"This is so boooring....." Sasuke complained.
"Will you shut up?" Saizo snapped. "Your so annoying."
"Hey! That's mean!" Sasuke pouted. Saizo rolled his eyes.
"When is Hanzo going to get here? We've been sitting her for an hour!" Goemon leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Kotaro said nothing.
The door slid open, and Hanzo stepped inside the room, arms laden with scrolls. "Sorry, I had to gather some things." He laid the scrolls out one by one.
The men approached the table and looked at the scrolls. "What are these for?" Goemon asked.
"Your not giving us Ninjutsu training again...are you?" The guys looked at Hanzo apprehensively, shuddering at the memory.
Hanzo smiled. "Not this time." His smile dropped. "As your all well aware of by now, Norbunaga Oda has declared war on the Ninja." He leaned forward and unraveled the biggest scroll. It was a large map of Iga and the surrounding area. "There is no way we can defeat him alone, it's just not possible. Which is why I've done some planning and chosen the six strongest Kunochi in Japan. With training, they will be able to hep us end this war."
"So, your saying that we have to gather the six strongest kunochi, having never met before, have them trained, and use them to assist us in this war?" Saizo summarized with a tone of disbelief.
"Essentially, yes." When they said nothing, Hanzo sighed. "I know it doesn't seem very logical, but what other choice do we have?"
"Where are we going to find them?" Kotaro asked.
"I've each assigned you a kunochi to find explain the current situation, and bring back here.
"Sasuke, you will go to the Yumegakure village. There you must find the kunochi named Amai Odayaka. She is rumored to be the descendant of the Amageri clan." He pointed to a village just south of their location.
"Yumegakure....the village of dreams?" Sasuke asked. Hanzo nodded and handed Sasuke the first scroll.
"Saizo, you'll go up to Mount Katsuragi where the Tsuchigumo clan resides. The kunochi you must find is Megami Saiko, daughter of Layla Saiko." Hanzo pointed to a village in the Northeast.
"The Layla Saiko!?" The guys stared.
"She's a kunochi legend! I had no idea she got married!!" Sasuke exclaimed.
Hanzo nodded. "Yes, well, unfortunately Layla passed away and Megami lives with her father now. He is not a man to be taken lightly." Hanzo handed him the second scroll. "Be careful, the Tsuchigumo clan is known for their kinjutsu, which could destroy an entire nation. We can't get on his bad side."
"Goemon, you must travel to Nadeshiko village and find the kunochi Kizana Sunobu." Hanzo pointed to a village just west of Iga. "As you know, as Nadeshiko tradtion, once a kunochi becomes of age, they will travel to find a ninja who can beat them in battle. If they can, the kunochi deems them worthy to marry." Goemon smirked. "You are not to fight her. That's an order." Goemon's smirk vanished and Sasuke laughed. "Just explain the situation and bring her here. If I hear you do anything else..."
Goemon put up his hands. "Alright, alright, I won't get frisky with her, sheesh."
"Hmm..." Hanzo looked at him skeptically before handing him the third scroll. He turned to Kotaro. "Kotaro, you must travel to the Tsukigakure village and find the kunochi Muja Rina." He pointed to a small village up farther north than Saizo's. "She is the kunochi we know the least about. She is rumored to be last seen in the village under the moon, and all anyone really knows is that there a peaceful people. It probably shouldn't be too hard to find her." Kotaro just nodded and took the fourth scroll.
"Remember, explain about the upcoming war, don't make the kunochi feel threatened by us, and bring them here."
"And if they refuse?" Saizo asked.
Hanzo sighed wearily. "Then just leave them. We need them, there's no denying it, but we can't force them. Besides, I doubt they want to put their village in jeopardy. Now go, we can't waste any more time."
The four ninja nodded and disappeared in puffs of smoke. Hanzo watched them leave before leaving the room. As much as he hated to admit it, he had absolutely no idea how to train kunochi, and knew it was probably best to ask his girlfriend.
