Sasijimi was ready, he was walking out from the village, waving to those he passed who were wishing him luck on the exams. Today was going to be the day he left the walls of Sunagakure no Sato and made his way out into the world to arrive at the village hidden in the clouds for the annual Chuunin exams.  He hadn't packed anything and had told the shopkeep at the weapon's shop to send his ordered Gunbai to him in Kumogakure for use in the exams. All he had to do now was get there and that wouldn't take the young genin too long,  if he kept his wits about him and didn't get lost that is. He was wearing his normal black netted shinobi shirt along with his black shinobi tights, white tabi, and black sandals. On his waist he wore a cloth belt that had his hitai-ate integrated into the center.

He eventually came to the gates of the land of wind, standing in front of them for a while. This was it, the very first step in his true career of being a shinobi of the village hidden in the sand. He put his hands behind his head, holding onto the back of his neck as he craned his head back a bit, looking up at the tall gates, his bangs falling from his face. The man would be lying if he had said he wasn't even slightly nervous about the upcoming exams as well as his part in them. Nonetheless he was ready and he was going to win, and there was nothing that would stop him from achieving this. The man took another look at the gates, before he began a slow saunter forth, to officially leave suna.

Travel WC: 300/600

Taede was still sore....he wasn't feeling any improvements yet, but he was certain it was his body repairing all his tendons, his ligaments, his muscle tissues. It certainly didn't seem like it right now, but his training was going to pay off....eventually. Every square inch.....no, CUBIC inch of him was hurting right now.

His rounds before he had come to this point....training in the Tsumi Sand Grounds, for an entire extended day. Fighting ruffians in the Sand Dune Slums. Some hazy adventures in the Sand's Domain areas of Kaze no Kuni, finding some items such as the Wind Country Diamond and several rare grades of sand. Over the years, it became something he was accustomed to doing, collecting.

At any rate, the only obstacle to Taede now was the jaunt over to Lightning Country. A lot of hoop-lah was being held about the Chuu-nin exams, and he certainly could not disappoint in the area of showcasing what Suna-gakure no Sato had to offer.

He wasn't gripped with the least bit of nerves or worry for what was to come. Over his rather short life, Taede had learned a great many lessons. One of these: do not focus on winning. Only focus on what is important....and if what is important is winning, you need to look a bit harder into yourself.

At any rate, reaching the checkpoint at the end of Kaze no Kuni was no large deal. Taede was well-versed in keeping the dust storms out of his eyes, and he did well to remember things like adequate water and to train in exposure beforehand to bring up his immunity to heat and direct sun. Unlike many in Suna, he traveled with no special equipment to protect him at all. His body was his armor.

The Suna Genin, of course, took note of someone who was also at the checkpoint gates; he was standing, seemingly pondering something. Taede walked up to him slowly, from the left side; the smooth sand below them wouldn't do much for a hearing-based notification. He waved, with his signature eyes-closed half-energetic half-faint smile; upon opening his eyes, his brows furrowed just a tad in query.


He was looking up at the person in front of him; from normal standards, Taede wasn't sure if he was this one's senior or his junior. He was taller, and was notably more lanky than Taede; even his somewhat loose shirt, with a small V down the front showed more definition than the Mitarashi's more fitted apparel of netted upperwear. His black hair blew a little bit with the desert wind that came from both their afts; Taede's shirt rippled in kind. At this, he absentmindedly rolled up his sleeves, still paying attention to any response this man might have, and tied off his left sleeve above the elbow with his Hidden Sand Hitai-Ate, which he took off his lower waist.

These mysteries revealed themselves to the young man all the time. Competition, showcasing....it was foolish to him, and yet he very willingly participated in the farce that was the International Chuunin Exams. Was it loyalty to Suna that made him do it? Or was it some shred of ambition that was left in him. He gave an internal sigh at the latter notion. I ought to just forget about thoughts like that....

There was little to think ill about, at this situation, right now, at any rate. This one here was a fellow Suna-nin. There was no reason for animosity to exist between comrades, at any rate....and no reason to be edgy or uncomfortable around each other. Taede, at least, was pretty easygoing normally (aside from his excessive polite-ness towards those in power, his propensity to apologize all the time even for things he didn't do, and other quirks that transgressed on his normally happy-go-lucky nature). Yes, he could probably travel with this....guy on his way to Kaminari no Kuni. He found it odd to think of anyone as a "guy" or a "gal". Just seemed so improper. But calling him "sir" or something similar would only be odd.....

Whatever. What came next would only exist in that moment. There was nothing he could predict, nothing that was absolutely certain in this world; so there was nothing for him to have any absolute worries about.

[775]

[Training a D-rank Natural Armor: 675 words. 100 words left over to use for travel.]

Hello---ah....I think we've met....was it in....? Ah, sorry, sorry! Anyhow....You headed to the Light-ning Country?~ Everyone seems to be hyped of late."

Sasijimi was admittedly lost in his own thoughts and as such hadn't noticed the young male about his age walk up to him. He tilted his head, somewhat surprised before he realized that he had been asked a question..Sort of. "Ah, no I think not. Unless we were in the academy together? Admittedly I failed a few times while going through there so I can't tell you for certain how many people I'd seen and met while I was there.  In any case, I am Sasijimi. Mitarashi, Sasijimi that is." The man looked ahead to the long winding roads they had yet to traverse, onward to the lightning country. It wasn't so far that it would take them that long but he had wanted to leisurely walk. It would be a leisurely walk though, even making good time. The chuunin exams being held in kumo; the land furthest from Sungakure. So this walk was definitely going to take a while. He was happy to have some company for it but he did want to get a move on and he looked to his new travel companion and pulled on his arm slightly, while picking up his pace.

"We're a few days out, so let's hury this up!" With that, he burst into a run.

~~Four Days Later~~

After what seemed like weeks of traveling, he had finally arrived in Kumogakure no Sato, ready and able for the exams! He smiled and laughed to himself, brushing sweat from his brow and making his way into the gates that housed the village hidden in the clouds, waving to everyone he saw or passed, trying to keep a friendly face up  as much as he possibly could. He was going to have a grand old time, that was for sure.

WC: 601/600 Travel Complete!

Spoiler:

"Ah, no I think not. Unless we were in the academy together? Admittedly I failed a few times while going through there so I can't tell you for certain how many people I'd seen and met while I was there.  In any case, I am Sasijimi. Mitarashi, Sasijimi that is."

As a fleeting thought, Taede knew with almost certainty that he had met this man before, somewhere...despite the man himself not recalling anything. It must have been some sort of mistake on his part, then. The sandy-tinged brunette could do nothing more than chuckle. "I heavily doubt that I was in any of your classes. I entered instruction quite late, for what I've achieved thus far. As for myself, I would be....Taede. Koizumi Taede. I could have sworn I've seen you at some previous time, though. He gave a sigh at what some might consider misfortune. That was his life....

"We're a few days out, so let's hury this up!"

Taede only replied with a sigh as he started walking. He knew exactly how much time he had until the Exams had started, and he knew that he had no reason to hurry as much as this one was. A moo was heard in the distance, but right now the Koizumi was focused on the man that had started his journey to Kumo. He was....either very driven or impatient.

He ran forward a bit, but then was stopped in his tracks. The sound of hooves even carried across short distances in the desert, when the hooves were only striking sand. This was the power of...


It didn't hurt badly, really it didn't. But, there was always that surprise factor whenever Tua, the bull that Taede had known all his life, decided to charge him in happiness.

Taede managed to break his fall, not injuring the bull as he landed....from a three-meter trip into the air. It was not often that the young man's bull actually managed to success-full-y charge and hit anything, but when it did....whew. He was certainly as strong as he was when doing work. Travelling was a breeze, with Tua so happy to act like some valiant mount. A large dust cloud followed him as he did his best run towards the Kumo mountains; certainly anyone who looked on from Suna could follow. Taede was never the best at stealth, Tua doubling that.


Taede really loved Tua for his eagerness to help, sometimes. He had easily overtaken Sasijimi (though the latter was unawares) due to his ability to trade sprinting whilst carrying Tua off with Tua carrying him. There was no need to rest for his duo. There was no need to rest until the real strenuous activity drew near.

He liked sleeping on stone, actually; he did not have a mattress or futon even at home. So, camping out here was perfect.

[510+100 before = 610/600. Kumo-a-go-go.]