Awaken! [Quest]

[Bombshell]

Questing for second Evil Hand Mouth.

Recently, I have noticed truly how incompetent I was. While my brethren prospered with the amazing abilities bestowed upon them in full fruition, I was a sort of... late bloomer. In my 23 years, I had failed to truly harness my Kibaku-Nendo powers with me only having access to just one of my hand-mouths. How could I properly make a name for myself if I lacked such a necessity? This problem should, could, and will be eliminated, here and now. It was the sole reason I even left the village in this crucial time.

I would base my search on the intel I had gained from a fellow clansmen whom had hinted of one local master capable of bringing me to my full potenial. Apparently, this hermit was wandering about somewhere within the countryside of Mizu No Kuni. I imagined half the effort of this whole endeavor would be pinpointing the location of this man in the first place. Sadly, I had no idea as of where to begin.

I had wandered about Mizu No Kuni for quite sometime now, hitting up the various places were rather unsavory denizens willed to stay. Lady Fortune however, would not be so kind as to grace me with her presence today it seemed. Time after time these encounters would prove to be faulty. My search would take me to all corners of the country, including the dank, and mysterious area which a powerful Yakuza gang was said to lurk in. It didn't phase me much though, for I was Jyūmei No Bakuton, not one to be trifled with.

This area however, had a sort of eerie feel to it. I became rather restless, as if I was being watched by prying eyes. Perseverance and willpower would keep my wheels rolling ahead, confident that who, or whatever was so intentively hounding me could be defeated.

Who knows how long passed searching in this area, I know I wasn't keeping track of time at this point. My legs ached a bit from the extensive amount of trekking, so, I would oblige by taking a much needed resting session. I would lethargicly walk and plop down in the shade of a nearby tree, one of many of the extensive forestry that encompassed me. Finding this master wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.

[Messatsu!]

Mizu no kuni, a land of perpetual water and pervasive mist, truly the ideal province for ninja who thrive in the art of espionage and stealth. Needless to say it was indeed a eerie land with a ghostly taint. Your search was long, tedious, unsuccessful thus far, your lucked seemed to be running short, however, lady luck would surely play her hand in this. Place after place no one seemed to have any information nor the knowledge and tools to fulfill your coveted desires. But you knew that the search in itself would have been fairly difficult given the dampened population of Kibaku nendo throughout the lands.

funnily enough, your lucked seemed to have replenished itself, evident by the oncoming sound of a encroaching caravan, the squeaking of its wooden wheels that shouted through the lingering mist, possibly alarming you or at least grabbing your attention without much effort. Its owner, a man draped in black cloth with a dark mask that concealed his lower face, repelling any pair of prying eyes from his true appearance. Whipping the horses that pulled said caravan, he progressed slowly through the cobblestone road, carrying a shipment of items and trinkets. He'd cut a quick glance onto your position before focusing himself back to the road afront.

[Bombshell]

Though my feverish search seemed completely hopeless, and my muse was almost completely eliminated, I'd hold fast to the last remaining strand of hope and tolerance I had for the time being, and luck would have it I would recieve a sort of incentive for my diligence.

It is said that when one sense is taken out, your body automatically heightens all the others. In this case, the mist that this country was so famous for would prove to effortlessly strip me of my sense of sight. That did however, leave me with a heightened sense of smell, touch, and sound. The only one that honestly mattered right now was infact sound. My ears would hear the simple crackling noise of wood striking the sediment beneath, kicking up dirt and pebbles. This would be followed by multiple high-pitched noise akin to the same a sort of wheel contraption would make. It was not long until I would see the hazy figure of two horses pulling a caravan with assorted antiques and curios. A black figure, presumably a man in some sort of unrevealling gaurd would give me a quick glance before whipping his horse's into shape.

He or whatever it was, was the first living thing I had saw for since my extensive search of the abandoned area of Mizu No Kuni. It was rather delightful, to say the least, and I obviously had to inquire somethings from him. Raising to my feet, I would make haste to catch up with the caravan. As soon as I was close enough he could clearly see me, I called out to him while simaltaneously wavering my left hand, the hand which harbored my single hand-mouth, in a flashy motion, making sure he knew what and who I was.

"Excuse me good sir, have you happened to stumble across any... wanderers in your recent journey through this area?

[Messatsu!]

The caravan continued on, ceasing to stop for no one or anything, truly unwavering in its path, or so it seemed. The chuunins presence went unnoticed, all until he forced his presence onto the hooded mans senses, damn near stepping in front of the gaiting horses, causing them to instinctively stop. Though the majority of his countenance remained hidden beneath the darkness of his hooded robe, his eyes locked perfectly onto the mans waving hand, quickly deducing his functions and nature - he couldn't believe it. That hand, a hand he had not laid eyes upon since his days as a mere child. A genteel hand outwardly reached and had begun to rub the horses flesh as a means to sooth their souls. He calmed them down relatively easy before speaking through the darkness of his hooded robe.

"Young lad, that hand, Might you be a descendant of the Kibaku-Nendo clan? Yes, without a doubt you are, no normal ninja would have such a hand unless transplanted! Do you mind if I examine your hand briefly? I'm a retired medical ninja, but never before in my days have I had the opportunity to analyze a hand of this nature."

[Bombshell]

This mysterious caravan owner had met my greeting with a more than appropriate answer, for he had seemed to take much interest in my hand. I couldn't blame him, my blood was very scarce in this world, and it wasn't everyday you stumbled across such a trait. I nodded my head giving him the permission to examine my hand. Nevertheless, I'd keep my gaurd up, for with coveted techniques and abilities came the envious eyes and sticky hands of individuals whom lusted over their power.

He examined it thoroughly, I found it peculiar the great joy he found in fiddling with the mouth, as many found it quite grotesque. As he examined my hand-mouth and I basked in praise, I would remeber the whole reason I summoned his presence in the first place. Frankly, in my slight arrogance, my true intentions had momentarily slipped my mind. I would hastily get back on track and once again urge the question I had asked just minutes ago.

Ehm, sir, although I will allow you to analyze my hand to your hearts content, I ask of you one favor. If you have any knowledge, any of an old hermit whom shares my traits, could you be so kind to share it with me?