The path upon which the lone wanderer traveled was not short by any means. The sun sat only just beyond the halfway point in the sky. The time was around 4:00 pm.  Yūgen has been traveling since the early morning after his encounter with the bandits. After two years in the wilderness, having survived on nothing but the land and a few books to read, Yūgen didn't know how he would take society. Particularly given the fact that society was only a concept in his mind from books and guided on etiquette.

Yūgen had clothed himself with the nicest looking outfit among the men he had slain earlier. The outfit was actually more likely to be considered "overdressing" in terms of shinobi, though as a child at the Kishou gene pool, Yūgen had found himself wearing this sort of garb all the time. A white undershirt with long sleeves, a tuxedo vest which was a gentle shade dark blue, and black dress pants with black shoes to go with them.  To anyone who saw him, he might appear to be some sort of big shot. A famous individual who would sign an autograph. This was both a gift and a curse, as Yūgen was indeed a particularly handsome young man. It wasn't by luck either, it was how he was created.

Besides those clothes, he now long had a single Kunai and a handful of Shuriken. Supplies were low, but according to his prior knowledge and the way the footprints gave away the fact that the path upon which he walked was one well traveled, he shouldn't have been too far off. He had never been to the village Hidden in the Leaves before. His teachers and the guards at the Kishou facility would often tell stories of the outside world. And of Konoha they had spoken at times. The history books Yūgen had read detailed some major events of the shinobi world having conspired in Konoha. The place was typically recognized as a place where the heroes and villains of the ninja world came to be.

Yūgen had all the time in the world to ponder about his current situation as he walked on that lengthy path. He wondered just how much he would have to tell the people there in order to gain entry. His plan was to leave the Kishou out of it. This journey of his no longer pertained to them. It was his life now, they had chosen to  exit. There was nothing more simple than that.

As he walked on, he felt some unease. Behind him there were footsteps which were not his own. They were making an attempt to seem so, however. Yūgen closed his eyes and took a deep breath then pivoted, kunai in hand, pointed at the throat of the individual who had just become more brisk and reached an uncomfortable closeness. It was Lairyu.

Lairyu had been a childhood friend at the Kishou genetics facility. His only friend. In turn, she had been the reason Yūgen was thrown out. He held no ill will toward her, and his  immediate reaction was to place down his kunai, but immediately she brought hers up to his throat. There were no words exchanged between the two. They had each been trained not to speak to someone you were going to kill. Lairyu hadn't likely come here on her own, for a tear could be seen streaming down her face even though her gaze was aimed downward at his chest. She had been ordered to do this.

Realizing the path forward was only one way, Yūgen darted back, escaping range of bed kunai at least in melee form, then dashed back in to begin a true contest of skill. As they clashed kunai against kunai, the sparks and sound of steel ok steel sounding out, Yūgen would take the upper hand after only a few moments with his advantage. He had always been the best fighter at the facility and she knew that. He genuinely didn't think Lairyu expected to kill him. Perhaps death was what she wanted. Yūgen open palm connected hard with her jaw and he slashed twice across her abdomen with the kunai. She was fighting an uphill battle now.

Yūgen had managed to zone out into a combat oriented state, he was able to see Lairyu as an enemy and not his former best friend. At that point his strikes began to land consistently. She managed to gouge his cheek slightly, but when she did Yūgen cracked her arm at the elbow with an upward strike from below, leaving it useless.

Millions of images flickered through his mind now, of childhood, of his lonesome road as a shinobi. After they cleared, he struck forward with new resolve and an eerie calm. His kunai slicing at her jugular vein and completely severing it. She bled heavily and  to the ground. Her life slipped away within only minutes. Yūgen stood and watched that life slip away in respect. Then he pulled her to the side and utilized his doton chakra to move the earth in a place a little ways off the beaten path. He brief her properly here, then ran back to the path.

They had known he would kill her. They only wanted to figure up if his defect had been enough to render him useless against someone he cared for. He had been far less effective than he should have been, but he had done what had to be done. There were no choices there. Words were useless. And so the silent duel was quick and decisive.

Finally, Yūgen reached a very high wall and a gate. Through here he would pass, entering into a lovely looking village setting it was incredible to him. The guards had taken his response of "bandits along the roads." As an acceptable answer and let him through the gates without even a pat down. This village must have had fantastic inner protections, then. Yūgen slipped into the crowds, he would follow the signs, making his first destination the hot springs. A proper hot bath and some true cleaning would be perfect. He hasn't properly bathed in 2 years, after all. Only washing off in rivers and lakes.

He grabbed a towel and all of the necessary components and paid the man for his time in the springs, before walking in, dropping his clothing and gently stepping in. The warmth was addicting. He relaxed for a bit, deep in his thoughts.

WC: 1087

Weekends… weekends were brilliant, magnificent, and highly needed by the young Atsuya. Three weeks ago weekends wouldn’t have had any significance to Atsusya. There came a time when the Hyuga believed weekends were nothing but a day which served as excuse for adults to laze around in; today, however, his thoughts on weekends made a complete one hundred eighty degree turn. Fatigue was something which Atsuya hadn’t truly experienced until recently. For the past few years the young Hyuga managed to consistently finish at least three missions each week with no problems; the past two week changed that. His part time job made shinobi duties quite hard to fill. The first week was the worst; he didn’t even manage to complete a single mission that week… much less train. This week he managed to do three, but that was as far as he could go with both training and his job.

Atsuya knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep up juggling both his shinobi duties and a part time job as a baker.  Soon he would have to decide between both, and it was a clear choice. His sole reason for working as a baker was to learn baking from someone who was highly esteemed… there was no other reason; money was never a problem for him. Now the only question was when to break the news. He knew more than anything that his boss was largely dependent on him and he did quite enjoy his part time job… it made for a great way to spend time, but Atsuya needed to get his priorities straight. If he was to become strong enough to protect… and strong enough to get revenge, then he needed power and the only way to get power was to train as hard as he could… that meant focusing on his future as a shinobi and letting go of redundant things such as hobbies.

It was midday and the young Hyuga lay in his bed. His body was sore all over, not to mention he was mentally exhausted from both work and missions. For the majority of the day he had simply been lying in bed. The young Hyuga fell prey to the lazy Sunday afternoon that befell on Konohagakure no Sato… the words part was he was aware of it. Aside from cooking breakfast and eating, he simply remained in his bed… of course that face irked him. There was a beautiful day out and here he was doing absolutely nothing with it, instead he was simply wasting the day.

Unable to cope with the fact that he had been doing nothing and simply lazing around the Hyuga got up from his bed and walked around the empty mansion where he lived. His aunt, Hanako, didn’t seem to be around… no doubt she was in the middle of one of her ‘top secret’ missions, or at least that’s what she always called it. As usual there were only two people in the mansion him and his sister, Kuroame. Atsuya stood in front of a wooden door in the empty hallway of his house and knocked on his sister’s door.  Kuroame was the only person he completely trusted, both in and out of combat. As children the two were even compared to Kumogakure’s A and B combo in potential. Of course that would all change on the day of their parents’ death. Atsuya knocked repeatedly, but no answer was found. Becoming slightly worried about his sister the young Hyuga reached for the doorknob and carefully opened the door with making as little noise as he could.

A black haired woman lay in the middle of a bed; her eyes were closed as they always were even when she wasn’t asleep… this time however she was, in fact, sleeping. The night of their parents’ death was also the night Kuroame lost both her ability to see and her ability to walk… most of her days were spent here in this room, alone. For now, though, she was asleep and for once she looked happy… almost as if she was in peace while she slept; this both comforted and frightened the young Atsuya. He knew just how well she felt. Her dream was to become a great shinobi… and that dream was taken away from her. She was family and one of the only few people he truly cared about, if he ever feared anything it was having those he cared about taken away from him.

Seeing her sleep peacefully he didn’t want to interrupt her. These days it was rare to see her look happy and so it wasn’t right to just interrupt that happiness. He would have to find other things to do than talk to his sister. A book perhaps? He didn’t have any new books lying around the house; with that in mind Atsuya made his way outside. Reading a good book would have definitely been a great way to pass some time. It had been quite a long time since he got to read a good book; obviously with his body still sore from exhaustion walking such a distance was somewhat difficult, but it was nothing he hasn’t done before. Eventually the young Hyuga reached his destination; a book shop. Atsuya searched from aisle to aisle for a book that piqued his interest. ‘The Clan from the Moon: Secrets of the Ōtsutsuki’ the title alone already stole his interest. Atsuya was more than aware of the Ōtsutsuki clan… anyone who paid attention to shinobi history was aware of the clan that came from another world. Of course he was also largely aware of the Hyuga clan’s descendance from the Ōtsutsuki. This was indeed a book worth reading.

With the book in hand the young Hyuga walked over the counter to purchase the book. As he waited in line a large and colorful poster grabbed his attention… how could it not with its size? ‘Flower of the leaf Hot springs Grand Opening! 50% off for a limited time only!’ What could have been more relaxing than a hot bath and a good book in hand? Obviously the place would most likely be packed under normal circumstances, but who would take a bath in the hot springs midday?... Who aside from him of course. After purchasing the book the Hyuga searched for the address written on the large poster. Soon after his search the young Hyuga entered the hot springs, payed for the shop clerk, and bathed in the relaxing warmth of the place. Atsuya leaned on an edge with his book coated with a thin layer of chakra that prevented the water from getting to it. Just before getting to his book Atsuya took a short look around… there was no one else around. Everything was perfect.

His white eyes returned to the brand new book and began reading... until the sound of someone entering the hot springs echoed through the damned place. The man who entered looked to be around his age, yet Atsuya hadn’t seen him once… though that was somewhat normal for someone as unsociable as him. Trying his best to ignore the new arrival the young Hyuga returned to reading the book in his hand.

1221

The steam of the springs rose up in a splendid fashion, clearing the sinuses and drawing out a healthy sweat from the brow. It was the first time in all his life that he had been treated to something luxurious as opposed to something practical. The springs were extremely well decorated and the price he had paid to enter was probably a steal. Yūgen wasn't extremely familiar with the way prices worked. Everything had been provided to him at the Kishou facility, and the only time it was anything more than a bare necessity was when a client was on for a visit to see the selection. At that point beauticians, tailors, and all sorts of other highly paid experts in good looks would flood the place to clean up and dress the children to look tip-top.

The overall layout of this specific spring within the facility included a round, 20 m in diameter steaming pool, with a side area containing lockers for ones personal wares. There were multiple of these large spring areas within the one facility. A few for females, and a few for makes. There may have been a unisex one, but Yūgen looked and saw. It mostly consisted of pervy old men. The place had clearly undergone a remodeling event. Yūgen had no idea what the place had looked like before, but he was pleasantly surprised with how it looked now.

As he lay back against the course stone of the inside lining of the spring, his mind could not totally avoid the thoughts of his fallen friend. The one he had slain with his own hands. Only an hour prior to this, actually. The scratch on his cheek was still there, though already quite scabbed over. He touched it lightly then realized his head and face could use a proper wash as well, so he closed his eyes and submerged himself fully in the hot spring, using the wash provided by the man at the front to scrub himself up thoroughly, creating a small but adorable little mound of bubbles around him.

When they thinned out, Yūgen recognized another was in the spring as well. The person was at least about 15 meters away, at the other side of the circular pool they were both relaxing within. The man held a book and his eyes remained almost entirely focused upon it. It wasn't hard to recognize the pearl white eyes. The clan in Konoha known for visual prowess and a profound knowledge of the chakra points within a persons body. The Taijutsu specialists of this clan were extremely glorified and considered among some of the greatest in the world. Yūgen never gave the man a direct glance, instead using what he had learned in information gathering to pick up what he wanted to see using peripheral vision. The outfit he discarded to enter the spring was one of high quality. This Hyūga was most likely from a wealthy main branch family. His physicality was splendid. From what Yūgen could tell, they were each likely on the same level of physical prowess.

Yūgen was pleased with himself, but it wouldn't show on his face. He maintained his composure and scrubbed himself more, being sure to be fully cleaned before he would lay his cleansing items aside and bask in the heat for just awhile longer. It was at this time that Yūgen looked to the side and saw Lairyu, her shoulder length brunette hair, and her pale skin, submerged up to her neck in the hot springs, keeping her body from view, but when she rose up at all Yūgen could stare only at what was the gash in her throat. The blood seemed to spread throughout the water from her wound. Yūgen shook his head softly, realizing it was a his imagination. He raised his hands up after shaking the images out of his head, but now they were blood soaked. He scrubbed vigorously, but this changed nothing. Why was the guilt of his first kill so horrible? He simply couldn't understand it.

He didn't let the strange events give away his emotions at all. He quietly began to ponder his next course of action. He had been through a lot this day, and he hadn't slept on a bed in years. He would certainly need to rent out a room to sleep in. He also needed a wardrobe, so he would need to locate the marketplace to purchase some clothing and other necessities for hygiene. While he wasn't a homebody and had no intention of joining any village, he would need to start out somewhere and Konoha seemed like a good start. He would also need to find the training area to hone his skills.

He did something rare for him at this point, and assuming the Hyuga had lived here for some substantial amount of time, he asked him the man for the directions he needed while climbing out of the spring and drying off.

"Hi, would you be able to direct me toward a good lodging for a moderate length stay, and the nearest shops? I'm in need of setting up to stay in Konoha for an extended period of time, I have never been here before."

That was such an excessive amount for him to say, he almost never spoke as much as what he has to ask this man something. But alas, it was important to get this information.

WC:1996

‘The Clan from the Moon: Secrets of the Ōtsutsuki’ it was books like these that most grabbed his interest, books that gave not only a good read but also knowledge that helped him as a shinobi… of course whether book about the Ōtsutsuki could help him in his life as a shinobi was highly debatable, but as a member of a clan which descended from the Ōtsutsuki knowing more about them could never have been time wasted. One thing remained constant within the book; the Ōtsutsuki seemed to have a fixation with Konohagakure… whether it was kidnapping a Hyuga or a full scale invasion it always seemed to be Konoha. The young Hyuga couldn’t help but wonder if there was someone out there who possessed the power once held by the Ōtsutsuki; it wouldn’t have been impossible… after all stranger things have happened throughout the history of shinobi.

The book itself was a pretty good read; for once Atsuya managed to find a good book that managed to grab his interest from the start alone. His afternoon seemed to be going well so far, with a good book and a hot bath how could it not? The only thing that would have made the day better was if he had been given the gift of privacy, but he knew better than to expect such a godsend from a public bath. Of course that still didn’t mean he wasn’t disappointed; he did expect to be alone considering not many would be at the public bath in the middle of the day. Still, he simply ignored the fact and continued reading his book and quietly immersed himself in both the hot bath and the good book. Such relaxation was already a godsend in itself. Definitely a good way to spend a weekend; he’d make sure to drop by this place once in a while, it was a good place to relieve oneself of stress and all the other things that came with it. Tomorrow it would have been back to his duties as a shinobi. He had a mission lined up, but it could have barely even be considered a mission. All he had to do was teach, and train, a bunch of academy students in the art of taijutsu. Usually he was someone who hated mundane missions as he believed it was a waste of his skill, but he had to admit it was a fairly good idea to have a Hyuga teach taijutsu. If anything it would definitely increase the knowledge of the future shinobi in taijutsu and of course the so called ‘mission’ did stroke his ego as a Hyuga clan member; if there was something present in all Hyuga aside from their skill with taijutsu and their perceptive eyes was pride. Pride was something every Hyuga had… not necessarily pride for one’s own abilities, but instead pride for the Hyuga clan. Atsuya was someone who had both pride as a Hyuga and pride in his own abilities, even though the latter would not have been obvious.

The young Hyuga breathed in deeply. Now was the time to relax; thoughts of things he had to do the next day wasn’t allowed. While he thoroughly enjoyed bathing in the hot springs he had been bathing for quite a while. Atsuya was aware of potential fainting that might occur when staying in the hot springs for too long, yet he didn’t feel a tinge of being light headed so far. He wasn’t leaving anytime soon especially now that the other person present seemed to have been getting ready to leave. The young Hyuga paid no heed to the blue haired man and continued on with his book. Of course that wouldn’t last for long.

"Hi, would you be able to direct me toward a good lodging for a moderate length stay, and the nearest shops? I'm in need of setting up to stay in Konoha for an extended period of time, I have never been here before."

Naturally the young Hyuga wasn’t too pleased with this. He never liked to be interrupted whenever he was in the middle of reading. All this could have been avoided had he simply not forgotten his wallet back at home. He only had so much money in his pocket and sadly that money wasn’t enough for both a brand new book and a private room in a hot spring… even one with a fifty percent discount. Atsuya’s white eyes remained locked on the book for a good five seconds. In these five seconds he weighed the benefits of helping this man… there were none, aside of course on a karmic scale and karma something in which he didn’t believe in. If karma was in fact true then why were his parents brutally murdered in front of his eyes? Why was his sister, who was the gentlest soul he knew, now disabled? And most of all why was he the only one who remained permanently unharmed that night?

With one hand the young Hyuga closed the book he held. The sound of the book being slammed shut echoed through the silent hot spring. Atsuya slowly rose from the hot bath while his hand reached for the towel laid on the stones just beside him. It was time to get out of this place. The young Hyuga wrapped the towel around his waist after drying himself. Finally after delaying his answer for a good amount of time, he directed his gaze at the blue haired man and spoke.

“I’m highly certain you’ll find someone else more suited to play the role of ‘tourist guide’ for you.” With those words the young Hyuga walked to the locker containing his kimono robes. After making sure his body was fully dry, Atsuya dressed himself in his clothes and wrapped a belt of his shinobi tools around his waist with a sash. This time not even look at the man anymore he spoke again. “Perhaps until you find someone else capable of playing that role I shall have no choice but to do so myself.”

2252

It wasn't difficult to decipher that the Hyūga before him was not exactly pleased to have been interrupted from his reading. The way he slammed the book closed after a long daunting period of silence and seemingly not even noticing the questions just screamed annoyance. The first statement from the mouth of the man came as he dried and dressed.

“I’m highly certain you’ll find someone else more suited to play the role of ‘tourist guide’ for you.”

This left the offer seeming rather declined. I I felt like a no. The expression upon Yūgen's face was unchanging. He wasn't some spoiled child. In this world, no was one of a few different possible responses to a request. It was far from the worst possible response, as well. He readied his bag, his Tanto and Odachi both scraping the floor a bit as he lifted them in their sheathes up onto his back, along with his small backpack.  He felt refreshed from this bathing experience and honestly, wouldn't have minded this new life of society and staying fresh and clean. Not having to kill for every meal would also be a blessing. He took a few steps toward the door before the next part of dialogue arrived from the Hyūga across the pool.

"Perhaps until you find someone else capable of playing that role I shall have no choice but to do so myself."

Now,  Yūgen would stop and turn back toward the man, with that same, apathetic expression, and the piercing gaze that almost always described his ever-observant eyes. He would say in a calm, soothing tone the following phrase.


"You're under no obligation. If you desire, I can find my own way."

It was brief. It was direct. It wasn't pointed or edged, just a simple response that gave the Hyūga a clear option. It wouldn't be as easy to find his way with no guidance, using only signs and strangers in passing got the occasional pointer in the right direction, but he could do it if need be.

WC: 2340

After his last words silence yet a gain befell the hot springs. Whether it was an awkward silence or not, Atsuya didn’t care much. The young Hyuga continued preparing his items to leave the place. He returned his book to a plastic bag he received from the shop and carried it in one hand. Now he was ready to leave. Breaking the silence was the blue haired man’s response. "You're under no obligation. If you desire, I can find my own way.” No, he wasn’t… yet he offered to help anyway or at least whatever you called what he did. It was highly strange of him to do so, but at the same time he had been doing similar things for the past few weeks. Whether he was simply changing or he was being influenced by that Kimura brat he didn’t know. Either way he offered his help, albeit in a somewhat rude manner.

Atsuya turned his gaze to the blue haired man… more so looking through him rather than at him. The young Hyuga gave no answer nor did he care for the man’s own answer, instead he simply walked towards the man with the plastic bag which held his book in hand. Rather than stopping in front of the blue haired man to address him, Atsuya walked past him and through the door which served as the exit for the hot springs. “No I am not, so I suggest you follow while I still have the drive to do something I am not required to do.” Atsuya had little ideas on where to bring the man. Obviously he never thought he’d ever serve as a tourist guide to anyone. The closest shop around was a weapon shop… its location wasn’t the most useful thing to find out as someone who had never visited Konoha, but assuming the blue haired man was a shinobi it would have been a great thing to know. Weapons were always needed despite one’s capabilities with them.

With Atsuya’s words it would only be natural for the blue haired man to follow him. The young Hyuga didn’t turn his head back to check if the man was indeed following him until he exited the place, instead he walked straight out of the shop and waited outside. The young man took in a deep breath. After that bath he was fully rejuvenated and ready for what was to come the next following days. Whilst waiting for the blue haired man outside of the shop he found a nearby bench just beside the exit to sit upon. Atsuya took it upon himself to admire the weather. It was, in fact, perfect based on his standards. The sun was up high, yet it wasn’t hot. The wind, which blew strong, managed to save what would have been a scorching hot day and turned it into a fairly cold afternoon. Naturally he was pleased with the wind just as he had always been whenever it was strong enough to send more than a few things flying. After getting lost in his thoughts Atsuya turned his head to the exit checking to see if the blue haired man had indeed followed him.  


2797

“No I am not, so I suggest you follow while I still have the drive to do something I am not required to do.”

Yūgen let his mouth curl into a slightly amused smirk for a moment and then followed behind the Hyūga without much reserve. He wasn't going to make something more difficult for himself simply because the man who was meant to make it easier appeared to be a bit disgruntled. The young man made it out of the door and stopped, looking around in some sort of wonderment.
It was only when Yūgen was just at his back, throwing his own backpack across his shoulders and adjusting it like the lowly "tourist" he was, that he realized how absolutely perfect the weather was on that particular day. The birds were singing their infallible songs of nature. The breeze briskly touched all within it's reach, offering cool solace from the beating sun, but disturbing nothing in it's wake. The temperature was ideal for any activity one might imagine. It was quite possibly one of the most serene settings one might have ever witnessed. As if it were out of a story.

When they had both had enough, Yūgen would continue following the man through the wake, noticing him turn back to ensure his "tourist" remained in tow. At that confirmation, they would begin walking toward, what Yūgen knew as only mystery. Yūgen would say nothing, as there was nothing to be said. Following the leader wherever it led him, was the path Yūgen walked at this time.

He lifted both of his blades from their rough scabbards and examined them. It was no surprise that bandits would carry rusty excuses for swords. They were both in a barely useable state, but would do fine until he found a shop with something that was more of a piece of work.

As they passed through the more narrowed alleyways of the marketplace, Yūgen noticed young ones running all about. Children were playing around, skittering through the streets. Teen shinobi were hanging out together by shop stalls. Eating ramen together. Drinking sakè together. It was a community of people capable of both being shinobi in a dangerous world, and living life to the fullest. It was a foreign concept. Something of a fairytale.

WC: 2725

Turning his head back to the exit, the young Hyuga saw the blue haired man just standing behind him. He didn’t expect the man to just follow him instantly… it was strange. Atsuya didn’t complain much, at the very least his little ‘tourist’ was obedient enough to follow silently without any fuss. He didn’t last a second in his seat before he had to get up again.

The young Hyuga continued his walk around the lively streets of Konohagakure. While his body moved to guide the blue haired man to the weapon shop, the corner of his eyes silently watched the man. A good thing about the Hyuga’s inherent white eyes was the fact that spying on someone was made significantly easier to hide. The young Hyuga’s eyes traveled down the blue haired man’s built, checking every inch of him with no ill intention reflecting in his eyes. The way he's dressed, the unbalance of his outfit, his funny bag that seemed to contain metallic objects based on their constant and annoying rattling, and above of all his silly attitude in watching everything around Konoha… a tourist indeed; it was obvious that the wasn't from this place, but Atsuya already knew that. The question was where was this man from? First his rank… a genin based on the fact that he was likely in close proximity to Atsuya when it came to age, but he was too much in awe from the very sight of Konohagakure… that meant it was highly unlikely that he came from one of the great five shinobi villages, or any shinobi village for that matter. It only left a few obvious answers… a farmer living in some deserted part of the country? It would explain the constant rattling in the man’s bag, it could have been farming tools for all Atsuya knew, yet he was too well built to be a simple farmer. A shinobi no doubt or at least someone skilled in combat. From his athletic body he seemed to be someone capable in taijutsu or close combat… something to note just in case.

Atsuya’s legs suddenly stopped in their track upon arriving at a shop with a large banner in front which said ‘Fire and Steel – Konoha armory shop’. It didn’t take a genius to know what the shop was. The young Hyuga pointed his finger to the shop and explained what it was just in case his ‘tourist’ was somehow illiterate, which was unlikely since he managed to, at least, find the hot springs.

“You can buy weapons here, however it wouldn’t be the wisest choice. Prices don’t match quality.”

The most peaceful part of the village didn’t produce the best weapons… which made perfect sense. For actual weapons one would have to brave the Konoha slums… which was their next destination. Silently, he began dragging his legs one after the other along the crowded road, passing through different kind of buildings, a group of men in suits rushing all around as their lunch breaks ended, women who barely had any clothes on despite the cold standing at the side of the streets, leaning flagrantly into whatever they could, a gang surrounded with heavy smoke that came out of their strange smelling cigarettes, a couple kissing here and there, all different kinds of sights passing by that you don't normally see in the better parts of Konoha. The young Hyuga’s face remained expressionless. The sights here weren’t new to him, nor to anyone who knew better than to purchase weapons from a peaceful area. A sigh flew out of the young Hyuga’s lips, before he continued walking. The slums didn’t scare him like they would most genin, instead they saddened him… the whole place screamed ‘Konoha is far from perfect’. The two headed towards a big red store that had a weird foreign sign riding upon it.

Atsuya stopped in the middle of the road just in front of the shop. The exterior was highly worn out and didn’t look appealing to anyone looking to spend their hard earned ryo… looks were deceiving.

"The prices here are generally the same as the shop found in the market place, but the quality of wares matches up to the price.”

It was rare for the Hyuga to talk this much and that was evident by his now dry throat. His legs started leading them towards a line of fridges, that's fulled of different kinds of drinks. Taking a couple of water cans in one hand, he continued.

“If you have any place you would like to visit next it be best if you tell me.”

3589

The first stop was a weapons shop. A large flowing banner read "Fire and Steel, Konoha Armory Shop." It was a very nice looking shop, but upon further inspection, Yūgen noticed the weapons and armors were extremely over-priced. This shop wasn't one of war-time expertise. This shop in particular must have preyed upon the unwise, amateur swordsman. The prices were even rough for Yūgen's stash he had taken from the body of that poor mercenary.


"You can buy weapons here, however it wouldn’t be the wisest choice. Prices don’t match quality.”

Yūgen merely flashed him a look to confirm that he knew better of weapons and that this shop was a waste of any intelligent shinobi's time. The Hyūga lead on, through the crowded, rushed village streets until the atmosphere took a dive. Yes, a certain feeling washed over as they entered this part of the area. More back alleyways. The smiling faces were replaced by more concerned ones. Beggars stood by, waiting to chase after and beg and plea with anyone who came near. Yūgen pulled his Tanto from his bag with a simple backwards reach, and fastened the bamboo sheath instead to his belt. This was no place for an Odachi, but having the Tanto within reach wouldn't have been a bad idea. People who were less than desirably by society had a habit of underestimating a Yūgen because of his "pretty-boy" aesthetic.

As they walked past what were likely whores on the street corner, and brushes shoulders with men who were far too happy to be anything but drugged or drunken, Yūgen maintained his poker face. It was a complete flurry of sudden commotion when one of the beggars tried to seize his bag and rip it from his shoulders.

The Hyūga may or may not have had the time to turn back and notice as Yūgen smashed his fist into the thief's stomach before he could even pull at the pack. In those few seconds Yūgen's absurd ability to react would be extremely noticeable against the untrained, petty criminal. Yūgen grabbed the man's hands while he doubled over from the fist to his stomach, and he bent back the man's fingers to the point of being near parallel to the back of his hand. An uncomfortable crack would ring out around the square as they broke, and Yūgen shoved him to the ground and kneed him in the face, sending him into an unconscious heap on the ground.

The Tanto wasn't necessary, after all.

Yūgen would say nothing to his guide as they pressed forward, now approaching a worn down looking shop, the sounds of hammering and grinding resounded from inside.

The prices here are generally the same as the shop found in the market place, but the quality of wares matches up to the price.”

It was another weapon shop. The wares hung in the back and one would need to survey them from afar, or request to see them more closely. This was clearly a method the shop-keeper used to stop petty thievery. The keeper was a very burly man, a long, black beard with a bald head. He was sweating and wore an apron and goggles, with dark working boots and long pants. As Yūgen approached the counter, the man looked over and removed his goggles. Beady, tired eyes were revealed but a smile crossed the man's face as he approached, dirty from hard work.

"And what might a scrawny little bugger 'ike you be needin' from a rugged man's armory 'ike this one? What's that there strapped to your belt?"

Yūgen found it a bit funny every time someone underestimated him. The jovial, condescending tone of this old blacksmith was welcome though. The young man didn't seem to mind it at all as he lifted his Tanto from his belt and laid it across the counter for the smith to make a mockery of.

The smith's reaction to seeing the blade was a bit of surprise. And as he unsheathed it and scanned it over carefully he chuckled to himself.

"Those bloody tightwad, mercenary pricks wanted  weapons from me, but were willing to pay only scraps for 'em. How'd you end up with this blade?"

Yūgen gave the blacksmith a look which spoke more volumes than a word could have ever. As the dialogue progressed Yūgen had been eyeballing a particular blade mounted on the back wall. It's blade was imbued, it seemed, with a metal that gave it a dark red glow. It was a mid sized katana, obviously much higher quality than the Odachi or the Tanto. Yūgen pointed to the blade in the back, the smith realized quickly what he was asking for and brought it to him, keeping close, out of habit, to make sure his hard work wasn't run off with.

"Ah...I forged that one last week. Testing out using colored powders during the forging to add a tinge of color to them. I call this one "Yukimura."

Yūgen was sold on it, and laid out a lump some of ryo, not feeling a need to bargain. The blacksmith understood Yūgen's desire to remain silent unless absolutely necessary and respected it, despite being a talkative man himself. Yūgen would return here for future purchases, no doubt. He bowed his head in appreciation and turned to the Hyūga, who has asked him after obtaining water from a fridge on the street side..

“If you have any place you would like to visit next it be best if you tell me.

Yūgen glanced over his new blade before sheathing it and finally speaking himself.

"I need a place to sleep. I also wouldn't mind a place to train."

WC: 3,723

Atsuya had just paid for the water bottle when the blue haired man rushed out of the weapon shop with a new katana in hand. It seemed the young Hyuga chose the right place to bring the man seeing as he was more than eager to buy a new weapon. With three weapons on his person, the man was obviously someone skilled in the art of kenjutsu... something noteworthy just in case the two ever crossed paths. A good bukijutsu user who knew how to defend against disarms was a bad match up for any practitioner of taijutsu and a terrible one for any practitioner of Juken. That was what separated the young Atsuya from all the other Hyuga. While most Hyuga focused primarily on taijutsu and close combat, Atsuya was hardened in both aspects of combat. Closing range was never a problem for him, but whenever he couldn’t; he had more than something for long range combat. Whether it be the list of offensive jutsu he was capable of using or the assortment of projectiles ranging from the average shuriken to less common items such as flash bombs, he was always prepared for any kind of fight.

The young Hyuga opened the water bottle and took a few small sips to quench his thirst. "I need a place to sleep. I also wouldn't mind a place to train." Of course, the man did mention the need for good lodging in his request for a tour guide. Finding a place to rent would be hard even for Atsuya… he wasn’t exactly a real estate agent, nor was he aware of any place possible of renting. No doubt there would be more than a few rentable areas where they were currently at, but that was only because no one who had a choice would live in Konohagakure’s slums. Finding a place to stay would have to be the last place on the list to find. If things came to worst hotels were somewhat a good place to stay in, if not a little overpriced.

Now for a place to train. Training grounds were more than common in the village of Konoha, even surpassing the number of fifty. The only question was ‘which one was closest’. Konohagakure’s slums were the most isolated part of the village; it was a place completely separated from what one would call the normal streets. The whole place was Konoha’s little ‘hidden shame’; while that fact didn’t mean much for anyone, it was important to Atsuya as going to the slums without good reason was a colossal waste of time… no good reason like serving as a tour guide for some stranger. Speaking of the stranger, he hadn’t even introduced himself to the man. How rude of him… or rather how careless of him. This man was an unknown, for all Atsuya knew he could have been a criminal in hiding. Names were required in order to gain more information. “I’ve noticed both of us have yet to be introduced to the other. Let me begin, I am Atsuya of the Hyuga clan.” The young Hyuga’s name was insignificant; it could have been gained from asking any jonin or Hyuga around the village.

Having no affection for time wasting, the young Hyuga began walking to what he believed to be the closest training grounds from where they were whilst he waited for the blue haired man’s answer. While it would have been far better to bring the man to a training ground much closer to a place that he would have most likely found a place to rent, that would have wasted far too much time for the young Atsuya. Even now time was passing. What started off as the sun raised at its peak was now a sky that prepared itself for the inevitable sunset.

4239

With his new blade now being the one at his waist, he approached the Hyūga and gave him his response, which the man seemed to really turn over in his mind for a few moments before he snapped from his thoughts and brought out a question which had been primarily avoided up until this point.

"I’ve noticed both of us have yet to be introduced to the other. Let me begin, I am Atsuya of the Hyuga clan.”

Yūgen had known full and well that the man guiding him was a Hyūga, but wouldn't let that knowledge be forfeit just yet. He would respond in a plain way, not giving up anything he had assumed or gathered up to this point. Over the many years of training and having been taught that knowledge is power, the small amount of information he did know of the Hyūga at this point was that his eyes were powerful, and that if they were trained eyes, he would be capable of hitting Yūgen directly in his chakra points. This was all just contingency, Yūgen didn't anticipate a conflict to arise.

My thanks for this charitable guidance, Atsuya. My name is Yūgen of the Kishou-Hattori.

He would follow Atsuya through the village, not far from the shop, and at that point they would end up seemingly making an exit of the more scummy area, and into a clearing. Worn training equipment was dotted around; wooden posts, burlap dummies with targets painted on them, a small facility to the side seemed to be an indoor gym for those looking to simply hone their muscles and strengthen their bodies.  This was exactly what he has asked for. It looked great, and his new weapon was itching to be used.

Yūgen slowly unsheathed the blade, it's Crimson blade shimmering against the fading sun, took stance, and quickly diced up a standing dummy before sheathing his blade in satisfaction and turning back toward his host.

WC: 4068

OOC:

"It was nice to meet you Yugen, but I have other arrangements that I need to attend to." With that Atsuya would return to his home.



-Exit-


Strength: D2 -> D-3 | 450/450
Speed: D1 -> D-3 | 850/850
Perception: D -> D-3 | 1175/1175
Reaction time: D -> D-3 | 1175/1175
Endurance: D-> D-1 | 325/325