A happy tune rang through the streets and alleyways of the Sunagakure slums as Katsurou made his way down the the dusty street. It was an oddly out of place song that the boy hummed; a lullaby from days long passed, back when Katsurou still lived with the rest of the Sumiko clan. The song certainly did not belong in the slums, and even for Katsurou it was all too perky. He had reason to be in a good mood, however, as clutched to his chest in a paper bag was the knowledge he had been searching for for weeks. Ever since he had begun his career as a shinobi, Katsurou had wanted to expand his training over magnetism. There were legends and rumors of Suna nin possessing control over metals and magnetism in the past, and Katsurou was sure that the library must have had something on it. In the end he turned out to have only been partially correct. Due to the obscure nature of the book he was requesting, the library did not keep it in the limited space of the main library in downtown Sunagakure. Instead, it was kept with other unpopular topics in storage at the library hosted by the slums. Now that he finally had something to go off of for his jiton training, for once in his life he was excited to go and train.

Then his stomach rumbled. Dammit, I forgot to eat before I left... Katsurou scanned the area for a restaurant. He was not particularly happy to be eating in the slums, and he did not exactly trust the ingredients, but he was far too lazy and hungry to wait until he was downtown. Luckily, just down the street stood the most stereotypical ramen shop Katsurou had ever seen. Just thinking about what treats lay behind the cloth dividers already made his mouth water, and the smells he imagined were only confirmed as his nose was filled with ever more appetizing aromas. The boy grinned as he was greeted by a melody of knives chopping on hot metal, fryers boiling, and vegetables sloshing into broth. "Beef sukiyaki, please. Extra dipping egg." Katsurou chimed as he took a seat at the bar, pulling a variety of coins from his pocket and placing them on the counter. A middle aged man in a white hat smiled at Katsurou jollily and nodded, yelling out his order to the various chefs. At this point, Katsurou's curiosity could be held off no longer, and he unwrapped his library book, placing it on the table and brushing off its cover. "A History of Jiton Shinobi, hmn? Katsurou opened the book and began his discovery process.

450

An outsider had entered their some what peaceful domain, as a boy was apparently humming in the streets while venturing through the dark alleyways of the beaten down and dangerous slums. The strange young man had shaggy brown hair that would probably let him fit in, but the humming was just too much as some bandits were already gathering around him.

Meanwhile a small boy was late for his date with the library as he struggled to get on his brown library uniform which included a small light brown shorts and light brown archeologists uniform. As he ran with his hair swaying from side to side with his adventurer's cap on as well. He began to make haste as he had his wings tucked in as much as possible, holding his library book in hand, his library tag on his pocket as  he spread his wings to fly in order to make it there faster. As he flew he looked down when he heard someone humming.

The boy was humming a really perky tune, not that Noel even knew what this was as he flew over the boy slowing down a bit when he noticed the boy clutching a paper bag tightly to his chest. He became a bit curious as he followed the boy not realizing he might end up being late for work that day. He followed the boy and noticed the boy stopped for a while before he entered the local ramen shop as the boy realized he forgot to eat before going to work today as he landed nearby before tucking his wings inside an adventurer's coat that he used to hide his wings.

The boy was a bit loud with his order as Noel entered, being a resident of the slums the chef ignored the shouted order for a moment to pull out a fresh bowl of ramen which had some bacon, egg and a few good vegetables as the boy took a deep breathe while looking at the other boy from the corner of his eye.

Then the boy did something strange and pulled out a big book as the young little green haired boy Noel nearly jumped out of his seat. He stood there with his library tag showing his name as he was really nervous but the work was helping him to speak better.

"Where... book... get...?"

Basically he was asking the boy where he got the book, as his speech was still a work in progress as the chef laughed. "Glad you learning to speak out loud for a change, Noel", the boy glared at the man who realized the young little green haired boy was not in a good mood as he then turned to face the young man once again awaiting his answer.

Words = 466

Katusrou grinned as his eyes floated over the old pages of the library tome, information and confidence entering his head almost faster than his mind could contain it. Perhaps more interesting to the young man than the theories of why magnetic control was possible and the techniques of manipulating magnetic fields was the fact that there were shinobi like him who had come before. Not only was Katsurou not the first of his kind, but in fact there was a rich and storied tradition of jiton shinobi through the ages dating back to the the Third Kazekage. It was a comforting thought to him that the same strange chakra which had estranged him from his clan had brought some of the premier shinobi of their day into the limelight as heroes. So totally engrossed he was in legends of days long gone and arrogant visions of future glory that Katsurou barely heard what the little boy next to him said, or at least he forgot that he heard it until the chef spoke up. Katsurou flashed a wide grin to Noel, either unfazed by his poor attitude or completely unaware that he was in one. "Oh, I just checked this out of the library! It's the coolest stuff I've ever read, even though I'm not much for reading. Who knew the library out here had so much to offer? Oh, sorry, I haven't even given you time to speak, uhm..." Katsurou leaned over to read Noel's name tag before springing up and pointing at the chef, who he had just remembered had said the name mere moments before. "Noel! That was it. Nice to meet you, Noel. I'm Katsurou, but you already knew that." The boy gave Noel an even wider grin this time, his eyes closed in delight. A mix between Katsurou overcompensating for his inferiority complex and his genuine delight in finally finding even the most minuscule theories out about himself in this book; the perfect storm for non stop blabbering. Just then, his hot steaming bowl of sukiyaki was placed before him, along with twin dishes with a broken egg each. "Thank you kindly, chef!" Katsurou beamed, carefully closing the book and replacing it within its paper wrappings before grabbing his chopsticks and snapping them. "So, what are you up to, Noel?" Katsurou stared the boy in the eyes in an awkward fashion even as he picked a sizable portion of noodles from his dish and sloshed them generously in the egg before lowering his head to them and slurping for a long moment, all the while keeping his gaze on Noel. It was not a particularly impressive dish, but Katsurou was hungry and was never much for judging food to harshly. The boy hummed in pleasure as the food tickled his throat on the way down. Next he went for a large piece of beef coupled with cabbage, allowing it to soak in the egg for a moment as he smirked at Noel, awaiting a reply.

506 + 450 = 956

The boy had been looking intensely at the man expecting a good answer for why he had the book, which should have been locked away in the forbidden sections of the library. He did not like the grin on the young man's face as he began to wonder if this was the library bandit he had been hearing about.
The grin had become even wider as the chef spoke and with this the boy had a major pout on his face, like a little boy who was really unhappy with what was going on right now.

The boy said something which did not make any sense as the boy said he checked it out of the library and that it was a really cool book. This strange weird guy leaned forward to read the little green haired boy's name tag and shouted out his name, as he introduced himself as Katsurou. The little green haired boy known as Noel was about to speak up when the steaming hot bowl of sukiyaki that Katsurou ordered had arrived. The guy thanked the chef showing that he at least had some good manners, but it bothered him that this guy took this book as he was beginning to glare from his pout again.

When the small little boy was asked what he was up to he finally answered with, "Give... Book... No... Read... Allowed...." The boy's strange speech was a result of him still requiring more speech therapy from the teacher in the library. The guy probably did not know the book was not meant to be taken out of the library, even if by some rare chance you were allowed to read it. He looked like he was about to start a fight as the chef patted Noel on the head calming him down for a bit, before the boy glared at him to stop as the chef stepped back and called out for "Midori", as a young girl who was maybe sixteen or so came out wearing a cute chef's outfit with out a hat as she glared at the boy, who glared back, then after a few seconds she sighed and then glared to the guy next to Noel.

"Hey, new guy what did you do to Noel?". Now being glared at by both a small little boy and a young teenage girl. What was Katsurou going to do now only time would tell.

Words = 466 + 408 = 874

There really was nothing which could put Katsurou in a mood like good food in his empty stomach. Not only did it calm his spirit and cause him to be friendly, but it also distracted him from nearly everything but his titillated taste buds. Even as the young boy next to him grew ever more petulant, Katsurou remained aloof and failed to even register that something could possibly be wrong due to the feeling of good eating which all but consumed him as he consumed his meal. Almost unceasingly Katsurou filled his mouth with noodles, cabbage, and perfectly seared beef, all dipped in fresh egg. In his eyes he was practically in heaven at the moment, and everything around him had a rosy tint.

Naturally, due to the combined factors of Noel's basic and unspecific speech along with Katsurou's state of mind, the young boy's statement (or was it a request? Katsurou really did not know) was easily misinterpreted. "What? You are not allowed to read? What sort of person gives you rules like that!" Without another word, Katsurou rudely stuck his chopsticks into his unfinished soup before sliding the book in the paper bag along the counter towards Noel. Katsurou was in a good mood, and deeply disliked it when he believed those less fortunate than him were being taken advantage of. It was a small price to pay to allow the boy to read the book in his mind if it meant that he could educate himself. "Hey, whenever I'm here, you can read whatever you like, okay?" Katsurou gave Noel a big goofy grin before turning back to his sukiyaki, taking a hearty serving for himself and sticking it in his mouth before talking once more, his speech slightly muffled by the noodles and beef in his mouth. "Just try not to spill on it or I'll be in big trouble."

Katsurou was pleased to see that the young boy seemed to have friends at the ramen shop. The chef himself tended to the boy and even seemed to give a look of concern; at least that was what Katsurou noticed. The young man was content to know that people cared for this strange little boy even if whoever he lived with did not allow him to read. It did not really strike him as odd that a person would be disallowed from reading; it seemed like something out of the beginning of a story where the young boy grows up to be the hero and slays the scorpion or some nonsense like that. Either way, Katsurou was in too good of a mood to question the reality he had manufactured for himself.

Even as he lamented the state of affairs he imagined the boy next to him was in, he barely noticed when the chef called over a young girl named Medora or something. Katsurou had to swallow quickly as the girl snapped something or other at him; a large lump of noodles slid down his throat as he admired her outfit. Perhaps it was time to make a joke or two. The food had still put him in the mood. "Do to him? I don't think I did anything to the guy. We are in a restaurant after all so it probably has something to do with that. He does not seem to have had time to sample your wonderful cooking yet, so I can imagine why he would be in a bad mood." Katsurou chuckled slightly at his own joke before offering yet another goofy grin first to the girl and then to Noel himself. "Are you not hungry uhm...." He took a second to read the boy's nametag once more. Noel! You have not even touched your food yet. Stomach problems?"

635 + 956 = 1591

The boy now had a look of awe and wonder at the reply he was given by the strange Katsurou. This guy was undeniably and most likely retarded, or at the very least really really stupid as the book was passed on to him under the premise that the boy was not allowed to read as he just could not stop looking at the stupidity of this guy who probably took the book out of the forbidden section by accident without even knowing. The goofy grin then sealed Katsurou's fate, there was not even the slightest bit of doubt that Katsurou was stupid. So in turn he felt he could not punish someone who did not know better and probably needed to go back to school as well.

The Katsurou, as he called him inside his head, had asked him if he had stomach problems for not eating his food. He took his bowl and in a quick rush gulped down everything before burping and taking the book off the counter as he then looked down. He did not want to just take the book and leave since this guy was clearly in need of some medical help or at least help from someone smarter than him. So out of mercy and basically out of feeling he should give the Katsurou a chance to redeem himself he started walking away with the book before saying.

"You...Follow...Now...Me..."

As his speech was broken once again, in truth what he said was that Katsurou must follow him now, as the lady Midori sighed having her main customer who happened to eat for free anyways going home. Then again Noel attracted people so he was good for business, whether the Katsurou understood and chose to follow was all up to the Katsurou to decide. The boy did glimpse at the book, he had always wanted to read a forbidden book too.

Words = 874 + 321 = 1195

Katsurou raised his eyebrows as the small child chugged his ramen. He seemed quite an odd kid to Kat; acting both older and younger than what his age appeared, but nothing like what it actually was; or at least what Katsurou thought it was. Almost as soon as the strange boy had arrived, he simply stood and began to walk off with the book, not even saying a word to anyone at the stall. As the effects of the food on Katsurou began to deteriorate, Katsurou began to think that the child was a bit rude. While Katsurou thought on this, almost on cue the young boy named Noel called out a command to him to come like some sort of dog. Letting out a sigh, Katsurou slid the remainder of his pocket ryo across the counter towards the chef and young girl.

"This should be enough for the both of us. I apologize for not being able to sample more of your fine food. I will be sure to return sometime. Keep my seat warm!" Katsurou flashed a grin as he jogged off after the young boy, not staying long enough to listen to whatever the restaurant workers had to say or to collect any change. As he came upon Noel once more, he cocked his head in curiosity as he returned to his thoughts on the child. Certainly he was not worried about anything, both like a carefree child and like a full grown adult who knew how to live within their means. A bit of a brat when it came to conversation, it seemed, but it nothing too horrible; the child was either too polite to call him names or simply did not know any to call him. At this point, Katsurou got the feeling that the child would say all sorts of rude things if he had either the courage or the words for them. Despite his building displeasure with the child, however, Katsurou was never one to let his first impressions get in the way of at least attempting to be friendly, and he decided it would be best to tag along with this Noel character. Who knew? Maybe he just needed a friend.

"So, uhm... Noel was it? What kind of adventure are you taking me on now, hmn?" Katsurou smirked, closing his eyes somewhat awkwardly as he resting a hand behind his head. He was not the best at starting conversations to be sure, but it seemed that this child was even less inclined than himself. Practically as well,  it was always better to know where one was going, or at least that was what Katsurou had been told growing up. Might as well remember growing up while following around a child.

459 + 1591 = 2050

Speed E -> D-3 (1925/1925) Complete!
Strength E - > E-1 (75/75) Complete!
Strength E-1 -> E-2 (50/150)