Konohagakure, The Village Hidden in the Leaves. It has been nearly five years since the young Aburame was last here, the boy looked down upon the village from the top of the Hokage Rock having climbed up the back of the mountain in the cover of night rather than entering the village from the gate. The sun was just rising over the horizon casting an orangish red glow across the sky as well as cascading over the buildings of the village. It was hard to believe how little it had seemed to change over the years, with the exception of a couple of things everything seemed the same as it was when he left. As he turned to begin walking down the mountain path he wondered what else had changed and what had stayed the same, it was obvious that the guard around Hokage Rock had not changed as he was able to climb the back side of the mountain and not be apprehended in the process. Of course now that he was within the village he doubted anyone would say anything, after all he was an Aburame one of the pillar clans of the village. The boy then began to wondered if the Hokage was the same man as it was when he had graduated the academy five years ago. Of course he could just go into the museum there on the mountain and find his answer, however the boy would rather meet the man himself rather than learn about him from some plaque next to a statue. He would be able to tell more about the man if he meet him in person so he made a mental note to spot by the administration office to arrange some kind of meeting with the man to talk about his future with the village. For now the boy would settle for a stroll around the village, taking in the site and seeing just how much the village had changed since he was last here. He doubt anyone would know him, save for those of the Aburame that knew him and his parents. To those not from the clan of the village he would just be another bug, just like all the rest of the Aburame or at least that was how the boy had come to think of what the villager's think of him. Not that it bothered him what others thought of him even if they were from of his own clan, things that are unknown or hard to understand are often looked down upon or feared and the connection that the Aburame share with their Kikaichu was something that most did not understand. By the time the boy reached the village street the sun had risen slightly higher into the sky, the villager's were just starting to fill the streets of the village off to work or whatever it was that they were doing today.

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~489

Shippo was awake early in the morning and he was training as was his usual want when he didn’t have a mission that was fairly pressing right at the moment. Instead, he was just another day to grow in strength and better himself for the next mission that he may or may not be given. He was a Spec. Jounin now and that meant that he had to be on call and ready to respond to the call of the Hokage whenever it would come in. He was joined with his partner much like he always was, but Tsume was now fully grown and his head was leveled with Shippo’s stomach now. Now Shippo could actually ride his Ninken companion if he wished to do so. Shippo was down on all fours trying to keep up with his Ninken moving through the village Hidden in the Leaves. He was dressed in the same get up as was his norm, but the fur was thicker and if anyone cared to really look they would see that it was the fur that Tsume would shed through the rather typical shedding season. For now, as the two stopped they had a chance to catch their breath and it was then that Tsume noticed a scent on the wind. He gave a soft couple of barks which in turn caused Shippo to look ahead of them and he saw what his hound had seen. There was something or someone wandering around near Hokage Rock and if Shippo’s eyes were correct then it was someone who was coming down or away from Hokage Rock. This was interesting as very few people moved towards or around Hokage Rock at this time of the day, not many people were up, and those who could get to and from Hokage Rock without being caught by any security measure were Shinobi. With this in mind he didn’t recognize this shinobi, but he decided that he would go and meet this person.

He and Tsume were easily capable of catching up to this person who was just strolling along without much of a care for anything. He and Tsume landed in front of Retsu at a respectable distance between them. He smiled at the Aburame clan member bowing his head “Greetings, I haven’t met you, or scented you before. I know that you are of the Aburame, you all have that…scent, and look about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Shippo Inuzuka, and this is Tsume. I would be happy to get to know you, or at the very least know your name. I must say that I am glad to face to face meet one from your clan. I haven’t had the chance before.” He said tucking his hands in his pockets as he looked Retsu up and down tilting his head as his nose worked to memorize the scent that Retsu had.
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495

The boy's Kikaichu were a buzz with activity, it had been so long since he had been in the village around other people, around other chakra source's especially such a large number of them. It took most of the boy's focus just to control the small beetles and prevent them from trying to drain chakra off of the villagers, so much so that the boy was beginning to think he had returned to civilization prematurely. However he did not get that far from Hokage Rock before all of the boy's Kikaichu seemed to focus on the same thing, rather large chakra source was moving towards them accompanied by another chakra source that was either an animal or a child. Retsu did his best to restrain them however their desire for the large chakra source was strong, forcing the boy to use all of his will power to pull the beetles back to his body to prevent them from leeching off the person that was approaching him. A boy not much older the Retsu himself by the looks of him landed in front of him, accompanied by a rather large dog 'Ah an Inuzuka, how odd' the boy thought to himself as other boy introduced himself as Shippo and made mention of not smelling Retsu before he remembered that the Inuzuka clan were more like the dogs that accompanied them just as he was more like his Kikaichu then normal people.

The boy was very forward with what he wanted in a friendly almost creepy way that made Retsu slightly uncomfortable, it was not so much that this Shippo was creepy but to Retsu someone so friendly and open is rather creepy in truth this boy was the exact opposite of himself. Retsu is not the type to start a conversation nor did he care much for getting to know people, he preferred his solidarity and the company of his Kikaichu the fact was he did not even like the company of other Aburame. Ever since the death of his parents the boy had pretty much lived in the forest surrounding the village avoiding contact with people as much as possible. Of course the boy knew that coming to the village would present itself with this type of situation he did not think it would happen so fast or that the person would be so forward, Retsu would look at the Inuzuka and his pet Tsume through the tinted lens of his goggles. Wondering how best to respond, the boy was obviously a Shinobi of the leaf that much was obvious however Retsu was not one to trust someone so quickly.

The boy began signing, as he signed the boy's Kikaichu would begin to form together to create words that floated in front of him which scrolled as if it was on a teleprompter, "My name is Retsu, I have been away for many years. I am just observing the village. You can join me if you wish. Not much has changed since I left, but I would not mind a tour guide." Once the boy had finished signing the beetles that made the message would return to the boy's jacket as he awaited the other boy's answer. Though he was not really looking forward to the company the boy was presented with a unique opportunity, since he had been away from the village and away from the current events of the not only the village but the world around it. Spending time with another shinobi would give him a chance to gather information that he had been missing.

~605

Shippo watched very carefully as he was doing his best to memorize the boy’s scent. Tsume was having a much better time of it as was evident by his tapping Shippo’s leg twice to show that he had it done and that it was a done deal. Ever since Shippo became a Jounin he was hunting for people who weren’t the same or people who could threaten the village if he didn’t know them. The rumors had spread about what happened to Sunagakure and he would not allow the same to happen to Konohagakure. He also knew that Aburame were rare, but they were highly talented and often sought after as recon, black ops, and various other functions. His mother had worked very closely with a few Aburame throughout her years and she spoke very highly of them. So, with this in mind, he would not pass over the chance to really examine an Aburame.

Tsume was hairs on end as something about this human wasn’t right. He could scent the bugs, but the biggest issue was that the bugs and the human almost smelled exactly the same. There were very few subtle differences between the two scents, but the least that he could memorize them. He gave a few small soft barks that relayed that he had memorized Retsu’s scent and that he would recognize it again should he be put on the trail to find this person in the future. Shippo tapped his right foot twice to show that he understood, and he caught it as well. The pair of them blinked in surprise as the boy began to sign. A deaf shinobi would be a first, with Inuzuka blind didn’t matter at all because Shippo could tell even more about his environment. Still, being that the Aburame were fairly similar to him, he wouldn’t rule out the very likely possibility that they didn’t need to hear either. He smiled warmly at Retsu and while he couldn’t sign he could read the bugs and he did so. When they were done he smiled and shrugged his shoulders “Well, that is very interesting. Are you deaf or have your bugs made it impossible for you to talk? I am not trying to be rude, but I am highly curious. If it makes you feel any better, then I will happily say that yes Inuzuka can indeed talk to dogs. At least their dogs.” He smiled and this time he moved towards Retsu “Well, I would be happy to play tour guide for you. After all, while you think nothing has really changed you’d be surprised.” He stood next to Retsu and started to walk along with him “I have to say though that was very interesting. I can’t believe that you got bugs to form into words and sentences. That is very talented, and I have to admit that is the first time I have not only seen that before, but I haven’t even heard of it before. That is beyond amazing and I can’t say that I would even begin to know how to communicate without my own voice. Tsume is good, but he is not able to speak like we do.” He then seemed to stop and ponder something. “Well, you know…I have heard some family stories of a Ninken in my clan many, many years ago who could speak the way we humans do. I can’t say if there is any truth to them, but I have to admit there is some hope to be had there.” He walked along with Retsu and Tsume was on the other side of him, but one eye was locked onto Retsu. Shippo may be presenting a fake state of relaxation or a real one, but Tsume would not relax in the presence of anyone he didn’t trust, and after the latest incident with their family he wasn’t sure he could trust ever again.

672

A smile formed on the boy's face briefly, though he quickly realized that the other boy would not be able to see it due to the mask cover his face. After Shippo finishes his explanation of how he could talk to Tsume, the boy decided to share some knowledge about how he communicated with his Kikaichu. This time he had his Kikaichu form without signing to show Shippo that the bugs are under his beckon call and form to his will. "I can speak and hear fine, I prefer this way of communication as it was something I was taught at a very early stage in my development as a shinobi and can be done by simple thought. Though I do not need to sign to control them, I like signing to them just because it was something my mother taught me and it helps me feel closer to her. You see when I was young like all Aburame I became a host for a Queen Kikaichu which then produced the first generation of my hive, there was a time that the Kikaichu were first getting use to my body that they would explore. They would form around my ears blocking me from hearing, blocking my mouth or nose, and sometimes even my eyes blinding me. Because of this signing and forming the Kikaichu into words became a way of communicating before I even learned to talk. Of course they never stayed permanently, it just happened when I was first learning to control them, we can communicate with them and any other insect though a silent language I guess you could call it a telepathy of sorts. Now as you can see I can form them into words just by a simple thought, I can send them to scout out locations and whatever else I wish, such as recognizing your personal chakra signature. So that if they sense it again they would know it was you." The boy's thoughts paused for a second as he pondered if he might be sharing too much clan sensitive information with an outsider, his Kikaichu no longer forming words due to the interruption of this thought. The boy shook his head before calling the bugs back to form, "anyway to sum it up for you I will it and the Kikaichu do it." Retsu would stop communicating with the Kikaichu for a brief second as he thought of a way to gather the information he sought, before deciding to just be honest with his fellow Konoha Shinobi returning to his communication method. "Its been nearly 5 years since I have been in Konohagakure and I have been out of touch with the would outside of the forest. What can you tell me about what has changed? Who is the Hokage?" Of course the boy had a lot more questions he wanted answered, however he decided to start with the most important one in his mind. He wondered if it was the same man it was 5 years ago when he had graduated from the academy, of course if the boy gave him other information it would just save him from having to ask later.

~532

Shippo watched as the Kikaichu formed into words, and he did notice that Retsu was not actually signing. This meant that there was something he was not seeing, something that was going on that he couldn’t feel, or something that he was just missing. Of course, it was the same with him and Tsume because they were indeed able to communicate in a way that most wouldn’t understand. Still, he suspected that eventually, he would figure it out, or at least have something about it explained to him. He listened silently and attentively to what was being told to him. It was actually very heartwarming that he learned how to sign so he could feel closer to his mother, and he was also helping himself as well. He did know something about how Aburame worked, much like his clan, they were quickly introduced to their animal partners. Though in the Inuzuka’s case it was more a partnership of two species that could live independently as one or the other instead of what the Aburame had which was a symbiosis with insects that in Shippo’s opinion needed the Aburame more than the Aburame needed them. Still, what did he really understand, but the bit about the Aburame becoming a hive for their insects was fairly common knowledge among the shinobi of the Village Hidden in the leaves. Hearing that the insects caused any kind of problems to their host while they were young was news that he didn’t have from before, but he was excited to learn that the boy had a way of communicating before he could speak, but that did make technical sense. He stored the rest of the information in memory, but upon the boy stopping to think most likely watching the bugs stop and vanish was also very interesting, to say the least.

He was thinking about this information how it could be useful, and various other things about them. He also wondered why the Inuzka clan and the Aburame clan hadn’t ever had a marriage or a crossing of the bloodlines before. He imagined that if such a thing were to happen then it would be a powerful lineage indeed. His thoughts were broken up by the sight of bugs moving once again. Seeing the questions that were brought up he nodded his head “Well when I became a shinobi a genin back in the day, it was Kenta Inuzuka. However, recently it is Rippa Chi who is now our Hokage. He is well enough, and he promoted me from Chunin to Spec. Jounin. As for what has changed, inside our village not much has changed. However, word has reached my ear recently of Sunagakure being destroyed. I haven’t gone there yet, and wouldn’t know for myself, but it is true that we have to make sure that it isn’t going to happen to our village. So, I won’t allow it to happen under any circumstances.” He blinked and cleared his throat slightly “Uh, well, that’s uh, about all I can think about really. I don’t bother with much else these days, just missions, keeping the village safe, and protecting my clan. Also training but I think that it goes without saying honestly.”


549

The boy was disheartened to learn that the only information the boy really had was the name of the Hokage, which while it was an important piece of information did not really seem worth Retsu's time for having to put up with the boy. Evidence of Retsu's unhappiness was on the boy's face as a frown began to form, luckily for the young Aburame the boy he was with would not know how unpleased he was to learn that this boy would be of no help to him in gathering the information he sought. The mention of the village hidden in the sands destruction however did spark something in the boy, he remembered a few day prior to his return to Konohagakure when he had first met Lady Yasuda, she had briefly mentioned something about refugees from Sunagakure. Retsu did not push the issue with Lady Yasuda at the time mainly due to him choosing to use that time to get to know the girl, however it would obviously stand to reason that the two were connected. Why were there refugees from Suna within the land of Fire, because their village was destroyed now the question for the young Aburame became who destroyed it. Retsu knew he would not get that information from this boy, considering the fact that he just stated that he did not even know if it was true or not. However hearing similar stories from separate sources causes the young Aburame to find truth in the boy's words, Retsu could not allow such a fate to befall his village but first he had to get himself to an area of increased strength and ability. This boy seemed to almost match Retsu's own life, minus the clan part of course, considering the fact that it had been five years since he had even seen a member of his own clan. Retsu would quickly call his beetles to form words for him to talk to the other boy, "News of the destruction of one of the great villages such as Sunagakure is very Troubling News indeed, it is always a sad sight to see someone lose their home especially when it is an entire village that loses it." The boy paused as a thought came to the boy's mind, this boy may not have some of the answer he sought but surely the boy would know where he could find these answers to what he had missed over the past five years. "Shippo, would you take me to the library? I think maybe the books there could help me with what I am missing from the years, with the exception of the recent stuff that I can catch up later." The boy knew it was a quick change in the conversation, going from talking about how sad it was to lose a village to take me to read books. However it was something the boy felt must be done, he needed information and the boy was not going to be able to help in that regard. The Inuzuka may still prove himself valuable to the Aburame in the future, but for the time being his only service the young shinobi needed of the boy was the direction of the library.

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~548

A bark echoed down an alleyway and disturbed a shinobi that was perched in a tree in a nearby park. He was deep in thought, pouring over a page in a book titled, if under closer inspection, 'Silence: The Art of Finding and Preserving It.' The ninja's shaggy black hair shifted slightly as he lifted his head and glared in the direction of the intruding bark. Unable to see the culprit, the black clad man sighed, closed the book, and dropped to the ground.

He knew that dogs were common in villages, he knew that loud sounds were too, but he had hoped that he could have enjoyed a moment with a book without his family pulling him away for some menial task. Stowing the book in a small back, the shinobi headed towards the alleyway that the bark echoed down. It was high time that he returned to the library to drop the book off.

Leaving the dark corridor, he noticed a pair of men not too far from him... with a dog. He noticed a floating script and quickly noted the word 'library.' With another sigh, he tried to look inconspicuous. It would be just his luck to have to walk to the library with two people he didn't know. He raised his hood and hoisted his bag a little higher to make shuffling towards the library easier. He hoped that he went unnoticed, though the chances of a man, dressed in all black, in the daytime, would be unnoticed.

---

WC: 254

Shippo saw the frown and was a bit surprised by it. He thought Aburame didn’t know how to smile, frown, laugh, or anything like that. Still, he only gave a shrug to himself dismissing the bit of conjecture as simple village gossip that had gotten out of hand. He watched as the bugs formed words again and read the words. He nodded his head in agreement “Yes, it is a terrible thing. Losing one’s home is a tragic thing, I can’t imagine losing one’s village, nor could I imagine losing someone’s family as I am sure it has happened if the stories are true. Still, I won’t let it happen to our village, not ever. I will happily give my life to keep the village from suffering such a fate as Sunagakure.” He said his eyes gleaming slightly with some of the anger that he was feeling over the simple idea. Tsume picked up on this and the hair on his back started to stand on end, but his mouth was still closed, and teeth were hidden.

The pair of them were distracted from their rising anger by the next question and the bugs moving once again. He read the question and then smiled wider nodding his head “Oh, of course, I can take you to the library. It isn’t that far.” He said and started to lead the genin in the direction he wanted to travel in. He liked Retsu so far, or rather he didn’t see anything that would make him not like the other shinobi, so he decided that helping him wouldn’t be out of the question besides they were both hidden leaf shinobi which meant allies.

As they walked Tsume sniffed the air and inhaled a new scent, granted it wasn’t unusual being that they were in the village in the heart of traffic really. However, he could feel the hairs on his tail rise and the scent belonged to a shinobi. He casually scanned the ground stopping to lick himself, so he could inspect the area around him. Spotting the man dressed in black wasn’t hard, and he spotted the one following them right away. He gave a series of soft barks and growls to alert Shippo.

Shippo raised his brow and stretched to before he whispered: “Alright, keep an eye on him, and we shall stop him if he decides that he wants to, or will do anything crazy.” He glanced over to retsu and in front of his chest to hide the view from behind him he used one hand to get Retsu’s attention, so he could look at his face. He mouthed as soon as Retsu could see him “We are being followed, but I am not sure if they are friend or foe. Be on alert so we can react appropriately.” he didn’t stop his movements nor let on in any other manner that he knew someone was following him.


502

Retsu was more than happy that Shippo was willing to show him to the library, and the fact that it was not far from where they were. He doubted if he would stop at the library right now unless Shippo was also going to venture into the library himself the boy was more interested in seeing the other sites of the village, but learning it's location would be useful later. Though he was from the village and looked upon it often from the tree tops he did not venture out of the Aburame compound very often when he was a child with the exception of the academy, and since he had been out in the wilderness for the past five years he did not have much of a sense of direction inside the village. Shippo seemed to be a good guy and seemed to be someone worth knowing, and despite the fact that the young Aburame did not really care for dogs the man's companion seemed to be more chilled and calmer than others the boy had encountered in the past.

Retsu was not the type of person to allow his guard to drop, even for a second. From the moment he had arrived in the village the young Aburame had a small insignificant amount of kikaichu spread out around the area around him, it was how he was first alerted to Shippo's approach earlier and it was how the young shinobi became aware of the man behind them. The boy's Kikaichu did not give any details about the person that came into his sensory range, only that it was a decent sized chakra source and it seemed to be following them. It did not seem as though the new chakra source was an imminent threat, so there was no need for the boy to worry his travelling partner's with news of the chakra source currently following them as it was possible the person was not actually following them but rather just walking the same direction as the pair. Still the young Aburame would use his Kikaichu to keep an eye on this chakra source, the beauty of the boy's Kikaichu was they were small and hard to see on their own and they gave off no noise as they flew so it was doubtful that they would be noticed, it was one of the reasons the Aburame were so revered for their espionage skills. The boy's thoughts were interrupted as he would hear a few soft barks from Tsume followed by Shippo whispering something through the boy could not make it out, though the boy assumed that Shippo was trying to comfort his companion.

Shippo looked over and mouthed that they were being followed, how interesting it seemed that the man's dog barking just a second ago was his way of alerting his master of the man. So Retsu would not have to worry about telling the man about the stranger, he formed a small cloud in front of his chest ensuring that no one that was standing behind them would be able to see the message. "I know" the message was short and too the point, and was gone as soon as it was created. They both knew about the person following them, but it was yet to be determined if the person was actually following them or just walking in the same direction as they were. As the pair reached the library Retsu would stop at the bottom of the large steps leading up to it, looking around to note where they now were within the village so that he would be able to find it again later on his own. The boy's Kikaichu that were spread around still watching for any signs of an attack coming from the source that was following them or any other source near them, however the boy continued to play it off as if he did not notice the man behind them. Retsu would form more words with his Kikaichu to convey a message to Shippo, "alright, now that I know where it is I can always come back later to see about checking out some books to help me catch up on recent events." The message scrolled a few words at a time to keep from having a long trail of words floating all around the pair, once that was done the young Aburame would let out a soft sigh before forming a few more words in the air in front of him. "What else is there to see?"

---

~768

Zinan sighed. Here was the suspicion that he expected. That was to be expected in shinobi village. Espionage and suspicion was the daily routine for the majority of the citizens in Konohagakure, and the villages abroad, but the Kumonosu genin had hoped that he could simply walk to the library without someone thinking the worst of him. Yet, here he was, going about a normal activity for a citizen, while being eyed by two other individuals. It was not as if Zinan did not know why; any sort of ninja that could sense chakra would recognize that he had an amount that was abnormal for a regular citizen.

Zinan sighed again. This time, he looked ahead of him. The two other men were clearly shinobi: their communication, while silent and hidden from Zinan, was clearly recognized. He assumed that one of the two other men was a junior shinobi as well; communication from a well-trained ninja would not be recognized as communication at all by an onlooker. However, he did not tense up or assume the worst from the other men. He just wanted to head to the library to return a few books and possibly check out a few more.

A few minutes of this awkward travel had passed before the two shinobi ahead of him had reached the library. They had stopped and Zinan was able to clearly see the two shinobi. The one with the dog, as Zinan had suspected, was from the Inuzuka clan. The other man, the one whose communication was less discreet, was mostly covered. Zinan, however, recognized the usage of insects. An Aburame. The Kumonosu narrowed his eyes; the Aburame were the premier insect shinobi in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They overshadowed the Kumonosu, mostly due to their ability to manipulate and raise many types of insects. The Kumonosu preferred working only with arachnids.

Zinan had caught up to the two when his mind was wandering and accidentally brushed into the Aburame shinobi. He stumbled after the contact and the book fell out of the small bag in which it was stowed. He would not, however, fall to the ground. Instead, he dropped his shoulder and rolled back to his feet. He snatched up the book with haste and shoved it back into the bag. He muttered an apology, "My apologies. My head was elsewhere and I must not have seen you stop."

He knew it was a lie. Perhaps, because his thoughts were focused on the Aburame, his body drew him closer to the other ninja. Perhaps it was because the pair carelessly stopped in front of the stairs, directly in the line of travel into the library.

---

WC: 449
Total WC: 703

Shippo kept his awareness up and was ready to go for anything that would likely happy. To see that his message was received and that the other was also aware of their follower made Shippo relax a bit. He wasn’t sure how he was to go about saving the pair of them on his own, he and Tsume were tough, but if the man caught Retsu by surprise then it was likely that he and Tsume would be at a sever disadvantage themselves. Still, he was grateful and was happy that he was walking in such good company. He didn’t really think that this person was a threat, after all if he was in Konohagakure surely, he would be a friend or a non-combatant. Still, he was a Spec. Jounin now, and that meant he had to make sure that he didn’t get taken out by someone who was skilled enough to sneak into the village. It also meant that he had to guard Genin, and Chunin from any possible threat. So, until he knew for sure if this person was friend or foe then he would be on his guard ready to attack or to simply talk friendly to the stranger as the situation warranted.

When they stopped in front of the library he was happy to gesture to the building smiling “This is the library. There are plenty things that one can find in here. I don’t spend much time here myself, but I hear a lot from those I would trust that it is full of useful things.” As they were stopped he had the chance to glance over as casually as he possibly could towards the one who was following them. Tsume on the other hand decided that he would face the way that all the regular traffic was coming from. This meant he was facing their follower and he would be able to see everyone else as well. He got to watch the follower come along without looking too suspicious of course, if someone had the proper instincts and skills they would notice that no matter how many people Tsume was looking at he never took his eyes off of the shadow that he had. It wasn’t an intense gaze, it wasn’t a very strong gaze, but it was clearly a gaze that was used to tracking targets throughout dense forests, and in any other such condition.

Shippo on the other hand only kept his nose and peripheral vision on their shadow. It wasn’t until he closed the distance that the two of them seemed to ratchet up in intensity for their readiness and they were ready to fight no matter what happened. When Zinan bumped into Retsu he flexed his clawed hands tracking the other’s movements without moving. He was waiting for the one moment when the other would be aggressive. Yet, he didn’t see any such thing at all, and he simply sighed. Shaking his head as he stepped back to allow Zinan to pass between them as he would like. “You should really pay attention. If you are the shinobi I think you are, then it would be wise for you to never let your mind get flustered. You never know when an enemy is going to strike, but from the looks of it, it seems that you are at least quick to react.” He said cheerfully imparting the words of wisdom that he felt he was supposed to given his rank.

WC: 590

Just before the young Aburame had formed the words to ask Shippo what else there was too see, he felt something rather solid bump into him. The boy would turn to see the man who had done so scrabble to pick up what looked to be a book off the ground, he must of been on his way to return it to the library and must of dropped it when the man ran into him when him and Shippo had stopped. That at least explained why it seemed like the man had been following them, it had been merely an assumption in thd first place and both himself and Shippo had been wrong in their assumption. The fact was that they were not being followed but rather going to the same destination, as another man who just so happened to be walkinh behind them. Though Retsu was sure something like this could have been avoided considering the size of the stairs that lead up to the library spanned further out than what the two had been blocking, the boy would dismiss his thoughts when the man apologized stating he was not paying attention to where he was walking. It was hard for Retsu to judge whether or not the man's excuse was truthful or not, usually he was able to read people but with this man it was not so easy and the young Aburame did not understand why. Still the boy would accept the man's apology as well as take the blame for the run in forming words in the air with his Kikaichu, "no apology needed, completely my fault." His Kikaichu would then resume what they had been doing either returning to the boy or going back out to form his network of an early warning system, just because this man was not a threat did not mean that there were not other threats even within the village. A smile formed beneath the mask of the boy as Shippo scolded the man for not paying attention to where it was that he was going, while simultaneously taking a step away from Retsu to make a path between the two of them that the man could pass through. While Shippo scolded the man the young Aburame would look towards the sun and quickly realizing that it was almost ten o'clock, telling time judge by the sun was not always one hundred percent accurate however it was something that the boy's father had taught him and it had been his way of telling time for the past five years. He had an appointment with Lady Yasada and did not think she would appreciate him arriving late as punctuality was very important, the young Shinobi looked to Shippo quickly forming words with his Kikaichu that even the man that bumped into him could see if he was still there. "I am sorry, I must go." Followed quickly by the words, "I do hope that we see each other again soon." With that the young Aburame took off down the road, he did not need direction to get to where be was going he just needed to hurry as he did not want to be late.

{Exit Thread}

OoC: really sorry guys but need the slot, I hope we can do another thread later when I have a slot(s) free again and feel free to continue on in this thread together if you wish.

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~538

Total Word Count: 3480
Strength Trained to D-3: -1475
Perception Trained to D-3: -1475
E-Rank ~ Kikaichu Shujin Trained: -500
Total Words Used: 3450

Total Cost: 350 Ryo

The Kumonosu genin struggled to maintain an innocent or light expression, especially in close proximity with a member of the clan that constantly overshadowed his own. It took all of his effort to smile another apology towards the other genin. Luckily, his struggle was relieved when the other man spoke to him. Zinan slid his eyes over to the other ninja and fought back a scowl. Still, his eyes flashed dark under his thick, raven eyebrows. Zinan knew that the other man outranked him and he was certain that the man was a Special Jonin. Perhaps the Kumonosu shinobi had seen the Inuzuka leading a group of ninja, or perhaps teaching a class; it was possible, even, for Zinan to have seen a roster with the man's face and rank on it. Coupled with the fact that the man had a dog that seemed to be one related with the Inuzuka clan, Zinan was confident that he was of greater rank. After all, he didn't remember any Inuzuka's that were genin or Academy students. Regardless, the genin did his best to show deference and respect to the man.

"I understand, Inuzuka-sama. I know that I need to be aware all of the time, but I have been distracted as of late. My sensei has gone missing and my team has been disbanded once again." He pulled the book out of his bag and raised it up some. The title, Silence: The Art of Finding and Preserving It, was easily visible, written in gold leaf and inlaid on well oiled leather that had been dyed in a shade of deep black. "I've been distracting myself with occupied by reading what I can, if I am not training."

The brooding man scratched at his forearms, the web glands there were itching. They always itched, it seemed. When they produced the glass filament his clan were known for, they stretched and stored it inside. That stretching tugged and tightened the skin on his forearms and made them itchy. That was the main reason why he wore a long, dark cloak all the time; for one, it hid the glands from view, but mainly it was to keep him from scratching the skin off of his arms.

Zinan waved his hand in front of his face as insects buzzed around. He scowled over to the Aburame to accuse him of not controlling his bugs and that was when he saw the man's words, floating in the air on the backs of insect wings. Did this man refuse to speak around him? Or was it that he was mute? If it was the former, Zinan would have expected it. If it was the latter, Zinan would have thought that the man was unfit for shinobi duty; how could a man keep his team safe if he could not call out a warning to them.

To make matters worse, the man was withdrawing from this situation. Sure, Zinan had lost track of his surroundings, but he was not afraid to stand his ground and deal with the issues at hand. He scowled again and watched as the man hurried off down the road. He turned back to the Inuzuka Special Jonin and shrugged. "I apologize. I did not mean to scare him off."

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WC: 553
Total WC: 1253

Shippo nodded his head in understanding “You can be distracted at home. Those are serious problems, but you can’t let your guard down when you are not within your own realm of safety. Your web, home, clan compound, however, you wish to call it.” He said clearly signaling that he knew what clan this one belonged to, and that he didn’t much care. He as a Spec. Jounin was required to teach both genin and chuunin so he had a roster of all of both classifications of shinobi in the village. Rather he had access to one such thing. He cleared his throat lightly as he waved it away “Still, your sensei would not want you to put yourself in harm’s way. Should he be dead your lack of guard will only make his death be in vain. This is why I am always alert, my missing students deserve for me to be alert and never lapse in my guard.”

When Retsu said that he needed to go Shippo smiled and nodded his head “I understand, life is busy for us who walk the path of the shinobi. Still, should you need my help, or guidance in the future feel free to come to me. My family lives in the heavily wooded areas inside of the village.” He said keeping that fanged smile on his face. Tsume, on the other hand, kept his eyes on Zinan this was because like Shippo they had both caught that flash of darkness passing over Zinan. Anger, resentment, and other such things had scents, and a spike in emotions was like someone throwing pepper into another person’s face, it was impossible to ignore. Shippo chose to ignore it, but Tsume, on the other hand, resented anyone who would be upset with, or angry at his partner.

Turning to look at Zinan Shippo kept the smile on his face shaking his head “There is nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t scare anyone. Your clan and his might be rivals, but I don’t think he knew that. Nor do I think that the rivalry is worth anything. After all, the Inuzuka don’t have a rivalry with the Nekomata, or the Ninneko clan. They provide their own services to the village, and we have our place as well as the services we provide. Your clan has a specialty that only you can master, as does the Aburame clan. To compete does nothing but cause strife among our village shinobi.” He said clearly in lecture mode. Then with a shrug, he said “So, care to explain where you were going, and what you were doing? I trust you weren’t actually following the pair of us for any reason other than simple coincidence.” This was a clear jab that he knew the youth was following them to some degree, but he was leaving the purpose to be told to him by Zinan.

WC: 492

Zinan hated to be chastised. While he knew that this more experience shinobi was only looking out for him, the fact that Zinan was being instructed by someone who was other than his sensei irritated him. Couple that with the fact that the man's mangy mutt kept staring at him, it boiled down into a ticking time bomb. He fought, however, to keep his anger under control. He forced a small smile in the dog's direction, but spoke to the human half of the partnership. "I understand, Inuzuka-san. I will do better from here on out." Zinan spoke his second sentence as he changed his gaze from the dog to Shippo.

Zinan patiently waited, in silence, as the special jonin bid his farewells to the other genin, though he could not say that he was heartbroken to see him go. The Kumonosu genin also silently bore the chastisement concerning the rivalry that his clan felt towards the Aburame clan. Sure, the two clans had their own strengths and roles to fill for the village, but it was hard to let the past die when one clan is prosperous and wealthy and the other was regulated to the outskirts of the village. Zinan knew that if there were to be a war, the Aburame and the Kumonosu would be able to fight side by side, but until then, the Aburame were the hollowed carcasses of the insect world.

He ran a hand through his shaggy hair, careful to hide his eyes from the man with his sleeve, so that he could roll his eyes in angst. Not only did the man want to berate him for his family's view on another clan, but now the man wanted to interrogate him about where he was going. He looked down at the book that he held in his hands and then up the steps to the library. He figured that the man was smart enough to make the connections himself.

"Well..." Zinan looked back up to the other shinobi, "I was headed here to return this book." I figured that much was obvious, he thought to himself. "With all due respect, you are not someone important enough for me to follow around." He hoped that his jab would resonate well within the other man. If the Inuzuka thought that he would strike out verbally to the genin and get away with it, he was wrong.

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WC: 406
Total WC: 1659

Shippo inhaled deeply as he watched the other Sinobi a look of anger passing over his face that he didn’t bother to hide. At the same moment, Tsume’s hackles started to rise and he bared his fangs “I am glad to hear that you will be more careful. I am only worried about your wellbeing. I should, however, warn you that emotions and strong body reactions are all very easily detectable using scent. If you don’t calm down, and I mean in the next few seconds I won’t be held responsible for what happens.” He growled his features seeming to stand out even more than they usually did. Tsume was on his feet now no longer sitting his hackles were fully raised, and his dark fur was standing on end all down his spine. It was clear that he could tell the emotions in the conversation and he didn’t like them in the least. He was not about to relax, and this shinobi seemed to be very disrespectful to a superior. Tsume normally didn’t care about this, but if someone was going to swell up or cop an attitude with his partner he was not going to stand for it.

Shippo smiled the anger suddenly leaving his face and his body as he relaxed “See, I said just that. I said there was a reason you were following us besides coincidence. Was it a good book? Did you enjoy it?” He then seemed to realize the jab and he laughed loudly as he clapped his hands. His mirth was not mimicked by Tsume, and to someone who knew Inuzuka well or worked with them then they would know that the dog was the truth behind the emotions that the pair seemed to share. When Shippo finally got ahold of himself his eyes were burning with rage “Disrespectful to a sensei. I thought someone who valued their clan so highly wouldn’t besmirch their clan’s image with such disrespect to a village Jounin, special or not. I will be sure to tell your sensei when he returns just how you act. I would remind you that while I am not very important I still outrank you. I don’t care if you like me, but you will show me respect, or I will treat you like a dog that has challenged the Alpha of the pack. You will lose that.” He snapped his right fingers and Tsume relaxed finally “Now then, please don’t let me keep you from your time at the library.” He said gesturing to the library doors and bowing low “Should you require a substitute sensei during your sensei’s absence then I would be honored to serve in that capacity. Good day my friend, and good luck with your future missions.” He finished before he and Tsume turned and leapt onto a roof heading off in the direction of home for them.

[EXIT]
WC: 493
Total:3,793

Training:
Strength : D-2 to C 975/975W, 175 Ryo
Speed : D-3 to C 525/525W, 100 Ryo
Endurance : D-2 to C 975/975W 175 Ryo
Perception : D-3 to C 525/525W, 100 Ryo
Reaction Time : D-3 To C 525/525W, 100 Ryo

Words: 3,525/ 3,793 (Words Remaining: 268)
Ryo: 745- 650= 95

Zinan narrowed his eyes at the man's threat. If he was using his mutt as a way to intimidate him, it was not going to work. Zinan knew that if this man laid a hand on him, the Konoha Military Police Force would get involved and assault was not taken lightly. Especially when it involved a genin being assaulted by someone who outranked him over something as petty as the special jounin not caring for the genin's attitude.

The Kumonosu shinobi did not widen his eyes when the man's attitude suddenly changed. Inuzuka Shippo-san's emotional instability was alarming to Zinan. How could the Hidden Leaf Village put faith in a man that could not maintain a single attitude, on top of not being able to deal with people who did not like him without resorting to threats? He slowly shook his head. "No. The book was quite dull and uneventful. I have read more entertaining and exciting books by less experienced authors than the woman who penned this book." Zinan paused for a moment as he argued with himself how to approach the next sentence. He continued, "However, it was an important read as it focused on getting rid of nuisances in life."

He watched the Inuzuka's expression to see if he understood Zinan's second verbal jab. He had reacted very poorly to the first jab and had threatened to go to Zinan's sensei about the matter. That did not scare Zinan in the slightest. As much as Zinan did not care for petty people, foolish actions, and boorish conversations, his sensei cared for them even less. It would be very interesting to see how the conversation between Inuzuka Shippo-san and Uchihua Kyohei-sensei would go. He let a small smile form on his lips as he thought about the exchange. He knew that Uchiha-sensei would clarify that respect was not freely given, but earned, from Kumonosu Zinan.

He watched as the man turned and leaped away from him with his mangy mutt. Shippo even had the gall to let Zinan know that he would be willing to act as a substitute sensei while Kyohei was missing. That was a possibility that Zinan could never see happening. He shook his head once more and trudged up the stairs. He wondered what sort of books that the library had in stock today.

[Exit]

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WC: 401
Total WC: 2060

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Training for C-A Rank Jutsu: Hiden Technique: Spider Web Area - 2000 Words