Beginnings.

[Satoshi]

Anger was the only thing he'd been able to feel as Sato made his way swiftly towards (and eventually into) Mizu no Kuni. Although some time had passed since Iwagakure invaded his home - Sunagakure, he refused to act as though it never happened and push it to the wayside, no, the pain and loss he felt that day proved too great for him to forget so easily.

For weeks, Sato wanted to get stronger and had done so quite considerably, however, the progress hadn't been remotely close to satisfying. Searching and lusting for power day by day, he fled his home and decided that if he'd have continued the search elsewhere, perhaps it would've yielded more, rewarding result.

Dressed in a simple black, short-sleeved cotton shirt and a pair of cotton shorts that end just above his knees, his black, shinobi sandals dug into the soil of Mizu no Kuni every few moments as Satoshi sifted through its thick & moist forestry. Brows furrowed in anger, he followed a directionless path, guided by nothing more that 'signs' that could've opened doors for his deepest desires.

With his home in no condition to be considered habitable, he traveled to a place he knew where he'd been welcomed - Kirigakure. While their alliance was unofficial and off the record, they were allies and comrades nonetheless, meaning that despite their lack of presence during the invasion, Sato treated them with respect. Truthfully, he had to be respectful after all, considering that if he truly wished to obtain what he wanted from them, it couldn't have been done with a snobby attitude.

[KEITH]

遊魂，你的命運就在你面前.

Like always, my blood boiled, but this time it had been a bit more fierce than normal. I wasn’t the type to get angry, at least not so easily, so it could have only meant one thing. There had been something calling out to me, in some weird shape or form, and I hadn’t known where it was exactly. All I knew was that destiny would always put me where I needed to be in times like this. And, weird enough, I would find myself outside the walls of Kirigakure, and deep inside of Mizu no Kuni, moving blindly through the country side.

I dashed through the forestry that was out there, treading the soil carefully as I made my move, but like all Kirigakure shinobi, I did it as silently as possible. Switching to tree hopping or whatever I needed to do or move to so I could have my stealth. Not before long, I had find myself coming on with another in the distance, I swung through the trees as if I had been some sort of jungle man, closing the [35m] distance between us cautiously, wondering who this person might have been.

While I had been some ways away from him, I would be about [15m] meters up in the trees, but there hadn’t been anything within his path that could obscure his sight from seeing me. Just about when I would have been [20m] from the boy, I remained upon a tree branch, looking down at him as he would continue to advance or stand still. I had worn all black, just like the boy, but my attire had been a bit different; a black short-sleeved v-neck shirt, a black pair of shinobi pants with black tape connecting my pants and black shinobi sandals which were used as leg warmers.

My Kirigakure headband had been embedded into the left sleeve of my arm, showing off my allegiance to the boy. My eyes would sat upon his obviously angered face, off bat, I couldn’t tell what it would have been, then my eyes began to scan his front, looking for any sign of headband or something that had shown he was from. Nevertheless, I would find out eventually.

“Ossu, young lad; what’s with the angry expression?” I asked in a calm tone, though it was somewhat playful. Since he was young, I didn’t want to be all serious with him, but depending on what type of kid he is, I just might have to. Depending on his response, that is.

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[Satoshi]

The sound of another man's voice eased into both of Sato's ears respectively. Intuitively, his head looked up as it followed its path of likely direction back to its origin - a kirigakure shinobi. Abruptly, Sato stopped and slide forward a handful of meters doing so. Peering forward and up towards the forests' canopy, a man stood tall, taller than any man that Sato knew within Sunagakure.

Playfully, he inquired about Sato's angered expression to which he responded with a quizzical gaze and silence. Figuring the man had been a native from his headband alone, he answered out of respect and the desire to not draw any unnecessary attention in a country that was unofficially allied with another as everyone wouldn't have known it existed.

"Its personal, whats it to you anyway huh?"

His words were cautious and careful, strong enough to not make himself emotionally vulnerable, but not too sharp enough to insult the man before him in any possible way, at least not before knowing him further. Naturally, he figured he couldn't have given a rat's ass about why he'd been angry which only confused Sato further and drove him to question the mans motives. Good or bad, he refused to take any risk, not until some kind of mutual comradry had been established between the two.

[KEITH]

遊魂，你的命運就在你面前.

My eyes moved toward the boy’s, making direct eye contact with him and holding it before the boy had even began to speak. As my eyes had pierced into his own, I wondered if I had once carried the same look in my eyes, especially after my punishment from Akira. But, regardless of that, this wasn’t about me right now. It had been about this apparently out of place kid, who had some sort of attitude problem.

I didn’t know how to go about questioning the boy, but I knew it was my duty to do so, especially being the adult in the situation. I crouched down upon the branch, which had been strong enough to hold me up, being the large man that I was. My elbows rested upon my thighs as they pointed out into either direction, and my hands hung between my legs, right in front of my crotch. I smiled cheerfully before the boy, as I would work up a response within my head to deliver to him.

“Well, isn’t it every adults job to make sure our children smile? The world is too sad and cruel for that, don’t you think?” I didn’t think of shortening the distance between us, I didn’t know how the boy would react. So, I decided to play it safely at a distance, which had been best. Normally, this wouldn’t be the situation, as my past would tell anyone.

I was aggressive and wanted control, which usually lead to me forcefully putting my hands on people, especially if they were from another village. Hopefully, this ultimately wouldn’t lead to my past mistakes.

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[Satoshi]

Watching the man as he dipped into a low crouch atop the thick bough, he replied to Sato's question of wonder why he seemingly cared so much. His answer, appalling to Sato's ears, caused both hands respectively to curl inwardly into a fist as the shook and thrummed with an intensified anger. His teeth gritted and his eyes and head moved towards the ground before snapping back up to the man. Exploding with anger, his voice boomed and bounced throughout the columns of trees, scaring away the flocks of birds that laid within them.

"Don't hand me that bullshit!!! I may be a kind but I'm not stupid!!! This world is too cruel and dark to not feel angry, especially after the pain they caused me and my family!!! "

Catching himself, his eyes widened and looked away from the man, embarrassed yet still angered. Catching his breath, he closed his eyes momentarily, opened them thereafter, and walked forward, continuing down his intended path. After such an outburst he figured no one would've dealt with him, but in truth, Sato failed to care, especially considering that he felt as though no one else would've understood his pain.

"Sigh, like I said, I don't see why you care, not like you can understand. You 'adults' never do."

[KEITH]

遊魂，你的命運就在你面前.

I read the boy’s every reaction, and once he lowered his head, and then shot up with rage filled words, and for a brief moment, I closed my eyes and smiled. He was one of them, those who couldn’t handle the pain that came with this world. But, luckily for him, if he managed to overcome it somehow, he would be able to become a strong man. I believed that. I felt that on the inside.

But truly, I didn’t know why I was giving this kid so much hassle. I could have just been up front and asked him if he was from here and to leave, but I didn’t. Could this be the reason why I felt my blood boiling, and was I supposed to meet this kid? Only time could tell. I continue to listen to the boy talk; I had to have a good understanding of where he had been coming from, and what exactly happened to him, before I would be able to help him in any way.

I hoped that this change in my persona wasn’t a foolish change—this world is filled with dangerous people. And some kids could be even more dangerous than adults. I should know I killed my own father as a child. I decided that I should close the distance, despite the risk of danger and losing my life. Children were the future of the shinobi world, and if I had wanted to make a change, I could stop someone from ending up like Akira or Kouketsu.

If more people were like me, I felt that the world could truly be a better place, no? With a burst of speed, and a gentle eruption of wind breezing along the tree I fled from, ruffling the leaves, the wind blowing along the boy as I seemed to exit and enter in and out of reality; I was before him. Now, only [5m] would be between me and the boy, if he hadn’t decided to close it or increase it. I knew that it could be alarming; prompting most to attack, but hopefully the boy had been different, despite his emotions.

“You know, most adults had probably been through the same thing, multiple times. Some become numb to the subject and pass it off as someday you will be the same way too. Like me, I lost my father and practically my entire clan. I know how you must feel, but you can’t allow yourself to erupt into anger at any given moment. You have to use it for something good for yourself, like becoming stronger to avenge the death of your family and comrades.

As human’s, it was what we do, be a shinobi or not. If you think vengeance is wrong. . . then one is simply denying that they are human or do not wish to act human. You can’t be anything better than it, honestly—so why not do humanly things? Understand?”

I continued to speak calmly, though now my voice had a more stern tone to it. Whether or not the boy listened to it or not; cutting me off at some point at all, as a shinobi, I remained defensive and ready for anything.

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[Satoshi]

Moving forward, the man followed suit, perfectly paralleling himself from Sato's position where he, by that time, stopped once more. Surprisingly, he seemed to be able to move at a considerably fast speed, but, judging from that, Sato knew he himself was faster. Although his frustration grew with the mans increasing persistence, he merely remained there and listened to everything he had to say, impatiently so. The words seemed to have dug deep into Sato's soul as his head lowered and his contemplated on the man's ideals.

Naively, he felt as though he'd been the only person whose experience the pain of death and loss when in reality, a great many others have done so. Unfortunately, that alone hadn't been enough to just suddenly change the way he felt and the things he desired.

However, he had a point, with time, perhaps Sato would consider his words fully and channel his anger and lust for revenge for the greater good. But, he himself already knew that if that if he decided to one day walk that path, avenging his friends and family needed to be the first step.

All he wanted to do was make Iwagakure pay, that was it, however, he realized something else within the mans speech. Thinking of the future, Sato saw that if he continued to walk the path of vengeance, it'd have been the only thing he lived and breathed for, leaving him as nothing more than an empty shell once he accomplished his goal.

At that point, he couldn't decided if he wanted to or not, but one way or another, he would make them pay in blood, whether or not its for retribution or revenge.

"Tch, since you seem to care so much for whatever reason, what would you advise that I do exactly? I've no where to go and nothing to cling to other than this urge for revenge."

[KEITH]

遊魂，你的命運就在你面前.

As the boy’s head would slowly lower before me, I felt that my words might have actually gotten to him. It was a good thing, it would have been nearly impossible if he allowed himself to be consumed with rage and all other types of feelings. At the same time, I felt as if I was some sort of mentor to him, but aren’t all adults to kids? It was my duty to help and guide him, as long as he listened.

And to show respect, I continued to listen to him as well. Of course, there might have been other words I could have used to stir him on the right path, but though my words may have sounded a bit deceptive to others, they had good intentions no less. Once the boy finished speaking, after asking me what he would do, I dug into my head once more. Coming up with a sincere response to the boy’s question, it would be something that I had told myself many times before.

“I would advise you to act on those instincts you feel inside you. Revenge is a strong feeling, and there is nothing wrong with taking it. But, in the end, if you don’t feel your life up with other things, it will leave you feeling empty. So, despite how you feel now, you are going to have to toughen up a bit and make friends and such to fill up the emptiness that would be there.

Humans also enjoy the company of others, so, while it might not be wise to just befriend anyone, you will need them eventually. You should probably come up with other goals as well, but that will come in due time. But, tell me, young lad, where are you from and what is your name? I am Masanari Yokumaru, the Shinobi Gashira of Kirigakure.”

I was polite, kind and gentle; that is how I continued to act toward the boy. It was important that I could earn his trust, so that perhaps I could find out more about him and help him with his situation. Most likely because it was about revenge, I was more excited about it than I would normally be. Naturally, I held a grudge against the world, but I can’t just take it out on the world itself.

So, instead, I would take it out on the people I despise or the one’s that my comrades do. It made me feel alive for some sort of odd reason—but I loved it.

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[Satoshi]

Before long, the man replied to Satoshi's request for advice, and upon receiving it, he miraculously managed to calm down, just a bit. The company of others? He remembered that feeling, being surrounded by trustworthy friends & comrades, the warmth that their presence(s) entailed, Satoshi knew that feeling all to well before it was erased completely from his life. Naturally, he refused to open himself up to feel such a way again, at least, not before avenging the friends he lost initially.

As for goals, he couldn't properly form one at that point, not then. His mind, for weeks had been focused on one thing and one thing only, the destruction of Iwagakure. As far as he had been concerned, absolutely nothing would persuade him to pursue something else. Forming new bonds and alliances was something he saw himself doing over time, but not changing his goals or seeking out additional ones - he refused.

Huffing a sigh, his low eyes looked back up to the man that introduced himself as Head Jounin of Kirigakure - Masanari Yokumaru. Thus far, he seemed to know a great deal about the world, especially areas where Sato was overly naive to see with full clarity; so young and full of emotion, his awareness and judgment had been constantly clouded, but, perhaps with help, with the company of a mentor-figure, he could one day see things clearly and fill the void within his heart during his quest for revenge.

"Satoshi, Satoshi Fujiwara of Sunagakure, but as of now, I'm merely a ninja who wishes to obtain power through any means necessary. . ."

For a moment, he paused, gathering the courage to ask for Yokumaru's guidance, physically and mentally. While he had potential, he had a long road ahead of him if he wanted to truly fulfill his one true objective.

"Masanari Yokumaru, let me be your pupil please!"

While his request may have seemed abrupt, it was no less genuine and sincere. He knew as a shinobi and as a boy, he was inevitably oblivious to a great many things, however, with help, he'd gain the tools he desired so contentedly.

[KEITH]

遊魂，你的命運就在你面前.

As the boy’s head once rose again, my gaze would meet his own as our heads leveled. I wondered what thoughts had been running through the boy’s head and how he would react to my words. There was still so much I hadn’t known about him, but for the most part, he seemed to have calmed down to the point of truly understanding my words. Which ultimately means that they had gotten to him and caused him to think; it’s something that kids should normally do when adults give them advice.

We are the more experienced ones after all, not them. Not before long, he would have given me his name and where he had been from. A while back before Chae, Gin and I had invaded, we had received news that Sunagakure had been almost utterly destroyed by Iwagakure, though there had been a lot of deaths on each side. I hadn’t known why Iwagakure had done it, probably for some sort of revenge type of deal.

So, it means that this young boy—Satoshi, had been holding a grudge against Iwagakure, which was more than likely. Like it was previously stated, I was interested in this sort of thing, and I had already possessed the location of Iwagakure on my person. I was willing to do whatever I could to help him out, just so I could see his vengeance achieved. Perhaps, it could be a way for me to also collect some new hearts from Iwagakure shinobi.

The thought of Akira finding out had crossed my mind, I knew it was my job to be a loyal shinobi to him, but at the same time, I wanted to live a life I had been proud of. And to do so, I couldn’t act like a little ant under his big boot. Though, before my thought processing had been completed, the young boy had abruptly spoken, asking for me to be his sensei. Surely he hadn’t been serious, hardly knowing anything about me or what I had been capable of.

But, perhaps my rank would say it all, right? I haven’t exactly been anyone sensei in a while, since my old team with Rael and co. but it probably was time to take back up the mantle of sensei. With that in mind, another idea had come to me, but I decided to keep it under wraps for now. “You want me to be your sensei, eh? Well, naturally I have no problem with that. I’ve heard of what had transpired in Sunagakure, those damned Iwagakure shinobi attacked and tried to run it in the end.

Satoshi, if you want to be strong enough to take on a village and it’s Kage, you have to train hard, and more than likely, you’ll need help. And, believe me when I say I have no qualms with helping you achieve your vengeance. But, I can’t exactly take you back to Kirigakure—I sort of in a hot seat, since the Mizukage isn’t so thrilled about something I’ve done recently. Nevertheless, there is a place where you can live and train, if that is what you really want.”

I waited for his response before I would take any further actions. Remaining calm, and in a tranquil state, one could never believe how much hatred I had toward this very world we all lived in.

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[Satoshi]

Natually, Yokumaru's situation regarding not being on the Mizukage's good side sparked a momentary interest, however, it hadn't been significant enough to break his level of focus and attention that'd been placed upon the conversation between the two.

Crossing his arms as his brows lofted, he nodded to acknowledge Yokumaru's words and to confirm that he'd been willing to be a secret student of Yokumaru. While it may have seemed one sided, Satoshi refused to live another day within Sunagakure during its ruined & vulnerable state, and instead decided to return whenever the time called for it, surely Yokumaru understood.

Nevertheless, Satoshi replied with conviction, knowing just what it had been that he desired at that moment with unprecedented clarity.

"Yeah, I've got no problem with that. I don't care if it requires me to have a thousand masters, I will obtain and take what I so choose and desire - one day. "

With a primordial sense of trust, Satoshi stepped forward, closing the distance between them even further as his right hand extended for an attempted handshake. Presuming that Yokumaru accepted the handshake as an unwritten pact of sorts, Satoshi had taken the very first steps of his journey would would've ultimately shaped its outcome for the coming years.

"I'll move about and train discreetly, quietly, but still efficiently, at least until you say otherwise. "

[KEITH]

遊魂，你的命運就在你面前.

With my lips curling into a gentle smile, I nodded at the boy’s words, watching as he covered the small distance in between us and extended his hand out. It was a simple and common gesture, and though I still hadn’t known much of the boy, I would extend my own hand out to his. I would have taken his hand into my own corresponding one and shook it gently. “Of course, but for now we should get moving.

There could be anything out here in Mizu no Kuni watching and stalking us.” I said in a calm tone, still with a smile upon my face as our hands would break, and my eyes drifting off into the sky for a mere moment. I wondered just if there had really been something out there just now. But regardless, it was time to go and prepare for this young lad’s bright future—right under the bright guidance of my teaching.

With that, it was time for us to go. “Well, let’s roll, Sato.” With that said, in a burst of speed, I had flickered away, but of course not too fast that he wouldn’t be able to follow. We headed toward the village where the Masanari clan once resided before I had wiped them off of the face of the planet. Hopefully, there hadn’t been any there still, waiting for their moment of revenge.

Even if they happened to be there, I would greet any of them with open arms and welcome them to second coming of the bloody night of the Masanari clan.

[Exit.]

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[Satoshi]

While a smile hadn't cracked along his face like it would've any other child after receiving relatively satisfying news, Sato merely nodded to acknowledge their arrangement. Before long their handshake broke and Yokumaru suggested that both of them removed themselves from the area, away from potentially prying eyes. Nodding, he followed suit and bolted forward just after Yokumaru himself, trailing behind just a handful of meters, following to a place that seemed to have become Satoshi's new -but temporary- home.

At that point, all Satoshi thought about was what kind of power he'd obtain and just how much the man known as Yokumaru could've provided. With those two thoughts running through the forefronts of his mounts repeatedly, his eagerness seemed limitless.

[/Exit]

[Nirvana]

Sat: 70
Circa: 60