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In the Narutoverse, not all who pass on from this life cross peacefully into the Pure Land where eternal rest awaits. Between that place where the souls of earthly beings reside and the world of the living lies the Middle Plane, where the Namahage Festival takes place. In the vast emptiness of the Middle Plane, the souls of earthly beings shackled to their past lives by regret, as well as those souls who simply choose to wait for their loved one(s), linger alone.

Taking pity on these souls beyond their reach and their mortal ties that so desperately reach out into the beyond with little but a spark of hope and a wish to be reunited with their loved ones once more, the denizens of the Middle Plane created the tradition of setting off floating, paper lanterns during periods of convergence. While temporary, mortals who participate in the ceremony are given the opportunity to meet and commune with a beloved soul that has yet to cross into the Pure Land. Hopefully, to give both sides closure and allow the natural order of souls to continue on.



The In-Character steps to the Paper Lantern ceremony which characters must follow to properly commune with the lingering souls of their loved ones is as follows:

1. The Player Character must purchase a Paper Lantern through the Festival Tickets Prize Counter.
   
   
2. Said lantern must then be brought to the River of Closure.
   
   
3. The name of the lingering soul one wishes to commune with must be written on the paper lantern.
   
   
4. The Player Character must then wrap a strand of their own hair, or some personal belonging that burns easily around the candle wick in the lantern.
   
   
5. The candle in the center of the lantern is then lit and the paper construct set off to float.
   
   
6. After a few moments the Player Character will be transported as a small light up into the lantern, where they will find themselves and the soul they seek to commune with seated by a campfire, surrounded by darkness (in the same manner Kakashi met Sakumo) where they will have 15 minutes before the candle goes out and the ceremony ends.
   

Rules & Limitations:

• Paper Lantern Threads may only be participated in with a valid purchase of a Paper Wish Lantern from the Festival Ticket Prize Counter.
  
  
• Paper Wish Lanterns are single-use only and may not be redeemed twice.
  
  
• Each Paper Wish Lantern only affords a Player Character to commune with a single lingering soul in the Middle Plane. Multiple souls may be communed with in a single thread, however, each would require their own separately purchased Paper Wish Lantern to be cast afloat.
  
  
• Players can only commune with souls lingering in the Middle Plane. These are almost exclusively souls that are bound to the Impure World by regrets or willingly choose to wait to cross over with still-living loved ones. Souls that have already passed peacefully into the Pure Land or have had their souls moved outside of the natural transition process, such as being sealed within the Reaper Death Seal, are not present in the Middle Plane and therefore cannot be reached.
  

If there are any doubts or concerns with respect to the rules or validity of the soul you're choosing to commune with, ask the event organizers for clarification before purchasing the lantern and we will be glad to help. If you purchase the lantern only to find out what you want to do is not possible, you will not be refunded the amount of tickets spent on the Paper Wish Lantern.