Plotting Co-ordinates [M]

[A*]

Mapping the Village!
Rank: D
Life Cycle: Once per PC!
Description: After the war, many parts of what used to be traditional Konohagakure has been wiped out. However, in its place, new lands have been plotted deep within the mystic forests of Hi no Kuni, allowing for hope of a new life to remain within the survivors. Now, it is time to claim these lands correctly!
Objectives: Aid the village plotters in establishing the basic cardinal points of the village, and some general geography regarding the region.
Rewards: 20 EXP / 500 Ryo

Finally, I received a useful mission; one that aided in the rebirth of Konohagakure no Sato. A healthy village Hidden in the Leaves meant good things for the Daimyo, the man whom assisted my family during the war. Supposedly Whirlpool had since recovered but rumours of the new world were just that; rumours. However the chuunin exams were coming up, they would be our first voyage to the New World since the war devestated the lands. I myself wouldn't be participating, my own growth had barely begun and there was far too much work to be done for me to chase after a worthless promotion. Especially not with so much dangers right in our own backyard, my left arm flailing out to indicate to the Village plotters to cease movement.

I carefully examined the surrounding forest, I was positive that we weren't alone in this little venture, wild animals aside. I'd take a few steps forward before performing a simple seal. Bunshin no Jutsu, a simple academy technique that was useful for decoys and bait. My clone and I would seperate going left and right respectively. Nothing seemed to on the right side where I investigated, until I noticed some footprints. They weren't an adults footprints which made me confused, who let kids wander out of the village on their own?

Well I was sent to aid the village plotters so I wouldn't keep them waiting for long. Casually walking back to the main road, I'd report my findings. "Seems some kids have been out and about by themselves. While following a wild goose chase will be of detriment to our mission, if there is a new discovery that's been found in these forests, that might be worth our trouble, ne?" I suggested though I didn't really care much either way. This was just another mission, which meant another ryo in my pocket.

"Certainly we've done a fair bit of plotting thus far through conventional means, so let's solve this mystery."

I kept a straight face but I was certainly surprised that the lead plotter would indulge this. Perhaps their job was getting a bit tedious and any excuse to slack off was humoured. Regardless I'd proceed to lead the way for the plotters. Each of them had charts and maps ready to do their work. Having a genin ninja to offer protection and a bit of muscle. As it turns out the footsteps ended at the base of a tree. This tree had a makeshift ladder built, so these kids weren't academy students at all. I decided to examine it carefully, mostly for pranks.

"Thought so." I stated as I utilized my knowledge of seal jutsu. I'd be releasing my Scythe and with a quick swing, several water ballons would fall. The plotters couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like we're about to discover a rare sight." I myself wasn't convinced, kids attempted to hide the most simple of things but he climbed up first and I scaled the other side of the tree. As we looked out though, we realized there was a conencting tree. This tree had a little bridge, I decided to cross it first just to make sure there weren't any pranks. Thankfully they weren't so cautious. However these bridges connected to more trees and there were actually treehouses as well.

I simply raised my eyebrow, perhaps the kids had found something in these forests after all.

[A*]

The plotters would investigate the treehouses, though they didn't peak inside in order to not invade the kids privacy. I admit the treehouses looked...off, I was trying to put my finger on why though. Until I had a sudden flashback. Konohagakure had setup camp across the forests of Hi no Kuni. Some groups had built treehouses in order to keep off the ground, ambush enemies, etc. When my family and I were escaping from whirlpool, we came across a setup like this. I tilted my head, it didn't seem like any bases or military camps would have even been spared after the war.

For many people, our memory of the war itself is rather hazy. It was surprising to think that many of us just woke up on the battlefield and went back home to the village. Since then we've been in war time measures, trying to get ourselves back together. None of this would have been possible without the help of the Samurai. Yet the Samurai are the neutral force of the world, mostly focusing on aiding Daimyo. It left some room for doubt but with all the discoveries to be had in Hi no Kuni alone, I could put aside those thoughts. Instead we'd found a relic of the war, an abandoned camp but it seemed like there was more to it than this.

I'd continue to cross some of the bridges created, my goal was only to see where the path ended. The lead plotter caught wind of my exploration and decided to follow me. Talk about a creepy old man, though he acted friendly enough. "You're probably wondering why this base was left in tact and what were they trying to protect?" I paused upon arriving to the farthest most tree. There wasn't really anything except more foilage but as a ninja, I was trained to look beneath the underneath.

"These bases were supposed to either provide advantages or to defend key points." I replied, though I had no desire to mix words with these officials if I could avoid it. My blue hues analyzed the surrounding area with skepticism. There really seemed to just be more forests, but there was nothing connected it to this sole tree. Not only that, it stood out in distance and in alignment compared to the others with treehouses. "I'm heading down." I stated before walking down the base of the tree trunk.

I just had to be sure that the area around this point wasn't simply more forest. It seemed the plotter wanted to confirm the same suspicion so we began to travel. I was constantly looking around me because the amount of trees began to decrease. Then we saw something very unusual for Hi no Kuni, there was an entrance to...a cave? Yes, it was a cave; something which was more prevelant in Tsuchi no kuni. "Looks like we've stumbled upon something interesting, wonder where this leads?"

I simply stared at him, it seems there was a lot to plot and find after all.

[A*]

"In relation to the village, how far is this cave?" I questioned because for such a route to exist, it meant that it could be a potential weak spot in our defense. He moved over to me and whispered, my eyes widening considering the distance relative to the village. Simply put this cave seemed to veer off from the Valley of the End. We'd need to explore it in order to see what potential this had. Thus we entered the cave, which seemed to be decently lit at first. Thankfully the plotter had a flashlight.

The cave felt a lot like an intricate maze, I couldn't help but note the potential for trapping people in here with doton jutsu. In fact, as we traveled, I was wondering if this cave had been naturally made or if it was developed via Doton. It certainly caused our path to become further downwards, so it seemed as if this was naturally made, at least partially. Certain contours definitely felt constructed. The parts that weren't were rough and didn't seem to be traversed quite as often. Closing my eyes for a moment I focused on the sounds around us.

I could hear our footsteps due to the echo, but I could also hear a strange sound. At first I wondered if there was an underground source of water but that didn't seem to be the case. Thus we'd persevere, our pathway seeming to rise. The end of the cave seemed to be near yet far at the same time. There were many potential paths we could have followed also. Plotting this out would have taken months, of that I was sure.

Once we finally caught a glimmer of light, we'd run and sure enough we reached the other side of the cave. At that point the sound I heard was a bit cleaer, it was rushing water. However it was very far away...yet it sounded so much clearer when we were inside the cave. Looking further ahead, I started to realize what was going on. This route was a branching path to the main road the merchants took. Though nobody would ever really go through a cave, at least not a civilian.

"To think that route extended so far..." I couldn't help but mention that to my comrade on this journey. Alas, we'd spent so much time, by the time we returned back to the group it'd be nightfall but I'm sure the plotters greatly benefited from this new information. [End]

[DAVID BOWE]

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