Saiyuki looked behind her. The beautiful lands of Konoha, she will have to leave behind. Sai filled her lungs with air, turned around and breathed out. "It was nice to meet you, Konoha! But duty calls in Kirigakure." The sun was falling and the orange color was hanging in the skies of Konoha. The country was beautiful and nice. The people were friendly, but the girl found it sad she had to leave without saying goodbye properly. She would surely miss the people she met. Saiyuki her feet moved forward into the horizon. She stepped and stepped. Never looking back. She was a grown up now, not that useless little girl any longer. She now made her own path and followed it through good and bad times. Sometimes when she thought about what she had done. She wanted to change everything. Not just the past but herself as well. Start over. Maybe she could in Kirigakure. Nobody knew her there, she could be another person. She could change herself in a better way. But then she thought, that all what she had done, is part of her and no one else. Those things made what she was now. It made her mature and a bit more grown up. She had changed the past years. She went away for months and no one know of it.

The Kobayashi wandered around for days and finally took a break. She still wasn't near Kirigakure and had to rest for at least another day. She had pushed herself to far and now she had to pay the price. Saiyuki lit herself a fire to keep her warm. She unrolled a blanket she took with her and wrapped it around her. She used a tree to sit against and her eyes slowly closed, but she hadn't eaten yet. Saiyuki woke up by a whale sound, it came from her own tummy. As the clumsy girl she is, she forgot to take food with her. She grabbed her katana and stood up. The female could hardly see, all she saw a a blurry sight and some features that came from the trees. She stepped slowly and deeper into the woods, her eyes were barely open and then she thought she smelled the scent of berries. She tried to open her eyes more clearly and saw a blink of a bush. The girl stumbled toward it and began eating the fruits. Hopefully she wouldn't get poisened or be sick. After having eaten the berries she moved back toward her fire. As soon as she was wrapped up in her blanket she fell asleep.

The next morning she woke up, her eyesight was better, but her tummy growled in pain. She had eaten too much of them. Now she felt sick, but she had to move on. She had to get to Kirigakure, to help, to help the people and herself. She picked up her messengerbag and swung it onto her shoulder and started walking again. Saiyuki still was a bit tired, but it was best to move than stay at the same place twice.

"And I will walk 500 miles and I will walk 500 more..." Saiyuki walked day and night. Sometimes she slept a day and then moved on. Now she wanted to sleep for a bit longer and maybe train some more. She really needed some training seeing that she was getting a bit rusty. The girl threw her bag on the floor. She saw a great place to practice her kenjutsu. A few metres of bamboo lay next to her sleeping place. She picked up her katana, grabbed the strong hilt and pulled it out. "Just be calm. Breath good and trust your own strength. I can do this. I will get more skilled and I will be stronger. It's time to train again."
Saiyuki closed her eyes. She consentrated on the wind. There was a small breeze hanging in the air. It made a rustling sound against the leaves on the branches of the different trees. She filled her lungs with fresh air. Held it and then swung her katana around. Her last record was cutting three branches perfectly. After she swung her weapon, Sai let the air out of her lungs and opened her eyes. "One, two and... Damn! I need to step up my game, damn it! Again! Again! Again! I must at least hit three bamboo sticks, otherwise, i'm quitting. Than i am not worthy of this katana. Again..." Saiyuki did everything the same. She breathed in, filled her lungs with air, with closed eyes she swung her katana around. But just like last time. She didn't hit the third one. "Argh!! Why isn't this working?! What am I doing wrong! Aren't I putting enough effort in it! I swear if someone is playing me, I am going to kill you!" screamed Saiyuki. No one was there except her. Her break of all this maybe wasn't such a good idea. But she needed a break. She was stressed and had to relax to put everything in a straight line.

She kept doing the same thing over and over and over again. She was tired. Her clothes were wet with sweat, but she must break at least three branches. It was all she wanted to do at this moment. Nothing else mattered to her. She must cut the three branches. Saiyuki raised her katana again, swung it. One branch fell, the second one was down. Then she opened her eye and looked at the third branch. Only a little cut was made. "Damn it!" She cursed under her heavy breathing. Without thinking she threw her katana at the branch and it broke. "That is what could have happened. I need to get moving, it's getting dark."

So Saiyuki packed everything with a disapointed feeling. It really did bother her. She hated it when she couldn't complete her goals. On the road Saiyuki kept swinging with her weapon. "I should have gotten it the last time. I swear. I am not worthy anylonger, but i can't just give up now. Not now when i am going to Kiri to help others. They could need all the help they can get even if it is just me. C'mon, they need it." Sai was irritated but still kept her spirit up. Other needed her help, and she will give it to them. It was part of her duty as Shinobi.

[ Travel: 1089/600 ]
[ Training: 1089/2000, Secondary Specialisation to B-Rank ]