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Resisting the inclination to frown as Revāj began rambling again, the young iryou-nin weighed his options carefully, evaluating the pros and cons of assisting the old man with his predicament. For all he knew, "something out of the ordinary" by the standards of fishermen could very well be a larger-than-average flounder they snagged in one of the fishing nets by accident. Rael did not believe for a minute that he was the only one to be given the previous spiel; someone needed both eyes and half their brain checked. However, if there was even a grain of truth to what the man was saying...

"Thank you for your generous offer, elder Revāj, but that will not be necessary. If this "Gariantou" is really there as you say, I will find it and bring it back for you."

As the old man further explained himself, Rael's face adopted a thoughtful expression. From what he recalled of the geography around Mizu no Kuni, there were five miniature islands situated to the west currently under the Water Daimyo's rule; any further risked encroaching on Kumo territory. He could only imagine what they would think about a fishing vessel from the water country steering around on their turf. His last trip there ended without stirring up trouble with the locals; he would like to keep it that way.

If any of the the "pearls and crystals" were left salvageable in the aforementioned cavern, not all ransacked by Revāj's fishermen friends, it might bring in a tidy profit that could be used to fund the improvements Rael had in mind for Kiri's third-rate hospitals. After seeing the desolate state of those in Kumo, the young medic had no desire to see the same poverty befall his own village. If this prized 'Garian Blade' was there as well, that was just a bonus; he should like to see this legendary weapon for himself.

The atmosphere was tense as they waited at the bottom of the spiraling staircase, waiting for feedback from Kagirinai's advance scout. It was a bit more time-consuming, having to let his ally's summon explore the area first before moving in. Then again, better to risk sacrificing one of them, as opposed to either of the Genin losing an arm or leg. As it turned out, their time and caution was well worth it, from what Kaginirai relayed seeing through his creature's eyes. According to his recount, given the youth's unimpressive height, Rael might be able to substitute crouching in lieu of going prone and wriggling his way up the steps. Keeping three feet behind his partner, in case they needed room to maneuver backward, the two slowly began their ascent.

Whoever this 'Soken' character is, he's quite good at setting traps. For an amateur.

Even hunched over like this, there were just inches to spare between the hump of his back and the bottom edges of these strange mechanisms. The flaw with these wall-lined traps, consisting of multiple holes at waist level and spanning one meter wide next to them, was that they could be seen relatively early, giving perpetrators like themselves plenty of time to react. No doubt inside each of the slim openings on their left, either a long blade or some other spring-loaded projectile was waiting to be triggered, looking to impale the two Kiri-nin against the opposite wall. However, Soken was out of luck if he thought such things would delay them for long.

Following the snake user's instructions, Rael kept his body as low to the ground as possible while they climbed. He noticed before it was too late that, contrary to his initial assumption, simply hunching over would not lower the spine of his back enough to avoid the presumably motion-sensitive devices. Getting down on his hands and knees, it became possible to do an awkward four-legged walk up the steps. Kagirinai made it past the meter-long death trap without setting any of them off, and Rael soon followed, straightening from his uncomfortable posture once he was in the clear.

"That was surprisingly ea-"

Whatever else he was about to say was drowned out, as the sound of something massive crashing down at the top of the third floor reverberated throughout the entire complex, and began to increase in volume at an alarming rate. Whatever it was, the spiraling steps made it easy for the thing to pick up more and more speed without losing any of its momentum. The sound completely bypassed the entrance into floor two, and continued on down towards them. Bursting in view, an enormous boulder rolled into view, filling the entire narrow staircase as it headed straight for them, in an attempt to either crush the pair of Genin, or force them right back onto the traps they'd just avoided.

Bokuto
Rank: C
Type: Primary / Sword / Melee
Description: Also common referred to as "bokken," this weapon is a sword made of wood whose primary purpose is for training. It is usually shaped to look like a katana, but can also be shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tanto. Although normally very basic, they also come in more ornamental designs, boasting elaborate carvings and jewels.
Cost: 5,000 Ryo

Fuuma Shuriken [1 pack]
Rank: B
Type: Secondary / Melee + Ranged
Special: 1 per pack
Description: Named after the famous clan, the Fūma Shuriken is a large, four-bladed shuriken possessing pre-eminent sharpness and lethality. Its four blades can be collapsed for easy storage, leading to its nickname, the 'Shadow Windmill'. In its folded state, all four arms of the shuriken are folded together. When fully unfolded, the large shuriken can be thrown through the air causing great damage.
Cost: 1,000 Ryo per pack

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Total: 5,000 + 1,000 = 6,000
Sellback Value: 6,000 / 2 = 3,000 ryō to be added to sidebar

Maintaining his polite demeanor, Rael was puzzled as to why this elderly gentleman could be seeking him out. His only defining trait these days was a talent for medical ninjutsu, and while he would be more than happy to provide any help he could with treating someone, the Genin also suspected that was not the reason this 'Revāj' character wanted him for. Especially since he needed to confirm the boy's status as a shinobi of Kiri, much less an iryou-nin specifically. Nonetheless, he nodded in assent to the man's silent beckon for him to follow, and they made their way back up to the top of the hill.

If Revāj indeed lived here, he did so under very spartan conditions. Granted, he had not seen the cabin's interior, but the Genin believed it would make little sense to splurge on commodities of luxury in this setting. The campfire was already burning away as they arrived, suggesting his unforeseen host either had it running before coming down to greet him, or there was at least one other individual missing from the scene. No one else was in sight, but that was not to say they couldn't be busy elsewhere inside the cabin.

As they moved over to the campfire, Rael waited for his older companion to sit down first, a bit perplexed when they left the nearby rock available for him, Revāj seating himself on the ground Revāj. The Genin inclined his head, then carefully seated himself on his knees a bit away next to the elderly gentleman; it would be impossibly rude to accept the substitute chair while his senior lacked one. He listened in rapt attention as the other party spoke, then responded in turn.

"My name is Rael, Revāj-sama, and I'm afraid this is the first time I've heard of such a weapon. Please, enlighten me." Aside from the fabled blades wielded by the renowned Seven Mist Swordsmen, he had never before heard of any other so-called 'relics', despite knowing they must exist. Did this have anything to do with the favor Revāj wanted from him?

...Why do I have the feeling I learned nothing new from him after all that.

Taking the cue to back off for now, assuaged by the knowledge they would continue their conversation on the subject at a later date, the pair continued on. Jett eventually halted, spying the small campsite their targets made for themselves. Eight of them in total, just like it mentioned in the report. Strangely enough, all of them were more or less crowded around the campfire, without even having someone on watch. Despite this scenario swinging in their favor, a single explosive-tagged kunai might not be enough to catch them all in the blast radius. Not unless he found a way to bring them all just a little bit closer.

Dropping down from their treetop cover without a sound, Rael looked at the other Genin's squiggly drawing, raising an eyebrow but made no comment. Before he could offer a suggestion for their next course of action, the crunch of footsteps approached the bush they hid behind. He instinctively lay low, trusting Jett to do the same as they waited with bated breath to see what would transpire. They didn't have to wait long, before they heard the sound of a fly being unzipped, and a content sigh followed by the unmistakable sound of someone answering nature's call. The smell was repulsive, made even worse by the stream of urine missing the two Genin by mere feet. However, it presented them with a new window of opportunity as well.

Peeking out through the small sliver of space between the ground and the bottom of the bush, Rael ascertained none of the seated bandits were looking at their accomplice before making his move. A dark-blue glow of chakra surrounded his right hand, and Rael darted forward from his crouched position, shoving his arm straight through the bush separating them. The tip of his knife-hand jab caught the straggler right in the throat, denying him the ability to even emit a death rattle as he began to collapse. Rael quickly hauled the dead man over to their side before his body hitting the floor attracted anyone's attention, laying the corpse down on the grass.

Unbuttoning the dead male's shirt and shoving it to one side, Rael's fingers slipped into his weapon satchel and brought out two explosion notes, slapping them on the body's front and back respectively. He turned to Jett and nodded once, knowing the other Genin would get the drift.

---

^{1. Chakra no Mesu [Chakra Scalpel] // A-Rank // [x1 Mid]}

Perhaps he was not so alienated after all, if Rael's earliest efforts were beginning to yield results, albeit just a little at a time. Should this trend of theirs with partnering up continue on in the future, it might strange if they shared nothing more a few lines each months down the line, barely more knowledgeable of the other than when they first began. Rael was not looking to make 'bosom buddies' anytime soon, but comrades and especially teammates ought to understand their unique circumstances a bit better than strangers.

The older teen's guess was good, although he was only half correct. "Haha...close. I was born in Snow Country, but neither of my parents were; the white hair is likely just coincidence. No, they came from even further to the north, beyond the chartered 'shinobi lands'." Any further information he kept to himself, not out of reluctance to share, but because he was still uncertain about a number of things. Too many questions, and too few answers.

"How about yourself? At your age, you probably had a couple different paths laid out; what inspired you to pick the life of a ninja?"

He was genuinely curious about why someone well into their teenage years would decide to follow this route. It was exponentially harder to learn ninjutsu once past their prepubescent year. Not just psychologically, but because a person approaching adulthood had a much more rigid and fully-developed chakra coil system. Children held a significant advantage, as their bodies could undergo vast changes to adapt to their growing power.

Of course, this was all based on the assumption that Jett had not been a shinobi prior to coming here. Whether or not the older Genin had been telling the truth, back when he divulged this information during their session with the troublemakers, was anyone's guess. He was willing to give the teen the benefit of the doubt.

Hrm, we should be coming up on point soon.