It had been only a few hours since Nayoko’s encounter with the boy at the lake outside of the Village Hidden in the mists. His encounter with the young man who had identified himself as Tatsumi had been an interesting one to say the least.  The young man had begun by identifying himself as a murderer and insisted on Nayoko beating him, which had been most unsettling for the young Hattori who had journeyed out to the lake for some peace, quiet, and possible training. Instead, he ended up having a fairly in depth discussion with a young man about how moving forward was the best option when it came to regret. It had left Nayoko with a bittersweet thought as he had headed back into the village proper, hoping that he had managed to convince the boy that he did not have to be so upset for the rest of his life. In reality, Nayoko knew it would always take more than a single conversation to change someone, but he had to try. It was just the kind of person he was.

The young Hattori carried these thoughts with him as he found himself wandering the streets of Kirigakure no Sato in search of the General Hospital. He was not injured at the moment, but in a very rare moment of genius, Nayoko had realized that if his whole purpose for coming to the Land of Water, a meeting with a mystery man who seemed to have intimate knowledge of his family, went south, he wanted to know where he would need to go to in order to have his potential injuries treated. It seemed like an important part of the plan, considering neither himself, nor his travelling companion and friend, Shimada, were trained at all in medical ninjutsu. But as he wandered through the streets of the village, he glanced to his right and noticed a sign that looked oddly familiar. Pausing, he stared at it for a moment before his eyes went wide with dismay. He was looking at the sign for a ramen noodle place that he had eaten lunch just an hour or so earlier, which could only mean one thing for the path he had ended up walking: he had been wandering in circles.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Nayoko wandered over to the side of the road and looked up at the surrounding buildings, trying to get some sense of where he was. Unfortunately, the buildings all seemed to look alike in the eyes of the foreigner, and before too long the twenty two year old realized that he was hopelessly lost. Sighing with disappointment, he wandered over to a bench that sat on the side of the road and sat down in it, watching a seemly endless number of strangers walk by. Well, it looks like I’m left with no choice this time. I’m going to have to ask somebody around here for directions… Being the awkward man that Nayoko tended to be around strangers, it was not a preferable solution, but it looked like he had his back against the wall this time.

And so he did, waving to a nearby group of people that were walking by, unsure of whether they were travelling together or apart. He addressed the whole group, but made sure he was loud enough for others around him to hear. “Hi there, I’m uh…I’m not from around here and I seem to have gotten myself lost. Do any of you have the time to show me to there the Kirigakure General Hospital is located?”

WC:604

---

Word Count: 1204

Nayoko stood for a while, looking on as the crowd seemed to ignore him. He couldn’t really blame them. After all, he was just some stranger on the street asking for directions. They had no obligation to help him, and besides that they were probably all busy with their own issues. The young Hattori sighed to himself and was about to resign himself to wandering around, hoping to find his way to the hospital, when he heard a voice call out to him. At least, he assumed it was to him. “Excuse me.” Was all that the young woman who stepped out of the crowd said at first. Nayoko turned to look at who had finally decided to help him. Judging by her youthful appearance, she was younger than him, though not by much. She stood a few inches shorter than him and she was not quite as well built, which Nayoko had no problem noticing thanks to the lack of clothing that the young woman wore. She had on a black bikini top that revealed all of her skin, save for her breasts, and over that was a black jacket that was barely zipped up. The only thing that the jacket actually concealed were her shorts, which were already pretty short to begin with. Around her neck she wore a dark green scarf with white strips, that contrasted nicely with her short blonde hair and hazel eyes. Nayoko could not deny that she was attractive, but more than that he was just happy she had decided to talk to him.

Nayoko watched as she stood before him, smiling and brishing her finger across a scar on her right thigh before speaking. "I apologize for butting in, but I couldn't help but overhear you." She waved then, ensuring that he could pick her out from the rest of the crowd, which he already had. "I heard that you were looking for the General Hospital," she went on to say, and she clasped her hands together behind her back. "I would be happy to help you out. Besides, it isn't too far from where we are now. Allow me to show you the way." Nayoko could not stop the sigh of relief from escaping from his lips. “Thank you so much! I was just about to start wandering around on my own again. I really appreciate the help.” He returned her kind smile and extended a hand to shake hers. “I’m Nayoko, a chuunin from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I’m here as part of the Kiri-Konoha Shinobi exchange program and I figured I should know where all of the important places in the city are.” He chuckled, “Hopefully I never have to use the hospital, but it’s always good to know where it is.”

Whether or not she shook is hand, Nayoko would smile and nod politely before beginning to follow the stranger through the streets of the Village Hidden in the Mists. The village certainly lived up to its namesake, Nayoko noticed even more as he walked along side his guide through the village streets. He had been embarrassed to have gotten lost originally, but now that he had a guide and could take the time to look around, he guessed that it probably was not unusual for strangers in Kirigakure no Sato to find themselves wandering aimlessly though the mists, lost. He stifled a shudder at he though. Lost in a foreign place for good, now that would be a fate that he would not survive very long. Just the thought of feeling so lonely brought thoughts of his family too his mind. They were back in Konoha, continuing their lives and probably hoping for the day that he would come back home. Truth be told, Nayoko was looking forward to getting to see them again too. He missed them; he was not afraid to admit that much. His family was everything to him and being away from them under the guise of a lie was hard for him. Regardless, he knew it had to be done, so he pushed through the regret.

Shaking those thoughts form his head, Nayoko looked back at his new companion. “So, you seem to know your way around this place pretty well. You must have grown up here; I can’t even fathom being able to make my way through these mists. Though I must admit, It’s a very interesting place to visit.” His smile broadened as he looked up at the surrounding buildings. He was beginning to recognize some of the places that they were walking past, reassuring him that he had, in fact, been headed in the right direction for at least part of his trek through the village. But that quickly changed as they turned right at an intersection that Nayoko could distinctly recall turning left at. He merely shook his head at the realization of his mistake and continued to follow the young woman that had decided to assist him. Curious about her and why she had decided to help him, Nayoko theorized hat maybe she had known other shinobi from the VIllage Hidden in the Leaves, and so she was happy to help the foreigner because of that. Deciding not to guess at her reasoning, the young Hattori asked her directly.  “How about you? Have you ever been away from the Land of Water before?”

WC:907+604=1511

---

Word Count: 1235

Nayoko looked over at the young woman who had introduced herself as Teru as they continued to walk through the streets of the village. She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, contemplating an answer to his question about travel. The fact that she had not responded gave away to the young Hattori that she had probably left the village before, or at least the country. The look on her face, a smile while staring forward, was reminiscent to Nayoko of an expression he might have given to someone asking the same question to him before he had taken this trip. If he was right about the feelings that her expression conveyed, she was content here in her home, happy to live here and serve. But some part of her longed for an adventure, and that would mean leaving her comfort zone eventually. He could only smile and follow her while she contemplated that on her own.

Nayoko himself had felt that exact same way a very short while ago. He had never been one for travel until his mother passed away. Before that, he would have been happy to stay in the Village Hidden in the Leaves for his entire life. But fate, it seemed, had a different plan. After she fell so ill and died, she left Nayoko with a dying wish of a sort. She had told him how much she always wanted to visit Kirigakure no Sato and the Land of Water, where her branch of the Hattori clan had originated, but she was never able to go back. She told Nayoko that he should go someday, and so he had planned to do so. Though Nayoko’s original plan had involved him being a much higher ranking ninja before he committed to that kind of a journey. Once again, fate had decided to deal him a hand that he was not prepared for. And so here he was; chasing down a mystery man and hoping to find out why he carried his mother’s family name. It had sped up the process of him getting here, but despite the stress surround the entire situation, he was happy that he had arrived in his ancestral home. Whether he liked it here or not, his family tree had roots in this mist; it was a part of him.

They had been walking for a little while in silence before Teru spoke up again. "You know, I have never explored outside the Land of Water," she said, answering Nayoko's question. "I would like to see what's out there, one day. There must be a lot to see in your village, huh?" Her persistent smile was infectious, and Nayoko ensured that his remained on his face as well. As he thought of how to respond he watched as the young woman briefly looked up at the sky, still obviously thinking about something else, but Nayoko could not tell if they were happy thoughts or not. Her smile told a story of peace, but her eyes seemed…tired. Perhaps she was longing for some sort of change? She dropped her eyes back to the streets and mumbled something to herself that Nayoko strained to hear. Unfortunately, thanks to the ever present din of the villagers walking around the duo, he could not tell what she had said, though he assumed if she had wanted him to hear it, she would have said it louder.

Nayoko was just about to respond to her casual question when the pair arrived at a small bridge overlooking one of the streams that ran through the village, integrated seamlessly into the infrastructure of Kirigakure no Sato. He paused a moment to look out over the edge at the stream flowing beneath them and let out a quiet, “Cool,” to himself. He then turned back to his guide. “Ya Konohagakure no Sato is pretty cool in my books! There’s a lot of historical monuments and things like that, which is really interesting when you know the history of the land like I do. There’s the Naka River which flows through the village. It’s located on the land where the Uchiha clan lives when they are part of the village for the most part. Just that area alone had such a crazy story surrounding it that it makes it worth visiting. Then there’s the Honoured Shinobi Monument, which us a testament to all of the people who lost their lives making the world a better place, or contributed to the stability of my home. And then, there’s my favourite place of all,” he said with a grin.”The Hokage Mountain. It bears the faces of all of the past and present kage who served the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It’s quite a site to behold, and I would say if you were going to visit one place, that would be it.”

He glanced around the city once again, now that he figured by his assumptions that they should be getting close to where they needed to be. He was quite enjoying his walk though the Village Hidden in the Mists now that he did not have to worry about getting lost, and he would be sad to see it end. But before they reached their destination, he wanted to offer Teru one more push to go to Konoha someday. He wanted her to experience what he had; the glories of travel. It was such an exciting experience that he knew she would enjoy it as well. “Teru, I know I keep playing up my village, but I don’t want you to think I don’t think t’s pretty cool here too. Things like that bridge we just walked over? I think that stuff is awesome, and I love being able to see it all thanks to the close ties our villages have. And I think you’d like that too, even if you don’t think you would. I never thought I would be one to leave Konoha, but here I am. So take my advice, see the world!” He chuckled happily, “I think you’ll like what you find out there, whatever it is. Adventure is a wonderful thing after all.”

WC:1048+1511=2559

---

Word Count: 1599

Nayoko could not stop himself from chuckling along with Teru as she broke into a giggle at his dramatic statement. "Okay, I don't see why not! If I just reject everything you just said, I'd never have a chance to know what there is in the world. Ugh, I don't think I could handle life as a hermit." She laughed again, and Nayoko followed along once more. "Maybe we'll get the chance to meet again, too. Then you'll be the one escorting me around." He was pleased that she was at least thinking about Konoha as a possible place to visit. He loved showing off his home to people and even if he could not be there to show her around, he was happy that maybe, just maybe, this young woman would get to experience the wonders of his home in the Land of Fire. That alone was enough to lift his spirits even further form the dour and depressing mood that threatened him so constantly of late.

“I’m with you there Teru. I don’t know what I would do without at least meeting new people. As you’ve demonstrated today, you can learn so much jut from a little while with a friendly face in anew place.” He listed his hand and thrust his thumb backward over his shoulder, pointing to where they had come from the bridge. “For example, that story you told me about the bridge? Those are the best stories to me. Sure, you can here the history of a place and such, but hearing what the locals say about a place, or just discovering the legends for yourself; that’s how you really get to know a place. That’s how you see what makes the Village’s heart beat, you know?” He smiled again, bringing his hands back down into his pockets as they continued along their way. “As far as meeting each other again in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, well I would like that very much! And I promise, I’ll show you more interesting places than just the hospital.”

Their walk went on for a while longer, and Nayoko took that time to take in the rest of the sights that they passed. First there was a small park that looked to be filled with some sort of garden. He could hear music, perhaps a musician playing the flute, softly drifting from the area filled with trees and flowers. He made a mental note of its location and planned to bring a book there at some point to relax before he set out to complete the task that he had come here to deal with in the first place. Next the duo passed by a small residential area, which caused a brief pang of homesickness to shudder through the young man. He truly did miss his family, and deceiving them like he had made it all the worse. He desperately hoped that he would be able to see them again, and that his trip to the Swamp of Sorrow would not be one that he would not return from. The last stop on their adventure through the city was one of the oldest bars in the village of Kirigakure no Sato, which Teru pointed out to him as they walked past it as well. The young Hattori was sure to make another mental note of that location, and planned to visit it in celebration of the completion of his mission with Shimada. It would be a great place to close off their time in the village, and then go home if they were ready.

As they rounded another street corner Nayoko looked up to see a sign that pointed down the road, indicating that the hospital was only a short distance away. Nayoko craned his neck to look past the groups of people filling the street, and was happy to see that he could pick out the corner of a sign that indicated the entrance of the Kirigakure General Hospital. "Well, Nayoko, I hope you've enjoyed this little tour through the village," The Konoha shinobi glance dover at Teru as she addressed him once again. "While you're here, I encourage you to see as much as you possibly can. There is still a lot that you haven't seen, so it would certainly benefit you to go and see the rest of the village. By the way, is there anything else you would like to talk about before we get to the hospital?" Nayoko merely smiled up at his new acquaintance and gave her a thumbs up. “Actually I think you answered any questions I have for now! I’ve already seen and learned a lot and I don’t think my memory could take any more today. But thank you so much for this. I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now if you hadn’t come along.” With that he began to walk away from her toward the structure in the distance before turning over his shoulder and waving back at the young kunoichi. “I’ll tell you what though, once I finish my business here, and if you haven’t run off to Konoha yet, I’ll by you a drink at that bar we passed okay?” He then shouted back a quick farewell and went along his way, finally finding the hospital he hoped he would never have to see the interior of.

[Exit Thread]

WC:919+2559=3478

Training

B-Rank Jutsu: Water Release: Water Encampment Wall (水遁・水陣壁 ~ Suiton: Suijinheki) (1500/1500)

B-Rank Jutsu: Leaf Strong Whirlwind (Konoha Gōriki Senpū - 木ノ葉剛力旋風) (1500/1500)

Unused WC:478

---

Word Count: 654
Total Word Count: 4692
Thread Status: Exiting

Taijutsu ➡ A-Rank to S-Rank | 4000/4000

Lost Words: 692