Episode 1: No Ramen For The Wicked
“What are we doing here again?” Fulvius and Hooke had just arrived in Okagakure after two long days of travel.
“O, brother mine! Do you not see the children playing in the streets? The flowers blooming in the fields? O, brother mine! The festivities Illumi-”
“Right. Kuria’s Kage celebration.” Fulvius interrupted him, answering his own question. Hooke looked defeated, having had his monologue interrupted.
A set of eyes peered from a nearby alley.
“My fuhrer, the nut-jobs from the Hidden Metal have arrived, my fuhrer.”
“Yes, yes. Good observation skills, young one.”
“My Fuhrikage, their leader looks angry. What measures do we take, mein fuhrer?”
“We must raise taxes by 10%! Our border with them must be reinforced. The ocean is only so wide, you know.”
“Genius thinking, Lord Fuhrikage. We must return to the village immediately to prepare for their pending invasion.”
“Exactly my thoughts, unterführer. Let the annals of history never speak of our unpreparedness for war, my-”
“What are you goons doing in the dumpster?” Fulvius and Hooke had reached the alley in which the Yukikage and his elder were plotting.
“Mein fuhrer, the enemy seems to have spotted us. What course of action must we take?” Chikai whispered to her Kage.
“We first must execute the traitors that led them to us!” Kuro stood up, vaulted out of the dumpster and fled.
“You will pay for this intrusion!” Chikai followed her Kage’s lead. Halfway down the alley, she turned and ran back to the dumpster. She reached for a piece of paper that had “Yukigakure Secret Hideout” scribbled on it hastily. Chikai tore it off and ran away. Fulvius noticed it had covered a bright yellow sign that read “CAUTION. DO NOT PLAY IN THE DUMPSTER.”
“Where the hell did you get that?” Fulvius snatched a fork from Hooke’s hand. His chopsticks sat idle next to the bowl of ramen.
“I brought it with me from the Metal…” He muttered, seemingly ashamed.
“You don't know how to use chopsticks?”
Hooke ignored the question, instead deciding to pull out a second fork.
“How fucking deprived are you?” Fulvius shook his head and returned to his own ramen.
“You boys are from the Hidden Metal?” A deep voice loomed in the air. Fulvius looked over his shoulder towards the speaker. It came from a tall man with dark brown hair covered by the hat of a Kage. If the color scheme of his robe and hat didn't give away his identity, the word “Dust” written on it certainly did.
“Lord Hokorikage.” Fulvius stood up and bowed before the man.
“Errr…” Hayame was confused on what title to use. He couldn’t care less about the politics of the Hidden Metal and/or who held what title.
“Lord Raimei.” He tipped his Kage hat smoothly. Fulvius looked past the Hokorikage at the group of Dust Shinobi bumping a small dust tornado around outside, attempting to keep it in the circle they formed.
Suddenly, the Yukikage burst through the door, muttering about dust savages and their barbaric games. His entourage of Snow Shinobi stood outside in a strict line behind Chikai.
“Table for eight, good kind sir.” Kuro said to the man behind the counter which Fulvius and Hooke sat at.
“Excuse me, Yukikage, I believe the Hidden Dust arrived here first.” Hayame said calmly. Fulvius patted Hooke’s left arm twice, their subtle sign for “let's fuckin dip before this shitstorm turns into a shit-hurricane.”
Kuro put on a puzzled look, turning towards the Ennia brothers, who were casually strolling to the back exit.
“Fulvius, my guy, could you help me out here?” He started. “You see, I'm not an inbred troglodyte and I can't understand this ape banging rocks and ooking around. It seems to be a commonality within that Dust village -- do you think you could maybe translate for me?”
Hayame’s chakra erupted, becoming visible as a sandy brown cloak. He spoke in a deep, commanding voice.
“Speak ill of my people again and-”
“AND YOU’LL WHAT?!” Kuro’s chakra flared up in the same fashion, taking on a light blue color instead.
“I WILL FUCK YOU UP!” The Yukikage yelled boisterously over the enormous noise their chakra made as it stirred up the atmosphere, splintering the wood floors along with nearby objects.
The usual signs signifying sage mode for Hayame, red lines on the face and white hair, began to sprout. Kuro didn’t need sage mode; he simply increased the intensity of his chakra, completely shattering the floor underneath him and exploding the chairs closest to him. A man in a dark robe placed a hand on the shoulder of each Kage.
“No such violence will occur.” Both Kage settled down immediately, perhaps due to a suppressing jutsu by the newcomer.
“We are here to honor a friend, not start a war.” Fulvius could recognize that man anywhere; the stoic Kaminarikage, with his glowing red eyes, was quite the sight to behold. Fulvius wiped the sweat off his face and turned to look at Hooke, who seemed unfazed. He held the bowl of ramen in his left hand, noisily slurping noodles. How the meal remained in the bowl and Fulvius’ sword didn’t stay in its sheath was a mystery, but alas, it had.
Fulvius wove hand signs in his right hand and fixed his cloak with his left. He drew the immediate attention of all three kages once the jutsu was cast -- they could sense the chakra being expent. A coil of lightning extended from his wrist and grasped onto the handle of his sword. It pulled the saber from the wall and returned it to its sheath. It was possibly one of the most awkward moments he had experienced. All three kage watched the jutsu slowly run its course while he stood there, wide eyed.
“Uh… Good day, l-lads.” Fulvius awkwardly threw a bag of coins onto the counter, bowed once again and hastily walked out the back door with Hooke in tow. The three kage muttered something inaudible back and turned to the owner of the store.
Reminance spoke up first. “I’ll take the biggest table you’ve got.”
“I second his request.”
“As do I.”
The shopkeeper gulped and opened his mouth to speak, with obvious regret for what he was about to say.
“Our t-tables have been… booked, per say. I’m sorry gentlemen, but I’ve got no r-room for all yer shinobi.” As if on queue, Satoru and Yokiro Nii strolled into the shop, followed by around a dozen Hidden Haze shinobi. The three Kage were absolutely stupefied; they had all just been countered by what they considered a village in the middle of nowhere, for nobody and at no time to be acknowledged.
“......yeeeaaaaah......” Kuro muttered. He looked towards the other Kage, who were embarrassedly playing with their hair and fixing their clothes.
“You all wanna go hit up a bar?” Hayame suggested. Reminance and Kuro muttered their approval, and together, the shinobi shuffled out of the ramen shop.
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