- Natsuki SarutobiGenin
- Stat Page : Stat Page
Clan Focus : Taijutsu
Village : Vagabonds
Ryo : 1500
Back To His Roots
Fri Jan 26, 2018 4:44 pm
Ikigai sighed as he returned to the orphanage, it was a two story and frankly very gloomy building. Kumogakure didn’t put much worth on orphans, but the people here were good. They’d raised him up until he was 9, until Hakai had taken him under his wing and offered him a spot at the academy. But it was winter, and the academy was on break. So here he was, back to his roots.
His strong blue fist would knock on the old rustic door, it would rattle on its hinges as he did so. Each Knock revealing the hollow woods true nature. “Hello? Is anybody home!” He’d ask quizzically as he waited for a response, the orphanage was rarely empty as they had taken in about 20 children. So it would be strange occurance for nobody to be there. Several seconds passed before he began to hear the creaking wood of the lose flooring begin in the rhythm of human footsteps.
Ikigai would wait patiently in the winter weather as snow hit his face, and the cold creeped over him. Eventually however, the slow footsteps would come to a stop, and the door would slowly crack open. “Who is it?” The familiar voice of a raspy old man would croak. “Father it’s me” Ikigai would say with delight in his voice. The old man wasn’t his dad of course. The hoshigaki child was too young at the time to remember his actual parents.
All he really knew was that he was found on the beach, and he had no desire to find out anymore. The past could not be changed, and digging would most likely not bring him any closure. His real blood could be resting at the bottom of the ocean for all he knew. “Ikigai? The voice would say as the metal click of the chain lock popped and the door came fully open. “My god, you’ve gotten so big, since I last saw you” He’d say as he took a look at the boy and spread open his arms.
Ikigai would match the movement, embracing his family. “Master Hakai feeds and trains his student’s well” He’d say before releasing the hug, and looking at the closest thing he had to a father. The years had not been kind to him, wrinkles covered his body, and his skin sagged. His back was hunched and his eyes appeared tired. “You look well” He’d lie.
The old man would puff air out of his nose at the statement. “Oh, spare me” He’d say as he let out a cough, clearly not buying the kids false compliment. “Well are you just gonna stand out in the snow all day freezing your ass off? Get inside, you’re letting all the cold air in He’d say motioning for the blue skinned boy to enter the orphanage. Ikigai didn’t need to be told twice and would step into his familiar childhood home. Taking a look around he’d see light pouring through the dirt stained windows, exposing the dust floating around in the air.
The house was unkept, and unclean. Several children's books scattered all along the tables, cheap toys littered the floor. “You should really get a maid to help out around the house” Ikigai would say to Choro looking at the mess, it was nothing like his room at the academy. The old man would simply wave his hand no at the idea before scoffing. “Nonsense, that’s why I have you.” Funny Ikigai would think to himself as his head peered down the hallway towards the bedrooms.
Choro seemed to notice the gesture and would point to the last room on the end. “Same room as usual iki, we haven’t touched it since you left, go put your things up and settle in” The blue skinned boy would smile at the thoughtfulness of Choro, it was like this place would always have a room for him. “Thanks father” He’d say as he began to pace towards his room, leaving the company of the old man.
Opening the door to his old room, he’d see that Choro hadn’t been lying. The room looked untouched. Some of his drawings from when he was a child still rested on his desk, and a bundle of wooden practice katanas leaned against the footrest of his bed. A sharky smile would form on his face as he looked at his old bedsheets. He had been 9 the last time he had been here, he was 14 now, and the cartoonish looking kunai pattern on his sheets amused him. Was there actually a time when I thought that looked cool
Effortlessly he’d drop his shoulder so that the strap would slide down to his hand and the duffle bag containing all his belongings would hang from said hand. 5 years, and he never gave anyone my room He’d think to himself as he took in the reality of the statement. Giving a tired sigh he’d toss the bag onto the bed and take a few steps towards the bundle of wooden practice katanas. Curiously he’d pick one up and grip it, extending it forward harmlessly to test its weight.
it’s light He’d observe as he fiddled with it some more, all the while his memories would fall back on his days spent practicing with these. The orphanage had managed to squeeze out enough money to buy them for him one christmas, and he had put them to good use. He hadn’t had a teacher at the time, none of the other kids had been shinobi, and the parents had never held a sword in there life. He’d really just been teaching himself by watching the jounin practice in the training ground across the street.
Apparently he was a natural too, he’d blown through the academy and made genin by the age of eight. A feat not many can call their own, eventually he’d even managed to impress Hakai Hozuki, a legendary swordsman of kumogakure enough to take him on as his own student. The swords had given him everything he had ever wanted in life, yet here they sat, gathering nothing but dust.
His thought’s would be interupted as he heard the front door burst open with force. intruder He’d think to himself as he turned to bolt towards choro to protect him with the wooden katana. It was an instinctual response, the combination of his bloodline and his training from Hakai made him almost always ready to react to combat. But his motions would slow and his heart rate would calm as he heard the voices of shouting children. “TAG YOU’RE IT” The playful voice of a girl who could be no older than eight would shout as she slapped him on the chest before bolting past him.
“You got more kids?!” Ikigai would shout before turning to chase the girl, obliging her game of tag. She was fast, and quite, both good qualities for a future shinobi. Choro would shout from what ikigai guessed to be the kitchen, “You should know better than most, Kumogakure has surplus of kids in need of homes. People like me take as many as we can get” Ikigai would nod, not that Choro could see it from rooms away.
“So what’s your name?” He’d ask trying to bait the girl into speaking to reveal her hiding spot. He had no idea which of the several bedrooms she had scurried into. Several seconds passed with no response, it seemed the girl despite her age was smarter than that. “It’s kind of rude, not to introduce yourself to a guest don’t you think Choro?” He’d say, hoping his old friend would help him out, but it would backfire almost immediately. “Her names Akai, consider yourself introduced” He’d shoot back.
“Gee thanks for nothing” Ikigai would say before he heard a distinct sound, that anyone but a shinobi would have missed. The sound of supressed laughter coming from the room adjacent to him. Gotcha He’d celebrate his victory early within his own mind before peering into the room. There were no obvious signs of the girl at first glance, but upon closer inspection he could see the carpet had been crawled on near the foot of the bed.
Smiling the shark boy would bend over and look underneath the bed, coming face to face with Akai, this was perhaps the first time the girl got a good look at Ikigai’s strange features as she screamed at the sight of him. Momentarily taken aback by the shout the hoshigaki would fall back on his butt, and the girl would giggle uncontrollably her initial fear now clearly gone.
Ikigai would laugh too before addressing her. “It’s nice to meet you Akai, I’m Ikigai” Akai would nod, showing that the feeling was mutual before pointing to the wooden katana that still rested in his hand. “Are you a ninja?” She’d ask, clearly curious about the subject. Ikigai would pause momentarily before pointing to the insignia of the hidden cloud village that rested on his chest. “Genin of kumogakure, at your service” He’d say dipping his head in a mock bow.
The small girl would finally crawl out from underneath the bed before extending her hand with an open palm and gesturing towards the sword. “Can I try it?” She’d ask before continuing. “When I get older I want to be a ninja too!” It was a declaration of her future goals. Truth be told, the girl reminded him of himself five years ago, before he had left to train with Hakai, and she could probably use something to do around the orphanage all day.
So without much further thought he’d place the sword in her palm. “It’s all yours” He’d say while giving a toothy grin. Besides, it’s not like he needed them anymore, he had a real katana, and ninja tools as well. They had just been collecting dust in a room he hadn’t stepped foot in for years. She’d put them to much better use, and hopefully one day they’d bring her the same success that they had brought him.
The girls eyes would light up at the realization that the sword was now hers. “THIS IS SO COOOOOOOOOL” She’d shout as she ran off swinging the sword through the hallways, there was no rhythm or skill applied to the swings, just random and erratic movements. Not that that was a problem, she was just beginning, all that mattered right now was that she stuck with it. Skill could be drilled into anyone, love of the art of swordsmanship could not.
He decided to let the girl train on her own for now, she could get a good feel for the sword for the next couple of weeks. And who knows, if she showed any real skill with the blade maybe one day he’d mention her to his master. He would make a fine swordsman out of her. “IKIGAI, IF YOU WANT TO EAT TONIGHT YOU BETTER FINISH UNPACKING” Choro’s voice would boom from the kitchen throughout the rest of the household.
“Alright alright alright!” Ikigai would respond in kind, before lifting himself up off of the floor and making his way back to his own room. The duffle bag still rested on his bag and he’d unpack it, removing a katana and several sets of clothes. They were really all he possessed, He wasn’t allowed to keep much at the academy, only the essentials. Effortlessly he’d lift the pile of clothes and walk over to his old drawers, sliding the little shelves open and neatly placing each piece of clothing in its respective shelf.
After that all that was left was the katana, and since he was staying in a building with several children, he decided it was best to put it out of the reach of those children, before resting it on the top shelf in his closet, and closing the door to conceal it. Now that he was finished unpacking the hoshigaki would take a whiff of the air around him. Whatever Choro was cooking smelt great. “So what are we eating?”
WC: 2020
--Exit--
CLAIMING
Shark Physicals
+10 Stats
His strong blue fist would knock on the old rustic door, it would rattle on its hinges as he did so. Each Knock revealing the hollow woods true nature. “Hello? Is anybody home!” He’d ask quizzically as he waited for a response, the orphanage was rarely empty as they had taken in about 20 children. So it would be strange occurance for nobody to be there. Several seconds passed before he began to hear the creaking wood of the lose flooring begin in the rhythm of human footsteps.
Ikigai would wait patiently in the winter weather as snow hit his face, and the cold creeped over him. Eventually however, the slow footsteps would come to a stop, and the door would slowly crack open. “Who is it?” The familiar voice of a raspy old man would croak. “Father it’s me” Ikigai would say with delight in his voice. The old man wasn’t his dad of course. The hoshigaki child was too young at the time to remember his actual parents.
All he really knew was that he was found on the beach, and he had no desire to find out anymore. The past could not be changed, and digging would most likely not bring him any closure. His real blood could be resting at the bottom of the ocean for all he knew. “Ikigai? The voice would say as the metal click of the chain lock popped and the door came fully open. “My god, you’ve gotten so big, since I last saw you” He’d say as he took a look at the boy and spread open his arms.
Ikigai would match the movement, embracing his family. “Master Hakai feeds and trains his student’s well” He’d say before releasing the hug, and looking at the closest thing he had to a father. The years had not been kind to him, wrinkles covered his body, and his skin sagged. His back was hunched and his eyes appeared tired. “You look well” He’d lie.
The old man would puff air out of his nose at the statement. “Oh, spare me” He’d say as he let out a cough, clearly not buying the kids false compliment. “Well are you just gonna stand out in the snow all day freezing your ass off? Get inside, you’re letting all the cold air in He’d say motioning for the blue skinned boy to enter the orphanage. Ikigai didn’t need to be told twice and would step into his familiar childhood home. Taking a look around he’d see light pouring through the dirt stained windows, exposing the dust floating around in the air.
The house was unkept, and unclean. Several children's books scattered all along the tables, cheap toys littered the floor. “You should really get a maid to help out around the house” Ikigai would say to Choro looking at the mess, it was nothing like his room at the academy. The old man would simply wave his hand no at the idea before scoffing. “Nonsense, that’s why I have you.” Funny Ikigai would think to himself as his head peered down the hallway towards the bedrooms.
Choro seemed to notice the gesture and would point to the last room on the end. “Same room as usual iki, we haven’t touched it since you left, go put your things up and settle in” The blue skinned boy would smile at the thoughtfulness of Choro, it was like this place would always have a room for him. “Thanks father” He’d say as he began to pace towards his room, leaving the company of the old man.
Opening the door to his old room, he’d see that Choro hadn’t been lying. The room looked untouched. Some of his drawings from when he was a child still rested on his desk, and a bundle of wooden practice katanas leaned against the footrest of his bed. A sharky smile would form on his face as he looked at his old bedsheets. He had been 9 the last time he had been here, he was 14 now, and the cartoonish looking kunai pattern on his sheets amused him. Was there actually a time when I thought that looked cool
Effortlessly he’d drop his shoulder so that the strap would slide down to his hand and the duffle bag containing all his belongings would hang from said hand. 5 years, and he never gave anyone my room He’d think to himself as he took in the reality of the statement. Giving a tired sigh he’d toss the bag onto the bed and take a few steps towards the bundle of wooden practice katanas. Curiously he’d pick one up and grip it, extending it forward harmlessly to test its weight.
it’s light He’d observe as he fiddled with it some more, all the while his memories would fall back on his days spent practicing with these. The orphanage had managed to squeeze out enough money to buy them for him one christmas, and he had put them to good use. He hadn’t had a teacher at the time, none of the other kids had been shinobi, and the parents had never held a sword in there life. He’d really just been teaching himself by watching the jounin practice in the training ground across the street.
Apparently he was a natural too, he’d blown through the academy and made genin by the age of eight. A feat not many can call their own, eventually he’d even managed to impress Hakai Hozuki, a legendary swordsman of kumogakure enough to take him on as his own student. The swords had given him everything he had ever wanted in life, yet here they sat, gathering nothing but dust.
His thought’s would be interupted as he heard the front door burst open with force. intruder He’d think to himself as he turned to bolt towards choro to protect him with the wooden katana. It was an instinctual response, the combination of his bloodline and his training from Hakai made him almost always ready to react to combat. But his motions would slow and his heart rate would calm as he heard the voices of shouting children. “TAG YOU’RE IT” The playful voice of a girl who could be no older than eight would shout as she slapped him on the chest before bolting past him.
“You got more kids?!” Ikigai would shout before turning to chase the girl, obliging her game of tag. She was fast, and quite, both good qualities for a future shinobi. Choro would shout from what ikigai guessed to be the kitchen, “You should know better than most, Kumogakure has surplus of kids in need of homes. People like me take as many as we can get” Ikigai would nod, not that Choro could see it from rooms away.
“So what’s your name?” He’d ask trying to bait the girl into speaking to reveal her hiding spot. He had no idea which of the several bedrooms she had scurried into. Several seconds passed with no response, it seemed the girl despite her age was smarter than that. “It’s kind of rude, not to introduce yourself to a guest don’t you think Choro?” He’d say, hoping his old friend would help him out, but it would backfire almost immediately. “Her names Akai, consider yourself introduced” He’d shoot back.
“Gee thanks for nothing” Ikigai would say before he heard a distinct sound, that anyone but a shinobi would have missed. The sound of supressed laughter coming from the room adjacent to him. Gotcha He’d celebrate his victory early within his own mind before peering into the room. There were no obvious signs of the girl at first glance, but upon closer inspection he could see the carpet had been crawled on near the foot of the bed.
Smiling the shark boy would bend over and look underneath the bed, coming face to face with Akai, this was perhaps the first time the girl got a good look at Ikigai’s strange features as she screamed at the sight of him. Momentarily taken aback by the shout the hoshigaki would fall back on his butt, and the girl would giggle uncontrollably her initial fear now clearly gone.
Ikigai would laugh too before addressing her. “It’s nice to meet you Akai, I’m Ikigai” Akai would nod, showing that the feeling was mutual before pointing to the wooden katana that still rested in his hand. “Are you a ninja?” She’d ask, clearly curious about the subject. Ikigai would pause momentarily before pointing to the insignia of the hidden cloud village that rested on his chest. “Genin of kumogakure, at your service” He’d say dipping his head in a mock bow.
The small girl would finally crawl out from underneath the bed before extending her hand with an open palm and gesturing towards the sword. “Can I try it?” She’d ask before continuing. “When I get older I want to be a ninja too!” It was a declaration of her future goals. Truth be told, the girl reminded him of himself five years ago, before he had left to train with Hakai, and she could probably use something to do around the orphanage all day.
So without much further thought he’d place the sword in her palm. “It’s all yours” He’d say while giving a toothy grin. Besides, it’s not like he needed them anymore, he had a real katana, and ninja tools as well. They had just been collecting dust in a room he hadn’t stepped foot in for years. She’d put them to much better use, and hopefully one day they’d bring her the same success that they had brought him.
The girls eyes would light up at the realization that the sword was now hers. “THIS IS SO COOOOOOOOOL” She’d shout as she ran off swinging the sword through the hallways, there was no rhythm or skill applied to the swings, just random and erratic movements. Not that that was a problem, she was just beginning, all that mattered right now was that she stuck with it. Skill could be drilled into anyone, love of the art of swordsmanship could not.
He decided to let the girl train on her own for now, she could get a good feel for the sword for the next couple of weeks. And who knows, if she showed any real skill with the blade maybe one day he’d mention her to his master. He would make a fine swordsman out of her. “IKIGAI, IF YOU WANT TO EAT TONIGHT YOU BETTER FINISH UNPACKING” Choro’s voice would boom from the kitchen throughout the rest of the household.
“Alright alright alright!” Ikigai would respond in kind, before lifting himself up off of the floor and making his way back to his own room. The duffle bag still rested on his bag and he’d unpack it, removing a katana and several sets of clothes. They were really all he possessed, He wasn’t allowed to keep much at the academy, only the essentials. Effortlessly he’d lift the pile of clothes and walk over to his old drawers, sliding the little shelves open and neatly placing each piece of clothing in its respective shelf.
After that all that was left was the katana, and since he was staying in a building with several children, he decided it was best to put it out of the reach of those children, before resting it on the top shelf in his closet, and closing the door to conceal it. Now that he was finished unpacking the hoshigaki would take a whiff of the air around him. Whatever Choro was cooking smelt great. “So what are we eating?”
WC: 2020
--Exit--
CLAIMING
Shark Physicals
+10 Stats
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum