Lin was wearing her sweater dress that she did when she visited somewhere where she was sure that it would be cooler. She had her tonfa tied to her side with a ribbon that went around her midriff. She didn't have her senbon on her, nor did she have her headband that marked her a kumogakure kunoichi. She was hopping down the road, not wearing the cat ears and tail that she had received from her friend Mifune. She didn't know what she was in store for, but the last time that she visited the village that she was going to, she had received some looks from the villagers and had been asked to not wear it by the elder. He said that it made her look less professional than she wanted to look, and that people wouldn't take someone with cat ears seriously when they were healing them.

Lin sighed, a brisk wind blowing past her legs and making her shiver. She had decided that she would wear her hair down, covering her scar that marked her since birth, but also covering one eye. Something that she usually didn't do in the middle of battle, but definitely when she was visiting somewhere where she was wanting to fit in. She didn't like the stares that she received from others when it came to that. The tonfa were just there as a "Just in case" precaution against bandits and the like.

She walked down the road, her feet making a pattering noise, as she had worn her close-toed shoes rather than her sandals, a mistake since last time she had to deal with quite a bit of blood and had sticky feet all the way home.

The village appeared over the hill and she beamed. The people were milling about and usually the old village elder was sitting in the middle of town, clearly visible, as sort of a bandit deterrent, but he wasn't there. Strange. Or it hit her as strange. She moved through the village, asking about what was going on and where the elder was. There were different replies, but nothing substantial.

Stumped, she sat down on his barrel. She ushered over one of the kids, he went by "Aki" but he was really named "Akihiko". "Aki, would you find the village elder for me. He's usually here, and I want to talk with him. Has he gotten sick or something?"

Aki shook his head. "I'll go get him for you!" The youth said and sped off. It was nice to be in the village, sortof a reprieve from Kumogakure, while still being in the same general area. The air was cleaner here, and it was more peaceful. The pace was slower, and the people where nicer. She would probably settle down here, whenever she did. The clean air, the sunshine, and the village people made it a veritable utopia. Ah, Peace.

WC: 500

After having finished wrapping the bandages of the last injured villager to be treated, Bokuden sighed deeply and wiped his brow of the perspiration that followed the intense work of providing treatment to 5 injured men after their unfortunate run in with some petty highwaymen. Apparently this same group had been a problem for the village in the past, but had withdrawn for a time after the village had commissioned shinobi from Kumogakure to deal with the threat. During their absence, apparently they had purchased, or acquired through other means, attack dogs, which they had allowed to chase down a few of the villagers who had strayed too far from the tobacco fields. The man before him now suffered nothing more than some deep scratches, but the earlier patients the Ryuzoji had tended to possessed deep gashes from the hounds’ teeth.

As the last man was escorted from the room by the village elder, an old acquaintance of Bokuden’s father who had taken to providing an ongoing dialogue while the ivory-haired man treated his patients, the Ryuzoji took a seat in a chair next to the bed where the youngest of his patients still laid. A younger, less patient Bokuden might have demanded the elder leave, but he had calmed significantly in his time away from the village. Besides, the old man had provided the clothes he wore now, a plain white t-shirt and charcoal grey, drawstring sweatpants, to wear as he worked in place of his armor and equipment. The clothes were a bit too small for his 6’2”, muscular frame, but the material was elastic enough to make due, even if it was a tight fit.

The boy in the bed beside Bokuden had accompanied his father beyond the fields when the bandits were encountered. His injuries were not life-threatening, but the event was rather traumatic for the child, who saw Bokuden as a stranger and associated with him the traits of the strangers who had harmed him and his father, even after the Ryuzoji treated the wounds on his arm and leg, and refused to speak. Even so, the fair-haired man sat beside him, intent to keep an eye on his condition for the time being. The boy was frightened, but he was at least receptive to the Ryuzoji’s care. After a moment the elder would return to the room, having escorted the villager out and into the care of his family, and approached the seated Bokuden.

“You’re a real life saver. When our people get hurt, we usually have to transport them elsewhere. There isn’t a hospital for miles. We can provide basic first aid here, but beyond that we’re in trouble.”

“Don’t mention it. I was in the area. I’m glad to help.”

“In the area, eh? That’s unusual for someone of your position. We haven’t had a visit from the Ryuzoji clan since you left. I guess the current head isn’t a big smoker. She…”

The old man would be cut off by another young boy who burst into the room.

“Elder! Elder! Lin is here to see you! Come on!”

“Oh? It seems like today is full of surprises. If you’ll excuse me, Boku-, I mean Kogen. Lin is a savior of our village, just like you. I don’t believe in coincidences. For both of you to arrive here today of all days, I think you should meet. I’ll be right back.”

“You really don’t have to-“

The elder was gone before Bokuden could finish his sentence. The last thing someone trying to maintain a low profile needed was to meet more people, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped. Looking back towards the boy by his side, it appeared as though he had went to sleep, the dose of painkillers that the village did have on hand putting him at ease finally. In a moment of reflection, Bokuden wondered what the boy had went through. The Ryuzoji’s childhood was nothing like this child’s. By the time Bokuden was his age, no younger than 9, he had already graduated Shinobi Academy and was shipped off to the Land of Iron to attend the Samurai Academy there. A handful of bandits or dogs would have posed almost no threat to Bokuden, who at that age was more of a soldier than any adult in this settlement. A part of him envied the boy, for whom weakness was not a sin.

---

758 | 758

Lin was sitting on the barrel when the child came back and said, "The Elder is on his way! He'll be here in a minute." Then shot off at a mile a minute. She wished she had that kind of energy, but sat patiently until she saw the old man come around a corner. She could have sworn that she was watching the road that she saw the child come down. This was one of the elder's tricks, he was able to slink in and out of places that she didn't see or hadn't seen. Lin stood up and brushed off the back of her sweater dress, feeling some of the fibers snag on the rough wood grain of the barrel, she made sure that she was at least decent in the back as the elder approached.

He lifted an eyebrow at first, and then his hand, "I have someone for you to meet. There was an attack on the village-" He gave her a stern look as she opened her mouth to say something and her eyes grew wide. She snapped it shut before he continued, giving her a wary eye, "Well, like I was saying there was an attack on the village. You know the bandits called the Magpies of course, they apparently didn't like us getting into their business, nor did they like us not having to pay for our "toll" for going across the pass into the village in the mountains. They had dogs, and well, some of the men that were transporting the tobac were attacked by them. They managed to beat off the dogs and then the man showed up. He was part of a clan who's leader, or head as we call it, used to buy from us. He knew quality tobacco. I'll tell you that."

The old man scratched his beard, making a rough scritching noise as he did so, Lin cringed at it, and he picked up on her discomfort and stopped, "He's been a godsend, not only with the dogs, but with the wounded here in the village, you should talk to him. His name is Kogen. I believe that you two are kindred spirits, if ever I saw some. I think he would be glad of someone else's company besides my own." He gave her another wary glance before nodding, it was finally her turn to talk. She took a couple of steps towards him to stand in front of him.

Giving a quick bow, "Obaa-san. Thank you for telling me. Where can I find this man who helped the villagers. You don't need to walk with me, I am sure that I can find my-" But she was cut off by a swift hand motion and stopped Lin from speaking further by keeping it there while he talked, "Ah ah ah! Not another word. I am going to take you to him myself. I won't hear anything more of it. Now, come little lady. I am sure that he will be glad for the company of a woman such as yourself, a Kunoichii no less, than the villagers here."

Lin sighed, shrugged and walked with the old man. He talked about the tobacco, how it was growing now that it was the dry season and the new ditches that he was going to have to assign to the men of the village. It seemed like there was the houses that people lived in, and then the land that they tilled. The land belonged to the village as a collective, but the houses were their own. Each person was entitled to a cut of the profits every year after they took out enough for them to buy the proper seeds of tobacco they would need in the following two years. It was lucritive, but they didn't get big heads about it. Mostly they would save and squander to send their family to the city, or at least their second or third born into the city. The people that left were replaced by the generations thereafter, but the elder was one of the first generation that remembered changing from rice to tobacco.

Anyhow, while he was talking about all of this, they made their way back to the tent. The elder opened the flap, letting it fall back behind him and announced Lin to Bokuden. Lin wasn't far behind, ducking beneath the tent-flap and smiling at the new person. Something seemed.... familiar? about him?

WC: 1277

Shortly after the elder departed the tent, another villager would come stumbling into the tent, his breath heavy and his eyes full of panic. Frantically the man scanned the room, turning his head back and forth restlessly as his mind struggled to process the overload he was currently experiencing. In that moment Bokuden would rise to his feet, immediately drawing the man’s eyes to him and approached.

“Tell me what happened.”

The man paused for a moment in disbelief, unsure of what to make of the situation, whether or not he should confide his message to the stranger standing before him. Bokuden’s gaze was unwavering, a relic of his formative years when the ice of his eyes would send shivers down the spines of greater men than this. Yielding to the steel in his glare, the villager would take a deep breath, having forgotten to breathe while his eyes were locked with the Ryuzoji standing before him, and tell his story.

“I-in the fields… the Magpies... we were tending the fields when they came down over the hill. The dogs started chasing after us… we all just started running. I came here to inform the elder. We need to do something. We need help!”

“From which direction are they approaching?”

“The fields in the Southeast.”

“Go and gather all of the able-bodied men you can find. Create makeshift stretchers and head back to the fields to pick up the wounded. I will deal with the problem.”

The man was compelled to question what he was being told, but one more look into Bokuden’s eyes was enough to get the point across. As the man sprinted out of the tent the fair-haired stranger would hurriedly grab his belongings which had been rolled up and stored beneath one of the vacant beds used for patients. Foregoing his armor pieces, Bokuden retrieved his staff and white cloak, which he draped over his shoulders, allowing the sides to fall and envelop most of his body. The Ryuzoji would throw one more glance over to the sleeping child to ensure he was in stable condition before setting his sights on the tent exit.

As Bokuden attempted to leave he would find himself cut off by the elder and a small woman, who he could only assume was the person mentioned before. His mind squarely focused on the threat at hand, the fair-haired man barely gave the duo a look in their direction. Given the risk that came with allowing formalities to drag on, knowing each passing moment could result in more injuries to the field workers, the Ryuzoji had no qualms with cutting the elder off as he attempted to introduce this person.

“There’s no time to talk. The fields are being attacked. Watch the boy.”

Without another word, Bokuden darted off to the Southeast field with unnatural speed, appearing as little more than a white blur due to the flowing cloth of his cloak as he vanished into the scenery.

---

504 | 1264

Lin saw the stranger for only a minute, what was his name? She tried to remember it before he blew past her and said that there was no time for talk. Watch the boy? She looked back and there were the injured villagers. Huffing, she performed some hand seals and produced her guanyin needles. A technique that would surely heal their minor wounds and tossed them at the redness in the bandages. There were five men, and 8 senbon, so when she threw them with precision and efficiency, their faces lit up with fear and then relief. None of them had any sort of formal training, so they were helpless to move out of the way of the needles, though some tried.

Unnecessarily, it took four minutes to get all of them to calm down and stop talking to her at once. "Alright, he said which way?" She shouted over the confusion, and more than one pointed to the southeast. She sighed and made for the flap. A swift and strong hand stopped her dead in her tracks. The elder was holding onto her, not a tight grip, but a firm one, one that she knew that she couldn't escape from. Lin looked to him and he nodded, she knew the danger of taking on these bandits, but she had that man. The elder let go of her and she raced towards the south easterly field. She looked around the field and saw the man, and four or five other forms. What was he doing? She approached cautiously, taking out her tonfa and saw the bandits tied up. Her tonfa relaxed in her hand and slipped down to a less aggressive position.

Lin approached carefully and raised an eyebrow, "So you took care..." She looked around at the men, they were tied up and all sitting down, seemingly dazed, "Of all of these men by yourself?" She looked and there were dogs. All of them were wagging their tails in some form or fashion, and it was like they were all... puppies? just unassuming as the day they were born. She put her tonfas away and held out her hand to one of the dogs, who sniffed the proffered hand and licked it, "How did you do it? And why aren't these vicious attack dogs attacking me? it's like they're all under some type of spell. If that were possible." She gave him a look of disbelief, and a bit of skepticism.

"How did you know they were here?"

WC: 1715

A small crowd of villagers had gathered around the field, elated by the sight of the men who had so relentlessly terrorized them subdued. There was some hesitance surrounding the hounds that Bokuden had chosen not to incapacitate, but as the three animals pranced around his feet, docile and unrecognizable from the vicious temperament they had previously shown, the villagers seemed to let their guards down just a bit. The fait-haired man squatted down to inspect the dogs more closely, noting the almost emaciated look of their frames and scars lining their sides and backs. It was clear that these were not bred attack dogs, but rather animals that were most likely stolen and abused to the point of eliciting a forced vicious disposition. Having raised his own canine back home from a young age, the situation struck a chord of sympathy from the man.

Bokuden beckoned a man from the village approach and instructed him to bring food and water for the dogs, assuring him that the animals were no longer a threat. It would be best for the villagers and the animals to get accustomed to each other now, as, at the very least, successfully rehabilitating the hounds and domesticating them would afford the village a bit more protection from petty mountain bandits on their own. A few short minutes after the initial confrontation, the girl whom had been brought to him by the village elder just before his emergency departure would find her way onto the field, although her approach slowed as he proximity to the incident grew near. The Ryuzoji could see a hesitance in her gait, typical of a shinobi who found themselves treading into uncertain waters. He would make no motion to her, allowing her to gauge the situation at her own pace, which was apparently a quick one as she would soon get her bearings and begin a rapid-fire sequence of questions with respect to what she saw before her.

“You ask a lot of questions. It’s refreshing to see a shinobi from up the mountain show such an interest in the matters of we mere mortals.”

Bokuden’s tone came off as calm and almost amused at the sudden barrage of inquiries made by the oddly curious kunoichi, but not without a tinge of sarcasm at the end. From what he could recall of what the old man said of her in his very brief introduction, she was not a resident of the settlement, but a shinobi of Kumogakure. It was that fact that made her unusually pressing concern for the circumstances surrounding the incident noteworthy. She clearly had some relationship with the people of the farming village, one that was far more personal than his own, and for that reason he empathized with her obviously strong feelings on the matter.

“Thankfully no one was seriously injured this time around, I was able to intervene before anything got out of hand. I’m heading back to the cabin where I was caring for the villagers earlier. We can talk on the way if you’d like. I need to assess their conditions before I release them back to their families.”

With a friendly smile curled upon his lips, one that would likely be uncharacteristic for him if he had not been playing a role as a civilian, Bokuden stepped forward towards the village. Should Lin’s curiosity get the better of her, his invitation to sound off her inquiries en route remained open.

---

584 | 1,848

Lin caught her breath and stared around at the scene, one of the men approached the dogs and she watched warily. The dogs were emeciated and therefore might attack. When the dog responded in kind, she listened to what Bokuden had to say. This strange man, she thought he looked familiar. Perhaps he was... Then he said "We mere mortals" With a hint of sarcasm, which struck a chord. The thought that she might actually know who he was was all but gone. The old-timer had called him Kogen, that is what she would call him. "Well, I do try to come down here once in a while to visit the people here. They're like the family that adopted me. If I didn't live in Kumogakure then I couldn't supply them with bandages and aid that I have been." She bit her words back as he spoke again.

She nodded as he said that it was a relief that no one was hurt. Even him. He must be someone of quite some skill to not only not be hurt by the bandits, but to also restrain them in a peaceful manner. It was... uncanny. Too many questions swam through her mind as she nodded to his words. "I healed their wounds..." She said warily to him. She didn't know if she should divulge more information. Just who was he? He had a false sense of modesty, and was helping out the village. She had seen him somewhere before, and obviously he had some sort of combat training but was a gentle soul. It was... strange. Perhaps he was acting kind to get into the hearts of the villagers.

Lin's fingers danced at her sides, not making signs, but limbering up in case she needed to, "I suppose thanks are in order for your taking care of these... bandits mister Kogen." She used his given name, but it didn't seem to fit him. He didn't look like a Kogen. He looked like... Like... Bah memories are a strange and fickle thing. She couldn't remember. "I'll take you up on the offer of walking with you and talking. I am interested in how you defeated so many men and calmed these poor dogs so quickly." She was astonished, and caught off guard. She felt like a cat that had just had a balloon explode next to her. All fur raised and claws out.

Well, he would have a chance to explain how he did it... and if his story didn't pan out... then... then... well then she would ask more questions! She nodded silently to herself as she solidified that part of the plan. She was frazzled to say the least, but she was on full-guard.

WC: 2193

The woman’s suspicion of Bokuden emanated off of her like light from a candle’s flame, overpowering the otherwise benign emotions that he was receiving from the others around him. He imagined it did make sense for a shinobi of all people to be wary of him in this situation, but that was one of the reasons that he generally avoided that group. It would be difficult to explain all that he did, even to a civilian, but at least they could be deceived if it really came to it. Once a shinobi was so blatantly distrusting of an individual it was unlikely that they were to just drop the issue before their curiosity had been sated. This woman was a danger to his cover, but closing himself off to her would only amplify her ill-intent. Under most normal circumstances he would simply cut out at the nearest opportunity, leaving no trace of his existence but memories, but he had already sent word back to the Land of Iron that he would await their envoy to provide further instructions. Like it or not, he was stuck here until they had made a decision. By his estimation, his best chance to avoid undue difficulty was to put her at ease.

“No thanks will be necessary. The old man and I go way back. I couldn’t just let that happen. My father was a big cigarette smoker and he had a preferences for the tobacco grown here. I used to make the trip here at least a couple of times a year. It hasn’t changed much in all this time, so getting around is fairly simple.”

The one point Bokuden did want to avoid spending too much time dwelling on how he defeated the bandits or dealt with the dogs. That particular route led down a messy road if she asked too many questions. His circumstances may have necessitated he keep his identity a secret, but the fair-haired man did not enjoy lying. It was for that reason he insisted on keeping a low profile. If you don’t stick around long enough for people to ask questions, you never have to bend the truth. It would be cleaner for everyone involved if he could shift the topic of conversation to one that possessed much less potential to incriminate him. With a friendly smile he turned his head to face her as they walked to address her directly, only breaking to comment on how wound up she seemed on his final sentence.

“So you’re from the shinobi village? That’s pretty surprising. You always hear scary stories about shinobi, I certainly didn’t expect to run into one that looks like you. Uhhh… are you always so tense?”

---

462 | 2,310

Lin looked from the man to the villagers with suspicion still running rampant as they walked. He was right to assume that she wasn't going to drop it, there weren't many people who were capable of such a feat and to downplay it as much as he did meant that he was a more accomplished combatant than he knew, or was willing to admit. Admittedly she thought it was the latter, not the former. "I am from Kumogakure, yes." She affirmed, and looked a bit bewildered.

He seemed to want to play the part of a farmer, but even these farmers knew the name of the city. The Raikage had a lot of influence in the areas and even the Daimyos were a bit... silent in regards to what happened in the immediate area for Kumogakure, preferring to leave that business to Sanosuke. It seemed like it took a while for them to come to decisions anyhow, and by the time that they would stop squabbling over whether to let a rancher's herd of cattle graze a fallowing field of a farmer for the price of two of his cows, the whole herd would be naught but bones, fit for only the eagles to pick at. She shook her head, no reason to be thinking of the Daimyos now, she needed to focus on this man. This man was.. There was another comment and a question.

"What do you mean, look like me?" She said, and looked down, realizing she was still in her dress, and that her tonfas were tied to her waist by the belt that she used to hold her dress to her midriff. Well, that was... it meant that she was... well she didn't expect to come here and fight. It wasn't like she came here to anyhow. She sighed, ane placed a finger to her nose. They were out of the earshot of the villagers, so she could speak freely, "I'm only tense because you shouldn't have been able to... most people can't do what you did. Not only did you restrain the people, but you didn't harm them, and you didn't harm the dogs either, quite the opposite, they seem to have the impression that you brought them all prime rib!" She was exasperated, and when she looked back to him, she was struck with an epiphany.

A deep-seated feeling of dread sank into her stomach like a stone. This was Bokuden, a traitor to Kumogakure, and a wanted criminal. He was a person that an anbu captain would be assigned to bring in, wanted by many people. Her father said that he was one of the few people she should stay away from at all costs, since, with a flick of his wrist he could kill her. And she was... having a perfectly normal conversation with him. Perhaps he didn't kill those men because he didn't feel like they were a threat. How would he treat a shinobi then?

The fear and dread only showed on her face for a moment before she smiled again. The feeling still there, but a mask that would make an anbu-member proud was plastered on where her emotions were a second ago. She sighed, "It just doesn't make any sense..." She looked again at him, best not to risk making him angry with accusations.

WC: 2777

Carefully, Bokuden tip-toed about the conversation, taking care to play the role of the unassuming civilian. In a situation like this, a conversation might as well be a minefield. One stray word was the equivalent of a misstep that could have disastrous consequences. This village was the nearest location to Kumogakure that was friendly to him and the last thing he needed was for it to become hostile and blow his cover. With no context for who this young woman was, the Ryuzoji instead fell back on the charm and wit of his younger years, hoping that flattery would be an effective tactic to keep Lin off the trail of him playing dumb.

“I just meant that… If I had known that the kunoichi of Kumogakure were so beautiful I would have made it a point to visit. My family deals in trading, so some of our goods do make their way into the shinobi village. It’s usually a quick trip that one of our transporters makes just to get in and out for a drop off. I guess I should have made those trips myself.”

Unfortunately for Bokuden, it appeared that before he had even decided to turn on the charm, Lin had decided that she was not simply going to let the matter of the bandits go. His face would remain the picture of warmth and amicability, although beneath that he became more and more wary of her rising suspicion. Smile or not, Bokuden was fully aware that this woman did not trust him, and the brief crack in her otherwise flawless performance betrayed her true intent just as clearly as his staff did. But there was more than simply distrust, what began to grow in the woman beside him was fear. Such a sharp change in emotional state, as well as the correlation between those two specific feelings were the first indicator she gave Bokuden that perhaps this young woman had come to understand more about him than he cared to share. Even so, he kept up his own performance as well.

“Oh those guys back there? Just a bunch of petty thugs. They’re tough when they’re in groups or picking on people they don’t think will fight back, but once you push back they fold. Their kind is nothing new to me. You can find bad men like them almost anywhere if you look for them.

I had the luxury of being sent to train at the Imperial Academy in the Land of Iron in my formative years. I trained as a samurai. I didn’t go all the way with it, but even in my school days I fought tougher opponents than them. As far as the dogs, they weren’t bad animals, just abused. Once those terrible collars that were causing them pain came off, I don’t even think they had the energy to look for a fight. The poor things were exhausted, but I think they can have a good life here. The famers of this village are good people. I think that they’ll also help the village, maybe offering them a bit of protection from thugs like the ones from the fields when I’m not around.

I guess it doesn’t make too much sense for me to stop my own business dealings to help out, but I guess I have something of a connection with this place, just like you do. There’s something peaceful about a simple life like this. There isn’t much here, but everyone still seems to be happy. I want to protect that.“

---

605 | 2,915

"well, they were more dangerous the first time they came to the village." She told herself more than him. The first time Toshi had almost been pushed off a cliff. The bandits were named the magpies. She would have to go and attack them sometime. It was not like she wanted to spread further violence, but the source had to apprehended, or else men like this would be drawn to the head. She still didn't have his name... the head of the bandits. All of these thoughts swam in her head before he continued.

"Samurai, so with a katana or... with something else?" She asked, clearly versed in the combat. It made more sense that he was trained in the ways of a samurai for how he took out the people. The bundle on his back could be his sword, and after all, samurai were deadly with their weapons. She stepped lightly over a rock as they went up another hill, the cabin not far from where they were. She would let him go first if he would allow, and see that she had healed the people.

"I like protecting these people too, it seems to give me a sense of... purpose. I didn't think that I really had one until I saved these people from the bandits. I visit almost weekly now, if I am not on missions for the village. It's not like I want to visit them less, it's just that sometimes it gets a bit... hectic. D'you know what I mean? You must have been given assignments or at least trained for a while if you were in the land of iron under samurai, am I right Bo... Kogen?" She smiled as the old man came out of the cabin and she waved at him. He had his hands behind his back and smiled at the two. He was missing his left bottom incisor, but it was the only one that he was missing. He took out a pipe and stuffed it with tobacco, tamping it down with a metal tamper and getting out a match-stick to light it with. He insisted that it tasted better to light with matches than with a lighter. None of the... er... fuel-taste.

WC:3166

OOC: Sorry it took so long!

“Oh, were they? Well, once Land of Lightning authorities arrive to collect them, they will no longer pose a threat to this village or any of the other people on this countryside trying to make a home for themselves. The elder had mentioned that the village had been experiencing some difficulty with highwaymen, but that aid from Kumogakure had intervened and provided protection. Based on what I’ve heard so far, I’m assuming that you were among that group dispatched by Kumogakure. It would certainly explain why he has such a high opinion of you. He seemed very excited when he was informed of your arrival and now that I’ve seen you I understand why. I owe you my gratitude for protecting the people of this village. I hope you’ll allow me the opportunity to repay you some time.”

Bokuden could feel the turbulent struggle that was going on within the woman beside him. Lin’s suspicion was evident, but her resolve was anything but solid. The situation was all he could have hoped for, meaning that even if she did have an inkling as to who he was, she herself was not confident in a decision that might lead her to act upon it. That state of uncertainty may have been of use in the short-term, but the former shinobi was not so foolish to believe that this was something that would just go away on its own, especially if he chose to leave a potentially hostile shinobi in such a state of unnerve that she might immediately return to the village and report his presence. In an ideal world she would not return to Kumogakure until he had some kind of assurance that his presence in this village remained a confidential piece of information. Or, at the very least, until he could convince her that he might only be a civilian.

As they entered back into the village and the cabin where Bokuden was treating villagers appeared on the horizon, Lin seemed to be offering him the chance to lead the way, but a combination of his own wariness of her and chivalry compelled him to gesture for her to take the lead. Once she had complied with his insistence, the Ryuzoji would walk beside her, wanting neither to rouse further suspicion by walking out of her line of sight or her being out of his own line of sight. Despite his extensive history as a shinobi, even a long stint within Kumogakure’s special forces, social graces were not lost to the man, who, even in his more wild years could be every bit as charming and cordial as he was ruthless and callous.

“Weapons training of all kinds are taught at the Academy, not the least of which is kenjutsu. The samurai take a great deal of pride in their use of the katana, so much so that it survived their evolution even after the rise of chakra as a primary weapon used to wage war. I would say that most of them, regardless of rank still carry a katana or something similar. I myself no longer carry such a thing.  I may have trained and graduated with them, but I can’t exactly say that I’m a samurai. I can defend myself alright, but I wouldn’t categorize myself as being in the business of waging war. After the Academy I returned home to work in the family business. So long as I can protect and provide for myself and the people close to me, I’m not interested in titles or fancy armaments.”

Lin’s little slip, whether intentional or unintentional where she begun to spoke Bokuden’s true name caused his eyes to narrow in a serious demeanor, almost assuredly leading to an awkward lull in the conversation which they both were fortunate enough to be spared from by the village elder approaching them from just outside the cabin door. The old man liked to talk, or at least he liked for other people to listen to him talk, which would take the spotlight off of the fair-haired man entirely as the village elder interjected himself into the conversation.

“Ah! You’ve returned so soon and unharmed at that! But then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less from our two saviors. I’m glad to see you to getting on so well and walking together, saves me the trouble of introducing you myself. All of the patients have been discharged, thanks to Lin here’s amazing techniques. You’ve been tending to my people non-stop since yesterday morning, please feel free to take a day for yourself. I know this humble town isn’t as lively as some of the places you’ve been, but you won’t find company as kind or lovely as Lin anywhere else in the world.”

---

816 | 3,731

"I... uh... thanks Elder-obaa-san." Lin colored at his remark, turning a bright crimson. She didn't know that he was going to flatter her when she came back to him. She looked to Bokuden and smiled, trying to keep up the cordiality. It was fractured by her almost using his true name. She had blown her cover, but perhaps she could mend it sufficiently so that he would not take her as a threat. She would have to deal with this now on her own. If she was seen going back to the village then he would surely take it as if she were going back for help.

Perhaps she could stay with him and learn his intentions and steal away in the night. Better to run reconnaissance for the moment than reveal herself again. She cleared her throat, "The elder is too kind. But would you mind if I accompany you into your cabin, or do you have other plans. You do have the day off, and the hot springs around here are famous for their relaxing qualities." Which was quite right, they were said to combat old age, and even heal the ill. She didn't know if it was some sort of chakra-induced healing or whether it was just hogs-wash but her mother and father told her, and they seemed serious about going to the springs every weekend.

Sighing, she rubbed the back of her neck, still embarrassed from what the Elder said, he grinned and chuckled a bit before starting down the road at a snail's pace. She couldn't believe that he had snuck up on her before. It wasn't like he moved fast, and she could plainly hear his footfalls. Looking at Bokuden she nodded, "I shouldn't have been nearly as suspicious as I was." She admitted, though the suspicion still resided deep within her, she buried it. It wasn't like she was going to get out of the boiling water any time soon, 'This village is very dear to me, and there are spies from Kirigakure. you can't be too careful with who is around now. I didn't want anyone to be hurt, but I can see that you're not a spy for Kiri, or at least not a kiri-nin." She bowed her head, and a chill went down her spine, if she gambled wrong and he was hostile towards her, he would use right now to kill her. She was completely helpless when bowing to him.

Perhaps this would suffice when it came to assuaging his worries, or his doubts. She certainly hoped so, because if he wished her dead, he could do it without this giveaway. But this might put him off balance enough for her to gather more information on him. If he took the bait to go to the hotsprings, she could also use that time to spy on him. Getting more information before heading back would be advantageous, and she needed more definitive proof that this was, indeed, the wanted criminal Bokuden, and not someone who looked like him named "Kogen." If only she could remember the background Bokuden had. All that she had were the snippets "Dangerous" his rank when he left Kumogakure, and his picture plastered in the bingo book.

WC: 3734!

“I can’t say that I fully understand the difficulties of being a shinobi and the kind of suspicion it must instill in a person, but I accept your apology. I’m sure that if you were so suspicious of me then you had credible enough reason that would justify your concerns. The desire to protect something dear to you… that, however, is something that I can definitely empathize with. There’s no need to apologize.”

Given the fact that it was now clear beyond a shadow of a doubt to Bokuden than Lin was acutely aware of who he really was, there was a decision to be made. From what he could gather from her intent alone, the misstep the woman made by beginning to call him by his true name was just that, a gaff, and not a deliberate ploy to put him on notice. She seemed at this moment to be more wary of him than plotting against him, and if that were the case, reaffirming her suspicions by being hostile or dismissive, or trying to force separation between them might only drive her to request reinforcements to apprehend him. The Ryuzoji wasn’t actually concerned that any shinobi in Kumogakure remained that could overtake him, but it would be unfair to the villagers to have them dragged into a confrontation and possibly prosecuted for providing him aid. For now, the most prudent move was to be agreeable to her suggestions.

“But… I don’t necessarily think that the old man was exaggerating too much. I had expected that I would spend most of my time here providing care for those who were injured, but it seems that you did me the favor and took care of that for me somehow. Someone who so freely provides aid to those in need is worthy of every bit of praise they receive. And of course it coming in the form of someone as lovely as you doesn’t hurt in the slightest. I don’t have any other plans for the rest of the day, but I certainly wouldn’t object to your company.”

---

355 | 4,086

Lin nodded to Bokuden's words, no... wait, Kogen, she needed to keep up that facade, especially since he did not correct him. Though, she saw a knowing in his eyes. If she could keep a close tab on him, determine if he was dangerous then, perhaps she could keep him from... she didn't quite know, assassinating the Raikage? Of course, she hadn't seen the Raikage in quite some time. It would be extremely hard to assassinate someone that wasn't there to begin with. She blushed as he told her that there was no need to apologize.

"Thank you for understanding. It seems as though you can certainly empathize with that as you had saved my villagers from before... and did so again when the dogs and bandits came to attack. I am not sure that I would have escaped unscathed, and it gave me some time to heal those who were wounded. Now they can go back to their fields and continue on as if none of this ever happened. Sometimes returning to normalcy helps to calm one's mind, especially when something unexpectedly bad happens."

She smiled to him as he said that she was pretty, and blushed once more, taking her bangs and hiding her scar hurriedly. How could he think that she was beautiful when she had this... hideous deformity from birth. Then again, there was a sort of consensus coming from the crowd that was older that she wasn't... disfigured, but more of... distinguished? What had Dameon called it?

She nodded as he said that he didn't have any trouble with being with her in the slightest.

"Great! We'll go to the hotsprings then, do you have a... pair of swimming trunks or... something?" She quirked a brow, "If not, they have some for rent or that you can purchase." She would wait for his answer and then continue on to the springs. They were up the mountain a ways, taking the better part of a fifteen minute walk for the newly graduated Special Jounin and her companion to climb.

She reached the springs, and the place was covered in a fog that came from the baths. The person that was the curator of the springs opened his arms, his hands splayed and boomed, "WELCOME!" before smiling, and tucking them back into long sleeves. He wore a tall black hat and had mustaches that trended downwards to his collarbones. His smile continued on into the next sentence, "I have baths that are co-ed or private baths for the women and men, depending if you want to swim with swimming gear or not. There is also the optional nudist co-ed pool. That pool is family friendly and no touching of any kind is permitted in that pool. Are you a couple or are you single? The going rate for singles is 10 ryo a person for the co-ed pool, or 10 for a couple." He smiled and bowed his head, before looking up listening for their answer.

Lin looked to Bokuden, deferring the decision to him.


WC: 4268

“I suppose I’ll just have to purchase some when I get there, then. I can’t say that I packed for any aquatic excursions. Also, I’m a person that is somewhat skeptical of renting something like that.”

Bokuden’s words rung true, the man’s hesitation at the idea of communal swimming trunks evident as he looked on inquisitively. From there he would follow Lin to the location of the springs. He did find it interesting that as many times as he had been to this village throughout his life he had neither heard of nor visited these springs if they were such a well-known activity among the villagers and those who lived in the surrounding area. And well-known they must have been as such small towns suffered greatly from a lack of variety in their options for day to day activities.

Thinking back on his youth, it was unlikely that a younger Bokuden would have ever found himself at some backwater hot springs in the countryside. A teenage Bokuden couldn’t be bothered with sightseeing or relaxation. Always too anxious, too ready to prepare for the next mission. He remembered the trips made to this village to oversee his father’s tobacco shipments well, and the fair-haired man remembered dreading every moment of them. He thought such simple village life painfully boring, too painful to even spend a second more than absolutely necessary. There was no time for hot springs.

When the duo arrived at the hot springs, they would be greeted by the host of the facility, a short, older man who made it a point to jam so many words into such a small amount of time that Bokuden thought he might be using a space/time ninjutsu. Bokuden reached into the inside pocket of his robe and pulled out a 200 ryo build, holding it out for the host before them.

“Two singles, co-ed, please. And I’ll need to see the available swimsuits for purchase.”

---

336

The man looked at the 200 ryo bill in surprise, and stammered a response akin to Thank you sir, I greatly appreciate your business but it was said too quick for Lin to really understand. She shook her head in disbelief at the rapidity of his words, and nodded as Bokuden said that he needed to purchase a pair of trunks. A boy scurried out from behind the wall where he was apparently waiting for someone to need swimwear. The man made change for the 200 ryo bill, giving Bokuden 180 back. Lin quirked a brow at Bokuden, he was paying for her?

"Back here if you would not mind following me master ninja person." The boy bowed respectfully toward Bokuden. He pushed some curtains out of the way for Bokuden, the way lead into a sort of gift shop, some of them had "I survived the hotsprings!" or other quirky and really lame labels on them. There was a rack of every conceivable swimming trunk for men, and a rack of swimming gear for women as well, anything from one-suits, to swimming suits, to bathing suits, both bikini style and skirted-wear. It was really a neat shop, even if it was a bit corny.

Lin smiled and looked around, "While you pick your trunks out, I am going to have a look around, see if there is anything that I want to buy before we begin our bath." She smiled and bounded over to the swimming suits, making sure to keep an eye on Bokuden, seeing how he interacted with the other people around there, especially the boy. The way that people treated children told a lot about their character.

WC: 4558

Bokuden smiled and let out a brief chuckle at the hurried and almost nervous behavior of the boy, scurrying back and forth at the behest of what Bokuden could only assume was his grandfather who ran the establishment. Taking a few steps forward, the fair-haired man closed the distance between himself and the boy, approaching the display tables containing an almost innumerable amount of trunks folded atop each other.

“I’m no ninja, son.”

As he began browsing through the table, Bokuden found himself at a loss for where to even start. The tables lacked any identifiable organization structure. All colors, patterns, sizes, and styles were packed together leaving the man to sift through the mess manually if he wanted to get this done with any independence, but who knew how long that might take. For his purposes, it would be easier for him to simply ask for assistance from the young shop attendant.

“Well… there certainly are a lot of options to choose from. Why don’t you recommend me something? What do you like here?”

The boy remained completely silent for a moment, staring up at Bokuden with a facial expression betraying something akin to disbelief at the prospect of a customer asking him to select their clothing. His suspension of belief would quickly change into a large, cheesy grin, followed by an almost giddy excitement as he seemed to be waiting for some kind of confirmation from Bokuden that he was truly allowed to do so. The man nodded his head once, which was all it took to send the boy straight into the tables, sifting through rows of swimwear so rapidly you would think he was a machine. It took no longer than a moment for the boy to pull his desired pair from the pile and hold them up before his customer proudly.

“These are my favorite! I wear them all the time!”

The trunks were… colorful, to say the least. Blue and yellow bases were flooded with an even wider and seemingly more bright palette in the form of tiny cartoon characters appearing to be locked in combat drawn down the legs. It appeared as though these trunks were based off of a popular children’s comic book hero and aimed at the boy’s age group, made evident by the fact that there was no possible way that the swimwear Bokuden was being presented was an adult size. Even so, Bokuden applauded the effort with a smile, allowing the boy to tell him about the characters before working in that those were not his size.

“Somehow I don’t think I can fit into those. Maybe something made for people like me would be more appropriate.”

The boy sat with a puzzled look for a moment before looking at the trunks he held in his hand, and then the tall man standing before him. His face turned a shade of red in embarrassment at his gaff, compelling the boy to turn back towards the table to hide his blush and begin sifting through the trunks once again.

“Oh, yeah, we have trunks for old people! They’re some of our most frequent customers!”

They boy nervously tried to fill the time he spent putting the trunks back with conversation, but immediately began apologizing profusely at the realization of what he said. Bokuden could do nothing but laugh off the situation, tussling the boy’s hair reassuringly. The action seemed to calm the young shop attendant a bit, enough for him to draw a pair of midnight navy men’s swim trunks with blue drawstrings.

“Yes, that will work.”

Bokuden nodded and accepted the boy’s offering, prompting the boy to run back behind the counter to begin prepping for checkout. The momentary pause in the action afforded the Ryuzoji to turn towards his companion and check on her status, since she had remained largely quiet throughout the ordeal.

“What about you, Lin? Aren’t you going to need swimwear as well? We came here directly from that commotion back in the village. Neither of us really had time to gather our things.”

---

690

Lin watched as Bokuden interacted with the child, asking for some swimwear and having it prove, well, difficult for the child to pick out something adult sized at first was comical to say the least. She hid a giggle when the boy picked out his favorite swimming wear and showed Bokuden, imagining the man in the swimming wear was almost too much to bear.

She looked at the swimming wear here, not knowing what to do about the situation with the missing ninja or anything. Lin sighed and looked to the rack, it had, actually, her own swimming suit there. She wore her swimming suit, because of how often she went to the hotsprings back home, anywhere she went and especially under her sweater dress. She pulled the dress down in the back as it rode up again.

The bathing suit that she was wearing was a two piece bikini which tied in the back of the top for the straps, and then came around to tie in the front between the cups that held her breasts. The bottoms were fastened on either side with a gold metal ring, which she suspected was just a gold paint of some sort, as they weren't heavy enough to be real gold. The pattern was a simple one, a light blue that almost matched her eyes and white color. She fidgeted and looked up as Bokuden asked her a question.

"Oh! I um... I don't need one, I already have one on under my dress. Force of habit." She chuckled to herself and grew a bit red. People always thought it was a weird sort of habit, but being able to swim anywhere she went when she was out visiting the village outweighed her embarrassment for wearing the swimwear under her dress.

Lin stretched upwards and looked at the swimming trunks that Bokuden had ended up with. They were a plain black, no... navy blue, and would probably fit him quite well. "Shall I meet you in the hot spring then?" She tilted her head, bringing her hands down to pull her dress down again.

WC: 4918

Bokuden raised an eyebrow at after Lin’s revelation that she had already donned her swimwear, and in fact did so out of “force of habit”, rather than having planned to come here today, specifically. The explanation was a bit out of the ordinary, but it was hardly the most bizarre behavior or statement he had ever heard in his previous line of work or in his time as a wanderer. In all likelihood she was an avid swimmer and frequented pools often enough for traversing about with a bathing suit beneath her clothing was a matter of convenience. Either way, it wasn’t information of consequence at that moment, allowing him to simply shrug off the novelty of it.

“Convenient.”

With the knowledge that he only need purchase swimwear for himself, Bokuden gave a final nod of approval to the boy assisting him, sending him off with cash in hand to go and complete the transaction. Knowing that both of them would need to go and change, placing their belongings into what likely was to be lockers in the changing area, Lin was the first to notion their brief separation. He pondered for a moment whether or not she might use this opportunity to break off and make contact with the village, possibly calling for reinforcements to help her subdue him, but he would quickly relegate such suspicions to the back of his mind.

Old habits die hard and in moments like that Bokuden realized just how ingrained the shinobi lifestyle was in him, even after his own purposeful denouncement of it what seemed like a lifetime ago. That paranoia that each person you encounter might be hiding nefarious intentions behind a feigned smile. He had not, however, picked up any true semblance of malice towards him previously. Suspicion, surely, but not a burning conviction or animus at his person. He decided the right thing to do was to simply trust her and make no excuses to leave her to her own devices. If she truly was plotting against him, it would be unfortunate, but that was simply the risk he took being so close to the village.

“Yes. Once I finish up with him I’ll go and put my things away. I’ll see you inside, Lin.”

---

380-

Nodding, Lin bounded into the changing room. This would be the perfect time to send a missive to the village asking for aid. After all, how could she let a missing ninja slip through her fingers, what if someone saw her with a missing ninja? She took a deep breath, getting inside she found there to be lockers, and females in all states of undress and redress. She took off her sweater dress, finding it hot amidst the steam and bodies in the lockers.

Some of the women were talking about their spouses, and some were talking about the clothes that they had seen on the models in the show that had recently happened in kumogakure. She herself was more occupied with the business of trying to keep her cool with Bokuden, a wanted man, in the bath house and nothing that she could do about it. She took off her other clothes, leaving just her bathing suit on. It was a two piece bikini that tied in the front and the back on the top. She had tied it so that it was not so easily opened either way, no sense in having some boy come up behind her to get a free look.

The bottoms of her bathing suit were of the same color, a blue and white striped pattern, horizontal in fashion, and secured by a golden ring that hung on her hip. She felt naked without her tonfa, without her ninja tools, and quite exposed in the locker room, knowing that she would have to face Bokuden with nothing to protect her but her wits and experience. She gulped and sighed, calming herself down before locking the locker and taking the key with her. She secured it to the bottoms of her swimming suit by looping the piece of string that it came on through the golden hoop that was on her right hip, her less dominant one, no sense in it getting in the way should she have to trade blows with Bokuden.

Sighing one more time, she headed out to the hotsprings. It was a natural area and there were kids playing with adults in the waning sunlight. She smiled at their antics, some of them splashing siblings or friends, and their parents sitting in the hotter tubs watching them with bemused looks on their faces while talking about kami-knew what. She looked for Bokuden, and found the towel dispensers, they were free, and for the use of patrons. It was a nice touch to the scene, which was a mostly all natural hot springs. Now... to wait.

WC: 5353

Once he had finished his transaction with the boy tending the shop, Bokuden would take his purchase and make his way into the men’s locker room to change. The area was more spacious than he expected it to be, with several rows of lockers creating corridors of sorts for the patrons to change in. He had never been to this particular establishment before, but it must have been popular given the potential capacity for patrons. Knowing that Lin had already set out before him the man wasted no time in selecting a locker neatly nested away in the corner of the room and disrobing, sliding on his new swimwear and fastening the drawstrings tightly into a knot. Once his belongings were safely stored in the locker, he would make his way to the exit to meet back up with his companion.

Upon exiting the locker room Bokuden scanned the platform surrounding the springs, searching for signs of Lin who he assumed would have beat him out here with her head start. The search was a short one, taking barely a moment before he spotted the silver of her hair from about 30 yards away, even with no sweater dress or facial recognition to give it away. Once the man had spotted her he made sure to scan the area up and down before revealing his presence to ensure he was not walking into a trap of some sort. One he had verified the coast was clear and did not sense any immediate threats in the area, he would call out to make his presence known.

“Lin!”

Bokuden called out to Lin from the area in front of the men’s locker room, waving his right hand to flag her down from across the platform. Deeming it still important to remain as unthreatening as possible, lest the already concerned girl be shaken into action, the man would wait until she turned and acknowledged his presence before he began his approach. Once she did so, the fair-haired man would make his way towards his companion, making a brief detour to a towel dispenser attached to a wall to the left of them and obtaining a dry towel which he would sling over his neck, tugging down on the tail of each hanging over his shoulders, one side in each hand.

---

390

Lin looked back to Bokuden and shivered from the cold. She was starting to get goosebumps, and wrapped her arms around herself. The warm springs air was still turning to the cold that they endured often in Kumogakure no Sato at the high elevation. Still, the humidity was welcome.

She walked to him as he put a towel around his neck, he looked to be comfortable here and calm. Perhaps because she stood little to no chance of capturing him, even if she tried. "I would say that we should get into one of the warm tubs, and work our way up to the hotter tubs, it always feels better by the end of the night, and it helps me relax." She suggested to Bokuden.

"Do you have any hotsprings or the like where you come from Kogen?" She asked the innocent question, not knowing exactly where Bokuden had come from, only that he was in the bingo book for some reason. But why was this innocent looking man in the bingo book? It puzzled her to no end.

So far today, he had tended the sick, driven and apprehended bandits, and even saved the abused animals that they had mistreated. She couldn't find a single malicious bone in his body, but yet he was one of the most high ranking Missing Ninja in the bingo book. Strange, to say the least, but  if he would allow her she would lead him to the pool that was only about 100 degrees to warm themselves before moving on up to the hotter pools. The elderly were in this pool, but didn't seem to notice them, should they enter.

WC: 5368

“Lead the way. You’re the expert here.”

It was an easy decision for Bokuden to defer to Lin on the matter of what springs to enter and when. Not only did he have little to no expertise on the subject, he also had no preference. When he woke up this morning, taking a dip at a hot springs resort with a Kumogakure shinobi would likely have been one of the last things he would have imagined himself doing, but here he was. And given the situation, and her previous skepticism of him, it remained in his interest to allow her to feel as comfortable and as in control of the situation as possible. He hoped that the shinobi of his former village would not resort to such careless tactics as setting up an ambush in such a densely populated civilian location, risking unnecessary casualties and collateral damage to capture him, but he wouldn’t put it past people in that profession. He intended to avoid any actions that might agitate his companion and escalate conflict.

“My family ran a small shipping company, so I grew up by the ports. We were pretty far from the mountains or any hot springs. We might occasionally cross by some at inns while traveling for business, but it was a pretty rare occurrence. Haven’t been to anything like this in years. Seems like the kind of thing you’re a regular at, though. You must love the water if you wear a swimsuit under your clothes as a force of habit.”

As the pair approached the pool to which Lin had led them, Bokuden took note of the seemingly exclusively senior demographic of this particular pool, making he and she seem out of place. The senior citizens didn’t seem to pay them much mind, however, occupied in their own leisure time. Once the duo had reached the pool side, Bokuden would take a seat at the edge of the springs, dipping his feet into the warmth to test the temperature, which he found to be pleasantly warm. Hanging his towel over the side of the metal railing attached to a small ladder which he assumed was to assist children or the elderly climb out of the shallow water if they experienced difficulty, the man would push off from the edge of the springs and slide into the water gently.

---

398

Lin watched as he looked around, no kumogakure ninja to be found he seemed relieved, though the only way to tell was through his eyes, and even those were well guarded from his emotions. What a peculiar man, she was no good at hiding her own emotion. Not whatsoever.

Lin sighed and smiled at him, she led the way to the water, leaving the towel for later she waited for him to enter first.
Well he was right that this was a regular occurrence for her. She had practically been born to water, and like a panther or a tigress, she has taken to it and frequented it often.

"Well, surely I do, but I try not to let it get in the way of my hospital duties,not my duties to the village. I dont know much about politics, but shortly before syn died, he said I should go for the position of kage. Imagine that." She uttered as the warm waters thawed the outer ice of her demeanor and the frost sealing her lips. Why not tell him? It wasn't like she would ever become kage. "A silly girl like me. I couldn't see myself managing a village, I'm clumsy and ineloquent."

She dipped her body into the water, balancing on her knees and keeping her neck above the level of the ripples. She smiled to him, finding that the hot springs were melting away more than her demeanor before, but her stress was being soaked out, like water through a collander, her stress was strained through the water, leaving her quite the lump noodle.

WC: 5628

Using on: Senjutsu training: 7000/7000 C-B