Finally. Trees. Real trees. Trees and humidity. He hated humidity, but it was a godsend after the ridiculous heat and dry of the desert. His lungs no longer felt like he was breathing sandpaper, his sin was drinking the moisture from the air itself. The trading depot was in the neutral areas at the meeting of the borders of several countries; it was frequented by peoples from all walks of life and all parts of the world; so it had to remain neutral in order to function properly. No one really complained; they did their business and moved on; or else rented a room to rest and recover after the long trek over the mountains or through the desert wastes.

He really wished he was doing just that. Renting a room, taking a break. There was usually a few of his clansmen around this place; it was a good spot to pick up information, and an even better spot to use as a sort of homebase. However... he could see that turning bad, fast. His clansmen, while not overtly fond of him, would try to save him if they realized what his situation was; he carried his weight enough to justify his continued existence within the group, so protecting him was warranted.

He didn't want anyone to get hurt just because he was too stupid and/or weak to free himself. He refused to owe favors like that. He refused to be beholden. It was more dangerous to be in that state than his current. Dakuman hadn't outright harmed him, merely taken his money and acted like a prick. Nothing all that unusual, really. Outside of the attitude issues, he could live with this male that fancied him a slave owner. Wasn't like he was much better than a slave anyway.

He'd been walking for most of the day by that point, the sun was hanging low in the sky, kissing the tops of the trees in the forest that was just starting to surround them. The camel had protested earlier, which was understandable, the last leg of the trip had been a bitch and a half thanks to a rather nasty sandstorm that had decided to whip itself into a cyclonic fury; so he’d ended up walking just to keep the beast moving, once it was safe too anyway. It wasn’t like he hadn’t done it before, he could do it again. Once they’d reached the river at the edge of the desert things were easier; filled with glacial runoff from the high mountains the water was ice cold and perfect to cool down with, and to refill waterskins. Even in the forests and wet mountains of the lowlands, clean water could be hard to come by, so keeping them full was necessary.

“Let me do the talking, the traders know not to bullshit me, I’ve been here before a few times. They’re under credit you hard for the camel, than overcharge for a horse. It’s how they make their coin; the random travelers that only come by once or twice in a lifetime payout the ass, while the merchants and the regular travelers don’t take the bullshit and demand fair prices. Food and other necessities are going to be expensive, but no more so than back in the desert. Cheaper to hunt your meat in this region than buy it; no one hunts to sell meat here, they trap for furs and nothing else.”

Shit, he had a feeling he could run right now and survive; he’d been slowly moving his gears and such onto his persona; the things he absolutely needed anyway. He had his shakujo across his back, his staff was there too, all of his blades were hidden across his persona, and the vials of important creams and such were hidden within his robes. He didn’t need the food or the water, he could easily survive in these forests without much effort. The temptation was… extremely high; but something… something told him not to. He knew he was weakened by the journey through the desert, he knew he was rising a metric fuckton by attempting to escape… and he had a good idea of the weaponry the larger male was carrying. Some little dot of self-preservation was keeping him from running, because he understood that it was too much of a risk to stray just yet. Soon. Soon. He could vanish into a crowd, into the shadows of the forest or the peaks of the mountains… somewhere. Anywhere.

Maybe.

WC: 769

It felt strange. Strange to be surrounded by so many tree, to not be able to see the the comeplete sky with no interuptions taller than a  two story building. There was so much greenery -- he was way too used to the shades of browns, tans, yellows and rust colors of the desert. But at the very least, it was cooler during the day, and warmer at night. Just the little bits of moisture in the air was working wonders to the temperature. He was no longer feeling like he was cooking in his bodysuit, and felt like he could breath. But even still, the first change he got, he was definately going to purchase some different clothing.

It had been a few days since they had left behind Sunagakure no Sato and Kaze no Kuni. The journey it was something he would never forget, not that anything spectacular had happened -- it was what he'd expected out of the journey. He'd been walking for most of the day by that point, the sun was hanging low in the sky, kissing the tops of the trees in the forest that was just starting to surround them. The camel had protested earlier, which was understandable, the last leg of the trip had been a bitch and a half thanks to a rather nasty sandstorm that had decided to whip itself into a cyclonic fury. Once they’d reached the river at the edge of the desert things were easier; filled with glacial runoff from the high mountains the water was ice cold and perfect to cool down with, and to refill waterskins.

No, what was the most memorable thing about the journey was the fact that he was finally leaving Sungakure no Sato and Kaze no Kuni for good, with no plans on ever returning. No more oppressive heat, no more living in poverty and scrapping out a living in what had to be right next door to hell. He had made it out of that fucking place, and he could not remember the last time he had felt this much joy. Of course, that was not to say that he was jumping around in circles, hooting and hollering and carrying on, no. Dakuman was much to reserved for that. He had kept his celebrations internal, but planned on a proper one once he reached Konohagakure no Sato.

But for now, Dakuman had to get through this day, and this moment right now. In the mid distance, he could see it - a trading outpost. The trading depot was in the neutral areas at the meeting of the borders of several countries; it was frequented by peoples from all walks of life and all parts of the world; so it had to remain neutral in order to function properly. It was perfect to Dakuman; if someone spotted him and knew whom he was, they had no authority as this was considered out of thier jurisdiction. Oh sure, someone could claim that Dakuman was a wanted crimminal or such, but it would essentially be his word against thiers, should they feel the need to raise shit about it. But then again, Dakuman still found himself unable to care, and would handle his problems as they came, as he always did; usually resulting in someone lying in an alley, choking on thier own blood. For the most part, he wanted to avoid suspicion as much as he could.

“Let me do the talking, the traders know not to bullshit me, I’ve been here before a few times. They’re under credit you hard for the camel, than overcharge for a horse. It’s how they make their coin; the random travelers that only come by once or twice in a lifetime payout the ass, while the merchants and the regular travelers don’t take the bullshit and demand fair prices. Food and other necessities are going to be expensive, but no more so than back in the desert. Cheaper to hunt your meat in this region than buy it; no one hunts to sell meat here, they trap for furs and nothing else.”

Dakuman nodded slowly, not bothering to question this kid's train of thought. He knew the world outside Sunagakure no Sato way more than Dakuman did -- the male no choice if he wanted to keep the small sum of coin that remained in his pockets. For the moment, he would let Haruka do the talking for them, and let him secure whatever they needed to continue on. However...

"If you can, grab us, or at least me, a travelling cloak. Doesn't have to be anything special, kid." As he spoke, Dakuman  moved over to Haruka, reaching out and taking his Shakujo off his back. An idea had occured to him, one that would hopefully keep people from looking too closely at them, maybe even cause some of the merchants to take pity on him and thus possibly helping Haruka secure better prices. From his own packs on the camel, the male would produce the bit of cloth that was once his Sunagakure no Sato shinobu headband, the male removed the metal plate from it, and tied the cloth over his eyes. Now, witht he Shakujo in hand, his apperance of a blind man was in place. "If anyone asks, you found me wandering the deserts, and decided to take me to Konohagakure no Sato at my request to visit my family." Not quite the truth, and not quite a lie, but hopefully believable enough to keep people from prying too deep, especially if these people knew Haruka. He was not worried if Haruka tried something; as soon as the cloth covered his eyes, Blindsight kicked in, allowing the male to 'see' without his eyes. He could feel the world around him through the sounds it made, and knew he would be fine. He would not miss a step, and with his eyes covered, most people would assume that the male was vulnerable and thus would be an easy target.

Boy, were they in for a world of hurt if they acted upon the impulse to try him.

Mama did not name me Neo, so I am not The One.

Jutsu:

1025

Trying for the blind wanderer shtick? Eh, it'll get some sympathy from the other travelers, but it'll just make him a mark for the vultures and thieves that hang around these parts. Not that Haruka actually cared, the male was going to have to learn eventually; and it opened up... opportunities for him as well. Get the male distracted enough, and he could slip away with his gear. He'd need to get his shakujo back, first; he didn't have much on the way of 'love' for his adopted father, but he respected the man, and what he did for him, so he wasn't about to leave the one real token of affection and respect the elder had given hi behind, not with some punk kid that hadn't earned it, nor understood what it was for. He could get a new shakujo, this is true, but he liked his shakujo, and he wasn't about to leave it behind.

Te request for a cloak was acknowledged with a grunt, there was nothing he cared to say beyond 'give that back you raging jackass', but he didn't feel like starting shit at that moment. Swapping his shakujo for his bo staff would have looked better overall, the shakujo had real gold in the rings and adornments, it was too high class for what Dakuman wanted to appear as; whereas his bo staff was made of poor quality wood that could easily had been scrounged by a poor, blind, beggar. He moved toward a set of shaded benches that sat outside the main building of the outpost; it was a resting area of sorts, and it would work for what he needed. "Sit, wait here. I'll be back."

He didn't bother to wait for a response, merely taking the camel toward the stables and getting through the hassle of trading up for a decent horse. He ended up having to part with a bit of coin to do it, but he needed something sturdier than what the liveryman was willing to trade for a camel. Bullshit overpriced wares, but whatever. He quickly shifted the gear from the camel to the horse and moved off to the little store, replenishing their food stocks and such; trading in his desert gears got him a nice discount, so he was able to get everything needed for two people, plus the lowland forest gears they'd need. He could easily trap rabbits and small animals to make a nice mountain cloak if he needed to head that way curing an escape, so he wasn't about to waste money and raise suspicions when it wasn't needed.

He returned to Dakuman with the fresh horse and even a cup of warm tea; he was going to play the part for now, so might as well appear to be a caring stranger for a bit longer. "Here, it's a local green tea that's good for revitalizing you after a desert trip. Drink." Haruka settled on a bench opposite the larger male, pulling a stip of fresh jerky and a canteen of water from the pouches on the horse's saddle for himself.

WC: 535

535 + 769 = 1304

The request for a cloak was met with a grunt, but Dakuman did not care. His mind was awash with the sensory imput from him using the Blindsight technique, and it felt amazing to him. The world felt so different, and it was a beautiful thing to him. He could 'see' and 'feel' nearly everything in that ten meter space around him; was this what it felt like to be omnipresent?

Dakuman remained quiet, allwoing Haruka to take the lead in this situation. Dakuman had zero expirience in trading outside of The Village Hidden in the Sand. Haruka knew the world outside Sunagakure no Sato way more than Dakuman did -- the male no choice in the matter. But one day, Dakuman would come to know the world as well.

As Hisoka sat him down on the bench to go about getting them supplies, Dakuman leaned his head against the wall, relaxing for the first time in a long while. He was content, mostly because he had finally achieved his goal of getting the hell out of Sunagakure no Sato Village Hidden in the Sand. He had no plans of ever returning to that place, and if he ever saw it again, or even heard of it, it would be too soon. Now, all he had to do was make it to Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves, and he would be exstatic. Eyes closed beneath the blindfold, the male began to hum a quiet tune.

Soon enough, Haruka would return, carrying things and leading a horse. "Here, it's a local green tea that's good for revitalizing you after a desert trip. Drink."

Huh. That was nice of him. Dakuman accepted the tea with a nod and a quiet 'Thank You'. He took a moment to sip the tea, allowing the warm liquid to drain down his throat and to warm his belly. After a moment, he paused. then turn to Haruka, extending the Shakujo. "Swap staffs with me."

329 | 1354

Switch... but that would basically give Haruka everything that he wanted and needed to escape with; Dakuman knew this because he'd outright told him that the only thing in the world that he cared about was his shakujo. So why give it back? Playing a part or not... it just didn't make much sense to him. However, he wasn't going to complain; quickly swapping the shakujo for his bo staff, which he literally couldn't give a shit about losing at this point. He really could just vanish now... specially with the horse. It was a simple enough movement to mount a horse while running, and he was adept enough as a rider to evade the average ninja trying to attack him on foot.

Tempting.

"So. I got you out of the desert. What next? Konoha, Kumo?" He refused to even speak the name of the other option, he just did not want to get any closer to that country than he had to be. Maybe with some luck that wasn't where he was about to be dragged to; he'd rather Konoha or Kumo by far, with Konoha being his favored option, as he'd missed his chance for a job in Kumo now.

That, and he was afraid he'd run into Samael if he went there. He just... wasn't sure how he wanted to handle that idea, nor why he was thinking about it at all. There where plenty of random temples and such in Konoha he could use to justify a visit, at least.

WC: 263

263 + 1304 = 1567

"So. I got you out of the desert. What next? Konoha, Kumo?"

Dakuman shifted in his seat, sipping at the tea again. He thought about it for a moment; they truely were at a crossroads. They could go to the Village Hidden in the Clouds, the Village Hidden in the Stone, or The Village Hidden in the Leaves. He did not know much about Kumokagure no Sato, nor Iwakagure no Sato. Well then, that left one feasable option.

"The Village Hidden in the Leaves. Thats where we will go." Another sip, and the male tapped the bo staff on the ground, 'watching' the vibrations that it produced in th earth for a moment. He remained quiet, thinking. He wanted to get to Konoha at some point, but now that he was 'free', he had no desire to rush things. Konoha wos supposed to be the village of grand ideals, a place where one can become who they wanted to be. He'd make his way there, eventually..

With a small motion, the male undid the make shift harness that held his swords and tanto, before moving over to Haruka and setting them down. Another motion later, and the Strange Tune was removed from the harness and laid to the side. A moment later, and the hidden blade was removed and set next to the larger pile. With another quick motion, the bells were removed and added to larger pile.

He had no idea if Haruka would question his actions, but he did not care. Grabbing the Strange Tune back into hand, he lifted the blindfold once me, offered the kid a smile and handed him back the Bo-staff.

"You fufilled your part of the bargin, kid. You got me out of Suna, and now you're free. Take that stuff there; sell it or give it away to someone, I do not care. You head to Konoha your way; I'll make it there eventually. If I see you there, I wont bother ya." Dropping the blindfold back over his eyes, the male would turn off and head out, praying whatever direction he was going in lead to Konoha...

~Thread Exit ~

358 | 1712

1712/1500 = Bojutsu Learned

"The Village Hidden in the Leaves. That's where we will go. ...  You fulfilled your part of the bargain, kid. You got me out of Suna, and now you're free. Take that stuff there; sell it or give it away to someone, I do not care. You head to Konoha your way; I'll make it there eventually. If I see you there, I won't bother ya."

Wait, the frick was going on? Why was this guy dropping all of his own gear, on top of handing back the last of Haruka's own? This was... unexpected. He'd gotten an answer on the next part of the little forced journey, yet... he was being released? Huh. That was.... new. Guess the man really was serious about just wanting to get out of the desert. Haruka could understand that need, the desert was beyond his ability to survive for any significant period of time, so having been trapped there for as long as the larger male had been... well, he could sort of understand that. Maybe even start to justify some of the means the other had gone to. Personally, he couldn't see himself going that far unless he was extremely desperate, and that was saying something given the things he'd done to survive before.

But shit man, the gear that Dakuman had divested himself off; it would easily cover the cost of the one sword he'd been forced into buying, so if he really wanted too...

That was for later, however. He was confused, but he wasn't about to fight a chance for his freedom. Hell, before he'd been able to even start questioning, the male was moving away, and he just... let him. No questions, no snarky comments; nothing. He just left him to move off; noting only barely that he was at least going in the generally correct direction. He'd pass enough merchants and such to not get lost; but Haruka wasn't worried about that. He'd take a slightly different route; there where many, and he prefered the one that would take him through the less populated areas of the village initially. More temples, more places he could check in and update records on, so that he could send off for a paycheck. One he didn't really need just yet, nor would likely given how lax Konoha was about non-affiliated ninja doing jobs within the village; but it was still nice to have that backup in case things had changed over the years. The boy merely pulled a scroll from his pack and gathered up the gear that Dakuman had left, placing it all within the storage medium and closing it; moving to settle it with the rest of the gear upon the saddle bags of the horse.

Well shit... he'd likely stick around for the day, now. Get him a room, wash the sand from his body and clothing, and just... rest. It would be a cool night, compared to the desert anyway; so he'd sleep pretty nicely. A couple of extra ryo spent now wouldn't hurt, right?

-EXIT-

WC: 529

529 + 1567 = 2096

2096/1875 C0-C3 PER