Mitsuo couldn't help but to be excited as he stood at the gate of Konohagakure, preparing to head out to his neighboring village of Sunakagure for the Chuunin Exams. He was mostly excited because this was the biggest chance he had at advancing towards his ultimate goal of becoming ANBU. He smiled and lit a smoke, inhaling deeply and letting the smoke go out through his nose, thinking of one of the jutsus he had recently learned in preparation for the exams. He fixed his glasses to his face and pulled his cloak's hood down, making sure his hair wasn't everywhere as he prepared to meet his traveling buddy.

It's always better to travel with a friend, eh nii-san? I wish you could be here to participate in the exams with us...

He took out his trusty tanto and tossed it up in the air, flipping it and catching it again in his left hand, running a finger along the blade as he did. The sun was warm and it was a beautifully breezy day in Konoha, the leaves in the trees rustling and not a cloud in sight. He knew that very shortly he was going to wish there were clouds as he crossed the desert into Suna.

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Mitsuo watched as a figure approached him, realizing this to be Taigen Kichirou, his traveling partner. He flicked the ash of his cigarette and took another drag, his gloves reeking of smoke. He placed his tanto back in its sheath and then rested his hand on his hip, just above the handle of his weapon where it usually was. His master had told him to always be prepared, and this would be no exception. he looked at Kichirou's camouflaged outfit and realized that he himself looked quite a bit more flashy, his black mesh shirt sitting atop his glistening muscular torso and his cream coloured sash sticking out like a sore thumb against the dark colours he wore. He decided to take off his Konoha headband when he noticed that Kichirou wasn't wearing his, thinking it a good idea to not draw too much attention to them. He placed it in his sash and pulled his hood back over his head once more, glad he would be wearing his glasses to keep the sand out of his eyes when they went.

“You ready for this, Mitsuo?” Kichirou said in his soft voice, which matched his ambiguously handsome features nicely. Mitsuo couldn't help but smile a bit when he heard it as it comforted and calmed him. He patted the hilt of his Tanto and turned to face the road ahead of them, determined to make his father, his master, and his sensei proud. He had inherited his brother's Will of Fire, his driving force and the thing that always managed to ground him. Becoming a Chuunin would mean he could better protect his village and his Hokage and he would stop at nothing to make that happen.

Here we go, Nii-san. Time to embark on our journey, and no matter the outcome, this will surely be an experience I will learn from, and one that I shall never forget.

He looked back to Kichirou with a determined look on his face, fixed his glasses in place, and dropped his smoke, stomping on it to put it out. "I haven't been more ready for anything in my life Kichi. Let's go and make our village proud." With these words he began the long journey to Sunakagure, in the lands covered in sand, the place where he would face his destiny and advance his dreams...



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