Grandpa's Place (private)

In the backyard of a modest house of traditional Kirikagure style, two redbud trees stood out as a splash of color.  They were planted along the western side fence, about 10 yards apart, their branches holding bright pink buds and spreading out just enough to barely have a foot or so between them at their closest.  A carved stone bench was the only other adornment interrupting the well kept grass, sitting in a line with the trees, a few feet from the dropoff of the short cliff that formed the back edge of the property.  Grandpa and grandma liked to sit there, either facing the trees or the waves depending on the season and their mood.  A short stairway, not visible until you got close to the edge, lead down the sheer wall to a dock where a tiny fishing boat floated.  

With all that on the western side, the rest of the yard stretching out to the eastern fence made a perfect area to practice in.  Hayate knew this well, as his own house he lived in with his parents was in town, with half of the 1st floor being a storefront for his fathers repair business, and the remaining area their living space.  There was no yard anywhere on the property, the back door simply lead to an alley, the front to the street proper, and on either side, other shop/houses.  So when he took his year away from the academy to train with the most experienced shinobi in his family, his grandfather, it was only natural that he went to his grandfathers house each day.

And that was where Hayate found himself now, on a saturday afternoon, with his genin exams finally closing in.  To clear his mind, he came here, to the backyard.  It was in this yard that he slowly came to actually be able to manipulate his chakra successfully.  It was in this yard where he lay in the cool moist grass so many afternoons, panting from exhaustion from a particularly tough physical training.  And here was the only place he could still practice kenjutsu.  He had passed the aptitude test at the mist swordsmanship academy, but they wouldn't take anyone for full tutelage until they were officially a ninja of the village.   And so his grandfather had taken a pair of his old swords, two spatha from a crescent shaped southern island, and they had practiced regularly.

Hayate was here today to practice those swordsmanship forms he learned, to calm his emotions.  He retrieved the scroll his grandfather lent him from his black combat pants as he exited the house, pulling up his half mask but leaving the hood of his white hoodie down, his unruly blond hair left free.  He tucked his cassette player through the back of his belt so it would be secure and pressed play, pulling the headphones over his ears.  As the first few notes began to play, he began the unsealing ritual.  Hayate pressed his palm to the middle of the scroll and concentrated, slowly pulling one of the spatha from the flat paper as if it was a hole in the universe.  He began the form he was taught, carefully turning and stepping the the exact spots he remember so well, slicing the air with precision.  His face slowly became a perfectly blank mask, and his mind drifted back to those days of training.

WC 570

A cool sea breeze blew in from the rear of the backyard, its passage marked only by the gentle ripples of grass and redbud foliage.  Its presence was welcome, as beads of sweat from exertion were beginning to form on Hayates arms and the parts of his face not covered by the half mask.  Incorporating the gust into his practice, he treated it as he would an oncoming enemy - a back handspring away from the incoming "attack", keeping barely ahead of the telltale ripple on the grass, sent the beads of sweat sprialing off his body, his hood also flaring out in the same manner.  An upward sweeping sideblow from the steel blade at chest height, accompanied by a roll to the right left the young ninja one knee,  while leaving the imaginary would-be attacker with deep wounds in vital areas.

As the bass line of the last track on the current side of the cassette tape faded away, Hayate sheathed the sword and stood, staring out over the water.  He also removed the headphones, letting the dying power of the sudden gust play through his loose blonde hair.  He felt much calmer now, his mind at peace.  He felt ready to take up the responsibility of a Village Shinobi.  After a minute or so of gazing, entertaining no real thoughts, just taking in the land of the mist, there was a soft shuffle of the rear door sliding open.

Hayate looked back over his shoulder to see a large man begin to approach him.  Hayate was already athletic and wasn't short, but his grandfather was tall and broadshouldered in a way the academy student would never be.  His grey hair was done up in the rear in a topknot, and he wore a traditional yukata with a haori as he still did most days.  As grandfather approached, Hayate resealed the sword into the scroll and turned to face the older man.  Though after letting Hayate borrow the sword, grandfather had let Hayate come back to practice in solitude, he had undoubtedly been watching the training for at least part of it.

The older man spoke first as he finished his approach.  "So, Hayate, how did your practice go?"  He inquired with genuine interest, studying the young boys face.

Hayate pulled his half mask down with his right hand, then held the scroll containing the sword with both hands.  He bent forward in a polite bow as he extended the scroll to his grandfather.  There was a pause as he thought about his answer, then Hayate responded.  "It was exactly what I needed, Grandpa."

A broad smile split the older mans beard and mustache farther apart.  He reached Hayate and put his hand out towards the scroll.  "Thats just what I wanted to hear, grandson.  You know, from here on out, things only get more difficult.  It's not an easy path you've picked.  But it is one others have walked before.  Your mother and I know it well."  Instead of taking the scroll from Hayate's open hands, the calloused and scarred fingers closed Hayate's hands around the scroll and pushed it back towards him, eliciting a confused look.  Grandfather continued.  "You keep it.  You'll need one of your own, if you're going to be off on missions all the time."

A sword of his own.  And one of his grandfathers, no less.   There was nothing extraordinary about the sword itself, but like the cassette player from his father, it was a legacy, a token of the bonds that were what really mattered.  Hayate was honored, and stumbled for words.  "You.... I...." he found his words and settled on "..... Thank you.   I'm honored, grandpa."  He looked at the scroll for a moment, then tucked it safely, carefully, into a leg pouch.   His grandfather move up beside him, extending an arm around the young mans shoulder as they both now faced the sea, looking out onto gentle mist that coated it as Hayate had just been doing minutes before.

"I know you're not the foolhardy type, and you'll be just fine.  But your grandmother wanted me to remind you of what she said inside earlier, to be careful.  And that just because you wont be here much for training anymore is no excuse not to drop by every so often.  Honestly, that woman can worry."  The glint in the elder man's eye told Hayate maybe it wasn't JUST grandma the message was from.

They stood in silence for a while, sharing the unspoken bond of family, and of one who has walked a hard path and one just starting it.  Eventually the dropping evening temperature combined with the sweat Hayate had worked up sent a shiver through him, and his grandfather lifted his arm from Hayate's shoulder.  "You should go home for today and clean up.  A Ninja must always take care of themselves first to be able to take care of anything else", he repeated his oft-spoke line.

Hayate started to turn to leave, but something stopped him.  Instead, he hugged his grandfather.  "Thank you."  he repeated, and both men knew that this time it wasn't just for the sword.  "I'll do us - and the village - proud."  


It seemed to satisfy his grandfather deeply.  Hayate left, vaulting the fence to reach the street.  His sandals made almost no noise as he headed down the cobblestone path towards the middle of town, where his home was.  He pulled up his hood against the cold, impatient for a nice hot shower.  As he walked, his mind turned inward again, but this time instead of reflecting on past training, he thought about the village, his parents, his grandparents, and all the support he had gotten to get to where he was.  And he was soon going to be able to start repaying them, proving their trust and effort was worth it.

It was a good day.

WC 982   TWC 1552

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EXIT

Applying 552wc toward Sword Mastery skill (552/2000)
Claiming 7 stats
Claiming 2 e rank jutsu at 500per (Generic Sealing Technique and Clone Technique )

Sorry, bud, all items, weapons and the like need to be apped before they can be claimed. I can give you the katana, but yeah. Feel free to app a basic spatha and then come back to this thread and claim it when you're done. If you have any questions, feel free to DM or skype me

Jutsu and stats approved.

Edited to apply the 552 WC to sword mastery skill (http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t27198-sword-mastery)
and 2 more stat points (since the 500 is no longer towards a weapon, so can now be claimed for stats as well)

Approved of the skill WC as well as 2 more stat points