Nagare and Horui stood outside of Kirigakure, staring out at the midnight sky and the stars overhead. Horui didn't know what to make of the situation; it all felt unreal that just a few weeks ago, everything had been much simpler. Suddenly, he felt a hand stab through his back, and turned to see Nagare's arm. He smirked and began to glow for a fleeting moment, faded into Nagare, and they were one again. Nagare coughed, a response to the discomfort. He hadn't had Horui inactive in a long while. He shook his head and stretched, prepared for the long trek back; the first step was the gateway to many.

The air was thick and it blurred sight; it was as if rain was hounding the area, but a light rain. Not in fact rain at all; that's just how thick the mist was; it slapped your face as you walked like raindrops. Nagare grew tired of it all too soon, and missed Kumo more than ever. It was only the first mile of the journey. He reached the end of the island Kirigakure was located on quickly (it wasn't as large of an area anyways), and he stepped onto the water carefully. The waves crashed wildly against the rocks bordering the island, and he didn't want to make the mistake of taking a fall that could be fatal here. His feet were soaked, and he felt frozen under the mist, but soon enough, it thinned and it became warm as he passed out of Mizu no Kuni. Nagare could feel his vitality being restored as he continued.

Nagare passed many small civilizations, and recognized most of them. He was closer to Kumogakure. With his return, it was an end to the old him. He was going to be a much more dedicated ninja; he wasn't going to let anything hold him back. He wanted to change the world for the better, and stop anything that could pose a threat to it. And he knew that he wouldn't stop until he was Raikage himself. His feet now faced the same steep slopes that marked the start of Kaminari no Kuni, the land he knew too well. They seemed higher than when he had left the country, but it was probably just the altitude playing games with his mind.

The rocks crunched under him as he climbed hills. He turned around stretches of solid rock and lustrous crystals jutted from the peaks. Snow still lined the whole area, so he figured it hadn't been to hot around here. At least it wasn't the same frigid air as it was in Kiri. Clouds overhead were black and hardly visible against the dark sky, but he could hear their thunder roaring over him, rejoicing his return. He had missed them dearly, and although it rained much in Kirigakure, it was never the same as the clouds that rained under Kumogakure. They were as much of a home as the village itself. They too cleared, like the mist in Kiri, with time and distance.

Now within sight, Kumogakure stood, unchanged from what Nagare could tell. He crossed the threshold through the gate, and immediately went home to celebrate his return with his family. He wondered about his friends....well, Jishin, really. She was the only friend who would actually care, he figured. Or did she care at all? Had she forgotten him? It was too hard to tell. He decided not to think about it until the next day, when he could go see her in person.

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Return Thread from Mizu no Kuni to Kaminari no Kuni~

Word Count: 605/600 :)

I'M BACK, YO