When the comforts of civilization begin to dull our senses, we must never forget that in the beginning, there was war. And war. And more war. Long before there were empires, there were humans consumed with greed and the hunger for power. Resources, territories, information—these were the forms of sustenance upon which we preyed. Today, we call such habits vices. Oh, how arrogant we have become! Are we not still impelled by those primordial emotions? Is the advent of war so far-fetched? But alas, for you to truly understand, we must dive deeper into this land’s half-forgotten past.
There was a time when might was the only law that humankind knew. Fearsome clans roamed throughout the land, seeking amenable grounds within which they could take root and opposing forces against whom they could test their mettle. Given the irregularity of nature’s bounty, certain regions appealed more than others, and dominion over such coveted territories became the spark that ignited the earliest inter-clan wars. These fierce, internecine affairs tended to conclude only when one side had decimated their competition into oblivion, and many clans of story were rendered extinct during this period.
The victors of war, having claimed their territories, often made truces with surrounding locals, offering protection in exchange for access to the yields of agriculture. Over time, certain communities emerged as more dominant than others, either due to numbers or sheer talent, and their rapid expansion would force smaller, neighboring communities to either collapse into their fold or be devastated. When the dust settled, humankind found itself divided into the five major territories that we are familiar with today. And was the bloodshed over? With our lands obtained and our bellies filled, were we finally content?
06/01/2023 June is for Juggin
We made it y’all, another month of OTA, and fresh off the press we have another promotion ready. Leaving behind the opening bonus sadly, we welcome the jugggggg! June is for juggin AKA working hard, so we are making it a double rewards month for every mission completed! Yes we said it's double rewards, now you all can really get into the thick of those builds if you work hard enough. And who knows what you might uncover in the process. AND all jobs are free to enroll no quest EXCEPT ANBU(Black Ops) roles.
Kurome had spent enough time cooped up inside of her house, it was getting to be way too much. The people around her were irritating, and she was getting tired of simply doing missions and coming back home with barely any breaks in between. If there was time for a break it was simply enough time to sleep and wake up. While she didn't mind making money and earning her way through this disgusting world, there was only so much of the same old that she could deal with.
Armed with her off-duty school girl-esque outfit that she normally wore around the city, she resolved that she was going to go hiking into the mountains. Maybe there would be some monsters to beat down, or maybe there would be nothing but there was no way that it could be any worse than sitting around. Jumping from tree to tree, she heard the soft roar of a bear and that was enough to call her into battle. Leaping into action she started running with a purpose this time, heading from tree to tree like an arrow shot from a taut bow.
"GRAGGGGGGH!" it cried out once she got near it, she managed to skid to a stop and fall down. Shocked, and gasping, she landed on her back with a loud thud that knocked the wind out of her lungs.
The beast roared, lifting a heavy paw that it intended to use to gouge the better part of her midsection. Without any more time to think, she allowed her cells to shift and become paper causing the bear to miss the swing completely and become knocked off balance. Once it hit the ground, she allowed chakra to flow to her feet and quickly ran up a tree to catch her breath. The sheer thought that she had almost died jostled her, causing her to scream at the creature in anger.
"FUCK OFF! FAT FUCK!" she screeched, her face red with anger and flush from everything that had just happened. She paid no mind to anything else that was happening around her.
As the day dawned and the sun peeked over the mountain peaks, Xio began his journey from his parents' compound to the village. These past few months, he had been residing in the compound, which meant a longer trek in the mornings. Dressed in his customary mission attire, the young kami was prepared for another day of shinobi duties, his gourd securely fastened to his back. While it initially felt unfamiliar to have the gourd instead of his scythe, Xio had grown accustomed to its presence, seamlessly bouncing through the mountainside.
"Amazing,"
he whispered to himself, marveling at the ingenuity of his father's creation. The gourd had truly transformed his combat style, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. It was a far cry from the days he spent meditating with his mother at the compound. Sometimes, he wondered if his sheltered upbringing had hindered his growth, but he brushed aside those thoughts for the time being. Xio continued his trek for a while longer until he heard a thunderous roar that reverberated through the entire area. He came to a sudden stop, his attention fixated on the source of the noise. Without hesitation, he propelled himself towards the commotion.
"What the hell?" he muttered under his breath.
As he drew closer, the sound of a woman's screams pierced the air. Bursting through the foliage of trees, Xio found himself across from a young lady, presumably a shinobi from Kumogakure, and her towering bear companion, about 15 meters away.
"FUCK OFF! FAT FUCK!"
the woman shouted at the top of her lungs, seemingly gaining some leverage over the bear. Xio tilted his head slightly, observing the situation. In one swift motion, he reached up into the tree he was perched on, plucking a twig and snapping it loudly. The sound caught the bear's attention. If all went according to plan, the genin quickly shifted his gaze to a crimson tent nearby.
"You need some help?" he called out, offering his assistance to the young woman, his voice calm and collected.
Raggedly breathing, her hands on her knees as she bent over in exhaustion and panic, she slowly was able to compose herself after roaring at the beast. Things weren't going to end up much better at this rate, and she knew that. The most annoying part of everything was the fact that the bear had the nerve to be causing her this much trouble, she was a shinobi for god's sake! She was supposed to be able to slay her countries enemies without a moment's notice, even if they were furry and walked on all fours most of the time. Taking a deep breath, she had prepared to complete a set of seals when a twig loudly snapped across from the girl. Moments later a voice would call out, inquiring if she needed any assistance.
Crouching low, her eyes darted around quickly before falling on the white haired boy who was similarly perched on a tree. Straightening out, she stood up and analyzed him. His white hair was his most striking feature, though she thought maybe she shouldn't think that seeing as her hair color was rather odd. The headband around his neck identified him as a fellow Kumogakure ninja. The giant...gourd on his back was rather odd but she didn't pay much attention to it. There were certainly stranger things that could happen.
"Hey there!" she called out to the man and waved, while she contemplated how she wanted to proceed.
Was she sure that she could kill the bear? Mostly. But 'mostly' wasn't that great of an answer if it meant the beast could escape to threaten someone else another day. Though she wasn't everyone's favorite, she would never do a sloppy job it just wasn't her style. "I think I could use some help, yeah! I don't think I would pack enough power to kill it," she cried back, loud enough so that he would be able to hear her clearly. She would wait for his response before acting, not wanting to mess anything up accidentally by firing without thinking. She didn't mind exposing the fact that she didn't have particularly powerful ninjutsu, it didn't change what she could or couldn't do.
As the twig struck the back of the bear's head, it swiftly turned, unleashing a deafening roar toward Xio. The force of the sound caused his clothing and hair to flutter in sync with the swaying of the surrounding trees and branches.
"I could definitely use some assistance! I fear my own power may not be sufficient to deliver the final blow," The young woman exclaimed, her voice resonating through the woods.
In that fleeting moment of eye contact between him and the beast, Xio seized the opportunity to cast a formidable spell upon it. Utilizing his Sharingan, he effortlessly unleashed a powerful Genjutsu without the need for hand seals. With its simple-minded nature, the bear proved an easy target for the ensnaring illusion. Its body momentarily froze before succumbing to the overpowering spell, an odd sight that held undeniable effectiveness. As the bear crashed to the ground, a cloud of dust and debris billowed up, providing Xio with a brief moment to deactivate his eyes.
"Not my preferred outcome. While I'm not keen on killing these creatures, they do serve as valuable practice when mastering the art of Genjutsu," Xio would shout.
As the smoke cleared, revealing a clearer view of the young woman, a sense of familiarity struck Xio. Though unable to pinpoint where he had seen her before, he couldn't dismiss the notion to close the distance. Without hesitation, the genin leaped from his side of the woods, swiftly closing the distance between them, and landing on a nearby tree branch adjacent to hers before turning towards her.
"Kami, Xio. A pleasure to meet you, although it feels as if we've crossed paths before," he introduced himself.
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the fallen bear. Though it still breathed, its mind remained completely subdued for the time being.
It had seemed as if the short conversation between the two of them had lasted longer than the bear against the white-haired man before him. In what seemed like mere seconds, without even moving, he incapacitated the mammal much to her shock and astonishment. Bewildered she looked back and forth between the two, unsure of what had happened. Did she miss him weaving hand seals? Was that a wind style he had used? A thousand questions flooded her mind as the debris and dust settled, Kurome had deemed it safe enough for her to go down and survey the situation up close and personal. Before she jumped, the man would yell out the answer to the crux of her questions before she even had a chance to prod him.
Genjutsu? That was a rather handy trick to have and something that she, personally, had never considered as an option. Her abilities made her much better at scouting and espionage rather than an offensive fighter. Loosening her body so that she could fall, her savior would beat her to the punch once more as he leaped through the forest in order to get to an adjacent branch. The closer he got, the more she got the feeling that she should remember him, His overall appearance and demeanor were rather striking, so why did it make a nagging feeling in her head?
He introduced himself and her brain immediately went to work. She answered before she could leave an empty silence, she didn't want to look like an idiot five seconds after meeting someone. "Pleasure to meet you, and thanks for the save! My name is Kurome of the Shikigami!" she answered excitedly, before it finally clicked inside of her head. The reason he had looked so familiar, she was sure of it.
"Xio...didn't...we go to the academy together?" she asked, as she literally forced herself to remember the days that had passed what seemed like a lifetime ago. While she was thinking, she noticed that his gaze was on the bear he had put to sleep.
"...don't tell me it'll wake up any second now more pissed than it was the first time?" her voice full of dread she knew that she had to ask, she wanted to be prepared if the beast was going to rage in a short time. Though, either way, she was glad that he was around. If nothing else, he would be able to serve as some good bait while she managed to run away. Looking at the bear again, she wondered if that was even necessary. He did manage to put the bear in an illusion almost instantly, so he must be pretty strong.
She wondered what kind of a crazy driving force had brought the two together, but quickly dispelled such thoughts.
"Pleasure to meet you, and thanks for the save! My name is Kurome of the Shikigami! Xio...didn't...we go to the academy together?"
Kurome spoke and Xio would shift his gaze to her for a moment trying to see if he could connect any of her physical features to someone he knew.
"...don't tell me it'll wake up any second now more pissed than it was the first time?"
Before he could respond his attention was shifted back to the sleeping bear as Kurome’s suspicions arose, as they should.
“Well yeah, he could wake up. In my experience, they’re usually gone for a couple of hours but it always varies just like it does for humans.”
After he spoke his mind finally started to connect the dots on who he was dealing with, ‘Kurome.’ He thought as he showed a light grin. He could finally remember the days in the academy with her, they were actually in the same class but ended up on different squads.
“But honestly we should probably be worried about his parents.”
As xio spoke he felt a sense of relaxation run over his body despite at any moment the duo could encounter his parents, who would probably be twice the size of this baby bear. But if he remembered correctly she was one of the few people he’d actually got to know outside of the academy before they graduated. His gaze would shift back to the bear as it snorted loudly causing a bit of dust to fly up.
“Holy shit Kurome, it’s been ages, what about 6 or 7 years? What brings you out to the mountainside, how’ve you been? what’s new?”
He would say as he remained vigilant over the bear.
Xio had admitted that her fear wasn't entirely baseless, though he also confirmed that it can often last for hours as well. As handy as the ability was it would take a lot of effort and intelligence to keep track of how long the effects last on different beings. She was impressed by the boy, who had attended the same class she had all of those years ago before they were split up into different squads.
She wasn't exactly jealous of his prowess, there were things that she specialized in that maybe he wasn't or couldn't, but she was definitely wondering if she had let herself slip the last couple of years. This was another Genin who had handled a situation effortlessly, stroking the competitive side to her. She found herself wondering, just how powerful was he? He smiled at her and she returned a mischievous grin, her mind running wild with the things she wanted to say and do.
“But honestly we should probably be worried about his parents.”
Interrupting her thoughts of a fight with another fight, he reminded her that this was nothing more than a child. Looking at the hulking, slumbering beast she was confused. If that thing was just a child, then what were its parents going to be like?! Looking over her shoulder, she examined the surroundings and was on high alert for even the slightest rustle of the leaves.
She didn't want another repeat showing of how she performed earlier, especially not with someone she knew around. When she finished, she looked back at Xio who was addressing her though his gaze was intensely focused on the bear, to her relief. Between the two of them, there was no way that they were going to be able to be ambushed.
"Yeah, I haven't seen ya since the good ol' days! Guess work's been keeping us busy, huh?" she joked with him, delivering a bright smile and a light laugh before she continued. "Honestly, I just came out hiking to cure some boredom. I intended to train with that bear, but that went bad quickly! These days, yeah, they've been pretty boring. Just some training and missions when I can, I'd definitely love for something interesting to come along, but what about you? How's everything been? And what brought you out here?" she spilled out her truths to him unabashedly comfortable with letting him know her honest opinions, though not much would've changed if she was a stranger. Afterward she delivered a couple of questions herself, curious about how the man had been since the last time they spoke years ago.
"Yeah, I haven't seen ya since the good ol' days! Guess work's been keeping us busy, huh?"
Xio nodded, diverting his attention back to the young lady.
"Honestly, I just came out hiking to cure some boredom. I intended to train with that bear, but that went bad quickly! These days, yeah, they've been pretty boring. Just some training and missions when I can, I'd definitely love for something interesting to come along, but what about you? How's everything been? And what brought you out here?"
Kurome shared the basic details of her life while Xio listened attentively, demonstrating his active listening skills with nods and genuine interest. As he looked into her eyes, a wave of nostalgia washed over him, bringing back a few fond memories but he wouldn’t stay there too long.
"Well, that sounds similar to the past couple of years for me," he responded.
Shifting his gaze back to the bear on the ground. "But that doesn't sound like a bad reason to be out here. This forest holds all sorts of unexpected encounters."
Xio gracefully descended from the tree branches they were sitting on, landing beside the sleeping bear. Although he was not small in stature, he appeared miniature compared to the massive bear. Standing upright, he glanced back up at the tree where Kurome remained.
"You should come down."
If she jumped down, or perhaps when she did, Xio resumed speaking.
"As for me, I'm out here searching for materials. It turns out I recently became a blacksmith, although it wasn't my own desire."
While Xio spoke, a hint of annoyance colored his words, reflecting his lack of interest in becoming a metalworker despite his family's prosperity being tied to that occupation.
"I'd much rather be training, but you know how elders can be, I’ve been trying to find ways to convince them to let me get some work in. But since that last kid visiting the compound ended up in medical assistance being sent out to the compound, they haven’t been the most welcoming to outside visitors on my behalf.”
he concluded, conveying his frustration with the expectations placed upon him.
He listened rather intently to her words, nodding his head at appropriate times while she was talking and seeming as if he actually cared what she had to say. It was a nice moment, she found she talked too much sometimes so she appreciated the fact that he could keep up with her. She hoped she didn't force him to behave so kindly, though she doubted that was the case after dwelling on it for a moment.
Honoka didn't remember Xio being that kind of person and she doubted that he had become like that as well. She had forgotten how striking of an appearance he had, overall, with the white hair ending in red, the tall stature, the eyes with heterochromia one a deep blue the other a dazzling purple - funny considering it almost matched her eye scheme. Though while he had the purple she was given a crimson red.
"Yeah, I mean, this was pretty unexpected itself, haha," she joked though agreed with his sentiments concerning the forest and mountains and its usefulness and wealth of opportunities within. Shortly after, he would leave the branch that he was on before landing and affirming that it was safe for her to come down. Having faith in his word, she silently dropped to the ground next to him before he began explaining his own purposes.
While describing his current blacksmith undertaking he sounded noticeably displeased which raised a curious bulb in her brain but she pushed it to the side for the moment. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long, because just moments later he would begin explaining both why he took up forging as a blacksmith and why he sounded so irate about it.
Once again, just like earlier when he had taken the bear down, it lit a fire within her, not literally of course because that was a deadly weakness of hers, and stoked the competitive embers within her. She licked her lips in anticipation, without noticing, wondering how she would fare in a fight with the man.
"I'm sorry that they've foisted such expectations on you, and I do understand - the brass will have their way in the end. But I can't lie, I'm uber curious about strength so overwhelming that medical assistance had to be called in. I don't think I've seen you in action in a while, if you're ever in need of a sparring partner don't be afraid to ask me!"
She did want to help him, but she also wanted to beat him. Friends clash together like lumps of rough, jagged diamonds until they properly develop into the shining gems that they could be. She couldn't always win, that was fine, but she would always try her best in the pursuit of a win. And coping with a loss? Well, she wasn't the biggest fan but she was able to admit why and how she lost especially if it concerns herself.
With the snap of a twig nearby, pigtails snapped quickly in an attempt to locate the source. Was she just being paranoid because of the sleeping bear? She looked back at him to see if he had heard something or not. If he did, it would definitely merit looking at but there was no reason to lose her wits over some rustling.
"Am I going crazy or...?" she asked just for clear confirmation.
"I'm sorry that they've foisted such expectations on you, and I do understand - the brass will have their way in the end. But I can't lie, I'm uber curious about strength so overwhelming that medical assistance had to be called in. I don't think I've seen you in action in a while, if you're ever in need of a sparring partner don't be afraid to ask me!"
Xio would laugh a little as he was amused at her assumption that he’d ended up hurting Hitora in a spar, when in fact the lad just fainted after he got through the gates. ‘Psh, if only he was that cool.’ He thought to himself before he shoot a quick response.
“I mean, you could say he---”
Just as he begins to explain the situation a loud thud could be heard off in the distance, Xio would take a moment to observe the area around them.
"Am I going crazy or...?"
At the sound of Kurome’s voice, it kind of confirmed his suspicions, there was something out there causing him to continue to scan the forestry around them. With the baby bear in the center, the duo stood in an open circular area space that one could say had a radius of about 20 meters in size. Beyond that, the duo found themselves surrounded by thicker forestry, anything could be out there.
“Well I don’t think so, I think I heard something to the north, just up ahead of us like trees, or branches breaking, does that sound about right?”
Although he was on a forced vacation from being a shinobi Xio always kept a careful eye on his surroundings, not only with his eyes, but his ears, and nose as well. Without any more hesitation, the genin would activate his eyes as he felt a little more comfortable around Kurome. Although it wasn’t his objective to hide his heritage, prior to graduating academy he learned some things are just best kept secret until they HAD to be revealed.
“I hope this isn’t our lucky day.”
He would say as he braced himself for a pending encounter, being that he had support from Kurome he knew he would have to be a little careful with the way he did anything today. As his emotion started to peak, you could hear and feel Xio’s anxiety.
Fully Activated Sharingan: Three Tomoe Rank: A Range: - Type: Supplementary Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: Mid per turn active. This is the final form of the “normal” Sharingan. The clan members’ pupil will turn red and develop three of the wheel swirls in both eyes. In this form, the clan member can read Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu, learn how the skill is done and then copy it to be used then or later. This level of the Sharingan permits a great deal of agility, allowing them to better conserve and direct their attacks based on an impressive level of perception. Three tomoe Sharingan allow seamless copying and interpretation of a wide array of jutsu. At this level, the Sharingan can perform Genjutsu and hypnosis if eye contact is made and the ninja has access to the appropriate Genjutsu training. Additionally, keep in mind that the Sharingan’s ability to be used effectively is dependent on visibility and sight Range. Note: This variation of the Sharingan is capable of piercing all a-Rank Genjutsu and below, and is capable of predicting advanced taijutsu (a-Rank and below), and comprehending movements that are 7 levels higher than their speed level. For an increment of one Mid worth of chakra, the user may copy any viable technique of a-Rank and below; this cannot be applied to Kinjutsu, Advanced Releases, or other Kekkei Genkai.
