uncagedforjustamoment

Entry tags:

001

[The camera flicks on to reveal a young man with eyes so pale lavender and missing pupils that it might appear as if his eyes are white and unmarked at first glance. There's a small frown on his lips, and his eyes squint in a curious determination.

Through observation and intuition, he's puzzled out the purpose and general function of the device well enough to activate it, but unfortunately it has...so far...not provided illumination over where he's woken or how. Waking up after death is no surprise--it's happened more than once before, though the last time it happened to him he hadn't been as certain of his own death when he lost consciousness as this time.

Waking here, however...is less...understandable.]

Explain to me where this place is and why I've been taken. Have I missed the end of the war? [That seems the most reasonable conclusion: otherwise he would have been brought back out to the battlefield, wouldn't he?]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Trance tilts her head curiously as she tries to figure out if he's okay or not.]

Well, it depends on what war you mean, I think. I mean, you probably missed the end of lots of wars, and that doesn't even have anything to do with you being here or not.

[Hang on, give her a second. You've gotten a lot older since the last time she saw you, but that tone of voice and those eyes... Come on, what are the odds it's some other Hyuuga here?]

Neji...?

[She's almost afraid to hope. The weird thing Neji might notice (other than her being three years younger than he might expect) is that she's obviously flying, the edge of a silver wing coming up into the 'gear's view every few seconds in rhythm with the sound of steel cutting through air.]

It is Neji, right?

[Shinobi forehead protector? Konoha forehead protector? She squints at the screen.]

*This one looks a bit weird, certainly. Wild colors in her outfits, and far too much energy.*

You're in another world, far from whatever war you're talking about. It's probably still going on.

Or it hasn't started yet.

...Or it's been over for a long time.

Tim is weird like that!

Neji!

[Have a face full of grinning Naruto. Sure Neji may be frowning, but when is that anything new?]

This isn't anything to do with the war, we were sorta kidnapped here!

[ Sakura manages to choke down a sob in hopes that maybe the PokeGear didn't record that as she stares down the image held tightly within her hands. Was this some kind of illusion?

No, that doesn't make any sense. There's plenty of "the dead" to be found here in Johto, so Neji should be no exception. From what she's been able to glean from her peers, she's the only one to know of his fate. ]

Welcome to Johto, Neji. [ Her voice is barely above a whisper as she struggles to gain some confidence. At least the look of distraught is gone, replaced with an awkward expression as she attempts to appear normal. ] I'm sure many of the others will answer your basic questions, but I've been studying this place since my own arrival a few weeks back. If you have any additional questions, you can ask.

[His eyes. What was wrong with his eyes. They're so....white.]

[Although she was a little fazed by it, she kept the comment to herself cause wow being rude at first meeting?]

This is Johto. There's no reason why we're here but we can't leave. [Not voluntary but still.] There's a chance your world might still be having its war, I'm sorry.

[That reaction isn't uncommon with Neji. Her curiosity doesn't bother him, but her response earns an unamused frown. Were she not being coy, she could only mean there were either multiple simultaneous wars (unlikely to the point of absurdity, compounded by why she would need to question what he meant by 'the' war.) or more time had passed than he thought.]

...The Fourth Shinobi War. When did it conclude?

[He may be older, but surely she would still recognize his face? Weren't they teammates, Tenten?

Speaking of age, despite the distortion provided by the video, she is quite obviously...too young. By a few years, if he's correct: and even though his Byakugan had been sealed in death, he still possesses quite sharp observational skills.

This is...strange. He's silent for a few moments, watching the screen as if he expects the image to either correct or reveal a Zetsu clone (unlikely, it had no difficulty mimicking people at their correct age so far.), then finally speaks.]

...Tenten. [Shinobi protector. Hello.] Exactly where are we? [Things like why, how, and what she was doing could wait for the most important question to be answered.]

[Strange, but he's seen similar at home before. Naruto, for instance.

Her response encourages that comparison, and his frown deepens.]

In another world. [If he didn't need his hands, he'd be crossing his arms now.] How was I brought here, and for what purpose?

[Naruto? Of all people, why are you here? You're meant to be saving the Shinobi world.

He frowns all the more for Naruto's smile.] Naruto. Am I to assume you defeated the Juubi, then? [Or, perhaps, could he have perished and been brought back in a similar manner as himself...?]

Magic and to become a Pokemon Master!

*You can't really trust Imogen to answer boring detail questions too seriously.*

It's not like we were given anymore details than you were. We woke up in that house with a Pokemon and a backpack and just... started off on an adventure.

That's how this place works.

[The video did not record the sob, no, but he's not unobservant. He can see her expression and the tenseness in her posture, and he can hear the tightness in her whisper. He's not unaware of the implications of her body language even without the tip-off. It is a reaction unlike his other teammates.]

Sakura. [He considers addressing the obvious questions and answers on the situation, including the implication of her reaction. Those could come later.] To ask a question I need to know it exists.

[Mn. Ignorance is not always rudeness. Still the explanation wasn't one he wanted to give out at the moment, so the lack of questions were just fine.]

...I don't think we're here without a reason. [Otherwise, how would he still be breathing? No, this was not something done by chance or randomness.] It's pointless to apologize for a war you have no part in.

[ ...Ah, that's the music for the town she's in. And a hitai-ae, although the "shinobi" symbol is unfamiliar...

That's a Hyuuga, though. The eyes are as unmistakable as the Uchiha's sharingan. Therefore... ]

Which war? [ The one she lived through or a different one? ]

It's just that everyone else is--[ Better than her. ]--equipped with a variety of knowledge of this place when compared to me.

[ A small frown etches itself on her face. ]

I arrived a little over a month ago myself so you can understand why I'm reluctant to answer. You're in New Bark right now, aren't you?

You've changed a lot.

[Her voice sounds almost breathless as she stares at the screen, biting her lip for a moment before breaking into a wide grin. Don't mind the sight of clouds flying by beside her, that's not important right now.]

It's good to see you.

[But he'd asked a question, hadn't he? She takes a breath and forces herself to focus, staring at the screen.]

You're in a little place called New Bark Town, in the Johto region. It's... well, I've been here for six months and haven't found a way back yet. I know people who've been here for years with no way back.

And you're obviously from the future, aren't you? [She points to her own forehead protector, as if that represented the sum of all the changes.] You've got the same forehead protector as the Shino-kun from the future.

I've got-- once I get to another town, I'll send you some Pokémon to help you out. They're like animal summons, they're the only weapons permitted around here.

[...Let us not discuss that music. So far he's been ignoring it as much as he has the inability to access his chakra properly. One problem at a time.

He frowns at the girl on the screen a moment: she's too young to be fighting in the war, so the discrepancy with the hitai-ae wasn't necessarily an indicator that hers was a situation like Tenten's. However, that she would question which war he meant indicated it well enough.

Of course, she could also have come from the far future when the hitai-ae reverted to their originals, but he doubted it. The past was the most likely answer.]

I have heard it called the Fourth Shinobi World War. [He, personally, had been more concerned with waging the war than naming it. Names were identifiers for survivors after it was completed.]

[ Names were identifiers for those who never lived to see the wars, too. The Fourth Shinobi World War...Of course she had never been naive enough to think there wouldn't be another war, after theirs had ended (if, back then), but to hear it confirmed is sobering. ]

...I see. I arrived from the Third.

Does that have something to do with your hitai-ae?

To become a what? [Hadn't he heard someone else say that now? Pokemon, evidently, were the creature he'd been saddled with (a less useful and far less intelligent summoning creature without a contract), but if not possessing them, what defined 'mastery' of it?

Probably more importantly: why would he care?]

...Started off on an adventure. [Doesn't he just sound thrilled about that concept?] I have no interest in any of that.

[Now...even though he'd seen Tenten's age difference, to hear of someone from a time (most likely) before he was born still earns a pause. Just how was this possible? Some form of powerful time and place warping jutsu? Could this have something to do with the rampage of the Juubi?]

...The Third? [Of course. Seeking confirmation from her was pointless, she would hardly correct her statement to something more possible, would she? Such a possibility was...highly doubtful of her. Instead of waiting for a confirmation, then, he simply addressed her question.] Yes. The five great nations fight together in the Fourth war. [War was, of course, still war, but perhaps that knowledge would provide a Konoha-nin such as herself with some comfort all the same.]

[He doesn't miss the momentary hesitation in her first statement, but he chooses not to comment on it: it was so brief that it might mean anything, and most likely had nothing to do with himself or any of his questions.

He nodded instead, folding his free arm over the one holding the device.] I believe so. [There were a few signs to indicate this, and he's almost confident he's heard others nearby refer to the town by 'New Bark'.] If you have been here a month, should I assume you'd arrived here before the war began? [It seems likely, but unlike certain others he's spoken to she is age appropriate. It's possible, if others come from impossibly far in the past, that she might come from his future instead. Although it would be more difficult to transplant someone into the past, he saw no difference between that and whatever must have been done to allow Tenten to vanish for months after the Chuunin exams without notice.]

It's been three years. [Or thereabout, anyway, judging by her appearance. He may be a year off in one direction or the other, but as exact accuracy wasn't crucial at the moment, he didn't see the point in worrying over it. Growing up between the ages of 14 and 17 is to be expected and obviously he's from her future because he is older than her now, is his point.

...She is most certainly flying. How?

Shino is here? Of the appropriate age? Neji frowns a moment: although he doesn't know the Aburame all that well, he does spare a moment's concern over whether that might mean Shino faced a similar fate. Still...it's unlikely, given that Tenten didn't even come close to death at the age she appears now.]

...The only weapons permitted? [...Yes, that's the only verbal response you get to the rest of that, Tenten.]

[She casually flicks a switch near the screen to make the video private.]

Yeah, so I've heard from the future-rookies. You're the first one from our team that I've seen in... well, like I said, six months.

[The reason for her locking the video? She undoes the top clasp of her tunic and draws out a single knife made from the feather of a Skarmory. It's easy to tell that it's (literally) not the sharpest tool in the shed from the way she runs her finger over the edge.]

For one thing, something like this was special made by a friend of mine, but they don't hold an edge. Doesn't matter how many times you sharpen it, it'll still dull like anything.

Plus you'll be arrested on sight for using any kind of weapon. I spent two weeks hiding from the police for stabbing a rampaging Pokémon in the eye with one.

Yes. I...didn't see the end of it before coming here, though.

[ But so far it seems like Konoha came out okay. And at least Kakashi survived, so...There's very real surprise on Rin's face at the thought of the five great nations fighting together. Against one another wouldn't have given her any pause.

But together, side by side? After all the wars and fighting? It was hard to picture. Not unpleasant, except...if they'd all banded together, the threat must have been astronomical, to say the least. ] You must be facing something...extreme, if that's the case.

[ She hopes it turns out okay. Whether or not she knows these people from the future, it was Konoha she died for, and she will never not want Konoha to succeed. ]

I'm Rin Nohara. You're a Hyuuga, right?

[He notes the switch with an intrigued expression, but makes no comment. He is less surprised by the possibility of making communication secure--such things are normal for a shinobi lifestyle--as that she felt the need for privacy.

Her answer about the weapons, however, makes enough sense why she'd be concerned about eavesdroppers.

He frowns at the image of the knife and at her tale--if Tenten had to hide, then clearly the police here are effective. He has no intention of breaking laws he doesn't need to, but it's good to know what he'll have to deal with if he needs to.] How quickly do sharpened objects dull? [Should he need to make homemade kunai or shiruken it would be good to know how close to it he should do so.

After a pause, she might spot that faint, might-have-been-imagined expression that Neji occasionally wears to signal his amusement (although from her perspective it might be more obvious than his old ones).] How useful it must be to employ primarily weaponless taijutsu, then.

[Like him, he means. Hint. Isn't he amusing?]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 7

001

[video]

no subject

Video

Video;

video;

[video]

[video]

no subject

Video

Video;

Video

video;

[video]

video;

video;

no subject

video;

video;

Video

video;

video;

no subject

[VIDEO | locked]

video;

[VIDEO | locked]