"Hey kid, wakeup! This is as far as I take ya,"
Kato's eyes blinked open, welling with tears as the bright sunlight blinded him momentarily. He sat up in the back of merchant's cart and slowly stretched and yawned. That had been a long ride, but the young shinobi had been in serious need of some rest, and found the time had disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Wait, we're already here, that's awesome!" he exclaimed, hopping out of the cart and squatting a couple times to stretch his legs.
"What are you, dumb? 'Course we're not in the village, you think I'm about to risk smuggling some unknown shinobi into the sand village? No thank you, I'd like to stay alive," the merchant said, shaking his head at the stocky teen. "This is the outskirts of the town, see those gates there. You gotta pass through those to enter the city. That parts all up to you kid."
Kato looked disappointed for a moment, but then he shook the sadness away. He grabbed his black sleeveless hoodie out of the cart, and tossed his bag over his shoulder, buckling it in place. He reached down instinctively to make sure his leaf headband was still resting against his thigh, securely tied to his belt. Well, technically his father's headband, but had it not been for all the war and fighting that broke out while Kato was still part of the academy, he would've received his own by now. He reached into a small pocket on the strap of his shoulder bag and pulled out a handful of money, offering it to the merchant. "Hey thanks mister," he offered kindly.
The man looked at Kato for a moment, considering him, before he shook his hand, holding his hand up to the boy. "Keep your money kid. Consider it my good deed for the week. Good luck."
And with that the man was gone. Kato watched him as he steered the two oxen pulling the cart toward the gate, and showed a piece of paper to a man standing outside of them. The man let the merchant through, and he disappeared into the hustle and bustle of Sunagakure. Kato's stomach churned as he considered his next move. It had taken several months to find his way through the desert, aimlessly wandering here and there trying to find the village hidden in the sand. Problem was he hadn't had any idea where to even start looking for it. He spent his time moving from one small village to the other, and a whole lot of time baking in the desert sun. He lucked out when he met the merchant heading to the shinobi village to do business, and Kato was able to talk him into letting the heavyweight shinobi catch a ride.
But now he was nervous again. Because of the circumstances of how Kato left his village he had no passport or identification. But as far as he could tell, this is where his mother and sisters had fled to after the leaf fell. He had to find them. No matter what.
Steeling his courage Kato walked up to the gate guard on duty. Clearing his throat he half mumbled as he spoke, “Excuse me, how do I go about requesting entrance to the village?”
[MFT]
[554 WC]
Kato's eyes blinked open, welling with tears as the bright sunlight blinded him momentarily. He sat up in the back of merchant's cart and slowly stretched and yawned. That had been a long ride, but the young shinobi had been in serious need of some rest, and found the time had disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Wait, we're already here, that's awesome!" he exclaimed, hopping out of the cart and squatting a couple times to stretch his legs.
"What are you, dumb? 'Course we're not in the village, you think I'm about to risk smuggling some unknown shinobi into the sand village? No thank you, I'd like to stay alive," the merchant said, shaking his head at the stocky teen. "This is the outskirts of the town, see those gates there. You gotta pass through those to enter the city. That parts all up to you kid."
Kato looked disappointed for a moment, but then he shook the sadness away. He grabbed his black sleeveless hoodie out of the cart, and tossed his bag over his shoulder, buckling it in place. He reached down instinctively to make sure his leaf headband was still resting against his thigh, securely tied to his belt. Well, technically his father's headband, but had it not been for all the war and fighting that broke out while Kato was still part of the academy, he would've received his own by now. He reached into a small pocket on the strap of his shoulder bag and pulled out a handful of money, offering it to the merchant. "Hey thanks mister," he offered kindly.
The man looked at Kato for a moment, considering him, before he shook his hand, holding his hand up to the boy. "Keep your money kid. Consider it my good deed for the week. Good luck."
And with that the man was gone. Kato watched him as he steered the two oxen pulling the cart toward the gate, and showed a piece of paper to a man standing outside of them. The man let the merchant through, and he disappeared into the hustle and bustle of Sunagakure. Kato's stomach churned as he considered his next move. It had taken several months to find his way through the desert, aimlessly wandering here and there trying to find the village hidden in the sand. Problem was he hadn't had any idea where to even start looking for it. He spent his time moving from one small village to the other, and a whole lot of time baking in the desert sun. He lucked out when he met the merchant heading to the shinobi village to do business, and Kato was able to talk him into letting the heavyweight shinobi catch a ride.
But now he was nervous again. Because of the circumstances of how Kato left his village he had no passport or identification. But as far as he could tell, this is where his mother and sisters had fled to after the leaf fell. He had to find them. No matter what.
Steeling his courage Kato walked up to the gate guard on duty. Clearing his throat he half mumbled as he spoke, “Excuse me, how do I go about requesting entrance to the village?”
[MFT]
[554 WC]
