In his hands a flyer for the Chunin Exams! Koonta could not be more thrilled to watch the Chunin Exams.  He could have an idea of what to expect at the next Chunin Exams, the competition, and the diversity of the International Shinobi Community made it so much more interesting.  There was real knowledge that could be gained simply by this event alone; however, there was also wisdom to be gained simply by making the horuney to The Village Hidden in the Clouds and experience what it is like to travel through countries and be in foreign lands.  Koonta also had the special privilege of being alone.  Some may say that he had no one to go with or that it is a death wish but Koonta is an extraordinary shinobi who often finds him in unique situations…

At the gate of the village, Koonta stood confidently with a map folded in his right hand and a compass in his left hand.  A large pack of supplies hoarded his back.  The typical stuff a traveler will need because today is the day that Koonta will depart to Kumo.  Many have left much earlier than he did but he finally got the permission from his parents to go for educational purposes.  He was supposed to study and watch the exams and also see if he could learn a few things from international shinobi.  He took his first footsteps outside the village.

One thing that he would find enjoyable about the trip is that he will have plenty of time to ponder life on his journey.  The trip actually should not take very long; there were many people who were trekking across villages to observe the exams. Unfortunately, he was apart of the late track that will struggle to find rooms in Kumo to stay the night. It had not taken him long until he realized it what have been very better to have gone with a group of people, even a group of strangers would be better than having to travel great distances alone.  Regardless, the night came quickly as Koonta had to find a safe location off the highway to sleep for the night.  One thing that bothered Koonta was that he was going to enter a terrain he knew very little about; these situations often lead to unfortunate events. The morning quickly came and the young traveler had basic meals to eat throughout the trip.  

His footsteps marched back onto the trail to Kumogakure, as if he was going to win the exams.  Koonta was not even in the exams; he recently became a genin and felt like he had not gotten enough time to train.  It might sound like an excuse but he was only twelve years old.  He may have been an impressive twelve years old but his body was simply much too young.  His experience as a shinobi is also slacking; it is not that he is not a fierce competitor, it simple that he has not competed enough to compete in exams such as this one.  As his mind turned another page in his philosophies, the moon overtook the sky.  Koonta soon could barely see in front of him.  He knew there was an inn somewhere close where he could safely stay the night but locating it would be the problem.  The genin sneaked around because he did not want to attract attention.  The attention of the nocturnal beasts could end lives, especially when those beasts are other humans.  The night concealed what was happening around him, this body feared the unknown.  The idea of not knowing what is besides or even behind oneself could paralyze but Koonta managed to be
strong enough shake off the fear…even if his heart was pounding.
…

A little old lady who waved the young genin into the house opened a wooden door.  The lady was the innkeeper of the Raging Rock, a simple place to for a traveler to spend the night.  There were not many instances where Koonta could have slept in a room by himself.  The entire hotel room was his and he finally got some privacy.  Even though it was not his own personal space, the fact that he had temporary chambers felt so great.  Apparently having freedoms to privacy meant a lot to Koonta. The funny thing is how Koonta did not act reckless or wild but promptly took care of everything and got rest…similar to adults. However, before closing his eyes on the pillow…he wondered why he had not thought of home yet.

The fog the next morning was prevalent, the fog was so dense that many travellers spent the day at an inn.  Unfortunately for Koonta, he did not have the luxury of waiting.  He has waited long enough and is already on a tight schedule.  The fog brought a chilling breeze that forced Koonta to cover himself with a blanket like poncho.  His eyes could hardly see the trail however; he needed to maintain his route and time.  There was no time to misroute.  The genin wobbled as he trekked over bridges and mountains, rivers and lakes.  The land that Koonta lived on was beautiful, but this stupid fog was clouded everything.  He wondered what around him.  It made him think of the dark again, apparently, the outside world is a scary place.  He wondered if Kages and Sannin get scared…

But wait! There’s more! Soon, Koonta was immobilized by the howling winds and the rapid rainfall.  The shivering child knew he needed to get indoors to so place safe and warm.  He looked around for anything but simply could not see anything.  He closed his eyes and used his other senses to determine what was around him.  He smelled for any scent of life and listened for any human noises…any noises at all for that fact.  Faintly in the background of his ear, he could hear water splashing. Interestingly enough, the water was splashing onto more water, something that sounded like a small pond.  The boy inched closer towards the clapping water and realized that he was progressively getting warmer.  Was it a hot springs? At such a place?  The boy was skeptical but tested the water.  It seemed fine, but then he started to remember what he thought earlier about not trusting the terrain.  Regardless, he had little chances and eventually hopped into the springs with his clothing on and he sat with his head covered up to his nose.

The boy was able to use the Hot Springs to stay warm during the rain, which took a while to stop.  The fog however, was still apparent and maybe even thicker with all the added perspiration and humidity in the air.  He wondered if he must have been getting close because the fog sure did seem like it could have been a cloud.  Then he heard some lightning, odd enough, he felt like he could see the strike simply by hearing the strike.  He was certain that he got put off track and found himself into a trap feeder location.  The ground also became much harder to navigate with thick rocks and everything is jagged or uneven.  The ground seemed to be in a constant uphill downhill battle, which would have been fine if Koonta could see where he was going.  He must have looked like a child… Anyhow, the child was not at the gates yet and needed to make his way there.  Those feet of his marched through the clouds, which seemed to be clearing up.  He did not like the clouds, they were flaky.  The shinobi also had to rely on his ears and hearing, he would often throw small rocks around him to see where the surrounding landscape is.  He would also do this for drop offs to see how sharp the descent is.  Luckily, the genin did not have to do much mountain climbing because his equipment was limited, however; it was still very heavy.  His eyes widened as he could hear the bustling activity of Kumogakure.  His feet scurried as quickly as possible to the front gates. It was unfortunate how long the line was to get in though.  The gatekeepers had to keep a strong security for events like these.  Koonta wondered how much of a nightmare it is to be a protective service ninja. After being briefly searched and asked a few questions, Koonta stepped outside the building to see Kumogakure, The Village Hidden in the Clouds. He wondered if he would be able to find the Raikage. There a twelve year old boy stood after making a journey alone...He looked blankly around. His eyes searched for signs and clues to identify where he was at, in particular his eyes were searching for any other Konoha headbands.

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