Aimless Wandering-open to all (Even you!)

Max would find himself wandering around the village of Kumo once more, not for any particular reason that came to mind. This was his village, and whether or not folks like it he was fond of walking around and learning what was going on in it. Napa would be slung across his back, a single hand on the wrappings of the puppet.
 
Making his way to a nearby food stand, Max would set Napa down, the wrapping loosening just enough to uncover his skull. The sight would worry some of the other customers, and the scent of decay would permeate the air of the stand causing all but Max to lose their appetites. They would pay their tab and quickly leave, muttering things and shooting funny glances back at the child. Max would pull himself up to sit on the stool and push some coins across the table over towards the vendor. With a shake of his head and a shooing motion, the man had refused to serve him. His money didn’t seem to be as good as that of others. Oh well, more money kept in his pocket. Sliding down off the stool he would gather Napa and head out.
 
Hunger would sting at his stomach, as he had eaten almost nothing these past few days. Work on Stein – much like his work on any of his creations – would prove to take his full focus and make him forget to do less important things, like eating and sleeping. You know, things that one could do without. The progress had seemed to be worth it though, so he wouldn’t be caught complaining.
 
Making his way to the orphanage, Max would play with the babies while he waited for them to serve lunch to the children. He looked for Azure, but the child wasn’t here. A sad look would be all that one could see on his face. When a child ‘suddenly disappeared’ he knew what that usually meant. Rarely would a child be adopted or given a home. No, the child had likely perished. It was a sad thought, but a stark reality in Kumo. No longer in the mood to play with the babies, Max went into the kitchen of the place to see what was being made. The scent in the air told him it would likely be a soup, as the scent of chicken broth was thick in the air. It must have been almost done, and Max found himself impatiently waiting to eat.
 
It didn’t take long for the food to be served. The people that ran the orphanage had their issues with Max, but they knew that he had been without a family since the attacks. With this in mind, they still wouldn’t refuse to feed the poor boy. They had the job of helping the orphans of Kumo, and that would prove to be a stronger motivator than their own distaste for the boy.
 

After enjoying a hot bowl of soup, Max would head back out into the village. He just continue to wander from district to district, seeing what would become of the day. Hopefully something interesting, but he would have no issue with heading back to his shack to work on his projects.

Reizo was sitting at his mother's dumpling cart, filling up before he could head back out to explore the village. Now that he was a Genin and had graduated the Academy, Reizo felt so much more free to do whatever he wanted. The blonde boy was dressed in his usual purple gi with matching purple slacks and a blue belt, and of course he donned his traditional blue shinobi sandals. Now that he was an official shinobi, the boy also had his blue Kumogakure headband set above his brow as well as his two weapons pouches, one strapped to his right thigh and the other on his right "cheek". The instant Reizo's mother put the platter of dumplings down in front of Reizo, the boy stuffed his face with one. His mom always made the best pork dumplings, no one else could come close. Perhaps that was just his own personal bias, but Reizo truly believed his mom was a master chef. Shoving the entire dumpling in his mouth, Reizo immediately turned red and began to sweat, instantly regretting his decision.

"MMMPPPPFFFFHH!" Reizo squealed as his mom got him some water to help wash down the food. The food wasn't spicy, but he certainly should've waited for it to cool off. Chugging half the glass of water to help ease the pain from burning his mouth, Reizo finally managed to get the situation under control. The boy grinned from ear to ear. "You always make the best dumplings, mom!" the boy exclaimed. Reizo's mom blushed, as there were other customers seated nearby, when she replied, "Well someone has to feed you, you're a growing boy!" She would always lecture him while using the ladle as a pointing device.

Being careful to blow on each dumpling before he would stuff his face with it, Reizo would quickly consume the dozen large dumplings his mom had cooked up. Reizo thanked his mom and left the stall running back into the midst of the village. It was somewhat crowded, but unlike most of the people in the village out that day, Reizo was alone. Everyone was in their own cliques and groups. Reizo slowed down to a lazy walk and curiously peeked at all the buildings in the village. It was still somewhat rundown from war, but businesses like his mom's had started to spring back up and reopen. It was progress, but in the current society such small signs of good were nothing but flags of false hope. Reizo hoped that he could one day be the one to help change the village for the better.

One boy in the crowd stood out to Reizo in particular. He looked odd; he carried some big mummy on his back, yet the boy couldn't have been any older than 10 years old. The kid appeared to be a shinobi, but of what skill Reizo couldn't tell. The boy had never seen such a strange thing, and he couldn't recall anything from his studies about what it could be. Reizo was nervous, but now that he had the time to make friends, he didn't want to hesitate to try. He had to put forth his best effort to try and make friends, after all it couldn't be that hard, right? Reizo managed to rile up the courage to approach this other shinobi. When Reizo got closer, it was clear that this child was at least a couple of years younger than Reizo, and this made Reizo feel a lot more comfortable with initiating the conversation. "Umm... Hi there," Reizo would stammer. Oh come on... think of something more to say. "Uhh... I was just, uhh, wondering. What's that on your back? It looks really cool! You're a shinobi too, right?" Reizo gradually gained more confidence as he got more to the point. Reizo scratched the back of his head with his right hand, a bit of a nervous tic. He forced a nervous smile too, hoping the other boy wouldn't be too freaked out by this sudden confrontation.

Max would be approached on the street by a boy that looked to be a bit older than himself, a strange enough occurrence on any given day, but he had also been curious about Napa. Did Lady Akihana spread word to the villagers that he hadn’t been as strange and scary as they had thought? Did she tell them that deep down he was just a boy trying to survive New Kumo to the best of his ability like everybody else?
 
Upon turning around, Reizo would see that Max was wearing clothes covered in dark stains, both old and new. His shoes were also caked in mud and dirt. The smell of death would hang around him, faintly at first. Max would gaze at this boy, his grey-blue eyes wide in astonishment that someone had actually approached him. “Hello, I’m Maximillian of the Yamaguchi Clan, but my friends call me Max.” Max would respond before addressing the questions, “And this? This here is my best friend, Napa! Napa did you wanna come out and meet this person? They look like a shinobi. Yes, I see his headband. Come on, quit messing around!” Max would say, almost as if he were talking to someone that wasn’t there.
 

With a sudden motion Max would drop the puppet to the ground, the wrappings quickly falling off of Napa as he sprung to “life”. The skeletal puppet would look over Reizo, his eyes hollow. The clinking of metal together could be heard coming from the weapon pouch on its side. The smell of rot and decay would intensify as the puppet was released from its bindings.  “This kids a shinobi? I mean, I see the headband and all. No scars, minimal wear on his equipment, eyes full of hope and ambition. You must be fresh out of the Academy huh, kid?” Napa would ask, his voice distinct from Max’s own. It also appeared to not be a ‘show’ that Max was putting on. He gazed at the puppet with anticipation, waiting to hear what it would say just as much as Reizo would have.  “Keen observation, Napa. Is my friend here right, mister…?” Max would pause, waiting for Reizo to introduce himself before continuing. “If that is so, it makes you a Genin just like me.” A warm smile would cross the face of the child, clearly happy that someone had approached him, and the fact that it was a similarly ranked shinobi had made him all the happier.

Reizo watched as the child's eyes widened before him, a clear indication that the boy was happy someone was talking to him. Reizo's somewhat awkward nervous smile was replaced with a far more genuine and wider grin, his mouth slightly agape. The boy introduced himself as a member of the Yamaguchi clan, which admittedly Reizo had never heard of. Was he supposed to know them? The boy stated it so matter-of-factly that Reizo felt obligated to have heard of this great clan, but nothing turned up in his mind. The boy plainly stated to call him Max, so Reizo tried hard to store it in his memory, mouthing the name to himself.

Max introduced his "friend" that he was carrying on his back. Reizo had a puzzled expression while Max was introducing the thing. Why was he talking to it as though it were a living being? Maybe Reizo had accidentally just struck up conversation with a crazy person. He tried to remain polite while the boy seemed to be talking to himself. The object on Max's back fell to the ground, and a vile and putrid smell filled the air, catching Reizo off guard. Reizo almost instinctively put his hand up to his nose and mouth and was about to gasp, but he caught himself mid motion. C'mon Reizo, be polite. He's just a boy... maybe he was homeless? Reizo was starting to feel sorry for the kid, when all of a sudden the object began to speak on its own. The puppet was cynical, but Reizo was too amazed that the thing talked at all. Maybe the kid wasn't so crazy after all? Max called the puppet Napa, so Reizo made a mental note of that as well.

"Wow! That's so cool! I didn't think Napa would talk at all, he doesn't seem very... animated. That's pretty amazing. Oh, I'm Reizo, by the way. Reizo Shoyu, nice to meet you Max," Reizo would say, bowing before extending his hand to be shook. He was still somewhat flabbergasted at the magic in front of him. Reizo didn't mind Napa's appearance at all, but the smell would have to take some getting used to. "Yeap, I'm a Genin, just graduated a week ago, too. You're pretty astute, Napa. But don't think just because I recently graduated that I'm any weaker than the other Genin," Reizo would respond, acknowledging Napa as a separate person from Max. "How long have you been a shinobi for? Looks like you've been at it for longer than I have, Max, that's for sure. Did you two graduate together? Maybe we could find some place to sit down and talk," Reizo suggested, hoping to get out of the way of the rest of the crowd. What a peculiar kid, Reizo thought to himself. Times had been rough for everyone in the village, ever since the current kage seized power. Clearly, Reizo concluded, it had taken its toll on Max.

“Hi, Reizo Shoyu. It is nice to meet you as well.” Max would see this boy Reizo’s hand extend for a handshake. Obliging, Max would meet his hand and shake it, as that had been the normal thing to do. He had no reason to be unkind, especially not to someone that had been being so nice. Napa would then step forward and extend his own hand as well.
 
Max would take him up on his offer and both he and Napa would begin heading down the street a bit. There had been benches a little further down, closer to the prison area. The seating was there for the viewing of any public executions that the Raikage had decided upon. If the Kage had set up such an event, you can be sure that none would be foolish enough to not attend. Max would take a seat and Napa would lean up against the nearby wall.
 
“How long have I been a Genin? Uhm…” It took Max a moment to think back, to when he had graduated. He tried to avoid thinking about the past, for it normally ended up being painful and full of sadness. “I’ve been of this rank for about a year or so, if my memory serves me right. And yeah, Napa had been there with me. He was a lot different back then though, more wood and no bone. Napa has embraced the changes though.” Max would look over at the puppet and give a wide grin, while Napa would just shake his head in silence.
 

“So, what can I learn about you Reizo? It is far easier to tell what my practice is than yours. I make stuff, neat stuff, like my puppets. If you think that Napa here is neat, you should see Stein. He’s even bigger and full of neat little touches! I worked pretty hard on finding the needed materials. It’s tough finding what you need through recycled goods. Still gotta find a few things, but he’ll be done once I find that last component.” Realizing that he had asked the boy a question and then began to ramble, he would silence himself and apologize, “Sorry, talking about my creations gets me all worked up. Now, what do you do? No weapon at your back or hip, so I am guessing not a Kenjutsu user.” Max would say as he then turned to look over at the passersby. He would swing his legs that didn’t quite touch the ground as he spoke.

Senshi was running, not for fear of being late or in any particular haste to get somewhere but merely because he was excited. The training at the academy today had been exceptionally beneficial to the black haired boy and he simply could not contain it for once. He felt as though he had truly started progressing on his career path, even his father had made a positive note on how much more stamina the boy had, and his mother had commented on his increase in chakra as well. A large grin threatened to split the young shinobi in trainings face in two as he weaved his way through the crowd. His instructor had told them all that there may be an execution that day and if so, they should be present in order to begin teaching themselves how to harden their hearts to death.
 
Senshi dipped around the corner of a building, beelining for the benches, though he was excited and running now he knew he was tired from the days training. If there was going to be an execution he wanted to be sitting through it, not standing around awkwardly. It was unfortunate that he was currently going through a growth spurt though. It had the tendency to make him at least a little bit clumsy. Due to this recent fault, Senshi mistimed a dodge around some people, his feet becoming entangled as he tripped over the flowing black cloack he wore to cover his clothing. As ungracefully as possible the tall for his age boy face planted, his brown flecked green eyes barely noticing the two blond haired Genin at the bench already as he smashed his face rather spectacularly into the ground.
 
“Oww. Stupid Cloak. Stupid ground.” He grumbled out as he started to push himself up, his lightly tanned features beginning to take on a slightly reddish hue as he noted the two boys standing near him. He was mortified that he had been so ungraceful in front of two superiors.

Reizo would shake Max's hand and then Napa's. Napa's hand was cold, slimy, and well... dead. Reizo then followed Max's lead to a nearby bench where the two could sit and talk. The prison yard always gave Reizo chills, and a distinct cold air always seemed to linger there. It was unnerving, but not scary. Whenever Reizo had attended the many public executions, he had always been sure to see it through and not look away. In a way, it had completely desensitized him to the deaths of strangers. Law was heavily enforced and punishment was swift on the accused. There wasn't much anyone could do if the government had suspected them of anything, from treason and espionage to improper language and fashion. Still, as long as you kept to the law imposed in the village, there wasn't anything to worry about. Usually, anyway.

When Max apologized for his ramblings, Reizo interjected and cajoled him, "No, no it's fine. I think it's really cool that you have such a burning passion for your puppets." Reizo chuckled lightly to himself, but then went on to respond to Max's question. "Well you're certainly right about that. I don't know how to really handle weapons all that well, aside from the standard tools. I'm a specialist in Taijutsu, but that's not to say I'm not able to perform the other specialties. Even though I devote most of my time to Taijutsu, I've taken up Ninjutsu and even some Medical Ninjutsu in my spare time. I've even considered meddling with Fuuinjutsu, although I haven't gotten around to it. I'm probably just going to keep my options open."

Just then, another boy who seemed older than the two of them judging off his build and height fell suddenly in front of Reizo and Max. Reizo immediately got up and rushed to his side, kneeling down to help provide assistance. "Are you ok? You're not hurt are you?" Reizo would ask the newcomer. Reizo would extend his right hand to help the boy to his feet. The boy seemed very young, even though he was rather tall. Reizo assumed he must've been around the same age as this child he was helping off the ground. It was fascinating to Reizo that the one time he decided to venture into town, he was already meeting new people left and right.

Max would listen politely as Reizo spoke, smiling a wide grin when told that he had not minded Max’s ramblings. So this Reizo fellow was a Taijutsu specialist? Interesting. Max himself had no inclination towards Taijustu. He was smaller, younger, and more fragile than the majority of those around him. His body wasn’t developed enough to do such. But that was fine for him. He didn’t need to focus on close quarters combat, for his puppetry could help make up for it. He had armed guards at all times. Plus, Napa wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him.
 
“That’s really neat.” Max would say as he continued to look out at those walking around. Just as he was going to turn and say something else, he could out of the corner of his eye someone stumbling and falling over, flat on their face. Reizo would immediately head over to check on him, while Napa would let out a loud laugh, even going so far as to point. “No need to be mean, Napa.” Max would say in a stern tone towards his puppet. Napa would blatantly disregard the boy though, “Did you not just see that? That fall was gold. I’m not going to see anything even close to that funny for the rest of the day!” Shooting a mean look at the skeletal figure, its mouth would shut and you could barely hear him mutter under his breath, “Stupid kid trying to make other stupid friends. That was funny and he knows it…”
 

Max would slide down from the bench and walk over to check on the tall boy. Reizo seemed to have helping him up covered, so Max would just stand there and watch as the boy seemed to grow either embarrassed or nervous in front of the two of them. “Hello. Where are you running off to in such a hurry?” Max would inquire, as the boy was helped up. He looked to be closer to Reizo’s age than Max’s, but that was fairly common and to be expected.

The clumsy student had introduced himself as Kobayashi Senshi, a lengthy name to be sure. Reizo wasn't sure he'd be able to remember that, but he would try his best. After helping the student to his feet, Reizo would notice just how tall he was. He was almost a head height taller than Reizo. Senshi seemed to be looking at something for a while, and Reizo tried to follow his line of sight to see what he was looking at over Reizo's head, but after several glances back and forth, Reizo couldn't see anything peculiar. "Whatchya staring at?" Reizo innocently asked.

The new kid was pretty peculiar. Kumogakure attracted a strange host of shinobi as a result of the environment that they were all brought up in. Reizo, who felt he was pretty normal, felt out of place among these two. This kid also seemed rather militaristic, judging from his intense discipline and linguistics. Reizo would wait for Senshi to answer his question, should he choose to do so, before introducing himself. "I'm Shoyu Reizo, by the way. I graduated this past week, therefore making me a Genin," the Reizo would say, mimicking Senshi's speech pattern and pointing to himself with his right thumb. "I didn't even realize there was an execution today. Hey, Max, Napa - wanna watch this all go down together? It seems like it'd be fun," Reizo said. How strange, to think an execution would be fun. But any group activity nowadays seems fun, since I have so much time on my hands after graduating, Reizo thought to himself.