"I don't-"

A puff of warm breath reeking of carrion blows you back but instead of snow only salt water rushes up. Fire burns crimson above and inky smoke belches into the evening air. A massive wave crashes into you, forcing you down. The weight of a freezing ocean pulling you into abyss. "Drown," the wolf growls, it's eyes alight deep below, "and return Úlfheðinn."

The wolf's maw opens like a trench and sucks you in. Then it's mouth snaps shut. The moon sits low in the early morning sky, shining onto your face through an open flap. Crescent and yellowed like an eye watching from afar. The rest took longer than normal, all night in fact. Wasted time. Kahiko and his granddaughter Emina sit around a small wood stove, groggily eating a breakfast slurry "Ohayou gozaimasu," Kahiko says.

"Madainn mhath."

"Eh?" Eminha says with a cocked eyebrow. Your brain flops and spots of blue light appear in the periphery before dissolving into nothing with a breath. Ignore the delusions, dispel them with a thought and controlled breathing. Just like Master Mifune says.

"Good morning," you correct with a stiff bow. "Seems Nerugui finally let go?"

"Bah, he's disappeared again," Kahiko says with a sigh. "But don't you mind, I'll have one of the hidden villages do it this time."

"Well, thank you for the hospitality then."

"You're leaving already?" Emina asks with a tinge if disappointment. Neither of them are even fully dressed and both huddle up against the wood stove to stave off a chill in the air. The day will be cold, especially so with the gray overcast setting in. Good news.

"Indeed, I've been recalled by my Master with urgency."

"Safe journeys then, Eliko of the Land of Iron," Kahiko says. "And don't be a stranger! Next time you come around I'll introduce you to the rest of the group."

You nod and smile before walking out the tent. "If you ever need a samurai, don't be afraid to ask."

You make good time, very good time. Through the Lands of Rain and Grass in only a few hours and back into the Land of Iron's territory by mid afternoon. Winter shows it's bite as you climb high into the table mountains. Snow capped peaks and howling winds. An avalanche covers the road past Samurai Bridge, impassible if it weren't for the forty or so parka clad workers with shovels and plows restoring the way. One of them shows you through a narrow but cleared path and to the top of the first mountain.

As you reach the summit, one of the tallest around, the Land of Iron becomes apparent. A harsh blizzard roars with flurries of snow and the form of three wolf heads silhouette through the stormy haze. Bigger than any natural mountains ten fold and frozen to the core. Three Wolves Mountain, home. Wind rips at your yukata and knee deep drifts force you to remove your sandals. But the cold, ever present, is welcome. Passing off what little Ryo you have left to the worker as thanks you continue deeper into the harsh familiar mountain country.

>cont

Most villages within the Land of Iron sit on the lowland boarder or in great valleys to better weather the harsh winters. Still, many live on the north coast and fish year round making seafood the primary source of food in the country. Those few villages that remain high up are dug into the mountains much like a fort. Day to day life is harsher than most other countries. Few other places can you freeze to death ten months of the year. But the last two months, June and July, are wonderful. Mountains turn green and bloom with a thousand colors while valley streams thaw and turn to raging rivers and grand waterfalls. Mountain lakes turn crystal clear like glass to give better views of the extremophile life within. Then it all freezes solid once more early fall.

Life is hard but the people are harder. You wave at a passing mother and her children, each bundled up against the storm with heavy parkas. They smile and wave back before being ushered on. They wear backpacks, stuffed to the brim with clothes and parcels. Several more people walk by, elders struggling through the snow with some young women helping them along. More children and women and a few elders. Not a few, hundreds.

A samurai shouts at you from the base of Three Wolves as you approach, a stone and metal wall built into the mountain's side under one of it's great maws. The whole mountain can fit a city of people and weather any storm, siege, or otherwise. "Eliko!" He shouts again. The gate opens, a big metal door that recedes into the framework with a siren. "Lord Mifune is waiting for you in the war room with the others!"

"Others?!" You shout back over the wind. He's fully clad from head to toe in standard gun metal gray armor, eyes red with back-light and a katana on each hip and a pair of wakizashi under those. He's battle ready. The whole mountain is. Others patrol the outside in full squads and many man the battlements.

"The family Heads and Captains! Someone wiped out the northern villages!"

An emergency indeed. You look at your clothes. A bit ragged and dingy and the bandages could be taken off. Your hair is also unkempt, with the topknot just about falling apart. Knowing the Heads they'll nitpick you to death and the Captains will be more than happy to berate you for not being in armor and all the new scars. But Master Mifune is not to wait.

>Immediately meet them
>Make yourself presentable first
>Write-in

>>3215260
>Immediately meet them
We have more pressing things to worry about

>>3215260
>Immediately meet them

>>3215260
>Immediately meet them

>>3215311
>>3215307
>>3215265
>Immediately meet them
Prudent. Today will be a bit slow but for now, expect the next update in an hour or two.

Everything leading up to now may have been a pleasant walk or prudent jog but this requires immediacy. Looks be damned, Master Mifune wouldn't care so long as you get there on time. With a huff you break into a fast walk, each step clacking against smooth stone floor. Most caves were natural, smoothed and dug out for better access but many are man made. Hundreds of kilometers stretching from the peaks to deep bellow. Few residents really knowing every step. Yourself have only ever been through most of the upper residential and military levels. Barracks, canteens, warehouses, housing blocks and business blocks, an underground fortress city utterly inaccessible to those not permitted.

After several long minutes of speed walking you pass through a checkpoint and are directed into a lift. The gate slides shut and the whole thing shutters to a start. Down you go, hundreds of levels, some ancillary tunnels and others main junctions. All of them have people preparing, stocking food and arms. Then the lift screeches to a stop and you step off. Head Quarters for every samurai from the Land of Iron. While requests aren't taken from any non citizens many are still taken. Squads are dispatched on a daily basis to do anything from bandit eradication to disaster relief. Apprentices are also given small missions, normally nothing more than simple message running. Though with the flurry of activity the HQ is currently suffering, normal might be changing.

As you cross through the chaos you pay little mind to those around you. Death glares and murmured insults. How could a boy lacking both chakra and standing be taken on as an apprentice, let alone Lord Mifune's own. Ultimately it doesn't matter, they'll think the same regardless. Because they weren't chosen, you were. Out of a thousand requests, he'd specifically gone out of his way to take on only you.

You push open the metal door leading to the war room, ignoring a cold gaze from the guard. Inside six people sat around a horseshoe shaped table and at a disconnected center sat Master Mifune who faintly smiles as he takes notice of you. He waves you over to stand at his side, which you do stiffly. "There," Master Mifune says, "Everyone important is here."

The stands are drawn open and filled with Captains, or rather sparsely populated by them. Thirty in total, a quarter of the total seating. Too many have left in the last few decades. It used to be one side was seating for just the Captains and the other for the lesser heads. But now... "He's filthy," A head says from the horseshoe table. Shiro Kita, a young man about six years older than yourself and head of the Kita Clan, one of the older families. "Bed with the wolves on your journey, eh Eliko?"

>cont

"We all read his reports," another says, a middle aged woman by the name of Kaoru Oshiro, head of the largest family. At a hundred members, a significant number Captains and normal Samurai, it has nearly as much sway as Mifune himself. She blows a ring of smoke before taking a drag from her long pipe. "The dead are rising to the west and sea people are raiding the north."

"It's those damn ninja!" A rattish old man sneers, his rounded glasses catching the light. Goro Nishimura, head of the aptly named Nishimura villages a day north from Three Wolves. A coastal village, they must have been hit hard. "Coming in from the sea and planting explosives all over the damn coast!"

The heads go through their squabbles. Yelling, threats, and accusations. Like a bunch of toddlers. "Enough," Master Mifune says. Doesn't take much, he doesn't even need to yell. "We all smell blood in the water, our rivals and enemies too. Konoha was attacked, the Hokage killed. The Land of Stones annexed it's former western ally while at the same time the Land of Demons came under attack from a group calling themselves the Flower Empire. And now we're dealing with sea born raiders whom we can't identify. Expand upon your situations.

Order is established within the heads and each go through the happenings of their respective territories. Those in the south feel unsafe for having both coasts and shared borders with ninja countries while those in the north are facing raiders and a refugee crises. A fight breaks out between Shiro, from the south, and a northern head between the permanence of refugee resettlement. ALl the while you stand there awkwardly, unsure of your place in all this. Deployments are ordered, funds are transferred, and fortifications are requested. Every clan is getting a new fort it seems.

By the end of it, after everyone has left and your legs are sore, Mifune gives you a soft frown. "How was your journey?" He asks, taking a much less formal posture. "Azumi tells me she had fun and... learned something rather inappropriate."

"She was shown a jutsu by a kid in Konoha," you bow. "Apologies, she had made a friend and I hadn't seen the harm-"

"No no, it's fine just... well, you should see it yourself sometime. So, down to the nitty gritty. The Captains refuse to allow you to become a Samurai and the heads are... well..."

"Assholes," you answer.

"Exactly. To be perfectly honest, if I permitted you to become part of the regular forces there would be a coup. You're a nobody to them, just a pest to be exterminated for their own political gains. They tell me, even ten years after the fact, that making you my apprentice was a mistake. That someone like you can never really by my successor."

"What..."

>cont

>cont

"This September you'll be heading an expedition, either to assess the threat of this so called Flower Empire, or to eradicate the seafaring raiders. After you return, successfully, you'll earn your place. I know you're time home has been short but this is the perfect opportunity to show them, to earn your own name. Enjoy the next month. Oh and, uh, you forgot something rather important."

Your eyes go wide. Azumi turned ten a few days ago.

>Go find Azumi, try and figure out a present for her
>Go to your quarters, she'll find you if she's mad enough
>Go to the library and brush up on knowledge, she'll never find you in there
>Climb to the Summit, get an early start on your training
>Write-in

>>3215512
>Go find Azumi, try and figure out a present for her
PANIC

>>3215512
>Climb to the summit, get an early start on your training.

I'll leave it a bit longer, if not I'll flip a coin for one of these two.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>3215517
>>3215545
Rolling and writing.

You bow to Master Mifune and leave the room quickly, ignoring the eyes of your betters along the way. A gift shop? No, Azumi isn't one for trinkets and she'd prefer a souvenir anyways. Weapons, martial arts manuals and other related things. Her training with Master Mifune should have started by now but given the Land of Iron's current state that might have changed. A weapon then? Or maybe she'd appreciate a good sparring partner for once. The other kids her age aren't exactly pushovers but few really matched her in physical prowess.

"Hay there," a teenage girl says, maybe a year or two older than yourself. Black hair draping to her shoulders and icy blue eyes. A bit pale but so is everyone else in the Land of Iron. She leans against the wall with an eyebrow raised, a strange way to greet someone. Everything about her was perfect, except the fact that she's the spitting image of Azumi, just a bit older. You know she doesn't have any older siblings or a mother. For that matter, Master Mifune is her only family.

"Do I know you?" You ask with faux curiosity.

"Of course you do, I'm-" You step in and study her, forcing her voice to crack. "I-I'm..."

"You? I'm sure I'd recognize such a beautiful face."

"I-I..." She blushes and looks at the ground.

"Go on?"

"You forgot my birthday!" She explodes into a smoke cloud and a smallish fist slams into your chest, right in the solar plexus. The air leaves your lungs as they seize, making breathing impossible.

"So that's the jutsu that kid showed you," you grunt out before straightening back up. A pouting and still red faced Azumi stands with her arms crossed just in front of you. Still as short as every. "I hope you're not doing stupid things with it?"

"Of course not!" She shouts with a scrunched face. "I'm not some pervert. Besides grandp- Master Mifune told me not to use it in front of anyone."

"For the best." You pat her head, earning a smile from the younger girl. "I'm sorry for missing your birthday."

"You better be, it was so boring. Just a bunch of stuffy old people talking politics. So, what did you get me?" She asks.

"Uh-..." You pat your gear sack and feel through your very sparse belongings. The wakizashi she got you, stale rations, the bear claws, and the knives. That's it, she'll love one of the knives. It'll make the perfect addition to her already vast arsenal, that being any weapon she asks someone for. Being the granddaughter of the Warlord sure has it's perks. But you also feel something else, a small bead perfectly rounds and textured in some way to catch the fibers of your gear sack. Maybe you could pass it off as a souvenir?

>Give her the tooth knife
>The bead? You don't remember picking it up
>Some stale rations as a joke, then a promise for a real gift
>A bet, she has to earn her gift and you want to see how well she's taken to training
>Write-in

Forgot the archive link and character sheet in the OP.
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Three+Wolves

Character Sheet: https://pastebin.com/pvNr0Er0

>>3215727
>Give her the tooth knife

>>3215727
>Give her the tooth knife
People love gifts with a personal touch

>>3215727
Give her the tooth knife.

>>3215759
>>3215752
>>3215737
>Knife
Aren't you guys considerate. Writing.

>>3215799
Also...ask abut the Jutsu

I have a feeling..

You sling around the gear sack and dig through it's contents then pull out a knife. Five inches long total and made from a bear's tooth cut down into a spear point. Unusual for a personal blades but it's of good quality, even coming with it's own grips and small leather sheath. Better still, this one hasn't killed anyone yet. You hold it out and her face lights up with a bright smile. "I had it made in the Land of Demons," you say before pulling out the matching one. "A twin of mine. Don't use it too much, it's only made from a tooth after all."

"Thank you!" She says excitedly, taking it from your outstretched hand. She swipes it in the air, her hand a blur you can hardly keep up with. The handle is a bit too big for her to hold it proper but she takes a liking to it nonetheless. A new necklace flops around in the air, a polished pendent of some sort. "This is waaaay cooler than that boring white kimono I got from the Oshiro family. Or all the jewelry."

You grunt in agreement. A knife is much more fitting than clothes or accessories. And while their purpose is clear to you, it's doubtful she understands the significance of such things. If Master Mifune accepted at all, that is. He may be the Warlord but even a Warlord has to consider such things. Come to think of it, the Oshiro have a couple children Azumi's age. Kaoru's son is a year older or so if your memory serves correct. "Was Jun there, by chance?"

"Yeah, a stick in the mud too. He only wanted to sit at the table and listen to the adults." She steps on your feet and you grab her hands as the two of you waddle down the tunnel. The residential area the both of you stay in isn't too far away, she can have her fun. She's getting a bit big to be treating like a child. But she's only ten, nothing wrong with letting her enjoy herself for a bit longer.

"Boring is right," you answer. "So, anything you want to do?"

"Mmhh, I want to see your library."

"Library?" You echo. Only families have those, some rivaling or even exceeding the public library. Sure you have a few books, almost exclusively about kenjutsu, but it's far from anything even resembling such a thing. Your quarters don't even have room for a bookshelf. Just a one room apartment with a small kitchen and bathroom.

"Yeah! Grandpa moved a bunch of dingy looking books into your room! They have really cool designs on them and some even have metal corners. There was also this big tray thing he kept wrapped in a weird looking blanket. He said not to tell anyone though."

>cont

Your quarters come into view and a moment later you walk in. In the corner of your room is a pile of what looks like a half dozen warn out old books. Leaning against them is the strangest looking shield you've ever seen, crimson and black with a flat crow on it and some strange words you can't readily decipher. Folded next to it is the weird blanket she was talking about, blue and black with some strange pattern of lines and squares. You pull out a book in significantly better condition than the rest and flip open to a random page. It's about swordsmanship, or so you think. The very colorful art is nothing like you've seen, with people holding strange swords at each other in very distinctive postures.

You close it, careful of the stiff flaky paper and go to the shield. Like a kite and heavy, though it's the perfect shape to hide nearly all of your body behind with only a single arm. The wood is dense, more so than wood should be, and it's held together by an metal frame. It's wearable in a dozen different ways with several straps offering a very firm grip and even a sling of sorts to carry it around a shoulder.

"Hay, big brother!" Azumi shouts. You hear a puff and the telltale signs of a jutsu being done.

"Hm-" as you turn around you stop dead and close your eyes both in frustration and politeness. Now you understand what Master Mifune meant by inappropriate. "Is this what that ninja boy taught you?"

"Wha-... it's supposed to be funny! Why didn't you get a nosebleed or fall over?"

"Azumi, you're not allowed to see that boy again."

"Konohamaru said it's good at surprising people but you're as bad as grandpa."

"If I catch you using it you're getting in serious trouble. Now run along, or help me look through all this stuff."

"Bah," she grumbles. Once more she puffs into her normal form, once more with a soured expression. "I can't read any of it but the pictures are nice I guess. Can't we do some training instead?"

>"Later, if you help me without complaining."
>"Why not, I don't really want to deal with all this either."
>"No, not after that stunt."
>Write-in

>>3215913
>"Later, if you help me without complaining."

And then we can give her tips on making her Sexy jutsu work better

Alright, this'll be the last vote for tonight so get them in. I'll post the next update tomorrow at 12pm PST. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far.

>>3215925
>spoiler
>Lewding a loli
This isn't a degenerate Hidden Village like Konoha, the Land of Iron has good Ninshū morals & values.

>>3215913
>"Later, if you help me without complaining."
Gotta work that shinobi degeneracy out of her.

>>3215913
>"Later, if you help me without complaining."

>>3215998
>ninshu morals and values
>nin shu
>ninja creed

Sounds like you're one of those no good ninjes yerself.

>>3216146
Hay now, Hagoromo came up with it to bring world peace. Ninja coopted it so they could kill people good.

>>3216160
This may have come up, but is there a bushido equivalent? Or are we not that pants on head retarde-- I mean, not as chained to formalities as late era samurai in our world/that weird era of conscripts claiming it in WWII?

>>3216174
Not that I know of. IFAIK in-cannon the Land of Iron and 'real' samurai are the only factions that practice ninshu en masse with the original intention, barring a temple or two that i'm forgetting.
Also, no, you guys are certainly on the less formal side of the spectrum in the Land of Iron. That's one of the reasons I didn't include Seppuku/Harakiri after beating that female samurai.

>>3216189
Gotcha, so the people reviling us for being no-chakra: Is that purely from the perceived lack oof ability/potential or is it more psuedo-religious as an apostate who can't spread the chakra around and only leaches it?

>>3216222
Depends on who you ask. To some you're basically a heretic, others see you as the weakest link, and many consider you a political target due to being a nobody orphan apprenticed to the leader of an entire country.

"Later," you answer. "If you help me without complaining." You pull out a thin book and hand it to her. Not many to sort through but most are basically unintelligible from smudging and damaged paper. You two spend the next few hours scouring the pages for any sort of information on what they may really be about or their origins. Some seem to tell the stories of great heroes with rounded or squared shields and strange helmets tufted like a horse's mane. Others of beastly men who wear the pelts of fearsome bears, wolves, and boars upon their backs and heads as they charge headlong into battle. A few depictions give you pause, the pelt wearing men ride in long boats and rush a small group of horse tufted defenders from a black ocean.

"Big bro," Azumi says with a cheeky grin while holding up a rather lewd depiction in a book. You snatch it from her hand and replace it with some sort of technical manual or blueprint of sorts for a long bell. Either must be some sort of joke, who needs a bell that long and tapered. Some dots connect together. The dreams of far off lands, speaking a different tongue, the strange sword stance.

"Was one of your parents foreign?" Azumi asks, clearly on the same page as yourself.

"I'm thinking so," you answer. Some of the words make sense and some more are understandable in context with illustrations and sketches. None of them feel or sound like the language you had shouted in battle, however. One word is repeated over and over, Ferrum. Iron. A word inscribed on the shield. Ferrum Et Cornix, iron and something. If one was foreign it could make sense why Master Mifune never bothered to answer any of your, or other's, questions about your parentage. The Clan Heads being privy to such knowledge could cause some serious backlash.

The shield clatters to the ground along with the rest of the books. Azumi pulls out something with an 'oof' out of the blanket, something big. The hilt of an over-sized sword with a guard crossed from edge to edge and what remains of an broken azure blade. It's pommel is familiar, a larger and more defined version of your katana's original end cap. "This is heavy," she grunts, hardly able to lift it. "But it's just like yours."

"It is blue... You say while taking the monstrous weapon from her. What remains of the blade is easily a hand or more wide. And it's lighter than her struggle implied by a good margin. Only a little heavier than your katana in fact. Three letters are carved into the fuller, each as jagged as a broken piece of glass. "Azumi, don't tell anyone about this."

"Yeah yeah, grandpa already said the same thing." She sighs and puts a book on the only piece of furniture in your room, a very sparse bookshelf. "Not like anyone will care."

>cont

"It's not anyone else's business." You shelf the books in order of damage, the most illegible at the bottom with the best at the top. Even with the new additions it's still depressingly minuscule. Master Mifune has an entire library two stories tall and wide as one of the many canteens, filled to the brim with thousands of scrolls, manuscripts, books, anything with words written on it. Every year the clan's pay him their taxes, oftentimes bolstered with records and texts from their own libraries, many as big or bigger. To most samurai knowledge is as important as currency. And you now hold some very foreign knowledge. Maybe Yuki could shed some light on all this if you ever see her again.

"Oh! What if you have a sister? Or a brother!"

"No thanks, you're a big enough handful as it is."

"Wouldn't you want to meet them though?"

You know nothing about any life outside of Three Wolves. You've slept, ate, breathed, and lived the life of the Samurai from as early as you can remember. And no family has ever come for you. Even if they were or still are looking for you would you even want to meet them?

"Go get ready to spar, we're going to train until I drop."

You have a month and some to train with all the resources permitted to the apprentice of Mifune, Lord of the Land of Iron. What will you do for the first week?
>Physical training (+ to STR, STM)
>Kenjutsu (+ to SPD, Bukijutsu)
>Study (+ to INT)
>Write-in

>>3217483
>Physical training (+ to STR, STM)

>>3217483
>Physical training.

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>3217558
>>3217528
Time for gainz. Writing.

With the way your bones and muscles hurt you decide the best way to start off the month is with physical training. A lap around the summit in nothing but your skivvies to start the day off with then another ten hours of exercise. Isometrics and resistance training in the bitter cold, some you've been missing over the last month and a half. Azumi tries her best to keep up with you but in her heavy parka the best she can manage is a kilometer in the waist high snow before tiring out and quitting for the day. Occasionally Master Mifune joins you, and one day, he pulls you to the side and forces you into meditation before doing the same right in front of you.

Wind howls like a wolf and snow piles up to your shoulders. The cold numbs your skin and hardens your body but you don't mind it's cool touch. If anything the longer you sit in the subzero temperature the more accustomed to it you get. "So," Master Mifune says, his voice barely heard above the wind, "I received a message from the Land of Demons."

"Trouble?" You ask without bothering to open your eyes. Though you're fairly sure they're frozen shut at this point. Hopefully the army didn't reform, it's doubtful they could capture the temple with so many losses from before. And if relief came then they surely can't hope to match.

"I've dispatched a squad to handle it, though it seems my student has earned some admiration and compensation. Chased off a ronin, broke an army and took it's commander's head. All after training the garrison into fierce warriors in their own right."

"Apologies, Master," you answer. "I failed to return Hitoshi Satou and those claims are a grossly embellished."

"Mind it not, though I might just think about keeping your reward if you're so sorry," he says with a soft chuckle. "Besides, embellishments tend help the illusion of our power. The shinobi avoid us because of that illusion."

"If I may..."

"Please, anything to help clear my mind of Clan squabbles."

"The books you gave me..."

"Books?" He asks in a humored tone. "An apprentice has no library, especially one not belonging to a minor house or clan."

"And your excuse for the shield?"

"We samurai don't use shields[/s]. That's a defective sled."

"Funny," you say flatly. "Then what about the sword hilt?"

"Nothing more than a relic I found out on a stroll." He waives off your questions and changes the subject. Clearly he's uninterested in the subject "The clans are getting rowdy, Eliko. Not a day goes by where one of the heads pester me for Azumi or at the very least your dismissal. It's maddening."

>cont

"So why don't you? End it all and retire, give the reigns to someone else."

"They're all fools who can't see past their own noses. It's a problem with samurai, why our nations collapse. Everyone is in it for their families, their villages, their friends, but never the Land itself. Never the greater good."

"And you think I'll be different?" You ask. Your eyes open this time, stinging from the cold. Master Mifune stands above you with his back turned. He flicks his sword, Kurosawa, and sprays a few droplets of blood across the snow. Shallow wounds, hundreds of small scratches, dot your body. You hadn't felt a thing or even heard him do so. None of them will even leave scars once healed.

"I don't think, I know. The wolves told me after all." He hobbles away, stiff from the cold even in his heavy clothing. You sigh and straighten up yourself, casting away a snow drift that had crept it's way up to your chin. With a quick stretch you decide on another lap around the summit.

The next week rolls around and you're sure a rest from physical activity is needed. Overdoing it can lead to serious complications later on after all. Three weeks remain and Azumi is itching for some actual fighting, she'll make a fine training dummy. Though she could probably do with a good lesson. Maybe you can find some enlightenment in one of those foreign sword fighting books. If you can decipher it, that is.
>Kenjutsu (+ to SPD, Bukijutsu)
>Study (+ to INT)
>Write-in

>>3217772
>Study.

>>3217772
>Kenjutsu (+ to SPD, Bukijutsu)

I'm not going to do a tiebreaker with this one, I'll wait for a third to vote.

>>3217772
>Study (+ to INT)
Study dem weird books

>>3218055
>>3217898
>>3217795
>Study
Alright, time to read. Updates are going to come a bit more sporadic for the rest of the night. I"ll need some 1d100s, best of three, from you guys. A second roll is allowed after thirty minutes if no one else has done so.

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>3218063
First.

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>3218063

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>3218063

>>3218134
>>3218108
>>3218091
>48
Failure, you guys can't read shit in those books. Update coming out in twoish hours.

>>3218134
>>3218108
>>3218091
This is what is deserved for being nerds.

"Can we train with weapons now?" Azumi groans on Monday of the second week. You've waken her up bright and early every morning so far, she'll get a routine going in no time. She'll about the greatest weapon in any fight for sure. Her mind.

"Sure!" You answer with a devious grin before grabbing her hand. You pull her along through the residential area, down, not up to the summit. She frowns and shoots you a death glare, already aware of your plan.

"Pl-"

"The mind is your greatest weapon!" You exclaim happily. Rarely do you get to lecture her about something other than bad behavior. And you relish every opportunity. As you walk you launch into a tirade about the history of swordplay and the usages of the different kenjutsu schools within the Land of Iron. While the more affluent class get personal masters, many of the citizenry attend a school for training. The difference in swordplay is minuscule but notable, with schools teaching conformity and master's providing a much more tailored experience. You make sure to remind her of that fact, to not waste such an opportunity.

A guard glares at you, garnering a rude expression from Azumi before you step into Master Mifune's personal library. After thumbing through the books, making your mind up on a well endowed stack, you find her one to work through. She stares at you with a flat expression as the thick bound book slams in front of her. Something on the philosophy of swords to get her started. It was the first book Master Mifune had dropped in your lap nearly ten years ago. "You're kidding," she says.

"Not at all, feel free to ask questions." You smile and sit across the table from her. Her eyes go wide at your own selection. Small unit tactics, theater warfare, defensive strategies, and advanced commanding skills. And in light of recent news, a small scroll on civil leadership. Which, from the look of it, is absolutely dreadful.

Azumi sighs and flips open to the first worn out page. A mainstay in your studies for the first five years, it took you six months just to get through it the first time. Another six to really get it. After that it was all memorization. Ethics, basic stances and why they're used, differences between the various schools, and even a section on- You reach out and snag the book from her hand. "Hay!" She says.

"Quiet." You flip through the pages and find it, a small blurb on swordplay from the far west along with some very basic illustrations. A man holding a sword over his left elbow and near his jaw, he same one you'd performed during the siege. An Ox, or Wrath guard it reads, is far western stance developed with the advent of two handed longswords but also finds utility in short swords such as the gladius when used in conjuncture with a shield. Defensive and reserved in nature, acting as a swort of passive guard even while striking. You push it back over, satisfied, and return to your own reading.

>cont

Over the next week, try as you might, that's all the information you can garner from the western texts. Master Mifune, when asked, simply shrugs and returns to his daily routine or tells you to figure it out yourself. Azumi, on the other hand, with all of her complaining takes to studying well. A real intellect, she gets through the first eighth of the obscenely thick book relatively fast. But, as the week comes to an end, you can feel your mind numbing from the constant intake. Things begin to stick less and by the end, you're completely worn out.

Two weeks left and the people within Three Wolves start to show their stress. Supplies and security are fine, and no sickness spreads among them but no one likes being ignorant of the situation, especially when only more survivors are brought in. Refugees too infirm or sick too go south fill the medical facilities while samurai who were stationed in the northern villages return with missing limbs or severe burns and shrapnel wounds. Whatever is attacking the Land of Iron is no ninja. Still, you have yet to receive a command to leave and won't for the next two weeks while local forces are levied and a plan is prepared.

A note is left under your door, stamped red with the Oshiro's tower shaped seal and smelling like smoke. A formal request for lunch this Friday with you and Azumi, addressed to you from Kaede and Jun Oshiro. Probably just to chaperone Azumi, Master Mifune must have made a decision about that. You'll be sure to ask him if you accept.
>Physical training (+ to STR, STM)
>Kenjutsu (+ to SPD, Bukijutsu)
>Write-in
Do you accept the invite?
>Yes, might as well see if Jun is a good kid or not
>No, you're not one for political arrangements

>>3218461
>Physical training (+ to STR, STM)
>Yes

>>3218461
>Kenjutsu.
>Yes, might as well see if Jun is a good kid or not

This'll be the last vote for tonight. Once again, I hope you guys are enjoying it.

>>3218461
>Kenjutsu (+ to SPD, Bukijutsu)
>Yes, might as well see if Jun is a good kid or not
When we get a chance we should investigate that mysterious bead too.

>>3218608
I'll certainly give you guys the opportunity before the in-game month is up. Chekhov gun and all that.

With the onset of the third week you finally give into Azumi's pestering. Real training, with swords and stances and the whole nine yards. Master Mifune even leads several sessions, brushing you up on the basics and introducing her to fundamental skills. Calling her dedication and quick take up impressive is an understatement. Over the week Azumi displays fine control over chakra and a precise dedication to the sword that few can match within the Land of Iron. When she holds her katana, a gift from Master Mifune, she turns into a different person. It's lack of a guard hardly dissuades her from more aggressive moves while it's pale cherry wood sheath and handle fit with her well. Every strike is like fluid like water as she goes through the starter forms of Mifune's own school of kenjutsu.

You match her, a decade of experience keeping you in tune with her own movements like a machine. Every step she takes forward, you take one back. Every predetermined strike is blocked with it's sibling block but with a hairsbreadth between either blade. You are to strike at each other with intent and deliberation, as is Master Mifune's teachings. If your partner messes up and hits you it becomes a lesson for the both of you. But you're far too experienced with the motions and she's much too determined on getting them right. Between the two of you kata practice goes on without a word.

By Thursday afternoon Master Mifune decides it's time to spar. He rarely gives training swords, in this case blunted surplus from the regular forces. As he stands off to the side as the both of you take a few strides and bow. "Rules!" He shouts over the ever present blizzard atop Three Wolves Mountain. "No chakra and it ends with the first hit! Begin!"

Azumi launches herself forward, sword already bared in an aggressive guard. Her attacks come true and swift with each holding enough power to cut into bone. Your training sword hums as you parry one of her strikes, directing into the ground before you kick up snow into her face and back off. She snarls at you and jumps forward once more. Too aggressive, too forward with her thinking. Her moves are easily read. And unlike Master Mifune she's not self aware of that fact. Azumi has never been in a real fight, nothing more than basic training sessions or petty squabbles with other kids. She doesn't understand an opponent who can't be defeated through sheer force. Once more you use her bluntness to your advantage, this time in the most crushing way you can muster. An ego is the end of a samurai, you're sure to crush hers before it can form.

>cont

You catch her katana with a low effort grab by the handle and hold it and her hands in place. Azumi struggles for a moment, tries to pull free. But you have her firm. With the flat of your blade you strike her across the ribs. She yelps and struggles only a moment longer before you whack her again. "You're dead," you say.

"I know!" Azumi yells.

"You're telegraphing your movements too much, Azumi," Master Mifune says. "Disengage and continue."

The next several bouts transpire much the same though she does make some progress. Eventually she works her way into feints through her own intuition and quickly figures out you're not actively challenging her. With some rather aggressive pestering you give in and give her a real spar, or in the case of a sword fight, a quick blow to the sternum that will kill with a real sword. Instead she collapses into the fetal position, clutching her chest and stomach while gasping for air as tears streak from her face. It'll leave a good bruise but nothing more.

"We're done for now," Master Mifune says with a wave of his hand. He turns and leaves. "Oh, and don't be late for your play date tomorrow."

You sigh and pick up the defeated Azumi then make the long trek back to the residential area deep within Three Wolves Mountain. No pain tolerance and unable to take a hit, she's got a ways to go. Then again it took you almost a year to figure out getting hit hurts, though the pain went fairly quickly. Either that or your tolerance for it is through the roof. Could be due to all the numbing sessions Master Mifune would put you through where he'd beat you black and blue in bellow freezing conditions.

After making your way back home you toss Azumi into her quarters, or rather her block seems as how she has an entire compound to herself. The home of the Yamaguchi clan, several stories tall and a hundred or so rooms. It even has a garden, big as any of the other clans with a cherry tree at it's center thanks to a clever arrangement of mirrors and industrial sized grow lamps. That's just the new mountain complex, the ruins of a compound up on the summit were once their home. But a few generations ago during the warring states period it all came crumbling down from civil war. Only Master Mifune survived, and now Azumi is his only blood. An empty underground complex and burnt out ruins, a lonely place for a ten year old girl and elderly man to call home.

The door to your quarters clicks open, a five minute walk from the Yamaguchi residence. Utilitarian by nature with a single set of dishes and cookware, washed out neon lighting, and a slow turning ceiling fan. But now some color highlights the back wall. The kite shaped shield hangs from the wall and the blue and black patterned blanket drapes around it almost like a smile. Ferrum Et Cornix. Azumi must have hung it up last night.

>cont

You pull out your futon and make ready for tomorrow. A play date, Master Mifune had called it, certainly it can't be too formal. A plain blue yukata will be all that's required. You hope. Political gatherings have never really been your thing, something about them just seem too backhanded. But if it's for Azumu you're more than willing to set aside such preconceived notions.

The next day your dislike is proven true. A stiff looking girl a around your age meets you outside the front gate of an impressive compound. Her face is utterly devoid of expression and her brightly colored and very formal kimono give a stark contradiction. Azumi raises an eyebrow at you, her own black kimono much less formal and significantly more subdued. "Lord Eliko,' the girl greets in a monotonous voice with a sharp bow. "I am humbled to see that you and Lady Yamaguchi have accepted my invitation."

A familiar middle aged woman slides into view behind her, smoking on her long pipe while trying to hide a smirk. Kaoru Oshiro, matron of the Oshiro clan. That must make this girl her daughter, Kaede. "Lord Eliko," Kaoru says, "how unexpected. I hadn't realized my daughter was inviting you. Welcome to our home."

>"Is that why the letter smelled like tobacco smoke?" Call her bullshit.
>"Thank you for the hospitality." Play along, it's polite after all.
>"Unexpected indeed, I wasn't aware your daughter even knew my name." Play along snidely.
>Turn around and walk away.
>Write-in

>>3220123
>"Thank you for the hospitality." Play along, it's polite after all.

Rising to the bait's probably what she wants.

I'll let the vote go until the normal starting time, so another 45 minutes or so.

>>3220123
>"Thank you for the hospitality." Play along, it's polite after all.

>>3220123
"Thank you for the hospitality." Play along, it's polite after all.

>>3220284
>>3220278
>>3220175
>Thank you for the hospitality
Writing.

"Thank you for the hospitality." You politely bow, nudging Azumi to do the same before quickly straightening back up.

"My my," Kaoru says smugly. She taps her pipe on the gate and steps to the side. "Kaede, dearest, I believe you have plans. Yes? Don't let me interrupt."

"Of course, mother. Lord Eliko, Lady Yamaguchi, if you will?" Kaede turns and walks off without confirmation at a stiff pace. Kaoru grins and takes a walk of her own down the wall. As you go through the compound you're rather taken aback. They have their own garrison, you assume of kinsmen, but still. Dozens of men and women fully geared with the Oshiro's own armor. The clans have leeway with how they supply their own but a sort of conformity is always required. Instead of the bulky dull gray radio respirators given to the garrison of Three Wolves, they instead wear white half masks and their armor is as bright as Kaede's kimono.

They all bow to Kaede as you pass but most shoot you strange looks. Not disdain as you've come to be used to. But sorrow? Or some sort of awkward guilt. It makes you uncomfortable. A servant interrupts your line of thought with the drawing of a sliding door. You're led into a rather spacious room with a very long low table at it's center. The back wall is painted with a great range of misty snow capped mountains and a fortress in the forefront. An array of food is laid out and another servant kneels at the ready for an order. Kaede takes her seat in silence as a boy stalks out from behind another sliding door, dressed just as formally. He, Jun, takes a seat on the same side as his sister but on the opposite end of the table.

You're not familiar with the formalities required of such a situation but you understand whats happening enough to sit across from Kaede. An awkward silence fills the room. Azumi twiddles her thumbs and keeps shooting glares as if she wants to leave while her partner across the table watches a plate of poultry quietly.

"So-"

Kaede clears her throat and flicks her dull green eyes at the servant in the corner. Or... the door? Azumi and Jun finally murmur about their training, the latter being apprenticed to the best Master his mother could find. Still no indication is given on your part to eat or talk. Outside wind howls as it always does and the faint sound of swords clash as a spar or duel rages on.

"Lord Eliko," Kaede finally says. "Mother tells me of your exploits in the western lands. Might you humor me with the story?"

>How about a tour? You've never seen the Oshiro compound and if she was really interested her mother can always provide a copy of the report.
>Tell her of your time in the Land of Demon with all the nitty-gritty details. Maybe you can escape this awkward hell sooner.
>Tell her but keep the more gruesome details to yourself. Polite makes right.
>Write-in

>>3220440
>Tell her of your time in the Land of Demon with all the nitty-gritty details. Maybe you can escape this awkward hell sooner.

>>3220440
>Tell her of your time in the Land of Demon with all the nitty-gritty details. Maybe you can escape this awkward hell sooner.

>>3220440
>Tell her of your time in the Land of Demon with all the nitty-gritty details. Maybe you can escape this awkward hell sooner.
I mean, she’s not a child.

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>3220504
>>3220478
>>3220464
Alright, all the gory details. Lets see some 1d100 actions from you guys.
DC30

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>3220513

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>3220513
>”and then I was all like, off with....”

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>3220513

>>3220556
>>3220546
>>3220520
Pass. I'm going out so I'll be back in around 2 hours and get to work on the update.

Back a bit earlier than I had anticipated, writing the update now.

"Sure," you answer. If she wants to know then you wont hold back. You skip over Konoha and get right into the thick of it, starting with you and Yuki climbing of the cliff face and it's collapse. After mimicking the rock slide you move on to the burnt out village and your first meeting with the men claiming to be from the Flower Empire. But as you go on your expectations are destroyed. Kaede leans in with each vivid telling of burnt corpses and dismembered enemy. Her eyes light up as you describe killing the large foreigner who lead the raid on Tokai Village, how he fell to the mud and died coldly while grasping at nothing.

Then you continue on to the Land of Demons and your run-in with the chain wielding missing-nin. A smile creeps along the edges of her mouth as you show several of the numerous scars now ringing your body. The servant squirms in place and both Azumi and Jun only pick at their food as they listen along. You go on about training the guards to your fullest and the siege that came quickly after. Whenever you mention Shion her smile falters for a moment but then she smirks at your guerrilla tactics and their effectiveness. Finally you get to the main attack, two armies clashing against one another. Defeating the enemy commander in one fell strike after your own men encircle the much larger force and route them.

Kaede claps twice and stands as the servant starts cleaning up. "Mother was right," she says with a broad smile. "It's decided."

"What's decided?" You ask. A decision being made about you without you knowing can't be good.

"May I see your sword?" Without waiting for permission she heads to the far wall where you had politely sat it and unsheathes it. It's blade catches the light unnaturally and you can feel it hum as she gives it a few improper test swings. "Just as beautiful as they say. I'm sure crimson makes a beautiful contrast, perhaps I'll wear red the next time we meet."

"Ah..." You carefully take the weapon from her hand and put it back where it belongs, on your waist. "It's a bit rude to just do things like that."

"My apologies, mother never lets me handle weapons. Or even out of the compound." She gives a very informal and quick bow with a smirk on her face. It's apparent why, she seems to have low impulse control. Either that or she's trying to prod you. "So, this Shion, she's a priestess? Did you participate in any rituals or advents?"

"High Priestess of the Land of Demons, though I don't believe she's that sort of figure." You shift to avoid her hand as it prods one of the many scars on your arm.

"Not a problem then. Well my Lord, perhaps you'd enjoy a walk through our compound? It's the largest above ground complex in the Land of Iron after all and I know it better than most. Or perhaps I can find one of my kin itching for a challenge, I'm sure they'd appreciate the opportunity to test themselves against a seasoned warrior such as yourself."

>cont

You carefully consider your options. Her seems to have flipped the moment you told the story. Could she have something nefarious planned? Probably not, they wouldn't purposely hurt relations with Master Mifune. Would they? A fight sounds good, though you'll probably have to use a training sword. However a walk might provide you with a better avenue of escape should things go awry.

>Accept the challenge, nothing wrong with a friendly match
>A walk is a much more manageable situation
>No, it's time to leave
>Write-in

>>3220932
>Accept the challenge, nothing wrong with a friendly match
Blood for the blood god, skulls for his skull throne

>>3220932
>A walk.

Leaving it open for a while longer.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>3220982
>>3220971
Alright then, I'll do a tie break and get to writing.

>>3221161
Intrigue!

Alright, this'll be the last update for tonight so I'll try and make it a bit longer to make up for lost time. Shouldn't take too much longer.

>>3221216
Sounding like a ninja there, boy-o.

>>3221254
Social politicing and interactions are what separate mindless killers from the noble warrior class.

You're feeling a little trapped, perhaps a walk will be good. One where you can control the situation a bit better. With a nod she leads you back out into open air where wind buffets both of you with intensity. Not too far away on the horizon Three Wolves stands proud, a deep gray storm over it like always. "So," she asks while leading you around the wall. "How did one such as yourself become the apprentice to Lord Mifune?"

"No idea, I was four when he took me in."

"Young, exceedingly so. I'm sure there's a good reason for it."

"I don't bother asking, he's probably forgotten already." You reminisce for a moment about your earliest memories. Just cold, ever present and intense. No other feeling ever leaves such an impression on you. "What about yourself? What's it like to be an Oshiro?"

"Wonderful," she answers with a glaringly fake smile. "I get everything I could ever need. Though I must say I've always wondered what it's like elsewhere."

"Never been outside the compound?"

"Ah... a few times, to Three Wolves Mountain and straight back. Not many interesting people along the way." She bumps your shoulder with her own, a misstep perhaps. Maybe she's clumsy? "You've been across the world and in such a short amount of time, it must be nice."

"Not even close, there's a great big wonderful world out there beyond land we live on. Eastern countries even stranger than the strangest of ninja nations, the northern ice that stretches on longer than people can live, and across the western ocean to the Lands of War."

"Ah... it pains me to say it but I'm a bit sheltered."

"Couldn't tell." She points you to a fairly large dojo, the Oshiro's personal school. Though it has fallen out of use as of late due to a decrease in members and the recent acceptance of outside Masters. A housing block, some with their own personal courtyards and most two stories tall. As many that bustle with activity an equal amount stand empty and dark. Too many are leaving or dying and political tension between the clans is prevent a proper population from growing within the Land of Iron. There has to be some answer to it, to keep people prideful in their nation. As connecting as Ninshu is few realize what it means and instead focus on themselves. Or ignore it's teachings to further their own goals.

Kaede leads you into a rather extravagant rock garden and sits on a nearby bench, motioning for you to join. It's a pleasant view of the nearby mountain range and would be beautiful during spring. Two twisted alpine trees stand on either side and provide a frame of sorts to the view, even when laden with snow. "I'm going to be blunt with you, Eliko," Kaede says with a sigh. Her whole body seems to relax. "Mother has recognized you in light of your recent accomplishments and will support Lord Mifune's choice of marking you his successor."

>cont

"But," you say. There's always a but.

"I'm sure you can imagine, everything has it's cost after all."

"What do the other clans think?" You face her. Making arrangements with both yourself and Azumi is a dangerous game. The other clans might feel abandoned and outright leave the Land of Iron like others before them. Without a path to power or some sort of goal people tend to just fall off as their interest and dedication wane.

"Nothing yet. You, Lord Mifune, mother, and myself are the only ones aware."

"Big brother!" Azumi shouts from across the rock garden. She's filthy, covered in snow and underbrush. Jun stands behind her meekly in a very similar state. Behind him is a rather annoyed looking Kaoru. The matron taps her pipe against her bicep in frustration, casting embers out.

"It appears our time is short. May I ask you to consider it?" She stands and gives you a formal bow. Then straightens and heads away. You hear here speak in a low tone. "The other options are... less than desirable. I'll see you again, Eliko, before you set off."

Azumi approaches, her hands clawed and bitten. You pull a twig from he hair and sigh, she'd dove into some bushes after a small lanky animal of some sort. With your visit over you return home. Less than desirable options. Could she have meant poor suitors or something else? With the expedition rapidly approaching you push the thoughts away. You need to focus on preparation. Who knows how long it can last. In fact the last one saw half the regular forces deployed to the Land of Earth after an urgent request by the Tsuchikage. But that was over two decades ago and lead by Master Mifune himself. That's when he'd received the scar atop his head he keeps covered with a bandage.
>Introduce yourself to the company who'll accompany you
>Stick with training (+ to any one stat, SPD, INT, STM, or STR)
>Try and garner some sense from your foreign items
>Write-in

And that's it for tonight. Tomorrow isn't going to be very active, I'll have enough time to get two or three updates out and hopefully get you guys ready for the expedition. For now, like always, hope you're all enjoying it.

>>3221486
>Try and garner some sense from your foreign items

>>3221486
>Introduce yourself to the company who'll accompany you

>>3221486
>>Stick with training (+ to any one stat, SPD, INT, STM, or STR)
I feel like now's the time to really get ahead on our training.

>>3221486
>Stick with training (+ to any one stat, SPD, INT, STM, or STR)

Best to train while we can.

>>3221546
>>3221547
>>3221898
>>3221989
>Train
Alright, choose one stat to increase and give me some 1d100s. I'll have the next up date out when I can.

>>3222837
Could we know where our stats are at before deciding? Eliko has been on the grind this thread...

>>3222842
Sure thing, they're all updated to match said grind. https://pastebin.com/pvNr0Er0

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>3222837
>STR

>>3222844
Much appreciated

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>3222837
STR

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>STR

>>3222990
>>3222901
>>3222847
>str
>94
Strongbois. Should be able to get this update out in a bit.

Come Monday morning you get back to the grind, this time dedicated to building physicality. Unfortunately you're not exactly welcome in the local training facilities but that's never stopped you before. You find some weights, strap them to your arms and legs, and do it the old fashioned way. Using the wall in your room, you push off and begin the first exercise in your routine. Handstand push ups.

"What are you doing?" Azumi asks while crouched down next to you. Her hair is tied up in a pigtail to the side, highlighting a look of confusion. She wears her normal black and gray yukata, a mainstay of her fashion for some odd reason. People normally match current fashion trends or at least wear pants, especially this far up north. You don't because it's just too damn hot indoors. Instead as you work out you forgo everything but shorts.

"Exercising," you answer with a grunt.

"I get that but why?"

"A sound body leads to a sound mind."

"Your body doesn't look very sound to me." A sharp prod sticks you between the ribs over another scar caused from the missing-nin. "You're getting lanky."

"Did you want something or are you just here to pester me?" You fold over for a moment to find the ground and then stand proper. Behind your surrogate sibling you meet a familiar pair of red eyes. Yuki smiles and waves a heavily bandaged hand. She's picked up a few nicks and bruises, and the rash is faint but noticeable. Bust most prominently is her headband. A musical note instead of a star, and the fabric red instead of blue.

"I didn't know you had any friends." Azumi elbows you in the ribs with a smirk. "Curious why non of them are men. I wonder what Kaedes going to think."

"Azumi, go away. Yuki, come in." The former shoots you a glare while the latter steps in from the doorway. Azumi slams the door shut as she leaves, leaving the two of you alone. "Find some trouble along the way?"

"A disagreement with some old friends. Have you gotten taller?" She takes a seat at the low table in the center of your room and starts to fidget almost immediately. She's anxious about something. Hopefully nothing that affects you. She's a ninja after all, and who knows what ninja keep to themselves.

"Don't know." You sit across from her and push over a cup of water. "No tea, not big on the stuff. So, what brings you here? Ready to start the fulfilling life of a samurai?"

"In you're dreams. I've pretty much been given free reign by my new boss and figured I'll stick with you a bit longer."

"Boss? Not a Kage?" You reach for a nearby undershirt and slide it on. A bit tight but Yuki seems able to look at you now. You'd be uncomfortable too in front of a shirtless person. "Can't say I'm against it but people don't take kindly to ninja around here."

"I'm a Kunoichi, they won't even know... and Lord Mifune has already said yes. So you're stuck with me until I'm called back."

"Of course he did. I'm leaving next week, so if you're coming you better pack warm."

>cont

"Not a problem." Yuki nods back towards the door. Luggage packed to the brim with heavy clothing and ninja tools. She's prepared for a long stay. Hopefully not too long. She grins slyly at you. "So who's this Kaede?"

You scoot away from the table and return to your routine. Next comes crunches then squats. And for the next week all you do is workout and try your best to put up with Yuki's constant talking. On more than one occasion she's nearly found out by fellow citizens, her poor attempts at hiding nothing more than taking off her headband. Maybe a thousand and a half people live within Three Wolves mountain. They might not now your face but they sure know your name. And none of them knew hers. Still, somehow you manage to scrape by with excuses and redirections.

On Friday night you're given forty eight hours notice to get your stuff together and assemble at the northern gate. Captain Okisuke, one of Master Mifune's right hand men, will lead the expedition. Four squads of fully geared Samurai and two hundred veteran regulars comprise the company, making it a force to be reckoned with. The regulars are a league above the garrison you trained in the Land of Demons, each trained in large and small unit tactics and all volunteers. And the Samurai, well, there's a reason why you're only an apprentice and they've been given the title. Each is worth twenty regulars and Captain Okisuke himself a hundred.

But that leaves you, poorly equipped and geared. As only an apprentice you don't have a set of armor or most of the equipment they do. Just a radio respirator mask to protect against poison and communicate. But that won't stop you from preparing. Yuki has the same idea, though she brings more than just basic ninja gear. Jutsu scrolls, soft armor, dozens of different weapons prepared in more scrolls. The wakizashi finds it's place on her back and the kusiragama on her hip. And a small rock kept on a necklace that radiates a faint purple heat.

As you dig through your sparse belongings two newer items strike as good ideas. The blanket has a leather clasp of sorts and when folded right acts as a sort of manly knee length skirt. It's warm and comfortable but do you really want to wear a dress? Next come the books, or rather one that Yuki seems to recognize and read out a few words from. Some sort of story book about wolves and crows with simple syntax, it could prove valuable in learning the written language to better understand the others. But do you really want to bring along a book and dress? Anything could happen to them while out on expedition and they're some of your only belongings.

"What about that cool looking shield?" Yuki asks. "Ferrum Et Cornix, I wonder what that means."

"I've never used a shield in my life," you answer. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

>Bring them both.
>Only the manly dress
>Only the book
>Neither
>Write-in

>>3223198
>Only the book
Unique fashion is only for the strong, and we ain’t there yet.

>>3223198
Only the book.

This vote will stay open for as long as needed. I won't have an opportunity to write for another few hours anyways.

>>3223201
You're pretty close to peaking without some sort of enhancement like chakra. Or something else

>>3223198
>Bring them both.

>>3223615
>>3223281
>>3223201
>Only the book
Next update will be out later tonight.

You pack the book away in your gear sack and leave the dress blanket thing on the wall. It'll make a better decoration for now until you can fill it out a bit better. Yuki sits up from her side of the room, groggily wrapped up in a spare futon you borrowed from Master Mifune, shivering. "Is it time to go?" She asks with a shaky yawn.

"Not yet," you answer. "Today's Sunday."

Without a word she lays back down and huddles into the corner. In a moment of weakness you do something you never thought you'd ever do. You retrieve the electric heater from your closet and set it up to an even room temperature. It's heating coils glow orange after a moment and the ambient temperature raises a fair amount. While you have no power bill to pay you still don't like it. Being used to the extreme cold makes heat downright unpleasant. But she's welcome to enjoy it for the rest of today, for tomorrow you venture north. Into the coldest reaches of the Land of Iron.

For now you exit the room and wander the halls aimlessly. Master Mifune is busy finalizing plans so instead you meet with Azumi but instead of a greeting all you get is a quick 'busy' and once more the Yamaguchi complex is shut off. As of this moment you have nothing to do except manage a slowly building headache and wait. A finger taps your shoulder. "Excuse me, deary," a short old woman says.

"Ah-" A small blue bead is quickly placed in your hand, it must have fallen from your possession somehow. But the old lady is what's more interesting, you know you've seen her before. But where. "Do I know you?"

"You did or you will, it's hard to say," she answers with a laugh. She sidesteps to move around you, blurring as she does. "Only time will tell."

"Are you..." Was someone there? No, just a faint blue haze swaying in the air. The blue bead glows gently against industrial lighting. It's warm and pleasant to the touch. Best to pocket it before you drop it. Going further down leads to nowhere, just a tangled mess of tunnels from an older storage zone. A person can get easily lost so deep within Three Wolves, loose track of time and emerge days later if at all. But the tunnels are familiar, it's easy to tell which way leads out. Just go up and eventually the summit will be reached.

"Eliko!" Someone shouts, an echo from further up. Then another one. Azumi and Yuki. "Eliko, where are you!?"

"Stop shouting!" You answer back. In only a moment they appear from around an intersection, frantic and frazzled. Azumi latches onto you for a moment then headbutts you square in the chest.

>cont

"Where did you go?!" She shrieks. "We've been looking for you all night"

"It's been like five damn minutes." You flick her in the forehead as punishment. Yelling, hitting and lying is bad manners.

"Ah, no, dumb ass," Yuki growls. She's downright angry, that's new. "You disappeared yesterday morning. We spent all day yesterday and last night looking for you."

"What? What time is it."

"Three in the morning." She folds her arms, Azumi mimicking her as they both give frustrated frowns. A dangerous combination coming from the both of them, their disappointment together is downright oppressive. "Well?"

"Well what?" You ask, walking around the two. There's no way it's the next morning, they're bullshitting. They have to be. But as the residential area comes up you start to believe them. People scurry about in the early morning, preparing for the send off. It's a sort of celebration, a good luck and farewell. Last time one happened many died and people, two generations later, are still nervous about it.

"See?" Yuki asks with a sneer. "Idiot."

"Keep pushing it and I won't let you come regardless of what Master Mifune says." She can be mad all she wants but you're sure not going to put up with it. After a quick trip to your room to retrieve you and Yuki's gear, you head off to the northern gate for assembly. Carts wait in droves, most full to ferry supplies while others are empty for spares or to carry troops on rotation.

The majority of troops are still assembling and supplies are still loading. Families wish their sons and daughters luck for the coming journey and others say goodbye to their sweethearts or friends. By six the whole company will be on their way north, a several day trip for such a large formation, and from there wherever the wind blows. Before she can slip away you grab Azumi and pull her into the tightest hug you can muster. "Be good for Master Mifune," you say.

She buries her head in your chest and squeezes hard back for a bit longer than necessary before turning to Yuki. "He's mean but don't let him die."

"I'll try my best," Yuki says, pulling her into a quick hug. They've gotten close, surprising since it's only been a week. The two separate and Azumi skips off. Yuki faces you with another frown for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and patting you on the shoulder. "Alright boss man, what are we doing? There's still... three hours left? Not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things. Though I think we should get that head of yours checked."

"I'm sure I can come up with something."
>Try and find some more of those firebombs Azumi gave you while in Konoha
>Find Master Mifune and figure out the plan
>Ask Yuki about the bead
>Join the formation and settle in
>Write-in

Alright, that'll be it for tonight. We'll finish up this thread and miniarc tomorrow.

>>3224308
>Try and find some more of those firebombs Azumi gave you while in Konoha

>>3224308
>Find Master Mifune and figure out the plan

>>3224308
>>Find Master Mifune and figure out the plan
I'm a little curious about the bead, but ignoring the odd stuff seems to be a pretty solid play so far.

>>3224626
I don't have any major time skips planned so you guys will have plenty of time to figure it out.

Also, if you guys want to see some extra story, like an omake, then feel free to let me know. I'm always up for more writing when given the opportunity.

>>3225220
Did Konoha go down exactly as Canon, or did any of the ass kickings we dished out help any of the ninjes at all?

>>3224338
>>3224406
>>3224626
>Figure out the plan
Responsible and sensible. Maybe you all will make the Land of Iron great again yet.


>>3225720
Fundamentally, you didn't really stick around long enough to effect anything besides Team Gaara's the nart's relationship. Though there also might be more than one grudge against you at the moment.

>>3226030
You still with us man?

>>3226885
Sorry, had to crash for a few hours. I'm working on the update now.

"Might as well find out, come on." The both of you head for the war room and only a few minutes later you stumble into the middle of an argument. The patriarch of the Nishimura clan, Goro, slams his fists down on the horseshoe shaped table. Dozens of others stand around him, a mix of Captains and representatives from a few of the minor northern houses. Master Mifune and Captain Okisuke stand opposite him with a much smaller faction of Captains while a map separates both groups.

"Ah! Eliko, join," Master Mifune orders almost too excitedly. You do so while Yuki hangs back by the entrance. Captain Okisuke and a few of his faction nod with approval but most of those more particular with family politics give you the cold shoulder. The map is one of the northern half of the Land of Iron. Red arrows jot out a patrol all the way up through the Land of Earth While before disappearing, along with several others that end along the coast in various port villages. There are no routes back. "Goro here thinks that these raiders are from the Land of Earth. I'm certain they're not."

"Of course it's damned ninja!" Goro shouts. "Who else would be foolish enough to attack us?! The Land of Stone has had a vendetta against us since we refused to cede them the gulf back when we still owned the Land of Waterfalls!"

"Calm down, my Lord," one of the minor house head says.

"And don't think I don't see you back there, Missy!" Goro points a spindly finger at Yuki in the corner. One of the eldest Clan heads in the Land of Iron, older by Master Mifune by at least a decade. He's refused to give up his power to an heir for nearly forty years. But he's respected in the north, has the backing of most minor houses and even the other northern Clan. "A rat here to feed on our plight."

"Enough, Goro," Master Mifune sighs. "Do you have the ships or not."

"Bah," he sneers. "So long as your whelps can make it before they're blown up. I've two serviceable boats left after the last raid. Bunch of screaming eagles and foreign barbarians."

"Ah, the Jade Khanate," you offer. Goro stares at you for a long, quiet minute. As if you were the one to destroy the northern villages. Most others watch you with some level of disdain too.

"If they aren't then we'll go with your suggestion," Master Mifune interrupts. "But in the meantime the plan is to head north and use your ships to police the coast and find where they're camped. I'm not keen on starting a war with the Land of Earth after all."

>cont

"You best fix the situation Mifune or it won't just be me having a problem with you." Goro shoots you and Yuki another glare before stomping out of the room with his entourage. Master Mifune sighs with relief as the rest of him and Okisuke's faction spread out along the table. You're given a spot among their ranks next to your Master's side as they review the plan. It's simple, and while the Land of Iron isn't big, the trouble comes in the terrain. Mountains cover nearly every inch even along the coast. If someone decides as much, you'll never find them in quick time. This seems to be the pervading topic for most.

"Even from sea we'll have trouble finding anything," Captain Okisuke says in a monotonous tone. A man of few words after loosing his right eye, apparently he used to be a hot shot of sorts. But that mellowed out for various reasons, namely a wife and child. He's more experienced than anyone short of one of the Clan heads who participate in such things. And a favorite even among rival factions to take Master Mifune's place.

"Eliko, ideas?" Master Mifune asks.

"Ah, sure," you answer then point to one of the few clearings along the eastern shore. Almost one of the first places targeted, a farm area used during the spring and perfect for setting camp. "We have our own difficult with the terrain so I can only imagine the difficulty our enemy faces. We don't need to look in the hard to get places. I'm sure if they've settled on our land then it'll either be over a destroyed village or an easily navigable plot."

"Good, good, and if they're not?"

"There's a few islands off the coast, uninhabited but livable if you have supplies. Or..." You pause for a moment and think. The Land of Snow is just off the map, no more than a day's travel by ship from the northern most port. While as cold as the Land of Iron, it's not nearly as inhospitable due to plenty of tall mountains along the coast providing a sort of shield for it's people. After a relatively recent rebellion the nation is in a rather precarious and weak position too, an easy setup for any would be invaders looking for a launch point. "The Land of Snow, it's a much safer harbor than any of ours and open land there is plentiful."

"Indeed..." Captain Okisuke says in a low tone. "They don't even have a force to defend themselves with either. I don't believe we've seen their trade ships or had any notice from them in over a month. What if we..."

>cont

The meeting stretches on until only moments before the expedition launches. And as you make your way to the formation, now placed at the lead with Captain Okisuke, you're stopped by a girl weaving her way through the crowed. "Eliko!" Kaede shouts, catching your attention. She wears red, as she said she would. Next to her is a brightly colored Oshiro guard, holding a chest big enough to fit you in. Before you can greet her the chest is shoved into your arms.

"What's this?" You grunt, hefting the bulky thing into your cart.

"Things[/]," she enunciates. "While I'm not thrilled by our possibly coming arrangement, I'd rather not have you coming back missing parts. Enjoy."

"Ohhh, what's this?" Yuki asks, reaching out for the chest. Her hand is slapped away.

"Good," Kaede continues with a sneer. "Your bitch has found her way back. I'm glad you'll have a servant with you."

"Enough," you interrupt before Yuki can retaliate. Then you give a polite bow to the red clad Oshiro. "Kaede, thank you for the gift. Though if I come back in more than one piece, there's a bigger problem at hand."

"Confidence or deprecation," she sighs, then she smiles. "I'll take it as the former, it's much more fitting. Good luck and farewell, my Lord. Mother has given me some reign over this visit so I think I'll enjoy it for once."

Kaede gives you a formal bow then disappears into the crowed with her guard. Yuki hops into the cart and waits expectantly near the chest, unfazed it seems by the Oshiro's comments. You climb in after her and settle in as the driver takes his place. While not in the same cart with the other officers you're still near enough to be considered more than just a footman. Though suspect and more likely due to the nature of your apprenticeship than any sort of respect. The chest pops open and Yuki punches you in the shoulder with excitement. A full set of Oshiro made armor, blue and black with a crescent of red on the helmet. With it another katana, it's shape and weight near identical to your own though it's blade somehow stained a deep red to contrast the azure of your first. But most importantly, a book on the history of the family and their most important figures.

In the eyes of the Oshiro you're a samurai.

-Three Wolves Samurai #5 End-

And with that this miniarc and thread is finished. I hope you've all enjoyed it and will continue to do so. Apologies if it seems rushed and please feel free to point out any inconsistencies or errors, I'm feeling pretty shitty right now and probably didn't catch many.

>>3227106
Hype! Thanks for the run OP

>>3227138
No problem thanks for playing.

And we're archived: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Three+Wolves

Question for anyone interested. How would you say I've been handling this quest? Any gripes? We're 5.5 threads in, hitting the 60k milestone with this thread, and only just out of the tutorial so I'm interested in your thoughts so far.

>>3228346
As far as I'm concerned, you're doing fine. No sign of rail-roading, the writing is pretty good and the MC is a pretty interesting character, both personality and playstyle-wise. But then again, I'm a lurker so it might be better to get feedback from a more involved poster.

>>3228346
Writing is good.
>>3229376
Why don't you vote? Wrong timezones?

>>3229390
Yeah, to give you an Idea of how bad it is, in my timezone your last active time was 11 PM, and you asked that question at 4 AM.

Update Next thread will hopefully be this weekend. If it's not up by then expect it Monday, or Thursday. Time will be the normal 12PM PST unless I get impatient again and post early.

>>3229376
>>3229417
Any sort of feedback is good feedback. That time mismatch is pretty bad but thank you for reading.
>>3229390
Good. Thankee.

>>3228346
I'm really liking it, but a little more focus on character interactions would be nice. I like Eliko's personality since he's not just the average obnoxiously friendly and positive main character that quest MCs usually are.

>>3229897
Certainly. I seem to have a bad habit of just breezing through conversations and other personal actions so I'll give them more attention. And I'm glad you like him, though I'm not sure how true the second part is seems how I only follow two quests.

>>3228346
Quest is good. I'm liking the focus on samurai and I hope there's more of that. I'm curious where the politics and spooky old ladies will lead
I'm excited to learn more samurai techniques, like more advanced sword moves or stuff

>>3232148
Well thank you, and there certainly will be. I'll only have you guys interact with the ninja side of things tangentially though Yuki, or when/if it decides to interact with the Land of Iron further down the road. Danzo/5 Kage summits

>>3232588
I'd like to radically change canon, not sure how yet but I'm sure we could. Or being off in another country entirely while shit is going down

>>3232642
You guys certainly can. Any number of routes are open and I'm happy to play it fast and loose if one I haven't prepared crops up. You've already made waves with the canon, with at least 2 characters hating Eliko's guts and one or two others possibly having an interest in his growth.

>>3232642
Yeah I personally don't give a shit about the canon Naruto events, I've seen them rehashed dozens of times in other quests already

RIP

>>3243769
Quest will return tomorrow as I said in >>3229866

New thread >>3246873