Following my Heart [T][m]

[kasuke]

The heart was important. Not only did it keep the body alive, it was the base of your will.

Kasuke had been sent on a mission. Was it deadly? No. The Hokage made a huge deal about it.

The mission. Seek an alliance with the Kage of the Cloud. Theey would seem like a strong alliance together. This would mean Kasuke would need to travel to the Lightning Country. Somewhere away from home. This however would not be the first time Kasuke would be in this country. There was a special person he met.

Aburame, Shouta...A Cloud Ninja who did not seek a rocky relationship with Kasuke. Was their friendship a forbidden one? Did Shouta still care?

Kasuke had been down a few weapons from the many happenings in Konoha, but he was not down on the will that would get him there.

His footsteps were quick, there was no time to slow down. Lightning Country called his name.

The wind followed him, not the other way around, leaping through trees to his destination...

"I'm coming Shouta..."

Kasuke had only hope, that they had not forgotten each other.


[ove to Lightning Pleaase]

[☆ F ☆]

Moved!

[kasuke]

And...HOLD!

Kasuke stood ground, he was far away from home once more. He was in a familiar place....

The Lightning Country, known for the Village Hidden in the Cloud. These were strong Shinobi if Kasuke remembered. His father had done some medical deeds for these ninja, the enemy.

But.

They weren't the enemy now. In fact, Kasuke could and would never bring himself to take the life of another, until only recently. Yes, that's right, he annihilated a member of the Kaguya family for attacking his friends.

The winds caressed the land of lightning, which did not seem as destroyed as last time. When he was here, it was bodies of the souless that layed here, and the branches of death surrounding the area.

Now.

The Ninja had seemed to clean up. Kasuke would actually breath air he knew was safe. Nothing was tainted with the smell of blood.

Now that he was in his targeted area, he would proceed with his mission. He had nearly forgot his mission and remembered why he wanted to be sent here.

"Aburame Shouta....Where are you..." He said quietly. He hoped his dear friend had survived to this day.

Footsteps carried him to where they first met, on a bench. He knew the village couldn't be too far, or could it? Could he have strayed so far from the village in anger? Or could it be very close by?

To this day though, their footsteps were erased as Kasuke remembered that they both had busy assignments when they parted ways. Now, Kasuke needed the Aburame more than ever.

The Flamboyant Predator kept low and began searching for his fellow companion's village, he strayed to the East believing that the village could be close to where the sun rises. He followed the pathway, continuing to search forward, and looking over trees to his sides to make sure he did not skip a stone.

"Shouta, I'm coming....."

[Searching for Cloud]

[Kii!]

The region was an extremely mountainous one, which granted Kaminari no Kuni's hidden village the name Kumogakure. Their vile peaks reached up into the heavens, piercing the clouds. Before you was a simple path, one that seemed to be traveled on quite frequently. It was well-worn and many footsteps covered it, showing signs of recent travel. Of course, it wasn't likely that a Hidden Village would have a path straight to its doors. Still, this path could lead you closer, though you'd have to leave it sometime.

The trees in the area were evergreens, and for now, grew clearly and unobstructed. However, the region was rocky and thus any forests were wide and open, as opposed to Hi no Kuni's densely packed wilderness. The climb would prove tiring--after all, you'd have to move pretty far up to find the Village Hidden in the Clouds. All in all, it was a very different challenge compared to Hi no Kuni. As you moved along the path, the trees began to appear less frequently, though one did stand directly in your way. It marked a fork in the road, upon which a sign was placed.

It read "left: Inzai." As to what lied to your right, nothing was specified.

[kasuke]

The trek seemed long. But really? it was the climb that was getting to Kasuke.

"Damn, |Does Shouta do this everyday?" He questioned himself.

His gentle feet not being used to the terrain, Kasuke would do his very best. He knew that Shouta would not give up on him and neither would Kasuke give up on the Cloudie.

Upon his journey, a sign stuck in the ground from the well traveled road. There seemed to be perhaps a village nearby? Inzai? To his right was a road with no label.

"I best be safe." Kasuke stated as his trek continued to the left, where he would head towards "Inzai"

Of course, Kasuke brought the wrong type of clothing to travel in, his black kimono which had the pink floral design around it. But perhaps, it would show this "Inzai" Place that Kasuke had class, and he was not a destructive shinobi.

His run turned into a sprint, as he held up his kimono, giving his feet more space to push himself forward.

"I can do this....'

[Kii!]

The path would eventually lead to a quaint little village, nestled at the foot of the mountain. It certainly didn't seem extremely wealthy--the houses were all a bid shoddy, and none of the villagers too particularly clean. Still, they all seemed friendly, smiling at the newcomer, despite his foreign headband. Notably, despite their friendly smiles, they seemed to avoid coming into direct contact with the shinobi.

The town itself wasn't very large, perhaps a total of fifteen buildings or so. Most of them seemed to be houses, small in stature, but a home nonetheless. Judging by the stares you received, they probably weren't quite used to seeing shinobi, but still, perhaps they could help you.

[kasuke]

A smile was contagious.

Despite hi shyness, a smile slid across Kasuke's face. His hand raised to send them all a wave. Their houses, seemed...not so great. Hmm, perhaps Kasuke could do something about this.

As he got closer within speaking distance he would stand there. It didn't seem like he needed any attention grabber.

"S'cuse me...I hate to interrupt...But."

Is soft voice doing its best to project itself.

"I'm just a Ninja. A Leaf Ninja." He pointed to his protector around his forehead. "I seek not violence, but peace. I'm a long ways of home in search of my dear friend, Aburame Shouta." Funny how Kasuke remembered his name. "I know he is and resides in the Village Hidden in the Cloud."

He let all the information sink into the villagers.

"Too make my question blunt, does anyone have the slightest clue where it is?" He gave a cute giggle and smile at the end.

Friendliness, can go a long way.

[Kii!]

You'd come upon some of the friendly villagers, who were quite willing to give your pleas an open ear. Judging by their expressions, however, it didn't seem likely you'd get any information. With a shrug and a frown, a woman shook her head.

"Sorry, we don't know where it's at. Unlike the bigger villages, we don't know much about them, or ask them for help," she said, appearing genuinely sorry, but unable to help more than that. With an apologetic shrug and a tilt of her head, she went back to her business.

According to the woman, then, you'd find little information regarding the Hidden Village from this quaint little town. Therefore, your choices were simple: to ask more villagers, in case the woman was wrong, or to leave the village. Either you took the path back, or strayed into the wilderness. There didn't seem to be more than one path leading from the village, only rocks, trees, and mountainous hills to climb.

[kasuke]

"Okay...thank you for your generosity Miss. I'm just gonna double check...Finding my friend means the world to me right now." He gave her a smile.

"'m not sure How well off your village is but...I'd like to make a donation to you guys. I live in a wealthy village and well...I just can't stand to see a broken up village. I mean not to insult, but to aid." Kasuke detatched a certain amount of Ryo off his belt....

"Here's 20,000 Ryo. Can you ensure this goes straight to your village, and to those who need it the most?" He asked her giving her a smile. "Now I gotta go searching"


The boy would venture deeper into the small village, he did not want to leave this village without a hint.

He asked people the same question. From corner to corner he searched for different villagers.

This very well could be a village where they really did not know where it was. Was there not some sort of traveler? Was there not a Village Elder? Somebody had to be here to point him in some sort of direction.

[Kii!]

"A-ah; I don't know what to say but . . . uh," the woman seemed to hesitate to take the money. It was obvious such kindness wasn't often showed to her. "I suppose . . . thank you." With that she scurried nervously back into her home and left you to search.

So, you'd search, and your endeavors would eventually lead you to the chief of the village. He was young, tall and large--strong, both physically and mentally, most likely. Still, he was a normal citizen, and came nowhere near the level of a shinobi. But for this village, he was more than enough. When word arrived that you'd been searching for him, he, instead, came to you.

"The shinobi from Konohagakure, if I'm not mistaken?" He asked form behind, his voice a booming bass. To most, it was intimidating, though his kindness had the opposite affect. Despite his large stature and commanding presence, his facial features, though often considered handsome, were surprisingly soft and showed hints of both worry and care. Short, cropped raven hair adorned his crown, and his clothes were no better than that of the villagers around him. "I'd like to thank you personally for the donation. It was given to me by the villager you spoke with, and we have your thanks." For a moment he'd pause, obviously pondering something. It seemed that the decision he was making wasn't an easy one, and although it might seem simple, it was likely a larger deal to the chief of village in such a state. "We . . . we're supposed to simply act the part--play stupid, if you will. Your intentions seem genuine, however, so I can tell you all that we really know of Kumogakure's location--it lies far north of here, high in the mountains. There will be a lake further north, and a forked path nearby. Take the left trail, though eventually you will have to wander from it."

[kasuke]

Kasuke turned around to find out that the man behind him with the booming voice was none other than the village elder.

They were playing the -stupid- part to hide the village. Kasuke could not have a bigger smile on his face. Far North....

The boy would reach out and shake the man's hand. "Thank you so much sir. This means a whole great deal for me." The smile on the 19 year old's face could not be bigger. He felt closer to the dear Aburame than ever!

"I promise I mean no harm, only peace." He then started on his way out.

"I wish you an d your village nothing but success, virtue and peace."

Kasuke exited the village in a hurried run. He had a train to catch! I mean, he had a friend to meet!

Exiting the simple gates he would head North...

"High mountains.....Lake"

The boy would start to memorize key points pulling out his map and Marking this village as one location. So Kasuke had 2 locations on his map, Konohagakure no sato, and this new one.

His legs began to pain him, but the will of his heart was strong, and he forced his run to keep going full throttle.

When I see a lake in the high mountains.....

Kasuke had done some uphill running, he climbed up rocks tearing a bit of his kimono. Unfortunately he would just fold it up and hold it, bearing his regular ninja attire.

Soon, he would feel closer. He wanted this, more than ever.

[Kii!]

The man nodded his thanks, both for the money he'd received from you, and for your promise of peace. If conflict broke out due to his giving of information, he'd be in quite a predicament. Not only for himself, but for everyone in the village.

The mountains were rough; at times, the path would be a near vertical climb. Most likely, you'd need to cover your soles in a sheet of chakra just to scale the rocky surface safely. At other times, the trail would be more bearable. Either way, as you trekked along, the air would become thinner and thinner, and it would only get harder to maintain your stamina. Despite this, your training as a shinobi would be more than enough to push you through obstacles that would otherwise make quick work of a normal man.

Eventually, you'd come upon a lake--sparkling and clear, surrounded by evergreens and green grass. The air was still, any animals in the area would have caught wind of your approach and laid low, hidden amongst their home. The path you walked upon split here, going right and left at the base of the lake. On the right, the trail took a steep downward turn and a roundabout way, while the left continued on, straight and up, as you'd been going.

[kasuke]

"S..Shouta..."

Kasuke said panting for air. He took a breather at the lake. Kneeling down beside the sparkling water in which he would use to take a small drink from. The reflections in the water being moved as he began washing the sweat from his face and hydrating himself.

"I can make it..." Kasuke was quite the person to giive up if he just couldn't do it, but he was fighting for something true.

"Left....keep on climbing? Are you serious?" He sighed noticing the path to his right seemed to head downward. It was tempting to just turn around and go home.

"Here is the special lake..." He marked it on his map swiftly before tucking it away.

"And then sooner or later I must stray away from the path...."

Having a small break, he would begin his swift run more, chakra being charged and sent to the pads of his feet to help him climb. This was actually helping him improve his physique. The boy could've easily crystalized a path but he decided to take the hard task of climbing straight up.

Chakra in his hands to climb, he would continue going up, and walking, also slowly straying from the main path....He kept the path in sight but just started his trek off of it.

"Are you really this hard to find?"

[Kii!]

As you veered off of the path, an evergreen forest would begin to slowly spring up around you. With each step, more of the green trees would densely populate the area, until you reached the foot of a large cliff. It was a completely vertical climb, one you, as a shinobi, could make easily despite its looming presence. It was rocky and rough, and at the top, a bit barren compared to the green beneath it. In essence, it was simply a plateau of nothing but dirt and rock. It was flat, and continued on until it disappeared behind the walls of another high cliff.

If you followed it around, you'd find yourself overlooking a massive slope, populate by many evergreen trees. From there, if you looked up, a bit of snow was able to be seen--you were getting quite high. If you scaled the second vertical cliff instead, you'd find a light dusting of pure white snow at the top, and many more evergreens awaiting you. Still, you were enveloped by nothing but nature, and the hunt for a hidden civilization.

[kasuke]

"It's getting cold...."

He had wandered off the path and was now lost. Instead of climbing this next one, he chose to go around to meet more evergreens, why?

Because thhe Village Elder wouldve probably mentioned something about snow right? well hopefully.


The boy continued a diagonal north, getting tired. Nature was a bitch sometimes but Kasuke knew he could not give up.

His eye sight studied everything. From left to right, up and down looking for the slightest sign of a house or a village. Maybe he was close?

circling and walking around trees, the boy pulled out a kunai, and started marking the trees near the bottom, making sure he would not walk in circles, that and making it easier to find home.

"C'mon, I'm holding out for a sign."
Hope was being lost. He felt as if he passed the village already, but spirit told him to keep looking high and around and below!. It could be anywhere, really from this location.