Hyde could feel himself floating through darkness. He felt like he was falling through a dream. The sensation that made you jump when you were fast asleep in bed. Only he wasn't coming to a woken state. He wasn't jumping or waking up even slightly. He could feel himself moving and yet there was no sense of up or down. It was disorienting. How long he had been falling was beyond him at this point though if his count mattered he had been falling about twenty eight seconds. Twenty nine, thirty. After thirty seconds there was a light under him. A seal of blue fire forming beneath as if on some floor and slowing his descent. Slower and slower until he came to a stop. Landing on the seal gently on his hands and knee's. The moment he came into contact with the ground the world seemed to peel away around him and fall apart like ashes in the wind. Revealing himself in a clearing at night. The moon shining through the cold air to reveal him alone in inch high grass with a circle of tree's around him about ten meters away. Where ever he was at the very least he could tell he was fully clothed and with a couple of shifts lowering into a kneeling sit he could tell he had all his equipment.

To anyone watching they might feel just the smallest chakra source in this remote area. Not even the average chakra of a genin but instead that of perhaps an academy student fresh into developing their chakra. In a way he looked the part. The center of the field would suddenly light up with blue flames in a seal that didn't scorch anything. Above the seal a small ball of its flames formed before fading away with the seal in a flash of light. There, kneeling in the fields was what appeared to be a boy about ten years old. Dressed in black slacks and dress shoes with a button up white shirt under a grey vest. On his right outer thigh was a nearly concealed pouch to the untrained eye with a kunai and some shuriken in it and gloves were on his hands. Of course his dark red tie stood out against the plain suited visage. Like a child dressed for church in a western culture. Or perhaps a wedding. However there was one thing keeping him from entirely being the child he appeared. His blue gaze was as cold as ice and bored with the world.

Still as his vision stopped churning from the sudden change from movement through nothing to solid ground he held back the urge to gag. It was a harsh transition truthfully. Still he would take a couple of deep breaths before calming himself. Where ever he was this was too vivid to be a dream. No dream was so lucid as for him to see his breath. Still he would rise up to his feet and brush off the knee's of his pants before glancing about. Where ever he was there was nothing near him. No sounds of people at all. Yet there was a smell on the air. Hay mixed with the smells of oil and food. An odd combination. Unknown to him the festival had let loose those smells on the breeze. Still oil was a man made thing and food likely meant civilization. He would sniff the air before slowly looking around himself all the same. If this was real someone had wanted him here. So likely he was being observed. By someone with more power than himself. Those ice blue eyes looked around the tree line in vain. Trying to detect who.

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OOC: Sorry I've been really sick lately.

He rose from his position in the tent, having looked over himself in the mirror enough to be happy with the trim job he'd done. The man that once looked like a shaggy homeless vagrant now had a clean shaven face, for the most part. He still had the stubble of a five o'clock, but wasn't rugged any longer. His hair was trimmed and slicked back, but were it not, the bangs would be just barely touching his eyebrows. Over the left eye brow, down to the left cheek he bore a scar, it even went through his eyelids.  Both eyes were different shades of a dark blue, that is until he placed contacts in his eyes to make them shine a bright emerald hue. His face held no emotion, he wasn't too keen on doing it anyway but at this point in his travels, emotion could lead to a slip up exposing his identity. He'd worked for a the ceramist for a few days to craft a mask that resembled a tanuki, and this would be the time for him to put it to use before the masquerade ball.  The man moved out of his tent, into the lights of the festival Namahage.

True, he was still in the forest that surrounded the festival grounds, hidden from view, but the lights would reach him even here. He was dressed head to toe in black clothing, black as night. He had on black shinobi tabi, black soft step sandals leading into black shinobi tights with a black long sleeve shirt that hugged the well molded form of the man standing there. He was dressed this way only for his own safety, and because this is how he felt most comfortable. With a nod to himself, he raised his tanuki mask up to his face and pushed it into position. When he was happy with how it was lined up, the straps of leather came behind his head to have the mask tied into place, keeping it upon his face. The mask had small holes around the nose and mouth for breathing purposes, as well as holes where the pupils of the tanuki would be so that the man in the mask could see. Checking himself to be sure he was happy with his clothing choices, he closed his tent, leaving the tanto in there to walk towards the exit of the forest.

Upon exiting the treeline, his eyes came to meet with the icy blue eyes of a strangely dressed boy. He couldn't have been any older than fifteen, looking confused while in the clearing between the denser parts of the forest and the festival grounds. With a sigh, the man shook his head and continued walking, making mostly to move past the boy without so much as a sideways glance. He didn't come to the festival to babysit, he came to enjoy himself and have fun, maybe scope around a bit. He stopped just after passing the kid and turned back to look at him, tilting his head. With a sigh, he spoke to the child, motioning for him to follow. "Right, I dunno what you're doing waiting around here, but the festival is this way, tyke. You look like you could use something to eat or drink anyhow, come with me and I'll treat you."

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Hyde couldn't help but stare around him. The surroundings were not that of Kumo for sure. Had he been transported somewhere in some fashion? He looked down around his feet. They said he was trouble so he wondered if they were up to some mischief here. His gloves tightened as his grip shifted into a fist. He was ready perhaps to fight at least. He looked up as some sort of fish seemed to swim rapidly overhead in alarm. It was moving fast and low enough to stir the tree's and cause a gust of wind. Was that even a real creature? He had never heard of fish in the sky. Still his eyes followed it as they fell upon what he had somehow managed to miss before. There was a tent just on the edge of the clearing. It seemed to blend into the surroundings but the breeze against it had caused it to ripple. How interesting that there would just happen to be a tent here where he had arrived. If ever there was a hint that someone was waiting for him somewhere that was it. So apparent against the plain nature around them. So he made up his mind. He was going to learn where he was an why despite difference in power.

So he shifted and began to walk across the clearing. He felt the spool of wire as he checked that it was still intact. Whoever had brought him had let him keep his weapons. Did they not fear a blade? Even as small as he was Hyde was capable with a knife as anyone his age that he knew. He was trained to focus down an enemy with distractions and hit an opening with an unseen attack. He was prepared in his mind to face his greatest challenge yet. Whatever was in that tent was waiting for him to make his move. It had brought him here with purpose. He doubted it was for a fight and yet he was preparing for it. He hadn't any enemies yet but there was another possibility. He was a hinode so his blood could be valuable to anyone who might attempt to take it from him. To steal his healing ability. A chained man bled out for his medicinal properties like his clan of old. It put him on edge with people. It always did. He needed to be cautious to avoid that life.

However as he approached the tent he stopped unsure of how to proceed. It was such an easy way to lay a trap. A tight concealed space. Was he being foolish? He hardly had time to rethink his movements when suddenly the tent opened and he was looking into the emerald eyes of a man. He couldn't feel anything from him but he knew the hair on the back of his neck was rising even if he couldn't feel it. There was something static about this man that brought up his defenses and told him to be careful. Perhaps it was the mans shinobi garb or his eyes but he was something. The issue was Hyde didn't know what. Still he remained very still as the other man passed him in that mask. Was it the hidden face? It was hard to tell. It couldn't be coincidence and yet the man was going to walk right passed him. Cold blue eyes took in his visage a moment before turning to watch him. It was a moment before the man turned back and spoke. Hyde was only more confused. Festival? Either way there was nothing to be gained by standing here and somehow even though he could not feel he suddenly sensed he was famished. He was slow to move but soon fell in slightly to the mans right and out of arms reach. Glancing at him as they moved in the direction the flying fish went.

"What festival? Where in the world are we? Or for that matter, how are we here? Or...are we dead?"

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