The Land of Rivers, Sundered

[Kuroda Uchiha]

    The crossing through Yosuga Pass went without problems. Kuroda admittedly knew little about this land, and had fought in several battles against the shinobi clans of the Wind in this nation. Being sandwiched between the two great nations, the country had been subject to many bloody battles. The nations own people seldomly had peace of their own, and with the war's end it had become clear that they would struggle to repair the great damage done to their lands.

    Hana and Yagura too walked in relative silence, a measure of penance for the destruction the Uchiha had done upon this place to defeat their enemies. Their current route took the party of five shinobi through the countryside. Kuroda knew some of the way, but it was more likely that soon enough they would have to rely on Yōsuru for their guidance.

    "This country is beautiful. I am happy for its people that it survived the war. But..." Kuroda could see the distant silhouette of a town that had been destroyed. "I wonder how their Daimyo plans to restore what they've lost."

---

Kuroda:
Items: Shinobi Armor, Elite Shinobi Armor, Forehead Protector, Chakra Armor, Chakra Meteorite
WC: 182

Minions:
Hana Uchiha
Yagura Uchiha

[Yōsuru Shin]

It likely wouldn't be long before the group realised that Yōsuru had stopped. The older Shinobi stood completely still, misty grey eyes taking in the surroundings. The people, the destruction, the lack of hope in their eyes. It wasn't like the Land of Fire, these people didn't have the resources needed to recover so swiftly from a war of such magnitude. They just had to suffer while the two great nations that bordered them looked the other way. After all, they were merely a buffer state within the scope of the grand game.

He had been here before, many times. It was the most common staging ground for battles between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. Skirmish after skirmish had taken place here. With no thought for the destruction or the civilian casualties that would remain in their wake. But what could this place do? If they kicked up a fuss they would be stomped into the dirt by the greater powers, that was simply the way of things.

"Over a year...and it's like the war ended yesterday." He muttered to himself, only snapping out of his memories when he noticed the group was waiting for him. "Ah, why not rest here for a spell? Stock up on food and provisions before bracing the desert?" He suggests, gesturing to the nearby town.

[Arata Namikaze]

HP: 460 (560 w/ C.A.)| Chakra: 24 | Regen: 7/post

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TAGS: Kuroda Uchiha Yōsuru Shin

---

NOTES: Notes here

The five shinobi had spent the better part of the day walking, snaking their way down out of the mountains and hills which divided the Land of Rivers from the Land of Fire. It was a beautiful trail—steep, to be sure, but beautiful nonetheless. Now, entering the river valley which was dotted with villages, Arata and his travelling companions began to see the less-than-beautiful side of the small nation.

Even from a distance, he could see that the towns of the valley were mostly abandoned: empty shells of what they once were. Prominent buildings lay in disrepair, burnt or toppled to the ground. Years of warfare would do that to a land like this. Those who could flee had fled long ago.

Those who had stayed, though—that’s what worried and saddened him.

Arata stopped and turned, noticing that Yōsuru had done the same. He frowned at the Shin leader’s suggestion. “I would prefer not to linger here,” he said softly. “This is a desperate place. We will find more trouble than rest—especially if we spend too much time in any of these towns. Let’s get what we need and be on our way.”

Glancing at Kuroda, he added, “I do not know about the daimyo here, but…” He sighed. “Whoever came into power here did so in the context of a war-torn nation. They have likely stayed in power by keeping it war-torn.” The young Namikaze had never been much of a fan of any daimyo. They had always left a sour taste in his mouth. Recent events had made that distaste even more pronounced. Truthfully, he had never heard of what the local lord of the Land of Rivers was like, but he had little doubt in his mind about the kind of person they were.

Made by Zeref of THQ

[Kuroda Uchiha]

    Kuroda grimaces as he gazes out at the distant town.

    "I agree with Arata." Yagura says, tipping his straw hat up to look around. "We Uchiha most likely wont be particularly welcome in these parts. Our hands were in the destruction of some of these towns during the war, in as much as was the hand of our enemies."

    "We will still need to provision for the journey." Hana says neutrally. "But, should we not also offer our help to some of these towns?"

    "Probably not." Kuroda says, though grudgingly. "These people need more than the small handouts we would be able to offer. If we start trying to solve all of their problems, we'd never leave."

    Yagura and Hana both seem to agree, though Hana looks uncomfortable with the thought. Kuroda turns to Yōsuru and Arata.

    "I offer a compromise - we gather some supplies for the road, but we do find a place to rest for the night." Kuroda offers. "We can most likely cover another ten miles before the sun begins to set."

---

WC: 176

[Yōsuru Shin]

"Desperate indeed, so it would do us no harm to support some of the local businesses with our coin. That is all I ask." Yōsuru replies, his usual dry but cheery demeanour returning to him once again as he shook off whatever had been clouding his thoughts prior. "I wouldn't worry yourself too much Yagura..." He replies to the sullen Uchiha, turning his head to face him slightly. "If they rejected the patronage of everyone who'd had a hand in destroying this place, they'd have no business." He takes a few steps onward, guiding the group further along their journey. Once they found a clump of businesses that is when he would stop and suggest stocking up. "Though on that note, you might be harder to recognise if you didn't brand every piece of clothing with the Uchiha symbol." He smirks gently, nodding to Yagura's coat. It was true, when compared to Yōsuru's own style of dress, there was a clear distinction. Nothing the older Shinobi wore denoted his status as a Shin, it barely even denoted his status as a Shinobi, most of his combat equipment was hidden under his large poncho. He appeared more like a homeless vagrant than anything.

As they continued he would pause again. "Arata, would you mind taking point for a moment." If the other man agreed he would fall back a bit until he was walking in tandem with Hana. "You have a kind heart." He murmurs quietly, so hopefully the others couldn't hear. "I agree we can't stay long and fix everything, but if you spot a small kindness we can perform. I am happy to assist." 

Perhaps he was similarly a bleeding hearts type of person. Or maybe he just had a guilty conscience he wished to soothe.

[Arata Namikaze]

HP: 460 (560 w/ C.A.)| Chakra: 24 | Regen: 7/post

---

TAGS: Kuroda Uchiha Yōsuru Shin

---

NOTES: Notes here

Arata raised an eyebrow, looking at Yōsuru with a sidelong glance. Yōsuru seemed to understand well enough that the party didn’t want to invite danger. After all, he wasn’t entirely wrong to point out the prominent Uchiha crests which decorated the backs of three of their companions. However, the Shin was, perhaps, too kind-hearted. That was not a bad thing, of course. Kindness was often the wisest path of action. In the current situation, though…kindness could quickly be misinterpreted as weakness. And any perceived weakness invited more than its fair share of trouble. More so than Uchiha crests, even.

“Hm,” he nodded as Yōsuru asked him to take the lead, sliding ahead of the rest of the party. “A place to spend the night and restock would be good, even if we are trying to keep a low profile. Unless the Land of Wind has changed recently, I remember the inns becoming less and less frequent as one journeys into the desert.”

The five travelled along for several more miles, the sun crawling its way down toward the horizon. Finally, as the light started to fade, they came to a small village. Some of the buildings were burnt, and others had gaping holes in roof, but many of them were in relatively decent shape. A few beggars lingered on the street. All in all, it was quiet—small and largely forgotten. A simple inn stood at the top of the hill which the village was built upon. “Perfect,” Arata spoke, voicing his opinions on where they would potentially spend the night.

Made by Zeref of THQ

[Kuroda Uchiha]

    Yagura looked bothered by Yōsuru's jape about the Uchiha Clan's symbol being emblazoned on their clothes.

    "I agree to some extent," Yagura replies grumpily. "But while we live, we honor our clan and our ancestors by displaying our symbol. The Uchiha-"

    "Thank you, Yōsuru, your advice is greatly appreciated." Kuroda interrupts, knowing Yagura was about to go into a lengthy mixture of reprimand and history that, most likely, would do nothing in favor or against their situation. Better to nip Yagura's behavior now than let him go off for ten minutes. "Fortunately, we can simply slip our hats back, and they will cover the symbol if there's any concerns of drawing unwanted attention."

    Kuroda points at Yagura warningly, and the latter seems to almost pout. Still, he relents.

    "To ourr knowledge, no one knows that we are travelling." Kuroda continues. "So long as we do not antagonize the locals, I'm sure we can pass through without issue."

    As they walk, Yōsuru moves back to walk with Hana, seeming to sympathize with her moral plight.

    "Thank you. I don't think we can solve the bigger issues, but I can't pass by without doing something." Hana replies.

    "Be careful about helping people." Yagura warns, turning slightly to glance at them. "Helping is the right thing to do, I can't deny that - but timing and location matter. If you feed one starving person, but don't notice the other four people also starving and watch from behind shadows and cover, your kindness can become the point of violent jealousy."

    Yagura grimaces.

    "I've seen it many times. Bread given to children during the war, only to find out later as we passed back through that the children had been killed. All over a loaf of bread meant to help them." Yagura says grimly.

    "Thank you, Yagura." Kuroda grumbles. "That was appropriately depressing for you to mention. Let's drop the subject for now - if we can help in small ways, we will. We can't rebuild their nation, but we can at least show compassion. We just need to know the limits of what we can do for these people."

    Kuroda looks forward as the approach a damaged town.

    "...I already struggle with unrealistic thoughts of altruism as it is..." he says, more to himself than to the others.

---

WC: 385

[Yōsuru Shin]

"Don't allow grim pragmatism to dissuade you." Yōsuru advised, looking directly at Yagura as he spoke. "We won't change the world in a night, but sometimes you just need to offer someone the opportunity to be human, and they will surprise you." He smiles gently before moving away from Hana and returning to his position near the front.

"Oh and remind me not to invite you to any parties Yagura, not if that's your preferred topic of conversation." He teases gently, before feeling an almost karmic flare up of pain by his ankle. "Gah!" He sucks in air through his teeth as he stumbles and grips his leg. Thinking fast he brushes his sandal quickly before getting up and trying not to appear in too much pain. "I suppose I deserved that, sharp rock in my sandal." He sighs, looking around as they approach the damaged town. It seemed someone was still running something of a general goods store here. It seemed he might need to make a purchase.

"Forgive me, I'll be back in a moment. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves." He grins, trying his best not to hobble as he walks towards the store, trying to suppress the flaring pain in his lower leg. It felt like his body was trying to eat him alive from the inside out.

The bell rang as he opened the door. And the shopkeeper seemed momentarily surprised to see someone they didn't immediately recognise. "Greetings..." Yōsuru grins weakly. "I don't suppose you sell walking canes. I'm planning a bit of a hike and...these old bones you know?" 

It doesn't take long for the shopkeeper to find something for them. It wasn't like they had a large selection, but they did have a staff from a while back that had apparently been imported from the Land of Fire and crafted from their strongest trees. At least that's what Yōsuru was told. 

He grabs a few more necessary supplies, just to make sure they were stocked up. He pays a little bit extra before he leaves. Using the walking stick as a support to not put too much strain on his legs. The pain would stop in a bit, but he didn't want to be toppling over in the middle of the desert.

He walks back over to the group and smiles. "Grabbed us some extra bits and pieces, and got this for a nice price. Suits me, don't you think?" He asks the group, posing slightly with his newly acquired cane.

[Arata Namikaze]

HP: 460 (560 w/ C.A.)| Chakra: 24 | Regen: 7/post

---

TAGS: Yōsuru Shin Kuroda Uchiha

---

NOTES: Notes here

Arata raised an eyebrow at Yōsuru’s new acquisition. The Shin had not struck him as the sort of shinobi which cared for pieces of flare. Had he bought a cane for some practical use? Had the ‘rock’ in his sandal been something a little more serious? If so, that was of some concern to the rest of the group. Desert guides needed to be healthy to lead anyone—especially new travelers—through the dangers of the Land of Wind. A hobbling Yōsuru would be dangerous to the whole group. More than that, though, Arata felt a twinge of worry for his new friend. He had not known Yōsuru for long, but he didn’t want to see the man suffer. Perhaps it was just a decorative cane after all; yes, that would be for the best. He would ask the man about it later.

“We have a few hours before sundown,” Arata commented, turning to the rest of the group. “But I suppose it’s never too early to secure a room for the night. Should we see what that inn has to offer? Then perhaps we could round up some food.” The inn itself was simple, but it seemed like it would be a nice place to stay. Placed on top of a hill, it would also offer them a good view of the rest of the little village. Surely somewhere along the main stretch of road would advertise some sort of food.

Made by Zeref of THQ

[Kuroda Uchiha]

    Yagura seemed to consider Yōsuru's response briefly before saying anything in return. In his experience, giving to some often bred jealousy, especially in a country torn to pieces by war, like the Land of Rivers. But Yōsuru had more life experience, or perhaps had seen more examples of good natured folk. In either case, Yagura does not argue Yōsuru's point. He only grunts and offers a curt nod.

    When Yōsuru suddenly yelped, all three Uchiha stop to look at the man with differing levels of concern. He blamed it on a rock, but the limp was still visible, despite his efforts to mask it. When the start into the ravaged town, Yōsuru splits from the party to enter a store.

    "...I didn't notice an injury." Kuroda says, gazing at the store door. He looks at Arata, as the two seemed to have met at another point before this trek, but the look of confused concern made Kuroda believe that the man knew about as much as Kuroda did - next to nothing.

    It wasn't long before Yōsuru returned, sporting a cane. He also had some additional supplies, which would certainly come in handy down the road.

    "I think that may be best. I don't know if there will be one still in operation, but it wouldn't hurt to inquire." Kuroda says in response to Arata. Kuroda looks down the street, and spots a few folk who were standing aside of the dirt road. Their clothes are modest, but a bit dirty and worn. Kuroda approaches them.

    "Excuse me, we are looking for a place to potentially stay the night?" he asks.

    After a few minutes, Kuroda returns to the group.

    "There is an inn a few streets away." he says. "But I was told not to expect much in the way of service."

---

WC: 308

[Yōsuru Shin]

"Aye rest! Rest will do us all some good." He nods. "The desert road is long and cruel. And rest won't be as abundant as before. We'd do well to try and get the best night's sleep we can manage." He explains, walking just a few paces behind Kuroda as the other man asks around for the location of an inn or other house of rest they could patronise during their stay.

He'd made a wise choice purchasing the walking cane. He could brace himself on it a bit and take some of the strain off his lower legs. Though he was definitely eager to spend the night so he could try and figure out a temporary fix before they reached the Land of Wind. The last thing he wanted was for his legs to give out in the dunes and him become a useless lump of meat.

Eventually, someone pointed the Uchiha in the right direction, and following his lead Yōsuru would head to the nearby inn. Lack of service was fine, as long as they had room for them to sleep.

Wherever they wound up. Yōsuru would get the food situation sorted out first, and then advise an early night for all of them. They had quite the journey ahead of them.

EXIT for the purpose of thread conclusion even though Yōsuru is physically still with the group.

[Arata Namikaze]

HP: 460 (560 w/ C.A.)| Chakra: 24 | Regen: 7/post

---

TAGS: Kuroda Uchiha Yōsuru Shin

---

NOTES: EXIT

Kuroda was correct: the inn that the group found themselves at had little to offer in the way of service. The innkeeper, a stocky woman named Etsuko, seemed to possess a perpetual scowl. She had the eyes of someone who had spent far too long doing what she was currently doing—tired and unimpressed. The accommodations themselves matched Etsuko’s attitude. The furnishing in their rooms was spartan at best: a simple desk, a chair, and two beds with paper-thin mattresses on top of them.

Still, the roof above them was mostly intact and they had a relatively safe space to spend the night. For shinobi, everything else was a mere luxury. A bed, however simple it was, was not always a guarantee.

After the group got settled in and rounded up some dinner, Arata turned in early. A long first day on the road was doable—but several weeks of such days would need him to keep up his strength. As he blew out his lamp, he thought of the tragedies which had brought the Land of Rivers to her current state. One day, something would have to be done to atone for the sins of the past. He drifted off to sleep with a ball of frustration being passed around his mind, pulling at the question from multiple angles.

Made by Zeref of THQ

[Kuroda Uchiha]

    Yes, rest would do them good. On that, everyone in this party was of agreement. Kuroda and Hana were able to take a room for themselves, and with some haggling, Yagura was able to secure the room directly across theirs. Always a man of just in case mind set.

    Kuroda sat on the low set bed, and looks out through the cracked window. A notion in the back of his mind still bothered him - Yōsuru's words from weeks before. Offering what the Shin Clan knew of the Sharingan. Observations in battle could be made, but not really specifics. Was it possible that the Shin had obtained Sharingan from fallen Uchiha during the war?

    It wasn't an impossible notion. And with their abilities, or the kind Yōsuru claimed they had, they could even have found a way to use any Sharingan they obtained, if they had done so at all. But, it was not something to become wary of Yōsuru over, since that information was exactly what was being offered to Kuroda as part of a bargain towards an alliance.

    As Kuroda lay down pulling Hana close for a hopefully restful night, the Uchiha Clan Head wondered at how many potential friends had been lost that they could have had; if not for that damned war...

---

WC: 218

Exit!

5 posts!

[TimeCraked]

Kuroda Uchiha you gain 8 XP! (0 > 8)
Yōsuru Shin you gain 7 XP! (20 > 27)
Arata Namikaze you gain 7 XP! (0 > 7)