How did Eishi end up in the hospital? Well, it so happened that the boy overslept the registration process for the chuunin exams and with everyone busy, he had to entertain himself. Really, it sounds way more exciting – if not wrong – than it actually was, for the genin wasn't imaginative as of late. Perhaps his latest mission was the reason? Doubtfully so, it's been a while since he did something useful for the village. Then he must've gotten himself into a terrible fight. No, that would require too much effort from a mere wanna-be spectator of the exam. What then? Wonder no more, dear contemplator – it was nothing different than Eishi's inborn tendency to be lazy that brought him here. "Sonny, you can't just lay in bed all day – your father is going to kill you", his mother told him a couple of times. "It's bad as it is, don't just make it even worse, okay? I am sure you can manage that of all things. Am I wrong?" Technically she was mistaken, yes, but the genin knew he had to do something. And as far as his imagination could go, he decided to pretend to be sick and just use one of the free beds in Kumo's hospital. Worked well. He travelled far (far from home), gathered new sights and at the end – found a cheap way to rest away from his parents. Nobody in the institution paid him any significant attention – a tired nurse had him fill a couple of documents and voila – top floor, clean sheets and all the time in the world. It was the good life...

... or so he thought before they started bringing injured people in. Broken limbs, infected wounds, cries of pain – really messed the wholesome idyll up. Paradise was no more, and the genin had to do something to get out of the medical wing. But what?  

"Excuse me, nurse, I think I feel fine now. Can I just... walk away or something? Would be glad to continue my... daily ninja struggles, heh-heh. So to say. And I am sure my grievances weren't nearly as bad as these fellas have it, right, boys? Err, sorry. Nurse! Hello? Anybody?"
---

WC: 377

The sun rose over the mountain pass just as the boy rounded the corner to get his first glance that the Great Village Hidden in the Clouds, it was an impressive site to see such a mejestic village such as this. As he drew closer to the village gate he took notice of large amount of people on the other side of the gate, it seemed as if the village was pack to the rim with people and not just the citizens of the Hidden Cloud Village from the look of some of them.The gates stood open yet there where a few Cloud Shinobi going about stopping and talking with people as they entered the village. One approached him as well, "Greetings Traveller welcome to the Village Hidden in the Clouds, This Years Host of the Chuunin Exams. Though all are welcome here we must do our best to keep track of those who pass though our gates, I just need your name and the land you hail from." The man said as though it was a rehershed line that he said more times within the day that by now it was becoming annoying to the man, yet still he showed a friendly smile and an outstretched hand. "I am Raphael, and I am from..." the young boy paused, he did not hail from anywhere anymore now that the Village Hidden in the Sand was no longer a factor. The boy did not wish for special attention or anyone gaulking over him like the last village did, "I am not from anywhere, I am a mere traveller." the boy said finishing his sentance, the Cloud Nin looked the boy over for a brief second, "Kind of young for a Ronin aren't you boy?" the man said skepically. "Looks can be decieving, my friend." the boy responded in kind before looking into the man's eyes, "Do I have permission to enter your Village?" the boy asked the man who waved him along, and the young shinobi took his first steps into the Village. After looking around for a few seconds he turned and headed down the street that was a little less crowded. He had been on the road for days and had not had a decent wash in a few days, stopping at the clothing store and purchasing some nice new clothes the boy followed the clerks directions to the nearest inn. After getting into his room he threw the new clothes onto the bed and began stripping down on his way into the shower. Once he was done he walked back into the room he finished drying and began getting dressed in the new clothes he had bought; a Black sleeveless shirt and pants strapping his pouches to his belt before reaching for his cloak, pausing briefly thinking whether or not he should wear it out it was after all his clan cloak and held the Kozai clan's symbol upon its back. He decided to wear it as not many from this land would even know of the Kozai as they did not often venture this far from the land of wind, which was exactly why he had choosen to come here, and even if they did know of the Kozai they could not connect him to the Hidden Sand, he left his Headband behind him with the wasteland that was once Sunagakure. Pulling the cloak over him but choosing to leave his hood down, the boy headed out to the street pausing only long enough to look at himself in the mirror his bright electricy blue eyes looking back at him, yet another sign of his heritage. The boy left the inn and was out on the street to see the sights of this Village.

---

631

(OoC: figured we could meet in next post after you leave the hospital if that's ok)

"I am afraid we bring you some terrible news, and it would be okay if you prefer to lay down until you hear them out", said the old nurse to Eishi and gulped nervously, staring at the boy with a concerned look on her face. The genin thought he had it all by now, being the center of nuisance for the past two hours or so (yet to something that could hardly be described as a success – really, the service here was awful!). Apparently the working personnel of Kumo's medical force was being kept occupied by the incoming flood of major cases and nobody had the time to spare on the white-haired deceiver who was – unbeknown to the facility though – just faking his own illness for the opportunity to cool down and probably get his hands on some free food. "Yeah, whatever, just let me go already." "Well, since you are so eager, I'll try to be more straightforward then", the woman gathered her self-confidence and continued with a grim tone, "You have about... 3 days to live." "Excuse me?" "4 days at best if the symptoms you described during your hospitalization prove to be phlegmatic. But with everything else on the list, it's really a surprise that you made it this far before succumbing to epileptic seizures. I am afraid we can't do anything to make it better. We can however try to lessen the pain. Our secretary in charge has already filed an express notification to your parents in Kiri – it will take them... hey, where do you think you are going?"
The frosty ninja was already packing his stuff from the nearby wardrobe.
"In your condition if you expose yourself to direct sunlight, you increase the chances of being..."
"Relax, lady. It's a ruse. I am all dandy. Just wanted to stay away from home or something. And believe me, if my father finds out about my little plan – which he'll doubtlessly do now thanks to your overwhelming concern – I have less than 3 days to live. Hey, listen, do you have some of them apple pies around? Saw you gave one of those to the guy with the smashed legs."
"Humpgmhf!"
"Sorry, man. Didn't really learn your name. But you are lucky – remember that. The pie they brought you... smelled delicious!
"Security! Help!"
"Ugh-oh..."


The streets of Kumogakure no Sato were bursting with life. People from all four corners of the world were enjoying themselves – walking around, talking about the upcoming battles and their favored competitors (news about the trials did travel rather fast around here and spectators were already picking favorites and bidding their share of wealth, depending on their uncertain triumphs), laughing, buying and selling souvenirs. Between them a small boy was moaning and limping, looking for a purpose.
"Are you okay, kid? You should probably go get your hand treated in the hos..."
"Burn in hell!"  
"Eh, what's wrong with da chap? Hey, you! Get back here and apologize, you little piece of garbage!"
Wasn't worth it. Eishi knew that. He also knew that he was busted with no place to go and not much money to spend. If only he was more diligent and had completed more missions for the Mizukage...
"Hey! Watch it!"
While being deep in thought, the boy had bumped into a cloaked figure and had barely remained on his legs.
"Some people are badly hurt here!"
---

WC: 580
TWC: 957

The Village Hidden in the Clouds was truly a site to behold, never before had the boy seen such a beautiful village, even The Former Village Hidden in the Sand stood no rival to the beauty of this village. Raphael walked with no great urgency nor purpose choosing to take his time as he strolled through the village to see the sites it held, the Golden Horn Casino was by far the most extravagant building the boy had ever seen with the neon lighting and large signs more than like due to their desire to draw in as many tourist as they can to spend money Raphael thought to himself as he moved on down the street. He passed by the cemetery however he chose not to linger as he has had enough death around him already he did not care to visit the dead, when he reached the battle plateau he had to check it out. Climbing the stairs up to the top of the pillar, Raphael looked out across the square arena, it was merely a basic training grounds but what really caught his eye was those there training. After watching those training for a little while, Raphael decided he should continue on his walk but made a mental note of the area so that he could come back to train at a later date. The Thunder Temple made his hair stand on ends and the warning of random lightning strikes helped him decide not to stick around there too long, he found the administration building shortly after that and saw a beautiful fruit tree on the side of it. Approaching the tree the boy saw a sign that read:


"Well that just makes me want to do it more," the boy said to the sign, before looking around to make sure no one was looking and then reaching up and plucking one of its fruits and placing it in his pack, "could be a good snack later." The boy headed back down the streets looking to see what else the village might have in store for him. His feet brought him to a bazaar type market place with all the little stands scattered around the streets, it reminded Raphael of the Bazaar in Suna this one though was not just a market place this one looked to be related to the Chuunin Exams. Souvenirs of this sort or the other all being peddled at what was claimed to be the lowest price in the village, this made Raphael chuckle as he stood in the middle of it all listening to all the merchant claim to have low prices and found it had to believe that ever merchant had the best deals in the whole village it was more than likely these were three times the price of what a normal shop would charge. The boy's thoughts were interrupted when a boy around his age ran into him almost falling in the process, it was a trick he had seen only all too often in the hind sand village the riff raff would bump into the person effectively pickpocketing them in the process. Raphael checked to ensure his ego and belongings were where they should be, before the boy's words brought a smile to Raphael's face, the arrogance of some people he thought to himself.  "You speak of 'watching it' yet I was standing unmoved when you walked into me, so I believe what you meant to say to me is please excuse me or I am sorry for not watching where I was going" the boy said with just a slight hint of sarcasm. Raphael looked the so called injured boy over and saw no wounds nor blood to suggest any injuries, "and now you speak lies hoping for sympathy? To what end? Does the sympathy of other hold such meaning for you?" Raphael removed his hood and stare at the boy in front of him with his cold blue eyes, "if sympathy is what you seek you have come to the wrong place, I have none" Raphael's words were harsh but held no aggression or malice, his words only showed what he spoke to be true absent sympathy or emotion.

---

718/1349

"My Eishi's senses are tingling", thought Eishi as he felt the danger of yet another physical conflict approaching. The genin's body was out of shape which drastically reduced the chances of him surviving a potential fight – not with his damaged leg anyway. So the shinobi decided to act quickly and prevent any further strife.
"Hey, chill, bro, no offense! I didn't mean to be rude or anything it's just that... well, you probably won't believe what happened to me out there anyway. See, I was strolling around town when a brilliant idea came to my mind – why bother with matches when I could simply take a long and well deserved, well deserved – mind you – nap? Unfortunately, being a little low on cash, I had to go all the way to the hospital and sign in as a patient. The nurses brought me some confusing papers – really, man, I am not even sure what I signed, there were so many boxes and I weird words, and stuff. Then they let me use one of their beds. At first it was okay, I mean, there wasn't any food or drink, but it was nice and quiet, and I could've used more of that. Well, no, not with the chuunin exams I guess – wounded people started piling up in the same section I drowsed in. Was horrible – all those screams and moans, and groans... a death trap! Felt like a mouse. Had to do something – get out, apologize, find another way. But nobody was paying me any attention and when the nurse found out that I was a fake bro, wow, she called security and they chased me, and I ran, and they shouted, and I sprained my ankle. I can barely walk and they are probably still looking for me. To top of it, my right hand", Eishi rose it so that his collocutor could see, "was overstretched. So... I guess all that pressure made me uncomfortably unpleasant. Sorry though."
Whew. The boy took a deep breath and smiled goofily. The person in front of him seemed rather cool, but there was something about him that just didn't feel right. It was as if he was carrying a great burden – one that could be read in his eyes. "Is he... suffering like me? No, he seems a lot more... serious. It's as if... I should thread carefully."
"Hey, sorry to intervene, but... you don't seem... happy. Is there anything I can... err."
No, that was naive. Why expect a stranger to suddenly calm down and share all his secrets?
"... I mean... yeah. Sorry."
---

WC: 441
TWC: 1398

Raphael did not care for the boy's long probably exaggerated explanation of the boy's life story that seemed to be nothing more than a series of unfortunate events that lead the boy to this, nor the boy's continued desire for sympathy. 'A sprain ankle? Seriously? The boy is wining about a sprain ankle?' Raphael thought to himself 'there is no way this kid is a Shinobi, he complains about everything even about getting caught in his lies' Raphael thought as the boy continue to talk, though he was not listening to what the boy was actually saying by this point as he was caught up in his own thoughts about whether the boy was a Shinobi or not. It could be that he is just acting this way to lower the guard those around him, but whether it was an act or not it was not going to work on him. "You talk too much kid and your story is all over the place you need to take a breath and slow down," Raphael said coldly as he looked around the Bazaar and saw no sign of anyone that seemes to be coming after the boy, "looks like your safe from whoever they are" Raphael said though he still did not trust the boy after all he had just admited to getting caught in a lie. Despite his cold demeanor and him not believing the boy was truthful with his long drawn out story, he understood what it was like to fall on hard times and decided to show the boy some kindness as it would be what his father would have done. "Look I don't have any real food but you can have this fruit I snagged," Raphael said to the boy as he reached into his pack and pulled out the fruit and stretching out his hand to hand it to the boy knowing he could always go back to the tree and get another one if he wantes. "It is not much but it is better than nothing and it does not come at a charge." Raphael said though should the boy refuse the fruit he would simply shrug and place it back in his pack before continuing. "Also just for future reference the best lies are short, with a touch of truth. Your story is too long and drawn out for it to be believable." Raphael spoke from knowledge, his whole life he had been taught how to lie and how to tell when someone was lying to him, though his words still carried no emotion in them they were less harsh than before. Raphael would keep his eye on the boy, whether he was a Shinobi or not he was not to be trusted... No one is, but as the saying goes your friends close yada yada Raphael thought to himself.

---

480/1829

"What? You offer me a fruit?", Eishi blinked. "That's... really cool, man! I mean... wow, awesome! I knew you were a bro!"
The genin took the fruit and glared at it with hungry eyes. It seemed plump and sumptuous, enough to make a man drool. And free of charge? It was better than a birthday present! But something... really felt amiss again. Who knows – it could be his misguided imagination for all its worth, yet Eishi knew how to follow his guts and if it was a hunch he got, it was a hunch he had to abide by.
"Hey, I... you are right. I talk too much. But you are way too opposite of that, and it makes me wonder... never mind. All I am trying to say is... perhaps you would like to get half of it? And then we can go somewhere and get to know each other? I mean... it's not every day that someone offers me anything. In fact, I think you may be the first one..."
The boy sighed. He would extend his arm and propose the fruit back to Raphael, adding with a warm smile: "Besides, I don't have anything sharp to cut it with. And if you do it, you would deserve at least half the price, don't you think?"
For all the time spent in Kirigakure no Sato the white-haired genin hasn't really thought about how rude he had it. Despite being a top tier student, he lacked regular friends and his awful discipline only made things worse. Combined with his goofy nature, it led to a bleak existence. Something he tried to fight off by acting even more weird. But... it wasn't as if Eishi was actually complaining. No, the boy always managed to find the bright side of everything and just... emerge out happy at the end. Perhaps this quality could be utilized in times like this when someone else was in need of a little light.
"Come on then. Won't you agree? Name's Eishi. Are you a shinobi too? Here to participate in the exams? Or you came in with some friends to cheer them up?"
---

WC: 367
TWC: 1765

The boy seemed oddly thankful for the simple fruit as if he had never received a gift before or something, at thought brought to truth by the boy's words. Had he really never been given something before? Raphael questioned as he looked the boy over, it was odd for Raphael to hear this considering his own past. Born the heir to the leader or the Kozai not only had its demands for certain aspects of the boy's life, but it also brought with it the fact of everyday in the compound he would receive some kind of gift or offering at least once a day. Though he never knew his father, the stories his mother told him growing up was enough for the boy to know what his father would do in this situation. Raphael attempted to grin at the boy though his face seemed to fight him, almost as if it had forgotten how to smile or even forgot what a sincere smile looked like. So much had changed for the boy over the past few years, his hard like was nothing of note compared to most but it had been enough to harden the boy to the point where he had closed himself off from the rest of the world and keep everyone he had met at arms length. Even during his time in Sunagakure he spent most of his time alone, even after he had been assigned to a squad he didnt even really try to get to know them. This had never really bothered Raphael he knew the world was full of criminals and con artist and nobody could be trusted, but here faced with this strange and seemingly unfortunate boy the memories of his mother's stories about his father burned in his mind. "My name is Raphael," he responded to the boy's own introduction though not answering the questions of why he had come to the village. "Tell you what, the tree I picked the fruit from is just down the road a little ways and it casted a nice shaded area in the grass. If you want we can go there and get some more fruit and relax there in the shade." Even as Raphael spoke the words he could not believe what he was saying, was he truly being kind to this unknown boy? Was he trying to make a friend? Raphael stood absent his words not his own as if some unknown force had taken hold of him and changed him, was this because of some sense that he would be honoring his father? He asked himself, however the words were out there and it was not like he could take them back so he decided he would see where this road was going to take him and try to get to know this boy. Who knew maybe this boy could be a worthy friend, only time would tell.

If the boy accepted his offer to go with him back to the tree to gather more fruit then Raphael would lead them down the path back down to the Durian tree, mostly staying silence his mind in his thoughts as they walked.

---

534/2363

"Sounds like a plan!". Eishi cheered up and his face widened in a dashing grin. The boy put the plump fruit in his backpack and after checking his otherwise empty pockets, nodded and began following Raphael towards the location of the Durian tree. It was a short walk around the streets, but that didn't prevent the Mist genin from bursting into a talking galore, doing his best to accomplish any significant contact with his new pal without leaving awkward moments of silence in between the pauses of catching one's breath.
"So, a ninja, I take it? Your composure gave you away. By the way, you wear some awesome clothing, where do they make 'em? Looks really neat! 10/10, I give it. Yes. Haven't seen such grand stuff back in Kiri even though we have good sea commerce and daily merchandise income. I guess that means you come from a land which is not directly connected to the salty waters of the ocean, yeah? Oh, oh, let me guess... erm... erm... nah, no chance."
Raphael seemed deep in thought and didn't bother to answer the white-haired cheerioh.
"Are you worried about something? Let me guess – you wonder if there'll be more fruit wherever we are going, aye?
I don't know, man, tourists abound, I am not even sure if we'll be able to catch a spot of... oh! Check it out! It's a jounin! Did you see his katana? Boy, I would enjoy having one of 'em steels! Can you use one? I am proficient with a bo staff – prefer it to straight out cutting. Makes it less... threatening, yet still as effective. Heh-heh. Though sometimes you do want to cut a piece of bread or something and I tell you what – you can't do that with a bo staff. No, sir. You need a proper edge."
The jabbering would carry on until both genin reach the tree. Even then Eishi would continue to talk, sharing everything that flies through his head – from minor details to grand schemes and awful jokes. The boy looks really excited to finally have somebody to communicate with, and being carried away by this very same enthusiasm (combined with the shards of attention he didn't really pay during the village tour), he wouldn't remember the vital warning that the fruits of the tree cause stomach problems.
---

WC: 419
TWC: 2184

This boy sure seems to likes to talk Raphael thought to himself, wondering if it was due to the fact of the boy liking the sound of his own voice or if he just didn't like the sound of silence either of which would be fine with Raphael he was more of a listener rather than a talker. Raphael did find the fact that the boy knew how to use a staff was interesting, though he had always found weapon users fascinating he never found time to learn the art himself. Once they arrived at the tree which he had grabbed the first fruit the was a long enough pause in the boy speaking that Raphael was able to get some words in, "here we are," he said as he reached up and plucked another fruit from the large tree before sitting down in its shade. Raphael took a bite out of the fruit noting its sweet taste as if he had just taken a bite from heaven itself, before carrying on some conversation with the boy though most of his side of the conversation was answer questions of this or that though declining to answer any serious questions about himself, save for ones that were obvious or the fact that though he study Taijutsu he had found all kinds of weapons to be a fascinating thing. After finishing his first fruit he would then stand grabbing two more from the tree and offering the boy another one. He was about to bite into the second fruit when he he heard someone shouting out the window of the nearby building, looking up to the window to see a man waving his arms frantically trying to get their attention. "You know that's The Durian Tree right, if you eat that fruit you will have the most horrible of stomach pains" the man called from the window. "Ah push off, I already ate one and it was delicious and I feel just fine, you just want all the fruit for yourself don't you." Raphael called back to the man who shrugged before walking away from the window to leave the boys to their own destruction, just as he was about to sit down and enjoy another one of these heavenly fruits his stomach began to ache and turn. "Awh Crap, that man wasn't lying this hurts" Raphael stated as he gripped his stomach, "I hate to do this to you man but I gotta go find a bathroom in really sorry I didn't know about the fruit, maybe we can hang out later again sorry" Raphael said to the boy before turning and running off to find a bathroom.

{Exit Thread}

---

452/2815
Fūton from C-Rank to B-Rank: -2000
Learning D-Rank jutsu Tile Shuriken: -750
65 words discarded

Eishi was rather impressed that his new buddy was learning taijutsu – an art that the white-haired genin considered mastering at the Academy before choosing the path of the staff. The number of Hyōton implications that could benefit a simple hand to hand combat were numerous and even more deadly, however swinging something large around and bashing people's heads with it seemed more fun and less... brutal. Of course, the boy didn't say anything about his kekkei genkai yet – perhaps the only thing he decided to keep from Raphael for some unknown reason. For the time being, at least. And since his partner in fruit didn't share much about himself in terms of heritage and belonging either, it wasn't a real burden on Eishi's conscience.

Then the old man yelled at the kids from the nearby balcony and tried to warn them about the perils of gluttony. It didn't take much effort to imagine that he was right for the Kiri genin knew that something bad was about to happen. He just wasn't sure about the details. And when the confident shinobi in front of him ached in pain and made a run for the bathroom, the cheerful expression on Eishi's face darkened.

A storm was coming. He could feel it in his bowels. What's worse – he ate twice as much fruit as Raphael so that could only lead to one possible outcome – a devastating evening. Or perhaps a couple of evenings. Why not a week of apocalypse? Eishi was being particularly unlucky anyway.

"Omae wa mou shindeiru", his stomach told him in a language long forgotten. "Good luck having the people at the hospital believe you now, deceiver."

And with that a real tragedy began.
---

WC: 296
TWC: 2480

[Exit]

Training:

1. Strength from E-2 to D-3 for 1700 words and 150 ryo.
(2480 words - 1700 words = 780 words left)

2. Perception from E-3 to D-1 for 625 words and 25 ryo.
(780 words - 625 words = 155 words left)

Total ryo deduction: 150 ryo + 25 ryo = 175 ryo