Strafe was extremely excited to reach Kiri again. Iwa was nice to visit, but it just wasn't the same as his village. He needed to see his mother and friends as well, as it was kinda lonely in Iwa for a Kiri ninja like him. Plus, he had something pretty exciting to look forward too! He was finally on a squad! He had been hoping that the rebuilding of Kirigakure wouldn't stop him from being on a squad, and he was right!

Strafe met at the place he sent Shibi the message about. It was just a little fork in the road, but it was distinguishable enough for him to find. All he had to do now was to wait on Shibirin. Though, he was kinda disappointed about not getting to go participate in the tournament. However, he had a duty to do and could not falter on selfish desires. He would find plenty of chances for battle.

He decided to go ahead and have lunch as well, pulling out his carry-out plate from one of the places in Iwa. While Iwa wasn't much to look at, the food was awesome! He started eating, taking time to look around for Shibi. He always did this. Coming to a meeting to early and ending up waiting forever. That was just the perfectionist in him though.

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Strafe smiled as he heard someone approaching. He turned to see his friend Shibirin. Once again, the two were going on a journey together. It was always a blast when he traveled with Shibi. He was kind and full of conversation, or at least Strafe was. "No problem!" Strafe said finishing the last bite of his lunch. He gathered his belongings and stood up, brushing his clothes off as he did so. He didn't want to look terrible when he got back to the village.

The journey to Kirigakure took three days last time, so at least he knew how long it would be. He just hoped he didn't get annoying with all the excitement he had built up inside him. Maybe he should stop being so dramatic about everything. Regardless, he was ready to be back home and meet his squad! Shibirin seemed like patient and calm person though, so Strafe didn't have to worry about that much.

As the trip went on, his thoughts were filled with what his Sensei and fellow Students would be like. What would they think of him? Was he as strong as the other Genin? All these thoughts ran through his head as he swiftly moved alongside Shibirin. He looked over at the man, wanting to thank him one last time before parting ways with him. "Thank you, once again, for traveling with me!" Strafe said with a big smile. He couldn't imagine how boring it would be to travel alone. How do people do it? He was most fortunate to have a strong Shinobi like Shibi beside him. They could fight anything and anyone, or at least Strafe felt that way. There was power in numbers, or at least he had always heard that saying.

The next 3 days were spent in anxiety for Strafe. Besides the casual stop for sleep or food, they pushed forward to Kirigakure. Unlike last time, Strafe talked quite a bit more this time, hoping to find out about Shibirin's past and his family. He wanted plenty of details to tell his friends back home. Maybe they would meet in the future as comrades in battle. That was a future Strafe could be happy with!

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