From Hell to the Sands (Guren)

There seemed to be an abundance of information that he could learn from the Kage...No Guren had to offer to him. Catching up on the past three years had been happening in such a flash that his mind thankfully could handle it. Perks of having two intertwining souls within one body. As they walked through the village he could feel the eyes of the masses staring, more so probably because the Kage had been out and not because a twin horned monstrosity had been among the village. His clothes were still very much tattered but this mattered not to the older Shinkou as he had been through worse. It seemed as if the village had grown to quite the place with the addition of so many new things, each of which he would have to take a gander into at a later date. With that in mind and the two coming to the place the two would be eating. Such a lavish place...it often reminded him of when his family went out to eat and in turn caused him to frown just a bit. He was the last of his family within the village or so he knew at least. He needed to go and confirm that, but for now food was the name of the game. As the two sat down and food had been placed in front of him, he would begin to eat discriminately without a care in the world. It was interesting how voracious this man was when it came to eating. At the end of Guren's explanation however he was proposed with a question which caused him to stop eating midway.

Taking a glass of water and drinking it to wash down the food, he would finally begin to answer the question set forth to him," I was never personally close with the figures of Suna at that time. My clan had delegations that were of course close to them, some even had parley's...meetings with them for certain things. Of what I know, Amane who had been the Kazekage for sometime was kind and sweet to the villagers. She stood her ground when it came time for it but people respected her for treating everyone the same. Then there had been her student, Azaiyo. Not much to say about him honestly. After that Koroshi Uchiha, Brother to Viper Uchiha who had been the Hokage for quite a long time took over the village. He was a bit of a... rock but he cared for the village. After that though, well i believe your incarnations of the Kazekage took over the village. I never personally met Lord First as you call him, but i hear things from time to time. Its a shame you no longer have those connections to them anymore..," he would of course go back to eating for a moment before stopping once he had cleared at least five or so plates on his own to allow more room for conversation. The crimson eyed male only pondered more on what he would do once he was fully instated and back up to snuff, but for now food and conversation was the name of the game.

532 wC

When the food arrived it was equally impressive and concerning how quickly and violently Kushimaru was eating. It truly had seemed like years since he ate, the way that his mouth devoured anything his eyes fell upon. At some point the Third was concerned that this man would even eat the utensils that sat on each side of the plates. He chuckled to himself, as he calmly sipped his miso soup and picked away at his skewers of meat. This food was quality and always hit. Rarely did they miss. But what he loved most about Oasis, was the drinks. It had truly been the pinnacle of thirst quenching, almost as if one had been walking through a desert for years and finally was able to drink from the freshwater of an Oasis itself. But Guren would refrain from it this time. Kushimaru likely was not in the shape to drink, considering the long time he went without eating. He'd lean back in his chair smiling to himself, convinced he should save that..."pow wow"... for another day. When Guren would finally ask the jounin about his relationship with the previous Kazekages, Kushimaru would take a break from eating and proceed to answer. 

So far all of Guren's knowledge of Old Sunagakure had been limited to a few sources. Most recently, he had learned from the genin Raiden. This segued into him probing village elders from information that they had. And now a shinobi from the ways of the old had made his way into Guren's presence. And thankfully, he would inform him a bit more about the past. Amane, Azaiyo, and Koroshi. He had heard of the last name, but not the first two. Perhaps it had been time for some digging. But Kushimaru's comment on the inability to interact with Lord First was very true. "A shame indeed," Guren would say with a slight sigh. He was no longer angry or hurt by the loss of his mentor, but instead he had grown numb to it. It was important to progress. But before he could continue the table's server began to approach the table with the check. 

And in any case Guren was coming to find himself a bit fond of Kushimaru. He was mild mannered and well spoken. Aside from this display of eating, which was understandable, he seemed to carry himself in quite a composed fashion. And so, when the check arrived after the two men finished their food, Guren would reach for his wallet and pay without a worry. He'd offer a gracious tip, and with that the staff were off to handle their business. Once alone Guren would offer a stern look upon Kushimaru. "For a shinobi like yourself to truly dedicate his whole life to the village, old and new, speaks volume on your character and loyalty. You had been a Jounin of the village and took that seriously. Not many people nowadays uphold their word and oath, but I am glad to see that you do. For that, I'd like to commend you on behalf of Old and New Sunagakure. And I'd like to do that in a way where you're able to...add on to your repertoire." Guren would begin. His eyes would narrow, while his brow and voice simultaneously lowered. "Specifically with knowledge of and access to one of our secrets, pioneered by the First...Mercury release."

WC = 564. TWC = 3401

He continued to consume the food up until he had about three or four stacks of plates two on each side. With a rather thunderous burp emitting from his lips, he would wipe his mouth clean and pick some of the stray food from his teeth as he looked over to Guren," I thank you for the food...Though apologizes if I ate too much. Hunger is very difficult to deal with after three long years. It feels....Good to be out though. The desert touched wind on my face. Food and water. All of it feels so foreign yet so natural again," there was a roll of his shoulders as a few pops leaked from them and a sigh of relief soon followed as he continued," Though the matters of the past and present are not intertwining, but there are some other things I need to look into first before i can fully join back into active duty. It has been three long years and my estate needs some tending to," though he was more than that. If no more of his clansmen were here and his home was left in shambles it needed to be restored to its former glory and a ritual performed for the dead. Though as Guren went into detail about village secrets and what he could learn first, his curiosity was piqued as he continued listening. Mercury Release? That was new. Maybe during those three years something had been cultivated that could potentially be of use to him for how he truly fought. Ruffling a bit of his hair he would think on it before responding in kind," An ability pioneered by your friend. I am curious about this. I personally have never heard of something like this, given the time gap of mine, but if you are entrusting this secret to me I will gladly learn it and keep it safe with me," his loyalty to the village was his own and so long as the village stood he would stand with it.

Reaching to grab his water he would drink it slowly before setting down the cup and looking around for a moment," So much has changed and yet you all have been flourishing that it makes me a little happy seeing that. I will have to ask one other thing. I remember the village having a clan of smiths, do their forges still exist? I have a blade that is in need of being worked on and that would be my first....no second task before i get back into the swing of things," his sword had seen better days, but its days were far from over. With everything slowly getting into place, he would wait for Guren's response before doing anything else.

459 WC

Guren was pleased to hear that Kushimaru was willing and interested to learn of Mercury release, yet was also appreciative of the discretion that was required. Village exclusive jutsu were elements kept tightly under wraps, and information on that subject was only prescribed on a need to know basis. He couldn't express how much it irked him to hear of genin loosely flapping their lips about these secrets. Truthfully, the Third wasn't even sure how the handful of them had learned of these secrets. But to him it didn't matter. They would not receive them nor learn of them until they were ready. Kushimaru on the other hand, had proven his loyalty by still remaining devoted to the village he previously served despite however many years had passed. 

"Excellent. As Jounin, you will have access to Level 3 of our Library. Once you arrive there, the shinobi on guard will ask you to present them a series of hand seals in order to gain entry. Tell them your name, and they will teach you the hand seals. From there you will need to demonstrate those seals every time in order to open the vault. I'll reach out to them to let them know you'll be coming."

Guren was unsure of any forges present in the village. Old or active. But the newly created SRAC R&D Facility was equipped with technology that would make forges look like a relic of the distant past. 

"I don't know which clan or forges you speak of. But if you go to the Recreational and Academic Campus, where your apartment will be, there lies numerous resources. The library is within that campus, which can be found through signs along the paths. Additionally the Center for Surgery, Research, and Development lies there too. The technology in that building surpasses the traditional workings performed in forges. Though it is equipped with all the tools required for smelting, smithing, and refining. I trust you will find it to your liking. The staff there can show you around." Guren would instruct while standing from the table. He'd form a series of hand seals and then raise his left hand to his head. "Kushimaru, forgive me but I need to get back to the Spire. Thank you for your time today and I'll check in to see how you're acclimating to the changes here in the Sand Village. Stop by my office whenever."

Following this, Guren would vanish in place and teleport back to the confines of his office. Once here, he'd telepathically establish a link between the Sunagakure Communication Unit and inform them to relay a link between himself and the shinobi guarding the Library. When this was finished, he'd inform them that Kushimaru is a long time jounin of old Sunagakure and has been reinstated as a jounin of new Sunagakure. He'd elaborate and instruct them to teach Kushimaru the hand seals to access the vault, and allow him to learn the secrets within. Guren was trusting that the newly appointed jounin would in fact keep their secrets...secret.

-Exit-

WC = 508. TWC = 3909
Will make WC Claims soon

Level 3 access? Intriguing. He was curious as to how many levels the library had, but that would be something that would definitely come with time. As Guren went into detail about the process to get into the library and committed it to memory so that he did not have any issues upon going into the establishment. He wanted to follow up with if he needed his headband as well, but since it was not mentioned he was not going to necessarily bring it up in this conversation. Maybe during their next meeting he would. Despite that it would seem that his next stop before the end of the day would be this library so that he could learn more about this Mercury Release and what ever else he could pick up on the present state of Suna. Guren had without a doubt been a good chunk of his rehabilitation into the village and the rest would just have to come from being in the village proper. Regardless, he would pick up his cup once more and drink from it only sitting it down once he had found his fill to be completed or slaked. On the topic of Guren notifying those that would be safeguarding the library, Kushimaru would nod not knowing if it would be immediate but it would be soon after the conclusion of their meeting. Seeing as the lunch or dinner for some would be coming to an end here soon, he would take the opportunity to thank Guren," Thank you for the food and what you have given me so far upon coming back into the village. I honestly assumed i would be put on some sort of auxiliary leave or even not allowed as I am a relic of the past, but you allowed me to continue my work and to make sure that I continue to stand for the village proper. For that you have my unyielding trust and thanks," it wasn't much but he believed in giving thanks and credit where it was due and this was that time.

When the topic of forges came up, a small furrow of his brow followed. Had no one knew of or remembered the forges that belonged to the Pendragons? Curious as how they have fallen into the crux of forgotten history. Maybe they were not around anymore or perhaps...Maybe all of them are dead now. Another mystery he would have to look into. What was fortunate is that the village had another way of forging, one that might have been a little too....technical for him, but nothing that he could not learn. Taking the time to fully listen and hear what Guren had been explaining to him he would leave it at that and trust in his word. When he was about to comment on the information he had been given, Guren announced that he had to go back to the office. Understanding the job of the Kage he would nod," Then have a good day. Thank you for your time and helping me acclimate to the times again. I will head to that library you spoke of shortly after this," he would watch as Guren left and once he had disappeared, Kushimaru would eat just a bit more before standing up and soon after walking out. Thanks to having the information of where to find the location he would make his way there. Moments later he would find himself in the location and giving his name to the guard, he would be shown the hand seals. Each one committed to memory as he walked in and began to grab books. Within the moment he sat down and began to read, starting with Mercury release and then whatever he could find about the information on the new status of Suna. During that time he learned about the village and its customs. The creation of Mercury Release and its uses were amazing to least. Now he would put it to use.

WC: 662
TWC: 4007
[Exit]
Claiming the Following:
40 Stats
2000 Words toward Mercury Release
2007 Words toward Full Counter 2007/2750

Approved