Are You a Ninja? [Force Enter]

[Soromon]

It had taken him twice as long as the average merchant to get here, every dune looked the same and every cactus looked like a chubby lady. It was no wonder that he found it so difficult to navigate. Meals consisted primarily of the food he had packed for the first few days but his supplies had quickly dwindled. He had to resort to eating catching his own game. It sounds easy enough make a trap but how and with what bait. The devil was in the details, it was not as easy as making a trap so that something edible would just crawl, slither or fly in. That was how easy he thought it would have been, like a mouse running into the jaws of a cat. It was not that simple, it was never that simple was it.

Sunagakure was one of those "hidden villages" where they were not s much hidden as they were so far out of the way that nobody ever bothered to come looking. At least that was how he saw it anyways. The village itself, well the entryway at the very least was hard to miss. It was a building in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of flags representing families and a people that had no relevance to him. He had just snuck out of one village and here he was thinking about how he would sneak back in. Well, not back to the same one but rather a different one. He was too lost to find his way back home and it was only through providence or pure luck that he had found this way to this village. The villages in Wind Country were few and far in-between, in fact he had already stopped by a smaller village erroneously believing that village was the hidden shinobi village.

It went something like this. Wow -- these sand ninjas are amazing, I have not seen a single one.

The shopkeep giving him a befuddled stare at this out loud comment.

Soromon noticing and giving the shop keeper a wide grin. So where do you keep your ninjas?

The shop keep's expression unchanged.

No seriously. Where are the ninjas?

There are no ninjas here kiddo. The gruff shop keeper would claim.

Uh huh. It was then that the boy thought he caught onto the trick. You're a ninja aren't you?

Nope.

I can totally tell that you are. The whole hiding in plain site thing. It seemed super obvious at the time.

Still nope. The shop keeper insisted, his voice almost monotone now.

This went on for a good twenty or so minutes before the shop keeper relented. He claimed (a lie) that he was a ninja on a super secret mission but this was not a hidden village. He pointed out into the desert insisting that the real hidden village was out there somewhere. The promise to keep quiet about the shop keeps shinobi alias, Soromon was on his way, still hopelessly lost until now. He hopefully found the right place this time.

[Force Enter]

[Run Time 1 Hour]

[Mark For Training]

[Word Count: 512 words]​

 

[Raizo]

[Catch]

The Sennin was a tired and old man, maybe not in actuality but in spirit he was definitely feeling the run down of time. Still, whether wearing a mask or just wearing his normal face, he found himself hawking around the gates routinely. One would think he would grow out of it, think his position afforded him the luxury in not performing such a menial task. Maybe it was muscle memory or just hard to teach and old dog new tricks, either way here he was, and as luck would have it, not necessarily good luck, he would find himself before a little scampering runt.

The heavy eyes of the shinobi would peer down from his slightly taller than six foot frame. His reddish hair was messily whipped about. His metallic arm would raise up and point behind the boy.

“Wrong way, turn around.”

No need to say much more, always giving the person taking the wrong way the chance to speak was a tired trope. He knew, however, that this did not mean tha a conversation wasn’t inevitable.

OOC: feel free to make a new post to request entrance, but it seems this door is closed.

 

[Soromon]

OCC: Darn! I want in! Take me to your leader! Also, I have not gotten to role-play with anyone yet. You are my first role-play, I hope you don't mind. If you seriously do not want me I will run off of course.

IC:
Soromon would come to a stop, his gaze on the metal arm. His eyes widened with fascination and fear as he looked at it. He wanted to say the arm looked super cool but there was the implied history or horror for a mechanical arm to exist -- there had to be a loss of limb to require a replacement. He wanted to ask, but he never intended to. The words just spilled out. "You're arm..." his voice trailed off. "It's... it's..." he stammered, his eyes fixed on the metallic limb. "It's... SO... Cool!" The teenager finally exclaimed as he stared at the grumpy Sennin's hand. Of course he had no idea that this man was a Sennin or anyone of actual importance in this community, but he was definitely some sort of ninja. Well, probably definitely.

Of course there was an obvious discrepancy between the two. Soromon was a fifteen year old teen, at least six inches shorter than the Sennin and only because he had recently enjoyed a growth spurt. His bodily girth had not caught up with his height, his arms like tiny twigs and his legs were not much better. He was used to the temperate climates of the north, where shade and cloudy days protected him from the sun's scorching heat. His normally porcelain pale skin had turned tomato red in the sunlight, his mop of white hair and green eyes seemed to strongly contrast. His face almost looked like a strawberry dipped in whipped cream, only with sunken features of a boy that had not eaten as well as he should have. If Soromon was smarter, he would have ran. However, the boy was far from clever, and he wanted to stay.

He had two options: try to force his way in or try to charm his way in.

Neither seemed particularly promising. He considered the prior first. He could try to dash past the guardian, but he would probably lose a limb in the process. Girls like a guy with scars, but what this guy had might be a bit excessive.

He could just ask. It was unlikely that he was going to be able to outwit a full-grown man but he could be a complete dimwit. he just doubted that he would be so lucky. "I am here to meet ninjas," Soromon announced. "DO the ninjas live here? I want to meet them." It was actually the truth, well, mostly the truth. It was not the ninjas in particular that he wanted to meet, just the ninja ladies. Should he say that? Would that help anything. "Wait, are you a ninja?" He looked at his hand again. "Of course you are," he answered his own question. "I need your help with something super important!"

 

[Raizo]

OOC: Hah, sure, just don't take personally my grumpy character!

He let out an initial sigh as the boy started to talk. At first, didn't matter what he was or was going to say, it all equaled one thing--a prolonged chat with a rule breaker. This could have all transpired differently, under a much friendly circumstance if the boy had not let his youthful exuberance to take over. Then the boy mentioned his arm.

"Hey... well... yea, I mean it is cool, but I lost--"

The boy would then unleash wave after wave of questions.

"Um... nin-juh? Is that pronounced right... ninja, here? No--what, me? No, I'm a wizard... wait, wait, wait, calm down a bit kid. Not even giving me a chance to even answer before you... something important?"

Dear lord, whatever or whoever that may be, why in the hell did I bite on that.

With a sigh, he would give a gesture for the boy to get on with it.

"What is this something important, spill it."<i></i>

 

[Soromon]

The big guy was tolerating him, just barely. This situation was like what parents often experience, this existence where they are always somehow on their last nerve teetering on the verge of oblivion yet never quite going over the edge. It was a wonder that any child survived to adulthood as it was in their nature to be vexing. There was something amazing and terrifying about kids, somehow they survive in spite of their exceptionally annoying nature. It was a biological boon that seemed to fade with age and Soromon was in that dumb teenage range so his days of undeserved tolerance were numbered and right now the boy was stretching it. Sormon was badgering this unfortunate shinobi with a series of questions to stretch out this meeting much like a toddler would delay their bedtime hour with a sudden need for a drink, a snack, to use the restroom, or find a cherished toy. Did it work? Did the adults merely relent because they were too tired to fight any longer? Was it some sort of magic power that was lost with age? Perhaps Roku knew the answer.

Now there was something super important that needed to be conveyed before he could go to bed leave. How convenient.

Roku was going to entertain it, for now at least. Now the boy just had to figure out what this allegedly 'important' announcement was supposed to be. He had no time to think, he was just going to have to wing it! Pity the boy hardly had a pair of brain cells to keep each other warm at night. "I wanna a ninja to meet girls, I heard that there are hot ninja girls in here!" Whelp, the truth. So dumb it might actually be clever. Actually, it was so stupid it was actually brilliant in its own way. There was a lie that could be finagled from that outburst. Soromon was 'here to meet ninjas' and was asking if this was the 'ninja place' before concluding that it indeed was. "I am a runaway" that part was actually true despite the part that he omitted the fact that he ran away from another hidden village in Fire Country. "I am supposed to learn ninja'ing so I can impress at least an eight," another truth. He was of course just digging the hole so much deeper. He knew he said something even dumber than usual as soon as it escaped his mouth, he was not a prospective student but in a clumsy way that was how it came out. Well, there was only one thing to do when you start digging your own grave... get a bigger shovel. "Teach me how to ninja!"

 

[Raizo]

Another sigh, this one much longer and following the 'important' thing he had to discuss. If he was already feeling old at the beginning of this interaction, he now felt several years older by this point. There was a headache, one that he could feel in his feet--why could he feel it in his feet, that seemed to travel all around his body before finally landing squarely upon his forehead.

"Ok... ok, let's backtrack a moment before I get to the ladies."

He would say this while his metal arm would motion in a manner that usually was issued when trying to get someone to calm down. His still flesh arm would raise up to his head as his right hand would open, placing his fingers and thumbs on both sides of his forehead to massage a migraine that was rumbling within.

"First things first; 1) who are you 2) where are you from 3) why did you come here, aside from ninjas and ladies, and 4) you seem to think this place behind me has ninja's---why do you assume that?"

The boy was inexperienced, naive, young and just completely out of his depth. Just him knowing about ninja was not some big shocker, most of the world seemed to have shinobi working in some capacity---so him being aware of that was not a good indicator. His insistence on the topic, however, seemed to give way to something deeper. Had this boy abandoned his training, was he merely chasing a shinobi dream, did he really want to be in a village for hot women, all of it just seemed like a poorly executed child's dream. The world was a harsh place, attempting to break in could have led to a dire outcome for this poor fool had it been someone else to intercept him or had he wondered to the wrong location. The fact he seemed oblivious to the tension that was about to explode in this country, toward this village and toward shinobi within the country, in general, gave him just cause to believe the boy was a foreigner, which then further led him back to one of his original thoughts--someone who abandoned their village.

Either way, he wanted to know more about this child before making any judgment calls.

381 words

 

[Soromon]

Yes, the Sennin was super old but that was not his fault the boy could not hold the passage of time against the man any more than he could hold his grumpy expression against him. His mother warned him about making faces, that one day his face might get stuck. He believed her, his mother was always right. He wondered what unfortunate circumstance has frozen his face in that terrible expression of annoyance and tolerance. A question for a later day, assuming he survived this one. He lacked the sense to understand the fact that he was not talking with a man but rather a wild bear that looked and dressed like a man. That Roku was dangerous and that the former Genin was being exceptionally reckless.

The Sennin on the other hand was rather practiced in his role as door man. Don't let strangers in. He wondered if this also applied to merchants. If he could have stowed away in a wagon would his entry into the village have been any smoother. No, this was going just fine. Soromon was a charming young man, his mom always said so.

Step one -- get them to talk about themselves, show that you are interested in them. Check.

Step two. Share some information about himself. Sure he was a runaway, big deal. Everyone was a runaway when they fly the nest. Check.

Step three. Bring the topic back to the reason why he was there. The reason was simple, likely the reason Roku became a ninja or a wizard if he wanted to stick with his cover story. *wink* *wink* Check.

Everything was coming out Millhouse.

"First things first; 1) who are you?"

"Senju Soromon," the boy announced quickly.

"2) where are you from?

"My mom's house," he answered simply. The easiest thing to remember was always the truth.

"3) why did you come here, aside from ninjas and ladies?"

"To achieve the means to attract the ladies by being a ninja," he answered his words a bit slower and more enunciated as if he was not entirely sure if he was answering a trick question. This train of logic was simple, a single track even. Was there any other reason? Any other reason why he decided to come HERE of all places. Any reason why he would have left Kohonagakure? It was not as if he knew about the political drama ongoing there. No. Was there any reason that he decided to come to Sunagakure? It was not like he knew about the foxy (literally) girls in this community. No. He knew of neither of these things, but either would have been reason enough for him to traverse this distance and risk the dangers of the wilderness. Soromon had left Kohona on that rainy night for a simpler reason, he had already been rejected by every girl he had declared his temporary love for in Kohonagakure. Sunagakure represented a fresh pool of women with hopefully the flexibility of a ninja. "Is there any other reason to become a ninja besides the hotties?" He asked, trying to get his memory off of those rejection and to allow his ego to recover just a hair.

"And 4) you seem to think this place behind me has ninja's---why do you assume that?"

Soromon looked up and extended the index finger on his right hand. Two standards soared high above this marvel of ninja magic and ninja technology. The first standard is a glossy sand tone material carrying the banner of Sunagakure. The second flag is made of wind/sand resistant black silk with the Toraono symbol of a tiger perched triumphantly atop a dragon, a motif depicting earth actually conquering the heavens. (Copied from the area description.) "The... uh... flag?" Yeah, he was pretty sure that this was the right place, Hidden Villages were not as "hidden" as the name implied. In the case of this village he somewhat understood it, there was no need. The desert that surrounded this shinobi village served as a powerful barrier. Those that did come could be seen from afar and the same could be said for those that tried to leave.

 

[Raizo]

He would listen to the boy speak, but after the response to his second question his ears would almost complete shut off. The boy would continue onward but a welling up of chakra would begin to occur. The strain would slowly start to etch itself across the face of the Sennin as his eyes glared down upon the boy before him. He could understand the naivety of youth, he could understand that what someone that age considers the truth or finds true value in would be different than his own, all of that he could understand and take, even if most of it sounded stupid. What he could not take, what he would not take, would be the answer to his second requested question.

"Your mom's house... boy... do you think this is a game..."

The question would come out but would sound like the Sennin had to forcefully push it from his mouth as his teeth were gritted like a feral animal. The chakra welling up within him, while not the largest amount of chakra of any one shinobi, would begin to emanate from his body allowing those around him, even if they were receptive to chakra sensing, to feel the pressure of power coming from him. He hated this display, he hated using the pressure of his trained strength on those that could not equal it. It was bullying, it was dominating, it was humiliating, but in this instance, it wasn't any of those. It was justified.

"Where, did you come from... and so help me, if you choose to be cute with me one more damned time this will end poorly."

There was no playful pep in his voice. The boy may not have meant to be malicious or cause the Sunan to erupt this way, but that too would be part of his quick education. His words, his actions, everything he did carry a consequence. The boy was 15 not 8, his ability to grasp the severity of issues should not be that shallow, nor should his understanding of question of where he was from. So this meant the boy was lying for a reason, and unfortunately there would be few reasons that he would deem worthy of such a lie. It was now up to the boy to decide if he would stop bullshitting around.

 

[Soromon]

At first he did not understand. How could he? Soromon was just an exceptionally foolish and lucky boy. His understanding of his own power was only elementary, his greatest rival was an escaped house cat. He had no idea what actual power was like, or the inherent risk of angering the wrong person in his sheltered, short life. Children, no he was not really a child any longer even if he had the foresight of one. He was a teen who thought himself indestructible because he had not been destroyed and beyond his ego he had never been harmed. The world was a safe place and bad things happened to other people, not him. He was wrong.

He was answering the man, being a bit of a smart-ass in the process. There was this thrumming. Like a tickle that started on the inside. It felt heavy, like a slowly expanding ball of lead in the pit of his stomach. He could feel the burden of this weight in his knees, they buckled. He strained to stand, locking his knees. This was only the beginning, this display not even ten percent of the Sennin's awesome power. His hand pressed against his own thigh as an unseen force continued to encumber the unfortunate youth. Heavier... Like a boot in his back, his elbow folded under the strain. He grit his teeth as he forced his arm straight, foolishly defiant. It was getting harder to breathe, he tried to take a breath and it entered with a high-pitched wheeze. "What--" the boy grunted, trying to force out the words. He did not even understand the source. Not yet in any case, Roku had not yet made his demand.

"Your mom's house... boy... do you think this is a game..."<i></i>

He sounded like a demon, not a man. It was that moment that something finally clicked in the boy's head. The fact that he was in mortal power. That he was going to fucking die. The revelation seemed to pull the air from his lungs. The pressure was still building, Roku had hardly even started. The Sennin likely exerted more energy defecating than he had already, but this was only the beginning.

Twenty percent, was all it took and perhaps one was being generous to say it was even that much. It might have only been five percent, but he could at the very least hope his tombstone said twenty for the sake of pride. His limbs locked, frozen in place as he tried to stand until they snapped. It was his right knee and it broke laterally. Yes it bent the wrong way, a joint that allowed his knee to bend inward towards his other leg. The CRACK echoed in the boy'd head, a sharp and sudden sound. The overwhelming pain shot up his leg in an intense, blinding wave that made the teen see white. He screamed as he fell to the ground, his contorted limb bent an impossible position. His hip crashed onto the packed earth, his palm planted onto the ground as he tried to catch himself well he fell. He was too heavy, too heavy for his wrist to support his weight. He was like a fat man that fell from a ladder, his wrist fractured on impact, the long bones of his right arm compressed onto itself.

"Where, did you come from... and so help me, if you choose to be cute with me one more damned time this will end poorly."

It was hard to talk, was this the full sum of his power. He was not certain, but this was likely only a fraction of it. Waves of pure spiritual/chakra/whatever energy rolled off him effortlessly, this aura of power oppressive. "My leg!" The boy shrieked. He was not deaf to the Sennin's words, just time moved slower in moments like this. Moments of pain... Moments of terror... Those seconds where you might die. It was always the good days that moved fast, not these moments. "I ran away from home!" The boy screamed through gritted teeth, he could only see white and flashes of light from the blinding pain. It was not anything new, he had already said that of course. It was just so damn hard to think, but the gears were turning. He wanted -a- answer, any answer. "Sora!" He shouted, the last village he passed before finding Sunagakure. "Soons Haven!" He forced the words out, his face beet red and the vessels in his forehead and neck engorged. "Fire Country!" He cried.

 

[Raizo]

The chakra flowing off of him would slowly begin to lower, compacting itself into a fine coat that seemed to engulf his personage. There would still be a quaking of power emanating from his body. This was a new body, in some ways, and the power within him was definitely new to him. It wasn't surprising he went a little overboard, but what was surprising was the impact it had on the boy and how quickly he had sunk to such rage. Was his prone to rage a new aspect of this new form? The cracking of the boys bones, disgusting as it was, snapped, ehhh--maybe poor choice of words, back to reality. His eyes would gaze down toward the crumbled wreck of a youth before him.

"Fire Country? You should have said that sooner... idiot."

He would take a step towards the boy.

"Are you from the shinobi village of that country?"

It would be hard pressed for just a regular civilian, with this much of a juvenile attitude, to wonder the desert and not perish before making it to this village without some sort of innate ability. So did running from home mean running from the village? He did not care the boys answer to his previous question as he would press on.

"Traveler from a foreign land, attempting to cross into the village illegally... are you a spy, a fool... your act of seeking ninja and women, both of those could have been found in Fire Country, so again I am going to ask, and I expect you to be honest... honest like your life depends on it..."

He would go down to bended knee, still peering down at the boy, and approach as close to level with his face as he could.

"Why did you come to this village? Why did you leave your home?"

By this point, if he wasn't making himself clear to the youth, he wasn't sure what else he could do to prove it. The pain the boy was feeling would probably be excruciating, luckily, adrenaline would probably start to kick in. He hoped that would be enough to keep him up enough to answer his questions.

Once that was accomplished, if it was accomplished, he would take care of the boy.

 

[Soromon]

A boy made of glass. At least that was the fairest comparison. The boy had folded beneath the Sennin's aura, his screams punctuated each broken bone, each grinding movement and that moment when the shard of broken bone pierced through his skin. The Sennin was not even close to the same league as the boy, this was how the story of David and Goliath should have ended with young, foolish David crushed beneath the gargantuan's heel. The story people often told was a lie, something told to give the weak hope. It was foolish. As for the Sennin, perhaps he had always been strong, or at the very least he had been strong for so long he had forgotten what it was like to be weak. Forgot what it was like to be made of paper. Everything hurt, the incredible power that seemed to roll off the Sennin was overwhelming. There was too much hurt to hate, too much hurt to reason, all his brain could do was cry out and urge him to run away. The adrenaline that demanded a tithe of distance would be denied, Soromon could not stand. He tried to use his arms to pull himself up, his arm well... his hand was facing the wrong way once the bones at his elbow crossed each other like passing ships in the dead of night. The pounding of the Genin's heart was like a thundering roar, it was so fast and so loud yet he could still hear with crystal clarity the words the Sennin said next as the pressure of the monstrous Sennin's presence began to abate.

"Fire Country? You should have said that sooner... idiot."

It was instinct to try to move, to try to run or lash out but Soromon could barely raise his head... move his left arm. His left arm shrugged, her could feel the tendons stretch, some had snapped just then and he could feel the internal recoil. It hurt but it did not matter, that pain was going to be there regardless. He swallowed hard. His fingertips dug into the hot, hard sand. It was just instinct, a notion he did not actually understand. Just a voice that spoke without words. A voice that screamed at him to PULL. To pull what? TO just PULL! Soromon had no time to muse over the madness within his own head. No time to realize what was happening beyond the fact that he was going to die. There was no time to be clever. There was no time for anything despite the fact that each moment seemed to be drawn out. This entire interaction was only over the course of seconds, but to the boy he felt as if time had temporarily stopped but everything was stagnant including himself. That he would live in this epoch of suffering forever.

He was potentially not wrong about that last part as the demon in front of him took a step towards Soromon. All Soromon could feel was utter and complete terror. His mouth was dry, the sun was too bright, as if they had replaced the sun with a larger, brighter light bulb.

"Are you from the shinobi village of that country?"

Soromon would blink hard, his face was wet, it was tears he did not even realize he had cried. "I am from... From the place," he would grimace as he reached for his leg with both of his hands. His left would palm the kneecap that was on the wrong side of his leg with his only working hand. The kneecap was the least of his problems. He felt hollow and cold despite the heat. He shivered. "From the village," he whispered, his voice hoarse from screaming.

"Traveler from a foreign land, attempting to cross into the village illegally... are you a spy, a fool... your act of seeking ninja and women, both of those could have been found in Fire Country, so again I am going to ask, and I expect you to be honest... honest like your life depends on it..."

Soromon believed him.

The Sennin knelt down next to him. They almost reached eye-level. Comparatively Roku was massive, the nukenin would still looking up even if he could sit in the sand. He could barely lift his body from the dirt and when he tried he was shook with waves of incredible pain. It was juvenile but Soromon held his breath, a childlike instinct to be as quiet as possible and perhaps maybe then the threat would forget that the mangled boy was laying there in a twisted pile. "I-- I--" He stammered, half blind from pain.

"Why did you come to this village? Why did you leave your home?"

He insisted.

"I-I dunno," Soromon groaned. He was not lying but he was not telling the truth either. He had a reason, there was always a reason but it was not one that a guy like him could possibly understand. He was big and powerful and manly, and what was someone like Soromon -- a pallid, awkward teen that was miles behind his peers. "I was tired of being the smallest guy. The easiest one to forget. The one that everyone rejects," he admitted with a rawness. "I was scared and I was lonesome... so... so... I left," Sormon stammered as he struggled to swallow and clear his airway. It was getting hard to breathe. It was hardly a 'good enough' reason for the Sennin. "I was, no I AM" he corrected himself, "...weak." He coughed up a mouthful of blood. "If I was a spy," he let out a self-depreciating laugh that he immediately regretted as it rattled what could only be assumed to be a pair of broken ribs. "I would not be this fragile," he reasoned. The boy basically shattered in front of the Sennin and had no power of his own that could be discerned.

He took a few deep breaths, they came out as wheezes. "I guess a change of location is hardly the cure I was looking for," he concluded. "I am going to die today aren't I?" His voice shook at the concept of facing his mortality despite the tremendous pain he was in. What was there left to fear, the pain of death could not possibly be any worse than the agony of this broken form yet his voice quavered. "I am so damn weak, it is no wonder," he did not finish the self-depreciating comment that he had nobody less his mother obligate love.

Soromon's story was a simple and likely short one -- a lonesome, foolish boy that left because he was alone. Because he was not worthy of anyone's affection. There was always a reason why someone cared about you. What you could do. But he had no power, his hands were soft and weak, his tongue was of flesh not silver and his mind was that of a boy that lacked the experience and knowledge of his contemporaries. He had nothing to offer, so the world had nothing to give.

 

[Raizo]

Before him was a quivering mass of humanity. A child in an adolescent wrapper. He was naive to the world, naive to the dangers, naive to the complexity and yet was aware of the negativity within it, the hopelessness that could be associated with a young person, or really any person, trying to determine their place in the world and coming upon that one horrific thought; what if I have no place? This boy, even in his fears, seemed to know some of what the world was but ultimately had little to no clue. It was sad, his figure before the Sennin was sad and the realization about this whole moment was sad. He understood what this boy was, not just what he was in terms of an individual from Konoha, but understood him as a person, and quite simply he was this;

"Damnit... you're an idiot."

His words chunked out in a laboring fashion, highlighting the frustration he felt. Frustration in this exchange, frustration in a kid that ran away from 'home' for no reason other than 'it didn't feel right', frustration in how embracing that mindset was dangerous to the lad's development, frustration in how lampooning that mindset could be equally as damaging to his development, frustration that this boy didn't know better, frustration in the fact he wasn't caught until now, and just general frustration towards the feeling the boy evoked. He could relate to a sense of wondering if you belong or a realization that maybe you didn't. He could not, however, get caught up in that and that alone; almost everyone experiences that waking question. But at such an age, to be youthful and lacking experience, what seems like a mundane fear can encompass the entirety of their person. This question "where do I belong" and the accompanying answer would be what this boy would define himself upon. It would either be a negative or positive first step in developing who he would become.

"Shit... an idiot, idiotically rushing around the world without an idea why, because of being an idiot... listen, I'm not your father, I'm not your parent, I'm not your teacher, I am not here to guide you through life like some childhood folk hero... I am not your hero... I am the ending to your path down the wrong way..."

His right arm would raise up and rare back as his right fist, the one made still of flesh and bone, would tighten and ball up into a fist. His eyes, not filled with hate or rage anymore, would merely look at the boy. It wasn't pity or empathy, it was just a look of lingering curiosity. What resolve was left in such a pitiful state?

"While I am not your teacher or parent... I will be giving you a life lesson. You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes... do you feel like this, sitting in a pile on the floor, is your place in this world? Either way... and please listen once more... do not move. Not an inch. This might hurt."

Chakra would begin to build within the fist as the raring back of it would stop. It would then be a fluid motion, mechanical in presentation. It was almost like his arm was fired, like a gun, and his fist was the bullet hurdling forward towards the boy. His reflexes and speed probably dwarfed Soromon's abilities as much as his height did, which reasoned that the boy would probably not be able to keep track fully of what was happening. It didn't matter, soon he would feel the pressure of the fist of the Sennin stop suddenly, just inches away from his face. A gust of generated wind would go whooshing past Soromon's face as the fist would hang there before his face. The large mallet of flesh would not move forward, at least not in its entirety. No, instead the chakra gathered within the fist would condense even further, gathering his right index finger. The finger would begin to glow as it would snap forward and tap the boy squarely in his forehead.

Upon contact, the collected chakra would release and surge throughout the boy. The flick would most assuredly still hurt, like a pebble being thrown into the dome of the boy, but just as much as that moment would hurt a sensation of relief would begin to wash over Soromon. The collected chakra was part of a technique he had retained from his days of heavy taijutsu usage (Fist of Virtue Mastered: Chastity).

While the boy would be taking in his healing strike, the metallic arm of the Sennin would appear overhead. The metal digits would widen before clamping down upon the head of the Missing-Nin of Konoha, like a claw game hooking upon a toy. He would raise up back to his full standing stature, which in turn would hoist the young man up into the air with him. Chakra would once more begin to gather, this time in his prosthetic. Runes carved into the arm from his forging skills as part of the Journeymen Order, would begin to light up and hum with the filling of chakra before he would once more release the chakra, sending it cascading this time over the figure of the boy. A green light, surging from head to toe, would not do as much overall healing as the previous technique but would do a very specialized trick; the broken bones of the boy would begin to mend themselves either back into shape or at least heal enough to no longer be broken (Skeletal Fortification Mastered). He would repeat this process until all of the boy's big breaks would be mended to some degree. His grasp on the boys head would release, dropping him to the ground.

"What in the hell do you think I should do with you, you damn fool?"

It was almost rhetorical and yet seemed genuinely inquisitive to what the boy thought.

 

[Soromon]

Roku was giving adolescents too much credit, most teens were morons and Soromon was no exception. Teens are like children in that they have experienced very little, but dangerous in that they are allowed to run about unsupervised. It was this terrible combination of will, youth and inexperience that brought the boy to this tragic state. There was no other reason than this perfect storm that could lead an otherwise 'healthy' youth to the gates of a foreign country in this broken condition. He was as Roku had fully assessed, an idiot, but if he lived long enough to become a man he would either become something exceptional or something dangerous. Like all shinobi, if they lived long enough they either became the hero they regretted becoming or the villain they thought that they would always fight. In this moment he wondered which the Sennin was with that dreadful, daunting power.

["Shit... an idiot, idiotically rushing around the world without an idea why, because of being an idiot... listen, I'm not your father, I'm not your parent, I'm not your teacher, I am not here to guide you through life like some childhood folk hero... I am not your hero... I am the ending to your path down the wrong way..."

The Sennin had made his decision and was the master of the fool's fate. This was that moment where a boy thinks about his mortality, he did not want to die but he was wracked with pain and at this moment he really did not want to live either. There was this strange betrayal of instinct where a part of him wanted to plead but another part of him wanted to curse. He was in pain, angry and terrified. Stomach boiling, palms sweating, Soromon tried to raise his head, it hurt too much to succeed. This was the end but he did not want to give up, he did not want to die but he did not know what he could do to survive. "There is nothing wrong with me..." Solomon grunted. Well, he was a twisted wreck on the sand but he was not a bad person. He was no monster. No deviant. He just came from a place he decided to no longer be a part of. It did not make him a "bad" person but it did make him a criminal, but that is part of his stupidity and lack of experience. He was exceptionally fortunate, had he been caught in Kohonagakure he would have been dead already. His death was delayed for a short time, it was serendipity for that short time. He should have been grateful, but he wanted more... however he was resigned to this fate, he had no hope of fighting back and he could not run away.

"While I am not your teacher or parent... I will be giving you a life lesson. You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes... do you feel like this, sitting in a pile on the floor, is your place in this world? Either way... and please listen once more... do not move. Not an inch. This might hurt."

He was counting his breaths, he trying to stay calm. Not that there was anything to gain from having a brave face, to perpetuate the lie that he would have shit his pants had there been anything in his stomach these past few days. He had already screamed, already cried, already unintentionally said what he did not want to say. How much lower would he have had to of gone to plead? Was it that he was not willing to lower himself? No, that was not the truth, life is more important than pride. He just knew it was not going to make any difference. He could see the Sennin's fist curl, his forearm drawn back. Soromon took a deep breath, he was going to die. "Just make it quick," he closed his eyes and readied himself for the end.

What should have happened:

His brow would furrow, his lips thin and his eyes would clench tightly closed. He shook as the mere moments that past felt like several. Time felt like it was out of sync, wrong even. This was not the genesis of an unknown or forgotten power, rather nature's cruelty as the process of death is protracted. He felt the impact, it was sudden. there and then gone, it was the space before and after that was an eternity. He would not have been able to avoid it even if he had tried but something utterly curious happened. It did not hurt. He could feel the breeze of the blow, feel the impact but not the pain. Not the expected collapse of his flesh and bone onto itself. It was smaller than he expected, his fist looked so much bigger... wait, that was only a finger. A finger-flick! His grey eyes opened up and his hands shot up to his forehead.

Wait, his arms moved! "Ow!" He shouted out of instinct rather than actual anguish. His hand protective over his forehead. It didn't hurt. He did not even have a chance to realize what was happening, what was going on before Roku's hand clamped around Soromon's head. The boy let out a yelp as the Sennin pulled, the boy was lifted from the ground and his limbs flailed. Again, it did not hurt but he expected there to be pain. There was something happening deep inside of the boy, he could feel the bones shift and grind. He could be seen moving, the bone retreat back inside of his flesh, his jaw that he did not even realize was broken realign.

He was... all better? He was... not dead?

He would be placed back down onto the ground, disoriented and befuddled. The pincer-like grasp released, the boy's stance wavered. "I am alive?" Soromon asked, the question rhetorical but he felt as if he required verification. He looked at, well up at the Sennin. "You---" didn't kill me. He only said part of that sentence. "You helped me... Why?" It was not that he was not thankful. He was just confused. "T-thank you?" There was a tone of questioning at the end of that statement. This was a good thing, right? Everything was going to be fine. Better.

"What in the hell do you think I should do with you, you damn fool?"<i></i>

That was a good question, one Soromon did not have an answer for. It would have been easier if he not learned where the boy had come from. Denial is easier when it was the truth was unknown. He had a witty statement but considering the circumstances, he thought surviving was better than getting a few words in. "Uh... let me in and show me where the cute girls are?" That was his main objective after all. "Or..." before the possible punching or quick movement or just thinking about doing something causing the release of an aura so intense that it would crush the poor boy. "You show me how to be less of an idiot," he frowned. The later was not nearly as interesting as the former.

 

[Raizo]

The boy would once more, after recovering, mention his supposed primary directive; cute girls. He would then mention another thing; teach him. Both ideas, for differing reasons, would cause him to burst out in laughter. The hardy chuckle would seemingly echo throughout the area. It would almost seem to be an awkwardly long time, the moment lingering. Then abruptly, it would snap to an end and he would hold up three fingers.

"Want to be taught, here are three lessons. First lesson, any pursuit cute ninja girls worth their salt aren't worth you trying to sneak into this or any other military village."

One finger would lower, leaving two more remaining.

"Two, if you want to grow stronger, you don't need a teacher. Your body is weak and frail, that desert behind you is harsh and unforgiving. You have potential but just jumping into the lion's den isn't going to aid you. Go out and build up your body on your own merit."

Another finger would drop, leaving just his singular index finger remaining.

"Third lesson, if you want into this village, come back in a week and approach the gates... err, whatever is hanging around as an entrance, and ask in like someone respectable. Ask for Roku, you follow the rules I will let you in!"

He would then wave the boy off but would pause for a moment and turn back around once more. The joyful tone and expression would fade for a moment.

"Consider this the fourth lesson, for free... but if you attempt to sneak back into this village..."

The sternness on his face would continue to further grow in definition as if he was scowling enough to add shadowing to his face. His eyes wouldn't just peer at the boy, they would be peering through him.

"I will do more than break you... it will be your final lesson."

The foreboding feeling would then fade just as quickly as it came.

"You have more potential than that, you don't seem to be a rotten shit, so I don't want to see you waste that on being hasty. Anyways, see you again soon, I suppose!"

He would wave once more and proceed to exit the scene.

[Topic Left Unless Stopped - Soromon still denied entrance]
OOC: Feel free to pm if you want to rp whenever/if you make an actual entrance attempt.

 

[Soromon]

What did the man really expect, the teen had a one track mind and like any other adolescent his mind was set on girls. In fact, there was little time in any given day to think about anything else. On average, men think about sex 20 times a day and women 10 times a day according to some resources but to be perfectly honest those statistics were low-balled. His heart was set on discovering the exotic women of... where was he again? Ah yes, Wind Country. Of course today was not a day where Soromon was going to get what he wanted, he was being sent away with a lesson and a warning. Next time the Sennin would not be so 'gentle.' Soromon did not have an immediate reply beyond a sheepish expression. He did not want to have this lesson reviewed, however he did learn one important thing on this day -- he needed to get stronger.

Return to the desert. Survive for the week, then return.

Soromon looked behind him at that arid expanse, he was not entirely certain that he could survive the week in the wilderness. He barely survived this first journey and it was only by questionable fortunate that he found these doors in the first place. His shoulders slumped. He tried and it was not time to go. "If I am alive and here, you will hear from me again," the boy concluded. The Sennin retreated into the Toraono Dojo and Soromon was faced with a closed door. With a sigh he turned around. Into the desert it is. His other option was an even more certain death.

[Topic Left]​

OC: Thank you so much for the experience. I have stalked a lot of your threads while waiting for your posts. You're really amazing. If I am still in Sand next week I will try to enter again. I have to finish a thread with Akkuma, so if I am still here next week I will see you here. Otherwise, next stop is Kumogakure.