Starring:
Atsuro, Fuuta
Date: October 26, 2012
Summary:
Both on a mission to recover some lost swords, Atsuro and Fuuta end up doing a favour for a friendly nin-beaver.
Poster's note: Foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Blades of the Dammed"
A forest in the Land of Rice Fields
It's the afternoon, but that would be tough to tell deep in this old forest in the Land of Rice Fields. Overhead, the canopy blocks most of the sky from view, and only a little bit of the sun's light makes it in. There are really only two places around here that aren't covered by the canopy. One is the road. It's not much more than a simple dirt path, just wide enough for most wagons. The other is a stream. It's fairly shallow, never more than about twenty centimeters deep, and not wide either. There's a little wooden bridge to connect the road on either side of the stream, and that's all that's usually noteworthy about this spot.
Right now, however, things are a little different. On the bridge is a wagon, tipped over on its side with one wheel missing. Whatever it was carrying, it's empty now. From it's position, the contents may have spilled out into the stream.
Finally, there's Atsuro and Taizen, both searching the stream, perhaps for whatever was in the wagon. Taizen stands on the banks, looking down into the water, searching for something. Atsuro, on the other hand has gone right into the stream to search. He's removed his shirt and vest and put them on a nice, dry boulder near the stream, and he's rolled the legs of his pants up to the knees. Unfortunately, their keen senses of smell won't help them here, but Inuzuka eyes are sharp too.
Rapidly moving through the treetops a blur streaks by. Adoring a silver mane and landing on a branch above where Atsuro and Taizen had stopped was none other than Fuuta. Fuuta grins and cracks his neck looking to the wagon then back to the stream with Atsuro and Taizen. Fuuta sighs "Ore Sanjou…" he announces as he leaps down to join with them. Softly he lands atop the water's surface. He moves forward towards Atsuro and Taizen rubbing his head. His eyes go on a swivel looking for something that didn't appear to be present. Fuuta looks back to Atsuro "Oh hey. It's you again haha. Well good to see you aaaaannnnd where's the cargo?" he looks around ocne more then back to the wagon. "It looks like it got lost in the stream. Please tell me that is not the case."
Fuuta's concern of the cargo was mission related. Atsuro wasn't a enemy however but the cargo was the importance of this assignment. He looks to Taizen and inclines his head. It was the first time he'd seen the nin-dog. Fuuta inclines his head figuring that Atsuro must've been one of the Inuzuka of Konoha. The water would inhibit or completely nullify the factor of their senses which means that they were at this point up a creek….or stream without a paddle, quite literally. "Fantastic…." Fuuta sighs
Their attention is on the stream, but a familiar scent suddenly comes to Atsuro and Taizen. They sniff the air for a moment. "Hey," says Atsuro, "Isn't that…?" Before he can finish the though, there's Fuuta. "Hey," says Atsuro, "We seem to meet in the strangest places, don't we?" He grins. "I was actually just about to take off my pants, but I guess there'll be none of that now. Boy, you missed a real treat."
He glances to the wagon, then to Fuuta suspiciously. "You're here for the swords too?" he asks. "Maybe we can reach some kind of agreement if we find them, but I can't see what Kiri — or whoever hired you — wants with a bunch of swords. Apparently they're pretty /nice/ swords, but can't you just go to a smith? I talked to the merchant who lost them, and believe me, he's not a high-roller."
Fuuta chuckles and rubs his chest smugly "Oh come now if anyone missed a treat it was you for every moment that went by when you weren't in my presence." Fuuta bows elaborately then comes to attention when Atsuro mentions an agreement of some sort. Fuuta grins and shakes his head "No need for an agreement. And don't worry about it ok? We just need to find them and move along." Fuuta peers down at the water he walked atop it "But I hate water." Fuuta comments. "Or rather I hate getting wet sooo I'll try and see if there is another way I can assist you." Fuuta says forming a few handseals. A tool clone appears at his side. Fuuta nods to it and the next thing you know the clone is at work searching for the blades. "How did this happen anyway?"
Giving Fuuta a grin and a shrug, Atsuro admits, "It's nice to have a fellow jackass around now and again. Like I said before, we're a rare breed." To the dismissal of the agreement, he frowns and tilts his head a little. "That mean you're going to let me have the swords?" he asks. He might like Fuuta, but it certainly seems like they're at cross-purposes here, and Atsuro is enough of a ninja to be wary of someone possibly trying to plank him, especially since that answer wasn't very specific.
"Hate getting wet?" Atsuro asks, "Must make life as a Mist nin tough. Apparently they don't care much about sending you out on missions involving water." He smirks a little, "As it happens, Taizen and I just love the water." One could probably surmise that, considering he's saying this half-naked, knee deep in a stream. With his shirt off, some tattoos other than the ones on his face are visible. On the left side of his chest is the Leaf insignia. On his back is another set of Inuzuka fangs and beneath that is the word 'bastard.'
He gives the tool clone a glance. "I don't think they're here," he says, "We were searching for them on the off chance that they got buried in the mud, but there's no sign of them. But they haven't been taken by someone else. No scents around here but trees and animals. And you, but that's more recent." He shrugs. "No special reason for it. I think the wagon just broke as the poor guy was passing over the stream. He said he was going to look for them himself, but he heard something moving around in the bushes, so he hopped on his horse and took off."
"Oh don't even get me started. You know Kirigakure wouldn't have been my village of choice, had I been given a choice in the first place. But what can ya do? Pays well." he shrugs. Fuuta smiles and nods at Atsuro "Clearly. And I don't knock you for it even with that wet dog smell emanating from you too right now…." he chuckles moving along looking around. When Atsuro speaks up Fuuta dismisses his clone and folds his arms. "Really? Well then this is a huge waste of time." he turns and leaps onto the bridge next to the cart. Fuuta inspects the cart and the manner of its discombobulating situation.
"Well a load of blades just doesn't disappear like that." Fuuta sighes rising up from inspecting the cart. He looks over back to Atsuro. "So if you've already determined that they're not in the water then why are you guys still down there?" Fuuta muses to Atsuro he leans over on the railing of the bridge "You're just trying to show off your tattoo mildly impressive body aren't you? Well you can stop. Nobody's body can compare to my body." Fuuta waves Atsuro on. "I can leave until I find out what's happened to the cargo. So I'll be more than happy to lend you my assistance. Relax you have nothing to fear from me. I mean you no harm. Fuutama-sama is a man of his word."
"Huh," says Atsuro, "You don't seem like the type who'd take a job you don't like just for the money. Can't be /all/ bad, right?" He shakes his head. "That's the smell of manliness," he says, then smirks and adds, "I'm not totally shocked you haven't smelled it before." He grins a little as the clone leaves. "We were reaching that conclusion," he answers, "Just had to make sure. The bottom of the stream is green brown. Apparently the swords have bamboo sheaths. Even /my/ eyes need a little time, just to be sure."
He rubs his chin. "I suppose the next place to look would be downstream. The current isn't strong, and the swords would be heavy, but maybe the bamboo gave them enough buoyancy?" He shrugs. "Farfetched, but I don't see anywhere else for them to have gone." He looks down to where the stream bends, heading off to other parts of the forest, then looks back to Fuuta with a grin.
"'Mildly impressive?'" he asks, "I think you need to take a closer look." He flexes his muscles and makes a few poses. "I'm June in this year's 'Men of Konoha' calendar. Your body must be /amazing/. You gotta tell me your exercise routine." He taps his chin. "But then again, if you hate water, there'd never be any reason for anyone to see you without a shirt on, so you can kinda just say whatever you feel like. Hmm…!"
That bout of verbal sparring done, he turns his attentions back to the task at hand. "Well," he says, "You wanna follow us downstream then? If you rivet me over, it'll be a first, so I guess I owe you at least a /little/ trust."
"I may be a jackass but I'm honest. I'll let you know I'm about to washer you over at the very least. To make it fair ya know?" Fuuta responds. "You are correct I wouldn't take a job I dislike merely because of the pay. But I didn't know I'd have to travel downstream." Fuuta notes. He leaps off the bridge back onto the water's surface. Fuuta yawns at Atsuro's poses and exploitation of his defined figure. "Men of Konoha…my word is that what you people do?" Fuuta remarks with a grin. He would walk along with Atsuro and Taizen doing his best to avoid getting splashed and what not. Fuuta smirks at Atsuro "My friend that there is the very difference between your slightly above average body and my godly visage of physique. You need a reason. I don't." Fuuta lets his top drop revealing a lean body with robust muscle form. It wasn't bulky and hinted limberness. In comparison to Atsuro it was much less defined though. His body was that of an aerobic acrobatic combatant. Fuuta poses and flexes albeit a bit more sensually than manly. "Please try not to touch. Gander all you want though, I am used to it."
Fuuta 'sheaths' his form with his top once more and nods softly. "Don't be discouraged now. I mean what did you expect? This is me we're talking about." he laughs haughtily but soon returns his attention to the matter at hand. "Man you've gotten so much out of this little excursion so far I'm almost jealous. To ease your worries I should give you my mission specifics eh?"
"Well," says Atsuro, "Given our mutual jackassery, I suppose I /can/ trust you." He shrugs as he begins to wade downstream, gesturing for Taizen to follow. "Polite people don't present themselves as openly as you and I. Why, that's pretty much half the point of being a jackass. But why am I saying this? You must know it already." He smirks. "It's not usually my thing. I just wear my shirt open and let the people admire the artistry. But I pretty much owe it to the world to get a shirtless photo of myself published. So that's one thing off the bucket list."
He looks over to Fuuta. "Can't argue with that logic," he says, "You know, as far as the philosophy of it goes. As for sheer physique…" He nods approvingly, "I won't lie. That's pretty impressive. I'll throw you a bone here and say that our bodies can't really be compared, past a certain point. You're lithe and firm, I'm bulky and chiseled. I like apples more than I like oranges, but I'm not gonna throw the world's best orange in the garbage. Even if I /am/ the world's best apple."
"I don't see what I've gotten out of it, actually," he says, "But sure, let's hear it. I suppose we don't /have/ to be at cross-purposes here. It just seems pretty likely when you come in and start trying to figure out where the cargo is."
"You callin' me a fruit?" Fuuta asks with a sly smirk. "I understand and couldn't agree with you more. Well on a few points I'd make a few adjustments but overall…" Fuuta claps softly "Couldn't have said it better myself. But on to more important points right? Well long story short my assignment is actually akin to yours. The only difference is that I have a little something extra to do once the cargo makes it to its destination." Fuuta explains. "I can't get more specific than that for official reasons but I have no reason to hinge you over as my mission picks up where yours leaves off." Fuuta is leaving something out and he knows Atsuro will figure as much however he can't afford to reveal that much at this point.
"In any case the point is I'm not your adversary…yet. Can't get too chummy with you because I'm sure that day will arrive soon enough though." He winks. "Though I try and make a point not to cause injury to animals…" he glances to Taizen. "Enough with the business though. It's making me lethargic. Where are those blasted blades?" Fuuta looks ahead once more. As much as he enjoyed chatting with Atsuro he still had an objective on hand.
Atsuro grins. "Actually, I called myself an apple and merely implied that you were an orange. So if you were insulted by that, you still get the better deal. Or at least the less explicit deal." He shrugs. "Glad we could reach a consensus. No need to quibble over details when we can celebrate the big picture."
He gives Fuuta a sidelong glance. "Well, I guess as long as the something extra doesn't involve killing me or Taizen, or causing me to fail the mission." He shrugs. "I'm just here to recover the swords. If you're there to tell him that the chickens have fled the coop or something, go wild."
He exhanges a glance with Taizen, who barks a little. "He appreciates it," Atsuro says. "I guess the constant Kiri-Konoha tussling /does/ make our jackass-ship a little awkward." He gives a lopsided grin. "But don't you worry. I'm sure you won't cause injury to either of us."
As they walk along, the stream starts to widen, as well as getting slower and deeper. "Huh," says Atsuro, looking around the pool they've found themselves in. "Wonder if they're…" He trails off. In front of them, not far away, is a beaver dam. Recently constructed, with some logs unusually thin, made, perhaps, of bamboo? "Whoops," says Atsuro. "Does the thing about not injuring animals include not wrecking their homes?"
"Actually I'm more partial to apples than oranges. So from my perspective you are getting the better deal. To be fair I suggest we both be starfruits. I'm a starfruit for well obvious reasons and you…well I was just trying to be fair." So much for the big picture. Fuuta smiles at Taizen "Oh I know I won't. Why you remind me of me, an immeasurably minute portion of me, but me nonetheless. And I could never harm myself. Take a piece of great and you still have great just a smaller portion yeah?" He suggests before laughing a bit. When they come to a halt at the sight of the dam Fuuta strokes his chin and hums.
"Well usually it does but seeing as this particular animal builds its own home…" Fuuta looks back to Atsuro "I don't think we'd be endangering them or jeopardizing their wellbeing. Have any alternatives to wrecking it outright though?" Fuuta folds his arms "Looks like it was just finished though….they aren't going to be happy."
"That's fair," Atsuro agrees, grinning, "After all, being fair means being objective. I appreciate your magnaminity." Taizen barks softly to Fuuta. "He says thanks," Atsuro translates. "I think the compliment you gave him got lost in there somewhere when you were complimenting yourself, but I guess he found it. He's very clever, you see."
"Kinda knobbish to just dismantle it even if they can rebuild it," Atsuro points out. "I mean, I dunno much about beavers, but don't they have to chew all the wood they use? That's gotta be laminate on the dental work." He takes a couple of steps towards the dam to examine it more closely. "Well," he says with a sigh, "They added them recently, of course, so we don't have to damage it too much to get them. Sorry, beavers."
He begins to remove one of the swords, then they hear a loud "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
Atsuro turns to see a beaver on the shore. "Nin-beavers," he mutters, glancing at Fuuta, "Figures." He raises his voice to talk to the beaver. "Look, we don't want any trouble, but these belong to somebody else. He asked us to get them back for him. He's just a working class joe, trying to make a living. Like you or me."
The beaver frowns. At least inasmuch as a beaver can frown. "That's too bad," says the beaver, "But they're part of my home now. I let you take those away and it could be my family's life on the line!"
"Nailit Ninja Beavers….I should've known." Fuuta snaps his fingers. He meets Atsuro's look with a shrug and lets him try and reason with it. The beaver brings up a valid point. Fuuta wasn't too keen on the notion of just leaving the home incomplete anyway. Fuuta walks up behind Atsuro and taps him on the shoulder to get his attention. He motions Atsuro to move aside for a moment. Fuuta would speak to the beaver. "Well my friend actually did mention how knobbish it would be to dismantle your home. Sooooo what if we find suitable replacements for what we take? Then can we have the swords?" Fuuta motions back to Taizen "We have a dog with us. They know good sticks and stuff when they see'em…." Fuuta looks back to Atsuro and shrugs not really knowing if that statement was true or not. "Whaddaya say? That way everyone's happy and no one's homeless."
The beaver thinks about this for a second. "That's fair," he admits, "If you can find me ten sticks about the length and diameter of these swords, I'll let you have them. Even if I'd rather not have to rebuild part of the dam."
Atsuro smiles, apparently pleased with this solutions. "Easy to find common ground between a beaver and the working man, eh?" He looks over to Fuuta. "Good thinking." He smirks, "It's funny, sometimes it's like you've got a good head on your shoulders." He nods to the beaver. "We'll be back with ten sticks for you. He wades out to the shore of the pond. "C'mon," he tells Fuuta and Taizen, waving them over. "Ten sticks about, oh, fifty centimeters long and four centimeters in diameter." He glances to Taizen, "See if you can sniff around for any freshly broken wood. Young ones'll probably be better, right? Let's go, guys."
Fuuta scratches his nose while wearing a haughty smile. "Well I AM the GREAT Yoko Fuutama after all. I wouldn't be so great if I couldn't compromise with a beaver." Fuuta nods as Atsuro closes the deal with the beaver. "Well that shouldn't be too hard to spot." Fuuta folds his arms. "Young is strong. Make sure they're not split too much or partially broken in many spots. We gotta let this beaver know we're not amateurs ya know? We''re jackasses and pitch good ones." Fuuta nods. He moves out to scout for good wood.
"If some old hag told me that I'd be looking for sticks to barter with nin-beaver so that I can accomplish a mission…well I wouldn't called that woman's mental state 'unhealthy'." Fuuta chuckles and he checks around for sticks and branches meeting Atsuro's specifications.
"Huh," says Atsuro, "You never really seemed like the compromising type to me. Especially since you couldn't admit that I'm pretty much a work of art two minutes ago. But I confess, my name is just Inuzuka Atsuro. Sadly, Atsuro isn't short for anything fancy like your name." He rubs his chin. "We /are/ pitch good jackasses," he agrees, "But I think trying to find good sticks to help a beaver can't really be tied to that part of our identity."
He grins. "Old hags?" he asks, "That the sort of woman you hang around with, Fuuta?" He and Taizen start to sniff the air a little. "This way," Atsuro gestures, "At least a little bit of fresh wood exposed to the air. Could just be a bear peeled some bark off a tree or whatever, but we may as well look. Plus, I don't smell any bears."
They find themselves a little clearing. The trees at the edges have lost a number of branches which are now scattered around the ground. "Must have been a storm," Atsuro says, "Smell can't do much good from here. We'll just have to pick through the branches and hope we get some good ones."
"I compromise sometimes. As long as it benefits me I'll compromise all the time." Fuuta snickers. "Atsuro huh? Well you're right on the note that it isn't as prestigious as my name but it's a good name." Fuuta nods as he continues to scan about for sticks. "Hmm you're right. In order to uphold the jackassery associated with our beings we must not let anyone know of what we did here today." he adds.
"Well it's more they like to seek me out and tell me cryptic cam." he answers Atsuro. "Why foreboding or ominous things always come in an unappealing visage, I do not know." he adds. Fuuta looks up as Atsuro gestures. "No bears. That's a good sign." Fuuta grins. "You think there are nin-bears too?" he muses jokingly.
Fuuta whistles at the scene before them in the clearing. "Jackpot." he smirks. "Yep. But we just need to find 10 good ones amongst all this. Won't take too long with the three of us." Fuuta sighs "50 centimeters long, 4 in diameter….let's get started. "
"I'll try to keep that in mind," says Atsuro, "I just /knew/ there had to be some way of dealing with you." He shrugs, "Yeah. A pretty good name. I have my mom to thank for it. You're right that it's less prestigious than yours, but it keeps me humble. I mean, just look what 'Fuutama' did to you." He shakes his head. "I thought it was more neutral with regards to being a jackass. Jackasses can do nice things! We stopped that guy from killing himself. If that's not a good deed, I dunno what is."
"You must lead a charmed life," Atsuro says blithely, "Well, I mean, you met me, so that was a nice bit of luck for you." He sniffs the air just to be sure there aren't any nin-bears. "I think there's nin-everythings. Well, maybe not nin-worms or nin-bacteria or whatever. But I'm sure there are plenty of animals that can be 'nin.'" He shrugs. "Or that's my guess anyway. But I only really know about nin-dogs."
He and Taizen start looking through the various fallen branches about. There are indeed some good branches in there, and they soon start to find them. "I've got one," Atsuro says. Taizen barks. "He's got two," Atsuro translates, "Grommet, Tai, that was quick."
Fuuta laughs "Weeeell…yes we did." Fuuta scratches his nose and smirks sheepishly. "I guess it's the way a jackass handles a situation that sets him apart." Fuuta strokes his chin as he leans over to inspect the area looking for good sticks. "Hey…this one might be good." he picks it up and inspects it closer. He looks back to Atsuro "Toldya dogs were stick experts…and you're supposed to be the Inuzuka here." Fuuta teases.
"Hmmm I should get a nin animal. A worthy creature to walk alongside Yoko Fuutama…" Fuuta starts looking for another stick. "We're both lucky. You met me and I found someone who can withstand my greatness for a decent period of time. I believe they call this symbiosis?" Fuuta grins
That's the second time Atsuro's seen Fuuta scratch his nose in the last few minutes. "You got a cold or something?" he asks. "But yeah. Jackass… hm, well, you're just as knowledgeable on this topic as me, but I'd say it's less a question of morality and more a question of style. A jackass is just as likely to rescue children from a burning orphanage as the next guy. We just do it with a certain jackass panache. Instead of reassuring the kid that everything's gonna be all right, we just say 'What, you couldn't just run through the fire?' then we grab them and haul them out of the building." He gives Fuuta a sidelong glance. "I didn't deny it. Are you saying /you're/ the Inuzuka here? Because I think you'd better stop working for Kiri if that's the case."
Taizen barks. "What, seriously?" asks Atsuro, "That brings us up to six. Bearing, I should've picked your area, Tai." He frowns and looks down at the ground. "Seven," he says, "What sort of animal you thinking? You're the flashy type, so I'm guessing nin… tiger." He smirks and shoots back, "I call it agony."
"Tigers? No way. Felines bother me." Fuuta notes sifting through some tall grass. "Kanines are loyal and understanding. But not flashy enough for my tastes." The young chuunin continues to rummage throughout the tall grass until he finally finds a stick. When he lifts it from the ground he can see that it's infested with all kinds of insects. Fuuta drops the stick and shakes his hands off. "You know I actually be long to a clan that has a very close relationship with foxes and fox spirits." Fuuta notes. "Eight." he states as he finds another stick, though it was tangled up in the blades of grass Fuuta managed to get it free.
"I heard the Inuzuka Clan was having some incidents a while back. Like I'm one to talk about inner clan feuds, but a jackass I must ask. Is it really a Dog eat Dog world?" he fights a grin afterwards so that Atsuro doesn't think that he's just joking.
"Huh," says Atsuro, "People assume that since I'm from the dog clan, I must hate cats. But they've always been fine to me." He grins and asks, "How come you don't like 'em?" Once he's given Fuuta a chance to answer, he keeps going. "Ah," he says, "That works out pretty well for you, eh? Foxes are pretty close to dogs, just flashier. If you can't get a canine, a canid works. So you get to have your cake and eat it too, eh?" He looks at Fuuta a little more closely, "Come to think of it, you do sorta look like a fox. Or is that just my imagination running away with me?"
Taizen barks. "Nine," says Atsuro. He makes no mention of his own lack of success in his last few minutes. "Figuratively?" he asks, "Yes. Literally… well, it can happen sometimes. Rare among nin-dogs, to my knowledge, but normal dogs? Sometimes their instincts get the better of them." He pauses and stretches. "But I guess you're more interested in the figurative. Yeah, there's been some feuding recently. What have you heard, exactly?"
"Glue right I'm foxy. But leave it at that ok. I like you but I'm not in like with you. That make any sense?" Fuuta smirks and walks over to Atsuro "There's actually a legend that tells of kitsune inhabiting the bodies of newborns. If the newborn survives the possession then they become the new vessel for the Kitsune." Fuuta explains. "That could explain a few things. But it's just legend." Fuuta looks to Taizen then to Atsuro "Didn't find any more over there. How's your luck?" he asks. In response to Atsuro's inquiry "Not too much. Just that an important clan member was coma in all the commotion. Something about some kind of a coup being staged. It's a long way from the Land of Fire to the Land of Water so some information may have been left out but I know all too well what kind disarray that can have on the clan and its members."
Burying his face in his palm for a moment, Atsuro smirks. "Should've known you'd interpret it like that," he says, shaking his head, "Setting aside the super-obvious crush you have on me, I meant the whole orange and silver thing you've got going on with your hair. And some fox's eyes are orangish too, right?" He kneels down and goes back to sorting through the sticks. "It could explain a few things if it wasn't a legend?" he asks, "With your whole clan thing, you're wondering if you've got something going on there? Or is that also just my imagination?"
"Think this spot's tapped out," Atsuro says, getting to his feet. "And yeah, you're pretty much right. One of the clan head's grandsons decided he wanted to take the clan techniques in a new direction. A couple of the clan head's sons decided that wouldn't do and spied on him, beat him up, etcetera, then tried to kill his parents, putting his dad in a coma. The most recent development involves them trying to kill the kid using their own families as their private army." He shrugs. "Crazy joint. But if you've been involved in that clan feud stuff before, you're probably not all that surprised." Taizen barks. "Ten," says Atsuro, "Back to the dam."
"Hey you have no one to blame but yourself." Fuuta snickers at Atsuro's comment. At the comment about his hair Fuuta sifts a hand through his transparent tresses he then shrugs at Atsuro "I wouldn't know. Something happened before I ever had the chance to ask those questions." Fuuta explains. "I'm pretty sure it's just a legend though. If it weren't then I'm pretty sure I'd notice a few oddities." When Taizen finds the last stick Fuuta sighs "Alright about time. Let's conclude our negotiations with that nin-beaver. Hehe never thought such an odd sentence would…bah never mind this whole day has been odd." Fuuta walks alongside Atsuro and Taizen back to the damn. "I see. Well that sounds crazy indeed." Fuuta places his hands behind the back of his head. "But I'm sure your clan pulled through. The unity can't be broken so easily I bet." Fuuta sighs.
Leading the way back to the dam, Atsuro continues the conversation with Fuuta. "It's true," he agrees, grinning cheekily, "Expecting you to take something someone says as anything other than a compliment. What was I thinking?" He glances at Fuuta's hand and hair. "It's not often that you see someone with hair like that though. So I guess it's just what got me thinking." For a second, he hesitates to ask Fuuta more about his clan, given that it seems a little private. But hey, Atsuro answered a couple questions about his own not too long ago.
"You got cut off somehow?" he asks. Considering Fuuta said it was a feud, it's a good bet that it was more violent than that. But better to tread lightly here. "Pretty odd," he agrees, "But that's how all of our meetings have gone so far, I'd say." He smirks, "Even the one where we just talked at a bar." Then he shakes his head. "Maybe, maybe not," he answers, "That stuff was all recent. And I'm sure there are plenty of squares just waiting to crawl out of the woodwork and tell us all about how they just wanted to preserve traditions and how all this talk about them being traitors is harmful to the clan and we shouldn't blah blah blah."
Fuuta slowly nods to Atsuro "Yeah. My clan is tribal and the tribes split during the formation of the Hidden Villages." he explains briefly. The young man rubs his head "But I'm in the process of fixing that…" he admits. "From one jackass to another. The only reason I became a shinobi was to reunite my clan. After that I'll give it up." Fuuta chuckles "I'm sure I don't need to tell you how ridiculous clans can get with their traditions and political managements. A clan is a family not an bureaucracy or empire. Yet that's what this shinobi realm has done to them."
Fuuta yawns. "Huh we do have a lot of odd encounters don't we? Never a dull moment I guess. It's going to be hard to top this one though. Gathering wood for a talking beaver." Fuuta chuckles. "No doubt we'll ffind a way though." Fuuta blinks a couple times realizing something. "Oh speaking of the bar scene, thanks for sticking up for me. Even though I didn't need it. Keep it up and I might start calling you friend."
"Among the villages, you mean?" asks Atsuro. An interesting bit of information. But in a way, it makes Atsuro feel guilty. "Reunite them," Atsuro repeats, "My clan seemed plenty united, and they never seemed like much of a family to me. I guess there was my only family— small family, even if you include Taizen, which I do. Some of the other Deltas, and my teachers… and one of my students. But that's a pretty small fraction of the clan."
He pauses, then admits, "Of course, given the whole civil war I just told you about, maybe it wasn't really united in the first place." He rubs his chin. "I gotta admit, I never really thought of it that way before. Maybe clans aren't so bad… you know, just as long as you go about them properly. I wanted nothing more to be out when I was a kid. And I can't say I wouldn't leave now, if I got the opportunity. But these days… maybe I'd stay. Any organization's only as good as the people in it, right? I leave and the entire clan goes to shavings." He grins.
"I could use a few more of that sort of encounter," he says, "Less boredom, less stain. Not that life in Konoha is awful or something. Just that you seem to have a unique talent for making interesting things happen and cutting the socket." He smiles, a little more sincerely than his teasing smirks and grins. "It was nothing," he says, "Keep it up for me and I might say 'you're welcome.'"
They come back to the clearing containing the pool and the beaver dam. Sitting in the water is the nin-beaver who spoke to them before. "You're back!" he says, "Put the sticks on the shore. I'll get them." He paddles over to another part of the pool, then slaps his tail on the water. Lying on the shore nearby are the swords and their sheaths, nicely piled together.
"Thanks," says Atsuro, putting the sticks down for the beaver. Taizen does so as well. Atsuro walks over to the swords. "Guess we're pretty much finished here," he tells Fuuta, "Unless your secret mission involves you assassinating me or something."
Fuuta grins "No I mean during the formation. One tribe wanted to conform with the world and begin employing the methods and practices of the shinobi while the other tribe was more nomadic…" Fuuta sighs and kicks a bit of dirt up. "There was a civil war and the losing side got banished. My dad was on the losing side so I got banished along with him. But I do plan to reunite them. Make no mistake of that." Fuuta states sounding more serious than he ever has so far. "Clan if family. Even if you abandon your Clan your clan will never abandon you." Fuuta states. "Even if it is only a small portion, you better cherish it because there's nothing else in the world like it." The young chuunin revealed a bit of his true self for a moment. He doesn't do that normally or at all even.
"Hehe we are alike." Fuuta chuckles as he walks along with Atsuro "Well I gotta say if were to call anyone friend in this world you'd be at the top of the list. Only because I like me and you remind me of me." Fuuta smirks. When they present the beaver with the sticks as promised Fuuta folds his arms and grins at Atsuro. "You really want to know what my mission was?" Fuuta walks past Atsuro "After I tell you I have to get going. So listen up because I can't repeat myself." He turns to face Atsuro. "I lied. I had no mission to complete. I was just bored." He grins and waves to Atsuro. "You didn't disappoint. See ya."
So Fuuta's clan split apart even earlier than that. For a moment, Atsuro thinks to ask him which side lost. But since he knows what side Fuuta was on — well, if Fuuta wanted to say divulge that information, Atsuro figures he would have already. "Maybe I could help you," Atsuro suggests, "I seem to be throwing my lot in with various noble causes these days." He frowns and corrects himself, By noble I mean just. Not the nobility." He sighs. "But I dunno if I agree with all that. My clan hasn't been much of a family for me. Put it to a vote, and I'm sure that 'abandon Atsuro' would win by a reasonable margin."
He gives Fuuta a grin. "I was thinking that might be my reason for liking you too. But I like the non-me parts as well." He gives a smirk of his own, "Sorta like how the flaws in a diamond can make it look nicer."
He snorts and shakes his head as Fuuta reveals his deception. "Not as surprising as you think!" he calls after Fuuta. Then he bends down and starts gathering up the swords.
