1 Jutsu: [Action]

[teachingpeace]

[When Nagato woke up, he was more than a bit confused, especially with the way sunlight was filtering through the window off to his right and shining down into his face. There were multiple reasons why this was confusing.

First, last he'd checked he'd been outside. Second, he was on something squishy, which indicated a bed or futon, most likely. Third, not even a moment ago he'd been returning to being dead. Somehow, the last seemed to be the most glaring of these points, and he finally cracked open his eyes, squinting against the light before pushing himself to a seated position.

The gesture was more than enough to alert him to the tug of something on his back, and looking over his shoulder to see the bright crimson wings... It almost made him laugh, because Konan was the angel, not him. He was just the idiot who mucked everything up trying to be a god. Something in the universe clearly had a sense of humor.

A look around found him his clothes, which he was admittedly reluctant to pull on given that they'd been what he'd been wearing while revived, but he finally tugged on the dark cloak and got off the bed, peeking around doorways before heading out into the communal hall to make his way outside.

If this was the afterlife, then he intended to explore!]

(OOC: Feel free to catch him anywhere from his room to outside somewhere, he'll be using the stairs in the first apartment building to head out.)

Comments

[yourhatred]

[Even nearly blind, there's a certain shade of red that Itachi has a hard time missing out of the corner of his eye.

He sits at the fountain, feeding the birds as he does every so often (the majority of them being crows as they usually are), and doesn't move to approach his fellow former Akatsuki member. Nor does he try to hide himself, though.

Nagato looks healthy, meaning it's possible (but not a certainty) that they come from similar times. If the other ninja wants to approach, with questions or without, he's free to do so.]

[teachingpeace]

[Itachi always had been the best at quietly fading into the background, hadn't he? The fact that he wasn't was actually enough to slow the redhead, then have him turning to look at one of his former Akatsuki members, his feet bringing him closer instead of taking him on his way.

He'd come to realize, during their brief time when they'd initially been revived together, that this man had been one of the few who had actually believed in the original ideals of the Akatsuki, and in many ways, it was fitting that he was the first he recognized in this place. He was the last he'd seen before coming here after all, so it made a sort of sense that no one else would have.

There was just one... small flaw in that line of thought, and he addressed it as he came to stand beside him.]

Itachi. I didn't expect you to beat me here.

[yourhatred]

That's one of many odd things about this place.

[Itachi doesn't look up, slowly crushing a cracker into tiny pieces in one hand before scattering them.]

Time's lack of hold over it. At least as far as it's seen from where we came from.

[teachingpeace]

[He quieted at that, following Itachi's attention down to the birds that were clustered around him. Somehow, he had believed that time was the lone constant. Apparently, it was not to be so.]

You've been here for some time then?

[yourhatred]

Well over two years now, yes.

[There's some issues in there regarding his return and a month or so of missing time, but that's not worth going into.]

However, if you believe this is a sort of afterlife then you would be mistaken.

[believeit]

[It was a typical day in Luceti- after spending a fair amount of time training, Naruto had gone to visit a friend for a while before deciding to head home.

He's also later than he said he'd be, so excuse the blonde ninja dashing past and accidentally bumping into you. He at least apologises though.]

Sorry, sorry!

[teachingpeace]

[Spinning in place with the momentum of it to keep his balance fully intact, he blinked, then felt a smile touch his lips on recognizing the voice.

Then, he frowned on realizing that Naruto should really not be dead too.]

Naruto? [Maybe it was some other blond that looked and sounded like his kohai.

....

Unlikely.]

[believeit]

[Woah, that guy just said his name. Halting and spinning around on his heels he stares at the stranger he just ran into, eyes widening as he begins to realise who it is.]

N.. Nagato! Woah. Is that really you?!

[teachingpeace]

[He nodded at once, a smile touching his lips again... before right back to the frown as he leaned in, looking him over.]

You're not supposed to be dead too Naruto.

action

[fervidity]

[So because Naruto is late, Kushina is out searching for him lol. She looks pissed.

Naruto you WILL BE VERY SORRY.

But catching sight of bright red hair is enough to make her stop and stare a bit. She's reminded of rolling green hills, tall buildings, a river splitting down the middle of a village surrounded by whirlpools. And the bridges -- as crimson as the hair of the infamous clan that used to reside there.

There were other people with red hair around, but none of them were as pin straight as Kushina's or this man's. Or as noticeable. His wings matched that color impeccably as well. It was hard not to notice him just as much as it was for her.

But there's no way... it's one thing to have dead people come to life because there were hundred and millions of lives to be chosen from. Why the heck would another Uzumaki come here too? Her luck wasn't that good.

She's staring though so she finally gives an awkward wave and a lopsided smile. Sorry for staring]

action

[teachingpeace]

[He's just... going to blink back at you there Kushina, because the staring had gotten him to first slow, then stop, and finally turn around to locate the source of the sensation of eyes burning into his head.

It was sort of hard to miss after all. The wave though, made him pause, and an almost shy smile touched his lips as he lifted a hand to wave back.

He hadn't seen hair like his own since he was a small child, something that had made him stand out wildly in the darker colors of Ame, so... this was a little awkward, and very curiosity inducing.]

perma-action

[fervidity]

[Kushina convinces herself it's not an Uzumaki and especially not anybody she knows, so she continues on her hunt for an Uzumaki she DOES know. Her own son. Who is late. Dammit.

She gets about ten or twenty feet away when her voice echoes around Luceti and is loud enough for Nagato (and hopefully Naruto) to hear clearly.]

NARUTO!

[teachingpeace]

[Well now he has to go talk to the woman, and he let out a heartfelt sigh as he made his way after her, not in a rush but...

How did she know Naruto? He hadn't mentioned knowing any other Uzumaki so it couldn't be that... not that... he'd ever told Naruto about his clan.

....

That might be a thing he should do at some point.

Currently dealing with the one shouting for his Kohai though.]

Excuse me, but you know Naruto?

[origami_ninja]

[Konan was on the way back to her apartment after picking up a few basic groceries in town. She kept her fridge and cupboard minimally stocked. Her rapidly growing kitten's food supply was more thoroughly stocked than her own, in part because if the Malnosso were to kidnap her or send her away, she wanted the food to be readily accessible to the small white ball of fluff.

The rest was force of habit. Even though it had been many years since she'd been a poor orphan who had to scrounge for food, it seemed wrong to be wasteful or to eat more than she needed. She indulged herself in her favourite foods a little now and then because she could, but she still ate modest portions for the most part. Thinking back, she smiled fondly at the memory of Jiraiya broiling an enormous fish he'd caught for himself, Yahiko, Nagato, and her to eat, and how it had seemed like such a gourmet feast at the time. That was just a memory, though. She was the only one alive, and even she'd been killed by a madman who sought to claim Nagato's eyes for himself.

She rounded the corner, glanced up ahead in the hallway, and dropped her groceries from the shock.]

Nagato.

[Her voice was quiet, but the complete surprise was evident in both her tone and expression.]

[teachingpeace]

[He stilled, more than a little surprised as he stared at the woman in front of him. He... hadn't honestly expected her to be here. Why would he? She wasn't dead, and shouldn't be dead, so why?

But... he didn't know what to say yet, and he had so many things to say, to apologize for...

Instead of doing anything, he immediately stooped to gather up what she'd dropped, not wanting her to feel guilty about that. Especially when it was his fault she'd dropped them in the first place. He knew how she was about that after all.

Even if he'd never paid quite enough obvious attention in the last several years of his life, he'd still noticed.]

You're here too?

[origami_ninja]

[Konan nods, recovering quickly. Logically (or as logical as things can be in a bizarre place like this one), anyone from her past could have shown up from any point in time. Yahiko could have wound up here, as an adult or as a young boy.

Aside from seeing him here, the biggest shock is seeing Nagato looking healthy. It's been far too long since she saw him looking well. And yet, he doesn't look like he came from a time from before he took on the name Pain.]

When did you arrive?

[Did she get so caught up in her own interests that she ignored one of her two closest friends when he arrived? Has she become so unobservant?]

[teachingpeace]

[She'd only missed him taking a walk, really, and not even a long one at that, and as he straightened he hugged the bag to his chest, watching her with his head dipped slightly so his hair shaded his eyes. It was a restless sort of motion that had him straightening everything in the bag in his arms.]

Not long. Just a handful of hours ago, actually. I took a walk around and came back here, that's all.

[He peeked at her, a bit nervous, but decided that there was no point putting it off. Besides... he had more than one thing to say that he'd put off for years too long already.

And he didn't even mean the oncoming apology with that thought either, not really.]

I'm sorry I left you alone Konan. I'm really happy to see you.

[endgames]

[SO IT'S A VERY BUSY DAY. Masaomi's gone, so it's just him and Korra at the convenience store, and then he has to work in the tunnels. They're making enough progress on the passkey that an announcement is made on the locked network to put things to a vote, which means explaining things to Kakashi. After that Shikamaru's on his way to the bar (it is July 15th) and and and--

And. This basically means he's nowhere near his apartment at CH1 until he stops by to pick up something before going to the bar. The question remains does he run into Nagato there, or somewhere else in the village while en route?]

[teachingpeace]

[Clearly that means he's en route. After all, Nagato had some exploring to take care of, and he'd heard of the nebulous place that apparently gives away clothing that people can use, thus he has to fetch some. But this is before that, and is instead him crossing Shikamaru's path while staring intently at the book in his hands, trying to sort out where exactly on the map he was so he would be able to stop wandering quite so aimlessly.

Though, he at least was more than aware enough that he paused instead of crashing into the younger male when they got close enough, though well before there was any risk of collision, drawing his gaze up.]

Ah, forgive me, I should probably keep a closer eye on... [This one looked familiar, and his words slowed.] where I'm going.

[endgames]

It's fine, I should've moved... [His voice trails off. Ah. The rinnegan.]

[teachingpeace]

[That... never bode well, and he could feel the tension in the sudden silence that fell as they both stopped speaking. Definitely Konoha, this one. What did he even say?

He shifted on his feet, his hands closing the book in his hands carefully before he hugged it against his chest. There. Nonthreatening.

Now if... maybe just picking up the same words he would have said? Even if he felt the conversation had just taken a huge shift.]

No, really, it's my fault. I was the one not paying attention, after all.

[Action]

[fishy_go_byebye]

They made me get clothes the first time.

[Del's adolescent wings twitched on her back, shedding a bright blue baby feather as she trailed after the newcomer.]

[Action]

[teachingpeace]

[Abruptly being addressed made him pause, then turn to look in the direction of the voice. The girl who met his gaze was... interesting, and he fully turned so he could look at her.]

I look that new then do I?

[Action]

[fishy_go_byebye]

[Her wings twitch again, and she reaches back to tug at some of the larger feathers.]

Do you?

[Hmm... That was a good question.]

Does your back hurt?

[Action]

[teachingpeace]

[He frowned at her, then inclined his head to show that yes, there was definitely an ache he'd been ignoring.]

It does. Why?