The Infamous Carnival

Today was the third day of Konoha's annual Carnival, which this year was authorized to run for a whole week. Games, food, prizes, and rides that tested the mettle of all who wished to experience the great thrill of risk and reward. The Higher ups were even told to spread the work thin, all shinobi of every rank would receive work. This would give the lower ranks some time to enjoy the festival as well, a gestured well received and taken advantage of. Okisho, sauntering about among the fair grounds, noticed quite a few of his old classmates. But what caught his eye even more, halting his steps, was a ring toss toll to the left of his position. He questions the image at first, but the closer he got the stall, the more he notice how familiar he was with of a particular prize hung against the back wall.

Saku, one of the last genin Okisho was partnered with for a mission. The Uchiha found himself thinking about the genin, the mere spitting image of the genin was visible on one of the stuffed doll prizes in the booth. A perfect score was needed in order to receive it. He stood there nearly vexed at the fact that he was actively trying win the doll. But, the game of rings and bottled proved most challenging even for a shinobi like himself. The sound of each ring bouncing off the rim of each bottle it ricocheted off of oddly prompted the young man to spend even more money. He never thought of himself as a gambling man, but with the house winning, it seemed no different like a night at the Lotus Casino.

Th game would have been long over, if he would have activated his sharingan, But these carnies were no fools. a sign indicating no doujutsu or ninjutsu of any kind was allowed.

As for attire, Okisho is considered a minimalist, nothing too flashy and void of any logos. This also includes his Clan emblem, which much of his people love to don out in public. He is usually seen wearing a simple all black shirt, and a pair of dark navy-blue slacks which stop at the top of his ankles. A single ninja pouch concealed underneath his black shirt. The pouch his attached to his black leather belt, fastened on the back right side of his waist. His shoes are standard issued shinobi editions, revealing his toes and back ankles.

He sighs while his fingers dance through the ryo bills within his black leather wallet. He knew this was wrong, but the urge to win at least one round overwhelmed him. His pride was shot in more ways than one, "Don't stop now young man! You keep this up and I might get to close up early!", the stall attendant grips both his hands together with a gleeful smile. The greed was ever so present, as was Okisho's determination to win.

"This game is more challenging than I thought. Perhaps if I try..."
---
TWC/ 506

The Child had never seen anything like this before. Not even in the markets on the weekend were that such a vast amount of people. It was an endless sea of unknown faces, and The Child was cast out adrift in the masses. With their work for the day done The Child had taken the advice to 'hang around and enjoy yourself' to heart. After promptly being told to get down from the tree The Child had instead taken to meandering through the crowds as the festivities happened around them. The Child understood that they were supposed to be 'having fun' but what did that mean?  In all honesty they had no idea. That was why they were now aimlessly wandering, hoping that 'fun' would fall into their lap if they explored enough. It had now been several days since they had made their life-changing discovery. One less question that needed to be answered though many more had sprung up in their place. A maelstrom of questions swirled within their mind constantly, and it was with hope of distraction that they found themself here.

The revellers and stall attendants wore a variety of outlandish costumes, making The Child's own homeless-mummy outfit look normal in comparison. That coupled with the variety of mini-games, attractions and food stalls was more than enough to pique The Child's interests. There was so much to do. Maybe too much to do. Where were they to start? A snack would be nice...but over there was a ride that looked fun...and then there was a game that looked interesting. As the possibilities seemed endless The Child was at a complete loss. They had to snap out of it, now was not the time for this. There was a chance they could find answers here. That should be the focus, it was the most impor- was that man selling ice-cream?

The Child continued through the crowd ice-cream cone in hand. With their lower-face now unbandaged they slowly made their way through the five different flavoured scoops with great care as they navigated the crowd. Their fun had been had for the day and now they had to focus. They knew that they would find something here if they just kept looking. The answers they sought would be fo- their thoughts were interrupted by the clinking sound coming from a booth to their left. Well, now that it had attracted their attention they simply had to check it out.

Ice-cream in hand The Child shuffled through the crowd and over to the booth. It was there they spotted a familiar looking man. The Child didn't recall their name during the moment, so they instead just silently looked at the game that was ongoing. The Child deduced the goal to be to hit the side of the bottles with the ring. With that goal in mind the familiar looking man was doing exceptionally well. Despite this they could sense the frustration in the air, a curious case.

It was when they fully stood next to the far taller man that they remembered their name. "Okisho." The Child nodded to themself. "That was the name." The Child simply stared blankly and took another bite of ice-cream. "Why are you giving this man all your money?" They decided to question the former familiar-stranger now turned familiar Okisho. "Is this fun?" The Child added on, taking yet another bite of ice-cream and looking between the Uchiha and the attendant who seemed highly amused by what had happened so far today.

[587]

A sudden jolt from an oh so familiar voice caught Okisho off guard, his head slowly tilted down towards the snowcapped genin gazing back at him with a basilisk hold. The genin's questions were honest, and to the point; along with the fact that they were very much indeed good questions. Okisho knew the reason, that much was for certain. He was undoubtedly, unadmitted chasing the tail of the dragon.

"Well, you see, Saku...", he sighs slowly while suffering under the spot light. Exposed before the genin was an uneasy feeling. But what put him off even more, was the genin doing it while consuming the ice cream cone. There was no lying to, Saku. He just wished he would have noticed something approaching him, instead of popping out of thin air. It was quite a masterful skill now that Okisho had time to gather his bearings. 'How long was he standing there, I didn't even here a footstep.

"I actually was thinking about you, Saku. There's a prize on the wall that reminded me of you, It's what pulled me in to try my luck at the game. As you can see, luck isn't on my side today. It's strange, I can pin a kunai in the center of a target 45 meters away, but I can't get these three rings on a bottle...", he sighs before the vendor cuts in.

"Hey now, don't give up. In for a penny in for a pound. You just keep go-"

"You want to give it a shot? That prize over there could be yours if you want it.", Okisho asked. He hoists his wallet up a bit higher to indicate that this round was on him. First impressions, Okisho believed that the genin was an introvert. Quiet, reserved, and mellow. Traits that were indeed resourceful in a shinobi, to which Okisho had no problems with. But sometimes, these traits weren't necessarily accepted by the beholder. A soul trapped with he inability to express themselves due to societal judgements. He smirks at the thought, realizing that the genin's judgmental stare was all he needed to fess up. All mere conjectures really. There was a good chance that the child just didn't really care to talk.

The choice was now, Saku's? The prize that brought Okisho over, was staring right back at the two genin. It was up for grabs.
---
TWC/ 903

The Child watched with an unblinking gaze as Okisho took notice of their presence. They seemed surprised that they were next to them, probably too engrossed in the game to notice before. Okisho's surprise didn't seem to last long. It was with their explanation that it was The Child's turn for surprise. It took little effort to spot the white-haired doll, such was the manner in which it stuck out amongst its peers. The Child found it unsettling. The likeness was uncanny. While the doll and human engaged in a staring contest a question was raised on if they would like to make an attempt at the game. Naturally the answer was no...but there was something about the doll that drew The Child to it. Was it a sign? Maybe it would serve as a clue for them going forward. Or maybe they just wanted to throw some rings.

It only took them a moment to realise they had been just silently staring at the doll the entire time. They blinked and nodded to give confirmation. "Yes." The Child replied, moving into position and looking over the bottles. After a pause to consume more ice-cream The Child took a ring in their right hand. Unfortunately The Child missed the ring-toss class in the academy, so such an object was rather foreign for them. It was for that reason that their first attempt consisted of them hurling the ring dead-straight at the bottles. The Child seemed confused as the ring just clattered into the bottle. They looked at the bottle, then to the attendant, then to Okisho before finally looking back at the bottle. "Again." The Child said, digging into their tattered clothing to produce the ryo needed.

Now The Child learned things quickly you see. So it was after the third attempt that The Child managed to figure out that throwing the ring like a ball was not the way to do things. The prodigious talent that they were allowed then after the fifth attempt to figure out the correct way to throw the rings. From there it was a rather simple affair. It only took them another two attempts after that! Now down an undisclosed amount of ryo The Child looked smug when the doll was handed over to them. It was comically large in size, almost as large as The Child themself. Holding it under-arm with one hand, ice-cream in the other, the legs of the doll dragged along the floor.

"Fun..." The Child turned and scanned the area around them. The ring game had been a distraction for sure, and the winning of the prize had been nice. However they were unsure of if they were having 'fun' or not. "]What next..." They wondered aloud, looking for something to catch their eye. There was plenty to see and do of course, but with so many choices it was almost impossible to pick. More games perhaps? There were several more that seemed to involve throwing various objects. There was also one that required you to hit something with a hammer...yeah The Child had no idea what the point of that was. Maybe they'd just go grab more food.

The decision making was proving too much for them it seemed. If one looked hard enough they may even notice steam leaving The Child's ears as their mind seemed to work overtime. Finally they blinked out of their stupor and turned to note if Okisho was still present. "What are the fun things?" They decided to ask. They seemed to be older than The Child by quite a bit, so perhaps they would have the answers they sought.

[1196]

"Wow, Saku. When you really want something you really commit.", the older genin said while accompanying the winner of the stuffed doll. He now didn't feel so bad after witnessing Saku pour his seemingly endless amount of resources into getting the stuffed doll. He couldn't help but smirk while watching the child lug around the near life sized stuffed doll. But a memorable sight to behold, Saku actually engaged in a social event. He wondered how many times that ever happened? As the Uchiha continued to analyze the wandering child, Saku sought direction from Okisho. What next? 'Good question', Okisho thought as he too surveyed the heavy traffic. There was plenty to do, that much was for certain. Games, rides, food, the carnival had it all. His search was finally over after catching a familiar animal from his peripherals.

"Look, Saku. Remember those?", Okisho pointed to a animal pen not too far off from their location. It housed large light brown steeds, with white hooves and ankles. It's mane was just as white as it's hooves too. Okisho knew immediately the type of breed the horses were. They were Clydesdales, and four of them roamed around the pen, looking for villagers to feed them whatever they could get their hands on.

"They're, Clydesdales. Very strong and reliable horses; a bit different from the horses we saw in the first mission we met. So how about it? Want go over and feed them? Oh, they seem to be selling some sliced apples. I'll go get some and meet you over there", the attempts to walk off and purchase a few apple slices. Okisho had quite a liking for horses, it all started during his time in the academy when they were learning about summoning jutsu. Upon his return, he comes back with a bag full of apple slices. The mark up was ridiculous, almost 1,000 ryo a bag for six slices.

Moments later, Okisho was seen feeding one of the Clydesdales that walked over to the wooden fence. Hopefully, Saku joined in or did whatever pleased him.
---
TWC/ 1,249

It took a moment for The Child to realise Okisho was addressing them. Their name was scarcely uttered, and often times The Child had to think hard before remembering what it actually was. When they did finally look in the indicated direction they were pleasantly surprised by what was there. Horses. The memory of the mission was still fresh, so it was a pleasant surprise to encounter the animals again. For a brief moment they wondered if they were the exact same animals, but they looked different. Okisho helped clear up the confusion when he identified the horses shortly afterward.

The confusion quickly returned in a different form at the offer to feed the animals. "Sure?" The Child responded before Okisho walked away. What did horses eat? Apples presumably, but what else? Did they eat meat? The Child approached the pen with great care. Upon further inspection those horses did look mighty hungry. Were they 'lets eat this small child' levels of hungry though was the question. The idea was ridiculous, but what if? Surely they wouldn't let child-eating horses out in public right? This logical conclusion in put The Child's mind at ease. But what if they were secret child-eating horses disguised as regular horses?!

Just as The Child was about to make a daring escape, or offer up the doll as a sacrifice, they noted Okisho had returned with the exorbitantly priced apple slices. "Do horses eat humans?" The Child couldn't help but ask. Regardless of answer they would eventually engage with feeding the horses. There was something about the horses that was calming. Perhaps it was their seemingly complete lack of care about what was going on around them. Yeah, that was probably it. It must've been nice not having a single thought in that head beside the need to eat man.

The Child left the pen area afterward, partially because they were thirsty but also to prevent their own demise. Ordering a drink from the closest stall they would also purchase one for their companion, if they were still around, before taking a moment to watch the crowd. While The Child sipped their tea they began to think. Had they found their answer for the day? Was this 'fun'. It was difficult to tell.

The festival around them was lively, with people laughing, children playing, and vendors calling out to attract customers. The air was filled with the mingled scents of various foods and the sounds of festive music. The experience with the horses had been unexpectedly calming, and there was something intriguing about the chaotic energy of the festival. Yet, there was also a sense of disconnect, as if they were observing from the outside

The Child continued to sip their tea . "Do you think this is fun?" they asked Okisho, more out of curiosity than anything else.

[1674]

Caught of guard again, this time with a outlandish question, he dips his head downward trying to hide his smirk. The company of Saku was an interesting one, there seemed to be never a dull moment when dealing with the directness of the child. Although, the few seconds he thought about it, it would be pretty scary for a mammal that size with it's speed to develop a taste for humans. It sure would cause chaos with the food chain, horses chasing down humas and devouring them after a swift trample with its powerful legs.

"They're herbivores, Saku. You won't have to worry about them following you home when your back is turned", he said this while stepping forward and and stroking the mane of the nearby horse. It's mane was soft and had a lavishly appealing appearance. "I love horses. If I could afford one of these Clydesdales, I'd have a whole stable", he feeds one of them a slice of apple. It kissed the open palm of the Uchiha as it too it from it's hand. He could help be smile, caressing the horses face with affection. It was a shame he couldn't ride them, not just cause the stables at the carnival didn't allow it; due to Okisho, not receiving the formal training to ride them.

Unaware that Saku slipped away, till now, he breaks away from the majestic Clydesdales, and looks off to his right to see Saku heading towards a drink vender. "S- Saku?", he asked to which the child seemed set on getting something to drink, he kisses the horse on the bridge of it's nose before leaving it.

Moment later, after ordering himself something to drink, Okisho was seen standing next to the child as he himself sipped on his earl grey tea; Okisho's sweet tooth kicked in and wished it was a boba tea, but still thanked Saku for the kindness. He then stares off into the distance, filled with people, vendors, and children running around having fun. The sound of all the elements of the fair meshed well together as he answered the child's question. "Yeah, I think this is fun, and needed. Being able to detach from the monotonous task of carrying out mission after mission every now and then has it's benefits. What about you, Saku? Do you want to be here?", he looks down towards the genin still equipped with the stuffed animal.
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TWC/ 1,654

It was an innocuous question. Yet for some reason it stumped The Child. Did they want to be here? The intention was clearly centred on the carnival itself, however The Child's mind wandered to the village as a whole. They still did not know why they had arrived here. It was another of the questions they sought answers for. Why this place in particular? Did it hold any meaning? It was likely they would never know. It seemed as if everything had a higher meaning. Was there someone pulling the strings and pulling an elaborate trick on them?

The sounds of the energetic crowd snapped The Child from their thoughts. How long had they just been standing there in silence? Their eyes scanned the area carefully, as if expecting something out of the ordinary. Nothing of the sort seemed to be occurring. It was then they realised that the question still hung in the air. "I don't know," The Child answered after finishing their drink. They unsure if they spoke of the carnival itself or were answering the wider question. Though as they adjusted their face covering a nagging in the back of their mind prompted them to tack something on, "But it has been fun."

The Child departed sometime afterward, returning to wherever it was they stayed.

[Exit]

1892
18 Speed
847+500+1153=2500/2500 Total Concentration Breathing A-Rank
1000/1000 Lightning Jab C-Rank

"Yeah, I thought so.", Okisho added, sipping on his tea while studying the genin even further. He was starting to get a good idea about the enigma that was, Saku. He was carefree, nothing more. To over complicate the nature of people like him, would send you down a rabbit hole a lot further than you needed to be. Let things be as they were. Could such zen benefit Okisho? "Hmm...", the sips of his earl grey tea got longer with each thought.

Okisho was then seen sauntering off, waving Saku goodbye. Without a doubt, he was sure to meet him again in the near future.
---
Exit
TWC/ 1,760
1,065 words towards Rasengan V7 to complete it. Previous Training.
695 words towards Soul Expulsion V7.2 A to S 695/1,875 words(discount due to maxed stats)