[open]

[boundgenius]

If this, then, was home, then for some, it was the only thing they knew.

For one teen girl, the life of a shinobi was all she truly knew. Her mother had died not long after giving birth to her, and her uncle and rest of family did not exactly approve of her suddenly being thrust upon them. Neji was somehow less than their own flesh and blood, and chafed under her reduced station.

If there were a way out, she would take it. As long as she did not dishonor her mother's name, she would take it.

Today was an uncharacteristically peaceful day as she sat atop one of the many tree branches around Michi no Sato. Border guarding was vital, if uninteresting. At the sound of approaching footsteps, she tilted her head; the direction was from the village itself. Likely no threat.

If they wanted her attention, they would request it; if they continued walking, she would have them halt to learn their purpose.

Comments

[boundgenius]

"There are problems here!" She snapped, finally, hand pressing down harder against his back as she snarled before forcing herself to breathe and remember her composure. "And if your answer is to flee, you are a part of them."

[konohasuperstar]

He was cursing himself for not taking his chance when he had it earlier. "You know nothing about me, or my clan! I'm not about to tell you what I'm even planning since you think this place is supposedly the be all and end all to our destiny!"

[boundgenius]

"This is where we owe allegiance! No matter the wrongs, this is the place we were born into, and there is no true escape." Her fingers tightened and flexed into the back of his shirt as she continued, "Do you intend to bring what you find of your clan back here? Right the wrongs through bloodshed? You will only have a weakened village and weakened clan that will easily fall prey to the Shourisha."

[konohasuperstar]

"And why do you automatically assume I'm -against- the village?" he inquired, teeth clenched as he fought with some decidedly devilish headache. What kind of banshee was this? "Where did I say anything to make you assume I wanted to carve my name on everyone,s corpses in blood? I haven't forgotten who we're fighting or who I am!"

[boundgenius]

"You attacked a border guard who would not allow you to have your way. What have you done to make me think you have anything but the harm of the village in mind?" She didn't ease up on the pressure as she leaned in, unblinking. "I will ask one last time. What is your purpose?"

[konohasuperstar]

He valiantly kept himself from vocalizing any pain, although he -did- see some white spots enter his field of vision. "Tch... My purpose... and what else? Growing stronger. In order to achieve that next step, I need the secrets of my clan! Once I master it, no one'll be able to stand in my way."

[boundgenius]

"Including those who have wronged you in this village?"

[konohasuperstar]

"...niisan was right... other people's realities are so far from mine..." he gave a long sigh. "So that's why people stay away from me? that's the reason they haven't even bothered to extend a hand after everything was burned? I can't care less who wrongs me, because all of that'll change when I get what I seek."

[boundgenius]

"And how do you intend to change it?" She didn't comment on the burning of his clan's homes; there was nothing she could say. Her own life consisted of her duties to the village, and her duties to her uncle's home. Had she wished to extend a hand, it would come to nothing.

No one had extended her a hand beyond the scope of duty.

[konohasuperstar]

"Words mean nothing. What people will remember will be actions that affect the course of history." he once again tried stubbornly to rise to his feet, getting quite annoyed at feeling the earth so close.

[boundgenius]

"And yet you have described nothing of your proposed actions." She increased the pressure to keep him firmly against the ground, other hand moving to press another point just above his elbow to cause pain. "I suggest you stop resisting."

[konohasuperstar]

There was an almost silent gasp, which may just have been a slightly noisier inhaling of breath, but his features did twist in pain, as she was seeking. He let himself slump back onto the grass with an an annoyed hiss. "You've... never heard of the Founder, so... it'd take too long to explain. A simple description won't do."

[boundgenius]

"I have time."

In truth, she didn't, though; the longer they stayed like this, the more likely it would be for his tenketsu to unseal themselves and permit the flow of Chakra again.

"Why don't you try explaining it."

[konohasuperstar]

And so he explained, how at first the warring nomad tribes that fought over territory finally settled, a bond having formed enough for a codependantly run village. Sasuke recounted how most of the Uchiha moved to Michi from Unmei, until through the years, only their leader was left.

"There was a temple, somewhere midway between the two village, where a shrine was built, for clanmembers to meet with the leftover families on peaceful ground, but... over time as more and more of the clan moved, it was deserted and finally forgotten. The records show pilgrimages, but since around five decades, everything is silent." there was a lot that was unsaid, about how and where he found all these records, but he assumed that knowledge was accessory.

"It's said that the leader engraved all his knowledge upon some scriptures, kept within that temple." and for all it appeared, he was betting on that. There was most likely a few things he left unsaid.

[boundgenius]

And she listened, only slowly drawing back the pressure from his arm and back as he continued to speak instead of attacking again. Much of this was history she had been unacquainted with, for one reason or another, and she absorbed it all silently until she was sitting back on her knees again, hands resting on her thighs.

"If there has been no activity for fifty years, how can you be certain it is even still there? You would risk being hunted down by those of your own village for something that may not even exist? Why?"

[konohasuperstar]

Slowly, he shifted until he was finally able to sit up, dark eyes filled with much of an empty, lonely void.
"Because it's all I have left of my clan." and as much as he would like the other side of the story, he knew it would be unwise to seek it in hostile territory. "After I find that temple, i'll decide my next course of action."

[boundgenius]

She stared at him then for a long moment, then pushed herself to her feet. "Meet me in this location tomorrow. Do not attempt to leave the village again."

[konohasuperstar]

"...right." well, what -else- could he say? Slowly, he got up as well, and sooner than later made his way away, deciding that getting out of this with just a light headache was good enough.

The next day, he was sitting in that same spot.
It was, however, not him, but a clone, for he was out of immediate sight, still within the village boundaries but further out. He had sent in a clone in case of things going wrong. Not that he cared about Neji slipping everything he told her, but he wasn't letting himself get caught. The clone, in fact, had been sitting since an hour, staring up at the clouds with a light scowl.

[boundgenius]

"How are you feeling?" Her voice came from behind him as she dropped down from one of the trees. It had been a simple matter to beg off her shift in the interest of scouting further ahead; in her kunai pouch were the necessary papers for leaving the border of the village without harassment.

Her eyes darted over him, and she fought back the urge to smirk -- that was a clone. Did he think her eyes were so dull? A moment, then she deliberately turned to where he was actually hiding and raised her voice. "How many days travel is it, precisely?"

[konohasuperstar]

No, he did not think her eyes dull, but it was not her that he would ahve wished to fool. It was who else she may have brought if her intention was to turn him in.

As a result, the clone poofed out as soon as she turned his way, and he strolled towards her, lips pursed, eyebrows creased into a frown. "Let me guess, you'll travel with me all the way to the temple all the while making sure I don't do anything against the village -and- come back once I'm done..?" yes, that made sense, else she wouldn't just -ask- how many days.

"To answer your question though, it's three, two and a half at a good pace I wager."

[boundgenius]

Slowly enough so he could see what she was doing, she reached into her kunai pouch and withdrew a sheaf of white paper, folded as if it were a letter. "Border crossing papers for myself and one whom I am escorting."

And she slipped them away again with a raised eyebrow. "It seems you are more perceptive than you act. Fortunate that I planned ahead, as I have a week's worth of travel rations. Shall we begin?"

[konohasuperstar]

"I don't care what you need to do, but you're not sleeping within a twenty-meters radius of me." a pause. "...but I suppose I should thank you for providing.. an escort." otherwise, he probably never would have made it out, or if he did, he may have needed more drastic measures against border guards.

Apparently ill-equipped for such a long journey, bearing nothing but his usual dark robe bearing the crest of the clan of which he was the lone survivor, he swept ahead with brisk steps. "We can plan as we walk, for whatever we might even need to plan anyway."

[boundgenius]

"Unsafe," she returned with a frown, falling into step just behind him. He was the one who knew the way, so it only made sense, though she chafed at being forced to follow him. "Twenty meters leaves far too much room for separation, and I will not have it."

[konohasuperstar]

"I said twenty." he narrowed his eyes. "Why would I even try and lose you when you have that Byakugan of yours? You'd find me even if I went ahead for eight hours."

[boundgenius]

"And I am telling you that twenty is unacceptable and foolish. You forget that by exiting the village, we are entering a war zone. There is safety in numbers. Even for you, Uchiha."