Masu was running through the village through crowds of people, all loud obnoxious and the smell reeked of multiple food sources nothing unique just a combination of smells put into one. Most of the crowds just consisted of groups of people with hats and walking around with food stands for the Chunnin exams, most of these food vendors are just exploiting the event itself for their own business anyway. Ironically enough, Masu fell into the trap itself slowly making her way over to a Bento vendor, she spent the next few seconds picking and choosing what she wanted to eat, going back and forth and soon settling on what she wanted. "Could I please get some dumplings, rice with pork and sushi in my Bento, Thank you! The chef nodded and Masu handed over some ryo to the chef and she awaited her order. Masu took a seat feeling the wooden chair pressed against her as uncomfortable as that was she had to bare with that, not like there were many other seats that seemed comfy, actually she noticed not one seat had proper cushions on them.

Masu awaited for her food, smelling the fresh aroma of dumplings in the air getting her appetite worked up, awaiting for her food as she hadn't eaten for some time. Masu looked around the crowds no one really stood out, everyone seemed to look similar with no real features that made someone different to someone else. Masu turned back to the shop keep and pulled out some notes she had kept along her journey taking notes of her travels around areas so she could have her own type of map in a sense. The food finally arrived looking delicious as, Masu spent no time to thanking the chef and went straight to eating as soon as she could. Gobbling her food down and stuffing it down as quick as she could, not even savoring the taste of the food itself. "Hey Chef could I get some green tea as well please, plus this food is great! The chef smiled and organised some green-tea with some extra dumplings for Masu to have. Masu thought to herself, A smile goes a long way, I should do it more. Masu had a few dumplings left on the counter and slowly finished her meal sipping down her tea on the counter.

WC = 405

The crowds were beginning to annoy Raphael, he hated all the noise not to mention the fact that he could barely walk down the street without someone bumping into him. Today he found himself stuck in yet another crowd surrounded by smelly tourist, and the smell of food mixing in the air caused Raphael's stomach to turn. Why did he come here? He asked himself question his motive behind coming to Kumo, but his answer was obvious Suna was destroyed and he went in search of a land where he would not be known. The only problem with that is he did not know they were hosting the Chuunin Exams here and so many people from around the world would all be here. "Damn my luck," he spoke allowed without thinking, causing many people that were around him to look at him as if he had committed a crime. "Yea, yea, and what's your problem? Never heard the word Damn before have ya? What are you all some kind of saints? Get on with your business no one was talking to you, that's right move along." He began calling out to the crowd before they went back about their business, murmuring under their breaths. The people here were of no concern to him he just hated when people look at him as if they were better than him, they had no idea who he was how dare they judge him he thought to himself as he began pushing his way through the crowd searching for a way out. He went to a couple of different shops but most of them were crowded, those that weren't crowded their food smelt so bad it made him sick so he couldn't stay there either. Finally after what seemed to Raphael to be the hundredth shop he finally found one that wasn't crowded and didn't smell like crap. He looked around only a few people were in the shop so his options of seats was wide, choosing to sit at the counter just two seats away from the girl who seemed to be enjoying her meal. Taking his seat he lifted his hand to catch the shopkeepers attention, "excuse me could I get something to get this sour taste out of my mouth?" The shopkeeper smiled and brought him a cup of green tea noting that it was the best in the village, Raphael just rolled his eyes he had heard that very same statement from every shopkeeper in the village for the past week. The seat was not very comfortable but once he received his drink he stopped think about the seat and drinks it down almost instantly before asking for another, he didn't expect it to taste as good as it did but after drinking it the sour taste as well as the odor of the streets faded. The second cup he just held for a second taking small drinks occasionally as he looked the menu over, he figured if the tea was this good maybe some of the food might be as well.

---

521

Masu continued sipping on her tea, gulping down each cup of hot pipping tea to refresh her senses and clear her sinuses of any potential problems, ordering more in the mean time but quickly noticed the young boy sitting around looking over the menu also sipping down his green tea. The boy himself looked much younger than Masu herself, maybe a few years yet somehow the boy looked taller than Masu herself. Looking around most of the people around Masu had been staring down the boy, something about him seemed to make people very scared or uncomfortable even the chefs smile from before had seemed a lot softer compared to when Masu ordered her food and drinks.

Masu slowly brought her tea over and pulled a chair over towards the blonde blue eyed boy, "Hey there you no one else sitting with you?" looking the boy in the eyes smiling and trying her best to understand him. "Well, my names Masu, I don't know if you knew that already but its nice to meet you! Also order whatever you want, and I'll pay for you alright my treat for you." Masu looked at the boys eyes dead on tilting her head and smiling towards him in a menacing yet cute way. The boy's clothing seemed as if he had been walking for a long time, robes, a hood. "You don't look like your from around here?
Where are you from? Masu continued to ask questions as she always wished to discover more about people and their nature and how some people were different to others. Masu continued sipping upon her green tea, tapping the table for some more, smelling the green tea being brewed brought a smile to her face, the smell of tea's delightful light smell always seemed as if it had been peaceful in the huge crowds of noise and groups of people. Amidst all the crowds it seemed that Masu and the young boy, had been stared at for most of the time. Her eyes glimmering in such bright light as if she had been glowing itself, the nature of her blue and red eyes always was a key feature to what she looked like and the boy had a vibe about him which gave him glares and stares. The crowds had seemed to stop being as loud, as they started settling down for announcements of the Chunnin exams reading out names of the genin's taking place, Masu's name included a few people looked back over at her knowing that she is partaking in the exams the crowds had disburse clearing some of the streets up for more clear walk ways.

WC = 460 / 865

Raphael sat in the small shop enjoying his tea, as well as enjoy the peace and quiet that the shop offered it was nice to get away from all the noise of the crowds that filled the streets of Kumo and have himself a minute to collect his thoughts. Finally a moment to myself.. He began to think however it was but a fleeting thought, just as soon as the thought began it was interrupted by a voice. Raphael turned to see the who the source of the voice was, it was the girl who had been sitting at the counter when he walked in. "No" he answered in response to the girl's question about someone sitting with him, he next remark catch the boy off guard. Did he look as though he needed charity he wondered to himself, thinking of his appearance he had no clue why the girl would think he needed someone else to pay for his meal like he was some common street urchin. Relax can't you see her smile? the girl is just being nice, came a voice in the back of his head, there is no need to get worked up about it, she is just trying to break the ice try talking to her. The voice in his head had become a common occurance for the boy since his arrival in the village hidden in the clouds, it was constantly reminding him that he was in a new land looking for a new start and that he should take this opportunity to be different than he was when he was among the Shinobi of the hidden sand village. "It's nice to meet you Masu, I am Raphael Kozai" he said looking back at her and trying his best to put on a friendly face "and thank you for the offer but I prefer to pay for my own meal" he added still trying to keep himself in check. This was a big moment for the boy, it was the first time he had kept his mouth under control and not blurted out the first thing that came to his mind which was to tell the girl to buzz off and let him enjoy his peace. There was something about this girl, he couldn't put his finger on it maybe it was her eyes or maybe something else entirely that he didn't know. When the girl asked the question of where he was from he didn't know what to say, since his arrival in Kumo he had made it a point to not tell anyone where he was from as he did not care for all the nonsense that followed the statement of being from the sand village. Everyone always asked tons of questions and the looks they give after the fact, as if he was just so unfortunate, when in truth he could careless about the destruction of the village the only sadness he felt from its destruction was the loss of innocence but it was no use crying over the dead it wouldn't bring them back. "Your right I am not from around here, I hail from the land of Wind though I hold no ties to any village," Raphael would answer the girls question, although before they could continue a conversation there was a man walk in with an announcement about the chuunin exams. Raphael headed the name Kisei and was more than a little shocked, so my former teammate had made it into the exams I might have to go check that out. He thought to himself though he was still disappointed by not being able to have enter himself, then he heard the girls name. The girl sitting next to him was in the exams, "oh your competing in the exams? Sounds exciting" he said trying to hide his own disappointment about not getting there in time to sign-up. "What are your thoughts on your competition?" He asked trying to start a new conversation to act as a distraction to the growing crowd within the little shop.

---

686/1207

"Raphael Kozai, hmm thats a cool name! You sure though, it's my treat I have a decent amount of money to pay for you if you want me to?" Masu continued smiling and twirling her hair looking the boy in the eyes, she could tell he was thinking yet talking at the same time. "Well, if you don't want anything for me to pay for its fine,
I'll just order some more green tea and we can share that at least." Masu liked the boys look something about the robes and blonde hair really fit the boy. Masu had traveled most of the lands, and could just tell by the boy he wasn't as much of a traveler as Masu herself. "Land of Wind huh? Wow too bad with all the things that happened there,
I know the details and some of the people involved just hope they didn't hurt you to bad huh?" The chef brought over more green tea placing it on the table leaving Masu to pour the green tea as soon as it arrived next to her. "Here you can do with some green tea, you want some?" Masu continued smiling casually for the boy, offering as much as she could for him. The crowds of people looked upon the huge stands of announcers, calling names out for the Chunnin exams, Masu noticed that the boy had a shocked look on his face when a name was called out, by the name of Kisei. "Kisei, is he a sand ninja too? Sorry if I'm invading into your privacy but how did you know him?" Masu listened upon the crowds as the continued muttering names and then heard her own and people continued talking, words spitting from their mouths like poison "Don't shihana have those eyes!" Masu could hear people continuing talking about her clan and the others taking part, but the boy noticed that her name had been called out. "Yeah I'm taking part, honestly I'm not going for it to win. I'm going to see the other people at my level and if I end up winning then well thats good! Most of the competition seem heavily focused on areas that few people can master, but I guess I'm the same so I'm keen to just fight them all! Masu smiled and laughed as she knew that most of the competition should be fun to her. "So what are your plans after the whole Chunnin exams are over?" Masu's eyes lighting up and ears perking to listen for the boys response.

WC = 439 / 1304

Raphael smiled at the girlas she twirled her hair, she had a kind heart, and was obviously trying her best to be nice to the boy. "Thanks but I'm pretty well off myself," he said with a slight pat to his ryo pouch which hung low from the weight inside of it. When the girl mentioned the recent events within the land of wind and hoping that they did not hurt him the boy merely shrugged, "it takes a lot more than that to hurt me, I knew some people from the village but I have not seen them since, they could be dead or they could of made it out and sought refuge in another village for all I know." The boy said emotionless to the hardships of his former brother and sister Shinobi, "there is no sense in dwelling in the past you know," he added in a slightly more upbeat tone with a smile to the girl as the chef brought out a pitcher of tea and sat it on the table which Raphael gladly accepted the girls offer to share the tea. The girl seemed to be adamant about sharing something with him, the least he could do was share the tea the girl had purchased.

The girl must of seen something in Raphael's face when he heard Kisei's name despite his best efforts to hide his past it seems it was beginning to come into the light. "I met him once, a few months ago before the destruction of the sand village, he was a not odd, but he can hold his own in a fight." The boy answered her thinking back to the spar he had with Kisei the day they had met, before quickly bringing himself back to the conversation with the girl, "all I can say is I feel sorry for anyone that has to face him in the tournament, he is one crafty bugger."

The girl was surprisingly a lot like himself, she had entered the contest just to compete not for the glory of winning but for the glory of the fight something that Raphael could also appreciate. He longed to make himself stronger and to reach his full potential, however he also knew that no matter how strong someone is there is always someone stronger and he wished to find them and test his metal so to speak. The boy let out a little chuckle when the girl asked about what he was going to do after the exams were over, "well to be honest with you Masu, I did not even know about the chuunin exams until my arrival here in the village. The reason I came here was to find a worthy sensei to study under and develop my skills to their full potential, but with all that is going on with the exams I have not had any luck in that effort as most are preoccupied with them. And of course if I do not find myself a worthy sensei here then I shall continue on to the next village until I find what it is that I need." Raphael paused briefly taking a sip of tea and looking around the shop to see that now that the announcements were over many of the people were leaving the small shop, before looking back at the girl. "What about you? What are your plans after you win the competition and become Chuunin? Any big plans?"

---

581/1788

"Welp, suit yourself, but at least try and stay refreshed as you can be." The boy looked in his ryo pouch which seemed to carry some weight to it, but since she already struck out a conversation there was no bother in robbing him. Masu quickly reached in her bag and pulled a few wallets of different shapes, colours and sizes, finally finding one with a hefty amount of Ryo inside. Slamming down some more ryo on the table for the chef and his green tea. The boy responded seeming less than caring emotionless. "Well, to dwell on the past isn't the worst you know? The past shapes our future, and brings us to the present point right now, if your land hadn't been destroyed perhaps we would have never met. Life is a unpredictable and we should always acknowledge the past present and future as it shapes who we are. Did I ramble? I do that a lot!" Masu laughed it off drinking some more green tea, knowing that this will be her last green tea until the exams arrived.


"A few months ago wow, I mean you should probably take part and watch him partake, and if he's crafty well that would be a good match for anyone as crafty as him."
Masu looked around some more but continued to look the boy up and down looking at his attire her eyes glowing in the shop like nothing else. "Yeah winning is cool and all, but still thats all anyone wants to accomplish, whats the point of going into a fight if your only in it to win. What happens when you lose and fail? No one ever questions that and yet the people who have failed and got back up will always beat the ones who 'always' win" Masu continued to tangent until the boy opened his mouth again allowing him to speak. Her ears peaked to interest as the boy was very similar in only wanting to hone his skills for the better of himself and his practice. "Well you know just be independent for a while and figure out who you wanna be? Sometime soon you can find yourself someone who can teach you what you want to learn." Masu sipped on her tea as the boy took a sip as well and looked around for the moment before looking back and asking Masu a question which was all the same as what others have asked her yet he already seemed to understand. "Well my plan, isn't to win it's just to see what is up with the new genin's such as myself then report back and continue with wherever I must go. I honestly don't plan on winning, hell I'll probably give up in the first few rounds because it's just to see some of the competition in depth. Apart from that I'll be heading off to a land with someone to rebuild the Land of Wind, and whatever they need me to do for them." Masu beamed like it was nothing but something such as rebuilding the Land of wind was no easy task, yet she didn't budge and continued to smile and tilt her head.

WC = 544/1848

Raphael was surprised when the girl said she did not plan on winning and would likely just surrender in the first couple of rounds, to have come so far just to give it all away seemed like a waste to Raphael. But he said nothing about it due to it was not his decision to make nor would anything he say change the girls mind, he knew everyone had their own path to choose and the girl had chosen her path for her own reasons that much at least the young boy could respect even though he did not understand her reasoning. When she spoke of accompanying someone to the land of wind in hopes of rebuilding the hidden sand, a gloom look came over the young shinobi's face as flashes of the night it was destroyed played in his head. He had turned his back on the sand village, seeking refuge in a foreign land like some kind of helpless civilian and yet here was this girl who had no ties to the village going out to try and help rebuild it, something that did not even cross the boy's mind. Of course he did not see how he could of provided any help what so ever, he still should of made that effort the least he could of done was try but instead he chose to run away with his tail between his legs. Raphael felt shame welling in his stomach and tried to push the thoughts from his mind, what's done is done he thought to himself there is no going back for me at least not yet.

The hour was getting late and the boy knew the girl probably needed to get some rest before her big day in the morning even if her goal was to surrender, and he was getting tired himself. Raphael put some ryo on the counter to cover his meal before looking to the girl, "Masu it has been a pleasure meeting you and I wish you the best of luck in the tournament I will be cheering for you from the stands, but I am afraid I must go it has been a long day and now that my stomach is full my mind wants to rest." The boy stood outstretching his hand to shake the girl's, "until we meet again," he added before he departed headed to find a bed.

{Exit Thread}

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405/2193

Ninjutsu from C-Rank to B-Rank: -2000
193 words discarded

Masu ate her last drops of food quickly before she could slurp down the rest of her drink, finishing off her last cups of tea, sipping and continuing to talk slowly noticing the gloomy city and skies which had been brought over. "Time has passed quick, well I shall see you another day Raphael, have a good trip wherever you may go and stay safe!" Masu smiled and continued on her day "I have a feeling we might meet another day again" Masu continued off and walking to the local residence as she had slowly lost sight of the food stand she had just been eating at and losing sight of that boy. Masu had been opted for taking part in the Chunnin exams laying her things out staring upon the night sky. All Masu could really do was think about what the future had in store for her and that boy Raphael and what was to become of him. Masu quickly drifted off smelling roses from the flowers in her bedroom and quickly dozed off for a good nights rest before the start of the first few trials, she just saw it as any other day unlike any other person.

WC = 201/2048

[EXIT]

Bukijutsu C>B WC = 2000