A nice morning in kumogakure no sato it was. The young shinobi had turned in early for the night and he did not even bother to make it up so early this morning. He had no missions nor any work that needed attention except the puppets that he had been working on and puppetry did not require any rush so that the work could attain perfection but even with that, no rush did not give him any reason to be lazy. Even with the passion he had for his arts, he had not touched this project for a maximum of three days. It was in no way his fault because he had been taking care of missions that required his shinobi skills. Ranging from bandit missions to thugs and so on and so forth. He was a ninja of the cloud and he knew that his service to the cloud was his responsibility but of what use would he be if he was to break down due to stress and fatigue thus why he decided to take a few days off for himself and gladly the raikage had not called him for any mission. He decided to do something today other than mostly laying in bed and writing or painting like he had been doing for the past two days. He lay straight in bed as he looked at the brown ceiling made of mokuton. How useful his ability was. He built his house with mokuton and mostly furnished it with this same wood style. How eager he was to get to his roots, to know who his parent were,, to know where he was truly from and most of all to know who he truly was. Day by day, he got closer and it would not be long any more before he got all the answers to his countless questions. Thinking for a while, he came to a conclusion that he was going to visit the sky forge in the hidden cloud village. It was said that the place was filled with excellent craftsmanship and he could not help but see for himself which weapon he could get to fix for his puppets. That was the specialty of puppets and what made them more feared. Their hidden weapons and mechanisms. Dray got out of bed as he raised the bed covers from himself and stepped onto the ground. He had slept with only shorts and that was what he had on. He picked up his white towel and tied it around his waist as he pulled his shorts, dropped it in the laundry basket and walked into his bath room. He removed the towel and settled into the bath tub as he felt the cold water seep into his skin. He went lower as a sigh escaped his lips and he closed his eyes gently. He was like this for quite a while before he picked up a soap and started to bath himself. He took no more than seven minutes and he was out of the bath tub, spanking clean. He tied his towel around his waist as he picked out his tooth brush and put some paste on it. He brushed his teeth carefully and rinsed his mouth as his teeth sparkled white..

He walked out of the bath room and towards his wad robe. He picked out an ash colored pant and put it on after which he wore a white under wear. He then put on an ash colored shirt with high folded collars. The cloth had yellow lining all round it’s edges thereby giving light to the low shade of the ash color. He buttoned the yellow buttns of the clothe, both center and at the hand. After he was done, he took a dark green scarf and wrapped it loosely around his neck as the ends of the scarf both fell to the right and left side of his chest. His hair was hardly messy so it just fell in place and he did not need to worry about setting it right. He picked his ninja pouch and walked out of his room. He stopped to see what he had forgotten. He turned to his right and took his belt from where he hung it. The head of the belt happened to be his fore head protector. It was fashionable that way and anybody could see it when he wore the belt around his waist except if he decided to button the coat all that way down. He then walked out of his room and into the living room. He had no appetite for food this morning so he would just make his way to the sky forge. He walked into the village and exchanged pleasantries with the few people that he knew since he was not too popular and he did not need popularity anyway. He kept walking towards his location and after a few minutes of walking at a considerable pace, the sky forge was in sight. Once he got there, he would proceed to enter the building and see for himself what could be of use to him.
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OOC:

Dray walked into the sky forge as soon as he got there. It was a pretty large place indeed. There were different sections and of course these sections contained different items. He began looking through the shops hoping to stop and approach one once he found something truly interesting. The view seemed to be endless but all he had seen so far where blades that he had come across one way or the other. He had spent quite a time in the land of stone and their bazaar boasted of weapons and items just like the hidden cloud’s village’s sky forge did. Even when things did bore him, he never expressed this. If each body part was to be described on its own, his face would have had no physical description at all because it was mostly expressionless. He only showed his emotions when he wanted to, nothing had been able to force him into doing so. Not even the raikage’s piercing eyes was capable of this nor was the dreadful aura of the hidden mist nin he had met days ago. He could acknowledge both the fear in the eyes and the aura but nothing seemed to change within him, it was just as if they were like all other things that meant little to him.

Having no huge expectations for how the day was going to turn out, he kept strolling through the sky forge. The area he was in seemed a bit crowded but he moved gently so bumping into someone was not highly possible. The thought of not bumping into someone was his own but how about someone bumping into him? That he did not consider. The female bumped into him as he moved just a step backwards. She regained her footing as he supported her with his right hand before she turned to face him. “Excuse me, I did not see you there” she said looking somewhat sorry undeniably. It was not noon yet so having a little conversation would not be that bad he thought. ”It’s ok. You were walking backwards so you could not have seen me unless you happened to have an eye in the back of your head.” Dray said to the lady with a little smile escaping his lips. He only smiled to certain people for fascinating reasons. The young lady seemed young, having brown hair and a smooth light skin. Her black and white outfit was brilliant, a color that matched most themes. ”What brings you to the sky forge?” Dray would ask softly though not losing his own texture. He only seemed friendlier. He had been this way since his stay in kumogakure. He had tried to adjust his ways and put on a new personality even though his face always looked expressionless. Ever since he had been accepted into the ranks of kumogakure shinobi, he had begun treading the path of friendliness, acknowledging others as comrades and friends. He knew he had not met her anywhere in kumogakure and he doubted she was a shinobi of the village so seeing how the chunin exams were on, there was a high probability that she was a kunoichi from another village or just a traveler that had come to watch and enjoy the chunin exams.
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His smile earlier seemed to have ignited hers as well. She smiled a little and listened to him while he talked. As his question of what she was doing at the sky forge came out, her hand went to her arm as if checking if something was there. There could have been various reasons as to why her hand went to her arm the moment his question came out. It had to mean something for her to do it like it was required for the question he had asked. He had seen quite a few people worn their village head bands on their arms and perhaps she was checking to see if it was there but then it could have been an injury she had on her arm and it was itching her. He doubted his latter thought. There was no how it could have been an injury because just looking at her, she definitely did not look like she was rough besides Dray noticed that the moment her hand went to her other arm, her face fell slightly like she was disappointed so yea, there was a high probability that it was her village head band and that she was a shinobi.

”Just simply to wander at the wares and whatnot. There are many items and weapons here crafted so finely, it is unlike anywhere else. So that was it, she had been here for quite a while and had been checking around like she had said. This did not actually guarantee that she was a shinobi afterall both ninja and civilian came here to see whatever was useful for them. The young lady’s answer was simple just like his question was. He loved simplicity even though he could be complicated when he wanted to be. Such was the nature of his poetic talks, leaving people to continue asking themselves questions that have no answer or answers that only him knew.”Is there any reason you have come here?” She asked him.

He did have a reason for coming here. If the sky forge is as good as people proclaim it then he was sure to leave this place with at least one item or weapon or whatever it is that they were selling. He did not actually prefer wielding swords himself so the only reason he was probably going to get one was to mount it on one of his puppets, mainly the brother and sister puppets that he is currently making. Their main position was going to be on the offensive. Even though he did not make them to be all powerful and mighty, he was making them so he could harmonize their attacks in combat. Attacking from left and right, up and down, front and back. Such were the plans he had laid out for these new creations but then not everything goes as expected so he was probably going to install some hidden modifications in them that would only be used when needed unlike the swords he was going to get.

“A reason? Yea I do have one. Actually, I am an artist and I have come to see if anything would catch my attention. My creations are in need of some of the finest weapons that the sky forge has to offer so I hope I find one that would suit them best.” Dray would say calmly. Adjusting the scarf around his neck, he would say to her. ”why don’t we check out stuffs together? You might seem more experienced in shopping than I am after all that is expected of a female.” He would wait for her to respond. If she did agree to this and they started walking and looking at the wares, he would speak again. ”My apologies for bringing this up late. My name is Zennyo Ryuo, a shinobi of the cloud village.” pausing and waiting for her response.
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”I will surely accomplish you if you wish me to do so, though I cannot say how much advice I can give. I, myself, have never been much of an avid shopper.” The honesty in her voice was pretty clear and this gave the young man more interest in the young lady. They walked through the sky forge while looking left and right for whatever would catch either of their eyes. After he formally introduced himself to here, she replied. ”My name is Masayoshi Mari, a shinobi of the village hidden in the sand. It is nice to meet you, Zennyo- san.” The hidden sand village.. he smiled as he said in his mind. He was correct after all, she was a shinobi but then he was smiling for something else. He wondered if the ninjas of the hidden sand village were always this nice. He had encountered a certain Daraku Ishido some days ago and had fought him. The man possessed some interesting skills that excited Dray but then the man was also taken aback by Dray’s own skills. Dray proved himself and the man agreed to teach him. He was grateful for the man’s help and what he had learnt would of course be a part of him forever.

It would really be nice to visit the hidden sand village sometime he thought. Seeing how nice the ninjas of this village were, it was only appropriate to think that the village itself was a nice place and a perfect place for Dray to socialize but then he still had work to do in the hidden cloud and the hidden leaf soon. He could not go on around without knowing his true origins and with everyone referring to him as a senju once he showed his skills. This was the main reason why he mostly stuck to puppetry other than use his wood release. He hoped he had not wandered too far away in his thoughts as he brought his mind back into the sky forge. The girl had a beautiful name but it was a bit long he would admit. He would prefer to call her Mari other than pronounce the full name and he hoped that she would be happy with that. It was nice to have a little talk with fellow ninjas and it would only get better because they were from different villages and they could learn something from each other that would not jeopardize the relation between either villages.

Dray recalled that when he spoke about his arts and they weapons that he needed for them, the girl looked puzzled but it was not too evident. He had noticed it but he over looked thinking that she would not understand if she was a civilian but now that he was certain she was a ninja, she would understand if he told her. ”Mari, nice name you’ve got and it’s nice to meet another ninja from the village hidden in the sands. I will explain to you what my arts are, Mari. They are an extension of myself. They may come in wood or metals but their physical appearances do not matter rather what they stand for does. I may make them small or tall, large or little but each one of them are pawns and knights and rookies that play a great part on my chess board. Dray would say to her. They would keep walking through the sky forge and once they turned left, Dray would see a shop while approaching it with Mari. The shop was not much different from the others but it had something that most of the shops didn’t, puppets. They were colorful but Dray could see how poor they would be in combat. It was clear that they were just dolls to be used for play by little children but then they would serve a beautiful example for Mari. As they approached the shop, Dray saw a man sitting out in front, one who happened to be the shop owner. ”How much for this and this” he said while pointing to two out of four..Not for sale, just advertisement. Its no use if you cant actually use them. The man seemed to have given up since there were not many people in the hidden cloud village that could use the puppetry technique.

Dray raised his right hand just to his lower torso level, not stressing it too much. Thin green intangible strings formed from four of his finger tips as it latched onto the dolls. One for each and the creations sprang to life. The man was taken aback as he stood from where he was seated. A smile lit up on his face and his mouth went open in surprise.”This.. Mari is an example of my art and my specialization as a shinobi. Dray said as one of the dolls which was female and beautifully made moved over to Mari. It was short and just like a little princess in a pink dress. Dray activated another effect of his specialty as the doll spoke slightly. Hello Mari..
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Now something's happening, lol

The lady doll danced off the edge of the table as it approached Mari and spoke a greeting which surprised the young lady. A touch of red flourished on her cheek as she covered her mouth while laughing. It was indeed a glad sight to see someone happy on the inside. She commended his skill in puppetry as she had already figured this out. He was not all that surprised because she was a shinobi too and besides the basic green strings were visible even to untrained eyes. The girl, Mari seemed to like the doll but he wondered if she would have any use for it since she did not possess the kagutsu technique. On the other hand, the doll was beautifully made and as such, it could pass as a decoration to her room or even a play thing. Besides the fact that she was a shinobi who had a duty to perform to her village, she was still a lady and he indeed had read something about ladies so he would give this a try. A gift from him to her and he was not expecting anything in return. Daraku, the first ninja from the sand that he met had taught him something of great importance, something that would live in him forever, something that had the power to save him at the brink of death and then he did not have anything to offer in return except his graceful skills but even that was not enough so he would show little appreciation through this lady since they hailed from the same village.

The princess doll would plop down in Mari’s hands as Dray would detach his chakra strings from it. Getting the price for the doll from the man, Dray would reach for his pocket and pay the man the ryo. ”Its little but do accept it, Mari.” One part of him felt like that was the worst gift to offer to her. Shinobis did not have time to play with dolls, they had no time to waste, they were the weapons of their village, they had a responsibility to uphold. All these were true and he knew that very well but recently, he had discovered a new path that did not restrict ninjas to responsibilities alone because they had a life of their own. Hoping she would accept this, he would go on and ask her as they would leave this shop and keep on walking to check other wares. ”What is your specialization as a shinobi?.... He could not determine anything from her dressing neither could he do so from her actions since she had not performed to many for him to decided so he would wait to hear from her. If she decided to disclose this, then it was fine but if she preferred not, he would gladly change the topic. Not every day did one find a good person to discuss with especially when the person was a shinobi from another village and they had only come to stay for a brief period of time.

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Dray was glad that Mari accepted it and it was all clear that she liked it too. She smiled at this, tracing her finger on the edges of the finely crafted doll. It was a girl’s thing. She followed him as they walked through the rest of the sky forge, looking to their left and right for whatever might interest them. The moment Dray asked of her specialization as a shinobi, she responded saying she trains in her clan’s traditional taijutsu as well as dabble explore the arts if swordsmanship on her own. It was a pretty good combination in his own opinion. Taijutsu and Bukijutsu, they mainly had to do with strength and speed. He had to admit that with Mari’s physique, she must have an impressive speed but he could not say about her strength. She seemed light but on a second thought, he felt that it did not matter the size she had, if she could draw the true strength from inside, then her opponents would have to be wary of her besides if she got all bulky, it would hinder her speed. All things had their advantages and disadvantages.

He took a quick glance at Mari and the young girl seemed a bit lost. It might have not been so obvious to anyone else but for someone like him who was good in reading facial expressions, he knew she was thinking about something but he did not know what it was. If what she was thinking of was pertaining to all that had happened since they met, then he would have a high chance figuring it out. They strolled on, different shops passing by them. They all had items of quality and quantity but they weren’t what he was looking for. They would turn to their right and out of the corner of his left eye, Dray would catch a nice shop sitting on the far right end of this section of the sky forge.

”Over there, Mari..”

He would say to the young girl, drawing her attention to the shop though he would not be pointing at it. The direction his head went would be enough for the young girl furthermore, the shop seemed to stand out on its own. They would head over to the shop calmly and once they got there, the shop owner would approach them.

”Welcome man and woman.. Hello mister, have you come to buy a gift for her..”

The woman who owns the shop would say to them while making certain facial gesture as if there was something between Dray and Mari..

”Its ok Mari, you don’t have to give me something in return, your friendship is enough.”

Dray would say to her softly. He had figured it out, what she was thinking about. The moment the shop owner mentioned gift, he put the pieces together and arrived at an answer. He could be wrong but a part of him felt that he was correct so he just decided to say it.

”Not at all maam. I saw this swords and I decided to check them out..”

Dray would say to the woman while feeling the swords. Two of them were teethed blades and the rest two were large broad blades. He carefully felt the teeth of the first two blades and commended their sharpness. The steel was nice and the handle seemed comfortable. Since Mari did practice swordsmanship, he would hand one to her so she also could feel it. Dray would continue and pick up the other two broad blades, they seemed nicely forged, bold engravings could be seen on them. They were the perfect pair for the sister puppet and the teethed blades for the brother puppet.

”How much for all four of them?”

Dray would ask the woman. She would go on rambling at how they were finely forged weapons, beautifully engraved and all sorts of sugar coated talks. Finally she would arrive at a price and Dray would pay her the amount. He would then turn back to Mari and say to her.

”I have found something that I need, how about you Mari?”

WC:703

He had finally managed to lift her mind off giving him something in return for what he had given her. He had accepted her friendship and that was more than enough payment for the doll he had bought for her. He did not see his gift as just an ordinary doll rather the gladness in which he used to purchase the doll was more paramount.

”Ah, Zennyo- san, may I ask for what kind of puppets these blades may be for? And do you construct your own puppets?” Her questions were legitimate after all he was a puppeteer. The questions had answers and he was going to give them to her. She did not seem too inquisitive because it even took her a while to ask what they blades were for and he was surprised at that. ”Very well” he said.

[color=green]”These blades are for my finest creations, the brother and sister puppet. I make my puppets myself because they are my art. I don’t make them as normals puppets rather I make them as humans. Each one of my puppets serve a certain purpose. Like their name implies, these puppets are male and female. They look like teens probably about seventeen or eighteen years of age. The brother had spiked hair and the sister had a longer hair which is packed to separate sides and the extreme left to fall. The toothed blades belong to the brother puppet and the wider blade to the sister. Both blades would be worked into the arms of each puppet so that they can bring them forth and return them at will. I left them at home but I hope my description has given you a painted picture of them.”[color]

Dray would finish as they would get to the exit door of the sky forge. It was nice shopping with her and he could not have wished to do it with any other person. He was thinking they would have to part ways now but there was a probability that they would meet again, maybe in suna he couldn’t say.
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Two different people from seperate villages. They managed to get along very well even though they had only met moments ago. Little did either of them know that this meeting was the beginning of something great. They would part now to meet again when the time is right.

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