The little crow had wandered somewhat enthusiastically with his following compatriot to the village of the mist. The holy land that he called his mecca a place where he deemed far more beautiful than any other nation. Whilst some nations tended to shape their warriors into that of weapons and pointless fodder the young shinobi truly felt that the mist village was different. Deep down he was a patriot, he was the sort of fellow who took pride in his village no matter what the cost and believed that they could do no wrong. It may have been wrong or perhaps misguided but he truly felt that Kirigakure No Sato was the one village that could truly bring about peace in the world. Mostly due to the fact that the Mizukage, the ice queen herself, was notably one of the most powerful shinobi gods of the current era.

As he began to stroll through the city with his compatriot he pointed here and there to sites and sounds. Showing them anything and everything he found remotely interesting.

Spoiler:

Samuru had followed the little crow as he waltzed him through the streets of the Kirigakure. It was very different from Konohagakure. The architecture was surely different and seemed more rigid than that of their fire country counterparts. Samuru looked around as his new associate pointed to different places along the way. The village wasn’t like anything he had ever seen. The sight was quite incredible, but he really didn’t see it as incredible as he would if he had a lick of enthusiasm. Though, he did find interest in the various weapons that the different shinobi had. It had been one of the first times where he had seen shinobi wield a wide variety of weapons. Though, nothing seemed as interesting as his beautiful axe.

This place seemed to have a lot of things to offer. Samuru actually saw himself mentally as settling down here, but he preferred to be able to roam where he pleased. The wanderer didn’t have any conflicted emotions. Not that he had much emotion at all. He only had true love for himself. One of the few things that he found interest in was fighting. There was also quite a few things he could learn from joining a village. This is the first time he actually considered a place not really boring. The city was truly bustling with people doing their various activities. He was somewhat interested in how this village became as robust as this. The next thing he would need to do would get approved to do missions in the Mizukage’s office. He had done missions in Konoha and these villages were allies.

There was no reason why he thought that he would get denied outside of being a former criminal. That life was ages ago. The Hatake hadn’t committed a crime since he traveled from the Land of Demons. This place would know nothing of his past and he would like to keep it that way. He had no regret for his past decisions, but everyone didn’t need to know of your past. Samuru wondered if he should travel back to Konoha for awhile. Now that he thought about it, there was someone he should have talked to before he left. Something that he didn’t want to share by mail or carrier pigeon. There was almost no way he would be able to receive a reply anyway. It wasn’t like he had a home or residence to go back to. Samuru started to get lost in thought that he would need to travel back and forth. He would probably take legit travel services this time. That last boat ride was bland and uninspiring.

“Xiao, where do you think you fit in with your village? What do you think of it, that’s if you’re allowed to talk your true opinion?” he asked with an assertive tone.

It was a simple question that he was curious about. The little crow seemed to be very proud about his village and he wanted to know why. What made a shinobi proud? Was this another thing he would never experience? There was a lot he wanted to know, but he would only limit his questions to a few.

WC: 542

Samuru had posed a question, a rather assertive one at that which made the little crow begin to think. It wasn't complex but rather it was something that did ask for an answer based on honesty and of course based on his own subjective view of the village itself. What was it exactly that made him love Kirigakure so much? There was no specifics that could not be found outside of Kirigakure. Though the small boy had never even ventured out of the village he had merely assumed that all villages were exactly like this very one. It was an opinion born of naivety of course and one that the little shinobi had very little way to check objectively. Perhaps it was the Mizukage, one of the great shinobi gods that watched over the village? That was of course something that gave Xiao Guan a sense of protection and care. Perhaps it was merely because his father was here? It was a hard choice to really specify.

"Well..." the short boy began to state as his voice wavered somewhat, slightly different to his typical jesting and jovial dialogue instead seemingly more focused and honest in what he was saying. "I guess it's because of how we're treated." the shinobi attempted to summarise. He was still a child so articulation wasn't his strong suit nor were metaphors, instead a bluntness in his words stemmed from a place of truth. "My parents are just merchants, y'know, we're not even from this country...y'know.... nothing special...but they still look after us. They still care, y'know" Xiao Guan said as he began to scratch his neck feeling somewhat nervous as he spoke "It's like..." he continued as he looked for the right word to summarise it.

He began to laugh as he attempted a metaphor he thought may not make much sense at all "It's like we're all little raindrops that make up a large storm, y'know" he stated with a grin. "Where are you from anyway?"

Spoiler:

Samuru looked down again on the little crow. Treating people nicely really wasn’t his thing. He was firm believer of taking things into his own hands. The whole living as a shinobi in a village thing was all very strange to him. Living amongst a group of people had always been a temporary thing for him. A village cooperating together for each other’s benefit. Samuru still wasn’t convinced that a large group of people would need to live behind walls if they had strength. Though, he did know that everyone here weren’t shinobi and needed protection. Most of the people he knew growing up were fighters. When the need arises they would protect each other or take the threat alone. He wondered how long would a village like this would react to an attack. Not that he would ever be interested in doing something like that. If someone attacked a village of this scale, how long would it take to amass shinobi to fend off a threat like this.

The question that Xiao asked wasn’t quite that simple. You could say he had a home country, but his clan was from Hi no Kuni. Samuru mulled over the question a little. There were too many places that he had been and none them he really considered home. He wasn’t even sure of what the sensation of being “home” would entail. Normally, where he roamed had become a place of refuge. Samuru had wandered for so long that he didn’t know if staying anywhere too long was even a good idea. Well, he didn’t have anything to lose by not staying somewhere for too long. What would he tell the little young little crow.

“I honestly don’t have a home where I come from. I’ve always been on the move. But if you actually want a country of mass of land, then you can say that I was born in the Land of Demons. The place where I learned to fight and fend for myself,” he said with low tone.

There wasn’t much else to it. Samuru didn’t usually talk about his past as he found it mostly unnecessary. There were many acts of of violence that he didn’t want to talk about and that he wouldn’t. He was trying to find something else to catch his interest. Samuru wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. One could only get so much stronger by moving around. Maybe it would be time to find his own niche. The idea would have made him squirm if he could feel it. He just didn’t want this to be similar to his stay in Konoha. Samuru thought that he could probably ally himself to Kirigakure. That way he could still travel around the Islands and mind his business.

“What do you usually do for training, little one?” he asked in a solemn tone, “Is there something that you particularly do or is it that only hone your body?”

WC: 510/1052

The little crow gave a grin to his new ally of the blade, the man was truly something that Xiao Guan aspired to be. Cool, calm and collected and unfortunately the little shinobi had quite a ways until he could truly match that ability. He was far off from the possibility of becoming a grand shinobi or the shinobi he wished to be, he had quite a ways before he could even muster the strength to say he had taken the first step on the path he wished to be on but regardless the little shinobi knew that following in the footsteps of this wanderer could certainly be that of a blessing in honing both his path of the ninja but so too in enhancing his personality.

"Land of Demons huh...?" the little crow scrapped his mind for any knowledge of such a place but he knew not of a single utterance of this. He himself had originated from a land of great stones and Knights known as the Knights of Gelel though held no association outside of what his parents had told him. Were there many lands that the villages had overlooked? He was trapped in this misty town and yet with every moment he found new lands, new choices and new waves that increased the range of the storm of desire he held to explore the earth much like the soaring bird he strove to be. "So you're born outside the shinobi lands too?...That's destiny that we met." the little crow stated with a chuckle as he imagined just what it would be to live in a land named for it's demonic presence. Was it some type of nightmare? Perhaps a constant world of fire and brimstone or more like Hel in it's cold tundra'd place "What...Is your home land like? Is it like Kirigakure?" the naive little shinobi asked genuinely curious of his allies backstory.

It was here that he was poised another question on training "Training? Oh...erm..." The little crow grew embarassed somewhat, twisting his foot against the stone pavement "Well...You see in Kirigakure there are these super cool guys...The seven swordsmen they call them. Only elite shinobi can join their ranks and for me? Well...I think...maybe...if I try hard enough I can join...y'know" he blushed and spluttered not fully able to articulate his causation "Unfortunately...people...y'know...they like to keep to themselves and me? I'm not such a very big fellow...so...y'know..." the little shinobi stated scratching the back of his neck trying to find the words "Well, I'm kinda by myself in terms of training."


The little shinobi cracked his knuckles as he began to think for a moment about what he could be. He imagined himself in the pearl white armor of the Gelel Knight with Shield and Sword leading an army into battle but he knew deep down his height, weight and basic biology would never allow him to be what he dreamed of being. "...Unless...y-you....could teach me? Y'know...be my sensei?" he offered quite awkardly.

“Kirigakure…No. Mizu no Kuni is nothing like the Land of Demons. In the Land of Demons, the weak perish and only the strong are the ones to survive. There are also a lot unusual stuff that happens there. Things that can’t be explained by simple science. The Land of Demons is full of bloodthirsty savages. The population is so full of criminals that the local governments can’t always quell them without help from foreign armies. Some parts are so bad that they’re uninhabitable by normal people. A lot of times you have to do things you don’t just to survive. It's a place where you have to make compromises. As far as the weather, the region is typically said to be warm, but can have some pretty brutal winters as well.”

Samuru summed up his explanation enough that the young one would probably get it. The Land of Demons was just that. It was a land where you could die for looking at a person the wrong way. The nation shaped him into a warrior that could stand against most common enemies. He was strong, but not strong enough to handle anyone of Special Jounin or higher. The Hatake was confident that he would be able a chuunin on more than enough equal footing. He was no fool though. Samuru wouldn’t pick fights with those he knew he couldn’t win against. Though, he would take on a willing challenger if it meant getting stronger. One had to pick their battles with some wisdom.

He listened to the guy talk about the seven swordsman and that he had training alone. Samuru nodded as the young crow talked. There was definitely some potential to this kid. At least this kid looked like attempted to apply himself. Training alone was not to be shamed. Sometimes lone training was the best training you could have. It allowed you some room to think on how you would handle things in a situation. Samuru did prefer to train in live fighting scenarios. Though, when you’re thrown into constant combat you quickly learned what would work and what wouldn’t work in the field. If the kid wanted to be anything close to Seven Swordsman level, he had an honorable goal. Not that Samuru truly cared, but

“Ah, training by yourself isn’t always bad. No one’s going to watch over you every step of the way. That could do more harm than good.”

What really threw Samuru off, was the fact that Xiao asked him to be his sensei. For some reason, this kid started to remind him of another small kid that he met not too long ago. The kid called himself Jamie. It was another young shinobi that wanted to teach him what he knew. Samuru wasn’t too keen on showing other people what he knew. It just was a fact that showing an individual your playbook was just asking to get defeated. On the other side of the argument, this would be a prime opportunity he could also find faults in himself and also see what the little one was capable of. Samuru scratched his chin instinctively, even though he couldn’t feel it and mulled over his answer a little bit more.

“I’ll teach you in general combat how about that. Though, I’m a bit curious. What are your elements? Do you specialize in ninjutsu, using weapons, chakra control? Maybe I can show you a little something else.”

WC: 528/1641

As the wanderer sewed his story the little shinobi's mind filled with thoughts of the landscape the wanderer must have grown into. A land of demonic forces not born of mystical energy but instead man made. A prison of the soul and yet this man had managed to survive and become that of a honed steel soul. No wonder the little shinobi became so impressed by the wandering noble. The little shinobi began to scratch his chin gently as he thought. He pondered the possibility of what it could be that drove the people in that area to act as they did. Perhaps it was something deeper than the mere black and white world that the child imagined.

The little shinobi placed his hands folded over one another as the wandering shinobi informed him that his training may be slightly flawed which was accurate for the young shinobi. He had trained mostly by instinct, training his muscle and his body but never specfically his technique as it were, instead opting to simply better himself by his own merit and own understanding. Without a teacher this indeed did hold it's flaw as he could not fully understand the moves he would seek out to learn. "That's true...often I find myself a little, erm, lost"

As he hoped the wandering shinobi may aid him he was asked a question, one he didn't entirely know well himself. "Oh yeah, uhhh...let's see...the elements were with those little papers. Lightning...annnd....Water! That's it." he stated scrapping his brain for what element he had found he was attributed to "It's...not very impressive but I'm good with gadgets, y'know, my teachers always told me I'd be a good puppeteer...but...I like helping people...y'know...so I guess I'm a doctor in training too" the child said nervously trying to rope together what he meant "Not...very swordsman like, I know..."


WC Total: 1306

Want to use it all to Perception Stat

“We have the same elements, but specialize in different areas. I know see. My techniques are more aligned with ninjutsu and flowing chakra through weapons. I’ll do the best I can to try and figure something out.”

Samuru wasn’t quite sure how he would teach the boy. The best he could do at this exact moment was keep the boy entertained at least. He knew various ways of manipulating raiton. Samuru thought that maybe he could Xiao apply those techniques. If he was a medic, he could think of ways to stimulate the use of nerves with raiton. Samuru was no expert, but he at least could get his new associate a hand in trying to find a direct fit for his own personal style. The only reason he would even bother would be to see if the boy could handle himself in the future. Samuru was now curious of how well of a fighter could make him. It would definitely be a good test.

He would definitely dedicated his time in trying to find new ways to get the both of them stronger. There was a deep thought that Samuru had locked himself in. Perun finally had come up with a good solution to his problems. The kid was a training medic and he needed someone to make sure his body wasn’t falling apart on him. It was one of the best ideas he had in awhile. Though, would he let Xiao down or not would be the final question. Others people’s thoughts toward him didn’t bother him as long as they didn’t think he was weak without trying to test his mettle.

“Little one. I’ll try and make both of us stronger. You have my word on that. As long as you support me, I’ll support you the best I can. Don’t let me down. If you let me down, I may severe your neck from your head,” he stated in a harsh tone. Samuru didn’t want to waste his efforts if Xiao just went out and died on a mission or something. They would need to stick together and show the world Samuru’s efforts

[Thread Exit]
WC: 368/2009

Jutsu Training:

[600/600][-20% Raiton/Clan] Lightning Release: Shock Bullets (雷遁・衝撃弾 ~ Raiton: Shōgeki-dan)
[800/800][-20% Raiton/Clan] Kiai: Oni King’s Howl

Stats Training:
Endurance D-1 -> D-2 [400/400]

9 Words Unused