The sun was high in the sky on this day, a normal thing for the land of wind. Another normality was the slight winds picking up and blowing sand around. It wasn't too much of a violent wind, but the blowing did push up the sand particles much in the fashion of a strong breeze. This sort of breeze would add whipping to the ends of ones' cloak, without forcing their hood down or pushing them back. Blowing and billowing, winds threw up sand in small quantities, but annoying quantities that did cake around clothing if only slightly. It was in the dunes of sand near the meeting cactus a lone figure walked. The figure was garbed in a long black cloak that went down to barely show his ankles, with the wind whipping the edges up a bit to show black shinobi tights, leading into white tabi and sandals. The cloak was black, with red trim around the hood and down the front near the buttons and on the hems of the sleeves as well. The red trim traveled all the way to the bottom edges of the cloak, bringing a bit of color to an otherwise void of color. The hood itself was pull over the face of the man, concealing all but his mouth and jaw region in shadows. His mouth, staying in an indifferent state, neither frown nor smile.

This was a return to his homeland. Enter, Syekren Uchiha.

He had been away for a while, and he himself did not know why he had returned, none the stronger than he was before. His right arm moved up, his sleeve blowing about a bit from the breeze, falling down past his wrist to show a burn scar of the Sunagakure no Sato symbol upon his lower bicep, as well as an arm guard on his forearm. He moved his arm a bit, shaking sand and dirt from it before removing his hood to let his shoulder length cobalt hair show. His hair fell over his left eye, concealing what lay underneath, though and observant person would see black fabric string pulled through his bangs towards the back of his head from the top right and bottom left of his face. Underneath his cloak he wore a simple netted black shinobi shirt with his ANBU armor over it, he wore the full ANBU vest as well as the forearm guards and shin guards. He also had a mask strapped to his belt, resembling the face of a cat, hidden beneath his dark garb. The man looked around with his right eye, a deep pool of blue, scanning his surroundings.

Why, why had he come back after all this time?

This question repeated itself over and over inside his head, gradually becoming louder. Asking himself why. But he hadn't the slightest idea, why. Syekren had returned simply because it was his will. It could be that his homeland needed him again. It could be he had a reputation to uphold, the village's only ANBU shinobi should be there to protect it. Or it could be that word had reached him about the silence from the Kazekage's manse. Some things were not right in the village, and maybe that is what drew the lone wanderer back to his homeland and out of his hiding away. No one, not even the young man could say what was going on at this moment in his thoughts for certain. All he knew was he had returned and he was surprised that it had taken him this long to decide to do so.

No letters, no requests, no missions, no assassinations, not visits, no salamanders, nothing. Was he..Useless? Unneeded?

Syekren quietly let a sigh escape from his pale pink lips, his soft porcelain colored skin gleaming a bit in the sunlight that got through the sand blowing around him. The wind was dying down, if only slightly, still blowing around him and causing his cape to billow around his feet a bit. He quietly began a solemn march to the meeting cactus, wondering if his room was how it had been left; of his parents; of his weapons and objects that he'd collected. His mind raced about, letting these many thoughts come to and fro, as he made his way to the cactus, and perhaps a new step in his destiny.

This is my story, and my continuation

Like any other day in Sunagakure no Sato the sun hung high in the sky without any of those pesky white marshmallows blocking its radiance to the denizens of the Village Hidden by Sand. The Wind Country was easily identifiable by a few select things that easily discerned it from another village. The first thing was easily identified as the vast expanse of desert that decorated the earth within the borders of Kaze no Kuni. With the amount of land covered in the brilliant tan coloured grains, that most individuals would find annoying if it entered their footwear, it would take an eternity for one to simply count how much sand existed to make up the infamous deserts of Kaze no Kuni. Those who spent the majority of their lives within the Wind Country’s borders adapted to the abundance of sand that they would deal with on a daily occasion. If the sand did not make one aware of the different environment of Kaze no Kuni, the surely the temperature and humidity would provide them with the answer they sought. The direct heat that transferred from the sun to the ground of Kaze no Kuni basically made it so that an average barefooted individual would have a difficult time trying to stand on the sands without emitting a cry opposing the heat. Varying ranges of the humidity could easily affect one’s adventure throughout the desert, depending on the time of day. The coolness provided during the night could often make up for the extreme during the day. However, as one spent their life within these borders, having stayed at home, in Sunagakure no Sato, they would adapt to the two things that defined the Wind Country’s existence.

Stretching out his limbs, more specifically, his hamstrings, Seiryū released a yawn after he got up and out of his seat. After reaching with his right hand to attempt to cover his mouth, though it was in vain, the white-haired male reopened his eyes, his glimmering eyes scanning the immediate area, though he knew exactly where he was due to having visited this specific location hundreds of times throughout his time with the living, though that time was definitely far from over, after all he had certain things he wished to accomplish sooner rather than later. Noting that there were no people within his line of sight, Seiryū easily turned his head left and then to the right. Still there was no one about, not that he minded one bit as he had enjoyed his short fifteen minute nap. Though if there was one thing he had definitely learned in recent years was that there were individuals who were rather... odd in the activities they enjoyed, such as watching someone nap. That one instance still affected him somewhat to this day, though it definitely would be categorized as a non-threatening event, just creepy. Winding his right leg back and then kicking it forward, trying to get rid of the slight tingling sensation currently bothering him, Seiryū’s thoughts blanked for the moment, disregarding that single past event completely. There was no sand flying forward from the kick once his foot was replanted on the ground, a small thud could barely be heard as Seiryū’s black boot net the floor once more. In fact, there was nothing that really flew up in to the air, except perhaps a few miniscule unseen balls of dust. Blinking rapidly a few time to get rid of the tiny remnants of sleep, rheum, the shinobi walked away from the couch in the guard station, the one by the front gate, slowly staggering towards the gate to the outside world, or simply the door to go outside.

Today happened to be another day in Sunagakure no Sato in which the daily events would not shift the dynamics of the village, for there was nothing that Seiryū’s imagination could conjure up that could do such, with the exception of someone declaring war upon the Sand Village. Remembering that his shift was over, Seiryū attempted to figure out what he would do with the remainder of his time today. Figuring it best to take a long stroll before he planned anything for the night ahead, he stepped out on to the sandstone pavement outside of the guard station. Closing the door behind him and not truly glancing towards any of the people near him, Seiryū strode toward the gate, knowing that he’d have easy access to and from the village due to his familiarity with the majority of the guards, though that did not stop them from conducting the mandatory check on his chakra, to truly identify him as a member of the village.

Stepping out of the village, Seiryū slightly glanced down to his clothing, as it was nothing out of the ordinary that he would usually wear. While he did have his half-mask with him, it currently resided around his neck, hanging loosely, as Seiryū saw no need to wear it at the moment. Though he knew the instance that the wind would pick up, he would have to wear the mask. As such, he wished that the airstream would remain as it were. Though having grown used to the weather of the country, he could forecast himself that the weather would in fact remain this way. His clothing made it easy to bear with the heat, even if it was directly bearing down upon him. His loose white pants were tucked in to his almost knee-high leather boots, his dark tunic, which could appear as a dark purple given the angle in which the light shined upon it. Releasing a sigh, Seiryū supposed he could make his way around, perhaps walk for fifteen minutes and then make his way back. Knowing how long it would take, he knew that he would pass the Meeting Cactus in due time.

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Thoughts were being to trace back even further than his disappearance; to when he had lost his eye. His left arm came up to bring his hand over the hair that was covering an eyepatch over his left eye. He quietly clenched his jaw, remembering how everything had led up to him losing one of the things that made him an Uchiha: his left eye. A sharingan. The man quietly let his arm drop and turned to the meeting cactus, the images of that fateful day flooding back into his mind as if it were only yesterday. He was looking for someone, an old friend that had left him and the village behind. He had only recently become an ANBU at this point and had in his own way, left the village without permission. He had done so because he wanted his friend back, he wanted to keep him alive. Then, she had come. She called herself Seimei. She had begun talking to him, learning about him. Syekren had made a mistake. He exposed his identity as an ANBU to this women. He had nearly lost his life because of it. When she attacked, she was so fast, so precise, that he couldn't react. A lump formed in his throat as he remembered the roots she controlled pushing to his left eye, then into the socket removing the eye he loved so much. There was fatigue, bloodloss, he was beginning to black out. And when she died, he hadn't been able to get his eye back, not even been able to transplant it. He had simply wandered home, to report his failure.


Later on, after things had settled, Syekren had met another Uchiha. The first Uchiha he had met outside of his village, as he and his parents were the only Uchiha in the Sunagakure no Sato. But this new man, Ukio. He was a strange one, from the land hidden in the cloud. He was an Uchiha by birth and had come to visit the village to see what he might find. Admittedly, Syekren probably had something against him for sharing a similar sounding name as the woman who had taken his left eye. They had a bout, a sparring match as it were and as this went on, Syekren had began to think about the other Uchiha's eyes. They were only one tomoe to be sure, yet they were sharingan. So who was to say that he couldn't give up his eyes to someone who had lost one of his own? This came to pass in Syekren's mind and so the fight went on to the death, eventually leaving Syekren as the winner. He had murdered Ukio, and plucked the eyes from the young Uchiha's head, as well as taken his weapons and anything else that was on his person during the time. Syekren felt no remorse and instead hid the body under a sand dune close to the meeting cactus.

A lot has happened in this village since I've become an ANBU.


Indeed, a lot had happened to and inside the village thanks to the ANBU captain, Syekren. As he was getting lost in his thoughts, a form was approaching from the village. It was too far away to tell exactly who it was at this point. Though, Syekren wasn't worried too much about it. He quietly let out another sigh, moving towards the figure to meet them. He stopped when he was about forty-five meters away from the approaching figure, tilting his head to the left just slightly to move his hair from his eyes, as well as give him a better view. The figure wasn't approaching too fast or too slow, and with how the winds had died down, there wasn't much of a problem with the sand blowing up at this point so the figure was beginning to come into view, allowing Syekren to see that it was a white haired male, but other than that not much else was apparent.

Without even an attempt to silence them, each step that Seiryū took forward was cushioned by the layers of sand upon which his boots landed. With his clothes billowing in a light breeze that died down just as quickly as it came to fruition, Seiryū could see the object which would indicate the halfway point of his current walk, the Meeting Cactus. Considering he was some distance away, the green desert plant still but just a speck in the horizon, with the sun still glaringly high in the sky, not willing to meet the horizon anytime soon, perhaps in a few hours. He knew the cactus for what it was, essentially all natives of Sunagakure no Sato could easily distinguish the sole feature that indicated this specific desert flora to the rest occupying the vast expanse. However, from a distance it was still a bit difficult to distinguish, yet after seeing the prickly plant numerous times before, it basically became a second instinct to locate it, as it would never move on its own.

As the features of the Meeting Cactus become more apparent to the human eye, Seiryū immediately noticed a black figure standing next to it. Impossible to actually recognize the outline next to the desert plant, Seiryū knew to be cautious, yet he still had a bit of room to play with, though should it spell trouble, he’d be in a disadvantageous situation. For one, he lacked any form of weapon on his person, the tools he commonly used when it came to being a shinobi. The second was that this individual could be stronger than himself. Of course, the only thing working in Seiryū’s favour was that the guards were aware of his venture out here, before having to turn back. Should anything occur to Seiryū that would make him incapable of returning to the village would cause the current guards on duty to raise an alarm among themselves, though he had told them he’d be taking an hour at most.

The only advantageous aspect favouring Seiryū at this moment, however much his mind would deny it, was the kekkei genkai he inherited from his father, the Eye of the Heart. While he wasn’t as adept with the readings as those who spent a longer time within the Kōga compound, Seiryū had often been left to deal with it upon his own accord. His father had essentially instructed his mentor to instil it in him, yet from what Seiryū could deduce on his own, they hadn’t fully taught him how to utilize it, how to actually be able to read a person. Most of what Seiryū got from his kekkei genkai was based upon instinct or his own self-taught awareness, with few instances of his mentor’s teachings actually becoming of use to him so far.

His footsteps kept at a relatively normal pace, as he was definitely not eager to figure out what a cloaked figure would be doing here, though slowing down would just give away the hesitance he didn’t really feel right now. If anything, whatever occurred would occur. Though the first move would definitely not be on his part, because if this person was an ally or neutral, they wouldn’t display any sense of hostility, yet if they hostile, he would at least be able to predict the incoming attack, and perhaps retaliate with the few senbon and sole kunai he carried on him most of the time. His paces slowed down once he was within twenty feet of the figure, though he strode forward with confidence. If there was one thing he learned from living in the slums, there was always an opportunity to make his own. As he got within ten feet, Seiryu’s steps trailed even slower, stopping just short of seven feet before the cloaked figure. “Who are you? There was no point in playing games at the moment, as this was simply something he needed to deal with as a shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato.

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"Who are you?"

That was a question he was expecting, as the man stood before him, very cautiously. He couldn't have been more than seven feet away. Syekren looked over the other man quietly, his right eye scanning for anything that might give away who this guy was, before he'd have to give away any information of his own. Training as an ANBU should come in handy at this point,and Syekren hoped he paid enough attention during that training to gather information and choose his words carefully. He noticed a sash around the man's waist, but no bearing of a hitai-ate or any insignia showing which village he hailed from. The leather boots on his feet barely had any sand sticking to them, and his pants which were tucked into the boots didn't have much sand dripping down inside either, so he hadn't been out in the winds that long. Which could only mean the man in front of Syekren had come from close by: the village. He was either a resident or a visitor, and it was hard to tell which. He didn't look like anyone he'd met in the village before, but those piercing eyes, the way they seemed to watch him felt familiar. With a slight sigh and a shrug he quietly made up his mind to say as much as needed, and no more.

I don't see why my name is important, but nonetheless; I am Syekren. I'd like to ask your name as well, because you seem to be coming from the direction I am headed towards. You came from the village of Sunagakure no Sato, yes? Tell me, how have things been fairing there as of late?

Syekren watched the other male intently, waiting for any change in body language or mood or facial expressions due to the few questions he asked or the sound of his name. Intelligence gathering would be difficult only if your target didn't willingly give up more information than needed. The ANBU quietly awaited responses, thinking of what else he could say to this stranger that had abruptly asked for his name. Was this man someone who was to find Syekren? Had the Kazekage sent him? Was he simply wandering? Or did he intentionally happen upon the half-blind Uchiha? Whatever the reason may be, Syekren kept his guard up, but came off as relaxed towards the other man. There was no point in getting all bent out of shape if he meant to do Syekren no harm. And getting aggressive or taking a battle ready stance could elevate things to a point the Uchiha wasn't sure he wanted things to go. Nonetheless, he kept himself ready, yet relaxed and allowed his one blue hued eye to train onto the bridge of the nose of his conversationalist, allowing him to partially see both eyes.

It was a simple question, though one which could provide him with an endless amount of answers. Ignoring the few strands of white hair that fell out of place, now slightly obscuring his vision, Seiryū took note of the person’s body language. His dark facemask that rest around his neck brought him the urge to bring it up, should combat occur, yet he stood there, not moving to reach for his facemask whatsoever. His mask would only ever be used when he knew he would have to deal with a physical conflict, yet for this particular confrontation, Seiryū avoided doing such. For one, it just didn’t… feel right at this particular moment. The second was as simple as the motion would seem threatening. Noticing the sigh being released from the figure before him, Seiryū stood, continually trying to read him.

“I don't see why my name is important, but nonetheless; I am Syekren. I'd like to ask your name as well, because you seem to be coming from the direction I am headed towards. You came from the village of Sunagakure no Sato, yes? Tell me, how have things been fairing there as of late?”

Seiryū just took in the words, not really showing anything on his own part. Having been trained, however short the time was, by his father’s chosen mentor, Seiryū learned how to be able to deceive a person’s ability to read him, though instead of leading this Syekren to believe something opposite of his own thoughts, he just kept his calm façade. Never had he particularly asked for a name, but rather who was this person to these lands. One could easily answer such a question without having to give up any vital information about themselves. Since this person was indeed heading towards the village, as he had stated, Seiryū knew that he had some form of connection to the village. From the Kōga clan’s particular kekkei genkai, Seiryū knew this person was putting up a slight façade, acting calm while still tense on the inside. As for what specific reason, he could not deduce. Simply, his question asking about the welfare of the village was the most interesting piece of information that Seiryū acquired from the words spoken by this Syekren.

Considering the males dressing of trying to disguise himself and no apparent hitai-ate combined with the fact he had interest in the welfare of Sunagakure no Sato’s recent activities rose a bout of suspicion within Seiryū. There could be two possible scenarios as to what could his intentions be, and given the tenseness he was hiding, Seiryū was leaning towards one answer more than the other. Either he was an enemy of Sunagakure an ally. Though there was the odd chance of being a simple visitor. A visitor wouldn’t have the need for a disguise, so he ruled that possibility out on the spot. If he was a friend to Suna, then there was no need for a disguise either, unless he was hiding from someone. And an enemy would likely want to keep himself disguised to anyone he passes, or at least be able to categorize himself as a simple straggler.

Eyes travelling to the hooded eyes of the individual before him, he watched the blue eye of the shorter male, trying to get any other information out of them. Calmly, though, he would reply to the questions posed by Syekren. “Seiryū. And I did just come from Sunagakure no Sato. As for how it is faring, it is how it has always been.” He would leave a pause, searching for the next few words he wished to pose as a question. Taking his right hand to smooth his hair back, his purple eyes traveled to the cactus for a moment before they went back to this stranger.

“Now, what business do you have in Suna?”

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There were a few words from the other male, who was obviously doing exactly what Syekren was doing: sizing up the potential threat and looking to gain more information. Syekren had watched the other man's eyes as they scanned over his cloak and body, as well as made eye contact into the deep pools of azure. He must seem suspicious to anyone who cared about the welfare of the village in question, and as such Syekren ruled out this being an enemy or a simple visitor. He could be making the wrong assumptions and jumping to conclusions, but something about the way this man was acting reminded him of someone he knew quite well. He couldn't put his finger on just who though. Nonetheless, a name came forth from the other male's mouth, hidden behind that facemask of his: Seiryu. Syekren quietly made a mental note on the name and was thinking of checking the Sunagakure ninja dossier's once he made it back into the village. The male seemed to pose no danger as of yet, but Syekren had learned not to trust on sight, and with his ANBU training he had mastered control of his emotions as well as his body language. Whether he used that training or not was a completely different story. Pushing these thoughts from his mind, the Uchiha offered a smile, a facade, trying to ease the male's tension. He couldn't fake a smile, and he wasn't trying to hard, but he honestly didn't know how else to ease tension. He wasn't a happy person anymore so a real smile was out of his reach for now.

"Now, what business do you have in Suna?"

That caught him a bit off guard, to say the least. He hadn't actually thought of what he was going to do once he returned home. He wasn't one to divulge that sort of information to anyone, especially a stranger, but he himself didn't actually know an answer to the question. Syekren pondered his options and what to say for a moment. On the one hand, this was a stranger to him and obviously not someone to tell his personal information to. On the other hand, he didn't know what to say or why he was going to the village, so he wouldn't be lying if he answered as such. Though that may antagonize the man standing in front of him and he didn't know what type of person Seiryu was just yet. After a few moments in thought and careful deliberation, Syekren moved his right arm up to scratch the back of his head, in thought. This action was in bad taste, as his sleeve fell, exposing the burn scar of the Sunagakure symbol on his lower bicep. He noticed this and silently dropped his arm before looking into Seiryu's eyes and replying.

"I honestly don't know why I'm returning. I suppose it's because I feel as though my hiatus is over and I needed to return home. I'm sure the Kazekage has been bewildered or at least annoyed at my absence. "

He had probably given a bit too much information to this stranger, but not enough to let his intentions be known, would he have had any. His words rang true though, as the village's only ANBU he was sure to be missed by the Kazekage. He could imagine her scolding him for being gone so long, or telling him he needs to be more responsible. She may understand that sometimes you need to get away. Though then again, he is an ANBU basically supposed to be at her beck and call the instant she needs him. She must not have needed him too bad though, seeing as from what Seiryu said, the village was fine. That is, if he were telling the truth. Syekren decided to take this bit of information with a grain of salt for the time being and focus more on the conversation at hand. The question was, how far would this go?

The movements made by this Syekren character only made him wonder more about the intentions of the individual. Not only was there hesitation to answer, but the mere gesture of him scratching the back of his head with his right hand, made him wonder how much thought was really needed to be put in to a simple answer, though Seiryū’s eyes caught the glimmering of something dark when compared to the tone of the teen’s skin. Upon what normally would match the rest of his skin tone was the redness of skin that would forever be with the individual. A piece of flesh burnt to mark whom he worked for, for whom his life was practically sacrificed for. That symbol he could recognize anywhere, for it meant something to him, as his eyes saw the burnt flesh of Syekren’s lower bicep, even if it was just momentarily. What would normally be engraved upon a hitai-ate, was instead burnt on to flesh, the simplicity of the symbol recognizable to all whom had an inkling of knowledge about the major shinobi nations. The hourglass with a bar above it was the symbol of the major shinobi village which claimed the Wind Country as its home. So this man was affiliated with the village, though his allegiances now could easily be questioned.

And then the shorter male before him spoke out, “I honestly don't know why I'm returning. I suppose it's because I feel as though my hiatus is over and I needed to return home. I'm sure the Kazekage has been bewildered or at least annoyed at my absence.”

The statement posed by him certainly raised some curiosity from Seiryū, yet he didn’t speak out immediately, as he digested the words. So he was affiliated with Sunagakure no Sato, and still claimed to be a friend to the village, if his words were anything to go by. Still not entirely used to reading someone, his instincts, and what he could tell from the Eye of the Heart, Syekren was telling the truth. Though the question was what was the reason behind the boy’s absence from the village? He supposed that wasn’t something he truly needed to know, yet it raised a small bout of curiosity as to why. His disappearance wouldn’t affect Seiryū’s daily life, thus it was something he could care far less about at this moment. Far too stuck in his earlier suspicions, he supposed that it was simply for the best if he went on about his day.

Instead of going forward towards the cactus, he supposed it would be for the best if he stepped back and made his way back to the village on his own. If this individual sought entrance to the village itself, they would know the way, seeing as how they identified Sunagakure no Sato as home, Syekren would be able to find his own way back to the village. With his gaze wandering off to the side opposing the cactus, staring off in to the vast stretch of desert, Seiryū spoke calmly compared to his initially words to this individual, “Then that is for you to decide. Surely if the Kazekage seeks your audience, you’ll have it.” Turning around on the spot, and taking a step back towards the village, he looked over his shoulder before continuing further forward. “I’m sure you know how to find your way back to the village you call home.” With that said, Seiryū once again continued his walk, this time returning back to the village of Sunagakure no Sato.

His steps back towards the village were at exactly at the same pace as he had taken when he was coming out here to the Meeting Cactus. It had been originally meant to be a casual stroll here and back, simple as that, yet here he was, just moments ago having talked to a complete stranger on his walk, someone who seemed to call Sunagakure no Sato home. If this meeting would affect Seiryū, he’d surely see the events unfold within the village if this individual held much significance to the village.

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Training:

OOC: Sorry for the necro  post, just getting 2,600 for stats and exiting.

Syekren quietly ambled after the male, making his way towards his home once more. The man had been away too long from this place and was ready to see it again, if only for a few weeks. Home was where the heart was, after all.

EXIT

45+2,597=2,642

Training Reaction Time B-1 to B-3: 1,700/1,700
Training Speed B-2 to B-3: 900/900
42 discarded