The village had been quiet as of late, proving to have a casual silence of its usual activity. It's cause was unable to be determined by his observations as things seemed to be very much consistent with the 'norm'. The audibility of moving from the main sectors into the Silent Selena Forest was hardly noticeable. He found it kind of ironic how things could abruptly simmer down in seemingly the same moment he had become a shinobi. The vast majority of his younger years were spent admiring the ninja of Shippuugakure and their operations. Now that he had 'arrived' was their nothing left to be done? He was certain the answer to that question was obvious, knowing full well the nature of the ninja world. But this was as it seemed. Like his predecessors had undertaken and conquered all the necessary burdens for peace.

The tree's of the forest proving to be a physical representation of his feeling, the upper leaves being the shinobi of the past infinitely protecting and sustaining the well being of his generation of Selena Flowers. Scanning the area with his crimson irises he noted the enduring trunks of the forests trees, instantly reminding him of his origins. The violent winds of his homeland bringing about evolution, turning the forest itself into a shelter. The same adaptability flowed through his veins. Turing his palm upward he began usage of his native kekkai genkai, rapidly growing a white cloth like sheet up from the length of his forearm. He began to wonder just what his adaptation as a shinobi would be as he caused the sheet to sway causally in the air before him. "I suppose this would be a good a time as any to begin my training. It would be senseless to wait until there is a crisis to try and rush along my strength."

Spoiler:

WC: 311

He wanted to find him. No, he needed to find him. A shinobi with enough skill in earth and fire. It was of the villages upmost importance that they find a ninja like that within the village. How else were they to fix his beach. Without that beach the village would be at a great loss. It was a wonderful place after all. So many people visited it. Sometimes, on a good day, the beaches attendance rate would soar up to 3 people in it at the same time. That was quite impressive. Almost more visits then this forest got. Maybe. The really didn't keep track of who went where. Even the ninja were free to go where they pleased. As long as they didn't end up getting themselves killed. Yes, Saizo liked to give people the freedom of travel. He himself enjoyed traveling quite a lot. He once traveled to all the islands in the Ocean Country in his youth. Or at least a great majority of them. They had many different kinds of people in this great country. Many cultures and traditions, differing from island to island.

Shippuugakure was the capital of all this islands, so many people came to the island. Many merchants came not only from the Ocean Country but from many other places. Shippuu was quite the trade center. Not nearly as much so as Tsuki, but it was a close second. Definitely more open then Hyouga and less intimidating then Boufuu. Being an island made trade easy, though. Ship travel was far quicker then land travel. It also helped that the winds were strong enough to push boats farther then in normal waters. They were a fearsome country too. Being the village that toke down Kazan. They even butted heads with Boufuu at one time. Saizo didn't care much for war. Too many negatives, not enough positives. The only reason he'd see war as a legitimate course of action was in defense of the country. Whether it be a strike in order to prevent a village from gaining too much power or an invasion of their borders. He wasn't one for imperialism. Not if the land wasn't empty, anyways.

Saizo enjoyed his stroll in the woods, not expecting to find anyone, let alone the specific ninja he needed for his job. So one can imagine his surprise, or rather, confusion at finding another man, or boy, inside the forest. He looked kind of cute with what looked like a scarf dancing in the wind. Yes, a boy just ripe for the picking. Not too old, and not too young. Some might say the younger the better, but Saizo preferred it when they had a little meat on their bones. Young genin were always fun to train. "Hello There." Oh, what could he teach the young boy. Was there anything to teach him? Maybe they had nothing in common. Saizo was never a really good teacher, either. He could maybe help him improve on the skills he already had but teaching him something new was probably not going to happen.

WC:515

Beaming down at his kekkei genkai he sighed with a tinge of frustration, not towards the nature of his ability, but knowing the training he was about to commence would be full of trials and errors. Which in every respect was just like anything else new that one would try, but it was the thought of knowing the existence of relatives who were also gifted with the clan ability whom were still alive, but out of his reach. He understood why his parents had opted to raise him in the village and not traditionally apart of the clans nomadic lifestyle. Although their clan was comprised of enduring, resourceful, and cohesive people, stability was not something they excelled towards. It was important for an adolescent such as himself to be brought up in an environment such as a village, especially having planned to be raised as a shinobi since before his birth.

Alas, the burden of their estrangement would prove more difficult than his parents had anticipated. Neither of his them were able to use the Kinunochi and probably did not suspect their offspring would receive the recessive gene either. What were the chances? Now it seemed he would have to trail blaze his way through the nuances and secrets of his bloodline that others of his clan had already done. He would in essence need to submit himself to mistakes already known to be made and learn secrets that are no longer mysterious. His only saving grace besides hard work and bit of luck would be Shippuugakure itself, the place where his clan originally developed the bloodline. There was a good chance there were records and texts that may be of use to him in his journey of growth. Perhaps even some senior villagers that might prove to be privy from personal accounts and experiences.

He continued his gaze at the cloth outgrown from his forearm, watching it wave with about as much uncertainty as he had trapped in his chest. His brow raised in the perception of something. Sound. Audibility not stemming from his own presence or the natural ambience of the environment around him. Lifting his head and jutting his eyes he looked upon the direction of the sound, his long brown hair mildly blowing in the passing breeze. To his astonishment  he had stumbled across no average company, but in fact the Umikage himself. Quickly adjusting his posture to a more upright and appropriate showing, he attempted to 'look alive' amidst the leader of his village. He had only seen him once, their meeting rather perfunctory in the context of allotting his latest mission. To his surprise the Umikage was not as tall as he expected, seeing as how the last time they had crossed paths the ruby eyed leader was seated behind his office desk.


"Umikage-sama, its a pleasure to see you again. I'm not certain if you remember, but I am Kogure Ryota."


WC: 488

A ninjas from Shippuu. Said figured as much. Not many other people visited this forest. Perhaps it wasn't impossible for him to have been from an outside village. A young kid like him, though. Was he really a ninja? How old was Saizo when he got out of the academy? He couldn't remember. Was he that young? Perhaps he was. He wasn't sure how he felt about this. Teaching children the art of killing at such a ripe age. Self defense was always important, too. The protection and improvement of the village also reaped the benefits of teaching the young. Maybe if they had a safer environment. Then maybe they could use different methods, but he wasn't going to change anything this soon. No, he has only just entered office, he cant go making huge changes right away, or rather, he didn't want to make big changes right away. He was the kind of person who liked to take their time. Sort of like procrastinators, but he didn't like that name. Now on missions and urgent business he did the exact opposite but he didn't really view his as urgent. It demanded some thought, first.

He had to deal with the young genin in front of him before he could think over the system. No, deal with wasn't the right way to say it. It wasn't that he found him a nuisance, he just had other things he had to attend to after. He was sure he could take a little bit of time out of his day to hang with the next generation, though. He was already avoiding his duties searching for a beach repairman/women. He didn't know it was so hard to find someone who knew doton and katon in
his village. Maybe it wasn't and he was just looking in the wrong places. Like this forest.

It was a nice forest at least. Wasn't a bad place to be. Not for Saizo anyways. He was glad and disappointed that he recognized him. It was good that he could recognize the kage of his village so easily, even though they met prior, but at the same time, Saizo had liked to remain anonymous, but that seemed like it would be impossible now. His only chance for that now was in foreign countries. "Hmm, Ryota Kogure. I'm sorry. Doesn't seem to ring any bells. it wasn't unusual that he forgot one of the many ninjas that he hands missions too. Meeting him outside the office would help him remember, though. Saizo would have introduced himself if he hadn't already known who he was. To do it now would just seem pointless. "So brings you into the forest, Mr. Kogure. Were you just itching to escape the suffocating village atmosphere?", that was sort of what Saizo was doing. It was second to the search, though. He was sure that he could find someone in the village. If he really had to he'd even take two different people. Just as long as it was soon.

On top of Saizo stature being contrary to his assumptions, he seemed a lot younger than he remembered. Of course his memories from that day were more than likely clouded by the excitement of his first mission. Most probably  paying little attention to the Umikage's personal characteristics. If he had to take a guess he would assume him to be maybe only a handful of years his elder, give or take. It was an exciting prospect to know that one could reach the prowess necessary for Kage at such a young age. Particularly those of that level were by stereotype older individuals, usually around their fifties and sixties. Perceived to have as much experience as they had power with veneration tantamount to lesser deities in many respects. Although his memory of the Umikage was a bit off, at least by his physical means, he was a bit disappointed with Sazio's forgetful reciprocation.

He had hoped to leave an impression but it seems he was unsuccessful. In his defense, hundreds of shinobi probably walked through his doors for the sake of mission protocol. The amount of attention he paid to it after while probably diminished with each visit. He shuttered to think what number his request was versus those that came before him. An air of acceptance befell his mind, choosing to work harder in this moment to be recognized. To any degree really. He was only a Genin so he would not really be able to impress Saizo, but he would need to figure out a way to leave his mark. Or at least something of the like. Saizo had asked what brought him into the forest, and his assumption was dead on. The young Kogure was glad he wasn't the only one who noticed the down beaten vibe of the village.


"Indeed. Things have been moving quite slow since I've graduated from the academy. I figured it best to begin my training while things are tranquil. I want to get on the fastest track possible to mastering my Kekkei Genkai."


WC: 341

[OOC: Sorry, very busy this week]
Saizo felt a tad bad about not remembering him. Maybe he should have lied and pretended he had. No, Saizo didn't see any need for that. It was far too late now. If he scanned his mind he probably would have been able to remember but that would take far too long. Too many faces too recall and it was even tougher to match those faces with their respective names. It wasn't impossible, just far too time consuming. Maybe he'll lie next time. Seemed like an easier way to protect his feelings.

So he was another one with a kekkei genkai. Not unusual. The major villages were filled with them. They were powerhouses for the village ninjas forces. It seemed thoughtless to label them as such, but it was true. They were the staples of each villages power. Saizo didn't like kekkei genkai, more specifically., he bated his own kekkei genkai. Sure, it was strong and powerful. It also helped him in a pinch, but he had felt so limited by it. As if he was only good at one thing and that alone. Now he no longer had to rely on it. He was capable of fighting without the use of the hydrification technique. Maybe that's why he could finally enjoy using it again. He had just wanted to feel that even without the natural gifts of his clan that he was a strong ninja. However, there was no need for Ryota to follow in his footsteps. Saizo wouldn't stop him. Kogure was his last name, correct? Hmm, it didn't sound familiar to him. "Your Kekkei Genkai, you wouldn't mind showing it off to me, would you?"