[center][b]||Shen||[/b][/center]

[quote][i]'The morning sun stretched its reach above the horizon, slowly ascending until its golden touch vitalized everything it was cast upon. The winds were passive, a tranquil breeze every now and then caressed the leafy trees of Iwa's few forests. The whispering wilds hushed the sobs of men and women alike as they gathered around the fallen, but not even the elements could quell the overwhelming sorrow. Dark clouds threatened to end the sun's reign and droplets of rain infiltrated the otherwise bright domain of Iwagakure. As the pouring waters picked up, tears began streaming much more frequently, like steadily rising rapids. That was it - the rain gave everyone an excuse to cry.[/i] Submitting to the natural ebb and flow of nature, Iwa's citizens shared a peculiar oneness in their grief. Tears, raindrops? Who cared? They were all there because they were all aware: these two shinobi would not return from their journeys. A sort of symbolism explained why the rain brought forth more tears. A shinobi's death brought upon a break in the shinobi code, and as even the tsuchikage, the very icon of power, cried for the lost, men and women gathered and forgot who was what. There were no shinobi. There were no civillians. There were friends and family, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters. 

And Shen, watching from a distance, believing himself to be isolated from the bubble of feeling and emotion. He leaned against a tree, silent as night until the funeral ended. His mind was caught in a web of poetic daydreaming and pondering. He subconsciously questioned the purpose of shinobi, and then finally returned to the question he always found himself asking: why did emotions exist? He wasn't void of any reaction to the deaths; he did mourn the losses. He didn't exactly know who died, but they were shinobi who served Iwagakure. They were his family - no, more like lost cousins that he never had the chance to meet. When the funeral ended, Shen decided to walk up to their resting place, and maybe catch a glance at what the deceased shinobi looked like. He doubted he would recognize them, as he wasn't usually too worried about becoming acquainted with many people. However, the second the framed picture entered his vision, he froze, a lump forming in his throat. his eyes widened, and he wanted to scream but he couldn't. 

Within the framed picture, locked in a nightmarish reminder of life's brevity, was a picture of Shen's mother.[/i][/quote]

Shen gasped, nearly falling out of the tree he had been resting in. What began as a flashback turned into a haunting daymare, strong enough to cause Shen to break into a sweat. [i]'Breathe..... breathe..... breathe.....'[/i] he thought to himself, instantly calming his nerve and relaxing his mind. He took a deep breath and looked at his surroundings. He was near the edge of a forest clearing, perched up on a large tree. He looked down at lap and noticed a small wrapped foil resting upon it. He unwrapped it and smiled. What he found was a long leaf of a unique plant found only in Iwagakure's forests. The leaf resembled a stretched out, long teardrop. He pinched it and rolled it into a really thin fiber before placing one end in his mouth and letting the entirety of the herb to hang out the corner of his mouth. He began chewing on the herb slowly, enjoying the sweet, refreshing taste while its herbal contents relaxed his body and mind.

After a good minute or two, Shen jumped off the branch he was resting on and landed on the ground with a nimble stop. He then looked at the shadows on the ground, and then back up at the sun. [i]'I'm late, damnit....'[/i] Sighing, he began walking off towards where he was supposed to meet his new teacher. The walk through the forest kept him at ease, and he preferred it to walking through the bustling streets of Iwagakure. Why needlessly get absorbed by the stress of the village when the forest offered a much more enriching path?

The marketplace was one of the loudest and most active locations in all of Iwagakure. Shen usually avoided it, but it was nice to visit every so often; it provided a good look at the state of the village. Were people happy? What was the current gossip? What's the talk of the town? It was Shen's way of tasting Iwa's culture whenever he felt too detached. Once Shen arrived at the location written in his message, he looked around. [i]'There's no way I'll be able to tell which one of these people is my sensei...'[/i] he thought to himself. [i]'Wonder what he or she's like.... Cool? Strong? Brave? Ambitous?'[/i] Shen smiled at his thoughts. He always imagined himself having a tough sensei who he could look up to - a role model of sorts. [i]'I guess I just wait...'[/i]