The lowlands were incredible to say the least. Fuu could hardly believe that in his entire career he hadn’t been sent to this section of the Lightning country’s territory. It was like a completely separate world down here, complete with its own smells, sounds and people. The warm air was also a welcome change, the wind gently caressing and cooling the ANBUs body instead of invasively tearing through his clothes and chilling him to the bone. In fact, the temperate climate had begun brought a rare change in demeanor upon Fuu, and the day found him underdressed. Though he had left the village in his usual garb, the heavy robes issued to the Kumo ANBU for severe weather and his Arachnid styled mask, by the time he had passed the first farmstead of the Solum he had already removed his robe and packed it away. Despite his anxiety and his desire for secrecy, the Hachiashi couldn’t help but let all six of his arms out into the open air, in plain view of anyone he passed.
Sliding his mask up and off, Fuu paused for a moment to pack it away and to pull out his special tin. Popping it open, he gingerly pulled out the thick cigar and inspected it carefully. He had hand rolled it, using large imported tobacco leaves as a wrap, with the finest blend he had ever conceived. Home grown, Kumogakure and imported plants had made it into this particular cigar, and he had been saving it for a special day. ‘It’s a special kind of day that finds me in not but my armor.’ He mused, biting down on the tip of the smoke stick as he procured a match and lit it, releasing a puff of heavy, pungent smoke. Satisfied it was properly lit, and feeling comfortable in his flexible custom made armor, he set off again, off into the direction of a fable.
The thought alone put him in a humorous mood. To think that a twenty five year old ANBU, trained solider and killer, would be out in hunt of a glorified bed time story was enough to make him want to both laugh and cringe. Yet here he was, trekking towards some old forgotten portion of his great country in search of… well of what he wasn’t quite sure yet. The sources he could find on the subject all varied greatly, and in some cases even contradicted each other but they all had one thing in common. Stories of beasts of all different species, great and small, with superior intellect and legendary powers. As a child, Fuu had devoured all the information he and his tutors could gather on the subject, fascinated by these fairy tale creatures from a time before. Of course, it wasn’t until much later in his life that he even considered there being any validity to the tales.
He could remember it perfectly. He had been on a hunting mission, tracking down a group of bandit shinobi. An Inuzuka, whose name he had never learned, had conjured up an entire pack of hounds to track and apprehend the outlaws, and it had been an awe inspiring sight. At first he had been stunned and clueless, but his analytical mind had kicked in with enough time for him to figure out what had happened. The ANBU had thought about that day often for two years now, and he felt it was high time he did something about it.
So, with a now slightly foggy mind he continued on his path, watching and smoking as the road under him got rougher and rougher. Without noticing, Fuu had passed the last farm in that direction, and the fields of crops and paddocks of animals had given way to overgrown patches of grass and the ruins of old barns and stables. Though he wasn’t sure what exactly it was he was in search of, the young man figured that beasts of myth and legend wouldn’t likely be found in the well-traveled areas of the world. Instead he would probably have to go where few men would or could, and that was just fine in his opinion. Having always been an oddity himself, what with his extra arms and odd mucus-based abilities, Fuu found comfort in the peace around him. All he could hear for miles were the sounds of nature, rivers and insects, birds and the rustling of foliage touched by the wind, and that suited him just fine. The ANBU was prepared to spend days out here, trudging through the plains, forging rivers and navigating overgrown woods, until he either found what he was searching for or his leave expired.
He just hoped something would manifest itself sooner, rather than later. Taking a long pull from his cigar, Fuu couldn’t help but smile. If nothing else, it would certainly be an interesting experience, even if he didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Hell, just the fact that he was looking to have a social interaction was big deal for him. This coupled with exploration and an almost child-like sense of wonder pouring through him, Fuu could say he almost felt like a new man.
‘Come on out, I’d love to meet you.’
Sliding his mask up and off, Fuu paused for a moment to pack it away and to pull out his special tin. Popping it open, he gingerly pulled out the thick cigar and inspected it carefully. He had hand rolled it, using large imported tobacco leaves as a wrap, with the finest blend he had ever conceived. Home grown, Kumogakure and imported plants had made it into this particular cigar, and he had been saving it for a special day. ‘It’s a special kind of day that finds me in not but my armor.’ He mused, biting down on the tip of the smoke stick as he procured a match and lit it, releasing a puff of heavy, pungent smoke. Satisfied it was properly lit, and feeling comfortable in his flexible custom made armor, he set off again, off into the direction of a fable.
The thought alone put him in a humorous mood. To think that a twenty five year old ANBU, trained solider and killer, would be out in hunt of a glorified bed time story was enough to make him want to both laugh and cringe. Yet here he was, trekking towards some old forgotten portion of his great country in search of… well of what he wasn’t quite sure yet. The sources he could find on the subject all varied greatly, and in some cases even contradicted each other but they all had one thing in common. Stories of beasts of all different species, great and small, with superior intellect and legendary powers. As a child, Fuu had devoured all the information he and his tutors could gather on the subject, fascinated by these fairy tale creatures from a time before. Of course, it wasn’t until much later in his life that he even considered there being any validity to the tales.
He could remember it perfectly. He had been on a hunting mission, tracking down a group of bandit shinobi. An Inuzuka, whose name he had never learned, had conjured up an entire pack of hounds to track and apprehend the outlaws, and it had been an awe inspiring sight. At first he had been stunned and clueless, but his analytical mind had kicked in with enough time for him to figure out what had happened. The ANBU had thought about that day often for two years now, and he felt it was high time he did something about it.
So, with a now slightly foggy mind he continued on his path, watching and smoking as the road under him got rougher and rougher. Without noticing, Fuu had passed the last farm in that direction, and the fields of crops and paddocks of animals had given way to overgrown patches of grass and the ruins of old barns and stables. Though he wasn’t sure what exactly it was he was in search of, the young man figured that beasts of myth and legend wouldn’t likely be found in the well-traveled areas of the world. Instead he would probably have to go where few men would or could, and that was just fine in his opinion. Having always been an oddity himself, what with his extra arms and odd mucus-based abilities, Fuu found comfort in the peace around him. All he could hear for miles were the sounds of nature, rivers and insects, birds and the rustling of foliage touched by the wind, and that suited him just fine. The ANBU was prepared to spend days out here, trudging through the plains, forging rivers and navigating overgrown woods, until he either found what he was searching for or his leave expired.
He just hoped something would manifest itself sooner, rather than later. Taking a long pull from his cigar, Fuu couldn’t help but smile. If nothing else, it would certainly be an interesting experience, even if he didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Hell, just the fact that he was looking to have a social interaction was big deal for him. This coupled with exploration and an almost child-like sense of wonder pouring through him, Fuu could say he almost felt like a new man.
‘Come on out, I’d love to meet you.’