From Sand Man to Man of Sand (P)

(Simply a flashback topic to explain my disappearance and what Musu was doing this time).

For two days and two nights Musu, sand ninja of Sunagakure, ran through the desert, and into the heart of the land of wind. At full speed the ninja ran through the numerous sand hills and valleys, past the small towns that dotted the land of wind, and through the storms that so many fear to even be within viewing distance.

Musu Uzumaki was a fast enduring man, and with his vigorous lineage, he could travel and run at full speed for so long without ever having to take a rest, but even the legendary stamina of the Uzumaki has it's limits. By the time the sun was setting on the eve of the second night Musu began to feel the strain of the elements and the time on his body.

The force, the element that forced Musu into this path, was still as clear as ever, and it was as though he was still in this stupor that he felt when was surrounding the desert of death. There were questions that Musu knew that he wanted to ask but the mental exhaustion just didn't even give him the chance to ask them.

The amber sky of dusk began to turn to the purplish hue of the night. Musu had been running non stop for the last 36 hours and each step at full speed felt like he was running on fumes. Musu still couldn't think and could feel the warm embrace of sleep wash over him. It took all of Musu's remaining willpower to keep the ninja awake while he ran but even the force guiding Musu further into the depths could keep the ninja from shutting his eyes.

The next time Musu opened his eyes, he awoke to the feeling to seething pain throughout his entire body. Laying face down on the ground, it took musu almost an hour (or so it seemed) before he could muster up the strength to turn around and look at where he was. With one large thrust the ninja was able to flip face up to find himself at the entrance of a large cavern. The coolness coming from inside was in stark contrast to the heat that Musu felt emanating from right outside.

For now, Musu knew that his first objective was to recover, and to do that he needed to eat and drink. The pain coming from the soreness of running, what had to have been over 100 miles, had ravaged the ninja's body, and even with the vigor of the Uzumaki this amount of injury was going to take time to repair. Crawling to the base of the cave structure, Musu would prop himself into a seated position, finding a comfortable spot along the wall, using his gourd as a soft, makeshift cushion. For the next few hours, Musu would begin the painstaking process of eating, drinking, and healing his body. What comes next he did not know...

(489)

It took a little less than a week for Musu to recover from his trek to the cavern that he found himself in now. The sand ninja's body was bruised and beaten and the young ninja could see obvious wear on his thighs, feet, and shins. He had enough food stored away to live on for a few days and consumed his emergency rations to help aid in the healing process. The first day and night was almost complete rest, as Musu didn't remember waking up to see the sunrise, too tired to even have any protection for himself as he slumbered. As he woke up the following morning the sealing ninja of the Uzumaki would assess the damage he had inflicted on himself during his marathon to his current location.

As he peeled back the layers of clothing he could see visable sunburns on his arms, despite wearing a long cloak, the long running through the sun must haved penetrated his layers, and the chaffing of constant movement between the cloth and the skin didn't help either. Moving to his legs he could see that his thigh were clearly inflamed, purple in some places, from the long distance trek, and knew that his standing and squatting would prove difficult. This calves were fine, a little sore, but they seemed to be in good working order, especially when compared to other parts of his body. The real punishment was on his feet, where his sandals had stripped away any remaining dead skin, and new blisters formed where even the new skin was supposed to be. Treating this wound was going to be the most critical.

Musu would continue to meditate, eat, and drink what remained of his water that day before attempting to repair any of the damage. He could feel his energy returning, the Uzumaki were known to be fast healers, and while he wasn't a medical ninja he could still attempt to do some medical ninjutsu to mitigate some of the damage. Taking a deep breath, Musu would begin with the area that needed the most help, his feet. Even bringing the feet to Musu's hands was a challenge, as his thigh limited the Uzumaki from bending properly, but in time he was able to muster enough effort to do so. After taking a deep breath, Musu would begin to funnel his limited chakra reserves into his hands, and a feint greenish blue chakra would begin to emanate from them. The relief onto his feet was instant as the chakra poured onto his wounds, but overall there was still a lot of progress to be done. Musu wasn't a medical ninja and didn't know how to effectively use his chakra to mend his wounds. In time, however, the hidden sand ninja would be able to heal them and the rest of his body.

Musu didn't know how long it was going to take to be completely healed, and knew that today he had enough food and water to sustain him for a day or few more. Beyond that, the ninja was on his own, and he would need to search for such things if he wanted to survive past the week. The cave, the massive structure that laid before him, was menacing and terrific all at the same time. He wondered what entity urged him to come to this point, why was he chosen to travel here, and what secrets were in store for him in its chambers. For now though, rest and recovery were vital, but tomorrow it was time to move forward.

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