I see the light... [P]

Arriving in the Land of Iron Ryalt’abi immediately knew that he had made a mistake. He had entered an icy, snow-covered country with his thin kimono. The tall male had half a mind to use his apron as a hood but then his legs would be colder. He was in a real jam, his ankles were flooded with snow and the wind caused tears to form that then became frozen on his face. With Konoha at his back, the male was tempted to return there since it was the closest inhabited village. Suna was nearby so maybe if he kept walking he’d warm up eventually. The male grumbled to himself if only he could use fire nature techniques then walking through this tundra would be a breeze. Speaking of which, he was hit with an idea, use the surface walking jutsu to stay on top of the snow that way his toes wouldn’t freeze and fall off. Ryalt’abi also began to think about how he could use his wind nature to create a “breeze” around his body to repel the icy blasts.


It was so easy to get lost here, Ryal was marching forward but the strong wind kept pushing him around like he was in a mosh pit. And he could barely see more than a few feet in front of him, surely it wasn’t always like this. Yes, it had to be his bad luck piling up. There’s no way anyone could successfully live here otherwise. Finally giving in to the cold Ryal removed the apron around his waist and used it to cover his head. Tying the obi around his neck held the apron in place, he would also tuck his arms into the large sleeves of the kimono to protect his hands. He needed to get indoors quickly before he lost his mind. It hadn’t been very long since he’d arrived but to Ryalt it felt like an eternity. In an attempt to distract himself Ryal began thinking more about how his wind nature could benefit him. He didn’t know if it was possible to expel chakra from every part of his body at once but he’d sure as hell try. He needed to at least be able to force it out of his face to keep his vision clear.


Another thought popped into his mind about rain, when you run you don’t get as wet maybe that- That’s dumb. Oh, look his uninvited guest had returned. Ryalt’abi actually wasn’t mad about it, right now having another voice was somewhat comforting. It let him know that he was still alive or at least in limbo, the latter didn’t seem like a good thing but it was better than falling asleep. It would be far too easy for him to fall and become just a lump under the sheet that everyone would ignore or walk over. He wondered if there was some ability that his kekkei genkai possessed that could help him right now. He knew it didn’t possess the ability to see great distances but maybe if he could see the chakra in the bodies of others it would let him know where he needed to go. “Hey, you!” He called to the sentient chakra living inside of his body. “Educate me.” If the thing could sigh it would but when asked it had no choice but to tell Ryalt’abi what he could do.


Feeling his stomach growl Ryal wasn’t sure if it was because he was hungry or because the Yuumei was causing it to happen as a sign that it was grumbling. He preferred to think it was the former, not only because it was a good distraction but because he wasn’t sure how to handle his chakra basically attacking him. Or at least he didn’t know how to handle it as his focus was off, so he would wait for Yuumei’s answer so that he could get out of this blizzard. There’s nothing you can do… It started and before Ryal could curse at it, it began again. You need to reach the next level of the dojutsu… Once you do one of three things will happen… Your eyes will either become a darker red, green, or blue. After the last word, it stopped talking. “What that’s it?” There was silence after his question but before he could get made the Yuumei spoke again. Once you achieve that I’ll explain the abilities that go along with the new color. “I guess that’s ok.” He replied.


But Ryal hadn’t the slightest idea how to force his eyes to change colors, especially since he couldn’t see them without a reflective surface. Was it just him or did all Yuumei act like this? If it was just him then why was he chosen to be a “Touched One”? Did this sentient chakra get kicks from dicking people around or something? Geez, it was just his luck to come across this revelation in his current situation, layers of snow weren’t the only thing stacking. Whatever, Ryal needed to get out of this hell hole as soon as possible so he’d begin to focus his chakra, sending it to his eyes to activate his dojutsu. It might be pointless and a total waste of time but the blue haired male would still give a shot, the thing he would be trying to do was force his dojutsu to do what he wanted. He wanted to be able to see into the distance, to see the chakra within the bodies of people near. While the meigan could do the latter it was unable to accomplish the former, only one other dojutsu could do that.


The tall male began to wonder if maybe emotions had something to do with unlocking the next level of his kekkei genkai. Maybe if someone was really angry they’d become the darker red, if they felt jealous they’d get the green eyes, and if they were rather sad they’d get the blue eyes? The male released a stifled sigh, he couldn’t afford to waste heat like that and his body knew it so it barely released any. This was such a drag, Ryal didn’t have the energy to go through that many mood swings. The icicle tears on his face pinched his skin when he moved and made it hard for him to change his facial expression. He could only imagine what kind of scary and evil looking expression he currently had with his skin paler than usual and his golden eyes now red. The male began to slow his pace and also began to reflect on his life, what kind of person he was to others and the person he truly was and what kind of person he was meant to be. Could this be Yuumei’s doing? To aid in the golden eyed god unlocking the next level?


Or perhaps Ryal was just losing his will and he would end up that lump everyone would trample? No, if that were the case he wouldn’t be seeing blurs of blue. Or maybe it did, but wait they weren’t blurs were they? That’s right they looked more like blobs, it had to be movement causing them to appear blurry. What am I- The male had a dizzy thought yet realized that this was apart of his clan’s ability, he was seeing chakra. But they were still a ways away, he had to focus and make it there. Because inside would be warmth and food and he could rest, taking in a deep breath the man straighten his back as much as he could, and with a fierce look on his face, charged head first towards the town in the distance. Once again he was unable to tell the current color of his eyes but none of that matter anymore. He was in self preservation mood and Yuumei could go jerk around someone else, this man had a goal and was determined.


The male was unable to emit a steady flow of chakra from every tenketsu in his body but he could send blasts of wind chakra out of his hands to combat the snow filled blasts mother nature was throwing at him. Could be possible that she was in on this trial along with Yuumei? The two conspiring together to test him? Surely that wouldn’t be a fool thing to think, chakra had to come from somewhere especially this sentient one that liked to torment him. However, that would mean that any other poor souls out here had gotten caught up in his bullshit. Would a mother really do that to her undeserving children? It would be too huge a coincidence for those in need of punishment or judgment to be present at the same time as him. Then did that mean that this was all in his head? Could his hunger have been far greater than he estimated and further exacerbated by the sudden and intense cold? Ugh, these were such pesky thoughts to be having, the Land of Iron was not on his list of places to go and maybe now he knew why.


Whatever he finds better be worth it and this better not be a damn ghost town. Nobody had ever told him that the meigan would allow him to see spirits and such but he wouldn’t be surprised to discover if it could. Just a few more feet and he find out if this thing was truly driving him crazy or not. Gah, he needed to get stronger and fast hopefully he could find someone in this shithole that would be willing to teach him. Now seeing puffs of smoke extend from his face the male was panting and had to power through these last few steps. The tall male had somehow managed to read the sign on this building, knowing that it was a lodge and entered. He could feel eyes on him, not a lot but enough to know that he was alive and that he hadn’t been dreaming. The building was swarming with heat and the scent of food was faint but it was there, the male then somehow made his way over to an empty booth and sat down.


Finally, safe the male dozed off to sleep, regaining heat as he did so. After about ten or so minutes the male was awoken by his hunger and possibly the poor woman sent over to wake the sleeping “demon”. He ordered some food as he glanced around at the inhabitants of the lounge part of this inn. Hopefully, none of them wanted to start any trouble, whether it be to settle an idiotic bet they made since the male had been asleep or if it was just a drunken asshole misdirecting his emotions. Right now all Ryal wanted was to be alone, eat his meal in peace, and then go back to sleep but of course living the life of a wanderer he was bound to run into someone that needed or wanted something. He was usually one to entertain such qualms, as he liked to help those that couldn’t fend for themselves, but after the hell he went through in his past two to three hours Ryal was feeling rather dastardly. Anyone dumb enough to approach him had better have a good reason.

WC: 1,887

Taishi would feel the bitter sting of the cold winds striking at his face. It would seem as though nature had some sort of sense of humor, as this was the exact opposite from his experience in the Land of Wind. Instead of blazing heat threatening him with heat stroke he now had to avoid frostbite and hypothermia. The wind and snow made it difficult to see very far ahead of him, but he felt like there was something keeping him on track.
 
Well, whatever that was obviously didn’t know where it was going. Taishi soon found himself lost and away from the road. Despite his survivalist instincts, things were looking pretty bleak. The freezing winds would calm just long enough for the warrior to find smoke billowing from a chimney in the distance. It would seem as though there was some sort of shelter in that direction, either a home or a tavern or something.
 
Taishi would make his way to the settlement, finding some sort of lodge. Taishi would make his way inside, the large bald man drawing what felt like an immense amount of attention from the local inhabitants. Taishi’s lip would begin to snarl before he reconsidered. It was warm in here, the frost melting away from the man’s boots. He would take in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scents of cooking food. The aroma was nearly intoxicating, as food on his travels had been fairly… plain. No spice, no flavor. This food smelled delicious.
 
Taishi would look around the room, noting the stares. Only one person looked like they weren’t from around here, a blue haired man seemingly sleeping at a booth. His garb didn’t look particularly well suited for the cold. A simple kimono didn’t seem like it would help keep out the cold. He woke when approached by an elderly lady, so Taishi knew that despite their exhausted state they were more capable than they appeared at this moment.
 
Taishi would look for a seat, though he would receive no offers from those that looked like natives. Most of them looked rather unhappy that there were foreigners here, especially two of them. He would make his way to the only available seating that wasn’t immediately met with angry stares, the booth with the sleepy man.
 
Taishi would stand near the booth, his dark gray cloak covering most of his body. His bald head would be showing, the skin on his face rough and… rigid looking. His skin had an odd hue to it, nearly gray in some splotches on his face.
 
“Any chance you would be willing to share this booth with a fellow traveler?” Taishi would ask as he gazed upon the man.
 
If allowed to sit, he would take a seat across from the blue haired traveler. “Thanks. The names Taishi. Figured I’d go ahead and get names out of the way first. So, any tales of your travels?” Taishi enjoyed seeing all the sights of the land, and stories allowed him to see them with only his mind and the words spoken of distant lands.
 

If the fellow traveler refused, he would simply seek out some other place to sit. There weren’t really any available seats though, so he would likely have to stand and wait for a long while. 


WC: 551

With a large yawn and stretch, Ryalt'abi repositioned himself in the booth that had served as a bed for the young man. He immediately noticed the grey figure that had approached his table but his yawn drowned most of its words. Without even looking at the other male Ryal knew that he was looking for a place of his own to rest. He could feel the negative energy in the room coming from the locals and this guy didn't appear to one of them. Ryal lifted his hand motioning to the empty seat across from him, he didn't really care about sharing as long as he wasn't pestered. When the male sat Ryal's bright gold eyes with their vertically slit pupils would take their first look at him. The male had a relatively unpleasant look, appearing unwashed and his skin had an almost grey hue to it.

He was shorter than Ryal yet much more muscular which would mean he also weighed more. Other than being bald there was nothing to make the man stand out, his clothes were all grey and black. The tough skin and hard look on this man's face didn't scare or bother Ryal, especially when it spoke rather chipperly. "Ry." He replied as the man went on. The Shinkou wasn't in the mood for talking though he wasn't opposed to listening. That's actually what he had intended on doing as he ate, honing in on the low chatter that the locals would try to keep to themselves. If he were lucky he would hear about some task that they were all too afraid or weak to do. However, if this new guy wanted to tell of his travels that would also suffice.


"No... You?" He would respond hesitantly adding on to what would've been a rather cold reply. That wasn't the kind of guy he was and he wasn't about to start because the universe decided to punish him today. Seeing the same waitress pass by with two glasses and a pitcher of beer he raised his hand to wave her over. Although he would've preferred something harder it was still early and he didn't want to be out for the count just yet.

WC: 369

Taishi would rest his tired legs, welcoming the comfort of the padded booth like an old friend. The blue haired man sitting across from him called himself Ry. Nice and short, easy enough to remember. Taishi would note the unique look in the eyes of this man. They were a golden hue, and they had vertically slit pupils…. Almost like some sort of lizard. He hadn’t ever seen something like that before, but there are likely lots of things he simply hadn’t seen. The man would simply shrug it off, chalking it up that this was just simply something outside of his understanding.
 
Taishi would scratch his cheek as Ry claimed to have no tales of his travels. The warrior would nod, accepting this answer. Perhaps Ry didn’t feel like talking. He couldn’t hold that against him. “Yeah, I’ve just come here from the Land of Wind. That place is a scorching hot hellhole to put it bluntly,” He would say with a half grin, “Not to mention that supposedly sacked village of theirs. Didn’t look much like any ruins I’ve seen.”
 
The waitress Ry waved over had a pitcher of beer and a couple of glasses. A good start to a good night in his books. Once she sat it down he would immediately pour the beverage, filling the two glasses and sliding one over to Ry. “Bottoms up!” he would say before gulping down the refreshing beverage completely. This beer was a bit on the light side of things, but it still hit the spot. He would set down his glass and gaze around the room. It looked as though most of the stares had gone away, at least for now. There might be a couple of them keeping tabs on the pair, but Taishi would simply push worry from his mind. If they were going to do something, no amount of worry would stop them.
 
“I was thinking about heading over towards the Land of Fire and checking out the countryside. Seems like a nice enough place to have a look around, so long as you steer clear of any unwanted attention from the locals, if you know what I mean.” He would let out a hearty laugh, and pour himself another round. If Ry was looking low on his drink and wanted a refill Taishi would gladly pour him one, too. This one wouldn’t be gulped down all in one go, though he would take a few large mouthfuls before setting it back down on the table. 

He would wait to see if anything developed, either in conversation with Ry or among the locals that didn't seem to like outsiders much. Plus, there was likely some delicious food on its way as well, though Taishi had no clue as to how much would be on the way. If the server brought out Ry's food, he would ask for his own food as well, preferably a bowl of their heartiest soup and some bread for dipping. 

wc:499

Interesting. The male thought to himself. The Land of Wind hadn't been on his list of places to visit although he was curious to see their natural defenses with his own eyes. However, it was better not to go back into Kumo territory again so soon. He was sure that there hadn't been anyone in Ame watching him but they have more experienced ninja than himself so it's possible he just wasn't skilled enough to notice. Ryal nodded to the other male's words, while Ame had been demolished there was one place that remained intact. Thinking of his hot spring Ryal would make a mental note to find a place like that of his own here.

When the waitress brought the beer over Taishi took the liberty of pouring a glass for the both of them. "Thanks." He'd reply to the man lifting his glass in the air before taking a sip. Which actually wasn't a sip but the blue haired male ended up drinking half his glass. Whereas his company had finished the entire thing in one gulp. Impressive, lightweights were no fun. As expected the drink didn't take the edge off but it was still nice to have a beverage after having dried out in the cold. Looking up from the glass to Taishi Ryal noticed him looking around the room. When the male seemed unbothered Ryal sighed, it was annoying to have people looking over your shoulder but at least for now it seemed like they were no longer on watch.

Ryal chuckled when Taishi mentioned the Land of Fire. "Yea, I crossed through there when I was leaving the Land of Rain." He would let the male refill his half empty glass. Once full again he, like his partner, would take a few gulps before letting it rest. The golden eyed god had ordered chankonabe and a side of nikuman, the latter he wouldn't mind sharing although he had planned to eat them for breakfast should he become full after eating the stew. He hadn't been counting the minutes since he placed the order but it would be arriving shortly. "I'd steer clear of there all together though. Ninja from Kirigakure showed up yet Konoha still stands which might mean things will get really hostile over there." He glanced to the side imagining it would feel something like this. But of course he didn't know what this guy was capable and he might be bold enough to take them on. Either that or he was suicidal, everyone knew of the fearsome Blood Mist village even Ryal who'd been living under a rock.

WC: 436

He passed through the Land of Fire on his way here, coming from the Land of Rain… Would that mean he was from that land? Would that mean that he was from there, or simply passing through? The Land of Rain was turned into a ruin a long while ago from what Taishi had heard from the rumor mill, and what was left of the country now belonged to the Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning. So did that make Ry a refugee, or a wandering shinobi allied with Kumo? Maybe neither? Eh, Taishi really didn’t care either way. Good company was good company regardless of where they were from or their affiliations, and so far Ry has been pleasant enough.
 
“Wait! Kirigakure ninja attacked Konoha? Well I’ll be damned…” Taishi would say, shaking his head before enjoying another mouthful of his drink. “Well if Kiri is mobilizing forces, and Kumo had already gone on a campaign to claim as much land as possible it would seem as if the drums of war will soon be heard across the land.” Taishi scratched at his chin again, unsure about what such an event would mean for him. Would it be a perfect opportunity to make some easy money as a hired sword? Maybe, but only time would tell for sure.
 
Seeing the golden eyes of Ry shift to the side and towards the room Taishi figured he might as well look, too. The warrior would shift slightly, peering around the room once more though this time without being as obvious about it. Everyone in the place seemed to be on edge, as if violence could break out at any moment.
 
The food for Ry would arrive in this time, and Taishi would place his own order in. “You’ve come a long way, haven’t you?” Taishi would ask, though it was more meant to be rhetorical. “Anything in particular bring you this far? If the Land of Fire is a mess right now, I might be better off steering clear like you suggest. That means I have no plan as to where to go next.” If Ry offered, Taishi would pop one of the nikuman in his mouth, enjoying the taste of the pork and vegetables. One would be enough to tide him over until his own food came out. He waited to see what Ry would say.

WC:396

Ryal would nod to the male's exclamation as he took another sip from his cup. He would nod again when the male spoke after taking a gulp of his own drink. "People are already taking sides. You're the first one of our kind I've seen in a long while." Ryal would comment on the recent disappearance of the world's missing ninja. Then as his food arrived Ryal would wait until the waitress was gone before answering Taishi's question. He shrugged at first as the male placed his order, in actuality Ryal had been backtracking by coming to the Land of Iron. When the male went straight into another question after placing his order Ryal noticed that the first question had been rhetorical and used as a segway into a new topic. "Years ago I had made a plan to visit Amegakure but being a shut-in I didn't get around to it until now and it's in ruins. Another place on my list was Konoha's Valley of the End, I wandered too close though and got chased out." He said with a sigh that would be used to cool the chunk of fish and vegetables between his chopsticks that he'd raised just below his mouth.

Ryal would nod his head to the nikuman sitting between them in a gesture for the male to help himself while the blue haired male chewed what was in his mouth. "I actually don't know where I'm going next either." He said before taking up another load of stew. Maybe if Ryal had made an impression on the guy he'd want to hang out with him. They could possibly teach each other stuff or at least be practice dummies for each other if they didn't have any ninja similarities. "I'm really just traveling the world and taking in the sights, no particular order or anything." He added, preparing for a gulp of beer.

WC: 317

Taishi would grab his glass and down another gulp of the beer. He considered not finishing it off, but the little bit left after this mouthful was hardly worth keeping so down it went. Ry mentions that people have already begun taking sides, so that would answer Taishi’s thoughts. War was brewing…
 
“War can be… problematic. Increased patrols and security measures are probably going to pop up. Although this could also be a blessing, depending on how you look at it. More young ninja being pushed out of their comfy villages and into battle. Young, inexperienced ninja are easier to avoid most of the time. Not to mention the shipments of goods and resources that will likely be going to the front lines. The chaos of war could open up opportunities. Could be easy money….” Taishi would say, pouring himself one last drink. He didn’t want to be too inebriated if things here turned ugly with the locals. Plus, he wasn’t sure how early it would be when he would have to wake from his slumber in the morning.  
 
Taishi would note that Ry had no plans as to where to go next, and he seemed like an agreeable enough guy so far. “There is strength in numbers, if you don’t mind the company. Either of us could probably use some backup if we encounter any hostile folks.” They didn’t know one another that well, but a good drinking buddy that seems to know how to handle themselves when **it goes down was someone worth keeping around.
 
“I’ve never seen the windstorms of Tornado Country. It would seem like an interesting thing to witness first hand. I was going to say there are also the falls in Waterfall Country, but that would be heading close to The Land of Fire and leave open the possibility of encountering a kiri ninja patrol skulking about the borders waiting for any fleeing Konoha shinobi. I’m not really looking forward to such an encounter at the moment. You got any ideas on where to go?” There was a possibility that Ry had some leads on work, and Taishi was always down to make a few extra ryo.
 
“Did you know that there are mountains here in this country that look like wolves maws? What is up with that? I can’t imagine that being a completely natural formation.” He would say as his own food came out. Taishi would begin to dig in, savoring the flavor of the hearty stew.

WC: 415

Continuing to gulf down the steaming hot vegetables, meat, and broth as the other male talked Ry would nod his head in accordance to let him know that he was listening. Although he was very hungry and the food was really good he didn't want to seem like a glutton and have the male question him with a stare that asked 'are you even listening?'. Repeating one's self is annoying and he also didn't want to give the male the idea that that was something to be expected when talking to Ryal. "Yea, you're right." Ryal would say about Taishi's previous comments on war and his current comment about strength in numbers. "Nah, I don't mind. It would be good to make some new friends anyway." He said while briefly thinking of the one that got him here. It had been quiet since his arrival and Ryal didn't actually plan to hear from it for quite some time.

Tornado huh? That was really cutting it close to home, but as long as there weren't any scouts out looking for him it should be fine. Heck, they probably didn't think the male would make it to his destination let alone manage to make it back. Not a good image for someone who was supposed to be important but in this situation it worked for him. Although, Yuumei were connected and his might tip them off just to spite the blue haired male. The other male's words had been a dull hum in his ears as Ryal thought of what it would be like to return home. His ears perked up when asked a question, where to go?

He didn't know where it was but he had heard about a Land of Volcanoes. Just then his mind went back to the male's comment about easy money. Strangely as he slept the golden eyed god heard about some civilians that had been kidnapped and their families would reward anyone that would help. His mind was pulled back in when Taishi mentioned wolf-shaped mountains. With a hum, Ryal thought, "Maybe we should take a look before going to see the windstorms?" Watching Taishi chow down when his stew arrived, Ryal would grab one of his nikuman and eat with his hand to reassure himself that he hadn't lost nerve function while out in the cold. It had been ages since Ryal just sat and had a meal with a buddy, he was rather out of practice thus somewhat quiet.

WC: 415

Taishi would dip the bread in the stew, enjoying its ability to soak up some of the liquid and holding the flavor. It made the bread a bit soggy, but the outer crust was still firm and gave a nice crisp contrast in texture. Ry seemed to be on board with the idea of traveling together which was good indeed. Having backup never hurt, and perhaps they could help one another a great deal. It is easier to make money in a group, thought the term might be “gang” depending on who you ask (they were MN after all).
 
Taishi would nod, agreeing with what Ry had said both in terms of making new friends and allies and in checking out the wolf shaped mountains. “Yeah, I saw them on my way up here. I could show you them on the way back through. They are quite the sight to see from the distance.” He would nod his head as he spoke, almost as if he were agreeing with his own words or thoughts before filling his mouth with another large gulp of the delicious stew.
 
He would eat most of his food before using the bread to get up the rest of the good stuff that simply would soak into it. After he was all done, the man would use a cloth napkin to wipe his mouth though of anything left behind from his eating.
 
“You want to rest here for the night? We could head out in the morning.”