The caravan of camels and wagons pulled up to the gate that lead into the village hidden in the leaves, stopping so the guards could look over what was in them. There were a few ANBU stationed around the walls, but not that the caravan runners could see. The one who noticed them would be the man in a black cloak, the hood over his face. Emerald eyes scanned the walls and gates, watching  the movements. One of the ANBU noticed this and looked down at him him, staring back. The man in the cloak casually opened his cloak so his right arm would be visible to the ANBU, should they have the training that Sunagakure no Sato ANBU had. What he would see is the mark of the ANBU: a tattoo etched into the wearer's skin.

When it was his turn to move up, the cloaked man nodded as the ANBU came down and whispered to the man checking the falsified ninja info card stating the cloaked man's name was 'Seikatsu.' When this was done, they nodded and allowed the man and the caravan through the gates, giving the cloaked man instructions to check in at the administration building as soon as he could. It was to be expected of a visiting ANBU from another land. Spies were usually rampant in other villages. He knew the ANBU who'd seen his tattoo would only tell the man to have 'Seikatsu' check in at the administration building, not who or what he was. Being certain that no one else had seen the tattoo or knew who he was other than those who needed to know, 'Seikatsu' lowered his hood and looked around. He had a thick, unkempt beard with patches in it, and a scar on the left eye brow down to the cheek bone. His eyes were a brilliant emerald colour, with his bangs just barely seeping over them. He'd been growing his hair to keep his identity mainly hidden, but had opted to not use a mask to hide his appearance.

Once he'd made it further into the village, he handed off his ANBU mask, which was hidden under his clothing, secretly into the caravan's wagon that held all of his equipment, save for an eye patch. It even held his hitai-ate for the time being. 'Seikatsu' pulled the eye patch over his left eye, tying it into place about the back of his head. Before the wagon pulled away, 'Seikatsu' had pulled his blackout sleeves down from his netted shirt to cover his arms and relinquished his cloak as well. He was wearing his normal clothing, save for his hitai-ate, so that he wouldn't draw too much attention. Though, his unkempt face and hair along with his pristine black clothing and tone body would probably seem out of place if this weren't the ninja world. With a sigh, the man moved to a corner store while the caravan made their way to where they could find a warehouse to store the items. The man himself would sit there quietly on a bench, waiting for the corner store market stand attendee to be available so he could ask for directions or purchase a map.

545

It had been a slow morning already, and Nayoko was regretting his decision to not try to go back to sleep upon waking up that morning. His time spent in the Dream was becoming more and more exhausting as the days went by, leaving him as weary in the morning as he was at night. But even so, every night as his head hit the pillow on his bed, he dreaded shutting his eyes and fading into unconsciousness, for he knew that the Beast was waiting for him. It waited to drain his resolve and torture his soul with visions of his mother, distorted into an indescribably hideous creature. He had to fight against it every night, though it was not always physical. Some days it was simply a clash of wills that would last until the jounin woke again. And though the Hattori was growing stronger in the Dream with each passing night, he knew that he still had a long way to go until he could tame it like his teacher had tamed her own.

And so when Nayoko had awoken in a cold sweat at the crack of dawn that morning, he had refused to fall back into the clutches of sleep and instead had dressed himself, much like he usually did, and headed out into the streets of the village. He was wearing his usual blue jacket over the black, sleeveless top, contrasting with his light grey pants that tucked into his black shinobi boots. He had also secured his Konoha “forehead protector” around his waist as per usual, and tucked his silver Hattori clan symbol into his shirt before taking to the rooftops as he was wont to do on mornings like this one. He always liked watching the village come to life over the course of the morning, and today was no different. Shop keeps all around the market district were opening up their respective places of business; his eyes lingered on a book store that he used to spend a great deal of time in when he was much more…carefree. Back when sleep was still a welcome thought.

But his steam of consciousness was interrupted by a sight that he had never before seen in his home, or anywhere else for that matter. As he glanced over toward the gates of the village, he saw a caravan arriving that was not composed beasts of burden he was used to seeing. Quite the opposite in fact; as the wagons were being pulled by camels. Being someone who enjoyed discovery, Nayoko could not help but hop from rooftop to rooftop to get a better look at those arriving. By the time he got close enough to see anything of note, the caravan was though the gates and already moving into the village. It was an incredible sight to see, and the Hattori could only assume that the travelers came from the Land of Wind; perhaps they came from the Village Hidden in the Sands. Nayoko had never had the opportunity to travel to that part of the world, and he was not sure that he was ready to deal with a desert country. But regardless, he knew that it would be an interesting place to visit at least.

Making a mental note to perhaps travel to the Land of Wind if given the opportunity, Nayoko scanned the members of the caravan to pick out anyone interesting. It did not take long until his eyes landed on a young looking man, sporting a patchy beard and a single, emerald eye stepping away from the group and heading to a nearby corner store that was busy with multiple people so as to leave him without help. Even from this distance, Nayoko could tell that this man had seen battle. The scar over the place where an eye once was, now covered by an eye patch, was a telltale sign of combat experience, not to mention the physique that the man sported. Though Nayoko could not detect any presence of a Sunagakure forehead protector, there was little doubt in his mind that the stranger had at least some shinobi training.

Dropping down from the rooftop, moving from balcony to window sill, the jounin eventually made his way to the bench where the stranger was sitting and waiting for help. He wasted no time extending his hand to the visitor, hoping to at least make a good impression of his home. His smile was genuine as he greeted the man. “Good morning traveler. I’m Nayoko, a jounin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Is this your first time in Konoha?”


WC:774

Jamie was welcomed by some and shunned by others. Not everyone liked a wanderer and while he had spent some time with Arashi, he had not seen him for close to a month. It had bothered him as he also did not get time to talk to Airi as he once tried to chat to her when spotting her again, but she vanished so fast as he realized she must have been going on a really important mission. All his friends were really busy and he remembered meeting this really weird wolf dog boy Shippo and his wolf dog Tsume. As he had been living in the alleyways due to spending nearly all his money on food and more food, he was getting a bit of a tummy. If he did not run it off every day or on a regular basis he would have become really big long time ago, but he was back to his usual average to slim form again as he took step after step in the streets of Konoha.

He may have gotten food often, but he spent some of his extra ryo in the hospital as well and could not quite afford a place to stay. Not to mention being a wanderer meant he did not really belong here, even though he stayed here so long having lost the will to leave after witnessing a horrible event in the forest that had left him shaken to say the least.

Jamie noticed a familiar face, someone he once knew as he rubbed his eyes it was Nayoko. The memories of Ramen filling his head and his tummy as he began to slowly walk a bit faster then the speed he was walking earlier as if he was the walking dead. He then began to jog a bit as he noticed Nayoko fly to the roof tops as he took a few steps to get up having to grab on the edge of a roof tile before finally getting on the roof. Nayoko was fast even when he was not even moving that much as Jamie did his best to keep up, if it was not for the moments in between roof top to roof top he may have long time lost Nayoko. He hurt himself since he could not take proper jumps if he wanted to keep up as Nayoko was too busy in his own world to notice him. At least that is what Jamie thought not realizing that unless this guy was really lost in his mind or really busy he would have long time noticed someone tailing him.

Jamie was a bit out of breathe as his shoe fell off and broke as he looked at the other shoe which was already torn and threw it away. Nayoko had stopped for some reason as Jamie looked to where Nayoko was looking he saw some really weird looking hump horses, as he began to wonder what weird animals those were. He was a bit worried about approaching since they looked scary and he also did not know what Nayoko was going to do and then Nayoko vanished as Jamie went into a slight panic and dashed along the wall as one ANBU noticed him then continued on his work since Jamie was already registered and had helped the village out with a few minor missions it would be stupid to call him suspicious at this time.

Jamie noticed Nayoko speaking to some strange man as he got a bit closer and hid on top of the roof, although his hair was sticking out on top and had become a bit spiky and messy from the running he was doing. His heart was racing and he decided to catch his breathe as he simply watched the two of them from his hiding place as a few people noticed him and felt he was not really suited to stealth. Currently his main talent was gathering herbs for the hospital and odd jobs that involved moving items and delivering them. Though for the time being Jamie had forgotten about his hunger as his curiosity was certainly stronger then his starvation at that moment.

(697)

The emerald hue that was visible lazily drifted over to the hand of the man who stood before Seikatsu, drifting up to take the face to memory. He'd heard the approach before seeing him, but didn't bother to react, trying to keep his identity as a ninja a secret. The others' hand was met with the grip of Seikatsu's hand, tightly squeezing and shaking it. He smiled behind his patchy beard and spoke as he stood up, looking him nearly square in the eye. There seemed to be about an inch or so height difference between the two, but nothing that was too bad. At least, normally people who would see the two standing side by side probably wouldn't notice. "Seikatsu, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. I'm a retired travelling mercenary. I just got back from a tour in the land of wind and figured I'd check out the boards here in Konoha. I was told to check in at the administration building to let them know I was here and meant no harm, that way I could move along with a few missions and maybe a few bounties.  It's a pleasure to meet someone so highly ranked in this village as soon as I get here, and yes, this is my first visit, thank you!" Seikatsu chuckled and smiled as he released the other's hand, crossing his arms over his chest and entering a relaxed position. He tried to seem as nonthreatening as possible, since he was a visitor to this land.

Seikatsu stood quietly, feeling a bit strange. Taking a quick look around, he didn't really notice much, save for a few people watching the two men as they walked by, stopping only to appear as though they were buying from the stalls. They mostly seemed like nosy villagers, as Seikatsu knew well enough if they were ninja, he wouldn't have seen them watching.  Focusing for a moment, Seikatsu took a whiff of the air and smelled a bit of... sweat? It was strange because the man in front of him didn't appear to be sweating but there was definitely someone nearby who'd been exerting enough effort to sweat. Looking around and sniffing, Seikatsu could tell it wasn't coming from ground level, but somewhere above. Not wanting to seem suspicious, he ignored it for the time being and let it go, but kept his guard up for the most part. It was like they were trying to be stealthy, but they weren't exactly good at doing so. This would be something to watch out for while he was in town.

450|995

Nayoko caught a glimpse of some movement above himself and the stranger as his hand remained extended in greeting. The presence was not an unfamiliar one to the jounin, and though he could not quite place it, the sound of the young man’s breathing from the rooftop above was familer to Nayoko, and it did not seem to be a threat. So for the moment, the Hattori chose to mostly ignore the presence, making a mental note of its position thanks to his perceptive abilities. Turning his attention back to the man before him, Nayoko returned the quick shake of his hand and mirrored his squared gaze. The man was taller than most people Naoko interacted with, being almost on the same level of the jounin. It was strange to Nayoko, but not really important besides being a point of observation.

Finally, the stranger returned Nayoko’s greeting. "Seikatsu, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. I'm a retired travelling mercenary. I just got back from a tour in the land of wind and figured I'd check out the boards here in Konoha. I was told to check in at the administration building to let them know I was here and meant no harm, that way I could move along with a few missions and maybe a few bounties.  It's a pleasure to meet someone so highly ranked in this village as soon as I get here, and yes, this is my first visit, thank you!" He have a slight chuckle as he released Nayoko’s hand and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Nayoko nodded and gestured to the streets behind him in response as he noticed the man take a quick look at their surroundings. Perhaps this retired mercenary also sensed the visitor who had yet to reveal himself willingly as well.

Shrugging off the possibility, Nayoko continued. “Well to be honest, it isn’t exactly village policy for a jounin to greet every visitor, but I happened to be walking by when I saw that caravan and I could not help but see who had ended up to in my home.” With that he turned toward the street that he had motioned to previously. “I can take you to the administration building so that you can get yourself signed in and start helping us out around here. Any and all help is appreciated, that’s for sure.” He began to walk down the street and toward the large building where the village administration made it’s home. It would not take long for the pair to get there, and on top of that the young Hattori was rather curious about where this man had come from. The Land of Wind remained a mystery to him, and this would be the perfect opportunity to ask him about the great desert.

“So Seikatsu, are you originally from the Land of Wind? I’ve never been there myself but I’ve heard many tales about the landscape, as well as the shinobi that come from that part of the world. Tell me, have you ever been the the Village Hidden in the Sands?”

WC:531+774=1305

OOC:

Jamie was really nervous as he watched from a distance, he was not skilled enough to hear what they were saying and he was not that perceptive that he could figure out if they knew where he was or not. During this time Jamie began to wonder who the stranger was as he kept an eye on them, he felt a bit less nervous after he saw Nayoko shake the stranger's hand. He was worried that it might be dangerous, though his curiosity had brought him closer to the situation. He made his way closer as he carefully jumped to a nearer roof top though he missed the edge of the ledge with his foot as he hit his gut into the side. It hurt but he did not fall, which was a good thing as he did not want to visit the hospital again for hurting his feet. He began scampering back up on the ledge as he went closer and closer as his tummy growled he decided to bare with it so long as he carefully slid down somewhere in order to land on the floor softly as he used his hands to cushion the landing. It was not silent, but it was not loud enough to get the attention of the normal civilians in the city.

He just looked on from a distance at the two and if Nayoko looked back he would turn his head to the side to look away. His hunger was defeating him, but he was not eager to give himself away so soon as his tummy was softly growling again, Nayoko the Ramen guy was what his body filled with hunger was telling him, but deep down inside his mind he was telling himself he could not bother Nayoko the Friendly friend. However bowls of ramen were circling deep down inside his mind, how could he suffer so.

(317)
[1014]

OOC:

Not normal for a jounin to greet every villager? With a sigh, he remembered his own experiences greeting newcomers to the village hidden in the sand. He wasn't trying to be rude to them in any way but it seemed that anything could be misconstrued. When the man turned to point out the street towards the building, 'Seikatsu' looked on, noting the layout. This Nayoko was incredibly polite and helpful. Even offering to walk the newcomer up to the administration building to help him get signed in so he could assist the village in what it needed done. With that sort of help, he would be able to get around rather easily and find everything he may need without too much hassle. It wasn't until he started walking forward the he let his voice drop to a low whisper, barely audible on the wind for normal people, but loud enough for a jonin to hear. "I'm guessing you've realized by now that you have a tail, yes? Whoever it is is either bad at hiding themselves, or they're just woefully inexperienced."

More lines of questioning from his companion and it was to be expected: he was a new person unfamiliar to the socioeconomic systems in Konohagakure. With a slight scratch of his beard in thought, he tried to think on exactly how he'd  respond. "I'll be honest, no, I'm not originally from Sunagakure. Or the land of wind. My family came from around these parts, in fact.. our ties date back a good few centuries within this particular village. Though I can't say I really have any memories of it, save for a few childhood friends from a well known clan here. What was that name..Ah! The Uchiha, yes." The name drop was more for his own benefit to see if this would coax any information about his clan from the man he was walking beside as they talked. Whether or not it worked, he'd move onto the next question asked. "As for whether I've been to the village hidden in the sands? Yes I have. It's a habit of mine to check in with administration in any land I visit, so that I have free reign to hunt bounties and take missions. It's also impolite to ignore the rulers of these domains, yes? It's quite sandy and windy as one would expect, but they have a great museum made entirely of glass. Sandstorms are far more common there than you'd think, but they have a great bit of sights to see. I can't recommend the dragon's tongue to you enough. Amazing food. Especially their snake miso or scorpion tail curry." He chuckled and sighed fondly of his memories eating there.

469|1,464


OOC: No worries to the both of you. It's all good.

It would be some time in this conversation before Syekren would get a feeling inside. He'd bow respectfully to the other before turning and walking towards the administration building. While there he would report and ask if any assistance was needed, but soon he would simply head back to Sunagakure in the coming weeks. There would be a goodbye to the young Jounin he'd met and he'd do his best to ignore the badly stealthed youth upon the rooftops. The ANBU had something he had to do and couldn't stick around much longer than the leave time he'd requested.


104|1,568

Training Messenger's Footwork (D-Rank)

1,500/1,500
Double WC Due to "CopyWheel Eye" drawback.



[Exit Due to Going Back to Suna]

Jamie watched for a while as he wondered what he should do, then the conversation ended Nayoko seemed to be off on business as he watched how quickly the other guy just left. He began to wonder if he would need to get in some more running to get faster and faster as he hoped to one day be fast enough to beat Shippo in a race.

He began to feel his hunger eating away at him and then felt a tug on his sleeve as he panicked for a moment as he turned around quick only to be captured by a hug as he was lifted into the air by the rather over zealous mother he acquired. Ashi hugged him tight as he blushed while look around embarrassed as his stomach also growled like Tsume when he had not eaten for a day for some reason. She just smiled and took him over to the ramen shop as he looked on wondering if Nayoko would be okay as he seemed to forget about the strange man for now.

(179)
[1193]

850 [Perception Training D1 - D3(400 + 450]
+325[Speed Training D - D1]
1175 used...

EXIT THREAD