Klano Kangai enters Kumogakure: A search for Koga

[Lee]

Dear Klano. Congratulations on becoming a chuunin! We are very proud of you. Although your father and I bare some bad news. Takigakure has been blown up, destroyed. We managed to escape with our lives, but not much more. Your father has found a well-payed job here in Kumogakure, and that is where we will try to make a living now. Come meet us when you're ready Klano, we await your return. We're sorry Klano."

-Love Mom

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Klano's eyes were swelled and red as he enetered the village hidden in the clouds. His home had been destroyed, and he wasn't even there to witness it. Although he felt greatful at his family's survival, he mourned for the loss of his long lost home. He wiped the tears from his eyes and continued walking forward. "Be a man Klano, you're a Chuunin!" Klano said to himself, slightly cheering himself up.

Klano stopped on the doorstep of which he knew was his new home. Kangai Residence, was labeled on the door. Klano knocked on the door after bracing himself to see his family again. He wanted to seem very tough in front of his father. But when his mother and father opened the door, he could tell that they had been crying also.

"Welcome home Klano!!!" his mother and father said in unison, embracing him with a hug. "Come in, we will show you your room." Klano was walked to his room, looking around at the new home. It seemed to greatly resemble there old one, which gave him comfort. When he entered his room, he became fully relieved. It was exactly the same looking as his other room. Klano had truly felt better now. "Do you like it Klano? We wanted to make it feel like home here too, although it will never be the same as Takigakure.." Klano's father paused. "Klano, are you still trying to become a master Mokuton user?" Klano nodded. "Yes of course! It's my life long dream father, why?" Klano asked.

Klano's dad told him of a man named Koga. An S-ranked ninja who specialized in Mokuton. "He lives right here in this village Klano, maybe if you're lucky enough, he can teach you a thing or two."

Klano was ecstatic now. He loved his new home, but he needed to see Koga. He said goodbye to his mother and father, and told them he'll be back after he's found Koga. Klano exited the house, and then suddenly remembered how he wasn't at home anymore. Klano shook his head and lightly shuffled down the stairs. Klano begin to walk around the village. "It'll take some time to get used to this." Klano said quietly.

Seeing a small shop, he entered hoping to get information about Koga. He came to the front counter of the bar, where they seemed to be selling Sake and other bar foods. " Do you know where I can find a man named Koga?" Klano said to the bartender.

[Koga]

The bartender, cloth in hand, was cleaning off the crisp, marble counter that was lined with the uncomfortable seats most bars were basically required to have. Rubbing it down with considerable elbow grease, he didnt quite hear what the young shinobi had said to him. Glancing up out of the corner of his eye, he found that it was no familiar face talking to him, therefore, he gave very little care to giving an answer. "Whatchu say, kid? Lookin' for a 'Koga'?" Snapped the old-end, middle-aged man, his graying hair barely still covering his head underneath the white-streaked, red bandana he wore. "Only Koga I know be that advisor Lord Yoshimo has. Not too easy to find a guy like that just walking around this borin' end o' town." He went on, retaining his rather aggitatable tone. Turning around to the sink, he reached inside the metallic crater and grasped a tannish cup of clay, then spun one of the knobs causing a jet of water to come pouring from the focet. "What's a kid like you doin' runnin' around lookin' for that guy anyway? He ain't a babysitter, y'know. He's got plenty o' notches on his belt from what I hear." He went on, a conversationalist at heart. Something else bars required. Talkative bartenders. Pushing the cloth into the cup with one hand, gripping the bottom of it with the other, he began cleaning it thoroughly as he turned around to the strange young man who had approached his shop.

[Lee]

Yoshimo... The Raikage?

"Thank you sir, for the information. I have to get going now." Klano said, waving as he exited through the double doors of the bar. As he walked outside, he could instantly see it. The Raikage's office. It had appeared to be a large mansion, on the top of a huge mountain. Klano felt a bit more nervous now, barely knowing anyone in Kumogakure, it would be a lot harder to walk up to the Kage's advisor and ask so much of him.

Klano set off yet again through the village, getting strange looks from the locals of Kumogakure as he walked by. For some reason, whenever he went outside, he felt like a fish out of water, or a needle in the haystack. After climbing up the mountain for a while, Klano had finally reached the place he had been searching for, the Raikage's mansion. I suppose I should just go in.. or should I? Klano though to himself. But after looking around for a while, Klano realized something. He saw no doors, no entry ways at all. He circled the mansion, scaling it up and down, looking for a door, or even a window. All though he didn't want to resort to breaking in. After running and jumping aound to find an entry way, Klano leaned against the mansion in exhaustion, and it started to push in from behind him.

Like a garage door, a wall lifted up, leading to a part of the mansion which Klano knew nothing about.

In his head, Klano was laughing, and cursing the mansion at the same time. But a little nervously, he entered the dark looking mansion. Klano looked around, and spotted two sets of staircases. One leading up, and one leading down. Seemingly, you'd think the Kage and his advisor would reside on the top floor of the mansion, so that is the path he took. He walked up the long staircase, hoping that he would find what he was looking for at the top. When he got to the top and opened the door, he saw no Raikage, which he had seen pictures of. This wasn't him. Who else would be in the office besides his advisor? Klano approached the desk, Koga's eyes seemed to still be looking at the paper.

Klano took a knee, and bowed his head in respect.

"Hello sir, my name is Klano Kangai. I wish to serve and train under you." Klano said in a nervous voice, failing at making a strong first impression.

[Koga]

The advisors eyes stayed focused onto the pages layed across his desk, folders and binders, notebooks and single pages scattered all across its surface. It was obvious that he had plenty of work to get done as his eyes shifted slowly across the face of the sheets in front of him, taking in all the information he had to in order to continue on with his day. He had heard the young stranger come into his office, and had taken note of each word out of his mouth. Despite how unoften it was that he showed true emotion, it could have been expected his reaction to this unknown visitors request. "I dont know who you are, Klano Kangai, but many people come to me looking for help. If I said that I would mentor every aspiring, young shinobi that came into my office, Id need my own academy for all of them." He stated with little feeling in any of his words. He figured that this younger ninja was just another one of the flock who wanted a get-rich-quick style to their training. Getting experience from being apprenticed to the best shinobi they could find, and getting the most work in, in the shortest amount of time. "Besides, I dont even know who you are other than your name and your supposed reason for being here. I have yet to see you in the Cloud Village. Why are you here so suddenly? And who was it that gave you the idea that I might be so free of time that Id take you as a student?" Went on the Forest King, attempting to pull out every ounce of information from this new face. Only after having finished speaking did his eyes leave the papers on the table, glaring towards the kneeling visitor to his office. Sizing him up, he figure that this ninja was at least a genin, meaning most of the basic training had already been taken care of. That meant, if Koga was to take this boy under his wing, the training would be aimed on more serious concepts, those that would help sculpt him as a shinobi. Not only his fighting style, but the reasons he would have for fighting, as well as the goals and dreams he would focus on for the rest of his life. He was just hoping the information that he would soon gather about this young warrior would prove that he was not worthy of his help. Though he wouldnt turn away someone who he thought was a promising ninja with great potential, extra work was the last thing he needed on his plate right now. Seconds into the future, all this would be decided.

[Lee]

"Besides, I dont even know who you are other than your name and your supposed reason for being here. I have yet to see you in the Cloud Village. Why are you here so suddenly? And who was it that gave you the idea that I might be so free of time that Id take you as a student...?"
Klano thought about that for a moment. He had sort of rushed in, only thinking of positive outcomes from his situation. He had finally gotten a chance to further improve his Mokuton skills, and that's all he had thought about. He looked up towards Koga.

"I'm sorry sir. I didn't introduce myself properly. I have just recently heard of you, by news through my father. I rushed here so suddenly only because of my excitement. I'm here in Kumogakure because my village was destroyed while I was away at the chuunin exams. Luckily, my parents got away, and we're now able to make a good living here in Kumogakure. The reason I came to you in search of help was because of my goal. My goal, you see, is to become a masterful Mokuton user. Someday, even surpassing the legendary Forest King." As Klano said this, he did not know that Koga himself was the foretold Forest King, only that he had powerful techniques.

Klano's excitement was slightly dimmed now, his excited stride being ended with an obvious denial. Nothing at all really made him special, only that there weren't many Mokuton users left in the ninja world, and he was one of them. Klano put his head back down, waiting for the reply of the shinobi before him.

[Koga]

"The Waterfall Village, I assume. My sincerest condolences for what happened to your home. Im sure that the Cloud Village will be a more than acceptable replacement, at least until the Village Hidden in the Waterfall is rebuilt." Said Koga, having heard the news of what happened. Something about the village being decimated by powerful explosions, he never really got all the specific details on the event. The fact that a village was wiped out was all he really needed to know. However, that was not the most intriguing part of what this young shinobi had explained to the advisor. What really stuck out, what really caught the attention he had been seeking from the Forest King, was when he mentioned the fact that he was attempting to improve his Mokuton, his Wood Style. The art of mixing earth and water to achieve control over wood, an ability very few could attempt, let alone master. ".. But did you say something about Wood Style? What kind of experience with mixing elements does a shinobi of your level have? Im assuming, not much. Especially in that ancient and secret art." Inquired Koga, becoming more interested in this boy already. However, who was to say? It could be a mere coincidence that this ninja had an aptitude for Mokuton. For all the advisor knew, it was a mere fluke of fate. There was still too little evidence for him to make a final decision for himself as to whether or not this stranger would be an acceptable pupil.

[Lee]

Koga had reason to be doubtful at Klano's ability. He had just barely recieved the title of chuunin, and Mokuton was quite a complicated concept. At least for some. Klano felt now as though he could stand in front of Koga, so as he began to speak, he got off of his knee and stood to face Koga.

"Well, the reason for my acceleration in Mokuton is, I can barely use the elements individually. You see, it's a lot harder for me to control the earth or water elements, then to combine then and utilize the Mokuton. Another thing, you may have heard of, my recently dicseased uncle, Yoshimaru Kangai. He was also a great Mokuton user, although I never really got to see him. He left this necklace for me," Klano said, grabbing his Necklace. Klano felt that it had some sort of power, but still had yet to figure out what it was."And this sword, which has the ability to shapeshift into other weapons. It's quite cool actually. It can change into an axe, a bow, a hammer, a rapier, you name it!"

Feeling that he was going on about information which was un-needed to Koga, he continued on to his priorities. Klano unsheathed his blade, showing it's injuries. It had whole's in it, which were created from his preleminary fight in the chuunin exams. "I still have yet to learns the more advanced moves, such as Wood Clone Technique, Wooden Men Technique, Great Forest Technique, and a few other high level Mokuton techniques," Klano told Koga, with a bit more confidence now. He could already feel the change from genin to chuunin, in maturity alone. He had a more serious tone to his voice now. He looked nervously towards Koga, awaiting another reply.

[Shin Uchiha]

[[OOC: Sorry for the unexpected enter, Koga, this is only for about 1-2 posts. Klano has been waiting for me to finally tell him something, so I decided to do it now]]


IC:

A shimmer from the window lit the dim room, but it only shone from one window. The ray passed Koga's face, and then passed Klano's. The ray hit the wall and stood there as if someone were directing it like a flashlight. It was easly seen, but it stayed there for a good moment or so. It even started to sparkle and shimmer a tad bit, and was starting to move as if it were alive. It moved until it started to form something. Forming the outline of a human's body, shimmering brightly it cought the two shinobi's attention hopefully. The ray of light went away, but the shimmering light on the wall stayed there, then stepped forward as if it had a leg. Stepping forward again with his other leg, it became alive. The bright light of a figure started to edge up a bit. Starting to form facial details, it looked like Hashirama, and Koga, but weak rays of blue shot from his eyes. This was not either of them, but someone that had been dead for quite some time now. It was Yoshimaru Kagai, back from the dead as ghost, but not a spirit.

Yoshimaru slowly walked to Klano, but he made no sound as he walked, his feet did not touch the ground. He put his hand on Klano's shoulder and smiled softly. His body and figure became more clear to see, he looked more like a ghost now. "It's been a while, young one."He said and chuckled, looking over to Koga. "A Wood Release decendent..."He whispered and smiled. He looked back down to Klano and knelt down a bit, getting to his hight. "I know you never met me, but I have no time to have a conversation."He stopped and took a 'breath'. "I know you are wondering about the items I gave you before I died in my will; such as that necklace of yours. Turn it around and you will see a swirl. All you have to do is bite your thumb and dab some of your blood on it as if you were doing a regular summoning."He then touched the necklace, making no feeling since his touch was not 'real'. "Bokusou is the name of your guardian, use him wisely in battle."He stopped and then put his palm on Klano's heart, "That birth mark of yours... It isnt a birth mark at all. Its a seal that all Kangai are born with. Regrowth seal it is called. This will only activate if you somehow got your little arms and legs amputated."He chuckled softly. "One last thing... When you get older, you will find out how to use the Doujutsu of the clan - Koudogan. If you want to learn more of it... I suggest going back to my house in Konohagakure when you get the chance."He then patted him on the head, whispering to him, "I believe in you.". Turning to Koga, "Take good care of this child..."He said, as a gust of wind came through the open window and whipped right past the two, making Yoshimaru dissappear.

[Lee]

Klano's jaw stayed dropped for a silent twenty seconds after his idol relative had blown away in a gust of wind. He had felt as though this was an important momemt in his life before his disceased uncle had stepped in. He looked down at his necklace, and turned it over to look at the spiral on the back. He touched it, thinking of a possible appearence of his "gaurdian". He almost wanted to cut his thumb and find out, but then he remembered something else thought his uncle had told him. "That birth mark of yours... It isnt a birth mark at all. It's a seal that all Kangai are born with. Regrowth seal it is called. This will only activate if you somehow got your little arms and legs amputated." Klano touched the area where his heart was located, a point where he thought his birth mark was located. He felt as though a huge power had been put upon him, of which he knew nothing of. Klano thought of his uncle's smile, and the feel of even his ghostly hand. He must've been a great guy, Klano had thought to himself before turning around to Koga.

He faced Koga, mouth still agate. He pointed his hand straight out to where his uncle's ghost once stood. "You saw him... You saw him right?!" Klano literally yelled towards Koga in an excited voice. Klano's calm collected mind set was now wiped away. Nothing this amazing had ever happened to him before. He was in the same room as the Forest King, as well as his uncle, the god of plantlife. Nothing he had ever imagined would be as exhillerating as this.

[Koga]

"Saw who?" Snapped Koga towards the young shinobi, having just burst out into a random scream, as if he had just seen a ghost. He had stood up rather alertedly, as if some danger was near, but soon realized, by the expression on the Waterfall ninja's face, that they were in no real trouble. "And keep your voice down, there are people trying to get work done." He said with bitterness towards the overexcited boy. He was considerably confused with what had just taken place inside his mind, perhaps he wasnt entirely stable. If that was indeed the case, taking on someone such as this could end up being a terrible mistake in the long run. Mental distortion mixed with great amounts of power could never end well. And thats in the best case scenario. Though the shinobi did not seem crazy, or schizophrenic, it could have been the sudden illumination of the room playing tricks on him, or perhaps some leftover illusion from a genjutsu that had yet to be fully erased from the blackboard of his mind. Koga sat calmly back down, pushing his chair more towards the desk. He grasped a pencil and a piece of paper and began writing something, waiting for the shinobi to explain his recent spasms.

[Lee]

"Saw who?"

Saw-- Oh, you didn't see him? Klano asked, a little bit confused. Had his uncles appearence been meerly a daydream, or a hallusination? But some of the things he said... it couldn't have been a dream. Yoshimaru had talked to Koga as well. "I'm sorry sir, I don't know what came over me. I should get going now then," Klano said, obviously screwing up his chance to be trained under Koga. He regained his composure, and began to walk towards the door, head down in shame.

[Koga]

Having finished writing on the paper, he gave a swift signature at the bottom of the page. "Klano, take this to the academy down the road. Theyll get you the equipment that you need for training. I suggest you get some weapons, as well as a new headband. That Waterfall one is a bit outdated as of now." Spoke the advisor as he held up the paper towards the young shinobi, waiting for him to turn around and take it from him. "Your training will begin within the week. I expect you to be ready by then for your first mission. I also suggest you try to get a team together, that would probably make things go a bit smoother for you as well." Though Koga was not entirely sure on what he was getting himself into, at least it would be interesting, and it would get him out of this office once in a while.

[Lee]

"Your training will begin within the week." Koga said.

In Klano's head, he wanted to run over to Koga and give him a big hug, saying thank you multiple times, like he would have in his childhood. But he had to grow up now. Klano slowly turned around and walked towards Koga's desk. Before taking the paper, he looked directly at Koga, and gave a sincere "Thank you". He then smiled and walked out of the office, happy he had kept his mature composure at the end. He then ran down the stairs cheerfully, holding up his academy paper as if he had just won a million dollars. Unexpectadely, life turned out to be a little better in Kumogakure then he thought. All he had to do now was get to know everyone a little better.

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