A unusual rustle in a bush could be seen to anyone near by, it was one of Kirigakure's better days of weather near it's wilderness. the sun bared down on the ground heavily from the near translucent pale blue of the sky with tiny specks  of white clouds lofty floating in the sky giving a sense of calming piece to those nearby, it seemed even the animals respected the majestic beauty that the day held as only the musical tone of cicadas could be heard softly ringing around the wilderness of Kirigakure.

A gentle breeze would seem to brush over the area carrying the slightly salty taste of the water that surrounded the village, the breeze would blow against the bush and it would reveal a silhouette of a humanoid figure silently hiding in it's greenery. First minute's then hours would pass as the silhouette patiently kept his spot in the bush as only a slight sound of something breathing could be heard which was drown out by the escalating sound of cicadas that seemed to be even more active as the translucent sky that was displayed in the sky's earlier was now a pale orange color of a sunset, the sudden sound of what would seem to be a animals stomach rumbling could be heard from the bush the humanoid silhouette had taken refuge in. The silhouette would now begin to stand revealing Mokuzai a short boy no taller than five feet with shaggy brown hair covering the entirety of his forehead that carried a expression of pain and annoyance across his face as his left hand slowly moved over his stomach gently patting it down and got the feeling of emptiness.

It would be then that he heard the crunching sound of a dry leaf being stepped on behind him and he slowly turned around to the sight of a deer staring into his eye's, the beast didn't move it simply stared into the boy's eyes and he would soon find himself staring right back, as they kept their glance's locked to each other  he would feel as if he was staring into a mirror that stared back into him as if they could see deep into each other's heart's and soul. It would be the sound of his stomach rumbling once more that would break the intense eye lock of the boy and the deer as the peaceful beast begun scampering away back deeper into the forest, Mokuzai aim for the day was to successfully hide among the forest to catch a animal in which he would feast on that night but the deer gave him such a intense feeling that he knew he could not bring himself to dine on it's flesh and left the wilderness of Kirigakure empty handed as the once translucent pale sky turned to a pale orange sunset and now it seemed to match a darkening blue canvas piece of art that seemed to slowly have the white speck's that would resemble stars painted onto it as day now turned into night, as he store into the darkening sky he could see a star flying by making the scenery even more memorable.



The young senju would walk carefully with his right foot stepping in front of the left in a almost automatic rhythm as he walked the pavement of Kirigakure's city, normally he would not be out to enjoy the night life of the village due to his busy life as a shinobi but today he decided he would enjoy a nice night of what his new home had to offer. His slow careful walk would now become more shuffled as the bright lights of the street's shops would surround him as if he was in some bright dream, the sudden roar of his stomach would quickly bring him back to reality as he still needed to find proper food to engorge himself on to be satisfied for the upcoming day he had tomorrow with his pal Chigetsu.

Mokuzai would continue to keep looking around for a quick easy way to feed himself until his eye's feasted on a small wooden cart with a single glowing lantern illuminating the immediate area surrounding it, he could see from a distance that the wooden cart was actually a little ramen stand.



As he got closer he could now make out the appearance of a man wearing a white shirt and black pants stood smoking a cigarette with the smoke trail traveling upwards towards the night sky, he begun to recall the tale's he heard of the seventh hokage of the hidden leaf his father and his father told him about his habit of eating nearly nothing but ramen for the entirely of his life. The though swirled around in his head as he begun thinking if he could become a ninja just as capable as the seventh hokage just by eating ramen, it was a foolish idea and he knew it well but the painful shocks of his stomach growling and the enticing notion of a fresh hot meal left him with little resistance to resist his own idea as he took a seat down and gave the man a simple wave before ordering "Ill have one order of miso ramen please."

The man would nod in silence as he quickly begun prepping the young shinobi's order before presenting it to him, Mokuzai's eye's would water and  a slight trail of drool would escape his lip's at the sight of the fresh meal steaming before his eye's and the intense mix of different smells invading his nostril's enticing his ravenous hunger to new level's even more than it originally was. Unable to control his hunger no more he would begin scarfing down the food as if he was a wild animal eating what could be their last possible meal like there was no tomorrow, it would only take him eleven minutes before the bowl of ramen had been nearly finished to the point where only a few drops of the soupy mixture remained and he would go into his pocket and take out enough ryo to pay for the meal and a generous tip towards the cook amazing food before returning back to the place he now called home to tuck into the night with a full belly.

The young Senju would wake up to the distant sound of a rooster singing it's morning song in utter surprise, it would seem that the night before left him so exhausted that he could not remember how he was able to return home and didn't feel the need to question it either. A smile slowly creeped up on his face at the sudden realization it was the day that him and Chigetsu were to go shopping like he had mentioned in the last moments of their previous encounter, he would only hope his friend remembered as he slung his legs of his bed to the right and begun walking towards his home's bathroom to clean and prepare himself for the activities the new day had to bring him.

WC:1,260

Mokuai started making his way towards his bathroom casually and as he made his way  he  would pass by a chair with a towel itched with the designs of a Orchid flower onto it and simply grab a piece of it as he flung it over his right shoulder caring it to the bathroom with him so he would be covered up when he left it's vicinity, he would approach the door and grab the sliding door handle pushing it open and revealing a small bathroom that consisted of a outer room that contained a single shelf and hanger that connected to another room with a small bathtub placed inside. His home was relatively small in comparison to most as he was not a actual citizen of Kirigakure but the young Senju would smile as he was still thankful that the village's ranking authorities allowed him to reside in their home with little to no consequence or payment to be mentioned, however as he attempted to turn the nob for the small bathtub only a small drizzle would drip out causing a resounding sound in the small room that was dead silent and the smile that was once across Mokuzai's face would turn into a slight frown as he begun turning the knob for his bathtub multiple time's until water came gushing out in a irregular way that made the water jet out in a upwards arc trajectory hitting the young Senju's face with ton's of water that resulted in his hair getting wet and waking him up fully as the conclusion he would not be able to clean himself in his new home this morning hit him.

Sighing in frustration Mokuzai walked back into the main room of his home and opened his closet to reveal his clothe's, he begun taking them out and folding them into a neat square shape before sliding them into a travel bag for easier transportation. He quickly zoomed back to his bathroom grabbing a wooden shaped bowl and putting a washcloth and soap in it before walking back out and slinging the bag with his clothe's neatly tucked inside over his shoulders before walking out of his small home, Once he was outside a cool gentle breeze coming from the northern sea surrounding Kirigakure would just feel ice cold due to the wetness of his hair slightly elevating the annoyance he was already feeling from the change to his usual morning routine.

He begun walking down the steps onto the street's of Kirigakure while carrying the bathroom supplies in his hand earning him strange looks from the surrounding citizen's, unknown to him the slight frown Mokuzai carried on his face earlier had turned into a full on frown as he walked the streets heading to village's few open public bathhouse's. Once he arrived to the building front that seemed relatively empty his frown would disappear now that he felt his morning routine was back on track as usual, the young Senju took gleeful steps as he made his way into the bathhouse before rushing towards the door leading to the changing area.

Mokuzai would then place his bag in a empty cubby hole before pulling his pants slightly down then proceeded to wrap the towel with the orchid design around his waist, one the towel was secured he would slip off his shirt and then slip off his pants carefully as the towel would act as a cover up even when his pants collapsed fully to the ground. He would now walk towards the door sliding it open and revealing a steamy room with no one in sight causing a grin the creep across his face, wanting to waste no more time than he already had the young shinobi walked to a seat and begun splashing water onto his soap before cleaning himself thoroughly doing so twice to make sure he had gotten every part of his body and then proceeded to make his way towards the nearest bath full of steamy hot water and took a step in it before sinking further into it's warm embrace while closing his eyes and taking calm careful breath's as he felt his mind and body melting into a relaxing trance.


He would casually enjoy the warmth of the bath as he let his mind run loosely with his though's, on the way to the bathhouse in his anger and frustration his ear's had picked up  conversation about highly ranked shinobi of the village running a sort of training camp on one of Kirigakure's more secluded islands, Mokuzai knew nothing more other than the name's of the instructor's Nozomi and Sero and decided he would ask Chigetsu to see if he knew any information about the supposed training camp that would be held. A loud creak of the sliding bathhouse door would break him away from his though's as citizens now begun to roll in seeking to clean themselves as well, the young senju pleased with his cleaning stood up before exiting the inner bath making his way towards his cubbyhole with his possessions  in it.

Mokuzai quickly opened his travel bag after taking a few minutes to properly dry himself off with one of the towels the bathhouse had provided for it's guest, he grabbed his black shirt and slipped it on before sliding his shorts up his legs until it was blocked by the towel around his waste then uncliped the towel  letting it drop to the floor as he swiftly pulled his pants up all the way so nobody near by saw any part of his body he wouldn't want someone to see. Excited to meet his friend he hastily wrapped bandage's around his arms and legs tightly like he has done everyday before slipping on his shoes and exiting the bathhouse.

With his spirits fully restored thanks to the rejuvenating power of Kirigakure's public bathhouse the young Senju rushed to the promise meeting stop where he would meet Chigetsu, after several minutes it would seem Mokuzai had made it to the spot first and would have to wait for his friend to arrive.


WC:1,069


Total WC:2,328

As Mokuzai stood at the location where he previously encountered Chigetsu, his back leaning against a wooden fence as he spun his kunai around his index finger in boredom as he waited for him to arrive. Mokuzai looked up towards the sky  and clouds and started to reminiscence about one of the lessons his father taught him while his eye's slowly closed, they had been in Konahagakure's training field and the young Senju's father had told him to come at him with all he's got and Mokuzai not knowing or willing to disobey his father did just that as he approached him with a left fist strike that had such poor quality that his father was easily able to grab his arm and turn him around while gripping his left arm painfully. His father would tell him later that day, "A ninja who is not mentally prepared with no strategy in battle will surely fall into his own demise"

He would suddenly hear a voice in the distance to bring him out of his reverie and upon turning his head and stopping the spin of his kunai he would see it was none other then Chigetsu, "Mokuzai! Sorry for taking so long." his friend would say as he approached him while giggling with a nervous tone to his voice, Mokuzai had not known his friend to be the giggling or nervous type before or at least he hadn't seen it for himself "It's alright Chigetsu! What happened anyway?" "I got a little bit distracted before coming to visit you.." His friend would display a apolgetic smile and he would return his own deciding to let his suspicions drop as Chigetsu continued,"You said you wanted to do something with a shopping trip or something today, right? You never told me before leaving yesterday, but I brought some money with me if you wanted to go do something fun.The offer to go to that café is still open too if you want. I don't know if you remember, but it was something I offered right before you tried to punch me in the stomach,which was pretty rude, don't you think" Chigetsu stuck out his tongue in a almost teasingly way which was definitely not like him bringing his suspicions back, but he would remain to act calm and his usual self into he was certain that the person before him wasn't Chigetsu. "Yeah...sorry about that.. but as for the shopping intentionally didn't tell you to keep it a susprise, and im still not gonna tell you where until we get there! But since your offering let's go grab a bite to eat, once were done shopping your gonna need all the energy you can get" Mokuzai begun to snicker to himself honestly as he nearly forgot he was suppose to be suspicious of the Chigetsu he was talking too.

"Lead the way to your favorite place to eat buddy, but before i forgot have you heard the rumor's of this "Death Camp" Being lead by two highly skilled Kirigakure ninja? alot of genin have been buzzing like bees talking about it and i must admit i find myself curious as well.."


WC:563


Total WC:2,891

From his bush, Chigetsu would watch. Carefully his eyes would scan over his clone and Mokuzai as they spoke. While he couldn't hear exactly what was being said, it didn't particularly matter. He got the jist of it, and the purpose of this was only to see if there was an attack that would be baited out.  

His clone on the other hand was acting business as usual. Its behavior was a bit more casual than Chigetsu usually acted, especially around Mokuzai. The nervous giggle and sticking out of the tongue was perhaps a bit much, but this wasn't exactly something that Chigetsu had ever done before. It was strange, especially considering he never would have thought of impersonating himself before. The clone tried its best though. Luckily it would be Mokuzai's turn to talk, and the male didn't seem all too suspicious of Chigetsu's behavior. "Yeah...sorry about that.. but as for the shopping intentionally didn't tell you to keep it a susprise, and I'm still not gonna tell you where until we get there! But since your offering let's go grab a bite to eat, once were done shopping your gonna need all the energy you can get" The little money that Chigetsu had would have been handed off to the clone before the clone went off, so that wouldn't have been too much of a problem. Luckily Mokuzai had told him that the day before, so he was able to prepare for it. What Mokuzai said next completely caught the clone off guard though.  "Lead the way to your favorite place to eat buddy, but before I forgot have you heard the rumor's of this "Death Camp" Being lead by two highly skilled Kirigakure ninja? A lot of genin have been buzzing like bees talking about it and I must admit I find myself curious as well.."

The clone would pause, turning to look at Mokuzai. For a moment it would turn to look back at the bush where Chigetsu had been hiding. Chigetsu in the bush still had barely been able to hear, and so there would be no response but confusion when the clone looked back at where he had been hiding. There were a lot of troubling things that Mokuzai said though. The clone was very aware that it had to stay within 30 meters of its creator, and so walking away suddenly with Mokuzai to get something to eat could be difficult.  Slowly the clone would formulate a plan though, and it would nod Its head in return to Mokuzai's request. "Yeah! Uh... That sounds good. Eating I mean... The Death Camp though..." Suddenly Clone-Chigetsu would look back and forth, as if he were checking to make sure nobody was listening in on them. "I heard about that too... I've sent in a few letters asking about it and begging to be included in it. I'm pretty sure they don't actually read my letters, assuming they even really get delivered. Who knows though. I'm betting they'll only accept the best of the best." For a moment the clone would get caught up in the thought of being accepted to be trained by the two swordsmen and would sigh. "Wouldn't that be great? I've wanted to meet them for as long as I could remember. This is probably the best chance I'll ever get too... If you're interested, you should try to get involved too if you can, but I don't even know the first thing about how." It was a genius plan. Talk more and more about the Death Camp and then maybe Mokuzai would forget all about the promise of going to get food. Shopping would be easy enough, with the real Chigetsu being able to hide back through the crowds, but in a café it would be nearly impossible to hide away.

---

[WC: 664/2151]

Mokuzai would look at Chigetsu waiting for a answer, he would look at him before looking away into the distance and he would wonder just what exactly he was thinking about before he turned back and said, "Yeah! Uh... That sounds good. Eating I mean... The Death Camp though..." He would look around as if telling him something top secret, "I heard about that too... I've sent in a few letters asking about it and begging to be included in it. I'm pretty sure they don't actually read my letters, assuming they even really get delivered. Who knows though. I'm betting they'll only accept the best of the best." a sudden sigh would come out "Wouldn't that be great? I've wanted to meet them for as long as I could remember. This is probably the best chance I'll ever get too... If you're interested, you should try to get involved too if you can, but I don't even know the first thing about how."

Mokuzai would give him a warm smile at his response before speaking, "Your certainly right, ill definitely be joining, but im starving let's go eat then go shopping!" Mokuzai would start walking pass Chigetsu heading to the buildings of restaurant's in Kirigakure.


-Exit Thread-


WC:230

Total WC:3,121


C-A rank Scaling Jutsu: 2700/2700 (421 Words Wasted)

(Reduction is from Quick learner SC trait:10% Reduction for learning Jutsu)

"You're certainly right, I'll definitely be joining, but I'm starving let's go eat then go shopping!"  The clone would take this response with dread. The clone would awkwardly follow after Mokuzai, worry consuming it over the status of the main Chigetsu. Seeing that the clone was moving away from his position in the bushes, Chigetsu would groan under his breath. He hadn't planned for this, that Mokuzai's intentions were pure and he hadn't intended to pull off any sneak attack. If he allowed the clone to exit thirty meters of him, it would turn into a strange and very awkward disaster. Chigetsu would set off, trying to tail Mokuzai and the clone. The real Chigetsu would always try to keep within the thirty-meter distance of the cone, but at the same time disguising himself to the best of his ability to prevent himself from being seen or noticed.  

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[EXIT]
[156/2307]
[1000/2307] Learning Fake Water Clone Tech
[1000/1307] Learning Soaking Tech
[307 Words wasted]