[OOC: I realized just now that today was Daraku's birthday, IC, so I made a thread before the day ends and I go to sleep. Anyone is free to join and RP with me, I'll get to replies as soon as possible~]

Daraku hadn't even realized that today was his birthday. It was already late, but that didn't mean he couldn't go out and enjoy himself. He'd have to hide his identity, though, so that complicated things just a tad. If any ninja found out who he was, he'd become an immediate target, and he didn't want to have to kill any Suna-nin and end up making matters worse for himself. No, that wouldn't help anyone in the long run, so he put on his cloak and parted his hair to the left, put an earring in his right ear, and didn't bother to shave. This way, he looked different than the Daraku that was recorded in the bingo book. If anyone asked his name, he would merely state "Matsuro" with a steady expression. So the question was now, where to go for such a marvelous birthday dinner? He was tired, didn't really feel like walking far...closest thing in the village to him was the Dragon's Tongue.

So the Dragon's Tongue it was. Daraku hadn't been there since his run-in with that old bandit leader, six years ago. A kid had helped him fight, ah, what was the boy's name? Zack...yeah, it was Zack. He remembered the kid's outrageous haircut and clothing and it brought a humored chuckle to his lips. He arrived at the Tongue and entered through their small little doorway, making his way to the same booth he always sat in when he ate there, first one on the left. He sat down, and waited on the woman to greet him. A quick once-over of the establishment made it clear that tonight was a busy night. Everyone in the restaurant seemed to be with their friends, eating and laughing and just having fun. Here he was, sitting alone, thinking to himself...

Here I am, on my 22nd birthday, and I have no one left to care about it or even about me, for that matter. How saddening...hopefully the food here will make up for this sinking feeling in my heart. Oh, the throes of solitude, poetic and brutal.

Syekren was dressed for something to do. Or was it laziness of the night before? Either way, he was wearing a tank top style shirt, showing his muscle tone and the scar of the burn from his encounter with Mizuto. The burn was in the shape of the village hidden in the sand's symbol upon the hitai-ate the shinobi of the village wore. Other than that, he wore black shorts, and was going barefoot for the day. Upon his head he wore what some called a 'beanie' to keep his dark blue, almost violet hair from his eyes. His eyes themselves were a dark green, thanks to the contacts he wore. He was quietly making his way through Sunagakure no Sato, waving at all those who passed him by. Some of the same people who seemed to be disgusted of him before, or hate him were now greeting him. He had been doing a lot for the village lately, maybe that was it. He accepted this as a fact, making his way to the closest thing the village had to a decent bar: The Dragon's Tongue.

Once he entered the bar, he looked around. So many people. It was so busy and  it was very likely service would be slow. What really upset him though was all those who sat with their friends, recounting on times they had spent together, becoming better friends, strengthening their bonds. This saddened the uchiha. 'Why can't I have friends? Why do I have to be alone?' Maybe he needed to put himself out there more. Noting a man sitting by his lonesome, he saw an opportunity. The male had his hair parted to the left, and an earing in his right ear. From the look of him, he was noting the business of the establishment as well, Syekren put on a smile and sat at the booth across from the other male.

"Hello, I'm Syekren! I hope you don't mind me intruding but as you may have noticed there are quite a lot of people here and this is one of the only open spots. Besides no one should sit alone right?" He chuckled, and continued his smiling, hoping that the other wouldn't be offended by him sitting in the other spot across from him. Truth be told, he was hoping that the other man would be friendly to save him the trouble of worrying whether or not he would be able to make a friend in this place.

Training:

As Daraku meditated on everything and awaited the waitress, he noticed a male figure walking past and sitting in seat across from him. He looked up at the guy with a curious expression, confused as to why he had just sat there. Then again, Zack had done the exact same thing six years ago; the only difference in this situation was that this guy didn't look like a premature psychopath, and Daraku was a different man than he was back then. He attempted to be nice, but before he could open his mouth, the other guy spoke first. "Hello, I'm Syekren! I hope you don't mind me intruding but as you may have noticed there are quite a lot of people here and this is one of the only open spots. Besides no one should sit alone right?" Of course, no one should sit alone...the words resonated with Daraku's intense feelings of loneliness. He wasn't the broody type, though, so he brushed off the emotions and grinned at Syekren.

"Yes, I suppose you have a point there. I'm not sure if I should disclose my real name just yet, so for now, you can just call me Matsuro. That's a long story for another time, but for now, it's nice to meet you, Syekren," he gave the guy a quick inspection. By the looks of it, he was either a ninja or a spy, and either way, Daraku could thus relate to him. He decided to get clarification, though, as appearances could be deceiving. "You are a ninja, correct? You just seem to look like one, so I assume yes." He kept his eyes focused on Syekren's, not in a glare but more of an interested state of eye contact. He'd always been told that eye contact was polite. Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed a woman walking towards the booth, carrying a notepad. The waitress, a new one that he didn't recognize, was coming. He hadn't even looked at the menu yet...eh, he'd go off of memory when he ordered. He put his attention back on Syekren as he waited for the man's reply.

The man's question struck him as odd. Truth be told he handn't met anyone who wasn't a ninja. But syekren thought himself something more. He smiled and began to push his index and middle finger to his contacts, pulling them out for a moment as he spoke."You see, we all have our secrets. Mine is a bit more fatal than some."n saying this he activated his two tomoe sharingan, looking back at the male across from his with a soft smile. When he noticed the waitress coming closer, he deactivated his sharingan, putting the contacts back onto his eyes once more. When she asked for their orders, he looked down at his menu. "I want the Kirigakure Sake, as well as a chicken fried sandwich." The woman looked at him quietly for a moment before speaking to him in a harsh tone. "Are you old enough to drink, young man?" Syekren shook his head slightly, sighing a bit before answering. "I'm old enough to kill you, does that answer your question?"

After he had fulfilled his order and she took Matsuro's Syekren's gaze fell upon his new companion. He was thinking for a moment, turning over the many possibilities of who this guy was in his head before he made a decision to speak to him once more. "What brings you to Sunagakure, my friend? Redemption, Blood, family, friends? What makes Matsuro want to be in a desolate wasteland that is Kaze no Kuni? I don't mind the place myself, but I've never been outside of the village, this is all I've ever known to be honest. You must have experienced enough to want to be somewhere else though."

Training:

Syekren revealed an interesting tidbit about himself, as he removed a contact lens to reveal a Sharingan. Daraku had never seen one in person before...Syekren was an Uchiha, or he'd killed one to get the eye. That was intriguing, to say the least. He put the contact back in before the approaching woman arrived, and he gave her his order and an indirect death threat. Ooh, how sassy. Daraku liked this guy already. Daraku averted his eyes, first to the woman's unfortunately sagging breasts, then to her face, which seemed to be a combination of scared and annoyed. He wondered how often ninjas threatened her during her shift, before going through his memory to remember what he used to order there..."I'll have the yellow curry, make it extra spicy. And I'll just have water to go with it, thanks." Once that was all said and done, Sye looked to him and asked him another question: what brought him to Sunagakure? This question would have a complicated answer, but it seemed that they both had time to spare.

"Well, you pegged two of them: redemption and family. I was born and raised here. My father was the clan head of the Ishido Clan, and so I did most of my training here, both from him and from the Ninja Academy. Once I graduated from the Ninja Academy, I spent near nine years training, I left about a year ago when I was a Special Jounin to pursue...other things. Now that I'm back, things have changed and people had to die to make things right, but everything is relatively ok for the time being. I figure this is where I belong, in the end, and I've inherited my place as the new Clan Head." He'd just disclosed too much information, but at that point he didn't care, he was already appointed to meet with the Kazekage later that week, so what harm could it do to reveal his true identity to one person? Judgement would pass either way, and this was nothing compared to whatever the Kazekage would do to him once he showed up at her office asking for forgiveness.

Daraku hadn't even realized that he'd been going on for so long about himself, and how rude it was to do so. "Sorry for the tangent, I just like to explain things in-depth, or as in-depth as I could go without coming off as a maniac. You get the gist, so let's move on; tell me about yourself. It's not common that I see an Uchiha around. How old are you? You didn't seem all that welcome to telling the woman how old you were, although I did admire your death threat. I'm quite a fan of good old-fashioned violence and fear tactics, to some degree."

He listened intently, gathering the information as well as he could. When the tables were turned and the other male asked him about himself he chuckled a bit, laying his head back to look at the ceiling before answering. "Sadly there aren't many Uchiha left, so I'm not surprised you haven't seen many. What few of us there are, I'm sure are being hunted for their eyes. I'm sure I would be if I left the Sunagakure no Sato. My age..Well you may find that out later." He chuckled again, looking back at the male across from him once more, tilting his head a bit. Such an interested and interesting man. He thought for a moment, looking at his hands as he placed them upon the table, rubbing them together. "I'm not usually threatening. But this world taught me that power dictates the weak. As I wish to be more powerful than other, I need to assert myself, and either lead the weak, or destroy them. Whichever is fine with me, so long as I grow more powerful."

He thought for a moment, looking back towards Matsuro. "And currently, I'm training to move up in the ranks. I want to become strong enough to protect this village. Perhaps become a sannin or part of the ANBU black ops. Do you have any dreams for your future here? I'm sure you're no special jounin anymore." He was intrigued at this point in the conversation, watching the reaction of the other male. He wanted to know whether he'd have a competition to become one of the three strongest ninja in the village, or if this guy was just hoping to rejoin it and become a normal member of the society here.

Training:

With a tinge of lament, Syekren explained the dismal state of the Uchiha clan. Their numbers, according to him, were low, and he figured what was left of them were being hunted for the fabled Sharingan, even going as far to say that if he wasn't in Sunagakure no Sato, he could easily become one of the hunted. Daraku hadn't realized the severity of their endangerment, and listened on with sufficient empathy. He'd done so much to protect his own clan, he couldn't even imagine what he would do if they were being eradicated, one by one, for their kekkei genkai...it almost sickened him. Then again, he could see why the eyes were sought after so badly. They held great potential, the only means capable of acquiring some of the strongest jutsu known to man. Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and even the Susano'o. All of that raw power, held in just two eyes. Syekren changed the focus of the subject back to himself, not disclosing his age for the time being but instead speaking briefly about his desire for power and his motivations for doing so. Daraku had no doubt the Uchiha would accomplish said goals, in due time, of course.

Another question was posed after the explication, about Daraku's "dreams for the future". It was an abstract question with a multitude of answers, Daraku found it difficult to narrow it down to which dreams were the most relevant. As he sat, thinking for a while, the waitress returned with their drinks, placing Syekren's sake in front of him and Daraku's glass of water a bit off to the left, next to a pair of chopsticks. She handed him a straw, and gave a quick nod, saying "Here are your drinks, I'll be back with your food as soon as it is ready," before she disappeared yet again. He opened the straw, placed it in the glass, and took a sip from it. The water was refreshing, but this was Suna. Any nourishment could be considered refreshing in such an arid desert village as that. Daraku finally got back to what he was going to say, turning his attention back to Syekren's eyes and smiling. "I figure that my biggest dream for the future is to be the man my father never could. To be the man my clan needs right now, y'know? But that's not my only dream, certainly. I used to be the kind of guy obsessed with the 'thrill of the kill'..."

He took another sip from his water, staring down at its clear surface with a dismal expression as he went deeper into thought and continued. "I wasn't a good guy, I killed in cold blood without hesitation. I'm still not a good guy, I truly don't think I ever will be. Aside from the whole clan deal, I have simple pleasures. I want money, respect, authority...all of which I'm working on attaining, and I'm rather unashamed. Most people label me as superficial, but I could care less. What was I saying again? Damn, lost my train of thought." He paused, but couldn't recall what his point in bringing up all that was. "Ah, well. Anyway, I haven't been given an official rank by a village since I left, but a few bingo books I've seen myself in have labeled me as A-Rank, so I'm not that much ahead of where I was. And you? You said yourself that you're trying to move up in ranks, so where are you now? And how do you battle; you a Ninjutsu man? or more of a swordsman like myself, or maybe even a puppetmaster...?" Daraku's questions were vocalized with an emotion nearing excitement. He loved talking about fighting and bloodshed, they always got him pumped.

The waitress set his drink in front of him, giving his new companion chopsticks as well his water, informing them his  food would be out when it was ready. Syekren himself chose to quietly sip his sake, glaring at the woman. She hadn't specifically done anything rude this time, per se, but he could tell she still wasn't apt to serving him alcohol. He made a note to ask her for more when she came back, simply to annoy her and drive her even more into her pit of despair. He heard Matsuro begin to talk once more and turned his attention back to the man sitting across from him, sipping his sake more. "Thrill of the kill, eh? I myself have only killed a few people but it was never about that for me. They were merely stepping stones in my rise to power. Just last week I kill seven ninja single-handedly. Only two of them were genin, the others were chuunin. It was an easy enough battle for myself, but I did suffer a small wound from senbon."

His comrade's rank was somewhere at A-Rank, but that wasn't what intrigued him. It was the fact that he mentioned being in the bingo books. That was quite a load to drop during casual conversation. But syekren let it slide. Quietly his eyes trained to the man's own while Matsuro asked questions. Quietly Syekren sipped his drink and smiled. "I'm from something called the Amaterasu path for my clan. I was born with a natural affinity to Ninjutsu, and as such I mainly use that. I do specialize in Taijutsu as well though, things seem easier to solve when you use your fists. Though. I can't say that is completely true. It got me into trouble once before." With that, he turned, showing the burn scar on his right bicep of the Sungakure's symbol. It was months, or was it weeks, since the encounter with the ninja who had done that using a wind-style jutsu but the burn mark was still there as if it had just happened. The Uchiha sighed, drinking his sake, finishing the glass and waiting on the waitress for another."As for my rank, currently I'm a chuunin. I'm soon to become a special jounin though. Work my way up to Sannin. Or maybe even an ANBU!"

Training:

Daraku noticed Syekren give the waitress another glare as he replied to his question calmly. He mentioned that he hadn't killed many in his days, something that Daraku didn't see as a sign of weakness but rather a sign of humanity. In a world full of ninja, it was rare to find any that hadn't massacred dozens. Then again, Syekren wasn't likely to remain so innocent; he'd have his fair share of deathmatches in the future if he walked the road of a ninja for much longer. He went on to reveal himself as a Ninjutsu user, destined for the eyes that produced the unquenchable black flames of Amaterasu. Intrigued, Daraku listened with a grin on his face, imagining the relentless destruction such a technique could do.

The mention of Taijutsu was more minimal, as Daraku knew little to nothing of it aside from punching crap until it bled, although Sye did showcase a scar on his arm while he alluded to a battle he had using Taijutsu. Daraku paused to look at it, noting its resemblance to the Sunagakure emblem, as Sye ended his words with the statement that he was a Chuunin. Daraku processed all of this information, letting his eyes wander over to the waitress again who was preoccupied with...something out of his view, at the moment, and then looking back to his glass of water and sipping. "Good to know that you're so determined, it's nice to see such ambitious and bright ninja around. Real motivation and whatnot. As for your Ninjutsu affinity and talk of Amaterasu, I've only recently learned to use Ninjutsu myself, and I find it to be quite the useful fighting style. Amaterasu, from what I gather, is the jutsu of eternal black flames told in fables of the Uchiha, correct? I remember hearing of it in legends and stories, but I never thought I'd meet an Uchiha with the potential to learn such a jutsu. So fascinating how a simple pair of eyes can do such wonders. How do the Uchiha gain the Amaterasu? I assume there must be some sort of prerequisite or drawback to explain why all Uchiha of the Amaterasu path don't know how to use it." He figured he'd wait for a reply rather than continue, as he was already coming across as a little too interested. He posed no threat to Syekren, he had no desire for a Sharingan, he was merely curious was all.

Daraku again looked over Syekren's shoulder and noticed the woman coming back to them, this time holding various dishes. The meal was coming, finally. Daraku was practically starving.

"You are correct, the Amaterasu is the eternally burning black flames that is one of the Uchiha's most powerful techniques. The Reason you don't see all Uchiha of the Amaterasu path wielding it, is that you must undergo rigorous trials and awaken the Mangekyou sharingan before being able to use the attack. I myself have never met one person with the ability to use it either, but I'm hoping I will one day be able to do so myself. Though I fear if my parents get too much more interested in how my Sharingan is coming along that may be a dream that will never be realized." The waitress came back and put Matsuro's food in front of him, Syekren looking over it silently. He himself wasn't too big on the food this bar had to offer, but it seemed that the other man didn't mind it, or had no tastebuds left from eating it. Either way, while the waitress put the food down, Syekren tapped on his empty glass, motioning for her to take it. She did so with a bit of displeasure, hurrying off to go get him some more, whereas he yelled in her direction making sure she heard him. "Just bring the unopened bottle out here, so I know you haven't done anything to it, bar wench."

There was a collected silence in the bar as people heard this. He looked around, glaring at each in turn, who were looking at the bar maid. She turned to glare at Syekren before stomping back to the kitchen in a huff, causing an uproar of laughter from all the patrons, who went back to what they had been doing before. He shook his head quietly, turning back to look at his companion, thinking a moment. "Though I understand the Uchiha clan is intriguing, what of your bloodline? What is your clan able to do that no other clan has been able to master before? I've heard tale of Steel release, Wood Release of the Senju, and other such clans like that, I've even met someone who used Sand as a weapon. Truth be told I find all these advanced elements intriguing. They always have some great strength to them, especially if those who wield it know what they're doing and wield it correctly. Just like the sharingan. If you know what you're doing, and you wield it correctly, it can be the greatest weapon in your arsenal. But if you can't use it well, it can be used against you."

He stared in the direction of the kitchen, waiting for his sake bottle to be brought out into his waiting hands. He enjoyed the Kirigakure sake they had here, it had such the misty quality to it. It had a water-bred sweetness, with a milky mist texture and smell of open waves. It was one of the greatest sake that had ever been concocted in Syekren's opinion. Though truth be told, he didn't drink much himself. He wondered if he should offer some of his drink to his counterpart, motioning to the bar for the maid to bring two glasses back instead of one. The man behind the bar nodded, and stuck his head back in the kitchen to inform them before she would come out. A few minutes later she exited the kitchen with a scowl, placing the bottle on the table, with one glass on either side of it, scurrying off. The uchiha smirked, uncorking the bottle and letting the soft scent waft to his nostrils. He made the 'Ahhhh" sound, pouring a generous amount into each glass, before setting the bottle down and raising one glass. "I implore you to try this. Kirigakure sake is of the highest caliber that I have ever tasted. You shan't find its equal in Sunagakure. Or even in Konoha or Iwagakure for that matter." He chuckled, taking a drink and enjoying the full misty flavor.

Training:

The waitress set down a bowl full of bright yellow deliciousness, leaving its sweet scent to waft about. It was all so nostalgic, but aside from that, Daraku's stomach called to the food desperately. His last meal was dinner, which was near five hours ago...it was around half past eleven PM. Daraku separated his chopsticks, positioning them in his right hand and poking and prodding at the various contents of the curry, with a satisfied grin. He eventually picked up a pepper and bit into it, savoring the flavor and averting his attention away from the dish and back to Syekren, who was explaining the Amaterasu's and how to attain it, mentioning rigorous trials and something called the Mangekyou Sharingan. That was past Daraku's knowledge of the doujutsu, so he wasn't really sure what all of that meant, but he listened anyway. Syekren stopped to hassle the waitress, asking for more sake and requesting the entire, unopened bottle. It was of no consequence to Daraku, anyhow; he picked up a spoon and sifted through the curry, take sips as Syekren requested the unopened bottle from her. Everyone else in the establishment was taking notice, seemingly ostracising the woman. Daraku wondered what made Syekren and everyone else want to take pleasure in her misfortune, but it wasn't his place to intervene. He wasn't some sort of hero who was a savant to the victimized, obviously judging by the many lives he'd taken in his day. If anything, he was a villain, but at this time, he was only curious as to why they were all doing so...

Syekren's voice reached Daraku's ears again, currently asking about his clan, as well as offering him some of the sake in a glass poured high. Daraku eyed the glass for a moment before going back to his curry. "No, thank you, it's late and I tend to get violent and stupid when I drink. Too many bad experiences with alcohol to want to drink it all that often. Now, my clan...our castle is out near the southeastern village gate, a good portion of us live there although there is also a hideout in Konoha and scattered Ishido all across the five nations. Our kekkei genkai has two various, both with a similar premise." He set down his spoon and held out his hand to demonstrate. The appendage faded into darkness, as black as the night sky. He swept it across the table and it phased through the filled glass, the curry, and the bottle of sake, all without getting wet or knocking over anything. The hand returned to normal and he went back to eating, speaking in-between bites. "We can float a little and pass through objects, basically like a ghost. In my path of the clan, we can use our kekkei genkai as a stealth jutsu and hide our chakra as well." The mild coconut taste held fast to his tongue along with a pungent spice; the two flavors went surprisingly delicious together. He was finding himself more and more infatuated by this curry, when suddenly he realized what Syekren had implied earlier.

"Wait, what's this of your parents...? You said that your dream may never be realized if they continue with such to have conviction in your training. What do you mean by that?"

255/275:

Syekren watched the male make his hand go through the sake glass and his bowl of curry, thinking for a moment. He quietly removed both of his contacts, activating his two tomoe sharingan. He placed the contacts in his case, replacing the case into his pocket after doing so, and then proceeded to stare at the man while he activated his kekkei genkai. A few seconds after, while Syekren had been allowing his two tomoes to spin he sighed. This wasn't able to be copied, but the chakra of it was interesting. Along the entirety of Matsuro's body there was the burning masses of chakra, leading up to the hand he had used his ability on. There was only dark chakra there, instead of the outline of the hand and chakra, all he could see was a burning mass of darker chakra. It was very intriguing to say the least, he hadn't met someone, or even heard of anyone, that had the ability to do this with their chakra and with their forms. Needless to say, what this man could do was very intriguing, even useful if used properly.

"I'm sure you've heard the legends of the Uchiha. Our ability to copy all form of jutsu? It's quite useful, but something remarkable as what you've just done would be even more so. That is quite the bloodline you have. And just how many paths does your clan have? The Uchiha, well we have two. Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi. The Amaterasu path is obviously ninjutsu users like me, who will one day awaken the ability to use the legendary black flames that burn forever. The other path is of Genjutsu users who can ensnare you in a powerful illusion, making you experience something that seems impossible. I don't know about it fully myself. It's not something I really delve into being as I only typically use my ninjutsu. I can't even tell you the basics of genjutsu." He paused at this point to take a drink of his sake, his now crimson red sharingan staring at the man before him, watching the burning masses of chakra. He was going to figure out how that technique worked, if only to utilize it for a coup.

"Ah, quite alright, I can drink this myself." He chuckled at his own response to the male's refusal to drink,listening to his description of his bloodline intently. So, like a ghost? Interesting. He'd have to keep an eye on his new found companion. He had a feeling that things would be interesting in his company. He asked the question Syekren should have expected to come and the Uchiha sighed a bit. True, he wasn't completely sure himself but that didn't mean he wouldn't have his suspicions. "Truth be told, I'm not quite sure myself. I just noticed that since I'd awoken my sharingan they pay a lot more attention to me, and my training. My comings and goings, everything. I wouldn't be surprised if they were here now. I wouldn't find it so strange, if  I knew why they needed to know all of these things but I do think I have a theory. It's a long shot but may hold the answer."

He quietly finished his first glass, corking the bottle. He'd finish it later. Silently he rubbed his chin, trying to think of just how much he should tell his counterpart. They had been quite honest with each other up to this point, why keep anything from Matsuro now? "Something in my clan has to do with stealing another's eyes for greater power. And since I have achieved the second stage of my sharingan, they know I am getting closer to unlocking my mangekyou. I think they plan to do something to me in order to recover my eyes but I can't be sure. I need to get stronger and stage a sting, so I may follow them and find out what they plan, or even what they know. Though I can't be sure I will get strong enough myself.." He trailed off and sighed, his sharingan looking down at his hands, balled into fists.

240/250:

Training:

Syekren observed the Ishido kekkei genkai closely with his sharingan, Daraku taking note of the spinning tomoe as he went on eating the curry. The Uchiha continued on, giving some clarity to the earlier comment. Essentially, he was saying that his parents could've been scheming to take his eyes. Odd news, but if the numbers of the clan were that low, and this Mangekyou thing was so valuable, it was a believable idea. Daraku finished off the bowl within minutes, and went back to drinking his water. He reached up to his head and pushed the hair back, then to the left, so that it wouldn't fall over his eyes again. "That's unfortunate news. I'm sorry to hear that, but I hope it all works out for the best, and I'm here to help if they are up to something." He reached the bottom of his glass of water, setting it down as he gulped down the last drops and sighed. A successful late-night birthday dinner, indeed, he was full and relatively satisfied, although a bit drowsy. He grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth before he stood, strapping his swords around his back as he prepared to leave.

"Alright, Syekren. It's nearly 1 in the morning, and I figure I should be heading back to the stronghold, since I'm pretty tired. I'll see you around, ok? We should train together sometime." Daraku said with a smile. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a sum of ryo, setting it on the table next to the empty bowl that once held the curry. "That should be enough to cover the both of us and the tip, so don't worry about paying. Bye." He ensured that the weapons were secure around his hip and his back, before slipping both hands back into his pockets and leaving, headed off into the dark night, feet sifting through the sand again. He yawned quietly to himself as he thought about the night. Technically, it was past midnight, so his birthday was already over...but he could at least say he'd made one new friend on the day of. Still, he'd demand presents from his family in the morning. Those assholes didn't even remember. He didn't either, but that was different.

[Exit Thread]

Syekren watched as his new companion got up and put a sum of ryo on the table. After a few minutes he was gone and the Uchiha was left alone, to sit there by himself. 'Training together sometime, eh? Yea that could work.' He smiled to himself, thinking of the new friend he had made. He stood quietly, stretching a bit and yawning. Man was he starting to feel drowsy. He had almost a full bottle of sake left and not much time in the day. Well he didn't have any time in the day, technically it was already the next day and he would be late waking up for his training. The Uchiha sighed and deactivated his sharingan, walking towards the door of the bar. He gave the middle finger to the waitress who was going towards his table and made his way out into the cold night air of the village hidden in the sand. He wasn't exactly dressed for the slightly chilly walk home but it was better than the sun bearing down all day everyday roasting him to a crisp. He wondered where Matsuro was actually going and when he'd see him again. Well, that was a story for another time.

END THREAD

Training: