At the back, observing from a corner of the Golden Horn Casino was a young man by the name of Fukai. He was a shinobi of Iwagakure and had traveled to Kumo to participate in this year's chuunin exams. Right now, he was sitting up at the bar of the casino and watching the people stream in to try their luck at the various games. He sat upon a velvet seat with a suspicious dark stain on it, back against the wall and drink in hand. A glass of the house wine stood holding it's alcoholic prize in the clear bath held from the bar top with a think stalk. The wine was barely touched and wasn't quite to the young man's taste. He had only ordered it to justify his presence in the place. He never had much time or money for alcohol, since it was more of a non needed luxury beverage and he himself was of basic tastes. There was also the fact that it was unhealthy and had a negative effect on his training. Respecting his body too much to willfully poison it, he would usually partake solely for the social reasons.

The bright effervescent light did not quite reach his position, two diagonal strips of shadow running diagonally across his eyes and torso. An arm lay on the bar, it's index finger tapping with random period. Long silver hair fell behind his shoulders unkempt and a little greasy and seeming to enjoy it's unusual freedom. He had his forehead protector in his back pocket, wishing to escape beady eyes. That being said, his large stature and physique would tell any onlooker that he was likely a ninja but back there in the forgotten corner, he was the least stimulating thing in the large hall.

Screams of laughter, shouts of despair. The room projected and echoed the extremes of human expression. Roulette, blackjack, poker, slots. They seemed to have everything, every game that a human would want. Each gave at least a slight probability based edge to the house, eventually draining it's guests of their dollars. All sorts of people walked through those doors, each grinning giddy in anticipation of winning it big. Whether that eventuality played out was another story. Fukai held this establishment and it's customers in mild contempt.. To be honest, he didn't quite know why he had come here in the first place.

The place was packed. Colourful crowds crammed in and hustled for tables. Fukai had managed to find himself a little space at the bar, the stool next to him was the only unclaimed spot.

[444]

“Not bad for a night’s work,” Ryuusei thought to himself as he collected his payout in cash, turning in his chip winnings from the gambling floor, “Not bad at all.” His winnings weren’t mind blowing, but he had made more than enough to have some money to blow as he wished. And he knew the first place he would be going after he claimed his winnings, the bar. If he had said it once, he had said it a thousand times, the gambling floor really did get uncomfortably warm while one was down there playing. Whether it was the density of people in one place, the elevated heartrate while gambling, or just lousy air conditioning, a couple of hours at the tables left Ryuusei absolutely parched and feeling like he had been sitting in an oven.

Tunnel-visioning onto his target, the one empty seat at the bar, Ryuusei made a beeline right for the seat, struggling to push his way through the crowds without knocking over any of the intoxicated bar-goers standing around in his way like a bunch of statues. Sometimes he wished he could just be rude and simply shove civilians out of his way, knowing they would not be able to retaliate, or would be too intoxicated to even if they were able. That however, wasn’t really an option as the last thing he needed was any kind of scandal to report back to the capital with while he was supposed to be training. They probably wouldn’t be particularly thrilled at the idea of him spending so many nights at the casino lately, but that’s their own fault for sending him during these silly exams where all of the serious training venues were temporarily occupied by tourist attractions and novelty exhibitions.

Arriving at the bar, Ryuusei would immediately rest his forearms against the bar edge as he leaned on it and let out a deep sigh. It would not take long for one of the women behind the bar to notice his arrival and immediately head in his direction. “Opening a tab again tonight?”

“Yeah,” Ryuusei answered, sliding a large amount of ryo from his winning across the bar as a down payment of sorts, ensuring himself quick and quality service for as long as he needed it that night, “Not the usual though, it’s too hot for anything neat. Give me something cold. Whatever you feel like making as long as it’s good.”

“Haha, don’t regret that decision after you get your drink,” she answered as she began rummaging through the back of the bar, gathering the supplies to prepare the drink.

Before he knew it, Ryuusei was slid a bright blue, slushy drink from the other side of the bar with a little umbrella in it. He looked at the drink skeptically then back at the bartender, questioning her decision to serve him what would normally be thought of as a “girly” drink. The skepticism would quickly pass however, as he was true to his word and was more concerned with quenching his thirst than trying to look cool. With a disinterested expression he would swivel on his stool and turn to face the floor as he began sipping his drink through a straw.

---

549~

Fukai looked out at the crowd that filled the room with a certain disdain. The place reeked of superfluous wealth, it coated the hall with the pristine silks and pompous laughter of nobility. The casino was to them how a foul mess was to a dog, they would roll around in it until they were covered from head to toe in excitement. It wasn't only those of status in the mass but his biased mind seemed to pick them out and subject them as the main archetype of the establishment's customer base. In fact, all sorts of people flocked to the attraction, especially tourists and those who had come for the exams. A melting pot of backgrounds from all over the continent, shinobi and civilians alike. One common factor among them, they entered with money, and most would leave with nothing.

Maybe Fukai's views were such due to his own background. He had started working for Iwagakure as a young boy and lived through the times that it had been controlled by the unjust and corrupt. Having been born into a lower branch of the Fantomusodo clan, he had been somewhat protected from the goings on in that era. Although, he had not been completely removed as he relied on the welfare provided by the governing body. He had lived a poor life in the once grotty backstreets of the village hidden in the rock. He never had much to spare after his milk and bread, living a simple life. That way of existence had been ingrained in him ever since and had continued to live frugally, his focus forever on the larger troubles. He had witnessed those who had lived a more prosperous life, officers dining in tea parlours with their high maintenance wives of only the highest pedigree.

The roughest of landscapes grew the hardiest of flora, he had his eyes wide open as he grew maturity and social awareness well beyond his years. Even as a boy, he knew how things were in the place that he lived. One did not get high on the ladder in this town without giving and receiving support from the underworld. That was the origin of his bias against the rich. Subconsciously, he linked the upper class with the festering detrimental systems of his home village.

Up until this very point, his attitude had always been one of carelessness but something in him was changing. Maybe it was the exposure to another way of life here in Kumogakure, for the first time he had the notion of positive change. But how could he ever hope to achieve an ideal so distant that it's shape lacked all definition?..

While Fukai had lost himself in thought, a white haired young man had come and sat in the bar stool next to him. A Kumogakure nin, by the plate around his neck. He had with him a large sack of coins that had been put onto the counter. These were presumably his winnings from the games. In appearance, he was not unlike Fukai, having white hair and a tall stature. The resemblance struck him as a little eerie, almost his double from another village living another life. A life that he could have lived.. How different would it have been to grow up in this land? How would he be different? Fukai measured the man up from about a metre away, face hiding in shadow. He didn't know why he had begun to ponder such things recently, it was a little unlike himself. He would put it down to a mix of the hormones released from stress and excitement and the small amount of alcohol that had already hit his system.

He watched silently as a blue drink was delivered to the young man. He seemed to have a minor qualm with the product he had been given although the purple eyed male could not figure why. He had never witnessed a place like this and therefore could have no idea that this was supposed to be a drink usually served to females. He finally decided to say something to the new figure that was now rotating around on the stool while sucking up the bright liquid. Leaning forward so that his face would hit the light, he spoke. You have been lucky today, I see. Hopefully you will not have used all your luck up in a trap such as this. You may need it when a life threatening situation arises. Not completely sure why those words were chosen exactly, Fukai would wait and observe for a reaction.

[770] /1214

From the corner of Ryuusei’s eye, a white mass began drawing closer, prompting his eyes to shoot a glance that way and identify the approaching mass. What the man would see was a tall, white haired man with a rather grizzly appearance leaning forward in his seat and in Ryuusei’s direction. The sudden and unexpected stranger’s actions caused Ryuusei to lean back an equal distance, slowly, keeping as close to the same difference as possible as they began with. While he leaned himself back into the bar and away from the strange man, he would cock his right eyebrow and give the man a suspicious and almost stone-like facial expression, making the message clear that the sudden intrusion on Ryuusei’s personal space was awkward and unwelcome.

Ryuusei hadn’t been back in Kumogakure long enough to even imagine he could identify the man as a Kumogakure citizen or not simply off of appearance, but he certainly did not have the typical look of someone from this village. He had barely even noticed the other man’s presence when he ordered his drink other than acknowledging that there was a body on the stool beside him, but it seemed he was now being thrust into an interaction with this person. To be honest the whole interaction would have come off less creepy if he hadn’t been hiding away in the shade and leaned so far out in order to make himself known. The whole ordeal just seemed rather intrusive to someone who really didn’t think they were putting themselves out there to appear approachable.

Then there was the matter of exactly what the man had said to Ryuusei. The comment seemed to have revolved around his “appearing to have gotten lucky tonight”, which he could only assume to be regarding the cash Ryuusei had walked in with after leaving the gambling tables. That alone would have been a normal enough ice-breaker for the setting. After all, what better place to talk about gambling, winning or losing, than a casino. It only seemed natural for that to be a direction any conversation might take in this building. The comment after that about Ryuusei’s luck running out and ‘life threatening situations’, however, was nothing short of bizarre.

Ryuusei’s suspicious look was the product of mostly that comment. In his line of work such a comment could easily be construed as a threat on his life, putting him already on alert regarding this stranger. Even if not meant as a threat, it was still a rather abrupt way to begin a conversation, with not much thought put into it in the way of tact. “I don’t believe ‘luck’ is a finite resource,” Ryuusei answered, his voice reflecting as much suspicion as his facial expression, “People make their own luck. Bad luck is just an excuse made by those looking for a way to deflect blame for their own problems from themselves.”

---

498 | 1047~

Watching and waiting for an answer, Fukai's focus hovered on the newcomer to the bar. He had met a few people from outside his village at this point, and it was fascinating how much their mindsets could differ. From the ideas of how to live out their lives to the philosophies of why to live to even the basic interpretation of words and phrases. These things seemed to differ in the individuals from other backgrounds, such that Fukai sometimes had a difficult time trying to communicate across the cultural barrier. The Kumo nin withdrew from his forward conversation starter and shot him a suspicious look. Fukai realised that maybe his poor choice of words had moved the young man into a state of unease.

It was a little guilty pleasure of his, poking someone with a comment meant to unbalance them and then observing how they react. Even though it was a little impolite, he found it was the quickest and easiest way to shed a little light on the person that was targeted. People with strong beliefs usually reacted in a large fashion, even to a stranger they had not met before, most just returned their own opinion. But it was how this was done that he was truly interested in. The way that language was conveyed through verbal and non verbal communication was much more effective when a difficult or challenging subject was the conversation. Fukai had no interest in exchanging pleasantries and would only do so to satisfy others. As to his current conversation, he knew his words may be a little inflammatory for someone who enjoyed the casino.

The Kumogakure shinobi's response was more than satisfactory, this was just what he was looking for. Even though he was responding in an uneasy tone, his ideas showed a well grounded and sure mind. Fukai broke into a small smile. It wasn't too important to him what his views were but rather the strength of belief and reason behind them. Such a resolute answer was worthy of his respect but Fukai wanted to delve a little deeper. He leaned back in his chair and lifted the wine glass to his lips, sipping in a little and then placing it back with delicate finesse. It is true, you may be able to influence many things in this world with the right push, but real luck refers to the nigh infinite permutations of happenings that are outside of our control. From an outside view it seems random. His gaze rolled over the crowd once more and returned the curious stare of the large man on the other side of Ryuusei. The figure returned to staring into his diminishing drink.

It's a little ironic that a gambler would refuse the notion of bad luck, are you saying that when you lose, it is your fault?

[478] /1692

The strange man’s smirk did not do anything to make the encounter less creepy than it had originally seemed, but, for the time being at least, the man did not seem to be acting with hostility. If he wasn’t an immediate thread then there was at least little reason not to let him speak his piece. The topic of his conversation, however, did seem to be a bit heavy for a first conversation with a complete stranger at a bar inside of a casino. It wasn’t like this was the first person who had attempted to spark up a conversation randomly since he had been here at the casino even that evening, but those who had were more often than not at least halfway towards being inebriated and either on a big-time high or a big-time low depending on how their previous games had gone. This man, however, was too sober and too even-keeled for any normal casino patron. It was suspicious.

“If a person is enough of a fool to even allow themselves to be in a position where their fate can be determined by something as trivial as luck, then they deserve to lose,” Ryuusei said before continuing to sip from his drink, “There is a difference between being totally at the mercy of chance and allowing some modicum of uncertainty to enter play for entertainment. Winning a bet on your last ryo might be exciting, but it’s not sustainable in the long run. The people that you see leaving the gambling floor happy or dejected let you know what kind of person they choose to be. Some people may be perfectly content not being in control and praying on luck to aid them, but I am not the kind of person that relinquishes control. And I have no interest in throwing away control for a one night stand with Lady Luck.”

---

321 | 1368~

Fukai leaned back in his stool and looked down into his wine glass, placing his index finger and thumb on the transparent stem. He listened to the young man's words in silence, while swirling the deep purple liquid. He showed respect for the man's opinions by thinking about them thoroughly before replying. He would wait for half a minute and then speak, looking straight into the eyes of the male. This was a very direct way to communicate and the best way to discuss such personal philosophies. Only the best of liars could fake while speaking earnestly in this manner.

That is a fair view, although I have to say that I do not agree. My name is Fukai by the way. He thought that he should share his name at least if they were to continue with this line of topic. He had no intention of letting this meeting slip into a boring exchange of pleasantries. Let me clarify; personally, I have no sympathy for those who are sorry after losing at a casino. But there are people that get a bad role of the dice and end up with an unfortunate lot in life. As he pondered, the centripetal force of the wine increased a little, driving the alcohol up the side of the glass.

A little gust of wind blows a single leaf out of place on a tree. A spot of sunlight opens up and falls on a bug. The light reflects off the shell of the bug and catches the eye of a bird. The bird swoops down and snatches the bug that would have started eating away at the tree's roots. Without the bug there, the tree that was keeping the edge of the cliff from collapsing is safe from falling. Without the cliff collapsing, the traveler that happened to be passing below avoided being crushed by a rockfall. By your reasoning, the traveler is a fool.

Fukai watched the man for any cues as to if he was keeping up or if he had lost interest. I come from Iwagakure no Sato, I have not been in Kumo for long but in my village, if you are born into the wrong circumstance then there is no telling where you may end up. It confuses me as to why people would find an joy in playing games of chance. He was not sorry about the way he saw the world, it was simply a constant fact of life to him. But maybe, it didn't have to be.

[427] /2119

“Perhaps how narrow your view of the world from Iwagakure is the reason that clarity eludes you,” Ryuusei responded bluntly, not caring to sugarcoat anything he had to say, “Since you’re from Iwagakure, that means that you are a shinobi, are you not? The world of shinobi is one that is shrouded in secrecy and shadows. Even events such as the chunnin exams which draw crowds do not truly make the shinobi world “open”. Most of the people invited as tourists or spectators are not simply random citizens. Many of them are military or nobility in their own right. Do not let the pomp and circumstance that surrounds this event or its billing as a pseudo sporting event fool you. Many of these people are still here on business. At the end of the day, a shinobi village, even as a city, is still the equivalent of a military stronghold. Kumogakure would not just randomly start opening its gates to every random vagabond that walks its way. Neither would Iwagakure, or any of the shinobi villages for that matter. For a shinobi who is out in the field doing real missions, these exams may look like nothing more than a game, but don’t misunderstand the exams’ intent. The villages and individuals that perform well at these events are remembered and more likely to have work sent their way. There is more at work here than simply a tourist attraction.”

“No matter how great their powers may seem, in the bigger picture, shinobi are small, just like everyone else,” he continued just before downing the rest of his drink, “Similarly, the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. Some may be born into a better position than others, but that is not an excuse to be a slave to fate. It is a person’s job to put themselves in a favorable position. If people are allowing their footing to be so unsound that such a small twist of fate is enough to bring their world crumbling down, then they deserve to be crushed by the fruits of their own carelessness. If people are still meandering through life, crying out with their hands out waiting for the world to right whatever injustices they believe they are victims of, the truth is that it’s not coming. The people you see losing here and falling apart were already lost well before those dice were rolled or that deck was shuffled. As far as those people you don’t seem to understand… the ones that gamble for fun. Why do people watch horror movies even though they know that they may find it disturbing or frightening. Fear is not a positive emotion. A ‘normal’ person should have no reason to enjoy inflicting themselves with that, correct? The people who enjoy horror movies, however, see past the hypothetical negative consequences. They know that nothing they see on that screen can truly hurt them. The same is true for many of the people gambling here. Hm… calling it gambling is almost incorrect. What exactly are they at risk of losing? Money? Most of them have more of that than they’ll ever need. The ones that don’t already have a reliable means to make whatever they lose back. “

---

546 | 1914~

Fukai waited and watched as his new acquaintance started his spiel. He was patient and had genuine interest for what the young man had to say. The Kumo nin started off with an edgy comment about him having a narrow minded view. He then would go on to talk endlessly about the village and exams system. All of which Fukai knew himself. He let himself have a little twitch of a smile as he listened. His provocation had been successful. The small pokes had opened up the young man completely. He was spilling the beans to a degree that he could not have hoped for. This dialogue told Fukai more about his background and personality then any sort of normal introduction. It was a natural reaction, one with strong views found it hard to keep a discussion civil once the intensity started to rise. Indeed, the Kumogakure shinobi had let his ideals run away with his tongue and seemed to have either forgotten or ignored the fact that Fukai had introduced himself and he had not done the same. This showed that he placed more value on others understanding and respecting his own views than taking the time to receive that that others held.

After he finished off the blue alcohol, he seemed to regain focus back on their topic of discussion. After letting him finish, Fukai would down the rest of red wine and turn to look at the glass while speaking. That is a fair point you have about these casino enthusiasts. You could say that the people betting their bread were not wise enough and therefore do not deserve survival. You could say that the rich nobles that throw around their cash have nothing to fear from loss, after all, they will still have a cushy life afterwards.

From his acquaintances words, he had begun to draw a picture of the currently nameless nin before him. Fukai attempted to test the waters. Irrelevant circumstances and no excuse. Your words are those of one whose core belief is that of the 'self made man'. You say that anyone can live their life how they wish it if they were to work hard enough. You believe that those if a lower socioeconomic status could have changed their predicament if only they had the character and drive to climb the ladder. 'Crying with their hands out'. That is a particularly bold choice of words. You hold those who have not traveled on the same path as you, for whatever reason, in condemning disdain. Fukai would leave that particular line of talk for now and see how he reacted once more. Fukai's motive was not an assault on the young man's character or his beliefs, he simply wished to know more. He was also curious to see how close his analysis was to the truth. His eyes flicked back over to meet Ryuusei's.

I have to partially disagree with you. You cannot, by definition, do anything about factors that you cannot change. All you may do is control how you react to any particular circumstance. If I were to attack you right now, what could you do about it? You could attempt to escape, try to block or counter or you could maybe use wit and tact to try to avoid conflict in the first place. An example of handling the situation badly may be not doing anything at all, moving into a spot of vulnerability or provoking me. You can't do anything about stopping the circumstance once it has already come about but reacting to it is something that is almost always in your control. What it comes down to is: change what you can change and influence what you can influence.

Fukai wished to know this man's origins. You seem to have a solid belief that is no doubt grounded on your own experiences. I have told you about myself, I am interested to know where all of this comes from, Mr..? He left the last sentence hanging and his questioning tone would make it clear that he expected an answer.

[687] /2806

“If I believed you to be any threat to me at all, I wouldn’t put myself in a position in which you could get to me so easily,” Ryuusei replied bluntly, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts on the matter before continuing, “Do not misunderstand what my intentions are. What I’ve said concerns the strength of one’s character only in part and has little to do with one’s wealth. It is not simply a matter of determination or righteousness. A righteous and determined insect is still but an insect. In this world, it is strength that drives people to action. To be determined and righteous but without strength is to be powerless. The powerless do not get the opportunity to play their hand. They can only sit back and watch as people around them determine their fate. To live a powerless life is a fate worse than death.”

With his left hand, Ryuusei motioned to the passing bartender to refill his glass as he took a brief respite from the conversation. He had not expected such a philosophical conversation when he entered a bar at a casino with a mostly intoxicated crowd, but it was not entirely a bad thing. “I suppose the real difference in the people we’re talking about is their ability to initiate action, to impose their will upon destiny itself rather than be run over by their fate,” he began, “Strength alone does not achieve this. Perseverance alone cannot achieve this. Intelligence alone cannot achieve this. Many people are strong, but strength alone does not empower one to act. They can only react and respond. They lack the mind or the tenacity to initiate action. Many people are determined, but persistence without the ability to force change is wasted effort. Many people are intelligent, but are plagued by laziness or cynicism and never achieve their potential. What one should strive for is true freedom. One who is truly free always has a choice, even when they have no business having one. That is the difference.”

---

346 | 2260~

Fukai nodded as he listened to the Kumogakure shinobi. What he said did seem to make sense, these were things that he had started noticing himself, especially in recent times. True freedom is to have choice. To have control over your life and not subject it to the will of fate. In the past, he had always thought of the world and himself with disconnect. He never knew anything else other than his current reality and so thought that there was nothing else. This is just the way things were, attributing negative feelings or otherwise to them was pointless. But he was starting to change his outlook. He could see how the culture in this particular country differed and the changes that were currently taking place in his own. He could see that someone of power could indeed influence not only his own future, but that of others. This conversation had certainly gave him food for thought but now he was full.

Fukai nodded once more towards Ryuusei before he stood. He thought that they had finally come to a place where they could understand and respect each other's views even if they did not share them. Thank you, Mr. I have learned a lot during this short time but it is about time that I left. It was true, he had a taste of this man's culture and background from his short conversation and that provided a rare and deep insight into this land. He stepped twice, making his way past the seated figure before stopping for the last time. You should come and visit Iwagakure some time, maybe we can get together and talk again. Maybe then we will have more experience behind us and more wisdom to share. He would also like to see what this particular kid would think of his own homeland, an outsider's view on the Hidden Rock.

And then he left the casino. The bright lights and shouts of excitement passed by him one last time. He did not care for the people and their gambling past times but they no longer bothered him. Gold plated chandeliers and bright blue alcohol. Women in feathery suits and whirring machines. Pillars of marble and dark clad security guards. This place was like a different planet to him, the Golden Horn Casino, and he doubted he would be back anytime soon.

[397] /3203
~exit~