This stroll was just what the doctor ordered. The last few days had been stressful for this young ninja. However, it wasn't from an overwhelming amount of work. Rather, Hikarou had just been surrounded by large amounts of people for too long a time. He was used to silence, used to solitude, used to the stillness of the night. But he couldn't really achieve any of this in his current settings. The Oni branch of the Chi Clan was too rambunctious, and too aggressive to let someone alone. They meant well, but, 'sometimes it is just too much to bare.'

So Hikarou decided it was time to get away, and head to his favorite spot. Contrary to popular belief, Hokage Mountain was not a hot spot for the general Konoha public. The faces were so big, they could be seen from any location, so why would anyone need to venture so close? Because of this, the Genin would spend his time meditating and achieving true solitude in a grassy patch, shaded by the immortalizations of the previous Hokage. Hikarou even liked to think of the faces as continual guardians of the peace, or his peace at least. "Such great and powerful leaders do not die," he whispered to himself, "They cared about us then, and they care about us now, even down to our preferences." Then he met their eyes and smiled, as the prized location grew ever nearer.

Hikarou longed for the fluffy grass on his feet. It was always kept at the perfect length, not short enough to prick, but not long enough to itch. Not to mention the wonderful shade that kept the spot sublime. And finally, it came into his vision. However, something was not as planned. The silhouette of another was lounging in his scene, and it aroused disappointment. Since when did anyone venture to this place, especially nearing the night? Now he would have to find some, less effective, substitute.

As Hikarou turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of what the suspect was actually doing. It seemed he was reading some sort of scroll, learning something new. Maybe he was an intelligent, much like the Chi Genin, who was now intrigued. He stopped turning around, and decided to enjoy this day after all. The distant man seemed to be quiet, and wrapped up in his study, two great factors that could lead to a positive encounter for Hikarou. 'Though I planned for solitude, one other fellow won't kill me.'

And so he walked over to the unknown person and peered onto the scroll, "What are you doing?"

Due to the young man's inviting smile, Hikarou knew he had nothing to worry about here. However, he still knew nothing of the nature of this encounter, and was curious to learn more about this friendly individual. Though there was no Konohagakure headband as proof, the boy seemed to be a ninja, and a young one at that. 'Therefore, maybe he is in the Academy still? Well he seems a little old for that.' Regardless of his age, he was definitely studying some sort of ninja art, indicated by the jutsu scroll that lay before him. But what was its contents? Questions like these strolled through his mind, but at least the one was answered quickly.

"I'm studying this clan scroll, but I am having a hard time with it," was his company's reply. Then this sacred scroll was slid over so Hikarou could see.

He bent down to get a better look at the scroll, trying to discern the scribblings. It seemed to be a bukijutsu, dealing with the katana. This was a common weapon in the ninja culture, and surely was not the culmination of the technique. However, it didn't seem to make much sense to him after that, though he caught glimpses of Raiton involvement. This was a severe disappointment to the Genin, since he loved to achieve things on his own. But this time he would break down and seek the answers from the external. However, before he could speak, the boy questioned Hikarou as to the nature of his visit.

The Chi boy's eyes followed the fingers of his new acquaintance, and the sunset doused his face in a deep orange, "I am here for that. I am here for the last seconds of sunlight after a long, grueling day. I am here for the carpet caressing my feet that we call grass. I am here for the gentle push of the wind telling me to press on. And most of all, I am here to glean the wisdom of those who have come before, whose spirits still watch over Konohagakure."

As Hikarou uttered this last line, he motioned up to the previous Hokage. It was unlike Hikarou to get so worked up, and the determined look on his face quickly faded to a calm demeanor. However, this was his heart, that even in the small things, one could find inspiration and purpose. "Plus, it doesn't hurt that no one is usually here during this time. For an introvert like me, this place serves as a recoupment station."

'Apparently the scroll is the explanation of some Raiton bukijutsu, only applicable by members of this boy's clan.' Well, this was something else entirely to Hikarou, who had no knowledge in the art of weaponry. He pull out his six senbon from his pouch, swiping his thumb across his fingers to fan them out. Then he lifted them up to the ninja's eyes, "These little senbon are all I know how to use." Then he put them away, continuing his ponder.

Hikarou not only did not know bukijutsu, but was also unable to produce any traditional chakra natures for a while. This dubbed Raiton a foreign concept to him, making everything on this scroll unknowable. But this lost feeling was something he experienced quite often.

Since the Chi Kekkei Genkai was so uncommon and unique, Hikarou could not reproduce all elemental jutsu. Wind, Earth, Lightning, Fire, and Water, were all unattainable for a long while. Plus, the young Genin disliked not knowing things. In the Academy, he scoured his textbooks, learning everything there was to know about the ninja world. Even though he couldn't do many types of jutsu himself, he knew about them and understood the theoretics. However, this boy's clan did not seem familiar to Hikarou, and he was curious about its nature, "What clan are you a part of? What is its Kekkei Genkai?"

That would serve as his only question for now, though he portrayed confusion at a few other things. Concerning the forehead protector, Hikarou wondered why he had it hidden away. Unlike himself, the boy had put his Hitai-ate in his pocket, and just now was pulling it out. 'I'm not one for prideful banter really, but I have never seen a Genin absent of his or her headband.'

Another curiosity was the boy's jutsu ability. The kid has made a previous remark, stating, "I Just dont have the same level of control as the rest of my clan, and I still do not know all the little techniques, but I will get it in time". This made Hikarou wonder if the kid was slow to learn, or if something was impeding him from moving forward.

However, the Chi ninja did not want to overwhelm such a new acquaintance with too much interrogation. So, he would take it one inquiry at a time.

Hikarou took a seat across from the unkown Genin, crossing his legs. His arms extended back behind him, propping him up at a ninety-five degree angle. As he reclined in the grass, the Chi learned the mystery of the Tsuchiki clan. He always enjoyed gathering new intelligence about the world around him. Knowing things was somewhat of a passion, or rather an obsession. But as he listened to the Tsuchiki boy, Hikarou began to realize how little he knew. The basics of Raiton were not a mystery to him, but this method of using it was. Also, he understood very little about Ronin clans. 'They are clans that exist without a home village, of that I am sure. However, there are probably hundreds, maybe even thousands of Ronin clans, and not enough time to learn them all. But at least this is one down.'

He chuckled to himself as he visualized the plethora of knowledge still left for him to discover. It nerdily brought him overwhelming joy. But he dare not make it visible, since Hikarou had a chill demeanor to maintain. So, he let out a choked up cough to cover up his laugh, and snapped back into the conversation.

When the boy finally identified himself, it dawned on Hikarou that up until that point, both parties were nameless shinobi. He thought it ironic that the conversation had carried so long without either saying their name. However, he wasn't the most socially inclined person, so it was understandable.

This boy was Ryu of the Tsuchiki. His name literally meant "flow", often referring to a style, or manner of life. This interested Hikarou, since he believed names to be insights into a person's destiny. But this name was very obscure, and it was impossible to see what it held. The not knowing bothered him so, 'But maybe the fun is in the mystery.' Realizing he had fallen into lofty thought again, Hikarou snapped out and responded to Ryu's introduction.

"I am Hikarou of the Chi clan, and a Genin of Konoha like yourself. It is a pleasure to meet you and to learn about your clan." He followed this with a slight bow of the head that matched the Tsuchiki boy's previous notion. It was a little however, in order to show more respect. Hikarou wanted the boy to know that, while he was four years his senior, the Chi did not consider himself superior by any means.