futurology | video | un: ramenkage

[ There’s a lot of important posts going up on the network lately. So much so that Naruto has been kind of apprehensive about posting this. He can't really articulate as well as everyone else and while he wishes he could say something useful about everything that's happening, he's kind of overwhelmed by it all and just taking it as it comes. His issue is determinedly unimportant, but desperation has got the better of him. So here he is. Hi, he's new. Be nice. ]

So uh, I was wonderin' if one of you could help me with something…

[ His usually whiskered but now strangely bare cheeks (thanks cloaking device) are slightly pink as he scrunches up his face. He looks… kind of embarrassed to be asking something like this so openly, because it’s like admitting inferiority, but this kind of stuff just isn’t his forte. ]

I dunno what to tell people when they ask what I do, or where I come from, or anythin' like that.

[ Coming up with an entire backstory? All by himself? Surely you jest. The most he’s managed is dressing his clones differently and calling them his brothers, any more creative than that and you’re asking a little too much of him. He’s entirely new to this community and finding a place in it is hard enough without also having to find a place in this random world too. ]

An old lady asked me why I wasn't in school, an' when I told her I stopped goin' to school when I was thirteen she didn't take it well, so I dunno what I'm supposed to say, y'know. In my world I'm a shinobi, is there anythin' like that here?

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[ Mt. Rushmore is pretty accurate, honestly, though their mountain is updated with each new leader the village gets, rather than being made and left and finally becoming a tourist attraction or whatever. But, details. ]

Yeah, good to meet you, too! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. [ Yes, Naruto, you mentioned that back there. Literally a few moments ago. ] Have you been here for a while, then? Can I contact ya if I ever have a question about somethin' around here? You seem pretty smart about all kinds of things, is all.

[ He's got Sai, of course, and a few other people he can talk to... but shinobi training has taught him that contacts can prove highly important when a person finds themselves in a setting they've never been in before, so Naruto wants to make as many as he can. He also, quietly, doesn't like the idea of being alone here. ]

Others have been here even longer than me, at least a few, but... I've been with ALASTAIR for about a year now.

[And what a very curious thing to say. Haise would've never thought that his tenure with this organization would span so long, much less that he'd contemplate staying. But over time he's come to evaluate, and consider whether it might be viable in the end.

Strange what the passage of time can bring]

Having said that, I'd be happy to field any questions you've got. I love reading, so I know a decent variety, and I'm not against helping you find an answer if I don't know either.

[ A year is like forever to this kid who thinks a few hours is a long time, so his eyes kind of widen at that. He assumed he'd be able to go home after a little while so it's weird; he's super loyal to his village, and the idea of basically abandoning it for more than a few months like he first assumed is... Yeah, best not to think too hard on that till he's by himself. Maybe he'll settle into it one day, like Haise apparently has, even if right now that seems borderline impossible. ]

Heh, thanks. [ He scratches one of his hidden whiskers. ] I've read a few scrolls, like.. to learn jutsu and stuff, but I've only read a couple of proper books.

[ Not his bag, being a practical guy and all. ]

But I did read one pretty recently, that my sensei wrote ages ago, about a ninja who wanted to stop the cycle of revenge an' hatred in his world. The main character had my name, y'know.

Sounds like he managed some foreshadowing.

[At least, it would appear that way to Haise. It's strange to think that someone could anticipate that 'ages ago' when Naruto is quite young. That just makes him wonder how long ago, but he supposes that's not the important thing. At least it means there are some things that Naruto is interested in reading, and if so that's something they can make use of in the future]

For my part, I read all sorts of things. I enjoy learning, but also exploring what other people have created.

[Leaving their own little marks on the world, unique unto themselves. But more than that, he liked getting absorbed into a story and following it along, thinking about what leads to certain character motivations or authorial decisions, because he's a nerd like that.

Your new senpai is a nerd, Naruto. So sorry...]

Fore-wha-? [ He doesn't know what that means, but if he did he'd still deny it. He was named after the character in the book in the hopes he'd turn out like that, after all, not the other way around. ]

Hhhm, maybe someday I'll find it again, so you can read it too! Everyone says it's a boring book compared to the other stuff he wrote-- [ Mostly because the other stuff the author wrote was... ahem... a little more grown up (as in it's almost entirely erotic literature) and because most of the people who read it were already familiar enough with shinobi lifestyle that reading a book about it came off kind of anti-climactic.. ] But I liked it.

[ His enjoyment was probably also influenced by the emotional connection he had to the author and his very recent death, but.. details. ]

I'd be happy to, if you ever happen across it. [Goodness knows familiar things sometimes just crop up by grace of ALASTAIR, at times. He's not even sure of the rhyme or reason of it] It sounds plenty interesting to me.

[But then, Haise is a voracious reader and most anything with a plot that isn't entirely bleak and hopeless would be of interest to him. Perhaps ironically, he would be the one to consider that erotica far less interesting, if only because there's less to really think about]

Yeah? [ He hums in thought, but he's excited by even that much confirmation. ] It's set in my world, so I guess it'd be cool for you to see how what I think a ninja is and what you've been taught are different, huh?

[ He grins, actually kind of deeply hopeful that he does chance upon the book one day. It's almost a part of him now, being so connected to the author and the main character.. so it would be nice to share it with someone interested. ]

Admittedly, that would be interesting... Ninja are just part of history, in my world.

[And no doubt it's very different. What he's seen Sai do certainly doesn't resemble what he knows of shinobi, which he supposes makes enough sense when they're from entirely different worlds. Ghouls seem quite different in other versions of Earth and beyond, too]

But more than that, it's got a connection with someone I know, right?

[Now that's particularly interesting]

[ Naruto's eyes widen a bit, and he's not entirely sure if he should be saying thanks or like.. feel embarrassed or what.. But he supposes that Haise's line of thinking is similar to his line of thinking when he'd wanted to read the book to get closer to Jiraiya. Though.. he isn't Haise's father figure or mentor, so.. that doesn't make much sense.

He shakes his head free of theories, but can't disguise the little flush at the tops of his ears even as he chuckles and scratches his whisker marks. ]

Yeah.. I guess it does! I'll be sure to let ya know if I ever find it!

[He sure was first in line to read a certain journalist's self-claimed magnum opus about breaking and entering, so he'll be ready if this book ever does pop up. Haise has always been keen to read just about anything he could get his hands on, and knowing it's personally connected to people he knows just adds a certain something to it.

So he'll wait patiently for the possibility. Believe it, Naruto]

I'll look forward to it.

[Said with a cheerful smile, because that's just how he rolls]

video | un: ramenkage

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