Good morning sir...eh screw you...

Veteran

The sun rose early that morning, its light filtering in through the blinds. The light would lay across Kagejiro's eyes, waking him up from his slumber. He rolled to the left, then to the right, fumbling with the sheets that were wrapped around him. Finally he sat up, his hair all a mess, pointing every which way possible. There was a blank look on his face for a moment, then it turned into a frown, then a grimace, and finally became distorted with rage.

"I WAS HAVING A GOOD FUCKING DREAM YOU ASS!!!"

Kagejiro screamed this at the sun, jumped out of bed, and started swinging at the light. When he realized what he was doing he just stopped. Literally, stopped, dead in his tracks. A small smile appeared on his face as he started to whistle, getting out of his pajamas. Putting on his clothes, Kagejiro wondered what he was going to eat for breakfast. Surprisingly he wasnt that hungry.

Throwing on his normal cloak, Kagejiro walked to the front door. Throwing it open he looked outside and inhaled, breathing in the fresh air. He looked towards Kitai. The people there never understood him. Closer to his place of dwelling were the smaller homes and farms. He had a small garden, but nothing compared to the larger farms out here.

Kagejiro jumped forward, grabbing a robe hang from a tree branch, and slid down to the ground. It was at least a thirty foot slide. Thats right, Kagejiro lived on the edge of the city, past the farms, right in the woods. It was quieter out here for him, better for him to BE him. Kagejiro had built his own house, and lived there. He would go into the main districts of Kitai every now and then, but he always came back here to sleep. Walking behind his tree, Kagejiro walked over to his small garden. He picked a tomato from its vine, and proceeded to eat it. It was perfect, ripe and delicious.

"I wonder what today will have in store for me."

Veteran

This topic is being submitted for PAC.

For a moment, the world around Keibetsu was silent. He was standing by a rather large group of plants, all clustered conveniently by the water's edge. Near him was a lake of adequate size, populated by a number of freshwater fish. Despite it being the pinnacle of his abilities, he knew there was no threat around capable of utilizing it. For this, his concentration was then focused on the cattail he was studying. They were an important part of something he'd heard about, but his focus would soon be interrupted.

From nearby, a deer came crashing through trees, zigzagging through the forest that it knew so well. It seemed that something had startled it, and it was running away furiously. This reminded Keibetsu that he was near someplace familiar, a place he hadn't visited in a while. An old friend of his lived here in the forest, secluded from the events of the world for his particular... issues. "Well, I'll have to pay him a visit. These things can wait." Shrugging off the cattail as unnecessary for the moment, Keibetsu began to wander off towards the direction of the home.

It wasn't very far, as he arrived after a few moments of fast walking. The clearing had a large tree in the center, which had been manipulated and carved to fit the shape of a home. It seemed the owner was already outside, and some words trailed off from him. "I wonder what today will have in store for me." Keibetsu spoke as he emerged from the surrounding treeline, providing knowledge of his presence. "It seems today has a visitor in store for you, Kagejiro." Keibetsu emerged with a smile, prepared to greet his friend.

Of course, he also hoped he wouldn't be too startled by Keibetsu's new appearance. He looked much different now, with his teal cloak concealing most of his new garments. Underneath, a red sode-nashi haori topped a baggy, teal top and bottom. The neck was in a v, showing the mesh armor that Keibetsu now had underneath all of it. He also had several tool pouches on his person now, four to be exact. One on each thigh, and two on his lower back, so that he could still sit. Plus, his hair had grown considerably since their last day together. His facial hair was more prominent, and the overall length of the rest was at least another two inches. He needed a shave and a haircut, but that was for another time.

"How have you been?" Keibetsu asked, crossing his arms as he waited for a response. The gesture was meant to be nothing but friendly.

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Veteran

Kagejiro had been eating his tomato, and became full when it was most of the way gone. He launched the rest of the edible item into the trees to his left. There was some rustling and then a deer darted out from the forest, running across the opening and into an area behind Kagejiro. Then there was silence. Kagejiro went back to looking at the sky, his cloak flowing in the light breeze.

"It seems today has a visitor in store for you, Kagejiro."

Kagejiro looked behind him to see a man emerging from the tree line. Kagejiro raised one eye brow, not knowing who this person was. Who was he to just walk on to his property? The man was dressed oddly, though he had some familiar facial features. But that still didnt excuse the man's rudeness.

"How have you been?"

Again with the questions. This infuriated Kagejiro, to no end. Kagejiro turned to the man, a small frown on his face.

"I dont like you, i dont like your face, i dont like your questions."

This was said in a normal tone of voice, one that didnt seem threatening, but if one knew kagejiro, they would know it could go either way from here.

Kagejiro started to pace back and forth, slowly at first, slowly picking up speed. Thoughts started to race through his head, his face contorting into different, and some grotesque, shapes.

"YOU INTERRUPTED MY OWN RHETORICAL QUESTION!!!"

Kagejiro threw his arms in the air as he yelled this, his cloak flying up, revealing the hilt of some weapon. He then threw his hands on the ground, and his face was left in an infuriated stare.

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Veteran

It seemed that Keibetsu's offering had done what he was hoping to have avoided. Poor Kagejiro was getting upset about the presence of Keibetsu, who he did not seem to clearly remember. However, putting the kid in his place would probably remind him as to who he was dealing with. He should recognize a familiar face, but Keibetsu would forgive him, seeing as there was quite a lapse in time between their last visits. His appearance now was... arguably, vastly different. Kagejiro had been used to the black and grey of the younger days, understandably.

And then came all the words. "I don't like you. I don't like your face. I don't like your questions." He then began to pace around, and Keibetsu's eyes followed him. Keibetsu grinned slightly at the situation, as he was easily going to hand Kagejiro's ass to him when he tried to start a fight. But whatever the odds, it was going to happen sooner or later. Keibetsu would be there to put him in his place, if it wasn't Koto already doing it. But Koto wasn't around, and so it would be left to the other guy in the group to take care of things.

Suddenly, the pacing ended, and Kagejiro shouted once more. "You interrupted my own rhetorical question!!" Many people would question that they hadn't actually done anything, but Keibetsu knew from being around this guy before that his brain didn't work like that. Of course, that thought was interrupted by the slamming of palms on the ground. Using his kunai seal, which had been outfitted to the other equipment bags, as well as on his other palm, he drew two kunai from a pouch. A seal formed on one, outside of Kagehiro's vision, as it was formed from the contact of Keibetsu's palm.

Then, as the roots made an odd sound from beginning to burst into the ground, Keibetsu threw the two at the ground right in front of Kagejiro. Considering he had to hold his hands to the ground in order for the technique to work, and he would be unable to distinguish which kunai had the seal, or even know of the technique, he would be caught off guard. Upon impact, the seal would emit a violent burst of seismic pressure, and obliterate a small chunk of the ground around Kagejiro. In the three meter area, it had all crumbled and cracked open, which would cause him to fall down in it and get briefly stuck unless he was somehow able to jump up from his spot.

If anything, the pressure had erupted downward, and most likely destroyed his connection with the roots, ending his technique. Keibetsu crossed his arms again and smiled in slight amusement, commenting on the situation. "I think you forgot who I am, Kagejiro. Don't you remember me?" He took a step forward, but made sure not to get too close. He needed to be able to dodge other techniques if Kagejiro was going to be so inclined to continue using them. Hopefully this wouldn't get too violent.

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Veteran

The roots started to tunnel into the ground, not making really any noise at all. That was when the other guy drew two kunai and threw them. Kagejiro wasnt going to take any unnecessary risks. He controlled the roots to erupt underneath the kunai, which were a good five meters away. Both kunai were struck, one of them seeming to detonate. Kagejiro looked at the technique, as it looked familiar to him.

Shaking his head, Kagejiro stood up and formed a few hand seals. After the string Kagejiro started to run at the man. The root on the left was destroyed, but the one on the right stood holding the kunai. Kagejiro would avoid any rubble, running straight for the man.

Spoiler:

Chakra - 69%

[sorry for short post, screen keeps going in and out...]

Veteran

It seems I misjudged the distance... Keibetsu was slightly off in his assumption that his kunai, moving at an extremely high speed over the short distance, would not be blocked by this technique. However, Kagejiro appeared to have been prepared for the trick, and allowed his wooden roots to rise up above the ground. The two kunai struck a single one, and it would certainly not end well for the simple wood. As the earth seal was released, the seismic pressure erupted violently through the wooden stake. All of it was sent downwards towards the earth, causing the wood to shatter into many splinters, being completely destroyed. Somewhat further down, the ground itself would crack under the sudden force, leaving a feint crater.

For some reason, the other root had also been destroyed, leaving both of them no longer in play. Kagejiro, at this point, began to run at Keibetsu while having performed some hand seals a moment before. Any fool could deduce that these were the seals for the Substitution Technique, as he wasn't going out of his way to hide it, and it was an academy jutsu. Of all people, Keibetsu would be someone to know it, seeing as he was a Jounin and well versed in Ninjutsu. "Here we go, I guess." What Kagejiro didn't realize was that Keibetsu was only another two meters from where the kunai had been stopped. The clearing was barely twenty five feet, as the two were in talking distance.

But he seemed to be charging anyway. The poor kid was crazed. With his footsteps growing ever closer, Keibetsu made his next move. He crouched for a moment, gathering himself before performing a jump. He would go slightly higher thanks to the works of forces not needed to be explained, as we all know we jump a little higher when we start almost near the ground. Flying through the air and performing a front flip, chakra was suddenly channeled through Keibetsu's feet and to his geta, which suddenly stuck to the trunk of a particular tree.

This tree was Kagejiro's beloved home. The wonderful carving which houses all of his belongings, hopes, and possibly, his dreams. Keibetsu folded his arms again as he stood and looked down at what should now be a rather confused genin. Calling down from his new height, Keibetsu yelled to Kagejiro. "If you don't stop that, I'll burn down your house. You wouldn't like that, would you?" The threat had been made. While Keibetsu had no intentions of really burning down his friend's house, he wouldn't hesitate to make small threats until he was forced to. Kagejiro had his episodes, but they wouldn't be tolerated for long, as both Koto and Keibetsu put him in his place.

With the events in place, Keibetsu was now looking down at Kagejiro from 10m up the tree. The tree itself was very tall, possibly 20m, but that was a rough estimate to be concluded another time. He was a safe distance from any further attacks Kagejiro could throw at him, he openly assumed. Plus, this vantage point made Kagejiro little more than a target.

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Veteran

Kagejiro continued to charge, not thinking of what was going to happen after he made his play. That was when the man jumped and did a front flip, landing on the tree, Kagejiro's tree. He threatened to burn the tree down if Kagejiro didnt stop. Kagejiro turned and yelled. Then stopped, immediately. If you didnt know Kagejiro you would have expected something bad to happen next. There was silence as a small breeze rustled the leaves of the trees around them. Kagejiro looked up at the man, and a small smile formed on his face.

"Keibetsu, you know ill just make a new one."

Now every other person would think that this was either a game or something was seriously wrong here. But Keibetsu knew who and how Kagejiro was. Kagejiro laughed, not thinking of his actions. The breeze died and there was silence, but not for long as the crater that was in the ground cracked a little more from the root that was in it had now fractured a little more. Kagejiro walked over to a stump that was next to the tree and sat down.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods, old friend?"

Kagejiro half glanced at Keibetsu, that lazy kind of turn and look one would do when they were calm and relaxed. He studied Keibetsu's features, his new clothes and facial hair. The longer hair also threw him off as Keibetsu usually kept himself look pristine. Kagejiro looked out towards the line of the trees and sighed.

"Im sorry to say but you need a shave and a haircut."

Kagejiro chuckled a little bit, making scissor shapes with his hands and cutting at the air. This was insanity, this is why he lived out here.

Veteran

It seemed that Kagejiro was taken off guard by the sudden movement and threat, as he turned and momentarily let out a yell. It was just an expression of noise more than anything capable of being comprehended. The very act showed his frustration with the current situation before he stopped and suddenly changed. The clearing fell to a brief silence between the two, and a gentle breeze rustled all of the surrounding flora. Winds from places unknown caused Keibetsu's down-hanging hair to blow to the side for a moment, much like moss on the limb of a tree.

Then, it seemed the anger had completely subsided. Kagejiro's mindset finally switched from attack to park, and now they could have the conversation that Keibetsu was originally seeking. His friend initiated it. "Keibetsu, you know I'll just make a new one." He seemed to be amused by the idea, as a smile was spreading across his face. It seemed that there was a pause in his words, and so Keibetsu made a brief reply to him as Kagejiro went over to a small tree stump near his home. "Well, the more you make, the more target practice I'll have. But, that's not why I'm here." The pause here worked well for the flow of the conversation, as Kagejiro's next words came from his new sitting position.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods, old friend?" As Keibetsu gathered his explanation to his friend, Kagejiro spoke another brief set of words, commenting on the new appearance Keibetsu was sporting. "I'm sorry to say, but you need a shave and a haircut." Keibetsu grinned and closed his eyes for a moment, his own image crossing his mind for a moment before he once again looked upon the man below. "You think so, but I'm starting to like this new look. Longer hair isn't as much of a pain as I thought it would be. I was just passing through on my journeys, and figured it would be good to see you again."

Keibetsu went on to make one more remark about the contents of their meeting. "A heartwarming welcome, as always, Kagejiro. You've got a knack for greeting guests." He chuckled at the thought, seeing as he was just attacked without much of a cause. Regardless of such antics, he couldn't cut the conversation short, and so decided to pick up on the interests of the other participant. It would be selfish to only talk about himself, so he would limit how much of that actually happened unless he was questioned. Keibetsu wasn't arrogant, after all. At least, he didn't think so.

"But, regardless of my passing, how have you been since our last meeting?" The question given, Keibetsu waited with his arms still folded. He was ready to hear the tales of troubles Kagejiro might have started in the forest, as he probably already had quite the reservoir to pick from.

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Veteran

Kagejiro continued to sit and look out at the tree line as he would answer Keibetsu. The wind rustled his cloak, some leaves fell from his tree as well. Kagejiro closed his eyes and enjoyed the breeze as he started conjuring up memory from time long since passed. A lot has happened since Keibetsu last visited.

"I grew my garden, and made some renovations to my house."

Kagejiro smiled and leaned forward a little. His hair fell in front of his face, that unnaturally black hair of his.

"Ive trained some more, and have learned a few new techniques. This puppet you have helped make has come quite in handy in a few situations. I found a dead squirrel in it once. No idea how it got there."

Kagejiro turned to look at Keibetsu. His eyes lighting up. There was a pause as a thought formed in his head. A small smile creeped at the edge of his lips.

"What about you, Keibetsu? What has gone on since i last saw you? And what of koto? Will we ever get us three together again? I miss those days..."

Kagejiro leaned down again, remembering the last time he saw his friends. He was happy then, truly happy. Ever since they left it was harder for him to control his outbursts, like his cage was unlocked when they left, and left open. They helped him...he missed them...

Veteran

Keibetsu listened to the words of his friend as he mentioned the things he had done in his time around the forest. However, it seemed that his words would soon trail off into another passing breeze. He became slightly distant as he remembered better days. This was Keibetsu's cue, as he remembered a certain destination he needed to reach. It wasn't the brightest of plans, but he wasn't quite ready to leave his friend, either. "So why don't you come along, Kagejiro?" Keibetsu jumped from the trunk of the tree to right in front of Kagejiro, finally ending his technique and closing their distance to a more friendly level.

While not necessarily answering his question, he figured those words could be shared on the way. "You see, I think Koto would be interested in seeing you again. I'm sure we can find him somewhere. So let's go for a walk, and I'll tell you of all the adventures I've been on since we last saw each other." Wasting no time, Keibetsu began to walk into the treeline, taking a familiar path away from Kagejiro's home. Surely, the young man would be following right behind him, probably with a gleam in his eye as he imagined the possibilities. Keibetsu would have to make sure he didn't do anything crazy on the way there, or hurt any friends Koto had made. That probably wouldn't happen, though.

[Exit.]

Veteran

Kagejiro Listened to Keibetsu's words, and jumped up as soon as Keibetsu told him to go along with him. An unfamiliar emotion rose in Kagejiro's chest. Excitement. Kagejiro nodded, being speechless. There were no words that could describe his joy. Kagejiro didnt even glance back at his house as he started to walk towards the nearing tree line. He didnt give a second thought about who would take care of his garden, or trim the trees, or cut the grass. Everything was given to the wind, and the unknown. Kagejiro had a feeling times were going to change, and rather harshly, but he was ready. He was ready to begin anew with his friends, and maybe make more along the way...maybe...

[exit]

» Good day!