If there was something that Iwagakure no Sato lacked, it was trees. The village didn't seem fit to growing many types of vegetation besides small bushes and ferns. It was a tragedy, really, since it had such nice waterfalls in its surrounding areas that made for a rather picturesque scene. It also made Kyo wonder how the village had survived long enough to thrive. After all, without fertile ground for agriculture, their food supplies were likely limited to what they could hunt and gather. Though such things merited research, she certainly wouldn't be the one to do it. Maybe in another life she could have become a scholar. For now, she would simply enjoy herself in the beautiful dusk light that the sun now offered.

This time of day was perfect for appreciating the view of Iwagakure. The temperature was neither too hot nor too cold and the lighting the sun provided gave the buildings and cliffs an ethereal glow. The village almost seemed supernatural. It made Kyo smile, though faintly. What made the moment better was the fact that she had been able to create a small forest for herself. Though it was void of the usual life she enjoyed so much, it was at least a comforting taste of home. Feeding off of her chakra instead of the nutrients from the ground, the trees could survive long enough for her to enjoy a few hours alone before she started to grow tired.

A branch extended from her periphery, offering her a cup of freshly brewed green tea. Usually, such duties were the responsibility of Kyo's pet turtle, who had insisted on staying indoors tonight to prepare dinner. Where the tree had gotten such a thing was simple: at a nearby store, where it pointed at the order and handed the cashier the exact change. By now, the people of Iwagakure had likely seen stranger things than a tree ordering tea or random forests appearing out of thin air. While odd rumors flew here and there over the cause of such things, those knowledgeable enough cam to the conclusion that a very odd Senju must be in town. That was, in fact the case.

Kyo was currently spending an extended vacation in Iwagakure and was enjoying herself quite a bit - even though anyone who saw her would believe that she had no emotions at all. Still, she rarely ever concerned herself with people. She very much preferred the company of trees and had ever since she was a child. People were far too complicated. In comparison, nature was simple to deal with and react to. Treat it kindly and with respect and it would do the same for you. These words could not be said for humans more often than not. Greed and desire for personal gain often trumped empathy and kindness. Kyo had seen it happen one too many times - enough to expect it and grow accustomed to it.

From what she saw now, she thought it likely that she had at least another half an hour before the sun set entirely behind the mountains surrounding Iwagakure. She took a sip from her tea and sighed happily. She could grow used to this, and actually had in the past couple of weeks. However, duty would soon call and she would see herself going back to Konohagakure to take care of her duties as a Jounin. Now that the Hokage was here, though, she supposed she could go back with his caravan and make much dreaded introductions. After all, the last time he had served the village so many years ago, she had still been a child. Now, she was old enough and strong enough to take on missions for the betterment of her home. She could only wonder now what kind of leadership Inuzuka Kenta would bring with him this time around.

[WC: 647]

It was a quite lovely day, or at least in the mind of many, what with the sun being out and about, shining and generally giving off good vibes. And among them, going for a long stroll, a large man and his pet bear were strolling around. The bear in question was merely a young one. Slightly older than a cub, although rather chubby for whatever its age was. Its fur was a light caramel colour, with a patch of white fur at its snout and belly. Finally, as if the final detail about the bears appearance, around its neck was the Iwagakure forehead protector, hanging loosely as if it were akin to a scarf. Meanwhile, walking alongside the bear rather casually, was a giant of a man. Standing at six foot five inches, the tremendous muscles of the odd man were covered only by a long sleeved, white flowing jacket. His hands, hairy, were tipped with long claw like features, more akin to a beast than to normal fingernails. Hair covered legs were covered only above the knee by black shorts, clawed feet covered and protected by black shinobi training sandals. Beneath his jacket, covering his chest, a black vest top was, contrasting starkly with the white of his jacket. The man’s hair was black, and sharp, as if he’d just put his hand on a weather vane and been struck by lightning, while his eyes were more… Dopey, like someone who didn’t think of too many things at once. Upon his chin lie a small, sharp, black goatee, and most odd about him was probably the sheer amount of body hair he had. The rather large, obnoxious man was Oki of the Kuma clan. His bear friend, Debu.

The duo continued their afternoon walk, hoping to have it finished before the sun completely set and then be on their way home. Although such a train of thought in Oki’s mind ground to a halt upon a sight that piqued quite a bit of curiosity in the bear man’s mind. At the notable cliff faces of Iwagakure, a cliff known for its great view, was something that was without a doubt not usually there… In fact, not usually anywhere in Iwagakure. Trees. The stark green of the tree leaves stood out particularly, as otherwise Iwagakure was just a large amount of brown and grey. Why were there suddenly trees at the top of the cliff? Mere curiosity grew to complete interest, and suddenly the man found himself running towards the cliff, excitement clouding his logical judgement. His bear companion ran alongside him, before jumping onto his back, not wanting to go through too much effort and wanting the man to carry it instead. Surprisingly, without even questioning it, the man just adjusted his posture to carry the bear, then stepped up the cliff face, looking up at it rather enthusiastically.

Focusing chakra into the soles of his feet, Oki suddenly took off into a sprint, keeping a tight hold on Debu as he kept up a full sprint up the rocky surface. His pace wasn’t speedy, more average, but it was fast for such a large bulk of a man with a bear currently on his back. Within a couple of minutes he’d made it to the top, panting as he carefully put the bear down on the ground, stepping forward towards the mass of trees that were suddenly there. With a grin he looked around, panting slightly as the bear simply flopped down to take a nap. Lo and behold, there was a person here! Who was enjoying a… Cup of tea? He shrugged aside the concept of thinking on it, waving rather excitedly. “Hello! Do you know why there are trees here? It is quite strange!” he called, not exactly quiet or subtle in his announcement of his presence. He really needed to work on his tact. Not that he particularly cared about that right now.

656

Chakra: 145/150 (-5 for Supernatural walking practise)

Jutsu used:

The cliff itself was surrounded by a wild forest, nurtured in the purest of chakra which was bringing it to life. Closer to where Kyo was sitting, this phrased turned quite literal. That wasn't to say that the other trees weren't alive, but these in particular were... alive - as in, they could move on their own. They produced a semblance of sounds and cries. They had a vague understanding of the world around them. It was why the young Senju enjoyed their company so much. It was like having people around if they were less annoying and knew when to shut up.

Music & Choreography:

Currently, the trees in question were swaying in tune to music that they themselves were producing. They waltzed around, hopping from the ground with their roots, in tune to the song. Their braches extended and moved beautifully as they did, complementing every step. Who knew trees could be so artistic and perfectly coordinate? They were in sync, almost as if they had practiced the choreography before. They hadn't, of course. Kyo had just created these trees a couple of hours ago. She sipped calmly on her tea, letting the smell and steam rise gently to her nose. She appreciated the moment, letting the muscles of her lips twitch to a barely perceptible smile. It was a wonderful and peaceful afternoon. One that was about to be oh so sadly interrupted. By a loud and rambunctious young man, who was currently running up the side of the cliff with his pet bear.

The trees that had been dancing in a circle around her a minute ago stopped abruptly as soon as they sensed his presence. The music disappearing into thin air along with the beautiful display of what could only be called unnatural nature. He stood in front of a still sitting Kyo, who put her cup of tea aside. Before it touched the ground, a tree with an apron and black bow tie wrapped around its trunk took it with one of its roots and placed it on the silver trey it was carrying in one of its branches. It proceeded to scuttle away as the young girl stood up. She sighed, this time, not quite content.

The boy would likely be none the wiser, however. Her expression was completely blank and void of any emotion - or at least it seemed that way. The trees, on the other hand, were tense. Their canopies swayed in short side to side motions as they scuttled around to form a protective barrier between Kyo and the newcomer. If they had had eyes, they would have glared at him. The best they could do, however, was keep up their strange little head-bob, if one could call it that.

Though Kyo appreciated the gesture, she lifted her hand. They immediately parted once again to let her through, though their postures remained tense. "I made them," she answered him simply. She didn't feel the need for further explanation. Why she had made them, how she had done so and how long they would be there were trivial and somewhat obvious matters. That, and Kyo really had no idea how to deal with people. Her conversations were short and to the point at best, awkward and seemingly rude at worst. She stood in front of the boy in an what, to anyone else, would be a very very awkward silence.

[WC: 1217]

It was baffling to the bear man, the bear not particularly caring. Music resounded throughout the area, resonating throughout the trees. It was fascinating to the genin, and he found himself looking around rather bewildered for a moment after his sudden question. Yet, it appears perhaps his question was unwanted here, the trees that were… Dancing? Well, regardless of what the trees were doing, they were certainly moving, although upon his apparent intrusion, it appears it stopped. The woman that was seated there put a cup of tea down… Which was quickly taken by a tree in an apron with a tray. Everything about the situation seemed tense, unnatural. As the woman stood up and the trees formed a living wall, a conclusion popped into Oki’s mind. He was totally in a genjutsu. So, he formed the seal for Kai, and disrupted his chakra as much as he could; nothing happened. So, he pinched himself. Still nothing happened. He looked to Debu, who looked at him like he was an idiot, and concluded finally; he had no idea what was going on.

Then once more, the unhappy trees parted, revealing the rather blank expression of the stranger. Rather blatantly, the stranger explained that she had created them. No reason why. No how. No who she was. No why they were dancing. Nothing more than a simple ‘I did it’. The genin began stroking his goatee in thought at this, not quite sure how to respond, if at all there was a way to reply to it. The awkward silence created by this strange plant lady, Oki mimicked as numerous ideas – all of which were nonsensical and idiotic – ran through his mind. Speculation on who this odd person could possibly be, what she was doing here, why she didn’t explain things. They all went through his head, a pained expression on his face being the only indicator that the rather slow individual was attempting thought.

Sensing the tension in the air, the lazy bear stood up, looking around at the scene that had unfolded. Singing trees that were apparently very sensitive to intrusion. Debu shrugged its foreleg shoulders, concluding that it had seen weirder things occur, before batting at the leg of its partner. Taking the hint, the genin snapped out of his pained thinking, deciding to break the silence with his usual, bellowing voice. “I see! So! That means you are a fellow ninja! Wonderful! Then allow me to introduce myself! I am Oki of the Kuma clan! And this little guy with me is my companion and best friend, Debu!” he gave a thumbs up towards the creepy tree lady, before nodding. “So! Who are you, quiet plant person?” he wasn’t subtle, in any way shape or form, and at his inability to properly take the hint from the bear, Debu rolled its eyes, and plopped down once more with a thud.  It was far too long of a day to be dealing with Oki’s stupidity.

So, with a shrug, the bear went to walk away from the bear man, at least enough of a gap away that Debu wouldn’t get hit if something happened. Or at least, that’s what he tried to do, Oki noticing and picking him up as if he was a cat or something, holding him in his arms with a jolly grin. “Oh! Also, how did you make the trees! It is a very cool thing!” he added, feeling quite scientific in his description. Very cool thing. Such a wordsmith.

586 + 656 = 1242

Chakra: 105/150 (-40 for Genjutsu kai of max rank, because yay wasting chakra)

Jutsu used: