Aethir sat where he was, watching the orange sky above. He couldn't believe that morning had turned to evening so quickly, the ronin inhaling and exhaling, soon going into a yawn. He looked to his left, then looked to his right, searching for the boy he had almost fed to his friends in the forest, Aethir becoming a little impatient. "Ugh...if he doesn't show, I'm going to just eat without him..." he groaned, leaning his head against the restaurant's door. Soon, people approached him, the ronin forced to move out of the way so that they could enter the door to eat.....delicious....food. 'Well at least THEY get to eat, but me...? I'm stuck waiting for this kid...' With a loud groan, Aethir slid onto the ground, lacking the energy to stand. "This is...the ultimate test of patience..." Aethir panted as the once golden sky has now began to dim. Slowly looking to his right, he saw a window, Aethir slowly peeking in to see ...steak. Amazingly cooked steak on people's plates, the ronin slowly drooling as he had the look of a starved stray dog. 'HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!!!! Hurry up already...!!!' Aethir clenched his teeth while putting palms onto his face, tapping his foot rapidly as he was ready to just go in and eat.

Word Count: 223

Running as fast as he could, Antanas speeds toward the steak shop, seeing an impatient Aethir tapping his foot and crossing his arms. Looking at the sky as he ran, he noted that it was becoming late in the noon, which surprised him because he began training that morning. 'Time must fly when you don't want to be eaten alive...'Antanas grumbles to himself as he runs, glad it wasn't from a giant animal. As he was coming close to the steak house, he slows down to a jog. When Antanas makes it there, he notices Aethir pressing his hands on his cheeks, making him look ridiculous. "Hey! I'm here!" He calls as he approaches, a grin spreading across his face, "Sorry for keeping you waiting!" As Antanas bursts into the doors of this steak house, his nose is flooded with all kind of smells. He smells the cooking meat, different soups, everything that would be in heaven. His mouth watering uncontrollably, and he could almost taste the steak he would so soon be putting in his mouth. Antanas sits down, regaining his breath and shaking from excitement and hunger. Antanas waits for Aethir to come rushing into the store after him, as he looked about as hungry as Antanas. Licking his lips and tapping his fingers on the seat, Antanas watches the door for when his Ronin Sensei comes through it.

[235 Words Total]

Aethir gasped, eyes wide as he heard the voice of Antanas. 'Am I hearing things...? Has hunger finally consumed my well being...?' he slowly turned to see the boy greet him. His eyes went wide as his lips curled to form a REALLY large smile. He turned away, fist pumping to himself. "I will savor EVERY bite...and regret nothing..." he spoke, turning back to notice the missing Antanas now inside the shop. Sprinting inside at a speed he shouldn't have, he sat down across from Antanas, lying his head on the table. "Order whatever you want when the waiter comes." he nodded, trying his best not to eat someone else's food from the smells of the restaurant. As he rest, a female came over with a smile and notepad, greeting the two. "Waitress in this case." Aethir commented before placing his order, "I'd like your biggest steak. I'm not even joking." Aethir spoke to the waitress, the woman nodding with a concerned look, turning to Antanas with a smile. "And what will you have?" she asked, Aethir going back to lying on the table, groaning. All that mattered to him...was his really....REALLY large steak that was on the way...

Word Count: 429

Bursting in through the door at top speeds, shaking the table Antanas was at, Aethir sits down right down at Antanas' table, laying his head down on the table. "Order whatever you want when the waiter comes." Aethir murmured, filling Antanas with joy. 'Anything I want!' he cheers in his head, as a waitress comes to take their order. Quickly flipping open his menu, he looks for the largest steak on the list. "I'd like your biggest steak. I'm not even joking." Aethir asks, practically stealing the thought from his head. "And what will you have?" the waitress says to Antanas, catching him by surprise. "I'll have your biggest steak as well!" he smiles, and watches the girl take away their menus. "Now, we wait." Antanas says, hunger making his body shake. Pressing his cheek against the cold wooden table, he asks Aethir, with a slight frown "Do you think we will starve before the food comes?" Sighing, Antanas smells all of the steaks cooking, his stomach grumbles, sounding as loud as the ape that chased him earlier, only instead of wanting to eat Antanas, it wanted to eat the massive steak that was heading his way. As little steaks danced in Antanas' head, he wonders how big the "Biggest Steak" was. Judging by how hungry Antanas was, he hoped it came from Konoha's forest of giant creatures. "Mmmm... That would be amazing..." Antanas murmurs, growing more impatient by the second.

[480 Words Total]

Aethir groaned, fighting his need to eat people...soon looking shocked as the boy ordered what he ordered. 'Really...? This little guy and one of those steaks...?' Aethir eyed him before commenting. "You're strange for wanting a foot radius steak..." he sighed, shrugging with a smile. Antanas asked if they'd starve before the food came, but as quickly as she came, the waitress came back with the LARGE plates of steak, Aethir smiling down to his. "Oh...Oh this is it..." Aethir smiled, small drool escaping from his mouth. The steaks didn't have bones in it, just a circular bone in the very center of the piece. "This...Is....It." he repeated, his voice shaky. As he eyed the meat before him, it's scent wafting into his nostrils, Aethir...was lost as the world around him collapsed... Until he noticed Antanas again. "OH! ...well...enjoy!" He said, wiping his mouth clean from saliva as he laughed to the ninja. Then, with a serious glare, he eyed the steak with a devilish grin...

Word Count: 605

Waiting for his food, Antanas grumbles. He then hears a loud 'THUMP' on the table. Looking up, Antanas notices two steaks, a foot radius around. Noticing a small bone in the middle, Antanas beings  to drool just thinking about it. As the waitress leaves, them to their food, he notices Aethir eyeing up his steak like Konoha's forest creatures eyed him up. Taking one bite into the steak, Antanas falls in love. "Mmph.. So.. Mmph... So good!" Antanas tells his Sensei as he digs into the meat. Each bite being a new assortment of flavors, the spices blending together in perfect harmony. The juicy meat was cooked medium rare, and the meat could literally be ripped right off it was so tender. The juice would splatter on Antanas' face, and he wiped it off with a cloth. 'This is the best food I have ever eaten...' he is thinking in his mind as he digs into this delicious hunk of meat. Trying to talk to Aethir with his mouth full of steak, Antanas asks, "How is your.. Mmm... How is your steak?" Happily chewing on his steak, he says to his Sensei, "If this is my reward for running and fighting giant animals," Taking a break to chew some more, he continues, "Then count me in!" For a long time Antanas sat there, doing the same routine. Chew, swallow, appreciate how amazing the taste was, repeat. Taking a break from this huge steak, Antanas asks Aethir, curiously looking over at his plate, "How are you doing on your steak?" 

[740 Words Total]

Aethir slowly looked at Antanas, smiling as he began to chow down, commenting on how the steak tasted. 'This guy...' Aethir chuckled, shaking his head while he continued to smile to him. As he was busy eating, Aethir quickly got in touch with his inner beast, devouring the huge steak already, just leaving the bone. He heard Antanas ask how he was doing on is steak, Aethir already patting his own lips with a napkin. "Ah you know, the usual. Good good." he sighed happily as he has just devoured, possibly in record time too, the largest steak Konoha had to offer. "Seasoned just the way I like it. They know me too well..." Aethir shrugged, smiling to the resting Antanas, nodding. "So...what's your favorite food, hm? And... I don't think you ever told me why you wanted to be faster." Aethir looked out the window near him, watching the dark blue sky become dimmer and dimmer. 'Hmm...Now that I think about it, him being a Konoha ninja, be must have some sort of Sensei here...right?' Aethir shrugged, looking at Antanas. "So...Do you have a sensei like most genins do? That's what I've heard what happens to genins..." Aethir shrugged before looking down at his large empty plate, juices from the steak present, shimmering in the light. "How the hell did it get so late...?" Aethir sighed, speaking mostly to himself. He began to think to himself, becoming lost in thought.

Word Count: 854

Upon closely looking at Aethir's steak, Antanas realized... He ate it already. Here he was, halfway through with it, feeling full, while Aethir had eaten the entire thing. As he was staring down at the lone bone on Aethir's plate, he hears him asking, "So...what's your favorite food, hm? And... I don't think you ever told me why you wanted to be faster." Antanas nods, swallowing his food, and responds, "My favorite food is most likely dumplings" Antanas nods to himself, continuing, "I want to be faster so I can dodge, and deliver attacks and jutsu faster than my opponent can." Contemplating the answer further, he states "I suppose I want to be able to get longer distances faster, like you do." Pleased with his response, Antanas eats his food once again, waiting to see if this curious Ronin wanted more answers. As expected, Aethir rolls out another question onto him. "So...Do you have a sensei like most genins do? That's what I've heard what happens to genins..." Shaking his head, Antanas replies with "No, I don't have a Sensei. I could have been assigned one, but I prefer to learn my techniques with people that he can choose." Nervously looking down at his feet, Antanas admits, "I am afraid that my friends and I might get separate teams." Antanas sighs, already having said to much. "If my friends where hurt, or even killed without me there able to protect them... I don't know what I would do." Antanas looks back at Aethir, trying to smile, seeing what his reaction to these answers will be.

[1015 Words Total]

Aethir remained silent as he listened to the young boy answer his questions, even speak of things he didn't even ask for...but was nice to know at least. "Hmm...friends...Protecting them." Aethir smiled, looking off into his window's reflection. He rested his head on the palm of his hand, sighing. "I really didn't have to worry about that. My brothers went their separate ways. I headed to Kirigakure, one headed here, and another headed to Iwagakure. It was always me protecting myself for nearly two years now, maybe more..." Aethir shrugged, not exactly when it was he left home. "Ah well...They can take care of themselves..." he frowned, eyeing the bone on the plate. He then smiled, shaking his head. "N-Not your friends! They could probably use your help! Totally! My brothers are another story!" he laughed, nodding to the genin as he inhaled, lying back on the chair, exhaling. He looked as if he was off in some far off line in his mind. It then occurred to him that...even genins had bed times. "Hey Antanas...?" the man stared at the genin, "You uh...You do have a home right? Place to sleep? All of that? If you do...then you have a bed time, right?" Aethir grinned, pointing at darkness showing outside the window. He shrugged once more, looking away from the window as he stared at the other customers, waving to some he happened to know.

Word Count: 1101

After answering more questions, Aethir tells Antanas about his brothers. He said one went to Kiragakure, one in Iwagakure, and one was even in Konoha. 'I wonder why they all split up...' Antanas was thinking of asking, but he didn't want to stress out his Sensei. Staring at Antanas with concern, Aethir had asked, "You uh...You do have a home right? Place to sleep? All of that? If you do...then you have a bed time, right?" Antanas laughs, and nods. "I have a place to sleep, but I don't really have a bed time." Antanas turns suddenly serious. "I'm thinking about moving to one of the hotels in Konoha" he states, nodding at the idea. "My mother doesn't want me to practice jutsu or have weapons, because that is how my father died." Antanas' voice quivered slightly when he said the word 'Father'. "He was killed when on a mission to Kirigakure..." Antanas' voice trailing off, he focuses his attention back to Aethir. "When I become a Chunin, I'm going to travel there to find the truth." Antanas states, clenching his fist with a look of determination in his eye. "Speaking of sleeping, where do you sleep Aethir?"

[1220 Words Total]

"Father...?" Aethir couldn't help but speak, hearing as the genin went on about his life. "Hmm...When you're chuunin huh...?" Aethir turned away, his tongue poking to the side of his cheek. "And you're headed to Kirigakure...? You'll travel..." Aethir inhaled then exhaled. "I'd take you there if you weren't restricted by the village. But ah well..." Aethir shrugged, smiling. "If you came with me, the ANBU might get the wrong idea, right?" he laughed, slowly looking around the shop once more. "I didn't mean to distract you. Your steak is getting cold..." the ronin commented before looking down at the table with a frown. 'Kirigakure to learn the truth... I have to head to Iwagakure to learn my truth... Damn it, why are dads so much trouble...?' Aethir groaned, scratching his head as he continued his mental thought. 'I mean...I am eager to know what all of this is about but-' he glanced at Antanas with a smile. 'Answers can wait I suppose.' he concluded his thinking before shrugging. "Feel free to take that home with you. I'm getting pretty tired, so I might head home myself..." he went silent before gasping. "A-AFTER I PAY THE BILL OF COURSE~! HAHA...Aha....ahhh. Yes..." He smiled, shrugging as he possibly reassured the boy.

Word Count: 1324

After babbling about his life story to  Aethir, he responded "Hmm...When you're chuunin huh...?" Pausing in the middle of his sentence, and looking away from Antanas. "And you're headed to Kirigakure...? You'll travel..." once again, Aethir cut off mid-sentence. Hoping that the Ronin would help him get there, Antanas stays silent, hoping for the best. "I'd take you there if you weren't restricted by the village. But ah well..." "Wait." Antanas starts, beginning to crack a smile. "When I become a chuunin, I'm going to see if I could just be a wandering ninja!" Antanas grins, thinking of what it would be like traveling the world with Aethir. "If that is allowed, then maybe.." Getting ahead of himself, as always, Antanas starts saying, "If I train enough, maybe I could find out the truth about my dad!" He had never felt so much excitement, and hoped the Ronin would say yes, he waits. "Feel free to take that home with you. I'm getting pretty tired, so I might head home myself..." Aethir starts, making Antanas' jaw drop. "Y..You're not payi--" "A-AFTER I PAY THE BILL OF COURSE~! HAHA...Aha....ahhh. Yes..." said Aethir, shrugging and smiling. When the waitress came, he asked for a box to contain his half-eaten steak. When the box arrived, Antanas boxed it up and looked at Aethir. "Today was a great day for training. Do think we would ever be able to do it again?" he asks, with a little bit of hope in his voice, adding hurriedly at the end, "If that's alright with you..."

[1495 Words Total]

Aethir blinked as Antanas spoke of traveling with him. "Eh? ...Are you...sure...?" Aethir scratched his head, looking off somewhere in the restaurant. He pondered this thought before shrugged it off, leaving it to think about later. He then spoke of today being a good training day, Aethir shrugging with a smile. "I do admit, you've gotten a bit faster." he nodded as he said this, soon standing up to stretch. "Yeah, it's fine. We can practice running again~ Though I have no clue where you'd be able to find me to ask me..." Aethir shrugged, paying the waitress for the meals then turned to grin at the boy. "But one place you DO know where I am every morning and evening is..." The ronin went silent, the smiled deviously, deciding to test the boys knowledge, leaving him to figure out where he'll be at those times.

Leaving the steak shop, Aethir put his hands into the pockets of his jacket, whistling as he looked up to the night sky. As he spotted the moon in the sky, he also spotted someone looking down at him from the rooftop of a random building, playing with a katana in his hand. "You're not going to attack your dear brother who has a full stomach, are you?" Aethir nodded to the person, staring at them for a while before he continued to walk, the person on the roof eyeing him before darting off into the sea of Konoha's houses. 'Eh... Iwagakure...' Aethir sighed, rubbing his eyebrows. 'I wonder if I'll be killed. Ah... I don't know... BAH, you had steak. You're going to get decent rest, NOTHING to worry about! But before I travel... maybe I should say goodbye to the people of Konoha I've met.' he smiled, seeing his home in sight as he continued his walk. 'Nah, they'll be fine~' he grinned, walking into his dark home.

Word Count: 1652
Speed: B -> B-2 1500/1500

After talking about the possibility of traveling with Aethir, he leaves, acknowledging him for getting faster. Smiling, Antanas packs up his steak, preparing to going home. As he walks home, he feels a chill in the air. Shivering, Antanas puts his hands in his pockets and begins the walk to his house. When he arrives, his mother is asleep. 'It must be later than I thought..' He thinks to himself, 'Better head to bed...' As Antanas puts his massive steak into the fridge, he heads to his room. Stripping himself of his clothing from that day, he hops in his shower. As the hot, refreshing water pours over his back, it gives him time to think. 'If I'm going to go to Kirigakure and survive, I need to form a group of people.' The first people that come to mind are Aethir, and Rain. Aethir was definitely coming, as he needs someone with skills like him. 'If Rain would want to leave her house...' Antanas sighs. Of course Rain wouldn't want to leave her house, she had a great life there. But living in constant doubt about what really happened to his father? Although the ninja that survived said that his dad had been killed told them so, there was gossip around the village about what people said "Really" happened. Some say, that his father went to the village hidden in the mist and killed one of the ninjas, and joined in the village. Antanas never wanted to believe it, but with several years of something being beaten into your head... You can start to believe it. Sighing and turning off the water, Antanas looks at himself in the mirror. His hair is matted down from the water, so he decides to brush his teeth and brush his hair. Thinking about his dad as he slips into bed, he stares at the ceiling, unable to sleep. "I'm going to move out of here tomorrow." Antanas tells himself, gathering everything necessary for the morning ahead of him. "Father." Antanas says, reaching his hand out. Clenching it into a fist, he says, "I'm going to find out the truth about you!" Just then, the sweet serenity of sleep begins to wash over his every sense, bathing him in the complete bliss, of silence.

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PER E-2 -> D (525/525)
STR E-3 -> D (300/300)
Silhouette jutsu (1000/1000)
(55 Words Remaining)

[1880 Words Total]