[Entrance] Turning a New Page

Page's travels were long, much longer than he was used to, and although he did have some experience training up his discipline when he was still a proper shinobi, Page was not a fan of how the desert presented fewer and further meals over time. His time traveling through Rain Country made him feel like his clothes and Sheffield's coat of fur would permanently be made damp, but within his first hour in the desert the memory of moisture became a treasure his mind desperately held onto. Sheffield had been taking the lack of food a lot worse comparably, which did not mix well with the heat as it made it look like what was once a puffy wolf with a body looking the size of a husky had shed off enough fur and weight to resemble more of a greyhound with blown out fur.

Page finally saw the cliffs of rock that signed that the village hidden in the sand was upon him and let out a large sigh of relief realizing that he would finally be able to get a good night's rest without having to have Sheffield bark in his ear. Sheffield was more than just excited to see signs of higher civilization as his tail began to wag greater than it had in the past week. As Page approached the gates to the village hidden in the sand, he thought back to the last time he went to a place of the same name. The shameful thoughts were quickly cast aside as he got near the gates and asked the guards if he was permitted to enter.

WC: 271

The immense chuunin, Raleth, sits in the guard post that lies in the shadow of the cleft of Sungakure, across from the wizened shinobi, Han. A checkered board rests on the table that lays between them, numerous pieces, for a game called Koroshi, lay scattered on and off the board. The gray-eyes of Han burn into the ashen-haired Sarutobi, the elder carefully raises his hand to the board. The flower-kimono wearing Raleth takes his carved-wood-and-jade-engraved pipe and takes a small drag.

"Be careful now," thrums the basso voice of Raleth Sarutobi as smoke drifts from his nose, "I've got you cornered."

A thin chuckle rasps from the wizened shinobi, his gray eyes twinkle with a cunning mischief.

"That's what you think, sprout!"

With an agility that seems passed his years, Han swiftly moves his Anbu, a piece Raleth had overlooked in his last move, across the board: in line to strike the Sarutobi's Kage. The move sends Raleth's head spinning, he hadn't expected Han to pull something like this.

"No matter..."

Raleth goes to move his Kage away from Han's Anbu, but a snicker from the wizened shinobi makes him pause. He looks to the old man, and sees where his gray eyes stare. Raleth looks at the board, and is stunned. No matter where he moves his piece, one of Han's shinobi could strike his Kage. Raleth looks back at the man, as if to ask when he planned this ambush, and sees tactile triumph shine through his wizened eyes. 

"No..."

It occurs to Raleth that Han had been planning this ambush since the beginning, and that every move Raleth made was to get his kage in position. This realization sends the Sarutobi reeling, he hangs his head in defeat as Han laughs.

"Good! That means you get the next one too!"

The old man gathers the pieces and board as Raleth stands to go to the tea kettle he had brought. He pours a wonderfully rich cup of black, ginseng tea for himself and Han; he shakes his head, bewildered by his loss. Han sees this, and speaks, "Your early engagement is impressive," says Han, commenting on his and Raleth's game of Koroshi, "you have the ability to crush me, yet you lack forethought. Someone at half your skill could best you, since all they need to do is lead you an ambush." He turns to give Han his tea, the words of the elder makes Raleth think on his meeting with Mizuki Ohta, when his Kazekage assigned him to guard duty. A smile breaks his stone face, "Lord Kazekage was right," says Raleth as he hands Han his tea, "time with you will teach me a thing or two."

"Eh?" says Han, "Me, teach you?" He laughs, "That's not how it was explained to me!"

Raleth smiles, and brings his cup to his lips, when a presence, 10 meters away from the guard post, comes into the periphery of his senses. He turns his head, and sees the shape of a haggard traveller and a large, rough-haired dog.

Interesting...

Raleth gestures to Han, and walks out of the guard post. The pipe-smoking, flower-kimono wearing chuunin stands between the stone door of the village hidden in the sand and the outside world as the haggard traveler walks up to the village gates. Raleth notices the parched look to the mans lips, and the heavy pant of the dog at his side. A strange sensation comes from the man's companion, the slightest spark of chakra.

Very interesting...

As the man and his large dog comes up to Raleth, the Sarutobi puts up his hand.

"Halt", thrums the basso-voice of Raleth, "Please present your shinobi ID, and state your reasons for coming to Sunagakure."

Raleth eyes the weary traveler. There is no visible headband, his clothes look tattered, his companion looks exhausted and emaciated. Dehydration and starvation have followed the two through the deserts of Wind Country. Before the man can answer, Raleth holds up one finger.

"A moment."

Raleth goes back to the guard post, and grabs his fruit basket and a sign in record. He returns to the man and his dog, and offers both three juicy slices of watermelon. The ashen-haired Sarutobi smiles with his eyes, "Grown from my own garden. I insist." 

If the man and his dog chose to eat the watermelon, they would feel a refreshment that bordered on ecstasy, the juice, meat, and water of the fruit satiating their hunger and thirst with each bite. As the two eat, Raleth offers the sign-in record.

"Fill in all your information here, and you'll be issued a temporary ID card. Have it visible at all times, and don't cause trouble. And.." Raleth eyes the large, rough-haired dog, "your companion will need to be signed in as well, and will need an ID card."

Skills Used:

[[808]]

Seeing the rather large man approach him first set a bit of a fight or flight series of thoughts to the head of Page, he thought of possible actions he could pursue. Before he could really process what he was thinking, the actions that correlated to said thoughts started their way down his spine in a collision course with his legs and arms, but before they could make it there, they were interrupted by the command to halt. Page's nerves began to settle and he listened to what the man had to say. 

As the man asked him for his Shinobi ID, a million thoughts raced through his mind. He knew he didn't have it on him, he hadn't seen it for years and he was just trying to think where it would be or how he could excuse its absence. He was searching his mind for where it was when it finally hit him, he had left in his shack at the farm, a shack that had since been crushed by an aberrant tree, and knowing how the farms fortunes had fallen, probably even been struck by lightning in the middle of a tornado by now, but that was besides the point, the point of the matter was that it was far too long a travel to just grab if it even still existed at this point. As his heart sank to his stomach, a rather uncontested fall given that it was empty, his hopes were lifted when breaking from the formality of the matter, the sand shinobi in front of him took a second to offer fresh melon slices to the traveler. Page immediately accepted, grabbing all six slices eagerly and handing four of them off to Sheffield, the hungry dog eagerly digging into the fruit quickly.

"Thank you kindly for the fruit," the former farmer said, waiting to chow down for after they spoke, as it may have been perceived as rude should he have just chomped down in the middle of a conversation like his companion. "My name is Page and this here is my dog Sheffield. I worked as a farmer the past fifteen years but my farm, it, well dried up just recently, took it as a sign I needed to move on, the lack of income ain't something that was planning on keeping consistent. I figured that I may as well fall back on what I did quite a while ago. Place I used to do that work and I had a bit of a disagreement, hence I'm coming someplace new for a fresh start and I heard this may be the place to do it."

Page then took a second, and then, swallowing a bit and lowering his voice with a sense of shame, before continuing "That said I am currently without a Shinobi ID given I haven't lived that life for a while," his voice then shifted back up to his normal pitch and tone, "but I am more than willing to fill out the necessary information for me and my companion to get temporary IDs if its alright that I'm missing my old identification information, now I hate to be rude but I am just starving and if it's alright with y-." Page stopped in his tracks, looking down on his slices of watermelon with a horrified gaze as he saw the distinctive bite marks of a wolf dont to the rind on each slice and looked over to Sheffield, the grinning dog laying on his back in the sun, starting to take a nap.

Letting out a big sigh, Page then said, "Nevermind that then, let's get to this signing in," before picking up a pen and filling in his information, writing in the place of his name "Page," and writing for his dog "Sheffield," assuming he could sign in without an ID. While signing in, Page tried to make small talk with the big man, mentioning, "You seem to tend your garden well, good ole Shef over there has a pretty selective palette, as I mentioned I tended a farm back home, grew potatoes. Didn't figure you'd be able to grow much out here, would love to see your garden sometime."

WC: 703, TWC: 974

Though both the traveler and his dog was offered three slices, the haggard man chose to give four to his companion. "A wise man treats his friends better than himself," thrums Raleth in response to the traveler's behavior. The dog digs into the ripe slices, devouring the melon with chomps and slurps: drowning out the voice of the traveler as he thanks the Sarutobi for the fruit. 

The traveler introduces himself as Page, and told his tale of how he ended up in front of the gate of Sunagakure. As he does his dog, Sheffield, eyes the ripe slices of watermelon in his hands. The large, travel-worn dog creeps up to his friend, the movement of the animal catches the attention of the Sarutobi. He darts his eyes to the dog, the dog stares him down, and slowly shakes his head "no". The amusing sight causes Raleth to smile as the traveler explains how he lacks his shinobi ID, he nods to Sheffield.

I won't say anything.

The traveler agrees to sign any paperwork needed, the travel-worn dog snickers and takes a bite out the water melon in his hands, the bitemarks look curious.

Strange for a dog to have teeth like that...

Sheffield, happy and full, saunters over to a sunny spot on the road, and rolls over: basking in the warmth of wind country. Page excuses himself, and sees that his companion has eaten the only food he's seen in days. The sight makes Raleth laugh, he pats Page on the shoulder, his strength jostles the man's body.

"You've an interesting story, friend. You've no need for worry, your past disagreements have no bearing on your entry into Sunagakure, and a man who can till a field is worth two!"

Raleth hands Page the record to sign, the travel-worn man writes down his information.  

"My garden is small, but I do enjoy conversing with my flowers. A seed can flourish if its comfortable, and I prefer to let my plants know they're loved. Though, mine is not the only garden in Suna. There is the Grove, a vast expanse of greenery created by Lord First. And, the bioshield he placed prevents the arid nature of Wind Country from affecting the residents."

Raleth grabs the record, and walks to the napping Sheffield.

"If you need a place to rest for the night, there's a tea shop in the south eastern district of Sunagakure, near my own home. The owners, my neighbors, have fallen ill, and I've been tending to the place as they recover. With how things are going, I might have to move my garden there!"

Raleth chuckles, rousing the large dog from his nap. Sheffield eyes the Sarutobi, who kneels down and presents the sign in record. The dog tilts its head, confused, and sees a black stamp in the Sarutobi's other hand. Sheffield sniffs at the stamp, and scans the demeanor of the Sarutobi. Seeing no problem with him, he allows Raleth to stamp his paw, and place his paw print on the guard record. He stands and produces the two ID cards for Page and Sheffield.

"The shop has extra rooms. Hell, if you need time to get on your feet, your welcome to stay. I've no need for rent, but I ask you work the shop for the length of your stay."

Raleth gestures to Hans, the wizened-shinobi in the guard post, to open the stone gate of Sunagakure. 

"Your free to do as you like, just don't cause any trouble. Welcome to Sunagkaure, Page and Sheffield."

The Sarutobi offers Page a few more slices of melon as he leaves. As the haggard man walks into the village, the basso voice of Raleth thrums.

"If you need your skills sharpened, come find me. Sunagakure boasts a number of training grounds, and you strike me as one who knows how to brawl."

Raleth gives a wide smile and a powerful thumbs up to Page, he flexes, and displays a portion of his martial strength. He waves to Han. The Gate of Sunagakure closes behind the two weary travelers
[Exit]


[[683/1494]]


25% max Stat Discount
Water Release: Shuriken (1163/1163)

3 AP for 300 WC

"Nah, I just know this one like I've been around him my whole life," Page said in reply to the first comment, "if I don't give him the majority he'll just end up stealing the rest from me anyway, although I suppose that is a pretty good philosophy to carry though, think I might start buying into that," blissfully unaware of the fate of the melon he so desperately craved, after all along the travels typically Sheffield had graciously provided the food, sharing about a third of it with Page when they had food. Turns out that although they knew each other well, they still had a bit to go in terms of getting a feel for each others typical behavior. 

Although the absence of food had driven the hungry shinobi to be quite irritable in the first place, and the utter highway robbery of the former farmer's food was not a remedy for this ill temper, in fact Sheffield's actions just about burst Page's building anger like a water balloon filled much past what its surface tension should allow being pierced by a butterfly needle, leaving none in the immediate area untouched by the water... of rage (jeez this elongated simile went on too long). This building of anger then immediately released as soon as Raleth cracked a smile and started laughing, deflating the water balloon like a needle had struck into the balloon while it was still being filled, slowly losing more than it was gaining, and when it had all emptied out, and Page had joined in on laughing at how the situation had panned out. Page was starting to really like this guy even if he hadn't got his name yet, and even if the pat on his shoulder was more alarmingly strong than reassuring, causing Page to shake somewhat violently under the power of the more experienced shinobi. Hearing that the buff man had thought of him as a friend was comforting to the Fire Country Native, glad that before he even got the chance to fully enter the Village Hidden in the Sand he had already started making friends with one the inhabitants, a sure sign that leaving the farm was the right move. 

"Phew," Page let out, "Thought it may have been a big issue there, got me sweating up a storm in addition to the heat and that ain't good for no one's nostrils. Glad my story caught your interest by the way but to be honest at this point wouldn't mind if I could have more of a boring story, even if the interesting life is more momentary fun. I just gotta say that it is relieving I don't have to think of my old life, as I mentioned it didn't end in the best of terms, and to move past that is reassuring to say the least, also more than happy that the person I happen to meet values the amount of work that goes into farming at the gates after toiling around in the village for a while before meeting you, or someone similar minded to you, with me wandering around with the general expression of a farmer hoping someone who likes farming will notice." Page realized just how starved for human contact he had became through the trip and thought he may have been speaking a bit too much for his own good.

Page listened to the skilled gardener discuss the origin of the fruit the pet wolf seemingly found so delectable, a small but seemingly rewarding garden with a much different goal than the farm Page had been managing for the past fifteen years. "Never really grew flowers if I'm being honest," Page opened up, "Just never had the availability to, was always just growing what I needed to survive, growing things I could eat or things I could feed to what I needed to eat, never really factored love and care into the mix, maybe that is why the crops dried up back home, from emotional neglect." Page took a moment to think on if his farm ended up falling for his own fault, but quickly put it aside. Better to learn from the past than to live in it. "I'm glad to hear of the other gardens though, you think if I get a space I could end up with one? This bio shield sounds like it would come quite and handy and I wonder if something larger than a garden could fit inside, the Grove you called it? I'd love to take a look if you or anyone else could give me a bit of a tour later."

As Raleth offered shelter, albeit with strings attached, to the former farmer, he lit up at the help, "I can meet you at the tea shop, I have some medical training and I can see if I can help but I'm sure you got some better doctors somewhere around Suna, it does have a certain reputation for medical ninja after all. I could help you move things over for sure though, manual labor is bad for the back and good for the soul and all that."

As Raleth approached his pet dog, stamp in hand, Page looking over from his ID information commented, "A full Sheffield is usually a calm one, should be perfectly easy to take his paw print, he is pretty lazy when he can be, and he certainly seems to be enjoying the sun over there, he won't give no fit." He saw the large man put the paw to ink and press as he created an Identification card for his pup before offering Page a job.

"Now that you say it, I think that might be a good place to start, especially as I get all the paperwork settled in terms of getting a more permanent career and residence here, I'll try my best at the tea shop as long as I'm there, and I once again thank you from the bottom of my heart for offering me the chance," Page said.

Laughing after the big man gave a power house level flex, the former farmer let Raleth know, "I might just have to take you up on that offer, after all can't go around becoming a shinobi again without proper self defense, and one last thing, I'm glad to be here and I ensure you I will make the most of it."

Page finally entered a new chapter of his life, passing into the village proper the gate closing behind him, eager to begin his new life in the village hidden in the sand.

[WC 1,103, TWC 2,077]
(Made this post while pretty tired, sorry for the drop in quality)
+10 Stats Page
+10 Stats Sheffield
Tai to main 2,270/3k continued from Here
Exit from thread and entrance into Suna

Approved