Moving the back of his hand a front of his mouth, Razan muffled a yawn. Eyes, russet red in color, fluttered open and took stock of their surroundings in a groggy manner.  The room, no bedroom, he mentally corrected himself, wasn't the most spacious thing in the world. It could, at maximum, whole two or three more people before things started getting got cramped; but, it was roomy enough for him and seeing how he doubt he would have that much company in here than it was sufficient for the time being. Furnishings were sparse with only the essentials pieces, nightstand, dresser drawer, small workbench and closet, and, of course, the bed, being present. There wasn't anything extra added to the bedroom, and it was fine by him. He didn't care for any more materialistic items than absolutely necessary, after all, he is a simple man at heart.

Stifling another yawn wanting to escape, Razan righted himself up, throwing the linens covering him onto the wooden floor. Joints and bones popped quite loudly as he stretched his taunt muscles while still sitting in the confines of the bed. "I must have been tired. . .", he mused to himself, eying his articles of clothing thrown hazardously across the floor, starting from the door's entrance and led all the way to the foot of the bed. This most likely won't be the last time he been too tired to put his dirtier clothes in the hamper or wherever they were supposed to go. His legs swung to the side of the feet touching the floor, causing a shiver to run down his spine. Gah! The floors were cold, shouldn't they be heated of something?

Discomfort aside, Razan transverse the area, picking up the dirty clothing and placing them in the hamper; something he totally missed in hs first assessment of the room. That having been taken care of, Razan stepped out of the room, heading to the bathroom to freshen up and take care of anything else needing taking care of.  Twenty minutes later, Razan, newly cleaned and freshly shaved, walked out of the bathroom and into his room with only a towel hiding his modest. The towel was dropped, no sooner the door was closed, being replaced with undergarments followed by a pair of loose fitting, dark blue, pants. A simple short-sleeve, white, button-up shirt covered his torso after a nonscented deodorant was used.. Looking in the mirror, Razan continued addressing his appearance; hair was combed, any knots being removed, before being placed in a low pony-tail, and shirt brushed, any visible wrinkles being removed.

Vanity was never a big part of his life, he didn't go out of his way to dress to impress, however, he does like to at least look presentable most of the time. With the only accessory, a silver cross on a matching chain, around his neck, Razan slipped on his shoes. Looking around the room, making sure nothing was forgotten, he closed and locked the door behind him.

Exiting the hotel, Razan looked up having to shield his eyes from the intense sunlight beaming on him. "Almost noon. . .", he mused to himself. . .

Grrr . . .

Blushing in embarrassment at the monstrous noise of his stomach, he sought out to find a place to eat.

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With a yawn slowly escaping him, Haruo rolled over, only to be met by the edge of the couch. Before his momentum could carry him off the beige coloured furniture, Haruo threw out his left hand forward, such that it would meet the ground before his body would entirely tumble off of it. With more than half his body dangling off the couch, Haruo lowered himself down onto his left elbow, wanting to ease himself down. Once both his elbow and hand were touching the ground, Haruo lazily brought his left leg down, his knee meeting the ground as well. Now that half the sand user’s body was in a crawling position, the redhead gently eased rolled the rest of his body off the couch, his left arm acting as a support for the rest of his body. The rest of his body was only airborne momentarily, for his rear met the black, brown, beige, and green patterned carpet, and his right elbow came to meet the ground as well.

Blinking a few times, Haruo slowly came to realize he had dozed off on the couch for what seemed to be forty-five minutes, from what he could tell from the clock. He hadn’t known what time he decided to take the nap, yet he estimated it was roughly around that amount of time. Looking down at his knees, both near eye level, he noticed that his khakis were slightly ruffled due to shifting about on the couch, and he could assume his sky blue polo was in a similar condition, though not so ruffled that it would look unseemly if he went out. He could easily change clothes if he wished to, but seeing as how he hadn’t done much other than fall asleep in them, Haruo deemed them fine to continue on with the day he had ahead of him.

Listening to the racket in the house, or the lack of, Haruo immediately knew he was home alone. Lazily pushing himself to stand back on his feet, Haruo slowly made his way to the kitchen to seek out if there was anything to really eat, aside from a snack or two, as he hadn’t ate since he initially woke up five hours ago. As he reached the metallic instrument which kept the food at a cool temperature, Haruo slowly slid the door open, the slight creak of the hinges reached his ears, though it was brief. With a quick glance, Haruo noticed there wasn’t much to eat in terms of something that would fill him up entirely. Sighing, feeling far too lazy to cook something up at this exact moment, Haruo pushed the fridge door shut, and began making his way to the foyer of his family’s home. Finding his black shoes beside the shoe rack, he quickly slid them on, fiddling with them so the back of the shoes were no long bothering him. After thirty seconds of doing so, Haruo debated about taking his jacket with him, though grabbed it regardless. Throwing on the plain black jacket, Haruo headed out the door, locking up behind him as no one would be home for at least an hour or two.

As he began walking down the street, slowly making his way towards the center of the village, he wondered what he would be eating this particular afternoon. Leaving it up to whatever struck his fancy first, even if he knew what most places offered, Haruo slowly made his way along the path, his eyes only looking above his own horizon, looking at the signs of the establishments, rather than where he was going. Of course, he’d be fine so long as no one suddenly stopped or appeared in front of him.

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A little overwhelming. That's the first thoughts, or rather, emotions Razan felt wondering through the streets of Kumogakure no Sato looking for a place to sate his growing hungry. Despite growing up in Hi no Kuni, a country a little bigger than Kaminari no Kuni, he didn't have the fortune of living in one of the bigger towns, or Konogakure no Sato, instead, the black haired male was born and raised in a small town off the beaten path. And the amount of people who lived and visited was a drop in the bucket compared to the amount present within Kumogakure no Sato. Additionally, the sheer volume of vendors, merchants, and other establishments surpassed anything he was remotely used to. 

The different sights, sounds, delicious, disgusting and unique smells was almost too much for him, and it took him, Razan, sometimes to get used to everything. Yet still, the culture shock was there and ever present on his visage. Was it like this in all the hidden villages, or was Kumo. so packed with people due to the Chuunin exams? These were only a few thoughts dominating his mind, as he weaved through the streets in a moderated pace. Russet brown eyes darted to and fro, glimpsing at every stall passed with a mild sense of curiosity, before repeating the action with the next one. The unknown Hattori member was practically soaking up the environment, taking in everything with a curiosity of a child, or, like someone who experiencing something for the first time. Murmuring an apology when accidently bumping into someone, his eyes having been looking elsewhere, in particular, a weapon shop not that far from the main road.  

Pausing in the middle of the street, making those out in about having to move around him, Razan thought more about his current line of thinking. He really did need to buy some type of weapon in order to defend himself during his travels. Granted, he had a pair of knives, but they were forever lost somewhere in between Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni. How did they get lost? He honestly doesn't know; one minute they were there and the next they were going. A frown marred his face at the thought of them, while not being the best weapons he had ever made, they were his first and therefore, had sentimental value, nothing could ever replace them; unless, of course, he makes a newer set. . .maybe. 

Still, Razan thought, he really needed to get a weapon, or weapons to defend himself. Maybe this small weapon shop can help him with that? And before he even knew it, Razan had walked up to the vendor, initiating a conversation with the apparent owner, and within ten minutes walked away with an order placed, and scheduled to be deliver at his apartment within a days time. With that taking care of, he could not focused on the reason for his outing: food. 

Stepping back onto the main road, he restarted his search for a place to satisfy his growing hungry. Once again, his eyes were glued to the various stalls and vendors passed, showcasing the same interest in them as earlier, but also looking for a decent place to eat. A look of complete confused etched on his face, Razan having no idea where he should eat. Sure, he passed by a lot of eateries, and all of them look decent enough, but he didn't know which one was actually good. Maybe, maybe he could ask some native to Kumo or at the very least been here long enough to give him a recommendation? Maybe - - 

"Oof. . ."

Having not watched where he was going, Razan had, once again, ran into someone where, however, instead of them being a much older gentlemen, this was a young man around his age. Quickly composing himself, having stumbled back from the impact, he spoke "I'm sorry for that. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?",  hoping he didn't injure the stranger. it was highly unlikely, but one could never be certain nowadays. 

Russet brown eyes looked expecting at the teen, waiting for an answer.

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All the sights on his way were really familiar to the red-haired teenager, having walked down these streets of the village countless times before. The familiarity Haruo has with these streets made it so that he recognized most of the shops he was passing by, though that was not to say he had been within each and every one of them, including restaurants and material item shops. The few stores that Haruo did go to regularily were few and far between, but it was safe to safe he had general idea about most of the establishments along these streets, though the more familiar ones were the ones he was passing by, the ones closer in proximity to where Haruo lived.

Resisting the urge to yawn, Haruo kept walking forward, unsure of what place would truly catch his eye as to where to eat. Of course, knowing the places around here practically by heart, it would be difficult for the teenager to find a place to eat that he did not have a pre-established bias for. That, was one of the few things he disliked about growing up in such a village. Of course, there were still so many establishment in which he had never dined, thus there was always that as an option, as well as the simple idea of ordering something different off the menu from a restaurant he had previously visited.

So far, his walk went uninterrupted, even with the lunch hour rush joining the streets. Before his gaze could travel downward, to simply get a better angle at people moving about, knowing that there could be the possibility of him accidentally bumping in to someone far shorter than he. As luck would have it, just as his vision was simply going to travel back to eye level, something forced him away from his trek forward and pushed him to the right instead, straying off his direct path forward. A slight ‘oof’ was heard by Haruo a moment after the contact was made, making him realize that the person was indeed male, though it took him a second to process that piece of information. He halted after the three steps he was forced to take, grounding himself completely.

As a voice spoke up, asking if Haruo was alright, as well as apologizing, Haruo simply nodded as his eyes looked to the right, making sure he hadn’t bumped in to anything or was stepping on anything. For what Haruo could tell currently, there was no apparent injury or pain for him, so he released a small sigh. After a brief moment of confirming such, he looked towards the individual who spoke the apology, slightly waving it off with his right hand. “Ah, I wasn’t watching where I was going either. Was looking for a place to eat, so…. I was a bit distracted by the signs. There was a slight laugh escaping Haruo, to ease the conversation, and also for his slight foolishness in not simply watching the people around him. If he had been paying attention, he could’ve easily adjusted his pace or came to a stop to avoid such a collision. His right hand lifted upwards, with his index finger for roughly five seconds before dropping back down to his side. “Are you alright?” Haruo asked, almost having it slipped his mind. It was only courteous to find out if the other party was in fact fine or not. A slight pause occurred, before Haruo quickly stated, “I know a doctor that isn’t too far away if you need to see one.” Of course the likelihood of the stranger needing such was unlikely; Haruo merely had rushed to the conclusion and had spoken out before he could think on it really.

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He really should have been watching where he was going. But, with so many wondrous and different things around him: the sights, sounds, and smells, he had been caught up in enjoying them all. Taking everything in with, russet brown, eyes full of wonder and curiosity, and an earnest gusto, something probably not common with people his age, him being an adult, albeit a young one but one still, and presumably more common with children or those younger than him. That being said, he couldn't help himself from getting lost in everything the place had to offer. For a foreigner like him, there were many alien things about the village. The culture was obliviously different than ones back home, having only a few things he recognized, but much he didn't. Even the vibe! It was so much different than the one in his hometown. While the people from where he came from were generally a happy bunch, they lacked a certain energizing quantity that seem to in abundance within Kumogakure no Sato. Everything felt so supercharged. . .so electric! And he wanted to be a part of that, to soak up everything about this village. To learn from it, so that, when he leaves, he would do so being a different person than he was when he came. And it's because of all of this that he found himself in his current situation.

Having bumped into the stranger only moments ago, Razan couldn't help but to feel embarrassed.  It was already bad enough he bumped into an elderly gentlemen earlier, speaking of which, he probably should've asked them if they were alright, while searching for a place to fill his empty stomach, but now this too? Bumping into another person granted it wasn't his stomach fault this time, he just wasn't looking where he was going, though that could be considerably worse than been distracted by his stomach, was just embarrassing! His embarrassment because of the situation he found himself in, wasn't broadcast on his visage, however, there was a genuine sense of concern for the stranger he bumped into.  Although it was unlike that such an irrelevant amount of contact could possibly hurt another young individual, it didn't stop him from asking the slightly shorter teen if he was alright, along with apologizing for the mishap. It was the right thing to do, after all.

Waiting a few moments, a sign of relief came from Razan, the stranger having waved off his apology and confirmed he lacked any injuries. This was good news for the black-haired teen, for the irrational part of his mind honestly thought he might have injured the stranger standing before him. When the stranger spoke, a small smile plastered on Razan's face, seems like he wasn't the only on distracted. However, the smile would quickly turn to that of embarrassment when he stomach made itself known by growling quite loudly at the mention of a place to eat "Sorry about that. I was also looking for a place to eat, but I'm not from around here, so I don't know what is good or not. You wouldn't have any recommendations, would you?", the last part came out as an afterthought after he chuckled, Razan having decided, just then, to ask the stranger who he bumped into for eatery recommendations. What was the wrong that could happen from such a harmless question?

Blinking at the stranger's question and concern for his own well-being, Razan waved him off "I'm fine. Take more than a little bump to hurt me.", he quipped, chuckling at how true that statement really was "Though, knowing where the doctor is, might come in handy later on. ", another afterthought.

A brief moment of silence fell upon the pair, only to be broken by Razan with him introducing himself, hand extending out for a courteous handshake "I'm Shimura Razan."

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Haruo blinked once more, as the male before him went on to state what had brought him to accidentally bump in to Haruo, which seemed to be of a similar state to which led Haruo in this particular destination as well. However, to people with a very similar goal in mind would eventually collide, solely due to the face that neither of them was fully paying attention to where they were traveling, nor of the people who would come across their path due to their slight mishaps in vision. Though this was the lightest of bumps, one that hurt neither of the people involved as they both held a similar stature, Haruo being the smaller of the two, lacking the weight of the gourd upon his back to add to the weight that usually stabilized him. Stepping off to the side slightly, so he wouldn’t interfere with the flow of traffic, he noted the males desire to find a restaurant, one where he could eat.

Haruo could recommend a few, though he was not in the mood for attending any of them, perhaps a change of scenery was due for him in terms of outside food, as he had an adoration for him mothers home cooked meals, as well as his fathers; whenever he opted to cook. At times, the redhead felt slightly off put by both parents, as both knew their way around the kitchen, yet when it came to their son; he was abysmal in anything related to cooking. As Haruo pondered the places he could suggest, the other teenager stated he was fine, though saying that a doctor would come in handy. Haruo knew the basics of medical ninjutsu, but not enough to heal wounds as of yet. Instead, he simply knew of a retired shinobi who recently opened up a local clinic, one for the smaller illnesses compared to the ones dealt with by the hospital.

A name. That was one thing Haruo received before he could get a word out in regards to an eatery or doctor, yet he was fine with this. Storing the name Shimura Razan in his memory, though it was likely Haruo would forget if they wouldn’t meet again, he accepted the greeting and the handshake as well. With the same arm that was raised towards him, Haruo firmly shook Razan’s hand, as he spoke out. “Hi, Razan. I’m Akemi Haruo. Nice to meet you, I suppose.” He said with a slight laugh towards the end, due to the circumstances surround how the literally ran in to one another. As the handshake would conclude, Haruo’s hand would return to his side briefly, before he pointed off down the street, and then gesturing to take a turn. “Well, if you go down this street and take the next right, there’s quite a few places down there that I enjoy eating at. One’s a recently opened BBQ restaurant that opened sometime last week, I went there before, and the food was pretty good. There’s also a good sushi place too, shouldn’t be too difficult to miss from the large sign they have. I’m sure if you’re looking for something more specific, someone there will be able to help you.” With that Haruo slightly stepped away from Razan, nodding in his general direction.

“As for the doctor, the office is on the other side of the street. He’s a retired shinobi, but good for minor things as it keeps some of the crowds away from the hospital.” With a slight huff of air escaping him Haruo turned to look down the street, far further down than where he would usually go. “Well, I hope to see you some other time Razan! Perhaps not running in to each other next time?” He lightly joked before beginning to walk away. “Bye.” Haruo waved slightly before picking up his pace, venturing to a mess of restaurants he had never been to before. It was both unlikely and likely that the Akemi would find a place he would enjoy eating at, which was partially the reason he hadn’t invited Razan along with him, as he didn’t want to disappoint the stranger by taking him to a restaurant that wasn’t enjoyable to either of them. So, he decided to tell him about the ones he knew about, knowing they’d be satisfying for Razan.

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Training:

Never expect anything from anyone, especially from those not indebted to you. Those were the words of his parents, they couple parting some age-old advice onto their youngest child, like their parents did to him, before watching him venture off into the world unknown, like his siblings before him, looking for something he could eventually call his own. Words, simplistic in nature, giving the black-haired male an important piece of advice, hoping he would heed to it and take it to heart, that many didn't follow in this day and aged. Never trust anyone; everyone has a motive, no matter if it seems otherwise.

He took the words to heart while traveling from Hi no Kuni to Kaminari no Kuni, remaining wary of those he met through journeying across the countryside, accepting their generosity while maintaining a sense caution. Trying his best to look behind the veil of kindness or hostility shown, searching for any clues of a motive behind their actions. At times he was successful in piercing through their haze and find the reason for their actions; however, other times, have left him unsure of their motives, unable to see behind the veil, leading him to accept things as they were presently. Any consequences will be dealt when they arise and until then he won't worry about it.

That it's why, he didn't expect anyone to give him a recommendation for a place to eat. He knew anyone within Kaminari no Kuni he was simply a foreigner within unknown lands, without any ties, least to his and the general populace knowledge, to anyone here. No one in the country was indebted to him nor was there people he could fully trust in; everyone, even him, here had a motive with the only difference being the driving force behind them.

Following the actions of the stranger's, stepping to the side, allowing traffic to continue unhindered. "Nice to meet you too, given the circumstances,", he spoke, the last part coming out in a low chuckle, Razan reciprocating the firm handshake, hand falling back to the waist side soon after. He didn't have to wait long before his inquiry of an eatery were answered. Looking in the direction pointed at by Akemi-san, Razan nodded, listening to the teen giving him direction and a few restaurant recommendations. BBQ having been one of his guilty pleasures, his mother being an awesome cook when it comes BBQing meats, Razan's mind was already made up on where he would be going. Sometime has passed since he last indulged himself on BBQ; maybe the restaurant would satisfy him?

Keeping the directions at the forefront of his mind, Razan nodded when told about a retired medic-nin having an office not that far from here "Thank you." a sign of appreciation given to the helpful teen, location of the doctor being stored in the back part of his mind; never know when the could be useful.

Chuckling at the jest about how they met, Razan returned in kind, "Likewise. Hopefully the next time our heads won't be up in the clouds.", before turning in the direction of the BBQ and start making his way towards the establishment, throwing up a wave at the retreating teen "Bye.".

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Stat Training: