Up on the cliffside

[smallstepstopower]

Rolling out of his bedding hadn't brought him to an unanticipated level of comfort. He'd been on his way back to the village and had been in camp with his teammates after all. No, the jarring part was the mad scramble needed to avoid taking a headlong dive over a cliff that hadn't been there when he'd gone to sleep, and it was more than enough to immediately put him on the defensive, back straight as he slowly scanned his surroundings.

No teammates, no -forest-. Where the hell was he?

Comments

[smallstepstopower]

He just nodded to show he heard that and easily continued down the street.

[orange_dattebayo]

He fumed and looked around the small village. Nothing special in his opinion. Some houses old and crumbled. Some new. Few stores with food.

[smallstepstopower]

Finally, after a bit of searching, he managed to find a place to eat, and he promptly moved to have a word with the employee at the counter, listening to the replies and looking relieved as he showed the person money to confirm. Only then did he wave Naruto in.

[orange_dattebayo]

Food! They had found stand with food! He hoped they had ramen! He basically skipped in, taking a seat with grin. "I feel like I could eat twenty bowls of ramen, dattebayo."

[smallstepstopower]

"They do seem to have it, but keep in mind that our funds are our funds for the foreseeable future." He settled beside him and skimmed one of the menus.

[orange_dattebayo]

He almost forgot about it. He flinched and laughed sheepishly:"Okay, I will stick to two bowls only," he sighed, rubbing his stomach after ordering food.

[smallstepstopower]

He hummed and turned to him once his order was in. "I'm sure we'll be able to get information on the workings of this place. Just view it as getting separated from your unit in possible hostile territory and you should be fine."

[orange_dattebayo]

He sputtered:"How do you classify that as FINE? Wandering around alone is not fine at all, dattebayo."

[smallstepstopower]

"Perhaps, but at times it's unavoidable and if you don't learn to survive, then you won't be in good stead later." He carefully broke his chopsticks.

[orange_dattebayo]

If someone told him before that he will get an advice from Orochimaru, he would have laughed like a hyena. He broke his chopsticks, smiling as the bowl is placed in front of him. "I hate when you're right, dattebayo..." he muttered, slurping up the first of the noodles.

[smallstepstopower]

"I'm always right." He reached over and took the egg off the top of his noodles with his sticks before focusing on his own food. Tempura, as desired.

[orange_dattebayo]

"No, you're not." He watched the egg disappear, then returned back to the task of devouring noddles in matter of few minutes.

[smallstepstopower]

"And how would you know that when all evidence points to the contrary?" He looked over at him as he nibbled, sniping the egg off the second bowl too.

[orange_dattebayo]

"Well you did something wrong if in the future you took wrong turn, dattebayo..." he didn't mind the egg. He can have them. He had his noodles.

[smallstepstopower]

"And who is to say that I took a wrong turn? Bad results don't make someone -wrong-." He gave him an arch look and nibbled on a bit of meat.

[orange_dattebayo]

"You did things that you knew they were bad. You were perfectly aware of it," he muttered, not wanting to argue about topic they already argued about. Besides- they will end up thrown out.

[smallstepstopower]

"Maybe, maybe not. You'd have to ask someone who lived it, but it still didn't make him wrong."

[orange_dattebayo]

"Yeah, yeah..." is a low mumble. But he still doesn't agrees with Orochimaru at all.

[smallstepstopower]

He reached over and rapped him with his chopsticks. "Act your age. Saying something like that is for surly twelve year olds."

[orange_dattebayo]

He did a double-take:"Oi! I just don't want to be kicked out from her because I argued. I still didn't finish my food," he grabs the bowl and drinks down broth.

[smallstepstopower]

"No manners at all." He looked skyward for a moment before turning back to his food. "Unless your version of discussion involves shouting, we would have been fine."

[orange_dattebayo]

Well he can't eat broth with hands or chopsticks. "I tend to discuss... loudly, 'tebbayo."

[smallstepstopower]

"Learn not to."

[orange_dattebayo]

"I think it's a bit late for that, dattebayo..."

[smallstepstopower]

He blinked, looking at him directly. "No, it's not. It's never too late to learn to be diplomatic. Even just tone of voice will go far in how well you can influence people."