sd

Moving from tree to tree, abathor’s eyes revealed nothing more than a simple survival instinct. His bloody pupils were moving at breakneck speed, searching eyes for possible prey in the scattered brush of the village while he was on the lookout for food. If he had been warmly dressed from the cold morning he might have been easier going. And he did not even care. His ragged clothes, under which his skin was severely tested, marked with a hundred scars, contracted muscles, bristles, all contributed to make him nothing more than a simple animal. Then Abathor remembers that he is supposed to meet with hina today so he thinks he will get food with her instead.

Abathor goes to the meet spot and joins a tour hoping to meet with hina later. His long grey beard felt detached, expressed all the freedom that the old man now felt after so much walking, although it was his choice. His bare feet ran on the cold, morning ground of these chilled grassy areas as far as the eye could see. He knew one thing, that he was looking for hina. And without looking back, he was going towards the latter.

He certainly had not thought he would come at the wrong and he thought hina was supposed to be here by now. She could have been sad that he could not teach her any jutsu that other time. He wants her to know that she had to learn from herself to control her ninjutsu power. His eyes narrowed as his soon to be sharingan pupils look around to see any signs of hina. He thinks she should have left some notes so he could know if she was here but he sees none.

A few hours later, he finally reached the huge break area almost the entire north of the starting point, and then further, the hokage mountain. Not stopping, he infused his chakra into his feet to make sure to cross the vast expanse of cold ground without shoes and without getting too cold. Despite the fatigue, he pushed his body, as he had learned in recent months, beyond its mere limits. His body decays even more every day and just making long walks was hard.

He remembers when it took him nearly a day to cross a lake like this without any break. No, if he stopped, even then, he would have died of cold time to recover. Spring might be here all over the world, there spring did not exist. those lands of eternal winter would kill you without a shadow of a doubt if you stayed there without moving, just waiting for your chakra reserves to go away.

Arriving in the final stopping point in the tour, the old man ends up looking at a group of pople from an earlier tour. He sees water being given so Abathor walks to the table and gets some. Although it is not very cold anymore Abathor thinks that the water is still too cold. Then he sees hina arguing with some kid.

“Calm down you two. Also hi hina how have you been.”

Abathor goes between the two and physically stops them from looking at each other.

“Want to go eat? I am very hungry.”


545/545

d

“I went on a tour I am sorry I am so late.”

“yes let us eat quickly. I am so so hungry.”

“I was hunting. I am making myself desperate so I get stronger. I am really hoping to be a chunin soon and to pass exams I must be my best. Those young people will be better than me so I have to be more desperate.”

“thank god. Ramen.”

At dizzying speed, the old man clasped his hands around the ramen bowl, taking advantage of the light conversation to perform the biggest gulp of his life. He swallows most of the ramen broth in one go and asks for more. Under the astonishment provoked, the ramen cook filled him back up. The broth slid down abathor’s throat again overflowing from his mouth and spilling everwhere. Abathor has not eaten in days it feels like. He thinks his mind is going crazy from the hunger and he does not know how he put up with that whole tour.

Who has not dreamed of seeing the sun set on an azure sea accompanied by the most sublime creatures that the ocean carries? Abathor day dreams of this while he eats his ramen. In his mind he is living a waking dream, he is running near a boat with his feet slippery on the foam as if it were liquid soap, jumping on the backs of powerful mammals and taking advantage of their tail lift to jump higher than he could dared to dream of it.

Reality disappointed him when he had to come back to it to ask for more ramen. He feels he was only an incompetent fool and a notorious slacker in the past and he has little chance of redemption.

“You don’t have to look at me like that. I still have a home and I still have clothes. I just forgot we had this event today. I already said sorry don’t be mad. Now tell me what is on with you. You said you were senju so let us see some jutsu. Or did you get a real job yet? Do tell.”

Abathor has known hina more than most fleeting people in his life. therefore he is more than happy to see this with his own eyes that she is growing as a person. Even If he stays in his rut forever he can live through her success. She asks him about chunin but she is the one who will be chunin soon.

Abathor wants no more sickness, no more useless deaths and more wars, because the word "need" would be no more than a distant myth. He knows he can do little to help the world but young people can. The goosebumps began to invade him when he feels a boost of confidence in hina, at the same time the ramen bowl was empty and he got one last serving. He is not paying for this so he will eat all he can with no shame.

500/1045

d

Abathor is honestly disappointed in hina. He spends all that time teaching her ninjutsu and she does not know a single wood jutsu yet. That is a shame. He gives her a look that tells her how disappointed he is but then he feels bad.

“Take your time. It took me a long time too but you will get it like I did. I don’t’ want to talk about how long it took me so don’t feel bad about not getting it yet.”

Abathor does not think his advice is very good because he still does not have any jutsus. He also does not want to push hina away. She is one of the only ninja who like him.

“I don’t want to be a sensei. I want to be part of ROOT. They are supposed to blend and I can blend with old people of konoha and report treason activities. Old people have nothing to do but plot so they can be problems for the village.”
Abathor sits and finishes the last of his Ramen and Hina leaves him. She smiles at him and Abathor smiles back. He is sad to see her go but not everybody is free like he is. He thinks of going back to his training before all the light is gone. He apologizes to the chef for the mess but Abathor will not help it be cleaned.

Now back to hunting he could go. He is not fueled by hunger now because he is full of noodles and broth. Now he hunts just to prove that he can. The soon to be chunin cautiously descends from its perch from a branch, setting up various traps to catch vermin and birds. Once traps placed at the various entrances and exits of the village the old man waited quietly, taking advantage of the low visibility and with stiffness looked over the traps.

Abathor leans to the ground looking through the leaves of the tree for any critters that will get caught in his traps. He is sure that no one had seen anything, ensuring that his trap making was for the moment a success. He saw something move and he falls without noise before moving quickly to a side of the tree unlit by the moon.
The place was incredibly calm, and no noise disturbed this place, ruled by a totally military land.  Only the sound of critters running on the ground came to disturb the sweetness of the night while the unknowing Abathor checks his traps. He had finally caught something after all this time. Abathor cheers loudly and scares away all other creatures but he is happy he finally succeeded. Talking with hina and eating that meal was what he needs to get back on track.

Now Abathor starts a fire and cooks the small squirrel he has caught. He can finally rest after all that hard work.

abathor exits

484/1529

train d-0 -> d-1 perception
train d-0 -> d-1 strength