Melting in the Mist [P]

Age : 31 Posts : 787

The wind blew strong. Of course, this level of breeze was of nothing special in the Mist village. However, when one was several feet in the air, so high up that you couldn't be made out, even in plain view, from the base of the trees, the structure beneath you would sway to and fro. So not only was the air around Taizen in constant motion, so was his entire body. He was used to the ground which remained stationary, even if gale storms were to pass through. From this height, he could even see over the vast expanse of thick white fog that covered the forest floor, which meant he couldn't very well see said forest floor.

He could see it in constant motion though. It was interesting, and in his mind relaxing, to watch the waves of gaseous water roll over itself and mix back into the larger whole. At times it would swirl up in a small, spiraling tower and then collapse back down once the wind had moved on. It was much like an ocean which one could breathe and walk in, not feeling physically inhibited in motion. The fog reached all the way up here, some 50 yards in the sky, but it was no where near as thick. Only faint wisps floated along through the leaves.

Taizen had made his way out here to be alone. The hustle and bustle of the city streets often became too much for him. While not being lazy, the "loud" life was not to his liking. Yet there he stood, forehead protector around his neck, standing above several notches that had been carved with a kunai which had led him to this spot, staring out over the vast expanse of wood and water vapor. It was so calm and peaceful. Not even much wildlife was found out here. Just the occasional bird and a few smaller mammals. Every once in a while you would come across a snake, but rarely one of venomous nature. This forest was quite a contrast to the village far in the distance. The Bloody Mist, as it was known, wasn't exactly the same as it once was, but its history was a one filled with conflict and death. It was also home to the Kaguya clan, a very bloody thirsty bunch as a general rule, and good at quenching it too.

He had seen a few of them around the village, and while not taking particular interest in their culture, one particular female Jounin had caught his eye, in a professional sense. He knew one of their techniques involved producing a sword from their body and had one of their "dances" centered around it. Taizen was curious as to whether or not such a dance could be learnt by someone not of their blood with a normal sword made of steel. It was worth looking into if nothing else.

Taking one last look at the rolling fog below and suddenly lunged the upper half of his body forward, causing his feet to slip forward as well. The soles of his footwear rolled over the smooth bark and eventually it was no longer below his body holding it aloft in the air. Instead Taizen was plunging down, down, down. He brought both his hands before him and gathered chakra to his hand, drawing on the moisture around him for support. "Sword of Draining. Instantly a plume of water shot from his hand, forming a liquid blade from it, just as capable of cutting as the katana strapped to his back.

But he didn't give a damn if this weapon got damaged.

About two thirds of the way down, Taizen slammed into an outstretched limb from the same tree he had dived from. The blade hit first, sending the first impact and wave of energy gathered from the fall, piercing through the wood and causing it to splinter and soften. Next his feet hit, hard. The force of the blade hitting his first and the way he bent his knees as gravity carried him down prevented his knees from shattering. The same could not be said for the branch as it obliterated below him and began to fall with his body toward the ground. The manner in which he had struck the tree with the blade had also changed his directory into an angled descent, closer to the large trunk. He swung the blade around him and slashed it into the main body of the massive plant life, causing it to delve into the woody flesh. Still having much momentum from the fall, it did not cease the downward travel. Instead it carved a crescent scar as Taizen continued to fall, but slower and slower with each passing moment.

Eventually with only seven feet between the ground and his feet, he released the handle of the water blade and it dispersed instantly. With in the next second, he was firmly back on solid ground. He had been so focused on controlling his fall, he had not noticed that the fog had swallowed him whole. He had possibly ten feet of visibility in any one direction except for up. He could see a bit further that way thanks to the sun above. Taizen could barely make out the one circular patch of fog that remained stationary in the sky and was a tinge lighter than the rest of everything he could see.

"Well that was fun."

Taizen smiled as the branch crashed to the ground about 3 feet to his right.

Age : 31 Posts : 381

The fog from the area produced a bit of dew on the grass on the ground. The damp grass and the calming wind, made this an idea spot for relaxation. Okugi laid on the ground with his eyes closed enjoying the freedom he got from being in such a place. This happened to be one of his favorite areas around the village, it made him feel peaceful and safe. He could not ask for a better place to be, a place that not many people visited. This allowed him to stay here for hours, unnoticed, doing as he pleased. The thick fog hid him well, people could not easily look for him, so if he was ever in trouble this is the place he would run to. It would give him time to calm down, as well as the people after him, most likely his parents.

Soon, he sat up, and looked around. The wind began to blow in his face, and this made him feel simply amazing. His red hair blew in the wind, and a giant smile grew across his face. This was his favorite moment in life. He did not have a care in the world, time stood still for a few moments. He slowly laid back down; feeling the dew on the back of his neck sent chills down his entire body. He slowly began to drift away, being more relaxed now, than every before in his life. His mind went blank and began to shut the body down, slowly making him fall asleep.

Soon, Okugi awoke to the sound of a loud crunching noise. This startle him, and he was quickly on his feet, in a place ready to fight. He had his hands ready to make any type of hand seals, but soon realized that he was not in any danger, or at least not at the moment. He could not see very far in front of him and he knew whoever or whatever would likely have the same problem. He soon jumped up on a tree to look around, and noticed another sound, and this time he could tell where it was coming from. He slowly walked towards the direction of where the sound had come from. It had seemed that whatever made the sound had not noticed Okugi was around, for they would have probably been quieter. Okugi assumed that this being thought he was alone.

Okugi noticed that there was a boy, around his age standing near trees. Soon, one of the branches from the tree feel near him, and it somewhat shocked Okugi, made him jump a little, because he was not expecting it. He slowly walked up to the boy, near the trees, trying to keep somewhat quiet, trying not to startle the boy, he did not want to cause a fight between the two, without them getting to know each other first. Okugi came up walking to the boy from his left, he couldn't make out what he looked like, but one noticeable attribute was his long hair.

Okugi was soon within a few feet of the other boy, and could make out more of what he looked like. It was clear that the boy was from the mist village, as his forehead protector was tied around his neck. This boy had long white hair, and it made him look a lot older than Okugi expected. Okugi looked at the boy and put his fingers together, laughing a very shy laugh. He couldn't quite look at Taizen, but he probably wouldn't notice due to the fog. Okugi smiled, still looking away from Taizen, and stepped back a little. "H-ey." He paused for a moment reaching inside of his large jacket, and searched for his forehead protector to show Taizen that he too was a ninja of the same village. After about a half-minute of searching he took his forehead protector, held it out, and his smile got bigger.

"See, I'm the same as you. A ninja of the mist village. Oh! I'm Okugi." He paused again, and looked at the tree Taizen was standing near. He noticed a hole in it, about the size of a smaller sword. He soon walked over to the tree and shook his head. "You know, plants have feelings too. This tree and I are more alike than most people know. I would appreciate that you not harm them, if you don't have to." Okugi soon held up his hand, still looking away from Taizen, and paper began to form around his hand. He turned around and smiled at Taizen once more, attempting to show him he was not really upset, and to show him the paper in his hands. He wasn't trying to cause any kind of tension between the two, but wasn't sure if he was doing a good job or not "Anyway, what's your name?" He hoped that Taizen would not walk away, because he really enjoyed talking with people.
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47/50 CP

Age : 31 Posts : 787

Taizen lifted his head as he heard the soft sound of foot steps approaching. They were actually louder thanks to the fog which had more particles than air which were closer together allowing for more vibration which amplified the noise. It was a subtle difference, and hardly noticeable at all. The only reason he even knew the case was thus was because of his education and training. Of course he had gone through the same training as everyone else in the Academy and hadn’t yet picked up a team or Jounin mentor, the chunin which had taken him in as a ward of the state had taught him many extracurricular lessons. Learning the differences in weather and terrain and how taking into account the differences from place to place could save your life. Acknowledging that there was someone else in the forest, and the fact that he knew not who it was, Taizen reached to his side placing his hand on his tanto and dropped his knees just slightly.

He didn’t want to give the impression that he was prepared for an attack for two reasons. If they were friendly, he didn’t want to trigger a needless battle. If they were foe, they would still think they had the element of surprise. Though he had made moves to prepare himself and had his eyes closed, listening, it looked like he was just standing there, calm, and waited for the perpetrator to reveal themselves through speech or onslaught.

He received the prior of the two as a soft and almost feeble “hey” spilled from the boys lips. Red haired and seemingly about to fall apart at the seams, this was probably the frailest boy he had ever seen of his age. Given the boy was clearly just a few years younger than he, but the staggering difference in their sizes was substantial, and Taizen was not that large of a shinobi to begin with. It was hardly believable when he reached into his clothing and procured a ninja headband matching the one clinging to his neck.

Okugi introduced himself and seemed more chipper and energetic than his body portrayed. There was a softness and kindness to his voice that Taizen recognized as a reflection of his own personality. Seeing that there was clearly no danger here, he removed his hand from the tanto’s hilt and relaxed what little tension he had gathered in his arms and legs. There was no battle to be had here. Taizen was glad because he had noticed the paper in his hands which screamed “Shikigami Clan” in the back of his mind. While not being fearful of ninja who had kekkei genkei, they were usually a pain. There was always some specific trick you had to work out in order to beat them as their strengths were above par than others who focused on the same battle traits. It took a while to figure out, and he didn’t know all that much about the manipulators of paper.

When Okugi began to talk about the damage that had been done by the water blade, Taizen was at first confused. He was a gentle soul himself, but plant life and animals held no real place in his heart. He had even owned a pet. However, after taking into consideration that the boy clearly used paper as a mechanism, which when man made, came from trees like the one he had scarred, probably permanently, it made a good deal of sense why it would upset him.

The grass made a “smoosh” sound as the feet of the young Mist genin began to move thanks to the great deal of moisture that had collected on every individual, deep-green blade. Taizen was moving forward towards the tree, about five feet to the left of Okugi. He quickly, and non-threateningly, spun around and landed on his rear, back against the tree, lounging as though this was his living room. One of his arms draped across a bent and pulled in knee while the other hung loosely and lay across the thigh of the outstretched right leg.

“I thought I was one of the only ones that actually came out here.”

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43/50

Age : 31 Posts : 381

Okugi had noticed that upon hearing him come Taizen seemed a little tense, even to go as far as get his hand ready over one of his weapons. This was to be expected, because even the youngest of genin were taught to keep your guard up, and this was the mist village, so that teaching was pushed into their little minds even more than most other villages. This did not frighten Okugi, although it did make him ready himself. He was not the least bit scared, because he was taught to think highly of his skills in battle, and to some extent did. He felt like he could more than handle his own hide. He calmly awaited to see what Taizen did with the hand over his weapon as soon as he got closer. Non-surprisingly Taizen lowered his guard, or at least made it seem he was not going to have to fight in a matter of seconds. Okugi smiled slightly as he lowered his guard.

He could tell right off the bat that Taizen was a more tense character than he was. He seemed to be ready at all times, and wasn't sure if he truly knew what fun was. He was even training alone, attacking a tree, or at least that's what it sounded like. Okugi felt that while training was certainly important, any child their age, ninja or not, they would need some time for relaxation. This was one of the most amazing places to do so, and they could enjoy each others company, and even possible become friends. The thought of gaining a new friend always made Okugi feel wonderful inside, as it was one of his favorite things to do. Taizen would certainly be a great friend to have, or at least Okugi assumed. He was quite bigger than Okugi was, and this meant that maybe people would stop messing with him so much. A friend would make him feel safe, and hopefully he could pass on that feeling.

Although he was bigger than him, he could not tell any other details about him. The were very minuscule things he could point out about Taizen. He seemed like the standard ninja, not that he was bland, but he didn't have anything that made he stand out. His white hair, and tanto were the only two things that Okugi had to go by, so he realized that he better not assume too much about anyone. Underestimating someone just because they do not have any defining features was not a very good strategy to have. Okugi would learn about this Taizen soon enough, but he knew that he would just have to make a good first impression, which so far he thought he was doing fairly excellent with. He still held the same smile on his face when he realized that Taizen no longer felt any danger from Okugi. He walked slightly closer to him, and then noticed that he began to move as well.

Taizen soon spun around and sat next to the tree. It had seemed that he was taking what Okugi said a somewhat serious. He did not know if he was just putting on an act or he truly cared, but none of that really matter to him, because it at least showed him that Taizen had some sort of compassion for his fellow ninja's input. It showed Okugi that they two ninja could really be friends. This sent a feeling of merriment throughout Okugi's entire being. It was not often that Okugi could find someone who listened to what he said, even if they were only doing it in front of him. He did not care to ask to see if it was a legitimate action or not, he just wanted to start being friends now.

He was thinking about the friendship so much, he almost did not noticed that Taizen had finally spoke up. Okugi did not realize that when he came here that other people might be here as well. He never felt like he was the only person that came here, but he realized that he really had never seen anyone up here until today. All the time he had been up here, and he had never crossed anyone's path. He soon began to scratch his head wondering if he really knew about anyone else coming up here. "I guess you and I are really the only ones that come here. I never really thought about of others coming here, I've never really confronted someone here before. I come here mostly to relax."

Okugi soon walked over to where Taizen was sitting, and bent over and held his hand out. He wanted to show him that he was willing to be friendly and hopefully become friends. " I know it's a little sudden, but I was wondering." He paused for a moment and felt slightly nervous, trying to ask someone to be friends so suddenly. However, he did not know if he would see this person again, and waited to be sure that he would leave some kind of impact on Taizen. He soon put his hand that was not held out for Taizen and rubbed his head with it. He closed his eyes and smiled. "If you want to be my friend? Maybe?" He stood their awaiting an answer from Taizen, hoping it would at least not be a denial.

Age : 31 Posts : 787

Allowing Okugi to process what he had said, Taizen threw his arms back behind his head and closed his eyes, slowly chewing on his upper lip. He hadn't intended for it to be a thought provoking remark, but his comrade seemed to take an interest in his words. He allowed a small smile to creep across his cold lips for just a moment as his eyes became concealed from the view of Okugi scratching his head.

He so loved the feel of the moisture on what little skin he had exposed. The way it brought down the temperature of select parts of his body made the rest of him feel warm and toasty. He was both completely calm and absolutely content.

Eventually the lad spoke, but Taizen continued to leave his eyes sealed shut. He knew very well they weren't the only ones that came out here, though it was usually only shinobi that ventured into these woods on the far reaches of the villages protection. Civilians avoided it with diligence due to the inclination to see things with in the fog as the confounding air currents mixed with one another in the ground cloud, forming shapes. Shinobi had to be better prepared than to be spooked by a specter in the dim light. Otherwise they would hardly be able to handle what was to come on the battle field. It was only the warriors of the Mist that got to enjoy this unique experience out here in the Illusion Forest.

"It's actually more likely that it's difficult to stumble upon someone in this thick fog. You could be a stone throw's away and not even notice it. If it hadn't been for me taking down that branch in my fall, you and I probably would have never crossed paths."

The words seemed to fall on only half open ears. Okugi seemed to have something else on the brain already, for he had fallen quiet. Taizen at that moment deduced something about this character. Due to his small frame he had already guessed that he did not use many weapons or physical techniques, and that most certainly was primarily a ninjutsu user. Now, though, there seemed to be something more to him. The way he had latched onto Taizen's almost meaningless statement and had already drifted back into thought, Okugi was a thinker. The elder ninja was willing to put a couple ryo on the fact that his younger peer was also a user of genjutsu or fuuinjutsu as well.

Taizen was also a thinker, but his thoughts lay more deeply in battle tactics, positioning, and paying attention to everything around him. It's not that he had heightened senses or an inert ability or anything. There was just more space in his mind dedicated to those things rather than which jutsu in his arsenal he should use next. He preferred to stay away from chakra as it was a limited source with a very concrete empty and full ratio. The limits of the body could be pushed, even in the midst of battle. He utilized ninjutsu of course; but it was very specific, and his library of techniques learned was by most standards......substandard.

".......friend? Maybe?"

Now who was the one drifting off? Taizen snapped his attention out of analyzing Okugi and actually focused on him instead. He was now standing directly in front of him with an outstretched hand. Most of what had been said was lost as he had been lost deep in his thoughts for a few brief moments. However, the use of the word friend, the way the boy wore an innocent smile, and the offer of a hand to be shook......the message was clear.

Taizen chuckled softly to himself, barely audible. Usually friendship was something that developed over time and was a rather unspoken concept. It was just known and was, at least that's how he operated. It was odd to try to forge a relationship like this for certain. But there was such a truth to his words and actions, every move and sound he made seemed to emulate genuine feeling. He could not stop himself from placing his palm against the other, gripping the sides of Okugi's hands with his fingers, giving a soft up and down fulcrum motion to his elbow and saying.......

"I could hardly be enemies with someone like you Okugi, that makes us friends. I'm Taizen by the way."

This time the smile did not recede from Taizen's face.

Age : 31 Posts : 381

Okugi had noticed that Taizen had closed his eyes most of the time he was speaking. He did not know if he was just ignoring him or took things in better with his eyes shut. He assumed it was the latter, because he sometimes did the same thing. Soon Taizen spoke up and Okugi smiled because he really knew that he was listening. It had seemed that he was indeed right about not seeing anyone out here because of the thick fog. He had really never thought about how close someone could have been to him without him knowing it. It dawned on him that his parents may have known where he was at all times, even if he had came to this place. They both had lived in this village much longer than he was alive, and it was likely they too came to this very place. It made him wonder if he was really ever alone. It made him feel slightly unsafe, but not to the point of him freaking out. If his parents did know where he was at all times, he would never really be in danger.

He was very glad that Taizen had made the noise that he did, for he would have never met someone else that enjoyed this place as much as he did. It was nice having someone around here, it did not feel as eerie around with someone. Although he enjoyed being alone time from time, he much more liked the company of someone else, even if the person barely knew him. A fellow ninja would have his back if anything came up. It was something he had not experienced a lot of, being sickly all the time, and his parents keeping him locked up like a prisoner. Even if his parents had watch on him more than he would like it was nice that he could stretch his legs and meet new people that he would never before around his clan. While he loved his clan with all his heart, he felt that a lot of members were stuck up, and Taizen was certainly a change of pace, which he enjoyed.

Okugi soon realized that he had been drifting into thought just a little more than he would have liked to, and soon noticed that Taizen had put his hand out and began shaking Okugi's hand. Okugi had jumped a little from the surprise of the hand, and the shock that someone had taken up on his offer so quickly. He smiled big, and waited until Taizen let go of his hand to do anything else. He had never really had someone that he could call his friend before, besides those in his clan, and they barely did anything together. His parents just wanted him to be sure that Okugi knew that family have to be friendly, and he assumed that the words 'friend' and 'friendly' had meant the same thing. Soon, Taizen let go of his hand, and the shake ended. Okugi turned around and looked as far as he could. He was trying to tell if it was late, but he could not. However, he really did not care, because know he had a friend.

He soon turned back around, and walked even closer to Taizen this time. He was almost standing over him, it would only take an inch or two for him to do so. He then sat down right next to Taizen, putting his body against the tree. "Well, I'm glad that you made the sounds you did. I would have never of thought to look out here." He laughed an innocent laugh and closed his eyes. He soon found himself whispering to himself. "Whoa, a real friend." His mind began to wander about all the things they could do together. He hoped that they could start learning more about each other, and maybe even get put in a team together. If they would be able to do so, they would become an unbeatable force. He wanted to so people that he could really be strong, but he knew that he was much to weak to do it alone, at least for now.

He began to scoot away from Taizen so that he could see his face better and ask him one question. "Taizen, whats say you and I do a little training together. I really have some things to work on, and I would really be happy if you could give me some pointers." He felt somewhat selfish asking Taizen for a favor, and not offering anything in return. "I'll do the same for you, if you'd like!" He yelled out quickly so Taizen would not assume Okugi was only their to benefit himself. He wanted them both to learn how each other fought, and they could work out something for future battles, so that they would be the most effective.

Age : 31 Posts : 787

Though not to have been thought possible before, the forest seemed more at peace and secure than before. Having the presence of an ally close at hand gave a warm and calming aura that stayed away the cold of the moisture in the air. It no longer seemed frigid and with out life. Even the blades of grass seemed to be more prominent. It wasn’t because of anything special about this new person or anything he had done. Taizen had just, until this point, used the Illusions as a place to get lost in his head, almost a conscious meditation. With Okugi close by, and this new formed bond that they had both actively agreed to participate in, he was forced to be more aware and take in the surrounding area like a hawk compared to his sensual perception before. What once held little meaning other than to lock him in his mind, to escape from the world, was no longer such a place. Not at this time. Now the tree bark seemed more rugged, the air a bit thicker, the dew on his forearms, just a tad bit wetter.

It was as though his senses had been forced to waken up, once again retaining balance between mind and body.

He turned his to a slight angle to his left when Okugi decided to sit next to him. His movements seemed almost slow and a bit jerky. It really seemed like this guy didn’t get out much. Taizen planned to change that, for two reasons. The title of friend held certain responsibilities. Knowing this, it wouldn’t be very fitting to leave the kid locked in a shell and shielded from the world so that he could continue to be….uncomfortable in his own skin as he seemed to be. At the least he was certainly unsure of himself. Though willing to take action, didn’t quite have the confidence to be sure in his action.

Above and beyond that, if Okugi was to continue his career as a shinobi, he had to be more hardened in his mind then he currently appeared to be. Regardless of this fact, though, his purity of heart was quite refreshing. Especially in the Mist, this was a very rare trait. Taizen liked to think himself to be one of the more well mannered and easy going people in the village, even amongst the non-combative people. Of course, it was easy to tell, he did not possess the tranquility that Okugi had to offer. He was starting to see that perhaps, they both had something to offer each other, and he may have just found the perfect team mate. Usually squads worked in group of threes, but so far he had been working solo. Having at least one extra person with him would open up doors and possibilities not possible to him before. There was only so much one could do in this world alone. Taizen had just never found the right person to partner with.

It seemed that Okugi had the same idea too, as almost the second Taizen had this thought, his peer suggested that perhaps they could benefit from doing some training together. The pair was swiftly coming to the same conclusion. Training together would allow one another to assess one another’s skills and figure out ways that they could work together to form cohesion in their tactics. It would also create growth to see their own skill sets through the others eyes as they were broken down and analyzed bit by bit. Only growth could come from the suggestion, so it would have been foolish to turn it down.

Even taking into full consideration what had been said, this was neither the time nor the place, for several reasons. For starters, Taizen didn’t have nearly all his equipment, only one of his two blades, a portion of his typical ninja arsenal, and not even his second primary weapon, his bow. The fog encased by the maze of trees around them would hinder his ability to learn much of anything about Okugi’s techniques and methods. With out being able to see them clearly, he would have a great deal less to take away from the experience. Finally, while he had done a little physical training out here, it was more recreational than anything. If he was going to train someone else, he planned on going to the limit, and truly milking it for all it was worth. He was the type to take things to the max at every possible chance so that he could continue to improve and protect and serve the needs of his village.

“I’d say that is a fine idea, but I think we’d best take this elsewhere. Meet me at Hiruko Lake in about an hour, there are a few things I need to grab from my place first.”

Taizen was standing up as he said this, mixing speech with motion as to not waste time. His footsteps were quick but largely controlled as he began to walk away from his new friend. After a few feet, just before he disappeared into the roiling wisps, the white haired boy looked over his shoulder and waved, the smile still on his face. “It was a pleasure to have met you Okugi, see you soon.” With that he allowed his body to be swallowed by the white mass before him.

~Exit Topic~

Age : 31 Posts : 381

Okugi was really ready to start training. The only person he really have had trained with was his father and mother. He knew that his parents were both formidable ninja, they would always hold back and underestimate him. He knew that they couldn't go all out, but they knew him much too well, and because of his younger years, they treated him like he was make weaker than he really was. It was slightly upsetting, but he knew that his parents only wished the best for him, and tried to not worry about the matter too much. He looked at Taizen and knew that he would at least give him the benefit of the doubt, and at least have a proper training session. It would give them both the chance to stretch their legs, and get a much needed feel for one another. This would certainly allow him to really start becoming the truly great ninja he had always dreamed of becoming, and showing the rest of the village, and mostly his clan that he was not some punk kid, that was only good for being sick.

Taizen soon spoke, and it seemed that he too was interested in training. It would be good to see how skilled he was, even though Okugi already assumed he was quite the swordsmen. He could tell by the tree, which held a scar, fairly high up. He was a closed ranged fighter, or at least that is what he showed, and this would cause some problems for Okugi if he got close. However, Okugi knew that if it got too rough on him, Taizen would cease to attack, unlike an enemy. He knew it was something that he had to work on, but he would have to wait to age before anything really changed, because his body was not developed yet. It had seemed from the sickness he did not get all the nutritions he should have got, and it really showed. He was getting less and less sick lately, so he knew that he was bond to start growing properly soon. "I'm also glad that we met. I will see you in an hour." He said with a smile on his face.

As Taizen began to walk away, he began to think of the place that he was told to meet. Hiruko Lake was a place that his parents would not let him go near, but he had from time to time. He found the lake pleasant, despite all the rumors about it. Although it was a sad place for many of the village, because battles took place there, and a long time ago a great leader was lost there. It had become a very calming place, and a great place for ninja to train, especially for mist ninja that used the water element. This made Okugi wonder why this place was chosen, and he assumed that Taizen did use the water element, the fog around them had a lot of water vapor in it, and would be a great spot for someone to train with water. However, he did not want to dive deep into it, because he could be really wrong.

Okugi stood up and looked around him. This was surely a day that he would remember for a very long time, maybe even the rest of his life. The images of the intense fog and the tree with marks in it would forever stay in his mind. However, he wanted to add one last thing to the picture to make it much more special to him. He jumped up to where Taizen had left a mark in the tree and left a few pieces of paper inside the hole. He then landed on the ground below him, and took on last look at the area around him. This was a place of peace, and now friendship, and would probably be one of his favorite places in the entire world. He soon turned around, and cracked a smile. He needed to quickly head home, and get all the things he would need to properly train with Taizen. He did not want to be ill prepared, but thankful for him, he would be home within matters of minutes. Slowly his image faded away into the fog.

- Exit -