[RP Location] Shimeru North Pass

[Oni Archives]

]::[ This is the Northern path branching from Kyotoshiro village to Uwesugi Village. Along this path merchants tend to travel using it for trade routes - but with that being said bandits tend to frequent the roads here too. Travelers must certainly be aware and sometimes even the merchants have to occasionally hire some muscle. The forest path dwindles further down, being near consumed by grass and plant life but it is pretty straight forward. A direct cut straight to the next village with little paths that deviate. There is but one path - rumored that a convent of monks reside there. But this is little more then word of mouth.]::[​

 

[Oni Archives]

She really couldn't help but get distracted, only slightly, by the beauty of the forest around them. Naraka was more beautiful than the forest that she had tended to, which was the second time she silently admitted that, and the thought of staying crossed her mind. It wasn't a bad idea, really, if she learned the way of the world she'd be fine. There was only one thing stopping her from just making the decision itself so rashly from the jump- Ko. She couldn't leave Ko behind, she'd never forgive herself for it and she figured he'd probably be upset with her as well. He hadn't given her the things that he had just for her to abandon them with him over the glory of foliage.

A light smile pulled at her lips as she thought about him, an adoring look in her thoughtful gaze. Thinking about him made her miss him, and it'd already been a fair while since she'd seen him before all of this happened. She wondered how he was doing and if he was safe. Their parting wasn't meant to have taken so long, maybe if she'd made it back to him sooner she wouldn't even be in the situation that she was. Serves her right for getting distracted, she supposed.

She looked at Jinsei and took a deep breath, sighing softly as she ran her fingers through her hair. "How long do you think it'll take to get there? You've never left the village but I assume you know how long the journey is?"​

 

[Oni Archives]

After a bit of walking the group made it to a pathway in the forest which Jinsei had led them too. Eiji finally felt he had reason to speak up but Kasami had beat him to it. His answer would be given through her question so Eiji would ask something different and more pressing on his mind, "Tell me about the Salesman... What does he want from the Oni? Why did he kidnap us? And what's his relationship to Izanagi, seeing as it was stated that they have been fighting for centuries."

Eiji questioned him about quite a few things but he still had more questions as he assumed their walk would be a long way further and he could do nothing but learn on his way to the next area. The main thing he wanted to learn was the situation for the people here and what their connection to the outside world was. Beyond that, he wanted to know why he of all people was chosen for whatever the Salesman had in mind for the three. In his head, all these things were moving around like electric signals through the internet. If anyone could see the electric signals of his brain or read minds they would be bombarded by a mass jumble of thoughts which would even overload a supercomputer.​

 

[Oni Archives]

=During the moment that they left the village they had covered a good bit of distance in the forest. The wildlife and natural growth and beauty around Jinsei didnt do much for him. He already had so much data about it crammed into his mind that he could honestly do without it, it was people that were his true interest and really caught his attention and the moment that Kasami had started to speak his brows perked up as he looked over his shoulder while still walking. His body was extremely authentic - even sweating to a degree as he had by now removed the blazer he wore and been trecking about in a black v-neck shirt. When she mentioned the bit about him having never been out of the village he only smirked and pushed his hair back from his face. Little did they know - Kiyoshi had benefited greatly from the first field testing of his cyber initiative back when he was doing work in The Land Of Earth. Soragakure had waged an attack on them with this new age shinobi tech with an attempt to erect a satelite into the skies and one of his cyber shinobi had shut it down. Kiyoshi made great work of the salvage and improved the design and as they walk along the very sattelite that they had hoped to put in the sky - was actually in orbit above them flowing smoothly. Things were much different in Naraka - there was so much that one couldnt possibly comprehend everything that was at work here at once. Jinsei simply nodded his head with a chuckle as he pushed through the deeper parts of the forest:

"Oh - yes. I have full knowledge of the quickest path to get us to our destination. It should maybe be a few more hours honestly. Its a wonder that we havent stumbled upon any hostile wildlife here in the forest but that could just be the result of our new militia having cleared the pathways the passes are aligned upon properly."**meanwhile, he adjusted his view to over his opposite shoulder at Eiji** "The Salesman. Hm. Well he is a beast. A demon from some other place - much like your world's tailed beasts except he would be a lot more kin to what I believe you know as the Juubi. Though he would be far worse. Sentient to an extreme, intelligent and manipulative. As far as what he wants from the oni - well that is very simple yet in its simplicity, complex. He wants what he wants from all living things - consumption. He seems to be feeding himself and the stronger the subject the more they do for his appetite. He's been grooming the oni, and Naraka for a very long time to make up as many strong dishes as he can. So in short - that answers your other question too. He kidnaped you because he sees something strong within each of you. Some delicious qualities for a potential meal. Personally - we at the cyber initiative believe that its something different. I cant quite put my finger on it, but no offense - you three dont seem too strong or different. A Sarutobi with a bit extra, A Senju - with Gengoro's rinnegan, that actually may be enough in itself if not just nostalgic for him. And a former student of Totsuka, the brother of Izanagi. Theres something about you three...I believe theres a deeper connection. As far as his relationship to Izanagi? Enemy - plain and simple. The Salesman manipulated the events that got Izanagi turned into an Oni and by proxy - killed his father. Then after manipulating him and Mikaboshi tricked him into killing Mikaboshi - who ironically enough I guess you could say was his second father. Murder of two father figures, I would be upset too. He tried to eat Izanagi back many years ago but he was too strong for the salesman and pushed him back, but not enough to eliminate him. Now Izanagi protects as much of Naraka as he can. Training, and biding his time to get even stronger in hopes that he can achieve power that will put him at a level that the salesman cant achieve."

=At this point they came to a fork, one would lead them to the village ahead in quick pace - but the path was known to be a hotspot for bandits and violent shinobi tribes. The other would lead them along a pathway upwards into an ancient temple - believed to be abandoned for some time and tended to by very few peace loving individuals who come to honor the grounds and respect the deceased. Jinsei would explain this to the two and also give them the option that they could also rest here a moment and wait for their third - linger and see what happens and chit chat, even train, warm up, or get a few pointers about things. The choice was theres but either way at this point the boy stood there looking between the two of them as he lowered himself down a seated position - indian stance as he swayed back and forth unblinking like a toddler waiting for mom to get done on the phone.=​

 

[Oni Archives]

Kasami stopped when Jinsei did, moving her hands behind her back to lace her fingers together as her head tilted. She had paid attention to everything that he had said, but they weren't questions she had initially been curious about until he mentioned a name she'd never heard. She had never really bothered to ask Ko where her Rinnegan came from, and she knew he was intelligent. He was likely fully aware of what he had stolen and who it was from. As he sat down on the ground and offered them their choices, she looked behind her at Eiji before she moved to a nearby tree. Sinking to her knees, she sat down on her feet and rest her hands on her thighs. "I say we wait for him to catch up, at least for a little bit. In case he can't figure out the right direction we went in once he gets to this point." She looked around her for a moment, taking in the life around them. "I'd rather the forest not catch on fire again, but we shouldn't linger for too long." The last fire hadn't been his fault really, but there was no telling if he'd run into another thing like before either.

She wanted to ask before Eiji had the chance to ask anything else, since the majority of their talk would probably be about the Salesman or Naraka. Any questions about that should wait until Sentou was caught up- she really didn't feel like repeating the information that they got just because he was behind. Her gaze shifted back to Jinsei as she slid off her feet and sat on the ground completely, her feet tucked beside her. "Who is Gengoro? Or was. I never asked the person who gave it to me where it came from. I was kind of just grateful that he had." Her hands raised to rub her ears as a small smile twitched at her lips, her fingers lingering on her slightly blushed cheeks. "I was deaf before too, he fixed that. He gave me confidence to be a shinobi. A real one, not someone just following their parent's pipe dream." She'd leave out the bit about wanting to please Ko with becoming stronger. She didn't want to seem overly obsessed, though blushing at the thought of him like she was probably didn't help.​

 

[Oni Archives]

As they continued to walk along this path towards their next location, Eiji's questions would be answered swiftly by Jinsei. To Eiji's dismay, the answers were far darker than what he anticipated. Not only was the Salesman far older than someone Eiji assumed to be over five centuries old but he was someone that Izanagi saw not as a threat or a problem but as an object for revenge. This was bad enough but the fact that he wished for Eiji, Kasami, and Sentou to grow stronger just to consume them was another problem in itself. As Eiji continued to think about how he himself would even possible reach the legends of such great people like Izanagi-sama and be able to fight or even avoid such a monster as the Salesman.

As Eiji was thinking over these things that had been presented to him Jinsei presented them with two options, one was to continue on without Sentou while the other was to wait a while to see if he was to catch up to them. To be honest, it would bother Eiji to simply leave him behind if he was going to catch up quickly. It seemed Kasami felt the same way or rather she thought Sentou was a problem that needed supervision judging by her comment about the forest fire,"I agree, at least on hopefully he won't take long. I don't think he's dumb enough to start another fire and make himself a target to whatever else may be here besides the monster he may fight."

After she responded to Jinsei while stating how she felt, Kasami asked a question about the person who her Rinnegan had come from. She showed her first true sign of interest in anything this whole time. Eiji was slightly interested in what the cause was but he figured prying into her private affairs would be deemed annoying or even cause strife between them so he would simply listen for Jinsei's response to Kasami before asking anymore of his own questions.​

 

[Oni Archives]

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//"..Stupid asshole.."// Sentou thought to himself as he slowly followed behind the group, his head low as he kicked at what little rocks littered the path; his sense of emptiness quickly began anger and with no real way to communicate to anyone about how he felt or what he was going through that sense of anger was trying to find a way to lash out.

"How could you leave me in the dark and then die to some estranged brother of yours?" He muttered beneath his breath, had it not been his love for nature he would've surely snapped some trees in two to release his pent up frustration but in the end what good what come from that? Thoughts of forcing what little information Izanagi learned from Totsuka ran through his head should he ever run into the Lord of Naraka himself, but as much as he hated the logical thinking behind that it was nearly impossible. He barely held his own during their first encounter, who knew how much of a gap between the two was left now after all this time?

Shaking his head frantically Sentou would look up and notice that there was a considerable amount of distance between him and the group, a sigh left his lips as he mentally told himself to stop beating himself up over something like this. Begrudgingly the younger of the party would put some pep in his step quickly catching up to them as he overheard what they were talking about, "Do what? I didn't even start that fire in the first place, Eiji!" Sentou interjected but other than that he noticed the fork in the road with them all just standing there. "Oh, I guess y'all were waiting on me,I'm sorry. Just trying to come to terms with the news is all. Which way are we headed?" It was clear he still looked a little lost on his face but he definitely tried his best to remain cooperative, it was going to take a team's effort after all if they wanted to get to their next destination in one piece as quickly as possible.

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[Oni Archives]

=Jinsei finally noticed that the younger of the group started catching up with them. As he started to approach he didnt have much to say while they conversed among themselves and Sentou corrected Eiji about what happened with the fire. He allowed them to go back and forth a moment and all the while seemed to be looking around the forest. There was no chakra signatures around, heat signatures besides those before him or anything that would make him question the well being of the group in their ongoing travel. But something just wasnt right...the forest was disturbed - in the moment that it took him to scan across the forest while he was looking he could pick up on very fine details in the forest, plants pushed aside as if there had been weight on them - fabrics against the wood of the trees as if someone had been leaning upon them, disturbed pebbles and rock on the ground as if someone had been walking upon them. All scans showed things were fine - but his sense of survival and deduction told him that there was something wrong here. "Stop. Hold on. You hear that?" He said with a hand jest to keep them held where they were. He stopped and listened quietly at the air around them and the way that the plants sway in the wind. Nothing...not a single sound.=

"Huh....that's not supposed to happen, are my sensors experiencing malfunction...no Kiyoshi wouldnt let that pass. Must just be me. Anyway - lets get things moving, we dont want to stay in one spot for too long. Honestly I think we'll go the temple route, much more friendly that direction and dont think there will be much chance to run into anything too hos-"

=Just like that in the middle of his sentence he was turning towards the path and as he turned as if taking advantage of his blindspot a figure flashed into the space just on his side and just like that - with a nasty sound of metal on metal something struck directly across the joint of Jinsei's mandible and split his head in two sending the top section that held his eyes - still curled into a horrified expression spiraling through the air to land on the ground where Jinsei stood, his body dropping to the floor promptly behind it after fidgeting its legs as if trying to walk from signals still trying to communicate the body. Now what stood before them was a young boy, very casual attire and a beanie that covered crimson red hair, he held a gold bat - of a rather curious material one may ponder seeing as he was able to strike directly through Jinsei's skull with it and split it - also a clue as to his strength and speed seeing as he was not even so much as winded or phased otherwise after the fact. He hoisted the bat up upon his shoulder and planted his foot directly over Jinsei's head on the ground, which by chance - had still been looking up towards him as he set his foot directly over his nose and between his eyes and crushed his skull on the ground. The boy rolled his tongue around inside his mouth while his black eyes shifted between Eiji, around Kasami and to Sentou. His finger tapping upon the skateboard in his opposite hand as he spat on the ground aside him and spoke=

"I don't know any of ya - or why you abducted Kasami. But shes coming back with me now...and for making me waste my time and almost drowning myself - I think Imma have to take it out of your ass too. **That being said he slid the handle of the bat in his hand so he was holding it by the bottom and pointed the head of the bat out at the ground in front of him, a wide grin spreading across his face** "So what say we do this the easy way huh? Execution style. If ya lucky - I might send ya dome hurling through the sky - might get a kick out of the view if your brain lives long enough."

=This was obviously a matter of grave misunderstanding and mistaken identity, but it was apparent that this boy meant business. Taking out Jinsei as quickly as he did and as seen - with absolutely zero remorse what so ever, and the sadistic manner that he called for the execution of what would be to his perspective - the other two perpetrators of the alleged kidnapping...there was something definitely dangerous about this guy. His eyes were wild, wide and full of an obvious love of pain and violence...this trip to a new world was really getting into its ups and downs along this roller coaster ride.=​

 

[Oni Archives]

Kasami had waited patiently for Jinsei to answer, and was alright with the mild distraction of Sentou rejoining them. She didn't expect him not to answer though, but as soon as she noticed the way he was looking around she knew that something was off. His facial expressions gave little away in terms of worry, but just how much his eyes were darting around seemed like he was looking for something. It was eerie. Her suspicion was confirmed, and she listened carefully for something. There wasn't anything though, and that was what he was getting at.

Putting her hands on the ground in front of her, she shifted onto her knees again and started to sit up as he started talking again, in complete agreeance with him that they shouldn't stick around and what path they should take. The road less likely to bring them any kind of trouble sounded like a good idea to her. As she was getting to her feet, dusting her knees off with her attention on what her hands were doing, was when Jinsei had abruptly been cut off and the sound of metal hitting metal replaced his voice. The sound put a sick feeling in her stomach, her hand pausing in the middle of brushing at her right knee as she was bent over slightly. Despite her brain telling her to move, she couldn't get her body to respond. She stayed like that for a moment, even listening to the crushing of more metal, until she heard a familiar voice. Her heart dropped out of her chest, and at the same time it was racing with excitement.

"Ko!" She couldn't help but smile as she saw him, adoration gleaming in her eyes as she rushed over to him and threw her arms around his neck. Her face buried itself into him, and as she realized what he had said she pulled away slowly, still keeping her arms around him loosely. "Wait, they didn't abduct me. They were taken too, by someone else." She stepped back a moment as her hands fell to her sides. "Everyone here keeps calling him the Mask Salesman, he's the one that took me." She looked at Eiji and Sentou and motioned to tell them to back up a little bit, before her attention went back to Ko. She offered him an apologetic smile, feeling sorry that he got wrapped up in it just cause she got taken. "I'm sorry, I don't remember what happened. I was going to the library, staying out of harm's way like you told me to while we were separated, and then I woke up here." Concern suddenly shifted her brows as she looked down at Jinsei's mechanical body. "He was our guide. He was taking us to another village to talk to the lord of this place. And..." She looked at her love, frowning slightly. "The lord is Izanagi, do you recognize that name? You stole this from him." She pointed at her eye. Her biggest fear now that Ko was also in Naraka, had just destroyed Kiyoshi's property and was the one that had stolen from Izanagi, was that he was in danger. He could hold his own, she'd never seen anyone hurt him, but the thought of it scared her. There were very strong players in this game...​

 

[Oni Archives]

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As Jensei asked the group if they heard anything, Sentou looked around the forest and to no success did he see anything; he tried to take the moment to relax and feel if there were any chakra signatures hanging around them but once again there was nothing to pick up on. Shrugging, Sentou wasn't sure what their guide was on about however he was all for getting started on the beginning of their journey -- that was until the loud ringing sound of metal clashing instantly alerted Sentou's senses from a state of shock.

Before he could even react he looked over to Jinsei to see the top half of his head roll against the ground, but what confused Sentou the most was the lack of blood and as the unknown figure crushed the object in question underneath his foot Sentou would hear the mechanical structure crunch into the ground; having showed up late Sentou missed out on that bit of information of Jinsei being apart of the Cyber Initiative. A surge of anger initially started to sweep Sentou up in his emotions but with the sudden realization of Jinsei and the apparent reunion between this stranger and Kasami he only found more confusion, so much that he felt like his sanity was getting to its breaking point. "W-Just what the fuck is going on?" Sentou asked distressed as he hesitantly took a step back, he could feel the bloodlust that reeked from this Ko individual, it felt familiar but he couldn't put his finger on the reasoning why. While listening to Kasami explain the situation Sentou could only nod in agreement before mustering up a question from his dynamic of this all, "Wait, almost drowned getting here? You mean to tell me you came here willingly, like of your own free will? Do you have any idea what this place is?" Sentou asked, the three of them were somehow taken and brought here while Ko himself managed to track Kasami down, if that truly was the case, Sentou wouldn't be sure whether to be impressed or frightened by someone who seemed to be capable of masking their own signature much like Tengu from before.
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[Oni Archives]

A long sequence of events would occur at the moment after Eiji had finished responding to Kasami's remark about the forest fire before. The first event was the absolute easiest to see coming and notice was that the third member of their party Sentou had come running along to catch up to them. As he approached Sentou would correct Eiji on what caused the forest fire and state that it was not him. As Eiji was getting ready to respond he was halted by Jinsei who questioned the trio if they had heard something.

In response to Jinsei's question, Kasami seemed to be bending down to the ground placing her fingers against it. Eiji assumed she was trying to sense the vibrations in the earth or it was her form of chakra sensory technique, either way, he took it that she was trying to sense what Jinsei was sensing. While Sentou who arrived was looking around the forest as if he was trying to see anything in the deep out reaching the darkness of the forest around them. Eiji himself would not sense anything within their immediate vicinity and would generally not attempt to sense out further. He knew very well that if he expanded his sensory technique he could possibly sense what was out there but at the same time, it could also sense him.

Given the eerie and unusual nature of the place they now stood in, Eiji knew in the deepest and most important parts of his soul that it was crucial not to stand out too much. Whatever weird monsters that might be attracted to the signature of their chakra he wanted to part in seeing or facing. As Eiji's sensory technique diminished away within a moment's notice a blur would appear before Jinsei. The only thing they could make out was Jinsei's head falling to the floor and crashing down right next to his own body. After that they could make out Jinsei's assailant, he was a young man about Kasami's age with red hair and a beanie on his head.

This would proc Eiji's curiosity towards the man due to his strength which was already abnormal and his speed which was in the same league. It would become more unusual to Eiji when Kasami his current teammate and ally in this place quickly ran over to the bloodthirsty young man and screamed out his name Ko. With this Eiji felt slightly relieved but as he moved away to let the situation disarm his face become somewhat tired and annoyed as he leaned against a tree about seven feet away from Kasami and Ko.

The annoyance on his face was for no reason other than the fact that their guide to moving safely through this godforsaken land was killed. He was not surprised by Jinsei's lack of blood nor was he sad about his passing. Eiji was a calm and rational person and he was most upset about the fact that their plans and general safety had been ruined by Ko's bloodthirst and anger without knowledge of the situation. Now they had no clue about the rest of the way to their new location nor about how to avoid the dangers they were told about earlier. Eiji simply let Kasami handle the situation from here as he thought about whether going back was the best option or trying to find their own way.​

 

[Oni Archives]

=During the moment that Kasami ran to Ko and embraced him he found his brow raised when she spoke of the fact that they did not abduct her. For a moment there he didnt buy into it and considered that maybe they did abduct her and she just believed some elaborate story that they had planned out - that it really was them and they were just keeping up a ruse. But then she spoke of how they were taken too and that paired along with Sentou talking over her in such a bewildered manner - obviously confused he could tell that the confusion had to have been genuine. She spoke of a mask salesman having been the one that had taken her and something about it ticked...hell - something about this Sentou guy ticked to him as well but he couldnt quite place it, there was a lot of that going on since he arrived here apparently. He listened to her and at the same time tried to listen to the vigilantly pursuing answers Sentou as well piecing it together. It was apparent that despite him being so very well capable even from the small bit that he displayed here, there was some learning that this young man had to do - just like the rest of them. He had taken out their guide without even thinking about it or gathering that intell, a flaw when it comes to being a shinobi and now they were just out here...but there was something about this path as he looked around and back at it...something that spoke to him like an instinct. It was something about that temple path that Jinsei had spoken of that drew him to it. He snapped back from looking in that direction and more so adjusted to address the group. He started with Kasami:

"Izanagi huh? Nah can't say that I do know him. When I stole the resources that I had - all I knew was that there was a secret lab behind the hokage monuments in Konoha. Was just a matter of slipping in undetected and out - didn't really care who it belonged to. But you say its this Izanagi guy huh? What are the chances of that? That means I get to see the source those things came from...more likely more good stuff. **Now addressed to Sentou, adjusting his beanie and directing his body forthright to openly show him he was addressing him in this instance, posture very deliberate and clear - the demeanor of a soldier** "And to answer your question - yeah I came here of my own will. It wasn't really a planned thing honestly - I probably would have been fucked if the transition didnt work the way it did. I saw her get pushed down into the bed of a waterfall and not come out. There was no body floating - so I knew there had to be something down in the water. I swam till I almost drowned and suddenly here I'am. Now as far as whats going on or anything about this place I dont know much about that at all - but I do know that this is a pocket realm. Kind of like how sages and high ranking shinobi go to a different place to form a summoning contract with particular sage beasts. But this one is just...different is really all I can say. As far as your guide...well - you don't really need one.I caught enough to know that he mentioned either pathw ould take you where ya need to get going, and that this one **pointing to the temple path** is less likely to take you towards any violence....*he coughed* thats worked great so far - anyway."

=It was at that moment that Ko caught the glance of Eiji in the backdrop of it all and the expression on his face. Out of everyone here he was in the back with that look on his face not saying a single thing and something about that silent expression irritated Ko. He pulled at his beanie a bit - a sign that he was frustrated or thinking, and called out to him:

"Aye - you need me to cut that look off your face?"

=A homicidal a remark as ever that you could expect from Ko. He would stand there a moment and give the male a glare - having not really understood why he was in the back there looking as he was, but regardless he still had reactions of his own and before that moment passed he turned and looked over at the path towards the temple and how it went up a long set of stairs not too far ahead of them. He looked at his skateboard and sighed, knowing that there would be much coasting up that. Tucking it under his arm and his bat in hand he would shrug and start to walk off - giving Kasami a playful tap on her forehead with his bat before hand as he commented back at them: =

"Well - are we moving? Got a jog ahead of us so theres gonna be a lot of time for us to get to know each other. Hope ya like stairs."

=He said this as he walked off, back turned to the rest of them giving a chuckle as he made his way towards the stairs, but so long as they were all at his back unable to see his face they wouldnt know that his expression had actually fallen flat, and was solid - if not rather serious. There was something about this place, something more than just Kasami that had drawn him here but he was not in the slightest willing to talk about that, hell for the most part he didnt even have a clue what to say about it so how would he start to explain something that even he doesnt understand. When he was on the other side and he looked down into that water and saw his reflection...there was something inside of him that just pulled him in...it was like he wanted to drown - like he wanted to wash himself away. He had not only found Kasami by incident of tracking her...but when he saw that water it was like he was in a trance and the moment that he landed in Naraka it was like the instinct of birds to migrate - but his instincts were spinning like a compass in an electrical storm...going every which way all around him. There were some things that he wanted to figure out himself. And as he walked he couldnt help but let the name dance on his tongue a bit.=

"......Izanagi........"​

 

[Oni Archives]

Kasami smiled at Ko, soaking up literally everything he said like it was her life blood. The sound of his voice soothed her, put her into a tranquil state in which everything around her flowed like water and she seemed at peace. It was a visible shift, compared to how she had seemed before. Her shoulders were relaxed, she seemed much less on edge and much less... aggressive. That of course didn't stop her from shooting Eiji a glare before Ko had even noticed him in the background with that look on his face. If he decided to attack him and wipe that smug look off his face, she wasn't going to stop him. There was nothing that Ko could do that was wrong in her mind. He had captured her, tortured her continuously until she achieved what he asked of her- until she reached the potential that he had seen in her. He had made her his weapon, he even asked this of her, and she followed him blindly. At first it had just been attraction and fascination with him, and an attempt to show him how grateful she was for the things that he had given back to her, and inspired in her. But now it was more than that. She'd do anything he asked her to. She owed him everything, and he'd even tried to come to Naraka to save her. Though she wasn't aware there was a bit more to it than that.

As he turned around to head toward the path after talking to the two of them, she leaned into the tip of his bat before he pulled away and grinned. A soft giggle came from her as she moved her hair from her right shoulder, humming softly as she fell in line behind him in silence. She had half expected a fight and not to so easily convince him that everything was okay, but it seems like there were things in their favor happening even if they were in danger out there without their guide. Thinking about him, she glanced over her shoulder at Jinsei's body and for a moment frowned. He'd been a sweet boy, even if he wasn't real. Kiyoshi wasn't going to be pleased, and she wasn't sure how things like that worked but- he may already know that Jinsei was taken down.

Her attention moved back to their path, rolling her shoulders and arching her back slightly to stretch out her spine. Her feet were definitely going to hate being bare in these travels. There were a lot more stairs here than they were used to, but hopefully it wouldn't be too bad. Kasami already knew Ko, so she'd leave the questions to the other two if they had any for him. She expected Sentou would have some.​

 

[Oni Archives]

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Out of the three it seemed only sentou was trying to perceive the situation; Kasami appearing to be head over heels for this Ko guy, while Eiji only rested upon a tree with the facial features of a child ready to throw a fit. Before sentou could properly piece things together coherently Ko would address him and give the details of how he managed to get to Naraka in the first place, however something about the statements Ko made felt strange. Too mentally distraught, sentou didn't pursue further with anymore questioning as Ko set his attention on Eiji before asking if they were ready to leave, looking at the vast amount of stairs the blooming lotus apprentice only scoffed under his breath, "Back at the temple I was raised at, the amount of stairs we had to climb daily used to be an obstacle to us but I saw it differently. Just like back then -- I see these stairs as nothing more than a challenge."

Looking back to the body and where the pile of broken junk the dismembered half of Jinsei's head once was sentou would look back at Kasami noticing she too had made a look towards him, "so we're just going to leave this here?" sentou said loud and clear enough for the rest of the group to hear, "I didn't know him at all, but when you came back to the group Kasami you were with Jinsei, I don't know why it was he came with you or who may have even instructed him to come with us but my point is you knew this man which means you probably know who sent him judging by that puzzled look on your face..." Pausing for a moment he looked back at Ko, "I'm ready to leave whenever, but Kasami should try to fill us in with anything she might've learned during her time in the village alone no?" Whether or not Kasami was willing to give that bit of information or Ko stopping to look back at the group, sentou would follow in suit along the tall case of stairs before them.
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[Oni Archives]

Standing against the tree still mulling over everything was Eiji. He was thinking over not only everything that was happening but suddenly his thought process was interrupted as he began to listen to the conversation between Kasami and Ko. Ko had not said much that they did not already know. The thing that caught his attention was when Ko told them that he voluntarily jumped into the water attempting to drown to follow behind Kasami.

To Eiji this was illogical though, then again Eiji had very little experience with what people call true love. So the idea of risking his life like that was foreign to him. He sighed a bit as Ko commented towards the look upon his face, "So it's a problem for people to think?" He commented back towards Ko who had no very little interest in even trying to be friendly with due to his attitude and behavior during this whole situation was tedious and annoying. Eiji already felt like being around Sentou would be a massive hassle in a fight or situation that required tactics, but having another loose handle well, anyone could see why that would be irritating.

After his snap at Eiji, Ko asked them if they were going to continue on their way towards the temple. Eiji would nod in agreement but otherwise wouldn't speak as he began to pile up questions as it seemed to him as if Ko knew his way around the area which was a bit disturbing. This coupled with the fact that Ko seemed calm even if he was a murderous little monster was a bit unnerving. How was someone who supposedly never been here and more than likely saw the behemoth monsters that they saw and overwhelming skills of the villagers, so calm and almost at home in such a place was his main concern. Regardless of what was happening in his head, Eiji followed behind at a safe distance keeping his thinking face on. Trying to find an opening to ask these questions without starting a fight.​

 

[Oni Archives]

=Durikng the moment that the male known as Eiji had commented as if to inquire if there was something wrong with thinking - Ko would stop walking to the stairs and stand there a moment with his back towards him. During this time thoughhts started to roll through his mind. During the time that Ko got here - he had dropped at basically the same point that they had - if not further away. When he had dropped there were gigantic creatures that could cloak themselves, three of them and he had dealt with two of the three by himself before some guy in a Tengu mask dropped along and gave him a stare down before pursuing the surviving one that had run off. But even in that moment that he encountered those creatures, found his way to the village on his own and had his own dealings the same as them - but without a team, he had learned a lot about what they were dealing with here as far as just the nature of the creatures around. Now this guy? He was similar to all the other shinobi that he had crossed in their world - and he had crossed a lot of them especially in his ANBU days. He knew what type he liked and what type he didnt. After standing there a moment he turned around and started walking back towards Eiji passed everyone else, his path was deliberate and to the point and he did not stop until he was right in Eiji's face. As he tilted his head side ways and adjusted his gaze to Eiji he would find that there were crimson red sharingan in his eyes that even seemed to resonate a slight glow actually.=

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"Look. I've seen your type before. Even worked with your type before. You believe you're gonna think your way out of a situation that its gonna be hell or high water. You're the type that if you don't see a way out, reason to fight or any possibility of winning the fight then you'd probably turn tail and run before it becomes your head on the chopping block. When I touched down here - there went shinobi, men, bandits that were waiting for me. They were monsters. Creatures from another realm that we don't yet understand...well...that you guys don't at least. Standing there thinking with that ugly mug on your face you ever contemplate that I made it here and tracked the three of you without so much as a hitch? Right now these guys are on your side - but they're wildly strong...I know you've met the Tengu masked guy. Where theres strong allies - theres even stronger enemies. And if I could track you down and take out your little guide there without a problem, you think you stand a better chance when the real problem catches up to you? Thinking is good and all, but a good instinct will save your skin more times in a pinch. My instinct tells me you have a stuck up attitude. Thats your choice - but let me make it abundantly clear. Don't make another smart remark at me. And maybe - just maybe. I'll do what I can to get you out of here alive."

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=That being said Ko gave him a stern look. There wasnt any childish hazing going on here. He was absolutely serious and wanted Eiji to know every bit of it. In that moment there wasnt just the flash of homicidal maniac that he had given before but there was the demeanor of a leader - one that ran a tight ship and didnt tolerate any weak links for the sake of keeping the rest above water. He had lost a squad a few times in ANBU due to bad attitudes, lack of discipline, poor team cohesion - little did a lot of people know in most branches of ANBU there is no squads. Theres an assignment and the higher ups coordinate which operatives would work better together for the particular assignment's most efficient completion. A lot of those operatives did not make it back...it weighed on him a bit and hence he didnt care to present a demeanor towards anyone that would make them think it was wise or even possible to get close all of a sudden...and it would be no different here. As he walked off he rolled his neck, flipping his skateboard over in hand to reveal a summoning seal upon the bottom where he placed his hand and summoned forth a very well crafted kusari gama. After he did such he hoisted it around the back of his waist and his skateboard was reverse summoned from him. He approached the steps and took in a deep breath: *I'll scout ahead* he commented and with that he seemed to wisk away - very similarly to how the Tengu did in the forest before.=​

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[[Kogaijii ------------ > Shimeru Temple]]​

 

[Oni Archives]

Kasami stopped walking as Ko turned around and approached Eiji, her gaze shifting from them as she listened to him speak to him toward Sentou. She didn't say anything, just made eye contact with him for the time being until Ko was finished and heading back toward the stairs. Her attention moved to him before he left, offering him an appreciative smile for checking ahead, before she looked at Sentou again. Her foot was already propped on the bottom step, ready to start heading out. "Normally I'd say 'screw that' and leave that question lingering, since I was the only one that really seemed focused on answers first rather than shopping. But I'll save you some time wasted on thinking too much about it so you can focus on what we're out here doing- Jinsei was made by Kiyoshi Uzamaki. As brilliant an inventor as he, I highly doubt that there wasn't some sort of relay going back to him in the village until the moment that Jinsei's head was split in two. So yes- we're leaving him here. He's too heavy to carry, he's made of metal, and I'm not going to turn around and be a messenger to something he likely already knows. We have things to do. As much as I respect him and would rather not leave his machinery out in the open- we don't have the time." She briefly looked at Jinsei's form on the ground behind them before she turned and started up the stairs. It did suck, and it felt wrong to just leave him there, but they didn't have many options. Part of her wished Kiyoshi didn't know though, or at least not yet. The longer it took him to find out, the less likely Ko would get any kind of backlash from it. She had nothing else to say the rest of the walk up the stairs, and even if they asked something she'd choose when she wanted to answer. Paying attention to their surroundings was far more important than conversation.

[[Kasami ---- > Shimeru Temple]]​

 

[Oni Archives]

As Ko stopped in his tracks turning his head to face him, Eiji simply stood there acting unphased as Ko turned around to approach him. Ko had approached him in an aggressive manner and begun to speak to him in a similar tone. To Eiji, he did not much care what Ko thought of him nor how strong Ko was or what he thought. Rather than believing he could trust him or anyone here, he'd rather believe in his own sense and ideals. So far no one has shown anything that would make him believe that he could trust them or rely on them.

As Ko continued to spout on about his own ideas Eiji simply sat there and listened before Ko walked off and headed towards the stairs. As he pulled out a kusarigama from a summoning seal on the bottom of his skateboard. After which the skateboard vanished away while Ko stopped stating he would scout ahead. After that, he disappeared in a similar manner to that of Tengu mask that they had met earlier. Reasons for Eiji not to trust him kept piling up more and more and the more reasons that piled up the further he would begin to distance himself away from Ko and Kasami as his trust was already waining and his understanding of the situation was slim. Eiji could not tell whether he had been told the whole story or not but for now he would trust them and follow them with his own safety in mind.

After Ko and Kasami headed off, Eiji would follow behind not saying a word but trying to figure out why he was feeling rather eerie around Ko, it wasn't from his murderous aura or anything more like he was too similar to the mysterious beings known as Oni that lived here and that made him a variable which at this current time Eiji could not trust. As such he walked behind them slowly and cautiously though the way he walked had not changed from the beginning of their journey, he was just warier now.

[[Eiji ------------> Shimeru Temple]]​

 

[Oni Archives]

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With Ko wisking away after the small altercation between Eiji and himself died down, sentou would take heed to what Kasami had told him about the one who had created Jinsei and why it was they needed to move forward. Giving her a subtle nod he would continue to move along with the group towards the temple with his wits about; keeping on his toes he wouldn't allow the next surprise this place might throw at them to catch him off guard.

[sentou --> shimeru temple]
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