Sayuri was more than a bit nervous setting out on her own that morning. It was true that she had spent the vast majority of her life travelling alone, but it hadn’t taken long for her to grow accustomed to the companionship that her new friends granted. And if that one fact was not enough to fill her with a bit of doubt, the thought of traveling somewhere that she had no idea how to get to was the kicker. She had gathered all of her meager belongings; some clothing, her grandfather’s tanto, her kunai and shurikens. She had a small bit of money she thought, how much she was not precisely certain. But it mattered very little, she assumed it would be enough to get food for the journey, and if not she was no stranger to foraging for her meals in the forest. She carefully set down the tiny figurine she had purchased for Tsuyo, wishing in that moment that she could write. It would be lovely to be able to leave a note of some kind. She sighed wistfully and looking around one last time at the cabin she marched off towards Konoha with only one idea in her mind; find a map.

As she walked confidently to the village her mind started racing again. What if she couldn’t read the map? It would be a poor thing to have her journey stopped before it started. The man she had met in the bar, Shin, had suggested using a map but he was not altogether clear in how she was supposed to use one. Sayuri walked to the closest goods store in the market place and pushed open the door, going over in her mind what she would say when questioned about the map. “I’m in need of a map to get to Iwagakure. I’ll be attending the University there, and have no one to travel with, so I think a good map would be the best option for me.” It was very grown up and reasonable of a request she decided, and likely any questions she had from there would come easily. Once inside the small shop she was overwhelmed by the amount of. . . things that were everywhere. Lining shelves and hung on the walls, stacks of small boxes along the floor held even more goods. It was difficult for her to navigate her way through to the shopkeeper she could see perched on a stool at the far end of the shop.

“Um, excuse me, can you help me?” she asked tentatively of the friendly looking older man. She was completely out of her element in this cramped space and all previously planned words flew out of her mind and were replaced with her usual quirkiness and stammering. “Yes tiny girl? What can I help you with?” The shop owner smiled broadly and grunted as he, with considerable apparent effort, pushed himself to a standing position behind the front counter. Sayuri however, was not impressed. She absolutely hated being referred to as tiny, young or anything else that undermined any of her achievements. With a forced smile she nodded to the man and queried as politely as she could, her annoyance aiding in her ability to form coherent sentences. . . somewhat.

“I’m travelling today, to Iwagakure. But I don’t know how to get there, so . . . uh, I need a map. Please.” She had very nearly forgotten her manners as she spoke and quickly bowed as she finished her request. The round faced man chuckled quietly as he reached under the counter and pulled out a folded piece of paper, pushing it across the smooth yet cluttered surface towards her. “Here you are dearie, one map of the surrounding regions. Was there anything else you needed? A backpack, rope, maybe a ten foot pole?” He laughed heartily at his own joke, one that Sayuri did not understand, but she enjoyed his laugh all the same. It was warm and courteous, clearly not meant to insult her in any way. “I uh. . . don’t think I need anything else. . .” She paused to look over the paper he had presented her with. It mostly had pictures and some lines on it, some symbols that she couldn’t identify and of course words. “Actually, do you think you could maybe show me how to use this? I’m not any good at reading, and I’ve never had to use a map before.” She felt the all too familiar welling of tears in her eyes as she looked with shame down at the paper in front of her.

The man smiled sympathetically, and then proceeded to spend the better part of the next hour explaining in great detail how this particular map worked. It took several repetitions of the various basic elements of cartography before Sayuri felt she had a grasp on what he was trying to convey, but all in all it was simpler than she had imagined. Taking her new map and the small bag of sweets that the man offered she walked out of the village and towards her new ‘home’. She had been told it would take several days so she stopped in the market place and purchased some bread and dried meat and a small canteen to fill with water as she went. Having spent more time in the wilderness with less than what she had currently she was not overly worried about the state of her supplies. She should have been though.

Not one day into the trip it began to storm, rain like sheets of piercing and cold fabric fell all around, causing her to shiver and eventually begin sneezing and sniffling. She spent much of her time trying to stay dry, travelling under trees where she could. Eventually however the trees thinned and then disappeared entirely, replaced by rocks jutting out of the ground and piercing the sky like the teeth of an angry beast. This was not as cold as the storms she remembered from Kumo, being that it was rain and not snow, but it was enough to make her feel ill and greatly increase the time it took for her to reach her destination. Where she could she used her jutsu to light a small fire in order to keep herself warm. She began collecting bits of semi dry dead fall carrying them with her, drying them out as best she could overnight so that she had a constant supply of mostly dry firewood with her. It didn’t last of course, though she was certain that her resourcefulness helped to stave off any serious illness throughout her travels.

There was plenty of wildlife that she saw along the way, none of the animals paid her any mind though, they seemed just as miserable as she did in the rain storm. She tried her best to keep a smile on her face, but it proved difficult even for her, her cheeriness giving way to fits of frustrated crying as she shook in the frigid air. All the while doubts crept into her mind; What if she had been sent away to just perish? Would anyone come looking for her if she never made it? Was she even reading the map correctly, or was she horribly lost? She spent five minutes every day of her travels meditating, just as Tsuyo had taught her. Using the watch he had gifted her so as not to fall into the trap of spending too long playing in chakra laced storm clouds and breezes full of petals. It was so tempting, to just stay in that warm and safe place she had created within her mind, but the insistent chiming of the silver band around her wrist pulled her from her reverie every time. Thankfully. It was during those peaceful moments that her doubts dissipated and she found the strength to continue on the arduous trek despite her discomfort.

She sang to herself throughout the days, the Rice Song of course. It brought her some relief from her misery, that and reciting her favourite passage from the book her grandfather always read to her. Always read to her after she begged and pleaded and did her best impression of a puppy silently asking for scraps of tasty food.

A gentle sigh as the first rays of light cracked over the horizon.  The world breathed anew the fresh smells of new growth.  Pale green and crisp dew the budding leaves unfurled.  From palest jade to deepest emerald the crystal brilliance of nature’s gift washed over the hard and sharp points of cocoa coloured strength. Wind soft and peaceful, giving song to mute beauty.  Rose and powder petals, like small stars glittering across the expanse of sea green life.  Lightning cracks and thunder peals, rain and storm and gales, undulating waves filled with groans in retaliation of the power that caused them. Light now deep and luscious, warm and thick.  Gold and rubies, bronze and copper, a rain of colour, sparkling once living gems falling gently to the soft earth.  Canopy no longer, a jewelled carpet lain out as though for royal tread.  Shivering through the rapture of the glorious change the last pieces of the canvas alight from their ancient hosts.  And with no more leaves to shed, the trees simply stood.

Wanting to make a good impression on the Tsuchikage, Sayuri tried to think of something that would make a good gift. From what little she could remember of her upbringing, she had been taught to always bring your host a gift, to show you appreciated them opening their home to you. She supposed that money was not something the head of a village would need, or possibly even want. And she had little else save for her supplies, clothing, and weapons. As she trudged through the rain she spotted something on the ground that sparkled, bending down she realized it was a rock. A beautiful rock by her reckoning, it shone with a gentle violet hue, and the water constantly hitting it made it appear to shimmer. With a happy sound she picked it up and placed it in a small pouch which she tied to her belt. She was sure that the kage of the Village of Rocks would appreciate some unique stones to add to what was probably an already impressive collection.

As luck would have it the rain finally cleared and the sun spread its warmth to her frail looking form. She was glad that her entire trip had not consisted of the unhappiness of being cold and wet. Letting her clothes dry out in the glorious sunshine she spent a whole day searching around for more rocks to add to her collection that she intended to gift to the Tsuchikage. Sayuri knew full well that she was wasting time in her endeavours, as she should be hurrying along now that the weather had cleared. But she took her time regardless, it had been some time since she’d had the opportunity to just be free and run around enjoying her surroundings. And she expected that it would be some time before she would get the chance to again, what with having to go to school and all. She knew according to what she could tell from the map that she was not far from Iwagakure, and it would not take her terribly long to reach her destination once she set her mind to it.

After filling the pouch with stones of a veritable rainbow of colours, she gathered her things and set off once again. She briefly considered resting for the night and finishing her journey the following morning, but her excitement got the better of her. Now that she was so close she was finally looking forward to her new adventure. She began imagining all the things she would see, and people she would meet. And she even got excited about the prospect of finally learning to read and write. The last few miles she practically ran in an effort to arrive before sundown. However, fast as she was, it was well and dark as she stepped within full view of the village. Explaining who she was to the shinobi that were guarding the entrance to the village she skipped past them and stood still looking around. “So this is Iwagakure. I think I’ll like it here, it seems peaceful. Don’t worry. . .” she said quietly to herself as though speaking to all of her friends and mentors at once. “. . . I won’t let you down. I’m here to learn and get stronger. And one day, I’ll come back to you. Better for having been here.”

{Exit Thread}

2129

Travel Complete 600/600

Jutsu Training - Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder (B-Rank) 1500/1500 + 200 ryo

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