Zu awoke from his slumber early in the morning as the bustling noises of the world seemed to awake him from the slumber. Zu, since coming to Suna, had no place to live and little money to even survive. He seemed to be moving backwards away from the purpose of him being there to find a way to hone his skills and define himself to the world instead of being just a no body. A man threw some water from out his window as it came crashing down on Zu just as he was sitting up. With a long sigh, Zu could not bring himself to cause any drama. He was lucky to even be here and he could not start a reason for this village to see him as an enemy. With a shake of his head to get most the water off, Zu got up to walk around the village early in the morning. Like his old village, the true workers were awake even before he was. Busy making the village of Sunagakure a better place one sweat drop at a time. While walking through the village, Zu had his hood on covering his face from the others out there. It would seem that people just knew he was not a part of them. Something in their gut told them Zu was not one of them, and thus he felt ostrasized by that fact. Some would not even look him in the face while walking by, others did not even notice he existed till they would run into him and wait there for an apology. Of course, Zu would apologize, it is his heart that gave more feelings than his head. Perhaps it was better for all that he did indeed grow up in a loving house before being taken from them. In that moment of thought while Zu was staring at another man who was angrily waiting for his apology for Zu bumping into him. Zu however, was not quite there. His mind had wandered far from where it originally was. Deep in his mind, the memories of his... rage... surfaced as large amounts of blood seemed to cover his body. Zu looked down at this hands and they were stained red, almost as if he had bathed in their blood and maybe he did. Zu quite did not remember much from those days, and it was best he kept them aside. The man that Zu had ran into however, was not in a happy mood. With his big belly, short stubby fingers, and snarky attitude, he gave a hard poke to Zu's chest before speaking in an angry tone,

"What are you deaf or stupid? Do you know who I am? I am the best trade merchant around these parts and you better show me some respect boy or you will regret it. Now on your knees and apologize."

Zu was lost in his mind as the man spoke, only blood was seen. Even the people around him seemed covered in blood in Zu's eyes. They all were walking around covered in blood and bodily damage. His mentality seemed to be slipping from him slowly but surely. Zu dropped to his knees with his hands on his head, his head shook side to side as he tried to envision his past childhood while tears fell from his face. He tried to think of the times before the beatings, before the slavery, before.... the blood, oh how much blood. Why did the gods damn him with this curse? What ancestor of his pissed off which god and would this last forever? Can Zu even last that long like this? His mind tortured him, the more he thought of his happy past the more the pain seemed to be real as he could never return to such a simple time. The merchant that Zu ran into earlier spat on Zu calling him a freak before walking off in a defiant march as if he had won a brawl with Zu. Zu would not even remember that man nor what he said when he came out of his mental stasis. By the time Zu noticed what was happening, many people were looking at him with a queer look on their faces. Kids, adults, even animals seemed to look at this large man on the ground with large streams of tears from his eyes with disgust. Zu feeling ashamed, ran... and ran far away from these people and their hateful eyes that seemed to damn him with every blink. The kind of eyes that made him feel like a pestilence. Then again perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him.  When he felt alone in a dark ally that no one seemed to be around, he started to breath heavy to catch his breath leaning on the wall. With a wipe of his face, the tears were gone about as fast as they appeared. Zu, forced himself up with every ounce of strength he could muster. He needed to get his mind off of this, to get it out of the turmoil it landed itself in. The only hope for him would be to exit the gates and blow off steam outside. Zu began to walk toward the gates, at least if he died out there practicing or loses control... No one would be hurt by him again and it was scary that he was perfectly fine with dying. A faint voice seemed to call to him.... Kill all of them, Zu turned around and no one was there and it worried him even more. He did not want to hurt anyone, he came here to be able to control his powers not be a prisoner to them. Zu was making little to no progress, but he had to try and press on. It was the only thing he really could do so long as his body could still move.

WC:993

Syekren's form moved from the administration building quietly. He was dressed as normal: his black shinobi netted shirt with blackout sleeves covering his arms, a shinobi gi vest and tights matching the color of his vest, and his black tabi with matching black sandals. He was wandering from the administration building, wiping a bit of soot off of his headband from his last mission, a satisfied smirk to his face. He'd just returned from the slums, killing the menace that had been plaguing them with a spree of murders, and burnt him to a crisp.  Somewhere along the lines his hitai-ate had gotten some soot on it and he had just finished cleaning it off, retying it about his forehead and pulling the left edge over his eye. Syekren was in a good mod today and wanted to get out and do something instead of sitting around waiting for his next mission. He could go ahead and meet with someone for a drink? Nah, he'd rather just get out of the village for a training session so that he could have time to grow stronger.

Syekren silently moved from his position to continue his move through the village. He stopped at a few stalls in the market district, grabbing a few canteens full of fresh water, roughly a half gallon in size each. He planned to do some hard training for the day and needed adequate hydration. After that he collected come breads and cheeses from another stall and, munching the bread, he packed everything into a bag, and waved to the shop keepers. While walking through the village towards the gates, eating his bread, Syekren noticed people looking towards the gates while whispering and glaring. Apparently something was going on today and these people were having a hard time being polite about their glaring and talking. Shaking his head, the special jounin continued on his way, finishing his bread and taking a long swig from his large canteen, giving an 'ahh' after which, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Syekren replaced his canteen in the bag, holding it over his shoulder as he walked to the gates to exit the village. Syekren stopped, waiting for them to open and turned to his left, seeing a familiar mountain of muscle, trying to exit the village as well. Syekren tried to recall who he was, but came up blank. Oh right, this guy was one of the wanderers Syekren had seen on his way back to the village. He had passed out shortly after Syekren met with him and the other sand ninja. Syekren had to carry him to the outpost he had been heading to so that he wouldn't die out in the wasteland of the sands. With a sigh, Syekren recalled that he hadn't actually gotten the wandering ninja's name. He'd left much too quickly for that and had no idea what he should call the male at this point. Rubbing his chin, Syekren made a mental note to get names from people upon the first meeting next time and he reached up then, tapping on the man's shoulder.

"Hey there, not sure if you remember me. I'm Syekren. The special jounin who stopped you before. It seems like you got into the village just fine? I didn't catch your name before so pardon me if I don't know it just yet. But if you'd grace me with it, you can join me in my ventures out towards this nice little place I usually train at. I brought an extra canteen, in case I needed it."

Syekren chuckled and smiled, his voice like silk dancing in the wind of the sand, while his laughter was a flutter that was charming and harmonious to the ears. He waited with the other male as the gate continued to open, moving out as the gate would open, heading in the southern direction towards his destination. Should his companion follow, he'd mention that the dunes were very rare in this direction, and so they wouldn't have much trouble in their travels.

WC 733

Zu in his turmoil as distracted by a small tap upon his shoulder while he was trying to leave the village. Turning around to see what touched him, he was met by the person who had helped him earlier. Taking off his hoodie, he looked at this person as the person spoke in a soothing manner. The face seemed familiar but his memories were a blur now at the moment, when this person spoke about training, his attention focused more on that than previous thoughts. It would seem that the person knew of a good spot to train which was a relief for Zu, and since his rank maybe he could learn a thing or two from him. Zu smiled a little at that thought, and the luck seemed to turn well. Like that he had remembered him, the one that stopped him before he had passed out. Zu would have to put faith in him once more and hope nothing bad happened. Deep down, he could not but help to worry should he lose himself during it. The Sp. Jounin status was quite a high one from what Zu has heard. Perhaps he could stop him but he hoped it would not come to such matters.

With a small bow and a friendly but deep voice he replied, "My name is Zu and I must thank thee once again. I am in your villages debt.
Sorry about before and being a burden, the walk was quite far and treacherous. I would be honored to train with you. Please lead the way."

Zu did another small bow and held it with his arm stretched towards the gates. Zu would follow him to the south direction to the spot. The walk was not bad for Zu as somehow as if having someone near him calmed him a little. He was not thinking in his head which was a blessing. What could he really learn from this man though he wondered for most of the part. Syekren mentioned about dunes that were uncommon around here and they should be fine. Zu had to make sure not to cause a problem as he was quite a skilled person to hold a title as that. Along the walk Zu decided to spark a conversation, "Can I be so bold as to ask what can you do. I have never met someone as strong as that and honestly curiosity is getting the best of me. I lack proper control, but if it helps in training I would like to think I am good at Medical Ninjutsu and Ninjutsu. Actually cutting or hitting someone just never suited me. I just try to help people honestly...".

His voice trailed off while following Syekren. He had a small flash of bodies covered around the sands as they seemed painted red. Zu shook his head a little with eyes closed before opening and they were gone. In truth, he did want to help people. While somewhere deep inside of him, knew that sometimes to do so death must be delivered. For now his thoughts were away from such things or so he would like to think. He would focus on this kind companion and hope he can learn something of use for him. Something he can use to progress through this ninja world. To find the strength to save people and not cause any harm. Zu just wanted to feel normal, like.... he could be someone and not a monster like he would think he is. While deep in his heart he wanted to give into the rage inside of him. In those moments he would forget of his burdened past, but only for a short while.

WC:618
Total: 1611

"Don't even worry about it." Syekren waved off the apologies as if it was no big deal and took in the man's name. Zu, eh? Quite the name for a fellow of this man's look and whatnot but Syekren was no judge for names nor who should properly bear them. Still, his invitation for training together was accepted and the two had set off in the southern direction out of the gate, heading for Syekren's secret place. As they walked through the small uncommon dune and traversed the great sands, it seemed that Zu's thirst for knowledge on the man he was following seemed to grow and so he began to speak once more. He wished to know what Syekren did, explaining that he had a strong curiosity for it. He then went on to explain that he lacked proper control, but if it would help in training he would classify himself as good at iryo ninjutsu and normal ninjutsu. He didn't seem to like cutting or hitting someone, it never suited him and he only wished to help people. This was surprising to Syekren, as a man of his stature was better suited to something that would do harm, like taijutsu. Still, he shrugged it off and continued walking before he decided to speak.

"My profession is a bit of a secret of the trade, unfortunately. But I am a ninja who enjoys training so sometimes I work with academy students on training dummies and teach them new jutsu or tactics. So I guess you could say I'm a glorified teacher. As for my strengths, I've always excelled in Ninjutsu, of the katon nature mostly. Thanks to being an Uchiha I have a natural affinity for both of those specialties. The real masterpiece of my art comes from my intense training in Taijutsu and Raiton nature chakra. I've also been known to use Fuuton nature chakra, but I only just learned how to do so. In truth, I'm no more skilled than most ninja, and certainly I lag behind others of my rank. I was just exceptionally skilled as a genin and rose in the ranks quickly due to my loyalty to Sunagakure no sato and how close I was to the last Kazekage. It was her goodwill that helped me get to where I am today, though I'll say I'm no push over."

He laughed a bit, a soft and fluid chuckle, smiling back to his companion as they walked. He noticed that Zu seemed a bit distracted by something, perhaps something he was thinking of was giving him that look, but Syekren thought it rude to interrupt his thoughts.  It was only a few more minutes before they reached an area that had patches of grass around, very out of character for the desert. As they walked they would find themselves with dead trees on either side, close enough to make a path, bending over them to form a type of natural archway. It was creepy, yet beautiful and the dead trees eventually started to have moss and other flora growing upon them, a characteristic that was rare in Kaze no kuni, but became apparent as they finally entered a clearing. There was an oasis of running water, undisturbed natural beauty here. There was a large pond with a small waterfall, constantly refreshing the source of water. The pond itself was around 30m in diameter and was surrounded by lush grass and small flowers. Off to the right of the pond was a small area outlined with ropes on the ground where there was a bit of sand and three or four weathered trees. The trees had obviously been used for weapon and jutsu training, and the roped area was big enough to have a spar inside it. It was quite the beautiful sight and Syekren stopped over on a large rock, placing his bag of items upon it.

"That waterfall comes form the reservoir's supply. It is leaked out and in most cases it would cause issues. But apparently at the bottom of this pond is an underground cavern that has the water travel back to the reservoir, being drawn back out. It's like our own little ecosystem. No one else has found this place yet, and I sort of train here when I have the time. It's serene and promotes growth. I mean, look at it! Even in the desert, something as beautiful as this can grow with enough help. It's poetic."

Syekren chuckled and pulled out the items from his bag: the breads and cheeses, the two large canteens of water. He set them up on the rock, on top of the bag to keep them out of the dirt on the rock and to keep the food somewhat fresh for them once they finished their training session. Syekren then stepped away from the rock, putting his hands on his hips and looking around blissfully. Normally he'd be distrustful of strangers, especially wanderers, but something about this place always put him at ease and made him feel happier. As though things were right with the world before he'd lost his eye to the she-devil.

WC: 879 + 733 = 1,612

Zu was flabbergasted by the man's bloodline. Even a minimal knowledge of the shinobi world like himself have heard of the legends of the Uchiha. The feared fighters that were rivaled by none but the Senju in the early days of war many years ago. Zu, did not however know of their strengths or powers. He only knows that they are of a strong lineage that held respect and power behind the name. It was something he would not forget, especially now that he knows someone who is from there. The sheer fact that an Uchiha would take their time to help him troubled him more than anything. He was a nobody yet this man had went out of his way to help him and had no obligation to. Zu was not from his village nor clan, he was just a wandering broken soul trying to keep his sanity or water inside a highly broken cracked vase. The harder he tries to keep his sanity the worse it seemed to be. Yet, despite that one fear, he felt calmed around this jounin. He was not just a normal shinobi but a Uchiha. Syekren could indubitably stop him before he could hurt another and that one fact alone eased his mind for just a moment. The Uchiha spoke more of his specialties and his hobbies which were quite something. It is rather odd that Jounin would take their time to teach academy students about Ninjutsu. Usually such a task was left to people of lower rank or perhaps less combat ability. Zu could sense the man was on an entirely different league than his own, but somehow wanted to keep up with him. Syekren would scoff his power off as minor claiming that it was his relationship with the Kazekage that really gained his title, but Zu knew that was a lie. People are not appointed to such positions without proper proof of might. Maybe the man was hiding something from him, but Zu would not press such matters. He could not come off as rude to this man. Syekren could kill him here without anyone ever knowing and probably caring.

The spot Syekren mentioned was beyond what Zu had originally imagined. Zu had just thought of a vast open sand dunes as far as the eye could see. He never expected to even see a waterfall in such a desolate place, yet right before his eyes was indeed a rather serene place. The fellow shinobi gave small mentions of why he enjoyed the place, but Zu could already tell why. Just as Syekren mentioned the place was something out of a poem that brought quite an interesting view. Almost as if this spot was something out of a book. The clear waters that had a rather refreshing look to it. At first Zu wanted to walk up and drink the water but he decided it was best to make sure it was not of sacred reasons. Last thing he needed was to die just because he drank water, but he figured that would not be the case. It was always better to be safe than sorry. Zu walked towards to body of water and knelt down to get a closer look. After a brief moment of letting in the beauty of it, Zu stood back up taking off his jacket to show his bare chest. While he indeed did have muscles, it was from hard labor and not from training the body. Even if he knew how to use his strength of his muscles he dared not to. Zu brushed the hair from his face momentarily before speaking in a calm voice that held a friendly tone it.

"I thank you for showing me this place. It is rather something else that I expected not to see in this place.", Zu paused as he looked to the sky and closed his eyes momentarily before opening them and spoke back to Syekren in the same friendly tone he used before. "No reason to burn the daylight away talking right? Please sir, help me train and learn more about chakra. I have never been to a shinobi school and all of this is new to me. In reality, I just need to learn how to use this body to its fullest potential in order to help people. Something in my soul needs to make amends for the past, and the only way to do that is to help those in the present. I beg of thee, take me as your unofficial student, I need someone of your knowledge, power, and lineage to guide me along,
Syekren Uchiha."

Zu gave a rather low bow towards the man he was speaking to. He did not know if the shinobi would accept, Syekren only accepted to help train with him, not become his teacher. Zu knew not if there were consequences for taking in a student that was not from your village, but he had to try and try he will. If Syekren declined his plea, Zu would hold no animosity towards him, how could he. Zu knew little of this world as apposed to Syekren and would thus trust the man's ultimate decision and choices in helping him train. Perhaps, this was the start of a friendship which scared Zu more than most things or perhaps this was the start of something else. The start of Zu feeling like he was not a monster. A reason to hold his head up high and become a talented shinobi. Zu would entrust his life with this Syekren Uchiha, having an enormous amount of respect for him and will listen to anything the man explained or tried to teach him. Zu leaned back up to face the man in the eyes and waited for him to reply to his question of teaching him.

WC:978
Total: 2589

Syekren was busying himself with checking the trees as well as the area around the small sparring arena that was set up while the mountain of muscle had decided to look at the beautiful water. He seemed hesitant on whether it was safe to drink and Syekren chuckled a bit. "Fresh from the reservoir, it's safe enough to drink. Pretty crisp too. I also have another large canteen here." He motioned to the other canteen on the rock that was unopened as he busied himself to make sure that everything was set in place. The trees used for training were sturdy enough to keep withstanding jutsu and weaponry, anything the two could throw at it. They would be fine to do a bit of training and go all out, these trees would still be standing no matter what they threw at them and this made Syekren happy. He knew he was growing as a ninja, and that his strength was becoming much larger than it had been before, but he didn't want to destroy the trees that had given him so much for training practice over the years. In truth, he was using the trees as a sort of way to get back at the now dead woman, Seimei, who had taken his eye before. Destroying them just seemed to be taking it much to far, though, and he wanted to use them to keep practicing.

Zu began to speak again and Syekren turned his head to look at the male, tilting his head quizzically. The man was thanking Syekren for showing him such a place, but in all reality, it was only right. He was shown this place long ago by a great friend, so why not share it with others? Syekren watched the other man quietly as he stared up at the sky, and then with a smile, turned back towards Syekren and mentioned there was no point in burning daylight. They were here to train after all, and should get going on that as soon as possible. He wanted to train and learn about chakra, but there wasn't much that Syekren could actually teach him that an academy wouldn't. Unless.. He hadn't gone to an academy. Syekren mentally face palmed because he realized as a wanderer, Zu would not have had any formal ninja training and learned about the tenketsu or chakra networks, or how chakra works for ninjutsu and such. With a scratch to the back of his head, Syekren looked up to the sky.

He was still talking and Syekren tried to take everything in. He wanted to make amends and help people, as though he'd done something in his past. But what could he have done? Syekren was instantly suspicious, because he worried for the safety of his village. Take him as an unofficial student though? Such things were... Strange. Syekren had a squad already but students were another thing entirely. He wasn't used to someone wanting to be under his tutelage and to have someone ask him for it so earnestly was altogether unheard of. Zu said he needed someone of Syekren's knowledge, power, and lineage. But the only claim to his lineage that Syekren actually had was the eyes that had been grown in hate and discord. Could something like that really be useful for someone to grow as a ninja wanting to help people? Syekren doubted it very surely but if he was to turn this man away no, who's to say what could happen down the line? With a sigh, Syekren chose his words carefully.

"I can take you as my student, but I have a few things to ask you first. The first question is, how much do you know about tenketsu and the chakra networks? The second is what do you know of the Uchiha? And well.. My last question.. What did you do in your past that you need to make amends for? This is important, possibly the most important because I am charged with protecting this village with my life. I don't want to teach someone who will use the knowledge to just turn around and destroy everything I've spent my life protecting. So tell me.. What is it you're running from? We've all done something bad, myself I... Well. A spar went too far and I didn't stop when I needed to. But the point is. I moved past it and I need to know what you must make amends for so I can help you reach a stable place of mind." Syekren's eye watched the man as he spoke, tinting red every once in a while. He was considering using his sharingan to pay attention to the minute details of the man's face. It would probably bluff him into thinking Syekren could tell if he was lying, but Syekren didn't activate it just yet

WC: 827 + 1,612 = 2,439

Syekren began to ask many questions to Zu to which he began to panic a little. He did not want the village to fear him for if he should lose control of his mentality. Zu had been very careful up till now about expending his chakra and using his blood limit. The sheer thought of hurting others made him cringe just a little. Syekren seemed highly interested in what Zu meant when he said he needed to make amends. Zu deep down knew he should not have spoken of such a thing but also felt like he had to. Perhaps if he could share his troubles with another maybe it would alleviate some of the pain he felt in his heart. The people he killed, in his eyes, deserved it. Hell, Zu actually deep down enjoyed ripping their bodies apart one by one as the blood rained, despite how much he tried to deny it. There was something in him that even he could not explain, a darkness that seemed to be enveloping the light of his soul. Hiding the good he could accomplish by the fear of hurting others. This simple fact was what held Zu back by miles. While the first two questions he could not answer with full confidence, he decided he would address the main issue. Syekren was right, it was his job to protect his village and he had the right to know. Zu looked down at the ground for a moment as if collecting his thoughts before speaking, "To be honest Syekren-san, I have hurt many people. People who killed my family just to have more control of their small insignificant area. Suna was the first village and the closest that we could ask for help but my small farming village was turned down due to financial reasons. I was enslaved at a very young age, so young that almost all of my memories are of the beatings I received for making their anger turn to me and not the other slaves. For many nights I dreamed of their demise, I wanted it. I needed it. The longer I was there the worse my mental state became. By the time I realized what had happened, everyone from the old masters to the slaves were dead. That is why I must learn more about my prowess by any means necessary. Trust me when I say I just want to help people, I really do. I mean no harm to Suna nor its people. I am just worried that I might lose control again like last time... I... I dont think I could handle it. As for your previous questions, I know nothing of Uchiha other than the name. Even my small village has heard to stay clear of your clan because I heard your people were on a different level than most shinobi. Surely you have heard stories of the old and what your people can do. As for the whole chakra system thingy you spoke of, idk what that is. All I know how to do is minor healing techniques and.... well... I can morph my body. With proper training, I am sure I can help many people. Please, do not think I am a threat. I do not have friends aside from those I have met here which consists of you and Rokumaru, if I could be so bold as to call you a friend."

Zu felt like he spoke a lot, but he needed to get that off his chest. Perhaps Syekren will view him a monster and smite him down. The simple thought of it was nice, to not feel anything anymore. No more pain, hate, anger, and fear. To have it all just vanish was almost something he wanted, but there was something he wanted more than that. Which was to help people to keep them alive and happy. For each life Zu could save, he would feel one step closer to realizing his true potential and perhaps meaning in life. He had none, he just sort of lived. Zu would have to wait for this shinobi to make the final decision of whether Zu was a threat or not. Any choice he made, Zu would not hold it against him even if these were his final moments.

WC:719
Total:3308

Syekren watched as the mountainous man's demeanor changed like that of a child being scolded by a parent. In truth, Syekren was only curious about what he'd meant by making amends and did not expect such an honest and detailed answer. Syekren quietly kicked at the trees' bases to make sure they were sturdy and walked around the small sparring area while the other male spoke. There was a bit about slavery and captives, and being turned down by Sunagakure no Sato when aid was requested. This bit saddened Syekren, because he knew the village would do such a thing. It had been three hundred years since the decline of Sunagakure and their financial status was only dropping further thanks to the land of Wind's Daimyos never learned to stop using the land of fire's resources and services over their country's own. It was for that reason that things had been so tense in the past with the leaf village and Syekren was surprised no one had learned anything since. It was as though after Kazekage Gaara, things resumed their normal flow. It was sickening.

So Zu had killed the slave masters and probably some slaves, that didn't matter too much. Syekren was not innocent in the least. When it came to him losing control though, Syekren would have to keep an eye on him, lest things get worse. With a sigh, Syekren noted that his new student wasn't actually versed in the Tenketsu or the Uchiha, much less basic academy teachings. Which would make teaching him all the more challenging. Syekren stared at the tree in front of him quietly, contemplating how he would teach this man about the chakra networks and how to utilize them properly. Truth be told, he was no medic so he didn't know much about them other than what was taught in the ninja academy at a very basic level. For Zu to find some sort of knowledge that would be any worth to him, he'd have to find someone better versed in medical practices than Syekren was. That would be one thing that Syekren couldn't exactly teach him and expect him to come out being more knowledgeable with. Another sigh was emitted before Syekren finally spoke.

"Contol is in the mind. If one wishes to control themselves they must exude effort in doing so. I'm admittedly not as versed in the chakra networks as I'd like to be, so I'd recommend you find another ninja well versed in medical ninjutsu so you can learn what you need. What I can tell you is that the tenketsu is a network of points in the body that distribute and harness the energies of mind and body to mold them into chakra. This chakra is then used to formulate jutsu of different elements and specializations. For instance, my tenketsu would have my chakra travelling to my fists should I want to bring them alight with fire. Uchiha have chakra formed in their eyes to utilize with their dojutsu. It's not too hard to grasp. Don't worry about your past, as long as you can move forward and learn from it. If you do lose control, I'll have to be there to stop it. That's my job. Now quit stalling and get over here.  I want you to use a jutsu on this tree to show me what you can do."

With that, Syekren stepped out of the way to spectate and try to understand what the man could do with his 'morphing' abilities. To be fair, he'd never actually heard of anyone being able to morph their body further than something with transformation jutsu. But that was more so a disguise than actual morphing. This would be somewhat interesting, should the wanderer be able to actually do what he'd claimed to be able to do. But would he actually use a morphing ability, or would it be something like the transformation? He could just opt to use a different type of jutsu entirely to be honest, it would be interesting to see the outcome of the man's choice.

WC: 702 + 2,439 = 3,141

Zu nodded as Syekren was right, the day was burning away and neither of them have began to train. Zu was hesitant to display what he could do because it was minimal, yet the only way to get better is to practice. With a deep breath he figured now would be the best time to try this jutsu. From his back two tube like holes were made as his body began to morph into his Supplementary Movement Transformation. Kneeling a bit before he used his chakra to boost his speed while going towards the tree. While the jutsu was not quite strong, his experience using these transformations were bare minimal. Luckily for him, the transformation did not seem to have much impact on his mentality as he would focus the minor hatred towards this tree. With a decent hit, his fist landed and he followed up with a kick. Each and every hit hurt him as the tree proved to be quite the adversary. Zu jumped back with deep breaths and smiled with a thumbs up. Trickles of blood ran down his hand and leg from hitting the tree. If Zu knew any better he would guess the tree would win against him in a fight as he seemed to have taken more damage than it did. The scrapes and bruising did not really hurt Zu, these were just minor pains that could be ignored. Taking the opportunity to practice even further, he began to use Minimal Cellular Skin regeneration. The scrapes and bruisings seemed to vanish and he wiped his blood off his knuckles with a slight smile of accomplishment. He had not felt the excitement of combat nor the rush of pushing your body to further heights. Zu was always afraid to lose control, but would try his hardest not to around him. At least if he did, Syekren said he would intervene. Heartily, Zu spoke to Syekren in a somewhat joking manner, "Seems I just lost to a tree huh?"

Zu stretched his body as he felt like things were just warming up. Honestly, his curiosity was what Syekren could do. Zu spoke shortly after his long stretch, "It would seem I have a long ways to go until I can break this tree. Mostly I am just wondering what you could do to it. My hits seemed to have barely marked the tree, then again I suppose I should train my body to transform into better things. Right now, I can only use this jutsu, but I wonder exactly what this extends to."

Zu tried to suppress his anger as it was making it's way forward without the distraction from the tree. He walked over to one of the canteens and took a drink from it. Unlike most people, he would not put his lips to the mouth piece but instead water fall it down. It was a sign of respect toward the owner of the bottle, something instilled in him since a young age. Hopefully Syekren would impress Zu with a better showmanship of talent on the tree. This would allow a minor distraction, but he could feel something in him changing when his body did. Something that not even he could explain, a certain kind of evil that he just wished would go away. Then again, it was because of this that he could do things others could not. The possibilities were out there and Zu just needed to train his abilities to achieve such a thing.

WC:584
Total:3892

Chakra (135/150):

Syekren quietly watched as Zu sprouted tube like anomalies from his back and rushed towards the tree. A combo of punches and kicks landed and he hadn't done much to the strong bark of the adversary before him.  Syekren chuckled as he listened to Zu say he'd lost to a tree and shrugged. Not many could actually do damage to these trees if their strikes weren't a bit stronger. Syekren watched him stretch his body and say that it seemed as though he had a ways to go before he could break the tree. He was interested in what Syekren could do to it, as his hits had barely marked the tree at all. Syekren was interested in what he meant by transforming his body, though. If he could only use that one jutsu at this point, it would be a problem should he take on a mission but Syekren could have taught him a few things if he knew taijutsu.  Syekren of course had ninjutsu as well but he wasn't sure exactly how compatible his ninjutsu would be with someone like Zu. Perhaps he could still learn. Scratching his head, Syekren walked over to the tree.

Zu was drinking water at the canteen at this point, not touching his lips to the bottle. Rather polite, if Syekren was any judge. It wasn't long before Syekren felt the eyes of the wanderer on his back and he breathed in deeply through his nose, letting it out through his mouth. He wanted to show Zu what hard work and dedication led to, so he would show how much his had paid off. At least, he'd try to do so. With this set in mind, Syekren allowed the flames of youth to take over his body, concentrating these flames into his hands and feet. With a distribution of chakra, these flames became tangible and caused his hands and feet to alight with a burning flame. These flames would crackle and rise, not hurting his body in the slightest and he felt his muscles being fueled by these flames to feel as though they could hit harder, On the sand he stepped on, much of it burned beneath his feet, almost turning to glass. He stepped back a while until he was twenty meters from the tree and breathed in deeply. With that he was ready.

"HOWL YOUTH"

Syekren ran forward, jumping into the air and extending his left leg, while tucking his right one underneath himself. He soared into the tree, contacting the base with a flying, burning kick. After contact, he kicked off to jump a bit higher, kicking  three times to the left and right side of the trunk. As he was ready to fall, the ninja front flipped and heel dropped on his way down, splitting the tree's bark and doing damage to the tree itself. When he landed again in the sand, there was noticeable breaks in the tree itself and small embers were popping up all over the spots he'd hit and broken into. With a sigh, the ninja stood and stopped the chakra flow so the flames died out and stared at his handy work. It wasn't super destructive, but it did a lot of damage and showed just how far he'd come as a ninja. With a chuckle, he turned back to Zu, giving a thumbs' up.

"I think that's alright."

215/250:

WC: 577 + 3,141 = 3,718

Zu was practicing deep breaths as he watched Syekren from a distance. The strain on his mental stability weakened his senses of the world, but it would not be anything detrimental unless he kept pushing further and further. Zu seemed to be getting better at controlling himself, or perhaps it was the fact that syekren was here that he felt like even if he did it would be alright. That fact alone seemed to calm him to a certain degree. Syekren seemed to gather chakra in himself before flames came from his hand and feet and Zu watched from a distance in awe. After gaining his optimal distance from what Zu could tell, Syekren went in for basically a flying kick before he did a series of kicks to the tree followed by a rather graceful front flip as he landed in the sand. The tree was noticeably damaged as its bark was cracked and charred from Syekren's series of attacks. He gave a thumbs up as if he was showing not Zu how strong he got, but himself. With a reply of a thumbs up, Zu walked towards the tree placing his hand on the tree feeling the warmth of the residual fire. He scratched his head in curiosity if such a thing would be done by him one day. The tree as strong as it may be, could not fight back though. It was almost defenseless aside from the density the tree held within itself that kept it intact. Zu had a long ways to go to catch up to his new sensei but he would sure as hell try. The rush of everything in the air seemed to stir an odd feeling within Zu. While one part was worried of what Zu could do, the other part was beyond curious on the extent by which he can manipulate his body. Even though he did not want to train to be a combat shinobi, it is always good to have the tools there to save yourself or others even if you do not need them. Zu would surely have to step up his chakra control in order to keep up with others. Most shinobi already had most of their basic trainings in the academy, but Zu was just now learning in his somewhat older age than most shinobi of his rank. One day he will not only prove his worth to his new Sensei, but to everyone. They will eat their harsh looks and cold words when Zu was recognized as a strong shinobi. Such a dream is about all he could hope for, acceptance. Whiling the sweat from his head, he spoke to syekren, "Wow Syekren-san, you did quite the number to that tree. While impressive as it is, I can not help but to be worried if you had used that on me. Undoubtedly I would be severely injured."

Zu stopped talking and looked toward the distance in a heavy hearted way before turning back to Syekren to speak, "Sensei, what do you do when you do not want to hurt others, yet you do not want them to hurt people either. I tell you, if you knew someone would kill in the future, do you try to change their mind or snuff out the problem before it even happens?"

Zu made mention to his past a little as he did not want to hurt people let alone kill them but he did. The memories however suppressed they may be, were still just as vivid as the nightmares he has about it. In his mind he justified their deaths and the tortures he put them through. The problem was not killing those who killed his family and enslaved him, but with the slaves that he too killed in the process of giving in to rage. There are moments that make Zu feel as though the world would be better off without him to be in it. For he was indeed one who could possibly kill others in the future without meaning to. It has happened before and it is not unlikely for it to happen again. Zu's mind seemed to wander into his past as his eyes seemed to look dim and in another world for but a moment.

Zu's masters and their puppets had lined up the entire slave group together, tying them to posts as each and everyone of them were being beaten. It was punishment for all slaves if one had misbehaved and it was all Zu's fault. Late one night, Zu was restless as the vegengance crept into his mind and seemed to drive him forward. In the distance of the walled in slave camp, he could hear feminine cries from just a few rooms down. Zu rushed to see what it was, and when he jarred the door open his eyes could not believe what they had seen. Before him was Lina, a soft spoken lady that was put into slavement when her family could not pay the outrageous tribute these people told him they needed. Instead of killing everyone, the group of masters decided they would spare the small village should they give up their leaders daughter to them. At first the leader of the village refused, but when talk of killing everyone came about, Lina stepped forward agreeing to do this act of valiantly giving up her freedom for the people she would have one day led. Now before Zu in this dark room he saw her on the floor with clothes torn and a rather large male on top trying to force himself on her. This was Zu's first kill as his mind blacked out from the sight.

Lina had a heart of gold and these people these monsters are not going to get away with this. I will free them all, I will. I have to... kill them I MUST!., Zu thought as his mind went black only to awake in the morning when the slave owners began to round people up. One of their own and Lina died last night to someone attacking them, and since it was within the slave quarters one of them must have done it. Though the bodies were so mutilated that it was impossible to guess the weapon or person that did it. He could have told his owners that he thought he did it, but he needed to live. He needed to free everyone. Since they could not kill all the slave workers, they would make an example. One by one, the tied up slaves were beaten for hours upon hours until being released to get back to work with torn bodies and lack of blood. Those that fell during working were killed instantly as they were seen as week. Memories like this seemed to flood his mind when Zu was not trying to think on it.

Zu's mind seemed to flash through the whole ordeal in but a moment and his mind was back in the present, he awaited his sensei's reply. It was something that dwelled on his mind if he should even be alive for the things he has done or perhaps will do. Maybe his new teacher had the right way of thinking that would help Zu's mind. Zu's technique on his back vanished and he took a deep breath. The sun was scorching his skin, but it was not something he was unfamiliar with.

WC:1249
Total:5141

(130/150 chakra)

Syekren stared at his handiwork for a moment after Zu had spoken and sighed. He shook his head. He knew well enough that anyone else at his rank or even one higher would have completely obliterated the tree. With a yawn, he turned to Zu and tilted his head. The man had started to speak once more, posing a rather difficult hypothetical question. Syekren sat down, and looked up at the sun, thinking quietly on his answer before he spoke. It was obvious something like this would mean a lot to his new student and just telling him whatever came to his head wouldn't work. Syekren would have to truly think about this and make a decision on what would be best for the village, not himself.

Syekren considered everything that had happened in his time as a ninja of the village. He'd been nearly killed by a sand user in a spar who had gone off to become a missing ninja.  On the other hand, though. Syekren had met Matsuro who had went from being a missing ninja to rejoining the village and becoming a prominent member from what Syekren could remember. He had also met someone from the hidden cloud and killed them without waiting for them to explain themselves. There was an entire cornucopia of different situations in Syekren's head about what he would or did do and he couldn't answer the question immediately because of this. Personally, he always attacked first and asked questions later. That was just his style. But he sensed that Zu needed more than this.

Syekren sighed, quietly thinking about how things should go. He knew that if he was in the position of a kage, such as the kazekage, he'd have to try showing some sort of leniency and get to the bottom of the problem without bloodshed if possible. But as an ANBU operative, he was more about the kill first and ask questions later. It was mostly his job to do such, unless he was asked specifically to bring someone in alive. Syekren rubbed his eyes, trying to think more on the subject at hand. Would he kill someone if he knew they would kill or would he try a more diplomatic approach? What would be the best course of action to take here?

"That's a complicated question. In my past I sparred someone and was nearly killed, later they became a missing ninja. But I also had a friend who was a missing ninja who came back to the village as one of its members. Then again the kill I made was due to this exact situation. I think.. I think now I'll have to try the approach of stopping them from killing when it comes, but doing my best to keep them from going down such a dark path. I would do my best to help that person before they made some sort of mistake that they would regret. That's what would be best, I think.

Syekren watched the sun begin to sink low and stood up, brushing himself off. It was getting dark and there was little the two could do for training in the dark. Syekren moved to the rock with his items on them and began to munch on a piece of bread, packing up everything except the other bread and cheese he brought and the water he'd given Zu. He finished off the bread he was eating and took his canteen from the bag again to take a long gulp before putting it back in the bag and closing it up. With a yawn, Syekren moved to Zu, placing a hand on his shoulder, smiling softly.

"Good work today, but it's getting dark. We should head back to the village before it gets too cold for us to stand it. Let's do this again soon."

He chuckled and made his way from the secret oasis, waving back to Zu. Syekren smiled still as he made his way through the overgrown trees. Soon it gave way to the sand once more and Syekren looked up at the appearing stars and sighed. It was really getting late and they'd barely made any progress. There was much for Syekren to do so that his eye would get to where he needed it to be.  He also decided then to keep an eye on Zu if he could so that he wouldn't have to worry about the questions the man asked, as though he might actually begin killing others. Syekren sighed as he thought, walking back to the village to go home.

EXIT

778 + 3,718 = 4,496

Training:

Zu listened intently as his new acquired friend tried to answer his question. The conviction in his voice settled his restless soul for just a moment before Syekren placed his hand on his shoulder. The sudden rush of being touched was almost too much for him, but for now his cool would be kept. Even while living the way he did, being touched usually came with pain after. The kind of pain that is never going to heal, not in this lifetime. Zu would give him a small half broken smile as Syekren ate a bit before leaving. With a soft spoken word he replied to the man,"Thank you Syekren for your help today. I will not forget this act of kindness you have bestowed on me today without obligation to. Safe travels friend, until we meet again I suppose."Luckily for Zu, he managed not to make the Sunagakure ninja angry and hostile. His questions were real, and his... Inner self seemed to express itself the more he used his abilities. The abilities that almost seemed more like a curse than an actual blessing. With a deep sigh he nodded and agreed that it should be time to head out soon. However, he would stay a bit longer here in this spot to think and train a bit more. He had to gain some sort of knew power or knowledge that could aid him in his journey. Something that is amiss from his current stand point. Zu waved at Syekren as he made his way away from the spot he had shown him. When he was out of sight, Zu sat near the lake reaching down to splash his face with the cool water. It was quite the sensation, and oddly enough rather delicious for it to be natural water. Zu sat back shortly after and meditated with his feet crossed in an Indian style. He was unfamiliar with this kind of thing, yet he had read about the properties of a soothing mind and he tried to do something similar of the sort. During the time of his meditation, a few birds flew and landed on his shoulder. Annoyingly, Zu would shake his shoulder in an attempt to get them off of him. Some would fly off for a moment before returning. He let out a long sigh as he knew not why these birds seemed attracted to him. He had no food for them and nothing they could get from him. Despite his current distractions from meditation, he could feel the chakra in his body. This kind of feeling he needed to enhance and manipulate into a better degree. For now, his mind was far too restless with the possibilities of the future. So, Zu would have to end up giving up on the whole meditation. The idea was nice, but when put into motion it seemed to lack the effect he was looking for. Then again, perhaps it was himself that was messing up. Either way, he would have to give it up for now and try a different approach. While there was still sun in the sky, Zu trained his body. Starting with the upper body doing pull ups and push ups until his arms ached and then he would move towards the lower body. Doing squats and mini sprints from one side to another. He would use the water that was near to sustain this training. Even with the sun about to set, the world was still hot as he was trying to get better at what he was doing. Zu needed to get somewhere where he would not have to worry about hurting people, the sheer thought of such peace was an unknown feeling. Almost as if it was once there, but now has been muddied by his own thoughts. At least Syekren tried with him, and Zu would never forget that. If the shinobi ever asked anything from Zu, he would comply and help if he could. He knew his own power was weak and held nothing yet, but one day he hoped he could be something that was of use in this world. Something that when people saw, felt safe. Zu let out a small chuckle at the thought while staring into the water as his reflection seemed to morph and become disfigured. Zu shook his head hard, and the image was gone. How could he ever really get close to people if the thought of hurting them burdened him so. For now, he would have to repay his debt to Sunagakure in someway before he could think about the future. With a heavy heart, Zu left about when the sun was gone. The sand felt cool to his feet as he began to walk back. Syekren was right though, he should have left earlier when he did. The dessert got rather chilly, even for Zu's own taste. Despite his mind still in slight turmoil, the help from this shinobi eased his mind into a somewhat comforting state of being. On the walk back he had time to cool off before having to reenter the village. After going through the passing of clearance at the gate he made his way in. Not yet did he really have a home here, so for now he would have to take rest near the spot he was used to. It was on the side of a Ramen shop and the owners would sometimes feed him when they felt pity on him. He did not enjoy the pity, but his stomach sure did as today they saw his body dragging and decided they would feed him and give him at least a blanket. Zu thanked them before eating and sleeping the night away trying not to freeze in the night sky.

WC:968
Total:6109

Training: