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1Tea Time [Private/Izumi] Empty Tea Time [Private/Izumi] Sun Dec 30, 2018 1:27 am

Yoshihiro

Yoshihiro


B-rank
Traveler's Log, Day 1 wrote:
Tea Time [Private/Izumi] Latest?cb=20150215170406

The Land of Tea is not a place that one would normally think to write on for traveling. There has always been a common perception growing up that it and the nearby Land of Noodles, were always something similar to the 'backyard' of the Land of Fire. They always were sovreign nations, and yet existed on the periphery of their much larger neighbour's sphere of influence. They're protectorate's in everything but name.

When I set out south from Shinwato and the Exams in the week of respit between Semifinals and the Finals, I remember feeling as though there was a great weight pressing down on my chest and shoulders. To have come all this way, to suddenly be put in front of countless people as one of the 'strongest Genin', to try and find some semblance of normalcy- it all felt too much. I wanted to run away. I wanted to run some place quiet. I just wanted to find someplace that I could be left alone to think. I was tired to people.

The Land of Tea, is very well the place I sought. It took only a meager few days to get here, and since then, my travels have been enjoyable. This is a quiet country, an agrarian landscape of grassy hills and rocky outcroppings where the temperate air locks the people into a state of lazy summer days and warm winter mornings. The dirty paths or cobblestone roads are dotted with tea houses, filled to the brim of fellow travelers, merchants, wayward shinobi, and locals. In this land, tea is a way of life. I recently heard an adage from one of the elder brewmasters of such a tea house. He told me, "To drink tea under the same roof as another is to become brothers in spirit, bound by the natural energy flowing through the parse taste of Chammomile Herbs"... I don't know how true the saying is, but I'd like to believe there's something true like it. There certainly is nothing like it back in Konoha, the hustle of city living feels so very different to the relaxed way of life that these southerners enjoy.

I've come now to the southernmost tip of the peninsula. There is a shrine here that I wish to see. It is an old wooden thing, supposedly stretching back to the time of Warring States. There is an old legend about the spirit who lives in its decrepit walls. Whosoever plucks a leaf from the fig tree at the shrine's base will obtain a part of the spirit's good fortune, twice so if it is ground down into powder and mixed with the matcha of traditional green tea. Even if the tales are false, it would still be an impressive sight to behold. I will go there to see this shrine for myself, hopefully the legend will hold true for me ahead of my match. If Ting couldn't overcome this mystery opponent, then I fear I will need all the strength I can muster...


Ever your faithful travelling partner,
ジョーよしひろ


Yoshihiro Joe slowly ascended the staggered steps of the rocky hill path, the scent of the ocean breeze rising up along the cliff face to meet him.

He had come a long way from Shinwato on this little weekend trip. He'd needed to air out his mind, especially with everything that'd been going on around him. The people who had come to the Chunin Exams were all so loud now, they were always so loud. The anticipation of the Finals was building to a fever pitch, the celebrations growing higher and more lengthy. It was hard for YoJo to get much sleep. He was tired of all the noise, beyond just the rancor of city life. He needed to get back to his roots, and that meant escaping the confines of Shinwato by heading south on the old road to the Land of Tea. That burning desire to explore and see all that life held was burning within him, drawing him away from the anxiety of the Exams like a moth to a flickering flame. It was for his health, that was what he kept telling himself. It would do his mental health good to just get away from everything and everyone, just so he could find some rock- preferrably overgrown with moss, and sit in silence and let time pass him by.

After some time of hiking along the hill-side path, the Genin at last arrived at the summit of the modestly high seaside hill. A large red and brown shrine was placed near the edge of the cliff, sitting idly as the blue waters beyond crashed against the rocky cliff face beneath them all. YoJo let out a sigh of relief, sliding his daypack off his back and stretching. His gaze was drawn to the large fig tree that had sprouted from underneath the shrine, causing the eight-foot-tall structure to rest at an incline as the trunk of the tree lifted it up off the ground. It was time to see if the tales were true.

YoJo rolled up his sleeves and pants, walking over to the old tree and climbing up into its branches, his calloused hans and feet clinging to the bark like a squirrel in his natural habitat. He swung up to the closest branch he could reach, gradually moving to its end and slowly, oh so slowly, reaching out to the thin end of the limb for one of the dark-colored leaves that were juuuuuust out of reach.

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2Tea Time [Private/Izumi] Empty Re: Tea Time [Private/Izumi] Mon Jan 07, 2019 11:05 pm

Izumi

Izumi


A-rank
One of Izumi's consistent habits no matter where she was staying involved taking early morning walks as the sun rose. She did this no matter where she was staying, it was just part of her routine to admire the natural beauty of the rising sun. Izumi can now say she's seen the sun rise over four different villages. Her travels had taken her many places, both near and far to her home it was always interesting seeing how the sunrises differed between the different places. The colours, the weather, the time it happened, it was always different, always beautiful. It helped make wherever she was a little bit more of a home to her. Izumi had actually liked the Fire Country so far. It was beautiful: there was life everywhere but peace and quiet could somehow be found easily thanks to the abundance of nature. It was truly a unique place where nature and humanity lived together, even the Hidden Leaf Village itself was built into the landscape. This wasn't unique to the Leaf Village per se but it was done spectacularly here. Today however, Izumi's walk wouldn't end just before the gates as it normally did instead Izumi donned her mask and continued on, as long as Izumi acted like she had real business no one ever questioned her. Izumi had played the part of the Mist Jounin Zhi very well so far, it was all coming together. If things worked out the way they should, her hasty exit would earn her a tail when she returned. She needed them to know, but she needed them to know when she wanted them to. She'd come close to being exposed early when she was having a night out with Akaneya. On a whim, the Karisuma  woman had decided to give Akaneya a small taste of her knowledge as well as a tempting offer not commonly extended.

Izumi's business today took her to the Land of Tea. It was both harrowing and exhilarating to be dressed as herself for once. Izumi relished in the danger of it, one mistake could topple her entire plan. Izumi was dressed for action, wearing tight, flexible pants and while her top leaves little to the imagination it did keep the girls in place, allowing her full flexibility and range of movement. The young woman tied her scarf around neck where it was previously hanging free before taking off in a flash of color. No doubt some skilled shinobi would notice her movement but she was holding back, giving them just a glimpse to know it was her.  As she sped across the treetops towards the Land of Tea, Izumi sent her raiton chakra into the area. Izumi had been active in the village enough that if she was recognized by ANBU it shouldn't raise too many flags. Izumi wanted them to be curious as to why she suddenly left though, surely there'd be questions when she returned to the gate. Izumi hadn't spent too much time this year watching the exams other than when she was expected too, it was too likely that she'd run into an old “friend” in the stands at the larger matches. At least she could watch the recordings later. There were a few standouts, much as there were every exams and as the herd thinned Izumi would start seeing more and more people she really didn't want to encounter face to face in the stands. The life of a fugitive was complicated to the say the least, it was much easier when you were a powerful kunoichi and as little as Izumi liked to admit it her looks certainly helped her first impression on people.

The distance was far, but Izumi's speed made the trip quite bearable, it wasn't even noon before she was nearly there. The landscape was beautiful, one thing Izumi did like about the Mist was the sea. She hated traveling on it, she hated the mist, but the sight of it was one of her favorites. Izumi couldn't help but lower her pace to go take a look out over the ocean. Up ahead she could see a towering hill that had sea scarred cliffs. The crashes of the waves could already be heard, the smell of the sea was carried on their mist and in the wind. Izumi noticed there was someone else there, another shinobi probably a genin based on the strength of their chakra pressure. Izumi slowed down a bit, there was no need to torture them. The figure was much larger than her physically but Izumi had no fear as she approached. The blonde woman looked up at the young man climbing the fig tree that sprouted from a shrine a top the hill. This seemed like an apt time to make a friend of a fellow traveler. Her mission could wait, the timelines were her own so a bit of fun couldn't hurt. A grin appeared across Izumi's face, maybe she would scare him a bit, just a little, just for fun. Izumi moved as fast as she could without alerting him, approaching from the other side she easily climbed tree and lounged on a branch a bit above him on the tree, “A bit stuck are we? Don't I know you from somewhere?” Izumi couldn't place it but he was one of the exam stand outs. They didn't really fully register on her radar, such matters were much beneath the view of her current life. Not to say they didn't matter for those involved it just wasn't something she was concerned with given the gravity of her own affairs. Izumi's teasing smile came with a giggle as she waited for the young man's reaction.

1,019 words.

3Tea Time [Private/Izumi] Empty Re: Tea Time [Private/Izumi] Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:53 pm

Yoshihiro

Yoshihiro


B-rank
YoJo squinted as he inched along the branch of the old fig tree, reaching out to try and grab at the hanging fruit that was just out of his reach. He bit his lip, locking his legs around the branch he was hanging on so he could use both hands to reach for the awkwardly placed fig. He was hanging upside down for the most part. The sensation of blood rushing to his head was not an altogether enjoyable one. Still, like a dutiful shinobi, he persisted in his quest. Closer and closer he grew until, at last, a new voice broke the silent struggle between man and nature. The woman's voice caught the Genin completely off guard. He let out a loud, "EEP!" as he lunged out a bit to hastily. There was a sudden cracking sound then, the branch he'd been shimmying along having fractured and fallen away from the trunk. Yojo was sent falling down, down, down to the earth, falling onto the dirt with a hard 'thud' sound that left him rather dazed. The fig he'd been reaching for fell lazily down onto the ground, a tad bruised, but relatively un touched by the descent.

Yojo groaned as he sat, rubbing at his head as he gathered his bearings. Who was up here with him? He hadn't seen anyone else coming up the seaside path while he'd been hiking. He rubbed at the lump that was swiftly forming, wearing a mixture between a frown and a look of confusion as he inspected the newcomer. The first thing that struck the boy was how absurdly beautiful the branch-sitting woman was. Long wavy hair, a curvy body that that made both men and women stare unashamed, crystalline blue eyes, and an immaculate appearance that somehow rejected the lesser pollution of the space-time continuum. She was short though, well shorter and less 'big' than he, which felt a ad strange for him in a way since it was apparent she was older. Yojo let out a loud, "Harumph!", exhaling as he let the hot air leave his lungs. He stared up at the stranger, looking for some kind of headband to tell what village she was from. She seemed like a shinobi, a skilled one at that to sneak up on him... then again, perhaps he was easily spooked by surprises and this was just some local messing with him.

"Who do you think you are? Sneaking up on people like that. It's quite rude" he snapped, nursing both his head bump as well as his pride. He slooooowly grabed the fig that had landed near him, picking it up and pressing it against his mouth to eat. He would give this stranger a piece of his mind while finishing this stupid tradition all at once. He was a multitasker as always! He waited to see what the woman would say at the greeting before speaking again. "I'm one of the competitors for the Chunin Exams. Maybe you know me from that somehow. I try to be mostly a bit of a shut-in otherwise. People are too loud, always so loud all the time" he replied, letting his words transition into more of a mumbling sound as he focused on getting back up to his feet. Once he'd dusted himself off, he'd look up to the strange again. "I'm Yoshihiro Joe" he introduced, hoping it would entice the woman to reveal her identity. "Are you a shinobi?" he asked, trying to discern what he could just from the woman's appearance as well as her reaction. One of the perks of being a shut-in was not trusting people easily, and hey, that was just one step away from shinobi work!

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