The Wanderer [OPEN]

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae was on her own. It hadnt been all too long ago that she was at her house, and preparing to leave. From her native village, she was considered a full-fledged ninja, and nearly a master of the Kujaku Myouhou, Mysterious Peacock method from training under the meteorite. One could say that she was confident in her abilities, despite the fact that she may not be the strongest kunochi around.

Stopping in her ventures, she pulled a world map out of her bag and began to examine it. She had been slowly traversing through Ta no Kuni, the Rice Country. She didnt know what it was, but this place just gave her chills. She wouldnt be too happy if she had to spend another night within this land's borders, and she wanted to get out...fast.

Thank god Im nearly through this coutnry...I hope the Land of Fire is much better than this...I dont know if I could take much more of it. Hae silently thought to herself. Shrugging, Hae folded the map back up and placed in in her bag again. Pulling out a compass in place of the map, she took a glance at it, and spun around until she was facing the direction she needed to go to get to the Land of Fire- South. Biting her lip, she stayed facing the needed direction while she thought for a moment. She had at least 20 miles to go until the border, and she would need to travel far and fast to get there in a timely manner...aka before sundown. Yawning, she glanced at the sun, which was starting its long decent into the horizon. Too tired to go much further, she patted her bag, checking her food and water supply...not enough.

She glanced around, ensuring that there wasnt anybody around her. She didnt quite feel like fighting in an exhausted state that she was in; yet she could indeed spare some chakra to make her travels easier. Biting her thumb until it bled, she formed the needed hand seals and slapped her hand to the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Hae about yelled. With a puff of smoke, Hane, her family's summoning appeared. The great white bird stood before her, and with a long, knowing glance from his black eyes, the bird hummed "Well if it isnt young Hae. What can I do for you? Smiling a bit, Hae couldnt be grateful enough that her summoning was so polite and prompt, while some could be so rude to their masters. Hello Hane. Good to see you again. Though I dont actually have a mission for you, or a need for you to fight, I would like some transport to the Fire Countries border. Its about 20 miles away, and I dont have the supplies or energy to get that far by walking... her voice trailed off somewhat nervously as she waited for his response. Of course you may. Hane responded quickly, and proceeded to lower a wing so that she could use it as a bit of a ladder to climb up on his back for the flight. Hop right on...

Grinning, she did so, and they took off into the sky.

Hours later, they landed, and Hane proceeded to vanish in a puff of smoke, leaving Hae alone under the darkening sky. Looking around, she noticed she was on a rock surface, with two giant statues on either side of a waterfall..they each had a hand seal formed, like they were fighting. Biting her lip, she examined one closely. It appeared to have a shinobi headband on, and it was the ensignia of the Leaf! She had made it into the Land of Fire safely. Finally! Relief swept over her side-along with exaustion, and she sat down, crossing her legs to look at the sky. her long journey had finally paid off.

But hopefully, there was nothing lurking where she couldnt detect or see it, in the trees around the area...or on the other side of the rock face.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai hadn’t been back to Konoha for three days, instead choosing to meditate in the forest after his last mission. It was unusual to say the least, for someone his age, to spend so much time sitting sit. Then again, Yuudai was not a usual boy. His left arm and lower torso were covered in bandages, hiding seals place upon burning flesh, and on his face a mask, shielding him from the rest of the world. His teachers spoke of his intelligence and wisdom, but he never thought of himself as either of those things. Rather, he felt in tune with the world. For a boy who was cursed with unstable chakra, he seemed inhumanly calm.

Yuudai opened his eyes for the first time in three days, his body and mind refreshed. He uncrossed his legs and stood among the trees for a few moments, taking him the fresh breeze for a moment. A few tiny birds began to sing, their sweet melody filling his ears with joy. He could see small animals traveling franticly on the forest floor, looking for food and shelter. Beneath his mask, a small smile grew. After a few more moments of enjoying his simple pleasures, he began his long trip back to his home village, Konoha.

It would be a few hours before Yuudai passed into The Valley of the End. He stopped there, seeing it as sort of a midpoint before arriving at his home. He stopped there, admiring the stone work. He could feel another presence here, but he was not alarmed. It didn’t seem threatening, and if it was, Yuudai would handle it. Besides, with all the seals on his body, with chakra was barely a blip, it would be unlikely for anyone to notice it.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae had been stretched out on the stone ground for a while, in fact, she had even fallen asleep for about an hour, though waking up suddenly, a fear engulfing her. She felt a cold sweat coming down her back, but for what? It was strange, though, that she would be fearing nothing, yet something at the same moment. Her arms twitched, waking up from the relaxed state and immediately tense. She sprung up from her makeshift sleeping mat from two blankets with her body between them. She leapt towards the water running through the valley and quickly scooped some up, splashing her face.

Calm down...calm down... Hae thought to herself Dont get too antsy...you know what will happen...you dont want that to happen.... She bit her lip as she took a deep breath in and out. Standing up, she looked around, and hopped back to her bedding. Folding it up, she didnt think she'd be sleeping anymore...even though it was nighttime. She needed to find food and refill her water canteen.

Licking her lips, she stood up and glanced around. Grinning, she decided to go run around, looking for any signs of animal life in the nearby woods. She took off at a lax run, her arms streaming behind her. She closed her eyes and felt her body twitch as she released the purple Kujaku Myouhou chakra as she ran to the trees. The chakra automatically increased her speed slightly due to the chakra that were on the bottoms of her shinobi sandals. Her senses of hearing, sight and chakra detection also enhanced slightly.

It was a bit of trait she'd gained from her training. Due to the odd chakra that the meteorite emitted, and they had experienced in their Star training, all Star shinobi had interesting chakra detection abilities. It wasnt fully known as to why or how, but it was thought to be because of the 'outer-worldly' chakra from the meteorite.

Opening her eyes, she let her senses become more active as she observed her surroundings again. She was getting hungry, and she wanted food. However, there was something deterring her attention. It was an incredibly faint presence yet it was noticeable. It was like a flyaway hair that any girl concerned with their looks would notice. Interested, she forgot the traces of her hunger, and directed herself towards the source of the small presence.

Running towards it, it only grew stronger by a hair-hardly anything at all. She ran for about a minute, until the angle at which she was viewing this valley changed. Looking around, she saw something- it was tall, average sized...and human-shaped. She ran closer, only stopping suddenly. I shouldn't let my curiosity get the better of me! Its potentially dangerous! Damnit! she scolded herself. This was bad. She'd gotten too close for initial comfort, and she decided to back up, only to stop as she heard a twig snap beneath her foot.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai felt the strange chakra grow closer, but didn’t move to do about it. Call it trusting or good old fashion stupid, but Yuudai had that felling that whoever this person was, they wouldn’t be causing him harm. He could definitely tell the presence was human, no animal had chakra like that, but something about it was foreign, different then what Yuudai had felt from other ninja. It intrigued him, and it was obviously intrigued by him too, seeing as it was moving towards him. He made no attempt to show he had noticed whoever this presence was, seeing as since it was someone who wasn’t from around here, it would be a sign of good faith that he let them close in on him.

He heard the trig snap, although it was a faint sound. He knew that would either stop the person’s advances, or cause them to retreat, unless he did something. With a little sigh, he yelled out, “You don’t have to run away, I have no interest in fighting you!” Yuudai kept his movements slow, and his eyes on the statues. “Where are you from? I have never felt chakra like yours before,” Yuudai continued, more to himself than to the presence.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae's mouth was agape due to her slack jaw at her own clumsiness. She was silent though as the figure x-distance away stood still. She was finding it quite humiliating that she would make such a clumsy mistake. She could almost hear her own heart thump, seemingly incredibly loud. She continued to listen to her slowing heartbeat until the figure spoke aloud:

You dont have to run away, I have no interest in fighting you! Where are you from? I have never felt chakra like yours before."

This caught Hae by surprise until she thought for a moment. Of course...Im in a foreign land...no wonder they've never felt this chakra before. I'd be amazed if some did... She looked at her hands, the purple chakra radiating wildly around them. If this person was safe, which they were giving the presence of so far, she may as well oblige to the request...which seemed more like a rhetorical statement, in a way.

However, she would take slight caution. Reaching to the turtleneck that she wore, she pulled it upwards as to access its mask ability, leaving the fabric cut off just under her eyes. She leapt from the bushes quickly and landed knelt before the figure, the purple chakra radiating like a small flame around her. Standing up, she cloaked the chakra back within her, and she lost the small 'aura' of the Kujaku Myouhou chakra, loosing the enhanced sight, hearing and chakra detection as well. With that, she noticed that she could no longer detect the chakra of the figure right before her. ...odd....

Opening her eyes, she looked at the new figure, hoping this wasnt any sort of trap.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai stood with his backed turned to the presence for a moment longer, before turning to gaze upon it. The first thing he noticed was the turtleneck, and how he thought it looked kind of ridiculous. However, he bit his tongue, as he had no ground to walk on, seeing as he was wearing a mask, which was equally, if not more ridiculous. Add in the bandages covering his left arm and lower torso in place of a shirt, and Yuudai knew he was the more ridiculous looking of the two. He respectfully bowed before introducing himself, “Hello, I am Yuudai. Welcome to the Land of Fire, and the Valley of the End.” Yuudai was quick to straighten himself, eager to examine the person more.

Yuudai quickly deduced the person was a girl, as her skirt she was wearing gave away. From there, Yuudai worked his way up until the headband around her neck. Yuudai knew the symbol, having read a little about it back in the academy, pegging it as the symbol for the village hidden in the stars. Although a lesser village, he knew it was an ally of Konoha, and would thus be willing to help the kunochi with whatever she needed.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae blinked as he spoke. A quick overview of the figure's body and voice analysis helped her determine that the person was male. She couldnt see his real face, for it was hidden behind a mask...just as hers temporarily was. He was at least respectful enough...for starts. One way to find someones name was to offer your own in exchange first, so she obliged with a response. "Hello Yuudai, nice to meet you. My name is Hae. So it is the Valley of the End? I was correct then...." she paused for a moment, deciding that it would be best to explain how she, from so far away as had probably noticed by now, would know.

"I come from the Hidden Star Village...not too long ago I wanted to go on an exploration of a fair bit of the world...and I've only made it through the gist of the mainland..I haven't journeyed over the water yet. I read about this place...and guessed it from the statues. I just entered the Fire Country a few hours ago..."

She paused for a moment before continuing "Though I um...may have read up a bit on this place, I don't know much about it...could you possible tell me about it? It would be great if you could; and in exchange, if you don't know already, I'll tell you a bit about my chakra...you seemed to be interested in it, am I correct?"

She knew that normally Yondaime Hoshikage wouldn't approve of this, dispelling too much about the chakra, but she trusted herself enough not to give anything away.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai nodded at Hae as she told him about her traveling from her village. He didn’t quite understand why she wanted to do that, although his view was a bit slanted, seeing as he would go out on missions in other countries every now and then. Still, to him, there was nothing quite like the Land of Fire. It was his home, the place of his birth, and the place were he hoped to be laid to rest.

“Well, if you insist,” replied Yuudai, turning to face the statues, allowing him to point them out. “That figure, the one on the left, is Uchiha Madara, a figure veiled in mystery. What we do know about his is that he was one of the most powerful of the Uchiha clan, and that we was always butting heads with the first Hokage. You see, when the Uchiha and Senju clans first allied, forming what would become the beginning of Konoha, a vote was held to appoint the leader, and Madara lost. Form there he would challenge the Hokage to a fight on this very spot, creating this valley. People believe he died here, and the Hokage would continue to rule until his untimely death.” Yuudai spoke with an air of someone who knew what he was talking about, but there wasn’t a hint was arrogance in his voice. He in truth didn’t think Madara had died in the valley, it didn’t nearly feel as ominous as it would have if he did. Still, it is what most believed what had happened, and thus it is what he told others.

“As for this statue,” Yuudai spoke as he pointed to the statue of the first Hokage, “is the statue of the great first Hokage, Hashirama Senju. I doubt I need to say much about him, seeing as he is a legend.” Yuudai shrugged his shoulders a little as he said this. As far as he knew, everyone was taught about the first Hokage. Yuudai looked up to the man, saw him as what all ninja should try to be, one with great power, but modest.

“You don’t have to tell me about your chakra if you don’t want too,” Yuudai said, glancing at Hae, “it isn’t that important. I admit it is different then what I am used too, but I would be lying if I said my chakra was normal.”

[Hae Kyohaku]

Watching Yuudai carefully, Hae's eyes brightened a bit as he started explaining to her a bit of the history of the awesome statues. She absorbed the information like a sponge, a trait she'd inherited from her mother. She reminisced a bit in some of the studies she'd done about the Land of Fire, and thought a bit about some of the Uchiha clan. Though she did not recognize the specific name Madara Uchiha, though she knew about some of the Uchiha. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable about his home and its history.

She had also heard about Hashirama Senju, Shodai Hokage. In some of her book studies before she had departed on her journey. She let out an audible sigh before she spoke again. "Wow...this country is so amazing...and then the Konohagakure no Sato itself is incredible. The only thing interesting about my country and village is the star." she said with a slight lowering of her voice. It was kind of humiliating, actually, for her, from a lesser country and village like the Bear & Star to be compared to such a great country and village such as the Fire & Leaf.

She listened to his next words in silence, only to respond with a bit of bubbly pep that she enjoyed having. "Well...its fine, really. I actually like telling people about something they dont know. I personally like to learn...and I like to let others learn too...so if I seem to be going on a bit too much, just let me know...". She paused for a moment before continuing. "Well, everybody's chakra is unique and different...though--" she cut off, not feeling the need to continue. Instead, she got some of her energy back together and shifted from side-to-side excitedly.

"It might actually be better to show you rather than just tell you..." she said rather quickly. "If we go out into the open area it will be easiest." she said with a smile, but then stopped, remembering she had pulled her mask up for privacy reasons.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai let out a little chuckle as Hare talked about his country being amazing. “I wouldn’t say that, it is no more special than any other country. It is the people in my village and the lush forests, that make me love it here, not the history,” replied Yuudai. “As long as you can call a place home, it is an incredible place.” Maybe it made him crazy, but Yuudai would stand by those words. In the end it didn’t matter to him how amazing other places seemed, or how great others claimed their village was, he knew Konoha was right for him. He just wished others thought the same about their villages.

Yuudai nodded as she pointed out the open area, stepping to the side, his arms sweeping through the air to gesturer to the area. “After you,” Yuudai spoke, being as polite as he could. He was appreciative of Hae showing him whatever she was going to show him her chakra. Besides, who could resist when a woman showed excitement like she was, Yuudai would feel rude not to let her.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae listened for a minute for Yuudai's response. She hoped he would agree, she saw it was only fair if information was exchanged for information. She smiled and her eyes lit up as he did in fact agree, requesting for her to lead the way. She nodded slowly, agreeing with him in his statement. "So long if you can call somewhere home, indeed. But sometimes it just seems less than other places that are regarded as massive and powerful..."She quickly spoke; "Okay! C'mon...it would be best if we got out into a more open area so I dont destroy too many trees...or change the landscape a noticeable amount." She leapt a few yards out, closer to the water, assuming he would soon follow if he wasnt already following.

She glanced around, seeing that there was mainly just air around her and rock beneath her feet. She nodded to herself as she decided this was a good spot, spinning around, she automatically closed her eyes, and she released the chakra, allowing it to envelop her like she had previously, and though she couldn't feel it, she could feel her eyes taking on the bright purple glow that was unique to any Kujaku Myouhou user. Opening her eyes, she looked to him.

"Okay...with everything I do, Im just going to tell you a small fragment about it. For instance, right now Im just letting the chakra encase my body...its a bit of a thing I myself made, but others use it. Its actually quite useful. It enhances your sight, hearing, and your chakra detection. Thats how I was sort of able to feel a slight bit of yours when I had the chakra activated, but when I didnt, I couldnt feel your chakra. Oh, and the whole eyes glowing thing is normal. No one knows why, it just happens. Now for the good stuff.."

She made a single hand seal, the one for Bird. "Kujaku Myouhou!" she said and heard the slight sound like leaves rolling across the ground, notifying her that the chakra had taken the form of a peacock's tail behind her. "This is the most basic element of the Kujaku Myouhou training to master...creating a 'tail' if you will of the chakra. From here you can further manipulate it, like I will show you in just a second..."

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai followed Hae, and took a seat a comfortable distance away from her. He watched as her eyes turned purple and her chakra began to take shape. It was impressive to him, chakra control like that didn’t just come naturally. He had a decent amount of control of the small amount of chakra he had, but he couldn’t don’t anything like that. A smile had made itself onto his face as he watched, hidden under the mask.

The words from Hae weren’t ignored however, Yuudai making sure to pay attention. When she mentioned not being able to feel his charka, he undid some of the bandages covering his hand, revealing some of his curse seals. He held them up so she could see them clearer. “It is because of these,” replied Yuudai. They annoyed him at times, but he knew they were for his own good, after all, he was also killed by his own chakra at birth, and wasn’t keen on reliving that.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae paused for a minute as she saw him shift slightly. She stepped forward a few feet to look closer to what he was doing, because she couldnt tell due to the distance at which she stood away from him in his sitting position. He seemed to be undoing some of the bandages that wrapped around part of his upper body. He unraveled enough for her to be able to see some of his hand. On his skin she saw dark imprints which seemed to be markings on his skin.

"A Fuuinjutsu?" she asked curiously. Thats what it looked like. The seals seemed to be the type that suppressed something. Since they were on the subject of chakra, she assumed they suppressed chakra. Suppress chakra? Thats odd...havent heard of that before; except in the case of jinchuuriki and their bijuu... she though. However, she didnt think too seriously about the matter; she still had to finish the demonstration of the Kujaku Myouhou.

She backed up another step and made the 'Bird' hand seal once again, and she heard the slight rustle like leaves in the wind as the chakra extended and grew, each of the 'tail feathers, extending in an incredibly quick and direct piercing motion. The chakra flared upwards, but Hae then directed it at the ground with a slight grimace in her jaw. She heard rock shatter as it struck the ground, and she then quickly withdrew the chakra back into the simple Kujaku Myouhou 'tail'. To Yuudai, she said "That was Kujaku Myouhou: Zan...aka Destroy. The shape of the chakra, and the way it moves makes it like a giant knife, able to pierce through rock, as you just saw. However, it only pierces, nothing else. For instance, look at the hole it made...that would draw blood, and even kill."

Pausing yet again, she then concentrated her chakra in a different way. She reverted back to just the purple 'aura' of chakra, making the tail recede for a minute. "There are also two methods of the Kujaku Myouhou that dont require the 'tail'. A Chakra Predation, which allows me to give up my own chakra to someone else, but not so much that it kills me, or even sap someone else dry of their own chakra. I would never use it as a weapon though...too much killing potential. Instead, I will only take chakra that is offered. The chakra taken can be converted into both Kujaku Myouhou chakra and regular chakra. So, that is quite interesting. Theres also this...a chakra rope."

Thrusting her hand forward, she shot a 'rope' of the chakra from it, and wrapped it around a nearby tree, but lowered it so it was near his sitting level. "This rope is said to be indestructable, and nobody from my village has ever found a way to sever it, making it a useful tool for tying someone down or up. Though this is just one, large rope, I can also divide it for each of my fingers into five smaller ropes. As I said before, no one from my village has been able to find a way to sever this rope, Im sure there is a way...and I'll find that one day. In fact, you can go ahead and try to cut through it. Who knows? Maybe something will happen...But if you dont want to, I can finish up with some of the more useful Kujaku Myouhou methods..."

She trailed off there, letting him decide to seize or ignore the little experiment she'd just offered. She kept in mind her amount of chakra. Since her demonstrations weren't nearly as long and as difficult to use and sustain as in real battle, her chakra level stayed relatively high and she wasnt using a full amount.

Good... she thought These final three will take up a reasonable amount...

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai nodded when she asked about the seals. “Yes,” he replied, choosing not to go further in depth. If she wanted to ask more about it, he would be glad to follow up on it, but right now, a simple yes was enough. He didn’t really like the seals, but at this point in his life, had learn to tolerate them, and accept that if it weren’t for them, he would probably be dead. He quietly wrapped his hand back up and continued to watch.

Yuudai smiled as Hae displayed her techniques, discussing and explaining each one. He enjoyed just watching, taking in all the information being shared. He waved his hand as if to pass on attempting to cut the rope. “Thank you, but another time perhaps,” he added. He rather there be some mystery to just how strong the rope was, incase he was forced into combat with a hidden star ninja one day.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae nodded to both of Yuudais statements. She wouldnt press the matter of Fuuinjutsu further for the time being. He didnt sound too interested in the subject, and there was probably a reason for it. Hae believed that people should tell something only if they truly wanted to or they thought they should. With that, she shrugged and said Okay. Suit yourself. with a smile. Drawing her hand back, the chakra receded, and created a powerful form around her body again.

Pressing her hands together in the 'Bird' hand seal, she created the 'tail' of chakra again. I have three final things to show you... she said loudly enough for him to here. She closed her eyes and concentrated-- these last three were the most difficult of all the Kujaku Myouhou techniques. Biting her lip, she said Kujaku Myouhou: Kemono, Beast!. A slightly more grating sound than leaves in the wind met her ears as all the 'feathers' combined into one and rose above her head, arching like a serpent, but was given the face of a bird with yellow eyes. She directed the chakra southwest of Yuudais position and sent it outwards, making it bite into the landscape, score across the trees and rocky ground, calling it back after she'd made a very small gorge in the ground; leaving it behind her, poised as if to strike again. "That is the Beast method. It creates a destructive spectral creature that basically bites anything, but can also protect against simple attacks like shuriken and kunai. However, a skilled user can wield two beasts at once. Im working on this still, but once I have two beasts, I can control both at once, and combine one or both beasts with another Star shinobi to create a more powerful destructive force."

She withdrew the chakra back into a 'tail' formation and wrapped it around herself, creating a purple sphere around her body. "You could sort of say I created this, though Im sure its been thought of before, just never utilized. It's a barrier of sorts, but able to protect you completely from any angle. I think it has the strength of the chakra rope, but Im not sure. Finally...sorry if I screw this last one up, it still gives me a bit of trouble...moreso than controlling two beasts at once.

She then made the chakra vanish completely to focus. After about a minute or so of silence, she remembered she'd been holding her hands in the 'Bird' handseal for that time. She said "Yoku; Wing!" and stayed perfectly still as the chakra unfurled from her body, covering her entire back, but sprouting upwards in two divisions, lifting her slightly off the ground, and beneath her she saw the two sprouts of chakra that came from where her legs divided as she was lifted into the area. She relaxed her arms and put them down by her side as she felt herself glide as she directed the chakra. She was a fair ways off from where Yuudai was, comparitively speaking, and she glided until she was nearly above him, but still in front of him.

She lowered herself vertically, and placed her feet on the ground finally, and the chakra receded back into her body, and her eyes lost their purple glow, just returning to their normal shade of purple. Sweat beaded her forehead from her last technique. After a few seconds of breathing heavily compared to normal, she spoke "That was the wing method. It's perhaps one of the most useful method of the Kujaku Myouhou, but also the hardest to learn and master. As you saw, it enables whoever is using it to either fly or glide for short distances...probably no more than five to ten miles, but its incredibly hard to master...and many people who one day dream of becoming Star shinobi never make it to see the day when they can even begin to learn Wing...it is rare that they wont fall ill...or even die during the training. It is rare that one will master the Kujaku Myouhou; and even if they do...they probably wont live long afterwards.." Her eyes darkened and her voice trailed off as she remembered all the people she'd known that never saw their dream come true, or had to stop the training because they were too ill; and after a few seconds of silence she simply looked at Yuudai, and sat down about three feet from him, and facing him.

"Thats actually probably why you dont see too many Star shinobi anymore. Hardly anyone ever dares to leave the village, for fear that they'll fall ill on their travels and no one will be able to help them.."