Reo walked along the dry desert land that was Suna Village. It was the village Hidden in the Sand – and that was all he had been able to see for most of his life. It wasn’t a sheltered life by any stretch of the imagination, but it was still one of the same scenery over and over. Reo longed to explore elsewhere but knew that he was of an Elite branch of an Elite clan. He couldn’t just go do whatever he wanted. He had a duty.
He would do his duty. His clan, the Gojisou, existed for the purpose of keeping Shukaku in check. Rumor was that the infamous Shukaku had found a new host, but that’s all it was. Well, that’s all it was as far as Reo was concerned. See, he was only eleven and the elders refused to tell him anything – even if he was part of the Fuin Gojisou. He was in training and would do his part…just, later. Not now.
It was never now.
So, while the Elders discussed the fate of the clan with the danger of the Shukaku out of the way, Reo walked along the sandy path to the academy in order to train. Again. Just like he did yesterday. Just like he would the day after tomorrow. It was really quite annoying that it continued this way. Nothing ever seemed to change. The Elder’s never let him in on discussions. He continued to train. Wasn’t it about time he became a Genin and was given responsibility? Besides that, this wasn’t the first time that the One-Tailed beast had a Jinchuuriki. What did the clan do during the other times when the beast was being controlled by a foreigner outside of the clan? Sit around and wait?
There were eight other beasts out there in the world causing who knows how much chaos and damage. But, the Elders would rather not listen to the words of a mere child and bicker amongst themselves. It’s okay. Reo wasn’t angry. Really.
Eventually, he came upon the site of the Academy. It hadn’t been a terribly long walk, but the persistent heat of the day caused sweat to appear on his brow. The sun, of course, shone bright in the sky. It always did – unless it was night. That was the way of the desert. Hot days. Cold nights.
As Reo entered the academy, he took his seat. The other kids didn’t dislike him per se, but they tended not to associate with him overly much. He was bald, for one. That did a decent job setting him apart already. Every other eleven-year-old had hair. His was shaved, as that was what they did in his Clan. The other kids understood Clan requirements and many of them were part of their own clans. Still, they didn’t seem to grasp the idea of shaving one’s head. It had something to do with keeping one grounded and forsaking worldly possessions. He was eleven, though, and didn’t exactly understand it himself. Second, he always wore his weights and carried his wooden training staff. The other kids thought that was weird but his Clan took training extremely seriously.
He was preparing to fight Shukaku, after-all. One couldn’t relax too much when the enemy was nothing short but a creature comparable to a God. So, Reo wore them every where he went. He also swung the staff and moved through stances as he walked to the Academy. People no longer stared. They just didn’t talk to him.
“Today, class, we will be practicing her Bukijutsu. I’m sure Reo will be happy…” The voice droned off as Reo stood up in the middle of the classroom. He wasn’t smiling; he was stoic.
“I am ready to train, Instructor.” Reo said confidently. This was his area of expertise. Everyone else practiced Chakra control and other things of that nature. Not Reo. Reo practiced this. It wasn’t that Reo had no aptitude for Chakra control. It was just that his Clan had a policy. One must train the body before training the mind and spirit. He was still at the body stage. So, he trained.
The day went by relatively quickly at that point as they trained with each other. Reo didn’t do too poorly, even with his training weights. He didn’t win every fight, though. He maybe could’ve won that last spar if he hadn’t been wearing his weights. Maybe. He wasn’t the only kid with some skill in the classroom, though, and it was hard to tell who would have won.
[EXIT]
[Training Completed]
Words:761
Trained: Brawn (Strength) X 7
