Fukai had almost made it to the top of Mt Ikkyu. The mountain was said to be a resort of sorts, why he was told to go there for the exams was a mystery. That's what I get for skipping out on the admin meeting. He found the mountain climb to be quite manageable, coming from a land that was surrounded and hidden within mountains. He was used to this sort of incline and had no trouble with his fitness. The mountain was more like a big hill to him, the genin's thoroughly honed body could handle much more than a little hiking. The resort buildings came into view as he approached the tip.

Thankfully, his supervisor had allowed him a little space due to his feelings. He had been a little stressed on the way here and had actually slipped out to get some air. After he broke away from the admin meeting, the elder man that had the job of looking after him would finally take the hint and respect his wishes. Fukai knew that he would do his best if he was left alone to his own devices. That is the way he had always been, for years now. Coping and striving on your own was a skill in itself. It was a very unnatural thing, humans instinctually try to gather people around them to survive. He had been thrust into the grimy world of the backstreets of Iwagakure no Sato to live a solitary life. He had somehow managed, and grown strength in the process. He had hardened and adapted as was necessary and had come out of the 'incident' as a man. A man that was a different person to the boy he had been. But that had changed, yet again when he had been opened up by those he had come into contact with in Iwa. He now had more than a few strong friends.

And that is where he drew his motivation from. Representing his village.. Fukai didn't yet know if his village deserved his sacrifices, he still had to figure his own mind out before he could confirm any sort of feelings. But he had made that promise to Karumo Sekuro, he would try his best and represent his clan. Fukai sighed as he passed through the resort gates. He had suddenly found himself as a man with many responsibilities. There was a distinct hustle and bustle around the entrance, the silver haired genin guessing that workers were readying the sight to accept the entrants. He started slowly through the busy bodies. Fukai stretched out his neck and shoulders, letting out a sigh as he began to try to locate his handler.

[453]

It had only been a few days since Squad Three of the Hidden Leaf Village had arrived within Kumogakure no Sato, in the Land of Lightning, since then Joruri had met with several members of his squad. Basically... The other two genin in his squad that happened to be females. At least I've got a reason to talk to them... He chuckled as he started his trek up the mountain. Basically whenever too. His arms were thrown behind his head, elbows pointing outwards as he began his trek up the mountains side.

Within a few minutes of walking, it occurred to him that the mountain was actually fairly large and it put a bit of discouragement to his sudden want of climbing the mountain. "I didn't come out here to do all this walking." He said aloud, although it was mostly to himself. The declaration fell on deaf ears thankfully since he was quite literally the only person that was out there on the mountain path.

For the first two days while they had been in Kumogakure no Sato, Joruri's sensei had paid for the entire squad to sleep at one of the many inn's in the Village in the Clouds, but now that there was a resort that was open to the shinobi that were coming, this was the ideal place to stay for the next few days and or weeks while the Chunin Exams took place. The white haired male wasn't going to be denied enjoyment on this trip. Even if it was a serious journey, and he should be training every single moment he could, there was no point in doing so when you had already mastered all of your abilities.

Once he had gotten to the top of the mountain, he was wondering if the other members of his squad had made a decision to go up to the resort yet. He imagined that their sensei, Uchiha Tenzo, a Jounin had already made his way up, and maybe even Manami, but he had no idea about Shinako. He hadn't spoken to her really since that day she had given him the charm. Probably best to change that. He thought to himself as he started on his trip towards the resort's main building.

After a few steps, his gray gaze that was focused on the floor rose up, too late as he crashed into the back of someone else, another white haired fellow and he grunted in response to their collision.

"Oops."

Was the only word that came from the mouth of the Kansen-Suru as he raised his gaze to settle upon the head of the unknown fellow. At this time, he made sure to keep his forehead protector strapped to his right arm, rather than on his forehead like he normally did.

"I apologize."

WC: 482

The mid afternoon sun was pleasantly warm and mixed well with the breezy mountain air. The genin watched people go about their business while strolling casually amongst them. There was a few hustling around carrying goods and produce, the odd shinobi with a foreign headplate passing through. There were a few parties of what Fukai guessed to be noble families come to watch the proceedings, their large flowing gowns made of the purest materials and escorted by a few matching guards. What surprised the young man was the amount of small shop personell that lined the street. Every metre of roadside was covered by some sort of stall marketing souvenirs and the like. This event seemed to be too attractive for shopkeepers to turn down, having made their own way up the mountain hoping to partake in the plentiful tourist dollar. It sure was a strange sight to behold, the art of the ninja being taken advantage in such a gory way. The whole system had been sold out and monetised and no one even seemed to care.

The young man felt something collide into his back, the shock of force knocking him forwards a few steps. He reacted to it quickly, pivoting on his heel and drawing the oak bo staff from the strap on his back. In one swift motion he swung around to face whatever threat there could possibly be. It may have been a bit of an overreaction but he had let his guard down in the middle of the crowd. Was it right to assume that he would not be attacked out in the open like this? On the other hand, a ninja should always be prepared for any occurance.. When he stopped to analyse any potential threat, he saw that it had only been a young man bumping into him by mistake.

"Oops. I apologize."
Fukai lowered his staff from the neck of the young man and reached behind him to strap it back up. He looked into the grey eyes of the young man, he looked a few years younger than himself. His gaze then shifted as something on the boy's arm caught it. It was a metal forehead protector and it was strapped to his arm with the leaf insignia of Konoha on it. So this was a ninja from the village hidden in the leaves.. He had never met someone with that plate before, he was curious as to how he would be different from the Iwa breed.

Fukai's hand went to itch the back of his neck, a small quirk that gave away his embarrassment. Ah, no problem mate. Sorry for almost hitting you. His focus returned to the young man's face. Here, come and let us get a snack. My treat. If the kid was willing, he would walk over to the nearby bakery stall and start examining what they had to offer. The large red scarf tangled around his neck as he bent over, leaving his silver locks sprayed over his neck. Say.. I am curious, you are from Konoha are you not? What are you here on the mountain for? Oh my name is Fukai, by the way. He had almost forgot to introduce himself. The young man would have surely noticed his purple dojutsu and Iwa headband on his forehead.

[560] /1013

Within a moment of bumping into the man, Joruri knew this one had overreacted and had done so fairly quickly. It didn't unsettle him, it was to be expected in a crowd as large as this one, but what did unsettle him was how he was forced to simply allow the staff to raise up to his neck. If he were to draw a weapon he would be causing a scene, and the Kansen-Suru was all about avoiding the notice of the masses.

The man had moved surprisingly quick, deep within his thoughts he wondered if he would've actually been able to avoid the staff if he had been paying attention leading up to the moment that he had bumped into the man. In hindsight however, he no doubt would've avoided him altogether if he had been paying attention though... So while the man introduced himself, Joruri stood there with a blank look upon his face, playing out the various scenarios in his mind.

Soon enough he realized he was being talked to and he came out of his day dream, thinking back to what Fukai said. Had he said his name? He couldn't say as to whether he did or not, but he did register the apology and had heard the offer for a treat. Am I dog now? His gaze travelled downwards as if to make sure he wasn't, simply for his own comedic relief, and then he looked back up towards Fukai.

Two questions.

Both of them obvious.

Joruri frowned, but he nodded nevertheless to the questions. "I'm assuming I'm on this mountain for the same reason as you..." He couldn't see a reason to be on this mountain other than for the hotsprings and the resort itself. It was a place that wasn't as crowded as the village, but since they were barely a minute away from the entrance it still seemed as if they were still in the thick press of the Hidden Cloud.

"I'm Joruri."

WC: 344

The baked goods looked delicious on the other side of the glass window. This bakery stall was just one of the many set up around the entrants to catch the tourist's attention like fish in a net. The glazed danishes certainly had his interest, the shopkeeper coming over to him. His cheesy grin was a practiced art, blue and white striped apron tied around a gut that suggested that he finished off the leftover produce at the end of the day. Fukai was waiting for an answer from the young man behind him. He seemed to be taking his time, maybe he was just absent minded completely. How someone like that had ended up as a ninja was beyond him.

I'm assuming I'm on this mountain for the same reason as you... I'm Joruri.
Fukai misunderstood the young man's statement entirely, frowned and turned away from the cream buns. Standing up straight, he was slightly taller than Joruri. He peered into those grey eyes and gave him a look over. So you are in the chuunin exams too? Fukai had meant to ask him if he was an entrant but had not explained his point clear enough. The kid didn't look like much although he knew better then to trust physical judgments as it was often the hidden power that was the most dangerous.

What can I do for you two fine gentlemen today?
The cheery shopkeeper attempted to drag his attention back to a more profitable line of conversation. Fukai would look over his shoulder and order two of the powdered cream doughnuts. The keeper bent down and shoveled them into individual paper bags. Forking over a few coins, he would take the treats and turn back to Joruri. Extending his am in an offering, if his new acquaintance did not wish to partake, he would have no choice but to stuff his face with both.

After that, the older genin motioned forward to suggest that they walk and eat. I have never met a member of Konoha before. Tell me, what is it like in the Land of Fire? He had come into contact with Konoha nin before but never had the chance to get to know them. He hoped that the kid would have the time to tell him a few things about his experiences. At some point in time, Fukai had decided that he would see the world. His father had traveled the world in service to Iwa but he knew nothing of countries other than his own. He could count the hours of meaningful conact he had with his dad on one hand and had therefore not learned anything from him. This line of thought was starting to bring up some unwanted emotions so he shifted his focus back to Joruri's response.

[474] /1487

[OOC]: Forgot about this with my own Chunin Exam and all.

Joruri followed the Land of Stone, or was it the Land of Rock's ninja? He shrugged his shoulders as he followed him, pushing his white hair out of his gray eyes as they soon arrived in what could only be described as a neighborhood of the bakers. The smell was something that reminded him a bit of the bakery that was near his home back in the Hidden Leaf Village. For a day, he had even decided to search for the owner of the baker, his shop had been closed, the sign had said for the duration of the Chunin Selection Exams, and so, Joruri's unbelievably genius mind had deduced as to where he could be, and had figured, Kumogakure no Sato. Undoubtedly, a genius.

There were so many bakery stalls and vendors that it reminded him again of how in Konogakure no Sato when there were festivals in the Village the vendors almost looked the same, and he couldn't help but crack a grin when he saw that cheesy, yet familiar grin on the baker's face.

When Joruri had given the man an answer, he wondered why he frowned and he rolled his eyes upwards as if to look up to some unseen god in the sky. Was it something I said? And although it only occurred to him after he had answered the question by Fukai, he knew it was already too late to give an answer to the Iwagakure shinobi at that point. He had no doubt already made his judgements about the slightly shorter ninja. It's not often that you see someone with hair as white as ours, huh? He questioned Fukai, but he soon realized that it was said within his own mind, and when he didn't receive an answer that he had been expecting, he voiced it aloud in place of redeeming himself for failing to answer the man's question properly.

"Are there many people with white hair in Iwagakure?" And he raised his own arm in acceptance of the cream doughnut. He inclined his head in acknowledgement of the gesture, and said as much with a soft, "thank you," as he followed the motions made by Fukai to walk and eat. One that he did himself plenty while in the company of his squad mates.

He wondered at the question, thinking back to his own times in Konohagakure. What was it like? He didn't know how to answer it right away, he lived there, so he was used to the things that were there, nothing would stand out to him right away, but he tried anyway. "It's similar to the other Ninja Villages, I'd say" He scratched his head with his clean and free offhand. "Whether you know or not, the people there hold kinship with almost everyone, whether you're related or not. Everyone's... Friendly." He wasn't entirely sure as to how he'd explain it, it wasn't everyday that he was asked to explain what the Land of Fire was like. "Plenty of katon users," he said underneath his breath, more as a joke to himself rather than useful information. "A ninja's team, loyalty, and duty are the biggest things you could say." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. How could he spot the interesting things in a place that he fell asleep and woke up in everyday?

"What's the Land of Stone like?"

WC: 585

Well, yes I guess there is more than a few white haired people in Iwa.
The question posed made him think and realise that indeed a surprising amount of people back home had white hair. He thought of it as an unusual feature but really it wasn't that uncommon after all. Fukai remembered that one day when he came across Kurai and Raishi, the three new acquaintances all having white hair. So there were the same sort of hair colours in Konoha.. He didn't think too much of or about appearances but it occurred to him that the people between countries did not seem to differ much in physical appearance, maybe just the odd thing like some Kumogakurians having darker skin.

Joruri accepted the dougnut and they started on their stroll. Fukai set the casual pace and started to head for the benches off to the side of the main street. The wooden roadside seat looked like a suitable place to stop and enjoy their treat. The young man to his side continued on, answering to his question. He said how it was similar to the other hidden villages in that everyone was friendly towards each other. That certainly wasn't the impression he had of his own village, but Konoha did seem nice. Not that there weren't good people in Iwa- on the contrary, over the past few months he had come into contact with many kind souls but they were more pinpricks of light. Their culture did not permeate through the whole village, or at least, not yet. This simple answer gave Fukai a strong craving to see for himself what Konoha was like, he could ask all he wanted but would not understand until he took a sniff himself.

The Konoha nin would then add a little comment about there being a lot of people who used fire techniques before saying something that Fukai found especially interesting. Loyalty, duty. Two values that he knew were heavily ingrained in the shinobi brought up in his own village, it seemed like this was the same for Konoha too. It made sense after all, the hidden villages were like military bases of sorts and required discipline and service from their members. But when Joruri talked, Fukai got the sense that it was something a little more than that. Like the underlying values of the village hidden in the leaves had a strong sense of harmony and community.

What is Tsuchi no Kuni like? Well..
Fukai thought a little before answering, he wasn't sure how much he should tell the kid, disclosing the wrong piece of information could be harmful. He would have to settle for a broad explanation. The land of stone has been poor for a long time now but it seems to finally be picking up out of it's depression. The changes over recent years have been dramatic and I hope they continue. He did not have a strong understanding of economics but he could see the changes for himself. Only money could provoke change such as this. The pair had reached the bench by this time, Fukai was about to sit down and enjoy his bun while continuing his spiel when a large gull would swoop down and grab the doughnuts and make a break for it with his delicious swag.

HEY! Get back here you blasted bird!
The purple eyed nin gave chase after the gull as it glided down the street, it's airborne movement hampered by the creamed goodness. On any other day he would have let an inconvenience like this slide but he had just walked up the mountain and damn it, he wanted his doughnut.


[617] /2104

OOC: All good mate, I was distracted too. I thinking about keeping this short and sweet, maybe 2 more rounds of ~500 to bring us to 3k, unless you have any particularly strong feelings.

The question he had posed wasn't that important to the young Kansen-Suru, it was simply an icebreaker, to understand how things were in the Land of Earth. It wasn't every day that in the Hidden Leaf Village he met someone who had similar features to him, and plenty of people had a darker colour of hair in the Land of Fire, which further estranged the Konoha Genin, leaving him as one of the more older Genin and different in appearance. Tall, white hair, and someone who specialized in ninjutsu and genjutsu, but was closer to the appearance of a taijutsu specialist. Out of all of the people that he had met in the Land of Fire, the majority of them had had dark coloured hair, or ones that one wouldn't expect. In his mind's eye he pictured Manami in all of her fiery redness, even wearing red clothes to accentuate the hair that was on her head. Then there was the girl that he had met in Konohagakure no Sato's Local Library. Her name is Tsuru, right? He remembered her then, a girl that was quite easily excitable and walked around with a head of green. Again he noted how most people had darker hair, but there were a few key people that he had met that he could pick out in a crowd, all of them he had met before leaving for the Hidden Cloud Village.

Joruri followed the casual pace that this Fukai had set, allowing him to take the lead. He could only wonder as to why this man was so nice, if he was truly going to be in the Chunin Selection Exams then why was he so kind? They were going to be enemies soon enough and would be combating each other to gain access to higher levels of information and missions in their villages if they were to survive the Exams themselves and had gone far enough to gain the respect and recognition from their Kage that was needed for said promotions. Meanwhile after he had explained to him what the Hidden Leaf Village was like, he could only imagine what he thought of it, what Iwagakure was like, he didn't have that many questions, his goal in the future was to visit all of the Hidden Ninja Villages, but his true goal was to go to Sunagakure no Sato. He felt as if his kekkei genkai willed it of him to do so. There were plenty of techniques that his parents were incapable of teaching him, ones that he knew he would need for the future. The number of techniques that he knew that involved his kekkei genkai were large, he knew how important it was for a ninja to protect whatever secret techniques they had, but what he truly wanted were techniques that worked well together. Ones that... Complimented each other's functions so to speak. For anything, if things worked well together, then the outcome would be greater than if they operated independent of each other. The thought of a squad came to mind, but he soon pushed that out, already he had determined that his squad was dysfunctional, they were the exception from that sentiment.

Soon after he had answered the other pale haired shinobi, he had asked his own question of what Tsuchi no Kuni was like. The Land of Stone was poor? It wasn't evident by the minor look of surprise on his face that Joruri didn't know that much about the other villages. When you were a Genin and didn't get to leave your homeland that much, nor meet people from said countries, you didn't learn about it. After he had given his brief yet broad explanation of the Land of Stone, he gave the vaguest answer he could manage. "That's interesting to learn about," he could only wonder as to what the ninja village was like if the Land itself was finally developing into a better state of living.

While he was busy loving the taste of his doughnut, when Fukai had begun taking a seat on the bench that they had approached, a bird that was notorious for simply stealing whatever food they could swept out of the sky and in a grayish-white blur, snatched the doughnut straight of Fukai's hand, and before Joruri could even chew the food that was in his hand his pale headed companion took off down the path after the devil of the sky.

What am I supposed to do now?

He stood there standing straight just next to the bench with the posture of someone that was clearly going to take a seat on the resting place, but in that instant, he knew that if it wasn't so loud to the nearby Market Place of the Resort, then they would've no doubt been spotted by dozens of people. His free hand rose upwards and scratched the back of his head before he started to walk after Fukai.

"Okay."

WC: 851

A blur of black and white, the thief swooped down to snatch his doughnut. Fukai was a newcomer to the area and had not been warned about the notorious avian snatchers. He was exposed and easy pickings for the gull. The young man was startled for only a second before he realised that his sugary treat had been heisted from between his fingers. Fukai called out and began the chase, sprinting down the road. Sheer desperation drove him after the bird, the delicious swag was much too important to forsake so easily. He smashed through the crowd, throwing aside old ladies in pursuit. He could not help the collateral damage that this chase was causing, it was a matter of justice. Justice had to be served along side whipped cream.

The bird was hampered in movement due to the weight of his booty, having to fly low. It had noticed it's predator and had picked up it's speed. The genin would not let this travesty happen on his watch, he began to call out mimicking a siren. Wheeeeoooweeeooo. He hurtled after the thief and flinging old ladies like Donkey Kong flings barrels. This tag showdown would be remembered for centuries, the age old struggle between good and evil. A bunch of gulls came and circled over head and then started dive bombing and dropping some white sticky missiles. Gah! He's brought his cronies, Joruri! Give me some cover, I'm going after the main perpetrator. He called behind him, hoping his new acquaintance would not be paralysed with fear in the face unprecedented danger.

Fukai would manage to escape the attacks and continue on after Don Seagull, his hands flat and cutting through he air like scissors. His anaerobic capacity was being stretched to it's limits. The robber was a crafty one, trying to elevate itself to on top of a two story building. He narrowed his eyes and chased on. This was the sort of injustice that netted you four stars on Grand Theft Auto, it just simply could not be ignored. It was about time to call in the choppers. The bird rose up on top of a makeshift tourist information center. It's lower half was a stone foundation that changed into wood and clay at the top. Luckily, Fukai was a ninja and was capable of only the most awesome parkour moves. He ran up the side of the stone and used a windowsill foothold to do a triple mega backflip onto the roof. A he landed next to the gull, he pulled a superman pose. The bird fainted, as one naturally did when they looked directly into his awesomeness.

He picked up the delicious treat and held it to the heavens. He called in a magnificently booming voice: I have the doughnut! A crash of lightning lit the sky up behind him and framed him in divine electricity. Even the gods had acknowledged him this day. The crowd that had gathered to witness this spectacle erupted in cheers and many of the young ladies swooned.

[516] /2610

Joruri could only watch in awe as Fukai barreled through the crowds to get to the bird that had stolen his snack. It didn't even look like there was any hesitation in his actions, he was simply moving through the crowd, knocking aside those who didn't have the balance or the strength to resist his size and mass as he strode through them all at a rapid pace. Why? He questioned in wonder as the man moved, raising his free and relatively clean hand to the back of his head as he repeated a motion of scratching it, a movement that he had adopted recently when he found himself in an awkward situation... This one however, was worse than awkward... There wasn't a word to describe it.

He heard the sound that the Iwagakure shinobi made, and he wished at that moment that he was able to perform an escape technique. It wasn't because he himself was the centre of attention, it was because he was so embarrassed for Fukai, who clearly didn't give a damn as to the damage he was causing. When he heard his name called, he didn't make a movement, instead he immediately turned back around on his heel and headed for the bench that they had previously been about to sit on. At that point, he had already figured that his newfound companion would remember where they had been and would return, whether he had his snack with him or not.

Glancing in the direction that Fukai had ran, he saw the information centre quite clear, thanks to the knocked over crowd that was only now recovering from the entity that had been a white haired man by the name of Fukai barreling through them. Taking a bite out of his own treat, he watched as the bird took a seat at the top of the two story building, but had soon fallen out of sight by the time that Fukai had gotten to the top and... Stroke a pose? What is he doing? Formerly knocked over crowd members were finally coming to, and had followed the few steps that would take them under the building as they pointed up at him, undoubtedly screaming at the crazed Genin.

In the instant, a crack of lightning pierced the sky, and based off of the time that he had spent outside in his life, usually lightning on a day like this meant a big storm... In that case... Joruri started to rise up to his feet, trying to decide whether or not to bring Fukai along with him, or to simply disappear and not attract more attention. He assumed that he'd be doing them both a favour by leaving then, simply because they both had fairly noticeable hair... Two people with the same sort of hair were bound to be noticed.

Now that he was up from the bench, he waved in a way of parting to Fukai as he started to continue in the direction that they had been heading, figuring he'd be able to get a bit of sightseeing done before the rain he expected to come actually started to pelt the tourists and occupants of the mountain. While he walked away, he could only wonder as to if all the inhabitants of Iwagakure no Sato were as eccentric as this one...

WC: 569
TWC: 2831

-EXIT THREAD-

Fukai's nostrils were flaring as his chest heaved in mountain air into his lungs. He remained in that alpha pose for a few seconds too long but he couldn't help it. He would probably be mistaken for some sort of deity at this point if it weren't for the cream and powdered sugar that masked his mouth after stuffing the recovered treat into his collection of face orifices. The heavenly one time thunder boom had crashed and then the clouds seemed to part just for him, a glittering beam of golden heaven rained down on his silver locks. The avian robber twitched on the roof beside him and Fukai took pity. He could never know the pain and shock that would come from such a raw taste of unrefined awesomeness but from what he observed of people that ran into him was that it was a feeling like no other. Today, a small bird, tomorrow, the world. One step at a time, one very feathery step. Look out Kumo, here I come-o!

The Iwagakure genin snapped back to reality and looked around. He wondered what he was doing on top of the roof. He looked around below and there were many strange people, some cheering and whistling, others shaking their fists in anger. They were all clearly looking at him, there was nothing else up here except what looked like a barely conscious bird. His body felt slightly drained as if he had been through a short exertion of some kind.. His memory seemed to be missing something, like he just blacked out for a little while. What was the last thing he remembered.. Oh yeah, he was talking to a young Konoha nin by the name of Joruri. Fukai looked down to catch a glimpse of the young man walked away, before he was swallowed by the crowd. Oh well, he supposed that he should get down from here and try to get away from his admirers / haters down below. Fukai rubbed his forehead a little before walking to the back of the building and jumping to the ground. He was in the little alleyway behind the building and quickly used the body flicker jutsu to create distance.

He was not sure what exactly was going on, but the first few minutes atop mount Ikkyu had surely been a strange experience.

[396] /3006
~Exit~
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