sunshineverse | [Closed] Walking a thousand miles

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[Closed] Walking a thousand miles

Where: A Library in Earth
When: May 9th, Year 68 (AGS 1)
Notes: He wasn't the only one eying those specific scrolls it seemed. So was a girl named Tenten.

He didn't have his hitai-ate on, nor was he wearing anything that would really constitute as proper armor. Instead, he was dressed in a red shirt and a sand colored vest, his staff and a pack slung across his back. He had armor mesh under the shirt, but it wasn't visible, and he ambled instead of moving with the proper grace.

In all, he looked like a civilian curious about the library more than a shinobi coming to check it out. It wasn't as far off from Iwagakure as it could be, but he was pretty sure that it being tucked so far into the mountains meant that the village proper didn't fuss its security as much.

Then again... who wanted to brave those mountains?

He only had because he really wanted to check out this scroll he'd heard about and see what others actually made it out here. The last thing he expected was for some Konoha girl to have beaten him to it.

"Ah... excuse me?"

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It was grossly out of habit that Tenten wore her hitai-ate so openly. And certainly, there had been no thought to change out of her travel and battle gear when she had made the trip up into the mountains. It was how the kunoichi ambled around her own village most of the time. Why would a foreign village be any different? Granted, it would have likely been better for her to consider otherwise. But then, simplicity was something that came as a rarity in the kunoichi's life. No matter how hard she tried to achieve it.

Indeed, the trek into the mountains had been anything but easy. Steep drop offs and treacherous passes were only the beginning of the winding road that ended at the library. Hardly a welcoming invitation for even the most seasoned of climbers. But, truth be told, that had been part of the charm, for her. That had been part of the challenge. Through years of hard work and dedication, Team Gai had taught her to welcome such trials of endurance and strength. And if she happened to be rewarded for it, in the end, all the better for it.

Tenten had always been a seeker of knowledge. So what if it came with obstacles along the way?

She hadn't expected to find many patrons to be there, if any at all. In fact, that was another reason why she had been fond of this particular library tucked away in the mountains. And why she had braved the rocky terrain in order to reach it. So when a seemingly unassuming young man came bounding in and putting a stall to her quiet reading, the kunoichi could not help but be mildy surprised.

"Hm?... Yes?"

He shifted awkwardly on his feet, then padded closer, sitting in the chair beside her. His build was a bit stocky, and an undiscerning eye might mistake that for fat instead of muscle under hs clothes. He gave her a sheepish smile.

He put his staff just to the side of him, opposite him from her. "Are you very invested in that scroll?"

From her seat, she watched him, shifting from mild curiosity to a level of wariness that had the kunoichi sitting up straighter in her seat. Because as unassuming and innocently kind as he seemed, the young man was a relative stranger in a foreign land. And Tenten did not have Team Gai as unspoken guardians should something go amiss in this encounter. Still, there was no reason to expect the worse. And so, she refrained from reaching for her weapons pouch just yet.

At his question, Tenten glanced down at the scroll spread out in front of her, part in recognition to his inquiry and part in answer to it as well. Especially if he knew of the contents and information contained within the panels. "...I just might be."

He heaved a deep, clearly disappointed sigh, then folded his arms on the table and dropped his head on them. "If you would let me know when you're finished that would be good of you."

Well... that certainly was not the reaction she expected. In her experience, most others would have spent time and patience attempting to persuade her to give up the scroll now. Whether it was through civil or not-so-civil means. So this was rather a refreshing breath of air, even despite the unspoken pressure to hurry things along.

"I don't know. This is quite a loaded scroll. It might take a while. You sure you wanna wait?"

"I can take a nap. That one is the reason I even came all the way out here." He gave her a sheepish smile. "Silly to just come out here for one scroll huh?"

And despite how alert her senses remained, there was no helping the way the kunoichi's lips quirked in a sympathetic smile. "Not so silly, really."

After all, Tenten was ever a seeker of knowledge. And on more than one occasion, she had found herself going to great lengths for a small scrap of information. Besides, this scroll was no small trinket. From what she had managed to read over, it was well worth the trip.

Though, even if her endeavours did not turn out as planned, she had always found alternatives. "Are you sure you can't look around a little and maybe find something else in the meantime?"

"I could but... I'm kind of not allowed to be here." He ducked his head, a flush coming to his face as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose self-consciously. "I got kicked out a couple years ago because I made one of the local kunoichi's brothers really really mad at me."

Blinking, she paused altogether in her reading to turn and fully face him. Because that certainly caught her attention. And possibly raised her suspicion a bit more over the entire encounter. "And you came back here, anyways?"

It was a bold move for such an unassuming looking guy. And Tenten could not help but wonder whether it was because he was confident in his skills, or whether he was simply reckless with his life.

"Well, yes." He peeked over at her. He wasn't reckless with his life, he just really valued certain things. "I can outrun him."

Ah. Of course, there was always that solution. How could she have forgotten? She could respect that. To be perfectly honest, Tenten could more than relate. There have been one or two occasions where she had to resort to such tactics as well.

But then, the kunoichi had always prided herself on being a little bit reckless. "I guess that's a good plan to fall back on."

"Mmhmm! As long as his sister doesn't notice me everything will be fine. I'd be skinned alive, and not by her, if she decided to try to take back up."

"You must be pretty fast to rely so heavily on running as a means of escape." And already, she could feel the challenging mindset start to seep in, born from years of experience and influence under Maito Gai's teaching. Luckily, she also had the sense of reason and will power to squash all urge for competition then and there.

For now, at least. "Is this scroll really worth all that?"

"I'm not that fast, I just am good at thinking on my feet. It helps. I'm pretty average, all told." He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm only a little better at seals than everything else really. So... better to improve what I'm good at right?"

There was a part of her that wanted to point out that anyone could always improve their speed. Lee and the whole of Team Gai were shining examples of that. But then the realization settled in. Because not everyone could have their determination or insane drive to improve themselves so destructively. Even for the sake of personal goals.

But let it never be said that he was not making attempts on other aspects. After all, he had come here seeking out information on the one thing he was marginally best at. "So... this scroll is pretty important to you, huh?"

"Not even going to try to pretend it's not." He nodded, looking at her hopefully. "I mean, I go to some lengths to get stuff for my training but this time was a bit much." He waved at the library pointedly.

Listening quietly, she considered the matter and her options, already half knowing just what was going to transpire before the thought even occurred to her. "And just exactly what would you be willing to do to get it?"

"Ah, is that the question? It really depends what you want me to do. I can be pretty flexible, under the right circumstances." He was looking more intent now, focused sharpened, but nonthreatening.

In all honesty, Tenten had very little intention of forcing much if anything at all on him. This was foreign territory and she had come as an ally. To cause an international incident in one of Iwa's most valued libraries would not bold well for her records, or the the precarious alliance that had been established between the nations.

And, at the end of the day, she valued information and knowledge just as much as he seemed to, if not more so. It was something that was necessary in their line of work. Nonetheless, she was impressed that he had not been thrown by the prospects of having to work even more to gain access to the scroll. In fact, he almost seemed eager.

"Relax." Smirking gently, she eased back on the devilish intent. "I was just trying to get a better read on you."

"At home, a statement like that wouldn't have been a probe." He grimaced, then shook his head. "I guess I'm just too used to hoops."

She made a mental note of that, not daring to prod about where the young man haled from when neither one of them had even exchanged names. Because that statement was more a comment on his home rather than on himself. At the same time, if Tenten knew more about where he came from...

That was the one advantage he had over her, with her forehead protector out on display. "Well, I'm not a big fan of hoops."

"Hoops can be fun in the right circumstances... but I really don't know that these count." He shook his head, watching her and moving his elbow to the table, putting his chin in his hand.

"Probably not." And in spite of herself or her normal neutral facade around mildly questionable individuals, Tenten gave a soft chuckle. "Tell you what, why don't we study the scroll together? - If that's alright with you."

Granted, it would not go as quickly as it normally would if she were researching on her own. And there would still be the matter of who would come into possession of it when the day was done. But for now, it was one solution. "I don't normally have someone to theorize and experiment with when it comes to Sealing."

"I have to admit that showing off at home is hazardous at best so I usually don't either." He laughed softly and straightened up, scooting his chair closer. "I'm not half bad though, promise."

"Well, this is a pretty advanced scroll from what I've read so far, so I wouldn't doubt it." Unless he was overly ambitious and delusionally confident in his skills. But then, who was Tenten to judge when neither one of them were inclined to put their strengths out on the table? "I like to think that I'm not so bad, myself, but I'm a bit biased in that aspect."

He gave a soft laugh. "You're probably better than me, don't worry. I do best with simple things, admittedly. I try not to get too elaborate. On most things."

"You never know." Because, as Tenten had said, it was a very advanced scroll on sealing. And while this young man may very well have been fairly simple in other aspects of his skill level, it took quite a dedicated if not curious individual to seek out this one. "We're all good at something."

"I guess that's true. I'm a little better at this than other things, I admit. It's easier to learn than physical skills.... but that those are particularly easy either." He shook his head then, looking at her sheepishly. "But I do my best!"

"As long as your best is better than the day before, hm?" Chuckling softly, the kunoichi shook her head at the comment, realizing just how influential Team Gai had become in her life. And just how clueless the young man might be of all the sentiment that came with the mantra. "It's all we could ever hope for..."

"My best has always had to be better than the day before. I've come a really long way." He gave the seal a wry look, letting out a breath. "My parents were civilians who didn't like shinobi, so no one else was going to get me anywhere but me."

It was a familiar story, certainly, memory suddenly recalling a similar situation in Lee. Both of his parents were civilians as well, though they mostly remained out of his career and that part of his life mostly due to not quite understanding it, rather than fearing or loathing it. Still, it was something that she could relate and sympathize in.

"I have to say, I'm a little impressed. If you're seeking out this scroll, then you certainly have gone a long way on your own. "

"Completely on my own until I tracked down my teacher at age eleven, give or take some chance encounters." He laughed softly, then glanced around to see if he'd drawn attention to them before looking back to her. "It got easier after that. Not easy, but no way will I be useless, you know?"

"You must've did pretty good on your own to gain the interest of a teacher, though." It was a familiar story she was more than acquainted with. After all, it was nearly the same one that had been written out for Lee, hadn't it? Much like this young man, Lee had to learn and train on his own in those early years when no one believed he would ever succeed as a shinobi. And then, when Gai had taken an active interest, the rest became nothing more than history. "I'd be interested in hearing your methods and training sometime. Maybe it'd help me with mine?"

"I just hounded the nin that came through town enough that they showed me things to make me be quiet, I'm pretty sure. As for my proper sensei..." He looked thoroughly sheepish. "I think he just took me on because I found him."

"That's one way to do it, and not the worse that I've heard." Not that she's heard a lot of methods of finding a teacher. New genin squads were given instructors at the start of their careers. And somewhere along the line, when chakra natures came into play, it was always encouraged to seek out others who could better aid in development. "Whatever the reason, you still managed to better yourself and your skills."

"Well, yeah." He tipped his head toward his staff. "It's not like I'd just stop improving, even if the margin tends to be fairly small."

Better than you were the day before...

It was a concept that she knew intimately. And the idea of this stranger from a distant land would and did follow the same principle to improve himself as well - that he reached as far as he did because of it - was enough to give her smile a little sparkle. "I'm familiar with that idea, yes."

He flashed her a small smile. "That's really good. Too many people seem to think that it's not important."

"Not a lot of people ever have a need to become better than they are. Or, at least, they never think that they do." Reaching out, the kunoichi spread the scroll a bit wider so that it spanned across the table for both of them to read over comfortably. "That's been my experience, in any case."

"Mine too. I'm lucky I had people to show me enough to get even as far as I did." It was a murmur, but pleased, and he turned his attention to the scroll, starting to look it over.

And to that, Tenten could not help but shift her own thoughts towards the formation of Team Gai and all that they represented. At least to her. In the end, despite her initial thoughts or opinions on each one of them, Neji, Lee, and especially Maito Gai had been exactly who she needed at the time. "The universe works in mysterious ways, sometimes, huh?"

That ideal ever at the forefront of her mind, the kunoichi resumed her casual reading of the text, starting off a few lines further down in the manuscript than where he began.

"It does. Without certain people, I might very well be a merchant or shopkeeper right now." He shook his head a little, eyes moving down the page without trouble.

Tenten knew that she would have faced a similar end if fate did not intervened. Truth be told, there was a time, years prior, where she had considered it. Ownership of her father's shop had, naturally, been rolled on to her after his death. And Tenten, wearing and lost with life, weighed her options carefully. It would be easy work. Simple. Safe.

Reading over the scroll and looking to her new companion, the kunoichi was confident in her decision, now, as she had been then. Taking yourself away from the danger did not save you from the aftermath. And at the very least, this way, she could ensure that no one would die needlessly under her vigilance.

Strange, how a moment of happenstance and coincidence would garner such a deeply rooted conversation with a complete stranger. And reawaken similar thoughts that had inspired Tenten to begin her career as a kunoichi of the Leaf.

Perhaps, she thought, fate was still weaving its mysteries. And as they resumed to share the knowledge in the scroll in perfect silence, Tenten could not help but feel curiously excited to see what it would unfold.

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[Closed] Walking a thousand miles

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