Starring:
Date: May 28, 2016
Summary:
A request for help was sent to the village in order to deal with a blight that was plaguing crops in an island nation. Thus, a team was assembled that was thought to handle the job. Between Arika, Shinta, and Itami, they ought to be more than enough to take a few samples and turn some soil. However, their trip is delayed when a naval vessel intervenes in search of fugitives aboard the passenger ship they were utilizing. The result of this interruption was one massive headache of confusion and chaos, all for the sake of a loyalty test.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Pick Your Poison"
Shiroku Hills: Beach Port
A request came in from an island nation in need of assistance. They're enduring a blight and need help seeking out the source so that it can be contained before their crops are ruined. While Itami isn't much of a scientist, she does have an affinity with the earth that could prove useful. She'll need other minds on this case to assist her with this. Her choices were a bit unorthodox, but that can be beneficial in some ways.
"We're to take the ferry from here that goes to the island nation, though I find it odd it can be called a ferry. It is a ship we're using, after all…" Itami spoke as she looked around at the crowd of people waiting to board. "There were some concerns about our appearance, so unfortunately, normal clothes it is. Admittedly, I haven't worn plain clothes in some time…" She straightened out the skirt she was wearing and adjusted the wrap around her body. Just felt odd to be normal…
Shinta was along for the mission which in and of itself was a bit unnerving for the boy. He had only ever gone as far as the port, never beyond the village and never without Jiro there dragging him head-long into danger! Still, the Kazekage was here so that would make things a bit safer for the medic at the least. As far as being dressed was concerned, Shinta's clothing didn't change much from his usual harem pants tucked into his sandals and the poncho covering his upper body. The only real difference for the boy was that for once he wasn't standing there with a massive lizard rummaging around inside of his poncho. It wouldn't be good to be caught trying to transport poisonous reptiles into a new land for nothing more than company after all.
"Are the people in the area having health troubles as a result of the outbreak?" Shinta questioned before tilting his head off to one side and blinking, his experience with comic scrolls began to show. "They aren't falling fatally ill and then rising under the influence of baser instincts to feed, are they…?"
What is normal? Arika isn't entirely sure what it is that Itami means. The girl wears clothes that are suited for living in a desert, so if she can't wear those, then what is she supposed to do? Of course, the girl /doesn't/ have her hitai-ate on because she figured that wasn't really normal. But other than that, she looked like her own self. The girl would just sort of hum as she waited to board the ship. "Maybe it's called a ferry cuz it wanted t' be like a fairy," The girl would offer to Itami. Every now and then she glanced over at Shinta, wondering why he was going on about weird diseases and stuff. Was he sure he was younger than her? the words he was spewing out sounded like they ought to come from Itami's mother with how complicated they seemed to her. Then again, she doesn't do much in terms of furthering her education. Or at least she doesn't visibly. Who knows what she knows in the village of secrets?
"Only a few. It appears they've quickly taken initiative and decided to quarantine people and parts of their fields as quickly as possible. As far as I'm concerned, they've aready done most of the work," Itami shrugged. "Anything else, I suppose we'll learn when we arrive." She watched as the crowd began to thin out as the ship was open to boarding. "As for the ferry being a fairy, well…it's possible," she chuckled. "But how would it be able to carry so many people being a fairy?" She questioned with a smile.
Finally aboard the ship, passes presented and all, they'd find a place to rest and sit a while as the ship was beginning to set sail for many destinations along the way. Thankfully, theirs would be the first stop.
Shinta nodded his head gently as He heard what Itami had to say and began following after Itami to find his place to settle in. The prospect of a few people being risen from a death-like state was fairly exciting for the young medic. If he could pick their brains for ideas, the boy could even discover something new to bring back to the village and further some of their own medical research as well as his own stretch into the more unknown fields. Then again, he had a feeling that Itami was joking about that part. There was no such thing as zombies outside of fictional scrolls and manga, right? The small boy removed his duffle bag settled the massive container at his feet so he could step up onto it and settle down into a seat comfortably with his feet on the bag so that he didn't feel so small in comparison to those around him. "They have everything under control, so we'll mostly only be finding the cause and preforming cleaner-duties for the issue then?" Shinta questioned to make sure he had as much of the details as he could gather while looking out the window. Even as he inquired on the matter, he seemed to be interested almost entirely on the outside and what new sights he'd be getting to see.
"Cuz the fairy is magical and can make people fly with special fairy dust," Arika replies with very little thought. Or maybe she expected the question… The girl would just follow after Itami, hopping around and probably bothering many of the people who were also aboard the ship. The girl was just a bundle of energy, even though they were on a ship… Good thing she doesn't get seasick? Or maybe that's a bad thing… "I forget, what're we s'posed t' do again?" she asks. Maybe all the thoughts of fairies ended up with the fairies taking away other thoughts… >.>
If only zombies didn't exist…that'd be a better world. "Right! We'll be doing everything you've just mentioned, Shinta. At the least, I hope. If there's anything more, well, I guess we'll handle that too. No need in leaving a job completely unfinished, but I may request more compensation for services rendered under those circumstances," she shrugged followed by a mild sigh. Arika forgot? Of course…how could she not? "I suppose I can explain again," she cleared her throat. "We are to go to an island nation to help them with a blight they've been experiencing. A blight is a disease that can harm plants and the like. Anyhow, people have been affected by this blight and they have contained it as much as they can. So, what we will be doing is attempting to find the source of the blight and get rid of it so the land will have time to recover from it," she explains. "Admittedly, a fairy to help with this issue would be nice, though," she chuckled.
The ship has begun moving and so far, Itami…isn't doing so well. She doesn't have sea legs and it's becoming apparent as her skin begins to pale and she clings to whatever seat she has with all the strength she can muster. She looks around, wondering how others could bear to withstand the lack of ground beneath their feet? It's outrageous, that's what it is. As the ship reaches more calm waters, Itami levels out, but among the ship, things begin to take a turn. People begin to stir and talk as a ship approaches and fast. Is it pirates? No, it looks more official. That's a ship of the Daimyo's navy. What's going on here? It quickly turns and sets itself up to sail along side the passenger ship while calling for it to lower its sails and come to a stop to allow for boarding. "Looks like our trip has lengthened."
Shinta was doing fairly well… ish. He wans't pale or turning green, but he was making little "Woah" noises and looking at his feet often as the ship shifted and rocked beneath his feet. Getting sea sick didn't seem to be something the boy could process personally though at the sight of Itami, Shinta began rifling through his pouches and sacks in search of something for a few moment before he'd hold out a few green colored orbs to the Kazekage. "If you are beginning to feel ill you can try applying a small amount of Chakra to this. It is a herbal supplement reduced to chewy consistency that can work to soothe the throat and stomach." Shinta explained while sweeping his hand toward Arika for her to try one if she so desired as well, though she didn't look to need it. They were something Shinta devised after having to endure a long rough trip across the sands while transfigured to look like a box… funny that he got motion sick but not sea sick…
The arrival of that ship however… stole Shinta's attention as he turned to watch it sail up alongside their ship. The people on deck moved so smoothly that the boy's glassy eyes only widened in shock as those hazel hues darted from one site to the next, drinking in as much about the sailors on that Daimyo's naval ship grew closer.
Arika noddles a few times as if she totally understood what was going to happen. And then, since she can't really do much of anything, she just plops down in the middle of the deck and gets in the way of everyone and their mothers. A lot of people are probably gonna yell at her for doing such, but they would also find that they'd be unable to move her without super-human strength because she was feeling more than a bit stubborn. The girl was a bit bored, though, just sitting there, so eventually she started taking out small pebbles from a few pockets and she shuffled them around. By the looks of it, it was a game. Who knows what kind of game. It didn't have much rhyme or reason to it on first glance.
The pebbles get swept away back into her pockets, though, as people start moving to one side of the ship to stare at something. Arika, being curious, would join these people. She would even go so far as to climb onto strangers' backs to get a better view. Huh? Daimyo's ship? She would slide off her latest victim, who was more than a little grumpy but too preoccupied with staring to the side so she could speak with Itami. "How come we're being slowed down?"
Itami took the offering of the supplement and popped it into her mouth immediately to chew and take. The waters may be calm now, but that doesn't mean it's going to be consistent. "Thank you," she choked down the chew, not because it was hard to, but because much of her body was feeling the need to push everything up, not down.
Arika joins back with Itami, much to their delight, but their chagrin was weighed against her for not retrieving her sooner. She ignored them and looked over the crowd as best as she could to identify the problem. "I'm not entirely sure. Whatever the case, it appears the vessel has a problem with this one." She watched the sails go down on both ships as they began to slow and come to a halt. A boarding bride was set down between the two ships and a group of soldiers walked down the plank to the passenger ship.
"We have orders from the Daimyo to search this ship for fugitives. Where is the captain of this vessel?" Seems they got right down to business. "Fugitives?" Itami questioned. "That doesn't sound good." The soldiers continue. "Further, we reserve the authority to comandeer the vessel and bring it back to port. Any resistance may be met with retaliation necessary for the engagement." Before long, the captain and a couple of his crewmen come along to greet the soldiers. "I am the owner and captain of this ship. I'm not certain what the issue is, but I don't want any trouble." The soldiers observe the captain and retrieve a scroll. "By orders of the Daimyo, you and your crew are to be seized for the unlawful transport of fugitives." This just keeps stacking up. "What? That's outrageous. There are no fugitives on this ship. I make sure to check before I leave port. Thoroughly, I might add!" The captain fussed. "Then if you aren't hiding anyone, then allow us to check."
The captain didn't approve of this idea, but he allowed the order to take place anyhow. "I suppose we'll just have to wait until…" Her voice trailed off as she watched a couple of people depart from the crowd and move below deck. "Perhaps there may be something going on here. Come with me." She gestured for Shinta and Arika to follow her.
Shinta had enough time to gather his duffle as he listened to the exchange and passed one of the orbs into his duffle bag using a few threads before Itami made her announcement. Once the announcement had been made, Shinta pushed from his seat and landed on the ground on his feet without so much as wobble despite the large duffle on his back. When Itami commanded they go with her, the boy nodded his head and began heading off in whatever Direction the Kazekage commanded. "Did you see something?" Shinta questioned, not having noticed the simple thing of people trying to escape. Shinta himself was far more interested in the matter of sailors dressed as they were and barking such loud orders and demands… They were a strange bunch, trying to pull rank on another unit of operatives… but Itami seemed to to be ignoring the sailormen for the moment. A shame.. he wanted to sketch them and perhaps question them on some of their weaponry or emergency medical supplies. "Maybe later…" Shinta mumbled as he moved on.
Arika tilts her head a bit and she would look at the group that suddenly wander onto the deck. Weirdos. She didn't like them… The girl couldn't help but make a few creatures (rats and cockroaches) of ink that start scuttling to explore things that might be more suspicious, of course. She just likes having proof for whatever is being accused. Arika glances to Itami and blinks again. "Wha? Uhh… Hai…" she says, following Itami in short order. Shinta is essentially ignored (though she did give him a quick shake of the head when he offered that weird medicine earlier).
Itami weaves her team through the crowd, drawing attention to them, but nothing that is spoken. Some may wonder what they're up to, others believe it's best not to say anything and just let things take their course. Whatever the case, this simple trip has become extremely complicated.
Once below deck, she attempts to seek out the people who left prior to her. There are soldiers milling about and keeping off their trail would be for the best. No need to interfere with their investigation, after all. Are those two people fugitives? If so, it may prove useful to direct them to the soldiers and end this charade.
"We don't have a layout of this ship, but I think it's fairly typical of its type. Still, may be best to get an edge up on this issue. I need a scout. Which of you would like to volunteer?" She questioned. "I just need an idea of the deck of the level we're on. It's the one being searched the most right now. Once that's done, we'll know how to use its shape to our advantage as we proceed forward." She looked around to see if any soldiers were afoot. So far, so good.
GAME: Save complete.
Shinta listened to what Itami said and slowly began shaking his head slightly as he thought about what Itami was saying. "That is not something that I would be helpful with.. My abilities are focused on seeing out people, not inanimate objects." Shinta said as he looked to Arika hoping that she might be more useful than he would be in this case. That said, the boy could at least try getting prepared for anything that may come up and try attacking them. And by getting ready, he meant preparing to patch wounds… you know, the thing he was good at… o.o
Arika bounces along right behind Itami, occasionally saying, "Are you suuuure the bathroom is this way?" while attention is drawn to them. Yep, this is a perfectly normal family excursion to wherever a bathroom might be. Totally. Of course, when they're out of sight, she would take the opportunity to call back her scouts and get a bit of information. "This deck is pretty normal. There's rooms on each side and I think the largest is for the leader or something. And there's a dining room with a lot of food and stuff in between," Arika reports when Itami says she might need the layout. Good thing Ari was prepared, huh? Of course, Shinta's ability could be useful too… "If you C'n see people, then you C'n easily tell us when someone is coming nearer to us, right, Shin-kun?" she would ask of the younger boy.
"Sounds good. Doesn't seem like we have much to work with, but I believe we can place our skills to work. They'll likely be around here soon, so best to keep moving along," Itami remarks. Footsteps sound from around the corner and voices. Seems like it's the captain and some of his crew fussing about the occupation of the soldiers. Still better than soldiers, but not by much. "This way…" Itami spoke as she led the group towards the dining quarters. There should be an opening that leads to the lower deck of the ship.
The two civilians that went down this way cross before them, having just exited from one of the cabin room and making their way to the eating quarters. What were they doing inside the cabin? "I think we ought to check on that," she moved forward towards the cabin and opened it up. Not much in here. Just a bed, a table, chair and lamp with a few papers set atop it. She closed the door behind her and the team and ordered a search of the area. "The table doesn't have anything on it. Perhaps the bed may reveal something." Seemed like a good spot to hide somethin'.
Shinta would blink a bit as the civilians moved from one cabin and out somewhere else. At Itami's orders the boy would start his way into the room and look over the contents for the most brief of moments before he'd step toward the lamp first. Papers were always a start to get a feel of what information the people light have learned about. As he picked up the papers and began ruffling through them, Shinta let his threads extend from his gloves to tap their small senbon tips against the lamp to see if it sounded hollow or abnormally full at the same time. Shinta of course made sure to keep his tapping as quiet as he could, not wanting to draw attention to his actions as he read through the documentation.
Arika would henge into a tiny lizard and climb up the side (using tree-walking abilities) of the ship to follow Itami and keep invisible. The girl slipped into the cabin with Itami and Shinto, going to look under the bed because she was sorta mega-tiny at the moment. The girl couldn't see all that well with it being dark, so she had to form a few critters of ink to explore under the bed for her. Which basically meant she would break her henge with a *POOF*.
The lamp was hollow, but only to the extent of being able to hold oil within its well. Otherwise, nothing. Yet, further investigation reveals a hollow section of the desk as the sound passes through the lamp and spreads out along the table. It's faint, but it's something. "I think you might have something there," Itami whispered. She kneeled down to check the desk, but didn't find anything underneath. Seems there's more to this desk than what meets the eye at first glance. "There must be something here…"
While the desk is being investigated, more footsteps come down the hall, indicating they're now checking the cabins. Voices are on the other side of the wall, still fussing about the checks going on. They're going to be here soon. "Let's figure out this desk quickly!"
Thankfully, there isn't much under the bed aside from a personal cubby beneath the floorboards, but nothing there but…suggestive scrolls that kids shouldn't know about.
Shinta took one final look at the papers before placing them back in position as he began checking the desk over closely, tapping rapidly with his senbon to listen for hollow points besides the obvious points. The boy would then check the drawers, pulling them open quickly while also trying to remain as silent as possible throughout the process. He'd use his hands to check rather than just his needles however, feeling along the desk both inside the drawers and along the top, searching for secret compartments, hidden traps that might explode in his face, and poisons which might want to try giving the boy the prick of death if he were not careful. Then again, a tiny, paranoid medic was the perfect person to deal with such dangers.
Arika doesn't feel like reading the scrolls, but she would take them from their hiding place because they might be important! Hey, you never know! "Itami-Chan, you should look at these and say if they're important!" Arika would yell in a whispered tone. Surprised that she can be quiet sometimes… The girl would just sorta peek over to see if there was anything that they could hide in or something, but in the end, she just decided… *POOF* And then Arika is gone! Well, actually, there is that small lizard that is scuttling across the floor and taking perch on Itami.
Aha! A secret compartment. Just a bit of fiddling here and there and the compartment opens to reveal a note left inside. Something to do with cargo below deck. "This is all we need. Time to go," Itami remarked as she took Arika's offering of scrolls to check and see what they were. She opened them up and saw the contents within, quickly snapping the scrolls back shut once she saw what they were, but the damage had been done. She takes the scrolls and tosses them back under the bed and hopes she can find a way to clean her hands later. "Unfortunately, the only information those scrolls provided was the tragedy of a deprived individual…" She shuddered and opened the door. "Quietly now, they're still on the other side," she peeked around looking at the open door. Once all had shuffled out from within the cabin, she closed the door and headed off towards the lower deck.
Shinta caught a peek at those 'health instruction' scrolls but had little mind as to what they were for.. Perhaps someone needed to know how to preform CPR while having the legs elevated..? Who knows. Either way, Itami had found something that seemed good enough and wanted them to clear out so Shinta was quick to reel in his threads and start off quickly in the direction of the door so he could escape from the room and try to make himself look as casual as a nine year-old with a duffle bag of tools and weapons could look. Then again, maybe if they didn't look closely enough, it would just look like a child with his older sister or mother?
Arika somehow was lucky enough not to see the contents of the scrolls when Itami opened them. She was peeking over to see what exactly was in the secret compartment that Shinto had found, and then she would just keep a nice comfy perch on Itami, tail flickering lightly from side to side. ~…~ 'What?' ~I feel like you just tortured Itami and I didn't get to see it.~ 'I didn't mean to D:' ~I can't tell. It's just a feeling.~ Ari-lizard frowns a bit and makes a lizard squeak.
Down in the lower decks is where cargo is kept, more for the crew mostly, but it appears that there's more to it than that. It becomes more evident when the two they were after were seen down here. "We have to find a way to get rid of all this without them knowing," one of the men spoke to his partner. "But how? They're searching right now." The first one thinks to himself. "We can't afford to lose this cargo. The captain doesn't even know it's here." Itami lofted a brow. Looks like that's what they needed to know, but the soldiers were looking for fugitives. These two are just criminals.
"We have what we need now. Let's go," she turned around to move back up to the upper deck. With this information, maybe they can alleviate some of this issue. Just as she was beginning to think things were looking up, it appears that the soldiers found who they were looking for, but according to the man and woman they captured, the soldiers are lying. Itami really didn't feel like breaking character to intervene, but she's already gone far enough with investigating the issue of those crooks.
"I'm telling the truth, you have to believe me!" The man states. "Somebody help! Don't just stand there!" The woman chimed. "What seems to be the problem here?" She inquired with authority evident in her tone. "Nothing you need to know. These two are fugitives and they're coming with us. Along with the captain for harboring them." The captain pipes up, "But I don't harbor fugitives! There were none on this ship!" Something is amiss… Of all these people, one has to be hiding something, but who?
Shinta was skeptical about just about everything going on. From the people trying to hide cargo the captain didn't know about, to the fugitives being apprehended so suddenly.. Then again, it could be that the boy was simply misusing what little free time he had with comics and conspiracy theories. Shinta gave a tilt of his head as he thought over the processes for the hospitals. "Is there not a forum that needs to sign for their release from the ferry?" Shinta questioned, showing his expansive knowledge of maritime law…
Arika stares a bit at Itami when she barges herself into the situation. Arika has forgotten completely what they were doing, admittedly. She just thought this was all some big game or adventure, but it seems Itami feels like stirring up trouble. Haha! Now Ari and Jiro aren't the only ones >:D That being said, what is Ari supposed to do? She's still in lizard form on Itami's shoulder, so she decides to stare intently at the people who want to take away these so-called fugitives.
"Where is your proof that they are fugitives?" Itami questioned. "We have been tracking this operation for weeks and have come to the conclusion that this vessel has harbored fugitives in the past, thus we are acting in accordance with the government to put an end to it. Need we remind you that you also serve this same government, Kazekage," the soldiers implied to which Itami sneered in response. "What? You're helping with this too?" The man asked in confusion and fear. "No, not at all. I must say, you cannot take over an entire vessel based on a theory that it has harbored fugitives. Unless you have absolute proof, this man should go free."
One of the higher ranking soldiers stepped up slowly. "So, what you are saying is that you are working against the government and the Daimyo's wishes. In that case, you are no better than the fugitives here. Soldiers, take this boat. We are heading back to port!" The remaining soldiers on the navy ship begin to cross the boarding bridge and attempt to assume control over the passenger ship. People begin to scatter and run away as they do so, trying to find wherever they can to hide. "It looks like we'll have to place our current mission on hold. For now, we have to stop them from advancing on this ship," she remarks to her team. "Apprehend any soldier you see. Do not harm them, just incapacitate them! We can't have their blood on our hands!"
Shinta nodded his head a bit as he rifled through his pack while listening to Itami's orders. After only a moment's time, the boy had drawn free a few sets of metal shackles to hold in his hands along with some gauze and bandages… What Shinta seemed to have in mind was a little unorthodox but… "Understood, Kazekage-sama." The Kazekage ordered him to apprehend the soldiers and so he was going to apprehend them. This of course, meant that soon the boy was running off to chase after the soldiers with cuffs in hand and a bit of a devious grin on his lips. He could try some new medicinal mixtures on them as long as it didn't get his hands bloody. His feet were fine though, right? The first soldier Shinta came across would be treated to the lovely sight of flying shackles and a floating roll of bandages. The shackles were aiming for the man's wrists to cut off resistance at the source, while the bandages were trying to wind around the soldier's head if possible. Silence was the key to hunting down as many prey items as possible after all.
How exciting! Arika could at least understand the word 'capture' (even if her friend on the inside hated it), and she would hop off Itami's shoulder, landing on the ground with a *POOF* to reveal that … Well, she was totally there! Hah! The soldiers that she saw would have to deal with creeping inky tentacles trying to bind them, the ink acting similarly to a snake with how Arika was controlling it. She wouldn't hurt them, nope! She was just trying to catch as many as she could! Right now, that was a bit limited to two or three at a time, though, but she was still going after them without being forced to move around a lot.
Perhaps the soldiers didn't know what to expect, but ink tentacles and floating bandages? What was this?! No one told them about this part! Cuffs fly at the soldier's wrists and he begins to take a tumble as his surprise takes over at his circumstances. He falls to the deck of the ship and next thing he knows, his sight is going dark! This is the end! He's dying! No wait…false alarm. He's still breathing. He's just been blinded.
Meanwhile, the soldiers dealing with the ink tentacles were trying not to feel violated because…this is bad. This is completely not what they signed up for. Itami went after some straggling soldiers, moving through crowds of people before jumping forward and tackling a couple to the ground with a well placed knee kick to their backs. They'll be alright…she thinks. The other soldiers were having none of this and decided they'd just stay away and head back to the ship. The naval ship's captain was growing frustrated with the results and decided he'd take the approach of threatening a life in order to get his way, so he took the 'fugitive' in hand and drew his blade, holding it against his neck. "That's enough! One more step and I will drag this blade across his neck! All of you stand down, now!" The crowd of people fell silent in their respective safety corners of the ship and looked at the naval captain with discomfort and fear. "You wouldn't dare threaten a life that way. You don't even know if he's innocent or not!" A passenger on the ship shouts out. "Don't try me! Tell them to stop attacking my men and I'll consider releasing this man!" The people were now on edge about having to choose between the shinobi that sought to save them and now attempting to hand them over to the authorities.
While they were busy with that decision, the passenger ship captain came out, having fought against a few soldiers down below deck with a broken chair leg in his hand. No one said a thing as he lifted it up and gave it a swift crack against the naval captain's neck, breaking the leg in two and knocking the man out. "Gather up all these idjits and group 'em up together! They won't be causing any more problems on this vessel!"
Seeing how the other soldiers fled back to their ship, there were assumptions that there would be no more problems, but no…it turns out, they realized they have a bit of an upperhand with their military grade ship. So, they began to prepare and arm themselves to attack the boat with harpoons and cannons. It just doesn't end… "Arika!" Itami called out. "I want you to jump into the water… We need some help from the sea on this one," she states. "Try to convince them not to do too much. We still need that ship in commission."
Shinta didn't have many ways of harming people without hurting them and so he worked using threats. "If you try to struggle out of my bandages I am going to have to turn you into a real mummy. The removal of the brain through the nose is not a clean or painless ordeal. Please try to remain compliant." Shinta whispered before hearing the captain beginning to threaten his captive. What was the point of threatening to kill the man you plan to arrest and perhaps execute? Shinta was going to raise this question when he saw the captain had a better way of dealing with that conflict of the military captain's interests. When Itami commanded Arika to jump in the water and get help from the seal, Shinta couldn't help looking at the water as he questioned… "Arika-san can speak to fish..?"
"Hai~" Arika would reply to Itami. ~What? Wait, she /does/ realize that… Oh great…~ Gyuki would rumble from within. 'You heard 'er!' ~That doesn't mean I like it.~ Arika would suddenly plunge into the water. 'Umm, c'n I breathe underwater, then?' ~If you let me take over for a bit, it won't really matter.~ 'That's the worst answer ever.' Chakra would bubble from the girl's body as she allowed Gyuki to wrest control for a little bit. The eight tails wouldn't fully come into being right away, though. An air bubble appears around Arika's head, and then she uses a sort of partial transformation so that she at least can utilize Gyuki's tentacles. A few were made of pure ink because Arika didn't feel particularly like manifesting all eight tails…
The surface of the water wouldn't see anything but maybe hints of the dark-purple chakra surrounding Ari. Then Octopus tentacles (both 'real' and ink) would shoot out from under the navy's boat, extending and wrapping around it as if they were caught by a monster! … Cuz they sorta technically were.
The soldier wrapped up with bandages around his head began to whimper at Shinta's words. He really didn't want his brain turned to mush. He valued his brain and that same brain was wondering why it made the decision to enlist. Well, he does get good pay and besides, service to his homeland does feel great. He's done some good things! So, maybe it's not all that bad, but this…this is awful. "Something like that…" Itami answered vaguely to Shinta.
Just as the military ship was beginning to attack, their harpoons off shoot and fly over the passenger ship, dropping in the water. The soldiers all cry out at the sudden attack and so do the passengers on their ship. Yep, panic has ensued. "Alright, I think that's enough for now. This should place things in our favor." Back on the military ship… "This is the end! We need to retreat!" Says one soldier. "How?!" Asks another. "I don't know! This was supposed to be a training exercise!!" Well, those sound like words Itami needed to hear. Training exercise? All this trouble? For what? Maybe this can all be discussed once the ship comes to rest back on the water. Might take some cosmetic damage, but should be operational.
As those harpoons fired Shinta worked his fingers in the air and tugged, sliding back and to the left several meters to try escaping one of the harpoons for no reason in particular. As those harpoons shot over the ship, Shinta's eyes followed their arc before falling on the sight of what exactly was going on with the military boat. "Wow…" Shinta commented as he watched the chaos of those tentacles as they attacked the ship. Staring at the way the ship responded to the assault… and of course… using his wires to take notes in a scroll of what it was he was seeing, diagrams and proper shading included.. He'd have to tell his mother and father about this when he got back home! "That does not look like a fish Kazekage-sama… What is that?" Shinta questioned, looking from the ship of girlishly-screaming men and over to Itami for answers.
'When should we stop?' Arika wonders internally. ~… You didn't ask for a signal?~ 'I fergot t'…' ~This is why I should be in charge more often -.- ~ 'Nuh-uh! You'd just ruin everything with more destruction!' The two would bicker for a few more minutes before Arika peered up at the surface of the water. 'Well, it looks like people aren't moving back 'n forth. I guess we C'n let go.' ~Tch… Fine. That was fun, though.~ 'Maybe we'll be able t' do it again!' ~Yes, and then the Land of Wind will turn into a wonderful rain forest.~ 'Yuck, I dun want that!! D:'
Arika would dispel the chakra cloak around her form and swim back to the surface of the water, glad to have some fresh air. She wipes some water from her eyes and blinks, then focuses chakra to climb onto the water's surface and get back to the deck of the ship. "Ne! Itami-chan! How wazzat?" she calls out, squeezing water from her clothes and wishing she could use fire style Jutsu.
"No, it's not a fish and if called one, it'd probably get mad," Itami rubbed the back of her neck. "That, which we just saw, was a beast I've met many times in my life and each time, it's hated me more than the last time we've met. It's sort of a friend…in reverse. It's not even a 'frienemy'. I feel the more we hate one another, the more we like each other," she lowered her head. "It's not even a friendly rivalry," she sighed. "Please, don't let me explain any further, I think it'll just be something you understand when you grow older. When mutural hatred bonds someone together, y'know?"
Aaaanyhow, the ship is at rest and though the resultant waves have made people a bit queasy, all is now back to normal and no one is entirely certain about what to think now. "Ah, Arika. Perfect timing. I'm glad you're back," she grinned. "We just uh…experienced an attack. I'm so sorry you fell off the boat," she cleared her throat. Yeah, have to cover that somehow. "You did well in the water, though! Great job! I'm glad you weren't captured!" She looked around. No one really needed to know the truth. "I'll make sure to treat you to mochi when we return home, but for now, we have one problem that needs solving."
The navy captain was just beginning to wake up, finding himself paralyzed, no wait, just tied up with others of his crew. Itami dragged another officer towards him and held him in his face. "So, I heard mention of a 'training exercise'. Care to explain?" She inquired, but it the navy captain decided he wanted to be stubborn, so she shook the answer out of the officer in her hand. "It was all a training exercise to see whose side you'd choose! It was all the captain's idea! I didn't know it'd go this badly, honest!" She dropped him back down onto the ground. "Well, that helps place things in perspective, although threatening lives to test our allegiance is a bit extreme. I'll allow you to answer for these damages later, but here's something you all can do on your own. Here," she gestured for Shinta to step forward. "Would you mind giving him the note we found? It was the one about the cargo below." She indicated. "While there aren't any fugitives on this boat, there are a couple of criminals who sneaked illegal substances aboard and attempted to use this ship to get them to where they needed them. Make yourself useful and go find them. They should still be below, likely having intoxicated themselves from all the activity up here."
Itami turned to look towards the captain of the passenger ship. "Captain! I believe this situation is handled now, so you can begin to set a course for your intended destination. The military officers will provide you with an escort there. Don't worry about the monster. Should it return, I should be able to handle it," she snickered to herself silently. Oh yes, never let an opportunity go by to take a jab at Gyuki.
The boy made a note in his scroll that whatever it was, was not a fish. And then that whatever it was, was a truly a complicated monster as far as the Kazekage was concerned. Shinta would indeed fish out and reveal the letter, first only letting the captain see it before letting the man take that note while the young boy turned about and started to head off along with Itami. Hearing Itami's words of encouragement to the captain and how she'd deal with the monster however, raised it own thoughts. "But I thought you had sai—- Ohhhh…." The boy could understand deceit in his more obvious forms and gave Itami a wink of understanding.
Arika frowns a bit. "Aww, I wanted t' help defend stuff!" she pouts. "'m glad that I could help, though~. Even if it was only a little." Arika would nod, and Gyuki would just roll his eyes a bit as he heard Itami try to pull wool over whoever's ears might have heard that she ordered Ari to jump overboard. ~So very convincing. You should tell her that from me.~ 'Why?' ~Because- … Nevermind…~ 'Huh? Okie…' Arika would just follow Itami when the Kage went to question the naval officers, not really listening because she was trying to think of which Mochi she should make Itami buy her. Obviously, they needed to get the best Mochi they could, otherwise she wouldn't feel fully rewarded. And maybe bringing Jiro would be fun, too… What about that Shinta kid? He would probably just hog all the Mochi for himself… Ari decided not to ask him to join and would nod once upon being satisfied with her plan. Of course, that happens to overlap with when Itami says she could handle the monster that appeared, and Gyuki would growl at the Kage and shout various insults at her that would remain unheard by everyone but Ari. Poor girl looks like she got blasted in the ears by a Yamayuki @~@
The officers went around the ship, scouring it fully to find the two criminals that manged to sneak the cargo aboard. They were bound up and tossed aside along with the rest of the mutinous military officers. "Well, the one thing we did do was solve another problem. This exercise was a poor excuse and I'll be certain to report it to the Daimyo himself. I don't discredit the man, I don't want to ruin his career. It was only him and his vessel, after all. If it involved a fleet, I'd have concern, but it was just a dumb move," she tsked.
Before long, the passenger ship arrived at the island where the military authority would retrieve their officers back along with a full report of the events. Whoever was scheduled to leave the boat left with all their belongings and safety in tact, but…there's just one thing. "We heard tale of a blight here. Initially, we were to come collect samples and help with stopping the problem before it spread. Have you heard about this?" She asked a passing port official. The man frowned. "A blight? No, we haven't received any information about a blight. If we did, we'd be one of the first to know it. We wouldn't let anything pass through this port under those circumstances." Itami frowned.
"…Someone confirm. Is there a blight here?" One of the military authorities shook their head. "Nothing about a blight here…" Must have been more of that 'training exercise'. By the time Itami had went around trying to confirm everything, the passenger ship was beginning to leave port. "Wait, wait! No! We can't be stuck here!!!" She whined. "Okay, it's…not too far to the mainland…" Son of a b… "I guess I'll just be flying you two back. Let's find a good place so I can prepare to take flight. Arika, tell your friend not to laugh," she grumbled.
Gyuki hears the news through Ari's ears and just about is ready to throttle a certain dragon. Well, he does have a brain, though, and he uses it more often that his host. Hence the following conversation: ~… So we came out here for nothing…~ 'We got Mochi out of it!' ~Which basically means no-~ 'No, it means Mochi!' ~…~ Arika was pretty happy to get Mochi and the mission wasn't even happening! How much better can it get? 'Also, we get a free ride from Itami-chan!' This catches the Ox-topus's attention. ~..Free ride?~ 'Uh-huh!' ~Ooh, I like the sound of this. Do you think we should get some reins so we can steer her in the right direction?~ 'They dun make stuff to fit dragons.' ~I could make some…~ '*thwack*' ~Oh, fine.~
