sunshineverse | [Open, SUPER BACKDATED]

Who: Rock Lee and Everyone~~~
When: Backdated to mid-April through the rest of the month
Where: Several of the shinobi villages and their outskirts (all except Konoha and Ame)

Notes:After gaining leave from the hospital, Lee sets out on a journey to take some of his darker thoughts out of his mind. He decided to see the world, or at least visit all the other shinobi villages, and hoped he would find some solace while seeing old rivals and making new friends.

Sunagakure

The arid desert air was a relief to Lee. As much as he loved his home country it had been a harsh winter and spring, so the heat felt more natural despite the sand under his feet. With the warm atmosphere Lee knew he was bound to continue to grow stronger if he trained here. At the same time, he was also cautious not to grow dehydrated. When he wasn't out running the perimeter of the village or visiting with the family of the Kazekage, Lee could be found at local juice bars. Oddly, he seemed less inclined to greet strangers unless they spoke to him first.

Iwagakure

The land of earth was rugged but it felt more like home than the desert sands of Suna. Lee took to rock climbing with gusto; he was familiar with mountain climbing and pounding boulders with his fists but rarely did he get the chance to try his hand at the sheer cliffs he found around the land of Earth. The local cuisine was hardy yet simple and Lee found himself generally enjoying that.

Lee took to camping outside the village rather than finding proper lodgings. It was cold but he found peace in the solitude the quiet nights offered.

Kumogakure

With his wounds almost completely gone (though never gone forever, he had a hell of a scar) Lee thought it prudent to seek out the famous hot springs located in the land of Lightning. He splurged a bit, taking himself to some of the nicer lodges outside of the village. While he felt safe enough to travel by himself he knew there was still some strain between Kumo and Konoha. He did not want to incite any sparks due to bad blood.

Lee was starting to feel a bit more secure and smiled more often before he left.

Kirigakure

Lee was no longer afraid of damaging himself further now with his wounds closed so he made good on his promise to Naoki and visited the land of water. It was fun to play off the shore and swim all day then have a hearty meal of fish cooked right over a fire at the end of the nights. Lee finally felt like himself again and he wanted to take on the world, thought how he could advance was still an issue on his mind. At times he would lapse into silence but his smile was warm any time he caught the eye of a passerby.

[ooc: Lee will be visiting Ame during the attacks in May; he will return home after all of that cools down. Also, Lee spends 3 or 4 days in each given place but there's no need to specify any certain date.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

News had gotten to Kisame that Rock Lee had come to Kiri almost immediately, but Kisame was very busy, and trusted Naoki to report anything suspicious. Still, intelligence came that the ninja was certainly looking fully healthy, and there was that spar.

So when Kisame finally found a few moment, he approached the Konoha-nin. "So your visit wasn't just a rumor, Lee-kun. You're looking much healthier!"

Lee remembered that promise he had made to the Kiri-nin, much like he remembered his promise to visit Naoki. That pleasant experience behind, it was time to get on to some rougher stuff. A spar, to be exact.

Lee grinned, feeling more like himself than he had at the start of his journey. It felt right, ending his days in Kiri with a spar. His sensei would be happy to know he was back in the action earlier than projected, too.

"Kisame-san! I am feeling quite better than when we last met, so I believe I can offer you a good fight now! I hope your offer from before still stands!"

"Of course it does. There are plenty of sparring areas with different things to offer. Do you have a preference?"

Kisame expected it wouldn't be one that was mostly water, but there were a few that at least to the untrained eye didn't appear to have water at all, and then more specialized ranges to develop specific skills.Kisame was sure that Lee had gotten a look at least a couple during the days he'd been here.

"No, unless you count that I am up for anything challenging!" Rock Lee didn't do anything in baby steps.

Of course, that meant he left the options wide open to his opponent but Lee had confidence he would do well even if he could not beat this man. He usually had that same amount of confidence going into any fight.

"There's different kinds of challenge. We've got underwater, above water, marsh, even dry. And then there's the pole area; that's a favorite of a comrade of mine. There's always the option of moving around! Any particular kind of challenge you want first, Lee-kun?"

One last chance to pick seemed reasonable, otherwise Kisame would. He was half tempted to pick one of the water-heavy areas just to show how refusing a choice could turn out, but that wouldn't be fun for him. Kisame liked a challenge too, and water was all too easy. One of the drier areas then.

It was on the tip of Lee's tongue to suggest that they just pick at random, and then Kisame mention poles. Lee stopped, blinked, then his eyes widened and little fires kindled deep in their depths.

"Pole area? You mean, as in, a training area where one must remain in complete balance and dance atop the very tips of bamboo poles while fighting one's opponent in order not to fall into the water below?" If the increasing intensity in Lee's voice could not be heard then perhaps the way he nearly began to vibrate gave Kisame some kind of clue as to how excited the Konoha shinobi felt at that very moment. "Is that the kind of pole area you mean?"

"The poles are made of many different materials but the concept is the same."

Kisame can see the enthusiasm, and makes a follow me gesture before heading towards the pole area. The poles are indeed made from all kinds of different materials, and cover the whole field. While they're all evenly spaced, this area boasts many different heights, staggered to make the "terrain" more interesting. There doesn't appear to be any standing water below the poles, but that also doesn't mean there isn't.

"How's this look to you?"

"Different materials? That sounds even more challenging!" It meant that one had to keep aware of every little difference in their surroundings. What looked like a sturdy place to set foot could easily shift under one's weight if it was not made of sturdy enough stuff. Interesting.

Kisame led the way and Lee bounced along at his flank, quite excited to see this area. It certainly left nothing to be desired for a training field. Just... perfect.

Lee stood there a moment, completely agog, then turned to Kisame with fire burning in his eyes. "When do we get started?"

Kisame laughed at the enthusiasm, and leapt up to one of the poles, balancing easily in spite of his bulk. This would be fun, because he could always use more practice like this. His style didn’t require as much pure speed and grace as others, but no facet should be neglected.

“As soon as you can get up here, Lee-kun!"

[Open, SUPER BACKDATED]

Kiri, of course

of course~

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