Starring:
Rockpath (emitter), Kajiru, Kaido, Takeo
Date: June 8, 2015
Summary:
Takeo meets his traveling companions and sets out on his journey to find Harukaze no Kame-sennin, the Turtle Sage.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Takeo's Sage Journey - Step and Slide"
Land of Fire
Takeo was going on a journey! Much like the last time, he was seeking companions. The former Jinchuuriki had gotten permission from Daisuke, and now it was time to head off. People were invited to come, of course, and to meet at the gate. Tamest was with Takeo, whether it was desired or not, so that he could at least guide his partner on the initial portion of the journey… and see who his traveling companions would be.
And of course, it would be Kaido, along with Bandit, Bolt… and his own summon, Doborou. A tanuki with a flair for the dramatic and a sarcastic wit coupled with a foul mouth and a desire to cause chaos and destruction. He shoulders his pack and says, "Back to Turtle Island again Sensei?" He grins, "You must be a sucker for punishment."
It's not so much that Takeo sought companions. Rather, now more watchful citizens noticed that he was headed for the gates with his travel pack and a giant turtle. Just like the last time he disappeared, only now, with a purpose! Tamotsu walks alongside the robed young man, looking like a spikey little tank. "Caught," Takeo says as he hears Kaido behind him, taking a breath before he looses it in a chuckle. Half turning to address Kaido, Takeo confeses, "I have no idea where we're going, only why we're going there. My friend's the guide."
Coming along for this ride, frankly Kajiru was told she should come along by her former sensei as it'd be good for her to get out and get going somewhere. She was only just meeting some of these people. She arrived to peer at Kaido and then at his friends before rocking back on her feet for a moment and then waving a hand, "Hi!" She declares and then shrugs, "I don't know why I'm here!" She grins, "Just sensei said that you needed help and it'd be a good idea!" She then waves at Takeo.
Kaido nods down to Tamotsu and says, "Hey there, so you're Tamotsu huh? Nice to meet you, I'm Inuzuka Kaido." He straightens up as Kajiru arrives and Kaido blinks, "Why would… oh never mind." He shakes his head and Doborou pipes up, "There better be slip to destroy on this trip, and hot women to charm or I'm not gonna be a happy tanuki!" Bandit snorts, "Oh shut your pie hole furball." Bolt says, "Pie? Where Pie?" Bolt perks up, sniffing the air as if to find the stated pie.
Takeo looks over toward Kajiru and lifts his eyebrows slightly, turning his head to smile amusedly at Kaido. "Your sensei says I need help, does he? Well, if this is him, then his sensei appreciates the concern." He looks between the pair, taking time to stare at the tanuki for a moment, before lifting his shoulders in a defeated fashion. "I wanted to slip out without being noticed, what with the village needing people, but I know /you/ won't give up." Again, a point at Kaido. To Kajiru, Takeo states, "Afraid you've got me at a disadvantage. Inuzuka Takeo, nobody important. Anyway. You can both come, if you want to, but this is going to make my last trip look brief."
Takeo gestures, as if to hurry them along before yet more people show up on the chase. "Greetings," Tamotsu rumbles by way of reply before stomping into a turn and moving ahead as guide.
Looking at Kaido, Kajiru blinks and walks up to him, "Why would what?! Huh? You got a problem!?" She puffs up and looks up at him from her all of 4'6" tall. She then huffs and hten blinks and looks over at Takeo, "Takeo, huh?" She taps her chin and starts over to him, "Takeo…Takeo…" She then turns and rubs her chin, "I'm sure I heard that name before but…what's important here is…" She turns suddenly and stands up to her full height, which is really not that tall and puffs up, "I'm Kirryu Kajiru!" She nods her head, "Pleased to meet ya." And she starts moving when ushered along, "Where we goin'?"
Kaido just shoves his menagerie forwards behind Takeo and Tamotsu and says to Kajiru, "No, no problems, you might want to avoid getting your panties in a twist all the time, it's not good for your blood pressure."
"It's a pretty common name, I'm sure," Takeo says to Kajiru, downplaying his now very distant accomplishments. "Kirryu, though? Don't think I've met a Kirryu before. Are you a Genin?" He can't help but guess, in light of the young lady's size. "You'll learn a lot on this trip. See a lot, too. Tamotsu thinks it's going to be months before what I'm setting out to learn is mastered, or I fail. One of the two." Concerning where they're going, he bares his canines ahead in a faint smile, "He says that 'we're going where we need to go first' and I gather we'll get pointed onward to the next place from there."
Over his shoulder, Takeo says to the pair, "You two get along, and Tanuki-sama, please don't say anything offensive if we're lucky enough to find a village." Mumbling, the Inuzuka says to himself, "Can't believe /I/ just told someone to behave. I'm getting responsible. And old."
"Hey!" She declares and points at Kaido, "You leave my panties out of this, pervert!" She then shakes her head and moves to run on the otherside of Takeo from Kaido as she runs. She shakes her head and eyes Kaido as they move before looking ahead, "K!" She declares and nods her head, "I don't get it but ok!" She nods her head and then she grins her own toothy grin, "Best genin ever!" She then looks forward with a chuckle.
Tamotsu gives a chuckle at the interesting group and continues on ahead. As he does, he begins to explain the journey. "You should know… Takeo seeks to talk to Harukaze no Kame-sennin. He is one of the Four Great Turtle Sages. On his back is an island, in his mind is the memories of millennia past." The turtle plods along at a rather slow pace, though his earth manipulation moves the ground so he can stay a steady distance to lead. "The four have mastered their environment… Found something to make them feel the world. More than whole. More than complete. They are One, yet separate. That is what we turtles know them to be… The journey to Harukaze-sama will take … not long. We shouldn't dawdle, though."
Doborou walks up to Tamotsu and says, "Old Man Haru? We're going to see Old Man Haru? That's awesome! So… what's it like being friends with Gloomy back there?" He jerks his thumb at Takeo. Kaido facepalms and says, "Oy vey… At least with Bolt he had the excuse of being young and innocent." He then glares at Kajiru and says, "I'm not a pervert, you midget beast girl!" He sticks out his tongue at her. Bandit blinks at Kaido and says, "What are you doing?? Are you FLIRTING now?" Bolt looks between Kajiru and Kaido and says, "Is mating behaviour? Maybe Kaido should sniff butt like we do?" Bandit bonks Bolt on the back of the head, "No dumbwalk! Only non-nin-ken dogs do that, we're supposed to be more intelligent than that!"
Takeo cocks his head to one side, so as to listen more closely to Tamotsu. "Is that where we're going, to see Lord Harukaze again? I'd be surprised if he's willing to teach me. The last time I started to ask, he swam off," he remarks, thoughtfully scratching the back of his neck. "To be fair, I'd also be surprised if I could learn to do what took them thousands of years to learn. It's hard to imagine myself as the Fifth Great Sage." Takeo's faint smile lingers as he drops his hand to his side. In all honesty, especially to Kaido, the former Jinchuuriki seems less broken than when they last traveled together. Accomplishment and time mend, well, some wounds.
He allows the accusation that he's gloomy to roll over his body, the rather giantish fellow following alongside his own summon, who is a more subtly mannered sort. "Don't worry. We humans act like idiots when we mate, too, even if we're supposedly intelligent," Takeo idly comments, being a young fellow of some experience. "Fortunately, I'm settled down now and committed, else I'd still be raising chaos."
A growl followed by a tongue stuck out comes Kaido's way as they move and then she rushes up to be beside the turtle and declares, "What is this?!" SHe huhs and peers at the turtle before saying, "What is a turtle sage and what doe sit do?" She huhs and looks back at Takeo and then the others before glaring at Kaido and back at the turtle, "Are we all gonna learn turtle stuff?"
"There cannot be more than four," Tamotsu tells Takeo. "At least, not in this case. Harukaze and the others are special… chosen from their birth to be one of the Great Sages. They are separate from what humans would consider 'sages'." The turtle continues forward, noting, "Unless you wish to. You would need to pass several trials to join our family, and /that/ is not easy. Takeo almost failed, after all. We gave him many chances to prove himself, and it took all those chances for him to prove he would learn from us. Learn our ways." The group would start to travel north and east, heading towards the coast. They would find the ground speeding them along a bit, as Tamotsu is trying to make the journey a bit faster for all, not just him. He'd have to replenish his energy, but best help when one can.
Doborou whistles and says, "Man, that's a cool trick… all I can do is create bombs out of thin air and throw them." Bandit just shakes his head at both Kaido and Kajiru, "Great, if you two are going to flirt and make kissy faces at each other, DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!" Bolt tilts his head and says, "Bolt still think should sniff each other's butts!" Kaido glares back at Kajiru and mouths, "Ugly midget beast girl."
Takeo notes with a smirk, "In spite of my terrible ignorance, Tamotsu seems to have come to enjoy my company, I should note. The feeling is mutual, of course." The explanation is then taken in with a nod of his head. "Better for everyone. It'd ruin the beauty of Lord Harukaze's shell to have a statue of me on his back."
"'That' is Tamotsu. He is of the Turtle Clan, a summon clan. My family, as well, as of weeks ago. I think the number of relatives I have now covers an entire shoreline."
Chuckling at that last bit of observation, he clasps his hands behind his back and lets the turtle's jutsu do its work. He knows it's there from having taken this trip prior, but he either doesn't mind or says nothing. "You know, I'm going to need a lot of peace to take in what the Great Sages have to tell me. If you all can't get along, I may have to send you back to Konohagakure." Takeo estimates over his shoulder, "Pretty sure I could get a tidal wave to send you … Well, most of the way."
A blink and Kajiru blinks at Kaido, "You're just jealous cause I'm compact and cute!" She nods and then looks at the turtle, running up to him and nodding, "So, you're a summon thingy." She considers, 'Nah, I wouldn't want a turtle!" She shakes her head as she runs along, "I'm too fierce!" She holds up both hands and makes a Rar! sound after she says it and then grins a toothy grin. She then looks forward, "Maybe I'll make my own summon clan and let someone summon me if they pass my tests!" She nods her head and giggles, "Only if they are awesome like me." She nods and continues onward.
Kaido makes a face at Takeo and says, "You're killing the fun cuz…" But he settles and Bandit audibly sighs in relief, "THANK GOD!" Bolt just trots along without saying anything and Doborou climbs on top of Kaido and says, "Giddyup Gro… I mean Kaido!"
"There'll be plenty of time for fun once we get to Lord Harukaze. While I'm taking in what he has to teach, I'm sure there'll be more for you all to do together," Takeo says, baring his enlarged canines to grin at Kaido. "If you haven't noticed, Tamotsu's moving the earth along for us to help get us there sooner. So, just a little while. Nobody's pinned down either, of course. I appreciate the company and help, but this is going to be a very, very long journey. You can turn back for Konoha whenever you wish."
Something said by Kajiru seems to prompt Takeo to lightly touch the seal-shaped scar upon his stomach. "I guess I just developed a fondness for turtles," is all he explains. "You shouldn't judge ferocity by looks, anyway. Tamotsu can easily give me a run for my money in a fight."
A grin and she looks at Takeo, "Hey, not saying he can't fight but I am real fierce!" She nods her head and giggles, "And I don't think I want to go running along with a turtle into a fight." She then looks at the turtle, "No offense but you just aren't my style." She then looks at her hands and grins, "I can feel it, ya know." She nods, "My true form eager to get out!" She giggles, "Won't be long now." She shakes her head, "Nope nope."
And after many many days of traveling (about a week and a half's worth), the group finally get to the village near the shore where Harukaze is supposed to be. They would have stopped at villages on the way, many of them likely recalling Kaido and Takeo from their earlier trip along the path. The new companions they have … well, depending on their behavior, will either be welcomed or kicked out. Regardless, they would get plenty of times to stop and rest and recover until they reached this final village.
Kaido would have ended up forcing good behaviour out of Doborou by threatening to unsummon him unless he kept his opinions and his brass to himself. Bandit would be mostly bored and simply roll his eyes at Bolt who really enjoys traveling and would comment constantly about all the stuff he's smelled and look for new things to encounter (not to mention his human speak would gradually get better as he practices). Kaido would simply be making sure that nothing happens along the way, after all Takeo and him DID get attacked by bandits the last time.
Takeo was merely being a benevolent soul, he would have Kaido know, and trying to teach a life lesson! The lack of appreciation from some people. In any case, he bears the weight of certain individuals well through the ensuing week and change to the final village. Upon arriving, he takes in the air and exhales with a smile. "I smell salt on the breeze. We're close," he says. Takeo then half turns to the pair and offers, "You can stay here, if you like. I seem to recall they have a very comfortable ryokan. Great food, being so close to the water." Turning back to the path ahead, he takes in another deep breath - this time out of slight nervousness, just as he did before they bound the Bijuu to him years ago - and starts in the direction of the beach. "I shouldn't be late to meet with Lord Harukaze. He has a lot of patience, but I doubt he has much tolerance for a rude family member seeking the knowledge of he and the other Great Sages."
For her part, Kajiru might get put out of a village or two due to pure annoyance. She seems curious about everything, especially when food is involved and even more so for meat. She has question after question after question about everything. As they go along she seems to be sniffing about as well. When they finally arrive, she peers at Takeo as he tells them they can stay, "Awww…" She sighs and then pouts before shrugging, "Fine." She then looks at the turtle called Tamotsu, "Hey! When you get a chance I wanna speak at you, turtle person. I bet you know lots of things about lots of stuff and I got questions." She nods her head, "I need to find my own friend to run along with. Everyone has a friend and I don't." She shakes her head before starting off toward the village they are in.
