Daraku stepped out onto the sands near the main gate, ready to leave. He hadn't brought much with him, just some food for the road, the Sword of Shadows, as he called it, his basic ninja tools, and a map of the five nations. His father was none the wiser, at least for now, but Daraku had left a note atop the nightstand in his chamber of the castle, and Tsurugi was sure to find it, soon enough. He wouldn't be able to stop Daraku, though, as by the time they got a squad out of the castle, he would be long gone. Daraku's only concern here was the Kazekage coming after him, or some other ninja. That would be the perfect wrench in his plan...he held his sword close to his figure as he took the hooded robe he had stolen from his father and wrapped it around himself.

It was dark, so he could easily hide himself from any hostiles using his kekkei genkai, if needed. Black clouds in the sky obscured the moon, and the only light outside was that of the village houses that were still up at this hour. The time was around....2, maybe 3 AM? Quite late. He turned to face the dry desert, ready to take the first step of his journey, before he stopped himself and looked down. The Sunagakure hitai-ate around his neck shone brightly, reflecting the subtle lights that came in from within the village walls and casting a glare onto the sand. Daraku sighed and removed the hitai-ate, carving a large line through the symbol to represent his broken allegiance and also stop the glare from persisting. He put it back around his neck before stepping off into the sands. "And so begins the quest of Daraku..."

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Traveling to Tsuchi no Kuni
Word Count: 305/600

A few miles had already passed behind him as he continued, step by step. It wasn't an arduous task at all, just running. He checked the map every so often to ensure that he was proceeding in the right direction, and with every check, he was. Iwagakure was getting closer. It wasn't just by the map that he could tell, either. The scenery around him began to change, from the barren sandy landscape of Kaze no Kuni into plateaus and rocky terrain, signaling that Tsuchi no Kuni was only getting closer. Daraku looked up to the sky for a moment, thinking as he watched the sky start to lighten up. It was probably near five in the morning, so the sun was going to come up soon. He reveled in the beauty surrounding him, but it was only a fraction of how good it felt to know that soon enough, his grandmother would be dead, and he would have his sweet revenge for what she did to the Ishido, and how she tore them apart. She needed her judgement...and he would be the executioner.

Daraku had it all pinpointed right down to when he would return. He would arrive in Iwa by the name of "Matsuro, Daraku", posing as an aspiring samurai from the Iron Country. He would utilize his stay in Iwagakure to buy weapons, kill people and steal their stuff, and train until he was fit to go to Konoha. He would stop somewhere and frame someone with the murders and item thefts, just in case the ANBU were after him. Even if they saw through his ploy, it would be a sufficient enough distraction for him to hide away somewhere before they could catch up. Everything was set, and he kept going over it in his mind...he would be swift and lethal, but clandestine. It was the perfect test for a ninja of his caliber, and also the perfect way to achieve his goals. He pictured the old woman in his mind, sitting in her seat as matriarch. He pictured his sword run through her torso, pressed to the hilt in her flesh...

I'm stronger than you'll ever know... the Special Jounin thought to himself before laughing quietly as rocky mountains came into view, and he figured that this was the border. He headed past, seeing the large village of Iwagakure in the distance and lowering the hood of the robe he was wearing. This was the beginning.

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Traveling to Tsuchi no Kuni
Word Count: 722/600

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