On the back of a beast (Private - Flashback)

Walking to an unknown location can either be thrilling or terrifying, depending who you ask. Being optimistic is the first key you will need in order to unlock a happy journey into the unknown. That shouldn't be difficult for those who have spent their entire life traveling from one location to another. You must keep your eyes open while exploring the ninja world, you never know what you're going to find.

A lone Shinobi wearing an authentic outfit meant for stealth wandered through the darkness by traveling only at night. His entire outfit would allow for bones to emerge through the material in the case of an emergency. The cowl covered his mouth and the hooded veil ensured that only his cool blue eyes would be the only thing shown, as it covered his forehead as well.

This traveler had found himself on some remote island and found a place to sleep for the night. When he awoke the next morning he noticed that the island had apparently moved! The surroundings were completely different than before, but the island was definitely the same one he had fallen asleep on the night before. This was so strange to the rogue and he had no idea what to make of the situation.

Instead of questioning this, he decided to explore some more. A large group of animals surrounded the Kaguya in protest of his arrival and charged him. Using his mastery in Taijutsu, Hayato dispatched them quickly with a flurry of punches and kicks that wouldn't even require the smallest amount of chakra to accomplish. Once this act of self-defense was completed, the hooded warrior casually walked away from the unconscious bodies of these animals.

He sat quietly on the branch of a tree on the island, one of the larger ones that made it easier to see the entire island. The sun had long sense gave way to night as the full moon reached its zenith in the sky. His eyes remained closed as he allowed himself to feel out his surroundings. The movement of animals, the flow of the waterfall, even the breeze of the wind; painted a beautiful picture in his mind. When his eyes opened, his golden eyes staring down at a single paper in front of next to a scroll, he reached down and grabbed the paper. He stood up, dressed in all black with nothing but a black sleeveless shirt and pants, and walked the length of the branch. The words from the scroll still fresh in his mind. Under orders by the captain of Anbu, Gambaldi was to learn to harness his natural element. A simple task, but something the shinobi had neglected due to his dedication to his bukijutsu practices.

The slip of paper was meant to identify which element Gambaldi was most in tune with. He held up, closing his eyes as he did so, focusing on the paper. His eyes opened almost simultaneously with the paper splitting in half. "Wind, huh. I expected earth," he muttered aloud, tossing the paper away. He turned around, still easily maintaining balance on the branch, and picked up the scroll. On it was a basic teaching method for all elements. Since he now knew which element he had, this scroll would make the process a bit more easier. Gambaldi recalled how this same scroll had came into his possession many years ago, during his days as a genin.

As the young Anbu sat quietly, now ready to apply the new tricks he had learned, something snagged his attention away. He could sense the chakra of several animals being diminished one by one. The source being an unknown chakra signature he was unfamiliar with. Being that this island was one that no outsider should know of, at least to Gambaldi's knowledge, it was likely another Kumo shinobi. Masking his own chakra to the point it was nonexistent to the untrained, Gambaldi closed in on this individuals location. Light as a feather were his steps so he could not give away his location to the man. Gambaldi wanted to see this individual before said individual saw the young anbu. By the time he arrived at the location the animals were sprawled out on the ground, not dead but hurt enough to no longer be a threat. Hiding amidst the trees, Gambaldi sized up the culprit though he was hidden behind a cloak. He move quietly around his target, still careful not to make noise; an easy feat thanks to the gentle breeze of the wind causing the trees to give off a low hissing sound as they danced at the winds mercy. Once he was behind the cloaked man, Gambaldi descended quietly from the tree he was in and stood behind the man about 20 meters away.

Rather than speak to reveal himself to the cloaked man, Gambaldi reached up for the blunt he had tucked away behind his ear and promptly sparked it. There was no doubt that the lighter flick would give away his location, but this was the point. He took a hit and exhaled smoke as his golden eyes watched every movement this man would make. "Congratulations, you just beat up a bunch of wild animals. A feat truly worthy of the shinobi of legend," he said sarcastically with a grin, "Now who the hell are you?"

While walking along his merry way, a glimmer of light sparked in a tree about twenty meters away. Rather than become alarmed, the hooded man turned his head slightly to view the source of the flicker of flame before turning around completely. Somebody was spying on the Kaguya. "Congratulations, you just beat up a bunch of wild animals. A feat truly worthy of the shinobi of legend," the stranger said sarcastically with a grin on his face, "Now who the hell are you?"

"Smug, are we?" Hayato responded from behind his cowl before catching a whiff of the blunt that the spark of light had ignited. This was vaguely familiar to the rogue. He had smelled this scent before in his previous three years of travel. He wasn't exactly sure where, but he remembered smoking it before and feeling amazing. "Yo! Let me hit that shit!" he called out as he approached the location that this stranger had been hidden.

Approaching the stranger, Hayato stopped about eight feet away. "I'll make you a deal. You let me take a puff from that and I'll tell you one thing about myself. The more I smoke, the more I'll open up. Deal?"

Closing the distance, Gambaldi took another hit of the blunt before passing it to the stranger. "Careful, this isn't for lightweights," he said with a chuckle, "So am I interrupting your training...I don't think I caught your name." Gambaldi sized up the stranger, as was his habit. He was curious as to why someone would come to this deadly island. There was no doubt as to if this man was an outsider, only those from Kumogakure knew of this place. Outsiders were usually escorted by a member. However, this man was here alone therefore obviously a Kumo shinobi. Sadly, Gambaldi didn't know every shinobi in the village; this man included. If the young anbu had to play a smoking game to get info, then he'd be more than happy to indulge.

After passing the blunt, Gambaldi approached one of the beaten animals. He assessed the damaged and whistled once he got an idea of how bad it was. "Not bad. Enough force to incapacitate with ease. Not many are skilled enough to do so to one, let alone this many at once," he said nudging the knocked out beast with his foot, "Not bad at all." Gambaldi turned back to the stranger, "I'm called Raionhato."