Wandering Drunk through the Desert! (Private, NK)

Sat May 21, 2016 7:51 am

Nobu paces around the room, thinking about his training. He had been going at it for a while now, but his progress felt like it was slowing down a great deal. He was going to have to step his training up once more as his current rate wasn’t going to cut it anymore. How could he intensify his training though? It felt as though he wasn’t making the needed progress here in the Sunagakure training grounds.

While they were great for sparring and general jutsu practices, Nobu found that he had grown too complacent with just training there. His problem wasn’t so much that he didn’t enjoy the training there. No, he enjoyed the training plenty and there were also many techniques being used all over the place around the training area. Plenty of opportunities to watch others, learn subtle differences in techniques, learn whole new jutsu being practiced. No, Nobu found the training area to be a great place of learning and development. His only problem was that he wasn’t pushing himself hard enough. The village hidden in the sand was only a short walk away from the grounds. If Nobu felt tired, or hungry he could just call training quits for the day, walk into the village and relax. That was his problem. It was ‘too easy’ to just allow his own weakness take control of his actions. Well, not this time. It was time for some serious training, the kind that you do knowing full well that you might not make it back in one piece. Nobu was planning on trekking his way out into the desert for a serious bit of survival training.

Packing up what he can in a small bag, Nobu grabs several things. First he grabbed several bottles of water. If he planned on trekking back out into the desert, this time he was going to be properly hydrated. Next, he stuffed a large bag of dried meat chunks into his bag. If food was hard to come by, this would help. It would not be all that he needed, but it will stave off starvation while he looked for more food. He also grabbed something from the cupboard. It was just labelled ‘For pain’ and Nobu figured it was some type of pain relief medicine or anti-inflammatory, so he figured it would be useful if he got hurt out there. Tossing a few of these into his bag, he moves on to the next item. He tossed several sheets of paper into the bag, not much worried about if they crumple or not. The whole purpose for them was to aid in starting a fire. But the desert is hot! Why would anyone need fire. Well, for one it would keep Nobu warm in the freezing cold of the desert nights, on top of providing a way for Nobu to avoid eating whatever he catches raw.

Nobu heads in to take a shower and get ready for the trip. This was likely the last time he would be able to take a proper shower, and so he let himself enjoy the water pouring over him before drying off and getting his clothes on. Putting on his suna headband, he was finally ready to go out.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Nobu begins to write a letter to Raizuko letting him know where he is at and that he will be gone for a while.

“Hey Raizuko,

I’m heading off into the desert for some intense survival training. I might be gone for a few days, but I shouldn’t take too long. Just thought I should give you the heads up in case you wondered where I wandered off to.

Thanks, Nobu”

Grabbing his bag, Nobu heads int town and picks up a small flint and steel. This would also help him get a fire started, as he didn’t think there would be much in the way of dry wood in the desert. Nobu then heads to the gates and begins his desert journey. He figured that it would be best to start his travel at the beginning of the day, for he was not truly familiar with the area surrounding Suna. He knew that there were several caves in the area, so it was very likely that there would be animals. Animals meant food and water. If an animal could survive out here, Nobu should also be able to. First things first, he’d need to find some type of shelter for when night hit. Most of the area seemed rather bleak and barren, but off in the distance Nobu could see something that looked like it might be some caves. That is where he would begin this exercise. Still carrying his pack, Nobu begins to sprint towards the caves. His time training his footing in the sand helped a great deal here, as he manages to not fall the whole trip.

As he reaches the caves he immediately checks for anything dangerous. The cave seemed free of sleeping scorpions and other desert critters, so Nobu began to clear it out and begin to use it as a quick shelter. Now he needed to find food. Looking to the sky, he found something that signified food, vultures. Now, they typically deal with carrion which Nobu wanted no parts of, but the birds themselves were edible. This of course meant Nobu would have to catch the birds, but he figured that he might be fast enough.

Slowly but surely, Nobu approached the buzzards and watched. There had to be at least five of them, and they were circling some sort of dead animal. It was hard to tell what it was exactly, but this also told Nobu about the surroundings. The vultures didn’t kill the animal. No, there had to be another predator in the area that killed it first and left what it didn’t want for the buzzards to pick at. One more thing to watch out for it would seem. This trip was turning out better than Nobu had expected, and this excited him. This would truly be a test of his abilities it seemed.

Creeping up slowly towards the birds, Nobu watched. They hadn’t seemed to notice him yet, or at least if they did they didn’t care. Nobu dashed over as fast as he could and tried to catch one of the birds. He just hadn’t been fast enough though, and they just flew away without him catching one. Well, it looked like it was going to have to be dried lizard meat tonight. Maybe he’d have better luck tomorrow. He grabs a few rib bones before he heads out, for you never know when an improvised tool will be useful.

Nobu returns to his shelter and immediately begins practicing his moves. He wasn’t even fast enough to catch a bird. He was going to have to remedy that problem. Nobu started with several rapid kicks to the air. His motions were fluid and graceful even, the speed being nothing to scoff at. His speed still isn’t enough though, and so Nobu would begin to practice kicking until his leg cried out to stop. Even then, he would push on for a moment longer. Night approached quickly while Nobu was practicing the speed of his kicks, and a chill crept through the air. Shivering, Nobu though it was high time he headed inside his shelter and bundled up in his cloak. He might have started the fire, but without enough fuel he would be hard pressed to keep it going through the night. He was going to have to save what resources he could for when he actually needed to cook something.

Nobu slept deeply, his own body heat keeping the little cove warm enough to survive. Getting up slowly, Nobu stretched out and started more much needed training. This time he focused on his the speed of his punches, his fists driving them with enough force to cause a whistling sound through the air. Nobu was particularly fond of the move he had properly learned to utilize in his spar with Sakaiza. The speed at which the strikes would move was rather devastating, and just off of the sheer speed alone the force was immense. Luckily Nobu had been constantly conditioning the skin on his fists to toughen it and prevent scrapes and damage.

After several hours of shadowboxing at an incredible speed, Nobu wiped the sweat from his brow and ate a few more pieces of his lizard jerky. It wasn’t going to last much longer, so finding proper food was going to be needed here soon. Downing a few gulps of water to replenish himself and rehydrate, Nobu heads off and looks to see if he can find any more buzzards. Moving around the desert was troubling to Nobu, as he didn’t want to be stuck at night without any shelter. Regardless, he needed food. If there were animals, there had to be some type of water source nearby. Nobu found the highest point he could in the general area, and scouted out the landscape. In the distance he thought he could see water, but it was far away and if it turned out to just be the heat playing tricks on his eyes it could be problematic.

Swigging another large gulp of water, he realizes that he doesn’t have much of a choice, so he heads out towards the ‘water’. Hearing a howling sound in the distance, Nobu immediately thinks of what it might be. Was it some type of predator? And if so how close was it? Howls could be heard for miles, so he couldn’t be too sure. Nobu would have to tread carefully. He manages to see an oasis it seemed, so he was in luck. Sadly, there weren’t any animals nearby that he could try to take down, but that meant that he could drink and fill his bottles in peace.

Chugging the remainder of his second bottle of water, Nobu fills them from the water there and splashed some on his face. The sweat he had from the heat and training had dried and made his face feel rather unpleasant. A small lizard begins skittering just passed Nobu, and his first instinct is to snatch it. Well, looks like there was food for the night. Nobu grabs a bunch of bark and leaves from the tree near the oasis. And there was some fuel for the fire. Now Nobu would head back and cook up a meal once the fuel dried out.

Now wanting to waste any time, Nobu continues to practice his Taijutsu speed. Another several hours of training go by, and Nobu thinks it might be time to start practicing actual techniques. He begins with a series of strong kicks that bring him up into the air, followed by the move he had been practicing the day before, a powerful axe heel kick that should crush the bones of any enemy foolish enough to try and block. The impact force was immense, shattering the sandstone that Nobu had struck. It didn’t even cut his foot that time, so Nobu was in luck it seemed. As night fell, Nobu began to prepare the fire. The fuel all seemed fairly dry, the hot desert sun being responsible for most of that.

Sparking the flint and steel, the spark hits the edges of the dried leaves. They ignite rather quickly, one burning up before Nobu had time to add more fuel. Lighting the second large leaf, he packed fuel and paper on it in hopes of the fire holding for at least a bit. IT LIGHTS! Good, now he just had to find a way to cook the lizard. If he had a stick or something it would be a great deal easier, but as it seemed he was going to have to just use his hands. Then it hit him. He had those animal bones, which could replace the stick in that scenario. Sliding the lizard on to the bone, he cooked it in the flames, the smell of fresh cooking meat thick in the air as night made itself apparent in the sky.

Nobu was just about to eat when he heard a loud howling sound nearby. The meat! They must have smelled it and came looking for food. Three hyena’s slowly approach Nobu, circling slowly. They wanted his food, and they would fight him if needed. That was just what Nobu had hoped for, for what is the point of survival training if you aren’t in any danger. Readying himself, Nobu assumes his stance.

The hyena’s yip to each other and one of them lunges forward while the other two flank. Nobu struck the first attacker hard in the snout, and kicks another. The third however manages to put a serious bite into his calf. Pain shot through Nobu’s body, immediately followed by a strange rush. It had been too long since he felt a thrilling combat, and a minor wound was part of the fun. Nobu proceeds to drop an elbow on the head of the hyena that bite him, it yelping loudly from the force. They all continued to circle him, ready to pounce again. No, Nobu wasn’t one to react to his opponents. He would much rather force them to react to his actions. Dashing over, he plants a firm kick to the rib cage of one of the beasts, hearing a cracking sound. He must have broke bones with that strike, and the animal dropped over in pain. The other two tried to attack, but another two fast kicks knock them in the head, causing them to halt their approaches. Nobu was about to attack again before they ran off. “I must have scared them off I guess. Well, I’ll just…” Turning around Nobu sees what they had really been running from.

A large predatory cat, looking much like a mountain line or such had been staring him down. The fighting had caused Nobu to get sloppy and allow the large predator to sneak up on him. It looked over at the cooking food and then over to the injured hyena. It must have thought that it had just hit the jackpot, but Nobu would have none of it. After the adrenaline had seemed to wear off, the pain in his leg soon started to be too much. The bite must have caused more damage than he had originally thought, but Nobu had just the thing for it. He hobbled over to his bag as fast as he could while the cat eyed up the hyena. He found the bottle of ‘pain reliever’ and downed it. It tasted horrible, but hopefully it would….

Just then it seems to hit Nobu all at once. The bottle for pain relief had numbed much of the pain, but Nobu was having difficulty thinking straight. Slowly things faded. *Hic*

Nobu runs over towards the cat and gives it a quick jab with his foot, grabbing its attention away from the injured hyena. The blow was enough to make the large beast growl at Nobu, clearly annoyed by his interference. “Your fight is *hic* with *hic* me furry monster!” Pawing at Nobu’s leg, he quickly evaded with a roll over the back of the creature, sweeping low at its back legs. Normally, Nobu would spring up and ready another attack, but instead he just decided to lay there. A big, goofy grin could be seen on his face as he lounged about. The lion attacked, swiping at the seemingly unaware Nobu, but he rolls to dodge the attack. “Ha *Hic* to slow.” Rising up to his hands, he does a handstand before flipping to his feet. “*Hic* Here pussycat, I got a *hic* sandwich for you!” Once again the beast tries to pounce, but Nobu drops to his back and launched the beast over his head in a single fluid motion with a kick to its chest. “You *hic* gotta be faster than that, pussycat.” Nobu then runs over and jump kicks it in the face, causing it to realize this fight was more than it had hoped for. It scurries away with its tail between its legs.

“Aww *hic* what happened little *hic* guy?” Nobu say as he lifts the hyena and moves it towards the warmth of the fire. “Don’t wanna *hic* catch cold, little guy. I’m gonna call you Meat.” The poor animal eyes up the food and the intoxicated Nobu thinks little before offering it a large piece of his food. “There you are.” Nobu decides to lie down by the fire and go to sleep. He didn’t know why, but he was suddenly really tired. The hyena finished off the cooked lizard before slowly making its way next to the now passed out genin.

Waking up with the rays of the sun beaming into his face and a strange animal nearby, he clutches his head and begins to wonder what had happened. His head was pounding like he had been kicked in it several times the day before, and what was this hyena doing here? It seemed to be alive and comfy, so Nobu left it alone. He looked down at his leg and several memories flood into his brain as he slowly pieces things together. He remembers being bit by one of these mangy mutts. He wasn’t going to hold it against the poor thing though. It just wanted something to eat like everything else out here. Did fending off those hyenas really take that much out of him though? The hyena slowly makes its way over to Nobu, rubs up against him and then makes its way back into the desert. “Til next time little fellow!” He would say as he waved goodbye to the leaving animal.

Nobu wasn’t sure why, but he felt like everything was humming, and despite the fact that the training hadn’t gone as far as he had expected, he felt that he might have come down with some type of sickness or something. Nobu makes his way, limping back to the village slowly. The first thing he was going to do when he got back was go to the hospital and figure out why he felt so sick. It was a rather unpleasant feeling, and if they had any medicine for it that would be swell.

“Oh, I remember now. I brought medicine with me! Maybe that will help, as my head does hurt.” He drinks a mouthful of the ‘medicine’ as he approached the gates of Sunagakure. A nearby shinobi sees him stumbling and rushes over to help, only to notice the stench of alcohol on him.

The next thing Nobu remembers was waking up at the hospital as a medical ninja examined him. “What happened doc? I was feeling pretty sick, and that medicine didn’t help at all.” The medic just laughed.

“You thought this was medicine? No kid, this is Sake.” He explained with another robust laugh.

Nobu’s eyes grew wide and he felt shame. He had no idea, and was out in the middle of the desert getting stupid drunk. “I didn’t realize….” Just thinking it best to stop there, Nobu slides out of the examination bed and slowly walks out of the hospital. The medic adds in “Make sure to drink plenty of water!” which immediately follows with another burst of laughter. Nobu shamefully walks home, hanging his head low. Luckily, he only had to head home and rest for the remainder of the day. Any real work with this pounding headache would be all but impossible.

(Exit)
WC:3273
Drunken Fist 3273/4000
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Sat May 21, 2016 8:39 am

Approved <3

Wandering Drunk through the Desert! (Private, NK)

Wandering Drunk through the Desert! (Private, NK)

Re: Wandering Drunk through the Desert! (Private, NK)