Maikumaru sat down in a bar. It reminded him of a bar in Iwagakure. Except it was worst. It was in the worst off parts of Konoha. And its customers were terrible. Everyone was sharing ugly looks with one another. There were five different groups of people. Five different sets of clothing being worn. Clans were here. Newer and smaller ones. They were far too akin to bandit groups for Maikumaru’s taste. The young shinobi sat at the counter, on a stool, eating the finest beef he had tasted in ages. The atmosphere was tense and heavy. It was eerily quiet. Maikmaru activated his Gaia’s eyes. He needed to keep in eye on the location. There were men clutching their Kunai within their pockets. Some were tapping on their Katanas, eyes shifting in all directions. Something was going to break out. And all it took was just a little bump from a drunken compatriot for all hell to break loose. Soon everyone in the entire bar were brawling with one another. Everyone except Maikumaru. If it had been a week ago he would have been in the thick of the battle, laying his fists on anyone, no matter if friend or foe. But his nose was rather buried in a book. The Art of War. It was a compilation of battle tactics of an Iwagakure Shinobi.

“Our forces were easily outnumbered. But there’s were easily outclassed. Their tactics were barbaric to say the least. They charged at us like the animals they were. Little did they know, we had our forces sneak behind theirs, aided by ANBU who went scouting. They secretly were circled around them. And when our smaller group saw them coming, the signal was shot, and with our superior technology, we had unleashed hell on them. Their entire forces were wiped out-”


Someone had bumped Maikumaru while he was reading. It was one of the things that he found most annoying. He quickly closed the reading material, and spun it around, smashing it against the skinny man’s face. He had gone from being a Tactical Scholar back to being a brute. Tucking his buck away, he grabbed a chair and swung it wildly, smashing it upon everyone who was in front of him. He grabbed another smaller man next to him by the shirt, and lifted him in the air. He delivered blows to his face, and tossed him aside. Maikumaru grabbed the largest man he could. He was quite fat. Lifting the large man over his head, he yelled a battle cry, and slammed his back over his knee, hearing a sickening snap. It echoed around the bar. Maikumaru tossed the man aside, watching his round body fittingly roll. Everyone stopped to look. All eyes were on him. He walked towards the door, shoving people aside. “Get out of my way.” Those who weren’t shoved moved with haste. With that he was out of the bar, and in the slums of Konohagakure, wandering aimlessly, eventually ending in Shinwato.

507 WC