nothing gained(Sal, yen, p, nk, inv)

Sometimes an induvidual only had themselves, and only themselves to blame. A fact that yen knew too well. Shinobi were both a blade cut to themselves, and an enemy. What really stung was to think back on these times

It was his birthday. Yen however did not have family nor freinds near him. Most were dead, and a lonely party in a graveyard was not his intent. Now he merely had a gotee growing under his black rimmed hat and his,single eye was closed as he sat on a bench. His feet off the ground dangeling. His black cloak wrapped around him made a pool of black cloth on the ground before the bench. He simply opened his single eye he glanced at the quiet area. It was empty save a few people eating their lunch on a blanket. It made him think back to what couldve been. Should he had been stronger as a shinobi, but he was not a god. So lives being saved could not always be saved. So his birthday was a lonely day for the aburame.

Sure he couldve drowned himself behind clan affairs. Yet he left that to his deputy for the moment. As he kept his,day quiet to even him. He merely spent the day moping around. Sometimes even yen knew he neededca little time to himself. Now the cool air was refreshing. At least that was a bit

"Having a bad day...?" Saln asked, as he stared up at Yen with is big, red eyes. The boy had been coming home from a day of school, a small bag full of different sweets draped over his arm. He hadn't yet forgotten the encouragement the big-hatted man had offered just a few days ago so.... why not do something for him in return? The little boy hopped up on the bench beside him, smiling up at the poor, tired... and apparently one-eyed ninja, the sight of his eyepatch sending shivers across the child... Sometimes... people could get comfortable within the bounds of the village walls... forgetting that there was war out there... sometimes people came back hurt. Sometimes... they came back damaged forever... Sometimes they just didn't come back.

Saln looked up at the man, contemplating what he could say to make his day better... He didn't know if the usual goodies would help.... all the it'll be alrights and the Things'll get betters. Such things he probably heard so often, they lost meaning to him. No, Saln just sat quietly beside him for a bit... listening if he chose to speak...

If not or as soon as he was finished, Saln would reach into his little baggie of candies and pull out a rather generously sized chocolate bar, holding it out to the man as a gift! Maybe what he couldn't do in assurances of a better day he could make up for in presents of substance!

Bad day? Yen had bad days. He knew worse days, and for. Certain knew days that made you question your existance. But saln for one looked at it more like it was a bad day.

His single eye glanced at the boy. Without a wife and his children, yet alone his freinds all either dead or missing, possibly both. He lived a walking hell. But he kept moving still. Ignoring the nagging pains of the soul. For it was all he could do.

"You only have days of living. That is the way of a shinobi. Bless each breath, appreciate each ray of sunlight."

Yen ssaid with a genuin smile. Taking the candy bar glanced at it and spoke to saln.

"You will not find many days like this. After encountering challenges you may even wish for this time."

Yen spoke as a simple word of advice to the student and looked directly at the boy. He looked like sal but sal was dead. Yet with that he did not wish saln to go down that same path.

" who was your role model saln?"

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Saln only nodded as Yen took the candy he offered, the wide-hatted man remarking how a ninja didn't have "bad days." They just had "days." The boy knew not what Yen was trying to say with that statement... that Ninja were not human...? Humans had bad days... Humans had days where they didn't want to get out of bed. He guessed... even soldiers tended to forget they were people. The child didn't believe that one should just be thankful one was alive... There was more to life than just LIVING right? That candy was proof of it... An indulgence... Something that truly made you happy instead of just believing that life was all you need... convincing you of it. Even Saln knew that life was a cruel, manipulative mistress with a temperament that always changed. He knew from experience from the grave he visited often.

It was something to debate but Yen didn't look very... interested in it. If anything, he looked tired... As if he'd just gotten back from an exercise that taxed his body and soul. The Aburame said as much, remarking that one day he would yern for these sub-standard days where everything felt 30 pounds heavier and the people seemed far more abrasive than they intend. Maybe that was true... Maybe Yen was right on that one, singular point but as it stood, Saln would bask in his ignorance until he had to truly learn that lesson. After all... who wanted to put a number on how bad the world could get?

"M-my role-model?" He asked, caught off-guard by his sudden and seemingly unrelated question. "I...I guess my dad! He's one of the village Chuunin! He's constantly at the gates or patrolling the town! I'm gonna go see him later!" He shook his little bag of sweets, showing why. He was being honest... His father was his current role-model... His other one was dead, a marker among hundreds covering the ever expanding garden of stone. The mere thought of it caused the boy to fall into a solemn silence... the images of the older boy he admired sticking to his mind.

father hm? that good. i never truly had a role model myself, only build my steps my way.. as for my own parents....


yens mind flashed back to the dead corpses of his own parents when he was little. He was alone from the young age, and only knew he had to grow up from that point on. Some in the face of tragedy shrink away, but that was because they cherished something. yens only cherishment was his clan now, the village, and the very few sparks of freindship he had in his freinds. His allies were gone, all of them. Thoes that knew him best, and thoes that knew how to simply keep him in check.

"your father must be proud of his son then. it is good that you take inspiration from him. perhaps one day you will fight side by side with him in missions. that will be very good."

yen stated with a smile. Stilll he envied the boy a bit. There was someone to return to or better yet turn tosmid his discomforts and plights, and yet yen did not know what he wanted now. TGo climb the very depths of the unknown, yet he had the tether lines on his back that seemed to be growing fewer and fewer by the day and perhaps the hour. The fear of free falling and no way to control the direction he may go and the repercussions of actions and rewards. These he could not see, but with allies he would gladly throw one ahead of him through the unknown if he needed to. 

i need new allies. new induviduals that are willing to go down the unknown.... perhaps i have one now.


his thoughts went towards higuto and kisuke uchiha. the few peices on his board that was like a life sized chess board of chess boards. now his gaze was on a boy that looked like salzem. Then the mind began to slowly tick. what could he make use of this boy here in his growth as a shinobi come a few years as he improves.

"You said you wish to punch stuff hard. A friend of mine once said that. i will be honest i would not be found dead punching something or someone"

Salzem smiled widely at the compliment Yen offered even though he was confused where all this affection was coming from. He and the wide-hatted fellow had only met like once before and already he was being given all this praise! He might've seen the obvious talent in the boy or perhaps envisioned a future for him, a happy little future! Maybe Yen was a seer and was able to tell the future and stuff like that! Then again, it could just be words. After all, the bug-man knew little to nothing of him despite his appearance... or so he thought.

"You did?" Sal tilted his head in thought, gazing up at the man with his big red eyes. "Not many people do taijutsu anymore... or specialize in it I guess! Everyone's all about spitting fireballs and shooting lightning out of their eyeballs... It's kinda sad that they forget all about how important it is to be able to punch good!"

"I betcha you're probably stronger than me!" Saln giggled softly to himself as Yen ASSURED him he'd never be caught punching things. "Almost everyone is! Probably means you can punch better than me too!" He rolled his eyes. He didn't really care if everyone was stronger so long as he was still useful. His strength was never a matter of pride as much as it was a matter of capability. With the absence of ego, Saln could train without comparing himself to the others! It may slow his progress... but it'd no doubt make it a heckava lot more steady!

"You sure you're okay?" He asked, his sanguine eyes peering into the one gate of yen's soul. "You look... old."

Old? Yen thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Far from it. Im about 18. So im not old. Still young. Experiences take a toll on a person. Reslonsibilities build up. We are not perfect, so it shows in the wear, and overall over time it takes a toll. It all comes as a slice of the duty saln."

Yen stated as he shook his head. The boy was amusing. Yet he responded to the boys assumptions.

"Strength comes in many forms, even people shooting fire balls have limits. And taijutsu users can only hit so hard. Genjutsu users can only spin a lie so far. Fuinjutsu users have only so many seals. Medical practiconers can only heal so many things. And like wise puppeteers and weapon users their things last only for so long, finially an induvidual in the span of teleportation and the messy nature of all of that stuff. They have limits too."

Yen stated simply listing off each path with seemingly ease. He has seen alot of stuff. Which only confirmed his thoughts naturally.

" all of thoes just like the elements. They have limits, and well its based on the induvidual. People tend to underestimate alot of their own capacity. A punch that can disrupt the air, and due to the force push a person back at a distance. No more diffrent from a blade being swung, or a person using a wind jutsu."

Yen simply stated as he gave a small lecture.

" Once you have seen alot of these things. It is just a matter of taking down the induvidual. Their jutsu and techniques are known. Observe long enough their tactics are easy to see through. And after awhile you see similarities in others. A blade of fire, a blade of ice. People wishing to fight at a distance. In your face, and some may attempt to combine elements to simply overwealm you. The smart induviduals have a plan for all ranges of combat. They also know how to force their enemies to use more energy and effort then yourself. Thats what it means to simply manipulate the flow of combat. you can win with little effort once you know how to do this."

Yen smiled at the boy.

"After all if i did a punch. I would not do much. But if i adapt my combative preference to taijutsu range. I wont have to even lift a finger to give you trouble. Think about how i can do that."

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"Only 18?" Saln inquired, wide eyed. "You look a LOT older than that! Like... A lot!" Yes, the boy had heard that military service eventually took it's toll on you... All the older ninja seemed to tell him that, even before he joined the academy. Still, even so, Yen looked and sounded a lot older than the age he claimed to be. It was like he was talking to an old man, one who's life was surrounded and embroiled in war. A life like that would eventually eat at you, body and soul... Yet he did it... That was true bravery! That was the kind of devotion to duty people looked for in a roll model! Saln bet that Salzem was just like that, a soldier devoted to his village above all else!

Yen, being the wise-old-mentor he appeared to be, gave the child a lecture, if a brief one on the nature of strength , how each specialization possessed it's own variant and how they were all important. Of course, the child didn't mean to say that taijutsu was the only true form of power there was, just that it was under appreciated! Not many ninja he saw actually practiced the art as vigorously as he did! It was just an observation, nothing more.

Yen went on to remark as Saln listened somewhat, how ranged opponents knew how to mess with one's stamina and whatnot, the true point of the conversation escaping the child. This knowledge felt bare-bones and basic, the kind of stuff his teachers would explain when they brought up the nature of the various ninja arts. Suffice it to say, he zoned out for a small bit, his mind wandering this way and that, contemplating the future and what kind of ninja he'd inevitably be.

It was only when Yen made a remark about his talent with Taijutsu did Saln come back to reality and laugh.

"Com'mon!" Saln giggled, looking up at the smiling soldier. "I'm just a kid! You can do better than me! I believe it!" His smile waned slightly, though, his sanguine gaze staring off into the middle-distance. "Its nice of you to say, though... I dunno who or... what I want to be... I kinda did this because I was told I had too, you know...?"

The boys awnser was honest. Yet yen had to be honest with him.

"I care little for dirtying my hands in combat, after all thdey have better uses with other things."

Yen said with a chuckle and sighed at the remark.

"No one knows what they want to be. But by accepting your headband. You will be a shinobi. As such no matter your distaste. You will be called to do many things. Some may test your morals, or break them. But regardless you will still be asked to do your all. No mattervwhat saln."

Yen stated simply as he took a bite of the chocolate bar, and chewed silently for a moment as he stared over towards the gate for a breif moment and took a breath.

"I never expected myself to go as far, but worst yet. I never thought i would lose many things dear. Still i am here wether or not it was through skill and a bit of luck. I can only go as far as i can reach. At least salzem wouldve pushed me further. Still i lost my dear freind. So i live on for him and my own family."

Yens voice was distant as he spoke. Still he only was being honest although his mind slipped to words as it happend.

"Sorry was just reminding myself something saln"

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"Salzem...?" Saln muttered, his attention snagged with that one word. He had been listening to Yen, his acknowledgement that he would rather not dirty his hands in battle, that not everyone knew who they wanted to be and that life just worked that way... Important knowledge to be sure, but when it came to mentioning the boy's TRUE role-model... that was something else entirely.

"You knew him...?" He inquired more than curiously, the boy scooting closer to Yen, his face very nearly getting into his! This was something he had to know... Something that might very well change how he looked at this boy for the better! He never saw Salzem training with anybody... As far as he could tell, he was a loner... He didn't have many friends... Saln had always thought of him as a lone sigil of what it meant to be a ninja, that nobody knew his name except for the people that commanded him... Either Yen was a commander... or he was wrong in that assessment...

"I thought he was so cool..." Saln whispered, staring up into Yen's face with wide eyes... curious. "I didn't know he had friends..."