“And we came up with a tweak on Richduck,” said the assistant, the twinkle in her eyes indicating two things to Jiraiya. One, that he was going to like this. Two, the Uchiha were not.
“Oh, you did, huh?” the Sannin queried, prompting the woman to continue.
Nodding her head, the assistant spoke up with, “Yes, it was all Teruka-sama’s idea. Ever since he started working with you, he’s been studying up on ninja villages and cultures so the wheels had turning for awhile now. But once we received your notes on the Land of Iron, Teruka-sama believed he was onto something and wanted your approval before proceeding.”
That perked Jiraiya up considerably. “Really? Why doesn’t he tell me about it himself?” Kami knew the ninja enjoyed speaking with the younger man. There was a whole new level of insight to be gained from the artisan’s point of view. Besides that, it really had been awhile since the Sannin got to talk to Basu. Not that the Konoah Nin hadn’t wanted to be around his partner, he just hadn’t been in Hi no Kuni!
In the past half-year, he’d spent three months in Na no Kuni to get pictures of the rather idyllic farmlands for his animators—as well as investigate into rumors of a slowly progressing coup d’etat in the Daimyo of the Land of Vegetables’ Court. Then two months going were spent with him travelling back and forth between Kiba no Kuni and Tsume no Kuni as there was a problem with book shipments and the Lands of Fangs and Claws were ready to go to war over copies, leaving it up to him to personally to smooth things out; seriously, who knew the Daimyos were both huge Abukunai fans? Finally, Jiraiya stayed a month and a half in Tetsu no Kuni. Officially, it was for researching Samurai culture so he could represent them more authentically as well as go more in-depth with the character of Tomoe Tiger... unofficially, it was set up a new base of spying operations in neutral territory before finally heading back to Hi no Kuni to put in an appearance at his new animation studio.
At least while he was away the Toad Sage had been able to make another friend; surprisingly enough, the land of Iron’s leader, one General Mifune Toshiro. After some minor introductions so he could interview the man for his insight on Samurai Bushido and Iaido, it would turn out the two of them had a common link in their pasts: facing the dreaded legendary Amegakure Nin, Hanzo the Salamander. Such a shared event paved the way for the two warriors to open up to one another about other things, which included Jiraiya lending the Samurai the first three volumes of Abukunai. Surprisingly enough, the General was considerably impressed with the story-telling and the morals taught subtly within... so much so that Tetsu no Kuni was now importing his literature.
“Make no mistake, Jiraiya-sama,” the woman replied, breaking the Nin out of his reverie of memories. “Teruka-sama DID want to bring this to you personally, but he’s busy so as the head of the animation department; he’s their lead story-boarder after-all, not to mention he’s also busy making character models for the animators to study from. And then he also sketches, inks, and paints the backdrops for the films too atop of composing musical scores for the various animation projects!” she smiled excitedly. “He’s an amazing individual; throwing himself into everything whole-heartedly. So understandably, he gave me the responsibility of presenting this to you while he works on the movie with the staff.”
A small yet sad smile spread across the man’s features. “Himiko, remind me to take a moment today to check up on Basu myself and invite him out to dinner later in the week. I always knew he was a hard-worker, especially when it comes to working on what he loves... but he needs to realize he can’t just push himself constantly.” His grin became more teasing. “All work and no play makes Basu a dull boy.”
The woman chuckled, making the Toad Sage grin wider at her approval. He never really got on with women well... until he created Abukunai. Who knew attractive young girls were THAT attracted to cute little cartoon characters? “Don’t worry, Jiraiya-sama, I’ll make sure you and Teruka-sama have time together to compare notes and have dinner; I believe I know a nice place you could take him—they make excellent coffee.”
The man raised an eyebrow. He’d heard of coffee in his travels but never really tried it. In his experience, a strong tea was good enough. “I’ll take that into consideration. Now, what was Basu’s proposal?”
“Ah yes,” the Assistant cooed as she reached over to the table and reached for the suitcase atop it. She opened it, carefully removing story-board sketches that had been caringly crafted by the hand of Basu Teruka. “He wanted you to know that he believed in giving the Uchiha what they wanted... to an extent, that Uncle Moneybags Richduck would be a member of the ‘Duck Clan’, who traveled the world to attain fortune and fame... and succeeded!”
Jiraiya nodded his head, looking at what looked like a tower of money; a veritable money-bin if you would. “Okay... I don’t see how that’s funny... at all.”
She grinned. “However, his wealth was not gained without a cost to who he was. Moneybags learned about the world around him and came to know the suffering of others. He began to care and start using the vast riches he attained to help those who could not help themselves.” She then took the first page from him, showing off a the sketch of rather beaten and bruised duck, blood pooled around him. “And it all started when, half-way into his journey, he was attacked by Highwaymen whom, upon recognizing his eyes, attempted to steal them in an act of Bloodline Theft... they’d managed take his left eye but the other was damaged; a bottle of Suna Cobra Venom to that side of his face.” Again, the woman took the page, showing off the dog with bandages across half his face and sitting up on a pile of hay while being attended to by some Pandas. “If it hadn’t been for a good Samaritan finding him shortly after, he would have surely perished. Being nursed back to health by a peasant family whom had not much to give but freely gave it, was what set Uncle Moneybags Richduck on the path to enlightenment, further training, and greater exploration.”
Nodding his head slowly, he Toad Sage had to admit, that was an interesting twist. “And he did this all blind?” He had to admit, it was an interesting twist. For a Clan that was so proud of their special eyes, this was a real eye-opener... no pun intended.
“Oh no,” the woman replied. “The herbal remedies of the peasants and even the will of the gods had an effect on him. His eye remained pure white as one would associate with a blind person, but he was not blind at all. Instead, regular vision or his family’s bloodline ability, he was actually all-seeing with his remaining eye; Uncle Richduck could view the world around him for a full three-hundred and sixty-degree angle while chakra... networks...” she blinked her eyes once, twice. “Sir. Why are you laughing?”
Raising a hand to his face to try and stifle his chuckling, Jiraiya had to admit: Basu did his homework. While he was sure they weren’t out to directly antagonize anyone, Basu certainly found a new way to solve the problem. After all, you weren’t being racist if you teased everyone equally. And it wasn’t like there wasn’t precedence; some rumors, theories, and genealogy charts pointed to the probability of relation between the two clans. Perhaps THIS could get that stick out of the Hyuuga Councils’ collective asses. “Nothing, nothing...” he said, politely excusing his outburst. “Please proceed Shidori.”
The young woman nodded her head. “Anyway, with his all-seeing eyes Uncle Moneybags Richduck was able to continue his journey with relative ease, considering most people would dismiss him on sight as a blind beggar. However, he was anything but. While we may go more into detail of his adventures of his youth and growing fortune at a later date, the fact is the stories would be focused on the now. He’s taken on the role of a kindly—albeit scatterbrained—hermit/wiseman who is personally protected by the Samurai Tomoe Tiger. As a very moral person, he seeks to help the poor and underprivileged of Zaihogakure... however his family doesn’t approve of him due to those morals—even as they try to curry favor with him for access to that money.”
Looking over the story-boared image of a rather annoyed Uncle Moneybags surrounded by numerous Ducks with outstretched hands in anticipation of receiving something—likely money—Jiraiya snorted a laugh. “I take it the family is why Basu would have Uncle Richduck living as a hermit and away from the Hidden Treasure Village?”
Again, Shidori nodded her head. “Partly so. However, Uncle Moneybags Richduck is not all he seems. While he’s taken on the role of a pacifistic and benign wiseman zealously protected by the Samurai Tomoe Tiger, in truth, when he pulls on his mask, the mild mallard takes on the alias of Zaihogakure’s Secret Guardian: Ahirumusume!”
As the woman removed yet another page, the Sannin had to whistle. This was a full-page spread, wonderfully detailed and painstakingly-colored. It was uncle Richduck, only he was dressed in a full set of dark purple robes with a darker purple flak jacket and bandoleer of gas grenades. His identity was hidden as the top half of his face covered with the upper portion of a broken Noh Theater Mask; that of a Devil with two prominent horns on the forehead that curved to point upward. Interestingly enough, where the mask was broken—besides the missing bottom portion to allow his bill visibility—was that of a crack running over where his left eye would have been if he still had one. In his right hand was a Kusarigama with the chain leading up into his sleeve, while in his left hand held one of the gas grenades at the ready.
Looking up from the image that would have been better as lithograph rather than a storyboard page, Jiraiya told Shidori, “This is good. REAL good...” he looked down at the page, drinking in the sight of Ahirumusume once more. “So... Uncle Richduck becomes the Duck Devil?”
“Yes! As Ahirumusume, he is also the terror that quacks in the night—a force of justice that fights behind the scenes! Or at least a mask...” the assistant mumbled that last part. Shaking her head, she continued to explain, “Not wanting the village founded by Abukunai’s ancestors to be lost to the ratfinks that would take control of the Zaiho from within, he takes to the village at night, interrupting the Council’s illegal practices and unearthing their corruption... all while making sure the streets are safe at night for the citizenry in general as well. With the darkness of night, gas pellets, and his all-seeing eye, the Duck Devil owns the shadows. How can you fight an opponent you can’t see, but sees everything?”
Nodding his head, the Toad Sage had to admit, he could see this. He could REALLY envision this taking off. It had the makings for a long-running operatic piece. A little more adult than the books were normally written sure, but he was certain they could still fit a lot of the life-lessons in the books... and he was damned sure that the older set of fans would appreciate something to read in public and not feel any shame for enjoying what was meant to be a children’s book. “And what would Tomoe’s place in all this be? You mentioned you wanted her as Uncle Richduck’s bodyguard but won’t that take her out of other stories?”
“We don’t think so,” the woman replied. “When Teruka-sama was coming up with his idea, it was your notes from the Land of Iron that cemented his vision for her in this. Samurai are quite honor-bound and if she owed a life-debt to the older duck, she would be willing to leave her world behind to repay him; it really clears up the reasoning for WHY Tomoe would be hanging out in a Ninja Village when there are no other samurai around. And since Tomoe is just for show while he plays the part of ‘helpless blind duck’, Uncle Richduck allows the woman her freedom to explore Zaihogakure—”
“Which is what allows her to appear in other stories, damn Basu really thought this out well!” Jiraiya crowed. Originally, he’d created Tomoe Tiger for two reasons: first was to be a self-insert of sorts for the audience, allowing them an outlet for technical explanation that wouldn’t interrupt the flow of the story... secondly, while he wasn’t a ‘super-pervert’ as he originally planned to become, the Sannin wanted a little ‘something-something’ for the more adult readers. In a fictional world where everything was drawn in mostly drawn in a ‘cute’ style, it was nice to have something with more decidedly feminine curves to look at now and then.
Granted, there was also Ranko to fill that role depending on the story, but due to the similarities between her and the current Hokage’s wife, that was one can of worms he was more than happy to let be for the time being. Yes, despite the older nin willing to laugh in the face of disgruntled Uchiha Clansmen, that was where he had to drawn the line as far as his safety was concerned. Instead, he let the kitsune girl’s tomboyish nature take the main stage; and people loved it. Some mothers had already written him in thanks for creating an—albeit a bit rough-and-tumble—otherwise mature and realistic role-model for their daughters. Not everyone could expect to be a homemaker, super kunoichi, or princess... and it was nice to have a hard-working and dedicated woman shown in a positive spotlight.
Smiling wide at the man’s excitement for this, Shidori looked up at Jiraiya expectantly. “So I take it you approve, Jiraiya-sama?”
Nodding his head firmly, the white-haired individual had to laugh. “Of course! This is good! REALLY good! I have no qualms about adding ‘The Duck Devil’ to the already growing cast of Abukunai. Hell, I think this may become our first television project once we get the Abukunai movie up and running!” he told the woman as he handed her back the sketches he was still holding. “Heck, if he wants, he can use other characters from the books too. After all, the books mainly focus on our Mouse Master of one-hundred and eight techniques! It would be nice to give the characters that don’t show up in every volume a chance to shine outside of Abukunai’s main title... and I’m glad Tomoe Tiger will be one of them!”
“Excellent!” the Assistant cooed with excitement. “Teruka-sama will be so pleased!” she said as she accepted the story board sketches back. Turning about and placing them back into the protective suitcase on the table between some plushies, she continued to tell the man, “I’ll make sure to tell him right away. I’m certain he’ll want to gear up the animation department once we finishing the animated adaption of, “Ninja Mouse, Wanderer’s Rest”.”
Nodding his head firmly, Konoha Nin had to grin as he had an idea... a wonderful idea... an awful idea...
Jiraiya had a wonderful, awful idea...
“In fact,” the white-haired disciple of Ma and Pa Toad spoke up, getting his assistant’s attention. “I do believe I have a the perfect person in mind to voice Uncle Richduck/Duck Devil when the time comes...”
Lowering his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at his former student. His gaze stern, his features practically set in stone. “No.”
“Oh come on old man!” the Toad Sannin cried out as he got on his knees before the older man who was laying back in a lounge chair on the patio of the Sarutobi Compound’s main building. “You would be perfect!”
Raising an eyebrow, the retired Sandaime continued to just stare at his student as Jiraiya was now bowing before him. Usually, the boy—and yes, he was still a child in the old man’s eyes—only resorted to such respect/brown-nosing whenever he wanted something badly. Really, REALLY wanted something... and that made him cringe. The truth was, Hiruzen loved his students deeply, including Tsunade and Orochimaru, no matter how far they had fallen. This ideal stemmed from his belief that Konoha’s next generation is a precious resource that must be protected and in turn, protect and teach the next thereafter...
So it was no surprise that he gave in at least a little. “All right, Jiraiya...” the older man said as he reached out to his side, tapping his pipe into an ash-tray placed atop a small table. “Tell me: why do you think I should be the voice for ‘Uncle Moneybags Richduck’?”
Looking up from the floor, Jiraiya did his best to meet his sensei’s gaze. “Well, Sarutobi-san... I won’t lie when I say your age has something to do with—HEAR ME OUT!” he cried as the man raised his hand as a signal to silence. “I mean that in a good way!” As he saw Hiruzen raise his other eyebrow to match the first, the Toad Sage explained, “It’s due to the long life you lived that made me want you as the voice for Uncle Richduck. You’ve served as a source of wisdom for a long time now, passing on the things you had learned to the next generation; not just your students, but everyone. And during your term as Hokage you—unlike your predecessor—had a habit of attempting to end things peacefully, and did what he could to avoid bloodshed amongst not only your allies but you enemies as well! You are both sides of sides of the coin, much like Uncle Richduck. Whereas he has to put forth two sides of himself, Moneybags and Duck Devil, you did the same thing, as the Hokage and The Professor!”
Leaning forward, the man lightly rapped Jiraiya on the forehead. “Don’t say it like that. You make sound like some kind of superhero.”
Bringing a hand up and rubbing some of the ash off his skin, the Toad Sage had to reply, “Well to me, you are...”
“Oh, quit arguing with the boy, Hiruzen!” a female voice called out, causing both men to look towards the paper door as it slid open, revealing the Hokage’s wife as she carried a tray with a small but steaming bottle of warn sake and a few saucers. “I think it’s perfect for you.”
Sitting upright in his chair as he tensed, the old man inquired or his wife, “What do you mean Biwako?”
Smirking as she moved aside his ash tray with one hand and placed the larger tray atop the small table, the woman explained, “He’s right, you know. You always want what’s best for everyone, especially those who will be coming after us. You preach the Will of Fire quite well; there is no one better suited to getting people to listen to reason...” she then looked up to meet her husband’s firm eyes with her softer gaze. “So why not teach others? You know your student’s stories all teach the Will of Fire on one level or another, the things you taught him... so who better to reach out to children all over the world then the man who has most effectively taught those of his village?”
Seeing her husband grumble and taking that as a sign to give in, the woman continued. “Think about it. Books can be read but not everyone can read. And you are a most excellent orator...” she turned to look at her husband’s student before turning back to attention her spouse. “If Jiraiya continues to write on his preaching of the Will of Fire into the scripts, you know there would be no better teacher than you.”
Taking a very deep breath, the retired Hokage sighed in resignation. “Fine. I’ll do it...” he frowned as Jiraiya began grinning like an idiot. “But that better be one hell of a paycheck! You told me what you were making so I better be seeing some damn good sake and herbs now and then...”
“All that and more,” Jiraiya cheered as she stood up and, in a surprisingly uncharacteristic show of affection, embraced the old man in a hug. “Trust me, Sarutobi-sensei, you won’t regret it!”
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(Posted Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:14)
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