"You don't know where we're going?" asked Naruto.
"Nope," said Jiraiya cheerfully. "Think about it. If it was all planned out, there would be a chance of others anticipating it and being able to find us, right? Now, regardless of where we go first - I'll have to make side-trips to check with contacts and keep up with rumors. Other than that though, I thought not setting a travel plan in stone was a better choice."
"Oh," said Naruto, seeing the point and sitting down nearby. That actually makes sense.
"Here we go," said Jiraiya, pulling a massive book out.
"Whoa, how'd you conceal that big a book in that little a pack?" asked Naruto.
"I'm a seal-master," said Jiraiya with a little shrug. "I heard about this guy with a cabinet that was bigger on the inside than it was in the outside. Worked out the basics one night with this girl I used to know."
Naruto's gaze went flat. "Some girl?"
"Not like that," said Jiraiya, his gaze going distant and a wistful tone entering his voice. "Brilliant but unfocussed. Pretty enough, and she had this habit of squirming when I..."
"STOP! STOP! TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" interrupted Naruto.
Jiraiya sniffed, the girl in question merely appreciated his skill in the kitchen. "Well, fine. Anyway, there are a few seals to do similar things - this one's just a bit more stable. So, here's this book."
"What? 'Training Grounds, Mystic Sites, and Other Wonders Off The Beaten path'?" asked Naruto as he read the title of the book. "So, what kind of places are in there?"
Jiraiya flipped it open to a random page. "Ah, here we go."
The Haunted Castle Of Fukitsu Nohara
A site from the Warring States period, a disgraced samurai noble fled the Land Of Iron with his retinue and set up a castle here in The Land Of Rivers. Upon his death, his two sons immediately set to fighting over the inheritance. All were slain when the castle was set ablaze during the conflict.
The castle is said to reappear on nights of the new moon, the conflict still ongoing hundreds of years later but now waged by the ghosts of those fallen. Even on other nights, the sounds of battle can still be heard frequently and nothing will grow on the hilltop with the foundation.
There is an inn five miles away, which is the closest anyone recommends one gets if nightfall is imminent.
Jiraiya nodded as he finished. "There, that does sound interesting doesn't it?"
Naruto was staring at him. "Really? Ghosts?!"
"Uhm, yeah. Why not? Sounds fun, doesn't it?" asked Jiraiya.
"Can't we go somewhere a little less 'fun'?" asked Naruto.
"Well," said Jiraiya, closing the book and then reopening it to another random page. "Oh! This does sound interesting."
The Hall Of Weapons
Located four days travel from Uzushiogakure is a large shrine with a massive forge and weaponsmithing complex. While everything that could be taken has long since vanished, there remains the anvils and forge equipment itself, plus a set of weapons imbedded in stone. Neither earth release techniques nor attacks on the rock itself will free these weapons, though local legends state that a particular weapon will choose its wielder and allow itself to be pulled free.
A small group of monks came here to set up a shrine and complex but were slaughtered during the sacking of Uzushiogakure as a possible gathering point for refugees.
Since then, ferries out to the site will not run after nightfall but it has become a rite-of-passage for youths from nearby areas to visit and try to pull one or more weapons free.
"Is there any place in there that doesn't have a lot of killing involved?" asked Naruto.
"I doubt there would be," said Jiraiya. "There's a lot of killing going on every day. Not as bad as it gets during a war, and not so everyday bad as it was before the village system, but not exactly good either."
"Oh," said Naruto.
"Well, if that won't do," said Jiraiya, flipping through pages before pointing at one. "This looks good then. How about:"
Tomb Of The Demon-Queen
This elaborate tomb is carved from the top of a mountain and bears elaborate fuuinjutsu markings. From some long-ago period, possibly predating the era of the Sage Of Six Paths, many of the exterior markings and statuary have weathered to the point of obscurity.
Legend has it that there was a great battle here and the Queen Of Demonkind was sealed away here. Regardless of the legend, the interior bears a statue of some regal female figure though the carving has been defaced by vandals in some previous decade.
"That sounds fairly tame, right?" asked Jiraiya.
"'Tame'?" asked Naruto. "If there's a Demon Queen there, it could sense the Kyubi, right?"
"I would doubt it, but fine. Okay," said Jiraiya, sounding a little more frustrated. "How about-"
Temple Of The Nine Goddesses
Located on a rocky island four hours away from the small fishing town of Takeuchi, the building is officially of an unknown manufacture as it conforms to no recognizable culture. Age places it well before the time attributed to the Sage Of Six Paths. The 'Nine Goddesses' are statues worn down by time and weather but retain the look of nine women, each with a pool of clear water in front of them. Local tradition has those attempting some important event in their lives to leave a token before the statue representing the boon they seek.
"That doesn't sound so bad I guess," admitted Naruto. "No ghosts, pirates, demons?"
"Not mentioned in the travel guide at least," admitted Jiraiya, taking a leaf and marking the spot in the book. He flipped a few pages and then brightened on one.
Hot Springs Of The Cursed Doll
This charming traditional inn and hot springs is especially well known for its-
"No. No curses."
"It's probably just an advertising ploy," said Jiraiya. "I'm thinking Suna ninja-puppetry."
"Why take the chance?" asked Naruto.
"Fine," said Jiraiya, frowning as he thumbed through a few more pages. He stopped on one, considered it briefly, then visibly shrugged.
Shrine of The Traveler
A must-visit for those who wander the world, partaking of its adventures and delights. It is said that one who wanders all of time and space occasionally appears here, declares that this is "still not Heathrow" before vanishing again with his mysterious blue box.
"'Blue Box'?" asked Jiraiya, stopping his reading. "I wonder. No, probably not."
"Mysterious appearances and disappearances?" asked Naruto. "Not a ghost?"
"I don't... Oh. This sounds good," said Jiraiya, regaining some enthusiasm.
Fortune Beach
A popular location for young and old alike, can be crowded but still a place for mingling regardless of social strata.
Warm year-round due to a warm water current, this resort town boasts sparkling white-sand beaches, abundant fishing, a rustic feel but modern amenities.
"There's more," noted Jiraiya, looking up at Naruto.
"Put that in the 'maybe' column," agreed Naruto, thinking that Jiraiya would likely just spend all his time watching girls in bikini but it was better than cold haunted ruins in any case.
"Now we're talking," said Jiraiya, flipping through the book some more.
The Bordello Of Meiun-ya
The village of Good Valley was destroyed in the Second Ninja War by a troop of Iwa ninja who apparently misread a map and were in the wrong valley entirely. Unfortunately this happened several times in the war as sometimes maps were inaccurate, sadly dated, or simply illegible due to a paper shortage.
Good Valley was a trade village, making money off of sheep and wheat grown locally and being a trader's stop with traffic bearing fish and salt from Oda's Rest and Rosuto's iron mined in the Land of Earth.
Now known as Doom Valley, the land itself seems sullen and resentful towards visitors despite not doing anything towards them. The single exception is the bordello and as long as one is not a ninja from Iwagakure - nothing will continue to happen. Iwagakure ninja, however, are cautioned not to approach the bordello as at least three jonin-level ninja have gone mad shortly after entering the wrecked building.
"What's a bordello?" asked Naruto, pronouncing the foreign word as best he could.
"It's a place where men indulge in simple pleasures," said Jiraiya.
"Oh. Like a bar or something," said Naruto. It sounded safe unless you went in there, but he wouldn't exactly put it on his 'A' list.
Jiraiya took another leaf and marked that one as a possible.
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(Posted Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:42)
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