Water user in the desert? (NK)

Taichi had just met his new friend, Honi. He had been working with Honi, teaching it different taijutsu techniques that a quadraped would be able to use. They had been growing a strong bond together whether it was hunting, running, excercising and even sparring with each other trying to get each other stronger and stronger. Today, they were in the training grounds, they both got there early in the morning, before the damned sun could cause the deserts to reach face melting levels of heat. 

"Why the hell am I back in this desert again?" He asked himself, then he looked at Honi. "Oh yeah that's right. Because I met you!" He said as he tackled the massive Snow Leopard to the ground. The two wrestled for a few minutes, thrashing and jumping on top of each other. Taichi felt that he was about to lose when he was tossed over Honi's body and saw her body quickly jump on top of his body. His worries were realized when Honi had both of his arms pinned to the ground. 

"Dang it! You got me. Good girl!" Honi was visibly excited. She was just about to get off of Taichi, but not before she licked his face, covering it with saliva. "Ahhhh! No! Why!" Taichi laughed as he wiped his face partly dry. He then jumped up to his feet and he began looking around the desert to see if anyone just saw Taichi get his butt whooped by his Snow Leopard that stood almost as tall as he did.

WC:258

Sozin took a swig out of his flask as he walked the savagery of the desert village. Sweat rolled down his face, his skin hot to the touch. It's amazing he hadn't passed out of heat exhaustion. He took a deep breath, savoring every drop of freshwater he got from his flask.

"This must be the training grounds that girl was talking about," Sozin said to himself looking around the barren wastelands of suna. It was really quite sad how devastated this area was. What had happened here? Was this natural for the desert village? Maybe something serious happened in the past. "Whatever" Sozin shrugged as he began practicing his hand seals Specifically his hand seals for his Blood Dragon Illusion.

"Tiger, Serpent, Bear, Dog, Tiger!" He shouted. His hand seals, while good for a shinobi his age, was not fast enough for his standards. He tried it again, yet still not fast enough for his liking. The look of frustration started to form on his face, but a deep breath was able to suppress it.

"Tiger, Serpent, Be-" Sozin stopped as he saw a man wrestling with a giant cat. He had never seen an animal like that in person. He started toward the man with the intention to save him, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw the big cat licking the man.

"Hey Mister, are you okay?" Sozin shouted, keeping his distance for the animal.

Word Count: 240

Taichi was looking around to see if anyone had seen his getting beaten by Honi, and unfortuantely for him. There was a child walking up to them both asking if Taichi was okay. Taichi laughed loudly, albeit slightly nervously while throwing his arm over his shoulder scratching his back. "Oh yeah I'm fine. Just lost to this big girl right here." Taichi then motioned his hand towards Honi, who was actually in a pouncing position, readying herself for Taichi's command to pounce. 

"Calm baby girl. He doesn't seem to be aggressive. But if he does try anything, you have my full permission to maul him to death. Okay?" Taichi would then place his left hand gently onto her head, petting along her fur, watching as she left her pouncing position and walked slowly up to the small child, sniffing repeatedly to begin her process of memorizing the scent. When she was done sniffing the child, she returned to Taichi's side. Taichi then tossed her a small slab of meat from his backpack. 

Taichi then looked back to the child who had walked up to them. "So friend, I am sure you are here to train. The real question, what are you here to train specifically?" Taichi was curious to see what the child's answer would be for he felt the need to teach this child something, he didn't know what. But he did want to teach him something.

WC:238
TWC:496

"Did he just say maul? That's comforting..."Sozin thought to himself.Sozin stood nervously as the big cat crept closer to him and began stiffing him. "Um...Hyah...girl...hehehe." He said as his body tensed and then relaxed as the animal began to walk away from him. The man seemed nice enough, a lot nicer than most of the ninja in suna he's met so far.

"Oh um, I was just practicing my chakra control and hand seals. I wanna get better at it so I can learn some Water Style Jutsu without exhausting myself." Sozin said in response to the man's question.

"So um...what's with the giant house cat?" Sozin asked reluctantly. Despite living in Kiri for most of his life, he had never come across an animal like the one that sat before him chewing on hunks of meat from the man's pack.

"Oh wait, where are my manners? My name is Sozin." Sozin took a bow of respect for the older gentlemen in front of him, as he been taught to do for most of his life.

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Total Word Count:416

Honi walked up to the child and began her process of memorizing the child's scent, when Taichi noticed that the child was tensing up. Taichi smiled and calmy said, as to not startle Honi. "Don't tense up, the moment you do that, she will feel as though you are about to attack. So stay as calm as you can and know that she will most likely not attack you unless I give her the go ahead." He did emphasize his words when he said most likely, for he knew that she wouldn't, but he also figured it would be funny to see the child's reaction. 

The child then relaxed and calmed down. He told Taichi that he was practicing his chakra control and hand seals. "Ah so you are just starting out, huh?" Taichi figured this was a fair assumption due to the fact that the newcomer to the training grounds was practicing such basic processes, he was sure that the child was indeed a newcomer to their own skills. "The basics are always the first things to be overlooked, it's a good thing to ensure you have a strong foundation before you ever try to build something on top of it." Taichi then turned back to Honi and asked if she would stay off to the side so she would not get hit by the crossfire. 

The child then introduced himself as Sozin, Taichi nodded his head and told him his name as well. He stated the pleasure it was to meet him on the fine and wonderful, hot as hell day in Sunagakure. He asked about the "Large House Cat". This was something that Honi heard and understood based on his tone and facial expression. Honi then began growling at Sozin and creeping towards him once again. "Hey it's okay Honi, he didn't mean it like that." Taichi then turned back towards Sozin. "This is a leopard, most definitely not a house cat. Was most likely dragged down here from the land of Snow." Taichi smiled as he calmed the giant cat next to Taichi's side down and keeping her from losing her mind on this child. 


"Alright, friend. I do have a question for you. What is it you want out of life. What do you want to become? What are you willing to do to get there? Who are you willing to kill to obtain the one thing you want most in life?" Taichi was sure the questions that he unloaded onto Sozin would be difficult to think about all at once, not to mention answering the questions. So he would wait kindly and patiently as Sozin would answer the questions, hopefully one by one. 

WC:449
TWC:927

"I'm sorry Honi, I didn't mean to make you upset," Sozin said, genuinely remorseful. The Leopard was very majestic looking to Sozin. While it could never take the place of his beloved salamanders, it was a contender for the second favorite animal.

"What do I want from life?" Sozin repeated. He never really thought about it before, to be honest.  "I'm not really sure. I've been practicing ninjutsu because that's what I was told I had to do. There isn't too much that I really want aside from a family. Not to get all mushy on ya hehehe." Sozin rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled.

After a moment of thought, a light bulb went off in his head. "Well if I had to decide on something, I want to be a man who's strong enough to protect people. A man who's grounded in his morals and is willing to do whatever it takes for the good of the people."

Sozin's demeanor was serious for a moment, a big shift from his timid nature he had before. A fire seemed to burn in his eyes. He really wanted this, he really wanted nothing more than to protect those who can't protect themselves. 

"My dad told me once that there are three types of people. The weak, Those who prey on the weak, and those who defend the weak. I refuse to be weak, and I refuse to prey on the weak. That only leaves one option right?" With that Sozin seemingly snapped out of his serious demeanor returning to a more timid Sozin. 

"I'm sorry, I'm just rambling now." He said as he twiddled his thumbs and looked toward the ground. 

Word Count: 283
Total Word Count: 699

At the sound of the child's kind words, Taichi could feel a sudden vibration in Honi's haunches. Taichi smiled and released his hand from her back. "Go ahead, Honi. But remember." He paused and brought her face to meet his. "Only a child, don't hurt him." Whispering the last sentence he spoke, he winked at Honi who excitedly nodded her head. Taichi pulled his hands away from her face and she immediately pounced on the child with the intent to lick. Honi would sprint towards the child and would pin him to the ground, unless he would dodge or dared to attack. But Honi had a great scent and sense of discernment when it came to people, and he felt comfortable enough with this child to become affectionate towards him. 

The child would then speak his answers to Taichi's question while having a giant cat pin him to the ground. After speaking about his goal in life being the person in life who will protect the weak, Taichi called Honi off of the poor child. "Off Honi. I must listen to this boy a little closer now. His answers have intrigued me." Honi would leap off of the child and run to be behind Taichi. Taichi would help the child up and listen to the rest of his answers. 

As Sozin spoke about his father's philosophy, he remembered his mother saying the exact words to him as a child. He thought to himself for a moment upon the completion of the child's words. "Interesting. You want to be the sheep dog instead of the wolf, eh? Such a philosophy is lost to many of those that live in this forsaken place, especially those who are young. The good and kind were largely killed or converted to the side of evil and malcontent." Honi ran up behind Taichi, as she often did when they would be still for a long time, she laid beneath Taichi and he sat on her side, petting her head. "Good girl, Honi." She would purr loudly and rub her head against his hand. 

"The philosophy of which you spoke was also given unto me by my mother. I always wished of being one that was strong enough to protect the weak. While it is a commendable mindset, I want you to know something." Taichi would pause for a moment, and he would think of Bri. The woman that he desperately tried to save from the bandit group the Walls of Jericho, only to end up being battered, nearly dead, and was nearly burned alive by his own flame by the time that chapter of his life had completed. He thought of Bri's naked and beaten body, killed brutally by the hands of those bastards. His rage began to swell, which Honi could feel. She would whimper sadly at the newfound state of her master Taichi. 

Honi nudged his side with her head, showing her compassion for Taichi's emotion. Taichi had no tears, Lord knew that he had shed plenty of them over these memories. But his happiness was surely gone to the void of anger and absolute numbness. "I want you to know, boy. You will fail. Not every time, you will in fact succeed in some of your endeavors. But I need you to know that failure will be inevitable. This life will kick you down, and will continue to kick you while you are down with absolute no remorse for you, your family, your loved ones, nothing. There are people in this world that thrive on preying on the weak, no they actively search for it. There are people in this world that when they see a woman, while respectable humans would see someone worth protecting, but there are people that only see something of utility and nothing more. He was sure that his true meaning was all but lost on the child. He would surely be to young of his true meaning behind the emphasized word. But one day, unfortunately, he will likely learn as to what he meant.

"The life of those that seek to protect, are doomed to a life of failure and misery. The only thing you can hope to gain is the incredible skill of forgetfulness. The worst ability one has in this world is the ability to remember all of their failings. Do remember this, will you?" Taichi then looked to the child, hoping that he hadn't completely thrown the child into a state of depression to match his own. But the words he spoke, were indeed necessary to begin one's path in this world.


WC:767
TWC:1694

Sozin let out a yelp as he was forced to the ground by the majestic leopard. He flinched a bit, but a wave of relief echoed through his body as the Honi began to lick his face with affection. Sozin let out a nervous giggle as he rubbed the leopard's head. "Easy girl," Sozin chuckled before giving her an equally affectionate hug.

As Honi was removed off of him, Sozin stood up, the man's questions registering in his head. Sozin answered the questions as honestly as he could. That's when Taichi's warnings began to hit Sozin like a truck. Every word Taichi spoke, Sozin knew in his heart was true.  He knew from experience. He's seen it with his mother, and again with himself.

Sozin's fist tightened, He looked toward the ground a bit upset. He remembered the moment he left home, the first time he killed to protect someone. He had killed a young genin for bullying his best friend. It was out of character for him at the time to have such bloodlust. He wasn't sure he could handle that feeling again. A tear fell from his eye.

"I think I know that better than anyone. You try as hard as you can, give your whole heart and soul to something. You dedicate yourself to protecting those you love, only for another innocent person to get hurt. I have that image ingrained in my brain. The blood, the screams, the tears." More tears began to fall from his face, Sozin had been trying to get away from his mistakes. He has been trying to place them out of his head.

"That's why I need to get stronger, so people don't have to experience something like that again." He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his face. He hadn't given himself the chance to let out his emotions. Everything had been bottled up for weeks. He looked up at the man, his eyes glowed a bright crimson color. A strange dojutsu that most people have never seen before.

Sozin didn't notice this at first. His body tensed up again, this time with determination. "I will get stronger, and I will protect others, Because...that's My Nindo!" He said as his chakra began to flare. His said face slowly turned into a grin. The kinda grin that someone who has found there purpose would make. He looked Taichi in his eyes "Does that answer your question Mister?"

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Total Word Count: 1108

Taichi listened to the child's words, amused at how similar this child was to what Taichi was upon reentering Suna after it's invasion. Months of trying to drink himself to death, trying to run away from his problems that awaited him here in Suna. He couldn't count how many times he woke up in the ditch on the side of the road in the land of Rivers, or even tossed into a depression of sand in the middle of the desert. He returned to Suna with a newfound optimism, he wanted to rebuild Suna and destroy the village system that brought his entire life to a point of nothingness and despair. 

The child seemed to have already been exposed to the harshness of life, to what extent? He didn't know. But there was some sort of fire in this child's eyes, which is something one needs in this world. He asked if Taichi's questions were sufficiently answered, to which Taichi nodded and responded. "Yes. I do believe you have answered them sufficiently. You seem to have been exposed to the harshness of the world. Yet you have your optimism still in tact." Taichi remembered how even he had an optimism, then he had a similar meet with Kenshin. Kenshin listened to his optimism and gave him a reality check that brought Taichi to a point of realism that allowed him to see the world with a new cynicism.  

He would then be bombarded by the misery that the world provides, feeling his optimism gradually degrade into not only realism, or even pessimism, but near nihilism. "I understand that you want to gain strength so you can be better prepared to protect others. While I used to own the same mentality, the world showed me that there is no merit to protecting others. It only brings you the likelihood of failure and regret. While I do hope that this world treats you better than I, I also want to make sure you are strong enough to at least protect yourself. Once you have reached that point in your training, then you can start worrying about protecting others."

Taichi would then stand to his feet and stretch out his body. "So tell me. What element do you use and what is your fighting style like?" Taichi would continue to stretch out his body. Once he got the answers he seeked, he would be able to formulate some sort of training regimine for Sozin to use to better prepare himself for the endless depression that is this world.

WC: 425
TWC: 2119

"I have to be optimistic...It's all I have now." Sozin said closing his eyes. hen he opened them and looked at Sozin again, there were no longer crimson, but it's a normal brown color. His face was dry now, His cheery smile return, but his timid nature was still gone. He looked up at the man. "Wait a moment, I don't think you told me your name, Mister. I told you mine so it's only fair right?" Sozin said as he waited patiently for an answer.

Once satisfied Sozin would answer the man's question "Well I've been studying water style for a while. I've learned a few lower-level jutsu, but nothing too mind-blowing yet. Just enough to get myself out of trouble if things go south, ya know?. I also know a bit of genjutsu." Sozin responded as he rested his hands on the back of his head in a relaxed stance. "Why do you ask?"

"Teach me? Your offering to train me, Mister? That would be awesome! So, when do we start Mister?" Sozin said excitedly. Sozin seemed ready to get started right away.

"Finally, someone who gets it." Sozin thought to himself. Maybe this guy was just the person he needed to help him get over his mistake. Who knows, maybe this is the family that Sozin needed to move on.

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