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.
Mist lazily slithered from the behind the town, sweeping far and wide to scale all the land. From the viewpoint of another, it seemed all-encompassing. It was shallow enough to see through, but still obstructed one's vision enough, especially if they weren’t used to such weather.
This would be the case for one individual who had been bound to wooden chair with rope securing their body to it. They would also find their hands and feet tied, and their mouth obstructed. He was a ninja from the Land of Hot Water, his attire was the personification of a ninja. Clad in black, wooden planks beneath his clothing to protect his body, and various ninja tools.
But why was he here today? He would find himself in a room surrounded by Hidden Mist forces – no different than being stranded out at sea surrounded by sharks. His body trembled, and his feet and hands grew cold as blood moved from his extremities. Though visibly in fear, a large hand placed itself on his right shoulder and seemed to extinguish the life of the ninja.
He fainted. For the mere presence of the man touching him was insufferable. “Good morning, everyone!” I exclaimed as I stepped forward in front of the prisoner. “As you may know, I’ve recently returned from the Land of Hot Water, which borders the Land of Fire… and it seems that there is still a bit of chaos going on in that region.”
I wore a black fur cape over my shoulders, which left my chest exposed, and various pieces of tribal jewelry from earrings to necklaces. I also sported a pair of black spandex shorts which stopped about mid-thigh and a brown bear's fur as a cover-up. Standard ninja sandals and my Hidden Mist headband were tied around my left arm.
With a gesture of my hand, I brought attention back to the fainted man. “This is my parting gift from there, one of the clan hands from that war-torn country. It appears that the Hidden Leaf is unconcerned about the vermin that lay at their doorsteps. It’s a dangerous thing, really. Not having any stability around your growing country – I guess we’re considered lucky being isolated.”
I continued to speak as I walked about the room, which was in the Chiatsuki’s Compound. “I believe this creates an opportunity for us…” The Hidden Mist forces continued to listen, and the bounded ninja began to regain consciousness. “To take advantage of the Hidden Leaf’s neglect and expand our strength and influence.” I waited to see how Hidden Mist would react to my desires.
As always, amongst Kirigakure's military force, news traveled fast, and it traveled far. Enough so that it had only been a literal matter of time being Chae received the news of Chiatsuki's return, not only a commanding officer within their ranks, but also an Elder-brother like figure to Chae during his days as a genin eventually chuunin.
When Chae ever thought as far back as he could, Chiatsuki existed as one of the few within their community that realized Chae's absurd affinity for Raiton ninjutsu & thusly encouraged him along said path.
"So The Demon Of the Hidden mist has Really returned."
Chae Spoke beneath his breath with a low, yet still audible tone as his ears picked off Chiatsuki's words one by one; sorted in a way that made sense to the Chuunin. Listening, Chae -as per usual- had been impressed by Chiatsuki's sense of politics and how he used its influence to win over the minds and morale of his Kirigakure shinobi peers & subordinates. As if from the mist itself and thereafter through the crowd onto the front row, Chae emerged, stepping to the front just enough to be seen by Chiatsuki.
"You clearly carry the influence Chiatsuki, always have. For those of us that enforce strength, how do we expand it in this circumstance."
Abundantly self-aware of his own skillset and archetype, "Us" had been referred to the shinobi's like Chae who represented the forces "Soldiers" or "Infantry", individual units that thrived and excelled at Combat, Espionage, and Power.
Arms folded-clad in his black, Hooded flak Jacket, Sweatpants, and closed shoes- Chae remained confident in his position, more than sure that Chiatsuki would've soon locked eyes and answered Chae's inquiry.
As I waited for my fellow ninja to speak up, my ears perked when it captured a familiar voice. Chae-Yoon Kushinada. A fine shinobi, an honorable man and most important to me – a brother. Everyone here had known that Chae was a man of action and more than capable of getting any job done.
My head turned toward his location and my body followed. “For those who enforce strength, your task will be simple enough – stomp on the necks of all those who get in Hidden Mists’ way.” I then turn back to address the audience in attendance.
“The reason I gathered you all here today is to talk. I have a lot I want to share with you and gauge your interest! Then, I plan on presenting it all to the Shodaime.” My chocolate hues searched around the room for anyone else who may be eager to speak up.
I could see that most ninja present had just been focused on my words, wondering what could be beyond the horizon for the nation. “Planning such an expedition will require a significant amount of time and resources. I look forward to making Hidden Mist even stronger and more infamous to the world at large. But I can only do that with everyone else’s help…”
Post by Sōsuke, Itada on Jun 11, 2023 14:51:00 GMT -6
So, it’s true then.., he thought to himself.
Itada too had heard the rumors of the ’kirigakure no kijin’s return, and trailed Chae both to the room of the compound and to the front of the crowd, taking stance to the chuunin’s left.
He watched and listened with open ears as the ’kirigakure no kijin’ spoke; his words reverberated through the room like a true leader, and Itada watched as the man, who was so well-known in the Mist for his combat ability, controlled and swayed the hearts of one hundred men with just the passion in his words.
The two had shared many a shinobi exploits together, and Itada knew very well the capabilities of his comrade. Three years his senior, the Chiatsuki had a heavy influence on Itada as he grew within the village – even as a child he’d heard of the man’s battle prowess, and with his philosophy of strength, easily took a liking to the jounin.
The Sōsuke listened to the talk of what was going on in the Land of Tea, and the Leaf, and he agreed with the thought and proposition of expansion. With the treaty active, there would not be war anytime soon, but that did not mean that Kirigakure could not expand their influence. However, he had one objection.
“The Land of Tea is across the expanse of the Kanashii Ocean. It would take a fortune to transport forces that distance, let alone set up a base of operations…”
Itada spoke for the first time, and was likely the first time Yohru would notice he was there. He looked at his comrade with both admiration and respect, and would propose his own twist on the idea of expansion.
”I am planning a trip to the ‘Modoroki Shrine’ in the lands south-west of the Icy Tundras. Perhaps we begin our expansion there, closer to home, before we set out across the sea?”
It was just a proposition. Itada was no leader – he’d much rather play his part as a shinobi of the Mist from the darkness.
“Also, Welcome Home”
last edited Jun 11, 2023 14:53:11 GMT -6 by Sōsuke, Itada
Both Chae's eyes and head turned towards Itada as he stepped forward, positioned himself adjacent from Chae. Once he had, Chae's eyes snapped back toward's his brother's position as he'd given his response regarding Chae's role as the "Strength of Kirigakure".
Listening intently, Chae chuckled and smirked, amused by his choice of words along with the tone in which he backed them with. It went without saying that Chiatsuki had often been deemed the most charasmatic man in Kirigakure.
"Bringing our enemies to heel is never an issue."
Stomping on the necks of Kirigakure's enemies had been an activity that Chae grew accustomed to throughout his years within the village's forces. Despite being a mere Chuunin, many amongst them acknowledged that his prowess exceeded the average Jounin.
Like many among their forces, Chae placed a specific trust and loyalty within Chiatsuki, enough so that he -in tandem with the others- continued to listen intently and quietly as he spoke, only interrupted by the momentary inquiry from the Crowd. Without much to add onto the politics of the conversation at hand, Chae looked back and forth between Itada and Chiatsuki's discourse.
I wielded no ocular technique, but my chocolate-colored continued to scan the room after nodding in agreement with my brother. It wouldn’t be long before another of great stature in the Hidden Mists military might speak up. Sōsuke Itada. A talented shinobi, and one that was very mature for such a young age.
Hidden Mist had acquired such capable shinobi, it would be a shame to not utilize it to create an even better world for us. But there seemed to be a misunderstanding between him and I. Initially, I hadn’t noticed when Itada would have arrived, but when I heard his voice, I gave him my attention and my body followed.
Before giving a response, I continued to listen and nod. While there was inaccuracy that came from his lips, at the same time, his concerns were all still very valid. Enjoy? Excitement?What was this feeling that overcame me when everyone showed interest in this idea? I initially thought might have been too ambitious.
“Itada-san, most of what you say is correct. While being an archipelago gives us great defense, expanding out from it in any direction consumes plenty of resources. This brings me to the first phase of the plan I have in mind. We need to amass ryō! We will need to do missions or whatever we must to support this expansion journey. We will have to get scrappy! Even take from other smaller nations if we must.”
The ninja bound to the chair had heard enough. He began jumping in place, screaming to become free. His eyes swelled up, and a river flowed down his cheeks. Briefly turning away from the crowd to the ninja and back to the crowd. “I think it is a terrific idea to start with the closest smaller countries! That way we can keep expensive small and take from them what we have lost. If everything goes right, and they fall under Hidden Mist’ influence, we’ll place a tax on ‘em. And in turn, we’ll leave them free… for now.”
I then turned back to the man and began walking toward him as his jumping around led him to fall over. He continued to cry, though his voice had been muffled, he he begged for his life. “There are many weak-hearted ninja out in the world. Some of them have quite a position in other countries and villages. Taking them out will lead to the downfall of some areas. Force and strategy will take the rest.”
I looked down upon the ninja, condemning him with my gaze. “Chae-san…” I called upon my brother for this execution, his skill with Lightning Release was borderline godly. And I just liked the sparks!
Post by Sōsuke, Itada on Jun 11, 2023 20:57:04 GMT -6
Itada listened to Yohru’s response to his words, taking the corrections made by his comrade into heart and gained a better understanding of the situation, which translated into the two kiri jounin being in agreeance with one another.
“What of the treasury? Surely Lord Mizukage would donate to the cause?”
That question was really just a placeholder for what the Uchiha would ask next. In his mind, amassing currency was the least of their problems. The true problem lie in actually expanding the influence of Kiri into the smaller nations, and what exactly did that entitle.
Unfortunately, many people feared Mochizuki, and they were representing him. Itada was sure the name of the Mizukage was stained in many places.
“How exactly do we convert these foreign nations to wave the banner of the Mist?”
He stared cold and emotionless toward the hostage as Yohru ordered his execution, mentally bracing himself as he knew the mess Chae was capable of making.
Listening, Chae internally agreed with Chiatsuki as the discourse between the him and Itada progressed further. Without missing a beat, each question sent forth in Chiatsuki's direction had been met with an even greater rebuttal that only further shedded light onto the subject, revealing the surface layers of his plan strip by strip.
No matter the direction they decided to set forth upon, resources were expected to be spent in heft amounts, however, with the capability of the men before Chiatsuki and even the Mochizuki himself, the investment couldn't have been viewed as a waste. Chae eyes darted and locked onto the hostage; watching his hopeless struggle in slight disgust.
The life of a shinobi existed as an unforgiving one; chalk full of cruelty, loss, and bloodshed, Chae knew this, itada knew, the hostage, they all did; and to have thought or felt otherwise had been nothing short of foolishness. Seeing the hostage struggle about within his bindings had been obscene; The coward. Once Chiatsuki turned back towards the crowd and uttered Chae's name in such a distinctive tone, he knew how to act.
In an act of high speed pursuit, Chae vanished from the crowd and in the next defining moments, appeared behind the hostage with his right hand humming with power. Raikiri Unlike chidori, the unrefined variation, Raikiri didn't scream the song of 1000 birds; instead it hummed in a lesser tone, more refined and precise in chakra, a testament to Chae's control. Both Chiatsuki and Itada would've witnessed his Chidori's evolution first hand.
"Death By The Sea"
In the blink of an eye Chae's hand swiped across and through the hostage's neck, producing a clean, leveled cut as though Chae seemingly hadn't even touched him. Slowly the detached head leaned, fell, and rolled, however, not a droplet of blood spewed. In its place, a cauterized area of burnt and seared skin from Raikiri's influence. With his chakra calmed in the next moments, Chae remained behind Chiatsuki as he faced the crowd before him.
I was excited! “Oooo~ that’s new!” I said as Chae unveiled a new version of the Chidori. It was more mature now, the birds no longer chirped as if they were calling out for help or attention. Now, it was just a calming hum. This maturity in the technique is likely reflected in my brother himself.
While I watched Chae, I did hear Itada continue to speak out. I would need to ask for his forgiveness later, as I didn’t want to miss a beat of the execution. Poised was Chae and his new Raikiri technique, and he could decapitate the ninja from the Land of Hot Water without even a drop of blood.
“NICE!!” I shouted aggressively! I wasn’t the type to hide my excitement, I began clapping in appreciation and admiration after he was done. “Good work, brother!” I turned to address the crowd once more. “Everyone… I can only talk about phase one on this grand scale today. I will need to follow up with Shodaime-sama before I can discuss more openly.
While there are still many things, I am uncertain about, the thing I am most certain about is that Hidden Mist is the greatest ninja village. And we will show the world that.” With a snap of my fingers, two ninjas dressed from head to toe in midnight navy grabbed the remains of the fallen ninja and disappeared without a trace.
“Now, with that being over… It’s been over a month since I’ve been home, and I could go for a good time at Enter the Dragon! We can surround ourselves with sake and women! Chae-san, Itada-san… please join me!”Enter the Dragon was Hidden Mists’ most prominent club, and it was conveniently located just outside of the Chiatsuki Compound.
The club was my idea, but as far as running it on a day-to-day basis, I’d leave that to our local workers. I was a man who enjoyed a good time after a long day. Working two jobs would be far too stressful. In Enter the Dragon, the music was blaring, there were women dancing half-naked all over the place, gambling games, and one of the biggest bars you could ever imagine, that extended another three floors high.
There was a dance floor and a lounge area. Each of these features was on all four floors, but each floor had a different theme. The black turtle was the first, then the white tiger for the second, the vermillion bird for the third, and finally the azure dragon for the fourth.
This expansive estate brought in a lot of money for the Chiatsuki and the Hidden Mist as a whole. It should be labeled a landmark! I would have Chae and Itada follow me to the third floor, the warm red lights1 on this floor always felt like they recharged me.
We were painted in the red light as if we were drenched in the blood of our enemies already. “It feels great to be back! There is nothing like being home after a long journey.” As I spoke, a waitress would bring us drinks, or shots rather of some of our strongest sake to start out the night off.
“Itada-san, going back to your questions earlier—while it would be nice if Mochizuki-san aided us with his or the resources of the village, it isn’t something we can just depend on. If we are constantly taking from the village and Mochizuki-san, what happens if we run out of money?
This expansion could take years. And there is the case of not yet speaking with him about the matter. Though, I have sent for him. He probably has already gotten a gist of what I’m inviting him here for as our humbled guess. All drinks on me, by the way!” I grabbed my shot and downed it!
NOTES:Admin , Mizukage is invited for drinks and conversation. For 1use your imagination and pretend this room just have a warm red light and a phoenix theme!
The sun was starting to fall from the sky above the mist giving the already dimly lit village an even more ominous feel than normal. Dressed in his usual attire aside from the one sword he chose to carry with him on his back wrapped in bandages, accompanied by two men in masks one walking just ahead, and one covering his flank the Shodiame Mizukage strolled through the village he ruled heading for a meeting with a few of his shinobi. Without a word, citizens scurried aside while bowing their heads as the trio made their way to their destination which wasn’t far at this point, which the guard up ahead noted the building ‘Enter The Dragon.’ One of the more prominent clubs within the village, it was known for a number of things, and catering to important people was one of the most notable. ‘I wonder what was so important he needed me to make an appearance.’ Mochizuki thought as they were arriving at the entrance, a truly massive man in comparison to most standing at seven tall with a bulk frame to match.
The first guard would enter the club surveying the festivities, before reaching the conclusion that the club was as active as normal before Mochizuki would enter shortly after ducking under the door seal while smoking on two cigars followed by his rear guard. ‘They always hire well in here.’ The Shodiame thought to himself as the workers bustled around to each table, with proper presentation, and good food.
“There they are.”
The front guard located the group of mist ninja up in what looked like a VIP area surrounded by food and drinks. The club was dimly lit, but it wasn’t enough to obstruct one’s view much as the trio made their way to their private area. The first guard would enter the room greeting each of the shinobi before moving to the left of the door, Mochizuki would enter right after him, with his other guard following and taking the position at the right side of the door. As the man entered the room, he looked at each shinobi giving a bit of eye contact, it had been a while since he’d seen either Itada, Yohru for a different reason, but Chae looked a little different since their last interaction a couple months ago.
“Yohru, I see you gathered a little crowd since your arrival back in the village.”
The Mizukage would say as he looked to the Jounin, it was rare that mist shinobi gathered among one another as the nature of the village could get messy even between ‘brothers.’ But today was different apparently Yohru had the influence somehow.
“You even got Chae out in the clubs; you must have some important information for me.”
Mochizuki wasn’t a man of many jokes but to see Chae in this setting was different, the lad usually spent his spare time training, or doing missions. ‘Must feel like he got a little more time now.’ He thought to himself as he took one more look at that eye, he thought it would heal after some time, but it looks permanent. ‘Prolly that fucking turtle being nosey.’ He pondered to himself before he ordered for a chair to be brought over to him, one of the workers quickly scurried over and placed a chair just behind him. He would take a seat crossing his arms across his chest looking Yohru in the eyes.
“Did you actually manage to find any new targets?”