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Unity. It's an odd concept to associate with ninja, but the old adage is true: no man is an island. It takes both teacher and student to learn, at least two parties to have a contract, and assassination without a victim is just suicide. It's the last part that presents the biggest hurdle to cooperation, but even as dealers of death and destruction we ninja have set up systems of coexistence with our own kind... for certain values of the term.

While not as well hailed as the Juice Bar, the Ninja Villages are the true foundation of ninja society. They provide food, shelter, employment, and entertainment to a culture that train themselves to the point they could subsist off barren dirt if necessary. More importantly they designate a select group of ninja into the category of peers. Peers we can turn to, peer we can associate with, and peers of which it is socially looked down upon to complete contracts against.

Killing a peer for knocking on the door while you're in the middle of a shower is a little bit of a gray area, but usually the paperwork wasn't worth it.

Struggling to get a towel around my waist, I hurried across the bare stone floor of my living quarters. Sleeping, training... there was only one pleasure I practiced within my living quarters, but carpeting wasn't one of them. Well, make that two pleasures; I don't think there's a physically active individual who didn't enjoy their showers. As such I was going over the Kido I could use a point blank range when I threw open my front door.

I relaxed slightly when I saw a familiar hockey mask. "Hey Bean. What brings you to the nosebleed residences?" The porcelain mask underneath that musketeer hat wasn't exactly a hockey mask, but given the amount of blows to the face I've seen it take it may as well be one. As important as amenity was for ninja, a little bit of multitasking was only practical.

"Solatra summoned a meeting for all active village members in the center of the caldera," stated Bean in a straight, matter of fact voice. This raised my eyebrow for two reasons. First that Solatra would send a ranked ninja to deliver a message. And second that Bean was taking it so well. In any case, there was only one response to give.

"Tell him I'll be there as soon as I'm dry and decent." And with that I closed the door in his face.

Third in the things that made me wary the whole affair was Bean still standing there ten minutes later when I opened the door to leave. "...I take it there was something else."

"I've been sent to escort you to the meeting," Bean responded, once again in a very flat tone.

That comment upped the ante to four, but there was still nothing conclusive to draw from the exchange. At this point, though, it was worth blatant questioning. "Just me? Not me and everyone else living up here in the hinterlands? Seems a little extravagant for a Special Jonin."

I could sense a vague smile underneath the porcelain when he responded, "You're a cat of special considerations Ryan." Having enough with the suspense, I decided push forward and get whatever was coming over with. Didn't have to wait long.

As I walked down the rockside path, a force hit my from the side, sending me precariously close to falling over. Thankfully I'm a ninja and was almost through sifting my center of gravity when a hand suddenly grabbed the collar of my robe. There was a pause as I locked eyes with Bean's marble white mask, waiting for what was to come next.

He pushed me. Really, not hard to see that coming. As I fell I could just hear him follow up the action with the aside, "Mainly the consideration you always take the stairs."

I sighed as I fell to my 'death'. While falling off the side of rock face path would normally be a concern even for a ninja, Bombflower was... special. You're average hidden ninja village has to take into account not only foot traffic on the ground, but ninja traffic on the rooftops. Ninja express freeways I think they're called? Being built into the interior rock wall of a quasi-active volcano, we just don't have enough consecutive roofs to travel in that manner. Instead, when in a rush, we sort of just jump off the edge and land where we're going.

Honestly, and others wonder why I stuck to the stairs so much.

Since the meeting was taking place in the center of the caldera, I had a long fall ahead of me. As such I took a moment to enjoy the view, and it certainly wasn't a terrible one. As a hidden ninja village the need for secrets kept most of the upper buildings camouflaged into the original rock face, but as one got deeper more liberties were taken towards comfort rather than concealment.

I had only been falling for fifteen seconds by this point and I could already see the opening to the covered market. A few more seconds deeper and you have housing that looks like tiered building rather than a natural cliff face, and another second after that the decadent exterior of the village's Party House. Another few seconds in and we start leaving commercial and residences behind and enter the industry of the village. Forges heated by controlled lava vents, and tanneries working in volcanic ash. It was all a pretty amazing sight, particularly from the panoramic view of falling through the center of town. It almost made me wonder why I didn't travel like this more often.

Then I looked down and recalled they never remembered to set out the nets.

A good ninja is never without recovery maneuver. Mine in most situations was to draw my sword. What good is a blade when plummeting head first into a rock pavilion? A lot of good if it's the right blade.

"Dream, Broken Wing!" Covenant invoke, my reaper sword pulsed briefly with my chakra, its blade breaking as part of the transformation into a true form. Adjusting my fall to be feet first, I positioned myself with a calm assurance my bones wouldn't break when I landed. They didn't of course, but mostly because I landed on the air a good ten feet above the ground.

"What is that, your sixth release?" The querying voice came from the pavilion below, just a little to my left. Dropping down the remaining ten feet, I resealed my sword before turning my attention to a good friend. A bald friend in a business suit, but in the ninja world you don't question how someone chooses to present themselves that much.

"I told you before, Puff, I'd rather not publicize my abilities. If the bingo book we found on the last spy is any indication, there's a disturbing amount of information out on me already." Ninja are creatures of secrets and silences after all. Huge explosions and body counts aside we do what we can to keep the enemy in the dark.

"You still going on about that," another voice chimed off to the side. "This world is about being Awesome. May as well show what you got." Redirecting my gaze for politeness, I saw the comment was being voiced by the pink haired ninja I was expected it to come from.

"Not all of us has your flair for flamboyance, Roku," chimed in another familiar face right behind Rokujukyu. Make that a familiar and fuzzy face. Standing at about my height, Egyptian was only other animistic member of the village I knew of. Sure, he was a squirrel, but there was no reason to hold details like that against a good Flower War opponent.

"So," I anywayed after doing the head count, "Any clue on what the big announcement is?"

"Who said it was an announcement?" responded Puff, leaning back against the caverns stalagmites. "They're probably just finally fumigating the idlers out of apartments."

Rokujukyu laughed, "Well best of luck with that. Last time I idled, I blacked out in the Juice Bar and woke up in the in the collection fields. My house had more dust than the record room."

"That's because some of us actually use it, Roku." The zinger didn't come from any of us down below. Looking upwards towards its source we saw the graceful sight of one of the village's few kunoichi descending on the wind. Cloaked in a blue robe billowing behind her, Hokeyou landed with the grace of a feather and the accuracy of an arrow. Certainly a much better sight than a certain ViceK...

"I heard that!" I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head as I went down on the floor. Turning around to make eye contact with my attacker, I wasn't surprised to see a much more tomboyish kunoichi. "Really Ryan, when are you going to learn I always know what you're thinking?"

"Trust me, this time it was only a coincidence Luniv," I spoke up, and almost immediately realized my error. There was only a brief raised eyebrow before the village's primary ViceKage had her foot in my face with great velocity. Airborn, I did my best not to roll my eyes as I regulated my chakra to allow just enough blood to bleed from my nose to be convincing.

If you haven't guessed already it was all a show. Luniv liked to project a bloodthirty and cutthroat aura to keep everyone in line. Such an act can only go so far without actual violence to back it up, and when she found out I could tank a broadsword to the gut and keep fighting I was quickly brought in on the secret to be her fall guy.

Can't say I was eager, but I can understand the importance of keeping up appearances, and getting regularly beat up by a girl actually helped mine. All in all it was an equal exchange. The shocked appearances on Hoke and Egypt showed Luniv's image was safe for the day, while Poof and Roku looked like they'd do my image wonders at the Juice Bar tonight.

Aside over, I hit the ground and didn't make any comebacks this time. Satisfied, Luniv looked around at the group. "So, where exactly is the fearless leader?"

"If I told you..." echoed yet another voice from above. Like an arrow, blade first, a polearm that looked almost like a halberd impaled itself on the open stone. Landing on top of polearm's shaft was a plainly dressed man in a long riding coat. "...you'd have to kill me."

Crossing her arms, Luniv looked up at the gambler and troublemaker. "Boop, you were the last person with him. Where is Solatra?"

Dismounting his weapon, the gambler named Boop landed with his hands raised in a shrug. "Hey, where I left him isn't necessarily where he is. He said he'd be here once the entire village was rounded up."

"Right," Luniv responded though a facepalm. "New question, where is Bean?"

Getting a tingling from my Doujutsu, I took five foot step to the left. On cue, a large pile of ninja bodies landed right where I was previously standing. "I'd say close" Roku responded as Hoke checked the fallen for signs of life. I could tell from where I stood that they were still alive, though most of them only academically... accessing the living state of an idler is tricky business.

Suddenly I felt my arms move against my will as my Doujutsu screamed. I felt a slight pressure in my mind as I forced my arms down... Genjutsu, most likely some attempt at body con... my eyes snapped to my legs just in time to see my own shadow restrain me to the spot. There was about a million things I could do in such a situation...

...none of which apply in the point five seconds it took for someone's boots to come slamming down on my shoulders. My knees buckled under the weight, but to my credit I kept standing. I felt the sole of the person's boots shift so that one is on my head before they kicked off and landed on the pavilion in center of the caldera.

The person in question was of course Bean. Slung unceremoniously over his shoulder was a black robed redhead I recognize as one of the newer members of the village, Gingy. Dropping his last parcel on the ground, Bean tilted his porcelain mask in Luniv's direction. "One entire village gathered and accounted for. ...so where's Solatra?"

One didn't need Doujutsu to sense the building pressure from Luniv. I paused from dusting my shoulders to brace myself for what was about to explode, only to have the crisis averted from a single slurred drawl. "Hold your horses, I'm coming..."

All eyes directed upward, the village watched an almost comically small cumulus cloud descend into the caldera. When it finally got down to about eye level, a short spiky haired boy could be seen sloshed across the thing. "...seriously. It's like someone can't drink a have around here." ...though the term drowned might have been more appropriate.

Luniv sighed as she approached the cumulus cloud. "Solatra... you're drunk."

Solatra, the all powerful shape changing kaiju kage who really should have chosen a form other than a ten year old boy when drinking, looked up at his vice kage with squinty little eyes. "...and you're sober. You don't see me holding it against you."

Deciding it best not to argue with the being whose power maintained their very home, Luniv instead directed her attention towards the one she could safely hold responsible for this entire affair. Boop held his hands up to deny the stare that came his way. "Hey now. I'm just the one who left him in the Juice Bar. It was his choice to drink the place dry."

This statement made the entire room come to attention... with the exception of Solatra who had slid off the side of his cloud and was now stumbling over to the very center of the caldera.

"He drank the entire juice bar," Puff said in disbelief.

Looking at her staggering leader, Luniv responded, "Sure looks like it."

"Even the rum," quired Roku.

"The rum is a lie," muttered Egyptian.

"But... but this is Solatra," exasperated Hoke. "He's always so responsible. Why would he deplete the village supply of juice right before calling a meeting?"

"Oh, well that might have been my idea," reacted Boop a bashful cocky grin, "I thought it was important that he get a crash course in letting himself go once in awhile. You know, since he won't have to be a responsible leader all the time since we're disbanding."

"We're WHAT," I exclaimed, in chorus with Hoke, Roku, Puff, Egyptian, and Gingy. I noted that while Bean and Puff didn't join in the exclamation, their expressions were far from passive... and with Bean that takes some effort. Boop was as lackadaisical as ever...

Luniv meanwhile was just exasperated. "Yes, disbanding. If you haven't noticed all the ninja in the village have been assembled and only eleven of us are conscious." She paused to the sound of Solatra prat falling, "...for certain definitions of the term. Point is, we no longer have enough of us to operate as a ninja village should."

"Solatra had gathered you all here to deliver a motivational speech but," she paused to wince at another of our esteemed leader's pratfalls. "Seeing as the words have been KaijuBombed out of his brain, I'll summarize. Solatra, Silveron, and I left our old village with the belief that a village should serve its ninja and not the other way around. We founded Timebomb with the intention to forge an Immortal Realm that would do just that. From the ashes of Timebomb we nurtured Bombflower, and up until recently we've held onto that philosophy. But now the zombja battles are stretching out for weeks even after scaling them back, and the invading kaiju are starting to pick out draperies. While a village should serve it's ninja, a village exists because of its ninja; the idleness plague sweeping the land has hit us too hard. When faced with these facts, our creed only leaves one path to follow."

"This village was born for you, this village has lived for you, and now this village will die for you."

...

...what else was there to say? In the wake of Luniv's monolog, the entire caldera was wrapped in stunned silence. Well, with the exception of Solatra who by now was at the center of the caldera's pavilion reaching his arm down the hole to the very heart of the village.

...wait, what?

Suddenly the entire caldera shook. I at least had a small amount of warning, and being ninja the rest of the village recovered quickly. Back in the center of the caldera I could see Solatra trying to remove his hand from the hole only to appear to have it caught on something.

Even in the localized earthquake, Luniv's facepalm was audible. "And the drunken idiot's already reclaimed his Twilight Bracelet. Right, really short version then." Approaching the pile of village idlers, she picked up the other vice kage from the top of the stack. "Everyone grab an idler and then meet up at The Havoc village. Boop claims he can... sneak us in the back door."

As the village shook to the sound of an awakening volcano, the others followed Luniv's orders as much out of survival instinct as concern for the idlers. I found myself... still taken aback. Bombflower, the village hidden in Deathmountain... was blowing up. It's as if there was some sort of reverse irony working it's magic here... I had expected Bombflower to last forever.

Suddenly I wanted to take one more look at those hidden passages to the collection fields. One more climb up that spire we'd so careful camouflaged as natural rock face. One more dip in the volcanically heated hot springs. One more bucket of junk out of my closet...

Seriously, did they really have to call us to the epicenter of the blast before blowing up the village? I loaded up a slow cooker before getting in the shower this morning. Now I was not only eating ramen for supper, I'd be waking up in the same clothes I was wearing. They could have at least told us to pack a suitcase...

Sighing, I made note that the self destruction of the village had escalated to lava erupting from the floor. It was time to blow this pop stand in all possible meanings of the phrase.

Before I left I tossed the last idler, Endrion, over my shoulder and drew my reaper sword. Looking back towards the center of the caldera, I saw the impending lava was starting to override the drunkenness in Solatra's struggle to get free from the floor. "It's been fun, bossman," I say as I raised my sword in salute... right before I before I pointed it straight up towards the sky.

"Take me away, Cowboy!" I shout as I release my sword into a true form, one different than Broken Wing. As Puff hinted earlier, unlike most reaper swords mine has more than one release. How many? Well maybe I'll tell enough stories one day that you'll know them all. Point is that right now this release was the right sword for escaping an exploding mountain at the last second with time to spare.

As the cords of the theme connected with this true form settled in my mind, I lowered the sword and side stepped out of there... literally. Near random teleportation is a bit of an art to guide, and it's best if you treat it like a dance. So I shuffle a bit in place, reposing my sword around as the world around me blurred together different scenes of the crumbling Bombflower.

When I reach collection fields I resealed my sword and turned around. From outside the once stoic Death Mountain was a pyrotechnic display just one firecracker short of... and there we go. Total meltdown. The top blew off of the once near dormant volcano, painting the horizon red for one glorious moment before calming down as if nothing had ever happened. As the dust settled there was soon very little evidence of the great Immortal Realm once known as Bombflower. Resheathing my sword, I raised my hand up to my forehead protector just to be sure... yep, small gash. Once everyone in the village gets a new Hitaiate from The Havoc Village there would be next to no evidence Bombflower ever existed...

Sighing one more time, I looked across the empty fields before redirecting my gaze towards the still idle Endrion silently snoozing on my shoulder. "So... happen to know the fastest way to the underworld?"