Ruvaak awoke in the early morning washing and readying himself for his day, the sun wasn't up yet but that didn't bother him due to him wanting to get a headstart. He grabbed his pack although he didn't think it was needed for this it was better to be safe then sorry and as he headed out the door of the inn he made sure not to make too much noise as to not wake other guests. The streets of the village were empty and Ruvaak couldn't help but feel the peace of relaxation sweep over him, no busy street with people talking, no children running around making noise, just him walking quietly down the street. Ruvaak treasures this time the most about his journey, just him and the peace and quiet, not to say he didn't enjoy the village and the people in it as they were all very friendly to him, and he enjoyed the fact he was able to help those that needed it but he enjoyed the time by himself more.

As he exited the gates and headed out to find a secluded hot spring to start his relaxation he had been training almost everyday since he left Valyria and believed he deserved a day too himself and rest. After walking for almost an hour Ruvaak came across a decent size as well as pretty secluded spring the perfect place to relax and not have to worry about his guard, there was only one way to the spring therefore if anyone was to happen upon it Ruvaak would see them before they were able to get too close to him and have time to reach his gear.

He stripped down to his undergarment folding his clothes in a pile next to his pack, the only thing he didn't take off was his talisman which was still chained to his bracelet on his wrist. No matter how safe he would ever feel he would never remove it, it was his first achievement as an Unmei and was his most prized possession. He slipped into the spring letting the water flow around him, he couldn't feel the heat of the water, of course he's never been able to feel anything hot water, cold water it didn't matter but he could feel his muscles loosen up from the water and knew that it was worth the walk to find this place. This was what he needed this was what he earned from all his training, this is what he deserved.

---

WC:430

The puppet master got into kumogakure safely under the disguise of chidorima, another of his senju puppets. From within the puppet, he could see all, he could feel all, he could speak and do whatever was possible if he was not in the puppet. He walked the roads of kumogakure like a fox surveying it’s new habitat. He walked calmly yet taking every single detail into consideration. He walked the wilderness as he looked forward hoping to get into civilization soon. He raised his head and looked straight as he walked. He began to see more birds flying around than before but they quickly settled down. All seemed calm as dray began to see few people. It was unusual for such a large village but perhaps, it was only so because it was still the early hours of the morning and most people unlike dray weren’t fully up and out of their houses. He walked the streets like a cat in a lonely alley. It was all to quiet unlike iwagakure no sato- the hidden stone village. All was fun and fun was life. It was a lively city, a true beauty to behold. What was there to praise. Was it the bastion adamantine, their godly walls that had protected them for so long and had never been breached or was it their bazaar that housed all sorts of materials that one could ever wish to buy? Was it the stone bridge and the river flowing below…
Dray could not in any way compare kumogakure- the village hidden in the clouds to iwagakure so he just simply gave up but on a second thought, he wondered. A village cant be judged by one single glance so he kept on walking, hoping to find an inn sooner or later. He was not at all tired but he sure needed to rest. Dray wondered if kumogakure possessed anything of interest. Perhaps, there were any with the puppet style since he hadn’t met any himself. What were their inns like. Would he find it comfortable enough to call home or better still, he could find a useless piece of land and build him home using his senju skills.. The questions that spammed in his head were far too many for him to answer at once so maybe he really needed this rest after all, the journey from iwa to kumo wasn’t a day’s trip. Dray kept on walking while trusting his instincts and around the corner, his eye caught site of a secluded hot spring. He walked towards it only to find out that there was actually someone in the water. He could definitely turn back if he wanted but maybe he could do with someone to tell him about kumogakure..
“Hello there..” Dray would say to the fella in the water while anticipating his response.. The sun was just coming fully up and very soon, dray would determine if kumogakure was truly fun or not. The beauty of a village is either seen in broad daylight or in pitch darkness.
WC:513

The water was doing its job, Ruvaak had never felt so relaxed, he was truly at peace. Ruvaak's mind began unwinding as he thought back to his time in Kumogakure all the training he had done as well as all of the people he had met while he's been there. So many nice people lived in the village, and it was starting to feel almost like a second home to him, he knew it would be hard to leave when he was done here but he had his own agenda to take care of and when the time did come he would leave the village and continue his journey, of course he may one day return to this place and hopes if he did that the people would remember him and still welcome him to their village. Ruvaak must of dosed off lost in thought as he was awoken by the sounds of approaching footsteps and the sun rising, he didn't move from his spot in the spring just his shoulders and head above the water, however under the water his hand quickly wrapped around his talisman. The footsteps got closer and soon he was able to put a face to the sound of the steps, it was a young looking man with pale skin and white hair in long strands on both sides of his face, and he was wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it, Ruvaak didn't recognize him, nor did he look like a someone from Kumo. As the man approached he said hello, Ruvaak couldn't see anything dangerous about the man, but he didn't release his grip on his talisman under the water.

"Hello" Ruvaak said a little puzzled by the man's appearance, he had never seen someone who was so pale. Not taking his eyes off him but not showing any signs of ill intent, "have you come to enjoy the spring as well?" Although he came there to be alone it wasn't his to hoard for himself if this man came to enjoy the spring he could, besides Ruvaak had probably been in the water long enough and would need to get out soon anyways. But while he was still here he didn't want to seem rude to the man so he decided to introduce himself to the unknown man, "My Name is Ruvaak" said to the man as he started to get out of the water and starting to put his clothes back on, still keeping his talisman in his palm however the man wouldn't be able to notice it, "I'm sorry to say I don't recognize you, are you from Kumo?" he asked the man curiously after he had finished putting on his clothing and he smiled at the man. Ruvaak really hoped that he was another traveler like himself maybe he would have stories to tell or something cool that he had seen in his journey. He didn't seem to eager to the man, his voice was calm and polite not really showing much emotion or real interest in its tone but inside Ruvaak's mind was racing with the thoughts who this man was and what brought him here.

---

WC: 544/974

Dray took a closer look at the man and he could see that his head and shoulders were above the water. Dray had not seen a spring like this in a long while so it looked quite different. Dray’s journey had been a long one and he had not come all the way here to sit in a spring but even if he wanted to, he would not risk showing his true identity to a stranger so it was only better if he did not get tempted. Dray could well see his sheen black hair likewise his chocolate like skin that looked smooth from how dray saw it.
“Hello” the male in the water would respond to dray’s greeting with a changed look on his face as if surprised to see dray. Dray very well understood the need for the male to be surprised because chidorima was the most different of dray’s senju puppets, especially its skin that looked very much pale and the white hairs on its hair making it look like a matured man. “Have you come to enjoy the spring as well?” the man would ask dray. Now, that was tempting, the water would do well to relax dray’s nerves but could he really take the risk and do that now? Of course, it was not worth it. He knew the spring now so he could always come back and calm his nerves whenever he felt like the area was clear besides he was beginning to figure out that people hardly came here. “My name is Ruvaak” the black haired man would finally introduce himself.. Immediately he said this, dray sighed within himself.. It was exchanged names time, something he really did not fancy. He did not really like people asking for his name and he hardly kept himself sane with those many questions. To his surprise, the black haired man did not ask for dray’s name but dray knew he had to of course introduce himself so if he would get any help from this person, he would not have any trouble receiving it. “I’m sorry to say, I don’t recognize you. Are you from kumo?” Ruvaak would finish saying as he would get out of the water and start putting on his clothes.
The man was probably done and was expecting to hear something from dray. Dray would not want to treat anyone like karumo Sekuro. The phantom eye warrior wanted answers but unfortunately, dray had none.

This was a new village and dray was treading a new path perhaps, he could even apply to be a part of this village, offer his skills and help the village grow. Who knows. Dray had to improve in his communicating skills, that he was sure of. He did not like talking too much and that often pissed off too many people. Dray breathed in and exhaled slowly summing up what he wanted to say… “After a long travel, I think a rest would be perfect before settling in a hot spring..” dray would begin to say to ruvaak. “My name is Zennyo and yes, I am not from kumogakure. I travelled from the land of stone to the village hidden in the clouds for some reason am not sure of.. perhaps, I would say adventure if there was any or mostly to get better with my skills..” Dray would conclude hoping that he had said the right thing. He was not always wrong so he had to be close to correct if what he said was not accurate.. “You could tell me more about kumogakure if you have the time, I don’t mind listening..” dray would take another step forward into their conversation.
WC:624

Zennyo what an interesting name Ruvaak thought to himself when the man told him his name, and when the man's words proved that what he had assumed about the man was right that this man was indeed a traveller Ruvaak couldn't help but smile a little bit. He was very perspective that way, including the fact that he had a photographic memory he remembered everyone that he had seen inside of Kumo since he arrived and this man wasn't one, but it always felt nice to hear the acknowledgement from someone else, whether they know they are acknowledging him or not didn't matter it was the  acknowledgment of what he already knew for himself that he cared about. When he told Ruvaak that he traveled here from the land of stone for reasons he didn't even know, Ruvaak couldn't help but think that this man was either a true wanderer who just traveled around always on the move, or he was just extremely bored and looking for something to do. Ruvaak wasn't sure how much he could tell the man of Kumo, but he really didn't mind the company right now so maybe he could get the man to walk with him back to the village while he was trying to explain what he knew of the village.

"Kumogakure is that way" Ruvaak said pointing his fingers to the east, "I am actually heading there now, It took about 30 minutes for me to walk here earlier so if you would like to  we could walk there together and I can tell you on the way, what I know of the village since I arrived a few weeks ago, but I'll warn you I'm not the best storyteller nor am I from this village so my description of it might not do the village justice" Ruvaak ended with a small chuckle to himself, it was true he never was one for talking for long periods or being the center of attention, and he definitely would not charge him with being a tourguide of the village, or put himself in charge of writing about the village, but he would do his best to describe the wonder of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Ruvaak didn't wait for the man to response to his offer of walking together and started towards the path that would lead them to the village, before he went to walk by the man he stopped for a brief second before saying just a small snippet of information to the man, "If you decided to travel to Kumo on your own please be careful as the Thunder Grounds are very dangerous due to the amount of Lightning Strikes that occur there" and with a smile and a small bow to the man Ruvaak began walking down the path to the east that would lead him to the gates of Kumogakure.

Ruvaak didn't look back to see if the man was following him or not, although he could probably use the company on the village, he decided to act as if the man was walking behind him either at the same pace as himself or trying to catch up to him either way, with that thought Ruvaak began talking. "I've met a great number of nice people during my time here in Kumo, both citizen and shinobi they are all great people, Although I haven't met the Raikage I believe he is a great man having this village run so smoothly, and the shopkeepers are all very helpful if your looking for something, and if you need a place to stay the Sleeping Giant Inn has a sign that says they always have a bed open to travelers" Ruvaak paused to let this information sink in and to see if the man would respond or not, that is of course if he was still there or he even chose to follow Ruvaak. Of course Ruvaak didn't mind talking to himself, in fact he often answered himself when he did, pretending that there was someone there that he was talking to.

---

WC: 699/1673

Dray was waiting for the young man’s reply. He could be a member of the village but even if he wasn’t, he must have stayed in the village for a few days so he must have definitely learnt something about the village. Dray looked around as he waited for the black haired man to make a response that dray was ready to sink into his head. He had learnt that to live in a particular place, one needed to have knowledge of the place. “Kumogakure is that way” Ruvaak would say while pointing towards the east of where both he and dray were standing. “I am actually heading there now and it took me thirty minutes to walk here earlier” he would continue saying to dray. “so, if you would like to, we could walk there together and I can tell you on the way what I know of the village since I arrived a few weeks ago..” dray had found one relevant piece of information as he listened to ruvaak so that meant that the young man too was not from this very village just like dray. The young man would say a few words concerning him not being the best story teller as he would chuckle a little but dray himself was not looking for story telling, just facts about the village so if ruvaak could give him that, then there was no problem so whatever he had to say, dray was ready to listen. The young black haired man- ruvaak, would hit the road towards the east where he had earlier pointed to which was the direction of the main village hidden in the clouds as dray would follow behind him calmly hoping to hear more words that would be good food to his ears. Dray would take note of the warning giving to him by Ruvaak which was the thubder grounds but even after hearing what ruvaak had said about the place, that only gave dray more reason to want to check it out. Seeing lightning strikes up close could be more than an inspiration for dray’s artistic life but going there would be risking his life but still, dray was not afraid, shinobis always took risks.
“I’ve met a great number of nice people during my time here in kumo, both citizen and shinobi they are all great people, although I haven’t met the raikage I believe he is a great man having this village run so smoothly.. So, the young man had not met the village leader. Likewise dray, he did not get to meet the kage of the hidden stone during his stay there but he did have the opportunity to save his life once by assassinating an assassin that planned on taking the life of the tschiukage. This time, dray was bent on meeting whoever the leader of this village was and personally offer him his service while he stayed in the village. He had hardly had anyplace to call home so perhaps, here might do but dray was still deliberating… “if you need a place to stay, the sleeping giant inn has a sign that says they always have a bed open to travelers..” Ruvaak’s words would cut into dray’s thought.. so there was an inn for travelers. That would be nice because dray was lucky to have brought some money along with him and most of his belongings were sealed in a scroll so he had hoped ruvaak wouldn’t bother to ask if he had any belongings.. The sun would begin to shine brightly yet the atmosphere would not grow hot perhaps, that was the work of the great clouds, they were probably blocking out the heat while somehow allowing the light through. It was a beautiful village indeed as they would get to the village gates.. “So, this is it, I guess.. I’ll be sure to check the inn once I get in..” dray would say while looking at the gates and the guards standing watch. Even when they got in, he would of course still need ruvaak to tell him how things worked so he hoped the young man would not leave too soon but if he did, then sooner or later, dray would find his own way around.
WC:720

As they reached the gates Ruvaak waved to the guards, of course they didn't wave back they never did, but Ruvaak had come in and out of the gate so often that surly they knew him by now. As they walked the road up the mountain Ruvaak remained silent for a minute letting his company take in everything they saw. When they got to the inn Ruvaak turned to the man, "here is the sleeping Giant inn, they would be more than happy to accommodate you during your stay here" Ruvaak paused for a second before continuing "but we can come back first I would like to show you around" Ruvaak turned and continued walking up the street, they past many shops, from the weapons shop, a clothing store, a general goods shop, as well as a few food restaurants. Then they got to the steps of the battle plateau and Ruvaak stopped briefly saying, "up there is the battle plateau, its a great place to go to train either by yourself or with someone". They continued walking through the village while Ruvaak explained where everything was and a little bit about each stop until they came to the skyforge, " this is the highest point of the mountain from here you can see the entire village its also has the finest weapons in all of kumogakure"

From the skyforge they worked their way back down the mountain on the opposite side until the reached the building of the Raikage, "this is the administration office where the Raikage works" Ruvaak said pointing to the building, "like I said I haven't met him yet but I've heard great things about him from his people, I'm sure he would be willing to meet with you if you want to meet him" With their tour of the village complete Ruvaak was unsure what to say next so he turned to the white haired man and with a small bow said "well that's pretty much everything, is there anything else I can do for you?" Ruvaak lifted back up with a smile to the man, "do you have any questions or concerns that I might be able to help with?"

---

WC: 370/2043

Dray saw Ruvaak wave to the guards on watch but they did not wave back. They were probably taking their work serious. Both dray and ruvaak walked into the village as dray saw a different and fun filled life in the main village hidden in the clouds. He and ruvaak kept walking as the got to stop. “here is the sleeping giant inn, they would be more than happy to accommodate you during your stay here” ruvaak said as dray nodded looking at the big inn and it’s structure. What was seen on the outside probably did not matter rather it was the inside that dray was more concerned about. He would make do with this till he had the chance to create a mokuton house of his own. “but we can come back first I would like to show you around” ruvaak would continue as he would start walking forward with dray following close behind him. Both men would pass lots of places that ruvaak would identify ranging from food shops to clothing shops to weapon shops to general items shops and much more. “up there is the battle plateau, it’s a great place to go to train by yourself or with someone.” Dray appreciated the idea but he did hope that it was not an open place because he did not like honing his skills in the presence of others. What good would it be once they knew everything he had so to him, training alone and away from where people were present was perfect.
They kept on walking through the village as ruvaak did his best to give a detailed explanation of both the important and non important places that they passed by. Dray was quick to spot this next location before ruvaak as it was very much different amongst its kind.. “this is the highest point of the mountain and from here you can see the entire village it also has the finest weapons in all of kumogakure.” Dray liked the idea of being able to see the entire village and such a place was perfect for meditating alone. That was probably the first place that dray would visit alone once he had settled down in the village. From the mountain, dray and ruvaak walked down the opposite side till they got to a different building. It was unlike any other that they had come across on their tour so dray sure knew that it had to mean something important. “this is the administration office where the raikage works. Like I said, I have not met him yet but I have heard great things about him from his people, I am sure he would be willing to meet with you if you want to meet him” dray was for once excited since he had gotten into kumogakure. He was beginning to develop thoughts that would remain inside of him for the time being. Thoughts that would be spoken out as words once he had the chance to meet the raikage. Very soon, very soon it would be. “Well that’s pretty much everything, is there anything else I can do for you? Ruvaak would ask dray with a smile on his face. “do you have any questions or concerns that I might be able to help with?” Ruvaak would conclude while expecting an answer from dray. Dray had well understood everything ruvaak had told him and he had been very grateful.. “I appreciate the time you took to give me a tour around the village. I am most pleased and thanks to you, I wont lose my way around the village.. we could walk back to the inn now please but before that, when do you plan on leaving the village, maybe we could hang around later before you leave..” Dray would ask ruvaak.
WC:640

Ruvaak smiled at the man's words it felt good to meet someone as nice as this man and he was especially happy with the fact that he was able to help the man out. "Sure we can head back to the Inn, we just need to head down this road" Ruvaak said as he pointed towards a side street before continuing, "As far as when I am leaving it will still be a few days maybe even a week before I leave I am not really sure at this point, but I will definitely find you before I go and we can hang out some more" Ruvaak finished before smiling and heading down the side street he had pointed to. "The reason I say I do not really know when I am leaving is because, everyday I wake up thinking my business here is finished and I am ready to move on but then I come outside and walk through the streets of this great village and I can not help but feel as if there is still something here for me to do so I stay, at least until I figure out what it is that I am looking for... or it finds me" Ruvaak said with a smile to the man as they walked the street towards the inn, the villages children ran past them laughing and playing as they neared the inn and Ruvaak could smell the innkeeper's wife's cooking even from down the road, looking to the sky Ruvaak realized that it was already getting late "Wow guess my tour took a little longer than I thought it would, I can already smell the food from the Inn we should go claim a plate while the gettin's good" Ruvaak said as he started jogging for the Inn, "Come on Zennyo, I'll race you" he said looking back to the white haired man with a smirk "let's see who is faster" and with that he took off for the inn with a laugh.

---

WC: 341/2384

Dray listened to ruvaak carefully and he did understand why he could not yet make up his mind on leaving the village yet. The village sure had things that made one want to stay. Dray had not seen everything but the few he had seen had convinced him. Ruvaak talked about the feel that he still needed to do something in the village and already, dray was having the feel that there was something for him in this village. Of course, he did not feel this way in the land of stone so he could differentiate one feeling from the other. Dray imagined what could become of him a week later, a month later and even a year later if he stayed in the village hidden in the clouds. He could open up a puppet shop, accept requests and get paid but not much actually knew the value of puppetry neither did they possess the secret to the skill so whoever had it needed to treasure it well. Perhaps, he could end up serving the village but who knew what was going to happen tomorrow. He had not the power to look into the future but he could surely determine what path his life was going to take, that was one thing that was certain.
Ruvaak and dray would walk down one road which was probably going to take them towards the great sleeping inn. It was already evening and night was probably going to fall sooner than expected. The road they took was not a very long one rather it was like some sort of shortcut to the great sleeping inn. Soon enough, both dray and ruvaak would get amidst the crowd and find their way towards the great inn. “I can already smell the food from the inn, we should go claim a plate while the getting is good.”ruvaak would say to dray. Dray could not help but smile inside as to how ruvaak could detect that the smell was exactly from the great sleeping inn. Perhaps, staying a few more days there and dray would get accustomed to it too.
“Come on Zennyo, I’ll race you. Let’s see who is faster.” Ruvaak would say as he would run ahead of dray towards the inn.

WC:380
Total wc:2877
Training stats: Perception:B-B3
Remainder:477
EXIT