Yuuto stood at the edge of the Land of Moon, the border stretching quietly before him.
He had acquired a cloak to conceal himself, along with a modest sum of funds earned through bounties and the sale of monster corpses from his hunt. Hard earned gains, clean money in so little ways.
Beyond the cloak, he had purchased pants, sandals, a map, food, water, and a large summoning scroll. Within it, he stored his newly acquired gear: traps, ninja tools, poisons, and supplies meant for a long journey.
For the first time in a while, Yuuto looked like someone again.
Or perhaps more accurately, something.
He was prepared to travel. Prepared to endure what a journey across countries would bring.
Unfortunately, one problem remained.
Where would he go?
He still had no clear sense of how much time had passed since he fell into the Abyss.
Kumogakure.
He had been an ANBU Sennin there.
And he had defected.
Konohagakure.
He had been an ANBU Sennin there as well.
And again, he had defected.
The pattern was difficult to ignore.
In Kumogakure, he had never truly harmed the village. His departure had been framed, at least in his own mind, as an act of restraint. A way to avoid becoming a burden.
But it had also been selfish.
A deliberate choice to pursue his own desires, untethered by rules, hierarchy, or expectation.
Being a rogue ninja had its advantages. Freedom and autonomy, as much as the wind at your back.
But it was also isolating. A solitary existence defined by distance, where finding others with similar convictions felt like clawing through stone.
Konoha had been different. His mistakes were more severe.
Though much of that time blurred together, Yuuto remembered enough. He had taken a life, someone who had threatened him. There had been friction with an ANBU captain, someone he believed would eventually usurp Umashi.
Another Hayate Shin waiting to happen, as Yuuto bitterly referred to it.
Needless to say, he and Umashi had not seen eye to eye. Yuuto left before the situation could deteriorate further.
It had not been the right way to handle things.
But back then, he had been impulsive and overly cautious at the same time. Paranoid, methodical, constantly weighing outcomes that might never come to pass.
For him, disappearing without a trace had felt like the smartest move.
After all, he had been appointed an ANBU Sennin repeatedly for a reason.
Despite all of that, there was one place he had never wronged.
Sunagakure.
He had spent little time in the Wind Country, save for a period of self-imposed training after the Bear Marsh War.
The Masaru homestead still existed there. At least, it had once considering this country was the origin of the Masaru Clan.
His people were nomadic by nature. There was a chance that no one would be there to greet him. Even so, it was worth trying.
Assuming they didn’t attack him on sight.
That was always a possibility.
If he could rest, even briefly, if he could take time to understand what the world had become in his absence, then perhaps he could begin rebuilding his life from there.
There was also the matter of his puppet “friend.”
Interestingly enough, it had left the country as well.
The shadow specter Yuuto had dispatched to track it survived long enough to gather meaningful information. It witnessed the puppet shed the shell that resembled Kuromaru, discarding it entirely and reforming into something else.
Attachments integrated themselves seamlessly, reshaping its frame.
Yuuto had no explanation for it.
Too much was already unfolding, too many variables demanding attention. And yet, he could not bring himself to let this one go.
Maybe it was because of Kuromaru.
Maybe it was a puppeteer’s pride.
Or maybe it was the unsettling thought of a puppet built from legendary shinobi moving freely through the world.
Whatever the reason, the decision was made.
Yuuto would head to the sands.
And hunting that thing would be added to his list.
[Leaving Topic / Country]
[S-Rank: 30 Minuttes]
He had acquired a cloak to conceal himself, along with a modest sum of funds earned through bounties and the sale of monster corpses from his hunt. Hard earned gains, clean money in so little ways.
Beyond the cloak, he had purchased pants, sandals, a map, food, water, and a large summoning scroll. Within it, he stored his newly acquired gear: traps, ninja tools, poisons, and supplies meant for a long journey.
For the first time in a while, Yuuto looked like someone again.
Or perhaps more accurately, something.
He was prepared to travel. Prepared to endure what a journey across countries would bring.
Unfortunately, one problem remained.
Where would he go?
He still had no clear sense of how much time had passed since he fell into the Abyss.
Kumogakure.
He had been an ANBU Sennin there.
And he had defected.
Konohagakure.
He had been an ANBU Sennin there as well.
And again, he had defected.
The pattern was difficult to ignore.
In Kumogakure, he had never truly harmed the village. His departure had been framed, at least in his own mind, as an act of restraint. A way to avoid becoming a burden.
But it had also been selfish.
A deliberate choice to pursue his own desires, untethered by rules, hierarchy, or expectation.
Being a rogue ninja had its advantages. Freedom and autonomy, as much as the wind at your back.
But it was also isolating. A solitary existence defined by distance, where finding others with similar convictions felt like clawing through stone.
Konoha had been different. His mistakes were more severe.
Though much of that time blurred together, Yuuto remembered enough. He had taken a life, someone who had threatened him. There had been friction with an ANBU captain, someone he believed would eventually usurp Umashi.
Another Hayate Shin waiting to happen, as Yuuto bitterly referred to it.
Needless to say, he and Umashi had not seen eye to eye. Yuuto left before the situation could deteriorate further.
It had not been the right way to handle things.
But back then, he had been impulsive and overly cautious at the same time. Paranoid, methodical, constantly weighing outcomes that might never come to pass.
For him, disappearing without a trace had felt like the smartest move.
After all, he had been appointed an ANBU Sennin repeatedly for a reason.
Despite all of that, there was one place he had never wronged.
Sunagakure.
He had spent little time in the Wind Country, save for a period of self-imposed training after the Bear Marsh War.
The Masaru homestead still existed there. At least, it had once considering this country was the origin of the Masaru Clan.
His people were nomadic by nature. There was a chance that no one would be there to greet him. Even so, it was worth trying.
Assuming they didn’t attack him on sight.
That was always a possibility.
If he could rest, even briefly, if he could take time to understand what the world had become in his absence, then perhaps he could begin rebuilding his life from there.
There was also the matter of his puppet “friend.”
Interestingly enough, it had left the country as well.
The shadow specter Yuuto had dispatched to track it survived long enough to gather meaningful information. It witnessed the puppet shed the shell that resembled Kuromaru, discarding it entirely and reforming into something else.
Attachments integrated themselves seamlessly, reshaping its frame.
Yuuto had no explanation for it.
Too much was already unfolding, too many variables demanding attention. And yet, he could not bring himself to let this one go.
Maybe it was because of Kuromaru.
Maybe it was a puppeteer’s pride.
Or maybe it was the unsettling thought of a puppet built from legendary shinobi moving freely through the world.
Whatever the reason, the decision was made.
Yuuto would head to the sands.
And hunting that thing would be added to his list.
[Leaving Topic / Country]
[S-Rank: 30 Minuttes]
- Sekuro approved using my Shadow ninjutsu to have kept tabs on him until leaving the country.