Well now, this was unexpected... A small pit stop on thier way to Kumo. Red eyes dimmed down, a smile crossing his face as he'd nodded to a passerby.

"Good morning." A short greeting, one that went ignored. A frown replaced the smile, his head dropping some. Iwagakure was a rude place; everyone he'd spoken to seemed to ignore him, or pretend that he was not there. Only the hotel bellhop seemed to acknowledge him; but that was given. He was a paying customer, afterall.

The male was leaning against a wall outside the fire temple, simply waiting. He'd rememberd that distant cousins of his clan resided in Iwagakure, and had decided to look them up. It was a bit of custom; Hoshi survivors stuck together; country allegiences be damned. When one clan visited another, it was a celebration.

Ah, the Fire Temple. A grandiose place, to be sure; it was historic, beautiful even. Zen didn't visit here very much any more... a shame, really. Ever since a few unsavory incidents here, he hadn't felt the urge to return in quite a while.

Grey eyes searched their surroundings as the Kyouga walked down the street that could only lead one place. That one place was a bridge; the Fire Temple was rather isolated from the rest of the Hidden Stone Village. People chatting, going about their business....Zen wished, from the deepest part of his soul, that he could do that as well. But....there was no escaping his fate.

The bridge was nearly behind him now. The temple loomed above Zen as a stark wind blew through the secluded rock face, ruffling his coat as he ever slowly approached the structure. He noticed someone propped up against it. The young man had heard rumors of visitors; perhaps this was one of them?

Zen approached the figure, exuding neither hostility nor a friendly candor. That would be this person's decision, after all... Zen sometimes disliked living in a world of ninja. Not being able to trust.

Red eyes flickered from person to person, watching and waiting. No one seemed to be whom he was looking for. Perhaps this had been a waste of time. He'd assumed that the – wait, what was this?

Eyes snapped upon an approaching person, a small smile forming across his face. To Luca's eyes, the male seemed to glow as bright as the sun. Reaching into his coat, the male pulled a pair of sunglasses and placed them on, allowing his eyes a bit of relief. He'd waited until the male drew closer before speaking quietly. “Good morning, Cousin. How fairs the family?”

This... he was definitely a Kumo-nin on further inspection. He saw the glint of the Hitai-ate. Kumo + 'cousin'....well, that could only mean one thing. Zen knew his clan was related to another... From his studies in the village libraries, there was only one clan that this could be---well, no. There were two...but the other wasn't from Kumo.

Iki. Friendly....a nice assumption to make, for once. "Oh, how good to see a relative....Things have been going well over here. I've found a new clan member, actually....One Ariston Kyouga. For awhile I thought I was the only one in Iwa.... glad it's not the case. And you, sir? How goes things with the Iki clan? I haven't seen your clan's likes in the Stone Village of late...."

Zen removed his obscuring hood, revealing a face that most likely wasn't suited for a fifteen-year-old. It was just...too aged. He probably looked twenty, maybe younger if he was lucky.

Luca offered Zenchi a smile. It was clear this one knew of the family customs. "The family is fine, thank you. And my name is Luca." An apt response. The male leaned back against the wall again, stiffling back a yawn with his hand.

"The people of this village seem quite rude, dont you think? Perhaps its because I wear the headband of another nation?"

.....were the people of the Land of Earth really that callous? "Well...we haven't been on good terms with other villages. To add on to that, the Stone Village is mourning the loss of Rokudaime Tsuchikage. The village's council is somewhat wary that other countries will use this transition as a time to strike.....Oh. I haven't introduced myself. Kyouga Zenchi. I'm the acting head of the clan...My father is a bit ill of late. Other than the citizens, how do you enjoy our country?

Zen was intrigued...the Land of Earth was not exactly a tourist destination. So...why had he come here?