The Cleft of Sunagakure: The Story Begins!

Fri Oct 02, 2020 6:06 pm

'So this is sunagakure, huh? Nothing at all like I expected.' The boy thought, finally coming to his journey's end. The entrance to the village was not like the one to enter konoha, instead of actual gates to the village - Sunagakure had clefts? From afar it looks like a narrow passage, however up close it was fairly impressive. Many walked in and out of the village pathway, all seem to be happy, voices carried an upbeat tone as if nothing concerned them. Was this what liberation looked like? Or were they all simply oblivious to everything outside of their home? The boy stood ten meters from the clefts upon solid sand. His hair sway in the odd draft that was coming from the passage. His block shirt rustled as well as his white shorts. The wrapping around his legs were collecting particles of sand from the draft. His hands in his pockets resting snug. Two weapon pouches on his lower back full of mystery. Dark purple eyes observing everything before them, while his awareness was high involving everything and one around him.

Souji was a tad bit tired from his travels, though it was an easy one, more than he expected no doubt. He came across some people, some shady and some pleasant. But he never engaged with them more than he needed to. Occasionally asking for directions and for a place to purchase tools and medicines. The world outside of the village was vast, he felt so small compared to it. From the smallest of creatures there could be even smaller - likewise for the biggest of them. Just as Sunagakure is hot there could be a place much colder, he could only assume. His eyes lit up, the thought of a place full of snow would be pretty interesting. Secretly, Souji was quite fond of snow as a weather. Something about it just resonated with him. That, or it could be the opposite of hot days which he openly admits to disliking. "I feel like i should try to make my way into the village, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I have no papers to permit me inside and my reasoning for even being here are just as nonexistent." He states, turning his gaze to the sky. The sun was beating down on him like as slave, viciously and unforgiving. Sweat fell from his brows forcing him to wipe it away with his right forearm as he removed his right hand from his pocket.

A sigh of frustration escaped his mouth. This heat was more bothersome than the state of konoha. At least there the temperature was often warm and balanced. Despite that, he would gladly endure this punishment than to return to a place such as that. His eyes decended to fix on a passing civilian. "Hey! You there, is there anyone around that I can speak to about entering your village?" The older man looke at the boy and simply ignored him while picking up his pace. Souji with a surprised look on his face reached out his right hand in attempt to guesture for him to wait but immediately forgo that plan. "Forget it, I'll just wait here until I see someone who's not afraid of a minor." Annoyed by that, his right hand slipped back into his pocket depths. Motioning towards the cleft left side of the entrance, maintains five meters of space from his he rested his back against the foundation of the wall. It provided him with shade to help keep himself cool. His eyes feel to the sand surface as he contemplate what he would do here, why he was even there. Questions he was unsure of himself.

His thoughts traveled back to that tall girl. He wondered if she was still training, getting stronger? Her jutsu needed some work, but she could perfect it if she stayed at it. He would like it to see her again, maybe to see how far she have grown in their time apart. Shaking his head, 'Why am I thinking about her? She was a creep.' Souji thought. But still, strangely enough, the thought of her made him forget about the heat completely. He felt cooler, even if it was for a little.

"I don't have time for this. That's behind me now, all that there is left is what I can forge with my own two hands. Konoha is weak, a shell of its former self. A system put in place to strengthen its hold by the use of fabrication. I know this now, I've severed that bond." In a low and inaudible tone he said. Reminding himself that those thoughts were lies, those unsure feelings were also lies. Nothing that came from that place was genuine and without ulterior motive. Even his parents probably had intentions of using him for something disgraceful.

All that there was left was him, he had ro look out for himself. Something that he was already adept in doing. It will come with ease for him to accomplish that. His eyes shifted once more to the entrance passage.

[WC: 856]

Fri Oct 02, 2020 11:57 pm

“You sound so sad..”, the soothing sweet voice of Mizuki would be heard coming from around the corner, she had been leaning in the doorway to the guard tower that was set in the wall - the young man she had been eavesdropping on was leaning against the wall just on the other side of her. Had it been anyone else they might not have caught the words he spoke softly to himself, they wouldn’t have picked up on the tone of bitter sadness, and they most definitely wouldn’t have heard the thumping rhythm of longing that his heart betrayed to her. She finally came into full view and just stood taller than him by a mere 3 inches - but her presence always made her present with more authority than someone would assume of her size. Her ashen black hair was pulled back and she wore her usual - wrapped chest, leather straps holding weapons pouches, shorts and boots; the faint circular scars covered her skin from the collar bone down, only her face remained a true porcelain smoothness.

The smallest smile graced her face, pulling tenderness out of her usual analytical gaze - though the ruby was slowly overtaking the gentle violet color. “A Konoha hater huh? Why don’t you tell me your name, and a little bit about why you have travelled to the village. Looking for a new home or just passing through til you find something more suited to you?” her right eyebrow arched in question as she pressed him.

Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:23 am

His heart...it thumped from him hearing a tender voiced reach him. His facial expression betrayed subtle surprise as he shifts himself from the wall to an upright position. 'Someone was listening...this entire time?!' He thought, focusing his eyes on tge corner to the passage. Not quite sure what to do next, he stood there.

He was graced by a female who only stood three inches taller than he did. She had a unique attire and a story of feint scars over her body. From her head to her feet she was poised. Her stature made the young boy feel as though he was standing before someone of power. He could feel something was different about her. Doing his best to maintain a steady eye, he couldn't help but to noticed that she was...compelling.

The lad was unsure of why he was meeting such girls like this. It would be a young lads dream to have such encounters, but not for Souji. Yes, he was a very handsome boy, multiple piercings in his left ear and only three in his right. He sports a black choker and his lilac eyes gave his appearance such a captivating appeal. But the first girl that he met was very irritating to him, she thought herself a funny. Let alone she gawker at him during his training. But this one...this one slightly frightened him. She was oozing with animalistic intent. At least that was what he made of it.

She smiled, ever so gently it was enough to wash him over with calmness. It was soothing to him, yet fearful. Just that alone was enough to put him at ease? 'What is she? Are there more like her here?' Thoughts flood his mind, but the ease she gave him allowed him to regain himself. Soft sighs of relief escaped his lips as he listened to what she asked. Their eyes locked, as he violet orbs were being slowly swallowed by crimson ones - instinctively, without realizing himself, Souji's lilac eyes were slowly glazing over by pearl ones as bulges to his temples accompanied them. A clear sign that he still needs had work that needed to be done to fully control his Byakugan. Stress was getting the better of him as it prematurely awaken in her presence.

"Souji... Hyuuga Souji. I don't know why I am here. I thought I did. I abandoned my home, no that's not quite right. I escaped my prison, the leaf, and I wandered the lands. I happened upon your village. Though if I'm to be completely honest, I wanted to see if your home was under the same illusions as my hell." He explained. His eyes revealed her chakra to him, calm - almost tranquil - yet powerful. Something was different about it. But he couldn't quite place it. Feeling as if he was invading her, Souji closed his eyes, concentrating on deactivating his Byakugan. The pulsating around his temples faded as his lilac eyes returned upon opening them.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. It sometimes happen when I don't keep my emotions in check." His face slowly breaks down as he aimed his eyes to the sand once again. Thoughts of his parents and their teachings replayed in his head like a projector on wall. An emptiness slowly ate away at him from the depths of his being, consuming him with darkness, with loneliness. "Does looking for a new home implies that you had one to begin with? Because I cannot say that I did. All that I ever knew was a lie. Nothing in my life seem to be what it was. I don't even know what I'm looking for at this point, but I don't want to go back there... I don't want to fall into something like that again. It's to painful." His voice was full of pain, sorrow and despair. A single tear streamed from his left eye as he focused his will to hold back to rest. This was unlike him, very much so. This woman caught him at the worst possible time...or could it be that she had a pressence over him that spoke to his being. Who is to say.

With one shake of his head, he tilted it up to face the sun. Taking in a deep breath he released it slowly. Raising his right arm to wipe that tear from his face he lowered and turned his head to the right to look in the direction of the open sand. "Who are you anyway?" He asks, though his voice still trembles lowly.

[WC: 771
Total Thread WC: 1,627]

Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:14 pm

She took in his slight form with interest - he looked as forlorn as he sounded with a tearful expression forming on the petite young face but he was rugged in his own way as well; piercings in both his ears, his neck adorned with a choker and a scruffy mop of black hair framed the royal purple eyes perfectly. He looked frighteningly similar to her… could he be from her clan? The small spike of hope that rose in her chest was something she couldn’t help but it was almost immediately crushed with the weight of solitude as she watched those oh so similar eyes cloud over with the sure sign of the Byukugan accompanied with the bulging veins on either temple. Mizuki had Kenshin to thank for knowing of this ocular technique and of the Hyuuga lineage at all - for he had one just like it.

She did not become angry at this invasion, for as obvious as it was it couldn’t have been intentional - so all she did was raise both eyebrows curiously at his lack of control, a light breathy laugh escaping her nose, and note the disparity in the back of her mind to be added to her Book of Mirrors later. Without prompt he was confirming his identity to her - a Hyuuga indeed - but it was the following flow of information from the boy that caused her face to smooth into a look of concern and … was that a touch of protectiveness? She crossed her arms across her chest as she listened, he only paused briefly to close his eyes and regain control of his abilities; at least he was able to do that.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. It sometimes happen when I don't keep my emotions in check."

That sentence was like an atom bomb going on in her head - Oh how Mizuki knew of losing her emotional control… oh how she knew the ramifications of that loss of control, if only it were something so harmless as activating an obtrusive ocular tech… instead of murdering those around her. He gave her little room to speak as the emotion filled words streamed from his mouth as easily as if she had turned a faucet… how alone he must have been for so long, how ignored and abandoned by those that were meant to keep him safe - Mizuki knew what that abandonment felt like, it left a person hallow … and if untreated it turned them into something even they wouldn’t recognize. A loss of humanity if you would… but he was still salvageable, still young and full of emotions that simply needed a guiding steady hand.

Having not spoken or judged him at any point during his small break in composure she waited for his to wipe his face clear, tilting her head slightly as he finally asks her a question he doesn’t already know the answer to - her name. Without hesitation she reached out and carefully turns his face to hers again, using her index finger to push his chin straight on once more - “To earn truth from me, you must show respect first, so I will ask this one time from you Souji - look at me when you ask me questions.” her tone was not reprimanding, harsh or even upset… it was gentle and held a paternal ring to it, almost soothing. “I am Mizuki Ohta and while I do not know your struggle I hope to one day know it as well as I know my own. As for all your other questions-” she would sigh as she dropped her hand. “- there is no telling, only you have those answers… to me a home is wherever you make it with whomever you choose, and yes, that often means nowhere with no one. If you are looking for truth and open ended life then you have found your new home, in Sunagakure you are free to leave when you please we allow anyone from any walks of life - regardless of past transgressions.” She made this last point clearly, her eyes turning harder with implication.

Taking another cursory glance over his travel worn clothing, sandy hair she couldn’t help but notice the blossoming sun burn on his nose and cheeks as well as the dryer than should be lips. Without asking she turned back to stare into the guard house and spoke to another man out of site of the young boy - “Hey Han, I’m taking off for the day, go ahead and get me an ID card for a Souji Hyuuga, I’ll handle his arrangements myself. Oh don’t give me that look, how often do I take to anyone? If you could see his state you’d do the same.” A tan arm shot out of the doorway and handed her a new ID card which she promptly turned with and handed to the boy. “Security purposes - while you may leave we do like to keep track of who has come before, plus it makes re-entry a cake walk.” She turned again after he took the card and headed through the village gates, walking a few paces before looking over her shoulder to see if he were following her as she expected - had he not been she would give a reassuring smile and wave him forward. “Come on kid, you need some food, and I need a good story.”

EXIT

WC 900

Tue Oct 06, 2020 7:04 am

A touch...that was all that it took for the boy to feel his depths of emptiness to be momentarily clogged. The woman's finger graced his face as he was motioned to make eye contact with her. Their eyes locked and her words reached him. In the deepest of his consciousness where all of his walls, boarders and lines were created she slipped through. It was as if she manifested within the confines of his skull - standing before him just as she was. "Mizuki...Ohta..." Her name escaped his lips, just as pleasant as she made it known to him. His eye were in a trance as he nods to her request for respect. Those deep purple eyes of his revealed his soul without him knowing.

A soul full of burdens, fed lies, loneliness, heartache, pain, betrayal, confusion, despair, anger, fear, struggle, emptiness. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling at this point, he knew not of it before...not even from his own parents, but this feeling made him feel funny. It was a mixture of anxiousness and comfort. What an odd combination, his eyes gazing into her's - one could say that subconsciously he was imprinting on to her. Though it was an animal trait, it is not unheard of for a human to do it.

Feeling as if she was just like himself, unsure why though she did not say much, she did not have to. It was all in her tone, it was soothing to the sound, delivering chills through the young boy's body. 'Why? Why is she treating me like this? Like...a person?' He would think. Usually he is treated like a tool, or a machine to seek and accomplish. Inanimate to say the least. His parents did not show him much tenderness or human likeness. To them, he was a means to a better future for their people. A tool to accomplish what they could not - be that in any means necessary.

"Y-You wish to know my struggles...? But why, why would you want to know something so empty like that?" He asked, being clear to keep eye contact, as painful as it was for him with the topic at hand. "Some things are worth forgetting, right? Then if that's the case, the things that I have been through to get to where I am now deserves to be eradicated." Heavy words from a young boy.

Mizuki was full of wise words, this was clear to Souji. As she head off towards the tower she gave the boy much to think about, but to put into perspective. The wind gently brushed against his hair as it swayed in its delicate touch, his eyes fell from watching her to his feet; his mind wandered. 'New home? Sunagakure? "Free"? Is that the word that she used...? Did she really mean to use that word? I'll be free of all my transgressions.' A smile, light but heavy with relief formed on his frame as he thought those words. Looking to the heavens once more, reaching out his right palm towards the sun now hiding behind the clouds. A single bird soar the sky. Souji, not quite understanding that word, had a better understanding after seeing that animal.

It will take time for those feelings to come to terms with that word. Lowering his gaze from what was unreachable to what was keeping him chained, the ground. His eyes laid low as he envisioned a life among the Sunagakure and its people. The harmony that they shared and that he felt from setting foot there. Could he trust such a place, was it really unchained of lies, or did it have its own level of fabrication that he was not seeing right away?

Only time would reveal such mysteries to him. His eyes will see this village and its people for what and who they really are, that was one thing he was certain of. But... but her, 'Mizuki.' repeats her name within. She was different, there was no mistaking it. She was unlike the people from Konoha. Despite her appearance, she was soothing like the water that snaked along the river village.

Does that also implies that she was endless as those rivers in the same regard? To his recollection from stepping foot into those waters, tranquility was a feeling, beautiful was the water as the sun reflected its rays off of it. Soothing was its touch to his heat withered body. Most importantly, it was shallow, hiding nothing from him. Perhaps that was what he enjoyed most about that river, it hid nothing - as open as the clear skies above. Even should they become stained with murky clouds it is clear on it's intent. Mizuki shared those implications, her eyes seem to relay clear intentions. "I like that... UH!?" Realizing he thought out loud, Souji's face turned red from embarrassment. His eyes darting back and forward to make sure no one heard him. It would have only added to the boy's blemish. Sighing as he discovered that the coast was clear.

She returned to hand him an ID card, Souji accepted this. Reading it over, he never gotten one of these before. This was a special treat for him. It also gave him much to think about. His stomach growled subtly as he secured the card within his pouch. "Thanks, Mizuki-san." Not quite sure if honorifics were acceptable, but he felt that they were in this case, or more so, he wanted them to be. Souji usually do not add honors to someone's name, but she was different and perhaps the only one that he will ever add them to.

Lost in his thoughts he didn't realize that she was already motioning elsewhere. But once he did he quickly followed behind her as she called out to him to do so. She took noticed that he was hungry and tired. He wondered was that the only thing that she noticed. The two were indeed very similar in ways, more than they may have realized. Souji, his body too was branded in multiple scars that he received from his father's harsh training to strengthen him from the inside and out. His legs especially, this was why he wears the wrapping around them. In time those scars will be reveal and the story behind them, but as of now the food was calling out to him. "I'll tell you anything that you want, so long as you're treating." he smiles, matching her walking pace. "Mizuki-san... T-Thanks again, seriously. This is...this is different from what I'm used to. So my apologies in advance if I don't know how to take to it. I mean nothing by it, honestly." He says, hands deep within his pockets as he follower at her left side. Despite being in her company his guard was still up, force of habit to be truthful.

'For some time now, I've always been on my own. Did have much care for anyone but myself. All that I knew was survival and meeting expectations. Coming to discover that Konoha wore a veil that hid what it truly was and what it allowed harden my heart further. But this place, Sunagakure is beaming with life and happiness. Could something like this really be- do I deserve any part of this?' Echoing in his head. His eyes lowers and shift to the left as he did hks best to fend off those doubting emotions of his. Wanting nothing to do with them he shook his head twice, holding it up and continuing along side Mizuki-san.

[WC: 1,276
Total Thread WC: 2,903]

Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:27 pm

EXIT
TWC 1171
Max Stats and AP - using my 25% jutsu discount
555 towards V7 Great Moving Earth Core 1875/1875 previous words from The "Strange Uchiha"
616 towards Basic Medical Ninjutsu 616/750

Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:05 pm

Approved for claims @ Mizu

Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:10 pm

Exit
Total WC: 2,903
Claiming 29 stats - +10 Speed, +10 Chakra, +9 Vigor
1,500 words to claim Hidden Mist Technique
171 words added to 179 words to claim Basic Medical Ninjutsu
500 words to claim Throat Chop
500 words to claim Body Flicker
232 towards 250 to claim Genjutsu Release

Thu Oct 08, 2020 4:07 pm

approved *throat chop*

The Cleft of Sunagakure: The Story Begins!

The Cleft of Sunagakure: The Story Begins!

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Re: The Cleft of Sunagakure: The Story Begins!