Training Journey (Private; Ongoing)

Day 1: Today would be a strenuous and painful one, and it'd take many more after this to equate to what he's looking for in terms of true resilience. Sanji rose from bed and did his usual morning routine, washing his face, eating breakfast, brushing his teeth. Then he went back upstairs to get dressed. Sanji's attire would be different today, as he was looking to build up some raw toughness for the parts of his body he'd be using for striking. Sanji slipped on a pair of black shorts that left his shins exposed, before he looked down at his sash. Frankly it was a nuisance and he didn't like the look of it anymore, so he unpinned his leaf-engraved forehead protector from it and pinned it back on the original bandana it was pinned upon. He looped the bandana around his head and tied it securely. This would suffice for now, he didn't want to quibble over how to wear it any longer. Sanji slipped a tightly-fitting mesh shirt on and grabbed his bag, as well as his ninja tool pouch. He instead slipped on a brown belt, and secured his tool pouch to it, before perusing the contents of his bag. He had a map, a tent, poncho, a cast-iron skillet, a large spoon, ceramic chopsticks, a 10 pound bag of rice, a spice mixture his mother often used, a flint rock, pack of prepared fire tinder, a fishing net, dry socks, and an assortment of minor tools to help him live off the land for a bit. The pack weighed almost 120 pounds, so the hike alone out to where he wanted to be would be a workout in and of itself.

After Sanji had secured his red cloak around his neck, he went back downstairs, and bid his mother farewell. Sanji had thought ahead as he knew he needed to do this, so he arranged to meet with the Hokage's staff and request a temporary leave from the village in order to train. It'd really suck to get denied after he had spent the night before packing all this stuff, and in a way he was trying to utilize that subtle psychological tactic to get them to grant him a pass, by subconsciously saying," Well, I'm already packed, you wouldn't deny me, would you?" With that, Sanji left the house and walked the modest distance to the Hokage's office, meeting out front with the jounin he had spoken to a day before.

"You realize that going out alone is very dangerous, it would be preferable if you didn't stray too far from the village." Said the jounin named Kazunagi. Sanji eyed him with that same deadpan expression, and replied," Sure, it would be preferable, but it's ironic that while you want to create tough ninjas you are scared to let them be put in dangerous situations without your intense supervision. It's pretty hard to learn to ride a bike properly if you never lose the training wheels. Also you can't build a sturdy house with a rubber hammer." he replies poetically. With an exasperated sigh Kazunagi went back inside and emerged with a pass that said Sanji could be gone from the village for exactly 1 week, and had a grace period of 48 hours after his intended return time before he would be considered a missing ninja and be pursued. At long last he'd be on his way it seemed. With a nod of thanks Sanji turned on his heels and quietly walked toward the village entrance. The size of the bag drew the eyes of those around him, looking at him with astonishment that he planned to lug all that stuff with him for any distance. Sweat already beaded on his face, but luckily the forehead protector's new placement for him, while tried and true for others, helped to wick away sweat from getting in his eyes. A forehead protector that works great when placed on the forehead, go figure.

Upon reaching the village gate Sanji showed the pass bearing the Hokage's signature and seal to the guards on duty. One of the guards took the pass and formed the seal of the Ox. Nearby a small hourglass was seemingly summoned, and inside was purple sand, seeming to drop from the top to the bottom 1 grain at a time. With another seal from the guard, the seal of the dog, the pass briefly flashed, as did the hour glass. The very second Sanji was late returning, the sand would turn black and it would turn over to tick 48 hours away. The pass' role was to be utilized to instantly alert the hokage of the missing ninja once the 48 hour grace period was up so a team could be dispatched immediately to investigate and return him to the village, or kill him should his reason for being late was for nefarious purposes." Your clock is ticking, good luck." said the guard." See you in a week." replied Sanji, no swagger in his voice, but confident all the same.

Departing from the village gates, he walked the paths undaunted, turning here and there based on what he read on his map. He was choosing a point that was seemingly right in the middle of the wilderness between Konoha and the southern border. Though Sanji was strong, he didn't quite have the stamina to carry that bag for more than an hour at a time. Luckily given how lush and green Konoha is there are lots of little creeks and rivers to refill one's canteen. He sat by a river and filled his bottle before drinking from it, the water tasting flawlessly clean. He rested for only 15 minutes at a time before picking up his heavy bag and setting out again. This long hike would do wonders for his strength and stamina, as lugging so much gear at one time was a task in and of itself. He would occasionally test himself and try to jog, but these jogging stints only lasted for a moment before the genin was huffing and puffing. Still, he kept walking all the same, trying to minimize his downtime. By the time he stopped a second time, he was 12 miles out. It was a brisk pace to keep up, but he did so because his willpower wouldn't let him do anything else. This was one of those times when it helped tremendously
to be as obsessive as he was.

By this time he was getting hungry again, so he set down his bag and began perusing the immediate area for dry old tree branches. Given the trees in this area, he had plenty by the time he was done. Setting each branch down, Sanji proceeded to break them into specified lengths with his knee used as a wedge while he pulled the two ends back toward himself with his gloved hands. Wood snapped easily under his strength, even sturdier branches. He dug out a pit in some loose ground and lined it with rocks before putting a wad of very fine and very dry wood strips in the middle of it. Taking the back of a kunai, he struck it against the flint rock, producing a shower of sparks, which soon ignited the tinder. After blowing on it to get a proper flame, he fed the fire with small twigs. Once they caught on fire and were burning well he added slightly larger sticks. When he had a good, sturdy flame going, he added large branches and made them sit in a small square shape. It was then that he took his skillet, threw a bit of pork fat in it to render off as he put the pan on the fire. Once that was done he poured the rice in and browned it, then added twice as much water as there was rice. As soon as the rice was boiling he set it off the flame and covered the pan with a lid so the rice would steam to perfection.

Sanji, in the meantime, foraged for local fruits and mushrooms, having become quite an apt survival expert. That guide on identifying mushrooms was a lifesaver in situations like this, though admittedly it was a very boring read. The fruit guide was equally as boring. He returned with some local berries and shiitake mushrooms. As soon as he was back with the mushrooms, he set them on the fire to roast lightly before using his chopsticks to then put them right into his pork rice. A good, starchy meal like this provided plenty of calories. And as the illustrious Akimichi clan shows, calories are energy. That would give him plenty of energy for the long, hard road ahead on this weeklong journey into the wilderness to train. He sat and ate the berries while his food finished cooking, and once that was done he was shoveling it into his mouth right from the pan. Once he finished eating he rinsed and wiped out the pan and put it away, then he drank down somewater to wash it all down. The sun was still high in the sky so he packed everything up and continued on his journey, still a ways away from his target.

Sanji walked for another hour before he happened on a secluded village in the forest. Walking into town he tried to look as personable as possible, but he didn't know quite how to do that. Politely he asked a local where he might find the village elder, and he was reluctantly directed to him. After a short chat with the elderly fellow, Sanji was introduced to the villagers, and granted access to their well, where he filled his canteen once again and rehydrated himself. Reaching into his pouch he offered a few ryo for the water, an odd gesture in a place as idyllic as the fire country. The village elder refused to take it, and with a light smile he bid them farewell. It was nice to find friendly people just quietly living their lives, it was in a place like that he could see himself settling down one day if he lived long enough to do that.

Back on the road again, Sanji continued on his journey, deep in the wilderness now, and the animal noises were an almost deafening soundtrack that voluminously filled the area, a telling reminder that he was no longer in territory dominated by humans. As such, he'd have to play by the rules and be very careful. As the sun had just started threatening to set, he opened his pouch and took out his kunai, before setting his bag down and scaling a tree that was wrapped in a pliant vine. He cut down the vine and tied it to one tree, and then another. Taking out 3 more kunai, he draped the simply tent over the makeshift string and then secured the 4 corners with a kunai at each corner. Again, Sanji went about gathering fire materials, and before long he had a fire going once again. The stream he set up camp nearby was teeming with trout, so much so that in his first toss ofthe fishing net he managed to get a large one. Sanji went about cleaning the fish before he threw his pan on the fire, a little more salted pork fat, and then he began to cook the fish. The scent filling the air reminded him of home, not that the oversized genin was already homesick. He just remembered smelling this same scent as he put some seasonings on the fish. It sort of made him wish he had the forethought to cook his rice before he went fishing, seeing as he only had one pan. But this was perfectly fine and a trout this size would suffice as am ample meal by itself. Once he finished cooking it he sprinkled on some salted seasoning and ate it, surprised at the amount of meat on the
fish. After eating his meal, with the sun now down and the flames of his fire battling the darkness, he got into his tent and wrapped himself in
his cloak, his head resting on his arms as he went to sleep.

( Word count for this post: 2038 )

Day 2: Sanji awoke at the crack of dawn and went to gather some more wood. The morning was cool so that red cloak he used as a blanket was still around him. The wood was a bit damp from dew but that wasn't too much of a problem. Had there been rainfall? It'd mean he would have to forage for something to eat. It wasn't a problem but seeing as he had little in the way of food - something that was done by design to add a greater degree of difficulty to the journey, and give his body a reason to work for his meals, he wasn't too miffed about it. For future reference though he would make sure to bring any wood he gathered into the tent should rainfall occur. Sanji happened upon an old tree, downed by natural means after it expired. Checking the wood, under the dew-laden bark it was quite dry. Another subtle training opportunity.

He brought his gloved hand toward the wood, measuring his strike point before raising his heavily-muscled arm high. Like a hammer he brought it down and a loud crack emitted throughout the valley he was camped out in. The tree splintered as his hand cleaved right through it, an old pine tree so the wood would burn a long time and save him the trouble of having to forage for more come the next time he was slated to cook a meal. Taking the log to the firepit, he tossed it in and threw a few twigs on the smouldering embers within the pit to get them going again. It took some work - and a lot of twigs, but finally the log was burning well and he had a roaring fire again.

Sanji took out that trusty cast-iron skillet and set it on the fire, before pouring 2 parts water and 1 part rice into the skillet. He watched as steam slowly coalesced and billowed from the water, entranced by the ornate designs such a natural phenomenon created. He even placed a hand over it and felt the warm, moist mist condense on his hand. It made him wonder if he could utilize something like that in combat, or if anyone ever had. Regardless, when the water rolled in the skillet he took it off the fire and set it aside with the lid in place on top to steam his rice, then went back to that downed tree he had cleaved through with his hand just moments before.

Sanji grunted as he crouched by the tree and grasped it in both hands, before he engaged those powerful legs with his iron grasp and lifted the heavy trunk up to place it over the rock it had been leaning over, which he used as a fulcrum to snap the base away and utilize it in his fire. Again Sanji took position with his hand poised above the log, raised it, and with a loud bark he brought his arm down in that hammer-like fashion; every movement maximized the damage of the strike. Again he powerfully cleaved through the wood, making himself another log, and again the rest of the tree clattered to the ground. Sanji knelt once again and lifted it up, this time it was lighter seeing as he'd taken considerable material off of it with his last two strikes. Hand in place again, he chopped through the wood and created a third log, then a fourth, then a fifth. He gathered the wood he had harvested and left the rest of the tree where it lay. Surely it would come in handy for smaller tinder and such later.

Laying his wood inside his tent, he checked on his meal. The rice had just finished cooking and he had gotten in a quick workout before his breakfast. Sanji then went over to the large pack he'd hauled all the way out here, and rummaged through it. When his hand re-emerged, he held a jar of honey in it. Sweet rice, just like his mother would sometimes make. Or a reasonable replication anyway, as she also poured cream into it. Before Sanji drizzled the honey on the rice, however, something caught his eye. A few berry shrubs glistened in the morning sun. Coming closer, though, proved to be a disappointment. He knew these berries would be no good for him, as they were poisonous. However it did lead him to search nonetheless, because often non-poisonous berries grew wild among poisonous ones. A deadly game of roulette for anyone not in the know about what they can eat and what they can't. He was delighted to find some wild raspberries, though it was late in the season the bush still had a fair amount. He gathered some and brought them over in his hands, and put them right into his rice. He then drizzled a fair amount of honey into it, mixed it with his spoon and sat down to eat.

As Sanji quietly ate his breakfast he surveyed the land before him. No doubt with the colder seasons fast approaching this wouldn't be nearly as fertile a place to camp out as it was right now. But that just meant one would have to utilize more protein sources for their meals, aka hunting animals. Luckily he wouldn't have to squander precious time on that practice, not to any great extent at least. Just as he finished eating he heard a growl behind him, and then two growls, and then 3. A small wolf pack was eyeing him for their own breakfast. Sanji's expression was as deadpan as ever as he soon stood up before the growling wolves. He walked amongst them without fear, as they soon showed intimidation at the sheer size of him when he was standing like that. He walked to his bag and grabbed a large chunk of pork fat. He'd brought too much anyway. So he calmly used his kunai as the wolves eyed what he had, and cut slabs off of it. There was a little meat on the slab of salted pork fat too, of course, there always was. Sanji just used it to help flavor rice more than anything. He tossed each wolf a chunk of the fatty meat and watched them take to it reluctantly." If you had waited for me to do some fishing you'd be eating better right now." he said to them. The growling hushed as the wolves looked at him warily. He was glad that they had resolved the issue peacefully, and he put away the rest of the pork fat into his bag, and casually walked through the 3 wolves' conglomeration again. He looked down at them and they backed away, still chewing on what he had given them." Next time ask nicely. I'm a reasonable guy once you get to know me." he says with a stunted chuckle. With that he walked away to train.

Sanji found many sturdy old trees, 200+ feet tall at least. It was here he'd brush up on his tree-climbing technique and give his chakra system a workout. He backed away before getting a running start and simultaneously molding chakra, forcing it out of his feet and forcing it to grasp onto the surface of the tree to allow him to run vertically up the side. His boots glowed a faint blue the whole way up, having much more of an affinity for this particular bit of training. He'd do his water-walking after, but right now he wanted to climb the trees a few times to not only train, but to get a good look at the topography of this land. He also decided to do so while standing upside down on a sturdy branch 175 feet in the air. He maintained his footing without fault as he looked over some things, spotting fruit trees about a half mile away. He'd be sure and visit them later. When he had grown bored of the inverted view he kicked off the branch and made his way down the tree on various other branches he had grabbed onto.

There was a myriad of branches, and he pledged to do 20 pull ups on each one. He was doing fine for the first 10, and then he started getting more and more fatigued on the last 5. He growled loudly at the bottom branch on his last rep. He didn't struggle that bad but his muscles were burning. This fact told him that he needed to find some more suitable protein sources to fuel his body for this intense training. With only a minor breather he ran up the side of the tree again, and did the same pull up routine. His muscles burned in protest through each set, but given how he'd built himself up, he could handle it easily. This would only build him up more.

Seeing as his body was so well warmed up after a lengthy tree-climbing and subsequent muscular workout, he decided to practice some shadow boxing. A vivid imagination always helped him immensely. He closed his eyes and set the scenario. A group of shinobi would be leaping into his secluded campsite with the intent to fight and steal his supplies. Once Sanji's eyes reopened he widened his stance and bent his knees slightly, both gloved hands balled into fists and raised defensively in front of him like a boxer. He may have that stance but he wasn't above throwing plenty of kicks. As if an imaginary war cry had sounded among the 3 ninjas he envisioned, Sanji went into action. The air whiffed as he threw powerful punches and kicks at nothing in particular to the eyes of someone outside watching, however in his mind there was a real fight going on. His right arm raised as if to catch an incoming punch before his left snapped forward in the blink of an eye. A shot with that kind of force would definitely knock the breath out of someone, if not shatter their sternum. Either way they'd have to think long and hard about continuing to fight after that. Sanji then went low, sweeping his foot across the ground while his body rotated as if he was sweeping someone's legs out from under them, and in one fluid motion he rose to his feet with his back to the imaginary opponent, lifted his right leg and launched a powerful back kick with his right leg, pistoning it forward and exploding from the hip with the execution of the kick. Very good for breaking ribs.

During this he formed the seal of the ram, and by the time he had recovered from the back kick execution he molded his chakra and the image of his body blurred out, using the body flicker technique to get behind an imaginary opponent who was careening away. One powerful hand latched onto a small part of a downed tree, as if he were grabbing another ninja's ankle, and he lugged up the downed tree with the momentum his body carried, and slammed it to the ground with a loud boom. It was a little combo he had come up with. With the way he was training and improving all the time, the first to fall prey to that combo might not have a single bone in their body remaining intact after such a vicious assault.

Sanji went through the paces of this shadowboxing for hours on and off, taking only brief breaks. He got so into it he forgot about lunch. His belly certainly had a dinner bell of its own to ring come sunset. Sanji again expertly netted 2 fish from the nearby river and cleaned them. Again the wolves came back, but this time they didn't growl. He let them have at the entrails he left from the fish before he set them into the skillet, well-seasoned and all, to cook. The wolves wagged their tails as Sanji washed his hands in the river with soap, before leaning down into the water and washing his sweaty face and hair after removing his forehead protector. He then decided to take an unpleasantly cold bath, stripping completely and quickly washing himself before emerging and getting dressed again. By this time the fish were cooked. He sat down and divided the meal up evenly among himself and his 3 impromptu companions, and smiled lightly while the 4 ate.

When dinner was done he cleaned the pan and put it away, the sun was long since set. Throwing another pine log on the fire he then stopped off to pat each wolf's head. How quickly they lost that feral edge. He wondered if the three saw him like a pack leader now. If so, they'd have to obey his orders." Alright, boys. It's bedtime, you can sleep here if you like but don't keep me up all night with your howling." He joked. When he laid down in the tent, getting warmth from his fire as well as his cloak which he wrapped around himself, the 3 wolves laid down nearby as well and went to sleep. "This is handy." He thought." Now I can sleep easy, I got 3 able guards to alert me to any danger." Soon Sanji, too, found himself sound asleep.

( Word count for this post: 2207 )

Day 3: Sanji awoke to the sound of whimpering canines and sat up, throwing the cloak off himself. He grunted as he got out of the tent and immediately started work on getting another fire going. Luckily he still had embers to start it from. Using tinder and twigs he got a reasonable little blaze going again before he grabbed one of those logs he had harvested onto it. He fed the fire until the log was burning, then finally turned to see what the commotion was with the wolves. They whimpered and hopped to get his attention, and showed that they had brought him a gift." You guys have been busy this morning, eh? I guess you felt you had to show me up after I gave you that salted pork." he says to them as he scopes out the fresh kill. A rather large wild boar lay before him." You guys got guts taking this guy on." he added, before he sighed and pulled out his knife, carrying the boar over to the river. He cut through the boar's belly and worked on cleaning out all the entrails - a much messier job than a fish, that's for sure. His wolf friends were all too happy to dine on the entrails as he skinned the boar and hung the skin over a branch to dry.

Sanji worked for almost 2 hours on the boar, and while it was great to have fresh meat, out here he didn't have a way to store it. He left the carcass on the embankment and went to that old tree he'd taken so much material for his fires from. Two Y-shaped branches and a straight crossbar were taken over to his fire pit. Using a rock he nailed the two Y-shaped branches into the ground, and then went to the freshly skinned boar, washing the carcass in the river well before he put the wild boar on the spit he had prepared." I'd love to have this for the duration of the trip but there's just no way to keep it fresh..." he thought. Finally once it was all ready he lifted the spit up and carried it to the fire, setting it down on the Y-shaped sticks he'd prepared earlier, and within moments the sizzling resounded, the air slowly filling with the scent of roasting pork.

Sanji went to the river and washed off the blood and such with his soap in hand, before doing his normal morning routine, and even sticking his head right into the clean, flowing water. He took a hearty drink and gave a loud "Ahhh...!" which startled his wolf companions, before they seemingly took it as some sort of a hint and walked to the river. Three tongues lapped at the surface of the water, and he sort of chuckled as the wolves drank, petting each of their heads." Alright, keep a keen eye on our dinner over there." he said, garnering a bark as if the largest wolf understood him. He sort of chuckled and went off a little ways, to one of those large trees again. This time he planned on climbing without the aid of chakra.

Sanji quickly grasped onto the rugged bark and began muscling his way up, using branches when he got high enough to reach them to propel himself up the tree. Off by the campsite, the three wolves watched him with curiosity, occasionally yipping as if cheering him on. Once he reached the top he was sweating, and the cool breeze that met him was just divine, one of those rare sensations that just make one happy to be alive. He felt a supreme calm come over him, and stood on that highest sturdy branch, before he abruptly started shadowboxing right there. His punches and kicks were fast and powerful, those booted feet gracefully navigating the narrow perch. It wouldn't feel good if he fell, but like he told the jounin who wasn't prepared to let him depart on this trip, one has to stand on the edge of death before they'll ever reach their potential as a shinobi.

A couple hours later Sanji quickly descended, hopping quickly from branch to branch, and soon landed on the forest floor below. He walked back to the campsite and turned the spit that the boar was on so it'd cook evenly. He couldn't eat this boar right now but he needed something for his own hunger as he hadn't had breakfast yet. He decided to hike to those fruit trees he spotted the day before. The wolves looked on anxiously, but a bark from the largest one calmed the other two, as if saying that they shouldn't worry. Sanji soon came to see why they were so antsy. As he approached the tree a massive bear turned and sized him up. Sanji's hands came together in front of him, cracking his knuckles. If he didn't deal with this now there could be trouble later because the roasting wild boar was throwing enticing scents into the air. The bear bellowed a warning to him, but Sanji just stood his ground." You wouldn't be the first one of your kind I've had to kill." he replies as if he and the bear were conversing.

With oozing confidence Sanji walked closer to the lush fruit trees, and another bellow resounded. Sanji never slowed, never faltered, and the bear swiped at air to try and deter him, and backed up." I'm warning you." Said Sanji. When he got to a pear tree, full of pears, he climbed up without warning. Picking a large one, he dropped it down below, then another, then another. The bear was confused by the fruit falling before him, but he didn't look a gift horse in the mouth, quickly devouring the fruit. Sanji sat in the tree and ate multiple pears himself before looking down at the bear." See? It's not always needed for two opposing factions to fight, often there's plenty to go around and we can easily share the bounty of the land. Stop being such a hothead." It was a funny scenario, in a way. Sanji was effectively merging with this land after just 3 days. While his presence may have initially been upsetting, he was now coexisting peacefully with the wildlife in this region.

With more pears in his arms, Sanji leaped out of the tree and headed back for the campsite. The bear looked at him and snorted, like he was saying " Yeah you better run, jerk!" Despite the fact that Sanji had fed him. By the time he returned it was past 2 o'clock and his three wolf companions hopped excitedly when he returned. Sanji checked on their meal, and turned it once more. The cooked portions were quite tender, and he took off chunks of meat, tossing some to the wolves and then eating some himself." Mmm... you guys outdid yourselves." He says. He stood up and grabbed that salted seasoning mix from his bag, sprinkled some on the roasting pork, before sprinkling some on his meat too. He sat down by the fire and ate in silence, just watching the flames. They had died down a bit so he added some smaller branches to it to keep it going, rather than waste another pine log on it. The log was still burning well, but he just wanted a larger flame to cook the boar with.

After lunch it was time to train again, and Sanji went over to the river to finally settle this water-walking thing once and for all. Things were different now, though. He was as relaxed as he could be, and all felt right with the world as he molded chakra and pushed it out through his feet, foregoing the intense visualizing exercises and instead simply focused on keeping his footing on the tenuous water surface. He walked around over the deeper parts of the river, seeming to easily keep his footing. His body and his chakra network were harmonizing nicely now, it seemed this trip was just what he needed to tune and unite all his systems into one cohesive machine. He would make it a point when he got back to work hard on learning more jutsu, because there were some academy students who knew more than him and he just couldn't rely forever on taijutsu alone, some situations call for more than that and he wanted to be ready for them.

Sanji decided to take it one step further, and he began raining punches and kicks on the air in front of him, shadowboxing right there on the water's surface. His wolf friends looked on with confusion, perhaps they were cognisant of the fact that whenever they went into the river, they definitely didn't walk on top of it. Nonetheless, Sanji continued this heated pace of his training for hours, stopping only to kneel right on the water's surface and drink from the cool, clean pool below. It definitely didn't help to have a whole boar roasting nearby when he started getting hungry again. He found it amusing, however, that the 3 wolves were over there wrestling around, as if they were training themselves as well. He felt a bit of sadness overcome him, after this he had just 4 days left with them, and he didn't want to take them out of their home just to satisfy his own feelings.

Sanji finally stepped off the water's surface and walked back to dry land as the sun began to set, and he knelt by his wolf friends, petting each of them individually and putting his forehead against theirs, getting a lick or two on the face for his troubles. He had been wracking his brain all day on how to maintain this kinship, and then it came to him. Many ninjas have animal summons, why not him? The problem is, however, that he had no idea how to actually initiate a contract with them, but that would be a question he would be seeking the answer to on his return back to his home village of Konohagakure. At long last the boar was ready, and he looked at the three as he cut off huge chunks of meat." We're eating hearty tonight, guys." he said, tossing each of them a chunk that'd more than suffice, before taking a big chunk himself. He sat with them this time and ate his meal, watching them with a contented expression. It almost made him just want to stay out here, but his supplies certainly wouldn't last forever. He had proven he's more than capable of living off the land, but he had obligations elsewhere to fulfill as well.

After dinner the sun was gone, and Sanji took his impromptu spit assembly off the fire and went and grabbed the boar's skin he had been drying. He held it near the fire and slowly stretched and worked it as he continued to dry it. It would be his ongoing project for the rest of the trip, trying to make some usable leather out of it. It was indeed very tough, to the point that it surprised him. The skin was also big enough to make something out of it, and he already had it in his mind what he wanted to make as he ran a kunai over the tough surface. He kept all his weapons razor sharp, and yet the leather didn't easily yield to being cut by the blade already, and it wasn't even ready yet. This would be his way of thanking the boar on behalf of its sacrifice to him and his wolves.

Sanji worked into the night, still stretching and manipulating the leather, to the point where his hands were sore. He hung the dried leather back where he had it before and yawned a bit, looking to his wolves who had already went to sleep." Good idea..." he says, before he threw some more branches on the fire and moved into his tent. It was then that he got a better idea, and grabbed his cloak, wrapping it around himself before going right over to the wolves. They awoke groggily as he laid down with them, and all of them moved in close, the 4 of them huddled up for warmth and Sanji's head resting on one of them. He felt true comfort and was able to easily drift off to sleep, and soon they again had done the same.

( Word count for this post: 2079 )

Day 4: Sanji woke to the sound of birds chirping as the sun had just begun to bathe the area in it's warm, life-giving rays. He sat up from his place among the wolves and soon they woke up as well, stretching and yawning. As he did every morning Sanji went about the paces of getting his fire going again. Sadly this time his fire had went out completely. He threw some tinder into the pit and went off to gather more branches, carrying multiple armloads of them back to the campsite. Sanji knew he only had 3 more pine logs, and 4 days counting today left to stay here, so he again knelt by the tree he'd taken those logs off of, set it up on that jagged rock again, and poised himself before it.

Sanji's hand raised in the air and was brought down in a powerful flash, the wood crackling as he cleaved right through, much more easily this time. Repeated impact sounds resounded through the valley, and at last he was satisfied with his lumber supplies. He lugged it all back to camp in 3 trips before he knelt by the pit, taking that flint rock and kunal, striking the back of the kunai against the flint and raining sparks on his prepared tinder, which quickly flamed up after he leaned down and softly blew air in puffs on it. Twigs were used next, and then larger sticks. Finally he was able to get a larger log to going on the fire, the blaze roaring and crackling again.

The wolves watched as Sanji took a chunk of pork fat out, cut some into the pan, and set it on top of the log in the fire. He rendered off the fat and then proceeded to pour a carefully measured amount of rice into it. The rice browned nicely before he poured in water equal to 2 parts of the portion of rice and set it on to boil. Meanwhile he went to the roasted boar carcass and cut off large chunks of the meat, as well as smelling it to make sure it was still good. The meat still smelled perfect, the delightful scent of wood charring truly made it a lavish treat out here in the middle of the wilderness. One doesn't often get to eat like this out here, or even at home. And some without the skills or the companions that Sanji has would do much worse, maybe even starve if they didn't resort to eating local foliage first.

When the rice was boiling he set it off the fire and shoved the 4 chunks of meat onto a stick, holding them over the fire. When they were sufficiently warmed he took them off and tossed 3 pieces to his wolf friends, who he also had supreme admiration for. Usually a wild canine like that wouldn't leave something like that roasted boar alone. It made him wonder ultimately if these were just ordinary wolves or something more. He didn't dwell on the issue too much, however, as he fed them and then himself. With the rice and pork Sanji was having quite a filling breakfast, packed full of calories for energy, and protein for his muscles, which he'd been using quite a lot out here. He ate himself full and stood up to walk to the river, washing out his pan like usual, and then putting it away.

Sanji went off for a walk with the wolves in tow, before looking back at them." Think you can keep up?" he says. The wolves looked perplexed until Sanji abruptly turned and sprinted along the worn path. The wolves quickly gave chase, barking as if they thought he might leave them at first, but as he turned and taunted them playfully, they seemed to get into the game. Sanji ran with all his might, his torso leaned forward and his arms back. The commotion of the 4 running was quite a sound indeed, arrant barking and feet scraping the ground, Sanji's heavy breathing, the whole scene.

Sanji kept up that full sprint for as far as he could, but he only made it a mile before he had to slow down and then stop. The wolves huffed and puffed right along with him." I think we need to work on our cardio more, guys." he says in a winded manner. He took the emergency canteen out of his pouch and drank from it before pouring a stream out for the wolves to drink of, which they did." Alright come on, let's get back before that grouchy bear wanders onto our camp and steals the rest of that boar meat." The wolves showed remarkable understanding when he spoke to them, always perking up and listening. After about a quarter of a mile he looked back." A little faster." Sanji said. Soon he was jogging at a brisk but comfortable pace, and the wolves trotted along behind him.

Luckily once they returned to the campsite their meal was still there. He pointed to it and said " Eat the rest if you like, I'm going to train." he says. But the wolves came right along with him instead." What are you doing? Stay here." he said, but they didn't listen. A long staredown ensued between them, Sanji eyeing each wolf in turn, and they looked at him as well." So... you want to train with me, is that it?" he said. The wolves barked all at once. Sanji's expression grew more serious as he replied," Alright, let's do it." he says. Again he took off running, before finding a suitable clearing. Turning back to them, he widened his stance and held his large fists out in front of him defensively." Attack!" he yelled. The three wolves growled and ran at him, and he proceeded to dodge their attempted bites and circumvent their instinctive technique, which was to surround him. It was harder than he thought it'd be, though. He wasn't pulling his punches either. Repeatedly he'd knock one away with a punch or kick and they'd come right back at him, showing fierce courage and determination." These aren't regular wolves..." he thought. Again they tried to surround him, but this time was different. The one avenue of escape Sanji had was blocked off by a tree, which he bumped into. 3 mouths bit at him. He shoved the first two away, but the third got him. Oh did it ever get him. Sanji yelled in pain as he looked back, the wolf behind him releasing and taking on an innocent expression like "I didn't do anything." Sanji couldn't help but laugh as he rubbed his buttock, which the wolf had bitten quite hard." Good job on getting me, but did you have to bite there?" he asks with a laugh. With only a minor breather, the 4 continued their sparring session.

This time he set out after laying down the ground rules, which were." Try to keep up, if I manage to lose you, I'll hide and you have to find me." he says. Soon Sanji took off, ducking and weaving through obstacles, and slowing the wolves down. It didn't take long for him to lose them. If he kept moving he was sure to outpace them, but instead he took up a hiding spot, quickly preparing foliage to conceal him from view, but making it look natural enough that it wouldn't be easily detectable by the naked eye. He knew wolves didn't use their eyes like that, their real power was their noses. And it soon showed well. No more than 5 minutes after he had hidden, the 3 wolves came tromping along, barking happily as they invaded his hiding spot." Cheaters." He said jokingly." Alright, that was easy, let's go again."

This time Sanji would use the river to conceal his escape as he again outmaneuvered the wolves, but it wasn't nearly as easy this time." They're getting better fast... this is getting tough." he thought to himself. Again he managed to create a window within which he could prepare a suitable hiding place. And he had made it a point to cross the river, to test their ability to track him with their noses after crossing an area where he wouldn't easily leave a scent. Sanji hid out in the dense foliage of an evergreen tree, listening intently and keeping what little bit of view he had open to see if he could see the wolves. It took them almost 30 minutes this time, but he soon heard happy barking below, as if they were mocking him," Nice try with the river, but we found you!" He looked down at them with an amusing pout." Don't rub it in." he replied.

This cycle of pursuit, and then Sanji hiding in order for the wolves to have to find him kept up until late afternoon. Sanji's belly was growling and he knew theirs had to be as well. The 4 walked back to the campsite, and Sanji divided up what was left of the boar meat. He also went to the river and cast his net in a few times, eventually producing 4 fish for each of them. Again Sanji went about cleaning the fish, but since the wolves were eating pork they weren't interested in fish entrails, so he cast them downriver a ways to 'chum' the waters, as it were. Taking that same spit he roasted the pig on, he secured each of the 4 fish onto it and seasoned them well, before grabbing his pan and again frying off pork fat before browning some rice, pouring in water and bringing it to a boil. Sanji drank from his canteen thoughtfully as he looked at the wolves, they still never ceased to amaze him. Especially after today, he felt like their training today was more beneficial than anything he had been doing up to this point.

It was a refreshing thing to know he had 3 able training partners right here. "Tomorrow we need to work on their legs so they can travel amongst the trees..." he thought. He had made up his mind that he'd do whatever needed to be done to make a contract with these creatures, they were too helpful not to, and he wouldn't need to do the painful thing of saying goodbye, leaving them leaderless again. Though the larger wolf seemed to keep the other two in check, they seemed to have more of a brotherly relationship than that often cold and cruel alpha to beta relationship seen in most other wolf packs. Sanji continued to look at them while he quietly ate his meal, soon taking the 3 fish down and tossing them to the 3 wolves." If you three ever need me, I'll be there for you... but likewise if I need you, I'd like for you to be there for me. We're family now, we look after eachother, and we help eachother. Understood?" he said sternly. He watched as the three wolves exchanged glances, before all barking once in unison." Good. When I leave 3 days from now, I'm bringing you with me. There we will make our contract, and then you must return home. Taking you away from your happy lives here would be cruel, and I wouldn't dream of doing that to satisfy my own feelings. Still, we'll always be together in spirit. If one of us falls, we will honor the fallen and carry on. We're a team now, that's what team members do. I want you by my side in trying times, and I want to be by yours. This is why we were brought together, I feel. Be sure and spread the word to your wolf brothers." he said.

A long moment elapsed before the three walked up. Sanji bowed his head and each wolf touched their nose to his forehead, as if ratifying this agreement between them. It was a connection that was beyond words, and it amazed him that they were able to so quickly establish this connection. Mankind wasn't as far from nature as they liked to sometimes think themselves, and this journey Sanji had embarked on simply out of a need to get stronger was becoming so much more than that, like he was an outward manifestation of nature's bond with man, and vice versa." Finish your food and get some rest, we got a lot of training to do." He said. Another unified bark from the three wolves answered what he said, and he nodded solemnly before finishing his own food. Once again the 4 huddled out under the stars by the fire, his tent by now was becoming more of a storehouse for wood than his home at night. This wilderness felt like a second home to him now. He rested his head among theirs and shut his eyes, thinking for a while about what had transpired so far. Deep down Sanji already knew that even without a summoning contract, somehow those wolves would find their way to him anyway, for in this very short time he felt closer to them than he had ever felt with anyone among his own kind. Soon Sanji found his sleep again, and he was able to rest easy, because anyone stupid enough to mess with the 4 of them out here in their element would be in for a rude awakening, as they had already shown cohesiveness that often took ninja teams months or even years to obtain.

( Word count for this post: 2238 )

Day 5: The day started much like the others, and it was convenient that the weather had been favorable for this whole outing, as rain could really put a damper on things otherwise. He awakened amongst the wolves as he had these past 2 days, and sat up to stretch. The wolves awakened as well and followed suit, yawning and stretching." Good morning." He said to the wolves." So, what are we eating today? We're out of boar meat." he said. The wolves exchanged glances and then abruptly sprinted away." Hmm... guess they're going to hunt." He thought. This gave him time to clean himself up a bit, wash his face and such. In the meantime he recovered the smouldering embers in his fire pit and got the fire going. He'd cook whatever he brought back for them if they so chose, but he decided to eat some of the pears he picked the day before. He sat by the fire on this chilly early fall morning with his cloak draped over his shoulders, eating a pear.

An hour later he heard a yip of victory as the three wolves came trotting out of the woods, the smallest of the three wolves trotting close while dragging a turkey along. He grimaced and then abruptly busted out laughing at the sight of them happily running toward him." Geez... looks like he won. And he's gloating." he says. When the wolf dropped the turkey before him he patted his head, and then looked at the other two." Little brother got the best of you this time." He says, his words met with dejected whines from the two." Well... I agreed to this, after all... good thing we still got that spit." he says. Sanji put some water in his large cast iron skillet and waited for it to boil before he poured the steaming water over the turkey, scalding the feathers loose from the skin. It took him a while to pluck it, and he carefully saved the feathers in his bag, before he gutted it and then put it on the spit to cook. He looked at the size of it and chuckled," Nice haul... eh... you guys need names."

Sanji looked between the wolves thoughtfully, and thought about what to name them. It occurred to him to simply name them 1, 2, and 3. But that was far too arbitrary and impersonal. He'd never do that to them." Hmm... alright, you are Hageshii, for you never give me the satisfaction of forcing you to divert your gaze from mine." He says to the largest wolf." And you are Tsuyoi, strong-willed and determined." he said to the middle wolf, and to the smallest one, who was victorious today, he says," And you... well, what else could I call you but Masaru? You won today, after all." he says with a chuckle, turning the roasting bird on the spit by sticking a kunai in the end of the spit and looping a stick through the loop in the end of the kunai to use as leverage to turn it.

It was a quiet morning, and that in a way was liberating, as he had been training quite hard for the previous 4 days. He definitely wasn't taking a day off, but this was his chance to simply rest and enjoy the morning with the wolves who laid nearby. It took over 3 hours to cook the bird, but once it was done the three of them ate well, plenty of meat for them all and still over half of it left for the rest of the day." Remember what I said last night? Time to honor it. Let's go train." he says. Running toward some trees with branches that were 10, 15, and 20 feet off the ground, he looked down at the wolves." If you're going to travel with me, you have to learn how we ninjas travel in forested areas like this." He says. With a powerful leap he landed right on the 10 foot high branch." Other ninja dogs can get up here without a problem, now it's time for you to try." He says.

The three wolves barked in confirmation and began trying to leap up there as he had. And they certainly had the height, but the footing? Not so much. Each time one appeared to make it, they slipped off. Sanji stood there and quickly caught the falling wolf by the scruff and then let him drop where he could land on his feet so they didn't hurt themselves with a bad fall. It wasn't the smallest wolf this time that succeeded first, but the one in the middle. He landed on the branch with incredible grace after falling a few times. He barked happily and then wagged his tail at the other two. It took them some time as well, but they did eventually make it." Good job. You need to get used to this, though, so keep practicing." He said to them." I don't expect you to leap to any height I tell you to, but you need to know how to get up on taller trees. For now, keep practicing on this one." He said.

Sanji let them work on their leaping and landing on narrow surfaces, helping them whenever needed, until an hour or so elapsed and the wolves were panting. He raised a hand to stop them and jumped down." Breaktime, go get some water." He says, walking back to the river with them. He filled his canteen and drank as well, looking between them." Good job. Don't get discouraged, we'll keep working on it. For now just relax." He says. The wolves laid around as Sanji walked just off the campsite to another downed tree. He grasped onto a branch high enough up so that his feet didn't touch, and began doing pull ups on it. His physical fitness truly shined here, at least, as he just kept on doing them, 100, then 200, then 300. He barely gave himself time to relax before his shoulders were poised under the tree itself, and he used his hands to push it up off himself, grunting with intense effort each time he did so. Despite sounding like he was really struggling, he just kept putting it up time and time again. A pine tree at that, very dense and heavy wood, filled with dried sap.

Climbing up onto the tree itself, he hung off that same branch with his legs. Sweat glistened on his muscled body in the sun, running down his chest and to his neck, face, and head when he was vertical. Sanji's body repeatedly bent in half as he trained his abs by lifting up from the vertical position, doing sit ups while hanging off the branch, effectively. His abs burned but still he continued, the burning only making him angry enough to keep punishing himself until he could literally do no more for that set. He thought about a lot of things as he trained his body, namely how things would go by potentially being able to make a summoning contract with these 3 wolves. It'd be best to ask a summoner about such things, if not the inuzuka clan about the bond and agreement between canine and master. But, at the same time he was reluctant, feeling he might summon them into an impossible situation and get them seriously hurt or worse. Someone like him with so much compassion would rather die than put any of those majestic creatures in harm's way. But they seemed so enthusiastic, like they had been given true purpose when he made it clear that they were a team, and that they would fight as one. He also felt it was cruel to deny them of what they seemed to want.

"The pack fights as one, and dies as one, huh...?" he says to himself as he hits the deck again, doing pushups while continuing to think about the wolves and their fate which was now inexorably tied to his. It was a dangerous world though, and it needed people like Sanji. Certainly through intense training he and his wolf friends could stand a good chance of stemming the tide of evil in this world, if not bring about a long-standing, hopefully permanent peace. It seemed like such a pipe dream, but then it made him think of the first Hokage. He was said to put an end to repeated wars and establish the village Sanji proudly served today. 1 man, a very special and powerful man, but only 1 man nonetheless. This thought gave him hope, that maybe, just maybe, he could beat the odds and be that special case that persists through unimaginable hardship, to accomplish an ultimate goal not only for himself, but all those who tenuously share this world. Idyllic thoughts again, he said to himself. But it was no sin to dream, or to want a better life for all things.

With a whistle that instantly garnered the attention of the wolves, he waved them over and then took off for a brisk jog, intending for them to follow, which they did. The wolves trotted right along, panting as he did. Repeatedly the 4 ran up and down the worn path that led back to the campsite, effectively doing interval running 1 mile north of the camp, then turning around and running back to camp. On the 5th trip back, or 10th mile of running, they huffed and puffed as they walked back to the river. Sanji and the wolves all leaned over to the river's surface and drank deeply of the water, gulping it down for at least 3 minutes. Sanji re-emerged with a loud, satisfied sigh, and leaned back." I'm hungry, guys. Let's eat. Again the 4 dined on that wild turkey that Masaru had successfully brought back on their morning hunt, an extra delectable treat when one considers the grueling training Sanji and his wolves had endured today.

Sanji drank more calmly from his canteen to wash his share of the turkey down. He stood up once again and walked to the river, standing on the surface with the water-walking technique. The wind blowing off the cold river water soothed any overheating he was experiencing. Sanji stood on the water and formed the seal of the ram, channeling his chakra and actively moving it throughout himself, kneading it and pressing it down through his feet. He could now stand on the water indefinitely, and found it easy to fight on it now too. This was a great weight off his shoulders as he was a bit concerned with his lack of ability in that department, but it was just that he hadn't done much chakra training before recently. This wasn't physically strenuous training in and of itself, but it did go into deeper detail of one's ability to utilize the chakra within, and control it at will. By now Sanji considered the dream of being a medical ninja like his father to be dead, a sobering fact, but it was true that he had an affinity for other things. Not everybody was cut out to fit into whatever mold they chose for themselves. The mold would choose them.

As the sun set and darkness took hold, Sanji let out a momentous sigh and walked back off the water. He looked at the wolves who were already laid out by the fire, which he fed with more wood. Grabbing his cloak from the tent he wrapped himself in it and again laid among Hageshii, Tsuyoi, and Masaru. Sanji laid there and thought as he did every night while listening to the soothing breathing of the wolves surrounding him. He thought about how he'd feel when it came time to head back to Konoha. Certainly he missed it, he missed Sachiko, he missed his mother. But he also knew he'd miss this. He actually considered training here a vacation, away from the drag of mundane low-ranking missions. Sanji let out a yawn before he too joined the wolves in sleep, 2 days left until he must head back.

( Word count for this post: 2010 )

Day 6: This day started a bit earlier than the others, as Sanji rose from the ground where he lay amongst the 3 wolves. Standing up he quickly threw the cloak back in his tent, fed the smouldering embers some more wood to get them going again, and put two smaller logs into the fire pit. The wolves stirred but didn't seem willing to get up yet, which was all well and good, as Sanji planned on doing the hunting this morning. Armed only with a kunai he set out on his own and explored the lush forest around his campsite. It was indeed a beautiful place, unmarred by humanity save for where his campsite was, and that eyesore would be coming down tomorrow.

Sanji stalked along quietly and moved up into an old evergreen tree, watching the area around him intently. An old, grey looking buck wandered under the tree he was in and scratched its hide against the bark. Sanji wasn't fond of killing deer, or any creature for that matter, but it had to be done. If it had been a younger deer he'd have surely spared it. However, it wasn't and this fellow wouldn't make it much longer. Sanji quietly dropped from the tree and struck precisely at the back of the Buck's skull, piercing the brain stem and instantly killing him." Sorry... it's nothing personal..." he says, patting the deceased animal's side. At least it was quick. Sanji knelt down and lifted the large animal right onto his shoulders, carrying it back to camp.

Taking his spot by the river where he usually cleaned animals he gutted and skinned the buck. Discarding the entrails across the river, he hung the skin up nearby to dry and then proceeded to butcher the animal into basic cuts. When at last he'd finished, he put them on the trusty spit he made, seasoned them heavily, and set them over the fire to roast, a process which would take a good while. The smell of venison at last roused the wolves from their slumber just as Sanji was moving into the cold river to wash himself clean of the deer's blood. It took less than a minute for him to bathe in that frigid water, and he spent the next 30 minutes by the fire warming up as a result." I thought you guys would appreciate sleeping in today." he joked. The wolves just eyed him as they sat nearby.

Once he was dry and fairly warm again Sanji put his clothing back on and whistled to rouse the attention of the wolves." I know training before breakfast sucks but frankly we got some time to kill. Let's go..." he says. The wolves come along quickly, a spring in their step as he leads them back to that clearing they 'sparred' in." Same routine as before, attack me with all you got." He says. The wolves poise themselves and as soon as Sanji nods they strike. He parries and pushes the wolves away, showing just as much improvement as they were, though it took all his focus just to dodge their attacks, or block them. They were surrounding him much easier today, forcing him to leap out from between them multiple times - exactly what he wanted them to force him to do. If they were fighting in a real scenario that would be Sanji's cue to come in and attack the airborne ninja while he's unable to move himself out of harm's way easily.

Sanji's arms and legs had minor nicks and bitemarks as their sparring wore on, bleeding modestly. Even as he was hitting the wolves they got back up within a few seconds and came at him again. They were relentless and so was he, neither faction giving the other time to breathe. Nearly an hour and a half elapsed before Sanji dropped to one knee and the wolves stopped. They all remained where they were, panting as Sanji did before he reached out to them. When the wolves came closer he petted them." Doing great, guys..." he says, simultaneously praising them and checking them for injury. They were no worse off than he was. Standing up he said," Let's go check on our food." He says, walking with them back to the campsite." Smelling good..." he mumbles as he walks to the spit, some of the meat still needed time, but the smaller cuts were ready to eat. He gave each of the wolves a sizeable chunk of meat, and budgeted one for himself as well. Sanji also put some rice on to cook, happy to see that food was taken care of for this last full day of training.

Mealtime was over now, and he took the wolves right back out to where they were having it out before, and the 4 continued their sparring session for a little while before Sanji called for a stop and said." Alright, time for you 3 to hit the trees again." He says, before leaping onto a branch to show them what he meant. They showed vast improvement already, able to repeatedly leap up to the branch and stay there instead of slipping off. He was there to spot again but it didn't seem necessary." Alright, now let's see how you travel among the trees." said Sanji, looking between them all perched up on that branch. Sanji jumped to another branch in another tree, and repeated the act several times before looking back at the wolves. They were tentative but able to do it. Again he demonstrated the technique without missing a beat and they repeated the action tentatively." Stop being scared and just go for it." he says. It was obvious they weren't into gallivanting through the trees, but it'd help for them to know how should they need to get anywhere in the fire country expediently.

After a few hours of this jump training Sanji led them in a wide circle through the trees around the camp, and they just kept leaping through the same path, soon moving right along with Sanji with little difficulty. When they at last made it back to camp, he jumped down from the tree and grabbed his canteen, drinking what bit of water was left in it before filling it back up in the river. He watched the wolves follow suit and drink with him, after all that was a grueling bit of training and the sun was somewhat warm today, as indicated by the beads of sweat glistening on Sanji's exposed torso and arms. He set the cooked deer meat off the fire and cut some off, looking between the wolves and deciding to see if they knew their names." Hageshii. Come here." He says. The largest wolf trotted forward and he gave him some of the meat as a reward." Good. Next, Masaru." he says, so they didn't get used to the order. The smallest wolf trotted up, and he fed him in kind." Alright. Tsuyoi, you're up." he says, and the middle wolf came up, who got meat for his troubles as well." Good. You know your names. So... What's on the agenda now, eh?" he asks, chewing on some of the meat himself as the three eat and then exchange glances. He was a little annoyed at this, but then he felt silly for expecting a response.

Designating this as the rest period for them, Sanji stood up and walked over to a large, healthy tree. It definitely wouldn't feel good but it was for the best. Sanji stood before the tree and began punching it, elbowing it, kneeing it, kicking it, even headbutting it. He was trying to train up all the areas that he'd eventually need to use for striking. A grunt of pain accompanied every hit on the rough bark, his skin started to peel away. Still he persisted for some time until finally the discomfort got the best of him and he stood still, bleeding from multiple points." Don't worry, I meant to do that." He says to the wolves, who whined anxiously as he walked to the river and washed away the blood. He filled the pan with water and boiled it before saturating the bandages in the boiling water to sanitize them, then wrapping his fists and arms up, followed by his feet and legs. It was the best way he knew short of having the wolves chew on him to build up his toughness and deaden any pain that would plague him during battle from hitting his opponent.

The sun set for the final time he'd see it set during this trip out in this pristine wilderness area. He threw two more logs on his fire and really got it roaring, like an unspoken celebration of the completion of his training here. He fed the wolves each a sizeable portion of meat, and said," Eat well, we have a long journey back tomorrow and we need to make good time." he says. The wolves bark in unison as a response and chow down. Sanji laid back with his head on his bag, sipping from his canteen after finishing his own serving of meat, as well as eating the last of those pears he picked after that 'altercation' with the bear who thought that was his personal garden.

Day soon gave way to nighttime without any indication of the sun persisting, and Sanji stood up, grabbing his cloak from the tent and laying down with the wolves for one last night of restful sleep among the trees, under the stars, and in the caring arms of mother nature herself. He still stared up at the sky for some time, and his eyes widened as he made out a shooting star from the bright glowing stars and the dark backdrop of the night sky. He quickly made a wish, just a childish custom to do so. He wished for longstanding peace. Not personal gain or anything of the sort. He wanted to become a powerful warrior so he'd not have to use any the abilities he acquired on a day-to-day basis. It seemed ironic to say, but as the saying goes It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Before going to bed Sanji took down the tent, there was no sign of rain and he hadn't slept in it but twice anyway. He didn't need to keep the wood inside from getting wet, and in fact he threw the largest log on the fire to make sure they'd have a good blaze going clear up until they had to wake up and set out in the morning. He was scheduled to return to Konoha at 6:00 pm and he didn't want to be late. He could just imagine the ragging and berating, even though there's an additional grace period. He had no idea why it was necessary to give one the third degree over it, but it did make sense in a way. If an emergency breaks out and he isn't there, they might be too short-handed and as such be able to drive back the enemy. With a light chuckle and a shake of his head, Sanji broke down what he'd set up there in camp, and he folded that boarskin leather he had made up before putting it in the bag as well, along with the tent and anything else he had out for the time. Now that that was done, all he'd need to do is eat, pick up his bag, and leave.

Laying back down he wrapped himself in that warm cloak of his by the fire, his head resting amongst the heads of the sleeping wolves he had befriended here. He petted each of them gently before he shut his eyes, looking forward to seeing how he can have them progress under his tutelage. It's his hope to not only secure them under a summoning contract, which he had no doubt they would agree to, but to take their training up a notch and allow them to become full-fledged ninjas themselves. He realized he was treading a bit on the Inuzuka clan's territory, but he hoped they wouldn't see it that way, and would help him with information about what he needs to do to train them to their full potential, and build their relationship as well. Soon Sanji's thoughts seemed to blur, and sleep claimed him once more.

( Word count for this post: 2078 )

Day 7: Sanji awoke from his slumber and immediately whistled to rouse the wolves. Whines resounded around him as they yawned and stretched before standing up. He stood up as well and looked between them, still bandaged up from the especially rough training he underwent yesterday, nevermind the grueling trials he put himself and the wolves through the days before that." Alright. Hageshii, Tsuyoi, Masaru. Time to head back to Konoha. But... I leave that up to you. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. I'd never dream of taking you away from your home against your will." He says. One by one, the wolves stepped closer and stared up at him as if waiting to follow. Sanji smiled lightly and nodded." As you wish." He says in return. Walking to the big bag he lugged out here, he lifted it up, and looked a little surprised. He scanned the campsite but he had everything, and there's no chance a thief got in here without the wolves detecting a foreign presence and alerting him, if not outright attacking the offending individual of their own accord. No... Sanji was stronger. A lot stronger.

He looked between the wolves before he went to the spit he made to roast meat on. There was still deer meat. He checked it before he gave the rest of it to them, save for a piece for himself. He ate it quickly and they in turn did the same. With one last drink from the river for all of them, Sanji headed north, and heard the footfalls of the wolves right behind him. He wasn't walking this time, no... he was sprinting, even with all that weight on his back. He then lept up into the trees and the wolves followed, the 4 of them hopping from branch to branch at great speed. Even at this pace it'd take hours to get home. Luckily he still had some pork fat for them should they get hungry again. The road was long and his pass was soon about to run out, but he hoped he had carefully managed his time so that he wouldn't have to hear the berating that came with being late, and the paranoid checks to see that he hadn't in some way become a nefarious wayfarer inexplicably hellbent on vengeance against his home village, for no apparent reason as it would be for him.

Sanji and the wolves moved back to the ground to run when they came across a field without trees a couple of hours into the trip. Luckily there was another pristine river for them and he stopped. The wolves drank deeply while he filled his canteen and rehydrated himself. An old saying says a ninja's worst enemy on the battlefield is dehydration. Sanji took it to heart and made sure not only he remained hydrated, but his wolven comrades as well. After a mere 10 minutes of rest he stood and nodded his head, then took off once again in the direction of kohona, the wolves in tow as they had been the whole way. He was happy they made the choice to stick with him, and he made a silent promise to himself and them that they wouldn't for one second regret it. The way he saw it the village of Konohagakure had 3 more able allies to draw power from, but he'd be the one to determine how that power was utilized, no matter what remarkable abilities they, or himself, may obtain in the never-ending process of improving as a ninja.

Soon they arrived back at that tiny village where he was graced with the kindness of those there, and he didn't like what he saw. Flames rose from a few of the huts and he could hear the screams of women and children, the clash of steel weapons. Sanji and the wolves ran quickly to the source of commotion and saw 10 bandits facing off against the villagers, a few of the village's men had already been badly hurt. He growled and simply pointed, and the wolves growled in kind and attacked. Sanji rushed in right along with them, not bothering to drop that large backpack he carried. His first punch carried unimaginable rage and power with it, hitting one of the largest bandits so hard his head snapped around and he fell to the ground, bleeding profusely from his mouth and nose, even his eyes. His neck was violently crushed from the brutal impact. The wolves went right for the throats of 3 of the bandits, the sound of windpipes and bones being crushed within their powerful jaws resounded sickeningly. Sanji roared in anger and launched a flurry of attacks, easily diverting the swords and knives the bandits brought to bear against him. Punching, kicking, elbowing, kneeing, simply bludgeoning everyone he had identified as an enemy until 10 bodies lay on the ground.

Sanji stood up, his wounds bleeding through anew in those bandages around his hands, arms, and legs. Not all of the blood was his, though. When the melee was over the wolves sat on their haunches, sniffing the air to make sure there were no others. Tsuyoi's ears suddenly perked up and he dashed toward one of the burning huts." Tsuyoi don't go in there!" yelled Sanji, but the wolf didn't listen. Less than a moment later the wolf came trotting out, and on his back was a 2 year old child, coughing and crying, but alive. This caused Masaru and Hageshii to follow suit, they checked the buildings that burned but no one else was in them. Soon the wolves rejoined with Sanji and the mother of the child cried as she took the crying child off the wolf's back, and she knelt down and hugged the wolf. Sanji's jaw tightened with emotion and he smiled, nodding to Tsuyoi, as if silently commending him for his bravery and quick action.

The village's elder came forth and looked at Sanji as the rest of the village tended to their own wounded." It's a good thing you decided to take the same road home, Sanji..." said the wise old man with a smile." I'm glad we didn't take your money you offered last time, still you found a way to repay us didn't you, young shinobi?" added the elder. Sanji smiled and nodded." Come to my home, let me change those bandages for you. I also got some food for those valiant animals you travel with." Though Sanji was in a hurry he wouldn't refuse the old man's hospitality, neither would the wolves with tails wagging. When they got inside Sanji sat down and winced lightly as he unwound the bandages while the old man gave the wolves some leftover chicken he had on hand, and 3 bowls of water. The wolves ate and wagged their tails contently, and Sanji sat there as the old man did away with the bloody bandages, and got out a jar of strange green ointment." This won't feel good, I warn you, but it'll prevent any infection from setting in." Curtly, Sanji nodded and winced inwardly when the salve was applied to his superficial cuts and wounds from training. It didn't feel good at all but he was able to bear it as his wounds were wrapped in fresh bandages." Thank you, Oji-sama..." said Sanji." No... thank you, Sanji." said the old man.

Once the wolves had eaten and Sanji was patched up, the 4 bid the elder and the villagers farewell. No one had died, thank goodness. Sanji wouldn't have to live with being too late to save someone this time. He and the wolves headed back onto the path quickly, the villagers waving until they were out of sight, and life for them could get back to normal. Looking up at the sun, Sanji grimaced lightly, that little altercation had cost them some time. He once again lept into the trees and the wolves followed. How quickly they had taken to his training. It would be wonderful seeing how they progressed. All of them looked to be less than a year old, and while wolves in general look pretty alike, they seemed to have a more natural bond than a pack. Sanji could only figure that they were brothers. Deep down he hoped they had not accepted him as merely a leader, but as a brother as well. There was no master and pet relationship here, they had their own personalities and every right to express what they agree with and what they disagree with.

So close now, Sanji could see the village's outline on the horizon, partially obscured by trees, but it was there." We're almost home, guys." he says to the wolves, they bark in acknowledgement and the three of them double time it. As they reach the gate the guard holds up his hand and Sanji stops, as do the wolves. He figured the guards were about to protest him bringing the wolves into the village, but no. No the guard derisively pointed to that same hourglass he'd used that technique on. The sand was black. Sanji grumbled and rubbed his face in disgust." How late am I?" he asked." One minute and 32 seconds." Said the guard. This made Sanji look at him with confusion." You're going to give me a hard time over 1 and a half minutes?" he asked." Those are the rules." Was the reply he received. As Sanji and the wolves were escorted to the interrogation building, the guards were flagged down by the same jounin that gave Sanji the pass." Let him go." said the jounin." Orders from the Hokage himself."

Sanji gazed at the jounin with a measured glance, his expression as deadpan as ever. The guards soon went back to their posts and Sanji asked," Why did you have them release me?" "Because we received word as to why you were late." This made Sanji's eyes go wide, before he realized just what, or who it had been." This message came in via a carrier hawk just a moment ago. It reads," Forgive Sanji Sanada for being late in arriving back to the village, Hokage-sama. He and his wolves saved my village from destruction, and should be rewarded. I have very little to give, all I can give is my undying gratitude to your village for fielding such a fine shinobi." All Sanji could do was emit a quiet chuckle and nod his head." Good work, Sanji." said the jounin. A pat to Sanji's shoulder was all they exchanged afterward, and the jounin walked off, back to the hokage's office." Alright then... let's go home, this pack is getting heavy again." he says, the wolves bark once and they run off to Sanji's home.

Sanji's mother immediately screamed when she saw the wolves, and Sanji waved his hands." They're with me! Please calm down!" he says. The wolves just exchange glances with eachother, Hageshii even shaking his head back and forth in quiet annoyance at the situation. When he got his mother to calm down, Sanji explained his whole week to her, and at last she understood, though she still wasn't terribly thrilled that now she'd have 3 wolves living in her home." It's hard enough to keep you fed, Sanji!" she says, more jokingly than anything." But I'm glad your trip was rewarding." She says, giving her son a pat on the cheek before he nodded and went up to his room to finally put that heavy backpack down. He laid out on his bed and sighed lightly." Home at last..." he thought. The wolves hopped up on the bed with him and laid down with him. It was a bit crowded, but now after such a fulfilling experience this past week, he wouldn't have it any other way.

( Word count for this post: 1968 )

( General training post. Total word count: 14618 )

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