Markus, while walking to his favorite bar and restaurant, eyed the crowd apathetically glancing back and forth he checked the faces looking for any he recognized, as well as any who could be hostile. He knew he should be safe, however even in Kumogakure any moment can turn hostile for one such as himself. The village was relatively busy that morning, people bustled about, and crowded the markets. Markus was relatively unworried however, only two types of faces looked back at him, civilians, people he had no need to worry about, and fellow ninja, who he mostly didn’t worry about.

Being high in the mountainous terrain of their country the village had a crisp chill to the air. To Markus, the air and cold was non-existent. He felt none of the physical stimuli that seemed to affect everyone else. He knew this was dangerous however, for he could be dyeing and not know it. The breeze carried high amounts of morning precipitation, however it did not dampen the mood, spirits seemed high, and laughter was heard in the distance. To Markus’s west he could hear a crowd, cheering and roaring. He knew it was to whatever battle or spar was currently being held within The Battle Plateau. Markus was not inclined to check it out. A ninja such as himself had no reason to partake, and had much better things to do. Besides, he didn’t want to deal with anyone’s pain today.

Markus was a Genin, a ninja, of the Village Hidden by Cloud, one of the great ninja villages. Today was an important day in his life, Markus was going to take his first mission, to solidify his standing as a ninja. However, before that he had some errands to run, and of course he needed to eat. Markus was seventeen, well into the age of a solid ninja. His demeaner seemed standoff, Markus did nothing more than glance at those around him, and have no acknowledgment other than an occasional nod, and that was only to higher ranking ninja.

He wore his traditional outfit, a long scarf wrapped around his neck, both as an heirloom, and to fight off the chill. Under the fashion piece he wore a light sleeveless tunic, open in the center reviling a fishnet undershirt. Just over his heart an observer would notice a dark black marking, this was a tattoo in the shape of his clans’ emblem. Markus wore wraps around both his hands, which started at the thumbs, and wrapped up to mid elbow. Adorning his right arm, just below the shoulder sat his Hitae-ate, the band which marked him as a ninja. Along his left shoulder, one would see a lighting-like design of black ink which disappear over his shoulder and back into his tunic. Much like his arms, one would notice his legs were also wrapped, starting at the ankles and ending at some point under his black pants. He wore the traditional sandals of a ninja, a black garb which allowed freedom of movement.

For the beginning of his life Markus had a simple, and good life. For someone born of two ninja. His training started early, he was Raiu after all, and as such was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps.  Markus was born in Kumogakure to two ninja parents, both of whom were no longer in this world. He considered himself lucky however, for he knew both his parents at some point in his life. Many young ninjas grew up as orphans, or wards to the village. His mother passed on a job when he was seven, though he would always remember her smile when she used her medical arts. His father passed only a few years back. He was once a great ninja and member of the Rangers of the Cloud, however after his mother’s death, he lost himself to booze and depression. Markus was 14 and finishing his final Raiu test at the time.  

Markus was of the Raiu clan, a once great ninja clan who call Kumogakure their home. They were masters of the ranton art, or storm release jutsu art, a combination of raiton or lighting jutsu, and suiton or water jutsu. Markus was considered a jutsu master, with lightning ninjutsu being his strongest specialization. The clan had a long, and bloody history within the village, not all of which was fair to its members. It was only in the past century that the clan was returning to the village. Markus was part of the new generation, not that it changed anything. The clan still had high expectations of its children. Markus felt a sense of accomplishment when thinking of his clan, it was a long road to be accepted as much.

Being part of the Raiu clan, Markus was expected to prove himself worthy of the name at an early age. Markus, was almost to his destination when he met a barrier of people. This however, did not stop his stride. He concentrated for a second, remembering back to his time at the academy, and focused his chakra onto the bottom of his feet. He ignored the varies cries of envy, anger, or awe as he walked, sideways along a wall, over the crowd in order to get to his destination.


[Word Count : 889]
[Total WC : 889]