Turning Point [Travel]

[Itaru]

The ocean was still, a heavy mist dancing lightly upon its surface. The crescent in the sky reflected its silvery tone in the endless stretch of open sea. What his motivation was, only the Kamyuja could reveal the honest truth. He put the lives of his own people in harms way. Abandoned his friends and his family, Ziro was lower than the Uchiha who took Toshizo’s life. The mild winds brushed against the sail, Ziro making his way to the Country of Fire at a steady pace. The journey would give Ziro more than enough time to collect the amount of chakra he put into the high leveled Jutsu to successfully leave his country behind him. The horizon seemed to extend outward for and endless amount of miles. The chilled nightly mist forced a shiver to activate within his nerves. In an effort to maintain body warmth, Ziro folded his forearms and tightly pressed them against his chest.

The fetal position was Ziro’s most sure way of remaining heated in the sheer freezing temperatures. Just looking at his pathetic he was being could make a proud worthy ANBU sick to his stomach at the site of a fellow ANBU quivering uncontrollably due to a light cool mist. He was truly a disgusting piece of work. Ziro’s restless eyes stared up at the shimmering stars in the heavens. He made out the faces of his parents he left behind in the Mist Village. Not an ounce of regret weighed him down, he trusted in this decision he made; the path he created for himself. It wouldn’t take long for the ANBU’s body to be discovered and news to spread about Ziro’s evacuation from the country to lead the life of a missing Shinobi.

He’d never imaged himself in a situation such as this, but he didn’t fear the events that awaited him in this newly molded lifestyle. At the far end of the ship, Ziro stood up with his back against the wooden structure. His raven black hair swayed peacefully in the cool breeze. The missing Shinobi gazed on as the sight of his country grew more and more faint in the distance, until it was nothing but a thin horizontal line where it met the sky. A miserable expression plastered on his face, Ziro’s frustration and anger was lucid. He had no plan for himself from this point forward, but he wouldn’t perish without giving up an immense battle. A bottle of sake cradled in his lap, Ziro stared down at its cork and began to wedge it from the circular opening.

Without a care in the world, Ziro tilted the bottle back and allowed the powerful alcohol to slide down his larynx. Stealing a few occasional shots from the bottle, Ziro sustained an exhausted stare out to the ocean. All around him, the sea and sky came together to create a breathtaking horizon. Ziro spent much of his night staring at the beauty of it. Ziro quickly succumbed to a strong buzz from the alcohol he’d been consuming for the past few hours.

As the night passed him by, Ziro’s eye lids finally dropped closed, but a conscious state he remained, listening intently to the vibrations of the whistling wind. What would those who gave Ziro their trust think of him once being informed of his evil deeds? He could have killed those two young Genin at the Capital, but where was the regret? There was none, it was as though Ziro had become an empty shell; a shadow of his former self. Ziro rested his head against the wall of his ship, pressed tightly within a packed corner of the deck. His chapped lips were tainted with a light blue tone, but his decreased level of chakra finally forced the warrior into a long slumber. He was fortunate enough to avoid an illness from the freezing night.

[Nira]

Moved

[Tenkai]

{This isn't going anywhere. Read my post in the village gates: Here}

[Itaru]

Pant legs sweeping across the gravel, Ziro would indicate the foot steps of another. There was no reason for him to turn, it was surely Bekko of the Nara Clan who chose to chase after this missing ninja. It was strange, had it been any other shinobi, Ziro would have been rid himself of the tension long ago. Actually, a somewhat friendly smile curved the man’s chapped lips. The Nara’s actions did not irritate this calm Kamyuja, if anything at all they were a bit humorous. Despite Ziro’s recent, strange enactments, he still couldn’t deny that he remained the same Shinobi he was back in Mist. There was no point in trying to hide it; Ziro was bored traveling these distances on his own, the hours were long and tedious.

The blades of grass reached such immense heights they would lightly caress his finger tips as they dangled lifelessly at his sides. Ziro pulled the pouch belonging to the deceased Hyuuga, thoroughly searching through it, examining the standard ninja weapons. He would’ve thought a Hyuuga would carry more Ryo on them, but Ziro didn’t have much interest in such things. Sometime in the nightly hours, Ziro would be made to put a stoppage to his journey. No fire would be ignited to warm Ziro in the chilled darkness, and the ninja would merely approach a tree chosen at random to rest his spine against. In silence, he would listen intently to the crickets and the faint howling of wolves. Would Bekko choose to remain in the shadows?

[ganasami]

Hands within his tight pockets, Bekko followed Ziro. Despite the fact he killed a man or two, he did not care. To him Ziro was something of a role model, what he wanted to become Per Se. He didn't want to become a killer, in the past. But he found the idea of leading his own journey rather exciting. ''..Why do I feel so much of a connection with him?" Bekko thought, his face shying it's glare to the side of his initial view. To grasp a better view on the grass that kept annoyingly brushing against his finger tips.

''..God damn grass..."

Clutching his hand back and forth, as if it was an angry twitch. Bekko halted his slow steps when Ziro finally took rest against a tree. He himself was tired with the walking, but instead of finding a tree to brace against. Like the Kamyuja did, he grasped himself against the ground, using his hands. And slowly eased his buttocks onto the hard area. ''Ziro..you know he'll come after you right? I could see that murderous intent in his eyes.." In a struggle to make conversation, he muttered the select few words. Never before had he seen a dead body, close up. But it didn't shock him, like it might some.

[Itaru]

Ziro thought over Bekko’s statement for several minutes. The Uchiha had a close friend taken from him that day, Ziro already accepted the Uchiha was bound to chase after Ziro, both for the bounty and for his own revenge. “It doesn’t matter.”

In the east the sun would reveal its shine over the orange and red horizon. Rays of sunlight would penetrate Ziro’s iris, causing the warrior to mumble some in his slumbering state. Fluttering eye lids would unmask the strong blue tone. Suddenly jerking awake, Ziro’s sights would snap left and right, searching for the Nara. He must have been a damn fool to have allowed himself to fall asleep in the presence of a traitor. As his rapid heart beat began to calm, he shamefully reminded himself that he too, betrayed his once beloved Mist Village.

Had Ziro’s eyes taken in the sight of a sleeping Bekko, Ziro would slowly rise to his feet and close the distance between himself and the missing ninja. Pulling his right leg back, Ziro would give a stern, but not overly powerful kick to the bottom of Ziro’s right foot. This would be repeated as many times required before the teenaged boy decided to awaken. “We’re heading to Grass.” Ziro informed his fellow missing Shinobi of the Mist, and with that said he would resume their long journey.

The dramatically warm weather heated Ziro’s back as he walked down a seemingly endless stretch of land with Bekko. Small trickles of sweat drizzled from his chin, however the two missing ninja would come across various flowing rivers of cool, clear liquid. Keeping his body hydrated was the most difficult task for him during the travel through the massive country. Ziro would pull the map from his pouch and note how much smaller the Grass Country was in comparison to Fire. No excess time had to be wasted in the country of Grass Shinobi.

The traveling teen would be led to a dense forest, the canopy so dense not a single beam of sunlight touched the darkly shaded area. Ziro would march onward without an ounce of fear plaguing his nerves. Through most of the travel, Ziro didn’t care to share a conversation with Bekko. The shinobi’s effort would pay off once the Land of Grass had come into view, thus the beginning of another chapter.

[Kama the Popcorn Kage]

Moved to Grass.

[Itaru]

Now within unknown territory, Ziro would wander the lands aimlessly, in search for a new cowardly soul; a ninja of Grass who would betray his village, and in return his life would be spared. There was no time for Ziro to hesitate.

[Exit]

[Itaru]

Not a single soul outside of the Hidden Grass Village? Ziro could have roamed these lands for days, but what he sought were the Gates that would permit Ziro access to the hidden village. A strange compound of emotions was hindering Ziro’s sense of judgment. It was to a point where the ex-Chuunin was contemplating the return to his home village. Of course, it wouldn’t be to beg for forgiveness by the recently promoted Mizukage. In fact, what he had in mind was far different from his redemption from the life as a missing Shinobi.

Venturing through a field of weeds that stretched on for miles, Ziro’s shins would be caressed lightly by the blades of lush greens. The sun had already began it’s descend behind the fierce orange toned horizon. Ziro wouldn’t come to a dense wood landed area until sometime in the hours of early morning, having used the entire night to progress through the minor country. It would take days for him to travel through the Land of Fire for his second time. The day time was when Ziro rested his head on the forest floor, the canopy creating a shadowy blanket over his defenseless body.

The images brought upon him by his state of unconsciousness consisted of a bloody massacre, and countless lives ended at the hands of this very Shinobi. A sudden jerk of his body startled the warrior, eyes snapping open to find that he was alone. Rib cage rapidly releasing and consuming the fresh atmosphere, Ziro wouldn’t rise to his feet until calming himself. Burying his face into his cupped hands, Ziro attempted to push the disturbing visions to the back of his mind where they could gradually be forgotten.

The setting sun in the east would continue Ziro’s journey to the Land of Fire, of which would be reached within only a few additional hours of travel.

[Kuro]

Your link logged me out >.<

Moved.

[Itaru]

There was no denying the Land of Fire was exceptionally elegant with its lively crop fields and lush green landscape. Ziro would take a more time consuming route to reach the sea that isolated the Land of Water. Having knowledge of the Hidden Leaf’s location was something he had to keep in mind. He couldn’t be absolutely sure if the news of his findings had reached the ANBU of Leaf. If it had, Ziro didn’t want to be anywhere near the village to influence the Leaf to make their assault on the missing ninja in order to protect their village’s secrets.

There wasn’t much Ziro could do to pass the time besides occasionally sprint instead of maintain a steady pace. It hadn’t dawned on him until now that Bekko of the Nara Clan was nowhere to be seen. Bekko too had turned his back on Mist, it didn’t take a lot of brain power to know the dangers of wandering through unknown terrain, especially for an inexperienced Genin as Bekko was. However, the missing ninja’s fate was no concern of Ziro’s, he had his own objectives.

Once he had passed through the Land of Fire without any problems, Ziro had finally approached the massive ocean. Gazing over its undisturbed surface, Ziro had to recall the location of his ship. He would venture the shore line for hours until reaching the very transportation device he sought. After thoroughly inspecting its condition, Ziro would begin the second phase to this journey by crossing this sea that would lead him back to the country he once called his home.

The ocean water crashing against the front of the boat brought Ziro back to a time when he passed over this very sea with Toshi. It wasn’t the time to regret Toshi’s death, Ziro losing his focus now would lead to his death, that was absolute. A powerful wind assisted the boat as it glided over the calm salty sea. In time, the Water Country would come into view. Ziro would place his ANBU mask over his face to hide his facial characteristics as his boat approached the Docks. After his assassination of an ANBU guarding these very docks, Ziro wasn’t sure of the suspicion that had risen in the country.

[Kuro]

Moved.

[Itaru]

Could it have been true? But he remembered it all. As if everything had occured just days ago... No, there was no rationalizing with time. Ziro had been gone from his country for an entire year. He'd grown a bit stronger in the time he spent away from the village, but there was no doubt the ninja of Kiri had also acquired strength in the past twelve months. It'd make Ziro's journey all the more worth while.

[Exit]