Traveling. Many people, shinobi and civilian alike, enjoyed this activity thoroughly. Seeing the country, taking in new, exotic food, picking up rare, seasonal or even town specific trinkets along the way. What wasn't to enjoy? Ikatashi, wandering through the streets of some Kami forsaken town, found the experience humbling in it's lack of entertainment. He was bored to point of distraction, eyes glazed and stance nonexistent. Having received word from his father, he dutifully made haste to a distant relatives, a package being the reason for his arrival. After much unnecessary gossip from his third removed aunt, Yabari, his ninja training kicked in and he quickly vanished, package secured to the small of his back, just beneath the sheathed form of his Katana.

This had, at the time, brought his mind to bear against said weapon, guarded eyes gliding over it's large form. 'While I do not mind bearing such a blade, its effectiveness in combat is limited, severely so against opponents of a greater caliber... Perhaps it is, indeed, time for a new blade...' The thought almost brought a pang of guilt and, dare he say, remorse to his jaded heart. Having received it as a gift upon mastering the Kessho scroll, Ikatashi was almost loathe to part with it. 'Perhaps augmentation is a possibility...' Nodding a short affirmative he decided upon his course of action, once more returning his attention to the busy streets of this "Takama Saku", as he was told it was classified.

Disregarding this pointless information he trudged onward, the rain slowing his progress immeasurably. That was yet another thing Ikatashi found himself disliking; Rain. while he understood it's importance, getting wet was one of his least favorite pastimes. Shaking the free condensation from his now downcast hair, he was less the surprised when it awoke, reaching for the heavens the second the additional weight was lifted from its proverbial shoulders. Resisting the urge to scoff, a sigh was instead emanated, facial wrapping doing little to stop it's verbal advance. Kumogakure headband displayed without restraint, many civilians, as there were few shinobi within the village, nodded their head or smiled brightly at him as he passed.

Gratitude was not something Ikatashi dealt with well, having never really received it as a child, and never as an adult. A frown marred his visage. 'I am considered an adult due top shinobi law, yet I feel no older for it, no more responsible.' Eyes creased in thought he almost missed it. The edge of town now glared at him, the beaten path before him running southward; The opposite direction he wished to travel. Tensing slightly the young teen crouched, using his legs as a springboard as, not a second later, he launched forward. Unbeknownst to him, however, his little display had made him the talk of the town, people stopping to watch his rapidly disappearing form with something akin to awe present in their eye.

Luckily, or perhaps not so much, Ikatashi failed to notice this and continued on his way at a breakneck pace, wishing to get out of the drizzling weather as soon as possible. This pace allowed him a rather sombre, if disinterested and listless, persona, his attitude marred if only slightly from the stinging in his left eye. Unpleasant weather always did a number on his scars, but this was particularly, painfully true of the one running through his left optical nerve. A cold chill ran up his spine, a combined assault of chilling wind and piercing memory. Suppressing the unwelcome feeling through sheer will the Genin soldiered on, stopping only for a brief brake a few miles out.

Now standing upon a small ridge, he took stock of his surroundings, rubbing his tortured, amethyst orb all the while. Nothing of importance grabbed his attention, until then, just on the edge of his peripherals, he spotted something out of place in the small, isolated clearing. Having just reached the edge of the forest, he was curious as to what the item could be, and more then a little eager to relieve some stress should it be an enemy threat. Storm always brought the worst out of him.

Leaping down from his perch, he hit the ground in a full on sprint, crossing the distance regardless of the airs attempted resistance. Eyes widening in surprise, Ikatashi rounded a small bend, only to nearly collide with a taller man just adjacent. Digging his heels into the moist earth helped none, his reckless charge stopped only by a swift sleight of feet. Gliding to a stop ten feet opposite, Ikatashi gave him a cursory once over. 'Wiry.' It was his first thought, as the man before him, despite his impressive height, was a walking twig. Jet hair, and curiously violet eyes caught his attention, as it was a rare genetic defect he also shared. 'No obvious signs of a shinobi, but he seems rather out of place with that attire...' Suspicious, even to Ikatashi's less then fashion knowledgeable self. Now firmly stopped, he noted the lack of surprise present on the youths face. Pressing for information he spoke," State your business traveler. Why are you so close to Kumogakure?"

To reinforce the severity of his question he dropped into a low stance, hand a literal inch from the hilt of his blade as he narrowed his own amethyst eyes.

"Good sir, excuse my intrusion upon your country! I am a foreigner, by the name of Masaki, Saitou, from the Hot Springs country. I do not intend to visit your village, nor come any closer. Nay, I simply wish to find my way to a small fishing village. My mother was recently contacted by a supposed uncle of mine, asking her to meet with him. Unfortunately, she is unwell, and thus has sent me in her place. I do hate to be a nuisance to somebody who is clearly of higher things, but I appear to be a little lost. Perhaps the directions I have been given were somewhat unclear; you see, I am looking for the village of 'Takama Saku', you haven't heard of it, have you? I haven't, but I suppose I am not local to these lands. Would you mind attempting to assist a lonesome traveler, my good fellow?"

The response was immediate, if a bit unexpected. Civilians, under normal circumstances, were at least slightly jaded to the ways of the shinobi world. Many simply viewed ninja, their weapons strapped across various locations on their body, as protectors. Still, never had Ikatashi seen a civilian seem so nonchalant about being threatened. The man before him showed no visible reaction to his abrupt appearance, which in itself was odd, but then continued on to completely ignore his non-verbal warning. Amethyst eyes narrowed slightly, Ikatashi's mind working overtime in an attempt to glimpse into the beings true objective. No specialist in this area, Ikatashi found it to be marginally more difficult then he imagined it to be.

Pale skin, smooth and unmarred, remained as stone, unflinching in the face of adversary. Eyes, colored an untouched Geode, met his gaze with ease, no fear present behind them. From what he could tell, with his minimal experience, the mans stance gave away nothing, appearing to be completely comfortable despite his presence. Teeth clenched, enamel grinding in outright disdain. Without anything to go on, he would have to take the... Civilians word. Even dubbing the man with such a title within his mindscape struck a chord, every fiber of the shinobi's being screaming at the oddity of the Civilian.

Regardless, he dropped his hand from the hilt of his Katana, stance still locked, if a bit more loose. Nodding his head,"Takama Saku is South-East of here." Clenching his fist, Ikatashi jerked his hand of his shoulder, thump pointing directly behind him. "You can see a path from atop incline. Follow the path South from there..." He paused, mulling something over in his head, a small smirk hidden from view via his facemask. "Unless, of course, you need an escort?" Whether the Civy accepted his offer or not, Ikatashi cared little. One way or another, he would follow the man, with or without his good graces.

Murder was something Ikatashi had never truly wished on any shinobi, much less a member of the civilian populace. Death was, indeed, part of the ninja life, however Ikatashi held no grudge for other shinobi. They were doing their duty, just as he was. Not to say he is immune to such things; Right now was a perfect example of such. Unfortunately for Masaki, as he had introduced himself, the Kessho was seconds away, and half a layer of enamel from burying a crystal in his collarbone. The walk had been plagued with the young, dare he say 'overzealous', male before him blathering on about anything, and everything that crossed his mind.

"Well, if you've nothing better to be up to. So what's this whole Shinobi business like then? We hear rumours, you know. Tales of your lot from all about; in fact, my mother was so scared at the prospect of sending me alone into this country, she made me take a knife with me. Not that it'll be much use, tiny thing. It could cut butter, but not much else. Funnily enough, I didn't get the feeling I'd be too welcome, marching over the border clutching a battle axe or a longsword. I'm not sure I'd be cut out for this whole lurk in the shadows and strike to kill stuff, you know? All a bit dark really. No pun intended." A subtle twitch, no more then a minute flexing of his phalanges, overcame the swordsman. Copious amounts of concentration, the likes of which Ikatashi had yet to summon, were called forth, not hurting the irritating civilian proving nigh on impossible.

Focused solely on not causing his traveling companion bodily harm, not a single thought was spared for watching the nin, much deciphering his facade. Not that he could be sure it was a Facade. Mayhaps he was, quite simply, a buffoon of the highest quality. He seemed well written, possessing a dialect far beyond Ika's own. Regardless, the incessant chattering continued, upping the pace the Kessho's only hope for ending it. "See, my dad, he was a hunter, but I was never really up for much at that either - killing just doesn't suit me, so I'd rather go into my mother's business, become a merchant of sorts. Not very manly, but hey, that's me. I never really understood, what motivates you people? I mean, I'm sure it's different for all of you, but there's got to be something that pushes you along to strive for power and stuff."

Left eye twitching and temperament swiftly retreating southwards, Ikatashi turned a sour glare upon the man, finding sweet solace in the pause it caused. Seconds later, however, this proved to be for naught, as the nin then continued his verbal onslaught with renewed vigor, unphased by his optical assault. "You must be pretty badass though! Could you show me some jutsu maybe? Not on me, of course. I'm not good with pain. How good are you? Are you like, next in line to become a kage or something, because that'd be really damn awesome too! If there was one thing that I'd love to be able to learn, it's jutsu; maybe slitting throats and stuff isn't my style but I'd love to be able to shoot lightning out of my hands and breathe fire or create a lake. Does it feel like being God or something? I can never remember the name of the Kages, it's not that easy. Is your one the Tsuchikage? Because you've got loads of mountains and stuff, so you're probably great at rock based stuff, yeah? But then again, this is the lightning country, so maybe you have that other one, what was it again, something like... Rikage? Raikage? Yeah, that's it! Cool! Have you ever met him?"

Halfway there. 'Forget tailing this guy, I'm out of here the moment we reach the village. Let someone else handle it.' Patience, while a weakness he was currently striving to mend, was decidedly not Ikatashi's strong point. And this... Thing was pushing him to the breaking point. "Sorry, I'm asking loads of questions. I've never really seen many Shinobi before, but you guys seem awesome! Have you ever killed anyone with that katana? You look quite moody and stuff, the strong but silent type, I bet you've diced loads of people to shreds; how far is it to Takama Saku? If we've got time maybe you can show me some awesome stuff with it! Please don't kill me, haha! This is awesome, you're like, the coolest shinobi ever. Do you think it's too late for me to become one? Like, do they have desk jobs? Because then I could not have to kill anyone and just learn jutsu and write stuff, and meet loads of really good ninjas. Who's the best ninja you've ever met? Oh my, did I ask your name yet?! I'm so sorry, what're you called?!"

Now standing within sight of the small village, Ikatashi turned abruptly, teeth clenched, and fists balled at his sides. "Ikatashi. We've arrived." And with that he sprinted off into the distance, using every bit of his Chuunin level speed to his advantage.

[Exit]

(OOC: Sorry for the abrupt exit.)