The Green Dragon [P]

[Okami]

Jin walked into the bar, and his ears were immediately assaulted with various noises, songs, and the chattering of many. The place was dimly lit by a few overhanging lights, and smelled like all the blotches of spilled liquor on the floor and tables had not been cleaned in a while. "The Green Dragon, eh?" Jin said to himself. Oh well, everyone seemed to be having fun at least.

The Hyuuga strolled up to the counter and ordered some sake. A gruff bartender met his eyes for a moment, then quickly slid him some sake. 'Not very friendly I guess.' Jin thought to himself as he took a sip. But upon closer inspection, the bartender seemed to be listening to something as if he were interested or perhaps worried. Jin followed the bartender's gaze to a couple of men to his right. They were chatting and drinking just as everyone else was, so what was it about them? Jin began listening to their conversation.

"No really, a sword that can shoot fire?"

"Yeah, and there's one that splits up into tiny little pieces and flies at you."

"No way."

"It's true!"

The pair seemed to be talking about some rather strange weapons. This was intriguing. Jin glanced back at the bartender, who still seemed to be listening intently. "Hey," said Jin to the bartender, but loud enough for the sword-friendly gentlemen to hear. "Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" As he said it, he pointed a finger at the two men, signaling who "they" were.

[destroyer]

[DRAMATIC ENTRANCE POST OF DRAMATICNESS]

The bartender would be serving up a few ales to some people at the bar, washing out some mugs as well as the counter. Talk of swords doing magical things were an average thing that happened here at the bar. As a bartender, he'd heard it all from talk of war to even the smallest amount of data such as searching for a sock. However, his normal day would be interrupted by an unusual question, but why him? It was probably his job as well as how often he works here that the question was directed towards him in order to help.

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" the man who came up to him asked as the strange man pointed at two men, whom the bartender knew were regulars here. "Yeah I do. Those two come in here usually once a day when they're in town to get some time away from their wives. Always bringing in new rumors everyday, but a few days ago the rumors were confirmed by a strange traveler. So yeah I know what they're talking about, but the traveler said there's only one person he knows about that can craft such swords, didn't give any specific details. Why do you ask? Around here information such as this is quite valuable so I'm not giving it to just anyone, what's it to you?" the bartender would ask the strange man with a raised eyebrow. In his bar, information came at a price, what the price was he'd say after he was offered.

[Okami]

Quite valuable? Jin was surprised. It seemed he had stumbled across a bartender who either had some credible information, or liked to rip people off. The Jounin pondered whether this barman seemed to be telling the truth or not. Either way, Jin had amassed quite a bit of wealth over the years, so the chance of credible information was worth far more to him than a few bucks.

The Hyuuga slid 7,000 Ryo across the counter with a calm look on his face. It was a rather generous amount for a mere rumor, but Jin wasn't in the mood to haggle, and any more would have made him seem desperate. All he wanted was for the barman to tell him what he knew honestly, and perhaps remember the generosity then next time Jin stopped by. "That sounds pretty interesting. If you think hard enough you can remember a few of those 'specific details', can't you? Tell me everything you know about this craftsman: a name, what he looks like, where I can find him, and anything else you can think of. Also, if you can, tell me about this traveler and where he was headed." It was quite the barrage of questions. Perhaps Jin's ANBU instincts had taken over, but he didn't mind. Once again, Jin had asked his questions loud enough for the two gentlemen at his side to hear him as well. He was hoping they would find the topic interesting enough to join in without asking for more of Jin's precious money.

(OOC: Subtract 7000 Ryo)

[destroyer]

Staring down the man, the bartender would wait for his offer before either giving out information or saying it was not enough. The bartender could tell this man was hesitating about whether the information he had was credible or not as it took the man awhile to snap out of it and finally come to a decision. Watching him reach into his pocket, the bartender wondered how much this information would be worth to the man. He looked like he didn't think the information was very valuable for him, but what would be on the price tag for this information?

As the man withdrew his hand, he laid down seven thousand ryo and slid it over to him, the bartender would take it and see if it was all real or not. After a couple of tests, he'd make a gesture to the man so he could whisper something in his ear. "A man in the grass country is rumored to make some special swords that give off an aura that's... mystical. He's a womanizer and usually doesn't take kindly to men, so you'd have a hard time getting something from him. If you win him over, I'm sure he'd make it, but its gonna be hard for you. You didn't hear this from me, information is valuable in my bar, never forget that," the bartender would whisper to him then get back to serving ales, waiting to see what the man would do.

[Okami]

Hmm. The information the barman provided gave Jin a general direction to move towards, if he did decide to follow up on this rumor, but he would have a hard time finding a swordsmith knowing only that he was a womanizer in Grass country. Jin wondered if the two men who were first talking about the swords had anything else to add.

They seemed to enjoy talking about the swords, so if they did have anything to say they would respond well as long as Jin befriended them. That might take a little longer than the Hyuuga cared to stay, so he came up with a different plan. Some genjutsu would do the trick. Jin always kept four of his six kumomusha arms hidden beneath his baggy cloak so he could pull off stunts like these without worry. The Jounin leaned forwards slightly, to make sure that his hidden arms would not ruffle the inside of his cloak as he cautiously completed the handseals. When he was finished the two gentlemen would be charmed, and would have a naturally positive disposition towards him.

He would turn to them and put his plan into action. "I heard you talking about some fantastic swords just now." The Jounin said with a friendly tone. "Do you have any idea where those swords are made?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Charm Person
Rank: C
Skill: GenJutsu
Effect: This charm GenJutsu makes a human creature regards the user as a friendly person.
Special: Handseals
Drawback: If a person is currently being threatened or attacked by the user or by any allies of the user gains a 30% increase in using a Kai technique that will dispel the GenJutsu. If a user attacked an opponent before there is a 20% increase chance the user is able to break the GenJutsu.
Description: The GenJutsu does not enable you to control the charmed person as if it were an automaton, but it perceives your words and actions in the most favorable way. You can try to give the subject orders, but you must convince an opponent to do something it does not normally do. If a User tells an opponent to do something that it does not do normally such as killing an alley will end the GenJutsu. An affected opponent never obeys suicidal or obviously harmful orders, but it might be convinced that something very dangerous is worth doing. Any act by you or your apparent allies that threatens the charmed person breaks the GenJutsu. You must speak the opponent's language to communicate your commands, or else be good at pantomiming. This technique works within a single straight distance of 8 meters, and only increases by two meters per class level.
Limit: Must know the Charm Perception.

[destroyer]

The bartender watched the man closely, seeing what he would do with the information, but would he go there? Staring at the man, he'd notice the man walk away from the bar, most likely going to the grass country, but instead he'd go somewhere else which surprised him.

{The Guys POV}

Talking amongst themselves, one would catch a glimpse of a man coming towards them, but then see him lean forward a bit. Why did he lean forward here? Was there something harming his back or did something hit him from behind to make him lean forward? The man would let it be and continue to talk with his friend as they'd not notice the man continue to walk closer to them, knowing he'd be here soon enough.

When he arrived, the man asked them both a question, but they didn't feel like talking with him. "I heard you talking about some fantastic swords just now. Do you have any idea where those swords are made?" the man asked them both. At first they felt like not even talking to him, but then something came over them that made them wanna talk. "We only know as much as the bartender does man, that's all. Anything the bartender knows, we know it if we said it, but other than that nothing else. No exact location or anything, just a general area. However since he's a womanizer, he's probably at a place with women like a hot spring or something," one of them would say to him.

[Okami]

The information that the bartender had whispered was repeated here without any prompting from the bartender himself. This was a good sign. If the barman was just trying to rip him off he wouldn't have elaborately planned out beforehand with these men what they were going to say. Jin still couldn't be sure what he would find at the end of this journey, but at least he could be reasonably certain they were not lying. Jin would go and seek out this swordsmith. If he was going on a trip, the he had better take some drinks for the road. The Jounin would head back to the counter one last time and order a bottle of sake. With that, Jin would walk out of the bar and head out towards the country.

(Move to Land of Fire)
(subtract 7500 ryo, added large sake)

[destroyer]

Working hard for this eh? Moved and subtracted.

[Okami]

Now out in the country, Jin met up with his animal companion Okami. It was not generally good manners to bring giant monkeys into public places, so he had to wait outside. Jin gave him a little pat on the head for waiting patiently. But before they left, Jin had to recover the bit of chaka he had spent charming his sources of information. After a series of handseals his legs sprouted roots and dug into the ground. Jin was a master of the wood release, and able to draw energy from the earth itself as if he were a tree. He hadn't used much chakra in the first place, so he didn't need to draw much out from from the ground, but setting out in perfect condition was a habit of his.

The duo walked at a leisurely pace, in no hurry to get to Grass, and enjoyed the scenic environment as they walked. The light woods of the Land of Fire slowly got denser, turned to forest, and eventually to jungle. They had reached the Land of Grass.

SPOILER: Click to show

Mokuton: Nedzuyoi No Jutsu (Firmly Rooted Technique)
Rank: A
Skill: Supplementary Ninjutsu
Effect: The user grows roots out of his or her feet and they firmly root the person down.
Special: Handseals “Tiger” “Snake” “Ram”
Drawback: The user cannot move from the spot they are rooted in.
Description: The user does the handseals and sends chakra to their feet. Roots spring from user’s feet and grow deeply into the ground. The roots take nutrients from the ground and restore the user’s chakra. This jutsu can only really be used out of battle to restore chakra. In battle this technique can put the user in a deep disadvantage.
Limit: Mokuton Jutsu

(Move to Grass)

[destroyer]

No move for joo! Naw I'm jk its moved.

[Okami]

"Well here we are." Jin said to Okami. He looked around and let out a sigh. It was still just a lot of jungle everywhere. Finding a supposedly mystical swordsmith who could be anywhere in this country was going to be tough, but at least it was a relativly small place. Finding anyone in the Land of Fire, or anywhere else really, would have been a hell of a lot harder. There didn't seem to be all that much he could do around here, so he had to head towards the capital. Jin didn't have any contacts in this country, so a big city was really the only place to start his search. They were a foreign country now, so Okami would stay nearby at all times. The pair set off towards th capital.

(Move to Aokusa)

[destroyer]

Moved.

[Okami]

Finally! After a long day of walking, it was time for the search to begin. Honestly, "searching" the hot springs for any sign of a swordsmith was really appealing just then, but he would have to tolerate a more logical approach now. When looking for a swordsmith, you have to first check the smithing district.

"Okami, I'm looking for a smith. Where should we go?" With one order from his master, the creature began sniffing around. He would catch a scent, get excited, and follow it around for a while. Then he would find something more interesting and see where that led. The creature wasn't an expert in tracking by nose, but with enough time he could get the job done. The smells of hot fires and hammered metals were too strong to ignore. Eventually they came upon a small building that had a good smell about it. The sign on the front said it was indeed a swordsmith. Jin stepped in and called out to the master of the building. "Hello." He said. "I'm looing for a swordsmith."

[destroyer]

The man and his pet would walk into the shop, but would find it empty with a sign next to the door on the inside saying "Out to eat, be back later." Being a womanizer, he'd probably be at a place where women gather or at a place where its only women who work there along with drinking.

[Okami]

Jin had simply gone to the first smithy he had seen. There was virtually no chance it could have been the legendary sword smith master, but at least a swordsmith might have had information on where exactly the legendary master could be found. However, as Jin looked upon the sign he was disheartened, because he expected a professional sword smith to remain in his shop during business hours at least. Oh well.

"Now where did that drunk say was a good place to check?" The Jounin asked his companion, knowing full well Okami wasn't even there when the conversation took place. Jin was just tired from a long day, and wanted an excuse to himself to take a break. "Ah, that's right." He continued. "I'm supposed to check out the hot springs."

So he headed over to the hot springs. Jin wanted to keep Okami around, but he really couldn't bring a monkey in there. Okami would wait outside, but remain close by. It was a pretty big place, and apparently the men and women sections were divided by nothing more than a wooden barrier. Jin walked up to the attendant, deciding to first investigate whatever this person knew. "I was told a great swordsmith comes here on occasion." Jin lied. If this person knew anything, they would be more likely to tell him if Jin already had some sort of association with the swordsmith, vague and non-descriptive though it may be. "Have you seen him here?"

[destroyer]

{OOC: Sorry for lateness, I've been busy}

Attendant's POV

A man would approach the hot springs and stop on the outside as I would wonder why he was just standing there with his pet, staring off into space as it looked like it. I'd raise an eyebrow at him and go to help out with putting fresh towels in the changing rooms in order to help then I'd return to the front desk, awaiting my next job. As I returned, I'd notice the man still there as I'd shrug it off and sit down in the chair against the wall.

Finally after awhile of waiting, the man would move closer to me as he arrived with a strange question for me, but why would such a strange question be directed to me? "I was told a great swordsmith comes here on occasion. Have you seen him here?" the man would ask me as I'd raise an eyebrow and restrain myself from laughing at his ridiculous question. Why would a great swordsmith wanna come here to a hot spring when he probably has enough wealth to afford a hot spring of his own?

"Why would a great swordsmith come to a public hot spring when, if he's so great, he could most likely afford his own private one? Guys usually come here to relax in the hot spring only, nothing else really since we try to keep it as separate between the sides as possible," I'd tell him as I'd continue to refrain from laughing. "If ya need anything else ask somewhere else unless your looking for a pervert, then he might be around the hot springs or maybe a pub or something. That's what they usually do around here," I'd say and then I'd continue on with my job, leaving for a moment to swap the towels in the changing rooms.

[Okami]

"Ahem." Jin cleared his throat, as if he was embarrassed. What the guy said was true, but Jin really might be looking for a pervert. Jin just realized it. Womanizers come in a lot of different forms, and being a pervert is not all that unusual. "Well then, can you tell me if you have caught any perverts around here lately? He might just not have told you his occupation, or if he did, he might have lied to you."

Jin looked away again, still seeming to be embarrased by his search for a pervert. What he realy wanted to do was get his eyes out of sight, so he could activate his byakugan and search the entire area without going inside. He would watch out for any chakra signatures that seemed to be spying on the female side.

SPOILER: Click to show

Byakugan 100 yeard radius active

[destroyer]

After returning, I'd hear the man ask another question after clearing his throat, but why did he need to clear his throat? "Well then, can you tell me if you have caught any perverts around here lately? He might just not have told you his occupation, or if he did, he might have lied to you." he asked me as well as stated to me. Why would this guy wanna know about perverts who came to the hot springs here? Was he a pervert as well who sent someone in to do the dirty work while he stayed out of it and got the rewards of the spy?

"None that I know of besides you, if you are a pervert here using your advanced abilities to help you peek on the girls. You seem to be a pretty strong guy who could use your pet there to help you peek on them," I'd say to the man as he turned his head for some reason, but why? Shrugging it off, I'd return to my seat and wait for more customers, taking there business when they came.

Your vision allows you to peek at the guys and girls side. On the guys side there seem to be two friends, one bathing and one half in the water, using something to spy on the ladies. They take turns peeking, the girls seemingly unaware of it.

On the girls side, there's quite a few laughing and talking with each other in it, washing up. Three of them are having a fun time by splashing each other and two are sitting on the edge, with four in the water. Also you notice someone beyond the hot springs behind the rock wall seemingly just looking at the wall with his ear to it as well. What could that guy be doing here?

[Okami]

Jin almost burst out laughing while his head was still turned. Not only did this guy guess completely right, but his incredible intuition seemed to be oblivious to everyone else that came here. Ah! Maybe Jin was a bad actor after all. Suddenly he felt a little bit worse about himself. He deactivated his Byakugan made sure he wasn't smiling before he let his head go back to its normal spot. "I see. Sorry for bothering you." He stated simply.

Well, he supposed he should check out the weird guy with his ear to the wall first. Someone like that could leave at any time by just walking away, but two guys already in the hot springs would take quite a while to leave. Jin made sure the attendant couldn't see him, then he walked around the outside of rock wall to go meet the strange man. As he approached the man he gave a friendly wave of his hand. "What's going on over here?" He asked.

[destroyer]

Strange Man's POV

I'd giggle a little bit and blush at the women looking around and gather a little chakra in order to get some sand working, hearing the women playing together I wanted a better view. Gathering some sand, I'd cover one eye and create another eye and send it above me into the sky in order to get a clear image in my mind of the scene. Giggling and chuckling uncontrollably, I'd smile at the things I heard and saw. "This is so good! These girls taunt me so with their carefree fun! I wish I could see it up close and personal but I'd be caught!" I'd smile chuckling, unable to hear the footsteps encroaching upon me but hearing the voice behind me, I'd cancel my technique and sit up straight, becoming a clear, calm headed person who looked like he was meditating.

"What's going on over here?" the voice would say from behind as my eyes would close and the smile on my face turned into a frowning angry look. "I'm busy meditating what does it look like I'm doing?" I'd say to the man, hoping he'd go away so I could resume my... relaxation method in peace. Hopefully he'd leave soon enough so I could get back to my relaxing, but if not, I'd try to dart away in order to find another place to peek into. It all depended on his answer.