There were certain things that Akimichi didn’t like to be no matter their age and one of those things was hungry. Yet for little Chou she hadn’t had much of a choice. Lunch at the orphanage had been a disaster, no sooner had she reached the lunch table she was assigned to did one of her usual bullies knock her tray to the floor while claiming it was an accident, while another had saw fit to throw away the rest of the food since she had been last in line. So, she had been forced to wait until dinner. Yet, not more than an hour before dinner was to be served the bullies had struck again, cornering her in the yard of the orphanage with threats of causing harm to the young Akimichi. The incident resulted in the bullies chasing her off and down the road until she had finally found a place to hide long enough for them to leave. She knew that returning to the orphanage before bedtime wasn’t wise – the matrons wouldn’t exactly stop the bullying from happening and telling on the children only made things worse especially if they got punished for it – so she was starving. She knew that when she returned ‘home’ that evening she would likely be scolded for running away (again), fed a cold sandwich and a snack, and then sent to bed, but she needed something to tide her over until then desperately.


Little Chou had taken to the market, her whole plan being to find something – either a piece of fruit, or a misplaced bag of something or other edible – that had fallen to the ground without notice or care. Something no one would miss, something that no one would expect back. She had no pocket money – the orphanage always took what little anyone brought in – so it was the best she could do in a situation such as this. However, despite walking back and forth through the market until her legs hurt she found nothing laying around waiting to be just plucked up and grabbed. Her stomach roared and growled, her lips in a perpetual pout as her little arms wrapped around herself in hunger. She just wanted a bite of something, anything really would do! Yet, there was nothing to be found – and she wasn’t exactly desperate enough to try digging through the garbage cans of the nearby restaurants: she refused to allow herself to stoop that low.


If she was going to sate her hunger she had no choice but to break the law: it wasn’t like anyone was just going to hand her some food simply because she asked for it. She had learned fairly early in life that the world was a cruel and heartless place after her parents had died and she didn’t expect it to change just because her stomach was grumbling. So, it was back through the market that she went, heading towards the area where she knew most of the food vendors to resided in, at the same time formulating a plan on how to do this and how to get away with it. She knew that depending on who caught her the penalty for stealing could be as minor as a slap on the wrist or as heavy as the removal of a limb, and the thought got her adrenaline pumping and her heart racing. Yet, even with her body’s kicked up response she couldn’t stop herself from still wanting to do it. She was too hungry to wait till later, and the doubt that she’d actually be fed upon returning back to the orphanage too heavy in her mind!


Thoughts raced through her mind as she finally picked a vendor – one who sold fruit and vegetables by smaller quantities– and made her way in that direction. She stood nearby, looking over the fruit as if she was a perspective buyer, all while waiting for the appropriate time to make her move. Several adults were nearby, some simply looking over the quality of the fruit while others were busy filling netted bags with their choices. The vendor himself was standing nearby, watching like a hawk everyone who was close to his produce – including throwing glances in Chou’s direction. Each glance towards her was unnerving, causing her heart to skip a beat. She knew by now her face had to be red – it felt as if it were burning after all – and she couldn’t help but wonder if the vendor noticed this. Did he know what she was going to do? Did he at least suspect it? She felt her hands beginning to shake with fear, the inner battle raging between stealing a piece of fruit so that she had something on her stomach while risking getting into some serious trouble and walking away while going hungry so that she didn’t get caught stealing. ”Hey girl, are you going to buy something or not?”, the vendors voice cracked out like a whip in her direction.

”I… I…..”

Word Count: 870

What a nuisance. Since arriving to Konoha nearly a month ago, Lucien had done absolutely nothing productive to further his career as a shinobi. Ha. As if it could even be called a career. What had occurred in the past month, however, were never ending letters from back home, constantly hounding him about the number of accomplishments he's achieved. Which, if you couldn't tell already, amounted up to a big ol' sum of zero. While he was treated with mostly courtesy in the village of Konoha, the Kirigakure genin couldn't help but feel as though his identity put him at quite the disadvantage. Given the new squads being announced as of late, he was still waiting for his turn, something that made him feel rather low priority. Not that he expected anything less. There was no way he would be chosen over a Konohagakure genin, especially with his track record. Lucien was in no way a stellar student. In the academy, he barely got through with his grades, and then with the long break he took afterwards with nothing to show but his status as a mere genin, he continued being a massive disappointment, much to the chagrin of his over-expectant parents. When given the opportunity to travel to Konoha, Lucien - who never really got excited over anything - jumped at the chance to get the hell out of Kirigakure. Not because he had anything against his village, but more so to get away from his parents' disapproving eyes.

Now, he walked along the marketplace, looking for something to eat. Something that would require little effort, as he had already exhausted all his energy completing a small delivery just earlier in the day. Who knew that old ladies really minded whether their flowers are properly wrapped or not? Well, now he knew. They definitely minded. Even though the trip from the flower shop to the senior residence was a mere five minute walk. Lucien had purposefully chosen that simple task that everyone else had overlooked. It seemed like it would require the least effort, and meant that he would be able to go home and go back to doing nothing earlier. Boy, was he wrong. After being chewed out by three frail old ladies, he was exhausted and ready to crash.

Idly dragging his feet, he scanned the nearby vendors, not bothering to move out of people’s way. A few dirty glances were shot in his direction as people tried to manoeuvre themselves around his sluggish self, but he paid them little attention, gaze settling on a fruits and veggies vendor, where a little girl stood almost frozen in front of. From what he could see from her side profile, she was definitely not there to shop with her parents, given the rather guilty expression on her face. Now, Lucien was not at all someone who would go out of his way to assist others for nothing in return, especially given how tired he was. But he was hungry, and a quick apple and some carrots seemed mighty appealing right at the moment. And so he began moving forward, just in time to catch the vendor’s blunt question to the little girl.

Slowing his steps even more, Lucien waited to see if the girl had a quick response. After a breath of time, Lucien sighed audibly and completed his approach to the small stall. “I can’t believe you left before I could give you money to buy the vegetables. Again! Can’t you at least wait until your brother finishes speaking?” Lucien said loudly, sighing one more time as he rolled his eyes for extra effect. Making a show of fishing his coin pouch out of his jacket pocket, the dark haired man began picking out what he wanted, pausing to motion to the girl to do the same. Whether the girl caught on, however, was beyond his control. He did his part, and if she didn’t know what to do with herself, then … well … that was that. He was hungry, tired, and wanted nothing more than to get his food and get home.

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Word Count: 691

Here she was looking as guilty as could possibly be with a vendor glaring daggers at her. There was no way now that she could just sneak a piece of fruit and run off, he was watching her far too closely. Her only other option would be to nick something and take off, hoping that the random civilian police and shinobi patrolling the market didn’t catch her. The thought was almost laughable of course: she was bulky and slow, not thin and meant for speed. She had the body of someone made to take a punch and shrug it off, not someone who could run and dodge with ease. No, that option definitely wasn’t a smart one. But what else could she do?! Hunger was a thing, she was an Akimichi, and those two things didn’t equal good things!


She heard a voice nearby, one she had never heard before, and at first she didn’t think it was directed towards her: after all, she didn’t know the voice, she definitely didn’t have a brother, and no one ever bothered giving her money to buy vegetables and fruit not even the people at the orphanage who entrusted the older children for such tasks. Yet she glanced over nonetheless and with the rolling of the eyes and the audible sigh she couldn’t help but take notice of the ploy that was shifting the vendors obvious opinion of her as a would be thief into that of a potential customer – especially when a coin pouch was fished out of the young mans pocket. She watched in stunned silence as the boy began to pick out what he wanted, having motioned for her to do the same. She had no idea what to make of this situation: the battle within her raging between running away because of how many people were now paying attention to her which made her feel very uncomfortable and standing her ground and picking out a few pieces of fruit with the hope that she could actually keep them. In the end her empty gut won and she found herself reaching over to pluck up several fruit – a few bananas and a particularly juicy looking green skinned apple – before making her way over to the individual who seemed to be saving her from a very sticky situation.


Her mind was reeling as she waited to see what would occur now, as well as the thought of trying to find some way to repay this debt later on. She didn’t know this young man, but she was certainly grateful to him for helping her out of a tight spot – as well as helping her gut should she actually be able to keep the fruit she had picked out. ”I’m sorry, brother. I just get excited about getting to run errands and lose my head. I promise it won’t happen again.”, she spoke clearly, trying her hardest to keep the quivering out of her voice, wanting to help play the scene up a bit to make it more believable: her staying silent surely wouldn’t help, especially as the vendor glanced once more at her closely. As Chou waited impatiently to see what would occur now she couldn’t help but clutch the fruit she had chosen tightly to her chest, almost as if expecting someone to try prying it out of her hands – and to be honest, she kind of was.

Word Count: 595 | 1,465

As he picked out his own selection of fresh carrots and a pale red apple, Lucien watched the little girl’s actions from the corner of his eye. Thankfully, she didn’t let too much time pass before reaching out for her own choices. The girl’s actions brought a surprising amount of relief to Lucien, though he would never admit it himself. If questioned, he would likely argue that it was simply because, should the girl choose to ruin his ploy, it would bring about a significant amount of embarrassment to himself and that was something he didn’t want to deal with. But why get involved in the first place? Who knew. Perhaps it was just one of those odd, out-of-character days for him. There were millions of factors he could blame. The weather. The change of scenery. Stress. Temporary mental breakdown? Look at me now. Get myself involved in the affairs of a child and suddenly it leads to a self-diagnosis. He thought wryly to himself, reaching to take a small bag from the side of the vendors stall.

A small smile played on the sides of his mouth when the girl addressed him as brother - clearly this child had caught on perfectly and knew exactly what to say. Turning his full attention to her, Lucien noted the way she held onto her small selection of fruits. The mental image of a cat he recently saw suddenly popped into his head. A little ginger kitten, over by the small weapons store near the place he was staying at, who always guarded its daily piece of dried fish like it was the most precious treasure in the world. Mouth twitching once more, he turned back to the vendor, lifting his chin to motion at the food selections he and the little girl were holding. ”We’ll take these. Slipping his food into the bag, Lucien proceeded to hand the bag to the girl without looking, making it look as natural as possible. Whether she chose to put her food into the bag would be up to her. Given that the vendor was now telling him the total sum owed, Lucien didn’t think it would matter if they didn’t manage to continue with their little charade.

Handing the correct amount of money to the vendor, Lucien turned back to pluck his apple out of the bag, not bothering to take the rest of the bag. Taking a bite, he nodded towards the road. ”Let’s go.” Not entirely sure why he was telling her to go with him, or why he even thought she would in the bit interested in following a complete stranger, he began moving forward. He supposed that if she took off now, at least she had some extra food to eat. It would mean he wouldn’t be on a full stomach, but hey, he wasn’t the way staring longing at food. Clearly, this little girl was in a tough spot somehow, and he wasn’t about to deny her of extra food. Not after he went through all the trouble of getting her out of that mess. His next step would be to find a nice shady area in a nearby park to finish his apple before heading home.

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Word Count: 551 | 1242

The little charade of her being this young man’s little sister seemed to be working. While she watched out of the corner of her eye as the boy grabbed a bag and began to fill it with his choices she couldn’t help but clutch her own to her chest harder – though thankfully not hard enough to squeeze the bananas straight out of their skins: being covered in banana mush would certainly do her no good. The young man announced that they would be taking the fruit they had selected before handing her the bag filled with his own, a bag which she took automatically without thinking about it. As the vendor was giving the young man the sum total of their purchases she found herself slowly dropping one fruit of hers after another into the bag, unsure of exactly why outside of keeping this charade up.


No sooner had ryo exchanged hands did her savior reach into the bag she was holding and pluck out the apple he had picked; the action causing her heart to suddenly speed up and race as she felt certain he was about to take the whole bag. Yet, that wasn’t the case as she watched him bite into the apple before nodding towards the road and indicating she should follow him. Her feet moved of their own accord, the bag of their combined food items still clutched tightly in her hands. She didn’t know why she was following him, in fact the idea of running away with the food and having even more than what she had picked out to eat ran through her mind. Yet, she found herself unable to stomach that idea: this young man had just saved her from being branded a thief or having to starve for several more long hours, she simply couldn’t do that to him. That definitely wasn’t going to repay his kindness if she did!


She had no idea where this stranger intended on leading her, and yet she found herself unable to stop following. Unable to help herself as her stomach roared once more she found herself digging in the bag for one of the bananas she – well he – had purchased for her. Hooking the straps of the bag over her left arm she held the banana with one hand while peeling the banana open with the other. No sooner was the delicious treat inside free did she take a huge bite of it, doing her best to chew with her mouth shut as to not appear rude or ill mannered. Once the first bite was swallowed – albeit a bit forcefully because of how big it was – she couldn’t help herself from taking another. In fact, it was after her third bite did she remember she hadn’t even thanked him properly. Swallowing her last bite she focused her attention of the food and properly onto the young man she was still following. ”Tha… thank you. For helping me… and for buying me the fruit.”


Between her social anxiety, and the fact that she couldn’t stop herself from taking another bite of food, that thank you would simply have to do: she just didn’t have anything else in her at the moment. In fact, she was still surprising even herself that she had taken off fleeing yet. But, sometimes she even surprised herself.

Word Count: 603 | 2,068

It was moderately late in the day when the man finally arrived in the village hidden in the leaves. Still, he'd made it and his plans to finish what he started fifteen years ago would eventually be taken to the next level. For now, though, the man was simply taking in the sights of the village he'd seen so many times, wandering about. He had a bottle of firebrand whiskey in his right hand, walking casually through the market place of the village while taking small swigs of it here and there. The bottle was the only tell as to who this individual was, as he was the only one who actually ordered firebrand whiskey from another village, although it was under a false name. He was taking another swig in the market when he reached a stall that sold all sorts of meets on a stick. The man in his thirties had his blue eyes of different hues scanning the many different meats, tilting his head as he did so. There were many different decisions one could make in his position, and while he wasn't inebriated, he was a bit indecisive when it came to the types of food he enjoyed.

Still, the man would put the cork into his whiskey bottle and put it in a bag upon his back, next to an assortment of other items he was carrying. When he closed the bag, he reached back to get into his pocket for his ryo pouch, bumping the tanto on his back left of his belt ever so slightly, making the vendor a bit nervous. With a wave of his free hand, the man showed him he meant no harm and procured a large pouch of ryo, pointing at a few large portions of meat on the bones, rather than the smaller ones one sticks. "I'd like four of those large servings, wrap three, but leave the last one out. I'd like to enjoy it immediately." When his task was done, the man handed over quite a sum of ryo, a bit extra than the total to tip the vendor in thanks for his understanding and patience. With his thanks said and showed, the man put the three carefully wrapped meat servings into his bag and walked away from the stalls while biting into the freshly cooked spiced meat he had asked to be kept separate.

It was delicious, like an explosion of flavor in his mouth. The man smiled a bit, his beard moving with the formation of his lips as he did so. His black beard and lightening black hair were probably a contrast to most men his age, but with a smile like his, he was sure he remained looking rather youthful. The grey streaks on the sides of his head in his hair aside, that is. The old man was Syekren, wearing his black pants, sneakers, and a black short sleeved tee shirt. His arm hair that matched his beard in colour was exposed  thanks to the short sleeve shirt, but it wasn't thick enough for it to look gnarly to those that he caught the eye of as he walked. Not that it mattered much, anyway. The man had grown much too old to care about what others thought of him. He would rather just enjoy the meats he bought and wander the village a bit more. His ears perked however as he heard the gruff sound of a vendor asking someone if they were to actually buy anything. The man stopped in his tracks and looked over to see a young girl, a bit on the bulky or chubbier side looking absolutely flabbergasted. The poor child looked guilty and scared! Without much thought, Syekren began to walk towards the stall, meaning to help her but noticed a young man who appeared to be in his twenties beating him there.

The young man appeared to be her brother, or at least, he said he was. The two of them made decisions on their fruit and vegetables and the young man paid the vendor before the two departed, the young man biting into a crisp apple. Syekren sighed and looked at the large hunk of meat he was eating from the bone. He really did need to eat a bit healthier, otherwise he wouldn't remain looking youthful or keeping a fit physique for long. With that in mind, he decided to follow after the two, wanting to get their attention so he could help the little girl out a bit more. Children needed more than just fruits and vegetables to grow up strong, after all. Her brother would of course know this, right?  Syekren sped up a bit, missing what the little girl was saying to the young man, being able to match his pace to walk beside the dark haired male on his left, not biting into his meat again for a moment as he walked, smiling a bit as he spoke to the two of them. "I couldn't help but noticed what happened at the vendor's stall over there on my way through town and I wanted to talk to you. Your little sister needs more than just fruits to grow up strong you know?"

He wasn't trying to shove himself into their business, but Syekren cared about children more than he cared about most. He didn't want to see a child going hungry or not getting enough to eat. Or possibly having an unbalanced diet, none of that was good to him. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, you see. I just don't like seeing children go without. I purchased a few large servings of meat like the one here in my left hand, and if you two would accept, I'd like to give you a bit of the meat in my pack. Balanced diets are important, after all." Of course, he was saying that as he wasn't balancing his own diet. The man sighed inwardly and made a mental note to collect himself a few pieces of fruit and vegetables on his way home. He'd taken up residence near what used to be the Uchiha compound, which was now just a memorial to what happened the centuries before. He was going to go there the next day to search for knowledge on the Uchiha, which made the close proximity that much more of a boon for him. He quietly walked with the two, waiting on their replies and taking another bite of his meat, trying to chew quietly. There was a bit of juice from the meat in his bear and he reached into his pack for a napkin, cleaning it out quickly.

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OOC: Hope it was okay to join. Was going to earlier but I fell asleep. Syekren can't stand idly by when an orphan isn't eating a balanced diet! Lmao.

Watching the child eat, Lucien couldn’t say that he had ever gone hungry before. He had always been a sickly child, and that meant that all his basic needs were met to the utmost degree. He was never left wanting food, water or warmth, though he did wish at times that all the fussing would just go away. Now that he was older, he was expected to meet his own needs … but with constant access to his family funds. The little girl - who had chosen to follow him, again to his surprise - had dug into the fruits with gusto, leading him to truly believe that she had been quite famished. What was a child doing along in the marketplace, and left in a degree of hunger that nearly forced her to steal?

As they walked on, Lucien began to realise that he was in a rather awkward predicament. Sure, he had made an in-the-moment decision to help the child out, but what exactly was he doing now, walking around with the very same child trailing behind him? He was a full grown male hailing from another village with no notable reputation … Well, hell. I’m one of those child abductors now, aren’t I? He even prompted her to call him brother, despite the fact that they were complete strangers! What if this was all just a test by the villagers to evaluate him as a guest? What if her parents were just around the corner, ready to call him out for his inappropriate behaviour? Thoughts began wildly running through his mind, train wreck upon train wreck. He almost didn’t catch what the girl said, barely having time to register the fact that she was thanking him before another voice cut in.

“I couldn’t help but noticed what happened at the vendor's stall over there …” Lucien stopped completed in his tracks, apple halfway to his mouth. Uh oh, he was definitely right about it all being a trap. Should he make a run for it? But that would make him look more guilty. He could try to explain it … but that sounded like it would require much more effort than he was willing to expend at this point. What didn’t he just mind his own business, get his food, and go home? As he lamented over his poor life decisions, he slowly began tuning back in to what the new arrival was saying. Something about children going without … giving a bit of meat … Oh. OH. This man probably thought Lucien and the little girl were actually together.

“I agree, it’s important for children to eat more and grow healthy.” Lucien cut in quickly as he began moving once more to maintain the pace that the group was moving at. Motioning at the little girl, he nodded his head at the other man. “I’m sure you could use more than some fruits and vegetables. As for me, I’ll be heading home soon, so eat up and don’t go hungry anymore, okay?” Flashing a brief smile, he began slowly inching away. This was a new idea. A genius idea. Whoever this man was seemed to care about children, and the sooner Lucien could  push the responsibility over to someone else, the sooner he could get home and relax in his own bed. Sure, he did momentarily feel good about helping someone in need, but as far as he was concerned, he was done his part and owed nothing to anybody.

... But was it really okay to leave the child with yet another complete stranger? It was obvious that the little girl wasn't all that comfortable around Lucien. As he moved ever so slightly away from the group, he left his gaze shift over to look at the child again, trying to gauge her expression as she took in the presence of the other man.

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Word Count: 654 | 1896

It dawned on her that she couldn’t simply follow this young man around all day: yes he had helped her out of a tough spot and had in fact bought her food but she didn’t know him and she definitely didn’t want to be a bother to someone who had showed her such kindness. Just as little Chou was beginning to think of a polite way to hand the young man his pickings and take off with her own however she heard a voice and glanced over to see that they weren’t alone anymore: a bearded man had decided to join them who was eating the most delicious smelling meat she had ever laid eyes upon. Chou felt her mouth water as she attempted to focus on what the man was saying rather than the food in his hand, and found herself having to swallow twice to keep from drooling. How long had it been since she had gotten a decent hunk of meat at a meal? How long had it been since she hadn’t left a table still hungry?


Her stomach roared to life once more, making its presence more than known, and yet Chou found herself unable to pluck another banana or her green skinned apple out of the bag to eat it: it just wasn’t the same as actually eating something nice and hot and far more tasty. Despite her demanding gut she forced herself to focus on the older man’s words, noticing that he too seemed to have bought the whole brother and sister act; mentioning that Chou needed more than just fruits and vegetables to grow. Her stomach roared in agreement. When the man mentioned giving them some meat from his pack she couldn’t help but nod at the idea; entirely ignoring the little voice at the back of her head that said taking anything from a stranger was a bad idea. She didn’t care at this point, she was starving. ”Oh, yes please!”


Her anxiety around strangers was as much ignored as the little voice in the back of her head for the time being, to the point to where as the young man spoke, indicating that he agreed she could likely use more than just fruits and vegetables and that he was heading home, she found herself raising her free right hand and waving goodbye without a second thought of being left alone with yet another stranger. ”Thanks again!”, she called out, stopping where she’d been walking and watching the young man seem to inch his way out of the situation before turning her attention onto the bearded individual expectantly: food had been mentioned after all, and if her stomach was any indication with all of the noise it was making she was fairly certain the bearded man could actually hear her hunger at this point. She certainly could.


”He’s not really my brother...”, the words were blurted out before she could stop herself, though she had no knowledge of why she actually said them. Perhaps it was simply because she found herself wanting to be honest with someone willing to share with her. Yeah, that had to be it, because no other reasoning made sense considering she was basically admitting she was completely alone. ”I don’t actually have a brother.. or a sister. Well, I guess in a way I do: the people at the orphanage say we’re supposed to consider each other like family, but all they do is beat me up and tease me so I don’t….”, she found herself pausing, unsure once more why she had said that now, she really was on a roll for random things being blurted out of her mouth today. ”Sorry, I ramble sometimes...”, she added apologetically.


”I’m Chou by the way, of the Akimichi clan!”, she added, figuring she might as well and be polite and introduce herself considering how much else she had already told this stranger. ”What’s your name?”, she added politely, noticing only then as she did so that she still held the bag of fruits and vegetables and adjusting it on her arm so that the strap wasn’t digging into her flesh.

Word Count: 742 | 2,810

Syekren smiled wholeheartedly when he heard the young man agree with him that a balanced diet was important. But when he noticed the male trying to inch away, telling the girl that she did in fact need more than fruits and vegetables and that he was going home so she should eat up, the older man looked disgusted. He quietly raised his hand to have his palm facing straight up. His chakra would radiate like a burning ember being blown to life into a roaring flame. As it came to life, so did the flames in his hand, forming into a baseball sized orb of near unimaginable heat and fire. The ninja quietly looked at the form of the other male who was trying to retreat, speaking with a sterner voice than before, a hint of malice behind what used to be a smiling face. "You would dare leave your sister alone in the company of a stranger? You would leave such a young girl and scurry home, looking for the easiest way to rid yourself of her? That is deplorable, why I'll take this flame and-"

He was cut off by the movement of the little girl waving to him, saying goodbye and thanking him for the food. It was then that he realized he'd missed her saying 'yes please' and he could focus on the sound of her rumbling stomach, which it seemed the bag of fruits she held couldn't satisfy. When she spoke again, the older man felt his face growing red not with anger, but embarrassment. There were a few people looking on now and he quietly clenched his fist to dissipate the gathering flame orb. He was just informed by the little girl that the young man was in fact, not her brother. Which meant he was simply a kind young soul who had seen her in trouble and done his duty to help the poor child. With a sigh, the man rubbed the back of his head and looked away, muttering loud enough for the retreating male to hear him speak. "Sorry, I thought you were abandoning this poor girl and that you were really her brother." That was all he would say on it and he would allow the other male to leave if he so chose to do so. What Syekren needed to do at this point was to get away from the area he was in lest more people get suspicious.

When the girl continued speaking, Syekren looked down at her, tilting his head. She mentioned that she didn't really have any family, save for on a technicality if one were talking about the other kids at the orphanage. She apparently only got bullied and beat up by the people she was told she was supposed to consider family. She cut herself off and the uchiha sighed, his heart feeling a twinge of pity for her. He wasn't one to care about the affairs of others often, but as he grew older he found himself caring more and more about the safety and well being of the children he came across. His mind often went back to the kids he met in his career and he wondered just how many of them had turned out okay, or were successful in their pursuits of happiness. The girl apologized for rambling and his hand instinctively came to rest softly on her little head, ruffling her hair a bit. His smile was bag again and his soft ocean blue and navy blue eyes stared down at her, any hostility form before completely wiped away.

"Hush, hush, little one. There's no need to apologize. You may open up and talk to me at any time." She then introduced herself, rather excitedly, as Chou of the Akimichi clan. Regrettably, the Uchiha didn't know anything about such a clan and hadn't heard of them before today. Then again, he wasn't a big study of the histories surrounding clans other than his own. He made a mental note to change that when next he could. She asked his name not long after and he paused, considering whether or not to give her a false name, to keep the both of them safe. Opting instead to be honest with such a polite little lass, he spoke through a soft smile with a gruff, but soft voice. "I am Syekren of the Uchiha clan. While my clan is originally from this village I was born in another land, far away from here. Perhaps some time in the future I'll tell you about it. I could make a story time of it, how would you like that?" The Uchiha chuckled a bit and looked around at those who were still staring at him, due to his earlier hostility to the young man who had basically been forgotten, whether he was still there or not.

"Actually, I'd like to get out of the market, would you like to come with me? I know you said you live at the orphanage but I'm sure they'll not mind if you stay at my house tonight. I have two extra rooms that  I don't use, and an extra bed should you get tired since it's getting late. And you can even eat the meat I have in my pack for you, how does that sound?" He realized how it might sound to outsiders, but the Uchiha didn't want to draw attention to them at this point in time. He wasn't exactly a loved individual. Nor a law abiding citizen at this point it time. It would be easier for them if he could just give the young lady food at his home instead of doing so here with people who might get too suspicious of a hostile older man. 'Why are things always so difficult? I still need to work on my temper at thirty years old' He sighed internally and studied the young girl who seemed to be adjusting the bag she was still holding so that it wouldn't dig into her skin and cause her pain. He felt beside himself for not offering help earlier.

He held out his free hand for the bag of fruits and offered her the meat he was holding in his other hand. "Here, trade me and hold this. Don't worry, I don't have germs or cuties. And yes you will still get a full one of your own. I just think this will be easier on the both of us. Now what do you say? Let's get going eh?" He would take the bag if she'd let him and hand off the meat. Either way, whether she'd come or not he had to get out of the market and would begin to walk towards the exit of it, where one might go to find the older clan compounds that were once destroyed and turned into museums of sorts. Things of that nature were less likely to bring suspicious gazes around the older man who just wanted to live his life at this point and learn more from the histories of his people. Whether this girl tagged along or not wouldn't change it. In fact, perhaps they could teach each other of their clans and form some sort of adoptive familial bond? Syekren had no idea, he was no fortune teller, but he did know that he was getting out of the watchful eyes of the market goers.

1,264|2,396

The really moody Jamie was busy eating a loaf of long delicious bread on top of the bakery when he noticed some commotion in the lower sections of the market district. He tried to avoid sitting on some people's roofs since apparently it bothered some old people to have anyone on their roof. He watched from a distance as that girl looked about the same age as him with hair that was red like his. He wanted to greet her, just out of curiosity since he did not always bump into other red heads as he always hung out with many of the Inazuka wolves or with his family lately.

He had recently joined a squad and had been assigned under the dual wielding stranger known as Anon Brier, he had to do his best to remember that name. However he wrote it down in his new shinobi notebook in order to learn better from his squad leader and from Monkey-sensei Eizo. He was swaying his feet around wearing his sakura pink t-shirt and a plain white shorts. He just felt like relaxing today, he actually felt really stressed out from the training they did as their combination was not as good as he wanted it to be. He hoped he did not disappoint Airi as he began to learn a bit more about the Senju thanks to her, as well as noticing the gap between him and his squad leader.

Shippo and Jamie had not been getting along well lately, at least in terms of talking to each other. However Jamie still loved his family and they were simply giving each other space out of understanding. This put a lot of hurt on his mother Ashi who could not bare to leave it alone, but she had to endure so that Jamie would mature into a good shinobi one day.

After a while Jamie was looking at the girl and that other boy as he wondered if that was her older brother. Having not seen Nayoko in a while, to see this man now made him want to go down straight away as he did not hide his presence as he went to jump carefully down the one side using a kunai he kept with him to slow decent as he made a mark in the side of the bakery alongside the other marks as the baker already had enough issues with that, to the point that he just gave up on it since this was a shinobi village.

Jamie ran up towards the stranger as he waved a bit and stopped right in front of the Uchiha man he did not know as he said, "Hi". However when he stopped he realized the man looked different, he had mistaken it for the man who met Nayoko as he looked up to the man, then tilted his head slightly before looking down, and then up again with a feint sigh escaping his lips as he then looked down with disappointment.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else" as he also waved to the girl and the other boy feeling a bit embarrassed that he did not look more carefully.

(533)

OOC Note:

The bearded man smiled when her fake brother agreed that she needed more than just fruits and vegetables to have a balanced diet: in fact Chou herself agreed too. She rather disliked fruits and vegetables – okay, not all, but most of them anyway – and preferred meat and various snack foods. However that train of thought was derailed when it seemed the bearded man had noticed that her fake brother was attempting to edge away from the scene. The response she saw should have probably scared her, this man creating an orb of fire in his hand which he seemed all too ready to use, and yet it didn’t. In fact, it entranced her: she couldn’t remember the last time someone had got angry over a choice someone made regarding her, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had acted in any way or form protective over her. She didn’t understand it, but she wasn’t going to question it either.

The response didn’t last long though, as it seemed as soon as her words had registered about the younger man not being her brother his anger abated and the flames were extinguished. Even though the incident had happened so quickly it seemed that it had drawn some attention to them, attention she didn’t want as it would mean anyone who knew her to belong to the orphanage could drag her back sooner rather than later. No, being out in the open definitely wasn’t a good idea anymore. Still, instead of taking off and hiding as she would have in any other situation she found herself still glued to the spot, keen on listening to the bearded man as he responded to her, introducing himself as Syekren of the Uchiha clan – someone born in another land, a story he was willing to share with her at some time: an idea that definitely interested the young Akimichi as she loved hearing and learning about new things, including far away places.

Just was she was beginning to feel torn about what she wanted to do – fleeing or staying put – Syekren made it clear he too wanted to leave the market, inquiring if she wanted to come with him which she immediately agreed to with a nod of her head as a response. The idea of getting away from the orphanage even for a night was appealing – she never wanted to go back to that place if she could help it due to how horrible it was, so it was an opportunity she wasn’t going to say no to regardless of how much trouble she was definitely sure she was going to be in. Her decision was only concreted as Syekren spoke about the meat he had bought and his willingness to share, her stomach rearing its head with another roar.

When he offered to carry the heavy bag of fruits and vegetables for her, in exchange for handing her the food he’d been holding she didn’t hesitate to make the switch, her hunger winning out without a second thought. ”Okies! Thank you!”, she’d respond, not bothering about cuties or germs or any of the such as she tore into the piece of meat hungrily while following after her new friend through the market and out of it, paying only enough attention to where they were going to make sure she didn’t run into anyone or anything, quiet as she stuffed her face in as politely a manner as a starving child, let alone an Akimichi – could. She was burning with questions of course for Syekren, having never met anyone who lived in another village before, but her primary concern for the moment was taking care of her stomach and that was trumping even her burning curiosity at least for now – it certainly wouldn’t last as soon as her stomach was no longer calling all of the shots.


Word Count: 675 | 3,485
Training the Following:
Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique: 3,485 – 750 = 2,735
Body Flicker Technique (瞬身の術 ~ Shunshin no Jutsu): 2,735 – 750 = 1,985
Temporary Paralysis Technique (金縛りの術 ~ Kanashibari no Jutsu): 1,985 – 750 = 1,235
Wind Release: Air Bullets (Fūton: Kazejuugan ~ 風遁・空気弾丸): 1,235 – 1,000 = 235

Strength E → E1: 235 – 75 = 160
Strength E1 → E2: 160 – 150 = 10

Discarding: 10

OOC:

Syekren noticed the other small child running up to him and tilted his head a bit. He seemed to be familiar to the boy but he couldn't exactly place why. Still, he was allowed to carry the heavy looking bag for Chou and would give her the meat. While she happily chewed into the hunk of meat with a voracious appetite, the older shinobi would smile a bit and lead her on out of the market district. He would be sure to ask her about herself and get more information on her so that he wouldn't be remiss for not knowing more about the girl than her name and clan name, but now wasn't the time. He needed to get her to his home and get out of the watchful eyes of those in the market, lest the criminal ninja be discovered and have the ANBU called. Bloodshed was not something he wanted on the menu today, especially in front of an impressionable child. He still had other things to do but he would have to finish them later, now that he'd gotten a tag along.

It would not be long before they'd finally gotten away from the market and entered the district of the old Uchiha clan compound. Syekren would lead chou to a nice looking house incredibly near the compound, stopping only to look over to a shadow cloaked man standing near a light post. He'd wave the man over who looked over Chou quietly before addressing Syekren personally. 'I have the location of the old hideout. I've also found a scroll depicting the ability you needed for it. When you're ready to continue, only say the word and I will be there to assist you.' Syekren nodded and thanked the man, shaking his hand. The man looked once more down at the child before heading out, passing the Uchiha compound and offering a prayer as he did so. Syekren smiled softly to himself, relishing in the small victory of at least getting what he needed. Soon his work would be complete and he wouldn't need to stay in the village too much longer. Even though he'd used a fake name he knew ANBU weren't stupid, they would eventually figure it out if the sand village sent word of his defection.

When he got inside with the young girl, he left her at his dining room table with her food, moving to his office. There was a delivery salamander upon his writing desk, and this prompted a quizzical look from the ninja. He took the letter it held in its mouth and watched it scurry away. With a bit of confusion he opened the letter and quietly read the contents of it. When he was finished, he put it to his candle and sighed, letting it burn out in an ash tray. He would need to leave for Sunagakure no Sato tomorrow to finish a bit of old business before he was allowed to finally rest. With that in mind, he turned off the office light and went about the rest of his night, preparing mentally for what he would have to do upon reaching his old home. It was a lot to ask of the ninja but he knew that he would need to complete the task he'd set before himself fifteen years ago. Otherwise, he would never have the rest he needed he would never escape the past nor forge the future he wanted. He was locked in a struggle between torching his home and being hunted for the rest of his days. He couldn't bring such a thing on the young girl who sat at his table eating the spiced meat, naught but innocence in her eyes. No, he knew what must be done, and he was prepared.

[Exit]

646|3,042

Training:

Jamie could not believe they simply left him alone there, he felt so rejected and hurt that he wanted to cry. He felt something breaking inside as he hung on to the fragmented pain inside, he did not understand at the time. Jamie was simply a fragment from the start, but now that his began to build up his fragments to form a heart. He was now more fragile then before, when he was but one fragment all that was left was to shatter, but now like glass he lives with cracks ready to break apart. With each new day came a new fragment and with every other day those very same fragments begin to break off. Like a snowflake trying to survive in the heat of the burning sun, Jamie left the market district slowly walking and then jogging, then a slow run and then a dash like a mad child as the tears flew off his face too fast for most to see as he ran into the forests.

Jamie began to run and run and even run some more
Feeling his heart bleeding down to the core
Run and running side to side
Evading trees as he tries to hide

Jamie ducks under a branch then he makes a roll
Rolling for a while through the trees like making a goal
Running left then running right
Jamie was in the mood for a fight

After running here, and running there
Jamie just felt for a moment, that he did not care

This was when Jamie finally got home, got ready to sleep and passed out in bed after a long day of running all day into the night. Jamie was breathing heavily as he was catching his breathe as he left a mess all over the floor, shoes there and clothes here. Towel on top of Tobourne's head which she felt was annoying, but let Jamie get away with it since he seemed to ahve had a really busy day.

(334)
[867]

Training Speed D1 - D3
400 + 450 = 800 words

Exit Thread