Kazuma looked on at the town he was getting ready to depart from, one that had almost been a forefront of his entire life since he was young, and yet he still hadn’t explored it. No…Instead he felt like he needed to find newer pastures, start somewhere different. He realized he was almost completely defenseless; but that didn’t really disturb the Ronin for he felt that it was the way he was going to go anyway. So, it was funny how decisions worked like that, how they could turn on a dime.

He started his journey after the brief warmup at the coliseum, where he stretched and exercised for a bit. After that, he went on his journey. He felt that one of the most wanted areas to explore was the Land where the Village of Konoha found it’s place, where he had heard stories of an infinitesimally deadly forest and trees that could touch the skies, along with the fact that there were more capable and rounded fighters there than anywhere else.

And with that in mind, he set off. The journey wasn’t especially long by his standards, at least from what he thought, anyway- It could have been that he had been alone, so he might have made better time like that, but what fascinated him more than the journey or the prospect of what he would be going into; was how the landscape changed as he went on. The Terrain went from becoming desolate, mountainous terrain to that of The Land of Fire’s forested and river region that made up most of it.

Of course, this wasn’t without consequence, and as he neared the border of Konoha he found himself constantly getting lost, or “misdirected by himself” and often had to enlist some help from the people he could find on the way, before he found the road to Konoha and began to follow that as reference…

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...Which would lead him relatively safely among Konoha's Borders. And with this revelation, his previous weary state from the traveling had brightened up again, as he went through the different people and places he would most likely meet; and the Shinobi Monument had always seemed like a cool place in the stories that he heard. As he felt the excitement of visiting a new village growing in his stomach, or at least, the excitement of somebody who wanted to explore and partake in the lands history; he continued forward.

"Well, this should be exciting~" Kazuma sang, whistling a tune as he went along with a little bit of a spring in his step. From a bystanders point of view, Kazuma was pretty sure that he would have looked ridiculous; what with his outlandish clothes, his stupid grin and the fact that he was practically skipping along- Kazuma was sure he was at least one of the odder sights to see. But, so he was; skipping away towards the Konoha Gate, when he suddenly stopped.

...Or rather, was stopped. As Kazuma looked up, he noticed a giant of a man, mischievously smiling down at him. "Ran into a wall, did ya`?" He questioned the boy with a grin, and Kazuma in his dazed state could only nod. The man was heavy set, and even by simple observation one could tell he was made for laborious things. Even then, he was clutching what seemed to be a large bundle of wood; heavier than the rest of the people that were dressed like him were carrying.

Kazuma blinked, and once he was sure his eyes were once again in focus; he began to talk with the man. "U-Uh, right. I apologize, I didn't notice where I was going." He told the male, who simply grinned. "Well, ya` obviously didn't; I mean look at me, I take up half the road!" He guffawed, and while it was a bit of an exaggeration, he was still taller and muscular by far than most of the other people he saw on the road. Hilariously enough, Kazuma thought of a giant Ox when he saw the male; no doubt the male would agree with him.

"So, what is your name, friend?" The male asked him, to which Kazuma allowed a simple smile. "Isn't it more polite to say your name first?" He asked, watching an expression of agreement on the man's face, before it cracked into his grin again. "Ah, your right! Name's Hotaru- Friends call me "Ox" ...for obvious reasons." He grinned, gesturing to the whole of his body at the end. Kazuma smiled at this, a little traitorous thought whispering 'So called it.'

"Well, Ox; My name is Kazuma. Nice to meet you~" He chirped, to which the man just laughed. "So polite. Come on man, show some personality!" He told him with a grin, slapping Kazuma on the back with his free hand, knocking him forward a bit. Kazuma winced. "You have a bit of strength in there, don't you?" he smiled through the painful pulse that encompassed most of his back.

To that Hotaru just nodded. "`Ya! you know..." he leaned in closer to the Wanderer, "I can pick up a small tree with my strength." He told him quietly; as if nobody else knew and it was a secret that was being told only to him. Kazuma winced. "You know, I wouldn't doubt it." he said. And with that exchange, it was time for them to part ways- Hotaru had to get going, else it would turn nightfall and  in his words "There was going to be rain tonight, for all of my luck."

Still, Kazuma was happy to meet a new face; one who proved to be at least a lot more friendly that he thought- at least, as friendly as they come. In his heart of hearts, Kazuma was a little bit frightened by the man's abnormal strength; but that was only a minor thought as he passed through the gates of Konoha.

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