It had been many months since Zu had left his old life behind to start something new something exciting hopefully. Zu had been wandering as far away from his old life as he could and ended up in hell. The blazing sun was unforgiving and the sand sea he had ended up in seemed endless and forever. As far as his eyes could see, it was nothing but sand and the heat rising from it. While Zu did not necessarily care much about the heat, he forgot to bring water with him and he was deep withing the desert to turn back now. He had to make it to a main village in hopes to convince the Kage of the village to allow him to work for missions. While deep down he wishes he would have started to travel to Konoha, it was a much further travel than Suna and he was not fully prepared for the outside world. Thus he chose Suna to be his temporary home. He just hoped that he could control his temper around others, something he was decently good at but could always be better. He would have to avoid people if he could, but at the same time needed to socialize with others to learn about these lands and the people that inhabit it. With each step it became apparent that he could wither away out here in these sands. There were not even clouds in the sky to give a small brief moment of cool.

Need.... Water...., Zu thought while he was forcing his feet to keep progressing further and further. If he stopped out here there could be no help coming for him and death loomed in the back of his mind. He was still many miles from the village and with any luck someone else was roaming out here that could lend a hand. Then again Zu was not really accepting of help, but in this case he could make an exception. Finally like that, his legs gave out as Zu came crashing into the ground breathing heavy as he was losing much stamina. Ugh, is this how I perish, in these god forsaken lands..., he thought while his eye sight began to blur. Zu laid there on the sands motionless hoping that he could either get help or obtain the strength to press on. Either or, he would rest for now on these blistering sands.

WC: 405

Another gorgeous, sunny, searingly hot day in the Land of Sand. Just what Rokumaru loved as he trudged through the endless dunes of the desert outside his village; the burning sand creeping into his open toed boots, the dry wind whipping his face harshly, the beads of sweat rolling down his face and evaporating leaving behind a salty deposit. It was brutal and unforgiving, and Rokumaru loved every bit of it.

Hard living conditions made for hard people, just as soft living and comfort created soft people. To survive out in the dunes you had to not only be able to endure the hot days and frigid nights, you had to have resources to survive. Underneath every square mile of the desert were countless skeletons of being who met their end amongst the sand: humans dying from dehydration, animals hunted for their meat and hides, even petrified husks of trees once fed by an oasis only to shrivel up and die. It was what gave the people of Suna their strength and character: the tenacity to carve out a living in the inhospitable climate. Only they could maintain a ninja village among the most dangerous landscapes, and they did it through hard work and dedication.

Well, that and a large amount of underground springs providing clean water. Roku sipped his bottle of water greedily.

The red headed teen was returning from the wasteland on a quick trip to collect a few plastic bottles full of sand, made of a composition of minerals only found under the waters of a nearby oasis. Sand was the one thing Suna and Kaze no Kuni that never ran out and could be found in countless varieties, all extremely sacred to his clan. The most common type to be found was simple silicates, like grounded quartz and feldspar, the type making up the huge dunes and vast desert of Kaze no Kuni. The sand found in the oasis was an extremely oxidized iron sediment, a rich red color that gave the waters the bloody-likeness, giving rise to countless legend about the place. The Sabaku, however, were intimate with geology and knew it was from minerals giving it the crimson shade, and Roku was going to use some for his Sabaton.

Underneath the 2 bottles of sand were 2 full bottles of water, a total of 5 having been brought with him to replace whatever fluids he sweat out on his walk, another in his hand that he sipped as he walked back from the oasis a few miles from the village. It was suicide going out without any hydration to make up what you lost and Suna-nin often came across the dried out bodies of unprepared souls out in the dry wastes, shriveled and baking in the intense heat. Thankfully Roku had never come across one such body...

...except for today. As he climbed up a tall dune and began to slide down, the boy caught the sight of a figure laying prone on the hot sand. As he walked closer to examine the body Roku was absolutely stunned by the size of the man; well over six feet tall and 200lbs, he was a mountain of muscle. The man's face was obscured by a travelers hood that likely provides a bit of shade from the harsh sun, but it was not enough. Through dehydration and exhaustion, the desert had claimed another life. Rokumaru bowed his head over the body and held a moment of silence.

But during that silence Roku was surprised to hear a strained breathing coming from what he thought was a well-built corpse. The redhead sighed in relief, not wanting to have to dig a grave big enough to get this beef bus buried under the sand. He reached down to the man's neck, searching for a pulse before find one, strong even though the man was close to death. Rokumaru put his hands under the man's side and tried to roll him over onto his back, straining from the effort and cursing his weak strength before finally succeeding in flipping him over.

The stranger had a very defined, masculine face that gave even Roku's handsome mug a run for its money. Jet black hair matted down with dried sweat, and cracked lips showing his extreme dehydration. Roku slung his pack off his shoulders and opened the flap, digging through the sand bottles until grabbing a warm bottle of the precious water. He unscrewed the top and lifted the man's head while he pressed the opening to the dehydrated stranger's lips, trickling enough to wet his mouth but not enough to choke him.

Roku slowly trickled the water into the muscled man's mouth, searching his body for a shinobi hitai-ate but finding one. Excellent. If this had been an Iwa-nin it would have been a waste of water.

WC: 819

A trickle of water slid down his throat as Zu opened his eyes, blinded by the sun's powerful light as his eyes were adjusting. Zu coughed a bit as the water hydrated his body and with a quick sit up, Zu came face to face with his savior. The vibrant hair shining in the sunlight was the first notice Zu had of the stranger that came to his aid. He was younger than Zu was, must be in his teens or so from his judgement. Zu blinked a few times before grabbing the water from him and chugging every last drop with a finish of a deep sigh as he regained a good amount of his strength back. Brushing off the sand from his body, Zu stood up and held a hand in offering to help the other one up. This was Zu's first interacting with someone that could be from Sungakure. He would have to try to be friendly, even though he was already in his debt from the water. Zu smiled and took off his hood, speaking in a friendly tone, "Thank you, I am truly in debt to you. I have not much to offer but the clothes on my back. I am Zu, I was looking for the village Sunagakure and did not realize how vast these sands are." Zu moved his hand to cover his eyes and looked in the distance. All he could see was sands, and yet this person was out here.

It was in Zu's nature to be distant to people, even if they happened to save his life. It was a way of protecting himself from the feeling of losing someone. It was not that he was not grateful for what this young man did for him, but he must hurry to the village and train to hone his powers. Only then could he take control of his blood name and make a name for his people. Then again, what did he know of what other people like him are doing. Maybe one was in a position of power than could aid him. Either way he would have to ask this person for more details of his surroundings. Clearly he knew more than what Zu knew, but then again what did he really know. Zu exhaled slowly before speaking again, "I hate to be a burden but do you think you could point me in the right direction. I must be on my way." The sun beamed down on top of the two as Zu put his hood back on covering his face from the blistering heat. This guy had saved his life, the least he could do was be friendly. It is not that Zu did not like people, it was that he was afraid of people. Most seem like normal people until push comes to shove. Much like how Zu was, while others conspired against their fellow friends to gain what they want. Zu was neither and just wished the best for all, except those that deliberately wish to hurt another. Zu had to be able to control the flow of nature chakra through his body. It was unknown to him and was unstable. He could not have an attack on this person that helped him, so Zu would have to be distant once he could ask this one for one more favor of information.

This Posts WC: 569
Total WC: 974

Shifting sands moved underneath the step of the shinobi clad in black cloak with red trim, black clothing to match underneath it, but this could not be seen underneath his vast cloak. The only thing that would be seen is a mask covering the lower half of a face, and a shadow over the top half. This man was the special jounin, Syekren Uchiha, of Sunagakure no sato. He was returning from far in the endless dunes after helping a caravan to set up a new check point. He'd stopped off at an outpost on his way home, stocking up on supplies. He'd grabbed two canteens of water, some bread and meats (most likely snake), and some fried scorpions on a stick. These were all in a small tool pouch on his back left side of his belt underneath the cloak he wore.  Syekren was wearing his hitai-ate in the normal fashion: on his forehead pulled down so the left side was over his left eye, which was only an empty socket at this point. Truth be told if anyone saw the man walking towards them he would seem a ghost or at the very least as a mirage. As no one would be foolish enough to wear such a large cloak over themselves in this sweltering heat. No one except someone who was accustomed to the weather.

His foot steps were light and sure footed, making his way across the dunes with relative ease.  Sand fell in droves as he descended one dune, then climbed another. His dark blue hues taking care to keep track of each step he took to not fall over as he made his way back to his village. It was quite the trek across this vast expanse and he wasn't sure why he wanted to make it in the first place. He'd have preferred a ride home on one of the camels from the caravan or something but he'd insisted that he was fine to walk since he didn't want to wait until their construction of the checkpoint was completely finished. After all, he didn't have a week to wait and sit around. It was really too much that he'd spent the night in one of the tents they'd set up, but he couldn't pass up a bed for a night from people being so generous. He cursed himself for not leaving the night before and shook his head as his foot steps continued to push through the sand.

This was a dumb idea, it's hot but that's not the worst part. It's such a long and arduous journey. It would have been simpler if I'd gone home last night while it was still relatively easier. I was more energetic.

Syekren shook these thoughts from his head as he looked up to see a rather large dune coming into view. He sighed and began to make his way up the dune, pausing as he picked up the sound of voices on the other side, a bit away from the dune itself. Syekren quietly activated his ANBU sensory technique as he neared the top, looking down when he was at the top to take stock of the owner of the voice currently speaking. Two chakra signatures came to his vision, one being coarse and eroding, giving Syekren the impression of sand, of home. Possibly someone familiar to the village, the other was chaotic, changing, almost animalistic. It was obvious at this point that the more animalistic one was feeling dehydrated earlier and wasn't used to the sands or the heat. On his brow was dried sweat and not so dry sweat. He had a hood on but with his ANBU senses Syekren could just make out the sweat matted hair and the cheeks that had trickles of sweat upon them. Turning to the other, Syekren noted the other male and took in his body language. More of an arrogant type by the way he presented himself, but no more of a threat than the other. Deactivating his ANBU sensory technique, the man descended quietly from the dune, sliding down gracefully.

When he reached the bottom, his form moved towards the two at a leisurely pace, keeping his body completely covered beneath his cloak. These two were interesting looking fellows, but interesting didn't mean safe. They could quite possibly be dangerous to the village or to others and Syekren would have to figure out which before they made it to Sunagakure no Sato, otherwise it could cause problems.  With a silent sigh, high body moved from the dunes to the place the two were occupying, standing five meters from them, quietly observing. He wouldn't make the first move, or speak to them until the time was right. Lest he deal with something he wouldn't exactly appreciate. No, the element of surprise was his and he would use it if he needed to. But he hoped that wouldn't come to pass, that they would be peaceful and explain their motives for being out in the sand out this far. Perhaps one was lost and the other was here to assist? It'd be a far cry from what usually happened out here but possible nonetheless. Syekren would do his best to save his judgments until after he'd heard the two and how the addressed him, or started the conversation. You could tell a lot of a person by how they interacted with strangers and possibly how they reacted to new dangers if it came to that. Testing to see how they reacted to him now would let him know how they'd react to him if he were perceived as dangerous or hazardous to their own well beings. To him, staying calm and remaining as so until everything was done would be the route he'd take. They could be a completely different story, never know.

WC: 1,000

230/250:

OOC: Said open, so ayy

The water seeping into the dehydrated stranger's mouth sparked the life back into him. His eyes snapped open and immediately squinted from the sun glaring down into them, and Roku was surprised to see the irises seemed to be a vibrant red color as they reflected the sun's rays. The prone stranger sat himself up to rest on his rear and glanced at Rokumaru taking in the boy's appearance, the boy in question giving him a bright smile and holding the bottle out for him to hydrate himself. The man snatched the water from Roku's hands and drained the bottle almost immediately as he desperately needed the life saving liquid. He held the empty bottle in his hands as he sighed in relief, Roku taking it from him to dispose of later, and the muscular guy brushed the sand off his body before he heaved himself to his feet quickly. Rokumaru was happy to see the guy was back from death's doorstep, and took the offered hand the man held out as he let himself he pulled to his feet. The stranger was as strong as his appearance suggested: the red headed teen felt weightless as the powerful arm pulled him up.

The two now on their feet, Roku really felt small standing next to this tall foreigner. The man pulled the hood off his head, revealing a full head of black hair, and smiled at the boy who helped him. He spoke in a deep tone that was quite friendly. "Thank you, I am truly in debt to you. I have not much to offer but the clothes on my back." Roku waved away the offer for a reward, just happy to help someone in need. The stranger continued. "I am Zu, I was looking for the village Sunagakure and did not realize how vast these sands are." He raised his thick hand to shield his eyes as he searched the horizon for the village, but only tall dunes could be seen. Suna wasn't the Village Hidden in Sand for nothing, after all.

The mountain of a man called Zu sighed, from what Roku guessed was frustration about not being able to see the village. He turned back around to the sand-nin. "I hate to be a burden but do you think you could point me in the right direction? I must be on my way."

The man was in luck, and a wide smile spread across Rokumaru's face. The boy leaned over to close his pouch and picked it up, slinging it around his shoulders, and turned back to the man. "You are in luck, Zu. I happen to be heading home myself." Roku reached his hand up to the hitai-ate tied loose around his neck and flicked the metal, a small 'ping' ringing out."Sabaku Rokumaru, Genin of Sunagakure and your humble savior. You picked the right part of the desert to nearly die in!" He stuck his hand out in offer of a handshake.

But the arrival of someone Rokumaru hadn't seen until he began walking towards the pair made him drop his hand in surprise. The new arrival was dressed as shady as he could possibly be: long black cloak with a red trim hiding his entire form, hood pulled over his head with a mask covering the only part of his face that was visible. A small part of Roku was jealous of how the man was wearing such an obviously heat-enhancing outfit and didn't seem bothered in the least by it, but that wasn't what was on his mind as he noticed the stranger approach. The new arrival was walking casually, as though he did not have any ill intent, but if he was a shinobi it was likely his job to be trained in manipulation and deception.

The man stopped about five meters from where Zu and Rokumaru were standing, and Roku called out to him first. "That's close enough, stranger." Who wore that much clothing in the hot Kaze no Kuni heat besides a shinobi, anyway? He obviously wanted to cultivate a mysterious look, otherwise he would have some more appropriate attire. Roku looked at Zu to check his reaction to the new arrival, turning back to face the mysterious man. "Is there something we can do for you, exactly?"

WC: 819+733=1552

The day was hot, and the sand is shit, or at least that's how it felt to Jun Kimura, a teen that would be trudging through it at the moment. It was a good thing he wasn't a main target of that group along the border, but instead the more blatant members of his group was, or else he would've been dead meat for sure. He wasn't expecting that entire attack, where one moment they were drinking and enjoying themselves, using tents to escape the sun and flasks of water to help with the heat, and the next at least eight of the thirty of them were pretty much taken out with even more being attacked. It was a sight unlike anything he had seen, and that's saying a lot, considering he could literally change parts of his body into different things, but even then, while he memorized each attacker, he hadn't a clue of how they got the abilities they had.

One of them had black threads seemingly coming out of his body, wrapping and around entering the bodies of at least two other members of the gang almost immediately, seemingly coiling themselves around them as he would stand there, holding his hands to their throats. It was a terrifying sight of itself, almost as if the Jūgo male had been watching a spider at work, wrapping up and preserving a meal for later. Honestly, out of the entirety of the group, that was the one he wanted revenge on the most. There's battle, and then there's just sadistically killing someone. Killing in general is something he had never truly liked at all, and he was happy that his father never forced him to do such an act, but add onto that how he saw those threads enter their eyes, ears, and mouths? Whatever that thing was, it definitely wasn't human, not in the slightest.

Running his hands through his messy black hair, he recalled the second of of the group, whom of which had used her hair as a weapon. That was the one that drove him and the others out of their tents first, it was penetrated by multiple thick threads of it, even piercing into the chest of one of them, knocking them onto the ground from the force of it. When he had left, he saw her just stand there, whipping those that came near her. It was because of her that he decided to leave towards this direction, as she had their escape blocked out, and there was no way in hell that he was going to face her off in a fight. He couldn't even get close if he wanted. The third and final one he knew all too well, though not by identity, but by clan, and the way he saw him wield his rage, how he transformed, it was almost beautiful. If he aspired to increase his power as a Jūgo, he knew who he had to aspire to become, and it was that being that had nearly struck his father in the midst of the rampage.

He would undo the top of his orange jumpsuit slightly, helping some air to enter it as he moves on, the lower parts of his leggings and his black boots already covered in sand and dust. He would look back with his red eyes. He already knew he was long gone and definitely in Wind Country, but he felt like he could still be able to return, he wanted to return, but even he, someone that is definitely into fighting and risking, someone that enjoys a challenge and some pain, already knew that he was out of his league, at least in that case. It would be a pipe dream for him to even be able to touch them, let alone do any actual damage. Knowing that and already having seen his father escape the attack, he knew he had to just move on and regroup later, get ready for revenge on that group, and all that. He would see a red-haired male next to a much larger hooded guy, shit, he only hoped they weren't part of that group of Ronin from before.

That wouldn't be all, though, as there would be a third in that group, whom of which was a stranger with a long black cloak and red trim, what the hell? The person that was around four or five meters away from the original two would seemingly be the cause of some sort of conversation, could this black cloaked guy possibly be some sort of trouble? Jun wondered if he should even make himself known in the group, but he guessed he wouldn't have much of a choice in the matter overall soon enough. If this guy goes ahead and attacks the two chances are he'll be searching around for witnesses, and that could get nasty in itself. He decided his best bet would be to make himself be seen and to approach the group, seeing that his best chances would be direct if push came to shove out here.

Getting up from behind the small dune, he would walk towards the three, stopping around five meters away from the two that stood near each other, looking from them over to the black cloaked guy, where he would lightly scratch the pale skin on his left arm, already feeling the light itch set in. "Hey, what's with the stand-off?" He would ask as he would offer a small grin in greeting, revealing the pointed teeth he had.

Wc 946

Zu scratched his head as the one who saved his life told him his name. The luck was on his side as he met someone that could take him to the village. The young man held out his hand in offering of handshake. Zu happily shook his hand. It was not something he was good at, as he had never really done it. With an awkward shake, another approached. Without a word just walking forward, Rokumaru as Zu recalled his name, became somewhat tense. He told the other to stop and demanded that the stranger claim his business around here. The situation and the heat was getting to Zu, as the air seemed a bit tense. He was used to working in the sun all day, but the heat here seemed to be worse now than ever before. However, the sitatuation seemed to ease as another walked toward them stopping five meters away. Zu did not like this at all. He was not used to people coming up to him and just from the past experiences tried not to be hostile. Zu looked around briefly before speaking calmly to Rokumaru. "Hmmm, If you could show me the way to the village, it would save me time."After addressing the one that helped him he had to hope that nothing bad happened. He could not see people hurt this soon, but if need be Zu would try to protect them with all his might. "Hello all, this fellow here helped me from certain death. Now I must be on my way to the village." Zu had hoped that they were not hostile in any manner. Despite how weak he was, it is better to save a life than take one. Since he would be dead already he would defend Rokumaru with his life if needed. Zu tensed his muscles a little and sighed trying to suppress his anger. Between the heat and the amount of people it was getting harder to do so. The faster he could try and get help from Sunagakure the better. Zu waited to see how the others would respond. With any luck they were friendly, if not.... Who knows.

WC: 363
Total: 1337

OOC:

Syekren's eye moved from one form to the other, the dark blue hue taking in their reactions in turn. Defensive, dismissive, and... confused? There was another to join the party and these odds were not looking good should a scuffle break out. Syekren would be sure to keep this form happening but when the other male in the hood mentioned going to the village, Syekren would have to step in and intervene. The first male he'd noticed was definitely from the village if he was showing strangers to it. But the ANBU couldn't simply allow someone to lead possible dangers to the village without checking them out for himself. With a sigh, the ninja moved forward, his form shifting through the sands to stand in front of the rather large, animalistic male, moving his gaze to the other two for a moment before moving back to rest on the hooded male. He was a large, stout, and brutish being of a man but Syekren was rather unimpressed. Even with his stature he could fall easily if pushed hard enough.

"I'm afraid that I can't allow you to simply enter the village. You're not from around here, either of you." At this point he looked over to the other new comer, then back to the hooded male. "I can not simply allow you to enter the village without first taking the time to make sure you are not a danger to it. It's only by being cautious with outsiders that we have made it this far, and I'm surprised another member of Suna doesn't recognize this. However I don't expect you to sit here and talk to me, it's quite hot. There are numerous outposts littering the Kaze no kuni on the way to the village and you three may accompany me to one I was to check in at on my way home. We can talk inside a cool tent there until I am convinced you mean no harm to the village. It is simply my job."

His voice was smooth and charming, as if it were silk sheets dancing in a sandy breeze, kissed by the sun. He had a fluid and calm way of talking that could just draw you in, but it was stern and level at the same time, giving off experience.  His eye hovered on the ninja that he suspected to be from his village, then he turned to the other outsider who had approached the group as well. He'd mentioned something about a standoff happening and so he was possibly either a concerned well wisher or merely a joker. Syekren didn't care, for in either case he could be just as dangerous. He wanted them to accompany him to his destination in case they were indeed hostile. Something about the nature of this man was familiar almost as if he'd just seen someone like him somewhere, but Syekren couldn't place it. Perhaps deactivating his sensory technique was a bit rash now but he wouldn't need it if push came to shove, he'd simply wait and use it again soon enough. Before it came to that though, they'd need to get out of these endless dunes.

"If this wasn't clear, what I said extends to you as well, stranger. This is no place to be making idle conversation. And if you two are no danger to the village then all it will be is conversation. If you three follow me, I'll assume you comply with the terms I've set and there will be no problems. I sincerely hope this is the case. Without further waiting, let us be off."

With that Syekren turned from the three, keeping his ears open for any sudden moves as he began his graceful trek towards a dot in the distance. The others may not know this, but the dot in the distance was only a good ten minutes' journey. The sand and heat gave off a haze that made it nearly impossible to gauge distance. Add that to the face that a large dune was actually covering most of the landmark with its sheer size, and you'd get something akin to a mirage. Once they got closer to the dune they'd understand, otherwise they'd probably think him crazy for what would seem a long and arduous journey over these endless dunes. After the checkpoint that he was heading to, it was only a few miles or so to the gates of the village. Which, to someone not used to the heat, could take hours or more. So he'd have to make sure they were not dehydrated at the outpost if they proved to him worthy of entering Sunagakure no sato. He called back to them as he walked.

"Syekren, Special Jounin of Sunagakure no Sato by the way."

OOC: Forgive my low count, too tired.

WC: 824 + 1,000 = 1,824

The situation was strange, but for Rokumaru it seemed a bit dangerous. First the pale redhead stumbled upon the muscular Zu close to passing out from dehydration, but after sharing some of his water with him the man seemed quite thankful and friendly. Then, while the two were shaking hands about to head back to the village, a masked and cloaked stranger appeared from the desert and approached the duo. This itself was enough to put Roku on edge, seeing danger in the suspicious newcomer, but it only multiplied when suddenly another unknown person came along and decided to join the standoff. This one even had pointed teeth, showing a feral grin after commenting on the situation the newcomer stumbled upon.

Zu seemed to be on edge a bit, too, or at the very least impatient to get to safety as he turned to Roku and asked the boy to show him the way to Suna. Rokumaru in turn was happy to oblige of course, but the current situation made him stay where he was and shift from watching the cloaked man and the guy with sharp teeth. Zu tried to ease the situation, recounting how Roku stumbled upon the muscles mountain and saved him from dehydration, and really harped on how he wanted to get to the village as soon as possible. Roku was happy someone was trying to be friendly and amicable, because he wasn't in the mood to do anything but eye the two new arrivals warily.

The cloaked man regarded Zu and Roku, as well as the guy with sharp teeth, and then spoke in an authoritative voice. He correctly concluded that Zu and the newcomer were not from around Suna, and he could not allow the two to enter just yet. The man threw a verbal jab at Roku for not recognizing that Zu would need to be examined for allowing entry to Suna which made the teen's blood heat up. Zu couldn't have been evaluated at the gates of Suna? The cloaked man was so afraid of him he wouldn't risk putting him close to the village? To some it might sound like caution but to Rokumaru it sounded like cowardice and cynicism. The cloaked guy instructed all three other men to follow him to an outpost to determine if they were a threat to Suna.

Rokumaru was offended and growing more irritated by the minute. He could understand Zu having unknown intentions despite his friendly and kind mannerisms, and one look at the sharp-toothed guy a few meters away spoke of just how dangerous he could be. But to imply Rokumaru was a threat to the village, and for what, wanting to show some almost dead traveler to a safe place? Who did this mask wearing wanker think he is? Roku did not need to prove he was not a danger and to suggest otherwise was downright idiotic.

The cloaked guy clarified that only Zu and the sharp tooth stranger were in need of evaluation, but why was Roku being ordered to follow as well? So he could be reprimanded for sharing water with someone half-dead and offer to show him to safety? Because he stopped to assist Zu and didn't insist on treating him like a suspected ne'r-do-well? He has half a mind to refuse to follow and share his hostile feelings about the cloaked stranger but also refused to show any infighting between two Suna-nin in front of these outsiders.

Without even waiting for the three to agree the masked man turned around and began to walk off, confidant in his authority when he hadn't even shared his name or rank. How did Roku know this guy was even from Suna, let alone someone who had the power to order him around? Obviously this wasn't the case as the guy was pretty adamant about protecting Suna, something the pale Sabaku values just as much, but the entire situation and the man's demeanor rubbed him the wrong way. The guy talked in a smooth and assured tone like questioning him wasn't even an option, the sort of arrogance that only came along from rarely having their authority challenged. He had the confidence not even Chuunin had, coming across as arrogant and hard to like.

Roku refused to move, and laid a hand on Zu's shoulder to tell him to do the same, but then the cloaked man turned around. Almost like it was an afterthought he had the good sense to actually declare his name, Syekren, and that he was a Special Jounin. 'He couldn't have just said that from the start?', Rokumaru thought to himself as he took his hand off Zu's shoulder. Sure, Syekren was arrogant and demanding even if it was for the benefit of the village, but he was also a rank much higher than Rokumaru's own. Disobeying the order was tantamount to insubordination.

Roku turned to Zu, glancing at the guy with sharp teeth, and spoke to him quietly. "It seems we'll have to visit an outpost first before we can go on to Suna. The higher-ups are very adamant about following protocol. We had better follow." With another glance at the sharp-toothed stranger, Rokumaru slowly began to follow after the Special Jounin Syekren, although with great reluctance.

WC: 1552+903=2455

Jun would hear the muscled guy greet them all, telling them that the redhead had saved him from certain death and now he must be on his way to the village. This must've been his attempt to defuse the situation or to at least get out of it before something bad happens, and the cloaked guy seemed to be the type to instigate bad things happening as, after seemingly moving towards muscles here, he would say how he can't allow him to enter the village, telling not only him, but Jun that they're not from around here. This made Jun's grin lessen a little bit as he began to realize that this must be one of those Shinobi that has to shake down random strangers in order to feel strong. He never fought a Shinobi before, he wondered how far he could go with this.

The guy would explain how being cautious with outsiders is how they've made it this far and that he's surprised that another member of Sunagakure doesn't recognize it, passing off some sort of insult towards the guy that helped muscles. He'd explain how there are numerous outposts littering the land on the way to the village and that the three of them can accompany him to the on he was going to check in at on his way home, where they can talk inside a cool tent until he's convinced they mean no harm to the village, that it's simply his job. 'Bullshit, you should just admit you're doing this for the feeling of power over others, buddy. It would make you a lot more honest.' Jun would muse to himself. Smooth voice or not, this guy definitely had no jurisdiction to harass others in the middle of the desert. Villages have gatekeepers for that, not weird, cloaked people.

The guy would make it clear that what he said extends to Jun, too, and that this place isn't for conversation. If he and muscles are no danger to he village then that's all it will be, as well. If they follow him, he'll assume they'll comply to his terms and there will be no problems, or at least, he hopes that's the case. Without even waiting for them the guy turned around and walked off, obviously assuming they'll follow. He would look at the other two, seeing a hand from the redhead that was placed on the big guy's shoulder, but the cloaked guy spoke up once more, himself Syekren, a Special Jounin. "Oh gee, a Special Jounin, that changes everything." He would say sarcastically as he joined the other two in following captain stick-up-his-ass.

"So Syekren, do Special Jounin normally look for random people walking around in the desert, or did you get this job 'cause they don't like you very much back home? I'm askin' because I could've sworn your village had something called "gatekeepers", not "weird guys in black cloaks that are sent out to interrogate people coming to the village". You caught us, we're dangerous terrorists looking to blow up the village, just look at the fat load of nothing we have on us." He would say, attempting to get some sort of rise out of the cloaked man. He sorta liked the redhead for saving the other guy's life, but this Syekren guy? He already implied that something more than a conversation will go on if he actually doesn't think they're no threat to the village, and that in itself already promoted Jun to go into full harassment mode.

Wc 617

Twc 1563

Cant.... enter...., it seemed those words rang in his head the loudest. These words seemed to strike home as the cloaked individual spoke. Zu could not be out here much longer with these people. It was beginning to be too much for him as social activities seemed troublesome. He could not control his anger, and despite not being in combat, the entire situation had him on edge. However, this cloaked man did offer guidance to a nearby outpost. If anything Zu could steal what was needed, food and wanted and depart from them. At the current moment, Zu would have to reach the village and pay his debt off to the sand shinobi Rokumaru that saved his life. Zu did not want a confrontation with these ones, his body was too weak. He would have to act fine even though he was not. Deep down he could feel a power calling to him almost. This happened when he gained his freedom by slaughtering his captors. Growing up the way he did, people could not be trusted by words but by actions. If this cloaked man is not a threat to him, Zu would try and keep up. This cloaked man wanted to ensure that Zu was not a threat. The mere thought of trying to be a threat was a joke in his mind. He could hardly lift an arm let alone be a threat. Rokumaru, his new friend, told him he should follow protocol. While Zu was unsure how Suna would take one of his kind, he had to try. Hopefully, he would not have an outburst and hurt someone in the future. Zu will kill to protect, but not if he can not justify the means. Flash backs of his torture from his past flashed as he did not want to experience that again. The oddly somewhat unfriendly sharp toothed guy seemed very adamant about making the cloaked guy angry. While Zu had nothing to offer in the current moment in terms of combat, he would still try. It was the fight in him that drove him towards better things. Zu went to walk in the direction that the cloaked man had advised but after a few steps fell forward passing out again on the hot sand. His large body fell with a loud thud before sliding down a small sand hill reaching the bottom. Zu could not command his body to move as his conciousness slowly slipped away again.

WC:421
Total: 1749

Ooc: Sorry for the short and late reply, school finals. I can post a good bit this weekend.

Syekren continued to walk, hearing the three coming behind him. It was just as well that they all agreed, he didn't want to keep outsiders out in the sands too long. Bad things tend to happen. He kept walking, while the young sharp toothed male decided to take a few jabs at him, as if that were a good idea. Possibly trying to get a rise out of him and force conflict. While not really dangerous, it was rather annoying and Syekren could tell he would definitely annoy any sane person without much effort. Still, he figured he might as well give the kid an answer so he didn't misconstrue what was going on at this point. In truth, Syekren was actually heading home from a few missions he completed and had stumbled upon these three by accident. The only reason he had stopped them was because he was always keeping an eye out for those who would possibly pose a threat to the village. Other than that, this meeting was completely chance.

"Well gatekeepers aren't equipped to handle every person that comes up to them. Never know who could be dangerous or not when they reach those gates. You also usually need papers to pass through our gates to go on the records and unless you've got those I doubt your smart ass comments mean much. In any case, this is my job, I do this sort of thing for the Kazekage often. I assess threats and inform her when the threat has past. Regardless of whether you have anything or not, this is the ninja world. Danger lurks in everyone."

At the finish of his sentence, Syekren turned to face those following him. He had more to say but the other male, the large animalistic one, let out an exasperated sigh and fell into the sand dunes, falling down them, unconscious. Syekren watched him slide down the dunes quietly, then shook his head, muttering something about 'tourists' and began to undo the buttons of his cloak. Upon finishing, he pushed it off, revealing his muscular frame underneath the cloak,  donned with his normal clothing. He still looked a mite strange with his long sleeved shinobi netted shirt under the shinobi gi vest. His sleeves on the netted shirt being made of a material that wasn't netted, simply being a black-out type of effect to hide his arms. Once he'd taken off his cloak, Syekren made certain to hide the Uchiha clan symbol on the inside of it as he folded it up, into a neat square and handed it off to the sand ninja that had been accompanying the large male. He murmured 'please' as he handed off his prized cloak, his appearance fully out for the others to see.  He then moved to the form of the unconscious man, getting to a crouched position on his side. Syekren silently flipped the large man over onto his back without too much trouble, and lifted him onto his shoulders, doing a shoulder cradle-carry to have the man in a fetal position on his shoulders.

"Alright, it's not much further now. Over this large dune over here is the outpost. Hopefully this guy will come to there. Let's be off. He's a bit heavy."

Syekren's body stood, albeit slowly, but surely. He was accustomed to carrying and lifting large weights but this guy was an unconscious slab of meat. So it was rather trying on him as he hadn't kept up with his training, but Syekren was able to begin walking again without too much hassle. He made it back to the front to lead the others, making his way up the large dune just in front of where the outpost tower was, and climbed to the tip. He waved to the ninja in the checkpoint to get their attention and slid down the dune, keeping his body steady as much as possible with the behemoth of a man upon his back. It was annoying and arduous, but soon he was greeted by a group of sand shinobi coming from the outpost. They had a type of stretcher with them, which Syekren used to  set down the giant and followed the group carrying the stretcher to a large tent inside the outpost, completely forgetting the fact that he had two others with him. He wanted to make sure this man was okay before any more questions.

WC: 749 + 1,824 = 2,573

All four of the young men walked to the outpost the Special Jounin was leading the way to, with varying amounts of willingness. Zu seemed like he just wanted to get somewhere out of the hot sun with his slow and heavy footsteps, still rather exhausted despite the hydration given to him by Rokumaru. Roku, for the most part, felt a bit irritated at having to stray from his previous plans of returning straight to the village and even more so after realizing he forgot his sack of dead snakes back where the encounter began, but also understood the one named Syekren was just doing his part to keep the village safe. The unnamed one with teeth like a shark was more than a bit annoyed at having to follow the group to an outpost, and made this known to Syekren with a few sarcastic insults. One part of Roku felt aggravated from some strange wanderer trying to ruffle the feathers of one of his fellow Suna-nin, but a much larger part just enjoyed hearing the complains spoken out loud. The redhead certainly wasn't about to toe the line of insubordination by moaning and groaning about it.

But the masked Special Jounin maintained his professional composure and explained why this was necessary in the first place, at the same time quelling a few questions that Roku had about needing to have such caution. There were some people with ill intentions who wanted to enter Suna for some reason, this everyone knew. And most gate guards were only Genin and Chuunin; Roku had even taken a shift guarding the North gate, and he certainly did not want to be the first line of defense from some dangerous shinobi. At the outpost were strong Suna-nin specially picked to handle and assess foreigners. There was also the matter of the two strangers needing identification, which usually came in the form of a village info card shinobi received or ones given out after registering with the Suna administration. If these two weren't shinobi from another village, and had never visited Suna before, they'd be turned away. Roku certainly felt a bit embarrassed about his previous standoffish attitude and disregard for village safety protocol.

Zu had been struggling to continue moving his feet as the four men walked, likely having just undergone a substantial amount of walking to get this deep into the desert. The mountain of a man barely held himself up for Syekren's explanation, and collapsed onto the descending slope of a dune. Rokumaru had been walking alongside the man in a friendly gesture despite his slow gait, but when Zu fell Roku unsuccessfully tried to hold him up by a thick arm. It only resulted in the redheaded teen nearly being taken off his own feet and he had to let go with a stumble, only able to watch the large guy slide down the hot sand to rest at the bottom. Syekren had watched the whole thing rather casually, and only after Zu had come to a stop at the bottom of the dune did he shake his head and mutter something.

Roku could have used his sand to carry along the massive man, but before he could scrape together the necessary amount Syekren was moving to take care of it. The Special Jounin unbuttoned his cloak and slipped it off to relieve himself of some restrictive clothing. The man was obviously a shinobi from his fit frame, thick muscles that spoke of either a Taijutsu or Bukijutsu practitioner. His clothing was rather dark for the harsh sun of Kaze no Kuni, but even that must have been much more weather appropriate than the heavy cloak.

Syekren approached the downed man while folding his cloak into a tight and neat square before handing it off to Rokumaru, who took the cloak even as the older man was asking with a short 'please'. It felt rather comfortable and well-crafted in Roku's hands as he pinched it between two fingers, so he held it with care as he draped it over his bent right arm. The Special Jounin lifted Zu up with surprising strength, the exhausted man having to be over 200lbs at least, and slung him over his shoulder. The black haired man, as it was now revealed, turned to the other two followers and mentioned it would not be further beyond a close dune beyond the party. Syekren led the way once again with a bit of effort, a massive Zu slung over his shoulder, and Roku quickly followed holding the cloak on his arm.

As the group crested the large dune in front of them the outpost they were looking for came into view. Syekren waved his arms at a distant figure watching the group to signal their presence, then slid down the dune while still managing to balance Zu on his shoulder. Roku followed after quickly, enjoying the breeze flowing through his crimson hair from sliding down the dune. A group of Suna-nin came out to meet the group as it approached the outpost with a stretcher for the unconscious Zu, Syekren laying him on it with what must have been no shortage of relief. The shinobi carrying the stretcher moved into a large tent to get Zu out of the searing sun. The Special Jounin quickly followed them inside.

Which left Roku standing outside the tent, eyeing the other stranger warily. The sharp-toothed man had a sense of humor at least from when he was grilling Syekren, but the redhead couldn't get past those teeth. They looked like they belonged to a wolf or a shark. He deserves the benefit of the doubt, at least, so Roku decided to address him. "So, I hope you enjoyed your first taste of Suna hospitality," he joked, waving his free hand not holding the cloak towards the camp. It was hard to look at those jaws, but Roku tried to focus on his eyes anyway. Those piercing red eyes...he shifted his gaze to the sandy ground instead. "I didn't catch your name in any of this mess."

Roku extended a hand to shake the stranger's. "Sabaku Rokumaru, Genin of Suna."

WC: 2455+1043=3498

Jun simply smiled with pleasure as the "special" Jounin would answer him, telling him about how gatekeepers aren't equipped to handle every person that comes to them since they never know who could be dangerous and he couldn't when they reach those gates. They usually need papers to pass through their gates to go on the records and unless he has those he doubts his smart ass comments mean much. At this point, while Syekren would keep rambling on, Jun would begin speaking over him. "Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." He would repeat over and over again until the special jounin was finished, and the muscles that was with them fell down suddenly, most likely from exhaustion. Jun would keep an eye on Syekren, looking to see what sort of reaction this would cause, only to see him seemingly shake his head and undoing the buttons on his cloak.

The guy revealed an attractive muscular frame underneath the cloak, and would hand the article of clothing to the redhead. After that he moved to the unconscious guy, flipping the large man over his back, and lifting him up onto his shoulders. After this, he would mention how it's not much further now, and that the large dune is the outpost, with hopefully the guy coming to when they're there. As they crested the dune in front of him Jun could see the special jounin waving his arms at a distant figure before preferring to slide down the dune. Jun would follow suit, sliding down the dune at a decently fast pace, quickly reaching the bottom short after the redhead. At the bottom, a group of Suna nin came out, bringing a stretcher for muscles. The special jounin would follow the Shinobi inside, and the redhead and Jun would be left outside the tent, warily looking at one another.

It seemed the guy wanted to spark up a conversation, as he expressed that he had hoped he enjoyed his first taste of Suna hospitality, causing Jun to chuckle. "Please, this is nothing more than a high rank wanting to get himself hard over having control over others. I bet he commands his own team, makes them think about how great he is or whatever. That cloak? It wasn't so he could hold the guy, he could easily hold onto both with that strength, it was to help make you feel like he's in control." He'd respond as he looked around, seeing the occasional Sunagakure Shinobi standing or moving about, clearly letting anyone that comes to the village be in their sight. This made even less sense to him than it did before, why would a random Special Jounin try to randomly bring travelers into an outpost when these Shinobi could have easily done so if they wished? This just screamed "abuse of power".

He'd look back as the redhead spoke up once more, though this time looking away from Jun, and instead to the ground. He didn't care though, he knew he didn't exactly look appealing, that was his purpose, so he'll wear it proudly. He mentioned not catching his name earlier. Pointing his left thumb to his chest, he would smile at the guy. "Kimura Jun, at your service." He would respond, before shaking the redhead's hand. The guy would introduce himself as Sabaku Rokumaru, a Genin of Suna. "Well Rokumaru, since I highly doubt this guy actually tells the Kazekage anything, and because if anything happens to me all of these fun little witnesses will most likely let his boss know, I'm off to Sunagakure to maybe tell the Kazekage of this fun adventure and get myself checked in. Have fun with the hardass. Thanks for saving that guy's life, you're a good man for that." He would respond to the Genin before turning around and seemingly walking out of the outpost and towards Sunagakure, further observing how these Shinobi weren't bothering to stop him, which only further cemented his belief that all this Special Jounin was doing was trying to push his power over others.

Wc 695

Twc 2258

[Attempting to exit thread under the watch of Sunagakure's Shinobi, please refer to Suna's foreign policy before you do anything rash~]

OOC: Next post will be exit for me, not sure if you wanted to keep this going.

When Zu awoke from his slumber, a cool breeze was felt on his body as the breeze and the sweat from him felt relaxing for a moment. His eyes were not open yet, but he could hear someone saying thanks for saving Zu's life. Zu was not used to people looking after him like this, every cell in his body seemed to scream to run. However, he tried his hardest to still his thumping heart as his eyes opened to the blinding light. Giving a look around the room, he leaned up coughing a bit before grabbing the first water source near him and chugged it. Giving a heavy pant, he got a good look around the room. Judging from where the voice was at when he heard it, the guy walking out seemed to be the one that said it. While Roku, and that one guy he did not remember ever hearing a name. Giving a hearty breath and a rather low bow before speaking to the two from earlier.

"I humbly apologize for being a burden. I will repay my debt to you Rokumaru and to anyone else that helped me. To be honest, I...."

They cant know about those you hurt, they will kill you on sight. Lie....., a subconscious voice seemed to tell him. His voice seemed to trail off as thoughts from his past came into his head. He needed somewhere safe to control himself and Suna was the closest village to where he was. While he could not tell them the whole story, of the people he killed, at least he can see if they know of anything that can help him hone his abilities. Despite being of such height and muscle, his body did not know how to properly utilize his strengths in combat. Zu quickly snapped out of his thoughts, and would stand straight up crossing his arms.

"Sorry, exhausted from the run. My small village on the outskirts of Sunagakure was attacked, I ran away once I realized the fight was lost. This was the only place I could run to for protection. My father told me not to fight and that it would ultimately lead to my death. He told me to ask here about the Jugo bloodline? Please I must know something, if anything. I do not mean to be a burden still but I had to know."

Partial lies came through his teeth as he spoke in a more gentle way. He could not tell him of his slave days, no the countless deaths he caused. Vengeance was one hell of a thing and he got his. For now he would try to befriend these two. They helped him when no one else would, now he would get a chance to live. Zu did not have a bad heart, nor morals. So a friendship for him could mean a friend for life. While in this cool tent did feel good, he needed to get further into the village. For now he would wait for their responses or requests. At the current time he was at their mercy and would have to play his cards right to not seem a threat. He would never intentional hurt them, but.... he has killed plenty.

WC:544
Total:2,293

(OOC: I will post faster if you want this to continue)

Syekren listened intently to the events unfolding outside of the paper-thin tent. He listened as the other male quite rudely stated his opinions as though they were fact and syekren rolled his eye at a few bits.  He had enough to deal with without some upstart asshole trying to accuse him of being on some power trip. So he let it go. Jun Kimura, eh? Syekren would remember that and as the kid decided to make his exit of the outpost, Syekren shook his head when one in the tent, a ninja of his rank, meant to take after him. This checkpoint was mostly genin and chuunin with the high ranked ninja in the tent seeing to the ailed one. It wasn't his prerogative to chase around some kid through the sand. Not yet, at least. Should he decide to take it upon himself to break any of the laws that sunagakure no sato had set in stone, he would then take it upon himself to eradicate Jun Kimura from the world. But until that day came, he'd allow the child to do as he wished. He made a soft whisper to the special jounin with him, to send a message ahead to let the other into the gates when he arrived, but to keep an eye on him as he was proving himself to be a nuisance to this point. While he was to be treated as a sand ninja, he didn't act like one and so would be watched closely.

Syekren then grabbed a ninja info card, blank, from the ninja presiding in the tent now, filling it out with the hunk of muscle's information save for his name, age, and rank. This would make it easier for him to approach and enter the gates and slip through without having to deal with too much. Syekren would keep an eye on him as well, but he couldn't even make it to the village on his own so he wouldn't be that much of a threat should he turn on the village. He'd likely pass out before causing too much damage. Syekren chuckled at this thought quietly and watched as the male in question woke up, apologized for being a burden and stood up straight. He went on a spiel of sorts,  telling of his village and an attack that sounded rather suspicious, but no major alarms as of yet. He wasn't someone Syekren would instantly trust, but someone he would watch closely. Either way, he wasn't going to keep this male here too much longer and simply waved off his apologies and nodded to his explanation. After he'd finished filling out what he knew of the male onto the ninja info card, he'd then hand a pen and the card to the hulk and chuckle, walking towards the exit.

"Just finish filling out your name, rank, and clan and then take that with you to the village gates. I'd recommend taking the wagon out here since they're going to the village soon. Just behave and you'll do fine. Welcome to the sand."

With that he exited and made his way to the sand shinobi from earlier, grabbing his cloak gingerly and placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Good job keeping your head. Don't worry about the other guy, I've made sure he'll be able to enter too. Take good care of the other guy in there and make sure he gets there safe. You did your home proud by delegating properly." With that, he gave a bit of a pat to the kid's shoulder and put his cloak back about his body, the red inside flashing in the sun, a fan with black flames barely visible as he flourished it while slipping it on. Syekren then waved, making his way through the wastes back home.

WC: 659 + 2,573 = 3,232

Training:

[EXIT]

Well, Roku had certainly always been one for obedience and working under the chain of custody, but this Kimura Jun really seemed to have a distaste for the power and authority that the Special Jounin Syekren was displaying. A small part of the redhead could understand where the stranger was coming from; it was a bit irritating for a high-ranking Suna-nin to swoop in and begin ordering the three around, enforcing the laws and regulations to their fullest. But on the much weightier hand Roku really didn't enjoy this shark-toothed nobody being so disrespectful and flippant to a member of the redhead's village. The man, Jun, stated he wasn't going to wait around here for authorization and was going straight to the Kazekage to inform her about this entire situation; but really the Sabaku felt he was just trying to tattle on Syekren for doing his job. Altogether, it really didn't paint a positive picture of this stranger in Roku's mind. Even when Kimura thanked Roku for saving Zu's life, he waved it off with a shrug.

Without waiting for an I.D card to be assigned to him or receiving orders from the outpost guards Kimura just walked off towards the direction of the village, and all Rokumaru could do was watch his back trail off into the distance. To attempt to stop the sharp-toothed stranger would likely lead to an altercation, and most likely a fight. While Roku was confidant he could handle the man, practically eager to face off with him, the foreign policy of Suna handed down by the Kazekage herself prohibited any action from being taken against him until the stranger committed some form of offense. Ah, well at least he had pretended to be nice towards Roku. Let him go off and be bothered by the gate guards; Roku was only sticking around for the mountain of muscle known as Zu.

Speaking of, the pale Genin decided to check up on the man, and waited at the entrance of the tent for either him or Syekren to exit. Roku held the Special Jounin's cloak in his arms as he listened in to the tent. Zu had regained consciousness and was speaking to Syek, and Roku was able to hear the tail end of his recent background; he missed the first part and only caught that Zu was running to Suna for protection. And that he was searching for answers about a bloodline of the Jugo. Roku hadn't read anything about such a clan or bloodline and assumed it was scattered through the Elemental Nations sparsely, but if this foreigner was from such a clan or held the bloodline Roku figured a Hidden Village could have the answers Zu was looking for.

After Syekren had listened to whatever Zu had to say he gave the tall man a ninja info card to fill out, directions to join the guards here back to Suna, and formally welcomed the muscled man to the village. It was professional but cordial, and it made Roku regret being so bothered by the process earlier.

With Zu's processing done on his part Syekren left the tent and walked to where Roku was standing close by. Roku held his cloak out and the man took it, but spared a moment to congratulate the Genin for being professional. He mentioned he had made preparations for Jun to be processed as well, and instructed the teen to make sure Zu made it to their home safely. With that the Special Jounin donned his cloak and gave a brief wave, and Roku returned a quick salute as the older man began walking towards Suna himself. Now only two of the four who arrived were still in camp, but soon Roku would need to make his own departure.

The pale redhead held the straps of his backpack containing the bottles of both water and sand and entered the tent. He was glad to see Zu was back on his feet, in the shade out of that dry and merciless sun that nearly claimed his life. He thought for a moment about what he should say to excuse himself, and eventually found the words. "Well, Zu, I hope you can get to Suna from here. There will be guards arriving on a wagon soon to relieve the ones around here, and you can catch a ride back with them. Unfortunately I need to get this sand in a moist environment back home, otherwise I would stick around." Then he shifted a bit while thinking back to what Zu had told Syekren, and continued. "I am not the greatest when it comes to bloodlines and clans not from the five villages, but I would help you search for more information on the Jugo if you would like the help. When you make it to the village, go to the Baazar and ask a guard patrolling there for the address of Sabaku Rokumaru, they can point you in the right direction. If you ever need help, or you're just feeling lonely without anyone to talk to, look me up sometime."

Rokumaru looked out of the tent at the sun slowly beginning to descend from its zenith, hours away from nightfall, and turned back to Zu with a smile. "I hope you find what you're looking for. Until then, welcome to Suna." And with those words the redhead exited the tent and began to walk towards the village on his own, thinking about the name Jugo and if the bloodline was the cause of that man back there being so spirits-damned big. He hoped he wasn't homocidal or anything like that; he could really do some damage to someone.

WC: 3498+966=4464
Thread Exit~

Training: 4464/4250:

Zu was taken back quite a bit by the generosity that these people have bestowed upon him. It made him think of younger days in his life when he believed all humans were good, such ignorant days those were, yet these interactions gave Zu hope for a future. For someone who has lost everything and felt like he was even going to lose himself somewhere along his journey, it was comforting and alarming at the same time. For him, happiness could be stripped away in but a moment. At least for now he could pretend he was alright, he needed shelter from the outside world... or perhaps a large enough force to take him down should he have another... Blackout. Zu was instructed to fill out some cards which he mostly did not know how to answer. He would mostly fill it with lies such as his family and true name. For all they needed to know it was Zu. While he was unsure why this was needed, he kinda felt it was important that he did the whole process. With any luck the others in this village would be just as accepting of him as they were. Then again, none of them really seemed to know anything about his blood sadly enough. Zu would have to dig even deeper in this village's knowledge to find what he was looking for if it could be found here. If not he would have to move to a different village and try again. Hopefully the other ones had such nice people. Roku was helpful in the whole processing thing and even told him about how to get to the village easily by wagon which was a relief since his body was not up to par yet. Perhaps a good dinner would do him some good, but for now he would have to focus on being as nice as possible. He would not let his new found home see him as a monster than he felt he was. His heart despite being so kind, held something darker than he could even comprehend. Something that would drive him to unspeakable things, things he wished would never happen.

The shinobi that seemed to hold the authoritative figure congratulated Roku on his display of Sunagakure's hospitality and procedures. The man also made small notice of the other man that walked out, saying he would be processed accordingly like all people who wish to enter the village. Roku gave Zu some small details of where to look for information and should he find himself lonely or bored to go see him. This made Zu uneasy, as all his previous friends died, some even by his own hands. Zu tried not to think of the blood that was been washed on his soul, but it was there despite how hard he tried to forget. Once the two of them left, Zu was feeling lonely around these new people. Most of them just looked at him without really speaking to him. Zu did not like feeling so ostracized but then again it was not a shock that people were not trusting of new people right away. Zu himself, was the same way. None of them were per say rude to him, they just did not really speak to him and kept on working on papers and what not. It took a little while before a wagon showed up to relieve the current guards from their duty. Men got off as others got on. Zu was hesitant at first, until another man motioned him to hurry along. Zu jumped on and rode the wagon to town at a slow pace. Along the ride, the wind felt good as his muscles were still healing from the journey that he had done. While on the road, Zu decided to spark a conversation with the other men on the wagon hoping they would be responsive to his questions and annoyance. Really deep down he just wanted someone to talk to him. It was better than living in his head like he was used to. Such a dreaded way to be honestly. With that Zu turned to them with a smile and spoke in a friendly manner hoping they would do the same to him,

"So, is it always this hot here? It is my first time anywhere close to a main village. I come from a quiet farming town on the outskirts many many miles away. Even working in the fields there it was not quite this blistering hot."


The other men looked confused as if he had asked them to perform an impossible task. Almost like he spoke the impossible. They laughed and replied with a yes, except at night it can get quite cold as most deserts do. Seems Zu would at least get to enjoy that kind of weather. The other two men kept trying to pry into Zu's life which was not the type of subject he wanted to keep going on for any amount of time. Zu would only speak briefly of his life, only on the happy moments. He spoke not of the ones he hurt and killed, the ones that enslaved him and killed his family just to hold more power over the regions food supply. His small village used to be not too far from Sunagakure, but it was far enough to never receive much help from them unless an outrageous payment was made. His small town once tried to ask for help, but they were turned down for it. Zu rested his head back and let the wagon carry him forth. It was not long until the massive village was before him, where the sun was placed the walls of the village gave him shade from the heat. From the outside, the place looked massive with plenty of guards along the walls and even outside. It would seem many of these people took it a serious job to protect the civilians of the village. A small comfort was felt as he knew that should he have a bad moment, that these people would kill him before he could kill anyone else. Zu never wishes for such things, even if they did happen in his past. He was still the same scared kid his was when he was enslaved. Wanting to rescue his friends and avenge his dad. If only he knew the darkness that would have been bred from that, he would have killed himself.

Once at the gate, Zu was greeted by a guard that was expecting him. Zu handed him his official ninja card before the man checked to make sure all was in order before motioning them to go on inside. On the inside the city was massive and beautiful. Zu had never seen a place so big, it would make his small village look like a spec of sand compared to this. People were busy in the streets moving to complete their jobs in a timely fashion. Zu had to ask for help to get around to a motel, however.... He had no money and did not even think about it before. Zu let out a long sigh before leaving a decently nice hotel. He truly did not belong here with these kind people, yet he knew he had to be here. Something inside of him urged him to press on and make up for his debt to the village. For now, he would use the streets and a hard wall as his bed. It was better than living as a slave, yet still felt odd as people that would pass by would make snarky comments about him. They seemed to know he was not a part of them, could be the fact he does not have any markings to show linkage to the village. While they were not really all that mean, their words still hurt him a little. Comments such as, "He will never amount to anything living on the streets." Or "Great another free loader trying to take up our space, I do not understand why the Kazekage is so kind to outsiders. I would never let these dirty people in" While Zu knew that not everyone could be as kind as the people he met today, he did not really think people would be so bold to talk about him within earshot. It was almost as if they wanted him to hear and leave the village, but he could not do that until his debt was paid and he had better control over his chakra and his blood. It would be a long road, but it was something that he had to do.

Zu tried to drown out the noises of others that would walk by him and make comments. Within a few minutes of laying there his mind wandered off into nightmares never dreams. He would have visions of his past haunting him in his slumber, never resting and never letting him forget what he did.

WC: 1504
Total: 3,797

Training Done:

{Exit Thread}