One of his favorite times of the day, which was now morning...or was it afternoon had finally came upon the somewhat peaceful village of Kumogakure no sato after a well rounded ninjutsu type of training, and seeing it as a perfect time to do so he would get up and leave the training grounds in which he fought Raphael and ventured out into the world and life of Kumo. Deciding not to go to his apartment and change, Tenjin went in his usual attire but this time it has been dirty due to the recent battle, he was hot so he spread the top of his gi and showed his chest. His spikey yet tamed black hair was still standing and appeared untouched.

The cool foggy air touched his face as he looked up at the sun which was being buffeted by the clouds and fog above, not a good sight but this would tell him that it was about to get either better or worse so he would chuckle slightly as he made his way to the restaurant to meet the shinobi he was just battling.

After fifteen minutes of walking into the restaurant he would look around and try to find the restaurant that the shinobi was talking about, he would stop in front of a restaurant that he had went to not to long ago and said, “this must be the place.” his eyes would stare at the sign for a moment contemplating on what he wanted to do," Grahh...i am hungry and i want to also go around the village for a to meet some people," he was seriously beating himself up over this situation as he wanted to continue his training, but meeting people was also a small mission that he has assigned himself.

The food was also tempting as he continued to smell it and for a moment he would be drooling, but before anyone could see him do this he would wipe his mouth and groan," The decisions are going to be the death of me... know what i am going to do this and nothing is going to change tha-," the feeling of someone bumping into him shifted him for a bit before he looked and the restaurant door and just walked in.

He had smiled for a moment as he rubbed his head gently before smiling,”This place looks so good," a small chuckle escaped his lips as he looked into the restaurants menu for a moment. A smile formed on his face for a moment before a waiter said to Tenjin after sitting down,"Hello, and welcome. Would you like to have a drink? some lunch? it would be my treat if you wanted to also order some deserts," he would wait for Tenjin to reply, “Water please, and yeah get me your mightiest meal.” Tenjin gave him the menu and waited for the shinobi who invited him to eat. This should be interesting, Tenjin wanted to mostly ask about his village, considering that this is a whole different culture. But the first question he would’ve asked would be about the villages Raikage. Not having a Tsuchikage made Tenjin interested in other world leaders so he wanted to know if this shinobi has ever met him. When Raphael arrives he would politely say, “Hey hows it going.” after some time to respond, Tenjin would then say, “I just ordered so you can do that as well.” once he does that and the pair is waiting, he would ask, “So tell me about your Raikage?”

WC 596 / 2000

Raphael's mind was racing as he thought back to the spar he had with Tenjin, he had made mistakes in the fight and now as he replayed it all in his head he was trying his best to reach a different outcome that what transpired on the battle plateau. His biggest mistake was that he tried to hard to finish the fight fast like he had the three he beat before he faced Tenjin, unfortunately Tenjin was obviously a skilled fighter and was able to meet every single one of Raphael's attacks. His only thought now was that if he had taken more time and thought out an actual plan instead of just swinging wildly into the wind, he possibly could have reached an outcome of his victory rather than a draw. Raphael's thoughts drew him to a phrase that his grandfather had told him everyday during his training sessions growing up, "The hardest test in life is having the patience to wait for the right moment." Only now was the young shinobi coming to realize what his grandfather actually meant by those words, had the young boy been patient he could have found the right moment to find victory. Raphael's problem was that he never really had patience, he hated waiting even when he was younger he hated waiting. Ever since his awakening everything he did he tried his best to rush through, during his training they tried to explain the importance of patience and that in order to achieve the goals he wished to reach it would be a crucial tool in his arsenal and yet still he rushed through his training eager to become a shinobi and rush towards his goal. Now he was starting to realize that he never reach his goal if he was not more careful in his actions in the future, had the spar with Tenjin been a real fight there was the possibility of him ending the boy unscathed. Unfortunately there was also the possibility that the boy would of been able to deal a fatal blow before his end, even worst was the possibility that the boy could of ended him before he was even able to get into position for his own strike. Raphael could not shake the thoughts from his mind, if he was going to continue down this path he had chosen then he would have to find his own patience. Raphael let out a groan at the very thought, this was going to be hard for the young headstrong genin but he would have to do his best if he wished to achieve his goal.

Raphael's mind was returned to reality by the smell of the food as he passed in front of the diner, oops almost missed it he thought mentally kicking himself for almost missing the very place he was heading. As he opened the door to the diner his nose was filled with the wondrous smell of the famous restaurant, after a quick look around the room Raphael found the person he was looking for. Walking across the room to where the boy sat, Raphael took the seat across the table from the boy. "It's going good thank you, had a nice relaxing shower." Raphael answered the boy as he sat, then after looking at the boy still covered in the dirt and sweat from their spar he felt bad for even mentioning it as he did not know if the boy even had shower accommodations or not. However, Raphael felt it would be rude to ask such a question so he refrained himself from such. When the boy mentioned ordering a smile came to the young shinobi's face, he did not need to see the menu for this was his favorite place to eat after a workout and he always ordered the same thing. The waiter brought the boy a glass of water and then looked to Raphael, "ah mister Raphael a pleasure to have you again shall I have the chef prepare your usual steak?" He asked, and with a simple nod from Raphael the waiter was off into the kitchen before returning a few moments later with a glass of water for Raphael. "Your food will be ready shortly," the waiter said to the pair at the table before going to deal with other customers. Raphael looked back to the boy taking a sip of his water before saying, "I come here a lot... Almost everyday after my daily workout unless I am out on a mission or another priority takes presidence."

Tenjin wasted little time in starting up a conversation by asking about the Raikage, unfortunately the young shinobi had no idea what the raikage was like or anything about him short of the man's name, and the only reason he even knew that much was because it was on the letter of acceptance to his request to join the village. "Well to be honest with you I don't know much about him other than the rumors of the village, they say he is the strongest raikage to date, he brought order and strength to the village when it was lost and weak." Raphael spoke the truth but he left out the part about the reason that he did not know much about the Raikage was that he just recently arrived in Kumogakure a few weeks earlier. "I have a question for you if you dont mind," Raphael said before taking another sip of his water, "earlier you asked me about what being a shinobi meant to me, now if you don't mind I would like to ask you that same question, what does being a Shinobi mean to you?"

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960

A flash of light would envelop the hall before Raphael was able to enter the restaurant. The sharply dressed Raphael would appear from the light, stepping casually toward the table as if he has been here before. A respectful introduction would follow, it was still mid-day and the pair had a whole day ahead of them so Tenjin didn’t want to hold this shinobi up, as he was sure both had trainings or missions to get to. He figured there might be a chance they might be working late if this lunch takes longer than expected. It would make sense then, to ask if he would like to spar once more again once food is within their system. After all, a great deal of training is needed to keep the shinobi of the village running efficiently. Nevertheless, because the tournament that the shinobi chunin exam had been in a buzz because it was happening tomorrow, Raphael may have some other plans. This meeting however, was extremely important to Tenjin. Raphael had just started speaking with Tenjin, they had had a conversation that had been getting put off since the sparring session. But the events of that spar were not important at the moment. He had to be able to absorb all he could learn from differing cultures. Answering his question in regards to the Raikage, Raphael had limited answers, but Tenjin would nod his head respectfully at the shinobi before him speaking. Tenjin would wonder as this is the Raikage rumored to want to gather the shinobi world under one single banner, which seemed quite totalitarian and borders the line of fascism, but Tenjin himself knew less of the Raikage than even Raphael seemed to mention. Even still, he was provided with some worthwhile data in regards to Kumos condition before the Raikage took power and the fact that this is the strongest Raikage to date.

The sharply dressed shinobi would proceed to take a deep breath and move onto building rapport, his tone becoming more official as he began to inquire about Tenjin. “As you may be aware, I am awfully young and have actually only been a genin for a couple months.” Tenjin paused as he received the drink that he was waiting for. While eyeing the glass, deep in his thought, the waiter would walk away as Tenjin would look straight up and into Raphaels blue eyes as Tenjin began to speak again. “Being a ninja to me is the idea that the worth of a shinobi or kunoichi is solely determined by his or her contribution to the village over all, and in maximizing happiness or pleasure as summed among all people within the village by any and all means that they are possibly capable of achieving. Be it protecting the village as Kage or ANBU, or teaching it as an Academy Teacher, or Sensai.  It is, then, the total utility of individual shinobi or kunoichi which is important here. To benefit the village is the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utility, after which the doctrine is named, is a measure of the relative satisfaction from the village from the shinobi, or desirability of the village, to keep the shinobi or kunoichi in operation. To be a shinobi can thus be described as a quantitative and reductionist approach to being a ninja.” Tenjin would pause for a moment knowing that he has a habit of lecturing on being an Academy Teacher and a University graduate, which hopes to be further in his academic career than he is in his shinobi career. Some people usually dont like to hear Tenjin lecture as interesting as the topic may be, he just chooses the wrong times to begin his classes.

After receiving his meal, he would feel the need to finish his thought process before taking a bite. “You see, my ninja way starts from the basis that pleasure and happiness are intrinsically valuable, that pain and suffering are intrinsically not valuable, and that anything else has value only in its causing happiness or preventing suffering. Ninjas are instrumental in this cause, and must fight as soldier as means to an end. This focus on happiness or pleasure as the ultimate end of a ninjas decisions, makes it a type of Hedonism. I support allegiance by the equal consideration of interests, and I reject any arbitrary distinctions as to who is worthy of concern and who is not, and any discrimination between individuals. However, I do accept the idea and recognize that the same thing furthers the interests of a gifted ninja to a lesser degree than it would the interests of a less gifted ninja. To be a shinobi in a sense is a form of consequentialism. In that the worth of an individual shinobi or kunoichi is determined by the outcome of his life or the consequences of his actions - the ends do indeed justify the means my friend, as opposed to the deotological philosophy that Konoha follows with this will of fire, which disregards performing an act, when determining its morality.” He said this with a smile and joking demeanor. Tenjin would finish speaking as he would begin to eat, and then say, “I don't usually like to speak as much when not speaking to a fellow Iwagakure shinobi. You see, I am a professor at heart.” Tenjin would by then have proven his point and hopefully has made his ninja way known and understood. This was the first time has was able to fully articulate his nindo, and it honestly felt good as Tenjin never really fully knew what his nindo was, but only because he never got the opportunity to gather his thoughts on the subject. Tenjin would then look up at Raphael and say, “In short, my ninja way is to be useful to my village. You know something about that, right Raphael? Kumogakure is after all one of the greatest shinobi villages.”

WC: 993

1,589/2000

For a brief moment Raphael felt as though he was back in the academy, not because what the boy said was boring or anything but because how he worded his sentences. It was clear to Raphael that this boy was wise beyond his years, Raphael listened intensively as the boy spoke, he had a strong belief in what a shinobi was meant for and their responsibilities. When the boy talked about accepting pleasure and happiness and rejecting pain and suffering, and everything else about his nindo Raphael realized how committed he was to his own Shinobi way. Raphael was so caught up in the boys words that he did not even notice the waiter bring them their food, only when the boy had finish his thought and began eating his own food did Raphael notice that his food was in front of him. Feeling his stomach growl for the hundredth time today, Raphael smiled before he began to devour the juicy steak that sat before him. As he sat there across from the boy, thinking about what the boy had said, how could a boy so young be so philosophical he thought to himself. The boy was younger than himself even if it was not by much yet he spoke in a way Raphael's elders would speak or those who taught at the academy. When the boy said he was a professor at heart Raphael made the connection, he sounded like a teacher because in his own way he was a teacher, that was something Raphael had never really saw himself doing as he was not a very good people person. Not to mention the fact that the immaturity of the young drove Raphael crazy, even when he was in the academy he hated the immaturity of his peers. He just found it hard to believe that someone so young was at the same time more mature than people even twice his age, Raphael had always considered himself to be mature beyond his years, but now comparing himself to this boy he felt himself to just be of average maturity.

The boy was right Raphael could relate to wanting nothing more than to be useful, even though he was wrong about where he had tried to be useful. He had tried to find his usefulness in the sand, but on that terrible night he was no match for what happened there, instead he fled like a coward. Now he stood in the village hidden in the clouds wanting nothing more than to prove himself useful not only to the hidden cloud village but also himself. "Your right I do understand, I have been doing everything I could think of since I became a genin of the hidden cloud to make myself useful to the village especially with the chuunin exams currently going on." Raphael paused to take another bite from his delicious steak before continuing, "with everything that is going on with the chuunin exams I find myself continuously on the go either giving tours to tourist or helping with the set up for the trails and everything in between. I love it as I love being helpful but at the same time I also enjoy the chance for personal time so that I can better myself by training so that I can be more useful in the future, and every now and again I will take a few hours or so for myself to relax." Taking his fork in his hand and getting another bite of his steak, washing it down with his water he smiled over at the boy, "moments like this, enjoying time for yourself with a good meal and some conversation with a new person, its moments like this that makes all the work seem worth it dont you think? After finishing his steak and the rest of his meal Raphael took his glass in his hand taking his last drink before setting some ryo on the table, "Tenjin if you don't mind me asking where are you staying during your stay here? I have some room in my apartment I would be happy to let you stay with me you can take a shower and whatever else you might need."

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707/1667

Tenjin was pleased to see that it appeared as if Raphael understood exactly what he was talking about, as Tenjin expected, Raphael's unusual attire for a shinobi certainly implies a well educated and well mannered background. As a shinobi who just recently got the promotion and moved up the rank to Genin, he understands far too well what Raphael spoke about trying all he can as a Genin to support his village. Tenjin considers himself a capable shinobi, but of course with a well amount of training; nevertheless, as a genin, he is tasked with mundane missions and tasks that do little in determining his villages safety, or fulfilling its need, so Tenjin still yearns for more. As Tenjin ate his meal he could forget the contribution that he already provides to the village, and preparing the future of shinobi, as an Academy school teacher for the year. Tenjin would look up as Raphael would speak about needing his time to relax, ‘I guess I need to create organized leisure time for myself as well, because as I come to think about it, I have never ate with an Iwagakure shinobi like this before’ Tenjin thought. Coincidentally enough, after this thought process, Raphael mentions the fact that it is times like this, engaged in conversation with new people, that we live for. Once done with this question, Tenjin rose his glass to toast, and say “I certainly believe that.” Tenjin would then finish the little bit of food he had left and left ryo on the table for the food with a good tip for the waiting staff, and as Raphael spoke, Tenjin was nothing more but pleased with the gesture that was presented to him. “Im staying in the lower districts of Kumogakure where they stationed all of the Iwagakure shinobi and citizens coming to see the Chunin exam. It would be a pleasure to stay over at least until the exams are completed, after all, I’m sure it would make for a great story.” Tenjin wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about his counterpart, and ask about his history as well. This is an interesting plot, and Tenjin understood that this was going to be an important milestone in his Chunin exam arc. Tenjin wanted to get ready to train some needed taijutsu, as he understands that there are some great talents in the world, so he followed Raphael to his apartment in order to prepare for the training.

PS:

[EXIT]

WC: 413

2,002 / 2,000

Training:

The walk to Raphael's apartment would be a brief one, the Genin apartments were just around the corner of the diner which was one of the reasons Raphael made it his daily stop. However Raphael would still use the time to point out points of interests, mainly the Tree of Durian as he did not want Tenjin to suffer the same ill effects his friend Eishi and himself endured due to eating the sweet fruit of the tree. When the reached his apartment on the third floor, Raphael would let Tenjin shower as he made some tea for the pair to enjoy as they talk. Once the boy was finished showering Raphael would try to get to know the boy more, as well as letting the boy know more about him. After some time talking with the boy and getting to know the boy more he knew the boy to be an honest and trustworthy person, and so Raphael decided to tell the boy the truth about his clan and where he was from, the Kozai estate where he spent most of his life as well as how the Kozai could be identified easily by the bright electric blue eyes like his. Raphael told the boy all of this because he viewed the boy as his friend and he would also tell him about the fact that the Kozai were devoted servants to the hidden sand and with its destruction many of them scattered to the winds rather than returning home. Raphael would tell the boy the story of his childhood at the estate and about his right as the heir to the clan leader and about his sister and how much he missed her. Raphael then asked the boy for a favor that would mean a lot to him, he would ask the boy that if he came across any member of the Kozai clan that may had fled to Iwagakure that he show them the respect that Raphael has shown him. Raphael would also stress to the boy that his identity remained anonymous as he came to Kumogakure to be where he wasn't know to become stronger and because he did not know who could be trusted.

{Exit Thread}

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Aspect of the Wind trained: -1000 & -150Ryo
Words Saved: 1038

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