Experiences [Travel To Mizu no Kuni]

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

Kusa no Kuni. Hi no Kuni. Mizu no Kuni. Kaminari no Kuni. Yu no Kuni.

These were the places that Masquerade had visited recently. These were the places where he had travelled to, whether unintentionally or with a purpose. He had gone to Hi no Kuni from Kusa to learn more about his father. A new acquaintance was made, a new ability was unlocked, knowledge was obtained, and some unforgettable missions were undertaken: these and a few others were the highlights of his stay at Hi no Kuni. From there, he had moved on to Mizu no Kuni, at the request of the aforementioned acquaintance, to complete a mission assigned by the latter. His stay in Mizu no Kuni had not been long, for political unrest had induced the Nukenin to relocate from the island nation. Haste had been a necessity, lest he be trapped on an island that was either forbidding travel to and from it, or heavily monitoring transport. In any case, the shinobi had inadvertently ended up in Kaminari no Kuni. “Inadvertently”, because Masquerade had stowed away on a ship without any idea where it was going. He had ended up hanging on the ceiling of the ship’s cellar for hours to avoid being detected by the guards below. The fun.

One arduous and unenjoyable trip later, he had arrived at Kaminari no Kuni. There, he had met the son of a wealthy man with criminal influences, who had coerced the Nukenin into acting as his bodyguard for the day. This nation was also where Masquerade would acquire his first Summon, an animal more despicable than the devil. And of course, this was also the nation where Masquerade was sent on a mission to that Town - the Town of The Dead. Following that mission, the Jinchuuriki had made his way directly to Yu no Kuni for a prescribed rest period. There, he had met another Nukenin, one who sought a pleasant conversation rather than a physical and/or verbal fight; a nice change of pace. Yu no Kuni had also been the location of Masquerade’s latest mission – his latest failed mission, to be more specific. And let’s not forget that highly memorable event, where Masquerade met a face from the past: a face that proceeded to give the Nukenin the most severe beating of his life.

In short, each country had left the Nukenin with some kind of notable memory; each country had given him something different to experience. From missions, to social interactions, to physical and mental pain - there had been quite a lot. That was, after all, what life was about: experiences. From the moment one was born, to the day they died, he or she was exposed to so many new and different experiences. Varying, contrasting, surprising. Life was all about experiencing new things. Time and location did not matter. Even a person’s standing in life was not a factor to be considered. Rich or poor, everyone experienced something new each day. People simply did not realize what the differences in each of their days was until much later; sometimes, they may never see the difference at all. But there was always a variation. Every day was different from the last, in some way. One could go back to the same place they had been the previous day, and they would experience something different than before. They could repeat the same actions they did on the previous day, and there would be a small enough variation in the whole procedure to make it distinguishable from the last day’s.

But what was the point in musing about all this? Nothing. Masquerade simply needed something to occupy his mind as he sat waiting on a wooden bench. A gentle breeze was blowing from behind him, ruffling his clothes, its destination being the sea just a few meters in front of the Nukenin; an offshore breeze. Human presence was at a low at the harbor on the east coast of Yu no Kuni, primarily because of the time of the day. The dark sky and the luminous crescent moon hung above the Nukenin’s head, the air silent save for the sound of the waves crashing into the supports of the pier. The sound was almost tranquil, soothing even.

Masquerade was waiting for his boat. His planned destination was Mizu no Kuni, and he was waiting on the ship he had hired to be prepped for departure. The Nukenin had already been to Mizu no Kuni, as mentioned earlier. Back then, it had been to complete a mission. Now, a mission was the same reasoning for why he was headed to the water-locked country again. More specifically, he was heading there in search of a job. Mizu no Kuni had always been infamous for housing some of the vilest of individuals on the planet. If ever a rogue shinobi was going to find a job, it would be in Mizu no Kuni.

A voice called out to him, and the shinobi looked up from his seat at the aged yet burly man waving towards him from a small boat. The man may have been old, but he was more robust than most people his age or younger. Furthermore, he fit the stereotypical image of a seaman so accurately that Masquerade wondered if it was intentional. The sailor’s name was Nanase Ida, and he had agreed to take Masquerade over to the Mizu no Kuni. Rising to his feet, folding his arms behind his back to clasp one hand around the other wrist, the Nukenin wordlessly walked over to the lowered plank and stepped onto the ship. He gave a nod to the captain of the ship, an action that was returned in kind. The plank was lifted, the anchor was raised, and the ship set off towards Mizu no Kuni.

And undoubtedly, towards a new experience of some kind.

[Exit to Mizu no Kuni]