A Genius' excursion.

Jazz decided to head to the Land of Anguish apart from her squad, Roxas-sensei had told her to meet up with him and she would be taking the established route civilans took so it wasn't like she was in any real danger or anything. Well there was always the chance of getting ambushed by bandits or something like that but still she was itching to test out her puppets in real combat ever since she finished their initiation, speaking of which she would turn to them neatly arranged in her room before pulling the needle out of her arm dabbing it with disinfectant and holding it up close to her body. The things she did for the sake of puppetry, she would use her free hand to open Toad, Slug and Snake up before removing the covers from the 3 pouches containing her drawn blood. She'd pour each one, which contained 1 C-rank amount of blood each onto the inner shell of each one. The blood quickly being absorbed by the vampire wood comprising her puppets interior parts once they were drained to the last drop Jazz would dispose of the pouches and the needle she used in the garbage lighting a match and torching it so as to get rid of any lingering dna. One could call her paranoid but then again she was a puppeteer who was on route to becoming a trained medical ninja in the long run, she knew what people could do if you just left your dna lying around, probably more than most considering she was living proof of what one could do with just the right cells and techniques.

Time to go. Jazz said closing each one and surveying them to make sure they were all fit for combat checking the individual compartments and after twenty minutes after she sealed them back into her Digital Storage she would head outside. She'd head down the street towards the terminals and step on one of the platforms heading to the surface. Though she'd look around mainly to check if anyone dropped anything on the platform who knows she might get lucky and find something interesting.

Spoiler:

As Jazz looked around she would see mostly trash at first. But upon another look somethiny would shine under a bench as a small sliver of light piercing the shade of the bench glinted upon it. At that distance it would be difficult to figure out what it was exactly. However if she decided to investigate she would find a small sliver of diamond about the size that would fit on a wedding ring or small necklace. Nothing too big but might come in handy or be a decent sell. Jazz would find a d rank sized diamond.

Jazz would bend down before picking up the shiny gem, her eyebrow raising slightly but other than that one couldn't tell that she was actually overjoyed, she would instead seal it into her digitized storage as she knew she'd find a use for it sometime but not right now. Once she got to the top of the platform she would yawn a bit as it was fairly early before walking over to the ship that she was apparently going to take to the Land of Anguish. Looking around to find the perfect place to sit which thankfully lead her to the back of the boat on a sealed barrel which she'd promptly sit on so she could watch the waves, it was different seeing the water when not trapped inside that giant safety hazard people called a Hidden Village. She could say that she'd sleep easier knowing that she was to return to the hot sweltering desert that she had grown up in, living with her clan members you could say she was a bit homesick. She knew the first thing she'd do when she got back to Anguish was to meet with Lynx-sama and deliver her report personally perhaps if she was in a good mood she'd even show her (Lynx-sama) the new puppets she made.

As Jazz sat on the barrel something would fall from it, making a thick thud against the wood of the ship behind the barrel. If Jazz investigated she would need to move the barrel and look behind it where a blue sparkle would meet her eyes. A decently sized aquamarine was sitting there just waiting to be picked up. It was larger than the earlier diamond, about the size of a kunai knife though slightly longer and wider. It was a decent chunk of material.

Hm? Jazz thought to herself before leaning over the barrel and discovering an aquamarine causing her eyebrow to raise once more as she felt quite lucky today reaching and picking it up before sealing it away in her digitized storage just like she did the diamond before it. Now she got a good idea of what she could use that plant she had picked up two days ago, already possibilities for a new poison to add to Snake's compartments was already going through her mind. Then again she still would prefer to have something additional to add into it perhaps two more so she can just crush the aquamarine as she had discovered that doing so made her poisons affect a target quicker than usual perhaps the mystical effects of the gems had other effects when mixed into poisons than they did weapons. She was thankful for perhaps the first time that her "mother" was a blacksmith by trade and that she had an edetic memory as her perfect recall gave her a deeper understanding of the mechanics behind what her "mother" forced during the 3 months Jazz was around her. That and additional reading later whenever she had the time, while she'd never be a blacksmith herself she understood the importance of good materials more so than any of her fellow genin, for them all they typically understood was kunai that cost 100 xel and fancy kunai that cost 200 xel. Tch, plebians...

A ringing noise went out from speakers on the boat before a voice followed. As it happened the boat came to a full stop on the surface. "Ladies ans Gentlemen. I apologize for the inconvenience but word has just reached from Dipugakure ofa warning. But do not worry noone is in danger. In fact any travelers may want to get out cameras. So if you will, please direct your attention to the port side. Make sure you pay attention as this only occurs every few generations and is even rarer to be able to be witnessed." The intercom turned off and the people that was on the ship including the crew rushed to the port side out of curiosity.

Jazz would perk up hearing the announcement but made no effort to move she was after all near the back of the ship and in a perfect view of the water, nor did she want to end up having to go where all those other people were she wasn't social. So she'd remain on her barrel her legs swinging of the side and making a dull thump thump as her heels hit it everytime she pulled them back, it kept her occupied she was capable of just remaining still for a long period of time but why bother. Either way her eyes would narrow slightly as she looked at the water surface wondering how long it would take for her to arrive in anguish, she wasn't impatient just curious really she could time it herself by counting which would probably distract her long enough for her to eventually get there but she also could sleep and get away with doing so for more than four hours now that her bodyguards weren't supervising her. Decisions..Decisions.

The water began to glow and push up to the surface, not exactly bubbling but as if an invisible force was pushing against it. At first the boat began to lurch but some of the crew made hand seals and produced dolphins made of water that began circling the boat, causing the water inside the circle to become steady while nullifying the waves when they crashed into the circle. Then it happened. A golden giant burst through the surface. At first it lookef like a hairy rock but as more of it appeared alongside giant eyes the beast was revealed. A massive golden caedecus was rising up from the sea, its beard like structure flowing free in the air suspended by gravity as if it was still in the water. The creature fluidly shifted its body twisting or shaking gently as its muscles propelled it out of the water and into the air. It was moving lazily and half its massive size was still hidden beneath the glowing water.

Usually Jazz's full emotional spectrum was stoic, angry, amused but not showing said amusement or serious, in all four her facial expression never deviated from straight face, straight face with glare, slight eyebrow raise with straight face and narrowed eyes straight face. In this case her mouth would drop open ever so slightly as her eyes widened a couple of inches seeing the sight before her, that was essentially in Jazz terms "I can't believe what I'm seeing and I don't know how to react right now". She had never seen anything like this before, no literally nothing like this she didn't even know creatures got this big, okay realistically she did she knew the statistics she had read in Rainer's animal guide that some creatures grew to obscene lengths but to actually witness it. She never felt so small before and at the same time she was terrified her legs clamping together and her body going rigid so that she didn't end up shaking, her mind already going through numerous scenarios of exactly what could happen assuming this thing wasn't friendly. It was sad really, because of her sheltered existence she couldn't truly appreciate this beautiful sight but rather would probably remember this as something she never wanted to experience again. The size difference the scope of power no the gulf of power between her and this beast left her feeling helpless and weak knowing fully well that her puppets in their current state, no even if she did make them better they simply couldn't even compare to it..

The creatures eye turned to the boat and it let out a mellodic howl almost like what whales made but at a much higher frequency, however at the same time it was incredibly gentle. The beast had no interest in them as food as they wouldnt fill it up. In fact it had already filled itself on other beasts of the deep in ordwr to sustain its long journey. With another echo of its voice it pulled out of the ocean ans began tp spiral in place before circling around the boat from above. It was as long as a mountain was tall, its head the size of a house. As its body spiraled it would look down at the boat, its hairs hanging over them like willow trees, water dripping down. Its eyes moved to look at the cowering child, smelling her fear. The creature dropped slightly lower before letting out another howl. The tip of its tail hung over the boat before a scale dislodged and floated down. The scale from its tail was light but it was the size of a plate, probably the smallest scale on its body. The scale floated down and landed next to the child. A little gift from a god to try and ease the innocents mind before it shifted and began spiraling toward the atmosphere above the boat.

X1 Golden Caedecus Scale Received. B rank scale.

Jazz wouldn't move, no she wouldn't breathe even when the scale descended from the giant, magnificient, but giant beast no she wouldn't dare do anything but try to make herself as small as possible at least until it was out of sight. Even then she would remain still her eyes remaining fixaed on the sky until the constant pounding of her heart began to slow down to normal rates, that was perhaps the single most terrifying thing she had seen and she would rather not go through that ever again. That begin said she would exhale softly blinking a couple of times before her eyes would leave the sky to look at the scale which had dropped from the thing, it was bigger than her head and yet she knew it was perhaps as small a scale as something that large had probably just shed because it was growing a much larger one in it's place. She'd move one shaking hand from her barrel before realizing she was slightly damp, her face turning the faintest tint of red as she realized she had actually ended up wetting herself. She'd pause gritting her teeth in a mixture of shame and self loathing, turning her head to look around before moving off of the barrel crouching down and switching her lower garments into digital storage cleaning herself off and then taking a fresh set before straightening up again wiping her left eye with her free hand as a stray tear fell from it. Never again.. such thoughts would echo in Jazz's mind as she'd shakily walk over and pry the scale out of the deck and store it away. She'd ball her hands into firsts and swear to make proper preparations for encountering things of that size, really Jazz was small, and her puppets well they were smaller than her, she had been so confident when she made them not realizing the sheer scope of things which existed in the world. No her next collection would be as big as she possibly could skillfully make puppets for her size that way at least next time she encountered something that gigantic she didn't feel like an ant in comparison.

As the beast reached the clouda its massive size was still easily visible. However it suddenly straightened before elongating. Its body seemed to stretch for miles, much longer than it should have. Then its massive length shortened before blinking out, something strange definitely. But now with the beast gone the passengers and crew went back to their usual things, the boat began moving again and chatter grew once more. However a few eyes could be seen greedily shifting toward the little girl that had received the scale.


Scale Properties: D (Physical Defense) and - (light weight)

She would pick up the scale putting it in her Digitized Storage before looking for another place to go sit, instead walking so she was in the interior of the ship going to the lower levels where the engine was so she could be away from other people's eyes. Mainly because she didn't want to be subject to stares and things of that nature or maybe she wanted to brainstorm about her next collection which the God Beast had just inspired or maybe she wanted to curl into a ball and cry out her feelings a bit since her guards weren't around. The crux of the matter was her trip in the first place, she was worried she had overheard comments about operations and hushed mutterings which would go quite the moment they thought she was listening she knew her trip to Anguish wasn't just to meet up with Roxas-sensei but rather he didn't know that him telling her to go there was essentially willingly gifting her back to Lynx-sama. It had taken time but she was finally understanding that maybe her life wasn't as perfect as she thought it was maybe Lynx-...No Lynx wasn't someone she should hold to such a level. She had perfect recall after all it wasn't as if she could forget how she was conditioned into loving her but the rationalization that it would make her a tough shinobi that this was her purpose being a tool yet someone like Ka a Zireh who was literally made to be a weapon had a happy family. Something like that where she could have had a happy family if not for the clan it just...struck her as odd she even knew that if she were to build bonds outside of the clan that Lynx would probably take steps to correct it.

But really it was the realization that maybe just maybe she wasn't happy with being a tool for the clan anymore and that even though she was created to do just that, Jazz could perhaps decide her own fate make puppets and be happy...or at least try to. But really what's the point...when I get to anguish..she'll pick up on my discontenment if she hasn't already planned to do so, I can't escape or they will go after Da and mother...Mommy. So this my fate..just like a puppet I am destined to be manipulated around held up by strings in the hands of my owners.. Jazz thought to herself as she found a space in between a high beam using chakra flow to walk up to it and curl into a ball between the beam and the ceiling. [i]It's...amusing in a twisted way, maybe the reason I like puppeteering is because on some subconcious level I wanted to be in control over myself but had to settle by just making dolls that I could play with to give me some illusion of control because I'll never have it. her body would shake as she felt tears slid from her eyes, she valued her time away because this was when she didn't hold up her cold stoic mask basking in the doctrine of the clan, it was the times that she wept over how her life truly was the part that she couldn't let anyone see. She wasn't this perfect little child soldier no she was too smart to have the luxury of truly buying into Lynx's doctrine she just knew that she didn't have any hope of ever being anything more than that.

After an hour of passed by the intercom would sound as the captain spoke. "Attention passengers. We will be arriving at the port of the Land of Anguish in ten minutes. Please make sure you have all your belongings and begin making your way to the top of the ship. I repeat, we will be docking in ten minutes. Thank you for using Abyss Waterline as your choice of sea travel." The intercom shut off and the engine began to slow as they approached the land of Anguish.

Jazz would stir apparently she had fallen asleep nonetheless she would move from her makeshift hiding hole before dropping to the ground silently moving through the engine room before she got to the mail hall in the ship. She would pass by a mirror before studying her face, thankfully there were no bags or anything of the sort so there wasn't any evidence of her crying. She would blink before stepping onto the deck moving so that she could be where the stairs were to descend from the ship onto the docks so she wouldn't have to waste time waiting for others to move out of her way. Her mind was blank having slipped into her usual stoic facial expression she had already gotten all of her emotions out now she was numb and ready to obey Lynx-sama's wishes.