Having the freedom to do as he pleased, go where he wanted and speak with whoever he wished to was perhaps the most jarring change that had occurred in his life besides losing his entire social status, but this change was much more welcome. And of all places to test and explore this newfound freedom in, Iwagakure certainly did not disappoint in showing the exile just what shinobi society had to offer. The sizeable purse of ryo he was given to tide him over until consistent employment could be found certainly didn’t hurt, either.

Tezuka awoke in whatever room he rented when he chose to and had taken to laying in bed for hours to read, whereas he never had the opportunity to laze about unproductively at home. Newspapers and articles about recent events in the world were his main choice of study, as things moved so much faster in these chaotic lands than in the ancient, traditional Land of Iron. An entire Hidden Village had been destroyed by just a handful of people who were unfortunately not named in the papers, a true testament to the power and knowledge the shinobi possessed. The scramble to devour the scraps of the fallen Sand by the other villages was less interesting to read about.

When the urge to get on his feet and be productive struck Tezuka would walk the streets of Iwa until a passing shop caught his eye, where he would browse until he had seen everything there was to offer. The need to portion his ryo conflicted with the newfound sense of wanderlust that had manifested in the young man, but Tezuka was disciplined enough to resist the urge to indulge in the excess of the markets. Food was an entirely separate matter, of course; he did not grow as strong and solid as he did by adhering to a sparse diet, and the cuisine of Tetsu was so consistent and traditional that he just had to eat any dish he had never seen before. There was no one here whose gossip could land him in trouble, not anyone to punish him. Besides the omnipresent Iwa-nin, of course.

Had Tezuka known such an opportunity would arise that he would be left with nothing but free time he would have thought of more things he wanted to do, as all he could do was pass the days by walking for hours on end and browsing through shops. The training grounds of the local shinobi, as well as the libraries, were places he was forbidden to use due to his foreign status, so unless he chose to join the village he would be forced to rely upon the generosity of the locals to train and progress in his talents. Relying on the generosity of strangers was not something that he was comfortable with or had any true experience in, and Tezuka had been rather antisocial despite the massive amounts of people that crowded every mile of the village cramped between high mountain ranges. He would have to do so eventually, but the solace from responsibilities and obligations was a welcome reprieve that he was loathing to put to an end.

So he continued loading around for nearly a whole week after his arrival. He had gone about memorizing the landmarks and important places inside Iwagakure, learning what he could about the world he now lived in, and pondering how to spend the free time that had suddenly fallen into his lap. There was no telling how life would be in just a few weeks from now, if he would even be around in a few weeks if a shinobi decided to involve him in their business. So he thought of all the things he would want to do while he had the chance, which resulted in an embarrassingly short list. Tezuka had always imagined life as another faceless body in the rank-and-file of the military following the directives of others. He wasn’t prepared for this sort of life. Rather than face the identity crisis that was on the horizon, he distracted himself instead.

An idea came to mind after passing by a temporary food stand on one of his daily meanderings; exotic fish, shellfish and other seafood reminded Tezuka of the icy harbors of the ports in Tetsu, and how much the sea happened to fascinate him with its sheer size. The frigid waters were too cold to swim in, but the more temperate seas that lay to the East? Perfect for it. Iwagakure was an impressive sight on its own, the remote location where it had been carved from the mountains his favorite aspect, but to be honest it was almost boring here. Stone became a tedious sight, brown and tan and grey everywhere he looked, and beyond the markets and waterfalls there was little to do for recreation. A week and day after Tezuka arrived he was gone again, walking the stone paths that lead east with blind trust that it would lead to a sea eventually.

The sometimes-paved trails through the mountains lead the youth through the Land of Grass, though he was unable to find the ruins of the Hidden Village it had once contained before darkness arrived. The next day lead Tezuka into the Land of Fire, and Konohagakure was a Hidden Village in name only given how prominently it stood out on almost every map he came across, but he would leave exploring that particular village for another time. The endless green of the forest was claustrophobic and stretched as far as the eye could see, but this was a sight that he was happy to have seen for himself. Perhaps he could fell a tree and carve a momento from its husk one day; a reminder of the places he had been. Business for another day, plans for later.

The time on the roads allowed Tezuka liberties he was not allowed back in Iwa, such as training when and where he chose. At the moment he was focused entirely on expanding the sort of weaponry he could create with his Kōton. The material was still rather crude when it solidified and would continue to be until his control over Doton improved, but it served his purposes well enough; his focus now was creating large, two-handed hammers that would take full advantage of his strength while remaining solid and balanced. The trunks of the trees everywhere made for excellent targets as they would break any malformed hammer that he created, and through trial and error Tezuka eventually found the right process to yield what he wanted.

He did not have the skill to incorporate designs or etchings in his weapons without significantly altering the weight, or to compensate for it without going through the whole process again just to accommodate a more visually pleasing weapon, so what resulted was an egg-shaped mass of chakra metal connected to the smooth haft that weighed well over 30lbs and dented the trees with every blow, unyielding due to its completely solid composition. It was not as refined as the blades he was so used to making, but it served the purpose of bashing well enough that he deemed it acceptable. Tezuka would spend the final days of his traveling on refining the design until it had a cleaner, smoother appearance. In the end he was left with a rather mundane looking war hammer that nearly reached his shoulders when stood upright, perfectly smooth.

The weather had grown ever warmer as Tezuka grew further and further from the mountains of Iwa but the humidity only really started to become noticeable closer to the border between Fire and Water Country. Ther was something about the moisture in the air that he enjoyed; it soon became apparent that he would very much like the climate that Muzi no Kuni seemed to have. The paths he traveled gradually sloped downward as he drew closer and closer to sea level. Enough provisions for a week had been brought from Iwa and so he was able to stop only to sleep and have a meal, his formidable stamina keeping any trace of fatigue away from his march to the ocean. Eventually the trees grew less and less dense as the forests of Konoha faded into the distance behind him.

One last hill laid between Tezuka and the sea, and he stood atop it as he gazed down at the placid waters below. The sun had just barely begun to rise over the distant horizon which cast the sea before it in a golden, blinding glow that was particularly picturesque. His first impulse was to wade into the shallow waters below and bask in the sea air, but the sight of a wooden dock stretching into the water with a rowboat tied up made him reconsider. An old man sat beside it dangling his feet in the water, casting a fishing rod far in out in the open water.

Tezuka’s heavy steps reverberated through the dock as he strode down towards the old man, who looked behind to see who was coming before placing his rod aside and climbing to his feet. “Lookin’ for passage to Kiri?” The man called out as the much taller youth drew nearer, peering at the boat tied to the dock.

Tezuka scoffed, unimpressed with the quality of the vessel. “You go across the water in this thing?” The old man merely waved him off, likely used to people doubting his ship.

“You gotta know the waters to make it there, and no ship any size can pull outta the currents if they stray. Small boats like this slide right between.” Tezuka was more worried about the vessel capsizing, especially considering his weight, but pushed the uncertainty away. He had wanted to see the sea, so why not the Mist while in the area? He dug into his ryo purse for a few bills and handed them over, then followed after the old man as he climbed into the rowboat. Handing an oar to the burly youth, the stranger untied the boat and pushed off as the two began to make small talk on the way to the village.

600/600
Travel Complete
[Thread Exit]

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