A Studious Journey

Finally, Kizmaru was at the destination he so desired. He was inside the village of Kumogakure and he was getting ready to begin his journey to entering the Thunder Peak college. Inhaling deeply, he was anticipating the next step of his journey to having higher education of the shinobi arts. Strolling through the streets of Kumogakure, Kizmaru was constantly turning his head in many different directions as this was still his first time roaming around another major village. This was the fourth and final village of the great five he's visited and now he could say he's seen every great nation. He didn't get to explore much of Sunagakure since he was there on business so he didn't get to see too much of it. The past aside, he was fairly famished and he could really use something to eat. Since he was new here, Kizmaru decided to ask the nearest bystanders what the village specialty was. To his surprise, it was steak. He assumed Konoha would be better that sort of thing but their ramen was their specialty after all. So, being directed to the nearest steakhouse, rumored to be one of the best locally in that specific part of town, Kizmaru and Ram decided to go and grab a bite to eat.

Entering the establishment, Kizmaru's nose was immediately bombarded by the smell of meat being grilled. It almost made his mouth water and Ram was put in some kind of food trance to where he wouldn't respond to anything other than the object that was assaulting his sense of smell. The good part about this was it only served to make him hungry and so he might be able to try more signature dishes they have here. Looking around, a server had approached him and asked him to wait for a few minutes before they could find a booth for one to be in. Kizmaru decided to correct the server and say it was actually a booth for two since he was being accompanied by his companion, Ram. The server had smiled nervously but nodded, agreeing to Kizmaru's request. Waiting like he was asked, Kizmaru stood there, licking his lips occasionally before the server came back and guided him to his desired seating accommodation. While being seated, Ram had gotten off of Kizmaru's back and had climbed up onto a seat on the opposite side of the booth. The server came back in a couple of minutes with the menus on what the two would like to eat.

Of course, Ram couldn't communicate in the human language but surprisingly, he could read and understand the human language fairly well. Unfortunately, his companion, Kizmaru didn't understand the armadillo language of the earth so he could tell him exactly what he wanted to try. Maybe one day, he'd attempt to teach Kizmaru their language. He could only hope he'd get something he might like. Although Kizmaru couldn't understand most things Ram said or did, he could still make out a lot of his expressions and feelings simply by reading his facial(?) expressions. He had told Ram not to worry as Kizmaru too was curious about the food here and decided he'd order one of everything and share it. What they couldn't finish, they would take with them for later. He could only hope wherever they planned on staying would have room for all of the food they were about to order. When the server came back, Kizmaru had made good on his promise and ordered one of every entrée, dish and dessert the restaurant had to offer. The server had looked at Kizmaru and chuckled for a little while before they had realized Kizmaru was very serious about his order. 

The server apologized and said they'll take their order in right away before leaving in a hurry. This simply made Kizmaru chuckle as he reached his right arm over the table and began to pet the top of Ram's outer shell. He'd attempted to pet his head once before and it didn't go too well even when they were close. Being recluse in that shell must have made it unfriendly to forced entry over the years Ram's been alive. Well, that was fine with him as in rare occasions and moments, Ram chooses to lick Kizmaru's hand every now and again and inserts his hand willingly inside of the shell.  In those small moments, Kizmaru feels a sense of satisfaction and gain when Ram does choose to allow him to make contact with his head. As he sat there basking in the glow of his companion friend, the server had come back with their first order of appetizers for them to try. The food looks fairly delicious, even if it wasn't their specialty. Given some utensils, Kizmaru decided he would try a fourth of each dish that came through until his stomach was full. Ram can have the rest if he was feeling famished, the bottomless pit that was his stomach. 

The menu wasn't big but most of the food brought out was filling so it didn't matter too much. Digging into the appetizers bought for them Kizmaru was enjoying himself with the good food presented to himself and the company of one of his closest friends. Keeping up with his promise, Kizmaru ate what he deemed as a fourth of the meals prepared and gave the rest to his gluttonous friend before waiting for more. As time went on, more and more appetizers and entrees kept coming out by the one server who would seem to have gained some sort of balancing skill to be able to bring out large trays of food like that. In the coming hours, food had been being delivered and Kizmaru had eaten a fourth of half of them until he deemed himself full. He'd give the rest of the food he had eaten to Ram of course until he was full, a rare sight to behold. Chuckling to himself, Kizmaru had asked for the bill and some 'to-go' boxes for the trip to where their lodgings would be. The bill came out to twelve thousand ryo, a small drop in the bucket for Kizmaru. He paid in full and carried the remaining food that he nor Ram could finish, walking out.

He had indeed say he would bring the food back to his future lodgings but never actually went out to find said lodgings. So once again, Kizmaru had asked some nearby pedestrians about the best lodgings in the area. They told him some recommendations they found decent and Kizmaru decided to take them up on the one that sounded the most appealing to him at that moment. Going to the inn that he chose with the bags of food in tow, Kizmaru had ask if they had any rooms for rent currently available. The  innkeeper had apologized to Kizmaru saying they had a few rooms and only one kind of room available and it was very pricey.  Kizmaru just squinted and said he'd take it for a few days. Paying the price in full right then and there, Kizmaru nodded towards the innkeeper as they stared at the sheer amount of ryo Kizmaru had placed on their desk. With that, he had taken the key of the room he rented and decided to go where the room was located with Ram, clinging onto his back. Going into the large room, Kizmaru looked around and nodded in approval thinking this was a room that was worth an ex-Kage's stature.

Walking into the kitchen with all the food in tow, Kizmaru had hoped the fridge had been empty enough to put in all the leftovers he had been walking with in the fridge. Fortunately for him, the fridge was already stocked with ingredients to make some pretty delicious meals. Letting out a sigh, he knew what it was like to be poor but he had to make room one way or the other. He took out half of the ingredients from the fridge and left them in the trash so he could just put the already cooked food in the refrigerator so he could just heat it up later. Ram was sleeping on Kizmaru's back while still clinging to him which was quite astonishing to him as he's never seen him do that before. He didn't know he had learned how to do this and it was quite amusing to him really. Now he had to figure out how to wake the little guy up in order to properly prepare himself for bed. Giving a few pokes and calling his name, Ram had groggily woken up and made a little sound of annoyance. Kizmaru just smiled and said to him they had made it to their destination and he could sleep in a spot that was most likely much more comfortable than his back. 

Giving a little yawn, Ram had slid down the back of Kizmaru and waddled off somewhere in the room to sleep comfortably. With that Kizmaru had also decided it would be time for him to turn into bed as soon as he needed to get up bright and early to see what the deal was with that college. Walking into the bedroom, it was time for him to shed his armor for the time being as well as his clothing so he could take a nice, well deserved shower. Stripping down to his birthday suit, he went into the room's bathroom in order to get a hot shower, that seemed to heat up fairly quickly. Staying in the shower for nearly an hour, he enjoyed feeling the hot water run down his skin. Afterwards, he had gotten out, wrapping himself in a towel while using a second one to dry himself off. He didn't have a change of clothes with him as he was always wearing his armor and his normal outfit he didn't think to pack accordingly. Well, he'd worry about his clothes situation later as he still had a lot of money to play with. Buying new clothes for himself shouldn't pose much of a problem.

For now, he's just put on a clean towel robe he had found in the bathroom and decided it was time for bed. Walking and then climbing into the bed before him, he had seen Ram squared off and tucked into the corner already fast asleep. Following his lead, Kizmaru decided to lay down, closing his eyes until he too eventually fell asleep. The next morning, Kizmaru sat up in bed, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He climbed out of his bed. Stretching a bit in order to work out the kinks in his body, Kizmaru smacked his lips together wondering what he should get for breakfast. More accurately, what do they have in the land of Kumogakure for breakfast? Letting out a sigh, he didn't really care what counts for breakfast as there was still a lot of food he had brought with him from the restaurant he had tried out beforehand. He figured he'd just re-heat the food he had brought and have that for breakfast instead. With that, he made his way towards the kitchen, opening the fridge when he got there. Pulling out the food he had brought from yesterday, he had begun the process of reheating it close to how it was when cooked. 

Kizmaru never liked the taste of reheated food since it wasn't the same but he had learned to reheat it close to its original taste to where he didn't mind it anymore, or just got used to it. After waiting a while, the smell of the food had begun to fill the room, waking Ram from his slumber. With a few more minutes, the food was ready and he began to serve himself and his companion Ram. Together they ate some of the leftovers from last night, filling their bellies. After they had finished eating, it was time for them to head out and figure out how to finally enroll in the Thunderpeak College. Leaving his room, he set out to ask for directions to the College. After asking a few people, he finally got the exact location of the campus immediately heading on over there. Making his way there, he realized not only did they exercise their minds here, but their bodies. It was a fairly long trek from the bottom of the mountain to the top where the campus lies. Looking at the literal mountain of stairs in front of him, Kizmaru shrugged since he had no choice but to climb the literal mountain of stairs. 

After a literal hour of climbing stairs, Kizmaru finally made it to the top where he found a large gate entrance that would let visitors in. Getting in without any trouble, Kizmaru looked around to see how vast the campus truly was. It rivaled, no, it was much larger than the Library back at home. Kizmaru would explore the campus more thoroughly now, not only to study in but to make improvements in Kirigakure's own library. Making a smirk, he relished in the idea of learning more than just the shinobi arts but the cultures and wonders of this place that may improve Kiri's own quality of life. Before that however, he'd continue with his original goal. With Ram accompanying him but hanging onto his back, he entered the lobby in hopes of being able to enroll. Looking around the area, all he could see was other shinobi and students alike roaming and lounging around. Kizmaru wanted to ask for directions again but he abstained as he wasn't exactly sure about this one. It was indeed a place of learning but the students here currently seemed more focused on having fun. Letting out a sigh, he decided it would be best to go and search for a way to enroll himself.

He had to admit, even though these people were currently being belligerent, they all had well trained physiques that even Kizmaru had to admit was impressive. Maybe he too could work on his body to come close to a similar physique. Searching around, he was instead approached by one of the shinobi that had been making a ruckus partying. The shinobi had asked Kizmaru what he was looking for and if he needed any assistance. Despite seeming incompetent in Kizmaru's eyes, he was fairly impressed at how polite this person was. Kizmaru explained to them he was here to enroll in this campus since he's heard good things about it and wanted to gain entry. He had also explained he was from another country entirely and didn't know how enrolling for him would work. The shinobi just laughed, patting Kizmaru's back reassuring him that it wouldn't affect his enrollment at all. All were welcome to study at the college as long as they didn't have hostile intentions. Kizmaru had lowered his eyelids a bit as he had indeed had hostile intentions, just not aimed at the village or this country as a whole. It was aimed more at some other place and he would prefer to gain as much knowledge as he could.

The shinobi continued on so it was easy to enroll. All he had to do was sign some documents explaining his personal information and such. Kizmaru agreed, planning to withhold most information that involved his time as the Mizukage. He simply would just write about things that affected him when he snuck out or was on break. Kizmaru had then asked where to go to start this process to which the shinobi had informed him that he was in fact, in charge of the registrations and other administrative work. This fact surprised Kizmaru as he thought he was just one of the students just partying here. It seems the staff here can get in on the festivities here. That was pretty amusing but he wasn't here for that as he wanted to learn more about the shinobi arts now in what he assumed was his prime despite being so young. He didn't hate the fact the campus was so lax that people could just throw parties whenever. Sometimes he'd end up joining them since even he couldn't study twenty-four seven. Now that he has figured out how to enroll here, he would like to get through this process right away. Explaining that to this man, he was informed to visit the office in around an hour or so.

Nodding Kizmaru decided it was in his best interest to just relax and join in on the festivities in order to get to know some of the people here. Maybe he can get some connections that would help get through this little episode as smoothly as possible so he could get in and get out. Mingling with the crowd, Kizmaru had enjoyed himself and even managed to start a lot of his conversation over the existence of Ram being there. It was nice to be able to relax and take a breather once in awhile in between studies. An hour had passed and Kizmaru nearly forgot he had to enroll in the campus officially. Kizmaru had hurried to the office where he had been told to meet up with the shinobi that had to enroll him onto the campus. Making it there, Kizmaru was told to take a seat and wait a bit while he drafted up the documents necessary in order to enroll. Crossing his legs, Kizmaru waited a bit, placing his hands together and twiddling his thumbs together. Eventually, the shinobi slid the papers over the desk along with a pen in order for him to sign them and finally get into the school. It only took a few minutes for Kizmaru to sign them before pushing them back to the shinobi in front of him.

Accepting the documents, he nodded towards Kizmaru congratulating on enrolling in the Thunderpeak campus. All he had to do now was select what kind of classes he wishes to enroll in and he'd be all set. Naturally, Kizmaru would take as many as he could, only to regret this decision later when it came down to it. When he looked, he decided to only take the most common specialties and some of the more advanced ones that were widely used. It was still quite a burden but he had to get this done one way or the other. Now that he had finished all of the menial tasks needed in order to enroll. With this out of the way, he could go back and join in on the festivities. No reason not to enjoy himself a little bit before having to stick his nose in a book all day. hurrying out of the office, he went back to join the small gathering of people enjoying themselves with what he assumed was Kumogakure brand alcohol. Rejoining the festivities, Kizmaru spent the rest of the day just partying among the gathering until night fell once more. Deciding to call it a night, Kizmaru headed back to his room in the inn he had paid for to sleep for the night.

Ram had slid down from Kizmaru's back and made himself comfortable in his part of the bed. Kizmaru also decided it was also time for him to hit the hay as they say. His classes would start in a week so he figured he'd have to wake up once more and either purchase some books or just borrow some from their library if need be. He'd think about all that later, deciding to check the library first after he had woken up. Undressing and changing into his pajamas, climbing into his bed and eventually fell asleep. He had a long day ahead of him tomorrow as he would be running around trying to gather material for himself to study. Morning came quickly for the pair as they both awoke to sunlight creeping into the room. This made Kizmaru shut his eyes tighter at first but he had no choice but to accept its existence. Sitting up in the bed, Kizmaru stretched and yawned before climbing out. He didn't feel the need to get dressed just yet to head out so he decided to help himself to more left over that were sitting in the fridge. This would be the last time he ate them however as he was getting tired of eating it.

Reheating the leftovers, Ram had awoken to the smell of food once more on queue as if he was treating it as a natural alarm. Finishing reheating the food he had bought two days ago, Kizmaru served himself and his companion. They both began to eat the food and eventually finished it within a few minutes. After their breakfast was done, Kizmaru went into the bathroom to freshen himself up in order to get ready for the day. Once he was done, he got dressed and began to head out, having Ram accompany him on his back. Leaving the inn, Kizmaru made his way back to the Thunderpeak campus in order to see if their library had anything useful in stock for him to pay attention to. Making his way back up the insanely long trail, Kizmaru had entered the campus and headed straight for the lobby once again. Unlike last time, it was mostly quiet and people were going about their day normally. Kizmaru was going to try and get a map for the campus in the office but there was no need as there were copies of maps right there in the lobby, hanging on the wall itself.

Walking over, he took a copy of the map and decided to give it a look through to find his destination. It wasn't too far from the lobby and it would take him a couple of minutes to arrive there. Pocketing the map, he followed its directions to go to the library in order to begin his self study. Groaning at the thought, Kizmaru had no choice but to suck it up for the time being and get this over with. He'd be here for a couple of months anyway and he'd like to get through it as quickly as possible. Supposedly, if he failed, if he wanted to get what he came for, he'd have to retake the courses he's failed all over again and he would like to get through this kind of thing only once. Though it would increase his knowledge which in his view would increase his overall power, he didn't want to waste too much time here. Entering the library, Kizmaru decided what he would like to gain a little advantage in. Of course, he was already considered an expert in Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu. He was an adept at Taijutsu as he had been a practitioner of it until recently but decided to give it up as it wasn't for him and he'd like to make full use of the armor he was currently wearing. 

So he was actively studying weapon arts and how to make full use of his legendary weapons and armor. Unfortunately, he didn't have many weapon techniques to use in combat however so he figured this was the best time to brush up and do so. Looking up written down weapon arts in Kumo's library, Kizmaru eventually found out that he could learn all the things he was setting out to learn. Searching around for a handful of books, he placed them down on an empty table in order to go through them one at a time. Kizmaru found himself in the library for hours before finding out what exactly he needed to do in order to gain the information he had obtained. Reading the steps needed, he figured that was enough studying for the day and he would just go out to the college campus courtyard in order to practice the techniques he desired to learn. Still being accompanied by Ram, Kizmaru heads to his destination of the courtyard where most of the students of the college actually put into practice the things they have learned. Currently, there were two classes that were ongoing that were using the yard but Kizmaru managed to find himself a small spot away from the other students to practice in secret.

As he started his practice, he was approached by two shinobi that had been a part of one the classrooms in an attempt to befriend him. Kizmaru decided it was best for him to just act as he would if he were still leading a double life. On top of that, it would serve him well to just be as friendly as he could to people approaching him in hopes of forming some kind of bond that would help further his goal. Scratching the back of his head, Kizmaru introduced himself as just that, Kizmaru in a jovial tone that would help ease and relax the shinobi approaching him. It seems these shinobi were fresh graduates at the academy but decided to enroll straight into the college in order to gain some practice before going out into the harsh reality that is the shinobi world. Kizmaru had heard some customs of Kumo were just as harsh, if not harsher, than Kirigakure's own. He wasn't sure whether to be impressed or disappointed. He understood trying to separate the strong from the weak but not at the expense of people losing their rank, prestige and even possibly their lives. Well, this was none of his concern as he didn't govern this village or any village for that matter. 

He had stepped down a long time ago and he wanted nothing to do with that life anymore, just deciding to relax and do his own thing. The two shinobi who had approached him were a male and a female. The male was also fairly laid back and cheery while the female seemed to have a resting bitch face and was irritable all the time. She was actually just hiding her true personality which was caring like a strict older sister. Kizmaru had decided he'd hang out with the two of them since they seemed to be around his age but had been going to this college for years. It seems they didn't have any real combat experience and had only done so through spars. They began to exchange pleasantries, mainly the male as the female shinobi looked at him in disapproval. He wasn't sure why she was like this despite her approaching him but he assumed it was because the male also approached as well. Turns out they were brother and sister and she was indeed the older one. Well, Kizmaru did his best to remain as friendly as possible but even his nerves were being strained. Eventually, the two of them bid their farewells and went back to their class since it was going to resume soon. 

Letting out a sigh, Kizmaru was pretty thrilled to have talked to some Kumo ninja but he'd really like to get to training so he can carry out a certain ambition. So when they were gone, he would immediately get to training. Practicing the techniques he read up on, he found a way to channel his powers to new heights he had never dreamed possible. It seems there was a special sage mode for people of the jugo bloodline and only now, Kizmaru was truly being able to tap into it. This was a great evolution as he didn't think this was possible. He would never learn how to go back to the Sage mode he used to know however unless he removed his Jugo organ, which he had no intention of doing. That's not the only thing he discovered. While he was working on this new and improved Sage Mode, a change seemed to have occurred with his eyes. He had attempted to change them into the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan when they took a new form he was unfamiliar with. Deciding to take a break, he went to locate the nearest mirror before finding out his Sharinagn had taken on the form the previous Kazekage had when they had both battled. 

Unsure of how he obtained this gift, one thing he knew for sure was the sheer power of it coursing through his head. Immediately, he had already learned two new techniques that he wasn't even aware of. Smiling to himself, he felt invincible, ready for anything. He decided this was enough study for now and had a place in mind to go and test his new found power. It was quite foolhardy but they had wronged him even more than Sunagakure has. In due time, he'd deal with both for now. He decided to take on the bigger threat first which is Hoshi. They weren't hostile with each other but Kizmaru was actually quite agitated with the events that had taken place that had hurt his pride. Now he would do anything to reclaim said pride even if it means he'd have to off some innocents in another village. He wouldn't mindlessly do it however unless it was absolutely necessary. He already came to do what he sought out so he didn't really need to be here any longer unless he wanted to get more of a head start than he already had. He figured there was no need for that and he'd just come back when the time was finally right for his classes to start. 

For now, he'd leave the grounds in hopes of setting off to do what he needed to do. First, he'd stop at the place he was currently residing in in order to pay off his tab and eat a nice and simple meal with Ram. Afterwards, he put his armor back on and headed out to the gates of Kumogakure in hopes that he would be able to get out in a timely fashion. Being accompanied by Ram, he figured this would be a fairly comfortable ride for the last time, a calm before the storm as people like to call it. 

[Exit.]

T.W.C: 5,020

Ability Claims
Using x2 50% Word Discount Ticket on True Sage Mode and Mastery for Sharingan Copy Cat
Using 2,500 words into True Sage Mode
Using 2,500 words into mastering Sharingan Copy Cat

Progress: 5,020/10,000 for Thunderpeak Alumni

Just Claims Approved.

However Thunderpeak alumni Since its predates V7, Will need to be looked at by the balance team. So for the moment Any progress towards this skill is Frozen.