Shedding Light on a Mystery

Hard Path:

Amikiri made his way through the market of Hoshigakure. It seems a similar occurrence was happening just the other day when he was here with Akki. However this time the circumstances were quite different. The weather had taken quite the frigid turn as of recent, with the temperatures getting below freezing a couple of nights the past week. Fortunately, it had taken a touch of an up tick as of recently. Still, with the wind chill, the weather was a bit chilly for a mid autumn day.

Amikiri wore simple attire today to protect from the cold. A pair of blue jeans with a patch on the right knee and a dark green t-shirt. However the shirt wouldn’t be visible thanks to the heavy gray fleece he wore over it, keeping him warm in the chilly weather. The messy hair atop his head and his facial hair provided the Hyuuga decent protection from the cold, so he had elected not to wear a hat today. His outfit would be completed with a set of brown boots that he must’ve owned for years at this point. Two basic sealing bands would be hidden up his sleeves and his Nise chakra armor would be invisibly molded to the clothes beneath him. Amikiri wasn’t exactly concerned about the environment, it was just that these objects had become part of his standard attire at this point. Besides the pair of items, he would have a scroll strapped to his belt, but it was hidden underneath his fleece. Besides that, he was completely unarmed, most of his equipment sealed away or in Storage Displacement.

As the dark haired man moved through the market, he took in the signs of fall. Orange leaves blanketed the ground of the market, adding a vibrant orange hue to the already eccentric colors of the many stall awnings scattered around. The goods sold in the market slowly shifted with the seasons, as new crops rolled in and festive goods came around. Amikiri always made sure to pay attention to the crops coming into the market, instinct from over a decade living on a farm. Pumpkins always comprised a large amount of the fall market share, however wheat, artichokes, yams, bok choy, and beets created a competitive crop season. And of course, the last crops of corn would still be coming in at this time of year.

Eventually Amikiri would find himself nearing an interesting sight. A crowd was slowly gathering on a market stall as a salesman shouted out, “If you’re looking for a spoooooky season, you’ve come to the right place!!! Come see all the devilish goods we have to offer! Evil jars with tortured spirits inside them, a frog that was once a human, or a cursed lantern! The deals are scarily good! And if you're faint of heart, off to the side you can buy a beautifully carved pumpkin, ready to decorate your doorstep!” Amikiri decided not to join the crowd that was drawing near the stall, but instead come to the front of it. He would politely push his way through it. Normally this wouldn’t interest him, but the idea of a frog once human intrigued him.

The Hyuuga bent down to look at the frog. It was in a wooden box with a glass lid. He would peer at it for a few seconds and wave at it. If it was a so-called frog turned human, it would likely wave back. However, when Amikiri saw the frog observing his wave, the frog did nothing. As Amikiri realized this stall was likely a scam shop more than anything and started to turn away, the so-called “cursed lantern” caught his eye. He would look closely at the lantern and noted something quite strange about it. Interestingly, it lacked a place to insert fuel. The Hyuuga would spend a few more moments observing the lantern.

WC: 647
TMWC: 647/12000