Reminiscing - Open

[Tsuyoshi Junko]

Laying down in the grass next to his katana, Junko enjoyed the cool breeze, with the magnificent sunny, but partially cloudy day. "Ah man, Haven't been here since my first day meeting Daisuke. This place is where my entire life changed for the good. This place was the start of a new beginning! Junko said to himself as he thought about his past for a moment.

"Shinbatsus Path is one great place.." Junko thought as he turned to his stomach looking over the area, viewing a few people training. Since Junkos leaving for intense training with Daisuke, he had yet to revisit the place it all began, being here brought excitement to him. "My first lesson was on swordsmanship. I wonder how far I have actually come?" Junko said as he stood to his feet. Reaching into his inside jacket pocket, Junko pulled out his box of cigarettes with matches. "Quick smoke time before I put my skills to a lil test!" Junko said putting a cigarette into his mouth then striking a match to set a blaze to it. Taking a few puffs, Junko picked up his katana and walked towards the training dummies.

"When you attack, keep up the attack to do more damage. Treat the blade as an extension of your own arm. Plan to hit vital points and focus on striking them hard. And once you’re strong enough..." Daisukes exact words which Junko thought about as he pulled his katana from it's sheath. Flicking his cigarette, Junko began his assault! Using a few simple basic strikes and then stopping, the dummy fell into pieces. "I must have gotten better!"  Junko thought laughing as he knew simple dummies wasn't good enough to really test his swordsmanship. 

"I wonder if I should test my new found abilities here? Little by little I'm getting the hang of it, but I wonder what all I can do? So far I only have the speed conquered. Since finding my powers I have realized that reality has no boundaries and if it does, I refuse to let it hold me back. I'm going outside reality!" Junko thought as he was thinking about beginning some real training.

 

[Uziuke]

The life-sized statue of Shinbatsu decked out in gold kept Uziuke's attention. Abducting the statue and selling it would net the boy a fortune in the underground market, but the boy didn't plan on causing trouble within the village. He'd have to make an honest living like the rest of the citizens within the village. Work wasn't hard to find, especially with Ayumi's help. She helped the boy get a job as a courier, tis was why the boy wore his blue courier uniform. It was standard issue for the new recruits on the job. They even gave him a nice little hat to match the uniform. Currently he was on an assignment to deliver a delicate package across the village. He decided to take the long route to venture more of the village. It didn't take him long to stumble across the training area.

'This Shinbatsu guy must have been a great leader to have a statue left here.' The boy was lost in thought over the matter. He wished he could have met the hero. 'This guy is probably old and has lost his great abilities by now.' It wasn't what the boy should have been worrying about since he had a package to deliver, but traveling an stumbling upon new things wasn't an everyday activity. While eyeing the statue a strange chakra aura caught the boy's attention. As he moved towards the aura he noticed the guy's weapon. The blade easily cut the training dummy he was practicing on to pieces. Uzi's sharingan began to spin as he carefully watched the shinobi's movements. The teen was a little shocked to find another shinobi in the area. His eyes phased back to purple as he released the chakra flow from his eyes.

He began over to the shinobi, holding a simple smile on his face as he approached the shinobi. "Oi! You're pretty skilled with that blade. Where does a shinobi get training like that around this village?" The boy's purple contacts hid the boy's dojutsu, keeping his clan's famous eyes hidden behind them. The uniformed adolescent approached Junko with a friendly smile. "The name's Uziuke." The boy outstretched his right gloved hand. The brown sack that he carried was slung over his left shoulder. He gripped it by the straps with his left hand.

[ MFT | WC: +400 ]

 

[Tsuyoshi Junko]

Junko was deep in thought, coming up with many training methods as he looked around. "Daisuke should've been here, he would've thought of some killer training methods on the spot!" Junko thought as he rubbed his head a little.

"Oi! You're pretty skilled with that blade. Where does a shinobi get training like that around this village?" 

Junko slowly turned his head to see who was speaking to him. Looking at the guy and thinking about what he just said, Junko could easily tell he hasn't been in kumogakure long. The guy had purple eyes and wore a courier uniform which instantly brought a bright idea to Junkos head. "I would be a good ass courier! Yes! With my speed, I'd be the best courier!" Junko thought as he sheathed his katana.

Giving the guy eye contact, he began to speak "Thanks, I do my best with this thing I suppose. In order to get training similar to this, you just have to find the right guy! I got lucky I suppose." laughing a little, Junko shook the strangers hand briefly and firmly. "nice to meet you Uziuke, the names Junko." Junko said with partial enthusiasm, after Uziuke introduced himself first. "Nice uniform, any possibility I could get employed? If I work though, I prefer my own style." Junko said as he checked out his usual clothing attire, wearing his nice Suit. 

 

[Uziuke]

What Junko said would stick with Uziuke, even though he didn't know it at the moment. The boy chuckled along with the suited shinobi as he shook his hand. "Someone set me up with this job, so I'm not particularly sure about the requirements to sign up, though the work is fairly easy if you're in tip-top shape." The boy scratched the back of his head while answering with a nervous smile. Mentioning his suit, Uzi gave it a quick look over. The style around the village was certainly a bit different from what the boy was used to seeing in Kirigakure, but it was stylish non the less. 'What's the chances of finding two shinobi within the same village? First it the girl at the gates, and now this guy. I'm starting to suspect that there's a shinobi village nearby somewhere.'

Deciding to get a bit of information on Shinbatsu, the boy decided to prod Junko's mind a bit. He was ahead of schedule, so he could waste a bit of time. Especially if he could find another one of those "shortcuts" one of the civilians pointed him towards earlier. "Hey, do you know anything about the guy that they made a statue of?" The boy pointed in the general area of the statue of Shinbatsu, still wondering who this guy was exactly. "Like is he still around? And if so, does he live somewhere nearby?" Uziuke couldn't help but look to the sky as a gusty breeze swept the area. He held on to his hat, careful that it didn't flutter away with the wind. The weather was nice. Working in bad weather conditions wasn't something the white haired teen wanted to get accustomed to.

 

[Tsuyoshi Junko]

"Hey, do you know anything about the guy that they made a statue of?

"The training grounds of the Colosseum are named after the Raikage Shinbatsu. All I really know is that he loved the thrill of battle and training for battle.  They built the statue when he passed I believe." Junko said scratching his head a little. "This only my second visit here, my first time was when I was an academy student. Upon entering back then, a few people said some of the villages top elite ninja trained here, not so sure if that's true." Junko said looking around at some of the Few people training.

"Not sure if I would call some of these people elite, but looks can be deceiving." Junko thought as he felt a nice breeze cross his face. "I might need to put in some training time, to try to become an elite ninja like some of these guys!" Junko said a little jokingly, but with slight seriousness. "Where are you from by the way? If you don't mind me asking." Junko said pulling out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth.

 

[Uziuke]

"The Raikage!?" The boy shouted. It totally took the mercenary by surprise. "That either means the Raikage traveled through here and helped out, or..." Uzi paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "We're in Kumogakure, The Cloud Village." Of course! Things we're beginning to add up now. The gates were the entrance to the village. 'So they aren't guarding a treasure, they're guarding the entrance to the village. ... I'm in Cloud right now.' It took a moment for the boy to grasp the reality of the situation.

Snapping out of it the boy was able to catch the last bit of what Junko said about trying to become an elite ninja. It made the boy chuckle a bit, remembering when he strived for the same goal. "I don't think the amount of training, nor your strength determines if you're an elite shinobi or not." A soft smile sat on the white haired boy's face as he kept watch of the sky. It was the only way he could tell how much time he had left to deliver the package. He picked up the new habit as he moved out of Mist. "Instead, I believe it has more to deal with what the shinobi has accomplished."

"I'm a traveler hailing from the Mist Village. Things are a little different there, but it was a nice place... until recently." The boy sort of muttered the last part of the sentence, still crushed that his village wasn't stable enough for human life. As Junko put the cigarette in his mouth Uzi looked to the unlit end. With a flick of his wrist a small flame burned the tip, lighting the cig. Smoke began to float in the air as the familiar stench began to creep into the area. He gave up the habit a while ago, but at times, he found himself going back to the habit. This time however he'd stick to his non~smoking streak for a while.

 

[Tsuyoshi Junko]

  "Instead, I believe it has more to deal with what the shinobi has accomplished. I'm a traveler hailing from the Mist Village. Things are a little different there, but it was a nice place... until recently."

Junko nodded. Looking at Uziuke, Junko could easily tell that their was more to him then what meets the eye. "Everyone has a story, I wonder, what's his story?" Junko thought as he observed Uziuke a little more as he sensed sorrow within his last few words. Pain, sorrow, and happiness, effects many people in many different ways. How an individual takes these feelings, if it's well or hash, depends on the individuals past.

Looking at Uziuke, Junko little sense of humor seemed to vanish. "It's as if, I can feel his pain." Junko thought as his heart rate slowly increased little by little. Junko was raised by the village itself as an orphan. Moving pillow to post and sometimes outside. The village was basically Junkos playground, but the play ground haven't been the same since him and his brother became distant, it was as if the ninja world itself split them apart. "I miss you brother.." Junko thought as a blaze was set to his cig as he was reaching for his matches.

"Thanks, would you like one?" Junko offered not knowing if he was a smoker. "I still don't know where I come from exactly and I'm here looking at a person who knows were home is, but can't go back. Must be painful." Junko thought as he blew smoke into the air. 

"I remember a year ago, I promise to always look and move forward, but I'm here today, looking back and reminiscing about my past. I remember being brought with this single question, What is a ninja? That single question enlightened my eyes. Now, I'm on to a new question, what is an elite ninja?" Junko said in a serious tone.

 

[Uziuke]

"Sure." The boy said, accepting the cigarette when Junko would give him one. Instead of lighting it he would carefully place it behind his right ear. He didn't plan on smoking it, but like the saying goes, it's better to have one and not need it, than need it and not have one. As Junko continued on he really made Uzi go deep into thought. It wasn't a question that he could answer. He didn't know what to look for in an elite ninja. "Someone that the people can look up to. Someone that's known throughout the land as not only a hero, but a great person. Someone like... Shinbatsu."

Everyone might have had their own answers when it came to the question. Uzi himself felt as though it was something that could be achieved. 'Maybe an elite ninja is someone with a caring heart, but at the same time, able to carry out the hardened duties that shinobi have to face.' Uzi looked towards Junko before asking him the same question. "What is your take on it?" The boy asked. His curious nature became to take a peek at the situation. Hopefully it wouldn't keep him off task for too long to deliver his package. He still was on a timed schedule after all.

 

[Tsuyoshi Junko]

Handing Uziuke a cigarette, Junko continued to smoke. Preparing for his answer, Junko thought back on his encounter with the complete stranger of the inuzuka Bloodline, which brought the question to Junko. "That one night, that single question brought a light to my eyes. It showed me to be myself, to even have and follow my own mind as a ninja." Junko thought before he listened carefully to Uziuke answer.

"Someone that the people can look up to. Someone that's known throughout the land as not only a hero, but a great person. Someone like... Shinbatsu.

"What is your take on it?"


"I don't know exactly, if there is a right answer for this question, but you must Start from the beginning to understand. Meaning, start with what is a ninja. I'm going to tell you exactly what I was told. it changed the way I thought about this shinobi world." Junko said as he readied himself to quote the inuzuka. "I mean, what are ninja? Sure we are warriors, spies, people; but are we really? No. We are simply tools to be used for the village; to die, to live, to kill for Kumogakure. But this doesn't mean you can go around doing whatever the fuck you want. You have to be cunning-- you have to be wise. We are wild cards. The stronger a shinobi gets, the more of a double edged sword he becomes. While he is a greater asset, he is also a greater liability. If he dies, you lose an incredible amount of investment. If he is loyal, you have the ultimate tool. But, if he thinks for himself.... Then you have yourself a predicament. Are you following what I'm saying?" Junko said not knowing if it was a good idea sharing this with the stranger. after all, everyone takes information differently. 

"I Have to look differently at things, not just whats infront of me, but the entire picture. So, what is an elite ninja? Could it be a individual shinobi that has followed his own path that has accomplished many great things, strong in body and mind, with true happiness for himself? If so, that would be a ninja itself! Meaning, there is no such thing as being an elite ninja, but how can I know for sure if my theory is correct?" Junko thought as his mind was trying to piece things together, as he awaited on Uziukes response.

 

[Uziuke]

The sky began to grow a dark shade of gray as the two continued to converse. A few of the others that were attacking the training dummies began to collect their things and depart from the area. Uzi knew that it was time for him to depart as well. 'I'm going to have to make up for all of this lost time.' The white haired teen nodded as he listened to the Cloud~Nin went on. His words hit the Uchiha hard, and got him to thinking of his current prediciment.

"The only way you can see if a theory is correct is by proving it." Uzi smiled, taking in the idea himself. It was something he'd like to find out as well. "I guess you'll end up stumpling upon the answer as you further your career as a shinobi." The boy shrugged, wondering what lay ahead on his own shinobi path. Only time could tell. Staying positive until the next situation arose was all he could do until then. "It seems that I must be off. As the day draws to a close, so does the time on me delivering this package." The wandering shinobi grinned as he gave Junko a goodbye.

With one last wave the boy was off, hurling the bag over his shoulder before making his way off in the opposite direction. As he passed Shinbatu's statue the boy took a stand still. He and Junko's conversation made him look at things a little differently, and it was the only thing on the boy's mind. 'I didn't think I'd make it out of there in time. This Junko guy made a lot of sense while we were talking.' As another soft breeze swept into the area the boy could only focus on one thing. 'An elite shinobi.' The soft sound of the grass getting crushed under the boy's shifting footsteps was the only one that rang in Uzi's ears.

[ MFT | WC: 355 ]
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[Tsuyoshi Junko]

"Looks like I should be on my way!" Junko thought as he looked up into the grey sky. "A storm is probably about to hit." Junko said looking around at the many people packing, getting ready to head out.

With the conversation coming to an end, this only left Junko with more thoughts to sort through. Scratching his head a little, Junko watched as Uziuke gave his final wave walking off, stopping at the statue. "It's a small chance, that I just made a difference in someone." Junko thought as he gave his good-bye wave. 

Walking off, small water droplets seemed to fall as Junko image seemed to fade away. The young Seikon was off to continue down his shinobi path, hopefully his questions would receive an answer sooner or later.

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