auntie and brother snacking on some of their favorite foods and at the end of the table had been a meal he grew to love. He'd ask of course what the occasion was and neither of them had an answer. They only shrugged and answered that the food was already there when they arrived. That was odd. He never looked a gift horse in the mouth so he began to ate, but as he left shortly after to head to the Hokage's Office he would find that a few other oddities were also emerging in the village. As he passed a few people, he would see a child giggling with happiness as she hugged a bear clearly three times her size and he knew that something like that didn't even get sold in the stores of the village. He mentally marked it as another odd event and continued moving forward, but a shrill scream followed by panicked feet caused him to stop in his tracks and investigate.

Moving with haste he would follow the screams until he had came to the cause of the sound. Floating around the house had been three beings, of which not even he was familiar with. Tilting his head he would only smile as he cracked his knuckles and began weaving a set of seals. He wouldn't give credence to figuring out what they were as he pointed with his left index finger and caused a spark of blue flames to erupt catching them all amidst the blue flames of incineration. The oblong beings would let out a shrill cry as they burned and fell to the ground, and when their last movements finished and walked closer to them. Tilting his head he would cradle his chin with his left hand as he became perplexed.

"Well what the hell are you damned things?"

WC:684

It was the transition season from the warm summer nights into the cool fall evenings and the beginning of the frigid winter mornings, his breath visible with every step. It had been many a year since Hiroya had been bothered by the cold in the night breeze but there was something else in the a wind on this night. Like being watched by someone that was just out of the corner of your eye, a specter in the distance that when you blink it disappeared something unnatural and unknown. It had been quite some time that the old man had felt something like this but given the time of year he wasn’t surprised. It was around that time of year when the ghouls, ghosts and crazies seemed to reign supreme, while Hiroya hadn’t truly met any of these things that didn’t end up being someone’s creation he knew that out there in the world there was something more then what he could see. After all his own father was ageless and with that blessing and sometimes a curse it was more proof for the old man that there was always some truth to the legends, myths and urban superstitions that filled the world.
 
As he walked the streets on this chill filled night Hiroya thought about why he was here and what he had been up to since arriving in Konohagakure. He had been summoned by his father the ageless Aokidanza, to return and reunite with his family and remove himself from the Retired life he had been granted due to his aging self. A summon that Hiroya had been quite happy to receive and a reunion that he had more then enjoyed, after all while he had been in a hut in the middle of no where unburdened by life beyond his failing body there was something missing from that life and with his return to his family’s arms he knew what had been absent in his life. Now his blood boiled with anticipation on what was to come in the future now he was back home and once more the hunting dog of his father. He had spent many days since being here with bettering the village through the completion of various requests and missions given to him by those who resided in the village and his own family.
 
He had reunited with his siblings or at least the ones that were here and had met some of his newer ones that his father and mother had brought into the fold. He remembered one such sibling, a young man named Nurai who had a head full of long crimson hair like a fire. That was the reason for him being out here now, he was suppose to meet up with his father and they were heading to the youngest’s home to check on him and pass some information to the newest member of their family. With that in mind Hiroya had brought some drink with him as he meant to share it with his family and build the connection between everyone. After all Hiroya was a man who loved his family regardless of blood relation, he wore a smile on his face at the prospect of there being someone new to know, train and fight with or against in the family. After all the introduction of fresh blood is what kept from the family from becoming stagnant, so many of the siblings specialize in different things and with that mass span of knowledge the growth rate of those who partook in the joint training skyrocketed.
 
Something was off about the night, he couldn’t shake off that feeling and as he grew closer to the youngest’s home it seemed more likely something was wrong. But the shouting in the distance drew his attention, deciding he best check it out he veered from the youngest home and ran towards the sound. He would find the youngest there with the burnt bodies of some unknown creatures. “What is happening?” Hiroya would say to Nurai as he examined the scene.
 
WC: 678

The demon stood upon the monument of sculpted Kage that came to past. Donned in his gruesome mask, his demonic armor and his prized gourd. The eyes of the mask would shift and dart in every which way. The village was well lit, seeming comparable to a futuristic nation. The air was inviting and carried a scent of fresh dew. The Demon would wander the village alone this night, leaving Yachiru to further mold Shinobu and Yoru.

He would reflect on the events that transpired up to now, the return of his first son has pleased him a great deal, it’s been a while since he’s seen him, but they’ve never skipped a day of conversation. It pained him to have to kill his brother, Ishimaru, but it was a necessary punishment, one that he took with his head held high. A loss that bore fruit of two more children that he took under as his own.

He pondered on the direction of the village. Where would it lead to, with him at the head? Was he even fit to be a leader of a nation? It was hard to say, he was never one for helping others, let alone working well with them, yet he continues to forge bonds and relationships with them that even he thought to be unlikely. Konoha has grown since he took command, it’s sprouted from a seed that was under the thumb of Kirigakure to a mighty tree that stands at the pinnacle of power for all the major villages. He also had Goto, someone that made it all bearable to deal with. For such a young lad, he possess wisdom and skill beyond his current age, could it be that he’s older than he seems? That’s not unlikely, but Aokidanza wouldn’t even steal the credit of his hard work and label it under such an excuse, the man is just that damn good. He possess a coldness and intensity that the Demon is eager to see again. Perhaps he will ask him to a spar.

The youth of this village is showing promise, and with certain measures put in place to solidify their growth, he felt confident in them. Then there was a shift, this was peculiar to him.

“Is it that time of the year already?”

He said, checking his gauntlet, scanning to see which of his shinobi were nearby. His brow would raise out of curiosity. The demon would then take off in the direction of his children, hearing shouting in the distance as he did. He would happen on them, standing atop of a random building a few meters away from them. Looking down at both Nurai and Hiroya he would speak in a demonic distorted voice due to the mask he wore.

“Seems that this is another occurrence of those festive beings.”

The eyes of his mask would find each of them and the odd entities that was around. The demon, using this opportunity to see what these children of his can do.

WC: 506

Slowly he would lean down looking over the strange creature even though he had one in his hands already. What was the ugly, grotesque thing he had in his possession and even moreso where the hell did it come from? Even with the memories of his father, he had never seen anything like this and to his knowledge nothing like this was native to Konoha or even the land of fire. Such times he wished his egghead brother was here he would probably have all kinds of answers and then some, but alas the white haired male was probably being brother of the year at home. So it was up to him to figure it out. For a moment he would continue to poke and prod at it before pulling out a kunai and trying to fillet a piece of the charred body off, but as he did someone would come within his field of sensory and it caused him to stop for just a moment. Looking over his shoulder the crimson eyes would see the visage of a white hair as white as snow... wait that was his fathers memory, but a crooked smile would appear on his face as he stood up and dusted his pants off with his free hand," Well if it isn't the old man getting to the scene late as per usual. Are your bones creaking with the shift of the seasons or are you just as naturally slow?," there was his taunting demeanor as he turned to face Hiroya, the tentacled eye beast still in his other hand. The two shared an interesting dynamic and one that would probably become more tested as time went on, but for now he was trying to inquire what had been going on. Holding up the strange beast he would shrug and continue," Looks like whatever these are came from this house and had been terrorizing the locals. Managed to take it out but I have never seen anything like it before. Don't even think its from around here. You seen anything like this before?," of course as soon as he asked another person showed up.

The feeling that he had gotten from this one was all too familiar as he shifted his head slightly to look over to the being that had graced the presence of the mortals. Turning his body completely he would look over to Aoki and smile, using his strength to throw the eyed beast toward his father in an attempt to get his own knowledge on the subject," You are no stranger to strange things pops so have you seen anything like this before? There's a couple more down and around the houses probably a little too cooked for your liking...but you also like strange things so who knows," there would be a shrug shortly after. There were no lies from his mouth on the statement. As far as he knew Aokidanza was a purveyor of many strange and peculiar things so maybe this was up his alley. In the meantime he would gather what they thought before making any other moves before then

522 WC
TWC: 1,200

The night before the young white haired male had been having dreams most unusual for himself, dreams of nightmares and denizens that were all but known to him. In some of these dreams he saw images of his family, his father even. Though the image of his father had been blurry, almost as if the full picture was unclear, he could hear the voice of the male very clearly. Was it a warning of things to come or a prelude to what would occur on the days that followed? Ryouta tried to question the Elder Shinkou but his words fell on deaf ears as the image began to blur out and he was left in the darkness to soak in his own thoughts. Voices continued in the infinite void echoing all around him. Wails and moans came from every direction that caused the male to try and run from them. Though he was not a coward nor afraid of the forces of night and the darkness, in his own dreams they made him feel weak. Alone. This continued for most of the night until he had awakened in the early morning just before the sun had come up. The dawn was still fresh to the world as the sun had refused to kiss the horizon yet and the moon was still gracing the land with its lunar light.

Ryouta stood in front of his window in a cold sweat, wiping most of the stray beads of sweat away from his face as he pondered not only on the dream, but the words of his father. Were they a message of the present or the future? He could not make heads or tails of the situation even with his penchant for difficult situations. He pondered on if he should go talk to Nura or even their foster father about the dream, but the former would tell him to get over it and the latter? Well, he did not know how Aoki would take it. None the less he would close the curtains and head to his desk where he would sit and crack open of the newer books that he had purchased recently. A good way to start the morning and to cleanse the mind of anything that would cause issues was by reading and gaining knowledge.

Where to begin… The most frustrating thing about this was that the day had been going so well for the white haired male that he did not think he was going to be going out into the village today. He had plans on spending time with his older sister and playing games in the house or answering any questions about what he had been doing in the village, but instead he stared out of the window of their multi-story house in mild concern. He had seen his crimson haired brother leave out into the village though he did not hear about him having any plans, but Nura was as volatile and unpredictable just like the elements he wielded. That was not the worst of the situation though as he continued to look out into the village he could see flickers of something in the distance flying around which at first he chalked it up to simple kites in the sky. Something about it caused him to think nothing of it, but as he turned to walk back into the depths of the house something bugged and nagged him to no end. He walked slowly into the deeper parts of the house but the design and looks of those so-called called caused him to go into his room where his quite impressive bookshelf of lore, knowledge and other somewhat useless things sat. Running a finger over each of the spines of the books he would run the look of what he saw in his head with scrutiny before grabbing a book that detailed the looks and lore on each mythological creature that this world has seen or known about since ancient times. In his other hand he would grab a book on well known summons just to be safe.

Something did not sit right with Ryouta, and when something poked and prodded at his senses he was not keen on it. He needed to know what was going on and he needed to know now while it was still fresh in his mind. Something could have been going on and if no one else knew about it or even what they were then he might as well do the leg work on what it could be. It did not take the white haired male long to flick and flicker through each book looking over certain illustrations but none met the requirements of what he had been looking for. A furrow of his brow revealed that he was getting a tad annoyed but he would not outwardly show it. After closing the last book, he would begin to head over to put them back over, he noticed one other book that seemed to be a bestiary, a book known to catalogue and categorize many types of creatures both fictional and real. Cracking the book open he would begin to go through it intensely. It was a book he did not personally remember going through or getting, but if it was on his bookshelf it had to have come through his fingers somehow. He would walk around the house looking through it and somehow it led him to the front door. Feeling as if this was a sign for him to get some fresh air before his head popped, he stepped outside with the book firmly in his right hand. Just as he did, he could hear the explosion going off somewhere nearby followed by the blue flames that probably caused it.

Sighing he would begin to head over to the area that he saw the last spark of blue flames, knowing very well who it probably was. Taking the rooftops he would arrive just after Aoki, standing on a rooftop five meters from him but ten meters above the other two. Another sigh would escape his lips as he pressed the tip of the book against his temple and look at his brother,” I should have known it would be the hot head letting off all the fire. What the hell are you think-,” his question would be cut short as he saw what had been held captive in his brothers’ hands. That. It was the thing he had mistook for a kite earlier. Whatever this had been it was far from fake and even he could tell that with just a glance. Crouching down he would begin to walk down the length of the building applying the most minute of chakra into his feet to cast the surface walking technique and when he had made it to the street he would hop off and walk over to the beast that was still on the ground.

His eyes would examine with nothing but scrutiny as he hummed to himself and thumbed through the book. He knew his egghead of a brother would ask what the book was about given Ryouta’s penchant for reading so he would save the time explaining,” It’s a bestiary… Basically an encyclopedia for any kind of beast, monster, animal and all things in between. I’ve been looking through my books all morning since I had seen this thing in the sky and mistook it for a kite. Its not in an ancient text or book that I have… and I have a lot of them,” his eyes went to Hiroki whom he had met before during an outing into the village for missions and then lastly to Aoki. He would stare at the masked being for some time before smiling and addressing him,” Its odd seeing you out of the village for such petty affairs father, but surely someone of your infinite wisdom might have an inkling into what these might be?,” if anyone might know that is within the current group it would be its oldest living participant but what he did not expect was a straightforward answer. It would surprise him more if Aoki did not know anything about these creatures, but you couldn’t expect everyone to know everything.

As he waited for an answer from his foster father, he could see that someone else had joined them. Though they looked to have been just a normal shinobi the message he would carry for them would make the white haired male question just what was going on today. Bowing to the Hokage, the ninja would give a brief, but detailed report,” Lord Hokage, our sensory shinobi have picked up several anomalies 20 meters from the Hokage Rock. We are currently trying to figure out what they are and where they came from, but we are unable to determine if it is the work of Space-Time Ninjutsu or not,” they would leave once the Hokage dismissed them and once they did Ryouta would look between the group and he could probably figure out what the lot of them were thinking. All of this was a little too coincidental for it all to happen at the same time, and honestly, he was thinking there was a force at play that would need to be stopped. After a moment he would close his book and turn on his heels to head to the monument to see what they were talking about. If there was something he had known fairly well was space-time ninjutsu and if there was something he could do to help identify it, then he would. He would walk in silence trying to piece together the parts he had already gathered from this event and the monstrosities that his brother had flambeed. Once the group had arrived to the anomaly, he would begin to look at it curiously walking around it but not close enough to get sucked into it. That in itself would be embarrassing. While the others did their own investigation of the anomaly he would remain in silence until they had shared what they had come to find about this. With different eyes on the issue at had someone, minus Nuraihyon of course, should have been able to come up with a plausible conclusion as to what it was or even how to get rid of it. Now the scariest and unlikely conclusion that could come out of this was that their three and a half brains completely blanked on what it was and they were stuck with a portal to an unknown space just in the village sitting there.

Thought that was the least likely option to happen he would look to the others and ask as a means of getting the ball rolling,” So any ideas?”

1800 WC

The right hand of the Demon would rise to catch the dismembered creature tossed to him by his child. One of the eyes would move to focus on it, inspecting in as the other eyes remained on where their were. The demon would analyze the entity with a slight interests. What was this? It’s chakra, faint, yet twisted and corrupted. The color of the ebbing chakra was dark in tone. The demon would pause, reaching for his mask with his free hand. Lifting it slightly to reveal only his mouth. He paused a gain, the creature remains at his mouth. He mouth opens and he stuffs the remains in. Eating it and then swallowing it. Gulping as his Adam’s apple retracts. The blood and matter trailed down his chin. He paused again, lowering his mask back on. He chuckles into an broad laughter, shifting into hysterical.

The tastes was foul, like a shitty rag drenched in sewage and garbage. But the chakra, that was something that was sweet. This creature tasted like despair…like a nightmare. It had to be in connection to the source of chakra he sensed earlier.

“Of all the things you choose in life, you don’t get to choose what your nightmares are. You don’t pick them; they pick you.”

He stopped laughing before he answered. His tone distorted like an ancient demon. Sounding pleased from what he just discovered, despite how his tastebuds raged. It was a delicacy. Most of the rich things tasted like shit anyways; so what made this any different? The question that came from his more intellectual child made him smile behind the mask. It was as if he was challenging his knowledge, how absurd.

“Clever, Ryouta. Using me as a guinea pig to learn more. I like your methods, do not stray from them. It’s filled with negative emotions, seemingly despair. Not quite like a Genjutsu, far more potent, but not quite real either, far less sustaining. It could be something in between, that’s the only other option. If I had to guess, I would say these are nightmares, from the dreams of a child pulled into reality. Another loathsome ploy of the God of Mischief.”

It was then that another came to join them and they greeted their Hokage with respect. Aokidanza would allow one of the eyes to focus on the shinobi. Apparently there was something taking place near the Hokage Rock, the Demon would shift one of the eyes in that direction as he listened. The shinobi over there are doing their best to deal with the anomalies, but they can only do but so much without understanding.

“I see, so it’s the entire village this time? Nothing like it was last year where it pulled select few into a domain, this time it did a reverse summoning where it conjured, or siphoned the creatures into reality. How fascinating this is becoming. Hiroya, Nuraihyon, Ryouta, look into the matter, I’ll be there shortly. There is something that I’d like to look into. Oh, Ryouta, do me a favor? Record any findings.”

With that they were dismissed to do what they did best in the name of their Hokage.

TWC: 1,039

[Mid thread claim]

Total Mission WC: 7,217

Claiming Event Mission Rewards up to the B rank mission for both Nuraihyon and Ryouta Shinkou

[Mid-thread claim]

16,250 ryo
+40,000 ryo Kage Bonus
80 AP
50 Dream Tokens