The village of the Island Nations Coalition was decided to be made from the largest of the villages on the largest island in the coalition. There are multiple shops within the village, ranging from the fine Ramen shops, to weapon smiths and scroll writers. If there's anything that a young ninja would need, they can find it here in the village.

---

N:INCV1

---

Higen rubbed his wrist, feeling like the tape was sticking funny. He looked around at the city. There were a lot of people living here, and it was awfully noisy compared to what he was used to The people generally looked happy, and came in so many different shapes, ages, races, clothes. It seemed chaotic. Even the animals were running around, busy and noisy. A dog and a boy chased each other, seagulls competed for crumbs, a raven furiously picked at fresh laid grass by the market.

"Pretty great place, isn't it?" Kano asked him with a grin as they walked around the village. He was keeping an eye on Higen as he looked about the place.

"It was a little overwhelming when I first came." Kami said. "I wasn't used to indoor plumbing much less SO many different kinds of people."

"It's really loud," Higen said. But it was very new. He was craning his neck, looking around at the sights like a kid at a theme park. He'd never traveled before, so he thought he could stomach being out with some strangers, around even stranger strangers, if only to see this new, drastically different city.

"You get used to it." Kano assured him with his traditional lopsided grin.

"Yeah..." Kami said. "At first I had a hard time sleeping cause of all the noise, but it grows on you."

Higen nodded. His face fell after what Kami said, as if she'd said something that upset him a bit, but he was trying not to show it. In truth, Higen never slept well, and noise had nothing to do with it. His village was also much cooler than coalition island, and got less sun. He was paler and less comfortable outside than his counterparts. Already, he regretted all the tape.

"You alright?" Kano asked him, tilting his head curiously.

"It's probably all this sun right?" Kami asked. "It's a lot brighter here than your village. You wanna stop and get a hat?"

"Oh! I know JUST the place!" Kano told him happily. He couldn't help but clap his hands together at the idea of getting him a hat. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before, really. Especially if he was going to be on his team and living in his house. It was sort of a tradition with his squad.

Higen looked mortified. "No, please!" He shook his head. "I just have a lot on my mind. I really don't want a hat..." He made a pained face, realizing that they might take offense at the refusal.

"Oh ok." Kami said. "Let's get that dango then!" She was determined to turn Higen's mood for the better. "And after we can go to the greenhouse. Your room needs a plant. You can pick out anything on the floor."

Kano frowned a little. The hat shop was a fantastic place, and the owner was a long time friend. She could match a hat to anyone. He'd seen her do it. One of these days, he'd get Higen over there, but clearly right now, they were a little more dependent on Kami's influence to do anything with him. He'd be fine with just following her lead here.

Higen had no intention of ever getting a hat, but he didn't say that. And he didn't much care to go shopping at the moment either, unless it was for ninja tools. And yet, he didn't want to say no to Kami. He'd never really been around girls his own age. She was fascinating and her cheery nature was infectious.
"Do they have aloe vera plants?" He asked quietly.

"Oh I've got a ton of aloe vera." She said happily. "A few years ago we only had two. I killed one trying to figure out how to grow them. It took our friend El to tell me they were actually cacti. I'd been watering them waaaaayy too much. Now they're thriving and I've got a ton. They sell a lot in the summer."

"I used to have a huge one out front of the compound. Really good for scrapes and cuts." Higen smiled a little. A pot with a good sized aloe Vera was more useful than a hat. Hats made it harder to see in peripheral vision, especially things above you. They made him uncomfortable. "You would let me have one?"

"Of course!" Kami said. "But first we get dango, deal?"

"Then maybe some steak?" Kano asked curiously as they approached the dango shop.

Higen made a face. He was considering asking Kano if all he ever did was eat, but that was too rude for the first day. These people were so casual and simple, it was jarring. Higen came from a place where people were literal and serious about nearly everything. He turned to Kami instead.
"So we eat dessert before dinner here?"

"Well the dango was just to cheer you up, but if you're hungry we can get food first." Kami said. "There's a great barbecue place where you cook your own meat just how you like it."

"And they never seem to run out of meat. No matter how hard I try." Kano told him with a wide grin. For the most part, Kano really did eat most of the time.

"It sounds like barbecue is where we all want to go then," Higen said. Now that protein was an option, his stomach decided he did want food.

"Well I want the village to make a good impression." Kami said. "It's a nice place and it's pretty..." She paused, then snapped her fingers a few times. Then huffed. "Kano, what's the word for something that's not too pricey and not too cheap?"

"Affordable?" Kano offered her skeptically. He wasn't entirely sure where she was going with it. She could've stopped at 'it's a nice place and it's pretty.' That was true, after all.

"Affordable! That's it!" Kami exclaimed, then looked at Higen. "It's affordable."

"Well that's good." Higen frowned soberly. "Since the Shroud jonin didn't see fit to leave me any money..."

Kami gasped. "Well that's just rude!" She exclaimed. "Dinner's on me then. I don't mind. Kano never lets me buy any way."

"That's because it ain't right for you to pay." Kano told her stubbornly. He didn't want her to pay this time either. He couldn't have her paying, not considering how much he ate after all. It would be terrible to stick her with that bill.

Higen followed behind them, quietly uncomfortable. He was shy, and felt guilty about being broke.

When they reached the barbecue place and went inside one of the waitresses saw Kano an called into the back. Immediately her warning was followed by angry chatter from the cooks in the back. Kami blushed and shoved the boys to one of the booths in the back.

Kano couldn't help but chuckle as he heard the commotion from the kitchen. "Sorry, I've got a bit of a reputation... I'm a rather bottomless pit."

The table had a rectangular grate in the middle of the table. Beneath it were glowing coals where they could cook their own meat. Kami sat beside Kano on the outside, hiding the bottomless pit in the corner, not that she concealed him very well at all.

Higen sat across from them. The place smelled fantastic, and he realized how hungry he was. He smiled at Kami. "Thank you very much" he told her.

"Oh no need to thank me." Kami said. "I'm glad we can all sit and get to know one another." She ordered tea and water for the table, no saki. "So you're from the Shroud... what's that like?"

Kano was a bit disappointed that she hadn't ordered saki. He always enjoyed it with his barbecue, it really helped to wash the stuff down. Water was fine, but he wasn't a tea fan. He leaned back into the corner of the booth and looked at Higen. "We're all rather curious. I'm pretty sure the only one who's been there so far is Master Ishiaki, but he doesn't talk about his private missions."

Higen bit his tongue. It was awkward to even consider how to answer that.
"It... It's uh... Cold, most of the time. The sun doesn't shine that often compared to most places. It's cloudy at least half the time. And it's... Humid." He hoped talking about the weather could keep the conversation away from himself. The more time he spent here, the more upset he was about the way he had been treated back home.

But he'd never talked to a girl like Kami before. "So are your parents ninja too?" She asked, very curious about their new teammate.

Higen paled. "I um.... I don't know, honestly."

"You don't know? What, do you not know who your parents are or somethin? Kano asked curiously. It wasn't the brightest question to ask, nor the most polite, but he wasn't exactly known for being bright.

Kami smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand. "You don't have to be so insensitive..." She whispered. "It's ok, Higen. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Higen took the opportunity to shut his mouth and let the conversation shift elsewhere. Kano's question hit close to home, and Higen didn't want to talk at all, at the moment. He had a rather sour look on his face while he waited for the food.

"I don't know mine either." Kano told him, reaching up and rubbing his shoulder. "I meant no offense. I forget that some people are... sensitive about that sort of thing. I learned a long time ago to not let it bother me, and I tend to forget that others haven't yet."

Higen began to get rather annoyed with Kano, and didn't say anything in response.

Kami noticed Higen's mood beginning to shift and rather than mentioning her own parental deficiency she sought to change the subject. "So are you any good with ninja tools, Higen?" She asked, grasping at straws.

"Not especially...?" He thought about it. "I'm best at taijutsu. Not much else I'm good at physically. I guess I'm trained as a tactician, mostly..." He thought that sounded lame and nerdish.

"We could use with a bit of that..." Kano admitted, he wasn't ashamed to say it either. Kami tended to think before she acted, but he certainly didn't. He hardly even thought before speaking.

"I can tell," Higen couldn't resist making a jab that time.

Kami snickered and stuck her tongue out at Kano. "He's right though. Kano acts before he thinks and sometimes I think too much or just worry about screwing up and getting someone killed. It's important to have a good head on your shoulders. We need someone like you, Higen." She smiled, hoping to make him feel needed and wanted.

Higen blushed, taken aback by the compliment. She was entirely too nice, and too pretty, to boot. He didn't know what to say in return.

"Make fun all you want, I'm very thick skinned." Kano assured him with a grin. "It's true though. I tend to rush in, usually it works out for me though."

Kami shrugged and nodded. It did usually work out for Kano. She began turning the meat on the grill in the center of the table. "So... when's your birthday?" She asked, still grasping at things to talk about.

Higen groaned, she kept hitting buttons. "Sometime in July, I think."

"You th-" She stopped and looked sad for a moment. "I'm sorry... I keep sticking my toes in my mouth. "She meant she was sticking her foot in her mouth but she didn't give anyone time to correct her. "How about I stop asking dumb questions and let you ask us what you wanna know?"

He made another sour face, but quickly straightened it out. "What do you know about chakra seals?" He asked, still somewhat acting like Kano wasn't even there.

"I... I don't really know anything about them." Kami said. "Kano's the expert on that."

Kano reached up and scratched his head. "I wouldn't say expert..."

Higen's eyes seemed to glimmer as he suddenly looked over Kano like he was sizing him up.
"You're clearly a close combat specialist with some sort of kekkei-genkai related to strength and endurance. I would not have guessed you can perform any seal techniques, but they come in a very wide variety of focuses, effects, and difficulty to perform." This, unlike plants or food or fancy homes, was a subject that excited him, and got him talkative.
"What are you proficient in? Striking combat seals? Chakra seals? Area transformation? Summoning contracts?"

"Well Kami and I both have summoning contracts. The transportation jutsu is another sort of seal I'm proficient with." Kano explained nonchalantly.

"I just summon squirrels..." Kami said. "Ninja squirrels yeah but Kano summons giant lava lizards."

"They're salamanders, not lizards." Kano countered quickly.

Higen didn't give a damn about the lizards. He felt a combination of frustration and disappointment that these were not the kind of seals he wanted to learn about, and stupefied disbelief that this jackass could perform a legendary technique like transportation jutsu.

"I don't think that's what he means though." Kami said, waiting for more clarification.

"Are you talking about like releasing the Inner Gates?" Kano offered him curiously. He hadn't gotten to learn the technique, but he had gotten to see it in action once. It was a rather terrifying experience, truth be told.

"No. And that technique doesn't involve seals. Well, not what we think of as a seal technique," Higen said. "Does your sensei, Ishiaki know seal techniques?"

"Well yeah. His sword is a sealed weapon." Kano blurted out, snagging a piece of barbecue and popping it into his mouth with a grin.

"He'll be happy to tell you anything you want to know, I'm sure." Kami said.

Higen pressed his lips together. He wanted chakra, he was sure he had it inside him, and he was jealous of both of them. "I think I have to ask an expert sometime... It's about something specific." He waved his hand and started eating. "Tell me about something else." He said in between bites.

"Well I'm sure he could point you in the right direction at least." Kami said. "I can ask Master Risu if he knows anything about it."

"I could send a message to Master Surisu back home. I'm sure she knows plenty." Kano offered. His sensei back home knew many things. He was sure if they were to but ask, she'd tell them something of use for sure.

Higen didn't know what to say. These two should know better than to tell Higen how to unseal his chakra. If that was actually the answer. He frowned again.

"But I could just summon Master Risu now and ask him." Kami told Kano.

"You just want to show me up." Kano said with a smirk.

"Maybe." She said, smirking. Then she looked at Higen. "He doens't take up much room. Do you want me to summon him?"

"Ah.... Yeah, okay," Higen said. He was feeling more and more nervous. He still didn't know if he should trust these people. He had no sense of patriotism or loyalty towards the Shroud, but he also knew this was a risk, seeing if he could unlock his powers without the Coalition's permission.

She pulled the little summoning scroll from the gauge in her right ear, opened it on the table, then sliced her thumb with the strange ear ring that proved to be some kind of little knife, that was in her left ear. She smeared blood over the scroll and a puff of smoke later a gray squirrel, less than ten inches tall and wearing a green vest and tiny forehead protector appeared on the table next to the scroll. His fur was dyed with a few different kinds of kanji and markings. He had a tiny pipe in one hand and his whiskers seemed to form a very long mustache. "Kami dear." He said, looking at the girl, then at the table and another ninja he didn't know. They'd already started eating so this wasn't an invitation to dinner. "I take it this isn't a social call?"

"Master Risu, this is Higen. He's our new third. He has some questions about chakra seals."

"Ohh?" The aged little kage looked at the boy who looked younger than both Kami and Kano. "Is that so, boy?"

Higen glanced back and forth at Kano and Kami, and decided he didn't care if they figured out what he was after.
"Master Risu, can you tell if I have a chakra seal on me, right now?"

The tiny old Squirrel took the spectacles off his nose and preformed a hand sign, then put them back on. He looked at Higen, took his glasses off and looked at them before putting them on again. "What's inside you they don't want getting out, boy?" He asked. "I've never seen a seal that strong in a very long time..."

"So he is sealed?" Kano asked curiously, wondering how Master Risu actually saw it.

Higen got much more serious, leaning foreward.
"And what happens if the seal is undone?"
Master Risu could see the pentacle shape, a five pointed star within a circle, comprising the seal on Higen's belly. Each point of the star was a seal of it's own. Within Higen was a tremendous well of what looked like blackish, violet chakra. It seemed to boil and seethe like an acid. There was a sentient mind within it, dormant and sleeping.

"I think, young man," Master Risu was saying. "That that is not a conversation you wish to have in public." 

Higen wanted him to just answer the question, but he had a point. Still, his eyes showed the hunger he had for the truth.
"Will you explain later?" Higen's eyes seemed to glimmer for a second, even change color. There was just the faintest cast of bright violet in his dark irises.

The little old squirrel nodded. "I will, son. For now..." He turned back to Kami. "Summon me again when this young man and I might have some privacy."
Kami looked perplexed. She'd never known Master Risu to keep secrets from her. "Yes, Master Risu." One little puff of smoke later and he was gone. She rolled up the small scroll and slid it back into her right ear.

"That was a little weird..." Kano said quietly. He'd never seen Master Risu act like that before.

Higen felt like he couldn't quite catch his breath. He couldn't believe how close he was to the truth the Shroud had kept from him for so long. But it worried him, how easy this information was to get. He worried there was some trick, that he was only accompanied by chunin and they were freely open with information. Did they think just because his chakra was sealed that there was no risk? And the shroud had kept him in a high security compound! How would the coalition forces respond to an attack on Higen or abduction attempt?it didn't make any sense.

"Are you ok?" Kami asked. She didn't pretend to know half of what was going on, but she could tell by how Higen and Master Risu behaved, that it was something very important.

"I'm fine," Higen said. He looked at Kami, and remembered how kind she had been so far. He blushed slightly.

"Well it looks like Master Risu can help." Kami said. "So that's good... Oh, these look done." She too the first of the meat off the grill and gave it to Higen because he was their new guest.

Higen took a bite after dipping the meat in sauce. It really was good. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.
"This is good, thank you!" his mind stayed on what Master Risu had said however. And moreover, he wondered what to do about it. How much of a risk would it be to try to undo the seal?

"Trust me, we would never go some place where the food wasn't good." Kano told him with a proud smirk. He was glad he had taken the time to make a little stirfry at the apartment. Since now he had to wait... He hated waiting...

---

Back to: N:INC