Errands

A new day rises over the sun-baked, sand sculpted village of Sunagakure, dawn's rays shine over the thin-curtained porch of Raleth's home, bathing the small garden of the Sarutobi in blazing light. Lunar roses close as morning warms silver petals, desert lilies open burnt-orange leaves as the sun rises in the sky, the aged jounin rouses from his slumber: a dream he almost remembered escapes his mind. 

He breaths in and relaxes in his bed, enjoying the last soothing moments of sleep. In the next moment, he stands. Going to the bathroom, the burnt-white-ash-haired shinobi brushes his teeth, washes his face, and grooms himself. He leaves his bathroom soon after, going to his closet to pick today's outfit. He settles on a bright-pink kimono adorned with red roses, feeling both joyous, yet calm. Putting each hand through the sleeves, he pulls the kimono over his wide shoulders, hiding the immense and intimidating bulk of his person: giving Raleth Sarutobi the appearance of a kind, yet hard faced man. 

Walking out of his room, the aged jounin goes to his kitchen, taking stock of what he has or doesn't have, making mental notes of what he needs. He goes out to his porch, checking on his fruits and flowers, watering each one: praising the individual beauty of each plant. After some time, he grabs an empty straw basket. Walking to his front door, he grabs a wide-brimmed straw hat and places it on his head. He opens the door, locks it, and heads toward the market of Sunagakure: ready to complete the days errands, excited to see who he may meet. As he turns onto the main road of Suna, he hopes to meet someone new.

WC = 285

The main market street of Sunagakure is bustling with its usual activity. Merchants bark their prices from their stalls, luring shoppers with fantastic wares or competitive prices. Tailors brandish well-made cloth and fine tapestries, drawing distant eyes with sewn-patterns. Homemade bread and still-steaming pastries tickle the noses of all as bakers push their carts down the street, offering their sweets to any and all who look hungry. Money changes hands, goods are exchanged, the market of Sunagakure flourishes.

The immense, aged Sarutobi inhales through his nose, enjoying the sights, smells, and sounds of the village he protects. He walks down the street, scanning the many stalls; gazing at the wares, awaiting something to catch his eye. His gaze lands on a stall of dried and salted beef, at a strip of meat that glistens with seasoning and flavor. Raleth looks up, and locks eyes with the merchant at the stall, a wild-eyed man with scraggly facial hair and a mischievous smile. He motions to Raleth, offering him a better look at his ware. The white-ash-haired man smiles, salted beef is one of the things he needs.

"Hello, welcome!,"says the high-voiced man," I have the best beef in Sungakure! My family's recipe has been passed down many generations, I myself am the 6th in the line. My dried beef is like no other, once you try one bite you'll want one hundred more!" 

Raleth looks down at the man he dwarfs, and muses over his impressive sales pitch. Being a frugal man, the Sarutobi takes his time on deciding whether to purchase the merchant's beef, or take his ryo else where. He inspects the cuts of meat, and is impressed: it looks more delicious up close. Raleth makes sure to hide his interest from the merchant, but knows in his hear that he does want to purchase the dried beef. Knowing how much he wants, and how much he is willing to pay, Raleth Sarutobi says what every merchant wants to hear.

"How much for three pounds?"

A beaming smile spreads over the scraggly-haired man, he responds.
 
"For you, my friend, I make a deal. 15 ryo per pound, for a total of 45 ryo!"
a mischevious grin, a merchants smile, spreads over the face of the high-toned man, he believes he will make a huge profit.

The offer from the merchant causes Raleth to turn away, feigning insult at the ridiculous price offered by the merchant.

"15 ryo per pound! Please, with how your meat looks, you should charge me 5 ryo per pound!"

Intellect flashes in the wild eyes of the merchant, he was unaware that the aged jounin knew the art of haggling.


"5 per pound! Sir, I have many mouths to feed, a family, how do you expect me support them! I can do 10 ryo per pound!"
exclaims the merchant, doing his best to act feeble and frail, hoping his moral argument will dissuade the white-ash-haired shinobi.

Raleth's nostrils flare, he knows when one is trying to make a fool of him.
"I have seen many meats like yours in other stalls, with prices much better! Perhaps I'll go there, I'm sure they will sell me their beef for 5 per pound."
Raleth turns, and starts his walk away: hoping his show will coax the merchant into lowering his price. As Raleth takes one step, the merchant exclaims
"Okay sir! Please, 5 ryo per pound is fair."

The Sarutobi smiles, and gleefully exchanges his ryo for the merchants beef, and walks down the market happy and content. As he leaves, the merchant snickers under his breath: he normally sells his beef for 3 ryo per pound.

WC = 611

Still new to the big city in the vast desert, a literal gem of hope in the sea of waving sands, Katsuragi is seen strolling along with the many other citizens of the village. His strides and demeanor boast confidence; his head held up high looking towards not just what was ahead of him, but also what the future might bring. Slow to admit, Katsuragi's time in hiding gave him some new insight. Hustling from one spot to another was all he knew, but so did he know about the hassle of dodging officials on the borderlines. After spends what little one would make on making faces turn the other way, and smuggling themselves out... what was left? A memory, battered hands with a face to match, and the same clothes with pockets full of lent. It gets old, real old.

Katsuragi's attire consisted of a thin black jacket, which underneath he wore a solid white shirt. His pants were a pair of black jeans. His boots also being solid black with an emblem labeled "EU", it's made of metal stitched to the tongue of the boots. His hair, still vivid, was a solid dark purple. His tools and such were all assorted evenly along his attire, given no hint to their whereabouts.

Along the path he walks, a sudden urge of hunger struck him, his abs tightened the more his stomach reminded him. Fortunately, the smell of a food market up ahead around the corner guided him. As he turn the corner long arather tall earthly building, he would inadvertently walk into another man, shoulder first on Katsuragi's left. Caught off guard, the aroma cut off as well, he glares towards the man with ash colored hair after recovering.

"Whoah!", he takes a quick look at his boots. "I know you didn't just scuff these, Echo Uchiha wears these...", he waits for a response. A response that was met with a rather loud rumble from his very own stomach, rumbling from hunger. Some people just aren't the same when they are hangry.

((TWC:343))

The softest bump on Raleth's right took him away from the whirl of the market, he stops to see who he ran into. He looks down at whomever, and would have voiced an immediate apology if the brats loud mouth hadn't popped off.

"Whoah!",says the purple haired boy, "I know you didn't just scuff these, Echo Uchiha wears these..."

A perplexed expression washes over the scarred face of the bearded Sarutobi, the only familiarity Raleth has with that name is the clan name. Looking the youngblood up and down, he notices the monogrammed shoes, and deduces that the rude kid in front of him is Echo Uchiha. Raleth would have dismissed him, but the unmistakable sound of hunger, or starvation, ringing from the young uchiha's stomach bades him to stay. The grimace that comes after such pang of hunger makes the young Echo's outburst understandable. Raleth bows his head, and separates a pound of dried beef from his pack, offering it and speaking.

WC = 230

"Apologies, Uchiha," thrums the basso voice of the Sarutobi, "I did not mean to offend. Take this as payment for the damage I've caused to your clothes, I hope this will be enough."

He hands Echo Uchiha the pound of dried beef, a smile of benevolence spreads over the aged jounin's face. He tips his wide-brimmed, straw hat to Echo, before walking down the Market Street.

It had been a long day for Shin. He was training before the sun got up to greet the village. He had been working extensively on his ninjutsu and taijutsu got to catch up on any training during the time he was away. Shin had exhausted himself, so now he was going to need to get his energy back up.

The Chunin slowly made his way into the village, passing all the usual stores that were in the market square. He was looking for something that would pick him up. Just as he was thinking of all the possibilities for him to fill his stomach with, he noticed a ramen stall right next to a dried beef stall. The thought of a bowl of smooth noodles with multiple spices and meats savoured in his mouth. 

Shin was about to walk through the crowd to get the stall that had the ramen when he noticed a bit of a quarrel going on. A strong older man got bumped by a younger man that seemed to be in a bit more of a rush. Instead of apologizing and moving on with their life, the younger man abruptly burst that he scuffed his shirt and throwing a random name out. Echo Uchiha. It was a name Shin had never heard of nor did he care about. Shin thought the man should just keep on walking, or maybe even throw a punch to the disrespectful young man. Instead of doing that, the older man apologized and even offered to repay the man with the food that he had just bought. There was no damage to the younger man. Shin pulled out the crowd of people to watch this ordeal play out. He thought the older man didn't deserve to lose his meal because of an accident that wasn't even his fault. No one should accept a gift like, especially from an older man. Shin thought to himself. He always respected his elders and thought that others should also respect their elders.

WC: 338

Gathering with the crowd Mikofujo was finishing off her small bowl of ramen while the events played out afterwards, having sat at a booth before this fascinated by her own meal. This interruption could hold more of her attention however, so the girl had sauntered over to spy a familiar face. The ninja who had come into her village under her permission, furthermore it seemed he was causing trouble for...a jounin? Oh dear, if that was who she thought it might be, he should not be apologizing to the outsider but rather simply out of respect for rank the roles should be reversed.

Today she was dressed in a simple pair of black sweatpants and a simple purple tank top, her raven hair was pulled up into a bun above her head and held together with a pair of senbon while her headband was wrapped around her left thigh. Her green eyes were rimmed with thick black eyeliner and obsidian eye shadow today which gave her a sort of sleepy look as she reached out to grab the boy with one arm and turned around to drag him away from whom she assumed to be Raleth if the word in the village was correct. Since she had never met the man before she could not be certain, still it was best to err with respect especially since even if he was some old man there would still be a matter of respect. It would have been more of a grey area had the jostling went down the other way but alas, it was so.

"That will not be necessary sir, this one's under my care and seems to have gotten away from the allowed path" Miko would say either in a dull and bored tone as she pulled Katsuragi away or in a pleading voice. In the events of the ladder, Katsuragi would have dodged her grab and she would have used the momentum to get in front of him and bow to the man she assumed to be a jounin hoping the outsider got just how disrespectful he was being. After all hadn't HE bumped into the older man? Well he wasn't too respectful a fellow when she first met him either. Still she couldn't help but expect him to at least respect his elders, but it was her responsibility for letting him in so she would have to sort this out.

Days had now passed since Zaine had the fortune of meeting some of his fellow shinobi in the comfort of his home and with all of the pleasantries came a bit of lax and sedentary behavior on his part. He was beginning to slip back into a habit of kicking back and relaxing more than training and he understood that his skills would wane if this were to continue. Keeping this in mind Zaine made sure to wake up around 4 in the morning to head to a nearby training field and practice some simple maneuvers utilizing his shuriken and ninja wire. 4 hours would pass by and he would note the rising sun coupled with the increasing heat from the rays of light that it supplied. This would signify that it was time for him to return to the village but he had no plans of returning to his home, rather he felt it would be nice to find a tall building in the Sunagakure market place that he could lay back on and cloud watch for some time. He made his way to a tall browned building that was cemented in the heart of the market place and with one great leap would land atop it. To his luck there would appear to be a small bench/resting area located in the furthest corner of the building and Zaine would waste no time walking over to it and making himself more than comfortable. Staring up at the sky as thin white clouds passed by in a slow rhythmic pace, the young Uchiha would find himself drifting off to sleep, the sound of the busy market place almost calming him as he decompressed.

A few hours would pass before Zaine awakened to the sound of a familiar voice down below near the base of the building he had perched himself on. The shinobi smiled as he slowly brought his torso forward and his body to a sitting position. Standing up with both arms extended upwards he would let out a bolstering yawn before subsequently rubbing his left eye, his right covered by his unkempt dark brown hair. Zaine would be sporting a sleeveless white shirt with the Uchiha crest planted prominently on its back with brown straight legged pants and black ninja sandals. His headband would be at its usual place, tightly secured to his left arm, displaying the proud symbol of the village as it reflected the glare from the harsh sunlight. Zaine would walk over to the edge of the building placing both palms on the surface of the perimeter and looking over it  curiously to see what all the commotion was about. He would see his old sensei Raleth, just as he had thought sporting a bright pink kimono and sticking out of the crowd both in style and size which was his typical style. Strangely, he was in the company of two others that Zaine had never had the pleasure of meeting. A young woman dressed in purple and black who seemed to be mediating the situation in some fashion and a young man dressed in black and white that if Zaine had heard correctly started the entire altercation that was unfolding. Looking over just slightly Zaine would smirk seeing a familiar and welcome face, it was Shin Kenshin! He had previously embarked on a mission with him so running into him randomly was a nice surprise. Zaine had no plans to interfere in this matter and rather would watch it unravel as he was sure that peaking over the building would have already made his presence known to his teacher who was of the Jounin rank. The young Uchiha would think to himself as he watched on "Never a dull moment in this village.. today might be a bit more interesting than I was thinking it would be." 

[WC=644]

The heavy base voice from the Old head in front of Katsuragi catches him of guard. Only now did the young hustler from Quarter Town size up his opposition which reminded him of a few inmates back on E block. It was like viewing a hazy picture up close, until moments later  after your eyes focus in... you realize that there might be a bit more than you think. Quite a bit of muscle mass he thought, but with a demeanor like that and a body like so he figured him out real quick. Gentle giants come every so often,  and this jolly giant no doubt was aided with a simp mentality. Katsuragi had seen this affliction before. It didn't matter how big you were in prison, if you gave in on the first jump, you would forever be known as an inmate with an open door policy. And thus forced to reside in E block for safety, because your lunch, toiletries, snacks, dinner,  and practically anything else of value were all for everyone from blocks A through D. Within his mind, Katsuragi smiled with such crookedness. To what was he scheming? Quite a bit actually...




To add in to the mix, his head draws back upon processing all to which the ash haired old man said. For someone so old, he would have thought he would know who Echo Uchiha was, much less heard of him. The best in the world, the author of not one but two critically acclaimed major books, and one of the most powerful shinobi konoha had ever produced. And he didn't know who he was? If Katsuragi got a hold of the books in prison, they had to be everywhere. Katsuragi's face tightened for a moment with confusion, "Hol up, Old man..., tell you what. This all right here is enough... for a good start, and fucking starving. There ain't no pork in there right?", his eyes drew closer upon inspecting the  wraps of meat. Not all of it was bad, being raised in a prison complex. You learn quite a bit from those of all walks of life, not just from one source or somebody who claimed to know what was best for all. There were people from the land of snow..., and even people from the misty islands.

Seeing one of his fist chances at seizing a much needed opportunity for the possibilities he could reap from the old man, he takes his shot with no delay. Upon reaching for the wrap of meat offered to him, he is met..., with a familiar face with cat like tendencies

His right arm reaches for the wrap when it was now being met with another, who possessed a more feminine touch which dissolved any chance of resistance from the ex con. Pulled rather quickly around with surprising force he was now behind a much smaller individual, who's voice was well known to him. Free of her grasp, he leans forward slightly with a height well above the shinobi of the sand. He takes in her features rather quickly from left to right, cheekbones and all. He does this while she seemingly apologizes for Katsuragi's actions, even though clearly the old man was at fault. He was even giving Katsuragi free food, to which he was gonna get the old geezer to cook for him.

'Under my care huh? You care to uh... back the fuck up bitc-'

Sucking his teeth upon realizing who it was, wondering just how bad his luck was, he jolts back with irritated eyebrows. "Uuh! No no no, NO! You again kitty kat?! Ain't you supposed to be at the gate with shorty with the dusty black hair?" with out missing a beat, he sees her bowing once gain like always. Soon enough, he surmised, the girl will begin to cry for whatever reason it may be. "And why are you always doing that? you better not be crying agai- Listen OG, lets get up outta here, and bring that food too cuz this ninja trippin." he is now see looking downwards towards the interjector. "I don't know how you found me, but you best slink out my way the same way you came in, kitty kat, I'm hungry"

((TWC:701))

"Hol up, Old man..., tell you what. This all right here is enough... for a good start, and fucking starving. There ain't no pork in there right?"

Disgust flashed over the aged Sarutobi's face as he heard the words of Echo Uchiha, the tone and expression of the boy was awful. To disregard a kind gesture and to answer with such disrespect abhorred the ash-white-haired shinobi. He had took pity on the whelp, having thought he'd be a well-mannered tramp, and is surprised to discover that this unfortunate soul is just a rude brat. Ire rises in the Sarutobi, Raleth breaths easy to calm himself: he need not make another scene. Raleth gripped the pound of  dried beef, ready to snatch it away from the hands of the whelp and rid himself of this awful interaction, when something unexpected happened. 

A raven haired, sleepy-eyed kunochi, wearing the symbol of Sunagakure on her leg and dressed in a simple purple tanktop, came in between Raleth and the whelp, and apologized on the Uchiha's behalf. The Uchiha, upon noticing the girl, seemed to stop all his aggressiveness, and even looked over her every feature. A knowing, yet mischevious smile spread over the white-ash-haired shinobi's face, he recognizes what he sees right away. He bows to the sleepy-eyed genin, his headband, wrapped under his neck and hidden under his kimono, flashes in the sunlight: confirming Mikofuju's suspicions on who she was dealing with.

"My apologies, Uchiha, I understand your earlier rudeness," thrums the bass voice of Raleth, "you were trying to appear clean for your lady!" 
The thought of young love tickles the aged Sarutobi, he begins to fawn over the idea of Echo and Mikufujo, "I'm sure a kind and well dressed lady like you could turn this Uchiha into a proper man!" In his mind, Raleth sees the wedding and the honeymoon of the two young people in front of them. "You're kids would be gorgeous!"

The gushing of the aged jounin would more than likely draw the eyes of passerby, who would nod toward Echo in approval. Raleth would use this to pull the pound of dried beef away and back in his basket and swiftly turns to leave the two. He notices a chuunin at the ramen shop near the dried beef. A terriyfing strength emantes from the nonchalant shinobi, Raleth nods: acknowledging them.

Something grabs at Raleth's mind, a presence of chakra pulls him toward the top of a building. He spots a familiar silhouette, a body posture he knows well, his old student, Zaine Uchiha. He waves and grabs an apple from his fruit basket. In the next moment, Raleth throws the apple toward Zaine, chucking it high over the market, barreling straight toward the palm of the Uchiha. The sheer strength and control, the ease at which the Sarutobi preformed the feat, would give Echo an insight into the strength of the ash-white-haired shinobi. After Zaine catches the apple, Raleth motions for Zaine to join him. It had been a bit of time since their last chat.

[[WC = 511]]

It was a large standoff in the market square. For a moment, things got tense as the stranger name-dropped Echo Uchiha. The name seemed to set off the large old man. The older man was trying to control his breathing and his body but the way he gripped his jerky showed his anger level, he was going to sack the head off this rude stranger. A couple of the other shinobi, including Shin, would be left a witness to a violent scene. 

Thankfully before any bloodshed, a woman appeared. She seemed to be able to put the stranger back in his place. As soon as the stranger saw her, he was quickly stammering and trying to collect himself. It was funny to Shin how quickly someone could be all high and mighty only to fall from his hubris the next. The older man seemed to relax after hearing her apology for the stranger and would leave, teasing the stranger before doing so. Shin was very amused. He would face the ramen shop owner/chef, who was also watching the whole scene go down, and ask for a case of ramen to go. As he was putting it together, Shin would approach the female genin. "I'm glad you said something, he looked like he was going to wipe that smug off that dude's face." Shin looked at the missing ninja as he mentioned him, giving him a shit-eating grin. 

TWC: 575