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Kyu spat out the suspicious soup and stared in horror at Hibiki as he made the same mental connection as him. The stew was sprayed into the air by the shark genin and had gotten some on one of their hosts. He exploded in a fit of anger at Kyu, saying that he should have more respect than that. His question was answered, by both shinobi, apparently they did not know who he was talking about. He relayed information to the Vulpine Inuzuka, telling him of the death count and the missing shinobi. Hibiki blocked him out as his soup was handed to him.

He forced his head away akin to what a toddler would do to their parent trying to feed them vegetables or other undesirable food, "My brother. The shinobi that was next to me, that fought for Kiri just like everyone else." The genin fiercely forced out of his mouth as it hurt to breathe and shouting was out of the question. "The Fox that should be next to me as he always is. Kuro Inuzuka. If his position is not confirmed within the next five minutes, I will turn this ship upside down looking for him. If he isn't on the ship, then tell Kirigakure that I will not return until I find him." He paused as he tried to calm down. The pain began to have a positive correlation with his anger as he tried to continue, "I swear, if that blanket or that soup have anything to do with it..."

(204)

The man's eyes stared coldly at Hibiki for a long moment of silence, even after his blue skinned partner had clarified what they were referring too. It was becoming all to very clear why their squadron had been practically wiped out to just the following too... if the deceased portion of the group was just as hot headed and incapable of focus on the grander scheme, it would have been extremely difficult to keep them in any order of any shape and more so, it would have been so easy to create rifts amongst them all. Clicking his tongue against his mouth in slight annoyance, the man turned away from the group and made his way to the door swiftly. "We should be docking in ten or twenty minutes, a nurse will board and help you to the hospital. I advise to eat your beef soup in the meantime to have something in your bellies... I'll be sure to have someone bring your fox to your room as soon as the doctors deem it fine, Hibiki. And no sooner then that, so do not give more hassle for your friend." The man spoke in his velvet soft voice, his fingers daintily touching the handle of the door as he gave a quick look to his own partner to signal him to leave as well. With a final glance around the room, the man opened the door and exited through it before it had even fully opened.

217 Lines
Moving to Water Country, feel free to exit whenever.

They had since left the old man’s home behind and were on their way to get aboard yet another ship this time to reach water country; there they would be seeking out the water tribe as well as looking into finding info on yet another sword. “It is likely we’ll need to get another boat to reach our next location, I can procure the tickets when we reach the port, find some form of food that we can take aboard.” Hatsuma explained as they made their way along the road towards the port at the southeastern edge of the country. As they reached the edge of the port city Hatsuma spotted shinobi on the road ahead, it was clear from their dress that they were from wind and the head bands the wore simply confirmed this fact.

“We were informed of your destination via your last report; we have a message from the kazekage that pertains to you two.” The shinobi on the forward mentioned as they had reached a close distance. He pulled out and handed two scrolls to each of the girls. “Sorry for the intrusion and good luck to you both.” The shinobi said before motioning his team to take their leave. After they had gone Hatsuma looked over the scroll. It was information about her enrollment in the upcoming chuunin exams. She nodded before tucking it away.

“We now have a time limit it seems to get what needs to be done in water country then we’ll need to come back to lightning country for the event…” She explained to her companions pausing to think for a moment before speaking again. “you know I picked the boat last time why don’t you pick this time around?” she stated handing some ryo over to Oasis to pay for the tickets.

May 6, 2011 4:07PM
After they had eaten a breakfast of scrambled eggs, pancakes and cereal from the buffet, the trio stepped descended to the third deck and disembarked from the ship with everyone who wanted to sightsee on the island. The town square was filled with seashell vendors offering a variety of sizes and colors for a wide range of prices. There were also a handful of pearl jewelry vendors and turtle sellers. Notwen had only seen a few people in Wind Country with pearls or shells so the experience was awe-inspiring. He and Musamaru inspected the wares and looked at the baby turtles as they crawled around their small individual see-through habitats. Rose hung back and socialized with random adults while keeping an eye on the boys. Once done looking at the shopping district, they moved on to the shore excursion area. This was where people gathered for one of three different activities planned by the cruise: Para-sailing, a beach volleyball tournament, and a river boat ride further inland.
"So what do you guys want to do?" asked Rose, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The two boys looked at each other.
"I can say that boat rides in a river aren't that big of a thing, but being in a different country and in a different climate, the things found might be more interesting." said the young guide, shifting his gaze to Rose. The dark-skinned blonde thought about the options. Volleyball was a sport that required lots of movement, as well as two hands to be played at best capacity. He'd played it during his time in the academy but had never been very good at it, so he ruled it out. The river boat ride seemed like a more relaxed venture, but the crippled Uchiha decided to take Musamaru's word and also ruled it out, leaving only the para-sailing.
"How about the para-sailing?" he inquired, looking at both Rose and Musamaru. "It's something i'm guessing none of us has tried before."
"I have asked around and some people say it's a unique experience." said Rose. "I'm up for it. What about you Musamaru?" The blue-haired boy scratched his chin thoughtfully and then nodded.
"Alright. Let's try it."

They waited with the large group until it was time to disperse into the smaller three groups. The para-sailing group followed the beach volleyball group down to the beach, then continued going further down the water line where four large speed boats were docked at a small pier. In the cockpit of each boat was a man dressed in the green-and-white Matsuri Yasuragi uniform. After everyone had calmed down, the boat captains began to debrief everyone on what was to take place. Each boat could hold four people and the captain. Each ride would take about a half hour: five minutes to go out into the ocean, five minutes air time per person, and five minutes to re-dock. The mention of being airborne made Notwen raise his eyebrow.
Wait... he thought. Where does being airborne come into play while sailing?! There were about fifty people in the group, Notwen and company being in the middle so they would be in the second sailing group. This gave them the chance to see what exactly it was that they were getting themselves into. Each of the boats took off to four separate sections of the open water, about half a mile from each other. A few minutes later the dark-skinned blonde began to see a green-and-white fabric ballooning out from behind the boats. After a few seconds these began to rise higher into the air, carrying with them a chair-like contraption which held one person. The crippled Uchiha's eyes widened as he beheld the tourists rise about fifteen feet in the air, being dragged the speeding boats, with the only thing keeping the two attached being a cable which was invisible at that distance. Notwen was breathing heavily, but he hadn't noticed until Musamaru brought it to his attention.
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, a slightly worried look in his eyes.
"Yeah. I just didn't expect that para-sailing would be suspending us over water at such high speeds." replied the dark-skinned blonde, sighing lightly. Rose looked at him quizzically.
"Notwen, are you afraid of water or heights?" she asked.
"Neither."
"Then what's the matter?" Notwen closed his eyes. When he reopened them the parachute chairs were being reeled back in to the boats for the next people to take their turns.
"Being a ninja, i have trained in several things, like how to break a fall from high places or walking on various surfaces. In all this time, however, i never learned how to swim." Musamaru pouted
"Why didn't you mention that sooner?" he said, sounding a little upset. "I could have taught you." Notwen smiled ruefully.
"I guess it wasn't necessary to say so up until now. I've never been faced in a situation that required me to swim. And being from Wind Country, a place that doesn't have that much water, it's very hard to find a water hole deep enough to swim in." He turned to the blue-haired boy. "Musamaru, i'd love for you to teach me how to swim, if it's not too much of a bother." The young guide's face lit up in a smile.
"Sure!" he said.

Fifteen minutes later the boats began to head back toward the pier. The first boat to arrive curved away from the docks in a question mark shape and came to a stop at the left tip. The people leaving the boat had their hair tousled but otherwise seemed to have enjoyed themselves. The other boats arrived in a timely manner and their passengers also disembarked. When the drivers began to call their next set, Notwen and company ended up in the second boat with a man who seemed to be traveling on his own. He seemed to be about a few years older than Notwen and Musamaru, but a bit younger than Rose. When the boat driver turned around to make sure everyone was strapped in, he paused to get a closer look at the man.
"Soba?! What're you doin' here? Aren't you supposed to be runnin' Club O2 right now?" demanded the driver. Soba chuckled.
"Looks like i've been found out." he muttered. "Well not exactly. The Club doesn't open up for another forty-five minutes, so i figured i'd have a little fun instead of being cooped up in the ship all day." The driver sighed as he started the engine.
"You're lucky we're pals, Soba. Otherwise i'm not sure if you'd still be working on the Yasuragi." The boat lurched forward as the driver stepped on the gas, forcing the passengers backwards into the cushioned seats. The ocean spray sent up by the boat tickled their faces as the driver turned towards the designated area. Soba turned towards the others and struck up a conversation.
"How are you guys enjoying the cruise?" he asked casually. They all replied with variations of 'it was okay'. "I see." He paused. "How come i haven't seen you guys in Club O2?" said the young man, addressing the question to Notwen and Musamaru.
"We've been doing some rehabilitation for Notwen. Musamaru and i are his medics." answered Rose, who had her eyebrow raised and was looking at Soba cautiously. The man looked at the dark-skinned blonde and noticed his missing arm for the first time.
"I'm sorry, i didn't mean to appear rude. I had no idea..." he said. They went on in silence until the driver stated that they were in position to begin para-sailing.
"Soba, why don't you go first to show these fine people how it's done?" he said. The man nodded and began heading to the back of the boat. He sat in the chair and strapped several belts across his waist and torso, then pulled on a cord that released the parachute. Once the fabric had unfurled correctly and was ballooning behind the chair, the driver pulled back a lever which began uncoil the cable that kept the chair close to the boat. The more the cable lengthened the higher Soba went, until he was almost a speck. His hoots and whooping could be heard faintly over the roar of the wind and motors. Five minutes later the driver pushed the lever forward to reel him in. Once reunited with the boat, Soba unhooked himself and got off the chair.
"Just so you all know, i am doing this myself because i'm trained in doing so. I will be assisting you guys. First up, you madame." Rose allowed the man to buckle her to the chair but an uneasy expression was on her face. Up she went and five minutes later she appeared to have had a good time. "Next up is Musamaru." Again the lever was pulled back and the blue-haired boy was sent up to the heavens. When he was reeled back in he was laughing.
"That was the best experience ever! Notwen you have to try it!" he said, wide-eyed and panting. "It's just... Wow!" The Uchiha smiled.
"Alright. You guys won me over." he said, and began walking to the chair. Soba buckled him in and signaled to the driver that he was ready to go.
"Have a nice trip." said the man before the captain pulled the lever and he began to rise backwards out of the ship.
At once Notwen was hit with the spray that was being blown backwards from the boat's bow, but he was above the area of effect after a few seconds. By the time he was halfway up he could see the Matsuri Yasuragi anchored on the other bay. He could see the other parachute chairs rising along with his as well as a group of dolphins that were jumping in and out of the water. When he reached the height limit a profound sense of majesty washed over him. Notwen could see around him for miles. The only sounds to be heard were the rippling parachute and the beating of his heart. A flock of seagulls passed beneath him, gliding on the thermals before diving to attempt catching fish that strayed too close to the surface. The dark-skinned blonde closed his eyes to relish the feeling of weightlessness and peace that swept through his body.
I will regain my strength and continue to follow my own path. he thought. Brother, Grandfathers, Chiyo-san, please watch over me...

Once Notwen was reeled in and the parachute secured, the driver turned the boat back towards the pier. The return trip took a bit longer since they had to avoid the coral reef in the area. Once back on firm ground, the trio bid farewell to Soba and the driver and headed back to the Matsuri Yasuragi to wash off the salt crust and enjoy the rest of the day before Notwen's training session later on. Half an hour later they were back on the cruise and in their staterooms. Musamaru took his shower first. He came out girded in a towel ten minutes later and allowed the Uchiha into the bathroom. As he washed, Notwen wondered what Musamaru's training incorporated. The large crates had been delivered to their room, but he hadn't been able to see inside of them. The blue-haired boy wasn't giving away any hints either.
I guess i'll see what it is when the time comes... he thought. When Notwen had finished taking his shower and dressing himself, he found the young guide sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of the large crates. The blue-haired boy gestured for Notwen to sit in front of him, and after the Uchiha sat he asked,
"Do you know about Monzaemon Chikamatsu?" The name was very familiar to the dark-skinned blonde, yet it took him a few seconds to recall where it was he had heard it.
"Yeah! Isn't he the inventor of the puppet style techniques?" Musamaru nodded, a slight smile on his face.
"That's right. In history, Wind Country has made use of his teachings and puppet techniques became one of the main styles used in the area. Chikamatsu's secrets also found their way into Fire Country via merchants on trade routes, and took a hold on Joryoku Village. Since then it has been a part of our culture." The young guide paused to let the information seep into Notwen's mind before continuing. "When Rose came to the village and passed on her secrets of Soul Power, she gave birth to a new style of puppeteer jutsu: Life-Streaming."
"Life-Streaming?" asked the crippled Uchiha, raising an eye-brow. Musamaru nodded.
"The art of imbuing life energy into your puppet, making it more than just a tool. I will be teaching you everything i can on this style of puppet jutsu for the next three days. It will take five days for the Cruise to reach the next destination, so on the fourth day you will be working on a project. Are you ready?" said the young guide with a grin.
How ironic... thought Notwen. I will be learning my nation's craft from someone from a different nation... He took a deep breath, processing all of the information that had just been put forth, then exhaled. Looking into Musamaru's blue eyes, the dark-skinned blonde grinned and said, "I'm ready when you are."
"Then let's begin with the first step: chakra threads." So began Notwen's five-day puppet training.

I wasn't long before the two wind shinobi were on the road again making their way to water country just like that had been doing prior. "Hopefully the lead is still strong after the time we spent in those exams. Even if we don't find that weapon we'll at least be able to contact the Nomads in water country to join the meeting, Then we can meet with the last tribe on the way back to wind country..." Hatsuma explained as they walked a very familiar road that they had walked only a short time ago. It wasn't efficient to back track like they had to but it was needed for the exams which were important to the hidden village.

Hours later, the two brothers were underway towards Lightning. Not even fifteen minutes after the Slive left port, Rodah had emptied his lunch and breakfast overboard. Musica led him down to an empty bunk, now understanding why his brother had been so nervous earlier. As Musica stepped out onto the deck, he caught sight of Kray leaning next to the door. “That friend of yours doesn't fare too well at sea, does he?” Musica shut the door behind him and face the captain. “Give him a few days, he'll come around.” Musica rolled his shoulders in a shrug, giving Kray a level look. “He's just being a big baby about it. Tell me, captain, how come there's no-one at the wheel?” Kray's lips twitch-smiled again as his eyes shone. “Allow me to show you.” Kray led Musica down the deck, and inside another door. Inside was a long winding staircase that led all the way down to the bottom of the ship. The captain led Musica through one last door, into where a more modern ship would have an engine room. The room ran the entire length of the ship and, on both sides, people were positioned on wooden benches, their eyes closed in concentration, muttering under their breath and going through a complicated (if repetitive) series of handseals. “These are what I like to call water wizards.” Kray explained, making a gesture to all of the people. “The benches they are sitting on allows for an easier from of chakra through the ship and into the water. This makes it possible, and easier, to control the current and direction of the water flow around the Slive. It's the reason she's the fastest around.” Musica took note in Kray's tone. He spoke with such pride, such adoration, as if his boat was truly a living thing, and it were his child. Musica scanned his eyes over each and every water wizard, feeling a thrum of chakra on the air, even from the distance he stood. “That must be a complex and exhausting jutsu.” He noted. He couldn't imagine sustaining any of his jutsu for one days, let alone an unspecified amount. Kray shrugged and led Musica out of the wizard's room. “It can be at first, but it's one of those jutsu that's easy to hold on to, after you do it enough times. On top of that, these people are specialized, so they only need that one jutsu.”

“If you tell me to keep drinking one more time, I'm going to shove this mug right through your face,” Rodah growled weakly as Musica walked into his cabin. It had been a few days since the start of the voyage, and Rodah was still as sick as a dog. Or a seadog, Musica considered playfully. He had to admit: there was a certain amount of amusement of seeing his brother like this. It was a sibling thing. “What I was going to say,” Musica sighed as he pulled his arm back. He didn't think Rodah could actually go through with his threat in his current state, but he didn't want to risk it. “Is that we're almost there.” Rodah rolled his eyes, but sat up slowly. “It's about time,” he mumbled. Then, louder, he said “How long has it been? A year?” Musica smiled and shook his head. “About less than a week.” Rodah let out a huge sigh and plopped back down on his back. “You can't be ******** serious.” Musica reached behind him and pulled a small bag from his belt and tossed it to his brother. “Kray says would should be there in a day or two.” He said as Rodah opened the pouch and pulled out on of it's contents. It was a small, thin, circular cracker like food. Rodah looked at it blankly for a moment, and then turned his neutral gaze to Musica. It was silent for about a minute before Rodah sighed. “Alright then, I'll bite. What are they?”

“They're called seabiscuits,” Musica responded as his brother lifted the object to his noise and sniffed it. “They should help with seasickness.” Rodah made a face before glaring at Musica. “Any why, oh god why, did you not tell me this sooner? Please, give me a good reason, and make it convincing.” Musica met Rodah's glare with his own hard stare. “Kray said it was best to take on an empty stomach, helps them help your stomach settle.” Rodah mumbled something about that's not all that was going to settle before he took a ripped off a small part of the tough biscuit. He made a face as he chewed slowly, and lifted his head back as he gulped it down. Rodah exhaled a sigh and looked up. “That. Was. The worst.” Musica patted him on the shoulder before turning to walk out. “Well congrats. You'll now be eating those for the rest of the trip.” Musica's boots thudded lightly up the steps as he exited the cabin. “Just remember that it's better than nothing.”
A smile spread on the shinobi's lips as he left his brother in the cabin, sputtering. Musica stepped out onto the deck and walked over to the left, no, port side of the ship, looking out over the side. Salty spray hit his face and he closed his eyes, enjoying the sound of the passing waves, the rushing wind, the call of the gulls. Suddenly Musica's eyes shot open and he looked up. Gulls. That must mean. “Land ho!” Called the man at the bird's nest. Kray came over to stand next to Musica and leaned over the edge, cupping the air in front of his eye with his hands, as if he were holding a telescope. Musica sent a portion of chakra to his eyes, activating his Heikougan. The red head pressed his index finger against his temple, and his vision zoomed in, looking for land. He didn't have to zoom or look very far. Straight ahead of him he could see the snowy caps of mountains. He zoomed in a little farther and he could make out flags with the symbol of the Lightning Country flapping in the wind. Musica deactivated his jutsu the same time as Kray deactivated his. Musica turned to look at the captain, smiling. He was excited to finally be on his way again. “I assume you're going to stay here for us, unless we don't show up for three days after the meeting time.” Kray nodded once, his eyes serious. “Aye. You better show up, though.” The man clasped a hand on the young shinobi's shoulders. “I'll be expecting the rest of that pay, one way or another.” This time it was Musica's turn to nod. “Understood, captain.”