Inheritence (RP and Training)

Taking enough provisions to last for a single day, Kaito hefted his bag and headed out into the mountainous wilderness surrounding his village hidden there in.  He needed some alone time to iron out a few things with his own training, and in a world of secrets it was best, at least in his mind, that the fewer people who knew of the full extent of his abilities, the better.  There was some training he was more then willing to engage in with a partner, or group, but some needed to be done alone, if for no other reason then to impress ones peers at a spar!

He leaped and ran through the passes, and along the rocky tunnels of his homeland, the wind rushing through his hair while the sound of the mountains sang quietly throughout the landscape. Lone boulders were stepping stones as well as rest stops and way points, with waterfalls being old companions to visit for the deep discussions of the later hours of the day. Taking a leap into open air, Kaito surged across a ravine, flipping with more then a little style (just for fun mind you) to land on his feet running once more.  A haze of green whipped by as he left a trail of leaves, and startled animals in his wake, his passage quick and quiet, but still noticed by the creatures of this wood.  With a final dash and leap, he landed in a large depression in the forest, the trees leaning in from around it to form a natural dome of foliage. A river ran close by, the bubble-gurggle of running water serenading the alcove with its perpetual chorus.  He had found this place as a youth, and had always used it as a home away from home whenever he needed some time away, for whatever reason that may be.

Moving over to a small pile of rocks, he begins to remove the stones from their artificial mountain, and place them in a circle where they were.  The blackened ground underneath the rocks, and small hole, bares the charred remains of several fires, showing this place had been used often by the young Genin in days past.  Smiling as he works, Kaito constructs his fire pit, before strolling back to the edge of his training grounds to find a few small bits of wood with which to prepare his meals for the next few days.  Kindling is plentiful, and he even managed to find a few larger logs, which were dragged back to be used for over night warmth keeping during the cold mountain nights.

Unrolling his sleeping roll was the last little bit of setup that was required, the small kettle he brought with him for cooking and tea could be placed later, and remained in his backpack. While he had only brought enough food for about a day, part of the fun of "roughing it" was surviving off the land.  Besides, it was good to keep survival skills sharp, as they are often needed when one least expects it.  Removing his shirt revealing his trained, honed body, and pale skin to the mountain air, he moved to a nearby open space with several upright logs.  He had set these up to imitate attackers so he could practice his taijutsu, and today was when he moved further along that line.  While in an ideal world, he wouldn't have to face multiple opponents at once, a shinobi doesn't plan for the best.  They plan for the worst, and hope for the best, anything else is foolish.  This training was preparing for the worst, with the hope (one might say false hope) that it wouldn't be needed during a mission, or in the defense of his home and family.

His training for today was in something he had been reading about at the library for the past few days, and with some cunning, finally procured a scroll with the basics of what he was attempting to learn.  Another few days had been spent observing his target, watching with a studying eye as the crane moved through its constant hunt for prey.  Patient, calm, serene, no movement wasted, with explosive potential for the capturing of prey, or evasion of a predator moments away at any given time. Taking a deep breath to center himself, Kaito placed his feet on the ground with precise, clean movements, as he began the first of many hours spent under the canopy of trees, high in the mountains, honing his body into the weapon it needed to be...just in case.

Spoiler:

Length counts to DCs halfed. Please post once more or finish in game.

Guest wrote:

Length counts to DCs halfed. Please post once more or finish in game.

// Seeing how he posted more than most folks do for learning jutsu even with rolling and RPing on the server, Imma give him this one.

756 Words is a lot of words and well above and beyond the normal requirement for literate RP, which in most structured RP, 500+ is a well written post, and then it becomes quality of the written words and such.

\\ Thank you, I'll post in the learning section. I had been meaning to finish this thread but then I got sick and work has been kicking my ass so....ANYWAYS! Writing shall continue!

Some time after returning from that trip, one of the many he took to that area for training, Kaito found himself in the arena fighting next to Yuki. The fight was one of the worst beatings Kaito had ever received, all his skill at close combat fleeing him, and eventually leaving him in the grasp of a genjutsu while Yuki was nearly killed right next to him. When he finally broke free, realization as to what had happened dawned on him. AS he looked to the stands, and saw his friends, he turned to face away. How could he go to them, defeated, broken, and with the pain of knowing that he couldn't even protect his team mate during a fight? He couldn't, and that was the answer.

Leaving a trail of blood and broken hopes as he left, Kaito made his way from the arena, using what chakra remained to him to leave as quickly as he could. He limped his way to the bath house, using his torn clothing to stop the bleeding from his side and leg on the way. Quickly paying the attendant, who seemed quite surprised to see a beaten and bloody ninja at the door, though didn't ask questions as to such, Kaito made his way to the personal bath he had rented. Stripping his clothing, he plunged into the warm water, letting it wash the dirt, dried blood, and hopefully some of the shame from him as he broke the surface and let that element claim him.

Kaito was no healer, but he knew the basics of stitching a wound closed, and did so upon himself. It was a messy job, and he gritted his teeth in pain as the needle worked is criscross pattern through his flesh, slowly drawing the damaged area's together. Blinking back some tears, Kaito took a ragged breath, and let himself relax in the hot water. The physical pain was masking the emotional and mental hurt of what had happened, and he welcomed it for that. He would have to deal with the humiliation, the jeers and banter...and the knowledge that he had let someone he cared about down.

That feeling was a dagger through the heart. That pain was something that twisted into the soul of Kaito, the certain knowledge that he had failed someone, and they were hurt because of it. Though others might forgive him that, he doubted he would ever be able to forgive himself. He put a wet towel over his eyes, and laid his head back against the wall of the tub he was in. There was only one thing he could do now, and that was work harder. It was clear he hadn't been training enough, as easily as he was defeated, so more was required. He knew where the ancient manuals of Senju training were kept, the ones he had been told not to read, that he would know when he was ready.

He was ready now.

Resting in his bed during the day so he could heal, Kaito passed the hours reading about interrogation techniques. Fascinating stuff really, and something every shinobi should read. Hopefully you would never need this information, but you didn't plan for the future based on hope. As night fell, marked his place in the book, and crept from his room. He still had a limp from where the lightning blade of his opponent had tore through his thigh, but that would slowly get better with time. It was affecting his agility though, and that was quite bothersome.

He remained as quiet as possible as he crept past Erin's room. She might detect him, but lately she had been unnaturally exhausted when she came home. That worked in his best interests tonight. Kaito nearly stumbled as pain shot up his leg suddenly when he tried to move to fast, but he gritted his teeth and leaned against the wall. His muscles started clenching when he moved to much, as they compensated for the damaged tissue, so he took a moment to massage his leg. It hurt something fierce, but he was getting used to the pain at this point, a couple days from the fight. He could probably have healed faster if he went to the hospital, but there he stood a good chance of bumping into Yuki, and he couldn't face her. Not yet.

Once his leg stopped seizing, Kaito took a deep breath, and continued on. He opened the door to the family library, and slipped in quietly, locking the door behind him. "Just..a little bit further, and we can go back and rest." he assured himself as he walked. He moved past the shelves containing history of the clan, he had read them already. He moved past the books on tactics, he had memorized them as well. He moved to the back of the library, to the glass case containing the sacred manuals. These contained the training methods, and the medicines and infusions used for hardening ones body, for becoming a true Senju. The lock on the case was easily picked, since Kaito had been practicing on it since he was an academy student.

Lifting open the lid of the case, he pushed it back until it rested against the wall. His hands trembled as he reached in, and took the pair of books from the velvet interior. They had some weight to them, and the covers were slightly frayed, but the information contained in them was what he was after. He held them to his chest and closed the case then, locking it once more before he sat down on a nearby chair to rest once more. Kaito took several deep breaths, in through the mouth, out through the nose, letting the oxygen flow through his lungs and infuse his blood with energy. Seconds later, he moved once more, towards the door he had come in through, and back down the hallway to his room.

Laying upon his bed, he took out a small pad of paper, and a light. He was going to need to make a list of the ingredients he needed for any medicines or infusions that were contained in the book, and odds were they didn't just have them laying around the house, or were easily obtained in Kumogakure either. He opened the first one, titled "Body of a Shinobi: Hardening and Resistance" to the first page. "A shinobi is a weapon for their clan, and like all weapons, they must be tempered and cared for, so they can survive contact with the enemy for many battles beyond the one they are blooded in...." Kaito read long into the night, until the sun peaked over the horizon, making the list of what he would require so the wisdom of these books could be applied to his body.

With the fall of night, Kaito gathered his cloak (Erin and Boushi be damned, he thought it was cool) and quietly left the Senju compound. Yesterday had been quite the day. He had his lip busted open by a backpack thrown by a child, then tried to get some time alone and was pursued by Mizuki who was surprisingly compassionate to his plight. She had talked him back to the village, then actually carried him when his leg had given out. His cheeks flushed in the night as he crept across the roofs of Kumogakure "That wasn't embarrassing at all..." he muttered, leaping across the street and dashing along the roof. He made sure to stay over the apex of the building, so those from the street wouldn't be able to spot him easily. A few short leaps later, and he was through the gates, and flying out into the night of lightning country.

Then there was the explosion, and he had gone to investigate. He managed to put up a good showing for himself against...whatever that thing was, though he tore open the freshly healed cut in his side. A nice young shinobi had healed that for him, and he was nursing that side to avoid tearing it again. Erin would kill him if she found a blood trail around the house from something she healed already. Landing upon a tree branch, Kaito looked down to the ground, the leaves tossed about below him. This is where he found that mushroom earlier, with Mizuki's help, and he needed another. He hopped from the branch, landing lightly and knelt, beginning his search for the elusive fungi.

After fight, Yuki had arrived. She had faced him, and clearly stated she had no intentions of ever considering him a friend, or even a companion, again. That stung him more then it probably should, but there was nothing he could do. If she wanted to remain aloof and condescending towards him, he'd just go back to his original plan and avoid her. There was no reason he had to even interact with her, and that was just easier for everyone involved. "Mizuki is going to be mad...." he stops a moment, considering that. "Well...damned if I do, damned if I don't...no wonder shinobi desert their villages." His hands reach the soft puff of the mushroom he was looking for, and he smiles in the low light of the moon as he plucks it from its bed, and places it in the pocket with its brother. "Just need a few more things now..." he smiles sadly in the low light, and pulls himself to his feet.

The Senju moved once more through the woods, darkness hiding his movements as he danced from tree to tree, searching for the last few plants on his list before he could begin the next stage of his training.

// 9 Tokens to be paid as soon as I see ya.

The time was now. Kaito had taken the rest of the evening collecting, and now he had everything he required. As he stirred the pot over the low fire of his camp, Kaito reflected on the past few weeks. He had grown stronger, his training was paying off, however he was still moving forward with this plan. He took a sniff of the pot, and he nearly gagged from the smell. "Yup, almost done." he said to himself, his voice not carrying far in the dim night. He looked down to the syringe, and the gathered bandages he had procured. He would need to inject some of this concoction directly into his veins, then soak the bandages in the left overs, and wrap them around his entire body. Once that was complete, the texts stated he simply had to survive the night, then in the morning push himself harder then he ever had before in order to allow the medicine to work itself into every cell of his being.

A few minutes later, he was ready to begin. Kaito stripped down, his gymnasts body revealed to the cool night air, and rolled out his bed roll on the ground. He took the syringes then, and extracted a the required amount in each, setting them aside as the put out the fire. The bandages were quickly tossed into the pot, soaking up the remainder of the medicine and leaving a steaming, smelly mess which he was going to have to wrap around his body once he injected this stuff. He took a syringe in each hand, and took a deep breath. This was it, the point of no return. If he had miscalculated, or cooked the medicine for too long, then he would most likely die. "...Here goes...everything." and with those words stabs the needles into each bicep.

He pushes the stopper, and lets out a strangled cry of pain as his muscles begin burning white hot. His mind fogged with pain, Kaito dumps out the pot onto his bed roll, and lays out the bandages quickly. His jaw was beginning to hurt from how hard he clenched it, trying to remain coherent despite the pain running throughout his body. He laid down upon his bed of bandages, and began wrapping them around his body as quickly as he could. He left only his mouth uncovered, and upon feeling the warmth encompassing him completely, he finally let go his calm and screamed out in agony. It was cut short by promptly passing out from the fire burning his body from the inside out, and the young, foolish shinobi began to convulse out there in the woods, alone.

The night was a blur, moments of clarity in an ocean of pain. He remembered waking several dozen times, his body alternating between burning, freezing, and aching as the medicine seeped into him. The warm from the bandages didn't seem to fade, despite the cool mountain air, and was the only thing which kept his muscles from locking up completely. As the sun crept over the horizon, Kaito felt the light through the bandages. He turned his face to the light, relief washing over him just as the light from the sun did. He had lived. He had made it through the night!

He sat up, or at least tried too. He ended up sending himself tumbling forward to land on his back on the ground several feet from his bedroll "...That was weird.." he said. He began removing the bandages, his pale skin the same as when he had applied them the night before. His body seemed...different though. He felt stronger in a way, and at the same time as if he could continue pushing himself for as long as he could ever need to. It was an amazing feeling, and he knew that he had to put it now to the test.

He stood then, the bandages like the cocoon of a butterfly, left behind for some lucky individual to find and ponder as to what sort of creature emerged. The shinobi dressed himself, and took the forehead protector from its usual spot around his neck, and tied it tightly around his forehead. He was a shinobi of the Hidden Village Kumogakure, and now he had to push himself harder then he ever had before, to ensure that he would retain that title for decades to come.

// slot 3 RP finally finished @_@

Once again Kaito found himself beaten to a pulp, this time by the person he had failed to protect in the chunin exams. The irony was not lost on him completely, just mostly due to the drugs permeating his system. He was doped up on some painkillers while his body knitted itself back together, and while they were doing a number on him, they were beginning to wear off. He remembered lots of people visiting him, his sister Erin, Misuki-sama, Len, even Ikari and Shiro. He also remembered, vaguely, Yuki taking him to the hospital in the first place. He sighed, or at least tried to, he might have done it mentally only.

Kaito took the pillow next to him, and slid it up onto his chest so he could rest his hands on it. Seems he was destined to be a burden on people in some form or another, and Yuki always seemed to be caught up in the middle of it with him. While that normally would have set a fire in his heart and pushed him to train even harder, today in his drug modified state, it became simply an accepted fact of life. He knew he should be mad, upset, and shoveling fuel onto the fire inside of him that drove him forward, but right now in the grasp of the medication, he just didn't care. Maybe that was the problem? Maybe he cared to much most of the time, and that was why he kept failing? No, that didn't sound right, how could caring about your village and friends and wanting to make them proud of you while doing your job cause you to fail?

Shoving the pillow off his chest with disgust, Kaito rolled over in the bed, tugging at the machines that were attached to him as he did so. Erin had offered to help train him. While he had been trying to forge his own path outside of the shadow of his sister, maybe...maybe he should? At this point it would be foolish to pass up any help he could get to increase his strength. If he kept being put up in bed for days on end every time he fought anything other then demons people were going to start making fun of him. Why was he so good at killing demons and covenant shinobi, but couldn't seem to win spars anymore? He thought back to one of his first spars ever, with Amariss. He knew she was strong, and she had nearly taken his head off a few times in that fight. Somehow though, he had read every one of her movements, anticipated her attacks and won the fight without so much as a scratch.

He had never been able to repeat that performance. What changed from then to now, he wondered. Had he lost something on the road of his life from then until now, or had that simply been a fluke? Drugged up Kaito didn't know, and this moment of relative lucidity was quickly coming to an end. He rolled back on the bed the way he came, untangling the cords and tubes that were attached to him. He looked over to the pump that keep supplying the pain killing medication, and reached over to it, pushing the off switch on the thing right after it had shot another dose into his IV drip. He blinked as the felt the warm sensation spread throughout his body once more, and looked around the bed as if he had forgotten something.

He spotted the picture of his family and friends then, all smiling as they seemed to be happy at him being there. He hugged that pillow back to his chest, and drifted off into the realm of morphine dreams once more.

The day before his defeat at the hands of Yuki, The Chakra Wrecker (as Kaito would come to name her in his head), Kaito had made his way to the shinobi offices. He knew that when he had been promoted to Chunin, he was supposed to pick a specialty and begin working along those lines. He passed the ANBU offices on his way, and stopped a moment. He had thought long and hard about joining them, the secret arm of the Kage. He smiled, then continued on his way, 'Maybe later, those guys well, once I am stronger perhaps.' he said to himself as he arrived at his destination. For Kaito, the job he had decided to move into was a Hunter Nin. It was going to be his job to find, capture, and return (preferably alive) ninjas which had deserted Kumogakure. He had looked at several options before choosing this one, but none of them seemed to fit his particular skill set.

He was good in a fight (most the time) and good at remaining hidden and stalking a target. Bringing back things alive might be the hardest part for Kaito, as his weapon of choice being senko often left quite the mess of whatever he struck with it, but restraint could be learned. If nothing else ,the incredible pain of being hit with flash release might save him the trouble of fighting for very long, if the opponent decided to give up. With his nightly walks through the village to spy on people at random keeping his skills at stealth and tracking sharp, he should be able to excel at hunting and capturing missing nin.

At least, that was the plan. He took a deep breath and entered the offices of that division walking to the desk and smiling as he greeted the woman behind the counter "Ohaiyo, could I have an application please?" she pointed to the clipboards sitting on the counter, and didn't even take the time to look at Kaito. He frowned, then moved over into her field of view after taking a clipboard. "Thank you for your help." he said with a bright smile. The woman seem perplexed with his behavior, and before she could mumble out a response Kaito turned and took a seat, taking a pen out from his pocket and starting to fill out the form. 'People these days, so rude...' he mused, chuckling to himself as signed his name and began the process of becoming a hunter nin.

// application for hunter nin job, and spiritual trait 'wary shadow'

//Last 3 posts, 13 tokens owed.

Another day, another mission. This was the second of the strange incursions from the undead metal monstrosities, the same red eyed leader seen at each location, though this one had been far more difficult to subdue then the first. Whoever this mysterious animator was, he was getting better at his work. As Kaito lay in the warm water of the private bath he had rented for the day, his flesh bore testament to the abilities of this man. His torso and arms were burned, as if by acid, and the left side of his chest was black and blue from the impact of one of the creatures fist. He had been lucky that none of his ribs had been broken, they were however cracked and tender, which meant he needed to take it easy for a few days to let his body knit itself back together.

Resting his had back, and placing a wet towel over his eyes, Kaito tried to relax despite the pain, letting the warm, mineral infused water work its magic. As he ran his thoughts back over the fight, he noted two things which required attention once he was done here. He needed to thank Amariss and Len for stopping him from taking a potentially lethal blow. He sighed then. Kaito hated being indebted to others, as it was a potential club that could be held over his head. Not everyone would consider using such a thing, but people change when they think something is owed them. "Maybe I should buy them flowers..." he muses, a soft chuckle flowing from his mouth to echo softly through the empty room.

That was secondary though, his primary concern was still the mysterious stranger with red eyes, eyes which matched his own. There was the possibility of a rogue Uchiha as the perpetrator, though there was the chance that the stranger had done...something...to himself to attain those eyes. The creatures he created were unholy abominations of flesh and metal, so the Stranger modifying himself with similar techniques was not out of the question. Where did he find such techniques though? Such a thing was bound to be forbidden, and buried beneath a mountain of seals and protections. Even information leading to it was most likely stashed away and out of reach for any but the highest ranking shinobi of the village.

"Great, won't be able to find any information to track his techniques without breaking and entering..." Kaito said with a sigh. While he wasn't opposed to a little criminal activity (he was a little brother, after all) he stood little chance of succeeding. Maybe there was another way? The coldness that showed itself at the first site could have been a means to try and cover up what was going on, or it could have been a side effect of the Stranger and his vile experiments. Either way, that may be a way to track any previous appearance of the techniques which the Stranger was currently using. "That's it...weather data....someone usually keeps track of that sort of thing...maybe mysterious disappearances of small and remote villages as well..."

Kaito smiled as he spent his resting time planning out where he would need to visit in order to find the information he was thinking of. His mind started to drift as the quiet hours rolled by, and soon he fell asleep there in the tub, the warm water lulling him off to a restful, though with troubled and strange dreams, slumber.

Alone in the arena for once, Kaito let his legs dangle over the edge through the railings.  Resting his face against one of the bars, he leafed through his small, leather bound journal.  He kept his notes in here, training regime, as well as personal thoughts.  Today he was trying to decide what jutsu he should focus on for the coming days, and possibly weeks.  Though his plans for the future required learning techniques which could not so easily be associated with him (using senko was a dead give away for whom one was dealing with, since as Erin had said, apparently he was starting to make a name for himself) he still needed to work on his primary elements.  It was an interesting problem, and one he hadn't thought would pop up in his life.  Most of his problems ended up being of that variety, he had discovered.

A small smile creeps over Kaito's face as he tucks the small book away in his back pocket before untangling himself from the railing, taking a lazy leap over it and into the arena.  Today was a lightning day, he had decided, mostly due to recent events which had dictated that he focus upon those jutsu in particular.  The smile turned into a grin as he sauntered to the middle of the pit, happiness bubbling to the surface that for some reason, he couldn't quite contain.   Those feelings were bottled as he reached the exact middle, and set his feet shoulder width apart.   He steadied his breathing, then moved through a basic unarmed kata to focus himself before attempting the jutsu he intended to learn.

Finishing his movements, Kaito brought his hands back to his center, then in front of his stomach, beginning to form seals. Tiger, Ox, Pig, Horse, Dog, and he spread his hands out to his sides then, red lightning filling his palms and giving off enough light to send shadows of Kaito dancing about the ground around him.  "Raiton....Thunder Call"  he said the name of the technique to help familiarize himself with it, then brought those hands together in a mighty clap in front of him.  Though the technique called for something different, Senju were known for innovation in the elemental department, and Kaito was a Senju through and through.  

The impact from his hands caused a momentary silence, then a thunderous boom flew from his hands, the direction determined by the opening he had left between his fingers for the rush of chakra infused lightning to exit from.  The jutsu impacted the wall of the pit, sending a shudder through the wall and causing dust to fall form the cracks in the bricks.  The remaining lightning he let naturally dissipate from his hands, the crackling sound and shadows fading until gone.  

Kaito walked to the wall which had served as his target, finding small cracks in it that could possibly be from his jutsu.  At the least, he had hit the general area he was aiming for.  More practice would be needed before he could reliably hit an opponent in combat, he decided.  Moving quickly back to the center of the pit, Kaito began the hand seals again, quicker this time, then spread his arms to his side, and brought his palms together in another mighty clap.  He needed to hit one target at least a half dozen times to gain a true understanding of the movement of the attack, then he could  work on hitting a moving target.  "Few more times to have the basics memorized..." he said to himself, that happiness bringing a smile to his face again.

//wanting to learn LIGHTNING: THUNDER CALL rank C if it wasn't clear XD

Paid. Approved - ^

Kaito hadn't heard back from his application on becoming a hunter nin.  Kaito was not happy with this, so he decided it was time to do something about it.  He knew that there was a jounin, probably several, in charge of going through the applications and then testing the individuals in involved, so those few people were now his target.  

Day 1

Making sure his disguise was in place, though simple as it may be, Kaito began his mission.  Today he was dressed as a homeless beggar, something he had been told he was able to easily pull off, sitting across from the office in which he put in his application.  He scrubbed some dirt on his face, put on some old, smelly clothes, and made sure to hunch while he walked.  He sat before the building with a cup out in front of him, his eyes keeping careful watch of everyone who entered the building before him.  The mornings, early afternoons, and evenings were the primary times to watch, as that is when there was the most traffic of employees from the building.

Day 2

Kaito had begun to find the patterns of people who worked there, the times they usually arrived and left for lunch or home.  He had named them and kept a log in his journal.  This was also to be the last day for this disguise, as he couldn't allow suspicion to begin to build.  Odds were he had already been noticed since he was dealing with jounin, but until he was made he would continue to operate as if he was still unnoticed.

Day 3

Holding position on the roof of the building next to the offices, Kaito waited.  Today he began carefully stalking a select few of the workers home, the ones he had determined by their walk and physique weren't shinobi, or at least poorly trained ones.  Tonight was the secretary who had been rude to him when he filled out his application.  She was clearly not paying attention on her way home, as she struggled putting things in her purse and acting huffy and rude to everyone who slowed her down.  

Kaito shadowed her easily, pausing in shadows to make notes in his booklet about her and how she interacted with others before continuing his pursuit.  While doing this, he was careful to keep his senses tuned to the surrounding area, as the odds were good that he would be followed himself, possibly even stalked in what he was doing.  The fear of a jounin mistaking him for an enemy spy was all the encouragement he needed to keep his guard up, and just to be safe he made sure to clearly display his Kumogakure head band.

As the woman entered her apartment building, Kaito was taking down the address, and when the light in her apartment turned on, he finished his profile for her.  With a smile, he slipped the book into his back pocket, and made his way back to street level, removing his hood and mask, entering the normal foot traffic of the road.  It was a good day, and he was hungry.  Time for some celebratory ramen.

// ongoing RP for hunter nin job, and wary shadow trait

Taking a two days off from this mission was a requirement. When he was engaging in something like this he didn't want to overplay his hand, and get caught in domestic espionage. Trying to explain to a few ANBU members why he was shadowing people associated with the hunter department of his own village was bound to not be a pleasant experience. In the days he took off, he worked instead on developing his senses, knowing that while not lacking in that department, there was always room for improvement. His method for this was one which also involved relaxing, though the second day was far more interesting then the first...

Kaito settled into his seat at the local ramen shop of Kumogakure and ordered his usual meal, a cup of raspberry tea to go along with it (Amariss was onto something with this, it was quite good) and then calmly waited for his order to arrive. He talked with the owner, idle banter and small talk as he listened to his surroundings. He strained to determine how many people were walking down the street next to him, and judging by their walk their weight, level of training, and possibly even profession. It was mostly guess work at the beginning, until he started to really listen to the foot falls. The ones which passed close to him he was able to pick up easily, but it was the ones further away, and the ones he barely heard at all which he focuses upon. Those were possibly shinobi, and they were the ones that held the most interest and danger for him.

His bowl of steaming ramen with everything was placed before him, and Kaito nodded his thanks to the owner of the shop, before slowly beginning to eat. His enjoyment of the meal was enhanced by the difficulty of keeping ones senses tuned to his surroundings while eating. His nose and mouth lounged in the presence of his meal and drink, while his eyes and ears attempted to shove aside the those distractions to keep his sphere of perception up around him. It was difficult, this ramen was exceedingly good today, he would have to remember to tip the owner extra.

Raising the bowl to his lips to drink down the broth and remaining bits of noodle, Kaito noticed the quiet foot falls of a shinobi. Not only that, but they were ones he had heard before, and recognized. His money was left upon the table, the bowl spinning and wobbling as Kaito flickered away from the ramen stand. Those foot falls belonged to the shinobi who had bested him in his chuunin exam, and Kaito would be damned before he let that bastard spot him. In fact, he was going to follow the arrogant lout and learn more about him. Pulling his hood down, and mask up, Kaito melded into the darkness of the rooftops, the shadows of the early evening embracing one of their own in their dark caress. These couple of days off would be productive indeed.

The arrogant shinobi whom Kaito followed this evening was certainly a piece of work, as they say. He walked as if he owned the street, shouldering people out of the way, usually following it with a "Watch where you're walking, peasant bastard!" Such was his ego that he never considered the possibility of one he had bested in combat coming back to haunt him, such as was happening at this moment. Jumping from shadow to shadow, Kaito pursued him from the roof tops, never letting his prey leave his sight. Twists and turns through the streets of Kumo, before the ninja entered into an apartment building.

Kaito followed him in, giving a three count before he used jutsu to help hide his features and slipping into the building. It was living for the well off, chunin and other professionals who could afford some comfort in their lives. He could still hear the foot falls, and Kaito used the walls to climb up the stair case, instead of using the stairs themselves, using his chakra to stick to the walls. Peering around a corner, he caught a glimpse of the cloak his prey was wearing as it disappeared into an apartment. He placed his feet back upon the floor, and walked up, and past the door to this shinobi's room, making a note of it in the book he kept in his pocket. "Found you...." he said with a grin.

His exit from the building was swift, his mission for this evening achieved. Lowering his mask and throwing back his hood, Kaito strolled back down the quieting streets of Kumo, the sun now below the horizon so that only a red haze was left in the distance. The young shinobi made his way past the ramen shop, stopping by to apologize for his quit exit, and complimenting the owner for the meal he had enjoyed, before continuing on with his walk. The next part of his plan to become a hunter nin, if they hadn't contacted him back yet, was perhaps a bit more brazen than simply gathering intel on who worked there.

Enough time for that later though, first he needed to finish his recon, and hopefully find out who was in charge of the office so that he could approach them first. Maybe he would catch some luck, and not have to continue his mission. Considering his past luck though, he found that unlikely. He stopped by a breakfast shop and did his usual dead drop of money and his order for the following morning, before making his way home for the evening, thoughts of vengeance and his hopeful future job as a shinobi running through his head.