To a new beginning

Life had been quite hard on Daiki ever since he had fled Earth Country. His inhumane and cruel experiments on the local population throughout the years had finally caught up with him to the point where he could no longer operate from the shadows without getting his various secret laboratories raided. He had managed to successfully never be seen or caught thanks to the little shinobi training he had. He figured it was in his best interest to find some individuals he could hang around and lay low with for a while and the direction he fled in eventually landed him at the borders of Hoshigakure.

Not his first choice of a village to take refuge in but it was there in front of him and he didn't exactly have the luxury of picking where he should set up shop. Placing his hands close to each other with only his pinky-ring ring touching each other, he'd rhythmically teach each corresponding finger with its counterpart and snickered. Showing a toothy grin from ear to ear, Daiki had continued to frolic over the borders governing Earth and Haven country. After all, he didn't have any time to dilly dally as science awaited him. Enthusiastically, he crossed the borders into Hoshigakure in an attempt to elude his pursuers and begin anew all over again. 

It was a shame he didn't have time to bring any tools with him as he had fled across the country but that would have only slowed him down in hindsight. Well, it wasn't as if he couldn't procure new tools and 'materials' if he tried hard enough. The first thing he would need is a kind of group followed by money. If he could get a group going, he'd be able to start from there. Now that he was in Haven country, he kept his eyes peeled for people who would be tolerant of his 'hobby'.

Grey had been walking and traveling, taking carts and other means of transportation for the past couple of months, trying to get as far away from his home village as possible. He had no clue if his village, upon the discovery of what he was up to, would hire people to go after him or not, but if they did, he wanted to make sure that they couldn't find him, wherever he was. He had looked on a map he had really quickly, and knew for a fact that the area furthest away from him and the small country of Honey, was that of Haven country. He knew that Hoshigakure was in Haven country, so he traveled ‘round the clock to get to where he was right now. This was a road leading to the gates of the village. He was going to see if he could take refuge here as some sort of traveling ninja of some sort. He obviously wasn’t going to tell them about his past deeds, as people were usually very hateful towards that sort of thing, and so he was just going to pass himself off as a traveling doctor that was from a minor village that got raided, prompting him to flee.

That wasn’t entirely a lie either, his village did get raided and he did have to flee, it was just that he was the one that raided the village and he had to flee because he got caught conducting experiments. What happened happened already, and so he was just going to head forward and try to find some research assistants or partners. He chose a ninja village because there were always unsavory types there, wanting to grow in power by any means necessary, and he was the type that wanted to grow in knowledge so that he would also be powerful. It was similar, although his was more for furthering his own research than for self-perfection, so he was a little more lax in his determination for power. As he was walking along the roads, he came to a spot that met up with a main road heading to the village. While looking around, he noticed another man walking on the road in front of him, also looking to be a traveler.

There was no one around, and so Grey thought that he might be able to get some easy research materials in a new land, but he wanted to talk to the guy first, and see what type of person he was. He would obviously not try to challenge another shinobi out here on the roads so close to a village, and who knows, perhaps this man was even a kindred spirit, wandering around to find somewhere he could belong. Grey walked over to the person, making sure he made his presence known before he got too close, in case the man was a person who spooked easily. “Hale, fellow traveler!”Grey would say, making his way to the left side of the man, walking the same direction. “I assume you’re also heading to Hoshigakure. The name’s Grey, wonderful to make your acquaintance.” Grey was one for theatrics, and so he was a bit over the top in his introduction, taking his top hat off when he bowed to the man, before putting out his right hand for a hand shake.

The thing that had led Aroisu strolling onto the main road towards Hoshigakure was a simple thing, curiosity. Being raised as a nomad he had seen a good part of the world, but there were still many parts of it he had yet to see, and that excited him to his very core! While most thirteen-year-old boys wouldn't be as carefree when traveling alone Aroisu had been doing it for a few months now and he had gotten used to it, sometimes not being as cautious as he should. "Maybe I'll be able to weasel out a few techniques if I enroll into their academy for a bit." Aroisu thought to himself, before remembering that wearing a white collared long sleeve shirt, brown pants with matching laceless shoes and suspender, he'd definitely have to go through extra steps to prove that he was actually a shinobi, though a low ranked one.

Getting fed up with the journey and Aroisu began to pick up the pace a bit in his mind imagining a nice comfortable bed to sleep in and hopefully, he would be able to find good food in Hoshigakure too, assuming they allowed him in of course. Aroisu's daydreaming was cut short when he noticed two adults who seemed to be making conversation, at this point, Aroisu was excited because he very well knew he was near the Hoshigakure borders and with no affiliation such as a headband or jewelry it was safe to assume they would think he was a mere citizen of Hoshigakure.

Jogging over to the two males, he stopped when he was about three meters from the two, a good enough head start in case he needed to run. "Greetings elders!!"  Aroisu exclaimed hoping they wouldn't get offended due to his remark regarding their blatant age difference. "While I'm not sure if you two are acquainted, but I was merely wondering if either of you would mind some company heading into Hoshigakure, not to mention a family seems less suspicious than any single man."  Aroisu initiated stating his purpose for intruding on their meeting and from Aroisu's perspective, joining one or both of these men could serve to benefit them both. However, Aroisu had to admit both of these men seemed to have questionable pasts and that was due to Aroisu never really hearing of scientists traveling alone often, however one did have a lab coat on and the other dressed more like a gentleman, but with the company he seemed to be keeping, Aroisu was going to assume he too was a scientist. "Hopefully not a mad scientist." Aroisu thought to himself wondering how this was going to end for him.

The day was bright and clear; typical for the weather in Haven country. The arid rise of earth gave curvature to the landmarking the horizon like a wayward chisel having once impacted the ground in sequenced rows. Valleys decorated with the occasional brush and the red-clay brick caked into the side of plateaus that rose stalwart to the sky. In a valley to the northern end of Haven was the village of Hoshigakure, a lush and vibrant oasis that boasted enough trees to create a forest in the surrounding land, the tall gates standing proud facing to the south. Beneath its gates rested a pair of Shinobi, each dressed in their own means to combat the heat of the country. For Yuuma, this didn't extend beyond his normal robes. Although it was made of a light material, it was still a practiced form to be able to wear it in the blazing sun. Sweat would dot his brow even as he lingered in the shadow of the gate itself or the nearby fauna that had been well cared for by both the villagers and the ninja alike. One thing was for certain, a great deal of effort had gone into making the approach to Hoshigakure look inviting. And for the most part, they were.

For the most part.

Yuuma would reach up and wipe away at his forehead, puffing out a small breath of air. It had been some time since he had taken gate duty, but it was about more than just a sense of duty to his village that he stood guard. His pale blue eyes would cast over to land on the Genin beside him. Isemori. One of the members of his team. Today was a two-fold exercise. First, it would allow Yuuma to get a better sense of Isemori's ability to handle tasks that could be considered tedious or otherwise unexciting. After all, with Queensmen nearby, there was never any real danger of being caught at the gate alone. Secondly, it would allow Yuuma to provide his student with a good example of simple means to protect the village. To do what he had outlined for them in the study on the day when they had first met. Yuuma intended to spend time like this with each of his team members, but today it was the turn of Isemori.

Yuuma had not spurned talking during their time at the gate, but unless Isemori actively maintained the conversation, it would often fall to a contemplative silence. An almost meditative state that Yuuma would find himself drifting into and out of. By now it was a little past mid-day, and nearing the more final hours of their duty on the gate. His piercing blue gaze would keep Isemori in his peripheral vision for a time, breaking a silence that had grown between them. "How are you finding your duties as of late? Do you find they have brought you closer to the people of Hoshigakure, I wonder." It wasn't so much as though he asked the question so much as was thinking out loud to Isemori, though if the boy looked confused, Yuuma would look to him more fully.

WC - 528

Ise was excited to join his sensei in whatever it was that he was doing. He had even performed a mission that dealt with guarding the gate once before. There were some higher ranking shinobi with him once before, so he wasn’t completely alone. But now, he was actually happy that he had been given a chance to do this with someone who he knew, and what better way to do something than with your very own Sensei? Sure, Ise had admitted that it was a little tedious, but he knew that complaining about it wouldn’t do any good. Not to mention give him a proper scolding from Yuuma as well. Due to their task, Ise decided to not talk, even though he really wanted to. He felt that if he started talking his sensei’s ear off that they’d lose focus at the task at hand.

However, after a while of silence, Isemori perked up, listening to his Sensei’s words. “I like it a lot actually! Sure, I admit some of the missions can be a bit tedious, but at least I have something to do!” the silver-haired Uchiha said, giving his Sensei his usual goofy grin. “Hey, Sensei? Can I ask you a question?” Ise said, looking at Yuuma. There was a hint of hesitance in the young Uchiha’s voice, but despite that he had managed to get it out there. “Have you ever been to other places? Ya know, aside from Hoshi?” Ise had asked him. Ise had never been to other places, and it made him curious about the outside world. He knew that his dad was originally born in the hidden leaf village, and ended up seeking refuge here along with his mother long before he was born.

Hoshi was indeed his home, but … a part of him was still curious, given the fact that he hardly knew his own father. He had tried asking Itsuki once, but his older brother evaded the question like usual. The thought of his older brother made Ise slightly grimace a little, shaking the thought of his brother away, hoping to not give his Sensei the idea that his grimace was directed towards him in any way. He and his older brother’s relationship was … eccentric than most sibling relationships. A Part of Ise wished Itsuki would pull the stick out of his ass. He honestly didn’t really know how or why his brother had changed except for it having to do with their late father, which was also something his older brother liked to avoid talking about. It was like that though with him all the time though, which made Ise and him get into their usual arguments. As for his mother, she wouldn’t necessarily give him a straight answer either. She would say that she was a ‘retired kunoichi’ now.

WC: 473

And right on que, it was as if the universe had adjusted and aligned fate on Daiki's very whims as he was being greeted by a man he had never seen before. He was surprised somebody would openly address him so casually as most normal folk were weary. Daiki would conclude this man wasn't normal given the way he was dressed as well. Maybe he'd find a kindred soul in this one as he definitely looks the part. Watching the man make his way towards his left side, Daiki just continued to grin from ear to ear, not quite responding immediately. Rhythmically tap his fingers together in a pattern, he wondered how he should greet this man. 

As he thought about it more, another individual had jogged towards the two of them. Daiki slowly turned his head towards the boy coming towards them, fixating his gaze upon him. His head twitched in an unholy manner as if he were some sort of autonomous machine that was rumored to be common in Island Country. Come to think of it, he figured that would be a nice place to visit next after he saw what Haven Country has to offer. For now, he'd listen to the boy's request. It seems he wanted to accompany him and the stranger into the gates of Hoshigakure as a 'family'. How quaint. 

Chuckling aloud, Daiki decided he would play along in this charade as he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself as he simply already had by being approached by these two. "Well now, what's this? Company! I love company. Heh, heh. Greetings to the both of you, my name is- Well, my name isn't important. You may simply refer to me as 'Doctor'. Now then, I suppose you both want to head into the gates of Hoshigakure. What a coincidence, me too! And the idea of entering as a family is absolutely brilliant. Let's call out our roles, shall we! I'll be dear old dad, you can be my brother, Mr. Grey. Come, let us be off gentlemen."

Daiki was in a fairly good mood as his cover story seemingly just happened to fall into his lap. This was perfect. All he had to do was keep this up for as long as he could until he could get himself situated before heading back out into the world and doing his own thing. First, he'd wait and see if either of the two newcomers had any objections to his plans.

It was strange, as although Grey wasn't really looking for the other roads around the area, he hadn't seen any others in his peripheral, but here came another person, seemingly much younger than the two that had just started talking, but that was fine. This person looked a bit strange when comparing the three of them. One of them was clearly a doctor or specialist in some field, which was the one that self-proclaimed himself the simple title of "Doctor", while he himself looked more like a distinguished gentleman with a side of circus ring leader, what with his fairly bright and contrasting colors that made up his suit, tie, and of course his purple top hat. As soon as Grey managed to greet the man that would call himself Doctor, the young man had showed up and started to greet them, making the duo a trio suddenly. Grey noticed that Doctor was quite eccentric with the way he had a permanent grin on his face as well as suddenly turning his head in an odd way when the young man approached. This was fine, as although it seemed a bit outwardly creepy, Grey wasn't one to shy away from his own eccentricities either, so he essentially had no outward reaction.

The young man explained that pretending to be a family was less suspicious, and before Grey could respond to him, Doctor suddenly spoke up in a cheery yet slightly sinister sounding tone. Doctor was all for the idea, and simply wanted the two older people to be brothers, as he looked at Grey. Now it was Grey's turn to have a large grin on his face, as he would never pass up a chance for some theater, and so he went with it immediately. "Ahh yes, my brother Doctor and our dear nephew Daffodil. Woe are we to have nothing after taking care of our mother, who had a mental illness so great, she simply named us random things. Our sister Cloud passed away young, leaving us to pay for Daffodil's schooling, but when our mother died, the medical bills and various debts were too much, causing us to travel, helping those in need with our medical skills to provide for our poor nephew." Grey would say, actual tears welling up in the corner of his eyes as he swayed too and fro, regaling the two with the story of their so called lives before this. He almost pretended he was on stage with a microphone in his hand as he leaned over towards Daffodil(formerly known as Aroisu).

"You were so young when we started our travels. Do you even remember your birth country?" Grey would say, pretending to lament and pointing a microphone towards Daffodil(formerly known as Aroisu)'s face, clearly signaling him to choose where they were from. Grey had a bit of knowledge of all the major nations, and of course a lot of knowledge of his home Country of Honey, so as long as this little nephew was smart about it, he could choose a large nation with tons of impoverished villages around, making it nearly impossible to know exactly where they all came from. He just needed to not choose Kirigakure, as he had heard they were all pretty wealthy, Hoshigakure, for obvious reasons, or a random small nation somewhere. If he did though, it was fine because the poor nephew would have simply forgotten where they actually came from.

As they were talking about this, the gates of the village would finally come into a proper view, letting them see that there was a bit of hustle and bustle going on, some sort of uniformed guards wandering around and checking. These were pretty famous, called the Queensmen, which were essentially royal guard. Apparently Hoshigakure was ruled by some sort of royal family instead of a Daimyo or the ninja themselves, and so they were quite different sounding than a lot of the other villages. This made Grey quite excited about the prospect of learning another culture, and of course seeing if they had any interesting clans that were more situated here. Studying blood was one of his favorite things, and every different bloodline had a different taste to him, so he couldn't wait to start trying to work at the nearby hospital.

Aroisu had given them a story and they had taken it and ran with it, not that it was necessarily a bad thing and if Aroisu merely had to pretend his name was Daffodil for the sake of protection so be it. Their willingness to join Aroisu yet unwillingness to tell any truth to whom their actual identities all brought Aroisu to the conclusion that they probably had some very unsavory pasts and it'd be best for him to never bring it up. At the same time, he shouldn't be completely honest about his origins. "How could I not remember my beautiful home of Konoha?" Aroisu responded to Grey as he proceeded to keep the same pace as The Doctor to show he was in agreement with the plans. 


Shortly after his rebuttal Aroisu was finally able to see the gates of Hoshigakure and excitement flowed through his entire body. However, this was the first time he was entering a major country and he wasn't really sure the proper protocols and whatnot, after all, he was still a child. Looking up towards The Doctor he quietly said, "What now, papa?" Only audible to the three as they were all right next to each other. Aroisu was definitely surprised by the amount of guards checking people in, just due to the fact he had never seen such a thing before, nevertheless he stood beside his guardians waiting for them to initiate.

Yuuma would listen intently to the response of his student, hands still folded in front of himself as he let his gaze wander back out to the distance where it would settle on the horizon. Isemori's response was more than appropriate- there would be very little that would turn Yuuma away from the boy short of an outright disparage for the village. Since the answer he received was anything but, Yuuma found little qualm in humoring the younger boy with a bit of conversation. Yuuma had offered only a nod in return to the request for a question, and a hum of thought when the question was posed for him to consider. "Well, strictly speaking, I have been outside of the village," Yuuma would nod, his gaze casting skyward as he considered how to further answer that question. "I wasn't born in Hoshigakure. I was born on the border of this and another land I would later come to learn was the Land of Fangs. Originally, I lived in a farming village that didn't do much of anything- we had maybe a couple of hundred people living there?" It had been some time since Yuuma had thought about the village of his birth, his mind snagging on a couple of familiar faces with one, in particular, standing out in his mind. He could feel a tug on his heart as he recalled the last memories of his sister. Taking in a breath, he would continue to respond. "Not that long ago, I took my leave of the village in order to undertake something personal to me. That took me to the Land of Earth, of Sand, and of Fire. That's how I ended up with this mark on my forehead." A hand would lift just enough to motion to his head before it dropped again. "There is yet still something I intend to seek out in the Land of Fire. A place called the Forest of the Stag- apparently it is a place of great importance to my people. Or at least my mother's people."

Before Yuuma could elaborate much further, his eyes would fall back to the horizon and spot a trio approaching in the distance. The group was still some ways off, but he could at least make out their appearance. Two older men, one with a white coat and the other in some manner of formal dress with a top hat. The third seemed to be a young boy. They were still too far away to distinguish if they were coming from anywhere in specific, but the road they walked was not often utilized by the farmers of Hoshigakure, nor did they have with them a wagon laden with goods for the long travels of a merchant. No, instead the three of them looked like they had been traveling for quite some time. A simple nod of his head in their direction would intend to bring Isemori's attention to the trio assuming he hadn't noticed yet himself. "It seems as though we are due to have some company. I'll let you greet them as they approach. Remember to ask questions; who, what, and why. We are welcoming, but after the last people we let in caused an issue, it will be up to us to make sure they are not here to start trouble or hurt anyone. You represent Hoshigakure in these interactions- be certain to conduct yourself as such." Yuuma offered in advice, the same finality that seemed to linger on a few choice words he selected as the process of imparting just how important matters of gate service were to the boy. As the trio approached, Yuuma would keep his hands concealed within his robes, a sharp gaze keeping watch on all three of them.

WC - 629
TWC - 1,157

Ise had listened carefully to what Yuuma said, eager to hear his answer. Normally, he would even go so far as to physically show said eagerness, but since Yuuma was his sensei, the young Uchiha did something different, trying to hold it back as best as possible. "Well, strictly speaking, I have been outside of the village," Ise’s sensei started with a nod; pausing before he continued. "I wasn't born in Hoshigakure. I was born on the border of this and another land I would later come to learn was the Land of Fangs. Originally, I lived in a farming village that didn't do much of anything- we had maybe a couple of hundred people living there?" Yuuma had said, as if he were telling the young Uchiha a story. Obviously he was, but as Ise listened to his Sensei’s words, he couldn’t help but feel like there was more to it than what he was telling him at that time. That was when Yuuma had lifted a hand to his face, only to let it fall down again before he started talking once more. "Not that long ago, I took my leave of the village in order to undertake something personal to me. That took me to the Land of Earth, of Sand, and of Fire.”

The moment Yuuma mentioned the land of Fire, he couldn’t help but raise his head, showing some sense of interest. Sure, Ise had thought it was cool that Yuuma had traveled to all these particular countries, but the Land of Fire was something that had sparked interest in the young Uchiha, and the reason being was because that was wear his father was actually born, as well as where the Uchiha Clan had originated from, or at least that was what he was told. Ise never knew much about his Clan, let alone the Sharingan. As far as he knew, the Sharingan was a very unique Kekkei Genkai, which is what was explained to him from his mother as well as his older brother … but it was vague in a lot of areas when they told him. All they said was that ‘It’s unique’ or that ‘It’s special’. Not once have they ever mentioned how one could further develop it more, or as to what it could actually do. Ise had developed it somehow on his own through all of his training, but he still didn’t know what kind of power it held. “Well, I guess you could say I have some business in the Land of Fire too … one day, anyway,” Ise had said, having a slight grimace on his face due to the fact that since he was not only fairly young, but he was also a Genin.

He didn’t have any actual means to be allowed to go there. He wanted to know more about his dad - his clan. Ise also wondered if there were family that his dad had that were still living in the Land of Fire. However, that was when Ise had perked up, thinking of a great idea. “Ya know, maybe one day we can go there together!” Ise had said, revealing his goofy grin to Yuuma. After a short while of them talking, they were interrupted by three strangers arriving at the gates of Hoshigakure. As they continued to get closer, Yuuma, who had also seen them, had spoken to the young Uchiha. "It seems as though we are due to have some company. I'll let you greet them as they approach. Remember to ask questions; who, what, and why. We are welcoming, but after the last people we let in caused an issue, it will be up to us to make sure they are not here to start trouble or hurt anyone. You represent Hoshigakure in these interactions- be certain to conduct yourself as such."

“Uh hu! Got it!” The young Uchiha had said. Nodding with his grin still on his face. He cleared his throat loud enough for not only Yuuma to hear, but also the three new arrivals as well. “Alright, you three! Unfortunately, we can’t let you pass the gates just yet.” Ise had said to the three people standing in front of him. One was a kid who may or may not have been around the same age as Ise, and as for the other two - they were definitely older. “Care to tell me and my Sensei who you are? Why have you come to Hoshigakure, and what are your intentions?” Ise had asked, looking the three of them down. Honestly, he didn’t really know which one would answer first. In fact, he figured that one of the two adults would more than likely answer his questions. As the young Uchiha stood there, a slight breeze picked up, slowly blowing his jacket that he was wearing. On the left arm of Ise’s jacket, the Uchiha clan’s crest was neatly stitched onto it. He had hoped that he didn’t come out too strongly, especially with his Sensei being right there, but at least he did what he was told.

WC: 850
TWC: 1323