It was the day after Fukai had walked out of the chuunin exams. Fukai was standing at the back of the convoy that was heading back to his village. It was the end of his ventures in Kumogakure, the end of his big adventure abroad. He had been here for what seemed like an eternity but finally it was time to head home. He had met lots of interesting people and learned many things. He would surely get back as a different person to when he left. For better or worse, he was leaving his old self in the past. It would be a long journey but it was one he was rather looking forward to. In the months that had lead up to the exams, he had grown continually exited at the prospect that he would be traveling to a different country. This was the first time that he had ever been outside the land of rock and he was not sure what he was going to get himself into. But after all this time, he was glad to be going back. It was simply where he had always been and would always belong.

He would have a lot of work to do when he got home, He would be expected to pull more weight as far as workload and responsibility was concerned. But he had promised himself to keep growing in strength and stature so that he may care out his own notions upon the world. It was all neccesary even if it wasn't all pleasurable. Yes, he would keep continuing along this path however long hong he could and whichever direction it would take him. It would be a long path but he had cemented his resolve over his recent experiences. He knew who he was and what he wanted. He was sure of himself. Once he went down this path, he doubted that things would ever be the same.

He was not going back alone, he had met a girl by the name of Adzumi Mizuno in his times in Kumogakure. Fukai had been able to secure her a spot on the convoy back to Iwa, apparently she wanted to train there. There was also the fact that he had some alterior ambitions when it came to her, but that would have to wait for later. It would not do to put on a display in front of any of his comrades especially after he walked out on the chuunin exams. He had already heard whispers among the men that they blamed Mizuno's sudden appearance with his exit. It certainly looked fishy but the truth was that she had nothing to do with it. It was his maturation that had driven him to exit the exams.

When he first came, he had the intention of doing all he could to represent his village as was his prescribed duty. But as he met people and figured himself out, he realised that all this stuff didn't matter. He was keen to get back home and put in the hard yards to make a difference. There was also the troubling issue that he had chanced upon when he spyed on Yuurei Jet and his supervisor having a private meeting. He would have to investigate this further. Fukai did not trust the Iwagakure establishment with this issue, as far as he was concerned, Dano Kudaru was one of the heads of a deep rooted pyramid of power that existed in the village. He was smart enough to avoid taking it head on. He had secured Jet's favour for now but there was no telling how long that minx would stay on his side. He would have to be constantly wary of a kunai in the back when he treaded such soils.

He was worried about the world that he would be taking Mizuno into. It was not a safe one, but then again, their shared occupation was not one that was safe. She may even turn out to be a valuable ally in good time. But there was also the chance that she could be some sort of spy.. Fukai had not figured out how to deal with this fact yet other than supervise her, he could not rely on her fully until he trusted her completely.

Whatever would happen in the future was unclear, but Fukai would keep walking confidently towards the concealed horizon.

[739]
Travel Kumo>Iwa complete
~exit~

Walking through the large gates of Kumogakure out into the grey area of the world was a chilling thing for Adzumi. The feeling was something like leaving the warmth of your mother's arms and jumping into a cold dark pool. Her pack on her back swayed along with her footsteps, in it was simple things like some travel foods, water, some extra ninja supplies, and that creepy mask she had bought weeks ago, it may come in handy later on to make an escape or to execute some sort of initiation mission she didn’t know. Her mind wandered to the day she had bought that mask, she had just rushed out of restaurant after humiliating herself in front of Haruo… she swallowed hard. She had been so focused on getting her training started that she had forgotten about Haruo the boy she had grown close with and who protected her at the falls. Her eyes welled up slightly as the guilt began to descend on her with a full force.
Haruo wasn’t the only one she was abandoning for a time, she had also left her father that morning with no one to care for him while she was away. That drunk bastard was the reason she never could get serious with her work, her heart began to lighten up from guilt as it was swallowed by anger and hate. That place, it was poison to her, Kumogakure only hurt her, held her down and beat her.For once in her life she was doing something for her, disregarding consequences that followed. Turning slightly as she walked she looked back the the village as it began to shrink in the distance and with each step she could feel her emotional ties being severed one by one, as if by a rusty knife. Giving a final sigh she faced forward once more, eyeing the convoy she was in, placed in the very back she had a pretty good view of everyone. For a moment she had the feeling a prisoner might have, the view of every person around her being an Iwagakure village member made her stick out even more than her appearance already did.
Only one member of the convoy was really familiar, with that blood red scarf draped around him he walked a few feet to her left, making as little eye contact as possible. Ever since she was accepted on this trip he had been giving her the coldest shoulder possible, saying no more than the necessary words to her and refusing physical contact of all kinds. It was a drastic change in personality for Fukai, she wasn’t used to being ignored by a huge group of people and when the only attention she does get are flashes of dirty looks and hushed whispers.
This was it though, she was leaving and hopefully the training she would receive was worth it, she steeled herself to the people around her and held her head high, her feet following the road to a foreign place.

[509]