At the Blazing Spirit Dojo! [Open]

[Samsara Saito]

Another day, another round of chores at the Blazing Spirit dojo.​

Saito hummed a little tune as he worked, bare feet pushing his thin body around the room as he wiped the floors with a cleaning rag. Since becoming an initiate of the Blazing Spirit, Saito took his duties to the organization very seriously, and when guild established a dojo, the 11-year old Initiate -- the guild's youngest and lowest-ranking member -- knew his place immediately. The boy would spend the majority of his day most of the time studying and training, whether it be ninjutsu or taijutsu (or both) with Tatsuo-sensei, medical ninjutsu with Kahako-sensei, studying in the library or practicing on his own. Afterward he would generally head to the Blazing Spirit dojo and spend several hours doing chores. The place had to be clean and tidy for when members or visitors came through, nothing could look sloppy or uncared for! The boy worked as hard as he always did, energy boundless as he polished every floor in the building.

Taking a break, he opened up his delicately-packed bento, revealing a HUGE amount of food! Rice balls, sushi, dangos, fried seafood... and more. The boy always overpacked his food, he spent all of his money earned in missions on food and training. It looked like more food than the boy himself could eat, but anyone knowing Saito knew that to be patently untrue. That said, he always prepared and packed a ton of food because he would often come across old and new friends, and sharing food with them seemed to make the process of creating friendships much more likely. The Blazing Spirit dojo should be a welcoming place for any Kumo folk desiring to be there, the boy thought to himself as he munched on a rice ball. Anyone that came by, he would either already be friendly with, or would likely want to get to know! Delicious food made just about everyone feel welcome! And Saito knew how to cook, his parents taught him at a very young age. There would be no leftovers to take back with him, one way or another!

​

i want to upload my photo​

[MFT, WC = 360]

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Setsu had changed a lot in the few short months since he had arrived in the Village Hidden in the Clouds. He had never seen himself balancing on precarious ledges, training in combat scenarios, running deathly long marathons, or manipulating the elements back when he lived in a remote logging village. But despite all the training he had been given, one of his flaws had never been addressed. Setsu had a horrible sense of direction. Granted, the Academy staff had been more concerned with shoring up the boy’s lackluster chakra development and stamina so it was understandable this area would be neglected. However, it was this very flaw that placed Setsu squarely in the middle of the Ancient Forest, completely lost and extremely hungry.

His goal had been to find a small grove of plum trees that grew not too far from the edge of the forest, but now it was to find his way back out. Setsu assumed the old man who had asked him to find the purple fruit just thought everyone knew where it was. But for Setsu this was his first trek into the woods, and he understood none of the landmarks indicated on the paper the old man had given him. Because the old man had said the whole journey should take less than a half hour, Setsu hadn’t eaten breakfast before leaving. It was a decision he was now regretting.

In what seemed to be a miracle of miracles, the treeline thinned and Setsu found himself outside a rustic yet well-maintained building. It unsettled the young boy since the rest of the surrounding forest seemed vastly more ‘Ancient.’ Considering his last experience with out of place buildings and their inhabitants, Setsu had half a mind to return to his aimless wandering of the forest. But his curiosity got the better of him, that and the chance that perhaps the person or persons maintaining the building would know the way back to the village proper. A sign identified the building as the ‘Blazing Spirit’ dojo. Setsu had never heard of the place, and it wasn’t on the old man’s hand-drawn map either. Which meant that either the old man didn’t think it was a reliable landmark, or that Setsu was nowhere near his intended destination.

Sighing, Setsu resolved to ask for directions in the building itself. He approached and lightly knocked on the paper and bamboo door, afraid of accidentally tearing the screen. When there was no reply, Setsu quietly pushed open the sliding door and entered the building. “Pardon the intrusion.” He slid the door closed behind him and removed his shoes, leaving them at the entrance. He felt slightly guilty at entering without permission, but he needed to find someone who knew the way back, and desperate times called for desperate measures. I’ll apologize later, he thought to himself as he walked along the entrance hallway.

The boy was extremely impressed by the spotless condition of the interior. Setsu could see his reflection in the meticulously polished wood floors, and the paper screens looked recently replaced. “Excuse me?” he called out as he wandered throughout the dojo, peeking into rooms when he came across them, and finding most of them empty at the moment. I wonder if everyone’s out at the moment, I suppose the people training here are all shinobi. Maybe they’re on a mission or something. Setsu was beginning to despair that he wouldn’t find anyone after all, when he opened up another door to find himself staring at the most gorgeous spread of food he had ever seen. Gyoza, sashimi, karrage, shrimp tempura, octopus, and more was laid out before him. It was a wonderful feast, so much so that Setsu almost didn’t notice the young boy who was beginning to partake of it.

“I-I, I’m sorry for entering your home without permission!,” he quickly lowered his head tearing his eyes from the succulent treats the boy was eating. “I got lost in the forest and came here looking for directions ba-,” the apologetic young student was interrupted by a loud protest from his stomach. A long, awkward silence followed, where Setsu’s beet-red face looked from the boy, to the food, then reluctantly back to the boy. In an attempt to break the silence, Setsu’s stomach growled once more.

WC: 719
MFT

 

[Samsara Saito]

"WHOA THIS IS SO GOOD!" Saito crowed outloud between bites of food. Training complete for the day and chores done for the moment, the young boy allowed himself to relax and finally chow down. Training all day just knowing what hard-prepared delicacies awaited him at the end made him work all the harder, and his just rewards tasted even better than he'd hoped. Intending to eat more circumspectly as would befit the only available representative of the dojo, care for appearance soon slipped away as being alone, he felt no need to impress anyone. The food demanded to be eaten and any delays would be sacrilegious! Of course, just when the sentinel lets its guard slip is the time when it needs to be the most alert; Saito had become so engrossed in satisfying his hunger, he hadn't heard the entrance door to the dojo slide open and a voice call out from the front, "Pardon the intrusion. Excuse me?" The young Setsu explored the dojo for a bit with Saito just plowing away at the delicious food, completely unaware of his visitor.

He'd just stuffed his mouth full of rice and chicken karaage when his lack of attentiveness to the dojo was finally revealed. Setsu opened the door to find Saito surrounded in lunch, mouth full and the boy doing his very best to make it even fuller. For a moment Saito felt exposed! Not that he wasn't supposed to be eating, but he might've wanted to make the Blazing Spirit look more impressive than a kid jamming food into his mouth... But the visitor's eyes didn't reach Saito for a long moment, instead taking in the spread of food that the young initiate had prepared. Looks like he's hungry too,<i></i> the child initiate thought. And when the two boys finally made eye contact, with Saito's eyes tearing a bit under the strain of trying to choke down far too much food, the visitor didn't laugh but instead dropped into a quick, apologetic bow. "I-I, I'm sorry for entering your home without permission! I got lost in the forest and came here looking for directions ba-" and then his stomach growled, loud and pronounced. Saito grinned around the huge mouthful of food before quickly chewing it and choking it down, self-consciousness flown to the winds. If there was anything he and his new friend could possibly bond over, it would be food.

"Hey don't worry about it, I'm glad you came! Welcome to the Blazing Spirit dojo!" the young initiate invited warmly, smile bright. "It's easy to get lost in the forest.... how long have you been wandering around? You're welcome to eat if you're hungry, there's plenty here. Don't mind me if I keep eating, I'm starving!"

[MFT, WC: 462]

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Fear was the main emotion that usually flowed through Setsu. Fear of death, fear of never seeing his family again, fear of ridicule, fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of his mouth, you name it Setsu was scared of it. Currently, he was afraid of being chastised and then kicked out for trespassing. But it never came to pass. Instead a friendly offer to share in the bounteous feast was extended. “Really? I can have some?!” the boy excitedly exclaimed. He sat down and eagerly reached for the nearest morsel, then stopped and pulled his hands back. That was a close one, Setsu thought to himself, I can't afford to be rude here. The young Academy student bowed his head, giving thanks to Raiden and to the boy cheerfully stuffing his face before him for the food. He then slowly and methodically added one of everything to his plate. While Setsu's bites were small and measured, his appetite was every bit as voracious as his host’s.

In response to the other boy’s question Setsu replied between mouthfuls, "I’ve been walking since early this morning. Seven I think?” He paused to sip some tea before continuing. "I was looking for plums. They’re supposed to grow around here, but I couldn’t follow the directions.” He produced the map that he had received, and laid it on the table. The hastily scribbled path, vague descriptions of landmarks, and the surprisingly detailed self-portrait of an old man enjoying plums on a beach, only barely qualified as a map. It was no wonder Setsu had gotten lost.

Setsu continued to slowly but steadily consume food, as he changed the subject. “So what do you learn here?” he asked while adding a tiny ball of wasabi to a small dish of soy sauce before dipping a piece of yellowtail sashimi into it. "Cooking skills? Are you one of those cooking shinobi that go on Raikage’s Kitchen?! Though I’ve heard it’s really biased towards pizza.”

 

[Samsara Saito]

"Sure you can have some! You don't think I can eat all of this myself, do you?" Saito replied to the question with a big grin -- though I probably could, he thought to himself as he raised a hand to the back of his head, his laughter accompanied by a trickle of sweat. The young Genin needn't have worried too much about what his guest thought of his appetite, as the boy's hunger seemed to match Saito's own. It didn't look like he was eating much, not stuffing his entire gullet full of as much food as could fit as Saito had been found doing, but the 11 year old initiate couldn't help but notice after a relatively short period of time that the overflowing bounty of food was no longer overflowing or even that bounteous anymore. The two boys had certainly made a sizable dent in the meal Saito had prepared, and neither showed signs of stopping anytime soon. That made Saito very happy, his voice friendly and smile wide -- whenever he didn't have food in his mouth. Shinrin-sensei is gonna miss out! His own fault for being late!<i></i>

"That's a long time to go without a meal... but you were probably gonna eat some plums for lunch! I can't say that I know where to find plum trees in this forest, I actually don't know it really well yet... I can basically get myself here and to my sensei's house without getting as lost as you were," he frowned as he looked at the "map," rotating it clockwise to understand its imagery from different perspectives before shrugging and sliding the parchment back, then reaching for another gyoza. "Yeah, that wouldn't really help me either... My sensei might know though, maybe we should track him down after lunch!"

"Cooking shinobi?" the Genin repeated, his thoughts briefly drifting to the image of a huge stadium arena where ninja fought each other using their cooking skills "Is that... a thing?" he wondered aloud thoughtfully, before snapping back to the here and now. "This is the Blazing Spirit dojo!" Saito proclaimed at the young student's questions, clearly pleased to be on this topic. "And the Blazing Spirit is a guild, formed by my sensei and his team. I joined up as an Initiate when I became a Genin earlier this year. My name is Samsara Saito," he adds in his friendly, informal way. "What do you learn? Well, we're dedicated to... well... growing good in the world, and protecting those who need protection! So my sensei has been training me to get stronger, to use my power for that."

[MFT, WC = 438]

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Setsu felt better knowing that the other boy couldn’t understand the badly drawn map either. That meant the fault lay not with his orienteering abilities but instead with the old man’s skills at cartography. However, Setsu’s inner critic reminded him that had he done the proper research he would have been able to find the grove on his own, circumventing the entire embarrassing situation of being lost in the first place. It was a good lesson, learn about your surroundings before tracking an objective there. Still, Setsu was grateful for the experience, he got to meet an intriguing individual, not to mention the delicious meal. It was far better fare than he would have eaten had he completed his original task as planned.

“I would appreciate the help, honestly,” Setsu sighed with relief as he once again filled his plate with some strawberry manjuu. “Tanuki-san told me that it was very important he get these plums.” With this he could fulfill his promise to the Rinko’s grandfather. Though he didn’t know why a baby needed so many plums. As the conversation changed topics it seemed the other boy hadn’t heard of the television program, which Setsu wasn’t surprised by. The only reason he even knew of it was due to the few students who monopolized the common room in the dorms every Tuesday night at seven. They were diehard fans, some even had restaurant experience, and their commentary always went over Setsu’s head.

According to the boy, who introduced himself as Samsara Saito, the Blazing Spirit Dojo was a place that trained people to protect the weak and foster good in the world. Which led Setsu to exclaim with shining eyes, “So you’re training to be a hero!” Setsu had always admired the heroes in the tales he had heard around the small lumber village he grew up in though he knew that he could never be one. He was being trained to be a shinobi after all, and everyone knew that shinobi weren’t heroes. “It must be hard work, Samsara-san. But I think you could definitely become a hero.”

Setsu wondered exactly who the boy’s teacher might be, though if mystery-sensei’s student was any indication, he must be a very outgoing and vibrant individual. A lot of the shinobi involved in the academy seemed to value suppressing emotions, which put Setsu at odds with them unintentionally. In the eyes of the more conservative instructors, a shinobi was a weapon, and emotions messed with performance. Anger might increase destructive potential, but it lacked precision. Fear might assist in evasion, but at the cost of power. The perfect weapon wouldn’t exhibit such human-like traits. But perhaps his host’s master subscribed to a different way of thinking, like much of academy’s more progressive instructors. “I’m not sure I will be a very good person though, so I hope we can still be friends even though you’ll be a hero. I’ve been told that worrying about stuff like right and wrong might be de-, detrimen-, bad for my growth. Some of my teachers at the academy get frustrated when I ask about those kind of things,” he smiled sheepishly as he spoke. “Oh my name, I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Suzuki Setsu, it’s nice to meet you, Samsara-san.”

A short while later Setsu made an inquiry, “If you don’t mind, how do you train to ‘grow good in the world?’ The protecting part makes sense to me, but is growing good a skill you can learn?”

 

[Samsara Saito]

"Training to be a... hero?" Saito echoed after Setsu said it, his happy expression slightly marred by the touch of a frown as he considered those words. He hadn't thought about it that way before, hero training. Was that something you could even train to be? Can shinobi even be heroes, when they're supposed to only exist to serve their village? What happens when the village needs something done that isn't... too hero-like? Perhaps even villainous? Without even realizing he did it, the Genin brought a hand up to his wooden headband with the Kumo symbol on it. Setsu certainly thought Saito could become a hero, though Saito didn't quite understand how... do heroes get caught jamming too much food down their throats regularly? And then his mind wandered to his sensei Tatsuo, and the boy smiled. Certainly Tatsuo-sensei was a hero! "I don't know about training to be a hero exactly, but my sensei is a hero and I'm gonna be just like him, so maybe you're right! I guess we'll just have to see how things go! Though I also don't think you have to be a hero to help people..." Hmm. Thinking about right and wrong being detrimental to growth? Maybe that sort of thinking is why Tatsuo gave him that test back then...

"You punched me just because I told you to, which in this situation I can't really blame you for hitting me. I told you to and I'm sure you want to impress me, but there was another lesson I wanted to teach here. Sometimes people will tell you to do things, such as hurt others and just expect you to do them.

"At some point in your career someone might tell you to do something that you don't agree with, for the sake of the village, for the sake of your honor, or whatever message they try to abuse you with. To have a true blazing spirit you need to ignore that, you must stand to evil no matter the form it takes. A leader with no apathy to life is just as dangerous as a mindless killer like Kaen."

"Well I guess that just depends on what you want to grow into," Saito replied after listening to Setsu and thinking about his words for a moment. "A village is complicated and has a lot of different needs. I hope Kumogakure has some use for a hero shinobi!" Somehow, that answer didn't satisfy Saito, even as he spoke it. What would happen when the village ordered him to do something that ran counter to the ideals of the Blazing Spirit? And even if the village allowed him to be a hero, would that matter if it ordered others to be villains? His expression slowly hardening as he continued down this train of thought, he suddenly caught himself and laughed at the awkward paradox. Smiling to Setsu, his voice still retained its bright and positive tone as he continued. "I think that no matter what path we as shinobi choose to walk, we'll have to deal with hard situations that challenge our view of the world. I don't think I could live a life ignoring right and wrong though. It'll be a tough path to walk as a shinobi? But the path of the shinobi is tough no matter what! If I encounter such difficulties no matter what choice I make, I'd rather do my best to grow good whenever and wherever I can!"

How do you grow good? "Well... evil acts, at their root, grow upward from some trigger that isn't necessarily evil in its own right. A problem that couldn't be solved at the time, the lack of some important necessity, a careless decision with unintended consequences. Growing good means looking past the symptoms of a problem and doing your best to get to the root of it, solving it in a way that... well, removes the need for evil acts. Growing good means you can't just take the easy way out to deal with a problem. You could kill everyone in an uprising to keep things peaceful, for example, or you could find out what's causing the uprising and solve that. It wouldn't be as easy? But it would also be the real solution that eliminates the need for the evil, thus allowing for good to flourish. That's the goal of the Blazing Spirit!"

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Saito deflected the claim of being trained to be a hero, though he admitted that his teacher was in fact a bona fide hero. Since he was learning from a hero, he didn’t deny that he might become one, but nothing was definite. This only served to further the notion in Setsu’s mind that Saito would one day become a hero as well. He didn’t seem conceited or arrogant about his circumstances, and insisted that heroes weren’t the only ones that could help others. Since a shinobi’s path is difficult anyway, there’s no reason not to try and do the right thing, huh. Setsu was in awe of the boy’s determination, and wanted to believe that maybe he too could strive to live a life similar to Saito’s. It would be hard, as the Blazing Spirit acolyte had said, but perhaps it would be worth trying, even if he didn't think he could do it.

Setsu listened to Saito explain about ‘growing good’ with rapt attention, eyes shining brightly as the older boy described the ideals he subscribed to. The goal of the Blazing Spirit was to weed out evil by removing what evil needs to grow, and then good would naturally flourish. Saito brought up the example of an uprising, where most would simply put down the rebellion, the Blazing Spirit would try to address the grievances of the masses. It was admirable, and admittedly more difficult. Keeping the example of an uprising, Setsu thought about possible reasons why people would try to rise up against the current government. One thought in particular occurred to him and he decided to bring it up to Saito.

“It sounds really hard. I mean, if people are rioting due to a food shortage, you just have to find out the reason why they don’t have food, and take steps to change that. But what if the people are angry because of something less physical, like young children getting automatically conscripted into the Academy if they show signs of chakra control.” Setsu realized that asking this may lead Saito to believe he had something against the village, so he quickly followed it up with, “I’m not saying that Kumogakure is wrong in doing this, but as a, as a, um… a thought experiment it’s interesting.” I am a little upset at not being able to see my parents until I’m a full shinobi, but I’ve heard the reasons for the forced conscriptions and they make sense. “I mean you can explain to the families why their children need to be taken to Kumogakure, but no matter how good intentioned it is, sometimes emotions get the better of logic in people’s minds. How would you grow good in that case?”

“Ah! I’m not trying to argue or anything! I just don’t feel confident in my own ability to handle such a situation, but I’m sure if it’s you or your sensei, you’d be able to find the right answer.” Setsu smiled as he began to sample the dango.

MFT
WC: 504

 

[Samsara Saito]

Setsu's questions about growing good, where Kumogakure's policy for conscripting children showing signs of chakra control might become the impetus to evil actions for those families the policy hurt, certainly caused the young Blazing Spirit acolyte to pause in thought once more. He'd never given much thought about how children came to Kumogakure to become ninja, since he himself decided to become a ninja just like his parents and had been thrilled to be set upon the path. To be forced to leave your family and become one... That could certainly grow plenty of resentment toward the Cloud in the various small towns and villages dotting the country. I wonder how the Cloud deals with that resentment? If they even do at all?<i></i> Saito thought back to the pink-haired zealot, Kabashi, who he and Uchiha Miyako fought to the death while doing chores in Konohagakure. The boy's inexplicable anger toward the ninja of the Hidden Leaf certainly demonstrated the sort of simmering resentment to hidden village policies -- the kind of resentment that could certainly lead to evil acts that the national authorities would likely punish with little real investigation and even less mercy. Even back then, Saito wanted to know more about what drove Kabashi's anger, but he had no opportunity to discover its cause before the situation resolved itself far outside of his influence. A thoughtful Saito finally gave a light sigh of resignation and looked back to Setsu, expression full of chagrin.

"Wow, that's a tough one. There really are no easy answers for complicated issues like that, where the stability of the nation requires a strong hidden village, but few parents would willingly give up their children and endure that sacrifice to their families to ensure it. I'm sure a great deal of evil has been caused from breaking such families apart, and more evil lies ahead of us as that policy continues. I wish I had an answer for how to grow good in that case... but unfortunately I do not. Or... at least not yet!" Such heavy thoughts never kept Saito down for long, and his buoyant attitude and shining inner light reasserted themselves once more. "A big part of the Blazing Spirit is to never give up on finding solutions, to keep seeking the answer until you find it!"

A thought experiment, hmm? Why do I feel like the question is more personal than that? Did Kumogakure conscript Setsu himself? Did the young Academy student in front of him feel passionate about this particular issue? Saito's considerate gaze weighed Setsu for a moment, eyes full of questions that would probably be too intrusive to ask. The moment passed silently, before he smiled brightly to Setsu and extended to the boy his fist, for a fistbump. "I don't know the answer to that one, but I would love to find out! Visiting the outer villages, understanding the effects of conscription on families, growing to occupy positions in the village that can possibly effect changes in those policies that can at least reduce if not eliminate simmering resentments... That's moving in the right direction at least! Who knows what form the answer will take... but to me, even the search for it would certainly mean adventure! Perhaps we can figure it out together someday! Whaddaya say?"

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Saito gave Setsu’s question some serious thought, mulling it over with a complicated expression on his face. Eventually Saito turned back the the young student and admitted that he didn’t know how he would deal with such a situation. The sad expression on Saito’s usually vibrant and cheerful face took Setsu aback. Is it that bad of a question? I didn’t mean to bring down the mood! But the difficulty of reforming societal norms didn’t keep Samsara Saito down for long. The other boy understood that changing traditions was extremely difficult and he too knew that for the current society gathering chakra-sensitive individuals was a necessary evil. Saito also had agreed with Setsu that most families didn’t care why their children were taken away, and the grief that arose when splitting up a family could be a seedbed for future malcontent and hatred towards the village and the government that it supported. But instead of seeing it and resigning himself to living in such a world. Saito wouldn’t give up until he could change it, or so he said.

“Never giving up. Keep seeking the answer until you find it,” Setsu repeated the words that the confident boy before him had previously uttered. True, there might be a way for the village to adjust their policies, but Setsu doubted they’d listen to the words of a pair of eleven year olds. But maybe they would listen to some accomplished shinobi, people who have achieved great things and become respected throughout the village. The young boy looked up from his food to find Saito staring at him intensely. Did he figure it out? That I wasn’t born in the village. Setsu realized he had practically given that fact away, but was still nervous when others found out about it. But even if Saito knew, he didn’t say anything. And for that Setsu was grateful.

The boy extended his hand in a fist, proclaiming that although he didn’t know, he would love to find out. Through visiting the outer villages, and talking to the people affected, even if they couldn’t solve the problem by themselves, it would be progress towards a solution. Not to mention an adventure. The small boy reached out with his fist and bumped Saito’s. “Sure, if you’ll have me.”
[lb2][/lb2]

***​

[lb2][/lb2]
Time passed unnoticed as the two ate and chatted, and a chance glance out of the window revealed the sun rays entering at a vastly different angle then they had been this morning. Setsu was startled when he saw how much time had passed. He stood up and hastily bowed to Saito, “I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. Well, since I never did find that plum grove I need to stop by the Susukino district to buy some there. I hope he’ll be satisfied with store-bought plums. Anyways, it was nice meeting you Samsara-san, and when I graduate I hope we can search for that answer together.” He went to leave, but then turned back to the boy to ask, “Which way leads out of the forest again?”

[Topic Left Unless Stopped]
MFT: 511

[Thanks for the RP! Sorry for the delay, some work things came up and it took me a bit longer to write this up, but thanks for your patience!]

 

[Samsara Saito]

The more Saito thought about the situation his new friend raised concerning the forced conscription of children who can manipulate chakra into service to village and Raikage, the more interested in the topic he became. Even after proposing the adventure to the academy student and extending his fist, part of the white-haired boy's mind turned the question over and over again, forming theories and working forward. The only reason such would be necessary would be if chakra-wielders were rare -- and that wouldn't be too surprising to Saito, before coming to the Village Hidden in the Clouds he had seen almost no one other than himself and a few priests with strong healing powers use chakra. He figured that chakra production had to be genetic to a certain extent... was whatever gene responsible for chakra manifestation dying out? The 11 year old Genin decided to head to the library tomorrow morning to do some research, it'd grown too late in the day to get there after he finished at the dojo... I wonder if Kahako-sensei would know the answer? he queried to himself as, thoughts skipping about, Setsu's return fist bump brought the Genin back to the present moment. Saito's wide, ever-present grin broadened, emboldened by the academy student's willingness to adventure with him. "This'll be fun, Setsu! Graduate quick and get ready!"

***​

The time flew by and eventually Setsu needed to leave, they had spent hours talking and eating and Saito had completely lost track of the hour. Little food of the original feast the young initiate had spread out remained, a situation the young Genin loved. "Really glad to meet you, Setsu! Thanks for giving me a lot to think about!" Saito told the academy student the way out of the forest, and stood at the door waving as Setsu walked away. "We'll find the answer, I'm not gonna give up until we do!" It didn't take too long to clean up after the boy's departure. Exiting the dojo within the half hour, Saito turned to head back to the village... before redirecting his path to a small clearing in the forest, to train. If he ever wanted to fix big problems like the one Setsu brought up, he knew he would have to be much, much stronger!

[Topic left]
[OOC: No worries about the delay, the pace of this thread was perfect for me lol! Thanks for the RP!]