Land of Wind

[Erebus]

Maboshi remained frozen in place, staring even long after the two that had been with them had left. When it was certain they wouldn't be returning he turned his head, looking towards Tsuno. It was just the two of them now, crumbs from the Dune cakes sprinkled around his mouth like freckles. Things had quickly become awkward, at least as far as he was concerned.

"Um, ah-I guess, its just the two of us left?"

He felt stupid even saying that out loud. Of course it was just them, well them and the Matriarch of course. Right! How could he had forgotten? He turned and raced over to Granny Ryō, his head tilted up staring at her through his visor.

"HeyGrannyRyōwhowasthatguy?Whereishetakingtheothers?Whydidhepickthem?Arewe-"

"Slow down little star, slow down! Huehuehue."

Maboshi had been firing one question after another, little space to respond to any one question before being bombarded with yet another. It was only natural that he'd be curious, and from what he had heard Granny Ryō seemed to know that weirdo. The old Matriarch stares off into the distance for a brief moment before looking towards Tsuno with a gentle smile, and then towards Maboshi who stared at her expectantly.

"While he may seem eccentric and odd, Mawaru is a capable man. Your new friends have undoubtedly been joined together as a single genin team, just like you'll be soon."

"Really? I'm going to be part of a team soon too? HOW SOON?!"

He could hardly contain his enthusiasm. He'd surely get stronger and way better once he was on a team. He'd go on missions, train hard, maybe learn some new ninjutsu. His parents were sure to be proud of him. He clenched his fists tightly as his imagination began to pull him further into his own thoughts.

"Soon little star, soon. Just be patient...both of you."

She smiles, turning her head towards the silent child. She seemed to be telling him that just like Maboshi would be part of a team soon, so too would he. Just how much did she know and how far had she seen?

 

[Eren]

Like dust settling in the room after such an explosive entrance and exit, the silence felt heavy, though thoughts churned noisily beneath it. Words—at first hesitant—began to gather, increasing in tempo as curiosity and confusion took shape. Then, just as quickly, they fell away, swallowed by the silence that returned with only Tsuno, Maboshi, and the elder remaining. The change was written plainly across Tsuno’s face: from startled, to uneasy, and finally to a concerned furrow. The shift was quick—too quick—like someone overthinking every angle of what just happened. Yet that restless storm was cut short when Maboshi spoke, the sound almost grounding him.


“Um, ah—I guess it’s just the two of us left?”


The child gave a small nod, not in agreement but out of unease. He had no words, no clear expression to offer. The air between them grew heavier, the silence more uncomfortable than before. Inside his head, one question echoed endlessly: What now?


“HeyGrannyRyōwhowasthatguy?Whereishetakingtheothers?Whydidhepickthem?Arewe—”


“Slow down, little star, slow down! Huehuehue.”


His interruption folded itself into the moment with uncanny timing, almost comical in its delivery. Then—abruptly—another voice pierced the lull. “Boy… that was one creepy motherf—! Who did he think he was!?” Tsuno jumped at the sound coming from his pouch. A puff of smoke burst out, and within it a puppet emerged, thrashing as though alive. Without warning, it spat curses in every direction, spewing its disdain for the old man who had departed so suddenly.




“Please, Jester!” Tsuno thought, throwing a hand over the puppet’s mouth as it continued to flail in his arms. “Don’t be rude around Granny!” The puppet fought against him, muffled words tumbling out despite his efforts. Its movements were uncanny—no chakra threads guided it, and yet it behaved as though sentient, a thing with will of its own. Meanwhile, Tsuno wrestled with his loud companion, torn between silencing it and listening in on Maboshi’s ongoing conversation with the elder. This—chaotic and strange as it was—might be the start of something memorable for Maboshi and Tsuno.

Yet, as Tsuno struggled to restrain the Jester, another thought lingered at the edges of his mind: Who will their third teammate be? And more importantly, what kind of sensei will they be assigned?


He only prayed that their sensei wouldn’t turn out like Mawaru.

 

[Erebus]

He wanted to ask how soon was soon, and so much more. There was so much he didn't know, so much he needed to know. Prepared to once more rain down a barrage of questions on the poor old woman playing host and caretaker he is stopped by an unfamiliar voice. Like Tsuno, Maboshi had jumped out of surprise from the sudden voice. Unlike Tsuno however, Maboshi had no idea where the voice came from or who the source was. As if to shed light on the confusion smoke quickly fills the area with a puff. From the smoke someone emerged, or rather something.

"...."

Maboshi stared on in silence as the puppet writhed about, the area that was once filled with a puff of smoke now filled with a flurry of curses. As always, with the visors worn by the Hokushin pair, it meant reading their expressions was next to impossible. They watched on silently as the embarrassed Tsuno struggled and fought to calm the thrashing puppet, failing miserably in his attempts. Maboshi looked towards Granny Ryō who in turn looked towards him before the two returned looking towards Tsuno and the puppet. Finally, Maboshi lifts his hand pointing towards the puppet.

"Uh Tsuno. Who or what is that?"

A reasonable question give the circumstance. With his visor and scarf blocking much of Tsuno's view of his face it was impossible to tell what Maboshi was feeling in that moment. Was he weirded out? Annoyed, perhaps even disgusted by what he was seeing? It was an embarrassing showcase for the young mute no doubt, though perhaps it wasn't as terrible as one might imagine. After all, Maboshi could very well be curious and intrigued.​

---

Within the Hokushin compound, in one of many homes, Ressui sat on her couch fanning herself, sucking her teeth in annoyance. Her husband and her son had been gone all day, off doing who knows what. Just what were they up to that they couldn't come home?! As her anger and annoyance was reaching its boiling point the door to their home opened, and she watched as Mikaboshi ducked to enter.

"Just where have you been that you're only now just coming home?! And where's Maboshi?!"

Her voice grew louder with each inquiry as she rose up from her place of rest, stomping towards her towering husband. He tilted his head to stare down at her, silence prevailing between them for the longest of times before the large man rested his hands atop her shoulders with a heavy sigh.

"Honey...I have to leave. Lady Kazekage has given me a mission."

A vein practically popped from her forehead at hearing this, yet she said nothing. From his tone and his disposition she could tell, this was not something he could just turn down. This mission would be a heavy one, different from those entrusted to him before.

"So, how long will y-" "I don't know."

He answered almost immediately, his hands still resting upon her shoulders, gentle yet heavy at the same time. She could feel just hint of the burden he had to bear from this alone.

"I came to gather as much as I could. I'll be leaving immediately...this is something that cannot be delayed unfortunately."

Finally he removes his hands, walking past her to pack for his mission, one where he wouldn't know how long until he could return home...if he would ever be able to. He stops at the door to their bedroom; husband and wife's acks to one another as she remains standing where he left her.

"Be sure to look after yourself well, and try to help our son to understand...for me"

He disappears into the room, the sounds of rummaging, and moving all that could be heard in a house now ruled by all that was left unsaid between them.

 

[ZimTheInvader]

Seijūrō continued walking; he followed the money grubber and the other genin. He had little care for the man; while he was the new sensei, he seemed to lack anything that Seijūrō saw as respectable. Instead, he focused on his new teammates, Kuromai the puppeteer he had only just come to know, and this mysterious genin who he had yet to be introduced to. For Seijūrō, it was obvious this money grubber cared little for them as shinobi, especially as he had made no attempt to bring the group together.
The group would find themselves walking for a bit until, finally, Mawaru spoke up and informed the group that they had arrived. The area in which they found themselves was one that some would call rundown or dilapidated, but here it was about to become a battleground where the money grubber intended the boys to battle one another.

"Do you desire us to fight amongst ourselves for your entertainment? Is there some form of goal behind this, or are you just an unreliable, money-hungry old man? You call yourself a sensei, but all I see is a man who sold his purpose for pocket change."

The words rolled off Seijūrō's tongue, not with anger but with little venom behind it. He was calm and relaxed, wondering curiously if there was a plan behind this or just a lazy money grubber refusing to do his job.