[121 / 1 / 1]
Quoted By:
In this world, you are a rare case.
You were born and raised in a village whose residents all hailed from the same clan, one which possessed a power and a ferocity which made it feared by those living outside. Everyone in this village, from the elders to the clan leader right down to the children, was a natural-born killer – in that sense, you aren’t so special.
“Ryō-kun,” the leader told you just yesterday with a wide grin, “all you have to do out there tomorrow is follow your instincts… don’t think, just kill!”
Well, when the village settled on picking a fight with one of the five great powers of this world your instincts told you that it was a stupid idea. That little voice inside your head was screaming that invading Kirigakure was a stupid idea that was going to get you all killed, so that was the feeling you went with even if it made a lot of your clansmen pretty mad.
But you stood your ground.
They were so confident in their raw power and ferocity that they never questioned the wisdom of the plan… to the degree there was one. Your own parents even promised to come home and “deal with you” later, which of course was a threat born of complete delusion. And even if you doubt that they’ll ever make good on their threat, you have no doubt that once Kirigakure manages to get over the shock of the attack they’ll be calling on your village soon.
Your hair and the markings on your forehead are easy enough to get rid of. Even if you cut those things away to disguise your bloodline hair and flesh grow back. But after scraping together what little money exists in your village and packing away some dried food and water, you decide not to burn the village itself. Wiser maybe to ignore that first instinct and not leave any obvious signs that anyone was left behind to survive.
…
Thankfully you were able to sneak aboard a boat under the cover of night. You’re able to hide yourself away deep below the decks, in a cold and dark corner behind some barrels that don’t look like they’ve been moved for months. You may not know where the boat is going, but anywhere is better than where you’re running from.
… probably.
At some point there’s a storm, or at least you assume there is based on the violent rolling and the groaning and creaking of the timbers. Seasickness is an experience which quickly loses its novelty value, though it does drive home the point that even if your body is incredibly tough you’re far from invincible.
But all storms pass eventually, and this one is no different. You have no way to know how long you were at sea, but the stillness of the water and the bustle above your hiding place tells you when you finally reach land. Voices call to haul out cargo, and after very nearly being caught a couple of times you manage to slip out in the rush of activity.
>1/2
You were born and raised in a village whose residents all hailed from the same clan, one which possessed a power and a ferocity which made it feared by those living outside. Everyone in this village, from the elders to the clan leader right down to the children, was a natural-born killer – in that sense, you aren’t so special.
“Ryō-kun,” the leader told you just yesterday with a wide grin, “all you have to do out there tomorrow is follow your instincts… don’t think, just kill!”
Well, when the village settled on picking a fight with one of the five great powers of this world your instincts told you that it was a stupid idea. That little voice inside your head was screaming that invading Kirigakure was a stupid idea that was going to get you all killed, so that was the feeling you went with even if it made a lot of your clansmen pretty mad.
But you stood your ground.
They were so confident in their raw power and ferocity that they never questioned the wisdom of the plan… to the degree there was one. Your own parents even promised to come home and “deal with you” later, which of course was a threat born of complete delusion. And even if you doubt that they’ll ever make good on their threat, you have no doubt that once Kirigakure manages to get over the shock of the attack they’ll be calling on your village soon.
Your hair and the markings on your forehead are easy enough to get rid of. Even if you cut those things away to disguise your bloodline hair and flesh grow back. But after scraping together what little money exists in your village and packing away some dried food and water, you decide not to burn the village itself. Wiser maybe to ignore that first instinct and not leave any obvious signs that anyone was left behind to survive.
…
Thankfully you were able to sneak aboard a boat under the cover of night. You’re able to hide yourself away deep below the decks, in a cold and dark corner behind some barrels that don’t look like they’ve been moved for months. You may not know where the boat is going, but anywhere is better than where you’re running from.
… probably.
At some point there’s a storm, or at least you assume there is based on the violent rolling and the groaning and creaking of the timbers. Seasickness is an experience which quickly loses its novelty value, though it does drive home the point that even if your body is incredibly tough you’re far from invincible.
But all storms pass eventually, and this one is no different. You have no way to know how long you were at sea, but the stillness of the water and the bustle above your hiding place tells you when you finally reach land. Voices call to haul out cargo, and after very nearly being caught a couple of times you manage to slip out in the rush of activity.
>1/2
