Making my way downtown, village bound?

Kirito sighed as he made his way down the icy path away from the village. He knew he would eventually be kicked out, but that didn’t mean he expected it so soon. But, looking at the bright side of things, he had the whole world in front of him now and he knew there was no looking back. So, he decided that he would head south into the land of fire to look for a Ninjutsu teacher before heading farther into the land of water to find someone to aid him with his condition. As he walked, he concentrated his chakra and molded it to the ebb and flow of his movements. He had discovered that by moving his chakra through his body as he envisioned water moving, it increased his control over it given time.

As he walked he noticed that it seemed he was walking into an all new season. He actually saw green trees in the distance! Sure they looked to be the same old trees he was accustomed to, but they just seemed more vibrant than he had seen growing up. But, perhaps it was just his wanderlust giving him mirages. He decided that in the end, it couldn’t hurt to check it out anyways and continued down the road.

1/10

When he finally arrived he was amazed to actually find a dirt path. While to many, this would be a common thing as most paths for most of the major lands were made from dirt, the paths in the land of iron were made from packed down and solidified snow. After taking a moment to bask in the freshness that this new environment offered, he would notice how much warmer the air was here and how the snow that was still beneath his feet seemed to be more of a slush, giving way to mud. It was definitely an interesting thing, seeing a place that wouldn’t be considered a desolate, frozen wasteland. He could see flowers and many other manners of plant and even some animals that he had only ever read about. It was truly something to be marveled at.

Deciding to take a moment to rest once he had put the last signs of snow far behind him, he would stop and open his pouch. Inside were a few cutlets of the local sheep meat that had been cooked before he left. Sure, they were pretty cold now, but he couldn’t let that stop him from keeping his body well fed and conditioned. Taking a moment to sense the area around him, he would use the abilities granted to him by the Sanbi to draw out the water in the grass around him to drink. It was a useful skill.

2/10

After he finished his rest, he would stand back up and head farther down the road. His next major task would be to find suitable shelter for the night. While he could easily make a camp almost anywhere in the land of Iron, he was very far from there now and had to deal with an almost opposite climate. As such, a nice inn or tavern would serve him much better. He could see a man in the distance who seemed to be carrying a rather large bag on his back. “Excuse me sir, if you don’t mind me asking, where is the nearest town?” He would ask in a polite tone as he caught up with the elderly gentleman. The man was as short as Kirito and was bald.

He had a long go-tee upon his face and his eyes never appeared to open when he looked to Kirito. “That’s where I’m headed right now young man, you are more than welcome to accompany me, the more the merrier! The name’s Iroh, what’s yours?” He sounded both jovial and much too energetic for one of his apparent age. But, as he said, perhaps travelling with someone would make this a much more entertaining journey. “Thank you, I believe I would like to travel with you, if you don’t mind.”

The man obliged to allow Kirito to travel with him and even took the time to marvel as Kirito continued to train his abilities with the nearby water from plants. The man seemed amazed at his skills. “You must be one of those ninja! Which village do you hail from?” Iroh asked innocently. Kirito would laugh weakly and say, "Well I’m not from a village, but I am hoping to visit one to find someone to help me in my training.” The man would nod sagely. “I see. Well I hope you have the best of luck, I always travel to Konoha when they host the chuunin exams. It’s always interesting to watch the budding young shinobi from around the world showcase their skills. The town we are going to isn’t too far from the Leaf, maybe you should check if someone there can help you train.”

This was the news Kirito had been hoping for! Jumping high into the air for joy, he would thank the man. Before he got too far into his thanks however, a masked bandit wielding a sword would step out into their pathway. And two more would appear behind them. “Where do you think you’re going geezer? Let’s have that bag.” The two behind them moved in an attempt to restrain them, but Kirito put his training into use right then and there.

4/10

Elbowing the two men with force and speed almost inconceivable for one of his age, Kirito would then jump into the air delivering a powerful double roundhouse to the two men, knocking them unconscious. The leader of the small ragtag group seemed to lose his nerve when seeing his men get defeated so he made a move to attack the old man. Big mistake, Kirito sent a kunai right at the mans head, killing him on the spot. It was his first time taking a life and the guilt weighed heavily on him. He had been trained to view life as the ultimate gift, one that it was a samurai’s sworn duty to protect. It seems that now that he was no longer a Samurai, he would need to change his views on morals. After he finished vomiting, he would check on Iroh. “Thank you so much young Kirito! You saved my life, if not for you, id surely be dead! I am eternally grateful!”

Kirito didn’t really know how to deal with such compliments, and so he just blushed and chuckled as the duo continued towards the small town. It wasn’t long before the sky grew dark and they could see the lights from the town in the distance. Iroh would grin, “That’s it kid! Here’s some money for a hotel both here and once you make it to Konoha. Thanks for all you’ve done for me.”

5/10

Once he made it into the small town, he was worn out, but he knew that he needed to at least do a bit more training before bed, so after renting his hotel room, he would lock the door and begin. Sitting in a meditative pose, he would begin to call on the Sanbi’s chakra. When he had first started training it usually took him several minutes, but now, it came in seconds. His hair seemed to spike up and his eyes changed to red, slit pupils. His fingernails became claws. After holding this for a few seconds, red chakra seemed to flow out of him and form itself around his body. The feeling came like a tidal wave and it brought with it an increased feeling of emotions, anger specifically.

So it seemed that without proper training, Bijuu chakra brought about increased aggression. It didn’t matter, he needed to train. So he decided to give it some rest and then get back to it once he left the town the next day. So that night he had dreams of becoming not only a shinobi, but the greatest of them all. The next morning, Kirito made his way quickly out of the town and towards the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

6/10

As he made his way through the forest, he was focusing on drawing water from the very air. It was very difficult to do at first, but over time, he managed to get the hang of it. He was so focused on this in fact, that he didn’t notice that he was walking into an ambush. He was knocked unconscious and taken farther up the road and off to the side to a bandit encampment hidden in the forest. When he woke up, he was in a wooden cage with rope tied around his wrists and feet. Now, he could easily escape from the restraints, but the cage may prove to be a bit difficult, should he try to do so with any degree of stealth.

He was still pondering his actions when he heard the bandit leader talking about how he would sell Kirito with the shipment of young girls that they sent off yesterday. This caused Kirito’s ire to boil over its rim. Call it an instinct, or a random desire, but he began to call on the Sanbi’s chakra. It was his normal amount at first, but then he moved to more and more until it had surrounded him like before.

7/10

It formed a red, bubbling coat of chakra around his body with what seemed t be claws for hands and spikes on the head. A single tail swayed behind him as he let out a bestial roar. The chakra seemed to have corrosive qualities as it burned off the ropes restraining his movement. It didn’t take much for him to tear through the cage like it was made from mere twigs. He was on the bandits before they really knew what happened. Oddly enough, their terror and pleading for mercy seemed to make him feel happy, like they deserved to fear for their lives. But, he maintained his restraint. It seemed a single well placed slash to their chest was enough to incapacitate most of the bandits.

Once he took care of them, he noticed that his cloak had stabilized some and that he had it better under his control. It would seem that his countless hours of practice using Sanbi’s chakra had paid off and he had some access to a tail’s worth of its power. Now, instead of seeing this as a reason to stop and celebrate and take a completely reasonable rest from training so hard, Kirito only saw it as a challenge.

8/10

So, he tried to maintain the form for as long as he could. It didn’t take too long as he began to feel slightly winded from using so much of his chakra. Releasing the chakra and allowing the cloak to dissipate, he would head back to the road. It wouldn’t take long for him to make it to Konoha now, so he moved at a rather leisurely pace. He met a few travelling merchants along the way, they were kind and pointed him in the right direction and told him a bit more about the village. It wouldn’t take him long to make it there now, just a couple more hours at his current pace, only one if he kicked it up a notch.

The moment he first saw the gates to one of the Five Elemental Villages, is a moment Kirito will never forget. The walls were massive and he almost walked right past the gate detail while he marveled at their splendor. But, after taking a moment to be searched and giving an official statement that he was merely a tourist, he was allowed entry, but he could feel that the people around him were a bit wary.
9/10

Once he made it to his hotel and paid for his stay with the money Iroh had given him, he made his way to his room to rest from his long journey. He had a lot of things to do while he was here and he wouldn’t be wasting his time. First thing in the morning, he would check out the library to see what sorts of books they had on Ninjutsu, Bukijutsu, and Bijuu. He would then begin scouring the village for a training partner and sensei. Though he figured it would take him a while to get either of those things, he knew he needed to start his search as soon as possible.

So, he went to sleep with the thoughts of training and happiness on his mind. He was actually glad to be out on his own. He had gotten more done since he left Iron than he had in almost his entire life within the village and he could only see his skills increasing exponentially once he finds those that might be willing to help him. The next day, his training would begin.

10/10 (Claiming Bijuu V1 Tail 1)